MARCH 2024 Monthly Running Challenge

shanaber · March 4

chris_in_cal wrote: »

I centerpunched the rain. It rained as I prepared, and started up again just as I finished. Timing, right?

@chris_in_cal - your timing was certainly better than mine. It wasn't raining when we headed out and wasn't supposed to rain at all. Interesting that as it was pouring on us my weather app kept saying it wasn't and that it was partly cloudy. Technically it did get partly cloudy for an instant when the rain stopped before it dumped on us again 😂

@7lenny7 - 💔 Kody 💔
Don't even want to think about the day when Hobbes can no longer go with me.
Sounds like you had a great run despite the spicy large meal! Love the pictures! Hope the turtle finds a good nest site that will protect it even if there is a cold snap.

@AlphaHowls - my doctor's eyes glazed over at my mileage which could never compare to yours. I am sure they find you as amazing as we all do!
@daria0919 - Cancer sucks!😢 Running, walking and just getting outside definitely helps me.
@kgirlhart - Good for you signing up for the trail race. Watch out though you may end up like @eleanorhawkins tearing up the trails!

I had my first (wet) outing of the month for 2.83mi.

Laurz9191 · March 4

Hi everyone!

I didn't get around to posting my run yesterday. I went on a nice an easy 11km run, doing the last few km at my tentative M race pace. Thanks so much for the link @martaindale . When I entered in my 10k stats, it bascially gave me the exact result I got in the HM I raced last year and the pace I bascially had in mind to try to attempt for the M. So, that means I think I was intuitively on the right track! I am going to be integrating it into some of my runs now to get used to what it feels like to run at that pace.

Today I did 8x 1 minute intervals. For me, this is the hardest workout of all running workouts. I always get tears in my eyes the last 2 or 3 reps. But it went well and I ran 10km. Tomorrow is long run day

.

34.2km/250km for March.

Laurz9191 · March 4

@kgirlhart I checked out that race. It looks like there is quite a bit of elevation gain, so I would definitely recommend doing some "hill" days before the race and, what @7lenny7 said - getting practice out on trails nearby so you get used to running on different terrain. Yes, and look at the ground while running

. I also try to do more foot/ankle strengthening exercises because it is especially good to make sure you have a strong foundation there when the ground isn't level to avoid injury.

@AlphaHowls Great job on your unplanned marathon! It sounds like it was a wonderful day for a long run for you!!! And I agree with @quilteryoyo It's great to be able to go home, refuel and then get yourself out again for more running. That defintely shows motivation/dedication

.

@7lenny7 I enjoyed reading about your ultra-training run. That sounds like an intense but also very rewarding type of training. Beautiful pictures too!

tarun_yadavA · March 4

Morning everyone!
Got in 5 (at 09"56).

Ooohh so many messages on alcohol 😂
@emptydog thank you Sir!
@Mari33a same! Nice whiskey sweet Old Fashioned! 🥃
@7lenny7 think a cocktail was more socially acceptable at Noon!
But I do love whisky too... Either Speyside Single Malts (Glenlivet) or sweet ish Bourbons. Dalwhinnie is another nice one.
Ones I can't do are the super peaty ones like Lagavulin, Laphroaig etc.

Oh.. and when I took my sabbatical and did my 48 State Road trip... Went to Makers Mark. In a town called Loretto in KY. Fun fact: only American whiskey that is spelt without the 'e'. Whisky. The lady that ran/owned it was Scottish! Hence the Scottish spelling!

Also... Speaking of trip... Duluth was my MN stop!
Good luck with that race!

@quilteryoyo haha. The body was like, "and we were getting on so well..." "What did I do to deserve that?"
March social calendar catching up...
Have a few more planned:
Got a work leaving drinks this Thursday (shouldn't be too too heavy).
Guys night on Fri 15... thAt will be heavy.
Wife birthday... Towards end of the month. Gastropub she wants to go. Unhealthy meal and a few drinks (shouldn't be too heavy).
Fly to the States at Easter. With my FL buddy for weekend... So that probably will be back to back heavy drinking.

Kids... Teen- Deep. 9yr old- Yuvraj. Both under my follower list. Same surname. Teen- super lazy. Either slacks or forgets to turn on. 9yr old- just the 1 run to date.

@ContraryMaryMary oooh musta missed the Strava bit! Will find you as well.
As for the unexpected long run - must've been the carbs kicking in after 4-5M!

@AlphaHowls well done on the unplanned full marathon!

@martaindale get well soon Sarah!

Scott6255 · March 4

Wow, I take one day off and was two whole pages behind! Lots of tremendous running! You all are amazing!

