January 2018 Running Challenge

My infamous "Screw Shoes". I used these during my snowstorm run Monday in case there was ice under the snow. If you make a pair, I recommend bringing along a nut driver or screwdriver the first time you use them. I put one screw right under the ball of my foot and after a few miles started bothering me. It didn't penetrate through the bottom of the shoe, it was more like a small lumpy annoyance.

280 miles on these shoes. I'll keep these as my screw shoes this winter and toss them in the spring. I have another pair of this same model I can use next year.

1/1 - 5.0 km
1/2 - 5.1 km
1/3 - strength + walk
1/4 - 5.7 km
1/5 - walk
1/6 - 8.1 km
1/7 - rest
1/8 - strength plus core
1/9 - 5.8 km
1/10 - strength plus core
1/11 - 5.5 km
1/12 - rest
1/13 - 10.4 km
1/14 - rest
1/15 - rest
1/16 - 5.8 km
1/17 - 3.2 km
1/18 - 5.4 km
1/19 - strength
1/20 - 6.3 km
1/21 - strength
1/22 - rest
1/23 - 5.0 km
1/24 - 3.0 km

74.3/80 km (stretch goal 100 km)

Cold again today, but only on the way out. Just a short run and then I'll do strength training later after youngest is in bed.

Upcoming Races:
1/1/18 Resolution Run 5K ~38:00 (no official times)
3/4/18 MEC Road Race #1 10K
4/7/18 Jasper Half Marathon
4/22/18 MEC Trail Race #1 5K
5/20/18 MEC Trail Race #2 10K
6/24/18 MEC Trail Race #3 15K
8/18/18 Edmonton Marathon 10K
9/2/18 MEC Trail Race #4 10K
10/7/18 MEC Trail Race #5 15K

January Running Totals (miles)
1/1 – rest/injury
1/2 – rest/injury
1/3 – rest/injury
1/4 – rest/injury
1/5 – rest/injury
1/6 – 1.59 test run
1/7 – rest day
1/8 – 2.01 easy
1/9 – rest day
1/10 – 3.00 easy
1/11 – rest day
1/12 – rest day
1/13 – unplanned rest day
1/14 – 3.04 easy
1/15 – rest day
1/16 – 4.68 easy
1/17 – rest day
1/18 – 5.17 easy
1/19 – rest day
1/20 – 3.01 group run
1/21 – 3.01 easy
1/22 – rest day
1/23 – 4.13 warm up, tempo run, cool down
1/24 – rest day

January running total to date – 29.64

Nominal challenge goal: No specific distance

Real goals: Start January getting back to running regularly. Finish January in base building mode, giving myself a chance to start and complete Boston 2018.

Today's notes – Rest day today, but I didn't report in yesterday. Yesterday evening was the time trial for the training program. I went to see if there would be any fast trainees for the 8:00 pace group. Staff had me lead the run over to the loop we use; I took a wrong turn and ran 1.3 miles instead of about 0.75. Oops. Fortunately, I was able to correct people following me on the way to fix it, so the slower they ran the less extra distance I gave them.

The actual time trial is stated to be 2 miles. Garmin always measures it longer than that. I don't know whether it's really a long 2, or it was measured like a closed road race. The trial is run on open roads, so you can never run really good tangents where the road curves.

I didn't run all out, because I'm hurt; but at the last minute I decided I could run at threshold effort. That should have produced a time around 13:30; my actual time was 14:14. (Garmin recorded it as 2.07 miles and thinks I averaged a sub-7 mile.) Dang, I'm out of shape! It's not that there's anything wrong with running 2 miles at a 7 minute pace; it's that it felt like running threshhold, but the time result was like half marathon pace.

I was still a minute ahead of the fastest trainee; several ended up being assigned to the 9:00 pace group, but none to 8:00 or 8:30. I expect I'll still see some of the same optimist we keep trying to get to slow down to 9:00.

So after I run, I walk around, clap for trainees finishing their 2 miles, chat with some folks who are repeating the program, and then we run back to the store. On the return trip, my quad informed me that running hard wasn't a very good idea. So I stretched and rolled while the standard orientation speech was given. Got home, went to bed instead of staying up to post here. Slept late, and this morning my quad is almost as good as it was yesterday morning. Taking today as the planned rest day anyway.

