Thursday, October 4, 2018

Running, Tapering, Chatting...over Chai


What's been happening in my life recently?

Funny you should ask....I have been running (lots), tapering (the Cannonball Marathon is almost here) and, on occasion, I have been downing a chai latte' (or several).

That said, it's time for our monthly coffee chat (or, as I prefer...a chai chat). You know, a time to gather among fellow (running) friends and share what's been happening on (and off) the road.



Here's what I'd share if we were chatting over chai (or any beverage of your choosing)...

First off, let me tell you how glad I am to be in taper mode. It's fun and exciting running a marathon, but the training can be a buzzkill. It takes a lot of time and, frankly, my body is tired. This past weekend, I had a 5K on Saturday and a 5.5-mile run on Sunday. I ran the 5K pretty strong, and the 5.5-miler wasn't especially fast, but it also was a strong and steady effort (with negative splits). Both outings were on rather hilly routes. Come Monday morning, my glutes/hamstring region was on fire. My #nevermissaMonday run was in slow-mo, and my body still had some residual DOMS at play for my #5at5 on Wednesday morning. I'll just suffice it to say that I have been foam-rolling like it's my job, and stretching those weary muscles every free minute I can muster.
time for some muscle TLC
As mentioned, I ran a 5.5-mile run on Sunday. This wasn't just any run, though, it was a memorial run, done in tribute to Mollie Tibbetts. It took place 20 miles away, in her hometown (Brooklyn, IA), and there was a huge turnout of people. There were well over 500 runners and walkers in attendance. We ran her favorite route, the route she set out to run on July 18th (but didn't finish). There were balloons everywhere, numerous motivational and spiritual signs along the route, and tons of spectators on their lawns. Many were wearing the commemorative shirts. Her brother spoke briefly, and thanked everyone for all the love and support through this tragedy. He also mentioned that over $20,000 has been donated in Mollie's name to the Stead Family Children's Hospital (at the University of Iowa, where she was a student). Mollie had a fondness for children, and it's comforting to know her legacy will long live on.
#MilesForMollie #theMollieMovement
My September miles totaled out at 113, which is the most monthly miles I have run in two years. My cumulative walking miles were right around 90...giving me just over 200 miles on my feet over the course of those 30 days of September. Yikes. Other than this past week, I have really felt good. My yearly (running) miles are at 740. I never set any goals for yearly mileage, so I have never entertained the 1,000 mileage quest. Even though I will come close, I do not plan on striving towards it for 2018. After the marathon, I do have a couple of half marathons on the roster...but they will not involve any additional training since I'm already in peak form (supposedly LOL). Besides, I do plan to give myself some rest after the marathon, you know...to recover.
Cannonball Marathon miles....
If I could weigh in with my thoughts on the change of seasons, I'd tell you that I love summer. Hands down, summer is my favorite season, for running and otherwise. Granted, the humidity is not enjoyable, but I am a huge fan of extended daylight, warm temps, and all things sunshine. That said, I do like autumn, but I prefer a gradual transition to the cooler temps. And that has not been happening in Iowa. It's been cold, cloudy, damp and windy.
sorry, not sorry....Fall 2018 has been pretty miserable thus far
I'd like to think Karma dealt me a nice hand on Wednesday, though. The temps were in the upper 60's for my early morning 5-miler, and it felt like summer again. I didn't need long sleeves, arm warmers or gloves. I was back in a tank and shorts, and I was a wet, sweaty mess when I returned home. And I was in total bliss (despite my achy muscles).

Ahhhh, now that's more like it!
Then, Momma N reared her ugly head and the temps did a complete 180. The temps got as high as the mid-80's Wednesday afternoon, then did a major overnight plummet. Thursday morning smacked me with 40-degree temps (with a feels-like of 32F!). Holy Brrrr, Batman!
From a tank and shorts to a fleece jacket and headband
Lastly, I have to share a funny Barb story. Most of you probably know her because I mention her quite often. We run a lot of races together and also do the bulk of our long runs together as well. Recently, we did our 20-mile long run together, and decided to go out for breakfast after we'd finished. We were sitting at our table, waiting for the waitress, and I was quickly trying (in a brain fog from the 20-miles we'd just completed) to get a pic posted on Instagram. My sweaty fingers were hitting the wrong letters and auto-correct was miserably failing me. In a moment of frustration, I told Barb that I'd set my phone down as soon as I was finished getting my post finished. She looked at me and said,"We've just spent the past 3.5 hours talking...I'm all out of conversation. You take your time." And both us immediately burst into hysterical bouts of giggles and laughter. Maybe you had to be there, but it was a very funny moment for the two of us.
runner friends truly are the BEST!
So, that's what I'd share...how about YOU? Anything you'd like to share about your recent running adventures? Significant races? Long training runs? Crazy weather?

I'm linking this with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0. 

And, since it's the first weekend of the month, I'm also linking with Deborah and Coco for the Ultimate Coffee Date.

Let's connect : Facebook Instagram  Pinterest Twitter

29 comments:

  1. It's getting ready to pour as we speak. We're under a flood watch. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow in Madison while were watching Matthew play rugby! And also for the marathon on Sunday.

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    1. We've been under a flood advisory as well. This has been the rainiest fall I can remember, and we're barely two weeks into it.

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  2. How wonderful...and sad...that you ran for Mollie. I'm still just sick that horrible tragedies like that happen. Yeah, fall came kind of abruptly this year. Figures.

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    1. This has been the coldest (and wettest) fall I can remember. So not enjoying it...yet...

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  3. I am with you on the whole summer/fall thing. I love your graphic! Good luck on your upcoming marathon - you got this! Your training went so well, and it's nice that you have a training partner to log your long runs with. Having someone to talk to makes the miles go faster.

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    1. Oh, training with a friend is the way to go, especially for those l.o.n.g runs!

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  4. wow what an impressive month of running for you I hope you are feeling confident and ready to go for marathon. It's funny how you can come up with so much to talk about on a run isn't it?! Nice chatting over coffee

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    1. There was a time when I ran most of my runs solo...When Barb and I started running together, it took awhile to learn how to run/talk/breathe at the same time LOL I think that has really help build by aerobic endurance!

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  5. Next weekend I have a 10k then a 5 mile run the next day in lieu of a long run. Hopefully they'll be as strong as yours & I'm hoping for a cooler weekend, although we are supposed to heat up some next week & the race starts late -- which has not been my friend, lately.

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    1. Good luck with the race and 5-miler. I bet you'll do better than you think, you have a strong base.

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  6. We're supposed to have some wet days coming up in the Denver area. Thankfully the forecast is now holding steady (well, two days in a row) showing a dry-ish morning on Sunday for my race. I'll take this weather though. Summer was super dry and we need rain and snow.

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    1. We had a pretty dry summer, but that all changed in the past month or so.

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  7. Wow. That's a lot of miles. But you are a full marathon...

    We've had quite a few days of rain this week but I actually managed to run twice without getting wet.

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    1. We've lucked out on our running days being dry, for the most part. That all changed with our 10-miler tonight after work LOL

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  8. Wow! What a month of running you had!

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  9. Wish I could join you in your fall disgust, but.... here we are. In the 80s. 100% humidity. Again. Huzzah.

    I'm going out of town soon and can't wait to get to some 50s and 60s! The difference in running is going to be incredible.

    Hope that taper goes quickly for you!

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    1. Hard to believe my taper is 2/3 done already. Yikes...race is in 7 days...

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  10. Sounds like a nice tribute to Mollie - her story still tugs at my heart.

    You had a great month of running - look at that mileage!

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    1. Mollie's story has had a world-wide impact...I was almost in tears for much of the run on Sunday.

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  11. The temperatures are so weird! We finally cooled off (to 70 in the morning)! Yay! First time I tured off the A/C in about four months!

    Nice job on your mileage! As long as you're feeling good (which I know this was a tough week, but hopefully just a glitch in the taper). This made me check my mileage to date and I was shocked to see that I am actually over 1,000! It wasn't a goal, but it's kind of cool.

    I love that tribute to Mollie. It's so nice that people continue to remember her and celebrate her life.

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    1. As you've seen, the Iowa temps have been all over the map, especially this week LOL At least you have a DRY heat, right? ;-)

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  12. Congratulations on 113 miles. That os is pretty awesome and I would preder chai over coffee too!! Such a beautiful way to honor Mollie! Looks like you had a great week!

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  13. I always say I love fall running but I do miss the summer daylight. LOL on your phone story.

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  14. That is so awesome that they had a memorial run for Mollie. I bet that was very emotional.

    I am sorry your autumn weather has not been what you have hoped. It's still pretty warm here but I suspect autumn weather will come any day now ( or at least I hope it does and we dont go straight to winter..lol).

    So, is your friend Barb on Instagram?

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  15. So glad you were able to run for Mollie...such a heartbreaking story... It has still been pretty warm here for this time of year! I am a Summer Lover for sure, but I love Fall weather running!!

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  16. That's so, so sad about Mollie, but great that they had a memorial run for her! <3 :[

    Summer is definitely my favorite season as well--I grew up on the west coast so humidity was never an issue for me, haha. Since being on the east coast though, I definitely do enjoy fall--it just can't take the place of summer! :P

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  17. Yay for tapering!
    The weather has been still hot and muggy here, but it is supposed to drop from some of these tropical storms out in the gulf.
    What a beautiful tribute to Mollie! Her story still makes me teary when I think about it.
    No races for me for a while. My knee is not doing well. I am thankful I can still do other workouts though!

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  18. What an awesome month of miles for you! You are going to do amazing on your marathon! We've had the crazy up and down temps here in Chicago, too. Fall is my favorite season, so I am in heaven right now!

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