Week 39: Day 5 - September 30, 2016

• easy road/trail RUN with one dog = 6 miles; time = 1:11:48; pace @ 11:58
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike ride = 12.7 miles; time = 1:11:11; pace @ 10.7 mph

I almost did not go for a bike ride today out of laziness. I told myself that I would feel better if I did, so I went. Then near the end of the ride, I crashed because I went over a bump in the street that I didn't see. It was very sunny out and the bump was in the shade, so of course, I didn't go around it. But I should have because I knew to be careful since I had been on this route a few times before....but I was going much slower during previous rides.

Week 39: Day 3 - September 28, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 4.85 miles; time = 57:51; pace @ 11:56
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

Is summer officially over yet?

Week 39: Day 2 - September 27, 2016

• hilly trail RUN with one dog = 1.1 mile; time = 14:15; pace @ 12:57
• warm up = 1.1 mile
• cool down = 1.1 mile
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

This heat wave is finally over...for now anyway, but I hope it doesn't come back until next year! I want to finish training in cooler temperatures now.

Week 38: Day 7 - September 25, 2016

• long road RUN with one dog = 7.25 miles; time = 1:27:14; pace @ 12:02
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.3 miles

Running: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 21.46

Total Monthly Mileage: 74.87

Total Yearly Mileage: 648.82

Total Shoe Mileage: 61.22

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 22.8

Total Monthly Mileage: 51.47

Total Yearly Mileage: 1378.63

Longest run for my dog was 7.25 miles as of today. However, this will be the last "long" run that my dog will be doing with me. The next long-ish run that my dog will be doing from here on out will be 6.7 miles now as I have to the rest of my long runs (eight or more miles) alone because I don't think she needs to do those longer runs with me. After all, the half marathon course, as any half marathon race course anywhere, is not dog-friendly.

Week 38: Day 5 - September 23, 2016

• hilly trail RUN with one dog = 1.1 mile; time = 15:20; pace @ 13:56
• warm up = 1.1 mile
• cool down = 1.1 mile
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike commute to mall (lunch @ Red Robin) = 22.79 miles total; time = 1:46:54; pace @ 12.8 mph

I decided to ride my bike to the mall to have lunch at Red Robin...yum! This was during midday (9:30am to 1:30pm) when Edison decided to turn off the power in my neighborhood. I could have stayed home and did something else that was also productive like cleaning (because certain general cleaning and general re-organizing doesn't require electricity), but I decided to ride first and then I can clean when I come back. I really do need to do some cleaning sooner than later. The route that I took to the mall and back home was part of my bike route to work if I choose to commute the entire distance. I hadn't done this part of the commute in a long time because I had been parking my car at the mall and then going to work on my bike from there for my own safety when it started to get darker earlier. I felt a little faster compared to when I did the whole commute, however, this was the first time that I rode to the mall and then home, so I have nothing (finish time and pace) to compare. So I am not sure if I was really faster. I just felt faster and I think this had to do with my alternate bike route (that takes me nowhere but around town) with a challenging hill. Since we are on this subject, I really need to stop being lazy about my bike training and start riding again weekly/regularly.

Week 38: Day 3 - September 21, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.81 miles; time = 1:09:14; pace @ 11:55
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

I saw the weather forecast on tv this morning. I will not like the weather next week. It will be HOT and I will melt! It was a little warm and humid this morning, but it was tolerable.

Week 38: Day 2 - September 20, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.1 miles; time = 1:01:36; pace @ 12:05
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

The weather was a bit warm this morning, but I felt good during the run. Let's keep this up for the next 12 weeks!

Week 37: Day 7 - September 18, 2016

• "long" *training* RUN with one dog = 6.7 miles; time = 1:24:09; pace @ 12:34
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

Running: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 20.67

Total Monthly Mileage: 53.41

Total Yearly Mileage: 627.36

Total Shoe Mileage: 39.76

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 0

Total Monthly Mileage: 28.67

Total Yearly Mileage: 1355.83

Two weeks of training down. Four more weeks to go for the 10k race and ten more to go for the holiday half marathon. I felt okay running this morning. I hope I don't mentally crash and get bored before the 10k race.

Week 37: Day 4 - September 15, 2016

• easy road/trail RUN with one dog = 5.86 miles; time = 1:12:05; pace @ 12:18
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

I am finally enjoying my runs now that the weather has gotten cooler.

Week 37: Day 3 - September 14, 2016

• easy road RUN with one dog = 4.83 miles; time = 57:38; pace @ 11:57
• easy WALK with dogs = 2.5 miles

I may very well jinx it by saying that the weather has been nice during the last few days. It has gotten cold at nighttime that I have to close my windows now and I wake up to a wonderfully cold 54 F degrees (I really prefer 37 to 39 F degrees though) in the morning. I enjoyed my run this morning because it was nice running weather.

Week 37: Day 2 - September 13, 2016

• hilly trail RUN with one dog = 1.1 mile; time = 15:45, pace @ 14:19
• warm up = 1.1 mile
• cool down = 1.1 mile
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

After I did my run and a 1.5 mile walk (with my dogs) this morning, it started to drizzle lightly immediately after I came back from walking my dogs. While I would have preferred more rain (like a lot) and have it in the afternoon at work, I was glad that my dogs and I did all of our morning exercise before the drizzle came. I think we only got a little bit for the whole day, so I'm a little disappointed.

