Running monthly totals:

Miles run: 267.5 miles (32.5 more miles than September)

Weekly average: 60.4 miles

Days run: 31 out of 31

Calories burned during run: 36,200 kcal (that’s 10.3 lb if 3,500 kcal = 1 lb)

Run time: 46 hr 42 min (90 min per day average)

Monthly averages and superlatives:

Average speed per mile: 10:28 per mile (18 sec faster than September)

Average stride rate: 164 steps per minute (2 steps per minute more than September)

Average heart rate during run: 139 beats per minute (4 bpm less than September)

Longest run: October 29 – 16 miles

Shortest run: October 16: 6.7 miles. 

Fastest run: October 27 – 9:47/mile, 9 miles

Slowest run (not counting hill repeats): October 20 – 11:10/mile.

Fastest mile: October 28 – Mile 7 at 8:16. (This is incredibly fast for me.  Number of times I’ve run a mile faster than this?  Perhaps twice.)

Fastest strides: October 22 – strides: 168 steps per minute.

Slowest strides (not counting hill repeats): Several runs in October – 162 per minute.

Total ascent: 10,958 ft. (down 490 ft. from September)

Update on running my easy runs by heart rate.

We hear over and over again that most people run their easy runs too fast. In July 2021, I decided I was running my easy runs way too slow, based on heart rate. (My easy run heart rate was frequently in the 110s and 120s.) I’ve been aiming to do easy runs with a heart rate range of 130-145 bpm, since July. How’s that going?

Above is comparing every mile I ran in October 2020 to every mile I ran in October 2021. I’m basically running at similar heart rate range as 2020, some miles are with a heart rate lower than 130, some miles are with a heart rate above 150, but the bulk of miles are between 130 and 150. My running pace, however, is a little over a minute faster per mile, at the same heart rate.

Non-run monthly stats:

Total distance (running + walking): 316.7 miles (up 42 miles from September) 

Average distance per day: 10.22 miles (up 1.06 from September)

Total steps: 565,160 steps

Average steps per day: 18,230 (up 1,807 from September) 

Average resting heart rate: 54 bpm (same as September)

Lowest resting heart rate: September 23 – 50 bpm (up 3 bpm from the lowest in September.  Thank goodness there’s no super low heart rate this month.  Also, when did 50 bpm become “normal low” for me?)

Highest resting heart rate:  October 29 – 61 bpm (down 4 bpm from the highest in September – this was the day I did a 16 mile run in the morning, so clearly some oxygen debt happening) 

Swimming monthly totals:

Distance swum: 176 laps/8,800 yards/5 miles (1 more mile than September)  

Average per swim session: 44 laps/2,200 yards/ 1.25 miles

Days swum: 4 out of 31 (1 more day than September – I wish I were swimming more, but also it’s great I’m swimming at all)

Swim time: 3 hr 35 min (54 min per swim session)

Average pace: 2:26/100 yards (15 seconds slower per lap than September)

Favorite stroke:  Right now, just getting to the pool and swimming is good.

October monthly thoughts:

1.)  I love running in the fall.  I love running anytime of the year, but when the temperature starts to drop it becomes so much easier to do longer runs.

September was a hard month for me.  I was experiencing anxiety about the prospect of returning to work.  A lot has happened since then, but the biggest thing related to my running is my endurance has returned, and I couldn’t be happier.

I pushed the miles towards the end of the month, and my body responded by getting faster and holding up with the increased mileage.

I always wonder if I will ever fall out of love with running at some point.  I’ve been running almost every day for three years now.  I know it will be harder to schedule in runs once I’m working full time, but my love of running is still there and as long as my body can hold up and I enjoy it, I’m going to keep going.

Mileage this month was fantastic.  Swimming and strength training took a big hit, but I’m so proud of what I was able to do running this month.  This is the most miles I’ve run in a month all year.

