February 2021 Monthly Running Challenge

13567…21

Replies

  • Tramboman
    Tramboman Posts: 2,482 Member
    quilteryoyo wrote: »
    2/1 2.02 miles 3.5 mph

    Monthly Total: 2.02/56 miles

    Today would have been my dad's 89th birthday. In a normal, pre-surgery, high mileage month, I would have ran 8.9 miles to honor his life and remember how proud he was of me for running so much. He was in awe that I had run/walked fast over 700 miles last year and told anyone who would listen. But, given the circumstances, and the fact that it was cold and snowy outside, I walked 2.02 miles on the treadmill in his honor.

    If you would like to find out how I managed to get from 89 to 2.02, my explanation is in the spoiler below.
    The number 4 is a thing in my family. My mom and dad got married on the 4th of September. Seventeen months later, to the day, my brother was born on the 4th of Feb. Exactly 18 months later, I was born on August 4. The other odd thing is that all of these things occurred on a Tuesday. When the time came, my brother got married on Oct 4 and my late husband and I got married on March 4th. Dad passed away on 16 Dec. 4X4=16. That's two 4's, or 44, in my head. So 89/44=2.02. Makes perfect sense, right?

    Beautiful...
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    @katharmonic Love it that a three hour hike in sub-zero temps is your idea of cutting things short! Sorry you didn’t get your peak but it looks beautiful up there.

    @quilteryoyo what a beautiful tribute! I feel like walking that far less than a month after open heart surgery more than equals running the farther distance!
  • Scott6255
    Scott6255 Posts: 2,555 Member
    Welcome to all the new members!
    @quilteryoyo such a thoughtful and loving tribute to your Dad!!!

    Just an easy (slow) 5 miles on the treadmill this morning to start off the month.

    exercise.png
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
    rheddmobile wrote: »
    Rest day today, planning on racing tomorrow. The in-person Winter off-road Series 5k at Stanky Creek was run Sunday and the results came in Sunday night, so I looked at the times in my age group to get an idea of what I should be aiming for. And was instantly confused. Everyone was really, really fast? I had run this course in practice and had an idea of what it was like and the times didn’t seem possible.

    I know this group of women, having raced with some of them three years now, and there was just no way they were capable of these times on that course. One woman and I have an ongoing rivalry - I bumped her out of the results last year, the year before she bumped me down. We are doppelgängers of each other as far as pace over shorter distances... over longer distances she has me beat. Another lady is consistently a few seconds per mile slower than I am. In the 3k race in January, my private run over the same course was exactly 1 second faster than my doppelgänger and a little faster than the other lady, so I know our abilities are about the same as in past years. But according to the results, both were faster than I could ever dream of running this course!

    On our practice run, which granted included walking along the road and a wait at a stoplight, plus one place where we went the wrong direction briefly and had to turn around, we ran the Stanky Creek 5k course at 13:16 mile pace. It wasn’t 5k either, Strava called it 3.46 miles. So our total time was even slower. According to the results, the slowest person in my AG ran it faster than that! Wait, no one walked it? The top person ran it more than a minute per mile faster than she ran the 3k? My doppelgänger ran it at sub 10 minute pace, which is a road pace for her, but these trails are muddy, rooty, with steep descents and ascents. I was swallowing hard and trying to psyche myself up to really sprinting this crazy course. Could I do it? Did they even run the same course I did in practice?

    And then I realized, of course not. The Memphis Runner’s Track Club was doing what it does all the time, posting one thing on the race course page and then running something unrelated on the day.

    I joined the Strava group for the organizers figuring that someone in their recent history would have run the race. And yes, there were several people. No, they didn’t run the posted course. They ran a modified course which according to various Strava data was no more than 2.77 miles and possibly as short as 2.20 according to one guy’s gps!

    lnjuezaowpvo.jpeg
    6yecnauqlulp.jpeg
    So yeah, I feel better now. Tomorrow we are planning to run the modified course rather than the one that was posted on the site. It simplifies things for me because I won’t have to worry about the stoplights and the road not being closed, they just never went down the road.

    But I do feel sorry for the lady who ran two extra miles because she got lost!

