Monday July 27^th—Rest day for me! Did nothing, absolutely nothing. Unless you can count going to Target and Rite Aid doing anything. My son complained of ear pain on Sunday, so we thought it was swimmers’ ear since no fever and no runny nose. I bought over the counter drops but even after almost two days of using they did nothing. I called the pediatrician and they called in prescription ear drops for me. My pharmacist called me to ask if I still wanted to order the drops because they cost $120. I work in healthcare as an insurance broker, so I was not surprised at the cost but am still always surprised at the cost. I have a high deductible health plan (this is where everything you do except preventive care is subject to the deductible) and prescriptions tend to shock everyone with the cost when you are so used to having just a copay for it. I have money in our health savings account so I was okay with spending, plus it is for my son so I would spend it regardless! My poor boy was in pain.

Tuesday July 28^th—Anyone else struggle with getting after it after having a rest day? I know that the rest day is supposed to help recharge, but it also then makes me feel lazy and then think I should take another day off. A body in motion, stays in motion. Anyway, I snoozed a bit and then had to give myself a reality check. I asked myself I was injured? NO! Was I still tired and needed more sleep? NO! Was I going to want to run when I got home from the office tonight? NOPE! Well then… it’s time to get your butt out of bed! And so, I did but did not have enough time to fit in a bike ride, so I settled on getting in my 5 easy paced miles for the day.

Wednesday July 29^th—Coach scheduled some speed work for me today, so I went to my closer track for this. The run was 2 mile warm up, 4 tempo miles (7-7:20) then 1 mile cool down. I ended up adding on 2 more additional miles easy paced because I had the time. Then it was off to the office for me.

I have such an understanding husband that I was able to get out on my bike afterwork and got in 15 miles!  It was great though still super humid and hot.

Thursday July 30^th—Another day, another easy run. Today was 5 miles. It was cooler but still humid out there. I looked at the weather for Friday and looked like rain all day long. I knew that one I got home from the office that I was going to take my mother in law’s dog for a run! We ended up going 4 miles! I did stop and walk with her a bit. Since this is new territory for me, I don’t want to push her too far or do too much.

Friday July 31^st—Like last week it was NOT raining when I got up. I don’t understand how weather prediction always goes so wrong. It’s annoying! But I got out and ran 5.5 easy paced miles and was drenched in sweat again once I got back! It was in the low 70’s but that darn humidity gets me every time!

Saturday August 1^st—Stupid me slept in and didn’t get to the track until after 10am when it was BLAZING HOT out there. I have feared this run all week or ever since I saw it. 16 miles my coach assigns me. OMG. And the first half was to be easy paced (9-9:30 pace) then the last 8 to be moderately hard (8:15-7:45 pace). I knew I could pull off the first half no problem. It’s the second half that scared me. I know that I can run that pace and that mileage but to put it on the back end of a 16 miler. WOW! I was ready to be done running by mile 10. There were only a few other people at the track, but they were walking. Anyway, I did what I always do when I want to quit. I just get there by focusing on one mile at a time. It’s all you can do. I’d rather persevere then quit. Unless I’m injured or sick, I’m not quitting! But I still felt like death for all the back-end miles (just keeping it real here). Even after two hours of being home I felt like I was finally coming back from the dead… LOL.

Sunday August 2^nd—I struggled a bit getting out of bed this morning. Wasn’t sure how my tired butt was going to get out there and run. I slept in and enjoyed my coffee and hanging with the kids. I finally got out after 10am and did 6 miles easy paced. The first mile was horrible, and the second mile got a little better and the rest got better as the run went on thankfully. I was going to get out on the bike too but had errands to do before we headed to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner so I skipped it. Sometimes you can’t do it all. I’ll have other weeks where I can get out more on my bike.

Ended the week with only one bike ride which was 15.5 miles and 50.50 running miles.  Overall a pretty good training week for me! 

Monday July 20^th—Another Monday is here! My legs are always thankful for this day off. I decided to get out on my bike after work and ride. I ended up riding for a little over an hour and clocked in 12.3 miles. I did ride over to the track that I normally would have used and found that it is unlocked again! Super exciting because it’s a bit closer than the other one I have been using. I knew I had some speed work on the calendar for tomorrow so this is where I was going to head.

Tuesday July 21^st—On the schedule was a 9-mile run with tempo miles. The specifics were: 2 mile warm up, 4 x 1.25 miles (goal was to have them be between 7:00-7:20), with 400m recovery in between each, cool down to 9 miles. Tempo is a pace where you are not running ALL OUT but more of a feel of just outside of your comfort zone. That pace where you are pushing it but not to the brink of death. Hope that makes sense. I never used to even know what tempo meant until another coach that I had been using explained it to me. This run felt great and everything clicked. It’s the best feeling in the world to nail a workout! I’m going to share my actual stats with you below.

Wednesday July 22^nd—Now that I am back to running my normal schedule since the relay challenge is over, I am looking to bike more. My goal is to ride 3-4x per week. I made sure that I got up early enough to get a run and a bike ride in before working hours. I find it easier to get the biking done before work so that I can focus on the kids, or house stuff or my husband in the evenings. Luckily my scheduled run for today was only 4 miles…. That allowed for me to then get out to ride for an hour and clocked in 12.26 miles! Love a good brick workout. One of these days I will do it in the reverse order where I’m biking first and then out for a run. I can’t seem to let my run go second!

Thursday July 23^rd—Ahhh, Thursday… the day that Garmin crashed😫. Today’s scheduled run was 7 easy paced miles. I unfortunately did not wake up early enough to get the biking in my run. My mother in law comes on Thursdays with her doggy and stays over and watches our kids for us both days which has been so helpful. I was getting excited to run with Daisy on Friday morning but noticed that the forecast was calling for rain and thunderstorms all morning long.

I decided that once I got home, I’d take Daisy for a run in case that Friday turned out to be no good weather wise. We made it 3 miles but we stopped home mid-way so I could get her a drink of water. It’s been a heat wave where we live, and I didn’t want to overheat her. She did great and loved it! But that put my daily miles to 10! My coach always says if the miles are easy paced running more is ok as long as you feel good. Once we got back, I then decided since I was already covered in sweat I’d get out on my bike for a little bit. So, clocked in 6.40 miles in 31 minutes. What a day!

