June (2016) Running Challenge

Today was everything yesterday wasn't, it was a lovely 70°F (21°C) but with 90% humidity. Struggled to breathe deeply walking to warm up let alone running. Did a slow 2 miles with more walk breaks than usual but at least I got out and moved. Tomorrow is a rest day then hopefully another 4 miles Saturday morning before J's baseball game and my quilt show. It will be a busy morning

Date Run Totals
6/1 - 2 mi - 2 mi
6/3 - 3 mi - 5 mi
6/4 - 3 mi - 8 mi
6/7 - 3 mi - 11 mi
6/11- 3 mi - 14 mi
6/12- 2 mi - 16 mi
6/14- 3 mi - 19 mi
6/18- 4 mi - 23 mi
6/22- 4 mi - 27 mi
6/23- 2 mi - 29 mi
Goal 40 miles

Races :
6/11 Run and Ride 5K Cedar Point - Done
7/10 Debbie Hudacko 5 mile ?
10/8 Outdoor Trail Series 5 mile #1
11/5 Outdoor Trail Series 5 mile #2
12/3 Outdoor Trail Series 5 mile #3
12/11 Santa Hustle Half Marathon Cedar Point[/quote]

MNLittleFinn wrote: »

Just received a text from my wife...I guess she picked up a hydration belt for me, I'm not sure I need one, but my wife feeding my running habit is always a welcome thing. The question for me now is, do I bring it on my LR on Sat to test it out for possible use in the HM I've got coming up?

Temps at race time will likely be 65-75 degrees, and having 2 small water bottles might be a nice supplement to the water stations every 2.5 miles...and If I want to be evil, I can put some iced coffee in one for an extra boost.....

Always try out gear before a race, although a HM isn't too ugly if you mess up. I've learned 2 very important lessons on my last few pre-race-try-out runs (re costume, and short-short-chafing). I always have iced coffee in one of my bottles for longer morning bike rides, but I'll make sure I've had a successful bathroom stop before loading up on it as it definitely gets things rapidly moving through my intestines. Elite friends swear by flat coke as a caffeinated alternative, and I always use 2-3 very caffeinated gels at marathons (and skip caffeine for 3 days pre-race to make sure it has its intended effect).

Run/walk Goal - June 30 miles (Kittary)

June 4th .........4.25 miles .........Total 4.25
June 5th .........4.5 miles ...........Total 8.25
June 11th........4.35 miles .........Total 12.60
June 12th........4.93 miles .........Total 17.53
June 14th........3.48 miles .........Total 21.01
June 15th........4.35 miles .........Total 25.36
June 21st........4.13 miles...........Total 29.49
June 23rd .......4.15 miles..........Total 33.64

June goal.....run

6/1 rest
6/2 3.59
6/3 dog nursing
6/4 worked unplanned, unexpected overtime. crap.
6/5 5.39
6/6 dog nursing....DH was longingly looking at his weedwhacker. I spelled him to go whack off.
6/7 5.31
6/8 3.60
6/9 3.12
6/10 gave DH a nursing break
6/11 8.32
6/12 3.71
6/13 3.38
6/14 4.41 snuck out of work and ran in the rain.....so I can dognurse/give DH a break when I get home. 3 weeks till he's allowed off leash.....
6/15 3.11
6/16 4.19
6/17 3.30
6/18 rest
6/19 4.23
6/20 snorkel 2.5 hours
6/21 5.00
6/22 4.17
6/23 3.19

Total 68.64

Upcoming races:
SHEPower Virtual Half: sometime in June or July......when dog needs less nursing
Las Vegas RocknRoll Half 11/13/16

Ticker is my goal for 2016 and accumulation to date:

juliet3455 wrote: »

Orphia wrote: »

Need advice!
5 June – 18 km – furthest distance yet! Saturday will be parkrun, 5km.

I'm wondering if I should try for my first 21.1 km (half marathon) on Sunday.

I feel like I'm ready, but not sure if I'm understandably nervous about it or being wise to think about delaying a week.

