I think this will go down as the HOTTEST race I’ve ever run. The storms that went through over the weekend lowered the humidity, but it was still a very sunny day (probably mid-80s). Nevertheless, I am thrilled to report that I successfully met my goal of finishing within 35 minutes with no walking. The Snook made a valiant effort to catch me in the last half-mile but I outlasted him. Mom also finished strongly near her goal time of 40 minutes. The official results are here. And hey! I actually finished in the top 50% of my age group! That’s a first. 🙂

So far vacation hasn’t stopped me from getting in the miles! The Snook and I arrived in Petaluma, California last Saturday morning and spent that first day resting up. On Sunday, I went out for my long run. I used RunKeeper to search for routes in the area, and I noticed that many of them ran alongside the airport. So that’s where I headed! I did my 8km pretty easily that day. Petaluma is flat, and the weather was cool and dry. On Tuesday the Snook joined me for a 6km run through a few parks. Now we’re in Indiana, gearing up for the big Elkhart County Fair 5K Road Run on Sunday. It’s a lot more hot and humid here. We joined Mom today for a nice slow 5K alongside the river in Elkhart. It was probably close to 90F (about 32C). We survived though! Our entry forms for the race have been dropped off. The really funny thing is that the race runs along the parade route and starts 10 minutes before the parade, so we’ll have “thousands” of people cheering us on! (Mom’s worried that if she doesn’t go fast enough, she’ll get run over by a marching band!)

July 18: 8.25km
July 20: 5.96km
July 23: 5.66km
Total this week: 19.87km (12.4mi)
Total in 2010: 545.36km (340.85mi)

I’m only 12km behind my goal to run 1000km in 2010! I’ll let you know how we go with the race…

The week did not begin auspiciously. Last Friday night, I was coming home from the shops with the Snook and took a nasty fall on some wet, muddy leaves. I landed heavily on my left knee. I took off a layer of skin and got a massive bruise on the side. It was really painful the first day, so I took the weekend off to ice it and recover. On Monday I went out cautiously for my scheduled 4-miler… and I felt okay! It ached a little bit, but I think that was more to do with my running tights constricting around the bruised bit. I managed three runs total this week, and my knee and foot have been feeling better with each one. Today was the least my right foot has bothered me since February! It’s pretty amazing. Each run has been faster than the last, too.

July 12: 6.45km
July 14: 5.69km
July 15: 5.77km
Total this week: 17.91km (11.2mi)
Total in 2010: 525.49km (328.4mi)

I’m still about 13km behind pace in my goal to run 1000km in 2010, but I’ll get there. Each week I’m going a little bit farther. I’m excited that my next run will be back in the U.S.A.! I hope I survive the summer heat…

This was a pretty good week for running! We had a houseguest all week so I wasn’t sure whether I’d get in my runs, but luckily Eileen went with me for all three of them. She also pushed me on my pace a bit, which really made me feel the fitness I’ve lost since the Half-Marathon. My right foot hasn’t been bothering me too much. I can still feel a difference from my left foot, but there’s hardly any pain. It’s actually kind of frustrating, because I have no idea what’s prompted the improvement! I guess I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I also managed a session at Spudds on Wednesday, which has left me feeling pretty sore…

July 4: 7.44km
July 6: 5.48km
July 8: 5.50km
Total this week: 18.42km (11.5mi)
Total in 2010: 507.58km (317.2mi)

I have finally crossed the half-way point in my goal to run 1000km in 2010! I should be at 519km right now, so I’m about 11.5km behind. My weekend runs are going to start slowly extending though, so I should make it up over the next few months. The only danger is my three-week vacation to the U.S. looming on the horizon. I’m going to have to work to get the runs in.

I told you it could only get better! This week I managed three runs, including two of them actually on workday mornings. They weren’t long and they weren’t fast, but I got out there! Snook even went along with me for two of them. The last two were FREEZING COLD; Sydney has had some of the coldest weather in decades. We actually saw frost on Tuesday! My foot is still bothering me, but the last two runs weren’t too bad. The ultrasound I had last weekend was inconclusive, so I still really don’t know what to do to make it better. My half-marathon prep has started though, and I’m going to keep plodding on as best I can!

June 27: 5.91km
June 29: 5.41km
July 1: 5.43km
Total this week: 16.75km (10.5mi)
Total in 2010: 489.16km (305.7mi)

I am exactly halfway through the year I set myself to run 1000km in 2010, and as you can see I’m only about 10km behind…

This is it. This is the low point of the year, I swear it. I only ran once this past week. I didn’t go to Spudds. I feel listless and flabby. I could make excuses – I think I’ve been fighting off a virus for the past week; Rodd didn’t want to run on the weekend; I’ve been busy at work; I haven’t been sleeping well – but really, I could’ve done more if I really wanted to. I haven’t had a weekday morning run in ages. Winter, you know? It’s tough. My half-marathon training starts next week though, so I’m hoping a plan will get me back on course. And it did feel good to go for a longer distance on that single run…

June 20: 10.96km run
Total this week: 10.96km (6.85mi)
Total in 2010: 472.41km (295mi)

Next week will be the halfway point in my goal to run 1000km in 2010, and as you can see I’m a bit behind on making the 500km mark. It’ll all get better from here, right?

Apologies for missing last week’s update. It’s just kinda depressing, you know? My distance is only half what it should be, and my foot is still bothering me. That said, I am loving my weekly run with the Snook. It makes me happy that he’s getting some exercise, and I like that we get to spend that time together outdoors.

June 12: 5.31km
June 14: 6.79km
Total this week: 12.1km (7.5mi)
Total in 2010: 461.45km (288.4mi)

To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 461.5km. Folks, that’s pretty much exactly where I am. My entire cushion is gone. Unless I can pick up my mileage, I’m going to start falling behind. *sigh* It may be time to start putting in some long walks if that’s the best I can do…

Hip Stretches from Sara and Ryan Hall. These are exactly the type of hip and glute stretches I do for my stiff right hip. (Well, it’s the type I do when I remember to do them.) (Link courtesy of Running to Disney.)

Geek Girl Runner Episode 008
Here it is! My long-awaited EPIC next episode. Hey, only 2.5 weeks between shows! I think that’s some sort of record. This is also probably the longest show I’ve done so far. This episode features: what’s been keeping me busy lately (both running and otherwise); a training update; emails, comments, and shout-outs; and a weighty (HAR HAR) discussion on the topic of sports bras. Thank you especially to all of the women who gave me interviews at WWKIP Day and to those who contributed to the online discussion. I hope you like the episode!

Show links:
World Wide Knit in Public Day
Elkhart County Fair 5K Road Run
You Don’t Have to Run Alone – blog and podcast of Ted
Blackmore’s Half-Marathon – part of Sydney Running Festival
Kelly in Motion – blog of Kelly
Marathon Woman Returns! – blog of Elma
Wikipedia entry on Sports Bras
7 Rules of Sports Bras
Sports bras: the lowdown
Australian Institute of Sport: Berlei sports bra testing results
Biomechanics of Breast Health

Thanks as usual to Nick Arthur for the use of his song “Little Donut Party”!

The topic of the next GGR episode (to be recorded today or tomorrow) is sports bras. I managed to get several interviews yesterday at WWKIP Day with women who participate in a range of sporting activities. If you’d like to contribute, just drop me an email or leave a comment on this post. I’m interested in hearing which type of sports bras you prefer, problems you’ve had with them in the past, features you particularly like; etc. If anyone has ever undergone a breast reduction, I’d love to hear about that too.