DECEMBER 2023 Monthly Running Challenge
AlphaHowls
Posts: 1,996 Member
in Challenges
DECEMBER 2023 Monthly Running Challenge
WARNING: Following this thread may be addictive; it gets very talkative...miss a day and you can be 50 posts behind. This is the most popular challenge on MFP. If you found us in the middle (or end) of the month, you're still very welcome to join in - no requirements or special invite needed. Once you post, that's it you're in. And yes, we do this every month.
You set your own pace and distance for the month. We will all be doing it together. This is your virtual running group to help keep you accountable, to enjoy a virtual post-run coffee with your fellow runners, and to make new friends and learn a few things.
This is a continuation from the November 2023 Monthly Running Challenge which can be found at:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10902450/november-2023-monthly-running-challenge#latest
Anyone can join in, new and old, and if you found this thread late, you can join in at any time.
We have members ranging from total beginners all the way to Boston Qualifiers and beyond. We are a friendly and encouraging bunch. You never need to be ashamed of your miles. If you are making the effort, you will find only support here.
Here are the details from last month that apply again:
Anybody want to join in for a running challenge? Set a goal here and update us every day. OPTIONAL: You can post your progress by creating a ticker at http://www.tickerfactory.com (if creating one seems difficult, or you're like me and can't be bothered, then just type in your daily miles in this thread).
You can run, walk, or do treadmill - just be consistent. Don't let the high (or low) goals of others intimidate you. Some do 25 miles, others do 50, some go higher than that, some do lower; it's entirely your goal and therefore completely up to you. We help motivate each other, so what do you say? If you're new to running, set a low goal. If you're from a part of the world where miles aren't your thing, log your distances in KMs. And if you'd rather log your progress by time rather than distance, then you're entirely free to do that as well.
Feel free to set your goal now but wait until December 1, 2023 to start logging your runs!
Also, don't forget to join our group which can be found at:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/21182-monthly-running-challenges
Bookmark the previous and past challenges: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10393468/current-past-challenges#latest
Find a small group of runners that encourage and offer food support:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10573619/runners-that-need-some-nutritional-accountability#latest
Note: we also have a group on Strava and Facebook.
After you run, come into this thread and post what you did (don't forget to hit the bookmark in the upper right corner to bookmark this thread). Simply keep a running tally of what you've done this month and interact with the others. Many folks come in here and chit-chat it up, even on their rest days or while recouping from injury. This is a very social group and we talk about many things (sometimes even about running). It's a very friendly bunch here so don't be afraid to say hi (even if this is your first time), talk about a recent or up-coming race, ask questions, provide answers, or just lurk-n-learn. Participation is what makes this group successful.
Not quite sure how to log your runs? Follow the examples of many other challenge members. Even take a peek at last month's thread (posted above).
*******OPTIONAL TICKER*************
Info on tickers since I know there will be questions. Sign up for an account at http://www.tickerfactory.comandcreate your ticker. Then you need to update it after you finish a run and post it here. Here is what you will need to do.
After setting up your ticker, you will need to make note of the weblink they give you so you can return. An example would be:
http://www.tickerfactory.com/exercise/w6K1EiX/ <<<< the last part will be a part of the image link (explained below) that will be supplied to you after you initially create your link.
When you return to TickerFactory with the weblink, go to your settings page. Make sure you type your PIN in that you set when you created your ticker account. Then, where it says "Your current cumulative value", there is an add button. Simply add the distance that you just did, and the cumulative value automatically changes. Then hit next.
After adding your new miles (or KMs) to your ticker, you need to post it here.
After you hit next, it will give you a bunch of codes suggesting how to display your ticker.
Use the one at the bottom where it says Direct Image URL:
It will look something like:
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png
To display that correctly in your post, make sure you place the image (img) tags around that link. So it will look something like the following (but removing the spaces in the img tags):
[ img ] http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png [ /img ]
^^^^^^^ Don't forget to remove the spaces between the brackets ^^^^^^^^^^
Some key things to pay attention to when posting your ticker:
Use the link that ends in .png
Remember the [ img] and [ /img] tags go in between the link
Remove the spaces in the img tags before posting
YES, there is a / in the second /img tag
By the way, everyone here should consider themselves a runner no matter how fast or slow. There's no judgment, we all started somewhere. And no comparisons, except with your former self. Don't compare your Chapter 1 to somebody else’s Chapter 20.
