JANUARY 2025 Monthly Running Challenge

Laurz9191 · January 1

So, I’ve been thinking about @AlphaHowls ’s questions. Here is what I’ve come up with. Overall I think I’m on the right track, so I don’t want to be too hard on myself, but I do think everyone has room for some improvements…

It’s kind of long so I’ll put it in a spoiler

Change:
- actually weight train vs. wanting to weight train and not putting in the work
- lose weight that is keeping me from achieving my running goals. I don’t want to “overdo” it but I think if I cleaned up my diet I could lose 5-10km and improve my times
- drink very little or no alcohol- I would live to see this one through as there are only benefits

Keep
- discipline and motivation which I find are in a more or less healthy balance

Accomplish
- PR in marathon and get one step closer to sub 4:00 with a sub 4:05
- PR in the half marathon with a sub 1:56
- run the year….maybe- I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself and won’t fully commit 💯 to my intent until the fall!

Hope
- to avoid injury and can do exercises like squats again without my knee pain getting worse
- to end the coming year with the same enthusiasm and love for running that I ended 2024!

daria0919 · January 1

What do you hope to change?
• My daily eating habits to a more regular schedule.
• To remember to keep track of my fitness training sessions on Garmin Connect regularly.
• Downsize my wardrobe and my socks, in particular. I keep too much clothing, always believing I’ll need something at some point in the future and feel I’d be disappointed if I got rid of something that I later decided I wanted to wear.

What do you hope to keep?
• I want to keep feeling 20 years younger than than my actual age 😀

What do you hope to accomplish?
• I want to continue trying to improve my fitness and keep building muscle.
• I want to work on taking care of my ankle so that I can get back to doing 5-6 races a year of 5-10K distances.

What do you hope...?
For World Peace (we watched Ms. Congeniality & Ms. Congeniality 2 this past weekend - we like Sandra Bulllock - have probably watched these two movies about 10 times over the years).

TheMrWobbly · January 1

Happy New year everyone. May 2025 go without any niggles!

daria0919 · January 1

TheMrWobbly wrote: »

Happy New year everyone. May 2025 go without any niggles!

Welcome back @TheMrWobbly!

Scott6255 · January 1

Hey @TheMrWobbly 👋 good to see you back!
Just to get something on the books for 2025 I did an easy 3 mi TM run this afternoon.

Glad to see a lot of interest in getting a group together for a race in Texas at the end of the year 😄

WarmJellyfish · January 2

[quote="martaindale;c-48416811"} @WarmJellyfish your definition of fun and mine are different. The thought of crazy laps has me going 😵‍💫[/quote]

I have an assistant runner at home for this. My bunny. Not sure if I'm chasing him or him me..

capewrathultra · January 2

I haven't completed my training schedule for January 2025, yet, but I still snuck-in a walk this afternoon. I hope to have my training schedule completed by tomorrow.

quilteryoyo · January 2

So sorry that you are sick on top of everything else @AlphaHowls . Hugs.

You can do whatever you set your mind to @SummerSkier !

Glad your run went well @yirara ! Slow is the way to go to get back into it injury free - I know you know that already!

@martaindale Great run and I love those shoes. So pretty.

You guys are making it hard to say "no" to TX. I'm going to have to ruminate over that a few days. I could be part of a relay team, if I decide to do that instead of The T-Minus 10 mile race.

Nice to see you back @TheMrWobbly .

@daria0919 I love Ms Congeniality. The second one was okay, but not as good as the first, in my opinion.

I managed to get in a 1.25 mile walk on the treadmill this morning. I had wanted to run 2.5, but since I had to work some yesterday, I had to wrap the family Christmas presents this morning. By the time I got that done, I only had 45 min before I needed to leave for my first get together of the day. So, 1.25 miles it was.

kgirlhart · January 2

January Goal: 125 miles

1/1: 6.25 miles

6.25/125 miles completed for January

I had the day off, so I was thinking I would wait until afternoon to run. It was 32°F when I got up and supposed to be in the 50's later in the day. But I got bored of waiting and it was so pretty out that I went out about 10 am when it had warmed up to about 40°. It was a great run to start the year. I ran 6.25 miles. I was a little speedier that usual. I was chilly starting out. I wore shorts and a t-shirt, but added sleeves and fingerless gloves and that was just right.

