October 2018 Monthly Running Challenge

Wow! Some fabulous race reports and cool looking bling today.

I volunteered to be a marshal at parkrun this morning. I would have liked to run, but I've got a 5k race tomorrow, so didn't want to risk turning an ankle or something equally silly. There's been a nor' easter blowing through MA all day today, which made for some very uncomfortable running conditions, but I think it was worse for us marshals as we were stationary.

Hopefully the storm will have blown itself out by tomorrow morning.

Hey all, congratulations to everyone who raced today and good luck to anyone running tomorrow! I’m up in lake country renting a lodge with a bunch of friends, and man did I need the break. I did get a 3.75 mile run in yesterday with one friend, which was very neat. He went out again today but I was busy helping my husband make lunch. Ah well. @7lenny7: We’re going to be passing through Maple Grove tomorrow on the way home and my husband said he’d good with us making a stop at the TC Running Co so I can get new shoes for the winter. Thank you for the recommendation!

noblsheep wrote: »

Just back from my 30k trail race! Bling first. Race report later.



It's in the shape of a sword and it's huge! The story of why it's shaped this way for the interested:

According to legend, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye were a husband-wife swordsmith duo living in a feudal period of ancient China. The King ordered Gan Jiang to make an incomparable sword. He took three years to make two of the same, and gave only one to the King. The King ordered him killed. Years later, his son took the other sword and killed the king (there is a really long story for that too involving suicides and assasins and boiling heads, but let's not go there now).

The location that they made these legendary swords is supposed to be at Mogan Mountain, which got its name from the names of the two swordsmiths. The legend is so famous in China, people make video game characters from them.

I want to run that race. I could wear race bling while I'm at the renaissance fair.

No run. Wedding. Let the dogs out, getting ready for a Halloween party.

Hot cider hustle tomorrow morning. Hopefully, i won't be too hung over.
And meet and greet for Lyle.
I could potentially leave him with them. If so, I'll miss his squishy face even if he is a challenging dog

@noblsheep That is the best bling!
@7lenny7 So glad the surgery went well!
@katharmonic Good luck tomorrow!
@garygse Happy birthday!
@PastorVincent Aw, the kids look so happy! Hope they have a great time.
@shanaber Pretty cool finding out that Hobbes is ranked so high!
@amymoreorless @workaholic_nurse Congrats on your races!


10 miles today, last long run before the Big River Crossing half. According to Hal Higdon's 3 day beginner plan we should more or less live through it, despite not even being slightly ready three weeks ago. I've been really appreciating all the runners posting race reports from their halfs.

I more or less know I can do the distance, having done it before. Now I'm just worried about two things: the weather, and the gravel. The weather prediction keeps swaying back and forth, getting slightly worse with every iteration - first it was going to be 55 and raining, then 45 and dry, then 37 and raining which is pretty much my personal definition of hell. Right now they're saying 40 but dry, which I can live with. Fingers crossed, since I figure a one mile long metal bridge over the Mississippi will be slicker than pig poop if it gets wet. The gravel is another issue entirely. We ran on the same road for the Left Bank Festival 5k - it's loose sandy gravel and exhausting to run on. I found out from reading a race report from last year's Big River Crossing that this time last year, the gravel had been laid, pressed, and sealed. But the whole area floods every spring, and it's not sealed now. About three quarters of the race is on the gravel, and I'm concerned that 10 miles on gravel will feel like 20 on pavement.

We had a beautiful day for our run today, ran in a new direction over bridges and through woods. There was a Halloween festival setting up at the park when we left - a line-up of classic cars, and the owners set each car up as a "house" with candy for the kids to trick or treat at. Several people had tents, pop-ups, and decorations, and one person had their Jeep decorated as a castle with a dragon!

I had a fabulous run today at the Auckland Half. Started badly when my alarm didn't go off (set for 4:15pm instead of am *rolls eyes* total rookie error). I was due to be picked up at about 4:50 and scrambled out of bed at 4:47 with three minutes to get ready. And now I truly know the benefit of having everything laid out and ready to go - I even had my breakfast prepped so ate that in the car!

The girl who was driving us (Kirsty) had told me pick up times, and while I did think it was rather early and vaguely remember being picked up at 5:30am last year, I didn't question it and certainly didn't want a repeat of last year's debacle where I missed the start of the race lost minutes weaving my way through the walkers. Anyhow, because we were so early we got a park really close to the finish line and there was no queue for the ferry at all. Kirsty was a bit stressed and made us walk really fast to the ferry terminal and was apologising profusely that we may only just make the 6am start. And I was, "but the half doesn't start till 6:50!"

So, we got to the start with about 45 minutes to spare. This meant time to check the shoes (I have this thing where sometimes my socks are pulled too tight around my toes and while its ok for an hour, my feet eventually go numb), have loads of caffeine, a loo stop (no queues here either) and generally mill about and absorb the atmosphere.

We had had some torrential rain overnight and I was prepared for more, however, aside from a light misty drizzle for about half an hour, by the time we were in the starting chute, we had blue skies overhead. It was cool - about 15˚C - and the wind had dropped, and although clear overhead, the bank of cloud to the east meant the sun didn't hit us until about 8:30, when we were nearly done. Perfect running conditions.

Thanks to our early arrival, we were well placed near the front of the chute - this is a big event, with about 6000 participants who are largely hopeless at seeding themselves. This is probably the first time I've run it without feeling like I spent the first 5k passing people. So, a great start.

My goal was to run a sub-1:50:00. I got close in 2014 with a 1:50:34 but this is a hilly and crowded course and it's easy to lose a half a minute here and there. My target was a 5:10 pace - a daunting prospect. The first five kilometres of the course are pretty hilly and my first kilometre came in at 5:30 which was a good warm-up pace. I expected to slowly drop lower and was surprised my second kilometre was 5:06. I was feeling great so just carried on. The sixth kilometre (the first more downhill than up) saw my first sub-5 minute kilometre and I was thrilled that I was running so well and feeling so great, however, I was very aware that I was only a quarter of the way in.

The second five kilometre block breezed by at a smidge over 5 minute pace along with the next few k's. Then we got to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. They call it a bridge, but if you're a runner, it's a long slow hill. K14 was 5:15, and K15 was 5:45 - it's hard, but the views are fab. And once you hit the apex you know there's only one other short climb before a final flat 5k.

I was still feeling great so used the steep downhill of the bridge to get back up to speed and up that final rise, getting a 4:54 for that stretch, which was pleasing. Then it was a case of keeping on. I still felt amazing and continued at 5:03 pace for a couple of kilometres, then it was just three kilometres to go so I focussed on my form, reengaged my glutes and started pushing with what I had left. K19 came in at 4:52, K20 at 4:51, and K21 at 4:53. It was only in the last couple of hundred metres that I started to feel it, but kept pushing - the end was in sight and the crowds huge (no place to peter out!).

Finished in 1:48:44. My official pace was 5:10, but according to my Garmin I actually ran 21.4km, so my average pace was 5:04 (hard to run a perfect line). Either way, however, I achieved my goal and was so happy with how the day had gone. Still buzzing eight hours later!!

TL:DR - Smashed it. Totally stoked.