August 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

August goal: 100 miles

8/1: 6.30 miles
8/4: 11.06 miles
8/6: 6.27 miles
8/7: 6.26 miles
8/8: 6.42 miles

36.31/100 miles completed

Today's run was 6.42 miles in almost the exact same weather as yesterday. It was a pretty good run. I felt good, it was just hot. I guess I've accepted that it will be hot though. When it is in the 80's before the sun even comes up you know that it isn't going to get any better. We are under a heat advisory again today, so it is a good thing that I got the run in during the "cool" part of the day.






2019 races:
2/2/19: Catch the Groundhog Half Marathon - PR 2:15:17
5/18/19: Run for 57th AHC Half Marathon - Cancelled due to weather

2020 races:
5/16/20: Run for 57th AHC Half Marathon

Date :::: Miles :::: Cumulative
08/01/19 :::: 3.6 :::: 3.6
08/02/19 :::: 4.1 :::: 7.7
08/03/19 :::: 10.2 :::: 17.8
08/04/19 :::: 3.7 :::: 21.5
08/05/19 :::: 3.7 :::: 25.2
08/06/19 :::: 3.1 :::: 28.2
08/07/19 :::: 5.1 :::: 33.3
08/08/19 :::: 3.0 :::: 36.3

Set out to do a very easy 3 miles with a friend this morning. The temp felt good to start with but it seemed really humid and my legs are tired from last night's workout. The whole thing was much harder than anticipated, so I shut it down when we hit 3 and walked the rest of the way back to the car. Time for some rest, for sure.

@PastorVincent I see you have a few races coming up (tomorrow and 3 on Saturday!!). Good luck sir!!!
And to anybody else racing this weekend, good luck, and be careful. If the weather is anything like it is here in Texas, it's gonna suck!!!

@zeesparrow I hope your knee feels better soon!

Well, now I can cross “running in hail” off my list of things to do. Remember yesterday when we were under a heat advisory so I decided to postpone running until today? Woke up this morning and we were still under a heat advisory, supposedly going to reach a heat index of 107 and not cool down until 8 pm tonight. So decided to get out there anyway. Checked the weather before setting out and it said thunderstorms, but not until 6 pm. At this point it was 9 am. Then as we were driving to the park (which is 30 minutes away) some storms popped up in Arkansas. Checked the radar which has a radius predicting when storms will arrive at different locations, and it said the storms were still on the Arkansas side of the river and wouldn’t reach us for another hour. Well... fine... shorter run than planned, but fine... then as we pulled up to the park, the drops started. Checked the radar again and the weather station claimed it was cloudy with no rain anywhere near. So we figured it was a passing sprinkle and set out. By the time we were done with our warm up, my husband and I looked like we had jumped in a swimming pool. At that point you might as well run anyway, so we started along the boardwalk towards the trails. Did I mention we were planning to run trails?

The rain was so heavy that it was pooling ankle deep on the boardwalk, which is made up of boards with cracks between them - which normally means pretty good drainage! But the water was making the boards swell and stop the drainage. The rain was SO heavy that I actually started laughing at how ridiculous it was trying to run in it, and then couldn’t stop laughing. By the time we reached the end of the boardwalk, which is .7 miles, it was clear we were not running trails, because the trails looked like rushing rivers. Also, no sign of the “heat” from the heat advisory, it was 72 degrees. We decided that since we were already half drowned we might as well run back to the car and down the paved wagon trail to Cox park.

On the way back, we started commenting to each other, “Man, these raindrops really hurt! They’re so big they sting!” “Ow, that one hurt me through my HAT!” “That’s not rain, it’s hail!”

It was warm enough that the hail was melting almost as soon as it reached the ground, but not quite soon enough not to sting like heck on bare wet skin. Nothing to do at that point but run faster, and the hail had stopped before we reached the car, to be replaced by ominous rumblings. “That’s miles away,” my husband reassured me. I will run in all kinds of weather, but I draw the line at getting struck by lightning. We turned through the parking lot towards the wagon trail and the sky lit up, and I counted, “one one thous...” and didn’t finish because the thunder started before I finished the first “one.” “Get in the car,” I said to my husband, and I may have used a choice word implying that his intellect was not up to standards.

