Weekly Running Report: January 31, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

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

This was Week 8 of 20 marathon training for Gettysburg North-South Marathon for me.

My Week in Training: 

 

Monday: 6 miles. Sunday, hydrated well, foam rolled multiple times. Did participate in Sunday Funday beverages, but hydrated along. Wasn't ready for bed, but in bed close to on time. Excellent night's rest. Felt good for a Monday! Not excited for work, but excited to kick off the week with a decent run and workout! Coffee, hydrate, workout. (30 min now, 15 later, core/arms/shoulders/chest, etc). Ready to go! Brisk! Felt surprisingly well for a Monday. May be due to recent long run being "short". Pacing 7:55 ish till hill time 8:05-8:10 after. Trying to regroup a bit till the later hills. Hung in there to maintain 8:15 overall. Will take that for a Monday!   

Tuesday: 7 miles. Mon, hydrated, foam rolled (knot almost non-existent!), and in bed early, up once, but a decent night's rest. On my way to grab coffee, looking for snow! Nada! :) There were three hours overnight that had a chance of snow, if there was anything, it was clear and dry this morning. Coffee, short workout (30 min now, 15 later, core/arms/shoulders/chest, etc). Out the door just before 6. Another chance of precipitation this hour, but was a non issue. "Speed" day, wearing "speedy" shoes. Focus on breathing and off I go! Short/small hill to start, to level. Picking it up, between speed/hill/cold air, breathing taking a few minutes to adjust), but off to an excellent start. 7:30's for mi 1. Getting a bit more comfortable all around in mi 2. Incline between 2-3 before my fav hill around 3.1. Made it though hill 1, pacing 7:40's. A bit of maintenance mode after. Enjoying the run, brisk air, etc. Continues focus on breathing/foot strike. Until Long incline to short steep hill in mi 5. Survived hill 2, smile for the camera nearby. Legs getting heavier, a couple more inclines to go, but able to maintain sub 8 overall. Challenging to end, but felt good for the most part. Knot in my left leg from last week, stride occasionally getting wider, felt ok, but nervous of cramping/pulling again. One thing to note, overall avg was 3 seconds over my PR. Could probably crush this on my trail, but would love to get it done here. Didn't know I was so close! lol.. 

Wednesday: 3.11 miles. Tues, hydrated, foam rolled, and in bed on time. Up at least once and just before my alarm, but ready to go. Coffee, full upper body workout since I have a few more minutes, routine, and out the door by 6:15. 5k day. Wed, supposed to be a "non-running" day, and was itching to do more, but know I should be cutting back, especially since long run day is getting longer. Brisk! Cooler than what I thought, I did check the forecast before stepping out, but was a little more cold than expected. Should of worn gloves to start. Pacing, felt pretty good. Not over doing it, but still better than planned. 7:30's through 1, before my fav hill at 1.2.  7:50 as it leveled. Regrouped, brought it back down for a bit, but a couple more hills in 2-3. Tried to keep it at 7:45, but lost a few before the end. Still better than planned. Figured 8 ish. Felt good after and wanted more. But plan. lol.. 

Thursday: 6 miles. Wed,  hydrated, foam rolled, and in bed on time. Up at least once and just before my alarm, but ready to go! Coffee, workout (30 min now, more on lunch break). Ready to go! Brisk! Very Brisk! Wind Chills in the mid teens! Hat/gloves. Still no pants though. lol.. Was going to go with a comfy pace, but feeling pretty decent to start. Did slow down in the inclines before my fav hill at mi 3. 8/8:10 before/after my hill. Brought the pace back down briefly, but faded slightly before the incline to hill 2 in mi 5. Still trying to keep it to sub 8:15, did but feel the hills overall. Did have some issues in the first mi adjusting breathing with the cold air. More comfortable by mi 2. Did ditch my hat once warmed up. gloves were on/off, and numb by the end of my run. lol.. But overall, happy with how today went. Couple more days of this chilly weather. We'll see how Saturday's 15 miler goes! lol.. (but at least there's no precipitation (at the moment, knock on wood!.. lol.)

Friday: 6 miles. Thu, hydrated foam rolled. Did participate in Thirsty Thursday. Wasn't going to, but after a crazy day at work, was nice to relax a bit. In bed close to on time, and a decent night's rest. Up just before my alarm. Wasn't motivated to start,  think I wasn't motivated because I wasn't ready to go back to work after that crazy day. lol.. but workout done (30 min now, 15 later). Don't have much time to waste before run time, but got it done. Out the door by 6. Another cold one today! With max winds of 18 mph! Day before long run day, keep to the plan and not over do it. Was dressed fine for the weather. Usually I take my hat/gloves off once warmed up, not today! lol.. Pacing was 8 ish before/8:10 after hill 1. Maintenance mode remainder of the way. Fading again in the last inline to hill. Cold out, but that didn't bother me at all. Felt pretty decent overall. Hands did numb up when I took my gloves off to end my run/pics, etc, 

