The January 2016 Running Challenge
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lporter229 wrote: »Does anyone have any recommendations on gloves? I am good to go with all of my other winter running gear, but I still have problems with frozen fingers. I have 3 different pairs of gloves and none of them keeps my fingers as warm as I would like. Does anyone out there have any "supergloves" they would care to recommend?
I have three levels of gloves:
1. The lightest running gloves, that are good from about 50 F down to the low 40s or upper 30s, depending on wind. I get the least use out of these, but when I need them they're wonderful. Manzella rates these as "warm".
2. Composite gloves that are warmer, and have a wind shell mitt that goes over the 4 fingers. I have two pair of these, one slightly warmer than the other; Manzella rates their pair as "warmer". These are my workhorse gloves, good from anything too cold for the lightest gloves down to the teens. The nice thing isn't so much the wind shell being windproof, as being able to put it on or slip it off during the run to adjust to temperature and how well warmed up I am.
3. Running mittens that Manzella rates as "warmest." I bought these because the composite gloves weren't heavy enough for the very cold runs. I found that it is rarely cold enough to run in these mittens. Typically, my hands are sweating within 5 miles. The day I started running at minus 10 F, it took 8 miles for my hands to start sweating. (It was probably warmer then; it got up to plus 5 F by the time I finished that run.) I've done well running with these for 5 miles or so then switching mid-run to the composite gloves. This requires that I run with an outer jacket that has pockets, which is no problem for any run cold enough to consider the mittens.
Mostly, I use those warmest mittens as snow shoveling gloves. They keep my hands nice and warm when I'm shoveling, which doesn't generate as much internal body heat as running does.
If push came to shove, I could wear my lightest gloves underneath the warmest mittens; I doubt I will see any weather cold enough to justify that this winter. In theory, I could double layer the lightest gloves plus the composite gloves for in between temperatures where the composites aren't warm enough but it's too warm for the mittens; I haven't tried double layering in a couple of years.
If you have an issue with cold fingers, chances are you'll want to go with warmer gloves at higher temperatures than I would; but you can look at the concepts and experiment to see what will work for you.
Oh, and those warm mittens? On that minus 10 run, I put an Espresso Love GU in my left mitten before I started. When I took it at mile 5, it was like warm coffee, even though it was *cold* on my fingers taking the mittens off so I could open it. That's how warm the mittens are.0 -
runner_girl83 wrote: »ceciliaslater wrote: »5BeautifulDays wrote: »1/21 Rest day. Not on purpose, but I couldn't bear to put on a sports bra and feared putting out someone's eyes otherwise. Surprisingly, though, my legs feel great. I'm hoping to get 4 miles in tomorrow before the snow comes.
Have you tried an anti-chafe balm? I use Body Glide, and it works really well, both for prevention and for protecting and comforting existing chafed areas.
And Vaseline/ Petroleum Jelly (not sure what you call it over there!) Its all I use and its cheap
Vaseline is a brand name; petroleum jelly is the generic name used in the United States. The active ingredient is white petrolatum, 100%; that term shouldn't change anywhere in the English speaking world.
FWIW, there is a product that tries to compete with Body Glide called Aquaphor. Its active ingredient is white petrolatum, at 41%. I have some generic equivalent of Aquaphor that I bought to use as hand lotion; it seems to work better for me than pure petroleum jelly under the chest strap heart rate monitor, and about as well as pure petroleum jelly on my feet.
Since I'm a cheap guy, I choke on $10 for 1.5 oz. of Body Glide when I can get 13 oz. of petroleum jelly for $2. The generic Aquaphor is more like $9 for 13 oz.; if I hadn't wanted to use it for hand lotion, I'd have passed on it.0 -
the only thing with petroleum jelly is that I have found it stains my clothes, i use an organic version of body glide, and have not had that issue. and it lasts forever(the stick)
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I have finally decided, with a little bit of a two year old fit throwing, to just go back to the beginning of c25k. I think I'm just struggling because I have increased in my walking so much to get more time, steps, floors and mileage in my days when I can. SO I think my body isn't tolerating it all so well. SO If I just start from the beginning, and blend them better I should be fine with moving forward. I don't like feeling stuck.
This is one of the hardest lessons to learn about running. Farther and faster are not always better, even though every app out there will say "best pace" for the fastest pace and most will say "best distance" for the farthest. Be aware that the artificial intelligence built into apps and fitness trackers can cross the line into mechanized stupidity. Be prepared to manually override the message when it's just plain dumb. Example: The activity tracker on his new Garmin 920 told a friend of mine he'd been sitting still too long . . . a few hours after he had completed an iron man triathlon. That's mechanized stupidity.