Friday July 24^th—It turns out the weather man is never right.. LOL. It was not storming or raining when I got up. Usually when I go downstairs to make my coffee Daisy will get up immediately but she must have been so tired from our run the night before that she never woke up. I got out for my scheduled 5 easy miles. Once I got back I had a little bit of time before I had to get ready so I took her out for 1.25 miles.

Saturday July 25^th—Today’s run was a doozy. And one that I was completely scared of since I laid my eyes on it. It was 14-mile-long run with the first 10 miles easy, then last 4 to be sub 7:30. I know that I can run sub 7:30 miles. But to do it after running 10 whole miles? That seems tough! I headed to the other track that I have been going to because it’s a little less crowded than my original one. And I made sure to bring 5 water bottles and my salt stick chews. I didn’t end up getting there til after 10am so I was thankful for the sun when it was tucked behind the clouds. I also had to add in 1 mile all out to this workout to do part of this track challenge that I am a part of. My colleague asked me what I thought I could run this in and said I had hoped 5:55. I ended up running 5:59 for it. So, I was thrilled. I know I can get down to that 5:55. So my run was 2 miles easy, 1 mile all out. Once I was done this, I was actually ready to head home. I was toast! How the heck was going to run 11 more miles. Seriously!! I decided that I needed to take things 1 mile at a time. I had to run 7 more miles easy paced and then the last 4 fast. I don’t know how but I got thru this and crushed it! Best feeling ever!!

Sunday July 26^th—Another hot day for running! I got out for my scheduled easy run but while I was out felt like running an additional mile and made it 6. When I was done, I was so sweaty that I looked like I had jumped into a pool! Love it! I got home, made a protein shake, drank it, changed clothes, added deodorant (HA) then got out on my bike for a ½ hour ride. I still can’t believe that Garmin was down again today, day 4. Craziness!! I could still see that I was ending the week on 49.5 running miles and 37.5 biking miles. All in all, it was a great training week!

Disclaimer: I received an Buff Pack Run Cap to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!

Back in late May I had been gifted a BUFF pack run hat from BibRave when they were handing out gear for our virtual summit. I immediately fell in love with the hat the minute I picked it up. I couldn’t believe how soft and light it was. It fit on my head perfectly. I took it for a run and was impressed at how much sweat it held. I am a summer runner by far. It’s my most favorite season to run in. The hotter, the better for me. But I’m also a huge sweater so even if I’m running only 1 or 2 miles, I need to be wearing a hat to help keep the sweat out of my eyes and to protect my face from getting too much sun. The upper panel of the hat provides UPF 50 protection, can you believe that?

When the campaign came up, I jumped on the opportunity to be a part of it. I don’t know about you but it’s often hard to find a good hat. Also, it’s not like you can really take a hat for a run to check it out before purchasing it so you need to rely on someone else to review it for you and let you know the good and the bad. I love that the BUFF pack run hats are so soft and compressible that they can fit in my pocket. After I received my hat for the campaign, I then quickly ordered 3 more, including one of them being the pack run visor. When I find something I like, I need it in all available colors!

When I ask other runners if they wear a hat to run in about half of them will say no because it makes them hotter. I can understand that with some hats for sure. The BUFF pack run hat is made of materials that help wick away moisture and helps your head breathe. I know that it may sound silly, but it really does keep my head cool in the hot sunny weather. The back of the hat has an adjustable elastic cord to help with your specific fit. Oh, and I’ve learned that it’s recommended that you hand wash your hat, and let it air dry! Sticking it in the dryer is a no no!

So, if you have been on the hunt for a great affordable new hat, I think you have found it! Click here to sign up for the BUFF newsletter to save 15% OFF your entire order!

Monday July 13^th—Nothing crazy to report here for today. I took another FULL rest day because my body was feeling just so beat up from the last 6 weeks. And because I still went on with my run yesterday as scheduled, even though my challenge across the USA finished Saturday. Also, I tend to eat like crap on the days I don’t do anything. Anyone else in that same boat? It’s like a cheat day I suppose? I think we had chick fila for dinner and then milkshakes for dessert. YUM!! This week is a scheduled cut back week from running so that my body can have some time to recover. My goal this week is to get out on my bike a few times since I’ve totally neglected it for weeks.

Tuesday July 14^th—On my schedule was to run 3.5 easy paced miles. In my brain I thought, only 3.5 miles? Sorry, it just doesn’t seem like a lot after running 10+ miles per day. I got out and it felt pretty good and then came back home and hopped on my bike and rode 6.5 miles. A nice brick workout!! And the weather was awesome and on the cooler side. I was so happy to be back on my bike! I have missed it so darn much. Back before when I was only working from home, I felt like I had more time to get out at night no matter what, especially using it as a break from being inside sitting all day. Now, I’m back to going to my office 2-3x per week so I feel bad coming home after being out all day and then going out again. Mom guilt big time.

Wednesday July 15^th—Today on the schedule was more easy paced miles, yay! I did not get up in time to get my run and bike done before I left for the office so I settled for just the run. I had hoped to get the bike in when I got home from work but decided that there’s no need to push it and hung with the family instead. Oh, and cleaned my house too. What fun LOL. My mother is law has been coming every week on Thursday and spending the night to stay Friday to watch the kids for us so the least I can do is have a clean house for her!

Thursday July 16^th—Not getting my biking yesterday sure was a motivator to get up early enough today to get both in. I was supposed to do speedwork but emailed my coach to ask to change so that I could do that on the track this weekend when I had more time. I only had to run 4 easy miles then hopped on bike and got in 8 miles. And then I was heading to the office and then golfing with my work crew around 3:30, which was fun. But didn’t get home until 9pm and was so exhausted.

Friday July 17^th—More easy paced miles on the schedule. Also, my mother in law has a golden retriever and I ran a little bit with her last week and she loved it! I took her for a 2-mile run this morning and am really warming up to the idea of getting a dog. At some point☺️. We are looking to put an addition on our house and I really would like to have that done first and then get the doggy. I’ll just enjoy my MIL’s dog for now! I was a little nervous running with her dog because I’ve never really done that before. The next time I’ll take my phone so I can snap a picture! Once I got back I went out and ran my scheduled 4 easy paced miles. I did not have time to get out on my bike before heading to the office.

