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Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Philadelphia Marathon: Flat and fast.. but let's do hills anyway!




Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday!

So.. Let’s talk about hills.. Did you know that the Philadelphia Marathon Weekend courses are regarded as “flat and fast”?!  (and of course the full marathon is a certified Boston Qualifier, if you are chasing that).

While the course is regarded as “flat and fast” there are a couple noteworthy hills and some inclines. Course elevation map here. 

Despite my fall races being rated as “flat and fast”, I know there are benefits to hill training and am sure to incorporate hills into most of my training. I am constantly chasing monthly hill challenges and my overall elevation gain from the previous year. 

Benefits of hill training:
  • Improvements in VO2 Max, Heart Rate, and Race Performance 
  • Improves strength, muscular endurance and fatigue resistance
  • Improved ability to tolerate increased muscle acidity

Sources: womensrunning.com; training4endurance.co.uk

While I may work in hills often, I will admit it’s definitely a Love/Hate relationship. I actually pass a security camera at the top of one of my toughest hills. Some days I will smile/wave in victory, or a blah wave in misery. Either way, at the end of the day I know that hills serve a purpose, and will pay off in speed and in the long run. Pun intended.
Do you incorporate hills into training? More of a Love or Hate? Lol..
Reminder, as a #phillymarathonambassador, I have a discount code for $15 of the half marathon, full marathon, or any of the challenges, hit me up!
Have a great day everyone!

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Weekly Running Report: June 27, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

How's the weather in your area? Our week in PA started out warm, cooled off for a few days and was refreshing. Coincidently, my week started out drained, but could of also been to lack of rest, and a busy getaway the week before. Drained, but improved as the week went on, and then drained again! Was also sure to stay on top of hydration and recovery from Tuesday on! 

Hopefully, you saw my recent announcement that I have been selected to be a Philadelphia Weekend Ambassador! If you missed my announcement, you can check it out here. Or here on Facebook! 

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

My Week in Training:

