I finally hit 100 miles for a month in 2021, and more about my May running

Posted on by Vanessa Junkin (She Runs by the Seashore)
Vanessa Junkin posing in black tank top, shorts and hat. Text reads "May" and "104.19" for 104.19 miles.

I started out the month of May strong, with a virtual relay and an in-person half marathon — 18.41 miles logged in the first two days of the month. This led to my first time hitting 100 miles in a month for 2021.

  1. I ran 104.19 miles. May was the first month in which I ran 100 or more miles in a month this year. I did this 10 of the 12 months in 2020, so I’m a little surprised it took until May. If I hadn’t been hit by a car and taken off two weeks in January, I probably would have been well over 100 miles that month. Maybe it just took me a little while to get my groove back.
  2. My 1600 time was 8:19. I’ve continued my goal of running a 1600-meter run at the beginning of each month to see how my times compare. In April, I ran 8:18, and in May, I was just one second slower, at 8:19. I don’t need to get faster each month, though I would like to see if I can run sub-8:00 by the end of the year.
  3. I ran three races. I participated in the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay virtually with Brooks Run Happy Team members, ran the in-person Run for the Animals Half Marathon on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and ran 10 miles (which I didn’t really race) for the National Day of Awareness MMIW Virtual Run.
  4. I participated in the Run to Escape: Mission Mt. Olympus. I got access to this virtual experience through BibRave. The experience included six runs with audio clues and puzzles that came via email to solve. Each puzzle would unlock the next run. It was fun! Learn more about it and save 10 percent here.
  5. I participated in DICK’s #seeyououtthere campaign. May was National Runners Month, and I was chosen for a fun campaign as part of the Brooks Run Happy Team. I got a pair of shoes, a Theragun Mini, a $200 DICK’s Sporting Goods gift card, camera lenses and a tank top. There was a theme for each week, and I posted on Instagram in connection with each theme. Hopefully the campaign motivated some new runners to get out there!
  6. I ran for a fallen service member on Memorial Day. For the third year in a row, I ran for a fallen U.S. service member on Memorial Day with wear blue: run to remember. The organization gives participants the name of a fallen service member to run for that day. It’s free to participate and can be done from anywhere. I ran a 5K for United States Army Pfc. Stephen Andrew Sherlock, who was killed in the Vietnam War on April 2, 1969. He was only 20, but would be 72 today if he had not been killed.
  7. I ran in a few different areas. In addition to the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay, which I ran on the 413 Rail to Trail, and the Run for the Animals in Wachapreague, I also explored the trails at Prettyboy Reservoir for the first time.
  8. I ran as part of Randy Scott’s 5K a Day in May. Randy Scott of Whiskey & Randy ran a 5K every day in May to support St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. I invited him to an Eastern Shore Running Club group run for one of his runs, and then joined a group for a surprise birthday party run, where I tried to run a fast 5K. My time in the heat was 32:51, and then a few days later, I ran a 5K distance in 32:36 on Memorial Day, another warm day. May is over, but you can still donate here. I donated $31 for the 3.1 miles of a 5K.
  9. Allergies were super annoying. I have tried so many things for my allergies, but coughing has unfortunately been plaguing me on many runs. I’m not sick, really! And I’m fully vaccinated!
  10. I did yoga three times. I’m glad I have been getting into a more regular yoga routine. In May, I did three at-home yoga classes with Soul Yoga Studio.

I’ve continued to enjoy running with the Eastern Shore Running Club. June is already off to a good start, although I can tell the heat will have an impact on my running!