June in Review

Week of June 17:
53 miles
6 Days Running
Half Marathon Champs in 5th to last place, 1:20:04
1 Day Off

Week of June 24:
4.5 miles
6 Days off
2 Days in Quebec
Reunion with my husband

Week of July 1:
35 Miles
1 Day off
4 Days in Quebec
5k Race

This summer of racing has definitely had its share of highs and lows--starting first with an abysmal performance at the NC USATF 10k Champs in May, followed shortly thereafter with quite possibly my best 5k performance since my freshman year of college, culminating with the worst half performance I've had, ever.  I don't have any excuse about my performance in Duluth, but I do know that surely it is not any indicator of where my true fitness truly lies.  Sure, there were a couple of hiccups along the way, like a unexpected throbbing pain in my lower back the night before the race, so agonizing that I wasn't sure I could even start the race.  Fortunately, my back calmed down after I warmed up, so basically I just had a very bad day and shrugged the bad performance off about the same time that I saw Laurie coming in for the finish in her marathon.   Of course I wanted to run faster and prove that I could indeed run with some of the best female distance runners in the country, but I have plenty of opportunities ahead of me to do so, again and again.  I will continue to improve and every race, even the worst of them, are putting me one step closer to achieving my latest goals.

Most importantly, I took a step back and realized there are few things that I need to get in order--(1) get a coach and (2) execute the lifting plan Garrett made me last year.  I'm working on #1 and I haven't started on #2 because I'm just now finishing up my two weeks of rest!  Of course I'm dreading the three days a week that I will need to lift, but I'll get over it soon enough, so long as I stick to the plan.  My mini vacation to visit Garrett was a great way for me to reflect on my running and what I want to focus on next.  The perfect, dry air cool temperatures provided me great inspiration to get training again for what I know will be a terrific fall of racing.  

I'm looking forward to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon on October 6th.  Beyond that, I may be toying with the idea of a winter marathon with Meagan, Laurie and Sarah, but I'm not making any decisions until summer has past.  Fortunately, the fall is a long time away and I still have two more months of training through the North Carolina swamp.  I hope to get in some good base mileage over July and August before buckling down into longer interval and tempo training in preparations for a marathon!

Several people have asked about the Trials and what my goal may be there and, for purposes of full disclosure, I would indeed love to qualify for the Trials, but I also have hopes of starting a family around the same time that the Trials would be held.  My goal will be to qualify, but with the understanding and acceptance that family would trump athletic events.   Until then, every mile I run will be for achieving the Trials standard!