February 2019 Monthly Running Challenge
Replies
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A bit more on this... I mentioned to Nita that I was going to share the book here after our discussion on depression and wanting to run but not being able to actually get out the door.I need to go back and get caught up but wanted to share this book from a FB friend in a running group I am in there. I think it goes to the heart of our discussion on depression.
https://www.amazon.com/Depression-Hates-Moving-Target-Running/dp/1642500135?fbclid=IwAR10dzKcv1pIW2pF6OYd2HfEiVgcE0nF8MBVdlojI-ZKy_GZfjjxjCQuxgs
This was her reply
'I needed a lot of structure - a race, a training plan, a group like this. Sadly, the book might make it look a bit too easy because I think I was hypomanic a bit of the time. Now, especially with the busyness of book preorder promotion, I've had to pull way back. No races scheduled. I still go to my group, but wow some days it's nearly impossible to get going. I have to let myself start over, let myself be slow as molasses, let myself be "bad" and "a loser" and all those other names I call myself. I have to be a beginner and that's okay. Once I get started, I remember my competence. I remember my fitness (that isn't nearly as lost as my mind tells me it is). I remember how good running feels. My mind really is trying to kill me - still.'
I like that insight from her. My hesitation about books like this (and I know we've talked about this here before so excuse my soapbox moment) is that they can feed into the idea that mental illnesses can be cured with exercise if you just try hard enough. In reality, for many if not most people with mental illness, it's next to impossible to build or maintain a healthy physical routine until you get your mental health in order through therapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Exercise is a fantastic tool for maintaining mental health once you've reached a point of some stability, but that isn't quite snappy enough for a book cover.5 -
February goal: 75 miles
2/2: 13.11 miles
2/5: 5.16 miles
2/6: 5.10 miles
2/7: 5.15 miles
2/10: 8.71 miles
2/12: 3.25 miles
2/13: 3.26 miles
2/14: 5.50 miles
2/17: 9.32 miles
2/18: 3.13 miles
2/20: 3.26 miles
64.95/75 miles completed
I had a pretty nice 3.26 mile run today at lunch. It was a little chillier than I expected, but much nicer than yesterday. We didn't really get all the ice they predicted, but it was still cold and wet yesterday and I was glad I ran on Monday. It was really cold this morning and then sunny so I thought it would be nicer at lunch, but the clouds starting coming in and it did feel cooler than expected.
2019 Races:
2/2/19: Catch the Groundhog Half Marathon - PR 2:15:17
5/18/19: Run for 57th AHC Half Marathon6 -
@kristinegift That is an awesome picture! I hope you win!
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@kristinegift Love Love Love that picture! You WILL win!3
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Hey everyone! February has been a mess for my running. First vacation and now I'm sick. I think I've rested more days than run. Ugh.9
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2.5 miles of treadmill intervals today. Definitely not going to make my goal this month.
30.5/55.0 miles for February so far.6 -
So Cyclone Oma is lurking out to sea, and while it's most likely to miss us, it has delivered lots of cloud and unbelievable humidity. However, when the weather does break - sometime this weekend - we're due for wet (hasn't rained since Christmas) and cold (woohoo). Can't wait.
Running challenge
1 Feb: 6.9km
2 Feb: Yoga
3 Feb: 10.2km
4 Feb: 7.54 km + yoga
5 Feb: Rest
6 Feb: 6.8km trail, plus 1km on-road warm up
7 Feb: 15.5km
8 Feb: 1500m swim
9 Feb: 7km
10 Feb: Rest
11 Feb: 10.8km
12 Feb: Rest
13 Feb: Yoga
14 Feb: 10.8km
15 Feb: 5.37km + pilates
16 Feb: 7.45km + yoga
17 Feb: 7km + 1.5km run with kids
18 Feb: Pilates + yoga
19 Feb: 13.12km + 1140m swimming
20 Feb: yoga
21 Feb: 8.39km
119.37 of 120km for February7 -
Love all the crazy orange cat stories! I'm gald the new kitten, Beary is grey.
I know i was amped to run twice a day, then ran and remembered why i wasn't running... Eh... Maybe I'll try every 2 days one mile.7 -
@kristinegift That is an awesome picture! I hope you win!
YES! Go team #kristineforthewin!4 -
Made it out today! Well, in, since it was a treadmill run, but it still counts. Because of the knee pain, I took what was supposed to be 2 days of rest/cross training between my long run and my next run and turned it into 3 days, and hopefully it’s done the trick. Did 4 relatively easy miles, but got some pretty bad heartburn in the middle of it thanks to eating hot Cheetos a little too close to run time. I don’t recommend.
2/1: 3.5 miles
2/2: 5 miles
2/5: 4.3 miles
2/6: 2.2 miles
2/7: 3.5 miles
2/9: 5 miles
2/11: 0.5 miles
2/12: 3.75 miles
2/13: 2.25 miles
2/15: 4 miles
2/16: 6 miles
2/20: 4 miles
Cumulative total for February: 44/55 or 63.5 miles9 -
No run yet, spent that time in the chair at the dentist while they drilled a hole in me. Might get on dreadmill later not sure on rest of night yet.6
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PastorVincent wrote: »@MobyCarp Three years ago at Pittsburg (I think it was three, might be 2 or 4) a coworker of my actually did run the full marathon by mistake. Right around mile 12, there is a turnoff. You either bear left and head towards the finish of the half, or you go straight and continue on the full.
He missed that turn somehow and someplace around mile 14 or 15 he realized it said, "ah well might as well finish it now" and completed the full as his first marathon, but ended up with a DNF in the half and no official time for the full. I suspect he could have talked to the race people and worked something out, but he never tried as far as I know.
I have seen that turn off, and I have no clue how he missed it. I mean there are signs, flags, and people all yelling and etc. I mean they make it SO clear that when I pass it I start to wonder if I was supposed to turn too. heh.
A couple years ago there was a 9 year old girl who missed the turn for her 5K and ended up running the entire Flower City Half Marathon. Her parents were frantic. By the time anyone found her she had run 8 or 9 miles, figured out what had happened, and wanted to finish the half. The organizers and her parents let her finish, and she got a half marathon finishers' medal.
However, that was a case of a runner known in the local community, with peers who had run this particular half and training runs of 8 or 9 miles. It likely wouldn't have played out that way for a random kid running a 5K who was barely trained to run the shorter distance.6 -
I've had a phone call from my doctor asking me to have a blood test redone because of a low white blood cell count. Given the cancer history in my family, I'm freaking out. However, it could be the result of just a virus, or, as Google tells me, endurance athletes can have low white cell counts. Anyone experience this?16
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6.2 miles tonight. Feels like I haven't run in a month, but it has really only been 6 days. Just tried to go easy after coming off being sick. Wasn't that bad. HR only 119, at just :20 sec/mi over marathon pace.
Just like @RunsOnEspresso, this month has been terrible for running with vacation and being sick. So not going to come close to goal, but feel lucky I will be healthy at the end of the month
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Random cat picture, because that seems to be customary for the bunch of posts I just worked through:
I got Maya in 2014. She was about a year old, and I needed a cat to console me about my stress fracture that was keeping me from running. Pretty markings, rather ordinary purr, frequently wants more attention than I want to give her when I'm busy with a mental challenge. And currently sitting on my lap, purring while I type this.14 -
PastorVincent wrote: »@MobyCarp Three years ago at Pittsburg (I think it was three, might be 2 or 4) a coworker of my actually did run the full marathon by mistake. Right around mile 12, there is a turnoff. You either bear left and head towards the finish of the half, or you go straight and continue on the full.
He missed that turn somehow and someplace around mile 14 or 15 he realized it said, "ah well might as well finish it now" and completed the full as his first marathon, but ended up with a DNF in the half and no official time for the full. I suspect he could have talked to the race people and worked something out, but he never tried as far as I know.
I have seen that turn off, and I have no clue how he missed it. I mean there are signs, flags, and people all yelling and etc. I mean they make it SO clear that when I pass it I start to wonder if I was supposed to turn too. heh.
A couple years ago there was a 9 year old girl who missed the turn for her 5K and ended up running the entire Flower City Half Marathon. Her parents were frantic. By the time anyone found her she had run 8 or 9 miles, figured out what had happened, and wanted to finish the half. The organizers and her parents let her finish, and she got a half marathon finishers' medal.
However, that was a case of a runner known in the local community, with peers who had run this particular half and training runs of 8 or 9 miles. It likely wouldn't have played out that way for a random kid running a 5K who was barely trained to run the shorter distance.
I imagine that must have been very scary for the parents until she was found.1 -
So, I do not have a pet cat, but last night we almost got one it seems. Whoever this critter is, they wanted in!
(video is only a few seconds long)6 -
ContraryMaryMary wrote: »I've had a phone call from my doctor asking me to have a blood test redone because of a low white blood cell count. Given the cancer history in my family, I'm freaking out. However, it could be the result of just a virus, or, as Google tells me, endurance athletes can have low white cell counts. Anyone experience this?
Not time to freak out. There are various reasons for it. I would just get the test redone and forget it until you hear back. 6 -
February Running Totals (miles)
2/1 –5.16 course preview
2/2 – 7.29 warmup, commute, 8K XC race
2/3 – 10.81 easy
2/4 – rest day
2/5 – 10.52 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/6 – 8.78 easy
2/7 – 7.59 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/8 – rest day
2/9 – 11.50 warmup, 8 mile race
2/10 – 13.33 MP with hills
2/11 – rest day
2/12 – 8.21 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/13 – 6.31 easy
2/14 – 8.33 easy to MP
2/15 – rest day
2/16 – 20.04 group run + solo miles
2/17 – 13.17 easy with hills
2/18 – rest day
2/19 – 7.55 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/20 – 16.01 easy with hills
February running total to date – 156.60
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 and yesterday's notes – Went to club practice yesterday evening. The marathon plan called for 2 x 3 miles at T, but I hadn't done the full workout from last week that was intended to build toward that. Told Coach I was thinking about doing last week's workout, and he said that was a good idea.
Modified the workout slightly for being on an indoor track. Set out to do 2 x 3200 at T with 400 recovery, then 4 x 200 at R with 200 recovery. Administratively, I tracked 1600s instead of 3200s because I can only do so much in my head without the watch helping me keep track. Target for T was 6:32 for 1600, target for R was 43 seconds for 200. Actual results came in for T at 6:28, 6:25 then 6:30, 6:28. Results for R came in at 42.9, 43.3, 43.5, 42.7. I felt really competent.
The forecast for this morning was early temperature in the teens F, rising to near freezing, the precipitation starting as snow and changing to rain. I don't like running in a cold rain, so it was a dance to pick when to run. Ended up getting out a bit past 11, at 28°F (-2° C) with 8-10 mph ENE wind. I wanted 16 miles to make the weekly mileage work right with a fairly low mileage day on Saturday due to having a shorter race. Planned an extended loop featuring some roads I hadn't run on before, because I hadn't run this far from my home as a base. It was really pleasant, overcast with reasonable wind and no precipitation for the first 57 minutes. Then a bit of what the weather people here call "freezing rain," which I would characterize as a soft sleet. There wasn't a lot of volume, it came and went, and by the end of my run it was snow flakes. Found some interesting hills I hadn't run before, saw a pretty temple on a road I ran (Buddhist or Hindu, I'm too culturally illiterate to tell from the architecture and the transliteration of the name that I could read.)
By mile 14, I know I'm going to have to find another 1000 meters to make 16 miles. Okay, I can run an extension near home. Then around mile 15, I began to feel the tired legs that Sunday's workout was supposed to produce. Okay, I suppose yesterday's speed work was as good for tiring me out as Saturday's long run; it just took more than 100 minutes to get to the tired legs point. Found not quite 1000 meters of a detour, close enough that I could run OCD past my driveway to get 16.01 miles in 2:03:44, for an average pace of 7:44 per mile. Just about as planned.
