Even Nicer

It's getting better before it gets worse, weather-wise. Snow is in the forecast for later next week. In the meantime, today it's 66 degrees. I ran at mid-day, sun shining and a nice breeze from the north. Felt good and ran all 5 miles, except for the big hill, of course. Several families out pushing strollers, and plenty of dog walkers, too. I hadn't been on the other side of Hardin for a few weeks, at least that I remember, and was sad to see one of the trees along the path had been cut down. There was another also down in Creekview, but that one had been damaged in a storm and blown over, so it made sense. Maybe that's what happened to the other one. In another interesting twist, a splash of blood on the sidewalk past the bridge caught my eye. On the way back, I saw it again and then bloody footprints leading up to it. Looked like a raccoon. My thought is it was attacked on the near side, ran across the bridge, and then met its final end where the bigger amount of blood ended up. And so it goes.

49 Degrees

I remember a time when we lived in KC that a 49-degree day in January would have been outstanding. Here in Texas, it's still a bit on the cold side. In reality, it's actually a good temperature for running, no matter where you are.

I ran 4 miles and tried to follow a path in the sunlight. I ran on the north side of the Creekside neighborhood. In the last mile on my way back the sun was blocked by a cloud bank. In the heat of August the shade would have been welcome. On a day like today, not so much. 

Monday Outing

It was a busy weekend, and today I really felt the need to get out for a run. I was unsure of how far to go, thinking three miles would be okay, but ended up going 4. Mainly because at my turnaround for three I would have seemed like a creeper to the lady who just ran by me going the opposite direction, as well as the couple with the dog. Another mile didn't kill me, and actually was a good choice. The weather looks to be mild over the next week or so. I need to keep reminding myself to get out regularly before it heats up again in a couple of months, not that I mind running in the hot Texas sun that much. I certainly sweat more in that part of the year.

Overcoming Laziness

Maybe I've used that title before. Regardless, I felt lazy today. Yesterday the wind blew hard and the temperature was cold. Late afternoon the temp was about 26 degrees and wind chill about 15. Today was much nicer. The sun is shining and it got up to 51 degrees with only a slight breeze. I sat out in the hammock for quite awhile, enjoying the sunshine. I'd put on my running clothes earlier, which turned out to be a good motivation since I seriously considered not going. I guess I can't smoke cigars and drink beer all day every day. By the time I was in about a mile I was glad I went. I went the regular 4-mile route and overall felt fine. The Wife has been sick the last few days but looks like I avoided it. I needed the exercise and the fresh air.

Beautiful Spring Day...in January

72 degrees was the high today, and it was really nice out. Work threatened to carry over late but I made it a priority to get out the door for a run. It was worth it. I went 4 miles with a sprint at the end. Lots of bicycles out today, and a handful of runners. Many more bikes than people on foot, including a couple of families. Nice to see people enjoying the beautiful day.

First of the Year

I'm going to stop talking about how I have to get consistent. Every time I mention it I go a length of time without running. Today was actually my first run of the year, ten days into 2022. I should feel bad, and I kind of do. Plenty of excuses, bad weather, truck issues that I worked on all weekend, etc. The truth of it is that I finally got my butt out the door today and ran 3 miles. Temperature was in the low 50s, but sunny and not windy. A nice day, and a good first one to kick off the running season again.

The 5k I was supposed to run on New Year's Day in Kansas was postponed due to extremely cold temps (single digits, wind chill in the negative numbers). My nephew and I did our packet pick-up anyway, and ended up with coffee mugs. I called it the most expensive mug I've ever bought. It was disappointing to not get to run it with him, but at least we had one outing at the park a few days before the end of the year. Next time we'll have to pick a race with less chance of bad weather, if that's even possible.