December 2016 Running Challenge

7lenny7 wrote: »

December is not starting out to well.

• Skip the donut run and hit the trails. I could run (or shuffle) slower being solo, I could bail out whenever I needed to, trails are easier on my joints, and I'd be able to run in my new trail shoes that are supposed to arrive today.

Sorry to hear that. I hate being injured with a passion.

This is a great group. I just joined MFP in Nov and the friends I've made are similar to this group...Awesome!
Hoping you're back at it soon!

@RunsOnEspresso Yeah I'm hitting the Fleet Feet here in Tuscon, I usually go to them for anything running related that I haven't tried out yet. They tend to be a bit expensive but I really like them beyond that.

greenolivetree wrote: »

Walked 3 miles while waiting for a car alignment. Came back and they hadn't even started. Ugh. Still hoping to run 4 miles at some point today. Maybe I'll wait until dark. I love looking at all the Christmas lights They better finish this car.....it's almost lunch time :-p

Ugh! The dealership where I take my car is a 4 hour deal, even if it's simple stuff. You have my sympathies.

Thankfully, I rarely have to take my car in for service. My husband does almost all maintenance and repairs himself.

My legs are SORE today from the squats and plyometrics in my workout on Wednesday. Last night's run was tough with the leg soreness. So, tonight, my workout will just be yoga and foam rolling to try to loosen things up before tomorrow morning's 5k.

RunsOnEspresso wrote: »

Elise4270 wrote: »

greenolivetree wrote: »

Walked 3 miles while waiting for a car alignment. Came back and they hadn't even started. Ugh. Still hoping to run 4 miles at some point today. Maybe I'll wait until dark. I love looking at all the Christmas lights They better finish this car.....it's almost lunch time :-p

Ugh! The dealership where I take my car is a 4 hour deal, even if it's simple stuff. You have my sympathies.

The bonus of your husband being a car salesman. I never have to take the car in and I get killer deals on new cars!

Well.... I'll keep that in mind! Haha! it's not too far for me to drive to get a deal!

Had to leave the car and get picked up by hubby. I don't mind taking the car in since I work 28 hours 4 days a week and he works 60 I would've walked home except the dog needed picked up from the vet.

01/12 3.12 miles
02/12 3 miles - that's 6 in a row for me this week, Blimey!

So I totally forgot I bought 2 winter/reflective outfits awhile back. Fall felt like summer and we're just now getting cooler weather. I never even tried the stuff on! I should do that today. And return if they don't fit. I was really excited about the bright colors and reflective features. I ran in a lot of black last winter but never in the dark.

12/1: Step class/rest from running
12/2: 5.5 miles

Total: 5.5 / 75 miles completed
Winter Warrior Challenge: 12.75 / 250 miles completed

I was planning on running yesterday evening, but my ankle was still feeling pretty tight. I had already done step class over lunch to get some cardio in, so didn't feel too bad about skipping it. I could feel something in my ankle trying to shift/give when I stepped just right (wrong) during class, but I just took it easy on the movement (and added 3lb dumbbells in my hands to keep the cardio factor up), and all turned out well.

Woke up this morning with the ankle feeling much better, but still with a nice bruise. Decided to skip Insanity class today--too much jumping around for my ankle, I think--and get my run in over lunch. Took a route that I thought was 5 miles, but turned out to be 5.41 miles (Didn't I do the same thing a couple months back, on the same route? Pretty sure I did...). Couldn't let myself stop at 5.41, so I made a short little loop past the doors to my building to get the full 5.5 in.

On a side note, I did my last two runs in those Newton shoes @Elise4270 gave me several months ago. This is the first time I've used them (since I had surgery shortly after I got them). Even though they're technically trail shoes, I've been using them on the road. So far, I really like them. It was a little weird the first time out, with the lugs on the ball of the foot and not having any ground contact in the midfoot or toes. But, I really like the push-off/lift sensation I get from the roll onto the toes in the back-stride. Plus, no blisters so far! Even in the spots I already had blisters, they aren't getting irritated at all. I may just end up trying out some of their other (road) models soon!

I joined a "Winter Warrior Challenge" through the local Fleet Feet store. It's a free training program where you self-log your miles, committing to either 100 miles, 250 miles or 500 miles between 11/25/16 (Turkey Trot Race) and 2/18/17 (Sweetheart Run). I signed up for the 250 miles. It will definitely be a challenge, requiring about 21 miles per week. Should be doable, though. I'm at 12.75 of 250 miles now, so a bit behind schedule. Should be pretty well caught up after this weekend if I manage to run both days as planned, though.

@lissadecker HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And awesome job on the weight loss

I tried on the new clothes and I need to lose 20 lbs. Aargh. I just can't come to grips with this it seems.

