JoeG : August 2021

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Weekly Running Report: August 29, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)? How's everything going? Anything exciting in or outside of the world of running, let us know! Shout it out!

I had an up and down week this week. Recovery days, progressed, and then back to back 12 milers. One that was rough due to weather and poor planning vs one that was taken much more seriously.. lol..

6 weeks till #SteamtownMarathon

12 weeks till #PhillyMarathon!

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 mi, 36 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Sun recovery: hydrated, foam rolled, stretched. Did have a few sundayfunday beverages, but behaved and hydrated. However, I also got sick. Upset tummy late afternoon/evening, and then woken up by heartburn. Not a good night's rest. Up before my alarm. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. Rain run! Poured overnight, flood warning, steady rain for the first half hr. Oh, and plus humidity. Gear was ready, especially since my primary headphones are broken.. No glasses, ziplock bag for my phone, cheap headphones, and retired shoes. Monday two days after a 20 miler, not setting any records. Going out at a comfy pace and playing in the rain. Avoided puddles the best I could, and laughed it off when I stomped through them. lol.. Rain was a little refreshing, but could still feel the heat and humidity. Didnt see any walkers or dog walkers today. Rain must of kept them in. lol.. Got a few nods from the neighbors I did see as they were getting ready to drive to work.

Tuesday: 7 mi, 43 min strength training (chest/core).

Mon recovery: hydration goal met, foam rolled and stretched, and a much better night's rest. A little groggy to start. Coffee, short workout (more reps done later), had some delays due to other "routines". Hydrate, out the door by 6. Felt decent to start. But of course it's humid. Comfy pace to start, but slowing down a bit earlier than usual. Few inclines before the hills, could tell early that it would be more of a recovery run. First hill is around mi 3, pace slightly behind and then hill 2 around 3.5 kept on fading. With next hill around 4.2, no longer trying to rebound to bring it down. More of a hang in there mode remainder of the way. Bit of a struggle through the last few hills, but done. Humidity and hills got me today. Also beginning to think it may take me 3 days to recovery from a long run. lol.. Wasn't disappointed, but prefer Monday to be my slowest midweek day and progress from there. Just about the same today. Legs slightly better, but weather was not helping.

Wednesday: 7 mi, 52 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Tues recovery: hydration goal met, foam rolled and stretched, and a decent night's rest. Up before my alarm and ready to go. Coffee, 40+ min workout now (few more sets later) hydrate, and out the door by 6. Slightly optimistic today will be better, but slight lack of confidence. Off I go. Felt much better than Mon/Tues. Not completely fresh, but better. Enjoying the run. Refocusing on form at each turnaround to stay mentally prepared for up/down, etc. Fading slightly through my first couple hills. Knew there was no way I would be hanging sub 8, but made sure to stay focus to maintain 8-8:15. Felt my quads in the last set of hills, but still feeling much better overall. Definitely happy with today. Not just because it was slightly faster, but because it felt better, also helping self doubts from Mon/Tues.

Thursday: 5 miles, 38 min strength training (chest/core).

Wed recovery: hydration goal met, foam rolled and stretched, and a decent night's rest. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6.

Shorter run scheduled and tempted to push it.. but a little humid out, of course. Worked on breathing and refocus several times throughout. Had an excellent start, but felt the humidity, and quads in the second half. Paced faded to 8 overall and took me everything to drop it that 1 sec. Rough, but fun.

Friday: 12 miles, 43 min (arms/shoulders/core).

Thu recovery: hydration goal met, foam roll and stretched, and in bed just a few min late. Off work today, did have a couple beverages last night, tempted to stay up late but in bed near bed time. Alarm set, but slow to get going. Coffee, got a short workout in (more later in the day). Out the door a little later than normal, after 7. Have all morning to get my run in, a little relaxed heading out.

My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Since I will be at my trail two days in a row, doing different sections. Today, doing the more open side to Rockledge Park. Nearby neighborhood for a bit, back. Midway back taking a side trail from Lorimer to Pennypack Park for a bit and back. Pacing.. Things started out well. 8 min mi to start. But very humid and then warmer. Pulled back several times today. to 8:80, to 8:45. Really tried to hold 8:45 but just kept on fading. Eventually gave up on holding anything and just shuffled along. lol... hydrated every 30 min and really hydrating and pouring water everywhere when reaching my fav water fountain. On the way back from Lorimer to the parking lot, bunch of wide open sun areas beating down. Fun times. Didn't enjoy some of my run today, but definitely could of planned a few things out a little better. Look forward to getting back out there to try-try again.

Saturday: 12 miles.

