May 2022 Monthly Running Challenge
Replies
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@Scott6255 Nice run. Glad you got to see a hummingbird. They are cool to watch. I have had a couple here that think the little red thing hanging down from my garage door is a flower and come into the garage, then they can't figure out how to get out...they fly up. I've had to chase them until they tire out and let them land on a broom and lower them to the door. They're so tiny.
Glad your breathing and running are getting better @yirara ! You're doing great.
@kgirlhart Glad you are liking your new shoes and are going to have some cooler temperatures.
Hope your air quality is better @SummerSkier .
Sounds like you are being very wise @polskagirl01 by listening to your body. As for the Ukrainian's, you are doing all you can and that is a whole lot more than others are doing. I'm sorry your landlady is not being kind or helpful though.
@katharmonic It's so hard to run when the weather is such a rollercoaster of temperatures. You're doing great.
Looks like a really nice hike @Teresa502 ! Well, the heat and humidity, not so much, but the views were worth it. Are lady slipper's still endangered? I think they were when I was in college, but that was many moon ago. They are really pretty. I hope you enjoy your trip to Ireland and get in at least one run.
Sounds like a great long run @Scott6255 . I've never had my watch do a cadence lock. Probably because it varies so much. That would be frustrating.
Nice run @kgirlhart , Too bad the hummingbird didn't show up in the picture.
@katharmonic Sounds like a good run this morning. At least it was cooler if the humidity had to be higher. Are you doing the CPS-3 study? I am too, if you are. I didn't sign up for any of the additional studies, but did get the e-mail. It would be interesting to know what they are using the data for. Wonder if you could request to know and they'd tell you - not what your data is, but in general what they are looking at with it. Enjoy your trip and spending time with family.5 -
I was all set to run this morning, but it was dark and raining and I just couldn’t make myself go out so I headed to the basement and did a weight workout – that’s better than going back to bed right? It’s supposed to rain all day today. @7lenny7 you would be very happy with our weather!
Great mileage @Scott6255!
Glad you are feeling better and back in the groove @yirara.
Like you @polskagirl01, I would not want a medal if I didn’t earn it. I mean, why?
@kgirlhart – I’ve never seen a century plant before. Interesting and pretty. Glad you got to see Sunny on your long run. You are doing so good with your streak.
@katharmonic – you have found your consistency again. I hope you have a wonderful vacation also! I had to google accelerometer – interesting.
I’m not sure if the lady slippers are still endangered @quilteryoyo. One of the ladies that I usually hike with is really good in knowing the names of all the bushes and flowers. I try to learn a little from her each time but my retention from year to year is not always that great!
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@martaindale great race!
I can't remember whether I posted that I signed up for a 35k mountain race in October, 3 weeks after a 21k one. Oops! So, I'm aiming to train as if it is my first marathon and get as much elevation in as possible. Sounds good on paper. Trouble is, I'm not confident about hitting the technical goat tracks on the mountains near here alone (famously a local very experienced hiker disappered up there about 15 years ago), and the guys from the club don't want to babysit my because they're all fast and I'm slow. Had a lightbulb moment this afternoon and posted in the chat of a larger trail running and hiking group from the city to ask if anyone wants to do long slow runs in the mountains this summer. Two guys have messaged me, one of whom is very enthusiastic but has warned me that he has eyesight problems and is diabetic. Not sure what I'm getting myself into here 😂4 -
@eleanorhawkins That's two big races in a month, but I'm sure you can pull it off. I'm glad you may have found someone to run with this summer. Do they know what happened to the hiker..... do they think animals or kidnapping or murder or just falling and never being found?0
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@Scott6255 yes, 5 weeks to train for an HM seems aggressive, but I'm not starting from scratch. I've averaged 38 miles/week for the last 5 weeks and 30 miles/week over the last 10 weeks, which includes two zero mileage weeks. I think the volume is there, I just need to incorporate speedwork. I love hummingbirds...I could watch them for hours. Excellent long run!
@kgirlhart yay for new shoes! Glad they're working out for you.
@polskagirl01 socks & gloves, lol...I'd definitely not pick those up! The only time I picked up any clothing was when I found two really nice jackets. They had been there a couple of days so I figured the owner wasn't going to come back to look for them. I washed them and wore them for a while but after realizing I had no need for them, I donated them. The most interesting things I've found are a glass pot pipe, a bag of pot (not at the same time as the pipe), a lady's wallet (returned to the local police department) but the craziest was a big pink...we're all adults here right?....a very large pink adult toy. Needless to day I did not touch it, but I did chuckle for a couple miles after that. On a more serious note, bless you for helping those Ukrainian families!
@martaindale it bogles my mind how someone could take a finishers medal for something the didn't finish. Or how they were even available. Perhaps the race director just wanted to make them happy so they'd come back next year. When I DNF'd the Sandlot Marathon I told one of the RD's, whom I know, that I was really disappointed for not getting the finisher's award (a small wooden bat with the race logo) because it was so cool and so unique. He said he'd give me one if I wanted it but there's no way I could take it. I'll have to earn it next year.
@Teresa502 I'm jealous of your Ireland trip. That's a place I'd love to go someday. I hope you do get some beautiful runs in during your travels. Gorgeous pix of the hike. Definitely worth being a hot sweaty mess for that. And yes that weather does appeal to me. I don't know why I love inclement whether like I do, but I do. Perhaps because early in my running "life" I was running at night and was caught out in the middle of real nasty thunderstorm, with lightning strikes all around me and 4 miles to go. It was such an adrenaline rush getting back! Good job with the weight workout, definitely better than going back to bed, and probably just as beneficial as running.
@eleanorhawkins running the goat trails alone...is it a safety issue or a getting lost issue? If the concern is getting lost you do repeats as far as your confidence allows then each time go a little further as get more comfortable with your knowledge of the trails.4 -
@teresa502 Laurel Falls is beautiful! Have a great time in Ireland. Can't wait to see some pics.
@katharmonic Enjoy your family time!
@kgirlhart Super cool plant! I wouldn't go so far as to say the weather was good for the race, but I'll post on that in a bit.
@polskagirl01 I didn't understand taking the medal either. I mean, I guess they could do it later? But you're already there. You're already wet. Just run the race!3 -
@quilteryoyo nope, they have absolutely no idea. Never found any traces, and he knew the trails like the back of his hand. They have memorials and stuff in his honour every year. Tbh I can't help but wonder if he actually ran away from something, moved away somewhere and never came back. No way of knowing.
@7lenny7 it's more of a safety thing, I think. The trails, while tough and treacherous, are quite easy to see, but there are a lot of loose rocks to trip and roll ankles on, some steep drops beside the trails, wildlife... and yes, at the end of the day I'm small and female and vulnerable alone in the middle of nowhere. I'm confident enough now on nearby trails I know well, but there's a lot of unknown up there. There are a couple of wider tracks that they keep clear for emergencies (the whole mountain burned about 20 years ago and they learned the hard way), the runs I do alone will be on those to start with, at least I'll get the elevation in that way.
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May Goal: 100 Miles
5/1: 12.03 miles
5/2: 2.02 miles
5/3: 5.05 miles
5/4: 5.51 miles
5/5: 5.16 miles
5/6: 1.51 miles
5/7: 1.06 miles
5/8: 8.06 miles
5/9: 2.03 miles
5/10: 5.15 miles
5/11: 6.02 miles
5/12: 5:51 miles
5/13: 2.05 miles
5/14: 1.20 miles
5/15: 10.12 miles
5/16: 2.05 miles
5/17: 5.60 miles
5/18: 5.32 miles
5/19: 5.51 miles
5/20: 2.21 miles
5/21: 2.06 miles
5/22: 10.01 miles
5/23: 5.10 miles
110.34/100 miles completed for May
It was cool again this morning and they are predicting thunderstorms all day tomorrow so I ran 5 miles today and I will just plan on a mile tomorrow to keep the streak. I am hoping we don't get storms. I am actually supposed to have an insurance adjuster at my house tomorrow to look at the roof after the baseball sized hail we got last time. And I am still waiting to get my car and my husband's truck looked at too. Today's run was uneventful, but it was nice to be able to have a cool run. I know we won't have many more cool mornings.
