The February 2016 Running Challenge
Stoshew71
Posts: 6,553 Member
It's February and leap year. Perfect time to leap into this challenge. This is your virtual running group to keep you accountable and enjoy a virtual coffee with your fellow runners after you run. Make new friends and learn a few things.
Hi everyone. This is a continuation from the January 2016 Running Challenge which can be found at:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10304369/the-january-2016-running-challenge
Anyone can join in. New & Old. And if you found this thread late, you can join in at any time.
We have members that are total beginners all the way to marathon maniacs and beyond. We are a friendly and encouraging bunch.
Here the details from last month that applies here again.
Anybody want to join me for a running challenge? Set a goal here and mark it every day here. OPTIONAL: You can post your progress by creating a ticker at http://www.tickerfactory.com (If creating ones seems difficult, then don't let that stop you. Just type in your daily miles here.)
You can run, walk, or do treadmill. Just be consistent. I am setting a goal for 200 miles. Don't let my high (or low) goal intimidate you. Some can do 25, 50; whatever you like. We can help motivate each other. What do you say? If you are new to running, set a low goal. (You can also log your miles in km's if you choose.)
You can set your goal now but wait until Monday February 1st to log your runs.
Also, don't forget to join our group which can be found at:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/21182-monthly-running-challange
There you will find lots of good info, and it's a place where everyone can talk to each other for further motivation. It's also a place to find help when there is a problem with this thread.
After you run, come in here and post what you did. Keep a running tally of what you did this month, and interact with the others. Many folks come in here and chat it up even on their rest days or while recouping from injury. This is a very social group and we talk about many things to include running. Very friendly bunch here so don't be afraid to say hi (even if this is your first time). Talk about a recent race or one coming up. Ask questions, provide answers, or just learn. Participation is what makes this group successful.
Not quite sure how to log your runs, follow what many other people are doing. Even look at last month's thread that I posted above.
*******OPTIONAL TICKER*************
Info on tickers since I know there will be questions. Sign up for an account http://www.tickerfactory.com and create your ticker.
Then you need to update it after you do a run and post it here. Here is what you will need to do.
After setting up your ticker, you will need to make note of the weblink they give you so you can return. An example would be:
http://www.tickerfactory.com/exercise/w6K1EiX/ <<<< the last part will be a part of the image link (explained below) that will be supplied to you after you initially create your link.
When you return to TickerFactory with the weblink, go to your settings page. Make sure you type your pin in that you set when you created your ticker account.
Then where it says "Your current cumlative value, there is an add button. Just add what you just did and the cumlative value automatically changes. Then hit next.
Now after you added your new miles (or km's) to your ticker you need to post it here.
After you hit next, it will give you a bunch of codes suggesting on how to display your ticker.
Use the one at the bottom where it says Direct Image URL:
It will look something like:
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png
To display that correctly in your post, make sure you place the img tags around that link. So it will look, (removing the spaces in the img tags):
[ img ] http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png [ /img ]
^^^^^^^ Don't forget to remove the spaces between the brackets. ^^^^^^^^^^
Some key things to pay attention to when posting your ticker.
1: Use the link that ends in .png
2. Remember the [ img] and [ /img] tags go in between the link
3. remove the spaces in the img tags before posting
4. YES, there is a / in the second /img tag
Good luck! And happy running (or walking or treadmilling, ect). If you have any trouble or have questions, please feel free to PM me.
Stan
Hi everyone. This is a continuation from the January 2016 Running Challenge which can be found at:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10304369/the-january-2016-running-challenge
Anyone can join in. New & Old. And if you found this thread late, you can join in at any time.
We have members that are total beginners all the way to marathon maniacs and beyond. We are a friendly and encouraging bunch.
Here the details from last month that applies here again.
Anybody want to join me for a running challenge? Set a goal here and mark it every day here. OPTIONAL: You can post your progress by creating a ticker at http://www.tickerfactory.com (If creating ones seems difficult, then don't let that stop you. Just type in your daily miles here.)
You can run, walk, or do treadmill. Just be consistent. I am setting a goal for 200 miles. Don't let my high (or low) goal intimidate you. Some can do 25, 50; whatever you like. We can help motivate each other. What do you say? If you are new to running, set a low goal. (You can also log your miles in km's if you choose.)
You can set your goal now but wait until Monday February 1st to log your runs.
Also, don't forget to join our group which can be found at:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/21182-monthly-running-challange
There you will find lots of good info, and it's a place where everyone can talk to each other for further motivation. It's also a place to find help when there is a problem with this thread.
