April 2017 Running Challenge

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Replies

  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    I just looked at the MRC leader board on Strava. @Stoshew71 tapering is good for my ego. I ran the same distance as him last week.

    there's a Strava group???? request to join just sent.......
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Date Miles today - Miles for April
    4/1 20 miles - 20
    4/2 10 miles - 30
    4/3 REST DAY
    4/4 10 miles - 40
    4/4 4 miles - 44 << Daily Double
    4/5 6.2 miles - 50.2
    4/6 6.2 miles - 56.4
    4/6 4 miles - 60.4 << Daily Double
    4/7 REST DAY
    4/8 16 miles - 76.4
    4/9 REST DAY
    4/10 7 miles - 83.4


    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 << 44:57 PR
    Firecracker Chase 10.2 miler 6/25 << 1:20:22 1 in AG & 15 OA
    Huntsville Half Marathon - 11/12 << 1:35:55 2 in AG & 25 OA
    Rocket City Marathon - 12/10 << 2:44:41
    Elkmont Hound Dog Half (unofficial) - 1/21 << 1:46:48 2 OA
    Elkmont Hound Dog Half (rescheduled) - 2/18 << 1:41:04 1 in AG & 24 OA
    Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon - 4/29


    Today is Day 1 of Week 1 of my taper.

    Sorry that I haven't reported in all weekend. This weekend was the weekend from hell. First off, I get to Baltimore Washington Airport early Friday because I saw that my flight was being delayed. Get to the airport only to find out it was cancelled. After getting into the terminal there is a huge line at the Delta check-in all with people suffering from cancellations. I stood on line for 2 hours and went forward maybe 20 feet? Apparently the storms on Thursday through Atlanta screwed everything up that even all the flights on Friday were getting cancelled. it was a mess for delta all weekend. So I called about getting a rental car and got out of line and picked up an Uber ride from the airport to Glen Burney Enterprise rent a car (all the rental cars at BWI were not available - probably because everyone doing what I was doing) and actually drove overnight for 11 hours home. I got home at 4:30 in the morning. I slept for 4 hours and returned my rental car at the Huntsville Airport. Thought about going back to bed but couldn't fall asleep. So I decided to go out for my long run. I was hoping to get one last 20 in. I ended up giving up after 16 miles. (I think we were talking about the effects of lack of sleep?) That or maybe it was from all my fast running from earlier last week? But I was dead after 16 miles.

    So now I am in taper mode for the next 3 weeks.

    Sunday I was a volunteer at our Bridge Street Half Marathon. I was the mile 7 split timer.

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited April 2017
    WhatMeRunning wrote: »
    On the fasted runs to train your body to burn fat for fuel, I agree that it is important since I am slow (I wish I was a 4-5 hour marathoner). I have a question for @Stoshew71 though because if you read the posts literally then in between the lines in those it would seem that one would do a long run in a fasted state and take no gels or anything during the run. This is not what I do, learned to do, or have ever heard as sensible advice, so I feel compelled to ask about it.

    Like @garygse, I can go about 2 hours on glycogen stores alone, meaning I can start a run in a fasted state and just run through the whole 2 hours taking in only water (if necessary). If my run will be longer than 2 hours this does not work and I refuel, at which point I take gels. At the moment on runs where I refuel I refuel about every 50 minutes but I also know I can cut that back on some runs. For example, a 2.5 hour run it is possible to get by with one refueling about 1:30-1:45 into the run. One way to look at this is the "cookie cutter" advice commonly heard on half marathons about taking a gel at the 8 mile mark. If I were going to run for a long time, say 3+ hours, then I would refuel every 45-50 minutes, no exception.

    All that said, if there is some sort of data or personal experiences out there about running 2.5+ hours in a fasted state with zero refueling, I'm ready to hear it since it would be a new concept to me. I'm not sure how the *kitten* it is possible, but I'm all ears. :smile:


    Most of my morning runs were started fasted (except for a mug of coffee with creamer in it). According to the bottle, it's maybe 20 calories? The only thing I had on my long run with me was a 32 oz bottle of Gatorade. That's about 160 calories. And I wouldn't even start drinking any of it until I got to mile 10. I have done many 2-1/2 hour runs like that. Most of my mid week 10 milers were all fasted. Those are runs between hour 20 minutes & 90 minutes.

    I have ran an entire 2-1/2 hour run completely fasted quite a few times and they are tough. So maybe I should say, if you run in a fasted state, don't run more than 2 hours and expect any big performance runs. The last 30 minutes or so will be a struggle.

    EDIT: I agree with @7lenny7 about the double stresses. Running fasted AND a PR distance would be a double stress.

