May 2016 Running Challenge

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  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    That is a really good deal @MobyCarp ... Cloudsplitter alone is $200... I will have close to $600 tied up in entry fees this year... :|
  • 07KatieP13
    07KatieP13 Posts: 220 Member
    4 miles today, really hot and muggy. Not an enjoyable run at all. Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to next winter?!
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    meganjcallaghan wrote: »
    I see people with these lists of races they're slogging through and wonder how on earth anybody can afford the registration costs for all these things. lol
    Okay, my race list isn't as crazy as that of others, only one in March and one in April so far; but the entry fee for those was something roughly equivalent to 20 USD each. Kind of in the same league as going to see a movie(incl. snacks), or a night out with a few (not many) drinks. And I know plenty of people who don't think a night out once or twice per month is an extreme luxury, so if I'd rather spend that money on a race entry, I don't feel the least bit guilty.
    I've observed that large races tend to be more expensive; my most expensice race ever will be the half I'm running tomorrow, which was something like 60$. But some of that is for a good cause, I got a tech shirt, a bag, a sweat band and free public transport for the day included in the inscription, and such an expensive race is an exception for me. The next half I'm thinking about would be for 35$ in June, but I won't sign up for that before I completed my first ;)


    @MLS1582 In the 10k I ran in April (my only 10 so far, so I looked at the results of that one), you would not have been dead last with that time. There would have been 43 runners slower than you - the last one finished in 1:24:06. Are you sure they directed you to cut the last corner? That sounds really weird! I remember we had a discussion on course lengths in the challenge last month, it seems too short races happened to a lot of us already. In any case, an 11:10 pace over 6 miles is really great, well done!


    @skippygirlsmom You and Skip did great! Age group placements for both of you, wow! Love the photo :)

  • Anabbee
    Anabbee Posts: 25 Member
    I haven't had time to catch up on everyone's posts, but hope to do so later today.

    I have had a good couple of days since I last checked in. On Friday I did a hill walk, and I ran (slowly) some of the uphill, using my heart rate as a guide of when to walk again. I won't put that in my month count, because it wouldn't have even been a km of running.

    Yesterday I did my first 'park run'! How cool. I think it was also the first time I've run a whole 5km! I was just under 38 minutes which i was really happy with.


    May 1 No run
    May 2 3km run
    May 3 Sick! Cold!
    May 4 Sick! rest!
    May 5 2km
    May 6 Hill walk...small amount of running
    May 7 5km!!!


    Total: Run 10km/ 50 km
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    MLS1582 wrote: »
    I ran my first 10K race today. I came in dead last, while running a pace that was a full minute faster than I had planned (because I was last). Officially, I finished in 1:07:18, but I think they directed me to cut the last corner (like cut it off entirely) because my watch only had me doing an even 6 miles. I'm really torn - I feel like crap for finishing last and being so slow they had me drop almost a quarter mile just to get me across the finish line, but I'm also really freaking proud to have run 6 miles at an 11:10 pace! I will not be running this race again - ever.

    I'm currently at 20 of 94 miles for the month.

    Here's a few things I think you might need to hear:

    1:07:18 won't be dead last in a lot of 10Ks    . You must have had a field full of non-casual runners.

    Dead Last Finish beats Did Not Finish. Did Not Finish beats Did Not Start.

    That's unusual that you'd be last at that time. 6 miles in an hour is pretty good. My 10k pr is 1:04. You should be very proud of that time! Congratulations!
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
    edited May 2016
    @poppetsmaster here's a race for you http://www.businessinsider.com/lazarus-lake-invented-barkley-marathons-2016-5

    @mls1582 holy crap I can't believe you ran a 10K in 1:07 and were last you definitely were running with some beyong crazy fast people. Don't you dare feel like crap, you did awesome!!!! Plus everything Mobycarp said!

    @_nikkiwolf_ thanks!
  • vandinem
    vandinem Posts: 550 Member 
    Date      Miles      MTD
------    -----    -----
May 03      4.2T     4.2  
May 04      4.2T     8.4 
May 06      5.1     13.5 
May 07      8.2     21.7

    exercise.png
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    edited May 2016
    Okay, I've finished all preparations for my race tomorrow (including five minutes spent freaking out because I couldn't find my fuel belt, and probably even longer trying to decide what kind of chocolate to pack for after the race).
    It's my first big race, and I was a little overwhelmed. My other races so far were all "show up an hour early and collect your bib in the sports club / school / parking lot". For this one, you had to collect it one or two days in advance; and they set up a real "marathon village" with a race expo and everything! Actually, they took over the complete English Garden in the city centre, and scattered expo stands and porta-pottys all over it :D

    zrklya1j7ojs.jpg

    After collecting the bib, everyone was funneled out through a maze of sales stands. I was seduced into buying a new sports bra, but I stayed strong in face of everything else - including the "energy cakes"! I had never heard of such a thing, but here they were, sitting right next to the gels. Almond, chocolate, caramell - I'm pretty sure any regular chocolate cake has as many carbs for a fraction of the price, but I was still tempted a little bit...
    pxx4cygskxbo.jpg

