December 2016 Running Challenge

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Replies

  • ariceroni
    ariceroni Posts: 422 Member
    @Elise4270 - love the violin picture! My boyfriend is a violinist working towards a Masters of Music in performance so he spends a lot of time practicing at home; our cat loves the sound! Turns out she is afraid of the cello though... haha. The violin is a beautiful instrument and definitely worth the work you put into it!
  • alipsie19
    alipsie19 Posts: 705 Member
    Update: 13.5/50
    @RunRachelRun - nice snow
    @RespectTheKitty - nice PR!
    @Elise4270 - looks great
    @skippygirlsmom - that's awesome. Sounds like a great day.
    @RunsOnEspresso - great run!
    @MobyCarp - sounds like a good day to me
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited December 2016
    ariceroni wrote: »
    @Elise4270 - love the violin picture! My boyfriend is a violinist working towards a Masters of Music in performance so he spends a lot of time practicing at home; our cat loves the sound! Turns out she is afraid of the cello though... haha. The violin is a beautiful instrument and definitely worth the work you put into it!

    That's great to hear. I'm hoping she'll come around as I get better. Good luck to your boyfriend in his pursuits!

    If i stood away from the bed she climbed up my front and just hung at my waist. Haha! Maybe she thought it was another cat.
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
    My goal is 50 miles this month. My job is crying for us to pick up overtime.

    12/2....4.73 miles on the treadmill, rolling hills, pace at 13:20, average heart rate at 82% max.
    12/4....2.85 miles on the treadmill.
    12/7....3.52 miles on the treadmill, max heart rate at 88%, pace at 13:02.
    12/9.....3.95 miles on the treadmill, max heart rate at 80%. pace at 12:45

    Running these short distances has weirdly given my legs a break.



    Total...15.05 miles
    Goal....50 miles.


  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    Due to the Extreme Cold this Morning we cancelled our regular Saturday Morning Long run, one dedicated individual had to go out and do a 4km shorty just to rub it in. This morning -28C + Windchill = ~40C. Tonight -21C and zero wind.

    5km along the River Bank trails in a light skiff of fresh snow. It was a 3 layer Day for Top and Bottom plus Dbl socks and Chemical Toe Warmers just as a precaution. I pulled my GoreTex Un-lined Ski-Pants out and used them as a wind proof layer for my Legs. I didn't realize it until I turned for home that the Vent Zipper on the back of my jacket was 1/2 open - got a little chilly as the wind was blowing on my back. Need to add a Pull Lanyard that I can grab with Mitts On so I can close it with out taking the gloves off.

    December Running Goal 140km
    12/01–0.0 km –140km – 0 km – YTD 1210.5 km
    12/03–8.0 km –132km – 8 km
    12/04–5.0 km –127km – 13 km
    12/05–12.0 km –115km – 25 km
    12/07–7.0 km –108km – 32 km
    12/10–5.0 km –103km – 37 km – YTD 1247.5

    exercise.png

    Pretty Close to being On-Target for the Month.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    @RunRachelleRun Traction Aids are all ways a good idea - especially when you don't have a lot of experience with Snow Running. Stay safe. LOL at your
    Since no one here owns a shovel
    I have at least 5 Snow Shovels, 2 different sized ones in the back of my truck, one 40" pusher beside the top of my driveway, one 24" at the bottom of the deck and one 24" on top the deck.

    @NikolaosKey Nice intervals, It's something I have never been good at - now that we are in the middle of the dark-cold of winter its not advisable as the risk of a Cold Weather Induced Cramp/Injury exceeds the Benefit.

    @elise4270 Obviously that Cat has a Big Personality - Great Pic.

    @skippygirlsmom Great job giving back to the running community by volunteering. Any time an injury kept me out of an event ( I was going any way with my friends ) I would join in as a volunteer. Did a water Station at the local community race, Traffic control at a Tri-Athlon and Corner volunteer at a Mountain HM - Made sure everyone took the Right hand trail going up and the 2nd left coming down, it was a busy corner especially when you had the leaders coming down and the mid packers still coming up - if you had no experience running or volunteering you would need 2 people. I had Extra Flagging in my Pocket Which I used to Make a Dbl Arrow for the Downhill Folks.

