February 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

quilteryoyo

Hahaha @tarun_yadavA ! Thanks for the birthday wishes for dad. Great speedy taper run today. Enjoy your rest day tomorrow.

Thanks @Laurz9191 . Nice running today. I am one of those who don't mind getting caught out in the rain when running, but I don't think I have ever actually went out to run when it was raining already.

JennieMaeK

Still plucking away on my 5k training. Longest run so far has been 42 minutes - 3 minute walk, 18 minute run, 3 minute walk and longest continuous run has been 30 minutes with a 40 minute run this weekend.

Still snowy and coldish here - my run on Saturday was -17C (-25C with the wind-chill). Once I got moving though, I warmed up. Supposed to be above freezing on the weekend.

martaindale

@JennieMaeK You're making good progress! Keep it up.

spl8

I felt so stiff today. Next couple of days will be bitter here in NY, so I may just stick to yoga.

chris_in_cal

I following my Garmin Coach "Amy" for 16 weeks, in preparation for a 5K.

I set the parameters to run/walk, and only take Friday off. So far she's having me do four days a week.

For today it is :20 mins of run/walk.

Scott6255

Thawing out, but still 33°F and raining all day.
8 treadmill miles today.

kgirlhart

Still no run for me. It was a little warmer today but still rainy. I don't think it got as bad here as it did for @Scott6255. But it has been icy and not good for running outside. I am hoping to run tomorrow, but we will see. Even if we don't get any more precipitation, if it is still wet it may be icy in the morning and I may just have to try later in the day or even wait until Saturday.

Teresa502

It's been cold and wet every day this week. We finally got a break yesterday so I met a friend after work and we ran 5 miles. Not used to all the traffic at that time of day. Big difference between 5 am and 5 pm! This morning I walked on the treadmill for 3.10 miles followed by 15 minutes of yoga.

Tramboman

2-1 4k slooowww; resistance band training
2-2 golf swing training
2-3 3 k treadmill; resistance band training

February total: 7 k
February goal: 50 k

Snowy, windy, and upper teens F today, so I opted for the treadmill.

Laurz9191

Very windy and rainy here. I did 4x 4 minute intervals plus warm up & cool down. It definitely was hard work and I’m not used to running at lunch time, but it was the only time I could fit it in today. My watch finally says I’m productive instead of maintaining, which felt like a long overdue pat on the back from my coach . I only had 42 minutes, but I ran 7.23 km, bringing me to 31.3 of my goal of 200 km

martaindale

February total: 8.3/125 miles

2/1: 3.1 miles
2/3: 5.2 miles

Couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day. It was gloomy this morning but we had errands to run, and by the afternoon it was 50F, sunny, low humidity. Beautiful!
Got my husband out for a run again today! That’s 2 this week. He did the same run/walk interval, so I did that with him for a mile, he turned around, and I started the workout for today which was 4 miles at HM pace. Wooo, that felt hard. First mile was way too fast and I could tell so I dialed it back before hitting the end of mile 1 and still came in about 20 secs faster than target. I did a little better for the next 3 miles, about 5-10 secs too fast. At least they were consistent. It’s amazing how a pace that was pretty easy for me to hit less than a year ago now takes real effort. Hopefully with a few more workouts under my belt, it will come back to me.

martaindale

Seems like a lot of you are still getting some pretty nasty conditions. I hope it clears up for you soon.

@Scott6255 I grew up in East TX and experienced the lovely ice storms a few too many times. They’re one of the things I truly don’t miss about that area. We lived really rural and I still remember one year where we were out of power for 2 weeks. Luckily we had a well that my parents managed to keep from freezing up and a wood burning fireplace. Our stove was electric so my mom cooked and heated bath water in the fireplace. My dad worked for the power company so when these storms would hit he would be gone a few days at a time because it took road crews so long to get out to our area that it was too dangerous for him to drive back and forth. He would sleep in his office and come check in every few days and bring some groceries.

Kandy_Webster

This challenge seems interesting and I'm VEEERRRY beginner as I haven't really 'run' since high school track! I think I'll start with walking a mile a day since my knees don't agree with me running very much right now but I'm hoping as I lose the weight I can steadily increase to running! My ultimate goal would be to run a 5K the whole way through but I'm working at it with small goals so I don't get discouraged!

