A Look Back at Summer Running

Distance: 3.05 mi.
Time: 37:10 min.
Pace: 12:11 (m/mi)
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 72°F, warmer & more humid


First before I look back at my stats over the last 3 or months—I hit my 10 min. mark at .82 mi. again today! I wasn't sure I would make it because it was pretty humid and I was having trouble early on. But I pushed myself and I made it!


So here's what I did over the last few months.


May
Distance: 83:57 mi.
Duration: 18:25:17
Avg Pace: 13:14 (m/mi)


Pretty good  considering I ran my first half-marathon in April.


June
Distance: 34:07 mi.
Duration: 7:05:43
Avg Pace: 12:30 (m/mi.)


Wow! I really increased my pace but my total mileage is way down. A sign of the heat that was settling in. 


July
Distance: 62:47 mi.
Duration: 13:40:04
Avg Pace: 13:06 (m/mi)


A little slower pace but better consistency and total mileage. Most of the miles were logged before the 20th. 


August
Distance: 34.96 mi.
Duration: 7:17:38
Avg Pace: 12:31 (m/mi)


I ran only 6 days before the 20th. It was hot, humid & miserable. I just gave up. 


Here is what I think I learned from my first summer of running. Consistency is important. I learned that running several times a week, even if only a short distance, is much better physically and psychologically for me. I need the routine in my life and the daily dose of sunshine & being out-of-doors.


Better to run shorter distances more frequently than longer distances once in a while. When it is hot & humid I need to shorten my time and distance. Again, several short runs vs. one long run in a week is more beneficial. 


Just to remind myself, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported this morning that this summer is going down in the books as the 4th hottest summer on record. There weren't any individual daily records set, but the consistency of 90°+ days and 70°+ nights is what made it so hot. I really am not crazy-it was hot, humid & miserable. 

Personal PR

Distance: 2:03 mi.

Time: 26:38 min.

Pace: 12:08 (m/mi)

Time of day: 6:19 a.m.

Weather: 71°F, humid, overcast

So this is a little thing, but I need all the kudos I can get right now. 

My running app is set to announce time, distance & pace every 10 min. I have been trying all summer to break .8 mi. in the first 10 minutes and just haven't done it. Until today that is!!! I made .82 mi. in my first 10 minutes. Woo-hoo for me!!

I also ran this morning when I didn't really feel like it. I was hot all night and woke with a minor headache. It would have been really easy to just sit at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and avoid the effort and the sweat of running. I also would have missed that PR (above) and the great feeling it gave me. And, at the end of my run my headache was gone and I was feeling much better. Yeah me!

Weekend Catchup

Sunday, 08/29
I awoke this morning to much higher humidity. Since I had run 3 days without resting I chose to "rest" today. 


Saturday, 08/28
Distance: 2.51 mi.
Time: 31:27 min.
Pace: 12:32 (m/mi.)
Time of Day: 8:05 a.m.
Weather: 65°F, sunny, a little warm in the sunshine


I ran the local fitness trail and did a pretty good job, I think. This trail has several hills, one pretty big one. I planned my direction so I ran down it, but that meant I had to climb a couple of smaller, but longer hills. It was a great morning to run!

I Love Lower Humidity

Distance 2.2 miles
Time: 25:55 min.
Pace:
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 65°F, clear & cooler


It was a beautiful morning to run. With mornings like this in the forecast I am excited to be out of the road again. 

Restart

Distance: 2.21 mi.
Time: 25:55 min.
Pace: 11:45 (m/mi.)
Time of day: 6 a.m.
Weather: 65°F, less humidity, nice breeze--a great morning to run!


I printed off the original running plan from January of this year. In the first 3 weeks I run a maximum distance of 3 miles. That sounds so good to me. I'm not sure why, but I need the security of a written plan telling me it's o.k. to only run 3 miles. I let out a big sigh of relief as I put the schedule on the fridge. 


I also decided to not run the Lewis & Clark half marathon in October. I heard about a 5k run on 09/26 that benefits ovarian cancer and I'm going to participate in that. I have long had a small nagging voice inside urging me to be involved in ovarian cancer efforts. I have a direct connection to the disease; my mother died of it about 25 years ago. I will be running a more manageable distance plus helping out a worthy cause. 

Time To Push The Restart Button

Saturday, 08/21/10
Distance: 2.75 mi.
Time: 36.22 min.
Pace: 13:13 (m/mi)
Time of day: 7:50 a.m.
Weather: 70°F, cloudy, rainy, humid


My goal was to run 4 mi. today but I didn't. I managed to get in the 2.75 miles before I just gave up and walked home. Between the lack of consistent running and the humidity and the polish chipping on my toe nails and the scratch on my arm--well I just gave up. But I did some thinking as I power walked home. And I decided I would go back and start again. I would print off the first training schedule Coach Jeni provided me and rebuild my base and quit worrying about performance. 

Resting

Wednesday was a rest day and today I had business meetings that kept me from running early. Now it's really hot again so I won't be able to run this evening. However---tomorrow morning I'll be out and running again. I can hardly wait.

Out With The Old, In With The New

I forgot to write about my running shoes!


Here's my first ever pair of dedicated running shoes after 359 miles and apprx. 6 months of wear.

Dirty & Worn

Where's the black part of the sole?

Umm, the left shoe heel is MIA!

The guy at the running store assured me I had gotten every penny's worth of wear from the shoes. I was a little disappointed that they lasted only 359 miles; they are supposed to be 300-500 mile shoes. But not so disappointed that it kept me from buying the exact same shoe only now in purple.

I love purple for a change!

I also bought some new performance socks. They are Balega and they cost about $10 a pair. These are what the salesman recommended after I explained the trouble I had with my Asics socks sliding down inside my shoe. So far so good with the Balegas--and they are very soft.

Sweat? What Sweat?

Distance: 3.24 mi.
Time: 39:53 min.
Pace: 12:19 min/mi.
Time of day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 61°F, lower humidity, slight breeze


It was so awesome to get out and run this morning! The cooler temps, lower humidity, and a slight breeze made it delightful. I was a little concerned that this second morning out, after 10 days off, would be tough. But, it felt great! 


I have mixed feelings about not running the last 10 days. It was very hot and humid-hence the Excessive Heat Warnings issued by the weather service. My philosophy is that I run to feel good, not kill myself. And the reality of the situation was that running in the recent hot weather was dangerous. But, I have this little part of me that never wants to give up or give in. Sometimes that gets me into trouble. However, I think I am getting better at balancing both aspects of my personality. At least I am working on getting better. 

Running Shorts, Oh How I've Missed You!

Distance: 2.52 mi.
Time: 30:34 min.
Pace: 12:04 mi/min.
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 70°F, but lower humidity.


Finally a break in the heat & humidity. I haven't run much over the last 2-3 weeks due to the high heat & humidity. The weather service has issued Excessive Heat Warnings every day for about the last 3 weeks. Over the past week the nighttime low was not below 80°F. But this morning felt pretty nice and I relished getting out and running right before the sun came up. 


I will have to work hard to be ready for my next half-marathon the first weekend in October. But I have missed running so much over the last week that I'm ready to work hard.