Saturday July 18^th—I didn’t realize when I moved my speed work to Saturday that it was going to be blazing hot. However, the nice part about the track is that I can bring loads of water, and salt stick chews and a towel to dry myself off and have all that available whenever I need it. I needed to run 2 miles all out for a virtual challenge I was in. They had reached out to me and told me I could join for free so I figured why not? There are 4 rounds and based on how you do each round you can get eliminated. The first round is 2 miles all out around the track. The next round is 1 mile all out around a track. Anyway, I had to alter my run just a tad to get this in. I was originally going to do my warm up (2 miles) then do this 2 miles all out and then do what was scheduled 3 x 1 miles with 3 min jog in between then cool down but after my 2 miles I was so done that I decided to just do 1 more mile speedwork. Finished with 7 miles and then walked 2 miles to cool down. Then came home, had a protein shake and then got out on my bike for 10 miles. And then I was toast.

But my husband thought maybe we could go play 9 holes of golf if my parents could watch the kids, so we ended up doing that around 5pm and had fun. It has been some time since he and I golfed together. We always end up golfing separate because typically when we are golfing it’s thru work and someone has to watch the kids ☺️.

Sunday July 19^th—Another super-hot blazing day. One thing about me that is probably very different from most runners is I love running in the hot weather!! If I’m prepared with water I can manage pretty well. I’d much rather run in heat then in the cold. I hate all the layers and not being able to feel my toes and fingers.. it’s just the worst thing ever to me. So I decided to go back to the track since I was just running easy paced miles. I brought tons of water and salt stick chews and got my 10 miles in. The last 2 miles were harder than they should have been but that’s my fault. I should have woken up earlier to beat the heat but decided to sleep in and didn’t get out till after 10am so when I was near the end of my run it was BLAZING hot.

I wrote my post on Sunday on twitter and Instagram about how age is simply a number. And that you shouldn’t let age define what you think you are capable of accomplishing!! I feel fitter than I ever have been and I’ve been running for over 20 years. You just need to keep showing up and working hard every day, every week 👊🏽

Monday July 6^th—This was a complete rest day for me. Normally I walk or bike or do something. Today…..nothing. It helped that it was raining the entire day with no break in sight. We ordered take out for dinner and I had a chicken parm grinder and then later we got blizzards. What an awesome and much needed rest day!

I’m going to share with you a picture from the 2008 Boston Marathon. I got an email that they were opening up the vault to past races. How exciting!! I couldn’t afford to buy these photos back in the day so was super stoked to be able to buy them today. I hope they open up 2005 as that was the first year I was there.

Tuesday July 7^th—Opted for the treadmill today as my legs were feeling so beat from all the running that I’ve been doing. I’m thankful to have a treadmill, especially on days like this and also in the winter when its too cold to get outside. I don’t run much inside during the nice weather but a lot more when it’s cold. My run today had a little spice in the middle. It was 3 mile warm up, then 8 x 1 minute speed (pace between 7:00-7:15) with 1 minute easy recovery in between, cool down to 9 miles. This went well and I enjoyed the different scenery and softer surface!

Wednesday July 8^th—Legs feeling much better today.  Getting out for my run was much easier. I was scheduled to go 5 easy miles but went 8 since I had the time and for the challenge.  We are going to be finished this challenge by end of this week, which is so much faster than any of us had anticipated! 

Afterwork, I went out for a 4.25 mile walk.  And now my legs are back to feeling like crap LOL.

Thursday July 9^th—I woke up today and my heel was a bit off (tender) And my legs, let’s not even go there.  Wow.  Hurting. On my schedule was this crazy fartlek pyramid 5k to 15k but I opted to just go easy miles and see how I felt.  I got my 7 miles in and they felt ok, manageable.  But after I was just not feeling well.  I iced my heel and said some prayers that this was a fluke thing and not anything serious.

Friday July 10^th—Was going to do the run that I missed yesterday today but decided that I wasn’t going to push myself. There really is no point in that. So I ended up taking my mother in laws dog for a short run (a little less than a mile) and then getting out by myself for another 7 miles. My heel was feeling much better, which meant the ice helped and I really think it was just me doing too much.

Saturday July 11^th—My rest day can’t come soon enough. However, I knew that we were so very close to being done our race across America that I needed to get my miles in. Luckily on my schedule was an easy long run! YAY! A lot of times my coach will schedule speedwork built into my long run and it can be a doozy in the summer heat. I love the summer heat but it just makes it more challenging. I went out for 7 miles and then stopped back home to change my shorts and fill my water up. Anyone else do that? I was sweaty again very quickly but it was nice to have dry shorts for a minute LOL.

Once I got back and showered, I then entered my miles in and then saw that WE FINISHED the race!!! It was an amazing feeling to have finished and we came in 3^rd place. About a week or so behind the 1^st and 2^nd place teams and those runners were ultra-runners. What a confidence booster. But also, my body was ready for a break. When we signed up, we talked about doing 30 miles a week, but I ended up running/walking a total of 394 miles in 1 day short of 6 weeks. My other teammate did 419 miles. CRAZY!! It goes to show you that you can do hard things! You can push through! We all got on a zoom call to celebrate with a virtual happy hour.

Sunday July 12^th—I think in my mind I was ready to be done and not run today. We were done the challenge and so I should take the day off, right? NO! My rest days are on Monday and on my schedule, today was 8 miles- going from easy pace to moderate. I just went with what felt right because that first mile was complete and pure misery. It’s like my legs forgot how to work. But I kept going and got my 8 in and it felt great to get my run in. I even went a different route and ended up finding another track that was open… BONUS!! And this track was clay, not gravel. Double Bonus!

We went to visit my cousin in the afternoon and she has a trampoline- I was in my glory! My husband won’t let me get one for our house ☹️

I ended the week with 52 running miles and 6 miles of walking.

Monday June 29^th—Another Monday, another rest day! I really did need this. I was so beat up from last week. I decided to walk the kids up to the park to have lunch and then play for a bit during my work lunchtime, so I got in almost 2-mile walk. Then after work I decided to walk to a new track that my cousin told me was open. It was a little further than I thought it would be plus the one road that I was walking on had no sidewalk, so I felt a little nervous while walking there. I went the longer way back home so that I could walk on sidewalks and not feel like a car was going to sideswipe me. I ended up walking 8.25 miles. And holy heck was it hot. I ran out of water and didn’t have any money on me or a mask to stop on the way back to get more water. Lesson learned. Don’t do that again! But the track was great, and I was happy that though it’s a gravel track it’s been treated and kept up well so it’s not like the other gravel tracks I’ve run on. On my rest day I clocked in 10 miles of walking. OMG!

