Fitness Weekend

Weekend Report (including Race Report!)

January 6, 2020

Hi!

I survived the Hollywood Half marathon yesterday! This was the main achievement of my weekend, and I had a lovely time running the race. I did have a terrible period after the race where I was short of breath and having heart palpitations (for like 40 minutes!) but thankfully did not require any kind of medical intervention.

Oops. I guess this is what getting old and not training very well means 🙂 I’m still glad I did it!!

The 9:30 pacer was my view for 80% of the race

I stuck with the guy above until mile 9.5 or so, and then went slightly faster. I’m glad I did because had I gone out any faster, I don’t know if I would have finished very happily! I enjoyed taking this pic at mile 12:

my fan club! with MAJOR sun in their eyes! Weather was perfect – high 50s and sunny.

Josh gets hero of the day, because not only was he a fantastic spectator, but he also took the kids for basically the rest of the day while I got some glorious rest (a shower, a nap, many pages of Station Eleven).

Steady

I ran the race in ~2:03 which was not my fastest time (actually was my slowest in many years) but — it was reasonable given my very low-mileage training. I used to train 25-30 miles/week and there were many weeks during this training cycle where I ran . . . 15, total. Or even less if I missed a long run. So, I felt I ran the time I deserved! On the up-side, I did more strength work than I ever used to do as a young (faster) runner. So there’s that.

I also interviewed 2 weekend babysitter candidates (found via Care.com). We had two come (and were excellent!) and two no-shows. This is mostly going to be for short stints on weekend mornings so that I can exercise NOT at the crack of dawn and so that I can take Viva to MyGym (her fave) while Josh gets a little work in.

It’s Monday and I am THISCLOSE to Inbox Zero which was very long overdue. THANK YOU, new year energy!

Rest of weekend featured:

  • A date night (for carb loading purposes!) at Cappriccio’s
  • MyGym
  • A bday party (hadn’t been to one in a while!)
  • That’s about it

It was low-key and nice.

18 Comments

  • Reply Haya January 6, 2020 at 7:35 am

    i just finished station eleven a couple days ago! what did you think? i have concluded that i need to stop trying to make sci-fi work for me.
    i read 3 science fictiony books last year (counting station eleven, since i started it in 2019) and although they were all “good”, i did not really enjoy reading any one all that much and found myself often drawn to non-reading activities over reading time (which is a red flag for me).
    congrats on a pretty good race!!

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 6, 2020 at 10:10 am

      I am actually very drawn to reading this particular book BUT I find it too upsetting.

  • Reply Marjorie January 6, 2020 at 9:43 am

    Congratulations on finishing the half so strong and healthy! I love that Josh also made sure you got some much needed post-race care as well, as I’ve found that to be just as important as pre-race prep.

  • Reply Emily January 6, 2020 at 1:15 pm

    Congratulations on the race, so impressive!

    Do you have any guilt about leaving the big kids with a babysitter? Not at all implying that you should but it’s something I struggle with when the kids only get like 2 quality hours in the evening during the week with me.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 6, 2020 at 2:06 pm

      For 2 hours so I can work out and then spend the rest of the day w them? Or to take G to MyGym? Nope, no guilt.

  • Reply omdg January 6, 2020 at 1:27 pm

    Look at those even splits! You could have run faster. 😉

    A bit concerned about the palpitations and SOB. What do you think that was about?

    Def don’t read The Road if you find Station Eleven too upsetting — it had me crying by page 4. Perhaps perplexingly, I think I like books that do that to me. It’s nice to feel something from time to time.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 6, 2020 at 2:04 pm

      I was (am) a little concerned too. My heart was irregular and I couldn’t breathe right for a solid 40 minutes though I was fine during the race! I will mention to my pcp when I go at some point.

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 6, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      And yeah dystopian scenarios kill me. Too close to real anxiety for me.

  • Reply Bethany A Erskine January 6, 2020 at 2:09 pm

    I LOVE your word of the year! I recently started The Power of Now by Ekhart Tolle and it is absolutely blowing my mind. I think you would love it if you have not already read it!

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 6, 2020 at 8:46 pm

      I haven’t but I am game to read it! Perhaps it will be my Q2 nonfiction 🙂

  • Reply Erica Sparky January 6, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    That’s a great race time based on your training. I loved Station Eleven, but it kept me up at night talking with Dan about where we would move in the event of an apocolypse!

  • Reply Tish January 6, 2020 at 2:46 pm

    I loved station 11. There is something about a Shakespeare troop in a post apocalyptic setting that is heartbreaking and gorgeous. But I do love dystopian novels. I find it annoying when babysitting candidates no show but then I tell myself I’d rather have them flake on the interview than when I need them

  • Reply Emily January 6, 2020 at 3:56 pm

    I really liked Station Eleven but I have to put in a plug for Emily St John Mandel’s other books which I liked even more. And they are very different from Station Eleven (i.e. not dystopian!). She’s a beautiful writer and after reading Station Eleven I worked my way through her backlist last year. I especially loved the Lola Quartet and the Singer’s Gun.

  • Reply Gwinne January 6, 2020 at 6:55 pm

    Yes, Mandels other books are all fabulous!!

    • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger January 6, 2020 at 8:46 pm

      okay good to know! I love her writing and the book, and the characters. I just . . . can’t really handle the post apocalyptic genre.

  • Reply Emily January 6, 2020 at 7:39 pm

    Congrats on the race! It sounds like you had a lovely weekend. 🙂

  • Reply Amanda January 6, 2020 at 8:49 pm

    Awesome job! You encouraged me to sign up for a race again too.

  • Reply Lori C January 8, 2020 at 9:38 am

    Sarah!!!!! So awesome!!! You are a metronome my friend. I love the splits, it shows you were well prepared and paced yourself perfectly! You should be proud! When is the next one??

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