All those running in November 2012. That'll be everybody........

[Gasdiver]

Now we have a sensible place for it so pay attention!
Yes that is you lot.....
Bill (Always up for something)
Rick (the man with the right ideas in life)
Erik (just go to sleep)
Amit (how does he fit it in!)
Greek (currently peg leg due to hamstring grief)
Ranger (he is a bit quick....!)

and of course anybody else who wants to join in.

Very simple work, from now to November, to achieve an improvement (of your choice) in your running, jogging, or even walking.

I am going for 10km in 45 minutes, last year it was 55 minutes, and today the enormity of that task dawned on me! In order to do that I have to be 23% faster, yikes, my average pace has to go from 10.9 kmh to 13.4 kmh.

Let me paint you a picture of this. I went to the gym jumped on the tread mill, now this is rare as I don't go into the gym at the club, but I needed some accurate info on what I was doing, stride length etc. So... start off walking, jogging, slightly faster and eventually up to 10kmh. Then the brain says "go on, try it just turn the speed up to 13.5 kmh, go on" so I did ?@%$"* ##"~, was the outcome! I nearly shot off the back of the treadmill, my legs have never ever moved that fast. I am sure I heard a collective giggle go around the gym. Have you ever tried pressing the button to slow down whilst running for your life? It isn't easy!

After many attempts at reaching the button I had success, what a relief and that dear friends was the point at which the enormity of the task which I have set myself dawned on me.

The outcome was that 5km on the random terrain setting took me 27 minutes 45 seconds, pretty much in the ball park I expected.

I then went for a 1km swim (20 minutes) and then in the sauna where I laid down and contemplated the stupidity of my own ideas.

So post your progress, your successes, or in my case "cock ups" and let the fun begin.

Now who esle can I pester to join us?......:D

[rickvv]

Great idea for a thread.

OK, I'm coming from a mindset that I believed that my running days were over. But I have people around me who are getting into this running thing, and I wanted to see if I could join in on the fun. I've been cautiously walking and run/walking on our treadmill since the start of the year (2012). So far so good, my knee isn't complaining at all. So maybe I have a few more running days left in me.

Right now, there's a 5K run that's scheduled in our area in September, that I would like to participate in. I'm picking a modest goal (I think it's doable for me) of finishing the 5K under 30 minutes (hopefully with a smile on my face). I don't want to collapse at the finish line, and have paramedics rush over to assist me. I want it to be a fun event.

I intend to enter a post here, whenever I run on our treadmill or eventually start training outside.

The history of my progress so far:

1/9/12) I finally got on the treadmill. I walked 1.5 miles (6 laps) at 3 mph.

Fast forward ...

1/30/12) I walked 1 lap at 3 mph, then ran 4 laps at 5 mph. This was the 1st time that I ran mile straight in several years. :D

2/1/12) I walked 1 lap at 3 mph, then ran 3 laps at 5 mph, then ran 1 lap at 6 mph. A little increase in intensity. Everything felt good, and I was well within my limits. I'll continue to slowly increase the distance and/or the speed in future sessions.

I expect to do at least 2 or 3 training sessions each week.

[Gasdiver]

Running 1 mile is something I think the majority of the population here in the UK would faint at the idea of.
Good stuff Rick.

[wfbisbee]

If you're not a fan of long winded, self indulgent, stream of consciousness replies then just skip on down to the bottom.
Allrighty then, I decided to throw in with the Gasdiver just because I know misery loves company. I already had plans to add more running this year since I'm doing an 8k mudrun in August. However, since this is now An Official Challenge Thread (did I hear trumpets and fanfare just then?) 10K in November doesn't seem like a worthy goal. I was doing 5 miles (8k) last year. So now I'm thinking...what's the longest distance I've ever run in my life? The answer is 10 miles. Now this was 16 years ago but I still did it. So now I'm thinking in the outside of mainstream, lunatic world that is BWC, I've got to beat that. So here it goes.

11 mile run by November.

[CoolRaul]

I'm in. 10k sub 50 minutes is my goal. Let's do this!

