August (2016) Running Challenge
Replies
-
Trying to see if I have my math right to keep my mileage close 40 40 miles this week, but under is OK.
Monday was 4 miles
"today" is/was 9 miles
Tomorrow I'm planning 4 (last week was 6, but last week I ran 7 on Tuesday)
Thursday will be about 8 or so (15 min warm up, 50 Steady State between 2:00 and 2:05 HM pace 15 min cool down)
Friday will be 4.
That leaves me 10-11 miles for Long Run on Saturday. Does that sound correct? Last 2 weeks, mileage was 40 and 38.3. Next week is a cutback week that I'm actually, kind of, looking forward to.2 -
Hi guys!
My name is Chandra and I am new to the running challenge. I am not aiming for distance, but rather consistency. I want to do three to four 5km runs a week for the month of August.
Logged in one 5km run today5 -
@lporter229
I'm an Adidas runner & switched from the Kayanos 18 months ago. The Adidas line for neutral is the Ultra Boost or the Energy Boost. For the lightweight racing flat it would be the Boston Boost or Adios Boost. A lot of women runners in my area wear them. The owner of the running store I use says she gets over 700 miles out of hers, but I'm only getting about 450-500 out of mine before I wear through the rubber into the foam. The research says the foam will not break down and should ride the same from mile 1 til you wear them out. I have no problem taking a new pair out of the box and running a long run in them they are so comfortable. They are incredibly cushioned however run about 1/2 - a full size smaller than the Asics. Fair warning, they are a little more narrow in the toe box but I was able to get use to that in a few weeks of running in them. The last pair of Asics Kayanos i got were about the same price as the Adidas, roughly 140-160 a pair.1 -
TattooedDolphinGirl78 wrote: »After 4 days of consuming less than healthy stuff, I found that my performance in my runs were less than stellar. I always knew intellectually that poor fuel choices would equal crappy performance but it's a completely different scenario when you actually do it IRL. lol
Let's just say I'm super happy to be back to my regular routine which includes my meal plan. This morning's run was brutal.I hope that my runs for the rest of the week will be much better.
Subject: Refueling and your diet as runners. Since a lot of you are talking about this, and I just answered 2 of the LDR's forum questions on a similar subject, I figure I throw in some of my personal observations.
BLUF: Running requires energy, run a lot and you use up a lot of your reserves. To replace those reserves, you need to eat them back.
A lot of you guys also are trying to lose weight at the same time. Losing weight means eating less calories than what you use in a day. So how do we as runners properly fuel ourselves and still maintain or lose to a healthy weight level?
WARNING: I am about to talk all sciency-like.
Body in catabolic mode = body is breaking down (usually breaking down reserves like fat and glycogen to use as energy but could also refer to the muscle and other tissue breaking down as you exercise).
Body in anabolic mode = body is repairing itself. (i.e glycogenesis which is turning sugar into carb reserves, gluconeogenesis which is turning non-carbs like fat and amino acids into sugar, and muscle sythesis which is muscle tissue repair and building).
In order to lose weight, you have to have your body be in a catabolic state for a great deal of time. This may be contrary to your goal of you recovering from a hard workout. That is because your body is only efficient in doing one of these things (catabolic or anabolic) one at a time.
If your goal is to improve your strength or endurance (strength training, tempo runs, increasing your mileage, speed work, ect) then you will want to create a lot of stress in the body which will put your body in a catabolic state for a short period of time and then followed by a lot of recovery with your diet supporting an anabolic state. To fuel your recovery properly, you will want to consume enough building blocks (protein for muscle growth, calcium and vit D for bone growth, certain helthy fats for harmone building) as well as plenty of calories to put your body into anabolic mode.
If your goal is to lose weight, then calories will have to decrease. But expect performance and recovery to be effected. That is because you will be in a state of catabolic (breaking down your fat and carb reserves to maintain energy levels). The less calories you consume, the longer you will be in a catabolic state and longer recovery will take.
But some catabolic actions are good for distance runners. Like breaking down fat and using it for fuel. But like anything, the body gets better at something the more it practices it. And the less you practice something, the less efficient your body gets at doing that function. So follow that principle, if you rely a lot on carbs (refueling carbs sufficiently), the less it relies on fat for fuel. The more you force your body to run when in a carb deficient state, the more efficient it becomes in using fat as fuel.
As your body gets used to becoming more of a fat burner than a carb burner, a lot of your runs will feel sluggush. That is because as a carb burner, your body has lost a lot of the ability of producing enough of the enzymes and harmones necessary to break down your stored fat and use it as a fuel source. It's more efficient at breaking down glycogen (carb) and using that to fuel your run.
