Longer Nights

The nighttime is lasting longer and the sun is raising later as we shuffle toward Autumn. I'm not complaining but I probably need to get some better reflective clothing. I ran 4 miles this morning, and it was another good run. This time I hitched up the iPod and listened to a podcast, with more to come over the next several outings. They're a good distraction. It's a good start to a day where I have to be in the office. Traffic was stupid busy on 121 and on the surface streets. Not looking forward to going back in on Thursday.

Back to School

I ran 3 miles this morning and discovered the insanity that is the school zone in our neighborhood. Not sure if it's because we're at the start of the school year and everyone is learning how things work or if it's like this all year long. Either way, the only effect on me was to run down the sidewalk a little more before crossing the street. The effect on the couple of people I saw stopped for speeding will probably be a little more. I've seen plenty of people speeding through school zones in the past, but come on, right at the beginning of school? Use your brains, people. Personally I don't think it's ever appropriate, but certainly anybody with a little common sense should know the police are going to be all over it when school starts. Oh, well. At least I had a good run and felt like I could have gone a lot more.

Sister and Wamego

My Friday outing was with my sister in Wamego, Kansas, which is the first time I ever remember running with her. She maintained she would be running slow. And we did. The (formerly Virtual) Running Partner was with us as well, and we paced about 11 minutes per mile over 3 miles. That was fine with me. The route took us past the Caterpillar location there and in a loop through a park. It was a nice, cool morning, perfect for running. Later in the day we celebrated my parents' 50th anniversary. I joked that our run meant we could "eat and drink whatever we wanted." Not quite.

Spa Running

When I exited the house this morning the humidity was dense. The sun wasn't up yet and the temperature was down because of clouds, but the moisture in the air was certainly noticeable. I took yesterday off due to travel this week and trying to space out my runs, and that helped me complete the 4 miles without walking, even up the big hill. I encountered high schoolers heading back from their morning cross-country run, and I mused briefly that not only was I running against the tide of kids but also against the tide of youth. That was as philosophical as I dared to venture.

As mentioned last time, I put heel inserts into my new shoes. That seemed to do the trick, although it made the midfoot tighter, especially on the right foot. My big toe on that foot also felt like it was in danger of getting pounded enough for a bruising. Next run is with one of my sisters in Kansas and I'll try the inserts again and see how it goes.

False Start

I ran 3 miles in the new shoes this morning, but it wasn't a good outing. It was a little cooler than it has been lately, but I just felt out of sorts. Within the first half-mile I felt a twinge on the left side of my left quad, and thought for a moment I would have to turn around and go home. It went away but still felt "there" for most of the run. My calves also tightened up big time, and it made me wonder if the problem all along with that issue has been my shoes. They haven't felt that bad the whole time I've been running with the Nimbus, but as soon as I put on the Cumulus they went bad. I'm thinking about using a shoe insert to elevate my heels in these new shoes to see how it goes.

New Route

This morning I went 5 miles and decided to head south on Lake Forest Drive. The nice thing is that the trip back had plenty of downslopes, and really they weren't that bad on the way out. The route is scenic enough, but too many side streets and too many cars. In the future I might stick with the trail since there's only one street to cross. That'll depend on how bad traffic is once school starts, though.

I also took a trip to the local running store at lunch. My most recent set of shoes are too narrow and pinch my feet about mid-foot on the outer edges. Plus I needed some anti-chafing stuff. The guy at the store said he likes 2Toms sport shield, and I figured I'd give it a try. They didn't have any shoes on sale, so I ended up with a new pair of Gel Cumulus in the wider variety. He also brought out a New Balance, which I tried on one foot, but I'm going to stick with what works. The new shoes were $120, and when I got home I checked them on Amazon. They were only three bucks cheaper there. At least I don't feel like I was ripped off.

Tuesday Morning Finisher

I was looking forward to Tuesday's run but it turned out to be kind of a not-so-good run. I ran 4 miles, but that included a little walking at the halfway point and back up the hill toward the neighborhood. I think the problem was that on Monday I ran, exercised, and then washed my truck (in the evening but still the temp was around 100). Those combined to wear me out a little more than normal. On Thursday my plan is to go for five and take a different route. Hoping it goes better.

Monday Morning Starter

Time to start a new week, a hot one if you believe the forecasts, with a run. I was out the door by 6:45 and ran a mostly easy 3 miles. On the way out I saw only one person, a lady with her dog. On the way back probably a half dozen. Some of the people are beginning to look familiar, like the lady with the big sunglasses or the guy with his three Huskies. The morning was nice and humid, as usual. I was glad to get it finished before the heat of the day descended.

Five for Running

This morning, a Saturday, I got up early and went over to the (formerly Virtual) Running Partner's house. We headed out to avoid the heat and weren't entirely successful, but still better than later in the morning. Our route took us 5 miles, the first time since moving that I've run that far. Felt good, and I should be able to continue adding miles. Afterward we went to Central Market in south Plano and enjoyed the Hatch green chile fest that was going on. I bought several green chile items, including bacon, which I'll be trying tomorrow. The rich harvest and month-long celebration might make August my favorite month.

Oops

Ran yesterday and thought about posting several times but never did. So yes, I ran 4 miles. Daughter #2 joined me and did the run-walk-run-walk-run thing. She probably got in 1.5 miles or so. Once again we went early before it heated up. Coming back I barely got ahead of a group of girl campers (or something) who were headed to the pond from up by the elementary school. Don't know if they were going fishing or what but fortunately I didn't have to wade through the crowd.

