February 2019 Monthly Running Challenge
Options
Replies
-
@shanaber - this is a great idea, thanks! My dad is more of a leader than a follower in this kind of thing, so I’ll see what I can do..@simcon1 - Have your dad use Strava too. He can run the app on his watch and it interfaces with Apple Health so he will get the activity credit there too. Best of all you can follow each other on Strava too!
1 -
Okay, I am officially allowed to think about running again. My first post-marathon run is scheduled for Sunday.
I can finally walk down stairs without pain and my ankle is only stiff instead of painful.
February Goal Miles = 120 / Miles to Date = 019 -
PastorVincent wrote: »Non-running update...
My 15 year old son's girlfriend was over for dinner last night and said to Tim (after I left the room when she thought I was out of earshot -as if) "I like your dad, he's cool."
I think that is a win for the parental units!
@PastorVincent You are so very much winning the parent thing! My daughter didn’t admit I was kind-of cool/okay until she turned 22.
8 -
amymoreorless wrote: »PastorVincent wrote: »Non-running update...
My 15 year old son's girlfriend was over for dinner last night and said to Tim (after I left the room when she thought I was out of earshot -as if) "I like your dad, he's cool."
I think that is a win for the parental units!
@PastorVincent You are so very much winning the parent thing! My daughter didn’t admit I was kind-of cool/okay until she turned 22.
Oh, for sure a major parental accomplishment!! Mine is 10. We are so not cool anymore!5 -
And in non running news, our family expanded today! Finally 1.5 years after our fur baby died, hubby finally agreed to get a new one. The kids (4.5 and 2.5) are over the moon. Suggestions on names? This little guy is so laid back. Bought him home, he spent all afternoon sleeping (and being hauled around by said kids) which is totally appropriate given how hot it is, and has not tried to escape even though doors have been left open.
@Avidkeo Squee!!! Little squishy kitten face....
He looks like a Mr. Floofy Wiggle Poof (the second). I rate him a 10/10 on the D’Awww Scale due to his adorable boopable nose and fuzziness.7 -
Also, I switched to Strava from Runkeeper in the beginning of January—I’d stuck with Runkeeper so long because my 70-year old dad was using it and running, and we live across the country from each other, so that’s been a nice connection. Now he’s gone all Apple Watch on me, though, so I’m moving on! But it means I’ll go find this group on Strava! Edited to add—I just looked for details on how to find the group, but couldn’t find them—any tips?
The Strava group can be found here.5 -
rheddmobile wrote: »Anyone on this thread still doing the Sally Push-up Challenge? Attempt #3 as promised, decided to see if I could make it through the whole song doing them on a chair seat, in other words with my hands elevated about 18 inches. Last attempt was 2:11 doing standard flat toe push-ups. This time made it to 3:15, so nope, not yet, even cheating with the chair seat! But so close, the whole song is 3:53. Gonna try again two days from now, and when I can finish at chair seat level will start working down to doing them flat by using my stairs.
I am. I haven't done it in a few days. I keep getting migraines and life gets in the way... I'm encouraged by your fast progress!
Saving a separate post here.. i have a non running question.
Of course you try to lose weight and can't. You don't try, and don't even manage to get in any activity and mysteriously drop 2-3 pounds and have no appetite. Life is stressful. And i have started classes, which keep me away from the evening snacking... As i mentioned, i keep getting migraines (likely a stress indicator).
At what point do you say, "its a normal stess reaction" or perhaps "something more sinister could be at work, see a doc"?
I suppose in keeping with my go to self answer- "if i think i should see a doc, i should see my doc.
I'm all about the easy weight loss (thank you universe), but... I realize it could be a warning sign. Maybe i have brain cancer. Or am just not eating right.9 -
rheddmobile wrote: »Anyone on this thread still doing the Sally Push-up Challenge? Attempt #3 as promised, decided to see if I could make it through the whole song doing them on a chair seat, in other words with my hands elevated about 18 inches. Last attempt was 2:11 doing standard flat toe push-ups. This time made it to 3:15, so nope, not yet, even cheating with the chair seat! But so close, the whole song is 3:53. Gonna try again two days from now, and when I can finish at chair seat level will start working down to doing them flat by using my stairs.
