Hal Higdon it is!! Plus some Training Updates and Food Pictures

So it looks like I'm going with the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 marathon training program.  It took a little while for me to mentally commit to this training cycle. But, in reality base building has been going steady for 8 weeks and I'm happy to report that I have averaged 32 miles per week.  I had one low week of 21 miles but, most weeks were in the 33-35 mile range.

This program is pretty simple, you are just logging the miles in.  There is no speed work other than some marathon goal pace runs either the day before your long run or during the long run itself.

I'm actually 13 weeks out from the Deja Vu marathon, and the mileage is going to start gradually picking up soon (gulp).


I didn't follow this to the exact tee for the first three weeks. But, I will try to be more consistent with the program here on out. I will also try not to vary too much from the scheduled long runs.  Those are going to be the meat and potatoes of this marathon training cycle.  Here's a snap shot of what I have done so far in the last three weeks, and also where I have penciled in my long runs on the training calendar.

I wrote out my future big runs in green.
I will be taking a few vacation days/personal
days of from work.  I don't want to schedule these big runs
on a  Saturday or Sunday.  This is how I have to balance my
running around my family time.

Training Updates and Some Pictures of What I Eat

I have about 10 days to update you on.  School is back in session, and the two a days are going to be coming to an end soon.

Friday  8/21-  Boring treadmill run, but I needed to get it done. I'm hoping to catch up on my sleep this weekend. I also did some sit ups, dumb bell decline press, one arm rows, body weight Bulgarian split squats and then I stretched.

Saturday-8/22- Rest My new Pro Compression Tights arrived in the mail.  I bought these tights for $20 (free shipping and no sales tax).  

Sunday 8/23-11.2 miles with a fast finish,  For breakfast I had a dark chocolate peanut butter sandwich and half of a banana

Home made bread FTW
I love gluten!!

I also packed three dates with me and I brought my hand held bottle with water and ice. The 

temperatures weren’t too brutal.  I chose a route that was a little hilly, and I just tried to run by feel.  

I didn’t want the pace to feel like work and it didn’t.  Miles 3-7 were a gradual uphill grade, which 

meant miles 8-10 were a gradual downhill ride.  Here's the data:

Monday 8/24-2 miles and circuit training. For my 1st set I did the following exercises:

Flat bench press with dumb bells, one armed rows, step ups onto a bench with back leg raise, overhead dumbbell pullovers (for chest) & back flys.

For my 2nd set I did the following exercises: Lat Pull downs, single leg squats (body weight) incline/decline push ups, box jumps.

For my last set I did some wall sits, spider lunges, shoulder taps in a plank position, and then I stretched.

At the very end I ran two miles at recovery pace on the treadmill.

Tuesday 8/25 Two a day.  I ran 2.6 miles in the morning before work, and at lunch time I drove over to Sunset Park to check out the loop course. 

 I made the big mistake of eating an orange before my run, and it gave me wicked heartburn. I'm usually able to eat before running,  I think it was the high acidity of the orange.  I only had time to run 3.5 miles before I had to hurry back to work.

Wednesday 8/26-There was some monsoon activity in the mountains, and it cooled the temperatures off tremendously.  It was 84 degrees at noon with cloud coverage.   I ran six hilly miles and I enjoyed every minute. The pace felt relaxed for the most part. I'm trying to notice all of the little things in my stride (foot placement, push off, arm swing etc.) I'm always trying to improve running economy any which way I can.  Here's the data

Thursday 8/27-  I tried to recreate yesterday's magic....I did a little bit of trail running at the Whitney Mesa Recreation Area. I love this place.... 

Yesterday's 84 degrees turned right back up to 92 degrees at noon. The first 3 miles felt great. I had plenty of ice water in my hand held bottle. The last 15 minutes of this run were a complete suffer fest, with my brain telling me "get the f*ck out of the sun!!" It also felt way more humid today.... Fall is just around the corner.  I ran just a little over 5 miles and felt crummy the rest of the afternoon.

Friday 8/28- Rest

Saturday 8/29-  I decided to do my long run on Saturday instead of Sunday,....  Things didn't go as smoothly as last week's long run.  I didn't get to eat much before I left the house. I didn't make any bread and my oatmeal came out too watery..  I also forgot to pack my dates.   As I was leaving the house my little one dropped her water cup and made a huge mess, as I'm skipping out the door to run.  I felt like such a heel.....  Anyhow the run felt okay, towards the end I was really missing my dates, and during the last mile I felt a slight headache.  The temperature was 85 degrees when I left and closer to 90 when I returned.  I ended up taking a nap that afternoon with my kids.  Here's the data.

