Temperature wise, we are in full on summer. This week has been in the high 80s/low 90s all week, sometimes with matching humidity.`Welcome to Virginia in the summer! But mentally, we are barely there. School just ended last week. This week Jones has been in a full time training for the work he’ll be doing this summer. Shoo has been lazing, but also just joined his summer activity. While I’m excited for both of them to be doing the cool programs that they are doing, the schedules will be erratic, so I’ll be juggling a lot this summer. Which leads me to Marcia’s runfessional…
I must runfess that I hate having a training plan in the summer. Our schedule during the school season is pretty consistent, but we are all over the board during the summer. Add in college trips to Cornell University, Miami University of Ohio, and University of Chicago and our summer will also be all over the MAP! Thankfully, I have found a couple of half marathons to run on our trips.
I must also runfess that in addition to dealing with a weird schedule, I hate running long in the heat. Heck, I hate running short in the heat. Tomorrow I have 16 miles on the schedule and I’m planning to park at a local park to run. I’ll run around the area until it gets too hot and then run loops on the shaded paths in the park. I don’t know what I’m going to do when my runs are up in the 20+ mile range!
Speaking of long runs, I must runfess that I’ve downgraded my 50K training plan more than once. I started with a Higdon plan and switched to the plan that Heather from Relentless Forward Commotion created and then to a simple “just finish” plan. I have both Heather’s and the just finish plan in a spreadsheet and aim to hit the just finish as a minimum, with a goal of closer to the other plan. My body is just taking a longer time than in the past to adapt to more miles and I desperately don’t want to hurt myself. Also, see above, heat.
I must also runfess that I’m really sad that I may not get a new state for half marathons this year. Between college visits and the ZOOMA fall race calendar, I just can’t seem to sneak away. It does not help that none of the remaining states are an easy drive away. I haven’t even been able to find that many half marathons to use as training runs either. My goal of hitting 100 half marathons at ZOOMA Bermuda pretty much has no way of happening.
Final runfession relates more to running gear than running. We have 31 days of Skirt Sports coming up in July. Last year I managed to do a different pattern every day. Umm, I have way over 31 patterns now. Oops. And tank tops? They are multiplying. ZOOMA has awesome tank tops at the races and in the challenges and somehow I always end up with them. I actually had to take my running bras out of the drawer they were sharing with my tanks and make it a tank only drawer!
And then there are the shoes. So many shoes. But these are my next ones…
How is your summer going so far? Are you a hoarder or a minimalist when it comes to running gear? I am a minimalist in most things, but apparently I hoard running gear. (It used to just be a Skirt problem, but now…)
I definitely have way more than 31 Skirt Sports Skirts. oops! I long for summer training but the summer schedule can definitely make it hard to get training in.
I have just committed to Parks Half in early September. My first half since 2011 before my kids were born! Though plenty of 5Ks/10Ks over the years, so hopefully I won’t die. I’ll be running early to beat the heat for sure!
The summer heat is hitting me hard already this year. You should come join us for one of our iced tea runs it really helps to have some pit stops along the way. My current running gear obsession is sun glasses 🙂 and probably shoes
There could be worse things to hoard than run gear, right?!
Summer weather is only just starting to creep up this way – I’m not looking forward to running in it!
I’m looking forward to the 31 Days so I can get more pattern lust and maybe learn some names!
“none of the remaining states are an easy drive away.”
That’s the problem mom & I have with our road trips. We’ve seen almost everything in the driving radius.
Summer. Ugh. Already dreading ten tomorrow.
Preach, sister! I love summer but hate summer running. BUT are you running that Madison half? I love that one and if I can get my act together, I may do it. I’m really struggling with distance, tho.
I’ve just about given up on summer running. There were some mornings this week that weren’t too bad, but I already made plans to go to my studio classes. What states do you have left?
UGH…the hoarding! I finally did a closet clean-out this week…well, it was more of a re-organization LOL I did make a pile of things to donate and shirts to save for a ((someday)) tshirt quilt/blanket. The hubby got me a shoe rack to put under our bathroom sinks (there’s a huge, open space with no cabinet doors), so now all of my shoes are stacked nice and pretty LOL I need to weed out some of those, too…many are well past their prime and I do not need 10 pairs of “walking” shoes.
That’s a great half! We’ve been out of school here for month now but the heat just arrived this week, so I sort of feel like it was a waste for the kids, although the cool weather was amazing for running. I am so grateful to be in the rare position of not training this summer and I love it!
Stay cool!