October 2021 Monthly Running Challenge
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Realized I forgot to mention my gel trials for today. The first was a non-flavored Gu named tastefully nude. This one just tasted sweet with basically no aftertaste. If flavored gels aren't your thing, I would definitely recommend this one. There is a bit of caffeine but it's not so much that the bitterness is noticeable.
The second was a new brand for me, Hammer in flavor peanut butter chocolate. It's hard to wrong with that flavor combo. The texture was similar to the gu or Clif shot gels. No stomach issues and no weird aftertaste. Also, several of the flavors available were decaffeinated, which has been a challenge with some of the brands. I like to alternate caffeine and no caffeine gels in longer runs because otherwise it's just too much. I have a big cup of coffee before I start anyway.6 -
20k in the wind and rain with a friend today. First non-solo run in months. Had a good chat and felt so much better after. Felt even better again after an afternoon nap!7
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10-1 7k slow
10-2 7k sleasy (between slow and easy)
10-3 7k slow
10-4 rest
10-5 7k measy (between moderate and easy)
10-6 6k slow
10-7 rest
10-8 7k slow
10-9 7k easy
10-10 7k moderate
10-11 rest
10-12 7k slow
10-13 7k slow
10-14 rest
10-15 7k slow
10-16 7k measy
10-17 7k easy
10-18 rest
10-19 rest
10-20 4k easy
10-21 rest
10-22 rest
10-23 7k temperate (between tempo and moderate).
10-24 7k moderate
October Total: 108k
October Goal: 150k
Partly cloudy, low 40s F, and no wind today. Legs were a little unhappy after yesterday's effort, but were fine after the 2k it took to warm up.
When you pop in here claiming your December 2021 mileage, what accomplishments will you have made?
PUT THE FUN BACK IN THE RUN!
Return to a good running weight of 175 lbs (second attempt)
2021 Races:
6/26 Direction Up 5k, Solon, OH 31:48 chip; 31:59 Garmin; 53d overall; 2d male 65 and over
7/17 Run of the Ox 5k, Mantua, OH 32:19 Garmin; 44th overall; 3d place male 60 and over6 -
@sweetdaisy13 glad you found the joy in running again by lowering your mileage (although that 15+ mile trail run must have felt good). That was a good idea.
Thanks @Scott6255, I really enjoyed it. I also needed to do a long run as I have an ultra marathon in 2 weeks, partly to get used to running on tired legs and also to see if there were any signs of my knee injury returning. Pleased to say no niggles at all and enjoying being able to run injury-free.8 -
13.1 miles this morning. Feels like I haven't run a HM in several months. Tried to just take it easy and get through it, but pace was all over the place. All in all it was a decent run. Got done just as the sun came up, so perfect timing.
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Sat: 5.4 easy miles on the Lake Crabtree trails @ 11:03 pace. Super easy run. Really enjoy these trails.
Sun: 12 miles on the ATT @ 9:19 pace. Started to feel the mileage the last couple of miles. May need a cut back week next week.
37.7 miles for the week.
126.5 miles out of 125 for the month. Goal met!9 -
Today's scheduled run called for 50 minutes at an 11:32-12:33min/mile pace, plus 5 minute warm up and cool down. My average pace during the 50 minute run was 11:37. I ran 4.88 miles. Afterwards, I walked the dogs for about .5 miles (they are old and that is about all they can handle). Nice weather too - mid 50s!8
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Slow recovery run: 6.3 miles, average pace of 10:13 min per mile with 522 feet of elevation.