Saturday: 15 miles. Friday, hydrated, foam rolled, carb loaded, and ready for bed on time! Good night's rest, but up early! 4ish, gave up at 4:20. Coffee, core workout, routine, and rout the door by 6:45. A bit brisk today! Temp and chill in the teens! Had the proper layers and brought more with me just in case. Over to my trail around 7. My trail Pennypack Creek, park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd  and back first. Started out slightly faster than planned and pulled back a bit. Fingers were numb for the first two miles! Barely anyone at the trail yet, maybe saw 4 people on this side. Pacing 8:15 ish for now, with plans on pulling back to 8:30. Trail was very peaceful, always want to take more pics, but hands were numb, and once defrosted, didn't want to refreeze. Back from ByBerry at 5.5 ish. Hydrated at my car, and made a pit stop. Was sure not to pause devices to start imitating race day. Off to the more gradual incline side to Rockledge Park. Pace after break 8:25 ish. Got back into rhythm, pace dropped a couple seconds, but relaxing pace and incline ahead. Starting to see more people after passing the parking lot again. Still not that many, but a few more. Rockledge end, leaving the trail for a bit. Nearby neighborhood hill (which I am now the strava local legend!), loop around the hood to add a couple. Back to the trail. returning from Rockledge, bumped into my speedy friend, tried running with them for a min, 11 mi in, couldnt shift gears at this point to hang with them. On the return from Rockledge, took a side trail from Lorimer Park, added another hill, steady incline and a little steep at the end. Reconnects to the main trail back near Rockledge. Definitely tired at this point. Rockledge back to the midway parking lot. The main trail is about 11 mi (5.5x2), the neighborhood loop and side trail were the perfect distance to end at 15 mi. Wasn't a great run today, but hung in there and got it done. Still happy with it, just wish it was slightly easier. lol..  

Sidenote: looking back, this was my best 15 mi time, howver, have only ever done three! lol.. Guess since I usually even numbers. lol

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 3.11 miles. Saturday, hydrated very well and was sure to foam roll. Legs tired most of yesterday afternoon/evening. Did have a couple beverages at dinner and later. In bed at a reasonable hour and a good night's rest. Tried sleeping in, up around 7. Coffee and taking my time. 30 min core workout done. Foam roll my back and out the door around 9. 5k for the streak, wasn't sure how i'd be feeling after yesterday. Was hoping to be comfortable under 8. Focus on breathing and foot strike and off I go. Felt much better than expected and went with it. Fav hill around 1.2, faded to 7:40's. Woulds be more than happy to keep it at 7:45, but refocused and brought it back down to the 7:30's. Couple more hills in mi 2. Felt it, but happy overall. Forgot to take a post run selfie. Bumped into neighbors along my cool down and spaced on it after. 'doh! Instead you get a selfie from my plank challenge.

Sidenote: We're supposed to get 10-15 inches of snow Sun-Tue, not looking forward to that, that will affect running, for sure! 

Outside of Running: - new section to get to know each other a bit more. 

What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? Nothing very exciting during the winter, during the pandemic..What shows/movies did I watch this week? The Office, South Park, Family Guy, WandaVision, and The Little Things. One outing to Texas Roadhouse for ribs and beer.

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

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 45.3 miles running completed 

Year to date: 215 miles running

Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 339 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: 7 days 

Training Plan:  Week 8 of 20 using the below training plan. Plan titled "Advanced", please note, I in no way consider myself advanced. I have used the intermediate plan for four seasons, and want to try the next level. We shall see if I survive! lol.. 

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

04.25.2021 Gettysburg North-South Marathon

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: January 24, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

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

This was Week 7 of 20 marathon training for Gettysburg North-South Marathon for me.

My Week in Training: 

Monday: 11 miles. Day off from work. Sunday, hydrated well, foam roll, stretch. Had a few Sunday Funday beverages and up past my bed time. Did hydrate somewhat well though. "Sleeping in", got a decent night's rest. Coffee, full workout in, foam roll, and eventually over to my trail. Not sure if you saw my previous week's post. Saturday, had a bad cramp (or something?) and knot to deal with. Sunday foam roll still had me whimpering a bit. This morning's foam roll not as bad, but still feel the knot. Supposed to do 6 today, 8 tomorrow. Flipping the days since I have more time today and adding a little distance. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the more gradual incline side to Rockledge park and back first. The first step or so hurt a little, but able to give it a go. Stride slightly shorter than I would prefer. Will ease into widening it. Pace was better than expected (7:40's), but felt like I was going slower. Faded slightly along the incline, not really splitting after the turnaround to decline. Weather was nice. Started with gloves, but ditched them early and discarded as I passed my car. Off to the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd and back. Legs a little tired, faded past 8 with no energy to split on the return from BybBerry. Enjoyed being at the trail, not as packed as a weekend, but still busier than I would prefer due to the holiday. Need to take more trail pics, but if I'm tired or in a zone I kinda slack. lol.. 

Full pics on Facebook

Tuesday: 6 miles. Three day weekend over, back to setting that alarm! Decent rest, and up before it. Not sure how my body knows it's time to readjust back..Especially since I've slept in two days. lol..  Coffee, workout felt pretty decent (core/arms/shoulders/chest), and out the door by 6.  Brisk out today! Felt good! Needed gloves to start, but ditched them midway. Pacing: comfortable 7:50's for a bit. Left leg still a bit tight, but stride is getting closer to "normal". May have been wide awake, but quads feeling it! Fading slightly through the inclines before the hills. Pace 8 ish before/8:08 after my fav hill. Sometimes able to bring it back down as it levels, not today. Maintenance mode for a bit. Fading slightly with two more hills to go. Tried to keep it to 8:15, but just didn't have it. Quads and overall heavy legs through most of the second half. Still happy with it overall. And enjoyed being able to see the beginning of the sunrise at the end of my run. 

