JoeG : July 2021

Sunday, July 25, 2021

Weekly Running Report: July 25, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)?

How's the weather in you area? Our week in Pa started out warm and then had a few days with a break from the heat. I'm sure it will be back soon.

Couple reminders..

As a #PhillyMarathonAmbassador, I have a discount code for $15 off the half marathon, full marathon, or any of the challenges, hit me up in the DM's for the code!

As a #BibRavePro, I have running gear and race discounts across the country! check out my blog site tabs for discount info!

My Week in Training:

Monday: 7 miles, 50 min strength training. (arms/shoulders/core)

Sunday: hydrated well. Went to a Phillies baseball gm. Full day in the sun/heat, with a few beverages. Did hydrate a bit along the way and plenty later. Skipped foam roll/stretch, and a lousy night's rest. Up past my bed time and up in the middle of the night. Up before my alarm, got a 40 min workout in (10 more min later). Hydrated, and out the door by 6. Break in the temps/humidity! Won't go as far to say it was nice n cool, but it was not as bad as last week, for sure! Pacing.. didn't really know what to expect. Two days removed from a 17 miler, a full day in the sun/heat/ and a few shenanigan's yesterday. Surprisingly, things weren't bad for a Monday. Sub 8 for a bit. 8-8:10 till about the midway hills, trying to maintain 8:15 towards the end. Faded slightly more, but happy for how things went for a Monday.

Tuesday: 7 miles, 41 minutes strength training (chest/core).

Mon recovery: hydrated well. Iced my shin, but failed to foam roll or stretch. Not sure what my excuse was. lol.. Decent rest, but groggy this morning. Coffee and took a bit to get going. 31 min strength training (10 later). Hydrate, and out the door by 6. May have been slow to start working out, but was ready to go! Off to an excellent start! First couple miles were 7:30 ish. And was thinking of trying to maintain 8 overall. That eventually went out the window as the inclines and hills approached and added up. Second half was pretty much just hanging in there, shooting for 8:10-8:15, but even that didnt happen. "blew my load" early. lol.. Still happy with my overall run, just could of been managed a little better early on.

Wednesday: 7 miles, 50 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Tues recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled/stretched, and a decent night's rest. Today was more of a consistent pace than yesterday. Didn't start out flying, hung in there throughout and felt decent. Crazy how yesterday felt good flying to start and ended up paying for it in the second half. Today was more consistent and a few seconds faster overall.

Side note:

1. trash day.. At least 3 houses in my neighborhood didn't seal their trash well enough. Scavengers got them.. And one was a rotisserie chicken carcass. Hopefully whatever found it didn't choke on any small bones!

Thursday: 8 miles, 50 min strength training. (chest/core).

Wed recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled/stretched, and a decent night's rest. Up early, tried to get more rest, but gave up. Up. Coffee, 40 min workout, hydrate, and out the door a few min early. Was on pace to get out at least 10 mi early, but darn "routine" has it's own clock. lol.. Out the door, air felt nice! Not cool per se, but not hot or humid, a break from both! Off and feeling good. Decided early if it was ok, would do 8 mi and try not too be late to work. Felt good. Pace good without forcing it. On the return from 6 mi (end of 'hood, usually one side street and straight back), did some side streets at that end, repeating three hills.. Yes, I could of done some side streets closer to home, but since I wasn't struggling decided to add to the challenge of the extra mi. Pace may have slowed a few seconds, but still my best 7+ neighborhood run of the week. And added over 100 extra feet of hills. Definitely happy with how today went. And was cleaned up and online for work just in time. Good to know gong fwd that if I start by 5:50-5:55 and don't waste time post run I can do an extra mi and not be late. :)

Miscellaneous cardio: 1.5 hrs of yard work after work. Usually try to get this done when I have a shorter run or rest day the next day, and avoid doing on Saturday long run day.

Friday: 5 miles.

Thu recovery: hydrated well, didn't ice, but did foam roll and stretch. Came close to skipping. Right as I was about to have some down time, had a call from work and worked right around my decompress time. Once done with the work issue, relaxed for a few minutes and then forced myself to foam roll and stretch before bed. Decent night's rest. Up just before my alarm, but not in the mood to work out. Wasted a few min and eventually got one in. Short workout, a few more sets down later in the day. Out the door by 6. Already planned on a comfy pace, even wore comfy shoes that I dont like. The cushion feels good, but they are so heavy compared to my favs. Started comfy, but was even slower than planned. picked it up, and then was faster than planned. In the second half, made a conscious effort to pull back. And even added a couple hills. for fun.

Sunday: 18 miles.

Long run day, trail day, yay!

