In Every Run That Must Be Done; There is an Element of Fun (comments welcome)

[Naomeri]

64 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

I just did a short and easy dumbbell workout tonight. Tomorrow is long run day (even thought the long run in question is only 4 miles) I’ll be doing the Katrina Lake loop, but walking the extra ~2.75 miles.

The monarch caterpillar population is exploding! Yesterday, I saw 3, today I found 8!!



Hazel Chipmunk is learning new tricks today—climbing up my leg when prompted, and (separately) jumping into my hand to eat (as long as my hand is only a couple inches off the ground)





Albert Chipmunk was feeling particularly photogenic today



And there’s a grey squirrel that’s almost brave enough to take a nut from my hand.



2022 workout data to date: 187h 50m 46s of exercise; 80,814 active calories burned; 98,233 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

63 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

It was rather nice this morning, but a bit warmer than I’d been hoping for. I got a slow, late start because I stayed up too late last night.



I decided to make the long run a little different from an easy run, but still keeping the same pace. I changed my run/walk from 30/45 to 60/60. It felt a little less weird to me than the easy run on Thursday, so I think I’ll keep this method for long runs, and stick with the 30/45 on easy run days. I had to walk through some of the runs to try keep my heart rate down, especially going uphill.




When I hit 4 miles, I ended the run and took a 5 minute break in a shady spot next to the trail before starting the walk around the rest of the loop to get back to my car. The wildflowers in the meadow were pretty.



After I got home and had lunch and got cleaned up, my grandma came home kind of stressed out, and I decided that we needed to go out to the Arboretum so she could walk around, get fresh air and sunshine, and look at flowers that she wasn’t responsible for keeping neat and tidy. We spent about 2 hours walking around, and I added another 2.5 miles to my total for the month.

This dahlia was spectacular:



A random guy asked me if I could figure out if the green blob in one of the daylilies was a frog or not, so I stepped into the garden and snapped a picture:



The roses were absolutely vivid:



And we saw some turkeys!



The theme for the Arb’s annual garden was “warmth” and it turned out so beautifully, pictures can hardly do it justice:



2022 workout data to date: 191h 33m 8s of exercise; 81,825 active calories burned; 99,617 total calories burned

 

[avondale]

63 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

It was rather nice this morning, but a bit warmer than I’d been hoping for. I got a slow, late start because I stayed up too late last night.
View attachment 689322


I decided to make the long run a little different from an easy run, but still keeping the same pace. I changed my run/walk from 30/45 to 60/60. It felt a little less weird to me than the easy run on Thursday, so I think I’ll keep this method for long runs, and stick with the 30/45 on easy run days. I had to walk through some of the runs to try keep my heart rate down, especially going uphill.
View attachment 689320
View attachment 689321


When I hit 4 miles, I ended the run and took a 5 minute break in a shady spot next to the trail before starting the walk around the rest of the loop to get back to my car. The wildflowers in the meadow were pretty.
View attachment 689323


After I got home and had lunch and got cleaned up, my grandma came home kind of stressed out, and I decided that we needed to go out to the Arboretum so she could walk around, get fresh air and sunshine, and look at flowers that she wasn’t responsible for keeping neat and tidy. We spent about 2 hours walking around, and I added another 2.5 miles to my total for the month.

This dahlia was spectacular:
View attachment 689325


A random guy asked me if I could figure out if the green blob in one of the daylilies was a frog or not, so I stepped into the garden and snapped a picture:
View attachment 689327


The roses were absolutely vivid:
View attachment 689326


And we saw some turkeys!
View attachment 689324


The theme for the Arb’s annual garden was “warmth” and it turned out so beautifully, pictures can hardly do it justice:
View attachment 689328


2022 workout data to date: 191h 33m 8s of exercise; 81,825 active calories burned; 99,617 total calories burned

Wow, I love all the flowers!

