Run #106

I was tired this morning; I got outside at about 5:30. It was a decent run though it was slow. I was tired. Extra-short run since hubby had to leave early for an out-of-town meeting.

2.09 mi 25:06 (12:02/mile)
73 degrees, 94% humidity. Dark.

Run #105

Yeah! Got my pace below 12 for a long, humid run. It felt good! This was my longest run ever...woo hoo! I hope I feel good enough to do 8.5 next weekend!

Then I got a smoothie at Starbucks and dropped it on the floor. It splashed quite impressively. It wasn't enough to ruin my good mood though!

At Starbucks as I waited for the family to pick me up, I crocheted. I'd brought yarn, a pattern, and a crochet hook with me, in my Camelbak. It fit well and weighed practically nothing. As I crocheted, I listed to a science podcast.

I am officially the geekiest runner on the face of the earth.

8.05 mi 01:36:01 (11:55/mile)
I got a later start than I wanted. By the time I finished my warm-up walk and started running, it was 6:20. It was about 76 degrees, 81% humidity. There was quite a bit of sun, but it was manageable! I ran out of water about 3/4 of the way through the run, so I am going to need to fill up my Camelback more next weekend. Still, it was enough water to keep me hydrated pretty well.

Run #104

This was a good run! I think I'm learning more about what pace I can go at various distances. It's been pretty easy for me to know I can push myself some for 3 miles, and need to go slowly for 6 miles.... But in between can be tough! I've tended to go really slowly for my mid-distance runs, more than I need to. I had an "in between" pace today for my mid-distance run, so I'm glad to know I'm figuring that out! I also just can't say enough for having a Camelbak for hydration. It helps so much, and the minimal extra weight really doesn't even bother me.

48:03 4.25 mi (11:19/mile)
76 degrees, 81% humidity. There wasn't a breeze today, so it felt pretty soupy out there. I got out of the house a little after 6:15, started with a warm-up walk, and got home around 7:15. the sun was in my face a little at the end, but not bad. There were a few clouds. I've gotten past the longest days of the year, so there will be some relief coming, with the sun rising later (even if there won't be temperature or humidity relief for a few more months!)

Run #103

Yay! After realizing last week that I've been a little lazy on my runs, I pushed it more today. Glad to see a better pace. I started later than usual, and it was sunny, so it wasn't the most comfortable run in terms of weather, but I felt good.

3.13 mi 33:15 (10:37/mile)

Not sure what the temp was, but it was warm and humid (shocker, I know!!) It was also sunny. I started my warm-up at just after 6:45 and was home a little before 7:30. If I'd made myself get out of bed half an hour earlier it would have been a much more comfortable run.

Run #102

This was a great run! Longest ever, both time and distance. Yeah! I felt good. Wasn't sure how I was going to hold up during the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the run, but really got in the groove at about 45 minutes.

I think the pace (11:56/mile) was acceptable considering the humidity; it was faster than my long run last weekend, by 20 seconds a mile. I was glad to have my Camelbak.

Also, a particular part of my right leg (up near the hip) has been bothering me, and yesterday I found the tight spot with my foam roller, and got it worked out. It felt so much better during today's run! My left leg had some aches around the knee/IT band, but nothing bad at all, and they were the types of aches that came and went instead of getting worse. As I get more used to longer runs, and continue to strengthen my legs, I hope to have fewer of those twinges.

My time was a less than 10% longer than last week's long run. But my distance was over 10% further. In general I like to stay under that 10% increase but I didn't even know how far I'd gone until I got home. If I'm still feeling good next weekend, I'll probably either map out a 7.9 to 8 mile route, or run for about 1:35. At this point I think I could probably slowly run a 10 mile race as a one-time thing. I'm not planning that, but it's fun to think about what I probably could do. Instead I'm hoping to gradually work my distance up so that by fall or winter, 13.1 won't be a problem. (Hey, that's "only" 5.56 miles longer than today's run!)

Thinking of distance is somehow less daunting to me than thinking about time. I know that at my current pace, I'd have to run for about 1:07 longer than I ran today, to complete a half marathon. Whew, that sounds like a LOT! But 5.56 miles...that sounds doable!

7.54 mi, 01:30 (11:56/mile)
77 degrees, 81% humidity. Started warm-up walk just after 6; was done with run a little after 7:40. Few clouds. Sun was in my face some at the end of the run, but it wasn't bad; the sun was still low and not too hot.

Run #101

47:34 4 mi 00:48 11:53 pace

Okay, I'm going to be honest. I'm getting a little lazy. I enjoy slow runs so much that I'm just letting myself get slower...and slower. Of course, a slow run is still a great workout, but I'd like to push myself a bit harder. I'm getting so used to the humidity; 73 degrees/94% humidity felt NICE today! So it's time to push it a little. Not a whole lot, but just enough to challenge myself more and get my heart rate higher. I may sometimes introduce some short, faster intervals into my weekday runs. On my long weekend runs I can take it super-easy if I want, since I plan to go a little further each week (most weeks, anyway.)

