Post #26: Marathon Training v. Suzanne Point Oh

I registered for the 16th Annual Little Rock Marathon at 9:24 EDT on August 1st. Technically, I registered for the Marathon/5k combo. I was lucky enough to get ten percent off the price too, because I had signed up for the training program.

The theme is Medieval, and to reveal that they did a cute video that was Monty Python themed. A lot of people were confused or upset about the theme, poo on them!! I loved the video and I am super excited for the theme. Thank you to the Chicks in Charge #CIC for loving what they do and having fun with it!!

I started the "ramp up to training" training on August 7th. The ramp up training is particularly for first timers, and people who are not at the point of running/walking/crawling 6 miles. I specify running/walking/crawling because from now on when I say running, I am channeling Hobbit, and I mean all it: running/walking/crawling, getting through the milage. I would love to be able to run all the way through all of my training runs, but all I am gonna focus on is getting through the milage. The actual training started on September 18th.

09/08/17 Update: My 3 mi build up training run yesterday (9/7) I ran the whole 3 miles, no walking, at a 13 min per mile pace.

10/19/17 Update: As I have already mentioned, I am using the marathon training program provided by the Little Rock Marathon. The focus of the training program is mileage, not time. Sure it is going to take me 5+ hours to finish my 20 miler on February 10th, but you know what I am gonna do it.

Things I need when I go for my long runs (> 6 miles):
1. Water
2. Running GU(s) (1 for 10/12/14 milers, 2 for 16/18 milers, 3 for 20 miler, and 4 for my marathon)
3. Sweatband/sweat towel
4. Lip balm

10/23/17 Update: One year ago today, I finished the ZenLab's Couch to 5k training program. If you had asked me on that day if I would ever run a marathon, I would have laughed in your face. I never intended on running a marathon. It wasn't until June (after I started listening to podcasts regularly), that I stumbled upon the Not Real Runners Podcast and after 5 weeks of listening I decided 'Why not?' It was them talking about the Little Rock Marathon in the first episode 34 (the one from July 11th) that put it in my mind that I wanted to complete a marathon.

I use the run/walk method for my weekend long runs. I don't have a nifty watch that tells me when to run and when to walk so I rely on the ZenLabs Marathon Trainer app. In the app it has daily training prompts, including short runs (45 - 60 minutes), cross training sessions, rest days, and long runs. The long run days are the only ones I use. In particular, I am using Week 11 Day 6 for runs less than 11 miles and Week 20 Day 7 for all above 11 miles. Week 11 does 23 repetitions of run 4 mins, walk 2 minutes. Week 20 does 52 repetitions of run 4 mins, walk 1 minute.

5k Costume?

As of now, 4 ish months before my Marathon weekend, I am thinking of doing a plague skeleton for my 5k costume and a Monty Python Spanish Inquisition themed outfit for my Marathon 'costume' (red shirt, red bottoms, running with a cross, and the hat).

Clif Energy Gel Reviews: I got the multi pack from Amazon so I could try out a bunch of different flavors. (1) Chocolate Cherry w/caffeine: 10/22, not bad, but a little too heavy on the chocolate taste, could have used more cherry flavor. But to be fair, I am not a chocolate fan.

Marathon Costume?

Post #4 Well... At least I am writing something

Fact: I am procrastinating.

GT: I have plenty of material to write my first first-author paper. No more discovery necessary.

I was about to Google "tricks to sit down and write". I would predict that the first tip would be:

#1 Get off the internet and start writing!

I am not going to search for that list though. I am going to write here and hope that just the act of writing something, anything, gets me motivated to work on my paper. I have started it. I wrote up a very rough draft of the previous work. That was written over a month ago though. My outline looks great (Fig. 1). I have even listed the authors and written up some of the reference I know I will be citing. 

Fig. 1 My outline

So looking at the list, I know I know all of it. I've gone as far as to think that I should use voice to text, just so I can get it out of my head and on to paper. Once I do that all that is left is editing, albeit A LOT of editing, but hey, that is what my coauthors are for.

Fact: This isn't helping.

PTM: I will get this done, and by this time next week I will laugh at myself and this blog, because I will have successfully written a working draft of my first first-author paper. 

GT: The weather has continued to be fall like, which is AWESOME!! 

I have been not only making good progress (at least research and education related progress) at work, I am nearly finished with my Halloween costume. Seeing as it took me >2 weeks to write this post after Post #3, Post #5 will include a picture of me in my costume. I am excited about it, and I have high hopes that people are going to like it (Fig. 2). 