After you run, come in here and post what you did. Keep a running tally of what you did this month, and interact with the others. Many folks come in here and chat it up even on their rest days or while recouping from injury. This is a very social group and we talk about many things to include running. Very friendly bunch here so don't be afraid to say hi (even if this is your first time). Talk about a recent race or one coming up. Ask questions, provide answers, or just learn. Participation is what makes this group successful.
Not quite sure how to log your runs, follow what many other people are doing. Even look at last month's thread that I posted above.
*******OPTIONAL TICKER*************
Info on tickers since I know there will be questions. Sign up for an account http://www.tickerfactory.com and create your ticker.
Then you need to update it after you do a run and post it here. Here is what you will need to do.
After setting up your ticker, you will need to make note of the weblink they give you so you can return. An example would be:
http://www.tickerfactory.com/exercise/w6K1EiX/ <<<< the last part will be a part of the image link (explained below) that will be supplied to you after you initially create your link.
When you return to TickerFactory with the weblink, go to your settings page. Make sure you type your pin in that you set when you created your ticker account.
Then where it says "Your current cumlative value, there is an add button. Just add what you just did and the cumlative value automatically changes. Then hit next.
Now after you added your new miles (or km's) to your ticker you need to post it here.
After you hit next, it will give you a bunch of codes suggesting on how to display your ticker.
Use the one at the bottom where it says Direct Image URL:
It will look something like:
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png
To display that correctly in your post, make sure you place the img tags around that link. So it will look, (removing the spaces in the img tags):
[ img ] http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png [ /img ]
^^^^^^^ Don't forget to remove the spaces between the brackets. ^^^^^^^^^^
Some key things to pay attention to when posting your ticker.
1: Use the link that ends in .png
2. Remember the [ img] and [ /img] tags go in between the link
3. remove the spaces in the img tags before posting
4. YES, there is a / in the second /img tag
Good luck! And happy running (or walking or treadmilling, ect). If you have any trouble or have questions, please feel free to PM me.
Stan
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Replies
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Hi everyone, I'm Amy! I've been following the January Running Challenge for the last few days but wanted to wait until february to officially jump in. I'm currently training for a 10 mile race in March, as well as my 5th half marathon in May! There's also a few 5Ks and 8Ks that I have planned along the way haha. My goal for February is 130 miles, as dictated by my training plan. Can't wait to hear from everyone!
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I made my goal and then some for January. I am especially happy since I have been so busy, but kept the promise. My goal for this month is to get back to reading and commenting on posts! Next month will hopefully be a little less busy than January!
80 for me this month.
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Staying at my 140 km Goal. Will kick February off with a Taper week for my Chilly Willy HM.
Then a Training week, followed by a second taper week for the Hypothermic HM. Two HM's in a month is probably not the Best Planning wise - But what's a fellow to do? Run ??.
Could be a struggle to get my 140km goal when you have 2 Taper weeks, its a good thing I have the HM distances in the mix.0 -
Upping my goal from January from 50 to 80km. January was just to get an idea of where I was.
First race of the year on February 7th, a 5k.0 -
With a shorter month, I'm setting a 120 goal.0
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I have no idea how to plan for this month--I have my first half on the 22nd, but I also have a number of life events and travel. I think I'm going to fall somewhere between 80-100 miles. So I'll set my goal for 100, but won't be terribly surprised if I don't quite get there.
Upcoming Races:
Feb. 14 Run Your Heart Out 5K, Reston, VA
Feb. 22 Disney Princess Half Marathon, Orlando, FL
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Set a goal of 40 last month and missed due to injury so I am going for a conservative 25 miles this month due for that reason and an out of town hockey tournament for son. Also need to focus on strength training to stop this stupid cycle i am stuck in.0
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I'm going to say 80 miles and hope for the best. Thanks @stoshew71.0
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Have work travel and 2 races, so mileage will be lighter. 300 miles, sub 17:30 5k and sub 60 10 mile.0
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My schedule says ~245 so... I'm gonna put down 230 for February. I should probably give myself a few flexible days in case anything feels screwy or we get another freak snow storm.0
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It's looking like somewhere in the 90's would be the right mileage this month, so I'm tempted to round that up and shoot for 100 in February.0
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Welcome @ariceroni!
@kristinegift whew! Girl be runnin'!
I'm in for 110. February is my one year anniversary with the group! Thanks for the motivation all!
Thanks again Stan!0 -
My goal is to hit the weekly mileages in my Boston training plan. For February, this breaks down as follows for the weeks ending:
2/6 62 miles, less 14 run on 1/31 = 48 miles
2/13 68
2/20 62
2/27 68
Sunday, 2/28 assignment is 60 minutes easy, estimate 7.5 miles
Monday, 2/29 is a filler day, estimating 8 miles. May need to adjust that estimate later, but it's the best I have now.