[johndc68]

I'm in too. I have a 10k in a month. At the moment I am doing 5k in about 25mins. I might try doing 10k tomorrow or over the weekend interval style and try to improve from there....shorter intervals etc, its all about conditioning.

[ranger_x3]

I can't really partake in this challenge until after I've graduated. I will be running a 5k this April to make up for not breaking 16:00 during xc season, but I have an unfair advantage of the track, featherlight spikes (3.2oz :cool:), and a track coach to figure out training for me.

If I get really ballsy I'll sign up for a half marathon and aim for 1:12 (5:29 per mile). More than likely I'll be searching for a track club to continue racing middle distance, but I'll try and find 5k's to win some prize money or something.

[Gasdiver]

Welcome aboard all. Bill "Good one by you!"

Ranger you could do it as "after sunday lunch run a while" type of thing!

I have posted the video of me in the gym and on the treadmill, it's the incident I mentioned above, it's in the video section.

[CoolRaul]

I'm in. 10k sub 50 minutes is my goal. Let's do this!

k the above would be way fast for ME but I'm thinking I want to do some distance too ...

10k in sub 50 minutes AND complete a half marathon -- new goals for 11/12

[rickvv]

2/3/12 Treadmill training session. My 3rd session for the week.

1 lap - 3 mph
5 laps - 5 mph

So now I have a visual of what Gasdiver looks like. Funny stuff. :lol:

[rickvv]

2/7/12 Treadmill training session. My 1st session for the week.

1 lap - 3 mph
5 laps - 5 mph

I stayed at the same level as my last session. Everything feels good.

[Gasdiver]

Good going Rick.
I went out tonight did 3km in 15 minutes. Temperature was -1 degree C. Managed to wrap up just right.
Felt good, just cruised and was pleased with the result. No great elevation change, started at 25m above sea level, dropped to sea level, then returned to 25m.
This is my basic run when I just need to blow out cobwebs but I am short of time.

[Gasdiver]

Ok so no stiffness in the legs this morning so I went for a run this evening.
Decided to go further but hold the same pace. Managed it but was blowing hard come the end!
Distance was 4.3km in 21m 35s.
Now according to simple me, that's 5 minutes per km.

[rickvv]

2/9/12 Treadmill training session. My 2nd session for the week.

1 lap - 3 mph, 5:00
5.3 laps - 5 mph, 16:00

My plan right now is to add 1 minute to the running portion every other session. Since I try to run 3 times a week, this will allow me to add a quarter mile to my running distance every 2 weeks, at the pace that I'm running. It seems like a reasonable idea for me right now to get my distance up.

[Gasdiver]

According to my maths, that run was just over a mile and a half. Soon yo will be out running the trails, for that wind in the hair feeling.

NOw has Erik been for any more early hours runs?

[Gasdiver]

Popped in the gym this morning to get some treadmill work in.
400m loosen up
400m at 10kmh
400m at 13.5 kmh
400m at 10 kmh
400m at 13.5 kmh
400m at 10 kmh
400m at 14 kmh
400m at 10 kmh
400m at 14.5 kmh
400m cool down

Job done.

[Benihana]

Howdy All,

I'm in for this one. One of my goals for the year is to do 5km in under 30min - I'm presently on my couch to 5km program (http://www.c25k.com - week 5) which is going OK. Though its a goal for the year I plan to hit it in winter here - the plan to make it official is to do it in a fun run. I'll start putting in times here once I get though the couch to 5km program, basically when I'm trying to get the speed up.

I'll stick with this for now but once this is knocked off I think my next challenge will be, perhaps 8km in under 50min? so this may end up being it for Nov.

[rickvv]

Benihana - it sounds like we have the same goal. Good luck to you.

2/11/12 Treadmill session. My 3rd session for the week.

1 lap, 3 mph, 5:00
5.3 laps, 5 mph, 16:00

So far so good.

[ranger_x3]

If I knew a challenge like this was all you guys needed to get running I probably would have done it a few years ago.

Keep up the good work!

[rickvv]

Ranger - yeah, sometimes you just have to get to that point were you're willing to listen to the message. In my case, I have a few people around me that are interested in doing some fun runs, so I wanted to join in too. I actually thought I was too old and crippled to run anymore, and I didn't really care. I'm finding out that I'm not as crippled as I thought I was, and I really knew that I wasn't too old to do it. It was just a convenient excuse.

