August and September are peak training months leading up to my marathon. I feel really good about my training this season. It was a tough month for hot and humid weather, but I discovered night time running that I can fit into my schedule without feeling exhausted, and really found my groove this month. Let’s talk about August!
- Total Miles: 136.95 miles
Here’s where I stand with my “Banking the Miles” challenge for 2018:
- January 2017: 73.83 miles / January 2018: 66.50 miles
- February 2017: 33.39 miles / February 2018: 74.53 miles
- March 2017: 51.51 miles / March 2018: 89.00 miles
- April 2017: 68.68 miles / April 2018: 70.75 miles
- May 2017: 61.50 miles / May 2018: 100.19 miles
- June 2017: 51.62 miles / June 2018: 78.57 miles
- July 2017: 70.38 miles/ July 2018: 79.76 miles
- August 2017: 104.54 miles/ August 2018: 136.95 miles
- September 2017: 136.86 miles /
- October 2017: 72.28 miles /
- November 2017: 52.86 miles /
- December 2017: 57.54 miles /
- TOTAL 2017: 835 miles / TOTAL 2018: 696.25 miles / GOAL: 1000 miles, 70%
What was I training for? Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon
What races did I run? Crim Festival of Races 10 Mile
Best performances: I learned that I really do my best in cooler temperatures, and since I am not at all a morning person, I tried night time running this month. Serious game changer! My night time runs cut close to 30 seconds per mile off my overall pace. I also introduced almost daily yoga as cross training a couple of weeks ago and I can already feel the improvements in my overall strength and flexibility. I’m looking forward to continuing yoga through the rest of marathon training. As far as racing goes, I really felt good about my performance at Crim. Although it wasn’t a PR, I did maintain pretty decent paces while still having fun, and I helped a friend finish her first double digit mile race. For me, that is worth more than a PR!
Opportunities for improvement: Diet and hydration. I have made a little bit of progress on those things already in the first week or so of September, but it is time to step it up. Now that I really feel confident in my running and my cross training by adding yoga, it is time to focus on improving what I put into my body. Something I always preach – just because I know nutrition doesn’t mean it is any easier for me to make healthy choices than other people! I have a busy life, too, and sometimes just don’t prepare how I should. I’ve been slowly making some changes and getting things prepared so that I am less likely to grab something on the go. Heidi’s Darn Good Cookies are still my biggest weakness… and they just came out with Pumpkin Spice cookies…
What’s ahead: September has already started and it has started with a bang! I got the half marathon PR I have been hoping for and was not expecting, and it definitely ignited my love for the half marathon distance. In two weeks I’ll be running my first ever relay, the Capital City River Run half, with my friend Jenny and my husband. It will also be my first race wearing a tutu, so that should be fun. And of course, there’s that 26.2 looming in the not-so-distant future. 6 weeks until marathon number 4 – Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank International Marathon 2018, here I come!
RD on the Run 