Total estimate for February, 48+68+62+68+7.5+8 = 261.5
Call it 262-265 miles, because I know I'll exceed weekly targets by a fraction of a mile even when I bring the week in very close. The goal isn't to blow past 265, it's to come in as close to the weekly mileages as possible. This is more miles per week than I've ever run, following an aggressive training plan; I need to treat the plan with respect.0 -
These now have 712 miles on them. They are my favorite road shoes... Merrell Road Glove 1, Size 9. Merrell no longer makes them and I have been hunting all over the Internet for them without success. I am very sad. I can probably squeeze another couple hundred miles out of them with the help of Shoe-Goo, but if any of you shoe divas run across some for sale let me know. I will pay good money for them.
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Hi! I'm Tiffany and new to the group!
I've done two half marathons, but have been away from running for about a year and a half. I've missed how strong it made me feel and have been slowly getting back into it (walking and hiking a few times a week with the dog).
I want to set a goal that I know I can make in a short month, but will also hold me accountable to get out at least 4-5 days a week. Feeling like 40 miles is the magic number for this first month.
Feel free to add me as a friend! I love being involved in the groups and the MFP community really has proven in the past to be a great motivator for me.
Let's do this!0 -
I just want to steadily get through the next four weeks of C25k at my increased pace. Should be about 12 to 15 miles at least total so we shall see. I need to be patient with myself. If I can do that, then half way through March I will be working on my 10k. That would be amazing for me with my issues and struggles.
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My target last month was 60 miles but I only made 40.4. So this month my target's the same, 60 miles! Going to do it this time 0
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Oh man! I'm in the same boat with my favorite pair. They got worn and I bought new ones last year that were working fine, but with the issues I have been having this past year I can't wear them at all now. Even just to stand in them for a half hour messes me up for 2 days! I have been all over trying to find the ones that are perfect for me, even thought I did online, just to have them show up and be different. Not sure what I'm going to do, I have spent so much time trying to find the perfect shoe for my near flat feet. Frustrating issue to say the least!MorningGhost14 wrote: »
These now have 712 miles on them. They are my favorite road shoes... Merrell Road Glove 1, Size 9. Merrell no longer makes them and I have been hunting all over the Internet for them without success. I am very sad. I can probably squeeze another couple hundred miles out of them with the help of Shoe-Goo, but if any of you shoe divas run across some for sale let me know. I will pay good money for them.
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I am going to set my February goal low at 40 miles. I have several things going on in the month that conflict with the days I run and I'm just not sure I will find a way around them.0
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I'm going to aim for 50 miles this month. I'm not sure how many miles my 10k trainer will add up to and with running every other day I'll be starting on the second and ending on the twenty-eighth. So that's about 3.5 miles every second day, totally doable!
No matter how it works out, I'm excited!
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Date Miles MTD ------ ----- ----- Feb 01 0.0 0.0
In for another 100, short month be damned! @Stoshew71, or anyone else, if you have any tips for a 50+ runner training to improve time per mile, I'm all ears! Realized today that I've run over 650 miles and dropped 20 pounds as part of this Amazing Group since I first jumped in. Hoping for many more! Good luck everybody ...0 -
Thank you @Stoshew71!!
And thanks to everyone for all the awesome posts and sharing your runs in the group. I learn and laugh so much.
I will keep my same goal as Jan (75). Only hit 71.5 last month, but since I was sick, it was fine. With less days in February and tapering for HM the first week, not sure I will hit it, but will try.
2/7 Daytona Beach HM0 -
OK.. Here goes! I'm going to be counting walking distance as of now.. My shins have flares up nicely so the extra walking will help strengthen and stretch my calves. So originally I was looking at 100km but with walking I'm aiming for 180km!
This month i am doing a virtual 10k and 100km for Run For Mental Health!
Let's go!0 -
I'm in! New to MFP and Garmin Connect. My goal will be 25 miles because I had stopped running for a while and am currently recovering from a sprained ankle.0
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In for another 100, short month be damned! @Stoshew71, or anyone else, if you have any tips for a 50+ runner training to improve time per mile, I'm all ears! Realized today that I've run over 650 miles and dropped 20 pounds as part of this Amazing Group since I first jumped in. Hoping for many more! Good luck everybody ...
Dropping 20 pounds should help your speed even without doing anything else specifically aimed at getting faster.