Fri recovery: hydrated well, foam rolled/stretched, and a decent night's rest. Slept until my alarm and was groggy. My wife saw I was tired and told me to go back to sleep! Noo.. did not. Darn her for tempting me. lol.. Up. Coffee, "routine", hydrate, and over to my trail around 6:20 ish. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle ish, Terwod and Welsh Rd. Doing the more wooded side to County line rd first. Turn around at County Line (3.5 mi), but wait, there's a new section opened up since last week?! Tempted to explore further, but already had my route planned. Turned back. Skipped hydrating at 30 min, hydrated at my car (7 mi), and hydrated every 30 min rest of the way. Off to the more open side to Rockledge Park. Sun out, but wasn't as bad as previous weeks. Rockledge end (9.7 ish mi) left the trail for a bit to do my strava legend hill, and down their main st a bit. Turning around at 10.5 mi. Rockledge end back would end at 14, but did a side trail from Lorimer Park to Pennypack Park for about 2 out and back. Couple small rolling hills, a little shade, and.. a working water fountain! so happy for this! :) Return to Lorimer, return to parking lot with about .3 extra, but pulled over and had a short cool down.

Temps were great! Started out in the 60's, but going up to the 80's by the end. Enjoying the first hour, for sure. Pace was faster than planned for most of the first 9.5 or so. Told myself several times early on to pull back, faded at my strava legend hill at 9.7, a little more gradually and with the few small rolling hills. Did slightly. 8:30 most of the way, but planned on 8:45-8:50 overall and ended at 8:44 overall. I'll take it! I wouldn't say I had energy to do more when I was done, but not as spent as I have been in recent long runs.

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 4 miles.

Sat recovery, hydrated very well, foam rolled/stretched. Came close to skipping, but made a point to get it done before any shenanigan's. Dinner plans and hanging out for a drink after. Glad I got my recovery in beforehand. Up just a few min past my bed time, earlier than normal for a saturday, and got an excellent night's rest. "Slept in" past 6:30. lol.. Up, coffee, taking my time, but breakfast plans in a bit. Didn't slack too much. Out the door by 8. Plan to do 4 comfy pace. A little sore, but faster than planned for most of it. Didn't fell like I was pushing it. Sub 8 for about 3 and really pulled back through the last set of hills and mi. Calves a bit sore post run. Will be sure take it easy and keep recovery in mind today to try to be somewhat ready to take on the week tomorrow.

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week?

Watched: American Horror Stories, baseball, South Park, Family Guy, and some murder docu series.

Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? Binge watching anything?

Weekly Summary:

Miles: weekly 56.3 miles running

Year to Date: 1445.7 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 82214/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 232 minutes completed. What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest.

Hydration Goal: 7 days

Foam Roll/Stretch: 5 days

Training Plan: Loosely following the below plan structure. (possible adding extra mi until week 9)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. (week 8 of 20 training, done)

11.21.2021 - Philadelphia Marathon - deferral from 2020 (registered the day after 2019's race!). Definitely a fav! If you haven't registered yet, I have a discount code. Hit me up on a social DM!

Be sure to check out my Race and Gear discount pages from my blog site. #BibRavePro ;)
Good luck to everyone with training! Kick some butt! If you do any races(virtual or IRL), please remember to review them on BibRave.com!

Monday, July 19, 2021

Weekly Running Report: July 18, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)? How's the weather in your area?

Hopefully, you saw my recent announcement that I have been selected to be a Philadelphia Weekend Ambassador! If you missed my announcement, you can check it out here. Or here on Facebook! Oh, and by the way, I have a discount code to share. Hit me up!

Reminder, if you're just skimming my blog, lol.. reminder that I also have gear and race discount tabs/pages on my blog site to check out as well. :)

My Week in Training:

Monday: 7 miles, 58 min strength training. (arms/shoulders/core)

Sun recovery: hydrated well, foam roll/stretch, and iced my shin. Did offset hydration a bit, didn't think I offset it that much.. Up a few min before my alarm. Coffee, workout (40 min now, 18 later), and out the door by 6. Warm and humid, 95%! It is what it is. Off to a decent start, but that didn't last long. Tired, miserable from the weather, stuffy/breathing was off, tried focusing on it a bunch but didnt get any better. I often have countdowns going.. ex to the midway point hill, just half way was rough, starting to let the doubts come in. Gradual incline in 4.2-4.8, wasn't sure if I woud even get to the top without a walk break. Seriously thinking about turning towards my house around 5.0 where usually turn the opposite direction. Continued on, tempting, but didn't cut my planned distance or hills. Ending may have been more of a shuffle, but done.

Side notes: A couple David Goggins mantras

1. Don't quit when you're tired, quit when you're done.

2. If you were to record yourself as you don't want to do something or give up, how would it sound if you play it back.. I am ashamed of my neg thoughts during today's run. Appreciate the gift. Repeat 1.

Side notes:

1. In mi 6-7, crossed a busy street to run through a sprinkler system. Wish it was spraying a little higher, but still happy it was on. Submerged a shoe in the process, 'doh!

2. Hey, check out how tall my neighbors sunflowers are!

Tuesday: 7 miles, 52 min strength training. (chest/core).

Mon recovery, hydrated like heck! Took a while to cool down. And at one point drank so much in a short amount of time almost got sick. Iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched. In bed on time and up early. Coffee, workout (42 min now, 10 later), hydrated, and out the door by 6. 95% humidity yesterday, guess what? 100% today! wtf. Trying not to think about pace, focus on form/breathing, and survive. Rough, but not as bad as yesterday. I also finally brought water with me! I have never done that for a regular midweek run. usually only pack hydration for longer trail runs. Rehydrated at 30 min and 45 min marks. May have helped. Was comparing how I was feeling vs yesterday (especially in hills at 3.3 mi and 4-5), definitely not as bad. Legs were sore, but not as miserable. Breathing was much better as well.

Wednesday: 7 miles, 45 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Tues recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled/stretched.

Backlogging Wed, No real side notes today. 98% humidity, chugging along.

Waste Mgmt drove by as I finished and are usually very kind with support. Impressed I'm done my 7 mi by the time they are just starting their day..

Thursday: 7 miles, 35 min strength training (chest/core).

Wed recovery, hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled/stretched. Decent night's rest, but was not ready to get up. Groggy to start. Coffee, workout (25 min now, 10 later). A few min short pre run. "routine" took longer than usual. But at least it was pre run. lol.. Hydrate, out the door by 6. Only 92% humid, but poor air quality. Was concerned about that since I had issues breathing the other day. Pacing on point for these conditions. Hydrated at 30/45 min. Pace slowed through the hills and towards the end, but felt decent. Focus on breathing/form/strike, and pulled back slightly through the hills to survive a bit better. lol.. Happy with how things progressed since Monday. Not fantastic, but gradually rolling along.

Today was also Run Streak Day 2000!

Friday: 5 miles, 45 min strength training(arms/shoulders/core).

Thu recovery: hydrated very well. Skipped ice/foam roll/stretch. Out to dinner, couple beverages, and vegged after, skipping recovery. Hydrated a bit more. Hoping I didn't offset it too much. Decent night's rest. Up before my alarm, but groggy. Coffee, workout (35 min now, 10 later), hydrate and out the door by 6. Warmer out and yup, still humid! But it's new show day, Saucony Speed2's. Sad that my Speed's are near retirement, but the Speed 2's feel great. Going to try to push it today, but know it will be rough. Off to a good start. Even had a pace alert start with a 6! First mi was faster than it should of been, knew I would eventually regret that. lol.. Started to really feel it by the halfway mark. Was about a minute ahead of goal pace. That was the first half. Would of loved to maintain, but that just wasn't happening. But still on target for sub 8/40 min. Rough, but done!

Friday was also new shoe day, yay! Sad that my Saucony Speed's are near retirement, but the Speed 2's feel good!

Saturday: 17 miles.

Fri recovery: hydrated very well. Failed to foam roll/stretch. Had family plans after work, about an hour away. Was out later than preferred and home at least an hour past my bed time. Not the best of night's rest, but up at my alarm. Coffee, "routine" and over to my trail by 6:30.

My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the more wooded side to County Line Rd first. Settled into pace. Very humid out, who knows what we'll be maintaining today. TMI time.. before heading out, definitely has my morning "routine". 10 minutes into my run.. uh.. oh oh. Passed the first portable restroom in hoping it would pass. (knowing the next one is 15 minutes further. 15 min further, definitely needed it. Hate taking breaks, especially so early into the run. But was the right call. One good thing about these restrooms.. They get serviced in friday and are usually still clean on Saturday. enough about that.. I resume... Turn around at County Line rd end. 3.5 mi. About .5 back, bumped into my friend Michelle! we usually pass much later. this was good. Turned around back to the end and back. (extra mi over here I forget to take account later). We paced each other and had great conversation. Took my mind off the misery of the weather. Hydrated at my car (almost 8 mi, usually 7). Off to the more open side to Rockledge. More open, and the sun is starting to beat down. Rockledge end, off to my strava legend hill and turn back. (usuallu do a little more in Rockledge, but Michelle has to return soon). Return from Rockledge, still needed a few extra, take the side trail from Lorimer to Pennypack Park. (Michelle and I part ways here). Passed a water fountain at 14 mi and pulled over for a break. Probably a bad move. It was a nice break. Filled my bottle, soaked myself, relaxed by the stream for a min. Did not want to resume! But was a couple miles out. I head back to Lorimer. Full sun for remainder. And.. also discovered my math was off.. lol.. I usually go so many minutes to Pennypack, etc, and forgot about the extra mi I did earlier in turning around. Figured I'd be 16, plus a little, but was an entire mi more. oopss.. The last 3 were misery, and 1 wasn't part of the plan. If I was only a little extra, I may have a cool down walk, but completed it shuffling. lol Glad I had company for majority of the run. I'm sure I would of had more misery if I was alone with my thoughts for more.

Full trail pics on Facebook!

Sunday: 5 miles.

Saturday recovery: hydrated very well. Offset a little bit, but hydrated along the way. A decent night's rest. Tried sleeping in, but also have plans in a bit. Didn't really sleep in much. Adjusted my alarm for an additional hour but was up before that. Coffee, "routine" and out the door. Temps going down a notch soon, but not yet. Still warm and 97% humid. Planned on doing a comfortable pace for about 30 minutes for streak day/rest day, but felt decent and did a little more. Not much of a rest day, but not bad. Did a few minutes of yard work post run. Just cleaning up debris from last night's storm and a few minutes weeding. Sweat was pouring down.

Off to a Phillies baseball game in a bit. Will be sure to hydrate along any shenanigan's.

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? One outing to dinner, one outing to a Phillies gm! :)

Watched: Loki. So sad the season is over already!, cant wait for the next phase of marvel!

Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? Binge watching anything?

Weekly Summary:

Miles: weekly 55 miles running

Year to Date: 1389 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 79301/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, minutes completed. What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest.

Hydration Goal: 7 days

Foam Roll/Stretch: 4 days

Training Plan: Loosely following the below plan structure. (possible adding extra mi until week 9)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. (week 7 of 20 training, done)

11.21.2021 - Philadelphia Marathon - deferral from 2020 (registered the day after 2019's race!). Definitely a fav! If you haven't registered yet, I have a discount code. Hit me up on a social DM!

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Philadelphia Marathon Weekend: Let's check out some art along the way!

Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Hope you are all well! 

Did you know that there’s art in this building? 🤣

“I’ve been running up and down these steps for 20 years and never knew there was valuable picture’s in this building” Sylvester Stalone as Rocky, in Rocky V, regarding the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend has plenty of sightseeing to do over the weekend. We’ll be passing by plenty of it. 

Of course, if you want to do the famous “Rocky Steps” up to the museum, we’ll be right by them. The start/finish area is right in front of the museum, we’ll see the museum in passing during the races, and it’s only 1.4 miles from the expo if you want to do the steps on a non race day.. And of course, be sure to stop by to see Rocky (to the right side of the museum). 

Info if you would like to enter the museum to check out some of the art: https://philamuseum.org/ 

We will also see plenty of art along the courses as well. Did you know that Philly is the ‘Mural Capitol of the World”? Over 4000 works of public art! 

Source: https://www.discoverphl.com/blog/city-of-murals/

There is also a newer mural dedicated to runners! Manayunk is one of my favorite parts of the course as there is a huge party to lift you up as I usually hit the wall. The mural dedicated to runners was revealed in 2019. I have seen this beautiful piece in passing and can’t wait to get a pic by it someday!
Source: https://www.muralarts.org/.../philadelphia-marathon-mural/
Photo cred: Steve Weinik

Join me for the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend, let’s check out some art along the way!

Reminder that as a #PhillyMarathonAmbassador, I have a discount code for $15 off the half marathon, full marathon, or any of the challenges, hit me up! 

Have a great day everyone!

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Weekly Running Report: July 11, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)? How's the weather in your area?

Reminder, if you're just skimming my blog, lol.. reminder that I also have gear and race discount tabs/pages on my blog site to check out as well. :)

My Week in Training:

Monday: 10 miles. 30 min strength training (was going to be 0, but eventually got motivated before the end of the day, core only)

Sunday recovery: hydrated well, failed to foam roll/stretch.

Monday.. The fourth day of a four day weekend. Not sure if you saw my previous week's post. But with the four day weekend, decided to do a medium long run Fri, followed by 3 more 10+ milers. Sunday ended up feeling great, even got a little speed work in on a 10 miler. Well, Monday was not the same. lol.. Sunday, did have a few beverages, slacked on stretching/foam rolling, haven't gotten any "extra" sleep that I usually try to get on a weekend, was slow to get moving Monday. Wasn't too motivated, legs feeling it, and the heat/humidity is back. Was definitely a through the motion type of day. Sorry, didn't bother with any trail pics either. :(

Tuesday: 7 miles. 40 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core)

Mon recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, stretched/foam rolled. Not ready for the long weekend to end, but in bed at a decent time.

Heat/humidity is back. Not looking forward to it, but up before my alarm. Coffee, workout, hydrate, stretch my right calf, and out the door by 6. Muggy out. Pace, trying not to think about it on HH days (HH=hot/humid). The four days at the trail was a nice break. But back to the neighborhood hills, blah! Tired/sore legs. Through the motions. Pace not as bad as it felt. lol..

Side notes:

1. I finally found some money (sort of)! I know so many people that find money on the run, some that find it often! Well, I saw a couple coins, didn't stop since I was so surprised, pass by 3 min later and couldn't retrace exactly where it was. 'Doh! (or should I say, No dough!, i know, corny, lol)

2. Someone spilled a large bag of cheddar popcorn! Felt bad.. for the littering and the loss of a snack!

Wednesday: 7 miles. 40 min strength training. (chest/core).

