ROTD Run Of The Day : post yours

[MrSpeedy]

I used to run quite a bit. And I was relatively fast for a guy who picked it up in middle age. Then I had some health problems and pretty much stopped running (even though I could have restarted). My wife continued to run the entire time. She signed up for the Richmond marathon in November, and I decided to recommit to running and signed up for the half-marathon.

Been back running for about 1.5 weeks so far, and it's been tough (starting out during the summer in Florida doesn't help). I'm not nearly as fast as I used to be - and probably never will be - but it feels great to be getting back out there. This morning's run was 4 miles.

 

[FL shaver]

Got one in while on vacation in NC last week. Just a slow 5K, but it felt good to get into the running shoes again.

 

[MrSpeedy]

Went out too late and started out too fast. Had to run-walk the last mile. Anyways, got it done - 3.5 miles.

 

[Dnallehekaj]

Yesterday was a little over 7 miles. I'm trying to get 15 miles a week, but then I'll get busy or not make time and get stuck cramming it into an 8 mile and a 7 mile run.

I'd prefer to do a 7 and a couple of 4's or 5's, but it's cool to still hit that goal if I can only make it iut for two runs.

 

[MrSpeedy]

Going to try and be more diligent about posting here, especially as my half-marathon training just officially kicked off. Form this past week:

Wednesday: 3 miles
Thursday: 3.6 miles
Saturday: 4 miles
Sunday (today): 5 miles

 

[RRGGMM]

Today was six miles as I taper towards a 10-mile trail race Sunday—another 10-mile trail race in April, then two trail half marathons this summer. I'm still balancing running with cross-country skate skiing a couple of days a week, but once ski season ends in May here in Oregon, I should be averaging ~30+ miles/week.

 

[RRGGMM]

Half-mile walk, four-mile run, and finished with a half-mile walk. I start and finish every run with a half-mile walk for my warm up and cool down which has worked really well for me. Twenty-eight degrees and three inches of fresh snow. I took it slow because of the slippery footing, and I am in my taper for Sunday.

 

[RRGGMM]

Repeat: Half-mile walk, four-mile run, and finished with a half-mile walk. Easy run tonight, and I felt slow, but my Garmin told me I ran my fastest 5k at 29:11. I'll take that since I had plenty more in the tank! Tomorrow is a three-mile run, Friday off, then two miles easy Saturday before the ten-mile race Sunday!

 

[RRGGMM]

28 degrees, snowing, 2" of new. Half-mile walk, three-mile easy run, half-mile walk. Rest tomorrow. It looks like conditions will be cold and either snowy or sloppy for my race on Sunday.

 

[RRGGMM]

Where are all the runners?! Today was a short 2-mile slow run with a half-mile walk to start and finish—26 degrees with three inches of new snow. My 10-mile race tomorrow is in a warmer part of the region that looks snow-free and should be close to 40 degrees at the 9 am start time. In the last few weeks, even my easy runs have been averaging ~9:45/mile, and I hope to be closer to 9/mile for the race. A lot of that will depend on the conditions and how I am feeling. Running is relatively new for me, and I've never run a race before, so who knows what will happen. If I get in a long Conga line of runners it might be difficult to pass on singletrack and then I'll just have to develop a strategy on the fly. SHould be interesting!

 

[catfish1969]

Where are all the runners?! Today was a short 2-mile slow run with a half-mile walk to start and finish—26 degrees with three inches of new snow. My 10-mile race tomorrow is in a warmer part of the region that looks snow-free and should be close to 40 degrees at the 9 am start time. In the last few weeks, even my easy runs have been averaging ~9:45/mile, and I hope to be closer to 9/mile for the race. A lot of that will depend on the conditions and how I am feeling. Running is relatively new for me, and I've never run a race before, so who knows what will happen. If I get in a long Conga line of runners it might be difficult to pass on singletrack and then I'll just have to develop a strategy on the fly. SHould be interesti

Where are all the runners?! Today was a short 2-mile slow run with a half-mile walk to start and finish—26 degrees with three inches of new snow. My 10-mile race tomorrow is in a warmer part of the region that looks snow-free and should be close to 40 degrees at the 9 am start time. In the last few weeks, even my easy runs have been averaging ~9:45/mile, and I hope to be closer to 9/mile for the race. A lot of that will depend on the conditions and how I am feeling. Running is relatively new for me, and I've never run a race before, so who knows what will happen. If I get in a long Conga line of runners it might be difficult to pass on singletrack and then I'll just have to develop a strategy on the fly. SHould be interesting!