I am. I haven't done it in a few days. I keep getting migraines and life gets in the way... I'm encouraged by you fast progress!
Saving a separate post here.. i have a non running question.
Of course you try to lose weight and can't. You don't try, and don't even manage to get in any activity and mysteriously drop 2-3 pounds and have no appetite. Life is stressful. And i have started classes, which keep me away from the evening snacking... As i mentioned, i keep getting migraines (likely a stress indicator).
At what point do you say, "its a normal stess reaction" or perhaps "something more sinister could be at work, see a doc"?
I suppose in keeping with my go to self answer- "if i think i should see a doc, i should see my doc.
I'm all about the easy weight loss (thank you universe), but... I realize it could be a warning sign. Maybe i have brain cancer. Or am just not eating right.
Yep, if you think you should see a doc, see a doc. But migraines can be just horrible without anything else going on, and they can manifest in new ways even after years. My husband didn't start getting visual auras with his until he was in his 40s - it was terrifying the first time he started seeing strange patterns and going blind! I have a friend who throws up continually during hers.5 -
rheddmobile wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »Anyone on this thread still doing the Sally Push-up Challenge? Attempt #3 as promised, decided to see if I could make it through the whole song doing them on a chair seat, in other words with my hands elevated about 18 inches. Last attempt was 2:11 doing standard flat toe push-ups. This time made it to 3:15, so nope, not yet, even cheating with the chair seat! But so close, the whole song is 3:53. Gonna try again two days from now, and when I can finish at chair seat level will start working down to doing them flat by using my stairs.
I am. I haven't done it in a few days. I keep getting migraines and life gets in the way... I'm encouraged by you fast progress!
Saving a separate post here.. i have a non running question.
Of course you try to lose weight and can't. You don't try, and don't even manage to get in any activity and mysteriously drop 2-3 pounds and have no appetite. Life is stressful. And i have started classes, which keep me away from the evening snacking... As i mentioned, i keep getting migraines (likely a stress indicator).
At what point do you say, "its a normal stess reaction" or perhaps "something more sinister could be at work, see a doc"?
I suppose in keeping with my go to self answer- "if i think i should see a doc, i should see my doc.
I'm all about the easy weight loss (thank you universe), but... I realize it could be a warning sign. Maybe i have brain cancer. Or am just not eating right.
Yep, if you think you should see a doc, see a doc. But migraines can be just horrible without anything else going on, and they can manifest in new ways even after years. My husband didn't start getting visual auras with his until he was in his 40s - it was terrifying the first time he started seeing strange patterns and going blind! I have a friend who throws up continually during hers.
Thanks. I'll make an *appointment, maybe my migraine med just needs adjusted. It does not work anymore. I suppose it could also be menopausal/hormonal changes type stuff going on. I am old AF., 48. But its like im 84.
*ETA done. Dont you just love technology?5 -
martaindale wrote: »amymoreorless wrote: »PastorVincent wrote: »Non-running update...
My 15 year old son's girlfriend was over for dinner last night and said to Tim (after I left the room when she thought I was out of earshot -as if) "I like your dad, he's cool."
I think that is a win for the parental units!
@PastorVincent You are so very much winning the parent thing! My daughter didn’t admit I was kind-of cool/okay until she turned 22.
Oh, for sure a major parental accomplishment!! Mine is 10. We are so not cool anymore!
Mine are 41 and 38 and I've NEVER been cool...8 -
martaindale wrote: »amymoreorless wrote: »PastorVincent wrote: »Non-running update...
My 15 year old son's girlfriend was over for dinner last night and said to Tim (after I left the room when she thought I was out of earshot -as if) "I like your dad, he's cool."
I think that is a win for the parental units!
@PastorVincent You are so very much winning the parent thing! My daughter didn’t admit I was kind-of cool/okay until she turned 22.
Oh, for sure a major parental accomplishment!! Mine is 10. We are so not cool anymore!
Mine are 41 and 38 and I've NEVER been cool...
