May 2016 Running Challenge

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Replies

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Superb race report for a great experience, lenny.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    edited May 2016
    karllundy wrote: »
    5/26 - And another! I am starting to get concerned that I will have to miss the HM I have scheduled for June 4. Anyone have advice for making sure I can do it without killing myself if I miss any more days?

    @karllundy the number one thing you can do is get well. Get your sleep, take your meds if needed, and stay hydrated. Your illness is the greatest threat to your race at this point.

    Beyond that, I wouldn't worry. There is very little loss of fitness for the first 10 days of no activity. Your last run was May 21st so that takes you to May 31st. After 2 weeks of no activity you'll lose just 6% of your fitness. If you can get in one or two decent runs between now and June 4th, I think you'll not see any appreciable loss of performance.

    As far as your structural systems...bones & muscle...they take longer than fitness to build up in training and also take longer to degrade. No worries there.

    You can read more about the this and the studies behind it here:
    https://runnersconnect.net/running-injury-prevention/losing-running-fitness/
    and here:
    https://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/how-long-does-it-take-to-lose-your-running-fitness/


  • karllundy
    karllundy Posts: 1,490 Member
    @7lenny7 - Thanks for the info! Also, your race last night sounds fabulous! I would love to do something like that...especially on a weeknight!
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    At track and field....ironically my least favorite day of the school year....probably because I can't race....lol this old short dude would whoop all the kids in the 800m...and the 6th graders are the same size as me so that's no excuse!

    @skippygirlsmom you got his! You'll make your goal!
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    May 1 - 17 km run.
    May 3 - Light parkour 2 km run.
    May 5 - 8 km slow & gym.
    May 6 - 7.5 km slow & yoga.
    May 7 - skipped bike ride.
    May 8 - 19.2 km mixed. 6 km hike.
    May 9 - Rest
    May 10 - 8.3 km tempo
    May 11-18 - Rest & lost runs. Zero point zero.
    May 19 - 8.1 km fast. Two PRs HR175
    May 20 - 8.3 km tempo. HR163
    May 21 - 30 km Mountain Bike. No run.
    May 22 - 12 km moderate, a little walking. HR149
    May 23 - Rest
    May 24 - 8.5 km slow HR134
    May 25 - 10.5 km HR149
    May 26 - Brick workout 21.7 km bike, ice cream, 8.1 km run.

    Total 117.1 km goal 120 km.

    Ice cream in between the bike and run was probably a mistake. Big mistake.

    Finally got the road bike out, trying to find some trails here, the problem being that one is expected to ride the sidewalk / path when those are designated for bikes so I need to find places where paths either don't exist or they are set up wide enough for speed. Charging down a path at 30 kph is stupid if there are casual users on the paths.
    Average speed was 26 kph which was fine, given this was new areas and a lot of tentative riding.

    Saw a bike accident also at an intersection and was prepared to help out but the guy was walking it off and had 3-4 people already there. When I rode back an ambulance had arrived. Stay safe people. Also saw a few rabbits, a falcon and a little dead mole. I did not throw beads or dress the roadkill.

    Decided that since it was hot, why not grab an ice cream before the run and stopped at the gas station. Tasty but a terrible idea. My run was already rough coming off the bike but the ice cream made me want to quit for the first 2 km. My stomach settled and I did get the planned 8 km. It's warm and humid here (23°C / 73°F) and feels hotter but there are thunderstorms for later & Im going to German/English language thing later so no chance to run in the evening.

    Today's thought: This training stuff is going to kick my butt.
  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    @7lenny7.... good report.... I love the trailrunning/ultra community...
  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    @MNLittleFinn... lmao @ you being old... I have a daughter older than you and gf who is younger... lol...
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    @7Lenny7-That sounds like an awesome race. Congrats on the PR!

    @karllundy-You will be fine! A little story to (hopefully) ease your worries. I ran the Charleston marathon in January of 2015. It was only me second full and the first that I was running solo and was hoping for a sub 4, which was a far cry from the 5 hours I did with my friend 2 whole years prior. 3 and a half weeks before the race I came down with a major illness. I was practically crippled and could not walk or even pick things up (all of this turned out to be related to the immunosuppressant that I take for a different condition, but that's another story). Anyway, I missed a whole week of running and I was completely freaked out. I was supposed to be hitting my last strong week before my taper and I couldn't even stand up. At the advice of the experienced folks on this site, I just tried to trust in my training up to that point, entered into my taper as normal after I recovered and ran my race as planned. The race went perfectly and I got a huge sub-4 PR. In retrospect, despite the toll it took on my body, I think that extra week of downtime actually gave my legs some much needed rest.
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member

    Ice cream in between the bike and run was probably a mistake. Big mistake.