Tomorrow I run something easy, maybe 4 or 5 miles worth. Saturday, I won't go to Freezeroo #4. I don't want to be in a race environment for 5 miles and maybe do more damage than I did in 2 miles yesterday. Instead, I'll go see if anyone shows up for 5 or 8 miles of an 8:00 pace Saturday morning. If not, I'll run with the 8:30 group.

2018 races:
February 17, 2018 Freezeroo #5 (Valentines Run "In Memory of Tom Brannon" 8 Mile) (Greece, NY)
February 24, 2018 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 4.4 mile) (Webster, NY)
April 16, 2018 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA)

1/1 = 6 miles
1/2 = rest day
1/3 = 7.5 miles
1/4 = vinyasa yoga class
1/5 = 7.5 miles
1/6 = 13 miles - River Road Half Marathon
1/7 = 6 miles
1/8 = strength training at the gym
1/9 = early PT appt for my foot/ankle
1/10 = 8 miles
1/11 = 6 miles
1/12 = 9 miles
1/13 = rest day
1/14 = 14 miles (run/walk intervals with group)
1/15 = 5 miles & foot PT appt.
1/16 = rest day
1/17 = 6 miles dreadmill & 30 minutes strength training
1/18 = 4 miles
1/19 = 14 miles (run/walk intervals)
1/20 = gimpy foot rest day
1/21 = 8 miles (run/walk intervals)
1/22 = 6 miles and short strength training session
1/23 = rest day
1/24 = 9 miles

It was 45 degrees of perfection this morning. I wanted to run longer just because it was so nice outside. Alas, my bank account told me I had to go to work.

January Goal = 140 miles / total miles = 129

Today was amazing! I ran 5.1 miles - a new distance PR! My last PR was 5 - but it still counts for something! I did a fartlek ladder type of run today which helped to mix things up. Honestly, I wasn't even tired when I was done. I could have easily gone a couple more miles if my toes didn't start to swell up and my feet didn't start hurting. My mind and the rest of my body was wanting to continue - but I didn't want to hurt my feet too much so I stopped.

My 75 mile goal - I might have to bring it down to 60, but I will give it my all. I can honestly say that even if I have to lower my goal, I'm in the best shape that I've ever been in my life! Keep crushing those miles everyone - it IS making a difference!

Jan 24: about 2.5 mi running, 6 mi total

Tracker messed up my run today, grr! At least it was working when we ran our fast mile - which is getting better and better, down to 8:34 now, from a shade under 9 last week.

My husband and I tried out our new shoes - unfortunately I still have a humongous skinless blister on the back of my heel from running with wet feet, which was bugging me even with a bunch of fancy sports bandaids padding it. Try as I might I could not get the heel on that foot not to slip just a little, so I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted, since I didn't want to push it and make the raw place worse. I'm a diabetic and even though my blood glucose is tightly controlled, my feet take forever to heal.

However, we did get some testing done anyway. About a mile jog to warm up, then a fast mile, then a couple of intervals to see what it felt like to open the throttle. Tracker was saying we got up to about 5:24 which is darned fast for me and my bad knees, and the nice thing is I didn't feel unstable at all.

We were doing this last bit when we went dashing by the running coach for the local high school out walking her puppy. She laughed out loud and said, "Hello, you two!" We have spoken before because we share space with her team, who are usually hurtling by us on the boardwalk or thundering past in a herd on the trails, and she apologized on their behalf. We told her we enjoy seeing the kids, several of whom are good enough to have their names show up at the top of their age groups in major races. One young lady in particular we have nicknamed "Diana" because she is always streaking by like an Amazon. I want to grow up to run like her - unfortunately I don't know a way for a forty-nine-year-old to grow up to be seventeen! But she is a joy to watch.

After that we swapped into our old shoes and hit the trails. Funny, I didn't think my shoes were that much better until I swapped back, and my old shoes felt like house slippers. House slippers may be comfortable, but the idea of running in them just feels silly! Can't wait to see what the new shoes feel like after my feet heal. Fortunately tomorrow is a gym day and then two rest days so three days before we run again.