A Few Walks

Sunday turned out to be really nice, so The Wife and I went for a 3-mile walk in the sunshine. Yesterday was also very nice, 75 degrees, and I walked for just over 2 miles. I enjoyed them both since I knew it was going to get very cool again, just as it did this morning with a start right at the freezing mark. 

A Run of No Running

No excuses for the past couple of weeks, really. A little rain and cooler temperatures, but I could have gotten out plenty of times. For some reason, with the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, I got lethargic as far as exercising goes. I keep saying I need to get back in the routine, and I do. Today I walked 3 miles as a start. I think tomorrow is supposed to be rainy all day. Maybe I can get in some exercise at a break, if there are any, or I can aim for Sunday.

Where Did Summer Go?

It was in the low 40s in the late morning when I left for a run. At least it was sunny, but as in most cases when it's cold early in the season I underdressed. I should have worn gloves, but at least I was smart enough to wear long sleeves. I ran 1.25 out of the first 2 miles and then ran into a guy I know from the pub. Hadn't seen him in a while so I walked most of the next mile as we chatted. I ran most of the last mile at a faster paced and then sprinted the last .15 or so. All in all I did 4 miles and it was quite...invigorating.

Bag of Old Tricks

I walked a couple of miles yesterday after the "failed" running attempt on Tuesday. Today I wanted to try running again, so I dusted off a few tricks from the old bag. 

First, since I've experienced this before and the pain on Tuesday was similar, today I didn't start running until I got to level ground. The twinge started the other day on a downhill section. Today, no twinge.

Second, I used another trick called "running faster." Yes, I've found that changing my pace can also change my gait enough to get it back into whack. I've been running at the same speed (slow) for months. This time I sped up just enough to fool my legs and knees into a different mindset, if that makes sense. Whatever the case, it worked.

Finally, I still walked when I needed to. On a slight downhill just past a mile in, over and back a slight rise right before the turnaround, and up the downhill from the first part of the walk. No expectations, just trying to get back into better shape. Today's total was 3 miles and hopefully the weather will stay nice enough over the weekend for me to get out again.

Knee Muscles

I was at a guys' weekend and got back yesterday, meaning today was my first outing in a week or so. I figured I would do a light walk/run to try and get back in shape, but stopped running after about a third of a mile. I felt a twinge in my knee and when I started walking after that and an ache on the outside of my left knee. I attribute this to weakness in the muscles around my knee, which makes sense with all the inconsistent exercise of the last month. And by inconsistent, I mean lazy. So today I went about 3 miles total, but at least I got in some outdoor time. We also turned the clocks back last weekend, and I am not fond of that since it gets dark so early.

Running to Vote

I wanted to run over to the fire station yesterday where I usually vote, but the washing machine repairman ran behind and a 2 p.m. appointment became a 4 p.m. appointment. That's okay, clean clothes took priority over voting in this case since it's been 17 days since we got back from Ireland. First World problems, I know, but going to the laundromat is an inconvenience when you've paid for a washing machine that should work.

Yesterday was beautiful weather, and fortunately today was as well. The route west and back totaled up about 3.6 miles, and I ran close to 3 of that. Since this is early voting season, I only had to wait about five minutes or so. Nice and easy, and now that's done. Plus, I finally got in some exercise after some rain last week and general laziness, mostly general laziness. *salutes* General Laziness.