Weekly Running Report: March 20, 2022

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

How's winter training going? Any races? How's your weather?! It's starting to look a lot like spring time here in Pa! 

Sorry if this week's post looks more of a log than anything. Busy mid week and slacked!

Reminder that if you are just skimming, that I have race and gear discount tabs on my blog site.#BibRavePro

Week 12 of Marathon Training for Jim Thorpe Marathon. 

My Week in Training:  

Monday: 10 miles, strength training arms/shoulders/chest/core

Monday, a "random" day off from work. Avoiding the DST change an extra day. Lol.. slept in a little. Got a good workout in. Was still taking my time a little since I don't have any other plans and temps are jumping to the perfect temp around 10. A couple days removed from a 20 miler. Legs still a little tired. Just going through the motions and enjoying the weather and scenery. It was wonderful. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Tuesday: 7 miles, strength training arms/shoulders/core

End of weekend blues last night, but want to get some rest due to the time change. No issue falling asleep this week, but staying asleep was. Up way before my alarm all week. Groggy to start. Back to 6am running and it being dark again since DST. 😞🤣 at least there's the occasional sunrise to enjoy. 🤗

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Wednesday: 5 miles, strength training chest/core

Miscellaneous: 1 hour of yard work after work. Nice weather. Long spring to do list, here's to starting it! lol..  

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Thursday: 7 miles, strength training arms/shoulders/core

foam roll/stretch: complete

Friday: 5 miles, strength training chest/core

Thursday was St Paddy's day. Had some good food and a couple drinks. But also got distracted by an appliance issue. Our dryer broke! YouTube had some great videos, identified the issue. We'll see if I can install a belt when it arrives in the mail. Lol.. woke up today a bit grumpy. Not in the mood for work. Between wonderful spring weather and wanting to work on my to do list, or enjoy March madness, was not in the mood. Workout and run went well tho. Temps going up, humid, and dense fog! Two poorly lit streets on my route, could barely see anything till towards the end. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Saturday: 10 miles. 

Scheduled for 10 miles today and sticking to the schedule. Not being tempted to do extra miles. And am thinking about how to get some actual rest in tomorrow and later next week. Try to get my marathon sched in, but also be somewhat fresh for a half marathon race. We'll see how I do adhering to that late next week. lol.. 

Fri, carb load, relax, etc. Decent rest. Up before the alarm but tried to get a few more min in and waited it out. Up. coffee, "routine", etc. Weather going to be pretty spring like. 50's to start. Initially had my gloves, but after walking a few min, tossed them to my car. (more on this later) Rain in the forecast, but not till later. Over to my trail a few min later than usual, but no real hurry. My trail Pennypack Creek. Monday, I did the parking lot to 5 mi out towards South Hampton. Today, doing a little different. My orig 10 mi route before the new extensions. Parking lot to ByBerry, back. Parking lot to Rockledge, back. That would be about 10.5-11 ish. My initial plan was to just go comfy. 8-8:15. Started out feeling pretty decent and rolled along. After avg 7:45-50 for a bit, pretty much decided to try to maintain sub 8. And with doing my trail out and back, out and back, had a count down going of 20 min per out. Both outs have a slight incline, tried to relax knowing I could split on the way back. Focus on breathing, strike, etc. Felt good without pushing. May have caught myself daydreaming a couple times and regrouping to focus a couple times. but felt pretty good. Not sure about my half, but pretty confident about Broad Street. 

My second out and back, knew I would be a bit over. Cut the out just a little short and ended my run right after 10. Left at least a .25 cool down. Walked, got impatient, jogged, walked, etc. lol.. 

Stubbed my toe! Hurt like a mf! Caught myself from yelling tho. lol.. And the tip of my good big toe is now black. Grrr..  lol.. 

Post run: relaxed for a few min before taking off. Off I go. A couple minutes in. Oh crap, my gloves! They were on my windshield still. Quickly pulled over and able to get them before they blew away! These are my Philly Marathon gloves, would be sad to lose these!

Miscellaneous: 3+ hours yard work post run. Nice out, getting ready for spring! Small side note, I was raking down my fence line in my back yard. Small snake took off, scared the crap out of me! Too fast to get a pic!

Foam roll/stretch: fail! Relaxed for a little after yard work and then had plans. Totally forgot! 'Doh! I don't remember the last time I failed to get a stretch and roll in. :(

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 4mi, strength training: arms/shoulders/chest/core

Busy day Saturday, tried sleeping in today. Tried. Up by 6, tried to get more, but wide awake. Up, coffee, get into my groove for working out. Eventually out the door. Initially planned on doing just one for the streak to start resting. But weather was nice and felt good. Off I go for 30ish min (round up to 4 mi. Felt good most of the way. I'll rest three days (W,Fri,Sa) this coming week for my race. I swear! ;)

Foam roll/stretch: pending, but I assure you it will be done! 

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores? One outing to dinner/drinks. Fixed my dryer, thanks to YouTube!

Movies/TV:  The Walking Dead, March Madness, baseball, not much else and of course the usual reruns of The Office, Family Guy, South Park, etc. 

Not so exciting outside of work and running sometimes. Any questions to get to know me better? Ask me anything!

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

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 48.4 weekly  miles running 

Year to Date: 588 miles running 

Hill Goal (for the yr):  120 k: currently at: 

Strength Training: Goal 4 hours minimum,  6:23:06

What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 

Foam Roll/Stretch:  6 days

Weight (putting this out there. I know I don't have to earn my food/drink, but putting this out there, maybe I'll be more mindful): on 01/01/22: 156. Current 31 day avg: 153.3

Training Plan:  Week 12 of 20 using the below plan:  

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

3.27.22 - Philly Love Run Half Marathon (deferral from '20!) But this has always been my fav spring half! (official PR's there each time!, hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that!)

05.01.22 - Broad Street Run! - my registration from 2020 granted me a guaranteed entry to this year's race! (skipped '21) 

05.15.22 - Jim Thorpe marathon, but that's not until May! Have various travels going on this yr, was looking for an easy drive, affordable race and hotel. A flat scenic course that includes a train ride to the start! 

