Run Jen Run

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

NYC Marathon Training | Week 7 of 16

7 weeks down, 9 to go!

What a week! My highest mileage week so far (30 miles), longest long run (16 miles) and most hours worked per week all year (69.5 hours over 6 days)… I’m exhausted!

Monday started with a rest day - no running and no classes.

On Tuesday I had to open and close up the Athletic Club (5:45am-6pm) but I had a little help from Hannah - one of the banquet servers - so I was able to sneak out for a short run at noon. There was a chance of rain all day and man was it HUMID. One of my clients made my day by delivering me donuts from Duke’s Donuts in the Mashpee Commons. They were so good! I won’t tell you how many I had that day. Marathon training will make you do unexplainable things when it comes to food.

Wednesday was another open to close shift but I had Hannah there to help cover the front desk again. I had about an hour and a half of free time between clients and classes so I got out for 5 miles at 8am - again so humid - and showered quick before my class. That afternoon the food and beverage supervisor offered to close up allowing me to leave an hour early which was great because my cousin Austin was in town for a visit. I met up with him and my parents at Naukabout and we crushed it at Team Trivia!

Thursday was my third open to close shift in a row. Each day it got harder and harder getting up in the morning. By the time I got home at 6:15pm, I was ready for bed but Craig took me out to Somerset Creamery and we had ice cream for dinner. It was great.

My only employee left had Friday off from school so she opened for me in the morning. That was great but I still had a 7:30am client so I couldn’t exactly sleep in. I did however get in another mid-day run around 11am ish before she left and I had to cover the desk from 12-6pm. The weather was PERFECT. It felt like fall. The sun was out, the air was cooler and it was wonderful. My run felt surprisingly good for how much sleep I was lacking.

Saturday was my double class day and no running day. Nora worked the morning shift again while I closed. She also trained one of the new front desk employees I recently hired. With him starting, next week is looking a lot better for me. Another week after that we should be back to full staff. That night I got to watch a little Penn State football while Craig went out with some coworkers. There was no way I was getting off the couch to join them!

I didn’t set an alarm for Sunday morning so I got a little later start to my long run then usual. I had 16 on the schedule so I went to Falmouth to get it done. It was about 72 degrees, lower humidity and windy but not a cloud in the sky.

My run wasn’t too eventful - which I guess is a good thing. I thought if my mom was back from pickle ball in time that she might meet me on her bike around 7 miles to join me for the rest of my run. When I got to that spot there was no sign of Linda so I kept on running. I texted to say that I’d be hitting the beach parking lot at both mile 10 and about mile 12.5 so that would be a good place to meet me for a water break. I didn’t see her at 10 but she was there on my way back! She had ice and a water refill and stopped to chat for a little bit.

Overall I was feeling pretty good. Around mile 9 I turned a corner to run along the beach and the wind was in my face almost bringing me to a standstill. On the way back (11.5 is) the wind was at my back, there was no shade and omg that sun felt warm. I felt like I was starting to melt.

After I passed my mom I turned onto Maravista which I used to love running until recently when they updated the sidewalks and now it’s like running mini hills the entire way. That next mile really took a lot out of me. Lucky for me my mom was waiting at the end of the street for another quick break and 2 miles to go. I stopped at the light waiting to cross Route 28 and stood next to a man smoking a cigarette. I laughed a little at the differences in our choices for the morning.

After the run, I was very slow moving. I sat on my parents back deck for awhile before sitting on my own back deck with coffee and Craig. I finally hopped in the shower and we made a move. Sandwiches from Dean’s in North Falmouth, a Dunkin’ refresher and some boat time with Pete, Meg & fam. On the way home we stopped for another waffle cone - I mean we basically passed Somerset Creamery so we couldn’t not stop!

Next week I get to drop back on my long run before another big build… 12, 16, 18 coming up over the next 3 weeks!

Monday 8.28.23

REST

Tuesday 8.29.23

4 miles (30:42)

Low Impact Aerobics

Wednesday 8.30.23

5 miles (39:08)

30 min Mat CORE

Thursday 8.31.23

Low Impact Aerobics

Water Aerobics (from the deck)

Friday 9.1.23

5 miles (38:38)

30 min Mat CORE

Saturday 9.2.23

Water Aerobics (from the deck)

Saturday Strength

Sunday 9.3.23

16 miles (2:08:33)

This week’s mileage: 30 miles

This week’s Reggie mileage: 0 miles

Training totals: 171 miles

ICYMI

Week 1 of 16 Week 5 of 16

Week 2 of 16 Week 6 of 16

Week 3 of 16

Week 4 of 16

If you would like to support me and donate to the MEB Foundation, visit my fundraising page: https://www.givengain.com/ap/jen-skiba-raising-funds-for-meb-foundation

Friday, September 1, 2023

NYC Marathon Training | Week 6 of 16

6 weeks down, 10 to go!

