February 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

8 easy miles today. I wanted to do 10, but there was no way I was doing 100 minutes before work so I cut back to 80. Felt ok, legs had about 50% energy as they had yesterday, but that's what recovery runs are for, right?


February miles:
2/1: 10.5 miles
2/2: 8 miles
2/3: 16.2 miles
2/4: 3.3 miles
2/5: 10 miles
2/6: 7 miles
2/7: Rest day
2/8: 18.2 miles
2/9: 10.2 miles
2/10: 2.3 miles
2/11: 5 miles
2/12: Rest
2/13: Rest
2/14: 8 miles
2/15: 10.5 miles
2/16: 6 miles
2/17: Lazy day
2/18: 5 miles
2/19: 10.2 miles
2/20: 5 miles
2/21: Rest day
2/22: 12 miles
2/23: 8 miles

February total: 155.4 miles


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)

Attention all amateur internet doctors!

I have a foot question for you. (Yes, I am going to the real doctor. I can’t get in until next week).

During my run yesterday, I started feeling a mild cramping pain on the inside arch of my right foot. It was just a niggle and it happen on the “back” part of my out-and-back run so I ignored it. Well, last night I got off work and took my shoes off. My foot had puffed up like the stay puff marshmallow man! It was not painful, just swollen and that little niggling cramping sensation occasionally.

Fast forward to the morning, the swelling is better but the inside arch is a little (okay maybe a tad more than a little) sore when weight bearing. I am resting and icing today.

Anyone have experience with something like this? I realize you guys are not doctors. Just asking if anyone has experienced a similar annoyance.

Ahh, work was an absolute nightmare this week. So I haven't run since my 15K race on Sunday. Which is sort of a blessing in disguise because my foot has been troublesome as well since I stepped off a curb wrong on Jan 30th rushing home from work in the dark. I plan on getting back on the horse tomorrow since Saturdays are normally rest days for me anyway and I have a billion errands to run and groceries to buy.

A lot of you took the time to Congratulate me for my race and answer some questions I wrote in my post. I will go back and thank each of you individually but I wanted to write how much I appreciate your support and the time you took to write out responses. I've been too busy with work to have any time for MFP, so I apologize for my delayed responses. I hope everyone is able to enjoy the weekend. Just think, next weekend, it'll be March!! Yay!

This week was a cutback week in my half marathon training plan and was only supposed to be a 5k long run for today, but I increased it to 4 miles since I skipped my run yesterday. Started off super sucky because I forgot my headphones. I tried running without music for the first mile and I couldn’t do it, so I played the music on my phone without the headphones at a not too loud volume and prayed no one in the gym yelled at me. After that the run was great!
2/1: 3.5 miles
2/2: 5 miles
2/5: 4.3 miles
2/6: 2.2 miles
2/7: 3.5 miles
2/9: 5 miles
2/11: 0.5 miles
2/12: 3.75 miles
2/13: 2.25 miles
2/15: 4 miles
2/16: 6 miles
2/20: 4 miles
2/21: 2 miles
2/23: 4 miles
Cumulative total for February: 50/55 or 63.5 miles

February Running Totals (miles)
2/1 –5.16 course preview
2/2 – 7.29 warmup, commute, 8K XC race
2/3 – 10.81 easy
2/4 – rest day
2/5 – 10.52 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/6 – 8.78 easy
2/7 – 7.59 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/8 – rest day
2/9 – 11.50 warmup, 8 mile race
2/10 – 13.33 MP with hills
2/11 – rest day
2/12 – 8.21 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/13 – 6.31 easy
2/14 – 8.33 easy to MP
2/15 – rest day
2/16 – 20.04 group run + solo miles
2/17 – 13.17 easy with hills
2/18 – rest day
2/19 – 9.55 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/20 – 16.01 easy with hills
2/21 – 8.09 warmup, speed work, cool down
2/22 – rest day
2/23 – 9.61 warmup, race, post-race easy run

February running total to date – 174.30

Nominal February mileage goal: 190 miles

Real Goals: Train well toward Boston. Work the February races into the training plan smoothly. Remain uninjured, even if it means cutting back on planned mileage or races.

Today's notes – Obligatory pre-race photo of Lake Ontario:

The picture was taken a short walk from the White House lodge in the park, where the race is based. I don't think it shows very well, but the lake had a coating of ice at that point. After taking the picture, I went out for my pre-race warmup.

Garmin says it was 30° F (-1° C) at the start of my warmup. Garmin also says it was 3 mph SE wind. It felt a little cooler, and the wind was definitely stronger and more easterly. The race is two loops of 2.2 miles on road with little waves and on small hill; I ran one loop plus a bit for my warmup, felt pretty good.

There was no pressure for the race. I had already clinched the age group win for the series. Got talking with Pete, the second place guy in the series. He was concerned about his Achilles, maybe. From where he pointed, it wasn't clear to me whether it was really the Achilles or higher up in the calf; I urged him to see a doctor and not mess with it. If it hurts, slow down. More on this later.

I set off with the plan of just running at T pace (slightly slower than 10K race pace, so not working as hard as I would if this were an important 4.4 mile race). T pace target for me on roads would be about 6:40 per mile. Got into a groove, felt comfortable. Things pretty much sorted out within the first mile, with a bunch of experienced runners ahead of me that I expected to stay ahead of me.

Well, things happen. You run enough of these races, and you get to know the usual suspects. There are guys who run close to my pace, that I may finish behind or ahead of depending on the day and how well each of us are doing. Late in mile 3, I was gaining ground on a guy in an old Boston Celebration jacket. I knew who he was. He was in the 50-54 age group, he paced a 1:40 target at my very first half marathon, and he ought to be faster than me. But I was catching up. So I caught up and passed him, telling him, "Just another long interval workout in the Boston training." Yes, I expect to see him in Boston in April.

