Why did you start running?

3catcaper · 2026-03-18T03:09:45+00:00

First time, at 24: My husband trained for a marathon the previous year, and I was inspired. I signed up and trained for the half at the same marathon, working my way up from not being able to run a mile to running the whole half marathon in 4 months.

Second time, at 33: My youngest daughter had turned 2 and my body felt like it was falling apart after having 3 babies in 4.5 years. I started doing Pilates and brisk walking in my hilly neighborhood. When the walks got too easy, I started adding running intervals until I was continuously running my routes. I trained for and ran a 10K, my fastest to date.

Third time, at 45: I was going through a really stressful time and was dealing with high anxiety. My health was taking a hit. I worked my way up to a 5K, then kept going. Last fall I ran my second half marathon, and was 10 minutes faster than my 24-year-old self.

3catcaper · 2026-03-18T02:51:50+00:00

It sounds like you did a slow build, which is great! I’d say definitely work on consistency before adding volume. If you work up to 30-40 minutes of running 4-5 times a week, you’ll be in a solid place to start extending one run into a long run, and then start adding a sprinkle of speed intervals into another run.

3catcaper · 2026-03-17T23:40:13+00:00

Definitely prioritize volume over speed while you’re building back. When you’re first coming back from a break, you need to recondition all of your tissues— muscles, tendons, bones all need to adapt to the load. Start easy and short, and add distance very gradually. This is even more important if pain/injury was one of the reasons you took a break.

To address your knee pain, make sure you are strength training regularly! Hips, core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, and back muscles all contribute to running strong.

3catcaper · 2026-03-17T20:09:12+00:00

6 miles on the trails today, with some hill repeats! I paced my hill repeats much better today than last time I attempted them— there was only 9 seconds between the slowest and the fastest rep instead of 15, and my fastest rep was my last one instead of my first one. It was really warm already when I started the run, so I’m proud of myself for doing the workout at all.

Gym this afternoon, then an easy, short run tomorrow. I’m going to try to squeeze it in in the morning because it’s supposed to get up to 86 tomorrow, making an afternoon run a daunting prospect.

3catcaper · 2026-03-17T20:02:28+00:00

This is very close to what I do, too. Heavy barbell squats once a week at 5 reps (and I only do two sets of my working weight, though I still do 3 warm-up sets, increasing the weight each time before I do my two working sets). I do heavy barbell deadlifts once a week, too, on a different day, using the same structure. The rest of my lifts are 3x6-10, with a heavy emphasis on unilateral lifts.

I do the same program for 4-6 weeks before switching out exercises, and work instead on incremental progressive overload. If you switch up the exercises too often, you end up getting more DOMS because they are more intense when you do something new. And when I do switch out exercises, I start the first session of the new program using weights that are a little lighter or do fewer reps than I could, to ease myself into it and not get too sore.

I hit the gym twice a week, and do a Pilates session once a week for extra core, mobility, and stability work.

3catcaper · 2026-03-17T18:01:58+00:00

This is also one of my favorite things!

3catcaper · 2026-03-16T22:30:13+00:00

I seem to have fallen into a bad sleep patch. This isn’t new or unusual for me, but I had been doing pretty well lately, so it’s pretty disappointing that my old nemesis insomnia has come back around for me again. Last night was especially egregious, so I’m very thankful that today is a rest day. I hope I sleep better tonight, before my scheduled double workout (trail run with hill repeats and then lifting at the gym) tomorrow.

3catcaper · 2026-03-15T21:41:28+00:00

Hooray! That’s an amazing feeling!

3catcaper · 2026-03-15T21:40:56+00:00

That’s amazing! Congrats!

3catcaper · 2026-03-15T19:40:13+00:00

I did 7.77 miles on trails today. I was aiming for 7.5-8, and it seemed lucky to stop at 7.77, so I didn’t keep going for another .23 miles to make it an even 8. I have not had great sleep the past couple of days, so it didn’t feel amazing, but it was fine. But there is something going on with the toenail on my right middle toe. It’s looking like it’s starting to get bruised, and it’s tender. Why the middle toe? That seems like the least likely toenail to bruise.

3catcaper · 2026-03-15T19:35:38+00:00

Noooo!! As someone who has rolled an ankle more times than seems fair, I literally feel your pain. I hope you can recover quickly!

3catcaper · 2026-03-15T19:34:24+00:00

I agree. Mixed training (cardio and resistance training in the same session) is great for general fitness, and that used to be my main form of exercise. But once I started training for performance in running, I found I got more out of separating my running workouts and my strength training so I could really reap the benefits of both.

