Dark Running

This has been a crummy few days. Was in an accident on Saturday evening and fortunately no one was hurt, but it's put my truck out of commission. I stopped by the repair shop today to retrieve a few things I forgot on Saturday, and I want my truck back. Then there's the whole having to work after the holiday thing, but that's normal, I suppose. A long-time friend was staying with us for a few weeks and left this morning. So after all that I was more than ready for a run today.

This being winter or close to it, by the time I made it home and out the door it was growing dark. Plus the cold has seemingly moved in for the long haul and the temperature was in the low forties. At least it wasn't windy. I ran 5 miles, and after all the holiday feasting and too many sweets I feel like I should run it again. The Knee is still not 100% and we'll see if it bothers me tonight. But at the moment it feels good enough to keep running.

Wind and NewsRadio

The temperature today isn't horrible other than being colder than it's been the past week, but the wind is blowing something fierce. The gusts are close to 50 mph, and running in that isn't my idea of fun. Instead of heading into the KC tundra, I popped a DVD of NewsRadio into the player and spent an hour on the treadmill. I maintained a reasonable pace and ran 5.5 miles. The Knee feels stiff more than anything else, which is weird. My hope is that if I keep babying it and not doing anything crazy that it will improve. Like I said on Thursday, I can't afford to be without some exercise this holiday season.

Another Turkey Trot

This was probably the best weather ever for a Turkey Trot 5k in Kansas City. I'm still in unbelief about how great it was this morning. The sky was perfectly clear and the wind was almost non-existent, although that changed later in the day. The temperature was in the high 40's. I ran wearing long pants and a long-sleeved technical shirt under a cotton T, and I was way overdressed. I could have worn shorts and the long sleeves and been fine. In fact, I might have been okay with a short-sleeved shirt after warming up, but that would have been on the edge. Still, when we stopped for hot drinks for everyone on the way home afterward it was apparent nobody needed to warm up as in years past. We had a fun time in Parkville and Daughter #2 was the family winner. I ran with Daughter #3 and we ran the whole way except for about 30 seconds when she had a side cramp. Other than that we had a good run and did great.

My knee has been hurting again the past few days. Not a good sign. Right now it feels okay, but on Tuesday night I woke up a few times due to the pain and could definitely feel some discomfort when turning over in bed. Not sure what to do about that. Today was an extremely easy day at a 12-minute/mile or so pace, which means I didn't put a lot of stress on it. I don't want to take off any more time, especially around the holidays when it's easy to get out of shape. What am I going to do?

Getting Cold

Here it is, late November, and I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that the weather is getting colder. It's just that it's been a mild autumn so far and I'm not ready for the frigid winter to roll in. In a couple of months I'll be wishing for a day as warm as today's temperature in the mid-40's.

The annual Turkey Trot 5k is two days away and I'm looking forward to running with the family. I think they're ready, too, although my youngest probably won't get her wish to beat the older siblings again this year. And I don't think they want her to do so. Nothing like a little friendly sibling competition.

Today's run involved a stocking cap and mittens to repel the cold. I ran 4.5 miles at a good pace again. I even passed a guy on my return north. He had a brace on his left knee and was running slow (obviously, if I passed him) and I almost felt bad. But not quite bad enough to slow down.

The Wind

Actually ran yesterday but forgot to post since I was busy with other things, including a flat tire on the truck. The wind was blowing at 20+ mph all day, but at least it was fairly warm until late afternoon. Strange thing about the wind - it didn't really bug me a whole lot, and I seem to unconsciously put more effort into things like running against the wind or up a hill. So my overall pace was actually the fastest I've had in a while. I ran 5 miles, which is the longest distance I've gone in quite a while. The pace was about 9:24/mile. My knees still feel all right. I still think there's some strengthening that I need to do for them. I guess that continues to be my research project that I forget unless I'm writing on this blog.

Too Late for the Day

Had a couple of errands to run after work today and by the time I arrived home the sun was already down. It was cold and breezy and I decided I didn't feel like running outside. Even though it's early in the season to keep running inside already, I chose to do so. With several episodes of NewsRadio to keep me company I ran 4.5 miles on the treadmill.

I was afraid on Tuesday night that I'd hurt my knee again. I was sitting on the couch with the youngest kid on my lap, and she was quite squirmy. I shifted positions and it was that feeling of something...well, not tearing, but almost like tearing. It hurt really bad in that moment and I thought oh no, here we go again. Yesterday it felt fine, so maybe it was just a momentary pain. Today's run brought no pain, so I'm hopeful that it was just a moment of weirdness and nothing more.

Continuation

What a beautiful day! It would have been a crime to not get outdoors today. Continuing my trend I ran 4 miles. An old friend is in town and he rode along on his bicycle. It was a good day all around. Not much more to say today other than I'm thankful for great days like this.

Progress

More progress today with a 4.5 mile run. It was super windy, but really once I got about a mile into the run it wasn't that big a deal. That first mile was with the kids since they're training for the Turkey Trot. They ran two miles today and should be fine for the race in a couple of weeks. My little one thinks she's going to beat everyone in the family like she did last year. I'm not sure her older siblings will let that happen.

The Wife wanted me to run with the kids yesterday, but I'm staying strict on this "rehab" thing and not doing more than I should. The total mile for the week was 12 miles, up 1.5 miles from last week's total. I think I'm doing it right since I haven't had any knee pain recurrence. Next week will be an overall increase of another 1.5 miles. I keep feeling like I should be running more so I can be in better shape, but I'm holding back. And that's the right thing to do right now.

Mid-Afternoon Run

Four-day weekend! That gave me the opportunity to get out for a run when the day had warmed up and before dusk fell. Even though the temperature was in the upper 40's, it was windy and that chilled things down quite a bit. I wore a stocking cap and knit mittens for the first time this season. I wasn't real thrilled about it, but it beat running on the treadmill again. Plus it was sunny, so how could I resist?

This was a 4-miler, just like last Saturday's, and it went just as well. I still get the feeling that the muscles around my knees aren't as strong as they used to be. I'm not sure why. Once in a while I get the feeling they're a little shaky, usually at the start of the run. I don't know if that's a thing that will be ongoing or if it will go away as my mileage increases. I've been doing my ankle-weight exercises, but maybe I need to make an addition or a change. This might require some research.

Inside

Oh no, it's begun already. The cooler, wetter weather that is. Today was definitely not a day for outside running. In fact, it's been raining since yesterday afternoon, which is fine since rainfall was sorely needed in our area. I don't mind running in the run, as my imaginary readers well know, but today was a day I would have minded. I hit the treadmill instead and ran 3.5 miles. I was accompanied by the first two episodes of NewsRadio on the TV. Hard to believe that show premiered 16 years ago. Less hard to believe is that it's still funny. Not looking forward to a winter of running on the treadmill, but at least I'll get some laughs out of it.

A Modester Increase

Added another half-mile to the previous run to get to 4 miles for today. It was the same increase, but as a percentage I guess you could say it was modester than the previous increase. I was going to run this morning but it was cold, cloudy, and windy. Plus The Wife wanted to run with me and she was...resistant to going in that kind of weather. Our patience paid off and when we headed out at the halftime of the OU-Texas A&M game, it was still windy but the temperature had risen into the 60's and the sun was out. She ran the first three-quarters of a mile with me and then turned around. She's building up her mileage too, although modester than I am.

The Knee still feels better and the slow entry into running again seems to be working. Today I ran more hills than the previous two outings. I will say that it doesn't feel 100% yet, but it's getting closer. Next week I intend to stay with low mileage. This week's total of 10.5 miles might be my lowest weekly mileage in about five years. That's okay, though, as long as The Knee keeps feeling okay.

A Modest Increase

After feeling no pain in The Knee since Tuesday's run, I continued the road to recovery with another short run. Today I added a half-mile to the previous outing and went 3.5 miles. The day was cool, breezy, and just asking for me to bundle up. I refused. I wore shorts and a long-sleeve technical tee. I could have reeled off six miles quite easily, I think, but it's more important to come back slowly and do this right.

Another thing - the day started with a blah feeling, which I attributed to all the junk I ate yesterday. The Wife found post-Halloween sale candy and brought home several bags on Tuesday, of which I partook way too much on Wednesday. Today I had healthy food (if you count Fritos as healthy) and just two pieces of dark chocolate. Other than that I've determined it's time to get back to eating better. It may not be so, but I think I can attribute part of my overall laziness and poor running results this year to eating horribly. I didn't have a doughnut every day, but most of the time I ate whatever I wanted. Time to stop, just in time for the holidays.

Feels Like the First Time

It's been 20 days since the last run. Talk about cabin fever. It's been killing me to sit still and not get out for a dash around the neighborhood. Especially with the great weather. At least I've had the distraction of the Cardinals' unexpected track through the playoffs to the World Series championship. Now there's a run! We had a blast watching every game and especially the theater of Game 6 and the final victory in the final game. We're pretty happy around here.

Now that that's all behind us and we took a quick trip to the Omaha Zoo, it's time to try running again. I don't recall a time in the last eight years where I've been off this long against my will. The Knee has been pain-free for several days and I planned on this being the day to test it. I ran a 3-miler and I can tell I've been lazy. I wouldn't normally sweat on a short run like this when it's mild and windy, but sweat I did. I don't think it'll take too long to get back into shape, though. I'm a happy runner again, although as we know the true test will be in how The Knee feels tomorrow. Here's hoping.