Back to the Trail

I traveled the first part of the week and didn't get in my Tuesday run. Fortunately I had time at the end of today and went my regular 6 miles on the tried and true trail. It was low 60s as the sun started going down, with no breeze and lots of sun.

I went to the doctor Monday about the pain in my side, which is a chronic appendix, or at least that's what they told me last time I had it checked out. I have a CT scan tomorrow to take a look at it. The PA at the doctor's office told me if that's the case I need to have it taken out, which would mean several weeks away from running. That kind of stinks because this is the time of year when it's cooled off and I can enjoy the lower humidity as well. We'll see what happens.

Autumn Arrives

Finally had an autumn-feeling day today. It was 37 degrees when I left to run about 10:30 a.m. and rose to 47 while I was out. Just a slight breeze from the north, which means it was a nice day to run. I went 7 miles. I didn't get to run this week due to travel. When I went to run on Thursday at lunch before the rain moved in, I got sprinkled on as I was walking to my starting point, and it looked like it was going to pick up. I went a grand total of .17 miles as I immediately turned around and went home. Today's outing was much better. As I turned off Hardin onto the path toward the park a guy coming up Hardin fell in behind me and maintained the same distance behind me for over a mile. I could hear his footsteps on the path and over the bridges. When I finally turned around I saw he was a taller guy with a longer stride than mine (which isn't hard to do). It helped me keep a steady pace and reminded me of being in a race. Speaking of which, I need to find one in the near future.

No Blundering Today

I've blundered into the middle of races multiple times, but today I was on my game. When I woke up and checked the weather the date sounded familiar, and sure enough, when I checked I discovered that it was the date of the McKinney half. I looked at the race route and planned my alternate route to avoid the crowd. So I ran up to Creekview, back down Lake Forest, across Virginia to Ridge, and down Ridge to Eldorado followed by a left onto Lake Forest and back home again. This route ended up at 8.3 miles or so, which was close to what I wanted to run when I set out. The morning was blustery but sunny. Shorts with a long-sleeved technical t-shirt covered by a cotton race t-shirt made up my ensemble. Saw plenty of other people out. Now back outside for some yard work.

Staying in the Sun

After spending the past seven months or so trying to run in the shade, today my goal was to run in the sun. The temperature was 60 degrees but very breezy from the north. I wore shorts with a long-sleeved technical t-shirt and never felt chilled but was cooler than normal. I ran my normal 6-mile route, keeping it slow most of the time due to the knee issues from the last couple of times along with a dull ache in my lower right side. That last one could be a chronic appendix or maybe even a sports hernia, shudder the thought. I will probably go to the doctor when I get back from my trip next week. At the moment it doesn't feel bad at all, so I think my slowness paid off. I did do my leg exercises yesterday and for the most part my knee felt better, with just a couple of twinges, but overall much better.