I am posting a picture of my hibiscus. It is blooming like crazy since we brought it inside. Plus there is a picture of me celebrating the new year. 🙂

I have been thinking about my goals for this year. I really love your questions @alphahowls. I have been thinking about them a lot.

What do you hope to change?
I hope to change my negative attitude.

What do you hope to keep?
I hope to keep my fitness. I want to continue to run consistently. I would like to repeat my goal of at least 125 miles per month and 4 Half Marathons per year. And I hope to continue maintaining my 80 pound weight loss.

What do you hope to accomplish? I hope to run at least 1750 miles in 2025. I ran 1746 in 2024. And I hope to get at least 2360 miles combining all steps, running and walking. In 2024 I had 2358.

What do you hope...? Mostly, I hope to be happy. I hope that I will work hard to accomplish my goals and not give up, but also realize that sometimes our goals have to change and that is ok. I hope that I can let go of some of the stress that I have been letting drag me down. I hope to be more positive and complain less.

WarmJellyfish · January 2

What do you hope to change?
- That it can be done
- Willpower for a 24 hr event
- Add more strength training

What do you hope to keep?
- The weight loss and A1c down
- Running

What do you hope to accomplish?
- One big big run this year to celebrate the big Six-Oh
- One big fastpack trip to help with the above
- Get and keep the A1c below 5.7

What do you hope...?
- Winning the lottery, then I can buy a treadmill gym, hire a personal trainer and chef

So as part of my added strength training goal, I've starting rucking, again. It's been a while since I could easily hump 60lbs. Going to work my way up to that. Meanwhile 40lbs was scrappy. At least the deer made it fun to watch.

I also have an assistant trainer to help egg me on. Giving me the eye.

Although this is usually how he prefers to give direction. The only thing missing is a sofa and grapes.

tarun_yadavA · January 2

Morning all.
Got in 4.0M at 11"21 pace.
Flying back tonight. Desperately need to get into a routine. I need to diet throughout January. Possibly Dry February and Vegan-rary too. (Not going whole hog like @Laurz9191 and quitting .. but need some time out).
I had those 10 days in America pre-Thanksgiving, which was a blowout. 3weeks in London where it was all Christmas parties and/or staying at my Mother's. And straight into two weeks here - where it's been eating out, drinking, and/or singlehandedly drinking Hilton Honours $50 a day F&B credit where it's included.

So not thinking about any goals other than getting back into Belt buckle #4 and not 'muffin topping' in my favourite black 'going out' Armani shirt.

@chris_in_cal I dunno yet. Love idea.
@daria0919 lol @ world peace. And of course, she's a Miss NJ in that haha.
@TheMrWobbly good to see you back. Happy new year.

tarun_yadavA · January 2

Oh and goal. January. Put me down for 125

AlphaHowls · January 2

1 5.4 miles, Crazy Laps!
2 5.32 miles, Crazy Laps!

Wisdom:
Choosing what to do now
that will make you happy later.

Teresa502 · January 2

It was a bit breezy and 30F for this morning’s 5-mile run. I understand that colder weather is on the way so I should probably be thankful for today’s “warm” run.

Change? Eating crap, especially sweets. I enjoy them too much to completely abandon but they don’t need to be daily indulgences. And I would love to lose 20-30 pounds. I know it would help with my running. In the past, tracking my food even though a PITA has always been a game changer for me so I’m going back to doing that.
Keep? Keep participating in this group. You all aways inspire me to do and to do more!
Accomplish? I have a goal of completing 60 hikes this year. I joined the 52 Hikes a Year challenge but since I’m turning 60 this year, I figured I would challenge myself a little more. I will use the same guidelines as the challenge. The hikes have to be at least one mile long and I will count trail runs. After running 8 miles yesterday and attending a brunch with some running friends, I stopped by a local state park and hiked 2 miles.

Photo from yesterday's brunch. I've ran with most of these people since I began running 12 years ago. We've participate in several Team Ragnar events. Trust me. Spending 36 hours in a van with 6 other people rotating running, you get to be life long friends!

Great to see you back with us @chris_in_cal, @katharmonic and @TheMrWobbly! Welcome @stevenb6462!

Beautiful family photos @ContraryMaryMary!

@Laurz9191 – I went back to the December thread and got caught up on reading and wanted to say congratulations to you on a great race – well done!

