Let's Do Hills

There was a race again today along my usual running path, but I knew about it beforehand and took an alternate route. My plan was to go 6 miles today, which I did, and that included plenty of hills along my path. This is the run to the west and to Stonebridge heading north before turning around. It was a nice morning for a run with temperatures in the upper 60s. No breeze to speak of, so I won't. I walked at miles two and four, as well as up the big hill on Virginia Parkway east of Ridge. Overall I would count this as a good, solid run.

Mild Again

And by mild again I mean this is Texas and it was only 82 degrees outside this afternoon. The breeze was very slight and overall the day was nice for running. I kicked the distance up to 5 miles and even threw in a little faster pace the last couple. I realized I've been running during the week and thinking to myself that I shouldn't run too fast so I can run again later in the week and have some energy left in the tank. That's more appropriate for 100 degree weather, maybe, so I changed that and ran about a 9:40 pace in the "cooler" weather today. It felt fine and who knows? I might even try it again someday.

Windy and Not Quite Mild

The temperature ended up being a few degrees higher than predicted, although still only in the mid-80s. It was breeze, though, and kept me a little cooler than usual. We're getting into that time of year when the heat starts breaking. This weekend it's supposed to be back up around 90, which means it'll probably be closer to 95. Regardless, I got in my 4 miles today. It wasn't a great run but it also wasn't bad. I've said this a few times recently but it's time to get back to regular runs and increasing the mileage with the decrease in temperature.

Rough Morning

While I was able to get out for a run this morning it was a little rougher than I expected. When I turned off Lake Forest into the Creekview neighborhood there was an ambulance where the path started. Turns out that it was just there for support since today was a race day. I decided not to be that guy who runs along the race route so I deviated into the neighborhood itself and ran down the other side of the greenbelt. I turned back once the routes converged and ran a longer loop through the neighborhood. All told I ran 4 miles but it was humid and a little bit rough. I persevered, though, and now it's time to relax for the rest of the day. Maybe.

Back on Schedule

The usual Thursday 4-mile run this week took place on...Thursday. As scheduled. The temperature is topping out at 90 degrees these days with an added 2-3 degrees for the heat index, but overall not bad. Plus a few clouds provided sporadic shade this afternoon. Strangely, though, nobody else was out walking or running. I saw four people on bikes but that was it. That was odd on a nice afternoon like this. Oh well, no complaints here. I enjoyed it.

McKinney in the Morning

Due to other stuff going on this week I thought it would be a good day to run in the morning. My work schedule cooperated and I was able to get out for a 4-miler. The temperature was in the 70s and humidity wasn't horrible. I felt good and even added a little kick at the end. Other than the big hill I didn't walk since the temp was below 80. It's nice to be back home and hopefully getting back into my routine.

Round and Round

Still in Kansas and still running in circles. I did another four laps around the sports complex and got in 4 miles. The heat is only about 89 degrees and humidity is not bad at all. I still walked every mile and that worked out well. I'm still working on Spanish lessons and up to Lesson 15. I have to listen to each one about three or four times to get it. Guess that's what happens as you get older. Maybe it'll click one of these days.

Back to KS

We drove up to Kansas on Saturday and spent the last couple of days hanging out with family. Today was a nice mild 93 degrees and I ran 4 miles around the sports complex. That was four times around with a little extra to get to an even number. I was going to go five times but figured the extra half-mile wouldn't really make any difference to my overall fitness. Such as it is.

Glad I Waited

My original plan was to run yesterday afternoon but I ended up working late and then making dinner. I decided to wait until this morning, a Friday off, to run. Once again I got distracted with a few other things and thought maybe I wouldn't be able to run, but I got it in and was glad I waited. The temperature was only about 80 degrees, a little humid, but still better than what I've been dealing with the last couple of weeks. I ran 4 miles with the usual walk breaks. Lots of sweat, of course, but all in all a good outing.

97 Again

It was 97 degrees with heat index of 107 again today. It should have gone better but my left knee felt a little off and I didn't want to do anything to hurt it. So I went 3 miles with a little bit of walking. Not great, but once again at least I got out to sweat a little bit. Especially since I missed Saturday due to smoking all day and then recovering from the glutton-fest on Sunday. At least the brisket, ribs, sausage, poppers, and tri-tip were all excellent. It's a good thing I don't do that every weekend. 

Strangely Good

97 temperature, 103 heat index. 4 miles and I only walked at the usual spots that I do on hot days. And strangely enough, it was a good run. Maybe because of the nice breeze from the south, but overall I felt strong. Could also be my low-mileage day on Tuesday and not pressing it then. Whatever the case, the heat didn't get to me today and in the aftermath I still feel fine, not beat up. That's nice heading into the weekend.