Monday:  7 miles. Sunday.. My prev week sched was a bit off and did a short long run on Sunday instead of Saturday. I also had to do yard work (usually do yard work midweek to avoid doing on long run or rest day, but was away). Hot out and dragging after that. Hydrated well, failed to foam roll. Decent night's rest tho. Up early and felt decent, or so I thought. Coffee, 40 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core), and out the door by 6. Knew I may be tired today and planned on a slower pace, but opening that door, high humid/dew point! It was rough from the get go. Pace was ok, even made a point to pull back. Breathing was off, heavy legs, and felt drained early. Thought about cutting it short early and as I went on thought about skipping the later hills. Most of my hills are in the second half. Somehow got it done. lol.. 
Side notes: 
1. Saw a crow messing with it's prey. Dropping, picking up, etc. Felt bad. :( But, that's the circle of life.
2. Beginning of mi 6, crossed a somewhat busy street because I saw a gas station (wawa) had it's sprinklers on. Brief, but slight cool water, I'll take it!
Tuesday: 7 miles. 
Mon recovery: hydrated, failed to foam roll or stretch, and a poor night's rest, not by my doing. TMI, tummy issues Mon evening and early Tues morning. poor night's rest. And when I did get up, could tell my hydration was a bit off too. I usually have two coffee's to be "normal", and a light electrolyte drink. Today, I had less coffee and more proper hydration to start. 36 min workout (chest/core, plus a few more min later in the day) Out the door by 6. Felt slightly more prepare hydration wise. Well, out the door... 95% humidity, high dew point. Ugh! Pacing.. Figured to be a through the motions kind of day. Actually felt better than expected. Sure, I was drenched early, but temps not as bad as yesterday. Pace was 8ish 'till hill time and hung in there for 8:15. Much better for I felt. Figured to be drained.
Wednesday: 7 miles. Supposed to be rest day, and with my sched last week being wonky, not getting rest, definitely considered it. However, there was a huge temp drop from yesterday to today! Could not miss out on that! 
Tues recovery, hydrated very very well, so many fluids, could tell I needed it. Finally foam rolled/and got a good stretch in, and a good night's rest. Up before my alarm, and a little tired, but up. Shin hurt slightly, but not horrible. Coffee, hydrate, 36 min strength training. (arms/shoulders/core, and got 10 more min in later). Out the door by 6. Weather was even more refreshing than I expected! Felt so refreshing. Pace wise, expected to go medium comfy pace and keep an eye on my shin, but felt good from the start. Pace was way faster the first few min than expected, pulled back and then the early hill brought me back to reality, but still better than expected.  Rolling along and enjoying the run. Pace 7:45 ish, expected to fade to 8 before the hills, but maintained. 7:50's through and after the hills (mi 3- 5) . Another couple sets of hills with about 1.2 to go. Wasn't sure if I'd remain sub 8, but focused on breathing and strike to hang in there. Don't think I would of been upset if I did fade a little more, today's run was just much more enjoyable than the past few days and more well than expected.
Thursday: 7 miles. 42 min strength training. 
Wed recovery: Hydrated well, iced my shin, foam rolled/stretched, and a decent night's rest. Didn't write any additional notes thu, backlogging, don't recall. But the weather was still great. Temps refreshing. Eventually noticed the 95% humidity, but run felt great! 
Friday: 5 miles. 
Thu recovery: hydrated very well (did offset hydration slightly with drinks, but was well behaved), iced my shin, foam rolled and got a good stretch in, up just a few minute late due to a call from work, a somewhat decent night's rest. Up before my alarm but waited it out. Coffee, 35 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core), and out the door by 6. Not as cool, but the air is still refreshing. I'm sure the temps will be back up soon, will enjoy it while it lasts. Was planning on doing a comfy pace to ease into the weekend.. or so that was the plan. Was a little earlier, but once I got going, everything felt great and I went with it. 7:40's till the incline before the hills. Through the hills, countdown was on the last 13 min or so. Was work to maintain sub 8 from then on, but felt good and was fun.       
Saturday: 18 miles. 
Friday recovery: hydrated very well, iced my shin, foam rolled/stretched, and a good night's rest. Up once, but able to get some rest, and then up before the alarm. Coffee, routine, hydrate, and over to my trail by 6:15. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. 
Long run day, trail day, yay! 18 miles? 
Calendar open today, doing a few extra miles. Sounded good in theory. Actually thought about doing 20, but everything changed once I stepped outside. Starting to get warmer out and 96% humidity. Sure, I'll be sweating a bit more, didn't think I'd drain as quickly as I did. First mile in, was slow to get into rhythm, but figured I would shortly. Second mile in, pulling pace back to a comfortable pace, but definitely feeling the humidity. Starting to question my decision. lol.. 
My route, from the midway parking lot, gradual incline to Rockledge, off trail to a nearby neaighborhood to get my strava legend hill and a loop in Rockledge, trail back, on the way back take a side trail from Lorimer to Pennypack Park for 30 min and back. Lorimer back to the midway parking lot. Pace was 8:45-8:50 before the side trail. "rolling hills". between feeling drained and the hills, kept on fading. However, on the way back, did discover that a water fountain actually works! Would of been nice to know in the first passing, but good to know! 
There were times I started thinking about really changing today's goal. Did 12 last week, 14 would be fine. But with being free today, would really like 16, preferably more. Think the water fountain, and then passing my car at mi 14 to really hydrate. more than a bottle! began to get a bit a of a second wind. On I go to the more wooded side to County Line. Turning back once I hit 16 and got 18 just passing the parking lot. Math off by 5 min. Math is hard while running. Glad I got 18 in, but it wasn't pretty. lol.. 
Additional cardio?.. Planned on doing some yard work when I got home. "just a few minutes" turned into 2+ hours. And the sun was out beating down. Hedging bushes. 6 rows, a few around the house, a few around the yard. Usually ration into multiple days. Did two earlier this week. Did three today. An easy, a more involved, and a row that requires a ladder. Only planned on 1-2, but glad I got three. Next weekend will only have the one big one left.. But so much sweat today! lol.. 
Full pics on Facebook
Sunday: 3.11 miles. 
Saturday recovery: Hydrated very well, so many waters! Failed to foam roll/stretch. 
Supposed to be rest day. I haven't had a run shorter than 5 mi in 20 days (one week may have been chasing extra mi, another week a wonky sched to get my long run in) , happy with this week's mileage and ready to take a day. We shall see... Planned on dong 30 minutes comfy, but changed my mind as heading out. 5k and we shall see. Slept in and taking my time. The one day I let myself sleep in. Well, that doesn't work well with summer heat. Out the door, sun blazing. Going to be a fun one. Pace off to a good start, even had a couple alerts that started with a 6. Not reasonable today. Thick air and breathing faster, took some adjusting. First mi went well, but feeling the heavy legs before the hills start. Faded as expected. Tried to regroup as it flattens before two more hills. Overall went better than expected, but was rough. Post run, drenched and took a while to stop sweating! Checking the weather, heat advisory the next few days, will be sure to hydrate extra! 
What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? One outing to Dinner/drinks. My fav wing spot, Mad Mex! Although the happy hr wing special is no longer in effect and $20 for 14 wings. (apparently there is a wing shortage?!) But we had a coupon for a free opposite entrée. (birthday entrée for the Mrs!) 
Watched: Loki! baseball, basketball.. 
Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? Binge watching anything?

Weekly Summary:
Miles: 54.3 weekly miles running 
Year to Date: 1216.8 miles running 
Hill Goal (for the yr):   69846/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k. 
Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 242 minutes completed. What type of strength training do I do? Core: crunches, planks, leg raises. Weights: biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest. 
Hydration Goal:  7 days 
Foam Roll/Stretch: 4 days 
Training Plan:  Loosely following the below plan structure until it's time to follow for a race. 
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. 

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

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

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Philadelphia Marathon Weekend: soon time to pick a training plan!

Hi Everyone, Happy Wednesday!

