September (2016) Running Challenge

little off schedule but the bike is in the shop so did a speed work out this am. Killed me but was worth every second now! lol
Run 1.3 mile. Main set: 6 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 1 mile easy, 8 x 600m at 5K race pace with 400m jog recoveries, 1 mile easy 8.75 miles total @ 79:09

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
Sept 7- rest day (because I needed it!)
Sept 8- 6 miles hills
Sept 9- 4.4 miles dreadmill speed work AM+ 3.0 miles recovery PM
Sept 10-3.8 miles
Sept 11-11.1 miles
Sept 12-rest the hamstring
Sept 13- 7.0 miles
Sept 14- 4.1 miles
Set 15- rest- hamstring
Sept 16-rest-hamstring
Sept 17 5.0 miles
Sept 18- rest
Sept 19- 7.0 miles
Sept 20-4.0 miles
Sept 21-7.4 miles w/5@ tempo

Wow. I have been away for a while and this place has been nuts. With 200+ missed posts, I am going to have to admit that I will not be trying to catch up on them all. I am sure there was some excellent running in there though. Way to go, you guys!

My appearance here has been sparse for two reasons. My brother brought my mother to visit last Friday and stayed the weekend. My mom is staying until next Saturday when I will take her home. I love my mother dearly, but she is (how can I put this nicely?) super high maintenance. I am scurrying to fit my runs in this week when I definitely need it most.

The other reason is that I have been trying to nurse a sore hamstring, so I had three unplanned rest days last week. That about killed me, but I know it was the smart thing to do. The hammy is coming along, probably about 85% right now. I actually did a tempo run this morning and was pretty pleased with it. Pace was a bit slower than I wanted with my heart rate nearing the top of my target zone, but I was doing the run in my hilly neighborhood, so it's hard to compare to my typical tempo runs which I usually do on the flat bike path.

So I am curious, for those of you that typically do tempo runs, do you try to do them on flat terrain? If not, do you adjust your pace for the hills? I tried to avoid any hills that were too long or steep, but I did see my HR climbing into zone 4 on some of the hills. Of course, it was falling into zone 2 on the down hills, so it evens out, but I never feel like I can compensate for pace on the downhills if I slow myself down on the uphills. My running mechanics just don't allow for it.

On a side note, after several years of TMJ therapy, I finally got my braces put on my teeth on Monday. Kind of painful and difficult to eat right now. Finding the proper nutrition to fuel my runs has become my latest challenge. I have been drinking a lot of protein shakes and Gatorade.

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!
9/8 - 5.2 miles at Trek/treadmill class.
9/9 - Managed to turn off my alarm and oversleep by 2 hours = no run or spin class
9/10 - 9.4 mile group run. Another gorgeous morning for a run!
9/11 - Insanely busy church/family activity day.
9/12 - 4.7 miles. Getting spoiled by this weather.
9/13 - Life got in the way.
9/14 - 5.08 miles...seriously, this weather is fantastic for running!
9/15 - 4.06 miles. Legs felt like bags of wet sand.
9/16 - Spin Class. Missed it the last two weeks, so it felt difficult in a good way.
9/17 - 3.33 miles. Short run before race tomorrow.
9/18 - 10.15 miles. Capital Pursuit 10-Mile. Love this race! "Serious" runners for the most part, so it tends to be fast. Weather was beautiful, if a bit hot the last two miles. Time about what I expected based on my training level the last few months. Loved it!
9/19 - Rest day. Very sore.
9/20 - 5.05 miles. Beautiful morning.
9/21 - 4.02 humid, sticky miles. Someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that summer's over!

