July 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

Elise4270 · July 2019

Kali225 wrote: »

Been using MFP for years now but never utilized the message boards before and this sounds like a good place to start. I was a runner from age 9 through high school, completely dropped the habit in college, and now I'm trying to get back into it to aid weight loss/fitness goals.

I'm going for just 25 miles in July to start myself off easy.

Potential inspiration for hot summer runs: my HS xc coach used to quote [read: heavily paraphrase] an African proverb to us about the circle of life in the Savannah. The gazelles have to outrun the lions, or they'll be eaten. But the lions have to outrun the gazelles or they'll starve. So before a workout, we would say "It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running."

I like it! I’ll just lay here and distract that lion... you gazelles just prance and bounce on your merry way! Haha! Welcome to the group! Sounds like you have a fair amount of running experience, don’t hesitate share more wisdom!

bride001 · July 2019

You can call me a newbie but oldie!

After about a year hiatus -I am back on the MFP forums. I have been following some of you on the Facebook group page.

Monthly Goal: 25 miles. I will be on vacation one week in July and I am not sure if I will get in any miles that week.

Did you set a goal for this year? Are you half way to it or have you completely forgotten about it?

My main goal for 2019 was to lose 50 pounds this year. In January, I joined a gym that offers group workouts for 30 minute classes. I love working out in this way (in addition to running). The gym also offers nutrition guidance. With that guidance, I have been able to lose around 49 pounds. Almost to my 50 pound goal. I am hoping to hit the goal this month. I will then set another goal for my weight.

Memory - I have a really bad memory especially when it comes to names and directions. I can seem to remember things if I write it down or repeat it three times.

No run today yet - will try for an evening run tonight.

mbaker566 · July 2019

i'm in this month.
aiming for 30mi
2.77mi this morning: new foster needs exercise or she gets cranky. She's not good at running and will need to build up her mileage. she enjoyed our run this morning. not the running so much but hanging out with me and no other dogs. we made it about 2 slowish miles before she needed a few walking breaks.
though the humidity and heat were rough. like trying to breath water. it's been awhile since i did a fasted run too so that was a bit tough.
new girl is a 60ish lb heinz 57 dog. she is going to need lots of work but she has a good heart.

katharmonic · July 2019

Welcome to all the newbies! So great to see a lot of people join in. Please jump right in and share, ask, brag, whine, whatever! We like to chat.

Welcome back to some returning people also - @marisap2010 and @bride001. Good to see you!

Goals for July 2019 - I'll set my mileage goal at 115 miles, stretch goal 125. Time to get more serious about half marathon training. I have two races coming up this month - a 10-mile race on the 4th and the Boilermaker 15k on July 14. The 10-miler will just be my long run of the week and the forecast is for 90 degrees and humid so I'm sure the time on that will be slow. The Boilermaker remains to be seen how I'll approach that one depending on the heat, who I run with, etc. I'd like to do better than last year's time and I think that's totally possible.

____________________

Monthly questions -
Exercise addiction is a hard one. Even though I know a lot of people who exercise/train many hours a week, I don't think I know anyone who I would be overly concerned about. I don't think it's the amount of exercise as much as how they are caring for themselves in addition to that (eating, resting, etc.) and whether they are injuring themselves or not recovering from injuries that are the worrying factors to me.

Memory training - my memory is definitely not what it used to be. My job requires a lot of active thinking and memory so I consider that my brain training and don't do much outside of that. I sometimes give memory tests as part of my research and it's pretty humbling to try them myself (they are supposed to be hard). I think many general brain activities and learning are good as we age to keep our brain plasticity. Working on learning a language is supposed to be one of the best things.

Good time to check in on 2019 goals! I wrote this list at the start of the year:

Race every month of 2019
Successfully finish Spartan Race
New HM PR - closer to 2:00
New 5k PR
Run a HM in another new state
Decrease average running pace
Real pull-up
Handstand
Try rock climbing
Do more yoga
decrease body fat, increase muscle
don't give up

Progress?

Failed early on this one - hurt my back so February was out. I ran 2 in May and 3 in June though.
Yes! Finished the winter Sprint, then a Beast and another Sprint. Signed up for a Super in August.
Remains to be seen. First HM of the year was not close to a PR.
Also remains to be seen, and I'll have to sign up for something in order for that to happen.
This will happen in October - two HM in two states.
I think this is happening gradually
I DID IT! LAST WEEK!
Haven't worked on this, might not.
I did this - plan to go again next week.
"More" hasn't really panned out consistently. I did a 30-day challenge in January but not so much since then. "Some" yoga has happened.
Not sure, but I think so.
I think I was gearing this towards not giving up on training/working hard to improve. I think I've been good with this.

