Options

Sometimes this log of mine is useful. Mildly useful. For instance, today I looked at it to see how long my knee has been hurting. Some people write these things in a log book, but I etch them into the Web.

Just so my imaginary readers don't have to look for themselves, it's been since September 6th. Or 16 days. As of today it's still achy and hurting. Walking up and down stairs continues to be an exercise in ways to avoid pain while also attempting to avoid looking like a complete idiot.

As I ran 6 miles in the ol' neighborhood this afternoon I contemplated my options. I'm seriously considering shutting down for a couple of weeks or until it gets better, whichever comes first. The drawback to this is that I would likely not have enough time after that to prepare for the Memphis Marathon. That's a serious drawback. But then so is hurting myself even worse than I already am and not being able to run for an extended period of time.

Another option is to shut down the running game but continue to do cross-training, such as biking and walking. I would probably do some of that with the first option, but in this scenario I'd be more serious about it to try and maintain my fitness level with the thought of getting back into running at a higher level and hopefully make the race.

I suppose the final option is to keep doing what I'm doing. The drawback to this one is clear.

I keep saying that we'll see how it feels tomorrow and plan from there, but after 16 days it's time to take a clear path. My plan calls for a 13-miler this weekend. I'm not going to do that one, mainly since I'm traveling on Saturday and Monday and the timing of my weekend activities (i.e., baseball games) actually helps me with the decision. I hate to stop running for any period during this time of year. I persevered through the hot summer and it feels like I should be able to enjoy running in the good weather. Especially since we have so little of it around here. But that's just pity, and that's not the basis for making a good decision.

Nuts.

Better

First, an update on the left knee. It's feeling better and I'm feeling better about it. After Saturday's long run I was a little worried. On Sunday it actually felt the best it's been in weeks and it wasn't until the evening that I felt a little pain. I'm still taking it easy on the stairs since I don't want to tweak anything. I think changing back to my old shoes has helped, which means I'm going to have to more slowly work in the newer ones again once we get home.

Today my Virtual Running Partner and I hit the streets about 10 a.m. for a nice, easy run. The Texas sky was clear and the temperature was in the low seventies with a little breeze from the north. The run was a little tough, but that's probably because we were up until about 1 a.m. watching a movie. And we had a really big dinner yesterday. But we made our 6 miles and that was good enough.

What was really good, though, was the breakfast afterward. If you can still call it breakfast when you're eating at noon. We took some leftovers from last night and had steak, eggs, fried potatoes, and English muffins. One of the finest post-run breakfasts ever. It's a good thing I don't eat like that after every run. But would it be so bad if I did?

Test Run

Today I'm in Texas. The left knee is still sore, but I figured today would be an important test. I didn't do my long run last week but did do all my runs this week. I've kept ice on it every evening too help out, which it does. The plan called for an 11-miler today, and this being a flat part of Texas I knew there wouldn't be much in the way of hills.

Last time I was here the citizenry was in the midst of a long run of hundred degree temperatures. Today was much better, although the humidity was like wearing a wet blanket. The starting temperature was 65 degrees or so and had one up to 74 by the time we finished. Humidity was at 80% the whole time. We kept it slow enough to avoid a meltdown.

Oh yes, by "we" I mean my virtual running partner and me. It was one of our infrequent chances to actually run together. We took a circuitous route through the Craig Ranch area, including the golf course. It's a nice run and pretty scenic. Much like my home route, though, it suffers from a lack of shade. Which wasn't a problem this morning since it was overcast.

The true results of the test aren't in yet and won't be until Monday or so. The knee felt fine during the run, as it usually does. I iced it immediately upon returning since 11 miles was a pretty long test. I iced it again about two hours later and right now it's a dull ache. It certainly hasn't improved but I also don't think it's any worse. I plan on icing it several more times today and generally taking it easy. That shouldn't be hard since the Cards are making a belated run for the wild-card and OU is playing a prime-time game tonight. Boomer Sooner!

The Jury is Still Out

Never end the title of a posting with a preposition. Or so Grandma would say if she'd been here for the blogging years. Which reminds me - Grandpa had a sentence that ended in seven straight prepositions. I need to find that again.

Yesterday my knee felt terrible. I was about to call it right then. Today it felt a lot better and I thought I would be able to run with no issues. The temperature was in the fifties. And yes, it did go much better. The lower temperature means I can run faster without going into cardiac distress. The change in temperature sure does make a big difference. My pace today overall was 9 1/2 minutes per mile. It felt good and even when I stopped my left knee felt fine.

Even after I stopped to walk up the hill it felt okay. It wasn't until a good 90 minutes after the run that I started to notice a little tenderness. I've iced it once already and that helped, and I'll be icing it again before bedtime. Even so it still doesn't seem as bad. Now the guessing game begins.

Was it because I've worn my older shoes for several runs in a row? And my knee is slipping back into the old familiar, non-irritating pattern?

Or was it because I ran at a more comfortable pace and didn't spend the whole run trying to throttle down? Consciously slowing down doesn't go well for me, I've found.

Finally, was it a delayed reaction from taking it easy with the hills and icing the knee for the past week?

I'm heading to Texas for a few days. During that time I'll be getting in 2-3 runs, all non-hilly. This will probably be telling. And I'm taking only the older shoes. If things continue to improve I'll start working in the newer shoes every few runs.

I'm still not sure I'll make it to Memphis. But the chances just improved drastically this afternoon.

Was This a Bad Idea?

The knee was feeling marginally better, or at least marginally the same, today. And today was a speedwork day. Was it a good idea to do the faster running after the past week?

Let's take a few things into account.
#1 - It was cooler today, with temperatures in the 80s instead of hovering around 100 degrees. That factored into my thinking.
#2 - My knee felt just fine during the run. Even when I had to pause and turn around. Or pause and wait for an ignorant driver to look to his left and realize I was standing right beside his car because he was too distracted to see me coming his way. Putz.
#3 - It was breezy, about 15 mph, and that helped keep me cooled down.
#4 - I was wearing my older shoes again. Don't know if that's helping yet.

I've iced my left knee a couple of times again after getting home. Last night it seemed like it was cold for another hour. When The Wife came to bed I thought she'd feel it through her pajama bottoms. Which are courtesy of the Cardinals and her husband. But I digress.

We'll see how it feels tomorrow, which is a non-running day. I expect to keep up the icing. I'm not thrilled with this pattern but it's all I have for now. I feel like I'm hanging on by a thread to this race and getting in the training I need. Definitely not where I want to be right now.

Testing the Knee

My suspicions were confirmed today. My knee was still sore most of the day, but when I took off on a run this evening there was no pain. A couple of times I slowed to a walk to cross a street or turn around and I could feel the pain. Surprisingly it didn't feel that bad when I stopped after 4 miles. All in all I was pleased that the run went so well. I wore my old pair of running shoes to see if that made a difference. After dinner I iced it two separate times and we'll see if that helps as well. It's still over two months from the race, but I have to get back in the swing of things soon or it's going to be a no-go. And I don't want 2011 to be the year I miss running a marathon.

Wanting to Run

The left knee has been killing me since Tuesday's run. Wednesday night it was so painful I kept waking up. I've considered running anyway, but I'm early in my plan and have time to recover. If I hurt it worse then I'm definitely done for the year, and I don't want that.

It feels like a really bad case of runner's knee. I also had pain like this back when I was training for my first marathon. That was because of running too many hills, and that might be the case again here. I put a lot of hill running early in this plan because that's supposed to build strength. Unfortunately I think my lackadaisical training between April and now has come back to bite me in the butt. Or the knee. Wherever.

Yesterday and today I've been icing the knee like crazy - four times each day. It feels a lot better and I thought about attempting a run today but decided to hold off until tomorrow and ease back into it. The Wife and I went on a walk in the neighborhood tonight and that went pretty well. I iced it when we returned home and that seems to have helped. Tomorrow is a big day at work and I'll be looking forward to my evening run. Let's see how the knee does after that.

Blooming Allergies

I skipped the Monday easy run due to a massive allergy flare-up. We had family in town this weekend and went to the lake on Sunday. The wind was blowing and was the trigger for a horrible day and night. Rather than tempt fate the next day, I decided the best course was to lie low and live to fight another day.

All of a sudden it's like autumn has arrived. Last week the temperatures were in the mid-summer range, and today it was about 70 degrees when I went out. The forecast is for the weather to stay mild and not get hot again for the foreseeable future. Weird.

Since I had the day off I went out for a run about 2 p.m. Seven days ago I wouldn't have attempted it due to the heat, but today it was just fine. It was sunny and breezy - all in all a beautiful day for running. Hill repeats was the order of the day, and I did seven of them. I started with a couple of warm-up miles and then did one hill up the middle of the neighborhood to our east. I came down on the backside of the neighborhood and then did six more up my normal hill of repeating. Or something like that. The kids have named a couple of hills in the area, so I suppose I should do the same with this particular hill. They've already taken Killer Hill and Lungdropper Hill. Guess I need to be a little more creative.

Total for the day was 5 miles, which was okay since I was going for distance. I was surprised to find I was doing the repeats at a pace around 7:30/minute, but I guess that's what milder weather brings to the table. As usual, my cooldown run back to the house seemed slow but was actually faster than I've been going lately. That's the benefit of speedwork.

My left knee is hurting somewhat. It feels like the classic runner's knee symptoms. I'm not sure if it's because of too many hills or something else, but I'm going to monitor it. I don't want it to develop into anything that will keep me from racing in December.

Tropical Run

I didn't really intend to write successive posts regarding polar opposites in conditions. It just turned out that way.

I was thinking about the run in Columbia a couple of years ago on this same weekend. The weather was deceptively cool, and the humidity was deceptively humid. That's how today turned out, too. Only without the early fog.

If the run a couple of days ago was like running in the desert, today was like running in a rain forest. And to start off, the weather forecast was dead wrong. Last night it told me there would be cloud cover until about 10 a.m. This morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky. And constant sunlight makes extended running a challenge.

