My “highest-mileage-month” challenge is most definitely underway, though the summer storms and heat did not make it easy this week.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m tentatively planning to run the Fargo Marathon on August 29th, dependent on two things- the pandemic and the weather. TBD if I’ll run it or not, but I am registered, so I’m training accordingly.
Monday: I ran 5 miles before work, 9:25 min/mile. I was supposed to do more but I got caught in a severe thunderstorm and had to cut things short. I’ll run in the rain, but lightning is not my jam.
Before the thunder/lightning, however, I saw this huge rafter of turkeys in the front yard of a house a few down from ours. There were three adults and a TON of babies!
(Yes, I had to google the word for a group of turkeys; I thought it was a gaggle, but it’s a rafter!)
Later in the run, right before the storm, I witnessed this bald eagle enjoying some sushi up in a tree on Lake Harriet.
Social distancing like a pro, right there!
Since my run was cut short, I did another 4 miles after work, 9:05 min/mile plus a virtual 1:1 strength training session with Discover Strength.
9 miles total on the day.
Tuesday: 10 miles before work, 9:20 min/mile pace. I met a few friends for part of the run. Sweaty one out there, so I’m loving the easy miles in the heat! Easy pace is about all I can manage and it still takes awhile to recover/rehydrate.
It was my husband’s birthday, so we had our first dinner out since March! We ate at Hola Arepa on the patio. Masks required when speaking to staff or not seated at your table, sanitizer at your table, little cards to flip if you need something, so the staff aren’t coming over when you’re not wearing a mask, and tables are fully distanced from other diners.
It was fun to be out again and I felt pretty safe.
I spoiled Dustin a bit…too much online shopping during the quarantine, I guess!
One of his gifts was this cribbage board of the Twin Cities Marathon route. Isn’t it great? I ordered it from CoxWoodcraftsLLC on Etsy, and Justin, the artist, was so great to work with. Reach out to him if you are interested in a custom board of your favorite marathon!
Wednesday: After a drink (or two) in the heat on Tuesday night celebrating the birthday boy, I was a bit tired Wednesday morning and didn’t get up early to run before work. Instead, I snuck in a quick 4 mile run in between meetings, which also coincided with yet another heavy rainstorm! No lightning this time. To be honest, I have been more soaked lately from just running in the heat than I was from running in the rain, ha!
After the rainstorm, it was still crazy hot and humid, so I decided to just get in more miles on the treadmill. It had been awhile since I ran on the Landice, so I didn’t mind it too much. I did 4 easy miles, 9:30 min/mile pace while watching “Never Have I Ever” on Netflix. Then I had a 1:1 virtual strength training session with Discover Strength. 8 miles of running for the day.
Thursday: I woke up to MORE storms, so I reset my alarm and went back to bed. But it worked out for the best, as I reached out to my friend Vicki to see if she might want to run after work, and she did- yay!
We met up around 6 pm and ran 7 miles together. I looked back at my Strava, and it turns out I hadn’t run with her since September. I was her first run with another person since shelter-in-place! It was so nice to catch up over some easy (but HOT) miles.
Friday: 9 miles with a few friends before work. I was back in time to chill for a little bit on the deck with an ice-cold nuun before hopping in the shower. Don’t mind the hole in the sock- it’s all Ruth’s fault!
1:1 virtual strength training after work. I am loving the virtual training sessions and plan to keep doing them as long as I can! Discover Strength’s studios are open again, but I’m not ready to go back to a gym, plus I find the at-home workouts to be just as good AND very convenient.
Saturday: 15 mile long run! I met up with two friends at 6:30 am and we do a big tour of all the Minneapolis lakes- Cedar, Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, and Harriet. We were able to pass by Christie’s car a few times for refills on (covid-free) Gatorade and water. It felt SO much better than last weekend’s long run, even though it was still in the mid-80’s and a dew point in the 60’s. It’s all relative!
15 miles at a 9 min/mile average.
Not sure how to interpret dew point? This should help:
I think Minneapolis has already hit a record of 90 + degree days for the summer, and its only July! It must be all the thermometers…
Post-long run refreshment with a Daily Harvest smoothie (Here’s my code for you to get $25 off your first box!)
For lunch, we placed an online order for SeaSalt Eatery by Minnehaha Falls. Pre-pandemic, the line to eat there was always VERY long, so we often skipped going there. Now you can order online, get notified when your order would be ready (ours was about 45 minutes later) and then pick it up to eat in the park as a picnic!
Love those fish tacos!
We had brought Ruth and Matilda with plans to check out the Minnehaha dog park after lunch, but it was really busy and pretty warm by that point. We decided just to head home after eating lunch. Both pups were panting pretty hard just from the walk to get the food and then find a quiet place to eat, so they were just fine without the dog park.
Rain rolled in later in the afternoon, which made for a great day to continue working on the whole closet-into-a-bathroom project. The bathroom is done, but now we’re working on building a new closet space. The projects are never-ending, haha!
Sunday: I ran 4 miles solo then came home and picked up Dustin and Ruth for another 4; 8 miles total, 8:55 min/mile average.
I tested out some new running clothes from OPE Running, a Minnesota brand. Their stuff has a retro, hipster look that I love and the shorts are super comfortable. Check them out!
Summary: 66 miles of running- yowsa! 3 virtual strength training session. Full week!
…And that’s a wrap! I’m linking up with Running on the Fly and Confessions of a Mother Runner . Check it out below:
Well, I’ve yet to run “with” anyone. I might walk with a friend at some point soon . . .
I’d actually rather run in the rain than the heat & humidity we’ve been having (or I tell myself that, but then sometimes it’s hard to talk myself out while it’s raining) — and we’re in a similar situation with the 90 degree days.
