April 2016 Running Challenge

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  • skyhoppertk
    skyhoppertk Posts: 13 Member
    edited April 2016
    Goal for me in April here in Australia 65km so 40 miles running jogging
    At least 2km a day.

    April
    1- 2km
    2-5km
    3-2km
    4-2km+1.5km
    5-2km+2km

    Goal week 1-- 15km
    Total week 1 --16.5km
    Yay!!
  • ariceroni
    ariceroni Posts: 422 Member
    4/01: Off, rest day
    4/02: 12 miles, long and easy
    4/03: 8K race - 36:36 (7:22 pace) - new PR! + 1 mile warm up
    4/04: 4 miles, easy
    4/05: 5 miles, easy
    Total: 27.12 miles

    Overview:
    An easy 5 miles this morning. My legs were feeling pretty sore and tired from the weekend, but they started to feel pretty great after a few miles. It was still pretty cold out this morning (~30 *F) but at least the wind died down a bit and the sun came out!


    exercise.png


    Races I'm registered for:
    04/03 - Shamrock Shuffle (8K) 36:36 - new 8K PR!
    04/09 - Chi Town Half Marathon
    04/24 - Ravenswood Run (5K)
    05/22 - Chicago Spring 13.1
    05/28 - Soldier Field Run (10 miles)
    09/10 - Magnificent Mile Half Marathon
    09/25 - Chicago Lifetime 5K
    10/09 - Chicago Marathon
    10/30 - Hot Chocolate 5K
    11/27 - Space Coast Half Marathon
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited April 2016
    I came across an interesting and potentially helpful article on RW. You know that gap you get in your abs after pregnancy, weight gain, poor habits?

    It can cause pain running. Which leads to poor Gait, overcompensation, and muscle imbalance.

    I can't help but to think this is why I'm battling the issues I have.

    http://www.runnersworld.com/pregnant
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    Planning an easier run today after work. 4 miles hopefully. Slow it down and take one hill but flat otherwise. It's supposed to be windy - BOO! Still kinda mad at myself about last night's run :-p

    @skyhoppertk Great job on week 1!


    @sarahschoggin 25 miles is a great goal. Sounds like you're pretty active but just not used to high impact? Just ease into it.

    @zoe2434 3 miles is a big accomplishment :)

    @rebkah121402 Welcome to the group.

    @brian_gunther Congrats on completing C25K!!!
  • zoe2434
    zoe2434 Posts: 69 Member
    I'm looking for suggestions on reasonably priced wireless headphones. The old, white iPhone ones just aren't cutting it for me anymore. What do you use and why do you like them?
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    edited April 2016
    @zoe2424 I use a wireless/bluetooth ear piece. I would have to check at home for the brand but I got it at Walmart for about $50 in 2014. It has worked well. I don't have to charge it often but I don't use it for every run. Usually just my long run on Fridays which is still just about an hour long. I think the charge is for 7 hours. I only ever wanted the headphones in 1 ear anyway because I like to be aware of my surroundings/traffic. So this was the way to go for me. I've never regretted this purchase. I can also answer a phone call if I absolutely have to with the ear thing.

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Plantronics-M165-Marque-2-Bluetooth-Headset-Black/26517520 This seems to be mine. Price has gone down :)
  • pcarvalho3
    pcarvalho3 Posts: 36 Member
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    pcarvalho3 wrote: »
    What should or should not eat before a 10am 10k race? It's probably going to be cold, around 34F. It's my first 10k so I'm kind of stressed.

    Eat some carbs 2 hours before the race. Example banana and 2 TBS peanut butter. Or an apple and half a bagel with PB. But, you shouldn't eat anything that you never ate before. Eat only familuar foods that you know won't upset your stomach. My last race on Saturday, I ate a baked potato.

    Main thing is to relax and have fun and don't start too fast. Line up with people that you think will finish the race the same time as you (i.e. don't line up too close to the front where the fast kids are).