  • MLS1582
    MLS1582 Posts: 71 Member
    edited May 2016
    @MobyCarp @Elise4270 @_nikkiwolf_ @skippygirlsmom
    Thank you! I did need to hear all of that! I wish there were a better way for race organizers to clue people in to the pace/culture of any given race. If I'd realized how fast this race would be, I'd have chosen a different one for my first 10K. Having a polite, smiling police officer say, "Go ahead and just cut across here; we're picking up the cones behind you," was a major blow to my self-esteem as runner!
    I have another 10K at the end of June, and I'm hoping it will be a better experience. (It's a 5k, 10k and HM, so I KNOW I won't be last!) :smiley:
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    edited May 2016
    MLS1582 wrote: »
    Having a polite, smiling police officer say, "Go ahead and just cut across here; we're picking up the cones behind you," was a major blow to my self-esteem as runner!
    I have another 10K at the end of June, and I'm hoping it will be a better experience. (It's a 5k, 10k and HM, so I KNOW I won't be last!) :smiley:
    My sisters first race was a relay race, which she did with a group of collegues who were all in the spirit of "it's taking part that counts", none of them had any race experience or ran very fast. When my sister started her leg (7th leg of 8), their team was already dead last, so she ran the entire 8k accompagnied by the sweeper on his bike, who kept calling "this is the last runner, you can go home now" to the volunteers along the way. She really hated it - her collegues are still doing the relay each year, but she refuses to join again, and never signed up for another race.
    I'm glad you aren't as discouraged by your first race experience and give it another try!
    By the way, one was to at least get an idea of the pace culture of a race is to look at previous years' results, if they are online. But I don't think there are many 10ks where the entire field is as fast as the one you had today!
  • MLS1582
    MLS1582 Posts: 71 Member
    @_nikkiwolf_
    In your sister's shoes, it would have been hard for me to resist knocking the sweeper off his bike! :smile:
    I'm glad I did run two 5ks last fall. Both were great experiences, even with my first 5k finish of 42:02! I think this just wasn't a good race fit for me. I feel a LOT better about the whole thing after hearing that most 10K's aren't over in 1:05 or less!
  • vandinem
    vandinem Posts: 550 Member
    @_nikkiwolf_ Good luck on the race tomorrow! You've got the post-race Chocolate worked out ... the rest will be a breeze. Enjoy the Experience!!
  • vandinem
    vandinem Posts: 550 Member
    @MobyCarp .. "Dead Last Finish beats Did Not Finish. Did Not Finish beats Did Not Start." That's great! Who writes your stuff?
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
    @PoppetsMaster I have no house of my own...or kids....and I thrift for all my clothes for running or not....but I guess I just make so little that it would literally come down to choosing to eat or not for a few weeks...and I do an average of 20k every single day, so.....gurrrrl needs ta EAT

    @MobyCarp I haven't had cable for so long I've forgotten that's a thing. lol...I'm cut right down to rent/food...I don't even have a car or use public transit...I just run the 8k to and then from work every day, rain, snow or shine. I suppose i TECHNICALLY have money in savings I could use for such things, but then I also have a wedding to save for...and fees for a bazillion visa and immigrant sponsorship applications to pay for that will go along with it. I'd feel all guilty if I spent money on an activity I could just step out of my house and do for free when I have to be all responsible and adulty for these other upcoming costs. lol.

    I DID just pay to race a train. And there's a half I'll be doing in October....I'll probably just limit myself to no more than 3 paid entries for races a year.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    @MLS1582 - After I replied to you, I saw one of my Facebook friends ran a 10K today. He's had bariatric surgery, and wasn't sure he could run the distances he used to. His result was 1:18:41.7 and he was thrilled because it's the first time he's run a 10K in under 90 minutes.

    Speed is relative.
  • AdrianChr92
    AdrianChr92 Posts: 567 Member
    @MLS1582 It made me curious and had a look at my last 10k to see how many were over 1:07.

    Turns out around 250 people out of 1000 did. The last one did 1:30. So yea I guess your competition was serious.

    @MobyCarp Didn't know they had a word for the branch of medicine that deals with fatness. You learn something new every day
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    May 6- 20 min. Of run/walk intervals, about 1.5 miles.
    May 7- strength training - lower body and 20 min. Of run/walk intervals, about 1.5 miles.

    Trying to stick to C25K (this is week 1 for me) as best I can, but I did add a few extra minutes.. Trying to start slow though and not over do it. Actually surprised myself with the distance I covered in this time, especially since I was walking a bit and trying to keep the running slow.
  • louubelle16
    louubelle16 Posts: 579 Member
    edited May 2016
    michable wrote: »

    This means that I can never trust how I feel in the morning, because it doesn’t always indicate how my run is going to be.

    This. Oh, and you can never trust the first mile. It always lies.
  • HonuNui
    HonuNui Posts: 1,464 Member
    May Goal: Run just a scootch more than last month...