Keep posting even if nobody else does. My experience is that it will encourage someone else...

 

[catfish1969]

I was just getting to the point of being able to get 2 miles in on a treadmill at about 4.8 mph last Christmas when I got Covid for the first time. Covid hit me pretty hard and today was my first day back on a treadmill-some 9 weeks later. 0.5 mile warm up walk, stretch, 2 miles alternating a 3.0 mph walk and 4.5 mph jog every 1/4 mile, 0.5 mile warm down walk, and stretch. Not bad for this 54 yo origami after a 9 week layoff...

 

[RRGGMM]

I was just getting to the point of being able to get 2 miles in on a treadmill at about 4.8 mph last Christmas when I got Covid for the first time. Covid hit me pretty hard and today was my first day back on a treadmill-some 9 weeks later. 0.5 mile warm up walk, stretch, 2 miles alternating a 3.0 mph walk and 4.5 mph jog every 1/4 mile, 0.5 mile warm down walk, and stretch. Not bad for this 54 yo origami after a 9 week layoff...

I'm closing in on 56, so I get how challenging running can be after a break. Good job getting back on the treadmill!

Almost one year ago I went from ~3 mile walks, to run walk intervals. At first, it was 1 minute running, 3 minutes walking x10, then I worked up to 3 minutes running with 1 minute walking x16. My goal was to run in a local trail race series. But I couldn't get up to running for more than a few minutes at a time, and then my knees started hurting. It was more than knee pain. It felt like the entire joint was coming apart. In retrospect, I think I let myself go to long sitting at my desk working, and the muscle imbalance and weakness was a real issue. It got bad enough that I stopped running in late May and spent the summer doing lunges and riding my mountain bike and road bike.

In the fall I was bored with the trails I was riding and started doing long walks again up to ~6 miles. One day, near the end of a walk, my hips were sore from the repetition, and I jogged for a few minutes and felt surprisingly good. Before long I was doing run/walk intervals again, and felt so good I bridged up to a continuous 1 mile run, then 3, then 4. By late December, I had run my longest run at 10 miles and survived. My knees are sore daily from typical arthritis, but otherwise they feel strong and I am averaging ~25 miles a week, unless I substitute XC Skate skiing for some running workouts. I've done between 6-10 mile runs on Sundays for a while, and feel better later into the run which has been fun. My knees are improving as I ramp up, which has been a huge relief.

From my experience I'd say taking it easy, and giving yourself time to adapt is the key. I am a knucklehead and tried pushing too much, too soon. Fortunately it didn't cause any long term problems. After this race, when I start my long Sunday runs again, I will bridge up to 11, 12, and hopefully, 15 miles as I prepare for the two half marathons I'm doing this summer. As much as I enjoy this, I think that will be the upper limit for length. Nothing about a full marathon appeals to me, and running for four and a half hours seems like a miserable way to spend my time. It also introduces a hydration and eating protocol I don't want to take on while running. I used to race ultra-endurance mountain bike events and know all to well about fueling past four hours and don't want to go through that again.

When I picked up my race packet tonight the promoter told me the course is snow free, so that will be a real treat from the slippery snowy conditions I've been running in for the last week.

 

[catfish1969]

I'm closing in on 56, so I get how challenging running can be after a break. Good job getting back on the treadmill!

Almost one year ago I went from ~3 mile walks, to run walk intervals. At first, it was 1 minute running, 3 minutes walking x10, then I worked up to 3 minutes running with 1 minute walking x16. My goal was to run in a local trail race series. But I couldn't get up to running for more than a few minutes at a time, and then my knees started hurting. It was more than knee pain. It felt like the entire joint was coming apart. In retrospect, I think I let myself go to long sitting at my desk working, and the muscle imbalance and weakness was a real issue. It got bad enough that I stopped running in late May and spent the summer doing lunges and riding my mountain bike and road bike.

In the fall I was bored with the trails I was riding and started doing long walks again up to ~6 miles. One day, near the end of a walk, my hips were sore from the repetition, and I jogged for a few minutes and felt surprisingly good. Before long I was doing run/walk intervals again, and felt so good I bridged up to a continuous 1 mile run, then 3, then 4. By late December, I had run my longest run at 10 miles and survived. My knees are sore daily from typical arthritis, but otherwise they feel strong and I am averaging ~25 miles a week, unless I substitute XC Skate skiing for some running workouts. I've done between 6-10 mile runs on Sundays for a while, and feel better later into the run which has been fun. My knees are improving as I ramp up, which has been a huge relief.

