May 2016 Running Challenge

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  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Date Miles today. Miles for May
    5/1 REST DAY
    5/2 6.2 miles - 6.2 << Taper and cutback week. 5K race Wednesday morning
    5/3 6.2 miles - 12.4
    5/4 4.4 miles - 16.8 << PEO-AVN 5K Fun Run (was only 2.9 miles; plus 1.5 w/u)
    5/4 3.1 miles - 19.9 << got some extra miles squeezed in
    5/5 7.5 miles - 27.4
    5/6 4 miles - 31.4
    5/7 REST DAY << Sick +daughter's birthday party
    5/8 REST DAY
    5/9 9 miles - 40.4 << Madkin Mountain (634 ft elev gain)
    5/9 4 miles - 44.4 << Daily Double
    5/10 8.3 miles - 52.7
    5/10 4 miles 56.7 << Daily Double
    5/11 6.2 miles - 62.9
    5/12 9 miles - 71.9
    5/13 6.4 miles - 78.3
    5/14 17 miles - 95.3
    5/15 REST DAY
    5/16 8 miles - 103.3
    5/16 5 miles - 108.3 << Daily Double
    5/17 9 miles - 117.3
    5/17 4 miles - 121.3 << Daily Double
    5/18 6.2 miles - 127.5
    5/19 9 miles - 136.5
    5/20 6.2 miles - 142.7
    5/21 18 miles - 160.7
    5/22 REST DAY
    5/23 9 miles - 169.7
    5/23 4 miles - 173.7 << Daily Double
    5/24 9 miles - 182.7
    5/24 4 miles - 186.7 << Another Daily Double

    exercise.png

    Upcoming races:
    UAH 8K - 3/6 <<< 34:33 3 in AG
    Oak Barrel HM - 4/2 <<<< 1:38:00 3 in AG
    Bridge Street HM - 4/10 <<< 1:36:33 3 in AG
    PEO-AVN Team Day 5K - 5/4 <<< 19:10 (2.9 mi) 1 in AG 5 OA
    Cotton Row Run 10K - 5/30
    Firecracker Chase 10.2 miler 6/25

  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    @Stoshew71 you're really racking up those daily doubles. Great job!
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    @7lenny7 looks lovely.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    I found this too late! Hopefully there will be one for June!

    @HazelFreelances there will be a June Challenge. Watch near the end of the month when it is posted.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited May 2016
    lporter229 wrote: »
    For those of you that run trails, how far do you usually have to travel to get to good trails? Do you run loops around the same paths? What distance are your trails?
    I might be lucky in terms of available trails while not being in a part of the country people normally associate with trail running. There is an excellent trail running community out here who work with MTB groups, trail masons, etc. I have nice trails of 10+ miles within 3 miles of my front door, and 12 additional trail systems within the Kansas City Metro area. This part of Kansas is not flat in any sort of way (Ozark-like) and the challenging trails here actually draw trail runners for a couple select events from around the country, something that surprises people not in the know about the area or those events. The trails tend to vary between 4-6 miles on the short end and 20+ miles for a few systems where there are many different trails or offshoots.

    For smaller trails, loops are great. You can go one way on one outing, and the other way the next and it seems like two totally different trails.
  • RespectTheKitty
    RespectTheKitty Posts: 1,667 Member
    edited May 2016
    I just realized what @Stoshew71 's "Daily Doubles" are. HOLY CRAP, he's running twice a day! That's hardcore!
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    4leighbee wrote: »
    Marathoners: I live an hour from my race (in November). Any issue with driving (an hour) after the run? I'm thinking about staying overnight downtown. Your experiences? :) Thanks!

    An hour should be no big deal, particularly if you spend some time walking around after finishing the marathon but before driving. My first marathon was at Buffalo, a bit over an hour drive from home. I got a hotel room because I couldn't see driving in that morning for a 7AM gun time; but I drove home after the race so I wouldn't have to pay for 2 nights in the hotel. I did a lot of standing around and walking between the race and the drive, and I broke the drive up with a stop for lunch before doing the long part that was over an hour; but I didn't even notice the drive making the post-marathon aches any worse.

