NOVEMBER 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

daria0919

Zaxa2021 wrote: »

November Goal: 80 miles

11/1: 3 miles
11/2: 3 miles
11/3: 4 miles
11/6: 6.2 miles

Total: 16.2/80 miles completed

I wanted to try a 10k distance, pretty much just to see if I could do it. I'm happy that I can and it was not overly difficult, but I'm a bit sore this morning from it. I'm hoping to shave some time off of it before the race in January.

@Zaxa2021 great job on getting that 10K run in! Way to go!

daria0919

Ok motivational running group friends….

Since joining this thread last month I’ve been toying with the idea of at least walking a 10K. There’s one here near where I live April 20th 2024. Please read on if you want…

I mentioned when I joined this group that I used to run a fair amount of races. Back then I weighed about 30 ponds less and was about 10-15 years younger. During my running years I ended up with various injuries such as ankle hairline fracture, hamstring tear, and have what the orthopedic doctor said is runner’s knee in my right knee. That right knee continues to ache in the medial meniscus area and in 2019 I had a steroid shot in it which helped a lot at the time. But, soon after that I decided to stop running for good.
I sorely miss running and the high it gave me.
Summer of 2022 I tried running a couple of 5K races. They were very slow and I quit one partway due to the excessive heat and humidity that day. I did complete the other one with a walk/run.

Thanks for listening so far..

Bottom line is I’m 64 years old, 30 pounds overweight, with lingering injuries left over from my running years. I want to do this 10K even if I just walk it, but I know I’ll need support and encouragement. I’m hoping I can get that from you guys.
Usually about the beginning of February our local YMCA starts a Saturday morning training program for this 10K race, which I’m hoping to join. Having others to walk/run with is motivational as well.

I can get a 3 mile walk in these days, but the knee does ache on a daily basis. I’m working with a personal trainer who’s helping me with strengthening my muscles around that knee as well as the rest of my body.

So what do you all think? Can I do it?

I found one of my old 10K training manuals with a training schedule and thought I’d go ahead and get started using that schedule. When the actual training program starts I figure I’ll have a bit of a head start.

Hard to believe I’ve gotten so far away from where I used to be with my running. I even used to be a running coach for my Y for this 10K back a number of years ago.

I lost my son Alexander to cancer eleven days after he turned 34 in October of 2019. He battled it for 5 years before he died. I neglected my health during that time and since. I’d like to do this 10K for ME.

Sorry for the long note, but felt like I needed to get this out here. Shed a few tears while typing this. A good release… Thanks for “listening “

quilteryoyo

Nice running @kgirlhart . Glad the temperatures in TX are finally better.

Hahaha @tarun_yadavA . I was just kidding. And it does impact running.

Congratulations on the 10K @Zaxa2021 ! I hope you recover quickly.

@daria0919 You can do it. You just need to be extra careful to not cause more injuries. I am also 64 years young. I am probably one of the least experienced runners here, so not an expert by any means. Have you heard of Jeff Galloway? He trains in the run/walk method of running - the basic idea is that incorporating walk breaks during a run allows runners to conserve energy and reduce the risk of injury. This also helps promote a more enjoyable running experience and pushes runners to meet their goals. I do a version of this when I run. I rarely run without slowing to a walk. I don't like his timing for the walking/running as it appears for my goal I would be running 1 min and walking 30 secs. That's a bit too much stop and go for me, but I often will run 4 min/walk 1min or some variation, depending on the day and how I feel. Or go by distance, run 0.3/walk 0.15. Something like that. If you don't know about him, you should do some research and see what you think. I also like Matt Fitzgerald's book 80/20 running which proports that 80 % of your runs should be at a slow, easy pace. I kind of mesh those two together. The bottom line is, don't try to push to be the you you were 15 years ago. Just push to be the best you you can be at 64 with injuries. Those two may be vastly different, but it doesn't mean what you are today isn't good enough. Sorry to read about your son too. I understand a little how devastating that can be and how grief can cause a lack of concern about your own health and well being. (My husband passed from brain cancer in 2006 and it was a long road to getting back to being healthy.) I'm glad you are wanting to do this for YOU. You can defiantly do it!

