December 2018 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
    noblsheep wrote: »
    1210-5.0k total-21.3k, goal-60k

    Yeah... so I ran 5k half a week ago, and then was hit by a stomach bug. Fever, vomiting, the works. Recovered just enough to go on a business trip. Went. Just caught up with all the posts. Will go running tomorrow.

    It's good to be alive. :D

    Ugh those are the worst! Glad it is behind you.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,546 Member
    edited December 2018
    MobyCarp wrote: »

    *I can tell the driver is visually impaired because he (gender assumed, can't see him) drives with very high powered headlights on high beam, but still needs to be a half car length from the car in front of him in order to see where he's going. There are a lot of visually impaired drivers out in December; there will be fewer in January.

    Hahaha We have a lot of visually impaired drivers around here too.

    @ContraryMaryMary So sorry about your injury! I had a calf muscle tear about 3 years ago. It was almost healed when I stepped in a hole and hurt it again, so please be careful and I hope it heals quickly.

  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
    ContraryMaryMary wrote: »
    So, time, treatment, and a gentle yet aborted run have revealed a new diagnosis of calf tear. That’s my running done for 2018. 😢

    FROWNY FACE!!!!
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    PastorVincent wrote: »
    It was 48 degrees for my run. I have obviously completely forgotten how to dress for such a heat wave as I was pouring streams of water off me by the time I got back after 12 miles.

    Due to the tilt of the Earth and all that it is now full dark when I am on my return run through the park. There are no lights, plenty of shade trees, and lots of potholes and other trip hazards plus bicycles racing down the trail. So I run with flashy armbands and a waist lamp. Yet I am constantly coming across walkers and runners dressed in all dark clothes with no lights at all.

    Please do not be stupid like them. They are asking to get hurt. Light yourself up so that you have a chance not to get hit at the very least.

    Oh. This morning I went out at before-sun-up-o’clock dressed in dark navy tights, a black top (maybe it had some dark pink trim), black gloves and a black hat. No high vis, no light, nada. I didn’t trip or fall, I didn’t get run over (I stopped for cars before crossing the roads or used the pedestrian-controlled signals (and believe me, we have plenty of visually impaired drivers here), and no one crashed into me. Most of my route is in the dark too.

    I guess what I’m saying is dress up like a Christmas tree if it’s appropriate. Otherwise, let the rest of the world enjoy the darkness while it can.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    @MegaMooseEsq I MAY have completely stolen your layout in your first spreadsheet as a better way of recording than the one I have been using..... :D
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited December 2018
    girlinahat wrote: »
    @MegaMooseEsq I MAY have completely stolen your layout in your first spreadsheet as a better way of recording than the one I have been using..... :D

    Hey, glad it helped! As for if it's appropriate, I suppose if you don't have to worry about driveways (that's a bigger car concern for me than street crossings) or bikes (we get a lot of these here and they for sure hurt when they hit you). And if you never zone out while crossing streets, which I definitely would not trust myself not to do, especially at the end of runs. And if you have good visibility at those crossings, which is just going to depend on your area. I live right in the densest part of a city, so there are often parked cars blocking oncoming traffic and you can't always rely on hearing cars either. There's no way to be perfectly safe, but this is one area where I figure a little effort goes a long way.
  • Tramboman
    Tramboman Posts: 2,482 Member
    12-1 7k easy
    12-2 10.5k slow
    12-3 7k recovery
    12-4 rest
    12-5 7k easy
    12-6 7k recovery
    12-7 rest
    12-8 7k easy
    12-9 10.5k easy
    12-10 7k recovery
    12-11 rest
    12-12 7k intervals
    12-13 7k easy
    12-14 rest

    December Total: 77k
    December Goal: 100k

    Next year when you pop in here claiming your December 2019 mileage, what accomplishments will you have made?
    Run at least 4 5k races.
    Get under 30:00 and a PR for 5k.
    Average at least 135k per month, which would put me over 1,000 miles for the year.

    Scheduled rest day today.

    @ContraryMaryMary Sorry to hear about your calf. Give it all the time it needs to heal and you'll be back running soon.
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,024 Member
    girlinahat wrote: »
    PastorVincent wrote: »
    It was 48 degrees for my run. I have obviously completely forgotten how to dress for such a heat wave as I was pouring streams of water off me by the time I got back after 12 miles.

    Due to the tilt of the Earth and all that it is now full dark when I am on my return run through the park. There are no lights, plenty of shade trees, and lots of potholes and other trip hazards plus bicycles racing down the trail. So I run with flashy armbands and a waist lamp. Yet I am constantly coming across walkers and runners dressed in all dark clothes with no lights at all.

