The Argument

This morning I was lying in bed knowing that I didn't have to go to work and arguing with myself about going for a run. That's never the best time to have an argument, because the bed usually wins.

Through the blinds I could see it was cloudy. I thought to myself it's pretty rare that I go for a morning run, and certainly rare to go for any run at this time of year when it's cool outside. No, that didn't animate me.

I ran 20 miles last week, and I know I'm not going to run Saturday. So if I don't run today that leaves me with only 6 miles for the week, which is coming down too much off my weekly target. I'll lose the ground I've gained over the last month or so. Nope. The sheets were apparently made of glue, because I couldn't loose myself from them.

I need the exercise. Too much food lately and starting to feel it around the middle. I pulled the covers up over my chin.

It's swimsuit season. I don't care.

I have a few extra hours before I leave on a float trip. If I don't run then I'll just putter around and do nothing during that time. Is that a bad thing? I could sleep a little longer.

None of these arguments got me out of bed. In the end, I'm not sure what finally did cause me to rise and throw on my running shorts. Maybe it was the weight of all the pathetic arguments finally pushing me off the nice, comfortable mattress because there wasn't enough room for both them and me.

I talked The Wife into running with me and she did her usually two-miler and I hung on for a good 6 miles total. It was breezy out of the north so the run back was tough, but I made it all the way without having to walk. Amazing what a lower temperature will do.

About a mile from home a group of four young, shirtless guys passed me going the other direction. A few minutes later I heard talking behind me and realized they'd turned around and were passing me. I estimate they were going a couple of minutes faster per mile than I was, which means they were probably running a 5-minute pace. Haha. Really, though, as they blew by me with their young bodies and seeming invincibility, I thought to myself , hey, I'm wearing a Heart of America Marathon finisher's t-shirt, which I bet none of them owns. I dragged myself out of bed this morning after a tough debate concerning whether or not to run. And besides, I have at least 25 years on them. I hope they're still running when they're my age, but what matters to me even more is that I'm running now. And enjoying it, no matter who passes me.

Untethered

I was struck by a little bit of fancy this afternoon and decided to run without my Garmin. There were a few reasons - it was quite warm and I wasn't going to run a set pace, I was running my normal route and knew the exact 6-mile distance without the GPS, and finally, I just felt like it. I listened to my body to run the pace that felt right, slowing myself a couple of times because of the heat. I walked the big hill by the golf course again. Although I probably could have run it without too much of a problem, I still felt like it was best to slow a little and take advantage of the shade. We're on the cusp of summer and I'm almost to the point of needing to take a water bottle with me on evening runs.

20 Miles

Even though it was a Saturday The Wife and I went out for a run. Plus we roused Daughter #1 to join us, and let me just say she was less than enthused. Nevertheless, she's training for a triathlon and needs to run when she can. She pulled up lame with an ankle problem that could be related to having to get up too early on a Saturday. The Wife ran two miles with me and then I did another six. Today's total of 8 miles means I ran 20 for the week, the first time that's happened in quite a while. I could go back and research to find out when that was, but I'm too tired on a Saturday night after a couple of holiday cook-outs.

The Knee has been fine the last two days after the scary episode on Thursday. When I was running today with The Wife it felt fine. But just as we split paths and I was running downhill I felt a couple of twinges. It was weird.

The feeling passed within a quarter-mile and I ran the rest without incident. When I was coming back by the golf course I walked for a couple of minutes since I could feel the high humidity and knew it wasn't good for me. I almost felt bad about six minutes later when I had to walk again, but I knew I was overheating. Looking back I can see this is one of those moments when experience paid off. A few years ago I probably would have kept running to get in the full distance without stopping, but I knew today that it was better to slow down and give my core temperature a chance to lower. And now once again I live to fight another day.

Hot Run

Today the temperature amped up to about 90 degrees. The wind was rolling across the plains from the south and kept me cool, but it was interesting because the clouds were driven in from the north. It was another day where I was bound and determined to go 6 miles, which I did. But it wasn't all fun and games.