Purposely set out for a short slow run. Wanted it to feel really easy. It didn't.

quilteryoyo · March 4

@7lenny7 I'm impressed that you would even want to run that race. It sounds brutal, but the scenery looked really cool. I think I remember you telling us about the hallucinations at the time. Scary stuff. It sounds like you will be ready for it this year, well, as ready as you can be for something like that. Good luck with all of your upcoming races.

@Laurz9191 Great run and sounds like you go all out on your workouts. Enjoy your long run.

@Scott6255 Those are the worst runs.....the ones that you are sure are going to be easy and every step is a chore. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

martaindale · March 4

7lenny7 wrote: »

@kgirlhart my number one piece of advice is keep your eyes on the ground. As soon as you look up rocks and roots will reach out to trip you. I tend to look several steps ahead to plan out my foot falls (it's mostly an unconscious thing...I don't really think about it) except for especially gnarly hazards, which I slow down for. Get out on the trails and practice, of course. And know that you will be slower and it will be harder than you're used to. Don't go out with any sort of pace in mind, just take it easy and try to get into the flow of the trail. "Possum's Revenge"... I love the name of that race!

ContraryMaryMary wrote: »

Yup, you’ll have to watch your step. However not all trails are technical - you might have it blissfully smooth and soft underfoot. In that case, enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.

With trail running, it’s more than ok to walk the hills and stop and take photos. Even without this, your pace is likely to be quite a bit slower than on the road, which can take some mental adjustment, but once you’ve got your head around that, make the most of it.

Absolutely agree with all of this. PK is a mix of places you’ll need to watch your step and some where you can take it all in. Trail running folks are the nicest people you’ll meet. I’ve done almost every trail run alone and still felt like a part of the community. To the point about pace, I usually have zero pace goals for trail races. They are about seeing the location, having a good time, and maybe collecting an awesome possum medal!

Teresa502 · March 4

March 2 – 7.38 miles
March 3 – 3.02 miles
March 4 – 5.03 miles

I’m going to set my March goal at 100 miles. This morning the weather was 48F and I got out early enough to watch the horizon light up – my favorite time of day. The only traffic I encountered on my 5 mile outing was the school bus passing by. Just me and the birds who were quite chirpy. My dad’s pacemaker procedure went smashingly well. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and good wishes.

I was a few pages behind reading here, but I finally got caught up with liking and hugging as appropriate. You all continue to inspire me to go out there and get it done!

martaindale · March 4

@7lenny7 I remember reading about the hallucinations you had during that race. It sounded really scary. I guess it's good that you had that experience on a race with aid stations close at hand. I'm rooting for you in the buildup to Superior falls!

martaindale · March 4

March total: 8.2 miles
YTD: 209.4/1200 miles

3/2: 4.1 miles
3/4: 4.1 miles

Another short run this morning. This one felt MUCH better! Conditions were pretty similar to Saturday but my legs and body in general felt significantly different. I'll aim for a slightly longer run tomorrow to test things out a bit more. I'm glad to see some recovery happening.

7lenny7 · March 4

quilteryoyo wrote: »

@7lenny7 I'm impressed that you would even want to run that race. It sounds brutal, but the scenery looked really cool. I think I remember you telling us about the hallucinations at the time. Scary stuff. It sounds like you will be ready for it this year, well, as ready as you can be for something like that. Good luck with all of your upcoming races.

Brutal is a certainly an applicable adjective here.

For the race in 4.5 weeks I'm implementing a few different changes in preparation and execution. I'm cutting out caffeine leading up to the race so that when I really get tired in the overnight stage, the caffeine will have more effect on me. Two weeks ago was my last week with coffee, last week was black tea, this week is green and white tea, then nothing between this weekend and the race. I'm also cutting way back on alcohol, working on my "sleep hygiene", more practice with my trekking poles, and more practice power hiking. During the race I'll start out slower to keep my HR down (targeting 135bpm max during the race), work at getting through the aid stations much quicker, eating while I hike rather than eating at aid stations, and I may even take short cat naps if needed. Better that than drop out and it's amazing what a 15 minute nap can do for you. I intended to do more strength and core work leading up to it but I'm not doing near enough.

TheMrWobbly · March 4

AlphaHowls wrote: »

@7lenny7 wrote: »

@AlphaHowls some things never change, like you're amazing running! Did you once have a huge streak of daily runs of half marathons or more? Or maybe you still do...that wouldn't surprise me. Great photo!

Love your pictures!

HAHA! I did have a long Half marathon streak as well. My last race from October 2023 took me out.

