May Challenge: who wants to RUN TO MORDOR?!?

[linaelyn]

Hi all! I'll be your irrepressibly chipper cruise director for our May Challenge. And boy-howdy, do I have my work cut out for me! I need to find something to rival the joys of having run The Iditarod, sailed with a voyage of discovery aboard The Challenger, and then... Runners in SPAAAAAAACE!!!

There's nothing that can top that. Except maybe fantasy?

So, who's up for running from the Shire to Mordor? *raises hand*

Poll #15269 Who wants to Run to Mordor?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13

View Respondents

Do you want to RUN TO MORDOR?

View Answers

Oooh, yes!! I WANT TO SEE MOUNTAINS, GANDALF.
9 (75.0%)

Welllllll, ok, I'll play along. But it's not my fandom.
2 (16.7%)

One does not simply walk...
9 (75.0%)

TICKY BOX
5 (41.7%)

I can't believe you're doing this to us, Lin.
1 (8.3%)

No thanks. Not this month. I have to wash my Entwives.
0 (0.0%)

Is the system we've been using in April, for recording both mileage & active hours, working for everyone?

View Answers

Works for me!
13 (100.0%)

Not so much.
0 (0.0%)

I have a suggested change, which I will elaborate in comments below.
0 (0.0%)

The distance from Hobbiton to Mt. Doom is roughly twice as many miles as we've been running as a group. How should we deal with this conundrum?

View Answers

One Gaia-Earth Mile = Two Middle Earth Miles
3 (27.3%)

Run the challenge over two months
7 (63.6%)

I have a different idea, which I shall describe in the comments below.
1 (9.1%)

If we decide as a group to spread it over two months, then I am willing (nay, even EAGER) to take on June as well as May.

IMPORTANT: If you do nothing else, please comment here with your estimated miles for the month, and your estimated active hours for the month.

Comments

[linaelyn]

I plan to try for 75 miles of running, and 20 additional active hours.

[ell]

I haven't yet figured out my mileage for May, but since it involves a taper, a marathon, and a vacation, it's going to be less than the last few...

but I have a different idea for how we get across some of the distance to Mt Doom - EAGLES! Or Shadowfax! Or Smaug...

So are we going to be the Fellowship of the Run?

[ilanarama]

Hmm. I think I will be good for 200 miles and 4 hours of core work in May. And if we go for 2 months, the same in June!

[linaelyn]

You are an awesome mile-booster to our team! Thanks for the estimate.

[linaelyn]

No rush on figuring out your miles. I just want to make sure that the vast majority of us aren't reporting to the DL (disabled list) -- in which case I would scale it back to just trying to box the compass around the four Farthings, stopping at every decent inn and public house along the way.

I promise Eagle Rides will figure in this, one way or another. And Shadowfax would be very cool to add, but I'm not so sure I want to ride Smaug. He seems a bit cranky.

I think you just named us: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RUN.

[ell]

OK I've done some math - put me down for 100 for May and 130 for June :-)

Also for may 20 hours of other (we're going to Crete so there should be tons of hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc.) for May and 15 for June.

Thank you for doing this :-)

[blnchflr]

I need to keep doing test hikes to prepare for hiking vacation in Scotland, so yes pls to recording both mileage & active hours.

I have no opinion on how to deal with the mile conundrum - one mile to two, run the challenge over two months, a third option, it's all good :)

Estimated mileage for May: 35 miles

Estimated active hours (in my world that means test-hike hours) for May: 7 hours (uh, am I setting myself up for my first fail?)

And thanks for taking on the May (and possibly June) challenge, and for being excited about it - yaaay, I love our challenges <3

[linaelyn]

Hiking in Scotland! COOL! My alternate plan if the Tolkien thing didn't work out was running a goodly distance through Great Britain.

Thanks for the estimates.

[ridicully]

I'll be trying for 150km (sorry, don't do miles) again in May. And in June if it comes to that.

And I'll try to increase the active hours to a nice 25.

[linaelyn]

Being a science-y type person, I can "think in" most metric units, as well as the illogical USAian measurement-silliness I was raised with, so I have no problem with gladly using whatever units you prefer. Thanks for the clear goals! this is going to be easy to calculate or us all.

[shanaqui]

I am afraid I can't estimate right now, as I haven't been running for a while and I'm not sure where my start point is, but I'll be back with an estimate ASAP.

[linaelyn]

No problem on the estimate -- it's more like guidelines, anyway. If you can come up with a number, great. If it's "answer murky - ask again later," that's totally fine, too.

[linaelyn]

whups? I have no idea why my [now deleted] reply to Franzi got threaded to you. Sorry!

[franzi1981]

Hm. I'll know tomorrow if I can start training again. I don't know where I am, so I'll be aiming low, in order to not build up any unnecessary pressure :)

If I can train again, I'll go for ~20 km and ~10 hours of additional activity.

[linaelyn]

No pressure to be giving an estimate when you're still trying to figure things out. I just need a general idea if the collective total will be really far off from what we've been doing recently. If you figure out a mileage, please feel free to let me know, of course! :-)

[franzi1981]

I think those estimates I gave are OK-ish. I will not pressure myself into meeting them, especially as May will be busy as hell, but I'll try :)

[linaelyn]

Definitely no pressure! We are not *actually* trying to save the world from the clutches of Sauron, here. ;-D Just having fun!

[temve]

Like ell, my mileage is going to be significantly lower than in previous months, but I've just been given encouraging advice from the ortho-doc which means that it likely won't be *zero*.

I currently have a million unknown factors that will determine my May mileage (how do I feel after another week of rest, how do I feel running with my new inserts when they get here, will I be able to run the marathon, the half, or no race at all, will we be renting mountain bikes to get around on vacation etc.) but it will definitely be <100 miles. For mere eyeballing purposes, let's say I'll run 50 miles and do 20 hours of additional activity (biking, swimming) in May.

Sorry to be so vague - updates will be forthcoming though!

[linaelyn]

I'm so glad the news is encouraging! I almost want to tell you to skip posting any goal, so you don't feel any pressure at ALL -- healing from this particular injury is ALL about the resting appropriately (though that tape helps a lot, too, in my experience as a coach.) Take it easy, and remember that it's always honorable to be a supernumerary

[liv]

My goal for May is 25 miles again; it's going to be a complicated month and I don't think I'm going to manage much further than April. I am also hoping for 30 active hours, counting walking. That should motivate me to get back into my weights routine on days I'm not running.

[linaelyn]

I have a great deal of empathy for the "complicated month" thing because that's my April, this year. Thanks for your estimates. :-)

[calico_jane]

Ooh - good challenge! Thanks for arranging.

I'm going to go for 20 active hours and 30 miles this month. Though I may be off to Cornwall to walk some of the South West Coast Path (if I manage to get time off work), so will increase active hours target if I do. I should know before the challenge starts...

[linaelyn]

Walking in Cornwall in May! Sounds WONDERFUL. I sincerely hope the time off work happens for you.

Thanks for your estimates.

[calico_jane]

I hope so - though I went to Devon last May and got snow and gale force winds. SNOW IN MAY WHILE CAMPING! Am sincerely hoping for better weather this year...

[semielliptical]

For May: 75 miles and 8 active hours.

[linaelyn]

Excellent! Thanks for the estimates.

[meri_oddities]

Replying late since I didn't see this. 110 for May and 8 hours of non running activity.

[linaelyn]

THanks! I'll add your goals now.