500 miles!

By | September 1, 2019

I would run five hundred miles and I would run five hundred more. Well, maybe not.

Sometime this week I hit 500 miles run on the year according to the Run the Year tracker. Manual miles never quite make it there, so I actually hit it last week but didn’t notice. Why didn’t I notice such a major milestone? I was focused on another: my first ever hundred mile month!

I finished August with 105.95 miles run. Two years ago I stopped chasing a 30 minute running time goal focusing on quality over quantity. This month I averaged 1:33:06 run time. That’s insane, and wonderful. In my 800 miles on the year tracker this is the first time I’ve been ahead of pace since January 1’s ten miles. Nutty. Awesome. I remain in awe of what my body can do when I ask and help it to.

so 19.4K steps/day is a down week?

Oh Fitbit, I love/hate you. Running has meant less chasing of garbage steps and being OK with missing step goal more than I would have been in the past. But the idea of this being a down week just makes me laugh. Tuesday wasn’t really a rest day, I just fell short of 12K steps on my walk to dinner – Sunday was a blissful beach day.

I ended August with nearly 600K steps. 596,413 to be precise. I actually realized that Friday and still decided in favor of preserving a much needed rest day. Wow. That’s 60K more than my previous high, last August. Run/walk total was 270.98. Even though my long walks home have been a casualty of marathon training, I’m still walking plenty, apparently.

On to this week’s running with the weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim:

yep, we thought we were getting rained on again

caught stretching

  • never miss a Monday: ~4 sunset miles with Darlene. After almost always getting rained on for the last year, we’ve had some great sunsets. Monday was The Best. I also was trying out a new sports bra desperate for one that wouldn’t chew me up. So far so good on a short run.

a colorful tree!

  • Tuesday: cross turned yoga. I was really, really tight and I’ve been feeling the niggles. Not pain and not injury, just the aches and pains of a hundred mile month so I took advantage of a training down week to focus on the yoga, PT and prehab.
  • Wednesday: shocker, shocker, it rained the day of Group training. The planned workout:
The workout: 300m repeats
What? Runners will do 8-12 laps of the track with 300m at 5K pace and then 100m recovery jog and repeat. Half marathoners will do 8-10 laps, and marathoners will do 10-12 laps.
The recovery jog should be super, super easy, a pitter patter shuffle jog in order to be ready for the next 300.
Why? 300 meter repeats are a speed workout focused on 5K pace with very little recovery. We want runners to practice patience here and avoid running faster than 5K pace. This workout is sneaky and might look easy on paper. However, it becomes more challenging as the workout goes on due to the short recovery jog, especially if runners go out too fast or run faster than 5K pace. Our purpose is to feel a fast rhythm, stay in control of our speed, improving form and leg turnover. It’s a shorter workout due to the down week as usual. By the end, runners will feel that but should leave the workout feeling like they could do 1-2 more reps. If they don’t – they ran too fast or didn’t take the recoveries slow enough. Either way, please make sure the runners don’t force this one. Be conservative with it and let the speed come to them.

I learned to lap my garmin

and got a popsicle!

and then we decided to pose

  • the reality, pretty close. It was humid, and I’m consistently inconsistent but was proud of these efforts. I probably could have gone harder on a drier day. The host of Rogue Running was in town so we & Om Running toasted him with popsicles. Apparently dessert runs are a tradition for him. We had to improvise as the store has no cooler, but Whole Foods downstairs came to our rescue. And if they’re Whole Foods they’re healthy, right? 🙂 And no, I didn’t re-wear Monday’s shirt, I just bought two since they’re $5. I found out why, kind of see through but oh well.
  • Thursday: work field trip to New York Botanical Garden’s Roberto Burle Marx exhibit. It’s a stunning look at the flowers of his native Brazil mixed with elements of his landscape design. Lots of steps there, and then a trip to the gym for some strength training, PT and yoga. That felt good.
  • Friday: Fridays are prescribed off days in my training plan, but I usually end up with a solid walk by virtue of my commute. This week? Only reason I made even 2K steps was because I forced myself out the door to go get dinner. Was feeling a little under the weather and just tired. I saw my monthly step totals and knew what I’d need to get 600K and just punted. This was my first complete rest day in a long time and it was needed.

Lord Queen of the post-run coffee

  • Saturday: down week! Gorgeous weather and we decided to stay in Central Park. From Columbus Circle we went up and around through the Harlem Hills, across the 72nd and back up across the 102nd Transverse before heading back to Columbus Circle for ten-ish. We ran exactly together save for a dash to a trash can, but our trackers were .3 miles off. This felt good. The West Side rollers x 2 were a non-issue as we talked through them and even Cat Hill didn’t make me too stabby. I’m still concerned about the upcoming three loops of CP and my achilles, but worse comes to worse I walk the hills on the last lap. There was a conversation in the Skirt Sports Facebook group about what someone should wear for a distance run. I found myself saying Cascade, because it’s always Cascade for me. But then someone suggested Gym Girl, which I didn’t think I’d worn for more than eight, and since it was a down week I was willing to try it. In short order I remembered I did it for the last down week too. No chafing at all and the new sports bra also held up. I still am not sure I’d wear GGU for longer, but it’s good to know it’s an option. While I’m not team Summer, I’ll miss the long days. Saturdays feel crushed with trying to pack in a long run, charge my phone, yoga/foam rolling, sushi and a sunset read. One of those things is going to go next weekend when the run is eighteen miles. It won’t be the coffee.
  • Sunday: TBD. Maybe shakeout run

Week’s mileage: 19.03

Training cycle and money raised for JHF: 207.35

Plan for the Week:

  • Monday: run
  • Tuesday: off/gym/movies with Darlene
  • Wednesday: run group
  • Thursday: run/cross
  • Friday: off
  • Saturday: 18!
  • Sunday: spectate friends in Fifth Avenue Mile, street fair.

 

20 thoughts on “500 miles!

  1. deborahbrooks14

    Congratulations on hitting some major milestones this week! This was my lowest mileage month in a long time but hey today is the start of a new month! Thanks for linking have a fantastic week

    Reply
  2. Liz Dexter

    A great week and great milestones! I’ve only been 100+ miles twice this year so far – in April and May, unsurprisingly, as they were my pre-marathon and marathon months. Keeping strong and keeping up with those fab photos, too!

    Reply
  3. Chocolaterunsjudy

    Well, 18 miles pretty much means eat all the food & rest. 🙂 And your tree looks a LOT better, btw. 🙂

    Glad you took that rest day! I’ll bet it was needed!

    Listen to your body on the hills. There’s no shame in walking.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      my tree was spotted and wrenched into position. o:) One of these days I’ll get it right on my own.
      The rest day was very much needed. Can’t tell if it was more mental or physical

      Reply
      1. Chocolaterunsjudy

        LOL at wrenched tree. 🙂 It’s called a practice for a reason, and even if you get it right one day, there’s no telling what the next day will bring.

        The rest day was probably for both mental AND physical!

        Reply
  4. kookyrunner

    Wow, 500 miles already? Congrats! That’s some great mileage so far for the year, and great miles for the month too!

    I’m always amazed at how much you’re able to pack into the week! Good luck on your 18 miler next weekend – you got this!

    Reply
  5. Kim at Running on the Fly

    Well done, Cari! Great week and a great month! I got spoiled with last week’s 12-miler and this weekend’s 6-miler (Saturday)/13.1 (today’s race). Next weekend, there’s 15 miles on the roster….

    Reply
  6. Montana @ Pretty Lil Mudder

    Great job on hitting 500! I’m like 20 away from that…it feels like its taking forever this year. Last two years I was marathon training so it was easy to hit high mileage numbers. My injury made that not possible this year.

    I like the Lionness for long distance training runs. I’m a short pleated skirt kinda girl 🙂

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      I can’t wear Lioness skirt so I’m antsy to take the capri I bought out for a spin
      This is shaping up to be my best solo RTY, but I think I’m skipping it next year. I don’t feel the community is as strong as it was. You’ll get there super soon – you’ve had an amazing rebound from your ankle

      Reply
    1. cari Post author

      I do–sometimes. Depends on if the hand wash has dried. That’s a big if in my apartment depending on whether curtains open

      Reply
  7. Marcia

    Congrats on some impressive milestones! 100+ mile weeks are no joke. Running truly changes you and it’s amazing to see what begins to feel “normal”. Your work field trip sounds wonderful. Art + gardens = heaven in my book.

    Reply
  8. Wendy

    I love what you said about being in awe of what your body can do! That is one great feeling, isn’t it? Congrats on such a great month and year so far.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      It really is – we so often underestimate what we’re capable of. Love it when our muscles, tendons etc. show off. Thank you!

      Reply
  9. Melissa

    Wow, congrats! That is so exciting – and a good reminder that we should be grateful for and in awe of our bodies. Sounds like you’ve had a great 2019 overall.

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      It’s a theme that has come up in recent podcasts but also I feel too many of us take our bodies for granted. It’s why prehab is so valuable. Thank you!

      Reply
  10. Debbie @ Deb Runs

    Congrats on 500 miles! Our bodies are pretty amazing, aren’t they? I’d love to run in Central Parks some day and post-race popsicles sound perfect!

    Reply
    1. cari Post author

      Next time you’re up here for a bike event or to visit your son, you should. It’s easy access and great terrain. Team popsicle forever

      Reply
  11. Pingback: This is 40 |

  12. Pingback: Jumping into June head first – travellingcari.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *