May 2022 Monthly Running Challenge

Scott6255
Scott6255 Posts: 2,554 Member
in Challenges
WARNING: Following this thread may be addictive; it gets very talkative...miss a day and you can be 50 posts behind. This is the most popular challenge on MFP. If you found us in the middle (or end) of the month, you're still very welcome to join in - no requirements or special invite needed. Once you post, that's it you're in. And yes, we do this every month.

You set your own pace and distance for the month. We will all be doing it together. This is your virtual running group to help keep you accountable, to enjoy a virtual post-run coffee with your fellow runners, and to make new friends and learn a few things.

This is a continuation from the April 2022 Monthly Running Challenge which can be found at: https://https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10860586/april-2022-monthly-running-challenge/p1

Anyone can join in, new and old, and if you found this thread late, you can join in at any time.
We have members ranging from total beginners all the way to Boston Qualifiers and beyond. We are a friendly and encouraging bunch. You never need to be ashamed of your miles. If you are making the effort, you will find only support here.

Here are the details from last month that apply again:

Anybody want to join in for a running challenge? Set a goal here and update us every day. OPTIONAL: You can post your progress by creating a ticker at http://www.tickerfactory.com (if creating one seems difficult, or you're like me and can't be bothered, then just type in your daily miles in this thread).

You can run, walk, or do treadmill - just be consistent. Don't let the high (or low) goals of others intimidate you. Some do 25 miles, others do 50, some go higher than that, some do lower; it's entirely your goal and therefore completely up to you. We help motivate each other, so what do you say? If you're new to running, set a low goal. If you're from a part of the world where miles aren't your thing, log your distances in KMs. And if you'd rather log your progress by time rather than distance, then you're entirely free to do that as well.

Feel free to set your goal now but wait until May 1, 2022 to start logging your runs!

Also, don't forget to join our group which can be found at:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/21182-monthly-running-challenges
Bookmark the previous and past challenges: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10393468/current-past-challenges#latest
Find a small group of runners that encourage and offer food support:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10573619/runners-that-need-some-nutritional-accountability#latest

Note: we also have a group on Strava and Facebook.

After you run, come into this thread and post what you did (don't forget to hit the star in the upper right corner to bookmark this thread). Simply keep a running tally of what you've done this month, and interact with the others. Many folks come in here and chit-chat it up, even on their rest days or while recouping from injury. This is a very social group and we talk about many things (sometimes even about running). It's a very friendly bunch here so don't be afraid to say hi (even if this is your first time), talk about a recent or up-coming race, ask questions, provide answers, or just lurk-n-learn. Participation is what makes this group successful.

Not quite sure how to log your runs? Follow the examples of many other challenge members. Even take a peek at last month's thread (posted above).


*******OPTIONAL TICKER*************
Info on tickers since I know there will be questions. Sign up for an account at http://www.tickerfactory.com and create your ticker. Then you need to update it after you finish a run and post it here. Here is what you will need to do.

After setting up your ticker, you will need to make note of the weblink they give you so you can return. An example would be:

http://www.tickerfactory.com/exercise/w6K1EiX/ <<<< the last part will be a part of the image link (explained below) that will be supplied to you after you initially create your link.

When you return to TickerFactory with the weblink, go to your settings page. Make sure you type your PIN in that you set when you created your ticker account. Then, where it says "Your current cumulative value", there is an add button. Simply add the distance that you just did, and the cumulative value automatically changes. Then hit next.

After adding your new miles (or KMs) to your ticker, you need to post it here.

After you hit next, it will give you a bunch of codes suggesting how to display your ticker.
Use the one at the bottom where it says Direct Image URL:

It will look something like:
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png

To display that correctly in your post, make sure you place the image (img) tags around that link. So it will look something like the following (but removing the spaces in the img tags):

[ img ] http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png [ /img ]

^^^^^^^ Don't forget to remove the spaces between the brackets ^^^^^^^^^^

Some key things to pay attention to when posting your ticker:
Use the link that ends in .png
Remember the [ img] and [ /img] tags go in between the link
Remove the spaces in the img tags before posting
YES, there is a / in the second /img tag

By the way, everyone here should consider themselves a runner no matter how fast or slow. There's no judgment, we all started somewhere. And no comparisons, except with your former self. Don't compare your Chapter 1 to somebody else’s Chapter 20.

