Plenty of Bluster

It was a warm day, 85 degrees, and a 25-mph wind from the south. Quite blustery. I ran 4 miles and it's a good thing I didn't do more since coming back that last mile against the wind ended up being quite the workout. As it so happened, I walked one minute each at the two- and three-mile markers since I felt a little...winded. Sorry for the pun. Not really any complaints, though, as otherwise it turned out to be a good run. As I surmised last week, that rain we were supposed to get didn't materialize. It's now forecast for overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, and a steady chance from Friday on for the following week. If it actually does happen, looks like I'll be running in the rain a bit.

Dang Nice

It was dang nice this morning, 60ish degrees when I made it out the door shortly after the sun rose. I went 6 miles, running for over an hour without walking. That's what happens when the temperature and humidity behave themselves. Lots of dogs out walking their people as well, enjoying a nice day now that we're in late October and summer is hanging on by a thread. The forecast shows cooler weather and a high chance of rain by midweek, but I've been lied to before. For now, it was enough to enjoy a really nice outing. 

Last Gasp

Today the temperature climbed to almost 90 degrees, hopefully the last gasp of summer. I ran 4 miles and walked a minute at each marker due to the heat. I was going to run more but decided to keep it reasonable since I have an event to go to tonight and I didn't want to be out of it just because I ran an extra mile. Felt pretty good despite the relative warmness and a nice southerly breeze helped. Surprisingly, not many people out at all. I think I saw two. Seems kind of weird on such a nice day. It's been a good summer of running and I hate to see the days shortening. I need to will myself to run in the dark and the coolness of a Texas winter and might as well start giving myself pep talks now.

Summer Still?

Summer still seems to be hanging on in Texas. Today's high is 88 and tomorrow we should hit 91 or so here in late October. I made it out early this afternoon before the mercury hit 80 degrees and it was pretty nice. A breeze from the south helped as I went 4 miles without walking. The first half didn't seem great from the perspective of how I felt, but that changed the second half. It's good to be back home and running my regular route. Not a lot of people out right after lunchtime, but that's okay. I probably could've waited a little longer after my own lunch, but nobody was around to hear my burps. At least not that I noticed.

Linear

Ran the Linear Trail in Manhattan this morning. Overcast at the start, the sun came out and it was a pleasant morning. I went 5 miles total - I'd planned on a mile more, but had an hour to run and that's all I could get in. It's a flat trail for the most part and nice to run on dirt instead of concrete. A few other people out running and biking, but overall quiet for a Saturday morning in a college town. I'm glad I got in three runs this week even when traveling, and even happier that the weather cooperated for the most part. No rain, a bit windy, and mild temps. Next week it'll be back to running in Texas.

Pushing Through

I had high hopes for today's run, but as soon as I started I felt the blahs. So much so that I almost stopped barely a half-mile in to walk back. Instead, I pushed through and ended up with 3 miles. Not as much as I wanted, but better than I expected early in the run. All I can think is that I've been eating horribly this week, including lots of fried foods, and that affected my outlook. Could also be the allergies that have nagged at me to varying degrees since arriving in Kansas on Sunday. I'm hoping for a better outcome on Saturday.

Briskness

I'm a little north of Texas this week and the temperature change in that distance made itself apparent today. High was only 61 degrees but there's a cold breeze from the north, making it a little brisk. I ran 4 miles even though I still felt the effects of an allergy attack from last night and this morning. Besides the normal allergy pills, I took an anti-inflammatory as I started work and that seemed to help. I walked over to the local drugstore and got some DayQuil, which has helped with congestion in the past. That seemed to do the trick and I felt like I could run without too much trouble. The local high school cross country team was out but our routes only crossed, never going the same way, which is good because those youngsters are way faster than this old man. Let's hope for warmer weather as the week goes on.

Heart Rate

 I ran 6 miles, or most of it, this morning. I say "most of it" because my heart rate got into the upper 150s a few times, so I walked about three minutes or so. I probably could have continued running since I didn't feel bad or like I was struggling, but I also consider it better to be safe. It's not like I'm training for a race or something. I chalk up today's elevated rate with yesterday's going off the rails with food and snacks and desserts. Not one of my better days in that regard and I paid the price a little bit today. Even with all that, my run today felt good. I ate breakfast and drank some coffee before going out, as opposed to the last few times where I've run first thing after waking up. I was in no rush today to get the run done early. For anyone keeping score at home, yes, I missed Thursday's run. It was our anniversary and we went out for a nice dinner. Not really an excuse, just a reason.

Pretty Afternoon

There's a big hurricane in the Gulf headed for Florida, but here in North Texas it was a beautiful day. Temperature in the mid-80s, sunny, a light breeze from the north - all good. I ran 4 miles and did it without walking, even throwing in a sprint at the end. Lots of shade along the route by the big pond, which also helped keep me cool. No complaints today. First-world problem story ahead: On Saturday I had problems pairing my watch with the new phone that arrived on Friday. I ran that morning, which my watch recorded, but then I had to reset the watch so it would pair, which erased all my morning activity. Oh well, it's not like I was saving it for posterity. Kind of a bummer to see six miles and 13,000 steps disappear, but I know the truth.

Grounded

For the past nine-plus years, I've enjoyed a little quirk in the local infrastructure. North of the school, church, and new neighborhood that's gone in since we arrived here, one of the utility poles had a grounding wire that ran diagonal into an anchor in the sidewalk. It was kind of funny since most of the other poles ran grounds to the opposite side, but not this one. The cable ran diagonal to about three feet from the edge, giving me enough space to run under it and remain on the sidewalk. It was kind of a ritual until today. On Thursday I ran by a crew replacing that particular pole, and this morning discovered the grounding wire was gone. It's not a serious loss, just a little change of something that seemed out of place and a little bit of a tradition. Anyway, I ran 6 miles today and it went pretty well. I walked at the four and five-mile markers, mainly to lower the heart rate. Other than that, it was a beautiful morning and a nice day for a run.

Pre-Interview

I'm on an interview panel for work late this afternoon/early evening, so rather than try and get in a run and shower before I have to be on camera, I went for a run before lunch. That worked out pretty well since the temperature was still in the upper 70s before reaching low 90s later in the day. It did seem warm, though, with the sun shining and no clouds, plus a negligible breeze. No complaints, though, and I ran 5 miles. The only time I walked (other than the big hill) was to choose a new playlist on my iPod when the previous one finished. I thought I had longer to go on that one, but oh well. Feeling pretty good these days and glad I could get in an added mile to set things up for a full sixer on Saturday morning.

Still

Still seems like summer around here, although not the very depths of hell-like summer. The temperature today rose above 90 degrees and I decided it'd be prudent to walk at the mile markers. I went 4 miles even though I thought about going an extra mile, but the heat kept me at that distance. Other than the lingering summer, it was a good run. I once again tried to keep the pace a little quicker, but didn't push it too much. It looks like we'll stay in the 90s through the weekend before dropping next Monday. As I always say, I'll believe it when I see it.