Wednesday: 7 miles. (supposed to be non-running/short streak day?). Well..Tues, hydrated well, foam roll, stretch, and in bed on time.. but... Did not get a good night's rest! Up way before 4 and tossed/turned for a while. Heartburn! Why does my fav restaurant give me heartburn?! Uncomfortable, eventually gave up on sleep. What else to do? 45 min strength training with time to get 7 miles in. Out the door by 6. Brisk out, but didn't bother with gloves. Probably could of used them. But the air was nice and invigorating. Figured that may help get me going. Pacing. Well.. slowed down early! Pre hill pace higher than usual before I got to the hills. Heavy legs, just getting heavier through the hills. After my least fav hill, briefly thought about finding ways to avoid the others. Tried to focus on breathing/ foot strike and try to forget pace/heavy legs. Ended up going through the later hills anyway. Definitely questioned my decision to do 7 on what should be a small streak day, but no regrets. I'm sure as scheduled mileage increases real soon I may cut back on "extra" miles. Hope to recover enough for tomorrow's six! lol.. 

Thursday: 6 miles. Wed, hydrated well (or so I thought), foam roll, stretch, and in bed on time. Much better rest than the night before. Up once (briefly) and again before my alarm, much better! Coffee, short workout (core/chest), foam roll my back out, light stretch, and out the door by 6. Brisk! (chill in the teens!) Gloves today, for sure! Started out much better than yesterday. That was to start.. Avg around 8 through 2. But around 2.5 ish, pinch behind my leg! Stop. Limp for a few seconds. Pull over, try to roll it out a bit. Hobble for a little. Wasn't sure if I could get started again.  A bit of a shuffle to start. Eventually jog to light run. Short stride. In mi 3, experienced again briefly (not as bad) when maneuvering around a closed sidewalk (where i cant go into the road). But was able to regroup. Out a few min later than usual, got to see a nice sunrise for a bit. 

Not sure if it's a cramp or  something else. I think i've been hydrating well, and foam roll often. Questioning if one of my stretches may not be a good idea prerun. One of the two. Will be monitoring for sure.   

Friday: 4 miles. Thu, foam rolled many times, hydrated well, and in bed on time. Didn't fall asleep right away and up before my alarm, but decent rest. Coffee, workout, foam roll (still whimpering on that knot) and out the door by 6:15. Walking is ok, short stride is ok. But as my stride opens a bit I can feel it. Going to try a comfy pace, but adding hills since I wont be doing speed. lol.. My 4 my route is an abbrev of my 5. With less hills. Decided to change that today. My first couple side streets are somewhat flat near the end, skipped the first flat one, and did the small inclines (skipping the flat ends) of the next couple by the main street. After the couple inclines, was pretty much up/down hills 'till about the 3.5 mark to head back. Felt that I couldn't push it for speed and felt the hills, but glad I got it done.    

Saturday: 10 miles. Fri, foam rolled many times (whimper through that knot not as bad, but still feel it), hydrated very well, and in bed at a reasonable hour. Up at 2:30! Up briefly, but then my mind started thinking about the upcoming day, almost wide awake! Fell back to sleep for a bit, and up just before my alarm. Coffee, routine, and over to my trail just before daylight. A bit chilly out! Wind chill in the teens! My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Trail is 10+ mi (back and forth), but skipping the more wooded half. Scheduled for 10 mi at a comfy pace. Adding hills to slow me down. lol.. Off to the more gradual incline side to Rockledge Park. Keeping my stride shorter to be safe for now. Pacing 8:20 ish by the Rockledge end. From the Rockledge end, there is a nice steep hill in the neighborhood nearby. Robbins ave. Did that hill up/down three times. Back to the trail. Rockledge to Lorimar. Side trails from Lorimar have multiple options. Did the parallel trail that goes up near Rockledge. (there is a ravine between the two). Main trail (maintained gravel) has a cliff that overlooks this side trail (not maintained). The side trail climbs up to another meeting point. Had about .4 ish before time to head back, did a small loop in Lorimar (actual park) and had a small climb back to the main trail. Pacing 8:40's About 1.7 to go. Main rail from by Lorimar to parking lot. Slight decline on the way back. Felt decent enough to push it a bit on the return. Pacing 8:35 overall. Almost timed the distance just right. Small circle before the parking lot to end at 10. Definitely felt the hills, huffing/puffing as I approached the peaks, but recovered well after each and felt decent in the home stretch. 10 mi main trail is about 190 elevation gain, half of the trail plus today's side hills got almost 600. :)  My left leg feeling ok as well. Tight, but not as bad. 

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 3.11 miles. Saturday, epsom bath, hydrated well, foam rolled multiple times, knot getting less painful. Did have a couple beverages, but hydrated along. Usually stay up passed my bed time on Saturday's, but went to bed by 10 out of boredom. Decent rest, up by 7. Coffee, taking my time, and out the door around 9. Feeling pretty decent today, going to give speed a whirl. (but be cognisant of the knot in my left leg). Worked on breathing, foot strike, (keeping mostly a short stride). Felt pretty decent through one, but could tell my hill in two would be work. Pacing 7:25 after my first hill. Regrouped as it leveled, pushed it a bit. brought it down, but could tell my stride was getting a little wider and could feel that knot. Trying not to pull or cramp, calmed down a notch. Two smaller hills in two-three. Felt pretty good today. Could feel the knot a bit, but happy overall. 

Today was also my runstreak anniversary! 5 years, minami a mi a day! Quick summary of how it started.. 

2016, going over goals, saw that I ran 300 days in 2015. Proud, but also thought, that's two months off! Lol..
Small streak started in 2016, then, I let a little blizzard stop me on Jan 23rd. Angry the next day. That was my last day off..
Won't recap some of the challenges, but there has been a few. If you follow my blog site, IG, or twitter, you have probably seen them.
Not sure where this is going, just know it isn't ending today, and probably not tomorrow.
I do recognize rest/recovery is important, occasionally trying to cut back a couple days.
Thank you everyone for your support!