It may be hard to think about training for the fall now as summer temps are picking up, but It’s soon time to start following a training plan. 


Have you signed up for your fall races yet?! Now’s the time. The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend is approx 22 weeks out. If you follow a 20 week training plan, it’s time to find the plan that’s right for you and register! 


The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend site has training plans available at: https://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/training/


Join me in the city of brotherly love!


If you have any questions, let me know!


And don’t forget, I have a discount code for $15 off the half marathon, full marathon, or any of the challenges. Hit me up for the code!


Have a great day everyone! 

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Weekly Running Report: June 20, 2021

 Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

Hopefully, you saw my recent announcement that I have been selected to be a Philadelphia Weekend Ambassador! If you missed my announcement, you can check it out here. Or here on Facebook! 

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

My Week in Training:

Monday: 7 miles. So.. the previous week, I did 60 miles, including 28 mi Sat/Sun. Usually do a rest day Sunday, but my sched may be off towards the end of this week, decided to get a few extra in while I had the time. Sunday, hydrated very well, ice bath, foam roll/stretch, but did offset hydration slightly with SundayFunday drinks. And of course I didn't want to go to bed on time. Dreaded end of weekend feeling. Up just before my alarm and a little tired. Coffee, 38 min strength training (arms/shoulders/core), hydrate, roll my back out and out the door by 6. Planning on going with a comfy pace today, we shall see.. Started out a little better than expected, still not going to over do it though. Inclines as I approach the hills. fading closer to what I expected to do today. Countdown was on, for sure! Legs feeling it a bit, but not horrible. 
Tuesday: 7 miles. Monday, hydrated well, foam roll/stretch, legs starting to feel extra mi/lack of rest. Was sure to at least ice my shins. Intentions of getting a better night's rest. The intentions were definitely there. Thunderstorms on/ff throughout the night. A couple cracking thunders woke us up multiple times, and then up way before my alarm. Up, might as well get a good workout in. Coffee, 45 mi workout (arms/shoulders/chest/core), thought about heading out a few min early, but tummy said no. Out by 6. Today, it was my calves that was sore. Felt a bit like slow motion and calves burning a bit, but pace was better than expected until the last few hills. 
Wednesday: 7 miles. Yup, another 7 miler! Wed is supposed to be rest day, but you know.. May be missing a few miles in a few days, a few extra till then. 
Tues, hydrated somewhat ok. Met my goal, but faded later in the day. Foam rolled/stretched, iced my shins. Shins are ok. Tight, but ok. Decent rest and up before my alarm, but waited it out a bit. A little groggy, tried to get a few min more rest. Have been getting consistent rest, but up early each day. Coffee, 35 min workout (chest/core, and got 10 more min later in the day). hydrate and out the door by 6. Legs overall soreness and calves, planned on going comfy. That was the plan. Weather was great. Temps nice and slightly lower humidity. Felt refreshing. Pacing ended up being better than expected again. Pacing 8ish. Figured to fade to 8:15+ by the end of the hills, but maintained sub 8:10. Not sure if it's the nice weather, but better than expected for how I felt. Not sure if it's the focus on breathing and form (when it's rough I may focus a bit more on a mental countdown of each min, lol), etc, but not over doing it. And the weather was enjoyable. :)
Thursday: 7 miles. Day off work, yay! Road trip in a bit. But enough time to do my normal weekday schedule. Up before my alarm. Coffee, 35 min workout (arms/shoulders/core), and out the door by 6. Weather was wonderful! Backlogging a bit, didn't write today today. Not many notes, but my calves were still sore (might be ongoing for a bit, lol). Not sure if it was due to the great weather or the fact I had plans in a bit, but best run pace wise for the week. 
Thursday hike: road trip to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia! We have traveled through WV several times, but never actually visited. WV is my 30 state visited. 3 hour drive for us. Today's hike, Maryland Heights. 4.6 mi, 1100 ft elevation gain. We drove to the National Historic Park. Bus from the park welcome center to the historic town. Small town. Walk over a long bridge across the river. approx half mi on a flat gravel walking/cycling path to the trail head. The path would be great for running and goes at least 61 miles (according to the mi marker we passed). Starting from the trail head, incline that looks to just keep going up through the woods, lol.. The hike was not very technical. Some rocky terrain, but not too technical. About 2 mi up, you go down a path about .4 to the vista. So, leaving the vista, it's not just downhill. Have to go up a bit before your descent. A little tired on the descent. The vista overlooks Harper's Ferry town and the rivers. The Potomoc and Shanandoah rivers are on either side of the town and merge just below us. Vista was well worth the journey.
Pics on IG, (will update with link to FB)
Friday: 7 miles. Was only planning on doing a few since I did a run and hike yesterday, but once I got going, felt decent enough to do 7. Thu, hydrated plenty, especially after that hike. Failed to stretch or foam roll, didn't event pack my roller.. Googled some walking/cycling trails, didn't really find much. There is a long trail in the next town over, but didn't want to travel too far. Concierge mentioned a nearby park. Jefferson County Memorial Park. Went over to check it out. Did a loop. .5 mi loop around the park. Narrow paved path, winding, with a few steep incline/declines. Declines hurt a bit on the knees, probably more from yesterday's hike. Could also vision wiping out if going to fast down if there was any dew/moisture. Off the trail I go. The neighborhood streets didn't have sidewalks, but wide enough to avoid any traffic. Zigzagging I go. Of course I found the few inclines to be had.. lol.. Also found a decent sized cemetery, did a couple loops around there as well.
Saturday: 6+ mi. Was planning on doing 5, for real this time.. Previously, when leaving our hotel, we didn't see any safe streets to walk/run from our hotel. Highways. Yesterday, we saw the exit on the other side, after a few hundred yards, there is a sidewalk. Just have to cross an exit from a highway. Once crossed, sidewalk goes down the side of a nearby Casino/ horse race track. Ran by stables and the warm up track, kind cool on the way back as they were warming up a few. Once on the other side, zigzag a neighborhood. Very different neighborhood scenery than yesterday. Zigzag for a bit, with plans on turning around at about the 1.5 to go mark. Well.. I thought I was going back/forth parallel to the casino. That's what I thought. On the way back, lost the casino and sense of direction was just a little off. Almost had to pause to look up directions. On the way back, hit the main street of the town, which was out of the way, but helped me reset my bearings. Few streets down to the casino and back. Ended up at 6+. Briefly thought about doing 7, but didn't since I really only wanted to do 5 to be somewhat comfortable for a short long run tomorrow. (my training plan usually has 30-40 min run the day before long run day).
Sunday: 12 miles. (or 11.95, darn tech, lol). Returned from our trip yesterday evening. Already had most of my running gear ready before we left, so that didn't take long. Tired yesterday after a busy day and traveling, unpacking, etc, but still looking forward to getting a "long" run in today. Going with 12 since if I was following my plan, would need to do at least 12 this week. Could of done 9 to hit my weekly mi goal, but wanted to do the planned long run. Decent night's rest, did try sleeping in a bit, but up before 6. Coffee, taking my time, over to my trail by 7:30. My trail Pennypack Creek. Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Did the more wooded side to County Line Rd first. Pace, figured to be a sower/comfy pace, but started out at 8ish. Took a bit to pull back, but did eventually. Up the hill before the turn around, did fade a bit closer to what I expected. On my way back from County Line Rd, bumped into a friend going the opposite direction. Turned around and did a mi with them. Turned back. Passed the midway parking lot at 9+mi.  (should of been 7, but the mi back and forth due to the impromptu turnaround). Was sure to hydrate at my car, for sure! Needed it! Humid to start and getting warmer out! Off to the more open side to Rockledge. Turning back about 1.2 to go. Definitely tired towards the end, but done! 
Full pics on Facebook
What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? Hiking, and water tubing in Harper's Ferry, WV. also found some nice restaurants, winery, and breweries.
Watched HLN's Very Scary People (murder docu series), Loki! Have been looking fwd to Loki, was entertaining, can't wait to see where this leads! baseball, basketball.. 
Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? Binge watching anything?

