February 2018 Running Challenge

I made it through my HM on Sunday and it was tough. Between travel and being sick I was so not ready. It was a beautiful sunny morning and while it was good to sleep in a bit, the later start (7:45) made for a warmer run. I think it was mid 60's by the time we actually got going and mid 70's at the end. On the good side it was incredibly clear and the views were spectacular of the wetlands and ocean.


Knowing I would be running slower I started back a wave from where I would have normally. It was a good thought but it really didn't work out well. Even though I was slower and had to walk at times, I was constantly having to dart around people who would walk 3, 4 or 5 across, or just stop with no warning. There was even a couple of ladies and a man with a jogging stroller although they announced no strollers or dogs on the course. On one of the narrower parts of the course around mile 5, they were bumping into slower people with the stroller and would all stop to do something for the baby but not pull to the side - they just stopped in the middle leaving all the runners behind them to have to stop because they couldn't get by. I was so happy to finally get past them! I ran the 1st 5k a little over my normal race pace and then started to not feel well. I was coughing and had an upset stomach and just didn't want to have to throw up. At this point I was seriously asking myself what in the heck I was doing out there and why did I think this was a good idea! I managed to eat some gummy bears and felt a bit better but was afraid to try anything more. For this race you basically have two loops - on that goes up and back to the wetlands and another that goes north west along the ocean (PCH) and back. The section coming back from the wetlands loop is slightly down hill as is going outbound on the PCH loop so those sections felt pretty good. By the time I hit the turn around on PCH about mile 8.5 I was really getting tired and had to start walking more. Also on this section you are running slightly uphill, right into the sun and it felt so hot and dry. There were many water stations and everyone was dumping water on themselves as much as drinking. By about mile 10 or 11 all I really wanted to do was sit down but I knew if I stopped that would be the end for me so I just kept going. I did manage to run in the last mile or so to the finish line. My time was a good 30 mins over my time from last year and 40 mins over my HM PR.
I will run it again next year - hopefully healthy and trained for it.

I looked at my HR over the entire race and from the very beginning it was high for me (130's) and never really came down during the race even when I was walking. I thought this was pretty strange since I never felt like I was really pushing my cardiac level because my legs just felt so tired. I also ended up with a big blister on my heel - the first I have ever had in almost 6 years of running... I could feel it, even tried to get a bandaid at the aid station, but it didn't really hurt until afterwards.
Edited to add - I am so very sore and tired after this race. I can ever remember feeling the beat up... I guess that along with the HR are indicators of just how 'not ready, not healthy' I was for this race.

Before the race I was really looking forward to beer on the beach (tents in the first picture). After the race it was the last thing I wanted. So I had my banana and chocolate milk and called it done!
Requisite bling photos... 2nd medal is for running the SF HM consecutively with Surf City. Additionally for being a legacy for the race now, I also got a cotton t-shirt (not shown). I bought the hat (finally a HM hat!) and I got a previous years tech shirt for $10 (also not shown)!

Date........Miles.......Total
01/01......6.64......6.64 - + Strength Training
02/01......0.00......0.00
02/02......4.23......4.23
02/03......0.00......4.23 - Expo
02/04....13.41....17.64 - Surf City HM
02/05......4.21....21.85 - + Agility



My completed and upcoming races. Let me know if you will be running them too.
07/23/17 - San Francisco 1st Half Marathon
10/14/17 - AIM for the Cure Melanoma 5K Walk/Run
12/16/17 - San Diego Holiday Half Marathon
02/04/18 - Surf City Half Marathon
07/22/18 - San Francisco 2nd Half Marathon

@kgirlhart , does Fitbit push HR data to Strava? I use Runkeeper and my Charge2 doesn't push to it, which is very disappointing...

@7lenny7 , your both beards are super cute

@RunsOnEspresso , I got free month premium on MFP which expires on Friday. I'm thinking of keeping it, but am curious what advantages do you see in premium?

@amymoreorless , get well soon!

@Joyous2018 , good luck with the 5K plan, it is really better for you long term. Don't push yourself too hard on the run parts, conversation pace sounds boring but is really better.

@shanaber , kudos for finishing even though it was tough. now take care of yourself! cool swag, btw

I will think of all of you running in sub-zeros temperatures when I go out tonight at -5°C/23°F windchill.

