Monday, March 15, 2021

Week of Pi Challenge 2021



Oops, I did it again (and I don't regret it).

Since last year's inaugural Week of Pi was so successful, it was a given that it would happen again. After all, not everyone is blessed with a birthday that falls on the National Pi Day. That right there is a recipe for celebrating!

The thing is, I'm not only a runner, but also a bit of a numbers nerd. Most of us have probably played the game of runners' math (calculating how far one has run vs. how much further remains). I have also  done many tribute runs, where I base my mileage off of a significant date or number. Call me weird, but I like to mix things up and not do the same-old-same-old repeatedly.

For many years, I have done such a tribute run on my birthday. A 3.14-mile run is short enough that it can fit into most any day (or night). It's also long enough that it feels like a substantial workout, regardless of how fast, or slow, it's run.

In 2020, March 14th landed on a Saturday, giving me an entire calendar week to have some fun. Thus, the Week of Pi was born. And, just last week, it happened again. 

Here's what went down this time around...

Day 1 - Monday, March 8th
With it being chilly in the morning, and having run a somewhat tempo-ish 4-miler the previous afternoon, I opted to save the run for after work. Our weekend's spring-like temps had turned to summer, and I wasn't complaining. I headed out on the county road, on the north edge of town, and did the tried-and-true 5K route (with a little extra added on). This run felt especially easy, and I let my legs have their way. Pace - 9:37.

Day 2 - Tuesday, March 9th
Another day with a chilly morning, but the promise of a warmer afternoon. Well, the temps were definitely pleasant (68F), but the wind a bit crazy (22mph). Even though this was only Day 2 of the Pi Week's festivities, I also had run a 5-mile race on Saturday (with a 1-mile warm-up) and those four Sunday afternoon miles. I typically don't run four continuous days, so I think I was feeling a bit fatigued. The wind wasn't making things easy, either. Needless to say, this run felt tough. I just focused on keeping my pace (somewhat) steady while fighting the wind. Pace - 9:51


Day 3 - Wednesday, March 10th
This run happened rather spontaneously. Rain had been in the forecast, so my friend and I had cancelled our usual 5:00 Wednesday run. I'd gotten up, ready for an indoor bike ride, when the weather gal (at 6:00) told us the rain was arriving later than expected. I promptly changed into my running gear and was out the door by 6:15. We'd had some overnight rain, so the streets were wet, the air was damp and there was a little bit of mist and fog. But my legs felt great! Even with a 16mph wind out of the south, this run felt relatively easy. I was really glad to have seized the moment and gotten the run done early, because the wind later picked up to 24mph, with a tornado watch in effect. Pace - 9:44


Day 4 - Thursday, March 11th
Another cold morning, with a not-so-cold afternoon in the forecast. I opted for a morning bike ride, and met up with a friend, after work for this run. Gotta say, the sunshine and the company were awesome! This was another run that kind of ran itself. Pace - 9:46.


Day 5 - Friday, March 12th
With a late afternoon run the day prior, and sub-freezing morning temps, this was an easy run to postpone for later. The temps weren't a whole lot warmer, and the sunshine wasn't too strong. I'd had a long day at work, and received my second shingles vaccine over my lunch break. I accidentally chose a somewhat hilly route, in a part of town where I don't run very often. None the less, a Pi run is still a Pi run. Pace - 9:50
    

Day 6 - Saturday, March 13th
Yowza. Remember the shingles vaccine the day prior? Yeah, I awoke in a world of discomfort, with an achy body, low energy, and serious brain fog. I had made plans to meet up with my friend, Barb, for the run (and she would continue on and do her own thing afterwards). The cold morning temps (mid-30F's), though, were oddly invigorating. We ran our Pi miles, and I actually felt much better than when I'd left the house. Even my pace felt steady and strong. Funny how that happens. Pace - 9:40.
 

Day 7 - March 14th...the Grand Finale!
Wouldn't you know it, I awoke to the sound of rain pelting the skylight in our bathroom. My treadmill was out of commission, so my only option was the great outdoors. The weather app showed the rain increasing throughout the morning, as well as the wind getting stronger. Best to just go with it, right? Once I got outdoors, it didn't feel as cold as anticipated, and the rain lightened. I had to dodge a few puddles, but I chose a north/south (mostly out-and-back) route, and never felt the least bit chilled. I figured if I could run a marathon in torrential rain, a mere 3.14 miles would be easy-peasy. And I was correct with that assumption. Pace - 9:49
  

So, I did it! Another Week of Pi, done and dusted. I can really see myself doing this, for many years to come. After all, it's my birthday and I'll Pi if I want to. If you're interested, here's what happened last year (HERE).

Some thoughts:

***I got really lucky with the weather. As mentioned, my treadmill was out of commission, so it was the outdoors or it wasn't happening. Thankfully, the temps were pleasant (though the wind was a little testy). I was even able to wear shorts for almost all of my runs! That's a total score this time of year in the Midwest. 

***To keep things interesting, I purposely ran a different route each day. I didn't care about finish times, so it didn't matter if the routes varied in terms of hills, sharp corner turns, or traffic.

***Even though my routes changed on the daily, and my energy level wasn't always at 100%, all of these runs had very similar finish times. I didn't glance at my Garmin while running, so the finish times were always a surprise (even when some runs felt much harder than others).

***In addition to the daily 3.14-mile runs, I also added a few other fitness options to keep it interesting. It turns out that 3.14 kilometers is equal to 1.95 miles...so that distance was walked a few times. I also took Gustavas (my mountain bike) out for his first 2021 ride, to the tune of 3.14 miles.   


***Lastly, I was blessed many times over with endless support, encouragement and camaraderie from numerous runner friends. Several ran one day of the Challenge. Many ran 3.14 miles on my actual birthday (March 14th, National Pi Day). Some opted to run 3.14 miles several times, and some even ran or walked with me every day of the week. WOW.

Consider yourselves warned, this will be an annual endeavor from here on out. I'm always up for a challenge, and this one fits the bill with perfection.

Have you ever taken on a challenge, such as this? Do you do a tribute run, to honor your birthday? Care to Pi with me next year?

I'm linking this with Kim and Zenaida for the Tuesday Topics Link-Up


I'm also linking with Debbie, DeborahLisaLaura and Jenn for the Runners' Roundup

By the way...are you following me on social media? 
Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter

30 comments:

  1. Well done, Kim! Considering the different weather, routes, time of day and fitness levels, your consistent finishing time is amazing! Always around 30 minutes and a few seconds!
    For 2022, you should set up a webpage where people can register. This could be the beginning of a really big global event!

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    1. Hmmm, the Week of Pi goes global. Has kind of a nice ring to it ;-) We'll see....it was fun just having peeps on Insta and our blogging tribe play along. Anyways, I was really surprised how consistent my finish times were, give the different routes and energy issues. Crazy!

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  2. That's some sweet pi! Basically you did your 5k spree from last year all in one week! Do you have a workout set up for 3.14 miles or do you manually stop your watch every time? That certainly adds to the challenge! This year I remembered to set it up as a workout so that I didn't have to give my wrist the death stare at the end.

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    1. Sadly, I don't know if my Garmin has a feature that I could set for that time frame (?), so I had to death stare at it for the last .14 each and every time. Yesterday's run (sans Garmin) felt so liberating!!!!

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  3. I loved Pi-ing with you this year! I had just completed a one-week recovery from marathon training so this was a great way to kick-start my new training cycle! I'm so glad your Saturday turned out well after waking up feel out of sorts! Sounds like the run was just the thing the body needed post-shingles vaccine!

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    1. Saturday's run worked wonders for my shingles vax recovery! I'm glad you PI'd with me, too! It was great having you along on the journey ;-)

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  4. You are tough! I would have bailed on those rainy days. But I never run everyday - at most 4 days.

    Thanks for the inspiration. I did PI with you - 4 runs, 2 walks and one hike - all at least 3.14!!

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    1. I only run daily when I"m doing the winter streak, and then a lot of those runs are only 1-milers. Doing seven 3.14-milers wasn't tough, because I wasn't racing any of them, but I was ready for things to wind down after yesterday's #nevermissamonday run.

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  5. Way to go! A fun challenge and the consistency is inspiring!

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    1. It was a lot of fun. I'm glad I could do all of the runs outside and most of them in shorts!

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  6. This is such a fun challenge to do every year and I love that you picked a different route for each of your runs last week. I was sorry to hear that Milly was out of commission, but hopefully she just needs some rest and she will start working again, just like last time, lol.

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    1. Yeah, Milly LOL Thankfully, I really didn't need her last week, but I kind of hope she pulls through ...

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  7. I'm so amazed you made this happen with your shingles vaccine in there!

    I'm also amazed at those temps. We're so happy if it gets to 50 -- maybe 60, LOL!

    Nope, no tribute runs on my birthday. If it's a running day I run. if it's not, I don't; just the way I roll! :)

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    1. The temps were a definite nice surprise! We usually have a random warm day, this time of year, but not usually (almost) an entire week of it. The shingles vax was tricky...this second dose seemed to hit me quicker, and stronger (as I'd been warned), but the "hangover" didn't last as long as the first one did. The Saturday run really made me feel better!

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  8. Congrats on your week of Pi! Thats a great accomplishment. I've done runs on my birthday that correspond to my age...like when I turns 34 did 3.4 miles. My birthday is in October so if it fell on a weekend I could do 10 miles!

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    1. I'm lucky my bday has "easy" numbers to work with...a fall birthday would be a bit more challenging (unless you were peaking with 26.2 training LOL).

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  9. That is fun to do a different route each day! Always a fun way to celebrate your birthday week :)

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    1. I'm glad I had the idea last year, and that the dates all worked for a full (calendar) week this year. Next year will be a different story...we might have to start the Challenge on my actual birthday (which will be a Monday). I have 51 weeks to figure it out LOL

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  10. Great job and happy birthday! I did do a Pi run on your birthday too! It's such a fun idea!

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    1. Thanks!! It's fun to do quirky distances now and then, especially if they have a significant meaning ;-)

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  11. I can't wait for Pi Week 2022. It was such a good way to make my Friday walk just a little longer. I love tribute runs. In addition to not being same old, which I wholly agree gets boring, but it's a good way for the mileage to add up stealthily.
    I ran 11.23 KM last year as I wanted to do more than 4.1. My favorite though was coming off injury last summer and my first 10K in months - accidentally. On dad's anniversary I ran his bday 2.3 and 3.9 and only when I mathed did I realize. In my defense, it was before coffee.
    Skylight in your bathroom. How cool!

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    1. That's a great coincidence with you 10K run! I'm glad Renee got me to think out-of-my-box, and play with Kilometers a bit ;-)

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  12. Yes, it's fun to mix things up with some different routes and distances! Themed challenges are always fun. I also have a birthday run coming up but it doesn't correspond at all to my age or the date. Maybe next year I should find a way to work that in!
    Glad you enjoyed your week of Pi!!!

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    1. The Pi runs had always been a fun little bday thing for me, so it was even more fun making a week of it (both last year and last week). That said, I'm glad it only happens for one week...too much Garmin OCD for this gal LOL

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  13. I'm joining in next year! I was really intimidated by giving myself a set mileage every day, but I clearly can do it, so I will! So fun! But then we all need pie!

    So glad you had a wonderful birthday tribute challenge!

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  14. While I'm really enjoying the less running I've been doing (currently at 2-3 days per week) I do miss the days I used to be able to do challenges like this! Hopefully I'll get back to that level of fitness soon!

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  15. I love this and how you've turned Pi Runs into an annual event! And yeah, I stink at runner's math, especially in longer races.

    The second shingles shot hit me hard, too. I got the chills for about four hours and could not get warm no matter how many layers I put on. I also had flu-like symptoms for about 24 hours and then I was fine. We were saying last night that the Covid vaccination "ain't go nothing on us" because we survived the shingles shots. LOL

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  16. Happy birthday! Pi week sounds like such a fun way to celebrate!

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  17. Great job, Kim! I love that you ran the same distance each day. Hopefully next year I can participate again. For my birthday I run 4.4, 4.5 miles, etc. This year the plan is to run 4.9 miles. Join me!

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  18. What a fun way to celebrate your birthday! It was fun doing a little pi running with you :)

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