Taji 100 Week 3 Update

I completely forgot to write my week 3 summary. Now I'm through the last weekend in February. I started the week with only a 1.5 mile 'bonus'.

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February 15th to the 21st

The week starts as always with a Friday. I've been treating Fridays as rest days and not stressing about major miles, just 1. It looks like it was a 1 mile walk in my neighborhood before dinner.

The weekend is where I have time to get miles. On Saturday I headed to Tewksbury for the Fudgcicle 5k with friends. I always get a little extra distance as I include my walk to the start and the walk back down the route to meet up with friends and run them in. This Saturday I got a PR for the race, which was nice.

Sunday was another Freeze Your Buns Race. I run these with my husband. I was thinking of running extra miles after but honestly I was nearly crawling due to cramps and just didn't want to. Realizing how many miles I did not get that I needed, I went for a mile walk after dinner. 

Husband is super excited that I've dragged
him to another 5k.

Monday is Winter Warriors, which generally means 4-5 miles. There was ice everywhere, so we had to modify the route for safety.  Even with that I managed just over 4 miles while chatting with a friend. It was getting slippery as the run went on and the weather got colder. 

Tuesday was a super busy day, between the office and our Meals on Wheels route. After work was a PTO meeting. In the Spring I might have considered getting dropped off and running home, but placement of snow on the roads between my home and the school, made that very unsafe in the dark. Instead I headed off to the Y and had a treadmill party of 1. I did a lot more walking and less distance than I planned but the dramatic increase in weekly miles has been taking it's toll.

Post YMCA treadmill run

Wednesday's miles were nearly an accident. I headed to the Y to walk a bit before my chiropractic appointment. I felt great and ended up walking over 3 miles on the indoor track. That was the visit that sparked my last blog post. 

My watch did all the C25K reminders!

Thursday morning the roads were gross and icy. We decided to stay local that day and hit the Y at lunch to run. After work that night was Winter Warriors again, which is sadly coming to an end. Can I just express how done I am with 10+ mph winds with below freezing temps? I can handle below freezing, but a 12-20+ mph wind just sucks the heat and breath out of me. That said, aside from careful footing in the park due to slippery slush and then patches of black ice near the high school, I still managed 4 more miles. 

That was the end of the week, getting ready to head into the last week and final stretch. I had 76.65 miles.  Just a small buffer to help. 

Exercise Road Block: Workout Clothing

One of my road blocks in the past to exercise was work out clothing. 

At the Y in my favorite Gym Girl Ultra Skirt.

As an ambassador with Skirt Sports I have tackled the looking good and feeling comfortable while working out.

The bigger problem was, the "I can't go to the gym without the proper clothing" road block.  I'd forget my bag, a piece of clothing or forget to pack, and then justify that as a reason to skip going.

Maybe it's because the Y is a different than gyms I've been in before, but I noticed there are plenty of people walking the track in street clothing.

Now if I forget something, I still go, I just walk. Though I'm fairly certain I have seen someone running the track in jeans and sandals.

As minor as this is and as obvious as the solution is, this was seriously a road block to getting to the gym and working out.

Today I just walked 3.1 miles after my morning shift and before my appointment with my chiropractor.

Pushing myself to run or walk 100 miles in February without the assistance of a marathon training plan has brought many of my excuses into the clear for me to confront them. I'll be better off for having done this challenge.

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Taji 100 Week 2 Update

Valentine's Day was the halfway point.

Taji 100 14 day streak badge

The week started out ahead with 2.33 extra miles and I needed them.

Friday was a bit of a rest day and cold. OK truthfully everyday has been cold, but I just wasn't handling Friday's cold well. I did go out and walk a mile after dinner.

Collage of garmin results, Phil & I at breakfast
and my purple tights under my black pants.

Saturday I got up entirely too early to met a friend and head to the Fudgcicle race. He wanted to run a few miles before the race, and I was going to as well(at my pace.) I skipped the pre-race running, and chatted with a friend instead. We then ran the race together, I was struggling some. I think the high mileage is starting to get to me, or the 21 mph winds. Once we finished we ran back along the course to find and encourage friends. I ended up with 3.78 miles for the morning. I wasn't done for the day, that afternoon after a movie, the family headed to the Y to walk the track. The boys ran a mile, while the adults walked.
That night Sunday plans were made.