Thanks for creating this challenge and letting me 'join the crew'!

quilteryoyo

Sounds like you are doing great @JennieMaeK ! Stay warm and enjoy the warmer weather over the weekend.

Great job getting out there when your legs were stiff @spl8 . Hopefully your next run will be a lot better. That's usually how it goes. Stay warm and safe in that weather.

@chris_in_cal Sounds like a great plan and you are doing good with it. I haven't tried any of the Garmin couches yet. Do you like "Amy?"

You're doing great with the treadmill runs @Scott6255 . Hopefully it will warm up next week for you.

@Teresa502 You are doing great. I hope the weather forecast is correct and we get much warmer weather next week. Loved the sunshine today. Now for some warmth too.

Treadmills are getting their workouts this week. Great going @Tramboman !

Nice job of fitting in your run @Laurz9191 ! Great run too.

@martaindale Yeah for your DH getting out for another run! I hope he keeps it up. Great job on doing your training run, especially when it felt so hard. Still recovering, I guess. I hope it starts feeling easier soon.

Welcome @kandywebster ! Walking is a good place to start! Once you feel like adding in some running, maybe look into a couch to 5K plan - that may be a couple of months, but whenever you decide. Only you can answer when you are ready. Walking a mile a day is great too, because it will help you form the habit of exercising every day. Feel free to join in on the conversations or ask questions. Sounds like you know something of running, since you ran track in HS. What distance did you compete in?

I didn't post yesterday because my internet was being obnoxious again. I just gave up. I did walk 2.50 miles on the treadmill after spending the morning running errands, taking mom the the doctor (follow up appointment) and napping on the couch after I got home.

Today, I helped with health screenings at a local high school and ran a couple more errands. I was really tired and just wanted to lay down when I got home, but I made myself go down and do an easy run on the treadmill. I'm glad I did because that gave me more energy. I did a turtle pace easy run....ran/walked 5 x (4.2/3.8, 4.3/3.8 mph for 5/1 min) than ended with 5:59 min at 4.2 mph. Ran 2.50 miles in 35:59 min for an average pace of 14:24 min/mile. My avg HR was 132 and the max was 144 bpm. I was aiming to keep it below 140 bpm.

kgirlhart

February Goal: 90 Miles

2/3: 5.27 miles

5.27/90 miles completed for February

I finally got a run in so I'm on the board for February with 5.25 miles. It was about 30°F this morning, but the sky was clear and it was not windy so it wasn't unpleasant. The moon looked really pretty. I took it slow and just tried to avoid any spots that looked wet as I knew they would be ice. I saw a skunk. He was crossing the highway and I thought he might get hit by a car, but luckily the driver saw him and slowed down.

It was so nice to finally see the sun today. It should be nicer the next couple of days so I am hoping to get a few good runs in.

tarun_yadavA

Hello everyone... From a mild London, where it's not freezing cold and icy (looking at you, Texas! lol).

11 today.

End of week 2 Tapering.

('Big run' week / 'Week 0' - 44 Miles [26.2],
Week 1 - 33.5 Miles [17.5],
Week 2 - 28 Miles [11] )

This is roughly the pace I want to run the first Half/15 of the Marathon at. (Might start off a bit quicker - excitement/adrenaline etc 🤷) had a gel at 9 today. Seemed to work, I think. No slowdown. So aiming for gels at 9, 13, 17, 21 - but will stay flexible.

Rest day tomorrow.
Monday - unsure. See how I feel.
Tuesday - Thursday 'sl-easies' no more than 7K (4.36M),
Friday - rest,
Sat - rest.
Sunday - GO TIIIIIIIME.

Just plan to take it easy. No midweek Speedwork. Stay injury free. Just stayed Carb-ed, Vitamin-ed and Fibre-d (don't want to be sipping my second Tea in hotel at 7am next Sunday wondering why nothings coming out 💩 lol (sorry!!) ).

