June Recap

Here we are at the end of another month. I don’t know how that keeps happening, but sure enough it does! Since it does, that means that it is time for the next installment of the monthly running recap.

MONTH RECAP: June

Total running: 339.40 miles

Workouts: I think this month was the most consistent I’ve been with doing my workouts in quite a while. In addition to the ones listed below, I also had two long runs (a 20 and a 22 miler) that are technically considered to be “stress” workouts (meaning that you need a recovery day afterwards). If you include those then I have 8 workouts this month, which is two per week. That seems to be my happy place with workouts. I know some people can do three per week, but I am not one of those people.

2 mi. WU, 12 X 400 hill repeats (1:50, 1:48, 1:56, 1:58, 1:54, 1:54, 1:50, 1:49, 1:48, 1:52, 1:56, 1:55), 1.5 mi. CD

10 mi. progression + 2 mi. pick up (6:27, 6:17) + 1 mi. CD

13 mi. TM run w/ a few quicker miles in the middle (6:49, 6:40, 6:49, 6:59, 7:09)

2 mi. WU, 400 (77), 5K (5:59, 6:02, 5:53, 0:34 = 18:28), 400 (78), 2 mi. CD

2 mi. WU, 3 X 2 mi. (12:58, 12:49, 12:38), 1.5 mi. CD

3 mi. WU, 4 mi. tempo (6:56, 6:42, 6:46, 6:49), 3 mi. CD

Races: Just one this month! LuLu’s Hot Trot 5K. It’s a good one.

Favorite race: By default this award goes to LuLu’s Hot Trot 5K! I love this race though. If I had done several races this month, I’m pretty sure it would’ve still been the winner.

Longest run: 22 miles. Followed by big gulps and fountain hangs.

Shortest run: 4 miles. This was actually the day after Hot Trot. I was running on the treadmill and my hamstring kind of started to bother me all of a sudden, so I decided to stop right then. I stretched it out and thankfully whatever that was seemed to straighten itself out fairly quickly.

Favorite run: I really enjoyed running with Daniel and his friends last Saturday. We did 12 miles at a decent pace and followed it up with breakfast at Warehouse afterwards. I’m excited to train with his group more during marathon training this fall.

Oh, and according to this article, post-run social activities actually promote recovery. I like it!

Rest days: 1 (today)! I honestly didn’t realize that I haven’t taken a day off this month until I sat down to look back over my training. I don’t specifically have a rest day planned into my training each week, but I usually do end up taking one or two here and there whenever I feel like I need it. I guess I didn’t really feel like I needed one this month, but since I noticed it, I figured that it would be smart to go ahead and give the leggies a little bit of a break. I’m sure they’ll thank me later.

Other: I rode the bike once while Daniel ran and I walked a few miles (less than 5 total for the month). We have continued our push-up and sit-up training 3 times per week this entire month and I’ve also been doing 5 minutes of planks 3 or 4 times per week. I know that a stronger core is going to be beneficial in the long-run. Pun intended.

What’s next: I’ve got several races lined up in July … a few shorter races and then the 50K is at the end of the month. I’m still trying to decide on my fall marathon too.

May Recap

Here we are at the end of another month. It is time for the next installment of the monthly running recap!

MONTH RECAP: May

Total running: 312.45 miles.

Workouts: I was much more consistent with the workouts this month, which I am very pleased with. Below are the workouts that I did:

10 miles easy + 2 mile pick up (6:53, 6:49)

2 mi. WU, 10 X 800 (3:02, 2:59, 3:00, 3:02, 3:05, 2:59, 3:05, 3:01, 3:04, 2:58), 3 mi. CD

2 mi. WU, 5 mi. progression tempo (6:58, 6:49, 6:35, 6:27, 6:18), 1 mi. CD

10 miles w/ 10 X 30 second hill pickups

2 mi. WU + 10 mile brisk pace run (7:09, 7:16, 7:11, 7:13, 7:22, 7:04, 7:31, 7:23, 7:24, 7:04)

Races: 1 or 3, depending on whether we count Ragnar TN as one race or if we count each leg as a separate race. Let’s go with the latter! Here is my Race Recap: Ragnar TN “Last to Start, First to Finish”.

