I was shooting for 300km total running distance in the month of June, 2022. I came short. However, I’m still happy with the month totals. Why? There was more cross-training activities than expected. I came away from the month stronger and faster. Most importantly, I went through another month injury-free.
So, what were the running totals for June? I covered 224.6 kilometres over 14 runs. That’s a pretty decent average of just over 16 KM per run. With just 14 runs, that definitely leaves a lot of room for improvement in overall mileage for July. I do believe I will attain that 300km plateau – especially if the moderate temperatures continue in Southern Ontario.
The longest run was a 31.47km experiment in Backyard Ultra training. The whole distance took place on a course of around 6km with forced breaks of about 5 minutes between laps. The trail has it’s technical sections and I found the stopping and starting every 6km to actually be a bit taxing on me. With that said, I look to up that long run significantly in July. More on July’s goals below.
The overall number was down slightly from May when I ran 241.6km. That distance was over the same number of runs as is June, 14. That made for an average run of 17.26km. The high run in May was 31.2km, a torturous trek through both Mono Cliffs Provincial Park and Hockley Valley Provincial Nature Reserve. Most of that run was over the famed Bruce Trail.
July, 2022 Running Goals
I want to increase my run frequency to 20 or more runs for the month of July. I also want to crack that 300km barrier. As for the long run, I want to put in a full Marathon distance in a single training run. That, of course, is 42.2km.
For that long run, I’d really love an overcast, cooler early morning with even a bit of rain mixed in. I will, for sure, leave the trails for that run and head out to the backroads. Orangeville, Ontario is growing at a rapid pace, but I can still be out in ‘the country’ after just a mile or so running from my front door. It certainly is not flat land but it’s a little less steep than the trails that the nearby Bruce Trail provides.
July also brings my first organized running event in a long, long time. I have entered the Lindsay Milk Run 10km on July 17, 2022. We will be at the trailer in nearby Bobcaygeon at the time so it’s certainly a convenient race to enter.
The course is flat and I’ve started to throw in a bit of faster running during my runs. I’m hoping to finish in less than 60 minutes, for sure and possibly even go for the 50 minute mark. Looking at past results, that puts me pretty high up in my age class (50-59).
10km is definitely shorter than what I was looking for but in July, it’s hard to find much longer. It’ll be nice just to get back in the atmosphere again. Of course, as usual, the ultimate goal is to enjoy the run completely injury-free…