February 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

Hey guys - just found this and this is great!!!

My goal for February is running/walking for 420 minutes.
I am just starting and alternating walking and running.

I have signed in for 3 races at the moment and the big goal is to be able to run the distances without walking.

March 31st => 2,5 km (I am being part of a relay Team for an 3hrs race and one round is 2,5 km)
April 10th => 3 km (Womens Fun Run 2019)
May 26th => 5 km (Womens Run 2019)

I already did one run yesterday with 40 minutes.

Well... that was interesting.
Freeze your Fanny race. 4 miles (I came up with 3.8, who knows). Forecast when I went to bed last night was the same as it had been for the last several days- 35-40 degrees at race time, with a front comes in bringing snow, and dropping the temperature quickly to below zero. I had even done a practice run last week, in approximately that temp, to make sure I still knew what to wear at that temp despite my recent laziness.
Have said clothes set out and ready to go. Look at weather, it’s a bit chillier than predicted, might want a light jacket. Start driving to the race... it’s about 10 degrees colder, already, and snowing, already. Which also means wind is stronger, if storm came quicker. Turn around, go back home, trade my short socks for my wool socks, grab the yaktrax, put a sweatshirt on instead of light layer, and think of all the recent cold butts, and put some shorts on over my tights.
Yaktrax were an awesome decision. I fell before I was completely out of my car. One foot still in car, coffee in hand... all but face plant.. coffee goes everywhere. lady getting out of car next to me “what on earth are you doing???” Ummm, falling, apparently”. We had a ton of snow last week. 40s yesterday, and then the weirdness today. Lots of very very very slick stuff, covered in today’s layer of snow, so ya couldn’t see it.
This is where it becomes important that this race is in my actual town of like 1500- so some of the issues to follow are to be expected. No bibs, if you didn’t register a month or more ahead of time, your shirt will be here in 2 weeks. (Wasn’t even in the paper it was happening until 2 weeks ago). No where does it say where check in or start is. All info just says “town name” luckily it is a small town. They have walkers “start” at 8. This is a loose term, as walkers apparently just self start kinda whenever they want.
Run starts at 9. Not much better than a self start. By the time The run starts it is freezing fog, windy, snowy. Luckily the route is a segment on strava that I have looked at. Because there is no signage. No people directing. No cones. No streets closed off - and this route goes on pieces of two highways, and a frontage road. By the half way point, the freezing fog has coated my glasses, so I can’t hardly see. And my glasses are kinda cobbled together after an incident Friday, so I didn’t want to put them in my pocket and risk breakage, and I didn’t really want to face the weather without their protection. Luckily my switch to the sweatshirt meant I was in brighter colors than I would have been otherwise. Because between my glasses and the fog no one on either side of this equation can see anything. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have grabbed my new light up vest when I turned around for extra layers. Also, apparently the folks accustomed to this tradition apparently count themselves as “walkers” if they are slow runners. Because, I was going a bit faster than my usual turtle pace, and I would have been DFL had it not been for the two who kept stopping for selfies. Finally, get back to where we started. And I’m getting my yaktrax off and trying to get my glasses thawed before going inside.... and assuming they just picked up the finish without me since I was sooo far behind the rest of the runners, when someone walking back to their car goes “uhhh you know the finish is up there another block?” Uhhhh no... since there are NO SIGNS, NO CONES, NO people pointing, and since it makes no sense to run past the nice warmth of the building where the stuff is... I actually didn’t know that. Grrrrr.

Now, I realize I may be a bit snarky, and I know this is a community ran, small town race....so maybe my heart is still frozen 2 sizes too small after all of that. But, just from a safety perspective, the above really has me bothered. Like, what if my spectacular fall had happened out on the frontage road when I was still DFL? What if I broke something? What if a car hit me because they couldn’t see me in the fog and snow. and like not many people run here is going’s to expect a runner on the frontage road or highway in that anyways? How do they know someone coming from out of town doesn’t know the route and made a wrong turn and is lost? Today was pretty warm for February in Wyoming, how do they know all the runners made it back safely? Like, I’m not even saying have bibs- heck borrow the chips the bar uses when you are owed a drink- make sure all the chips come back... or have better signage, and someone sweeping the course, so ya know no one got lost, and everyone is back safe.