2019 races:
1/13/2019 Chilly Chili 5k, Cazenovia, NY: 33:00 on very tired legs
2/24/2019 Lake Effect Half Marathon, Syracuse NY DNS due to back pain
3/9/2019 Greek Peak Spartan Winter Sprint, Cortland NY: SURVIVED! HAD FUN! 2:15:05
4/27/2019 Tri-State NJ Spartan Beast, Mountain Creek, NJ: OMG 7:34:38
5/5/2019 Mountain Goat Run (10 mile), Syracuse NY: 1:44:47, not quite recovered
5/21/2019 JP Morgan Corporate Challenge (3.5 mile), Syracuse NY: 33:28
6/2/2019 Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon, Niagara Falls, ON: 2:17:31
6/9/2019 YMCA Race Weekend 8k Trail Race, Syracuse NY: 59:13
6/15/2019 Tri-State NY Spartan Sprint, Tuxedo Ridge, NY: MONKEY BARS & RINGS: 1:46:11
7/4/2019 Cazenovia July 4th Foot Race (10 miles), Cazenovia, NY
7/14/2019 Boilermaker 15k , Utica, NY
8/10/2019 Boston Super Spartan Race, Charlton, MA
10/19/2019 I-35 Challenge KC Half Marathon, Kansas City, MO
10/20/2019 I-35 Challenge DSM Half Marathon, Des Moines, IA

rheddmobile · July 2019

Goal for July is to continue to rehab my Achilles’ tendon. I’m hoping to be running 10k by the end of the month, and to make at least 50 miles running during July, but those goals are secondary to not reinjuring. I also hope to do well at the Stars and Stripes 5k on July 3, which I ran very badly last year due to the heat. This year I think I am better prepared for the heat, but we’ll see.

Monthly questions: as far as memory, I have good autobiographical memory - I can remember conversations decades later. But my short term memory for details is only so-so. When I need to remember something I write it down and create a reminder. If my husband gets sick of me saying anything, it’s probably something like, “You say you meant to remember, but you didn’t care enough to write it down, so you never really intended to do it, did you?” In case you didn’t guess, my husband frequently claims to have a poor memory in order to make excuses for not have done what he promised to do. But strangely he never forgets the exact moment a new video game he’s been waiting on for two years is going to drop! I have learned: if it’s important, write it down, even if you think you will never forget it.

The borderline between healthy exercise and obsession. Hmm. Well, I don’t think I’m there yet. My silly old body won’t let me become too obsessive, because if I overexercise, I get injuries, and my blood sugar climbs due to stress. I do note that a lot of runners run with a focus on streaks and long distances which may or may not be compatible with health. And I see a lot of newbies come through and say they are hitting the gym seven days a week, which is worrisome. Bodies need rest. It’s hard to make judgements about other people, since someone like @AlphaHowls is obviously running an absurd number of miles without breaking down, plus making time to care for a family member. So I’ll say that you should pay attention to your body, and if you are doing more but not making any gains (losing speed, losing reps) it might be a sign you should back off. If you are miserable because of being tired and stressed from exercise, consider that maybe you aren’t getting paid to do this and can back off. On the other hand, if you are only NOT miserable when exercising, maybe take some time to work on the rest of your life.

hamsterwheel6 · July 2019

6 hot miles to start of July.
Will only get worse the rest of the week with forecast temperatures in high 90’s and heat index of 102-108 some days. My pace is already suffering, this will make it slowwwwwww. But, learning from this group, I know this is normal and happens of the best of runners, so I’ll just accept it. I’ll try to get out earlier but that all depends on how early I can wake up.

My long term memory is awful. Apparently surgery brain is a thing as it’s been worse since then, short term not so much better! @rheddmobile my husband is the same, even if I write sticky notes for him. Sigh.

You could say I was a tad bit obsessed with exercise only because when I was In weight loss mode I needed the exercise calories to get more food. Being a short, older woman, my target is 1200. So not enough. I’m more relaxed now, and run because I enjoy it. Love my rest days too!

Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦

PastorVincent · July 2019

I probably could have run today, but forcing myself to take a couple rest days. I am still a bit sore from the 50k

Date...........Run.......Walk
07/01........00M.......3.5M

---MTD: 3.5 miles walking, 0 miles running, and 0KM resting

Upcoming Races
Fleet Feet Liberty Mile - August 9th
Howl at the Moon - Nighttime 5k - August 10
EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler - November 2nd

(a few more races yet to register for)

202? - Disney World Dopey! (if can raise funds)

katharmonic · July 2019

Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
07/01/19 :::: 3.0 :::: 3.0

Some miles in to start July - just an easy run with a friend. My legs/feet are sore from walking around Chicago with not the best shoes and she is recovering from a marathon, so we just wanted a short and easy paced run. It was fun to catch up on our various adventures.

