April 2016 Running Challenge

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Replies

  • username301
    username301 Posts: 247 Member
    1/4....5k

    Running Thoughts:
    I had a stitch, who gets a stitch unless you're 8?


    goals
    1. 18 runs.............................1
    2. 115km total......................5k
    3. 4 runs a week
    4. quickest 5km of 2016
    5. quickest 10km of 2016
    6. 11 km long run
  • AdrianChr92
    AdrianChr92 Posts: 567 Member
    Should I wear the race shirt in the race? :|
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    Should I wear the race shirt in the race? :|
    I wouldn't simply because you haven't run in it before and it might give you problems.

    However, this is was something I read some time back from a local trail running groups website...
    In the running and triathlete community the wearing of race T-Shirts has become a sign of accomplishment and fashion. Choosing just the right T-Shirt for that special occasion can be a daunting and difficult task. The following guidelines have been compiled (in fun), to help the responsible T-shirt wearer avoid potential embarrassment and/or elevate their perceived status in their athletic community.

    This list was formed from using various tri and runners' submissions, and then acquired, edited, exfoliated, and added to by me. You can send any suggestions of yours to me. If they are semi-coherent and not too offensive, I might add them. But then again, I might not.

    Note: This is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek review of the sometimes superstitious regard runners and triathletes have for their finisher shirts. My personal view: I don't care if you wear your shirts wrapped around your head in an ever-expanding turban...so please, no nasty-grams back to me on back-channel e-mail. Have fun.

    T-Shirt Etiquette Guidelines:
    1. A shirt cannot be worn unless the wearer has participated in the event. There is an exception, though: "significant others" and volunteers are exempt.

    2. Any race tee, less than a marathon distance, shouldn’t be worn to an ultramarathon event. This goes double for the wearing of sprint-tri shirts to Ironman and Half-Ironman events. It simply doesn’t represent a high enough "cool factor " and sends a red flag regarding your rookiness. It's like taking a knife to a gunfight. It's probably best just to wear a generic name-brand athletic shirt, and go hide in a corner until race time.


    3. When you are returning to a race in which you have previously finished, then wear the shirt from the first year you completed the race. Don’t short-change yourself by wearing the shirt from the year before. It doesn’t adequately display the feat of accomplishment or the consummate veteran status that you are due.

    4. Never wear a race event shirt for the (same) race you are about to do. Only rookies do this. It displays a total lack of integrity and might put the bad-heebee-jeebee-mojo on you for the race. Wearing a T-shirt of the race, while currently running said race, is discouraged. It’s like being at work and constantly announcing "I’m at work". Besides, you wont have the correct post-race shirt then...unless you like to wear sweaty, pitted-out clothes on a regular basis. If you do, then go back to the swamp, Gomer.

    5. Never wear a shirt from a run that you did not finish. To wear a race shirt is to say "I finished it". Exceptions: see guideline #1.

    6. A DNF’er may wear a race shirt if... the letters DNF are boldly written on the shirt in question (using a fat Sharpie or a Marks-A-Lot).

    7. During a race, the wearing of shirt from a previously completed year is acceptable. Wear the oldest T-shirt you have from that race (see guideline #3). This is probably a good practice because you now have no excuse to drop out since you’ve done it before.

    8. If possible, runners should buy significant others T-shirts which can be worn without regard to running the race. (see guide #1). Keep in mind, they support your "running Jones" more than you think. They also have ways of punishing you that you can't even imagine. Or maybe you can.

    9. Volunteers have full T-shirt rights and all privileges pertaining thereto. So there. Remember, you can always volunteer for a race and get a shirt. I encourage this as your civic duty to be a member of the running community. Races don't happen without volunteers, folks.

    10. No souvenir shirts: therefore, friends or anyone else not associated with the race may not wear a race shirt. If your mom thinks that your Boston shirt is lovely, tell her to QUALIFY for Boston herself, & send in her application early for next year, so she can earn her own shirt. A downside to this: she still has plenty of time to write you out of her will between her training runs for the big race. Note that your mom CAN wear your finisher's shirt under one of these 4 conditions- 1) you still live with your mother; 2) she funded your trip to the race; 3) she recently bailed you out of the slammer; or 4) All of the above. There is an exception to this guideline: (refer to # 1...If you are a "non-traditional family," and your mom actually is your Significant Other).

