Outstanding October Running!
 

Hello all!!!

Welcome to the OCTOBER running thread!!

Let's start where last month left off:

Thank you Kona - it was a really great hike! I agree with what you said to deva, the more you do it, the easier & more fun it becomes!

Tabbycat here.

I'm signed up for three 5K fun runs in October. The first one is today and the Texas coast is still hot and steamy (90 degrees and humid). I don't expect to do well in such weather, but I plan to jog the whole way. I'm happy if I finish in the top half of my age group (50-59).

We expect a cool front tonight, so maybe in two weeks when the second fun run takes place, the weather will be more comfortable.

Hey, I thought I'd pop in. I just started running in June after a two year haitus due to knee problems. My knee pain was most likely due to too much running and no cross training. Last January, I began losing the regain and got in shape doing Zumba, Kickboxing, Spin, and strength training. I had no thoughts of running because I thought I wouldn't ever be able to. In June, after having lost most of my regain, I cautiously started walk/running using the C25k program. August 10th, I ran my first 5k! Since then, I've been known to run more than 1 a weekend:) I love it. I almost signed up for a 1/2 marathon but the training interfered with my 5ks so I decided to put that on hold. My running this week:
Oct 1st-Kettlebell class
Oct 2nd-6.3 mile training run
Oct 3rd-5 mile training run
Oct 4th-Strength Training class
Oct 5th-Rest

Today, I'm running a 5k. Hope to get my PR or come close to it!

Good luck today and most importantly, Have Fun!

I had a really great September with my running. I broke past my mental block of doing long runs again - I don't know what my issue was but I could not push myself to go further than 3 miles for the longest time. So I pushed through that and one weekend did a 5 mile run and a 6 mile run. I also did a 7.25 mile run that was great too. It was like once I pushed past 3 miles my body started to feel good again and it felt automatic! I really enjoyed running last month.

In the past anything over 5 miles, I just automatically did a run/walk. I didn't think I could run without walking over 5 miles. But I did it with my 6 mile run and with the 7.25 mile run. It felt great!! I had 44 miles running and 16 miles walking last month.

My goal this month is to get to 50 miles running! I've had a slow start but have 9 miles in so far.

Tabbycat here.

Good news and bad news...

Bad news: my 5K time was 38:15. That's the second slowest I've even been. Coincidentally, my slowest time ever was on this same course last year (this event is not chipped or certified). I even had to walk a bit in the final half mile. It was right beside the lake and sunny and steamy without a breath of a breeze. My car thermometer said it was 90 degrees on the way home.

Good news: I was second in my age group (55-59). The lady who beat me was a marathon runner. Even her time was 36 something.

I'm looking forward to the 5K in two weeks. Surely it will be cooler. :)

Way to go Tabbycat!

I ran my 5k in 28 min 40 seconds. Not my fastest but within a minute of my fastest. It was humid and a flat boring out and back course:) It was for a great cause though! They raised over 10,000 for St Jude Children's Hospital.

Now for the funny story. They posted the results before the award ceremony. According to those, I placed 4th in my age group having been passed in the last 50 ft by another woman in my age group. I was hoping she was younger than me. Anyways, my husband didn't want to stick around as he knew I was dissapointed being so close to getting an award. I stayed as at one 5k I did, they gave out a top 3 overall for male and female which actually allowed me to place. Well, That didn't happen here... What happened is the woman listed as first in my age group was actually in her 20's and they corrected that before they announced the awards. So, I got 3rd:)

Wow, monmis! I am so impressed! I dream of one day maybe finishing in 35 minutes, and you are well under 30 minutes! That's great!

Your story reminded me of a moment during the last mile. I was trotting next to another woman who looked like she might be in my age group. I panted, "Please tell me you're in your forties." (I thought the age groups were 10 year increments.) She said, "No, I'm in my sixties." I guess I made her feel good! :)

TabbyCat,
Your doing great! I bet you made that 60 year old's day!

Yes, its funny. I wonder what age group the women are who are running before or after me. The one who passed me right as I was nearing the finish line was in a full out sprint! I definitely didn't have a sprint in me. When my husband comes, he counts the women who come in before me and tries to guess their age. A week ago, I did a super small 5k and got my PR. However, I didn't medal! I came in 4th. Those in the age group before and after me, medaled with times 4 minutes slower than me. You just never know, do you?

