December 2016 Running Challenge
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@OSUbuckeye906 & @Orphia In the past @Stoshew71 had posted the links for different you tube videos on making your own Traction Aid Screw Shoes and a 2nd Screw Shoe Video
I used this search string to find them.1 -
December goal: 100 miles
12/1: 3.25 miles
12/2: 2.75 miles
12/3: 3.15 miles (m)
12/4: Rest Day
12/5: 5 miles (2 + 3 treadmill)
12/6: 4 miles (m)
12/7: 4 miles
12/8: 4.35 miles (m)
12/9: Rest Day
12/10: 3.5 miles
12/11: 5 miles (m)
12/12: 4 miles
12/13: 4 miles (m)
12/14: 5 miles (m)
12/15: 4 miles (m)
12/16: Rest Day
My Total/December: 52 miles
Mike's Total: 30 miles
No running today but I did take a nice 4.5 mile walk with Fergus this morning.
@7lenny7 I listened to that show yesterday while I was working. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.
Have a fabulous rest of the day everyone!
Completed Races:
12/3 Snowball Run 5K, Kingwood TX (35:34.2) *PR
Upcoming Races:
1/22 Choco Loco 10K, Houston, TX
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@garygse & @lporter229 & @9voice9 - ordered the light. It says it will get here by Christmas but I am off for two weeks so won't really need it until Jan 3rd. Although I'm visiting my daughter in NYC so maybe I'll wear it there.
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12/1 - 5.35 miles on treadmill (Trek class)
12/2 - 5 miles. Pleasant for December, about 35°
12/3 - Bodypump class, then 2.25 miles on treadmill
12/4 - Planned rest day.
12/5 - 5.11 miles avoiding slippery spots.
12/6 - Bodypump class, then 2.3 miles on treadmill.
12/7 - 4 miles on the 'mill.
12/8 - 4.6 more 'mill miles (Trek class was full...so I had to run solo)
12/9 - Unplanned rest day.
12/10 - 2.3 miles on the treadmill, then Bodypump.
12/11 - 4.5 'mill miles.
12/12 - Rest day.
12/13 - Bodypump, then 2.25 miles on treadmill.
12/14 - 4 miles on treadmill.
12/15 - 5.3 miles on treadmill (Trek class). Hamstrings are SORE.
12/16 - Recovery day. Yesterday's run/class really beat me up. Hamstrings and hip hurt this morning.
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That first song, the rift sounded like a funked up version of ABB's One Way Out meets Deep Purple's Hush.
I also noticed the drummer is left handed but plays on a right handed drum set.
Good catches! I hadn't noticed either. Perhaps the drummer plays that way because he's British? (jk)
@ddmom0811 I think the best thing I started using for night running was a headlamp. When I see a car coming my way, or which might turn into me, I give them a quick flash of my headlamp to let them know I'm there. Reflective gear is great, colored lights or flashing lights are great (and i do all that) but you can beat sending a quick bright beam directly at the driver. It also helps me to make sure I pick up all of Kody's poop.
Definitely! I've seen them many times.What about Gov't Mule?!?!
Elise nailed it. @RunsOnEspresso can you do a longer run on Dec 23 or 25? If you could do a 15 miles on the 23rd and a 10 on the 24th, your 10 mile run would be on tired legs which would have a similar effect of a single 20 mile run. Otherwise don't sweat it. I've seen some marathon plans that just go out to 16 miles for a long run on the theory that anything longer doesn't really provide enough benefit to warrant the extra wear and tear. I would not do the 20 miler just 2 weeks before the race.Control the things you can control.
@honunui I always love seeing your snorkel pics! We saw sea turtles when were in Akumal Mexico years ago. They swam right by us (as did some barracuda!). Amazing, beautiful creatures!
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In contrast to the bitter cold temps we have had for most of this week, tomorrow morning is supposed to be low 40s and rain. Not sure which I prefer. Tomorrow, the store that sponsors the running group I have occasionally been running with hosts an ad-hoc marathon/half-marathon called "The Steve". The story is that Steve, a member of the group, was training for his first full Ironman several years ago when he suffered an injury and had to pull out. He vowed that he would finishes all of the events before the end of the year. By December, he just had the marathon left and could not find a local marathon before the end of the year. So the group decided they would all run a "marathon" with him. It has since become an annual event.
The course is a 13.1 mile loop that can be run once or twice. It is meant to be a social event and everyone runs in one of three pace groups: 8:30, 9:30 or 11+. Afterwards, everyone brings a dish and there is a huge feast back at the store. I heard it's a blast and will probably be a good way to get my long run in on a cold, rainy morning.
I am pretty new to this group, which is quite large (like 100+ people when everyone shows up). I know about a dozen or so people and have run with folks in the 8 min mile range and some in the 10 min mile range. I haven't decided which group I will run with or how far. I plan to play it by ear, based on who shows up. I guess if I end up running with the 8:30 group I will stop at 13.1 (which fits my schedule). If I run with the 9:30 pace group I may go more than one lap, but definitely not two. I kind of like the idea of not knowing and am looking forward to the run.4 -
4.3 miles with Kody late last night during a light snow fall. I did not want to go out at all but forced myself to. I ended up enjoying it quite a bit but it was too late to go any further. It's weird because all day long I was looking forward to it then I get home and kept trying to come up with excuses not to go.
I'm doing my weekly long run tonight I think. We're supposed to get 8 to 12 inches of snow between now and tomorrow morning and I love running in that. I'll only take Kody for 5 or 6 miles, though, since he's need to taper for a short pheasant hunting trip next week.
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@ddmom0811 I think the best thing I started using for night running was a headlamp. When I see a car coming my way, or which might turn into me, I give them a quick flash of my headlamp to let them know I'm there. Reflective gear is great, colored lights or flashing lights are great (and i do all that) but you can beat sending a quick bright beam directly at the driver. It also helps me to make sure I pick up all of Kody's poop.
Hmmm...been thinking of getting a headlamp, but haven't pulled the trigger. This may do it. I can wear it when I walk the dog, too!2 -
RunsOnEspresso wrote: »Ok, so I am having a bit of anxiety about my 20-miler on Christmas Eve. If, for some reason, I can't get 20 miles in that day do I do the 20 the following weekend? I don't want 18 to be my longest run.
The marathon is 1/15 and my training plan is 12/17 10 miles, 12/24 20 miles, and 12/31 10 miles.
I fear two things:
1) It will be far too cold out for me despite trying to get cold weather gear.
2) I will be glutened Friday while at my parents. I know they try but not being around them I don't think they fully get how bad I was and how bad it is when I am glutened (celiac disease).
I just want to have a plan in case something goes wrong.
That is why I hate the way these plans are set up. It's for situations exactly like this:
http://therunningstan.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-gripes-on-training-plans.html
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RunsOnEspresso wrote: »RunsOnEspresso wrote: »RunsOnEspresso wrote: »Ok, so I am having a bit of anxiety about my 20-miler on Christmas Eve. If, for some reason, I can't get 20 miles in that day do I do the 20 the following weekend? I don't want 18 to be my longest run.
The marathon is 1/15 and my training plan is 12/17 10 miles, 12/24 20 miles, and 12/31 10 miles.
I fear two things:
1) It will be far too cold out for me despite trying to get cold weather gear.
2) I will be glutened Friday while at my parents. I know they try but not being around them I don't think they fully get how bad I was and how bad it is when I am glutened (celiac disease).
I just want to have a plan in case something goes wrong.
My advice? Haha! I can't run 1 mile!
Control the things you can control.
Maybe pack a safe meal to take to your parents. I'd think a parent would try very hard to understand. I think if you commucate this ahead if time, you can fall back on the "i told you" and it's not as likely to be taken wrong.
