April 2022 Monthly Running Challenge

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  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,478 Member
    @7lenny7 That looks like a great trip. I am in TN. Unfortunately, I am about an hour NE of Knoxville, so about 4 hours from Nashville.

    @yirara Sounds like you understand the problem, just need to get someone to help you get more iron in your system. You are doing great.

    @polskagirl01 Great running and great news for you and your guests.

    Great job @Mari33a .

    I am leaving in a few minutes to get my MRIs done. Wish me luck that the open MRI they say they have is really open and not just "large bore." I am having my brain and eye orbits checked to see if there is an obvious reason for episodes of double vision (which I haven't had since scheduling an appointment with the neurologist about 1.5 months ago) and visual migraines.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    quilteryoyo wrote: »
    @martaindale I'm curious, how was your HR. Did it show you were working harder even if the pace wasn't what you wanted it to be? Some days are just harder.

    My HR crept up to mid 160's within 1.5 miles and didn't really come down. I ended up with a max HR of 176 during the mile where I turned it up, but it didn't recover too much during my cool down. 160's isn't unusual during the warm weather for me even with easy efforts and one of the reasons I don't typically do speed work in the summer. I am on the last month of a 10k plan right now so I'll do what I can. I am mixing up my training plans a bit more this year but the weather caught up to me on this one.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    Scott6255 wrote: »
    I registered for 5 Dallas marathon yesterday. It's real now!

    Awesome! Is this the one in December? I have no doubt you'll do great!
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Here's the general route I was thinking of taking but my route could easily change. My brother-in-law and his wife are in Manchester, TN so that's a definite stop for me. Heck, I might have to make this a 2 week trip and really let myself wander.

    Checked out your route. You are really covering a lot of ground! I hope you'll post some pics of your stops along the way. I can vouch for the section in AR from little rock north being a really pretty part of the country. One of the places we go to climb outside is horseshoe canyon ranch in Jasper (just a bit off your route). The drive up there is so pretty!
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    edited April 2022
    April totals: 89.2/100 miles

    4/1: 3.2 miles
    4/2: 6.5 miles
    4/3: 3.2 miles
    4/5: 4.1 miles
    4/6: 4.3 miles
    4/8: 3.1 miles
    4/9: 7 miles
    4/10: 3.1 miles
    4/12: 5.1 miles
    4/13: 4.7 miles
    4/15: 5 miles
    4/17: 8 miles
    4/18: 3 miles
    4/19: 3.1 miles
    4/20: 5.1 miles
    4/21: 3.1 miles
    4/23: 4.1 miles
    4/25: 3 miles
    4/26: 4.8 miles
    4/28: 5.7 miles

    I ran after work yesterday. By the time I got home it was 83F and sunny. I just couldn't. So I waited until after dinner to let the sun go down a bit. Headed out about 7:15pm when it had cooled to a brisk 81F. The best part of running in the early evening here is the humidity is at the lowest point you will see all day. We don't get big differences between highs and lows so once it gets hot, it's just hot all the time. But having the humidity super low, like it was last night, and letting the sun get below the tree line makes for a much more pleasant run. I remember now why I used to do all my runs at this time.
    With the high temp and it being so late, I knew intervals were a lost cause. But, the mileage added up to be close enough to my failed progression run from the day before that I figured I would give that another shot. If it wasn't meant to be I would just do some fartleks and check the box for having done some speed work.
    The conditions, though technically warmer, were easier to run in. Paces were: 10:41, 10:26, 9:46, 9:34, 10:06, 10:27. A major improvement from the day before! The goal of this progression was to build up to 10k pace for 4-5 minutes around mile 4 then gradually slow it down. I probably got close to target pace during mile 4 given the overall pace. Comparing to yesterday, my HR crept up into the mid 160's by mile 1-1.5 again but didn't hit 170's until mile 2.5, peaked at 179 around mile 3.5-4 and actually decreased into the 160's by the end of my cool down. So, still high for sure (mostly zone 4 but nothing in zone 5) but reacted more appropriately to effort.

    @polskagirl01 I'm so happy to hear your guests were able to get housing. I'm sure that is a huge relief for both you and them!
  • SwimBikeRun_Mom
    SwimBikeRun_Mom Posts: 46 Member
    Yesterday I had an easy 1:00 run on the schedule, my coach told me to keep it to an easy/long run pace - so for me that's around 11:15-11:45 per mile. She also said to focus on cadence and form. I'm happy to report that I kept my cadence around 169-171, prior to training with my coach my cadence was always 162. Literally no matter how I ran, what I was doing - always exactly the same. So - happy that I'm slowly improving cadence.

    Curious if anyone else feels this way when trying to focus on cadence but running slow - I felt like I had to really concentrate the whole time. Which was fine because running slow for an hour... nice to have something to think about, lol. :wink:
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    edited April 2022
    SwimBikeRun_Mom wrote: »
    Curious if anyone else feels this way when trying to focus on cadence but running slow - I felt like I had to really concentrate the whole time. Which was fine because running slow for an hour... nice to have something to think about, lol. :wink:

    Yes, I had to really focus on keeping my stride short to maintain my cadence while trying to slow down. At first it felt really weird. After a few weeks of really committing to the slower pace it started feeling more natural. Now there is very little difference in my cadence no matter the pace. For example, on my run yesterday which had paces with a difference of about 1:10 from my slowest to fastest miles my cadence looks to be about 165 on my first couple of slower miles and about 170-ish on my fastest 2. Overall average of 167 with a little spike of 174. Sometimes on my longer runs I play around with this and do little fartleks where I really focus on lengthening and shortening stride to keep the cadence while playing with the speed. It's a fun little mind-occupying game.
  • Teresa502
    Teresa502 Posts: 1,862 Member
    edited April 2022
    4/1 – 5.41 miles
    4/4 – 4.21 miles
    4/5 – 5.37 miles
    4/6 – 4.56 miles
    4/8 – 3.17 miles
    4/9 – 6.32 miles
    4/11 – 5.02 miles
    4/13 – 5.76 miles
    4/19 – 5.07 miles
    4/21 – 5.23 miles
    4/22 – 5.09 miles
    4/25 – 7.82 miles
    4/26 – 5.10 miles
    4/28 – 5.12 miles
    Total 73.23/90 miles

    I met a friend at 5:00 am this morning for an early morning run. It was clear and 42F. During the run the right side of my lower back hurt a little but I just kept going. I’m paying for that now. I don’t know if its an inflamed nerve or what but if I move the wrong way pain shoots all the way down my leg. Walking is ok as long as I take slow, granny steps. I’m falling short of my monthly goal but in addition to my running miles, I had 61 miles of intentional walking and hiking. On the good news side – I got a replacement Garmin in the mail yesterday.

    I’m glad you have a treatment plan @shanaber. Hoping surgery will not be necessary.

    @7lenny7 – Nice to have a race to work towards and I love your driving plan! How will you determine where to run in each state. Will you just randomly pull off the road and take off or are you looking for trails/parks along the way?

    @yirara – Ouch on the blister and I hope you get your iron levels stabilized soon.

    @polskagirl01 – That is fabulous news! You were so gracious and generous in opening your home to the two Ukranian families but it has to be nice to have your own space back. Bless you!

    Great second attempt at a progression run @martaindale.

    Sounds like your work with your coach is paying off @SwimBikeRun_Mom. I do a poor job at paying attention to my form and cadence.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,170 Member
    April Goal: 100 Miles

    4/3: 10.02 miles
    4/5: 5.25 miles
    4/6: 5.31 miles
    4/7: 5.14 miles
    4/10: 10.02 miles
    4/12: 5.13 miles
    4/13: 5.13 miles
    4/14: 6.02 miles
    4/17: 10.04 miles
    4/18: 5.4 miles
    4/20: 5.15 miles
    4/21: 5.16 miles
    4/23: 0.29 warmup miles
    4/23: 6.27 Run For The Children 10K
    4/26: 6.06 miles
    4/27: 5.16 miles
    4/28: 5.62 miles

    101.17/100 miles completed for April

    I ran 5.62 miles this morning to bring my April total to 101.17. So I made my 100 mile goal. The run this morning was nice. It was a little humid and cloudy, but still pretty good at 66°F. There was some wind, but it wasn't too difficult to run in and it helped to keep it cool enough to be pleasant.

    @polskagirl01 That is great news!