Favorite race: Since we decided that I have 3 “races” to choose from for this … I’m going to go with my first leg of the relay, which was 10.20 miles with over 1,100 ft. of elevation gain. It was one of the most challenging legs that I have ever run and I even got a separate medal for running it. I thought that was pretty cool! The medal on the right (the orange one) is the extra medal that I got and the one on the left (the blue one) is the medal that we all got.

Longest run: 20 miles (already ramping up for the 50K)!

Shortest run: 1 mile. So … I hardly ever run anything much under 3 miles and this run was not purposefully 1 mile. Rebecca and I were planning to run 8 (ish) miles this day, but when she got there we realized that the stroller had a tire that was completely flat. We walked over to a gas station that was close by and aired it up, but there was a big leak and so the tire just wouldn’t hold the air.

Someone at the gas station tried to help us by giving us some fix-a-flat. We thought that was going to be the solution and the tire held air for a little bit. Actually it held it for 1 mile (hence the distance of the run). We had to walk it back after that and we ultimately decided to just call it a day and get breakfast instead. We had a wonderful breakfast at Warehouse! It might have even been more fun than running!

We both got the Baja breakfast bowl. I was a bit skeptical at first, but after seeing other people order this previously, I wanted to give it a try. It has roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, kale, eggs, avocado and salsa. You can also add shrimp, snapper, pork or bacon. Definitely not your typical breakfasty meal, but it was so good!

Favorite run: Most of you probably know this, but I very rarely run by myself. I ventured out by myself a couple of times this month and I actually really enjoyed it. If I go alone, I go during a busy time of day when there is a lot of traffic out and I run with my phone and my stun gun. I put my phone in a running belt (so basically a glorified fanny pack) and I just carry the stun gun.

I’m not making this a regular thing by any means (I love running with friends too much), but it’s been surprisingly nice and has been a confidence boost for me to get out there and enjoy a run or two by myself and feel comfortable.

Rest days: 3

Other: I’m so excited that I finally have something to report here! I went paddle boarding a few times, rode my bike once (while Daniel ran) and even did a better job with adding some strength training into my regular routine. I’m definitely planning to ramp that up even more in June. Daniel and I have started our PFT training, so we will be doing that Monday, Wednesday and Friday and on Tuesday and Thursday I am doing some drills and strength exercises that my coach suggested.

What’s next: 50K training will continue in full force in June. The Hot Trot 5K is coming up in a few weeks! That’s the only official race I’m planning to do in June, but I’m also planning to participate in the summer track series for Rebecca’s cross country team. Those meets will be on Thursday evenings, so that will give me a chance to add some speed work back into the mix.

The state tennis tournament for my 4.5 USTA League is also coming up at the end of June. I don’t know how much I will actually be playing at state, but I am definitely planning to practice some in between now and then.

Did you know that tomorrow is Global Running Day?!

Global Running Day is a day for people around the world to celebrate the joys of running. Participation is easy! Go here –> and make a pledge to take part in some type of running activity on June 1, 2016. It can be a solo lap around the block, a long run with friends, or even a game of tag with your kids. The key is to share your passion for the sport and inspire others to get moving.

How do you plan to celebrate?

April Recap

I can’t believe that it is already May. I think that I say that every month, but still … time just seems to be flying by. Since another month has come and gone, it is time for the next installment of the monthly running recap!

MONTH RECAP: April

Total running: 322 miles

Workouts: 1 (6 mile tempo)

Races: 2 (10 mile & half marathon)

Favorite race: Blackwater 10 Mile Trail Run Challenge

Longest run: 20 miles

Shortest run: 3 miles

Favorite run: It’s a toss up between the two runs that I did while on vacation in Florida. Both were equally lovely!

Rest days: 3

Other: 2 tennis matches that lasted close to 2.5 hours! I am playing in a women’s doubles league right now and both of the matches that I played were marathon tennis matches (which is right up my alley I reckon). I am playing with some of the ladies that I played with several years ago and it has been really nice to see them again!

April was a great month, but (as I have already said approximately 100 times) I am so glad that tax season is done and summer is here! We will be heading to TN in less than two weeks for Ragnar TN! I can’t wait! That is actually the only race that I have planned for May. However, I make no promises as to the finality of that statement.

I will be getting back into some form of consistency with my workouts in May now that I have more time to focus on training. I will also be studying up on lots of running related topics, including strengthening, stretching, nutrition, etc. and I will be sharing that with you guys here as I learn new things.