Fri recovery: hydrated like crazy, foam rolled and stretched, and a decent night's rest. Scheduled 12 miler for long run day this week. Trying to adhere to the sched a bit more now, but also did 12 yesterday with the day off from work. Oops. lol. Wasn't happy with yesterday and was pretty sure part of it was my fault. Trying to take it a bit more seriously today. Over to my trail a little after 6. Not as hot, but still pretty humid. Hydrated well beforehand. Usually only have one drink other than coffee, had a decent amount of gatorade and water beforehand. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the opposite direction as yesterday. Pace started low 8's, but continuously pulled back the first few minutes. 8:30 ish and will pull back to 8:45 if needed. Focus on maintaining consistent pace, but pulling back on inclines as needed. Felt the humidity, but doing fine. Hydrated every 30 minutes and fueled at 8 mi. Felt the hill at 2.2 mi, but non issue. New trail sections from 2.7 mi to 6 mi. Slight inclines/declines along the way. Still figuring these things out, but seem to notice the incline on the way back. Like I don't remember that slight decline heading out, but on the way back am like when does this ish end. lol.. Pace 8:32 ish on the 6 mi turnaround and faded a bit on the incline back. Not concerned. Did have a plan of trying to neg split from 2.6 to go (a nice hill decline to get started), did for a bit, but didn't last long. Hung in to maintain. Felt the humidity and probably yesterday's run as well, but still much better than yesterday. Wasn't fantastic, but not miserable either. Think I expected yesterday to be easy, started fast and the heat/humidity, less fuel and hydration got me. Much more well prepared mentally and physically today. Crazy how things can go from one day to the next!

Sunday: 1 mile for the streak.

Sat recovery: hydrated, foam rolled and stretched. Did offset hydration a bit. And a decent night's rest. Up at my normal time, but able to fall back to sleep for a bit. "slept in" till 6:30! lol.. Slow to get motivated, but coffee, "routine", foam roll my back and out the door around 8. Wasn't feeling too motivated to get started, but felt good throughout. Pace 7:15-7:30 throughout and didn't feel like I was pushing. Faded to 7:22. Am pretty sure I could of pushed it if I wanted to, but didn't want to over do it on "rest" day. lol..

A few minutes of yard work post run, but nothing major, just some weeding and cleaning up debris from recent storms. Will be sure to focus on recovery and try not to get caught up in any SundayFunday shenanigans. lol..

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

Watched: Spider-Man 1 and 2 (the tobey macguire ones, havent seen them in a bit, forgot how good they were! (cant wait for No Way Home!), Walking Dead, Phillies baseball, Marvel's 'What If?", 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: 51 weekly miles running

Year to Date: 1712 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 96377/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 215 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: 7 days. Only slacked one day, yay!

Training Plan: Week 14 of 20 following the below plan structure.

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.10.2021 - Steamtown Marathon - NJ just announced they were canceling their race. Had two in mind just in case. Steamtown or AC. Going with Steamtown. Pushes up my training by one week, having to do a 20 miler a week after a rough 18 miler on the prev sched. May start taking those scheduled rest days to adjust! lol.

~~10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. Canceled. :(~~

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!

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Weekly Running Report: August 22, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)? How's everything going? Anything exciting in or outside of the world of running, let us know! Shout it out!

Not sure if you saw my announcement this past week. I have been training for the NJ Marathon, which has been canceled. I had a couple backups in mind and signed up for the Steamtown Marathon. Steamtown has been on my list to checkout someday, and probably wouldn't have been able to until 2023 (hoping to do my Chicago deferral 2022 (usually the same week). The change of plans pushed my training up by one week. Week 13 of 20, done!

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 mi, 45 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core). Oh Monday.. we meet again.

Sun recovery. Hydrated well. Failed to foam roll or stretch. Wasn't in the mood and never forced myself. Bad Joey! Offset hydration a bit, and like most Sunday's, not ready for the weekend to come to an end. Once in bed a decent night's rest. Up just before the alarm, but not in the mood. Coffee and got my work out in, through the routines and barely out the door in time. Good thing we set out everything the day before. lol.. Out the door by 6. Temps not as bad as last week, but still a little warm and pretty humid. Off I go. Pace wise, started out ok, but calves definitely still feeling Saturday's 18 miler and pretty much felt like I was doing weights through all of my hills. lol.. Whatever. Done!

Tuesday: 7 miles, 45 min strength training (chest/core).

