December 2020 Monthly Running Challenge

12-1 rest + yoga
12-2 7k treadmill + resistance bands
12-3 7k treadmill + yoga
12-4 7k slow + resistance bands
12-5 7k slow + yoga
12-6 7k slow
12-7 7k easy + resistance bands
12-8 rest + yoga
12-9 7k easy + resistance bands
12-10 7k easy-ish + yoga
12-11 7k moderate-ish + resistance bands
12-12 5k treadmill + yoga
12-13 7k slow
12-14 7k slow + resistance bands
12-15 rest + yoga
12-16 6k slow + resistance bands
12-17 5k treadmill + yoga
12-18 rest + resistance bands
12-19 7k slow + yoga

December Total: 100k
December 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
October Total: 189k
November Total: 180k

2020 Total through November: 1953k

LIVE total toward 2020k in 2020: 2053k

Mostly cloudy, low 30s F, with a light breeze from the south today. Saw some squirrels, some deer tracks, and even a set of otter tracks in the fresh snow. Must admit that my legs felt a little fresher today after the extra resty day.

@HonuNui I just love your snorkeling pictures.

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 - Completed 12-12
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

Love the pictures @HonuNui and @katharmonic!

16.3 miles this morning Just felt good to be running outside. Great temp (57F), slightly stronger wind than desirable (16mph), but felt good after a few miles. Didn't feel like I was dying at the end either 😁

December Goal – 120 miles
12/1 – 1.05 miles
12/2 – 6.41 miles
12/3 – 3.3 miles
12/4 – 5.02 miles
12/5 – 1.72 miles (travel day)
12/6 – 6.09 miles (2 mile walk on beach)
12/7 – 5.50 miles (4 mile walk on beach)
12/8 – 6.21 miles Jingle all the 10K Way (virtual)
12/9 – 3.51 miles (18.44 mile bike ride; 1.78 mile walk on beach)
12/10 – 13.24 miles
12/11 – 5.14 miles (2.27 mile beach walk)
12/12 – 1.14 miles (travel day)
12/13 – 1.26 miles
12/14 – 4 miles
12/15 – 5.02 miles
12/16 – 4.27 miles
12/17 – 5.67 miles (Christmas Lights Run) + 5K walk
12/18 – 2.02 miles (trail)
12/19 – 5.04 (Pioneer 5 Mile Race)
Total – 85.61

With the news of @quilteryoyo’s loss of her dad, I haven’t felt very chatty this week so this catch-up post is rather long.

Thursday Day 4 of Yeti 12 Days of Christmas Challenge was to walk the same 5K route as on Monday only at a faster pace. I got that out of the way first thing in the morning and managed to walk faster than previous 5k. Thursday evening I met a group of runners for an unofficial Christmas light run. Everyone was asked to bring supplies for the local animal shelter. There were probably 60 runners who showed up and lots of supplies were collected. Friday Day 5 of Yeti 12 Days of Christmas Challenge was an hour yoga routine. Before I did the yoga I ran 2 miles on a local trail to keep my streak alive.

Saturday Day 6 of Yeti 12 Days of Christmas Challenge was a 7 mile bonk run – to run fasted and to make each mile slower than the one before it. I didn’t complete this assignment because I had already signed up for a race. The Pioneer 5 Miler is part of the Tennessee Running Tour and is held at Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park. Although the race didn’t start until 11:00 am, I volunteered to help with packet pick-up so I had to be there at 9:00 am and it was chilly. I think it was 28F but standing around made it feel colder. My fingers and toes were so cold. I don’t think I felt my toes until at least a mile into the race. There were about 125 participants and by 11:00 am it had warmed up to about 38F and the sun was out so once I got going I was plenty warm. It was an out and back course with gently rolling hills. My overall finish time was 53:36 and I placed third in my age group (3 out of 8). @katharmonic – Absolutely gorgeous picture but 6F? I think 12F is the coldest that I’ve run and I didn’t like it one bit! On the other hand, those warm waters and the jellyfish are equally beautiful @HonuNui

Wow @Scott6255 – nice long run!

eleanorhawkins wrote: »

Most of my long runs are bonk runs! In fact Friday was a double-bonk run!
Covid related *kitten*:

While obviously concerned, the irony of our current situation does not escape me. We usually spend xmas with my husband's family... my husband's parents live 10 minutes away from us. His brother comes from Madrid to stay with them with his partners and their two sons. This year we decided we wouldn't go to the house. I suggested an outdoor picnic so we could stay distanced. My MIL has been nagging me like crazy, teling me I'm ruining everyone's xmas and I'm stupid and none of them have IT. I must add here that usually because we live so close we have to go to have lunch with them every Saturday. Last weekend was the first time we were allowed to do so (their house is 10 minutes away, but in a different town, and we have been restricted to our own towns for a few weeks). Anyway, Monday she started to feel ill. Because she wants her grandsons to come for xmas she swears its a cold and she's getting better. Friday after everyone nagging her she goes for a test. Yup, it's covid. SO because we were in close contact in the 48 hours before her symptoms started, we have to self-isolate. She went to visit more family on the Sunday. One has already tested positive, 2 more are feeling ill. We seem ok so far, I've had a very slight sore throat for afew days but think it's more likely from running in the cold. I'm not going anywhere anyway. My daughter will have to miss the last 2 days of school. I'm biting my tongue hard so as not to comment on all the *kitten* she gave me about xmas as now she and her husband have to spend it alone.

Short version: I can't go out until Wednesday, not even to run. Which means I have to skip Monday's run. Which means I'm going to have to calculate and work out how to squeeze enough miles in to get that 1,000. I'm pissed about it, but sure 4 days off running will be good for my tired legs.

Maybe treat the time off like a taper and do a longer run as your first one when you can go outside again. Keep an easy pace though, so you'll still feel good to do the next runs. I get the mix of irony and concern! I hope everyone is ok and that those who caught IT come through with just mild cases.

They are allowing us to have a "normal" funeral and visitation. The funeral is at 3pm today. We are going to try to keep social distancing and don't really expect a lot of people to show up. And, that's okay. I think mom just needed something that is as close to normal as possible to help her get through this time. We emphasized in the obituary that we understand if people don't come and that we don't want anyone to get sick from being there. They are going to live stream the funeral on FB so those who don't come can see it anyway. It's hard to try to walk that fine line that seems to be getting thinner with every step.

December Goal: 100 Miles
Revised Goal: 40 Miles

12/1: 6.08 miles
12/2: 6.21 miles
12/3: 3.76 miles
12/12: 2.51 miles
12/15: 4.07 miles
12/16: 3.21 miles
12/17: 3.02 miles
12/20: 6.51 miles

35.36/40 running miles completed for December

1317.25/1000 miles for Run the Year Team Pavement

I had a really good run this morning.  No hip pain at all. I felt really good. I waited until about 10:30 so it could warm up some. It was still chilly at around 45°F at the start but was about 53°F by the end.  I ran in shorts and a t-shirt and gloves.  I took the gloves off after 3.5 miles and I was pretty comfortable except my ears were a bit cold at the start. The sun was shining and it was just nice to get out there.

@eleanorhawkins Sorry you are dealing with that. Hugs!

@quilteryoyo Hugs to you too!



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

Smilin’ Santa 5k! Last 5k race of the year, and also a PR for the year, 27:28 which is ten seconds faster than our previous 2020 PR on Thanksgiving. Also, while I felt like the Thanksgiving run was pretty much as fast as we could do it, today I felt we could have gone faster if the road hadn’t been slick. So possibly there is still some improvement to be made!

Saturday is our usual fast run day, but we put it off until Sunday because of rain. This turned out to be both good and bad. Good because it was indeed raining (and windy and cold) yesterday and bad because there was more vehicle traffic Sunday than there is on Saturday, which we didn’t expect. There are no sidewalks and no shoulders - there is also no earthly reason for anyone to drive a car back there on the railroad access road, but it seems to happen regardless - so we spent a lot of time swapping lanes so cars could pass. And three times a car was coming from both directions which has never happened since we started running there, leaving us with no place to be! Fortunately all drivers were polite and pulled over to let us pass between them, otherwise we would have had to stop and jump off the road into the ditch!

It was still pretty chilly, 45ish with a fog advisory. We didn’t have fog, though, just very damp cool air. It was unpleasant walking down and back but turned out to be pretty good running temperatures for a hard run. I wore a short sleeve shirt with sleeves and was sweaty by the time I finished. The one problem was that the extreme damp meant the road was wet underfoot, and this type of asphalt is slippery when wet. My shoes were squeaking like crazy and slipping a little each stride, which means you have to work harder and can’t really let loose and fly. Given that, I am very pleased with our time! We were aiming for 27 (my 5k PR is 27:04) which is an 8:40 mile time, and we managed to be on pace for the first mile and a half, but then the extra effort just started catching up to us.

Both my husband and I wore jingle bells in our ponytails! We passed a mother and child cycling and the child looked at us like we were out of our minds!

So that’s our 2020 races wrapped up. I sure did not imagine this year going like this back in March - the last public event I went to was the awards ceremony for the Winter Trail Race Series, before everything went virtual. Here’s hoping 2021 will be a year free from fear and sorrow and full of joy.

i've been running, kinda. walked my 5k on thurs faster than the last one. didn't do yoga since i was doing 2 hours on saturday with my students.
when i got home from classes, i found something had gotten strained. i think it was actually when i coughed in a pose. so i took saturday and sunday off.
today's challenge was to run any mileage but do it before we looked at social media and email. i thought a short run might help loosen up my hip. it felt fine when i ran but i was super slow which was slightly frustrating.
it mostly hurts when i sit.

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

December Total: 112k
December 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
October Total: 189k
November Total: 180k

2020 Total through November: 1953k

LIVE total for 2020: 2065k

Cloudy, mid 30s F, and a light breeze from the south. Saw a lot of geese flying around; they must be feeling the approaching storm systems.

@rheddmobile A 2020 PR is a great way to end the year!!

@kgirlhart Glad your hip seems healed.


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 - Completed 12-12
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