I hope everyone had a good week!  I am amazed at how fast these months seem to go by.  This week was kind of low key but still a good week.  I did not do much when it came to running (I did run a race).  It has been hot (except today) and if I am not out there early enough, forget it, no running for me.  I could go to the gym but prefer to run outside.

I had a 20 minute run on Monday but could not get up in the morning.  If you read my Missoula Half Marathon recap, then you know that my flight was delayed and I did not get home till almost midnight.  Thank goodness my coworker picked me up because then I would have had to take a cab or Uber home (O’hare airport is 26 miles from my house). Since my original flight was supposed to get in at 5pm, I was planning on taking the train home.  Yeah, I did not want to do that late at night.

My left leg was still bothering me so I also skipped my run on Tuesday.  I did get up early to run but then realized it felt uncomfortable to even walk.  I used a small ball to massage my foot.  It did feel better afterwards and then just decided to get ready for work.  Something else I noticed about my feet that has never happened before is that they swell.  Some of my shoes feel tighter and even my running shoes hurt in the shoelace area.  I don’t tie my shoes anymore (I leave them tied); I just take them off and put them back on.  The tightness is so weird.

Wednesday was my last day of summer school and the students made a flag with popsicle sticks.  It amazes me how many kids do not know how to use a paintbrush.  Heck, it amazes me how many do not know how to use a pencil!!

That evening I went to my mom’s in Palos Heights for the fireworks in the evening.  It didn’t start till 9:15 and usually by that time I am already home.  It was a good show and lasted about 20 minutes.  By the time we were back at the apartment and got her ready for the night (insulin injection, take medication, and check glucose) it was after 10 and I was EXHAUSTED.  I also had a headache.

Thursday morning I had a race.  I almost decided not to race that morning because I was still tired.  I am glad I did get up because it is a race that I’ve run since 2013 and always have fun.  I quickly got up, got ready, and drove to the race.  I made it with about 30 minutes before the start, got my bib, took a Oiselle group picture, and use the port-a-potties.  It was HUMID!

I had mentioned that I would have liked a PR in this race.  Not sure how realistic it would be but definitely possible.  Somehow my body was not cooperating and I could barely get the legs moving.  The humidity did not help.  I was sweating almost as soon as I started.  I didn’t even come close to a PR but I did slightly better than last year.  Finish time is 44:12.  Last year I finished in 44:17.  Dang, I shouldn’t have taken so many walking breaks.  But it still counts, right?

Friday was all about catching up on sleep and relaxing.  I wanted to do my Saturday run on Friday but woke up late and by then it was over 88 degrees outside.  Again, I could have gone to the gym but didn’t want to.  I spent the day catching up on blog posts and basically doing nothing.  I stayed in my pajamas all day.  I am one of those people that could stay home in pajamas all day and not get bored.  🙂  Even Lola could not stand the heat!

Saturday’s run was 2 mile warm up, 5×3 minutes with 2 minute walking recovery, and 2 mile cool down.  It was so humid in the morning and very uncomfortable.  I posted on Instagram that it sucked.  I was miserable.  I did not hit the required paces and didn’t care because I just wanted to get home.  On the positive side, I got it done and it is another run in the bank for my upcoming races.  

By Saturday night the weather had cooled down and it was pretty decent on Sunday morning.  I ran 4 miles in a new to me area by Lake Katherine.  It was overcast and cooler.  The run went so much better than Saturday’s.  🙂

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

It is race week!  By the time you read this post I would have run the Missoula Half Marathon and will be on my way back home.  I am excited to have run in another state and to be so much closer to completing my goal.  

Well, let’s recap this week leading up to the race.  I plan to have a race recap on Tuesday.

Monday was 4 miles to start off the week.  It was humid and I thought it was going to rain.  It did but later in the day.

I was very tired Tuesday morning and instead of running I slept in and did my quality workout on Wednesday.  It was a fun one!  I did 2 miles warm up, 4×30 seconds with 1 minute walking recovery, run 15 minutes at marathon pace, 4×30 seconds with 1 minute walking recovery, and 1 mile cool down.  I loved the 30 second intervals!  I even got negative splits on the last set of intervals.

Thursday was 5 miles and it was another hot one too.  Even Lola was proud of me!  🙂

I made colored pasta for my students and they loved it.  They also made a lion and a giraffe (forgot to take a picture of the giraffe) with paint and paper plates.  They had a blast!  We have open house on Monday so I wanted to have all of their projects done for parents to see .

On Saturday I was supposed to do a 20 minute run in Missoula.  I didn’t.  I went to the expo to get my bib and then met some friends for some drinks and an early dinner.  By the time I got back to my hotel I was tired and just wanted to relax.  

The race has a 6am start time so I have to be up at 4am to get ready.  Another Oiselle friend that was also running offered to pick me up at the hotel and take me to the shuttle pick up area.  Then it is about a 20 minute bus ride to the start line.  MT is one hour behind Chicago so you bet by 8pm I was ready to go to sleep.  🙂

I finished the month of June with 106.52 miles.  I am pleased with that number and it is so far my highest this year.

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

I had a great week and, yes, I fell again on one of my runs.  Monday was again 3 miles.  I like the short run to start off the week.  Saw some pretty colors which is not unusual considering all of the rain we’ve been having here.

I took Tuesday off from work to take my sister to the airport.  First a run, of course.  I had to run 5 miles and it was right before the turnaround that I tripped and fell.  I couldn’t believe it!  I was on the ground for a few seconds before I got up.  I checked for blood and saw none so I knew it wasn’t that bad.  I scraped a little my knees and my chin.  I was happy I did not hit my head.  I thought about calling an Uber to get back home but decided to just keep running and maybe walk too if needed.

I was very sore the next day.  I could barely walk.  I took ibuprofen during the day to feel better.  And I did!  🙂

The photos below are from Saturday.  Still a little purple but definitely no longer sore.

Thursday’s run was fun!  I had to do 2 miles warmup, 5×2 minutes with 2 minutes recovery, 5×1 minute with 1 minute recovery, and 2 miles warmup.  It was a humid morning too!  I was extra careful and looked down a lot because I was afraid of falling again.

I nailed each interval except the last one.  Guess I was tired.  🙂

Saturday’s run was at The Arboretum.  I haven’t been sleeping well and then sometimes wake up at 3 or 4 and cannot go back to sleep.  I didn’t sleep well Friday night and I struggled to get up the next morning for my run.

It was a gorgeous day for a run!  It did get sunny and warm later on in the morning.  I had to run 9 miles (my last run before my half marathon) with 3 miles at marathon pace (10:43).  It took me about 3 miles to actually feel good to run.  I did want to quit halfway but knew I would probably regret it later.  Plus I have my 3 half marathons in August and quitting is not going to get me there.

Today’s run was at Lake Katherine.  I was also there on Tuesday with my mom.  We talked and enjoyed some quiet moments looking at the ducks.  

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.

With school being out last Friday you would think that I would actually be on break this week, right?  Nope.  It was all work.  Well, Monday I went to my uncle’s funeral with my mom.  It was actually a nice day (not cold and no rain).  The rest of the week was spent in school working on our reading, writing, and social studies curriculum.  We had to update pacing guides, curriculum maps, and PBA (performance based assessments).  It was a lot of work and there were many times where I was frustrated.  We did not finish our work and will possibly be meeting July 31 and August 1.

After I complained so much about the cold and long winter, we had some HOT days this week.  Humid days too and then some rainy days.  Definitely not consistent here.

I was supposed to run 3 miles on Monday but when I was getting ready in the morning at my mom’s, I realized that I had two sets of running clothes but no shoes.  🙁  So I did 3 easy miles on Tuesday.  Later on in the day I went to see my mother and had pozole for dinner.  Yummy!

Did you run on Wednesday for Global Running Day?  I did!  I wasn’t planning on but ended up running 5.34 miles.  It had been raining and it was HUMID.  I almost skipped the run because of the rain but eventually it did stop.  Despite the weather, it was a fun run!  Aren’t my shoes cute?

Thursday was 1.5 mile warmup, 2×5 minutes and 3×2 minutes, and 2 miles cool down.  It was a tough workout!  I did better than I expected and proud of it.

Friday morning I woke up a little dizzy and nauseous and was uncomfortable the rest of the day.  I did a few errands after school and then went home to bed.  Saturday’s run was tough.  I don’t know if I was still tired from Thursday’s workout or I was just simply tired.  I am still trying to figure out this fueling thing.  You would think that by now I would have figured it out?  Nope.  Still working on it.  I drank one serving on the way to the Arboretum.  I also had two gels with me just in case but did not use them.  Maybe I need more fuel?

The beginning of the run was tough but then somehow I felt better in the middle of it.  But by the end I was struggling again.  The last 2 miles were not my slowest but they were my toughest ones.  Check out the butterfly made with legos.  It has almost 40,000 pieces of legos!

Linking up with Kim and Deborah for the Weekly Run Down.