October 2018 Monthly Running Challenge

hesn92 wrote: »

10/1 - lifted
10/2 - 2.4 miles - W7D1 of C25k. Ran for 25 minutes straight :-o
10/4 - lifted
10/5- 2.5 miles - W7D2.
10/6- lifted/went on "hike" (with 2 year old, we didn't get far), rode bikes - good day
10/8-lifted
10/9-torrential downpour, didn't get to run plus my basement flooded, woopee
10/10-lifted
10/11- 2.2 miles W7D3
10/12- lifted
10/13- 2.4 miles W8D1 ran for 28 minutes straight :-o again
10/15- lifted
10/16- 2.4 miles W8D2 another 28 minutes straight, woo hooo
10/17-well I was supposed to lift
10/18- 2.6 miles W8D3

I finished the program! Yay! 30 minutes of running but as you can see I did NOT run 5K. I'm a half mile short! According to Strava my avg pace is like 11:30 min/mile. So I suppose that's my new goal. I'll add minutes on until I get there.

Sometimes I stop and think about it, like I just ran 2.6 miles straight. I'm not sure if I've ever done that before in my life. Wow. Go me.

Woot! Congrats @hesn92 ! You will be crushing that 5k distance in no time. Are you signing up for a 5k race? That’s the fun part.

kgirlhart wrote: »

@polskagirl01 I followed Miles for Dennis on Strava but I can't add him to my run since he is not following me.

Got your run, thanks! I'm not sure if the times are automatically going to transfer in correctly, but that should be an easy fix if I go by the list.

polskagirl01 wrote: »

Let's try this on Strava:

Miles for Dennis
https://strava.com/athletes/milesfor_dennis If the link doesn't work, just search for him. "Miles for" is the first name, "Dennis" is the last name

Once you're connected as followers, tag him on the run you dedicated to him (under "edit activity". That's the "add a friend who didn't log" option.) Once we get the notification, one of the administrators can save it as a Dennis run. When we have everyone's runs logged, someone who is good at the fun mapping tools can come up with some visualizations for us This will work for the marathons people are doing in the future as well.

Administrators: How about @Orphia , @Elise4270 , @_nikkiwolf_ , others??? Basically we're accepting friend requests, then when we get notification that someone sent us a run, add it as Dennis' own with the name of the person in the title. I had to save the picture and manually add it to my own run.

Someone needs to tell strava they are charging a him for summit, unless he paid for a year... ETA oops. I mean his actual account, not this. I noticed when looking at my friends list he has the summit logo still.

@ContraryMaryMary I've just heard from the uni, and they have changed my schedule all around. I'm not meeting them at 11am and having the photoshoot at 12-1. I'm scheduled to do 12k on Wed, still keen to join in? Timing might be a bit tight though lol

Yesterday I got to run 4.74 miles, probably my last run before the half marathon on Sunday. It was a beautiful fall day (mid 60s) so I was back in shorts, which only emphasized how none of my capris are nearly as comfortable. Thankfully it’s looking to be only a little cooler on Sunday so shorts it is! The first half of the run was amazing, almost effortless, but about halfway around the lake, I started feeling not-insignificant mittleschmertz, as the Germans so neatly call it (i.e. “cramps”), which made the second half of the run something of an endurance effort. I’m due to get my period today or tomorrow and do sometimes get cramps just before or early on, but I’ve never had it happen during a run before and then have the pain go away by the time I stopped running, so it was very odd. Not a big fan.

Also, it was my first time running in toe socks! I picked up a pair of Injinji’s at the TCM expo out of curiosity (and because they were on sale) and generally I’d say I liked them. I didn’t love the feel between my big toe and second toe, but the rest of my toes felt much more comfortable than usual. I don’t usually have toe issues running but the small toes on my right foot in particular are a little cramped so I can feel them during my runs at times, but not in these goofy babies! I might have to look into getting some more once my cash flow loosens up again (i.e. next June at the way things are going). ETA: My main toe issue is my lackadaisical approach to nail hygiene, which the socks also helped with but I should probably address on its own. I am not especially fond of pedicures - I could take or leave them and generally don't consider them worth the money - but there's a place across the street from my hopefully-soon-to-be new house that offers a "men's sport pedicure" for half the price of a normal one, so I'm hoping they'll let me give that a try. And yes, I did trim my toenails myself this morning - I got a bloody toe on a long run a few weeks ago and learned that lesson at least!

I guess I should start planning for Sunday. I was a bag of nerves before my last half, but honestly I have been so busy with house-buying stuff that I've barely had time to think about it. Of course, it helps that I've run the distance already plus a few 10-13 milers. I'm a little tempted to try starting with the 2:20 pace group instead of the 2:30 group, but that would put me sub-11 minute miles if they go for even splits which is probably too ambitious for the first ten miles or so. So far my best pace over 10 miles is the 11'08" I managed at the last half, but the pacers there did a faster first half and those last few miles were tougher than I'd like. Even so, I did enjoy running with the group, so I think that I'll stick to the same goal as last time - first 9-10 miles with the 2:30 group, then pick up the pace for the last 5K if I feel up for it. The route is going to be a lot straighter and largely downhill, plus I'm going to try and be less of an idiot about tangents, so fingers crossed for a PR! And that I remember to turn off my HRM and my watch doesn't die. Yeesh. Time for a list!

