August 2022 Monthly Running Challenge

martaindale

August total: 69.2/105 miles

8/1: 5.1 miles
8/3: 5 miles
8/4: 4.1 miles
8/5: 5 miles
8/6: 10 miles
8/7: 4 miles
8/9: 4 miles
8/10: 4.1 miles
8/11: 3.1 miles
8/12: 3 miles
8/13: 6 miles
8/14: 2.8 miles
8/15: 4 miles
8/16: 3 miles
8/18: 3 miles
8/19: 3 miles

We got rain last night! Should be getting more today but it's like the running gods know I would a rain run in this heat. It never rains in the early morning! I am feeling the PT workout from 2 days ago in my hamstrings and calves. Should be worked out pretty well for tomorrow after a couple of recovery runs the last 2 days.
Tomorrow is the culmination of my base building HM plan and the conditions are looking brutal! 7am - 75F, 98% humidity, feels like 81F. 9am - 82F, 84% humidity, feels like 90F. Using our normal dew point I am looking at T+D of about 150-155. I am seriously considering doing the first 8 miles or so outside then transitioning to the treadmill for the last 5 to avoid the worst of the sun. It just doesn't feel like a good idea to do this run completely outside then be wiped out for the rest of the day. Especially not for a long training run. I've never split a long run this way but I think I can make it work if I preselect my run for the treadmill, get my hydration/fuel set up before I leave. Then I can just shed the hydration pack and jump on before my legs decide this run is over. I can do one of the race day marathon runs. Maybe Chicago. Sounds like I've talked myself into making a decision. We'll see how this goes.

AlphaHowls

@martaindale wrote: »

@alphahowls Did you know there are people who do not respond to poison ivy? I have not tested the theory as an adult but I did not respond as a child and neither did the couple of my brothers who were old enough to be running around in the woods of east TX barefoot with me. We encountered plenty of it and never had so much as an itch. It looks miserable! While I won't press my luck, it does make me feel like I have to be less careful in the woods about avoiding plants.

Yes! My mother does not respond to it either. This is actually my 3rd bout in my lifetime, once as a child and August 2020 I tangled with it. I did not realize I got into until days later, thinking I had been bitten by some strange bug. Doctor takes one look and says, "You have poison ivy."

My mother usually tackles this beast, but over the last year she has declined significantly. I just have to come to terms with it and do a better job of recognize it sooner.

SummerSkier

re: Poison Ivy. I got a REALLY bad case on my lower calves a few years back after an accidental stroll thru it. After trying everything in the book it turned out that the most relief came from using the PINK CALAMINE lotion They even make spray on .......

shanaber

@martaindale - our water pipes are underground and come up through the cement slab. I have never experienced this hot 'cold' water before but I guess it is an indication of how hot we have been over a longer than normal period.
I did not know that some people don't react to poison ivy. I Amy be one too. We ran all over the fields and forests as a kid and I don't ever remember getting it although one of my brothers did. I also wonder if maybe it wasn't as prevalent in Idaho as it is in other places.
I have to say that I am so amazed that @AlphaHowls can continue to run her HM distances despite suffering with it!

@tarun_yadavA - I also think it is a good practice to mix up different types of runs and paces to prevent burnout and injury.

@SummerSkier - I remember that pink calamine lotion. I think my parents bought it in bulk 😁 I was very fair and sunburn easily as I child and I swear my dad practically drenched me in it to relieve the sunburn pain and itch.

No run for me today. Managed 6 yesterday before we went wine tasting. It is supposed to cool slightly overnight and for a few days so I am planning to run the next 3 days in a row which I haven't done in awhile.

martaindale

SummerSkier wrote: »

re: Poison Ivy. I got a REALLY bad case on my lower calves a few years back after an accidental stroll thru it. After trying everything in the book it turned out that the most relief came from using the PINK CALAMINE lotion They even make spray on .......

I haven't thought about calamine lotion in forever! My mom used it for all kinds of skin ailments, but I remember it most from dotting it on hundreds of chicken pox with a cotton ball.

marisap2010

So, I came on here and posted earlier this week, but my post seems to be MIA...

I'm not sure where I got my 95 miles run thus far in the month in last weekend's post. I must have been delirious after my 20 miler because that wasn't accurate! At that point it was 71.5 miles. Since then I have a tempo run, a Z1 recovery run (really more of a walk to keep HR down), a foundation run, and then intervals on yesterday. I'm at 83.31 miles now for August.

Hubby's job keeps screwing with his schedule of overseas work, and it looked like he would not be home for the marathon and visit with his family, but he was able to talk with his boss and get it coordinated for him to get home about a week before the trip, so I am super happy about that. I'm really excited for the trip, not only for the marathon but also for a break from work.

On the discussion about food/weight/perimenopause, I am in the same boat with the rest of you. Weight loss has been awful for me for the past year or so, and I can't tolerate the same foods I used to eat. I'm not trying any weight loss plan while training right now because I know I need the calories, but tomorrow is six weeks out from the race, so I am going to be a little more focused on my meal planning and try to have mostly whole foods vs. sweets/processed/alcohol.

Scott6255

Great that your husband will be able to join you for your marathon @marisap2010! That will make all the difference.

Sorry to hear about your struggles @tarun_yadavA but I bet some rest and recovery will do you good.

Did a hot and sweaty 10 miles this morning. Cooler temp than normal, but no wind and high humidity cancelled that out 🥵

Jane10s

August goal: 30 miles

8/1: 3 miles
8/6: 4 miles walking*
8/8: 5 miles
8/11: 3 miles walk/run*
8/12: 4 miles walking*
8/13: 5 miles
8/14: 8 miles inline skating*
8/15: 3 miles
8/18: 2 miles walking*
8/20: 10 miles
*miles not counting toward goal

26 down 4 to go

Perfect running weather. Overcast for the most part, cooler than usual, tolerable humidity with a slight breeze. Great run. Kept it slow and steady. I didn't look at my watch except for heart rate/zone. Counted the miles outloud when my watch buzzed. I ended up pacing within a minute. Last mile was my fastest. About a minute slower pace than my shorter runs. I feel good and pleased. Taking a couple days off (weather and unexpected childcare issues) didn't backfire like I expected. Good luck to everyone with upcoming races.

Teresa502

Back from vacation and although I loved being in the Caribbean, I was ready to leave the heat and humidity behind! I ran 4 days while there. Last Sunday I got 4 miles in before it started pouring rain. I was close to the hotel so I ducked inside and did another mile on the hotel treadmill. On Monday, I ran 4 miles, on Wednesday I discovered a walking/running/biking path next to the ocean and ran 5 miles, and on Thursday, I ran 3 miles. I also got a lot of walking miles in for warm ups and cool downs. We rented a car a couple of days and drove to Christoffel Park where we hiked to the highest peak on the island. It was a lot of scrambling over huge boulders especially near the top. Following that we hiked in Sheta Boka National Park to see the blue holes and natural bridge.

I took yesterday as a rest day. I didn't get home until 2:00 am and my internal clock still woke me at 5:30 am. This morning I ran 6 miles and had an extra appreciation for our 70 degree temperature, 78% humidity, and the beautiful green grass and mountains here in southwest Virginia.

This was the view from the balcony of my hotel room in Curacao.

Highest peak on the island - let's go there!

Part of trail to said peak.

Painted mural near the multi-use trail.

This pedestrian bridge was on pontoons and would swing open every time a boat would pass through the harbor. Very neat to watch. If it was opening partially for a smaller boat, pedestrians could stay on the bridge but when it opened for the large shipping container ships they would clear it since it stayed open longer. There was a ferry nearby that shuttled people across when the floating bridge was open.