Scott6255

@quilteryoyo is the motivational soul of this group, but I agree with her...@daria0919 You can do it!

mnsmov15

November
running goal 60 miles
Step goal 300000 steps


11/1 3.5 miles
11/2 5 miles
11/5 6 miles
11/7 5 miles


Steps: 69800/300000

shanaber

@daria0919 - Tagging onto what @quilteryoyo said.
First I am so sorry about your son. I cannot even begin to imagine the pain of going through that with him. Cancer just sucks.
I am one of the older ones in the group and honestly, I may be the oldest active now at 67 and soon to be 68. I didn't start running until my mid 50's (had always hated it for various physical reasons). Then a couple years in I fell playing with my pup and tore my meniscus. The ortho doc said surgery was not really an option 'at my age' but that I should do strength training (as your personal trainer is working with you on) and keep moving. He basically told me that if I don't move it I will lose the ability to move it. So I started back slowly doing walk/run intervals until I could run longer distances without pain. I also used the Galloway method and ended up making up my own intervals. Like @quilteryoyo, it was too much stop and go for me and honestly that put too much pressure on my knee. I would do what we call Fartleks - I would pick a point on my route, a light pole or the end of a block or a distant tree, and run (slowly) to that point, then I would walk to recover and pick another point, rinse and repeat. Initially pick a distance and just walk, then after a couple of times walking it try increasing your walking pace and see how your knee reacts. Keep it short, keep it slow and have fun with it. Over time you can increase the distance too. I definitely think you can do the 10k in April and possibly even run bits of it if you want. AS a previous running coach you know inherently what you need to do. Just don't try to do too much, too soon.
You got this and we are here for you!

Laurz9191

@daria0919 I think @quilteryoyo @shanaber @scott6255 all have good advice. I think it is great that you want to do this for you! I will cross my fingers that a slow and steady approach will let you get back to the sport you love- perhaps even in a significantly more meaningful way than when you were running a lot more and faster. Personally, the goals I set and meet now are much more meaningful (and slower) than the “fast” times I ran twenty years ago. I am really sorry to hear about your son.

Today I couldn’t go out for a run at my usual time, but talked myself into going later. It wasn’t a great run, but I got 9.1km done. 57.8/200km for November.

SummerSkier

Still on track to run/deliberate walk 2023 miles. Another 41 miles walking and avg of 5K per day running. I slept really poorly last night. I think sometimes when I play tennis later in the afternoon/evening I have trouble "settling" and my mind was just racing all over the place. So was surprised to end up with 5 this morning. It's supposed to be pretty warm today but the mornings are still quite nice. It was oddly humid this morning and I saw a small sun dog type rainbow as the sun was coming up. Kind of fun.

Not too much advice for folks here. I tore my meniscus pretty badly back in the early 2000' s and was literally SHOCKED when I was able to complete the C25K program as part of my weight loss efforts in mid 2017. Prior to that it was start to tingle up and get upset after about 20 minutes/2 miles of running and if I pushed it would hurt for days. I am of the older team here also at 65 but happy that my knee seems pretty good now and I can run up to 10 miles a few times a year. I don't push for longer because I don't want to injure and then not be able to do anything.

I mostly use the rest room stops when it's colder out as my bladder thinks that I should pee every 30 minutes when it is below 50. hmmmm. I follow the same regimen at @tarun_yadavA in the mornings and have to be up at least an hour and drink my coffee before I can be "ready" to run. The only time I have the gut wrenching problems are if I have eaten poorly or am sick for some reason.

kgirlhart

November Goal: 130 Miles

11/1: 6.26 miles
11/2: 6.26 miles
11/3: 3.25 miles
11/4: 2.04 miles
11/5: 10.02 miles
11/6: 3.25 miles

31.08/130 miles completed for November

I ran 6 miles this morning. It was really nice. It was 63°F, but the dew point was 52° so it felt really nice. I don't really mind running in the dark, but I love when it is getting light at the end of my run. I was able to turn off my noxgear lights. And I saw a couple of deer. They stood there looking at me for a minute, and I tried to get a picture, but one turned and walked off before I could. But you can kind of see his tail.