Then I was just a bit behind a guy in the 45-49 age group that I sometimes finish ahead of, sometimes behind. For a while it looked like I might catch him; then the gap widened again. I'd have to run this like an "A" race to catch him, and avoiding injury was more important. So I kept running my plan, maintaining a more or less stable distance until he went into a stronger finish line kick than I did. I finished 9 seconds behind him, which is a lot further than it sounds like.

So . . . I ended up with a Garmin time of 28:36. Gun time was 28:34. That was 13th of 146 overall, 1st of 8 in the M 60-64 age group. It completed my sweep of winning the age group in all 6 Freezeroo races. So I hung around and watched some other guys finish. The guy I passed in mile 3 was not all that far behind me, but clearly worked much harder than I did. And Pete came in slow.

Pete felt his Achilles pop at 2.5 miles, slowed down, and finished the race. Since about a half mile in, I had been regretting something I didn't say before the race: I had clinched 1st in the age group, and Pete couldn't catch me. Pete had clinched 2nd, and no one could catch him. Turned out he didn't know that; if I'd told him, maybe he would have been conservative enough to take a DNF when the Achilles popped. Or maybe not; we're all kind of dumb in the middle of a race.

Immediately after the race would have been a great time for a 2 mile cool down run to put my weekly mileage right on marathon training plan target. I didn't do that. I wanted to eat fresh pizza, so I went and did that. Then there was conversation with other runners, and the awards ceremony. Then it was deserted, and I decided to just go home. I might have bagged it and just been 2 miles short for the week, but there was a package on my porch. It was the new HRM I had ordered.

That was all the incentive I needed. I unpacked it, adjusted the strap, paired it with my watch, and went out for an easy run to test the HRM. It worked well, with no fake spike early. It also lacked the dynamics of my older HRM; but heart rate is the important thing. Got to thinking, though; this one snaps on to the strap. It looks to be the same form as the old HRM. Take it off, snap the old HRM onto the strap. Put it on, pair with the watch again . . . and see a reasonable heart rate. Maybe the old monitor was fine, and just the strap was bad? I'll test for that on tomorrow's run.

2019 Races:
January 1, 2019 Freezeroo #2 (Resolution Run 7.5 mile) (Mendon, NY) finished in 50:55
January 5, 2019 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) finished in 1:30:48
January 12, 2019 Freezeroo #3 (Pineway Ponds 5 Mile) (Spencerport, NY) finished in 33:10
January 26, 2019 Freezeroo #4 (Hearnish 5 mile) (Victor, NY) 4.9 miles, finished in 32:28
February 2, 2019 USATF XC Championship, Masters 8K (Tallahassee, FL) finished in 32:53
February 9, 2019 Freezeroo #5 (Tom Brannon 8 mile) (Greece, NY) finished in 55:55
February 23, 2019 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 4.4 mile) (Webster, NY) finished in 28:34
March 16, 2019 USATF Masters 8K Championship (Shamrock 8K) (Virginia Beach, VA)
March 17, 2019 Shamrock Half Marathon (Virginia Beach, VA)
April 13, 2019 BAA 5K (Boston, MA)
April 15, 2019 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA to Boston, MA)
November 3, 2019 TCS New York City Marathon (New York, NY)

@polskagirl01 -- that's too funny! Leave your sister alone!

Had a nice bike ride today - w/ cycling group. When we were on the way home from the ride (just husband and I at this point), we took a bike/running trail that we usually take on the way home because we can go slow and relax for a couple miles after the intense group ride. There was a 5K happening on it which we didn't know about. I saw later it started at 9am and this was 10:30 so only a few walkers and volunteers were there. At the end of the trail we had to stop for a stop sign. This is where the runners would turn to go on the sidewalk and we were to get back on the road. There was a woman standing there who was obviously struggling with the heat (it was probably 80F at this point) and she was all red, very overweight. I heard someone ask if she was okay and she said "someone is coming to pick me up". I felt so incredibly sad for her. I said to her something like "this heat is ridiculous for February". She didn't answer. I wanted to tell her "start Couch 2 5K! I couldn't run 6 years ago and now I can!" Just broke my heart because she looked so miserable. I am not judging her, just feeling sad for her. It was a run for cancer and she was wearing the tee shirt and had her number pinned on her shirt and couldn't finish. I pray she keeps trying. All this makes me realize how lucky I am that I can exercise and you all keep me motivated!

2/1 - Rest Day
2/2 - 37 miles cycling
2/3 - 48 miles cycling
2/4 - 4.5 miles + strength training - upper body
2/5 - 5 miles! + strength training - glutes/abs
2/6 - 4.5 miles
2/7 - strength training - upper body
2/8 - rest day
2/9 - Duathlon - 5k, 20K bike, 2.5K - that was tough!
2/10 - rest
2/11 - 4 miles + shots in feet from podiatrist
2/12 - rest day
2/13 - strength training - upper body
2/14 - strength training - quads/glutes
2/15 - 5 miles
2/16 - 45 miles cycling
2/17 - 3.5 miles + strength training - upper body
2/18 - 6 miles + strength training - legs
2/19 - strength training - upper body
2/20 - 5 miles + strength training - glutes
2/21 - 4 miles
2/22 - strength training - arms
2/23 - 45 miles cycling

@MobyCarp congrats on the 1st place AG win! You are a beast!

12 miles this afternoon. Was on pace to do an easy sub 2hr HM, but I guess fighting the 22 mph (gusting to 40 mph) wind did me in. Felt mostly easy, but uphill against the wind just was brutal. But being just 4 weeks since the marathon, and having been sick mostly all week, I'll take it.