Girls Run

Two of my girls ran with me this morning. It was their first run in Texas and the first step to getting them going. Even though they ran a 5k a few weeks back they were hitting the pavement for the first time in a while. I had them run about .8 miles, and then walk while I continue on to the end of the path and turned around, and then they ran back with me the rest of the way, walking up the big hill on Lake Forest. Overall I ran 4 miles and they probably ran 1.5 or so. The Wife and The Boy walked through the neighborhood instead of running. Weenies.

Another Tuesday

Ran with the (formerly Virtual) Running Partner on Tuesday morning, a nice 3-miler. We kept it slow since it was his first day back from vacation. I felt pretty good, in spite of the humidity and dead air about halfway along the path. On the way out we saw the coolest bug sitting on top of one of the concrete posts atop a bridge. It was white with black spots and the most impressive of antennae. When we came back the bug was gone but a whole line of cars was queued up for the Liberty HS parking lot - it was a bunch of teachers coming in for some summer work, I guess. Sorry, teachers, but the bug was more fascinating.

Alone

Daughter #3 was supposed to get up and run with me this morning, but when I went to her room the second time to see if she was awake she was still asleep. So I ran alone, a whole 3 miles. That turned out to be the perfect distance. I thought about running another mile, but since I'm adding another running day this week I decided keeping it short was better than trying to get in one more mile. And this week I'm definitely going to start back with the weights. That never happened last week due to getting the rest of our stuff out of the storage unit. That's done now, which means I can get back even more into the regular routine.

Exploring

Today I planned on a 4-mile run, just like Thursday. When I got close to the turnaround point I decided on the spur of the moment to change it up. I kept going and ran a circuit instead of an out-and-back. I went down Hardin to Virginia Parkway and then back to Lake Forest. The overall total was 4.5, but that extra quarter mile was due to a wrong turn in my new neighborhood, which I'm still learning. Otherwise it would have been 4.25.

I ran out of sidewalk a couple of times on the second half of the run, but that doesn't bother me. I also ran by the McKinney water tower, which is huge. Just sayin'. I probably should have caked on some sunblock but most of the time I ran in the shade. It was enjoyable and a good outing. The adventure continues.

A Little More

Today I added a mile and made it 4, again along the same path as Monday's run. The morning was overcast but not much cooler. I don't mind. Lots of sweat. It was a good day to be out and exploring. I'm looking forward to being able to run all winter without dealing in the single-digit temperatures. For now, though, I'm enjoying the newness of the area and getting back into fighting shape.

Back on Track

Well, now that the gettingthehousereadytoselllistingthehousegettinganewjobsellingthehousemovingtotexasbuyinganewhousemovingintothenewhouse business is all done, it's time to get in shape. I even stepped on the scale this morning, which is a rare occurrence, but I wanted to know the starting point. I'm up to 172 lbs., which is a bit much on this frame. I could tell the weight has added on, especially in the belly area. Time to get rid of it.

Here in Texas you either run in the morning before it gets hot, or you don't. I ran 3 miles today, my first time on a path that goes all the way from the neighborhood north of here east to Towne Lake and slightly beyond. Not many people out on a Monday morning, but maybe everyone's not as motivated as me. Even though the temperature was only about 80 degrees and I had sporadic shade, I still sweated like crazy. Which is to be expected, given my current condition.

I had the brief thought this afternoon that I should run every day this week as a crash re-intro to exercise, and then sanity took hold and I realized that's an invitation to injury. So I'll take it easy and run three times, and then maybe add a fourth day next week. I also need to get back to strength training. That seems to be a good discipline for being in shape, too. Tomorrow I'll get out the weights.

Better

Today's run was a ton better than Monday's. I wasn't even planning to run today but the Virtual Running Partner harangued me into it. We went 3 miles again, under clouds and humidity, and I felt like a totally different person. We gradually got faster as we went along, with the last mile under the ten-minute mark. Amazing what you can do with a few days of eating better and none to minimal drinking. Our plan is to run a few more times this week, maybe adding an extra mile to the run on Saturday.

Running in Texas

This was my first run as an actual Texas resident, and it was horrible. The weather and 3-mile distance weren't so bad, although it was way humid. The horrible part came because of the self-inflicted food and drink over the Independence Day weekend. Let's not do that again. Seriously, between the humidity and the crappy way I felt it was a tough run. As I've said before, it's time to get back in shape.