Tuesday June 30^th—It was a little cooler this morning while I was out running which was so great! My run today was 3 mile warm up with 6 x 400’s (min pace 7:15-7:00) with 200m recovery in between then cool down to 8 miles but I ended up adding on another mile to get to 9 miles. I have a street right near my house that is 400m and is flat and straight and not a lot of cars ride on it so I run there when I have a workout like this. I can put my water bottle down while I’m doing this which is great. I hate carrying anything while I run. I especially hate it while running fast. I can tolerate while running easy. That’s just me. I plug these kind of workouts in my watch so that it’s easy to do by just hitting the lap button and I don’t have to keep track of how many 400’s I’ve done. Plus I get to look back and see how I’ve done when I’m finished. I was not feeling very surgy when I got out, probably from my 10-mile walk on my rest day🤣. But I ended up hitting all my paces except one. And now that I’m staring at the splits I can see that I never rested in between 400’s so that’s why I missed the next one. I wonder how that happened? I’m not even gonna worry about it!

Then on my way to work a client that I’ve been trying to get in touch with for over a month about their benefits renewal finally got back to me asking me to call. So, I called. Then he tells me they are leaving me and going to another product. A product that I can offer him. I was so upset when I heard this that I didn’t have a lot of words for him. I told him I was disappointed in the whole thing. I mean we had a great relationship and I just had lunch with him and the HR person back in March. They met with this other broker before our lunch yet said nothing. And then just basically ignored me and didn’t give me a chance to present the renewal or any options. It’s just wrong. Especially because we did nothing wrong they said and it’s a business decision. What in the hell does that mean? At the end of the day if that is the way he operates then I don’t want to do business with him because that’s just not cool. End rant!!

Wednesday July 1^st—I had 6 miles easy on the schedule, but I ended up getting out with enough time to go 10 miles. These miles actually felt pretty good, but my legs are still feeling beat up! Then after work I got out for 5 mile walk. I think that about did me in 🤣. I probably should not have done that but it’s all for those damn virtual challenges!!

Thursday July 2^nd—Today I felt worse than I did on Tuesday🤷🏻‍♀️. I think all the miles are catching up with me and I am not giving my legs a chance to rest. I opted for the treadmill today for a change of scenery and a softer surface. On my schedule was for this to be a 7 mile progression run going from 9:00 pace down to 8:00 but I couldn’t do it. I kept my pace around 9:15 mile for this run. I kept it at 7 miles knowing my body was begging me for a break. I’m also not worried about not doing what my schedule said. You have to really go with how you are feeling over anything else.

Friday July 3^rd-Gotta love when a Friday feels like a Saturday! On the schedule today was 4 easy miles. Since I was off from work and had the time, I ran 10 easy miles. It was so hot! I got to sleep in and then run a lot of miles. That is the best day ever in my opinion🙌🏼. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that way! After today’s run, I finally completed my virtual run across PA, which was 310 miles. Walking and running counted towards that challenge.

Then I hung with the kids and we went over to see my mom because today she had to put her dog down. He was 16 years old and had suffered a stroke a few months back. She along with my dad had been taking care of him since the stroke and really when you look back at it, Kirby was not enjoying life at all. He could not lay down without help. He could not see. He would walk in circles. He would wake in the middle of the night. He was peeing on the floor. It was so sad. So, we went over to hang to cheer her up and take her mind off what had just happened. We stayed until it was the kid’s bedtime!

Saturday July 4^th—Happy birthday America! I was hoping to get to the track by 7am but that did not happen. I got there around 9am instead and it was hot. Luckily the sun was hiding behind the clouds for most of the run. I brought 5 water bottles with me and some salt stick chews. I learned from the week before that I had to bring more water (I only brought 2 bottles of water and that was not enough) 5 was more than enough and I had some left over at the end… WINNING! Also, the salt stick chews are really helpful when it’s super-hot out. I will admit that this run scared me when I first saw it on the calendar. It was 4×4 with each 4 miles to be run faster. The first set were to be 9:30-9:15/mile with the last set to be sub 8:00/mile. I did it and I did it well! I sound surprised, I know. I always say this but sometimes I forget that I can run those paces and they freak me out and I get in my head and think, I can’t do that run. Well, wrong. YES, I CAN. And I must then tell myself that and remind myself that I can. Never underestimate the power of your mind! And never ever stop believing in yourself!!

Sunday July 5^th—Slept in. No rush to get outside today though the more I procrastinate the more I don’t want to get out. This is why most of my runs are first thing in the morning. Not much time to think about it…. I just get out there. Anyways, I did not leave my house till after 11am…oops. I had to scroll through Twitter and Instagram to get some inspiration from those that had already gotten out for their runs. It definitely helped and then I got myself out there. The problem with going late is that it was SO HOT!!! I had 5 easy miles on the schedule but knew that I wanted to go 8 to get to a 60-mile run week. So, 8 it was and then I walked 2.5 miles after to cool down. Though, there wasn’t much cooling down cause it was 90 degrees🥵. I did stop home mid-way through my run to fill up my water. That’s been my savior during these hot times. I still need to get a hydration vest but for now this is working.

I ended the week with 60 miles running and 24 miles walking and 0 bike miles. I really can’t wait to start biking again once I’m done with the race across America challenge. I cringe at the 0 bike miles but it’s only temporary. That makes me feel a little better about it! If you made all the way here I wanted to say thank you for reading my blog!!

Monday June 22^nd—Rest Day, Rest Day. Who loves a rest day? ME! ME! And ME! But I never used to. Back when I was younger, I ran every single darn day. No days off. Even if I had to run at like midnight I was running. I was crazy LOL. Crazy in love with running.  Now I have one rest day. More if needed but typically one does the job.  Back before the pandemic I was doing nothing on rest days.  These days I am walking at least 5 miles afterwork simply because I have the time. Before the pandemic I would go from work to get the kids to karate for my son then get home well after 7:30 and then have to do dinner and all that jazz. Now we don’t have that.  This Monday I went out on my bike first and rode 15 miles and then came back home to eat dinner then back out to get my 5-mile walk in.  By the end I was a bit exhausted. I probably should have picked one or the other, but I have seriously been neglecting my bike this month due to my running challenges and I miss it soooo much!

