February 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

Feb 1 – 5.34 miles
Feb 4 – 9.07 miles
Feb 6 – 5.1 miles
Feb 8 – 5.11 miles
Feb 9 – 4.3 miles
Feb 11 – 10 miles
Feb 13 – 5.06 miles
Feb 15 – 3.1 miles
Feb 16 – 5.02 miles
Feb 18 – 12.01 miles
Feb 20 – 5.10 miles
Feb 21 – 4.39 miles

The rain cleared out overnight so I met a friend at 5:00 am for a short run. Temp was 45 – not bad at all.

Teresa502 wrote: »

@Tramboman – Are you participating in the Great American Bird Count this year?

No. If I had done so, my count would have been two cardinals; 1 chickadee; 5,763,924,765 English sparrows; and one peregrine falcon (after the English sparrows). It's hilarious to watch the sparrows hop around in the bushes while the falcon hops along after them.

Tramboman wrote: »

chris_in_cal wrote: »

Ah, I found the GC "connection request" link.


Hi! Join me on the Garmin Connect app. You can track your health and fitness data, and we can follow each other’s activities. Click to join: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/chris_in_cal

I sent you a connection request. Figure my stats will be good for a laugh, if nothing else...

Me too. And to @martaindale (I think?)

I did something that in hindsight was probably really dumb today and must now pray it wasn't a big mistake!
Since I accidentally signed up for the local 30k race next Tuesday I've been unable to get them to confirm whether the time limit is really the same 3.5 hours as the HM (it was very generous for the HM and I kept hoping they had just cut and pasted the small print and not thought to change the details). The reason I signed up was supposedly because I intended to do a long run of around 19 or 20 miles around this point anyway, so thought that would work as my long training run.
BUT of course, now I'm obsessing over that 3.5 hour thing. Especially as people can only sign up until Friday lunch time, and at the moment there are only 4 other women on the list!
Sooooo, having done just short of 25k in my race on the 12th, I decided today would be a great day to do 27.5k (most of the course for the 30k, minus the silly road loop at the beginning and end). The plan was to do it very slowly, first and last 7k on my own and the fun middle part with a friend. While heading out to start I decided on a whim that as I would like to taper some at least, I should get one of the speedwork sessions on the plan out of the way at the same time!
To cut a long story short, I ended up pushing way more than was sensible and ended up doing the 27.5k in 3hr20 or so (not counting the 10 minutes I had to wait for my friend because the speedwork made me reach the place we'd agreed to meet early or the two stops at a bathroom). The last 5k were.so.hard and while I was trying to just get them done it dawned on me that I hadn't taken into account my last few runs, so while my brain was thinking '27.5k at the start of a new calendar week, take it easy rest of week' it failed to notice that I've ended up doing 59.5k over the last 7 days, which is a lot more than my average 38-40! Argh!
All to say, while I'm more or less confident now I could finish the race in around the 3.5 hours if I push hard enough (and have rested and recovered sufficiently) I'm not entirely sure I won't be hobbling tomorrow!

spl8 wrote: »

I finally did my first one in the hotel gym where I'm staying. Very weird.

I agree. I've come to understand and accept using a treadmill occasionally. Though for me, it is still very weird.

Like running with earbuds, lots of opinions and preferences.

I learned to love podcasts when working out my treadmill issues. Ultimately I could start one of my favorite :45 min podcast, start the treadmill, and sort of relax and get in some work.

It was never my preference, but I came to be comfortable doing it and appreciate how at times it was the only available options vs. not doing anything. Good luck.

Shoot. I had part of a post ready, but forgot to hit save draft and lost it.

@Scott6255 I hope your runs continually to improve day by day. You are doing great for when they feel so hard.

@spl3 and @martaindale . I sometimes I feel like I bounce up and down more than normal on the treadmill too. Especially when I am going slower. Now I wonder if it is because I am closer to the front when I'm running slowly. I'll have to pay closer attention next time. Changing your speed might help make it feel so hard @spl8 . And, I agree, some of those hotel treadmills just aren't that great.

@martaindale Those are some summer temps! Sounds like you have a nice place to run 400 m repeats. Well done on the modification today.

Hahaha @Tramboman Of course, that info is still data on what birds you saw. I tried again this year, but didn't get to report very many species as Tippy decided she was the guardian of the feeder and most of the birds flew away. The titmice and chick-a-dees could care less.

@eleanorhawkins I hope you aren't too sore in the morning and can do a proper taper before next Tues.
Plus, I hope the cutoff is longer than 3.5 hours, just so you won't have to push so hard if you don't want to.

Great running and beautiful pictures @AlphaHowls !

Today's plan called for 40 min easy run or cross train. I decided on a treadmill wun. I walked the first and last 0.25 miles at 3.8 mph and the middle 3.0 miles I ran at 4.2 mph enough to keep my HR above 110 bpm, but below around 130 bpm. It was really, really slow (15 min miles), so I'll be counting it as a walk in my stats. My avg HR was 120, with a max of 136 bpm.

2-1 4k slooowww; resistance band training
2-2 golf swing training
2-3 3k treadmill; resistance band training
2-4 golf swing training
2-5 4k slow
2-6 4k slow; resistance band training
2-7 golf swing training
2-8 4k slow; resistance band training
2-9 desultory golf swing training (mind was elsewhere)
2-10 4k slow; resistance band training
2-11 golf swing training
2-12 4k slow
2-13 4k slow; resistance band training; car shopping
2-14 golf swing training; trout fishing
2-15 4k slow; resistance band training
2-16 Lazy...
2-17 4k slow; resistance band training
2-18 Extra lazy
2-19 4k slow
2-20 4k sleasy; resistance band training
2-21 golf swing training
2-22 3k treadmill


February total: 50 k
February goal: 50 k

Cloudy, low 30s F, and a pouring cold rain with ice forming on the trees and elevated surfaces. Thought treadmill was the right call.

@Teresa502 I'm with you on that, I really can't do more than 2 days in a row unless I do morning, morning, evening so there's really a day an a half between runs 2 and 3, and even then it pisses my legs off a lot.

@polskagirl01 yeah, the distance isn't a problem, the whole reason I decided to do it is because I was planning to do 20 miles around that time anyway. Totally winging marathon training due to a week long hiking holiday/pilgrimage that ends exactly 3 weeks before the marathon, when I should according to standard training plans have been doing the big long run. The problem will be the speed. Knowing I have a chance of actually making that cutoff time is going to make me really want to push and race it... With 42 hours left to sign up, there are 6 women for the 30k, which means finishing before they close the finish is an automatic trophy and that is really getting my competitive streak itchy! If no other women sign up I might manage to convince myself to keep it steady and sensible and hope they're lenient. If more sign up, I'll have to decide whether to fight or not 😅

chris_in_cal wrote: »

Tramboman wrote: »

2-9 desultory golf swing training (mind was elsewhere)

That is inspiring consistency. Desultory, ha! Nice SAT word use.

My vocabulary is much stronger than my running.