DECEMBER 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

shanaber

@Laurz9191 - I don't think I said congratulations on getting into the Berlin Marathon! We have a friend in the Netherlands who invited me to come run any race I chose in Germany, with him. That was before the pandemic but I would still love to get over to run one there, Berlin, Munich...

@quilteryoyo - great job finishing your race! It is hard to run when it is so hot and you have transitioned away from your summer heat and humidity conditioning. I did read the info on Strava about the heat warning, it is an interesting way of looking at it and I am glad they made the runners aware of it so no one ended up with heat stroke.

@Scott6255 - congratulations on the PR!

@tarun_yadavA - just shaking my head 😂 .... I am with your wife on this one. I hope there was some of the chicken left to take to your mom's or did you guys eat it all on top of all the drinking?
I hope your mom's surgery goes well and I think just having you there, good at caregiving or not, will make a huge difference, especially with all the yummy food your wife has prepared!

@daria0919 - sent you a follow request on Strava too as well as on MFP a bit ago. Decorating with your granddaughters sounds like fun!

I hope everyone in the path of the storms is safe as are their friends and family!
We had some pretty incredible winds again Friday night and all day Saturday, 25-30mph. I hope they don't move east across the US along with the storms north of us.

yirara

01.12 8km walk during day plus concert
02.12 22km walk during day plus concert
03.12 8km walk during day
05.12 3°C 4.0km 32min 8:05/km
06.12 1°C 1.2km 9min 7:38/km
07.12 1°C 3.6km 30min 8:18/km
08.12 2°C 3.5km 30min 8:23/km
10.12 7°C 3.9km 33min 8:29/km

16.22km/80.5km

Today was not good. But I expected that. I did an experiment to see what might be responsible why being active is so much more difficult than for other people. Yeah, today was shite, as I feared 😅 Result 🤣 The Garmin coach programme suggested 40 minutes running and I barely managed 30 minutes. Doesn't matter. I was out.

chris_in_cal

One of my favorite runs, around the lake. It's five miles, so I haven't been doing it very much. Bright, blue, warm, and all the healthy fit people are there on a Sunday morning ( and me ) It's inspiring.

December Running Goal: 14 runs, 50 miles

1. Dec 1 - 1.66 miles
2. Dec 3 - 7.36 miles
3. Dec 6 - 4.25 miles
4. Dec 8 - 0.75 miles
5. Dec 10-5.93 miles

Current: 5 runs, 19.95 miles

AlphaHowls

@quilteryoyo wrote: »

Are you okay @AlphaHowls ? I saw the tornado damage down that way. I hope it was not near you.

We are ok. About 5 miles above me, 11 miles if you drive the road, a mile from my work.

daria0919

“@daria0919 - sent you a follow request on Strava too as well as on MFP a bit ago. Decorating with your granddaughters sounds like fun!”
- - thanks @shanaber - I accepted and requested back

@quilteryoyo sent request, still pending - see if I got you in one of these please

I’m Daria S

@Teresa502 I’m in Goochland County - you must be near Hungry Mother State Park?
We have a tornado watch here until 8pm, but not a warning, so probably will just continue to rain.

AlphaHowls

12/1 17.5 miles, Crazy Laps! Chilly drizzle = Nope
12/1 4.17 miles, Crazy Laps! B3 Bands (leg) for 22 minutes of this
12/2 19.5 miles, Running Partner E, County Line and back, Foggy, gray
12/3 18.3 miles, County Line and back
12/3 4.18 miles, Crazy Laps!
12/4 17.53 miles
12/5 19.38 miles, Running Partner A for 8 of those, Dense fog
12/6 17.19 miles, Crazy Laps! Cold rain when I woke up
12/7 18.63 miles, Running Partner A for 7 of those
12/8 18.34 miles
12/9 18.18 miles, Running Partner A for 13 of those
12/10 18.37 miles, 2050 days on the run

*sighs*

Based on the preliminary storm survey results from the National Weather Service, an EF-3 tornado passed through Montgomery County with 150 mph winds and a path 600 yards wide

Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency reports that Clarksville has 65 structures that have minor damage, 339 with moderate damage, and 271 with major damage making them uninhabitable, for a total of 675 damaged. There are 91 structures that were destroyed.