Tues recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, stretched/foam rolled, and a decent night's rest. Although there was a wicked storm that had us up overnight. Up multiple times and again before my alarm, but waited it out a bit. Coffee, could see it was going to be a muggy day before even checking the app. 97% humidity, yuck! Workout and out the door by 6. Another muggy day through the motions. Countdown going on most of the way. Keep thinking about calling it short or skipping a hill, but getting it done.

side notes:

1. Crazy storms last night! Heavy trash cans flew into my car. Thankfully no issues. Debris throughout my run, but nothing too crazy. Except for a heavy duty for sale sign that wood broke in half!

2. At least three smokers. :( A cigar smoker at like 6:10 am!

3.A business that has had a for sale sign for a bit was bought and roped off. Well, today in passing, it no longer exists! Rubbish! and can see some of the underworks! I'm sure this will peak my attention for a while since I pass this corner on most weekdays..

4. Lawn mower going at 6:45 am! I have no problem with this, but I'm sure someone does! lol...

Thursday: 7 miles, 45 min strength training(arms/shoulders/core).

Wed recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, stretched/foam rolled, and a decent night's rest.

Didn't really make too many notes of this run, besides it being another humid day.

Side notes:

1. the office building that was knocked down.. they went and knocked down the house next to it as well! I pass the .25 ish stretch twice (sidewalk feet away from the fence blocking it off). I know it will take a bit, and looking fwd to watching the progress of the cleanup and new construction.

Friday: 5 miles, 53 minutes strength training (chest/core).

Thurs recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, failed to foam roll/stretch (yard work after work, by the time I was done cleaning up, dinner/dishes, etc, plopped down for an hr before bed. Hydrated during/after yard work, but probably should of stretched and rolled as well. Decent night's rest, and up before my alarm with plenty of time to get a good work out in. Coffee, workout (42 min now, did a few extra sets later), hydrated and out the door by 6. Saw the weather forecast last night. Rain overnight through morning. It was light to start, slightly heavier to finish. Slightly cooler, but not really, and 96% humidity to add on. Pace: plan was to take it easy to head into the weekend. That was the plan.. But a decent start, and held on for a bit, and then a bit of a struggle to maintain. Countdowns going on in my head (as almost always lately). Trying to stay on target for 5 mi under 40 min. Bit of a struggle the last 10 minutes, but done. Briefly thought about skipping my hills for an easier day, but only skipped one that could of probably been worked in without going over.

Saturday: 16 miles.

Fri recovery: hydrated very well, iced my shin, foam rolled/stretched, and a decent night's rest. There was a point in Friday night I had some soubts about today. Maybe a little tired and achy going up stairs. If I can't handle a few stairs, how am I going to do a long run? Ignore those voices! (unless it's a real injury, listen to your body). Decent rest, but up multiple times and up before my alarm. Coffee, "routine", hydrate, etc, and over to my trail by 6:30. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the more wooded side to County Line Rd first. Settled in. Humid to start, of course. Whatever, at least the temp wasn't bad, yet.. Hydrating on the return from County Line, and again as passing my car at 7 mi. Pacing 8:25. Didn't really expect to hold that for 16, especially during the summer, but rolling along. Off to the more open side to Rockledge Park. Rockledge Park end, leaving the trail for my strava legend hill (pace faded through the hill as expected and didn't care, was going faster than I should of anyway) and a small loop around Rockledge. Return to the trail. On the way back, still need approx 1.5 extra, did the side trail from Lorimer Park to Pennypack Park. Only did about 9 min out then back. Lorimer to the parking lot. Started to feel a little tired around 4 to go, and definitely the last 2, but done! Math was slightly off too. Pulled over around 16.2, still another .25 to go to the parking lot. Walked a bit, jogged when I decided that was too long of a walk. lol..

Miscellanious Cardio: did almost 3 hours of yard work after my run! Was only going to do a bit, but had a second wind. Exchausted towards the end. Also dread that I have mutliple hedges that require a ladder to trim. Thinking about really reducing one with a chainsaw. Maybe next yr...

Side notes:

1. Again, feel like an old man yelling get off my lawn, but at least one set of dogs not leashed, and one group playing their music for the world to hear. ugh!

Sunday: 3.11 miles.

Saturday recovery: hydrated very well. So many fluids! At least 10 water or electrolyte 16 oz drinks! Failed to foam roll or stretch. Took a break after all that yard work and didn't have the motivation. Had a few beverages, but hydrated more along. Decent night's rest, almost 8 hours! Wanted more, but was up. Coffee, slow to get motivated. Even though I know it's just going to get warmer as I procrastinate. Out the door by 8:30. Should be a rest day, doing 5k for the streak. Planned on pushing it a little, pushed a little harder than planned. Rough towards the end, but done. No real side notes today, besides my neighborhood is really quiet on Sunday morning! Maybe saw 1-2 dog walkers, if that! Will be taking it easy rest of the day. Focus on recovery and try to behave to be ready to take on the week tomorrow.