Mon recovery: hydrated well, foam rolled and stretched (although once winding down for the day, was really not in the mood, but got it done). A decent night's rest, but woke up around 3 and not sure if I go much more rest. Waited till the alarm. Coffee, got going with my workout, hydrate, routine, and out the door by 6. Beforehand, definitely felt slightly better than yesterday, hope that holds true once I get going. But guess what, it's still humid. Of course it is. Wouldn't want this to be easy, would you? lol.. Off I go. A decent start. Felt the humidity, worked on breathing. Legs feeling a little better than yesterday. Maintained an 8 ish pace until my second hill around 3.5. Not trying to over do it. More gradual hill in 4-5, pulled back a notch and try to recover after. Did slightly but was pretty much in maintenance mode remainder of the way. Trying to refocus on form and breathing whenever I caught myself daydreaming. Maintained sub 8:11 overall through remaining hills. Calves better than yesterday, still a little rough with humidity, but happy overall. Always happy when Tues is better than Mon. lol

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

Tues recovery: hydration goal met, foam rolled and stretched (just not in the mood lately, lol..), decent rest. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. backlogging.. no real side notes, except humidity got me early and hills got me later. A little frustrated, but done. Hate when I have a tougher midweek day than Monday. Monday my calves were sore, felt good today when heading outside and that went out the door early. lol..

Side notes:

1. Trash day - it was a stinky one with this humidity!

Thursday: 5 miles, 50 min strength training (chest/core).

Wed recovery: hydration goal met, barely. Foam rolled and stretched, although I didn't want to. And in bed on time. Not a good night's rest at all...Tossed/turned to start. Crazy thunderstorms from 1 am for a few hours. Up at 1, maybe fell back to sleep, Flash Flood alert an hour later and then more cracking thunder. Eventually for a few more min of rest, but not much.. Coffee, plenty of that today, workout, and then out the door by 6. Humid, of course it is. 94%. ugh.. Still going to try to get some speed work in. Work on breathing and off I go. Successful start. 7:20's, down to 7: teens for a bit. Had some inclines, and one hill, but skipped the rest of the major hills. Feeling the humidity early and legs getting heavier by midway. Countdown of breath's per minute and refocusing as needed the entire second half.

Goal was to complete overall sub 8, rough, but success!

side notes:

1. Passed a new runner in my hood several times. hope to actually talk to them at some point. lol

2. Got my new backup headphones yesterday! Not sure if you saw my last week's post. My fav headphones died last thurs, and my backup headphones died on Saturday. Been using 3rd string headphones that I hate for a few days. lol. Will provide an update on replacing my primaries when I get them. Being replaced free of charge!

Friday: 4 miles, 45 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Thu recovery: hydration goal met, foam roll and stretched, and an ok night's rest. Stayed up a few min to watch fake fb (preseason). Stayed up a few min past half time. And wasn't ready for bed. Up a few min early tho. Coffee and time to get my full workout in all at once (usually 30 ish min early, and a few sets later in the day). Hydrate, and out the door by 6. Yup, still humid. 4 mile day per the plan (actually 30 min). Decided to try to push it again today. Havent done too much speed work recently (due to the miserable weather) and taking advantage of the shorter distance today. Start working on breathing and off I go. Off to another decent start, but with the humidity and few inclines, feeling it by midway. Fading from 7:30's to 7:40's. Really tried to keep it at 7:45 but slid just past that. Last mi was rough. But done and fun overall.

Sidenotes:

1. starting to see sunrises again! Had a beautiful sunrise the first 10-15 min. If it wasnt doing speed work I may have taken a pic. But hopefully they will start lasting longer soon!

Saturday: 20 miles!

Fri recovery: hydration goal met, foam rolled and a light stretch. Didn't have my stretch band, missed a set of stretching. Done before evening plans. Happy hr/dinner and drinks. Wouldn't normally do this on the day before long run day, but had plans I couldn't really decline. A laid back bachelor party. Behaved myself and excused myself early, but still lost an hr of rest. Bed time is 9, didn't get home till 10, and took a few min to fall asleep. But I digress.

Had all my gear ready of course. Up a few min before the alarm. Coffee,"routine", a few min late, got to the trail around 6:15. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the side to County Line Rd first. Guess what? Something new, it's humid out! ugh. Whatever. It is what it is. Started out a comfy pace, 8:30's, and pulling back to 8:40's, knowing I will most likely slow down more later. Humidity and slight overall soreness, but moving along fine. Hydrating every 30 minutes. New turn around point from this end has been County Line rd (3.5 mi), but they have been working on a new extension from there.. on/off being opened the past few weeks due to construction and storms messing with the construction, but open today! It may have been open last week, but already had my route planned. Had my route planned today, but with a longer run I could move a couple around. County Line Rd going towards Newtown. No idea where I ended up. lol.. But the trail ended I was 6+ in. A nice added addition! The extension near county line doesnt offer much scenery. This was similar, a couple warehouses and backyards (trees/overgrowth somewhat blocking views into their yards. lol) But some spots of wooded scenery. And saw a few young bucks! Return from this side. Hydrating at 1 hr and again soon. Passing my car at around 12-13 mi. Extra hydration! (Also fueled at 1:15, 2:15 hrs). Off to the more open side to Rockledge Park. The sun wasn't as bad today. Out at times, but not as bad as recent. Approaching Rockledge, off to the nearby neighborhood hill. Thought about skipping it, but decided to follow through. That hill got me last week, but survived unscathed this time. Also did a loop around Rockledge to add a couple mi. Trail back to the parking lot. Faded a bit in the last few mi, but wasn't concerned. Felt strong overall and didn't want to over do it just to save a few seconds off the avg.

On my way back, could tell I would fall short of 20 mi as I passed certain landmarks. 19.6 ish at the parking lot, turnaround for a few min and back. After last week's miserable 18 miler and having plans last night, definitely had some anxiety, but followed my plan and executed with success. Yeah, I may have been tired, but not as drained/exhausted like last week.

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 1 mile.

Sat recovery: hydrated like heck! Foam rolled and stretched before any shenanigan's. Was relaxing for a bit, but got it done before evening plans. Offset hydration a bit, but hydrated along. Stayed up way past my bed time. Don't usually watch the west coast baseball games, but made the mistake of turning the game on in the 8th inning, and of course it went into extra's. Up past midnight, very rare for me. Planned on sleeping in, up around 6ish, waited a bit, and gave up by 7. Coffee, routine, taking my time and out the door around 8:30. Just doing one for the streak. Think it's time I start taking rest days a bit more serious. Run went much better than expected tho. Not as much pain day after a 20 miler as I assumed there would be. Off to an excellent start 6:30's and tried to maintain. Rough towards the end and faded past 7. Will be sure to focus on recovery today to get back out there tomorrow!

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

Watched: Phillies baseball, Marvel's 'What If?", 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: 51 weekly miles running

Year to Date: 1661 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 93651/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 226 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: 6 days. Only slacked one day, yay!

Training Plan: Week 13 of 20 following the below plan structure.

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

~~10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. Canceled. :(~~

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!

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Weekly Running Report: August 15, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)? How's everything going? Anything exciting in or outside of the world of running, let us know! Shout it out!

How was the weather in your area? We had a heat wave here in South East Pa, with wicked humidity to start. Try to beat the heat by starting early, you'll get punched in the face with humidity. lol.. This week was pretty much just a survival mode for me. Hydrate well and don't do anything stupid like starting out hard/fast to hang in till the end.

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 10 miles, 40 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Sun recovery: hydrated, foam roll and stretch, but offset hydration a bit and stayed up past my bed time. Day off from work. Also tried sleeping in. Not the best idea when a heat wave is starting. lol.. But haven't slept in in a bit and was going to try. Didn't really sleep that late, but slow to get motivated. Eventually got going. Coffee, work out, "routine", and over to the trail. My mileage was a bit all over the place the past few days, legs feeling it, but wanted to get a few extra miles in since I had time. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Did the more wooded side to County Line to start. Comfortable pace, but legs feeling it and feeling the heat. There were times I questioned my decision to do any extra. Passed my car at 7 mi, very tempting to end it there as 7 is my sched mi, but kept on. To the more open side to Rockledge Park. Sun beating down and heavy legs. I decided to turn back when I got to Lorimer Park. Slow to return. lol.. 10 mi, done. Had more miles in my head before today, but happy with what I got.

Tuesday: 7 miles, 42 min strength training (chest/core).

Mon recovery: hydrated, foam roll and stretch, and an ok night's rest. Storms around 3 am had me up. May have slept a few more min, but not quality.

Heat wave really starting today. Didn't really have many side notes mid week besides it was warm, very humid, try not to do anything stupid like going out too fast. Comfy pace. Hydrate. Focus.

Side notes:

1. a mile into my run a cat came up to me. Usually they take off as I'm approaching or if they have space will just stare. This one was very calm and wanted attn. It is a neighborhood cat that I recognize.

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

Tues recovery: hydrated, foam roll and stretch, and a decent night's rest. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. 97% humid..

Side notes:

1. trash day. It was a stinky one! Heat/humidity bringing out the funk!

Thursday: 7 miles, 45 min strength training (chest/core)

Wed recovery: hydrated, foam roll and stretch, and a decent night's rest. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. Thursday's are usually my one of my best days running, legs usually seem the freshest, but with the 96% humidity and temps going up past 100 later, not going for any speed records this week.

Side note:

1. A passerby that I don't know, on a busy street was very supportive. I appreciated it, especially since it's been a rough week.

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

Thu recovery: hydrated, but failed to foam roll or stretch. Also stayed up a few min past bed time. Ready for the weekend. lol.. Coffee, workout, and out the door by 6. Humidity only 89%, a bit of a break? lol.. Still a little muggy. Friday's I have been taking it easy, especially when the next day it a bit longer. Pace was comfy, still a little humid, and added an extra hill for fun.. lol..

Saturday: 18 miles.

