Training Supplement – December 21, 2016

Today is the first day of winter!  I bought some running clothes to weather the colder temperatures while training for the 2017 Eugene Marathon.  I also dealt with trail closures, caught up on some running-related media, and listening to jazzy Christmas songs.

For 2017, I’m probably going to do these the “training supplements” every two weeks instead of weekly.

Clothing & Gear

Outerwear.  New Balance Windblocker Jacket ($159.99).  I have two reliable jackets for winter but decided I wanted one more.  In the end, this looked like the warmest from the major running manufacturers websites I visited.

Neck Warmers.  Buff Headwear ($15).  This winter has been cold and I’ve wanted a little layer around my neck and face.  I have two balaclavas from Buff Headwear already but wanted a couple more.  I went with the Buff Original in Blue Capri and Ghomala.

Hats.  Asics Thermal XP Beanie ($24 $15).  I looked at the Thermal 2-N-1 Beanie and determined I already have that model with the New York City Marathon logo.  I liked that it was a little longer in the back.

Gloves.  Asics Liner Glove ($12).  While I was on the Asics website, I bought two pairs of gloves.  I have an older version of these gloves from the New York City Marathon, but this new version has pads on the fingers for using smart devices.

Handwarmers. ($11.95 for 10 packs).  I bought another pack of handwarmers and then realized I bought a pack earlier this fall.  Despite temperatures in the low 30s, I found I haven’t needed them yet.

(My Complete Clothes & Gear Page.)

Nutrition & Hydration

Weight.  I’m determined to get down to my racing weight for Eugene.  I know it’s hard to lose weight while training for a marathon, but I’m only talking about 7-9 pounds over five months.  I was 129 lbs on Monday and would like to be about 120 pounds when I leave for the race.  I’m thinking I may write about that more this training cycle.

Routes

Construction.  Since the most popular track in the country is crazy congested with other running clubs and recreational runners and walkers, I do most of my interval workouts on the rail-trails.  Unfortunately for me, the Four Mile Run Trail is currently under construction.  There’s still a good stretch between Shirlington and Arlandria for doing shorter repetitions.  But, I already miss this uninterrupted stretch of asphalt.

Media & Motivation

Music. It’s Christmas week!  I’ve been listening to some of my favorite holiday songs.  Here are a few.

Christmas

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” by Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan.

“Marshmallow World,” by Darlene Love.

“This Is My Wish,” by Kevin Ross.

“Christmas Wrapping,” by The Waitresses.

“We Need a Little Christmas,” by Percy Faith & His Orchestra.

New Year’s

“Auld Lang Syne,” by P!nk Martini.

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” by Ella Fitzgerald.

(My “Holiday Songs” playlist on Spotify.)

(My “Songs of the Week” playlist on Spotify.)

Podcasts. “Once More, With Feeling,” by This American Life.  Act One is a story about street harassment, which is a problem many female runners race.  I won’t spoil the story because I think it’s very interesting.  I’ll just say I shared the reporter’s frustration.  (Warning: there’s some crude language.)  Act Two was even more compelling.

“Gamble Time (Josh Levinson)“, by Pace the Nation.  The interview was great.  I really would like to do a race in Baltimore sometime soon.  I was intrigued by the conversation at the end of the episode concerning laundry.  I haven’t been separating out my running clothes and don’t use special detergents.  But, maybe I should….

Books and Magazines.  “Beware Wardrobe Fat,” by Runner’s World.  This column from Mark Remy was funny but it also hit home.  I need to purge some of my running clothes.  I have an entire wardrobe of running clothes and a large bookshelf with gear.

Websites. “Transform I-66 EA comes with new renderings of the W&OD Trail bridge, Custis Trail,” by WashCycle.  I run on the W&OD and Custis Trails frequently, so I try to read everything I come across on changes to these routes.

Blogs.  “Lessons Learned from a Year of PRs,” by EatPrayRunDC. I appreciated this post because it’s always a good reminder that easy means easy and hard means hard.  Plus, I longed for the days when I was setting PRs.

Motivation.  “You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.” – Steve Prefontaine.

I started training for the 2017 Eugene Marathon this Sunday.  I thought I should start by finding motivation in a quote from “Pre”.  The “guts quote” is probably his most famous one but this one spoke to me more.