So we sat in the car for several minutes while the storm went over. As fast as it was moving, it didn’t take long. This screenshot was taken while we sat in the car:

When the red storm cell had gone over and we were under the normal green rain on the radar (the pink background, by the way, is the heat advisory we were supposedly still under in the midst of this) we got back out there and ran to Cox park and back. It was seriously wet, over our ankles in places. The park ranger came along behind us and put up “trail closed” signs on the wagon trail, but we didn’t notice until we were heading back. The rangers are touchy about this trail during heavy rain because it runs along the creek, and sometimes water undermines the trail itself. However, we didn’t get washed into the creek today. We had the trails all to ourselves! And Cox park all to ourselves, which I don’t think has ever happened before, not even in the worst weather.

So, the takeaway for the day: “You know, I must really hate running in the heat, because I ran in hail today and I still think running in hail is better than running in 107 degree heat,” I said to my husband. “To be honest? This is the best run I’ve had in weeks,” my husband replied. “I like running when the weather gets crazy, it keeps me from getting bored.” Which, okay I guess, but I kinda like being bored on a run, it’s Zen and relaxing. “I don’t do Zen,” my husband informs me.

6.4 running miles broken into three intervals (we took refuge in the bathrooms at Cox during another stormy bit), only living creatures out in the wet were us, two Great Blue Herons, a tiny red frog, six ravens, and a sodden red-tailed hawk sitting on a soccer goal.

Well that was rubbish. I had to walk the last 250m. Fisrt time sine May I havent completed without a walk break. Not sure what went wrong, I just felt so tired all over.

1. 5 Aug.................5km
2. 8 Aug.................5km

Target this month:

1.12 runs.................2
2. Distance 65km....10km
2.New PB 6km.........x
3.Long run 7km.......x

PastorVincent wrote: »

Scott6255 wrote: »

@PastorVincent I see you have a few races coming up (tomorrow and 3 on Saturday!!). Good luck sir!!!
And to anybody else racing this weekend, good luck, and be careful. If the weather is anything like it is here in Texas, it's gonna suck!!!

Tomorrow will be interesting. It will be my first time in a COMPETITIVE HEAT. AND it is sponsored by the company that @MobyCarp was a pacer for in his last race.

No chance I will actually place, but still will be an interesting experience.

Good luck @PastorVincent! Big weekend!

@Scott6255, fortunately, we are expecting a nice cool down this weekend. I'm excited that the forecast for the Spartan races in the Boston area is for highs of 73 on Saturday and 76 on Sunday. Looks like I won't need to wear the hydration vest.

@rheddmobile that sounds pretty crazy. I can see the fun but hail is a little over the top. Glad you got to your car safely.

@username301 sometimes a run just goes like that. Some are just a slogfest and feel terrible. Mine felt like that today too and I stopped and walked the last bit to the car because my legs were dead. Hopefully after a little rest the next one feels easy.

Currently at 10.7 total miles for the month. That goal of 40 seems appropriate.

That heat tonight was rough and very humid. But I went for my run and got in 3.86 tonight. My hip did great. No pain just slight tightness. The strength training and foam rolling is paying off.

@rheddmobile it sounds like you had quite the adventure!

ContraryMaryMary wrote: »

PastorVincent wrote: »

@rheddmobile That sounds like fun! I am really insane I gues...

I agree. Sounds like an awesome run!

Me too! I love that exhilerating feeling of trying to run away from storms :-D
I also got a giggle from the "don't do Zen".
@shanaber have an awesome time!
@PastorVincent go show 'em how it's done!

Rest day for me today, which is good as I'm a little sore from this week's runs and workouts. We're on orange heat alerts here, had very little sleep, so I would have struggled to run today. Praying I sleep tonight in preparation for tomorrow's 'long' run. And that this summer thing heads south and leaves us alone already!

.52@10:00;
1.67@10:48
11.7 miles so far in August
Heat index too high😅

Aug 7 - 10km
Aug 8 - 10km
Aug 9 - 5km (another 5 planned for this evening)

Looking forward to looking forward to running. Right now, still mostly dreading it.