April 2016 Running Challenge

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  • WhatMeRunning
    WhatMeRunning Posts: 3,538 Member
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    All this talk about courses and elevation got me thinking...

    @Elise4270 and @WhatMeRunning - I just uploaded my GPS data from last year's Jenks Half to my Strava account, if you're interested in a course preview:

    Jenks Half
    Nice! It's not a total pancake but I don't think I've been in a half yet that was that flat at the front and end! This is exciting!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    @MNLittleFinn - Actually that course looks like it could be pretty good. It is uphill to start, so start out careful and easy, and then you have all that downhill to the finish! It's those late miles you start to feel tired, so having a downhill through all that should be nice. Here is the HM course I did two weeks ago that is uphill up front and downhill at the end. I was able to break away around mile 10 and run in to the finish at a great pace to set a new PR!

    yyimskgnf8fu.png

    Yup! That is what I love with a climb at the beginning. What @WhatMeRunning is saying about take it easy up the hill will pay off. You will be hauling butt once you make it over the hill. Just make sure you don't go too fast and overpace yourself.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
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    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    You got this one. With a little hill training, you will do alright.
    @MNLittleFinn - Actually that course looks like it could be pretty good. It is uphill to start, so start out careful and easy, and then you have all that downhill to the finish! It's those late miles you start to feel tired, so having a downhill through all that should be nice. Here is the HM course I did two weeks ago that is uphill up front and downhill at the end. I was able to break away around mile 10 and run in to the finish at a great pace to set a new PR!

    Thanks guys. I tutor tonight, so I'll be coming up with reasons why I need to have another Half scheduled....so that tonight I can convince my better half to let me run it.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
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    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    Yup! That is what I love with a climb at the beginning. What @WhatMeRunning is saying about take it easy up the hill will pay off. You will be hauling butt once you make it over the hill. Just make sure you don't go too fast and overpace yourself.
    Speaking of pace @Stoshew71 The registration page asks for anticipated finish time. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of time is reasonable to put down? purely hypothetical, since my wife hasn't said yes....yet.... B)
  • 5BeautifulDays
    5BeautifulDays Posts: 683 Member
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    4leighbee wrote: »
    Thought this would bring a smile to some (all?) of you today: a friend I hadn't seen in a while who isn't crazy about working out told me that she'd run two miles the other day. Turns out she calls what she does on the elliptical "running." ;)

    That's so cute! It only takes like 15 minutes to "run" two miles on an eliptical, too, so she was really booking it! :)

    I actually started "running" using the elliptical--I was too fat to do anything else. But as soon as I started actual running, there was no way you could get me back on that beast! Some people hate treadmills, but I really hate ellipticals!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    Yup! That is what I love with a climb at the beginning. What @WhatMeRunning is saying about take it easy up the hill will pay off. You will be hauling butt once you make it over the hill. Just make sure you don't go too fast and overpace yourself.
    Speaking of pace @Stoshew71 The registration page asks for anticipated finish time. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of time is reasonable to put down? purely hypothetical, since my wife hasn't said yes....yet.... B)

    What's your 10K PR?

  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
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    1:04:30 is my current 10K PR. Haven't run in a 10k race, so it's Garmin time.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    4leighbee wrote: »
    Thought this would bring a smile to some (all?) of you today: a friend I hadn't seen in a while who isn't crazy about working out told me that she'd run two miles the other day. Turns out she calls what she does on the elliptical "running." ;)

    That's so cute! It only takes like 15 minutes to "run" two miles on an eliptical, too, so she was really booking it! :)

    I actually started "running" using the elliptical--I was too fat to do anything else. But as soon as I started actual running, there was no way you could get me back on that beast! Some people hate treadmills, but I really hate ellipticals!

    Would you use an ElliptiGO?
  • 5BeautifulDays
    5BeautifulDays Posts: 683 Member
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    I'm trying to decide if 11 weeks is enough time to train up for a half....Those of you who follow me on Strava and know my running, feel free to give me your thoughts.
    https://www.tcmevents.org/events/red_white__boom_tc_half_marathon_relay__5k_-_july_4_2016/

    it's 10 days before my 5 mile (which I was never going to really race, just run for fun), and I would be going for a finish and just to have fun.

    I went back and looked at where I was about 12 weeks out from my half, and I was running 7-8 miles...so pretty close to where you are now. I'm still a low-mileage runner (at my most extreme, I was only running 30 or so miles per week) and I never even got to 13 miles in a long run (I did 12) before my half.

