JULY 2024 Monthly Running Challenge

ContraryMaryMary

Another steamy 10k and again Garmin classified it as unproductive and docked me another VO2 max number. *kitten*.

I, on the other hand, had a lovely run. Yes, it was hot but not unbearably so, and there was a good, if warm, breeze to help with the humidity. Kept things slower - having my heart rate under 150 seems to be the key for me - so was able to trundle along without any problems.

My very unscientific research now tells me, this humidity taxes me about 30 seconds per kilometre.

But anyway, who cares what Garmin has to say when this is the view from your front deck.

And yes, welcome to all the newbies. I too found this group so much better than the newsfeed - more people like me sharing running battles (the good and the bad) rather than a bunch of people losing and gaining the same five pounds over and over again (she says still trying to lose the same last two kilos since the beginning of the year 🙄. Eh, at least my running is improving (just not according to Garmin 🤬)).

ContraryMaryMary

Oh, and here’s a little cocktail porn just for you @tarun_yadavA

quilteryoyo

I'm glad your weather is holding @Laurz9191 . Great running. Are there always that many slugs in your area, or is this something new. I don't think I could run outside if I knew I would be stepping on them.

Probably a good call @Scott6255 .

@ContraryMaryMary Garmin is not kind to you. You did great and what a lovely view from your deck! You are NOT going to want to go home.

quilteryoyo

1 July - Walked 2.00 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - driveway wun - trimmed trees for 2h52m44s
2 July - Walked 1.15 miles - Ran 1.00 miles - driveway wun - built fence around the garden earlier

4.15/60.00 goal

My neighbor, W, and I built an electric fence around mom's garden this morning, while it was cool. After we finished and I ran some errands, I did a driveway wun. I had planned to just run a tiny bit because it was hot, 86F (30C), but I stayed in the shade and it wasn't too bad. I ran more than planned, but didn't hit the segment button, so am counting the second mile, which was a 13:33 min/mile pace as a run and the rest a walk. Avg HR was 132 with a max of 150 bpm.

I'm not going to go to the gym this week. Yesterday and today was because we needed to to things in the morning before it got too hot. Tomorrow mom and I are getting a hair cut in the morning and they are closed on Thurs and Friday. I mean, I could go tomorrow afternoon, but I'm not going to. I'll pick it back up next week.

martaindale

@scott6255 So happy to see you! Welcome back to the group and running!

@Laurz9191 I saw a very large slug the other morning and immediately thought of you! Most of ours are these little skinny black ones but this one was a few inches long and about as thick as a cigar with a mottled brown/black body. Definitely one you would notice if you stepped on it!

ContraryMaryMary wrote: »

Another steamy 10k and again Garmin classified it as unproductive and docked me another VO2 max number. *

Mine takes a 2-3 point hit every summer for exactly these reasons. The calculation they use doesn’t factor in the massive effect a high dew point has on your breathing and ability to thermoregulate.

martaindale

July total: 3/100 miles
YTD: 494.8/1200 miles

7/1: 3 miles

My usual pre-work 3 miles. I am seeing more people out in the predawn as it gets hotter here. Our heat indexes have been crazy. We’ve had heat advisories every day for the last week from about noon to sunset so I think some of the usual afternoon runners are waking up early.

No running today but I am headed out the door to Pilates as we speak.

quilteryoyo

My neighbor sent me this picture a couple of hours ago.

My driveway is just about 500 feet in the direction it is headed. I guess I'm going to have to look out for bear as well as stampeding deer when running on my driveway.

kgirlhart

July Goal: 130 Miles

7/1: 4.02 miles
7/2: 6.02 miles

10.04/130 miles completed for July

I ran 6 miles this morning. It was hot and I was slow, but I got it done and felt pretty good about it. Someone posted on Facebook today that a man was harassing her at the park this morning around 6:30. I ran through there around 6:45 and didn't notice anything or anyone unusual, but I will definitely be on alert.

Wow! @quilteryoyo I would be scared if there were bears around here. I just have to worry about skunks.

chris_in_cal

Neighborhood 1Mile (at 11"32 pace). streak day 63

I appreciate the 10:xx confidence @tarun_yadavA, it's living rent-free in my head.

It looks like it'll be 68 °F (20 °C) at the race start.

VO2Maxlet

I never realized we posted goals, so I will be posting mine as not to get injured this month while ramping up mileage to 25-30 a week.

@quilteryoyo I never read up on the book, but I did do my homework on the methodology. Garmin had me doing it for the 10K, and it took me about 4 weeks before I could consistently run without taking a break. Happy to report with better results for today's run!

@martaindale yes! Exactly why I opted for it! The advice y'all are giving me is ringing loud and clear. Definitely enjoy Japan! If you go to some of the smaller bars, people really make the effort to socialize regardless of language barrier.

@henridw2095 I frequent the Loop area from time to time. We might've crossed without knowing! Rooting for you on your goal!

Welcome all new posters!

Today I ran Z2 again. 3 miles. First time I was able to consistently run without walking or going over the limit. Very happy I could achieve this in ~15-20 miles. Yesterday was a rest day. Those spikes are at that speed; however, I was running downhill.

Avg 159 SPM
Avg 117 BPM
Max 133 BPM



Tomorrow I run 6 miles. Market's closed for a half day. Most likely will run closer to the afternoon than morning, but we'll see how I'm feeling.

tarun_yadavA

Morning all.
Got in 6.24M (at 09"41).
Crossed the 1000 mark for 2024.

@ContraryMaryMary laughing! Love the description of the average MFP feed user 😂.
(Says he who weighed himself today, and is 1kg heavier at 83.5kg - and that's before I've even got to Berlin and hit the Steins of beer!). Speaking of... Love the Mojito pic!

@chris_in_cal you got this!!! Just stay hydrated upto and during race. Limber up, stretch beforehand... And just sprint that first mile! Pretend you're being chased by a zombie. You totally got this!!

@henridw2095 niiiice! Do love myself a Giordano's deep dish pie and a firecake donut!

Shoe p0rn is a thing here.
And so too is food p0rn... So please post lol

SummerSkier

@quilteryoyo looks like that bear is walking facing traffic. smart crittur but seriously? Be careful.

Starting out July with 2 4 milers. I haven't figured out my goals for the month running wise yet but I know that it is going to be somewhere between 80 and 200 miles. I might narrow that down in a few days. Got to play tennis again last night so decided that the miles fitbit gives me for that should count towards my deliberate walking. So glad to have my partner back playing again.

Welcome to all and glad to see returning folks. Will be interesting to see if the crosstraining you did while not running @scott6255 has an impact on your training return.

I dropped off the radar on Strava because I developed a stalker (no one from here!) and it just felt creepy. I could not drop them as a friend because that would lead to all other more drama so here I am keeping up with everyone.

Our run the year team is crushing it with over 8000 miles altogether. 😳😳

Laurz9191

Hi everyone!

The weather is still weirdly fall-like, cloudy, and cool, so I did my first HM in a while to start off my marathon training. It was hard mentally but my legs felt fine. I kept thinking, how am I actually going to do these long runs when it’s hot outside again. I won’t pick the route I ran today, for sure, as it offers no shade. It was 14C (57F) out and I ran 22km.

@martaindale Glad that slugs make you think of me . I saw my fair share again this morning. There seem to be a lot of them after it rains or when there is a lot of moisture on the ground. When it gets hot, they all go into hiding. We have light and dark brownish orange ones. So sometimes I spend a lot of effort running discerning what is slug vs. what is leaf .

@SummerSkier I’m sorry to hear about your stalker!

@ContraryMaryMary It sounds like you are having the perfect vacation! Running and cocktails and beach! Enjoy it even if Garmin doesn’t have anything positive to say about it .

@chris_in_cal Good luck on your race tomorrow!! You will do great! I do disagree slightly with @tarun_yadavA’s advice. I wouldn’t recommend sprinting the first mile .

@tarun_yadavA Which “football” match will you be watching in Berlin? My guess is that Germany and England will be out in the next round .

49.5/200km for June.

martaindale

Laurz9191 wrote: »

@martaindale Glad that slugs make you think of me . I saw my fair share again this morning. There seem to be a lot of them after it rains or when there is a lot of moisture on the ground. When it gets hot, they all go into hiding. We have light and dark brownish orange ones. So sometimes I spend a lot of effort running discerning what is slug vs. what is leaf .

You have slug vs leaf. I have snake vs stick. Fun running games!

Laurz9191 wrote: »

@chris_in_cal Good luck on your race tomorrow!! You will do great! I do disagree slightly with @tarun_yadavA’s advice. I wouldn’t recommend sprinting the first mile .

Seconded. Good luck! I’m thinking speedy thoughts for you.

@quilteryoyo Have you seen bears in your area before? I think bears are so cool, but they are a novelty for me since we don’t have them here. Not sure I’d feel the same if I came into face-to-face contact with one.

quilteryoyo

@kgirlhart Very nice 6 miles. I guess we all need to stay alert while running, even if there is no previous threat detected. I think someone on here said they ran with a tiny device that sounded like a bullhorn to get attention and scare off dogs and such. Does anyone still here remember that or know where you could get one. It seems like a great idea.

You're doing great @VO2Maxlet !

Nice running @tarun_yadavA ! Congrats on surpassing 1000 miles for the year!

SummerSkier wrote: »

@quilteryoyo looks like that bear is walking facing traffic. smart crittur but seriously? Be careful.

I haven't figured out my goals for the month running wise yet but I know that it is going to be somewhere between 80 and 200 miles.

Our run the year team is crushing it with over 8000 miles altogether. 😳😳

Thanks. You're goal made me giggle. I'm glad that you are getting to play more tennis. It's great exercise without even realizing you are exercising, sometimes. Maybe not at your level of tennis. Yey team. We are going great!

@Laurz9191 Sounds like great weather for running. You did great running a HM and your legs were fine. I would love to get to that point.

Good luck on our race tomorrow @chris_in_cal .

@martaindale There are bear in the area, since we aren't that far from the Smokeys National Park. I, personally, have only seen one a long time ago. But, another neighbor has seen three hanging around his house lately. I suspect the one in the picture is one of those. And, the people who bought the farm adjacent to mine have seen bear eating the wild blackberries. The berries are getting ripe, so I suspect that is why they are out and about a bit more at the moment. I will just be more aware of my surroundings. At least black bear, if they aren't being fed, are afraid of humans and if you yell and make yourself as big as possible, they are supposed to back off. I hope I don't have to find out if that theory is true.

tarun_yadavA

@quilteryoyo better start running with bear spray!
(That is so cool though!)

@Laurz9191 Holland v Turkey!
Should be a great atmosphere. Dutch fans are awesome, and German cities have got huge urban Turkish populations... Should be lively!

Germany v Spain is a tough one to call. I don't know.

As for @chris_in_cal 5K PB strategy...
I'm going on: that's he done this distance before on a Strava run... it's his first race... Just let the adrenaline of his first ever race take over and carry that initial pace for as long as he can? (Unlikely to cramp or gas out? No?)

You know what @chris_in_cal ... Listen to @Laurz9191 and Sarah @martaindale ... I shouldn't even be following my own advice lol

chris_in_cal

SummerSkier wrote: »

I dropped off the radar on Strava because I developed a stalker (no one from here!) and it just felt creepy.

I am sorry you had to deal with that. That creep ruins it for you in a regular public place, and for all of your "Strava Friends" who want to see flowers and awesomeness.

chris_in_cal

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

As for @chris_in_cal 5K PB strategy... I'm going on: that's he done this distance before on a Strava run... it's his first race... Just let the adrenaline

I am famously a negative splitter. I liked your advice to warm up and prepare. I usually use the first mile or two of a race as warm up.

A college coed from back in my university days is coming to watch me run the race, that might motivate me to stick in my gut and try to run "fast."

💪🏽

henridw2095

3.16 miles along Charles River in Boston this morning, 6.16 miles so far in June. I also got 7.5 miles of walking today, exploring Boston, before heading home tonight.

@VO2Maxlet yay for Chicago running - I sometimes run South towards museum campus.

@tarun_yadav I'm not a huge fan of deep dish, although I'm a huge fan of Chicago. If you're in Chicago again, Pequod's makes the best the deep dish pizza, in my opinion. I’m now vegan and also lactose intolerant (so any deep-dish pizza is off the menu). I'm not tracking when I travel, and I felt excited to sample interesting vegan options today.

ContraryMaryMary

A steamy 6km today. Negative splits every kilometre, which I’m happy about. Straight into the pool at the end with only a short pause to remove my shoes. 🥵

I don’t know how you manage to sustain this throughout the summer @martaindale - the thought I only have a couple of runs left in these conditions is partially what is motivating me.