November + December in Review

November in Review:

Total Miles:  101.18 up from 101.01 miles last month. 102.54 miles last November.

Total Time:  17:15:01 up from 17:01:33 last month. 

Total Runs: 18 runs for an average of 5.62 miles/run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

11/12//2018 – 11/18/2018:	29 mi

Most hardcore run: A 13.1 mile training run with Melissa where we were almost frozen solid by the time we finished. BRR.

Favorite run: The following weekend, Melissa, Kristin and I did 13.1 miles again with a little fast finish to the run, and it was beautiful and sunny and just so much fun.

Favorite Race: No races in November. I skipped out on the Banquet 10k because it was going to be so chilly. 

Favorite Jam: None currently.

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December in Review:

Total Miles:  92.7 miles down from 101.01 miles last month. 116.33 miles last December. 

Total Time:  15:50:02 down from 17:15:01. 

Total Runs: 13 runs for an average of 7.13 miles/run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

12/24/2018 – 12/30/2018:	31.5 mi	5:38:29	10:45 / mi

Most hardcore run: Melissa and I did a 14 ish mile long run on 12/30 so I could hit my annual mileage goal for the year. Our average pace was about 40 seconds slower than it normally is due to the terrible footing and conditions, but we got it done!

Favorite run: Melissa and I ran 9 ish on Christmas Eve and it was such a beautiful sunny day and the miles just flew by. I couldn't believe that we were at the turnaround when we were!

Favorite Race: Dallas Half Marathon!

Favorite Jam: I listened to music a little during the Dallas Half but it's just my same ol' playlist from forever. Of course my pump up Eminem song came up the final 5k, so that did help me pick it up a bit.

October in Review

Total Miles:  101.01 down from 184.49 miles last month. 79.8 miles last October. I'm pretty impressed I hit 100! 

Total Time:  17:01:33 down from 31:26:46. 

Total Runs: 15 runs for an average of 6.73 miles/run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

Race week of course: 

10/1/2018 – 10/7/2018:	43.8 mi	7:13:12	9:54 / m

Most hardcore run: I did a speed session with Kristin on Halloween. My first (and only) workout after TCM!

Favorite run: Twin Cities Marathon. I feel like 26.2 miles shouldn't be fun, but I really spent almost the entire 4h and 19 minutes grinning from ear to ear.

Favorite Race: Twin Cities Marathon

Favorite Jam: Eminem's Til I collapse came on with2 miles to go at TCM, and I listened to it on repeat. I give most of the credit to my speed in that last mile to Eminem.

August in Review

Total Miles:  188.63 miles up from 152.76 miles last month. 140.7 miles last August. This was my highest mileage month OF MY LIFE! I hate 180 miles in April 2010, the month prior to my marathon PR, so this is positive for TCM!

Total Time: 32:15:59 up from 26:39:38. 

Total Runs: 26 runs for an average of 7.26 miles/run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

8/20/2018 – 8/26/2018:	49.1 mi	8:24:23	10:16 / mi

Most hardcore run: The 20 mile loop. Uff. Such a struggle almost from the first mile to the last. Mentally hard, physically hard, and to finish was such good mental training!

Favorite run: 12 mile Monday with Melissa and 12 mile Monday with Chris. There's something about starting the week with that many miles that just gets your really amped for the rest of the week! Both runs were super hilly too so it was fun to conquer that to kick off the week!

Favorite Race: None. No races, just all the miles! 

Favorite Jam: Weezer's cover of Africa is still one of my top songs!

July in Review

Total Miles:  152.76 miles up from 68.34 miles last month. 112 miles last July. I'm pretty excited as this month is my 4th highest mileage month EVER. 

Total Time: 26:39:38 up from 11:21:40. 

Total Runs: 21 runs for an average of 7.27 miles/run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

7/23/2018 – 7/29/2018:	42.1 mi	7:08:26	10:11 / m

Most hardcore run: 10 miles in the afternoon with tempo miles. Melissa joined me for the tempo miles and I discovered that I can't talk and hit tempo paces at the same time, nor can I just not talk when I'm running hard. Lesson learned. :P

Favorite run: The 18 mile long run I got to do with Toni, even though her leg started hurting her, we had to walk a half mile, and then I had to leave her behind for the last two. Because I still got to run with her and catch up for 16 whole miles. :)

Favorite Race: None. Whoa. No races this month. I had hoped to do a 4th of July one but I started the month with my knee bothering me. I'll take a monster mileage month instead!

Favorite Jam: Weezer's cover of Africa. It's so great.

June in Review

Total Miles:  68.34 miles down from 118.33  miles last month.  52.6 miles last June. Another month without 100 miles, but not for lack of trying. 

Total Time: 11:21:40 down from 20:06:49. 

Total Runs: 14 runs for an average of 4.88 miles/run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

6/11/2018 – 6/17/2018:	26.2 mi	4:11:40	9:36 / mi

Most hardcore run: I attempted to do my last speed session at 12:30pm on a track with no shade that you could see and feel the heat pouring off the black track. It would've been extra hardcore if I had finished the workout, but instead I got really dizzy and had to call it quits.

