Watery Week

I don't mind running in rain, but when it rains for six days straight and the temperature hovers above freezing? Well, not gonna happen.

I slept late this morning because a thunderstorm rolled through and I had no motivation to get up any earlier. However, the line moved through just about noon and miracle of miracles, the sun actually came out. Even though I missed two runs this week I was still able to run 8 miles with no problems. Well, no problems other than navigating the sections of the path covered by water. Even so, it was nice to get out and enjoy a nice afternoon after numerous gray, gloomy, wet days.

A Good Long Run

Today started out rainy and gray, but by the time afternoon rolled around it wasn't too bad. I went 10 miles and listened to a lot of German on my iPod. Overall it was a pretty easy run, averaging around 9:30/mile. I thought this would be a good one before my next birthday, a nice round number.

I forgot to mention that on my Thursday run the GPS was totally whacked. It was cloudy and a high wind, which seems to distort the GPS sensitivity. I knew I was in trouble when the second mile took only 8:30 and I was still nowhere near where I knew the mile marker to be. Today I thought I might run into some trouble, even though it was nowhere near as windy. The alert for mile 3 was way beyond where it normally is. Even so, it seemed to average out in the end since I was within about 50 feet of the end point when I got the finish. Plus I wasn't going to sweat a few extra yards overall.

Wind and Hills

It was warm, gray Thursday. Twice as warm as my Tuesday run, as a matter of fact. A lot of wind, but that's a challenge, not a deterrent. I went out for a hill run. Why not?

The wind was out of the south and the first mile was tough. A half-mile in I thought my calves were cramping and this might be a bad day. I continued, figuring at that point I could walk back if needed. The next couple weren't horrible, but even so I felt like I wasn't in sync. I thought about walking up the hills somewhere between mile 4 and 5 but I was distracted by my iPod and switching between albums. Before I knew it I was up the last hill and on my way to finishing my 6-mile run.

80 degrees, hills, and 6 miles in February. Memorable.

Cold and Runny

The Wife said I looked cold when I was out running today because I wore a long-sleeved shirt, a stocking cap, and shorts. It was in the low 40s but I never felt cold. In fact I ran my 6 miles feeling pretty well, trying to hurry back for a phone call. To which I ended up being five minutes late. Guess the cold wasn't enough motivation to run any faster than I did.

Back to the Cold

It was colder this week in Dallas than it was in San Francisco. That was certainly true today where the temperature was 32 degrees with a lovely cold wind out of the north. The first mile was a pain, but once I turned it got much better. I ran 8 miles in total, and by the time I turned around for the return I was warmed up just fine. Miles 5-7 were against the wind and there were a few moments where I did not enjoy myself. But the last mile was fine and the wind at my back helped. This was one of those days where living in KC for so many years paid off in a wardrobe that helped me stay warm.

Third in SF

I was looking to see what I posted this week while in San Francisco and it took me a few seconds to realize the days were off. My Tuesday post was actually for Monday and the one that showed up on Wednesday was likewise off a day. Looks like the time zone difference came into play since I ran Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. This is for the latter, even though it looks like a double post if you try to put it into the context of the other runs.

The Thursday run of 4 miles was a little tougher, mainly due to the amount of food and drink on Wednesday evening. Still, made it through without any major problems. The temperature was noticeably cooler since when I stepped out the hotel doorway I could see my breath. But my luggage packing skills worked in my favor since I hadn't put in a third short-sleeved shirt and ended up having to wear a longer sleeved shirt. Three good runs in SF this week.

Another Four in CA

It was another 4 miles in San Francisco this morning. Still dark, a little cool but manageable. No breakfast afterward, though. In fact, I came back to my hotel room and worked longer than I expected with a phone call to a sales rep in Canada and then one of my team members. On my Lyft ride to the office my stomach kept rumbling and I was wishing I'd eaten breakfast earlier. I ended up eating 4.5 hours after I woke which was not necessarily a recipe for success.

This week I'm on track to get my usual 12 miles in three runs instead of two. That's okay because I think the FVRP is getting a kick start out of this.

Bay Run

Got out (very) early this morning on the Bay south of the San Francisco airport. I ran over to the hotel where the FVRP was staying and we ran three miles together, then went in for an omelette. After that I jogged back to my hotel for a total of 4 miles. It was cool but also humid, and not a bad morning for a quick run. Today would have been better if I hadn't worked for 14 hours, but what can I say? Sometimes you just have long days of starting early and working late.

Refreshing Long Run

This doesn't happen very often, but I felt like doing a long long run today. I'd been trying to find a half to do relatively soon but didn't have much luck. When I woke up this morning I was thinking about today's run and was actually kind of excited about doing a longer run. Even though it was pretty cold and windy I still went 11 miles. I layered up and about halfway through took off my stocking cap, but other than that it was good that I'd put on long pants and shirt. The wind makes it tougher, but in reality the temperature actually makes it a good running day. Not as many people out as normal, but that's fine with me either way. I started listening to an English history podcast and made it through almost the first five episodes. Good stuff so far.

The Windy Hills of Texas

I went the hill route today for my 6-miler, and it was quite breezy from the north. Overall the run was a good one, but I'm still suffering from allergy congestion. I felt like I was running with a little more breath than last week, but even so it wasn't full capacity. My pace ended up being 9:15/mile, so I guess I can't complain too much.