Scott6255

@Teresa502 sounds and looks like a nice vacation (except for the heat). You sure we're busy. I think you need a vacation from your vacation 😉

polskagirl01

Good news was last night I got a sudden burst of energy, didn't sleep much but woke up feeling ok and headed out for a "long" (for me for now) run of 10k 😁

I took it really slow with plenty of walk breaks, then tried out a new path, which soon ended and I was just going through fields, some of them just soft plowed mud.. at least I know now that there isn't a decent shortcut there. I scared a deer, who then scared me when he came charging out of the brush right next to me. Then I had to go through a cornfield because there was no path at that point. The other fields had been recently mowed, otherwise I'd've had to turn around earlier because I'm not wading through tall grass. It was a fun adventure I guess 😆

Mostly I was trying to photograph the humidity. See it? 😅

marisap2010

@Teresa502 Sounds like you had a great vacation. I love your pictures!

@polskagirl01 I'm glad you were able to get in a longer run. I would have jumped if a deer had jumped out in front of me!

Today's run called for a recovery run after yesterday's speedwork. I did 2.5 miles in Z1. Tomorrow calls for 12 miles.

August miles: 85.84

martaindale

@Teresa502 I'm glad you had a good time on your vacation! Beautiful pictures. Welcome back!

@marisap2010 I think it's safe to blame post 20 mile delirium for incorrect math.

@polskagirl01 That's quite an adventurous run!

martaindale

August total: 82.3/105 miles

8/1: 5.1 miles
8/3: 5 miles
8/4: 4.1 miles
8/5: 5 miles
8/6: 10 miles
8/7: 4 miles
8/9: 4 miles
8/10: 4.1 miles
8/11: 3.1 miles
8/12: 3 miles
8/13: 6 miles
8/14: 2.8 miles
8/15: 4 miles
8/16: 3 miles
8/18: 3 miles
8/19: 3 miles
8/20: 13.1 miles

Did my run in 2 parts today. I ran almost 9 miles outside then finished off the HM on the treadmill with the first part of the Chicago marathon on ifit. It ended up being just right mileage wise and it was cool to do one of those in a race environment. I like the trail ones for normal runs but it was a nice change for this type of run since I was supposed to be doing a HM race per my plan.

yirara

I'm currently following a running programme given to me by a sports doctor. So my running tends to be a bit less, and in parts overall shorter. Certainly it's slower. But that's ok.

05.08 Fri 19 °C 3.0km 25min
07.08 Sun 22 °C 3.0km 24min
08.08 Mon 25 °C 3.6km 32min
10.08 Wed 27 °C 4.0km 34min
12.08 Fri 29 °C 6.0km 54min
14.08 Sun 31 °C 3.0km 27min
16.08 Tue 28 °C 4.2km 37min
17.08 Wed 26 °C 5.0km 42min
19.08 Fri 23 °C 6.0km 51min
20.08 Sat 21 °C 5.3km 45min

total: 43.13km

tarun_yadavA

martaindale wrote: »

@tarun_yadavA Sorry to hear you're feeling rough.
I have noticed that you do basically every run within a very tight pace window, at least over the time you've been participating here. You say today was the slowest in a while but it was an average 9:00 pace. Looking back a few weeks your runs are typically in the 8:45-8:50 range. So, technically slower I guess but it's such a minimal difference it almost seems like arguing semantics. In the grand scheme of training paces, those are hardly distinguishable. I also noticed in the screenshots you post here that the runs are routinely tagged hard or max effort. Have you considered purposefully inserting some pace variety into your runs? It doesn't seem like you ever run a truly easy run and let your body recover from the hard effort ones.
I'll drop a couple of short reads here for you to take or leave. There is so much out there from basically every coach and expert extolling the virtues of really slowing down for many of your runs and using higher paces in a targeted way for workouts with a specific purpose. Not only will you be more likely to see improvements, you will avoid burnout and overuse injuries.
run slower article
running zones and fitness

Hi!! Thanks so much for the links! 😊
I didn't post here yesterday... but I did a v.gentle 5K at 9:45" ish, with a lot of stretching and some yoga positions afterwards.