2.)  My pace is improving.  I think I have the dropping temperatures to thank for that, and a 5-6 pound drop in weight since August.  I haven’t been doing my normal tempo or interval training runs, but I’ve been doing fast last miles on many of my runs, and adding some tempo miles to the end of long runs sometimes (ok, just on that 16 mile run on October 29).  Anyway, not only has my average pace improved, but my fastest miles are getting faster, and my average running heart rate is still in the easy run range.

I don’t know what’s working that’s helping so much with my speed, but I’m going to keep trying to do what I’m doing.

3.)  I’m slowly trying to plan a move, find an apartment, submit an application for a grant supplement, and none of this is happening quickly.  My stress level is still high, but the high anxiety from September has disappeared.  Stress and anxiety are apparently not the same thing.  That lower running heart rate is probably from lower anxiety.  I’m looking forward to have the next month behind me and moving on to a new chapter in my life.  I’m not looking forward to the process of actually finding an apartment and moving my stuff across the country.

4.)  My weight is up slightly from the end of September, but still 5 pounds lower than it was two months ago.  I’m trying to eat more now that I’m feeling less anxiety, but I’m probably still eating slightly less than normal.

Checking in with my New Year, New Running Goals.

1.) I’ve attempted to sign up for a booster, but I don’t qualify.  If I had lung disease, active treatment for cancer, or a mood disorder, I’d be able to sign up, but I only have very bad seasonal allergies that affect my breathing but do not cause allergy induced asthma, I’m not actively being treated for cancer (long past “treatment”), and I googled mood disorder, apparently anxiety disorder (which is not bad at the moment) isn’t the same as a mood disorder.  I am strongly interested in getting a booster if and when it is offered to me though.

2.)  Ugh.  I would love to do a half marathon.  I’m pretty sure I could set a new half PR right now (better than 2:06:26 from 2009), but I’m also trying to plan a move and start a new job and there is a lot going on.  I would love to sign up and do a race and get an official time, but that’s not on top of my priorities right now.

3.)  I ran with my nephew Briggs in the stroller for one run this month.  I haven’t given up on this goal, just slow to make progress. 

4.)  I swam four times this month, which is a low number in general, but better than September.  It may be hard to find a pool when I move, and I’ll probably take a break from swimming as I get situated after moving.  I should take advantage of having easy access to a pool now, but I’m also trying to balance stress and not overdoing the exercise.

5.)  I strength trained three times in October, all within 8 days (October 3, 6, and 11).  This is not nearly as much as I would like to be strength training (once every 3 to 4 days) but better than the 1 time I did it in September.

It will probably continue to be difficult to do strength training as much as I would like the next couple months, but it is one of the best things I’ve done all year, for my running, for my physique, for my overall strength, for my confidence.  I plan to continue consistent strength training in the future, but for the next couple months it might be bumpy (and that’s ok).

6.) I’ve only been stretching on days I lift weights, so I only stretched 3 times in October.  Hopefully I can get back to doing this regularly each day, but I’m not there yet.

7.) Crosstraining – I feel like I’m doing even less than before.   Maybe more cross training in the future, maybe just try to do what I love (running, swimming, and strength training)

Audiobook round-up, October 2021

Note: I ran more in October than September, I also was feeling less anxiety which means I was better at focusing on audiobooks while running.  I listened to an unbelievable (to me at least) 24 audiobooks this month.  I got through so many this month because it turns out a lot of the classical fiction (and some other fiction) books were really short.  I also listened to a few different memoirs, and anything clocking in around 6 hours is at the most two runs (I start listening as I’m getting ready to go out the door, I listen after I get home as I make a protein shake and lunch, and at 2X speed that’s 3 hours total listening time).   I get these audiobooks for free from my local library through the Overdrive app – otherwise there’s no way I could listen to so many books. 

I’m thrilled that 11 of these books were on my TBR from last year, which I’m very slowly shrinking. I still struggle to listen to fiction while running. Don’t be fooled by how many fiction books I listened to this month – it take much more brain power to focus on fiction while running than non-fiction.  I do much better sitting down and reading fiction and listening to non-fiction.

Fiction:

Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier – this was a fantastic book to listen to while running on a rainy day in October.  I listened to it in one run.

The Halloween Tree – Ray Bradbury – also a great one run listen for October.

Witch and Wizard – James Patterson

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson

The Gift – James Patterson

Mary Shelley – Frankenstein – I was actively rooting for the creature.  I don’t know what that says about me.

That Way Madness Lies: 15 of Shakespeare’s Most Notable Works Reimagined – editor Dahlia Adler

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – Washington Irving – I did not care for this one.

The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson – this was mostly fine.  I did not care for the ending.

A Splindle Splintered – Alix E. Harrow

Neither fiction nor non-fiction:

Born to Run – Christopher McDougall – this is the book that many people have recommended I read, many podcast interviewees have declared their favorite, and is probably the most talked about book in running.  This book is written by a journalist with a hyperbolic tone, romanticizes the Taramuhara people in Mexico who spend a huge amount of their lives getting drunk, planning to get drunk, and recovering from getting drunk, describes the one female character as a scantily clad drunk, and has some bad advice as to whether heel striking is bad (it’s not, but the book says it is) and whether cushioned running shoes are bad (they’re not, but this book says they are).  Since the book is told as a narrative and many, many things are exaggerated including conversations, I have no idea how much is true and how much isn’t.  I doubt the author is making up as much as Henri Charriere in Papillon, but I’m going to keep wearing cushioned shoes and heel striking since that’s working for me right now, thanks.

Non-fiction:

Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem – Rosalyn Schanzer

Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness – Suzanne O’Sullivan

The Witches: Salem, 1692 – Stacy Schiff

Beasts Before Us: The Untold Story of Mammal Origins and Evolution – Elsa Paciroli

I’ll Take Your Questions Now – Stephanie Grisham – I don’t recommend this one.

Peril – Bob Woodward

Draft Animals: Living the Pro Cycling Dream – Phil Gaimon – interesting memoir and I was fully engaged, however, not nearly enough about doping in cycling for my taste.

Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor – Anna Qu – This is where I realized that memoirs are actually great non-fiction books to listen to while running, especially emotional memoirs.

Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the Greatest Sports Conspiracy Ever – Reed Albergotti – doping in sports, that’s what I’m here for.

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21^st Century – Maureen Callihan – scariest book of the month.  It is terrifying that people like this exist on the planet.

Bloodlines: The True Story of a Drug Cartel, the FBI and the Battle for a Horse-Racing Dynasty – Melissa del Bosque – this was a fantastic book that I’m still thinking about 4 days after finishing.  I don’t know how this snuck on my TBL list (I probably thought it was about doping in horse racing), but I’m so glad it did.

Faster: The Obsession, Science and Luck Behind the World’s Fastest Cyclists – Michael Hutchinson – I don’t know how this snuck on the list either – it’s not about doping and I’m not a cyclist.  Or, at least it’s not overtly about doping.  I don’t think we’ll ever know how or why cyclists “after” the doping era seemed to have amazing performances blasting past their competitors.  Did they have tiny motors hiding in bike frames? Were they microdosing banned substances to avoid detection?  More sophisticated methods of blood doping?  I don’t know if they were actually doing any of those things, but this book tries hard to convince me they weren’t.  I can remember 2011/2012 me being absolutely shocked when it came out the Lance Armstrong cheated, and not just cheated but cheated so flagrantly.  2021 me is not nearly as naïve to believe “wind tunnel testing” and better bikes are the key to winning in cycling now.

26 Marathons: What I’ve Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from Each Marathon I’ve Run – Meb Keflezighi – one of the best books I’ve listened to all year.  I love Meb.

Weight, weight fluctuate

Current thyroid medication: 137.5 mcg levothyroxine (T4) daily, 10 mcg liothyronine (T3) split up into 5 mcg twice a day (started August 11, 2020). 

Current weight:  158.5 lb  (up 0.3 lb from the end of September) 

Weight January 1, 2021: 163.3  lb

Weight change since Jan 1, 2021: -4.8 lb

Previous month: September 2021

Next month: November 2021