March 2017 Running Challenge
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Joining! Doing 31 miles1
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Little late to join in but beginning my first run ever tomorrow! Always been an indoors workout person. But you guys are super inspiring so ready to crank up the music and run those miles!
Would love some tips if anyone has any to share !
I won't pretend to be an expert, and I don't know you well enough to make any personalized tips. However, when I started out, I didn't realize there was a difference between sprinting and running. I would struggle with going way too fast (to an anaerobic pace) and wearing out after a block. I'm still struggling with that a little bit.
Be careful what you wear (avoid cotton, especially when it is hot out), don't over-exert yourself, get plenty of water... you can use apps if that helps motivate you (I use Zombies, Run!). Be careful of traffic or whatever issues exist where you run. You don't have to be the fastest or run the furthest... do whatever you find makes you happiest.5 -
Little late to join in but beginning my first run ever tomorrow! Always been an indoors workout person. But you guys are super inspiring so ready to crank up the music and run those miles!
Would love some tips if anyone has any to share !
#1 Start slow
That means low mileage and a comfortable pace. You should be able to hold a conversation with a running partner without breathing hard. or if running by yourself, sing a song out loud without breathing messing up your vocal. It's OK to take walk breaks if your heart rate and breathing becomes a little heavy.
And increasing your mileage should be slow.
3x a week at most with at least one day rest in between. Try and keep all the distances throughout the week close to even, stick with that for a while.
Then eventually you can get a little crazier like some of us more experienced folks.
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Patellarfemoral syndrome. rest, massage, NSAIDs let it heal. Dr wasn't worried since it wasn't in the knee.
My poor poor students..... I'm grumpy when I don't run.
Planning to take 9 full days off,minimum, even if I feel better. Dr didn't say how long to rest, just to ride it out, so I gave myself a minimum to stick to.5 -
Goal - 35miles of walk/run intervals
Mar 1 - 3.1
Mar 3 - 1.8
Tot: 4.9
Thanks so much for the welcome. Nice to be back posting instead of just lurking. I tried this last fall but hip problems took me out. Still a problem but I'll walk as much as necessary. Such a great group it's hard to stay away.2 -
Thanks so much @Stoshew71 - I'll just think of you as my hero. And everyone else who contributed to the pacing talk, even those who joined my in fessing up - cathartic isn't it? You're all my heroes, a girl can never have too many heroes can she?
Aching still after my Tai chi class, and have a 9 miler planned for the weekend. Problem is, the weather looks bad on one day, and a friend really wants to go for a walk the other. I've been hoping all day she'll abort, but looks like I'll just have to take the rainy day for my run instead. Wearing my HR monitor.0 -
@MNLittleFinn I know I'm not a regular, but I've been lurking enough that I feel like one. Very glad to hear you are taking those 9 days off. Your students will live .1
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Goal: 40 miles
MTD: 9.5 miles
3/1 - 5.48 miles
3/2 - bodyweight circuits
3/3 - 4.02 miles
Super cold wind today made my asthma act up a bit but I've ran more this week than ever before!6 -
MNLittleFinn wrote: »Patellarfemoral syndrome. rest, massage, NSAIDs let it heal. Dr wasn't worried since it wasn't in the knee.
My poor poor students..... I'm grumpy when I don't run.
Planning to take 9 full days off,minimum, even if I feel better. Dr didn't say how long to rest, just to ride it out, so I gave myself a minimum to stick to.
This is what I got the first time I really got into running, a few years ago. I was not following any sort of plan, so I'm sure I was running too fast and doing too much too soon. I was also still dancing a lot, so just a whole bunch of overuse. My stupidity was I ignored all the twinges and aches and soreness for too long. Went out to do my first half marathon with it and ended up walking the entire second half b/c I felt like my kneecap was gonna pop out. After the car ride home I had trouble even walking. Only then did I go to the doc and it was patellofemoral syndrome. More severe than your case sounds though, which is good, because I had to go through the whole PT thing with it. I do know that working on strengthening your quads can help. The PT had me doing things like leg extensions and squats, and this is one of the reasons I'm trying to maintain a focus on strength training now as I'm running, so I can hopefully prevent a recurrence of this issue.
Just stay focused and stay strong. You got this! I was stupid and let it get to me too much. It really knocked me out of running, and it's taken me quite a while to really get back to that level of addiction/motivation I had. I know now that if/when I get another injury I just need to really keep myself focused and dedicated to my long-term goals, and not let it get me down and discouraged.
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@KatieJane83 thanks! Now that I've had a chance to let it sink in, I'm feeling OK about things.....the half a pizza I ate helped too...... I'm kind of looking forward to the time off now, I haven't slept past 0420 more than 2 days a week in over 6 months, so a week of more sleep will probably help too I'm thinking.2
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@MNLittleFinn haha, I'm actually glad you mentioned sleep. I really think I need to start focusing more on getting enough quality sleep. I think that's something that I often overlook the importance of!0
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3/1 - cross-training - strength training
3/2 - 7 mile general aerobic run (Holy wind Batman!)
