Running past a speed camera, and other things I did during May

Posted on by Vanessa Junkin (She Runs by the Seashore)
Woman running on a sidewalk with a building with siding on the right side and a road to the left.
I ran 128 miles in May.

Ever wondered what speed you could get a speed camera up to by running past it? I did that during May. Read on to see how fast I went and what else I did during another month affected by COVID-19.

  1. I ran 128 miles. With more time at home, I had more time to run. I got in 128 miles in May, my highest-mileage month of 2020 so far.
  2. I ran one virtual race. Regular, in-person races aren’t happening yet because of COVID-19, but I did run the virtual St. Michaels Running Festival Half Marathon.
  3. During the first part of the month, I kept running with Mike. I tracked five runs with my boyfriend, Mike, in May, including one run in which we set out for a run together and I wasn’t feeling great and turned back. It’s been nice to run with him more, even though he’s been busier and we haven’t been able to run as much recently.
  4. I walked 10 miles. I walked a total of 10 miles during May. I kept up my run/walk-at-least-a-mile-a-day streak, which I started March 23, up through May 28. On May 29, I was doing my walk when I happened to see Mike driving by, and he ended up picking me up and we went to Evo on the first night of outdoor dining being permitted at restaurants. I’d only walked about 0.8 mile before that. Now that I’m back in the office, I figured I did not have to keep up the at-least-a-mile-a-day streak.
  5. I improved my mile time during the Pandemic Improvement Project. I did speed work a few times during May and got my mile time down from 8:55 on April 14 to 8:18 on May 19, as part of Run Farther & Faster’s Pandemic Improvement Project, a free initiative in which participants try to improve their own times for the mile.
  6. I ran past a speed camera. As I mentioned, I ran past a speed camera to see how fast I could run (even if only for a few seconds). The small town of Sharptown has a speed camera set up and posed a challenge for people to run fast it as fast as they could. I gave it four tries, and I got it up to 12 mph, which was the highest I was able to get it on my first try. My legs hurt for a few days afterward, but it was fun! This run in Sharptown was the first time I’d run from somewhere other than my home in more than two months.
  7. I ran for Ahmaud Arbery. Joining with runners throughout the country (virtually), I ran 2.23 miles on Ahmaud Arbery’s birthday. Arbery, who is Black, was killed while out on a run, and 2.23 symbolized the day he was killed, 2/23. Nobody should have to worry about getting shot and killed while enjoying a run.
  8. I ran for Pfc. Richard W. Hafer. For Memorial Day, I ran for a fallen service member. Read more about my run here.
  9. I ran at the new trail along Route 413 in Somerset County. This reminds me that I still need to blog about my experience running at this trail! It’s still in the works, and I enjoyed my run from Crisfield out toward Marion Station and back.
  10. I did yoga four times. This included one virtual class and three outdoor classes — two with Soul Yoga Studio and one with Meta Yoga Studio. Studios are now permitted to offer socially-distanced outdoor classes.

It was a pretty busy month, despite not having a busy schedule! How was your May?

2 thoughts on “Running past a speed camera, and other things I did during May”

    1. One thing that really kept me motivated (which I plan to write about soon) is I started running new-to-me streets in my own town. I used the website City Strides to see where I had run and where I needed to fill in. I got up to about 70 percent. You might also find it helpful to run for a cause or make a monthly or weekly mileage goal. If sharing your goal would help keep you accountable, maybe do that. I also often will listen to podcasts and/or books while I run, so I use my time running as a chance to catch up on those.

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