From my experience I'd say taking it easy, and giving yourself time to adapt is the key. I am a knucklehead and tried pushing too much, too soon. Fortunately it didn't cause any long term problems. After this race, when I start my long Sunday runs again, I will bridge up to 11, 12, and hopefully, 15 miles as I prepare for the two half marathons I'm doing this summer. As much as I enjoy this, I think that will be the upper limit for length. Nothing about a full marathon appeals to me, and running for four and a half hours seems like a miserable way to spend my time. It also introduces a hydration and eating protocol I don't want to take on while running. I used to race ultra-endurance mountain bike events and know all to well about fueling past four hours and don't want to go through that again.

When I picked up my race packet tonight the promoter told me the course is snow free, so that will be a real treat from the slippery snowy conditions I've been running in for the last week.

We have a similar history, only yours a little more intense. 8 years ago I could run 5K 3 times a week and mountain bike 12-15 miles the rest of the days. My current goal is heart health-20 to 25 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 or 4 times a week. A treadmill and stationary bike will be my go to equipment.

 

[RRGGMM]

All in all, my race went well, and I was solid mid-pack. 1:38:39 for 10 miles, a pace of 10:08. My last 10 mile training run I ran a 10:44 pace, so this was definitely faster, and I never felt comfortable. I mistook that for running slow, even though my Garmin showed good splits. I guess it hurts to run faster! 78 of 127 racers, 6 of 12 in the 50-59 category, 21 of 38 in the masters category, and 48 of 81 for all men. If I were cycling, I'd be disappointed with those numbers, but considering this was my first running race, I'll take it. There were some incredibly fast men and women out there that I could never touch if all I did for the rest of my life were train, so focusing on my own improvement is all that matters. My first mile was right on the pace, and in mile two and three I was a little fast, but that was due to positioning and trying to get into the right gap in the field. After that, I ran alone most of the race, got passed by a couple of faster guys around the halfway point, and reeled in a couple of chicks that were bonking near the end. Five weeks until the next 10-miler on a course I've trained on. Racing hurts!

 

[RRGGMM]

Five-mile run with a half-mile walk to start and finish. I primarily run based on perceived effort, and tonight, I went very easy, but my pace was relatively quick. My recovery last week with two good days of XC Skate skiing days was good. I'll probably take tomorrow off, either ski or run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, take Friday off, and run Saturday and Sunday. Sunday will be a long run, and if the week goes well, I'm hoping to hit 11-12 miles, but at least 10 miles.

 

[RRGGMM]

I ran a 10k (6.2 miles) tonight. It was a tempo or speed work run, and my Garmin told me I broke three personal records: fastest mile (8:16), fastest 5k (28:39), and fastest 10k (1:00:05). Over the next couple of days, I'll either do a shorter, easier run or XC ski and plan to run 12 miles Sunday.

 

[RRGGMM]

Half-mile walk, three-mile easy run, half-mile walk.

 

[RRGGMM]

I guess this has become my personal running log. I am taking tomorrow off; I plan to run 4-5 miles on Saturday, then a 12-mile easy run on Sunday. Today was a half-mile walk, a four-mile easy run, and a half-mile walk to cool down. You can see my routine by this point, so I'll probably quit posting unless I do something share-worthy. April 7th I run another ten-mile trail race, June 1st a half-marathon trail race, and August 10th another half-marathon trail race. At this time of year, my cross-training is hard effort XC Skate Skiing days of about 15 miles and 1:45 minutes. Our Nordic Center is open until the end of May, so I will lean on that. But, before long, I will mountain bike to cross-train. I might sign up for another half marathon in September, but I am kind of on the fence as I already have a pretty full schedule. By August, my long runs should be ~15 miles. So far, I have been convinced I don't want to run a marathon, but the thought keeps creeping into my head as I progress. If I decide on a marathon, it most likely would not be until the summer of 2025.

 

[RRGGMM]

12-mile run, my longest yet. The temperature was in the mid to upper 60s, at least 15 degrees warmer than anything I had felt since last September. Yesterday, I went easy on a 5-mile run and felt great, but every mile felt hard today. By mile eight, I was suffering but maintained my pace, more or less—thirty miles for the week, which was also my biggest week to date. Judging by how I feel after this run, I might need to take Tuesday off and Monday. There is no question I am not acclimated to the heat, and my route today was in full sun the entire time. The good news is I completed my goal, and I know I will be able to finish my half-marathon in June. The bad news is this was probably more of a beatdown than I needed. Hopefully, it will make the ten-mile race on the trails I ran today feel easier in three weeks!