August 2017 Running Challenge
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August Goal - 120 Miles
8/1/17 - 4.02 Easy
I will be doing all of my base building miles in z2/z3 avoiding any threshold / vo2max stuff until i get back to 40+ miles a week and lose a few more lbs. I may add in some cadence drills but getting back to logging more time on my feet is needed. Today was cool, raining and dark at 5am so it was a few laps around the hood. I was looking back at my training from last year at I logged a tad over 300 miles for August last year so hopefully getting to that 120 won't hurt too bad.3 -
I am back for August. Sorry to have bailed on July's challenge. With trying to ease back into running while still rehabbing my hamstring as well as trying to add proper cross training and strength training and everything into the mix, I just felt like I was spinning my wheels with no clear direction. I needed to take a step back and re-evaluate my long term goals and get a good handle on how to get there. July ended up being a good time to do this because it was so darn busy with things in my personal life. I did manage to run around 80 miles last month (plus quite a few more if you include the ones I did not track spent running with my doggie), but most of those were just head out and see where it takes me type miles, which, in my opinion, can be really good for the soul. I tried to keep up with the thread for a while, but you guys are just too prolific! It ended up being a useless effort and I gave up when we went on vacation in the second week.
So, as I mentioned, I have been looking ahead for some serious long term and short term direction. I have the Bourbon Chase relay coming up in October, which was never intended to be a serious "race" as agreed upon by my team, although I will probably be assigned one of the toughest two legs of the challenge, so maybe I am underestimating how trained I will need to be. I also started thinking slightly beyond that for a half marathon to gauge where I can be compared with last year if I introduce some proper speed work back into my regimen. I think I am ready for it.
My niece lives in Charlotte and is wanting to run the Charlotte Half-marathon as her first half marathon in November. I told her that I would join her. The results form last year indicate that I could have easily won my age group by several minutes and could have taken second female in the masters division, so I thought it sounded like a pretty good goal to strive for.
Beyond that, I would also like to do a spring marathon. First I will have to wait and see if my time from Boston this year is good enough to get me back there. If, by some chance it is, I told my husband that I plan on applying for Big Sur through the Boston to Big Sur entry. This will be a difficult challenge since they are only two weeks apart, but Big Sur has always been a bucket list of mine and is a pretty hard lottery to win. However, chances of getting in go up dramatically if you run Boston and commit to running both of those marathons. If, by some chance, that actually became a reality, I would be walking a good deal of that marathon and soaking up all of the beautiful scenery! If my BQ time does not hold up, I think I will do the Flying Pig for the third time. It is the 20th anniversary and they are planning to give commemorative jackets to all of the finishers of the full marathon. Given that it is my hometown race and first full marathon, I think that would be a pretty cool thing to have.
Sorry so long winded, but I just wanted to get that all down in writing since it has been churning over in my mind. Glad to be getting (really) back into the swing of things. I missed you guys! Also happy to see some old friends back this month: @7lenny7 , @kristinegift and @5512bf. Can't wait to get back on track with you!
Oh, going to set a goal of 100 miles for this month. Planning on 4 days running per week in August and hopefully ramping up to 5 in September. Also planning on sticking with the P90X3 and strength training on my running days (except my long run) and swimming on 2 of my non-running days. That's my plan and I'm (hopefully) sticking to it!
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seanevan10 wrote: »MNLittleFinn wrote: »PastorVincent wrote: »Amanda2887 wrote: »So, this is my first time doing a running challenge. I have never been a big runner, typically walk/jog and have gotten up to doing 3 miles at a time. It has been a while since I have done this so my goal for this month will be 20 miles. I plan on running 1 mile 5 times a week. Each month I plan on increasing it by a half of a mile just to take it slow unless I feel like I need to increase it. I am also in a new neighborhood so finding my new path will be interesting. Another goal is to find my sweet spot so I don't need to walk during my run, I would like to be able to do a long distance run at some point.
Any pointers will be great
Biggest pointer - Do not compare yourself to anyone on this thread. Some of them are crazy fast and other do crazy mileage. Use a program like RunKeeper, Strava, MapMyFitness, or what ever to track your progress so that you can see your gains over an extended period of time. Take your time and listen to your body.
Also HAVE FUN!