Favorite run: The one coffee run that Toni and I did this month.

Favorite Race: Garry Bjorklund half was the only race, and I didn't really love it. The race weekend was amazing, but I won't need to do the half in the future.

Favorite Jam: Weezer's cover of Africa. It's so great.

April in Review

Total Miles:  64.64 down from 106.01 miles last month.  104.9 miles last April. I'm pretty bummed to have missed the 100 mile mark for this month, as that was a goal of mine for the year. But I do think that it was important to listen to my body and err on the side of caution and rest to make sure that I could still race my planned races, and not keeping pushing to require even more time off. Still stinks. :(

Total Time: 10:28:03 down from 17:24:01. 

Total Runs: 15 runs, average of 4.31 miles/run

Highest weekly mileage: 

4/16/2018 – 4/22/2018:	19.3 mi	3:00:59	9:24 / mi

Most hardcore run: I honestly haven't had any challenging runs this month. Once my knee flared up, I cut all the speed work from my schedule and scaled way back on the mileage. The hardcore part of training was probably not doing all the miles and fun track work because I wanted to!

Favorite run: All of the coffee runs. It seems like Toni and I spent a lot of time not running together this month, and I missed *us*. We seemed to re-connect on Fridays and do a monster life catch up during our 3-4 mile runs.

Favorite Race: 605 Half Marathon. So hard mentally. So happy with the outcome.

Favorite Jam: Tegan and Sara's Every Chance We Get We Run. Still. STILL. still. Does anyone have a new song to suggest to me??! :P

March in Review

Total Miles:  106.01 down from 120.14 miles last month.  89.5 miles last March. 3/12 months of 100+ goal--check! I'm bummed to have had the knee setback, as I was prepped to run one of my highest mileage months ever. Instead I'm super thankful I was able to get in a couple of runs this week to sneak my mileage over that 100 mile mark. For all the extra rest days I took, that's pretty good.

Total Time:  17:24:01 down from 20:05:05. 

Total Runs: 24 runs, for an average of 4.42 miles a run. (This is skewed by the fact that I ran 5 times on St. Patty's Day to make up for our missed 5 mile race. Ha)

Highest weekly mileage: 

3/5/2018 – 3/11/2018:	38.1 mi	6:15:23	9:51 / m

Most hardcore run: Track speedwork on a still snowy slick surface (this also may have been my dumbest workout, in hindsight. :P)

Favorite run: Toni's birthday group run on Pi Day!

Also our super casual ten mile long run the day after all the miles for the St. Patty's Day race, where neither of us looked at our watches and our splits are so creepily consistent.

Favorite Race: St. Patty's Day Mile. Because it's still the only race I ran this month.

Favorite Jam: Tegan and Sara's Every Chance We Get We Run. Still. STILL.

January in Review

January in Review

Total Miles:  102.37 miles down from 116.3 miles last month. With a race week taper and a recovery week thrown in there, I'm a-ok with that! 72.4 miles last January. 1/12 months of 100+ goal--check!

Total Time:  17:17:04 down from 19:40:41. 

Total Runs: 16 runs, for an average of 6.4 miles a run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

1/1/2018 – 1/7/2018:	34.6 mi	5:53:33	10:13 / mi

Most hardcore run: 8 miles on New Years Day in -17 windchill. I still don't have complete feeling back in my right forearm. Should I be alarmed?? (yes, probably).

Favorite run: 10 miles with 5 at tempo. I thought I was going to hate this run, but it was actually a really strong workout!

Favorite Race: I only did one race, but it was so miserable I'm not even sure I should count it. The race weekend was stellar and it was so amazing to see Toni nail a MONSTER PR that I'll count it. F^3 Lake Half Marathon.

Favorite Jam: I think the only run I did solo was the half, and my iPod was dead so I didn't even listen to it.

December in Review

December in Review

Total Miles:  116.3 miles up from 102.53 miles last month. 27.3 miles last December.

Total Time:  19:40:41 up from 16:53:25. 

Total Runs: 19 runs, for an average of 6.12 miles a run.

Highest weekly mileage: 

12/18/2017 – 12/24/2017:	37.3 mi	6:09:41	9:55 / mi

Most hardcore run: 13.1 miles in -2 degrees, snow and ice and still running faster than all of my 2016 half marathons, and some of my 2017 marathons. Wahoooo!!!

Favorite run: Both of my 12 milers with Toni were stellar. The miles flew by, we sped up the second half without trying or realizing we were doing it, and I ended both runs thinking, "I could run for another hour or so!" For a self-proclaimed long run hater, that was pretty major!

Favorite Race: No races in December. What a boring month! Hah. After ALLLLL the races in October/November, it was probably ok to not race this month. But had there been one that worked with my schedule, I totally would've, no worries.

Favorite Jam: I downloaded T Swift's new album when I had to do a solo 8 mile, and when I replaced my iPod playlist, I didn't realize that all the music I replaced is still on my old MacBook. So that's all I have at the moment. Oops.