August 2022 Monthly Running Challenge

SummerSkier · August 2022

104 miles out of ?? goal (I don't think I really set one but would like to get over 110. 135 was my best month back in the spring. It felt a little cooler today - maybe the wind shifted? Not much and still mid 70's here.

I have been tracking my runs with both my Apple Watch and my Fitbit and it's obvious their GPS link is different. Interesting. Today's pace for a 4 mile run was either 9:42 AW or 9:25 FB average per mile. I thought at one point they were getting closer to each other as they were about a minute pace off when I started. Anyway I like the data that both provide and Fitbit Charge 5 is definitely leaps and bounds above the HR I had a few years back. I mean I can actually read the information without a magnifying glass. It also has picked up some attributes from Garmin and Apple and will "find my phone" and also give me a rating for the day as to how active I should be. And it's SO much easier to change the band out on the Charge.... sleep data is better on the fitbit. Of course I like watch because it streams my music when I run and I get a cadence # (steps per minute) which fitbit doesn't do... yet. I like playing with new tech and seeing what has changed over the years.

eleanorhawkins · August 2022

@Teresa502 thanks, glad your ankle isn't too bad so far.
@polskagirl01 grrr, stupid bodies! Hope the coffee helps and the race is better than you expect.

I did a longer run this morning, 11.5km. It was soooo slow, and uncomfortable but bearable. I stuck to my jog-walk intervals, even downhill as that's the most painful part.
I'm still scared it will happen again, and sticking to a very careful gastritis diet. Man I miss chocolate. Never did get that doughnut either.

martaindale · August 2022

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

…took it v.easy yday, and... So just had the energy today and felt good. No pain. So far.

This is the whole goal! What you are calling very easy is what you need to mix in one a more regular basis. Doing truly easy runs makes your workouts/hard efforts much more effective. Now, do it again!

martaindale · August 2022

August total: 93.7/105 miles

8/1: 5.1 miles
8/3: 5 miles
8/4: 4.1 miles
8/5: 5 miles
8/6: 10 miles
8/7: 4 miles
8/9: 4 miles
8/10: 4.1 miles
8/11: 3.1 miles
8/12: 3 miles
8/13: 6 miles
8/14: 2.8 miles
8/15: 4 miles
8/16: 3 miles
8/18: 3 miles
8/19: 3 miles
8/20: 13.1 miles
8/22: 2.2 miles
8/23: 3 miles
8/24: 3.1 miles
8/26: 3.1 miles

Did a treadmill run after work today. I ran along a beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It was lovely! I am working tomorrow morning too. Booooo. So back on the treadmill when I’m done. But at least it’s still a short one. I’m glad the weather will be better by the time I get back to longer distances. It’s routinely slightly cooler now, so we are past the worst of the summer. By cooler, I’m talking low 90’s versus low 100’s. By sunset it’s not bad at all but still too hot in the middle of the afternoon for me so probably still looking at the treadmill for another month or so.

shanaber · August 2022

@martaindale - can't believe you are in Costa Rica for work! I went there a few years ago with my daughter but we were a bit further south in Herradura. I absolutely loved it and ran almost daily along the beach or in the rain forest. So incredibly beautiful!
@polskagirl01 - I hope you are feeling better for your race tomorrow. Just do what you can and if running the race isn't possible, that is a disappointment but it is ok and there will be lots of races in your future!
@eleanorhawkins - it occurred to me too that your symptoms sounded very much like a gall bladder issue that a friend of mine had. I hope they can confirm the H. Pilori or otherwise figure out what is going on soon. Please take it easy in the meantime!
@Teresa502 - I am so glad your ankle is feeling better!

I did strength training yesterday and my legs let me know today that they were not happy with it. Or well, not happy with running today after working them yesterday with kettlebell swings and squat to press. I did try to get in my run while it was coolish... but the humidity was horrible at 96%. The sun burst through though driving the temps up but the humidity dropped down to 70%. Got in just over 6 miles. It is supposed to cool down the next few days with much lower humidity. I will get out for runs (or maybe a walk) every day between now and Tuesday when the temps are supposed to go way up again. We will be way into the high 90s again by next Wednesday and stay there for the foreseeable future 🥵
Also a couple of pictures from my run the other day. The osprey was out in a different tree with the crows trying to intimidate/chase him away.

No crows, just the osprey hanging out

One crow, being very vocal and calling his friends

Three crows all making a racket. There were 4 at one time but apparently I only caught 3 of them...

tarun_yadavA · August 2022

martaindale wrote: »

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

…took it v.easy yday, and... So just had the energy today and felt good. No pain. So far.