Weekly Summary:
Miles: 53.3 weekly miles running 
Year to Date: 1162.4 miles running 
Hill Goal (for the yr):   66479/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k. 
Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 196 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: 4 days 
Training Plan:  Loosely following the below plan structure until it's time to follow for a race. 
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. 

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

Be sure to check out my Race and Gear discount pages from my blog site. #BibRavePro ;)

Good luck to everyone with training! Kick some butt! If you do any races(virtual or IRL), please remember to review them on BibRave.com

Monday, June 14, 2021

Announcement: Philadelphia Marathon Weekend Ambassadorship


Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!

I am honored and excited to be a part of Philadelphia Marathon Weekend as an ambassador!

I'm a huge fan of all things Philadelphia. Sports teams, city history, landmarks, skyline, food, and in general. The Philadelphia Marathon was my first marathon and will always be near and dear to me. It’s very well organized, an awesome tour of the city, and excellent fan support, especially when I begin to hit that wall, the roar of the crowd in Manayunk picks you up to send you on your way to the finish line.


The Philadelphia Marathon Weekend has 8k (presented by Rothman Orthopedics), Half Marathon (presented by Dietz and Watson, and Marathon (presented by AACR) options, as well as children’s activities and run (presented by Dunkin’)


I look forward to sharing Philadelphia Marathon Weekend news updates with you, as well as my journey.


Hope to see you out there! If you haven’t signed up yet, please do! I will also be receiving a discount code to share with you upon request. ;)


If you have any questions, please let me know! 


Have a great day everyone!





Sunday, June 13, 2021

Weekly Running Report: June 13, 2021

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

How's the weather been treating you? In South East Pa, we had some hot days, humid days, and a couple tolerable days. How about you?

I have some exciting news, you may have already seen it, but I'm holding my post until tomorrow.  Hmm... Wonder what it could be?