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 47.3 miles running completed 

Year to date: 169.6 miles running

Strength Training: Goal 150 minutes, 268 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: 7 days 

Training Plan:  Week 7 of 20 using the below training plan. Plan titled "Advanced", please note, I in no way consider myself advanced. I have used the intermediate plan for four seasons, and want to try the next level. We shall see if I survive! lol.. 

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

04.25.2021 Gettysburg North-South Marathon

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: January 17, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

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

This was Week 6 of 20 marathon training for Gettysburg North-South Marathon for me.

My week started out somewhat well, with an unexpected challenge towards the end. 

My Week in Training:

Monday: 6 miles. Sunday rest day, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, massage gun, and plenty of relaxation. Participated in some SundayFunday beverages, but hydrated along. Decent night's rest, almost 7 hours rest. Looking forward to starting the week running, but not motivated to go to work.  Coffee, workout got going (core/arms), and out the door by 6. Didn't take notes of my run. But pace started better than expected for a Monday. First two sub 8 before the hills. Faded. Think I tied to keep it to 8:15, but missed by a couple seconds. oh well. lol.. Felt like a good start to the day, although wasn't motivated to work after it. lol.. But did get to see a nice sunrise the last couple minutes. 

Tuesday: 7 miles. Monday, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, and a little massage gun. (might have used the gun just a bit much on my calf). Decent rest, up before my alarm, but waited it ut a bit. Coffee, short workout (core/arms), and out the door slightly after 6. "speed" day. We'll see how much I can do with my hills. lol. at least the say hills are speedwork in disguise. Brisk out! (mid 20's). Breathing a bit rugh to start between speed and the cold air, took a bit to adjust. Pace 7:30's to start. Breathing got better, focus on foot strike/breathing. Pace 7:40's after a couple inclines before my fav hill. 7:50 ish as my hill levels out around 3.6. Maintenance mode for a bit, incline and two more hills, faded to 8:00. Wanted to keep sub 8. May have lost some push through the hills and kept comf after, but still felt pretty good overall. 

Sidenote: technical difficulties today. Nike+ minute pace alerts on point, noticed a couple miles in, strava had a timer going, but didn't record a thing! 'doh! I know i waited for GPS before starting! grr! Will be sure to keep an eye on it tomorrow! Happy with my run, but frustrated the the hills won't be included towards the strava challenge that I do. Whatev. Will just have to do more hills. lol.. 

Wednesday: 7 mi. (supposed to be my short streak day?) Tues, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, and in bed on time. Decent rest, but up early! 3:45 ish. Tried going back to sleep, but gave up. Coffee, 45 min workout, routine, and out the door. Usually by 1mi-5k day for the streak, but figured since I was up early I would do a good workout/run. Pace: going for a comfy pace. Started in the 7:50's, but that didn't last long. Legs feeling it, almost like they know I should be resting today. lol.. Felt the inclines before my fav hill. 8:05 before:8:15 ish after. TMI time! Felt some tummy issues brewing. uh oh! Got to the point where I didn't think I could make it 5 more min, much less 20 min. Paused for a moment. Walked, resumed to a light jog home. Always think of emergency plans if I had to go somewhere else, lol.. (alleys, etc) Made it home ok. Could of ended my run at 4.7, but already determined I was going for 7, back out I go!  So, resuming my run from home, I skipped 2 hills and an incline by cutting short earlier. Could of zig zagged for my miles, but did a straight line to those hills! Legs got heavier throughout, but got my mi and most of my avg elevation gain. (my neighborhood 7 mi is about 500-550 elevation gain without repeats)

Thursday: 6 miles. Wed, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, and in bed on time. Decent rest, up once before the alarm, got more rest till time. Coffee, short workout (core/arms, (got chest more core in later)), roll my back out and out the door by 6. Comfy pace today, but change of route! First mi has a small steep hill, flat warm up on a couple side streets. Passed by two blocks I usually get mi 2 in.  Focusing on 3 of my least fav hills today! Down/up hill 1, down, around to my least fav hill. Up, turned around where it levels. Down, up towards my 2nd least fav hill. Did these two hills back and forth three times. Heading back, did hill 1 one more time. A good struggle today, fun. Found that with adding incline, there was also gaps of decline as well. Guess what goes up must come down?! lol.. Overall elevation gain 550 ft over 6 mi. Usually get about 450 in. Besides skipping two blocks earlier, there was about 1.5 skipped elsewhere. The areas skipped have some elevation, but not as much/focused

Friday: 5 miles. Thu, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, and in bed on time (maybe even a few minutes early). Although up once, an excellent night's rest. Up just before the alarm. Coffee, workout (core/arms, shoulders (did chest/core at lunch)). Usually relax the 2nd half of my lunch, had the brilliant idea to get more sets in yesterday. May think about this going fwd. hmm..  Foam roll, light stretch, and out the door by 6. 5 mi day. Figured to be comfy pace after doing hills. Started out comfy, and gradually brought it down a notch. 7:48 ish, inclines, my fav hill around 3.1. Got through my fav hill ok. Still sub 8. Figured to fade again, but hanging. More focus. foot strike/breathing, etc. Couple seconds up/down, but hanging. Another hill around 4.3. Short, but steep! counting steps/breaths on the way up, conquered, smiled for the camera. (security camera just after the top of the hill). Faded slightly, picked it back up for the final stretch. Quads heavy, but got it back down to 8:00.  Much better than expected after a hilly week! 

