February 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

spl8 · February 2023

Will have to step it up again to meet my monthly goal, but running is definitely becoming more enjoyable.

@martaindale - good suggestion about doing a training plan. I just set myself up with a 16-week 10 km training plan. The schedule looks totally doable, maxing out at 14 miles per week (8 mile long runs). It'll be a good guide for starting to do intervals again, too. If that works for me, I'll follow up with a 16-week half marathon plan, which will bring me to the October half that I want run to celebrate my 60th year.

Teresa502 · February 2023

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
Feb 22 – 4.53 miles
Feb 24 – 12.9 miles

I ran a series of 4 runs today. Met a friend at 5:00 am and ran 3.6 miles; stretched and drove to the office and ran 3.1 miles; ran another 3.1 miles at lunch; and stopped at my local park and ran the final 3.1 miles on the trails there. As some of you may remember, my upcoming race (Peyton’s Wild ‘n Wacky 50k) is a series of 5k races. You run a 5k every hour for 10 hours; each 5k starts at the top of the hour; you to be finished within the hour but can’t start your next 5k until that hour is up. Since I’m doing a 2-person relay this year, I only have to run five 5ks throughout the day.

@quilteryoyo – Hope you got some rest today and that your appointment went well.

@martaindale – Will be cheering you on next Saturday!

martaindale · February 2023

@Teresa502 Smart way to get some good practice for Peyton’s in!

Scott6255 · February 2023

cold rain = 5 treadmill miles after work

quilteryoyo · February 2023

Nice run @Tramboman and I am with you on the weather. Please don't be Feb in March!

Thanks @martaindale . That sounds like great weather for the HM next week. Fingers crosses that the forecast is correct. Good luck. You are going to do great!

The wild parrots at your house are so cool @chris_in_cal .

I've done that before too @Mari33a , and then wished I had gone just a bit further. You are doing great. Thanks. Some days it is tough to get my workout in, but I am really trying. I am keeping my streak going for that little bit of extra motivation on tough days.

@ScienceofTeaching Stacking firewood is definitely a workout!

@spl8 Glad running is becoming more enjoyable for you. That sure helps you stick with it.

That's great training for your upcoming race @Teresa502 ! With a two person team, do you run every other hour? When is the race?

I had to get up early to get to the hospital for my CT scan this morning, so didn't get the good night's sleep I had hoped for. I was really tired when I got home, but didn't get to have the nap I had been looking forward to all day. My plan called for a 40 min easy run. Instead, I did a treadmill wun, running just enough to keep my HR between 110 and 130. I wun 2.50 miles in 37:35 min - 15:00 min/mile. Avg HR was 116, with a max of 131 bpm. That was pretty close to the plan. Right?

It's been another long day. Details in the spoiler.

The CT scan was quick and easy this morning, except for having to drive an hour to get there. I was expecting to get an IV and dye, but they didn't have to do that today... I probably won't know results, unless they come up on the health portal I can access, until I see the cardiac surgeon next week.

I hadn't eaten anything since midnight because they haven't wanted me to in the past. I could have today, had I only known. Coffee would have been helpful.

Mom had rode up with me, so we went to the Waffle House for breakfast, then visited my cousin in the assisted living, ran some errands, and got groceries. I dropped mom and her stuff off at her house, but before I left, one of our neighbor's stopped to talk, so I stayed there longer than intended.

After I got home, I made a call to TN CARE (Medicaid in TN) to ask a question about a QIT (Miller Trust) I need to set up for my cousin. First place I called spent a lot of time trying to find the answer, but told me I needed to call another number. That number didn't have a selection for what I wanted and when I pressed the number for "other issues" it sent me back to the original recording. I finally pressed a number that got me to a person, but they couldn't help me and told me that I needed to call the original number again and told me what to ask for. So, I did. They, unfortunately, couldn't help me either and said that all that she could find said to call the number I had just called. She suggested I call that number again and try to get a different person and tell them that I needed to talk to a supervisor or something. So, I gave it one more try. I had to press the same selection as before to get a real person, and this one also said she really wasn't the person I needed to talk to, but she used to work in the financial area and was able to answer my questions for me. I was so excited, I forgot to ask for a number for the financial people. LOL Anyway, over 1.5 hours later...At least everyone I talked to was very nice and I could tell they were really trying to be helpful. Bureaucracy is so hard to navigate! By then, it was 5 pm and I hadn't had any food since 10 am. At least today I did have water to drink.

tarun_yadavA · February 2023

Afternoon all (got up super late! 🤦)
Struggled this morning. Got in 4.

(No Buffalo wings or McDonalds! ... Friends wanted to go to some Arab/Middle Eastern type place!)

Tasted good but heavy. Meat sweats. Felt like I was carrying it on my run today. Ugh.

@quilteryoyo - that's sounds a pain! So much bureaucracy!
@Teresa502 - good luck on your relay race! And kudos on your big runs! 12, then 12.9 !
@martaindale - got a target timing in mind?