    After Boston, I did stay overnight; but the drive home from Boston was a lot longer. And I was stopping about every hour to stretch my legs on that drive home anyway. At the rest stops, I saw a lot of other people in Boston celebration jackets doing pretty much the same thing.
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    edited May 2016
    We have lots of asphalt trails (which at least you aren't in traffic) and then there's the mountain biking trails that kinda scare me because I don't want to get run over by a bike :# I could drive 30-60 mins to get into longer wooded trails. But again, I'm scared to go alone. Cuz boogie men and mountain lions :p There's a 1.5 mi natural trail that I've run a few times and I just do it twice to make 3 miles. If I didn't mind going back and forth between the natural trails and the asphalt, I could make up a longer route, switching terrain. But anyway, I keep waiting for the 1.5 mi loop to reopen from repairs. We do have a 36 mile asphalt trail system that connects from town to town but I don't see myself running 36 miles and back again. LOL

    Great pic @7lenny7!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Orphia wrote: »
    Can anyone tell me what the following are?

    -Half marathon pace
    -Marathon pace


    I get that 5k pace is your speedy pace. But how on earth do you know how to run those longer distances? Sometimes when reading, "marathon pace" sounds like you're meant to be pushing it all the way. Confused.

    @orphia,


    The best way to figure out those paces is with more running. I find the calculators work only when you have a solid base of running and have properly trained for the distance in question. When you get to the half and full marathons, endurance plays such a huge role that I don't think you can really look at a 5K time or even a 10k time and get a fair estimate. Another factor is that during your training for a half or full, your marathon pace should increase, particularly for a first timer.

    In my opinion, a new runner shouldn't even worry about a marathon pace, intervals, or even tempo runs. I gave up on figuring all that out and spent 98% of my first 6 months running at easy pace in a build up to my first half, and over the next 6 months, 95% of my running was spent at easy pace. Easy being defined simply as the pace I could run while carrying on a conversation. I think new runners hear experienced runners talk about tempo runs, intervals, hill repeats, etc and get so eager to do these as well that they don't build up their base as they should. Now, with a year of running behind me, I'll gradually start to incorporate speed work and hill work.

    But I get where you're coming from. When I started running I was just lost trying to even understand what all these paces where supposed to mean, let alone figure out what they were. The calculator I prefer to use is Daniel's calculator found here:

    http://www.runsmartproject.com/calculator/

    Enter your numbers from our most recent/longest race and then look at the Equivalent tab. I also suggest looking at the Training tab to see what your paces for the easy run and tempo (threshold) run should be.

    One thing I'll caution about is to be honest about your where your fitness level is now, and use that as a basis of determining your paces. Don't set a goal for your marathon pace and use that as a basis for your easy pace, threshold pace, etc. If you do that you'll be running too fact for the desired effect of your training run.


    ^^^^^^ This
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    I found this too late! Hopefully there will be one for June!

    No it's not too late to get some May miles in, and yes there will be a June Challenge. Just keep checking back here about the last day of the month @HazelFreelances.

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Current Infinitus update...

    INFINITUS 888K - Starting Day 6
    1st - Lee Dalgety - 310 Miles
    2nd - Eric Skocaj - 302 Miles
    3rd - Hélène Dumais - 276 Miles
    4th - Jordan Wirfs-Brock - 273 Miles
    5th - Joel Gat - 269 Miles
    6th - Jessica Pendleton - 252 Miles
    7th - Mark Mccaslin - 222 Miles
    8th - Laura Range - 217 Miles
    9th - Will Bradley - 194 Miles
    10th - Chuck Shultz - 178 Miles
  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    Does that mean your bunny identifies itself as a female? :open_mouth:
    Of course it does... it's bunny. Ain't no such thing as a macho bad-*kitten* man-rabbit...
  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    @7lenny7... I forgot about that one... lol... "Run away! Run away!"
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    It's just occurring to me that while I know quite well what it feels like to be sore from doing squats or yardwork, I'm really confused about running soreness. I think I've somehow been expecting that nothing should hurt because it's cardio.

    I ran Fri/Sat/Sun and then on Monday my left hamstring felt a little sore, just with impact, not in general walking around. I rolled it with my "bumpy stick" thing between my kickboxing/strength/pilates workout segments last night. This morning it was pretty sore and I had to go very low impact on cardio. Rolled it more.