    @pcarvalho3 this ^^^ I get so nervous before a race I very seldom eat, I hate to admit when I do it's a pop tart but I'm weird like that. So listen to @stoshew71 and not me. You'll love the 10K distance in a race. Good luck

    lol!
    I'm so used to exercise at the end of the day, that it messes me up.
  • ChrissalmonPT
    ChrissalmonPT Posts: 54 Member
    3 Miles again this morning. Total for April so far 14 miles. Goal is 100 miles for April.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    Looks like a couple pages of posts to catch up on, but I have to get some things done first. Will catch up later this afternoon.

    Ran 5 miles at the limits of easy pace. I was well rested and it was harder to keep the pace easy because the downhills I would just fly on and then touch or just exceed the cap HR for my easy effort on the uphills. Overall the average effort and HR looks good so it is still an easy run, but right at the upper limit.:smile: Tomorrow is a mid-week long run and that is why I was really wanting to keep the effort easy. Hopefully that won't be a slog.

    4/1 - Rest
    4/2 - 14 miles
    4/3 - 5 miles
    4/4 - 5 miles
    4/5 - 5 miles

    29/160 miles

    exercise.png

    Upcoming races:
    4/9 - Rock the Parkway half marathon (Kansas City, MO)
    4/16 - Garmin Wickedly Fast half marathon (Olathe, KS)
    4/23 - Race for Hope half marathon (North Kansas City, MO)
    5/1 - Buffalo Bell Stampede half marathon (Leavenworth, KS)
    5/14 - Running with the Cows half marathon (Bucyrus, KS)
    6/2 - Hospital Hill 5k 7pm PRE-RUN (Kansas City, MO)
    6/3 - Hospital Hill half marathon 7am RE-RUN (Kansas City, MO)
    9/25 - Broadway Bridge half marathon (Kansas City, MO)
    10/15 - Kansas City Marathon 26.2 (Kansas City, MO)
    11/5 - Jenks half marathon (Jenks, OK)
    11/6 - Kansas half marathon (Lawrence, KS)
    11/12 - Longview half marathon (Kansas City, MO)
    11/13 - Gobbler Grind half marathon (Overland Park, KS)
    11/19 - White River half marathon (Cotter, AR)
    11/20 - Pilgrim Pacer half marathon (Lenexa, KS)
  • peacefulrun2
    peacefulrun2 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm a few days late in joining, but i just found this message thread and challenge and would love to join in!
    I've just started running again after a long break (winter months in New England with 2 toddlers, and a surgery in March). I'm pretty much back down to working my way up from 2 miles at a time. I'm a slow and steady runner - my goal for the year is to improve my nutrition and lose weight, and I'd love to see the underside of 10min on a mile, and under 30min on a 5k - that would be amazing!
    My April goal is 25 miles
    4/3 - 2.25mi
    4/5 - 2mi
  • kbown
    kbown Posts: 16 Member
    edited April 2016
    I started running 4 years ago...I've run numerous 5 ks, 7ks, 10ks, 11Ks, a half dozen half marathons (2014 - 2016), 1 full marathon (Oct 2014), and the Disney Princess challenge (19.3Miles Feb 2016). Unfortunately I can't seem to run a mile lately without feeling like I'm going to pass out. Soooooo, I'm back to my C25K app to get me back in the swing of things.

    I'm in for this challenge and will say 50 miles for the month of April. I try to walk a mile at lunch every day so that will help too.

    Good luck to everyone!

    April Miles (to date): 2.7 (as of 04/04/16)


    exercise.png
  • ceciliaslater
    ceciliaslater Posts: 457 Member
    @zoe2434 - I use Samsung Galaxy Gear Circle wireless headphones, which I got for about $35.

    Pros: 1) Battery life of ~9 hours playback time
    2) Removable plastic neck piece if you feel you need more security during activity (so they don't fall to the ground if they fall out of your ears)
    3) Volume control on earpiece
    4) Magnets in earpieces. When you aren't using them, you can clip them around your neck so they don't swing around or risk falling off. When the magnets are connected, it also automatically pauses playback on your music.
    5) Good sound quality and has never dropped its connection to my phone.

    Cons: 1) Earpieces are a bit bulky (though they are not overly heavy and do stay put well. Probably wouldn't be super comfortable under a headband or over-ear hat.
    2) Not all features are compatible with all phones. If you have a Samsung phone, you can use an app to adjust your sound mixer. Any other phone, and you just get playback. However, I do not have a Samsung phone, and find the default sound settings to be just fine.

