November 2016 Running Challenge

Got in a reasonable run yesterday, then went to my team's interval running group session tonight before running an extra 5 miles afterwards. Legs were feeling OK, as all intervals were between a 5:30-6 pace although I was a bit flat on my run afterwards. Debating if I want to run a little 5K over the weekend, as I think I can easily crack the 19 mark, but I'll play it by ear as I haven't enjoyed racing for less than 3 hours at a time as of late.

11/1 - 5 miles
11/3 - 1 mile
11/4 - 2 miles
11/5 - 27 miles (26.2 plus two very long runs through transition)
11/9 - 3 miles
11/13 - 22 miles (10K race + 2 miles of re-positioning + 14 miles of marathon pacing)
11/17 - 5 miles
11/18 - 6 miles
11/21 - 12 miles
11/22 - 7 miles
11/24 - 8.5 miles
11/26 - 5.5 miles
11/27 - 7 miles
11/28 - 10.5 miles

Total: 121.5 miles
Goal: 140 miles
Remaining: 18.5 miles

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 - 4:43:56
Chicago Marathon - Oct 9 - 3:04:57
Ironman Florida - Nov 5 - 10:21:27 (3:38:20 marathon time)

@lporter229 - Love the picture! It is so great that you could run with your niece and is something that she will always remember. I don't know about your Stella but I ran an early PR in a 5K with Hobbes - he was definitely focused and ensuring that I ran as fast as possible to stay up with all the other dogs (and people). The only time he slowed was to sniff the horses as we ran past - he loves horses
@Elise4270 - the violin huh? Maybe you can teach yourself to play it and run at the same time? It would help keep you from going too fast certainly!

Hit my goal today with a nice afternoon run after work. Slipped in the mud at agility class tonight though and felt a pop in my upper, upper hamstring/lower, lower glute... managed to finish class but driving home was painful. It doesn't bother me at all when I walk or stand but sitting is really, really tough. I tried some foam rolling and couldn't do it - hurt too much. I did ice and will try the foam roller tomorrow. Depending on how it feels I may take tomorrow as another rest day. It is slated to be a very busy day at work anyway. I am worried about my HM that is a little more than 2 weeks away - hope this is better by then.

Date........Miles.....Total
11/01......0.00......0.00 - + Strength Training
11/02......4.66......4.66
11/03......0.00......4.66 - + Strength Training and Rally Obedience (2 classes!)
11/04......4.29......8.95
11/05......0.00......8.95 - Agility Trial
11/06......0.00......8.95 - Agility Trial
11/07......4.23....13.18 - + Agility class
11/08......3.00....16.18 - + Strength Training
11/09......4.41....20.59
11/10......0.00....20.59 - to Napa
11/11......0.00....20.59 - Wine
11/12......5.02....25.61 - Wine country run + Wine
11/13......0.00....25.61 - Back to reality
11/14......3.67....29.28
11/15......5.06....34.34 - Sunset run
11/16......0.00....34.34 - + Strength Training
11/17......4.60....38.94 - + Rally Obedience
11/18......5.58....44.52
11/19......0.00....44.52 - Dog Beach
11/20....10.32....54.84 - Long almost rain run
11/21......4.52....59.36 - After the rain run + Agility class
11/22......4.86....64.22
11/23......0.00....64.22
11/24......7.28....71.50
11/25......4.32....75.82
11/26....11.55....87.37
11/27......0.00....87.37
11/28......5.68....93.05 - + Agility and GOAL!



My completed and 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!) - CANCELED!!
12/18/16 - San Diego Holiday Half Marathon
02/05/17 - Surf City Half Marathon

11/1: 8.5 miles
11/2: 6.7 miles
11/3: 3.6 miles (am), 6 miles (pm)
11/4: Rest
11/5: 14 miles
11/6: NYCM spectating!
11/7: 3 miles
11/8: 3 miles (am), 6 miles (pm)
11/9: 4.5 miles
11/10: 5.5 miles (am), no pm run
11/11: 4.4 miles
11/12: 10 miles
11/13: 5.5 miles
11/14: 3.3 miles
11/15: Rest day finally!
11/16: 6 miles
11/17: 3 miles with the Thursday crew
11/18: Rest/expo day
11/19: 3 miles
11/20: 26.4 miles - Philly Marathon
11/21: Rest/1.2 miles walk
11/22: Rest
11/23: Rest
11/24: 4.1 miles
11/25: 2 miles
11/26: 5.7 miles
11/27: 4.7 trail miles
11/28: 2 miles

2 quick miles last night after work. First mile was just over 8 min pace and then I turned around and thought, "Just two miles. Let's go fast!" So then I ran a sub-7:20 for the next mile and it felt smooth and not-so-hard. But these 2-4 mile runs (yay run streak) are so nice after months of 50-70 mile weeks. Loving it!

