Sunday, June 13, 2021

June 2021 Running in Review

 



Total Miles: 805 (as of 6/13/2021)

Running Report


It has been a while since I've done an update on my running.  There has been a lull in the race scene since early May.  Most of the races that happen in spring around here are "big" events.  And most other race vendors sort of clear the way for these events.

However, with Covid-19 apparently wrapping up, these events were held virtually.  Which meant as much as I would've liked to have had raced in person, I had to do my events virtually.

The races I did virtually (the Salt Lake City half Marathon and the Ogden Half Marathon) did offer deferrals, but I had already done my deferral from last year and I figured it would just be best to cash them in and get something. 

So for each of those races I ran a virtual half marathon along the Jordan River.  The weather conditions weren't the greatest and to be honest, I hadn't been putting in the miles I would've liked to have.  But I did run each of them in about 1:55 to 1:58.  Definitely not my great half marathons and it was challenging to muster an "A" level effort.

That has left me with time to train and put in some miles.  And I've done a fair job of doing once or twice a week speedwork sessions.  But it also drove me into a bit of a hole.

By the first week of June I was starting to feel unusually sore.  While I had no problem doing my runs, and I got the miles in, they were simply put, exhausting and painful.  I was plagued with poor sleep and muscle soreness.  It got to the point where I was in a lot of discomfort and despite being about 2 to 3 weeks out from a key half marathon, I decided to shut things down for a bit.  And you know what? It helped -- a lot.  I took 4 - 5 days off and when I came back, I felt better and certainly less "in pain".  

I probably should've taken a bit more time off but with the half marathon looming I felt compelled to get some miles in.

This break has also has made me realize I need to go back to the drawing board to determine what is important to me and to factor in rest periods.  The junk miles that I've been doing I think are hindering my recovery.  I used to be able to run 6 - 8 times a week, but I think at this point I am going to have to dial it back to 5.  Also if my race forecast is 5K / 10K races, there really isn't much need to go beyond 8 miles for a long run.

My diet is still under control and for the most part I eat fairly clean.  I still enjoy some 100 calorie dessert snacks but I try to eat mostly vegetables and fruits.  And when I shop I hit the produce / fruit aisle hard.



Now that summer is here, I am hoping to transition to morning runs.  As I write this, I did my first one this morning; and what a difference.  With temperatures hovering around the upper 80's to the 90's, it makes it very hard for an afternoon runner like myself to get in quality runs. 

So this morning I got up at 5:30 AM and hammered out 7 miles.  So much cooler and I wasn't dying from the heat.  It was more challenging running in a carb-depleted state but still, this was a solid run.




I am also doing some cross training while hiking.  They definitely improve my leg strength and my ability to suffer through some ascents.  I haven't done any new hikes so far this year, but have been busy revisiting some of my previous trails.

Upcoming Races

I am definitely looking forward to the next month.  I have a bunch of opportunities to really see where I am speed-wise.  My times are looking better and I continuing to do strides, intervals and reps in order to hone my speed.  Let's hope for some fast times and hopefully cooler temperatures.


06/19: 2021 Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon - Lamoille, NV (Confirmed)
06/26: 2021 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)
07/03: 2021 Riverton 4th of July 10K - Riverton, UT (Confirmed)
07/10: 2021 Farmington Days 10K - Farmington, UT (Confirmed)
07/17: 2021 Mantua Reservoir 5 Miler - Mantua, UT (Confirmed)
07/31: 2021 Alien Run 10K - Magna, UT (Confirmed)
08/07: 2021 Roy Days 5K - Roy, UT (Confirmed)
08/14: Bluffdale Badlands 10K - Bluffdale, UT (Confirmed)
08/21: 2021 PC2PG 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)
09/11: 2021 Rock the Canyon 10K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)
12/04: 2021 Laughlin Half Marathon - Laughlin, NV (Confirmed)
02/27: 2022 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas (Confirmed)

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