Tuesday June 23^rd—Today I was feeling so beat up. I think my rest day did not go as planned as far as making me feel rested LOL. I did not want to go running. At all. But I got dressed and out the door. My run was 3 mile warm up, then 8x 30 second surges at 7-7:15 pace with 4 min easy run in between, then I added on another 2 miles to make it a 10-mile day. I wasn’t feeling very surgy but believe it or not all except 2 of my surges were in the 6’s, and my last 2 were in the low 7’s where they should have been. It’s crazy that I can run a 9-minute mile then bust out some speed in the 6’s. towards the end it had gotten much hotter out and I was kind of dragging.

Then later after work we took the kids to the park so more walking and then walked to Rita’s for water ice and by the time we got back I clocked another 1.5 miles in walking to add to my virtual challenges. Yep, I’m the one that walks in circles when the kids are playing at the park and my husband is the one sitting on the bench LOL.

Wednesday June 24^th—Another day that I felt beat in my body but my mind was willing to go. Sometimes it’s the opposite struggle. No matter what the struggle is, it’s always worth it to push and get yourself out there. I never EVER regret it. On the schedule today was to run 6 miles easy so I ran 10 miles easy. Again, I’m running extra for the challenge. If I wasn’t doing the challenge, I would have gone 6 and then come home and hopped on my bike for a bit. I can’t wait to get back to that!!

I then realized that I had a conference call at 10am and so I decided to walk on my treadmill while I was on it and clocked in another 4 miles, boom!

Thursday June 25^th—So beat today!  I opted for my treadmill as it’s a much softer surface and something different.  When you are in a rut or feeling like not running you need to change things up! Today’s run was 2 mile warm up at easy pace, 3 miles at moderate pace (8:45-8:30), then run 2 miles easy. I stuck with the 7 and called it a day. I knew that I can’t push myself every single day and it’s more important to listen to your body! So I did.

Then afterwork I asked the kids if they wanted to go around the block with their scooters while I walked. They made it 3 times, which was about a mile. Then I walked another half mile before calling it a night. 

Friday June 26^th—I don’t know about you but I’m always happy to make it to Friday. It’s typically my most favorite day other than Saturday and Sunday. Mostly everyone is in a better mood because we are one step closer to the weekend.  Anyway, it was the first morning that I didn’t feel super beat up and both mind and body were good with me getting out the door!  On the schedule was 4 miles easy so I went 7 miles. I had just enough time for that before having to get home shower and get to my dermatologist appt. 

Now, on the to doctor appt. I was super amazed at how efficient this process went. So different from before the pandemic hit. I waited in my car to be called in, went in, got temperature taken and sanitized, handed paper to office person, sat for a minute, went back to room and then within a minute they were in to see me. Wow! So fast.  I did have to have 3 moles removed to be tested. This is nothing out of the normal for me. I have to go every 6 months because I have so many moles.  I probably have had over 30 removed and tested and a few have come back severely atypical, so they have to dig more out and retest and I have been ok.  But advice to anyone out there is to get your skin checked.  I feel safer knowing that I go and am being proactive about my health.

Saturday June 27^th—This run seemed doomed before it even was started.  I got out later than normal because I slept in and it was raining when I first got up. I think I got out the door by 9:45am and headed for the track. On the schedule was a long run with some speed work built in and my favorite place to complete that is the track. As I drove up to the track, I noticed that there weren’t very many cars in the parking lots, which is odd because it’s usually crowded. As I pulled in, I noticed that NO ONE was there, and the door that had been unlocked by that man the other week was now doubly locked. WTH!!! I drove to the other end and same thing.  The track is owned by Penn State Abington college but still … what I don’t get is the mall is open?  And the gym but the outdoor track is locked? I’m sorry but that is straight up ass backwards.  I then drove to my old high school and that was locked as well. I was starting to feel angry and frustrated and was seriously thinking I’d put my long run off till Sunday.

It was in that moment that I decided to change my mindset and drive further to my old middle school knowing that the track has no fence around it so there was no way it could possibly be locked. The only downfall to this track was that it was gravel and not asphalt so it was like running on uneven sand but hard sand at least. At this point it was a half hour after I left my house and I had to pee🤷🏻‍♀️. This track was super crowded with walkers and no shade at all and I did not bring enough water. My run was 3 miles warm up, 4 miles at marathon pace, 1 mile easy, 4 miles at marathon pace, 3 mile cool down. I’m happy to say that I smashed my marathon pace miles, but the last 3 cool down miles felt like death. I had barely any water left, and I was drenched in sweat. I looked like I just jumped in a pool and even my shoes were soaked, and my legs filled with dirt from being sweaty and the gravel coming up. A complete mess. Since the last 3 miles were so rough, I took them .25 miles at a time till I got to my 15 mile mark. I finished and then forced myself to walk 1 mile to cool down even more. I think it took me all afternoon to recover. I took a cold shower and then made my protein shake and then sat on porch while kids played outside. I finally felt better once the sun went down and then I got out for another 3-mile walk. Walking helps the legs recover so much faster.

Sunday June 28^th—Another day that I decided to sleep in and then the morning got away from me. I usually wake up first in the house then kids then my hubs. I wanted to give him the option of working out first or heading to the store first. I also got snuggles from my son and painted my daughters nails for her. I didn’t get out til after 11am and holy heck it was hot out there!!! On the schedule was 4 easy paced miles. But I wanted to go 10. So I went 10 then walked 1 mile to cool down. I even stopped home mid run to change clothes and fill up my water. It totally helped but again by mile 9 I was feeling depleted and wanting to stop. That’s where my mind had to take over and bring you home! The rest of the day was spent recovering with a cold shower, a protein drink, hanging with the kids then over to my parents’ house for dinner. I ended up walking another 3 miles while there with the kids and my mom so that helped my legs too.

I ended the week with 59 running miles, 22.5 walking miles and 15.5 biking miles. 

