August 2018 Running Challenge

8/1 rest
8/2 9miles
8/3 4.22miles
8/4 13.1miles
8/5 rest
8/6 8.5miles
8/7 4miles (treadmill)
8/8 4miles
8/9 9.4miles
8/10 4miles
8/11 13.1miles
8/12 rest
8/13 7.8miles
8/14 5miles
8/15 5miles
8/16 rest
8/17 7miles
8/18 17miles!!!!
8/19 rest
8/20 9.26miles
8/21 4miles

Saw a commercial on TV the other night that mentioned state inspection stickers and it occurred to me that my vehicle’s inspection is due this month. Ugh. Took it in right when it opened and it failed because the parking brake shoes were worn out. I never use the parking brake and how did it pass inspection last year? Whatever. 2 hours and $300 later we were finally out of there.

Anyway, all that to say I didn’t get out for my run until 11am! That’s really late for me. At least I only had 4 miles on the schedule. Got it done even though I had to walk a bit. Didn’t have much energy.


3/18/2018 Shamrock half marathon
3/24/2018 Don't Sit on Colon Cancer 5K
5/28/2018 Run to Remember 5K
10/7/2018 Crawlin Crab half marathon
10/13/2018 Joggin for Frogmen 5K
11/18/2018 Norfolk Harbor half marathon
12/2/2018 Busch Gardens Christmas Town Dash 8K

August goal: 70 miles
8/1: impromptu rest day (3 miles were planned)
8/2: 3.15 miles (6 miles were planned, but heat was too awful)
8/3: 7 miles (new distance best!, 3 were planned, but kept going)
8/4: planned rest
8/5: 2 miles (planned rest, back on target for the month)
8/6: elliptical and upper body weights
8/7: 8 miles (5.5 planned, but just rolled with the energy, new distance best!)
8/8: 5 miles speedwork and lower body weights
8/9: 4 miles (oh so painful legs!)
8/10: elliptical, back, abs
8/11: 7 miles
8/12: rest
8/13: 9 miles
8/14: 3.5 miles tempo
8/15: 4 miles
8/16: 8 miles
8/17: 3.15 miles
8/18: planned rest
8/19: planned rest
8/20: impromptu rest (3 planned)
8/21: 6 miles (3 planned)
69.8 of 70 completed

UPCOMING RACES
August 25th - Camp New Hope 10k
September 7th - 5k Glow Run

COMPLETED RACES
January - Frosty 5k
February - Run for the Chocolate 5k
March - Penguin in the Park 5k
April - Lake Sara Dam 5k
May - Run Through the Jungle 5k
June - French Fried 5k
July - Firecracker 5k

rheddmobile wrote: »

Well, grrr... getting ready to head out for a run and the power went out. It's apparently our whole area according to the outage map. Only problem is I don't want to open the fridge to get cold water and ice, so it's going to be a long, hot run with lukewarm tap water. (First world problems.)

Here is a secret: Lukewarm tap water will hydrate you just as well as refrigerated water.

cburke8909 wrote: »

6

This might be the shortest update I’ve ever read - lol

So today was supposed to be my grand return to running, but instead, I came home to thousands, maybe millions or even billions of ants in my kitchen. So had to clean them out and run to the store for bait and etc etc. Yay!

I think all the rain has flooded THIER home, so they decided to move into MY home. The freeloaders! #grr

Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
08/01/18 :::: 6.3 :::: 6.3
08/02/18 :::: 3.5 :::: 9.9
08/03/18 :::: 0.0 :::: 9.9
08/04/18 :::: 14.3 :::: 24.2
08/05/18 :::: 5.2 :::: 29.4
08/06/18 :::: 3.8 :::: 33.2
08/07/18 :::: 5.0 :::: 38.2
08/08/18 :::: 6.1 :::: 44.3
08/09/18 :::: 14.2 :::: 58.4
08/10/18 :::: 0.0 :::: 58.4
08/11/18 :::: 5.2 :::: 63.6
08/12/18 :::: 4.1 :::: 67.7
08/13/18 :::: 4.1 :::: 71.8
08/14/18 :::: 4.0 :::: 75.9
08/15/18 :::: 5.9 :::: 81.7
08/16/18 :::: 15.0 :::: 96.7
08/17/18 :::: 0.0 :::: 96.7
08/18/18 :::: 0.0 :::: 96.7
08/19/18 :::: 7.1 :::: 103.8
08/20/18 :::: 3.7 :::: 107.5
08/21/18 :::: 4.0 :::: 111.5