    @kristinegift That's a nice little Fun Run. Be Patient on the Car, make them come to you if you can. My personal habit is before I will close on a Used Vehicle they have to " Loan/Multi-day Rental at 0$ " it to me as a courtesy vehicle so I can do a 2-4 hr drive and get an independent ( AMA ) Vehicle Inspection. As a Bit of a Gorilla a lot of vehicles get un-comfortable if I have to spend any amount of time in them.

    @MobyCarp We are worst judges when it comes to self evaluation - especially when recovering from an injury. I think you did a great job. Cross Country - "Bushies" are a different beast - strangely I rather enjoy them - I find it easier to relax and enjoy the scenery and get into a natural - unconscious rhythm that seems to flow.

    @ariceroni Glad to hear that your PhD is completed :) and that you are getting back on track. Good luck on the 5K - Just protect yourself from re-injury: Bail out completely or drop to a walk rather than risking a re-lapse. That is probably the biggest lesson I picked up this year from my own experience ( Calf ) and from MobyCarp.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    @Calvin2008Brian I've never seen a running track at the sports domes around it, but it makes great sense. I sometimes will go to the Bloomington high schools where they have a 1/7th mile track but I'd much rather be in a cooler place like that dome.
    @RespectTheKitty great job on the PR!
    @elise4270, I love the cat checkin' things out!
    @RunsOnEspresso how appropriate that you ended up at a Starbucks. You might want to consider running the next long run with the same fueling strategy as your race so you make sure it's going to work for you. You'd hate to be surprised by stomach issues on race day.
    @kristinegift if they won't budge on price perhaps you can talk them into throwing in a half dozen oil changes? One thing I tell the dealer when I buy a car is that I don't want the dealer sticker on my car or a dealer license plate holder. I have a thing about allowing them to advertise for free on my car. Of the 3 cars for which I've made this demand, the last dealer "forgot" and had a sticker on it so I walked out of the place back to my car while the salesman chased after me apologizing. I gave them 5 minutes to get the sticker off. Maybe I was being an *kitten*, but I felt it was a simple request.
    @mobycarp congrats on the great finish!
    @ariceroni why to kick some PhD butt! wow! I'mg glad life is going great for you now!
    @juliet3455 I don't know if I could wear my shoes with double socks and a warmer. too tight!


  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    edited December 2016
    It was a tough run, but I got 15 miles in with the traildog, which is a new distance PR for him.

    The first 2+ miles were my first miles with my Altra Lone Peak's. These are my first zero drop shoes so I'm easing into them in light of my recent Achilles issues. One aspect I love about them is the very wide toe box. They almost look like clown shoes. I was going to take a picture but my phone was messed up from the cold. The shoe will take some getting used to but I think I'm going to end up liking them. I'll certainly need more miles to come to a conclusion.

    I started the run fairly cold. Just as I literally hit the trail, a runner popped out whom I knew so I spent 10 or 15 minutes talking to him. Of course I wasn't dressed for just standing there and by the time I finished, my toes were very cold and soon numb.

    The last 12+ miles were with my Cloudventures. I still love 'em! My toes were so cold after the first short run I had to sit in my truck with the engine on until I could warm them back up. I was fine after that. With 3 or 4 miles left I got really tired and ended up walking up most of the hills on the way out. When I got to my truck i started getting the chills and even now am bundled up.

    I've got a fun run planned for tomorrow so I better get to bed.

