June 2022 Monthly Running Challenge

Scott6255
Scott6255 Posts: 2,408 Member
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 May 2022 Monthly Running Challenge which can be found at: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10863376/may-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 June 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

  • eleanorhawkins
    eleanorhawkins Posts: 1,650 Member
    edited May 2022
    Thanks @Scott6255 !
    Nice to see you @ContraryMaryMary, I hear ya on the hills!

    The absolute novice marathon plan I've cobbled together only calls for around 125km in June, which seems pretty low so I may or may not do a bit more depending on how I feel at the time. I'm travelling to see my dad for a few days too, so probably won't get much running done there.
    I do want to try and get my elevation up asap, so I might force myself to stick to the low mileage but do as much of it as possible in the mountains. Only trouble with that is transport, I no longer have a car of my own and the way I look and smell after a run at this time of year means they probably wouldn't let me on a bus!

    ETA: that brings to mind a suggestion of a monthly question I'm very interested in knowing answers to because I have yet to find anything effective:
    What do you do to get the stink out of sweaty running gear? I've tried various things that claim to be specific sports wash as well as vinegar and it just won't go away completely.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,028 Member
    @ContraryMaryMary Hills will humble you for sure but definitely make you stronger.
    ETA: that brings to mind a suggestion of a monthly question I'm very interested in knowing answers to because I have yet to find anything effective:
    What do you do to get the stink out of sweaty running gear? I've tried various things that claim to be specific sports wash as well as vinegar and it just won't go away completely.

    I have no magic bullet for you but I do think the sports detergents work better than regular ones. Lately I have also been making sure to get out of my wet clothes asap and drying my clothes out completely before putting them in the hamper. It seems to help. That said, I have a couple of sports bras that will never smell great after a run again. But, they fit great so I just deal with it.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,028 Member
    My plan calls for 117 miles. We’ll see. That’s a lot of miles in the summer but most of the runs are fairly short. There are just a lot of them.
  • Scott6255
    Scott6255 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Welcome back @ContraryMaryMary! I was actually thinking about you (and @Avidkeo ) yesterday...that we haven't heard from you in a while. Glad to hear everything is good!

    @eleanorhawkins I also leave all my sweaty clothes outside to dry before bringing them in to the dirty clothes hamper. It really does help. As for detergent, I think we use the sports detergent made by Tide.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,883 Member
    Nice to see you back @ContraryMaryMary ! Hills do make a big difference.

    @eleanorhawkins I haven't used any special detergents. Like @martaindale I let mine completely dry before putting them in the hamper. I do have one bra that I would wear more than once before washing because I didn't have enough otherwise. It will never smell the same. It's okay, until it gets wet with sweat again, then it's awful. I try to wear it when I'm not going to be around other people. Now that I have more gear, I make sure I was it after every wear and it seems to be okay. Have you tried baking soda in the wash. I did use that once for when I had the dreaded runners diarrhea and couldn't get the smell out. It seemed to work, but had to wash that skort 3 or 4 times before it went away. The baking soda really helped. I use normal Tide Free detergent otherwise.

    I just checked my plan and since it goes by HR and time, not mileage, I'm guessing the plan would be around 68 miles running plus my walking miles. However, I am also trying to plan a trip to FL, so more than likely wouldn't follow the plan while I am there if the past is any sort of predictor of the future. So, my goal for June is going to be 80 miles total of running and fast walking.
  • marisap2010
    marisap2010 Posts: 909 Member
    I have used vinegar a few times with clothes but have never bought any sport-specific detergents. I too try to let my clothes dry before putting them in the hamper.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,950 Member
    I am in for 100 miles for June.
  • Scott6255
    Scott6255 Posts: 2,408 Member
    6 sweaty miles for Global Running Day

    exercise.png
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,454 Member
    I'm in for 160 miles this month. And my side goal is to get consistent with my core work on off days, so let's include 8 core workout sessions as well.

    Monthly question: I'm not sure if it's my body chemistry or what, but I don't have an issue with stinky running gear. In fact, I'll often where the same thing for 2 or 3 runs in a row to minimize laundry. That may sound gross but I figure I'm going to be showering after a run anyway so I can wear dirty clothes. What I do after a run is to shower, then hang up my sweaty clothes on the shower bar until they dry. Thankfully my wife isn't grossed out about it. I use the Kirkland (Costco) laundry detergent but I don't think it matters for me.

    Welcome back, @ContraryMaryMary !
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,454 Member
    @scott6255 I just noticed that this thread is in the group board rather than the challenge board. Is this a change we're making?
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,028 Member
    @shanaber I like that shoe rack idea. Such a better use of space than on the floor.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,454 Member
    @shanaber I really like that shoe rack, and it would be really easy to build. I think I'm out of wall space in the garage but I'll have to see if I can make something work.