Have a great weekend all 😊

SummerSkier

I’ll check back in later from Texas but wanted to say that I am usually really slow after a complete rest day? Consider doing a short 5k warm up on Sat before the big day? @tarun_yadavA

ScienceofTeaching

Hello everyone! I'm a little bit late, but I'd like to join! I haven't actually done any running in a long time (and even then it was very slow running...), but I'd like to get myself moving again. I'm going to start with walking and maybe work my way up, if the weather and my lungs allow. I'm asthmatic and one of my biggest triggers is cold temperatures, so the winter is hard. Back in November, I was three days into couch to 5k, and my husband got covid and gave it to me. I'm still coughing a little bit, but I think I'm finally ready to try to get active again.

So I'm going to set a goal of 25 miles. I'll mostly be walking, but we'll see if I can work my way up to adding a bit of running as well. Looking forward to doing this challenge with everyone!

Yesterday, I got the challenge started with a fairly slow mile with a coworker. It was 15 F with lots of wind, so I'm considering even a slow mile to be a success. Today's high is 35 and it looks like the sun will be shining, so it should be more comfortable to be outside!

quilteryoyo

@kgirlhart Glad you were able to get out for a run and avoid the icy spots. We had sunshine finally yesterday too. It was nice.

@tarun_yadavA Great job keeping the same pace throughout the run. Normally, I don't have "that" issue on race day. Nerves take care of it for me. Sounds like you have a great plan in place for this week. Is there a way to track you during the race next Sunday?

Welcome @ScienceofTeaching ! I would have a hard time getting out for a walk when it's that cold and windy. I'm glad you are finally feeling better from CoVID. Symptoms can linger for a while. Sounds like you have a great plan in place. Getting in the habit of exercising is a big step toward your goal. My suggestion is, when you start to add in running, do it slowly and short distances so you don't over do and get injured. When I first started running a few years back, I really over did it and had the worst shin splints ever! I couldn't walk up stairs at all for about a week. I learned my lesson. I hope this upcoming week is warmer for you and you can get outside and be more comfortable. Where are you from? I'm E. TN.

quilteryoyo

@kgirlhart Glad you were able to get out for a run and avoid the icy spots. We had sunshine finally yesterday too. It was nice.

@tarun_yadavA Great job keeping the same pace throughout the run. Normally, I don't have "that" issue on race day. Nerves take care of it for me. Sounds like you have a great plan in place for this week. Is there a way to track you during the race next Sunday?

Welcome @ScienceofTeaching ! I would have a hard time getting out for a walk when it's that cold and windy. I'm glad you are finally feeling better from CoVID. Symptoms can linger for a while. Sounds like you have a great plan in place. Getting in the habit of exercising is a big step toward your goal. My suggestion is, when you start to add in running, do it slowly and short distances so you don't over do and get injured. When I first started running a few years back, I really over did it and had the worst shin splints ever! I couldn't walk up stairs at all for about a week. I learned my lesson. I hope this upcoming week is warmer for you and you can get outside and be more comfortable. Where are you from?

quilteryoyo

I read something this morning that said "A snail's pace is still a pace." I think I took that to heart when I started my run.

I knew it was going to be sneasy today, so, in order to make my planned distance, I decided to do a run/walk of 3/2 min. The paces were 4.2 - 5.0, 5.0 - 4.3/3.8 mph. The first 30 minutes were the hardest. I just couldn't get everything working right. Then, a little before 1h5m into the run, I got blurry vision and had to take a break for a min. Not sure what that was all about. I checked my HR on the Garmin chart, and it looked okay. I had walked upstairs and checked my oxygen level. It was fine. I didn't feel faint or anything, just vision wasn't clear. It only lasted about one min. Other than that, it was an okay run. I walked a total of 1.0 mile for warm up and cool down and the run/walk was a total of 6.0 miles in 1:23:41 min. Avg pace was 13:57 min/mile. Avg HR was 124 with a max of 144 bpm.

I think it may be my turn to play the lottery. I looked at my stats on run the year and I have 88.80 miles to go to my next bib (200 miles) and 888.80 miles to my goal of 1000 miles.

Scott6255

@quilteryoyo glad you are ok. I have actually had a couple instances of blurry vision for a short time during a run. Never have found out what caused it.