    em8nw2f0cx5w.jpeg
    jnssnadqn2zk.jpeg

  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    I haven't been on for a day and was 7 pages behind - wow!
    I was able to get my long run in on Friday as I took the day off so Hobbes could compete in his first Rally trial. We had a nice long rung to hopefully workout some of our nervousness. I thought he crashed and burned at the trial but the judge must not have taken many points away because he qualifed and came in 5th. Last night I had tickets to see Jim James in concert and didn't get home until after midnight and had to be up early for an appointment. When I finally got home I just crashed on the couch with Hobbes and watched the Army Navy game. I am pretty sure Hobbes thinks he is somewhere like Chicago where it is really cold based on his need to be under a blanket, instead of So California :)
    I am sort of tapering for my HM next weekend. I haven't decided if I will run tomorrow or not but for sure I will run M-W-F, head to San Diego on Saturday and race on Sunday. This is my 4th year running this race so I know the course and what to expect and I am really looking forward to it!
    @7lenny7 and @Virkati - I have heard of Mushers Secret. It is supposed to work really well. As noted above Hobbes is sure that it is freezing here. He gets cold when it is in the high 40s, low 50s here but he doesn't have the nice undercoat that Kody has to keep him warm.
    @MobyCarp - Nice job on your race after your injury! Bend is beautiful and I would love to run there but it is tough to get there. I think you have to fly into Portland or Eugene and drive there.
    @skippygirlsmom - That is such a neat idea for the kids marathon!
    @Elise4270 - Love the picture!
    @RunsOnEspresso - I have always wanted to run into Starbucks at the end of or even in the middle of a run but have been too embarrassed to go in a sweaty and gross and then what do I do with Hobbes... I have considered maybe I could run up to the drive through window though :)
    @kristinegift - hang tough with those car sales people! Also note sometimes you can get better deals later towards the end of the month when they are trying to close out for the month/year. December is also one of the highest months for car sales so they may think they have no reason to lower the price for you. Like @ddmom0811, I don't do car negotiating - I hate it.

    Date........Miles.....Total
    12/01......0.00......0.00 - + Rally
    12/02......4.30......4.30
    12/03......0.00......4.30
    12/04......3.62......7.92
    12/05......6.23....14.15 - Birthday run + Agility
    12/06......4.53....18.68 - + Strength Training
    12/07......0.00....18.68
    12/08......5.91....24.59 - + Strength Training and Rally
    12/09......9.35....33.94 - + Rally Trial
    12/10......0.00....33.94

    exercise.png
  • dkabambe
    dkabambe Posts: 544 Member
    10K tempo run today. Was 7C and sunny so I thought just about perfect for it. Felt very hot on the way out, and was a bit faster than I wanted - 5K in 29:44 whilst I was aiming at 31min. Turned around into the headwind (11mph) and realised why I was hot/fast. I normally try to negative split any flat run over 10k, but given the wind decided I may have to settle for equal split but in the end was about 30s quicker coming back so that was pleasing.

    Definitely need some grippier shoes for running the trails post rain though - At least I gave my stabilising muscles a good workout!


    exercise.png
    1-Dec: 6.2k easy run
    2-Dec: 11.5k - 10k tempo plus warm up/cool down
    3-Dec: 2.1k TM
    4-Dec: 5.3k easy run
    5-Dec: 21.7k long run
    6-Dec: 8.3k 'tired' run
    7-Dec: 3.1k TM
    8-Dec: 5.3k easy
    9-Dec: 12.6k easy
    10-Dec: 2k short run
    11-Dec: 11k - 10k tempo plus warm-up
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    December Running Totals (miles)
    12/1 – 8.08 warmup + speed work
    12/2 – rest day
    12/3 – 10.13 warmup + 5K race + easy 30 minutes
    12/4 – 8.07 easy
    12/5 – rest day
    12/6 – 5.96 warmup, speed work, cool down
    12/7 – 6.00 easy
    12/8 – 3.78 easy
    12/9 – 3.80 course preview
    12/10 – 5.01 USATF Club Nationals Masters 8K
    12/11 – 2.57 easy

    December total to date – 53.40

    Nominal Challenge Goal – 150 miles
    Real Goals: Finish transition to healthy running. Use Club Nationals as a learning experience on managing air travel to a race. Build a base toward Boston training. Avoid re-injury

    Today's notes – I thought I'd sleep late this morning and miss running because check out is at noon. But I lucked out; I caught an early ride back to the hotel to swap a few of us party poopers for some young kids who weren't ready to party when most of us left for dinner. So I got to bed at a decent hour, and woke just before 6. My roommate and I went out for a short run. He held me close to a 9 minute mile, which was okay. It wasn't very far, but it's psychologically much nicer to have run than to miss running for a day because of travel. It was also nice to run at 48º F (9º C) instead of the 28º F (-2º C) and snow showers that the Weather Channel is reporting for home right now.