The weather? Treadmill? Or brave the elements. You could always plan a short loop to see if you are dressed for it. What's predicted? Others might have specific experience/advice.
Good luck!
I usually take snacks (hard to take much more on airplanes). They do try and I'll send them a shopping list of safe foods. I just worry. They didn't have any food for me at my grandpa's funeral and my dad had to drive me somewhere to get something because I was getting lightheaded from not eating.
It's apparently very cold there right now, like 3F but feels like -5F. Looks like 31/25F Christmas Eve but I'm used to like 40 as a low. I thought about the treadmill but I have never done more than 5 on a treadmill. I would prefer doing all my training outdoors since the run is outdoors. I can use the treadmill as a last resort.
Oh ya, the plane. I pictured a short drive over the hill and through the woods...
I ran last year in the low 30's and enjoyed it. For me the key was warm gloves, and smartwool stockings (winter running socks). I have a nike running vest and good night, it has to be really cold to wear it for anything longer than an hour.
I agree the TM isn't ideal.
I did a 5K a few years ago in like 12 degrees. I've got gloves & I bought a vest. I have a variety of long sleeve shirts. My upper body gets cold easy. I also bought a buff-like thing from Headsweats to wear on my neck that I could pull up over my face if needed.
Socks. I need to get a pair of those. All mine ae short, regular running socks. I'm off to check amazon!
At RCM last Saturday, I actually broke the "nothing new on race day" rule and so glad I did.
At the Expo the day before, I bought some long compression running socks (bright orange that matched my throwaway sweat top). I like them a lot. I had black ones that I wore so much that it got holes in them now.2 -
Yesterday a colleague claimed that the fog only went up to ~800m of elevation. I had to see that for myself, so I drove over to the mountains for a short run after work. It turned out he was right - above ~760m, I could suddenly see the sky! Night sky in the mountains is always so beautiful, it's like suddenly there are a million more stars than in the city.
Other lessons learned yesterday:
- a knuckle light and a small LED waist light are not enough on trails at night if there's no light pollution from nearby cities; even with the phone flashlight on top I had to be really careful
- I was slacking on hill running recently. It's been weeks since I ran any route with more than 10% elevation; when I got to more than 15% I had to alternate with walking, and the 27% slope all but killed me even at a fast walk.
Looks like I need to look into some better light source so that I can keep hitting the "fun" trails occasionally in winter. It's really too bad I don't like headlamps (as in, the couple of times I tried running with one, the way the light cone was bouncing around made me sick). Any other ideas what to use?
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@dkabambe Wow, too fast 5k runs on the same day are impressive. Great job!
@ddmom0811 I wouldn't call 5:45 sleeping in! My alarm usually rings at 7:30 - last week I had to get up at 4:30 once to catch a train, and I was a zombie in the evening.
Those noxgear lights look great! I'm with you on the batteries though - all battery-powered stuff usually fails me in the middle of a run, and of course I never take spare batteries. I've got a few rechargeable lights for my bike and now also one for running; I just charge them every weekend (or with the bike lights, just plug in the USB cable at the office during the day). Still tempted to buy the noxgear. But I couldn't find on their website what kind of battery it uses and if you can exchange it easily - if the battery lasts "up to 40 hours", that would be a little more than six weeks if I use it for cycling and running...
@bmelb1 That weather sounds scary. Kudos for running in that cold and wind!
@RunsOnEspresso If you are worried about doing the 20 miler on Christmas Eve, could you do it this weekend instead? Four weeks out from the marathon is probably better than doing it two weeks out, when you should already be tapering. I don't know how much you've been running in the past weeks and if you need this week to be a cutback week with 10 miles.
But I only ran my first marathon this year, so I'm not really an expert... I did 32km (20mi) runs both four weeks and three weeks out, and only 24km (15mi) two weeks out. Although the 24km run was with 960m (3150ft) of elevation, I guess that also wasn't strictly in the spirit of tapering, and I still think I got enough rest and recovery before the marathon.
