December 2017 Running Challenge
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RespectTheKitty wrote: »Do not understand the treadmill hate. I run almost exclusively on it during the winter and I do not mind it at all, so long as I have something to occupy my brain while I run. Hence my current addiction to The Great British Baking Show.
I'm also a little weird in that I hate being around people, so if I can get my miles done in the comfort of my own home, all the better.
So...
The dreadmill at my gym is kind of cool. I pick a famous trail, like, Grand Staircase Hike, and then tell it I want "average 7% grade" - it then turns on a fan puts up a video of the trail and when the trail goes up, the dreadmill increases grade, when the trail goes down, it decreases trail. It also pops up factoids about the trail. Dreadmills can not go downhill, but when you have been running at a 9% grade, and it drops to 3% it almost feels like downhill!
My dread mill at home has no fan, no video, no "average grade" and the belt sometimes slips under my stride. It literally feels like running in place, in a cloud of CO2, like I am some poor Sisyphus wannabe.
Even with the fancy pants dreadmill, the problem comes in with the lack of variation. So like if I am running along at 6.75mph and want to stop to take a drink, loosen a shoe, or something, then restart at 6.5mph, on the dreadmill that is lots of extra work completely breaking me out of the zone. Or if I want to slow down on an uphill, or speed up on a downhill, or just vary my pace at all, that really does not work on the dreadmill. Also if I want to get off the hard street and run in the dirt or grass for a bit that also does not work.
Plus you run for hours and quite literally go nowhere at all. Psychologically that is hard to swallow.
I would still rather do the dreadmill than the 1/12th mile indoor track I have access to!
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12/01 - Intentional rest day
12/02 - Run Santa Run 5k - 22:11 PR!
12/03 - 13.5 miles @ 9:24
12/04 - unplanned rest day
12/05 - 10.1 miles @ 9:21
12/06 - 10 miles @ 9:24
12/07 - Strength + 7 miles @ 9:14
12/08 - Nada
12/09 - Nada
12/10 - Nada
12/11 - 11 miles @ 9:53
12/12 - 9 miles @ 9:53
12/13 - Nada
12/14 - 10 miles @ 9:17
Big Hairy Audacious Goal: Sub 4 hours in Pittsburgh 2018!
Official Marathon PR: 4:11:28
Next Races (more as I find them):
02/10/18 - Valentine's Day 15k
03/17/18 - Shamrock Shuffle Half Marathon
05/06/18 - Pittsburgh Marathon - aiming for sub four hours.
05/12/18 - Glacier Ridge 50k Trail Ultra (I must hate myself)
2020 - Disney World Dopey! (if can raise funds)0 -
So, of course, I ran outside. I had some new coldkit pieces to test.
Before starting my run, this is what the trail looked like:
No one had run the trails ALL day. Seriously, the snow stopped sometime in the midmorning, and I went out early afternoon and there were only animal tracks.
Temp was 17F with 11mph wind according to Weather Channel app, but it is always far windier at this location than predicted. So I put on my new UA Infrared Cold Gear hood, my jacket, my gloves, my wool darn tough socks, my wool beanie, and hit the trail.
The moment I stepped outside, my fingers INSIDE my gloves were already cold. I knew I would not make it 1/2 mile without issues, BUT I had scored 12 pairs of hand warmers for free (well with rewards points) so I activated a set and put one in each glove. Ahhhhhhh warmth.
I figure I was running in about 3 inches of snow. I always tuck my pants into my socks so no snow got in.
Wind was in my face, so pulled up the face part of the hood and trecked along.
Afer a while I got pretty hot, pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while, then pulled it back up until I got hot and pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while, then pulled it back up until I got hot and pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while... I think you can see how that went.
About a mile in my hands were sweating, so I left the heater in and stuck my fingers out into the fingers part of the gloves. They almost instantly froze, so decided to stick with toasty fingers. I did not want to even think about taking the gloves off to pull out the heater.
It all went well, until I was almost back and saw I was at 9.5 miles and decided to take the long way back through the trails. Well running UP hill in ankle deep snow was no big thing... but running downhill was a bit different. I came around the corner at a faster speed (for fast finish) and hit the snow and started sliding (I am in street shoes...). Wee! I was not smart enough to slow down, I just somehow managed not to fall on my bottom.
So 10 miles, in 3 inches of snow. Was plenty warm. I think I could easily drop another 10 or 15 degrees. The only problem is hand warmers are a $1 per pair. So need to see what other options I have. Ordered a mitten thingy (mentioned up thread a few times) to see if that would work. If not, I can just buy hand warmers for when its cold.
On the way home I picked up a fleece pullover that I am hoping can give me different layering options (add it to current coldkit for really cold days, or sub it in instead of the jacket for not so cold days, etc).
Any which way, I am feeling more positive about winter training this year than I have ever before. All it takes is $100s of dollars of gear! (I have to laugh, so I do not cry! ) 7 -
Well... the new iPhone lock up when you are driving thing, has thought I was “driving” while on the dreadmill at this hotel twice now. So, 1, I now truly don’t understand how it decides that- as I didn’t even have a tracker going, and the phone was stationary, and 2 maybe it’s trying to convince me I’m going somewhere.
But the point of this story/tangent is that apple apparently disagrees with all of us who say treadmills involve going nowhere- apparently we are going somewhere fast enough to be “driving”
In other news, yes, I “ran” again. (or apparently drove??) Figure I better milk my stubbornness and stupidity for all I can before I get a newly issued “thou shalt not run” order next week. Still as slow or slower than a fast walk, but I’m trying to keep some intelligence about it.
3.25=6.5 for the month.
We will see tomorrow if today’s dumbness is any more forgiving than than the last round.5 -
12/1 9.75mi
12/2 4mi
12/3 rest
12/4 4mi
12/5 6mi
12/6 5.64mi
12/7 10mi
12/8 4mi
12/9 4.3mi
12/10 rest
12/11 5.5mi
12/12 4mi
12/13 9.25mi
12/14 3.31mi
Another 3 miles on the treadmill. Not because it was too cold but because my little one is tired of going to the childcare at the gym. I figured I could tough out 3 on the treadmill so she could stay home
10 miles planned for tomorrow. I think I’ll drive out to the state park and run the trails. I figure it’s good cross training.
My 1st grader had his Christmas concert tonight and one of his classmates puked in the middle of it! No matter how much you plan, kids make life SO unpredictable!! I felt bad for the little girl, but I couldn’t stop laughing.4 -
Well... the new iPhone lock up when you are driving thing, has thought I was “driving” while on the dreadmill at this hotel twice now. So, 1, I now truly don’t understand how it decides that- as I didn’t even have a tracker going, and the phone was stationary, and 2 maybe it’s trying to convince me I’m going somewhere.
But the point of this story/tangent is that apple apparently disagrees with all of us who say treadmills involve going nowhere- apparently we are going somewhere fast enough to be “driving”
You can disable that feature... was like the very first thing I did. 0 -
So if you don't have a phone and your Garmin watch battery died, does the really hard, hour long group track workout actually happen? I got no stats for you. Just glad I didn't die. Soaking in an Epson salt tub now. Ouch.7
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seanevan10 wrote: »So if you don't have a phone and your Garmin watch battery died, does the really hard, hour long group track workout actually happen? I got no stats for you. Just glad I didn't die. Soaking in an Epson salt tub now. Ouch.
Obviously not.
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You all are so inspiring. I am still on track for my goal and am already trying to decide on my goal for next month.
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PastorVincent wrote: »So, of course, I ran outside. I had some new coldkit pieces to test.
Before starting my run, this is what the trail looked like:
No one had run the trails ALL day. Seriously, the snow stopped sometime in the midmorning, and I went out early afternoon and there were only animal tracks.