    @teresa502 I hope your back is better soon.

    exercise.png


  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,145 Member
    Ran 6.02 today for a monthly total of 127.99 out of 125 goal. I think I should make my over 131 stretch goal :)

    @shanaber you are actually the second person I know with a very high humerus break. A good riding friend of mine broke hers on Monday. Her's is worse than yours tho but her ortho did not recommend surgery (which was odd because originally she said it was displaced and she is in a LOT of pain with just a sling).

    It looks like everyone is really doing quite well to their planned goals.
    @7lenny7 I am only about a year or so watching this group so you are "new" to me. But I am happy you have joined our run the world challenge also (and company for Scott!) so that we can fly by Shanghai quickly.

    SummerakabONinAustin
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,478 Member
    @martaindale The heat and humidity do make a huge difference in how our bodies handle running. Do you have a 10K you are going to run soon? It sounds like today's run was a lot better!

    @SwimBikeRun_Mom Sounds like you did great on your run. I don't pay any attention to my cadence. Maybe I should, but I don't.

    @Teresa502 Sounds like the run was good, but really, really sorry about your back! I hope it is short lived and feels better tomorrow. Yeah for your replacement Garmin! Reading @shanaber 's post above reminded me to ask how Sharon is doing. (Sharon is the right name, isn't it? I'm horrible at names.)

    @kgirlhart Great run and congrats on meeting your month's goal already! Same to you @SummerSkier !

    Thanks @Scott6255 . Yes, I do get dizzy if I am standing up when the double vision hits. Fortunately, after having 7 episodes from Jan thru early March, I haven't had any more. I still wanted to get the MRI's for peace of mind that nothing serious is going on. I'm glad you are going to stick around with us this summer. We miss you when you are gone.


    The MRI machine was indeed an open MRI. Thank goodness because I was in the machine for about 1.5 hours total for the basically 4 procedures...brain and eye orbits with and without contrast. I couldn't have managed that with a closed MRI. Now the wait to hear the results. I figure if there is nothing significant I may not hear anything until my follow up with the neurologist in late May. I know from experience if they see something major, they'll let me know before that.

    After that I worked until 4:15, stopped to talk to mom a few minutes on the way home, mowed my lawn, and walked a mile for my streak. Been a long day.

    Oh, I did have something happen at daycare that was a bit scary. One of the little girls was running on the balcony, tripped, fell, and hit the head on the metal railing separating the different classes spaces. The scary part was that when she fell, her arm went between the railing and the concrete wall, which is not a very big space. When I went to help her, I couldn't get it to come back out. I think her elbow had gone through and she had turned her arm, so that it would no longer fit. The thought flashed through my mind that we were going to have to figure out how to keep her calm and call the fire department to come get her out - maybe cut the post away. Fortunately, that wasn't necessary as she managed to get herself lose. The arm was okay, just red and scrapped, but she had a huge pump knot on her forehead. Bless her heart. I stayed over to comfort her and put ice on her forehead until she decided it was okay and got up to run around and play some more....about 15 minutes. Kids are so resilient.




  • Teresa502
    Teresa502 Posts: 1,862 Member
    My back is 99.9% better today - I'm so thankful. I'm still being cautious in my movements but hopefully by babying it a few days, the pain will not return. One of my friends suggested it might be my piriformis rather than back. IDK. Anyway, thanks everyone for your good wishes.
    quilteryoyo wrote: »
    @Teresa502 Sounds like the run was good, but really, really sorry about your back! I hope it is short lived and feels better tomorrow. Yeah for your replacement Garmin! Reading @shanaber 's post above reminded me to ask how Sharon is doing. (Sharon is the right name, isn't it? I'm horrible at names.)

    Sharon is doing fabulous! She ended up having surgery on the shoulder to put in a plate and screws to put the bones back together. They will need to do another surgery in 3-4 months to repair the tendons and ligaments. Her bruising and road rash have all healed. They believe her hip has also healed and will re-check it in 4 weeks. At first they thought it was also broke and she would have to be in a wheelchair for 4-6 weeks. The fragment chipped off her elbow has reattached itself. She started PT yesterday but she has already been out walking 5-6 miles everyday.

    I'm glad your MRI experience wasn't bad and hopefully you will get some answers soon. Glad the little girl at daycare wasn't hurt seriously and that was very kind of you to stay over with her and comfort her.
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,478 Member
    Congratulations on meeting your goal @Mari33a .