Long run day, trail day, yay! meh.. not so much yay this week. Definitely wasn't looking fwd to this one. But prepared the best I could. Foam roll, stretch, hydrate, carb load yesterday. Decent rest. Up early, wanted to start earlier then normal, but only got there a few min early. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Did the more wooded side to County Line Rd first. Already so humid out! Felt it early. Plan was to take it easy, not doing anything dumb, and hydrate as needed. Pace, decent start, but made a point to pull back. Didn't want to over do it early. Couple miles in and already drenched, but feeling ok. Hydrated every 30 min. Early side note, my gel slipped out f my belt when starting. Not too many people out, praying no one stepped on it. Approaching the parking lot at 7 mi, found my gel! still intact! yay! Hydrated extra at my car at 7 mi. Feeling ok at the 1 hour mark. Off to the more open side to Rockledge Park. Sun out, but ok so far. Rockledge end, pulled off the trail to get my strava legend hill. really faded here. Bot sure if this hill or the heat/humidity that did me in. Rockledge, turn back to the trail when I hit 10.5 mi. approx 1.5 hr. Getting sluggish, but hanging in. Trail from Rockledge to Lorimer, still hanging in, but starting to feel it. Lorimer to Pennypack Park for about 18 min out then back. Slowly heading past my new fav water fountain. lol.. Turn back, wash off, try to cool down, hydrate, and refill my bottle at the fountain and head back to lorimer. 30 min to go, count down was on, for sure! Lorimer back to the parking lot, the few sunny areas, burning. lol.. eventually made it back. 1 min to go and I bump into a friend, turn around for a min and ran back with them. I was totally ready to stop at even 18, but somehow regrouped to talk to my friend for .3 extra. lol

I expected today to be rough, and it was. Had a plan to take it easy, hydrate, and survive. Did just that, but was definitely miserable the last 45 min or so. lol.. Crazy how my last 18-19 miler felt so much better than today. lol..

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday:

Sat recovery: hydrated very well. So much water and electrolytes! Failed to foam roll or stretch. Definitely slacked there. Didn't want to do anything once I was relaxed. lol.. Decent night's rest. I usually try to sleep in on Sunday's, but rarely pans out. Up and eventually moving around 7:30. Coffee, routine, and out the door around 8:30. Temps and humidity slightly lower. Not nice, but nicer.. lol.. A little overall soreness and some soreness in the glute. Wasn't expecting much from today. Planned on a "comfy" 4 miler. Well, decent start, even after the first couple hills. Decided to maintain focus and keep on. Felt each incline a bit, but hung in there. At that point decided to keep going and end at 5k. Definitely pleased with today's run.

Couple side notes..

1. My primary headphones died on Thursday. :( Submitted warranty claim, etc. I always have a backup pair for rainy days.. Well. During yesterday's run, one speaker went out, and then died completely later when I was doing yard work. :( I found another backup, but I hate them. iPhone headphones that fall out. They served their purpose today, but will be looking for new backups until I hear back on the warranty.

2. new shoe day, yay! Saucony Endorphin Speed 2's! I already have one set of Speed 2's, but retiring a set, needed another for the rotation. I have another aging set (pro 1's) that will need to be replaced by race time (pro 2's!). Cheap sport/hobby, not! lol.. But always sad for the old and excited for the new! :)

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

Watched: Phillies baseball, Marvels 'What If?", 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 56.6 miles running

Year to Date: 1610 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 91125/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 211 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. (possibly doing extra till the 18+ milers show up)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. (week 11 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!

Sunday, August 8, 2021

Weekly Running Report: August 8, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)? How's everything going? Anything exciting in or outside of the world of running, let us know! Shout it out!

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: 8 miles, 55 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core)

Sun recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched. Getting better on the days I relax, I tend to slack. Did offset hydration slightly with a couple beverages for SundayFunday. And resisted going to bed on time, but did. And actually got a decent night's rest. Which is usually hit or miss for me on Sunday night's. Up, a little tired, not too excited yet.. Coffee, workout, tired/ kinda through the motions. During my workout, took a look at the weather, 59 degrees! Yay! Got excited. Ended my workout routine early (got more in later), other "routine" done, a little anxiety if it really was done, but non issue. Out the door a few min early! My goal is to be out the door by 6, but recently discovered if I start a few min earlier and don't dilly dally after, I can get another mi in without being late to work. :) Pacing.. well.. my run itself. Yeah, the air felt great, and I was excited to be out there, but two days removed from a 19 miler.. calves weren't so happy. Sore and throbbing a bit. Pace was slightly better than expected for a tired/sore Monday, did fade a little towards the end. Extra mi, I added extra hills. Calves may not have been happy, but I was pretty excited for a Monday.

Side note:

1. trash on the side of a busy road was a sink. Tempted to take a pic, but don't really pause on shorter runs. Would of tried to come up with a funny caption to let that sink in. lol..yeah, I know, corny. lol..

