May 2017 Running Challenge

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  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
    @elise4270 everything @mobycarp said on running and losing weight I completely agree with. Like him I had already lost about 40 lbs before I started to run. I set my goal at 1400 a day then eat back half of the calories my garmin says I burned. On rest days I try to stay at 1400 or under though I tend to be more hungry on non run days so I look more at calories for the week. If I know I have a longer run that will require me to eat and not feel like *kitten* I eat a bit more but try to make it "good" food like a protein compared to the crap I normally love to eat. It really is hard to find that sweet (no pun intended) spot of feeding your body for exercise and losing weight. I also tell my friends who SWEAR I lost weight because I run, no I did not. At my weight if I run 5 miles I burn like 480 calories, hello that isn't even a decent dinner. It tends to work for me, though I have science to back up anything I do. I run for fitness and because I enjoy it.

    Great job everyone hitting those goals!!

    @respectthekitty awesome job this month

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Great job everyone. We are now into June. Please go here:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10561097/june-2017-running-challenge
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    ETA My trend app says I'm down 0.48 pounds in the last 7 days. 1.11 pounds in the last 15 days. Not excessive.
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    LOL! @Stoshew71 I knew that about the sugar trick. I may just do that and see if it helps. I pretend to eat a Tootsie Pop on my runs to see if I can trick my brain. I'm not sure it works. I hate having to pick between weight loss and running performance.

    I'm currently 7-8 pounds from my ideal running weight. So, I'm over here crying about losing 4-5 pounds! Haha! Well actually I'm crying about not having the fuel to run. Wait. Maybe I'm crying about both.

    @WhatMeRunning Thanks for the advice.

    @cburke8909 ya, I thought about that. I may give it a go!


    From the above comments by you - only 7-8lbs and losing 1/2lb a week, you are most certainly losing too much. Personally at this stage I would be looking to lose around 1lb PER MONTH to keep it sustainable with the running you are doing. Yeah it's slow, but which do you want, running and ice cream? or skinny and unable to do the activities you want. I'll take the active and the ice cream anyday myself.



  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    skippygirlsmom wrote: »
    @elise4270 everything @mobycarp said on running and losing weight I completely agree with. Like him I had already lost about 40 lbs before I started to run. I set my goal at 1400 a day then eat back half of the calories my garmin says I burned. On rest days I try to stay at 1400 or under though I tend to be more hungry on non run days so I look more at calories for the week. If I know I have a longer run that will require me to eat and not feel like *kitten* I eat a bit more but try to make it "good" food like a protein compared to the crap I normally love to eat. It really is hard to find that sweet (no pun intended) spot of feeding your body for exercise and losing weight. I also tell my friends who SWEAR I lost weight because I run, no I did not. At my weight if I run 5 miles I burn like 480 calories, hello that isn't even a decent dinner. It tends to work for me, though I have science to back up anything I do. I run for fitness and because I enjoy it.

    Yep. I'm right there with ya. I think I'm going to try a little bit of everything.

    1. Bring G2 on a run (no fully sugared- I'll be in the porta John if I do)
    2. Allow a recovery week the first week of the month by upping my calories just a tad, 100-200/day. Ohhh I can have that donut! Jk!
    3. Definitely don't eat back more than half my Garmin burn
    4. Be patient

    @girlinahat No way I can do 1 pound a month. I can't seem to dial that in, my weight fluctuates to much. And to be in weight loss mode for another 6 months will drive me, and this group crazy! I'm gonna move about 4 pounds then switch to maintenance and add more resistance training. I do see the logic in a pound a month, I've tried that for a few years now. And I'm just back and forth. So, time to buckle down, lose it and move forward. But you are right, that'd be the way to do it, ideally.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    skippygirlsmom wrote: »
    @elise4270 everything @mobycarp said on running and losing weight I completely agree with. Like him I had already lost about 40 lbs before I started to run. I set my goal at 1400 a day then eat back half of the calories my garmin says I burned. On rest days I try to stay at 1400 or under though I tend to be more hungry on non run days so I look more at calories for the week. If I know I have a longer run that will require me to eat and not feel like *kitten* I eat a bit more but try to make it "good" food like a protein compared to the crap I normally love to eat. It really is hard to find that sweet (no pun intended) spot of feeding your body for exercise and losing weight. I also tell my friends who SWEAR I lost weight because I run, no I did not. At my weight if I run 5 miles I burn like 480 calories, hello that isn't even a decent dinner. It tends to work for me, though I have science to back up anything I do. I run for fitness and because I enjoy it.