Monday June 15^th—Another Monday, another rest day. I slept in (well, again sleeping in for me is 7:30-8:00am) and no running. And no biking either. Someone was asking if we took any rest days on twitter and I had replied yes, Monday. So, he said ok so your week starts on Tuesday. And maybe that is true. I do enjoy having 1 day off from running. It’s just so important to help keep me injury free. Back when I was younger, I would run every single day and take NO rest days. I had so much more energy and wasn’t really thinking of ever getting injured. That doesn’t really happen much in your 20’s or even in your 30’s. But get to 40 and look out! Things don’t work the way they used to. I went for my usual walk after work but this week I decided to walk more, 7 miles instead of 5, because it counts for my virtual challenges. When I walked past the track, I noticed that there were people on it but both sides were locked and it was no longer open. I asked the guy walking how the heck they all got in. Did they climb over the huge fence?? He said there was a hole in the fence at the bottom and everyone crawled thru there. OMG! He helped me get in. I felt a little scared at first like man am I am going to get in trouble .. did I just break into the track? I can’t be getting in trouble at age 42.. I have kids. Then later I saw a man who lived across the street come and unlock the one side. I went over and asked him how the heck he did that. He said that he used to coach here and had the key. Man, I really would like a key to the track too!!

Tuesday June 16^th—On the schedule today was to run 6 miles easy.  I went out and ran 7 miles. I secretly wanted to do 10 miles but didn’t have enough time before having to get ready for work and to my office.  I keep setting my alarm to get up and out the door by 6am and it just is not happening.  I am going to take that as a sign that my body needs the extra sleep. In my perfect world I would get up and out the door by 5:30am to run then come back in and get on my bike and get back out there.  I miss riding my bike so much.  Anyway, getting back to my run.  My easy pace was right around the 9:00/mile mark.  Overall this was a good and fun run!!

Wednesday June 17^th—OMG everything hurt today.  Felt beat up and really did not want to go running. I decided that I needed a change of scenery and opted to stay inside and ran on my treadmill.  My scheduled called for 5 easy miles.  I went for 10 easy miles and got it done! Felt so much better once I was done.  I run quite often on my treadmill during the winter when it’s terrible weather out. The summer not so much. I would much rather get outside to run but sometimes running on the streets really beats your legs up and you need a break.

I then got out for a bike ride after work. I was going to get out for a walk so that I could do more miles for my challenges but figured that I was already burnt out a bit and that the bike would help fuel my soul and it sure did. I got out for 15.5 miles and loved every minute of it!

Thursday June 18^th—Speedwork day!  I had ridden my bike over to the track last night to make sure that the track was still in fact open and it was! I think that since it’s owned by Penn State Abington and school is closed that they aren’t really paying attention to it. I was so excited to get there and do a workout because it had been months since I was on there.  It was cooler out and lightly raining so I had the track all to myself.  That is just how I like it! 

My workout was 2 mile warm up, 3×1 mile intervals (7:00-7:15 pace) with 3 min jog in between then cool down to 7.5 miles.  My mile intervals were 6:52, 6:49 and 6:47 BOOM.  For me doing intervals at the track is the best. The are no distractions and I can just light it up!  I was riding on those endorphins for the rest of the day.

Friday June 19^th—And we made it to Friday!  On the schedule was 5 easy miles and I had some time, so I went 7.  Another day here that I would have liked to make it 10 miles but not enough time to do that and get ready to get to the office.  Our company is celebrating Juneteenth so they dismissed us early which was good so that I could get home to let my mother in law get herself home early.

My hubs is out golfing so I don’t think that I will be getting my bike in today. Only one bike ride so far this week. Not feeling so good about that. Anyone else feel like they need more time in the day?

Saturday June 20^th—On the schedule today was 15 miles with the last 3 miles fast finish. My fast for this was 7:45 or better. I did 7:34, 7:34 and 7:32. I was going to stop back home mid run to fill up my water but once I got out there I decided not to. So basically, I had 16oz to ration over 15 miles. I would not recommend this to anyone😳. I was so thirsty from halfway point and on. I was dreaming of water and ice cubes and drinking one of those huge sports jugs that they have at games filled with water. I was just completely drenched in sweat. But my Odlo top was amazing and it never weighed me down. Ever just sweat so much that your top feels like it’s 5lbs? The Odlo shirts do not do this! It felt no heavier than when it was dry. My legs were failing towards the end and so I had to run with my mind. Never ever underestimate the power off a strong mind. It can take you places that you never thought you could go. Other times I try to take things one mile at a time. Or half a mile at a time…whatever it takes. Anyway, I got it done! Then we went to see my brother in law for the afternoon because he had just turned 40 yesterday. They live at the Jersey shore so it takes about 2 hours to get there. It was so nice to get off my street for the day. We haven’t really gone anywhere in the last few months and so this was glorious!!!

Sunday June 21^st—My legs were feeling really tired this morning from all the miles this week! I let my hubs sleep in for Father’s Day and didn’t get out for my run until 10:30am. By then the sun and heat were blazing!! I was only supposed to run 5 easy but knew that I wanted more for my challenges. I stopped back home around mile 6 to fill up my water and headed back out. I was hoping to go 13 but by 10ish I was feeling lethargic and beat from the heat. I took things .25 at a time and only made it 11.25 miles in total. Not bad at all but not what I wanted. I got back home and hydrated and drank my protein shake and then decided to walk to and from the bakery to get my dad’s cake. That was another 2 miles! Every mile counts on foot for these challenges. We went to my parents for dinner and I ended up walking another 2.5 miles with the kids and my mom.

For the week I clocked in 55.75 miles running, 11.50 miles walking and 15.50 miles biking. My legs are ready for a day of rest 🤣🤣

Monday June 8^th—Running rest days are my favorite! It allows me to sleep in (FYI: sleeping in for me is like 7:30-8:00am) Unfortunately today my daughter was up before it was even 6:30am. Ugh!! So, I changed my attitude and got up. I had my coffee, gave her breakfast and got out for a bike ride before work. I guess it was a blessing in disguise as I have been ignoring my bike a bit since last week because of the virtual challenges that I am doing. Miles running or walking count, but cycling does not. I also got out for a 5 mile walk after work! It was a great Monday!