Mine are 27, 23 & 23. I'm just a bank.10 -
Today was my first trail race, the Groundhog Grinder 5K. It was held at Dauset Trails, a nature center about 40 miles away from home. Dauset is the home of General Beauregard Lee, the Georgia alternative to Puxatawny Phil. I arrived about an hour before the race to pick up my bib and shirt and then headed over to see the General’s prediction. He saw his shadow.
[img][/img]
I then headed back to the trail head and watched the start of the half marathon. About 10 minutes later, the 5K began. They made it clear that anyone planning to walk needed to be in the back. This did NOT happen. There were a huge number of people who slowed to a walk as soon as we got into the woods. Two women right in front of me recognized each other and proceeded to stop and hug in the middle of the trail. There were also groups of walking chatters. They all started in the first half of the pack, and it took good half mile or so to get around them and get into a groove.
Once I got past all of those people, it cleared out significantly, and I would come upon people to pass every minute or so. I didn’t take any pictures of the trail while running, but this is a photo I took last time I visited. The trail has lots of ups and down, and while you have to keep an eye out for rocks and roots, it was clear otherwise.
[img][/img]
Garmin says I finished in 39:06. I don’t know my chip time yet. I really think that if I had not been having to weave around all of the walkers, I could have finished 2-3 minutes faster. At the end they had music and beer from a local brewery. I didn’t get an award for my age group, but my Garmin time wasn’t too far behind the girl who got third, so I felt pretty good.
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
16 -
@marisap2010 Great race report!1
-
February Running Totals (miles)
2/1 –5.16 course preview
2/2 – 7.29 warmup, commute, 8K XC race
February running total to date – 12.45
Nominal February mileage goal: 190 miles
Real Goals: Train well toward Boston. Work the February races into the training plan smoothly. Remain uninjured, even if it means cutting back on planned mileage or races.
Today's notes – USATF national events are a lesson in humility. I am typically top of my age group and not many places back from the leaders in local races. The fast runners show up for USATF national events. It's a tough field, and I will probably never place in my age group as an individual. I take comfort in the fact that I actually belong in that tough field, and can finish ahead of median in my age group if I have a good race.
For some time, I have said that I can be a good 3rd runner on a team, but if I'm the lead runner our team is not going to be on the podium. For the team to do well, we need at least one and preferably two runners who are faster than I am. (Three would take all the pressure off me.)
Today was the 2019 USATF Cross Country Championships, held at Apalachee Regional Park near Tallahassee, FL. For the Masters Men's 8K, gun time was 9:15. Temperature was 57º F (14º C), skies were overcast, wind was negligible, and the ground was a bit damp from light rain overnight.
My team captain is hurt. He said he would try to keep the gap between himself and our other two likely scoring runners as small as possible, and I needed to go out and kill it. My goal was to run 8K in under 33 minutes, and let the standings fall where they may.
8K is run as 3 loops. The first two loops are about 3K, the third is about 2K, allowing for the 500m from the top of "the wall" to the finish line. The wall is the most significant hill on the course. It's deceptive. Running up the wall is no big deal at an easy pace, or at marathon pace. It's not long enough to be debilitating at race pace . . . the first time. They you run 3K and do it again. Then you only get 2K recovery before doing it again. And if you're running the race hard, the third time up the wall is a real challenge.
In December 2016, at the top of the wall the third time I would have been compelled to slow to a walk if it hadn't changed to downhill right where it did.
Today, I kept in mind what I saw in 2016 and on yesterday's course preview. I ran near-perfect tangents. The first loop, everyone ahead of me was running good tangents. The second and third loops, I was puzzled that the runners ahead of me were following the curves instead of running good tangents; I know I passed at least two guys by running better tangents than they did. And I remember seeing lots of orange "60" bibs (my age group) on the backs of guys who are ahead of me. After the race, another guy mentioned that I was part of a pack of 6 or 8 guys in that age group for much of the race. I suppose I was; but in real time, it looked like a bunch of guys were ahead of me.
One of the unique things about a competitive race is you only see the runners who are ahead of you. I have no idea how much of a pack of 60 year olds was running tight on my *kitten*.