    And now I have some leisure time to shower, pack, get checked out, and figure out how I'll get to the airport.

    2016 races:
    January 1, 2016 Resolution Run 7.5 mile (Mendon, NY) finished in 53:58
    January 9, 2016 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) finished in 1:30:59
    March 12, 2016 Johnny's Runnin' of the Green 5 mile (Rochester, NY) finished in 32:32
    March 26, 2016 Spring Forward Distance Run 15K (Mendon, NY) finished in 1:05:24
    April 18, 2016 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA) finished in 3:23:01
    April 24, 2016 Flower City Challenge Half Marathon (Rochester, NY) finished in 1:36:50, targeting MP
    May 15, 2016 Highland Hospital Lilac Run 10K (Rochester, NY) DNS - injury
    June 19, 2016 Medved 5K to Cure ALS (Rochester, NY) DNS - recovering from face plant
    July 16, 2016 Shoreline Half Marathon (Hamlin, NY) finished in 1:31:11
    August 13, 2016 Bergen Road Race 5K (Bergen, NY) finished in 19:07 (5K PR)
    September 4, 2016 Oak Tree Half Marathon (Geneseo, NY) finished in 1:31:37
    September 18, 2016 Rochester Marathon (Rochester, NY) DNF a mile from finish
    October 15, 2016 Finish Strong 15K (Hilton, NY) DNS – Achilles tendonitis
    October 22, 2016 Scare Brain Cancer Away 5K (East Rochester, NY) DNS – Achilles tendonitis
    November 24, 2016 Race with Grace 10K (Hilton, NY) finished in 42:38, First Senior (60+) Male
    December 3, 2016 Freezeroo #1 (Don Curran Memorial 5K) (Gates, NY) finished in 20:06
    December 10, 2016 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships 8K (Tallahassee, FL) finished in 33:38

    2017 races:
    January 1, 2017 Freezeroo #2 (Resolution Run 7.5 mile) (Mendon, NY)
    January 7, 2017 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY)
    January 14, 2017 Freezeroo #3 (Pineway Ponds Park 5 mile) (Spencerport, NY)
    January 28, 2017 Freezeroo #4 (Hearnish 5 mile) (Victor, NY)
    February 11, 2017 Freezeroo #5 (Valentines Run "In Memory of Tom Brannon" 8 Mile) (Greece, NY)
    February 25, 2017 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 10K) (Webster, NY)
    April 17, 2017 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA)

  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    @patrikc333 What kind of bike are you buying? I bought my first road bike this summer, and was surprised how much more fun it is to ride it compared to my old bike. I didn't do any really long rides, but for the first time in my life, I've gotten into the habit of taking the bike to work instead of the car when it doesn't rain.

    @greenolivetree Sorry about your knee & shin pain! Rest sounds like the best decision, take care.

    @Virkati That's great news that the interview went well, congratulations!

    @MrsLeonard2016 and @sdphil90 and @nats2508 Welcome!

    @shanaber That's too cute that Hobbes thinks he needs a blanket. Totally understandable though, I also think blankets (and hot chocolate) make a TV evening much more comfortable.

    @MobyCarp That Florida christmas decoration photo made me laugh - a tiny bit of fake snow for the Santa next to the palm trees? :D I've once visited relatives in Argentine for Christmas, and we had a barbecue at the pool on christmas eve, that felt even weirder.

    @lissadecker Glat that your ankle feels better. Regarding the freezing toes on the bike ride: I have the same problem right now! On Wednesday I put some plastic bags over thin socks, that helped a lot more than thick wool socks did; but I will probably at some point buy some neoprene overshoes as somebody suggested over in the cycling thread.

    @Calvin2008Brian I've never run on an indorr track. So you did 52 laps? Wow, that sounds like a lot. I don't even want to do the math for what the "indoor marathon" would look like. Good that you had company!

    @RespectTheKitty Congratulations on the PR!