I can't claim to be an expert, but I did start running at age 55, and I'm faster at 60 than I was at 55, 56, or 57. Things I think I know that help speed, in no particular order:
- Intervals. I worked up to the 5K distance starting with walk/run intervals. I ran myself into injury a few times, and always came back to running through walk/run intervals. At the end of the interval work, I was faster than before injury. And that wasn't even intervals designed to be speed work; when I found a scientific coach last year, I started doing designed speed work intervals. That made me faster, too.
- Recovery. Get enough sleep, take enough time off running for your body to recover from running fast, and you run faster the next time you try to run fast.
- Run slower to run faster. You don't try to run as fast as you can every run. You build a base of easy miles, and work on speed for a small portion of your week. Just building a stronger base improves cardiovascular function, which typically translates to running faster.
- Other older runners, including retired coaches with a lot of respect in the local running community, tell me that older guys only need one day of speed work per week. The implied subtext is, the benefit of a second day of speed work is less than the risk of injury that second day adds. This is one of the things that makes me a bit queasy about following my current plan with 2 days of speed work per week; but this is only for 16 weeks. After Boston, I can re-evaluate and maybe go back down to one speed work day per week.
- Good form and running efficiency. I worked on good form from a motivation of avoiding and recovering from injury. It also improves running efficiency, which means I can run faster with the same effort.
- If you have a specific distance in mind, train for that distance. Speed work targeting a 5K race looks different form speed work targeting a half marathon, and both of them look different from speed work targeting a mile race.
- Realistic expectations. No matter how fast you run, there will always be somebody faster.
There is a body of scientific research for why most of this stuff works, but @Stoshew71 is better than I am at finding it and posting the stuff that's relevant to individual questions.0 -
I'll pledge 40 miles for the month of February!!
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Hey I am new to this
hope this works
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In for another 100, short month be damned! @Stoshew71, or anyone else, if you have any tips for a 50+ runner training to improve time per mile, I'm all ears! Realized today that I've run over 650 miles and dropped 20 pounds as part of this Amazing Group since I first jumped in. Hoping for many more! Good luck everybody ...Dropping 20 pounds should help your speed even without doing anything else specifically aimed at getting faster.
I can't claim to be an expert, but I did start running at age 55, and I'm faster at 60 than I was at 55, 56, or 57. Things I think I know that help speed, in no particular order:
- Intervals. I worked up to the 5K distance starting with walk/run intervals. I ran myself into injury a few times, and always came back to running through walk/run intervals. At the end of the interval work, I was faster than before injury. And that wasn't even intervals designed to be speed work; when I found a scientific coach last year, I started doing designed speed work intervals. That made me faster, too.
- Recovery. Get enough sleep, take enough time off running for your body to recover from running fast, and you run faster the next time you try to run fast.
- Run slower to run faster. You don't try to run as fast as you can every run. You build a base of easy miles, and work on speed for a small portion of your week. Just building a stronger base improves cardiovascular function, which typically translates to running faster.
- Other older runners, including retired coaches with a lot of respect in the local running community, tell me that older guys only need one day of speed work per week. The implied subtext is, the benefit of a second day of speed work is less than the risk of injury that second day adds. This is one of the things that makes me a bit queasy about following my current plan with 2 days of speed work per week; but this is only for 16 weeks. After Boston, I can re-evaluate and maybe go back down to one speed work day per week.
- Good form and running efficiency. I worked on good form from a motivation of avoiding and recovering from injury. It also improves running efficiency, which means I can run faster with the same effort.
- If you have a specific distance in mind, train for that distance. Speed work targeting a 5K race looks different form speed work targeting a half marathon, and both of them look different from speed work targeting a mile race.
- Realistic expectations. No matter how fast you run, there will always be somebody faster.
There is a body of scientific research for why most of this stuff works, but @Stoshew71 is better than I am at finding it and posting the stuff that's relevant to individual questions.
Lots of easy miles. When you run lots of easy miles (conversational pace) you are stressing your body just the right amount to improve the things inside your body that will deliver oxygen from your lungs to your muscles, and improves the muscles to use that oxygen with fuel (sugar and fats) to produce a lot of energy to move your muscles.
here's a couple of my blogs on this:
http://therunningstan.blogspot.com/2016/01/why-is-oxygen-so-important.html
http://therunningstan.blogspot.com/2016/01/reverse-taper-base-building.html
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Speaking of my blogs, I just posted a new one. I been studying about biomechanics and finally put something together about it:
http://therunningstan.blogspot.com/2016/01/running-biomechanics-primer.html0
This discussion has been closed.
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