I'll do 2-3 more tonight miles around my FIRST EVER LIFTING SESH! Starting the New Rules of Lifting for Women today. Aiming to leave work around 4 so I can get to the gym before it gets too busy with the after-work crowd (fingers crossed)... I want my noobness to be witnessed by the fewest people possible

Also I added a ton of races to my calendar next year, some are registered and some I'm waiting on. Doing the January & February races and both March HMs with friends. My wallet is going to be bitter for a while but my heart will be happy



Fall Race Season & Next Year:
10/8: Coe College Homecoming 5k: 21:26
10/16: Superhero Halloween Half Marathon: 1:42:24
11/20: Philadelphia Marathon: 3:52:00
1/8/17: NYCRUNS Cocoa Classic 10 mile
2/18/17: FebApple Frozen 50 - 10 mile option
3/12/17: E. Murray Todd HM
3/18/17: Looney Leprechaun 10k (trail)
3/26/17: Philly Love Run HM
4/1/17: NJ Ultra Fest HM (trail)
4/9/17: Rutgers UNITE HM (maybe)
5/14/17: Delaware Marathon Running Festival HM
5/21 or 5/28: Cleveland or Vermont City Marathons (maybe)

shanaber wrote: »

@Elise4270 - the violin huh? Maybe you can teach yourself to play it and run at the same time? It would help keep you from going too fast certainly!

It's definitely on my goal list! There are a few benches along the trail. I haven't even received the violin yet and DH is already opposed to listening to it. I may be the park fiddler.

@katharmonic Sales are on. Decent student violin is the stentor II. ~£145, 130+US The internet is full of great information and lessons. It's never too late. Don't put it off until your 46! I didn't have the restraint to do a beginner model.

I anticipate learning an instrument will help with negate snacking. My hands and mind will be occupied.

@MNLittleFinn - I couldn't face 5 miles on a dreadmill if I could do them outside at 40° F with rain instead. But, to each his own.

@Ohhim - I know what you mean about short races. The last 5K I ran, the point was to help the team win the SuperVet category; during the actual race, I was thinking of it as a speed interval, 1 x 5K at I pace. I don't know how much fun it would have been if I hadn't met all my speed goals.

@Elise4270 I think learning the violin is a terrific idea! I always wanted to learn to play an instrument. Once I did buy a Martin acoustic guitar, took lessons for two months, practiced every day, then we went on a 2 week vacation and I never picked it up again. My son eventually took guitar lessons and when he developed a fondness for playing acoustic, I gave it to him. It sounds much better in his hands. The only other time I got close to an instrument was when I built a big lever harp for my daughter when she decided that was the instrument for her. Maybe when I retire I'll try something. I've also done the self-taught foreign language thing. I took Spanish in high school but that was it. 10 years ago we planned a trip to Mexico so I got the Pimsleur Spanish lessons and worked through those. I thought they were quite good and I became fairly proficient with Spanish. I wouldn't say fluent by any means, but in Mexico I spoke exclusively in Spanish with the locals and never had a language barrier. With no use for it at home it has slipped away but I would like to pick that up again too.

@shanaber, Ouch!! I hate to be a negative Nellie but a pop in the hamstring doesn't seem like something a foam roller can help. Any time I've had something pop it's been a tear in the muscle. That it hurts when you sit tells me that elongating it makes it worse. With two weeks to go to your HM, I'd take it very easy and let it heal as much as it can in that time. The two times I've had tears, the doc has wanted me to avoid immobilizing it. When my calf tore tore the first time (big tear) she put me in a boot. The second time (small tear) she had me put in heel lifts in my shoes to help prevent stretching it out until the muscle could repair itself.

@kristinegift good luck with the lifting!!

11/1- 6.05
11/2- 6.13
11/3- 6.01
11/4- 6.12
11/5- 10.25
11/6- Rest
11/7: 6.05
11/8- 6.01
11/9- 6.02
11/10- 6.14
11/11- 6.01
11/12-11.01
11/13- REST
11/14- 6.02
11/15- 6.06
11/16- 6.15
11/17- 6.41
11/18- 6.14 plus an hour and a half of snow shoveling
11/19- "rest" Does it really count as rest when you shovel snow for an hour?
11/20- 11.01
11/21- 4.03
11/22- 4.01
11/23- 4.02
11/24- 3.1
11/25- REST-unscheduled, needed it after trashing my legs at the 5k
11/26- 9.02
11/27- REST- driving home ugh
11/28- 4.3 (cut it 0.7 short)
11/29- 5.0

Total: 151.07/150

Today's notes: Ran 5 on the TM. My Garmin was totally freaking out yesterday, so I did a factory reset on it. Today, with no outside running data to go with, it said I was running a lot faster than the TM said I was and, of course, gave me greater distance. I know the Garmin was wrong or, at least, more wrong, because before it went psycho, I was within +/- .1 miles from what the TM said at 3 miles Last Wednesday. Not so today! So, I just turned off the Garmin and went with the TM.

Who knows, maybe I ran faster and farther than I think. I'll find out better after Thursday, when I have a 7 mile that I'll be running outside to help re-calibrate my Forerunner.