At the bottom of the hill the third time, there were footsteps close behind me. Okay, I've been here. Challenge the hill, in a controlled manner. The footsteps faded to nothing. I passed a guy in an Atlanta jersey. Then I caught and passed my team's lead runner. Told him "tangent left" as we approached the finish line, having been disappointed by seeing him run poor tangents earlier in the loop. Then I had to slow down to keep from puking, because that's how hard I was working. And I know I will lose more time if I puke than if I slow down enough to not puke. So the Atlanta guy cruised past our former lead runner and past me. Sigh. I finished something like 6 seconds behind him, and 3 seconds ahead of our other runner. We both ran under 33 minutes; our team captain ran about 35 minutes.
Tough field. I was 49th of 107 overall, 10th of 30 in the M 60-64 age group. But our team did well for having an injured runner who should normally be well ahead of me. We tied for 3rd on points, and brought home the medals on the tiebreaker:
I'm pretty happy with how the race went. The best decision of the weekend was when I decided to fly out a day early. That let me get 10 hours of sleep Thursday night, before Friday's inevitable late team dinner and team meeting, and be well enough rested to run well and really enjoy the race today. I believe this showed up in the results; if I had flown out Friday, I don't think I would have run well enough for our team to make the podium.
That, and I've really enjoyed not having winter for 2 days. Looking at the forecast, it's supposed to be up around 39º F (+4º C) when I get home late tomorrow. That beats the heck out of a Fahrenheit temperature that starts with a minus sign.
2019 Races:
January 1, 2019 Freezeroo #2 (Resolution Run 7.5 mile) (Mendon, NY) finished in 50:55
January 5, 2019 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) finished in 1:30:48
January 12, 2019 Freezeroo #3 (Pineway Ponds 5 Mile) (Spencerport, NY) finished in 33:10
January 26, 2019 Freezeroo #4 (Hearnish 5 mile) (Victor, NY) 4.9 miles, finished in 32:28
February 2, 2019 USATF XC Championship, Masters 8K (Tallahassee, FL)
February 9, 2019 Freezeroo #5 (Tom Brannon 8 mile) (Greece, NY)
February 23, 2019 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 4.4 mile) (Webster, NY)
March 16, 2019 USATF Masters 8K Championship (Shamrock 8K) (Virginia Beach, VA) finished in 32:53
April 13, 2019 BAA 5K (Boston, MA)
April 15, 2019 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA to Boston, MA)
November 3, 2019 TCS New York City Marathon (New York, NY)17 -
@martaindale Well run race and congrats on the sub30 5k!
@marisap2010 Congrats on a race well run and Happy Birthday!
@kgirlhart Love the overrun to get your distance in on strava, LOL
@Elise4270 Hopefully the doctor can give some answers to the increased migraine/unexpected weight loss issue!
@PastorVincent My son was in his early 20's before he figured out I may know what I am talking about. OTOH his longterm GF has thought I was pretty cool for a while now. (Good thing because I believe wedding bells are in the future )
@MobyCarp Congrats on the 3rd place team finish! Sounds like your race management strategy paid off and you ran a really good race!
@polskagirl01 That night race sounds amazing, looking forward to your race report to hear how your race management strategy went.
Today's run was my distance run for the next couple of weeks. It was supposed to be 16 miles, ended up at 15.8 and change per strava. I made it out to the dam and the turnaround, hit 14 miles just a sec after the turnaround and headed back down the dam path, paved trail. Hit 15 miles about 2/3 of the way back to the start of the path and was supposed to continue to the entrance of the campground but my wife was waiting at the end of the trail. Continued past the end of the path and looped the park parking and boat access lots even heading a smidge back down the dam trail trying to get over that 16 mile mark. Finally gave in and headed back to the pavilion for some stretching and hydration. Overall pace today was markedly faster than the last dam run I did,12:21/mile today vs 13:17/mile 2 weeks ago. Overall effort did not feel any harder nor did I feel OOB at any time, so meh. IDK what happened but everything just seemed to click right along today. Get picked up by wife, head to lunch at local pizza joint with some amazing New York style pizza(the owner is from Brooklyn) and salad, then back home to nap with the wife for a couple of hours, as we didn't hit the rack until about 2 am and I woke up at about 0830 to hit my run. Tonight is bowling for 3 hours and a recovery run of about 4 miles tomorrow.