Tuesday: 7 miles, 50 min strength training. (chest/core)

Mon recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched, and in bed on time. Decent night's rest. Tired, not too motivated just yet. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. I did notice the temp was similar to yesterday, maybe a degree or two warmer, but did not rush to do extra. A little tight still, going with the plan.. Pace was sub 8 till the 2nd midway hill, fading through the remaining hills per usual. Tight and a little sore, but better than yesterday. Happy overall.

No real side notes, other than the sun rise was nice before I went out, but was gone by my starting time. :(

Wednesday: 7 mi, 50 min strength training.

Tues recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched, and a decent night's rest. Didn't get up once, very rare for me! When I did get up from a dream, thought it would be middle of the night, nope, 15 min before the alarm. 'doh! So close. Relaxed for a min, but up before my alarm. Probably could of rushed out the door early if I wanted to. Nope. Coffee, got a good workout in, and out the door just a few min early. Temps gradually going up, and yup, humid! Off to a decent start, and felt even better than the day before. Pacing mid 7:40's for a bit. Fading as the inclines go, but maintaining better than recent. Hills start around 3 mi. Usually fade by the 2nd one by 3.5. Was a bit of a mind game rest of the way as well. I know I start letting go at points, I know I should a bit on the way up, but dont always attack as it levels or declines. Didn't over do it in a nice long incline in 4-5, but resumed as soon as I could. Maintained 8 longer than recent for my hills, but faded a little more in the last mi. Tough, but fun! I know I could of skipped a couple hills and accomplished it, but rather get hills in.

Side notes:

Not many, but how about odd smells along the run? No animals or trash smells today but...

1. In the first mi, I passed an area twice that a strong pancake smell! yum!

2. Coffee! Passed by somewhere that had some strong roast going!

3. Cotton Candy? I'm assuming I passed a vape?

4. cigarettes. blah. nothing new, but thought my run may be all good smells today

5. trash day, but nothing offensive. Thank goodness. (there are some stinky summer trash days!)

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

Wed recovery: hydrated, foam rolled and stretched, and an excellent night's rest! Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. Thursday seems to be one of my better midweek days, going to try to force it a bit. :) Off to an excellent start. I did find myself losing focus as an incline levels out/declines. Made a point to refocus on form and breathing multiple times to pick up speed or maintain better later on. This helped maintain 7:40's longer. Starting to hit 7:50's in my second hill, regrouped on the decline. Allowed myself to fade a little in the longer incline in 4-5, but still 7:50's after. Still two more hills to finish out on in 6-7. A battle, but success. Rough, but fun and done!

Friday: 7 miles, 35 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core).

Thu recovery: hydrated, foam rolled and stretched. Proud of myself for this one. Participated in Thirsty Thursday, but was sure to foam roll and stretch. I would often slack on this type of day.. In bed on time and decent rest. Up before my alarm, but waited it out. Tired, wasn't in the mood to get started, but did. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. 7 miles? usually do 4-5 on fri to take it easy before long run day. Not going too far tomorrow, doing a couple extra today. Pacing, after pushing to try to maintain sub 8 through my hills yesterday, not going to try to over do that two days in a row. Was comfortable. Did maintain 8 till midway hill and let myself fade a bit along the hills after. Felt good today.

Side notes:

1. saw a restaurant's digital sign that must of had a system reboot or issue. Was displaying it's IP address and software version. Good thing I'm not an evil hacker to have the sign say something funny! lol..

Saturday: 11 miles.

Long run day, trail day, yay! oops.. no trail day. But no sadness this time. Philly Marathon group run day, yay! An 8 mi group run, hosted by Philadelphia Marathon, Philadelphia Runner, with Sponsors Rothman Orthopaedic , AACR,. The group run started promptly at 7:30, with stretching/warm-up at 7 am. The Philadelphia Musuem of Art is anywhere from 30-60 minutes from my house, depending on traffic. Early weekends, tends to be closer to 30 minutes, but I always plan extra time, just in case. I was there by 6:40. If I was following my training plan for NJ Marathon, this would be week 10, a min of 8 miles. But I have been doing a little extra each week and also trying to do at least 50 mi per week. Early enough to get a couple in before hand. The training run would be on one side of the river, I did the opposite side beforehand. Paved trail along boathouse row. Haven't been over here since Philly Marathon '19! (boathouse row is just before the finish line!). Decent warm-up. Have never actually been on the paved trail. (race is on the road). Got to see a few monuments/statues/art that I haven't seen before. humid out, minimul inclines, but claves a little sore. Questioning if I should be doing the extra. lol.. Back to the Museum right around 7:15. Met up with fellow ambassadors, race organizers, and social media followers IRL! always great to actually speak to people from the internet! Group run starting at 7:30. There were a few pace groups. I planned on doing 8:30 ish.. but I foolishly started out with the 8 min pacers. The group run was on MLK drive road, which was closed of to traffic. Hung with the pacers probably longer than I should have, but was fun. Started to feel it before the halfway point and pulled back a notch. There was plenty of sun out and warming up. Water provided on the course in a couple locations out and back. Summer weather is back, but fun times had! Glad I was able to schedule heading down for this organized group run! First time running in Philly since '19 and was great to meet and see everyone! There are a couple more organized runs before race day, will be sure to let you know!

