The February 2016 Running Challenge

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  • Virkati
    Virkati Posts: 679 Member
    @kristinegift That makes total sense! When I was looking at training plans I didn't understand why some of the midweek runs were sooooo long. Your explanation makes a lot of sense to me, so thank you. I know the question and answer have nothing to do with me, but it helped me go, "Aha!"
  • chiccam
    chiccam Posts: 239 Member
    Hi everyone! Do not laugh but my goal is 20 miles for the month of February. I'm just starting up a little mileage and I don't have much time. I also do bootcamp 3xweek and snowboard on the weekend.
    My goal is to run at least 2xweek for at least 2 miles.
  • hminchan
    hminchan Posts: 7 Member
    edited February 2016
    Becky_44, I have a problem with flat feet as well and used to get shin splint from running. That stopped when I got a pair of Brooks GTS Adrenaline 12. I've now bought Adrenaline 13, they work great too!
    Becky_44 wrote: »
    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!
  • hminchan
    hminchan Posts: 7 Member
    I did not reach my January goal of 80 km. I will keep my goal at 80 km for February and aim to achieve it!
  • pansamanchada
    pansamanchada Posts: 158 Member
    Greetings from Overcast DC today.
    I hope to one day be able to run from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol and Back.
    4edit2rvofum.jpg

    Anyway, I ran/walked one mile today. So that's 4.5 miles done.
    drt321cf6ddt.png

    And never actually took the time to mention some of you who have been supportive or caught my eye for other reasons, so here it is.
    Thanks to
    @Stoshew71 for setting up the thread. Karma points through the roof for you. And thanks for seeing the potential runner in me.
    @kristinegift for being in my FL and kicking butt running all those miles
    @9voice9 for encouraging me with my tiny goal.
    @ddmom0811 for acknowledging my new shoes. Next is a HRM.
    @GBrady43068 no thanks to you. You are welcoming all the newbies except for me, what's up with that lol
    @MorningGhost14 what's with the middle finger? not sure who you're mad at. Care to elaborate. Seem rather unnecesary, but I'm willing to be entertained. And thanks for posting funny posters lol
    @pippishortstockings thanks for being my pal and for having the second lowest goal among all of us. Makes me look less bad lol
    @_nikkiwolf_ thanks for translating parts of that video.

    Everybody keep up the great work!!!!!
  • chiccam
    chiccam Posts: 239 Member
    I have to give a shout out for the Brooks GTS Adrenaline's....great stability shoe for flat feet/low-no arches.
    Great advice Hminchan!
  • HonuNui
    HonuNui Posts: 1,464 Member
    @pansamanchada This board goes so fast sometimes that it's hard to keep up with posts.....so WELCOME ABOARD!

    February goal 80 miles

    2/1 3.8
    2/2 4.17
    2/3 bad life day
    2/4 4.00

    Total 11.97




    Upcoming races:
    3/20 Big Island International 1/2 marathon
    6/26 SHEPower Virtual 1/2 marathon
    11/13 Las Vegas Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon

    Ticker is my goal for 2016 and accumulation to date:

    exercise.png

  • pansamanchada
    pansamanchada Posts: 158 Member
    HonuNui wrote: »
    @pansamanchada This board goes so fast sometimes that it's hard to keep up with posts.....so WELCOME ABOARD!
    aww thank you. I actually feel pretty welcome and motivated. I was kidding with my comment.
    I'll be here cheering you on for your 1,000 mile goal for the year. You'll be running the equivalent of going from Washington DC to Kansas City, MO
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
    February goal 40 miles.
    3.36 miles on February 3rd, 3.42 miles on February 4th. Trying to run 10 miles per week,unfortunately on the treadmill this month. Total is 6.78 miles so far.
    HM on 5/7.
  • Becky_44
    Becky_44 Posts: 227 Member
    hminchan wrote: »
    Becky_44, I have a problem with flat feet as well and used to get shin splint from running. That stopped when I got a pair of Brooks GTS Adrenaline 12. I've now bought Adrenaline 13, they work great too!
    Becky_44 wrote: »
    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!

    Oh nice! I will have to look into them!
  • Becky_44
    Becky_44 Posts: 227 Member
    chiccam wrote: »
    I have to give a shout out for the Brooks GTS Adrenaline's....great stability shoe for flat feet/low-no arches.
    Great advice Hminchan!