3/3 - 8 mile general aerobic run
March Total: 15/145
223 miles/2,017 miles - goal for the year
Today was a not-so-great feeling run. Not any twinges or injuries or anything, just overall being tired, and heavy legs from Wed's lifting and yesterday's 7 miles. I also wasn't anticipating it still being so windy today, and I think the headwind on the first part of this run really sapped some energy out of me. In addition, my HR just seemed to be all over the place today, although I think I might also need a new battery in my transmitter b/c some of the readings I'm getting I don't think I fully trust, lol.
Sometimes I just wish that I could I could step out the front door of my home or work and have a completely flat run. Not that I live in the mountains or anything, lol, but days like today I could have really gone for no hills!
3/11 - Bill Fortune 10k
4/9 - JFK Runway 5k
4/29 - Run for the Wild 5k (through the Bronx Zoo)
5/14 - Tinkerbell HM (Disneyland)
6/4 - GW Bridge Challenge 10k
6/10 - NYRR New York Mini 10k
6/25 - Bay of Fundy HM
7/ 8 - Women’s Distance Festival 5k
9/10 - S. Nyack 10 Miler (registration not open yet)
11/9 - Philadelphia Marathon (1st ever marathon! registration opens 4/1)0 -
KatieJane83 wrote: »@MNLittleFinn haha, I'm actually glad you mentioned sleep. I really think I need to start focusing more on getting enough quality sleep. I think that's something that I often overlook the importance of!
Speaking of sleep... I have probably the worst sleep imaginable. I wake up multiple times per night, and a lot of the time I'll wake up and EAT in the middle of the night. So annoying, because I literally cannot control the eating when I'm half-asleep! (Trust me, I've tried so hard!) It's ruining my calorie intake and making it impossible for me to lose any more weight, and I've been stuck at 170 for months. At least I'm not gaining weight, and I believe that's because of all the running I do. This wake-and-eat thing has been going on for years. It's the reason I became so overweight in the first place. Doctor has prescribed different sleep medications for me. Most didn't work. One worked for a while, long enough for me to lose 85 pounds, then stopped working and I was back to the wake-eat cycles again.
I recently found a supplement that contains melatonin and some other sleep-inducing herbs that I've been taking, and it's working okay. Last night I actually slept through the night for the first time in ages. Hooray! Let's just hope this keeps working and doesn't just stop like everything else.0 -
01/03 4.17
02/03 Rest
03/03 3.092 -
01/03 3.86 miles
02/03 Rest
03/03 2.781 -
3/1 - Hate starting a month on a rest day.
3/2 - 5.0 miles.
3/3 - Grrr...overslept this morning and have commitments after work. No run. Unwanted rest day!0 -
On the topic of sleep, I chose to skip my morning cardio workout in order to get an extra hour and I feel much better. Sleep is so important, that when I'm deprived, it affects everything and makes my workouts feel suckish.
I'll be back at it tomorrow.4 -
March Running Challenge
3/1: 2 very slow miles and yoga
3/2: Rest
3/3: 2.2 slow miles
Goal: 4.2 of 90
Completed Races:
Cowtown Marathon (Full) Feb 26 (Registered): 3:54:06 / 8:56 min/mile
Upcoming Races:
The Trail Run at Eagle Mt Park (5 miles) Apr 2 (Registered)
XTERRA ATX Trail Run (21K) Apr 23 (Tentative)
Chicago Spring Half Marathon: May 21 (Registered)
XTERRA Rock Dallas Trail Run (HM at night) May 27 (Tentative)
XTERRA Jurassic Trail Run (HM at night) Jul 8 (Tentative)
La Sportiva Vail Half Marathon: Jul 22 (Tentative)
Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon: Oct 1 (Tentative)
Today's run felt significantly better. My muscles weren’t quite so sore although my calves are still pretty tight, which I rarely experience. Still taking it very slow.
I ordered my post marathon present to myself: new trail shoes: Altra Lone Peak 3.0s!!! They don't come until Monday...and I just can't wait until they get here! Lol
https://www.altrarunning.com/women/lone-peak-30
Having an easy weekend ahead since I'm still recovering. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!5 -
@karllundy Deep breaths. It's still so early in the month that you'll catch up, no worries.1
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3/1 - 5 miles
3/2 - 8 miles
3/3 - 16 miles
I wore the hydration vest on the treadmill today, not so much for practice drinking from it, but to add the weight of the water and adjust the fit/remember how to keep the ends of the straps from flopping around and whatnot.
As long as I had the vest, I didn't have to take walk breaks to drink my 2 mouthfuls every half mile - so this was a PR for longest ever continual run with no walk breaks. It may also be a speed PR for that distance - I don't recall what pace I was targetting for the last marathon (but it was probably too fast, anyway.) Today's entire 16 miles was run at 11 min/mile. Heart rate crept up to 15 bpm over Fitbit's cardio/peak threshold, steadily over the course of the run. The average is 2 bpm higher than that cutoff. I shall target 10 seconds slower next week and see if I can average into "cardio" range.
