Stupid Deer

This is the second time in a week I've seen deer standing by the sidewalk while I ran. Today I saw two of them and thought they were going to run into the traffic on Flintlock. Fortunately they scampered back into the woods. What pests.

I ran 7.6 miles total, with 6 miles at marathon pace. I kept it as close to 9-minute miles as possible and was mostly successful. The weather was cool and the sky was overcast, and I briefly considered not going out, but I thought this was definitely a possibility for how the weather could be on race day, so I went. Not really much of a choice, was it?

Crisp Fall Day

The weather was a little cooler than I thought it was going to be when I set out for my run dressed in a thin, long-sleeve athletic shirt and shorts. But I warmed up a couple of miles into it and the breeze wasn't too bad. I went 6 miles and kept throttling back to keep it closer to ten-minute miles. It was a nice evening. The sun sure does seem to be going down earlier, though.

14 MIles in Three Acts

This was definitely not the normal way I'd run 14 miles. First, I headed out the door at 6 a.m. for a 5-mile warmup. Then at 8 a.m. I ran in a 5k race that is a benefit for our neighbors. They have two children who have Osteogenesis Imperfecta, better known as brittle bone disease. A gym in Liberty sponsors a race that contributes to the OI foundation and several of our neighbors were there. This was the second year for the race, and this year I won (really?) the 5k in 25:05. If there'd been any 17-year-olds from the high school track team they would have kicked my rear, but at least I beat my 13-year-old. Which is good, becuase in a couple of years I'll be that much closer to middle age and she'll be way ahead of me.

After we returned home I ran another 6 miles in order to complete the mileage I needed for today. Since I missed my run on Thursday, not only did I get in my mileage today, but I also fit in a speed workout. Not the way I'd do it every time, but for today it seemed to work.

9 Miles on Dead Legs

The legs felt dead tonight and it was a struggle, but I decided I wasn't going to give up. I ran a mile for warm-up, and then 7 miles at marathon pace. That pace ended up being close to 9 minutes/mile until the last few, which were in the 8:30 range. To finish it off I ran a mile for cooling down. I think maybe I've been eating too much junk food, such as a cinnamon roll at work this morning. But it was for a fundraiser, so you can't fault me for that, right? Yeah, I need to lay off and eat healthier.

The Weatherman Was Actually Correct

How often does that happen? Today the sun was out and the temperature was just right at about 70 degrees. I ran 6 miles and enjoyed every minute of it. I don't usually run with my phone, but there was a production problem at work today and I received a call that all was good to go about 20 minutes into the workout. Lots of people out walking, running, and biking today, which was appropriate given the beautiful weather. Now if it would only stay this way.

Waiting for the Sun

Another cold and breezy Saturday morning run here in middle America. Today was the KC Marathon, but I ran my own course here by the house and opted to save the money this time around. I ran 13.1 miles like I would have if I'd gone to the race. I started out very slow and it took me a while to warm up. I went from 11-minute miles to sub-8:30 by the end of my run. The sun almost poked through a couple of times, but it seems a little shy after being out of sight for so long. The temperature is supposed to climb back to the 60's by tomorrow, which will be a nice change and a little more reasonable. I can hardly wait.

Twilight Run

Cloudy still, and don't think I've seen the sun all week. Ran 8 miles today that included four mile-long intervals at 7:30 pace or less. Once again I ran up to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, but this time I only did two turns around the parking lot. Once again the temperature was in the low 40's with a little bit of a breeze. Today I didn't wear the ear warmers, though, and that turned out okay. Apparently the boy saw the knit gloves I wear sometimes when running, and thought it was amazing that I could get such small gloves on my hands. I thought that was amusing.