And the humidity was crazy high. When I returned home it was at 60%. That might not seem high, but it is when you're running and the temperature is about 80 degrees. True to form I tried to keep the pace slower. And I kept telling myself that this will pay off in about a month when the weather turns cooler and I've built up strength. Or so I hope.

I still feel like I'm not all the way there as far as recovering long-distance strength after slacking off for much of the summer. My guess is that it's a combination of that as well as the extreme weather taking its toll. Nobody is going to run well in weather like this. Today's 10-miler was a building block for continuing to increase the weekly long run. It didn't have to be a great run, and it wasn't a horrible run, but it was tough. I'm going to take the glass half-full viewpoint and use it as a springboard for upcoming runs, mixed metaphors aside.

Desert Run

The temperature was 101 degrees. The sun was beating down upon me mercilessly. A dry wind blew strongly from the south. It was like running in New Mexico. Except greener. And with more hills, at least within the city limits. Really, climate-wise it felt like the desert.

It was a hill run. Not the best of runs on a scorching day like this, but better than trying to do speedwork. I didn't push it and walked where I needed to. More shade would have been a help, but I know better than to wish for that around here. The run wore me out pretty good, and I really didn't need the 3-entree meal at Panda Express but then again, maybe I did.

Speed Limited

Summer ain't over yet. It was right at 90 degrees this afternoon with abundant sunshine. The plan called for 2-3-4-3-2 fartleks, meaning I needed my trusty Garmin sidekick to tell me when to speed and slow down and such. I left the house with my water bottle and realized halfway down the hill that I'd forgotten said Garmin. I walked back, strapped it on my right wrist and started running once I got off the driveway. With the heat I knew I needed to dial back the "speed" part of the run. Accordingly I tried to keep the intervals at a 9-minute/mile pace. Even so I walked a couple of times, once before the last interval and another as I was in the cooldown. I'll be interested to see how it looks on the heart monitor chart right before I started walking. I was nowhere near close to really overheating or anything, but it did seem like the smart thing to do. And limiting my speed worked out okay, too.

More Aimless Wandering

As I've said before, I can't run anywhere around here without running on hills. Once again I had an idea of the route I was going to take this morning but just like Thursday I changed my mind. Ascending one of the Flintlock hills I realized I didn't want to run back up that street because the way back was worse than the way I was headed. I made an executive decision and continued south past Highway 152. Not only was it a good move because of the hills, but also because there was more shade on that route. The day wasn't horribly hot, but the humidity was way high. Any chance to stay out of the sun mitigated the effect of the humidity somewhat. I also took the 9 miles slow and easy and walked up a couple of the bigger hills on the latter half of the run. I probably could have run them but I wasn't trying to kill myself. We'll save that for later on in the training plan.

Hills

I like walking out the door and not knowing where I'm going to run. I have a general idea, of course, but the exact route doesn't have to be set in stone before I hit the outdoors. Today's plan called for hills, and I originally thought I'd run the same route as last week. As I walked down the front steps I changed my mind and decided that route didn't offer enough shade. The temp was 84 and it felt all of that and maybe a little more. There are hills everywhere around here, meaning that whatever direction I went I would meet the plan. I opted for the long drawn-out hill on the way back, and that worked pretty well. 6 miles in all.

I started listening to a marathon podcast that concludes the Roman history series I've been listening to for, well, about a year or so, I think. It probably seems longer tan that to the guy who put it together. It's fascinating stuff. This episode is over five hours long and should keep me entertained for several more runs.

Stupid/Smart/Stupid

That's how today's run pretty much went. It was 94 degrees outside when I left the house and very sunny, but I had things to do tonight and didn't want to run late. By this time in the year I'm fairly acclimated to the temperature and know enough to take it slow. However, today's schedule called for speedwork in the form of hill repeats. Not an easy task to undertake with a heat index over 100. I'm stupid enough to give it a try, though.

The smart part comes in at this point. I was going to run on my regular hill of horror, a section of what the kids call Lungdropper Hill. There's no shade anywhere in the vicinity of that area and I knew better than to try it. I ran part of my regular route down Shoal Creek and then spent some time doing the repeats in the shady area along the sidewalk. I ran six short repeats. Even though I backed off and walked a couple of times on the way back down the hill it was torture.

The stupid part at the end was the fact that I left myself a 'cooldown' of over a mile to get home. I walked up the big hill right before the traffic circle because hey, I'm stupid but not that stupid. In all I ended up going 5.25 miles and getting in my repeats. The air-conditioned house sure felt good when I got home and saw that the temp was still 93 degrees. Looks like the next day of running should be about ten degrees cooler. We can only hope.

You Call It Rain

Today was a day off work for me and I thought about running this morning. The wiser course seemed to mow the lawn before the rain hit, which is what I did. The thunderstorms lasted the rest of the morning. This afternoon I did my weight exercises and was ready to head out even though the temperature was 91 degrees. But The Wife thought she might run with me, and it seemed we would run after a somewhat early dinner. Well, dinner was late and she didn't want to go out, so I ended up running much later than planned. But the one thing that's constant is change, and we runners have to be flexible that way. Even though I ran late I reaped the benefit of the setting sun and cooler weather. Guess I can't complain too much. The 6 miles was a nice, easy run and I listened to a podcast instead of music for a changeup.

The heading for this post comes from the Old 97's song with this title off their new album. I played it for the kids this weekend and it's a very catchy tune. My youngest got it stuck in her head. Which made me play it even more. So it's in her honor that I title this post.

Wave Runner

Today I actually had another runner wave back and acknowledge me! Okay, I don't really feel the exclamation-point type of caring about this, but after my post on Thursday it seems worth mentioning. I still didn't wave at bikers - er, cyclists, though.

I was pleasantly surprised this morning. First of all I intended to get up earlier, but I was up until midnight. I thought my window for cool weather had already passed, but a few minutes before 8 o'clock it was still only 69 degrees when I walked out on the deck. Plus it was slightly overcast, making it feel just fine. I hurried out the door and ran the first half of my 8 miles in very nice running weather. The sun came out and instantly the humidity shot up. I was thinking on my trek back along 96th Street that I'd have to walk up the hill some in order to keep from overheating and being discovered as an overheated corpse by some other harrier. Right then the slight clouds came back and saved me. I ran the whole 8 miles and am starting to feel a little better and stronger. That's 26 miles for the week. Guess I'm committed now.

Waveless

I noticed this on my last couple of runs but today I remembered to include it in a post. My last three runs I've seen several other runners and walkers out, and I'm the type of guy who gives a courtesy wave or a "Good evening" as I pass by. In all I've probably seen over a dozen people on these outings and maybe one person out of the whole lot has returned the courtesy. And one lady who wheezed out a hello in a startled kind of way, like she was surprised that another human being would acknowledge her existence.

I get it that some people don't like to wave or say hello. Sometimes I get in that mood, too. For instance, I don't acknowledge bikers. Sorry, but you're on the road and I'm on the sidewalk. And I think you look funny in your bright spandex and kooky helmet. You probably think I look hilarious in the throes of my six-mile death shuffle. But we're in different universes. Runners inhabit my world. It just seems weird that all of a sudden every runner I see is Mr. or Mrs. Unfriendly. What are the odds? Is it me?

You can tell I'm in training for real now. Otherwise I would have stayed in or run on the treadmill. Instead I headed out in 91 degree heat to run hills. I made the plan for the next 3+ months and I stacked the front end of it with hill runs. I've read that hills are a good method for building up strength and I certainly need that after messing around since the half-marathon in April. I ran up the back of the neighborhood, which I hadn't run in quite awhile. There are a few new houses but otherwise the hills remain. Then I ran down to 96th Street, over to Flintlock, and past the future library. I walked about three minutes up the biggest hill on the way back, but otherwise I hit the hills pretty good. A big storm was moving in from the north and passing us by to the east, which provided some cloud cover. Not a lot, but enough to make the run bearable. And I was smart enough to have my water bottle ready to go, all frozen-like. The 6 miles seemed longer than it was, but that's just because I hadn't run that route in months. Now that I have a plan I'm serious. At least as serious as a person like me can be.

Back to Speeding

Today I decided to do some fartleks to get back into a frame of mind involving speedwork. It was "only" 85 degrees when I got home, but with the sun out and no clouds I decided to wait until after dinner before running. I'm not sure it made a ton of difference, but it made enough of a difference to allow me to run 6 miles with 1-2-3-2-1 fartleks. I was able to increase my speed from the heat-induced 10:30/minute miles to below 9 minutes/mile during the intervals. It was nice to feel the wind in my hair again - haha, anybody who's seen me knows that's a joke. Anyway, I'm glad to back in that frame of mind. I'm thinking that I should do some hill repeats on Thursday to build up strength. That seems to be the advice for early in a training plan. Which I still need to put together, btw.

Today Plus One I Forgot

Let's backtrack for a moment - I ran Saturday morning, intending to do 8 miles but settling for 6. It wasn't that the temperature was so hot, but that the humidity was so stinking high. It was probably 78 degrees, but the humidity was 77%, and the sky was cloudless so the sun was shining nice and bright. My other (lame) excuse for stopping was that going 6 miles brought my total to 18 for the week, an increase of 8 miles over the week before. The extra couple of miles wouldn't have made that much difference over the long haul.

Plus this week I'm back to running four times a week. I expect the overall mileage to increase by another 8 miles. I know that goes against what the experts say ("increase your mileage by no more than 10% from week to week"). I think I can handle it, though, since I haven't been a complete and total couch potato lately. Just not at the top of my game. Today I would have run even if I wasn't a runner. The temperature was 73 degrees and the sky was overcast, plus there was a slight breeze from the northeast. That has to b e the lowest temperature I've run in since Spring. It was refreshing, and since this was an easy run I kept it slow. Tomorrow I'm hoping to try some speedwork again.

