August 2019 Monthly Running Challenge
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Ohhh I have a very bias monthly question .
Compare yourself now to 10, 20 and 30 years ago. What improvements do you love? What do you look forward too? What do you miss and how do you deal with that? Follow up with what would your 15 year old self think of you today.
ETA I think @MobyCarp would have loved this topic.
I know I am not by far the youngest here but 30 years ago I was 8, almost 9. So I can't speak to that much. I was being a kid, swim lessons, dance class, sports.
20 years ago I was 18, almost 19. I thought I was fat. HAHAHAHA roller bladed. Dance class. Walks late at night with friends. College. No freshman 15 though.
10 years ago I was going on 29. I was running off and on. Going to the gym off and on (depending on if I had the money or not). I had great friends but was going through a lot with family and work. I ate pretty healthy because I could only afford about $50 each paycheck so I stretched that out at Frys and Fresh and Easy. Lots of chicken and veg/fruit. I felt sick all the time. The stress did a number on my undiagnosed celiac disease.
In 15 years I'll be going on 54 and retiring from the 9-5 to take up photography full time. Future self I hope will still be running and happy that I finally stuck to lifting weights consistently again.11 -
Oh, I misread the 15 year part.
15 year old me would probably be a bit disappointed I didn't accomplish more. I did not get married at 25 and have 2 kids at 27 and 30. I did not become a CEO by 35. I would be a total failure to 15 year old, type a me. LOL *shrugs* I did get out of Wisconsin so there's that.10 -
First time joining the monthly running challenge.
My mom turns 60 years young this month and she was the one to originally nurture my running brain/addiction. So to celebrate her I'll attempt 60 miles in August!13 -
I am in the 100 mile club again for August as my HM training ramps up....
Compare yourself now to 10, 20 and 30 years ago. What improvements do you love? What do you look forward too? What do you miss and how do you deal with that? Follow up with what would your 15 year old self think of you today.
Great questions! @elise4270 you always come up with questions that really make us think!
Well... I think I am one of the older (oldest) ones here and 30 years ago I was running around chasing my 4 yo daughter, working full time and rarely taking any time to do anything for me. I was very overweight never having lost the baby weight and gaining more from there. Professionally I was doing really well and was very well known in my industry but I had terrible self confidence.
20 years ago I was even more overweight, working hard and traveling a lot but with the same self confidence issues...
10 years ago I had just started working out with my trainer on a plan to lose weight - even a pound would be great. I had never seriously lifted weights and would never, ever consider running.
Honestly, I look back at pictures go myself in those years and I can't believe they are me and that I have changed so drastically both physically and in my ability to do things and try new things that I would never even have considered.
I look forward to lots of travel, visiting friends around the world and running in lots of new places now that we are retired.
I miss seeing my daughter although we talk/chat almost daily. I also miss some aspects of my professional career (meeting people, the travel and the problem solving but not the stress). I deal with it by traveling with dh and planning out where we want to go and what we want to do. I love meeting people and my self confidence has improved so much over the last 10 years with losing 60lbs, being able to lift heavy things, run long distances and getting into pretty much the best shape I have been in since I was a little kid.
I think my 15yo self would
a) be pretty much amazed that I am still alive and able to do all the things I am doing (I was very sick when I was 15 and had heart and joint damage as a result).
b) would also be a little disappointed that I am no longer a feisty, outspoken activist out to change the world like I was before I got sick.
c) be proud of what I have accomplished from school, career, family and getting into shape. She would be amazed that I am a runner because growing up I hated running.12 -
@shanaber Oh yah, 15 year old me hated running because I hadn't figured out how to control my asthma.5
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Welcome to the group @mollymom07 ! You certainly do not have to set a goal if you don't want, but I agree with @PastorVincent that some type of goal is very helpful. It doesn't have to be a mileage goal though. It can just be to run X days per week, or what ever gets you out there.
And welcome @lindsaylou66 I love the idea of running 60 miles to celebrate your mom's birthday!
RE: the monthly question! Great questions @Elise4270!
30 years ago I was 21 years old. I wasn't married yet but I was in a serious relationship with my husband, and was about to graduate from college. I thought I was a bit chubby, but I really wasn't even overweight. I was definitely not athletic and I would never have considered running for fun. I did sometimes take aerobics classes and played a little intramural co-ed softball (which was really just an excuse to get together with friends and drink beer afterwards).