@Orphia You asked a Group of Running Addicts if you are ready for a HM.
The answer is obvious. Yes - Yes - Yes . Your 5km time is 2 minutes faster than mine and you have already knocked off 18 km so you know the distance. The last 3.1 km the crowd/fellow runners will carry you. If you are going to do the HM on Sunday I would skip the 5km Park run on Saturday and keep the Legs Fresh. Take a look at the Times from previous years for the event, scale your 18km time out to 21.1 and this will give you an idea where to start. Especially important if it is a smaller event with a mass pack start. You don't want to be to close to the front or right at the back of the pack. I usually start in the middle of the pack as this seems to work for me.

Hahaha, thanks heaps, @juliet3455 !

It's not actually an event. I just feel like the time is right to run a HM.

Could you explain a bit further what you mean by "scale your 18km time out to 21.1"?

I ran 18 km in 1:55:38 (6 min 24 sec per km).

Thanks again.

My goal is 80km!

2nd - 8km
4th - 5km (parkrun, 26:21) new PB by 1min 35seconds!

6th - 4km
8th - 8km
9th - 3km My first social run with a friend! We ran faster than I normally do.
11th - 5km Started enjoying it after 4km. Took my camelbak for my shopping bags and wallet and walked back via the shops, worked well.

13th - 8.5 km (7 slowish, 1 really hard, extra half k to cool off)
15th - 4km
17th - 3km (slow hard slog )

20th - 5km
21st - 8km
Skipped parkrun last week, if I get another 7km done over Thurs/Friday I'll try and talk a friend into running 5km with me on the weekend to make it up
23rd - 4km
24th - 3km. It snowed when I was walking home! So exciting! (only happens once every year or two here)


68.5/80km so far

June Running Totals (miles)
6/1 – rest day
6/2 – 6.11 easy
6/3 – rest day
6/4 – 7.21 easy with hills
6/5 – 7.42 easy
6/6 – rest day
6/7 – 8.56 easy
6/8 – rest day
6/9 – 8.01 easy
6/10 – rest day
6/11 – 10.09 with hills and humidity
6/12 – 6.21 easy with 1 stride
6/13 – rest day
6/14 – run squeezed out of schedule
6/15 – rest day 7.00 group run
6/16 – 4.02 in 3 pieces
6/17 – rest day
6/18 – 4.83 aborted pace run
6/19 – 8.27 hot and humid
6/20 – rest day
6/21 – 7.18 warmup, speed work, cool down
6/22 – rest day
6/23 – 9.46 easy

June total to date – 94.37

Nominal Challenge Goal – 100 miles
Real Goals: Recover from injury to the point where running feels normal again. Stretch goal, recover to the point where I can run at race pace.

Today's notes – 2 miles easy warmup, and looked at the workouts. No way was I doing 1000s at I pace like the 5K workout said. The Boilermaker workout called for 2 miles easy, 20 minutes at T pace, 2 miles easy. I felt healthy enough, but just the idea of 20 minutes at T seemed daunting. Talked to Coach, and he agreed that with my light base recently I probably did enough speed work for the week on Tuesday.

So I set out with a group doing the Boilermaker workout, and let them drop me when they got to the tempo part of the run. Planned to run 7 miles, but missed a turn to a trail on the way back and added almost another half mile figuring out how to get back to where I knew I was. After 7.4 miles, my legs felt heavier than I expected, and I noticed the recovering right leg feels much better running at my natural pace than running slower to stay with someone else. But there is progress. I think I can add back to 5 days next week, but I'll see how it goes.

2016 races:
January 1, 2016 Resolution Run 7.5 mile (Mendon, NY) finished in 53:58
January 9, 2016 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) finished in 1:30:59
March 12, 2016 Johnny's Runnin' of the Green 5 mile (Rochester, NY) finished in 32:32
March 26, 2016 Spring Forward Distance Run 15K (Mendon, NY) finished in 1:05:24
April 18, 2016 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA) finished in 3:23:01
April 24, 2016 Flower City Challenge Half Marathon (Rochester, NY) finished in 1:36:50, targeting MP
May 15, 2016 Highland Hospital Lilac Run 10K (Rochester, NY) DNS - injury
June 19, 2016 Medved 5K to Cure ALS (Rochester, NY) DNS - recovering from face plant
July 16, 2016 Shoreline Half Marathon (Hamlin, NY)
September 18, 2016 Rochester Marathon (Rochester, NY)
November 24, 2016 Race with Grace 10K (Hilton, NY)

