. . . even for Shy Runners. That’s me in the white vest towards the right above.
A Reason to Show Up It’s much harder to bail on a run knowing that other runners are waiting for you. It also helps if you’re a runner who tends to procrastinate.
Someone to Share the Miles With As the saying goes, misery loves company. Sometimes it’s about sharing the wins:
PRs
Overcoming injuries
A new distance
Maybe just some cute new kicks or running clothes!
It’s all too easy for runners to get in their head, but running with other people can help you forget about what’s bothering you.
A Little Push Sometimes you end up running with someone who is a little faster than you are — as long as you’re careful and don’t run too fast for your body, a little push every now and again is a good thing.
Slowing Down For the runner that always runs like a bat out of he!!, sometimes running with someone who runs slower is just what the doctor ordered.
Finding Your Tribe Let’s face it, our non running friends, or SOs who don’t run, and probably the rest of our family can get a bit tired of hearing about our runs. Runners love to talk about running!
Final Thoughts I started out as a solo runner, I ran with different groups for a lot of years, and for a variety of reasons I’ve been a solo runner the last couple of years. Like anything there are pros and cons to running solo and to running in a group.
I will say this though: I wish when I had started to run that I joined a group. It can be immensely helpful when you’re a new runner, although if you’re a slower runner, sometimes finding the right group takes a few tries. It’s worth it though!
It’s been a roller coaster of a week. Towards the end of the week things seemed to improve for my mom, but I know it can still be back and forth. I am back down at my sister’s for a few days, with lots of rain in the forecast. Maybe I’ll throw in a photo of Bandit because otherwise there’s just no photos from this week.
Sunday: Most likely Yoga (40 min), hopefully some PB cardio/toning
Running Mileage: 6 (-5)
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Friday Intention: just run I wanted to get Bandit walked first because the heat and humidity is so hard on him, and by the time I had time to run, I said no thank you to the humidity outside. I tried to keep it fairly easy, as it had been a week since I’d run, with just a few little surges in there.
Saturday Intention: recover Getting packed up again to go to my sister, so a quick Peloton WU and recovery run. I chose not to bring running clothes to my sister. It’s supposed to be very rainy and hot, and my hope is that I’ll only be there a couple of nights.
Favorites of the week Being home for a few days. Finally getting my mom transferred to rehab — third time was the charm. With a lot of bumps in the road she seems to be improving slightly. She has a cough that she’s had for a while now, before all this happened. The rehab did a chest xray and that showed nothing so that’s good. Fingers crossed for continued improvement.
ICYMI: A quick Yin Yoga practice to loosen up those hips. Check it out here. Followed up by a vlog with 5 more tips to keep your hips happy here.
Coming up on Tuesday: Even though I’ve been a solo runner during the Pandemic, I have been a group runner and I’m sharing why I like running in groups. On Friday I’m sharing some tips for how I plan my hikes.
Have you been in Facebook groups where someone asks about what your favorite running shoe is? Or maybe your running friends admire your new kicks and want to know what they are.
The same running shoes can make anyone faster I cringe every time I see someone asking other people which shoes they love. What they should be asking:
Do you pronate or supinate?
Do you wear a neutral shoe or need more stability?
Do you like a lot of cushioning?
Is running in zero drop shoes comfortable for you?
Is your foot narrow or wide or normal?
Do you wear insoles?
I could go on an on. Just because certain shoes makes one person speedy isn’t a guarantee that it will give you some pep in your step — or that you won’t end up with an injury.
Eat this too often — what’s it really doing to your body? |Photo by Robin Stickel on Pexels.com
If the fire is hot enough anything will burn Dave McGillavray, Boston Marathon RD, has the story about how he believed this . . . until he needed heart surgery. Have you heard the saying garbage in, garbage out? Just sayin’. And for some of us, that fire just never gets hot enough in the first place (raises hand).
To get faster you have to run more Maybe. Maybe not. There are a lot of fast people who don’t run a whole lot of miles. Then there are elite runners who do run all the miles (but they are basically outliers). There are as many ways to get faster as there are runners.
