October 2018 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
    @MegaMooseEsq Good luck on the half on Sunday! You totally got this! FYI - I love following a pacer. Not only do I get to hear someone’s “running life” story, but it gives me modivation to keep going when I loose all “umph”.

    About the toe socks, I just “can’t even” get comfortable with stuff between my toes. I look at those Vibram shoes that separate the toes and shake my head. How is that comfortable?
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    @Avidkeo Thanks! Yes, we are starting to look now.

    @7lenny7 True! Thanks!

    @hesn92 Totally awesome! Congratulations!

    @MegaMooseEsq Good luck on Sunday!

    @garygse That must have been so hard to do the tests right after each other. Did you have to recover quite a while (let your lactate come down) after the VO2 max? I did them in 2014 and 2016, but the VO2max and LT were tested at the same time. I was spent after, so I can’t imagine doing two in a row!

    My VO2max went from 24.4 to 37. My Garmin gives me 32 to 37 now, and that seems right since I am less fit now. My aerobic threshold went from 154 to 165 and my LT went from 173 to 181 and I got my lactate up to 13.2 mMol in the second test compared to only 10.5 mMol in the first.

    The heart rate zones from the first one were so helpful for me as I had just recovered from viral myocarditis, and I was scared to let my heart rate get too high - during the medical stress test,(using the age formula) they warned me about ever going over 180. But this test told me my max was really 204, so knowing my max and aerobic threshold was well above the charts helped me stop being afraid and push harder. Though, I had a hard time with the second test’s zones because they always felt too hard. And it made me wonder if the tests can go wrong. Maybe my heart rate was a little more reactive that day? I had a day like that this week. Sometimes it just goes higher with less effort. Anyway, I am crazy for all the data. The place closed this year, so I can’t repeat it. I paid $150 including tax for the combined test. It was cheaper to just do the LT but there was no option for VO2max only.

    Let me know how your new zones feel once you have used them for a bit! I use the Fitzgerald 80/20 calculator to try to guess mine now. Also let me know how your new ones match up to that calculator if you ever get a chance to check.
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    edited October 2018
    garygse wrote: »
    @Elise4270 I guess it should be brought up again seeing as there are new runners here who may not have heard the original advice, so here goes:

    Basically, this came from @Stoshew71 but he's not been available lately so I'll try my best to repeat it. In order to help your running form imagine the following:
    • A piece of string attached to the very top of your head that is pulled taut by some invisible hand. This helps keep your head up and your back straight to prevent the slouching that Elise mentioned.
    • Headlamps on your hips and nipples. Basically they should all be pointing in the same direction at all times, meaning you shouldn't be twisting your body or letting one side lift up more than the other. Keeping these headlights in alignment is an excellent way of ensuring this
    He also mentioned about imagining a small coin wedged between your butt-cheeks...the idea being to keep your glutes activated, but it just felt like I was running while trying to hold in farts and it didn't really work well for me. YMMV.

    One piece of advice that I heard from a different forum was to scrunch your shoulders up to your ears every now and again and then let them drop. This stops you from hunching your shoulders when you start to get tired, and I would do the scrunch-and-release whenever my watch alerted me at each mile of my runs.

    I still think of these pieces of advice, especially when tired late in a run, and when I first started running I kept them in mind constantly until the running form became second nature.

    Hopefully other new runners can adopt this advice and stave off injury caused by bad form. :smile:
    This! as well as keeping your shoulders back, almost as if you were pushing your chest out... No slumping shoulders! Also if your arms are swinging across in front of you chances are you are not keeping your headlights straight.
    ETA - I also think it helps with not getting so fatigued once you figure it out and it becomes a more automatic natural posture for running.
  • katharmonic
    katharmonic Posts: 5,720 Member
    Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
    10/01/18 :::: 5.0 :::: 5.0
    10/02/18 :::: 4.2 :::: 9.2
    10/03/18 :::: 7.1 :::: 16.3
    10/04/18 :::: 3.7 :::: 20.0
    10/05/18 :::: 0.0 :::: 20.0
    10/06/18 :::: 20.0 :::: 40.0
    10/07/18 :::: 5.0 :::: 45.0
    10/08/18 :::: 4.5 :::: 49.6
    10/09/18 :::: 5.1 :::: 54.7
    10/10/18 :::: 5.9 :::: 60.6
    10/11/18 :::: 4.0 :::: 64.6
    10/12/18 :::: 0.0 :::: 64.6
    10/13/18 :::: 15.0 :::: 79.6
    10/14/18 :::: 2.8 :::: 82.4
    10/15/18 :::: 3.0 :::: 85.4
    10/16/18 :::: 3.0 :::: 88.4
    10/17/18 :::: 3.1 :::: 91.5
    10/18/18 :::: 0.0 :::: 91.5
    10/19/18 :::: 3.2 :::: 94.7

    Yesterday was chilly and kind of miserable so I was happy to use that as a rest day. Today was much more pleasant and I met a friend after work for a quick run - had to squeeze it in between her various kid events but we got it done.

    @RunRachelleRun so happy to hear the good news. It must be such a relief for you. Hope all the rechecks remain clear and you are well past the whole thing.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    @garygse: I thought about those tips on my last run, too. I’ve got the hips and string parts fairly solid, but I definitely noticed a fair amount of side-to-side motion in my upper body. Something to work on! I find focusing on brushing my hips with my wrists helps but it's hard to keep that going.

    @amirahdaboss: I’m finding it harder to run when it’s cold, too (although 34 degrees doesn’t count as extreme where I’m from!). I think it’s because my muscles tense when I’m cold and so I’m working against myself. The unevenness is frustrating, too. My butt and my face are always the coldest!

    @amymoreorless: I was really surprised with the socks that I only noticed the stuff between my toes by my big toe - I was expecting them to be much less comfortable. I generally can’t stand the feeling, either - I haven’t worn flip-flops since college and then only in the showers.

    @shanaber: I don’t remember if I read this or fell into it myself, but I try to lead with my boobs when I’m running - it feels silly but keeps my back and shoulders straight. Also, I remember you mentioning trying Strava to save batteries, but I keep forgetting to do it! Based on my last half, turning off the HRM should get me over that hump this time, but more wiggle room would be nice in the future.

    Question about cold weather gear: understanding that shoes are super individual and all, are there any tips to keep in mind for picking out trail shoes? REI is having a garage sale tomorrow and I’m planning on trying to get some insulated leggings and maybe a pair of trail shoes for running on uneven snow/ice this winter. I’ve only got about $150 to play with but expect the prices to be pretty good as it’s a members only sale on returned merchandise.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    RunRachelleRun wrote: »
    I finally got the biopsy results from my surgeon yesterday. What a wait! The melanoma was caught in an early stage (invasive malignant melanoma: pt1a), although it was deeper and more invasive than the initial punch biopsy showed. Luckily, the surgeon had taken wide enough margins to almost achieve the 1 cm clear margins all around that are desired. She said they decided another excision for deeper margins was not necessary at this time, and the cancer is considered excised. No further treatment is necessary. I need to have full-body mole and lymph node checks every three months for the next year and then at longer intervals after that. Basically, yay! Thanks for all the support when I first found out; it meant the world to me.

    I did end up cancelling our December Hawaii trip, which I now regret (of course). My surgeon had warned me that I may require further treatment, and we decided to play it safe to recoup some of our money.

    I caught a nasty cold last week (a good lesson to stay out of medical offices), and between my liver and my nose/throat/chest, running has continued to be difficult. I can feel it is finally drying up, so I hope I will soon catch up to where I was before this sick business began.

    11.56 miles / 25 miles

    It is unlikely I will meet my goal this month—again (sheesh). November will be my month!

    @RunRachelleRun I'm only halfway thru today's posts but I had to stop & say that is awesome news!
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    @MegaMooseEsq - I only wear trail shoes mostly to keep from slipping on grass when I am running agility but I love my Topo-MT2s. They have the nice wide toe box like Altras and a 3-4mm drop. They are super comfortable and have kept me from having my feet slide out from under me many times. I think they could transition well from trail and/or snow and ice to road as well.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    @MegaMooseEsq the best place in town to get trail shoes is TC Running Company. Those guys live and breath trail running. Kurt Decker, the owner, is at nearly ever trail race I go to, usually running an aid station. He'll be at my race tomorrow running the aid station and making his famous chocolate chip pancakes... Yum!

    Hey if you want to join me for a 5 mile lap as my pacer tomorrow let me know. It's at Theodore Wirth Park. I can have pacers after 1pm and after 6 hours I won't be very fast.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    @RunRachelleRun Great News.
    @emmab0902 Glad you found it and hope the doc's get it fixed up for you. You may not have been in the Running Group very much but you are still destroying the pool.

    @polskagirl01 Did a follow request, thanks for setting that up.

    Tonight is opening day for the curling season in town so one more activity in my schedule. Not sure if swimming is interfering with running or running is interfering with curling or ..........
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    @HonuNui, @shanaber, @kharmonic, @sarahthes, and @juliet3455 Thank you! It was most welcome news.

    @shanaber I'm so sorry about your foot. I hope the x-rays are clear and you get the treatment you need to speed up recovery. I imagine it will be very difficult to stay off it to allow it to heal without some sort of a boot and crutches. Sending you healing thoughts.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,199 Member
    Morning all! 16k run done this morning and it was very humbling. I concentrated the first 10k on hills and going slow - not so successful at the going slow lol. I was trying to keep to 6min/km for the first 10k and I did ok, definitely room for improvement - note slowing down haha.

    So the first km is flat with the beginning of an incline at the end, the next km is mostly climbing with the odd flat bit, then the 3rd km is varied. 3k is my first turn around. So what I did it go to the turn around, run back to the 1k mark, then turn around and go back up again (5ks run at that point) , and on the way back I turned around at the 2k mark and went back to my turn around point (9k run at that point), then back down to the start point, so by the time I get back to my original start point, I've done 12k, mostly up and down hills. The rest it my second out and back, so 2km out, and then back to the start point. I was had taken some jelly beans for the run, and used them during the first 12k. But I didn't have any water or drink.

    I did have a cup of water and another cup of gaterade at my start point. And I stopped and smashed down the gaterade, chased it with a little water cause sooo sweet. Then tipped the rest of the water over me, and kept going. I did stop for maybe 10-15 seconds. I also stripped off my tank and running belt and ran the last in just my bra.

    I think this was a bit late for the drink because I was really feeling it. I felt a little sick for a couple of moments after it, but that settled pretty quickly.
    And I think it took about 3k for the drinks to work it magic because the next 2km were sooo hard. I was starting to struggle mentally. But I pushed through, and at 15k I started feeling a little better and I was able to get back into my stride for the last km. At the 16k mark I was really glad to stop - whew - but I did feel I could have kept going another k ot two. So a very humbling experience actually.

    @garygse I had your post in mind as I was running and I practiced your suggestions. I realised I I don't activate gluteus or my abs much so I worked on that while running and I notice my abs are a little tender now haha.

    So I'm still feeling great, and on track for the half, and now I know that those last few ks are going to be challenging, but it's definitely a mental thing mostly.

    Also the new Balega socks are awesome! No blisters today! Thanks for the recommendations there.
  • garygse
    garygse Posts: 896 Member
    I'm glad everyone's finding @Stoshew71's advice helpful! :smile:

    @MegaMooseEsq Good luck with your race on Sunday!
    @RunRachelleRun The news about about your biopsy result is awesome, and must take a huge weight off the shoulders! Regarding the VO2Max/LT tests, I was well rested beforehand which helped a lot, and in between the two tests, the treadmill speed was lowered down to a walking pace to get my HR back down to under 130. Then they asked me to get my HR back to 145, and maintaining 145 for 5 minutes was probably enough (I assume...I have no idea) to flush enough of the excess lactate in the blood. The new HR zones haven't really changed too much from what I was using before (which I think was a slightly tweaked version of the 80/20 calculator HR zones):

    Z1 Warm Up
    Old: 118-134 ... New: 111-129
    Z2 Easy
    Old: 135-151 ... New: 130-149
    Z3 Aerobic
    Old: 152-167 ... New: 150-169
    Z4 Threshold
    Old: 168-187 ... New: 170-183
    Z5 Maximum
    Old: 188+ ... New: 184+
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    aaaah
    i was just thinking when we had some chilly weather i wish there were jackets or shirts that had a split for the watches
    and tadaaa and it doesn't cost and arm and a leg

    Just wanted to post and thank you for posting this link! My jacket arrived today and I love it. Haven't run in it yet but I love the color and weight and all the vents. And it was about a third the price of the last running rain jacket I bought. The only thing I was worried about was the built in buff looked potentially annoying and it turns out it has snaps so it can removed.
  • workaholic_nurse
    workaholic_nurse Posts: 727 Member
    edited October 2018
    Complete rest day today. Slept in and everything.
    @RunRachelleRun Yay for the great pathology report.
    @shanaber Hope your radiology report is promising.
    @MegaMooseEsq looking forward to Sunday's race report.
    @7lenny7 Would come pace for a lap if I still lived in the area, love Theo Wirth Park.

    Long slow run tomorrow. Have a great night everyone.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    @MegaMooseEsq the best place in town to get trail shoes is TC Running Company. Those guys live and breath trail running. Kurt Decker, the owner, is at nearly ever trail race I go to, usually running an aid station. He'll be at my race tomorrow running the aid station and making his famous chocolate chip pancakes... Yum!

    Hey if you want to join me for a 5 mile lap as my pacer tomorrow let me know. It's at Theodore Wirth Park. I can have pacers after 1pm and after 6 hours I won't be very fast.

    Aw, that sounds like a lot of fun and right in my neighborhood (my ten-miler last weekend was a loop from my house, around Wirth Lake, and back), but with the half on Sunday morning I want to keep the legs quiet tomorrow. Plus I spent two freaking hours on the phone with my mortgage broker today and need to actually work tomorrow if I want my next paycheck to have any heft to it. I’ll be wishing you luck, though - that race sounds bonkers! If I don’t have any luck tomorrow I’ll have to make the trip out to TC Running - it sounds like a great shop. The closest running store to me is a Running Room and I’ve had mixed experiences there.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited October 2018
    Okay, I thought of another question: I know it’s not what you’re supposed to do, but I’m considering bringing some jelly beans with me to nibble on during the half. I say “not supposed to” because I have never actually eaten anything mid run, although I did take 2-3 cups of energy drink during the last half and was fine. I meant to experiment with fueling in the meantime but totally forgot. I’ve never had any GI issues while running other than the occasional rumble. That said, I’ve never really felt like I needed anything during my long runs other than water, I’m just curious if the sugar might give me a bit of a boost, and also maybe help with the dry mouth I’ve been getting more often as the weather gets colder and drier. Plus I don’t like the taste of energy drinks. Bad idea, terrible idea, or other?
  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    Okay, I thought of another question: I know it’s not what you’re supposed to do, but I’m considering bringing some jelly beans with me to nibble on during the half. I say “not supposed to” because I have never actually eaten anything mid run, although I did take 2-3 cups of energy drink during the last half and was fine. I meant to experiment with fueling in the meantime but totally forgot. I’ve never had any GI issues while running other than the occasional rumble. That said, I’ve never really felt like I needed anything during my long runs other than water, I’m just curious if the sugar might give me a bit of a boost, and also maybe help with the dry mouth I’ve been getting more often as the weather gets colder and drier. Plus I don’t like the taste of energy drinks. Bad idea, terrible idea, or other?

    Lots of runners use jelly beans. There is even a special line of jelly beans for runners. I highly suggest you try it with a test run first of course, but eh, I have never obeyed the "nothing new on race day" rule myself so I do not really have room to talk there I guess. :smiley:

    I would still try the sports drinks because they have the electrolytes you need.
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,775 Member
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    @ContraryMaryMary I've just heard from the uni, and they have changed my schedule all around. I'm not meeting them at 11am and having the photoshoot at 12-1. I'm scheduled to do 12k on Wed, still keen to join in? Timing might be a bit tight though lol

    Hmm, could be a bit tricky. If you finish at 1pm and head out immediately it could work - we’re only 15-20 mins away. However, I’m only up for 6-7km... your call. Text me on 021 676 034 on the day if you like.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    LaDispute57 wrote: »
    I am sorry I have been so absent... I truly miss you guys... Many things have been demanding priority over my running, but I am getting up at 3 a.m. to drive 2 hours to my 50k race tomorrow. I am not ideally prepared since I have missed several weeks of running, but I signed up for it and I told everyone here that I was running it, so by God I will run the damn thing.

    @LaDispute57 have a strong race today!
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    https://loopet.dbspatial.com/details.php

    I'm bib number 22. I wouldn't expect to be on the board until some time around 8am central time

    Oh good someone to results-stalk today :D

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