September Running Update 🏃‍♀️😁

In between all my planking endeavors, I have been kicking my running back into a higher gear again. Though I have had this goal 5k looming (this coming Saturday), I just hadn't quite gotten myself on a good routine. This summer has been brutal with little relief from the heat and humidity, making running just plain unpleasant. Especially any kind of speed work. I'll go out and give it my all, but I think I'm also going to start looking for another 5k further into the fall to have a better shot at breaking that 22-minute mark. I suppose the most fulfilling accomplishments don't come easy, right?

Luckily the weather is slowly starting to at least get a tiny bit cooler overnight. I made it out for some solid runs over the past few weeks. Next week starts our corporate run group training for a big Kaiser Permanente 5k in downtown Atlanta in a little over a month, so I will be guaranteed runs on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons when I take my turn leading the training. I have also started throwing in a few Sunday runs a week to offer to current clients and try to get some new leads for personal training and plant-based nutrition counseling. It will take a little while to build up my group, but the first one went really well with two of my favorite long-term clients!

@dksart took some great photos during our workout so that I have more to use for marketing and social media. He also just enjoys nature photography, so he's been sharing a few shots that he got while he was walking around the trail on his own. I liked this one with the rainbow effect while we were stretching...

I love these two folks, so it was nice to be able to practice a bit with them on how to work with varying fitness levels. I am really adept at that in the gym with my training, but it is a little more challenging to finesse during a run group. I got some good ideas on how to approach future sessions, and they both really enjoyed getting out of the usual indoor setting that we generally train in.

As far as my own runs, I got in a solid interval session to work on my speed this past Saturday morning. I knew our Sunday run wouldn't be too taxing for me, so I took the opportunity on Saturday to kick it into high gear. They had some activities going on at the high school which meant once again I had no access to the track. Luckily the middle school right across the street is still vacant, making the empty parking lot a great flat place to do a quick HIIT session.

I warmed up with a mile easy, then threw in 8 rounds of 90-second blocks. I sprinted one length of the parking lot which was about 100 meters, then jogged back and recovered until the minute and a half was up. After the sprints I took it to a nice easy jog back home.

This morning I actually did the longest run I've done in quite a long time--just under 6 miles. The weather was not too muggy yet when I first went out, and part of my motivation in going longer was to make it out to the trail where I'm doing my Sunday run group this weekend to scope it out. We are hitting up a different trail than last time to see if this one is a bit less crowded. During the week it is actually pretty quiet, making it a really nice place to just cruise and enjoy nature. There are enough people that pass by to not have me feel nervous being out by myself on the trail, but still very peaceful. The front half of the run was mostly downhill or level. The way back got me a little bit--especially since the temps were starting to heat up!

I'll get another short easy run on Friday before the 5k on Saturday, with maybe some yoga thrown in tomorrow to stay loose. I have to say it is actually kind of nice to jump back on here and share my runs. It definitely helped keep me motivated to stick to my training in the spring, so perhaps I need to approach it like that again to stay on track for this season. Plus I gotta keep up with my @runningproject folks!

Don't forget to check out my plank challenge and join in if you feel inspired! I've got some more SBI shares burning a hole in my wallet, so come get 'em! 😉

Banners by @woman-onthe-wing, @dksart and @bearone for @steemusa