[]9op0-

Where is everyone?
I ran another 5k yesterday. It raised money for a children's grief camp and we ran in a cemetery. It was a race in "remembrance of someone" so it was extra special especially since my mother in law is buried there. They had a ceremony beforehand where they released white doves. I ran it in 28 min and 30 seconds which was 10 seconds faster than the one I ran the day before. It was a pretty big 5k so I was proud of finishing 5th in my age group. The 4th place woman missed a medal by 8 seconds but I was a minute slower than her so not that close. I actually left right after the race as you could print out your results and not wait around for the award ceremony. Being a Sunday afternoon race, I was ready to get home(it was about 45 minute drive from where I live). Just like last weekend when I ran two 5ks, I felt like I had been run over by a truck around 5pm.

Today=No running! I do a kettleworks class.

I'd like to join here -- I never get tired of talking about how awesome running is (though people in my family certainly get tired of hearing me talking about it, lol.)

September was great for me, I expect October to be fantastic as well. I currently run mostly on a treadmill, but I'll be in Maine for a week of vacation later this week and I'm looking forward to cool, outdoor weather running!

:)

I have run Wed Fri and today between 3.2 and 4 miles running with pup so tiny bit slower than normal to do corrections ect...it is different running with a leash in your hand and being extra careful. I have been doing my up hill routes to make it a little tougher.
For any of you that know I have been having foot issues...they are talking back surgry

Mrs. Snark,
I'm with you. I never tire of talking about running but my family have had about enough:)

This morning I did a very early 5 miles. I plan on trying a new interval frenzy class at my gym tonight. Hope I have enough energy for it:) I also want to add a day of tempo/interval running this week. I'm trying to improve my 5k speed. I went from 32:08 to 28:30 in about two months. Hopefully I can do better. My PR is 27:30 but right now I'm consistently running 28:30.

I've been doing all my running on a treadmill (health and heat issue) but I leave for Maine this week and am looking forward to some truly spectacular cool-weather outdoor runs (watch out moosies here I come!).

Monmis -- so speedy! I'm sure you will get back to your previous PR in no time!

Way to go ladies!!!! Glad everyone is enjoying their Fall runs...I've been a little crazy traveling almost every weekend...I do have a GRIPE though to share about my race last Saturday...

There was a 4+ mile obstacle race scheduled last Sat in my town - it said 4+ miles, 15+ obstacles including hills [around the college here]. They even sent out the course map. Hubby & I had to catch a flight so we were in the 1st group to go - ok, first off it started 20 min late - ANNOYING but whatever...

Here's the ridiculous part. They cut out HALF the course!! Apparently the story is that the college backed out at the last minute or something so instead of that, we got like 2 miles, no hills and half the obstacles...ok now things happen, I understand BTU they didn't tell us!! So here I am running a pace for a 4-5 mile hilly course wondering when we're about to turn toward the school and they point us to the finish line instead! If I had known it was a quick sprint race, I WOULD HAVE SPRINTED!! I can't believe they didn't bother to mention the whole race was changed. Just bummed about it - PLUS it was EXPENSIVE - all that for 2 lousy miles :(

Anyway, sorry for complaining, I just had to get that out! I found out about a running group in my town & I'm going to join them tonight so I'm excited about that!

Tabbycat here.

I did 3.1 miles this evening without stopping, just to see if I could. (I had to walk a bit in last Saturday's 5K when the steamy temperature was over 90 without a hint of breeze). I guess I'm just not a good morning runner, because it was easy tonight. (Of course, we had a cool front on Sunday and the temperature was a pleasant 70-something without the humidity of Saturday, so that could have been part of it.)

Two more 5K's this month... :)

Just some new news on running. My husband who is an ultra marathoner--was told by his doctor to stop running longer distances. His doctor found a left branch block in his heart--(not serious for him anyway)--which is exercise induced. He noticed his heart skipping a beat here and there after a half marathon and decided he had better check it out. He went through all kinds of tests, etc.

Anyway the doctor--(who is a runner himself) told him to keep running to stay in shape but no more distances over 5 miles. Apparently they're starting to find out--that the benefit of running longer distances hits a plateau eventually, and those that are running shorter distances actually catch up to the longer distance runners--at the fitness and health ratio. IOW--for the longer distance runner--it becomes no longer beneficial for them to keep running long distances.

Now he's in his 60's so I don't want younger people to get intimidated by running longer distances.

Here is an article regarding the endurance athlete's heart--that they've been studying for decades.

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/123/23/2723.full

Kscott - glad your husband had everything checked out. How scary! I've read here and there on this topic recently. Thanks for posting the link to the study!