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

My Week in Training:

Monday: 6 miles. Sun, hydrated somewhat, but a long day in the heat at a baseball gm (probably outside from 11 am to 5pm), probably could of hydrated a little better. Failed to foam roll/stretch. And I didn't want to go to bed on time. Still hyped up from the gm. Up before my alarm, but not quality rest. Coffee, 40 min workout, hydrate, and out the door by 6. Felt fine to start, but also seemed like slow motion. Heat, hills, humidity, a bit of through the motions today. There's a heat advisory for later, 100+ index! Yikes! 
Tuesday: 7 miles. Mon, hydrated very well (tons right after my run and plenty throughout the day), foam rolled/stretched, and an excellent night's rest! Was a little groggy to start, but once I got going, felt great! Coffee, 35 min workout (chest, core), hydrate, and out the door by 6. Was pretty optimistic about today's run.. until I went out side. lol... Decent start, but the triple H, heat, hills, humidity, got me! TMI, sat on my stoop after my run, rung out so much water from my clothes before heading in. So gross! Still glad I got my run done. They say it takes three weeks to become acclimated to the heat. We shall see about that! lol... 
Wednesday: 7 miles. Supposed to be 1-3 day? dunno.. anyway, I did 7.
Tue, hydrated well, foam roll/stretch, in bed on time, and a decent night's rest. Coffee.. walking by the window full of condensation (window is fine, this is not normal), guess it may be a bit humid out there. Checked before stepping out, yeah, 98%... But I digress.. coffee, 35 min workout (arms/shoulders/core), hydrate, and out the door by 6. Trying not to think about the temp/humid. It is what it is. Got into a comfortable pace. Drenched early again..of course. Not saying I've adjusted yet, but felt a little better than Mon/Tues. Until midway hills and the last 1.5 or so. Happier with today's run. 
Thursday: 7 miles. Actually sched as 7 today. lol
Wed, hydrated very well, foam roll/stretch, decent night's rest, but up early. Up for a few minutes, tossed/turned. gave up. Time for a decent workout. Coffee, 45 min strength training. (chest/core). Out the door a few min early. (TMI, even when I have time to leave early, tummy sched gets me nervous, lol). Guess what, it's a little humid out. Only 96%, not bad, Ha! Whatever. Again, just going to go with the flow. Push if I can, but understand if variables get me. Felt a lot better today. Comfortable low 8's for a bit. Drenched early, of course, but moving along. Fading slightly along the inclines and could tell I will lose it in the hills. 8:12 ish as the hills pick up. A couple areas to settle in again, tried to pull back on purpose up a hill and regroup. Crazy how in the last hill can feel there's no way I can go on, but feel fine a few min after it levels. lol.. Early on wanted 8:15, but will definitely settle for 8:20 for how this week has felt.  Today felt decent till the last couple hills. I'll take it! After work, I did 1.5 hours of yard work, blah! I usually try to sched that when I have a short run day or rest day the following day, but we have had afternoon thunderstorms most of the week. 
Side notes:
1. about a mi in to my run today, probably 6:05 am, saw someone leaving for work, already smoking a stoagie! I admit, I do enjoy the smell. Haven't had one in many years. But just a little early for that...
2. Saw a cyclist, but I guess they were riding for transportation purposes. They were smoking as well..
Friday: 5 miles. Although I probably should of done four? lol thinking about doing 18 tomorrow. My training plan lists 30 min runs the day before 18-20. but I digress..
Thu, very well hydrated, stretched/foam roll, and a decent night's rest. Up a few min before my alarm. Think that's all week. I like it! Getting enough quality rest! Coffee, 40 min workout (arms/shoulders/core), and out the door by 6. Feeling decent, and temps a little nicer today, goin gto try to push it! The heat has kept me down and going to try to enjoy the brief nice temp! Had my nice speed shoes on, opens door, it's raining! grr.. Have retired speed shoes, will give them a whirl.. The rain was light and enjoyable. No glasses tho. Off to an excellent start. A short steep hill, few flattish streets and then inclines. My quads felt the extra push and inclines, second half was rough, but fun. 300 ft elevation gain, I do admit, I avoided two hills to work on speed tho. lol.. Was fun to get a break from the heat and have fun pushing it. 
Saturday: 18 miles. Trying to rotate 14-18 mi runs for a few months until it's time to follow a plan. Did 16 last week, guess I gotta do 18 this week? lol.. I have time today, just a few light chores, and minimal social plans. No excuse not to today. Just a little anxiety I guess. 
Fri, hydrated very well, carb loaded, foam rolled/stretched, and a decent night's rest. Up before my alarm. Coffee, short core workout, "routine", and over to my trail by 6:30. My trail . Park in the middle, Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the slight gradual incline/more open side to Rockledge first. I like to do the more open side in case the Sun/heat is more rough later on. Pace settled in early. Temps not bad, but humidity still a thing. Sweat going down my glasses early. lol.. Today, will do a few miles around Rockledge instead of Pennypack Park due to a race going on over there. (probably should of participated, but it sold out early). Left the trail at Rockledge. Did my Strava legend hill and small loop around Rockledge twice. Back on the trail returning. Bumped into my speedy friend (I'm 7+ mi in), turned around for a min. Should not have (on long run day), but picked it up and ran a mi with him. Quads felt it. Turned back (again). On the way back, did the side trail from Lorimer to Pennypack Park. Turned around before the park. Back to the main trail. Lorimer to the parking lot. My goal was to get 11 mi in before the parking lot. Had 11.8 ish. The main section I just did is 5.75 ish (2.8x2), the Rockledge loop, the extra w/ my friend, and the side trail all helped. At my car, hydrated, for sure! Off to the more wooded side to County Line Rd and back. Before hydrating, had some doubts, but got a second wind for a bit. Feeling it by 14 mi. Turned around shy of the end (the goal of 11 at the parking lot and was over, I didn't have to go to the end to hit 18), once I got about 2.8 left. Countdown on for the return, for sure! Last couple were rough, but done! 
Side notes:
1. I forgot my primary headphones, and they were right by my car keys, 'doh! Thankfully I have a cheap pair in my bad for rainy days. What's the worse thing yo uhave forgotten to pack for a run?
2. Speaking of headphones.. I feel like I say this every week lately.. We dont want to hear your music or phone calls! Stop using speakers! 
3. another repeat complaint.. leash your dogs people! I'm sure your dog is calm and friendly if you say so. but we don't know them! 
Sunday: 10 miles, but this is usually rest/short run day? Well.. yesterday while thinking about my upcoming week, I have a few days I may not be getting as many miles due to personal plans. Figured if I feel ok today, after yesterday's 18 miles, I may try to get a few more today. Had some doubts on that, but was feeling ok when talking to myself. lol.. Although, I may have had a few drinks in me. lol..  Sat, did an ice bath, hydrated very well, foam rolled/stretched. Did offset hydration a little. Didn't stay up that late for a Saturday, but more out of boredom. lol.. Decent rest. "Slept in" till 6. lol.. Coffee and taking my time. Foam rolled my back and loosened up a bit. Felt alright about my decision, so far. Over to my trail by 7:30. Which is kind of late, midway parking lot is usually full by 8. Did the more wooded side to County Line Rd first. A little slow to start, wasn't too concerned yet, figured worst case, it may be a slow/comfy pace day. Quads did feel it a little at first, but not bad. Even picked up the pace. Eventually pacing 8:02 ish. Did not expect that, but rolled with it! Focusing on breathing, etc. Countdowns were on for sure, but not bad. Return from County Line Rd, hydrated as I passed my car at 7 mi. When I first started, figured I could always bail by 7, but no intentions of bailing now. On I go. More open side to Rockledge, but turning around about 1.3 to go. Bumped into my speedy friend, oh he's only dong 14 mi at 7:15 pace. Talked for a couple, but no, not trying that. lol.. Faded slightly before I finished. but under 8:15 when I figured to be 8:30-45 kind of day, I'll take it! We'll see if I have any regrets tomorrow! lol...  Bumped into another friend post run, great catching up with them! 
Full pics on Facebook
What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? Watched HLN's Very Scary People (murder docu series), Loki! Have been looking fwd to Loki, was entertaining, can't wait to see where this leads! baseball, basketball.. Not much else.
Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? Binge watching anything?

