August recap.

I feel like I haven't done a monthly recap in ages, mostly because I haven't had much mileage to report on this summer. August, though, was different.

In August, I ran. For real. My long runs stretched longer and my regular runs became more consistent.

I've been pretty conservative with my return to running and I think it has served me (and my hip!) well. I'm still taking 2-3 rest days every week, icing, and going to my chiropractor once a week. I've also added a few more strengthening exercises to the rehab mix.

So far, so good. Eventually, I'd like to feel fully recovered and I expect that will happen this fall -- I hope so, anyway! In the meantime, here's what August looked like for me.

August stats:

Running (miles):108.5
Racing: 1, the Clove Run 10-mile race

Not bad!

This month I'll continue to build up for the half marathon in October. I'd also like to add some faster miles, especially tempo runs. I ran one while in Long Beach Island this past weekend and was pleased with how it went. I started with two warm up miles at a 10:00 min pace. Then, I ran two miles at tempo pace, which I set at 7:40/mile. I ended up running the first mile right at 7:40 and I think I was so afraid of slowing down that I ended up running the second mile at 7:35. After my two miles at tempo, I cooled down with 1.5 miles around 10:00 min pace.

At the end, I felt really good. So, for my next tempo run I'll stretch the distance of the faster portion to three or four miles.

But first, I have a 5K to run this Saturday, so that will serve as a little bit of speedwork for me this week. I'm hoping for some speedy miles!

Have a great week, everyone!