May in Review

May was such an interesting month due to in a matter of 3 weeks living in 4 different places and really forcing me to get better about planning runs after a lower mileage first 1/2 of the month.

Total Mileage: Word on the street is that my fellow twin tower Kim ran 88 miles and I wanted to be just like her so that is what I ran. Truth is, it was hard to get in some runs with all the moving and living out of a suitcase for 3 weeks.
June Mileage: 100 miles is the goal again. I have my A race for summer in August, South Dakota, so I need to train seriously. I leave for a week-long family vacation on Saturday, but hopefully I can coax my brother into running with me for accountability purposes.

Highest Mileage week: 30- what hilarious is that week there was not a half marathon run, I was just more diligent about logging more days.

June: I'd actually like to see if I can do 2 weeks over 30 miles- June is crazy busy for me so I'm not sure if I can hit 40 or not, so we'll start there.

Races Planned / Completed: 3/4: I had a Tap n Run 4k planned that I no showed due to having to move that day, and a foam fest 5k that I ended up not doing due to it being cold and rainy--- at least I made up for it by doing an extra half marathon in there that I hadn't solidified.

State # 40- Maryland (new PR) 

State # 41- Wyoming- highest altitude ever ran 

June: There is a local half marathon that is in it's inaugural year later this month. I'm back and forth on doing it due to high heat + humidity + hills doesn't sound like fun. What keeps me interested is most of my running friends ARE doing it, so I need to decide soon. 

Accomplishments for May: 

• Was able to live for 3 weeks with very minimal clothes, products, technology etc out of a suitcase- VERY proud of that.
• Almost 2 minute half marathon PR- 1:40:59!!!
• FINALLY found a new pair of shoes that I LOVE and can race the half marathon distance in- my Saucony Mirage 3s 

• Earned my neon green 50 class attendance bootcamp shirt ( blue = 25, green = 50, yellow = 100) 

Current Book: Finishing up the Just A Little series on ebooks. I plan on reading a lot while at the beach, so suggestions are welcome :) 

Current Excitements/ Obsessions:

• Family Vacation this weekend
• Researching things to do in Alaska
• Setting up our new apartment the way we want it
• Getting to meet all our remote colleagues end of June that I've been working with for about a year- love putting faces to names. 
• 2 states that I don't have solidified yet- VT and VA... must be a V thing. Trying to find what works best in my schedule / logistic and monetary friendly. 

Current Songs: 

• Digging the entire Great Gatsby Soundtrack

Current Treat

• Every Thursday and Friday the cafe makes double chocolate cookies with reece pieces mixed in... I ALWAYS purchase some on those days
• I've also been doing more ice cream / fro yo then normal- I blame the warm weather. 

Current Goal (s):  

• Consistent training each week between 20-30+ miles (last week I ran 6) 
• condense and organize my stuff once I get it all in order
• Find some local races to run just to keep me interest this summer. 
• Blog more consistently- I've just been all over the place this month and haven't had the time to sit down and write all my riveting thoughts for you all. 

May Major takeaway:  After my body hit a complete wall in Maryland, I was reminded of another reason why to do speedwork. A lot of individuals think speedwork is just about getting faster (which obviously it does help with that), but its also about increasing your VO2 max so you can go at xyz speed for longer and have your muscles cooperate. While trying to chase the elusive sub 1:40, around mile 10 I just didn't have enough oxygen to supply to my muscles anymore and my quads were dead. My breathing was fine, but my body was just tapped out and I couldn't turnover at the pace I needed to hit that number. This is the first time this has happened to me, and I'd like for it to be the last. It looks like I will officially be joining speedwork sessions with Fleet Feet this summer :) 

How was your May?

May was an interesting month for me that involved a lot of "fly by the seat of my pants" decisions due to being in transition while my apartment was getting ready. I surprised myself by running a time I didn't think was possible, so now I have this renewed desire to see how much I'm able to push myself.

Any Major takeaways?

If you want something and are willing to push for it, you might actually surprise yourself.  (same as April's) Also now that the heat is in FULL effect, its more important that ever to plan my runs out to ensure they actually get done vs. getting skipped.