6/1: 5 miles
6/2: 6.4 miles
6/3: Rest
6/4: Lazy
6/5: 9 miles
6/6: 5 miles
6/7: 4 miles
6/8: 6.5 miles << Wednesday group run
6/9: 6.4 miles << Thursday PUB RUN!
6/10: Rest day finally
6/11: 13.1 << Halfway Half (unofficial)
6/12: 10 miles
6/13: 6 miles with Joe2Go crew
6/14: 6.2 miles << Group runner send off!
6/15: 5 miles
6/16: 7 miles
.......: 6.4 miles << Thursday group run!
6/17: Long awaited rest day
6/18: 10.2 miles
6/19: 16 miles
6/20: 6 miles
6/21: Rest day
6/22: 8 miles
6/23: 7 miles << Buddy-up'd tempo run
........: 6.3 miles << Thursday crew run!
6/24: Rest day!

Smaller than usual group run last night, and I can't blame the people who didn't show... it was humid as all get out! It was threatening rain all day yesterday, but it never really did rain, so the air felt like breathing water by the evening. Yuck!

I've got a weird spasming muscle on my left shin (on the outside sort of, nearish my ankle, it's weird) though which is putting a damper on things this week. I think I strained it (?), and it just feels weird and weak when I start off running (no issues walking though) and I feel like my leg might give out. And if I can just keep running and not stop at traffic lights, etc. then it goes away after 20-30 minutes usually (sometimes as long as 40 mins though), but after each stop it flares back up again for a quarter mile or so. It's very odd! I think it has something to do with the fact that my legs are crazy tight and need to be foam rolled, and also that I jumped back to regular training mileage relatively quickly after 5 weeks "off" after my marathon. Has anyone else experienced this weird shin/ankle/muscle sensation and/or have any advice to offer? Right now I'm just trying to remember to TLC it and running through it because it's "weird" and not "ouch".



Upcoming Races:
7/4: A 4th of July race somewhere!
9/11: Lehigh Valley Via Marathon (Allentown, PA)
11/20: Philadelphia Marathon (Philly, PA)

Got a question for our elites (@Stoshew71, @MobyCarp, @Ohhim, etc. - don't be mad if I didn't list you in that group: it's a lot of folks with lots of experience/knowledge):

How do you combine long runs with races (especially 5Ks)? We're getting ready to head into race season, and around here, most of the races I do are 5K (but this would also apply to 10Ks) on Saturday, and that's the day I usually do my long run (aiming at 9-10 miles, maybe more this fall as the weather cools a little).

If I'm gonna run a 5K/10K race, what does that mean for getting in mileage/time on a long run? I really can't move the long run to a different day because of my life schedule, and I'd like to maintain my 35-40 (or more?) miles/week.

Rest day today. Skip has 7 on her training plan for tomorrow so I figured I'd take a rest day today since I haven't all week and run tomorrow long with her.




@9voice9 I talk to people all the time that incorporate their long runs into 5K race days. Some will run to the race place, if possible or park a couple miles from the start and do an easy run in and an easy run out afterwards. Of course for a 7 am start that is another Oh Dark 30 morning. I talked to a girl the other day that run in morning, came to the 5K ran it and then right from the finish line continued back out into the office park and run another 5 miles. I would handle it that way.

@greenolivetree I'm glad the dog didn't get to you, honestly people watch your dogs!

@kristinegift I've never had that happen to me, I hope it's nothing and will work itself out

@lporter229 I had to laugh at you getting lost. I do that, heck I got lost here in the office park where I have worked for 9 years. I hate to even tell you that it's truly one big circle with like 3 streets cutting across. LOL

@mobycarp glad you are feeling some progress on that leg

Good luck @stoshew71 and everyone racing this weekend!!