Steps are a wonderful motivational tool for people who are working to just be active. They become less meaningful for people who are running regularly, and can become counter-productive for serious training to run distance. Last week I had to give up a long standing streak of 10K steps per day, because my body needed to rest on my rest day. I probably won't get 10K steps today on my rest day. This may become a pattern, given that I am following a very aggressive marathon training program.
It's also hard to learn not to push too hard. Yeah, I'm running 50+ miles per week, running 6 days, recovering with easy runs, and doing extended speed work. I didn't get here over night. I remember a few months after I started running, I ran myself into injury . . . doing under 25 miles per week. I added too much, too fast and didn't understand the signals my body was sending me.
Way back when I started becoming a runner, a non-running day between running days was vital to my physical development. That meant no more than 3 running days a week. I'm not limited to that now, but it was an absolutely necessary part of development to get to where I am now.
Recovery is a vital, critically important part of running. It's not sexy. No one brags about having a mondo recovery day. It's hard to understand, because what is recovery for one person might be too much movement for another, or might be total sloth to someone else. You need to pay attention to how you feel. When your body feels beat up, it's not time to push for more speed or more distance. It's time to recover with easy movement. Exactly what that easy movement is will vary from one person to another.0 -
I realized today that I am much happier at work all day if I already got my run done in the morning. I may give it another week and see.. but I'll be back to mornings soon enough when it's too hot.
The only thing I don't like about morning run is that it's dark and therefore I don't leave my neighborhood. With afternoon run, even though I sleep later, I find I'm worried all day that something will come up and ruin my planned run. So I suppose I'd rather get up early and do it in the dark, in the neighborhood than worry all day I won't get to do it.
Amen! This is exactly how I feel...and getting up at 4:15 isn't so bad most days!
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1/1 - 3.5 miles on treadmill
1/2 - Nada
1/3 - 3.75 miles on treadmill + weights
1/4 - First day back to office / school...had to stay home to get kids moving and ready.
1/5 - 4 miles on treadmill + 4.65 miles on stationary bike
1/6 - 4.5 miles on indoor track followed by an extended stretching session.
1/7 - Sick / rest day - not sick enough to stay home for the day, but didn't want to push it for a run
1/8 - Another sick / rest day.
1/9 - 4.1 miles on treadmill
1/10 - 4 miles on indoor track + weights
1/11 - 4 miles on treadmill
1/12 - Life got in the way - sick children, work issues, etc. - Ick!
1/13 - Woke up with a head like concrete...stupid sinuses! Hoping to feel better enough to squeeze in a rare late afternoon run today.
1/13 - 3.25 miles outdoors...woo hoo! Early evening run. Had to watch out for refreeze on sidewalks and streets, but enjoyed it.
1/14 - 4.95 miles on treadmill (Trek class). My feet are not thanking me for two runs in under 12 hours. Plus, the person next to me must have eaten a poo sandwich before class...blech!!
1/15 - VJ the greyhound woke me up 3x in the night to go out, two kids and myself coughing all night and one kid with high fever this morning = another morning of no run. UGH! I am getting cranky...so going to miss my goal this month!
1/16 - 4 miles on treadmill
1/17 - ANOTHER sick / rest day...this virus won't quit
1/18 - 4 miles on indoor track + weights/abs
1/19 - Seems my body / this illness thinks a workout every other day is enough...grrr!
1/20 - 4 miles on treadmill. Hoping to be able to get another run in tomorrow.
1/21 - 4.65 miles on treadmill (Trek class). First back-to-back run days in over a week...woot!
1/22 - ANOTHER sick/rest day - ugh!! I feel like @#$& (thanks for indulging me in a whine)
@runner_girl83 - Yay for functioning calf muscles!
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ceciliaslater wrote: »runner_girl83 wrote: »I have finally decided, with a little bit of a two year old fit throwing, to just go back to the beginning of c25k. I think I'm just struggling because I have increased in my walking so much to get more time, steps, floors and mileage in my days when I can. SO I think my body isn't tolerating it all so well. SO If I just start from the beginning, and blend them better I should be fine with moving forward. I don't like feeling stuck. LOL! and I know the schedule works. I have a goal to reach 10 k this year, It's been 2 years of struggling to get to a 5k race which I did THanksgiving, and I know that getting to the 10 k would be a slow process too, I just need to be willing to give it the time my body needs to balance it all in order to make it happen. I also need to clean up my diet more, I'm doing good, and am losing weight but I need to cut out more of what makes my inflammation, and nerve pain worse.
