6 Weeks until JAX Marathon
M: Easy run with friends, 4 strides thrown in there at the end. 8 mi @ 9:32/mi.
T: Speed workout: 3 x 3 miles at (marathon pace minus 10 seconds). This was the first of two speed workouts that didn’t go amazingly. It wasn’t a disaster; the first 3 were at 8:07/mi ave, second 3 at 8:09/mi ave, and third were at 8:09/mi ave again. I just sort of expected to be able to run faster!
Thinking about it, though, my expectations probably didn’t align with reality. I haven’t been doing this kind of intense and prolonged speedwork. It’s also still NOT ideal weather (it was 74, 79% humidity — ABSOLUTELY better than August, but still not objectively good for speedwork).
W: 6 mi @ 10:22/mi. I was tirrrrrred.
R: 9 mi @ 9:31/mi, run in the afternoon after leading a BLPA session! I don’t do this often but I really needed to sleep a bit later on this particular day. It was 84F but not that humid (only 56%!) so . . . it felt okay.
F: 6 mi @ 9:44/mi, just chill run to prepare for Saturday
S: 18 mi total. 4 miles easy then 10 at marathon pace and 4 cooldown. This was also slightly disappointing because miles that “felt” 8:10-15ish were actually 8:30 — never a great feeling! However it was another meh weather day (74F, 91% humidity) I just never felt like I got into a good rhythm.
For both this run and Tuesday’s run I wore a pair of original Alphaflys I got on Stockx and I’m thinking I should stick with my prior faves (Asics Metaspeed Edge).
The last 4 miles I almost didn’t complete, I was so done. But I finished it off (10:20/mi) with a slow run around the neighborhood.
TOTAL: 58 MI // STRENGTH: 0 (not ideal, I recognize)
I may have to accept that a realistic Marathon Pace for this race would be more like 8:20, not closer to 8:10 like I ran in May. That would still generate a solid BQ with buffer even with the new standards (thanks to aging up!). It might be smarter to aim for, say, 3:42 than to try to repeat May’s performance and crash-and-burn. We will see how the rest of training goes but I think this might be my strategy unless I find myself much faster when it cools down.
(STILL zero runs below 70F and none on the horizon, either. Oh South Florida. At least I can count on a few when I visit my parents/sister for Thanksgiving!)
Reading
I finally have something new to report!
I’m about halfway through Oliver Burkeman’s Meditations for Mortals and I really like it. SOMETIMES I find myself saying “COME ON OLIVER” but that’s pretty much true with every personal development book, and far more often I found myself saying “YESSSS.” Yesterday’s chapter was about doing things Dailyish, and it perfectly captured how I aim to complete various habits. I am not into streaks (neither is he) but Dailyish is just enough structure and a high enough aim, but with leeway built in because we all need it!
I’m also finally making progress in Tell Me Everything. I am reserving judgment until I’m done but sometimes I get the feeling that Elizabeth Strout likes some of her characters TOO much? Like there’s a halo drawn around some of them that isn’t realistic? But maybe things will change. The prose is lovely and the way the book flows definitely works, which I always find true for her novels.
(It’s amazing what happens when you stop scrolling Reddit. Which I have! Stopped! Hooray! Hopefully I can make it permanent this time.)
Screen Time
On that note, I find this data super interesting . . .
It’s objectively still A LOT of time. The texting isn’t bad, it’s actually quite lovely to chat with friends and family throughout the day. And most of the WhatsApp stuff is either a) kid logistics (soccer chat, classroom chats, etc) or b) BLPA groups (which I of course want/need to participate in!).
(All of my “New York Times” is games, lest you think I’m reading news. Ha.)
Anyway, will just continue to monitor and be aware!
Important Crowdsourcing Question!
Does anyone have headphones they love for running that AREN’T AirPods/Airpod Pros? I have gone through 2 (possibly 3?) pairs of the latter and they never seem to last, plus the right side never stays in my ear (I’m sure I’m the problem, but it’s still annoying). Currently they are lost, but the left one was no longer working despite buying a cleaner kit and making multiple attempts to revive it. So I need new ones but I’m not excited about rebuying the same thing again!
29 Comments
I use Jaybirds wireless headphones. I have the same issue w Apple products falling out of my ears. I’ve had a pair for two years and the charging case is a little buggy the last few month- requires wiggling them around a few times. But I love them so much I already have a second pair ready to go for when the charger gives out.
I feel like the title for Oliver’s book is maybe not ideal. When I heard about it, I assumed, based on the title, that it was a book about actual meditation (i.e. sitting and “finding your breath” and not letting your mind wander and all of that). And since I currently don’t do a formal meditation practice, my initial gut instinct was, “eh, not really interested”. But it sounds like that’s NOT what it is, lol! His publishers should have asked me for title feedback. 😅
That is interesting about the phone, but I will argue that TEXTING doesn’t count. 😜 Hahaha. I just looked and my average for last week was 4 h 15 min… oof. I had 6h 28min of texting. I’m mostly fine with all the other categories, I think, except I did have 4h 54min on Facebook…. ew. Apparently this averages 42 min/day. Of course I never just sit down and use it for 42 min straight, so it’s always hard to conceptualize the idea of “replacing” that scrolling time with something more productive. (It’s not like I can exactly say, ok, I’ll drop FB and now I’ll be able to read for 42 minutes a day!) Those minutes are the sum of (too) many micro-checks mostly in random snippets of time. Not sure I care that much, but hey, maybe with the election this week it would be a good week to take a weeklong FB detox week!