Saturday: 14 miles. Fri, hydrate (Pretty sure I was hydrated well enough.), foam roll, stretch, carb load, relax and in bed on time. Up before my alarm. Coffee, taking my time, but still ahead of schedule. Packed my headlamp. Raining, but a little "warmer", was sure to not over dress. (but maybe still have?). At my trail around 6:30, dark out, but a few other run groups meeting with their head lamps on as well. Saw more people before daylight than usual. Probably because the trail has been getting packed early.. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood  Rd. Doing the more gradual incline side to Rockledge Park first. Pacing.. lol.. Started out slightly faster than planned. But consciously pulled back a bit. First couple miles went well... Things take a turn around 2.5 ish.  First felt like a pinch, but then felt like a punch! Just below my left glute. Top of hammy? or sciatica? Had to stop! Tried to walk a few min. Ok to walk at times. But as I started to jog, as my stride opened, could feel it. Found some logs, tried to roll it out. Hurt like a mofo. This was right near the Rockledge park turnaround, I originally planned on doing 2-3 in their neighborhood, may be a bad idea to continue going further away from my car. Tried walk/run again. on/off. Eventually able to jog. It was obvious that I was favoring my good side. lol.. Made it back to the parking lot (5.5 mi). Hydrated very well, stretched. Hesitated going back out, but did. off to the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd. Pace at it's worse avg was 10:40's, gradually bringing it back down. This side of the trail was cut short today, scheduled controlled hunt, totally forgot even though it's been posted for months. Turnaround, about 6.7 mi. back to the parking lot, hydrate again. Back to Rockledge and back. Trying not to think about pace, but was. 9:12 overall, would of preferred 9:09 (4 hr marathon pace), but after everything, just glad it's done. Was warm most of the way, especially after daylight, not sure if I was dehydrated early? Legs were tired overall towards the end as well (maybe compensating added as well?). Starting recovery with an Epsom bath, hydrate like heck, foam roll, and massage gun. May even do icy hot. 

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 3.11 miles. Saturday, worked on that knot multiple times. Hydsrated like heck. Did have a few beverages, but hydration definitely outweighed that! Up past my bedtime (playoff football), and up once overnight, but able to sleep in today! 8:30 ish! (8 hours rest). Overall soreness today. Foam rolling the knot, still a bit of a whimper when I go through it. Walking is fine. Seems to only hurt when massaging it out, and the initial steps when starting this morning's run. 5k day, but told myself I'd stop at 1 if it was too uncomfortable. Felt in in the first few steps, but think adjusting my stride and running may have helped stretch it out, or so I tell myself. Comfortable pace today, would of preferred slightly faster, but knew before I got to my hills (around 1.2) that i wouldn't be bringing it back down. through the motions. Legs a bit heavy, but the knot wasn't too bad. Don't think I can do speed work early next week (wider stride hurts a bit more), but we'll see. Will continue to focus on recovery today, and make sure hydration outweighs any SundayFunday beverages. lol..

Sidenotes: this morning I discovered I lost my Aftershokz headphones yesterday! I know they are in my house, i set aside to charge them, but can't find them. 'Doh! Love them! Used backup headphones today, just not the same! Hope to find them today! 

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 48.4 miles running completed 

Year to date: 122.3

Strength Training: Goal 150 minutes, 203 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: 7 days 

Training Plan:  Week 6 of 20 using the below training plan. Plan titled "Advanced", please note, I in no way consider myself advanced. I have used the intermediate plan for four seasons, and want to try the next level. We shall see if I survive! lol.. 

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

04.25.2021 Gettysburg North-South Marathon

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: January 10, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

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

This was Week 5 of 20 marathon training for Gettysburg North-South Marathon for me.

My Week in Training:

Monday: 6 miles. Oh Monday Monday. We meet again. Sunday, focus on "rest" day after a strong start to the year. Definitely feeling the extra miles. But.. hydrate, foam roll, stretch, massage gun. Did have a SundayFunday beverage or two. In bed on time. Up in the middle of the night, and then up way before my alarm. Up early! Coffee, full workout (core, arms, shoulders, chest), and out the door by 6. going for a comfy pace today. Don't think I would of had much say in that. lol.. Felt it early!  Extra miles over the three day weekend to start the year. Did rest Sunday, but still feeling it. Legs were a bit heavy. Going with the flow today. Wasn't horrible to the point of cussing or exhaustion, legs just a bit heavy. Other than that, was pretty decent.

Tuesday: 6.22 miles. Monday, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, in bed on time.. But.. up again at 3am. In horror movies, 3 am is the witching hour, wonder if I should be concerned? lol..  Try to fall back to sleep. Eventually, and hen the alarm hits. Tired to start. Coffee. Short workout in (arms/core), will try to do more sets later. Foam roll my back, light stretch, and ut the door by 6. So.. new plan this week, going fwd. (hopefully). Tuesday is speed day. 6 miles. Based on yesterday, had some doubts going in. But going to try to push a bit harder.  Got my speed shoes on at least. lol.. A little brisk out, but not bad. Going with no gloves/hat. Focus on breathing and then I'm off! Felt better than yesterday from the start. First couple pace alerts in 7:40's and getting it down to the 30's for a bit. Rolling along. Fading slightly as the inclines added up, but still looking good at the 3 mi mark before my fav hill. Trying not to over do it up the hill, without losing too much. around 7:50 as it levels out. Maintenance mode for a bit, still hangin in there at the gradual incline before a steep hill in mi 5. Pushed through to keep it sub 8. Briefly thought about doing an extra mi, but since it's my first week following this plan, sticking to it. for now, did .22 for 10k. Felt pretty good throughout. A slight pain recently in my right lower calf, but not bad. Breathing was rough to start, but got in rhythm. Crazy how rough the hills were yesterday, but felt good today. 