Also, your body can use fat as fuel for your aerobic (less intense paced) runs. But once you workout at an anaerobic intensity (more faster/intense paced) you are forcing the body to burn your stored carbs. Burning fat for energy requires oxygen.
So if you are trying to lose weight, keep consumption of carbs lowered, but also keep your workouts at a lower intensity (more managable volume) and expect recovery to take longer. Expect to be very sluggush while your body gets used to this. But your body will transition within a couple of weeks. I know this first hand.
I regularly get up first thing in the morning and can run 9 miles at an easy pace without eating anything or drinking anything (except a cup of coffee). But when I first was running, I had to eat something before hand. I just got used to running without eating anything in the morning and my runs slowly felt a lot better.
If i know I have a hard workout coming up, like a hill run or tempo run, I make sure I am well fueled up the night before.
Protein is always high as well as the other building blocks your body requires. This is the case if you are losing weight or trying to build up your strength. This is what the body builders follow. During bulk cycles, bodybuilders eat a lot of calories and protein to gain muscle mass. During cut cycles, they eat less calories (to burn the fat) but keep protein high to maintain that muscle mass.
I figure I throw all of this out there. Sorry if this confuses anybody.6 -
KY Tape, is that for the really intense runs?3
-
Forgot to mention earlier for @shanaber that there's videos for how to apply the KT tape
Like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2xYUxXrjxk
Welcome @chandanders
@skippygirlsmom I also forgot the other day to say I'm so jealous of Skip's shoes! I've seen those new Brooks and they're just so pretty!
@5BeautifulDays Pole dancing :-o1 -
@greenolivetree - Thanks for posting that - my KT tape arrives tomorrow!0
-
-
sunkisd1105 wrote: »Ok! I am determined to become a runner and am hoping this will get me started. I have set a goal of 40 miles this month. I hope walking can be included because I know I can't run all of that yet.
@sunkisd1105 - You include whatever is useful to you. Some people will include walking, because a mile is a mile. Others will only include running, because that's what makes the most sense to them. We don't all have to do it the same way.
As far as "I can't run all of that yet" goes, everyone starts somewhere. You might see people refer to me as one of the serious or more active runners. I confess I put up some rather impressive miles in Februrary, March, and April as I trained toward the Boston Marathon. But I didn't start out to become a runner with the goal of running Boston.
I started out with the goal of being able to run the 3.5 mile JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge without having to slow to a walk. I found a canned 5K training program that called for me to start with intervals of walk 1 minute, run 3 minutes.
And I found the first time I went out, I couldn't run 3 minutes. I could run 1 minute, then I had to slow to a walk.
So . . . as the graphic upthread says, don't compare your Chapter 1 to someone else's Chapter 20. You are where you are, and you do what you need to do in order to get where you want to be.6 -
5BeautifulDays wrote: »I'm setting a stretch-goal of 90 miles...and hopefully I won't spend any more of them laying on my face in the middle of a dirt path thanks to trippy trees!
@5BeautifulDays Feeling your pain on Trippy Tree Roots then we have the Magic Ghost Rocks that seem to roll over as you step on them or Tall Grass beside a trail that some how turn into Lasso Trip Lines. But what is this Pole Dancing you mentioned?
At the end of July when doing my first Time Trial run on the Emperors Challenge Mountain Route through some Tall Grass in a Swampy Section I got tripped up by the grass being knotted together and went down. From my hiking/backpacking experience I now where Fingerless Cycling gloves with Leather Palms when on Rough Wilderness trails to prevent hand injuries from falls. Definitely saved me on more than this one occasion.viktoria2493 wrote: »How do you get that running tracker?
@5512bf An inspiration to others, giving back even though you have no kids involved in the school.
@MNLittleFinn Good catch on it being the one pair of socks that seem to be an issue. Retire them and buy a replacement or 2?
@ereck44 - Blisters UNDER your toenails? WTH - how does that happen.
@kristinegift Welcome to the Working Stiff's. Now just to tweak your running sched to fit your work sched.
@greenolivetree Great video clip for the KT Tape. I really like that they used differant colors to show the placement. If you flipped the Tape upside down and placed it across the back of my knee/top of my calf that is what I did for my high Calf Strain except I did not use half pieces.
Great Video clip emphasizing to clean the skin, anchor with a piece of tape that is not stretched and to cut round corners on cut pieces.
Ah KY Tape - it just keeps Giving and Giving, just like Poison Ivy. Fortunately I live far enough north we don't have Poison Ivy. Sorry for those who are fighting it.
Okay I think I have caught up to everyone's posts.3 -
@Somebody_Loved - I hope the KT Tape helps your knees. I had some knee issues last year, and it did wonders for me. In my case, it was primarily a shoe problem. I was wearing the same shoes for everything, and I needed more support for my really long runs (I had been running in Nike Free, but switched to Altra Torin for my long long runs). Once I made the shoe switch, the knee pain was no more.
Anyway, before I figured out that I needed to swap shoes out, I was using KT tape on both knees for all my long runs. I love it because it provided just enough support to make a difference, but was very flexible and stayed on--and comfortable--even with heavy sweating.
I also used it on my left ankle prior to surgery to help give it extra support during activity and throughout the day in general.0 -
8/2 - 3 Miles.
Goal - 3 of 75.1 -
@lporter229 I am a very cheap and frugal person. So my buying running shoes usually ends up being, what is available on the clearance table or what I can find in discount stores.
My very first pair of running shoes were the ASICS gel keyano 20's that I found in Burlington Coat Factory for only $49. This was before i knew anything about running. I saw running shoes cheap and I was like OK, I need a pair. Had I known what I was buying I would have gotten 3 pairs. LOL I didn't know that these things normally ran $180. My next pair was at the Nike Outlets in Pigeon Forge and I got a pair of Nike Air Pegases for $70, then a pair of NB 860 V3 which I absolutely loved for only $40 at Burling Coat Factory. Had I known I would love those NB's as much as I did, I would have gotten 3 pairs as well. lol Out of all the NB's I shop for today, nothing feels as great as those 860's. Bummer.
In my hunt for more deals, I have gotten lots of other shoes that were less than ideal. I even have a pair of the ASICS GT-2000. I actually like them. Not the best feel, but I like them. But over time, I have gotten used to all these different shoes. It took some time to get adjusted and my ankles and shins may have been a little sore. But now, I can pretty much run in any shoe and not feel way bad or get injured.
Normally the advise given is to go to a specialty store, get a gait analysis, and buy the type the works with your foot and pronation type. I kinda break that rule. LOL So my personal experience doesn't really provide some real good advise that I can pass onto others.
But I am a firm believer that if you are patient and don't have really bad feet or pronation issues, then you can make most shoes work for you. But take it with a grain of salt.0 -
August
2Aug - 7m
7/100miles
Intervals in the rain tonight. First time I have done this properly by myself and it was really tough but interesting. Was pleased with having done 7miles but now I see it as 7 of 100 it seems like I have given myself a tough month!
Huge number of posts, looks like everyone off to a great start.
@Stoshew71 @MNLittleFinn all that time travel is impressive, who needs a Delorean with running, weight loss and brilliant info like you guys?
@Elise4270 you are an inspiration, keep swimming, keep updating us with progress and we will all keep our fingers crossed that you will be back out with you shiny new improved running legs in no time. Hope you find some alone time meanwhile.
@kristinegift good luck in the new job, if the routine gets too much just remember it will pay for running shoes.
@TattooedDolphinGirl78 well done for getting back on it so quickly, it is really hard to get back into an eating and running routine after a splurge.2 -
2
-
-
ceciliaslater wrote: »@Somebody_Loved - I hope the KT Tape helps your knees. I had some knee issues last year, and it did wonders for me. In my case, it was primarily a shoe problem. I was wearing the same shoes for everything, and I needed more support for my really long runs (I had been running in Nike Free, but switched to Altra Torin for my long long runs). Once I made the shoe switch, the knee pain was no more.
Anyway, before I figured out that I needed to swap shoes out, I was using KT tape on both knees for all my long runs. I love it because it provided just enough support to make a difference, but was very flexible and stayed on--and comfortable--even with heavy sweating.
I also used it on my left ankle prior to surgery to help give it extra support during activity and throughout the day in general.
So glad to hear this! I have the shoe problem taken care of, but I need something to support my knees until my strength gets built up. I tried out patellar straps last night which were ok, but my PT suggested the tape instead. Can't wait to try it out!0 -
skippygirlsmom wrote: »
@5beautifuldays OMG you have had a rough time of it. Heal soon! Hey the pole dancing didn't happen if there are no pictures! just sayin' LOL
Then it most assuredly did *not* happen, lol!3
Categories
- 1.5M All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 386.2K Introduce Yourself
- 42.5K Getting Started
- 258.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 174.8K Food and Nutrition
- 47.1K Recipes
- 231.7K Fitness and Exercise
- 302 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.3K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.4K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 151.9K Motivation and Support
- 7.3K Challenges
- 1.2K Debate Club
- 96.1K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 1.9K MyFitnessPal Information
- 20 News and Announcements
- 491 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 1.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions