A marathon and 100 Miles in November made this a good month of running

Posted on by Vanessa Junkin (She Runs by the Seashore)
Vanessa Junkin poses in running clothes with a lighted vest in the dark.

It took me a few months to get into the groove, but I hit 100 miles in May and have done so every month since. This month, I logged exactly 100. Here’s what I was up to this month…

  1. I participated in 100 Miles in November. This was my fourth year participating in Angie Maske-Berka’s annual 100 Miles in November challenge (learn more about it here). While I ran 150 miles in October, it actually took me till the last day of November to hit 100 miles, because of a taper and rest days after my marathon. There is a supportive community of runners in a Facebook group for the challenge, and there were also themes for each week. For example, I participated in a scavenger hunt and picked up trash on a run.
  2. I ran my fast 1600 in 8:27. I’ve been running 1600 meters at the track for speed at the beginning of each month, and on Nov. 1, my time was 8:27 — my third-fastest of the year.
  3. I ran one race. While I only ran one race in November, it was a big one! I ran my 13th marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon, on Nov. 21. Read more about my experience here.
  4. I got up for a 5 a.m. Eastern Shore Running Club run. I’m normally not that much of an early-morning runner, but after accidentally leaving my run bra at home when packing to visit my family, I made it for the start of the 5 a.m. run Nov. 29 and ran eight miles before work. I knew I needed to get this run in to complete the 100 Miles in November challenge.
  5. I did yoga five times. I made it to three of my morning yoga classes, did yoga taught by my friend Nicole at Pemberton Park, and then attended a yoga class that Nicole was subbing for.

Onto the rest of the last month of the year!