Monthly Totals/ Run = 6.83, Walk = 30.73, Steps = 134.203, Floors = 200, Daily miles = 65.57
And don't forget to throw some rest days in there between running days ... It's okay to walk on rest days, though at an easy pace as your body needs time to adjust to running. If I run 2-3 days straight, my shin bones feel like they will snap! But if I have 1 rest day between those 3 running days... I am fine! Just need to let your body adjust slowly.
Whoa! I'm missing responses to me, good thing I took the time to catch up! Thanks for your reply! I know my pushing the floors especially is not helping, like today I pushed from 26 my highest to 32. (Thought I'd get one last Harrah in) but I have 16 steps so about 550 steps today, definitely messes with my thighs and groin area. As well as my hip area, my biggest problem. So I will take it easy, and stay at just my daily goals, so I'm good to go for next week, and keep it there so running can progress again.
OK I have to ask, what is "pushing the floors" I Googled it and Google comes back with kegel/pelvic floor exercises. I'm thinking, "that is not right". .
@Elise4270 I think she means "pushing herself to climb up more stairs (floors of a building) each day." Or I hope so, anyway.
That makes more since. Thanks.
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I had such a great run yesterday! Time was tight so I couldn't do the longer run I had hoped so I decided to do hills instead on a shorter route. Half way to where I was headed, I decided to see if I could tackle the hill I had never been able to run up before, even at my most fit a few years ago, and I smashed it! Well, that's an exaggeration, but I did it without stopping and without thinking my chest was going to explode. It actually felt quite easy, so I was really, really happy after that. Never had runners high from a 5km before but I did last night!
It's interesting to read what some of you do/do not carry on your runs. Since there was an attack in my local area 6 months ago, my uncle, who is in the police, has insisted I carry a rape alarm when running alone. Does anyone else do this or am I just a bit paranoid?
Jan Monthly running challenge
1st Jan - 3.1miles
2nd Jan - 4.5miles
5th Jan - 2.75miles
8th Jan - 3.25miles
10th Jan - 4.00miles
12th Jan - 2.1miles
13th Jan - Yoga & 30mins swim
14th Jan - 30mins elliptical
15th -18th Jan - migraine hell
19th Jan - 3.33miles
21st Jan - 3.36miles
MTD - 26.39/50miles
Upcoming races:
31st Jan - Hyde Park 10km
27th Feb - Richmond Park 10km
19th Mar - Spring Riverside 10km
3rd Apr - Paddock Wood Half Marathon
8th May - Run Hackney Half Marathon0 -
@moremonica Don't be embarrassed, we are all at different levels here. And every single one of us started off at your level at some time!
@KatEmmaMarie I would see your GP first, and they usually refer you. They might do a few initial tests too that could save you a wasted journey.
@shanaber those shoes look amazing! I'm jealous of anyone who has awesome looking running shoes, mine look awful (especially because they were pale grey and are now filthy - who makes LIGHT grey running shoes?!) but they were the best in terms of fit and support so I didn't really have a choice. They have worked wonders at reducing my pronation-related injury though so I shouldn't hate on them too much.0 -
A slow, easy 5.1 miles over lunch. I was scheduled for 4, but wanted to stretch it, so I told myself I'd turn around at the 2.25 mile mark. But then I remembered that the trail was closed for construction a bit farther down and wanted to see exactly how far I was allowed to go. Thus, 5.1 miles today @ a 10:26 per mile pace. Felt like I was going much slower, though, so that's good.
My GPS is still screwing up my route for the first mile or so. It's getting very annoying, but not affecting my overall distance/pace (I know this because I do a lot of out-and-backs and the distance always matches up to within <0.1 mile). Hopefully it will be fixed soon...
84.9 of 145.1 miles completed for the month.
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I do run with a personal alarm that makes a terrible noise when you pull the pin. I don't feel like I have it in a very convenient place... it would take me a little bit to get it out. just ordered a new belt and hoping that I can find an easier place to stick it so I could get it out quicker. It should be here today! So I can wear it Sat morning! Oh the little things, lol. I'm like a pack mule on my runs in the dark - 3 lights, alarm, headphones, fitbit, phone, HRM. In the summer when training for HM I had water belt as well.louubelle16 wrote: »
It's interesting to read what some of you do/do not carry on your runs. Since there was an attack in my local area 6 months ago, my uncle, who is in the police, has insisted I carry a rape alarm when running alone. Does anyone else do this or am I just a bit paranoid?
