April 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »

Wait, what, you don't have nettles in the US?
Their sting feels kind of like an instant sunburn, with an itchy rash as a bonus.
I got burned so many times as a kid... Still do as an adult, because they seem to like growing near geocaches
But from what I heard they aren't as bad as poison ivy, so I guess I shouldn't complain about them too much ^^

@_nikkiwolf_ Oh we definitely have nettles here. It's abundant but easy to spot. If you get the nettle sting, there's usually a plant nearby with a juicy stalk which will neutralize the sting. That plant is jewelweed and it has a long history of being used as a medicinal plant. Break off a bit, smash the stem to get the juice out and rub it on the sting. It works for other itchy/stingy plants as well.

Fun fact, nettles are edible. We used to pick the young leaves, saute them and add them to scrambled eggs.

For me, nettles are worse than poison ivy because I'm not allergic to poison ivy. But nettles are just a minor, short-lived irritation.

@workaholic_nurse it's great to see you posting again!
@Orphia don't be such a stranger! Though as one who usually disappears from this group in the summer, I get it.

My Achilles is getting better. What was an occasional sharp pain changed to a dull pain, and now it's just infrequently that I feel it. I've gone from not being able to do one eccentric calf drop without pain to doing 12 before I feel some minor pain. I've been working my core & glutes instead at night.

I was on the cusp of deciding to go for a test run last night but decided not to. I may go for 2 or 3 miles tonight to test it out. I really hope I can get decent runs in this weekend but my goal of back to back 20's is out, and certainly not on hilly terrain.

My dilemma is figuring out how I get vertical training in before my race, when hills are what will stress it the most. I've already decided that I will use trekking poles during the race and will also use them for any hilly trail running between now and then.

Date Miles Notes
4/1 ----5.5 ---Hoped to do 6 but needed to get to dinner plans w/my friend
4/2

---

1.0 ---test run of the new kicks

6.5/50

Went out for a super short test run of my new kicks last night. I always get anxious when I need to try a newer version of my go-to shoes. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop (pun FULLY intended) one of these days, and have a version that is totally awful. I've been running in Brooks Glycerins since I first started running, about 7ish years ago. My last pair of the 14's are reaching the end of their lifespan, and due to having stockpiled a few pairs + breaks due to injuries, the oldest models I can currently find in my size for some kind of a discount are the 16's. So far, they seemed great last night on my one mile test run!



Question of the month - I have always intended to do something with my medals and bibs but have never actually gotten around to it. I have done some labeling of races/times on the backs of bibs, but not all. My medals are all currently hanging off of a random hook, except for a couple I have hanging on my cubicle wall at work. Someday!!! I will get to it!!! Lol

- I've never encountered nettles but we do tend to get a bit of poison ivy around where I live. Either I've done a really good job avoiding it or I'm immune to it bc I have never gotten it. *knocks on wood*

- Another point in favor of this guy I've gone on a few dates with: he knows I like cats/have 2 of them and he just sent me a funny/cute cat vid. 10 brownie points to him

4/1: 2 miles
4/2: 3 miles
4/3: 2 miles
total 7 of 50 miles!

Scott6255 wrote: »

@rusgolden huge congrats on your 10K PR and 1st place AG! 48:06 is an impressive time!

Yes indeed! What he said!!

@shanaber and @martaindale - Thank you for your supportive comments.

I ran just over 2.5 miles this morning with the dogs. Nice and easy, nevermind the 3 cats and the bunny that made things interesting. I'm getting better at keeping my heart rate out of zone 4, and might even be getting a teeny bit faster. Or it's just that the roads are not slushy and icy.

After this morning's run, I'm feeling a lot better about my race on Sunday. Though my real goal is to finish without injury, I've set myself a few different time goals: one that's probably out of reach, one that should be totally doable but still pushing it, and a PR (which only requires finishing since this is my first official 10k, though I hope to be faster than my practice 10k last month).

_nikkiwolf_ wrote: »

Wait, what, you don't have nettles in the US?
Their sting feels kind of like an instant sunburn, with an itchy rash as a bonus.
I got burned so many times as a kid... Still do as an adult, because they seem to like growing near geocaches
But from what I heard they aren't as bad as poison ivy, so I guess I shouldn't complain about them too much ^^

No nettles, but we do have poison ivy everywhere, especially in the woods on trails. In fact it’s growing under the holly bushes next to my front door and trying to creep up the door frame at this very moment, I keep ripping it out but need to get out there with some weed killer. Poison ivy comes in both shrub and vine form, and likes to spring up anywhere there is partial shade. How badly someone is affected by it differs by individual, but you can’t just sit back and relax if you are “immune” because repeated exposure causes sensitivity to it. My husband gets nothing, I get a few small itchy bumps, and my high school boyfriend would get a horrible weeping rash that took the skin off half his body and lasted a month. If someone accidentally throws some on a burn pile and stands downwind, it can severely injure and even kill people who inhale it.

We also have poison sumac and poison oak.

My personal phobia, though, is brown recluses, which my mom has in abundance throughout the house and barn. Recluses don’t intentionally seek out people, but do like to hide in things such as old clothes boxes and bedcovers, and can cause massive necrotic wounds. The initial bite is often painless and unnoticed, which means that during the summer I am convinced that every unexplained bump or welt is about to turn into a brown recluse bite.