This is the whole goal! What you are calling very easy is what you need to mix in one a more regular basis. Doing truly easy runs makes your workouts/hard efforts much more effective. Now, do it again!

Thank you!!! 😊

tarun_yadavA · August 2022

martaindale wrote: »

August total: 93.7/105 miles

8/1: 5.1 miles
8/3: 5 miles
8/4: 4.1 miles
8/5: 5 miles
8/6: 10 miles
8/7: 4 miles
8/9: 4 miles
8/10: 4.1 miles
8/11: 3.1 miles
8/12: 3 miles
8/13: 6 miles
8/14: 2.8 miles
8/15: 4 miles
8/16: 3 miles
8/18: 3 miles
8/19: 3 miles
8/20: 13.1 miles
8/22: 2.2 miles
8/23: 3 miles
8/24: 3.1 miles
8/26: 3.1 miles

Did a treadmill run after work today. I ran along a beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It was lovely! I am working tomorrow morning too. Booooo. So back on the treadmill when I’m done. But at least it’s still a short one. I’m glad the weather will be better by the time I get back to longer distances. It’s routinely slightly cooler now, so we are past the worst of the summer. By cooler, I’m talking low 90’s versus low 100’s. By sunset it’s not bad at all but still too hot in the middle of the afternoon for me so probably still looking at the treadmill for another month or so.

Oh wow!!! You should totally upload pics of those beautiful runs along the beach

tarun_yadavA · August 2022

Morning all !
Today's run... Took it easier than yday. No aches or pains.

quilteryoyo · August 2022

@polskagirl01 I saw on my newsfeed that you did run today, so I hope it went well.

@Teresa502 Yeah for your ankle not being swollen after your walk. I hope you are able to complete your hike today with no issues.

Excellent mileage @SummerSkier ! Great pace on your run, regardless of which device you believe.

@eleanorhawkins You are a beast to get out and do what you can when it is so painful for you. I do hope they figure it out soon and that the diet helps until then.

You are doing great @martaindale . I love the "places" you are running.

Great running @shanaber . I hope you can get in some good workouts before the horrible temps return next week.

You are doing great @tarun_yadavA .

Scott6255 · August 2022

@martaindale I think a few people are confused by your comments about running in the exotic locations. I think it is great you have the capability to do that from the comfort of your home 😁

I was able to get outside this morning for 10 miles. Thought it was cooling down, but it felt like one of the hottest runs I have done all summer. 77F 3mph wind 96% humidity 74F dew point.
That being said, it may have been one of the fastest runs this summer. I tried my new Endorphin Speed 2 shoes. They felt much better on the road, though on mile 10 it felt like my toes were being squished a little bit. But all in all I was pretty satisfied with them, and the run in general.

quilteryoyo · August 2022

@Scott6255 Sounds like you had a great run this morning. I'm glad the shoes are working out for you.

polskagirl01 · August 2022

Race Report: Hałda Run Extreme 11k

Woke up after not being able to sleep much all night, but felt ok, had coffee, drove to the race. Kids both raced as well. One of them didn't want to (distances are getting longer as he ages up; today was 1000 m) but since he'd previously agreed to this before I signed them up, the deal was I required him to get up & dressed, come along and have race # pinned on him, but when it came time to actually run, I wasn't going to force him. He disappeared with the kids his age as we all headed to the start lines, so from there, might as well run back to the finish. They got 5th and 7th place in their age groups, neither was last place. But from now on, I'm making it harder for the kids to sign up in the first place, to avoid complaining later (i.e. I say there's a race coming up and the distances, but if they want to do it, they have to think about it overnight and then come tell me - I'm not pressuring or pestering anyone). 😁

Then they got ice cream and left with my
husband, and I hung out waiting for my start. There were a lot of people there from the Polar Bear club, and a few from my running club, so I actually knew some people. One guy (in his 60's and runs a lot of mileage) said he'd done this race before, and had run the route the other day, gave me advice about the "wall of tears" section.

