Eight is Enough…for now

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For the past weeks, I have had my heart set on running 8 miles and this week was no exception.  Since we missed the Striders this week, Tiffany, Amanda and I arranged to meet for a Sunday run, like old times.

 

Then, I overslept and it caused me to be a little late meeting Tiffany and Amanda.  When I finally caught up with them, they had already ran 3 miles. 

 

The muggy air this morning was heavy, sticky and thick.  I couldn’t move any faster than 11:00 mm but Amanda seemed to be grateful that I couldn’t run my usual 9:00-9:30 mm pace. 

 

As I whined about shared my struggles, Tiffany mentioned an article in Runner’s World this month which stated that your pace typically slows down tremendously during the hotter months.  Every five-degree rise in temperature above 60° F can slow your pace up to 20 to 30 seconds per mile (“Running Tips for Beginners: Beat the Heat”, Runner’s World).  I honestly didn’t mind the slower pace as long as I could finish my long awaited 8 miles.

 

Although it was a struggle every step of the way, I finally reached my goal this week. 

8 miles

Time 1:28:37

Pace 11:04

Next week, I plan to try 8 again and hopefully it will be less challenging and less muggy.

 

One another note, the Faces of Courage Triathlon is two weeks away.  This week, I plan to rev up the tri training with a 3 mile followed by a 10 mile bike ride and on another day, I will run 3 miles and swim 16 laps.  That sounds overly ambitious, doesn’t it? 😉 Hopefully, I can drag my ass out of bed wake up at decent time in the morning to squeeze in all this training.

About the author

Denise
From start to finish, Denise is Run DMT, a Tampa Bay homeschooling mom on the run trying to maintain an easy pace through it all between races and raising three beautiful, brilliant adultish kids (ages 23, 19, 14). In 2007, I discovered a passion for running and in February 2015, I completed my tenth marathon. I continue to train for a variety of races and even host annual 5K. In 2023, I became a certified group fitness instructor and teach P.E. in my homeschool co-op.

5 comments

  3. lindsay says:

    hey nice job on getting your run done even with the late start and, i am assuming, having to add on 3 miles alone. the heat is definitely a factor in pace! good luck in your tri-training; maybe remind yourself how it’s slightly cooler in the early morn?

  5. Tiffany says:

    I ran nine–nanny nanny boo boo! Actually, I am thinking if we were to slow down our pace (tramautic, I know), we could go the longer distances.

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