Fit Five Friday – Runfessions September

30 September, 2022 19 By Renée
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Welcome to the Fit Five Friday

Fit Five Friday meets the Runfessional Again

It’s Friday again already and time to link up not only with your FIVE amazing hosts – me, My First 5K and MoreRunning With Attitude,  Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida … but also

This week we have the bonus link up,  Marcia’s Runfessional!

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Every month Marcia opens the runfessional – a place to let it all out and cleanse your soles; if you are needing to release some sweaty secrets or just want to get things off your chest, here’s the place to do it! 

Let’s get right to it, shall we?

Rule-Breaking Rebel

First things first, I runfess I may have to break the cardinal rule of racing on the 9th of October. Why? I’m so glad you asked! I’m going to be on my feet for a while and I’ll need to carry those ever so wonderful sticky gooey gels with me to make sure I don’t crash and burn in Chinatown. I’m used to the gels I’ve been using for years now and don’t want to take the gastrointestinal risk of taking what is available at aid stations. We aren’t allowed to wear a hydration pack, where I normally also would store my gels, and I don’t really have but one running legging with deep and wide enough pockets to carry at least six of those babies. I looked online and at local shops for quite sometime and found nothing like these leggings I have from Fabletics. So I did some research and found a longer short (if that makes sense) from Oiselle with exactly the pockets I need. Of course I’ve heard from others that Oiselle is a great brand, so I bit the bullet and bought the shorts and had them sent to my bestie in Chicago (which happens to be where we are staying). So I may be wearing these on marathon day. If weather permits and I decide to do the 5K then at least I can try them there. I runfess I also am trying some last minute items to alleviate foot pain but to be honest I may just be clenching my teeth and dealing with it.

Oiselle Long Pocket Jogger Shorts – of course now that I look at the website again they are on sale…. my luck.

Bonus: I used my Visa debit card from my US account for the first time ever and it worked! Great! Spending the money before I even get there!

Is it preparation or is it obsession?

I would also need to runfess that I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos lately. Mostly about Chicago. Surprise! I’ve been watching marathon weekend/ day videos of people who participated last year. I’ve watched the course preview video several times. I’m already slightly, and cautiously optimistic but worried at the same time and this is fuelling the feeling. Good activity, or no?

I’ve also studied the course map and the road closure re-opening schedule. I wish I knew exactly when we would start, but all I know is that my wave goes at 8:35am and I’m in the first corral of that wave (when I signed up in 2019 was definitely optimistic of my time!). It’s slightly worrying to know I have to be at certain mile markers before a certain time. I know some of you have experienced that before…

My physio asked if I would get the course map tattooed on my left leg

A break is needed

I am certain I’ve said it before, but I runfess that I need a break from running. Or rather I need a break from training. I would really love to find joy again in running. Right now I’m just really not enjoying it. I do try, I try to be positive, I listen to positive music, I tell myself that it’s already 100% enough to be out there. But I would love to just run when I feel like it, do parkrun, run willy-nilly in the park or out somewhere in nature with no goal. At some point the desire to have a goal will come back, I am not worried about that. I still identify as a runner! It’s ok to take a break and do something else though.

Revisiting that 5am Club Again?

So, did I tell y’all I have a new job? I do! As of yesterday I have said “hasta la vista” to my employer! Lucky for me I hardly took any days off this year, so my actual end date is October 31st. So now I’ll have my holiday in the US, plus another week of last minute preparations/ relaxation, and then on November 1st I start my new job. And it’s in Amsterdam.

That means I’ll have to commute again to Amsterdam(different scenario to when I worked for Starbucks), but only twice a week with the other two days at the home “office”. Since I have to get up early again, I will finally be forced into the 5am Club! This is not a bad thing at all. Making it consistent is key, is what all of you have been saying to me. On work from home days I can still get up and get in a workout!

Not going to bike there, showing it this way for the fans – haha!

I runfess that as much as I really did try, lately getting up early has been a complete wash. I do think my sleep issues are not solely related to menopause; I’ve also had a TON of stuff on my brain that seems to not want to shut down when I go to bed. I believe the break will do me a lot of good and getting up early will take some time to get used to on the daily, but at least I can consistently do that whether going to the office or working from home. I’d say wish me luck, and I’ll certainly take those luck wishes, but I think this is going to caveat to the change needed.

What are YOUR runfessions?

Tell me, have you ever wore something new in a race?? Studied the course map obsessively? Taken a break from running? Struggled to become a member of the 5AM Rise ‘n Grind club?

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