Back Inside

This was kind of a lost week for running since The Wife and older kids were out of town. I had offsite meetings on Tuesday and on Thursday it was my mom's last night to be here. In both cases I weaseled out of running, leaving only today to finish out the week. I ran 6 miles on the treadmill again. It went fine but I'm looking forward to running outside again someday. Sure, the temperature was in the low 90's instead of over the century mark, but that's still pretty darn hot. This week I'll be out of town and will try to keep it going, hopefully outdoors.

Weighing the Alternatives

This morning I woke up early enough to have a choice about running or going on a grocery run. I chose to get to the stores and avoid the crowds. As we drove by a number of runners out to beat the heat I felt a twinge of remorse, knowing I would end up on the treadmill again. But I can't be too upset with myself since I really don't like crowded grocery stores and there were some good deals I would have missed if I'd gone later in the day. I got in my 6 miles and some Breaking Bad. Guess I can't complain too much. With more 100 degree days in the future it looks like I might finish Season 4 before the month is out.

The Fun Continues

More heat, more running inside today. 6 more miles on the treadmill and another 1.5 episodes of Breaking Bad. When I left work this afternoon and got in my truck the temperature read 120 degrees. Of course that's because the truck had been sitting outside all day and once I got going the reading plummeted to 106 degrees. I love summer!

It's getting to be time to pick a race. I need to do something this fall and figure out a training plan. Maybe next week when I'm sitting at all-day meetings with nothing better to do.

Back Inside

I'm back to running on the treadmill after Saturday's outing. The temperature is expected to be in triple digits several times over the next couple of weeks, and that means more treadmill running. Yesterday I ran 6 miles and felt just fine. It also helped that the Season 4 of Breaking Bad is now on Netflix. The downstairs TV isn't hooked into anything other than a DVD player, so I had a new setup. I brought the iPad with me and set it on the treadmill console. Unless I'm watching a DVD this might be my new setup for good. It took a few seconds to get used to bouncing up and down as I ran and the screen shifting a little as well, but it wasn't bad. And definitely worth it, both for the run and for the quality show.

Hot and Semi-Stupid

I waited too long to run this morning and paid the price. I had to drop off one of the kids at 10 a.m. at church, and on the way back I saw several people out running and walking. I thought to myself that it seemed okay and not too hot and hey, I should do that myself since I'm a little tired of running inside. I changed quickly and set out. I kept the pace slow and planned on some walk breaks. By the time my 6 miles was up I'd walked five times, mostly on uphill parts so that my core temp wouldn't get too high. As always with these types of runs it's mostly about the lack of shade on my route. I always feel like things would go better if I wasn't in direct sunlight the whole time. I was pretty done in by the time I got home, but not horribly bad. I also mowed the lawn this afternoon, and after that little bit extra outside I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon sitting on the couch and watching a ball game. Which turned out to be a bust since my team lost in extra innings. At least the lazy part of that worked out well.

Two Runs

I started out the week in DC. The high temperatures had plummeted to the mid-80's by the time I arrived, meaning I could run outside. On Tuesday I rode the Metro to L'Enfant Station and walked up to the National Mall. The center paths were closed for construction or something, so I ran the perimeters of the Mall, which were clogged with tourists. I headed east to the Capitol and ran around the pool and went west. Past the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, in front of the Lincoln Memorial before bending around to the Korean War Memorial, one of my favorites. At that point I ran east again through the MLK Memorial and along the north edge of the Tidal Basin. By this point the humidity was getting to me so I walked a little around the Jefferson Memorial. I ran/walked the rest of the way back to Crystal City. The last mile or so I walked. The total for running was about 6.5 miles and the grand total by the time I made it to the hotel was about 8 miles. I love running in DC and even though running-wise it wasn't the best, it was still fun.

Today back in KC there were thunderstorms in the area. The temperature here had dropped but I'm not a big fan of lightning so I ran inside. I finished up Lonesome Dove and got in 6 miles. The treadmill is nowhere near as exciting as a run through DC, but it served its purpose.

Scorcher

Today the temperature on the thermometer in the truck showed up as 106 degrees. Needless to say I ran on the treadmill again rather than dissolving into a puddle out in the hot, hot sun. We're supposed to get a break starting tomorrow, but in the meantime a fan and the treadmill were what I dealt with today. I ran 6 miles, giving me a total of 15 miles for the week It was a good week exercise-wise, with three days of running and three days of weights. It's nice to get back in the swing of things just in time to be interrupted by a trip to DC this week. At least I can take my running shoes and get in a run in one of my favorite running venues.

Joys of Treadmill Running

Still over 100 degrees during the day here, and once more unto the treadmill. Today I experienced one of those joys of treadmill running. I'd done my five-minute warmup and had run for about seven minutes. Lonesome Dove was in the DVD player again and things were going well except I noticed I was sweating a little more than the last few times. It finally dawned on me that I forgot to plug in the fan that circulates the air and keeps me cooled down. I hopped off and stepped over to where the fan plugs into the power strip. As I lifted the power strip my thumb hit the power button, which naturally shut down the whole operation, including the treadmill. Good grief. So I had an unscheduled break while I powered everything up again and returned to the previous state, except this time with the fan running. And speaking of running, I went 5 miles. Now if I could just stop eating so much I might actually feel better about everything.

Treadmill in Summer

With the temperature over 100 degrees outside it was definitely another day for running inside. I plugged Lonesome Dove into the DVD player. It was fun because I haven't watched it in a couple of decades. In fact, I still remember when it premiered on TV because my college buddies and I made quite the event of it. I ran 4.5 miles with more to come on Thursday.