@daria0919 I agree with the other advice you've received so far. I believe that you can do the 10K. Just listen to your body and do what you know is right. If that means walking some or even all then that will be fine. You've got plenty of time to train. I've never done the run/walk (after I finished C25K), but I do tend to go with the Matt Fitzgerald style of 80% easy and I don't think there is anything wrong with the run/walk style. I just don't like the start-stop.

SummerSkier

Haha @kgirlhart You get a deer and I get this fellow. bold little one

Scott6255

Love all the abundant Texas wildlife pics @kgirlhart @SummerSkier 😀
I slept in this morning, feeling better today tho. It was 85F when I got home from work, so got on the TM for 6 miles.

quilteryoyo

Thanks @Scott6255 , I think. Glad you are feeling better. Sometimes sleeping in is the best medicine.

@mnsmov15 You are doing great with your running this month!

@Laurz9191 Great job on getting out there and getting it done!

@SummerSkier Congrats on being so close to 2023 miles for the year. Odd about your bladder when it's cold. Great squirrel picture.

@kgirlhart I do see the other deer. When I try to take pictures around here they run instead of walking away. I wonder if it's because of all the deer hunters and they know people pointing things at them can be dangerous. Nice run.

daria0919

Thanks @quilteryoyo and @Scott6255 and @Laurz9191 and @kgirlhart and @shanaber for the supportive comments. I’m definitely going to give it a go.

I did 2 miles this morning and then walked the mile and a half in my neighborhood this evening.

11.05/45 miles for November thus far.

quilteryoyo

1 Nov - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
2 Nov - Walked 1.30 miles - Ran 3.00 miles - treadmill - Short intervals
3 Nov - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 3.50 miles - out the road - just ran
4 Nov - Walked 1.20 miles - Ran 2.80 miles - out the road
5 Nov - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill - played doubles tennis for 1.5 hours
6 Nov - Walked 1.68 miles - Ran 2.32 miles - driveway laps
7 Nov - walked 1.00 miles - Ran 2.50 miles - driveway laps - Recovery Run

23.3/80 miles

I got out late morning for a driveway run. I wasn't feeling the best, so did a recovery run - tried to keep my HR under 130. I did pretty good. Avg HR was 124 with a max of 133 bpm. But, it was a struggle as my legs felt like lead and I was sweating like it was 90F, not the 72F (22C) that it actually was. Anyway, I got it done and was glad I did.

Afterwards, mom and I went into my neighbor's field and picked all of the wild persimmons we could reach. There wasn't a lot that were low enough, even using a rake to knock them down. We did manage to get enough to make a persimmon pudding for Thanksgiving.

tarun_yadavA

Morning everyone!
Got in 2M (08"49).
No WFH home today and had to be in for a 9 meeting... So intention was to be up super early... But just didn't happen! So got a small one in!

@daria0919 do it!!! You got this!!! 💪

@kgirlhart @SummerSkier love the wildlife pics!
bON- yours! Bahahahaha 🤣😂

Just thinking of that silly teen meme/catchphrase "Deeeez Nuts" when I look at that one! (If any have you teenagers/grandsons/nephews great nephews etc... you'll know lol !)

Mari33a

02/11 3.20 miles
04/11 3.82 miles
05/11 3.25 miles
07/11 3.53 miles

13.80/50 miles

It was really dark for last nights run, no moon so needed torch the whole time. The wind woke me at 5am and it's still really strong so probably not run later but hopefully do bike instead.

The tummy issues both made me laugh and shiver (a few traumatic memories there too)

@daria0919 - I think you will manage the 10km in April too especially if you try the walk/run adjusted to suit you.