Still Warm

I'm back in the mode of really looking forward to running, a nice change from the laziness of the recent past. Even though it was 85 degrees today when I got home I knew that wasn't bad. It was even better than my Tuesday run. It's funny how things seem so different, relatively speaking. In May 85 degrees was unbearably hot coming out of winter and spring. Now it seems almost cool. I made a couple of mistakes, though. I forgot to put my water bottle in the freezer, and when I was about a mile from home I realized I'd forgotten to put a sports drink in to cool off as well.

So I adapted. I filled my hand-held water bottle with ice cubes and cold water. On my route out of the neighborhood there is some landscaping by the entrance and across from the pool. I knew if I ran the whole route with the bottle in my hands the shaking, jostling, and heat from being in the sun as well as in my hand while holding it would cause the ice to melt too quickly. I stowed it in the big rocks at the neighborhood entrance in the shade behind a bush. That gave me about 1.5 miles without it. Later when I was at about 3.5 miles I hid it in someone's bush by the sidewalk, giving it another ten minutes or so of rest. The ice melted, of course, but I know it lasted a lot longer this way. Next time I'll have to remember to get it in the freezer. In fact I'm going to do so right after I'm done posting this.

As far as sports drink goes, I went old-fashioned and poured it over ice in a tea glass. That worked. I've already put two more in the fridge, though.

Ruminations

This is the worst shape I've been in for several years. I fell off the exercise wagon, but not all the way, the past few months. I could go back and look to make sure, but I've been averaging about two runs a week for the past month, I'm sure. And my other exercise has been about the same or worse. I have several excuses, such as that until recently I'm not training for a specific race, it's been too hot, I've been on vacation, etc. The truth is I've been lazy, and my diet has not been good either. The "fun" is over, though, and it's time to get serious.

Earlier this year I was in the frame of mind to train to qualify for Boston, but at the moment that's fallen by the wayside. Right now I'm more of the mindset to try the Galloway run/walk method and see where that takes me. My original thought was that to get faster I need to train faster, but so many of those plans are very high mileage and I just don't have the desire to do that. That's why I'm leaning toward the run/walk for the Memphis Marathon. This weekend I bought Galloway's book about running and need to spend some studying it to make sure it's the right thing to do.

Today the temperature was 90 degrees when I left the house at 5 p.m., a tad bit cooler than the past month. When I arrived home 6 miles later, it was still 90 degrees. In fact, the heat index was three degrees higher after the run. I took my water bottle and went very slow, over 10:30/mile. It was torture at times to go so slow, but it definitely enabled me to complete the whole run. At about 4.4 miles I walked for four minutes up a hill and in the shade. Hey, I'm just trying to be smart about it. I don't know if we'll see 100 degree temperatures again this year or not, but I'm done using it as an excuse. It's time to get serious on the road to Memphis.

Wet

It just felt...well, wet outside on today's run. We'd gone to the farmer's market and stocked up on some good stuff. When we arrive home late morning it was still cloudy outside and about twenty degrees lower than it has been the past month or more. So I knew this was my big chance to get in a good run and I went for it. Since it had sprinkled on us on the way home I laced up the old pair I've been wearing and left the new shoes in the closet. Even though the temperature was "only" 84 degrees, I took it slow since the humidity was so high. I went 6 miles and still had to walk a couple of times. I blame that on not just the conditions outside, but also my laziness. It's time to really get back into a plan. And I mean it this time.

The Runs on Vacation

I'll admit that I didn't exert a whole lot of effort to run while on vacation. I like to sleep late and it was way too hot to run when I woke up, much less in the evening. I still managed to get in a few, although they were more along the line of guilt runs than anything else.

On Tuesday, July 20th, I ran in the morning before we took off for Tulsa. I think I ran 6 miles, but I'll have to check the Garmin to make sure. It was pretty warm, and I remember thinking it should be cooler than it was for that time of day. That was funny.

Didn't run again until we were in Texas. On Saturday, July 23rd, The Wife and my Virtual Running Partner hit the road for a 4-miler. It was nice and leisurely and mostly shade-free. We ran by some nice big homes in a new development on the outskirts of Frisco. We didn't push too hard and it was a good thing to get out.

We ran again on Monday or Tuesday morning (they all run together when you're on vacation), another 4-miler with the Virtual Running Partner. Again we took it easy and it was worth it.

The biggest running event of the vacation was when we hit the mall to look for clothing for the Virtual Running Partner's Wife's birthday and I found a sale at Nordstrom on Asics. They had the new Gel Nimbus for $89.99 instead of $129.99, and yes, I immediately bought a pair. To find the new model at that price was a miracle. I was pretty pumped and I wore them for the first time tonight on the treadmill. It was 6 miles without hitting the pavement, but I figured it was a good break-in for them. Finding a good pair of running shoes on sale was like Christmas in July.

Early Run

But not early enough. Since I'm off work for a few days I got up early enough to run outside today. I headed out about 6:30 with the sun already climbing into the eastern sky. I felt good starting off, as usual, but the humidity really bore down on me. I took it slow and easy for 4 miles. The temperature was in the low 80's, but as I keep saying it's the wet air that's the killer. I thought there would be more people out and about walking and running. Guess they were smarter than me and went earlier. Since I'm not training for a race right now that was early enough for me. It's a matter of principle, I suppose.

Staying Out of the Sun

Once again I took the route that went nowhere today. I ran another 6 on the treadmill and finished up Office Space. Then I watched a DVD about MLB's greatest rivalries. Even though the first part of it was New York-centric, I will say I can certainly understand how much fun it would have been to be a fan when the Giants and Dodgers were also part of their city. The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry was given a rather bland rendering, especially compared to the interpretation of the East Coast rivalries. Not to take anything away from those, but the Midwest rivalry can be just as bad as the others sometimes. It was a good distraction from the monotony of running inside, though. I don't see the temperature heading south anytime soon, which means it'll be tough to get some runs in as we travel the next few weeks.

Running Out of Season

It was just plain weird to be running on the treadmill in summer. I'm so used to doing so during winter that I expected to look out the window and see snow in the yard. Instead the temperature is so hot that there's no way to run outside unless I waited until late in the evening. I'd rather not. So I set up a fan and a DVD and ran inside for an hour. Since our treadmill is downstairs it was actually that much cooler than running upstairs, much less running outside. I ran 6 miles and it really wasn't too bad. I was watching Office Space, which I haven't seen for several years, and it still kills me. The older I get the more parts of it seem like real life, kind of like Dilbert comic strips. I think that actually bothers me, but I try not to notice. Otherwise I'd cry.

110 In the Shade

Okay, not 110, but 104 heat index. Yesterday when I went out the temperature was 96 degrees with a heat index of 104. But 110 in the shade is a Fogerty song, not 104. The only thing I can say of way of explanation regarding running in that temperature is that it was mostly shade. At times. The sun came out a few times and it was not good. I ran verrrrrry slow and dumped a lot of cold water on my head. That seemed to work and I was able to go 4 miles with no designs on going further. It was crazy and I wouldn't do it on a regular basis, but the clouds were too much of a temptation. I had thought earlier in the day of running on the treadmill with a fan trained on me, but I succumbed to the outdoors. Tomorrow might be another story, though I'm not sure what Fogerty song I could use for running indoors in the summer. This might require a little research.

Level of Effort

I think I've mentioned before that sometimes the effort I put into a run isn't necessarily borne out in the numbers. This was one of those days. The weather forecast said humid, and yes, it was. I had high hopes of running about eight miles, but that was not to be. I ran 5 and the effort felt at least like 8. Actually, I've run eight miles before and not put as much into it as I did on this shorter run. Humidity saps my strength like nothing else during a run. The sun was also shining nice and bright. I headed out about 9 a.m. and even though the temperature was just below 80 degrees it was still a tough day for a run. I took along my water bottle and had it mostly drained during the short outing. I cut my hair pretty short last night and that seemed to help a little bit. Even so I still sweated about 100 gallons. Okay, not that much. The tough thing about running when it's this humid is that the sweat has nowhere to evaporate. Such is the running life in the Midwest during summer.

Rare but Humid

It was a rare day for running in the middle of summer - the sun was not shining. Today was rainy and cloud-covered, which made for somewhat lower temperatures. On the other hand, it was just as humid as ever, if not more so. When I went to work this morning the big faucet in the sky opened up and drenched me in the 10-second run from my truck to the front door. I looked like I'd just taken a shower with my clothes on. This afternoon's run continued the theme. I could have held out a dry washrag and in five minutes it would have been soaked. Even with that, I couldn't resist the opportunity to run without the hot sun slamming down. I ran a full 6 miles. The 12-13 degree drop from my runs earlier this week helped quite a bit, too. In the midst of July this was a good day for running, and I was glad to take advantage of it.

The Road to Recovery

Another run in the heat today on the road to recovery from laziness. I went 4 miles again and sweated about four buckets' worth. The temperature was in the high 80's with humidity to match. But as a bonus today was the release date for the Old 97's new album and so I ran to that. Totally worth it. And now I will go listen to it again as I recover.

Overcoming Laziness

The past week has been one of extreme laziness on my part. I could blame the heat, but that's not entirely true. I could say I was working on home projects, but that's not true, either. I could say I was working lots of overtime, but that would be an outright lie. No, I spent too much just being lazy. And when I had a chance to sleep late on the weekend, I took it. No more, though.

Today I waited until the temperature dropped, even though it wasn't scorching hot in the hundred degree range it was still plenty warm and humid. I also considered this a warmup run after being idle for six days. I ran a route that was the most shaded I could find in the area and tried to keep the pace down. Four miles was my plan and that's all I ran. Hope to do more than that tomorrow, but also trying to be smart and not pile on a bunch of miles this week. I didn't see a whole lot of other people out running on the evening of Independence Day. Guess they got their runs in earlier.

I'd Like to Dedicate This One to the Ladies

I'm not a chauvinist pig. I don't even play one on TV. Yet when I'm out running and there are ladies out walking, running, or biking, I tend to keep running when they're in sight, sometimes even faster. Like, say...tonight.