    Discussion between @garygse & @WhatMeRunning --- Yes, fasted running especially on long runs would yield to slower running.

    Not in this training cycle, but during training for my first couple of marathons, I have regularly brought gels with me in my spy belt for long runs with the plan that I may or may not use them. It's not a bad idea to take them for just in case. If anything, you will get used to carrying them even if you don't consume them.
  • ddmom0811
    ddmom0811 Posts: 1,881 Member
    @girlinahat - those pictures!!! Wow! Looks like a great place to run. Although I'm a little scared of heights and looking at that first picture made me nervous you would fall!

    Perfect running weather this morning.

    4/1 - 44 miles biking
    4/2 - 40 miles biking
    4/3 - 3.7 miles
    4/4 - 4.2 miles
    4/5 - strength training
    4/6 - 3.4 miles
    4/7 - strength training
    4/8 - 10K Zombies Chunnel run
    4/9 - 28 miles on bike - but like a rest day
    4/10 - 4.5 miles


    exercise.png
  • Bakins929
    Bakins929 Posts: 895 Member
    Wow! There were some great pics and stories from this weekend! Hope everyone is healthy and has a great week!

    I got in 5 this morning.
    exercise.png
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
    @girlinahat Amazing pics and run! :-o

    I had a rough weekend. I had big plans for my run Saturday and ended up spending the day in bed having asthma problems. Fatigue was out of control and every time I got up I wanted to lie back down immediately. Sunday I crashed and slept 3 hours in the recliner, woke up and mentally felt fresh, so I headed out to run but once again my body protested. My left have just never felt so heavy as they do lately. I can't even describe what it's like. Well, it's like dragging dead weight - like dragging another body besides my own. So I ended up only running 1.5 miles and walking the rest of the time.

    SOOOOO at 9:30 last night I said Good Night and went to bed with no tv on, no phone, and was determined to get a full night of sleep. It took about 60-75 mins to fall asleep but I feel like I got a good 7 hours. I think if I can keep this up, by Friday I may feel right again.
  • ariceroni
    ariceroni Posts: 422 Member
    04/02: 12.1 mile long run, 9:35 pace
    04/03: 4.06 mile easy run, 9:37 pace
    04/04: 5.02 miles- 7x600m repeats, 2:35 average
    04/06: 4.04 mile easy run, 9:22 pace
    04/07: 6.05 miles- 4 mile tempo, 7:50 pace
    04/09: 12.13 mile long run, 9:26 pace
    Total: 43.40 miles

    Notes:
    Had a really wonderful 12 mile long run yesterday! It was pretty hot and sunny out, and despite wearing sunscreen I think I got at least three shades darker :sunglasses:

    Now for the bad news. I’ve had a little bit of pain above my arch (inside of foot) for the last few runs, starting with thursday's run. It only started 3-4 miles in to that run, and felt more like a bruise than sharp pain, so I though my shoe was just pinching funny. It didn't bother me at all after the run so I didn't think much of it. On friday's run, the same feeling showed up 3-4 miles in, and the discomfort level stayed constant through the remainder of the run. As before, it went away as soon as I stopped running and didn't bother me at all the rest of the day or on saturday (rest day). On my long run yesterday though, the feeling showed up around mile 5 and turned to mild pain from miles 10-12 (not bad enough to alter my gait, but definitely present). There's no visible swelling or bruising, and no pain or tenderness when I press on the spot where it was hurting. The pain pretty much subsided as soon as I stopped running; I iced it twice yesterday post-run and only experienced a tiny bit of discomfort later in the day when walking a mile to the train station. This morning, my arch itself feels a little tight/sore but no soreness or pain in the original pain location.

    Anyway, idk what’s going on but of course my brain jumps straight to the worst scenario of some sort of stress fracture (navicular maybe? It's in that region). But it doesn't feel at all like my past stress fractures did so I think I may be just freaking myself out a bit. Another possibility is that it's some sort of irritation of my posterior tibial tendon. I did notice yesterday that running on the uneven dirt surface next to the running path caused more discomfort than running on the paved path. The plan is to take the next few days off from running, and focus on icing the affected area as well as extra calf/hamstring stretching, and a few exercises I found that are suggested for rehabbing from PTTD. I'm really sad to have to take a few days off :disappointed: But optimistic that whatever it is, I’ve caught is soon enough that I won’t have to take too much time away! I survived 3+ months away for my last injury and was able to come back stronger than before, so I know this is just a minor setback and that I can overcome this too :)


    exercise.png


    Training For:
    04/23: Ravenswood Run, 5K (Chicago)
    05/21: Chicago Spring Half Marathon
    10/08: Chicago Marathon
    11/26: Space Coast Half Marathon (Cocoa, FL)
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    I just looked at the MRC leader board on Strava. @Stoshew71 tapering is good for my ego. I ran the same distance as him last week.