6/4 -- 1.71miles -- jog/ walk with Pandora the puppy
6/5-- rest
6/6-- 1.5 miles -- jog/ walk on the treadmill (asthma flared up - suck)
6/7--rest--sick with a cold
6/8--1.71 miles--jog/ walk with Pan (mostly jogging -yay! a bit wheezy but managed to keep going through it)
6/9--weights & elliptical
6/10--2 miles--jog/ walk on treadmill
6/11--rest day/ dog walking (not counting miles)
6/13--2 miles--jog/ walk on treadmill
6/15--1.71 miles--jog/walk with Pan (mostly jogging; very hot & humid at 7pm)
6/16--1.5 miles--jog/ walk with Pan (mostly jogging; much cooler this evening; knees hurt a bit tho)
6/17--2.25 miles--RUN/ walk on treadmill
6/18--resting the knees
6/19--1.1 miles--did 1 crappy mile on the treadmill when I got a sudden sharp pain under my left knee cap. Tried to run a bit further on it, but pain did not go away. *kitten.*
6/20--swimming (because knees)
6/21--nada (because life)
6/22--zip (life interference again)
6/23--2.69 miles--walk/penguin shuffle jog around park--knees ok! also stationary bike & 50 minute dog walk (fast pace)

Goal: 20 miles
Total: 18.17 miles done, 1.83 miles to go

9voice9 wrote: »

Got a question for our elites (@Stoshew71, @MobyCarp, @Ohhim, etc. - don't be mad if I didn't list you in that group: it's a lot of folks with lots of experience/knowledge):

How do you combine long runs with races (especially 5Ks)? We're getting ready to head into race season, and around here, most of the races I do are 5K (but this would also apply to 10Ks) on Saturday, and that's the day I usually do my long run (aiming at 9-10 miles, maybe more this fall as the weather cools a little).

If I'm gonna run a 5K/10K race, what does that mean for getting in mileage/time on a long run? I really can't move the long run to a different day because of my life schedule, and I'd like to maintain my 35-40 (or more?) miles/week.

*cough*

I am not an elite runner. I'm fast for my age, but the elites (and even the leading Masters runners) blow past me like I'm standing still. The over-60 guys are pretty impressed with me, though.

I can't claim to have a single strategy to deal with a race on Saturday, when I normally have my long run. It depends on the nature of the race, where I am in a training program or whether I'm not training for anything specific, and what I want out of the race. With that disclaimer, here's a sampling of how I've coped in a few situations.

Last February, I didn't sign up for any races. That broke a 14 month streak of running a race in every month. But there weren't any races within a reasonable distance that fit with Boston training, and Boston was more important to me. So I coped with the race not fitting with a long run by not running the race. In particular, there was an 8 mile race that I really like, but it fell on a Saturday when I had a 22 mile long run scheduled. I wasn't up to running 8 miles at race pace and still getting 22 total in, so I didn't register.

Sometimes the race itself fits into the plan. Spring Forward 15K is all rolling hills, but net downhill for the first 10K and you have to make the elevation back up in the last 5K. I worked that into the Boston plan with an intention to emulate a workout that called for first running a few miles downhill at MP -10 seconds, then uphill and MP +10 seconds. (It didn't work exactly as planned; I felt so good after running the first 10K slower than 15K race pace that I ended up not slowing down and treating the last 2.3 miles as a race.)

I don't run many 5Ks. When I do, I like to do my warmup as an easy run preview of the entire course. That guaranteed more than 6 miles that day. On one occasion, a 5K fell on a day when I wanted more like 20 miles. Did my preview, ran the race, and then ran a 10-ish mile loop. It came out to around 17 miles total, and that had to be good enough. I didn't have 20 in the legs after running a then-PR 5K as part of the first 7 miles.

On another occasion, I ran a 5K course as a preview, then ran the race, lived with about 7 miles on Saturday, and just shifted my long run to Sunday that weekend.

Bottom line: If you're looking at a long run of 10 to 13 miles, it's not that hard to work more mileage around a 5K or a 10K. If you're looking at a long run more in the 16 to 22 mile range, it's more problematic. It can be tough to run the short race at a true race pace and still be in good enough shape to get in peak long run miles.

Early morning run today: 2 miles

So far: 90/115 miles