August 2018 Running Challenge

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  • RunnerGrl1982
    RunnerGrl1982 Posts: 412 Member
    Rest day today before a 7 mile run tomorrow morning.

    I just wanted to throw out a couple questions to everyone....how long have you all been running on a consistent basis, and how long had you been running before you noticed a significant difference in your pace/consistency? (by that, I mean - you don't feel like every mile is a bear to run - not necessarily speed)

    We made it to Friday! Yip Yip! :) Hope everyone has a lovely day!


    So you are probably not going to want to hear this...

    I am at that stage of running where when my schedule/weather permits I run 50-70 miles a week (last few months have been a bear thanks to the job change and moving to a new town, but I will get back up there). I judge the max distance of a race I can run not by miles, but by hours. Half marathons are middle distance runs for me at best. I call anything less than 10 miles a "short run."

    My 5k time is like 23 mins, my marathon time is like 3:50-4:10, so I am by no means a speed demon, but probably in the top 1/3rd or so for my age/gender. 2003 was when I had to turn my health around or die. Check my blog for that story ( pm me if you need the link, we are not allowed to post links to our own sites).

    So yeah, I should be beyond this. BUT forget every mile, every single STEP requires me to push through. I have tried all kinds of shoes, barefoot, different gates, and so on. I have found somethings that help (tech fabric for clothing was a huge discovery, only second to BODY GLIDE - cream of the gods!) - but in the end, yes every mile is a bear. Whether I am running a 5k or an ultramarathon.

    My blog has the details...

    This is fantastic that you shared this. Getting different perspectives on how runs are for a variety of people, sheds a lot of light.

    I find it interesting you judge your runs by hours and not mileage, and I can see how that makes sense. Right now most of my mileage is all short distance. So - I would judge mine by miles. But as you run longer distances and build up the endurance for it, I can definitely see how going off of how many hours you can run would potentially be a better guide depending on just how much a person would want to build themselves up in distances.

    I enjoyed your view point on this! It's given me more to chew on along with everyone else's responses! So I appreciate you taking the time out to answer! :)
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,885 Member
    @LaDispute57 Wow! Glad you didn't see the bear, or that the bear didn't see you. For future reference, just in case of an encounter, if it is a black bear you need to make yourself as big as possible (raise and wave your hands) and make as much noise as possible. As long as you aren't between a mother and her cubs, that should scare it off. I've heard, however, if it is a Grizzly, you need to play dead. I don't think I'd have to play. I'd probably have a heart attack. LOL Pepper spray is probably a good thing to carry.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,885 Member
    @PastorVincent Sorry about the car crash. Glad everyone was okay. Now to deal with the insurance companies, which I have always found to be a pain. Good luck with that.
  • garygse
    garygse Posts: 896 Member
    @LaDispute57 Wow! Glad you didn't see the bear, or that the bear didn't see you. For future reference, just in case of an encounter, if it is a black bear you need to make yourself as big as possible (raise and wave your hands) and make as much noise as possible. As long as you aren't between a mother and her cubs, that should scare it off. I've heard, however, if it is a Grizzly, you need to play dead. I don't think I'd have to play. I'd probably have a heart attack. LOL Pepper spray is probably a good thing to carry.

    RE Bears:

    The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.

    They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

    Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.

    It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

    Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
    :lol:

  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
    garygse wrote: »
    @LaDispute57 Wow! Glad you didn't see the bear, or that the bear didn't see you. For future reference, just in case of an encounter, if it is a black bear you need to make yourself as big as possible (raise and wave your hands) and make as much noise as possible. As long as you aren't between a mother and her cubs, that should scare it off. I've heard, however, if it is a Grizzly, you need to play dead. I don't think I'd have to play. I'd probably have a heart attack. LOL Pepper spray is probably a good thing to carry.

    RE Bears:

    The National Park Rangers are advising hikers in Glacier National Park and other Rocky Mountain parks to be alert for bears and take extra precautions to avoid an encounter.

    They advise park visitors to wear little bells on their clothes so they make noise when hiking. The bell noise allows bears to hear them coming from a distance and not be startled by a hiker accidentally sneaking up on them. This might cause a bear to charge.

    Visitors should also carry a pepper spray can just in case a bear is encountered. Spraying the pepper into the air will irritate the bear's sensitive nose and it will run away.

    It is also a good idea to keep an eye out for fresh bear scat so you have an idea if bears are in the area. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear scat.

    Black bear droppings are smaller and often contain berries, leaves, and possibly bits of fur. Grizzly bear droppings tend to contain small bells and smell of pepper.
    :lol:

    @garygse :D I wish I came up with that... no idea on the original source but I saw it for the first time at least 1/2 a decade ago.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,885 Member
    @Avidkeo The first time I decided to run, about 10 years ago, I too did the 3T's. I couldn't even walk up stairs, my shin splints were so bad. I had to rest about 2 weeks before I could try again at a slower and shorter distances.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 5,885 Member
    @PastorVincent I had seen that before too, but forgot it until I got to the punch line. LOL Too funny.

    ____________________________________
    I haven't been posting everyday, because I have just been too busy. My goal for the month was 59 miles. If I make it, it will be a miracle, especially since I have been playing a lot of tennis - 5 times this week. It's hard to play tennis and walk/run the same day. So, here is my exercise for the month, so far.

    8/1 - 2 mile walk on the treadmill
    8/2 - rest
    8/3 - 2 mile walk outside
    8/4 - tennis singles for over 2 hours
    8/5 - rest
    8/6 - 2 mile wog (walk and jog) outside
    8/7 - 2 mile wog on the treadmill after 2 hours of tennis (doubles)
    8/8 - 2 hours of tennis (doubles)
    8/9 - 2 hours of tennis (singles)
    8/10 - 2 hours of tennis (doubles)
    8/11 - 2 hours of tennis (doubles) and 2 mile walk outside
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
    @katharmonic it was a very humid day, so I don't know if the fog made things genuinely even more steamy or if it just looked that way. Whatever, it was really cool to run through and went down very well with the parkrun tourists. You'll have to get out to Jamaica Pond when you're here and run a parkrun. We love having visitors.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    8/1: 1.19
    8/3: 4.07
    8/4: 5
    8/5: 6.04
    8/9: 2.9
    8/11: 17

    Total: 36.6/100

    9/30 Wineglass Marathon

    Today’s run was bad. The schedule called for 23 miles, but since I stopped about a mile short for my 20 mile a couple of weeks ago, my goal was to get 21-22. I could only make it to 17. Mentally, I’ve had a bad couple of weeks. I ran slower than I was supposed to, and my hip flexors started aching. I cried the last quarter mile or so because I just couldn’t go any further. I am so disappointed in myself, even though I know I did the best I could do today. I know not every run is a good run. I just don’t want to fail at my marathon.

    @marisap2010 Well done on the 17 miles under such tough circumstances! It's bad enough when the brain won't co-operate without the body being painful too.

    I've written about what I learned studying the psychology of endurance here:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10651431/the-psychology-of-endurance/p1
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    Okay, it’s 9 pm and I’m calling it a day - I’ll miss my lifting goal this week, but I’ll get some prehab in tomorrow to get me to my goal for mobility work, and I’m halfway to my 50 mile running goal for the month, so buck up, buttercup! Some days the brain-weasels run amok, some days they sleep quietly, and other days they just scratch at the fences - this was the third kind of day, but I got to run this morning, so it was a good day.