April 2017 Running Challenge

@iofred - I had the same worry before my first evening half marathon (4 PM gun time in January), because it had been an issue with some training runs. Solved the problem as @Elise4270 suggested, eating less fiber than I usually do for a couple days before and particularly skipping my normal salad and home-prepared lunch on race day in favor of restaurant fare that is more highly processed.

I also learned not to eat an apple with breakfast before early morning long runs and morning half marathons.

Question regarding the whole fasted run concept. How many hours of not eating before a run would qualify as fasted? I don't always run early in the morning so I don't always have the automatic fast of having been asleep overnight.

@Elise4270 & @MobyCarp - thanks for the tips ... not that it will take the concern away, but it might help with the urge (or the lack thereof)

MNLittleFinn wrote: »

Stoshew71 wrote: »

@MNLittleFinn you might as well start growing that beard too.

If I could, I would.

That's the same thing I thought before I grew a beard for my marathon last year. Now it's my A race tradition...much to my wife's chagrin.

Just end the torment right now and sign up for it already! To be that close to all those trail in the Superior Nat'l Forest and not be running them is a shame and a crime.

Relentless Forward Progress is good book, though I only got through half of it. I had intended starting it again, from the beginning, before my 50k, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

@Elise4270 I love, love, love seeing your miles!

@OSUbuckeye906 I think that 0.1 mile difference between Strava and Garmin is pretty common (except for @WhatMeRunning because he's...special). I generally don't care about hitting a whole number but I get to the end of my run and it's X.0 on my Garmin, I will run an extra 0.1 just so I don't get a X.9 on Strava. I think you're right, Garmin takes point data from time to time and calculates the distance. When it syncs, it exports the point data and Strava does their own calcs for distance pace, elevation, calories and probably some other stats.

@iofred bring your own buttwipe in a small ziploc to the race. If you do have to go, you want to make sure you have some available. It's not uncommon for the porta-potties to be out and you don't want to have to run with only one sock.

@KatieJane83 Interesting questions about fasted runs. I could never do a fasted run if it wasn't first thing in the morning.

@hesfeld if you use Strava for tracking your runs there's a "Crop" feature which lets you trip that excess off. I'm not sure if that's something you can do in MMR. Congrats on a great run!

7lenny7 wrote: »

MNLittleFinn wrote: »

Stoshew71 wrote: »

@MNLittleFinn you might as well start growing that beard too.

If I could, I would.

That's the same thing I thought before I grew a beard for my marathon last year. Now it's my A race tradition...much to my wife's chagrin.

Just end the torment right now and sign up for it already! To be that close to all those trail in the Superior Nat'l Forest and not be running them is a shame and a crime.

Relentless Forward Progress is good book, though I only got through half of it. I had intended starting it again, from the beginning, before my 50k, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

@Elise4270 I love, love, love seeing your miles!

@OSUbuckeye906 I think that 0.1 mile difference between Strava and Garmin is pretty common (except for @WhatMeRunning because he's...special). I generally don't care about hitting a whole number but I get to the end of my run and it's X.0 on my Garmin, I will run an extra 0.1 just so I don't get a X.9 on Strava. I think you're right, Garmin takes point data from time to time and calculates the distance. When it syncs, it exports the point data and Strava does their own calcs for distance pace, elevation, calories and probably some other stats.

@iofred bring your own buttwipe in a small ziploc to the race. If you do have to go, you want to make sure you have some available. It's not uncommon for the porta-potties to be out and you don't want to have to run with only one sock.

@KatieJane83 Interesting questions about fasted runs. I could never do a fasted run if it wasn't first thing in the morning.

@hesfeld if you use Strava for tracking your runs there's a "Crop" feature which lets you trip that excess off. I'm not sure if that's something you can do in MMR. Congrats on a great run!

I was never able to grow a beard that looked "right" so I gave up. That is until I grew one out beginning fall of 2015. Loved it! I think it was all the running that made the beard start growing right. Keep up this mileage @MNLittleFinn and you will probably just wake up one morning looking like a lumberjack!

As for "being special", I guess I'm not so dang special. I wish I was special though. Turns out I just considered it to be a .01 discrepancy between Garmin and Strava. I'm pretty literal sometimes (I am special that way) so I did not think it was the same as a .1 discrepancy.

Elise4270 wrote: »

iofred wrote: »

Elise4270 wrote: »

iofred wrote: »

I think I am ready for the HM in 2 weeks time.
Only got one very big concern, which is a #2 facilities urge during the run ... doh

It happens. I stop and​ go if I need to. Some have pushed, erm, held on through. Remember to watch your fiber the few days before.

Lol, I know it happens, which is why that is my biggest concern ... I am one who tried to hold on through ...

I have ibs. First inclination that I might have to go.... And I gotta get! I can't hold a fart to save my life... Can't imagine a running turd. Haha!

running turds stink....pun intended and not intended....

@7lenny7 thanks for the suggestion! I knew I could count on this community to help out!

No run for me this morning. The universe plotted against my morning plans again today, and this time people and dogs got hurt!

Things started off innocently enough with the bus being ridiculous late to pick up my son (again). Then the nurse called from my daughters school to ask about a grey capsule they found in her hand. We have no idea what it could be, no grey capsules exist in our house, so maybe she got it on the bus or at school. We had to call the bus company to ask them to pull video to review to see if she found it there. I still had enough time to fit my run in before my first meeting of the day so I set out.

Within the first hundred steps or so into my run I heard the sound of dog tags clinging up behind me at a quick pace. With that two large black dogs ran right by me, obviously tagged and well cared for but on the loose. I looked behind me and nobody was chasing after them, so they probably got out of their yard with the owners unaware. They headed just down to the same road I was running towards and headed up the same way I was heading and out of sight. A little bit later I heard a ton of barking and knew those black dogs must have found a friend. Sure enough as I turned onto the path I was heading towards the back fence of the house next to the path had both of those black dogs running around the fence barking at whatever dog was in the yard. I was a little worried since they were now excited and I was running up towards them, but they both looked at me, ran up and around me and then darted off into the park along the trail I was planning to run. I wish at this point I had grabbed them but I was not sure if they were going to be aggressive when they came up to me at first so I was being cautious. I continued my run observing the black dogs running off through the park in the distance towards one of the roads that was busy with traffic heading towards a school to drop kids off for the morning. The dogs decided to go up the hill away from the school and I wondered if any other part of my run would encounter these dogs again. Just moments later I heard some screaming mixed with the yelping of a dog crying in pain. As I came out to the road I looked up the hill to see one of the black dogs with a smaller white dog in it's jaws by the leg, pulling it away from a lady who had the white dog on it's leash. She was screaming and the white dog was crying in pain while the black dog was quite forcibly pulling on that leg. I ran as fast as I could up the hill to get a hold of the black dog, and noticed that another man had taken hold of the other black dog off the side of the road where I couldn't see. The black dog let me grab him by the collar, let go of the white dog, and then it just sat there letting me hold it while we took account of the situation. Apparently both dogs took a hold of the smaller dog and the lady's husband grabbed the first black dog to hold it back before I turned out onto the road. The lady also got bit on the hand trying to save her dog and was bleeding, and the poor little white dog had a lot of blood all over and was just lying on the ground seemingly unable to walk. By pure luck a police cruiser was coming down the road just at that moment and I waved it over. Both of the black dogs let us hold them during the whole remaining part of the incident while Animal Control and an EMT arrived. Luckily the white dog did start walking around before I left, so while it is clearly injured, it could have been so much worse for that poor pup. That lady will need some stitches and shots too, her hand was pretty bloody. Both of the loose black dogs had tags with the city (for 2015) so the owners will be pretty easy to find. I went home afterwards because I didn't have enough time left at that point to finish my run, plus it had kind of thrown my mental game off pretty well at that point.

I will try again to fit in my run this afternoon because I don't want an off day throwing my plans out of whack (I don't need an unplanned rest day either).

11 mile run planned for this Saturday. I will skip the long run the following week due to a vacation. I am thinking a 12 the following Saturday and a 13 after that. At that point I will decide if I am training for a full marathon in October or not.

@WhatMeRunning Loose dogs make me so angry I hope the situation with your daughter is resolved also.

I ended up running 3 miles yesterday evening with a sufficient warm up of a half mile so I didn't have leg pain again. I decided to use the metronome again (I think it was last Mon or Tues I tried it, so maybe a weekly thing?). I noticed that when I turned on the metronome my form seemed to straighten up/clean up immediately. As I've slowed down more and more I've developed this shuffle I think where my feet barely get off the ground and I have no kickback behind me either. When I turned on the metronome to 180bpm, I started to drive my knees/lift my feet off the ground. So I think that's a good thing? But it feels tiring although I don't think I'm running that fast due to the increased cadence. I'm only increasing from like 170 to 180. But it feels exhausting, so I don't want to overdo it on the metronome use.

@WhatMeRunning oh man, what a morning! I hope the day improves for you, and everyone else involved!

@WhatMeRunning OMG that poor little dog. one of our little dogs died that way I also feel for the big dogs, they should not have had the chance to escape their yard, and now theres a good chance they will be euthanized. Im such an animal lover (especially dogs) these stories kill me. I have 3 dogs, I would love to take my Newfoundland running, but she tends to be aggressive towards other dogs if they come on our property (out in the country), so i dont want to take her with and chance coming across theres with dogs, even if shes only done it at home. She is a big strung dog, and a very good dog, but way over protective of her people.

Elise4270 wrote: »

@OSUbuckeye906 Strava reports one decimal. Congratulations. You are right where you belong, with the rest of us data nerds

I think your cumulative mileage will be correct tho, it just doesn't show the second decimal.

Based on my first run this morning, I think this is true. The lack of the hundredths place on the mileage was bugging me, but the pace, splits, etc. seem right. So, I'm going to keep giving Strava a chance because I like to hang with all you running geeks.

@MNLittleFinn - Just noticed the 50k is on your race list. I think that means it is signed, sealed and delivered. Just register now.

@iofred - I worry about that all the time! Knock on wood, it has never happened. The odd thing is, it happens with some "regularity" on my daily runs.

@WhatMeRunning - Wow! That sucks all around! Glad the little dog seems like it will be OK. Going to give the owner of the other two dogs the benefit of the doubt. I had a dog (small terrier) that once ran out our front door as someone was on their run going past and bit her. I still feel so awful about it. It was a very small injury, thank goodness, but I know it certainly was not how she wanted her run to go.