January 2019 Monthly Running Challenge
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For new runners worrying about pace, distances and max HR and HR zones
@mobycarp, @pastorvincent, @juliet3455 may chime in on the whole HR discussion but I wanted to mention a couple of things I learned when I first joined here. When you are first starting to run or starting over and haven't run for a while:
1) Slow down!
2) Don't try to go too far, build distance slowly
3) Slow down!
4) make sure you can talk, sing, have a conversation (even outlaid with yourself or your dog) without being breathless. If not you are going too fast!
5) Slow down!
Distance and pace will improve over time. Using C25K is a great way to start and don't worry about repeating weeks or taking longer to progress. Our bodies are all different and some of us need more time. Going slow and not pushing too hard gives your body a chance to adapt. Most importantly be consistent (run 3xwk or whatever your plans is, not once every other week or so). I also don't think it is too important to monitor HR zones when you are starting out unless you have a medical reason to keep an eye on it.
On HRs - below is a site where you can calculate your max HR and it does by a few various methods. It isn't scientific nor does it take into account your level of fitness (or not). So a max HR for someone who has been running and working out for years would calculate the same as someone who has never worked out and just sits all day. It does however give you a general method to actually measure your own max HR again, it isn't perfect but can give you a starting point. I happen to know (from my cardiologist) that my max HR is around 150. The calculation says 166... I also have a very low resting HR so my zones look very different from most peoples' and I cannot use the defaults in any of the monitors - they show me never getting out of zone 1.
https://healthiack.com/heart-rate-calculator#calculator
The site appears to use the standard 220 - age formula for base heart rate. I told it I'm 63 years old, and it says MHR = 157. Alternate calculation methods give 162 or 163 MHR. By any of those calculations, I routinely die every time I run a race shorter than the half marathon distance. Oh, and I died running speed work yesterday evening.
IMO, 220 - age is a very conservative formula designed to prevent heart attacks in overweight, sedentary middle aged men who decide they can shovel snow just like they did when they were 18 years old. It produces answers that are way low for conditioned distance runners over the age of 50.
Having stated my disagreement with the calculator, I pretty much agree with the advice to slow down. Running slower than you can cures many failings, including inability to run for enough time; inability to run for enough distance; and, in my case, inability to finish a marathon without walk breaks. Even short distance runners need to learn to slow down from their 200m pace to run a mile race.
Many people here think I'm pretty fast, and I'll admit that I get around the track pretty well for an old geezer. But pace matters. I've run a mile race in 5:45. I've never run 2 miles in under 12 minutes. I've never run a 5K in under 19 minutes. I ran a 10K in under 40 minutes, once, by only a few seconds. So you see, even for someone who is conditioned to run fast, longer distances get slower. I averaged almost as slow as an 8 minute mile at Boston last year; that average pace would be laughably easy for me in a 10 mile race.
Want to run longer distances than you can right now? Slow down.13 -
Fast Friday! I was supposed to do 2 miles warm up, 4 miles at half marathon pace, and 2 miles cool down. But after 1.5 miles of the fast portion, I knew the 4 miles wasn't happening, because I've been super congested all week and I was coughing up lots of gross stuff
. So I cut the route short a bit and finished out the fast mile, then slogged it back home. Ended up with 2 miles easier, 2 miles at HM pace, and then 2.8 miles easy.
Still catching up on posts and people and all that jazz. Feels good to be back here with all you supportive folks!
January runs:
(12/31: NYE 4 mile race
)
1/1: 8.2 trail miles
1/2: Rest day
1/3: 5 miles
1/4: 6.8 miles
January total miles: 20
----
2019 Races
March 24: Caesar Rodney Half Marathon (Goal: PR)
April 7: Cherry Blossom 10 Miler (Goal: Sub-75)
April 28: New Jersey Marathon (Goal: BQ)
July 6: Finger Lake Fifties 50k (Goal: Finish)
13 -
For new runners worrying about pace, distances and max HR and HR zones
@mobycarp, @pastorvincent, @juliet3455 may chime in on the whole HR discussion but I wanted to mention a couple of things I learned when I first joined here. When you are first starting to run or starting over and haven't run for a while:
1) Slow down!
2) Don't try to go too far, build distance slowly
3) Slow down!
4) make sure you can talk, sing, have a conversation (even outlaid with yourself or your dog) without being breathless. If not you are going too fast!
5) Slow down!