It was a hot evening, tough to run after a four-day layoff, and there were plenty of times I felt like walking. But every time I'd get that thought, I'd see a couple of women walking. Or one biking. Even saw a couple running. I guess it was ladies' night. I'm not sure if they were good looking or not, due to the exercise-induced brain haze I suffered as I ran up and down the hills. If they did look good, fine. But I'll be darned if I'm going to stop running and walk in front of them.

Am I the only one who acts this way? I know they couldn't have cared less if I had slowed to a walk, unless they thought I was stalking them, but we have too many cops who live around here for that to be a major concern. And rationally speaking, I have nothing to prove. I'm not a Neanderthal out trolling the caves for a mate, especially in this balding, middle-aged body. Totally an irrational response, but so be it. I have plenty of irrational male responses. But tonight I ran the full 6 miles and I have the women around here to thank for it.

Four Runs in Wisconsin

I've been on vacation this week in Wisconsin and have been fortunate enough to run four times. Tomorrow I'll be flying back to KC, so my running time in WI has come to an end. It's been fun and it'll be sad to go back to the regular routes back home. I ran a trail by the river that goes through town, which is everything my regular runs are not - flat, shaded, and dirt. What a treat.

The first run was last Friday morning with The Wife and nephew Zac. We ran only 3 miles since Zac had to be at work within an hour of our start time. It was a nice introduction to the path and a great day for running.

On Saturday I went and ran by myself, intending to go 10 miles. Again it was a great day for running. The sun was intermittent and the temperature was perfect. I momentarily lost the path when I got to a smaller town at the three-mile mark, but doubled back and picked it up again. However, when I reached the four-mile marker things started to change. I saw a sign signifying a wildlife area, which in this case meant a swamp off to the right of the path and no sign of the river on the left. In other words, breeding ground for mosquitoes. I couldn't go two steps without swarming bugs around my head. I quickly grew tired of this, as well as a little frustrated, and turned back. My run topped out at 8 miles due to the bugs. I hate to be defeated by the little critters, but I'll admit it, it's no fun to try and run while being swarmed.

On Monday The Wife and Daughter #1 ran for a couple of miles while Zac and I went a full 6 miles. Once again the weather was overcast but nice. It was a good easy run and Zac did great, especially since he hadn't run that far in a long time.

Today we took everybody - 12 people and a dog. The rain had poured down overnight and the day was humid, moreso than yesterday. Zac and I took off and ran a mile warmup followed by a four-mile tempo run at 8:30 pace. We finished with a mile of cooldown. That was my first speed work in I can't remember how long, and Zac said it was definitely a tougher run than yesterday. It was cool to run with him and he kept up with this old man. Maybe I was even holding him back. That's 23 miles total while I've been here, which is pretty good for a vacation. After today's run I made sure everyone got a bottle of sports drink for their efforts. Tomorrow it's back home to the good ol' hot weather, hills, and no shade. I guess I've been spoiled a little bit this week, but isn't that what vacations are all about?

Footprints

I find it amusing, when I run down a certain sidewalk, that my footprints are visible in the concrete. It always gives me a wry moment of lightness in whatever kind of run I'm having. It's on 96th Street straight across from the pool on the south side of the street. When "they" were pouring the sidewalk I was running east on the existing sidewalk. The section with my prints was the last section to be poured and I had to run on the street for a little ways. However, due to traffic I had to jump onto the freshly poured concrete, which was almost set. But not quite. You can me Asics-prints for about 30 feet of sidewalk. Today when I ran I noted that my stride seems just a bit shorter, which is something I've actually worked on to increase turnover. What can I say? When I see my prints and know that they'll be there for years to come it makes me grin.

Yesterday was Sunday, and even though it was a rest day I was sorely tempted to go for a run. The temperature was perfect and the sky was overcast. It seemed like a waste to not run on a day like that. Fortunately today was more of the same, just windier. I didn't mind too much, though. The temperature was in the mid-70's and the humidity must have been higher than that. I had a good 6-miler and finished at a pace better than 10 minutes/mile and feeling strong. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer but I might be busy after work, so we'll see how it goes.

Post-Farmer's Market Run

This Saturday I was able to sneak in a "long" run, as opposed to last weekend. We dropped off the older girls at church so they could go to a ministry opportunity and then headed to the farmer's market with the younger kids. We've been going every couple of weeks and it's really kind of cool. And as a runner I have an interest in healthier foods. The other thing we've been picking up there is bee pollen. I've been taking it every day for a month now and it seems to be having a good effect. Last weekend I was painting a fence at an outdoor horse arena and a couple of people were weed-eating right outside the fence. In times past that would have absolutely killed me with allergies. Instead it had no effect whatsoever. This morning after I ran I mowed the lawn, another opportunity for allergies to flare, but again, nothing. I'm not totally attributing the change to the bee pollen just yet, but it certainly doesn't seem to be hurting.

That run? Oh yeah, 8 miles. The clouds had been out earlier and stayed intermittently for the first 2/3 or so of the run, then disappeared. Still, for a run starting after 8:30 in the morning during the summer, I can't complain about the lower temperature and shade.

Another Run With the Daughter

This time I dragged Daughter #1 out for another run, and gee, she was just so happy to go. We waited until after 7 p.m. when it had cooled off a little bit outside. We ran slower and that seemed to help since she was able to go a full 2 miles. It was funny because we saw a black Camaro cruising around while we ran. We must have seen it about 7-8 times in the neighborhood and on the main road. No idea what they were doing but apparently it was a good night for a cruise.

I dropped off the daughter at home and then ran another 4 miles. Even though the temperature was cooling off, it was still very humid. Plus there was a nice breeze from the south. Again it was one of those breezes that actually helps since it cooled me off rather than slowed me down. I didn't mind at all. Work has been so draining this week that I wasn't sure I could go a full 6 miles, but I kept thinking of that Five Guys burger last night and figured I should probably run off as much of that as I could.

Really Hot Later

I waited as long as I could before heading out tonight, and that paid off a little bit. The temperature was marginally lower, by maybe 4 or 5 degrees. The sun was on its way down, so the shadows were longer. And it was still breezy, which helped cool the evening down that much more. This all added up to my being able to get in a full 6 miles tonight. It was one of those runs where I never really felt in rhythm, and the more I concentrated on it the worse it got. I was intentionally running slower, but I don't think that was the problem. Up late last night and a full day today had me slightly fatigued, but that wasn't the problem either. Sometimes you just have one of those runs where you get the run in and you feel good that you did it, but you don't feel like everything clicked. Sometimes that's good enough.

Really Hot

It was 96 degrees at running time today, or somewhere around there. The Wife was going to run with me but decided not to due to a hamstring tweak. She walked around the block with me and then I was off to the - well, not the races. I kept it slow and had a bottle of frozen water with me. Still, I maxed out at 4 miles and walked a few minutes in the shade. As always I thought about going a full six but knew that the marginal gain wasn't worth the effort and possible side effects. Tomorrow is supposed to be equally as hot, but I think I'll run later in the evening. Summer time is definitely here.

Running with the Daughter

It was time to get Daughter #1 out on the road again so she can start preparing for a triathlon at the end of July. We dithered about the last time she'd been out for a run, and I think it was probably the 5k in Dallas in December. I let her set the pace, which I figured was too fast, and by golly it was. She lasted 1.6 miles before walking back the rest of the way. The goal was 2 miles, so she got pretty close. The day was very warm and humid, although the overcast sky and breeze helped a little bit. It's a start and we'll keep working on it.

After returning her home I went for another 4 miles. I kept it slow due to the humidity, which as I've stated before really saps my strength. It was nice to run with my girl, wet air and all.

Skipping Spring

Blogger is now working with the new Firefox, thank you very much. I much prefer this to that other browser.

We've apparently gone from a very cool extension of winter straight to summer. Today the temperature was again in the mid-80's with lots of sunlight. Maybe I'm already getting used to it, but I went the full 6 miles today. I varied my route so the shade came in the first 3 miles rather than in the last half of the run, and that seemed to work pretty well. I saw several other people out biking and running and it looks like warmer weather is finally here to stay. After all, tomorrow is the first day of June, so it's time for summer.

I'm contemplating changes to my work schedule that would allow me to go into work a half-hour later. That way I could run in the mornings before work several times a week, and more importantly, before the day heats up. The drawback would be getting to work later and being there later, but also staying at five-day weeks rather than having a day off every two weeks. I'm not sure which way I want to go yet. I like the day off every few weeks. The idea of running earlier also appeals to me. I don't know...I have a few more days before the next pay period starts. Maybe I should make a list of the pros and cons, you know, the old-fashioned way of figuring it out. Sometimes that's the best way to do it.

No More Cool Runnings

Blogger is not working right with the new version of Firefox, so I'm doing this delayed update in Internet Explorer. Yuk.

Saturday the family went to the farmer's market and had a good time. After that I was able to get in my long run for the week, a 9-miler. I realized later that made 27 miles for the week. Which seems kind of excessive for as spotty as my runs have been lately. Nevertheless it felt good and I could have gone further (farther? I don't remember the grammatical rule for that one). The day was in the mid-60's and cloudy, so really it was perfect for a good run. I tracked down the hills of Flintlock, a move I thought about for a while before actually running because I hadn't run that way in a long time. As I said, it felt just fine and I had no regrets for going that way.

Today was Memorial Day and a little bit warmer. I'm beginning to think we're not going to get a real Spring this year. It was a day for smoking ribs, and mission accomplished on that front. The Wife and I ran a couple of miles together and then I took off on my own. I was going to go a full six but was laboring a little too much with the heat. Even though the temperature was in the low 80's it felt worse than that. My theory is that it's relative, kind of like pitching. Last week I watched a Royals pitcher throw a "blazing" 86-mph fastball, but his off-speed pitches were in the mid-60's. So when he actually threw his fastball it did look blazing when compared to a 64-mph changeup. That's how this temperature thing seems to work, too. When there's no transition and you go straight from a run in 62 degree weather on Saturday to a run today in 83 degrees, the higher temperature actually seems hotter in comparison. When I got home I certainly drained a cold Gatorade like I'd been running in 95 degree weather.