Teresa502

Nov 2 – 4.04 miles
Nov 3 – 4.31 miles
Nov 4 – 5.05 miles
Nov 6 – 4.19 miles
Nov 7 – 5.20 miles
22.79/100 miles goal

I’ve been busy getting caught up at work and home after a few days of vacation. I didn’t get as much running in as I had hoped during vacation due to the heat and humidity and I refused to use the gym treadmills although I did use the weights in the gym one day. I went from running in 40-degree weather before I left home to 80+ with a feel-like in the 90s. My body didn’t know what to do but I didn’t melt so all is good! I ran 5 miles after work yesterday. It was a beautiful fall day here in Tennessee and the temp was around 77F. The biggest problem I have in running later in the day is all the people that are out and about. I met a really nice, but chatty, older couple yesterday. They told me I could park at their house and run any time and if I ever needed a bathroom stop to just knock on their door. A couple of blocks over, I saw an old friend that I had not seen in a couple of years so we had a catch-up chat. Terrible for my pace but great for the mind and heart!

@martaindale – Congratulations on your Disney challenge! You did great! Loved all the costumes and glad you and your hubby enjoyed some away time together.

@daria0919 – You’ve already received from excellent advice here and I have nothing new to share but will happily be here to cheer you on!

@quilteryoyo – Never had persimmon pudding. Sounds interesting!

Welcome back @brittanystebbins95 and congratulations on your pregnancy! I'm afraid I have no advice to offer in that area but you sound determined and I'm in awe of your goals!

Did anyone feel the earthquake that hit Texas this morning?

quilteryoyo

Way to get out and do what you could @tarun_yadavA !

Nice running last night @Mari33a . I wouldn't run in those winds either.

Nice run @Teresa502 . I agree that stopping to talk isn't great for the pace, but is great for the heart and soul. I love that the older couple offered you to be able to use their bathroom, esp. after our discussions earlier this week. Were they runners at one time and understand the challenges? I'm very glad that you didn't melt when you were in Aruba. I'm sure you had a great time, even if it was hot.

Teresa502

quilteryoyo wrote: »

Nice run @Teresa502 . I agree that stopping to talk isn't great for the pace, but is great for the heart and soul. I love that the older couple offered you to be able to use their bathroom, esp. after our discussions earlier this week. Were they runners at one time and understand the challenges? I'm very glad that you didn't melt when you were in Aruba. I'm sure you had a great time, even if it was hot.

I don't believe they were runners but the house they live in was previously owned by Hank and Natalie Brown who own a race timing company (We Run Events), are runners themselves and organize the Crazy 8s race so everyone in the area knows them. The couple did mention that they used to bicycle but thought they had better keep both feet on the ground at this point in their lives. They were really sweet.

Laurz9191

@summerskier That is one proud looking squirrel!

I had a nicer run today than yesterday, minus a short bout of freezing rain and wind in the middle. Yesterday I was having trouble seeing during my run because my eyes/contacts were so dried out. That’s the first time I’ve experienced that and I would take the freezing rain over blurry vision any day- not that I have any say in the matter .

After todays 9.1km, I have 67/200km for November.

kgirlhart

November Goal: 130 Miles

11/1: 6.26 miles
11/2: 6.26 miles
11/3: 3.25 miles
11/4: 2.04 miles
11/5: 10.02 miles
11/6: 3.25 miles
11/7: 6.04 miles
11/8: 6.26 miles

43.38/130 miles completed for November

It was another really pretty morning. It was 69°F, but the dew point was 50° and there was some wind, so it didn't feel too hot. It was great, it was dark when I started and I was running west. About halfway through I turned to head east and it was starting to get light. I love running at sunrise. I didn't see any critters today. It was really an uneventful run, but just one of those lovely mornings where I felt like I could run forever.

@SummerSkier That is one bold squirrel!

@teresa502 Glad you enjoyed your vacation. Sounds like a lovely run. I didn't even know there was an earthquake in Texas, but I looked and it was about 300 miles away from where I live.