    Thanks @Teresa502 I'm really glad your back is better today. I'm glad Sharon is getting along so well. I guess I didn't realize her injuries were so extensive. It's amazing that she's walking that far everyday.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    shanaber wrote: »
    It definitely feels easier here too when there is less humidity and we don't get anywhere near what you get. I just don't like it when it is super dry (under 10%) either but I guess I am really being picky!

    <than 10% is a whole other beast. Last summer we went to Wyoming and SD and it was super dry. One day in Billings we went by a coffee shop and the barista said something about how humid is was and how she couldn't wait for this humidity to blow over. It was 35%! My husband and I thought it felt AMAZING but it was just killing folks up there.
    quilteryoyo wrote: »
    @martaindale Do you have a 10K you are going to run soon?

    I signed up for one to wrap up this training cycle. May 22. I fear I will regret this decision. It will likely be brutal racing conditions, especially for a short distance race. 5k/10k racing is just painful in a different way as the paces are faster and you are really pushing cardiovascular reserve more than endurance. It is hard to run long in heat but it is even harder (at least for me) to run fast in heat. Theoretically it would have been nice to see some payoff for this training cycle but I think I will be lucky to break 1hr. Right now I am praying for rain. Not hard rain, just a steady rain with some cloud cover. Cool is too much to ask for, but rain is possible! You have to be realistic when praying to the weather gods!!
    quilteryoyo wrote: »
    I don't pay any attention to my cadence. Maybe I should, but I don't.
    For me watching cadence came as I was trying to correct overstriding. I was heel striking because I was reaching out in front of myself instead of pushing off. I started working to shift my foot strike to a midfoot placement. Though some people naturally heel strike with their leg more or less under them, most people do it because they are reaching their foot out in front. When that heel hits first, especially if your leg is straight, it basically acts like a little brake, slowing your momentum. It also magnifies the force your leg feels as you hit the ground. That force is hard on your hip, quads, knees, ankles, setting you up for injuries. By shifting to a midfoot strike you keep the knees softer, lessening the force of each foot strike. You then focus on pushing off to propel yourself forward, which activates your glutes and hamstring more, providing some balance to your quads. The cadence comes in because it is harder to keep up a quick cadence with a forward reach. Focusing on short quick steps helps to correct overstriding and as a bonus running literature supports that a high cadence is more efficient as a given pace than a long stride. Lower energy expenditure makes running easier. Win, win!
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    April totals: 95.2/100 miles

    4/1: 3.2 miles
    4/2: 6.5 miles
    4/3: 3.2 miles
    4/5: 4.1 miles
    4/6: 4.3 miles
    4/8: 3.1 miles
    4/9: 7 miles
    4/10: 3.1 miles
    4/12: 5.1 miles
    4/13: 4.7 miles
    4/15: 5 miles
    4/17: 8 miles
    4/18: 3 miles
    4/19: 3.1 miles
    4/20: 5.1 miles
    4/21: 3.1 miles
    4/23: 4.1 miles
    4/25: 3 miles
    4/26: 4.8 miles
    4/28: 5.7 miles
    4/29: 6 miles

    Ran my neighborhood trail today and saw my trail dog friend, Hank, and his dad. I crossed the road to explore the trail along this creek going the opposite direction but it's a no go. There is barely visible trail for a couple tenths and then it becomes more like running over grass. Before the half mile mark it became thigh high weeds with no trail, aka snake heaven. Too bad as it would have been nice. I can try the other side of the creek, but I doubt I will any time soon. That side is in full sun pretty fast and I largely choose my summer routes based on shade.
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
    Wait, humidity can go ober 10%? 🤣🤣🤣 I came from the midwest but have been here so long I forget how that ues 35% is a lot for me but it's nothing for everyone else

    Crowd source! I have lists of ideas but I want to know what, as runners at various levels, would want to read/hear/see on blogs, podcasts, and videos.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    RunsOnEspresso wrote: »
    Crowd source! I have lists of ideas but I want to know what, as runners at various levels, would want to read/hear/see on blogs, podcasts, and videos.