    My husband has a pair of Skullcandy SB2 wireless headphones. He seems to like them, but I can't tell you much about them. I think they were about $30.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited April 2016
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    I'm not particularly advanced as a runner, but this will be my second season out.

    I am aiming for 45 running KMs - I say running because I also bike.

    I have two races scheduled for April
    04/03 - Around the Bay 5K, Hamilton, Ontario
    04/24 - Forest City Road Races, London, Ontario

    04/01 - Rest day (due to 5K on the 3rd)
    04/02 - Rest
    04/03 - Around the Bay - 5K
    04/04 - 2.5 KM

    Total for April: 7.5 KM/45 KM
  • 5BeautifulDays
    5BeautifulDays Posts: 683 Member
    edited April 2016
    kbown wrote: »
    I started running 4 years ago...I've run numerous 5 ks, 7ks, 10ks, 11Ks, a half dozen half marathons (2014 - 2016), 1 full marathon (Oct 2014), and the Disney Princess challenge (19.3Miles Feb 2016). Unfortunately I can't seem to run a mile lately without feeling like I'm going to pass out. Soooooo, I'm back to my C25K app to get me back in the swing of things.

    I'm in for this challenge and will say 50 miles for the month of April. I try to walk a mile at lunch every day so that will help too.

    Hi and welcome! There are a few of us here who did the Princess in February (although I only did the half, not the Glass Slipper). It was a fun race! I hope you get your feet back under you and are running well again, soon. :)


    4/1...5.0 @ 12:00 on the TM (4.0 @ 11:15 and 1.0 walking)
    4/2....3.1 @ 11:45 through the neighborhood. My ankle hurt the first mile or so, especially on the uphill bits--downhill isn't too bad
    4/3...Rest day
    4/4...4.6 @ 11:32 on the rail trail and neighborhood streets
    4/5...2.8 @ 11:50 on the TM--that's 2.3 (just to make it even!) @ 11:15 and .5 at a walk, plus strength training

    Upcoming Races:
    Healthy Strides Community 10k.....April 23, 2016
    Run and Ride Kings Dominion 10K...May 22, 2016 (maybe!)
    Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon.....November 6, 2016


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  • instantmartian
    instantmartian Posts: 335 Member
    Done!

    W8D3 of C25K in the books! Officially graduated! Can't believe I went from nothing in January to running 30 minutes straight. I'm not fast, its not pretty, but I can get from Point A to Point B without stopping. I just need to work on adding a bit more distance to officially call it a 5K, but it's right there!

    Now to find a race somewhere...

    exercise.png

    So awesome! Congratuations. You hit a huge milestone! I say there's no turning back from here. Find that race and conquer it!
  • instantmartian
    instantmartian Posts: 335 Member
    CChen8520 wrote: »
    OMG guys!!!!

    Thought I was doing W7D1 today but I pushed through the 5K mark! 36 minutes non-stop. Super proud :smiley:
    I will keep running 5K for the rest 2 weeks lets see how that goes!

    exercise.png

    Congrats on the great accomplishment!
  • instantmartian
    instantmartian Posts: 335 Member
    kbown wrote: »
    I started running 4 years ago...I've run numerous 5 ks, 7ks, 10ks, 11Ks, a half dozen half marathons (2014 - 2016), 1 full marathon (Oct 2014), and the Disney Princess challenge (19.3Miles Feb 2016). Unfortunately I can't seem to run a mile lately without feeling like I'm going to pass out. Soooooo, I'm back to my C25K app to get me back in the swing of things.

    I'm in for this challenge and will say 50 miles for the month of April. I try to walk a mile at lunch every day so that will help too.

    Good luck to everyone!

    April Miles (to date): 2.7 (as of 04/04/16)


    exercise.png

    That is quite the list of accomplishments! Good luck. I had the same struggle after doing just the Princess Half in February, but I seem to have found my groove, again. Sometimes, hitting the restart button and getting comfortable, again, is the best thing to do.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    CChen8520 wrote: »
    OMG guys!!!!