Hope everyone's weekend is going well and I have absolutely loved reading everyone's race reports!
This run also marks a new distance PR for me so /happy dance.
"Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running."-Julie Isphording, former Olympic runner15 -
@MobyCarp Excellent race and fantastic effort on your part. Congratulations on your 3rd place team win!!1
-
@marisap2010 Great race!
@MobyCarp way to gut out that finish! 3rd place team at the championship is awesome!
@workaholic_nurse congrats on the distance PR! Pizza and salad (and nap) are great ways to celebrate that!2 -
Today I got to run 3.8 miles and I’m on the board for February! Not much to report. The expected abnormally warm weather arrived (38 F) but as it was also overcast and fairly damp it was less pleasant than it could have been. Don’t get me wrong, it felt great to be out, but I’d have loved to have gotten some of that sun that was shining down on us when it was -25F three days ago. So it goes.
Lots of other runners and walkers out, but only two others in shorts. I am disappointed in my fellow Minnesotans. 38 in February is CLEARLY shorts weather.
What a difference three days and 70 degrees makes, and yet this would still be considered cold in California!
My butt was still cold, though. #always
@eleanorhawkins : Be careful that you’re not wearing cushioned running shoes for strength training - ideally you want to wear a flat, minimal shoe or just socks. Cushioning throws off your center of gravity and balance when strength trining and makes it more difficult to push through your feet properly on lifts. I wear tennis shoes for strength trining, a lot of places recommend converse sneakers. Most of the women at my gym (which has a lot of serious powerlifters) just wear socks or go barefoot.
@Elise4270: I wouldn’t worry about losing 2-3 pounds, but I would worry about migraines and loss of appetite. Good luck with your appointment. Also, shut it about 48 being old! /hugs
Re: cool parents: I thought my dad was super cool when I was a kid and into my 20s. Then I realized he’s a narcissistic, emotionally abusive d-bag. I still love him, though. Families are complicated.
2/1 Fr - rest
2/2 Sa - 0:40:33 - 3.80 miles
February Mileage Total: 3.8 / 45 miles
2019 Races! (italics under consideration)
January 26: Securian 10K Chip time: 1:05:07
February 16: Half Fast 10K
March 23: Hot Dash 10Mi
April 27: Get In Gear 10K ($5 price jump 1/31)
May 19: Women Run the Cities 10K (rolling registration cost)
June 1: Grand Teton Half, Jackson WY
June 12: ESTRS French 5K
June 29: Lift Bridge 10K
July 10: ESTRS Lebanon 7Mi OR
July 17: Torchlight 5K
July 27: St. Croix Crossing Half OR
August 3: Minnesota Half Marathon 10Mi OR
August 7: ESTRS SLP 5Mi OR
August 10: Gopher to Badger 10K
September 8: Sioux Falls Half Marathon
September 21: Surly Trail Loppet 7Mi
October 5: TCM 10K or 10Mi
November: Undecided Half?
November 28: Turkey Trot St. Paul 10K
December: Undecided 10K13 -
Started off the month with a "long" run of 5.5 miles - my longest ever. The weather was quite mild (55+ and partly cloudy), but my legs were a bit tired for whatever reason today. The last mile or so was /a serious struggle. Still, I managed an average pace of 11:38 min/mi, which I was fairly happy with. And then I went for margaritas and Mexican food as a reward. Lol. I'm starting to believe that a sub-1 hour 10k by the end of the year is an achievable goal!
5.5/55.0 miles for February so far12 -
Ug, all this talk of shoes wearing out made me think I should really go ahead and buy a second pair of my street shoes (Brooks Ghosts) but now I can't find the 10s in my size anywhere online! ARG! Anyone switched from the 10s to the 11s?0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 394 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 945 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions