May Training Recap

June 1, 2018 By Hollie in Training Tags: fitness, health, june, may, run, running, sports, training 8 Comments

May was a good month. Not so much a gritty training month, but it was a good month in general. I mentioned this in my training log last week, while I didn’t “train hard” through May, I did run. I didn’t stop training, and it wasn’t as if I wasn’t logging miles.

Running just wasn’t a priority. I’m still in great fitness, but I’m definitely not in peak fitness. A few months ago, running an 18:30 5k wasn’t too big of a deal, but right now I think I’m probably around 19 minutes. That’s what happens when you stop doing the little things and honestly, mentally and physically your body needs it.

Through the summer, I plan to actively train. In June I definitely would like to sign up for more races. That will probably help fine-tune speed work again. Do I think I’ll PR…No, but I will get closer? Yes. Eventually, I would like to run under 18 minutes in a 5k, a goal I’ve been chasing over the past few years.

Anyway, back to May Training:

Miles Run: Around 250
Rest Days: 5
Range of Paces: 6:11-11:30-untimed
Races:
Broad Street 10 Miler (1:02.51)
Cape May 10k (41:07)
First Trail Race 10k

View this post on Instagram

Hopped in the Cape May 10k this morning. From the start I knew it wasn’t my day. . Around mile 5 the bottom of my feet started burning. After I finished I realized I never changed into my racing flats and was wearing a pair of trainers with 500 miles on them. . Oh well ran 41:07. Done workouts faster (in those shoes LOL) but NBD. Was third woman and had a fun day down the shore.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on May 12, 2018 at 2:44pm PDT

I think my demotivation came from having a rough 10k after the Broad Street. The day itself was hot, windy, and down the sore. The race was well put together, but I just felt like garbage. The rest of the month I chose a lot of other things like hiking versus running. Then life got busy outside of the running and blogging world, so I felt like I was on the go and living out of my car with running around the state of NJ. Honestly, it was a great month but running just wasn’t a priority. As a running blogger with no kids, it’s weird saying: I just didn’t GAF about training hard. That’s what happened.

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1:02.51 for 10 miles and 35th female overall. . Smiled the entire race. . Side fived every kid. . LOLzed all the way. . Thanks Broad Street for a great race.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on May 6, 2018 at 10:20am PDT

Posts from the Month:

Hiking:
Hiking to the Cape May Lighthouse
Exploring Hartshorne Park in the Highlands

Flying:
Flying to Bridgeport, CT

So another month of the year down. It feels like the year is flying by. I’m looking forward to enjoying the summer and hopefully taking some time down the shore and at new parks.

Questions for you:

How was your May Training and workouts? Anyone have a goal race in June?

May Training Log: 7 Miles

June 2, 2017 By Hollie in Running, Running Reads, Uncategorized Tags: fitness, gym, health, may, running 3 Comments

Another month has come and gone. Towards the end of the month, I thought this would be the month of the 0.0 but I ended up running a grand total of 7 miles. All of which were this past week.

So instead of trying to come with a few hundred words about the 7 miles, I’ll tell you they were ok. I didn’t feel amazing and I didn’t feel terrible. I didn’t feel as if it was “the greatest comeback ever”. I probably ran about 10 minute pace but I have no idea. In fact, I don’t even know if it was 7 miles. It could be 6 or it could 8…Despite charging it, my watch still hasn’t gone for any runs with me. I just ran around my neighborhood until I felt sufficient.

Moving right along.

I did do quite a bit of cross training:
Swam 3X (total 3 miles)
7 Strength classes
6 Core classes (all between 15-30 mins)
Elliptical: 1X

Rest Days: 14

In summary, the month was what I needed. It was a break from running and I didn’t try and compensate with doing a lot of cardio.

I gained weight, lost fitness, but my life moved right along. I know taking a break was the best thing I could have done and I have no regrets.

Life wise, I also had a lot going on that kept me busy and I didn’t miss running. I knew how burnt, when I could stand at the Broad Street 10 mile finish, watch the race and not feel sad I chose not to run.

It was a whirlwind month. I had both my dad and in-laws come visit in Early May. Then, my mother came and visited the following week.

We made it!

After that, my husband came home mid May and spent a few days in New York. While in New York, I felt a slight twinge of exciement to run again. Not enough to actually run, but I had a little bit of excitement.

After having fun in New York City, we drove down to Virginia to see my brother Matt. Due to being stationed overseas, I hadn’t seen him since my wedding in April 2015. It was a great month, but such a busy month as well.

What’s on tap for June?

I am going to continue slowly build my base. I don’t have any major races in June but I will probably jump into a local race. I do plan to continue with strength and core classes because I’ve grown to enjoy them.

My husband and I are actually focusing more on nutrition this month so expect to see a few posts about that.

Posts from the month:
36 Pairs of Running Shoes Later
Visiting New York City
NonRunning Workout Ideas
A Week with Family
My Running Burnout
Running Related Posts
Are you Getting Enough Fiber?

So in summary, it’s been a great 5 weeks but I’m also excited to get back into training. It’s not a feeling I’ve had in quite some time.

Questions for you:

How was your month of training?

Have you ever taken time off?

The “I Didn’t Workout” Training Post

May 1, 2017 By Hollie in Running, Training Tags: fitness, health, may, rest, running, training 11 Comments

I didn’t train last week. In fact, the only workout I did was go to the gym once and use the elliptical. Truth be told, after the April Fools half marathon last weekend, I was (and still am) burnt out. I had no interest in running last week and didn’t. Heck, I might not even run this week.

The Broad Street 10 Miler is next Sunday, and it might be my next run back. If I run (which for me is only 50/50 now), my only goal is to finish and enjoy myself doing so. Having fun won’t be too difficult since both my parents and my inlaws are coming to visit.

So with that, this training post is one of the most boring I’ve ever written!

Last year around this time, I wrote a post about taking rest and burnout. That is relevant to me today and still where I am at.

As I mentioned last year, The idea of rest isn’t new, unusual, or life changing. It’s important for every single runner, new or old, elite or not, to take rest.

I’m on week 2 of resting now (the end to be determined). My ultimate goal is to start a new training cycle both physically and mentally happy. I want to wake up excited to run again, not say “ugh I have to run”.

Here is a list of things I told myself I might accomplish during my rest week:

Spring Cleaning
Sort old Race Tshirts and mail them to Project Repat for a Quilt
Find a few new gym classes to consider

Here are Things I Actually Did:

I actually cleaned my kitchen (that was last Monday, and it needs to be cleaned again now)
Drank a lot of coffee and relaxed on the internet
Went to the gym once and live tweeted a man chugging an energy drink before his workout

So that is where I’m at this week! PS: Happy May 1st!

Running Posts from the Week:
April Fools Half Marathon (1:26.17)
Running Related Posts
Asics Nimbus 19 Shoe Review

Questions for you:
Do you ever take rest weeks?
When was the last time you felt burnt out?

May Training: 260 Miles

June 2, 2016 By Hollie in Reads, Running, Training Tags: fitness, health, june, may, run, running, training 8 Comments

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I’m currently taking time away from running. Although I’m on a running break, I did have a good month of May. So where to begin?

Miles: 260
Range of Paces: 5:40-11:35-untimed

Races:
Broad Street 10 Miler (61:59)
Newport 10k (37:59)
Mile Track Race (5:40)
Cross Country 5k (19:20)

Favorite Race:
Broad Street was my favorite race because I felt like I finally had a solid race, despite the weather. I’ve battled bad weather each of my Spring Races. When I raced at the Shamrock half marathon in March, I finished feeling defeated. When I raced in the pouring rain at Broad Street, I finished feeling strong. In fact during Broad Street, my later miles were stronger than my earlier miles.

The .25 of Broad Street

Workouts: I didn’t have a favorite workout last month. I made it through but it felt like I was simply going through the motions. It should have been my first clue, I was coming close to a burnout.

Thoughts:
I thought May was going to be my come back month. I thought I would be able to bounce back and recover from Broad Street. That, however, wasn’t the case. During most of the month, I can reflect and say I was burnt out. Ten days into my running break, I feel good, and I feel like it was the right thing to do. I did run one mile yesterday for Global Running Day. Although it was an enjoyable mile, I’m not ready to dive back into training yet.

Goals for June:
Right now I have no goals. I could run a lot, or I could run a little bit…or even none at all. I’m enjoying the pool a little bit more lately, so I’ll continue with that.

Posts:
Quick Core Ideas for Runners
4 Surprises I Had While Using FitBit
Why it’s Necessary for a Running Break
How to Celebrate Global Running Day
How to Race Well in Unfavorable Conditions

Gear Review:
Saucony Ride 9 Review
Saucony Kinvara 7 Review
How to Stay Dry in Rainy Races

So that’s about it for recapping May. I didn’t meet the goals I wanted of “coming back” but a mental break is exactly what I need.

Questions for you:
How was your month of May?
Do you have any big summer plans?

FueledByLOLZ

Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Tag Archives: may