 

[Naomeri]

61 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

Well, on the one hand, I utterly failed at my 3.5 mile tempo run today (which was supposed to be tomorrow, but the incoming heat wave dictated a switch of the tempo and easy runs); but on the other hand, I absolutely blew my 5K pace out of the water . Since I had scheduled my final rD summer series run for next Monday, I switched it to today on the fly and stopped today’s run at 3.1 and walked the last .6 miles back to my car. My old 5K PR was 37m 54s, today was 35m 59s.

The pace problem started right off the bat because my interval thing wasn’t dinging and I ended up running like, 2/3 of the first 2 minutes before I got it working right. I kept trying to slow down my pace to get on track, and I just couldn’t get there. So, I decided, what the heck, let’s just see how fast we can do this. I was getting a bit winded by the end of mile 3, but had no problem finishing strong. I’m sitting here at my desk (listening to a meeting) an hour and a half later and I feel great.





2022 workout data to date: 193h 14m 3s of exercise; 82,551 active calories burned; 100,514 total calories burned

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Congrats on the PR!

 

[Naomeri]

60 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

It was so hot today!! I ran on my lunch break because it was going to be better than running after work. It’s after 9pm now, and the sun is totally down, and it’s still 86°F.

I did much better at holding my easy pace today, even though I really wanted to run faster so I could be home in the AC sooner.





A new chipmunk has learned how to eat from my hand, and therefore earned the right to a name.
Meet Kodak Chipmunk!



The monarch caterpillars are getting really big, and the count is over 10 now.




Starting in about a week and a half, will be adding very short, easy walks to my 3 non-running days, as well as my long run day. My grandpa has been in and out of the hospital during the month of July, and just had a pacemaker implanted today. In order to help him regain his strength, I’ve decided that we’re going to train for a walking 5K. He was capable of walking over three miles earlier this year, so this is about regaining his previous fitness level. The goal is to be ready in time for a Turkey Trot, but I don’t know that we’ll actually go do one, or just do the walk on our own. I took Hal Higdon’s walking 5K training plan, and basically duplicated each week so it’s a really, really slow ramp-up. The 2 weekday walks will be just he and I, and the 2 weekend walks will be with my grandma, because that will keep my grandpa at a slower pace


2022 workout data to date: 193h 55m29s of exercise; 82,850 active calories burned; 100,882 total calories burned

 

[avondale]

60 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

It was so hot today!! I ran on my lunch break because it was going to be better than running after work. It’s after 9pm now, and the sun is totally down, and it’s still 86°F.

I did much better at holding my easy pace today, even though I really wanted to run faster so I could be home in the AC sooner.
View attachment 690254
View attachment 690253
View attachment 690255


A new chipmunk has learned how to eat from my hand, and therefore earned the right to a name.
Meet Kodak Chipmunk!
View attachment 690258


The monarch caterpillars are getting really big, and the count is over 10 now.
View attachment 690260
View attachment 690259


Starting in about a week and a half, will be adding very short, easy walks to my 3 non-running days, as well as my long run day. My grandpa has been in and out of the hospital during the month of July, and just had a pacemaker implanted today. In order to help him regain his strength, I’ve decided that we’re going to train for a walking 5K. He was capable of walking over three miles earlier this year, so this is about regaining his previous fitness level. The goal is to be ready in time for a Turkey Trot, but I don’t know that we’ll actually go do one, or just do the walk on our own. I took Hal Higdon’s walking 5K training plan, and basically duplicated each week so it’s a really, really slow ramp-up. The 2 weekday walks will be just he and I, and the 2 weekend walks will be with my grandma, because that will keep my grandpa at a slower pace


2022 workout data to date: 193h 55m29s of exercise; 82,850 active calories burned; 100,882 total calories burned

That's great that you will be walking with your grandfather to help him regain his fitness. It's so important at that age!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I also loved Nope.

Yay for the caterpillars! And your pics are great as always.

 

[azrivest]

I thought of you this morning I saw this giant caterpillar crossing the path. Sorry for the bad picture, my phone isn't the best



It made me think of the big green caterpillar in Bug's Life. Do you know what kind that is?

