July in Review

1 08 2012

I think mother nature won this month. It’s good to know it wasn’t just me though. Turns out it was the hottest July ever on record in Wisconsin. I never actually threw a tantrum, but I sure got close. And I definitely bitched a lot.

Total Mileage: 78 <— Yuck
Miles with Sara: 61
Total Miles to date: 716
Longest Run: 16, which went 800 times better than the almost 16 in June.
Races: Big 10K, Cudahy Classic

This should have been a much higher mileage month, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m not worried about my Lakefront training. The killer 16 miler I had felt great. And I have a big run coming up this weekend. August will be good. I will hit my miles and my workouts.

July was still lots of fun. I went to Phoenix for my cousin’s wedding and had a blast with extended family. My brother was in the country for something like 9 days so that was fun. We had Wisconsin beer and Italian wine. We ate good food.

Me, Levi, Dad and Mom

I got to run a fun inaugural race with two of my favorite race buddies: Mo and Kelsey. And I followed it up with running a 10 mile race the next day with Sara.

It was a good month, but fair riddance to July. I’m ready for a new month. August will bring the Madison Mini and all kinds of other fun summer events.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Just Me, running

June in Review

1 07 2012

Another month gone. And we are suddenly halfway through the year. I am generally happy with where my running is. This was busy month with some serious motivational issues for me. I still can’t really say what it was, but I had 9 mile week. I don’t really want to dwell on that anymore.

Total Mileage: 109
Miles with Sara: 69
Total Miles to date: 638
Longest Run: 15.86 miles of hot, humid, miserableness – longest run since August 2010
Races: Ragnar Chicago; Bacon Race – 1st in my age group!; Rock’N'Sole Half Marathon

And in the midst of all of this I closed on my new house and moved. Buying a house is probably the most grown up thing I have done. A huge thanks to my parents who helped me with the move. Thankfully this move was 800 times less stressful than the last. I love my house.

I am now marathon training. It’s not a question anymore. October is only 3 months away. I foresee some mental freakouts before I get to the start line. But I have my coach and Sara to talk me down. My remaining race schedule is much more reasonable than the early part of the year.

July brings a trip to Phoenix (ew 112 degree forecast); my brother coming home!; the Big Ten 10K with my fave race buddies, Mo and Kelsey; and some long distance runs that I need to mentally prepare for.


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : friends, races

March in Review

1 04 2012

March was awesome. I may have overdone it a bit, but I am still so happy with my awesome PR in New Orleans. I kept myself very busy this month. I traveled a bunch, I raced a bunch and I turned a year older. All in all I very much enjoyed March. Oh and I adopted a new kitty.

Running Overview:

Total Mileage: 119
Miles with Sara: 54
Total Year Miles to date: 325
Longest Run: 15 – We crushed it on the last day of the month. I can’t believe we kept a 9:30 pace.
Races:

The 15 miler is my longest run since August 2010. It felt really great to be able to do that and not struggle. I know I have said this in many blog posts, but I am still really excited about where my training is at. December, January, February and March have all been amazing. We had ridiculous unseasonably warm weather this month. I’m talking 80 degrees in March. What? Where did that come from? We also lost our morning light thanks to daylight’s saving, and it is just starting to creep back. We got a peek at the sunrise last week. Can’t wait for the beautiful sunrises again. One of these morning either Sara or I will remember a camera. I am not racing in April, at all. I am not letting myself sign up for anything. No 5ks, no 10ks, nothing. Just some solid runs as I prepare for the Wisconsin Half in May. And since I set a PR in New Orleans I may need to reevaluate goals, but I have a month for that.

Kelsey, Mo, Me - Before RnR NOLA

Sara and Me celebrating our birthdays!

Me, TP, Lauren - So much fun to be with these ladies again


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories : Just Me, races, running

February in Review

1 03 2012

Once again Mother Nature treated us runners pretty darn well. I am fairly certain this December, January, and February have been the best winter running I can remember. I am so excited for what that may translate to for my spring races.

Overview:

Total Mileage: 112
Miles with Sara: 55
Total Miles to date: 206
Longest Run: 13.22 – Renee and Sara’s Unofficial Half Marathon
Races: 1 killer 5K!

Highest mileage month in 18 months! And it was a short month. I had a 30 mile week for the first time this year. I made it a whole year without going to an ortho doc, which is a much bigger deal than it should be. I, thankfully, remained healthy in February. I love that Sara and I have our “schedule” set. On Sunday night we both look at our runs for the week, look at our schedules and plan our morning run for the week. It is either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and always our 5.5 mile route. Sometimes it is fast, sometimes it is easy. Usually on that run we decide what the weekend plans are. Of course life tends to get in the way on the weekend and we don’t always get to run together. While I know it’s important to be able to run by myself my long runs are just not nearly as enjoyable when I am not chatting with Sara for 2 hours. The time flies and we talk about everything from the serious to things that bring us to laughter. Our completely unofficial half marathon was sub 2 hours without us even realizing it.

What’s Next?

March brings all kinds of awesomeness. It is my birthday month and yes, I say month. I will be celebrating in Milwaukee, DC and Chicago. I will be running a half marathon in New Orleans and DC. I get to see lots of friends. I have to decide what my strategy will be for two half marathons in that period of time, but I’m not overly worried. My body is used to the mileage at this point.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : running