For the month of July, I had set really ONE goal…make all of my runs. I took away the gym workouts in an effort to bring back some consistency. So, let’s take a look at the training plan for July…

Week Ending	Tuesday (W1)	Thursday (W2)	Saturday (W3)	Sunday (*W4*)
July 3, 2016	3 Miles	3 Miles	N/A	4 Miles
July 10, 2016	3 Miles	3 Miles	11 Miles	N/A
July 17, 2016	3 Miles	3 Miles	13 Miles	N/A
July 24, 2016	4 Miles	4 Miles	4 Miles	N/A
July 31, 2016	4 Miles	4 Miles	5 Miles	N/A

So, there were a total of 15 runs that I had on the plan. Now, the first two runs were in the month of June. But, let’s look back anyways….

On 6/28/16, I finished 3 miles in 35:25 for an 11:48 average pace per mile.

On 06/30/16,  closed out June with another 3 miles. This time, I finished in 35:45 for a 11:54 per mile average pace.

On July 5th, I finished 3 miles in 36:46 for a 12:12 per mile average pace.

On July 6th, I finished 3 miles in 35:57 for a 11:58 per mile average pace. It was awesome to be back under the 12 minute per mile average!

On July 9th, I finished out my pre-Avengers training cycle by running 11 miles at Santa Monica Beach. I finished 11 miles in…

It was a hard run to finish, but one that gave me tons of confidence as I entered Avengers training.

On July 12th, I began the Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon training with 4 miles in 50:02 for a 12:29 per mile average pace.

On July 14th, I ran 4 miles in 49:19 for a 12:18 per mile average pace…getting faster!

On July 16th, I finished week 1 of Avengers training with 3 miles in 37:04 for a 12:21 per mile average pace. The run was a bit disappointing. But, I got in the miles on the calendar!

On July 19th, I kicked off week 2 of Avengers training with 4 miles in 49:06 for a 12:16 per mile average pace…faster than the July 14th!

On July 23rd, poor air quality pushed me indoors for 4 miles on the treadmill. I finished in 48:26 for a 12:05 per mile average pace.

On July 24th, I was back on the treadmill. This time, I started off with 4 x 400 and then run 30, walk 60 seconds to finish 4 miles. My final time was 46:30 for a 11:36 per mile average pace. I’m not sure how to look at this run. why?

Things didn’t quite sync up with the treadmill.

This past Tuesday, I ran 4 miles in 48:32 for a 12:07 per mile pace.

Then, on Thursday, technological failures allow me to capture the entire run. All I got captures was the first 1.32 miles. I finished 4.02 miles total in 48:46 for a 12:07 per mile average pace. This is my best guess since I lost the last 2.70 miles when I accidentally deleted them.

This past Sunday, July 31st, I finished 6 miles in 1:20:10 for a 13:21 per mile average pace. I know the plan called for 5 miles. However, I don’t have a good 5 mile route to run. So, I added one mile.

So, for the month, I did pretty amazing! Almost perfect. I finished 14 out of the 15 runs on the calendar! My finish times were a bit of a roller coaster. I wish I would have ended the month with a better 6 mile run. However, I’m off to a great start and met my goal. I’d give myself an A for the month.

This month was a great month for my running! I feel like I’ve made the transition from newbie daddy runner to just a runner. I’ve realized that I can push myself and chase after running goals again! It feels good to be chasing a half marathon PR! I’ve also learned the value of flexibility and determination. This month, I was very motivated to get in all of my runs. After missing my only run of the month on July 2nd (a 4 mile run), I was able to buckle down and hit all three runs each week! Also, since I added that mile on Sunday, I finished the month with 3 less miles than I had on my  plan. Not a bad start!

For August, I want to build upon the success of July. I want to continue to make all 3 training runs for the week again. Additionally, I’d like to finish at least 2 gym workouts for the month. It would be great to get more. However, as I look over the month, I realize that getting 2 might be a bit of a challenge. This month, Brooke and I will celebrate 7 years of marriage (August 8th), Brooke’s Birthday (August 21st), and my birthday (August 28th). So, getting in 2 gym workouts would be quite an accomplishment.

Part of hitting all of my runs is getting to the track this month for some speed training. I have a 4 x 400 workout this Saturday and a 6 x 400 workout two weeks later. I’m not sure how to set my goals for these workouts just yet. Right now, I’d like to be able to run 4, 400’s in 2 minutes, 35 seconds in one training run. So, that could come this week. Or, it could be that I run 4 of the 6 400’s in that time in the second one. I’m going to work really hard on this and see how it goes. So, if I can get 4 400’s in 2 minutes, 35 seconds, it would be extra credit.

How did you do in July with your workouts? What are your August goals?