Temp was 17F with 11mph wind according to Weather Channel app, but it is always far windier at this location than predicted. So I put on my new UA Infrared Cold Gear hood, my jacket, my gloves, my wool darn tough socks, my wool beanie, and hit the trail.
The moment I stepped outside, my fingers INSIDE my gloves were already cold. I knew I would not make it 1/2 mile without issues, BUT I had scored 12 pairs of hand warmers for free (well with rewards points) so I activated a set and put one in each glove. Ahhhhhhh warmth.
I figure I was running in about 3 inches of snow. I always tuck my pants into my socks so no snow got in. Wind was in my face, so pulled up the face part of the hood and trecked along.
Afer a while I got pretty hot, pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while, then pulled it back up until I got hot and pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while, then pulled it back up until I got hot and pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while... I think you can see how that went.
About a mile in my hands were sweating, so I left the heater in and stuck my fingers out into the fingers part of the gloves. They almost instantly froze, so decided to stick with toasty fingers. I did not want to even think about taking the gloves off to pull out the heater.
It all went well, until I was almost back and saw I was at 9.5 miles and decided to take the long way back through the trails. Well running UP hill in ankle deep snow was no big thing... but running downhill was a bit different. I came around the corner at a faster speed (for fast finish) and hit the snow and started sliding (I am in street shoes...). Wee! I was not smart enough to slow down, I just somehow managed not to fall on my bottom.
So 10 miles, in 3 inches of snow. Was plenty warm. I think I could easily drop another 10 or 15 degrees. The only problem is hand warmers are a $1 per pair. So need to see what other options I have. Ordered a mitten thingy (mentioned up thread a few times) to see if that would work. If not, I can just buy hand warmers for when its cold.
On the way home I picked up a fleece pullover that I am hoping can give me different layering options (add it to current coldkit for really cold days, or sub it in instead of the jacket for not so cold days, etc).
Any which way, I am feeling more positive about winter training this year than I have ever before. All it takes is $100s of dollars of gear! (I have to laugh, so I do not cry! )
Mesmerising pic!0 -
December 1 - 10 km
December 2 - 16 km
December 3 - 5km club run / strength training
December 4 - 12 km treadmill
December 5 - 12 km treadmill
December 6 - 16 km run / strength training
December 7 - 16 km run
December 8 - 16 km run / strength training
December 9 - 16 km run / 11 km run
December 10 - 5 km club run / 16 km walk
December 11 - 16 km run / strength training
December 12 - 10 km run
December 13 - 12 km run
December 14 - 16 km run
December 15 - 18.5 km run / strength training
203.5 km - goal 350 km3 -
PastorVincent wrote: »So, of course, I ran outside. I had some new coldkit pieces to test.
Before starting my run, this is what the trail looked like:
No one had run the trails ALL day. Seriously, the snow stopped sometime in the midmorning, and I went out early afternoon and there were only animal tracks.
Temp was 17F with 11mph wind according to Weather Channel app, but it is always far windier at this location than predicted. So I put on my new UA Infrared Cold Gear hood, my jacket, my gloves, my wool darn tough socks, my wool beanie, and hit the trail.
The moment I stepped outside, my fingers INSIDE my gloves were already cold. I knew I would not make it 1/2 mile without issues, BUT I had scored 12 pairs of hand warmers for free (well with rewards points) so I activated a set and put one in each glove. Ahhhhhhh warmth.
I figure I was running in about 3 inches of snow. I always tuck my pants into my socks so no snow got in. Wind was in my face, so pulled up the face part of the hood and trecked along.
Afer a while I got pretty hot, pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while, then pulled it back up until I got hot and pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while, then pulled it back up until I got hot and pulled down the face and was blasted with cold wind on my wet face for a while... I think you can see how that went.