Hope you are better soon @AlphaHowls. Good luck with the flossing. I hope it works for you.

Great photo of you and your hibiscus @kgirlhart!

Congratulations to the RTY team dedicated to Shana!

Nice shoes @martaindale!

@daria0919 – I hope that your ankle keeps improving and that the orthotics are game changers.

I love your trainer @WarmJellyfish!

Great running everyone!

yirara · January 2

01.01 1.5km 12min 7:59/km - storm
02.01 2.0km 16min 8:08/km

3.5km

No storm but quite a bit colder. Still need to get used to running again because this was the max I could do, with a HR of 190 at the end 😅 But it's great to go out again and to run.

Laurz9191 · January 2

Hi everyone!

I gor my first January run on the board today. A nice 10.6km out and back on my favourite route. Parts were a bit mud slippery but otherwise just a nice pleasant-ish day to be outside

.

@Teresa502 Thanks for your support! It was a much better race than I anticipated. I think that your hiking goal sounds really cool!

@WarmJellyfish Rucking is something I would love to try- especially with your scenery! There just hasn’t been ANY snow here yet this winter

. I always wondered if carrying a sturdy almost 5 year old on your shoulders who moves back and forth for your “enjoyment” for long lengths of time could be considered “rucking”, because that is the gear I have readily available

.

10.6/280km for January.

WarmJellyfish · January 2

Laurz9191 wrote: »

@WarmJellyfish Rucking is something I would love to try- especially with your scenery! There just hasn’t been ANY snow here yet this winter . I always wondered if carrying a sturdy almost 5 year old on your shoulders who moves back and forth for your “enjoyment” for long lengths of time could be considered “rucking”, because that is the gear I have readily available .

That counts! Basically carrying a weight on your shoulders for exercise for a time and distance. Maybe do crazy laps

ContraryMaryMary · January 2

Just under 8k this morning accompanied by Miss 10 on her scooter. Normally I’d round up to the exact 8k but my lower right calf was starting to complain and I’ve learnt my lesson! Progress.

Off to Fiji tomorrow where it promises to be stinking hot and super humid with thunderstorms most days. I’ll be taking my running gear but will have to get out early and will keep things slow and short.

quilteryoyo · January 3

Nice run and looking good @kgirlhart . Love the Hibiscus.

Great workout @WarmJellyfish . Love your rabbit. It looks a bit spoiled.

Great run today @tarun_yadavA . Love your goals. HAHAHA

@Teresa502 Great running this morning. I am NOT looking forward to the colder weather next week.

You're doing great @yirara . You don't want to do too much too fast.

Nice start of the year @Laurz9191 !

Love that Miss 10 exercised with you today @ContraryMaryMary ! I'm glad you learned your lesson and hope your calf behaves on your next run. Enjoy Fiji!

I was short on time again today, so did another 1.25 mile walk on the treadmill. I'll eventually get in a run and decide on my goals. It's just been a crazy few days.

katharmonic · January 3

Thanks @scott6255, @quilteryoyo, @kgirhart, @martaindale, and @Teresa502! Great to see you all!

I did a search because I remembered Shanaber had been sick when I checked in last year, and I was saddened to see she passed away. She was such a great member of this group, and I will miss her and Hobbes, as I know you all do.

I did another treadmill run through Portugal yesterday, and went to the gym this morning for strength training. It was tough to get up for a 7 am group after being off from work for the last couple of weeks - this was my first early morning back. And to top it off it was snowing pretty hard on the drive in - in the dark, with the headlights reflecting off the snow making it hard to see anything. My attitude was not good at that point, but I got over it. It ended up being sunny by the time I headed to work but we have more snow coming.

Stay warm everyone in the path of the winter storm and arctic outbreak!

chris_in_cal · January 3

katharmonic wrote: »

... I remembered Shanaber had been sick when I checked in last year, and I was saddened to see she passed away. She was such a great member of this group, and I will miss her and Hobbes, as I know you all do.

I have an idea @AlphaHowls, as the Mistress of Monthly thread starting, what if you added a small memorial section in that very long intro you post. I interacted a little bit with Pastor Vincent a long time ago, and more recently with Shanaber. There might be others we've lost that were important on this thread.

kgirlhart · January 3

January Goal: 125 miles

1/1: 6.25 miles
1/2: 6.02 miles

12.27/125 miles completed for January

It was cold this morning, 34°F, feels like 31°. I really didn't want to go outside, but I did want to run. And as usual, getting out the door was the hard part. Once I got out there,it wasn't too bad and I ran 6 miles.

