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. That said here is my running recap of the third quarter of 2018. I had a hamstring pull in June, so I skipped a few races in July to baby it. I did wind up with more races than I expected this quarter. I also started training for NYC with one 18 miler and two 20 milers so far.
# of Races Run this Quarter– 7 + a fun run 5K. I ran a 10 miler, 3 half marathons, a 1/2 mile race, a 6K and a 4.1 mile race plus a 5K fun run at Expo East. I’ll provide brief recaps and photos below!
Rave Run Location: Snoqualmie Pass in Washington State. Kristin and I ran the Cascade Super Series 1/2 marathon and it was stunning.
Miles Run This Quarter: 550.7 which is avg. of 5.98 per day. 57.62 miles were in races.
Falls: None that I can think of! Woot!
Personal Records (PRs): 2 – sort of. I ran a 4.1 mile race and a 6K race. I’ve never run either distance so both were personal bests. My friend, Ryan, says that’s cheating. You decide.
Toughest Conditions: Hands down, the 80 degree/90% humidity CARA Ready to Run 20 miler after being at Expo East for 4 days. Then, to add insult to injury, I had to walk up 21 flights of stairs when I got home because the elevators in our building were out. Womp womp womp.
Celeb Sightings and Cool Meet Ups: I finally met blogger and runner, Kaila from Healthy Helper at Expo East.
New Running Goodies that I tried:
- Seattle Gummy Company – Performance Gummies and Energy Gummies
- Fitletic Hydration Belt
- SPIBelt Glide Belt
- SoleHealers – foot strengthening/PF support
- Caliloko Sports Bra + Compression Sleeves
- Run Chicago socks from My Soxy Feet
- Fluid Running System (water running)
- SiS – Science in Sport Go Gel and Hydro Tabs
- Funk Away – Odor Eliminating Spray
- Athleta Run Collection
Popular Running Posts:
- Fall Runfessions + Giveaway
- Tried it Tuesday: SiS – Science in Sport Go Gel and Hydro Tabs
- Tried it Tuesday: Fluid Running System (water running)
- Friday Five: 5 Run/Recovery Tools To Try This Summer #Giveaway
Races Planned for Q4: Chicago 5K and NYC Marathon. I decided to defer CIM so that The Husband and I can go on vacation to Italy. Two marathons in one quarter may be a bad idea for me any way!
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. Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10, Darien, IL – July 14
We had a surprisingly mild, rainy morning for the Waterfall Glen Xtreme 10. It’s a 10 miler on a gravel trail that’s hilly for us Chicago folks. I was still a bit worried about my hamstring. The hammie was fine. My endurance was a bit low so the last few miles were slower than I would have liked. It was still enough for an AG win. Brooke and I had fun, as always!
Results: Net time – 1:21:54 (8:11/mile) Place – Overall – 106 of 441. Female 18 of 208. Female 45-49 – 1 of 22.
2. Nike Unsanctioned 800 meter race, Chicago, IL – July 19
I was invited to run an “underground pop-up” race with Nike. I was told the race would be 800 meters an on a hill at 9:00 PM. My first reaction was”hell, no!” I haven’t run a race that short since 1988. Then, I got curious and said “why not?” The “hill” was a parking deck. It was 6 floors down and 6 floors up. I got Nike Pegasus 35s to test and keep and had a blast. Lesson learned? “Just Do It!” The times were not published but I think I came across at ~3:19. Not too bad considering I was conservative on the downhill to baby my hamstring.
3. Rock N Roll Half Marathon, Chicago, IL – July 22
My friend Melissa came in for the RnR Half this year. It wasn’t as hot as some years, but we had rain and wind and overall kind of crazy conditions. It was not my day. I struggled through and grinned and beared it. It was nice to have Melissa in and to run with Kristin. We saw friends and I got to go to a great blogger meet up, so all in all, not bad!
Results: Net time – 1:50:57 (8:28/mile) Place – Overall – 1170 of 8713. Female 357 of 4997. Female 45-49 – 19 of 427.
4. Run for Walk 4.1, Evanston, IL – July 29
I’ve never run a 4.1 mile race, so it was a guaranteed PR. We had a pretty nice morning and I felt great. The course was really nice and shady, too. I surprised myself with a pretty quick pace and was happy to come in under 30 minutes.
Results: Net time – 29:44 (7:16/mile) Place – Overall – 78 of 485. Female 11 of 187. Female 45-49 – 1 of 23.
5. Madison Mini Half Marathon, Madison, WI – August 18
Finally had a chance to run a half with Jen (after my failed attempt in May due to a bad accident that closed the highway). It was 80 degrees and 90% humidity, but we worked together and both did better than we expected. We saw lots of friends and had a great mini-vacay in Madison.
Results: Net time – 1:47.16 (8:11/mile) Place – Overall – 355 of 2523. Female 109 of 1409. Female 45-49 – 7 of 141.
6. Nike Unsanctioned 6K, Chicago, IL – August 30
I was invited to do an unsanctioned 6K with Nike. That was more up my alley than the 800, so I signed up. Hannah and I went down to the Goose Island Barrel House to run. We saw tons of friends there and enjoyed cheering for the men’s race and then running the 6k / 4 loop course. The course was a bit short and there were not official times. I was fighting not to get lapped by the eventual winner. She was a professional steeplechase runner and finished in 18:43. Even for a short course, that’s flying. My pace was around 7:20/mile and I was happy with that!
7. Cascade Super Series Half Marathon, Snoqualmie, WA – Sept 8
Kristin found this race on a weekend when she was in Seattle for work, so I decided to join her. It’s a trail race with a 2% downhill grade (800 fit) and it’s billed as “super fast.” There is a 2 mile tunnel at the start that we needed to use flashlights/headlamps for. That part was trippy. It was stunning scenery and a very friendly race. I enjoyed the run and felt pretty good, but it wasn’t a fast day for me. Ironically, I was a bit slower than the hot, hilly Madison race. We had so much fun and I’m glad I went and got to run on such a beautiful course.
Results: Net time – 1:47.51 (8:13/mile) Place – Overall – 68 of 312. Female 21 of 185. Female 45-49 – 4 of 57.
8. SOS Rehydrate 5K “Fun Run” at Expo East, Baltimore, MD – Sept 13
SOS hosted a fun run 5K at Expo East. There were prizes for 1st man and woman, so the pace was quick. I surprised myself with a run in the low 22s considering I was not in the running for 1st female and didn’t run all out. It’s always fun to run in Baltimore and to see the SOS crew!
How was your third quarter in running? Please tell me about it in the comments!
PS. Don’t miss my Fall Runfessions + Giveaway!