May was an interesting and fun month. I’m finally starting to see some glimmers of fitness before my fall way back in 2021. Before the fall, I ran a 1:29 half. I felt like I was making progress towards PRs. Then the fall that hurt my back and a series of other injuries, including an ankle problem and flu prohibited me from progressing. After running some personal worst, I feel like I’m slowly progressing to run “faster” again.
Stats:
Miles run: 314
Range of Paces: 6:25-18:30-untimed
Workouts: 4
Races:
Cinco De Miles 5 Miler (34:49)
La Jolla Half Marathon (1:37.43)
Menifee Memorial Day 5K (20:37)
Swimming: 33.97 miles
Thoughts:
It was a good month of staying consistent and moving forward. I’m trying to run as many 5ks as possible this summer (without burning out, of course). I thrives on racing often, and I’ve realized I missed that. It can be a pain to drive “all the way into LA or OC or San Diego” for a 5k, but as mentioned the Menifee Memorial Day 5k, I don’t really think of it that way. I think of it more as a day trip with some fun.
When I ran a 20:37 at the Menifee Memorial 5k, it really showed me I think I’m in better fitness than I originally thought. I assumed I would barely squeak under 21 and even that was a stretch. After then running a 20:30 at the Corona Del Mar Scenic 5k, a challenging and hilly course, I realized it wasn’t a fluke!
Last month, I had some decent workouts and also some nongreat ones. I mean don’t we all every month? I was feeling a little stale after the La Jolla Half Marathon and not meeting my goals, so I took a down week. And I felt a lot better after that. It’s been unusually windy in the desert lately, and that also makes it unusually cool, but the wind beats you up mentally.
Swimming:
I’ve also been working on swimming more. I find swimming outside to (usually) be so relaxing so it’s nice to swim outdoors when the weather corporates. I say “usually” because occasionally the wind is unenjoyable and swimming in wind is actually harder than running in wind. My friend and I will likely do a swim meet in June which will be super fun.
I can see some glimmers of fitness coming through that I haven’t seen in quite some time. Running a 6:25 mile in a 5k? I haven’t done that in a couple of years. I hope I can keep improving.
For Next Month:
My goal for June is to continue to work on top-end speed as I work on my goal for a sub-20-minute 5k before the end of the summer. I want to get some longer+faster workouts on the track, which will likely benefit me more. I’ve also been working on shorter and faster reps versus longer intervals. I’ve neglected my top-end speed for so long that it will take a while to come back.
As I progress into harder and faster workouts, I want to get 4-5 miles of hard work. I usually end with about 3 miles of hard work but I would like to increase the hard work component to help increase endurance and speed.
Posts from the Month:
Shoe Reviews:
Saucony Kinvara 14 Shoe Review
adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 Shoe Review
Gear Review:
CookUnity Review: My favorite meal delivery service so far?
Factor Meals Review (Update for 2023)
Vital Proteins Get Up and Glow Capsules Review
Force Factor Total Beets Review
NORTIV 8 Recovery Slides Review
Questions for you:
How was your month of training?
Are you training for anything?
Are you doing the Long Beach Classic 5K this weekend?
Hey Chris, I am thinking about it. I’ve never done it before. How about you?
Chris and Hollie, I discovered that the 5K race was approximately 10 days ago. I believe that both of you’ll easily handle a 5K with very little effort, know what I mean? – Joel S.