She Runs by the Seashore

The month of July sure was a hot one. I feel like I’ve never been slower. I am not all about speed, but I do like to be able to do a run without feeling like I can hardly get through it. I mentioned in my June wrap-up that I’ve been doing plenty of run-walk intervals, and that continued during July for the majority of my runs.

However, it made me feel better when I saw an article about just how hot this July was. This USA Today article I just found is a different one, but the headline is “July 2020 was among the Earth’s hottest months ever recorded.”

The article mentions that Maryland, where I live, logged its hottest month since records began, and this Baltimore Sun article was also written on the topic. So, if you found yourself struggling like I did, you aren’t alone.

1. I ran 115.75 miles. Despite the hot, humid weather, I logged 115.75 miles in July — more than I did in June. This was primarily driven by logging miles for the virtual Race Across Maryland, which went from July 15 to today, Aug. 13.
2. I finished the Tour de Salisbury. Read about my experience running 12 different scenic courses on Delmarva here.
3. I ran at Rachel Carson Conservation Park. In addition to traveling to different locations for the Tour de Salisbury, I enjoyed a run at Rachel Carson Conservation Park in July. Read more about it here.
4. I participated in the Shameless in Senita Virtual 5K. I’m part of a Facebook group for my favorite athletic wear brand, Senita Athletics, and a member created the Shameless in Senita Virtual 5K, in which runners were encouraged to do a 5K in just a sports bra (and shorts/leggings, obviously). I rarely run in just a sports bra rather than with a shirt on top, but it did feel nice and I am glad I participated.
5. I went to yoga once. I have my gym membership on hold because of the pandemic (they’re open, but I’m trying to do as many things as I can outside). I only made it to one outdoor yoga class in July.
6. I did an 11-mile bike ride. This bike ride was punctuated by lunch, so it wasn’t all at once, but I enjoyed riding my bike to the EVOlution Revolution Slow Roll (which was my normal pace anyway), riding with a group from Evolution Craft Brewing Co., enjoying lunch with a friend and a new friend, and then riding home, adding some mileage for a total of 11.

If you know me, you know I’m not a morning person. So, this heat has been particularly miserable, because I’m not getting up early enough to beat it. Think cool thoughts!