Distance and pace will improve over time. Using C25K is a great way to start and don't worry about repeating weeks or taking longer to progress. Our bodies are all different and some of us need more time. Going slow and not pushing too hard gives your body a chance to adapt. Most importantly be consistent (run 3xwk or whatever your plans is, not once every other week or so). I also don't think it is too important to monitor HR zones when you are starting out unless you have a medical reason to keep an eye on it.
On HRs - below is a site where you can calculate your max HR and it does by a few various methods. It isn't scientific nor does it take into account your level of fitness (or not). So a max HR for someone who has been running and working out for years would calculate the same as someone who has never worked out and just sits all day. It does however give you a general method to actually measure your own max HR again, it isn't perfect but can give you a starting point. I happen to know (from my cardiologist) that my max HR is around 150. The calculation says 166... I also have a very low resting HR so my zones look very different from most peoples' and I cannot use the defaults in any of the monitors - they show me never getting out of zone 1.
https://healthiack.com/heart-rate-calculator#calculator
Just to chime in on the HR talk...
The best way to get faster is to slow down. Everyone who has said so is right (and most have done it and reaped the benefits!). You can determine your perfect pace by HR (though this means your pace will vary) or other factors like breathing, conversational ability, etc.
Personally, I train my easy/recovery days by HR. I try to keep my heart rate between 135-140 which on a good day can be a 9 min pace or in the middle of a training cycle it's often closer to a 10 min pace. It just depends on how much fatigue I've built up, when my last hard workout was, etc. I've even taken whole days off because my resting heart rate is too high and I don't want to add extra stress by running (e.g. multi-day anxiety spirals).
All that being said, whether it's heart rate or feel/effort or something else, you'll find the metric that works best for you to make your runs as enjoyable as possible. And running slow and easy is a great way to explore your neighborhood, enjoy your fave podcast, or catch up with a friend (or make a new one!) if you are so inclined to be a group runner. You'll be tacking on miles or kms before you know it
7 -
Due to the fast pace with which this thread moves (running pun intended...I can never resist), I have bailed on the past few months because I have found it difficult, and at times even stressful, to try and keep up. But I really have missed you guys, so I want to join back in. I am going to say it up front though: I know that I will never be able to keep up with the thread and I will definitely not be able to offer the level of encouragement and support given by so many of the regular participants. But I do have some experience with running and racing and I will try to chime in if I feel that I have something of value to offer. I am also hoping to keep up with my daily posts about my runs because this is the best place I have found to share it all, good and bad. And I always appreciate the candid conversation about running, even if I am usually left in the dust if I don't check in every hour or so!
At any rate, if you don't follow me on Strava, here's what I have been up to. I ran the Marshall marathon in early November. I finished, but it was a bit of a disappointing performance for me. Most of that probably had to do with not having a clear goal throughout training and for the race. I wanted to run for fun, but I found out that really wasn't much fun, as my training was half hearted, which made for a pretty brutal finish. Following the marathon, my legs were pretty toasted, and my chronic hamstring issues clearly needed to be addressed. After a few short runs in the weeks following the race, I decided to take the remainder of the year off from running to allow the legs to rest. My plan was to focus on strength training and cross-training, but with the craziness of the holidays and a whole slew of issues on the family front, I only did a fraction of what I had hoped. So here I am am, starting off the year in the same boat as many, feeling sluggish and out of shape. The pace run I did yesterday felt tough, but the overall pace was probably more in line with my easy runs a few months ago. Clearly, I have some work to do.
Currently I am training for Boston this spring. This will be my second time running it. The first time I was injured and also just looking forward to the experience, so I did not put a whole lot of effort into the race. This year I am hoping to get back into the spirit of training hard and putting forth a good race day effort. I am clearly behind the eight ball at this point, but hoping some disciplined effort will get me back in shape. I am planning on running a leaner mileage plan this time around, with a bit more cross training. A local PT place has begun offering drop-in plyometric classes on Mondays and yoga on Wednesdays, both specifically geared towards runners. By basic training plan will look (hopefully) like this:
Monday: cardio cross training+ plyo class
Tuesday: speed work
Wednesday: strength training and yoga
Thursday: tempo or pace run
Friday: rest
Saturday: long run
Sunday; easy recovery run
I probably will max out around 40 mpw. I think at my age, this is what is going to work best for me. We shall see..
Training so far this year:
1/1-5.2 miles easy New Years Resolution run with group
1/2-1.6 miles with the dog+ stretch
1/3-6 miles with 4 at "pace" 8:30-8:40
Here's to a great year of running for everyone!
