December 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
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    polskagirl01 wrote: »
    Anyone have any ideas about why my easy pace is FASTER the day after my long run??? Shouldn't I be tired or something???

    I mean, it was awesome that I could walk up and down the entire stone-paved hill (aka twisted ankle just waiting to happen, and I thought my bicycle was going to bust the one and only time I rode that way)... and keep my watch running while walking around checking out the little "stations of the cross" prayer path I saw next to a church at my turnaround point, and STILL have an overall pace faster than I expected for "recovery"... but if I'm doing something right, I'd love to figure it out so I can keep doing it! :)

    Umm, shot in the dark here...
    1) You are more fit than you think you are (probably true)
    2) You were being chased by a jackalope (high likelihood)

    I dunno, but might have something to do with being looser after running then you would have been if you had sat around?
  • Tramboman
    Tramboman Posts: 2,482 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    kgirlhart wrote: »
    Happy Birthday @shanaber and @scott6255! I hope tomorrow is great for you both!

    Happy Birthday! And remember you are supposed to run your new age in miles on your birthday! B)

    ...or in kilometers. Inserting a decimal point works, too.
  • Teresa502
    Teresa502 Posts: 1,708 Member
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    Happy Birthday @shanaber and @scott6255!
  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
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    katharmonic wrote: »
    ...it suddenly occurred to me - I can just get dressed and run outside right now. LOL.

    I ran a snowy, slush trail and the pace was slow but it was beautiful and peaceful. Now on to the rest of that list.

    This is some great wisdom.

  • durhammfp
    durhammfp Posts: 493 Member
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    Faebert wrote: »
    Tracking this only so I can finish the year. I’m heading in to hospital on Friday for surgery to reduce my risk of breast cancer. Double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction - will be unable to run for around 12 weeks they say.

    Oh gosh. I am thinking of you and hope you recover fully and quickly.

  • durhammfp
    durhammfp Posts: 493 Member
    edited December 2019
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    Motivation, sigh.

    I finished my C25K app pretty well. I'm a mid-50s guy and had not run since, dear lord, I was 15 yo or so in 9th grade gym class. At the end of C25K I was running at a pace of 10'36"/mile, which I think is pretty decent, considering my age/experience.

    I immediately started the bridge to 10K app, and went through the first 2 weeks OK, and then, I don't know what happened, but I have lost most of my motivation to continue. I was on a run on Thanksgiving morning that was supposed to be 40 minutes long. I finished it and felt great but ever since then I find it hard to wake up and get on the track.

    I have no injuries, the weather has not gotten noticeably colder (it was getting colder last month and I geared up for it.) It's been rainy but I can work my runs into the non-rainy parts of my days. I have a very flexible schedule.

    Really there is no reason for me not to run. But when I was out on my last 45 minute run, it just seemed impossibly long from the very first step and my brain kept on asking me why I was even bothering with it so I quit after about 25 minutes. I had never done that before, I mean just quit a run completely.

    How do you get your motivation back when it is waning?

    ETA: I do find running longer-for-me distances more fatiguing and have insisted on never taking walk breaks. Maybe I should just take a walk break in the middle of a 45 minute run. OTOH, I did not have to do that with a 40 minute run. Is it horrible to walk a couple minutes during a long run? Does it even count as a long run then?

    I still feel this is mainly a psychological issue for me.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    Happy Birthday @shanaber and @scott6255!

  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    eleanorhawkins wrote: »
    @mbaker566 I've committed to this, wanna do it with me? The fund-raising side is totally optional.
    Absolutely, i'll sign up and pass it along to the Still I Run group on fb
  • durhammfp
    durhammfp Posts: 493 Member
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    greenolivetree wrote: »
    Happy birthday @shanaber and @scott6255 !!!

    @durhammfp ...Also, nothing wrong with walk breaks - unless you find it really hard to get started running again. Is there a trail you can drive to vs running your neighborhood or something like that? Running around other people makes me not want to be seen "giving up". LOL :p

    Oh gosh I missed this... I hope you enjoyed your birthdays @shanaber and @scott6255 !

    @greenolivetree I think you are right about running with other people. That is not something I have done yet.

    Part of the issue I think is that I had planned out my coming year in a way that demands I hit certain goals at certain times. So, for example, I was going to take a Fleet Feet HM class in the winter/spring, which meant I needed to be at a certain point in my B210K app by the first week of January. This makes me feel like the running is now a job, lol.

    The reality is that Fleet Feet also amends the same training for those preparing for a 10 miler in April, which means a class that is a little more slow-going and something I think I could start right now if I had to. (They recommend that folks have the ability to run 4 miles comfortably for the HM training and just 2 miles for the 10M training, before the class starts. I'm right at about 3 miles.)

    I think that is what I might do, just prepare for the 10 miler in April and spend the summer and fall working up to a proper HM. That seems slow to me. OTOH, I have not been running all that long and this is just for fun anyway. If it stops being fun then I stop doing it.

  • eleanorhawkins
    eleanorhawkins Posts: 1,655 Member
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    mbaker566 wrote: »
    eleanorhawkins wrote: »
    @mbaker566 I've committed to this, wanna do it with me? The fund-raising side is totally optional.
    Absolutely, i'll sign up and pass it along to the Still I Run group on fb

    Awesome! I don't think my legs would actually accept the RUN every day, so my version will be run/walk/swim/yoga every day :-)
  • hamsterwheel6
    hamsterwheel6 Posts: 544 Member
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    Happy Birthday @shanaber and @scott6255!
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    durhammfp wrote: »
    Motivation, sigh.