Carrot juice with chia seeds for recovery

That night my husband asked me if I wanted to go for another run, in the morning.... Yes, please!!!


Sunday 8/30- 5.5 miles,  According to the house rules I can not leave the house to go running in the dark.  I'm not going to lie, I 'm kinda scared of the dark too.  So I wait until the sun comes up.  I left the house at 6:15am and I'm always scanning the road ahead of me.  I cross a busy road, to keep running in the same direction. I notice a car driving parallel to me about two streets over.  It's a dirt lot so I can see the street.  They are driving the same pace that I'm running.   Then they roll their windows down to wave over to me, I decide to flip a u-turn to get back onto the much busier road.   I don't want to take any chances with my safety.  During this run, I kept fumbling around with my waist pack, and toward the end of the run, I had a nice view of the Las Vegas Skyline

I was wondering if my legs were going to feel dead after yesterday's 10 miler, but I think I'm getting used to running more mileage.

Most weekends my family and I are homebodies.  We take advantage of the local parks and we also swim in our backyard pool.  I enjoy cooking on the weekends because during the week I don't have as much time.  This weekend I finally made a batch of homemade tortillas that was worth talking about.  I have attempted to make tortillas in the past but, they have come out dry and brittle.  I wasn't letting the dough rest enough and I was adding too much flour.  I found a better recipe, and then I followed their technique.

I still can't make them into perfect circles
but, they were soft, chewy and delicious.

I also made a chickpea, corn, lentil, and olive salad.

Well that's all I've got for now.  As always thank you for reading!

Well I Could Always Run This Marathon-Deja Vu Marathon

For my fall marathon my original choices were Rock N Roll Las Vegas or The Hoover Dam Marathon.  I wrote a post on the pros and cons of both races.

In a nutshell. I will not run the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon until they move the race back to the morning.  I can't run  a PR (It's a fast course) at 4:30 in the afternoon. Plus the race is a logistical nightmare and it's really expensive.  Unless competitor group wants to give me a free bib (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). I won't be registering for this marathon.

I was pretty excited to race the Hoover Dam marathon,  however the course is a bit  more challenging. The price was also a bit more wallet friendly compared to RNRLV.  But, I have also raced through the train tunnels several times.  In fact three of my last six half marathons have been run through the train tunnels.

The last time  I raced through theses tunnels was at the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon last year.  During the race I slipped and fell.

I'm already starting to worry about the dark tunnels and loose gravel.  (Chicken shit talk, I know).  I'm a klutz, but I will be so mad if I fell during a marathon.  I run for time, and every second counts.  There I said it!

Deja Vu Marathon

I discovered this race over the weekend, and I think this might be right up my alley.  It's called the

Deja Vu Marathon, and it's a 1 mile looped course run in one of my favorite areas to run at Sunset Park.

The pros:

• No 16 week training schedule for me.  I will currently be at 14 weeks out.
• The course will be a lot faster than the Hoover Dam Marathon. (fairly flat, with a small incline/decline)
• Morning Start at 9am
• Very cheap $75.00
• Great Race Director (She sold the Hoover Dam Marathon and five of  her other races to a larger race company, she knows how to throw a race)
• If shit goes wrong, it wouldn't be too hard to make adjustments.  (clothes, fuel, etc,)

The cons:

• Will running a one mile loop course be a disaster?  
• No big race feel (Who doesn't love an inflatable arch to run through?)
• It's Thanksgiving weekend.  Should I be a jerk and plan the holiday weekend around MEEE?

So can you guys help me out?  I'm pretty impulsive,  but I can't really talk myself out of this marathon yet.

Three weeks worth of training updates. I'm sorry for all of the data....

Hello everyone!!  I have about two  three weeks of training updates to write about I hope I don't bore you to death.


Week of August 4-9

Tuesday 8/4: Almost 4 miles,  I love and hate analyzing data so much sometimes.  I did a 1 mile time trial and I also attempted a Strava course record,  I ran just short of 4 miles I averaged 8:15 pace, but I ended up loosing my data, before I could look at the elevation and split times.  I almost had a rage stroke, because I was so mad about losing that data.  