I woke up yesterday morning at 4:50 am and went for a slow 3 mile run. I hate getting up early but it's always nice once I get going. I always see the same people at the park at that time :)

14 miles in so far this month and I'm about to leave for a 5 mile run. It's so warm and sunny and I have the day off. I HAVE to run! :)

Great run, Tabbycat! I seem to be slower in the AM too. I like on my days off that I can go mid afternoon as that seems to be my best time to go. I am usually tired after work but mornings are the worst!

Thanks Lizzi--I found the issue and article to be real interesting too.

Got 4 miles in with puppy on Wed. {good thing it was early it PORED RAIn all the rest of the day} We sure need it got 1 hr of weights,today is a work day and usually have my pain issues after a work day...MAYBE not today ;)

Joined a local running club - all girls which I really enjoyed!

3.2 miles on Tuesday night.

Lucky! I wish I could join one. They are all about 30-45 minutes in traffic from where I live and after work I just can't make myself drive out there. Thursday and Friday's are my rest days from running but I did do a strength training class on Thursday night. Today, I run a 5k. It has a late(r) start for a Saturday am run. It starts at 10 am. At least the weather is great and I don't have to worry about heat.

Tabbycat here.
Another sultry day on the Texas coast. I started a run about noon and the heat and humidity were so wicked I started to feel bad. (I'm not 55 any more!) The sun was blazing too. So I only went about a mile and a half, then cooled off in the swimming pool.
I'll try again on Monday evening... tomorrow is a full day with orchestra. Or maybe I can try tomorrow in the early morning. The next 5K is a week from today, and if the weather report is correct we should have a cool front by then.

Tabbycat,
That heat sounds brutal. I hope it cools off by your 5k.

I ran my 5k this morning. I was so nervous I didn't even post about this: I stepped off the pavement while running on Tuesday and thought I didn't injure myself and couldn't believe it as I could have broke my ankle. What I did was stretch the tendon in the bottom of my foot(plantar fasciitis). I didn't really realize it/admit it till Wednesday after I ran. It did bother me pretty bad then and I started icing it, wearing sneakers all day, and taking Aleve. By Friday, it was 90% better. This morning it felt good enough to run on and I experienced no pain! And now I feel it just enough to know its there but not bad at all. I ended up getting 2nd in my age group even though I was a minute slower than last week and I walked SEVERAL times. I think I paced myself too fast to be able to walk so much and finish only a minute later. I am feeling a little burnt out. Two 5ks a weekend has become too much and have left me feeling run down. I know I could run that distance as a training run but as a second race, its too much... Lesson learned. Thankfully I only signed up for today's this weekend.

Did 10.06 today! :carrot: And it totally sucked! :) It was so warm - about 75 and the sun was out. It was nice but I should have started much earlier. I ran the first 7.5 miles but had to run/walk the rest home. My stomach was sooo unhappy. And I ran out of water/gatorade. I was so thankful for the police officer who was patroling the path - he gave me a bottle of water :)

But its been too long since I've had a double digit run - way back in April and that was a race!

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be doing a marathon next year - so I need to build my miles back up. But I was so not ready for 10 today!

Ran a nice, easy 3.5 miles on Saturday - beautiful weather.

Monmis - I am lucky! I only wish I had taken advantage sooner! While I do enjoy solo running, it's nice to have the option to join a group sometimes. I'm going to try to do it every Tues.

Lizzy - that's such a nice police officer!

Nice work everyone!

lm389: Glad you had a good run Saturday. The weather for my 5k Saturday was great and the skies opened up and it started storming as soon as they gave out the medals. In fact, I barely made it to the car before it started and I'm guessing the sound system was taken down and put away in a hurry.

I ran a little under 5 miles this am. Then, since I'm off work this week, I went to one of my favorite morning classes at my gym. Its called KettleFusion and is a combo of kettlebells and cardio. I did a fast mile on the treadmill a little faster than my race pace. From what I read, increasing mileage will help me decrease my 5k time and some speed work as well. I am adding an additional day of running to my schedule and am going to do some speedwork.

Did first day of my week 5 of a C25K program. I am using ease into 5K.

Well the neat thing was up till now I could feel my lungs and circulation getting better but my legs it was still hard to the running. My legs felt noticably stronger though running yesterday.

Perhaps my legs are catching up now. That would be nice.

Tabbycat here.
I did a 3 mile run this evening. It's still warm and muggy but not as bad as Saturday was. I sure am ready for cooler weather! :)

diamondgeog-Glad to hear C25k is going well for you. I loosely followed it in July when I started running.