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Bit late but Happy New Year to everyone here! New year and new resolution, may be not that new but rather incomplete, To run 15 km. Hope to finish the training
and trump my goal finally this year! Wishing you all good luck with your goals!
January Running Challenge
Goal: 60 km
Done: 21/60
4/1/19 Run 8 km
3/1/19 Run 7 km
2/1/19 Run 6 km9 -
I posted a link to an article on the Facebook group recently (https://www.bodyforwife.com/the-willpower-myth-how-identity-and-values-are-the-true-regulators-of-behavior/). I've been working on reframing my self-image and I think it's really helping. I find myself repeating (internally so people don't think I'm weirder than I already am) phrases like "I am a woman who is training for a half marathon" during those moments when getting out the door is a struggle (because I'm also a woman who can be lazy at times), or "I am a woman who is fuelling for a half marathon so I don't take more than one serving of dessert" when the temptation arises to have a couple extra cheesecake bites.
It seems to be helping, both with training and with regulating my intake.
I think on Tuesday, when we are predicted to have a high of -19C, I will repeat "I am a woman who embraces the suck."18 -
I posted a link to an article on the Facebook group recently (https://www.bodyforwife.com/the-willpower-myth-how-identity-and-values-are-the-true-regulators-of-behavior/). I've been working on reframing my self-image and I think it's really helping. I find myself repeating (internally so people don't think I'm weirder than I already am) phrases like "I am a woman who is training for a half marathon" during those moments when getting out the door is a struggle (because I'm also a woman who can be lazy at times), or "I am a woman who is fuelling for a half marathon so I don't take more than one serving of dessert" when the temptation arises to have a couple extra cheesecake bites.
It seems to be helping, both with training and with regulating my intake.
I think on Tuesday, when we are predicted to have a high of -19C, I will repeat "I am a woman who embraces the suck."
a friend frames things similarly. things they say to themselves: they are not a person who drinks, they are not a person that smokes. they are a person that gets up for bootcamp. etc etc.
this friend has found great success with it. i hope you found the same success.7 -
I’m on the board for 2019! Yesterday I got to run 2.13 slow miles on icy sidewalks to my trial session at a weight-lifting gym. It was great! Okay, not amazing, but pretty fun - it feels good knowing that I can run a couple of miles as a “warm up” no big deal, plus I got there about as fast as I would on the bus and didn’t have to deal with parking. I’ve realized that as nerve-wracking as running on ice is, one is probably less likely to fall than walking because you’re (ideally) paying attention to what you’re doing and how you’re doing it while running, whereas it’s too easy to get distracted while walking, then WOOPS! I’ve definitely had more close calls on ice walking than running so far this year.
The gym was interesting - miles different from the YWCA I visited last week. This was a one-room boutique called “The Movement” that offers small-group strength training classes, powerlifting coaching, and weekly supplemental yoga for a single flat fee. There are three semi-self-guided workouts a week offered 3-4 times a day that cycle throughout the year. When I was there last night I saw 2 people preparing for a powerlifting meet (both women, which was cool) along with maybe 2-4 people doing the class proper, which was apparently slow because of holidays. I was told that evening classes normally have 6-10 people each with two trainers on the floor at all times, so you’re getting a lot of personal attention even though you’re moving at your own pace.
The trial itself was more of a meet-and-great-and-here’s-how-we-work than a workout, which was a touch disappointing, but I was invited to come back and do a full class which I’m planning on scheduling next week if possible. The style of the workout seemed more like CrossFit than anything else (mix of bodyweight, barbell, plyo, etc), though of course I’ve never done CrossFit so I’m just guessing based on what I’ve heard. That said, the gym’s methodology explicitly focuses on incremental improvement based on an individualized starting-point, which appeals to me a lot. All in all, it seems like either an expensive way to get access to weight-lifting equipment or a cheap way to get access to personal training.
So right now my strength-training options are:
1. YWCA - Pros: inexpensive membership, nice facility with cardio machines, swimming pool, indoor track, and other amenities. I like their mission as a community-focused non-profit and the weight room seemed like it would have everything I need and be quiet mid-day. No annual commitment. Cons: I’d be on my own for strength training unless I wanted to hire one of their trainers. I’d get a couple of personal training sessions with membership but would have to pay for additional sessions. Free classes don’t hold much appeal.