That's enough of the dual sports analogies for now. And for those of you who are counting at home I ran 5.25 miles today. I cut it short, but not a whole lot short. Looks like warmer weather is here to stay.

4 With The Wife, 2 Without

Today was gorgeous after the storms of the past week, and what better way to enjoy it than with a beautiful woman? Even though we've decided to pass on this weekend's 10k, she wanted to get out for a good run. We ran together down Shoal Creek as I regaled her with stories from Churchill's WWII memoirs, as well as the usual dose of weirdness from work. Once we returned to the neighborhood she made a left turn and I continued for a couple more miles.

I reflected a bit on how inconsistent I've been with running lately and the need to log some regular miles. With summer coming on I certainly plan on doing so, and darn it, I still need to find a race. I suppose I should put that on my Memorial Day weekend to-do list.

Humid and Warm

I'm not complaining about the weather, since it was nice out today and the breeze actually helped rather than hindered this time. It was the humidity that was in full effect, not the heat. After a mid-day thunderstorm I could feel the moisture in the air. I still prefer it to temperatures hovering near zero. 6 miles overall at what turned out to be a 9:19 pace. I feel out of shape, but that's just because I haven't been logging the miles like usual lately and I was a pig over the weekend. Which is the main reason I ran two days in a row. I guess you could call it a recovery run, but with a definition suited more to recovering from gluttony than to recovering from a long race. It happens to more than just me, I'm sure.

The Spider

The spider hanging from my sunglasses gave me a little bit of energy just when it seemed to be fading. I was about 3.5 miles into my 6-mile run. The heat and the relentless sun beating down on me was causing my pace to slow. I pulled off my sunglasses to wipe my brow and whoa, there was a spider hanging from them by a thread. I shook the glasses and the little bugger held tight. After a few shakes it was clear the guy wasn't going anywhere. I pinched off his thread and cast him to the wind. And even though I'm not scared of spiders my pace picked up and gave me enough nervous energy to keep running. This proved useful in the long run (no pun intended) since I ended up walking up the last big hill on the way back to the neighborhood. I looked down at my heart rate and it was too high. This being an easy run and all it seemed best to take the hill at a pace that allowed my heart to slow.

I haven't run since last Tuesday. It was nice to get out again, and should have done so while my virtual running partner was here. But the schedule of the baseball games didn't allow us much time for running. At least not in the morning with the how late we stayed up. I'm going to look for a race up north next month when we're there on vacation. I don't think I'll be in shape for a half, but maybe I can find a 10k or something like that.

Gorgeous Day

This was one of those days where I wasn't scheduled to run, but when I exited work and saw how beautiful it was in the Great Outdoors I knew today would be a running day. I would seriously kick myself if I didn't. Days like this don't come along very often. I did my dumbbell exercises first (the weights are the dumbbells, not me) and then hit the streets. The run was nice and easy and I didn't check the Garmin a whole lot. By the time I finished I'd done 6 miles at a 9:09 pace. I needed a good, easy run like that. Just what the doctor ordered, if the doctor's name was God.

It's All Relative

Today is May 14th. The temperature was about 50 degrees when I went out for an 8-miler, with pretty strong winds chilling it to about 45 degrees. In mid-May this feels cold. Especially since we had days near 90 degrees this past week. I dressed in long pants, two shirts, and wore mittens. I was not thrilled to go out in this weather.

But let's take this same day and transplant it into January. A day like this would have been warm in comparison to the surrounding days and their respective temperatures. I would have been ecstatic to get out in such luxurious warmth. I even might have worn shorts.

2/3 + 5 + 1

Yesterday The Wife and I went for a run. We walked about 2/3 of a mile to start off, and then 5 miles before she called it quits with some knee pain. That meant a one-mile stroll to get back to the house. The day was hot and humid, moreso than we expected. Nevertheless, it was nice to get out and enjoy her company. I realized as we were talking about her knee pain that it's been over a year since we last bought her some new running shoes, and that's way too long. She doesn't put in the volume of miles that I do, but she's done plenty and we need to keep her outfitted correctly.

The weather today has turned decidely colder and nastier. That's not good for the plans tomorrow as far as running goes. We'll see what happens.

Running in May

I'm a little behind on my entries, so let's catch up, shall we?

My first run this month was last Monday, the 2nd. I went 6 miles and really don't remember much about it. I do know that last week was busy and my goal was to run four times. Sorry to spoil the ending, but I didn't make it out that many times.

I think the reason I ran on Monday and not on Tuesday was because something was going on Tuesday night. But I can't remember what it was. Wow, last week was just a blur.

I got all dressed up to run on Thursday night, but a line of thunderstorms was coming through. They took a lot longer to pass by than I expected, and by the time they did I was ready to eat dinner. I should have headed out, but inertia won.

The family went camping for Mother's Day weekend, so as soon as we got to camp Friday afternoon I ran around the lake. It was a nice evening. I thought the path around the lake was longer, but it ended up being only 3.75 miles. I ran it pretty fast and stopped after one loop. That, combined with the abundant pollen, set off my allergies in a big way. Which proved disastrous for the next day.

On Saturday the 7th I planned on going a couple of times around plus some extra to get 8 miles. I lasted for half that. Allergies, a bad night's sleep, and a temperature in the upper 80s all combined to make me take the easy way out. I was not feeling that great at the end of that big 4-mile run.

Today was another hot day. When I got home from the run the temperature was 87 degrees with a heat index of 90. That was a lovely two-day Spring we had. Anyway, I went 5.34 miles total according to my Garmin, and looking at my totals I probably walked that .34 a little over halfway through the run. I walked a couple of hills in the shade, which was a nice relief. I could tell my heart rate was getting too high - from the heat, not from my closer to 10-minute/mile pace. Not sure if I'm ready for running all summer in the heat, but I'm not going to complain. It's better than the cold wind or spending a month on the treadmill.

Garage Sale Saturday

I won't say that I've expressly forbidden my family from ever having a garage sale again, but I will say that it's pretty close to that. Our neighborhood was having its annual garage sale weekend, and we did not participate. We've done so a couple of times in the time we've lived here, and each time it has been far less than successful. In fact, I remember twice where the weather was cold and windy and very few people were out and about, much less out and about for a garage sale. Today was certainly warmer, and the only reason I mention garage sales at all is because there was more traffic than usual to dodge in the neighborhood. I stay pretty alert for traffic when I run, so it wasn't too bad, but it requires watching out for people who are lost or who make sudden turns. People hardly signal around here anyway, and a day like today doesn't help matters any.

I waited until The Wife got home from her morning outing before I headed out, by which time the temperature was definitely in the 70's. I went 8 miles, not too long a run and yet not too short. I slowed it down a little today and kept the pace in the 9:15/9:20 range. That worked out pretty well. I'm listening again to the Hardcore History podcasts on Rome. Today was the second episode. The fifth in the series recently came out, so I needed to revisit the first few and catch up. This is good historical stuff that is also a really good distraction on a run. I love the story of the Germanic tribes attacking Italy who, as a show of strength, took off all their clothes and snowboarded down a mountain on their shields. Never mind that they eventually lost, but it was a cool story. It's amazing the things you can learn when you're out running.

Forgetting Runs

So I forgot to post a couple of runs. I ran last Saturday as I posted, but I forgot to mention that I ran 5 miles two days before that. It was pretty uneventful, because I clearly forgot about it by Saturday. Even now I'm having trouble remembering what was involved, exactly. At least I remember that I actually ran.

Then on Monday I had another run with The Wife, another 5-miler, and she was pleased with being able to run so far so early in the running season (for her). Again it was cool outside, and we discussed whether or not we'd be running in warmer weather anytime soon. We ran on Monday since Tuesday was The Boy's birthday and we knew we'd be playing laser tag instead of exercising. Although laser tag did feel a little bit like exercise.

Today was a good 6 miles with a little bit of wind coming out of the west. The temperature was 70 degrees, but it felt cooler with the intermittent clouds and the breeze. I had a Garmin burp, or actually a user error. When I set the workout I apparently selected a 5-mile run instead of the one I actually did. At mile 5 I noted the time and figured my overall pace would be 8:50/mile when I finished. A few minutes later I looked down to see my pace and my pace was staying the same, but so was the overall time and distance. Oops. I pressed the button to start it again and when I got to my stopping point I'd lost a half-mile. Not a tragedy in the grand scheme of things, just annoying. You'd think by now I'd know to pay a little better attention when setting up my run, but nooooo.

Finally, new Runner's World in the mail. Unexpectedly early. Sweet!

Still Cool

Global warming continued unrestrained this week as we had cooler than normal temperatures. See what I did there? An illogical conclusion paired with a premise from junk science. But let's not get political, because that's what the warming thing is all about. Let's just say it's still pretty cool outside. Today the temperature was in the mid-50's with a northwesterly breeze. It took a few minutes to get warmed up, but once I did a t-shirt and shorts were fine.

I went 8 miles in total and stayed close to my goal "easy" pace, finishing at about 9:09/mile. I felt like it was a good pace the whole way and never felt labored. I stayed up way too late last night watching a ball game that had been delayed by rain, so I waited until after lunch to head out. That seems in retrospect to have been a wise decision.

Still need to pick a race. The Wife is picking some events for herself. Guess I need to get in the game.

Cold Again

Just when you think Spring is here...

The Wife and I left the house for what turned out to be a 4-miler for the both of us, and before we were two houses down the street we went back because she wasn't dressed warm enough. I can't blame her because, well, it was cold. The wind was not helping matters. It was a good, slow run, and she did well for her longest run in a few months. I opted out of my extra miles because the suffering didn't seem worth the marginal benefit. Sometimes you just have to make adjustments mid-course.

Still not sure when or where the next race will be. I need to figure it out soon so I can make a specific plan. Plus I need to eat better. I've probably had more doughnuts in the past six months than I have in the previous six years combined. I'm at that point in-between races that leads to slacking off a little on the training and diet. Trust me, I don't want to be here very long.

Palm Sunday Run

I'd planned on running yesterday (Saturday), but it just ended up not working out. I slept in, which was much needed, and then took Daughter #2 to a friend's house. After lunch I ended up working on some trim here in the computer room, sanding and repainting it - and it looks nice! - and by the time I finished I'd been on my feet too much. It worked out better anyway since today I got to run the first 3 miles with The Wife and then final five by myself. I maintained my easy pace of 9-minute/miles once I was on my own and it went well. I had to slow down a few times to get back to that pace. We worked in the front yard today and even though I could have used that as an excuse to not run I knew I needed to get out and do it. I'm not planning on running Monday so today was necessary. Hooray for spring!

Spring Must Be Here

As always, I like to think I get smarter the more I run. I can scroll through the entries on this log and find plenty of examples otherwise, but today I did feel a little smarter. I know that if I have a bad night of sleep then the run won't go very well. That was the case this time around, so rather than set lofty goals I decided this day was prime for an easy run. I stayed with my overall goal of completing my easy runs at a 9-minute/mile pace. Spring has rolled in, or should I say, blown in, with winds over 20 mph. Even with that and a temperature in the mid-70's, I managed to keep my pace just below the goal. The only time I felt like I was laboring was when going uphill against the wind. Imagine that.

Fartlek Time!

I decided I needed a little bit of speedwork, this being Tuesday and all, but nothing too serious. I set out with The Wife to start the run, and she lasted with me until just past 2 miles. I continued down the road as she went back into the neighborhood to do some hill repeats. Once I got past the development I started a series of 1-2-3-2-1 fartleks. I didn't go ultra-fast, between 7:30-8 minutes/mile. I felt pretty good, although my last one was uphill so I walked a couple of minutes after that. The temp was in the upper 70's and I'm working to become acclimated to the heat again. By the time I headed back into the neighborhood I was feeling the effects of a warmer weather. I ran into a neighbor who was running as well, pushing his daughter in a stroller. All in all, I think I had it better than he did, at least running-wise.

Burning Off Work

Today was another easy run that ended up at less than 9-minute/mile pace. And again, that seems to be my new standard for an easy run until it gets hotter outside. And just like my last outing, it was a crappy day at work calling for some running time to burn off the stress. Seriously, something has to change because I don't know if I can keep running this fast until I retire. When I started out I had a little pain in my left shin but it quickly disappeared. My calves still feel a little tight - I know I keep saying that and I need to look into what it's going to take to stretch them and keep them from cramping in races. Since I don't have anything planned right now I guess I have the time.

An Easy Hard Run

Today was the first day back to running since last Saturday's race. It was raining when I walked out the front door, so I danced around under the porch for a few minutes before trotting out. It was one of those very frustrating days at work, which are all too common lately. What was supposed to be an easy recovery run was a an easy 6 miles at an 8:47 pace. And really, it was pretty easy except when running into the wind. I was a little surprised. I thought this was a run to work out the soreness of the race and take it easy, which maybe I should have been more mindful of. Thinking about work kept me pretty riled up. Why can't I be independently wealthy? Anyway, I need to be more careful, especially with hot weather on the horizon. I guess it's okay to keep up a good pace while the weather permits, though, since once it's hotter I have to slow down.

Rocking the Parkway

When I felt the twinge in my right calf at mile 9, I said out loud, "Oh, no." I knew it would cost me, but at that point I didn't know how much. That became apparent less than 35 minutes later.

It was almost a perfect day for a half-marathon. I didn't run the Rock the Parkway race last year, but apparently it was raining that day. This time the conditions were much better, with temps right around 40 degrees at race time, and no wind whatsoever. That is such a rarity in the midwest that we must celebrate it when it happens, and so I did. A week ago the forecast was calling for 20 mph winds with 30 mph gusts. I'm so glad the forecasters were wrong. In the starting corral the body heat of 6,000+ people kept it bearable with the cold temperatures, but once the race started I was wishing I had my knit mittens. That became less of a concern about two miles into the course.

The first few miles were too packed. I like wave starts much better, and with that many people it's something the organizers might want to think about. After Mile 3 the field started to spread out and I started to move up. As I mentioned earlier this week I wasn't going to think about a PR unless conditions were good, and they were. So I started out with the 2-hour pace group so I wouldn't go out too fast, and that worked pretty well at the start. Passing people was tough, but by Mile 6 I'd passed the 1:45 pace group and my goal was to stay in front of them. I continually saw the 1:40 group ahead of me but never drew closer than a minute or so to them. The last time I remember seeing them was about Mile 7.

As goes with most races in KC, the course was full of rolling hills. The worst was after the turnaround about halfway through the race. That's the point where you should start feeling better because you're seeing everybody behind you, but that uphill was tough.

I was trying to keep my pace between 7:30-8:00/mile. By the time I got to Mile 9 I was closer to the latter than the former. And then came that familiar twinge. This time I did something different.

I walked 30 seconds and then started up again. That seemed to work and held true for a while. I walked for a few brief seconds at water stops and then had to walk another 30 seconds at about Mile 11.5. Those 60 seconds are what cost me.

Early on I knew I wanted to beat my 1:49 time, and if possible to get below 1:45. It would be tight, but that was my goal with the great conditions and what was described as a "fast course for Kansas City." When I reached Mile 12 and put the hammer down I definitely knew there wasn't much wiggle room.

Looking at the Garmin stats, in my last mile I stayed below 8 minutes/mile, and mostly well below. But it wasn't enough to break the 1:45 mark. My finishing time was 1:45:41, and I'm pretty happy with that. I knocked four minutes off my PR, and that's a good start for the first race of the season. Plus it leaves room for improvement. In other stats from the Garmin, my heart rate was 90-95% most of the race, with the exception at the end when I was in the last tenth of a mile when I was redlining at 100%. Which explains why I felt like I wanted to throw up as I was running down the chute.

I'm fully convinced now that the only way to get faster times is to train faster. My overall pace was 8:01/mile. I don't feel like I'm in the best shape possible, but I do feel like the speedwork has paid off so that this guy in his mid-40's can keep setting PR's. Whether or not that leads to a BQ time remains to be seen, but by golly I'm going to keep working at it. And obviously I need to come up with a game plan for my cramping calves. I've said that before, but it's even more critical now. I'm not sure yet what my next race will be, but I'm sure it will be another half. I'm going to keep working on speed and we'll see where that takes me.

Cold Speed

Today was the final day for speedwork before the race, so naturally it had to be cold and windy. The temperature was in the low 40's and the wind was out of the northeast. What fun. I ran a total of 5 miles, with the middle three at tempo pace (7:30/mile). Again I was struck by how slowing down at the end wasn't as big a slowdown as in previous outings. My last 3/4 of a mile involved going up and down and up and back down the same hill at my turnaround point. I was busting it pretty hard at that point but I managed to keep up my pace. When I finally put on the brakes at mile four it felt like I had lurched to a crawl. When I looked at the Garmin, looked at it again, and then looked one more time to make sure, my pace was 9:00/mile. More proof that fast and slow is all relative.

I felt pretty good about not walking after the tempo. How things go on Saturday is going to depend a lot on the weather. I still have that lethargic feeling from allergies, which still haven't been that bad. Yet. Tomorrow will be one more easy run and then a couple of days of taking it easy before the race. Guess I'll use that down time to figure out where the heck I'm supposed to go for the event.

Winter Goes On

Final week before the race, and today called for an easy 6-mile run. It was cold and windy and when I stepped out the back door onto the deck and a bitterly nasty gust hit right at that moment. I briefly pondered hitting the treadmill again, but since I was already dressed I decided I needed an outdoor run more than I needed to stay inside. I added an extra layer on top as well as ear-warmers and a stocking cap and that kept me warm enough on the run.

Today I was less worried about speed and focused on getting in the miles. At this point in the training cycle you're either ready or you're not. I'm ready to run 13.1, but at what speed remains to be determined. I'm still thinking that this run is the start of the season, more of a stepping stone than the race I really need to conquer. As always, that could go out the window if Saturday dawns with nice conditions and I'm feeling especially ready to roll. Just a couple more runs and then it'll be showtime.

Foul Weather

Driven inside again by high winds and cold weather, I knew I needed to get in a good, long run, which is not easy when running on a treadmill. I resolved to stick it out for 12 miles, yes, almost two hours. I loaded up some BSG in the DVD player and watched three full episodes. The drier air prompted me to keep a sports drink handy, and I took a swig about every 10 minutes. With the help of the good ship Galactica I made it and now feel better about getting through the race in a week. Usually for a half-marathon I'll try to run at least a 14-miler somewhere during training, but I missed that opportunity last week when we were traveling. I guess 12 will have to do.

Allergies Can't Keep a Good Man Down

I've felt like allergies have had the upper hand the past week. Even though the usual effects (sneezing, itching, etc.) have been mild I've still felt puffy and lethargic. So today went way better than expected. Plus it was one of my favorite runs. This is my 2x800 at sprint pace with some down time before, between, and after. The temp was also in the 40's, making it easier to go faster. My best time was around 6 minutes/mile during the sprints. I probably could have given just a little bit more, but I wasn't interested in throwing up.

Since I didn't run last weekend, this weekend I'll have to run a little farther than originally planned. I don't think 14 miles is a good idea, but at least 12 seems ideal. It also depends on the weather.

One thing that I was thinking about on the run after the first sprint was how quickly my body adapts to the speedwork. Before the first interval I was running at a 9-minute/mile clip. After running under a 7-minute pace for just over three minutes I was a little surprised to find myself running the recovery at 8:30--minute. Same after the second interval, although a walked a couple of minutes before picking up the run again. I was thinking of a long training run where I could run a half mile at a "slower" pace and then pick it up for a half mile, and keep doing that for anywhere from 10-20 miles. Then over time I could extend the faster segment and decrease the slower, so that at some point I'm doing more faster than slower. I know someone else has probably thought of this before and it probably even has a name. But I think my next round of training might incorporate something along these lines. My new mantra is that if you want to race fast, you have to train fast!