    Decided that since it was hot, why not grab an ice cream before the run and stopped at the gas station. Tasty but a terrible idea. My run was already rough coming off the bike but the ice cream made me want to quit for the first 2 km. My stomach settled and I did get the planned 8 km. It's warm and humid here (23°C / 73°F) and feels hotter but there are thunderstorms for later & Im going to German/English language thing later so no chance to run in the evening.

    LOL Did you see my post yesterday? I ran 4 miles, ate ice cream from sonic, then biked 5. You just did it backwards :)
  • karllundy
    karllundy Posts: 1,490 Member
    @lporter299 - Wow! Thanks for the encouraging story! OK, I am feeling better about things now. But, I still want to run.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    ...chafing nipples suck....first time that's happened to me.....it's going to be a long day now.
    Someone may have mentioned this already, but check out compression shirts. I was pretty weird about them at first, I didn't want to run in anything showing off all my manly curves. But I never run in looser fitting shirts any more. The person who recommended compression shirts to me (in these threads) told me they wished someone had given him that advice at the beginning. I agree, I wish someone had told me in the beginning too.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    @MNLittleFinn My husband tried the nip guards. They are a bit expensive and do fall off. He's found round Band-Aids to work fine. But they can sweat off too. Seriously, idk why you guys would run in a shirt in the heat. Someone once suggested cheap deodorant. Good luck.
    Same happened with me. Also with medical tape, had the strips come off between miles 8-10 every time. For me compressions shirts was the only solution, and I have run fulls with no body glide, tape, anything, no issues at all.
  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    @WhatMeRunning... compression shirts are what fixed it for me too... I always wear one for every run...
  • PoppetsMaster
    PoppetsMaster Posts: 200 Member
    Good article from UltraRunning magazine on running in the heat...

    https://www.ultrarunning.com/featured/heat-stress/
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    ...chafing nipples suck....first time that's happened to me.....it's going to be a long day now.
    Someone may have mentioned this already, but check out compression shirts. I was pretty weird about them at first, I didn't want to run in anything showing off all my manly curves. But I never run in looser fitting shirts any more. The person who recommended compression shirts to me (in these threads) told me they wished someone had given him that advice at the beginning. I agree, I wish someone had told me in the beginning too.

    I wear compression half the time. They were in the wash today. Saturday for my long run I'll be wearing compression
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    edited May 2016
    I use duct tape. Very cheap. I'd advise you to trim the hair in the nip area though lol.
    Will have to try out compression.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    Great race report @7lenny7! Sounds like a good time!

    @karllundy, I agree with all of the others, you should be OK as long as you rest to get over it.
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited May 2016
    @_nikkiwolf_ - I saw your Strava run yesterday with the crazy climb! Your slopes far exceed mine! I had to go 12 miles along the hilliest 12 miles I have yet strung together starting from my house to get my 1400 feet yesterday. The only reason I'm giving you any elevation challenge is just because I'm a bit worried about that hilly 50k I signed up for that supposedly has almost 7000 feet of elevation gain! :scream: So I've been doing lots of hills over the last week. I could use the mountains you live by right now for sure!
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    Almost an hour this morning of strength training, then about noon a 3 mile run. 82 feels like 87 with 69% humidity. I decided to do 3 one mile out and backs, leaving a water bottle and my enduracool towel in my driveway. Full sun but wore a hat. First mile wasn't bad. Second decent. Third I was thinking about how stupid I was gonna look calling 911 for help. Ha. Pace per Garmin was 10:03. But per Strava with my water breaks cut out I ran 9:55/9:20/9:05. Mad at myself now. I really thought I was running slower. I just felt so hot and felt in slow motion. I guess I'm gonna have to set my watch to buzz if I'm running too fast in the heat....before I kill myself.
  • AdrianChr92
    AdrianChr92 Posts: 567 Member
    edited May 2016
    Another 5 k. Curent plan for the next 2 weeks has me running 5k almost every day :)), exception is I do 6k on Wednesdays and long run on sunday. That's until I graduate to more mileage.

    Today's focus was form. Upper body form. I made some research these days, watched some videos of athletes and made a few mental notes for today's run, since I have a habit to keep shoulders tight and arms too high when running. So first cue was "shoulders wide". Not shoulders back since I find that doesn't work so well, but wide. I kept thinking I have the widest shoulders and kept them like that whenever they got tight. Second was shoulder rotation. Until now I tried to keep my shoulders pretty stationary and this may be a reason why I worked higher than needed.

    http://speedendurance.com/2012/08/09/shoulder-rotation-secret-to-longer-stride-faster-running/

    The short story is they should act like a counterbalance to hip rotation and so you don't waste muscle power keeping you going from balancing left and right. Of course it depends on the speed you are running at. Problem was to rotate only shoulders and not get hip along on the ride since that messed up the whole form. Basically let them move naturally

    And the last one was arms low. Not too low, but around belly button low. I'm used to keep them up high like nipple high.