tarun_yadavA

Happy Sunday all.
Less distance and eased up on pace a touch further (compared to my usual)

eleanorhawkins

Friday morning I did my 26km (16ish miles) and it was awesome but also heartbreaking... I ran up to the village half way up the mountain, then carried on up the service road that heads up to the antennas, which was the area where the recent fire started. Some of you may have seen my photos on Strava. The worst part was among the devastation I saw a plastic bag full of rubbish in the ditch beside the road, which is supposedly closed to all unauthorised vehicles. In fact, even the road that leads to that road has barriers and police tape across it, which someone has moved. I despair of humanity sometimes.
All in all the run was great, though the hills certainly made it tough. I stuck to 90-30 run-walk intervals on all the uphills and every now and then on the flats when I felt my HR was getting too high. My quads didn't like me at all towards the end coming back down but hardly surprising. I did run out of water and had to stop and buy a bottle when I reached a shop almost at the end.
So I was on a runners high all day long, then when I went to bed the stomach/chest pain thing started again :-( Ended up having to go to the hospital ER, where they did another ecg, blood tests (both fine) then gave me painkillers, left me sitting there all night, then said 'go to see your gp and tell him to investigate'. Ugh. I'm not usually a wimp but the pain is so bad I'm scared of it happening again, and of course annoyed and frustrated about it making me unable to run. A night of no sleep followed by a day of no food has left me all weak and feeble again.
I have a quick work trip on the 1st, a race on the 4th and a holiday on the 5th. No idea if any of those will be possible with this going on. Have to see what the dr can find, but everything is slowwwwww because its August.

quilteryoyo

I've read and liked and hugged as appropriate. Sorry for not having the time to respond to everyone, but you guys are doing great with your running and are an inspiration to me.

@tarun_yadavA Sorry everything hurt on Friday. I hope your off day helped and your son had a happy birthday.

@AlphaHowls What happened that you are on steroids? I must have missed something. I hope you are okay and they are doing their job. Never mind. I looked back and saw that it is poison ivy. I hope it clears up soon. It much be pretty bad to require steroids.

@martaindale My dad was one of those who did not respond to poison ivy. The neighbor's would have him come pull it off of the trees they were cutting down. LOL Unfortunately, that is not one of the traits I inherited from him. It really reacts on me, so I do my best to avoid it and when I know I may have been exposed I wash my clothes by themselves and wipe all exposed skin with an alcohol soaked paper towel before showering. That usually keeps me from getting a rash. Yeah for getting some rain. I hope your plan to run part of the long run on the treadmill worked out. Sounds like a great plan to me. I see that it did work out. I'm glad you were able to get in the long run and not have to deal with the extreme heat and humidity.

@marisap2010 You are doing great with your plan. So glad that your husband worked it out so he can go on the trip and be there with you when you run the marathon!

@Scott6255 You are doing great to get 10 miles in those conditions.

Great running @Jane10s .

Looks like a great vacation @Teresa502 . Love the pictures and you did so good with running while you were there!

Great running and adventure @polskagirl01 . You are doing great to do what you can and 10K is nothing to sneeze at, especially in high humidity.

@eleanorhawkins Sounds like you had a great run, except for the trash you found where people aren't even supposed to be. So sorry that you are having heart/stomach pain. I hope you can see the GP soon and get some answers. Keep pushing for answers. Despite advances, doctor's still seem to not understand women and heart issues. Maybe a heart monitor is needed to see what is going on. I hope it is nothing serious and your plans don't get impacted.

SummerSkier

I was honestly thinking that it sounds like acid reflux. I wonder if @eleanorhawkins might need to see if she is getting an ulcer or her valve is not closing quite right? I know my Dad got a scoping and was diagnosed with something like that.

High humidity here also yesterday. like 100%. I made myself do a slow run and focused on keeping my heart rate down. @tarun_yadavA lately as the years go by I still like to run daily but have tried changing it up more - with speed for a few days and slow a few or every other day etc. My biggest challenge is always to avoid injuries!

I am at 80.66 for the month so far. Yesterday I almost quit after a few hundred yards. I actually DID turn around to run back home but then I thought I could do at least 20 minutes which turned into 30 which then met my original plan of a 5K. LOL. I really REALLY had to do a lot of self talk those first 5-10 minutes tho to keep going.