And fair warning, do not tell anyone you eat your hot dogs with ketchup on them. *smh*
Awesome advice. I always find myself comparing what I do to others. Here's the thing, when you do that, even if your run faster or more mileage than people, you start feeling inadequate! I'm by no means a fast runner, and my mileage isn't as high as some people's, but I have my goals and I am working toward them as best I can, so I keap that in mind.
Also, don't be afraid to ask question, the experienced runners on here have really helped me become a better runner, and I greatly appreciate their help.
All of this. I am slow and low compared to all of these folks. But I don't compare. I am out there doing my best and it will get better over time!
Also, Thank you for all the support you all have given so far!
@Amanda2887 You know, all miles/kilometers are not created equal amoungst us. Age, terrain, endurance, nutrition, weight, attitude, altitude, cool shoes, and pace are just some of the variables. You'll find newbies to marathoners here. The challenge is of yourself!
And I bet I'm slower than all y'all!
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spencerfiretn1322 wrote: »Hello, everyone. I am a beginner runner who has recently gotten back into the habit. Two years ago I was running about 3 miles every other day with about 5 miles as a long run. Due to many changes in my personal life, I was unable to commit time to exercise until recently when I quit a second job so now I am back at it. Only now I am 50 pounds heavier.
I started in earnest about a month ago and now can run/walk 2 miles easily and 3 miles with difficulty. I would like to commit to 35 miles this month.
Thinking of running a half marathon in late October. I have run many 5Ks before and I do have a training plan that would get me there by race day but wanted some opinions on whether that is too soon for that kind of a distance. This particular half marathon is special in that I would be running a route I am very familiar with because I have helped secure law enforcement for this race for years in my work for the police department and the race sponsor has offered to comp my race fee as a thank you.
Thanks for this group and I wish everyone very best luck in completing your goals for August!
And I thought I was being aggressive when I went from being a non-runner to a half marathon in 6 months!
I love your motivation and enthusiasm for getting to that goal! Though I only know what you've posted, I think you could do this IF you can accept doing the HM in run/walk intervals and only concern yourself with finishing, not with any sort of time goal. If you try to push your training, or push yourself too hard during the race you run a big risk of injury which could really set you back. The hardest thing about running is not the running, it's respecting your body's limits and the recovery time needed between runs.
One thing in your favor is your past running experience. Even though it was two years ago, that helps.
I think you should go for it as long as you're willing to walk a fair portion of it, and go without any finish time goal. I'd also recommend that 98% of your miles be slow, easy miles. If you're huffin' and puffin', gasping for breath, you're going to fast. Take it slow. That will allow you to run farther with less chance of injury. I think too many beginners see experience runners doing tempo runs or track workouts and think that they need to do it too. No. Build the aerobic base first.
Once you get to within three or four weeks of your race, maybe throw some strides in at the end of your run (but before the cool down) to get your legs used to some faster turnover and to recruit some fast twitch muscles.
If you have a bike, do some biking for cross-training.
Losing weight will also help you, but don't lose any more than 1 pound/week. When I started running I was 40 pounds heavier than I am now (I used to be able to say 50 pounds, sigh....) and losing weight was huge in helping me run longer and with less pain.
Feel free to post your training plan if you want some of us to look it over.
Good luck!7 -
seanevan10 wrote: »MNLittleFinn wrote: »PastorVincent wrote: »Amanda2887 wrote: »So, this is my first time doing a running challenge. I have never been a big runner, typically walk/jog and have gotten up to doing 3 miles at a time. It has been a while since I have done this so my goal for this month will be 20 miles. I plan on running 1 mile 5 times a week. Each month I plan on increasing it by a half of a mile just to take it slow unless I feel like I need to increase it. I am also in a new neighborhood so finding my new path will be interesting. Another goal is to find my sweet spot so I don't need to walk during my run, I would like to be able to do a long distance run at some point.
Any pointers will be great
Biggest pointer - Do not compare yourself to anyone on this thread. Some of them are crazy fast and other do crazy mileage. Use a program like RunKeeper, Strava, MapMyFitness, or what ever to track your progress so that you can see your gains over an extended period of time. Take your time and listen to your body.
Also HAVE FUN!