Wednesday 8/5:  Two a days I ran just a little over 5 miles on a hilly course.  At lunchtime I did some strength training.  I did the following exercises:Back Extensions, Back Flys, Tricep Dips, Hanging Chin ups, Roman Chair Leg Lifts, Bosu side lunges, Bosu Squats, Rope Curls, and Rope Upright Rows.  I also ran another 2 miles on the treadmill at recovery pace.

Thursday 8/6: Rest

Friday 8/7:  Two a days 2 miles before work, because I was pressed for time,  I got to work only to leave a half hour later.  My little boy was sick.  I went home with both kids, and I attempted to run on the treadmill when it was nap time.   I managed to get 2 more miles in….

Saturday 8/8 : Rest

Last Sunday 8/9,  I ran just under 11 miles, I averaged 8:36 per mile and it felt really smooth. There was cloud coverage in the sky so the temperatures were a little cooler. (73 degrees is down right pleasant compared to 92 at 7am.)

I chose a route that was flat, and along busy roads, however since it was early I didn't have to share the road with too many cars.

I ended up stopping twice, once at mile 4 to pull my phone and dates out of my waist pack, this took about 45 seconds and I didn't stop my Garmin, The second time I stopped was to retie my shoe laces tighter, I stopped my Garmin, and when I took off running again I forgot to restart my Garmin for a few minutes. Total time elapsed (and total time running) 1:34:48.

Here's the data:

Add caption

Week of August 10-16
Monday 8/10- 2 miles before work at recovery pace.  I didn't have a whole lot of time to run, But, it was a nice quiet run, that was just long enough to break a sweat and feel some endorphins.
That same day I packed up my office and moved into a brand new office wing.  I lugged boxes and pushed hand trucks.  Does this count as strength training?


Tuesday 8/11-  Two a days, I ran loops around the business park, Tuesday's always feel like Tempo Tuesday's to me.  On Monday I'm usually a little creaky from Sunday's long run, but by Tuesday I'm ready to pick up the pace.  In the AM I ran 3.4 miles as a comfortable progression run  ( 9:32, 8:41, 8:03, 3:43 for the .44) in 30 minutes.

At lunch time 
I ran a half mile to warm up, and then I got the intervals started. I did 4 X 800 on the treadmill with 1/4 mile active recovery. For the entire workout I set the treadmill to a 1% incline. My splits are an approximation. (3:40, 3:40, 3:30, 3:30) after the intervals I jogged 1/4 mile recovery and then I did about 4 one minute surges. I did a very short cool down, and I also did some stretching.

This was an unplanned speed work session. I don't think I was going full out race pace during the intervals, This was a hard tempo effort.

Wednesday 8/12- 3.2 miles at recovery pace at Cornerstone park  3.2 miles at (9:37 average pace)

I stayed on the outer dirt loop, I have the sads though because a new neighborhood home development is being built adjacent to the park, and it appears that they are shortening the outer paved loop. I didn't wear any headphones and it was nice to hear the dirt crunching beneath my feet.

Thursday  8/13- Two a days  3.3 miles around the business park in the AM.  I actually chose a different route.  it was still on busy roads, but I didn't have to cross any intersections.

It was 88 degrees at 7:30 and 92 when I finished 30 minutes later. At least the humidity is a manageable 38%. I would splash water on my face throughout the run, about 3 minutes later my face would be completely dry.
I used to run 3-4 mile looped courses, but traffic in this area is getting more congested. I prefer out and back loops with right hand turns if possible. That way i don't have to cross a busy intersection or have to wait for a red light. I ran down a "new" street today and found some unexpected shade coverage. total bonus. 

At lunchtime I hopped on the treadmill and ran for an hour straight.  I set the treadmill on a 1% incline I started out running at 6.4 miles per hour and gradually increased the pace.Towards the end I was running at 7.5 miles per hour.  I ran 7  miles in an hour.

Friday 8/14-  I had planned on taking a rest day, but then I remembered that I had not done any strength training during the week.  So at lunch time I did some strength training and then I ran two miles at recovery pace on the treadmill. For strength training I did the following exercises: Flat bench press with dumb bells, One armed Rows, Step ups onto a bench with a knee lift, ab curls, Roman Chair leg lifts, Back Flys, Lat pull downs, Side step downs off of a bench, rope curls, shoulder rows with rope, box jumps, and tricep dips. Rest day tomorrow for sure.

Saturday 8/15-  Rest!!!

Sunday 8/16-  Long Run Day.  11 miles.  This run felt a little harder than the previous week's effort. But, it was 10 degrees hotter.  I also had a new fancy piece of equipment to try out.

This cost a whopping $6.00 at TJ maxx and it's pretty neat.

I bought this Hind wrist pocket, last year at TJ maxx right before RNRLV  and it's great for storing cash, or other small items.  I haven't really used it since I wear a waist pack.. However, I remember that I had to stop to pull out my dates last week, and I didn't want to have to stop again. I was able to fit 4 dates in there,  And it was easy to zip and unzip to pull out items.  The only downside is that it does get kind of sweaty.  At least it is machine washable. Again I chose a route that was pretty flat. (I have been staying out of the neighborhood with the stray dogs).  Here's the data.

Week of 8/17-8/20

Monday 8/17- Two a days- In the morning I ran 3 miles at recovery pace (9:46 average pace)

At lunchtime I did a full body workout doing circuit training..I did the following exercises: Flat bench press with bar, Back Rows with bar, Hamstring dead lifts, Bulgarian Split Squats (Single Leg)

For My next circuit I used a 35lb EZ curl bar for the following exercises: Bicep curls, Shoulder rows, Shoulder Press, Squats, single leg lunges, & good mornings

For my last circuit: I did tricep dips, wall sits (30sec) and handstand up against a wall for 1 min.

I performed each circuit three times. After the weight training I did some planks and some stretching. (I wouldn't call it yoga)

Tuesday 8/18  -Two a days- Short Shake out run before work 2.6 miles  Loops around the business park. No radio, I have to bring my handheld bottle for even the shortest of runs. It's a hot one out there!! 90 degrees at 7:30am

At lunchtime I did another short run I decided to bookend another 2.6 miles. I had a short errand to run on my lunch break and I still wanted to hammer out a short tempo run. I set the treadmill at 1% incline and I ran the first mile at 6.6 to warm up and then I just kept cranking up the treadmill every so often. At the end I was sprinting at 8.6 miles per hour for the last minute.

Wednesday 8/19- 7 miles.   I felt like a fiend trying to get a fix yesterday....

Today's run didn't get off to the best start. There were no empty treadmills at the gym. Way too hot to go outside... I ran for 17 minutes around the gymnasium basketball court. I ran 10 minutes in one direction and the 7 minutes in the other direction until a treadmill opened up. I have PMS and feel really whiny. So I was ready to run tempo pace when I hopped on the mill. The first mile was run at 6.6 to warm up, and then I cranked the treadmill up. I also played around with the elevation too. I ran 5.25 miles in 43 minutes. I'd say I ran 1.75 miles around the basket ball court in 17 minutes. So even seven miles in an hour?

Thursday 8/20-  Short  run this morning at recovery pace.  I ran 2.7 miles around Cornerstone Park and the Arroyo Grande Sports Complex.  I haven't been on any trails lately and I miss it.

It's been too hot to go outside, and I just don't have enough time
in the morning with my commute.
It doesn't get very cold out here in the winter.
I just have to remember that.

Well I promise not to get so behind on posting my workouts, so you won't have three weeks of nonsense to read through. I'm also posting my workouts on Strava, so I hope I don't seem to redundant.

Marathon training begins next week,(gulp).  Its' also going to be the beginning of the School year I have a feeling I won't be able to fit in as many two a day workouts as I would like.  The traffic is going to be so much busier. And I don't want to get in trouble for being late to work...  On that same token, next month is should start cooling down and I can start heading back outside on my lunch break again.

If you made it to the end of this post you deserve a prize....:)

As always thank you for reading.

Marathon Ramblings Volume II Following a Training Program vs. Flying by the Seat of My Pants

I have about two weeks of training to update you on, but I think I will save that for my next post. Because I  want to address other issues first.  I wanted to talk about my fear of following a 16 week marathon training cycle....

A little back story first.... I have 17 marathons under my belt, and I have only followed a training program for the first marathon.   To top it off my first 16 marathons were run without the aid of a GPS watch..... Imagine that!!

For my first marathon I followed a 16 week program that I found from  a Running Times magazine.  I had just wanted to finish the distance, and I got the job done.