    "Shoulders wide" is great for relaxation. It relaxes the upper back much better if you just try to keep them back. It was like an instant tension release every time I did it. Of course habit is hard to break and I tighten up after a few steps but I kept at it.
    Shoulder rotation made my steps a lot more quieter for some reason and keeping arms low whenever I felt they were up helped with relaxation.

    At the end of the run, heart rate was 146 average, down from 152 usually, and my legs feel a little bit better than usual. So this was a great success in my books.

    Second highlight of the run is that I didn't listen to music. I listen to podcasts. This is new to me, listening to a guy talking for 30 min. It was strange but I liked it a lot. Found this podcast called "You are not so smart" where they talk about all kinds of subjects. First episode was about attention and pattern recognition and all that. For example an experienced doctor is less likely to diagnose a rare disease in someone than a med student, just because the older doctor is looking for patterns and is used to them, while a new doctor doesn't have this. And apparently there are doctors trained to look for these rare diseases, something like a real life Dr. House. They also talked about selective attention. Great podcast, I recommended, makes you smarter. Oh and watch says my VO2Max is now up one point to 48. Yey I guess

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo



    Edit: This is bugging me out a lot
    x9tgdqvl3vy7.jpg

    ..Date.....Distance
    May 01 - rest
    May 02 - 4.1 km
    May 03 - rest
    May 04 - rest
    May 05 - 5 km
    May 06 - rest
    May 07 - 4.1 km
    May 08 - 5.8 km
    May 09 - 4.1 km
    May 10 - rest
    May 11 - 5 km
    May 12 - 4.1 km
    May 13 - rests
    May 14 - 7.5 km split in 2 parts but it still counts
    May 15 - 5.7 km
    May 16 - rest
    May 17 - 5+1.4 km
    May 18 - 6 km
    May 19 - 5.8 km
    May 20 - rest
    May 21 - 7.2 km
    May 22 - 10 km
    May 23 - rest
    May 24 - 5.6 km
    May 25 - 6 km
    May 26 - 5 km

    exercise.png

    03/04: Bucharest 10k and Family run 48:28
    16/04: Color Run Bucharest
    17/04: Forest Run 5k 22:05
    04/06: Happy Run 5k (Goal 21:40)
  • louubelle16
    louubelle16 Posts: 579 Member
    @Orphia Well done on the 10km PR! You'll be sub-60 in no time.

    @Elise4270 I like the sound of your mantras, I may steal that idea next time I race.

    @7lenny7 Great race report, and well done on the PR!

    Thanks for all the gross nipple-related images too. Didn't need that whilst finishing my dinner!

    2nd May - 3.06 miles
    3-4th May - poorlysick
    5th May - 2.40 miles
    8th May - 13.1 miles Hackney Half 2:05:24
    12th May - 3.27 miles
    14th May - 3.11 miles
    15th May - 5.08 miles
    17th May - 3.23 miles
    19th May - 3.64 miles
    20th May - 5.26 miles
    24th May - 7.51 miles
    26th May - 3.16 miles

    MTD - 52.82/70 miles

    Upcoming races:
    2nd Oct - Tonbridge Half Marathon
    30th Oct - River Thames Half Marathon
    9th April 2017 - Brighton Marathon
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    My mileage goal has me tempted to be dumb and run a short (junk miles recovery) 2 miler tonight...after This morning's Tempo Intervals, I was feeling like I could have done another one mile interval, but stopped so I'd stay within the time limit, so maybe it's not TOO dumb an idea...
  • ddmom0811
    ddmom0811 Posts: 1,881 Member
    @7lenny7 - love the race report. The video of the lady finishing is very sweet. I love that they all cheered for her.

    Finally got the road bike out, trying to find some trails here, the problem being that one is expected to ride the sidewalk / path when those are designated for bikes so I need to find places where paths either don't exist or they are set up wide enough for speed. Charging down a path at 30 kph is stupid if there are casual users on the paths.
    Average speed was 26 kph which was fine, given this was new areas and a lot of tentative riding.

    Saw a bike accident also at an intersection and was prepared to help out but the guy was walking it off and had 3-4 people already there. When I rode back an ambulance had arrived. Stay safe people. Also saw a few rabbits, a falcon and a little dead mole. I did not throw beads or dress the roadkill.
    A friend in my biking group was hit a few weeks ago. She rides alone in the mornings on the roads and she was at a stop light and was going straight. A truck was making a right turn and didn't see her. He didn't get a ticket because she had pulled up next to him. He ran over her ankle and she had to get it totally reconstructed. It will be a long time before she can ride again. But she has been riding over 10 years on the roads.