Last social outing 🍻 tonight. All friends ticked off! lol

martaindale · February 2023

tarun_yadavA wrote: »

@martaindale - got a target timing in mind?

Just a new PR. My current official PR is 2:08:02. Garmin has me as fast as 2:05 and some change for the distance, but I have done a very poor job of running tangents in the past. This training cycle has been so short; I’m not sure what is realistic. So anything faster than 2:08:02 will be a win!

Teresa502 · February 2023

quilteryoyo wrote: »

That's great training for your upcoming race @Teresa502 ! With a two person team, do you run every other hour? When is the race?

The race is March 11 in a park near Charleston, SC. Everyone sets up tents near the start/finish area.
They have food throughout the day and a coffee truck usually sets up. They have a single 5K race at 12:00 noon that draws in a lot of additional people. Some people bring their kids and dogs and someone is always playing frisbee, tossing a ball or some activity.

You can run the relay any way that you and your teammate want. Last year, we each ran 2 legs in a row at the beginning. That got us 4 laps completed and we had a longer rest in between. After that we alternated laps.

Sounds like you had another busy day yesterday. Glad you were finally able to get the answers you needed for your cousin.

quilteryoyo · February 2023

@tarun_yadavA You did great to make yourself get out there when you weren't feeling like it. The food looks delicious, but if you ate late, I can see why you would feel it this morning. Have fun on your last night of socializing. Can you go out with them and not drink? I know sometimes that can be really hard, but just a thought.

Thanks @Teresa502 . That sounds like a great plan for the relay race. And, that sounds like a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it. I'm sure all the added people at noon adds excitement.

@martaindale After your huge success at the Dopey, I have no doubt that you can PR your HM. Good luck.

shanaber · February 2023

Just wanted to drop this sweet story about a pup at the Boston Marathon. I gifted it so no one should hit a paywall...

I haven't been out because of the storming here but did a strength workout instead. I did get in a long walk (6+ miles) in the cold wind before the storm actually hit. It looked deceivingly beautiful out, sunny with just a few clouds, but I didn't realize the winds were so bad. I walked really fast trying to get warm. A smarter person would have looped around home and gotten a vest or jacket to keep the wind out. The light hoodie I had on really didn't help much. At one point the wind made it hard to even make any progress. The last couple of days have seen pouring rain and high winds - not the kind of weather I want to walk in. If I could run and the winds weren't too bad I would go, but walking, nope. As @chris_in_cal mentioned lots of the low hills around me got snow. Also Hobbes the Vizsla is fed up with the rain. When I took him out last night he refused to go in the rain and just stood on the patio and barked at the wind and rain. Pretty sure he was telling it off!

Also @chris_in_cal - we have parrot flocks in OC too. One year I caught them hidden in the leaves of my tangerine tree ripping open and eating all the tangerines. Initially I didn't see them but heard them and saw the tangerine peels falling to the ground.

Hoping by next month to be back running at least a little.

martaindale · February 2023

@shanaber Such a sweet story! I loved the comment from the owner that he was too good not to share.

@quilteryoyo You are so patient. That bureaucratic nonsense is such a nightmare.

Laurz9191 · February 2023

@tarun_yadavA That looks yummy! That’s the kind of “fast food” we usually have, as my other half is Palestinian. I can imagine if you have been eating mostly vegetarian and no alcohol, I’m sure that you really notice the difference in your running, and not in a necessarily good way

. I still haven’t had a drop since New Year’s. It hasn’t bothered me much yet, but then again I haven’t hung out with any of my friends at the bar

.

@martaindale Good luck chasing that PR. I hope the weather and everything else helps you achieve your goal.

@Teresa502 That race sounds really fun. Good way to simulate the race in training. Are you timed during each of the 5ks and the time is added up or does it have to do with just the overall completion of the distance?

Chasing a PR in the HM distance has been my motivator for about the past 5 years now- but this year will hopefully be my first real attempt! My Garmin thinks I can do it! These past years, I’ve had to DNS twice or I had a newborn and it was cancelled anyway because of the pandemic.

Today I did 3 longer intervals with a short 2 minute recovery at sub-race pace. They went well except that all the trails were either icy, slushy, or involved big puddles and lots of muddy ice cold water. A bit hard to navigate when running sub race pace, but I got through

. After the intervals were over, I extended the run to get a total of 10.6k. I am oh so close to reaching my monthly goal.