Collage of my Taji 100 status 56.56 miles
to go. Garmin results for both activites,
cuddling my friends tan Chihuahua,
and Pokemon Adventure sync showing
67.3 km for the week.

Sunday I met up with two friends for a 6 mile run. That  ended up being 6.7 miles. I was struggling some but I was able to do it. As a bonus we ran on a bunch of new roads for my Run Nashua challenge.  Afterwards, one of the friends and I met up with some other runners for a 3 mile walk. That group decided to run instead, so we just walked.Total Daily Mileage: 10.24

This was a  good set up for the week. I didn't need many miles and I knew I was missing Winter Warriors on Monday. 

Monday at lunch, my husband and I stopped off at the Humane Society and dropped off some donations, then we went for a mile walk. More new roads!

My selfie in front of Humane Society banner

Selfie in the snow, with face mostly covered.

 

Tuesday we had a snow storm, once we were settled in the house, I went to go running. I didn't manage to run much as I had eaten too recently but I did walk another mile.

Wednesday was one of those days when everything times out wrong. I ended up taking Moxie for a walk that night and carried him most of the way so I could check off another mile.

Holding Moxie after walking outside

Because the weekend had been so good, not running Monday to Wednesday was not a problem for miles.

Gift from Husband, Flowers, beef sticks.
card and gift bag,

Thursday was Valentines Day! My husband surprised me with a hydration vest and flowers. He gets me. I went to Winter Warriors and ran with my WW running friends. Due to excessive ice and us being super careful, we didn't do our usual 4+ miles, but 3.63 miles was enough to bump we move the 50 mile total line, with 0.48 extra to start the new week.

With 2 running friends after Winter Warriors

Pace chart of run. Dips are the icy park.

Taji 100: Week 1 Update

It's been 7 days since Taji 100 started. My goal was 25 miles. I succeeded and banked XX miles toward the goal.

I'll be honest I was nervous.  This year I wasn't training for a marathon. I hadn't run a weekend long run in ages and I know those are critical for success. Instead of just running, I had to make a plan.

All my achievement to date!

The plan 

Walk at least 1 mile every day at lunch. Generally these miles end up being 1.1 or 1.25, which in the end of the challenge will add up.

Attend every single Winter Warrior run in February. I know I'll get in at least 4 miles. Challenge myself to go with a running group, instead of the Winter Walkers.

Attend Fudgcicle 5k and Freeze Your Buns, try to get miles in before and after.

Use my YMCA membership and go, even if it's to walk the indoor track. Remember if I'm walking the track I don't need to change into workout clothing, don't use I forgot to pack as an excuse. Bring the boys to YMCA as well. They love the adventure zone and the kids wellness area.

What I have done

Friday  Feb 1, to start things off, after work, I went to the Y with my husband and we walked nearly 2 miles before heading out to pick up the children. I knew Friday would be a rough day to get many miles.

Saturday I made up for it. I suited up and braved the -2 to 1 degree weather for the Fudgcicle 5k. Afterwards, I went to the Y with my family so the boys could play in the wellness area. I ended up walking nearly 3 miles on the track with my husband.

Sunday was Freeze Your Buns 5k with the husband. Then lots of resting before I took Moxie our 9lb Min Pin for a walk, which ended up being a 1 mile carry the dog.

Monday's course and stats!

Monday I went for a lunchtime walk and then to Winter Warriors for 4.5 miles. I opted to go with my friends that were running, rather than the walkers. We did the usual route and added on another half mile.

Tuesday is a busy day at the office, plus my husband and I have a Meals on Wheels Route. If I recall I was having rough headspace day and only did a 1 mile-ish walk after dinner to check off another mile.