    Yep. I'm right there with ya. I think I'm going to try a little bit of everything.

    1. Bring G2 on a run (no fully sugared- I'll be in the porta John if I do)
    2. Allow a recovery week the first week of the month by upping my calories just a tad, 100-200/day. Ohhh I can have that donut! Jk!
    3. Definitely don't eat back more than half my Garmin burn
    4. Be patient

    @girlinahat No way I can do 1 pound a month. I can't seem to dial that in, my weight fluctuates to much. And to be in weight loss mode for another 6 months will drive me, and this group crazy! I'm gonna move about 4 pounds then switch to maintenance and add more resistance training. I do see the logic in a pound a month, I've tried that for a few years now. And I'm just back and forth. So, time to buckle down, lose it and move forward. But you are right, that'd be the way to do it, ideally.


    then don't be. Eat at maintenance for the weight you want to be. Forget losing weight - it'll happen. If you habitually fluctuate then you are ALWAYS going to fluctuate and be in diet mode/non-diet mode permanently. A new mindset might help - stop weighing and get the measuring tape out. Otherwise you may find you are spending ANOTHER six months trying to lose that 4lbs. Do the resistance training NOW, and eat more to get those runs meaningful.

    Did that sound ranty?
  • Azercord
    Azercord Posts: 573 Member
    @Elise4270 Another thing to add that you really need to take into account when doing exercise in a deficit is that your recovery time is longer. Not only do you not have less energy stores at the front end but it takes longer to repair all the damage that happens during the run making your muscles grumpier for the next round. As a lifter with a running problem I would suggest upping you protein (I don't know your ratios), if it is already high (40%-50% of your macros) then you just need time.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    Azercord wrote: »
    @Elise4270 Another thing to add that you really need to take into account when doing exercise in a deficit is that your recovery time is longer. Not only do you not have less energy stores at the front end but it takes longer to repair all the damage that happens during the run making your muscles grumpier for the next round. As a lifter with a running problem I would suggest upping you protein (I don't know your ratios), if it is already high (40%-50% of your macros) then you just need time.

    Yes, I've noticed that. I mentioned to DH that it took me 5 days to fully recover from Sally (push up regimen). He thought that was normal since I just started it. I do try to target 100g/day but I do find days that I'm about half of that or less. I can definitely get back to my post work out protein shakes. Also, I'll try to incorporate some walking or more gym days (upper body) to let my legs recover.

    I'm back to adding an iron supplement too. I forgot to ask for blood work last six visit... Guess I should get that done too. After time off I suspect my iron is lower. I can also add BCAA'S that have few calories.


    Y'all are all so helpful! Thanks!
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    @Stoshew71 I'm going to try ring pops on a run! Seems perfect! Nothing to carry and sugar!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    @Stoshew71 I'm going to try ring pops on a run! Seems perfect! Nothing to carry and sugar!

    You're gonna suck on a ring pop as you run? That's harder than walking and chew gum at the same time.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited June 2017
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    @Stoshew71 I'm going to try ring pops on a run! Seems perfect! Nothing to carry and sugar!

    You're gonna suck on a ring pop as you run? That's harder than walking and chew gum at the same time.

    No silly. I'm gonna lick it as I run, bugs and all. It'll be easier than trying to drink Gatorade not out of a squeezie bottle, since this is a spur of the mo addition.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    @Stoshew71 I'm going to try ring pops on a run! Seems perfect! Nothing to carry and sugar!

    You're gonna suck on a ring pop as you run? That's harder than walking and chew gum at the same time.

    No silly. I'm gonna lick it as I run, bugs and all. It'll be easier than trying to drink Gatorade not out of a squeezie bottle, since this is a spur of the mo addition.

    I am not sure if this will be as effective. But try and let me know how it works out. The literature I read on this not only talks about sipping the drink, but also allowing it to swish around in the mouth for a few seconds. hmm... it will be interesting though.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    Azercord wrote: »
    @Elise4270 you could snort a pixie stix, the blood vessels in the nose rapidly absorb things and allow them quick access to the brain.

    Hahaha! Aw noooo!!!!
  • mirelaavdich
    mirelaavdich Posts: 41 Member
    And my last update for May....

    Congratulations to all!

    May Goal: 38 miles

    5/2/17 - 3.1
    5/4/17 - 3.1
    5/7/17 - 3.1
    5/9/17 - 2.0 - Treadmill :/
    5/11/17 - 2.0 - Treadmill :/
    5/14/17 - 3.1
    5/16/17 - 3.1
    5/18/17 - 3.1 - Best 5K time :smile:
    5/20/17 - 3.1 - First 5K Race 27:28 (My best time ever!!)
    5/22/17 - 4.0
    5/24/17 - 4.0
    5/26/17 - 3.0
    5/29/17 - 4.4
    5/31/17 - 4.1


    exercise.png
  • ereck44
    ereck44 Posts: 1,170 Member
    edited June 2017
    May goal....50 miles

    May 4...3.66 miles
    May 6...13.1 miles (Indianapolis mini-marathon), average pace at 12:24, av. max heart rate at 90%.
    May 7....3 miles (recovery run)
    May 8....8 miles (Monon Trail).... average pace at 11:52, average max heart rate at 86%.
    May 11...3.06 miles (rolling hills program on the treadmill) average max heart rate at 83%. pace at 13:02.
    May 15....8 miles (Monon Trail)....average pace at 12:30, average max heart rate at 90%.
    May 20...13.1 miles (Geist Reservoir half marathon)....average pace at 11:57, max heart rate at 91%.
    May 26...8 miles....average pace at 12:08, max heart rate at 90%.
    May 31....6 miles....average pace at 12:30.

    Total: 65.92

    2017 races....5/6 Indianapolis mini-marathon....completed.
    5/20..Geist Reservoir Half Marathon....complete

    5/31....6 miles on the Monon Trail. I just finished working an exhausting work schedule and averaging 4 hours sleep for the last 3 nights. In a weird way, the run helped me feel less tired. My ultimate goal is to continue to add distance. I wanted 8 miles running to be as comfortable as 6. I still felt like it was a good run.My pace was just a little above zone running.

    Too tired to post yesterday. I plan to get a couple of runs in before sitting in a car travelling to Florida.I will try to catch up while in the car.

  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    @MobyCarp @girlinahat @PinkamenaD8

    Thanks for the insight. I suppose I could up the calories a bit and up the runs even more. I've been at this for a few years and haven't lost (on the scale). So I'm real good at maintenance :smile: . Or maybe 2-3 weeks at a time at a deficit and a week eating maintenance to recover. Maybe I could add some calories from better foods- but I'm struggling to like anything that isn't fatty right now- avocado, cheese, olives...

    I use the trend app too. It's great. It's finally trending down. But hormones, salt, carbs, dehydration play havoc with that trend and I get "wtf"?

    @MobyCarp I can't run very far yet. 1-2 miles on a good cool day. Right now I'm barely making a quarter of a mile before I'm sucking wind. Of course, it's hot, 90+. But I know it shouldn't be that hard to do a slow mile in the heat. So I see I need to do something different...


    Enough of my ramblings... I think I have an idea how to make it work better.

    Thanks all

    @elise4270 - well I am going through this - eating at a deficit, not having enough energy to run so then increasing calories, gaining a few pounds and lowering the calories down again... my weight has continued to inch up, my running is suffering and I feel incredibly tired. I am now working with a sports nutritionist at my daughter's urging. She had me bump my calories up by over 600/day! Included in those calories are lots of veggies, good carbs (sweet potatoes and grains) and good fats like avocados and coconut oil. So far my runs still don't feel great yet but are getting better - I can on a good day string a mile or two together again... I have not gained any more weight. She ran some tests and I heard this week the results are in so I will be seeing her again next week if i can get in. I can let you know what more she says after that. She called it adrenal fatigue and gave me a pretty technical paper about it. Basically it has to do with stress (from running, from eating at a deficit for a long period of time, from work, from hormones, etc...) and the bodies reaction to the stresses.