    there's a Strava group???? request to join just sent.......
    For anyone who was not aware, there is a Strava group for the MFP Monthly Running Challenges here...
    https://www.strava.com/clubs/mfpmnthlychlng
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    I had to push myself a bit today, but I got the run completed. The run data looks good so it was all in my mind, I guess. :smile:

    4/1 - 10 miles
    4/2 - 4 miles
    4/3 - 4 miles
    4/4 - 4 miles
    4/5 - 4 miles
    4/6 - 4 miles
    4/7 - rest
    4/8 - 10 miles
    4/9 - 4 miles
    4/10 - 4 miles

    48 of 120 miles complete


    exercise.png

  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    Anyone who frequents @Stoshew71 monthly running challenge threads and who wants to join the MFP Monthly Running Challenge Strava group can join here:

    https://www.strava.com/clubs/mfpmnthlychlng

    Send a request and one of the admins will approve it. It's helpful, though not required, if you use the same profile picture as you do here, or use part of your MFP username in your Strava name so folks know who you are, and we can easily verify that you are indeed part of this group. The intent is that ONLY folks from this thread join.

  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    edited April 2017
    @7lenny7 thanks for that input. I've thought about skipping the water stops, with 8,999 other runners on the full, it's by far the biggest race I'll have been in. It will mean that my first water stop is at mile 7, but I've run farther than that, in the heat, w/o water, so it's doable. That's one thing I guess I'll have to wait for race day to decide for sure...... at least I've pretty much settled on the shoes I'm going to wear, and which gels to bring....2 decisions made, a bunch more to go!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited April 2017
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    I was thinking set a bottle of Powerade (that's what the race has) on my lawn, so I could grab it and take a swig as I go by. This would also let me practice fueling, I figure, and possibly give me a "safe" way to see if I need to bring extra water for the race.

    Actually, what I would do is to take that bottle of PowerAde and pour it into little Dixie cups. Then practice grabbing a Dixie cup as you run and drink from that. There's actually a technique of folding the cup by pinching one side and drink out of the pinched side. You may be able to Youtube a video on that technique.




    EDIT: Looks like @MobyCarp beat me to it. LOL
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    @MNLittleFinn - If you're going to go that far to simulate in-race hydration, you may as well buy some wax paper cups and also practice drinking from them on the run. I have not done this, but I can see where it would be useful if it's practical to set up such an arrangement.

    I learned to actually transfer water from those wax paper cups to my throat at the 2015 Buffalo Marathon. I found that it's a lot easier at marathon pace than at 10K race pace or even half marathon pace.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    I was thinking set a bottle of Powerade (that's what the race has) on my lawn, so I could grab it and take a swig as I go by. This would also let me practice fueling, I figure, and possibly give me a "safe" way to see if I need to bring extra water for the race.

    Actually, what I would do is to take that bottle of PowerAde and pour it into little Dixie cups. Then practice grabbing a Dixie cup as you run and drink from that. There's actually a technique of folding the cup by pinching one side and drink out of the pinched side. You may be able to Youtube a video on that technique.




    EDIT: Looks like @MobyCarp beat me to it. LOL

    That's because great minds think alike...LOL. In actuality, what I might do is take my little 10oz handheld with me, and just drink every other mile, so I can get used to drinking then, and also practice fueling, since I'll be fueling every 4 miles or so, after taking my first gel before one of the first 3 water stops at the marathon.

    I'll see how that goes, and start making decisions about what to bring with on marathon day....I really hate carrying stuff when I run. My handheld is just tolerable, and my belt, while great for hiking and trail running, annoys the heck out of me when I'm on the road.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    @7lenny7 thanks for that input. I've thought about skipping the water stops, with 8,999 other runners on the full, it's by far the biggest race I'll have been in. It will mean that my first water stop is at mile 7, but I've run farther than that, in the heat, w/o water, so it's doable. That's one thing I guess I'll have to wait for race day to decide for sure...... at least I've pretty much settled on the shoes I'm going to wear, and which gels to bring....2 decisions made, a bunch more to go!

    This. The most common arguments for and against carrying hydration in a race are:

    Con: The extra weight will slow me down.
    Pro: I'll lose less time drinking from a bottle I carry than I would at water stops.

    It's no secret that I fall solidly on the pro side of that argument. This has to do with my basic incompetence at grabbing wax paper cups on the run and transferring the water into my throat. I'm better than I was, but I still rate below average as runners go. I would also note that at the Oak Tree Half last September, I gained 6 steps per water stop on a guy who was mostly running ahead of me but not carrying his own hydration. I didn't lose any noticeable distance on him when drinking from my own water bottle. I think I ended up passing him between mile 8 and mile 9.

    Of course, I can't carry enough water for a full marathon; so I must do as well as I can with on-course water. I good weather, a 10 oz bottle of water plus an 8 oz bottle of Nuun is enough to get me through a half. I thought 4 bottles on my warm weather belt should have got me through a marathon, but I failed to get through Rochester when I first tested that theory. Whether I test it again at Boston depends on the temperature on race day; but I won't be averse to grabbing whatever is offered on that course.

  • garygse
    garygse Posts: 896 Member
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    @garygse with how you're going, I almost think you set your goal too low. Great running!

    Thank you! Yeah, I cut back the mileage goal this time as I have a race this coming weekend; ergo I'm dialing the mileage back this week, and my legs may feel completely shot next week, lol.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    April Running Totals (miles)
    4/1 – 18.19 paced run
    4/2 – 3.90 easy 30 minutes
    4/3 – rest day
    4/4 – 10.75 tempo intervals
    4/5 – 6.85 group run
    4/6 – 8.18 tempo intervals
    4/7 – rest day
    4/8 – 12.07 paced run
    4/9 – 7.83 almost easy 60 minutes
    4/10 – 4.51 easy 30 minutes + 4 strides

    April total to date – 72.28

    Nominal Challenge Goal – 150 miles
    Real Goals: Run Boston. Finish healthy. Recover well.

    Today's notes – Today's assignment was 30 minutes easy plus 4 strides. I had been taking Mondays as rest days, but in the final week of training every day has a specific assignment, and I'll be under the target miles just running the assignments. That's okay. At this point, less is more; but a lousy 35 minutes running isn't going to beat me up.

    Temperature was 62º F (17º C) when I got out. I just threw on a singlet and shorts, didn't even wear the hydration belt. How dehydrated can I get in half an hour, anyway? In contrast to yesterday, I did a pretty good job of holding the easy portion at an easy pace. Ended up shorting the 30 minutes by 6 seconds or so, because that's when I got to the fire hydrant that I used to mark the start of my first stride.

    It felt good to run the strides. I've skipped a lot of Monday "easy plus 4 strides" assignments in favor of rest days this training cycle. Part of that was because the time I have on Monday is mid-morning, and that wasn't enough recovery time after a hard weekend. But I'm in taper, and the weekend wasn't hard. So today felt very good.

    Taper mantra of the day: A week from today, I'll be allowed to run a lot farther.

    2017 races:
    January 1, 2017 Freezeroo #2 (Resolution Run 7.5 mile) (Mendon, NY) Finished in 50:45
    January 7, 2017 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) Finished in 1:32:40
    January 14, 2017 Freezeroo #3 (Pineway Ponds Park 5 mile) (Spencerport, NY) Finished in 33:42
    January 28, 2017 Freezeroo #4 (Hearnish 5 mile) (Victor, NY) short course, finished 4.88 miles in 32:50
    February 4, 2017 USATF Cross Country National Championship Masters 8K (Bend, OR) Finished in 35:39, team won the 60+ Men's cross country championship
    February 11, 2017 Freezeroo #5 (Valentines Run "In Memory of Tom Brannon" 8 Mile) (Greece, NY) sat out due to training schedule
    February 25, 2017 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 4.4 mile) (Webster, NY) short course, finished 4.34 miles in 27:51
    March 11, 2017 Johnny's Runnin' of the Green 5 mile (Rochester, NY) finished in 33:25
    March 18, 2017 USATF Masters 8K Championship (Shamrock 8K, Virginia Beach, VA) finished in 30:59, PR for 8K
    April 17, 2017 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA)


  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Awesome pictures @girlinahat
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    MNLittleFinn wrote: »
    I just looked at the MRC leader board on Strava. @Stoshew71 tapering is good for my ego. I ran the same distance as him last week.

    there's a Strava group???? request to join just sent.......

