July Recap: T Rex, Wild Goose Festival & Guatemala

July has been a whirlwind of activity and travel, making me SO GLAD to have a coach to help me figure out how to juggle 100K training with the rest of my life.

The first week of July, four weeks into heart rate zone training, and I finally noticed progress! Many people give up because it’s frustrating to run slower than you know you can, but it does improve speed in the long run (pun intended).

T Rex 10 Mile Race Recap

On the fourth of July I ran the T Rex 10 Miler put on by the Old Farts Running Club. I LOVE their races and I had hoped to improve my time from last year. When we arrived at the race to pick out a t shirt, I noticed that the map was different from last year.

When we turned off the gravel road and onto the trail, I saw a sign that said “Beware Kong.” I was wondering what was up, because whenever you see a sign on an Old Farts race you know something hard is coming. Turns out they changed the route to include a steep hill that required a rope!

The next section was Stegasaurus Ridge.

I remembered this from last year. The rolling terrain is challenging because the brush makes it hard to see where you are going.

Finally we came to the race’s namesake: The T Rex

When all was said and done, even though I felt much stronger than last year, I was a few minutes slower because of the heat and new course. But I beat a few more people than last year, so that’s progress!

Family Vacation

My parents rent a lake house every year and it’s always a joy to see my sisters, their husbands, and my nieces and nephews. I went fishing with my dad, did some gravel road running, and showed one of my sisters the core workout that has become a staple in my training. Unfortunately I had to cut the vacation short because of the Wild Goose Festival starting later that week.

Wild Goose Festival

The best way to describe the Wild Goose Festival is a Christian hippie gathering featuring music, art, and justice workshops. World Renew (the organization for which I work) had a tent to promote our volunteer and advocacy opportunities so five other co workers and I attended the festival. We stayed in tents and had a great time and met lots of wonderful people. My favorite activity was pobably beer and hymns, although the silent disco was also fun. Amy Grant did the concert on the closing night which brought back a lot of memories.

having fun at the Wild Goose Festival

A post shared by Wendy Hammond (@wholisticwoman) on Jul 14, 2018 at 5:26am PDT

The event took place in Hot Springs, NC which is a town right on the Appalachian Trail. So I had to do a short hike!

(Scroll through the images to see the awesome views!)

couldn’t spend a weekend at the Appalachian trail without going for a hike! Managed to get an hour in before today’s activities begin.

A post shared by Wendy Hammond (@wholisticwoman) on Jul 14, 2018 at 5:27am PDT

Side note, I had just finished listening to The Pursuit of Endurance, in which the author interviews several people who have Fastest Known Time records on many of the national trails. I highly recommend it! But after doing just a mile or so of the Appalachian Trail, I realize how hard mountains are. So there go my dreams of getting an FKT someday 😉

Guatemala

I had just enough time after the Wild Goose Festival to wash my clothes and get a long run in before heading to Guatemala for work. It was a fabulous trip, and I tried not to feel guilty about not having time or place to get my runs in. I did however get some hikes in as we visited community members. Very steep and at high elevation!

Visit my Instagram account for stories from the community visits.

not getting any running in this week, but hiking steep hills at 6900 feet should count as cross training. The locals were surprised that this norteamericana could hike from the main road to their house without being muy cansada! I told them I’m training for 100k and they thought that was hilarious. #ultratraining #Guatemala #seenonmyrun

A post shared by Wendy Hammond (@wholisticwoman) on Jul 25, 2018 at 4:36am PDT

It wasn’t all work though, we did get to visit the ruins in Tikal and San Juan Ixcoy.

While we were there, I remembered that the last time I was in Guatemala was before weight loss surgery and I was much heavier. I struggled to get to the top of the ruins. This time it was a breeze! (Well, as much as can be expected considering the elevation). Even the locals were surprised that I was able to hike up to their homes without being very tired.

Home, and back to training

It was nice having 10 days off from running, and I feel refreshed and ready to start the buildup to the 100K on September 7. My coach entered all the long runs from now until then, it’s getting real! I did a shakeout run yesterday and am confident that the time off didn’t hurt my endurance. In fact it felt great.

back from Guatemala, a one hour shakeout run felt great! Ready to enter the buildup phase for Woodstock 100k. Just a few more weeks, gulp. #ultratraining @onedayswages

A post shared by Wendy Hammond (@wholisticwoman) on Jul 29, 2018 at 3:16pm PDT

How do you balance travel and running goals? Does taking time off make you nervous or does it feel refreshing? Let me know in the comments!

For more fitness inspiration be sure to check out these running link ups: The Weekly Wrap hosted by hosted by HoHo Runs and Wendy from Taking the Long Way Home and Tuesdays on the Run with Patty, Erika, and Marcia!