Week 36: Day 7 - September 11, 2016

• trail/road RUN with one dog = 6 miles; time = 1:16:29; pace @ 12:45
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

Running:

Total Weekly Mileage: 19.09

Total Monthly Mileage: 32.74

Total Yearly Mileage: 606.69

Total Shoe Mileage: 19.09

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 12.78

Total Monthly Mileage: 28.67

Total Yearly Mileage: 1355.83

I'm going to have two and a half very long months if my mind wants to play games and go on a mental roller coaster. On my last run, I struggled during the first two miles and then finally felt better for the remainder of the run. This morning, I felt pretty good during the entire run.

Week 36: Day 5 - September 09, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.29 miles; time = 1:04:59; pace @ 12:17
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

I don't know why, but I felt a little unmotivated to run this morning. I felt better after two miles into my run though. It was overcast this morning and while I prefer sunny and COLD, I appreciated it because overcast is better than sunny and hot/humid.

Week 36: Day 3 - September 07, 2016

• hilly trail RUN with one dog = 1.1 mile; time = 15:54; pace @ 14:27
• warm up = 1.1 mile
• cool down = 1.1 mile
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

I forgot to mention last week that I meant to do this hill trail run (pre-training) regularly/weekly for a month before I started training for my half. Oh well, it's okay. I am able to run this hilly trail continuously anyway, so I just have to improve on my endurance/speed by running it every week until mid-October. Then I will do a longer hilly trail as my long runs get longer/farther.

Week 36: Day 2 - September 06, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 4.5 miles; time = 55:53; pace @ 12:26
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

I think the nap that I took after Sunday's run really helped out a lot. I felt so much better running this morning.

Week 36: Day 1 - September 05, 2016

• easy walk with dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike training ride (local) = 12.78 miles; time = 1:09:48; pace @ 11 mph

I told myself to do local (at home) bike rides more regularly especially the one route in mind with a challenging hill. My hill running is okay in general, but my bike training on hills has gotten slower. I tell myself that I want to do my own riding/cycling on Monday mornings, but I don't know what I'm going to when my long runs on Sundays become ten miles or longer. Sunday is the only weekend day that I can do my long runs because I'm at work from 8am to 5pm every Saturday. In 2013, I tried to do bike rides on Monday mornings while training for a half marathon, but I quit doing that when my Sunday long runs got to ten miles because my legs were getting sore between the long runs and the easy bike rides (which were an easy 7.4 mile).

Week 35: Day 7 - September 04, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.49 miles; time = 1:15:46; pace @ 13:49
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

Running: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 17.8

Total Monthly (August) Mileage: 54.56

Total Monthly (September) Mileage: 13.65

Total Yearly Mileage: 586.6

Total Shoe Mileage: 352.23

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 47.59

Total Monthly (August) Mileage: 256.28

Total Monthly (September) Mileage: 15.89

Total Yearly Mileage: 1343.05

I think I'm in trouble. I feel like my motivation has crashed and boredom has kicked in. I haven't even started training for my half marathon yet (first training run is on Tuesday, September 06) and the race is in three weeks from now. I signed up for a 10K race, but that is six weeks from now (mid-October). I know that I will be ok once I do the 10k run, but I am really going to struggle between now and then. However, I took a nap after my run and walking my dogs this morning. I hope that this will help me feel better about doing my morning cycling tomorrow and for my next run.

My foot/calf problem didn't exactly go away, but Friday's massage helped. My foot hurt a little bit after running this morning, but it wasn't that bad and it felt better at other times. It would hurt while standing or sitting.

Week 35: Day 5 - September 02, 2016

• easy road RUN with one dog = 4.86 miles, time = 1:02:57, pace @ 12:57
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

I was going to do a bike ride after my run, but my right foot got randomly sore really bad. I knew that this problem was more related to how tight my right calf muscle was and I needed to get it massaged. There was a massage place pretty close to home, but I went there by car. I would have walked, but my foot was hurting. Both of my calves were sore, so I guess both were pretty tight. My right foot feels better now, but we'll see how goes it on Sunday when I do my next run.

I don't think I would be going back to this same massage place again. They are under new management and have all completely new staff members. They also increased the prices which is kinda stupid because I don't think they are that much better than the previous management/staff. If I do go back to this place, it will probably be in a year from now when I'm training for another half marathon. Otherwise, I think I will be going elsewhere. It was just more convenient for me to go here because I could easily just walk the 1/2 mile from my house.

Week 35: Day 4 - September 01, 2016

• hill trail RUN with one dog = 1.1 mile; time = 15:38; pace @ 14:13
• warm up = 1.1 mile
• cool down = 1.1 mile
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike commute to work = 15.89 miles total; time = 1:17:44; pace @ 12.3mph

I felt better about running this morning. I didn't feel better about cycling, so I guess it's a good thing that today was the last day going to work on a bike for a few months.