She Runs by the Seashore

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By the time I got around to being ready to write my June running wrap-up, it was so late in the month that I figured I would just combine June and July in one post.

1. In June, I ran 66.05 miles, and in July, I ran 128.55. June was my lowest-mileage month this year so far, and July was my second-highest — less than a mile-and-a-half from April’s mileage, my highest-mileage month of the year. In June, I took some rest time and relaxed after the Vermont City Marathon.
2. I passed the halfway mark to my goal of 2,018 kilometers in 2018 a few days into July. I’m glad I am on track to meet my goal!
3. I started training for the Freedom’s Run Marathon. I started my training for the Freedom’s Run Marathon in late June. I’m running the race for BibRave. I wrote my own plan after taking the Road Runners Club of America Level 1 Coaching Certification class.
4. I’m now an RRCA Level 1 certified coach. Speaking of coaching certification, I passed the RRCA test and became certified in CPR and First Aid. After submitting my CPR and First Aid cards, I received the email that I am officially an RRCA Level 1 certified coach on July 31. Stay tuned for more on this!
5. I didn’t run any races. It was time for a break from racing after a busy month of races in May. I enjoyed the break — plus, it’s been hot.
6. I canceled my gym membership. I think I’m just not a gym person. I run all the time, but I can’t always make it to the classes at the gym and I don’t like going there to do my own thing or running on the treadmill when I can run outside. I went twice during June and once during July. I made the decision to officially cancel my membership in July, so I will remain a member through August because that’s the policy.
7. I went to a few yoga classes. I’m out of my routine with going to yoga, but I prefer the payment plan for yoga (a pack of classes) to the one for the gym (a set amount each month). I went to one yoga class at Soul Yoga Studio each of these months, and I also went to a beach yoga session at Assateague Island with Midshore Multisport friends. I had never done beach yoga and it was fun, but it was extremely windy, which added to the challenge.
8. I’ve been running (and walking) a lot of hills. As part of my training for Freedom’s Run, I have been running hills each week. This has included some walking, but I’m making my way up them. I hope this will help when it comes time for the race on Oct. 6.
9. I ran in some different locations. These included Baker Park in Frederick, Ocean City’s Boardwalk, Ocean City’s Northside Park, Baltimore, the NCR Trail in Baltimore County, the MA & PA Heritage Trail in Harford County and the Wakefield Valley Trail in Westminster.

If I did my math correctly and follow the plan, August has the potential to be my highest-mileage month ever. We will see!

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