    I got ya
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,895 Member
    4/2-3.3 miles
    4/3-3 miles
    4/5-3.5 miles
    4/6-2.5 miles
    4/8-4.2 miles
    4/9-5 miles
    total-21.5 miles

    Tried doing 5 miles on Saturday, but I had my nephew and my brother showed up to get him, so i hopped off the treadmill at 4.2 miles. I planned on taking Sunday off, but i couldnt stand that I didnt finish my 5 miles, so I decided to do it Sunday, so I am taking today off. but i did do the 5 miles faster than I thought I would :)

    exercise.png


    Training for:
    5/14-womens run-5mile
    7/10- Missoula Marathon-HM
    9/17- Montana Marathon-Full marathon
  • HRKinchen
    HRKinchen Posts: 202 Member
    Short and easy run this morning. Woke with a little pain in my lower back and a slight twinge in my left knee. Both were gone within the first half mile, but the knee's been creaking a bit after the run too. Have a rest day planned for tomorrow, so hoping to be all set to begin training for the next race by mid-week. My goal is to run a smoother, more evenly paced, one-break 5k on the 22nd.

    4/1: 1.3 (1.3)
    4/2: 1.5 (2.8)
    4/3: rest
    4/4: 1.5 (4.3)
    4/5: 3.4 (7.7)
    4/6: 1.3 (9.0)
    4/7: rest
    4/8: rest / life day
    4/9: Race Day - 3.3 (12.3)
    4/10: 1.5 (13.8)
    4/11: rest
    ...
    4/22: Race Day (5k)

    Goal for the month: 30

  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Anyone who frequents @Stoshew71 monthly running challenge threads and who wants to join the MFP Monthly Running Challenge Strava group can join here:

    https://www.strava.com/clubs/mfpmnthlychlng

    Send a request and one of the admins will approve it. It's helpful, though not required, if you use the same profile picture as you do here, or use part of your MFP username in your Strava name so folks know who you are, and we can easily verify that you are indeed part of this group. The intent is that ONLY folks from this thread join.

    I have been using Map my Run to track my workouts. Is Strava better? Can you export your history from MMR into Strava?
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Anyone who frequents @Stoshew71 monthly running challenge threads and who wants to join the MFP Monthly Running Challenge Strava group can join here:

    https://www.strava.com/clubs/mfpmnthlychlng

    Send a request and one of the admins will approve it. It's helpful, though not required, if you use the same profile picture as you do here, or use part of your MFP username in your Strava name so folks know who you are, and we can easily verify that you are indeed part of this group. The intent is that ONLY folks from this thread join.

    Thanks for putting that out there. I always feel like a ball buster for trying to figure out who people are and if they belong!!

    @girlinahat was fairly easy to to figure out :wink:
  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
    edited April 2017
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Anyone who frequents @Stoshew71 monthly running challenge threads and who wants to join the MFP Monthly Running Challenge Strava group can join here:

    https://www.strava.com/clubs/mfpmnthlychlng

    Send a request and one of the admins will approve it. It's helpful, though not required, if you use the same profile picture as you do here, or use part of your MFP username in your Strava name so folks know who you are, and we can easily verify that you are indeed part of this group. The intent is that ONLY folks from this thread join.

    Thanks for putting that out there. I always feel like a ball buster for trying to figure out who people are and if they belong!!

    @girlinahat was fairly easy to to figure out :wink:
    I've been a bad admin. :blush: I let someone in who I did not recognize thinking it was @girlinahat, but then Elise let her in and said she was easy to recognize. Now there's some other guy wanting in who I don't recognize. I haven't let him in yet though.

    At least now I know better.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    I hadn't looked at the Strava MRC leaderboard in a while. I was number 6 last week! Booya! :D Won't be this week though, it's a cutback week. Looking forward to refreshing my legs a bit!
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    WhatMeRunning wrote: »
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Anyone who frequents @Stoshew71 monthly running challenge threads and who wants to join the MFP Monthly Running Challenge Strava group can join here:

    https://www.strava.com/clubs/mfpmnthlychlng

    Send a request and one of the admins will approve it. It's helpful, though not required, if you use the same profile picture as you do here, or use part of your MFP username in your Strava name so folks know who you are, and we can easily verify that you are indeed part of this group. The intent is that ONLY folks from this thread join.

    Thanks for putting that out there. I always feel like a ball buster for trying to figure out who people are and if they belong!!

    @girlinahat was fairly easy to to figure out :wink:
    I've been a bad admin. :blush: I let someone in who I did not recognize thinking it was @girlinahat, but then Elise let her in and said she was easy to recognize. Now there's some other guy wanting in who I don't recognize. I haven't let him in yet though.

    At least now I know better.

    I din't let him in... :blush: But I wouldn't worry about be in a bad admin, troublemakers can be booted. I'll usually just pop in here and ask who made the request. Girl was easy cuz shes a b in the/a hat :wink:

    I do like @7lenny7 suggestion to use the same pic for the request.
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