Run 1, Walk 1

Yesterday about 3 p.m. I started sneezing and my nose started running. A severe allergy attack. I was miserable, with horrible headache and body ache to go along. Today was more of the same, and I came *this close* to not running, even after I had on all my gear. I decided I was going to be miserable either way, and hit the pavement. I got about a half-mile in and decided to give at least a mile. At the mile mark I felt achy and crappy, and decided to walk it back. So if you're counting along at home, that's 2 miles total, 1 running and 1 walking. Not my best day, but my gosh, these allergies.

Mild Sunday

I'm going to blame missing Thursday's run on Thanksgiving. Time was when I would do a turkey trot every year, but for now those days are past. I smoked a turkey on Wednesday, knowing that Thursday would be cooler and windier. It was a good choice, and made for a mostly lazy Thanksgiving.

Friday was gorgeous, and yesterday was cooler and partly rainy, especially later in the day. I opted to wait for today to run and it was another good choice. 4 miles, ran it all except for the big hill.

Temperature was in the mid-60s, with a nice breeze from the north, and clear, sunny sky. For an early afternoon run there were more people out running than I expected. Must be the turkey hangover. This next week is supposed to be nice as well, with highs in the 70s. Looking forward to it, and gotta love December in Texas.

Variation on a Theme

Made it out again today for a 4-miler. It was nice, mild but sunny, and the breeze wasn't too cool. For variety I threw in some intervals/strides/fartleks, whatever they're called. All these years of running and I'm not sure what the appropriate term is. I went without my Garmin and so it was more of a relaxed, do-whatever-I-want run,.

Lethargy

I was thinking to myself yesterday that the past couple of weeks I feel like my energy level has been low. And rocket scientist that I am, I realized the problem was lack of exercise. I always feel better when I'm running regularly, and that has not been the case for several months. It's been two weeks since my last run, so today I got back to it. I ran 4 miles, and surprised myself by going the whole way without walking. It helped that the weather was mild and the breeze from the south cooled off what little heat there was. I keep saying this but I mean to run regularly again.

A Little Lame

This morning was great running weather. The temperature was about 50 degrees, clear, and even with a little breeze. I planned on going further but ended up only going 4 miles. My left knee barked at me a couple of times, a sign that I need to get back to regular leg exercises with my ankle weights. I did it a couple of times this week but apparently need to do more. I used to do them upstairs after work but moved the weights to my office so I can do them when I'm in meetings or have a few free minutes. I think I need to do more than just the knee bends and return to hamstring and hip exercises as well.

Stupid

I have no excuse for not running last week other than stupidity. You could probably throw laziness in there as well, but really it was willful stupidity. The weather was nice, I had time, and I just decided to do other things. Today I realized it was time to put that behind me, so I went and ran 4 miles. It felt surprisingly good and the temp was mild enough to where I didn't have to walk any other than the big hill. Tomorrow I'm going to see the Rolling Stones and won't be running on my normal day, so I really needed to get out and do it today.

Running Saturday

I felt better starting today's run than I did on Thursday. The weather was great, starting out at about 65 degrees and cloudy with a nice cool breeze from the south. I ran 6 miles, with a walk at the fourth and fifth markers. The humidity was a bit high, as usual. Plenty of people out walking their dogs this morning, and the lacrosse fields were busy over by the lake. Now it's time to mow the lawn.

Never Go by How You Feel

I felt kinda rundown and crappy this afternoon and considered not running. It was too nice out, though, and I'm glad I ignored how I felt. It took a good mile or so before the crappy feeling went away and I felt better. I went 5 miles total, and by the end I sprinted the last quarter mile at a 7:25 pace. How's that for ignoring how you feel at the beginning of a run?

How About Some Hills?

I was feeling pretty worn down and tired this afternoon, but knew I really needed to go for a run even though I didn't want to. So, I decided to challenge myself a little and run the hill route. I cut it down to 4 miles, which turned out to be plenty. The temperature was just shy of 80 degrees and shaded for most of the route. The only time I walked was up the big hill east of Ridge. Other than that I toughed it out. It wasn't a great run but it was necessary.

Yes

This was a tough week, and particularly on Thursday. I was going to run yesterday as a make-up for that day but smoked a port butt instead. I ran today, 5 miles, and it was a really nice morning. The run went well with no walking other than the big hill. No regrets other than missing Thursday

Doing It

A nice squall line came through last night and knocked down the temperature a little bit. The side effect is that it was humid today. Oh well, you can't win them all. I ran 4 miles and since the temperature is still above 80 degrees I walked every mile. It's supposed to be in the 70s this weekend, I think, and maybe I can get back to no-walk running just in time for the fall and winter months.

Sunday Fun Run

I got hit by allergies, this week. Hard. I was completely out of it Wednesday, Thursday, and started feeling human again on Friday. It was like having a head cold or even worse, a head flu. I haven't felt that bad since, well, last time I had bad allergies. Then yesterday was James Bond Marathon day with our youngest and then finally ,the new one at the theater.

So today I went out for a run after church. It was very breezy and cloudy, but humidity was up a little. I went 5 miles and walked the last. I probably could have and should have run the last bit, but I felt like it was a good choice. Hopefully the cool front that's coming through will level out the ragweed this week.

I Suck

Last week I didn't run at all. I suck. Too many reasons to not run and I didn't focus on the ones I had to actually run. Today I was back at it, going 4 miles. It was a beautiful day with temperature in the mid-80s. Not bad as we head toward fall. We'll still be warm for at least another week, but hopefully I can keep the excuses to a minimum.

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.