How many miles did you run today?

[Piobaire]

I've been meaning to ask if miles on the elliptical count or a brisk walk? A combo of plantar fasciitis and a bad knee ended my running days some time ago. Good news is the fasciitis is 98% under control.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Well that was the toughest, most painful race I've done for quite a while.

Skovløberen turns out to be a proper off-road forest race, with constant up-and-down and a mixture of gravel routes and single-track trails. And it may be that the high point (indeed the highest point in all Zealand) is just 126 metres (413 feet), but the overall total ascent must have been something much larger. I hadn't really appreciated this quite enough before, or I wouldn't have set my target at 1:45:18 (or 5:00 min/km pace). It's difficult to estimate the time difference between a road and an off-road race because of all the individual variables, but I've been reading that you should add at least 10 seconds per km (or 16 seconds per mile) to your pace estimate for a standard road race. I didn't.

Anyway, it started well enough. The weather was my favourite kind of running weather: cool, cloudy and with a hint of rain in the air. I did everything right in preparation until just before the race, when I decided to run in my compression socks rather than normal ones. I didn't think much of this at the time but it would prove to be my worst decision of the day. Starting off, I kept a steady pace of just under 5:00, along with several others who seemed to have the same aim in mind. After about 7km, I had bit of a dip but soon got up to speed again with a lot of single-track which is always my favourite, however things really fell apart 13km with the very steep ascent to the high point of the race, after which I could never seem to get it together again, despite having had my gels etc., and I just slowed down and down. The worst thing was that my feet became very painful around the instep, which I think had something to do with the interaction of the compression socks (these ones not only compress the feet as well as the calves but also have these thicker dots of fabric all over), and my shoes. The last couple of km were awful.

Result: 1:49:17, 5:10 pace, 45th overall (out of 181 who finished - and quite a few didn't). Not bad considering, but it could have been much better. I'm definitely not wearing those socks in a race again, and I don't think I'll have cause to wear the shoes in a race either for quite a while.

 

[Fueco]

4.5 with the dogs. It’s supposed to get to 97 today, so I ran early when temps were only into the upper 70s...

 

[jbarwick]

Let's see:
11.4 miles Saturday while in Memphis, 7.1 miles Sunday back home, 7.1 miles last night, and will likely keep the 7.1 mile trend alive this week before the weekend of some trail miles.

My body is holding up well to the training. Previous trail race training started pretty early but with kids, it has switched to midday which allows for more sleep.

 

[Dusty Heaters]

Pretty disappointing speed check today, but good learning. Haven’t done any speed work in the past 3 weeks and it looks like that’s not the best practice for me. Had to work too hard for that 7:08.

 

[imatlas]

3.5 miles on Thursday and 6.25 on Sunday, and a bunch of hill running in my training class this morning. I’m signed up for the half this coming Sunday and feeling pretty good about it: my various joint issues are quiet and I’ve felt really good after these last couple of runs.

My strategy for the race is to pace myself against my friend who is a good bit slower than I usually run, to counter the tendency to push myself harder than I should. I checked in with my trainer this morning for some pointers for prep and nutrition and I feel ready to run!

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Nice recovery run in central Copenhagen today, just under 12km (7.5 miles), and a pace of 5:45, which was perhaps slightly too fast. Copenhagen is amazing and sobering for a runner: it's so great to run in with trails and paths and waterfront and parks and there are so many people out running; but it also it seems everyone out running is super-fit, super-fast, super-beautiful and super-tall. I feel like a shuffling gnome here.

However, I was looking at the result sheet for Sunday and checking out some of the folks whom I'd been running with - one woman who I ran with for a while and who eventually finished just a couple of minutes ahead of me turns out to have been a top 20 finisher in our age group in the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Cup last year. So I don't feel so bad about my time now!

 

[jbarwick]

7 miles last night. Still warm out but humidity is supposed to die down before the weekend. I am now at the point where my runs are 75% lit by headlamp. This is mostly due to our neighborhood being very wooded so the trees shade everything.

 

[Michigan Planner]

This year I skipped out on the tough annual Labor Day 30k I usually do but still managed to get in about 30 miles over since Friday. The weather has been perfect for running here in Metro Detroit but headlamp season seemed to sneak up on me faster than I remember.

 

[Fueco]

4.1 with the dogs after a brief thunderstorm cooled the temps off a bit. Temps in the upper 70s to low 80s.

 

[Michigan Planner]

4.3 miles late last night. I should have ran before I had the two massive bowls of chili for dinner.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I was supposed to do a 5:00 min/km pace run today, but I just couldn't seem to get my speed up that high - lucky I wasn't supposed to be running tempo! Nothing particularly hurt, it was just a general lack of energy. I guess I'm getting older and still recovering from Sunday's race. Anyway, just under 14.5km (9 miles) at 5:28. The route was great though - out from where we are staying, along the old city walls in Copenhagen some of which is still the hippy 'free town' of Christiania, and then back via Nyhavn and past the city hall.

 

[jbarwick]

8.5 miles last night. Somehow ended up with a podcast with David Goggins. I had heard of him but never looked into him. He seems ok but him talking about running made the run more enjoyable.

 

[Dusty Heaters]

In San Ramon, CA for work and after a long day of meetings decided to change quick and head out on a trail that ‘AllTrails’ listed as ‘Moderate’. ...Winding technical single track with steep grades isn’t exactly my definition of ‘moderate’, but okay.

Took my first run in the Hoka Evo Speedgoat. Not the best choice for this terrain.

 

[Fueco]

5.5 flat miles, with temps at 87-88. Hopefully this will be the last day for a while with temps pushing 90...