If you wear the race tshirt on race day you’ll trip, break a leg, and get hit by lightning The subject given for this post was the funniest running myths you’ve heard. Probably the funniest one I’ve heard is that if a woman runs more than 800m her uterus might fall out. Thousands (millions?) of female runners have disproved that myth!
I couldn’t think of other funny running myths when I sat down to write, but as I was coming to the wrap up, the taboo about wearing the race tshirt on race day popped into my mind. I did a little looking around at blog posts on this very subject. No one actually had a bad luck story to tell from wearing the race shirt on race day, and of course you see it at every race. Usually the worst thing that happens is chafing.
I’m still going to say you have to earn that tshirt, so wear it proudly afterward and feel free to wear a shirt from a race you’ve already run during.
Did you come up with funny running myths?
If you wore the race tee during a race, did something awful happen to you? How about running superstitions?
I wrote the above & most of the rest of the post before I got the news on Friday; my Mom fell and broke her hip. We left on Saturday, since it was unlikely that anything was going to happen that quickly — and if it does, we’re not that far away and come home. Prayers, healing vibes, whatever you got appreciated.
I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and running through more cutting back this week — just time, mainly. I don’t think we’ll do a ton of hiking, but we should do some while we’re gone.
Workouts update
Monday: Yoga (15 min), 3 miles easy, Dogwalk, Filmed Yoga Video (60 min), PM Yoga (20 min)
Thursday: Yoga (30 minutes), 2 miles easy, Dogwalk, PB ST (25 min), Yoga (20 min)
Friday: Yoga (40 min), 4 TM miles mixed
Saturday: Yoga (40 min), Dogwalks a short hike or two
Sunday: Yoga (40 min), Headed down to my sisters & the hospital
Running Mileage: 11 (-.5)
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Am I the morning only one who thinks these things on the grass are creepy?
Monday Intention: time on feet It was a lovely morning but somehow I wasn’t really feeling this run even keeping it really easy. My Garmin seemed to think it was okay though.
More Fourth decorations
Tuesday Intention: keep it REALLY easy I sure did, too. It was soupy. I had checked the radar before my run, and it looked like we’d be dry for a few hours so the plan was to come back & walk with Mr. Judy & Bandit. Except as I was walking towards home it started to thunder. Luckily I didn’t get caught in a thunderstorm, it only lasted a short amount of time, and we walked Bandit when it finished.
In summer there’s usually not so much to photograph. The raindrops on these flowers caught my eye.
Thursday Intention: add some miles It was supposed to rain and have possibility of thunderstorms all day long. I woke up to no rain, so I decided I would just try to get 2 miles in so that I could be near to home again (in case). The radar showed it would be clear for a couple of hours. I got rained on , of course (also when I walked Bandit after my run), but not for long. I had hoped to do my long run today, and I could have — if I hadn’t been fooled by the weather app.
Apparently we had a pretty good thunderstorm the night before — I’ve been super busy all week long and I slept right through it. I’m usually a really light sleeper!
New Mizuno Wave Horizon 4. Finally ran on the treadmill so was finally able to try them out— they were a Prime Day deal. I’ve run on Mixunos before, but let’s just say it’s a good thing these were a deal I’ll need a few more runs before I really make up my mind about them but I at l least know I’ll keep them now.
Friday Intention: and just a little longer Radar said rain almost all day. Would you believe not a drop til almost dinner time? Sigh. Well, I did have these new shoes to test out. I did a 10 min WU and then a 45 min run, which was a mix of steady state and surges.
Severence Moutain overlooking Schroon Lake. Had it mostly to ourselves! Photo courtesy Lloyd Litt
Favorites of the week We are in the Adirondacks as you read this. Hopefully the weather cooperates. Hopefully the traffic isn’t too bad. Hopefully the three of us enjoy this short break! What actually happened is we packed up the car, had lunch, hiked. On top of the mountain I facetimed with my sister (who recently got an iphone) & my mom, and the doctor happened to come in during. Long story short surgery might happen today. We headed back home and I’m off to the hospital (about a 90 minute drive, actually a stop at my sister to drop off my stuff first).
Met up for a very brief swim (more talk than swim) and a little bit of poolside Yoga midweek. Very thankful that my friend is gracious with her community pool!
We have “booked” our next slightly longer vacation (still less than week). We have been planning to visit with friends in ME for months, but we made it official and nailed down some dates in August. I have a 2 day course right before we leave. It’s gonna be busy!
How are you staying cool this Summer?
What’s your favorite way to cross train? Yup, I do love to swim, but it’s harder to find places close to me to swim at since the community center I used to go to closed. Now it’s a sports complex and cost way more $$.
Any vacations coming up?
ICYMI: A gentle Hatha Yoga that will both heat you up and cool you down — while stretching everywhere a runner needs to stretch. Check it out here. I also explain a bit more about Prana here. You might be surprised at my definition of Prana!
Coming up on Tuesday: I’m busting a few running myths. On Friday you can see ways sugar might be sneaking into your eating.
Do you take a moment to look at how the first half of the year has gone, or do you just go on with the second half? Whether you set goals or not, I always think it’s a good idea to reflect (but not ruminate) on what has happened, so you can adjust your sails if need be going forward.
Races Zip, zero, zilch, nada. I’ll get back to racing when the time is right for me, and so far, I just haven’t felt the need. Although I used to race somewhat often, racing wasn’t really that important to me.
So far this year there haven’t even been any virtual races for me. I do enjoy some new swag once in a while, but nothing has really caught my eye and I spent a lot of time in the first quarter of the year feeling run down.
Health I am very grateful that COVID, for the most part, didn’t seriously impact my family. I know too many who were impacted by COVID, though, so I don’t take my health for granted.
It seemed like the vaccines — and the tetanus booster last December — hit me harder than a lot of people. It felt like every time I finally felt better I’d get another shot and have to slowly rebuild my base.
I am healthy, though, and I am grateful for that. Everything that has happened this year has helped me to get even more in tune with my body and what’s right for me.
Yoga has really helped keep niggles in check
The niggles It’s no secret that my Achilles Tendon bothered me — annoyingly on & off — for about a year. It seemed to have resolved — until I got my COVID vaccines. Since then it’s been a lot better again, but every once in a while it randomly aches. I was able to run 8 miles, twice, without (much) pain — that is, much pain afterwards. I’ve also taken to wearing compression after long runs most of the time, too, which seems to help. I’ve been working much more on Hatha Yoga as opposed to Yin Yoga (although I am still practicing Yin, too!) — that also seems to have helped.
Then there’s the high hamstring tendinitis that has also been a random companion for a long time. It also comes and goes. Recently it seems gone. Hoping by the end of the year both these niggles are in the rear view mirror!
Embracing recovery runs I have never been a huge fan of recovery runs. I’d rather walk, hike, or hop on the stationary bike. After reading Laura Norris’s detailed post on recovery runs, which unfortunately I didn’t bookmark and can’t find, I decided to give them a try.
I still am not a huge fan of the recovery run — but you know what? My body seems to really like it. It’s almost like hitting a reset button.
From 3 to 4 and back again Embracing those recovery runs made it relatively easy for me to move from running 3 x week to 4 x week. Until I felt really run down recently. I had been saying I was going to take a cutback week, but then the weather would be nice for my long run and I knew that wouldn’t last so I just had to take advantage of it.
Until I felt the need for a break. Which I took. Why not? I don’t compare my mileage or even my training to anyone else. Hopefully I’ll be back to 4 x week soon, and if not — it’s not a big deal.
Coaching myself I have worked with a coach, which I absolutely loved. It was great to have someone else tell me what to do and not have to think about it — not to mention having your own personal cheerleader.
It’s also great to coach yourself, because in the end, only you know what’s going on in your body.
Final Thoughts Despite niggles and sometimes feeling run down, this year has been going well. I truly don’t miss training for races — and neither, it seems, does my body. I make wiser decisions (mostly) when I’m just running for me. It’s easier to listen to my body and say nope! that’s not what it wants right now — or maybe it does.
The slow reopening of my state and the country for the most part has definitely been hopeful. I hope that when I do train for a race again I listen to my body and know when it’s time to push and when it’s time to back off. I will always train, because it prepares my body, but it’s just a race.
How do you feel about the first half of 2021?
Are you feeling hopeful?
What are you looking forward to in the second half of 2021?
My grandpa Sam was my only grandparent to be born in the US, and he was born on the Fourth of July. I’ve always thought that was special. Although he’s been gone since I was a teenager, I always think of him on the Fourth.
I’m joining Kim @ Kimrunsonthefly and Deborah @ Confessionsofamotherrunner, and running through another bipolar weather week, with ridiculous heat and humidity until the weekend, rain, then another big cool down.
Sunday: Yoga (40 min), PB Cardio Toning (25 min), Dogwalk/s, stretching our legs at Olana, visit to Mom
Running Mileage: 11.5 (-3.5)
PB = Killer B TM = Treadmill WU = warmup CD = cooldown SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Tuesday Intention: easy progression? I skipped my run on Monday. My body just said NO! But it was very happy to swim. So I just wanted an easy 3 miles, but even if I hadn’t walked Bandit early, just no to that heat & humidity!
I did a warm up walk with Adrian on Peloton. I don’t think I’ve ever done a class with him before, but I enjoyed it. Then I did Matty’s Broadway run — which was enjoyable, but of course had me pushing a bit more than I set out to do.
Hey, works for the fourth & olympics!
Friday Intention: easy shorter long run I had been thinking about taking a cutback week (talking about it, too) for quite some time. This week my body said DO IT! So I did. While our heatwave finally broke today, it was still soupy out there. Because of the potential for thunderstorms, I decided to run in the neighborhood so I never had to be too far from home.
I did one almost 4 mile loop, came back, and switched out water bottles. I know people do this sort of thing all the time, but I never have. Took back off and completed the other 2.25 miles. Got rained on (softly) the last mile and a half which felt nice. I thought it would be super slow, I was definitely tired and my legs felt heavy, but in the end it was a decent pace. Of course no thunderstorms, but I’ve been caught miles from any shelter in a storm before and it’s not something I want to repeat.
I’d stopped to take a photo of the bunny in the back when I noticed ears poking up through the grass in front of him
Saturday Intention: recover It was finally quite cool and dry (as in not rain dry) this morning. Better day for a long run, but I knew I wanted to do a recovery run, which is why I did my longer run on Friday. I was going to run 2.5 miles to even out my week, and then I asked myself why? Will an extra half mile make a difference? No! Of course not!
Favorites of the week Ah swimming, how I’ve missed you! This may have been one of my longest breaks from swimming. It was broken thanks to a friend and her pool and it felt glorious. No photos were taking, just catching up with a couple of friends.
5 years ago a photo line this would have been unimaginable. We couldn’t pick him up. We couldn’t walk him with Lola. We had to separate him from both Gizmo & Lola at all times. He randomly growled at people. It wasn’t easy but it has been worth it.
Bandit celebrated his fifth Gotcha Day yesterday. Very easy to remember the date, and of course he was memorable for a long, long time (for those new to the blog, Bandit was a senior rescue and let’s just say it was a very rocky start).
We are off to visit my mom today. There’s a outdoor BBQ, but the weather is iffy again. We are bringing Bandit. It’s going to be interesting. Have a safe and happy Fourth, if you celebrate it!
Did you survive this heatwave?
Are you racing this weekend?
Any plans for today?
ICYMI: Ready for a cooling Yoga practice that will also do a great job of stretching and strengthening everywhere a runner needs? Check out today’s Yin Yoga practice here. I also have a quick video on Pigeon Pose variations here.
Coming up on Tuesday: After wrapping up June last week, this week I’m looking back on the last half year! On Friday it’s time to cool it down and I’ve got options for you.
When you get a good workout in, you feel good for the rest of the day. It helps clear the mind. — Reggie Miller
One of the things I do first thing in the morning is practice Yoga. I have only missed one morning in the last eight months: the morning after my second vaccine when I had a fever. Sometimes it’s a short practice, sometimes it’s a longer one. Not only does it clear my mind, it makes my body feel good, too.
Smiling because I’m almost at 10k steps when some haven’t even gotten dressed yet
I’ve also noticed that when I’m forced to get my runs in earlier due to heat, there’s a definite satisfaction to getting in so many steps before breakfast. Let’s be clear, though: I still enjoy a nice, relaxed morning when it hasn’t heated up and I can take my time before my run.
Getting in scheduled runs I managed to bump up to running 4 x week a for most of June. I did it by embracing the short, very easy recovery run. I’m not really sure that I’ll ever love a recovery run, but knowing I didn’t even have to run my usual 3 miles definitely made it easier.
Grade Earned:A+
Recording my runs I have veered off course here again . . . seriously, I need to start using my planner again because it helps me to keep focused. It’s a broken record, folks!
Grade Earned: C
Dynamic Warmup I always do my warmup, and I even did a short warm up walk . . . once or twice? Hey, baby steps!
Grade Earned: A
Foam Rolling
I pretty much foam roll (or some variation of foam rolling) every morning. I do the very fast foam rolling with small stick like roller before every run. So far this works great for me.
Grade Earned: A++
Nutrition In May I seemed to be doing well with my weight, feeling less bloated, clothes fitting better . . . until I wasn’t. One of the things I’ve had to rein in (but not give up completely) is my From the Ground Up Chip obsession. It had gotten to the point that I was eating some daily. Chips are chips, whether they’re healthier or not so healthy. They’re not really a power food.
That was one of the changes I made in June — I didn’t stop eating them, I just ate them less often. I made a few other small changes. Things seem to be slowly heading in the right direction again . . . until I didn’t want to cook and made some poor choices.
Somehow the other stuff I want/need to do seems to take precedence over cooking, and that’s not a good precedent. I’m working on that, too.
Grade Earned: B+ (for trying)
Cross Training
Yoga, running, a little more hiking, walking, not so much indoor cycling. I have been doing a bit more strength training.
Grade Earned: A+
June 2021 gets . . .
. . . an A. I got up to an 8 mile run (twice!) — I figured I had to take advantage of good weather running, because I’m pretty sure that won’t happen all Summer. Nutrition and weight have been a struggle the last couple of months, and there are some skirts that I could wear, but not feel comfortable in. I pay attention, though, and I keep trying to get back to a more comfortable place for me (without deprivation).
June Goals:
Add in some stationary cycling/hiking. Y/N. No stationary cycling, yes a few short hikes.
ST 3 x week. Y.I built off my success in May and continued to build on ST. Sometimes it’s light weights, sometimes heavier, sometimes just bodyweight. It’s all good.
Strength for Wheel Pose. Y/N. I left this in, but it’s a goal I think I’m going to let go — again. I’m just working on strength in general.
Flexibility Challenge. Y/N. I taped one video, but there was some frustrating tech and I haven’t figured it out — still!
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.. Y. The weight did creep up, but I paid that heed and made some changes.
Which leads me to July Goals:
Shorter/Recovery runs after harder runs. When they’re after a long run, yes, they’re recovery runs. After a short speedwork or even just a short easy run? Are they junk miles? Personally, I’m saying this works for me right now and they’re not junk miles.
ST 3 x week. I began to struggle to squeeze it in 3 x week towards the end of June. I lose an entire day, basically, when I visit family. I actually don’t do it quite as much in Summer — so many things to do & see! If I can do it more weeks than not, I’m happy.
A project with a friend. I have a project to work on with a friend. Should be fun! We’ve done week 1, I have some stuff to do — 3 more weeks to go.
A few Yoga teaching opportunities. I donated a class as a prize for our big women’s race. Working to get her information and set up a time. Also an opportunity to teach a class online as part of a project to expose someone’s students to different teaching styles. Another project isn’t teaching, but writing up a piece on being a “Wellness Warrior” to tell my fitness journey.
Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up.Not really at a happy weight right now. Don’t get me wrong, it’s only a few pounds, but when you’re as short as I am, they can make a really big difference! I know I can get there — but I do have to make time to cook more. And make wise choices when we’re away in July.
Looking ahead I could tell next week wasn’t going to be a good time for us to be daytripping and hiking. Wednesday was really picture perfect so we headed out to Lenox, Ma for some good food and walking and a short hike. Sandwiched in between I completed four runs and some strength training.
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Pine needles all over driveway.