Fall: 

10.02.2022 - Chicago Marathon (deferral from '20!, can't wait!)

11.18-20.2022 - Philly Marathon Weekend

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!    

Weekly Running Report: March 13, 2022

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

How's winter training going? Any races? Any crazy weather?! This week started with a heat wave, to mild winter, to a wintry mix/snow mess!

Reminder that if you are just skimming, that I have race and gear discount tabs on my blog site.#BibRavePro

Week 11 of Marathon Training for Jim Thorpe Marathon. 

My Week in Training:  

Monday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Sunday, end of weekend blues. Did have a couple beverages, but was very well behaved and got a decent night's rest. Was up and ready to take on the week! Coffee, workout, and out the door. Monday, usually my toughest day of the week due to back to the grind after a long weekend run and the occasional poor night's rest on Sunday nights. But Saturday wasn't super long and got some rest Sunday night. Settled in and went with the flow. Went better than most Monday's. Felt the hills, but not horrible. Oh and the temp! Sky rocketed last night! Was already 60 degrees at go time, went up to like 77 later! Briefly thought about turning on the A/C! Crazy thing is, temps will be back to the 30's by morning! 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Tuesday: 7 miles, strength training: chest/core

Monday..made a point to get a good night's rest and did. Up, coffee, work out, yada yada.. Was glad I didn't check my work email before bed or I probably would of lost sleep. Saw an irritating item that had me fuming. Love my job, but this item had me going. Out the door on time. Brisk air was nice. Ran with anger most of the way. Breathing and strike were on point, but mind was not in my run at all. Not until I got to the hills anyway.. Was at least 4mi in before I even started thinking about my run today. The fresh air, run, and strength training definitely helped today.   

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Wednesday: 4 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Tuesday, settled in after that issue and regained composure. Decent night's rest.  Checking forecast before bed.. wintry mix in the forecast today. Up, coffee, workout, no wintry mix yet! Brisk, fresh air was nice. 4 miles for the streak. Trying to take it easy today. Settled in and enjoyed the run. Pace felt good. Probably could of let it fade in the last hill but pushed to maintain. We did end up getting that wintry mix. Snow was coming down hard later! but didn't lay much and eventually melted. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Thursday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Wed night, woken by a call from work. 10 min issue, but always takes a while to fall back to sleep. Not the best night's rest, although my watch gave me a decent sleep score. lol.. Wintry mix yesterday cleared up, but there was frost on the roads throughout most of my run. Could tell it would melt soon after the sun hits it and got a little better towards the end. Cautious at my turnarounds and flying down hills. The temp/air was nice. Brisk, but humid! odd. But whatever. Pace felt good throughout. A little tough to maintain through the last few hills, but normal. lol.. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Friday: 4 miles, strength training: chest/core

Thursday, went out for dinner and a couple drinks. We even had dessert! I very rarely have dessert, like ever. but it was delicious. Also haven't had a midweek beer in a long time. In bed early and a decent night's rest. My wings didn't even wake me with heartburn, win! A little tired, but it's Friday and ready to go! Coffee, workout, and out the door. Brisk air was nice. And no frost on the roads either. Plan was to go comfy to ease into the weekend. Was faster than planned, but felt good. Now to prepare for tomorrow's long run in what look's to be a mess of weather!

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Saturday: 20 miles. Yup. 20 messy miles.

Scheduled for 18, but I have a conflict for my first 20 miler and figured since I've already been doing 18's, might as well do this 20. Want to make sure I get my three 20's in. I almost always have anxiety the week of a 20 miler, this was no different. Questioning little aches when doing stairs, etc. And then there was this week's forecast for today. 45 and raining at go time, but temps taking a big dip and turning to wintry mix by 9 (started earlier!) then changing to to snow. Tried to get to my trail a few minutes early if possible. That always depends on other morning "routines" lol.. Over to my trail and started around 6:05. Close enough. Light rain to start. Settled into a comfortable pace. Planned on pulling back just a notch, but was comfortable. Dressed for the later temp, was overheated just a bit in the first hour. Light rain in the first 8 ish miles, but turned to a downpour at times on/off rest of the way! Hydrated every 30 min or so. Meant to fuel at 1:15. Off by a few minutes on both at times, but got it in. Passed my car at 12 mi, swapped hydration bottles. And off I go. My trail is about 17.75 ish (9x2). Did a loop around a neighborhood at the Rockledge end, (which includes my strava legend hill. ;) ). Return to the trail with a little under 3 to go. Starting to feel it, but didn't really think about it. The rain turned to sleet pelting me with 2 miles to go. Think my legs actually got numb for a bit there. lol.. 

There was barely anyone at the trail today! So quiet! May have seen 5 people, if that! And only two of them I've never seen or familiar with. lol..  

The sleet did get bad shortly later. The roads on my drive home were affected. Wasn't sure if my car could make it up my hill. lol.. Turned to heavy snow for a bit as well!

Today's run may have been messy, but the pace is in my top 3 for 20 milers. Think wanted to just get it over with helped. lol.. And I would take a winter 20 miler over a July/August 20 miler any day! 

Other side notes:

There was plenty of splashing around in puddles along the way, non issue. 'Till the last few miles. Stepped in some deep puddles, freezing! Feet were pretty cold to end! lol.. 

Retired a pair of my shoes mid week. They went just a few days till it was bad weather time for old shoes. lol.. Very short retirement to see active duty again. lol..

No fancy trail pics. Hands were cold and didn't want to pause from my groove for pics. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Sunday: 4 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/chest/core

Saturday, out to dinner/drinks. Was sure to get my stretch and roll in before heading out, and stayed on track of hydration. Got an excellent night's rest. Up, coffee, 1 hr+ workout, and out the door. Felt yesterday's run, but surprisingly not that bad. Stairs are usually an early indicator. lol.. Out for a comfy 30 min run. (I tend to round up to 4 mi on those days). Brisk and sunny felt refreshing. There were some gusts of wind that questioned that, but still enjoyed being out there. Felt decent for the day after a 20 miler. 

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

Movies/TV:  The Walking Dead, some basketball, not much else and of course the usual reruns of The Office, Family Guy, South Park, etc. 

