So, those of you who follow me on Strava probably already know that I’m not training for Kaiser as a goal race anymore. Even before I went to Taipei, I had a feeling that my fitness wasn’t at the level it needed to be to hit my goals, and that my target paces were too fast for what my body could reasonably handle. It was only week 1 of training and I was already adjusting workouts, so I knew I was in trouble. Then, there was Christmas, followed by a 14 hour plane ride to the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Jet lag and the desire to spend as much time as possible with my family trumped everything, not just running, but other leisurely things I had planned on doing such as blogging, organizing photos on my computer, and reading.
As for running, I think I could’ve done the shorter workouts — as it was, I ran about an hour every other day. However, going out for a 1.5-2 hour long run twice during my 12 day visit just seemed self-indulgent. It was actually stressing me out a little too. So, I made a decision early on in my visit to push back training. I’d put in the “unsexy miles” (credit: Elle) during my Taiwan trip, use Kaiser as a long run/workout, and make the Oakland Half my goal race. As soon as I made that decision, I breathed a big sigh of relief. I mean, it’s not good to make goals and then push them back or scrap them altogether. However, when it comes to my health, family, and friends — those come first. My parents are 76 years old and my mom, in particular, is aging at an alarming rate. My annual trip to Taiwan is the only time I get with them all year. Do I spend that time running or do I spend it with them, watching TV and talking about nothing important in particular (though occasionally, some really good things come up in those moments)? I chose the latter and I don’t regret my decision one bit.
I got back Sunday night to a rain storm in the Bay Area. My plan for January is to run a tad more than I had been in Nov/Dec — about 25-30 mpw, with maybe 1 tempo run or a 2 x 2-mile interval run once a week. Then, I’ll start training for Oakland at the beginning of February.
I’ve also been considering my running goals for the rest of 2018. Maybe I should go for another half marathon later this year, or a fall marathon. Or maybe I’ll copy Cathryn and do multiple half marathons this year, with the idea of spreading out my training into several efforts. The other thing I’m tempted to do, and the complete opposite, is to do one or two 5Ks a month and see how fast I can get at the shorter end. Yet another (disparate) goal I had in mind was to do the Brazen Dirty Dozen 6 hour race. I don’t really have a strong desire to do another 50K right now, but for some reason, the idea of a 6 hour race seems intriguing. Clearly, I have no idea what my goal for 2018 should be! I think part of the ambiguity has to do with my new job. I’m still trying to figure out when the busy periods are and how to best coordinate that with training.
I’ll end this post with a slideshow of photos from my Taiwan trip. Enjoy!
Howdy! My name is Jen and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I like to eat, run, and blog, but not usually at the same time.
Running Tangents 
Did you see any advertisements for the novelty cakes that confused us last year?
No, I didn’t! And I think I only saw the ads on your blog?
There are periods in one’s life when frankly racing/training shouldn’t be a priority. Back in 2015, I spent the first half of the year running under 10 miles per week because I was renovating a house, working full time, and planning a wedding (on top of a crazy 3-4 hour roundtrip commute). Your parents absolutely come first when you get to see them.
There’s no need to commit yourself to anything. When you feel that you want/can chase after a goal, you’ll do it then. Best of luck to you for the Oakland Half!
Thanks!
Sounds like a sensible plan. When life gets crazy, racing can take a back seat. Running will always be there for you when you need/ want it. Makes sense to me!
Also, I must say I’ve spent the last couple of weeks drooling vicariously over your food pix on social media. Noodles! Eslite coffee and cake! Peking duck! (We spent two weeks in Singapore eating everything in sight, but I carelessly neglected to take photos of anything but kid + grandparents…)
I agree. Great call to assess where you are and adjust your goals. Also, Oakland is a great race (and still my half pr). Looking forward to seeing what you get done in 2018.
Thanks, Jess. Unfortunately, I won’t be coming off of 50K training like you did, but miracles do happen!
Heh, eat first is always a good strategy. 😉
You always know you’ve made the right decision when after you make it you find yourself breathing a huge sigh of relief. (That’s how I felt after deciding to scrap my half marathon last March when I was just not feeling running, period.) Honestly, I think that NOT shifting your goals around when you need to is much worse than doing it too often, particularly for those of us who are not pro runners and have other priorities in life!
I think all of your ideas sound like they could be fun and interesting, and you should go with the one that seems most intriguing to you and like it would bring you the most joy. 🙂
Yes, 100% agreed. Thanks, Angela!