In July, I found my running mojo again...the blogging mojo is still missing. I am still reading though! July ended up being my highest mileage month in quite awhile at 140 miles. A good 5K and reconnecting with the local running group seemed to spark my interest again. I'm ramping up for a exciting fall.
I've been hitting the trails more often because I desperately need to get ready for both Megatransect and Fire on the Mountain 50K. Luckily, I've found a great group to run with and am also piggy-backing on some of their JFK 50 training. Hit the Appalachain Trail section of the JFK course a few weeks ago and plan to return a few more times. Rocky, rocky, rocky...trail running definitely takes a lot more concentration! But, I was very happy with the fact that I didn't fall once during the 13 miles on that trail which is pretty impressive for me and trails!
This past Saturday, I was signed up for a local 5-miler. It's a flat course and I had two goals - faster than last year (41:52) and also try for under 40 minutes. I wasn't sure about the under 40 minutes part yet I thought I had it in me. Luckily, the morning turned out to be cooler than it has been and I was ready to try it. I actually wore my Garmin to this race, which I usually never do in races. I've found I'm much better with just an actual watch in races. The first mile was a little fast, around 7:30 and for the next couple of miles I settled into a pace right around 8:00 minutes. I tried to watch the Garmin and keep my pace consistent. I was definitely getting tired towards the end, I was pushing myself but knew I could do this. I neared the finish line and saw the clock getting really close to 40 minutes and tried to pick it up and made my goal, clock time of 39:56 and chip time of 39:46. I'm happy.
Next up, get in some long runs and keep hitting the trails. I've got a 30K and 5K in September. Then, in October, it's the big month, Megatransect, Ragnar PA (part of an ultra team) plus Fire on the Mountain 50K. If I hold up through all that and not completely burnt out, I'm pondering a November marathon but I might be quite ready for a break after October!