Wednesday: 3.11 miles. Well, the sleep pattern is consistent, and was rough this morning! Did focus on recovery Tuesday. In bed on time. Am falling asleep right away, but if I wake up a few hours later, issues falling back to sleep again. Up around 3. Also had heartburn this time. (spicy wings). Try not to think too much once up, but once the mind starts going, pressure to fall back to sleep adds up. Eventually got a few more minutes rest. That alarm clock was rough this morning! Up, coffee, got my workout going. (core/arms/shoulders/chest), and out the door around 6:15. Wed is my new "non" running day. Will try doing 5k's, if the plan gets too tough, may cut back more on wed/sun. We'll see. Nice and brisk. Going for a comfy pace today, no pressure. Started out around 8:20 and gradually brought it down. Wasn't pushing too hard, rolling along.  7:55 ish before my fav hill, 8:04 ish after. Brought it back down to 8. Another hill around 2.2 and 2.7. Hung in to keep it around 8. My workout was tough to start, but everything felt good after. I'm sure I'll have plenty of coffee later. lol.. 

Thursday: 7 miles. (scheduled for 6?) Wed, recovery steps and in bed on time. Ready for bed, but with all the craziness in the world, mind didnt shut off right away as it normally does. About an hr late, but quality rest, maybe up once, but not for long. Up just before my alarm. Coffee, workout (core/arms, shoulders), and out the door by 6. Nice and brisk. Probably should of worn gloves, but finding the more comfortable/warm, the more likely to just go with the flow. Briskness has me enjoying the air and trying to warm up. lol.. Comfy pace, started out a bit slow, but gradually brought it down. Picking it up and enjoying the air. Inclines adding up, per usual. Fav hill around 3.1, fading slightly. 8:08 ish as it levels. Not pushing it to bring it down, but focus on breathing and strike. Incline and steep hill at 5.3. Always do a countdown as I go up it. Maintain breathing and focus. Felt good as I got to the top. Smile for the camera (sec camera on a house/car right by as the hill levels.) :) Straight away would end 6 by my end point, but feeling good. Doing a couple more side streets for 7. Which includes a steady decline/incline and a little more incline before the end. Felt pretty good today. 

Friday: 5 miles. Thur, focus on recovery, yada-yada. Did participate in Thirsty Thursday (follow my untappd acct to see what I had.) :) Well behaved, in bed on time and got some rest! Up once, but able to fall back to sleep, and up just before my alarm. Felt somewhat refreshed. Short workout. (Core/chest), foam roll, stretch, and out the door a few min after 6. Was ready at 6, but dilly dallying. Looking fwd to my run, but not feeling work after. lol..  Brisk out! Mid 20's. Wearing gloves today, for sure! lol..  Pacing, planning on a comfortable pace. Felt pretty good early. Not going to over do it, but felt good. Focus on breathing and foot strike. Through the inclines with no issues. Fav hill at 3.2 ish. Pacing 8:03 ish as it levels. Still feeling good. Not going to add distance, or push too hard. After my hill, decided to cut some of the level section out to add another hill. Did have a decline back to get there though. Added one good extra hill before my short/steep hill. Was fun. As I approached my end point found that I could of added another hill. Diff route, mixing it up, had about .3 to add at the end, but no big hill nearby at that point. Felt pretty good today. Hope it carries into the weekend!

Saturday: 13.1 miles. Friday, carb load, foam roll, stretch, massage gun, relax. In bed on time, up once, but a decent night's rest. Alarm set for 5:15, up just before that. Coffee, taking my time, routine, go to warm up my car.. a bit chilly out! Taking my time even more after that. Daylight around 7, forecast for sun most of the day. Over to my trail around 7:20. Sun starting to warm things up, questioned if I needed my hat, started with it (definitely needed gloves to start). My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Starting towards the gradual incline side to Rocklege Park. Pacing: started out much faster than planned. Expecting to pull it back a bit, did slightly, and expected to fade a bit more up the incline. Not so much. Focus on breathing and foot strike. Pace mid 7:30's at the Rockledge Park turnaround. Continued focus and maintain on the return. Trail back/forth is 11 ish. Adding two ish on a side trail. Lorimar Park side trail to Pennypack Park. small rolling inclines, figured to fade a bit over here. Briefly thought about skipping this section for an easier section, but didn't want to take the easy way out. Trail overall is flat enough. Side trail for 10 min then back. Steep incline just before the main trail. Pacing 7:45 ish. Better than expected. Passed my car, skipped hydrating. May not be smart, but didn't feel the need. (was also distracted when parking earlier, talking to a friend, forgot to set my bottles out). Off to the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd and back. Once I passed the one hour mark, (before my car), had a count down going rest of the way. (probably also why I skipped stopping). 1:45:ss my unofficial PR, going to try hard to stay sub 8 for the remaining way. Passing more people, mask on/off (which was frozen for a while), fueled later than usual. Found a break from ppl, fueled with about 3 mi to go. Continued focus to maintain an unofficial PR. 1:42:29. Felt good throughout! (never felt bonked, etc) May have even been able to push a little more. My speedy friend once said I'll break 1:40 someday, thought he was crazy, not feeling so far fetched anymore. I know it's unofficial. Especially since I lose some to tangents in a race. Hopefully when it's go time, and with a taper, I'll be ready! Also still love my Saucony Endorphin Pro's! Got another pair for xmas for when these are retired!  

