August Rewind

This is probably the longest I've waited to write a monthly recap- I've been so bummed about my knee I just haven't felt like writing about running aside from my race reviews.

Onto the Breakdown 

Total Mileage:  63 miles, literally half of what I ran in July. Due to dealing with my knee, I really cut back on mileage hoping that rest will help with recovery.
September Mileage: considering I'm still trying to rest my knee, no predictions for mileage. This will be a re-cooperation month so that October I can go full swing.  

Highest Mileage week: 25. What's sad is it was a 21 miler and a 4 miler. I was expecting to easily get a 40 miler week

September: again no real big goals here. I'm assuming my biggest mileage week will be last weekend in September with the Bourbon Chase relay.  

Races Planned / Completed: 1/2: Completed State #31, Utah, Legacy Midnight Half my first half marathon run at night.

I wanted to run Nashville's Tap n Run 4k, but poor planning on my part I had my 20 miler that morning and the race was 5pm same day--- obviously it didn't happen.

September: I cancelled my marathon that was this upcoming weekend, so the only other race that I will be doing is the Bourbon Chase relay at end of the month- excited to have my brother join me in his FIRST relay ever :) 

Accomplishments for July:

• Ran my first 20 and 21 miler- longest runs to date. 
• Started my new job- although extremely busy, I absolutely LOVE my new role at my company :) 
• Slowly learning to listen and obey my body (this is huge for me) 

Current Book: My brother's girlfriend, Tracie, actually wrote a miniseries awhile back called "The webster grove" series collectively as a whole, but each 'part' had its own unique title. For awhile they were only offered as e-books, but in the last several months she had some made into book form and gave me a copy of all the series bound together for one book--- OMG I couldn't put it down. The premise is about a new girl in school who eventually starts to date one of the teacher's- lots of twists and turns in the story development. Although I knew Tracie was incredibly smart, I was blown away at how well she could write and develop characters and scenes- such a GREAT story.

Shortly after finishing the book I went home and she had a copy of her most recent book, Sweet Nothings which I read in a few hours. I'm a sucker for romantic stories- hers are fun and light-hearted, just makes you feel good after you're done.

Since she doesn't have any more books out, i'm in the market to find a new read. All suggestions welcome :) 

Current Excitements/ Obsessions:

- Having Kim and S stay with me this weekend in Dayton for the Air Force Marathon- haven't decided yet if I'm going to run the half with my brother, or not run at all and be a race cheerleader. 

- Planning a trip to San Diego

- Finalizing double header in October with Kim and Alma! 

Current Goal

- Since I have to take it easy with running, I decided to not just sit around and mope and focus on what I CAN do. I'm hoping to add some yoga into my life since its supposed to be so great for runners. Work offers several classes throughout the week, so I have no excuse to not try it. I need to get back into kettle bells as well. 

Current Dislikes: Not being able to run pain free :( No idea how long this will last, so depending on how long it lasts, there may be another trip to the doctor. 

August had its ups and downs. I finished my first 20 and 21 miler relatively pain free, however my double header in Iowa & Nebraska proved that I can't do a full marathon on this knee. This is my first time backing out on a race, hopefully my last for awhile. September should prove to be an interesting month- so heres to hoping everything doesn't get worse. 

20 Miles in the books

A few of you sent me emails asking how this weekend went since I didn't yet post- my new job started at work and what once was an 8 hour day has turned into 10-11 hrs, so free time is a commodity. As I learn my role the hours will get shorter, but for next few weeks I might be a little lack in posting often.

Who is no longer a 20 miler virgin?!?!

This Gal!

This past Saturday I ventured off for my first 20 miler. I had a running meet up at 6am with a group of individuals, but their plan was to just do 15, so I ventured out a little after 5am to knock out the first 5 miles before meeting up with them.

First 5 went amazing- temps were low 60s, sun wasn't out yet, jamming to my music, and no knee pain- 8:30s average pace. 

As soon as I started running with the other 4 individuals I felt like a different runner- the 9:10 pace we were doing was HARD and the dull ache in my knee was starting to get more consistent vs. coming and going. Luckily when I run with people vs. solo I tend to push myself more so instead of walking I just kept  a short distance of 5-10 feet behind them for awhile.

The miles actually ticked by due to extreme inappropriateness topic of conversation- another reason I love running with guys when I am able.

A few of you were curious how testing out the Nathan Women's Intensity Vest would be--- it was MAGICAL. I don't own body glide (crazy I know considering its a staple for most runners) and it didn't chafe one bit. I did put deodorant on the spot where the straps lie just in case, but does deodorant do anything? This was a fluke weekend for Nashville, so humidity and temps were extremely mild- I was worried I would get hot in the vest, but it never bothered me. I wish I would have  purchased this earlier in the summer.

Route we chose was 12 miles (for my group, 17 total for me) and we were going to do a 1.5 out and back to make up the last 3. Since we were back at cars I ditched my vest, had some gatorade, and off we went. Once I got to mile 18 I was struggling so I told one of the guys who was hanging back with me that I needed to put in my music---- what a trick. Immediately my pace picked up and I felt amazing. My last 2 miles ended up being sub 8s with the mile 20 clicking in at 7:42.

I decided that I'm going to try this out for actual marathon, only, not sure how long I can go without music when I'm running solo.

Overall I was pleased with how the run went. I was able to walk normal afterward, and more importantly the next day.  My total time was 20 miles in 2:58:30. 1.5 min faster than when I did my walk/ run/ jog 18 miles a few weeks back. In two weeks I'm due for another 20 miler, however I'm thinking of making it a 22 miler (maybe) so I can get more time on my feet. I NEED to run longer than 3 hours!

For any experienced marathoners out there--- what's a good chunk of miles you go before putting in music to get your 2nd wind?