My second marathon was a complete fluke.  I had been training for the Army 10 miler and I had planned on just finishing the Venice Marathon three weeks after that race.  My longest training run had been an 18 miler, but I had done a ton of speed work and some longish tempo runs.

Because of this fluke, I really set some big goals for my third marathon.   I made an attempt to break 3:20....  

Again I didn't really follow a set training program.  I had been working with a mentor/coach, and I went into the Padua Marathon over trained and not well rested at all.  I had raced two half marathons in the months leading up to the race. I had been doing a lot of speed work, and to top it off I did a 24 mile training run, three weeks before the marathon.  I ended up running a 3:40 and I it was a humbling experience.

The following year I left the Army to return to civilian life, and it was hard to find  a network of like minded runners.  I lost some of my competitive drive and edge for a few years.  (Growing pains)...

I ran the Los Angeles Marathon in 2001 and finished in 3:54:26.  After that I took a break from the marathon distance.  I had moved to Phoenix, Arizona and then to Las Vegas, Nevada, and I just couldn't get used to the heat.

I consider myself from the "old school", when I first moved to Las Vegas in 2003, I would map out my runs using a Thomas Guide.  I quickly realized that major city roads were one mile apart.  I would keep track of my mile splits using a regular running watch with a split timer.

Who remembers this?

I had decided to start training for marathons again,  but I was happy to just finish the distance. 26.2 miles is a long way to run.

I was content to run 3-5 mile short runs during the week, and when it was marathon training season I would add a 15, 16, 18, & 20 mile training run in before the race.  I had worked as a server and I was on my feet constantly.  I also cross trained doing martial arts.  I think all of that time on my feet helped because I was able to get away with running a marathon on running only about 25- 30 miles a week.

I honestly thought that my faster marathon days were behind me....

In 2007 I found my training partner Debi, She helped me get used to running long in the desert, and by making me realize that mid week 10 milers can actually happen.   With her help I was able to lower my marathon time down from the 3:50's to the 3:30's.  I had a couple of great competitive marathons, but still I wasn't following a set training program.

Once I began having children, my running dreams/goals  took a backseat for a couple of years.  When I had my 2nd child in February 2013, I knew that I would not be ready for a marathon that year,  Last year I decided to give the marathon distance a shot, but I did a piss poor job of getting the long runs in.  I hope that this year will be different.


I found another training program that was a possible choice for me to use.

FIRST Marathon Method

Run only 3 times a week...
What's the catch?

You want me to run how fast?

All of that speed work looks insane!!  Last year I loosely followed Hal Higdon's Advanced Half Marathon Training program twice for 12 weeks,  and I wasn't running workouts that intense!!  I would be happy to take about half of that interval training out and swap it out for hill workout/hill running.   The workouts don't look so bad, but those paces aren't realistic for me.  My 10k pace is about 7:00 minutes per mile.  I would have to run my 400m repeats at 6 minute per mile pace (90 seconds)..  I would also be doing my short Tempo runs at 10k pace..... Nope. Nope. Nope...


I'm 37 years old, I just don't recover from speed work/hard intervals like I used to.



I think my problem with the marathon in my endurance.   I don't need to worry about speed, I need to worry about pacing, and conserving my energy for the 2nd half of the race.

I don't think I have ever negative splitted a marathon.....

My Fears

My biggest fear is getting injured while following a rigid training schedule.   I don't want to beat my body into submission. But, I know that I am going to have to build my mileage up gradually...

My next fear is that running will suddenly feel like a chore...That following a fixed schedule will take some of the fun out of running....

My last fear, is the fear of failing....Been there and done that, so I will try to get over myself quickly...

So I have about one more week to get my sh*t together and commit to a training program.  Hoover Dam I'm coming for you!!

Thanks for letting me whine about training....

Marathon Ramblings and Training Updates

My marathon training begins in less than three weeks, and I still don't know which marathon training program I will use.  I did find one possible program,  I kind of like the Hal Higdon Intermediate two program.

I like that it tops out at 50 miles a week
and there are cut back weeks after a
50 mile week.

I like this program because there isn't any focus on speed or tempo runs.  Just putting in the mileage required to race 26.2 miles.  I feel like I run a lot of my shorter stuff at Tempo pace,  and I'm not going to change that either. I'm usually really in a hurry in the mornings. If I want to run 4 instead of 3 miles, I have to hustle to get that additional mile in sometimes.    I think once my volume increases my legs will be telling me to slow down (especially the day after  a 20 mile run).