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? One outing to dinner/drinks.

Watched: Loki (can't believe there is only one episode left! baseball, not much else. Probably 'The Office' and 'South Park' reruns, and a few minutes of whatever Marvel movies are on..

Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? Binge watching anything?

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 55.8 weekly miles running

Year to Date: 1334.2 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 75472/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 227 minutes completed. What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest.

Hydration Goal: 7 days

Foam Roll/Stretch: 5 days

Training Plan: Loosely following the below plan structure. (possible adding extra mi until week 9)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. (week 6 of 20 training, done)

11.21.2021 - Philadelphia Marathon - deferral from 2020 (registered the day after 2019's race!). Definitely a fav! If you haven't registered yet, I have a discount code. Hit me up on a social DM!

Thursday, July 8, 2021

Philadelphia Marathon Weekend: Distances For All Levels of Running

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are well!

The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend has distances for everyone. An 8k, half marathon, marathon, and multiple combinations of distance challenges. 

Let’s talk about the 8k. (presented by Rothman Orthopeadics). 8k translates to approx 4.97 miles. (if you are unsure of the metric to mi conversion.)

5 miles..  It’s an excellent distance if you are new to the world of running, an experienced runner working on speed, or looking to add on to one of the other distances. It’s a great way to participate in the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend for all levels of running. 

I can relate to a few of these scenarios. 

Before I started running for the sake of running, I started with a walk, progressed to a walk/run, to eventually a run. Couple miles to start and progressively adding from there. Enjoyed the continuous challenges and ups and downs. Once I got to about this distance, I continued to focus on form and then speed. 5 mi is still a large part of my training. 

From a longer distance standpoint, the Rothman Orhtopeadics 8k can also be combined in:

Patriot Challenge (approx 18 mi): Dietz and Watson Half Marathon, followed by the Rothman Orthopeadics 8k. 
18 miles in one day. This is an excellent challenge in my opinion. Marathon training is great, but for me, that wall always exists beyond that 20 miler. 18 is a nice sweet spot. 
After my first half marathon, I continued rotating through the training plan for almost a yr and had an epiphany moment that had me searching for a full marathon plan. Entry/mid level plans, which often top out around 20 mi. If you are comfortable doing halfs and working your way up to a full, 18 mi is a great way to build up your miles towards a marathon.

Independence Challenge (approx 31.2 mi): Rothman Orthopeadics 8k on Saturday, followed by the AACR Philadelphia Marathon the next day. If you normally do a few warm up miles the day before your marathon, this will definitely add to the excitement! 

Freedom Challenge (approx 44.3 mi): Dietz and Watson half marathon, Rothman Orthopeadics 8k, followed by the AACR Philadelphia Marathon the next day.  
This one I cannot relate to, if you are up for a full, plus a half, plus an 8k, hats off to you!

Remember, we all started from somewhere, whether it’s 5mi or 44.3 mi. What got you started and what keeps you going? 

Race information can be found here: https://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/races/

And remember, as a #PhillyMarathonAmbassador, I have a discount code for $15 off the half marathon, full marathon, or any of the challenges. Hit me up for the code! 

Have a great day everyone! 

Sunday, July 4, 2021

Weekly Running Report: July 4, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)?

How's the weather where you are? This week in PA, the weather started with three days of heat warnings, combined with humidity, storms breaking the heat for a couple more tolerable days.

Reminder, if you're just skimming my blog, lol.. reminder that I also have gear and race discount tabs/pages on my blog site to check out as well. :)

My Week in Training:

Monday: 7 miles, 45 min strength training(arms/shoulders/core).

Sunday recovery: hydrated very well, iced my shin, got a good foam roll and stretch in, and an ok night's rest. (up multiple times).

Up before my alarm, but waited it out, and slow to get going. Coffee, 35 min workout, 10 min later. hydrate, and out the door by 6. Heat warning in effect for most of the week. Felt decent before heading out, but not overly optimistic. Open the door, it was more the humidity/dew point that was rough! Goal is comfy pace and hang in there. Rough from the get go, and legs also still sore from Sat 18 miler. Considered adjusting my plans for the day, but hung in there, last 15 min rough, but done!

Side notes:

1. Two Monday's in a row, passed a gas station (wawa) that had sprinklers on. Started mi 6-7 with a brief splash!

2. Saw someone doing yard work before 7 am. I get a good laugh, but I'm sure there may be neighbors not happy. lol..

Tuesday: 7 miles, 52 min strength training (chest/core).

Monday recovery: hydrated very well, iced my shin, got a good foam roll and stretch in, and an ok night's rest.

Didn't recap my run after besides the side notes. It was warm and humid, rough, but done. Tired by half way and wanting to skip the last couple hills, didn't but thought about it.

Side notes:

1. middle of my run, probably 6:30 am. cloud of marijuana goes by. Sometimes I cant tell if it's another type of smoke, definitely mj was today. Guess someone is wake n baking it today!