I've also done my barbell and leg exercises three times this week, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Two in a Row

Ran both yesterday and today, with varying results. Yesterday was with Daughter #3 (#2 backed out because her ankle hurt). I ran 3 miles and she ran probably about half that. We ran to the trail in the neighborhood north of her, she started walking and I kept running, I turned around and so did she, and then I caught up to her where the trail intersected with the neighborhood sidewalk. Then we ran back with a little walk up the big hill. It was fun at the end when she started sprinting for the stopping point and we raced to the line. Looks like she's a little bit of her competitor like her dad.

This morning I ran 4 miles, and it was actually quite pleasant out, relatively speaking. The sky was cloudy and temperature in the low 70s. Lots of people out. On the trail a young shirtless guy went breezing past me, and then he passed me going the opposite way before my turnaround. When I came back out across the bridge he was off the path with hands on his knees, obviously pretty winded. I kept going and on Lake Forest he passed me again. Just a thought, dude - you might be going too fast and need to take it easier, no matter how young you are. In my plodding way I made it to my goal without walking. Just sayin'.

Boys Run

The (formerly Virtual) Running Partner came over early on Saturday and we ran 4 miles. It was a good start to a day that involved smoking three pork butts and three racks of ribs. Plus a game of penny can, which included three rounds in a row of someone draining all three (him twice, me once). It was epic. What a great day of running, food, music, and just general hanging out. As an added bonus one of the local markets got in a shipment of Hatch green chile and yes, I went crazy. They roast them out front of the store and it smelled like home.

Girls Run

Two of my girls ran with me this morning. It was their first run in Texas and the first step to getting them going. Even though they ran a 5k a few weeks back they were hitting the pavement for the first time in a while. I had them run about .8 miles, and then walk while I continue on to the end of the path and turned around, and then they ran back with me the rest of the way, walking up the big hill on Lake Forest. Overall I ran 4 miles and they probably ran 1.5 or so. The Wife and The Boy walked through the neighborhood instead of running. Weenies.

Another Tuesday

Ran with the (formerly Virtual) Running Partner on Tuesday morning, a nice 3-miler. We kept it slow since it was his first day back from vacation. I felt pretty good, in spite of the humidity and dead air about halfway along the path. On the way out we saw the coolest bug sitting on top of one of the concrete posts atop a bridge. It was white with black spots and the most impressive of antennae. When we came back the bug was gone but a whole line of cars was queued up for the Liberty HS parking lot - it was a bunch of teachers coming in for some summer work, I guess. Sorry, teachers, but the bug was more fascinating.

Alone

Daughter #3 was supposed to get up and run with me this morning, but when I went to her room the second time to see if she was awake she was still asleep. So I ran alone, a whole 3 miles. That turned out to be the perfect distance. I thought about running another mile, but since I'm adding another running day this week I decided keeping it short was better than trying to get in one more mile. And this week I'm definitely going to start back with the weights. That never happened last week due to getting the rest of our stuff out of the storage unit. That's done now, which means I can get back even more into the regular routine.

Exploring

Today I planned on a 4-mile run, just like Thursday. When I got close to the turnaround point I decided on the spur of the moment to change it up. I kept going and ran a circuit instead of an out-and-back. I went down Hardin to Virginia Parkway and then back to Lake Forest. The overall total was 4.5, but that extra quarter mile was due to a wrong turn in my new neighborhood, which I'm still learning. Otherwise it would have been 4.25.

I ran out of sidewalk a couple of times on the second half of the run, but that doesn't bother me. I also ran by the McKinney water tower, which is huge. Just sayin'. I probably should have caked on some sunblock but most of the time I ran in the shade. It was enjoyable and a good outing. The adventure continues.

A Little More

Today I added a mile and made it 4, again along the same path as Monday's run. The morning was overcast but not much cooler. I don't mind. Lots of sweat. It was a good day to be out and exploring. I'm looking forward to being able to run all winter without dealing in the single-digit temperatures. For now, though, I'm enjoying the newness of the area and getting back into fighting shape.

Back on Track

Well, now that the gettingthehousereadytoselllistingthehousegettinganewjobsellingthehousemovingtotexasbuyinganewhousemovingintothenewhouse business is all done, it's time to get in shape. I even stepped on the scale this morning, which is a rare occurrence, but I wanted to know the starting point. I'm up to 172 lbs., which is a bit much on this frame. I could tell the weight has added on, especially in the belly area. Time to get rid of it.

Here in Texas you either run in the morning before it gets hot, or you don't. I ran 3 miles today, my first time on a path that goes all the way from the neighborhood north of here east to Towne Lake and slightly beyond. Not many people out on a Monday morning, but maybe everyone's not as motivated as me. Even though the temperature was only about 80 degrees and I had sporadic shade, I still sweated like crazy. Which is to be expected, given my current condition.

I had the brief thought this afternoon that I should run every day this week as a crash re-intro to exercise, and then sanity took hold and I realized that's an invitation to injury. So I'll take it easy and run three times, and then maybe add a fourth day next week. I also need to get back to strength training. That seems to be a good discipline for being in shape, too. Tomorrow I'll get out the weights.

Better

Today's run was a ton better than Monday's. I wasn't even planning to run today but the Virtual Running Partner harangued me into it. We went 3 miles again, under clouds and humidity, and I felt like a totally different person. We gradually got faster as we went along, with the last mile under the ten-minute mark. Amazing what you can do with a few days of eating better and none to minimal drinking. Our plan is to run a few more times this week, maybe adding an extra mile to the run on Saturday.

Running in Texas

This was my first run as an actual Texas resident, and it was horrible. The weather and 3-mile distance weren't so bad, although it was way humid. The horrible part came because of the self-inflicted food and drink over the Independence Day weekend. Let's not do that again. Seriously, between the humidity and the crappy way I felt it was a tough run. As I've said before, it's time to get back in shape.