January 2018 Running Challenge

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  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
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    HRKinchen wrote: »
    Y'all! I set out today to run another 2 miles nonstop, just to prove to myself that yesterday wasn't a fluke. Parked the TM on 4.0mph again and ran. Got to 2 miles - nope, not a fluke - and still felt good, so I figured I'd try another half mile. Finished that and still felt good, so I figured I'd try another half mile. And at that point, what's another 1/10 mile, right? So, y'all, I DID IT!!! I ran my first EVER nonstop 5K today!!! I won't mark it off my goals for the year until I do it in a race setting, but seriously, y'all. I had no idea when I woke up this morning that this would be my day today! :blush:

    W00T!!! Well done!
    HRKinchen wrote: »
    So, now I have questions: Where do I go from here? (Besides rewarding my body with a day or two of rest first.) I'm thinking of bumping my easy runs up to 2 miles at 4.0mph and shooting for more than a 5k on my long runs... But how far should I aim to run now? And should I have a speed day? Or should I completely forget about speed for now and just focus on miles and endurance?

    What's next? Well, run an ultra marathon of course! :lol:

    There are lots of theories about how to train, but you are still just starting out so you so do you want to push things too hard. @_nikkiwolf_ mentioned "Bridge to 10k" as a good place to go, and I think that is probably right. That will give you a realistic plan that is designed for your level.

    If you do not want to follow that plan, your next option is probably to pick what you care about most, a great 5k time at the next race, or running a lot father. Then focus your training on the one you decide you care about more. Whatever you do, I would advise against increase distance and speed in the same week. So you might do:

    Speed week
    Distance week
    easy week
    Speed week
    Distance week
    easy week
    etc.

    Or something along those lines. It is way easy to overtrain and hurt yourself so one of the precaned plans like "Bridge to 10k" is really best for you at your level.


  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
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    _nikkiwolf_ wrote: »
    Tomorrow is my first race for the year!
    First two races, actually, since I signed up for both the 10k and the 5k. My plan is to race the 10k, then do the 5k for fun. Not sure what time to expect for the 10k, my only races last year were 5k and marathon; my last 10k race was June 2016...

    I have to admit, I'm a tiny bit nervous. It's the first time I run a race that starts in the afternoon (16:20 for the 10k, 18:00 for the 5k). There is no place to drop a bag, and I don't think I'll be able to find parking within <15min walking distance from the start/finish line, so I'll have to figure out a way to stay warm for ~40min between the two races. The weather forecast is 3°C (37°F) and heavy rain, so standing around in sweaty running clothes doesn't sound so nice.
    Maybe I shouldn't have signed up for both, but the 5k is a "light run", where everyone is supposed to wear coloured lights while running in the dark, that sounded fun. Plus the fee was 25CHF for each race, but only 35CHF if you do both. So running 10k & 5k saves me a lot of money :wink:

    Do you have the big heavy plastic garbage bags over there? If so cut a hole out for your head and pull it over your body between races. It is light enough to carry while you run the 10k, and will help keep you warm and drier between races. Then just before the 5k, toss it in a garbage can.

    The other option is to get a watertight bag, and toss some warm clothes in it and hide it near the finish line someplace. I have done this - but it is risky that the bag will be gone when you come back so do not put anything you really love in it.
  • _nikkiwolf_
    _nikkiwolf_ Posts: 1,380 Member
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    @PastorVincent I hadn't though about a garbage bag for between races (yes, we do have those over here as well :grin:). I was considering to race with a backpack filled with clothes, but a garbage bag should fit in my jacket's pockets, that would be better.
    The race is in a big grassy park (no trees), so no hiding spots, but maybe I'll also risk putting a cheap fleece shirt in a bag with a "for after the race - please don't throw away" paper and hang in on a fence post, hoping for the best.
  • mustb60
    mustb60 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Ran 10 km walked 6 km then lost my fitness band! T_T Will have to rely on Google fit now which is not that accurate.
  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
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    Fellow Garmin/Fitbit/whatever device wearing runners that also wear it while sleeping overnight... do you find it is tight when you wake up? Like if I have it comfortable when I lay down, when I get up in the morning it is tight enough to be uncomfortable and leave a physical impression of itself in my skin.

    Is that normal? I have to assume that means my wrist got bigger at night for some reason? Fluid retention while laying down?
  • HRKinchen
    HRKinchen Posts: 202 Member
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    Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement and advice! :smiley: My only real speed goal at this point is to be fast enough (or less-slow enough) by April that I can stop for photo opps during the WDW Star Wars Dark Side 5K, without cutting it too close to the minimum pacing requirement. Right now, there's only a 1min/mile difference between my pace and the minimum, though I suspect that stopping here and there for pics would allow me to run a little faster than if I were running the race straight through.
  • HRKinchen
    HRKinchen Posts: 202 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    Fellow Garmin/Fitbit/whatever device wearing runners that also wear it while sleeping overnight... do you find it is tight when you wake up? Like if I have it comfortable when I lay down, when I get up in the morning it is tight enough to be uncomfortable and leave a physical impression of itself in my skin.