@tarun_yadavA nice run. Glad you figured out your fueling. But may I suggest taking a gel prior to mile 9, say 5 or 6. Even though you don't feel like you need it, after about an hour it will benefit you over the next few miles.

13 miles this afternoon. Finally got to go outside today. Phone said it was low 40s and 15mph wind, so I put on tights, gloves, ski hat and went outside. I immediately turned around and completely changed into shorts, ditched hat and gloves. It was a beautiful day, but towards the end I was feeling pretty tired.

kgirlhart

February Goal: 90 Miles

2/3: 5.27 miles
2/4: 5.26 miles

10.53/90 miles completed for February

I waited until after 10 this morning to run. It was 42°F feels like 35°F at the start and 52°F feels like 47°F at the end. It was a little windy, but otherwise really nice. I ran a little over 5 miles. It was so good to see sunshine. Tomorrow the weather should be even nicer so I am hoping for a nice long run.

AlphaHowls

Cure for the cold bones!

Bahama Sunset sent to me by a kind soul

quilteryoyo

Thanks @Scott6255 . I'm glad I'm not the only one with burry vision when running. Odd though. I'm not too worried. With my upcoming stress echo, I hope if something is going on with my heart when I am exercising, they will see it. Funny on your clothing issues today. What was the actual temperature? My phone isn't always accurate either. Today, my thermometer said it was 44F, but it felt really cold to me. Had I been going to run outside, I would have had to wrap up. You are doing great with your running. I wonder if you were tired because you were running outside after being on the treadmill for a while. I find it is different and can sometimes be hard to be back on the pavement.

@kgirlhart Glad you had a nice run and that your temps are going to improve even more. Sunshine makes all the difference.

Beautiful sunset @AlphaHowls !

Teresa502

I ran 9 miles this morning with some friends. It was a chilly morning so we waited until 9:00 am to get started. It had warmed up to 24F then but the sun was shining and that made such a difference. Its supposed to be a tad warmer tomorrow so I'm going hiking on the AT.

Welcome to all the newcomers!

@tarun_yadavA - I'm getting so excited for your very first marathon! @Scott6255 has some good advice about starting to fuel before you really need it. Once you get behind, there is no catching up.

quilteryoyo

Great run @Teresa502 ! Enjoy your hike tomorrow. I look forward to seeing some pictures.

ScienceofTeaching

@quilteryoyo Thanks for the welcome and for the advice! The weather is warming up again (in the mid-30s! and it is supposed to be in the 40s and 50s for the next week), so my husband and I decided to walk and enjoy the sunshine. There is a panera about a mile from our house, so we walked to dinner and back. We did a slow run for a short segment toward the beginning, which was the first time that I've moved faster than a walk since November, and it felt great.

To answer your question: I'm from Western Pennsylvania. My question for you: Is "quilter" in your username referring to sewing and making quilts?

chris_in_cal

quilteryoyo wrote: »

Sounds like a great plan and you are doing good with it. I haven't tried any of the Garmin couches yet. Do you like "Amy?"

The free Artificial Intelligence coaching Garmin offers is only a available on their newer models. It's really a pretty good motivational tool.

They have three 'coaches,' Amy Parkerson-Mitchell https://coachamypt.com/ is know for having a slower buildup and longer training cycle.

Jeff Galloway is the easy going run/walk coach.

Greg McMillian is more technical with lots of strides, and intervals.

tarun_yadavA

Morning everyone!
(Rest day today!)
@Scott6255 - that's a good call Sir! Will look to squeeze that first one in a couple of miles sooner.

It's essentially 11x 2.37M laps of the old, historic Formula 1 Circuit in the early post-war days of motor racing.
Having thought about it... Might be tricky to work out multiples of 2.37M to work out 9,13,17,21 etc.
If I do lap# 3,5,7,9 ... Might be easier. And first one would correspond to 7?

@Teresa502 - aww thank you ☺️.

@quilteryoyo - I won't know bib no. etc till on the day, just before. Might be able to track by name on the website as the race goes on? I have no idea.
But rest assured, this forum (and Strava, by default!) will be amongst the very first places I update! ☺️
(After wife, sister, running buddy's and my mutual friends on group chat etc!) This group is sooo infectious! But in a good, inspiring way ☺️