Weekly Summary:
Miles: 60 weekly miles running 
Year to Date: 1109 miles running 
Hill Goal (for the yr):   63605/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k. 
Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 261 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: 5 days 
Training Plan:  Loosely following the below plan structure until it's time to follow for a race. 
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. 

11.21.2021 - Philadelphia Marathon - deferral from 2020 (registered the day after 2019's race!). Definitely a fav! If you haven't registered yet, I may know someone getting a discount code soon. Hit me up! 

Be sure to check out my Race and Gear discount pages from my blog site. #BibRavePro ;)

Good luck to everyone with training! Kick some butt! If you do any races(virtual or IRL), please remember to review them on BibRave.com

Sunday, June 6, 2021

Weekly Running Report: June 6, 2021

 Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all doing well! 

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

How's the weather where you are? We have a few days in the 90's, be sure to hydrate! 

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

My Week in Training:

Monday: Memorial day. Hope my U.S. followers took a moment to reflect as to why we have off work today.
Monday.. 11 miles. usually 6-7 mi day, but with the day off work and chasing numbers (for me), going for 11 today. 11 miles would put me at 1000 mi for the year. My earliest to hit this mark. Jan-March, my avg was 200 mi a month, but my avg dipped during my taper in April. Ending May with 226 mi and right back on track. In May, saw that I was having above avg (for me) for a bit, but didn't think I would catch up this soon. With a four day weekend, goal was to try to do four 10+ days. Sat/Sun (previous week report) were a success and here we are. Sunday, did hydrate and an Epsom bath. Failed to stretch/foam roll. Also partook in beverages. Decent night's rest. Had my alarm set. Not sure why, just like beating the crowd. Coffee, and over to my trail by 7:30. My trail Pennypack Creek. Mixing up my route today just to have some variety since I will be here 4 days straight. Midway parking lot. Welsh and Terwood Rd. Doing the slightly more open, gradual incline side to Rockledge Park. Temps were nice and cool. Have another day or two 'till summer returns. Pacing and run felt great today. At Rockledge Park, left the trail just for a bit. Crushing my strava legend hill. Tough and did slow me down a notch. Turned around to head back. (occasionally do a loop around this 'hood). On the way back, did a side trail from Lorimer Park to Pennypack Park. (initial route would be approx 6(3x2), doing about 2.5x2 out and back on this side trail). Initial side trail has plenty of slick mud from all the rain this weekend. Came close to wiping out a couple times. Once at Pennypack Park, paved trail. A few rolling hills. Wet pollen was slick here. Couple down slopes had to  be cautious of slipping on the pollen. Turned around at about 2.5, back to the main trail, with about 1.5 to go from Lorimer to the parking lot. Pace was 8:15 for a while, but the tough hill and later rolling ones got me a bit. Tried splitting on the way back from Lorimer (flattish and smooth), but not much doing. But still felt great much of the way today. Pretty happy. Especially since this was the 3rd 10+ day in a row.
Side notes: 
1. Leash your dogs people. Wish I didn't have to keep saying this. lol.. Passed someone with two unleashed dogs. Running around with energy. No issues, but we don't know your dogs and how they will react. Not cool. Saw some again later off into the distance, may have been the same person.
2. People, we don't want to hear your music or phone calls. Use headphones, such as Aftershokz.  
Full trail pic on Facebook
May and YTD summary (as of 5/31):
Tuesday: 10 miles. Usually 6-7 mi.. but again, day off and having fun doing "extra". lol.. Mon, hydrated well, Epsom bath, and failed yet again to foam roll/stretch. Shame on me..  Partook in beverages (again, it's a holiday weekend.) Stayed up slightly past my bed time. Had my alarm set and disabled it. Didn't really sleep in tho. Coffee and eventually over to my trail. Temps going up, but still nice to start. (could feel the sun and difference in temp later on). Starting off in the opposite direction today. More wooded section to County Line Rd. (no longer saying ByBerry?) There is a new small extension past Byberry to County Line now. Pace felt like slow motion from the start. Past three days felt great, not so much today. Pacing 8:20's to start and definitely took effort to maintain to 8:30. Turnaround at County Line and return. Passing by the parking lot at 7 mi. Skipped hydration and kept on for bout 15 min and back. Tired today, but still glad I did it. No regrets doing four 10+ days in a row. We'll see if I'm saying that when I return to my neighborhood hills this week. lol... 
Side notes:
1. bumped into my buddy for a few minutes. They're starting training for Boston. Only hung with them a few minutes. They were doing speed work. You know, the kind that gets you into Boston. lol
2. Again, we don't want to hear your music/phone calls. More people using their phone speakers.
Wednesday: 7 miles. Totally planned on a rest day today.. lol.. 
Tue, hydrated well, ice bath, and failed to stretch/foam roll yet again. In bed at a decent time, but not a good night's rest. Up around 2-3, like wide awake! (back to work anxiety?) Tossed/turned. Not sure if I got any more rest. My watch says I did, but I don't believe it. Up before my alarm and somewhat ready to take on the day. Plenty of time to get a 45 min workout in and a decent run. Arms/shoulders, chest, and core. Done and out the door by 6. temps going slightly up, and humid. Not horrible, but there's a difference. Pace better than expected for a while. Inclines and then hills, fading slightly. Was a fight to maintain 8:15, but still fun. Was nice to get a break from the hills the past four days, but hey, hills are good for you. Good to get some in! 
Thursday: 7 miles. Did think about cutting back a mile since I did extra throughout the week, but still did 7. Maybe I will rest on Sunday. lol.. Wed, hydrated well, foam rolled and stretched (finally!), and got a good night's rest. Was just the right amount, almost completely consistent night. Up just before my alarm. Coffee, workout (35 min now, 10 more later, chest/core), out the door by 6. Temps/humidity going up each day. Off I go. Got into a "comfy" pace for a bit. Felt the inclines before the hills, (most of the hills start at 3) questioned if I really wanted to do them or just weave my way back. Continued on. Sweating and drenched early and throughout. Pacing 8:10 before the hills, surprised I didn't fade more through them. Tried to maintain 8:15, but slipped in the last incline. Rough, but better overall than expected. And summer temps on their way! 
Friday: 5 miles. Thu, hydrated well, foam roll/stretch, and a decent night's rest. Up a few minutes early. Ready to go. Coffee, 40 min strength training (chest/core), ended up doing a little more later in the day. And out the door by 6. Plan was to take it easy today. Well... Just heading out the door was gross! Humid to say the least (96% humidity, high dew point as well), like a swamp out there. Taking it easy from the start. First two alerts were slightly slower than expected. May have picked it up just a notch. Drenched early. Moving along. As I approached the hills, really did think about skipping them to go even easier, but did some of them. Only skipped the ones that would have taken me to 6-7 mi routes. Slowed down 3.5-5mi and wasn't too concerned. Just glad to be done. 
Saturday: 16 miles. Fri, hydrated well, carb load, relax, foam roll/stretch, and in bed on time. Decent night's rest, and up just before my alarm. Coffee, short core workout. Don't always do these on long run days, but chasing numbers again. Goal to do 3 hours a week strength training, minimum. Slacked Mon/Tues with the days off work. Hit my weekly goal. "Routine", and over to my trail before 6:30. I've been talking about the temps eventually going up, well, it's here. A few days straight of 90's. Near 70 to start and going up. My trail . Park at Welsh and Terwood Rd. Starting out towards the more open side to Rockledge Park (get the open side done before the heat really sets in). Pace settled in early around 8:30, but gradually pulling back. Would not force that pace for me in this heat. Drenched early, whatever, knew that was going to happen. At Rockledge, left the trail to do a few blocks of my strava legend hill. Pace faded slightly as expected. Turned around at the intersection just ahead. About 3.2 in. Back on the trail heading back. Since the opposite trail is 7 mi, looking to do 9 here. Would be about 6.4. So at Lorimer, taking the side trail to PennyPack Park for a bit. Nasty rain yesterday afternoon. Slippery mud again, and then on the paved trail, slippery pollen again. (similar to Monday). After about 14 minutes, turned back to Lorimer. Pacing 8:40's. Strava hill and a couple rolling hills in PennyPack Park. Not concerned about pace. yet. lol.. Lorimer to the parking lot. Hit 9 miles just before the lot. Math on point. (math can be hard while on the run sometimes, lol) Was sure to hydrate at my car! Needed it, fo sho! Off to the more wooded section to County Line Rd. (decent amount of shade for the last 7!) Pace still 8:40's. Figured I would have faded a little more by now, but rolling along. Byberry Rd to County Line, more wide open to the sun, but a short path. (.8 ish) Doing the math, hit 3.5 to go before I got to the end and turned around a little shy. Shortly after turning around bumped into a couple friends I've never run with! Michelle, who I know from a friend and IG, and that friend and fellow #BibRavePro Lisa! They saw me and chased me down (unknowingly to me) for about a mi! Great to finally see them here! Our schedules are usually just slightly off. 3.5 mi to go. Chatting with them on the way back, it was great catching up with them, and picking their brains a bit. (more experienced endurance athletes). Didn't think about the heat (or any other suffering) to end. Was great to run with them for a bit. They went on their way to do their 18 and 20 milers. The run itself was manageable. (not great/not horrible), and pace on point/slightly better than expected for the weather. Am tryint to mentally prepare for the heat slowdown that is inevitable. lol 
Full pics on Facebook, although I meant to grab another trail pic, but was too busy chatting it up. ;)
Go Pro pics courtesy of Philly.Runner226, check out her IG, here! 

