January 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

I’m in. I want to start running again and need support and motivation. I used to run everyday and have even completed a half marathon. Fast forward a few years and two back surgeries later, I miss running and being in shape!

I'd like to do 5km a week so i'll go for 20km for the month and see how I get on, I have been out of the habit for the past few weeks and I wasn't very good then anyway haha.

It is all about the Pentiums stats, baby!

So last month someone asked, "why use Strava?" - and I thought I take a moment here in this pre-2019 window (well at least in my TZ) and answer the more generic question "why us an app at all?"

So yesterday I ran 10 miles on a hilly path (well really it is mostly 2 hills that have very long inclines...) and my pace was slower than I expected. I recently started some new medication and because of the kind of med it is, there is a chance it could hinder my speed. Well, I was all ready to go back to the doctor and be like "get me off this **<kittens are cute, even if they grew up to be evil>** medicine!"

BUT I figured I would have to build the case, so I open Strava and it said that my runs on that route were... TRENDING FASTER.

Umm. OK that will not help my case. So I looked at the raw data for my last several months running on that path.

(in reverse chronological order)
Pace:
9:56
10:14
---started new med here.---
10:40
10:14
9:36 (must be doping this day)
10:08
etc...

So umm, the numbers show the med is not impacting my performance at all. Tracking the data in an app like Strava prevented me from making a bad call medically.

There are lots of cases like this where having all your historical data in an easy to report on, easy to search place is helpful. So much so that when I moved to Strava (a while back now) I imported a couple years worth of data, which was annoying, but helpful.

I have a lot more data in Runkeeper:


(weekly miles in Runkeeper, for as long as I have been tracking)

You just never know when that historical data will be important for something. I still have my Garmin pumping data into RunKeeper so that I have one app that has most of my history in it, but pretty much use Strava right now to stay in touch with the MFP group there.

Also the apps pretty much all now keep heart rate data if you have an HR monitor. This can be really good for spotting issues too. The new Apple Watch 4 has EKG on it, but I suspect it will take a generation or two of tech before that becomes as solid as the HR meters. Still, it is yet another data point for historical medical tracking.

So an app is not really REQUIRED to do this running thing of course, but I would submit it is a REALLY good idea.

louubelle16 wrote: »

It’s interesting to read how many people are pledging mileage but are more concerned about making running a habit, as this has been bugging me too. I’ve been running constantly 4/5 times a week for at least 3 years, or rather I had been until Berlin Marathon in September. I spent years running as a habit, yet it took me about a week to get out of the habit once I took a self-enforced break in October, and it’s been a battle to get back into the swing of things for marathon training again.

It’s the habit that’s definitely the hardest for me right now, not the mileage, so maybe that ought to be my goal instead - sod the session work/paces etc, just to stick to my training plan for January. The miles will run themselves, and should make that 137 goal anyway. Hopefully the self-competitive side of me will make me run some of the paces on plan anyway, but the pressure is off.

This group has been a huge help for me with the habit forming! It is such an active group that you pretty much have to check in every day or you get so far behind you never catch up. Then you check in and see what everyone is doing and they are so supportive of your accomplishments, no matter how small, and it becomes a lovely activity-reward cycle of positivity!

louubelle16 wrote: »

It’s interesting to read how many people are pledging mileage but are more concerned about making running a habit, as this has been bugging me too. I’ve been running constantly 4/5 times a week for at least 3 years, or rather I had been until Berlin Marathon in September. I spent years running as a habit, yet it took me about a week to get out of the habit once I took a self-enforced break in October, and it’s been a battle to get back into the swing of things for marathon training again.

It’s the habit that’s definitely the hardest for me right now, not the mileage, so maybe that ought to be my goal instead - sod the session work/paces etc, just to stick to my training plan for January. The miles will run themselves, and should make that 137 goal anyway. Hopefully the self-competitive side of me will make me run some of the paces on plan anyway, but the pressure is off.

There we go, a habit-making goal for when I go back to work next week (the sessions will all be in a different order this week as I’m away with family)

Monday: recovery run commute + yoga
Tuesday: easy run commute + Orangetheory
Wednesday: club run + foam roll
Thursday: rest (maybe easy yoga)
Friday: Orangetheory + at home strength training (I still do the rehab plan I was given two years ago at least once a week)
Saturday: long run + easy yoga/foam roll
Sunday: rest + foam roll

Now I’m accountable!

I really like that most people here don't focus on their mileage goals as their end-all-be-all. For me personally, the habit of being active is much, much more important than any specific goal. I've struggled with perfectionism in many areas of my life, and the only way I finally managed to get myself off the couch was to accept that even the smallest amount of progress is better than nothing. And of course I'd much rather miss a mileage goal than push myself into an injury!

I'm changing my January goal...again! From 25 to 80 to 105.

Initially I was just going to include running miles as I slowly restarted after 12 weeks off.
Then I decided to add walking miles since I'll be walking much, if not most, of my 2019 target race in April.
Now I'm going to add my elliptical & lateral machine miles. I'll ignore the console distance report and assume 10 minute miles. I'll be logging my cardio machine work as running so the distance is included in Garmin Connect & Strava.

New runners to the group, this ^ is an example of you set your own logging rules to make them work for YOU.

I've done three elliptical/lateral sessions in the past 4 days, totaling 3 hours, 10 minutes. Saturday and Sunday were both 75 minute sessions at my long run HR and both times I felt like I could go quite a bit longer. I've been amazed with the amount if fitness I've retained and it's giving me a bit of optimism about getting back into it. Of course, the real test will be my first actual run in 17 days.

I've created my comeback training plan with extensive use of cardio machines and will reduce miles on those as I increase miles on the road. My surgeon told me to start on pavement but didn't give me a date when I can hit the trails again so I'm going to do three weeks of paved running before venturing out in the woods. I'm going to start with a 3 mile paved run, up from the 1 mile I had initially planned. If all goes to my plan, I'll be up to 10 mile long runs, on trails, four weeks after that.

Here's to 2019 and a fresh start!

This is my placeholder for this month. My goal is to get back into running. What usually happens is that I train for a race, run the race, stop running, and then after an extended period of time of not running, when I do start running again, I have to start all over again from the beginning. So, right now I am back at the beginning.

I am going to start C25K again this month and then run a 5k in March. I don't know exactly when I will start C25K, my local running store is supposed to start a 5k running program in January, but I haven't seen anything posted yet, so I will give them 2 weeks to post something before I just start training myself. I have other races planned to run this year with my sister-in-law, who is also getting back into running, and our goal is to eventually do a 1/2 the last weekend of 2019.

FOR MONTHLY QUESTION: I do not make resolutions, but I do sometimes make goals. My running goal for 2019 is beat my 50k time at Glacier by 1 hour. with a stretch goal of not dying.

My 2019 goals:

A marathon in a major city interstate.
48 km on my 48th month running anniversary in September.
Run 2019 km in 2019.
12 months alcohol free – Feb 1 2019 anniversary.
5 minutes handstands/stretching/balance/core daily.
Draw every day.
5 minutes learning Greek every day.
Invite someone to parkrun & walk/run with them.

These will mean I get outdoors, travel, keep running, keep strong, keep my flexibility and balance, and keep thriving.