That is a strong January Dale!!

Reporting in that I achieved at 2+ year long goal of going sub 1:20 at a half marathon today (1:19:13).

As for the challenge, I know I’m somewhere between 5-10 runs behind schedule (mainly due to taper/recover from two half marathons), and I’m not really sure I am going to try and catch up. I need to ramp the cycling up now for the spring Tri season. I’m still planning on running 6 days a week, but don’t think it would be beneficial to my goals to try and hit 8 runs a week at this time.

Feeling good about January. 163 miles in January... Which is the most ever for me, by a lot. I'm basically running 9-10 4+mile runs a week. I also swam 38,600 yards and I ride about once a week---traditionally my strength.

I'm at 57/50 on the challenge, with 230 miles. Sitting in 30th so far. I doubled 11 times in January... Making up for my 4 misses in December and one in January.

In the last couple weeks the swim has backslid a little bit... Need to think about why, and what to change to correct that. I'm only doing a couple Sprints in the spring so not a big deal early. But, I want to be strong come June for my first Oly of the year.

Yeah, you should be walking on air for at least a few days/weeks. A spectacular training block finished with a dream race result.
Congratulations again. I stared at those splits on strava for 5 minutes shaking my head with a huge smile thinking 'he did it'.

When you hit your 3x1mile sharpening right on the nose, I knew it was highly possible if all the 'other' things didn't go wrong.

:)


I am so very impressed with your training Tom. Tons of run speed, huge mileage. Congrats. No long course for you?? I had a great year of sprints in 2017, but last year was almost all HIM races.

Enjoy that short course!!

Thanks, Dale.

I may have to rethink what my strength is... The run pace has come WAY up from last year. Basically threshold from 6 months ago is now my easy pace.

I like the short course. I can train to RACE it, in a reasonable schedule. I'm not a completer type. I want to race for the win, but I dont have 20 hours a week to train properly for long course. I like the oly distance because of the higher proportion of the swim (better balance).... Even though the swim is my nemesis---We are trying to become friends.

I don't think PGKHOO is following the one hour rule!!!

Did my final 20 miler of the marathon build today after a full year of consistent BarryP, average pace was 7:30, same run last year: 8:25.

My swimming’s got better, but it’s still sub par. Given the impact frequency has had on my running I’m toying with the idea of doing the same with swimming, it’s just a little more logistically challenging than joggling out the door.

At least being slower in the swim means you get the fun of chasing people down on the bike & run ;-)

I know what you mean. I’m at 57 runs in 51 days, and I originally thought (at the beginning of the challenge) that I would be taking a day off here and there. But I have been lucky enough to run every day since Dec 15th.

I assume at some point I might need a break, but right now I can’t imagine NOT running each day.

It also takes the pressure off. I don’t ask myself whether I will or won’t. There have been plenty of days where the weather was less that pleasant, and I normally wouldn’t have gone out. Now the question is simply when would be the best time to run.

I’m gonna keep riding the wave and see how far I get.

Ciao

Day 1: 3.6 mi easy
Day 2: 11 mi easy
Day 3: 4 mi moderate
Day 4: 6.2 mi easy
Day 5: 5 mi easy
Day 6: 4.3 mi run (1.5 mi @ 8:34 pace, 1.3 mi @ 8:27 pace)
Day 7: 12 mi run (8.3 @ 8:27 pace)
Day 8: 3.6 mi
Day 9: 11.2 mi
Day 10: 6.45 mi (w/ 1 mi @ 8:00 + 2.1 mi @ 7:53)
Day 11: 7.3 mi
Day 12: 3.6 mi
Day 13: 3.7 mi
Day 14: 4.3 mi progressive
Day 15: 3.6 mi
Day 16: 9.8 mi
Day 17: 12.1 mi
Day 18: 3.1 mi
Day 19: 7.3 mi
Day 20: 5.8 mi
Day 21: 5.5 mi
Day 22: 13.7 mi (w/ 1 x 4ish miles and 1 x 2.3 mi at marathon-ish pace)
Day 23: OFF (1 hr stairmaster + 2 mi walk)
Day 24: 9 mi (w/ 8 x 45 sec fast, 75 sec recovery)
Day 25: 4.8 mi
Day 26: 9 mi
Day 27: 4 mi
Day 28: 6.6 mi
Day 29: 3.5 mi
Day 30: 12 mi
Day 31: OFF (4 mi walk + 2225 yd swim)
Day 32: 4.6 mi
Day 33: 10 mi
Day 34: OFF (31 mi bike)
Day 35: 5.1 mi (last 5k fast)
Day 36: 13 mi (took 2 hrs flat so I entered this as two runs to get credit for the double)
Day 37: OFF
Day 38: 9.1 mi
Day 39: 6.5 mi
Day 40: 10 mi
Day 41: 3.5 mi (w/ 2 x 1.5 km @ 8:41/mi)
Day 42: 7.2 mi
Day 43: 3.5 mi
Day 44: 14 mi
Day 45: 4.3 mi
Day 46: 8 mi
Day 47: 6 mi (w/ 1.25 mi + 5 km tempo)
Day 48: 7.5 mi
Day 49: 8.5 mi
Day 50: OFF (totally completely off)
Day 51: 9.4 mi


48/51 (46 days of running)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

That’s a good amount of work Dev!

I underestimated how hard going 100/100 would be .

I started off at 10/10 and over the holidays with family commitments, travel and feeling the effects of ramping up run volume quickly I faded to 38/50. I’ve been able to do a good amount of strength and conditioning so overall I’m feeling great and ready for the second half of this challenge!

Day 51 brought the 3rd race since the start of the 100/100 - the first was a 6-hour indoor track race (Jan 5th), the 2nd was a 3-hour trail race in a howling blizzard (Jan 19th), so all just-trotting-along stuff.

Today was a 6.5km snowshoe race: balls out from start to finish. Having run 10k of snowy trail yesterday + 5k on the road yesterday, with only 1 snowshoe run (Monday in another howling blizzard) in the last 8 years, I figured I had basically no chance to be competitive. I also haven't raced anything shorter than 3hrs since 2016, so didn't know if I'd have any capacity for intensity.

The first couple of hundred metres were unpacked and soft, with above-freezing temperatures to make the composition of the more-than-ankle-deep snow that fell in the recent polar vortex change from moment to moment.

Almost 50mins of wondering if one (or both) of my lungs was going to leap out of my throat, I crossed the line as 1st place women under 40, 6/48 women and 13/66 overall.





Guess I still know how to push a bit.

The second run for today was just an easy 5k-ish of slush puddle splashing around my neighbourhood. That puts me at 58 runs on day 51.

Think that'll do for the weekend.

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ill advised racing inc.

Just moved over the 700km mark with run 59 in 51 days. Had one day off (rest day on Dec 31) but have run every other day with at least 30 minutes. Today was my longest run so far. Did 27km a little under 5 min/km pace on a hilly loop. We were lucky since there was a little bit of freezing rain early but footing ended up being way better than it has been the past few weeks. Also, just -2C instead of -20 to -30C range like it has been lately made it a nice outing for my run group. 10 weeks until Boston and feeling pretty decent. Somewhat lower mileage than my last Boston 10 years ago but as a 50+ age grouper I am trying to be careful and offset some extra run miles with more rides and swims (not big yards like Dev though!)... got in 3 hours on the trainer yesterday before an easy 10k run.

Good for you! I was there too for the first time. What a great "race"! This silly challenge had me logging 2 runs yesterday (23km) as I thought it might have been freezing rain today & not worth the drive. Not the case, so my old heart was screaming the whole time but I loved it. Managed a 2nd run of 10.5k which felt easy on the open roads. Can't pass up these balmy temps after what we've had!

Wow. Quite impressive....💪

Excellent!!!

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

Didn't you start the challenge injured (back I think?) with hardly any runs the first week? That's an impressive comeback to be back on par already with still the back half to go. Nice!!!

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

Nice job!!! Guess you do! :)

-Eric

Yes, a little tweak of the back at the beginning, which fortunately wasn't more significant. I did some doubles and had a big day a few weeks ago emulating you to see the work that would go into a full day of runx30 min-bike1/2-3/4hr; repeat all day (8>5pm only). Made 5 runs and 3 bikes that day. Very enlightening as to how tough it is. Props to you and the others that do multiples in a day. I'm healthy now and am doing doubles on the weekends to get ready for ITU LC championships so the distance is lengthening but that Jan base from this challenge helped a lot. No more of those multiple days for me as it's time to train.

I am so impressed with so many people in the challenge though! I've clicked onto the names at the top and it is just jaw-dropping. Keep up the great work everyone.