    @Elise4270 I love the picture of you with the cat and the violin! The cat looks like she thinks humans are crazy. B)

    --

    Not much running for me in the last couple of days. I didn't get enough sleep in the night from Wednesday to Thursday - picked a colleage up from the airport at 22:30 and drove her home, so I didn't manage to go to sleep before 23:30. Still had to get up at 4:15 to leave on a business trip of my own to Freiburg (Germany).
    I was really tired at the end of the day, but rather than going for dinner and then to the hotel in the evening, it turned out to be the date of the local colleages' christmas party, with all-you-can-drink mulled wine. At some point I some of us really wanted food, so we went to a nearby pizza place - as it happens, one of my colleagues is friends with the owner, so we got as much free mulled wine as we wanted with our pizza... After that, everyone else went back to the party, but I went back to my hotel, changed into my running clothes and did at least a short run through the old town. I drank a lot less wine than everyone else, but in combination with the huge pizza I just ate, I was starting to feel sick, so I left it at 3.6km. Friday I got back home so late that I didn't do any running either.

    Maybe I can make up for a bit of the missed distance today. I just looked at the weather for different villages to decide in which direction I should head for my long run to get a bit of sun. Sadly, they all have the same forecast:
    24wael8qfg1z.png
    Not as cold as some of you get, but really, "freezing fog"? Can a weather forecast sound less attractive?

    At least I'll have warm ankles! The men's size pants I ordered arrived yesterday, and as I had hoped, they are a lot longer than the women's version:
    bvjxniaw7u75.jpg
    Those three are all Under Armour winter running pants in size S - the womens ones already leave a large gap at the ankle when I'm standing straight, you don't want to see what happens when I bend the knees. It's really ridiculous - I'm not that tall (1,68m / 5ft6in), and the UA pants I bought two years ago fit me just fine, I don't know when they started making them so short. Guess I'll be buying the mens version from now on.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    @juliet3455 that sounds like nasty weather. I only had -20c and 4-8kmph winds when I ran yesterday, and that was bad enough!
  • Calvin2008Brian
    Calvin2008Brian Posts: 1,024 Member
    edited December 2016
    @Calvin2008Brian I've never run on an indorr track. So you did 52 laps? Wow, that sounds like a lot. I don't even want to do the math for what the "indoor marathon" would look like. Good that you had company!

    I hadn't even thought about the number of laps until you said that. Ugh. Garmins work inside the fabric dome, so we weren't counting.

    The indoor marathon two of my friends are doing is the Zoom! Yah! Yah! at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. Something like 150 laps on a longer indoor track, and unlike our run yesterday they will get to change directions every 30 minutes. Zoom! Yah! Yah! has a great reputation as a well organized event. They limit the field to 40 runners and there is a lottery to get in. Each runner has his/her own personal lap counter from the women's cross country team. Runners really seem to adore this race.

    I need to go clear my driveway, then decide whether that is my cross-training or whether I'm going to the gym. It's a winter wonderland out there with 7" of fresh snow and more still falling.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    Question for those of you who plan out your running/racing season, Right now I have my marathon set for June 17, and that is my entire focus for the next 7 months, but after that 2017 is a complete blank, other than the obvious recovering and probably a mud run in August with work. How do you decide what to do?
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    @7lenny7 Thin Compression socks and Smart wool, so not a lot of extra volume. I needed the thin socks so the Chemical Toe Warmer was not in direct contact with the skin. When I buy my shoes I bring a smart wool sock with me and do the fit test with single and then double socks just to make sure they are a 4 season shoe. I learned that lesson the Hard way. Ironically it is a standard test for work boots but never did it with athletic shoes before getting into running.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    @juliet3455 that makes sense. I wore a thicker sock yesterday in my run and it felt a bit snug, though no unmanageable. Maybe I'll need to buy a few pair of winter running shoes one size up ;)

    @MNLittleFinn What did you ever decided about the Med City HM?

    My main 2017 race is a 50k trail ultra in the end of April. Here are the rest of my races:

    Upcoming Races & Events
    01/28/2017 - Securian Winter Half Marathon - St. Paul, MN <- I got in cheap, they have great swag, and it's a winter race
    02/25/2017 - PsychoWyCo Run Toto Run 20 Mile Trail Race - Kansas City, KS <-Warm-up for the 50K
    04/29/2017 - Chippewa 50K Trail Race - New Auburn, WI <-MAIN RACE
    05/24/2017 - Endless Summer Trail Running Series, 10K - Eagan, MN <- Awesome weeknight trail race series on my "home turf"
    06/??/2017 - Dan Patch Days 5K - Savage, MN <- Hometown 5K...gotta do it
    07/04/2017 - 4th of July Road Race 10K - Red Wing, MN <-very small race near our boat slip
    07/12/2017 - Endless Summer Trail Running Series, 7Mi - Eagan, MN<- Awesome weeknight trail race series on my "home turf"
    07/19/2017 - Torchlight 5K - Minneapolis, MN <- Huge weeknight race with thousands of spectators, party at the end
    08/02/2017 - Endless Summer Trail Running Series - Bloomington, MN <- awesome weeknight trail race series
    08/30/2017 - Salomon Autumn Trail Series - Bloomington, MN <- Nice weeknight trail race series
    09/13/2017 - Salomon Autumn Trail Series - Bloomington, MN<- Nice weeknight trail race series
    09/??/2017 - Outrun Hunger 5K - Savage, MN <- Our church puts this on, my main 5K
    09/27/2017 - Salomon Autumn Trail Series - Bloomington, MN<- Nice weeknight trail race series
    10/11/2017 - Salomon Autumn Trail Series - Bloomington, MN<- Nice weeknight trail race series

    So for me it boils down to
    Pick a main race
    Pick a race or two to build up to it
    Pick other races based on schedule, cost, and fun factor

    If I were a more serious runner, or had more time on my hands I might pick more "goal" races but for now, this works for me and my family. Note that of those 7 midweek trail races, I only made 3 last year. They're cheap though. $25 for the Endless Summer races and $15 for the Salomon Autumn Trail races (if you register for all at once). I like cheap races. i won't pay $40 for a 5K and even have a hard time with $30 or more unless it's a really good race. All my 5K and trail races listed above will be $25 or less. The HM was just $40. The 50K was $45. The 20Mile will be the expensive one at $90 or $100 depending on when I sign up, but it includes a hoodie, many kegs of craft beer and chili at the end. Most importantly, it's the only prep race that fits my criteria for length and timing.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    It looks like 6 or 7 inches of fresh snow outside. Time to go run!!!
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    @7lenny7 pretty much decided to no go on it. I'm too competitive, if I run a HM, I'll want to go fast. Looking at targeting a fall HM after marathon recovery,and hopefully go for a sub 2. That's the general plan anyway, have to look for the HM to go with
  • NikolaosKey
    NikolaosKey Posts: 410 Member
    Hi!

    Goal for December: 120k

    12/1: 8k
    12/2: 2.2k (warmup for strength training)
    12/5: 6.8k
    12/6: 6.8k intervals
    12/7: 2.1k (as a warmup for strength training)
    12/9: 10.2k (easy run, quad testing)
    12/10: 8.7k (intervals)
    12/11: 6k

    50.8/120k

    Very problematic run the last one. All was well until 2k then I had a sudden pain in my inner thigh. Walk a bit and continued my run for about 2k at beach sand and things got better. @juliet3455 In my case its not the cold weather affecting my leg's muscles since we have like 12 oC here. I blame the surface I am running which 90% of my runs is asphalt. As soon as I started to run at the beach the pain settled down. I must remind myself to alternate surfaces. The thing is that I dont have a track&field stadium close by so I must use the sand more often

    Races:
    12/18: Tour of Drama 10k
  • Calvin2008Brian
    Calvin2008Brian Posts: 1,024 Member
    Question for those of you who plan out your running/racing season, Right now I have my marathon set for June 17, and that is my entire focus for the next 7 months, but after that 2017 is a complete blank, other than the obvious recovering and probably a mud run in August with work. How do you decide what to do?

    Before I ran my first marathon I wasn't sure I would want to run more than one. I think within two weeks after my first (in the spring), I had signed up for a fall marathon. I kept doing two marathons per year for the next few years and found that a pretty nice way to balance marathon training with other interests. I'd suggest this as one way to plan your running year. After Grandma's, if you decide you want to do another marathon, Twin Cities will still be available as well as all the other fall marathons in our region. Good call, IMHO, on skipping Med City.