So the main attraction for this race is running on the "Hałda" from a former mine, and I'm not sure how to explain what that is. Wikipedia suggests terms like "spoil tip, slag heap, or bing", and it's basically a really big pile of whatever came out of the mine but wasn't used for anything else. I don't think it's in the maps for elevation purposes - my elevation profile in Strava definitely didn't come out looking right - so I have no idea what the actual +/- was. Just that it was no joke - we went up to the top, where there was an awesome view of the entire region, "my" mountains off in the distance, and a somewhat magical atmosphere, like a giant wasteland high above everything, with pretty purple flowers. There were some ups & downs, then the "wall of tears" heading down. This was pretty steep, and I definitely had to take my time coming down carefully. But when an older ultra-runner guy says to stay on the outside, because footing in the middle is less stable due to rain water loosening everything up, that's what you do (he was right, but was also so far ahead of me that I never saw him once the race started LOL). After that big descent off of the "pile", we were 3k into the race, and the middle section of the course was a peaceful, flat 5k section in a lovely forest. And at this point, since the start really, literally everyone was ahead of me because I was in last place. This didn't really bother me, but I did note that I could see people ahead of me and thought I might be able to catch them. They and I were all doing some version of run/walk strategies, so I just started focusing on whoever was next ahead of me. When they ran, I ran, and when they walked, I ran a little longer, then walked, until that moved me ahead of them. In the forest section, I passed 6 or 7 people doing that. It was hot and I was trying to focus on what I could do with my "today-fitness", without thinking about how much fitness I've lost.

Once out of the forest, we had 3k to go, to get back up the wall of tears, across the hałda and down the other side, then on to the finish. Going up was an excellent challenge. When a fellow competitor next to me was complaining about it, I said, "There's a great view at the top!", which maybe wasn't helpful at that point. But it helped me. I loved that whole section. Amazingly cool.

Coming back down, I caught up to a girl I know, the sun had gotten to her and she was struggling, but we decided to finish together and to start running at that last turn, where you can see the finish line. I was kind of excited to finish with a friend... but once we started running, it just wasn't happening for her and she told me to go on. So I did, and passed one more person on the way.

Friends were waiting at the finish line, then I got food, listened to the concert, and sat through the entire awards ceremony for kids races, 3 adult distances, special classifications and lots of door prizes, only to not get a door prize [again], oh well 😆

The video here from last year might help you picture what I'm trying to describe, if the link will work: http://haldarun.eu/halda_run_extreme/foto_i_wideo

Fun swag:

Bag, t-shirt (mine & daughter's shirts have the lady on them, son's has the man), headband, spice packets from a sponsor, cool medal. And with the way the sun was shining today (as well as the coal mine sponsor and location) it's totally appropriate that the gear looks like it's all on fire LOL

Now I'm going to take a nap and pretend I still feel just fine. I'd say today was worth it though. And I definitely want to do this again next year.

eleanorhawkins · August 2022

@polskagirl01 now I understand why the word extreme is in the race name! Sounds fun!

I'm here to moan about my husband, apologies in advance.
Having more or less come to terms with DNSing my race next Sunday, and having given away my place at the mountain HM at the beginning of October to focus on getting better for the big one, today I mentioned having to go on Saturday to collect my swag because I paid for it, there's meant to be a nice sweatshirt and there was no way to transfer, defer or cancel. His response... "well if you're feeling better why aren't you running it?"
This from the guy who told me an hour beforehand not to do yoga in case I hurt myself. What???
So of course, now he started the little voices in my head arguing again. It's only like 11km. I jog/hiked 11.5km yesterday. Yesterday's route was only half the elevation though -that race starts out with a pretty hardcore climb. But that means I'd be hiking that part anyway. I don't know if I could do it as fast as last year, and if not that would be disappointing. But I'm fitter than last year and half of it was in the dark last year.
Argh, now what do I do? Lol.

I also just remembered I didn't tell you all about my off-leash dog encounter yesterday. I came to the top of a climb on a singletrack part, stopped for air and water and saw there was an elderly man coming down the path towards me with a dog a way in front of him. So to avoid coming head to head with the dog I stepped back off the trail and pretended to be checking my phone to wait for them to come past. The dog saw me, trotted up, turned around and sat on my feet to wait for his owner. Yeah, don't think that one is a threat after all.

yirara · August 2022

05.08 Fri 19°C 3.0km 25min
07.08 Sun 22°C 3.0km 24min
08.08 Mon 25°C 3.6km 32min
10.08 Wed 27°C 4.0km 34min
12.08 Fri 29°C 6.0km 54min
14.08 Sun 31°C 3.0km 27min
16.08 Tue 28°C 4.2km 37min
17.08 Wed 26°C 5.0km 42min
19.08 Fri 23°C 6.0km 51min
20.08 Sat 21°C 5.3km 45min
21.08 Sun 24°C 4.0km 33min
23.08 Tue 26°C 5.3km 51min
24.08 Wed 26°C 6.0km 50min
25.08 Thu 28°C 6.3km 55min
27.08 Sat 21°C 7.0km 62min

total: 71.67km

Month is nearly over and I thought I still needed a few km to get closer to the magic 80. Was a very nice and relaxed run. And the longest in quite a while. Good fun.