    I am always eager to learn about nutrition, including daily diet stuff and training/racing nutrition. As for training/racing nutrition, there are new products out all the time and it can get overwhelming. Some practical info about usage, advantages/disadvantages, even anecdotal experiences would be cool. Discussion around changing knowledge and fitness science. For instance I recently learned that RICE may not be as helpful as we once thought and that even the original author of this term has backed off of it in favor of letting our bodies do what they know to do to treat injuries. Or all the conflicting data on fasted running. Is it good, bad, men vs women, distance vs time, etc. And I love a good human interest story, especially if someone has had a nonconventional or challenging path. I find it inspiring to see the evolution in people as they work to achieve whatever their goals are.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    02.4: 3.0km in 25 min
    08.4: 4.2km in 34 min
    11.4: 4.3km in 35 min
    12.4: 5.0km in 40 min (plus few seconds)
    14.4: 3.5km in 30 min
    18.4: 1.1km benchmark run
    19.4: 3.6km in 30 mins, 20 second stride repeats
    21.4: 5.0km in 42 mins, slow run
    24.4: 1.609km in 12 mins
    25.4: 4km in 33 min
    27.4: 5.5km in 46 min
    29.4: 3.7km in 30 minutes, 10 stride repeats, 20s

    finally getting somewhere. Managed to run the warmup of 15 minutes with slow breathing, including the short uphill section. I also managed to get the 90 steps up to my flat fairly effortlessly afterwards. Yay!
  • SwimBikeRun_Mom
    SwimBikeRun_Mom Posts: 46 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    @SwimBikeRun_Mom when I work on my cadence I like to listen to music which has a beat to match the cadence I'm trying to get to. If I want to hit a cadence of 170, I go to my favorite music streaming service and search for "170 bpm" and I can find several playlists with songs matching the cadence. Having the right beat really makes it easier for me. I did give up on trying to hit 180 though. I can hit 170 if I pay attention to it, but otherwise I'm running 160 to 165, and the slower I go the harder it is to hit that.

    This is a great tip! I'll definitely do this when I'm running with music - thanks! (I never thought to search for songs by bpm!)
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,145 Member
    If you want to hit 180 bpm "Im so excited" by the Pointer Sisters. I use this when I sprint.

    I am a heel striker. But it's not an issue for me. The only way I get faster is increased cadence. But unfortunately then my HR is too high so I am working on both. Runs with a lower average HR and keeping the sprints to once or twice a week. When I was younger MORE was better but now that I am a little "ahem" older I can tell that over working my heart is not doing it any favors.

    Another 4.2 today for 132 plus for the month. One more day and then BOOM here comes May. I have been in maintenance since 2017 Oct but lately have been feeling a bit fluffy so it might be time for a slow cut in May. I have dedicated April to eating steady state and keeping the binges away. Ready to try a small cut which would also help my running for sure!
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,024 Member
    shanaber wrote: »
    @polskagirl01 - So happy that your guests now have their own place! I am sure everyone involved is feeling better. Are they still making and selling the pierogies (meat dumplings?)?
    They've finally filled all of the orders from the first post I made, and want to put another offer out with additional items. I need to put a post together, but might be hesitating because I dread the inbox blowup that I know will follow.
    More info
    Today's adventure: welfare office sent me to take the ladies to a multi-day, all-day unpaid training to see about a seasonal job... that has mandatory hours of 7am-6pm every day including Sunday (plus probably 45-60 minute bus commute each way), selling strawberries alone along a busy road for 150 złoty (35US$/32€) a day. 🤔 They acted offended when I called to let them know it wouldn't work to leave 4 children unsupervised all day, every day 🤷‍♀️

    I bought strawberries from the lady selling them (she wasn't the boss and said herself she wants to find a different job), wished her well and took my ladies back home 😁

    Then I started thinking about welfare office's reaction, and wondering if "IATA". I'm not, right?

    @Scott6255 hooray for signing up for the marathon! I don't know about you, but it's been somewhat of a terrifying feeling for me, every time I've been signed up for a marathon. I guess healthy respect is a good thing.

    Today I did my bike-swim-bike thing aka turn legs into rubber day. I dread it, but then am glad I did it, when it's done. Glad, tired, and super hungry.
  • martaindale
    martaindale Posts: 2,319 Member
    @polskagirl01 no, definitely NTA. That "job" seems like exploitation targeting people they know are in need. Glad you stood up for your ladies!

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