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 3.11 miles. Saturday, Epsom bath, foam roll, stretch, massage gun, and sure to hydrate before any shenanigans. Did have a few beverages, could of hydrated better along the way. Up past my bed time, did however get a good night's rest. Even slept in a bit. Coffee and really taking my time. Wasn't too motivated to get out the door. Not too tired or sore, just wasn't in a hurry. Out after 9:30. Brisk, but sunny. Didnt bother with gloves, but could of used them the first few minutes. Pace, not trying to push it too much, but better than just through the motions. Slow the first couple minutes, but gradually got it down. Faded up my fav hill. Brought it back down briefly before two more hills. Felt decent today, but definitely felt the few hills though. Will try to focus on recovery and behave somewhat to start the week off right tomorrow. 

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 43.6 miles running completed 

Year to date: 73.8

Strength Training: Goal 150 minutes, 214 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: 7 days 

Miscellaneous Cardio:  nada

Training Plan:  Week 5 of 20 using the below training plan. Plan titled "Advanced", please note, I in no way consider myself advanced. I have used the intermediate plan for four seasons, and want to try the next level. We shall see if I survive! lol.. 

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

Race Schedule: 

04.25.2021 Gettysburg North-South Marathon

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: January 3, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

How's training going? Any races (IRL or virtual)?  Ready to crush 2021?!

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

My Week in Training:

 

Monday: 7 miles. Sat, slept so well into Sunday. Well, that was not the case Sun to Mon. :(  Focused on recovery. Hydrate, foam roll, stretch, massage gun, etc, and in bed on time. But up around 2, and tossed/turned until time to get up. Just a bit tired to start. Coffee, short workout (arms/core), and out the door by 6. As tired as I was earlier, feeling pretty decent. Nice and brisk, legs feel good, ready to go. Pacing felt fine most of the way. 7:50's till the hills, 8's after. Tried to keep it at 8, but faded in the last hill and incline. Didn't have any extra push after that. But felt pretty good overall. 

Tuesday: 3.11 miles. Mon, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, massage gun, etc and in bed on time. Fell asleep right away, but up around 3 and had issues falling back to sleep. Coffee, short workout (chest, core), and out the door shortly after 6. Hit my updated yearly mileage goal yesterday and want to start the weekend strong, thinking about taking it easy for a few days (till next yr, hardy-har-har)... We'll see... Weather was nice. Didn't bother w/ hat/gloves. Kinda regretted no gloves later, but no biggie. Pacing was comfortable 8. Felt pretty good. 

Wednesday: 6 miles. Tues, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, massage gun, etc and in bed on time. Decent rest, but up again at 3, tossed and turn, might have gotten a little more rest, and up just before my alarm. Not as tired as expected. Coffee, workout (arms/core(did chest later)), and ready to go. Thought to myself, feeling pretty decent surprisingly. A bit of a jinx. lol.. Goal to do a comfy day, since I don't plan on cutting back Thu. Started out at a comfy pace. 8ish. moving right along. Shin started getting a bit stiff at points. not a bad pain, but noticeable. Pacing 8:15 ish after my fav hill. Planned on maintaining there, but feeling it, going to go with the flow. fading slightly with additional incline and hill in the beginning of the final mile. Felt like I was fading a bit more. 8:20, but felt like slowe. Didn't push it, but not sure if I could too much. lol.. 

Thursday: 5 miles. Wed, hydrate, foam roll, stretch. In bed on time, but tossed/turned early. Up at 3 something and then not ready for the alarm. Coffee, workout (arms/core). Cut a few min short by other routine. Got a few extra sets in later in the day. Stretch and out the door after 6. Doing 5 today. Yesterday, decided to change my marathon plan next week. Which changes wed to non running day and thu a running day. This week a little messed up anyway. Was planning on taking it easy till the new year. (Friday). Day before long run day is usually 4-5 miles, so chose 5. lol.. Going with a comfy pace, and felt good. Light rain, no glasses. Not bad enough to need old shoes. Didnt need gloves. Ditched my hat early. Warmed up pretty quickly. Felt like 47 and humid! probably could have worn short sleeves and hat instead! Pace felt good. 7:50's before my fav hill,  8:05 ish after. Comfy, didnt have much to bring it down after the hill, went along for the ride. Fading slightly in the last incline to hill in the last mi. Yesterday my left shin was noticeable, was fine today. Post run, right shin throbbing slightly. Interesting as I have decided to try a harder marathon plan soon, will have to keep an eye in it. Fun stuff! lol.. 

Thursday was also year end. Year end stats towards the bottom of post. ;)