“I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.” – Bart Yasso

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius

"We all know that if you run, you are pretty much choosing a life of success because of it.” – Deena Kastor

“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” – Steve Prefontaine

“Get going … walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.” – Ron Hill

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." - John Bingham

You may see some phrases / words that are unique to our little group when it comes to describing some of our runs. It is a mash-up of words that seem to best describe the way the run felt that day. Here are some examples. Feel free to come up with your own to add to the dictionary 😃

'sleasy' - Slow and Easy
'sneasy' - Slow Not Easy
'scrappy' - mix of Slow and Crappy
'wun' - mix of Walking and Running
'wog' - mix of Walking and Jogging

Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay on track.
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Replies

  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,311 Member
    Teresa502 wrote: »
    I’ve been thinking that I’m an overstrider and that may have led to my back being unhappy last week. Tomorrow I’m going to focus on trying to take smaller steps.

    I hope smaller steps help your back out. I could see how a reaching stride could be jarring on the back. I noticed it a lot in my knees. When I brought my foot under me a lot of the discomfort I was having at the beginning of my runs just disappeared.
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,132 Member
    To me drop is most critical. When I have zero drop my hips hurt. Too much and my shins hurt. Of course my shins hurt as soon as my shoes start to wear out too. A balancing act for sure. Interesting comment on the hoka. They do run really slow to me but I never thought it was the fat cushioning. Thanks for posting.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,311 Member
    @avidkeo Glad to see you back. Sorry to hear your recovery has been rough but yay for getting up to 18 mins! That’s super frustrating to hit such a bog setback so close to your race but it’s nice that you have the option to drop down the distance so you can still participate.

    @marisap2010 Good goal. I am really interested in seeing how this training plan works out for you. I am not following this specific plan but have focused on slowing down for easy runs quite a lot this last year in the spirit of train slow to race fast. I will say it made a difference for me in the amount of mileage I was able to do during a training plan without feeling wiped out and in how I recovered.
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,024 Member
    @Avidkeo so sorry you've been sick. It seems it's different for everyone, but my advice is to be easy on yourself and just do what you can do on any given day. If the HM needs to be off the table, so be it. Just let your body take the time it needs to come back.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,457 Member
    edited May 2022
    Welcome @AbnerCrew !

    @Teresa502 I hope your back is okay and you don't have a reoccurrence.

    Welcome @SavageMrsMoose ! Awesome that you ran Boston!

    Great run @SummerSkier !

    Hahaha @polskagirl01 . I think you are right. Your mind is made up. It sounds like a great run and a great cause.

    @Avidkeo I don't think it hit me as hard as you, even though I do wonder if part of my heart issues and fatigue could be long covid symptoms. Anyway, I just did what I could and built back up. I think you are doing the right thing and you might find that you all of a sudden feel wonderful and can push it again. Just do what feels right and listen to your body. Guess that wasn't very helpful, was it?

    @marisap2010 It is hard to run in the Zones sometimes. Sounds like you are doing great though. Are you doing his marathon plan too?

    Loved the video @shanaber ! It would not have been half as interesting if they didn't put the "bloopers" in there.

    @kgirlhart Nice long run today!

    @katharmonic One thing I have learned is that you can't do anything about the past, but you can learn from it and do better moving forward. Sounds like you and your friend have a solid plan.

    Sunday's are my rest day, so I just went out and walked a mile on the driveway after my afternoon nap.
  • marisap2010
    marisap2010 Posts: 909 Member
    @quilteryoyo Yes, I will be following the Marathon level 2 plan.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,204 Member
    @quilteryoyo it was very helpful. Others at work have said it took them a month to get back to normal
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    @quilteryoyo-I enjoyed the bloopers too and found there was good information embedded in-between.

    Welcome @SavageMrsMoose and @AbnerCrew!

    @katharmonic - I find myself having to recommit every now and then. Glad you have friends to help you get back into it.

    @Avidkeo - I hope you are feeling better soon but like others have said, take it slow and work your way back into your running plan.

    I got out for a 5.5mi run today, it was lovely weather, low 70's and ~50% humidity and I was very hopeful that it would be a great run. Unfortunately my arm was not interested in participating. I tried but had to walk or even stop when it hurt. I sure hope PT helps but I am beyond frustrated... Tomorrow is another day though and I will get out and try it again.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,457 Member
    edited May 2022
    @shanaber You're determination is amazing. Hang in there. Fingers crossed that PT will help.

    @Avidkeo So glad that you were able to defer your HM to next year! Now you won't feel pressured to do more than you should. Fast walking is a great way to burn off some frustration too....or a nice quiet stroll. Whatever feels right. I didn't know that you had chest pains. If that continues, you probably should go see a cardiologist. Seems like a lot of people I know are having some heart related issues once they have had CoVID. They seem to resolve themselves eventually, but you may need some meds to help in the meantime.

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