February 2020 Monthly Running Challenge

katharmonic wrote: »

So here's some introspection - I ran into my running coach this morning when I was getting ready to get on the treadmill, and looking pretty tired I'm sure after my mace workout. He asked me if I was realizing that all the other training I'm doing is starting to be detrimental to my running (and that he hasn't said anything but he's been waiting for me to realize this). Hmm. I laughed and said non-committally that yes, I was certainly tired. But it bothered me a little and I thought about it off and on today. And it's kind of true, but a couple of things occurred to me. First, I'm not really training for any running races right now nor do I have any specific running/race goals at the moment, so it isn't really detrimental to anything. And I've been running every day!

Second thought = maybe I'm not primarily a runner right now who is also doing some other things, but rather someone who is primarily doing other things (Spartan, rock climbing, hiking, strength training) and just trying to keep up with my running as a secondary thing or supplement to my training. Not that I have to declare myself to be a runner or not (and if you run, you're a runner of course), but interesting to reflect on how things have changed in the past year or so. I know my coach hates to lose his "veteran" run club numbers so I suspect he'll be working on me to come back to the fold and do half marathon/marathon training this spring like a "real" runner. Which also is kind of funny to me to think about when before 4 years ago I had never run at all and now I have a coach trying to keep me on the team

All I know right now is that I'm having a glass of wine, unwinding from a stressful work day, and thinking about how early is too early to go to bed when I have to back to the gym at 6:30 again tomorrow. Answer: now is not too early.

Here is the thing, it is about goals.

Is your goal to run the fastest race your body can run? Is your goal health? Is your goal to have fun? Is your goal just to eat more cake?

Once you know your goal, then you can decide if "other things" are really hindering or helping. Of course, a running focused coach will want you to be... running focused - but whether or not you should be is up to you.

And instead of runner (in addition to) start thinking of yourself as "Athlete" - and then it does not matter which activity you do, you are still an athlete (cause you ARE whether or not you admit it).

Morning!

I am waiting for our IT person to fix my computer.

I went to the Dr today for the pain in my hip that radiates down to my knee. I explained the shoe journey, feeling as though my knee doesn’t want to do what it’s supposed to do, etc. He did some back popping and pretzel twisting and examined my knees and hips and legs and back and said

It’s my IT band.

Not anything that will prevent me from running AS LONG AS I

STRETCH after running and

CONTINUE to REALLY FOR REAL use the foam roller

So! I’m glad I went because now I know what’s wrong and what to do to fix it, specifically. I won’t be flying blind, trying to fix everything that COULD be wrong! And I don’t have to take any meds!

This weekend is a cutback weekend - 12 miles - and he said that’s totally fine.

Yay!

shanaber wrote: »

@autumnblade75 - I don't think it matters much if you rearrange the plan to better fit your life. I did that all the time. Mostly just need to get in the requisite miles and rest days.

I've been told it does matter, and I've reasoned that it shouldn't. I guess if you're following one of those structured plans, you aren't even supposed to scale the pace, say, if you found a plan that was supposed to help you run a 4 hour marathon, but 4:30 was ultimately more realistic, doing the math to run whichever run at 87% of the suggested pace wouldn't work. But this time around, I'm working on the assumption that the long runs are the only ones that REALLY matter, and the shorter runs are all about making sure the long run is no more than 50% of my total running.

Anyway, I've decided to move the long run up to today - because of a Fitbit Workweek Hustle Challenge. Stupid, right? The whole thing is out of whack, already. According to the whiteboard, I'm technically already 4 days late for attempting 18 miles, but it's only 6 days after finally accomplishing 15... And next Friday is 20.

I did math to make Kool-Aid. My Actual water consumption on the 15 mile run was 2.3 oz every 6 minutes. I'm going to allow for 2.5 oz of water every half mile. That's going to be about 15 seconds early, which would be rough to do by time, but I can probably adjust to the mile markers, instead. I put masking tape on my water bottles and marked them off. Someone threw away my empty Gatorade bottle, so I'm going to have to stop and refill, at some point. I'm testing replenishment of 33% of my calories. That works out to 732 calories - 189 grams of sugar over roughly 3.5 hours. I was all set to mix it with 90 oz of water, but I was using the big measuring cup - the one marked for 32 oz. So I filled that 3 times. 6 extra oz of water shouldn't be a problem, either. I used the last packet of Watermelon flavor Kool-Aid. I have 1 packet of Orange, and a whole stack of Grape. I don't exactly know how I came to stockpile Grape, but that's the state of the supply, here. Google tells me that 100g of sugar should measure to about a cup. I used the scale. Anyway, that means that for my single packet of Kool-Aid, I've added about 1.5 x water and nearly 2 x sugar. I'm not going to add salt to it, though. That just seems weird. Google tells me that if I need electrolytes, I should experience fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea and headache. Hmm. Sounds like the sort of thing I'd expect while running 3.5 hours. Yup. Maybe I should add the salt?

LoveyChar wrote: »

Does listening to zombies run mean listening to heavy metal?

I mostly listen to Industrial between zombie story-lines. There's a bit of Irish music in there - punk influenced. My husband tells me that the particular genre of punk that I'm looking for in my Irish music is called "Oi!" But it's completely individual. Zombies, Run! uses your own playlist.

I think it's kind of strange that I like Zombies, Run! so much, considering how much of the story I can't actually understand while I'm running. I had found a transcript of the first 5 seasons, a while back. It really helped me to understand the various parts of the story that I couldn't figure out how they were supposed to be connected. I can't focus on podcasts or audiobooks. I don't care for them when I'm not running, either. I prefer my news to be written down, too. I hate when someone links a news story and it turns out to be a video. I watch most of my TV with subtitles on. I don't learn well from lectures.

There was a question about favorite places to run: As much as I like my treadmill, I think I prefer Deer Grove Forest Preserve. There's a hill or 2, but not too long or too steep. There is occasionally wildlife - I've seen deer and rabbits and frogs. There's reasonable shade for about half of the loop I've run. It's not too buggy... But it's closer to work than home, and I drive a co-worker home most days. I don't get to run there often, unless I happen to bring my shoes on a day that he is absent.

If I drive somewhere to run, I like Raceway Woods. The hills there are much steeper, which is good for me, I think. I saw a coyote on the path once. He watched me run towards him. It was cool, but probably stupid, and a little scary. He eventually trotted into the woods, before I could have been a threat to him (Ha!) and did not particularly menace me. But I don't really like to drive to go for a run.

I'm under the impression that most of the forest preserves around me have nicely paved trails, which would suit me well if I chose to venture out of the house more often. I should maybe try it, in a few months, when an accident wouldn't be as likely to result in hypothermia if I wind up lost. Probably I worry for nothing. Probably.


I'm really just procrastinating while I wait for the laundry to dry. Any minute now, I'll have clean shorts, and then I should start my run.