In other news, I have a problem with my heart rate monitor. Yesterday it produced fake low readings during my cool down, and possibly during my workout. Today it did the same thing from somewhere in mile 7 to somewhere in mile 13, then started reading normally. I'm going to wash the strap, change the batteries, and see if that helps. The only thing that's different is that I started using Body Glide to avoid chafing from the bottom of the strap; I don't know if that is affecting then connection, either directly as an insulator or indirectly by letting the HRM move more than it should. Next run, I'll try it without Body Glide. And I probably should order another HRM, sigh. I haven't had good luck with the new ones, and the one that I used today dates from 2014.
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) finished in 32:53
February 9, 2019 Freezeroo #5 (Tom Brannon 8 mile) (Greece, NY) finished in 55:55
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)
March 17, 2019 Shamrock Half Marathon (Virginia Beach, VA)
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)9 -
February Running
02/01: 3.50 mile easy run
02/03: 6.05 mile long run
02/04: 3.01 mile recovery run
02/06: 5.05 miles- 4x(400/200E/200/400E)
02/07: 4.03 mile recovery run
02/09: 8.57 mile long run
02/11: 4.05 mile recovery run
02/13: 6.03 miles- 4M tempo
02/14: 3.07 mile recovery run
02/16: 8.66 mile long run
02/17: 2.31 mile recovery run
02/19: 4.06 mile easy run
02/20: 6.00 miles- 5x(0.5M/0.25M)
Total: 64.39 miles
Run notes:
Well I knew I should have done my workout run yesterday instead of today. The weatherman was unfortunately right about the snow/freezing rain today so I stuck to the treadmill for this run. 1 mile warm up, then 5 1/2 mile repeats at 8.2 mph with 1/4 mile easy between them, then cooled down until I hit 6 miles. I was planning to do 6 repeats instead of 5, but they had the heat cranked up in the gym so I was dying after the 5th one!
In other news, I accidentally left my Body Glide at home this morning, and I kinda panicked because six miles in shorts = guaranteed thigh chafing. Luckily I had an eos lip balm in my bag, so I rubbed that all over my thighs instead (got a very strange look from the other woman in the locker room with me
). Just runner things, right?
PS- the lip balm worked almost as well as glide AND had the added bonus making me smell like a pina colada while I ran
Registered races:
- Excalibur 10 Miler (3/17)
- Wintrust Lakefront 5K (4/13)
- Ravenswood Run 5K (4/28)
- Space Coast Half Marathon (12/01)18 -
W5D2 completed. It was a great run. Weather was cool and crisp and I found a new trail that made the running more exciting. At the start of the run I wasn't sure if I would be able to run the 8 minute run intervals, but other than some tightening in the shin near the end of the first interval it went really well. The walk break helped to stretch out the shin and by the time the second run interval started I felt really good and could easily finish the interval. The next c25k run is the 20 minute run and I'm still considering whether I should take the dog with me on the run.
2/1--W3D3
2/5--W4D1
2/7--W4D2
2/9--W4D3
2/16--W5D1
2/18--W5D2
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2.3 and change bad *kitten* intervals in the rain and wind this morning. It was kinda misty with occasional gusts at the start quickly changed to steady rain being driven sideways into my face by the end of warmup. Embraced the suck and finished it off. 6 miles tomorrow if safe.
“Good things come slow, especially in distance running.” Bill Dellinger11 -
Hi guys!! I’ve been MIA for a bit... but I have bling photos to share
editor/kx/vm1asgyjult0.jpeg
Not fast.... Not last!!!
Congrats on your race! Love the bling! And I love the "not fast, not last" - great mantra!
@kristinegift I really love that photo. You did a fantastic self-timer job! I checked out the hashtag and your is the best. Hope you win!
Love all the orange cats. I would love a big orange cat. I'm not sure how Stella (my dog) would take to a cat, but I feel like a big orange one could handle her. I eye the kitties every time I bring Stella to her daycare because they have a rescue there with adoptable cats.