I think half of those texts might be our conversations 😂🤣
Yeah, I use WhatsApp on my computer as well and would shudder to see those numbers. I WFH most of the time, I feel like if I worked in a traditional office, I’d spend the time chitchatting but I don’t so I need to talk to my bestie on text. But it’s not like I feel bad after texting the way I do after spending time on number.
I have always had the same problem with AirPods. For outdoor exercise I really like the Shokz Open Run over-ear headphones. They are all 1 piece (old school) but that makes it easier to keep them on. For general wear, I LOVE the Beats Fit Pro — they have the same easy syncing ability as AirPods but they stay in much better.
Seconding the Shokz Open Run. I wear the Mini version because I have a narrow head.
I also use and love Shokz for biking and walking and everything else. I think they’re generally safer because you can still hear traffic, etc. I also can’t wear any headphones that sit inside my ears.
Another thumbs up for Shokz. I wear them around the house as well as for a run and really like how well I can still hear kid/dog shenanigans
I also came here to suggest the Shokz. I borrowed my sister’s when she was here for a visit and now they are on this years Christmas list!
Seconding Shokz Open Run. I can hear my surrounding and they work fine with sunglasses and a hat! Is the music quality the same as AirPods Pro? No, but they stay put and do their job!
Okay I think it’s time to give the shokz a try! I guess i will love them or hate them. Hopefully I can return them if the latter, lol.
Agreed about the Beats Fit Pro! I was coming here to make the same suggestion. They are very similar to AirPods in terms of the Apple ecosystem and syncing, but less likely to fall out because of the design.
If you ever try AirPods Pro again or find your current ones, you could experiment with the different ear tips made by Comply. They use a foam material that helps the AirPods Pro stay in much better. My family and friends swear by them, including for running.
Ooh very good to know about the Comply tips! I was wondering about that. The LEFT Apple AirPod pro is a fine fit (smallest size) for my ear but something must be up with my right ear because it’s always falling out! Over the summer the sweat situation makes things even worse, lol.
I was going to say the same. Comply cushions here: https://a.co/d/if2EK6X
The thing is… we think our weather is “cool” but most people would still say this is not ideal running weather. It’s still warm and humid. So, just hang in there. Your paces will come back. AND, as you mentioned, you aged up (hooray!) so you’re still running a good BQ pace.
For running, I went to Target and bought some “sports” headphones (I can’t remember the brand, they were about $30)- they have a piece that goes around your ears (does that make sense?) so they never fall out. They work just fine, and I never worry about losing them because they’re so cheap. I was once running on a trail and a branch skimmed my ear, knocking out the headphone, and I couldn’t find it anywhere! Oh well- I just went back to Target and bought another pair.
My ears do not do well w those – I think bc sadly my ears go out from my head too much, ha! Josh has them and I’ve tried them but they manage to fall out!
I love these from Amazon. They go over my ear, so they don’t fall out. And the price point is great!
PocBuds Bluetooth Headphones… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C77RCN4X?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Another vote for Shokz! I thought I’d hate them, but became a convert and pick them over my airpods now.
Also, I put an Airtag on my Airpods case because I was having so much trouble keeping track of them. I have never truly lost them, but I’d waste time trying to find them among my purse, work stuff, running stuff, etc.
I use these: https://www.jlab.com/products/go-air-sport-true-wireless-earbuds-black
They are inexpensive but seem to work really well.
My husband got me beats headphones for Xmas last year and they are… ok. I am apparently too stupid to put them in my ears easily, and sometimes one wouldn’t charge when I put them in their little box. Also the bass is much better with the AirPods. BUT I never worried about them falling out of my ears, and I worry about that incessantly with the AirPods.
Looking forward to hearing your review of the droids book as somehow Amazon convinced me to put it in my tbr. I just finished Horse by Brooks (not to be confused with *The* Horse), and it’s in my top 5 books of the year easily. So so good. I’m totally going to have a reading hangover because of it.
That should have said the Stoudt book. Autocorrect has gone rogue apparently.
My husband turned me on to Shokz a while back. They are bone conduction headphones, so they don’t block out other sounds, but that’s not a bad thing if you want to stay aware of your surroundings. I’ve always hated putting things in my ears, so these have been great for me! I have the OpenRun Mini ones.
That’s what I ordered. I don’t want to block out outside noise since I almost always run outside and I need to hear cars etc !! I’m mostly just worried about whether it will stay on. Will report back!
I loved meditations for mortals. I love the concept of daily ish too. And I found myself going back to some of the concepts throughout the day just as he hoped. I actually emailed him to tell him how much I enjoyed the book and he wrote back- which I was not expecting! So generous.
By the way, Looking forward to when you can share more about your writing project, Sarah!
You didn’t have a rest day? Or did I miss it?
I want to read meditation for mortals!!! just listened to the interview in deep questions nd I think I’ll enjoy it.
lower expectation and let the next weeks’ of training surprise you, plus the weather of your race day is likely to be way better than this.
Sunday is almost always day off and it’s also the day I post!
It’s always Bose for me! I’ve had 3 different models and have loved them all. Their current open ear ones are great for running (it’s an ear cuff that really stays on for me) + still being aware. Also the Bose sport. The attached wing really holds them in my ear.
Girl, you’re still so fast… I am amazed at your pace! Keep at it.
No suggestions on the headphone front, but my airpods just died so I am taking suggestions also!
San I LOOOOOVE the shokz openrun headphones (I have the mini) that the readers suggested! They are fantastic!!!! Highly recommend, you can hear background noise so well but they also sound great and more importantly they don’t fall out of my ears (bc they don’t actually sit in your ears). I had doubts but man – I am a convert!!