2/13/12 Treadmill session. My 1st session for the week.

1 lap, 3 mph, 5:00
5.7 laps, 5 mph, 17:00

I added a minute to the running time. I'm planning on adding a minute every other session, for awhile.

[Gasdiver]

It is just a timing thing for me.
Age 45, distance 10 km, time 45 minutes.
I really do dislike running!

[rickvv]

2/15/12 Treadmill session. My 2nd session for the week.

1 lap, 3 mph, 5:00
5.7 laps, 5 mph, 17:00

I stayed at the same level as the previous session. Next session I'll add another minute to the running time. So far so good. :smile:

[Gasdiver]

I haven't run in the last week due to some hard graft on the squash court.
My legs are fried!

[rickvv]

So I did my 3rd treadmill session for the week ending on 2/18/12 (Sat) on 2/19 (Sun). I did:

1 lap, 3 mph, 5:00
6 laps, 5 mph, 18:00

Then I did my 1st treadmill session for this week on 2/21 (Tues). I did:

3 mph, 1 lap, 5:00
5 mph, 6 laps, 18:00

[CanadianBuddha]

another interesting thread

I guess I kinda 'run/jog' as it were.. (not including jogging to the mailbox 6.5 kms there and back with a sloshkeg or bulgarian sandbag)


I have a measured 105m course laid out that encompasses some grade to it as well as a small hill..

I typically do 'leapfrogging' on it with 6 items and it goes a little something like this..

5 slosh kegs ranging in weight, 30#, 40#, 60#, 80# and 110# as well as a 70# bulgarian sandbag placed at one end of the course.

I grab an item and run/jog along til the end and either drop and do 10 pushups or hit the pull up station for 5 reps and back to the start, this entails a minimum of 200m per object so I end up doing 1.2km moving everything from one end to the other and my times for leapfrogging vary from just under and hour to aboot 45 minutes for 5.5km.

There is a small mountain (Puntzi Mountain) 10km from my property and one of my goals is to jog up and down it with either a slosh keg on my shoulders or a bulgarian sandbag sometime this year (hopefully before the tough Mudder here in Whistler in June)

It's all par for the course as it were
;)

[ranger_x3]

Anyone doing races soon? Or any major breakthroughs with the running?

[amit_shah25]

Anyone doing races soon? Or any major breakthroughs with the running?

I was gonna write up a long meaning-less rant here one of these days ! So the story on my side is this -

I had subscribed into this challange. And then I switched jobs, and being 4 miles away from work gave me the opportunity to just Run to work. It has been about a month or so now, and I am enjoying the runs. The only catch here is - I don't care to time any of those. I pretty much don't look at the watch. Every once in a while if I get itchy, I push myself to run hard. But I have noticed that for me, if I take away the pressure of performing better every day or every workout, I am being more consistent. And at this point, I am caring more for consistency than intensity. I would rather run 8 miles 3-4 days a week without caring for the pace rather than trying to run fast and burn out mentally. Call me a wuss, but .. a consistent wuss ! I think that is just my "personality" ;-)

So have I done anything to beat this challange yet ? No. But then, have I been running consistently lately .. Yes ! I am pretty sure all that running is improving my speed, but I am at a point where I just don't care for speed. Trying to just enjoy the runs, and "run by feel" and all that nonsense !

Where is this gonna go ? I don't really know. May be 2 months later I will get bored of running, but we will see at that time ! For now, I am enjoying this !

[wfbisbee]

I'll take consistency over speed any day. Of course If I'm doing a 10 minute mile I'm flat hauling A** :D.
You just keep on doing what your doing Amit. What are they putting in the water in Jersey? You and TMK are really getting it done

I'm signed up for the Metro Dash in VA Beach in April http://www.metrodash.com/
After that I'm going to put regular runs back in the program in preparation for a local 8K mudrun (Armed Forces YMCA) in August and then keep after until my ultimate goal of running the Tough Mudder in Oct. of 2013. I will run 11 miles by November and I will persist until I succeed.