Wish I'd known there was another ST member there - would certainly have said hello! It was a hometown race for me; hope you enjoyed the lovely trails at Shade's Mill. Have you ever done/considered Conquer the Canuck?

Definitely enjoying this relative heat wave. I'm running in SHORTS today, where as recently as last Thursday I was smearing lip balm on my face to avoid frostbite, windburn and abrasion from blowing snow.

Thank you everyone for the kind words. At this point I think I may need to make the drive out to the Ganaraska Forest for the only other snowshoe race within 100-ish miles of home, on Feb 17th!

Also huge respect to those who are kicking my arse on either frequency, distance or both - I'm just shy of 425km as of yesterday, and while I've had a lot of stuff going on (husband finally got back to work - on modified duties - today after his 4 weeks of recovery) it's amazing to see the workouts some of you are churning out.

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ill advised racing inc.

I take about one full rest day per month. One I took last week didn't count; my back was seized up.

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The point is, ladies and gentleman, that speed, for lack of a better word, is good. Speed is right, Speed works. Speed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

figured I could check in...

I normally despise the TM, but after ponying up for a footpod, it's been a blessing and a curse.
Blessings: Cuts way down on laundry, since I can avoid bundling up so much, easier on my body. Taskmaster: set pace and commit.

Curses: now I've become a weather weenie, and it feels normal to do nonsense like today, with WAY more runs than are sane.

I admire those of you with real goals and plans, since you have to still do long runs, and tapers/recoveries! I can just dink along with these 30-minute plods.

And for those of you veteran's of this thing...is it normal to have so many people with this high # of runs at just 52 days in? Wow...some impressive dedication!

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Nobody's constipated on race morning

It is unbelievable how the weather has changed ... last Thursday it was -24C for my morning run and I was wearing about 20lbs of clothing ... this morning it was +6C and I was in shorts and a long sleeve. You had better hope for some more snow or a snowshoe in Ganaraska Forest might not work very well based on how much we've lost the past 2 days!

Nope. I was holding a top 10 placing overall last year with 64 runs in 59 days before I wrecked up my ankle, and don't ever recall people basically having to be ahead of gold medal standing in order to make the top 100. 89 (as of this moment) at par is unprecedented.

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ill advised racing inc.

No kidding! I'm actually altering plans, but only partly because of the weather - there's a race that's slightly closer to home, while being further north and more likely to have snow, on the same date. Craigleith's 14 day forecast looks much more promising, though prospects for another AG award are way worse: it's the Canadian Championships, though open to all ages/abilities.

With 11am check-in for a start time of 1pm, and a 10k option so I'll get well over an hour of racing out of it, I figure there's no reason NOT to go embarrass myself at the back of an elite field!

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ill advised racing inc.

I only know what last year's 100/100 looked like, and it started WAY slower than this year's. I think IntenseOne was really intense last year. He was pretty much alone, if I remember it correctly.

If you've raced bikes, I would say last year was like a typical road race. This year is like a crit-- sprinting from the start with no time to wipe the snot off your face.

I've had two crummy weeks. My knees are swollen and painful. I'm blaming a basketball game with my kids on a 3x day. Running downhill seems the worst, so I'm running ups and walking downs.

I think this phase (days 50-75) are when its important to keep on the gas. We'll all get fired up in the last quarter, so now is the time to get into a good position.

My goal for this challenge is to run everyday for 100 days and not get injured.


Every other year I've tried this challenge I had some little injury that derailed me. Not this year. You'd think after a lifetime of running that I'd learn how to not injure myself, but I guess I'm just now getting the hang of it. Most of my runs have been slow in the 3 to 6 mile range with a few track workouts thrown in (and a few snowshoe runs). I'm feeling really good now and ready to add more mileage for the second half of the challenge.

I usually focus on running/swimming during the winter and biking/swimming during the summer. A good winter running base will last me through the summer without putting in big miles all year long. I plan my summer race schedule based on how good my winter running went. I haven't run a fall marathon in 5 years, so I'm heading in that direction again - probably a 1/2 marathon this fall and a full marathon next fall.

And of course there's always the Chase Corporate Challenge in May. It's my chance to show all my younger co-workers that the old guy still has it. The problem with an end-of-May 3-mile race that I want to peak for is that I'll already be transitioned to biking during May; but that's ok because it won't be that far away from my main winter running.