198.4/200km for February

martaindale · February 2023

February total: 106.2/125 miles

2/1: 3.1 miles
2/3: 5.2 miles
2/4: 9 miles
2/6: 5.1 miles
2/7: 5.5 miles
2/8: 3.2 miles
2/10: 6.3 miles
2/11: 10 miles
2/13: 5 miles
2/14: 5 miles
2/15: 3 miles
2/16: 6.5 miles
2/18: 11 miles
2/20: 5 miles
2/21: 5 miles
2/22: 3.2 miles
2/24: 3.1 miles
2/25: 12 miles

Long run this morning. It was in the mid to upper 60’s and super humid so a bit of a slog. I inadvertently underfueled this run (forgot my pre-run waffle) and that combined with the weather conditions made for a tough run. I’m counting this as an exercise in mental toughness. Before the halfway point my legs were feeling tired and I would have happily quit but I kept going. Turned out that even though my legs were tired, they were perfectly capable of doing what they needed to.
Side note. I totally messed up my monthly count. I haven’t missed any runs but there is no way I’m getting to 125 miles this month. IDK if I double counted something or included days in March but either way, I made it over 100 miles, which is my base goal so that’s fine.

quilteryoyo · February 2023

@shanaber Sounds like the conditions were a lot less than ideal, but you did great with your walk. Hobbes sounds like Tippy. She so dislikes the wind and rain. I don't think she has ever "told it off" though. Too cute. Thanks for making me cry. That's a great story.

You are doing fantastic @Laurz9191 !

@martaindale Way to hang in there and continue when you felt like quitting.

I slept better last night, so had the energy for my long run today. I truly wanted it to be "easy," so tried to keep my HR below 140 bpm. I did a run/walk of 3/2 min at 4.2-4.6, 3x4.7, 3x4.6, 3x4.5, 3x4.4, 2x4.3/3.8 mph. That gave me a total of 6.50 miles at an average pace of 14:13 min/mile. My avg HR was 130 with a max of 146 bpm. I also walked a total of 1.5 miles for warm up and cool down, making my total for the day 8 miles. The plan called for 8 miles of low intensity.

Even though I was on the treadmill, I saw some robins, blue jays, and chick-a-dees outside in the rain. One of the blue jays was the biggest I think I have ever seen. I think he must have found all of the neighborhood feeders.

Scott6255 · February 2023

@Teresa502 that race sounds like a really fun event!
@shanaber thanks for the story link. I will go back and read it when I get a chance.
@Laurz9191 if Garmin thinks you can PR, then who's to argue 😉 We all believe you can do it!

Got 11 miles this afternoon. @martaindale I guess the cold weather didn't reach down south far enough. It was pretty cold at 45°F and about 10mph North wind here. I went out in shorts and a long sleeve tech shirt. I got to the end of the block before I realized I should have put on gloves, so I rounded the block and picked them up. The rest of the run was pleasant enough. Took it fairly easy, but picked it up for the last mile.

martaindale · February 2023

@Scott6255 We're not getting cooler weather until Friday morning. It's gonna be a warm week.

tarun_yadavA · February 2023

Morning everyone.
Well I struggled today! 😞

@martaindale - In Garmin We Trust! Lol.
No, I'm sure you'll kill it!! 💪

@Laurz9191 - well, it's back to Hoummus and Falafels now! ☺️
Halloumi as treat, for good behaviour! 😂

@quilteryoyo - Not drink??! Ever see the Jack Nicholson-DiCaprio movie, 'The Departed'? That Cranberry juice scene at the Bar. That's what my friends are like. Just gonna constantly get cr-p for it.
Anyways. Done now. Everyone seen, and drank with.
Can focus on March for getting back to peak fitness (plus away on vacay over Easter - so want to get into shape!).

SummerSkier · February 2023

Closing in on my 100 mile goal. Harder than I thought it would be after a great January, but as always we had a few days of ice and such which made it difficult.

Will probably finish today.
Yesterday I think my weather mimic'd Scott's. But I chose shorts, a light long sleeve top and light gloves. My hands were a little chilly. However my Apple watch told me it was my fastest 5K time (out of the 5 miles) I am really not sure why I am having trouble breaking 9 min miles anymore even with my cadence at 180 plus. Fitbit has some strange GPS and often will add almost half a mile to longer runs so it puts the pace faster. Either I am slower now (which is possible) or Apple GPS is off. 🤷‍♀️ What's interesting is that I have run a 5K under a 9 minute pace but Apple doesn't seem to remember. Maybe the software update is not checking the older data or it only looks at a year or something.

I did finally reach out to 2 other women players (contacts of a friend) to start lining up a bit more tennis as the weather gets regular. I have been playing pretty consistently for 5 months 2x a week and think I could increase it to 4x. I used to play almost daily but I don't think I am quite ready for that yet,

Enjoying reading everyone's updates.

Tramboman · February 2023

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
2-23 golf swing training
2-24 4k slow
2-25 golf swing training
2-26 4k slow

February total: 58 k
February goal: 50 k

Sunny, low 30s F, with a heavy frost and a gentle breeze from the southeast. Brain and body thought I started out pretty well; watch told me I was slower than usual. Think it's time to get a new watch...
Good to see you back, @Camaramandy648 !!!

Teresa502 · February 2023

Laurz9191 wrote: »

@Teresa502 That race sounds really fun. Good way to simulate the race in training. Are you timed during each of the 5ks and the time is added up or does it have to do with just the overall completion of the distance?

Yes, there are awards for the fastest overall completion in each division (solo, 2-person relay and 4-person relay). You can easily tell which teams are serious and which ones are more relaxed.

You are so close to your monthly goal!

February 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

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