After four days of not running, including missing my long run on Sunday because we were still out of town and catching up on family matters, it felt good to finally lace up again this morning. Unfortunately, the blerch caught up with me, and a 2.25-mile assignment got cut back to 1.5 miles. Will aim to make up the difference tomorrow, which would've been my short run day. A little disappointing, but really I'm just glad to be back!

MTD: 4.75/45
YTD: 52.35/500
2/1 - 2.75
2/6 - 2.0

*****

Goals for 2018:
- Run 500 miles
- Run a nonstop (no walking) 5K
- Run/walk my first 10K
- Run 3+ trail races
- Run in 3+ states
Stretch Goal: Run/walk a HM

Races:
1/27 - Mississippi Blues Marathon 5K (Registered) - DNS
2/14 - Luv 2 Run 2.14M virtual (Registered)
2/18 - Q50 Trails Extravaganza 5M (Registered)
3/10 - Hammond Shamrock Run 5K
3/18 - Shamrockin Run 8K in NOLA
3/31 - Crescent City Classic 10K
4/20 - Star Wars Dark Side 5K in WDW (Registered)
5/12 - Q50 Cinco de Mayo Trail Race 5K
6/21 - Summer Solstice 6.21M

*****

2/1: 11.85 miles
2/2: 13 miles
2/3: 13.07 miles
2/4: 10.3 miles
2/5: 10.26 miles
2/6: 10.26 miles

@juliet3455 - Love the Calvin and Hobbes! You guys that run in such cold have my utmost respect. I do feel guilty though complaining about the heat here, I just miss having at least a few days of winter. Congratulations on your AG place! Awesome job!
@simcon1 and @RunsOnEspresso - on the water discussion. I am fortunate to have a paved running/biking/walking trail near my house. It has bathrooms and drinking fountains (for people and dogs) so I don't have to carry water when I run there. When I am not running there or on longer runs I will carry water for me and the pup. Also I chew gum when I run. My mouth and throat also get so dry too especially when the humidity drops so low. Unless I was sipping water all the time I would be miserable so the gum helps.
@polskagirl01 - Yum! Those look delicious! Where are you running that you need to wear a anti-smog mask? That would be tough!
@7lenny7 - Love Kody's ice beard and all the pictures! I had to show them to my husband and they reminded us of an area in Maryland that we used to go to with our daughter and her chocolate lab (Savage River).
@gatorento - this thread can help you be consistent, especially if you keep up your reporting here on what you ran. I started out just want to be able to report a run regularly here, then it became a habit and then an addiction
@Joyous2018 - welcome! I 2nd what @juliet3455 said. Also running slow is good. You should be able to hold an easy conversation (or singing or ?) the point is you shouldn't be out of breath. If you are you need to slow down more. As your fitness improves your speed will naturally as well.
@RunsOnEspresso - I am not a big fan of Strava and found it very buggy so I don't use it much other to follow the MFP group. Maybe the premium is better and that is how they get you to want it? The one thing I would consider getting the MFP Premium for is the ability to export my data. I track all my macros, calories and weight along with my runs over time to see the correlations (data geek too ) and entering the data by hand from the diary is terrible. I do find it frustrating that it used to be one of the freebies and now you have to pay for it... On the race corrals - at one point I did tell a bunch of women walking 5 across (on the left) as I was trying in vain to get by them that they needed to be considerate of the people coming up behind them and stay to the right if they were going to walk.
@ddmom0811 - I am so sorry your race didn't go well either! We both had issues at that dreaded mile 11! I do like your solution but it wouldn't have worked for me as they close down PCH completely for the race so there are no cars. I did enjoy watching the kids getting to skateboard and ride bikes in the middle of PCH (other side of the divided road from us) while it was closed. I am pretty sure this is about the only time they get to do that.

So I was exhausted last night after agility class with Hobbes the Vizsla. By our last run I was toast (he on the other hand was doing great and having a blast). I wanted to get out for a run today as it looks to be the only cool day this week and work is really slow for once. Unfortunately I am still so stiff and sore so I am going to take a 2nd rest/recovery day. This is also why I am here reading and responding Will get out for a walk this morning and then have strength training tonight.

2/1 5miles
2/2 14.1miles!!
2/3 5miles
2/4 rest
2/5 6.5miles
2/6 4miles

A brisk 4 miles just under 9 minute miles. Felt pretty good.

3/18/2018 Shamrock half marathon
10/7/2018 Crawlin Crab half marathon
11/18/2018 Norfolk Harbor half marathon