Tabbycat-Sounds like a good run!

Its nice and cool here lately. I love Fall! Today, since I'm off, I'm doing my training run on a relatively new bypass built in town. It is 2.75 miles(5.5 miles out n back) and has a wide sidewalk with very few intersecting roads. I have seen a lot of people run on it at any given time of the day. It will be a nice change from running 1 mile laps in the dark at home. Afterwards, I'm headed to the gym for a strength training class.

Ran the bypass yesterday and did 5.5 easy miles. I really enjoyed the change of scenery and the overpass did add some elevation. My plan was to do this again this morning and extend it but it is raining. Now, I do run in the rain, snow, and sleet when I run before work. However, since I don't have work, my plan is to get some house hold chores out of the way and run mid afternoon when the front should be out of my area.

I saw a new bird on my run yesterday. Unfortunately, it was dead:( I mentioned it to my husband and he said it was a Meadowlark. I googled it and confirmed that.

I'll update after my run!

I did 3 this morning. I so hate getting up early but I did it and had a decent run. Typically my early morning runs are really slow but I pushed myself and each mile was faster than the previous. And my final mile was a minute and half faster than my first! It was nice.

I might convince myself to go tomorrow morning too. I'm super tired so I should sleep well which will help me get up early.

I hope that you were able to get your run in this afternoon, monmis.

Great run lizzyg.

I did run 5.5 miles yesterday. I did housework literally all day, took a short power nap, and then went for my run. Really love the route. I'm thinking of running it after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. After my run, I went to a kettleworks class. No run today as I have my 5k race tomorrow night. I will do a muscleworks class today though.

Ran 4 miles with puppy,went to 1st accupunture apt for my feet {ie my back] trying some alternatives REALLY do not want the surgrey!!!! Still trying to get an apt with top neuosurgen in Vegas.{hes been out of the office}

Everyone is doing so well with runs!!! Hoping to get a quick 3 miles in tonight & I have a 5k trail run Sunday I'm looking forward to. Enjoy the Fall weather everyone!

Well, today is race day. I have a 5k tonight. At last Saturday's 5k, I was really psyched out with my foot as to whether I could run on it or should run on it. Turns out, my foot was fine but I mentally, I wasn't really "in the zone" and got one of my slower times and walked some. I still got a 2nd place medal so maybe it was meant to be(my walking I mean). I truly believe I walked because I let myself walk:)

Tonight, my goal is to hopefully get close to my PR and not walk of course. I'll post tonight or tomorrow about the results.

I'm thinking of going to my gym today for a aerobic/kettlebell class. If I go, I will be doing the low impact version... Of course, the only reason I would go is because this is my last day of vacation and I'm bored:) I've had the week off and the house is clean and I've watched one too many episodes of Law and Order:)

lm3898, I envy you on the trail run. I'm hesitant to do one as I'm worried about stepping wrong and twisting my ankle or tripping. I know I would obviously be running slower, but still! Have you done a lot of trail running?

Awesome, a running thread! :D

Hi everyone :)

I overcame a distance barrier of mine today. I usually can't seem to get passed 6kms and the non-stop wind NZ has been experiencing the past week or two hasn't been helping. However, after seeking advice from a friend who suggested I slow down and taking my own advice to push past my mental barriers, I finally did more than 6kms (3.72 miles). In fact, I did 10 (6.2 miles)! :fr: :running: My feet were nearly dragging by the time I finished, but I'm so glad I finally achieved my 8km (4.97 miles) goal.

Now to do it again! Hah!

P.S. Is anyone using Runkeeper?

Hey all! Glad to find this thread and am hoping some of you more experienced runners will have some advice for me...

I'm bumping up against a mental barrier around distance as I'm preparing for my first 10K race in a few weeks. I've been running for about a 6 months, and worked my way up to about 4 3m runs per week. That distance is super comfortable for me, and I've inched up to 4m runs pretty comfortably.

But I'm facing my first 5m "long run" this weekend, and I'm pretty nervous. My lungs/legs are fine at 4m, but I seem to get discouraged (even bored?) about 2/3 of the way through my runs even if I finish fine. So the added distance is intimidating!

How do you guys prepare mentally to increase your distance?

Reading about all of your runs is totally inspiring! I just finished week 2 of Couch to 5k and am nowhere near your 3/5/10 mile accomplishments. I did 2.27 miles yesterday in 30 minutes and I was thrilled. Makes me sound silly compared to all of you! Hoping to get better/stronger/faster in the weeks to come on the program.