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Friday we put our boat in the water and normally we'd sail all weekend but with temps in the mid-50F's for highs, my wife wasn't interested in going out. That's awesome weather for trail running so running I went.
I had an amazing, though slow, weekend of trail running. 12 miles on Saturday, 10 miles on Sunday. Both runs at a local state forest on some of my favorite trails which are shared with horseback riders. What held up my pace was two-fold, I stopped a few times to look for geocaches and the biggest pace-killer, incorporated some birding. Garmin tells me that on Saturday my average pace was 20:10/mile overall but 13:36/mile moving pace. So yeah, I spent a considerable amount of time distracted from my run, but it was worth it. Over the weekend I found six geocaches and identified several cool birds, many of which I've never even heard of, including Tennessee Warblers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Eastern Towhees, Indigo Buntings, Scarlet Tanager, American Redstarts, Yellow-Throated Vireos, Ovenbirds and another Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I guess you could call me an accidental birder. My wife patiently listens to me describing my finds but I sense she's getting tired of it.
Saturday I crossed paths with at least 25 horseback riders but none on Sunday, likely because I started in mid afternoon on Sunday. I know some trail runner who avoid horse trails because you're supposed to yield to them, shouldn't run by them, and should talk to them so the horses are spooked, but I enjoy the encounters and the riders have all been nice to me.
Saturday I spent some time exploring some unofficial trails which little more than deer trails, but I could tell from the tracks that horses use them too. The trail way was so narrow I was getting slapped by branches and bushes nearly constantly, but the intimate nature of those sections made it all worth it. I did worry about ticks though. I never did find any on me.
Sunday I ran a different set of trails on the same property such that between the two days, I hiked every trail there. Sunday's run took me across the road to a trail which went back and circled around some old homestead ruins. A photo of the house is below. I also found what I thought was a large agate, about the size of a small fist, but now that I've taken it home and cleaned it up I have my doubts. The next stop is to crack it apart.
The runs give me 43.5 miles for the week, my highest non-race weekly total since September of 2020.
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May totals: 71.7/100 miles
5/2: 3.2 miles
5/3: 6.6 miles
5/4: 3.2 miles
5/5: 3 miles
5/7: 5.4 miles
5/9: 3.1 miles
5/10: 5.4 miles
5/11: 6.5 miles
5/13: 6.1 miles
5/14: 10 miles
5/16: 3 miles
5/17: 3.1 miles
5/18: 3.7 miles
5/21: 3.2 miles
5/22: 6.2 miles
Race report:
Like I noted earlier, there was a decent sized storm that blew through Saturday night and into Sunday morning. I stayed at a hotel the night before because even though this is a local-ish race, it's over an hour on a good day with no traffic incidents and no inclement weather. Turned out to be a really good idea.
When I woke up at 6am, it was really coming down! And the temps were about 10 degrees cooler than I was expecting. Got some coffee and breakfast before heading down to the parking area for 7am packet pick-up. There were a few other people there to pick up and a lot of them looked really miserable. The ladies in front of me were the ones I mentioned above that just took their medal and left. I thought it was great! I would pick a rainy run in warm weather over a dry one almost any day. The rain continued but got lighter until it was barely sprinkling at the start.
This was a smaller race with a mass start for a 5k and a 10k. The chute was narrow with an almost immediate 90 degree turn so you just kind of had to go with the flow of the people around you for a bit. The first mile was a bit faster than I would have liked for that reason. The next 2 were closer to target pace but by mile 4 I was struggling a little. The rain had stopped and sun started coming out, turning the roadway into a sauna. I managed to grab a bit of water and then focused in on a runner ahead of me that seemed to be pacing about right. That carried me into a pretty fast mile 5, which I paid for a bit in mile 6. When I hit the mile 6 marker, I told myself the rest was just a 400m repeat and ramped it up. Mile splits were 9:05, 9:21, 9:27, 9:36, 9:15, 9:29, 8:24 for the last quarter.