Since I have been active in this thread, we have lost @KeepRunningFatboy , @MobyCarp , @PastorVincent and @shanaber. I miss them all.

steviebee888 · January 3

Happy New Year Team! December was a complete wash. I had an outpatient procedure performed last month and am currently in recovery mode. Yesterday, I ran/walked my traditional 5K. I just love the running community. I was feeling slightly nauseated during my 5K. But, this gentleman pushed me through the finish line.

My goal is to get in 50 miles this month. 47 more to go

Laurz9191 · January 3

Hi everyone!

This morning I ran 10km. It started snowing mid run and then the sun came out. I enjoyed both

!

20.6/280km for January!

AlphaHowls · January 3

@chris_in_cal wrote: »

katharmonic wrote: »

... I remembered Shanaber had been sick when I checked in last year, and I was saddened to see she passed away. She was such a great member of this group, and I will miss her and Hobbes, as I know you all do.

I have an idea @AlphaHowls, as the Mistress of Monthly thread starting, what if you added a small memorial section in that very long intro you post. I interacted a little bit with Pastor Vincent a long time ago, and more recently with Shanaber. There might be others we've lost that were important on this thread.

That would be up to the group, I use that long intro as one from years ago. I did not create it, I just repost it with changes in dates and links. No one seems to ever want to do it, so I just assigned it to myself.

IMO: I would not add a memorial section. We need a forward focus, take what we learned from and share it. If it were up to me, I would cut half of that post and also clean up the strava group. But how I view and do things is not the point of this group. It is a group decision.

I remember @MobyCarp, @shanaber, and @PastorVincent . I did not know @KeepRunningFatboy, he died before I joined, and I have read his story when we actually could have blogs and interact with people.

WarmJellyfish · January 3

Did a fast night 5.8k hike last night. No headlamps. Fun stumbling over unseen mounds. Fresh snow made it a bit less slick but still wore cleats. Some spots felt like Sleepy Hollow. Been mulling on checking out the new Nosferatu movie.
Still brrr at -15c/5F

capewrathultra · January 3

AlphaHowls wrote: »

@chris_in_cal wrote: »

katharmonic wrote: »

... I remembered Shanaber had been sick when I checked in last year, and I was saddened to see she passed away. She was such a great member of this group, and I will miss her and Hobbes, as I know you all do.

I have an idea @AlphaHowls, as the Mistress of Monthly thread starting, what if you added a small memorial section in that very long intro you post. I interacted a little bit with Pastor Vincent a long time ago, and more recently with Shanaber. There might be others we've lost that were important on this thread.

That would be up to the group, I use that long intro as one from years ago. I did not create it, I just repost it with changes in dates and links. No one seems to ever want to do it, so I just assigned it to myself.

IMO: I would not add a memorial section. We need a forward focus, take what we learned from and share it. If it were up to me, I would cut half of that post and also clean up the strava group. But how I view and do things is not the point of this group. It is a group decision.

I remember @MobyCarp, @shanaber, and @PastorVincent . I did not know @KeepRunningFatboy, he died before I joined, and I have read his story when we actually could have blogs and interact with people.

@AlphaHowls How would you "clean up" the Strava group? I know there are multiple accounts for at-least 1 member, but maybe they got locked-out of their old account. I also noticed that at-least 4 of the admins are now deceased.

capewrathultra · January 3

@katharmonic Here is a pic of Shana and Hobbes (circa 2014).

daria0919 · January 3

1/1 1.1 miles
1/3 2.0 miles

3.1/25 intentional miles for January.

10/80 total miles for January.

quilteryoyo · January 4

Your treadmill run sounds fun @katharmonic . Great job getting the gym workout in when you weren't really feeling it.

Nice run in those temps @kgirlhart ! @KeepRunningFatboy was before my time and @MobyCarp passed pretty soon after I started here. I do miss @PastorVincent and @shanaber .

That was a fast "hike" in the dark @WarmJellyfish . Way too cold for me unless I had on about 100 layers.

That's a nice picture of Shana and Hobbes @capewrathultra .

I'm glad you are able to get some miles in @daria0919.

JANUARY 2025 Monthly Running Challenge

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