I got some new trail shoes today. They were super on sale and I am excited about using them for Spartan races and trail running because they are so lightweight and seem like they will drain well (which is a problem with my Salomon Speedcross 4s). But they are zero drop (Altra King MT) and I'm not sure if that's a mistake - can I use zero drop for trail only? I know they recommend transitioning to zero drop slowly. Anyone have experience with this?

rheddmobile · July 2019

katharmonic wrote: »

Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
07/01/19 :::: 3.0 :::: 3.0

Some miles in to start July - just an easy run with a friend. My legs/feet are sore from walking around Chicago with not the best shoes and she is recovering from a marathon, so we just wanted a short and easy paced run. It was fun to catch up on our various adventures.

I got some new trail shoes today. They were super on sale and I am excited about using them for Spartan races and trail running because they are so lightweight and seem like they will drain well (which is a problem with my Salomon Speedcross 4s). But they are zero drop (Altra King MT) and I'm not sure if that's a mistake - can I use zero drop for trail only? I know they recommend transitioning to zero drop slowly. Anyone have experience with this?

I loved my zero drop up until the point that I started getting Achilles’ tendon problems, which gave me no warning. I don’t think the Altras caused the tendon issues, since they first appeared after a trail run in my Speedcrosses, following a hard road run which was hard downhill and a leg workout which involved heavy heel raises. But I can’t use the Altras now that I have problems, until my ankle is fully healed.

My recommendation is to try a shorter easy trail run first.

PastorVincent · July 2019

katharmonic wrote: »

Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
07/01/19 :::: 3.0 :::: 3.0

Some miles in to start July - just an easy run with a friend. My legs/feet are sore from walking around Chicago with not the best shoes and she is recovering from a marathon, so we just wanted a short and easy paced run. It was fun to catch up on our various adventures.

I got some new trail shoes today. They were super on sale and I am excited about using them for Spartan races and trail running because they are so lightweight and seem like they will drain well (which is a problem with my Salomon Speedcross 4s). But they are zero drop (Altra King MT) and I'm not sure if that's a mistake - can I use zero drop for trail only? I know they recommend transitioning to zero drop slowly. Anyone have experience with this?

My wife and I both moved to Altras for trail only with no transition, but we both have done barefoot running too so we might be very bad examples. I suggest you follow their transition plan and see how it goes. Some people have issues, some do not. It is like any other aspect of a shoe - it is very much personal to you, your gait, and your foot.

In short, take it easy and see how it goes

Elise4270 · July 2019

On the board with a walk that wasn't so bad. One of the "double-mint twins" commented that I was doing better. Puzzled, she explained she saw me out on crutches before. I think I've finally turned the corner and am almost there to start rebuilding.

I made a friend or two

Back in my running clothes... I'm thinking I should start thinking like a runner again and watch my food and try to get out more. I see doc2's assistant tomorrow, so hopefully we can define how much I am allowed to push through.

2.6 miles. No bone pain.

marisap2010 · July 2019

Two miles to start July. We’ve had some craziness at the prison where I work, so hopefully it will help me rest well tonight so I can tackle tomorrow.

Re: memory - I don’t think my memory is as good as it used to be. I do try to learn new things, and I enjoy puzzles and games that require attention and memory.

Re: exercise addiction - When training, I definitely become a little obsessed, but not to the point where I am overdoing anything and putting myself in danger of injury. Mine is more so being consistent. I know when I need a break though.

martaindale · July 2019

On the board for July! Half a mile warm up and 3 mile pace run for a total of 3.5 miles. I briefly flirted with the idea of running outside until I opened my front door, remembered where I lived, and headed to the A/C of the gym.

Also, my dishwasher is leaking!! Figured that out last night. Had a guy come look at it today to make sure I didn't have a larger pipe leakage problem, and tomorrow I am buying a new one. We were going to renovate the kitchen next year, so it was getting replaced soonish anyway. At least this way we are buying the replacement dishwasher while there are July 4th sales going on.

July total: 3.5 miles
July goal: 66 miles

2019 Races:

Piney Woods Trailfest 5k - 2/2/2019 29.23
Rodeo Run 10k - 2/23/2019 1:03.12
Run Houston! Minute Maid Park 10k - 3/23/2019 1:01.28
Brazos Bend 50 10k - 4/6/2019 1:15:33
El Chupacabra de Houston 10k (night trail run) - 8/2019
TWRC Run Wild Run Free 5k - 9/2019
10 for Texas 10 Miler - 10/2019 registered
Wine and Dine half marathon - 11/3/2019 registered

Run the Year 2019 - Team Five for Nineteen

katharmonic · July 2019

Elise4270 wrote: »

On the board with a walk that wasn't so bad. One of the "double-mint twins" commented that I was doing better. Puzzled, she explained she saw me out on crutches before. I think I've finally turned the corner and am almost there to start rebuilding.