And fair warning, do not tell anyone you eat your hot dogs with ketchup on them. *smh*
Awesome advice. I always find myself comparing what I do to others. Here's the thing, when you do that, even if your run faster or more mileage than people, you start feeling inadequate! I'm by no means a fast runner, and my mileage isn't as high as some people's, but I have my goals and I am working toward them as best I can, so I keap that in mind.
Also, don't be afraid to ask question, the experienced runners on here have really helped me become a better runner, and I greatly appreciate their help.
All of this. I am slow and low compared to all of these folks. But I don't compare. I am out there doing my best and it will get better over time!
Also, Thank you for all the support you all have given so far!
@Amanda2887 You know, all miles/kilometers are not created equal amoungst us. Age, terrain, endurance, nutrition, weight, attitude, altitude, cool shoes, and pace are just some of the variables. You'll find newbies to marathoners here. The challenge is of yourself!
And I bet I'm slower than all y'all!
I don't know about that slower thing. During my actually running today, my mile was 12:04. No worries. I am only 4 weeks back into running after a long time off. Not worried. Just out there kickin' it as best I can.
Aug 1- 2.02 miles. It felt sooooo good this morning. O dark thirty was 72 degrees. That is so nice for North Texas!3 -
PastorVincent wrote: »JessicaMcB wrote: »And I am 100% laughing over the fact that we have brought the hot dog convo into another challenge month. @PastorVincent is a plant for French's Mustard, I just know it! Haha!
Just for you, this is my dinner tonight:
Ugh, blasphemy!!!2 -
@seanevan10 my run yesterday was 13:05. My fast pr run this last weekend, 12:03. Gotta beat girl!3
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@spencerfiretn1322 : @Elise4270 made a good point about the cut off times! The half marathon I want to run in September for example has a time limit of 2:30 hours. I'm not a fast runner, so I know that I would not be able to finish in that time if I had to do a significant amount of walking mixed in with the running...spencerfiretn1322 wrote: »Thanks for the honest feedback; it was what I was looking for. I could walk a lot of it and finish but I don't think I want that as my first half marathon experience. Additional thoughts are welcome.
You can do a half with little training, if you don't mind walking a significant distance of it. And if you decide to do it... well come next year you'll be faster and will set a PR.
Check out the cut off times. There usually are plenty of walkers the ones I've done.
Figure out the distance you can run.
Do you want to run every other mile and the last 2 or something of the sort? Or are you set on running the entire course?
Just be careful. This is the type of situation that tests rule #1 of running -train smart- always be mindful of being too agressive to quickly.
Everyone is different. You may be able to pull it off- just approach those miles/kilometers with caution. My son made 6 miles in 6 weeks and was able to consistently run 2 miles in 13 minutes. It'd take me 6 months to do that and I'd get no where near his pace.
So, you're the only one that can truly decide if you can do it. Just be ready to reign it in if needed.
Which is the training plan you want to follow, and how fast does it go from 3mi to 13.1mi?
If you want to finish the half marathon well, you should be up to running at least 10 miles before the race day.
There are different suggestions on how to increase your mileage. Some say don't increase the weekly mileage by more than 5-10%. I've also read other suggestions like "increase the distance of your long run by 1mi and the distance of the short runs by 0.5mi each week for three weeks, then take a recovery week where you reduce it again".
From my personal experience, I already found it hard enough to increase from 5km to 10km; I don't think I could have gotten to the point of enjoying a half within three month. I went from first half marathon to first marathon in ~6 month, but that was after running somewhere between 10k and half distances for at least a year before.
If your goal is to finish and you are determined to put in the effort, you can do it. But I'm not sure how much fun it would be.2 -
Hey @lporter229 ! Some great goals there, sounds like you're back on track!
My upcoming race schedule.
9/16/17 - Outrun Homelessness 5K, Savage, MN - 5K (Tentative)
9/23/17 - Surley Trail Loppet, Minneapolis, MN - HM
10/7/17 - Big Woods Trail Run, Faribault, MN - HM
1/27/18 - Securian Winter Run, St. Paul, MN - HM
2/24/18 - Psycho Wyco, Kansas City, KS - 50K (Tentative)
4/14/18 - Zumbro Endurance Run, Theilman, MN - 50 Mile
4/28/18 - Chippewa 50K, New Auburn, WI - 50K
5/19/18 - Superior Spring 50K, Lutsen, MN - 50K (Tentative/Lottery)
I also have a handful of other races picked out through October where if the weather is not conducive to sailing, I'll consider a late entry into those races instead. Included in that is the local Ragnar in August. I've been asked by two teams to join, but I'd rather be sailing if possible.3 -
Having been MIA I don't know what this hot dog fetish is all about, but I'll go on record saying that I enjoy my dogs with a spicy brown mustard. If onions are available I'll dump those on too. Ketchup is good only for fries. Plain yellow mustard is only useful a base for a rub on barbecued ribs. Relish is an abomination unless it's homemade.