Not so exciting outside of work and running sometimes. Any questions to get to know me better? Ask me anything!

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

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 53.2  weekly  miles running 

Year to Date: 539.5 miles running 

Hill Goal (for the yr):  120 k: currently at: 31000

Strength Training: Goal 3 hours minimum, 6:31:57 (think it's time to change my goal to 4-5 hours at least)

What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 

Foam Roll/Stretch:  7 days

Weight (putting this out there. I know I don't have to earn my food/drink, but putting this out there, maybe I'll be more mindful): on 01/01/22: 156. Current 31 day avg: 153.2

Training Plan:  Week 11 of 20 using the below plan:  

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

3.27.22 - Philly Love Run Half Marathon (deferral from '20!) But this has always been my fav spring half! (official PR's there each time!, hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that!)

05.01.22 - Broad Street Run! - my registration from 2020 granted me a guaranteed entry to this year's race! (skipped '21) 

05.15.22 - Jim Thorpe marathon, but that's not until May! Have various travels going on this yr, was looking for an easy drive, affordable race and hotel. A flat scenic course that includes a train ride to the start! 

Fall: 

10.02.2022 - Chicago Marathon (deferral from '20!, can't wait!)

11.18-20.2022 - Philly Marathon Weekend

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!    

Weekly Running Report: March 6, 2022

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

How's winter training going? Any races? Any crazy weather?! We had a few reminders it's still winter with a couple teases of spring! 

Reminder that if you are just skimming, that I have race and gear discount tabs on my blog site.#BibRavePro

Week 10 of Marathon Training for Jim Thorpe Marathon. 

My Week in Training:  

Monday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Sunday, end of weekend blues, including going out to eat/drinks. Planned on getting a good night's rest tho. Well.. heartburn. Spicy wings get me again. But I love them! :(  Up in the middle of the night. medicine. May have gotten a few minutes of rest after. but not much. Odd, but I have a sleep score of 92. Expected that to be much worse. Wasn't in the mood when that alarm went off. but.. up, coffee, work out, and ready to go. Monday after an 18 miler, plan is pretty much to just go through the motions.  Besides hills on a Monday, was refreshing to be out there. No regrets. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Tuesday:  7 miles, strength training: chest/core

Planned on getting a much better night's rest.. but made the mistake of looking at my work email before bed. Knew there was an issue waiting for me in the morning. Got some quality sleep to start (usually fall asleep with no issues). But once I was up to use the restroom, mind was racing when I returned to bed. Not sure if I got much sleep after that, sleep score much worse at 70. Coffee, work out, and out the door. Legs starting to get a bit fresher since the weekend. Off to a nice start! Usually hold speed day till Wed or Thu, but looks like I'm going to try for today! Continued focus on form, breathing, and catching myself from relaxing as the hills wear me out in the second half. Faded from the 7:30's and fought to maintain 7:45 ish. Tough through the last few hills, but fun and done! 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Wednesday:  5 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Crazy day at work yesterday and then had a work issue after work and had to log back in for a bit and ended up starting on some of today's work last night. Started to feel like a long week and only Tuesday.. Ended up getting decent rest. Up once, but able to get a little more rest after. Coffee, work out. Planned on doing 4 easy. But felt pretty good before heading out and decided to do 5. Off to a comfortable start. Slightly faster than planned, but wasn't pushing it. Did feel it in the last two hills, but not bad. Wasn't excited to go back to work, but enjoyed my morning run beforehand! Oh and weather is warming up a bit! Still long sleeve weather in the morning, but was warm! Ready for temps to go just a few degrees up for brisk short sleeves! :)

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Thursday: 7 miles, strength training: chest/core

Decent night's rest. Up and ready to go! Coffee, work out, and out the door! Weather App showed 44 with light rain throughout the hour. Prepared for it. Tue/Wed were decent speed days, so not really worried about getting another one in. Off to a better start than planned, but not going to force the issue. Rolled along. The weather app was a lie! It rained earlier, but no rain on my run! The temp was near perfect, except for some crazy wind, mostly in the second half. Laughed it off end enjoyed the brisk air against my face. Pace faded slightly and I didn't care. Enjoyed being out there. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Friday: 5 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/chest/core

Decent night's rest. Up once or twice but able to get some sleep. The one time I thought it was much later, was only 11:30! lol.. Slept until the alarm. Coffee, work out, and out the door. Weather back to winter temps! 20 degrees! No issue, was prepared. Plan was basically take it easy to coast into the weekend. Rolling along around 8 min, comfortable but knew I should be taking it more easy. Faded naturally as I went into the mid to late hills. Comfortable throughout. Ready to get through the day and hit the weekend! Long week. I hope the weekend doesn't fly by too fast!

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Saturday: 12 miles, strength training: core

Friday, carb loaded, relaxed, decent rest. Up before my alarm but waited it out. Coffee, got a little core workout in. If it was a longer long run day I may not have, but was a few min short of 6 hours and wanted to exceed that (ocd). Got some in. A little brisk this morning. Temps going up slightly later, but didn't want to wait it out. Over to my trail by 6:30. 12 mi day, didn't want to take it too easy for long run day, didn't want to over do it either. Planned on setting in 8-8:15. Nice fresh air and rolling along. Settled in right at 8. Nice and quiet at the trail, barely saw anyone the first hour. Slight incline around 2.5 and again on the return around 6-7. Maintained pace till the slight incline on the way back. faded to about 8:05. Refocused and regrouped. Planned on trying to neg split on the later decline. Pushing it a bit from 9.5 remainder of the way. Split just a little, but done. Went pretty well today. Saw a few friends and regulars. Didn't get a chance to chat. We are all working on different goals at the moment. As I was driving away saw one of my buddies finishing from a distance. Sad I didn't hang out just a couple min longer. 