@karllundy - sorry you are still sick. Those things take so long to recover from. I missed 5 days in a row with mine earlier this month.
@MobyCarp & @Becky_44 - My fitbit numbers are so crazy. On the days I do long runs I get up to 20K or more. Then... on rest days (or strength training days) it's < 5K. I have been thinking about just walking on the days I don't run but I'm leaning toward @MobyCarp 's logic of the body should just rest. When I do my long bike rides it adds steps for that... makes no sense... but if I ride my Saturday 34 miles, it usually gives me about 10K steps.
Jan 1 -41 mile bike ride
Jan 2 - 34 mile bike ride
Jan 3 - rest day
Jan 4 - rest day
Jan 5 - 5.25 miles
Jan 6 - 3.3 miles
Jan 7-11 - Sick
5 sick days.
Jan 12 - 4.1 miles — finally!!! Felt so great.
Jan 13 - strength training + 1 mile on treadmill
Jan 14 - 5.2 miles
Jan 15 - 5.1 miles; trainer cancelled
Jan 16 - 4.2 miles
Jan 17 - 6.02 miles
Jan 18 - Rest Day
Jan 19 - 7.4
Jan 20 - strength training
Jan 21 - 5.02 miles
jan 22 - strength training
2/7 HM Daytona Beach
not sure I'm ready 0 -
WhatMeRunning wrote: »Just remember, the main purpose of a treadmill is to make it seem like you ran.
So it only seemed like you went 8 miles. It's not fair to expect it to actually be "running 8 miles".
That's my theory anyways.
I think the treadmill tells you 4 miles when it you actually ran 104, at least that is the way it feels.0 -
5BeautifulDays wrote: »ceciliaslater wrote: »
Have you tried an anti-chafe balm? I use Body Glide, and it works really well, both for prevention and for protecting and comforting existing chafed areas.runner_girl83 wrote: »
And Vaseline/ Petroleum Jelly (not sure what you call it over there!) Its all I use and its cheap
On my list! I've been using vaseline (ouch! it stings!) but need to get something preventative, so I'm going to try the body glide.
A good cheap alternative for anti-chaffing is underarm deoderant. Just go to the dollar store and rub on the cheap stuff (after you buy it - offcourse lol).
It would be even cheaper if you took it off the shelf used it and put it back --- just sayin'
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LOL that is me and Skip "come on let's run" "Mom I'm tired" "no you're not" "I have homework" "do it later" "MOM" "here's your shoes, let's go".0 -
The 5-miler I did on Wednesday felt awful and I was pretty upset about it but I ran 4 today at pretty much the same pace and everything went great. It's been awhile since I have had an enjoyable run. I'm sure it's because I took four weeks off for a flare and sickness so hopefully that won't happen again. I think I need to sign up for some races.
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skippygirlsmom wrote: »
LOL that is me and Skip "come on let's run" "Mom I'm tired" "no you're not" "I have homework" "do it later" "MOM" "here's your shoes, let's go".
lol @skippygirlsmom0 -
The 5-miler I did on Wednesday felt awful and I was pretty upset about it but I ran 4 today at pretty much the same pace and everything went great. It's been awhile since I have had an enjoyable run. I'm sure it's because I took four weeks off for a flare and sickness so hopefully that won't happen again. I think I need to sign up for some races.
Don't beat yourself up over a bad run. We all have them! I have days when running 3 miles feels like the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and I can't break 11:00/mile for the life of me. Then I have days like yesterday when I just chug out 8 miles like it's nothing and maintain a pace under 9:30/mile the whole time.
Our bodies are such mysterious machines. Even days when I KNOW in advance that I'm going to have an exceptionally good or bad run, it's not necessarily the case once I get out there...0 -
Winter means
- Colder Weather
- Less Sunlight
- Fewer RUNS
January
In it for 50
- 05 - 4.9mi Rain Run
- 09 - 9.1
- 11 - 7.3
- 13 - 5.1 Rain Run
- 16 - 6.1 Rain run
- 18 - 3.0 Family Fun Run
- 21 - 6.4
- 22 - 2.1
Year Totals - 2016 (Goal:600miles)
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