I'm looking through some of my run data from yesterday afternoon from Garmin. This was my first activity with my new Garmin Fenix 3 HR, so I'm interested in seeing what kinds of information is useful. As typical, I also ran with the Zombies, Run! app. I can definitely see where I'm going to fast, then walk, then go too fast, then walk, etc... but it isn't as much walking as I thought I was doing. Maybe I'm too critical of my walking stretches.

It gave me an average pace of 10:01 per mile, which is probably a bit high because I struggled figuring out how to stop the activity. in the meantime, I added a bunch of "laps" of about a foot as I tried to stop the activity.

My fastest pace is showing at 3:37 per mile. I looked at the map location and I know I sprinted there... really sprinted (because of zombies in that area... did I mention I was using Zombies, Run! app?). I know I was going super fast, but wasn't aware it was quite that fast.

There are 2 points where it is showing I was stopped... that affected average pace as well. Based on the map location, I know I was waiting for a break in traffic to cross a busy street. The busy street I crossed does not have any traffic control at that intersection (the side street I'm coming from has a stop sign), and the wait for a break in traffic was especially long the 2nd time I crossed that intersection.

The data so far told me something I already know - I go too fast and have to walk often. But it isn't as bad as I had envisioned.

I would share the Garmin log if I can figure out a way to hide the map... as that would give out more personal information than I want to share (basically would give away where I live).

Well, Alabama finally gets rain… and wind. So nice to go to sleep by, but in the back on my mind…. Danced this question, “Will I be able to run in the morning? “ I woke up and I heard a light rain…. Perfect I thought… so I got up, dressed and out the door. Nice and soaked by the time I got back home.
I'm thinking about changing trackers. I bought the FitBit Chrage 2, but as I run, I have a hard time seeing the numbers (side affect of getting older) .... looking at the Garmin FR 35.

01-Nov
02-Nov 1.93
03-Nov
04-Nov 1.97
05-Nov
06-Nov
07-Nov
08-Nov 2.16
09-Nov
10-Nov 1.57
11-Nov
12-Nov 1.52
13-Nov
14-Nov 1.49
15-Nov
16-Nov 1.69
17-Nov
18-Nov 1.7
19-Nov
20-Nov
21-Nov
22-Nov 2.03
23-Nov
24-Nov 2.19
25-Nov 1.31
26-Nov 2.19
27-Nov 1.07
28-Nov 1.63
29-Nov 2.68
30-Nov
27.13
Goal 30
Remaining 2.87

So, tomorrow is HIIT day, which means a 3 mile run, then a hit routine, 8 exercises (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest) X8 1 minute break between exercises. I'm planning on doing my HIIT at the gym. Do I do my run at home, then drive to the gym, or drive over, then run and do HIIT right after? LOL...the silly questions I think of.

MNLittleFinn wrote: »

So, tomorrow is HIIT day, which means a 3 mile run, then a hit routine, 8 exercises (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest) X8 1 minute break between exercises. I'm planning on doing my HIIT at the gym. Do I do my run at home, then drive to the gym, or drive over, then run and do HIIT right after? LOL...the silly questions I think of.

Park in between the gym and home.....and run

Okay, let's take a vote. If 10 people vote yes, @elise4270 has to create a youtube channel and post regular updates of her violin endeavor :-D

I'm a piano girl myself, but about 2 weeks ago I decided to play the boy's guitar (because he won't). My poor fingers were sore for a week! I was doing pretty good with C G and F though. Going against my husband's instruction because he's a bass player and was insistent that I play C G and D because F was too hard. I showed him. ROFLOL! All the Christmas songs I wanted to play needed that F chord. Of course, I've now forgotten everything I learned in that one night.

@midwesterner85 I recently linked my Garmin to smashrun.com (it's not a phone app but a free website) and one thing I like on there is it breaks each mile into a bar graph of 10ths! So you can really break down your speed and see what's going on throughout the mile, better than a line graph in my opinion.

My knee seems a little better today. Still hurts but it takes more range of motion to induce the pain. So hopefully this is a good thing.

greenolivetree wrote: »

Okay, let's take a vote. If 10 people vote yes, @elise4270 has to create a youtube channel and post regular updates of her violin endeavor :-D

okay, no. the idea of listening to someone LEARNING an instrument that has the potential to sound like a cat on heat? na, no way.

Go @elise4270 go! That's awesome that you are going to learn. My son plays many instruments and while the recitals could be dreadful, there was nothing cuter than watching 4-year-olds learning the play the violin. Channel your inner toddler! If you YouTube it, I will watch (at least once).

Beautiful pics @skippygirlsmom.

11/1 - 3.06 miles
11/2 - 3.04 miles
11/4 - 2.76 miles
11/6 - 6.81 miles
11/9 - 2.74 miles
11/11 - 2.30 miles
11/13 - 3.73 miles
11/18 - 1.96 miles
11/19 - 1.70 miles (ended up mostly walking)
11/22 - 1.45 miles
11/25 - 2.81 miles
11/27 - 5 miles
11/29 - 1.46 miles (HIIT sprints = fun!)

Total: 38.82 miles / 80 Fail. Whoops!