October 2015 Running Challenge

10/1 3 mile walk and circuit training
10/2 4.5 mile run
10/3 rest day
10/4 rest day (unintentional)
10/5 1.5 mile walk and circuit training
10/6 4 miles run
10/7 2 mile walk and circuit training
10/8 5 mile bike ride

October Goal: 50 miles
10-1 - 3 miles
10-3 - 6 miles
10-4 - 2.4 miles
10-5 - 1.5 miles
10-6 - 4 miles
10-7 - 1 mile

10/1 8.25 treadmill run at just around 12:00
10/2 3.75 treadmill run at 11:28
10/3 rest

10/4 3.0 @ 12:03 outside
10/5 unplanned busy busy "rest" day
10/6 5.25 @ 11:40 on the treadmill, plus strength training
10/7 6.0 @ 12:05 on the park trail (and 2.5 walking to and from school/warm up/cool down--not counted)
10/8 rest
10/9 5.25 @ 11:14 on the treadmill, plus strength training
10/10

I got in a quick 3km last night with my dog (that's about all he can handle lol) and then 16km/10 miles this morning.

Monthly total is now 67km/42 miles out of 250km/155 miles.

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend!

Super excited to be running my first half marathon this weekend... Post 31mi so far for October. I've been a running nut doing these running challenges. I even ran in the dark last night which I normally don't due - visually impaired + uneven pavement = splat!

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@snha - pretty speedy for only being at this for three months! Good job!

@krdews - Good luck on your first half - excited to hear how it goes!

@snha - Agree with @karllundy; I've been running for right around 6 months and I'm between 10:30 -11 minute miles . Great job! And I'm totally with you - when I first started c25k and had to run for 90 seconds I was completely out of breath and wanted to keel over. Such a great feeling seeing yourself make progress.

1/10 – rest day
2/10 – rest day
3/10 – 3.0 km
4/10 – 3.0 km
5/10 – rest day
6/10 – 2.0 km
7/10 – 3.5 km
8/10 – rest day
9/10 – rest day
10/10 – 5.0 km
__________________
16.5 / 40kms Total Run Distance

Okay, I hope you don't mind but I need to gloat!

With shin splints in one leg, my physio and I have been working on my stride etc and stretches for over a month. I was worried about pushing through with shin splints but he said it was worse for me if I were to stop running and rest as my muscles are weak and as long as I ice, compress and take it easy, I should keep running.

After Wednesdays 3.5km run, my shin was pretty tender. I have been doing stretches and resistance exercises at home between runs and massaging my legs after icing, rolling and wearing my compression sleeves during and after runs. Sounds like a bit of work, I know.

Today I tried something different. I turned my distance audio cues on my phone app off completely and instead, told the app to give me 5 minute audio cues. So every 5 minutes, I was told how long I had run.. 5, 10, 15 mins etc.

I jogged at a slow, steady pace.. Slower than usual, bent my knees a bit more and didn't worry about trying to land on my mid-foot for a change.. Just ran how my body felt it should.

I went up hills, down hills (I did find my shin hurt a little going down, only because gravity was forcing me to go faster than I wanted to)..

One thing I did notice, about slowing my pace right down was that I wasn't bobbing up and down as much as I usually do. I felt I was moving more like someone you see run a marathon (I am far from being a marathon runner, but hopefully you know what I mean )

My last 5km time was 37 minutes.

Today, I ran 5km in 40 minutes.

Not that that worries me.. I just find it interesting - I slowed my pace and finished 3 minutes slower.. BUT I AM PAIN-FREE!!!!

And the greatest thing of this.. Isn't even the fact that I ran 5km.. It's that my body felt so good that I could have kept going! I was on the verge of trying for an extra 1-2 km but thought I'd better not push my luck

I am absolutely over the moon!!!!! A BIG thank you to everyone for your inspiration and kind words!

@kareF - Great job, that's fantastic! So much better to take it slow and listen to your body than to push it and sustain an even worse injury. So glad you had a good run!