Tuesday June 9^th—Today is finally my daughter’s birthday! She is finally 7 years old. We had already been celebrating her over the last few days. I took off work so that I could spend the day doing whatever she wanted (even though we still can’t really go anywhere). On the schedule was 7 miles and it was to be a progression run where I started easy around 9:00-9:30 pace and have my last mile be down to 7:45. Happy to say that my last two miles were 7:59 and 7:42. Then I ran 3 more miles easy paced for my virtual challenge.

The rest of the morning we hung inside and then I took them for Chic Fila drive thru lunch- yum!  Then back home and we put up our huge little tikes water slide thing for the kids on the street.  She played with them for hours. Then we cleaned up and went over to my parent’s house for dinner and cake.

Wednesday June 10^th—Today started as a doozy🥱. I wanted to get up early so that I could add on more miles on top of my scheduled 5 miles. That did not happen. I shut my alarm off and woke up around 7:30am. Ever have one of those days? Yikes! It’s like the worst way to start a day ever, in my opinion. I quickly drank my coffee and ate my granola bar, got dressed and flew out the door to get in my 5. Then a rush to shower and get dressed and get into the office. The last few weeks I have been going into my office 2x per week. The rest of the week I work from home but going in has been great because working from home is challenging with my two kids around. It takes 30 mins to get to my office, so you have to factor that in when planning your day!

In case anyone is ever curious about what I have AFTER my run I’ll share that here. I have been having this shake after my runs since late last year (December). We got a Vitamix as our Christmas present for each other and I LOVE it. I use 3-4 bananas, ice, almond milk, scoop of PB, flaxseeds, chia seeds, cocoa powder and some plant-based protein (chocolate flavored of course). It’s so good and I have not gotten sick of it. It keeps me full thru lunch and then in the afternoon I might do 2 apples with peanut butter or Greek yogurt with strawberries. I’m a creature of habit and am okay with eating the same things every single day. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that but I’m also sure that you all might get sick of eating the same thing; I get it!

Also, I did not bike tonight as we went over to our neighbor’s house to hang outside so they kids could play and the adults could have a beverage. It truly was nice because my kids play so well with their kids and I ended up having 1 ½ glasses of wine! I don’t really drink anymore so I was feeling good🤪!

Thursday June 11^th—On the schedule today was 7 miles with some speed work build in. I always feel a little weary when my coach puts speed work on the schedule since the track is still locked. It’s as if I feel like running on the street is different from the track. Well in some ways it is. The streets are filled with cars, and people, and people with kids and dogs and lights and you get my drift. It’s not like running around the track where you literally have really no interruptions and can go all out knowing that any of the above things I mentioned won’t get in your way and make you stop. I mean, and also, I don’t want to come across as mean but why, and I truly am asking WHY, do I have to always move when I’m out running for someone that is WALKING? I don’t think I will ever get it. I’m the one who is exerting WAY MORE ENERGY but these walkers never ever move. Hmmmmm. Someone clue me in.

The workout today was 1 mile warm up.  Then run 200m hard in mile 2, 400m hard in mile 3, 600m hard in mile 4, 800m hard in mile 5, 1000m hard in mile 6, and then cool down 1 mile. My hard was supposed to be between 7:00-7:15 and my easy is 9:17-9:05.  I could not get down below 7:20 during any of my intervals.  Am I worried about it? Nope!  I did the best I could at that moment and have moved on.  I will get it next time. It’s my effort that counts! 

After my scheduled run I ran another 4 easy paced miles to close off the day at 11 miles.  Afterwork I got out for a bike ride and it felt great. I clocked in 15 miles!  What a great day!

Friday June 12^th—Now this was a day where I set my alarm for PM, not AM. Geez. I am having one of those weeks🙃. I heard my husband get up and it was before 6am and thought that I had a few minutes left until my alarm would go off. Well, ended up getting up around 7ish instead. Thankful for my internal alarm clock helping get my butt up!! I got out for my 5 easy paced miles and then another rush back to get ready for the office.

I skipped the bike ride tonight because I got home a little earlier because they were doing a drive by parade for the local high schoolers, so we did that, and then hung outside the rest of the night. Sometimes you got to go with having fun versus working out.

Saturday June 13^th—Today was day 1 of our virtual BibRave summit!  We started off doing a virtual 5 mile run that had a scavenger hunt built in. The app we used was having issues so I only got 4 of the clues.  All in all it was a lot of fun and I definitely would be up for doing another scavenger hunt run!  On my running schedule for today was 14 miles so the first 5 was for BibRave and then I went on to do another 9 miles.  I stopped home around mile 7 to use the bathroom and fill up my water bottle.  I then headed over towards the track.  It’s been locked up for months and I had walked past it on Monday when I was on my walk and it was still closed.  Much to my surprise when I ran over to it today it WAS OPEN!!! Dude.  So excited, like a kid at Christmas.  I ran 3 miles on it while I was there and then made my way home. 

Had time for a quick shower and then had to hop on the zoom calls we had scheduled.  It was nice to ‘see’ everyone live on zoom, and then we broke into smaller meetings so that we could have a chance to get to know each other better. Then we had an awesome meeting with questions for Jess and Tim, the co-founders of BibRave.  It as neat to learn more about the future of BibRave and more about Jess and Tim.  Our last meeting of the day was a TikTok lesson.  I am so old that I was like there is no way that I am using this app LOL. But like anything else, I need to embrace it and figure it out. 

After all of those zoom calls I decided that my legs were rested enough and dragged myself out for my 3^rd bike ride of the week. I knew that if I wanted to run more than what I had scheduled tomorrow it may be tough to get out so why not just do it today! I’m glad I did. I clocked in 13 miles and enjoyed my ride. Then back home to figure out dinner and hang outside with neighbors and kids until after dark.

Sunday June 14^th—Second day of the BibRave Summit.  Our calls weren’t until later in the day so I knew I didn’t need to get up super early, YAY! 7:30am is when I dragged myself out of bed and man my body felt like an old car.  Just chugging along. How in the heck was I gonna manage to do my scheduled 6 miles plus more? I needed some coffee to think about it.  All of that coffee and sitting got me feeling good and that helped PUSH me out of the door. Sometimes that is truly the hardest part about running or doing anything really. It’s taking that step to move forward. It was another cooler morning where there was no humidity and no heat.  Super nice for running! My run today was 6 miles with the first 3 miles at easy pace (9:17-9:05) and then 3 miles at moderate pace (8:45-8:30). My splits were 9:26, 8:54, 9:04, 8:19, 8:31 and 8:13.  That first mile though… it was like I was going in slow motion.  You know what I’m talking about it!  You can never trust the first mile. Sometimes it takes 2-3 miles before your body is feeling good!  I then stopped home for a bathroom break and some more water and headed out for 4 more easy paced miles. That last mile was super hard and I had to dig deep to get it done for my virtual challenge. 