Tough Wind

Today the wind was not my friend. After a really stupid day at work, I was hoping to get in a good marathon-pace run. Alas, I only partially accomplished my goal. I ran 6 miles total, with about 3 1/2 of that at about a half-minute slower than marathon pace. It was just too tough running uphill against 30 mph winds. As I've mentioned recently, I need to find a place with fewer hills to run, but that's tough to do without driving someplace. And when I'm feeling good the hills are no problem. I felt doped up again today from allergies. That and the heat tends to slow me down.

I'm thinking about my goal for the race coming up in 11 days. I really want to break 1:49, which if I remember correctly is my PR. I just don't know that I'm in shape for that yet. I think I can get fairly close, but it's going to depend on the weather and the allergies. Maybe it's better to use this as an endurance-building exercise. Then I could continue to work on speed for my next race. Eight-minute miles will get me to about 1:45 if I'm doing the math correctly. I know I can do it, but I'm not sure at this point if this is the race to do so. I'm going to have to feel a lot better about my training if I'm going to give it a shot.

Coneys

I didn't get in my long run this weekend, which will make the race that much more of a challenge. We went to Tulsa on Saturday and returned yesterday evening. I could have squeezed in a run somewhere, either here or there, but opted to not shoehorn it in just for the sake of running. When we got back last night I even considered doing it then, but my allergies were calm and I decided keeping it that way was a little more important than running.

So today I ran 6 miles, trying to keep up the 9-minute pace I've adopted as my "easy" run pace. It worked pretty well for the first five miles and then it stopped working. Maybe it was the heat, in the upper 70's today, or maybe it was the ten coneys I ate in Tulsa. I don't suppose I can count that as training food. If I was smart I would have eaten a few less. But I'm not smart. And gluttony never tasted so good.

Withering in the Heat

It wasn't really that hot out yesterday, but it sure seemed like it had warmed up a lot with a temperature topping out in the low 70's. I planned to do a good tempo run, but the heat and humidity nixed that after two miles of running under 8 minutes/mile. As usual it started out well, especially after a mile warmup, but no go. I ran 5 miles total and considered going for a sixth, but I determined that marginally speaking it wouldn't get me much, so I made the turn to finish earlier rather than dragging it out.

Allergies are in the air again, oh joy. I also haven't slept well this week, maybe because of said allergies, but I would say that definitely played a role in yesterday's aborted run. That running magazine we all read has said countless times that you should track your diet, your sleep, and other activities and see what are common factors in good and bad runs. I can say without a doubt that a night or several nights of bad sleep really affects my running. And that's not something I have to track on a chart to know for sure.

No Snow

That didn't last long, and we're back in the 50's again temperature-wise. The chill is still there in the breeze, but hopefully this means it's on it's way out for good. But I'll believe it when I see it.

Today was a good speed workout, with 4x1 mile intervals at marathon-pace and one minute recovery periods between each. Overall I went 6.25 miles. The pace was pretty easy to keep, even against the wind. A few times I had to slow down as I found myself running a little fast, but then again there were periods where I had to speed up because I had slowed going up a rise or just lost focus. Overall I'm happy with the workout, and keeping it a reasonable pace certainly helped, as opposed to some of the speed sessions like 800m intervals are faster. I also kept the warmup mile and the cooldown mile afterward at about 9 minutes/mile, part of my plan to up the speed overall.

One thing I've thought about is how to warm up for the half-marathon next month, since I think I will do better if I've run a mile or so. I've always been irritated by those people who are out running before the start of a race, considering them showoffs or overachievers, particularly when they're doing so right before they're about to cover 26.2 miles. But now I'm starting to wonder if that's something I should do, too? For instance, on today's run it took a good half mile before the stiffness in my legs and hips started to fade. So maybe that's what I need to do before the half. I haven't done a warmup like that before, but maybe this is the time to give it a shot and see how it goes. It certainly will help me start off closer to the pace I want, and I don't think warming up will affect my ability to go the distance. Let's plan on this little experiment now and we'll see how it goes in less than 20 days.

Snow Again?

Yes, this morning it snowed. T-shirt and shorts on Saturday, back on the treadmill today. Actually the snow was pretty much gone by the time I arrived home, but I did my workout with weights and then didn't feel like heading out in the cold.

It seems like I'm trending toward the school of thought that says if you want to race fast then you need to train fast. For the time being, at least, I feel like my non-speed runs need to be speedier. I have to be careful to avoid burning out, though. Today on the treadmill I set it for 9-minute miles and ran 6 miles total. I know it was on the treadmill and all, but it felt pretty easy, relatively speaking. In other words I wasn't sucking air and I could have held a conversation. That's the way I'm going to play it, since my marathon pace to BQ will have to be a lot closer to my current 5k pace if I'm ever going to make it.

Long Running Again

Today's run was 11 miles, another outing at Smithville Lake with Mike the guy from church. This was his new record for a long run, a record he will break again three weeks from today. The chill is not quite gone from the air. Even though it was over 50 degrees outside, there was the slightest trace of coldness still. That didn't stop me from wearing shorts and a technical t-shirt, though. I brought long pants and a long-sleeved shirt with me just in case but didn't have to wear them.

We stayed at just under 10 minutes/mile, a pace where we were both comfortable. I wanted to push it a little bit at the end, so I sped up for the last mile and did that one at a 7:30 pace. I was certainly winded when I finished, but I felt good about kicking some butt the last mile.

When I got home I took a look at the Boston Marathon web site and found that my qualifying time was changed by five minutes - in the wrong direction! For my age bracket I have to run a 3:25 time or better. If I'm calculating correctly that's under 8 minutes/mile. After running one mile at a fast pace today that sure seems like a tough goal, one that just got tougher. I have to remind myself I'm in a training plan that will likely last a couple of years and I'm just getting started. I think I can, I think I can....

Better Weather

Today was quite a difference from my previous outdoors run this week, with a temperature in the 50's. I even donned shorts but stayed with a long-sleeve technical shirt with a race t-shirt over it. That worked out pretty well. The hills killed me again, though.

The speedwork today was Yasso 800's on the same route I ran Monday. The intervals were going really well as I kept them close to 7 minutes/mile. On the last one I found myself running up a long hill, and as has happened before, I just died on it before finishing that interval. Dang it. Next time I run these I will plan a better route so I'm not running uphill on the later intervals. This area is all hills, so I might have to take my game someplace a little flatter. If there is such a flat place in this area.

As the Treadmill Turns

After yesterday's chilling run, I took today's rain as a sign that I should stay in for my run. I put BSG:Razor in the DVD player, hooked up the earbuds to the TV, and ran. I changed my schedule around so that today was a marathon-pace run rather than intervals. I went one mile as a warm-up, five miles at marathon pace (8-minute miles) and then a mile cooldown. It actually went better than I expected, especially since I felt beforehand that I might be fighting off something. I'll chalk up this one as a good run.

This is my 500th entry on this running b/log. That's a lot of runs over the past several years. I'm sure I could make my entries more useful, and I try to do so occasionally, but mainly this page exists as a way for me to keep an ongoing record of my runs. It works for me, even if it doesn't work for anyone else. At the least an imaginary person can see the ups and downs and progression of all this running. I've been blessed to be pretty much injury-free. I've learned about gear and shoes and some of that stuff, but I feel like there's so much more for me to learn. I have a long way to go in race management, not to mention training management. The book I'm reading now talks about being your own coach, and that's a work in progress for me. I have a pretty lofty goal and need to speed up a lot over the next couple of years in order to BQ. That training might be another 500 entries all by itself!

Stupid Cold Wind

Took a new route today since a street recently opened near our neighborhood to a new elementary school. I was less than thrilled with the cold, steady wind that was blowing out of the ESE. At times it seemed like it was blowing 40 mph, and other times...well, unless I was running with the wind, which wasn't much, it still felt like it was bitterly cold. I made this an easy run of 6 miles and tried to concentrate on stretching out my calves and hips. The wind made it a little tough to focus at times, but I guess that's the purpose of these runs. I felt like trying to run faster but kept it contained since I don't want to ruin tomorrow's speed work. I regretted - just a little bit - not doing today's session on the treadmill, but I'm trying to go with the idea of being outside any chance I can when it's not freezing rain or snow or anything else that makes the surfaces treacherous. Today wasn't too bad, but there were times I felt every bit of my 40+ years. But then, don't we all have days like that?

Lake Run

Today was miserably cold due to wind. This isn't the coldest it's been, but after a few days of warmth it felt colder due to the contrast. Some folks from my Sunday School class were heading to Smithville Lake, so I decided to join them for an 8-miler. Mike and I ran together while his wife ran with another lady whose husband had run earlier. This was Mike's longest run to date and we finished strong with an 8:30 pace for the last mile. This was my first time running on the trail at the lake and it was a nice run, wind and all, especially with the company along the way.

My plan to use the half marathon as part of my ongoing training seems to be crystallizing. At this point I need to find another race, probably in the April or May timeframe. I'm also thinking I need to settle on a training philosophy. This morning I was reading reviews on a book that talked about running three days a week and cross-training two other days. The book purports - wow, don't think I've used that word before, certainly not on this blog - a plan that allows runners to run not as much but still improve times and even qualify for Boston. I suppose I should read it to weigh it against the higher-mileage training I'm reading about now. I see it as taking in all the arguments before making a decision. I guess one of my fears is the risk of injury with more weekly miles, but if that's what it takes to qualify I guess I have to take that risk. But then again, if I can qualify with less work and less risk, isn't that worth a try, too? My brain is telling me the jury is still out.

Third Day

Today was the third day in a row for a run. I felt okay, not great, but I was determined to get in the 4-mile tempo run (6 miles total). And I almost made it. I think I need to modify my route, or maybe I just need to see it as a challenge and meet it head-on. I ran 3.8 miles at an 8-minute or better pace, but ascending that last hill on the way back was too much. I don't know how I can modify my route and not have hills around here, though. As I was running up that long hill I marked a spot up ahead where I would start walking, hoping it was around the cutoff point for my tempo. I ended up walking before that point, and soon discovered it still would have been over a tenth of a mile short. So much for judging the distance by sight.