2. The Movement - Pros: dedicated to what I want to be doing, seems like a supportive and friendly community catering primarily (but not exclusively) to women. 1 to 5 or lower trainer to member ratio should mean plenty of personal attention. Powerlifting would be a fun possibility. Trainer I met with said they can modify workouts to complement running when that becomes a priority. No annual commitment. Cons: expensive! $155 a month works out pretty good if I go 3-4 times a week, but that means about a two-hour commitment for a one-hour class, travel, and changing time.
3. Working on my own - Pros: I can ease back into lifting using what I already own and FB. Work at my own pace, no travel time, no self-consciousness. Cons: I’ve already pooped out on the self-motivated path once. I’m going to need more equipment sooner rather than later, which means a big one-time cost for a good squat-rack with safety features and barbell. If I decide I want training after all (which is appealing) one-on-one will be expensive. Before life got crazy with buying the house and moving I was starting to feel isolated working from home and I get the feeling that will be back now that things are settling down.
Decisions decisions, and I’m stuck inside! It’s freaking amazing outside, possibly the nicest weather we’ll see for another 2-3 months (probably the nicest it’s been since October), but I think I’ll regret it if I don’t let my poor butt rest, and I need to bill this weekend to make up for New Years and being out of the house most of the day yesterday. FB has an upper body workout on deck today and it should be plenty nice to run the next couple of days.
January Totals: 2.13 miles
2019 Races! (italics under consideration)
January 26: Securian 10K
February 16: Half Fast 10K ($20 price jump 1/30)
March 23: Hot Dash 10Mi
April 27: Get In Gear 10K ($5 price jump 1/31)
May 22: ESTRS Lebanon 10K (registration open 1/1/19)
June 1: Hospital Hill Half Marathon, Kansas City OR Grand Teton Half, Jackson WY
June 12: ESTRS French 5K
June 29: Lift Bridge 10K
July 10: ESTRS Lebanon 7Mi OR
July 17: Torchlight 5K
July 27: St. Croix Crossing Half OR
August 3: Minnesota Half Marathon 10Mi OR
August 7: ESTRS SLP 5Mi OR
August 10: Gopher to Badger 10K
September 8: Sioux Falls Half Marathon
September 21: Surly Trail Loppet 7Mi
October 5: TCM 10K or 10Mi
November: Undecided Half?
November 28: Turkey Trot St. Paul 10K
December: Undecided 10K14 -
marisap2010 wrote: »Let me tell you, going on vacation is both wonderful and a curse because alllllll the work just piles up waiting for your return! I am so tired tonight, but I did complete two miles this evening.
Also, can I just say that I am really tired of rain? It has rained every day this week and is warm and humid and gross.
I’m off to shower and relax with some Great British Bake Off!
1/1: 3
1/3: 2
5/40 miles
LOVE THIS SHOW!!!marisap2010 wrote: »Let me tell you, going on vacation is both wonderful and a curse because alllllll the work just piles up waiting for your return! I am so tired tonight, but I did complete two miles this evening.
That is usually the case over a holiday with us, buuuuut, lucky me - someone will have to pick up a few things that are time sensitive
enjoy the bake off! I always want treats when I watch that show.
BUUUUT same here. Especially when chocolate is involved, those episodes really give me cravings 🤣
2 -
It is a slushy, sloppy, snowy day. So, I hit the treadmill -- I am so lucky to have a gym in my work complex, and a boss that lets me run at like 1030 in the morning to avoid the January rush. An hour later I remain bright red, sitting in my cube, feeling good.
>>My January goal is 60 km. I'm working towards a 59:59 10 km
1/2: Stair climber + beginner core workout (see bodyfit by amy, beginner ab workout on youtube)
1/3: 5 km (treadmill)
1/4: 5 km (treadmill, 31:50)
Total: 10 km of 60 km
Next time I will warm up for 5 minutes then attempt to GO FAST on the treadmill, aiming to get closer to 29:58 minutes for 5 km.
Oh man I had a 2 year period where I ran a few marathons, and it's amazing how much of running is a mental challebge. I used to run for hours, no headphones, rarely bored. I took them off for 3 minutes today and was like #nope. #NOOOOOOOOOOOPE. One step at a time!8 -
@almostsuperpowered I like running with headphones but mine tend to freeze. Either that or the cord headphone adaptor on my stupid modern phone is broken (but I don't have problems indoors with it). Or my phone is freezing. It's very frustrating. So last winter I learned to run without music. Now it depends on my mood. Of course I wanted to run with music yesterday and it wouldn't work.
A sub-60 10K sounds like a great goal!3 -
Sooooo, I am a bit late this. I am an 'on and off runner'. Having completed a couple of half marathons, I haven't really done any running since June 2017. So last night I decided to run everyday in (what is left of) January 2019. The only rule is a minimum of 1 mile per day. So I guess my monthly target is 28 miles, a minimum of 1 mile per day.