@HonuNui Your photos are always great! Snorkelling must be really awesome, sorry that the conditions only allowed for a short swim this time.
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Elise nailed it. @RunsOnEspresso can you do a longer run on Dec 23 or 25? If you could do a 15 miles on the 23rd and a 10 on the 24th, your 10 mile run would be on tired legs which would have a similar effect of a single 20 mile run. Otherwise don't sweat it. I've seen some marathon plans that just go out to 16 miles for a long run on the theory that anything longer doesn't really provide enough benefit to warrant the extra wear and tear. I would not do the 20 miler just 2 weeks before the race.
I get in late on the 22nd & then have to drive 2.5-3 hours so I was planning to sleep in on the 23rd LOL I could probably do the split on 23 & 24. 25th is hard because we do all Xmas stuff in the AM.That is why I hate the way these plans are set up. It's for situations exactly like this:
http://therunningstan.blogspot.com/2016/02/my-gripes-on-training-plans.html
All good points. I am sure I am overthinking this. I have only used a plan for my first half, the rest I kind of pulled from several ideas/plans and did my own thing. I just get extremely anxious about new distances and sometimes for distances I know I can run. It started kicking in when I start doing 10 milers. I know I can do 10 miles but I get anxious and think I can't. Me and running are basically a mental battle.1 -
@RunsOnEspresso If you are worried about doing the 20 miler on Christmas Eve, could you do it this weekend instead? Four weeks out from the marathon is probably better than doing it two weeks out, when you should already be tapering. I don't know how much you've been running in the past weeks and if you need this week to be a cutback week with 10 miles.
But I only ran my first marathon this year, so I'm not really an expert... I did 32km (20mi) runs both four weeks and three weeks out, and only 24km (15mi) two weeks out. Although the 24km run was with 960m (3150ft) of elevation, I guess that also wasn't strictly in the spirit of tapering, and I still think I got enough rest and recovery before the marathon.
I probably could do it this weekend. I did 18 last week. But I haven't mentally prepared myself this week for 20, I was looking forward to my cut back! LOL1 -
I just found a rechargeable LED safety vest: this.
Does anyone know this particular one? It doesn't look as cool as the noxgear, but I'm thinking about giving it a try - it's quite a bit cheaper, and I like the idea of recharging it via USB.0 -
_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »...
Still tempted to buy the noxgear. But I couldn't find on their website what kind of battery it uses and if you can exchange it easily - if the battery lasts "up to 40 hours", that would be a little more than six weeks if I use it for cycling and running...
Under Technical Details at the bottom of the page:- Operates on (3) AAA batteries (Included) with Easy-access Door
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_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »Looks like I need to look into some better light source so that I can keep hitting the "fun" trails occasionally in winter. It's really too bad I don't like headlamps (as in, the couple of times I tried running with one, the way the light cone was bouncing around made me sick). Any other ideas what to use?
I've heard of some trail runners taking headlamps and adapting them to wear around their waist. I've got an extra headlamp I want to try this with when I get a chance.
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_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »Looks like I need to look into some better light source so that I can keep hitting the "fun" trails occasionally in winter. It's really too bad I don't like headlamps (as in, the couple of times I tried running with one, the way the light cone was bouncing around made me sick). Any other ideas what to use?
I've heard of some trail runners taking headlamps and adapting them to wear around their waist. I've got an extra headlamp I want to try this with when I get a chance.
I have worn mine around my chest, just below the band of my sports bra.0 -
Because it wasn't quite sun up yet @stoshew71 is a bit blurry, or it might have been because I was freezing trying to take the picture, but here's his very bright self
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01/12 3.12 miles
02/12 3 miles
03/12 3 miles
13/12 3 miles
14/12 3 miles - there was a full moon tonight, it was lovely
16/12 3.25 miles
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