July Recap

Y’all. Is it really AUGUST?!

Back in the day, I used to like to try to write a blog post at the end of each month with a monthly training summary as well as an A to Z list of that were currently on my mind. I’m bringing that back this month. Hold on to your seat!

Month Recap: July 2020

The Running

Workouts: I got in a couple good quality workouts this month and I also had a few flops. After some downtime following the final McKirdy Mile, things started to slowly ramp back up the second week of July. I found myself a tad rusty and also not remembering very clearly what certain efforts should feel like.

Favorite workout: My favorite workout this month was definitely the 16 X 200 w/ 200 float recovery workout. Call me crazy, but I have always been a huge fan of 200s. I thought this one was really fun because the hard 200s were run at closer to 5k pace (as opposed to an all out sprint) and then the recoveries were run at faster than a typical easy pace. It took some control to master this one and I was very happy with my effort and patience.

Races: No races in July … whomp, whomp. This was actually the first month of 2020 that I haven’t done some sort of race or time trial. I ran a marathon in January, a 5k in February and a 10k in March before things switched to virtual. After that, I did a 5k in March, a 10k in April, two one mile races in May and two one mile races in June. I don’t currently have any races (real or virtual) on the calendar, but I’m hopeful that we will at least get to have a few small, local races this fall. Fingers crossed!

Favorite race: Any race that I get to run in the future will definitely be my favorite!

Paces: My paces ranged from 5:42 (the first (way. too. fast!) mile of a tempo workout) to 9:32 (the second mile of a post-workout cool down).

Average Pace: My average pace for the month was 8:35.

Miles: 239 miles this month. Lower than normal, but given the mini down week in there, it makes sense.

Climbing: I got 8,536 feet of climbing in this month and most of that was on my driveway! Ha.

Breakdown: I ran on the treadmill 7 times, from home 13 times, from somewhere other than home 12 times and with friends 3 times. It’s crazy to me how much things have changed as far as running in group goes. I used to hardly ever run by myself and now I hardly ever run with anyone else. There is a season for everything I suppose.

Longest run: My longest run was 13 miles.

Shortest run: My shortest run was 3 miles.

Pilates: I went to four Pilates classes this month. I got a Pilates reformer as an early birthday present, so I also got in two sessions at home as well. It’s not commercial grade or anything super fancy, but I love having it!

The Other Stuff

Current activity: Blogging! We back!

Current book: Well, well, well. What do you know? I’m actually reading some books. Currently, I am reading, “The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home,” “The Owner-Builder Book,” “Raising Goats for Dummies” and “Influencer, Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media.”

The first two are fairly self-explanatory (as to why I am reading them, not the actual content of the books which is doing me a bit of a bamboozle). I mentioned this in a previous post, but Richard and I are planning to build a house at some point in the not-too-distant future. The goat book is unfortunately a necessary read at this point, as we just lost one of our goats and realized that there is a heck of a lot that we don’t know about raising goats. The influencer book is something that is marinating in the back of my mind. I would absolutely use this blog and various other social media platforms as a means to earn a little bit of extra money. I don’t know if that will happen, but it surely isn’t going to hurt to try. I enjoy writing regardless, so any extra money would just be a bonus at this point.

Current confession: It will probably take me until 2025 to finish those books!

Current drink: Gah. I’m loving so many drinks right now. My hydration needs are very high. I start my day with coffee (duh!) and my current flavor of choice is toasted graham. It’s delicious! Before Nuun (I couldn’t resist), I switch over to Nuun and my current flavor of choice is cherry limeade. I also sip on Bolthouse Farms protein shakes throughout the day (usually have some right when I get to the office, with lunch and as an afternoon snack). If I feeling really feisty, I will crack open an Abita Purple Haze or Andygator after work on a Friday. PAR-TAY!

Current excitement: We are going to be spending time with family that we don’t get to see often in the next two weeks. I’m really looking forward to that!

Current fail: I am having a really hard time getting pictures to upload to this post. The internet is not being my friend. Boo!

Current goal: My current goal is to incorporate drills and more strength training into my weekly routine. I’m working with a local running form coach to correct my (apparently horrible, terrible, no good, very bad) running form. I’m really curious to see how much this will help me. I’ve never been super motivated to actually work on this too much because I just told myself that what I was doing was working for me. While this may be true, what if proper form would allow me to do even more?!

Current habit: Wearing toe spacers. The things we do for our running! My big toes tend to bother me from time to time and the toe spacers are supposed to strengthen, not only your toes, but also your feet in general. I usually just wear them when I am sitting at my desk or something like that. It’s a super easy thing to do that could possibly help me in the long run (pun intended), so I’m all about it.

Current indulgence: Sleeping in. Y’all. I’ve been an EARLY morning riser for years and years, but I am thoroughly enjoying sleeping in these days. Sleeping in means getting up at 5:30 instead of 4. It is glorious!

Current joke: What do you call a magic dog? A Labracadabrador. 

Current knowledge: Life can only be understood looking backwards, but it must be lived looking forwards. I don’t know if anything has ever resonated more with me than this sentiment.

Current list: We’ve got a decent list of tasks that need to be done around the house (aka “the farm”) and they need to be done asap because Richard’s family will be here next week. Yay!

Current motto: Trust the timing of your life.

Current need: I need to figure out what’s for dinner. Ideas?!

Current obsession: My planner!

Current procrastination: Getting my oil changed. Yes. I know this is horrible. I typically stay on top of it, but somehow I found myself well overdue for an oil change and I have not done anything to remedy the situation.

Current quote: This one is really speaking to me right now. “One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.”

Current rave: We got a Sam’s Club membership! I’ve always wanted to be a member of Sam’s Club and I can finally cross this one off my bucket list. Ha!

Current song: A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega by Ashley McBryde! But really, it is anything and everything by Ashley McBryde. I can’t get enough.

Current time: It’s just after 1330 on Saturday. Me thinks it may be time for a little snoozle.

Current uncertainty: Hmm. Is anything in life certain right now?! Ha.

Current vegetable: Cucumbers from our garden! I’m fairly certain I have eaten five entire cucumbers in the last week. I slice them up and put them in apple cider vinegar. They are so good!

Current want: I want to have more time at home. I know that a lot of people have had a whole lot of time at home recently and probably think this sounds crazy, but it is what I really wish I had more of. This is probably one of those things where it just seems like the grass is greener on the other side. I’m trying my best to happy with my own grass and remember that the grass on the other side is probably only greener because it is AstroTurf.

Current yearning: To make an impact. I am speaking to the local participants in the Distinguished Young Women program tomorrow afternoon and I truly hope that I can have a positive impact on them.

Current zone: Relaxed …

Thank you so much for reading and following along. Please tell me something you are currently loving or looking forward to!