After a not-so-great week 22, let us see what’s in store for this week.
Day 1 – Sunday, June 07, 2020 – Quarantine Day 83
The FOURTH HALF MARATHON OF 2020.
What a day! After realizing that I ran only 12 miles for week 22, I decided to take matters into my hands and more seriously. And, boy, I surprised myself.
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and I had no better plans for the day, so, I decided after having a quick lunch, to go out for a run and see how long I could go. It was hot outside (around 80s), so I decided to keep my expectations minimum and just see how I perform in this weather. Before this run, I didn’t run in such a hot weather, so it was interesting to find out my capabilities during such a hot weather and could successfully finish the Half Marathon distance.
Unfortunately, when I stopped at a red light, I paused my Apple Watch, and instead of resuming, I pressed on End. That’s the reason you see my stats are split in two runs, and frankly, kind-of frustrating. Anyway, I will keep this in mind the next time.
After having run a Marathon, the Half Marathon doesn’t seem big and I could attest to that during and after the run. I was not at all tired until I touched the 10 mile mark and more importantly, it was a physical tire and not the mental. I noticed and realized how mentally strong I have become over the period of 3-5 months and was glad to find that out.
What a wonderful way to start a week. Today I realized how resilient my body has become to long distance running and all thanks to the grit and perseverance.
Day 2 – Monday June 08, 2020 – Quarantine Day 84
My knees were a little sore after running a Half Marathon yesterday, so skipping the run, it was time to go for a long bike. I discovered, our speed has increased significantly and could finish 21 miles in almost 2 hours. Before a month or two, we used to finish 19 miles in around 2hours 30 minutes, so that’s a significant improvement and let us see what’s more in store.
The stand-out point from this ride was that this ride buttressed my belief that I can finish 100 miles on the bike. The only thing that I would need is the proper gear. I have my fingers crossed to see when that actually happens.
Also, Hines Drive is one of my favorite places in Michigan, so, it was refreshing to see so many people hanging out (maintaining social distancing) and enjoy the beautiful weather, after the stay at home order was lifted last week by our Governor.
Day 3 – Tuesday June 09, 2020 – Quarantine Day 85
One more day of the running and this one came in the scorching heat of 90F. Man, it was hot and I was running in such a hot weather for the first time, so I didn’t know what to expect. After finishing up my workday, I checked the temperature and had to prepare mentally to go out for a run in such temperatures.
I didn’t have a goal in mind, still, I took enough water with me so that I don’t run out. The moment I started running, I knew, I would need more efforts than the regular run and would definitely need to cut short my run. I thought I could run a 10K, but I was wrong and had to settle for a 5K.
After finishing the run, I was so exhausted, I remember drinking a lot of water and taking a long cold shower. It is such a blessing, I tell ya!
Day 4 – Wednesday June 10, 2020– Quarantine Day 86
What a Wednesday!
The day started earlier than usual and decided to take advantage of it.
I went out for a run early in the morning as I didn’t want to experience the same hot weather like yesterday. It was such a relief to run in slightly mild weather in the morning and it was evident from my pace how quicker it was than yesterday’s 5K.
Yesterday, I finished a 5K in 37 minutes, which was easily done today in almost 30 minutes. So, you can see how important weather is when it comes to running. I learnt this new thing today. 😎
This run was followed by the the entire day of work, which was a lot for a Wednesday. I shut my laptop down at around 4-4.30 and then went out for run as there was a Tornado warning around 5.30 PM in Michigan.
The run started very well, but around 2 mile mark, the high temperatures got to me and I had to walk for at least 30 seconds to get my breath under control. It is definitely harder to run in hotter weather than cold and I realized it one more time yesterday.
I could finish my run just before it started drizzling and I was glad I was home. Really had a great and couldn’t be more grateful for the amazing work, friends, and family!
Day 5 – Thursday June 11, 2020– Quarantine Day 87
Thursday was a busy day at work and it was a good sign, as the weather sucked throughout the day so the work was kind-of distraction to not look outside the gloomy weather. It rained most of the time. That’s right, rain in Summer. Welcome to Michigan, baby!
As the evening approached, the skies become clearer and we could go out for a short bike ride. I decided to skip the run today and accompany my friends for biking. I went with slower pace and took a chill approach to this and it helped to destress my muscles.
Day 6 – Friday June 12, 2020– Quarantine Day 88
Last day of the work week and it was rest day for me. The work was quite demanding and took most the day away from me. In the evening, had to do some grocery shopping so couldn’t go out for a quick run or bike. It was a good rest day though and with some delicious home cooked tomato soup and ciabatta sandwich.
Day 7 – Saturday June 13, 2020– Quarantine Day 89
And that brings us to the last day of the 23rd week.
For the last few weeks, Saturdays have been consistently hiking days and glad that it continued this week too. This time, we went to the Island Lake State Recreational Area and hiked the blue trail which is roughly 9 miles long. We estimated it would take around 3-4 hours for this long a distance, and we turned out to be right at the end.
We have started running a lot during the hikes now, so it was easy to finish the hike quicker than anticipated, but after 4-5 miles, kids got tired of the walking, so we had to settled for hiking with many breaks in between. Also, I had to take a detour during the hike, which elongated the hike by a mile and I ended up finishing more than 10 miles.
The temperature was around 60-70 and we were welcomed with cold breeze throughout the hike, so it was nice to hike in that kind of weather. Also, I loved the rail tracks that you see in the below picture.
This officially ends the 23rd week and I am so happy with the progress that I have made so far.
Here’s my Running Journal, and see you next week!
stochasticity 