Overall, this was a better result than I expected. I definitely went out too fast and that was likely a factor in my fade at mile 4. The weather change worked to my advantage, though it was still much warmer than ideal for a PR attempt. I missed my current PR by 1 second! That tells me that in good conditions, I could definitely get a new PR, probably by a fair margin. I'm going to look for one this fall that I can fit into my schedule to really see what I can do.8 -
@7lenny7 You're killing it! Almost 130 miles so far this month!1
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The niggle I had in my hip actually hurt today while running, so I stopped running and walked, did my weight machine and PT exercises from last time my hip/back (other side though) felt like this, then went for a short bike ride with my husband for coffee. Well, I had tea, and a cinnamon-y pastry. I'm off track on nutrition again. 🤦♀️5
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@Teresa502 - Where in Ireland are u coming to. I’m on north west coast.0
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@eleanorhawkins That's odd about the hiker. I don't blame you for being cautious on those trails. Can you sync your watch to someone so that they know where you are at all times? I'm pretty sure my new Garmin lets me do that, though I haven't tried and not sure how it is done. If you could, at least they could tell where you were if you weren't back when you should be and could come find you.
@kgirlhart I hope you don't get the storms either and hope you get your insurance claims resolved soon. We finally had an all day rain yesterday, one of those nice gently ones. We really needed it.
@7lenny Beautiful place to run. That was a lot of running, even if it was slow due to being distracted. I would love to go birding again. I haven't really since my husband passed away, but we really enjoyed it. The only one of those birds I haven't seen/heard of is the Yellow-throated Vireos. Interestingly enough, the only Tennessee Warbler I have seen was one that stunned itself running into my window. I was in the middle of the Great Backyard Bird Count and they needed verification because they aren't really native to TN. They just pass through.
Gotta go. I'll finish catching up when I get a chance. Have a great day everyone.3 -
@Teresa502 - Where in Ireland are u coming to. I’m on north west coast.
I didn't realize you were in Ireland. We fly into Dublin arriving on Friday morning, catch a train on Saturday to Cork, Cobh and then transfer to Killarney; Sunday -tour Ring of Kerry; Monday - Limerick and Cliffs of Moher; Tuesday - Connemara then to Galway; Wednesday - Aran Islands; Thursday - take the train to Belfast City; Friday - The Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge on our way back to Dublin; Saturday - day tour from Dublin to Wicklow Mountains; Sunday - Dublin; Monday - travel back to US. Are you near Killarney or Galway or Limerick? I will send you a friend request so that we can message each other!2 -
@Teresa502 your Ireland trip sounds like it is going to be amazing! I bet you will get lots of great pictures. Very cool that you could possibly meet up with @Mari33a!
@polskagirl01 hope you hip is feeling better.
@martaindale great race and report! I know that bugs you about missing your PR by 1 second, but like you said in better weather conditions you will crush it!
@7lenny7 outstanding running mileage this month! You are doing great!
6.2 tough miles this morning. When I went to bed the forecast called for 100% chance of rain in the morning, so I resigned myself to running on the treadmill. But I woke up to dry streets and no real threat of rain so decided to run outside. I guess my brain was still in treadmill mode because the pace was super slow, even by my new standards. Everything felt tight and heavy. Just one of those days.
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05/05 3.38 miles
06/05 3.20 miles
08/05 3.32 miles
11/05 3.32 miles
12/05 3.32 miles
14/05 3.20 miles
19/05 3.20 miles
20/05 3.23 miles
24/05 3.27 miles
29.44/30 miles Almost there!
@Teresa502 - I cant believe you are able to pack so much in! You will have fantastic time and have all the main tourist attractions covered. Unfortunately I don't think it will be possible to meet up as Belfast is the nearest to me but still a 3 hour drive away and Galway is 5 hours away, my sister lives/works there and loves it. I live right on the northwest coast with nearest town is Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal.
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Ran 5 miles with a friend before work this morning. Temp was a nice 60F.
@martaindale – Well done on your race! I can’t believe you missed your PR by one little ole second! I always get caught up in the crowd and race fever and go too fast on my first mile. Running in the hill country has paid off for you.
@7lenny7 – Great weekend mileage and that’s a lot of different birds!
@kgirlhart – I hope you can get your hail damage repaired soon and that today’s storms are mild.
