Another Gap

Busyness and laziness took their toll on my running schedule this past week. I ran last Thursday and all of a sudden I look up and it's the next Wednesday. I set the alarm Monday morning to get up early and run, but I went back to bed instead. Not one of my finer moments. Today I decided I would run at lunch instead of trying to get up early since my work schedule was actually open. I went out a little before 11 a.m. and the temperature was already in the upper 80s, and very humid. As usual, the first half went okay, and then the last half of my 4 miles ended up with several bouts of walking. At least I sweated a lot. Tomorrow should be more of the same.

Followed by a Thursday Run

School started again on Monday, which I forgot to mention. The early-morning zombies clog the sidewalks out of the neighborhood, starting at their cell phones as they shuffle along the sidewalk. On Thursday morning I got out 15 minutes earlier than normal, which allowed me to avoid the horde. I ran the 4 miles, pretty much the same was Wednesday. Not as strong on the second day in a row, but still managed to get through it in good shape.

A Wednesday Run

Because of early meetings and having to get kids where they needed to be on Tuesday, I ended up running on Wednesday instead. It was a good run, the usual 4 miles, and the usual run up the hill followed by a sprint at the end. I ran both days this week without headphones so far, and it's been kind of a nice break.

Vacation

I didn't intend to take a week off from running, but between rain in Austin and a vacation in Oklahoma it just worked out that way. I'm glad to be back to it this morning, even though the alarm seemed like it rang awful early. I ran my 4 miles in a nice temperature, even though the humidity was still up due to the rains of the last few weeks. I feel like it's time to start getting back up to 6 miles each time out, and I'll be easing back into that routine. It was a good start to the week.

A Little Rain

I was surprised when I stepped out the door this morning and it was sprinkling. I paused a few moments to see if it was going to intensify, but it trailed off and I set out for my Monday morning 4-mile run. About 1.5 miles in it started sprinkling again and kept that up for the rest of my run. It wasn't too bad at any point, though, and even more important, there was not any lightning. That would have sent me back inside quickly. When the alarm went off I thought several times about staying put, but I'm glad I got out the door. All in all it was another good run, with the ending run up the hill followed by a sprint. This is becoming a tradition. Or something.

Quality over Quantity

My plan was to run 6 miles on Saturday morning. About two hundred yards into the run I was sweating from the humidity already, due to rain on Friday. I quickly pondered my options, since I usually don't get the humidity sweats for at least a half-mile. Option 1 was to go ahead and try to kick out 6 miles, knowing that I would probably have to walk several times. Option B was to run 4 miles and run it the whole way, including up the hill with the sprint at the end. I chose Option II and I think it was the wiser choice.

Friday was the last hundred degree day of the season, although we'll still have temperatures in the 90s for several more weeks. Hopefully the humidity will also start a decline and I can do some more speed work and pick a fall race.

Thursday's Run

It was another good run on Thursday morning. Either I've finally become accustomed to the humidity here at the end of summer, or the humidity is lower. It's not, so I'm going to have to go with the first option. I ran my 4 miles a little faster than normal, by only 30 seconds or so for the first few miles, but I still had enough gas to run up the big hill and sprint the last bit in the neighborhood. Today (Friday) is actually supposed to be the last day of hundred degree weather. Sad. Even though the next week looks like more rain and cooler temperatures, I'm sure summer isn't ready to give up the ghost yet.

Back to Normal

This morning I ran my 4-mile route and it went well. I was a little worried since I started sweating from the humidity at the half-mile mark, well before it usually hits. Beyond that it really wasn't much worse than all the other runs lately. I also ran up the big hill and sprinted the last fifth of a mile. Not bad for a run on a day where the temperature later spiked up to 101 degrees.

Saturday Hill Run

It's been awhile since I ran hills, and decided Saturday was the day. I also wanted to run 6 miles, which counts as a "long" run during the dog days of summer. The first three miles went okay, but out of the second half I probably walked more than a mile. It was sooooo humid, and barely any breeze at all. In fact, I don't remember a breeze other than from passing cars. Still, I needed to get out and sweat a little before going to a Frampton concert that night. Which by the way, was really really good.

Another Good One

Today was just as good as, if not better than, Tuesday's run. Same course, same running all the way, and even better sprint at the end. The 4 miles went by without incident, which is all you can ask sometimes. The sun is rising a little bit later every day. In a few months I suppose I'll have to think about running at lunch, if my work schedule will allow. It wouldn't have worked very well this week.

Ran Yesterday

It was another 4-miler on a Tuesday morning, and believe it or not I ran the whole way. Including up the big hill. And a kick at the end. Not sure if the humidity was down slightly or what else happened, but it felt good. The temperatures this week are in the upper 90s and around 100, which means any morning cooldowns are still in the future. My weight, which I usually ignore, is up higher than normal, and think I need to run more hills since that always helped in the past. That's my plan for Saturday morning's longer run.

Still Trying

My Saturday run went the way of many other recent runs - I skipped it. I kept feeling more and more congested after my delayed plane flight on Wednesday, no doubt from sitting on the plane for over three hours because of delays instead of the hour it should have taken. My sinuses dried out and the I'm sure I caught a little something from all the recirculated air. Instead of getting up to run on Saturday morning I turned off the alarm and slept another three hours. By the time the alarm went off this morning I felt much better. I ran my 4 miles and felt pretty good the whole way, much better than the last outing. Hoping to get in all my planned runs this week.