April 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

martaindale · April 2023

Good luck @Teresa502! Trail races are so fun and you usually have decent scenery if you can look up from your feet long enough to appreciate it. That’s my struggle with trail races. I have to watch the trail so closely so I don’t trip that I don’t see all the cool stuff around me!

@Scott6255 I hope the calf tightness gets better. It sounds like you are doing all the things you can to help it along. I also don’t use my percussion gun as much as I should. It’s honestly a bit intense for my calves, but it’s so good on quads, glutes, and the anterior tibialis muscle.

chris_in_cal · April 2023

Teresa502 wrote: »

Like @Lauraz with her bike race, I’m just hoping not to finish last.

My buddy is an Ironman, he always says his goal is to avoid the "Double D"

DNF/DFL
Did Not Finish/Dead F'in Last

martaindale · April 2023

April total: 103.9/115 miles

4/1: 6 miles
4/3: 4 miles
4/5: 5.1 miles
4/6: 3.1 miles
4/8: 8 miles
4/9: 4.1 miles
4/11: 3.1 miles
4/13: 3.1 miles
4/14: 10 miles
4/15: 6 miles
4/16: 4.1 miles
4/18: 6 miles
4/19: 7 miles
4/20: 4 miles
4/22: 9 miles
4/24: 6.2 miles
4/25: 5.1 miles
4/26: 10 miles

Moved my long run to today because I am working Saturday morning and the thought of doing 10 miles after lunch wasn’t appealing. I went to the trail I usually use for long runs. I saw 3 snakes, 2 copperheads and a king snake, and a fuzzy caterpillar. I decided I’m going to take pictures of the snakes I see this year on runs where I have my phone.
Here’s today’s collection.

I also got chased by a dog. I passed this lady walking her dog. On a leash. As I pass he starts trotting then running. I expected her to stop him but she let the leash out! I sped up to get away from the dog and she started running with her freaking dog as he chased me! I said “stop”. Then “PLEASE STOP”. She replied that he was just running, just like I was running. I told her “He’s chasing me”! And she looked so offended and said “ok, sorry”. Like I was crazy for not enjoying having her dog chase me down the trail. It was such a weird interaction. Why would she do that? Is she trying to train the dog to chase people that run from it? Cause that’s how you train that behavior.

TheMrWobbly · April 2023

I could cope with a DFL as long as I finished!

The journey has begun... very slowly!
burned 619 calories doing 62 minutes of cardio exercises, including "Running (jogging), 5 mph (12 min mile)"

Glad you are having a great day!

yirara · April 2023

23.04 Sun 16°C 4.0km 36min 9:02/km
24.04 Mon 9°C 5.1km 55min 8:48/km
26.04 Wed 8°C 4.0km 35min 8:49/km

total: 13.12/0km (13.12km ahead)

Total fail today. I never managed to run more than 500m, then had to walk briefly. HR immediately went to at least 175 and didn't really get down, and then maxed out again at 191. But I had the runnies today, thus going for a run wasn't probably the best idea. It was also ridiculously cold. Oh well, another day, another run.

Itadakimasu7 · April 2023

@martaindale -- WOW. I don't know what's odder, the person allowing their dog to chase you (absolutely bonkers) or how many venomous snakes are along your route -- good looking healthy copperheads there. I love the photos, I hope you post more of those, fascinating. Not to pry but can you give us the state? I used to run around the Buffalo National River in Arkansas and we had a few of those, but uh, not that large and happy looking!

The dog walker is lucky you didn't turn around and mace her dog. That is beyond bananas.

chris_in_cal · April 2023

martaindale wrote: »

And she looked so offended and said “ok, sorry”... Why would she do that? Is she trying to train the dog to chase people that run from it?

Dogs are the absolute best, dog owners are the absolute worst. (present company excluded.)

Scott6255 · April 2023

Thanks everyone for your encouragement 😊
Just did 5 TM miles after work

Teresa502 · April 2023

April 1 – 3.33 miles
April 3 – 4.04 miles
April 4 – 5.50 miles
April 5 – 5.10 miles
April 10 – 5.32 miles
April 12 – 5.01 miles
April 13 – 5.51 miles
April 16 – 6.01 miles
April 18 – 5.01 miles
April 19 – 3.09 miles
April 20 – 504 miles
April 21 – 7.13 miles
April 23 – 6.01 miles
April 24 – 5.07 miles
April 26 – 5.16 miles
April 27 – 5.03 miles
Total 81.36/95.00

I am definitely not going to make my goal this month but that’s ok. Saturdays are when I typically do a longer run and this month I missed 3 Saturday runs traveling back from vacation in Mexico and I also enjoyed two weekends hiking in the woods which is my happy place. I ran with a friend this morning who had some tummy issues hit so we had to stop at a Marriott which happened to be the only place open on our route. This one has a convention center and golf course so lots of public restrooms are available in the common areas. I ran in the parking lot while waiting for her so I got my distance in but the pace was slower than normal as we walked a lot pre-bathroom visit.