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 4 mi

Sat recovery, hydrated very well. Failed to foam roll/stretch (at least t was my only day missed!), and also offset hydration a bit. A few miles for the streak to cap the week at 50+. Supposed to be rest day, but always chasing numbers. May pull back extra miles in upcoming weeks to get scheduled rest in. We shall see. lol..

Planned on sleeping in, didn't. Up near my normal time. Coffee, taking my time, eventually out the door around 7:30. Yup, it's humid. 95%, blah! Whatever. Light stretch and off I go. Thought i would be a through the motion type of day. Tired, a little sore. Calves, right glute, but decent pace without over doing it. Did refocus a few times from day dreaming, refocusing on form and breathing. May of helped with pace, but was just trying not to be too distracted. and done. Plans in a bit. back to Philly I go. This time for a Phillies baseball gm. Full day in the sun. Will try to hydrate along any shenanigan's. ;)

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? One outing to dinner/drinks and one outing to a baseball game today! :)

Watched: Quiet Place 2, 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: 51.3 weekly miles running

Year to Date: 1553.3 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 88277/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 235 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: 6 days (only missed 1 day! getting better at doing it on the days I would usually slack on it!)

Training Plan: Loosely following the below plan structure. (possibly doing extra till the 18+ milers show up)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. (week 10 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!

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Weekly Running Report: August 1, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

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

My week started out with a rough Monday (tired/humid/Monday) and the week gradually got better. Happy with how most of the week went. Wasn't a "through the motions" week, but wasn't exciting either.. 'till long run day. Wasn't a blah week per se, just not exciting. Ever have one of those?

This coming Saturday (08/07), there is a free training run for all Philadelphia Marathon Weekend runners! I'll be there, hope to see you there as well! Broad Street Runners are invited as well. More info here on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/PhiladelphiaMarathon/photos/a.256878304327235/4717517291596625

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 mi, 45 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core)

Sun recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched. I tend to slack on this on SundayFunday, but made a better effort to behave today. Did have afternoon plans, a couple beverages, but behaved and adhered to recovery. Of course I didn't want to go to bed end of the weekend, but that's another story. Ok night's rest. Coffee, workout (35 min now, 10 later), hydrate and out the door by 6. Warmer and 95% humid. We had a few nicer days end of last week, but it's still summer. Tired and still a little sore from Sat long run. Off to a decent start, but was clearly not going to set any records today. Pulled back to a comfy pace and fought towards the end to hang in there for 7 mph. (barely).

Tuesday: 7 miles, 45 min strength training (chest/core)

Mon recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched, and a decent night's rest. Tired Monday at work (as usual for a Monday), was sure get top bed early! Quality night's rest, but still groggy to start, but got moving. Coffee, workout (35 min now, 10 later). Hydrate and out the door by 6. Humidity, slightly less horrible. lol.. Backlogging Tuesday. There wasn't much noteworthy other than it was better than yesterday. Quads were heavy towards the end, but overall a much better day.

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

Tues recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched. In bed on time, decent rest. Coffee, workout (40 min now, 10 later), hydrate and out the door by 6. Legs not completely fresh, but off to an excellent start. Crazy how the week usually gets better as it progresses. Sub 8 'till about the second hill at the mid point. Fought to maintain for a bit, but pulled back in the next hill around 4.3. Pulled back to a more comfy pace up the hill and tried to bring back down or maintain till the next sets of hills. But still pretty happy with how it went overall.

Thursday: 7 mi, 50 min strength training (chest/core)

Wed recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled and stretched, and in bed on time and a decent night's rest. Coffee, workout, and out the door by 6. Feeling pretty decent, will try to get some speed work in. Thurs was pretty similar to Wed. Pacing well. Felt it by the time I got to the hills, but was able to maintain sub 8 through 3 of my worst hills by 5 mi. Fighting to hang on, but gradually fading a bit more through the remaining hills. Only 4 seconds avg faster than yesterday, but felt more balanced.

Miscellaneous cardio: 30 min yard work on my lunch break. Only had to do half this week, rushed, but done and cleaned up in 45 min.