I made a friend or two

Back in my running clothes... I'm thinking I should start thinking like a runner again and watch my food and try to get out more. I see doc2's assistant tomorrow, so hopefully we can define how much I am allowed to push through.

2.6 miles. No bone pain.

Sounds great that you had a good walk and are thinking and dressing like a runner! Hope you will get some good news about things tomorrow.

Is that a tarantula?!? I am not a big fan of snakes, but seeing a tarantula out and about would about do me in.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Altras @rheddmobile and @PastorVincent.

Elise4270 · July 2019

@katharmonic yes, it is a tarantula. They are pretty cool. Definitely a treat to see one that close. Usually they are in a hurry to get away from you.

I don’t think that tarantula is going to bother anyone. No reason not to just say “hi awesome critter” and mosey on. I bet Beary would love her. He ate a red wasp today and chased the biggest butterfly in the world. No snakes. Yet...

Hey. Am I not seeing right? Or does this spider have 9 legs? A polydactyl arachnid? Wait.. not dactyl... Poly-legs?

Ok I dh look at it. Its a pedipalp. Google knows all.

shanaber · July 2019

Welcome to all the newbies - there are too many for me to mention!
@Scott6255 - Hobbes isn't that heavy, only 43 lbs, but he has yanked me a time or two that has really angered a hip or a knee so I think it is entirely possible that could have tweaked your knee a bit. He doesn't do it too much anymore but I have found just having him pulling slightly on the leash (to go where he wants to walk) can make me sore.
@Teresa502 - you could jump onto one of our YTY teams here!
@Kali225 - love that saying! Sometimes I feel like a gazelle and sometimes a tiger!
@mbaker566 - I was thinking about you last night and wondering how you and the pups were doing. Looks like you have your hands full with another foster pup!

On the healthy exercise vs addiction question... hmm... I have been thinking on this a bit and I actually think you can be addicted to exercise without it being an obsession or unhealthy. I feel that I am addicted to running, I love how it makes me feel. I feel the same way about lifting and strength training. That said I do not get freaked out if I can't do either (unhappy yes) and I have certainly had months off from injury (which did start to get me worried if I would ever be able to get back). I think that is the difference between a healthy love (addiction) or an unhealthy obsession - that ability to be flexible and not have an issue when life gets in the way.

1st day of July and 1st day of my HM training plan meant I had to get out for a run this morning. Got out a bit late and it was already hot and muggy for So. Calif. Hobbes refused to get up off the couch so I figured he was tired from too much birthday running and celebrating yesterday, ha! I have been feeling off all day since during my run, with an upset stomach. I am hoping it is a heat thing and not a bug...

Date........Miles.......Total
07/01......4.55........4.55

2019 Planned and Completed Races
02/03/19 - Surf City Half Marathon Deferred to 2020
05/11/19 - Santa Barbara Wine Country HM
09/15/19 - Jack and Jill Downhill HM - Boise
11/23/19 - USA Women's HM
02/02/20 - Surf City Half Marathon

heatherbenson30 · July 2019

July 1: 3 miles/2 jogging and 1 walking. Have a great night all.

ContraryMaryMary · July 2019

Avidkeo wrote: »

ContraryMaryMary wrote: »

July 1: no run.

Not happy.

How are you and the kids?

On the mend, finally! Thanks for asking. Packed the children off to school this morning (one dosed to they eyeballs with pamol, but hey, it's the last week of term), and then headed out for a run. Cruised 6.2km – My legs were raring to go but after half an hour my energy levels dropped and my heart rate started to escalate so I called it (look at me being sensible).

I did have to chuckle however, that, after five days trapped inside feeling unwell (and feeding the unwell) during idyllic running weather - cold, clear and calm - it is windy and raining today, albeit much warmer.

emmamcgarity · July 2019

I did a slow mile tonight just to shake out my legs. I also wanted to test out some coaching technichues I received recently. It felt good.
July 1 - 1.1 miles slow

noblsheep · July 2019

0702-8.3k total-8.3k, goal-100k

Had a pretty good run this morning - we are in the middle of a heat wave yellow alert and forecasts say it'll be more than 38 degrees (100F) on Thursday, but this morning we had about an hour of overcast weather which even deposited the slightest little drizzle. Anyway it was not hot for a little while! And I got to run in this window!

One of my cats has been sick so we took her to the vet last night. She's super skittish and hates being picked up as she's convinced we are going to eat her, so lots of scratching happened. They were red and angry this morning (the scratches, not the cat) and itched quite a bit during the run. Oh, and anyone have any advice on how to pill a paranoid kitty?

@Elise4270 I had to look up "pedipalp". This forum is awesome.

July 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

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