July 2021 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • sweetdaisy13
    sweetdaisy13 Posts: 357 Member
    Well done on your race @Teresa502, that race sounds different and being uphill is just my kind of thing.
  • Scott6255
    Scott6255 Posts: 2,583 Member
    Super amazing job on your race @Teresa502!!!!!!!! You are a total beast!!
  • Tramboman
    Tramboman Posts: 2,482 Member
    Teresa502 wrote: »
    July 1 – 5.62 miles
    July 3 – 8.07 miles
    July 4 – 3.01 miles
    July 6 – 5.03 miles
    July 8 – 4.82 miles

    Woke up to tired legs and rain this morning. I may go out for a walk later but I think I will rest from running. A race report from last night is in the spoiler below.

    Good luck with your race this weekend @pfeiferlindsey!

    Great to see you @HonuNui and thanks for all the pictures, info and the Mai Tai! You are really moving down the alphabet!
    The Bear Race is a 5 mile run from Linville, NC to the top of Grandfather Mountain. A sag van picks up any runners who do not make it to the 3-mile aid station within 60 minutes of the start. I knew this would be challenge going into it but I did not realize that every single step was uphill – no level spots, no downhill, all uphill. The race starts at 3640’ elevation and finishes at 5181’ elevation.

    Two friends and I met at 4:15 pm and drove to Linville. It rained on us during the drive and when we first parked at the start area but it had stopped raining by 6:15 pm. The temp was around 70F. The race was scheduled to start at 7:00 pm. We picked up our packets and hung out talking to friends in the parking area making our way towards the start area about 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. Many runners were warming up on the side roads. There was a guy with a megaphone at the start/packet pick-up area asking runners to get to the top as quickly as possible because high winds were moving in at the top and they were worried about runner safety. I guess they were really worried because the start horn sounded about 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time catching many runners by surprise.

    We started on a paved road but shortly after turned off onto a side gravel road and was on it for the first couple of miles. The race is held during the first day of the Highland Games Festival. The route took us through the campground and the area where the games are held around mile 2 1/2. The festival participants were out in their kilts and a couple of guys were playing the bagpipes as we ran through this part of the course. Lots of rambunctious cheering in this section of the course!
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    After passing through the campground we ran up a grass hill and on to the paved road up the mountain. This section seemed never ending with lots of curves and switchbacks. There were unmanned water stations at mile 2 and mile 3. It started raining again on me around mile 2 ½ and continued for about 20 minutes. At that point, I really didn’t mind getting wet. I was already wet from sweat so the rain was no biggie.

    The last couple of miles were mostly walking with some intermittent jogging when I could. I crossed the finish line at 1:12 and placed 579 out of 653 finishers just happy that I wasn’t the last one up! The guy who came in first finished in 31 minutes at a 6:22 pace! How in the world do people do that???? The first female finisher came in at 40:58 minutes (8:02 pace).
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    The winds were really high and blowing a rainy mist at the finish area. You could check a bag at the beginning and it was supposed to be waiting for you at the end but the van was late getting up there and I had to wait about 10 or 15 minutes before I got my bag which had a bottle of water, snack and long sleeve shirt in it. Shuttles were provided back down the mountain but did not start until the last runner crossed the finish line. We didn’t get on the first wave of shuttles down the mountain so had to wait about 45 minutes for the return shuttles. Thankfully, they kept the gift shop/museum area open for us to shelter in because according to one official, the temperature dropped 20 degrees in 7 minutes and the winds were very forceful. I got home around midnight.

    There were 653 runners who completed the race. The race is capped at 800 runners and it always sells out within minutes of registration opening so I don’t know if the other registrants were no-shows or didn’t reach the cut off in time. For my efforts, I got a finisher’s medal and a really ugly brown shirt (this makes the second ugly brown shirt I’ve got this year in races – is that the new color?) Not sure I would do this race again but I’m glad I got to experience it this year.
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    Great race!!!!!
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    Distance Log:
    July 2: 4.58 miles
    July 5: 4.51
    July 7: 4.61
    July 10: 4.94

    Goal: 18.64/40 miles
  • Scott6255
    Scott6255 Posts: 2,583 Member
    @katharmonic great long run. Glad you had so many friends supporting you!

    @AlphaHowls happy 6 year anniversary! You are amazing!
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,683 Member
    @pfeiferlindsey I hope your half went well. Looking forward to reading about it.

    Nice job on the hilly run on Thursday @WhatMeRunning . I did hills that day too and really "enjoyed" it.

    @skippygirlsmom I think you are doing awesome considering your injury. If I recall correctly, when it first happened you were told at least 6 months before running again and look at you now!