Fig. 2 Not Telling

I suppose I should also put in a follow up to my follow up from Post #3: At this point, 13:31 EDT 10-14-16, I have completed the runs up to, and including, Week 7 Day 1 of C25K by Zen Labs. Wednesday's run was a 5-min warm up walk, followed by 25 minutes of running, no walking!! I had moments of doubt before and during, but I did it. I am also 5 runs away from completing the 8 week program. So...

PTM: Post #5 will also include a follow up to this follow up, saying that I graduated the Couch to 5k running program. 

Fact: I run for health, not weightloss, to be clear, this isn't a physical transformation blog.

FPI is still wowing the scientists as we progress through Phase 1B. I haven't picked any new data yet, but it is still early. I won't get nervous until mid-November. Though, even if I do get nervous, you won't read it. This is a positive thinking blog! 

Positivity in, Positivity out.

Post #3 You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Fact: I am smart.

Yes, it may not be grammatically correct (though that could be said for some of my blog posts) but it is certainly a good message. For those of you who don't know, the title is from the book The Help. It is a good quote to recall when I am feeling down. Here I am, four years into my graduate school career, thinking how I got here. 

Fig. 1 Al had it right.

PTM: I got here because I am smart! 

I was eating lunch with a classmate and we both agreed that in physics graduate school you shouldn't waste time thinking you are not smart. I should not waste time thinking I am not smart, I got this far. I passed my comprehensive exams. I am smart! 

I have to work a bit harder because my plasma knowledge was non existent a year and a half ago; plus I am not as math savvy as some of my peers. I am working though.

PTM: I will get there. 

Fig. 2

In other news, in roughly three hours the MMS team will be able to look at the first FPI data for Phase 1B. I am excited about it because I am on the hunt for more events that are like the ones I have already been working on, but better and actually get them down off the spacecraft in burst mode. Below (Fig. 3) is an example of one of my events. 

Fact: I am only a year and four months into my research.

SubFact: I have only been doing active research since January.

So far I know that these cooler ion beams that you can see clearly on the left and right sides of the bottom plot are not often looked at. As of now they don't appear to be located near a reconnection site, or at least not near enough for the majority of plasma scientists to care. I care. I care because these ions are looking to have origins at the earth. A couple questions arise with this, 1) How did they end up out near the magnetopause if they are from the earth's upper atmosphere? 2) Once out at the magnetopause are they effecting their surroundings? There are more questions but these two are a good start.

Fig. 3 Fast (4.5 s) vs. Burst (150 ms) data from MMS

GT: It appears to be officially Fall in the DC metro area (Fig. 4). As a follow up to last post's GT, I am done with Week 4 of c25k and will be starting Week 5 tonight! 

Fig. 4 Temperature-wise anyway

Post #2 Direction: Moving Forward

Fact: I have just begun my fifth year of Graduate School.

Graduate school implies that I am working on my dissertation. Until this week I hadn't really given it serious thought. I always believed I wouldn't have control over the research I was doing (Fig. 1). This comic was released during my senior year of undergrad, maybe this was it that gave me the idea.

Fig. 1 #truth

Now I have started a working list of research questions I want to answer. With MMS, I am working the presence of lower energy ions that once were located in the Earth's upper atmosphere, but by one mechanism or another made their was to the magnetopause. My interests have been varied since I started my research career, but something that has been consistently dangled in front of my nose, but I have not taken part in, Space Weather research.

PTM: I have my chance, with my research questions.

Fig. 2 Less Dramatic

Do ionospheric ions effect space weather? (and, if so) How?

PTM: I will be able to answer these questions.

GT: Work was on the productive side last week.

1) Caught up on September's Housekeeping.

2) Actually had a meeting with my Advisor [two actually!!]. 

3) Made a plan for what to work on, moving forward.

GT: I have been working through a Couch to 5k app, I just finished week three, and I am about to start week four (Fig. 2).

PTM: 5 weeks from now I will be able to run a 5k without stopping.

This point of all research is so exciting. The literature search; where each paper brings you closer and closer to the answer. Now the question... the question is one of two. One - "Who has the answer?" The literature search may prove that my research questions have already been answered. OR Two- "Will I have to answer the question?" It may be my turn to learn something new and write a paper on it.

Fig. 3 Research Thoughts