    I ran the Winter off-road series a number of years ago. We didn't have the issues with the course then, but it's been 8 or 9 years. Running through the water near the end was always fun when it's cold out.
  • Eaglesfanintn
    Eaglesfanintn Posts: 813 Member
    edited February 2021
    Another 3 miles today.
    2/1 3.16
    2/2 3.16
    Total 6.32 / 90

    exercise.png
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,463 Member
    @katharmonic Thank you. Love that your birthday is on a 4th too. Those hiking conditions sound brutal. So glad that you all chose to cut it short. (I agree with @rheddmobile on your definition of short. :lol: ) That could have ended in disaster. Now you are better equipped to know what to expect and what equipment you need to take the next time in order to accomplish your goal. The pictures are breathtaking. Thank for the review of the FUD. I think they make some that are more flexible and easier to stow in small spaces. I may get one, even if I can't use it when running. Just having it as a back up in the car when traveling would be great.

    Thanks @rheddmobile & et.al. I know dad is very happy that I am doing as well as I am.

    That's so crazy about the racing route @rheddmobile ! Glad you were able to figure out the disconnect. At least the lady who got lost ran an actual 5K (plus). Hopefully, she wasn't in the running for any of the AG placements. That would be disappointing.

    @marisap2010 Sounds like you have a great plan for the month. Great job in doing rounds in your downstairs this morning. Happy Birthday month!

    @Tramboman Love your description of a paper cut winter. We have about 1.75" on the ground this morning. It has been warm enough the last couple of days that the roads aren't impassable, but are slick in spots. I'll opt for the treadmill again today too.

  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Eaglesfanintn wrote: »
    rheddmobile wrote: »
    Rest day today, planning on racing tomorrow. The in-person Winter off-road Series 5k at Stanky Creek was run Sunday and the results came in Sunday night, so I looked at the times in my age group to get an idea of what I should be aiming for. And was instantly confused. Everyone was really, really fast? I had run this course in practice and had an idea of what it was like and the times didn’t seem possible.

    I know this group of women, having raced with some of them three years now, and there was just no way they were capable of these times on that course. One woman and I have an ongoing rivalry - I bumped her out of the results last year, the year before she bumped me down. We are doppelgängers of each other as far as pace over shorter distances... over longer distances she has me beat. Another lady is consistently a few seconds per mile slower than I am. In the 3k race in January, my private run over the same course was exactly 1 second faster than my doppelgänger and a little faster than the other lady, so I know our abilities are about the same as in past years. But according to the results, both were faster than I could ever dream of running this course!

    On our practice run, which granted included walking along the road and a wait at a stoplight, plus one place where we went the wrong direction briefly and had to turn around, we ran the Stanky Creek 5k course at 13:16 mile pace. It wasn’t 5k either, Strava called it 3.46 miles. So our total time was even slower. According to the results, the slowest person in my AG ran it faster than that! Wait, no one walked it? The top person ran it more than a minute per mile faster than she ran the 3k? My doppelgänger ran it at sub 10 minute pace, which is a road pace for her, but these trails are muddy, rooty, with steep descents and ascents. I was swallowing hard and trying to psyche myself up to really sprinting this crazy course. Could I do it? Did they even run the same course I did in practice?

    And then I realized, of course not. The Memphis Runner’s Track Club was doing what it does all the time, posting one thing on the race course page and then running something unrelated on the day.

    I joined the Strava group for the organizers figuring that someone in their recent history would have run the race. And yes, there were several people. No, they didn’t run the posted course. They ran a modified course which according to various Strava data was no more than 2.77 miles and possibly as short as 2.20 according to one guy’s gps!

    lnjuezaowpvo.jpeg
    6yecnauqlulp.jpeg
    So yeah, I feel better now. Tomorrow we are planning to run the modified course rather than the one that was posted on the site. It simplifies things for me because I won’t have to worry about the stoplights and the road not being closed, they just never went down the road.

    But I do feel sorry for the lady who ran two extra miles because she got lost!

    I ran the Winter off-road series a number of years ago. We didn't have the issues with the course then, but it's been 8 or 9 years. Running through the water near the end was always fun when it's cold out.

    This isn’t the usual 8k Stanky Creek course, it’s a new one for the 5k distance - I think after two years in a row of not being able to run the posted 5k course at WC Johnson because of flooding they decided to move locations. Or maybe it was due to social distancing requirements, they moved the 3k from Overton Park to Shelby Farms as well. The classic 8k at Stanky is still coming up though! And both courses require the creek jump!
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Happy birthday @marisap2010 !
  • libbyralls
    libbyralls Posts: 23 Member
    I’m a couple days late, but I’m back for another month!
    I haven’t been feeling much motivation to get up and moving since I’m so busy with college, so my goal for this month is to consistently run and workout
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,313 Member
    10.1/70 miles

    2/1: 6 miles
    2/2: 4.1 miles

    I ran yesterday late afternoon and had beautiful weather after work. About 60F with only 30% humidity!?! Low humidity is such a treat. This morning it was in the high 30's but still pretty nice. I caught a beautiful sunrise and the cold tends to keep people inside so I get a nice quiet run.

