October (2016) Running Challenge

I just logged into Garmin Connect and had to laugh because it gave me a 1 mile PR this morning for my horrible run :-D I never ran JUST a mile since I've been using Garmin. So now I have a 1 mile PR of 11:29 which I must correct! LOL I could just decline the PR but I feel more inclined to accept it and then break it.

Oct 1 - Rest day
Oct 2 - 2 mile run, .75 walk, 15 min bodyweight exercises
Oct 3 - 2.75 mile walk
Oct 4 - 2 mile run, 1.5 mile walk
Oct 5 - Rest day
Oct 6 - 1.5 mile walk
Oct 7 - 4 mile run, 1.5 walk
Oct 8 - 3 mile run, 1.5 mile walk (trail)
Oct 9 - Rest day
Oct 10 - 1 mi run, .65 mi walk, 30 min indoor workout

Goal: 12/60 miles run

@lissadecker I slacked off on strength training and all activity because everything seemed to aggravate the pain behind/above my left knee. It's definitely hard to get started again. I used to think nothing of working out twice a day either, like run in the morning and strength evening, etc. Now I've gotten used to doing other things evenings. And sadly, my house sure is cleaner since I workout less :-/ Not sure I can keep it all up.

@runtimer You're 60% done with 25 miles already. Be careful and welcome back!

@AdrianChr92 that hill is my only concern. However, it's a year away, ant I would be only in it to finish it, so that's no big deal. It's one of the top 10 biggest Marathons in the US, and the folks who organize it did an amazing job in the last race of theirs I attended. one bonus is that I could potentially run some parts of the route before the race, since I have family in the ares.

RespectTheKitty wrote: »

THANK YOU, everybody, for your encouraging words. Imma keep doing what I'm doing and one day I'll wow 'em all with my copious race medals.

That's great! Remember, only one Half of ONE PERCENT of the population has ever run a marathon, so you, me, and a lot of other people have plenty of company. Oh, if you ever want to run a marathon that has a very generous time limit, the Ely Marathon in Ely, MN has a 18 Minute/mile cut off. Not that you'd need it. Keep at it, and you'll be in shape to run a full faster than any naysayer could ever think possible.

@RespectTheKitty I agree with what others have said - - that was a jerky thing for your Facebook "friend" to say. I'd be inclined to unfriend him as well.

cljoe7 wrote: »

And I'm having a hard time not getting depressed about my own lack of progress. Starting (again) & having to stop (again) so soon because of knee crap. Hoping the PT this time around does the trick so I actually can progress past a 5k...I know comparing yourself with others is always pointless, but reading about many of your experiences going from beginner to half-marathoner and more in just a few months or a year, it's hard not to feel like my body is just not cut out for running...I'm not giving up on the pt - I'll continue to work hard at it in hopes of getting back at running again...but crap.

@cljoe7 So sorry to hear your knee is bothering you so much!
I know what you mean about reading about the progress of others - it's sometimes hard not to feel a little left behind when you read about the amazing progress some new runners make. For what it's worth, not everyone progresses that fast - it sure took me a lot longer! I've been running (on and off) since ~2005 at a level of "2-3x 30min per week", until I resolved to finally lose those extra kilos and started running more consistently around sping 2014. The first time I managed to run a distance of 10km was in September 2014 (with walking breaks), my first 5k race in April 2015, my first run longer than 16km in July 2015, the first time I ran half marathon distance in training in February 2016, the first half marathon race in May 2016, ... I'm still dreadfully slow - I'm happy if I finish in the middle of the pack in a race, and when I look at other people's runs on Strava, I'm always impressed by how fast everyone is. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy running - I've come to love it, even if I'll never be fast.
I hope with the PT's help, you can get back into running and enjoying it too - and there is absolutely nothing which says you have to "keep up" with other people who are running more or "progessing" faster! Take care of that knee, take your time, and feel free to rant whenever you feel like it

@cljoe7 - hang in there! Even though it seems like so many here just run and run and run and never have an injury I think pretty much all the runners who have been in the challenges for a while, has had at least one and some of us have had many more. I had many, many when I started running a few years ago but from everyone's advice and suggestions here I haven't had any for over a year until recently. I could have given up when it seemed like I was getting injured and unable to run for weeks at a time, every other week but I just couldn't - I enjoy it way too much.

Congrats to everyone who raced this weekend! I also "Awesomed" all of your posts. I LOVE reading all of reports. This was my 1st time logging in over the weekend, and there was a lot to catch up on.

I've been taking it easy since my half...not doing any speed work, and got some running in with the family this weekend. I did a 14 mile slow and easy long run on Saturday. I went the 1st 6 miles with my husband running (his longest run to date) and my 8 year old riding his bike. It was a beautiful day. Did the last 8 by myself, which is also nice to get lost in my thoughts, sing to my music, focus on breathing...etc... Saw a man riding a giant unicycle, so that was fun!! Since it was chilly in the low 50s (well chilly for me who has really gotten acclimated to Texas weather), I tested out my arm warmers. They were great, but I did get some goofy tan lines with the sun being out and all. LOL

Today, I did a 3 mile trail run with my son and husband. It was another gorgeous day...sunny and low 70s.

@MobyCarp Glad to hear that you might be turning the corner, but glad your resisting the urge to run and taking it easy.

Back to work tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great week!!

Belated check-in: Felt just a tiny bit better today than yesterday. Jogged the hallway while the eggs cooked. Did all the PT exercises. Did my usual push-ups and pull-ups. Did some squats. Did some kettlbell TGU/Windmill combos, and added back in a set of 40 lb. KB snatches. I may not be running, but I'm getting the supporting exercises in.

Felt pretty good walking. A mile was enough to make the left upper ankle ache, but the ache faded with more walking and completing a 5K walk wasn't a big deal. On a shorter walk, I was able to run a few paces; but it's still clear that I shouldn't be running far enough to be worth measuring.

This is the part of recovery that gets mentally challenging. I feel good, and I want to run; but I'm no good enough to run as much as I think I ought to be able to. Took a leap of faith and registered for a half marathon on January 7. It's capped at 1100, and there were 900+ in 2016; I didn't want to find it sold out before I got healthy. Surely I'll be healthy enough by January to run a half!

Another PT appointment tomorrow. Will see what the day brings. A 15K race next Saturday is off the table, but I haven't given up on the 5K a week from Saturday yet.