    I finished my C25K app pretty well. I'm a mid-50s guy and had not run since, dear lord, I was 15 yo or so in 9th grade gym class. At the end of C25K I was running at a pace of 10'36"/mile, which I think is pretty decent, considering my age/experience.

    I immediately started the bridge to 10K app, and went through the first 2 weeks OK, and then, I don't know what happened, but I have lost most of my motivation to continue. I was on a run on Thanksgiving morning that was supposed to be 40 minutes long. I finished it and felt great but ever since then I find it hard to wake up and get on the track.

    I have no injuries, the weather has not gotten noticeably colder (it was getting colder last month and I geared up for it.) It's been rainy but I can work my runs into the non-rainy parts of my days. I have a very flexible schedule.

    Really there is no reason for me not to run. But when I was out on my last 45 minute run, it just seemed impossibly long from the very first step and my brain kept on asking me why I was even bothering with it so I quit after about 25 minutes. I had never done that before, I mean just quit a run completely.

    How do you get your motivation back when it is waning?

    ETA: I do find running longer-for-me distances more fatiguing and have insisted on never taking walk breaks. Maybe I should just take a walk break in the middle of a 45 minute run. OTOH, I did not have to do that with a 40 minute run. Is it horrible to walk a couple minutes during a long run? Does it even count as a long run then?

    I still feel this is mainly a psychological issue for me.

    There’s nothing wrong with walk breaks. In fact my fastest 5k and 10k times both included a walk break - the rest allowed me to run faster.

    The way I avoid giving up is to make myself do something even harder if I quit. So, “Okay, if your legs are feeling too beat up for a long run, I guess you have to stationary bike today.” That will get me out the door every time. Another way is to listen to your body’s complaints, and ask a few questions in return. Oh, you’re tired? Are you going to die if I don’t stop? Probably not, huh? Have you been this tired before and yet kept going? Yeah? So SHUT UP ALREADY and let me know when you have a real problem.

    I hate, hate, hate running in the cold. Running in the heat is miserable but it’s a physical misery. Cold running, for me is a mental misery. So last year I dealt with motivation by signing up for a winter trail race series with a race every two weeks all winter.

    I also make a point of running places I enjoy and looking out for the experiences I wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t run. So, big fat bluebird trying to stay warm: check. Pair of camels at the Christmas fest: check. Funny little girl talking to her dad: check. If you hate where you run, switch it up.
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,010 Member
    edited December 2019
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    @durhammfp
    Maybe sign yourself up for a 10k race, so you'd have something to work towards? Others have mentioned "carrots" like audiobooks, some piece of gear you'll buy yourself once you complete a certain goal, running with a group, thinking about doing it for your "future self", varying where you run or trying a new workout... I definitely plan ahead - runs are a scheduled item on my calendar, and I lay out clothing etc the night before to make it easier to just do it.
    Also out-and back routes sometimes help if I think I might be tempted to quit. I plan the route so that the return path home is the shortest way possible - then after I reach the turnaround, there aren't any shortcuts available.

    Walk breaks definitely don't ruin your run (if they did, I'm pretty sure most of my long runs don't count!) and some runners actually use them strategically. So yes, planning a short walk break to reset during that long run is totally fine :)
  • greenolivetree
    greenolivetree Posts: 1,282 Member
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    @durhammfp I think we must be similar because any time I try to do a set schedule running feels like a chore and I quit. I don't think I have the personality for structured plans. I do enjoy running for exercise but don't do races or anything. Definitely keep it fun if that's your goal and figure out what works for you. I've worked my way up to running 8 miles a couple times and I seem to hit a wall there where the fun is gone and I just don't want to spend that much time running. But maybe one day I'll find myself in a phase of life where running longer distances doesn't feel stressful.
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,010 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    polskagirl01 wrote: »
    Anyone have any ideas about why my easy pace is FASTER the day after my long run??? Shouldn't I be tired or something???

    I mean, it was awesome that I could walk up and down the entire stone-paved hill (aka twisted ankle just waiting to happen, and I thought my bicycle was going to bust the one and only time I rode that way)... and keep my watch running while walking around checking out the little "stations of the cross" prayer path I saw next to a church at my turnaround point, and STILL have an overall pace faster than I expected for "recovery"... but if I'm doing something right, I'd love to figure it out so I can keep doing it! :)

    Umm, shot in the dark here...
    1) You are more fit than you think you are (probably true)
    2) You were being chased by a jackalope (high likelihood)

    I dunno, but might have something to do with being looser after running then you would have been if you had sat around?

    #2, YES, that's it!
  • dreamer12151
    dreamer12151 Posts: 1,031 Member
    edited December 2019
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    durhammfp wrote: »

    Part of the issue I think is that I had planned out my coming year in a way that demands I hit certain goals at certain times. So, for example, I was going to take a Fleet Feet HM class in the winter/spring, which meant I needed to be at a certain point in my B210K app by the first week of January. This makes me feel like the running is now a job, lol.


    This may be part of it. You MAY be over goaling yourself, and it just isnt fun anymore? Instead of doing the 5K, then immediately heading for a HM, why not hit a few more 5K's? Try a 10K or two, or just have a little fun with it? I speak from my own experience, once I started having specific goals I wanted to hit and races on the calander it became a chore. Something I had to do for the day, rather than a release and something I get to do.

    A few other have suggested running outside. Personally, I hate the dreadmill, and do better outside. This year, I discovered trails, and that has opened my mind and made some routes a lot more fun, too.

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