I ran for the first time with my Camelbak hydration backpack, and I liked it!! I need to get it adjusted a bit better; it rubbed one shoulder a little. But it didn't feel too heavy, and I think that being able to take a sip of water every few minutes helped keep me feeling good. I was pleasantly surprised to realize I didn't drink much water, so I don't need to fill it nearly as full next time, which means I'll be carrying even less weight. (Full, it's only about 5 pounds.)

I still really want to do a half marathon in the fall or winter. I'm considering a half that's three hours from here; one of my online friends is doing it, and it would be really fun to do it with her!

47:34 4.015 mi 11:53/mile)
Started warm-up walk at around 6:20; finished running before 7:20. 73 degrees, 94% humidity, partly cloudy.

Run #100!

Run #100--woo hoo! I forgot that, so I didn't do anything special for it, but it was a good run!

My pace has been so slow lately. A lot of it is the humidity. I've also just let myself take it easy because I enjoy it more. But today I was glad to be under 11 minutes again. Not fast, but faster than it has been. It was 75 degrees/90% humidity, but that just doesn't feel as bad as it did a few weeks ago! And I was pleasantly surprised that I had quite a bit of energy today; I was able to keep that pace without getting winded. A good run!

3.29 miles 36:03, 10:57/mile
75 degrees/90% humidity. I started my warm-up walk at 6:40 and was finished with the run before 7:30. The sun was a little annoying, but not bad at all.

Run #99!

This was the longest I've ever run, time-wise! It wasn't the longest distance; my pace was slow. But it felt good to be out there, pushing myself. I haven't done 10K+ in six weeks, when I ran 7 miles in 1:20 and some change.

It was super-humid, and I'm just so thrilled that I'm acclimating to that. Part of acclimating for me is giving myself permission to go slowly. I did stop twice in the last 3/4 mile to do a bit of stretching; I was feeling some leg/knee twinges that probably should have made me stop to walk...but I really wanted to keep going. The stretches helped, and I'm feeling pretty good now.

My leg & hip strengthening exercises are helping so much! My knees feel way more stable, and I'm thrilled to be back into this longer-distance training. I sure do hope my legs and knees allow me to train to do a half marathon in a few months. In my general vicinity there are half marathons every month from October through January, so I have a lot to choose from! My distance today was over half the distance of a half marathon....

I think I'd like to shoot for 1:25 or 1:30 next weekend, weather and knees/legs permitting!

1:22:15 6.71 mi (12:15 pace)
79 degrees, 84% humidity. I started my warm-up walk at just after 5:45 and was done running by a little before 7:20. The sun had been up for almost an hour but it is a cloudy day. There were even a few raindrops near the end (which makes me think that 84% humidity was probably higher by that time...but I think it had also gotten a bit cooler by then.) This weather was very runnable though I wouldn't have wanted to push my pace in it.

Tuesday...Run #100! I need to think of something special for that run!

Run #98

I was tired, and it was humid. I decided just to do a short run at an easy pace. It was a good run for today, enough to get me going on a day that I didn't want to push myself.

1.86 miles, 21:28 (11:33/mile)
73 degrees, 93% humidity. Cloudy.

Run #97

I was tired this morning, but had a nice, long, slow run. Great way to start the weekend!

Started warm-up walk at 5:51. Finished run by 7:04. Sun was out but still low in the sky--started to feel the hot sun at the very end of the run but not bad at all. I'm finding that finishing by about 7 is really important this time of year for outside runs, if I want to enjoy them. 73 degrees, 69% humidity.

5.3 miles, 1:03:48, 12:02/mile

Run #96

I don't usually do long runs mid-week, but everything just worked out to make it happen this morning!

I got up extra-early and was going to head to the gym, but the humidity was way lower than forecasted, so I decided to run outside. I started my warm-up walk at 5:45, then ran for an hour, so I was finished before 7, with the sun low in the sky. (And it was cloudy, so I didn't deal with ANY sun issues.)

This was a hard route, lots of hills. Because I decided at the last minute to do a long run (when I'd already left the house), I didn't have any of my trusty Shot Bloks with me, and I missed the energy I get from fueling during a long run! The last, longest hill (which ended somewhere past the 4 mile mark) was hard, but I knew I just had to get past it, and the rest was very doable. Great run, and a great way to start my Thursday!

5.27 miles, 1:00:56, 11:34 avg. pace
76 degrees, 55% humidity, outside from about 5:45-6:55.

Run #95

I was really tired this morning after a rough night with Zoodle. I was going to run at the gym, but I was on a time schedule and it didn't feel TOO bad outside, so I decided to run around the neighborhood. I stayed mostly on north/south streets, on the east side, so I got the morning shade from the houses! I also went VERY slowly, knowing that was the way to make a tired, humid run doable.

So it wasn't a high-performance run, but it's now lunch time and I have energy--energy I may not have had if I hadn't gotten out there this morning.

Weather: 73 degrees, 81% humidity. (I want to track what weather is "runnable" to me. This was runnable at a very slow pace, but it would have been better if I'd done the running a little earlier. I started after 7, when the sun had been up over half an hour. If I'd finished by 7 it would have been a more pleasant run.)

2.59 miles, 35 minutes (13:29/mile)