The theory is that by committing to running everyday, I remove the 'shall I go for a run today?' question and replace it with 'when shall I go for a run today?'. Positivity wins!
So today, I managed 1.25 miles 😊
Thank you for letting me join in!11 -
1-1 Rest
1-2 7k intervals
1-3 7k easy
1-4 Rest
January Total: 14k
January 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.
Run the Year Team: Five for Nineteen.
Scheduled rest day today. Just as well - my head cold has morphed into some kind of influenza which just absolutely kicked my *kitten* last night. Got zero sleep; it felt like someone had shoved a 2 x 4 up my nose. Napped a couple of hours this morning and feel much better.9 -
Per the various discussions of running speed and getting started and such - I started 2018 with a few months of walk/run under my belt and went from not-quite-5K to half marathon between the end of April and the beginning of September. It took a few tries to really internalize the importance of running slow, but the awesome and patient folks here kept encouraging me and I really couldn’t be happier with how I progressed as a runner in that time.
I had some trouble with the common recommendation to run “slow enough to talk” since I run alone and generally don't feel like talking to myself in public. What worked best for me was just challenging myself to run as slow as comfortably possible while gradually increasing my distance ran and trying to pay attention to how quickly/heavily I was breathing as I went. I think the first time I felt I’d really gotten it was when I realized that I’d learned how to adjust my speed to whatever distance I planned on running so I could finish that distance without feeling totally wiped out or needing to walk. Being able to “recover on the run” was almost as big of a milestone as my first continuous mile.
Once I was feeling good running 3-4 times a week I tried to make one day a speed run of some sort, usually a couple of miles of fartleks/sprint intervals, what was definitely its own kind of fun. I added in tempo runs once I started feeling confidant pushing my pace based on the distance I intended to run.
Looking back at my numbers, I was running about 11’30” in late April, managed 10’17” at my very first 5K race on July 4 but was suffering a lot on my regular runs and (per advice here) reigned it back to 11”-11’30” for easy and long runs while adding specific speed workouts once or twice a week, ran my first half marathon at 11’09” in September, my first 10K at 10’20” in October, and these days am running anywhere from 10’00” to 10’45” without paying much attention to speed.9 -
Kimtrooper wrote: »Second run this morning of 4km & 4 kangaroos hopping past. Faster than me of course lol. [...] 😀
Wow, fantastic! I thought this was just possible in the movies (with special effects and all). Nice for you!
So... are you still in 2018?
I hate to break it to you but Australia is ahead of almost everyone else (NZ wins there) so technically @Kimtrooper is in the future
@Avidkeo : are you absolutely sure? https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/deja-vu-new-year-s-display-in-australia-mistakenly-welcomes-2018-1.4236765 
I knew there was more to this than someone not being aware of the time difference 🤣🤣🤣2 -
Kimtrooper wrote: »Second run this morning of 4km & 4 kangaroos hopping past. Faster than me of course lol. [...] 😀
Wow, fantastic! I thought this was just possible in the movies (with special effects and all). Nice for you!
So... are you still in 2018?
I hate to break it to you but Australia is ahead of almost everyone else (NZ wins there) so technically @Kimtrooper is in the future
@Avidkeo : are you absolutely sure? https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/deja-vu-new-year-s-display-in-australia-mistakenly-welcomes-2018-1.4236765
Bahaha typical aussies!3 -
newbie here
Jan 1 : 1.5 =1.5/30 miles, walking 5.6 miles (after run) note: run took 19.13 min
Jan 2: 3.02= 4.52/30 miles, walking 11.13 miles (after run): run took 37.02 min 👍improvment
Jan 3: rest day=4.52/30 miles, walking 4.11 (after run) I think I pushed myself too hard too fast for a non seasoned new runner the day before. My legs were sore up until last night.
6 -
Welcome back @lporter229!1
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January 4th: 2.5/25 miles2
-
I think I'm going to do my jog outside, it is unseasonably warm (almost spring weather rather than January weather)
So I noticed that I am fine running as long as I have head phones and music to listen too (even if it gets annoying) or watching tv while I am indoors...keeping my mind off my body has really helped with the longevity of the run. I have tried without but my mind concerns itself with What my body is doing and it seems I quit a lot sooner and give a lot less effort or too much effort all at once. I was wondering how other people keep their mind off their body while running?2
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