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?