20 years ago I was 31 and had 2 young children. I was overweight and had just gone back to work after a few years as a stay at home mom so that was the beginning of my sedentary, desk job life. I was tired a lot and didn't think I had time to exercise. Plus, even though I still would occasionally do some aerobics, I really didn't enjoy it and never stuck with it.
10 years ago I was 41. My oldest child was in high school and both of my kids were very busy with sports, scouts, theatre , band etc. I was obese and tired and spent all of my time taking care of everyone else and no time taking care of myself.
In 2015 my youngest graduated from high school and my oldest graduated from college. I suddenly found myself with nothing to do really except go to my boring desk job and then come home and read or watch tv. There were no booster club meetings to chair and no concession stands to run. No kids to chauffeur around and no plays or concerts to go watch, no more fundraisers to organize. So I started walking my son's dog. And I decided that I would start watching what I ate because I was really tired of being fat. I had heard about mfp and even signed up for it a couple of years before, but never got serious about tracking my food. I set a goal to lose 60 pounds and in about 10 months I had. After that I decided I needed a fitness goal. I was walking a lot by then and started feeling the urge to run so I thought that C25K would be just the thing. I ended up losing 20 more pounds and falling in love with running. I'm down 80 pounds from my highest weight and I have been maintaining my weight loss for about a year and a half. I run a lot now and I also do yoga at least 5 days a week. I love that I feel better in my 50's than I did when I was younger. I wish I had taken better care of myself then. I do miss my kids being younger, but I enjoy them a lot as adults and even though I enjoyed running them around and being involved in all of their stuff, I am kind of glad that I'm not doing all that any more. I think that the 15 year old me would be proud of me, but she would also be surprised that I am athletic. She would especially be shocked that I have actually run a couple of half marathons and that I run just because I enjoy it and not because I have to.
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RunsOnEspresso wrote: »@shanaber Oh yah, 15 year old me hated running because I hadn't figured out how to control my asthma.
I hated pretty much everything physical except horse-riding. In fact I still have an old school report somewhere with a comment from the P.E. teacher stating that my creativity in coming up with ways to get out of sports was extremely impressive! If he could see me now...5 -
I’m setting my goal at 75 miles for August. I have a couple of charity bike rides that will take the place of my normal Saturday morning long run and I’m traveling “across the pond” at the end of the month.
@Tramboman thanks for setting up the August thread.
@noblsheep – I too will be in Scotland in August. Some friends and I will be there the last week of August and first week of September. One of my running friends is going so we will definitely be doing some running and lots of walking.
The monthly question is a little too deep for me to consider today. I do best when I live in the moment, the day and dreams of the future!
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So I kind of fell of posting for awhile, I think @MobyCarp's passing really threw me. I did meet my July goal - 101.99 miles to be exact!
The bad news is that I strained my calf last Friday. My lower leg was feeling tight all last week, and I deliberately took it slow on my runs and added many walking intervals, however I must have pushed off on it wrong that day and actually felt it pop. UGH. Needless to say, I haven't run since then, and am bummed as I have a HM in 6 weeks (and my first one!). I'm hoping to be able to still run it, however I am no longer sure about how well I will do since I'm not sure how long my calf will take to heal. I can walk on it without much pain (still can feel the tightness) but putting any sort of pressure impact on it, and I can feel it.
So for August miles, not sure yet. Goal is to get this calf healed sooner rather then later. I didn't think I'd ever say I miss running...which leads me to the monthly question:
30 years ago I was 21 and just graduated - looking forward to what life would bring me...got a job (not in my field, but you take what you can get), met my husband through said job...and
20 years ago I was 31 and had recently got married and moved to the US from Toronto. Took awhile for me to adjust, and not a year later, I had open heart surgery - and everything changed.