    I didn't push at all for the half (I probably held back too much), but it was a fun experience and really no trouble at all physically. I think you have enough time to get ready--especially if you are just running to finish.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    edited April 2016
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    4leighbee wrote: »
    Thought this would bring a smile to some (all?) of you today: a friend I hadn't seen in a while who isn't crazy about working out told me that she'd run two miles the other day. Turns out she calls what she does on the elliptical "running." ;)

    That's so cute! It only takes like 15 minutes to "run" two miles on an eliptical, too, so she was really booking it! :)

    I actually started "running" using the elliptical--I was too fat to do anything else. But as soon as I started actual running, there was no way you could get me back on that beast! Some people hate treadmills, but I really hate ellipticals!

    I tried to use an elliptical once. After one 11 minute mile because I couldn't figure out the rhythm of the pedals or whatever, I totally gave up. Haven't used one since! It's so unnatural feeling, if you ask me!
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
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    1:04:30 is my current 10K PR. Haven't run in a 10k race, so it's Garmin time.

    According to the MRC you should be able to run a half in 2:23:48. Maybe put down 2:25 to be on the safe side.
    But sign up for a 10K man.

  • 5BeautifulDays
    5BeautifulDays Posts: 683 Member
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    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    4leighbee wrote: »
    Thought this would bring a smile to some (all?) of you today: a friend I hadn't seen in a while who isn't crazy about working out told me that she'd run two miles the other day. Turns out she calls what she does on the elliptical "running." ;)

    That's so cute! It only takes like 15 minutes to "run" two miles on an eliptical, too, so she was really booking it! :)

    I actually started "running" using the elliptical--I was too fat to do anything else. But as soon as I started actual running, there was no way you could get me back on that beast! Some people hate treadmills, but I really hate ellipticals!

    Would you use an ElliptiGO?

    Those do look sort of fun! I don't know if I'd like them or not, though. My biggest complaint about the eliptical is that my toes fall asleep!
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    1:04:30 is my current 10K PR. Haven't run in a 10k race, so it's Garmin time.

    According to the MRC you should be able to run a half in 2:23:48. Maybe put down 2:25 to be on the safe side.
    But sign up for a 10K man.

    Looking for 10Ks already. Problem is driving distance. I'm in the middle of nowhere and it's like a 3 hour drive to most races. For reference, I'm an hour north from Duluth, where the Grandma's Marathon is.

    I was actually thinking about going conservative and saying 2:30, but I'm pretty sure I can go faster than that....only pretty sure though.
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
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    @MobyCarp Thanks for sharing your Boston report! It was great to read about it, again congratulations! And the unicorn medal is awesome, I love it :-)

    @MNLittleFinn As the others already wrote: you can totally be ready for them HM in 11 weeks! A lot of beginner HM training plans peak at 18km or even 16km (~10 mi) long runs. I saw on Strava that last week you ran 32km/week, with a long run 13km. If you count back 11 weeks from your planned HM, you could probably do something like: week 10 - taper; week 9, 8, 7: increase mileage; week 6: cutback week; week 5, 4, 3: increase milage; week 2: cutback week; week 1: increase milage ===> 7 weeks in which you can increase your milage. That should be enough time to get you to an 18km long run in 9 weeks from now, and if you can do that, you can also run 21km in 11.

    @shanaber Wow, sounds like you were really active! And you did strenght training on top of all that, nice! Enjoy Disney, with your daughter and the new Star Wars ride it's probably as much fun as any spring race :-)
    All this talk of marathons is making me desperate to do one next year!

    Registered :smiley:
    Cool, which one?
    ... now I want to run a marathon too! I already did a bit of browsing, there's one on October 30 that's only an hour or so away from here. But I am NOT going to register for a marathon before I ran my HM in three weeks. The price doesn't change until beginning of October, so I don't have an excuse to sign up on the spot. It's already bad enough I have zero self-control when it comes to buying running shoes ;-)
  • 5BeautifulDays
    5BeautifulDays Posts: 683 Member
    edited April 2016
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    4/1...5.0 @ 12:00 on the TM (4.0 @ 11:15 and 1.0 walking)
    4/2....3.1 @ 11:45 through the neighborhood. My ankle hurt the first mile or so, especially on the uphill bits--downhill isn't too bad
    4/3...Rest day
    4/4...4.6 @ 11:32 on the rail trail and neighborhood streets
    4/5...2.8 @ 11:50 on the TM--that's 2.3 (just to make it even!) @ 11:15 and .5 at a walk, plus strength training
    4/6...Rest day, but I got to go help out at my son's RunFit club. Next time I'm wearing my own running shoes so I can chase him with a sharp stick so he doesn't walk so much! (That was a joke...don't call CPS or Jeff Galloway...)
    4/7...7.0 @ 11:25 on the TM (This was really 6.25 at 11:05 and .75 walking to cool down)
    4/8...2.0 @ 12:06 (just had a short time to run while the kids were at gym)
    4/9...Unintended rest day. I got dressed to run...that counts for something, right? LOL
    4/10...4.6 @ 13:39 with the slow poke pup. We ran about 3 miles in the 12:00 neighborhood and walked the rest. Well, I walked. He sniffed and did...doggy stuff.
    4/11...3.0 @ 12:00 ish on the basement beheamoth. The kiddos were home sick from school so I was grounded, too.
    4/12...2.25 @ 12:00 on the treadmill and strength training
    4/13...6.2 @ 12:34 on the rail trail and neighborhood streets
    4/14...Rest Day
    4/15...4.75 @ 11:56 on the park trail. I decided to try running with earbuds so I couldn't hear my phone telling me how fast I was going. I settled in to a nice easy pace, but I didn't hold back either. This is the pace I love to run, and it was remarkably consistent, with splits of 11:55, 11:46, 12:03, 11:51 and 12:00.
    4/16-17 I've been a slug with a terrible head cold, so no running.
    4/18...5.0 @ 12:23 My first run in the heat...I was wilting by mile 4. The funny thing is that I looked at last year's run for today and lo and behold, I told myself then that I should remember water and sunscreen. Some people never learn!
    4/19...3.5 @ 13:16 Ugh. I started out with the dog and then had to bring him back home because he just wouldn't get with the program. And then I was just sluggish with breathing troubles (oh, Spring, you are lovely but sneezy!!) It's probably good for me to just do a nice, easy run, but I was still a little disappointed.

    Upcoming races:
    4/23 Community 10K Burke, VA
    5/21 RunFitKidz 5K Springfield, VA
    6/12 Celebrate Fairfax 5K Fairfax, VA


    exercise.png

  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
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    Stoshew71 wrote: »
    1:04:30 is my current 10K PR. Haven't run in a 10k race, so it's Garmin time.

    According to the MRC you should be able to run a half in 2:23:48. Maybe put down 2:25 to be on the safe side.
    But sign up for a 10K man.

    I second 2:25
    You got it dude!
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    1.4 - rest
    2.4 - hike out to Frankenstein (missed cycling)
    3.4 - 13.4 km - 5 super slow, 7 hills and stuff (new shoes!)
    4.4 - Should have been gym, was rest.
    5.4 - 8.4 km - hard time focusing on the run. Pace fine, despite a lot of stop and go.
    6.4 - 5.7 km - 'fast' and ugly - PR'ed 5K
    7.4 - missed run
    8.4 - travel day to Paris too tired for catching up on running after the drive.
    9.4 - 8.3 km in Versailles (pictures on Strava.) slow but up one point on VO2Max.
    10.4 - planned 15 - leg was iffy, pushed to next day
    11.4 - 15 km - should have been long slow run, actually PR'ed 10K (whoops, felt like a LSR)
    12.4 - rest - travel to Switzerland
    13.4 - Short hike. No run.
    14.4 - 5.2 km run with my youngest daughter, her first "dad run". I also tapped my toe hard during stretching and broke the IP joint capsule. It's 20 shades of ugly. Also 800m swim.
    15.5 - Off day, toe looks terrible, but doesn't feel broken. Travel back to France, then Germany.
    16.5 - Travel day (Germany to Belgium), nothing.
    17.5 - 9.5 km: Hail and rain and sun. Drove to France, then drove back to Germany.
    18.5 - 1.5 km (warm up), Gym day.
    19.5 - short cycling & 8.5 km run.

    total 75 km April goal 140 km

    Running thoughts - Today's shorts sucked. Those are being relegated to the gym bag. The armband HRM is definitely a win in terms of fit/comfort. I did see a little dropout tonight. I forgot to test it today but if it matches my chest strap HR monitor tomorrow I'm going to be happy. Also for tomorrow, I'm going to register of the 10K Brussels Urban Trail - my cousine agreed to run it with me (maybe even my daughter will do it with her). I also need to look at some travel plans and book a HM or two - the one I had on my calendar has a conflict.

  • CChen8520
    CChen8520 Posts: 64 Member
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    exercise.png

    Going to add two runs per week since i skipped 2 last week.
  • MNLittleFinn
    MNLittleFinn Posts: 4,271 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Found a 10K! https://www.healthybaldwin.org/services/wellness/2016-booster-shot-run/

    Close enough to family that I can drove down and stay. Just don't know if it's chip timed....but it is run by a race company, so that helps.
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
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    Found a 10K! https://www.healthybaldwin.org/services/wellness/2016-booster-shot-run/

    Close enough to family that I can drove down and stay. Just don't know if it's chip timed....but it is run by a race company, so that helps.

    Looks good to me! It says the kid's run isn't timed.