October 2020 Monthly Running Challange

@polskagirl01 - I had to google European Hamster - they are cuties!

@kgirlhart So glad that you are liking your new job and figuring out how to get your workouts in too! I struggle with that when I work. I just can't seem to make myself get up at 4:15 to exercise.

@polskagirl01 Just googled European Hamsters. They are cute! Also saw that they are now on the "critically endangered list." Do you see them often?

10-1 7k easy
10-2 7k slow
10-3 7k slow
10-4 7k easy
10-5 rest
10-6 7k easy
10-7 7k easy
10-8 7k easy
10-9 7k easy
10-10 7k easy
10-11 7k easy
10-12 rest
10-13 7k easy
10-14 7k easy
10-15 7k slow
10-16 7k moderate
10-17 7k easy
10-18 7k easy
10-19 rest
10-20 7k easy
10-21 7k easy

October Total: 126k
October Goal: 170k

January Total: 161k
February Total: 167k
March Total: 181k
April Total: 191k
May Total: 200k
June Total: 156k
July Total: 180k
August Total: 172k
September Total: 176k

2020 Total through September: 1584k / 176k per month

Mostly cloudy and low 60s F this morning. Rained hard enough during the night to wake me up twice, and was still raining this morning, but had a window to get out and run. Saw a couple peeks of sun that were balanced by a couple of raindrops, so it all worked out.

When you pop in here claiming your December 2020 mileage, what accomplishments will you have made?

Return to a good running weight of 175 lbs
Run at least 4 5k races
Get a 5k PR
Average at least 138k per month, to meet my Run the Year pledge of 1,020 miles - Completed 10-11
Stretch goal: If I can average 169k per month, I can run 2020k in 2020
Run the Year Team: Pavement Pounders -- Completed 9-29

2020 races:

9-8 to 9-13 "Virtual Boston with Vincent" Time goal 5:15:00; actual time 4:47:01

quilteryoyo wrote: »

@polskagirl01 Just googled European Hamsters. They are cute! Also saw that they are now on the "critically endangered list." Do you see them often?

No, they are pretty rare. In 4 years of running in this area, mostly near fields and natural areas, I have seen 3 live ones (one tried to attack me, the one today just threatened to, and the other ran away and I think was only out in daylight because there was a loud tractor working in his field), one dead one, and I heard one growling at me once as I biked past some tall grass. They are the size of guinea pigs, but have very mean temperaments. Maybe they just need someone to love them 😁

By the way, Congrats (if that's an appropriate wish) on getting your surgery date! I am glad you don't have a very long wait. Maybe it seems long right now, though. You've got this!

So far behind! Started a post to respond to all of you yesterday, but work got ridiculously busy late in the day. Like after 4:30pm late. I leave at 5. Not yesterday! it's okay, it all ends up being money. Whatever.

@quilteryoyo Nov 4! Just two weeks! I will be praying for you!

Everyone running - yay! KEEP GOING!

Everyone not running and struggling with one issue or another - I read your posts. I love you. You're going to make it out on the other side! Listen to your body! You've come so far! You are doing so well!

@martaindale yay about your race this weekend! Woohoo!


The 4am awakening every day is beginning to feel more normal. It has been cold and raining. Today it was SO foggy. It was still a lot of fun, though. I'm not a morning person and I can't say actual words before coffee, so I've begun having 1 cup of coffee, the stumbling out the door. I can barely walk in a straight line that early, so the other thing I've done to WAKE UP is listen to whatever rap or hip hop I can find that makes my feet want to move. Running is dancing.

Yesterday was doubles and lifting. So I ran at 4am and 7pm, then lifted. Between those things I worked, parented the kids and the dog, made dinner, did the laundry, picked up legos. It was a good day. The beauty of lifting less than twelve hours before your next run is that when you run again, you aren't sore yet.

I am sore now, though. Yep. Hanging jackknives were on the menu for part of the lifting last night. That is not an easy move. I kept thinking, "Stop being a sissy! DO IT!" But I'm telling you, those are hARD. I got through it though.

Tonight is the weekly dinner with Nick and Sophie. it's the one day a week I eat whatever is put in front of me (if I am not cooking, and tonight, I'm not - they are) and we are going to watch a movie. I'm excited to just RELAX. I hope I don't fall asleep during the movie.

Anyway. That's my update. Same running but with more intensity and volume and lifting.

I want it to be 5 now.

@quilteryoyo Carefully. That's how. Very, very carefully.

With as much grace as possible. For myself, my kids, my dog, the people I work with. For example, since I work fifty hours a week. 4am is the only time I am not needed. Then, I run according to my schedule in my neighborhood. The kids know where I am the whole time, should they wake up. They have immediate access to me and I am never far.

But since i have to work, pick up kids after work, make dinner, take care of the dog, clean the house - I multitask a lot. Like last night, while I was making dinner, I was also on the kitchen floor doing the warmup for the evening run at the same time that laundry was going - See? Carefully. Fit as much in as possible, take care of priorities, make it work. That's all a person can do. Right?

How are you feeling? Are you anxious? Anything we can do for you as a group?

October Goal: 100 Miles

10/1: 6.24 miles
10/4: 11.02 miles
10/6: 6.22 miles
10/7: 6.22 miles
10/8: 6.23 miles
10/11: 11.04 miles
10/13: 6.02 miles
10/14: 6.22 miles
10/15: 6.02 miles
10/18: 10.04 miles
10/20: 6.23 miles
10/21: 6.24 miles

87.74/100 miles completed for October

1147.67/1000 miles for Run the Year Team Pavement Pounders

Another early morning 10K for me. It was a nice run, but it was kind of warm. The new job is pretty busy, so I have not been keeping up with the thread. 

My rescheduled Half is in just over 2 weeks.  So far it is still a go. I'm looking forward to it. I can't decide if I need to taper or not. 

@quilteryoyo I'm glad you got the surgery date. We'll be praying for you.

@polskagirl01 Those European hamsters are really cute.
 


2020 races:
11/7/20: Run for 57th AHC Half Marathon

Thanks @kgirlhart @katharmonic @Mari33a, and anyone else I missed.

@kgirlhart Fingers crossed that your race is held. Sorry to hear about your lockdown @Mari33a . Glad you were able to get away and back home before that happened. I've forgotten. Where do you live?

@katharmonic Sounds like a great workout. Glad you were able to handle it better than expected.

@marisap2010 Nice to see the Garmin trainer working out for you. That constant buzzing because you are doing something no exactly right can be annoying. I have some workouts on mine that I have HR zones programmed. Well, when doing speed work, even when you slow down, your HR is not going to instantaneously go from Zone 5 to Zone 1. So, it buzzes at me all of the time. I just ignore it. LOL

@katharmonic It is hard for me to maintain a pace too, with all of the hills around here. But, I still enjoy the ability to enter my own workouts into the watch so I don't have to remember which interval I'm on while trying not to die. LOL Love your description of how your new Garmin is "trying." At least swimming and rowing are both water sports, so it had that much right.

@Tramboman The key word there is "could." You did it.

@rheddmobile Congratulations on reaching your goal of running 8 miles without a break. You are doing fantastic!