October 2021 Monthly Running Challenge

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 over

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.

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!

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!

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.

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