“I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.” – Bart Yasso
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius
"We all know that if you run, you are pretty much choosing a life of success because of it.” – Deena Kastor
“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” – Steve Prefontaine
“Get going … walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.” – Ron Hill
"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." - John Bingham
You may see some phrases / words that are unique to our little group when it comes to describing some of our runs. It is a mash-up of words that seem to best describe the way the run felt that day. Here are some examples. Feel free to come up with your own to add to the dictionary 😃
'sleasy' - Slow and Easy
'sneasy' - Slow Not Easy
'scrappy' - mix of Slow and Crappy
'wun' - mix of Walking and Running
'wog' - mix of Walking and Jogging
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay on track.
WARNING: Following this thread may be addictive; it gets very talkative...miss a day and you can be 50 posts behind. This is the most popular challenge on MFP. If you found us in the middle (or end) of the month, you're still very welcome to join in - no requirements or special invite needed. Once you post, that's it you're in. And yes, we do this every month.
You set your own pace and distance for the month. We will all be doing it together. This is your virtual running group to help keep you accountable, to enjoy a virtual post-run coffee with your fellow runners, and to make new friends and learn a few things.
This is a continuation from the November 2023 Monthly Running Challenge which can be found at:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10902450/november-2023-monthly-running-challenge#latest
Anyone can join in, new and old, and if you found this thread late, you can join in at any time.
We have members ranging from total beginners all the way to Boston Qualifiers and beyond. We are a friendly and encouraging bunch. You never need to be ashamed of your miles. If you are making the effort, you will find only support here.
Here are the details from last month that apply again:
Anybody want to join in for a running challenge? Set a goal here and update us every day. OPTIONAL: You can post your progress by creating a ticker at http://www.tickerfactory.com (if creating one seems difficult, or you're like me and can't be bothered, then just type in your daily miles in this thread).
You can run, walk, or do treadmill - just be consistent. Don't let the high (or low) goals of others intimidate you. Some do 25 miles, others do 50, some go higher than that, some do lower; it's entirely your goal and therefore completely up to you. We help motivate each other, so what do you say? If you're new to running, set a low goal. If you're from a part of the world where miles aren't your thing, log your distances in KMs. And if you'd rather log your progress by time rather than distance, then you're entirely free to do that as well.
Feel free to set your goal now but wait until December 1, 2023 to start logging your runs!
Also, don't forget to join our group which can be found at:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/21182-monthly-running-challenges
Bookmark the previous and past challenges: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10393468/current-past-challenges#latest
Find a small group of runners that encourage and offer food support:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10573619/runners-that-need-some-nutritional-accountability#latest
Note: we also have a group on Strava and Facebook.
After you run, come into this thread and post what you did (don't forget to hit the bookmark in the upper right corner to bookmark this thread). Simply keep a running tally of what you've done this month and interact with the others. Many folks come in here and chit-chat it up, even on their rest days or while recouping from injury. This is a very social group and we talk about many things (sometimes even about running). It's a very friendly bunch here so don't be afraid to say hi (even if this is your first time), talk about a recent or up-coming race, ask questions, provide answers, or just lurk-n-learn. Participation is what makes this group successful.
Not quite sure how to log your runs? Follow the examples of many other challenge members. Even take a peek at last month's thread (posted above).
*******OPTIONAL TICKER*************
Info on tickers since I know there will be questions. Sign up for an account at http://www.tickerfactory.comandcreate your ticker. Then you need to update it after you finish a run and post it here. Here is what you will need to do.
After setting up your ticker, you will need to make note of the weblink they give you so you can return. An example would be:
http://www.tickerfactory.com/exercise/w6K1EiX/ <<<< the last part will be a part of the image link (explained below) that will be supplied to you after you initially create your link.
When you return to TickerFactory with the weblink, go to your settings page. Make sure you type your PIN in that you set when you created your ticker account. Then, where it says "Your current cumulative value", there is an add button. Simply add the distance that you just did, and the cumulative value automatically changes. Then hit next.
After adding your new miles (or KMs) to your ticker, you need to post it here.
After you hit next, it will give you a bunch of codes suggesting how to display your ticker.
Use the one at the bottom where it says Direct Image URL:
It will look something like:
http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png
To display that correctly in your post, make sure you place the image (img) tags around that link. So it will look something like the following (but removing the spaces in the img tags):
[ img ] http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/w6K1EiX/exercise.png [ /img ]
^^^^^^^ Don't forget to remove the spaces between the brackets ^^^^^^^^^^
Some key things to pay attention to when posting your ticker:
Use the link that ends in .png
Remember the [ img] and [ /img] tags go in between the link
Remove the spaces in the img tags before posting
YES, there is a / in the second /img tag
By the way, everyone here should consider themselves a runner no matter how fast or slow. There's no judgment, we all started somewhere. And no comparisons, except with your former self. Don't compare your Chapter 1 to somebody else’s Chapter 20.
“I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.” – Bart Yasso
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius
"We all know that if you run, you are pretty much choosing a life of success because of it.” – Deena Kastor
“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” – Steve Prefontaine
“Get going … walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.” – Ron Hill
"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." - John Bingham
You may see some phrases / words that are unique to our little group when it comes to describing some of our runs. It is a mash-up of words that seem to best describe the way the run felt that day. Here are some examples. Feel free to come up with your own to add to the dictionary 😃
'sleasy' - Slow and Easy
'sneasy' - Slow Not Easy
'scrappy' - mix of Slow and Crappy
'wun' - mix of Walking and Running
'wog' - mix of Walking and Jogging
Stay safe. Stay healthy. Stay on track.
2
Replies
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I’m in. 40 miles this month.7
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I'm in. I plan and pledge to wun 30 miles.
I signed up for a marathon next Sept 14. I have 41.5 weeks to go and I'm starting a few feet from the couch not quite the couch haha
I also bought a Garmin Forerunner 255. It's in transit. Does Garmin have a social aspect to it?
I look forward to supporting your runs.
- Hector
8 -
I will have finished my RTY 2023 by December (fingers crossed), so I am not even going to set a mileage goal. Just want to run when I feel like it, and stay healthy.
@project9percent yes Garmin has social. It is Garmin Connect10 -
I can’t believe the year has gone by so fast!!! For December I want to aim high, even if I don’t quite make it. I don’t have time to run next week
so I will be off to a slow start, but barring illness might be able to make up for it. I am going to say 160km. 9 -
Let’s go! 🚀 105 km 🎯 (a bit more than 100 to give that extra challenge 💪) Good luck, team.9
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I'm in for just 20 miles of walking depending on how I am feeling. December is my last full month of treatments and my energy is non-existent but I know getting out to walk helps.12
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I'm in for 50 miles.8
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I am trying a different tact this year. Last year 2022 I did 141 in Dec. In 2021 I did 147 and in 2020 when I did run the year 179. So Dec looks like a pretty nice month running typically. I will shoot for 140. Or 4.52 avg per day. hmmm. that seems high but we can always change if it is. right😂😂😂🤣🤷♀️
8 -
I'm gonna go for 165 miles10
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400 miles with push for 5008
-
Thanks for getting us going @AlphaHowls!
I'm aiming for 100 miles again this month. I want to keep up my strength training and in the series I am doing most workouts are 45-60 minutes.7 -
Thank you @AlphaHowls.
I’m going to try for 60 miles this month. Why play it safe at 50 miles🙈. I do have another goal of 3000 miles that I only need 250 on my spin bike and the weather is in control of which or both I meet. Snow was forecast earlier today & we r getting flurries now but it won’t be anything like @ laura9191.
9 -
6
-
Welcome to all the new people I see already.
I have my race on the 9th. I'm actually a little concerned about it but pretty sure I can manage. It may be slow as a turtle in molasses though. I haven't run 10 miles all year. I think my longest was 9. Oh well, it will be what it will be.
I actually said all that because with traveling to and from the race and seeing family while in FL, I am guess most of those days will be only 1 to 2 mile walks or wuns. So, I'm going to stick to an 80 mile goal and just see how it goes.
For those of you that don't go back and see my post at the end of Nov, I did make my year mileage goal of 1000 miles running, fast intentional walking, and other activities like tennis, mowing, etc yesterday.10 -
I'm in for 130 miles in December. Thanks again for setting us up @AlphaHowls .9
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It’s my running mate Dakota’s 3rd birthday today
11 -
8
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Great goals!
And it's great to see those year-long goals being met by @Scott6255 and @quilteryoyo ! Who's next?
No distance goal for me. I just want to do as much activity as I can without crashing. Easier said than done, especially when external factors outside of my control also contribute to this mess I'm in.
Today's activity was 5 minutes in the cold tub, and then about 2 hours of sewing/prep for church ladies' meeting. I'll have to post pictures of the finished crafts tomorrow after the meeting.8 -
@mari33a - Happy Birthday to Dakota! He's such a pretty boy!
Welcome to all the people joining us this month. We look forward to cheering you on towards your goals.
Congratulations @quilteryoyo for making your 1000 mile goal.
