October was quite a month! I knew it would be a tough one as it involved my peak weeks of marathon training, along with a bunch of other things going on. I can’t believe that we are well into fall now and the temperatures are really starting to cool off- and before we know it the holidays will be here! But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about October.Â
You can see my other monthly recaps here:
-over the past several months I have basically said that I wasn’t focusing on my time goals for races this year. However, this month I ran a half-marathon and managed a PR of 1:41:58. This is still a ways off from my initial goal of sub-1:40 but it definitely gave me the confidence to know I could do it with proper training and a taper.
-I have continued to focus on strength training this month which was a pretty big accomplishment considering how much running I was doing.
-I definitely slacked on reading books! This was the first month of the year that I didn’t read at all- I just didn’t have the time!
October 2015 Stats and Highlights
Total miles: 216…I can’t even believe I just typed that! I have only hit 200 miles once or twice ever, in the midst of my Hanson’s marathon training for my spring 2014 race.
Best run: The Baltimore Half-Marathon- the recap will be up one of these days:)
Favorite Non-Running Activity: For my birthday I got a TRX! I have been loving using it for strength and core work, although I feel like I haven’t been able to try it out too much due to my training. Once the marathon is over I hope to use it even more!
Most popular blog posts:
Biggest accomplishment: Hitting such a high mileage this month! Also, just getting in all my training runs even when life got busy. I was setting my alarm for 4:30am way too often.
Set-backs and struggles: I don’t think there was anything outside the normal struggles of marathon training. Some of my long runs have been tough, but that is to be expected especially in the peak weeks of training.
Things I’m looking forward to in November: I guess I’m excited for that little marathon thing I am running in 3 weeks:) We will also be visiting Rob’s sister, her husband, and our niece for a few days after the race. Then we get back and its Thanksgiving!
What were some October highlights for you?
What are you looking forward to in November?
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Having no setbacks is an amazing thing! Training going well is just a great feeling overall. Of course it’s tough, but each long run is an accomplishment 🙂 I’m looking forward to a nice break from running before mentally gearing up for marathon training again.
I am also looking forward to a break from training once this is over! But having no real complaints during the process really is amazing:)
You had a fantastic month! I am so excited to see what happens for you this month 😀
Thanks! I am also excited for this month…also a little nervous:)
Wow! Over 200 miles this mth. That is awesome. I on ever get just over 100. Way to go! Your marathon training has been going so well. You will crush this marathon coming up. I have never used the TRX. You’ll have to let us know some of the moves you do on it when you begin using it more.
I will definitely try to share some ways to use the TRX once I get more comfortable with it!
So much good luck for the marathon!!
Thank you!
I’m excited to read your half marathon recap! It sounds like you had a successful October and are gearing up for a great November, especially a great marathon!
I definitely hope so:)
October was a pull-back month for me, but I’d been training since May. It felt good to take a break. I read 3 books and finished a 4th one before those 3, but I started that 4th one back in September.
It’s always nice to take a break from training after being focused on it for so long!
216 miles is epic!! AWESOME JOB!
Thank you!!
I would say my October highlight is many great fall runs! I was able to really enjoy this running season and before gearing up for another WI winter, this is important! Awesome job on progressing towards your goals!
It is so important to be able to enjoy some good weather, especially knowing that winter is right around the corner!
4:30am, hey? WOW. Okay so I have to ask, because I’m always worried about not getting enough sleep, what time would you go to bed at night to get up that early? How many hours of sleep do you get?
Ideally 8:30, but 9 at the latest. It’s tough because I feel like I basically finish eating dinner and am already thinking about going to bed. But I manage to get 8 hours of sleep most nights…and the others are a little more or less but I think it all evens out over the course of the week.
Wow what an awesome month for you!! I’m sure you are going to totally rock your marathon in 3 weeks. 🙂
Thanks! I hope so:)
What a great month, you’re going to rock your marathon! I’d love to do the Baltimore half next year, or maybe the 10 miler. There were so many fall races I wanted to sign up for but we had wedding stuff going on every weekend!
You should definitely run Baltimore next year! Wedding season can definitely make it tough to get in fall races.
Holy cow! 216 miles?! You’re a rock star!! The Baltimore Half was by far my October highlight – I’m still smiling about it. And I’m loving that it’s finally cooling off in California – with temps in the 50s, I’m seeing paces I hadn’t seen in months. Enjoy the taper!
I’m glad for you that its finally getting cooler there! I hope you are enjoying some nice running weather:)
That is so cool you got some TRX for your bday! When I lifted at the gym I would do inverted row with them.
I like that move on the TRX! It’s definitely a good way to get in strength training.
Congratulations on a great month! I can relate to the 4:30 AM nonsense – you gotta do what you gotta do though, right? The highlight of my October was not running related – my son went trick-or-treating for the first time. It was so fun to see the holiday through his eyes 🙂 I’m looking forward to the Monumental Marathon this weekend and then Thanksgiving!
I hope you had a great race!! And that is so fun that you got to take your son trick or treating:)
216 miles absolutely rocks and I think you will blow this little Marathon thing in 3 weeks right out of the water!
Thanks! I hope so:)
I can’t even that it’s November! It’s still so warm here right now (like 70 and above!) that it just doesn’t feel right, although I am not complaining. 430 is early but at least it gets light earlier lately
I can’t believe how warm it was here last week. The earlier daylight definitely helps with the super early wake-ups!
Yay for the awesome miles! Countdown to marathon time!
Yes! Thanks!
YAY!!! Way to go and what a great month, Lisa! I know these mileage milestone is going to help you push through to a great race in Tulsa; I’m excited about it! I’ve got a race this weekend, and it’s the only one I’ll have in November, so I’m excited for that. October highlight was sticking with my strength and core work because it is definitely helping me out during these longer mileage weeks!
I hope your race went well! And nice job sticking with the strength training- thats an awesome accomplishment!
Wow, what a huge month!! I’m so excited you made it to such high mileage now after a crazy beginning of the year. You’ve definitely worked your way back up! Can’t wait to hear about your marathon this month!!
My October was lower than most months what with marathon taper and recovery, but I’ve just realized how close I am to making my total year mileage 1500 so I want to push it a little more in Nov/Dec to make that happen!
That so awesome that you are almost at 1500! I am just under 1000 right now, but my mileage will be relatively low for the rest of the year due to the taper and recovery.
Wow, over 200 miles?! That is incredible. You had a pretty darn good month with that and your 1:41 half!! SOOO jealous of your TRX!! I may put one on my Christmas list!
You should definitely ask for a TRX- its so fun and such a great workout:)
Nice job on hitting 200 miles last month! And 1:41:58 is hardly far off from your sub-1:40 goal – you should be basking in PR bliss…while continuing to train for that little marathon you have coming up 😉
I’ve been trying to read more books this year too, but it is SO HARD. When I was in middle & high school I used to read for at least 45 min every night before bed. But as an adult, it keeps falling lower and lower on my priority list. I feel like the only time I have to read is when I’m traveling! Or maybe that’s just my excuse that I should travel more… 🙂
I typically read so much more in the summer when I am traveling and outside at the pool. I sometimes try to read before bed but I end up being too tired!