    I saw you mentioned maybe targeting a fall half. You should have no difficulty breaking 2 hrs in the half based on your training paces, btw. There's a great fall half (and full) up your way (Whistlestop). It's a great, flat, fast course for someone looking to PR.
  • Calvin2008Brian
    Calvin2008Brian Posts: 1,024 Member
    @7lenny7 - we've almost certainly raced together several times. I love, love, love the Endless Summer series. I only got to do one of them this year because of work conflicts, but will aim for all four this coming summer. I did all 4 two years ago and have the cherished pint glass set to prove it! ;-)
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited December 2016
    Hey guys. Sorry for not coming online yesterday. Yesterday was so exhausting. Not only did I have my marathon in the morning, but my company party was that early evening.

    So to begin, yesterday was not my day to BQ. I got a 3:44:41 when I needed something between 3:20-3:22. I was with the 3:20 pacers for a good 8-10 miles until my legs just started cramping up. I thought I still had a chance up to Mike 15-16 when I finally was just running to get a good finish and maybe at least PR. But when the 3:40 pacers past me around mile 22, I just gave up and did a range with short walk breaks. Cole who I train with met me at mile 23 and started running with me to just about the finish. Kept me going by talking with me and encouraging me and trying to make me laugh. But I was exhausted and couldn't understand why. Yes it was a cold start, but I had pretty good layers on so it didn't seem as bad as I was expecting it. I saw 23 degrees at the start. But I was pretty warm.

    After the race people were asking me, did you do it? Nope and you can see the disappointment on my face. But I feel guilty to say I "only got a 3:45" when I know people would kill to have that time. But was disappointed and exhausted. And tried to figure out what happened. Running with the pacers, we seemed to be right on pace. When we reach a mile mark (timers called out the official time) we seemed to be on the mark. But I did notice my watch would mark the mile way ahead and was getting further and further apart as the race went on. My Garmin was tracking a pace quite a few seconds faster than what I should be running. I should be 7:38 and I hit times such as 7:29 7:32 7:28 7:34 7:35 7:23 7:37 7:32 7:30 then finally a 7:48 @ mile 10. My Garmin also recorded that I ran 26.4 miles. So I sucked at the tangents I am thinking and it caused me to run faster than I needed to run. Plus Rocket City Marathon is not quite exactly a flat fast course like it used to be. There's still over 400 feet of elevation gain. The hills are not steep, they just are slight and long and they drained you without you even noticing.

    I threw my orange top (5 dollar throw away from Walmart) and my Half Fanatics cap to the RWB station at mile 12.5. I was planning on throwing it to the Pounders at mile 13 but the RWB folks were like here give it to us. The orange top I didn't care about but the hat I wanted to continue to wear but I had so much trouble making the transition that I just threw both of them to the RWB folks. After the race I was trying to find out what happened to it. I was informed that it ended up in this huge pile of clothes sitting out in front of the VBC. I didn't think I would find it. I found my orange top but lost hope on finding my hat when all of a sudden I saw it after almost exhaustly go through everything. And bending over to move clothes around isn't exactly the most comforting to do after racing a marathon but I was actually happy about something after spotting it.

    @Ohhim Thanks for the offer to run in Tampa/Clearwater. It sounds like a great opportunity for January. But I already had my eyes on the Kentucky Derby one on April. I still have some time to prepare for it. January I think I barely have time to recover and get back into fine tuning mode. But I will keep that in mind for a future bucket list which continues to grow.
  • NikolaosKey
    NikolaosKey Posts: 410 Member
    @MNLittleFinn Good luck with your Marathon. My pages are blank too, after Chrismas no plan at all. But, I am watching the running shedule for my country from a internet page and always I mean always there is a 10k or H/M race at 200 km radius from where I live every month. So I will dacide after Christmas vacations in what race I will sign up!
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    edited December 2016
    Before I ran my first marathon I wasn't sure I would want to run more than one. I think within two weeks after my first (in the spring), I had signed up for a fall marathon. I kept doing two marathons per year for the next few years and found that a pretty nice way to balance marathon training with other interests. I'd suggest this as one way to plan your running year. After Grandma's, if you decide you want to do another marathon, Twin Cities will still be available as well as all the other fall marathons in our region. Good call, IMHO, on skipping Med City.

