April 2015 Running Challenge

@SBRRepeat what a lovely thing to do. Full credit to you for doing something that will actually make a difference to those girls lives.

@dawnna76 have you always hated running? Sometimes once you sign up to something and are committed, it can feel like a bit of a chore and take the enjoyment out of it. I'm sure you'll have an amazing race day, though, and all those times you made yourself train when you had no inclination to do it will have been worth it.

12 mile run for me through the park today. Should have gone earlier in the day because it was so hot but, sadly, I had other (boring) things to do this morning.

4/1 = 3.50 miles
4/5 = 5.54 miles
4/7 = 6.24 miles
4/15 = 5.00 miles
4/16 = 7.10 miles
4/18 = 3.28 miles
______________
Total =30.66 miles
19.35 miles until goal

Today was my first race, a little 5k in a small town filled with seriously competitive people. About 30 seconds out of the gate, they gave us a hill. This is Missouri. We grow hills really, really well here. There was a kid in front of me in the 10 and under group that took this hill at a full on sprint, trying to keep up with his group (and their longer legs). He started dropping behind, breathing so heavy that I was concerned. I could hear his Mom tell him to hug the curb to stay out of the way of the runners behind him as she kept going. I hadn't realized that his father was running further back with other kids, but I could see that he was upset about not keeping up. So I slowed to a walk, helped him calm his breathing for several minutes until his dad caught up.

This kid passes me on and off throughout the race. At mile three, there was a dog on a leash barking at all the runners. Same boy stops in fear and I catch up to him and put myself between him and the dog and promise I will stay there until we are past the dog. Boy jumps ahead once it's clear, then falls behind again. 100 meters from the finish, boy passes me again. He gets third for his age group. I get fourth for mine. Would have made third if I had not stopped to help the boy along the way, if I had kept pushing forward on my own quest. No fancy medal for me, but I can live with the reward I did get.

Nottafattie wrote: »

Today was my first race, a little 5k in a small town filled with seriously competitive people. About 30 seconds out of the gate, they gave us a hill. This is Missouri. We grow hills really, really well here. There was a kid in front of me in the 10 and under group that took this hill at a full on sprint, trying to keep up with his group (and their longer legs). He started dropping behind, breathing so heavy that I was concerned. I could hear his Mom tell him to hug the curb to stay out of the way of the runners behind him as she kept going. I hadn't realized that his father was running further back with other kids, but I could see that he was upset about not keeping up. So I slowed to a walk, helped him calm his breathing for several minutes until his dad caught up.

This kid passes me on and off throughout the race. At mile three, there was a dog on a leash barking at all the runners. Same boy stops in fear and I catch up to him and put myself between him and the dog and promise I will stay there until we are past the dog. Boy jumps ahead once it's clear, then falls behind again. 100 meters from the finish, boy passes me again. He gets third for his age group. I get fourth for mine. Would have made third if I had not stopped to help the boy along the way, if I had kept pushing forward on my own quest. No fancy medal for me, but I can live with the reward I did get.

^^^^^ runner!
(And not because you ran a race.)
xo

Nice race, SonicDeathMonkey!
You are awesome, Nottafattie!

I ran 7 miles today in just a few minutes under SonicDeathMonkey's half split time. That's the longest I have run so far though and I felt pretty good about it. Nice and easy. I am pretty sure I sabotaged myself by reading that runner's trots thread yesterday though. Thankfully I stay fairly close to home. Eek!!

Ran the Garmin half marathon in Olathe KS today in 2:38:09, a new PR!. Was a great run. It rained lightly the last 4 miles which was refreshing.

4/1 - 6 miles
4/4 - 6.1 miles
4/6 - 2.3 miles
4/11 - 13.1 miles 2:42:09.4
4/14 - 2.26 miles
4/18 - 13.1 miles 2:38:09

grimmeanor wrote: »

Ran the Garmin half marathon in Olathe KS today in 2:38:09, a new PR!. Was a great run. It rained lightly the last 4 miles which was refreshing.

4/1 - 6 miles
4/4 - 6.1 miles
4/6 - 2.3 miles
4/11 - 13.1 miles 2:42:09.4
4/14 - 2.26 miles
4/18 - 13.1 miles 2:38:09

I heard that was supposed to be a rainy one - glad it held off

Thank you, everyone. For my first race, it's definitely memorable.
@skippygirlsmom I guess the boy did have his dad at the end of the pack. I just didn't know it at the time. Even knowing that, I think I still would have stopped for him regardless. He was breathing really heavy, just sounded painful. I have six kids and that instinct to react when any kid is in trouble. Also turns out that his mom told him at the beginning of the race to find someone who's pace he could match and hang with them. I guess I was the one. In a fit of justice, the boy and I both passed mom in mile two. Finished pretty far ahead of her too.
@shanaber I'll take a virtual gold from this group any day of the week and be most proud of it.
@4leighbee Thank you. It definitely takes more than miles or gear to make a runner. I'll admit I was jealous of the guy who finished it in less than 20 mins, but he went home with a cold metal trophy and I went home with a warm fuzzy memory. Yeah, I like the shiny stuff too, but there's plenty of time for me to get to that place and never another chance to go back and do things different.
@Pandora_and_her_box The dog was on a leash, but it was a big dog and he was close to the road. Any kid at that age has the fear that something that big will get off the chain and after a brief chat with his mom at the finish, I got the impression that the boy has a deep seated fear of dogs as a result of an incident. No details to back it up. Of course, by this time we had passed his parents, so they couldn't be there to help him through it. I think maybe they could have prepared him a little better for what to expect. It was his first run too. At the same time, I admire their courage to let their kids explore, succeed or fail on their own. I'm perhaps too over protective. Is it better to keep them from the race if you feel they are unprepared or to let them experience it for themselves and find out what they are made of?

Aine8046 wrote: »

In for 50 miles!

April 1st - 3.5 miles
April 4th - 3.9 miles
April 6th - 4.3 miles
April 8th - 5.5 miles
April 10th - 5.5 miles
April 12th - 4.5 miles
April 14th - 5.4 miles
April 16th - 5.1 miles
April 18th - 4.8 miles

Total: 42.5 miles

Forgot to post my miles for today. No long run this weekend, prepping for the La Jolla half next Sunday!

Date.......Miles......Total
04/01.....4.07.......4.07 - +2 mile walk
04/02.....5.20.......9.27 - + Strength Training
04/03.....6.48.....15.75
04/04...13.10.....28.85
04/05.....0.00.....28.85 - Rest - 3 mile walk on the beach
04/06.....7.20.....36.05 - + Agility
04/07.....6.24.....42.29 - + Strength Training
04/08.....0.00.....42.29 - Rest + Strength Training
04/09.....4.37.....46.66 - Surprisingly good tempo run
04/10.....6.20.....52.86
04/11.....8.23.....61.09 - Hill repeats, trail run and more hills!
04/12.....0.00.....61.09 - Rest - 3 mile walk on the beach
04/13.....7.40.....68.49
04/14.....5.36.....73.85 - + Strength Training
04/15.....0.00.....73.85 - Rest
04/16.....5.57.....79.42 - + Strength Training
04/18.....5.50.....90.94
04/19.....0.00.....90.94 - Rest

19-Apr: 4K run - 20K cycle - 3.2K stumble
Total run miles April: 58.8