    Thanks for adding that, gives me a different direction and new found hope! Lol!
  • Becky_44
    Becky_44 Posts: 227 Member
    That would be an amazing running route!! I think I've seen 15, and 20 mile goals, nothing lower although my goal is to make it through week 5 of c25k, cause I would be keeping it on its regular schedule but I think I figured it would equal just over 12 miles. However since I made that goal my pace has picked up, so we'll see what happens. :smile: Thanks for being curious enough to ask about the middle finger! I love curiosity!
    Greetings from Overcast DC today.
    I hope to one day be able to run from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol and Back.
    4edit2rvofum.jpg

    Anyway, I ran/walked one mile today. So that's 4.5 miles done.
    drt321cf6ddt.png

    And never actually took the time to mention some of you who have been supportive or caught my eye for other reasons, so here it is.
    Thanks to
    @Stoshew71 for setting up the thread. Karma points through the roof for you. And thanks for seeing the potential runner in me.
    @kristinegift for being in my FL and kicking butt running all those miles
    @9voice9 for encouraging me with my tiny goal.
    @ddmom0811 for acknowledging my new shoes. Next is a HRM.
    @GBrady43068 no thanks to you. You are welcoming all the newbies except for me, what's up with that lol
    @MorningGhost14 what's with the middle finger? not sure who you're mad at. Care to elaborate. Seem rather unnecesary, but I'm willing to be entertained. And thanks for posting funny posters lol
    @pippishortstockings thanks for being my pal and for having the second lowest goal among all of us. Makes me look less bad lol
    @_nikkiwolf_ thanks for translating parts of that video.

    Everybody keep up the great work!!!!!

  • nhenryoliver
    nhenryoliver Posts: 112 Member
    First run of the month ☺️
    exercise.png
  • 9voice9
    9voice9 Posts: 693 Member
    chiccam wrote: »
    Hi everyone! Do not laugh but my goal is 20 miles for the month of February. I'm just starting up a little mileage and I don't have much time. I also do bootcamp 3xweek and snowboard on the weekend.
    My goal is to run at least 2xweek for at least 2 miles.

    Welcome - there's no such thing as a little goal! We all started with 0 miles (this month, even!), and it sounds like you're already doing some great stuff! Don't be surprised if you get bitten by "the bug" and have to start making more time for running. Bwahahaha....
  • whatang
    whatang Posts: 102 Member
    Welcome @chiccam ! Nobody will laugh at your goal, the folks here are great, you'll only find encouragement and support. Good luck with it!

    Not been able to get out since Monday cos life. Managed to get 7.1 miles in this morning, waaaay quicker than I meant to go, probably due to the 3 involuntary rest days!

    12 out of 76 for the month.
  • instantmartian
    instantmartian Posts: 335 Member
    Made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine. I'm told he works with a lot of runners, so hopefully he can get me some answers and let me know how realistic my marathon is at this point. Annoying to get injured so late in the game (6 weeks out)--and not even on one of my long or fast runs. :'(

    The appointment is on the 15th, so I'll be hobbling around until then, getting in as much exercise as I can without aggravating the injury.

    I feel your pain, and I hope you have a quick and smooth recovery. Last Spring, I ran a 15K. My hip was tight around mile 7, but I felt okay for the rest of the run. While I was stiff afterwards, I was okay. I did one few-mile run in between, and that following week, I ran a very hilly 5K. I did well for the course and felt good when I finished. I got my water, beer, and some food samples. After I felt cooled down a bit, I sat on a wall to wait for my boyfriend. When I stood up, I couldn't walk - my hip wouldn't move. I had to defer the 10-mile race I had scheduled for a few weeks later. After a few weeks of rest, I still hobbled around. I finally went to an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine. They did x-rays and sent me to PT noting I probably had a hip flexor injury. Three months of PT, and I still wasn't quite right. It took my hip a good 5+ months to heal. My plans for a half that following Fall went out the window.

    I believe I am fully recovered, now, and well on my way to a half marathon, again, but I think I'm now overly careful in my training. Go with your gut, and good luck!
  • instantmartian
    instantmartian Posts: 335 Member
    02/02 8.00 mi
    02/04 3.65 mi
    TOTAL 11.65 mi
    GOAL 50.00 mi

    Upcoming Races:
    02/21 - Disney Princess Half Marathon
    04/02 - Philadelphia Hot Chocolate 15K
    04/09 - Yuengling Light Lager Jogger 5K
    05/01 - Blue Cross Broad Street Run (10 miler)
    09/18 - Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon
  • karllundy
    karllundy Posts: 1,490 Member
    2/1 - Rest day. Semi-planned.
    2/2 - Snow Day
    2/3 - 4 miles on treadmill
    2/4 - 5.1 miles on treadmill (Trek class). Sore knee this morning...hoping it is from shoveling and not running related. Didn't get worse when I ran, so I am going to cautiously push through.
    2/5 - 4 miles on treadmill

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  • smilelaughlove17
    smilelaughlove17 Posts: 134 Member

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  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited February 2016
    9voice9 wrote: »
    Okay gurus - got a question for youse guys (Jersey-like). I want to give the HM distance another shot, and be fair about it. I feel like my not-great-run on 16-Jan was due to not having done that full distance (and more?) in my training. I think if I can get my body and my head used to 13, 14 miles on my regular long-run day, then my next HM will be cake.

    But the last 3 times I've done 10+ miles (including the HM race day) - I'm good (mentally) through 10 or so, but the last miles are just a chore. I'm physically fine, but just mentally, I'm ready to be done with it. But I'm trying to persevere.

    My question is this: This Saturday, I have a 15K race - it's supposed to be a nasty/hilly one. Do I go ahead and log a few miles before the race, like around 6:30, 7 before the race at 9? Does it matter if the miles are gapped - 3-4 miles early, and then the 9.3 an hour or so later? Or should I just be satisfied with 9.3 for the day? Am I crazy-making with the "run 14+ miles over and over until you get your head around it"?
    @9voice9 For this Saturday, I would do just the race distance, but push yourself. And enjoy it!
    If you wanna get your head wrapped around the HM, my best advice would be to add a long run in the middle of the week. If your weekend LR already maxes at 12 or even 13 miles, that's great. Keep it up (but with off weeks for recovery, of course!). But I think a 7-8 mile run midweek will help normalize the longer distance, so that on race day, you can fly through the first half, then crush it in the second because you run more than that "all the time" (twice a week!). That was one of the things that helped most in my most recent batch of marathon training; a 10-12 mile midweek run makes the 18-22 mile long runs and the 26.2 race distance seem much more within reach than when my midweek running topped out at a 5 or 6 miler.

    What kristine said. A race is a whole different animal. If you were treating it as a training run, you would hold back and need more miles. A race however, you are going full throttle and that will more than make up for the 4 miles you be short. Plus consider a half mile warm-up before the race and maybe a half mile cool down afterwards, then you be ok.

    If you really want to get the miles in then you could do an extra 3 miles after your race. Most people I know that stick extra miles on race day usually do it after their race. But for your long run, that really isn't the purpose.

    Your long run should be easy pace the whole time to make the adaptions they should do. Once you do 9 miles at race pace, it kinda ruins the purpose of the long run. So just enjoy the race and recover afterwards.

    As far as the HM getting easier, yeah it will get easier the more you do it. My first HM race left me sore for like a whole week. I couldn't even run for the next 4 days afterwards and almost went and got a massage. I was on travel up near Baltimore the whole week after my HM. But the more you do that distance the easier it gets. A couple weeks after that HM was when I decided to start training for my first full marathon. lol So at that point my long runs slowly got even further and 3 months later I was already starting to do 18 and 20 milers. At that point, 13 becomes super easy.

    You got a problem wit dat? (all Jersey like) ;-)
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited February 2016
    A runner without shoes is like a pirate without booty.

    I'm on a shoe hunt. If you have a minute, chime in with your shoe/foot/ strike info. Yes even if you are a newbie please... Because I feel like I'm missing something.

    I have very high arches, minimalist shoe, and feel I have a solid mid foot strike. Love trail shoes.

    My left foot is actually swollen this morning from whatever is going on.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    chiccam wrote: »
    Hi everyone! Do not laugh but my goal is 20 miles for the month of February. I'm just starting up a little mileage and I don't have much time. I also do bootcamp 3xweek and snowboard on the weekend.
    My goal is to run at least 2xweek for at least 2 miles.

    Nothing to laugh at. it's a start, and everyone started low at one point. Congratulations on doing something. Stick with us and in time that will increase.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    @vandinem & @Elise4270, you two take care of yourselves!
    @virkati, it sounds like you're heading in the right direction. Not as fast as you'd like probably, but I see light at the end of the tunnel and that's awesome!
    @9voice9, I'd race the 15K and leave it at that. As far as breaking the mental block, if you have the time to build up the mileage, go for the longer run! Just make sure you're increasing the distance of your other runs as well so that the long run is no more than 33% of your total weekly mileage (I may or may not follow my own advice here). When I was training for my HM, I built up to a longest run of 18 miles so mentally that 13.1 was a piece of cake. Find a scenic route and and enjoy your surroundings. My 18'er was on a rails-to-trails path that went through the woods and along the river. Having something other than my neighbor's houses to look at makes it much easier to continue.
    @chiccam, that's a great goal!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Date Miles today. Miles for February

    2/1 7.55 miles - 7.55
    2/2 7.4 miles - 14.95
    2/3 4.5 miles - 19.45
    2/4 7 miles - 26.45
    2/5 REST DAY

    exercise.png

    Upcoming races:
    UAH Spring Road Race 8K - 3/6
    Oak Barrel HM - 4/2
    Bridge Street HM - 4/10
    Cotton Row Run 10K - 5/30
    Firecracker Chase 10.2 miler - 6/25

    So both the females in my house were sick last night. My wife actually went to the ER with her mom to get checked out. Her back was killing her and a really bad headache, 104 fever and chills. They did a lumbar puncture to rule out bacteria and viral menengitus. So the doc thought it just something viral to wait out.

    So I had to get my daughter ready for school this morning after making sure that she didn't have a fever. And after all that, I was not going to try and sneak a run in. Plus I got a men's gathering with my church tonight, so today is a rest day. Hey, it's a cut back week, so I might just need it anyway.

  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    After a tentative start, I ran 8.4 easy miles with Kody last night. The temps started in the low 20's and by the time I ended it was around 12F and for the first time, I was chilled at the end of a run. I'm thinking that was a combination of the dropping temp and a bit of dehydration. I'll have to start drinking more water during the day.

    I say the start was tentative because I decided to warm up in my garage with a series of lunges. I had been doing those in the summer and got out of the habit. Forgetting all about my left hamstring which had been just a bit tender last week, I went through a few sets and ended up pulling or stretching something back there. I thoughtit might derail my run but as long as I took short strides, I was ok. Today it feels much better so I'm hoping it was just a short term pain.

    Rest day today then a long trail run tomorrow.

    deglnf7m3whb.jpeg
  • cbro70
    cbro70 Posts: 224 Member
    Good morning guys, I had an ok run this morning. I wanted to run 3 miles but was pressed for time. I still did 2.4 and I am feeling so much better.

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  • karllundy
    karllundy Posts: 1,490 Member
    @Elise4270 - I have average-to-high arches, a mid-foot strike and I slightly under-pronate. I take relatively short strides. I alternate between Brooks Ghost, Saucony Ride (favorite) and Asics Cumulus. I have had some very slight plantar fasciitis before, but nothing horrible and it seems to go away with stretching and by varying my running surfaces.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
    Newbie welcomes to @cbro70 (and keep us posted on the 5K progress!) @chiccam (20 miles is more than zero, no one here will laugh. Well maybe a couple of the crazy 200 mile/mo folks ;) )

    @pansamanchada: *hanging my head in shame* Welcome! (and congrats on the progress)
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    A runner without shoes is like a pirate without booty.
    Just snorted…because “booty” 
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    So I am not sure what to do with this voucher now. lol ...and the extra money.

    You could have them make a "MFP Running Group" Grand Poobah shirt for yourself.

    @Elise4270: You could always just go for a 30 mile easy run today…so the shoes, are, you know, broken in ;)
    @vandinem: Get better soon
    After the run: free pizza, followed by ice cream, followed by great local beer.
    And THIS is why I run…I want to lose weight….but I love to eat. I don’t want to eat only twigs and berries. : ) Oh and thanks for the note about the midweek long run. Most likely my programmed plan will incorporate that but if it doesn’t, I expect it will be over before my planned June race and I can purpose to do that.

    Mo Feb 1: Iowa caucuses…Can’t.tear.myself.away. What did I say about “consistency” again? I did reset my training since it’s a new month to the “Sub 2:30:00 half marathon” plan..maybe I can pull a Peewee Herman and say “I meant to do that?”
    Tu Feb 2: On the board! 3.06 miles in the rain.
    We Feb 3: REST DAY
    Th Feb 4: Program called for 3 easy miles. Started out feeling crappy, wanted to give up at 2 miles in but forced myself through it and kept saying “It’s just mental”. I ended running the whole 3…no walk intervals..still felt good at the end and went a little longer, ended up with 3.75 miles. It was a good run in the end.

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  • cbro70
    cbro70 Posts: 224 Member
    Thanks for the welcome and good job. I feel the same way a lot until my second wind kicks in and I can run longer than what I thought I could.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    @GBrady43068 I could tie them on the back of my car and drag them for a slow 30 miles... :wink:

    @karllundy noted the info...


    I may see if my hip doc can recommend a sports rehab program... I'm just sure it's mechanics not shoes, right?
This discussion has been closed.