What was I thinking Wednesday

Wednesday I was doing much better. We got to my chiropractors office early and went for a walk that not only got nearly 1.5 miles to my tally, but checked off a few more roads on my Run Nashua map. That evening I went to the Y, bumped into a good friend, ran 2 miles on the treadmill with the elevation set at 6, hiked up 35 floors on the StairMaster(that don't count toward Taji 100) and then did a 1 mile cool down walk on the indoor track. Since I have several mountain races in my future, I'm using the stair master to help prep me for all the hills.

With Carolina and Olive! Yes that is duct tape on my sneakers. 

Thursday was Winter Warriors again. I knew I only needed 1.8 miles to get my 25 miles for the first week goal.

I'm proud that I not only accomplished my goal of 25 miles, I accomplished 27.33 miles!

Today will be a rest day, so I'll likely get in a 1 mile walk to keep the streak going. Tomorrow is Fudgcicle 5k again.

Current Run Nashua map.

Confession Time: Run Club and Stats

Photo credit to GLRR Fudgcicle group

Confession 1: I've been afraid to wear my Gate City Striders singlet because I'm not a competitive runner. I doubt I'll ever be on a podium and or win points for the team. This was all me, I have never met a member of the Striders that has said anything to this effect. Every member I have met has been supportive and encouraging. Last weekend I decided to get over it and wear my singlet at the GLRR Fudgcicle race, because I'm a member and I'm proud to be on the team.  Expect to see me out more with it at races, I love the color.

Confession 2: I've stopped being as precise with my stat tracking, while steps from just walking around don't get recorded in my run tracker, planned and executed walks, such as today's mile at lunch do. I'm not separating walks from runs anymore. It's all movement, it's time on my feet and it's often in my running sneakers(I need that mileage tracked). One of my Ultra running friends said something about training for an ultra is all about time on your feet and less about pace. Thank you Friend! That was the piece I need to just let it go. I know more time on my feet with translate to a better over all pace, and this year I'm running enough races to get an idea of what I'm at.

2019 Race Plans

I've been slowly putting together my race plans for the year and registering for races.

The year started off with the Peanut Butter Chip Chase 5k in Temple, NH . This is a fun charity race that is all hills. I took it easy, met a horse and laughed my way through the race with a good friend.

A week later the Freeze Your Buns series started and my husband joined me. Sadly due to a snow & ice store the second race was canceled. There are 3 remaining in the series.

List of races I want to do with check boxes. I'll type out the races at the bottom of the blog post.

Everything with a Pink R has been registered for, the rest I'll register for as my budget allows.

I'm undecided about running Baystate or CHAD. CHAD gets me Granite Runner Status, but Baystate Gets me Mill Cities Double jacket.

I'm standing in front of a window next to a table. I'm wearing
a pink tank that say Miles Change You and a pink Gym Girl
Ultra skirt. 

Along with New Hampshire Grand Prix, I'm going for Mountain Goat status to get a By Pass for Mount Washington. Other than those, Pineland Farms is a Running Festival, and I'm unsure about that one due to lodging expenses, or we risk freezing by camping. Taji 100 is that same as last year, a virtual race. If I succeed, I'll order a shirt. Hamster Wheel was a blast last year as a pacer, maybe his year I do it as a runner and aim for a 50k or 100k.

Thanks to my Ambassadorship, I'm all set for clothing with Skirt Sports, but I am likely going to need to get some new gear for this years racing schedule. I need to find a vest that fits properly and comfortably. I will need to get at least 1 pair of trail running sneakers. Currently my only sneakers are road running.  My Amazon Wishlist

I love Brooks Ghost 10, if anyone has any suggestions on trail sneakers that are close to those for drop and design, please share!

Race List

New Hampshire Grand Prix
LebRec Shamrock Shuffle 5k
Red Shoe Barn 5 mile
Gate City Half Marathon
WRT Flat and Fast 5k
Capital City Classics 10k
Boot Scootin Boogie 5k
Granite State 10 Miler

Mountain Goat Races
Sleep Hollow
Pack Monadnock
Cranmore
Loon
Greylock
Waterville Valley

Other
Peanut Butter Chip Chase 5k
Freeze Your Buns 5k Series
Taji 100 Virtual
Pineland Farms
Baystate Half marathon
Hamster Wheel
Novemberfest

Posting this without editing, and maybe I'll go back and turn all these race names to links so you can register too.