October cumulative:
53.7 miles
4,937 feet of elevation6 -
Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
10/01/21 :::: 0.0 :::: 0.0
10/02/21 :::: 6.7 :::: 6.7
10/03/21 :::: 0.0 :::: 6.7
10/04/21 :::: 2.1 :::: 8.8
10/05/21 :::: 3.6 :::: 12.4
10/06/21 :::: 6.4 :::: 18.8
10/07/21 :::: 1.7 :::: 20.5
10/08/21 :::: 0.0 :::: 20.5
10/09/21 :::: 10.0 :::: 30.5
10/10/21 :::: 3.3 :::: 33.8
10/11/21 :::: 3.1 :::: 36.9
10/12/21 :::: 3.1 :::: 40.0
10/13/21 :::: 5.8 :::: 45.8
10/14/21 :::: 3.1 :::: 48.9
10/15/21 :::: 0.0 :::: 48.9
10/16/21 :::: 4.0 :::: 52.9
10/17/21 :::: 13.2 :::: 66.1
10/18/21 :::: 2.2 :::: 68.3
10/19/21 :::: 3.3 :::: 71.5
10/20/21 :::: 0.0 :::: 71.5
10/21/21 :::: 3.1 :::: 74.7
10/22/21 :::: 0.0 :::: 74.7
10/23/21 :::: 3.1 :::: 77.8
10/24/21 :::: 10.2 :::: 88.0
Today was the Mountain Goat Run 10-mile race. This is usually a May race and was cancelled in 2020 and then postponed from May to October in 2021, so I've been signed up for this thing for almost two years. And I really dreaded doing it today going in. I haven't raced anything in so long, and this is a hilly course. A friend and I planned to run together and she was just trying to survive it too, so we decided we would keep each other company, no matter the pace.
It was a gorgeous day, couldn't have asked for much better. A little cold at 40 degrees at the start but standing in the sun really warmed things up. And of course as soon as we started running it was plenty warm. There are 5 main hills on the course and the first two start at about 1.5 miles in, one after the other. There's a nice view where you can see all the runners ahead going up the hill - and know you have a ways to go to get to the top! At the top of one of the hills there is a Mountain Goat statute and it has names of hall of fame runners engraved on it, including our coach. Lots of people stop and take a picture there. Then there is some really nice down hill for a while and you start to feel like you're going to make it as you cross the half way point and cruise for a bit.
But then the worst hill comes. It's not the steepest, but it is loooooong. Just relentlessly uphill for almost 2 miles. The awesome part though is they always have a band and a long drum line along the hill and they play and cheer you along. The song they play always seems to be "Staying Alive" so I'm not sure if they just play that over and over or they have more in their repertoire. It's fantastic and helps propel you up though. At the top of that hill my legs felt shot, and I knew there was a gradual uphill left and then one more steep hill. My friend and I chugged along, telling each other stories as best we could when we weren't completely winded. When we got to the steep hill, there is always great crowd support there and they chalk inspiration on the road. Another our friends was there cheering and running people up the hill and she totally saved us by distracting us with chatter and gettting us up that last hill. We took a quick pic with her and then it was time to coast down to the finish.
It seems like the finish should be right there, but it's really about 2 miles from that last hilltop. The roads in this part of it had just been torn up to be repaved like the day before so it was rough and you had to really watch your footing. They did a great job of having a lot of volunteers out there warning us of these rough spots and the transitions so hopefully no one had any problems. Finally we came around the corner and the finish was two blocks away. We pushed as hard as we could at that point and I was so happy to cross that line.
Overall, I did better than I expected. I was just two minutes slower than the last time I ran it in 2019 so that felt good. We even ended up with a 9:47 10th mile, which was our fastest and had a couple of 10 minute miles. I was pleased with that for sure. This is a fun race with lots of crowd support and bands along the way which makes it much less of a slog than 10 miles of hills would normally be. I'm sure I'll get talked into doing it again
Just one photo - the medal was very cool! It stands up by itself and is a little replica of the Mountain Goat statue!
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@katharmonic Congratulations on a great race!!!2
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Great job! @katharmonic! I love the medal!2
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October Goal: 111 Miles
10/3: 10.30 miles
10/5: 5.51 miles
10/6: 5.11 miles
10/7: 7.10 miles
10/10: 10.51 miles
10/12: 5.52 miles
10/13: 5.20 miles
10/14: 8.06 miles
10/17: 11.10 miles
10/19: 5.65 miles
10/20: 6.04 miles
10/21: 8.15 miles
10/24: 12.35 miles
100.60/111 miles completed for October
Today was the last long run before a short taper in the HM training plan. The plan called for 12 miles in 1 hr 54 minutes with a pace of 9:37. The last time I ran this Half I ran at a pace of 9:46 so I know that I don't need to be running my training runs faster than that. My goal pace for the race is going to be about 9:40. So today I ran 12:35 miles in 2 hours 20 minutes at a pace of 11:16. It was a tough run. It was 74°F when I started and 82° F when I finished. Strava had a little lower readings than that, but it was very warm. I really hope it will be cooler on Nov. 6th. I am hoping that cooler weather plus the adrenaline of running a race will get me through quicker than I ran today. I am at that point of feeling like I will be able to go the distance, but not sure if I will be able to hit the pace I want. The last two miles today were really rough. I do think that the heat was a bit of a factor today and my mileage will be decreased until race day so hopefully I will be well rested and I will be able to run well on race day.
@martaindale This race is a road race, not a trail race, so I don't think it is as scenic as the Possum's Revenge. But it is a nice, pretty run and a really well organized event.
@katharmonic Great job on your race! 10 miles of hills sounds intimidating. Really cool medal.
Part of me would really like to take a nap, but I have to get busy making a quilt for a baby shower for my great nephew. My niece is having her shower the same day as my race so I am running out of time.
2021 Races:
4/24/21: Run For The Children 10K PR 55:46:28.
11/6/21: Run For 57th AHC Half Marathon
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@katharmonic great job on what sounds like a challenging race! Do you feel like all of your hiking fitness helped with the hills?2
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@katharmonic Great job on your really tough 10 mile race! Yeah, that is a cool medal!2
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10/1- 7.6 miles
10/2- 4.05 miles
10/3- 14 miles
10/4- 4 miles
10/5- 8 miles
10/6- 4 miles
10/7- Rest
10/8- 8.15 miles
10/9- 4 miles
10/10- 13.5 miles
10/11- 4.35 miles
10/12- 6.6 miles
10/13- 5 miles
10/14- Rest
10/15- 4.21 miles
10/16- 5.11 miles
10/17- 10.06 miles
10/18- 4.6 miles
10/19- 7.5 miles
10/20- 4.52 miles
10/21- Rest
10/22- 7.6 miles
10/23- 4.2 miles
10/24- 14.02 miles
October To-Date: 145.07 miles
October Target: 185 miles
Percentage Complete: 78.42%
On-Pace?: 1.84 miles ahead of pace
Just need a 40-mile week to reach the target.
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Nice running everyone!
Congratulations on your 10 mile race @katharmonic ! Those hills sound challenging. Love that the crowds, bands, and your friend helped propel you up them. You did great! Love the medal.
@kgirlhart Great run. I'm with you, the target paces are too fast considering your target for the HM. You have trained so hard. You are going to do great! I'd love to see a picture of the baby quilt once it is finished.2 -
Still walking. Had some issues with my back yesterday, but it has felt pretty good all day today. I am curious as to what the chiropractor will say tomorrow.
After lunch today, me, my mom, and my neighbor drove over to a local orchard and bought some apples. We were afraid they wouldn't have many, due to the late spring cold snap. They did say the freeze got some, but they had plenty. It was a gorgeous day, so we drove around to look at the Fall colors. Unfortunately, they aren't at their peak yet, but it was still a beautiful fun day. We stopped in Hot Spring, NC and walked around for a bit. The prettiest trees were on the drive home, when I was driving and couldn't take pictures.
Me and mom standing on the Red Bridge in Hot Springs.
A pretty tree. The red leaves are actually a vine that has climbed into the tree.10 -
2 miles this morning. Legs felt heavy so pretty slow. But yay for running again.
70.2/80.29 -
First mile of the recovery run was very sluggish this morning, but eventually got the average pace under 9:00/mile. It looks like rain is going to mandate a rest day tomorrow, though...
10/1- 7.6 miles
10/2- 4.05 miles
10/3- 14 miles
10/4- 4 miles
10/5- 8 miles
10/6- 4 miles
10/7- Rest
10/8- 8.15 miles
10/9- 4 miles
10/10- 13.5 miles
10/11- 4.35 miles
10/12- 6.6 miles
10/13- 5 miles
10/14- Rest
10/15- 4.21 miles
10/16- 5.11 miles
10/17- 10.06 miles
10/18- 4.6 miles
10/19- 7.5 miles
10/20- 4.52 miles
10/21- Rest
10/22- 7.6 miles
10/23- 4.2 miles
10/24- 14.02 miles
10/25- 4.49 miles (40:01, 8:55/mile)
October To-Date: 149.56 miles
October Target: 185 miles
Percentage Complete: 80.84%
On-Pace?: 0.37 miles ahead of pace
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3.5 miles at recovery effort, half on the paved path, half in the woods because it was a still a little too dark when I got to the trailhead. I can't wait to set the clocks back this weekend. Daylight Savings Time is dumb. They should just make it go away.
130.1 of 1257
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