    Is that normal? I have to assume that means my wrist got bigger at night for some reason? Fluid retention while laying down?

    Mine feels a little tighter overnight, too. Not enough to make much of an impression, but enough to notice. Hadn't considered water retention, but that would make sense. Also maybe it gets pushed a little farther up your wrist?
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,010 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    Fellow Garmin/Fitbit/whatever device wearing runners that also wear it while sleeping overnight... do you find it is tight when you wake up? Like if I have it comfortable when I lay down, when I get up in the morning it is tight enough to be uncomfortable and leave a physical impression of itself in my skin.

    Is that normal? I have to assume that means my wrist got bigger at night for some reason? Fluid retention while laying down?

    Weird... I DID notice the same thing this morning. Just started wearing mine, still getting used to it. Figured I slept on my arm or something.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    Fellow Garmin/Fitbit/whatever device wearing runners that also wear it while sleeping overnight... do you find it is tight when you wake up? Like if I have it comfortable when I lay down, when I get up in the morning it is tight enough to be uncomfortable and leave a physical impression of itself in my skin.

    Is that normal? I have to assume that means my wrist got bigger at night for some reason? Fluid retention while laying down?

    not something I've noticed although my fitbit strap is held with a magnet so could potentially loosen overnight. I've just ordered a new leather 'watch-strap' fitting as I suspect there's nickel in the current strap giving me dermatitis on my arm.

    I guess it could be water-retention or similar. This is my first time in twenty plus years of wearing a watch regularly and I don't think I ever used to wear one all night anyway
  • cburke8909
    cburke8909 Posts: 990 Member
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    5 miles combo elliptical and treadmill. 5 days in a row hoping to get a long run tomorrow for a good week.

    exercise.png
  • abutcher2122
    abutcher2122 Posts: 175 Member
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    Just a quick 2.4 miles so I wouldn’t feel like such a lazy bum today. Lol
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  • hjeppley
    hjeppley Posts: 230 Member
    edited January 2018
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    _nikkiwolf_ wrote: »
    @hjeppley I'm probably a bit late, after all the socks advice you've already got. But in addition to wearing socks with wool, I also liberally apply (bike) chamois bike to my toes when I know I'll spend a few hours running in the wet, I like to think that helps prevent blisters as well.

    Thanks! That sounds like good advice. I'll have to see if our local bike shop has it. If not, Body Glide or something like that would help at least a little I'd imagine. The melting hasn't really started yet, but today it should start in earnest (and then freeze again overnight). I am still debating making some "screw shoes" and bringing those along just in case. Being a screw shoe virgin however, I am not sure a half marathon is the place to try it out. There is also a some ice underneath the current snow that is melting so not sure how that is going to play tomorrow particularly on the somewhat technical terrain.

    Good luck to everyone racing tomorrow! @_nikkiwolf_ I am similarly (unreasonably) stressing out about racing later in the day. My half marathon starts at 6 pm and I am pretty stumped about what and when to eat tomorrow. It doesn't help that I am busy from 10:45 am to 2 pm with my son's music lessons. Right now I am thinking about eating right after lessons and then maybe having a little apple sauce or an energy bar right before the race starts.

    @Orphia How do you get to pace? I think I'd like to do that sometime! It sounds like fun.

    I just did some water walking this morning. Will stretch and foam roll really well tonight and probably do a yoga class the morning of the race.
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Good luck to @hjeppley @_nikkiwolf_ and anyone else who is racing this weekend. I've got my first race of the year on Sunday. A flat and fast 10k lake circuit. No snow in the forecast and apparently temperatures will be in the high 30s. I'm good with that.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    On the theme of socks…..I run a lot in wet stuff. It’s the UK, we like rain and mud, snow we don’t really get, but mud? Yep, by the bucketload. The only problem is…..I’m allergic to wool. I mean, maybe it would make me run faster, having a burning itching sensation in my feet that I couldn’t wait to soothe, but I’ll pass. Anyone got any good NON-natural fibre suggestions?
  • Starflight00
    Starflight00 Posts: 112 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    Fellow Garmin/Fitbit/whatever device wearing runners that also wear it while sleeping overnight... do you find it is tight when you wake up? Like if I have it comfortable when I lay down, when I get up in the morning it is tight enough to be uncomfortable and leave a physical impression of itself in my skin.

    Is that normal? I have to assume that means my wrist got bigger at night for some reason? Fluid retention while laying down?

    I wear mine 24/7 and have never experienced this. I'll pay attention tomorrow.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
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    PastorVincent wrote: »
    Fellow Garmin/Fitbit/whatever device wearing runners that also wear it while sleeping overnight... do you find it is tight when you wake up? Like if I have it comfortable when I lay down, when I get up in the morning it is tight enough to be uncomfortable and leave a physical impression of itself in my skin.

    Is that normal? I have to assume that means my wrist got bigger at night for some reason? Fluid retention while laying down?

    I have never noticed mine being tighter in the morning. Obviously, your wrist is swelling overnight; the open question is why? If it's a normal consequence of some health issue you're already managing, it's no big deal. If it's something new and different, I'd want to know what is causing it.

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