    All I know is I am terrified of gaining back what I worked so hard to lose and I also want my runs to feel wonderful again. Not too much to ask I don't think :)
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited June 2017
    shanaber wrote: »
    Elise4270 wrote: »

    Thanks for the insight. I suppose I could up the calories a bit and up the runs even more. I've been at this for a few years and haven't lost (on the scale). So I'm real good at maintenance :smile: . Or maybe 2-3 weeks at a time at a deficit and a week eating maintenance to recover. Maybe I could add some calories from better foods- but I'm struggling to like anything that isn't fatty right now- avocado, cheese, olives...

    I use the trend app too. It's great. It's finally trending down. But hormones, salt, carbs, dehydration play havoc with that trend and I get "wtf"?

    Enough of my ramblings... I think I have an idea how to make it work better.

    Thanks all

    @elise4270 - well I am going through this - eating at a deficit, not having enough energy to run so then increasing calories, gaining a few pounds and lowering the calories down again... my weight has continued to inch up, my running is suffering and I feel incredibly tired. I am now working with a sports nutritionist at my daughter's urging. She had me bump my calories up by over 600/day! Included in those calories are lots of veggies, good carbs (sweet potatoes and grains) and good fats like avocados and coconut oil. So far my runs still don't feel great yet but are getting better - I can on a good day string a mile or two together again... I have not gained any more weight. She ran some tests and I heard this week the results are in so I will be seeing her again next week if i can get in. I can let you know what more she says after that. She called it adrenal fatigue and gave me a pretty technical paper about it. Basically it has to do with stress (from running, from eating at a deficit for a long period of time, from work, from hormones, etc...) and the bodies reaction to the stresses.

    All I know is I am terrified of gaining back what I worked so hard to lose and I also want my runs to feel wonderful again. Not too much to ask I don't think :)

    I've considered adrenal fatigue. But I can't find that it's a thing docs acknowledge (yet). I noticed if I take round of corticosteroids, I'm great. I've had this horrible fatigue for 10 years now. I just figured it was perimenopause or something normal. Vitiman B12 helps me too.

    Yesterday I took Stan's advice and sipped Gatorade throughout my run and I was great. Of course it was 79 and not 97 yesterday. I even felt good enough post run to come home and change cat litter, sweep and do a load of laundry.

    I am interested to hear how it works for you. I used a personal trainer ages ago, she put me on 1600 calories a day and​ I never lost a ounce. So I'm a scaredy-cat to up the calories, I'm in the same loop you are.

    ETA A few years ago I had hormones tested and they were very low. My testosterone was below detection limits. The research I found was that chronic pain can cause your body to shut down production of reproductive hormones in times of chronic pain. So, I figure I'm still trying to recover from that mess. I haven't had them tested since surgery. But my lunar cycle is more normal now.
  • mmecraine
    mmecraine Posts: 30 Member
    Hey there! I've been looking at a lot of training schedules and need some advice:

    When should I plan to do lower body strength workouts? After my rest day, midway through the week so it's not too close to my long run?

    What's worked for you?
  • nFoooo
    nFoooo Posts: 136 Member
    You might want to look for the June 2017 Running Challenge thread, people are participating in that one now. As for advice, I am but a measly beginner but I have read a lot of articles that speak of doing hill drills to really activate the muscles in the back of your leg, which are incredibly useful for running but don't get worked on enough if you just run flat. I suggest you go to the other thread to get advice from other more experienced runners.

    The article I read gave this drill : find a hill with a good enough incline (6% I think was suggested, not sure) and run 100m drills at a 5K effort, then walk down slowly and repeat 12 to 24 times.
  • mmecraine
    mmecraine Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks! Clearly not keeping up with the calendar!

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