And why do they make running clothes like all runners are 5'9? It really sucks that I have to roll up my running tights bc they're 6 inches too long. And those tops with the thumb hole? Great idea if my arms were down to my knees.

Any other shorties? I'm 5 ft 3/4 in.

ceciliaslater wrote: »

On a side note, I did my last two runs in those Newton shoes @Elise4270 gave me several months ago. This is the first time I've used them (since I had surgery shortly after I got them). Even though they're technically trail shoes, I've been using them on the road. So far, I really like them. It was a little weird the first time out, with the lugs on the ball of the foot and not having any ground contact in the midfoot or toes. But, I really like the push-off/lift sensation I get from the roll onto the toes in the back-stride. Plus, no blisters so far! Even in the spots I already had blisters, they aren't getting irritated at all. I may just end up trying out some of their other (road) models soon!

Really glad you could use them! I find i need to heel strike to keep my ars' engaged. maybe that'll change.

My husband runs in them and changed to the Nike recently. He's having a hard time liking the Nikes now. But- he's not gonna be running for a bit. A few days ago he dropped a 45 pound disc weight on his foot. He had it x-rayed at urgent care with their playskool brand x-ray machine and it's fine. Haha! It could be broke, so I told him no running until it's 100%.

@MNLittleFinn I DO NOT want to know what the death drop burpee thing is. Good lord! Who decided to make burpees harder! I have back spasms just thinking about doing one.

greenolivetree wrote: »

And why do they make running clothes like all runners are 5'9? It really sucks that I have to roll up my running tights bc they're 6 inches too long. And those tops with the thumb hole? Great idea if my arms were down to my knees.

Any other shorties? I'm 5 ft 3/4 in.

I wonder the same thing!...but for opposite reasons. Buying tights is pretty challenging for me. They usually look like capri's. I have to wear taller socks in the winter or my ankles get cold.

I'm 6' 5"

@kristinegift - If you think you're not doing deadlifts right, definitely seek coaching. The deadlift is the ultimate vanity lift, designed to use as much of the body as possible to lift as much weight as possible. Screw up on form when trying to lift heavy, and you can really mess yourself up. So yeah, seek help and get that form right before you make them really challenging.

FWIW, I gave up doing deadlifts after my PT expressed disapproval of them. At my peak, I deadlifted 245 lbs. for 3 reps, when I weighed something in the low 190s. At a healthy weight, I never deadlifted anything over 225 lbs. But I got to thinking, the PT gives me these exercises that are body weight or use really small weights and are still challenging; if I screw them up, worst case I drop a small weight and don't make progress.

So now, I'm not doing deadlifts. I'm squatting 85 lbs., in the form of 45 lb. and 40 lb. kettlebells held at the rack position; when I was lifting weights but not running, I squatted 165 with the Olympic bar. That was a vanity lift at the time, squatting my weight. Now I realize I just can't do everything, and squatting 85 lbs. (or probably even 50 lbs.) is enough to support my running habit.

But you do make me think that maybe I should start doing some chest presses again. I do push-ups, which build muscle endurance; but I could use more weight and build some strength with chest presses. Oh, well. I'll see what fits into the time I'm willing to put into exercise.

---

Rest day today, because I felt a bit beat up after yesterday evening's speed work. Went online and found the certification map for tomorrow's 5K. I've run in that part of town, and was pretty sure it was mostly flat; the map says max elevation 542 feet, min elevation 530 feet. Yeah, that makes a stack of pancakes look hilly.

louubelle16 wrote: »

@7lenny7 Sorry to hear you're injured. Have you decided what do do yet? Sounds like you still need to eat the donuts though, you know, to give your body the energy it needs to recover. That's a thing, right?

Thanks. I've been tormenting myself all day pondering the options...deciding between what I *want* to do vs. what I think I *should* do. The Donut Day 25K sounds like an awesomely fun time, particularly since it's not a race but a social event and...donuts.

I think I've decided that I need to be smart and do what's best long term and that means I'm going to skip it, even the shorter distances, and run on my own, on the trails. Benefits are:

• Trail running!
• Kody can join me
• It will be easier to keep to a slower pace if I'm on my own, and on a trail
• I can start earlier in the day, and therefore end earlier in the day.
• I can structure my route so that I'm never more than a couple of miles from my truck should the pain get too bad
• I get to run in both pairs of my new trail running shoes!
• There's a donut shop nearby...I'll hit that on the way there.

I have to list the benefits to make myself feel better about missing the donut run.

greenolivetree wrote: »

Any and all brands are way too long for me the ankle part of the pants sticks past my toes and the wrist part of the sleeve is past my fingertips

Hahaha! Awwww!

https://youtu.be/8bfyS-S-IJs

Idk why I loved that stupid song as a kid. I was a short people then.

Maybe there's a line that offers petite sizes?
Ooh! http://www.athleta.com/products/petite-workout-clothes.jsp