Monday Intention: hot, sweaty, easy Our weather has just been bonkers the latter part of the Spring, the temps are all over the place. Knowing that it would be hot and humid today (then cooling down supposedly as the week goes on), I got my butt out the door relatively early and just ran by feel.
It was what I call a bell curve run: started out slow and easy, slowed down from there, then on the last mile speeded up a tiny bit faster than the first mile. There was a really nice breeze going, and that helped tremendously.
One of the newer fountains. Also posted a video of the backyard to FB this week. And yup, I sweat. A lot!
Tuesday Intention: recover Easy two mile recovery run. Ran in a cool-ish drizzle. Yes, we have everyone’s rain, apparently. Yes, it was significantly faster than the previous day. It was only about 10 degrees cooler when I started — much later than the previous day — but so much cooler. It was also forecast to basically stay at those temps the rest of the day — 30 degrees cooler than the previous day’s high temperature. Weather Whiplash, indeed.
A while back someone had painted a frowning face on the bike path. At the time I thought why? Just why? Then someone else painted over it. Still a little creepy . . .
Friday Intention: stay the course I didn’t really have a plan, but with another heatwave headed towards us, I decided to take advantage of still cool-ish weather and see what my body wanted to do. Not quite sure it really wanted to run 8 miles, and the pace was all over the place, but I got it done. No desire to go longer, and probably will be dropping back down with heat and humidity dropping in.
Neighbors prepping for the 4th. How did that sneak up on us?
Saturday Intention: recover The thermostat’s going up. Out for a short walk with Bandit, who is really feeling any heat these days — so lovely, breezy, and cloudy. Then a snack, quick change, and out for my nice & slow recovery run. Thank goodness I had to the foresight to bring water, which I normally don’t do because it’s only 2 miles. The sun was out, and while it certainly wasn’t unbearable, I needed that water — and probably more!
A nice walk in the woods in Lenox, MA. Yes, it was actually a tad chilly this day!
Favorites of the week
We had a really nice daytrip to Lenox, Ma this week. We stopped at a small preserve first, which truly was a walk in the woods. There are more difficult paths there, but it’s always a tradeoff finding the right length/difficulty for us all. Then an al fresco lunch, at an area we’ve been to a few times before — but for the first time we discovered there’s trails from the back of there, too!
Guess that Yoga is paying off. It was a little hard getting down the short (but very steep) path with few handholds. In the end I deleted those photos.
So we took a steeper, but shorter hike, before I went to buy chocolate. I have now got some more trails bookmarked to explore in Lenox for a return trip someday. I also found some gardens that look amazing — but suspect that Bandit might not be welcome there. I’ll find out though!
Another thing I’ve never seen in our neighborhood before (an actual truck from Amazon). Nothing on there for us. But the Prime Day packages are supposed to start arriving today.
While there were no big deals on Amazon Prime for us, there were plenty of smaller deals, and the packages are slowly rolling in. I often take the longer delivery to get digital credits when they’re offered — and then have a hard time deciding which kindle book of my very long wish list I want to apply them to!
I also had a friend come over for a chat in the backyard yesterday, and we did some Yoga together, too. Fun!
Bandit. Cause it’s been a hot minute (literally) since he’s appeared on the blog. Always looking for food.
Are you planning any escapes this Summer?
Any great deals on Amazon Prime Day?
How’s your fitness going?
ICYMI: Feeling spacey? Try this guided Root Chakra meditation (won’t be live until 12:30) here.
Coming up on Tuesday: I’m wrapping up June — wow, halfway through 2021! On Friday it’s already July and time to gather over the hot beverage of your choice.
I cheated a little: I’m sharing things I saw on a long run a couple of weeks ago.
Animals I saw the usual animals:
Bunnies
Birds
Chipmunks
Squirrels
Nothing unusual in the list. Sometimes I do see something more exotic like a turtle or a groundhog or beaver, maybe even a bald eagle if I’m really lucky (actually, never at this section of the bike path, but I have on other sections), but I was running along and thinking this is kind of a boring run.
Humans and their companions It’s a popular trail so it’s rare that you don’t see someone, even in Winter. People walking their dogs, their kids. People riding their bikes. Other runners. Occasionally skateboarders, but not this day.