TL/DR - cluster of a 4ish mile race, froze my fanny as advertised, slippery, Icy, cold, foggy. 3.8 today = 6.1/30

hanlonsk wrote: »

Well... that was interesting.
Freeze your Fanny race. 4 miles (I came up with 3.8, who knows). Forecast when I went to bed last night was the same as it had been for the last several days- 35-40 degrees at race time, with a front comes in bringing snow, and dropping the temperature quickly to below zero. I had even done a practice run last week, in approximately that temp, to make sure I still knew what to wear at that temp despite my recent laziness.
Have said clothes set out and ready to go. Look at weather, it’s a bit chillier than predicted, might want a light jacket. Start driving to the race... it’s about 10 degrees colder, already, and snowing, already. Which also means wind is stronger, if storm came quicker. Turn around, go back home, trade my short socks for my wool socks, grab the yaktrax, put a sweatshirt on instead of light layer, and think of all the recent cold butts, and put some shorts on over my tights.
Yaktrax were an awesome decision. I fell before I was completely out of my car. One foot still in car, coffee in hand... all but face plant.. coffee goes everywhere. lady getting out of car next to me “what on earth are you doing???” Ummm, falling, apparently”. We had a ton of snow last week. 40s yesterday, and then the weirdness today. Lots of very very very slick stuff, covered in today’s layer of snow, so ya couldn’t see it.
This is where it becomes important that this race is in my actual town of like 1500- so some of the issues to follow are to be expected. No bibs, if you didn’t register a month or more ahead of time, your shirt will be here in 2 weeks. (Wasn’t even in the paper it was happening until 2 weeks ago). No where does it say where check in or start is. All info just says “town name” luckily it is a small town. They have walkers “start” at 8. This is a loose term, as walkers apparently just self start kinda whenever they want.
Run starts at 9. Not much better than a self start. By the time The run starts it is freezing fog, windy, snowy. Luckily the route is a segment on strava that I have looked at. Because there is no signage. No people directing. No cones. No streets closed off - and this route goes on pieces of two highways, and a frontage road. By the half way point, the freezing fog has coated my glasses, so I can’t hardly see. And my glasses are kinda cobbled together after an incident Friday, so I didn’t want to put them in my pocket and risk breakage, and I didn’t really want to face the weather without their protection. Luckily my switch to the sweatshirt meant I was in brighter colors than I would have been otherwise. Because between my glasses and the fog no one on either side of this equation can see anything. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have grabbed my new light up vest when I turned around for extra layers. Also, apparently the folks accustomed to this tradition apparently count themselves as “walkers” if they are slow runners. Because, I was going a bit faster than my usual turtle pace, and I would have been DFL had it not been for the two who kept stopping for selfies. Finally, get back to where we started. And I’m getting my yaktrax off and trying to get my glasses thawed before going inside.... and assuming they just picked up the finish without me since I was sooo far behind the rest of the runners, when someone walking back to their car goes “uhhh you know the finish is up there another block?” Uhhhh no... since there are NO SIGNS, NO CONES, NO people pointing, and since it makes no sense to run past the nice warmth of the building where the stuff is... I actually didn’t know that. Grrrrr.

Now, I realize I may be a bit snarky, and I know this is a community ran, small town race....so maybe my heart is still frozen 2 sizes too small after all of that. But, just from a safety perspective, the above really has me bothered. Like, what if my spectacular fall had happened out on the frontage road when I was still DFL? What if I broke something? What if a car hit me because they couldn’t see me in the fog and snow. and like not many people run here is going’s to expect a runner on the frontage road or highway in that anyways? How do they know someone coming from out of town doesn’t know the route and made a wrong turn and is lost? Today was pretty warm for February in Wyoming, how do they know all the runners made it back safely? Like, I’m not even saying have bibs- heck borrow the chips the bar uses when you are owed a drink- make sure all the chips come back... or have better signage, and someone sweeping the course, so ya know no one got lost, and everyone is back safe.


TL/DR - cluster of a 4ish mile race, froze my fanny as advertised, slippery, Icy, cold, foggy. 3.8 today = 6.1/30

Woof, I would be bothered too! If you're going to put on an event, you really need to meet some bare minimums for safety and convenience. /hugs and great job on getting to the finish line in the face of all that!

Mentally, I’m really struggling. So today I got my backside out of bed and went to cheer runners at the London Winter 20km (over 15,000 runners today, so it’s a big one). After spending time with friends cheering and seeing other friends smash their runs, I actually wanted to run today and I loved being out there.

I’ve basically had a week off this week, but marathon training must start again tomorrow. I must get this done or I’ll regret it at that finish line in April...

February Running Challenge
3rd - 4 miles

Goal: 4/137miles

Race Calendar
10th March - Grizzly 20mile
7th April - Manchester Marathon

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Alright, I need some advice from my fellow runners (i.e. I need someone to help calm my anxiety and convince me to do what I know I want to do, but am anxious about...).

I'm signed up for a marathon on 4/13/19. I'm about to sign up for a marathon on 4/6/19. I had been thinking about also signing up for a 50K on 4/20/19. I was waiting until that gets closer to be sure I felt strong enough to do that... except that 50K is now 90% full (Thank you to Ultrasignup for the notification) and I worry that I won't be able to sign up for that 50K if I wait.

I'm not planning to race any of them, just to finish. But a marathon / ultra every Sat. 3 weeks in a row is a bit intimidating. I have no DNF's and no DNS's even in my entire career, but I shouldn't be afraid of the possibility, right?!

Someone please tell me that if I go ahead and sign up for the 50K also, everything will be ok.

Live a little, sign up for the race. If you’re not ready by time it rolls around, then consider it a donation to support a race and other runners. It’s a little cliche, but you never know if you can do it until you try. Are you ready to try?

ETA c’mon. @AlphaHowls did it in her basement... you got this.

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Alright, I need some advice from my fellow runners (i.e. I need someone to help calm my anxiety and convince me to do what I know I want to do, but am anxious about...).

I'm signed up for a marathon on 4/13/19. I'm about to sign up for a marathon on 4/6/19. I had been thinking about also signing up for a 50K on 4/20/19. I was waiting until that gets closer to be sure I felt strong enough to do that... except that 50K is now 90% full (Thank you to Ultrasignup for the notification) and I worry that I won't be able to sign up for that 50K if I wait.

I'm not planning to race any of them, just to finish. But a marathon / ultra every Sat. 3 weeks in a row is a bit intimidating. I have no DNF's and no DNS's even in my entire career, but I shouldn't be afraid of the possibility, right?!

Someone please tell me that if I go ahead and sign up for the 50K also, everything will be ok.

You know me, I would do that if I had time in my life and the money for all three I am already doing a 5k followed the next day by a full marathon followed six days later by a trail 50k. *shrugs* would do more if I had time and money for it.

Just make sure you treat the weeks in between the races like the last week of the taper, if not a bit lighter. All of them. So:

TAPER WEEK
First Full
TAPER WEEK
Second Full
TAPER WEEK
50k
RECOVERY WEEK
PROFIT!


As long as you stick to the very light weeks in between you can probably do it. If you have to take a DNS, then take a DNS but if you manage it well, I think you could do it.

I would not recommend this to an inexperienced runner but I have seen you around enough that you know when to turn in early and let a millage goal go. Same holds true here. I expect you have enough body awareness to call it midway if it turns out too much for you. There is no shame in that.

But I think if you manage things well you can probably do it. Your blood sugar issues might make it a bit more challenging, but it is not like you are new to that either.

So, IMO, sign up and see how it goes. Take the DNS if need be. That is what I would do.

4K logged at 0530 this morning on the dreadmill & another excellent impression of a drowned rat at the end.

Have a good day/night all 😀
February goal 25km
9/25 so far
8 sleeps till holidays 😜

louubelle16 wrote: »

Mentally, I’m really struggling. So today I got my backside out of bed and went to cheer runners at the London Winter 20km (over 15,000 runners today, so it’s a big one). After spending time with friends cheering and seeing other friends smash their runs, I actually wanted to run today and I loved being out there.

@louubelle16 Few things can spark your motivation like spectating a race, cheering on friends, etc. I absolutely love to race spectate for this reason. Hope you get your mojo back soon!

Did 8 miles today with the speed demon.
It was muddy and icy. But it was 40f so i was getting out and running after the cabin fever.
They weren't great miles. But they weren't bad. Finished feeling strong.
I wanted a couple more but the trail was closed and took it as a sign to go home.