April 2017 Running Challenge

So, this is today's weather forecast I either need to take my chances with this, or attempt to squeeze in 8 miles on the dreadmill between work ending at 5:30 and getting to the zumba class my best friend teaches at 7pm. Ughhh. I'm seriously just thinking of getting out at lunch and getting it done. At least it won't be freezing cold, and I have my waterproof jacket and my cap with me. I really don't mind running in the rain, I'm just a little tired of it at this point, and there's the whole chance of thunderstorms thing. Ughhh.

5.8 easy miles around the 'hood last night with Kody while listening to an interesting podcast, an interview with Matt Fitzgerald about mental training.

The run itself was uneventful but about an hour later a dull pain grew in my knee along with a feeling of a bit of swelling, though I couldn't see it. Perhaps an aftereffect of wrenching my knee on the trail run the night before? Dunno. I may take the night off or shorten my planned run considerably. Normally i'd run through this but I have 37 miles to run this weekend and I'd rather not jeopardize that for an easy 6 tonight.

girlinahat wrote: »

BeeerRunner wrote: »

The stationary bike is killing my butt though. I don't think I can sit on it again this evening. Ouch!! I think I'm on the verge of saddle sores like @ddmom0811 . LOL! I'll try the elliptical, keeping it flat with no incline so it hopefully won't aggravate my calf.

I got on my non-stationary bike at the weekend and have only just got over the shock. I was only out for about an hour!!!

Maybe swimming is the way to go?

I can technically swim, but I'm not very good at it. I love the side stroke, but hate most everything else. When doing my SCUBA certification, I did the side stroke. I was last to finish, but it's what I do best! I'm more of a float in the pool on a raft with a tasty beverage in hand kind of girl. Lol! Also, there aren't very many indoor pools around, and now that I've acclamated to Texas, it pretty much has to be in the 90s before I'll get in the water. I should probably get some lessons to learn proper form. It'll be in the 90s and up soon, and my gym has a nice outdoor pool.

MobyCarp wrote: »

@MNLittleFinn - I concur with @7lenny7 that for physical training, it doesn't make much difference. Pick whichever route you think will be more fun.

yeah, I'm slowly figuring that. I think I'm just obsessing since I'm nearing the halfway point of training and every day it gets more real. Saturday's run will be a HUGE milestone to me. For some reason the fact that it's less than 10 miles shorter than Marathon distance seems a big deal to me.....maybe because 10 miles doesn't seem as big as it did a year ago?

@MNLittleFinn - HILLS, HILLS, HILLS!!! Then, when you finish those...MORE HILLS!!! I'm actually trying to do better about this myself. I was careful last week to do mostly easy routes with the big increase in mileage, but this week I'm taking routes with hills. I'm actually faster this week, strangely enough. Plus, you should technically seek out hills on pretty much all of your runs. The trick is to keep your effort honest on your runs while you conquer those hills. Just because it's a hill is no excuse to burn up your run. You might be slow going up, but at some point you're going back down and will more easily make up for it (as long as your end point is the same as your start point).

@KatieJane83 - I hear you on the cold rain crapola! I had prepped myself mentally for running yesterday morning when the forecast had been saying for days that it was going to be around 40 degrees with winds arounds 25 miles per hour and heavy rain coming down sideways driven by the wind. I had it all in my mind, running around, pumping my fists at the sky, shouting "Is this the best you got?", gritting onward. Then other things happened and I let myself wait until the afternoon when it was not raining (but was still very windy). At some point all this will let up and it will be sunny and HOT!!

@7lenny7 - Very wise to give that knee some rest. Hope it clears right up!

MobyCarp wrote: »

@MNLittleFinn - I concur with @7lenny7 that for physical training, it doesn't make much difference. Pick whichever route you think will be more fun.

@MNLittleFinn I agree as well...pick the route you'll enjoy the most. I hurt my knee at the end of my 1st 18 miler, but it was a combination of things and I think the biggest contributor was doing a lot of hills the week prior on a road with a really strong downward slope on the shoulder of the road. Therefore, there was a strong imbalance between when my right and left leg would hit the pavement. With that being said, avoid those kind of roads. However, I think I was also building up my mileage too quickly trying to make up for lost time during my hamstring injury. Either way, I survived and was still able to run my marathon, but wish I didn't have the knee issues.

Have fun this weekend!

Just picking up on the sunscreen thing – looks like my weekend away with the running club is going to be 60 degrees and sunny (er, yes, it DOES get warmer in the UK, but this sun is pretty hot!) so will stop and buy some more cream on the way home.

I’ve always favoured P20 made by Riemanns (the 20 doesn’t refer to the SPF). Yes, it’s a bit oily, but you put it on 20 minutes before you get dressed/go out, and I’ve always used it as a diver – all other creams wash off into the eyes (and into the sea) but this stuff is magic. It stays put all day, even in and out of the water and sat on a boat. Some people complain that it stains their white towels, but I rarely wear white anyway….

@7lenny7 @MobyCarp @WhatMeRunning @BeeerRunner @lporter229 Thanks for the input/advice all. I know I'm overthinking things, but it's a lot harder not to, than I thought it would be. Saturday may be the first run where I practice fueling, so that might part of the nerves too.

April 1- 7km
April 2- 8km
April 3- 7km
April 4- rest day
April 5- downhill skiing.( No run whoops)
April 6- 10km

Remaining 118km, going to need a few bigger days coming up to stay on track. But 10km is my biggest run in a few years, so taking it as a win!