A guy fishing This isn’t unusual either, although most of the time I don’t see people fishing here. But once in a while I do. I always wonder what the heck they catch out of the algae choked canal. Is it edible? Or are they just fishing because it destresses them?
The grand finale Seriously, I was running and thinking this is a really boring run. Nothing to see here. Then it happened . . .
Definitely one of the weirdest things I’ve seen on the bike path
I did not see this on the way out. I can be pretty oblivious sometimes, listening to my own thoughts, but I don’t really think I could have run anywhere near the union jack jester’s hat above and missed it. Since this was almost at the end of the run, it did keep me occupied, wondering who would ever wear such a thing? More importantly, why? Finally, why would they leave it on the trail?
What is the weirdest thing you’ve seen on a run?
If you run by a water source, are there people out fishing?
Looking forward to see what you see on the run!
The Summer Solstice, which starts tonight, is a little bittersweet — because from here on out the days get shorter. Even knowing that we can still enjoy the long days of Summer and extra sunshine while we have it!
PB = Killer B
TM = Treadmill
WU = warmup
CD = cooldown
SB = Stationary Bike
Running Update
Monday Intention: much slower intervals I woke up to pouring rain and thunder & lightning. It looked like there might be a break around 8 am — nope. I had planned a treadmill run, and then I had hopes I could squeeze my run in outside — but it wasn’t worth risking it. I’ve been caught in a thunderstorms on the run. 3 times.
Of course it was fine the whole time I was running on the treadmill
I did a 45 Peloton Rock Run, but I made sure I wasn’t pushing as hard as my last Intervals run. I’ve been pushing a few weeks now, and it’s time to cut it back just a bit. I was still doing intervals, but not as fast. All was well until the last 10 minutes when my Ipad lost Wifi apparently — I just did a steady pace until I hit 3 miles and called it good.
After I showered and it was still clear, so I walked Bandit. We had already turned around but were still at least half a mile from home when I heard more thunder. Luckily he seemed to sense the need to get home, and by the time we got there, of course the thunder has stopped — for a while.
This is what I see before most runs
Tuesday Intention: recover Easy two mile recovery run. Really not much to say (or apparently remember) from this one.
Not much to see on the runs this week. A sketch of 3 ladies chatting as I cooled down
Thursday Intention: increase distance I really feel for those of you out in the west & midwest! Meanwhile we have been enjoying some damn nice weather this week (don’t worry, our luck ran out on Saturday, the day we were hiking). I took advantage of that to run 8 miles. 8 very slow miles. At some point I saw either a groundhog or a beaver — I was too far away to tell which. Still nothing terribly exciting on the run!
There are fewer rabbits this year but they’re BIG!
Friday Intention: recover Another cool, dry morning. It’s heating up, but not quickly. I know it’s almost Summer, but this is the Spring weather we skipped and I love it! We walked Bandit first, because although not super hot, no cloud cover. The running pace was quicker than the long run pace again — but far shorter.
Photo credit Lloyd Litt. Not long after I got up on Saturday, I looked out my kitchen window and this is what we saw. I shouted to Mr. Judy. I’d heard there was one in our area, but we’d never seen an albino squirrel before. Mr. Judy got some great shots! Apparently not all white squirrels are ablinos, but we think this one was.
Favorites of the week
Seriously? The weather! Except for Monday we had great weather this week. I wrote that before Saturday dawned really hot & humid! Well, most of the days were great.
Short hike at Falling Waters Preserve. At least there was still some water falling!
A nice day hiking, eating outside, and time with family yesterday. It’s so nice to get together with people without masking. And hugging them!
If you’re caught in the heatwave, how are you coping?
If you do a recovery run, ever have it be faster than the long run?
Did you know the Summer Solstice and the longest day of the year is Monday?
ICYMI: I’ve got a great Summer Solstice flow that will tone you from top to bottom. It’s Beginner-friendly but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! You’ll find the video here. Keep your eyes peeled on my FB pages on Monday — I’m hoping to have Yin Yoga practice for the Solstice up tomorrow (if that’s your thing).
Coming up on Tuesday: I’m wrapping up June — wow, halfway through 2021! On Friday I’ve got a few things to get off my chest. It’s Runfession time!