Less than a mile into the run I felt like my left hip was aching, and the good ol' left knee was balky. So I stopped and walked for about a minute to reset my stride. That seemed to help but I thought about calling it a day and heading in. My issue is that I seem to keep getting back to the point where I run my normal 6 miles on a weekday and then something happens to set me back. I want to get past that hurdle. I kept going and at almost the 4-mile mark I slowed to a walk for two minutes. My stride never felt quite right today, but I was persistent. I walked again in the shade and going uphill before I got to 5 miles, this time for about four minutes. That cooled me off enough to finish the run, not in fine form, but at least I finished.

I wore the new shoes again today and I'm about to the point of being committed to them for every run from here on out. Once again I feel like my problem was a result of the shoes I wore during the day. I need to fix that tomorrow and see how it pans out on Saturday. Today I was more casual at work, but it didn't carry over to the run. As of tonight my knee and hip feel fine. I felt like I was running tight and had to keep relaxing my shoulders and stop leaning forward. My run wasn't fast but apparently my posture didn't get the message.

Back to Normal

Temperature today was on the high side of 80 degrees. I didn't mind though since there was a nice breeze and I'm just happy to have good weather. The Wife ran with me for the first mile and then slowed to walk. She told me to continue, which I did, and after my first turn we reconnected again and ran for another half-mile. At that point she peeled off and I continued. I kept the pace at a decent level and made it so I didn't have to walk any of the 6 miles. The left knee still gives me a twinge from time to time, but I feel like it's almost more a problem because of my daily dress shoes than it is from my running footwear. Whatever the case I just enjoyed the run and slowed on the uphills in order to not wear out my stamina.

At one point about a mile from home a line of guys on bikes snaked past on the other side of the road. They were all dressed so spiffy and streamlined. I was laughing on the inside at their outfits and how they have a nice big group and I'm just...me. About thirty seconds later as they were becoming smaller in the distance another guy came along behind them. He was dressed in different colors so it was clear he wasn't part of the team, but I thought to myself, "That's me." I might be doing the same type of activity, but by golly I'm going to be the guy who looks a little different. And probably comes in last. But at least I'm doing it on my own terms.

Manhattan Run

We're in Manhattan, KS, for my nephew's graduation from high school. It's very windy. Nevertheless I found time this morning to get out for a 7-mile run. There's a trail that skirts the south side of town and encounters the river for a brief period. It's called the Linear Trail, which makes sense to someone, I suppose, because it's not really linear. Along with the wind the day was pretty hot, in the 80s I'm sure, and even though the path was pretty level it was also unshaded. Just like my other runs in the past few weeks I was determined to complete my goal whatever the method, and I did so by walking about five times. On the out-and-back route the wind was against me. It reminded me of the Big D Marathon in Dallas a few years ago where the wind was just brutal. Using that as my lesson I opted out of using up all my energy to fight it and walked when I needed to. My tactic worked and I made it back to the van without killing myself. It was a nice run but I certainly would have been grateful for more shade.

Early Summer or Late Spring?

It was over 80 degrees this afternoon, but I didn't care. It's still nice enough to be part of Spring and I'm going to take advantage of it. This was also a 6-mile run on a weekday and it felt pretty good. My left knee still gives me a twinge at times. I'm thinking it's part of the transition from the old shoes to new and the corresponding adjustment. Today I wore the old shoes. Saturday I'm planning on wearing the new ones. I don't know - I've had issues with new shoes and how my kneecap tracks with previous switches. This time it's not horrible, just a few reminders here and there. I've also had this problem with new everyday dress shoes, but eventually it works out. Or not. As I've said before, more to come.