Just Getting Out

Heat index today was 105 with no clouds in the sky so I figured it would be an accomplishment just to get out the door. I did, and I pretty much went by feel instead of trying to accomplish a certain amount of distance or running. I went 3 miles total, and probably a little more than half of that was at a running pace. I walked the last mile. It seemed like the right thing to do.

On the Back Side

We're on the back side of summer, especially this one that's overall been pretty mild. Hard to believe we're in the latter days of August already. All the rain this past week jacked up the humidity and this morning was, in a word, moist. I was amazed, though, at how low the creeks were already. We had a couple of inches over several days, so maybe this is a sign that our drainage system through the creeks out to the big lakes is working correctly. I wouldn't bet on it. The parks have flooded several times since we moved here and I don't think there has been that much work on the system.

I ran 6 miles with an extra walk thrown in at about the 4.5-mile mark. That's still the tough part of the route with the breeze at your back. It's almost like the air is still since you don't get any cooling effect. I also walked the last block or so since The Wife was out walking and our paths intersected after I'd come back into the neighborhood. No complaints here on getting to spend a few unexpected minutes with her. Now we're off to the rest of the weekend.

A Little Rain

We've had a little rain here this week. And by a little, I mean a lot. It came down big time on Tuesday and finally moved out for good this morning. That creek that was low last weekend is not so low any more. Which means it was ultra-humid here today. Plus it felt like it had been forever since I ran, so I went 3 miles and called it good. Too much work and too much rain. Glad it's almost the weekend.

Nice Morning

It's been hot and humid here this week, as is normal in Texas. I missed a Thursday run due to a work commitment, so I was bound and determined to get out today. I went 6 miles on a nice sunny morning with a temperature around 80 degrees. The humidity was still present, but overall it was normal. Saw plenty of people out along the path. We have a chance of rain later on, which would be good since parts of the creek are almost dry. At one point I saw a drain in the creek bed that I didn't even know was there. We had plenty of rain earlier in the year but it's been few and far between, again as normal.

Three in the Summer

Today I knew I needed to get out, but it's 96 degrees with a 105 degree heat index. My solution was to only go 3 miles. It worked pretty well. I sweated a lot, got some exercise, and didn't collapse from heat stroke. Genius!

Pre-emptive Laziness

Maybe a run on Thursday would have gone well. I was out a little late on Wednesday night, had trouble getting to sleep, woke up several times after that, and awakened early to work on my book. History has taught me that's a sign that I'm going to be on the struggle bus if I try to run. I took the chicken's way out and decided to mow the lawn instead.

This morning, Saturday, was a decent outing. I went 6 miles with walks every mile. I seem to have a mental block on that penultimate mile that meanders northwest around the big pond. It's usually with the breeze at my back and therefore I don't get any cooling relief during that particular mile. Once I round the corner back onto Lake Forest and go south I get a full-on breeze and it feels great. So today I made a conscious effort to run that mile and not walk halfway through. I did it.

The only downside to today's run was the last .17 mile as I entered the neighborhood. I walked up the Big Hill, as usual, and then as I turned into the neighborhood I felt a little nauseous. Nothing major, but enough to say it's time to walk it in. Maybe it was all the coffee. Or the humidity. Or something else.

A Wee Bit Better

Today the heat index was only +3 degrees over the regular temperature, as opposed to +8 to +10 that we've been experiencing. That actually makes a difference. Plus we had a little bit of cooling yesterday down to the low 90s. I actually felt good on today's run, with the usual walks, but didn't feel like I needed extra ones. I went 5 miles. Still listening to Spanish and am making some progress. I usually listen to the previous one plus a new one, although the last few I've listened to about three times before finally making the move to a new one. Regardless, it's progress.

More Sogginess

The humidity is still high, especially...well, all day. This morning I got up and wrote for an hour or so, and then went for a 5-mile run. The temperature was in the mid-80s by then and heat index well into the 90s. At this point in the year my goal is to just get out and sweat. I certainly attained that goal today. After cooling off on the back patio I wrung out my shirt into the yard. The Wife said, "Yuck." I did plenty of walking, probably a mile total out of all that. With basically no breeze it was tough to cool down even in the shade.

Reining It In

I missed Tuesday due to a work commitment, and then today was, in a word, hot. 97 degrees with heat index of 106. So I reined it in today, running slow and only 4 miles. That seemed like the prudent thing to do. Strangely enough, I saw only one other person out running. It almost makes me think it wasn't a good day to run, but I don't need that kind of negativity in my life.