Week 31: Day 1 - Aug. 01, 2016

• easy walk with dogs = 2.5 miles
• group bike ride = 23.32 miles; time = 1:48:57; pace @ 12.8 mph

I was going to go to work on a bike starting at the mall, but I felt tired after my morning ride with a meetup group. I don't know why. Maybe I would have felt better if I just went to work on a bike. Maybe I needed to eat and I would have felt better. Maybe I really do need to catch up on sleep.

Week 30: Day 7 - July 31, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 3.87 miles; time = 50:37; pace @ 13:05
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles

Running:

Total Weekly Mileage: 13.66

Total Monthly (July) Mileage: 72.39

Total Yearly Mileage: 518.39

Total Shoe Mileage: 285.02

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 70.91

Total Monthly (July) Mileage: 264.28

Total Yearly Mileage: 1070.88

I didn't feel like getting into the car out of laziness and going elsewhere for a run. I think I should have gotten into the car to run somewhere else because staying home to run made me feel very unmotivated and it was humid which didn't help at all. Perhaps I'm also a little behind on catching up on sleep. Is summer over yet?

Week 30: Day 4 - July 28, 2016

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 5.52 miles; time = 1:08:15; pace @ 12:22
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike commute to work = 15.92 miles total; time = 1:15:35; pace @ 12.6 mph

It took me two miles into my run to finally feel ok with running. It felt a little humid, but it wasn't that bad.

I think I should have eaten something before I headed to work on a bike. I wasn't feeling very motivated, but I was hungry and I think that didn't help. Speaking of which, I forgot to mention on Tuesday that while I was on my way back to my car on a bike from work, I saw a guy run with four full grown husky dogs. They were all on hands-free leashes and all attached to his waist. He must have trained them extremely well to run at his pace because they were on point and didn't drag him down the sidewalk. It was an amazing sight!

Week 30: Day 3 - July 27, 2016

• easy walk with dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike commute to work = 15.86 miles total; time = 1:15:27; pace @ 12.6 mph

I had already planned not to do a run this morning. I am glad that I made this decision. I felt ok walking my dogs this morning, but as soon as we got home, I laid down and fell asleep very easily. I think I was more tired than I felt. I did need to catch up on sleep. If I had decided not to ride to work (part of the way), I would have slept another hour.

Week 30: Day 2 - July 26, 2016

• trail/road RUN (solo) = 4.27 miles; time = 59:16; pace @ 13:53
• easy WALK with dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike commute to work = 15.92 miles total; time = 1:18:28; pace @ 12.2 mph

I now really believe that I was a wimp with yesterday's weather. I think the weather was the same between yesterday and today, although I'm not sure why I thought it felt awfully hot at my house yesterday. The temperature today...it felt hotter and more humid at my house and cooler between the mall (where I parked my car at and went to work on a bike) and work. I don't know why this is...I live eight miles (if I use the freeway/highway...ten miles if I take the streets) from the mall and the temperature felt cooler there.

My run from this morning, on the other hand, was not enjoyable at all. It felt humid and I took a lot of walk breaks. I really cannot wait for summer to be over with!

Week 30: Day 1 - July 25, 2016

• easy walk with dogs = 2.5 miles
• group bike ride = 23.21 miles; time = 1:48:35; pace @ 12.8 mph

I went on a group bike ride with a meetup group this morning, but I didn't bother trying to go to work on a bike. It was really hot when I got home and walked my dogs. I think maybe I was really a wuss and overexaggerated the heat. I would have been ok if I drove to the mall to park my car and went to work on a bike from there. It was hot at work, but not as bad as it was at home. I'll ride to work tomorrow, but I am still going to park my car at the mall and I am still going to run in the morning.

During the ride this morning, I carried a 1/2 gallon water jug. It was 85°F at the start of the ride and 95°F at the end, so I wanted to make sure I had enough water to drink during the ride. There were five of us riding together. Some of the riders were faster/stronger than I was, but one of them said that I carried too much water and the extra weight was the reason why I was slower. I did a ride with this group a few months ago. It was 10 to 15°F cooler and I had a 1 liter hydration pack. It was cooler and I carried less water/weight, yet I was slower on that ride compared to this morning's ride. Carrying more water didn't matter. I was just naturally slower. I don't like people telling me what I can or can't do because they think they know me better than me. I am like a camel who can drink lots of water and soak it up like a sponge.

Week 29: Day 7 - July 24, 2016

• trail RUN (solo) = 5.86 miles; time = 1:16:00; pace @ 12:58 @ Chino Hills State Park
• easy WALK with dogs = 2.5 miles
• bike ride (local) = 15.07 miles; time = 1:19:57; pace @ 11.3 mph

Running: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 18.47

Total Monthly Mileage: 58.73

Total Yearly Mileage: 504.73

Total Shoe Mileage: 271.36

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 54.16

Total Monthly Mileage: 193.37

Total Yearly Mileage: 999.97

I had only done one run at Chino Hills State Park with my dog. As I was told by a park ranger (or employee) that it was ok to run or walk/hike there with a dog as long as we stayed on the paved road. For safety reasons, dogs (leashed or not) weren't allowed on the dirt trails. There were many things on the trail that could injure the dogs' feet like thorns, rocks, etc. Also, dangerous animals like coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions could smell out dogs on the trail and snakes could strike when threatened/scared even though dangerous animals were not likely to happen during the daytime. I chose to keep my dog at home so I could run on the trails without putting my dog in danger. The first 1/2 mile of my run was on a paved road before reaching my designated trail, but while I was about to start my run, I saw a coyote on the paved road near the entrance. I was glad that I chose to always keep my dog at home when running at this state park. I was not worried that the coyote would come after me, but I didn't want it to come after my dog!