ElenaLopez2023

Who’ll like to join my WhatsApp group based solely on fitness

SummerSkier

I almost did not run today. I was a little anxious about getting my covid booster at noon and being yucky for a few days so it was almost like there was too much pressure to get a run in. 😏

So procrastination won out and I did all my chores and got my booster done. Then I noticed that it was NOT as cold as in the morning and the wind was not quite so bad (mid 50's) so I put myself in gear and got a 4 miler in. Nothing special. Oddly again speedy at the start and slower at the end.🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Maybe just a little over dressed and would have been uncomfortable going further. Arm is only now about 6 hrs in feeling a little achy. Hopefully my lymph nodes wont knot up and I won't have a baseball on my shoulder like I did with last year's booster. We will see tomorrow. I think 24 hrs in is usually when you feel the worst. But I did the math and decided 48 hrs of possible reaction vs 3 weeks to a month of total crap was worth it. again.

kgirlhart

December Goal: 130 Miles

12/1: 3.30 miles
12/3: 10.10 miles
12/5: 6.31 miles
12/6: 6.31 miles
12/7: 6.04 miles
12/10: 11.01 miles

43.07/130 miles completed for December

I got out and ran 11 miles this morning. All in all it was a good run. There were some tears shed, but for the most part it was good. I am glad I didn't run the 5K yesterday though. I was definitely happy to be running by myself this morning and would not have been in the mood for a race yesterday. It was cold today. I almost overdressed. It was 29°F when I got up and by the time I headed out it was only 38° feels like 32°. I started to wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt with a jacket, but at the last minute I changed into a short-sleeved shirt with sleeves and capri length pants. I'm glad I did. I was chilly starting out, but it was sunny and by the time I got home it was 48°feels like 45°. That is cold to me for just being outside. But not too bad for running. I ended up taking off my gloves and sleeves about halfway through. I took Pup out fir a 1K walk in the neighborhood thus afternoon and I was pretty chilly in long pants, long sleeves and a jacket. And it was in the 50's by then. But not only were we walking, not running, we were doing it at a very leisurely pace.

@alphahowls I am glad you are ok. Tornadoes can be so devastating. And @teresa502 and @daria0919 glad y'all are ok as well.

quilteryoyo

1 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
2 Dec - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 7.00 miles - treadmill
3 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
4 Dec - Walked 2.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
5 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 1.00 miles - treadmill
6 Dec - Walked 1.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - In SC
7 Dec - Walked 1.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - In FL
8 Dec - Walked 0.00 miles - Ran 2.00 miles - Wog in FL
9 Dec - Walked 0.00 miles - Ran 10.13 miles - T-Minus 10 miler on Cape Canaveral AFS
10 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - On the beach

30.88/80.00 miles

Yesterday was the T-Minus 10 miler on Cape Canaveral AFS. I finished it is about the best thing I can say about it. Details are under the spoiler.

I went to bed early on Friday night, but couldn't turn my mind off, so didn't sleep well or much at all. Then, the alarm went off at 3 am and I got up at 3:30 am. That is way too early for me. One good thing about staying where I am is that there is a fenced in back yard so I just had Tippy go out there for her morning constitution, so I didn't have to take her for a walk.

I ate a McDonald's sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit (breakfast of champions), had coffee and got all of my stuff together. Unfortunately, as much as I tried to have my normal routine, the potty thing did NOT happen. I was worried about that, but managed to go at the port-a-potties before the race. TMI?

I left here about 5 am and got parked on the skid strip, where the shuttle orbiter used to land, at about 5:30. Then the adventures began.

The race organizers had some issues. If it weren't for sentimental reasons, I might not run this race again, but, for now, I do plan to continue to try to come every year.

The main issue, again, was getting everyone to and from the race start and finish area. I originally thought they were going to do better, because there was a bus picking up people at the parking area and they had parked the first people there at the far end, where we would be closer to the drop off after the race, supposedly. They had done the opposite last year. Anyway, I got in line for the bus....and that was an issue. It was THE one and only bus running and it wasn't clear, until you actually got on the bus, that it was just taking us to the security check point that we could have walked to, had we chosen. Instead, I stood in line for 30-45 min to catch THE bus only to get off of the bus, do security check, and get onto one of the many buses waiting to take people to the drop off point. The line of runners waiting for THE bus was growing by the minute, and all were waiting. It turned out they had to delay the start of the race by 20 min so they could get everyone there.

They did drop us off at the same place as last year. I strolled, so as to not tire myself out, but turned my watch on just to see how far it was. It wasn't quite as far as I thought, only 0.55 miles. But, I still don't understand why they wouldn't drop us off at the start line as there is room for the buses to turn around there. But, maybe that is the issue. They don't want to have to back up and potentially hit someone who isn't paying attention.

To continue the transportation saga, after the race, I headed for the spot where we caught the bus back to the parking area. I saw one bus that was leaving. People were walking back toward the parking area. I asked about the buses, and someone said the bus that had just left was the only bus they had seen in 3 hours, so everyone was just walking back. I joined that bandwagon, and, again, turned on my watch to see how far it was. This time, it was 1.03 miles back to the car.

Then, during the run, at least one station, at around 7 miles, had run out of cups, so were offering water through a hose if you wanted it. It felt like there were fewer water stations toward the end than there were at the beginning. I hadn't taken my water this year, because I had remembered I didn't really use it. I will need to rethink that next year.

Things they did better were: They did have more porta-potties at the start line, which was a big help for everyone. Humm. I thought there was something else, but if there was, I can't think of it at the moment.

For the run itself: Like I said earlier, they started about 20 min later than planned.

Me at the starting line.

When I walked after the first 3 min run, my calves both felt like they were cramping up. I remembered then, that they did the same thing last year. The feeling went away after I started running again and didn't come back.

After that, it wasn't too bad for the first 3 miles or so. I did manage to continue the 3/2 run/walk plan for 4 miles. I had hoped to do that for at least 5 if not 6 miles this year, but it was getting pretty hot by then, so I switched to a 2/2 run/walk. I did allow myself to walk half a mile after 5 miles, to see if it would energize me. It did a little, but by mile 7 I knew that I wasn't going to beat last year's time and it was just so darn hot. I decided to not push it and hurt myself and did more walking than running from that point. At about mile 9 the organizers came by and told us to slow down (not that I could go much slower), due to a red flag heat condition. So, I just decided to walk the last mile. But, I did manage to have a decent sprint for the last tenth of a mile or so...racing a couple of other people. I think I came in second of the three. At least it made for an exciting ending. LOL

I looked up what exactly that was when @SummerSkier asked me on Strava. I knew it meant that you shouldn't be outside doing strenuous exercise, but not sure exactly "what" it was. So, according to a government website (Marines to be specific), "Red Flag (WBGTI of 88 to 89.9 degrees F): All PT or very strenuous work will be curtailed for those not thoroughly acclimated by at least 3 weeks. Personnel not thoroughly acclimated may carry on limited activity not to exceed 6 hours per day." The WBGTI is the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature which is a measure of the heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover (solar radiation). This differs from the heat index, which takes into consideration temperature and humidity and is calculated for shady areas. And that is your meteorology lesson for the day. LOL

I know it sounds like the entire day was miserable, but it wasn't. I met some really nice people. There were a couple of men running together that would pass me and then I'd pass them almost the entire way. We were both doing run/walk, but were not synched. When I stopped to take my picture with a shark at about 8.5 miles, they got ahead and I never passed them again.

Me and the shark. Ignore the many necks of Vicky in this picture. I do NOT take a good selfie.

I enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment, even if I didn't make my goal of a PR. When I was getting into my car later, this young man walked by and said, "Looking good." to me and then, to himself "Now that is an inspiration right there." I guess he thought I was looking good after 10 miles for an old lady. I'm taking it as a huge compliment.

Me ringing the bell.

And, as always, it was just nice to run on the Cape and park on the skid strip. I fantasize about having my TransAm out there from back in the day, no cars, no rules, and just see how fast I could go.

Today I took a walk on the beach before heading out to see family.

quilteryoyo

Yes, you were out @yirara . I know it is hard to do, but try to not compare yourself with others. You just work on being the best you that you can be. You did great today.

@chris_in_cal Sounds like a great place to run.

I'm glad you are okay @AlphaHowls ! I feel for those who were affected. It seems an added hardship right at Christmas.

@SummerSkier Great idea to run today. I hope you don't have an adverse reaction to the booster.

@kgirlhart Glad you got out for a run and then a walk with Pup. I understand the tears. Continued hugs.

