The short:
Mother Nature didn't want the Plaza 10K runners to have it easy this year, so she gave us 71 degrees with thunderstorms in the area and a dew point of 68. Historically I haven't raced well in these conditions, so I lined up ready to give it my all and to be thankful for whatever that was, without any specific time or pace expectations. I ran by effort and ignored my watch, and although I had an idea where I was at since the race had a course clock at the 5K mark, I was thrilled
Tuesday - Myrna Trail. 6 miles. 77o. 17 mph. Cloudy. Out of the six miles there's about a half mile that follows a little trail through a couple of small nature areas. It ends (or starts, depending on which way I'm running) where Myrna Street ends, so I call it the Myrna Trail. Not really a trail, but it's more of a trail than anything else I get to see. Even picked up a spider web, so that's pretty nature-ish, right?
Wednesday - Phoenix Lake. 3 x 3200 intervals. Total 11 miles. 70o. 3 mph
It was supposed to be a trail run. Between the rocks, steepness, and my getting old, there was much more walking than running..
The snows of yesteryear await the snows of September. MapMyRun shows the average gradient as 7.8%. Maybe I can feel not so bad about it now..
Only one climb on the route, how bad could it be ? ha.
One of the few runnable bits of trail,
Once I could run all day up here. Now I have to take a rest, quite possibly more than one.
Total Mileage: 70.92In July, I tackled a Peloton Digital challenge, where you did a workout using the Peloton App every day. This could be any of their available on-demand classes: spin, running, strength, yoga, stretching or meditation. I managed to eek out a 'W' on this challenge, even though some of the workouts were done at 11:30pm that day. It was fun, but reminded me that being attached to any type of digital workout every single day is just too much for me; I need to be able to do my own
Classes have started again. I'm taking Research Methods in Healthcare and Nutritional Epidemiology & Health. and Well, technically they don’t start until Thursday, but the courses are open and I have a discussion post due Thursday, so I’ve begun working. This week shouldn’t be too hard but once things really get going I’m sure I’ll be back to my routine of sleep, run, work, study – repeat (with meals and snacks in there of course). It may be less intense than last semester but the stakes mig
Got over whatever that was at the beginning of last week. Maybe it was nothing, but it sure felt like something wasn't right. Took it easy on Tuesday and tried to come back on Wednesday.
Wednesday, of course, is Interval Day. Last week (week 13 of 18) was time for the classic Yassos. 10 x 800. I'm not going to get into the debate about whether this is a marathon predictor workout, or even if it's a good workout for a marathon training schedule. I like 800s, and doing a bucketload of them is
I was the official tagger alonger at this year’s 100 on 100 this past weekend a few weeks ago. It’s really hard to describe and I always sucked at writing about Loopmeets so I’ll just tell you a bit about it. This year the team was fivestarks, Apple Pie, the incorrectly named Slow Running and Pat representing the OG, and Gonzo Runner and Paige bringing in some fresh (and very fast) blood.
Fivestarks had made arrangements to pick Gonzo Runner up from Newark Airport on her way to Vermo
August 2019 in Review
Total mileage for the month: 375.8 - new monthly mileage PR!
July 29-Aug. 4: 84.5
August 5-11: 87.3
August 12-18: 96.0 - new weekly mileage PR!
August 19-25: 88.1
August 26-Sep. 1: 69.2 - scheduled cut-back week
Races:
August 31: Brookhaven 5K in 18:22 [splits of 5:48, 5:48, 5:59 (5:15 kick)] for 6th female (race recap coming). Although not the time I was aiming for, Sarah Kiptoo came to the race to break the Okla
Last year I was a last minute substitute on the 100 on 100 team. After successfully completing my 16 miles I was so happy and excited that I volunteered to captain the 2019 team.
We had ELEVEN individuals who wanted to be on the team! 11! That’s how much fun this relay is. I put out an email asking for 5 people to send me money to cover the entrance fee.... I received 6 payments. Derp. Suddenly we had more members than allowed.
I tried to be brave and rationalize that it would be fine
Tried to run a 7 mile tempo yesterday. The warm up mile was slow, slow, slow. Usually I have a bit more pop on Monday after Sunday off. Figured it would shake out like normal. Nope. Felt like I was carrying twenty extra pounds. WTH? After the first half mile I slowed, thinking maybe I'd just do the 9 as a slow run, but just a few steps later I slowed to a crawl, stopped, then just headed back home. Stopped at the Speedway to use their facilities and thought maybe I'd finish off with the Laurel P
It’s been awhile! My last post was my NJ marathon RR at the beginning of May. Shortly after that semester 3 of grad school started and then seemingly every moment of free time disappeared. It didn’t stop my running, but it’s been a busy cycle of sleep, run, work, study without time for much else. This was the most challenging semester so far, with Clinical Nutrition 2 and Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics. Lots of technical reading and then writing about it. Even when I could have found time to write
Five days in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, paddling and portaging into the woods. It was wonderful but a very great deal of work. This boat is about 65lbs, 75 as carried with paddles and lifejackets strapped in. There's also a 30-40lb pack on my back, for extra credit. I thought about renting a Kevlar boat which weighs in about 42lbs. Next time it's Kevlar, just not tough enough anymore for carrying these loads around. The longest portage was half a mile, and quite long enough too.