@martaindale – I have to watch the trail closely also so as I don’t trip on an unexpected root or rock or slant of the trail….I could not bring myself to look at your pictures though! Sorry about the dog chase. Unfortunately common sense is not a requirement to be a pet owner.

@chris_in_cal – I like that Double D mindset!

Hope you are feeling better today @yirara.

Mari33a · April 2023

The new cable arrived on Monday and still no sign of the old one but I only got out yesterday evening for a run as part of the road was closed for resurfacing. The new surface is awful with lots of loose chipping but it will settle in a few days.

02/04 3.26 miles
03/04 3.24 miles
05/04 3.26 miles
07/04 3.26 miles
10/04 3.27 miles
13/04 3.25 miles
14/04 3.25 miles
16/04 3.27 miles
18/04 3.27 miles
20/04 3.26 miles
26/04 3.31 miles

Total 35.90/40miles

@Scott6255 - I have a problem with tightness in my calfs too and my mileage is nowhere near yours. I always blame it on my weight which I'm trying to lose (was 183lbs in January and 170lbs now). I wear good quality runners but probably don't stretch enough, they always feel very tight and rock solid.

Hope everyone with injuries is healing too.

Great job one on your races! -@kgirlhart, @elenorhawkins, and @Laurz9191

Laurz9191 · April 2023

I finally got back to the gym today. I feel recovered now and used the opportunity to do parts of my run at a faster pace on the treadmill. I ran a total of 10.2km and also got a very short strength training session in.

@martaindale Wow! Those snake pictures... It would really scare me to see snakes while running. I'm not sure I could ever get used to it. It seems like it must be a very common occurrence where you are? Some people who own dogs have zero understanding of their behavior/body language/training or the fact that dogs are not people

. They tried to combat that here in my state by requiring all first dog owners to take a "license to own a dog class", where they basically teach you dog 101. Some say it's overkill, but whenever I hear a story like yours, it seems like it's a good idea.

So far for April I have run a total of 151.3/175km.

eleanorhawkins · April 2023

I posted last night but it never appeared. Can't remember everything to type it out again, but the gist of it was:
@Teresa502 you'll be grand. Also, IMO, DFL is better than DNF, and DNF is better than DNS.
@martaindale Snakes, omgoodness no, I'd never leave the house if I knew those were out there!
People should have to undergo a lot of testing before being allowed to own either dogs or guns.
@Scott6255 hope you can find a way to deal with your calf issues. I find mine get very grumpy after flatter runs but they're perfectly happy running hilly trails. Also, I never run without compression sleeves for my calves.
I'm probably forgetting a bunch of stuff but everyone's doing great!

I saw the physio for an MOT (his label) yesterday, he pummeled a few knots out. Coach has me doing no running until Thursday of next week, so I'm getting bored and need to stay away from the internet to avoid accidents. There's only been one so far, and it was only to join a lottery for a place on a race, but I have already found my probable plan B for the autumn if the lottery doesn't provide us with plan A.

I was annoyed that we had to pay for photos from the race on Sunday, but couldn't resist. You only run your first marathon once, right?

Almost getting knocked over by a dinosaur as you cross the finish line certainly makes for a unique memory LOL

SummerSkier · April 2023

Quick check in. Loving the photos #94 👏👏👏💖👏👏👏

Goal of 200 for the month

kgirlhart · April 2023

April Goal: 110 Miles

4/2: 11.03 miles
4/4: 6.02 miles
4/5: 5.25 miles
4/6: 5.51 miles
4/9: 11.02 miles
4/11: 5.25 miles
4/12: 5.26 miles
4/13: 6.02 miles
4/16: 11.01 miles
4/18: 5.5 miles
4/19: 5.26 miles
4/20: 5.10 miles
4/22: 0.58 miles (warm-up)
4/22: 6.26 miles- Run For The Children 10K
4/24: 5.16 miles
4/25: 5.26 miles
4/27: 6.02 miles

105.51/110 miles completed for April

Great photos @Eleanorhawkins!

@teresa502 Good luck on your race! I know you will do great!

Wow @Martaindale! Some people should not be allowed to have dogs. I have had several dogs follow me because they wanted to run with me. They trotted along beside me or in front of me and looked at me for encouragement. They never chased me. I can't imagine purposely not controlling your dog.

Today I ran 6 miles. It was 55°F and cloudy with a light wind. It felt a little chillier starting out than I expected, but it wasn't too bad. I like that it is starting to be light towards the end of my run.

Teresa502 · April 2023

eleanorhawkins wrote: »

@Teresa502 you'll be grand. Also, IMO, DFL is better than DNF, and DNF is better than DNS.

I love this @eleanorhawkins! Maybe we should add this to our intro page. Great photos - my favorite is the one of you going down that hill!

Thanks for all the encouragement and well wishes for my race on Saturday. I will let you know how it goes. I feel like with all the hiking I've down lately that it will be beneficial on getting up all the hills.

@Mari33a - Congratulations on your weight loss! Speaking of dog ownership, does Ireland have a law that anyone who wants to get a dog has to have home visit to ensure they have the space for the type of dog they want and get a license? Seems like I remember someone in Dublin telling me that.

quilteryoyo · April 2023

@Teresa502 Nice running. Good luck with your race on Sat. Where are you racing? You are doing great with your running. Sorry your friend had tummy issues. I hope it was a runners tummy and not something else.

Sounds like a beautiful, fun run @Laurz9191 . Sounds like you are recovering nicely from the bike race.

Great run @martaindale. It is very hard to run that long after work. I don't know why people think it is okay for their dogs to misbehave - or sounds more like this lady had no clue that is was a bad thing for her dog to chase you...even after you asked her to stop. I don't do well with snakes, but am getting better, as long as they are outside and move away when they see me.

12 min/mile isn't anything to sneeze at @TheMrWobbly .

Not feeling well can affect your HR @yirara . You did 35 minutes of exercise. I would NOT call that a total fail! It may not have been what you wanted or planned, but you weren't sitting on the couch either.

Great pictures @eleanorhawkins . Of course you have to buy them from your first marathon! You look great in all of them - not like you are tired at all!

@Mari33a Congrats on the weight loss. I'm glad you got your new cable. I hope the old one does show up. Things like that bug me until I know what happened to it.

Great running to those that I didn't comment on personally.

quilteryoyo · April 2023

I got home late last night, so didn't post. I played tennis yesterday morning, came home and did a treadmill session where I ran one mile at 4.5 mph and walked 1.75 miles (alternated walking and running a quarter mile for the first 30 minutes), made some phone calls and sat with the heating pad on my shoulder (hurt it combing my hair this morning), and played a league tennis match last night. I burned a total of 1,078 calories and traversed a total of 5.07 miles. We lost the league match 2-6, 1-6. The score doesn't reflect the level of play. It was a hard fought match with lots of good volleys and duce games.

Since I did so much yesterday, I decided today would be a recovery day, so did a true wun after getting home from the dentist. I only ran enough to keep my HR above 100, but below 120 (for the most part). I went 3.05 miles, thinking that I needed the .05 miles to even up my mileage for the month, but I had done that yesterday, so now I'm back to being "uneven."

My avg HR was 110 with a max of 127 bpm.

Scott6255 · April 2023

Nice pictures @eleanorhawkins. Mine always look terrible, but your's are great. And thanks for the idea about compression socks. I used to wear them religiously years ago, but stopped for some reason. I tried them today and not sure they helped, but will keep trying. 6 miles today.

chris_in_cal · April 2023

Teresa502 wrote: »

eleanorhawkins wrote: »

you'll be grand. Also, IMO, DFL is better than DNF, and DNF is better than DNS.

I love this! Maybe we should add this to our intro page.

I approve: DFL > DNF > DNS

eleanorhawkins · April 2023

Scott6255 wrote: »

Nice pictures @eleanorhawkins. Mine always look terrible, but your's are great. And thanks for the idea about compression socks. I used to wear them religiously years ago, but stopped for some reason. I tried them today and not sure they helped, but will keep trying. 6 miles today.

Thanks @Scott6255 my photos are terrible 95% of the time but there were 21 this time, of which those 5 I don't actually hate lol. I hope the socks help, people often tell me it's placebo effect, but my calves definitely like them! Actually I took them off to shower on Sunday then put them straight back on again all afternoon and think they helped.

@quilteryoyo I am amazed at how much you do!

April 2023 Monthly Running Challenge

Replies

Categories