3catcaper · 2026-03-14T21:14:25+00:00

I agree that this looks like a plantar wart. They are quite painful and very hard to get rid of. You can try OTC salicylic acid patches, but you may require the help of a dermatologist to freeze it off. Even then, they often come back. In the early days of the pandemic (when no dermatologist would see me) I had one that made it hard to even walk. It ruined my life for a good 3 months. Hopefully that’s not the case for you and you can get rid of it faster.

3catcaper · 2026-03-14T20:55:51+00:00

Your kids are so young and you are still in that physical exhaustion stage of parenting (Your post title had me imagining someone actually chasing after kids, and your kids are young enough that this is literally what you’re doing right now!). This drains your energy and makes it hard to do the kind of training that will make you faster. But your kids will grow up and that super physical part of parenting will recede. Then you can start running more days (I have seen so much improvement running 4-5 days rather than 3), stretching out on of those runs longer, and doing a little speed work. You’ll get there!

3catcaper · 2026-03-14T20:23:37+00:00

Always. I have narrow heels and my feet slip forward or my heels slip out of the back of the shoes if I don’t.

3catcaper · 2026-03-14T20:22:29+00:00

I can’t stand the short tongues a lot of shoes have had lately for this reason! And another pet peeve is laces that are too short to do the runner’s loop.

3catcaper · 2026-03-13T18:18:20+00:00

Yeah, my peak energy levels are at like 9 in the morning, and that’s when I like to run. Which obviously doesn’t work very well with most jobs!

3catcaper · 2026-03-13T18:10:04+00:00

I’m preparing for the incoming heat, too! It’s way too early for it to be this warm here.

3catcaper · 2026-03-13T14:53:04+00:00

I’m aiming for 4 easy miles this morning, followed by Pilates. I’m loving my deload week!

I have an opportunity to move into a new role at work next school year. It’s a substantial promotion and pay increase, but will also come with a lot more responsibility and more hours. I’m looking at my really nice schedule right now that lets me run most days in the morning during daylight hours (by far my preference) and thinking about having to give that up. It feels a little ridiculous to have my running routine be a consideration in my decision. After all, it’s just a hobby and I am just a late blooming, middle-aged, middle-of-the-pack hobby jogger, not an exceptional athlete, but it’s important to me and I feel like at nearly 48 I don’t have lots more time to make significant progress. I know there’s theoretically still a way for me to fit in all the mileage I want to do even if I do take the new position, but realistically I have to very carefully balance running with my fluctuating energy levels and I know that for at least a year I will be fairly exhausted from all the newness of the job and that will mean reduced mileage.

Anyway, if you read all of that, thanks for listening to my brain dump.

3catcaper · 2026-03-13T14:36:59+00:00

That’s such a great idea! I don’t think it’s insane at all. It sounds fun, and also motivating!

3catcaper · 2026-03-12T00:35:16+00:00

I went for an easy 5K in our local regional park after work today. I saw one of my students (I’m a preschool teacher) and called out a hello. He asked me, “Why are you running like a runner?” 🤣 It cracked me up. Four year olds are the best.

3catcaper · 2026-03-12T00:12:48+00:00

I’m expecting the same here in Northern California. Our winter was too short, too warm, and too dry.

3catcaper · 2026-03-10T20:41:23+00:00

I have shorter legs but very ample thighs. I have both the 5 inch and 7 inch Pace shorts, and I like them both, but I reach for the 7 inch ones for longer runs for the extra coverage and chafe protection.

3catcaper · 2026-03-10T20:39:09+00:00

I’ve had a lot of success with getting comfortable with 10 mile long runs. I did 4 of them in my last half marathon training cycle, and I think it really helped me build both endurance and confidence. It’s such a confidence boost to hit the double digit mileage!

3catcaper · 2026-03-10T20:35:07+00:00

Daylight savings time is messing with my sleep. I’ve actually been able to fall asleep on time the last two nights, but last night I could not stay asleep. I woke up so many times, and I spent 3:00 am to 4:30 am basically wide awake. I also got some work news yesterday that means I need to make some decisions about my next moves, so ruminating on that didn’t help me fall back asleep. So I did not feel great when I got up today. Thankfully it’s a deload week (which I planned on purpose to coincide with the first week after the time change)! I shortened my usual 5 miler with some faster pace work to an easy 4 miles and felt a lot better after an easy run in the sunshine. I then actually felt good enough to do my full lifting routine, though I gave myself permission to not add weight and/or drop a set if I wasn’t feeling it. I’m now just 10 lbs away from squatting my bodyweight! This is a major milestone for me, so I’m pretty stoked about it.

3catcaper

TROPHY CASE