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@MNLittleFinn Rest up man. You'll be tearing up the roads in no time! Good to hear you got it checked out. I'd bet a couple weeks of will be pretty good. Amateur guessing here of course. Great time to catch up on Netflix!1
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TattooedDolphinGirl78 wrote: »On the topic of sleep, I chose to skip my morning cardio workout in order to get an extra hour and I feel much better. Sleep is so important, that when I'm deprived, it affects everything and makes my workouts feel suckish.
I'll be back at it tomorrow.
Sleep is SO important in my opinion. In fact, I read all these tales of people getting up at 3.30am to go to the gym and all I can think is- wouldn't you just be better getting that as sleep?
There are definitely days where I forego a workout for more sleep. Doesn't help push the mileage but certainly helps the overall health.
Talking of mileage - I mentioned my dilemma of my friend wanting to walk while I wanted to run this weekend? Just found out she fell off her bike tonight and is injured. What have I done?!!!!1 -
@mnlittlefinn sorry to hear about the patellofemoral syndrome, I'm sure the rest will have you fixed right up.1
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skippygirlsmom wrote: »@mnlittlefinn sorry to hear about the patellofemoral syndrome, I'm sure the rest will have you fixed right up.
Thanks. Dr. was't 100% that is it, but she said that since the pain was where my Patellar ligament attaches at the bottom, that's the most likely diagnosis. She said rest is the best thing for it....the massage I got today wouldn't hurt either she said....LOL2 -
MNLittleFinn wrote: »Patellarfemoral syndrome. rest, massage, NSAIDs let it heal. Dr wasn't worried since it wasn't in the knee.
My poor poor students..... I'm grumpy when I don't run.
Planning to take 9 full days off,minimum, even if I feel better. Dr didn't say how long to rest, just to ride it out, so I gave myself a minimum to stick to.
@MNLittleFinn - I'm glad to hear the prognosis is favorable. Some stuff that springs to mind:
1. Rest doesn't mean total inactivity. When you're not running, walk some. Maybe some elliptical or exercycle, whatever your knee will tolerate. Go gently. If anything hurts, stop doing whatever made it hurt. But you do want to move in order to stimulate blood flow that aids healing.
2. If your doctor doesn't have a preference on which NSAID, I've found it easier to be consistent with naproxen every 12 hours than with ibuprofen every 4 hours.
3. With no running, you calorie needs will go down immediately. Your appetite will not go down for a few days. Be warned, and plan accordingly. I've managed to maintain my weight through several injures, and I was hungry for the first 3 or 4 days every time; but I held to (reduced) calorie discipline. Other runners report gaining weight while injured. This is no big deal if it's really only 9 days . . . but treating it as if it will be long term is also no big deal if it's only 9 days, and important if it turns out to be longer.
4. When you come back, come back slowly. Run fewer miles than you remember running, and run them slower. The miles will come back if you build gradually, but running slowly is something you'll need for life. Or at least for as long as you're a distance runner. This episode is your first warning of *why* you want to run most of the miles easy.3 -
I started using a foam roller on my calf muscles on the recommendation of my physiotherapist and that sucker hurts! She told me it would get better as my muscles and fascia loosen up, but she didn’t say how long that would take, aargh…Pray for me!!
3/1 3.54 = 3.54
3/3 3.49 = 7.03
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Goal = 50 km run/walk
Upcoming Races:
St. Patrick’s Day 5 km - 3/18
Ottawa Tamarack 10km - 5/27
Scotiabank Canada Day Road Race 10 km – 7/1
Pure Protein Night Race 10 km – 8/12
Canada Army Run HM - 9/17
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@MobyCarp thanks for the advice!
About the eating thing, I know that's going to be hard. I'm going to try to use this time to get back to drinking enough water, with tropes that the full stomach of water will also help with the hunger!
I was eating maintenence and deficit calories before I started running, so at least I know the drill as far as that goes.1 -
Date :::: Miles :::: March MTD (goal = 95)
03/01/17 :::: 2.3 :::: 2.3
03/02/17 :::: 6.7 :::: 9.0
03/03/17 :::: 5.1 :::: 14.1
Honestly not sure if I've posted any of these runs in this thread yet. I'm behind and just skimmed through pages of posts.
I started the month with a short run just to get one in before heading out of town. Yesterday and today were glorious runs in Scottsdale AZ. Perfect cool running weather in the morning with sun and beautiful views. Heavenly. I even ran my best 10k time according to Garmin (Strava disagrees and says 3rd best). I'm going to miss it when I go back home tomorrow to snow and cold.5 -
March goal: lose (another)3lbs
3/1 2.54 + core/strength training
3/2 3.20
3/3 5.25
Total: 10.99
@MNLittleFinn sorry you've been sidelined for awhile....do you have a pool nearby that you could swim or nonweightbear "run" in?
Ticker is my goal for 2017 and progress to date:
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