Ruth’s been a naughty girl. 🙂 Bandit will sometimes chew up a sock if a certain someone leaves them within reach. 🙂
Haha, exactly! The rain actually feels better than the heat, but it’s a little hard to head out into it…even though my shoes have been MORE soaked from hot runs than they were from the rain!
Ruth is getting better, but she still can’t resist a running sock 🙂
wow impressive week of running for you! That is how much I’ve been running a month haha . The humidity is fierce lately for sure! Crossing my fingers for your marathon to go on!
Thanks Deborah! Fargo will still have to deal with the challenges of the weather in August…will be interesting to see what happens in August!
Great job on all of your workouts this week! I can’t believe how much wildlife you saw earlier in the week – the turkeys would have freaked me out!
Happy belated birthday to Dustin! So great that you were able to enjoy a meal outside at a restaurant. I’m planning on trying out a restaurant for outdoor dining soon, hopefully once the humidity breaks – it’s been so yucky outside!
The thermometer meme just made me laugh out loud. Sadly some people believe this way of thinking.
There were SO MANY TURKEYS! It caught me off guard!
It wasn’t the most pleasant patio experience since it was hot, but I’m not ready for indoor dining!
Yes, 66 miles is a big YOWSA!! That’s more than I would have in three weeks total LOL That cribbage board is awesome…it’s been years since I played. I would totally need a refresher. I’m amazed at how much rain you got last week. We had a lot of rain a few weeks ago, but recently it’s been kind of dry here.
I swear, I have to give Dustin a refresher every time we play 🙂 I learned as a really young kid so somehow it stuck with me. He loves the board!
Ope running? MUST HAVE. I thought it was a Wisconsin thing. Love. Just love.
The heat has really put a serious kink in my mojo. I’m dropping down to the half marathon for my trail race. It’s fine. I just don’t want to work that hard, lol….
Haha, OPE- it’s Midwestern, I think. Wisconsinites and Minnesotans both say it.
You are a champ for banging out those miles in this heat! I LOVE that cribbage board! It’s a work of art and bring back all the feels of that race for me. What a thoughtful gift! I’ve not heard of OPE Running but the gear looks great!
I’m glad you have such fond memories of Twin Cities! It’s the best 🙂
OPE Running just launched! I honestly think, at least currently, it’s all handmade by a woman here in Minneapolis! She dropped off my order herself, ha!
I almost fainted when I saw your mileage for the week. 🙂 Great job! Kudos to you for wanting to run after work. Yeah, for me it was the last thing I want to do.
Happy Birthday to your husband! I like arepas. They’re very similar to gorditas and pupusas. So many options for fillings.
I’m not usually a post-work runner, but it helped to be meeting a friend who I hadn’t run with in so long! Running is such a great way to catch up.
Yes- arepas are DELICIOUS!
That heat wave me literally made me LOL. 😀 Very cool cribbage board —made me realize I haven’t played in years! It sounds like that restaurant has a good plan in place. I would be comfortable eating outside if tables are spaced apart, but my husband doesn’t feel the need yet. ~sigh~ Love the new running gear. Those colors are HOT. Wow on all those turkeys — I did not know “rafter” either. That is an amazing picture of a bald eagle — are they rare there? When there was a pair in our city it made the news.
We have a few bald eagles around the lakes, but not a ton. This one was so regal, everyone was stopping to look at him. I loved it. And the turkeys!!! SO many.
We have been playing a good amount of cribbage during quarantine, so I figured it was an appropriate gift!
Ha ha I’ve picked up some great running tips on your blog and today I’ve gotten another tidbit that I needed to know that a group of turkeys is a rafter. We have wild turkeys near where I work (you know back in the days when everyone had to leave home to work) and those suckers were shameless about stopping traffic. I haven’t played cribbage in forever and it is so much fun! I know what I’m getting myself when/if I ever run a full.
Haha, glad I could be of help 🙂 A rafter of turkeys is fun to encounter!
My goodness, that’s a lot of miles, and around all those storms, too! Crikey! And oh, that naughty sock-eating dog. I have no notepads without teeth marks in now …
Ruth has ruined plenty of socks…I didn’t notice the hole in this pair until I ran already run in them, but it was clear who was to blame, ha!
Great week of workouts! That’s a great idea about the card flipping at the restaurant. It does feel so special to get a chance to go out to dinner now. I’m glad you were able to celebrate Dustin’s birthday! That dew point chart is so funny – and useful!
Dew point makes a difference with running!
What an awesome running week for you!
Happy Birthday to your husband! I love that cribbage board!
I’ve often wondered about using Daily Harvest – do you enjoy them?
I like the smoothies- I don’t get a regular shipment, just sporadically as I want more. They are tasty and convenient.
Look at you go!
Poor Ruth always gets the blame. 🙁
I love the safety protocols in place for that restaurant (I support arepas, so that doesn’t hurt either). We don’t have anything like that here, that I’ve seen, but I would feel better if we did.
Love arepas too! Delicious.
Wow you’re killing it on the mileage! Good for you still training and hope the race stays on!
I LOVE that cribbage board! That is so cool! My dad taught me to play and he loves cribbage. It’s been a family tradition for a long time. If I currently had anyone to play with I’d definitely order one.
I’ll check out that Daily Harvest thing…I’ve been really into smoothies and toast for breakfast post workout lately.
I’m all about smoothies in the heat! But I often need a second breakfast as they aren’t enough for this gal 🙂
love how Ruth is looking away like “no, not me mom”
I’m impressed with the wrapping paper variety!