March 2018 Running Challenge

Got in 9 today on trail. Had to do three loops of the shorter route because the north facing hills were icy, and the longer route was an icy, upward climb that o wasn't equipped to deal with. Three more long runs before the 25k. Planning on doing 11m, 13m, 14m. Something in my brain likes to train closer to distance than most plans I've seen. I should get 1 or 2 more trail opportunities on weeknights while my son is at soccer. Pretty much running the distance that time allows, and kind of following a mash up of the Hal Higdon Novice 2 and Intermediate 1 plans for the last few weeks.

Adventures in finding a hydration vest have not been successful. I really want a Wunjo, but can't get it in time for the race. I might just do my handheld and rely on aid stations for refills. Most of the rest of my long runs will be two loops of the same trail which will allow me to refill at my vehicle, just ad I would at an aid station.

Also, I tried my first Gu today. It was like a shot of chocolate pudding, and it did what it was supposed to do.

Nice slow run today, conditions on trail getting better all the time! Happy Saturday all!



March 1- Off
March 2 Off
March 3- 30
March 4 - Off
March 5 -18
March 6- 15
March 7- Off
March 8- 16
March 9- 20
March 10- 45
March 11- 16
March 12 & 13- Off
March 14- 27
March 15 & 16- Ben gone, *kitten* the treadmill
March 17- 50

237/400

1086/6000

2018 Races
*Gord's Frozen A** 50K, February 19 7:08:00, 1st place Women's Open
*JAJA Trail Marathon, April 1
*Red Deer Marathon, May 20
*Lone Wolf Last Man Standing Race, June 17
*Eddie's Half Marathon, June 24
*Lost Souls 100 Miler, September 7

16.35 km WestBrook-Shaftsbury. Run 3k-Walk ~100m. Started out at -6C Finished +8C ( 25F change ).
The first 10km were great, then dehydration hit and the last 6k were a real struggle- didn't have any water with me. Had to walk some sections/hills that I never walk. Got through it and survived. Usually this distance is never a problem, slightly overdressed for the higher temp on the inbound so I burned through my hydration reserves. Lesson learned - it's spring conditions with big temperature swings.
In the summer we will do drop bottles under certain Pine Trees ( 5-8km ), can't do that right now as the Spring bottle pickers ( snow melts and bottles show up ) are out in full force and will take anything they find to the recycle centers.



03/01 0.0 km – 0.0km – 140.0 km – YTD 128.32km
03/03 12.0 km – 12.km – 128.0 km
03/04 5.0 km – 17.km – 123.0 km
03/07 11.0 km - 28 km - 112.0 km
03/10 15.0 km - 43 km - 97.0 km
03/14 4.4 km -47.4km - 92.6 km
03/17 16.35km -63.75km - 76.25 km - YTD 192.07 km Westbrook & 684

@7lenny7 Thanks for sharing that link. It was a good read.
This is one of those times when I read articles and they really resonate with me, as I think that some of the things they describe I can say I have experienced/felt. Never an all out Panic/anxiety attack - but definitely stressed with no idea of how to let go/release. I think the change from Stressed( physically or mentally) to Panic/Anxiety is a very small step as experienced by the author of the article and as @Orphia said " My psychologist explained really well how anxiety is caused by our natural "fight and flight" response to stress or danger.

In our modern lives, we often don't have an outlet for fighting or running from these situations. So our heartrate, breathing, bodily functions, sweating, etc are all affected indefinitely instead of going towards a physical battle which is over quickly."

To my MFP friends ( especially those who have openly admitted OCD/Anxiety etc ) @RespectTheKitty , @JessicaMcB and others these articles give me and probably many others a better idea of the daily struggles you survive.
Makes me realize how strong you are.
I know that I suffer from Seasonally Affected Disorder due to limited sunlight ( vitamin D Deficiency ) in the winter which can make me a Grumpy Grizzly bear - but that's more of a Dietary condition causing issues so it can't really be compared. Running = Outside = Increased Sun Exposure = .

March Running Totals (miles)
3/1 – 5.57 easy
3/2 – rest day
3/3 – 16.09 paced run
3/4 – 7.22 easy with hills
3/5 – rest day
3/6 – 6.21 easy with fast finish
3/7 – 6.60 group run
3/8 – 6.24 easy with fast finish
3/9 – rest day
3/10 – 18.07 paced run
3/11 – 6.54 easy
3/12 – rest day
3/13 – 6.51 warmup and group run
3/14 – 6.01 at marathon pace
3/15 – 6.23 easy
3/16 – travel day
3/17 – 6.99 warm up, 8K race, cool down

March running total to date – 98.28

Nominal challenge goal: 180 miles

Real goals: Build base. Work toward being able to run 26.2 miles by Patriots' Day.

Today's notes – Spent 13 hours on the road yesterday, ended up asking myself why the heck do I do this?

This morning it was 28º F (-2º C) with minimal wind at gun time, and the sun was just rising. For reference, here's a view from the hotel balacony an hour before gun time:



Set out to run a bit faster than threshold. Of course, I was sucked out too fast for the first mile but I moderated to be more sustainable and deliberately backed off the intensity for miles 3 and 4. Mile splits were 6:07, 6:28 6:25, 6:31, and 6:22 on a course as flat as a track in near-perfect running weather. Gun time was 31:55, net time 31:51. In the tough USATF Masters field, that was good for 69th of 183 overall, and 14th of 26 in the M 60-64 age group. Have I mentioned that the USATF Masters national events always have a tough field?

After I finished, I someone I didn't recognize called my name. It turned out to be @ctlaws44, who had started in corral 2, just behind the Masters in corral 1:



I'm pretty happy with the race; I finished about 30 seconds faster than what I would have considered a pretty good result, didn't kill myself, and feel pretty good. I'm not quite stupid enough to run the half marathon tomorrow as well, and I was not anywhere near stupid enough to do the ocean plunge with most of my team this afternoon.

Travel day tomorrow, and probably no run. I may run on my normal rest day Monday instead.

2018 races:
February 17, 2018 Freezeroo #5 (Valentines Run "In Memory of Tom Brannon" 8 Mile) (Greece, NY) finished in 54:48
February 24, 2018 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 4.4 mile) (Webster, NY) finished in 28:46
March 17, 2018 USATF Masters 8K (Shamrock 8K, Virginia Beach, VA) finished in 31:55
March 24, 2018 Spring Forward 15K (Mendon, NY)
April 16, 2018 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA)