January 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

mbaker566

@JulieS3103
i do wish i didn't work saturdays. it is nice race with friendly people

hmmm it is a tempting race. it would be more tempting if i didn't need to stay overnight

HonuNui

Thought some of you might enjoy this:
https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/12/28/dennis-rainear-bullet-man-marathon-sticky-wicket

allenwalker170

I haven't been on this thread in quite a while either. I kinda dip out during the hot summer months, but I'm getting back into it now. I have a friend I have been running 5Ks with, and she has entered us and a couple of other folks into a marathon relay for March 3rd. While I am slow, I can get through a 5K without too much problem. My leg of the upcoming race is going to be 7 miles, and I have been practicing for that by running the entire 7 mile leg. I have been trying various techniques for building endurance. Speed runs, long runs, and hills. Any thoughts on what would work best?

Azercord

By the end of the day I should be at almost 16 miles for the month. Just 104 more to go for my stretch goal.

@MobyCarp What were those gloves you were talking about with the wind shield? I really need to upgrade my gloves for the colder week or two that we have here down in AZ and I'm looking for recommendations to keep my hands warm. I have what would probably be considered a light weight pair and my hands are useless by the ends of my runs.

7lenny7

allenwalker170 wrote: »

I haven't been on this thread in quite a while either. I kinda dip out during the hot summer months, but I'm getting back into it now. I have a friend I have been running 5Ks with, and she has entered us and a couple of other folks into a marathon relay for March 3rd. While I am slow, I can get through a 5K without too much problem. My leg of the upcoming race is going to be 7 miles, and I have been practicing for that by running the entire 7 mile leg. I have been trying various techniques for building endurance. Speed runs, long runs, and hills. Any thoughts on what would work best?

@allenwalker170

My suggestion is to spend about 80% of your miles running at a conversational pace. This will get your body adapted to the longer runs and make your body more efficient at transporting oxygen to your muscles. If you can't talk when you run, you're not running at a conversational pace. Slow down.

Then I'd spend 10 percent of my time running hills (up and down) to build up leg strength. Take care to use short, quick strides, particularly on the downhill. Running downhill with big strides puts a heck of a lot of stress on the body. What I like to do, after a 15 minute warm up run, is find a hill which you can run up in about 30 seconds, then walk back down while you recover. Do this for 3 to 6 times. Then run downhill and walk back up, again 3 to 6 times, then continue your run.

The last 10 percent of my time I'd do simple speed work. My two favorite things are fartleks and strides. For a fartlek, after a sufficient warmup, pick a landmark 100 yards away, and slowly pick up your speed until you get there, then ramp back down. Do this several times. Strides are pretty much the same thing when I do them because I don't measure the distance. Again, I pick up the speed but with strides I go faster. Not an all-out sprint, but pretty close. Slowly ramp up, slowly ramp down. For me a stride is more intense. The benefits to this are that you improve your running economy when you run fast, and you are getting your brain to muscle communications and synapses used to running faster. Foot/eye coordination and all that. I find that after I do strides or fartleks, my slow conversational pace is a bit faster.

abowersgirl

mbaker566 wrote: »

this seems especially fast moving this month

sandlot seems like fun but i would want to switch directions at some point.

welcome newbies
welcome returnies
welcome newly uninjured

i did 7.4 miles yesterday. it might not have been my best decision. took 3 out of 4 dogs (foster puppy is too young).
it was icy but i did not bring my trax. note to self. always bring trax just in case. i didn't realize it was icy. it wasn't by my house. part of the trail i ran was completely iced over with a dusting of snow. so i hit the ground hard on my butt and wrist. butt hurts. wrist hurts. a lot of the trail has a grass edge so i ran along the edge in a lot of places. the dogs slipped a lot too.
old girl was loving it. speed demon wanted to go faster. china dog(meat trade dog from shanghai-foster) enjoyed it as soon as he realized what we were doing. he tried to hunt the chickadees and cardinals.
at some point, i thought i was smelling a little too much poo. i had attached a full bag to a leash. apparently, the cold made the bag brittle. poo over the leashes, my pants, my shirt, my spibelt, my vest. thankfully, i remembered ROTC and cleaning with snow. so took some packed snow and rubbed it all over. there was still a smell in the car but it wasn't visible any more.


prerun. asked speed demon if she wanted to go for a run.

onward

ice hiding underneath

slow and steady. only one fall

foster dog and speed demon in the back.

old girl loves getting out.

i think i'll make a plan and work toward the fall 50 in door county. i think if i do a marathon i will do the dolittle which is the trail(rails to trail) that i used yesterday. it's super flat.

i am going to give my trax a trial on a nearby trail (rails to trail) this weekend. i haven't actually used them

You poor thing...my gosh!!

On the bright side you are an amazing example to the rest of us lol

KerrieA87

1-1 2km
2-1 3.2km
3-1 5km 29m 49 not my fastest but my best since mid November

shanaber

For new runners worrying about pace, distances and max HR and HR zones
@mobycarp, @pastorvincent, @juliet3455 may chime in on the whole HR discussion but I wanted to mention a couple of things I learned when I first joined here. When you are first starting to run or starting over and haven't run for a while:
1) Slow down!
2) Don't try to go too far, build distance slowly
3) Slow down!
4) make sure you can talk, sing, have a conversation (even outlaid with yourself or your dog) without being breathless. If not you are going too fast!
5) Slow down!

Distance and pace will improve over time. Using C25K is a great way to start and don't worry about repeating weeks or taking longer to progress. Our bodies are all different and some of us need more time. Going slow and not pushing too hard gives your body a chance to adapt. Most importantly be consistent (run 3xwk or whatever your plans is, not once every other week or so). I also don't think it is too important to monitor HR zones when you are starting out unless you have a medical reason to keep an eye on it.

On HRs - below is a site where you can calculate your max HR and it does by a few various methods. It isn't scientific nor does it take into account your level of fitness (or not). So a max HR for someone who has been running and working out for years would calculate the same as someone who has never worked out and just sits all day. It does however give you a general method to actually measure your own max HR again, it isn't perfect but can give you a starting point. I happen to know (from my cardiologist) that my max HR is around 150. The calculation says 166... I also have a very low resting HR so my zones look very different from most peoples' and I cannot use the defaults in any of the monitors - they show me never getting out of zone 1.

https://healthiack.com/heart-rate-calculator#calculator

7lenny7

shanaber wrote: »

On HRs - below is a site where you can calculate your max HR and it does by a few various methods. It isn't scientific nor does it take into account your level of fitness (or not). So a max HR for someone who has been running and working out for years would calculate the same as someone who has never worked out and just sits all day. It does however give you a general method to actually measure your own max HR again, it isn't perfect but can give you a starting point. I happen to know (from my cardiologist) that my max HR is around 150. The calculation says 166... I also have a very low resting HR so my zones look very different from most peoples' and I cannot use the defaults in any of the monitors - they show me never getting out of zone 1.

https://healthiack.com/heart-rate-calculator#calculator

@shanaber, this is all great advice, thank you! I tried the site you linked to. My max HR based on experience is 183 but this site calculates 170. That's pretty far off when trying to hit a certain heart rate percentage (or heart rate reserve percentage), so your caveat is well taken. Use this as a starting point but don't be surprised if you discover it to be off from your actual max HR.

About max heart rate, though...max heart rate varies with age, not with fitness. You're rest heart rate does down as you get more fit, and you'll be able work harder at a given heart rate as you get more fit, but you can't change your maximum heart rate, either higher or lower no matter what you do, except for getting older, which will lower it.

ETA: Everything I've read, or at least recall, about max HR is that it's dependent on your age and you cannot change it. See this article.
https://www.active.com/fitness/articles/understanding-your-heart-rates-and-exercise

After posting the second paragraph above, I did a quick search and I see that may not be the case.
https://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/06/max-heart-rate-and-fitness.html

Joe Friel is pretty reliable with his information, so I'm retracting my paragraph above. I will say, with nothing to back me up, that I believe that a change in max HR is probably only going to be noticeable in hard-core athletes.

kristinegift

Got off work, went for a run. Got excited, ran too fast... . Legs are still a bit sore from racing Monday night and then falling on trails Tuesday, but they didn't seem to hold me back pace-wise.

January runs:
(12/31: NYE 4 mile race )
1/1: 8.2 trail miles
1/2: Rest day
1/3: 5 miles

January total miles: 13.2

----

2019 Races
March 24: Caesar Rodney Half Marathon (Goal: PR)
April 7: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (Goal: Sub-75)
April 28: New Jersey Marathon (Goal: BQ)
July 6: Finger Lake Fifties 50k (Goal: Finish)

RosCw

Goal: 25miles / 40k
Total so far: 4.65m/ 7.49km
01.01 0 miles/km
02.01 1.55m/ 2.49km
03.01 3.1m/ 5km

Elise4270

HonuNui wrote: »

Thought some of you might enjoy this:
https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2018/12/28/dennis-rainear-bullet-man-marathon-sticky-wicket

Wow. I guess I can’t use this sore hip or impending migraine to get out of my 2 mile TM run now. Thanks a lot bullet man.

marisap2010

Let me tell you, going on vacation is both wonderful and a curse because alllllll the work just piles up waiting for your return! I am so tired tonight, but I did complete two miles this evening.

Also, can I just say that I am really tired of rain? It has rained every day this week and is warm and humid and gross.

I’m off to shower and relax with some Great British Bake Off!

1/1: 3
1/3: 2

5/40 miles

Elise4270

marisap2010 wrote: »

Let me tell you, going on vacation is both wonderful and a curse because alllllll the work just piles up waiting for your return! I am so tired tonight, but I did complete two miles this evening.

That is usually the case over a holiday with us, buuuuut, lucky me - someone will have to pick up a few things that are time sensitive enjoy the bake off! I always want treats when I watch that show.

msarobix

@debrakgoogins & @ greenolivetree - thank you for bringing up the topic on heart rate.



I am glad to hear that I am not alone in the HIGH heart rate zone. I easily hit 160+ on most of my runs. Right now I am just getting back into running and I don’t run fast, 3.0-4.0 mph. Sometimes I get concerned that my heart rate is way too high, but it recovered very quickly when I take it back down to a walk. It will drop from 160+ to under 150 in a matter of a few minutes, and if I continue to walk it would even get closer to 130. I know the maximum heart rate calculation, 220-Age, but I really don’t know what % I should be working at most of the time. I have always been under the assumption that you should work at 75-85% of maximum for the most benefit, but going to 90-100% for short sprints followed by recovery. My max heart rate is 173, and 75-85% of that is only 129-147. And it is nearly impossible for me to keep my heart rate in this range. I can hold it steady between 150-155 if I run SLOW, but if it is a longer run segment or I pick up the pace at all, music moves me, then it can easily jump into the 160 and all the way up to maximum.

When my heart rate is between 150-160 I feel fine. In the low 150’s I feel like I could easily carry on a conversation and possibly even sing, and sometimes I do sing just to make sure I am not working too hard. It really isn’t until my heart rate is over 160 for more than a few minutes that it start to get a little harder, I am still not gasping for breath by any stretch, but I definitely wouldn’t be able to sing. I could talk, but it would only be a few words at a time.

I monitor my heart rate with my Apple Watch, and I recently did a comparison with a chest strap and they were within a couple of beats of each other.

Any suggestions, should I be concerned about this. I was thinking of going to the doctor to have a physical and ask these questions, but I have been thinking about doing that for more than 5 years and I just keep putting it off.


@katharmonic - LOL! Your spreadsheet sounds EXACTLY like mine. I figure the more I track the more I ways I can challenge myself. I also graph mine out as well. I pull the data from several place and compile it on one spreadsheet. Looking at it each month is very motivational, and gets me moving because I always want to try to improve each month even if it is just a little bit over the previous month.

@Elise4270 - That is awesome. I think my OCD would kick in and I would have trouble not responding right away after reading a post, and in order to help keep the number of posted down I would want to reply to everyone in my daily post, as I am doing here. But that would be a good way to keep up. Thanks for the tip.

@shanaber - Thanks for the info on the spreadsheet discussion. I will search for that as soon as I get caught up on this thread tonight.

Elise4270

msarobix wrote: »

@Elise4270 - That is awesome. I think my OCD would kick in and I would have trouble not responding right away after reading a post, and in order to help keep the number of posted down I would want to reply to everyone in my daily post, as I am doing here. But that would be a good way to keep up. Thanks for the tip.

Oh we’re way past curtailing the number of posts in this thread. If I’m tagged, I can’t help but to reply immediately. I just know not to check in until I have time to reply. It has actually been the reason I’ve been getting up earlier, coffee and the morning running update!

sarahthes

1/1 - 5.05km
1/2 - rest
1/3 - 3.00km

8.05 / 62 km

Got my January schedule from my coach yesterday so I revised my goal for the month. She gives a range for each run so I took the middle of the range as my target.

Today called for 2-4km easy, and then a few quick lower leg strengthening exercises. Today's run felt easier than many I've had in a while with what felt like a lot less walking and a more consistent pace. The data backs that up - all of my walk breaks today were either to cross the street or to fiddle with my phone, and I maintained a slow but much more steady pace.

Today:


Dec 19:

2019 Races:
1/1/19 Resolution Run (51:54)
5/5/19 BMO Vancouver Marathon (Half)
8/17/19 Edmonton Marathon

Scott6255

6.2 miles. Finally, the first run of 2019. It was cold and windy but just embraced the suck and did it. Felt good, took it easy, adding a few strides along the way.

7lenny7

msarobix wrote: »

When my heart rate is between 150-160 I feel fine. In the low 150’s I feel like I could easily carry on a conversation and possibly even sing, and sometimes I do sing just to make sure I am not working too hard. It really isn’t until my heart rate is over 160 for more than a few minutes that it start to get a little harder, I am still not gasping for breath by any stretch, but I definitely wouldn’t be able to sing. I could talk, but it would only be a few words at a time.

If you can sing in the low 150's then that's exactly where you should be. Don't get lost in the data. You don't need to know your HR at all if you follow the guiding concept of "conversational pace". Don't judge yourself on your pace. It takes quite a bit of time time for your body to make the adaptations to allow you to run at a faster pace for a given effort. Patience and consistency is key. Keep at it, slowly, and you will improve.

That equation 220 - age = max HR is notoriously flawed. I wouldn't base anything on that. The good news is that you don't need to know your max HR.

People get injured when they try to do too much, too fast, too soon.

rheddmobile

Well... I'm gonna call that 10k on trails, even though it was more like 6.6 miles and we walked part of it - or more precisely wandered around like mooncalves trying to find the right path.

Although we often run at Shelby Farms we stick to the paved trails, and in particular we have never run the 10k course which is coming up as part of our Winter Off-road series. So today we decided to test out the race route. It's been raining for the past two days and was very sloppy - at one point my husband said, "I don't think this is supposed to be a trail, it's a creek bed." We retraced our path looking for the actual trail. It turned out the creek bed was the trail.

I did high volume leg training yesterday and after about five miles of being lost and confused and stuck in the mud I was about fed up with trail running. My quads are so sore. I'm glad we did this because these trails are significantly more hilly and uneven than the ones we usually run at WC Johnson. We need to do it again now that we more or less know where we're going.

Experienced trail runners, a question: is there any special trick for running on grass? I really hate running on grass. It's like running on an even surface, but then you hit a soft hidden spot or a mole burrow or a rock and it's a lot of impact on your legs. This race has almost a mile at the beginning and end which is grass, and I swear I prefer being stuck in the mud!

Running trails does have some blessings even on a rough day - we saw several deer, including a pair who were only about ten feet away, and heard a great horned owl!

Look at how convoluted our run was! I think we managed to hit all the sections of the race course at least once, but we did a couple of extra bits as well.