Ther
Big Mac and the new SIL came in for a visit last weekend. Got all my runs in around the related activities, though. Only a few grumbles from Mrs. Dave about doing 15 miles on Saturday, but I went out early enough it wasn't so bad. More on that run later.
Last time I was grumbling about my performance running through Hell. Apparently I'm not ready for hills. I felt like I wasn't ready for running, but the next Monday restored my faith a bit. Monday is tempo day, you know. This run was almost
I've been running this series for several years now. It's a series of 5 x 5k trail races from mid July to mid August. It is completely free put on by the Vineland Park and Rec Department.
People of all different ages and abilities show up to take part. The Vineland Cross Country kids use it to get into race shape. Marine candidates have used it for PT. Moms and Dads who want to get some exercise run it with their kids. This race has some seriously fast little kids -- 13 year old ran a 24:05
When I laid out the plan for a fall marathon, I of course penciled in a Saturday for a half on the 17th of August, the end of week 10. Despite the fact that with an early October race, this would make it a half marathon in the middle of August. What kind of idiot runs a half marathon in August?
This kind, of course.
Then, to complicate matters, Big Mac and the new SIL planned a visit to the mitten state. Although he's a well-traveled young man, he's never been to Michigan. Why they tho
That's right.
But it's not for me.
Mrs. Dave has been doing C25K the last several weeks. She hates running. She hates exercise of any kind, truth be told. But she knows it's important, especially since she's been diagnosed with some early osteoporosis. And there's her weight that she struggles with. Having hit a long term plateau with her diet, she's out on the streets three days a week, because she's the queen of determination. No matter how she hates it, she's decided to do it. And s
I’ve been following very loosely a RunSmart training plan. By loosely I mean if it says run 6 at 9:11 pace I run 6 however quickly or slowly I feel. It’s been hot and I’m mostly running on trails so I figure I can be loose with the pace.
I’ve been using my Vineland Trail 5ks as “speedwork.” This past weeks race was canceled due to lightning and general flooding. Boo!!
I did some speedwork on Friday. The speedwork was 8 x 400s. I ran them between a 7:35-7:50 pace. I was just trying to h
July 2019 in Review
Total mileage for the month: 310
July 1-7: 53.3
July 8-14: 70.9
July 15-21: 81.1
July 22-28: 70.9
July 29-Aug. 4: projected at 84
My best photo of the month
Races:
July 13: Sweatfest 2 mile in 11:38 and 10 mile in 1:06:16. This race lived up to it's name, with temperatures of 80-85 degrees and a dew point of 76 degrees for the 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. starts. I jumped i
Thinking you may never run again is a frightful thing. I'd like to imagine I could be philosophical about it. Some day it will certainly happen to me. But I'm not ready for that day yet. I still have plans.
One of those includes another marathon this year. Something else I'd like to imagine is that I can train hard and consistently the rest of the summer and do well when race day comes.
So, the other day when I tweaked a groin muscle doing intervals, I got worried. I always get worried
Tuesday - 7 easy miles, interrupted (of course) by a stop at Rotary Park for the bathroom.
Wednesday - 12 x 400, total 9 miles. 400s are so easy. The first 4 were solid. Sub-7, all within 1 second of each other. Turned the corner at Seven and Middlebelt, started on rep #5, and just as I was passing the Discount Tire store my right adductor muscle said, "Nope!" I did not swear because I don't, but this would have been a appropriate occasion for it. I hobbled on it a little, tried a tentative
I know every summer we all talk about it being hot and humid. And every year this is true, but this summer in NJ and Delaware it has been an inferno.
For the past 5 days the temperatures have been well over 100* and yesterday we had feels like temperatures of 113*! Seriously this is not Atlanta or Orlando.
I’m back at my free summer 5k trail series. The 1st race we had really nice temperatures of 82* and lowish humidity. I saw lots of the regular people there - the guy who my husband
Actual temperature = 99*
Heat index = >110*
antsy to get outside and move
105 minutes on the schedule = 20 minute short run just to burn off some energy, be smart, and stay safe
mile 1 = lots of sweat, but happy to be moving (9 minute mile)
mile 2 = one single rain cloud- summer downpour!
splashing through puddles, soaking wet, unconsciously increasing speed = joy and uncontrollable laughter = looking like a grinning crazy lady running
mile 2.25 = perfect ra
The short:
I decided to jump into a race that my local running club OMRR hosts, accurately called Sweatfest, in Missouri's July heat and humidity. Albani and I both ran the 2 mile, which started at 8 p.m., and I ran the 10 mile, starting at 9 p.m. The state records in both events for my age were very weak, so I was able to break them. I also broke the overall female 2 mile state record (which was also clearly very weak - we all know short races are not my forte!) with 11:37 chip/11:39 gu
