I always say that I am more of a “blogging runner” than a running blogger. I do like to write about running, races and tips/tricks for running but that is not enough to call this a running blog – not even close! That said, here is my running recap of the second quarter of 2018. Like 2Q17, it was a fun quarter. I also saw a return of some speed in the 10 mile and a sub 4 hour marathon again. Woot!
Races run this Q – 4 (plus 2 DNS): Two 5Ks, a 10 miler and a marathon. I missed one half marathon due to a road accident (not one I was involved in but the road to the race was shut down) and a 10 miler cancelled for lightning. I’ll provide brief recaps below! Not a race, but I also did a hiking / running adventure with Lauren and Russ in Zion. That was awesome!
Miles run: 510 this quarter – which averages to 5.6 per day – though I don’t run every day. I finished June with low miles due to a small hamstring pull.
Miles run in races: 42.4
Falls: 0 – I’m still healing from my wipe out in March in Anaheim.
Personal Records (PRs): 0 – can’t say that I expected any, but I was not even close at any distance. It was not that kind of quarter. I may run a 4.1 mile race in July. That will be a PR as I’ve never run that distance before!
Pairs of Sneakers – I’ve been wearing Mizuno Wave Riders 20s like the ones I got via my Fitfluential ambassadorship. I’ve also been wearing Hoka Claytons and Karhu Fast 5s.
New Running Goodies that I tried:
- Run Gum Extra Strength Spearmint
- CEP Ultralight No Show Socks (enter to win some here through July 3)
- Salonpas Pain Relieving Gel (enter to win some here through July 5)
- Fitletic Fully Loaded Hydration Belt (review coming soon)
- SpiBelt GLIDE (review and giveaway coming soon)
- Caliloko Sports Bra and Calf Sleeves (review and giveaway coming soon)
- Coobie Sports Bra
Popular Running Posts:
Races Planned for Q3: I’m planning to run Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon with my friend Melissa in July. In August, Jen and I will run the Madison Half Marathon and I may run a half in Washington State in September with Kristin. I’m also signed up for 4 on the 4th (but I may skip because on my minor hamstring injury), Waterfall Glen 10 Miler and the Run for Walk 4.1 miler. That’s probably enough! What are you planning to run??
Brief Race Reports – I included a few “how I did” postscripts on posts that I wrote on race days. Here is a brief recap of the races I ran this quarter:
1. Good Life Race. Oak Park, IL. April 8, 2018
I love this race because they run women’s and then men’s so we can cheer for our male running buddies – just like high school. I beat my goal time and finished 1st in my age group.
Results: Net time – 21:51 (7:03/mile) Place – Overall – 26 of 464. Female – 26 of 464. Female 45-49 – 1 of 55.
2. Wintrust Lakefront 10 Miler. Chicago, IL. April 21, 2018
I decided to run the Lakefront 10 as part of my marathon training. I fell in with a great group of runners and chatted happily the whole way. I surprised myself with my fastest 10 miler since 2014. I made some new runner friends, too!
Results: Net time – 1:14.35 (7:27/mile) Place – Overall – 152 of 1,263. Female – 29 of 663. Female 45-49 – 1 of 77.
3. Mountains 2 Beach Marathon. Ojai, CA. May 28, 2018
I signed up for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon while I was still licking my wounds from NYC. The course is known for being fun and fast and the only wild card is the heat. We had a great day and I had so much fun. This one could become an annual tradition. Read my full recap here.
Results: Net time – 3:48.48 (8:43/mile) Place – Overall – 913 of 1,886. Female – 344 of 958. Female 45-49 – 31 of 138.
4. Ricky Byrdsong Race Against Hate 5K. Evanston, IL. June 17, 2018
I’ve always wanted to do this community friendly 5K in Evanston. The forecast was for brutal heat and it was really tough. Just like my high school coach used to say, it was hot for everyone. This was more than a minute slower than my Good Life Race time, but my friends were slower, too. I won my age group in this one – that makes 3 this quarter.
Results: Net time – 22:56 (7:22/mile) Place – Overall – 134 of 1926. Female – 25 of 954. Female 45-49 – 1 of 124
How was your second quarter in running? Please tell me about it in the comments!
PS. Don’t forget my great giveaways!