I really expected to sleep like a log last night after an exhausting trip and 3 nights of terrible sleeping, but it didn't really happen. I had a lot of trouble rising and shining today, and my dog wasn't home yet from her boarding so no one made me get up. Finally I dragged myself out and went for a run - it was a pretty cool morning and the rain had not started yet - and then my circuit training class. My trainer had devised a lot of work on the obliques and upper body today to I guess take pity on my tired legs, or at least to balance out the pain a bit. My biceps and triceps are going to be feeling it tomorrow.

@Scott6255 I certainly can't wait for September to arrive...it won't actually be much cooler then, but psychologically it will be because it won't be August anymore, lol.

@katharmonic Great race report, and very nicely run!

---

It was a little cooler this morning, and the dew point was lower, so double victory there. Still sweaty though. Ran my regular 9 mile route before meeting up with the group to run the remaining 5. Today's mileage meant I met my goal for the month, but as I said yesterday, I'm on call for a week after Thursday's run, so that should leave just a couple more days this week and the last day of August to get some guaranteed mileage in.

01 - 15.66
02 - 14.15
03 - 21.05
05 - 5.75
06 - 15.62
07 - 14.41
08 - 15.62
09 - 14.45
10 - 26.39
13 - 15.64
14 - 15.32
15 - 15.59
16 - 14.03
17 - 26.21 for @KeepRunningFatboy
20 - 15.66
21 - 14.16

Total: 259.71 / 250 miles

Miraculously the power came back on just as we were walking out the door, so we got our chilled water bottles. It's funny how we always get to know our neighbors when the power goes out. Everyone congregates outside to talk. We still don't know why it went out, no storm anywhere near, and the map showed a huge area out. My money is on a raccoon at the substation, that's what it was last time we had a big outage.

10k on the Greenline. Weather a little cooler than it has been, still in the 80s though. I was aiming for 11 minute miles, which is an easy pace for us. Hit 10:56 overall and no split more than 15 seconds off, I was impressed with my pacing. Pretty good run, we're starting to get used to the longer distance.

Yesterday we scouted out a new trail. The Nonconnah Greenbelt seems to be a typical Memphis boondoggle. It was going to be a paved trail linking miles of other trails, but they hired incompetent contractors and then ran out of money in 2007, and years later there it sits. At the present time it's a parking circle next to a young oak tree on a small raised mound, some overgrown but originally fancy paving stones, then a wooden footbridge which has rotted in places and has a warning sign on it, followed by a quarter mile of tightly overgrown, barely passable paved trail leading to a concrete bridge under the overpass.

Even at low water levels such as we have presently (the Wolf is dry in places and the Nonconnah is just a rivulet) this bridge was about ankle deep in water. We contemplated sloshing across the bridge but my husband said he could see something slithering on it, and was concerned about water moccasins. Well - there may or may not also be snakes - it seems likely - but what he was seeing was a lovely school of fish about a foot long, maybe crappie. Swimming on the concrete footbridge. Someone who built this bridge has a poor understanding of the word "bridge." Unless there is a full-fledged drought there is no point at which I foresee this bridge being above water level, so I'm honestly perplexed as to how they built it.

We turned back and followed some unpaved ruts into the area which never got finished. Looks like it gets used by four wheelers. Lots of beer bottles back in the wilderness, otherwise very nice. Saw a majestic white heron, many varieties of butterflies, lots of wildflowers and dragonflies. Overall very pretty, more of a hike than a trail I would feel comfortable running, but worth exploring and several miles long. In fact we had just said out loud that we were glad we weren't trying to run it, because of the rough footing, when we came into a broad pasture area looking towards a small lake, and noticed the sky. Which was sort of greenish yellow with a big dark thunderhead. According to the weather station, we weren't supposed to get anything for another two hours. Oops. We watched the storm sweep across the lake towards us, whipping the water into the air. So, guess what, we ended up running the rough trail after all. Not wearing tech clothes since we hadn't planned on running. We got thoroughly drenched. The rain stopped almost at the exact moment we reemerged from the wilderness into the paved part. Somehow I had ended up with an adorable furry white caterpillar riding on the brim of my hat. I suspected him of being the stingy kind, so we carefully removed him using a leaf. (Looked him up later - sycamore tussock moth caterpillar, they are toxic but not very.)

It was definitely an adventure! We had fun and will have to venture out there again when the weather is better. But it would be stretching a point to call it a "Greenbelt." It was a bayou with some four wheeler paths.

8/1 3.5 m
8/2 Rest
8/3 Rest
8/4 3.5 m
8/5 5 m
8/6 Rest
8/7 UP Rest
8/8 3.5 m
8/9 Rest
8/10 2.5 m am run
8/11 3 m
8/12 UP Rest
8/13 2 m
8/14 1.5 m
8/15 Rest...blisters
8/16 3 m
3/17 3.5 m
3/18 Rest...rain
3/19 3 m
3/20 Rest
3/21 Rest..sooo tired and more rain


Yikes! I'm very behind on updating!! Work has been kicking my *kitten* for the last week an a half and it's only going to get worse next week. Rather than complaining I suppose I should be grateful that I have a job that I like. Anyway, it has rained and rained and rained here in Eastern PA. It's raining right now. So between my job leaving me dragging and rain, my miles are suffering. Still plugging along though. The evenings have been cooler, which is always welcome. I can't wait for those overall cool autumn temps.

For all those getting out there and crushing goals, good on you! And those that are taking the time to take care of themselves, I hope you're feeling better soon. Everyday each one of you inspire me to keep trying to get out there an push myself whenever I can!

34/75

Upcoming Races:
10/? 2 mile RACC Inauguration Celebration Run *maybe*
10/28 Fitzy's Run 5k
12/8 West Reading Run Santa Run 5k

8/1 - 5.59 km
8/2 - 5.42 km
8/3 - travel day
8/4 - 11.66 km
8/5 - travel day (14 hours to do a 10.5 hour drive ago)
8/6 - laundry
8/7 - 4.90 km
8/8 - Nada
8/9 - 2.97 km
8/10 - rest
8/11 - bleh
8/12 - bleh
8/13 - 1.90 km
8/14 - hot
8/15 - too smoky (not safe to run)
8/16 - 2.17 km
8/17 - smoke
8/18 - worse smoke
8/19 - 21.1 km
8/20 - walk
8/21 - 3.86 km

59.57/125 km

Nice night, nice run. Legs felt good. I saw a bunny.



2018 Races: (italics means not registered yet, only pondering)
1/1/18 Resolution Run 5K ~38:00 (no official times)
3/4/18 MEC Road Race #1 10K 1:30:57
3/17/28 St Patrick's Day race 10K 1:24:53
4/7/18 Jasper Half Marathon 3:05:55
4/22/18 MEC Trail Race #1 5Kish 1:00:00? (Or 48:45...)
5/20/18 MEC Trail Race #2 10Kish 1:56:15
6/24/18 MEC Trail Race #3 10Kish 2:03:15
7/1/18 Canada Day 15K 2:03:04
7/28/18 Idaho Peak 10K Trail Race 1:30:16
8/18/18 Edmonton Marathon (Half Marathon) 3:12:something
8/25/18 MEC Trail Race #4 10Kish
9/22/18 Heartbeat Run 10K
10/7/18 MEC Trail Race #5 15Kish
12/1/18 Santa Shuffle