    11. Always wear the race shirt of your last race at the current race’s pre-race briefing. The more recent the race, the better. This is a good conversation starter. However, avoid the tendency to explain how that it was a training run for this, and this is just a training run for the next, etc. It just sounds like your rationalizing mediocre performances. Sometimes it’s best to live in the here and now.

    12. Your t-shirt should be kept clean, but dried blood stains are okay, especially if it is a trail race or a particularly tough event. If you're an ultrarunner, you can even leave in mud and grass stains, (and porcupine quills). Not washing-out the skunk scent is pushing the macho thing a bit too far, though.

    13. Never wear a T-shirt that vastly out-classes the event you're running. It’s like taking a gun to a knife fight. Or like unleashing an atomic bomb among aboriginal natives. You get the idea.

    14. Also: never wear a blatantly prestigious T-shirt downtown or at the mall among non-running ilk. People will just think you have a big head, which you do. You'll also get stupid questions, like, "how long was that marathon?" If it's a shirt to a 50 or 100-miler, they'll think it's a shirt for a cycling event or just think you're totally nuts, which (of course), you probably are.

    15. Never, ever, borrow a race finisher's shirt from another runner to wear to an event that you didn't run. If you do, remember that in Dante's Inferno, he wrote about a special Hell for characters such as you; right between Tax Collectors and Lawyers.

    16. The Bad Ben Guideline: All children or grandchildren of mine can wear hand-me-down race finisher's shirts for races that I've run in. When they are asked, "did you run in that 100-mile trail race?" They can proudly respond, "no, but my daddy (or grandad) did." If your progeny has put-up with you being an ultrarunner, they have said rights too. If you have completed an Ironman, your kids also have the same rights. They've put up with a lot of crap (or outright neglect) over the years, and deserve to wear them.
    Sponsors_Shirt
    17. The Bryner Guideline: Never wear a shirt that has more sponsors listed on it than people that ran in the event. (Are you listening, race directors?) A shirt with too many sponsorship logos on it is just plain ugly. If you're a race director, and have scored that many sponsors, how about sharing the wealth? Just give me a call at 555-6565, and ask for "Bad Ben." By the way, you can let ANYONE wear this ugly shirt; non-finishers and distant relatives, alike. If you respect your friends, kids, spouse or mother, though, you won't let any of them wear it. It would serve well as bedding in your kid's gerbil cage.

    18. Never wear a shirt that has any sponsors on it that you don't agree with. For instance, if you're a Vegan, you shouldn't wear a shirt that proudly advertises "Omaha Steaks" on it. If you wear this shirt, the "Karma Gremlins" will catch-up with you . I swear that's why I fell and broke my nose in my last 50-mile trail run, or why I had plantar fascitis for most of '99. I never should have ran in the 1998 "Fantastic 4-Miler." Why would they enlist a sponsor from an North Korean land-mine manufacturer, anyway?

    19. The Spencer Guideline: If an event is cancelled at the last minute, but the event shirts were already given out, you can't wear the shirt unless you actually ran the race on that day. This means you will have to run your own unsupported event, through snow storms, hurricanes, or whatever lame excuse the Race Organizers came up with for cancelling said event. If you still want to wear the shirt, you have to mark it with a sharpie, "I didn't run this lousy event, and I'm all the better for it, thank you," across the front of it.

    20. This next one is a big one, and has something to do with the need for more good taste and asthetics in this sometimes ugly world. Never wear a shirt that is so old, thin, and threadbare that you can see the color of your nipples or chest hair through it. This seems to be just a "guy thing," especially and old-codger-runner-guy thing. Here's the test guys: if you're too scared to machine-wash your 1978 Tab Ten-Miler shirt for fear of it wafting down the drain as meer subatomic particles, then it's probably too transparent to wear in public. If you can (still) remember your great performance at that particular day and you want to save it for posterity, PLEASE have it framed so that you can keep it on the wall of your den or your "I love me" room, and (at least) out of public view. Better yet, have it sewn into a quilt. You can then sit on your couch and read back-copies of Runner's World, cuddled up with your "runner's binky," with a glass of warm milk.

    21. By the way, if you don't know what terms like DNF, volunteer, or Significant Other are, then you shouldn't wear any race shirt until you know what they mean, and you shouldn’t have any meaningful relationships, either. You should probably become a hermit and/or New Age "Tantric" runner, sitting at home in the lotus position performing virtual marathons in your mind, while sniffing used GU packets, incense, and patchouli.

