September (2016) Running Challenge

@Marjael - I am so glad you are ok after your tumbles during your run! I am amazed you were able to get up and run some more. I would have been freaked out and walking the rest of the way... which by the way is why I don't do trail running
@9voice9 - love that your SWIMBO has a birthday week! Awesome!! Also 12 seconds off your PR is frustrating but also a great race!
@Elise4270 - I hope the muscle relaxers and all of the resting is helping you heal! When do you see the doctor again?
@WhatMeRunning - we are all glad to have you back running and here in the challenge with us too!
@ccontr11 - Isn't the heat always real in Arizona? Personally I think it is pretty brutal there in the summer regardless of whether or not it is a 'dry heat'!
@ceciliaslater - I had shinsplints that started with a severe cramp in my calf. The way the Ortho doctor explained it to me was that the calf muscles were tight they pull on the tendons and ligaments that connect to the bone and that is what hurts in a shin splint. It can also cause stress fractures. I did a lot of calf stretches and rolling as well as applying ice directly into the area of my shin where it was hurting. I also didn't run for several weeks. On the good side - once it went away I have not had a recurrence.
@juliet3455 - I can no longer use KT tape without thinking of you and @PoppetsMaster! I hope he comes back again one of these days soon, I miss him too!
@ariceroni - That is great news that you are off the crutches and have been cleared again for cardio! Yay!!

@skippygirlsmom - my brothers were also useless when it came to dealing with my dad's care and doctors. I am not sure why they just don't deal with it well! Go get that !#$^*%*& resident doctor!

I got in some good running over the weekend. Fourteen on Sunday with a recovery run yesterday of another 6.
I didn't really want to go this morning but forced myself because it was so cool out. I am so glad I did because I had an awesome run that turned into a fast tempo run because I needed to get home for a meeting. I really needed to run to pre work out some stress that I knew was going to hit just by looking at my calendar. I also found out that I have to go to a client site in Florida next week but they have not provided any information yet on when or where...
Unfortunately we have an agility trial this weekend so I may miss part of that depending on when they want me to fly and then at the other end I have tickets to a concert on the 16th with a friend and I am supposed to fly to my daughter's on the 17th for the Blerch HM on Sunday. Since it will take me a day to fly to Florida and most of a day to fly home I guess I will make it a taper week since I won't be running much.

I am playing around with what I eat and when at the recommendation of my trainer. I have always run on an empty stomach because otherwise I would have 'issues'. But if I run late then I am not eating for the entire morning and sometimes until well after lunch depending on my schedule. I have discovered that I cannot eat yogurt before a run (no bueno!) but I do ok with oatmeal (no milk) or toast and peanut butter. I am also trying to eat more of my calories in the morning and less at night. I already don't eat after 8pm so that part wasn't difficult. Have any of you tried this? Did it make any difference in weight loss or in how you felt during the day? I am actually finding it pretty difficult - there isn't that much that I like to eat in the mornings.

Date.........Miles........Total
09/01.......5.23.........5.23 + Strength training and Rally
09/02.......4.67.........9.90 - SLOG Run
09/03.......0.00.........9.90 - Rest
09/04.....13.87.......23.77
09/05.......5.75.......29.52 - Recovery because it was too lovely out not to go.
09/06.......4.39.......33.91 + Strength training
09/07.......0.00.......33.91 - Rest



Upcoming Races - Let me know if you will be running too!
02/07/16 - Surf City Half Marathon
02/20/16 - Divas Half Marathon - Temecula
07/04/16 - SHEPower Virtual Half Marathon
07/31/16 - San Francisco 2nd Half Marathon
08/21/16 - Tiki Beach 10k, Huntington Beach
09/18/16 - Beat the Blerch Half Marathon, Seattle
11/19/16 - USA Invitational Half Marathon (Yay, I qualified again!)
12/18/16 - San Diego Holiday Half Marathon
02/05/17 - Surf City Half Marathon

Just because this post isn't long enough here are a couple of pictures from my runs this weekend. In the first picture the pelicans were moving along in the water scooping up fish - there must have been a lot because I had to take lots of pictures to get one with any of their heads up. Also note the egret just hanging out with the crowd.

This one is from my Monday run and the pelicans and a duck were just hanging out this time.

Took a planned rest day yesterday and got in a nice swim + bike commute while resting the legs. Ended up going out for 10.5 miles this afternoon and despite the heat (88 degrees per garmin), with overcast, and lower humidity, I felt pretty great during the run, even rattling off a comfortable 6:40 mile about 8 miles into the run to see what pace my half marathon target heart rate was netting me (for Saturday's HM).

Still, as a few friends are dropping out from a planned ride from Pittsburgh to DC at the end of the month during my bridge/taper weekend between my ironman 70.3 and the Chicago marathon, and with the Pirates playing horribly, I decided to just skip the last 4 home games of this homestand and bike to DC on Thursday/Friday/Saturday instead, which will let me catch up with DC friends and visit a few friends in Philly next week (and catch a few pirates/phillies games there instead). The timing is also a bit better for my training as it may have been a bit much distance for a taper/recovery week. Still, it means I won't be racing a HM this weekend, but I'm ok with the tradeoff as the forecast for Saturday AM wasn't too promising for a PR.

9/1 - 6 miles (treadmill)
9/2 - 10 miles
9/3 - 12 miles
9/4 - 16 miles
9/6 - 10.5 miles (w. HM pace running at end)

Total: 54.5 miles, 1 MP+ faster session
Goal: 190 miles, 8 MP+ faster sessions
Remaining: 135.5 miles, 7 MP+ faster sessions

2016 Race Schedule:
Disney Marathon - Jan 6 - 3:29:09
Gasparilla 15K - Feb 20 - 1:01:59
Ironman 70.3 Florida - Apr 10 - 5:07:51
Pittsburgh Marathon - May 1 - 3:08:25
Ironman 70.3 Augusta - Sep 25
Chicago Marathon - Oct 9
Ironman Florida - Nov 5
Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas 10K - Nov 13

@ariceroni Glad to hear you're healing up well! Also remind me what your PhD is; I suck and forgot. Good luck with your last courses! After this semester YOU'RE FREE! (Kinda.)

06/09 - 2miles - I was getting really restless and thought I try a mile walk and see how I went. And while I felt every step, I wasn't limping so tried a jog shuffle and was able to keep going for 2 miles. I did my 3 mile flat route. I'm not suffering for it today, so will try again this evening . It felt great to be out! It's awful reading about how a lot are suffering with injuries.

Orphia wrote: »

@WhatMeRunning I missed what put you on the sidelines.

I had a major trail fail in early June testing out a new pair of Hoka's. I thought I came out of it lucky because I did not sprain (or break) my ankles, but had to take some time off for what I thought may have been a dislocated cuboid. When that got better and I started running again it came back. Twice. That's when I found out it was a stress fracture so I had to stop running for the requisite 6 weeks after that. Instead of cross training I ate cookies and ice cream.

Good morning everyone. So have been away for a few days, mostly to makeup for the weekend where I couldn't run.

9/1 - 3.6
9/2 - 6.2
9/3 - 0
9/4 -0
9/5 - 2.6
9/6 - 4.3

Many of you might be familiar with Team RWB - they're a fixture around here (because we have a nearby Air Force Logistics Center/base?). I didn't realize until recently that they're open for civvies to join, but when I did some research I was impressed with how they not only represent, but how they raise funds for vets and active duty folks, so I joined up.

The local group does a Downtown Run on Tuesdays at 6:15, so since my trainees didn't make it today, I decided to try joining up for a few extra miles. I didn't realize that when they say "run", they really mean "run PLUS calisthenics and OMG THE STAIRS!". It came to only 2.91 miles over ~36 minutes (didn't stop the Garmin promptly), and Garmin doesn't seem to record the up and down stairs, just the difference between high and low, but there's all kinda hills and parking decks and church-front stairs in that workout. Them folks are BEASTS!

It was fun! If they let me (slow old man) come back, I'll do it again.

9/1 - 4 miles. Weather was beautiful! Had to cut it short because I hit snooze too many times.
9/2 - Unplanned rest day. Apparently yesterday's snoozing was due to impending illness. First virus of the new school year.
9/3 - 8.09 mile group run. Again, beautiful weather! Plus, virus seems gone.
9/4 - Normal rest day. Way overate at family picnic.
9/5 - 5.06 miles.
9/6 - Bodypump class, followed by Abs/Core class.
9/7 - 4.03 hot, humid, sticky miles...summer is not over yet!



@skippygirlsmom - Frustrating when you're Mom (or other loved one) isn't getting the care they deserve! Go kick some Dr. butt!
@kristinegift - Congratulations and great job! Also, way to get back for the alma mater 5k
@ceciliaslater - I've been eating crap food for months, but don't have the excuse of a move. Love the weight / strength work though. Trying to get back to that too.

Sept 1-5.9 miles + 0.6 miles with puppy
Sept 2-7.5 miles
Sept 3- 14 hilly miles
Sept 4-rest day-long hike
Sept 5-4.0 miles + 0.6 miles with Stella
Sept 6-8.0 miles w/ cruise intervals

I am taking a rest day today. I didn't run on Sunday and usually wouldn't take two days off that close together, but Sunday's hike left me a lot sorer than I thought it would (lots of elevation and lateral movement over rocks). In addition, the heat has returned in full force and my last two runs have been in 90F temps and have just wiped me out. Yesterday was cruise intervals and I even held back a bit because I was tired and also because this is a cut back week. I am going to embrace the purpose of the cut back week and listen to what my body tells me it needs for recovery. Today, that will be rest and yoga!

This Saturday the "city" where I technically live, Hamilton, Ohio, is having its inaugural marathon. It's a night race (7:30), which I have never done. They have a 6.5 mile lighted loop course, which they will use for the full marathon (4 laps), the half marathon (2 laps) and also the 10K. There is also a 5K that starts at 11:30 PM that they are calling the "Race to Midnight". I was not planning for any of these races, but since it is the first year and my local race, I feel like I should do something. I was debating between the half and the 10k. I think I have decided on the 10k. I have never actually done a 10K, so it's an automatic PR! I will race that and then I will probably do the 5K easy just because it sounds like fun. I think my hubby is going to do it too. I will probably run with him.