November 2020 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • marisap2010
    marisap2010 Posts: 909 Member
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    @ContraryMaryMary I understand your disappointment about not meeting your goal, but I am glad to see that you recognize the progress you HAVE made. It shows that you have been working hard.
  • Scott6255
    Scott6255 Posts: 2,434 Member
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    @ContraryMaryMary you are a beast! That is a very impressive HM time, and you smashed your PB on a very difficult course! 4th in AG and 100th female in such a large race is phenomenal!

    @Avidkeo I totally understand where you are coming from too. I also cut myself off from this feed this summer when I couldn't run. But you are making GREAT progress and you WILL get there!
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,958 Member
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    @ContraryMaryMary You did awesome with the PB, 100th woman, AND 4th in your age group! Analyzing how you did will help you meet your ultimate goal next year! Try to not be too disappointed, even though I understand it. Use that to push you to bigger and better things. Love the pictures!



  • Tramboman
    Tramboman Posts: 2,482 Member
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    quilteryoyo wrote: »
    @ContraryMaryMary You did awesome with the PB, 100th woman, AND 4th in your age group! Analyzing how you did will help you meet your ultimate goal next year! Try to not be too disappointed, even though I understand it. Use that to push you to bigger and better things. Love the pictures!



    @ContraryMaryMary Fantastic race!!!!
    Don't dwell on what didn't go well -- celebrate your achievements!!
  • Tramboman
    Tramboman Posts: 2,482 Member
    edited November 2020
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    11-1 7k treadmill
    11-2 rest

    November Total: 7k
    November Goal: 170k

    January Total: 161k
    February Total: 167k
    March Total: 181k
    April Total: 191k
    May Total: 200k
    June Total: 156k
    July Total: 180k
    August Total: 172k
    September Total: 176k
    October Total: 189k

    2020 Total through October: 1773k / 177k per month

    Rest day today. No golf due to snow on the ground.
    Started winter workout schedule today: resistance band training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; yoga Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Will try golf one last time next Monday, then will change rest day to Tuesday.

    When you pop in here claiming your December 2020 mileage, what accomplishments will you have made?

    Return to a good running weight of 175 lbs
    Run at least 4 5k races
    Get a 5k PR
    Average at least 138k per month, to meet my Run the Year pledge of 1,020 miles - Completed 10-11
    Stretch goal: If I can average 169k per month, I can run 2020k in 2020
    Run the Year Team: Pavement Pounders -- Completed 9-29

    2020 races:

    9-8 to 9-13 "Virtual Boston with Vincent" Time goal 5:15:00; actual time 4:47:01
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,388 Member
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    I saw this in my inbox today and thought you all may know someone who could benefit from this scholarship - it is in honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month. They are awarding two $5,000 scholarships to students living with Type 1 Diabetes. Applicants must either be a Senior in high school or currently enrolled in an undergraduate program. The deadline to apply is Nov 18.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,958 Member
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    @martaindale Love your daughter's costume! She's adorable and looks a lot like you.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,190 Member
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    ContraryMaryMary wrote: »
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    ContraryMaryMary wrote: »
    So I ran my number one big event of the year yesterday, and totally fluffed it. Gutted.

    I probably shouldn't be so hard on myself - I set a tough target, but, I knew what needed to be done to achieve it, and failed.

    I was aiming for a 1:45 on the Auckland Half - last year I ran a PB there of 1:48:40 after a debacle of a start that had me still on the ferry as the starting gun sounded. That meant I threw all expectations out of the window and just relaxed and ran and enjoyed it, no pressure, no expectations.

    This time round, mindful that my new coach would be analysing my performance, and having set a "dream" time to race, I was early to the start and was more prepared than I've ever been for anything. I was also more nervous than I have ever been on a start line - to the point I was feeling nauseous. And there, I think, is the essence of my downfall: I suspect I psyched myself out.

    I knew that to achieve a 1:45 half you have to run at 4:58 pace, and if you analyse the data, for the first 15km I was averaging exactly 4:58 pace. However, at kilometre 16, you come to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. This is, in essence, a massive hill - it was steeper than I remember and we had a head wind going up it, subsequently that kilometre was a 5:52 (in fact, kilometre 15 sees my pace impacted by the headwind to the tune of 10 seconds).

    The massive downhill that is the other side of the bridge saw a corresponding leap in speed but not nearly enough to negate the loss, only clawing back a few seconds, and it was also followed by another steep, although fortunately shorter, climb, which further taxed the legs and lungs.

    And in that 2.5km stretch, my goal was thwarted.

    I knew I had stuffed up, and I did what I could to make up, but you can't shave a minute from your half marathon time in the final 3.5km.

    I also failed to account for the fact that this half course is not 21.1km but over 21.3km. That extra 200m or so takes over a minute to run.

    So my final result was 1:47:17. So considerably faster than last year, but a hell of a lot more work. I was gutted at the finish line. No happy endorphins for me. Just relieved to be done followed by tears of disappointment on the drive home.

    I have been consoling myself today by analysing the race thoroughly and pinpointing my problems. I believe I should have targeted a 4:50 pace to account for the bridge climb, and know my legs and lungs can handle this pace. However, I also acknowledge that running at sub-5 minute kilometre is still a mental barrier for me (I've only just started achieving this level of speed, particularly for long distances) and I need to deal with this.

    I am also regularly reminding myself that, although the result wasn't what I wanted, I still smashed out a new PB on this challenging and hilly course, was the 100th of 2036 women, and 4th in my age group, which was a field of 169 runners. That's pretty impressive (and, also, if I'd run my best race and smashed my goal, I still would have been 4th as the three women ahead of me ran blisteringly fast times).

    So, a rollercoaster of emotions yesterday - excitement, nerves, stress, disappointment, and now, resignation and a new strategy for next year.

    Pics, because, thanks to New Zealand's Covid "concentration camps", I was able to run with 15,000 of my closest friends yesterday, cheered on by thousands more, which is a whole other kind of win.
    klo1m3v6wtos.jpeg
    Sunrise at the start line

    do1yqum4d98x.jpeg
    New blue hat and a matching new blue medal

    I'm pathetic cause I have tears reading this. I'm so proud of you and impressed by what you achieved. Congratulations on a PB. And 4th in your age group, and 100th women, that's incredible!! So so proud of you.

    I get the disappointment. We can be so bad as psyching ourselves up.

    You are an inspiration.

    Selfishness in the spoiler. I almost didn't write it|, I just need to get it out today.
    And I WILL be running with you next year. I'm so so disappointed I missed out this year. That's part of my tears. I'm actually feeling a little bitter about it I guess. I admit to staying away from Instagram to avoid all the finishing posts the last day. It's just making me so much more determined. I'll be back stronger than ever next year.

    I’m going to hold you to that @avidkeo, and you will get here to the start line and I will be cheering you on. My coach has suggested I run Kerikeri in three weeks as it’s such a fast course and it will boost my confidence. I’m keen and hubby is very supportive but all my friends are running Queenstown the same weekend so I have no one to go with. This is where I need you to still be living in Northland Kim!

    Ahhhh drat! Go do it anyway, it's so so much fun! I'm actually going up the weekend before for a study day.
  • hamsterwheel6
    hamsterwheel6 Posts: 544 Member
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    Hi guys. I've been off for a bit, still running, still spinning. Just wasn't feeling chatty. I'm hoping November is a better month for me.
    Did meet October goal of 80 (88.something) so will keep the same for this month.
    It was 39F with feels like of 34 and winds 11MPH. So not ready for that, and hadn't gotten my cold running gear out. So got on the treadmill and did 8.5 miles. @shanaber I'm loving the peloton app and the running classes. Took 2 45 min ones today. The outside ones are great too, and the time does go by fast. I'm just running these days to run, not really training for anything or worrying about pace too much. I'm enjoying it a lot more without worrying about what my time is. I think I was losing that, and it was becoming not fun anymore.
    Anyway.
    Huge congrats to @ContraryMaryMary ! Super impressive time on such a tough course. Your PR is fantastic!
    Congrats to anyone else I may have missed while away and hugs to those who need it.
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
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    Welcome back @hamsterwheel6
    It was actually like 34F here in the beautiful South this morning. ugh.
  • hamsterwheel6
    hamsterwheel6 Posts: 544 Member
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    skippygirlsmom wrote: »
    Welcome back @hamsterwheel6
    It was actually like 34F here in the beautiful South this morning. ugh.

    Thanks, and yes! It was def a shock to the system. Looks like it was just a quick cold front, and should warm back up a little. I'm not ready!
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,958 Member
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    @Avidkeo I'm sure biking really helped you to no lose your fitness level. You are doing great!

    @hamsterwheel6 Glad you are back. Great job on meeting your Oct goal. It was 28F here this morning! I'm not ready for that either. It's supposed to get back up in the 70's by Saturday. No wonder we all get sinus infections this time of year.

  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,056 Member
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    @ContraryMaryMary You did an awesome job! It’s always hard to feel like you didn’t do your best but you ran a good race. Very fast and super congrats on the PR!
    I am very familiar with psyching yourself out. I get nerves more when I’m climbing and about to do something hard and I don’t want to fail. When I start ramping up mileage for training I still have this moment on every long run of wondering if I will be able to finish. It’s silly because I know I can do it, but that little bit of doubt creeps in.

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