EDITED - I went back to November thread and saw that you completed your 2023 miles @Scott6255!! Congratulations!! That is a major accomplishment!7 -
@quilteryoyo you'll be fine, you've done it before, you can do it again. Your consistency is amazing and the best possible base! And we'll all be cheering you on remotely 🙂7
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I'm not setting a goal this month apart from doing the damn strength training. Our club is holding an 8 hour Backyard ultra on the 17th so I should get a lot of miles that day but not many before or after it 🤣10
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I’ve decided to try Strava to record my walks.
I think I’ve found @eleanorhawkins, @tarun_yadavA, @Scott6255 on there. Who else from this group is on there that I can friend?
Also, how do the mapped runs get on there? Do I link my Garmin or Fitbit results to it so that it posts my walks? Thanks5 -
I’ve decided to try Strava to record my walks.
I think I’ve found @eleanorhawkins, @tarun_yadavA, @Scott6255 on there. Who else from this group is on there that I can friend?
Also, how do the mapped runs get on there? Do I link my Garmin or Fitbit results to it so that it posts my walks? Thanks
I am also on there as Kathryn Hart. Plus there is a group - MPF Monthly Running Challenge. If you join you'll find lots of current and past members of this group.6 -
I ran at the field house of the local college this morning. More for a change of pace rather than the weather.
12/1 - 3 Miles. Field House. 93-day streak.9 -
December Goal: 130 Miles
12/1: 3.30 miles
3.30/130 miles completed for December
I ran 3.3 miles today. It was a pretty morning. It was chillier today at 40°F than yesterday's 57°, but it was clear and not misty. I ran by the courthouse and it is all decorated for Christmas. I didn't see any critters today, but it was a good run.
8 -
December Running Goal: 14 runs, 50 miles
3.2 lbs. November weight loss gain (242.9 lbs -> 246.1 lbs)
I'm Chris, I live in San Diego, California. Since covid I'm doing work from home, sadly it's been announced that WFH is coming to an end in February 2024. I've been on MFP since 2009 and during that time I've had some wild swings with health and fitness. My most fit years were 2010 and 2019, when I did lots of food tracking, Iyengar yoga, and running. This year 2023 has been my post covid/get back to running year. This is my tenth month on this thread, it is great accountability. But the last two months we're not very successful for running...here I am, back at it.
I signed up for an April 2024 Half Marathon. I just started a Jeff Galloway training plan for the race.
For this month I'm ramping back up, three runs per week. And a once a week hard yoga class.
I'll be focusing on the MFP food diary and dropping 5+ lbs.
Please connect on Garmin if you have one.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/chris_in_cal11 -
https://www.strava.com/clubs/185838
MFP Strava Group
Welcome to December 2023! I am taking a cue from @chris_in_cal today.
My name is Jennifer and I live in Tennessee (since 2000). I just turned 53 on Thanksgiving and I checked in at 123.2 lbs. this morning. I have been on MFP since July 9, 2015 when my brother sent me a link. I was over 223 that day and obese class II. I started running in April 2016 and have not looked back since. I have questioned my sanity, but not looked back. I am a licensed professional counselor and I work on contract with veterans. I am also my mother's caregiver (since 2007).
Chilly drizzle this morning, so I took to crazy laps! I was having to be here anyway waiting for pest control service.
12/1 17.5 miles, Crazy Laps! Chilly drizzle = Nope
Got my music going on computer and disappeared into my imagination for 3 hours or so
Still using my B3 bands since I am finding it really decreases my aches and pain.
Something I picked up somewhere:The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want the MOST for what they want at the MOMENT.10 -
I am on Strava as well and will look for you to add ....@daria0919
Starting the month off with a 5 er out of 140. I took yesterday off after really pushing hard earlier in the week and honestly I did not find any advantage. Even a little disadvantage mentally. But weather should be nice for the next week or so and hoping to have some great runs. The sky brightening as I ran today was really beautiful. Pink wispy clouds.
8 -
01/12 4.01 miles
Total 4.01/60 miles
And we’re off! It was a good run but freezing cold and seemed to get colder. A few parts of the road were icy & sparkley in the dark. I cud feel my runners slipping at times. I hadn’t planned on 4 but was enjoying it. My spin bike wasn’t as luck this morning. The pedal arm just snapped 3 miles in.
Congratulations @Scott6255 and @quilteryoyo reaching your goals. They are both impressive! Like @elenorhawkins says we will all be rooting for u in ur race.6 -
Hi, I'm new here 👋
I don't really know what to aim for. Just had an elbow op, so not sure what I'll be able to do, but I can at least walk.
So, I'll aim for at least 50 miles this month 🤞.
Good luck everyone. Hope you all hit your targets 😊10
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