10 years ago, I was raising our 4 yr old son (adopted - due to my heart issue, pregnancy was too risky), off work due to disability because of said heart condition...faced depression, my angel of a mom passed away - it was rough back then. But I was determined to not let it get the best of me. On and off exercising, yo-yo dieting and finally recently got back into running and am hoping to stay here. It makes me a lot happier, gives me sense of accomplishment etc. I'm back at work part-time, my son is now a typical soon to be 14 year old Fortnite loving, moody teenager (sigh). The last 10 years have really been the toughest I've had to deal with, but here I am - making the most of what time I have left and looking forward better times!
My 15yr self old would be pretty amazed that I can run 5K let alone train for a half. I was overweight, I hated running, in fact hated all forms of exercise...did not like PE at all lol. My 15yr old would be happy that after years of not speaking up, being a yes person, and not standing up for myself, that is all changed.6 -
@Teresa502 and anyone else that isn't keen on getting too deep, I get it. I find moving forward helps me look forward.
How about another monthly question...
Um.. since its lunch time and I'm waiting in line for burgers...
what the best meal you've ever had? and what's your shoe size?2 -
Well, I haven’t had great luck with goals this year, but might as well just keep on keeping on. I am going to try to run 55-60 miles in August, which I hope will get me to a place where I’ll feel comfortable running a half at the beginning on September. I’m also going to aim for at least 15 minutes a day of moderate cardio, 15 minutes of mobility (yoga/stretching), and 2x/week weight lifting. I’m hoping that setting my other health goals lower will help keep running on the front-burner, but we will see.
Compare yourself now to 10, 20 and 30 years ago. What improvements do you love? What do you look forward too? What do you miss and how do you deal with that? Follow up with what would your 15 year old self think of you today.
30 years ago I was a skinny, active six-year-old living in California about to start elementary school in a new town. 20 years ago I was a healthy weight, moderately active 16-year-old just starting a year living in Switzerland and pulling out of a period of major mental health issues. 10 years ago I was a slightly overweight, moderately active 26-year-old living in Minnesota and getting ready to go to law school, not knowing that another period of major mental health crisis was coming up in a year or two. And now I’m an overweight, fairly active 36-year-old lawyer, still in Minnesota, a couple of years down the road of pulling myself out of the previously mentioned mental and physical health crisis.
My main source of exercise at 16 and 26 was just getting myself around - I walked, rode public transportation, or biked everywhere. At 26 I’d started dipping my toes into running, but that would stop during law school and wouldn’t come back into my life until two years ago. I was generally fairly healthy at those ages - I didn’t worry about my weight or physical health much at all, because I’d never really needed to before.
I don’t know what I miss from being 6 - probably not being old enough to know what “social anxiety” meant - but I know that I miss all the creative writing I did when I was 16 and was still doing when I was 26 - that really dried up with law school. That said, I love being a lawyer, even if it took longer than anticipated to land on my feet. I think I’ve learned something from every crisis, and while sometimes I wish I could go back ten years and warn myself about the *kitten*-show of a jobs market I was about to take on a huge amount of debt to join, I guess I’m happy enough with where I ended up to say it was worth it anyhow.
Looking forward, I'm hoping we can add a kid or two to our family over the next few years, that I will continue to shape my current job into something that balances flexibility and more responsibility, that my husband and I both keep learning and growing and changing together, and that I will keep improving my health whatever that looks like. I'd like to run a marathon at some point just to know that I could, and it sure would be nice to get down to a healthy BMI and finally quit smoking for good.
I doubt that my 15-year-old self would believe how much of my free time I spend running and lifting weights - especially the latter. She probably wouldn’t be surprised at the lawyer thing, though I think she expected to have kids a little younger. Honestly, life could still be rocky enough at 15 that she might just be surprised that I'd made it this long.6 -
@MegaMooseEsq May many baby blessings come your way ASAP. You are kinda one of my heros here. You've got chutzpah.4
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ContraryMaryMary wrote: »100 mile club again for me, although it could be tricky as we’re in Fiji for a week...
Can I come!5 -
@Teresa502 and anyone else that isn't keen on getting too deep, I get it. I find moving forward helps me look forward.
How about another monthly question...
Um.. since its lunch time and I'm waiting in line for burgers...
what the best meal you've ever had? and what's your shoe size?
That's a bit of a leading question isn't it bahahaha.