@ContraryMaryMary I wouldn't worry about a low value right away. I feel like I get called back for something slightly out of range every time I get a blood draw and it turns out fine on retest. Save your googling until it's a confirmed finding. Hope it's nothing!
My back continues to feel much improved today. I went to work for a few hours and it started to ache a bit, and my stomach was bothering me from the meds so I didn't last terribly long but managed to get a few urgent things out of the way. I did a few gentle yoga for lower back pain stretches after I got home and that felt good.
So...even if I feel better, it would be a stupid idea to try to run or run/walk a half marathon on Sunday,right?7 -
Hi! I’m completely new to posting in this group and so I hope it’s okay if I jump in here now. I’ve actually been a lurker for a while, and have really looked forward to being able to join in—I basically started running in January after years away from it, and it’s bringing me so much joy to get into it again. I’m trying to work up the courage to join my local running club, but it may be a while before I feel ready to do that. Hopefully I can have some fun chatting on here about running with you guys, too! 😀
Anyway, my goal for this month is to simply run more than last month; I ran 60 miles in January and so far I’m at 44.91 for February.
Here’s the daily breakdown so far. (In miles).
2/1 2.02
2/2 4.04
2/3 2.01
2/5 3.99
2/7 5.08
2/8 2.04
2/9 2.54
2/12 5.05
2/13 4.05
2/14 3.5
2/16 2
2/17 3.51
2/19 5.08
Total for February: 44.91 miles
Nominal February goal: 60+ miles
I am still very much a beginner...one thing I’ve accomplished this month is being able to jog a mile straight through, and I’ll be thrilled if I can double that by next month. Am working on it! 😁18 -
@RunningOnWontons Welcome! It's fine to jump in whenever you find this group. I suspect the local running club would welcome you as well; as another person has said, adults don't gather to point and laugh at the slowest runner. Nor do adult runners laugh at someone who can't run as far as they can. I will run two marathons this year, but I remember a time when I was compelled to slow to a walk after running for one minute. We all have to start somewhere.7
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Random cat picture, because that seems to be customary for the bunch of posts I just worked through:
I got Maya in 2014. She was about a year old, and I needed a cat to console me about my stress fracture that was keeping me from running. Pretty markings, rather ordinary purr, frequently wants more attention than I want to give her when I'm busy with a mental challenge. And currently sitting on my lap, purring while I type this.
Some days are just cat picture days. A cat seems like excellent injury consolation. In addition to my large orange purr-machine, I also have a small white one with pretty markings and an ordinary purr. We got her as a kitten about a year and a half ago after an acquaintance took in a feral pregnant cat. She's about average on the attention-wanting scale, but very high on exploration and climbing things (and people). My facebook page since we got her is mostly pictures of her in various high places.
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Thanks for the welcome, @MobyCarp !!! 😀1
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ContraryMaryMary wrote: »I've had a phone call from my doctor asking me to have a blood test redone because of a low white blood cell count. Given the cancer history in my family, I'm freaking out. However, it could be the result of just a virus, or, as Google tells me, endurance athletes can have low white cell counts. Anyone experience this?
Yes, I get all kinds of unusual test results. The low WBC is one of them. My dr. just shrugs and says it is because I run.0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »ContraryMaryMary wrote: »I've had a phone call from my doctor asking me to have a blood test redone because of a low white blood cell count. Given the cancer history in my family, I'm freaking out. However, it could be the result of just a virus, or, as Google tells me, endurance athletes can have low white cell counts. Anyone experience this?
Yes, I get all kinds of unusual test results. The low WBC is one of them. My dr. just shrugs and says it is because I run.
Ohhh I just had a low WBC yesterday. going to redo in 6 weeks. Do I count as an endurance athlete?2 -
@RunningOnWontons Welcome! It's fine to jump in whenever you find this group. I suspect the local running club would welcome you as well; as another person has said, adults don't gather to point and laugh at the slowest runner. Nor do adult runners laugh at someone who can't run as far as they can. I will run two marathons this year, but I remember a time when I was compelled to slow to a walk after running for one minute. We all have to start somewhere.
All of this! Welcome, @RunningOnWontons!1
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