Yesterday

Yesterday did not result in a run. Rain all day, breakfast birthday lunch for the kids, surprise birthday party in the afternoon for my sister-in-law, and feeling worn out by the time we got home. Today worked out better. Relaxed in the morning, went to church, spent the afternoon at the cigar shop watching golf, and coming home to go for a 3-mile run/walk. The sun had come out and the weather rose to the low 70s with very little wind. I ran .75-mile and 1-mile intervals. Thought about doing more but I needed to mow the lawn as well. Hoping the rain stays away or at least gives me some gaps this coming week so I can get in my runs.

Missing a Few

Didn't run Saturday or Tuesday and really, my excuses are kind of lame. Saturday I did a lot of stuff around the house, checking a lot of items off my list. It also rained intermittently and I never found a time slot to get out for a run. Then on Tuesday I had meetings until late afternoon and the day was packed. If I'd tried a run I think I would've had the same problem with tight calf muscles like I did last week. In both cases I could've gotten out if I'd really tried. Not my best efforts.

Today I went for a run after lunch. I decided to keep it easy, so I ran two 3/4-mile intervals out of 3 miles total. For those at home doing the math, that means I ran half, but not all at once. No problems today, which was refreshing. It was also in the low 80s and actually felt a bit more like late spring when I stepped outside earlier. Kind of that blanket of humidity and heat. Fortunately not too bad. I sweated a bit but that's a good thing.

The Problem

Today was another aborted run with tight calf muscles. I alluded to it last time this happened and I think I've finally figured out the issue. Previously, I'd hustled out for a run after a half-day of meetings. I have a standing desk, which means I was standing for probably five hours or more. Same today. It seems that standing for such a long time produces calf tightness. Go figure. I'm slow on the uptake sometimes. I went 1.5 miles total with a quarter-mile walk in there before I reined it in.

How to avoid this problem in the future? I can think of a couple of ways. The most obvious is to avoid standing for so long. That's somewhat doable as long as I'm not on camera. If I have to be visible, my camera is at eye level, precluding a sitting position. Still, I should make sure I sit when I can. The other solution is to avoid hustling out the door after so many meetings and so much standing. I like to get stuff done earlier in the day, but it's clear I need some time in between all the standing and all the running. Lesson learned.

Almost Cool

The breeze from the south made the 67-degree temperature seem almost cool this morning. Fortunately, the sun shined and clouds were scattered, making for a most pleasant outing. I did the same as last Tuesday, where I went 3 miles total with .75 and 1-mile intervals. Overall, very good. I felt like my left glute wasn't really activating, especially when I ran up an incline and tried to squeeze my cheeks. At least that's what I hear you're supposed to do in order to utilize those muscles. Anyway, at various times I focused on getting that leg, hip, and glute to cooperate. Felt a little better toward the end but still some work to do, I think. Or maybe it was a one-time thing. Guess we'll find out in a few days. 

More Rain

In the early morning hours and up 'til about noon it rained. Looked like a run wasn't in the cards but lo and behold it cleared up and turned out nice. Sun was out this afternoon and temperature rose to the upper 60s with a stiff breeze from the north. I headed out about 4:30 p.m. and got in 4.5 miles, my longest outing since all the medical junk. I also upped my longest interval to 1.5 miles, bookended by .75-mile intervals for a total running distance of 3 miles. It felt good all the way and that "long" interval wasn't too much. I had a late lunch of crawfish and shrimp. Not sure what that has to do with anything but it was sure was good. Feeling better with every outing and it's a good sign that I'm able to keep building the base.

After the Rain

Idk, I might have used that title before. Regardless, rain moved through the area in the early morning hours. When I went out a little before 10 a.m. the storm had moved off to the east, leaving behind wet pavement and some clouds. Temperature was around 70 degrees and a nice breeze from the south kept it real. I originally thought about going a mile longer but ended up doing another 3 miles with .75-mile and 1-mile increments. I could've gone the extra mile, although that might have been a bit much for a weekday and a longer run coming up on Saturday. Or maybe it would've been fine. Guess we'll never know. Still feeling good on the road to recovery and continuing to build up the base. Before I broke my collarbone I was doing a lot of push-ups every day. I'm now back to doing that as well as running, and slowly increasing the number each day. It's amazing how fast you can lose muscle mass, especially at my age.