2. I pass an apt complex pool just before the end of mi 5. Pool guys unlocking the gate to the pool for something. Wishing I could fly through the gate for a dip!

Wednesday: 7 miles, 45 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Tuesday recovery: hydrated very well, iced my shin, got a good foam roll and stretch in, and an ok night's rest. Up before my alarm, again. Early enough to get a good 45 min straight workout session in. hydrated extra and out the door by 6. Today is the warmest day of our mini heat wave, knew it was going to be rough before opening that door. Plan, pretty much the entire heat wave, to focus on breathing, correcting form, and hanging in there. My form may have a bit of a lean going into hills, but needs to be straightened out occasionally when I'm leaning just due to being drained or tired. lol. Trying not to think about pace during the heatwave, but today was supposed to be the hottest of the three days, but pace was the best of M-W. Sometimes I bet Mon is slower due to the long run recovery tho.

Hopefully you guys follow: David Goggins, you really should look him up on youtube if you don't. (warning, he may cuss a bit)

Couple of my fav qoutes.

1. Don't quit when you're tired, quit when you're done.

2. You're not over training, your legs are just tired. (still need to be smart. I think I know the difference between sore legs and what to keep an eye on for my occasional shin splints).

3. This one is ad libbed, don't remember. For when you really don't feel like doing what you're doing, record yourself saying it. You probably sound like a little B. Suck it up buttercup. Get it done.

Wednesday was also month end. New highest mileage month ever! 237 monthly miles, 1237 ytd. I seem to do a little extra when in between plans. Just trying to extend my comfort zone a bit. Rotating higher long runs until I start following a plan again. There was one week I did a second long run for the heck of it, another week I did a few extra due to thinking I might need to sched a few shorter days, but that didn't happen. My prev highest mi was 226, which I did last yr during #GVRAT and last month. Last yr felt more forced, I may be sore on occasion, but not like last yr. Continued focus on recovery.

Thursday: 5 miles, 45 min strength training.

Wed recovery: hydrated well. Failed to foam roll/stretch. Had a couple chores/errands after work. Once I settled in for the evening, less than an hr till bed. Watched Loki and went to bed. Failing to foam roll/stretch. :( decent night's rest. Up once and actually slept until my alarm. First time in a bit! Coffee, 30 min workout (chest/core), did 15 more min later in the day. Think sleeping to the alarm and then waiting on my "routine", lost some time. Out the door by 6. Supposed to be a break in the weather. Not as hot out, but still soupy. Usually do 6-7, but doing a "long" run tomorrow, so should be doing 4-5. Planned on taking it easy, but felt pretty decent. Pacing 7:40-50's most of the way. Counting down most of the way, trying to maintain sub 8 for 40 minutes. Rough towards the end in the last couple hills, but hung in there.

Side notes:

1. Noticed a house with a wrap around porch, had Halloween decorations stacked up in the one corner? Lack of storage? or just keeping them handy?

2. as I went on from that house, noticed a house opposite side of the street with Christmas lights still hanging from the roof?! lol..

3. saw a smoker that after their smoke break decided to go for a walk. :(

Friday: 14 miles, 40 min strength training(arms/ shoulders/ core).

Thu recovery: hydrated very well, iced my shin (shin a little sore today), foam rolled and got a good stretch in. Day off from work, but didn't stay up late. Decent night's rest, and up before my alarm. Coffee, and plenty of time to get a workout in.

Doing 14 today. Doing a medium long run today and will be trying to do four 10+ days in a row. Didn't want to go extremely long today and have a rest day on a Saturday, and wanted to start the four day weekend strong..

Over to my trail by 6:30. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the gradual incline side to Rockledge first. Pace started out faster than planned, and didn't pull back till after a couple miles in. Another humid day out, drenched early. Knew I couldn't maintain this pace for 14, gradually pulling back. Also knew that the hill coming up would also help bring me back to reality. End of trail at Rockledge, left the trail for about 7 minutes. Did my strava legend hill. Turned back once I hit 30 minutes. Hydrating at 30 minutes. Finally bought a clip on water bottle! Going to try to hydrate every 30 min instead of hourly. (which i miss that sometimes). Turning back from Rockledge. Back on the trail. Doing more a comfy pace. Passing my car at the 1 hr mark (as planned) hydrating at my car. Now off to the more wooded side to County Line Rd. Starting to feel it a bit after 7, but doing fine. Had a 30 min count down going in my head. County line end, turn around. (hydrating at 1:30 hr) Maybe a min ahead of pace. A little less than 3.5 to go. Focusing to hang on. Didn't orig have a time goal in mind, but with a good start, did starting thinking about sub 8:33 ish to maintain under 2 hrs. Hung in sub 8:30.

Side notes:

1. crawfish! Saw a couple to the side of the trail looking down, there was a crawfish on the side of the trail. Claws up at the people staring down at it! Wish I got a pic, but didn't want to stop and ask them to move.. lol.. Update! Saw a crawfish on Saturday! Wonder if it was the same one?

2. Saw someone doing hill work on my strava legend hill! Going to have to make sure I don't skip that when I'm over here!

Full pics on Facebook

Saturday: 11+ miles.

Friday recovery: hydrated very well. Failed to foam roll or stretch. Did offset hydration slightly with beverages, but continued to hydrate along. Decent night's rest. Slightly tempted to stay up late, but don't want to sleep in too late in case of warm weather.. In bed just slightly later than normal and up before my alarm.

Coffee, "routine", and over to the trail by 6:30 ish. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Going to do a slightly different route than yesterday. Starting out the same. Towards the more gradual incline side to Rockledge. Weather was cooler, still slightly humid, but the break in temp was nice. Pace started out slightly fast and then settled in around 2. Rockledge end, left the trail to the neighborhood, did my strava legend hill, pacing 8:15ish. past 3 mi and continued on to 3.5.. (forgot to note this in my head). Back to the trail. Bumped into a couple friends and ran about 1 mi with them, pacing a bit more relaxed. Midway back took the side trail from Lorimer to Pennypack Park. Planned to do approx 4 mi.. 18 min out then back. Pace mid 8:20's when I parted ways with my friends. Tried picking up a bit, but not much doing. Slight rolling hills in Pennypack Park didn't help. On my way back from Pennypack Park, realized my math was off. (math was 6 (3x2)mid trail to Rockledge and back + 4 to Pennypack Park and back (2x2). In Rockledge I did more than an extra .6 x2. So instead of my intended 10, doing 11 +. no biggie, feeling ok today. Once returned to Lorimer tried picking it up as it's a flat return. Overall may have dropped from 8:34 to 8:30 in the last 1.5.

Felt decent today. Drenched, but doing fine. We'll see if I'm saying that tomorrow.

Side notes: saw a crawfish yesterday, well saw another one today! Yesterday was my first time seeing one here. Wondering if it's the same one. Kinda wanted to toss it a bit closer to the water, but let it be.

2. Leash your dogs people! For some reason the dog walkers in Pennypack Park are a bit more lax than the people on the Pennypack Trail extension. At least two loose dogs today. Well behaved, but still not cool.

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 10 miles. usually rest day/shorter run day, but trying to do 4 double digits in a row, 50+ by the 5th..

Saturday recovery: hydrated very well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched. Did offset hydration slightly and up slightly past my bed time, but not too late. Up at my normal time, but usually sleep in on Sunday's and was highly considering it. Didn't get much extra rest, but slow to get moving. coffee, "routine", and eventually over to my trail. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood rd. 10 mi today, and not planning on going beyond that. Trail is approx 12 mi (6x2). Will be doing the more wooded side to Rockledge first. Pace: Right calf was a little sore earlier, wasn't planning on doing much as far as speed work goes, but.. Off to a fast start. eventually pulled back a bit. Hanging around 7:50. Would usually pull back more on a "long run", but it's been a bit, decided to try to maintain. Which basically means I had a countdown going the entire second half. The side to county line has a gradual incline, hill, and then a slight incline before the turnaround at County Line (3.6 ish). Hit the turnaround, fighting to get back to the decline that I just climbed. Hydrated as I hit 30 min. Starting the decline, trying to split (or at least maintain). countdown (breathing/foot strike) going up to the turnaround, back to the 5 mi mark, 39:ss. Half way to go, not sure if I cant continue to maintain, but will be trying. Street light before the parking lot, only ran in a circle briefly before darting across traffic. Hydrated at my car at 7 mi, off to the more open side to Rockledge, but turning around by Lorimer. Countdowns. 15 min out and back. slowing down by a couple. No stoppages at the light or the train tracks, but did run into walking/running traffic jam. Park Ranger driving towards me, usually non issue. They pull to the side and there is still room. But there was groups of people on left and right and when it got to me there was a group of lollygaggers in front of me. Slowed me down a notch and tried to resume when able. A little frustrated, but definitely not the Rangers fault. Pace: once I got going, goal was sub 8, sub 1:20:00. Barely achieved, was a good challenge, and looking back was fun. Made my top 5 ten milers. Did not expect to do that in the middle of a few mid long runs.

Full pics on Facebook

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? One outing with a buddy for lunch and brews. One outing with the in-laws. And one outing with my pops.

Watched: Loki! baseball, not much else. Probably The Office and South Park reruns.

Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? Binge watching anything?

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 61.5 weekly miles running

Year to Date: 1278.4 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 72549/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 227 minutes completed. What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest.

Hydration Goal: 7 days

Foam Roll/Stretch: 5 days

Training Plan: Loosely following the below plan structure. (possible adding extra mi until week 9)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. (week 5 of 20 training, done)

11.21.2021 - Philadelphia Marathon - deferral from 2020 (registered the day after 2019's race!). Definitely a fav! If you haven't registered yet, I have a discount code. Hit me up on a social DM!