Last week started off with a rare Monday recovery run. I knew that the next couple of weeks are going to be tough at work with my entire front desk staff leaving for school and my new staff coming in were not through the onboarding process yet so I snuck in a run when I could. I had a few morning clients and was done by 1pm. Craig and I took a quick trip out to Home Depot, stopped at Osterville Fish on the way home then I was out the door for a little under 3 miles. My legs were tired. I was pretty pumped though because I had a zoom call later that night with Team Meb! Craig cooked up an awesome meal with tuna, rice, asparagus and a stuffed scallop while I chatted with my team. It was fun and very motivating listening to Meb’s stories about NYC and hearing questions from my teammates.

Did you know? Since the MEB Foundation was established, they have donated more than 70,000 pairs of shoes to children and communities around the world. How cool is that?

Tuesday was a long day at work… 5:45am-6:15pm. Yuck. I didn’t run but I did teach a class. Then I got Thai food take out on my way home.

Wednesday was a better day. I was home at a decent hour, ran 5 miles - felt amazing during it - then met my parents for a drink at Naukabout. I taught my two aerobics classes on Thursday morning, had to close up at work then was treated to a massage from Craig. I sure needed it.

It rained most of the day on Friday. I had a few instructors out so I taught a bonus HIIT class in the morning and kicked everyone’s butt - including my own! The weather cleared up so after closing up the Athletic Club I went out for 4 miles. I didn’t stop once - mostly because I didn’t get started until about 6:15pm and I wanted to get home to the pups. It initially felt a little cooler and the rain may have stopped but it was SO HUMID. I stupidly wore a sweatshirt. By the time I was done it was a totally different shade of blue. Soaked.

I taught classes Saturday morning, closed up at work and was ready for bed. Craig had other plans. We were on our way out to get ice cream but detoured out to Chatham to meet up with our NH friends Drew and Molly that happened to be on Cape for a few days. Even though I was tired, we had a blast. Such good people. By the time we got home at about 11pm I was totally exhausted and not looking forward to running 14 miles the next morning.

I was wide awake Sunday morning around my usual time even though we were up a lot later than normal. I packed up my running gear and made my way to Falmouth. It had been a few weeks since long running in Falmouth and I was looking forward to the route I had planned out. I was tired before I even started and sore from my Friday and Saturday classes. Oh and it was 70 degrees with 98 percent humidity, a dew point of 70 with 4 mph winds. It was going to be a fun one.

About 2.5 miles in, I was dripping from every pore in my body. I actually took selfies along the way to watch the progression of sweat marks on my shirt. Pace wise I was cruising along, taking my time, trying to enjoy the run. I passed a lot of other runners and walkers out on the roads. I got to one of my beach stops with about 3.5 miles to go and realized I was almost out of water. That never happens. I called my mom and luckily she was on her way home from pickleball. She met me a half mile later with a bag of ice and a water bottle refill. It was so hard not to jump in her car for a ride home but I toughed it out and finished my second 14 miler of training.

It’s funny every marathon I’ve trained for, I’ve craved something different. My last marathon was cheeseburgers. One marathon was very specific - I wanted a scallop and bacon pizza from a place on Main Street Falmouth. This time around, all I want is a frozen drink after my long run. Must be a summer training thing.

With that being said, after my run Craig and I went to the Poppy Raw Bar and of course I had to try their strawberry mudslide. I am on a mission to find the best mudslide on Cape Cod. Right now the Poppy Raw Bar is up there in my rankings behind The Port and the Beachcomber. We also slip oysters, littlenecks, a bowl of chowder, a stuffy and a crab cake. All delicious and a perfect post-run treat. We may have stopped at Naukabout on our way home too for a pina colada sloshie. Craig wanted to pick up his tips from the night before and one just happened to land in front of me. Oops!