About a mile in my hands were sweating, so I left the heater in and stuck my fingers out into the fingers part of the gloves. They almost instantly froze, so decided to stick with toasty fingers. I did not want to even think about taking the gloves off to pull out the heater.
It all went well, until I was almost back and saw I was at 9.5 miles and decided to take the long way back through the trails. Well running UP hill in ankle deep snow was no big thing... but running downhill was a bit different. I came around the corner at a faster speed (for fast finish) and hit the snow and started sliding (I am in street shoes...). Wee! I was not smart enough to slow down, I just somehow managed not to fall on my bottom.
So 10 miles, in 3 inches of snow. Was plenty warm. I think I could easily drop another 10 or 15 degrees. The only problem is hand warmers are a $1 per pair. So need to see what other options I have. Ordered a mitten thingy (mentioned up thread a few times) to see if that would work. If not, I can just buy hand warmers for when its cold.
On the way home I picked up a fleece pullover that I am hoping can give me different layering options (add it to current coldkit for really cold days, or sub it in instead of the jacket for not so cold days, etc).
Any which way, I am feeling more positive about winter training this year than I have ever before. All it takes is $100s of dollars of gear! (I have to laugh, so I do not cry! )
All this at a 9:17 pace - that's awesome PastorVincent!0 -
Thanks, @mustb60 and @Teresa502 !0
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Got in 8.1 this am. Too fast a pace at 8:30 but I was under some time constraints. I should have just run fewer miles but that didn't happen.
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Slept in until 5:45 this morning and woke up extremely tired. Star Wars was worth it.9
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12/1 - 5 miles. Still loving the warmer than average weather!
12/2 - 5 miles.
12/3 - Busy / rest day.
12/4 - 5.15 miles. This weather is nuts! It was 63° at 4:45 a.m.
12/5 - 4.75 miles. 35° temperature drop in 24 hours...Brrr!
12/6 - 3.5 'mill miles, then upper body weights / abs.
12/7 - Unplanned rest day. Didn't sleep...ZZZZZ
12/8 - 3.5 on the treadmill, then weights and abs.
12/9 - 4.5 windy miles.
12/10 - 3 'mill miles, then extremely short upper body weights.
12/11 - 5 miles.
12/12 - Rest day.
12/13 - 5 windy miles.
12/14 - 5 miles. Colder by 15° than yesterday, but way more comfortable because no *kitten* wind!
12/15 - 4 miles. Shorter than usual because my wife wouldn't stop talking so I could get out the door to run
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Non-running check-in.
Today is the 5th day in a row of now running. My knee has been getting better every day, but I'll be testing it with several miles of walking in fields every day for the next 3 days while I hunt pheasants in South Dakota with Kody and my son. There's still some mild discomfort from time to time. I'm looking forward to my appointment Tuesday.
At Costco a couple of days ago I bought a pair of ski goggles for my sub-zero, high wind runs this winter. $23 is all.
Apparently there's been a cougar sighting...or rather, a "hearing"...on the trails just 2 miles from my house where I do most of my trail running. Two gals were running the trails yesterday morning and had a mole run across the trail right in front of them. They were startled and stopped and in the immediate calm after they stopped they heard a low feline growl which be stronger and more assertive. Now there was no sighting, only hearing, so for me it's not a confirmed cougar, but we have had cougars pass through our here in the past so it very well could have. Too bad I'm laid up, I'd love to out and run those trails to see if I could find any sign. Most likely the big fella is just passing through and we won't be hearing about it again. They called the sheriff and the DNR about it and they came out to investigate but I haven't heard if they've confirmed it was a big cat. They did say they weren't going to put up any warnings unless there's another sighting.
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Just dropping this
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@juliet3455 I saw that on facebook yesterday. It made me laugh since I mostly run when everyone is asleep, so I wouldn't be avoiding them anyway.1
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Slightly chilly here...
not sure if schedule will permit a run or not, but left my new warmer shirt at home so that does not help!0
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