Worst Run Ever

Today I had the worst running injury ever - I broke my collarbone. Which also counts as the stupidest running injury and one I never thought I'd experience when I considered the usual suspects. I went out for a run on a nice, cool morning. About a half-mile in, just gliding along and listening to music, I tripped on a sidewalk seam, one I've run over hundreds of times. It wasn't even unlevel like some of the other uneven sidewalk panels I know to avoid. Usually when I trip I can go into a roll and come out relatively unscathed. I was at the edge of the sidewalk and grass of a church and attempted the same thing, except this time the back of my right shoulder impacted the concrete. Hard. I knew then that my run was over. I walked the half-mile toward home and ran into The Wife leaving the neighborhood and gave her the rundown. When I took off my shirt that was the most painful part, and in the shower I noted the bump and pain on the front side. I may not be the smartest person, but I know when I should go to the doctor. They take x-rays and confirmed a clean break, sending me to an orthopedist who said it's basically immobilizing the arm and time to heal.

What does this all mean? No running for at least the next month, and maybe a little longer. No Turkey Trot. I'll be taking walks to try and maintain some semblance of fitness, but I'll miss running. More to come as the days and weeks progress.

Eat the Banana, Hold the Cramps

A couple of hours before my run this afternoon I ate a banana. You might recall that the last couple of times I've tried the westerly route that I suffered from calf cramps and those outings did not go as planned. Also, as I've mentioned previously, I need to vary my route so that my body doesn't get physically and mentally mapped to a standard run. We got quite a bit of rain the last few nights and I wasn't sure how today would go, but it stayed cloudy with no more rain. Temperature was in the low 70s with a slight breeze out of the north. Felt good. Sure enough, when I started running I felt the slightest bit of tightness in my calf muscles but it seems the banana did its trick. Overall, the run went much better than I expected. I went 4 miles and change, taking a walk past the usual turnaround and then running all the way up the hill on Ridge before walking the steep hill on Virginia. I have to say I kind of surprised myself with that hill run, but it turned out well. Finished feeling strong and happy that I conquered the dreaded calf cramps.

Frustration

Today's run reminded me a bit of the runs I used to do after the workday when I lived in Kansas City. An hour or so to get the bile of the day out of my system. It was one of those rare days in my current job where I felt the same. I actually wanted to run longer, but the weather was faithless. It appeared mild, but the temperature clocked in at 82 degrees. Halfway through the run the sun came out. Fortunately, I know this pattern and walked at each mile marker even though it seemed silly early on. At mile 2.5 I walked a bit because my heart rate seemed too high, but after that 1/5th of a mile it turned out better. Also, early on my calf muscles felt tight. Even after my last attempt and post, I ran the same route, which is probably not what I should be doing. I should eat more bananas. I ran 4 miles and overall it was a decent run. Not great, not bad. Rain is coming in tonight through Saturday, which means I might not get in a run this weekend. We'll see how it goes.

Mixed Bag

I took the westerly route again today and once more, it did not go according to plan. I'm starting to think my body has become too used to the routine of the easterly route - a slight uphill, a big downhill, level for a long way, big uphill, and slight downhill to end. On the one I tried today, I walked past the incline at the start and ran along a gentle rise. For some reason my calf muscles were extra tight and so I walked after a half-mile. The walk relaxed my muscles a bit, and so I ran-walked the rest of the way for 2.25 miles total. I ran a .5, .33, .2, and .25, just past a mile-and-a-quarter total. Since I have that theory about the route and how it's affecting me, I need to put some thought into more variety. I don't want to get into something like a Turkey Trot next month and have problems because it's different from my normal route.

A Glorious 57

It was 57 degrees this morning with low humidity, even after a somewhat rainy yesterday. I put off the normal Saturday run until today because of the chance of rain. It paid off with a lovely morning, perfect for running 6 miles without the usual breaks. Sunny with a light breeze made for a really good run. Also, I keep forgetting to mention this, I started taking creatine this past week. I've read some things about how it's not just good for physical activity but also helps mentally. So, I'm giving it a try. Honestly I don't really care that much about how it might improve my running since that's not my focus these days. It's more about the brain part. Anyway, I mention it so that if I talk about it in the future, here's where it started.

Still in the 80s

When I say "still in the 80s," I don't mean the 1980s. Although it was a fantastic decade, I'm talking about the temperature. Today's high was only 83, but we're still in the same pattern we've been in for the past couple of weeks. Or longer. This morning when I let the dogs out, it was only 60 degrees. Felt nice and if I didn't have an early work call, I could've enjoyed a run then. Instead, I had to wait until the end of the day. At least it was mostly cloudy, with the sun only occasionally poking through. Even so, I still ran at the mile markers. All in all, a good run. I got passed by the same guy twice and once coming back my way from a turn. Oh, well. I wasn't in it for speed today. Maybe as the weather cools in the next few weeks.