Jane10s · August 2022

August goal: 30 miles

8/1: 3 miles
8/6: 4 miles walking*
8/8: 5 miles
8/11: 3 miles walk/run*
8/12: 4 miles walking*
8/13: 5 miles
8/14: 8 miles inline skating*
8/15: 3 miles
8/18: 2 miles walking*
8/20: 10 miles
8/22: 2.5 miles walk/run*
8/23: 2 miles walking*
8/24: 4 miles walking*
8/26: 3 miles walk/run*
8/27: 10 miles
*miles not counting toward goal

August mission accomplished. It's been a long week. So I haven't been keeping up on posts. Tough to get time alone to actually run. But I knocked out a solo long run this morning and I'm keeping my legs active.

polskagirl01 · August 2022

@eleanorhawkins see how your week goes. You have until the race starts to decide. But also, don't take running advice from the guy who doesn't get running!

shanaber · August 2022

@Scott6255 - yep that was me who thought @martaindale was running and working in Costa Rica! Ha!! less I need to read more carefully/thoroughly 😂 I do think it would be really great though!
Great job getting outside to get in a 10 mile run! The humidity is such a killer! I keep telling myself that in just a few weeks (I hope) we will be looking back on the hot and humid days in the rearview mirror!

@eleanorhawkins - I think the advice we gave @polskagirl01 also applies to you. If you go to the race and decide you can't run it then don't or go and run what you can and walk the rest. The biggest issue I think will be turning off the voice in your head that wants you to be super competitive and beat your previous time.

@polskagirl01 - awesome job on the 11k. It sounds like a really interesting place to run and that you had fun doing it! I hope it hasn't taken too much out of you and that you will be feeling ok tomorrow!

@yirara - you are doing great and your distances have being slowly increasing across the month!

Got out this morning for a SIT run and did my 40/40 sprint intervals. First I took Hobbes for a decent walk around the neighborhood, dropped him back home and did a slow run/walk to the trail and headed out to the dirt path by the river. There's no shade along there but it is nice and flat and a straight shot. When I started it was still partly cloudy with humidity in the 90's and when I finished it was clear and the humidity had dropped into the low 80s. It's not as warm this weekend so temp was in the mid-70s the entire time. When I was heading over to the trail I was doubting if there would be much actual sprinting because my legs were already feeling tired and unhappy. My plan was to run 10 sets out and 10 sets back, I somehow ended up with a few more though. My legs surprised me with the sprints feeling ok, maybe a bit slow. When I looked back at strata though they weren't any slower than my previous speedwork run and maybe even a bit faster. The last 4 intervals though my legs were dead and my pace really dropped off. I planned to do a slow run/walk back home but in reality I ended up walking most all of it.
When I started running the sprints I noticed a few vultures circling overhead. They are very common along the river and because they are so big they make a very noticeable shadow when they soar overhead. On the way back I noticed they were down in the riverbed (very dry right now) sunning themselves and trying to stay cool.
ETA - I joked with some guys walking that I figured they were waiting for me to keel over 😁

There's nothing to compare them to, to get a feeling for size but with their wings spread they are much bigger than Hobbes if that helps...

Looks like I should easily make the 100 mile club this month! WhooHoo!

martaindale · August 2022

shanaber wrote: »

@martaindale - can't believe you are in Costa Rica for work!

I can see how my wording made that sound, but I wasn't anywhere that fun! I did an ifit run on a beach from my treadmill. Costa Rica is lovely though. My family went a few years ago and really enjoyed it.

martaindale · August 2022

polskagirl01 wrote: »

@eleanorhawkins see how your week goes. You have until the race starts to decide. But also, don't take running advice from the guy who doesn't get running!

For real!

@polskagirl01 Great job on your race. It's good you were able to shift your mindset to your now-fitness and make the most of it. Your race shirts are so much more interesting than ones I get!

polskagirl01 · August 2022

@shanaber my son and I had the bright idea to "play dead" once while on a bike ride, to see if some nearby vultures would come closer. We laid there for a while and they didn't pay any attention to us 😆. Later we learned that it's the smell they are attracted to, haha. I'm a weird mom though, I guess!

August 2022 Monthly Running Challenge

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