    Now, I can jump, do high knees, hop on that leg, without any pain whatsoever. So is this completely normal and I was just sore from running? I feel like I should know this by now, but I've seriously never considered that I could be temporarily sore from running. And after several injury-type setbacks (pains that got worse and worse until I couldn't run anymore) I've become soooo cautious about any pain.

    I don't know if I really have a question here, more of a personal revelation that it's okay to be sore from running. Haha.
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    @greenolivetree- Yes, you can get sore from running. Just ask anyone who has ever run a marathon! For me, most of my running soreness occurs when I first wake up in the morning and eases as I move around. I think this is typical. It's the soreness/pain that intensifies as I run that usually puts me on the alert for possible injury.
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    I think this year is the first time I've run consistently enough to really get any soreness. I never felt anything when I ran twice a week. Now that I sometimes run 3 days in a row (even though it's usually only 3 miles at a time) I think I just start to feel sore and need a rest day or two from running. It's been almost 2 years since I originally started running but I'm still learning new things about how my body reacts. Also, I think I'm just getting old. The first few years I was working out I never stretched and never felt any worse for wear. Now my body craves the stretching and foam rolling and needs to be babied :D
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited May 2016
    You can get sore from running for sure, like @lporter229 said about marathon runners. That sort of distance/time will put a serious smack down on your muscles and more! On a lesser extreme perhaps is DOMS from intense workouts. For example, yesterday and today my glute muscles and even my quads to a degree have been sore and stiff from DOMS after doing some tough hill repeats on Saturday and then a hilly 12 mile long run 48 hours later. I'm hoping I am not as sore tomorrow for my next scheduled 12 mile long run because it kind of sucks. But, it's not injury pain, just damn tough workout sore and stiff sort of pain, which is good...so I'm told.
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    Yeah, I can usually tell when soreness is from like strength training and that's always been on both sides. Freaks me out with running because it'll be one side and I think I pulled something. But I do exercise a lot in general besides running so it's a miracle I can walk sometimes :)
  • Zom_bunny
    Zom_bunny Posts: 86 Member
    edited May 2016
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    Does that mean your bunny identifies itself as a female? :open_mouth:
    Of course it does... it's bunny. Ain't no such thing as a macho bad-*kitten* man-rabbit...

    You haven't watched Monty Python's "The Holy Grail" have you?

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=cCI18qAoKq4



    @PoppetsMaster Im going to train him to poop in your running shoes
  • Ohhim
    Ohhim Posts: 1,142 Member
    edited May 2016
    Ended up doing a bonus mile last night before an exercise class, then went out for 8.5 miles today on some trails as it was a bit hot to be running out in the full sun. Ended up having a nice swim after to cool down, but suspect I'll need a rest day tomorrow, or will just cut back to a 4-5 mile recovery day before my legs go totally dead as I'd like to capitalize on my time up north away from the Florida humidity.

    I still have a few more days of active recovery from my marathon, and my next ironman/marathon training cycle doesn't start for a month, so I'll likely just continue to build my base fitness and plan to shed a few more pounds before beginning that cycle. Hoping to race both the October marathon & November Ironman closer to the 150lb mark (vs. 158 for my last marathon), as I'd love to crack 3 hours in October on the fast/flat Chicago course, and go under 10 hours at my first full ironman.

    5/1 - 26.2 miles (Pittsburgh Marathon - 3:08:25 - 7:11/mile, ran as bib #666 in full devil costume, got a BQ)
    5/5 - 6 miles
    5/9 - 15 miles
    5/10 - 6 miles
    5/11 - 3 miles
    5/12 - 2 miles
    5/13 - 4.5 miles
    5/14 - 6 miles
    5/15 - 3 miles
    5/17 - 11 miles
    5/18 - 10 miles
    5/19 - 11 miles
    5/20 - 2.5 miles
    5/21 - 7 miles
    5/22 - 11.5 miles
    5/23 - 9 miles
    5/24 - 8.5 miles

    Total: 142 miles
    Goal: 180 miles
    Remaining: 38 miles

    Next Races:
    Ironman 70.3 Augusta - September
    Chicago Marathon - October
    Ironman Florida - November

    @4leighbee - Immediately after a marathon (especially back when they took me closer to 5 hours, or if the conditions are super hot) I'm usually a total wreck and in no condition to drive for at least a few hours. Still, if I have time to recover, shower, and maybe grab some lunch, I'm ok to drive after a few hours and could definitely drive for an hour or two. If I were you, see if you can get a late check-out (especially if the race starts at 6AM, you'd be done by 11AM, and could shower/get out of the room by 1-2PM), then maybe maybe sit in a whirlpool (if they have one), stop for a longer leisurely lunch after with lots of sodium, liquids, and electrolites, and you'll be ok after a few hours.