So.. things went well. Except for a technical difficulty. I use two devices, phone and watch. At one point realized I haven't received an alert in a bit from the watch... clock still going, but distance not updating. Pause, resume, and all of a sudden the distance updated correctly. Pace looked right. Saving.. the moving time and elapsed time don't match. Moving time is like 9 min faster. Not right. Shows me having a couple 4 min mi. and an 18 min 5k. lol.. Hopefully support gets it right. Not concerned. But will delete and re-enter if support cant fix it. Don't want it showing a record/badge for a 5k I will never beat. However, the elapsed is correct and this was my best 12 miler by 30 seconds. :)

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Full pic on Facebook

Sunday: 4 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/chest/core

Saturday, and outing to dinner/drinks/ followed by a brewery stop (Ten7 Brewing) . lol.. Was sure to get my stretch/roll in before any shenanigan's. and hydrated a little along the way. Got an excellent night's sleep. "Slept in" till almost 7. Coffee, workout for a little over an hr, and out the door. Temps in the low 50's, short sleeve weather! Light rain, but non-issue. Out for a comfy run. Felt good besides the usual hills. Was briefly temped to go to the trail since I had energy and sched wide open for the day, but knew I would do even more miles than I should for what should be a rest day. May have some light chores, but will be taking it super easy remainder of the day. Hope to be ready to the new week.  

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

Movies/TV:  The Walking Dead, some basketball, not much else and of course the usual reruns of The Office, Family Guy, South Park, etc. 

Not so exciting outside of work and running sometimes. Any questions to get to know me better? Ask me anything!

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

Weekly Summary:

Miles:  47.1 weekly  miles running 

Year to Date: 486.2 miles running 

Hill Goal (for the yr):  120 k: currently at: 27995

Strength Training: Goal 3 hours minimum, 6:18:30

What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 

Foam Roll/Stretch:  7 days

Weight (putting this out there. I know I don't have to earn my food/drink, but putting this out there, maybe I'll be more mindful): on 01/01/21: 156. Current 31 day avg: 153.2

Training Plan:  Week 10 of 20 using the below plan:  

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

3.27.22 - Philly Love Run Half Marathon (deferral from '20!) But this has always been my fav spring half! (official PR's there each time!, hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that!)

05.01.22 - Broad Street Run! - my registration from 2020 granted me a guaranteed entry to this year's race! (skipped '21) 

05.15.22 - Jim Thorpe marathon, but that's not until May! Have various travels going on this yr, was looking for an easy drive, affordable race and hotel. A flat scenic course that includes a train ride to the start! 

Fall: 

10.02.2022 - Chicago Marathon (deferral from '20!, can't wait!)

11.18-20.2022 - Philly Marathon Weekend

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!    

Weekly Running Report: February 27, 2022

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

How's winter training going? Any races? Any crazy weather?! We had some cool, some warm, and a little wintry mix mixed in!

Reminder that if you are just skimming, that I have race and gear discount tabs on my blog site.#BibRavePro

Week 9 of Marathon Training for Jim Thorpe Marathon. 

My Week in Training:  

Monday: 10 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/chest/core

Monday, day off from work for the bank holiday. May of had a couple drinks the day before, but got an excellent night's rest. Didn't really sleep in. Coffee, work out. Got a full hour workout in all at once (usually morning/afternoon sessions). No real plans today besides going for a run at the trail. So, getting that work out in as the sun and temps slowly go up. lol.. Over to the trail by 8 ish. Sched for 7, but like getting a few extra in on a day off. A little sore from Sat 18 miler, just going to go with a comfy pace and enjoy the trail. Decent amount of cars at the trail, but not as packed as I expected. Pretty nice and quiet. Temp was nice in the sun, but brisk in the shade, especially if there was a breeze. lol.. My trail . Was doing 5 out and back. The trail does go another mi from where I turned at, was a little temped to do 6 (for 12), but resisted. lol.. Was comfy, but somewhere around 7 in decided to try to push a little bit on the return. Last 2 mi sub 8, bringing 8:20 avg down to 8:10 ish. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Side note: I was at the trail on Saturday, that trampoline was not there. Wind and snow squall later that day had it hop the owners fence and bring it towards the trail! 

Full pics on Facebook

Tuesday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Monday, with the day off from work, had the end of weekend blues last night. Did go out for dinner, had a couple drinks, but was sure to prioritize rest. In bed early.. but was up in the middle of the night with heart burn. :( Why does my favorite restaurant give me heart burn? :(  Although, my sleep score wasn't that bad.  Up and rolling along. Coffee, work out. Temps going up today/tomorrow, but still long sleeve weather at the moment. Today was a through the motion kind of day. Sore from the weekend, yesterday, etc. and getting back to my hills. A no pressure kind of day. Rolling along and enjoying the breeze. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Wednesday: 5 miles, strength training: chest/core

Got an excellent night's rest... to the point I didn't hear fire trucks two doors down! small fire, no one hurt. But tons of activity just after I went to bed (according to my neighbor) I didn't hear a thing! Up a few min before my alarm. Up and ready to go. Coffee, work out, and feeling pretty good. Weather was nice! Almost 60 degrees! Wasn't entirely planning on doing speed work today, but felt decent, might as well! Off to an excellent start. Focus on breathing, form, strike, etc. First couple sub 7:30. But I knew my hills would be a challenge. Could still feel my quads slightly. I have one hill early, rest are at at approx end of 3, 3.5, and 4.2. Fighting to stay 7:30 after the 2nd, but knew 7:40's was more realistic. 3rd hill, 7:30's and fading. fighting on the way up of the last hill and trying to rebound as it levels out. lol.. rough, but fun and done. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Thursday: 6 miles, arms/shoulders/core

Decent rest. Coffee, work out, etc. Today was a reminder that after a couple spring like days, that it's still winter! lol.. Temps back in the 20's. A little more brisk than yesterday, but not an issue. Prepared. Been on top of that weather app day and night. Checking as I get my gear ready at night and double checking before I head out the door in the morning. 6 mi today.  Glad I got a speed day in yesterday, pretty much going with the flow rest of the week to prepare for the long run. At times it felt like a jog, but the hills always add on to that.