    Please do not be stupid like them. They are asking to get hurt. Light yourself up so that you have a chance not to get hit at the very least.

    Oh. This morning I went out at before-sun-up-o’clock dressed in dark navy tights, a black top (maybe it had some dark pink trim), black gloves and a black hat. No high vis, no light, nada. I didn’t trip or fall, I didn’t get run over (I stopped for cars before crossing the roads or used the pedestrian-controlled signals (and believe me, we have plenty of visually impaired drivers here), and no one crashed into me. Most of my route is in the dark too.

    I guess what I’m saying is dress up like a Christmas tree if it’s appropriate. Otherwise, let the rest of the world enjoy the darkness while it can.

    Depends on where you're running. If you're running on the road itself or the shoulder like in much of rural USA, I agree with @PastorVincent. But if you've got even sidewalks, trails, and pedestrian-controlled signals, it's not as necessary. For example, I have lights, but don't turn them on when I'm running down the sidewalk, unless I literally can't see where I'm going.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    polskagirl01 wrote: »
    girlinahat wrote: »
    PastorVincent wrote: »
    It was 48 degrees for my run. I have obviously completely forgotten how to dress for such a heat wave as I was pouring streams of water off me by the time I got back after 12 miles.

    Due to the tilt of the Earth and all that it is now full dark when I am on my return run through the park. There are no lights, plenty of shade trees, and lots of potholes and other trip hazards plus bicycles racing down the trail. So I run with flashy armbands and a waist lamp. Yet I am constantly coming across walkers and runners dressed in all dark clothes with no lights at all.

    Please do not be stupid like them. They are asking to get hurt. Light yourself up so that you have a chance not to get hit at the very least.

    Oh. This morning I went out at before-sun-up-o’clock dressed in dark navy tights, a black top (maybe it had some dark pink trim), black gloves and a black hat. No high vis, no light, nada. I didn’t trip or fall, I didn’t get run over (I stopped for cars before crossing the roads or used the pedestrian-controlled signals (and believe me, we have plenty of visually impaired drivers here), and no one crashed into me. Most of my route is in the dark too.

    I guess what I’m saying is dress up like a Christmas tree if it’s appropriate. Otherwise, let the rest of the world enjoy the darkness while it can.

    Depends on where you're running. If you're running on the road itself or the shoulder like in much of rural USA, I agree with @PastorVincent. But if you've got even sidewalks, trails, and pedestrian-controlled signals, it's not as necessary. For example, I have lights, but don't turn them on when I'm running down the sidewalk, unless I literally can't see where I'm going.

    even with sidewalks. because eventually you have to cross the street.
  • PastorVincent
    PastorVincent Posts: 6,668 Member
    BruinsGal_91 wrote: »
    PastorVincent wrote: »
    Great article...
    No, I Don’t Want to Run With You. Here’s Why.
    http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a25422964/running-solo/
    ;)

    Of course, it’s possible this just looked painful to me. I don’t enjoy running with other people—period—least of all at Mile 23 of a marathon. I’ve dodged dozens of casual, “We should run together!” requests from well-meaning extroverts; I’ve bailed on a group lunch run at a former office, then went on my own run five minutes after everyone else left the building; and the few friends I do run with understand that we will listen to music and run at our own paces, as if we’re basically alone, yet together.

    I could have written that myself. Well... apart from the 'mile 23 of a marathon' bit.

    The author was definitely speaking for me there. :) I have even done the "dodge run, then head out 5 mins later" thing. :D
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    ddmom0811 wrote: »
    Off topic: The end of the semester is here (4 more days) and now the kids I teach who haven't been turning in work want to know what they can do to raise their grade. Can you turn back time and do what you should have done when it was due? If so, go for it! These are high school boys and I teach programming (Java), but I see the same thing at the college when I teach there. At least at the college level the parents can't email me.

    A few years ago in Edmonton,Alberta a High School had a No Zero's policy - in other words everyone would pass.
    So like your experience students weren't doing the work or turning the work in and the one teacher went against policy and gave out zero's. The school board actually terminated him - he was re-instated after a big media blitz and public feedback. In real life if you don't do the work you will quickly find yourself out of work looking for a new job. Better to learn that lesson in school rather than later in life. Also Universities started tracking students High school marks against there University marks and quickly realized that some schools (school divisions) were not giving a mark that reflected what the student had learned when compared to the other schools in differant divisions. So they raised the entrance mark requirement for the sub-par schools and made it fairly public which caused some changes.
    ContraryMaryMary wrote: »
    So, time, treatment, and a gentle yet aborted run have revealed a new diagnosis of calf tear. That’s my running done for 2018. 😢
    @ContraryMaryMary I did mine about 3 years ago. Maybe it wasn't a very big tear but I had 3 weeks off and then started back basically using the C25K plan to build back without overly stressing the muscle. Take the time now to think about a recovery plan so you can review it with your doctor.
  • Scott6255
    Scott6255 Posts: 2,571 Member
    ContraryMaryMary wrote: »
    So, time, treatment, and a gentle yet aborted run have revealed a new diagnosis of calf tear. That’s my running done for 2018. 😢