 

[Naomeri]

I thought of you this morning I saw this giant caterpillar crossing the path. Sorry for the bad picture, my phone isn't the best

View attachment 690690

It made me think of the big green caterpillar in Bug's Life. Do you know what kind that is?

Sadly, I’m not a caterpillar expert, I only know the monarch caterpillar because it’s so famous and distinctive.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I thought of you this morning I saw this giant caterpillar crossing the path. Sorry for the bad picture, my phone isn't the best

View attachment 690690

It made me think of the big green caterpillar in Bug's Life. Do you know what kind that is?

if it had kind of a "horn" on one end with a red dot (looks like MAYBE on the bottom?) it could be a tomato hornworm, which is the caterpillar for hummingbird moths. Those things are huge and disgusting, and it's the right time of year for them. *shudder* They'll get bigger than my index finger.

 

[azrivest]

if it had kind of a "horn" on one end with a red dot (looks like MAYBE on the bottom?) it could be a tomato hornworm, which is the caterpillar for hummingbird moths. Those things are huge and disgusting, and it's the right time of year for them. *shudder* They'll get bigger than my index finger.

Yeah it was huge. I put my finger in the pic to try to show just how big it was.

Caterpillars give me the willies. I totally get you with the *shudder*

 

[Naomeri]

58 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

I wish I had been able to run earlier on the day, but a 1 hour run, plus prep, driving, and cleanup time is a bit too much for even an extended lunch break. It wasn’t obscenely hot, but the sun was very strong and there were no clouds. The 2nd/3rd mile portion of the out-and-back were mostly shady, so that was nice, but the 1st/4th mile portion were almost entirely sunny. I’m looking forward to Saturday’s probably rainy run.




I was feeling today’s run in my quads today, I don’t know why. Not pain, just a little tightness and fatigue. I had planned to walk a mile after my run to get some dinner (and then walk another mile back to the car afterward), but my legs said that that was not going to happen.

Ein Chipmunk was feeling somewhat photogenic today. I would’ve gotten pictures of more chipmunks, but since we finally had a not-windy day, everyone ventured out of their burrows and I was getting swarmed. I often had food and/or chipmunks in both hands. Ein climbed almost all the way up to my face when I ran out of food before he was finished



2022 workout data to date: 195h 24m 14s of exercise; 83,510 active calories burned; 101,669 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

56 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

Well, I didn’t get to run in the rain (except for a few sprinkles) but I did get my run finished. I had committed to working overtime today 10-5, so I planned to run at 8, but there was a lot of thunder and lightning, so I decided not to be an idiot and waited until after work. It was supposed to rain all day, but it all either broke apart or moved south, and left all the humidity behind

I kept trying to slow down to hit the long run pace, but it wasn’t happening, so I just tried to keep the pace steady from mile to mile, and mostly succeeded (except for miles 4 and 6, which got a little out of hand, speed-wise)




Since it decided to not rain all day, I was able to go out and visit chipmunks on my break. And I saw Roo! I haven’t seen him in weeks, since before we had the big tree taken down. I was afraid he’d either abandoned our yard, or worse, since he lived under the big tree. He was a little skittish, and tried to take my finger off, but then decided to take some peanuts. The fur on what little is left of his tail grew back, so there’s no more bare nub. I’ll try to get a picture the next time I see him.

I did manage to get a couple pictures of King on Friday. First, lounging on his throne-tree, and then trying to fit a triple peanut in his mouth (he gave up and just ran home with it sticking out of his mouth)




2022 workout data to date: 197h 28m 41s of exercise; 84,465 active calories burned; 102,806 total calories burned

 

[Naomeri]

54 Days Until: TC Loony Challenge

My legs were so sore yesterday! I think it’s because I ran so late in the day on Saturday—I basically sat on the couch after my shower and didn’t move at all after I got home. But I still managed to do my time on the stationary bike last night, and it didn’t really hurt, unlike walking around had earlier in the day.