    Thought I was doing W7D1 today but I pushed through the 5K mark! 36 minutes non-stop. Super proud :smiley:
    I will keep running 5K for the rest 2 weeks lets see how that goes!

    exercise.png
    Awesome! Congrats! :smile:
  • KoraMT
    KoraMT Posts: 10 Member
    I'm only going to count my running miles and I'm aiming for 50, but I'm hoping for more.


    exercise.png


  • 9voice9
    9voice9 Posts: 693 Member
    zoe2434 wrote: »
    I'm looking for suggestions on reasonably priced wireless headphones. The old, white iPhone ones just aren't cutting it for me anymore. What do you use and why do you like them?
    I've used these for a year or more now (on my second pair): http://smile.amazon.com/Avantree-Sweatproof-Bluetooth-Headphones-Wireless/dp/B00G6H5N7Q

    They're fairly cheap (compared to others in the same category), I've never worried about how much I sweat, or being in the rain or whatever, and the battery life is pretty good - I tend to charge them about once a week, running about 6-7 hours/week.
  • AdrianChr92
    AdrianChr92 Posts: 567 Member
    edited April 2016
    @pcarvalho3 I second the banana, not because I like bananas a lot but they are pretty good fuel and light. Make sure it's at least 2 hours before though. Or just oatmeal. Whatever it is, make sure you ate it before and don't try new stuff for a race day. Make sure it includes carbs. Hell I'll even eat bread if nothing else. Also depending of organisation, they will ask you to judge how fast you are and line up with people of your level so people don't need to pass the whole crowd and viceversa. Some races will place you in sectors but that is usually if they asked for your time when you registered. At my last race they asked for my time and I was placed in Sector C. Sectors A and B were reserved for elite runners and fast runners. Sector D was for "medium" runners and D for the rest. I even asked people what pace will they run and I stuck with someone that ran the same pace at me for a while. It gets the mind of pacing and it's easier

    Another slow 4.8 km today. I should be resting but it's so hard to not run lol. I'm taking off tomorrow and gonna do some core work and stuff. I have a new strategy for mileage increase. Instead of increasing it every week, I will increase it every month, running the same mileage for 4 weeks (with the reduced week every now and then).

    I'm already at 34 km per week and it's getting a toll on my legs to increase it further. I read somewhere that ligaments and tendons can be very slow to catch up with your muscles and aerobic capacity so I guess I shouldn't push too hard and just go as slow as possible. I figure this will give my body some time to get used to a mileage before increasing it further. So If I run around 120 km this month, I will set it to 130, 135 km the next month and so on. No hurry, the races can wait

    I'm thinking to drop the hm in may and just go with the 10k again.

    Also I signed up for another 5k in 2 weeks. The money will go to planting trees. Gonna try to PR it.

    And in the name of shopping, I just ordered an Ipod shuffle. It's been ages since I owned an mp3 player but I want music without the huge brick that is my phone. I don't worry about wired headphones. 1 or 2 safety needles and they don't jiggle around. Bluetooth headphones are still too expensive for me


    Date.......Distance...Pace (min/km).........................Sarcastic tips from someone who ran since December
    April 1 - 3 km...........(7:30)..................................Your cotton shirts will do just fine. Your nipples won't bleed
    April 2 - rest
    April 3 - 10 km.........(4:51).................................Go fast first miles in a race, you won't bonk near the end
    April 4 - 5.2 km........(7:35)..........................................................Buy all the shoes
    April 5 - 4.8 km........(6:30)...........................Seriously. You only need 2 trail pairs, 2 road pairs and 1 race pair.

    exercise.png


    03/04: Bucharest 10k and Family run (registered) 48:37, 188/1010
    16/04: Color Run Bucharest (registered)
    17/04: Forest Run (registered)
    15/05: Bucharest Half Marathon or 10k, depends.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    @AdrianChr92 I have an iPod shuffle for the same reason! I can't stand running with my phone... it's too big to store anywhere very comfortably (and it's too hard to get it back out to switch songs, playlists, etc...), and I don't need it for GPS data. I load podcasts and music on to it in different playlists, clip it on, and head out the door! Simple!
  • zoe2434
    zoe2434 Posts: 69 Member
    @greenolivetree @ceciliaslater @9voice9 thank you all for the feedback, I'm going to check into your suggestions. I appreciate the help!
  • ceciliaslater
    ceciliaslater Posts: 457 Member
    Just got back from my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon (MRI followup) and finally have a diagnosis: Os trigonum syndrome and a low-lying soleus muscle.

    http://www.foothealthfacts.org/footankleinfo/os_trigonum_syndrome.htm

    Basically, I have an extra bone in the back of my ankle that is causing an impingement. The impingement is also trapping my soleus muscle because it extends too far down into my ankle.

    Starting with a conservative treatment of anti-inflammatory meds to reduce pain and swelling. The doc also banned me from Insanity, squats, lunges, and other plyometrics. I am, however, allowed to run!

    Further treatment could include ultrasound-guided steroid injections to reduce inflammation and surgery to remove the extra bone and/or debulk the soleus muscle.
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    @brian_gunther That's great, kudos on finishing the C25K program!


    @pcarvalho3 I've got my first 10k race next weekend. Based on my past 5k races, I'm planning to eat my regular breakfast, and then a small piece of chocolate ~15 minute before the race. @Stoshew71 's suggestions are probably more professional. But since I don't like peanut butter, I'll stick to my chocolate...
    Just remember: don't do anything if you don't do it normally. I can eat chocolate anytime before a run without problems (I've got lots of training munching chocolate before/after runs - or totally unconnected to running o:) ), but your stomach might be more sensitive.


    @ceciliaslater OMG; I had no idea it was possible to have extra bones in the ankle. At least you can still run! I hope now that you got a diagnosis and know what to do, you won't be plagued by ankle pain anymore. All the best!
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    Too many new posts! Sry if I missed them! I know a lot of you killed it racing though!!

    Ran up Black Mountain today. 7.3mi. It's a very steep and technical trail. And it's 90f today. So the effort going up was medium/hard. But I cruised down at a relaxed pace. 4 days till my 25k trail race!! Here's a link to today's run: https://www.strava.com/activities/536818680

    4/1 - Easy 10.1mi @ 8:25/mi
    4/2 - rest.
    4/3 - 1mi fun hike for views of SLC. 400ft vertical.
    4/4 - Snowboard 41.8mi 30,000ft, descent (not counted on April total), 55.8mph top speed.
    4/5 - 7.3mi mountain (steep) run. About 2,000ft vertical, 14:31/avg. Medium effort.

    April total - 18.4/153mi
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member

    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    I'm not particularly advanced as a runner, but this will be my second season out.

    I am aiming for 45 running KMs - I say running because I also bike.

    I have two races scheduled for April
    04/03 - Around the Bay 5K, Hamilton, Ontario
    04/24 - Forest City Road Races, London, Ontario
    acorsaut89 wrote: »
    04/01 - Rest day (due to 5K on the 3rd)
    04/02 - Rest
    04/03 - Around the Bay - 5K
    04/04 - 2.5 KM

    Total for April: 7.5 KM/45 KM

    There are quite a few folks in here that are not quite "advanced". And "advanced" is very subjective. In some circles, I would consider myself not quite "advanced" even though many folks in this particular thread look up to me.

    But one thing I know for sure, no matter where you are, we are all supportive of one another. So don't feel that what you are doing is unimportant to the rest of us. Every little bit helps you to your end goal. We all started from somewhere. If you have a question, please don't hesitate to ask.

  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    @acorsaut89 I ditto what @Stoshew71 said. I'll say running is running, if you take that first step out the door, you're way ahead of most people in the world.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Some races will place you in sectors but that is usually if they asked for your time when you registered. At my last race they asked for my time and I was placed in Sector C. Sectors A and B were reserved for elite runners and fast runners. Sector D was for "medium" runners and D for the rest. I even asked people what pace will they run and I stuck with someone that ran the same pace at me for a while. It gets the mind of pacing and it's easier

    That is so funny. In America we call the sectors that you refer to as Corals.
    I am amazed sometimes on the little differences.

    Like in America we use the term PR or personal record where I know in Europe they use PB or personal best instead. :-)
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    Speaking of little differences.....I finaly noticed that on Strava, the thumbs up is to give kudos, while on Garmin and others it's liking...I like what Strava calls it better....more congratulatory to my way of seeing things.
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