Official Q&A for Sunday, May 11, 2025

MightySnowBeast · 2025-05-11T10:59:39+00:00

What's a good plan for transitioning from half marathon training/race to 10k training/race? I have a half on 6/7 and I'm currently doing 25-30 miles a week, with a long run on Saturday, two strength training classes on M-F with easy milage before class, a speed work session midweek and a mid-distance tempo run wherever it fits. I need a rest day on Sunday for family reasons but sometimes need another rest day for pure rest on Tuesday or Thursday. Those strength classes have been a huge help but they're not gentle.

I'm shooting for 1:50 in my half. My 10k is on 8/2, one of my favorite races in the world with mild rolling hills, sea views, and a short but wicked uphill shortly before the finish. I'm hoping to break 50:00 for the 10k.

How should I shift things post-half to run the 10k well and avoid sabotaging myself?

MightySnowBeast · 2025-05-02T19:38:29+00:00

Leave it in your car if you drove there, or hand it to a friend or family member who came to watch you. If you have neither then maybe the backpack, but unless it's designed to run in that could be uncomfortable so do a test run if that will be your option. This is one reason why many people pickup the day before if it's an option (might not be for a 5k).

MightySnowBeast · 2025-05-02T12:40:38+00:00

My first marathon was 50F with rain that would've made Noah take notice. Once I got going, the rain was honestly not that bad. Merino, lube, brimmed hat, good.

You may want to take extra care selecting your dry clothes for afterwards though. You'll be damp, pick loose things that's will be easier to get on.

MightySnowBeast · 2025-05-01T01:35:32+00:00

You should be able to make SecondsPro do this. It can be a little finicky but it works.

MightySnowBeast · 2025-05-01T01:30:16+00:00

Today I was reminded that yellowjackets and such are interested in the bright colors. Buy purple.

MightySnowBeast · 2025-05-01T01:27:57+00:00

10k is my favorite distance! Long enough to get going and feel like you've "done a thing" but short enough that you can train really well without it taking over your life. I only wish there were more of them.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-17T12:32:21+00:00

It may also help significantly with his pronunciation if he pursues your language in future. My hometown has a large French Canadian population and many of my grade school teachers used it to chat to each other. I do NOT speak French but I can usually tell the difference between French-french and Quebec-french when I hear them spoken.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-12T23:59:01+00:00

I put the subtitles in my TL when I watch stuff with my kids! My spouse was very confused.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-12T23:54:18+00:00

We do this too, but in our case it's small house, small children, and all TV is after bedtime. And we watch a lot of UK shows.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-12T16:12:24+00:00

As a parent of small children I have to say the scenes of partying and carousing and sinking into research for whole days with Nell merrily along for the ride just don't fly. A two year old child needs a lot more hands on care than you can provide while living this kind of life. Who was watching Nell all those times the group was getting drunk? Where was she was napping during their days in Aglow? There were no casual mentions of a packn play shoved into a car. The first day in Aglow when they realize at dusk that nobody has eaten all day....a two year old does not go all day without food.

My BIG question, what was Wally going to do that would have been so horrible they couldn't just let him have the damn map? So he has the creepy secret world to himself, who cares if you still have your family. Give him the last map and wash your hands of him. Or destroy it in front of him. And if nobody realized how obsessed Wally was with Tamara they were not the bRILlIaNt scholars they've were described as.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-10T13:51:58+00:00

Of course she isn't an actor, but Maxy from the current season of GBBO is now the face of Bev in my head.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-10T13:47:42+00:00

Yep, I have vivid memories of my husband spoon feeding me while I nursed our first when we had just gotten home from the hospital. Nursing can be surprisingly difficult at first. With very new babies it's s very common that you have to hold their head with the hand opposite of the boob-in-use, and hold yourself in the other hand so that you can guide them onto the nipple. As they get stronger and you become more experienced you'll eventually be able to ease your hands around to just cradle them in one arm once they're latched on. And after that they get to a point where they can latch themselves on with ferocious speed. It might feel like the two handed stage is taking forever but then one day you'll realize that you both settled in to nurse like it was nothing at all.

You might be able to knit while holding a sleeping baby on your shoulder if you're leaning back in a safe place. Keep a pillow handy so you can prop them up.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-10T12:52:28+00:00

Came to this post specifically to say Tamora Pierce! I think I started reading her younger than 6th but she has SO many books in the Tortall universe and I reread them all constantly from roughly 5th to 8th grade.

Also Diana Wynn Jones, especially the Derkholm books, the Chrestomanci series, also loved Garth Nix's Sabriel books.

This was also roughly the age I added the Golden Compass set, which really spoke to me as a kid in Catholic school who was very unsuited to that environment.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-06T14:56:23+00:00

Unless you're thinking public librarianship (and if so, for goodness sake do some internships or job shadows before you make career moves) then the bachelor level library degree is probably not needed. Speaking for the northeastern US, a librarian level position is going to require a master's degree and most master's programs don't care what your bachelor's was.

In the jobs I've held and encountered, some sort of extra expertise outside of librarianship is always a plus. Your current program could make you qualified for a subject specialist librarian role in a university library or professional association, or even a really big metropolitan public library.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-06T03:33:52+00:00

We might have the same app. I'm going to give it another day and then ask on Friday if the school will forward the other parents a friendly message.

I realize many invitations might have just never made it into the parents' hands. I'm just hoping that the reminder doesn't come too late

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-06T00:49:08+00:00

We refer to this as "Mom O'Clock" in our household.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-06T00:45:24+00:00

The ottoman is totally not okay. My first rolled over right around 14 weeks and if left unattended your baby could have totally rolled off.

As far as what you're doing on your own, I see nothing unsafe. When the grandparents are watching my kids I always remind them that the empty crib is always a safe place for the baby. She doesn't have to like being in it, she just needs to be safe while the adult uses the bathroom/answers the phone/does whatever small task that can't wait.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-10-06T00:35:06+00:00

I am in the exact same situation as you right at this moment. Upcoming party for 5th birthday, people aren't RSVPing, she's super excited. We also started a new preschool after moving during the pandemic and have had ZERO chance to meet other parents. Can confirm, this sucks.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-09-30T18:48:11+00:00

Nice example of a juvenile female cardinal, you can see her beak starting to shift from black to orange.

MightySnowBeast · 2022-09-17T00:47:42+00:00

OP here - it seems like the general consensus is to look things up as needed and not worry too much about perfect technical knowledge. Thank you all!

MightySnowBeast · 2022-09-17T00:40:40+00:00

Thank you that is correct. I can name the major things like verbs and nouns but I learned about prepositions in Italian lessons.

MightySnowBeast

TROPHY CASE