Friday: 16 miles. New Year's Day! Did I partake in beverages last night, yes! Focus on recovery before hand, but did not keep up with hydration later. Planned on getting rest, but forgot to disable my work alarm. 'doh! And then work called at 6:30. i'm on call and 3rd shift wanted to give me a heads up. Tried to go back to bed, nothing doing. Coffee, routine, foam roll my back, and stretch. Eventually over to my trail. No concrete goal for today, but wanted to go up to 16 if possible. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. As i was getting ready to start, my friend Adam (3:05 marathoner) was passing the lot. They already got 5.5 in and going pass to the the Rockledge side. Adam may pull back a bit, but his comfortable pace is my fast pace. lol.. I shouldn't join him on long long run days, but it is good company and definitely helps at times. I lead to start..  faster than planned, 7:45. Comfortable, but barely my conversational pace. lol.. huffing and puffing to talk. Rolling along. If I'm doing 16, going to add two sections to reduce duplication of route. At the Rockledge Park end (2.7 mi), off to nearby neighborhood. Up a steep hill (trail has small inclines, but this is a monster hill). down their main street (huntingdon pike). I usually turn around at a major intersection, but Adam knows the area, turn at the intersection and follow, it's a circle! learned something new, brought us right back to the trail! lol.. (we added about 2.5 in the neighborhood).. pace still sub 8, manageable. Don't think I'll continue this, but hanging. On the way back from Rockledge, I'm adding another section. This is where Adam and I part ways. He''s already done a few extra with me than he planned. From Lorimer Park, side trail to Pennypack Park. Pace pulling back a bit. Pennypack park turnaround and back. Main trail. (added about 2.8 on the side trail) Passing my car around 10 mi. Fueling and Hydrating! One thing about adding side sections, I don't pass my car as often. If sticking to the main trail, pass my car every 5.5, but not the case with additional sections. off to the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd and back. Hit 16 before the parking lot. One thing to note.. gps issues! Phone was providing my pace alerts with no issues. Well.. my watch. Apparently when I rushed to join Adam, I started without a signal. Never looked at my watch till Adam and I parted ways, didn't capture an entire section (3.5 mi). Am pretty sure it fixed itself going forward when I checked it, but missing data before it. 'doh! Besides being frustrated with technology, run felt good. 6-7 mi faster than planned and pulled back to a more comfortable pace to finish.  

Full pics on Facebook

Saturday: 11 miles. Day after 16? Well, with a three day weekend and wanting to start the year strong, was going to get a second trail day in. Trying for 10-11, but no pressure. Fri, stayed up slightly later than normal, but not too late. Disabled my alarm since it's a free run day, no pressure. May actually sleep in? Not really sleeping in, but not sticking to a 7 am start time. Up before 7. coffee, routine, foam roll my back, stretch, and over to my trail after 8.  My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the more gradual incline side to Rockledge and back. first. Was sure to acquire a GPS signal before starting. lol.. Pace started out better than expected and felt good. 7:45 ish. Faded slightly up the incline, but before the turnaround still sub 8. Enjoying the run. Weather was great. 40's to start and almost 50 when I left. On the return, definitely starting to see more people.  Focus on breathing, foot strike, etc, but pulling up my neck gaiter as I approached/passed people, definitely affected things a bit. Passed my car at 5.5 mi, skipped hydrating. Off to the more wooded side to ByBerry Rd. Fueled slightly late for me, around 8 mi. at the ByBerry turnaround. pace fading a bit, but still happy. pace was sub 8 for a while, but lost it. Fading to 8:10 ish. A lot more people on this side as well. And the sun was in my eyes on the return. when I wore my gaiter, glasses fogged and with the sun, couldnt see a thing, Had to remove my glasses when passing people before the end. Relaxing on my cool down, avoiding my car as vulchers were waiting for my parking spot! lol.. There are three lots, but this is the more popular one. Probably since it's midway, that's why I prefer it. lol.. 

Full pics on Facebook

Sunday: 3.11 miles. Saturday, did an Epsom bath, hydrate, foam roll, stretch, and massage gun. A couple beverages and up slightly past my bed time, and trying to sleep in for Sunday rest day. Up at my normal time, but tried to get more rest. Up/down a few times, up after 8. About 9 hours rest! Coffee and taking my time. A little sore this morning. Wintry mix outside, but clearing up shortly. Foam roll, stretch, and out the door after 9. Legs a bit heavy, going for a comfy pace today. Started out in the 7:50's, but fading along the inclines. 8:13 to end. Will be sure to focus on recovery to get back at it tomorrow. hopefully my legs aren't as heavy but they probably will be. lol.. Oh, and I am doing a plank challenge now. Started January 1. One minute on the 1st, adding 10 seconds each day. Should be ok for a bit, as long as I remember to do them on weekends. It's the first thing I do on workout days, but may forget on them on non workout days. lol.. 

Weekly Summary:

Miles: 51.3 miles running completed 

Year to date: 30.1

Strength Training: Goal 150 minutes, 195 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: 7 days 

Miscellaneous Cardio:  nada

Training Plan: Signed up for a marathon recently. Since I am ahead of plan at the moment, idea was to take it easy a couple days and then start the year strong. Will start following the below plan next week.  

Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield

2020 Year End:

Thursday was Year End. 2020 was a tough year for many. Don't want to brag about my year too much. Getting though the year was more than enough. Congrats! If you were able to crush goals as well,  good for you, congrats! 

My stats are below if interested. 

Total miles: 2116 (previous high 1750)

Elevation gain: 98k feet, previous high of 84k. Saw I was on pace for 95 ish, didn't think I could get that close to 100k before year end. Definitely keeping an eye on it next yr!

 

Medals: only four medals. :(   But proud of them all.   26.2 x2 (one virtual/self supported, one IRL (PR)), 10mi (virtual (prepaid for the race before covid was a thing. Race went virtual, no refund option, PR), and Great Virtual Race across Tennessee (635 miles in four months, done in 83 days)

PR's: 26.2 (IRL), my only IRL race of the year. Valley Forge Marathon

Unofficial PR's: 1mi, 5k, 7 mi, 10mi, 11 mi, 13.1mi, 16 mi, 18 mi, 20 mi

Didn't check all distances, but most of my common distances and a few longer ones. 

Did not PR 5 mi, 6 mi, 12 mi, 14 mi.

Non running related, although I did run there. Visited three new states. Vt, Tn, Nc. Total States Visited: 28. Hiking, tourism, and a few runs mixed in. 

Race Schedule: 

04.25.2021 Gettysburg North-South Marathon

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!