Today, I had to run in a new place because I had to run a 5-minute errand (at a mall a half hour away) right after work, and I didn’t want to have to come all the way home again, and then get ready and do my run. So I got on the AllTrails app and found a paved loop path (that was exactly the right length for my scheduled run) not far from the mall I had to stop at (bonus, it was even in the general direction of home, so no going further out of my way). The path wasn’t in the greatest shape in spots, but it was frequently shady, and not particularly busy, so it was fine. After my run, I finally realized why I’ve been having pacing issues—I had my watch showing me the default “rolling pace” (as well as overall pace) instead of “current pace.” I’ve adjusted it now, so we’ll see tomorrow if I do better on getting even splits.




It was sometimes a pretty trail, and it went along some private property in places, and some people decided to decorate near the path. The emoji rocks were particularly cute.







I got to see a lot of Roo Chipmunk today, and got a nice picture showing off his newly furry tail nub.



Albert was getting jealous of the attention Roo got, and had to climb all the way up to my hand and chase him out.



I almost got a grey squirrel to take a peanut from my hand; she got all the way to the point of bonking it with her nose, but didn’t want to open her mouth to take it, so I had to toss it to her.



2022 workout data to date: 199h 14m 12s of exercise; 85,153 active calories burned; 103,665 total calories burned

 

[WillRunForPizza]

After my run, I finally realized why I’ve been having pacing issues—I had my watch showing me the default “rolling pace” (as well as overall pace) instead of “current pace.” I’ve adjusted it now, so we’ll see tomorrow if I do better on getting even splits.

I've had the same problem! It's weird that the rolling mile pace is the default. Not that my splits have been particularly even since I switched - but at least you mostly know what you're doing at any given point in the run when it tells you your current pace!

 

[Naomeri]

I've had the same problem! It's weird that the rolling mile pace is the default. Not that my splits have been particularly even since I switched - but at least you mostly know what you're doing at any given point in the run when it tells you your current pace!

Yeah. I totally failed at pacing today with the current pace on, but it was interesting to see how fast my run and walk speeds are (between 8:30 and 9:30 running, and 17:00 and 18:00 walking)

 

[Herding_Cats]

I don't know what watch you're using, but on my garmin I can't stand "current pace" because I feel like everything I do throws it off, and with the lag between the GPS and my actual running, who knows what's going on! And then I'm fixating on my watch instead of just doing the run. I use lap pace, and have my laps set for 1 mile, and then check in every half mile or so to see if I'm in the ballpark for my pacing. I know others have mentioned elsewhere that they set their laps for 0.5mi or maybe even 0.25(?!) so they get frequent notifications about their pacing because their splits should be the corresponding fraction of their per mile pace.

I don't worry so much about keeping my splits super even (happy accident when it does happen, which is VERY infrequent) and more on not overrunning my pace for the day. Remembering that it's "No faster than ____" is hard, especially on days I'm feeling good and just wanna ruuuuuun.

 

[Naomeri]

I don't know what watch you're using, but on my garmin I can't stand "current pace" because I feel like everything I do throws it off, and with the lag between the GPS and my actual running, who knows what's going on! And then I'm fixating on my watch instead of just doing the run. I use lap pace, and have my laps set for 1 mile, and then check in every half mile or so to see if I'm in the ballpark for my pacing. I know others have mentioned elsewhere that they set their laps for 0.5mi or maybe even 0.25(?!) so they get frequent notifications about their pacing because their splits should be the corresponding fraction of their per mile pace.

I don't worry so much about keeping my splits super even (happy accident when it does happen, which is VERY infrequent) and more on not overrunning my pace for the day. Remembering that it's "No faster than ____" is hard, especially on days I'm feeling good and just wanna ruuuuuun.

I’m doing terribly as “no faster than” But I’m trying to learn “if I run 30s at X pace, and walk 30s at Y pace, my overall pace should end up at Z” I was only 24s too fast overall today

 

[Herding_Cats]

yes! i take the tiniest, most ridiculous steps when i'm trying to hit my slowest paces.