    Triple sad face! :'(:'(:'( So sorry to hear that.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited December 2018
    Re: dressing to be seen at night. I try to avoid running where other people can hit me. I've read the statistics and Memphis is one of the most dangerous cities in America for pedestrians. This has been several years ago but I once saw a statistic that people who regularly ride bikes in Memphis can expect to be hit about three times a year and pedestrians about twice. I do wear reflective clothing, but only because my clothing happens to be reflective, since I don't ever run in the street, and even running on sidewalks I am aware of passing cars and ready to run for my life away from the road. My husband and I have had to run and jump onto the porch of a house in the past, to avoid a car which swerved onto the sidewalk. I don't trust anyone to have seen me, and I make the assumption that even if they do see me they don't care, are insane, exhausted, stoned, and/or drunk and have no interest in their future free of jail time or my future as a living breathing person - my job is to not be there, to get out of the road as quickly as possible, and to keep my eyes and especially ears open so I know where any cars are at all times. No one cares if I have a flashing light on, they will hit me anyway.

    Sometimes I spy a runner blithely trotting down the middle of the road against traffic and wonder how long that person will survive, but since I never see that same person in my neighborhood a second time, I assume it was an ill-advised experiment and they will run in a park next time like other sane people.
  • Avidkeo
    Avidkeo Posts: 3,211 Member
    @ContraryMaryMary noooo that's sux!
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    Scott6255 wrote: »
    amymoreorless wrote: »
    Oh, in other news, the *kitten* cedar trees are exploding in central Texas again. Why do I live in this god forsaken place...

    Because of the 3 beautiful days we get in the Spring, and the 4 pretty nice days we get in the Fall ;)

    Ill be thanksful for the north wind today, keeping it south :wink:
  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
    Scott6255 wrote: »
    amymoreorless wrote: »
    Oh, in other news, the *kitten* cedar trees are exploding in central Texas again. Why do I live in this god forsaken place...

    Because of the 3 beautiful days we get in the Spring, and the 4 pretty nice days we get in the Fall ;)

    @Scott6255 Oh! I forgot about the 1 week per year of perfect weather thing. ;)

    Also, we don’t have icky fluffy white stuff that falls from the sky (except occasionally-and it doesn’t stick to the ground- except occasionally- but not for more than 24 hours- mostly...).
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    MobyCarp wrote: »
    Re: Dressing to Be Seen in the Dark

    My formative experience running in the dark was a group run on Cobb's Hill. Everyone goes at their own various paces, and runs patterns of their own choosing up and down Cobb's Hill. Initially, I wore a puny 30 lumen headlamp so cars could see me, a reflective Xinglet, and a couple flashing red lights.

    Even that 30 lumen headlamp let me see which reflective gear was good and which was trash. Reflective strips on shoes are trash. They get covered with dust so they don't reflect, and no driver will be looking at foot level anyway. But the most interesting thing was, every time I ran Cobb's Hill in the dark there would be 2 or 3 runners demonstrating how not to dress in the dark. I came as close as 2 meters from running into someone dressed dark, and I was looking where I was going. Later, I got a brighter headlamp and didn't have any calls that close.

    I always thought I didn't really need the reflective gear while walking, because I would stay on sidewalks where they exist and I had more options to get out of the way at walking speed. Well . . . I took a walk wearing the reflective gear, and even with the lights turned off I noticed cars behaving differently than I remembered from past walks. It was almost like, the drivers could actually SEE ME and before they couldn't.

    As a driver, I notice runners. My advice to someone who chooses to run in the dark with no lights and no reflective gear is: Run with someone else who has lights and reflective gear. This greatly increases the probability that I will notice where you are and take appropriate action to avoid hitting you. And run against traffic, not with it! It seems dressing poorly and running with traffic (where you can't see me approaching) are correlated. Even if I do see you, the idiot tailgating me probably doesn't . . . and that idiot only has from when I swerve to miss you as warning that you're there at all.

    Also, if you wear dark clothes and also have dark skin, you are invisible at night. Really really invisible.
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