    T-shirts must be used sensitively. Worn responsibly, they can help expand one's consciousness and immerse you in a great conversation with your running brethren. Worn stupidly, they can cause fright, horror, vacant stares, sprained ankles, and general social unrest. Don't be a "T-shirt Terrorist." Follow proper T-shirt etiquette to do your part for world peace.

    Happy trails,

    Bad Ben
  • KWKirkbride
    KWKirkbride Posts: 119 Member
    I joked in the March thread that my goal is 1 mile for this month. It still is. That said, I'm really hoping to get back out there and put in some decent miles during the latter half of April.

    I've put in 120 miles on the bike (in my apartment) and have started doing some leg and core work to go with my PT. I think I'll start doing some brisk incline walking to mix things up. I'm hoping that's enough to keep my body in relatively good running shape until I can start burning some pavement.

    Good luck to everyone this month! Stay healthy.

  • ariceroni
    ariceroni Posts: 422 Member
    edited April 2016
    4/01: Off, rest day
    Total: 0 miles

    Looks like I'm joining the ranks of those starting the new month off with a rest day! Resting up for a 12 mile long run tomorrow and 8K race sunday.

    All this talk of BQ is encouraging me to admit that I, too, am hoping to BQ in the future! I've never ran a marathon (yet!) but I'm not going to let that stop me from dreaming haha. Currently registered for Chicago this year so hopefully that will give me a better idea of how far I have to go! @MobyCarp I think time qualifying for Chicago is an excellent goal. I might be a little biased though by the fact that I live here ;) I'll let you know in ~6 months how the course is!


    exercise.png


    Races I'm registered for:
    04/03 - Shamrock Shuffle (8K)
    04/09 - Chi Town Half Marathon
    04/24 - Ravenswood Run (5K)
    05/22 - Chicago Spring 13.1
    05/28 - Soldier Field Run (10 miles)
    10/09 - Chicago Marathon
    11/27 - Space Coast Half Marathon
  • AdrianChr92
    AdrianChr92 Posts: 567 Member
    @WhatMeRunning That's a lot more than I was asking for :))
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    I never thought it was possible, either. My first marathon was 4:43, and so after that my long term goal was to one day run under 4 hours. But teaming up with the crazy good runners in my local group has totally shifted my perspective and made me ask myself last fall, "Why not me?!" So I decided to go for it.

    Yeah, associating with the faster runners does tend to suck you into thinking you can do stuff you never thought you could do. Sometimes you can even do some of it.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited April 2016
    Should I wear the race shirt in the race? :|

    Depends. I wore the race shirts the last round. They were nice shirts. Some race shirts, never get worn and handed over to my kids.

    If it's a nice comfortable shirt and potentially you'd like a race photo in it, then wear it. But like @WhatMeRunning said, you'll notice the more seasoned runners not in the race shirt, because they know not to chance it becoming a problem.
  • gherring2014
    gherring2014 Posts: 16 Member
    40 for April!
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    I just noticed that on the March challenges thread, the entry in the Number of Replies column is 2.5K.

    I thought, seriously? A group of runners, and we can't even do a full 5K? (Just as well. I'm not sure I could keep reading that long.)
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    So there is a race at the end of the month up to Frankenstein's Castle (the real one) - thinking of signing up for it - it's 16 km, right on schedule with my end of month run. It's a sign!
    OMG - You MUST do this!! That is just too cool!

    If my husband were a runner he would be so jealous!!
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    4/1 - 5 miles on the bike around town, 3 mile walk, 45 min strength training (This is what I do when I can't run.)

    No leg pain today. Back hurts only when riding in the car or sitting anywhere really. Gonna play it safe and still no run tomorrow. Will hope to resume running on Monday if sciatica seems to be better.

    Tomorrow is our local half marathon, so my facebook feed will be blowing up with race pics and stats to further torture me while I miss another run :)

    @onesmallchoice I had to quit running 8 weeks in Nov/Dec to heal an injury, so like you I am trying to listen to my body and not go there again....



  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
    I'm on my stupid phone so posting is a pain. I'll leave my mileage and come back later to comment

    4/1 - 5.5 miles

    5 out of 100 miles

    Good luck everyone running this weekend. @stoshew71 good luck at oak barrel.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    edited April 2016
    Nothing to look at here - clumsy thumbs posting accident
  • michable
    michable Posts: 312 Member
    edited April 2016
    1/4....5k

    Running Thoughts:
    I had a stitch, who gets a stitch unless you're 8?

    @username301 haha! I got a stitch this morning on my long run! I think I was a bit dehydrated.

    @WhatMeRunning I find myself at the top of the GC and Strava leaderboards by default! Because I am in Australia, I am about a day ahead of everyone else, so I get all my runs in earlier, making me look really good. I am never at the top by the end of the week!

    I am in for 240km this month. We have 5 Saturdays this month, for 5 long runs!

    Apr 1- rest
    Apr 2 - 27.55 km

    Total - 27.55 km / 240 km


    exercise.png


  • julyrunner
    julyrunner Posts: 79 Member
    Hey! New here. I want to set a goal of 60 for April; secretly I'm hoping to run a lot more than that, but knowing that I am just getting back into the habit of running regularly AND it is getting to be end-of-semester crazy time, I'm setting the bar a little lower.

    Getting over a cold and did 3.75 sluggish miles today.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    Running more miles is not always the best thing to do. Staying healthy to run another day is more important.


    @MobyCarp Beautifully put.


    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    Welcome to all the new people. Sorry to not name you all out. I hope your enjoy your time in this thread.

    Also one more thing I wanted to point out. This thread can move really fast and it can be very hard to keep up. I hope nobody will think anyone is a twerb if you are not 'social' much in here. Even if all you do is come in, post your miles, and leave. There is something about tracking your miles in public that makes you accountable and motivates you to your next run. If that is all this thread serves to you, then bless you. The name of the game is to get out there and do something active. I will be thrilled if my thread helps you with your goals in that manner.

    It's also impossible to keep up with every single conversation in here. I know I can only scan the pages lightly as best i can on some days when things get busy. I apologize if there is something I miss. I don't mean to diss anyone. As well, I know many others do the same thing. Nobody (I hope) will fault you if you skip stuff. I don't think anyone in here purposely ignores or disses any particular people. It just happens. I guess that is one of the problems with having a sucessful thread like this.

    So don't feel pressured to do anything you are unable to do.

    Also what Stan said.

    Newbies, welcome!

  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    edited April 2016
    2 April – 5 km parkrun

    Goal: 100 km (Achieved 128 km in March but had a dream month)

    Upcoming:
    May 8: Mother’s Day Classic 8.4 km
    June 19 – Winter Solstice Lighthouse to Lighthouse 15 km
    August 7 – Peaks & Trails 22 km? (Eek did I say that out loud?)
  • Mari33a
    Mari33a Posts: 1,255 Member
    edited April 2016
    Hi everyone - regulars and newbies,

    Looks like its going to be a busy month going by all the posts which I have managed to read with a couple of attempts.

    I been arguing with myself for days as to what my April goal should be so I'm just going to go for it and aim for 80 miles, But I'm not going to injure myself if I'm finding it too much. Last month I thought I was a bit ambitious going for 60 miles and them ran 71 without any problems so anything over 70 will be success.

    Hope everyone stays injury free especially with the various races coming up.

    01/04 4 miles
    02/04 0 - family gathering


    exercise.png

  • smilelaughlove17
    smilelaughlove17 Posts: 134 Member

    exercise.png

  • smilelaughlove17
    smilelaughlove17 Posts: 134 Member

    exercise.png

  • Amandajs232
    Amandajs232 Posts: 194 Member
    @Stoshew71 @lporter229 @Elise4270 thanks for the advice. I last ran a 10k about 13 years ago, I have put 100lbs on and taken 90 of them back off since then (I don't do anything by half). My 10k is 9 weeks away so I think I will reduce 2 of my midweek runs by a little to add in a 5th short run to do some faster intervals. I would love to get near an hour bit think I will be a bit cautious for this one as I have another in October and can go for it then. Having a slightly easier week this week anyway as had very sore legs after 3 days running in a row then a training session with squats and lunges and other tortures :wink:

    April 2016

    2/4 - 5.64k

    5.64/75

    exercise.png
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    4/1: Rest day!
    4/2: 5 miles

    Easy little shakeout before the HM tomorrow. Ran with my buddy (she's also running the HM tomorrow!) and we were lucky to run in a slight drizzle instead of the rain we were supposed to be getting.

    Forecast tomorrow is looking quite ominous. 25-35 mph winds, gusts up to 50 :s But it seems like the sun might peek its head out, so that will help... maybe. Low temp overnight is gonna be ~36, and high of 45, so it will be a pretty chilly, windy race. I am still sticking to my time goal (sub-1:40), but if I don't get it, it's only going to be because of the challenging weather, not because I didn't give it my all!

    exercise.png

    Upcoming Races:
    3/12: Run O' The Mill 5K: New PR! 21:55
    4/3: Caesar Rodney HM (Wilmington, DE)
    4/16: River Horse 6K (Ewing, NJ)
    5/1: New Jersey Marathon (Lots of towns, NJ)
    11/20: Philadelphia Marathon (Philly, PA)
  • MLS1582
    MLS1582 Posts: 71 Member
    edited April 2016
    @MNLittleFinn Please, ask your questions here. I joined the challenge last month and learned SO much just from reading all of your discussions!
    My April goal is 75 miles. It's my last month to build my base before start HM training in May. I plan to train using Hanson's HM Method which include a very intimidating mileage, but I know my body needs the consistency that plan offers. (Every time I drop to 3 days/wk instead of my normal 4-5, I start pushing myself to hard and begin having issues.)
  • CivicSista
    CivicSista Posts: 459 Member
    "ariceroni wrote: »
    @ariceroni


    All this talk of BQ is encouraging me to admit that I, too, am hoping to BQ in the future! I've never ran a marathon (yet!) but I'm not going to let that stop me from dreaming haha. Currently registered for Chicago this year so hopefully that will give me a better idea of how far I have to go! @MobyCarp I think time qualifying for Chicago is an excellent goal. I might be a little biased though by the fact that I live here ;) I'll let you know in ~6 months how the course is!

    I ran Chicago Marathon a couple years ago, it's a really fun course. With only running longer distances at Disney and space coast, I thought the pottys could have been more, as in more stops. But over all a great course and the crowd was amazing. (Expect near the end, some guys near the finish in the crowd were like "I can't believe these people are running, they don't ever look like the broke a sweat" it was probably 6 hours in. My mom being mama bear she is, plus she had been running all over town to trying to catch a glimpse of me, whipped around and said "are you out there running it, I don't think so, so give these athletes a hand for a job well done" I love my mom)
    I am happy to say I ran Chicago marathon. Yeah it took me 6 hours and 11 minutes, but you know what I did it! (I had stomach issues that day, maybe that's why I said they needed more pottys) ha!
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    6/1- Rest!
    6/2- 6.21 miles

    Cold morning run. 19 degree temps and 2 inches of snow fell over night, and for a good 2.5 miles of the run, I was on roads that weren't plowed. Winds from the North were fishtailing a little so I caught some headwind outbound, and a ton on the back stretch. Winds were 11 mph with gusts to 25mph. UA turtleneck+C9 lightweight shirt+Brooks LSD Jacket kept my core warm. Nike pants and Cabela's wool socks were perfect for my feet. Polar fleec gloves and knit hat kept hands and head relatively warm, but need better windproofing on my lighter gloves and hat.

    Not trying to, but I set a PR for 10k on this run: 1:04:30!
  • lousoulbody
    lousoulbody Posts: 663 Member
    Hi everyone, Elise4270 invited me to join in the running challenge, thanks Elise! I'm going to set my goal for 50 miles this month. If i can figure out how to make a ticker like Diantha21 did, i will be pleased with that challenge alone. Happy running all!
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited April 2016
    Hi everyone, Elise4270 invited me to join in the running challenge, thanks Elise! I'm going to set my goal for 50 miles this month. If i can figure out how to make a ticker like @Diantha21 did, i will be pleased with that challenge alone. Happy running all!

    Whooo! Yeah! Glad you made it! *high five*
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member

    exercise.png


    Short interval run - appropriately drenched with sweat - and lifted enough to say that I lifted today - actually, I comfortably did 25-pound plates on the bench press bar today and finished all three sets. Happeeee. Have a beautiful day, running friends!
  • 4leighbee
    4leighbee Posts: 1,275 Member
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    I just noticed that on the March challenges thread, the entry in the Number of Replies column is 2.5K.

    I thought, seriously? A group of runners, and we can't even do a full 5K? (Just as well. I'm not sure I could keep reading that long.)

    LOL !! I would say we've made an impressive showing, though. 2.5K replies. Wowsers. We're chatty.