HAHAHAHA!!!

I must admit that being in Sri Lanka makes it a bit easier to get out although the runs are less satisfying

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Richard

"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever" - Larry Andersen

Finally,
something to get me off my Butt after IMAZ on Nov.23rd...

I love competition for the love of fitness........

WTF....every time I organize a challenge it seems the weather starts to really suck around here. . .

Second that. But thanks for getting me out there this winter. I'm now running in weather that I would not have thought I could manage. Yesterday I got to see the Winter Solstice sunrise over Lake Michigan with below zero temp and 20 mph winds making it a -30 or so wind chill. Never would have seen that without the challenge. The only problem was that my camera was frozen so I couldn't take the picture I had hoped to take and I had to hustle home before my eyelids froze shut from the ice accumulating on my eyelashes. But that let me get in my first double day, when I warmed up with a cup of coffee and went back out with ski goggles and a face mask so that nothing was exposed. It's empowering to know that cold weather can't stop training. Thanks.

I feel the same way about running last week on days that I wouldn't have gone out if it wasn't for this challenge.

I ran approx. 73km last week, and I probably would have run 40km less if it hadn't been for the challenge. This was a really tough running week in Ottawa. I hope things get better.

That sounded like a very memorable run though - congrats!!

Cheers

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Thanks for your pre challenge advise.

I ran 6 times this week, though it was the minimum 30 minutes each time. I feel fine and will continue with the 6 times per week. It has been getting easier even after just 1 week. AND - for the first time in over 3 years I've lost 3 lbs!! Now I have only 12 more to go! By race season I want to be at 170 (6'3")

If it was not for this challenge I would have run exactly ZERO times and probably gained weight : )

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Paul

5.13 Miles E. Highlands Loop. Did a repeat of the E. Highlands Loop this morning. I like the sequencing of the hills / distance of this loop. For only a 5 mile run, it packs a lot of punch. MB

Don't worry Bizzy, this is the smacktalk thread after all...you knew people were bound to comment on your studdly performance ! Keep knocking off those k's and enjoy the spotlight !

If anyone's interested in a side challenge, I'm eating a cookie for every KM Brian Lafleur runs in december. You want to talk about an EPIC challenge....it's way tougher then I thought !

-A

It was my 50th straight day of running

Sweet !! I started October 31st and am at 50 in 52 days. 7/7 last week.

Yesterday at 4:00 it was -12C with howling winds. If not for sunglasses, my eyelids would have frozen open. I'm getting good at running in traffic & hopping into a snowbank when necessary.

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

I feel guilty posting my run. Weather is much better than snow. Weather is cloudy and some drops and a temp of high 40s. 7.4 mile run @ 6:40 pace.

E. Highlands to Plunge Creek O&B 5.29 @ 7:49

Second run of the day after swimming 1.5K. Took it pretty easy from a pace perspective but it was a fairly nasty hilly course. MB

From my run yesterday in Sunny SoCal...

I'm 8 for 8 and feeling pretty good. I needed this to get back into shape after taking a couple weeks off after a minor knee tweak.

First week of the challenge and training for Boston went well. I banked two runs last week and will bank 1 run this week. I'll stick with 1-2 extra runs a week until the mileage really starts to pick up and/or tri training starts and I need a rest day each week. My dogs are loving all the 30ish minute runs they get to go on.

My side challenge is 2 beers per day, not so difficult.... a beer per km would be interesting

You have to love streaks for no reason other than a silly spreadsheet or any other equally unimportant reason. Last year I did this challenge and ran every day from December 1st until April 11th or 12th for the simple reason that I had done the November to Easter stretch 25 years earlier without missing a day and wanted to see if I could do it again. At age 42, running every single day is more challenging but I should have a good Boston and a good base for IM Lou if I can pull it off. I'm a pro at hurdling snowbanks :)