First up is to study and (hopefully) pass my RRCA certification exam and get CPR certified in order to become an official RRCA coach.

I will tell y’all all about the trip to SC and our two-day class in my next post.

Already April?!

Hello fools friends! Can you believe that it is already April? Me either! Where has the time gone?

It is time for the next installment of the monthly running recap where I tell you a lot of random stats about the month that you likely don’t care about, but since this is my blog and numbers make me happy, you just humor me.

MONTH RECAP: March

Total running: 306 miles

Workouts: 1 (that I actually cut short). I have been struggling to find the motivation to do my workouts recently. It’s no big deal. I’ve done several races and I like to kind of use this “season” as a break anyway.

Races: 3 (2 5Ks & 1 10K)

Favorite race: This one is going to be surprising. I know that I have confessed my undying love for Spring Fever Chase all over the interwebs for many years, but … the winner of favorite race is going to go to the McGuire’s St. Patrick’s Day 5K. A dark horse steals the show!

Longest run: 21 miles

Shortest run: 4 miles

Favorite run: “The One with All the Rain”

This run deserved its own post, but alas, I did not and still do not have enough time to do it justice, so you will get the abbreviated version. For starters, there was no rain in the forecast the evening before this run took place. Spoiler alert … it rained. A lot.

I met several friends at RW and we started out on our long run, which was an out and back 21 mile route. It was not raining when we started, but about mile 3 or 4, the bottom dropped out. We had to seek shelter from lightning several times (one time involved 4 soaking wet girls walking into a local gas station to ask the policemen who were having donuts breakfast if we could take a look at the radar on their phones … that was interesting), we passed up a couple of offers to hitch a ride (one of us wanted to ride and the rest of us wanted to keep running, but I won’t name any names) and ultimately, we had an absolute blast! It was an unforgettable run for sure and we felt super hard core once it was done.

Rest Days: 3

Cross Training: Um yeah, about that. It’s on the list of things to do post-tax season.

Other random data from the month: 186.5 hours worked and 255 hours slept (averaging 8 hrs. and 13 min. per night).

March was a good month, but I can’t really say that I am sad to see it go. April brings the end of tax season and that can never get here soon enough. Even though this year has been so much better, I am still looking forward to getting back to my “summer schedule.” I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I can see lots of paddle boarding, boating, reading, writing and OF COURSE running in my future!

There will be lots of good sunsets to enjoy and plenty of time to relax. I can’t wait!

Talk to you soon!

SEEDS Classic Rock 5K Recap

Hello friends! Happy Sunday, Happy March (a little late) and Happy Spring (a little early)! I know that it is technically not spring yet, but it definitely feels like spring has sprung here on the Gulf Coast. Spring fever has officially set in!

Since February has come to a close, it’s time to recap another month of training and I also have a race recap for you.

MONTH RECAP: February

I “ran the numbers” on February training. Let’s see what all went down!

Total running: 263.5 miles. This was a good bit less than January, which I was expecting. Typically February through April are my lower mileage months. Work ramps up and the running goes down some, which works out well and gives my body a little bit of a break (not too much of a break, but a break nonetheless).

Workouts: 2. 6 X 1 mile, and 3 X 2 mile.

Races: 3. A 5K, a 15K and a half marathon.

Favorite race: Rock ‘N’ Roll New Orleans! It was tough to pick a favorite, so in some form of compromise (between me and myself), I settled with one as my favorite race and one as my favorite run. The struggle is real.

Longest run: 18 miles!

Shortest run: 3 miles.

Favorite run: Double Bridge Run! This was also my part of my longest run of the month (which might be part of why it is my favorite), because Lizzie, Jessica and I did a 3 mile warm up before the race and 6 mile cool down after the race. The course was beautiful and the company was even better!

Rest Days: 4. I took one day each week off completely. This wasn’t necessarily planned, but it seems like each week there was at least one day where my body just needed rest more than it needed to run. I’m trying to be smart and listen to those cues when I get them.

Cross Training: I played tennis twice (doubles once and singles once) and walked 16 miles. I want to get in more strength training this month in the future. I am planning to go back to yoga and I would like to get in some other form of non-cardio strength training as well. Tax season is not the time for me to be adding something new to my schedule though, so that will likely have to wait a ‘lil bit.

Other random data from the month: 160.85 hours worked and 226.82 hours slept (averaging 8 hrs. and 6 min. per night). I think that I worked ~ 80 hours less this February than last year (yes, you read that right). I have stuck pretty closely to my 40 hours per week schedule, which is huge! I have actually achieved what feels like a state of balance and as a result, I am so much more content. It is nearly impossible to have any sort of life balance when you are working between 60 – 75 hours per week. I did that during tax season for 7 years (side note: how is this my 8th tax season?! … feeling kind of old here guys) until I came to the realization that it simply wasn’t worth it.

Moving on …

RACE RECAP: SEEDS Classic Rock 5K

Saturday morning I ran the SEEDS Classic Rock 5K. This is a very small, local race that takes place less than a mile from the house. It’s hard to turn down a race so close to home that runs right along some of our regular running routes and supports the local schools.

Since I just raced the half in New Orleans last weekend, this was just a “for fun” race. I didn’t really have any goals going into the race, other than to get in a strong VO2 max (maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use) workout. My schedule called for a 4 mile warm up before the race and a 4 mile cool down after the race.

Since Saturday morning is usually a Running Wild group run day, I decided to head to the store at 6 a.m. to run my “warm up” with Lizzie, Jessica and Jill. We ran towards the race, I stopped and they turned around and went back to the store. Could I have run my warm up by myself before the race and slept a little bit later? Of course. Would it have been half as fun? Absolutely NOT. I love my running buddies!

We have an ongoing joke about FOMO and I am here to tell you that this is a real thing. In case you don’t know about FOMO (which I didn’t until somewhat recently), it is the “Fear of Missing Out” and is the anxiety that comes from feeling like an exciting or interesting event may be happening somewhere without you! Everyone else is running a race? Sign me up! Group run? I’m there. All my friends are jumping off a bridge? My parents told me not to do that … but, is there a finisher’s medal?! You get the idea.

I had a little bit of time to spare, so I was able to run home (literally), put on my singlet, grab Brooks and walk back up town. Brooks likes to come watch us run every now and then. Unfortunately, Daniel had to work this weekend, but thankfully, my mom and dad were in town, so they were able to watch Brooks while I ran. He gave me some high-fives and it was time to go!

The race is put on by the city’s education foundation and there are several local school running clubs that bring a lot of kids to run the race. It is really awesome to see so many kids participtaing in races! I love it.

The gun went off and I was in about 30th place through the first half mile. I secretly tell each kid, “pace yourself, young grasshopper” as I pass by. I get it though. It’s really hard not to take off too fast. I came through mile 1 in 6:18 and was in about 4th or 5th place overall. During the next mile I caught all of those guys and passed them, which meant I was actually leading the race, chasing the cop car. That doesn’t happen every day!

The last two miles of the race are essentially out (downhill) and back (uphill). I enjoy running races that have out and back portions, because you get to see all of the other runners. I love seeing everyone else, cheering for them and being cheered for. It keeps things interesting. I ran 6:04 for the second mile, 6:18 for the last mile and finished in 19:20.

After the race, I ran a couple miles to cool down, took Brooks home and then walked back to watch the 1 mile fun run. I am guessing that there was more participation in the 1 mile than the 5K, but I can’t find the results for the 1 mile to know for sure. The awards started at about 9:30. In keeping with the classic rock theme, the winners got an awesome Beatles shirt. This was a very unique award, which I appreciated!

We also got a calendar that doubles as a coloring book, a water bottle, a koozie and a $15 iTunes gift card. Pretty sweet!

Team Running Wild was very well represented! Linda finished 3rd overall and won the masters division (with a 7:14 pace!).

I headed to work for a couple of hours Saturday afternoon and even snuck in a short nap when I got home! Work hard, play hard, rest hard = Balance.

Have a great week!

Happy February!

Hello and Happy February (a day late)! I can’t believe that the month of January has already come and gone.

I didn’t really think through the fact that this whole post numbering system was going to get more difficult now that it isn’t January. I won’t be able to just name my posts based on the day of the month. I will probably miscalculate at some point.

Also FYI, if you ever need to calculate the number of days between two dates, you can use this handy little calculator –> http://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html. I use it at work sometimes and felt the need to share.

Rebecca and I have been having some mathematical difficulties in calculating our #runlovechallenge mileage, which is actually quite comical given the fact that we both have master’s degrees and that I am a CPA and she teaches math! Ha. After the Big Beach Marathon & Half Marathon Sunday, we are “officially” at 182 of our 214. We are counting 15 miles for that day, because I ran the half and she ran the full. We ran the same course for 13 of the miles and I also did a short warm up and cool down. We didn’t technically run those miles together, in a side-by-side sense, but we figure that it was close enough!

Speaking of numbers, I “ran the numbers” on January training and I plan to do a monthly recap at the end of each month to summarize the month (from a running perspective) and see what was accomplished. I think taking time to look back and reflect will be beneficial to my overall training. Here we go …

Total running: 355.50 miles. This is a lot (for me). Now that I am no longer marathon training, the mileage will be significantly less in February.

Workouts: 4. 3 X 2 miles, 20 miles w/ last 4 @ GMP (goal marathon pace), 6 X 1 mile, and a 4 mile wave tempo.

Longest run: 24 miles!

Shortest run: 4 miles.

Favorite run: The Battleship Run!

Favorite race: First Light Marathon Relay!

Rest Days: 1

Cross Training: Um … does walking and/or tennis count as cross training? If so, 18 miles of walking (16 with my mom and 2 with Brooks) and ~ 5 hours of tennis (I played doubles twice). I didn’t do yoga all month! Oops. I really need to work on that.

Other random data from the month: 152.75 hours worked and 250.03 hours slept (averaging 8 hrs. and 4 min. per night). I’m definitely an 8 hours a night kind of a girl! I’m also definitely a data-obsessed kind of girl. Fitbit tracks my sleep time, which I think is really interesting. I definitely feel so much better on days when I have gotten my 8 hours the night before. I don’t get 8 hours every night, but I make up for it with naps on Saturday and/or Sunday (preferably both). Those naps are crucial to bringing my average up to 8.

There you have it. I’d say that January was a pretty good month. I am looking forward to more races and lower mileage in February! Don’t get me wrong, I love high-mileage training, but I’m ready for a little bit of a break from that for a little bit. I’ve got 3 races planned for February: a 5K, a 15K and half marathon in February. I’m excited to run all. of. the. races.

I’ve actually already matched my # of rest days for January and beat my shortest run (I did a 3 mile run this evening) and we are only at February 2nd! I’m definitely on track to meet my goal of less miles this month.

Now that we have “closed the books” on January (I’m throwing out random accounting terminology, so you know it must be tax season), let’s talk about February for a minute. I found a challenge on Pinterest that I think I want to do for the month of February. It’s meant to be done in a personal journal, which I think will be good, but I also might share some of it here with you guys <3

First of all, I want to clarify this whole concept of “love yourself.” I am not referring to a prideful, worldly type of self-worshiping love. I am talking about being thankful and appreciative of the person I am in Christ. A love based on humility and thankfulness, not on pride or arrogance.

Loving yourself is a critical part of your spiritual journey. Loving yourself as the person that God created can help to free you from the bondage of self-rejection, self-hatred, bitterness, low self-esteem, being overly critical of yourself, etc. The list goes on and on really. For me, it can be a daily struggle. Satan tries to plant lies in my head, but I will not let him win.

We were all created in God’s own image. Our bodies and our minds were formed by The Lord in His likeness. Let’s take a lesson from David and praise God, because we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

David wasn’t boasting in who he was, but rather being thankful and rejoicing over the beautiful creation that God made in him! I am hopeful that this challenge will challenge me to base my self worth using The Lord’s valuation and no one else’s.

Anyone else need to practice some self-love? If so, join me in this 28 day challenge. I just realized that we will need to add a day to this. Hmm … I’ll come up with something good!

In other news …

Daniel and I have started watching Friends on Netflix. He hasn’t ever seen all of them and we were needing a new series. I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in quite a while. I had forgotten how funny that show was.

We’ve been getting in lots of quality cuddle/sleeping time on the couch.

Oh, and Daniel made me a shoe rack. My pile of shoes had gotten a little bit out of control, so I asked if he could make something for me. He definitely delivered. It’s perfect.

That’s all I’ve got tonight folks. Talk to you soon!