January 2012 Running - Snow, stay away!

[Selkie]

Great job, Oak. Actually, I've been meaning to thank you for your posts on trigger points and Chi running. Since I've been spending time every day tending to the TPs in my calves, I've been running pain free. Incorporating Chi running techniques is helping as well.

This morning, DH and I went for our usual early morning Sunday long run. Gorgeous sunrise, cold (30 degrees), but not windy. I felt strong, went my planned five miles and felt like I could have gone at least another mile. Unfortunately, my DH has a hamstring strain and so he ended up walking most of the time. I didn't want him to have to wait on me, so I figured it was a sign to end it at five.

[7rider]

Wow. A 23 5K. Awesome, Oak. My goal is to come in under 30. At the rate I'm improving, I should do that in, oh, another 2 years or so.

Goal was 6 today, but the route I did ended up coming in as 5.75. That was fine - I haven't been running much more than 2-3 miles lately, so if I came in short, I wasn't going to sweat it. I was just happy to get in over 5.

[katluvr]

So I did a 5K off road race today. It was AWESOME! Very technical course for me (ups an downs, was a single track bike course). Overall I did well. So after all the technical single track I come out and see the finish. According to my Gramin we are only at 2.8 miles, so it can't be the finish. So I hit hard trail, like limestone and all of the sudden I trip and find myself falling full & hard face down...knees, palms, chin hit the ground...all a few yards from the finish! I'm ok, a bit skinned an bruised, but wow...really after almost a 5k I then bust it!!

So my best 5 k on the road is barely under 30 minutes. I did this 5k in 33:44. Now my Garmin said 2.85 miles but it was supposed to be a 3.1 mile course. So if it was really 3.1 miles I think I did really good. Could it be my Garmin was not accurate due to all the switch backs?? Anyways I had a blast. I should do more trail runs!!!

K

[skhill]

Kat, what a way to finish with a flourish! And the course may well be short-- my 5k pr was on a course that's more like 3.02 miles, but I'm still claiming it as a full 5k since it was so fast!

Finally back outside this morning! It was a beautiful if chilly dawn. 6 miles, and I was trying to keep it slow but kept speeding up. I was suprised to see so many treadmills occupied when I went past the downtown Y and glanced through the windows...

[Veronica]

Intervals this morning with Thom and I finished up my monthly mileage goal today - 16th month in a row!

Veronica

[SadieKate]

So my best 5 k on the road is barely under 30 minutes. I did this 5k in 33:44. Now my Garmin said 2.85 miles but it was supposed to be a 3.1 mile course. So if it was really 3.1 miles I think I did really good. Could it be my Garmin was not accurate due to all the switch backs?? Anyways I had a blast. I should do more trail runs!!!

K

Congratulations! Trail runs are going to be somewhat to way more slower than a road race.

If your Garmin is set to smart recording (some have this option), a singletrack course could easily measure short. It's easiy for the recording point of your GPS to not record every single link twist and turn of a singletrack anyway, but smart recording makes it worse.

[limewave]

9 miles for me on Sunday afternoon. Not so bad! Slipped on the ice only once. My hips were sore the rest of the afternoon. It was a strangely comforting feeling. They always get a bit weary when I start increasing my mileage again.

[indysteel]

Great job, LW!

I am tentatively excited. I ran Saturday and today. Three miles each at a 6 mph pace. I haven't gotten my roller or massage ball yet, but for the past few days I've been using a tennis ball to roll out the worst of the areas of my hamstring.

Wow! What a difference. The pain is substantially less so long as I do it several times a day. I imagine the roller is really going to help. I'm really excited!

[Selkie]

Going through a frustrating time at work, so it was easy for me to run longer Monday morning. It was a nice 4.7 miles on the trail at work. Cold (35 degrees) and sunny with a brisk wind--I am going to miss cold weather running when spring arrives. Felt good and reluctantly dragged myself back inside.

[7rider]

I haven't gotten my roller or massage ball yet, but for the past few days I've been using a tennis ball to roll out the worst of the areas of my hamstring.

If you have a rolling pin, try that until the roller arrives.
DivingBiker clued me in to that one. We wrapped it with an old towel and secured it with rubber bands...makes it more uneven and gives a deeper massage on the cheap.

Glad it's all working for you.

I just agreed to buy a slot to transfer into the D.C.'s Cherry Blossom 10-miler on April 1st. My first ever 10 mile race, I'll use it as training for my ultimate goal of hitting 13 before my June Duathlon. Early start....alone (no peeps that I'll know by my side) in a field of 20,000 complete strangers, loooong porta-potty lines. Everything to get my anxiety level ramped up to stratospheric levels. And I'll do this for fun! Yee-HA!