9/1: 4.1 miles / Treadmill Run in Afghanistan
9/4: 7 miles / Track run in Afghanistan
9/5: 5 miles / Track run in Afghanistan while listening to an outgoing rocket blast. (Outgoing=good / Incoming=Bad)
9/8: 5 miles / Track run in Afghanistan
9/9: 8 miles / Track run in Afghanistan
9/10: 4 miles / Track run in Afghanistan
9/11: No running: Left Afghanistan and it was weird to have the 9/11 date stamp by my Afghanistan visa on my passport.
9/12: 6.45 miles / Treadmill run in Dubai (Way too hot to do anything outside other than lie on the beach under an umbrella, which is what I did most of the day)
9/13: Arrived back home to Texas!! Slept, slept, and slept some more
9/14: 12 miles / Run in the park breathing clean air
9/15: 3.1 miles and Body Pump / Happy 15 year wedding anniversary to me and Hubby!
9/16: 5 miles
9/17: Rest Day
9/18: 13.1 miles / Half Marathon training to test 30 seconds slower than goal pace. Ran with an 8:40 average pace with plenty of room to spare. Started in the dark on a paved trail around a lake with a headlamp and bugs flying at my head and lots of wind and a few spider webs. Then the sun came out so I put my visor on (thanks to my trusty hydration belt for giving me a strap to tuck that into), then it rained, then it sunned, rained, and back to sunny. Very happy with my pace, hydration, and Sport Beans.
9/19: 4 miles / Hot and humid before work - No breeze, and no one had their sprinklers on.
9/20: Body Pump Class and 20 minutes of Elliptical
9/21: 3 miles / Super sore from Body Pump. Yoga is definitely on the agenda this evening.

75.75 miles for September

2016 Races:

Buffalo Boogie (5K) May 7 – 23:42
Marine Creek Trailhead Trot (5K) May 14 – 22:00
Joe’s Run (10K) June 4 – 48:04
Firecracker 5000 (5K) July 4 – 22:51
XTERRA Jurassic Trail Run (15K at Night) July 16 – 1:32:05
Clark Gardens I’m Only Half Crazy Half Marathon/5K (HM) Oct 1
BMW Dallas Marathon (HM) Dec 11

@karllundy I've only got 1 Spotted Cow left in the fridge, and it's all MINE! Bwah hah hah ha! However, I'm heading up to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving so I'll be going New Glarus Beer shopping while there. BTW, I see you are a fan of Body Pump as well. I've been going since February or March. I love it!!

Welcome @mmteixeira !!

Got in a warm ride & run with my tri team this morning, concluding with 6 faster miles on the unshaded upper tampa bay trail. With the weather in the upper 80s, I went by heart rate (staying in my M range), and averaged an 8 pace in the heat/humidity/sunshine. Still, with my 70.3 triathlon Sunday in similar conditions, I wanted to see how I adapted, was willing to push it, and luckily didn't want to die after 6 miles (which is good as I'm running 13 Sunday). Starting my taper tomorrow after a hard swim later this afternoon.

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)
9/7 - 6 miles
9/9 - 6 miles
9/11 - 3 miles
9/12 - 8.5 miles
9/13 - 10 miles
9/14 - 12 miles
9/15 - 6.5 miles
9/16 - 20 miles
9/17 - 6 miles (w. MP in middle)
9/19 - 6.5 miles
9/20 - 7 miles (w. 2@MP, and 3x1K@10K pace)
9/21 - 6 miles (all at MP/HM heart rate)

Total: 152 miles, 5 MP+ faster session
Goal: 190 miles, 8 MP+ faster sessions
Remaining: 38 miles, 3 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

RunRachelleRun wrote: »

@Ohhim that was interesting about your heart rate and drift. Unfortunately, I didn't quite understand and hope you will clarify. Did you mean you don't let you heart drift out of that range during the 90 mins or you stay in that range for the start and then let it drift over (for the half)?

I start at the bottom (162 full M, 168 HM, and 171 15K/threshold), and it gradually drifts up as I keep my pace constant throughout the race (due to both natural drift and temperatures rising in the AM when races are held). Still, I'm doing those races in roughly 3 hours, 1.5 hours, and 1 hour respectively, so I used to start at lower HR ranges when I was slower, and will let my heart jump during my final kick at the end.

I ran further than my plan said today because I needed it. Life is absolutely kicking my backside this week, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't run. I don't think I had managed to breathe properly or calm down for hours until I hit the fields on my run tonight. It suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

I will catch up on posts when everything crazy has happened tomorrow and I can spare more than a few seconds.

September Running Challenge

1st-4th - Poorlysick
5th - 3.53 miles
6th - 4.06 miles
8th - 10.02 miles
10th - 3.1 miles
11th - 6.07 miles
13th - 3.01 miles
17th - 3.11 miles
18th - 13.18 miles - HM PB!
20th - 3.02 miles
21st - 5.05 miles

MTD - 54.15/70 miles

Upcoming races:
2nd Oct - Tonbridge Half Marathon
30th Oct - River Thames Half Marathon
17th Dec - Lee Valley VeloPark Half Marathon
9th April 2017 - Brighton Marathon

Love all the miles! I haven't given up on returning. Well, actually I had but after today's appointment I'm feeling more optimistic. Swimming is still my only approved cardio activity.

I get to start PT one day a week. Figure my 2017 new year's goal will coincide with a return to running program.

Still on the crutches *sheesh* 14 weeks now, looking like another 7-10...

But, I'm having cupcakes today. Thanks @greenolivetree

The week in review:

Sunday, DNF at Rochester Marathon.

Monday, total rest day, calves really feeling the after-effects of late-race severe cramps.

Tuesday, mostly rest day, calves quieted down enough so that my pre-race twinge could be heard. It's bad enough to keep me from running, so I didn't even go to the club workout.

Wednesday, today - that twinge still prevents running even two steps. Had a regular appointment with my podiatrist, mentioned it to him. The hurt I pointed to is "right where the muscle connects to the tendon." He had a few suggestions, and offered to write a referral for PT. I took that.

On the PT prescription, it says "Dx: Left Achilles Tendonitis"

That has me a bit down. My coach had Achilles tendonitis when I met him, and said he went 14 weeks without running a step.

After lunch, I called and made a PT appointment for Friday morning. Then I noticed that I can walk more briskly this afternoon than I could yesterday. Maybe it will get better just with enough rest?

Okay, I've been here before. I know I'm going to swing between denial and hypochondria, thinking it will all get better on its own soon and thinking I'll never run again. I just need to ignore both ends of the emotional thinking and do what needs doing. Today, that's make the PT appointment. If it happens to get all better with two more days of rest, I can walk out of PT with a smile. If it doesn't get all better with rest, I won't be waiting a few more days for a later appointment.

Oh, yeah. I need to cut my daily calories, too. If I'm not running, I'll put on weight with what I had been eating. Let's put it at 2700 calories for now, 400 lower than what I had as a base while in marathon training. May need to cut it further, depending on what happens; but I need to get used to eating that much less, first.

Sigh. I think my racing goals are about to be revised.

Cheer up @MobyCarp . You got this. Promise. Rest and regroup.

I'm down 4 pounds since surgery. I'm sure it's all muscle though. I have one normal defined runners leg and one hot dog leg. I'll be good at running circles around everyone.


Thanks @MNLittleFinn !

mmteixeira wrote: »

Hey all!! I just found this challenge group so here is my first post with my progress for September. I started running in January this year straight off the couch. Over the last 9 months I have run at least 3 times a week and lost almost 100 lbs. I have three 5k's and three 10k races scheduled for this fall and I am already signed up for the Indy Mini Half Marathon in May 2017. I am also hoping to get into the Beach to Beacon 10k in Maine in 2017.

I still have plenty of work to do...

Here is my log so far for September:

9/2: 4.5 miles
9/4: 5.5 miles
9/5: 2.9 miles
9/7: 4.35 miles
9/9: 4.5 miles
9/11: 6.0 miles
9/12: 3.1 miles
9/15: 5.25 miles
9/17: Fleet Feet PB Class - Speed Work - 1 mile of fartleks approx
9/18: 4.0 miles
9/20: 3.5 miles

So just about 45 miles running so far in September. I also cross train riding my bicycle twice a week (Specialized Diverge) - 71 miles on the bike so far this month...

Do you live in Indy? I am also running in the Mini Half Marathon 2017. I run on the Monon Trail as much as possible and supplement my running with the treadmill.

@ereck44 I had 12 miles on thr shoes I wore for my first HM. No problems. Good shoes really shouldn't need to be broken in.

Thanks for the link and explanation @5512bf !

9/21 2.22 miles

Took it pretty easy as I'm still feeling tight/sore from Sunday's race. Doing lots of stretching, rolling, icing, soaking.

Total for September so far is 74 out of 90 miles - 81% of goal. Given that I should be doing at least 11 for my long run this weekend, I guess I should make that. Taper starts after the long run!

Correction - I think I'm only at 71.9 miles out of 90.