Scott6255

Wow @quilteryoyo that sounds like it was a really stressful, tough day of racing. You showed your toughness and made it a successful day! Great job 👏👏

kgirlhart

Thanks @quilteryoyo . I'm sorry your race wasn't better organized, but you did great and it sounds like you had a good time anyway.

tarun_yadavA

Good morning everyone!

Got in 5 (at 09"07).

Glad I was able to make some of you smile! 😊
<<I don't take myself very seriously, as you can tell! >>

Out of the doghouse... Will make it up to her later this month. Christmas pressie! And then it's our anniversary on the 29th - so will take her somewhere nice!
(Though I have been warned... That incident was my friends -all guys!- but not to do it when it's her friend's and/or others' wives there!)

Thanks for kind wishes RE mother.
Sister is doing lions share.
Wife/sister doing the Awkward lady stuff.
I'm doing basically - butler service 'can you fetch me...' etc, and sleeping next to her at night.

So far so good

tarun_yadavA

@SummerSkier thought of you just now whilst scrolling on Strava

This came up on my Strava Memories!

😊

daria0919

Morning all! Will get walk/jog in shortly. Just wanted to share

first snow for us!!! I love snow. Was a surprise since before we went to bed last night I checked the weather and it only said it would continue raining.

Teresa502

Loved reading your race report @quilteryoyo! Sounds like you did a great job and had a good time. I hope the race organizers can improve next year. Hope you and Tippy are enjoying some nice beach time and that you are getting in lots of family time!

daria0919

Got 3 miles in late morning after the snow mostly melted. We had a lot of rain yesterday and this morning the worms were out and about in the streets. I tried very hard not to think of the worm guts on the bottom of my running shoes 😂

yirara

01.12 8km walk during day plus concert
02.12 22km walk during day plus concert
03.12 8km walk during day
05.12 3°C 4.0km 32min 8:05/km
06.12 1°C 1.2km 9min 7:38/km
07.12 1°C 3.6km 30min 8:18/km
08.12 2°C 3.5km 30min 8:23/km slow run
10.12 7°C 3.9km 33min 8:29/km slow run
11.12 7°C 3.0km 25min 8:12/km stride repeats

19.22km/80.5km

Second week Garmin 10k coach programme. Today I got 8 stride repeats after warmup. They are small burst of faster steps followed by a normal running period, here 20/45 seconds. I love those, and I'm totally happy I managed to get through despite not being so fit at the moment.

SummerSkier

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

@SummerSkier thought of you just now whilst scrolling on Strava

This came up on my Strava Memories!

😊

that's very cool. I haven't done the town lake running path in a long long time but I did when I first moved here. Someday!

chris_in_cal

yirara wrote: »

Today I got 8 stride repeats after warmup. They are small burst of faster steps followed by a normal running period, here 20/45 seconds. I love those, and I'm totally happy I managed to get through despite not being so fit at the moment.

That's good. My plan asked me to do four thirty second sets at 200 Steps Per Minute. I thought that was too much, but after I did the drill I saw I was actually going slightly faster than that. It's good to know.

emptydog

@quilteryoyo Great job with the race. I also enjoyed very much your race report.

I ran at the field house this morning. It is at the local college and they are on winter break. So the hours are pretty wonky—especially Christmas week. So the running will be either outside or at the Y. I usually enjoy running in the snow. It is just getting out the door to do it.

12/1 - 3 Miles. Field House. 93-day streak.
12/2 - 1 Mile. Field House.
12/3 - 2.09 Miles. Lakefront park. Foggy, 39F.
12/4 - 1.23 Miles. Lakefront park. Light rain, 40F.
12/5 - 1 Mile. Field House.
12/6 - 2.72 Miles. Field House.
12/7 - 1 Mile. Field House. 99-day streak
12/8 - 1.09 Miles. Field House. 100-day streak.
12/9 - 3.1 Miles. Christmas 5K. - 16.23/50
12/10 - 1 Mile. Field House. Stiff and sore.
12/11 - 2.72 Miles. Field House.

kgirlhart

December Goal: 130 Miles

12/1: 3.30 miles
12/3: 10.10 miles
12/5: 6.31 miles
12/6: 6.31 miles
12/7: 6.04 miles
12/10: 11.01 miles
12/11: 6.02 miles

49.09/130 miles completed for December

It was pretty cold this morning at 38°F feels like 31°F. I wore long pants and a long-sleeved shirt with extra sleeves. I was pretty comfortable. I ran 6 miles. I normally take a rest day, or at least run a shorter run after my long run, but we're expecting rain later in the week, so I figured I'd better get out there. There isn't much to report about the run, but the moon sure was pretty.

I had to zoom in so you could see the moon better, but in person it was awesome.

@daria0919 That snow is pretty.

Scott6255

7 miles this evening. NIce weather in low 60s. Thought I would do an easy run, so took out some old retired shoes to see how they would feel. I could tell I was working harder than I should be, but overall it felt fairly easy about half the time.

quilteryoyo

@tarun_yadavA Sounds like you are doing your part in being the caretaker. I'm sure your mom wouldn't want you to do to "lady" stuff anymore than you want to do it.

Thanks @Scott6255 , and @kgirlhart .

@daria0919 I'm glad you got a surprise snow. Your dog looks like a shadow, or a ghost. Great job getting your workout in later. Yeah, you just don't look and hope you don't step on too many.

Thanks @Teresa502 . We did have a good time - didn't get to spend a lot of time on the beach, but did get to see some of the family, which is always nice. I didn't get to see the newest step-great grand child because it was only 5 days old and they didn't want him around a lot of people. Hopefully next time. I did manage to see about half of the family that live there, which is pretty good considering they all work.

Sounds like you are doing great @yirara !

Thank you @emptydog ! Nice running.

Nice running @kgirlhart . Love the moon pictures.

Nice running @Scott6255 . Glad the old shoes were okay.

quilteryoyo

1 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
2 Dec - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 7.00 miles - treadmill
3 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
4 Dec - Walked 2.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
5 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 1.00 miles - treadmill
6 Dec - Walked 1.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - In SC
7 Dec - Walked 1.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - In FL
8 Dec - Walked 0.00 miles - Ran 2.00 miles - Wog in FL
9 Dec - Walked 0.00 miles - Ran 10.13 miles - T-Minus 10 miler on Cape Canaveral AFS
10 Dec - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - On the beach
11 Dec - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - one on the beach and one in SC

32.88/80.00 miles

it was a little chilly on the beach this morning. It was 55F (12.8C),17 mph winds, and partly cloudy. Except for the wind, that would have been great weather for the run. Too bad it was two days too late. LOL Anyway, I did go for a mile walk on the beach. You could tell I was a Northerner as I was the only person with shorts and short sleeves. Everyone else had on at least long sleeves and capris...some in coats.

The ocean this morning

The ocean was so much calmer today than yesterday, even though the wind was blowing harder than yesterday. Kind of weird. I'll include yesterday's picture for comparison.

Afterwards, I packed the car and Tippy and I drove to SC. (Well, I drove and she slept. Too bad it couldn't be the other way around. ) Once I got us checked in, we went for a fast walk. I did wear a coat, even though it was only 54F (12.2C). It felt colder. I hadn't really planned on doing a fast mile until we got started and I decided if we were going to walk, it might as well be fast enough to count.

quilteryoyo

If you are interested, I got the official pictures in an e-mail today. The best ones, and one out take, are under the spoiler.

Official Time was 2:24:04


I wish I always looked like this when I ran.


"Flying" over the finish line.


How I really look when I'm running.


I'm pretty sure I was walking at this point and was telling the photographer I'd run for the picture and no one would know the difference. I guess talking, running, and pictures are NOT a good combination.

martaindale

December total: 53.5/164 miles

12/1: 6 miles
12/2: 12 miles
12/4: 9 miles
12/5: 2.7 miles
12/7: 5 miles
12/9: 10 miles
12/11: 8.8 miles

The cold front blew in and today was lovely. Even though I had to run after work, I still got nice weather at about 60F and rapidly dropping as the sun went down. I did a tempo run and was very happy with how it went.

kgirlhart

Those are great pictures @quilteryoyo! I love that the finish line photo caught both feet in the air.

daria0919

@quilteryoyo - thank you for sharing your photos! You’re pretty much smiling in all of them. You must have enjoyed yourself overall and feel proud of your successful run! Congrats again!
That first photo of the dramatic sky is amazing!