I'm loving this warmer weather. Of course, it's supposed to be cold again on Saturday. I still count winter as not being over yet, and the way things go around here I won't be disappointed. Just looked at the schedule and it's just over four weeks to the race I want to run in April. Wow. That's quick. I definitely need to get in more speed work if I'm going to have any success at this race. I also think I'm going to modify my plan and treat it more as part of my overall training rather than running a race and taking off a week or two. There'll be less of a taper and more continuity beyond the race. At least that's what I'm thinking today. Guess I should pick another race to shoot for after this one.

Adding More Mileage

Yes, that's what I needed. The wind could have been a little less brisk and not blowing against me no matter which direction I faced, but the run itself was great. This was an easy run, seemingly the first I've had in ages that wasn't also a "long" run. I went 6 miles and kept it slow and steady the whole way at 10 minutes/mile or just under. A few times I found myself speeding up to the low nines and quickly ratcheted it down again. I wasn't thrilled about running slower with the cold breeze, but in the end it was worth it and I survived.

Normally today would have been a cross-training weight day. With the sun shining and the temperature bearable I felt it was better to get out for an easy run. The book I'm reading talks about adaptability and that was the case with my workout today. Let's see if it pays off in tomorrow's speed work.

More Mileage

Today the plan was to run 8 miles total with a 6-mile marathon pace run included in that. My total miles ended up being 6 with a 4-mile marathon-pace run. In the past it's been tough for me to run over 6 miles on a week night, mainly due to time and sometimes to fatigue. This time the spirit was willing and to be honest I probably could have made it, but it would have drained me for the next several days. I think this is a case where not getting in that fourth run every week is detrimental. The extra run usually comes on Mondays for me, and even though those runs are listed in my plan I haven't had a chance to incorporate them into practice yet. More mileage will probably get me to the point where the run I had planned tonight would become a reality. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I might add in an easy run on Wednesday this week if I can get out of work at the time I'm supposed to, something which has been keeping me from doing that Monday run.

No Run Today

But I did run on Saturday and forgot to post it. It was one of those long treadmill runs that I don't really like but end up soldiering through. It helps to run 90 minutes and have two episodes of BSG to watch. Last Thursday it snowed, actually a coating of ice and then snow, and it was nowhere near gone by Saturday. I ran 10-minute miles according to the treadmill computer.

Last week I received some books in the mail that I'd ordered with a gift card. Two of them are about running faster, one is about the Boston Marathon. I also ordered a yoga DVD, with the subject being yoga for runners. I haven't tried it yet but I need to get going with it. I read through part of one of the books yesterday afternoon and so far it makes sense. The author says that if you're training to run a fast marathon, you need to train specifically for running fast at that distance, which is different than training to run fast for a 10k or 5k. Plus, running a lot makes you a better runner, which sounds right. I have a lot more to read, but so far it's interesting and has given me some brain fodder.

One thing I disagree with, though, is where the author generally dismisses strength and weight training, saying that for his runners the only strength training they do is hill sprints. Personally speaking, I find the little weight lifting I do to be beneficial and I can definitely tell if I haven't done it. My upper body fatigues and starts to break down on longer runs if my strength training has lagged. This might not be true for everyone, but it's certainly true for me. When running 26.2 miles, you can't afford to ignore part of your body and expect it to keep up. Unless the author gets a lot more convincing on that part, I'm going to continue that part of my workouts.

Today It Snowed

And therefore I ran on the treadmill. I was able to do Yasso 800s again, with five intervals at about a 7:30 pace for each. Some days there's not much more to say other than I got in my run. How about you?

Truck Mania

Bought a new (to me) truck yesterday, and spending all day at a dealership pretty much canceled out my planned run. Today I was able to get out and run 5 miles. My hips were very tight and a little sore, probably from the increased mileage last week. I ran 3 miles at a pace between 8-8:30/mile. Even though my upper body felt loose and strong, my hips and glutes never got into a good rhythm. I'm thinking I need to get back into the yoga, which I haven't done for several weeks. I ordered another yoga DVD, this one for runners, and I hope it helps with the flexibility around my middle. Also on this run I had placed a cushion in my shoe, but it didn't work too well. This one was a little too firm, and I think I need to switch to the kind I wear in my other shoes. The breeze today was also quite chilling, another reason for me to cut the run short by a couple of miles. Plus I wanted to get back and do a few things with the truck.

Playing Well With Others

I usually run solo. Probably 98% or so of my runs have been all by myself. Today I branched out and ran with some guys from church. It was kind of cool since they're newer to running than I am, and it's groovy to see how running has helped others. We ran north from church a couple of miles and then back, where I split off and kept going so I could get in a good 8.5 miles. It's been awhile since I ran so far, but the first half of that really did go faster with the company.

This being KC there were rolling hills and cool wind, but overall it wasn't too bad a day to run outside. These are the folks I'll be joining for the half-marathon in April, and I think they'll do fine. At one point I was talking with one of the guys who has never run more than 8 miles, but in just over a month he will doing quite a bit more than that. It brings to mind how I used to think an 8-miler was a huge deal. I still remember my first run that covered that distance, and by golly it was a big deal. Now I reel off 6-milers as my short runs, but it's nice to be reminded how much work it takes to get to a distance I almost take for granted now. And that helps me realize the effort others put into it, and how much hard work it takes for them to get there, just like it took for me. It also helps me realize even though I've done a few marathons I'm still no running god and never will be. Just like these other guys and millions more like them, I'm a dude who laces up my Asics and heads out every few days to try and stay fit. We all have our reasons for doing it, but at the core we're all runners. And runners are generally good people to hang out with. If I can encourage a few others along the way then so much the better.

70

This was not a normal February day. In fact, it was more like mid-April, with sun, wind, and a decent temperature. Only the few small piles of snow in the shadows, holding out against the warm sunshine, reminded me that it's still winter. I'm not naive enough to think winter is over, but I certainly appreciate days like this, especially in the middle of winter.

Today I ran 6 miles, with 5 Yasso 800's in the mix. It was good speedwork, although I still feel the effects of my short layoff. I don't feel like I'm completely back in shape yet, but the strength training has helped. If it wasn't for that I'd probably feel a lot worse. I ran in t-shirt and shorts, a rarity for mid-February. I saw a few other runners, but not nearly as many as I expected on such a nice day. I'm going to take any chance I get to run outside during the winter months, and this one was prime.

Outside

The snow has mostly melted, surprisingly, and the temperature today was in the 50's. Which meant it was the perfect opportunity to get outside for a run. That's three in a row! I ran 6 miles total and included some speedwork in the form of a 3.5 mile tempo run.

I've settled on the Rock the Parkway half-marathon in April as my next race. I'm going to be working on getting faster this year, and that's the first step. In addition, I'm planning on running with a group from church this Saturday. Some of them told me they run really slow, but that's fine by me since several plans call for much slower long runs. I only hope this running outside trend continues.

Atlanta Running

Spent the week in Atlanta on business and then in visiting family, and the weather was strangely similar to KC in temperature for most of the time. Finally on Friday it started warming up a little bit and I headed outdoors for a 5-miler in my brother's neighborhood. Saturday I went to a park where I've run before and reeled off a 6.6-miler. The one on Friday was somewhat tough since I hadn't run since the weekend before and of course due to the overeating that comes with business travel. The run yesterday was much better. It helped that the path around the lake was flatter than the hills in the neighborhood.

With heel cushioning fastened to my right Achilles tendon I felt no pain. I put some cushioning into the shoes I wear at work and afterward and that has helped a lot. In fact, on Wednesday and Thursday both I did quite a bit of walking and felt great. I think I've turned the corner and can now concentrate on getting into shape for an April half-marathon.

Haglund's Deformity

After several weeks of non-running due to heel pain, I finally sat down with the iPad a couple of nights ago to see what I could find on what I was experiencing. I was starting to think something was wrong with my Achilles tendon, and that would be bad news indeed. I found information that matched my pain almost exactly. Apparently I share a condition with women who frequently wear high-heeled shoes, a correlation my friends seem to enjoy. It's called Haglund's Deformity, but the common name is 'pump bump,' although I found one place that said in males it's referred to by the former name and the latter is employed for women. And just for the record, I don't wear women's shoes of any kind. I do wear dress shoes almost every day at work, and it seems the cumulative effect of the rigid backs of those leather shoes has caused my discomfort. The constant rubbing and pressure of enclosed heels like this against the area where the Achilles tendon attaches to the bone of the foot causes sacs of some evil kind to form, and also causes the bone to grow in a direction it shouldn't. The pain only occurs when wearing shoes with enclosed heels, and that's exactly what happens to me.

One cure is surgery, of course, an option I don't like. Another is to apply ice several times a day, and I can do that. Also, and this is the part that sealed my self-diagnosis, a good option is to place cushioning between the painful area and the inside of the shoe. I did this yesterday and didn't feel any pain at all. This would also explain why I experienced some relief a couple of weeks ago when I put heel inserts in my shoes. The affected area was for a time above the top of the shoe, but it seems that was only temporary and there's more of that part of my foot open to irritation than the original spot. My right foot is the only one affected, still, so I'm not sure yet if I should take any precautionary measures for the other foot or not. I wonder if it being localized on the right side is due to stride or some other variant.

Due to the twelve inches of snow we received this week, I was forced once again to run on the treadmill this morning. After the blisters and irritation I had last week, it was nice to get back to a run that was mostly pain free. I had a big padded bandage on my right heel to ease the pain, and for the most part it worked. Pain was there, but it was dull and didn't keep me from running as before. I ran 6 miles, and I felt great. It's so nice to know what the problem is and that there are ways I can mitigate the pain and keep running. I have goals, you know. I was starting to feel like I was laid up and uncertain about my fitness, and battling a mild head cold was causing me to start missing the exercise even more. If you'd told me I would run so little in January I would have thought you were crazy. I'm looking for February to be a lot better.