    Welcome to the new people! Good job on getting out there everyone. I liked and hugged through 4 pages of comments and am finally officially caught up!
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,463 Member
    Hahaha @TheMrWobbly ! That would make for some tiny mileages. Love the 7's though....it's supposed to be the perfect number. Guess that's why you are so awesome.

  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,205 Member
    Happy birthday @marisap2010
  • 142jmh
    142jmh Posts: 86 Member
    @SummerSkier wow, so beautiful!
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,463 Member
    edited February 2021
    2/1 2.02 miles 3.5 mph - treadmill
    2/2 2.23 miles 3.5 mph - treadmill

    Monthly Total: 4.25/56 miles

    @Avidkeo Yeah for the great run today and the nice accommodations for the Waterfront Half. It's nice when it seems a company is more interested in people than profits.

    Beautiful @SummerSkier ! Pictures of sunrises and sunsets never seem to do them justice. Great running.

    It is snowy and cold here again, so I did my walk on the treadmill. I went 2.23 miles (to make an even number for the month after yesterday's odd number) at 3.5 mph.
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,132 Member
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    I'm now building up for a sub 2hr HM in June. Gotta get through tmy first HM this year. 2.5 weeks to go!

    I do love those runs which feel like you are flying right from the start. We all live for those!!! <3
    I am very impressed with a sub 2 hr HM goal. Me - I am shooting for a sub 10 min mile pace which still puts me at about 135 minutes or so. I sometimes think my watch/gps gets stuck because the effort FEELs the same on a 9 min pace vs an 11 and no matter how much in the same run I try to improve it the watch seems pretty stuck at either the lower or higher end... Must be some algorhythm it uses/ LOL

  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,313 Member
    SummerSkier wrote: »
    martaindale wrote: »

    and it was GLORIOUS. I spied the lighting change in my kitchen and had to run outside BEFORE my run to get some photos. Which of course do not do it justice. I love that it was gorgeous all the way from North to Central Tx.

    I know it's a large photo but definitely worth it!
    gnusuz9asmxw.png

    Nice shot! As the sun just came up it was almost red then quickly changed to the color you have there. Lovely!! I didn't realize it looked that way across so much of TX. That's really neat.
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,780 Member
    edited February 2021
    Yay for nice people @avidkeo, and for your mother road tripping with you - it'll be a great weekend. And I love those runs that fly - I had one like that last week. A glorious feeling.

    Amazing sky @SummerSkier. With regards to your running, do you keep a log/diary of your runs. It's interesting to note how you feel - your RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) - alongside your pace. I had two runs, just days apart, both with an RPE of 8/10 (both speed work) but the Thursday run was 20 seconds per kilometre faster than the Tuesday one. I was later able to put this down to hormone changes. But other factors like fatigue and stress also impact hugely on how you feel and your pace.

    @quilteryoyo, my mother was born on 4.4.44 - one of those fascinating dates that kids love that I didn't twig to until I was about 30! Also, my grandmother, mum's mum, was born on 10.10.10. I always think my mother should have tried harder with my younger brother to make his birthday 7.7.77!
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,132 Member
    ContraryMaryMary wrote: »
    Amazing sky @SummerSkier. With regards to your running, do you keep a log/diary of your runs. It's interesting to note how you feel - your RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) - alongside your pace. I had two runs, just days apart, both with an RPE of 8/10 (both speed work) but the Thursday run was 20 seconds per kilometre faster than the Tuesday one. I was later able to put this down to hormone changes. But other factors like fatigue and stress also impact hugely on how you feel and your pace.

    Absolutely I keep a log and I have even gone so far as to try to make a list of all the things which could/might effect pace. So far the highest hitters for me appear to be "sleep or lack thereof" and Bear (aka BIG dog) chasing you. So far I have 26 items in my list. And I am a little fearful to say that the nights I have taken a T3cod for headache before bed I have had my fastest runs the next morning. Is the med effecting my physical ability or is it that I get a really good night's sleep and the headache is usually gone? Hard to say. Too many variable so I guess when we get the runs like @Avidkeo mentions we can just accept them as a gift and enjoy the heck out of them. I have been know to just KEEP going when that happens as long as I have the time.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,463 Member
    So, @ContraryMaryMary When is your brother's birthday? I had hoped my great niece would be born on my birthday, but she decided to come 3 days too soon. LOL

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