    5/1 deep mucking of the chicken coop and environs
    5/2 4.0
    5/3 life day
    5/4 7.54
    5/5 snorkel 3.5hours
    5/6 3.21
    5/7 4.05

    Total 18.80

    Upcoming races:
    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

  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    edited May 2016
    @ariceroni I actually followed suit and took a self-care day yesterday. I did laundry, baked cookies, and then took a nap and laid in bed and watched Psych all day. Today I'm back to the grind with my thesis stuff and job applications. But it feels good to take a day off entirely to recharge! Sometimes we just gotta do it.

    @ROBOTFOOD The elevation loss for each mile makes my quads hurt for you! That's brutal! You deserve major kudos for just finishing. Hope your next 26.2 is a heck of a lot flatter!

    @Orphia That park run photo is fantastic!!
  • Rabid_Hamster
    Rabid_Hamster Posts: 338 Member
    5/1 - rest
    5/2 - 4m
    5/3 - 5m
    5/4 - 6m
    5/5 - rest
    5/6 - 5m
    5/7 - 10m
    5/8 - rest

    Distance to date: 30m
    Revised Goal: 126m (23.8% complete)
  • Rabid_Hamster
    Rabid_Hamster Posts: 338 Member
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    MLS1582 wrote: »
    I ran my first 10K race today. I came in dead last, while running a pace that was a full minute faster than I had planned (because I was last). Officially, I finished in 1:07:18, but I think they directed me to cut the last corner (like cut it off entirely) because my watch only had me doing an even 6 miles. I'm really torn - I feel like crap for finishing last and being so slow they had me drop almost a quarter mile just to get me across the finish line, but I'm also really freaking proud to have run 6 miles at an 11:10 pace! I will not be running this race again - ever.

    I'm currently at 20 of 94 miles for the month.

    Here's a few things I think you might need to hear:

    1:07:18 won't be dead last in a lot of 10Ks. You must have had a field full of non-casual runners.

    Dead Last Finish beats Did Not Finish. Did Not Finish beats Did Not Start.

    The local Fleet Feet training program has pace groups as slow as 15:00 per mile. I know someone who has run half marathons and marathons and 50K races, but would finish behind you in that 10K. And it wouldn't bother her.

    Not everyone likes the race environment. Maybe you don't, or maybe you just found the wrong 10K to start with. Give it some time before you decide how you feel about it.

    I wouldn't feel bad about it at all. Even if you extrapolate out for that estimated last quarter mile, that's only another 3 or so minutes. That's a pretty respectable time! By comparison, that's a 5k in 35min, which would put you in the middle of the pack. The organizers seem a bit weird for pressuring you to cut it short like that.

    Most important, you RAN 6 miles!
  • 19MotherRunner80
    19MotherRunner80 Posts: 37 Member
    Race Day today!! No better way to spend Mother's Day in my opinion :) Its very windy and warm though...could be interesting...we'll see how that affects things!
  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    DATE...............MILES.............TOTAL
    5/1....................REST................00.00
    5/2....................REST................00.00
    5/3.......................5.00.................5.00
    5/4.....................10.00...............15.00
    5/5.......................3.00...............18.00
    5/6....................REST................18.00
    5/7.....................12.00...............30.00
    5/8.......................6.00...............36.00


    exercise.png


    exercise.png


    2016 Races
    5/14: Glacier Ridge Ultra -- 50k (Portersville, PA)
    6/4: Kettle 100 Night Fun Run -- 38 miles (Whitewater, WI)
    7/16: ColorRun --5k (with my 15 year old)(Pittsburgh, PA)
    7/17: Presque Isle Half-Marathon (Erie, PA) -- This is maybe.. road races have too many people...
    9/10: 1st Annual Possum Glory Endurance Race -- 50k (Northern Cambria, PA)
    10/1: Cloudsplitter 100 -- 100 Miles (Pine Mountain, KY)
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    5/1: 26.2 miles (26.5 according to Garmin!)
    5/2: Marathon recovery day
    5/3: More marathon recovery
    5/4: 3.5 miles with Pacers Wed squad
    5/5: 3.5 miles with Thursday crew
    5/6: Rest day
    5/7: 6.2 miles with Saturday RAP crew
    5/8: 10 miles solo

    I went out with an 8ish route in mind and some ideas for tacking on extra distance if my legs felt up to it. The 8 mile route I wanted to do is a pretty hilly one, but I felt good so I went for the full 10. My left knee started giving me some trouble around mile 7 which is a strong indicator that after a week off, I really need to get back to my core/strengthening work. The vacation was fun while it lasted... but I guess I'll get back to sit-ups and leg raises tomorrow!

    exercise.png

    Upcoming Races:
    5/15: Princeton 5k << Volunteering, not racing
    6/11: Pacers Princeton Halfway Half (Princeton, NJ)
    7/4: a fourth of july race somewhere!
    11/20: Philadelphia Marathon

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