Another Morning

This morning was another nice one. 70 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze from the south, kind of like a lot of mornings recently. I was able to get out between meetings and ran 4 miles, the first half without stopping and then walks at the turn and third milepost. Saw several squirrels, busy with getting ready for colder weather, it appears. A few people, but not a ton given the time of day. Not much else beyond that to report. Oh, I did run a bit quicker the last quarter-mile, but that's about as exciting as it got. I like non-exciting runs.

Lovely Morning

62 degrees when I set for this morning's run. Nice and almost too nice. The rising sun was blinding as I headed east, but can't complain since it was such a good morning for a run. It's amazing what a lower temperature will do. My pace was about a minute or more faster than more recent runs, not that I was consciously trying to go faster. I also didn't have to walk at the mile markers. I went 5 miles and had a really good run. Plenty of people out on such a clear blue morning. I think there was a 5k going on over by Towne Lake, but I didn't get far enough to run into any racers. I also think walking on Thursday helped me have fresher legs, an opportunity I didn't waste. I got home and had breakfast, coffee, and a morning cigar while I worked on a new book. The chapter I wrote went better than I expected, a nice little creative surge. This afternoon is the Red River Shootout and I plan to watch at the cigar shop. Boomer Sooner!

A Good Walk

I decided to go west this time, which is the hill route. Given that I've suffered from calf cramps a couple of times recently upon setting out upon said route, I walked up the initial hill and a farther than I usually would. However, once I got to the corner where I'd planned to run, the walking felt so nice that I put it off for a bit. And then a bit more. The run quickly turned into a nice walk. I didn't really plan it that way, but I think it was the right thing to do. The sun was out, the temperature above 80 degrees, not a lot of shade, and this was my third outing in five days. I settled in and enjoyed a 2.25 mile stroll. What a nice day.

More of the Same

The vestiges of summer remain here in north Texas. Temperature hovering around 90 degrees, high humidity, and plentiful sunshine. Which are all reasons to get out earlier in the day when possible, like today. I could tell the moment I stepped outside that it was muggy and going to be pretty much the routine of the last several weeks. On Saturday afternoon I worked on a stopped-up sink and then ran on Sunday, which combination caused some hip and glute soreness. Felt better today and it wasn't debilitating. I did the usual walk at every mile marker and that helped me get through it all for the 4-miler. Looks like the same weather pattern is holding for the foreseeable future. I'm okay with that. It's better than temps in the 40s and cold wind from the north. Way better.

Proud Dad

Yesterday I didn't run. Instead, I went to a half-marathon and watched two of my daughters run their first 13.1 miler. I was very proud of them for taking on the challenge and both completing it in style. They ran the Oktoberfest race in Irving with several thousand of their closest friends. It was a little odd for me to be standing outside the corrals as they counted down the time to start. You could feel the excitement and it was not the usual race day experience for me. But then again, I got to enjoy it all without having to run for a couple of hours.

This morning I decided to run before eating breakfast, mainly because the temperature was so nice. It was 66 degrees when I let out the dogs, but 83% humidity. Still, I ran 4 miles with the usual walks at miles two and three. I normally wouldn't do that with the temperature so low, but that humidity gets you. I thought about going an extra mile since yesterday would've been my normal longer run, but I don't have an extra recovery day with my next run being on Tuesday. That's okay. I'm going for consistency right now, not distance.

Bad Back and a Snake

I almost didn't run today. My lower back felt strained yesterday and it woke me several times during the night. I popped some ibuprofen before breakfast and it felt a bit better, propelling me out the door at mid-morning. Plus, I thought it wouldn't hurt to bounce and twist a little during a run to loosen things up. Surprisingly, my back didn't hurt even a bit during the run. Not once. I wanted to go while the temperature was about 70 degrees, which rose closer to the upper 70s by the end. I ran 4 miles and only walked at the three-mile mark, which I count as a win, especially with the whole back aching thing. Also, I saw a snake cross the path in front of me past the 1.5-mile mark. I halted to watch it for a few seconds as it slithered into the grass. It looked mostly black with some gradations, about 18-24 inches. Not a small guy, but not huge either. For the record, I'm not a fan of snakes, but we left each other alone to go our separate ways and I'm fine with that.