March 2015 Running Challenge

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  • zombiebrandy0112
    zombiebrandy0112 Posts: 88 Member
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    Goal: 65 miles

    3/1: 6.38 miles, 11:42 pace, snow covered sidewalks but beautiful day!
    3/2: REST
    3/3: 3.01 miles, 10:52 pace, in a misty, cold rain - LOVED it!
    3/4: 3.00 miles, 11:42 pace, I felt like I had lead feet today.
    3/5: REST - my Achilles' tendon was aching so I dropped my scheduled 3 miles
    3/6: REST
    3/7: My 1st 8k race, 5.01 miles, 10:32 pace - I felt AWESOME! My best race pace by far. Also a 2 mile walk with my husky in the evening.
    3/8: 10 mile bike ride, weight training
    3/9: REST
    3/10: 3 mile run, 11:39 pace, weight training
    3/11: 4 mile run, 11:52 pace, in the rain with my husky Ellie - we both enjoyed it & I didn't have any aches today :)
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    Date Miles today. Miles for March

    3/1 6.5 miles - 6.5 <<<< 1.5 w/u plus 8K race
    3/2 5 miles - 11.5
    3/3 8 miles - 19.5
    3/4 8 miles - 27.5 <<< new shoes today (ASICS Gel Noosa Tri 8's)
    3/5 6 miles - 33.5 <<< TM intervals (ice covered streets)
    3/6 8 miles - 41.5 <<< TM progressions @ recovery & easy paces
    3.7 15 miles - 56.5 <<< Madkin and Weeden Mtns long run (1,299 ft elevation gain)
    3/8 6.2 miles - 62.7
    3/9 8.5 miles - 71.2
    3/10 8 miles - 79.2
    3/11 6.2 miles - 85.4

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  • Ohhim
    Ohhim Posts: 1,142 Member
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    Nice and sweaty after my 8 miler this afternoon due to some high humidity and heat. Glad to be migrating back up north in another month.

    3/1 - 17 miles
    3/3 - 5 miles
    3/4 - 8 miles
    3/5 - 5 miles
    3/7 - 8 miles
    3/8 - 18 miles
    3/10 - 5 miles
    3/11 - 8 miles

    Total: 74 miles
    Goal: 180 miles
    Remaining: 106 miles
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited March 2015
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    johnsonnelly wrote: »
    I am so frustrated! I cannot seem to break through 5 miles.....I have been running pretty consistently for about a year but every time that I am able to sustain 4-5 miles I seem to have a few days where I can only run 2-3 miles and I feel completely unable to push through and then I have to get back to 4-5 miles. It is a cycle that I feel stuck in. I do not know what I am doing wrong? I give myself rest days, I have started to weight train, and I do hike and run different places outside as the weather permits. I have to use the treadmill frequently in the winter. I feel like I have good form because I am not hurting myself. I have tried to control breaths with foot strikes, etc. and that just makes me breathe worse because I am paying too much attention. I feel that the first mile is the hardest, which is normal. Any advice of how to gain distance would be appreciated. I am not running too fast at all so I know that if I slowed down I would be speed walking rather than running. Again, I am FRUSTRATED! :(


    As others said, try slowing your pace down or try the run walk method. Not every workout is going to be the same. Some are going to be slower than others. Most of your miles should be at conversational pace. I actually have a post about this in the main group. That means you should be able to hold a conversation with a running buddy without fighting for a breath. If you run by yourself, then you should be able to sing your ABC's or the Happy Birthday song out loud without fighting for a breath. if you can't, then you are running too fast.

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited March 2015
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    skippygirlsmom wrote: »
    Went to PT today and was released :smiley: He said to keep doing my exercises, keep adding my mileage (he was thrilled I was up to 8+ miles again on my long run), said if I have any pain that lasts more than 2 days to call him and to stop back after my HM in April with my medal. LOL His parting words, were I love runners, they get in here, get it done and get back to it!

    This is Fantastic! You did a heck of a job making your comeback!

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    dennie24 wrote: »
    3/11 3 miles
    I am a heel striker and today I decided to try out landing on my mid foot. I was able to make it the whole three miles landing on my mid foot but it is going to definitely take some getting used to. I went slow so that I could really concentrate on it but I can already tell that after I am used to it I should be able to pick my pace up a bit with less effort. Hopefully. I really love the Saucony Omni's that I run in but if I am going to be changing to a mid foot strike maybe I should start looking for some different shoes.

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    I actually worked on this as well. Caution, many people will say that you shouldn't try and change your natural gait or else risk causing serious injury. And maybe they are right. But none the less I have worked on this and only noticed minor soreness.

    In the beginning it does take a lot of getting used too. I noticed very sore calves and shins and I even had to cut mileage down as I was working on this. By the way, yoga for runners for shins and calves helped me a lot.

    I noticed now that those muscles have gotten a lot stronger and developed nicely. But when my legs get tired, I resort to heel striking. Like if I run over an hour or more.

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Elise4270 wrote: »
    @dennie24‌ I've found that taking shorter steps helps with the landing. And if I try to remember what it was like to run as a kid, its easier. Fast(er) pace, for me, seems to put my foot in the right place. And I started adding some trail distance to mix it up. Hard to heel strike on uneven terrain.


    Actually, even if you are not messing with your gait, it's important for all runners to have proper cadence. Most people believe in the 180 steps (or around that) per minute is the optimum cadence. That's 90 times your right foot strikes the ground in a minute or 15 times your right foot strikes the ground in 10 seconds.

    The following is a metronome on youtube (you can even download metronome apps for your phone) for 180 bpm.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kafMsiaGQ7Y



    And here is a song that a bunch of musician/runners wrote at 180 bpm.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkMpXLXIwG4

  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    I mentioned Yoga For Runners. I highly recommend this as well as foam rolling.

    Here are 2 videos that I will swear by:


    SHINS & CALVES:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc3haRNn-5I



    HIPS & HAMMIES:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmzfot_6HcE

  • Manatwo2002
    Manatwo2002 Posts: 2
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  • lippiestickmama
    lippiestickmama Posts: 15 Member
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  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
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  • Ohhim
    Ohhim Posts: 1,142 Member
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    @johnsonnelly‌ sounds totally psychological. I've found my 5 mile runs on bad/hot days to be much harder than 15 milers on optimal weather days. If you can run 5 miles whenever, you definitely have the ability to put a few extras on top of that when conditions permit.

    Worst case, just snag a heart rate monitor, and if you can adjust your pace to keep you out of your anaerobic range, with enough mid-run fuel, you can keep on putting a foot in front of another as long as you want (according to my 100k ultra-competitor friends). Most of us just stop at 26.2 to avoid doing too much longer term damage to our joints/feet.
  • johnsonnelly
    johnsonnelly Posts: 103 Member
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    March 1 -Rest
    March 2 - 4 miles
    March 3 - 5.1 miles (furthest run to date)
    March 4-6th - Rest arches, I pulled them jumping rope.
    March 7 - 4 miles OUTSIDE!!! It was so warm here, I was surprised!
    March 8 - 4 miles (plus a hike on the mountain)
    March 9 - 3.1 miles (5k OUTSIDE!!, plus a 2 mile walk and weight training)
    March 10 - 2.25 miles (It was hard to run tonight....)
    March 11 - 3.1 miles (5k)




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  • johnsonnelly
    johnsonnelly Posts: 103 Member
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    Thank you everyone for the feedback. What is everyone's average pace??
  • Ohhim
    Ohhim Posts: 1,142 Member
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    johnsonnelly wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for the feedback. What is everyone's average pace??

    Most of my training (non-race) runs are in the 10-12 minute/mile pace range. Races are in the 7 (5k) - 8.5 (marathon) minute/mile range.
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,399 Member
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    @Stoshew71‌ - thanks for the yoga videos! They are great!!
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
    edited March 2015
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    @skippygirlsmom: Looks like you are really recovered and happily back on the road now. Congrats,that's great!

    @HealthyFocused715: I totally agree, running in the sun is glorious -especially when it's not to warm outside. Once it gets warmer, I start heading for the shady side of the street, but right now I'm really enjoying it too.

    @zombiebrandy0112 You have a husky as a running companion? That's cool - glad you enjoy your runs together even when it rains.

    @Stoshew71: thank you for sharing the videos!


    .
    johnsonnelly wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for the feedback. What is everyone's average pace??
    It used to be something like 8:30 min/km last year, it gradually went down over time and is now more around 7:30 min/km. And for those of you who measure in miles: here's a plot what that means translated to mi/min:
    i78fn4pfulad.png
    (yes, I have a plot... Nerdy, I know, but I kind of like looking at it from time to time and watching the points going down :D )

  • rnjcb
    rnjcb Posts: 86 Member
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  • LoneWolfRunner
    LoneWolfRunner Posts: 1,160 Member
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    DATE...................... MILES...............TOTAL
    3/2...........................Weight training
    3/3...........................5.25....................5.25
    3/4...........................5.25..................10.50
    3/5...........................7.75..................18.25
    3/6...........................Weight training
    3/7.........................11.00..................29.25
    3/8...........................5.50..................34.75
    3/9...........................Weight training
    3/11.........................8.00..................42.75
    3/12.........................8.75..................51.50



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  • ddmom0811
    ddmom0811 Posts: 1,878 Member
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    March 1 - 5K - 3rd place in my age group. Not my best time, but happy with it! 29:07
    March 2- rest
    March 3- 5.05 miles and strength training
    March 4 - 5.09 miles
    March 5 - 5.13 miles
    March 6 - strength training
    March 7 - 34 miles Biking - brutal winds today. I couldn’t keep up around the lake.
    March 8 - 71 miles biking. Beautiful day out but that was too long.
    March 9 - rest day
    March 10 - strength training.
    March 11 - 5.2 miles - knee felt fine! So thankful.
    March 12 - 5.2 miles.

    Taking tomorrow as a rest day, only because of 10K Saturday.
    When I got home today at 5.2 miles, I realized I could go at least another mile so I feel good about running 10K Saturday. When my daughter and I signed up for it back in January, I thought there was NO WAY I could actually run a 10k the whole way. Now, 2 months later I know I can!



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