    @orphia - I definitely struggled with that problem at first when moving up to the marathon/half-marathon distance. The predictive calculators (for up to half-marathons based on 5K/10K times) seem to work ok for me (macmillan, daniels VO2max tables), but if you aren't in the 60+ mile/week range, they seem to epicly fail on marathons (as the slate calculator works better for newbies). After a few races of going out too fast or too slow, going by heart rate seems to work ok for me (at my 2-3 mile training runs the day before a race after tapering, I'll check out my speed at 168bpm and 163bpm paces for half/full respectively), but I didn't figure out what HR works for me until after a handful of races. I got some good advice on "feel" from a friend who was a former pro runner and trained with some big name coaches in his prime ("feel pretty fresh at the halfway point of a marathon", "the second half of a half should feel as intense as a 10K"), but those sort of words of wisdom are pretty subjective as well.

    @lporter - I'm exactly 1 mile and 0.7 miles from the 2 nearby city parks when I'm up north in Pittsburgh. One has about 4 miles of maintained relatively shaded gravel trails (+1.5 of non-maintained meandering trails, and a running oval track), while the other has about 8 miles of very hilly and slightly less maintained trails (not too suitable for novice runners who want to stay running the entire time), and a ton of biking single-track if you are good constantly clearing stumps/watching your footing. In Florida, if I'm willing to head about a mile and a half up the beach to a secluded state park, there is about 1.5 miles of trails to run in, along with another 3 miles of beach along the perimeter of that park (caladesi island state park).
  • ceciliaslater
    ceciliaslater Posts: 457 Member
    Just had my first meeting with my new ortho. He performed his own diagnosis (complete with new x-rays) and came up with the exact same conclusion as the ortho that referred me--so, that's comforting.

    To recap for those who may have missed it or forgotten :wink: , I have os trigonum syndrome. That is, I have a small extra bone attached to the back of my talus (ankle) bone that gets crushed in the joint every time I point my toe. In addition to that, I have a very large accessory soleus muscle. Meaning, I have an extra calf muscle that, instead of stopping above the ankle joint, continues down through the joint--filling the open space--all the way to my heel. Besides getting crushed in the ankle joint along with the extra bone, the muscle is compressing my Achilles tendon to the point that it is wavy (like a strip of bacon) instead of being straight.

    SO...I have to have surgery. I'm supposed to call tomorrow to get that scheduled. The surgery will consist of excising the os trigonum and debulking the muscle to create the proper empty space in my ankle joint and restore full range of motion. According to the surgeon, I should be able to walk around (in a boot) the day after surgery, though I will probably not want to (his words). I should be able to lose the boot after about 2 weeks, the swelling should mostly subside in about 5 weeks, and I should be able to return to normal activity in 8 weeks.

    So, I guess I'm continuing to sit out the challenges for the rest of May, June, and July. Depending on when surgery is, maybe I'll be able to join back in for August. (I'll still be around to read through everyone's stuff and contribute the occasional post, though).
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited May 2016
    Hey @5beautifuldays! What surgery did you have done? I'm scheduled for one on my rear in 49 days. Kinda thinking about bailing on it.... :#
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    Wow @ceciliaslater. Least there's consistency in the diagnosis. I suppose it's only the one leg thats affected? Hope all heals quickly. Nice break though through the summer heat.
  • ceciliaslater
    ceciliaslater Posts: 457 Member
    @Elise4270 - From everything I've read, I probably have the extra bone and muscle in my other leg/ankle as well. In the vast majority of cases where people have both legs scanned, it is bilateral. I haven't had any imaging done on the other one to know for sure, though.

    Seems like the general consensus is to just leave it be, regardless, unless it starts causing problems. Most people who have one or both conditions survive their whole lives with no problems, so the chances that I'll have to have surgery on the other ankle are pretty low.

    I would definitely be interested to know if I have the same thing in the other ankle, though! Is only half of me bizarre, or am I 100% freak?!?!
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