The best dish I ever had was a roast garlic soup. I can still remember how good it was over 10 years later. The best meal I ever had was on a dinner cruise in Paris. The food was spectacular, the atmosphere incredible, and I actually convinced my husband to dance in the moonlight under the Eiffel tower. It was magical, the stuff of movies.
My show size, 9.5 wide US - extremely hard to find good running shoes in that size when you are a female. I think im a 8.5 dress or walking shoe. I've been wearing old running shoes as walking shoes and they are just a touch lose in the toe box, even though they are perfect for running.5 -
PastorVincent wrote: »mollymom07 wrote: »Can I join but not set a goal? I am recovering from a chest infection and a bad back so I don't want to set a goal and fail. Thanks
Sure! Some people do. But I would suggest you think of some goal, like "run three times a week" or "run 1 more time than last month" or "walk to the ice cream shop and get pistachio ice cream every day"
Having a specific and reasonable target helps focus and having focus helps you accomplish your overall goals.
That being said, everyone is different, so you do what works for you.
Brilliant! I didn't realise you could put a goal like that! I'll have a think and post what my goal is tomorrow! Thanks @PastorVincent for your reply! x8 -
Compare yourself now to 10, 20 and 30 years ago. What improvements do you love? What do you look forward too? What do you miss and how do you deal with that? Follow up with what would your 15 year old self think of you today.
Right now at age 50, I'm easily in the best shape I've ever been in my life. I'm braver and more confident. I've had some bad spots for sure, but I'll take now over 10, 20, or 30 years ago (and certainly over age 15) for the most part. If the people who are no longer here were still with me, it would be no contest. None of my former selves would believe the bad@ss I've become
What the best meal you've ever had? and what's your shoe size?
My memory for this kind of thing is terrible and I never can pick "favorites" of anything. It's not the "best" but the most fun meal I've had might have been one at a tapas restaurant in Chicago several years ago with a bunch of girlfriends. The food was excellent, the sangria was powerful, and we laughed so hard we were in tears. I remember that one and we reminisce about it and laugh all the time.
I'm a 10 to 10.5 regular width in US women's sizes. It's pretty proportional to my height but I always wished they were smaller and shoes looked cuter.
So, goals? I'll have get back to you on that. August is busy, and I have two Spartan races, a possible bike ride, and some travel, plus I start back at work on a regular non-summer schedule (boo). I really do need to outline a training plan and make sure I follow it.8 -
@Teresa502 and anyone else that isn't keen on getting too deep, I get it. I find moving forward helps me look forward.
How about another monthly question...
Um.. since its lunch time and I'm waiting in line for burgers...
what the best meal you've ever had? and what's your shoe size?
I think the best meal I ever had was at the French Officer's Club in what was then West Berlin in 1975. However, since I rarely meet a food I don't like, that's a tough call.
I'm a 10 1/2 narrow. Finding shoes I can wear is easy.4 -
@MegaMooseEsq May many baby blessings come your way ASAP. You are kinda one of my heros here. You've got chutzpah.
Aww, thank you! I will remember that on the days when I feel like all I do is complain. *hugs4 -
Hi all, I'd love to join you. I just read through the whole July thread (wow, you guys are prolific!), and am amazed by what a great support group you all are to each other, especially though the loss of your friend. He sounds like an inspirational guy and I'm sorry I didn't know him.
A bit about me: I'm British, 35, live in Spain and Romania, and started running about 8 years ago. I'm never consistant, so have done C25K a few times, and occasionally reach a 10k here and there. I'm currently running 5km 2 or 3 times a week, but am hoping to improve on that in August, as I'm on holiday (teacher, so long hols) and hae time to run and recover! Ultimate aim is to run a half marathon at Christmas. We will see!
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So excited that I found this board as I am working on getting back into running! My goal for the month of August is...65 miles which averages about 15 miles a week.
What the best meal you've ever had? and what's your shoe size?
Hmm... well, I food! There are two which I still dream of and would love another go around: First is a place in wine country where I swear the pasta was hand made, it was so perfect and doughy. The other was my experience with Fondue where we woke up the next morning and were still thinking of it and how amazing it was! Both are not the healthiest options but where my mind immediately went as far as my best meals.
My every day shoe size is a 10.5 wide but my running shoes are 11.5 wide; which I agree with someone else saying it makes it almost impossible to find cute running shoes.
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