I can’t believe that Mountains 2 Beach was over a month ago! Where did time go? It’s almost July. We’re halfway through the year. It’s just insane to think about it. So what have I been doing for the last month? Of course if you follow me on Instagram or like my Facebook page (and if you don’t, let’s connect there!) you may know generally, but I wanted to sum it up and give you some thoughts on where I’m at with running, workouts and life.
Running
After a lot of reflecting on my race at Mountains 2 Beach, a long conversation with my coach and discussions with Mike and friends, I’m more convinced than ever that my race was totally ruined by my body fighting off the stomach bug. I hate to use it as an excuse, but I seriously KNOW I had that sub 3:35 (or even 3:30) in me. So disappointing, but we all know that anything can happen during a marathon and I experienced this, again.
Given what a great training cycle it was, I really want a PR so I signed up for the Scripps Ranch Old Pros 10K on 4th of July. While I intended to do some decent training for this race, I would say that it was OK. I was able to get in three 8-10 mile runs, several shorter runs and three speed workouts over the last 5 weeks. Given that I was still recovering from the marathon, that’s not so bad.
I told myself I’d only run if I wanted to run, and a few times I didn’t but I found myself wanting to run more than I thought. It helped that I’ve been doing most of my runs with friends (either my running group, Oiselle team, Asia, Ashley, Kelly or Mike). We were on vacation last week and I wasn’t able to run more than once on our trip (though it was a speed workout!). It’s hard to gauge where my fitness level is at, though I did surprise myself with some fast times on all of my speed workouts. At the same time, I’m not exactly in “racing mode” mentally, but hopefully being at the start line of the race will help motivate me to give it my all on Tuesday. I really would like a PR!
What I have realized is that I really, really need to sign up for another race, preferably a half marathon, if I want to keep my mileage up (which I do). I am planning to run the Rock n’ Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon but it’s not until the end of October. Any suggestions for me? A good southern California race in late August or early September? The heat is definitely an issue around here so I’m not necessarily looking for a PR course, just something that I can train for and keep my mileage up. America’s Finest City Half Marathon is my backup plan, although that seems awfully soon now (7 weeks away I think!?). I’ve run this race 3 times already and it’s an early start, so not ideal, though it doesn’t require any travel which is nice!
Shaun Week
Beachbody released a brand new workout called “Insane Focus” by Shaun T. The idea was that everyone would participate and do all seven new workouts during “Shaun Week,” which took place June 12th. I really, really enjoyed this program! I committed to doing all 7 workouts and I had a blast! It’s much higher intensity and faster moving than 21 Day Fix, with less of a strength training focus. All of the workouts left me totally sweaty and tired, which I liked! It was a really fun challenge. Some of the workouts actually DO use weights, which is new for Shaun T workout programs. I definitely saw a change in my body after just the one week which was pretty great!
Once Shaun Week was over, I planned to try another of Shaun T’s programs (as the majority of my challenge group was doing) but then he realized a 30 Day Shaun Week Calendar, and I decided to follow that instead. My goal is to get through the entire calendar (which its just over 4 weeks) over the course of 5 weeks. So far, I’m behind but I plan to catch up! The calendar includes a few yoga workouts, rest days and a sampling of T-25 and Max 30 workouts, so it’s been fun switching it up. I’m aiming to run 4 times a week on top of this program.
Life
Life has been busy! My Beachbody business did great in June and I’ve got some new women on my team who I really enjoy working with. I’m excited to head to New Orleans in July for our Beachbody Summit (basically the national sales meeting). It should be a blast!
In other news, my best friend Asia returned from her solo travels to Latin America (at least for now, we’ll see where she ends up) and it’s been great catching up with her. I successfully hosted my sister in law’s baby shower which was a hit and perfect timing becuase she ended up having her baby five weeks early the following week. My other part time job is working for her, and I was busy over the last couple of weeks trying to help her so she could have extra time with her baby! Molly Rose is absolutely adorable and Siena can’t wait to meet her! 
Siena is starting to get a real attitude but she’s really cute so it (mostly) makes up for it. The weather has been nice and we’ve headed to the beach quite a bit and she loves the water. Mike and I went up to Murphy’s, CA (with a stop in Mariposa to drop Siena off at my dad and step mom’s house) last weekend to see Jason Mraz play at amphitheater in a winery there and we had a blast. We enjoyed some wine tasting and good food as well. The only thing it was missing was great hiking (it was nearly 100 every day!) but we did a few workouts indoors together to get our daily fix. 
I’ve been catching up with my old friends wine and beer this month and enjoyed plenty of happy hours, dinner parties and birthday parties with friends. We’ve had a jam packed social calendar and I’m enjoy the freedom of NOT training for a marathon!
Do you plan to race on the 4th of July? Any 10K pacing tips for me? What activities do you do more of once a tough training cycle is over?
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