Thursday Recovery

Today I went for a run with the guys, early before work. After a pretty solid run yesterday, today’s plan was to relax and get in miles with the guys. When the alarm sounded at 4:30am I began to weigh my options. “Ya know, the temperature after school isn’t that bad,” was one thought that tugged at me. Despite my sabotaging efforts I laced up with guys and enjoyed a quiet morning run catching up about Labor Day weekend plans. I might be tired and still getting ready for Tuesday’s start of school, but it felt great to run in the quiet, cool morning temperatures before the world woke and began to stir.

Workout Wednseday

Today I went for a run and completed 8 x 800s before school. I took advantage of the cooler temperature and got myself into gear and pulled through 8 repeats on a stretch off Honeygo Blvd. It has been about a month since I’ve done 800s, so I was a little nervous about completing these and being successful on hitting paces. At 4:55 am I laced up and hit the road nervous, yet hhopeful and arned with a solid soundtrack. I knocked out my repeats and was pretty proud of my time and effort in completing this uptempo workout. Speedwork is tough, but you never regret putting in the time after it’s done.

Routine Tuesday

Today I went for a run after school for the first time this school year. It was in the 80s, but at least the humidity was low. I took to the streets for a seven mile loop while listening to some tunes. I was still a little stiff from my previous 20 miler, but happy to be out. People were washing cars, doing landscaping, discussing gutters and enjoying the warm, yet comfortable weather. Later that night I met up for book club and enjoyed a great night discussing our last book and newest selection!

First 20 miler!

Today I went for a long run and finally completed a 20 mile run for this training cycle! Amazingly the temperature has cooled off, making our 4am start an amazing 67 degrees! We completed a new route by doing ten miles first around the harbor and second meandering downtown streets for the last ten miles. It was a great change of scenery and overall strong run!

Later that day we drove up to Philly to drop the kids off for Grandparent vacation. What better way to refuel after a long run than by having a Philly cheesesteak! It’s always tough parting with kids, but after a great lunch at Pat’s I know that nothing can replace the love from a mom…. with cheesesteaks.

Selfie Saturday

Today I went for a run along Honeygo with Paul in pretty amazing weather! The temperature dropped after the soaking showers and weather front hit Friday. Paul and I laced up and took to Honeygo and the backroads of Perry Hall. I was only going to do five miles, but continued on because the weather was too amazing not to keep going!!! Later in the morning I packed up Shawn and Abigail and we headed downtown to complete the #beerme challenge.

Team Ultra pulled together another challenge which was pretty fun. We are passing the beer around to all our teammates. I wanted to find a cool location to film my short clip that represented the streets of Baltimore that I run. Well, I think it would frowned upon to have open containers in the Inner Harbor, so I searched to find a cool area unique to Baltimore. I came across Graffiti Alley, a unique space in the art district of Baltimore that allows anyone to display their artistic talents. It was pretty cool!

Every inch of this space was filled with art. We took in the unique space, searched for our favorite corners and filmed my #beerme challenge.

It was a pretty fun morning complete with a run, a #beerme challenge, a great beer, exploration and family time.

Last Friday of Summer

Today I went for a run with the guys on the last Friday of summer vacation. It was a muggy morning due to the crazy thunderstorms we had the night before, leaving thick humidity in its tracks. We did our last 5:30am summer run reminiscing about the great summer we had and the busy fall ahead. We even joked about possible names for our running group and the longevity it has had so far. Now time for dentist appointments, haircuts and last minute summer items.

Wednesday Tempo

Today I went for a run and picked up the pace after two weeks of easy running and recovery. Humidity has hovered in the area and made running a little bit difficult the last few days. Team Ultra did speedwork yesterday, so I picked it up and did four – ten minute intervals today. I started out with the guys and then split to do my intervals solo. The first two intervals were hot, third my legs started to feel like lead and my last was running on fumes. I really thought about cutting it short and only completing three, but then reconsidered – because why not finish? How often do we start something and then cut it short because of a made up excuse or because we stay in our comfort zones. I could have easy cut it short and it was justified due to heat, but I stuck with it and I’m just a little bit more confident in myself because I didnt give up.

Feelin Alright

Today I went for a run and felt almost back to normal!!! I got up and took to the streets at 5:15am, which was not an easy feat. With only a few more days of summer – staying in bed, watching the morning news and enjoying my coffee is always the best option. I took the pace easy, did the regular Honeygo route and completed 7 miles. Despite my legs feeling loose and at ease with the pace, the humidity consumed most of my energy as I struggled to regulate my breathing. It was just plain hot and humid out! But I completed 7 miles, felt 97% better and was happy to see a beautiful sunrise on a Tuesday.

Tough Week

Today I went for a run after taking it easy for the week due to a calf/achillies issue. Last Saturday I went for a 15-18 mile run and called it quits after 16. After only one mile my achillies balled up and a tense muscle pain overcame my lower leg for the entire run. It was a tough run because I felt fine all week and there was nothing new about this run that could cause this discomfort.

Overall we did two out and back loops to make 16 miles with a few walk breaks to help provide comfort when possible. Oddly enough we spotted a bat along our journey which was quite surprising to see in the Inner Harbor.

After we finished the run I iced, rolled and compressed my leg in hopes something would allivate the pain – it didn’t. On Tuesday things seemed better and I tried running again only getting a quarter mile into my run before the pain returned. Feeling defeated I cut the run short.

I guess this was a sign to take it easy this week. I’ve had a great summer, new runs, new places, and new miles. I’ve only started hitting 40-42 miles a week due to increasing long runs. My body must be longing for the spring weekly average of 25-30 miles. So I embraced it. (Something really hard for a runner – acceptance) Every runner fears being side-lined. Instead of ignoring my body, I listened – and thought I’ll try again later. I took the week to stretch, roll, take barre, and cycle at the gym. By Friday I gave it a whirl and ran with the guys at an easy pace. Although my leg was tight, it didnt ball up and cause pain. I took Saturday off and Sunday woke up eager to take on my long run!

Despite the intense humidity, we headed out and completed 13 miles around the harbor. By 13 miles humidity was taking its toll, yet I still felt good. The compression sleeve provided support and the easy pace kept my muscles from triggering pain. After we reached the car I headed up and decided to finish the run to get 15 done. After two miles I kept going and completed 5 miles to get a total of 18 miles done. The last 5 miles were hot, humid and felt like weights were dragging from my feet keeping them close to the ground. This is when your mind hits the wall. I thought about mile 23 in a race, when you’re near the finish with only a 5k to go – no sweat, right!? A 5k is nothing, but after 23 miles it feels like an eternity. I pushed through – thought about how much better I felt than the previous week and how lucky I am to be moving again. 18 miles done, my leg was sore, yet pain free and my mind battled the long run wall. Bring on a new week!

Sidelined

Today I did not go for a run, but biked along with guys on the hills of Kingsville. My calf/achillies was not feeling any relief despite the compression, ice, rolling and attention I was providing. It was a perfect morning, cooler temperatures in the 60s, and I was sidelined. In hopes that I might get lucky, I asked Paul if he had a bike to use – he did!!! This was awesome, yet terrifying due to the many hills!!! We began our route and I hung with the guys, only leaving them when I needed to accelerate up a hill. At the top of the first hill my heart was pounding. For someone who thought they were in shape, it was alarming how my heart felt like it was going to jump out if my chest!!! We continued on, enjoying the route I hadn’t seen since early spring. Reminders of the rolling hills kept my cycling until the end.