What a Day to Run

The temperature is in the low 40's and mist was falling during today's run. As soon as I finished and started walking up the hill for my regular cooldown, it started raining a little harder, and by the time I was done warming up with a nice hot shower it was actually raining steady. Today was a 7-mile marathon pace run all wrapped up in a total of 8.5 miles. I ran up to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church and circled their parking lot six times since it was fairly level. I planned on keeping up a pace of at least 9 minutes/mile, but ended up with an average pace of 8:23/mile. It seems weird to be wearing my tights under the running pants and layering shirts, but the weather is forcing my hand. I started off wearing my rose-colored lenses but they kept fogging up the latter half of the run so on the third lap I ended up taking them off. This felt much more like a late November run than it did mid-October. Guess I'll blame global warming again.

Keeping it Slow

Today my goal was to keep it slow. After Saturday's run and into yesterday, I had a little pain on the outside of my right kneecap. I probably should have iced it but never got around to it. The pain was never very bad, but it just seemed kind of odd. So I was very conscientious about running very slow and trying to keep in mind running with good form. I was successful on the first goal, with my average pace for the 6-mile run at 10:40/mile. We'll see tomorrow morning if I was able to meet the second goal.

Is Winter Here?

The temperature went down to the mid-30's last night, and was around 40 degrees when I went out for today's long run. I was planning on going 15 miles, but ended up doing only 10. The wind was blowing nicely out of the north, and even though I felt strong and considered continuing, I decided I was tired of the wind. Yes, I wussed out again. But today is my anniversary, so I can do whatever I want. Within reason, of course, and that included cutting my run short.

I've registered for the marathon in Memphis, which I believe is on December 5th. Guess I'm committed now.

Windy Hills

Today's 6.6 miles was almost too cool. I think the last vestiges of summer are blowing over the horizon. Today was hill repeat day, and despite the breeze it went very well. I take hills as a challenge and attack them, so I actually enjoy workouts like this. I ran a couple of miles of warmup before getting into the heart of the routine. On my way back I ran into a lady we used to go to church with and who is about 60 years old - might have mentioned her on here before. She won her age group in the KC Zoo Run as well as the Hospital Hill Run, and she is planning on running a marathon in Olathe (I think) at the end of November. She's quite the runner. Of course it'll probably be that long for me before I can win my age group. Sad when you have to rely on attrition to thin the field.

Windy Fall Run

Ran 6 easy miles, and actually kept it pretty easy today. I think the lack of sleep while camping caught up to me since I felt like going slow and keeping it that way. There was also a very stiff breeze threatening to turn cooler. I enjoyed it all, though, and it certainly beats running in high heat and humidity. I sweated a little more than I thought I would for such a cool temperature, but maybe it was a little more humid than I thought. Or maybe my body was telling me to go slow since it was worn out. Whatever.

One thing I forgot to mention from Saturday's run was that I went the whole 12 miles without fluids or gel. I had done the same the weekend before when running 10 miles, so thought I'd try it at a little bit shorter distance. The temperature was cool so I didn't miss it and didn't suffer any ill complications. I certainly wouldn't try it during higher temps, and I'll take something during the coming weekend's 15-miler, but it was an interesting experiment that seemed to work. I think of it as getting my body used to a little more stress and hopefully that will pay off.

Break from Camping

We're camping this weekend, but the boy had a birthday party in town. So I brought him in and ran while he went to the party. It was extremely nice to take a nice, long hot shower after being out in the cold wind all day yesterday and today. I almost cut the run short just to have more time out of the wind, but told myself no excuses today. I ran the full12 miles and did a little exploring since I didn't really have a set route. Ran through a nice neighborhood by the golf course and discovered there's a club house set back there. Nice looking homes, and also look expensive. I'll just be content with enjoying the view as I run past.

Another Great Fall Day

Ran 7.6 miles today, including 6 miles at "marathon pace." I tried to keep it at or below 9 minutes/mile and was largely successful. The weather was just above brisk, the sun was shining, and the breeze was stiff from the northwest. It was a great day for a run! As with the hill run on Tuesday, this one also had some good hills. I went up to the big church, which is a nice big hill, and I'm trying to concentrate better on the downhill parts of my runs. This is so I don't have calf-cramping problems as I did in my last race. I hope.