Sunday: 
Sat recovery, ice bath, needed that! hydrated very well, TMI - 6 waters before I even had to use the rest room. Foam roll/stretch..Did offset hydration a little with beverages, but did hydrate along. 
Supposed to be rest day, and haven't had a 1-3 mi day in a bit. If I do 4, I'll  have a 60 mi week, first of the year. Hmm.. I do need that rest day.. We'll see. Decent night's rest. Coffee and slowly getting going. Have a long day ahead, think I will stick to 3.11 mi. Actually stopped chasing numbers? lol.. Foam roll my back out. Out the door around 7. Going to be another hot day. Going to try to push it, but have low expectations. Slight incline to start, somewhat flat for a bit. Pace alerts better than expected. Had a few that start with a 6! Definitely started to feel heavy legs from yesterday's long run and extra miles in general. Hills starting around 1.2 mi. Fading and a bit of a struggle to maintain remainder of the way. A couple declines to regroup, but another later set of hills got me. Rough, but still better than expected.  Going to be along day in the heat (going to a baseball game) Will be sure to hydrate! 
What did I do besides run, workout, work, and chores this week? A couple outings. Watched HLN's Very Scary People (murder docu series), baseball, basketball.. Not much else.
Q: How about you? Anything exciting outside of running? Any adventures? binge watching anything?


Weekly Summary:
Miles: 59 weekly miles running 
Year to Date: 1048.9 miles running 
Hill Goal (for the yr):   60515/100k elevation gain. Initial goal 100k to beat last yr's 98k. 
Strength Training: Goal 180 minutes, 182 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: 4 days 
Training Plan:  Loosely following the below plan structure until it's time to follow for a race. 
Image from Coach Jenny Hadfield
Race Schedule: 

10.17.2021 - NJ Marathon - deferral from spring 2020. 

11.21.2021 - Philadelphia Marathon - deferral from 2020 (registered the day after 2019's race!). Definitely a fav! If you haven't registered yet, I may know someone getting a discount code soon. Hit me up! 

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