Tough But In a Good Way

The lack of sleep last night almost got me on today's run, but I slogged through it and made 5 miles. The temperature was up into the mid-80's, but a nice breeze mitigated the heat somewhat. I was certainly in a better place than the last time I tried a run in the heat. This was one of those runs where I never felt like I got into a rhythm, but I kept going. Just like the run on Saturday I told myself I was going to make it the whole distance, no matter how long it took or how much I needed to walk. And I did walk for two minutes on the way back on the big hill by the golf course. I could feel I was a little overheated and I was with the wind at that point, which means there was no cooling breeze in my face. As an added bonus I listened to the new Van Halen album, which I got off amazon.com this month for a mere five bucks. Review in a nutshell: not bad. Sounds like one of their earlier albums. I think it needs a few more listens to form a definite opinion.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

That's not right. The fastest person wins the race. Duh. And today I didn't race. But I did run 6 miles and I kept it slow and steady. Before I ran I told myself that it was okay to walk if I needed to, and it didn't matter how many times because I just wanted to go a full six. I kept the pace slow and steady and ended up running the whole way. That was nice since I wasn't sure how it was going to go. I was listening to a really good podcast and I think that distraction helped. Plus it was overcast with a cool breeze, which kept me from becoming overheated. In fact, we had a brief rain shower earlier in the afternoon and when I first decided it was time to run it was raining. I waited a few minutes and by the time I was ready the rain was past. I wore the old shoes for this one. My left knee gave me a couple of tweaks earlier in the day, so using the old shoes was a good thing for today. Next week I'll work the new ones in again.

Thankful

Sometimes I'm just thankful to be able to run. Whether it's a physical thing, the part of the world you live in, or the cycle of life you're in, sometimes it's just not possible to do it. I'm so glad I live in a place where I don't have to worry about being shot or kidnapped while on an outing, and that I am healthy and able to run without limitation. Plenty of people the world overcome their circumstances to run, and when you think about it I have it pretty easy. I don't mean to get too circumspect and gushy, but let's just say it's one of those days I'm thankful. We all need these days once in a while to realize how good life really is.

The weather was great and I ran 5 miles today. I wore the new shoes for the second run in a row. Like I always say, the test of shoes is not really how it goes on the run, but how it goes in the next few weeks and whether or not there are any knee issues. I will wear the old shoes on Saturday and we'll see how it goes.

Much Improved

Compared to Saturday's painful run, today was a walk in the park. The climate was much better for starters, and I also felt a trifle better. Amazing how it doesn't hurt so bad when you've been eating regular food and smaller portions. Anyway, The Wife and I started out together but she peeled off after less than a mile since she's running tomorrow morning with Daughter #1. That left me to complete a 4-miler on my own, which I did with surprising ease. It gives me hope that I can get back in the groove and up the distance to 5 miles on Thursday and 6 on Saturday. I took the new shoes out for a spin again and everything seemed to go well. I plan to try and work them into the mix more frequently over the next few weeks.

Bringing the Pain

Yesterday I ran. It was one of those "been-out-of-town-on-travel-and-ate-and-drank-too-much-the-whole-week-and-this-was-the-first-run-back-plus-the-temperature-was-90-degrees-and-it-was-painful-because-I'm-not-acclimated-to-the-hot-weather-so-I-ended-up-going-only-a-pathetic-2.61-miles" runs. I don't think I can really say much more than that.

Second Day

I wasn't going to run again today but it was one of those times where the weather was so nice it would have been a sin to abstain. Once I hit the trail at Neshimany State Park again I realized it was quite a bit more humid today. I went 3.5 miles total, a little bit of a comedown, but I knew it was better to take it easy than to push it.

On my first circuit around the park I saw a huge ship south of us and heading north. The downtown Philadelphia skyline was in the background and the scene was very picturesque. Wish I'd had my good camera so I could have taken a nice picture. When I came around the second time I thought the ship would be a lot closer but it really hadn't progressed very far in the intervening twenty minutes. They certainly weren't in a hurry. And today that was okay, because I wasn't either.