And the best hot dogs are made with natural casings and linked together. My favorite is Ambassador brand wieners. Nathan's are pretty darn good too though.
Yes, I'm opinionated.
You know what hot dogs are made of, right?
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It's August 1st and we have 4 pages already!!! hot dogs and Fibonacci. We must be doing something right because it seems we've gained quite few new members and the return of others. welcome to all. I will give my two pieces of standard advice to those starting out. 1: Listen to your body when it comes to taking days off and resting (You're not a slouch for not exercising or even exercising less. If you do not you will most likely incur and injury and find yourself not exercising at all) 2. If you are limited and want to do more cross train. (elliptical machines, treadmills, swimming, bicycles, and other aerobic forms of activity will in time make you a better runner and are less likely to cause injury because they are not weight bearing activities.) Looking forward to getting to know you all.
(Last piece of advice: Don't think you need to read each and every word written here. There is a life to be had)5 -
It's only August 1st and there are so many posts! Welcome to those just joining!
I'll set a goal of 75 for August. This morning's run was 4.16 at 10:44 min/mi.
MTD: 4.16 / 751 -
I conquered my fear of trying something new and went to dragon boat rowing practice last night after a freak out session on the drive there. Loved every minute of it and my shoulders are feeling it today. The rowing coach was super funny and said "I would make you all run for conditioning, but since 75% of you wore flip flops, I guess that's not an option". It was nice and cool 85 last night
so I (being the 25% that wore real shoes) would have gladly taken him up on that offer. 7 -
Jesus Mary and Joseph how are there already four pages of posts on August 1st? Pace yourselves, people! 9
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I seem to have picked up a niggle of sorts in my right heel. It's not PF, I know that. I've had surgery for PF and I know what it feels like. This is a different area of my heel, towards the very back, so I'm thinking it's my achilles. It's not terrible, just annoying. But it's definitely something to keep an eye on.
As Laura now goes and Googles "achilles stretching exercises."0 -
RespectTheKitty wrote: »Jesus Mary and Joseph how are there already four pages of posts on August 1st? Pace yourselves, people!
You're awesome. 1 -
PastorVincent wrote: »
Those are Hebrew National all beef ones. About as healthy as a hot dog can get. Which is not really saying much I know, but allow me my delusions.skippygirlsmom wrote: »@pastorvincent I'm so jealous!!! I love hot dogs. Skip is making me eat healthier since I gained some weight in the last year so it's salmon and veggies for us tonight.
@pastorvincent I was delusional with Nathan's, Skip saw some with less calories the other day so we are trying them out this week. I swear I could eat hot dogs every day. @7lenny7 no one wants to know what they are made of, never ever look at the back of the package, ever! BTW I wish you would do some races this fall.
@respectthekitty ha ha my grandmother used to say that all the time "Jesus, Mary and Joseph .... " ha ha BTW did you win the walk challenge?
@_nikkiwolf_ wow a 2:30 cutoff on a half seems awfully short, that's an 11:30 pace.
hi @lporter2290 -
Hi all! New to this challenge. I've done a few 5ks and am currently working up to my first 10k, hopefully sometime in Sept. I'm going to set my goal at 50 miles for August.
Looking forward to learning a lot from everyone here!8 -
A rest day for me today because I'm off to Fenway Park tonight, and for the hot-dog afficionados on here, I will be partaking in one of these little beauties.
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MFP says I have 20 notifications but it will only let me see the last 6, 5 of which were in this thread. The 6th one was @HonuNui wanting a Kody report, so here it is.
I don't take Kody running much in the heat because of his thick fur but Saturday we were camping and he was getting way to excited when he saw me get ready for a run, so I decided to take him and go for a run/walk instead, with a chance for a great cool down at the end:
Thursday, with a forecast high of 63 and rain, looks like another good chance to get him out running.
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