Running Rut

Since July I've been in a running rut. I wanted to run the Baystate Marathon and earn a Mill Cities Double jacket. I had a training plan, but events in my personal life made it difficult to make training on that level a priority.

Have you ever had an event that rips the wind from your sails and you struggle to find the desire to do anything again? My event happened on July 3rd. While it was likely not, it felt as if in an instant I lost all the speed I had been building up, speed I was determined to use to make marathon training a real possibility. A month ago, I accept ed that I would not be running the Baystate Marathon, and settled that I'd run the half, earning my jacket in May at Gate City. Two weeks ago, I accepted the reality I would not be running Baystate at all. Yesterday I went and cheered on friends, helped some friends at the Gate City Striders table until the cold got to me. I know what to expect next year.

Enough of the failures, lets look at the successes. I enjoy running and I should be able to get out there whether or not I'm training. I challenged myself to run at least a mile for 7 days straight. I succeeded.

Day 1 Sunday October 14th. 

 A start. I got to test out some of my colder weather clothing. It was a struggle. Due to paving in my development at home, my normal 0.6 mile loop had to be changed to a 0.22 mile loop. Each loop I passed my door, but I kept going.

Day 2 Monday Oct 15

I discovered I had an open afternoon and I'd been planning for a while to head to the Y to work out. I grabbed clothing and decided I'd see how the weather was before decided indoor track, treadmill or outside.

I wish every run could be like this one. I knew I needed to do at least a mile, but I challenged myself to run a 25 minute Zombie mission. It felt so good, I ended up running FOUR miles. I checked off a few more roads in my Run Nashua Challenge. It was great. 

Day 3 Tues Oct 16

Tuesdays are my busy day at the office. We also drive a meals on wheels route at lunch. I'll be honest I didn't want to run. Once I was home that evening, I wanted to sit in my comfy chair, drink tea and read a book. This run happened because I committed to the streak. 

Day 4 Wed Oct 17

Another I committed so I better get out there. I ate a few snacks an hour before running that did not agree with running. This mile was more walking because I didn't want to get sick. 

Day 5 Thurs Oct 18

I took my Mom shoe shopping and came how with new sneakers. It was later than normal but I wanted to try them out. Thank you Mom! 

Day 6 Fri Oct 19

By the time I got home from work I was HUNGRY! I ate too much dinner and ended up sitting around going I need to run but I can't move. Finally before bed I got up and got out there so I wouldn't lose my streak. 

Day 7 Sat Oct 20

The weather was beautiful! Seriously! I couldn't settle with just 1 mile, so I aimed for a zombie mission and ended up with closing out my streak with 2 miles!

Day 8 didn't happen, so according to my Nike Run Club app, I only had a 5 day streak. I was at Baystate and I got too cold. I just could not warm up once home and I could not motivate myself to the Y to run indoor before they closed. I do not feel my decision to rest, if walking around Lowell in the cold, not properly dressed for the wind is considered resting. 

I heard so many stories of running success and challenges from Baystate and Ghost Train this weekend. In a way I feel as if the race season is over. In my head I'm looking forward to next spring and fall. I want to have two anchor races, ones that I am training for or at least getting prepared for. 

I still have three planned races this year.

Novemberfest: Benefits the Nashua Children's Home. 5 miles in downtown and Mine Falls. I've got 3 costume ideas to pick from and make happen.

Santa Shuffle: I won this entry in June at the Flag day race. My best running friend and I will be dressed as Santa running the streets of Manchester. After the race that family will enjoy the Manchester Christmas Parade. 

Mill Cities Relay: I'm sent in my information to be placed on a team. Whether I run or cheer will be decided by who else is participating and if there is a turtle team or females in their 40's that needs a 5th runner to compete. I'm good either way.

As for next year, there is always the freeze your buns series, and winter warriors at Fleet Feet. I'm thinking my anchor races will be the mill cites double half marathons(Gate City and Baystate). A part of me wants to run Hampton Half again and I'm thinking I want to do the New Hampshire Grand Prix series. Full marathons, I need to either improve my speed or get more of my personal ducks in a row.