Monday 8.21.23

2.65 miles (21:10)

Tuesday 8.22.23

Low Impact Aerobics

Wednesday 8.23.23

5 miles (38:09)

30 min Mat CORE

Thursday 8.24.23

Low Impact Aerobics

Water Aerobics (from the deck)

Friday 8.25.23

4 miles (31:19)

30 min Mat CORE

Saturday 8.26.23

Water Aerobics (from the deck)

Saturday Strength

Sunday 8.27.23

14 miles (1:50:26)

This week’s mileage: 26 miles

This week’s Reggie mileage: 0 miles

Training totals: 141 miles

ICYMI

Week 1 of 16 Week 5 of 16

Week 2 of 16

Week 3 of 16

Week 4 of 16

If you would like to support me and donate to the MEB Foundation, visit my fundraising page: https://www.givengain.com/ap/jen-skiba-raising-funds-for-meb-foundation

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

NYC Marathon Training | Week 5 of 16

5 weeks down, 11 to go!

I can’t believe how fast these weeks are flying by. Monday was a normal rest day. On Tuesday I taught Low Impact Aerobics in the morning then ran 4 miles after work.

Wednesday was a busy day at work which included a middle of the day trip to the doctor’s office for my annual physical. I was in and out of my appointment in 14 minutes flat. My doctor called me a dream patient because I’m apparently I’m pretty low maintenance compared to his other patients. He’s actually a dream doctor as he apologized for being 2 minutes late for our appointment once. Anyways, my bloodwork was good and he’s sending me for another bone density scan since it’s been more than 5 years since my last one. I went back to work for the final kids “Summer Athlete Training” of the summer before running 4 miles. I didn’t stop once! I felt great! Wednesday was also NYC Marathon selection day and I had to log on to the NYRR website and choose my transportation to Staten Island (a 5:30am bus from Midtown Manhattan eek!), bag check preferences and number pickup day/time.

Thursday was class day so I didn’t run. Craig ended up working a lot later than expected and I went to bed super early because Friday morning I had to go in and open the Athletic Club at 5:45am. If you didn’t know, I’m not a morning person. The good thing is I only worked until about 1pm. Later that day I ran just under 4 miles with Reggie. We stopped at Naukabout for a water break and to see Craig. It was a little too humid for her but we slowed down and walked a few times, especially on the way home from the brewery. I would like to start taking Reggie with me more once the weather starts cooling down. Her pace on this run showed she’s not quite ready.

Saturday is my other big class day and then I had to work the closing shift on the desk from 12-6pm which left my long run for Sunday again. I had 12 miles on the schedule. It was Falmouth Road Race weekend so I avoided Falmouth and stuck to my other long run roads in Cotuit. I got out the door a little after 8am. It was 70 degrees and sunny with the humidity at 60 percent. Perfect. At the end it was 75 degrees and sunny but the humid had dropped to 55 percent. Even better!

The run itself went well. I was waiting to cross the road just past Lowell Park in Cotuit when I stopped my watch and then next thing I knew I heard it buzz. I looked down and saw “run discarded” on the screen. I was so annoyed. I got this watch about a year ago and I love the look but I hate the touch screen features. My shirt or something will touch it when on pause and my run has either ended or been deleted. So for the next couple of miles I was trying to figure out if I’d run 2 miles or 2.5 miles or more. At first I was thinking 2 but then I decided it had to been about 2.5 miles. That meant 9.5 miles to go on my newly started run.

I looped around by the water and eventually made it to the end of Main Street Cotuit. I stopped at the beach - found 2 pieces of sea glass - and then Craig appeared. He was out on his motorcycle and planned it out perfectly this week. After our little beach walk, I had about 5 miles to go. I told him I was good then we split up. I was 2 miles from home when I started to hit my wall this week. It was also when I passed 4 college aged girls that started cheering for me as I passed. “Looking good!” “Keep going!” “You got this!” Thanks girls! Needed that.

I crossed 28 back into Mashpee and lost my steam going up the dreaded hill which leads me home. The last mile and a half was a struggle. As I was recovering and hydrating at home I mapped out the first part of the run to where I stopped my watch and found out it was more like 2.85 miles - which was 0.35 more than I thought. Woo woo!

Later that day Craig and I grabbed sandwiches and stopped by Scorton Creek for lunch then ended up on Sandy Neck Beach with friends and a few doodles for some sun, sunset and a fire. I was exhausted and fell asleep a few times in my beach chair. Marathon training is a lot harder than I remember but overall a great day.