    I saw you mentioned maybe targeting a fall half. You should have no difficulty breaking 2 hrs in the half based on your training paces, btw. There's a great fall half (and full) up your way (Whistlestop). It's a great, flat, fast course for someone looking to PR.
    Thanks for the info. Depending on How Grandma's goes, I may sign up for TC and just go for 2 marathons next year. Entering the lottery for the TC 10 mile is also a possibility, so is totally switching gears and trying for a sub-23 5k, that would be a 20 second PR....LOL, too many possibilities.
  • Calvin2008Brian
    Calvin2008Brian Posts: 1,024 Member
    @Stoshew71 Maybe not exactly what you were aiming for, but still a very nice race. Congrats!
  • vandinem
    vandinem Posts: 550 Member
    Date     Miles      MTD
    ------   -----    -------
    Dec 01     4.4T       4.4
    Dec 03     5.6       10.0
    Dec 04     5.1       15.1
    Dec 07     5.2T      20.3
    Dec 09     6.5       26.8
    Dec 11     8.2       35.0
    

    exercise.png

    @MNLittleFinn Thanks for the shout out ... I admire your unflagging enthusiasm ... nice of you to spread it around!

    I listen to podcasts on my long runs ... usually Chris Hardwick's 'Nerdist' show, or the Runners World podcast. I'm a little behind, but today I listened to their November 8th show, 'Running While Female', which followed up an article in the magazine about how often women runners were getting harassed. I had no idea how pervasive the problem is ... their survey indicates something like 35% of women responding reported harassing or threatening situations while out running. Everybody should read/listen to this. runnersworld.com/the-runners-world-show/episode-28-running-while-female
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    @Stoshew71 - Too bad on the day not being The Day, but at least you finished. I don't know anyone who brings a marathon in right at 26.2 on the GPS. Went and looked, and I clocked 26.39 miles for Boston. To be fair, it wasn't possible to even attempt good tangents at Boston for most of the course.

    @MNLittleFinn - At this stage of your running career, when you're between major goal races I think you should sample different things to see what you end up liking. Maybe a trail race, maybe a cross country, a mud run, or whatever else sounds interesting. As far as how I plan, the best adjective is "poorly". I signed up for the Freezeroo series, which includes an 8 mile race on February 11. Now Coach and some teammates want me to run cross country (probably 8K, subject to verification) in Bend, OR on February 4. Absent travel, it would be reasonable; but travel to Bend is likely to be a Big Deal. I'll likely be playing 2017 by ear, seeing what fits in before Boston and not making any decisions for May and later until after Patriots' Day. I've got myself in trouble from committing to major races too soon.
  • OSUbuckeye906
    OSUbuckeye906 Posts: 315 Member
    12/1: 5 miles
    12/2: 4 miles
    12/3: 4 miles
    12/4: 11 miles
    12/5: 5 miles
    12/6: 7 miles
    12/7: rest day
    12/8: 4 miles
    12/9: rest day
    12/10: 5 miles
    12/11: 11 miles

    TOTAL: 54 miles

    11 miles in 1:47:20 (9:46 pace). Winter has officially arrived in central Ohio. Remember a few days ago when I excited about the snow? Yeah, it wasn't so fun. I popped my metal spikes onto my shoes (similar to Yak Tracks) and those helped prevent me from slipping, but MAN running in the snow really is a workout. We didn't even get much, it was just running through the fresh powder instead of packed down snow that felt tough. The first 3 miles were mainly in the snow and on hills and I could feel my energy level dropping already (I did go out a bit too fast too though). The rest of the run was mainly on flat plowed streets but I was pretty much spent by mile 8. A much harder run than last week, but at least I got it done. Last year I really lucked out with winter running (well, with the little winter running I did) because we had a very mild winter, so it's been awhile since I've run in the snow. Kudos to you all who do it all the time! Maybe I'll be used to it by the end of the winter.
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