    It's hard to get back into the routine after vacation @Zoomie402 . You're doing great.

    Great to see you @HonuNui ! I was wondering where you have been. Sorry to see that you were sick back in April. Glad you are better. Thanks so much for the tour of your little area of the world. I'm like @Scott6255 - that's probably the only way I'll ever get there. It looks lovely. Sad about the tsunami. I remember that tragedy. Thanks for the Mai Tai!

    @Teresa502 You did great in your race! I can't imagine running that one. I also don't see how anyone could run that hill at the paces of the winners. You're pictures are great.

  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,683 Member
    7-1 2.1 miles running and 1.0 mile walking (Hill Repeats after cutting cedars for almost 1.5 hours)
    7-2 0.0 miles running but 1.0 mile walking on treadmill (also played doubles tennis this morning)
    7-3 9.0 miles running, 1.0 mile walking (easy pace, but not an easy run)
    7-4 0.0 miles running, 1.0 mile walking laps on the driveway
    7-5 2.3 miles running, 1.0 mile walking (also played doubles tennis for almost 2 hours, outdoors)
    7-6 0.0 miles running, 1.0 mile walking
    7-7 1.0 mile running, 1.0 mile walking (fast mile)
    7-8 2.6 miles running, 1.0 mile walking (Hill Repeats - 6 months post surgery)
    7-9 0.0 mile running, 1.0 mile walking (hot and humid)
    7-10 7.0 miles running, 1.0 mile walking (easy pace, very humid)

    MT = 24.0/70 miles running: 10.0/31miles walking

    I worked at daycare from 7:30 - 4:30 on Thursday. I got home at 5:30, so went out to do my run at 5:45. It was 77°F with 74% humidity. Thursday's schedule called for Hill Repeats. I was supposed to do 5 minutes zone 1, 5 min zone 2, 6 x (1 min uphill zone 5/2 min recovery zone 1), 5 min zone 1. It was threatening to storm, so ran on my driveway. The hill I normally use isn't long enough for 1 min, so used that hill, slowed for a short flat and downhill portion, then sprinted up the next shorter hill. So, while I didn't follow the plan exactly, I feel I met the intent. Max pace on the last up hill portion was 9:01 min/mile - not sustainable, at all. It felt good to get it done. I noticed on my way back up the driveway today that, had I started at the gate instead of where I did, that first hill could have possibly taken a minute to run up. Don't know why I didn't think about that on Thursday. :lol: Also, it was the 6th month anniversary of my open heart surgery, so I ran enough to make 2.6 mile. Thought about 6 miles that morning, but didn't have either the time nor the inclination when I got home.

    Yesterday, I had daycare mandatory training from 8:30 - 3:30. Ran some errands and got home at 5. Had planned on a treadmill walk, but decided I really needed at least a little outdoor time, so walked on the driveway instead. According to Garmin, it was 77°F with 83% humidity. Glad I was outside, but it was really humid.

    Today, I had planned to get up and out by 7am, but, when I looked at the weather last night, there wasn't going to be much of a difference in the weather at 8 am. I decided I needed the sleep more, so didn't get out until 8:30. It was 73°F with 89% humidity. The run really wasn't too bad, but there wasn't a dry stitch on my clothes when I was finished. So. Much. Sweat.

    The scheduled run was 7 miles, easy pace. Like I said, there was a lot of sweat, but I was determined to make it a not horrible run. I wound up stopping twice at mom's to talk a few minutes during the run. The first time she had company I wanted to see/talk to. This is the person who invited us to the picnic, which was really good, btw. I also talked to my neighbor with Alzheimer's who was out on her porch. I walked when I felt like it, stopped to take a few pictures, was glad a couple of times when I needed to stop for a car to pass, but overall, it was an okay run. My average HR was 145, so I'm happy with that.

    Things I saw on my run this morning under the spoiler.
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    I think he thought this was his good side.

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    Pretty flowers

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    Close up of the flowers. I'm not sure, but these may be a money plant. If so, they are pretty, but not native and very invasive.

    I did notice that both times after I stopped at mom's and started back out, that my HR spiked to around 175/170 then settled down to the 140's after a couple of minutes. Does that happen to anyone else? Do you think it is real or a Garmin glitch?
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,683 Member
    @Avidkeo Glad you are feeling some better. Don't overdo.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,683 Member
    Hugs @rheddmobile ! Glad you got in a long run and decided to take care of yourself. If I could send you a flip, I would, but it doesn't sound like you really need nor want one. :wink: I do hope things get better for you soon.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,230 Member
    Congratulations on your anniversary @AlphaHowls

    Good for you for taking some time for yourself @rheddmobile


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