Ten+ mile pace:
9/9 - 13.5-ish @ 11’08”
9/23 - 10.63 @ 11’23”
9/30 - 12.66 @ 11’49”
10/14 - 10.04 miles @ 11’33”

@MobyCarp: I guess I am an outlier here because I genuinely do not care if my runs end on random numbers. I've looped around a little if I'm short of a particular goal, but not to hit a round number.

@Orphia: I do not have either garmin or strava (I keep meaning to set up the latter, but that’s a #novemberproblem. I do have gps data from Apple workouts if thst’s at all compatible.

@biketheworld: I was catching up on the Another Mother Runner blog a couple of nights ago and came across a link to a New York Times article talking about how winners are people who know when to quit when things aren't working out. It fit pretty perfectly into my “don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good” mindset that’s been keeping this self-improvement project going far longer than I might have expected. I know I’ve posted about this general subject before, but I think that the key to meeting your goals is to constantly be evaluating your goals, and being ready to change your goals as needed - basically, when to quit.

Unrelated to running but because I know there are plenty of nerds here, I just finished Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars (at 4 am yesterday morning after staying up to work on my budget - I think I’m almost there!) and would highly recommend it to fans of alternative history, and/or space exploration/the space race. If you liked the movie (or related book) Hidden Figures, you will almost certainly like this book.

OCTOBER MILES:
10/1 Mo - rest
10/2 Tu - 1:11:20 - 6.54 meandering and cold
10/3 We - 0:20:06 - 1.94 zippy after lifting
10/4 Th - 0:45:37 - 4.33 medium effort
10/5 Fr - rest
10/6 Sa - Twin Cities Marathon Weekend 10K - Chip time: 1:05:14
10/7 Su - “rest” volunteering at TCM gear check
10/8 Mo - rest
10/9 Tu - 1:09:53 - 6.54 improving my cold weather game
10/10 We - 0:40:00 - 3.60 numbers approximate (workout accidentally turned off)
10/11 Th - rest
10/12 Fr - 0:56:36 - 5.20 medium effort sort of painful
10/13 Sa - rest
10/14 Su - 1:56:06 - 10.04
10/15 Mo - rest
10/16 Tu - 1:06:06 - 6.32
10/17 We - prehab, finally (if I’m going to neglect lifting I need to not neglect this!)
10/18 Th - 0:52:09 - 4.74
10/19 Fr - rest

October Total: 55.59/85 miles

Races! (italics under consideration)
July 4: Red, White and Boom! 5K Chip time: 0:32:20
August 25: Glo Run Night Race 5K Chip time: 0:30:40
September 8: Helen Gold 10K DNS - trip postponed
September 9: City of Lakes Half Marathon Net time: 2:28:25
October 6: Twin Cities Marathon Weekend 10K Chip time: 1:05:14
October 21: Mankato Half Marathon
November 24: Mustache Run 10K
December 8: Reindeer Run 10K or 15K (leaning 15K)
January 5: Polar Dash 10K
January 26: Securian 10K
May - August: Endless Summer Trail Running Series
July 17: Torchlight 5K

@MegaMooseEsq Good luck on the half on Sunday! You totally got this! FYI - I love following a pacer. Not only do I get to hear someone’s “running life” story, but it gives me modivation to keep going when I loose all “umph”.

About the toe socks, I just “can’t even” get comfortable with stuff between my toes. I look at those Vibram shoes that separate the toes and shake my head. How is that comfortable?

@garygse: I thought about those tips on my last run, too. I’ve got the hips and string parts fairly solid, but I definitely noticed a fair amount of side-to-side motion in my upper body. Something to work on! I find focusing on brushing my hips with my wrists helps but it's hard to keep that going.

@amirahdaboss: I’m finding it harder to run when it’s cold, too (although 34 degrees doesn’t count as extreme where I’m from!). I think it’s because my muscles tense when I’m cold and so I’m working against myself. The unevenness is frustrating, too. My butt and my face are always the coldest!

@amymoreorless: I was really surprised with the socks that I only noticed the stuff between my toes by my big toe - I was expecting them to be much less comfortable. I generally can’t stand the feeling, either - I haven’t worn flip-flops since college and then only in the showers.

@shanaber: I don’t remember if I read this or fell into it myself, but I try to lead with my boobs when I’m running - it feels silly but keeps my back and shoulders straight. Also, I remember you mentioning trying Strava to save batteries, but I keep forgetting to do it! Based on my last half, turning off the HRM should get me over that hump this time, but more wiggle room would be nice in the future.

Question about cold weather gear: understanding that shoes are super individual and all, are there any tips to keep in mind for picking out trail shoes? REI is having a garage sale tomorrow and I’m planning on trying to get some insulated leggings and maybe a pair of trail shoes for running on uneven snow/ice this winter. I’ve only got about $150 to play with but expect the prices to be pretty good as it’s a members only sale on returned merchandise.