Allan,

Today's workout was 40K XC ski+8K transition run....it was minus 16 with 41 kph wind gusts starting the ski and never got warmer....I could barely feel my feet halway into the ski on account of the crazy windchill....the rest of my body was fine....just toes without feeling. Then I got back to my car and slapped on the running shoes and I could not feel my toes till 20 min into the run....there was one uphill section into a headwind when I thought, "OK, this is bad, but the guys who ski to Antartica or try to Summit K2 are just a different breed". Not really sure how much value I got out of the run, aside from making a 2:30 workout (ski only) to 3:10....at least on the skis I had some solid intensity with a 20 min TT section and several intervals, so my legs felt like I just bike 90K before stating my transition run....oh well! Tomorrow I plan to do a 60-70 min "real run'....my average pace is getting hammered by the crazy weather!

Bizzy, while I commend you on the 100 mile week, even though your fitness is better, it cannot possibly be that much better than a few months ago...running fitness does not magically materialize over a few weeks, so don't come back to us if you blow a body part....don't say you weren't warned...

Dev

Today was a day I probably wouldn't have gone out if not for the challenge. Driving home for the holidays tomorrow morning, needed to pack and do laundry, etc. tonight...nevermind the ridiculous weather. I ran from my house on capitol hill across the national mall all the way to the Lincoln Memorial and back. Typically, no matter the weather, the mall is always busy with runners, especially after work. About 3.5 miles from my house to Lincoln and I didn't see one other runner on the way out, saw one guy and a pair of woman on my return. 3 other people out tonight when I would typically see dozens.

The nice part was I felt pretty good on the way out despite to 20+mph wind coming out of the west into my face, as soon as I turned around it was a tail wind al the way home, I never get tired of seeing the Capitol dome lit up in the night sky as I run towards it across the mall on my way home.

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Portside Athletics Blog

Last time I ran your route was around this time in 1985....that was 23 years ago....I guess the cool thing is that I am still running. When I was 20 I thought 43 year old guys have one foot in the grave (well, I guess we kind of do have 1 foot in there, but what the heck...).

Next time you run that route, take some pictures and post!

Dev

Will do, that's my standard after work run. ~7 miles, so 3.5 miles on the way out and I pass:

Supreme Court Building
Capitol Building
Smithsonian Museums
Washington Monument
White House
Federal Reserve
Lincoln Memorial

I'll post some pics after the holidays. Thanks again for putting this together.

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Portside Athletics Blog

5.5mi down today on the treadmill at our local YMCA. I'm at my parents house for the holidays and our treadmill broke :( Finished off with a 20min spin on the stationary.

Was hoping for a 7 miler but my stupid foot started hurting...icing it now, oh boy.

a temp of high 40s.

ahhh, shorts weather...

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

40's is definitely shorts weather. Just finished my daily run with a high temp of 11' F. Ice, slush, unshoveled sidewalks, and rush hour. Good stuff.

Well I have officially blown my al gore pledge from last winter. As part of the challenge last year I decided there would be no more driving to the gym or the Y in the morning, I would either ride or run. Well, after I got done with my EN out season FTP test on the trainer this morning and saw that it was 1.6 degrees, I decided that I was driving to the gym and running on the treadmill. I figure in light of the fact that I typically fly at least twice a week the impact from driving my car a couple miles would be worth it.

Yep it was shorts weather. Though low 40s and fog is pretty nasty. We had that here in Sacramento a few weeks ago.


Only 2 more weeks until this "break" is over with. I want to run some tempos.........

Hey Dev

How does 40k of xc skiing compare to running or cycling? How long does it take?

Allen,

On a good day around 2 hours (20 kph). On a slow day like yesterday 2:30. Depending on your proficiency a 40K ski can feel like a 90K ride, or it can feel like a 180 k ride...just depends on your technique and snow conditions. 35K ski in the hills is my "basic Gatineau Parc ski outing", what you might equate to a 2 hour 60K ride in the hills. So yesterday's workout felt like a hard 90K ride+8K transition run wrt overall fatigue and training load