One of the reasons I have been dragging my feet about a training plan, was because I didn't want to think about my marathon goals just yet.

For the Hoover Dam marathon I would like to run a 3:40 marathon.  That is a BQ for my age group and just an overall benchmark that I would like to set for my self.  This course is pretty hilly, and if I"m not 3:40 ready, then I will still race and try to get as close to 3:40 as I can.  I would also like to place in my age group if possible.

Last year, I really thought that my lifetime base, and previous marathon experience would let me piggy  back my training off of a half marathon.  

I used the Hal Higdon Advanced half marathon training program, and I ran a great half marathon, but then I fell short of my marathon goals.

Honestly, looking back at everything.... I know that I didn't really train for that marathon properly, and I also had an unrealistic goal of trying to break 3:30 and PR....I only had about six weeks to get some long runs in, and  while I finished the marathon, I didn't come close to what my McMillan calculator prediction had set for me.

So... This year I have had a much different approach to running and racing.  Last year I really wanted to smash the half marathon distance, and I just wanted to get faster period. I did a lot  more speed work and tempo paced workouts,  I had two big training cycles (Mustang Half Marathon & Saints & Sinners+RNRLV) and then after the marathon at RNRLV, I just kind of got burnt out.  I had a minor injury scare at the beginning of this year... But, I still had my heart set on running a quality marathon.  

I made a promise to myself (and my family), that I wouldn't race much at all during the spring, and I won't be racing any half marathons this year.  My goal was to arrive to the start line of the Hoover Dam Marathon healthy and ready for redemption.

But, before I get to the start line, I need to build a solid mileage base-  I am a little worried about trying to fit all of the mileage in around my work/family schedule.

Last Weeks Training Updates

This was a weird taper week for me, I had plans of racing a cross country 5k on Saturday, but instead we are taking a road trip to So Cal, to visit family.  I would love to count on a beach run while I'm there, but I have a feeling I'm going to be spending most of my time traveling.

Monday 7/27 I ran 3 miles easy around my work, and at lunch time I did some circuit training.  I performed each circuit three times.

For the first circuit I used a 25lb EZ curl bar for the following exercises:

Bicep Curls

Shoulder Lifts

Shoulder Presses

Hamstring Dead Lifts

Squats

Single Leg Lunges

For the next circuit I did the following exercises:

Flat bench press with dumbbells

One Armed Rows

Step ups onto a bench with a back leg raise

Sit-ups

For my last set of exercises:

Shoulder Taps from a plank position

Mountain Climbers

Wall sit for 30 seconds

Handstand up against the wall for as long as possible

And Then I stretched

Tuesday 7/28 Ran twice 6.8 miles total

I ran three miles in the AM with some 25-50 meter strides at the end.  At lunch time I only had time for another short run.  I had killer PMS earlier this week, and running helps me to not be such a bitch.

Wednesday 7/29  Short run of 2.2 miles, I tried out my New Balance 890V4 shoes, I don't hate them, but I know this shoe is suited for someone who is more biochemically efficient (not a heel striker). This shoe will be great for 5k racing, and speed work. These will not be everyday trainers for me.  I wanted to see if theses shoes were going to work for the weekend's 5k- that afternoon I found out we are going out of town.

Thursday: 7/30 by Strava or 3.0 by my Garmin, another short run before work.   

Friday 7/31  Ran twice 6 miles total.  In the morning, I ran 3.5 miles.  Nothing too exciting to report.  At lunchtime I ran another 2.5 miles on the treadmill and I also lifted some weights: Flat bench-press with the bar, back rows with 45lb bar, Hamstring dead lifts with bar, step ups onto a bench with a knee lift, and some Roman Chair leg lifts.

I would love to go for a long run this weekend.  But, I don't think we will be in California long enough....
Saturday 8/1-Rest
Sunday 8/2-Rest
I spent about 9 hours in the car traveling and it wiped me out.  We visited our extended families an the visit was very brief.  :(

Monday 8/3 6 miles total.  In the morning I ran 3 miles outdoors, and at lunchtime I ran another 3 miles on the treadmill.  I didn't have my phone with me today, and I thought I would be bored on the treadmill without any music.  But, it went by quick.  I feel a slight tickle in my throat.  I hope I'm not catching a summertime cold.

Thanks for reading!!