Friday: 4 miles, strength training: chest/core

Another good night's rest. Although was tempted to stay up a little bit for pre weekend excitement, but did not. Sleep has been on point for the most part for this week. Coffee, work out. Up on time, etc, but running a few min behind. That one "routine" set back the sched a few minutes. Good thing today is "only" 4 mi day. lol.. Mentioned back to winter, well, overnight we had a wintry mix warning and still in effect. Freezing rain. As I'm heading out I can see ice on all of the plant life, bushes, trees, cars, grass. But once I got to the road, no issues at all! Cautiously optimistic.  My second street goes down a poorly lit dead end hill, thought about skipping it, but running a few min behind and daylight creeping up, could see well enough. No issues on the hill or the turnaround at the bottom. Pace was another go with the flow day. Comfortable, steady, light fade through the last hill with no concern to push to bring it back. Freezing rain wasn't bad at the time. Misty, had to remove my glasses, but no other issues. Did hit one patch, but wasn't sure if it was ice or trash/debris and didn't go back to look. Would usually wear old shoes, but one of my current trainers is on the retirement line. :(  Wore them as they are sadly on their way out. Have new replacements ready. Sad and excited. lol.. Anyone else get this way? 

Below is the same tree, a little later with more ice: 

Saturday: 18 miles. (scheduled for 16).

Fri, carb loaded, relaxed, decent night's rest, etc. Slept until that alarm! Usually up a few before it. But no rush. Up, coffee, "routine", and over to my trail by 6:30. Just a little brisk out (high 20's). Not bad, but that tease of spring has me ready for closer to 40. lol.. 

Pacing, plan was to settle around 8:30 and go with whatever's comfy. Maintained 8:20's till around 15.Hydrated every 30 minutes, swapped bottles as passing my car at 12 mi. Fueled before hand, 1:15 ish and once more an hr later. My run felt good for the most part. TBH, was slightly boring. Was nice to be at the trail. Saw a few trail regulars, didn't really see my friends till 12 mi, and that was very brief. Started to feel it around 14. End of trail is around 14.7. I have to add at least .3 somewhere or I would fall short of 18 on the return. I have a hill in a nearby neighborhood at that turnaround. It's pretty steep. briefly thought about skipping it an adding a circle to end, but went and did the hill. Pace went from 8:26 to 8:30 ish there. Maintained on the return. ended with 18.5 because when I do that hill my ocd makes me go to the end of that street before turning around. lol.. Happy with how today went. Just wasn't exciting. I guess they can't all be. I have plans later. Made sure to get my stretch and roll in before shenanigans! 

Sunday: 4 mi, 1 hour strength training. arms/shoulders/chest/core.

Had some beverages yesterday. But got an excellent night's rest. No alarm and "slept in" till about 7. Coffee and got a good work out in. Legs and abs a little sore, but not horrbile. Temp still slightly brosk, but full sun was nice. Out the door for a 30ish min relaxed run. Lower abs hurt a little to start, but not bad. Run was pretty comfortable for today. And the sun and fresh air was nice. 

Plan on taking it easy today. Try to be somewhat ready for Monday. Blah! lol.. 

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores? One outing for an "unofficial" work event. Haven't seen most of these people since March '20! Had some brief anxiety, but ended up being nice to catch up with everyone. 

Movies/TV:  The Walking Dead, some basketball, not much else and of course the usual reruns of The Office, Family Guy, etc. 

Not so exciting outside of work and running sometimes. Any questions to get to know me better? Ask me anything!

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

Weekly Summary:

Miles:  54.7 weekly  miles running 

Year to Date: 439.1 miles running 

Hill Goal (for the yr):  120 k: currently at: 

Strength Training: Goal 3 hours minimum, 6:20:39 completed. (my highest week since tracking!)

What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 

Foam Roll/Stretch:  7 days

Weight (putting this out there. I know I don't have to earn my food/drink, but putting this out there, maybe I'll be more mindful): on 01/01/21: 156. Current 31 day avg: 153.4

Training Plan:  Week 9 of 20 using the below plan:  (loosely following long run day till it gets a bit longer)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

3.27.22 - Philly Love Run Half Marathon (deferral from '20!) But this has always been my fav spring half! (official PR's there each time!, hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that!)

05.01.22 - Broad Street Run! - my registration from 2020 granted me a guaranteed entry to this year's race! (skipped '21) 

05.15.22 - Jim Thorpe marathon, but that's not until May! Have various travels going on this yr, was looking for an easy drive, affordable race and hotel. A flat scenic course that includes a train ride to the start! 

Fall: 

10.02.2022 - Chicago Marathon (deferral from '20!, can't wait!)

11.18-20.2022 - Philly Marathon Weekend

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!    

Weekly Running Report: February 20, 2022

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

How's winter training going? Any races? Any crazy weather?! We had some cool, some warm, and some crazy wind this week. 

Reminder that if you are just skimming, that I have race and gear discount tabs on my blog site.#BibRavePro

Week 8 of Marathon Training for Jim Thorpe Marathon. 

My Week in Training:  

Monday: 7 miles, strength training: chest/core

Monday.. the day after the Super Bowl and is also Valentines Day. Took the day off work. I have plenty amount of of time off and looked like a good "random" day to take off. Yes, had some beverages and junk food yesterday, stayed up slightly later than usual. Decent amount of sleep, and slowly getting ready to go. Coffee, work out. Would usually go to my trail on a day off, but plenty of wet snow yesterday, followed by a huge dip in temps. Figured the trail would be a mess with hard ice. Bundled up to get my sched 7 in. Could tell the streets were clear enough that I wouldn't require yak trax, wasn't sure if I needed extra tread of trail shoes, but was good to go with my current trainers. And off I go. Settled into a "comfortable" pace. Legs did feel a little heavy from yesterday's snow run, but along I go. Black ice wasn't too bad, except for one street early on that I may of had issues with if I started earlier. usually poorly lit, but my later start time was all daylight! Today's pace was slightly faster than planned. Figured it to be a slower comfy pace. Went with what felt good. Besides feeling yesterday's run and the hills, did not feel like I over did it at all. Pretty good for a Monday! Never prejudge a Monday!