Then to shower and make my shake and then do my posts and feed the kids and then do my zoom calls with BibRave. It was a great virtual summit weekend. I can’t wait until next year when we can all meet in person.  I ended up going over to see my mom later and we walked 3 miles together. I ended the week with 8 miles walking, 55 miles running and 40 miles biking. What a great week I had!

Monday June 1^st – My rest running day! I love when a month starts on a Monday. It just seems so clean and fitting. Today marks the day that I started 2 virtual runs. One is on a team of 8 where we run Across the USA. It’s 2572 miles from San Francisco to New York. And the other is a race to run across PA, which is solo and 310 miles. I’m excited for both! Today I walked 5 miles after work and that did count for both races.

Tuesday June 2^nd—On the schedule was 6 miles with strides.   I was to warm up 2 miles and then add in 4 x 100m at 7:15-7:00 pace with 1 min easy in between each, then cool down to 6 miles in total. I ran this on my treadmill, and it felt great! I then changed clothes and go out for an 11-mile bike ride!  I love when I get up early enough to get both in before work time! 

We are now doing a countdown to my daughter’s birthday as it’s a week away and she will be 7. She is just so excited! I feel bad that she won’t have a big party this year but she did already get a brand new mountain bike and I got her a few things from her brother that he will give to her on her actual birthday. We will do cake and a pinata this weekend outside with some of the kids on the block. Then on her actual birthday we will go over to my parent’s house for outside dinner and cake visit!

Wednesday June 3^rd– It’s Global Running Day! Global Running Day is a worldwide celebration of running that encourages everyone to get moving.  My coach had a time trial on the schedule, and I’ve been nervous about this for days. Ever since I saw it. The reason? It’s like proof of my fitness level and what if I suck and also, big reason here… the track has been closed and is still not open. And so, running a 5k without having to stop in the neighborhood just won’t happen.  There are lights, and cars and people and dogs. I know, I talk a lot about mindset and my mindset was bad for this run.  So, I needed to change that and fast.  The workout scheduled was 2 mile warm up, time trial 5k, 2 mile cool down. I had to stop many times during the 5k and paused my watch. I also added this in my Garmin as a workout and then forgot to use that when I started running.  So, I just told my coach what my 3 mile times were… 7:06, 7:00 and 7:12.  Not bad, but I think I could have been faster in different circumstances. And I must state that even though this didn’t go as planned or how I thought, I still loved every single minute of this!  It was a great way to celebrate global running day! 

I then went to my office to work for a few hours. We had a bad storm here in PA. My neighbors tree fell and took up her whole yard. We lost power for a long time which was fine until it got dark and kids were like… where’s the lights, where the Netflix, it’s hot in here, blah blah.  We have a generator but it can power like one thing so that is the fridge, so all the food didn’t go bad.  In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t very long but felt like forever. 

Thursday June 4^th—Because we had no power when I went to bed, I completely forgot to set my alarm for waking up early today. I didn’t wake up till after 7am. That meant I was only getting my run in and bike will have to wait until later.  It was nice and warm already which is just my favorite. I may be one of the only people out there that loves running in hot weather.  Cold weather just needs too many layers and my nose is always running and it’s harder to breathe.  Anyway, on the schedule was 5 miles easy but I had some time, so I went and did 7. Plus, I’m feeling very competitive with the one virtual run and need to get in a few extra easy miles this week to help the team!

Later, after work I got out for my ride and did a little over 12 miles.  While I like getting both my run and ride done before work, it’s always nice to do it after work too. 

Friday June 5^th—Yay for making it through another week at home! Today on my scheduled was 4 easy paced miles but I decided to double that. I got out early enough and decided to use my time wisely and get more miles for my virtual challenges. So 8 miles it was. It all felt great and my coach always says that adding a few extra miles is okay if you are keeping them easy!

No biking today. I was going to the office because my mother in law was coming up to watch the kids for us. It was nice to be at my office and to be able to get a lot of work done without a kid interrupting me all day long.

Saturday June 6^th—Another Saturday, another long run! I sleep in on Saturdays now because we really have no where to go these days so what is the point of waking up at the crack of dawn? I mean, it would be nice to get to the trail early but sleeping in is just super nice!! On the schedule was a 14 miler with some marathon pace miles thrown in. It was 3 mile warm up, 3 miles at marathon pace, 2 miles easy, 3 miles at marathon pace and then 3 miles easy. Marathon pace for me is between 8:00-8:20, and easy is between 9:30-9:00. I did the first 6 on my treadmill knowing that it was super-hot out and I would need a ton of water. I then got outside for the last 8 and brought my 16oz water bottle and still had to stop home mid run for a refill. This run went well, and I hit my paces, so that was exciting.

Sometimes I still let a run on my schedule freak me out and make me wonder, can I do that? It always seems impossible until it’s done. And even someone like me who has run 19 marathons in her life, still has moments of doubt. It’s crazy but a lot of running is your mindset. A good mindset can really change everything! The rest of the day was spent watching the kids go back and forth from our blow-up water slide to the blow-up pool, and so forth. I do love the heat, but the humidity was so bad it just felt like you were walking around in soup.

Sunday June 7^th—Last day of the week.. make it count! The weather was picture perfect today. There was NO humidity and it was sunny. A day that you want to spend outside all day long. I started with my run, 6 miles easy and then a quick outfit change and got on the bike for 12 miles. I mentioned on Instagram that I have no fancy bike outfits or gloves and I’m not even wearing my clip shoes at this point cause I’m just going around our neighborhood. My point with all that rambling is that you don’t need any of that stuff to get out there and get after it!

Then came back to get ready for a little outside birthday celebration for my daughter. She had fun and felt special so that’s all that matters. We didn’t go inside for the day until around 8pm so I was pretty exhausted at that point.

I ended the week with running 48 miles, biking 35 and walking 5 miles. Overall, it was a great training week for me!!