Zakkery86

Glad I found this group/thread! Going to try to run 60km between now and end-Nov. (15km per week for the next 4 weeks). Normally track runs on Strava, so anyone regular there, is welcome to add too! Good luck, team! https://www.strava.com/athletes/zak_brockman

SummerSkier

I think if I had waited longer that squirrel would have sent a stream of pee my way. Cheeky brat! 😂🤣😆🤪

4 miles this morning 48 for the month out of 100 goal. Supposed to rain the next few days but maybe I will sneak a run in the morning before the cold front hits. 80s here the last few days.

Earthquake? what Earthquake?😳

Scott6255

I thought it would be cool enough if I waited for the sun to go down before I started my run. That's a big NOPE! 82F still at sundown! It was a bit of a struggle, but glad I did it. 7 miles. Cold front coming tomorrow 😄

Zaxa2021

November Goal: 80 miles

11/1: 3 miles
11/2: 3 miles
11/3: 4 miles
11/6: 6.2 miles
11/8: 3 miles

Total: 19.2/80 miles completed

eleanorhawkins

Hi everyone, checking in at last. The sheer exhaustion is finally easing off now and my legs, although very tight and in need of some TLC from the evil physio tomorrow, are more or less functional. The days since the race have been an emotional, as well as physical, rollercoaster to say the least.
I don't even know where to start writing a race report, tbh. This will be all over the place, sorry!

We started in the middle of the night. The weather was horrible. It was the most amazing, but toughest, thing I've ever done. I never want to do it again, but I want to do it again. I had a really stupid fall just over 2 hours in. You're so busy not falling, or getting blown, off the side of a muddy mountain in the dark and then you're on a seemingly easy path and you slip and land on your backside. Typical. The fall itself wasn't an issue but my calf cramped up and I spent 5 minutes sitting on a rock in the middle of the path, having to shout out to people coming up behind so they didn't run me over LOL. Everyone was like "let me help you up" and I was going "no, no, I'm fine I just can't get up right now". Once I did get up, my calf still didn't want to play and it took around an hour for me to be able to start running much, luckily that was the stretch that was mostly tiny little goat tracks I wouldn't have wanted to go fast on anyway.
I had gone out way too far forward in the pack and too fast for the first few km, so at that point, the fast runners had left me behind but I was still quite a way ahead of the back of the pack, and I was pretty much all alone in the woods in the dark in a storm, feeling sorry for myself and wondering what the hell I was doing there instead of tucked up in bed. Then I heard something. A violin. Playing the Lord of the Rings theme. It was 3.45am. I know because my first thought was I was hallucinating but it seemed unlikely after so little time, so I looked at my watch to check the time. I was in the middle of nowhere, it was the middle of the night, and someone was playing that on a violin. I'm a huge LOTR fan, btw. Such a special moment.
The photo isn't mine, but someone posted it on facebook:

As you can imagine, that brought me back to life and I was almost at the climb up to a village so would have been walking anyway. For context, this ultra is a 132km loop around a beautiful valley that is particularly stunning at this time of year because it is full of chestnut trees and the autumn colours are amazing. Not that I saw much daylight, only the last hour or so of my long run. The route goes through all 15 villages in the valley, and basically you go down to the river, up to a village, back down to the river, up to the next village, and rinse and repeat over and over and over again. My part had the most distance between villages, it was 20km to the first, then there was another 5km later, and then nothing again for 15km during which we went over the highest mountain in the area. Dawn broke as I was on my way up that, but I didn't get to see a beautiful sunrise because it was cloudy and foggy and windy and drizzling and yucky in general. I was, however, way too hot because I'm used to running in shorts but someone persuaded me I needed long tights. Note to self: trust your instincts and stop listening to other people. Coming down the other side was frightening because it was steep and slippery and I don't do well on technical descents at the best of times, let alone when I've been out there all night and my legs are dead. My knees just didn't want to bend anymore, so I probably lost some time there. Still, I finished just under 8 hours which was an hour less than I had thought it would take me.

'Dawn' on the final climb:

Almost there!:




Then I had a 2-hour journey back home (winding mountain roads, bad weather, ugh), and by the time I'd eaten and showered it was noon. Managed to sleep for around 4 hours, more food, then because the tracking systems weren't working I decided to get myself to where I needed to be to meet the other 2 team members for the last stretch, which was 45 minutes away. Again, thick fog, darkness, rain, winding roads. I think actually the car journeys were the worst part of the whole weekend, even the team drama.
The other 2 members are great friends but had been brushing me off all summer, I have no idea why apart from the fact that I'm older than they are. Luckily, I'm very friendly with all 3 members of another team, and had trained with them.
After sitting around for hours (luckily there was a café open just by the checkpoint) my friends arrived to start their final stretch, and as we discovered when the girl in my team running phoned her friend, she was only about 10 minutes behind, so they decided to wait for us so all 6 of us could stick together. Safety in numbers and all that. Well, off we set and the other 2 in my team just raced off ahead, leaving me behind. The rules clearly state that those final 10km must be done as a team. I hope they wouldn't have done that if my friends hadn't been there with me, but I'm not sure. We didn't see them again until we reached the home run, and they were standing on the corner waiting because they couldn't cross the finish line without me. I was so mad, I told my friends to go ahead and held back a bit so they would finish first. There was almost an argument with my team about that the next day, until I pointed out that we should have been disqualified because they went through the checkpoints without me! We finished in 24 hours 33 minutes as the 7th female team (of 10) with my friends 6th about 30 seconds ahead of us.

My official team coming in (yeah, me in the middle, nobody offered me a matching jacket):


With my friends a couple of minutes later:


I am hugely proud of myself and my friends for surviving and doing as well as we did. The teams all finished, but I heard that there was a 50% DNF rate for the individual ultra as people decided to quit at sunset rather than spend a 2nd night out in those conditions. Though mild compared to a lot of places, this is southern Spain and we're really not used to that kind of weather.
I was pretty confident that I could do it but the weather made it more worrying beforehand and tougher during, and I was super happy with my time.
At first, I was very upset about the team thing, especially when the other 2 started posting photos of just the two of them on social media and writing long thank-you speeches to their partners and each other and our club for all the support they claim they have had (none of which came my way). I'm more or less over that now, though still cross about the lack of team spirit or even common sense (so dangerous to leave someone behind) but am changing to another club anyway so will just put it behind me.

Now I need to focus on dropping the extra couple of kilos I managed to collect along with my medal and preparing for the next crazy feat...

tarun_yadavA

Morning all.
Got in 5Miles (at 09"29).

@eleanorhawkins well done! 🙌
Lord of the Rings at 03:45am .... Errr... Lol 🤣

eleanorhawkins

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

Morning all.
Got in 5Miles (at 09"29).

@eleanorhawkins well done! 🙌
Lord of the Rings at 03:45am .... Errr... Lol 🤣

@tarun_yadavA thanks. Lord of the Rings at 3:45am, on a violin, alone in the woods... effing EPIC!

daria0919

@eleanorhawkins what an amazing tale! Congrats on your successful participation in this wild sounding race! Glad you did find some of your other friends during the event. Sounds like partaking with a new set of teammates for future races is the way to go.
You’re amazing!

@Zakkery86 welcome!

SummerSkier

@eleanorhawkins I am going to have to reread this a few times, But the strangest thing is that I woke up last weekend and my left calf was REALLY hurting. As tho I had had a huge cramp in my sleep or something. I basically hurt for 2 days but NOT when I was running. I even used a massager on it. Could that be karmically connected to you? 😳😳😳 I have never had my calf hurt like that.

CONGRATULATIONS and what a long and emotional race that was. Esp with the last leg and the team "stuff". But you did it. AND you survived. So proud to be able to cheer you on and watch as you trained for this and finished it. And now recover.

I am so tuned out to the news. Earthquake in Tx? Explosion in Tx? A friend texted me (who knows I live in Austin) to ask if I was OK from the explosion which was clearly no where near Austin ... I had to spend 5 minutes figuring out what she was talking about.