@eleanorhawkins – I agree with you about the vanishing runner – maybe he just decided to start a new life in another place.
Hope your hip heals soon @polskagirl01.
@Scott6255 – Yep, there will be days like that when the run just feels slow and hard but you stuck with it and it will make you stronger for it!
We really did need that rain yesterday @quilteryoyo. Hope you have a good day today!
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Bummer! Last time I went to Ireland we rented a car and drove ourselves around. This time, however, we're moving around with a tour group so options on where we are going are limited. Next time!@Teresa502 - I cant believe you are able to pack so much in! You will have fantastic time and have all the main tourist attractions covered. Unfortunately I don't think it will be possible to meet up as Belfast is the nearest to me but still a 3 hour drive away and Galway is 5 hours away, my sister lives/works there and loves it. I live right on the northwest coast with nearest town is Dunfanaghy, Co Donegal.
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@Teresa502 I'm jealous! A hiking holiday in Ireland is on my bucket list.
@quilteryoyo oh yes, I usually set the tracking thing up when I'm exploring anywhere unfamiliar. Another feature my new watch has that I haven't tried yet but is nice to have in case of getting lost is a backtrack function that will guide you back the way you came. I need to test that out sometime, but I tend to do circular routes most of the time.3 -
Walked around Kraków Old Town today and then went swimming with the kids. Wow, there is a LOT of tightness in my back/hips/legs. Stretching, rolling, and checking on getting a massage... 🙂7
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May totals: 75.9/100 miles
5/2: 3.2 miles
5/3: 6.6 miles
5/4: 3.2 miles
5/5: 3 miles
5/7: 5.4 miles
5/9: 3.1 miles
5/10: 5.4 miles
5/11: 6.5 miles
5/13: 6.1 miles
5/14: 10 miles
5/16: 3 miles
5/17: 3.1 miles
5/18: 3.7 miles
5/21: 3.2 miles
5/22: 6.2 miles
5/24: 4.2 miles
Went out to my neighborhood trail this morning. We are also getting rain today and tomorrow but it was still pre-storm when I went out. I am aiming to run the trail 1-2 times a week through the summer as I really think it helps with those stabilizer muscles and it helps me keep a nice easy pace. While I will happily run in the rain, I don't do the trail in the rain or for a day or 2 after because it gets pretty muddy. I have trail shoes but I need to wear my road shoes because I have a fair bit of concrete to run on before and after the trail section and I feel the impact of the road too much in my trail shoes. Having a little breeze felt good and I saw my trail friend and his dog.4 -
Fantastic race @martaindale ! Awesome pace! You could definitely kill your PR in good race conditions.
@polskagirl01 I hope your hip/back is feeling better today. Good for you to get out and do what you could.
@Teresa502 That sounds like an awesome trip. Too bad it looks like you won't be able to meet up with @Mari33a . Sounds like a great run this morning. And, yes, we did need that rain!
@Scott6255 You did great to get in over 6 miles when your body was not wanting to cooperate.
@eleanorhawkins The backtrack function sounds pretty cool. I don't think my watch has that, but may. I really haven't explored all it can do yet. I'm glad you use the tracking function. That would make me feel better about running in unfamiliar territory or ones like you described that could be treacherous.
Nice running @martaindale . Glad you saw your trail friend and his dog.2 -
I ran 5 miles in my neighborhood this morning and walked 1.12 as a cool down. Lovely running weather. 59F and partly cloudy. Even the 90% humidity level didn't feel so bad.4
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@martaindale You're so right about incorporating trails! I have kind of forgotten about our little stretch of trail in my neighborhood, got to remember to add that section in for some variety!
This past Sunday I had a 1:20 run. I usually have short runs around 50-60 min or long runs 2:00+ with my training plan - so a 1:20 was a good opportunity to work on my pacing as race strategy. I have a training race coming up (Olympic distance Tri - so the run is a 10k) and with my pace the run could very well be about 1:20. Anyway - I started out really easy, and mentally broke the run up into 4x20 min. So each 20 min I tried to adjust my pace slightly, and then when I got to the last 10 min I tried to really pick it up and visualize a finish line. I'm REALLY happy with the result, only mile 6 was a little off. I'm generally NOT a strong runner - swimming is my strength. I always say I'm a fast swimmer, decent cyclist, and then I have to run to get to the finish line, haha. My coach has really helped me improve my running! Anyway - here's the splits:
Mile 1 - 11:53
Mile 2 - 11:26
Mile 3 - 11:20
Mile 4 - 11:12
Mile 5 - 10:44
Mile 6 - 10:45
Mile 7 - 10:10
Mile 8 - 9:23
(Total time 1:20, total distance 7.26).
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7.5 miles last night, putting me at 137 miles towards my 140 mile goal.
I was going to do a 9 mile easy run until I was reminded that my weekday runs will loosely follow the HM plan in Strava. Yesterday's assignment was a "Fartlek Run" of 50 to 70 minutes. The plan called for, "Workout: Include 10-12 x 1 minute at 5K-10K effort, 1 minute recovery jog between each repetition; include a warm-up and cool-down"
Since I'm just starting speedwork, I toned this down from my target 5k-10k effort (7:21 to 7:40) to my target 10k to HM paces (7:40 to 8:00) when programming the workout into Garmin. I also decided to go for 10X rather than 12X, and increase my recovery from 1 minute to whatever it took to feel ready for the next speed rep. I'm breaking a rule by using target paces rather than current paces because I don't have a feel for my current fitness paces. This weekend I'll try to get in a steady paced long run on pavement and that should tell me where I'm at.
The run I was dreading turned out to be fantastic. I felt great and loved that the speed reps were just a minute. My paces for the ten reps ended up being
6:49 / 7:23 / 7:28 / 7:39 / 7:46 / 7:42 / 7:34 / 7:35 / 7:38 / 7:29
Some too fast, some in range. One issue I have was that when doing a workout like this is that my Garmin is telling me my average pace for the step, not my instantaneous pace. I'm tempted to set my VivoActive up to track my workout runs just so I have immediate feedback.
My recovery times averaged 2 minutes. The speedwork had an immediate effect. My warm up pace was 10:17 and my cool down pace was 9:30 and I had the sense that my stride was more efficient. Next time I'll increase the target pace range to what the plan calls for and try to average 1.5 minute recovery times.
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@7lenny7 Great workout!!1
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@SwimBikeRun_Mom You may be the first person I have known who ranks the sections that way! I know so many runners that started biking for cross training than ended up doing a triathlon. Most of them say the swim is the hardest part. It would be for me too.1
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@7lenny7 Good work on your speed workout. I have the same problem with garmin and the average pace thing. I wish the refresh on the pace was faster. Once I have been doing a certain workout/pace for a few runs I can kind of tell if I am in the ballpark. But those first few runs I am sort of guessing and the watch pace isn't really any help.2
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May totals: 78.9/100 miles
5/2: 3.2 miles
5/3: 6.6 miles
5/4: 3.2 miles
5/5: 3 miles
5/7: 5.4 miles
5/9: 3.1 miles
5/10: 5.4 miles
5/11: 6.5 miles
5/13: 6.1 miles
5/14: 10 miles
5/16: 3 miles
5/17: 3.1 miles
5/18: 3.7 miles
5/21: 3.2 miles
5/22: 6.2 miles
5/24: 4.2 miles
5/25: 3 miles
I woke up mentally prepared to run in the rain in the dark this morning. The storms came through in the wee hours and woke me up with lots of rolling thunder. But my the time I woke up at 5:20, it wasn't raining anymore and we were on the immediate backside of the storm, so it was actually cool! Got to run in the mid 60's for the first time in a while. Of course it was super humid, but the cooler temps make it feel so much better. I even got to wear a shirt!
Headed out to the hill country tonight after work and I am soooo looking forward to it! I started my base building plan this week so no speed work or pace workouts, just easy running. This plan bumps me up to 6 days a week, so I will need to redouble my efforts to keep the pace easy and make sure I do recovery and stretching. I will have 15 runs while I am out there, so lots of hills. It will end up being a good strength building segment at the beginning of this plan.5
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