Friday: 5 mi, min strength training (arms/shoulders/core)

Thu recovery: hydrated well. Failed to foam roll/stretch. Also had a few beverages for Thirsty Thursday, but somewhat behaved, and a decent night's rest. Up before my alarm, but waiting it out a bit. Up. Coffee, workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. Slightly shorter run and trying to ease into the weekend with a comfy pace. Humid out.. of course. ugh.. lol.. Off to a comfy start. Started out a bit slow, picked it up and then pulled back again to get right in the middle ish. Humid out and still got most of my hills in. 400 ft in 5 mi. Could of easily skipped them to be more comfortable, but where's the fun in that. lol..

Saturday: 19 miles? (scheduled for 16)

Long run day, trail day, yay!

Fri recovery: hydrated well, iced my shin, carb load, foam rolled and stretched, relax and in bed on time. Planned on a good night's rest.. That did not happen. :( Work call at 2am. It's not even my on-call week, but it is what it is. Work 'till 2:45, and awake. Tried falling back to sleep, took a while, even thought about just getting up. Eventually back to sleep. A funky dream and then up just before my alarm. Tired, but not trying to go back to sleep. Enjoy beating the heat and getting done when I do. Coffee, routine, and over to my trail by 6:30. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Did the more wooded side to County Line Rd first. Temps were great to start and not horrible to end. Even a little chill on my drive over, not chilly, but perfect temp to start. Run felt great from the start! Trying not to go out fast, pulled back a notch. 8:20's, figured to settle in 8:30's. There is eventually a gradual incline and hill. Turn around at County Line (3.5 mi). Skipped hydrating at the 30 min mark, but made point to every 30 min after. On the way back, still feeling great and picking up speed a bit. 8:teens. Hydrated at my car around 7+. Off to the more open side, a more noticeable incline to Rockledge (9+). Rockledge end, left the trail for my strava legend hill. (pace 8:30's remainder of the way). Usually kicks my butt, I kicked back today. Sure, I felt it, but wasn't dying towards the top. lol.. Down their main street a bit, turned back at 10.5ish. Back to the trail. Returning towards the parking lot, but would need to add a little to hit my sched 16. Side trail from Lorimer to Pennypack Park. Well.. already had ideas of doing at least 1-2 extra to stay slightly ahead of plan a bit longer. Felt better than expected and decided on 18. I have some idea of where to turn around at, but I was apparently off at some point. lol.. Turn back. Back to Lorimer, back to the parking lot. Did start to feel it on the way back to Lorimer. Couple of the rolling hills, and one more at Lorimer. Feeling it, but surprisingly still felt decent enough. Hit 18 mi, and judging by the landmarks, knew I had at least .7 to go. 'Doh! Too long of a cool down walk. Continued on and went past my normal ending spot, on to the opposite end of parking lot hit 19. At least I didn't have to do circles at the end. Felt pretty decent. No regrets doing the extra 2 that turned to 3.

Side notes:

Didn't have much of side notes during the week. a couple today..

1. Pick up after your dogs ppl! At least two "presents"

2. So you're supposed to pick up after your dogs.. what about horses? lol..

3. A park that is not fenced in, but several unleashed dogs.. grrr...

4. passed my speedy friend Adam that's training for Boston. Turned around for a couple minutes to b.s. since it's been a few weeks. He was doing speed work and going back to his comfy pace for an interval.. Still too fast for me, and I wasn't going to force it. Too early in my run to stray that much from my pace.. Could of ruined my run entirely. At least we caught up post run.

5. 19 miles PR. Guess that can happen when it is your only 19 miler to date.

6. July monthly mi PR, 259.9 miles.. Proud of it, but not overthinking it. Just trying to do a little extra to push my comfort zone a bit till the 20+ milers are on my schedule.

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 4 miles

Sat recovery: hydrated well, foam roll and stretched (usually slack on this if I don't get it in before relax mode after a long run, but got it in!). Did offset hydration a bit with beverages, but hydrated along the way as well. Decent night's rest, almost 9 hours! Up at my normal time but was able to fall back to sleep. Slept in and taking my time. Eventually out the door by 9:30. So late! Feeling yesterday's long run, going with a comfy pace for recovery miles. Light rain started midway, a little refreshing, but could of used more. I don't remember the last time it poured on me. lol.. Legs feeling it a bit, but didn't skip the hills. Done. Post run, did some light yard work. Weeding and cleaning up debris, blah! lol.. Will be sure to focus on recovery to be somewhat ready for Monday.

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: 56.1 weekly miles running

Year to Date: 1501.9 miles running

Hill Goal (for the yr): 85629/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k.

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 237 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: 6 days (only missed 1 day! getting better at doing it on the days I would usually slack on it!)

Training Plan: Loosely following the below plan structure. (possibly doing extra till the 18+ milers show up)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule:

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. (week 9 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!