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Tuesday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Well, with having Monday off, had the end of weekend blues last night. Wasn't in the mood for the weekend to end, not a good night's rest. Oh, and my shin splint started hurting a bit more yesterday! Was totally fine during yesterday's run. Later in the day, while walking around the Camden Aquarium and Philly, started throbbing and hurting a bit. In addition to stretching, and cbd balm, did some icing as well. Hurt slightly this morning going down stairs, but felt a bit better after stretching and walking a bit. Was not in the mood today, a little grumpy and not looking fwd to bundling up to go outside. Coffee, work out. Temp is 10 degrees, which I know I can do, just wasn't in the mood. But... off I go. Again, plan is pretty much just go with the flow. Settled into a comfy pace. Shin was fine. Mentioned black ice on the poorly lit street yesterday. Still there, but I remembered it's pattern. lol.. Had to take the turnaround at the bottom cautiously, but a non issue. Pace slightly faster than expected. Let myself fade slightly later in the hills. The temp was a non issue. Had proper layers. Just don't like wearing pants..lol. And breathing cold air is what it is. You know..TMI: plenty of snot! lol.. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Wednesday: 5 miles, strength training: chest/core

Made a much better effort at getting a good night's rest to be ready to take on the day. Felt great from the start! Crazy how much better things feel with a good night's rest and an enthusiastic attitude! lol.. Also looking forward to slightly nicer temps! Crazy how things feel from mid teens to mid twenties! lol.. Also, not sure at what point I started liking the mid twenties, but they are definitely in my favs.

Coffee, workout, out the door. Figured to do a slightly more comfy pace, but felt good and went with it. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Thursday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Another decent night's rest and ready to go! Coffee, work out. Temps going way up for a couple days. Was 49 at my starting time! Short sleeves time! Woo-hoo! Just about my perfect race temp. mid-high 40's. Brisk, but warm enough for short sleeves. Started with a hat/gloves, but ditched them once warmed up. Pace, figured I'd be taking it easy rest of the week, might as well try to push it for a bit. :) Focus on breathing, foot strike, and catch myself from getting too comfy after hills, etc. Pacing 7:30's through the first half, but the midway hills got me. Tried keeping it 7:45 rest of the way. Barely hanging on, but done and fun. Today ended up being my 2nd best 7 miler pace wise... I don't really do 7 milers at my flatish trail. My recent 10 mi speed test at the trail would beat this.   

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Friday: 5 miles, strength training: chest/core

Decent rest, although was tempted to stay up slightly late. Resisted the Fri eve temptations. lol..  Wind warning in affect from Thurs night through Fri mid morning. Gusts up to 50 mph! Wasn't bad when I went to bed, but was woken up from it multiple times. Heard our trash cans fall over, etc. Up before my alarm, but able to sleep a few more min 'till time. Coffee, work out. Could hear the wind whipping pretty bad. Check the app, rain resuming just as I am heading out. Heard the rain pelting the windows as I was changing gear. Just had to laugh at it. Crazy stuff, but this is what we do. Embrace it! old shoes, cheap headphones, ziplock bag for the phone, etc. Off I go. One thing tho, it was hot! 60! No extra layers! Really planned on taking it easy to head into the weekend, but went with what I was comf with. Not pushing it, could of been slightly slower, but was comfy and wasn't looking to spend extra time out there. Pitch dark in certain spots, kicked some small debris multiple times, glad there wasn't anything bigger branches to trip over. First few minutes in, submerged my shoes in deep puddles. Figures. lol.. Didn't expect to come out dry, but didn't expect it to happen so close to the start. lol.. Along with the debris, there was trash cans out in the street, not even trash day. Empty and not secured.. lol. Pace slowed down through the last two hills, wasn't concerned in trying to push it. Was faster than planned anyway. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Saturday: 18 miles. (scheduled for 15)

So.. scheduled for 15, was orig planning on doing 18, but then saw that I have to do at least 16 next week. Changed that to planning on doing 16 and maybe try to do 18 next week. That was the plan.. lol.. 

Fri, carb load, relax, yada yada, decent night's rest. I have been doing some strength training on Sat, but decided not to since I got a decent amt in this week and wanted to concentrate on having a decent run. Glad I made that decision. 

Up early, back to sleep and groggy when the alarm hit. Coffee and taking my time. Over to my trail by 6:30. Weather mid 20's. Felt slightly cooler than expected, took a little longer for my hands to defrost, but a non issue. Pacing, plan was to start around 8:30 and maybe fade to 8:45. So was the plan. Comfy 8:15-8:20 and rolling along. Not too many people at the trail today. There's a race in the area and maybe the weather deterred a few ppl. Slight incline to the first end with a little decline. No issue, felt it slightly on the return. Had my hydration bottle on me and another waiting at my car. Hydrated every 30 min. (been slacking, but was on point today). Felt really good longer than expected. Changed my mind from 16 to 18. Probably would of packed an additional gel. Usually fuel at 1:15, waited until about 1:30. Passed my car at 12 mi, swapped hydration bottles. Didn't really have a count down in my head going until 5 mi to go. Thinking about it more at 4 to go. Passed where my turnaround would of been to return for 16. Still felt decent. Decisions to make at the end of the trail. Will either have to do circles at some point, or could leave the trail for a few min and do a challenging hill at mi 15. Left the trail to the nearby neighborhood and did the hill. (which will put me over for my total goal later) Still somehow the strava legend of the hill. I really don't do this hill that often anymore since the trail expanded, but whatever.  Knew the hill would bring down my pace, but felt decent and willing to fade. Up hill, felt it, but still in a groove. End of street and return. Felt pretty strong on the return most of the way. Would usually stop my watch when done with mi goal, but would be a long cool down. Briefly thought about going for more, but will keep 20+ until it's called for. lol.. We'll see how I feel next week if I have energy to do any extra. lol.. Looking back, this ended up being my best 18 miler pace wise!

Side note: glad I chose not to do any strength training today. Stumbled later on, abs on fire as I caught myself. Also, abs shouldn't hurt until you can clearly see them. Should be a rule. lol..  

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 4 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/chest/core. 

Did have some junk food and  beverages yesterday. Up slightly late, but got an excellent night's rest. Only slept in a little bit, but my watch shows it was mostly quality sleep. Probably the highest sleep score for the week. Up early and no plans, got an excellent work out in, a full hour all at once. (mid week usually have a morning and afternoon session). Done with that pretty early. Taking my time heading out for a short easy run. Tempted to go to the trail, but going there sometimes leads to temptation of extra miles. Staying local, I'll be there tomorrow for the holiday. :) Eventually out to door for a 30ish min run. A little sore, trying to settle into a relaxed comfy pace. Felt like a light jog but first mi was a little faster than planned. Really trying to slow it down, like for real. lol.. Pulling back rest of the way. Sore, through the motions, but comfortable, and done. Will be taking it easy rest of the day. Light chores. Will try not to get into too much trouble so I can be ready for a comfy 10 miler tomorrow. 

Side note: can you tell I use a light post for some of my selfies? lol.. 

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

Movies/TV: Watched Super Bowl last Sunday, everyone love the half time show? Trying to get back into college hoops now that football is over, ready for baseball, hope it starts on time. Don't think we watched any new shows, and the usual reruns of The Office, Family Guy, etc. 

Not so exciting outside of work and running sometimes. Any questions to get to know me better? Ask me anything!

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

Weekly Summary:

Miles:  53.5 weekly  miles running 

Year to Date: 384.3 miles running 

Hill Goal (for the yr):  120 k: currently at: 

Strength Training: Goal 3 hours minimum, 5:33:56 completed. 

What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 

Foam Roll/Stretch:  7 days

Weight (putting this out there. I know I don't have to earn my food/drink, but putting this out there, maybe I'll be more mindful): on 01/01/21: 156. Current 31 day avg: 153.4

Training Plan:  Week 8 of 20 using the below plan:  (loosely following long run day till it gets a bit longer)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

3.27.22 - Philly Love Run Half Marathon (deferral from '20!) But this has always been my fav spring half! (official PR's there each time!, hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that!)

05.01.22 - Broad Street Run! - my registration from 2020 granted me a guaranteed entry to this year's race! (skipped '21) 

05.15.22 - Jim Thorpe marathon, but that's not until May! Have various travels going on this yr, was looking for an easy drive, affordable race and hotel. A flat scenic course that includes a train ride to the start! 

Fall: 

10.02.2022 - Chicago Marathon (deferral from '20!, can't wait!)

11.18-20.2022 - Philly Marathon Weekend

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!   

Weekly Running Report: February 13, 2022

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

How's winter training going? Any races? Any crazy weather?! We had mild to warm temps, finished off with a round of snow! 

Reminder that if you are just skimming, that I have race and gear discount tabs on my blog site.#BibRavePro

Week 7 of Marathon Training for Jim Thorpe Marathon. 

My Week in Training:  

Monday: 7 miles, strength training: chest/core

Sunday, usual end of weekend sadness, but got a decent night's rest. Better than most recent Sunday's. Up once and was wide awake, back to sleep and then groggy! crazy how we can go from wide awake to tired again so quickly. Coffee, got into rhythm. 

During one of my "breaks", saw that I got an email for guaranteed entry to Broad Street Run! Woohoo! Couldn't remember if my 2020 virtual counted towards auto entry. (didn't participate in the resched date of Oct 2021 due to a crazy fall, wanted to wait till the normal spring sched)

Anywho.. started the Monday morning in a good mood! 

Decent workout to start. a little more later as well. ;) Weather high 20's, pretty happy about that.

Last thu/fri warm temps washed away the snow, my entire route should be clear, pretty happy about that. And wearing some nice shoes that I haven't worn since before the snow.  

Did an 18 miler on Sat, expected some heavy legs and planned on a "comfy" pace, but I think I was in such a good mood, everything just clicked! Faster than expected from the start, felt good most of the way. Did fade through my hills a little, but not as much as usual. Wouldn't be surprised if this will be my best feeling run of the week. On a Monday! Never prejudge a Monday! 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Tuesday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Could of used a better night's rest! In bed on time, but tossed and turned throughout. My watch even says I never got into a "deep" sleep. :(  Up, coffee, workout and out the door by 6. Was planning on doing that comfy pace today since I skipped it yesterday. Well, the weather helped enforce that! There was a light glaze on the streets today! Manageable, but had to stay very alert! Shorter strides, anytime I widened or applied a little extra force on push off would slide. . There was a few clear patches to work with, but not much. I have one street that is pretty pitch black, probably should of skipped, but was careful. Also slowed down turnarounds. (if you ever look at my strava, I have about 12 turnarounds). Comfy pace, but started to feel heavy legs a little. And then the inner voice of not slow down too much creeped in. lol.. Finished just slightly faster than planned. On a positive note, noticed as I headed into a turn that daylight appeared around 6:40. :) 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Wednesday: 5 miles, strength training: chest/core

Focusing on getting a good nights rest. Even cut out caffeine earlier than usual yesterday. In bed on time and got a good night's rest. Except for some funky dreams. But that's besides the point. lol.. A little groggy, but got going. Coffee, workout, out the door by 6. Tried taking it easy yesterday, and plan to take it easy before the weekend.. so.. going to try to push it today! with focus on breathing, foot strike, and trying to catch myself from settling back. Off to an excellent start! I have about four noteworthy hills. Usually able to recover from the first one with no issues. Hung through the second but still had doubts about the later two. Not sure how I pulled it off, but I did. Pretty happy with how today went, rough towards the end, but fun. Was planning on starting my pace around where it ended. Figured about 12 sec per mi slower. Briefly thought about skipping my later hills to shave a little more off, but toughed it out.

Side note music wise: Master P's "make em say uhhh" played during my last mi. Got a good laugh and definitely let out some uhhh's through some of the struggle. lol.. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Thursday: 7 miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Decent night's rest, yup, up at least once tho. Blah.. all that hydration. lol.. Up, a little groggy, but moving. Coffee, work out, and out the door by 6. Planning to take it easy today and tomorrow. Got into a comfy groove. Slightly faster than planned, but felt really good without pushing. Felt relaxed, efficient, and focused. A steady pace beginning to end. Not much of a fade through the hills. 