    Apparently when we pull up to a light we are supposed to get behind the cars. It's a little scary. I don't ride my bike alone on streets. Not that riding in a group is safe either. I think in Florida whenever they build a new road, they have to make a bike lane, but there are many roads without them. Most cars hate us... and honestly, before I started riding on roads I was scared to death whenever I would pass a cyclist. I didn't hate them but I was worried for them. Now, I'm out there. We have a few good trails that we pick up where we can but mainly we are a road cycling group.


  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited May 2016
    OK, why the heck did I wait so long to get these?

    40002-20-colors_lg_0.jpg
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member

    Ice cream in between the bike and run was probably a mistake. Big mistake.

    Decided that since it was hot, why not grab an ice cream before the run and stopped at the gas station. Tasty but a terrible idea. My run was already rough coming off the bike but the ice cream made me want to quit for the first 2 km. My stomach settled and I did get the planned 8 km. It's warm and humid here (23°C / 73°F) and feels hotter but there are thunderstorms for later & Im going to German/English language thing later so no chance to run in the evening.

    LOL Did you see my post yesterday? I ran 4 miles, ate ice cream from sonic, then biked 5. You just did it backwards :)

    Next time I'll try to do it right!
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    edited May 2016
    Hmmm. Would my towel fit in that pocket? I'm thinking yes.
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    Brand? Link?
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited May 2016
    Brand? Link?
    Oh, sorry. I suppose that was a bit of a tease. :blush: I have big hands, and I am a big guy, so I need lots of water. Thus the 20 oz version (x2), which has rather large pockets too. I'm not sure I want my phone in there since I can use that pocket as padding on a fall. :smile: But my phone easily fits and I could see putting Nuun or even some powdered electrolyte drink crap in there, maybe a pack of Oreo's and a Hot Pocket. And it has a divider to keep keys, etc seperate in the pocket, plus a key fob clip to attach to your keychain to keep your keys from sliding out of the pocket...so those keys aren't going anywhere. Lid can accomodate putting ice in the bottle. Adjustable straps, thumb lock so the bottle won't come off your hands, little loops on the side to attach gel packs, flashlights, swiss army knives, whatever. Plus my fingers are free to work with my Garmin or whatever. Just a win-win for me personally in every way.

    http://www.amphipod.com/products/hydration/bottles-handhelds/handhelds/hydraform-ergo-lite-ultra-20oz

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    ddmom0811 wrote: »
    @7lenny7 - love the race report. The video of the lady finishing is very sweet. I love that they all cheered for her.

    Finally got the road bike out, trying to find some trails here, the problem being that one is expected to ride the sidewalk / path when those are designated for bikes so I need to find places where paths either don't exist or they are set up wide enough for speed. Charging down a path at 30 kph is stupid if there are casual users on the paths.
    Average speed was 26 kph which was fine, given this was new areas and a lot of tentative riding.

    Saw a bike accident also at an intersection and was prepared to help out but the guy was walking it off and had 3-4 people already there. When I rode back an ambulance had arrived. Stay safe people. Also saw a few rabbits, a falcon and a little dead mole. I did not throw beads or dress the roadkill.
    A friend in my biking group was hit a few weeks ago. She rides alone in the mornings on the roads and she was at a stop light and was going straight. A truck was making a right turn and didn't see her. He didn't get a ticket because she had pulled up next to him. He ran over her ankle and she had to get it totally reconstructed. It will be a long time before she can ride again. But she has been riding over 10 years on the roads.

    Apparently when we pull up to a light we are supposed to get behind the cars. It's a little scary. I don't ride my bike alone on streets. Not that riding in a group is safe either. I think in Florida whenever they build a new road, they have to make a bike lane, but there are many roads without them. Most cars hate us... and honestly, before I started riding on roads I was scared to death whenever I would pass a cyclist. I didn't hate them but I was worried for them. Now, I'm out there. We have a few good trails that we pick up where we can but mainly we are a road cycling group.

    Sorry about your friend. Wishing her a speedy recovery.

    I ride in Europe mostly now and struggle with the "most cars hate us" thinking. I know that car vs bike thing in the US is a big struggle (I learned to ride in the US and still belong to a policy group) but here, everyone rides - it could be your grandmother on a bike, so most cars show some attention and respect. I hope mentalities in the US evolve - I see signs that they do as health activities become more mainstream.

    Still, accidents happen - I've been in 4 of different ones with cars. My daughters in 1, my ex in 2 (one with me on the tandem).
This discussion has been closed.