AlphaHowls wrote: »

I think it was 1182 days.
From October 21, 2023

I had a half marathon streak. It was going really well until today - day 2 that is!

Fair run at Eastbourne yesterday, weather was really nice, cool and dry. A little slower than Brighton last week though there was a much bigger hill on this run.

Have a great week everyone!

eleanorhawkins · March 4

Oh. Wow. March. I lost a few weeks there again, life has been crazy with travels and racing and stuff.

@kgirlhart fully agree with what everyone else has said. You need to pay attention to the ground, work on your balance and ankle strength and mobility and forget any expectations re times or paces. Be prepared to be sore in unexpected places, trails can be a full body workout. Find out what the hills are like and try to simulate them in training, and bear in mind walking (which we call power hiking) is often a better approach to the hills. Be prepared to get hooked and soon find yourself on crazy adventures!
@7lenny7 I am SO jealous lol.

I'll type a race report tomorrow from the computer, but let's just say it was fun

chris_in_cal · March 4

Prime weed season, with some warm sun and after all the recent rain. A mid-day lunchtime run around my neighborhood.

March Running Goal: 17 runs, 55 miles

Mar 3 -5.00 miles
Mar 4 -1.51 miles

Current: 2 runs, 6.51 miles

Leigh_b · March 4

@7lenny7 - congratulations on getting into your ultimate goal race!! I run with quite a few people who run crazy ultras - but I have not yet had the courage to take that plunge. Excited to hear about your adventures - I find there are always some great stories on the other side of an ultra

Leigh_b · March 4

Here for my second Monthly challenge of the year.

Goal 85 miles:

3/1 - 2.82 miles
3/2 ‐ 12.01 miles
3/3 - Rest Day
3/4 - 3.02 - Ran 3 miles today. I’ve run the same route the first Monday of each month, Jan, Feb, and now March. I am still so much slower than I used to be, but I am getting progressively “faster” (putting faster in quotes, because I am most definitely NOT fast). I am trying to stay focused on the progress I am making rather than fixating on what I am not doing (which is running a much faster pace that was once easy for me)

___________________
17.85 total miles

67.15 miles to go

quilteryoyo · March 5

@Teresa502 Great news about your dad. I'm glad it went well. Great running on your part.

Sounds like your recovery is coming along well @martaindale !

That sounds like a great plan @7lenny7 . I am an advocate of naps everyday (

), so I'm hope a catnap during a race will do you good. It will be interesting to see how that all works out for you.

Congrats on you HM yesterday @TheMrWobbly !

@Leigh_b You are doing great. Getting faster every month is a great accomplishment. Remember, as Teddy Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." (Easier said than done, I know.)

quilteryoyo · March 5

1 Mar - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 0.00 mile - treadmill
2 Mar - Walked 1.00 miles - Ran 2.00 miles - driveway laps
3 Mar - Walked 1.25 miles - Ran 0.00 miles - treadmill
4 Mar - Walked 1.50 miles - Ran 1.50 miles - driveway laps - wun/intervals

8.25/85.00 goal

Did a driveway session after work. I really wasn't very energetic, but was determined to do a total of 3 miles today to commemorate the fact that my late husband an I got married 30 years ago today....so long ago.

I did a warm up walk of 0.35 miles, then 3 x run/walk of 0.3/0.15 miles, ran 0.3, walked 0.25, ran 03, walked 0.45 miles. The running segments were at an avg pace of 12:12 min/mile. Avg HR was 145 with a max of 166 bpm. As you can tell from the HR, it was harder than it should have been. It was 75F (23.9C) and sunny. A bit warm for the beginning of March, but not a record.

kgirlhart · March 5

March Goal: 130 Miles

3/1: 3.55 miles
3/3: 10.25 miles
3/4: 3.35 miles

17.15/130 miles completed for March

I usually take Monday as a rest day, but I decided to do my short run today instead of Friday a d I ran 3 miles. There are some possible thunderstorms for Thursday and I figured I would rather run today than take my chances. Of course, now I have probably guaranteed that it won't rain.

Thanks for the advice on the trail race @7lenny7, @contrarymarymary, @laurz9191, @ martaindale, and @eleanorhawkins. I am kind if excited to try something new.

@quilteryoyo I hope that today has been mostly happy memories for you. Hugs.

tarun_yadavA · March 5

Morning all.
Got in 4 (at 09"57 pace). Wasn't feeling it today.

@quilteryoyo aww hugs.
@Teresa502 glad to hear all Ok with your Dad!

Have a nice day everyone!

MARCH 2024 Monthly Running Challenge

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