Not too many other side notes, except. Noticing more dog walkers wearing vests and/or lights out! Happy to see that. Be seen. Except for one dog walker (with a rottweiler) I saw today, I swear they hide in the shadows and come out like batman when I go by. lol.. It's a well lit street with just a few dark spots, I swear the timing is just so almost once a week. lol.. Keeps me on my toes! 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Friday: 4 miles, strength training: chest/core

Decent rest, but could do better. Up, coffee, work out, have a few min to slack, eventually out the door. Plan is to take it easy, for real. Really want to relax the best I can to have a good run tomorrow. Most of my pace has plenty to do with the first few minutes. Was sure not to fly into things or get excited about a faster feel good pace. Relax and settle in. Wasn't too exciting but done. But sometimes I feel like my legs feel it more on a relaxed run than slightly faster run, if that makes sense. lol.. cruised through the hills, but could feel it and blah. lol.. 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Saturday: 10 miles, strength training: core.

Fri, carb loaded, relaxed and probably my least amount of sleep of the week. Up early. but my watch also says it was my most "deep sleep" day of the week. Which is nice. Coffee. A little core workout as I wait for daylight and other "routines". lol.. I've been excited for today's run. Between getting into Broad Street, having a 10 miler on the sched, and awesome weather today, was so excited to get out there and try to get in a 10 mi speed test. Over to my trail slightly after 6:30, and it's daylight, yay! 

Weather was 49 ish, with some slight chill. Short sleeves and gloves to start. Wearing my racing shoes! Haven't worn them since my last race! So many more miles to be had, but rationing them for now. Excited, going to give it a whirl. My plan was basically focus on breathing, foot strike, catch myself from relaxing, and had a countdown the entire time! My countdown was basically trying to do each half faster than 39 min. each quarter under 19, etc. Off to an even faster start than planned. First couple alerts started with a 6. Not reasonable for me. Fading back to 7:20's and settling in. Slight inclines in the first and third quarters. First quarter went well. Felt bad as I passed my friends at the 1/4 mark, but they understand. On the return trying to split. First half success, under 38 min. Two intersections on the way to the next half, no traffic issues to slow me down. Hydrated briefly at my car. and off I go. Next Quart countdown on. Hung in there, but slowing down at the end of the incline. Cursing myself to hang in there. Able to regroup on the return and even get a little split on the last two mi. 10 mi PR! Went out to practice 10 mi speed. Goals of 7:30 and not fading past 7:45. Faded to about 7:36 and was able to bring it back down. Definitely happy with how today went. Hope to bottle it up for my in person half and 10 mi races later this season. :)  Also, one of the worst things you can do as a runner is compare yourself to others. I was on a high for a bit and later saw my friends training for Boston go further faster. lol... 

Foam roll/stretch: complete

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 5  miles, strength training: arms/shoulders/core

Decent rest. Up slightly late, 10:30pm! lol.. and slept in till about 6:30. Watch also shows that I got a decent amount of "deep sleep" again. Nice getting a couple of those after several days of barely getting quality rest. Did have some junk food and beverages yesterday. Supposed to be rest day, but anticipate more treats later, want to burn some calories. 

60 degrees yesterday afternoon, but snow in the forecast?! No way they get this right, right?! Well, guess what? Woke up to snow. Blah! lol.. Coffee, workout and taking my time. Snow doesn't look too bad yet. Decided to check out the trail. Yesterday was thinking about going back to the trail for a relaxing run since yesterday was focused work, wanted to enjoy the trail scenery a bit more. Packed my yak trax, but didn't think I would need them. Glad I packed them, I needed them! The sidewalks and roads were misleading, trail definitely had more! Planned on doing five, but told myself if it really isn't fun, I can just get my streak day in and go home. Settled in. Scenery was nice. Footing was a bit tricky, and extra work. Wasn't as much fun as I had orig planned, but glad I got it in. Also surprised how many people were out there! I didn't see a ton of people per se, I had a slightly late start of 8 am, but already a decent amount of tracks in the snow! 

Will be relaxing rest of the day. I'm sure there may be some beverages in my future. lol.. Have fun watching the Super Bowl and half time show! I cant wait for it! My favorite concert that I've been to was the up in smoke tour in 2000. Dr Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Ice Cube, Warren G. (Although I missed Warren G due to the security delays getting in) Nate Dogg and Xzibit were also featured. Also hoping the Tupac hologram makes an appearance! They can't play California Love without it!

Full pics on Facebook

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores? One outing to dinner/drinks. Super bowl coming up and day off work tomorrow (that's also V-Day). :) 

Movies/TV: Watched NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl tonight, trying to get back into college hoops, started another Netflix show, Archive 81, and the usual reruns of The Office, Family Guy, etc. 

Other drama in my life: has cleared up for the most part. But still get vaccinated if you haven't. if not for you, for your loved ones. After seeing a healthy un-vaccinated almost die and what it did to their family was so rough.

Not so exciting outside of work and running sometimes. Any questions to get to know me better? Ask me anything!

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

Weekly Summary:

Miles:  45 weekly  miles running 

Year to Date: 330.8 miles running 

Hill Goal (for the yr):  120 k: currently at: 19274

Strength Training: Goal 3 hours minimum, 5:51:58 completed. 

What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises, mountain climbers. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 

Foam Roll/Stretch:  7 days

Weight (putting this out there. I know I don't have to earn my food/drink, but putting this out there, maybe I'll be more mindful): on 01/01/21: 156. Current 31 day avg: 153.8

Training Plan:  Week 7 of 20 using the below plan:  (loosely following long run day till it gets a bit longer)

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

3.27.22 - Philly Love Run Half Marathon (deferral from '20!) But this has always been my fav spring half! (official PR's there each time!, hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that!)

05.01.22 - Broad Street Run! - my registration from 2020 granted me a guaranteed entry to this year's race! (skipped '21) 

05.15.22 - Jim Thorpe marathon, but that's not until May! Have various travels going on this yr, was looking for an easy drive, affordable race and hotel. A flat scenic course that includes a train ride to the start! 

Fall: 

10.02.2022 - Chicago Marathon (deferral from '20!, can't wait!)

11.18-20.2022 - Philly Marathon Weekend

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!