Spooky Run

Actually it wasn't a spooky run because I ran while the sun was still up. I didn't run Tuesday, which was due mainly to laziness abetted by a little rain. When I put out the trash that night it was about 60 degrees and somewhat foggy. I was very tempted to go for a run even though it was 9 o'clock, but I went to bed instead. Oh, well. Today was about ten degrees cooler but the rain was gone and the sun was shining. I did the standard 6-mile run at a 9:20 pace. Now that the World Series is over I can concentrate more on staying fit than on eating and drinking poorly. It's time to get fit before the holidays hit. I didn't even intend to rhyme that, but it works.

A Little Extra

It was another gorgeous Autumn day, with the sun shining, cooler temperatures, and a nice breeze. I kicked in a little extra effort today and made it to 8 miles. Overall it was an easy run and I kept the pace a little slower and constant, finishing at about 9:20/mile. When I left the house it was 46 degrees, and by the time I returned it was about 54. Not a bad warm up. I wore knit mittens and took them off after the first three miles. Again, not a whole lot of people out today. I saw one woman twice, and two guys. That was it. Guess I can still attribute that to the KC Marathon last weekend. Or else there are a lot of fair-weather runners around here, which I don't believe.

Tally

The tally today was 5.7 miles, but I ran the fastest overall pace I've run in a long time, I think. I started out toward the back of the neighborhood, and other than along the front of the neighborhood I took a route I don't normally run. When I was dressing for today's outing I thought it might not go well since I felt a little run down, but it turned out to be a great run. It was hard to tell which direction the wind was blowing since it seemed to change with my location. At one point it felt like it was coming out of the northwest, but by the time I neared home it was out of the northeast. Oh well. My pace was under 9 minutes/mile, helped by several generous downhill portions. I extended the run to the bottom of Killer Hill and could have run another .15 miles and turned around to get to an even number, but what's the point? I felt good and had a good run in 50 degree temps. I'll take that as a win and look forward to Saturday's run.

Finding the Sun

The past several months, aka Summer, I've spent most of my runs in search of shade, looking for the brief respite it provided from the heat. Today was the opposite. The temperature was right around 50 degrees and a very stiff breeze blew from the northwest, making it feel very cool and close to cold. The whole 6 miles I tried to stay in the sunlight, growing annoyed when clouds intervened. I wore shorts and a T, which worked for most of the run once I warmed up. It's supposed to get even colder this week and I broke down and turned on the heater tonight. In fact I just checked and the low tonight is supposed to be 32 - freezing. I guess warm weather really is gone and Winter is on the way. Yuck.

Kansas City Marathon

Today was the Kansas City Marathon. I did not run it this year, nor did I run the half. I did run 6 miles on my usual neighborhood route after most of the half runners were probably done down at the race course, and about the time the people who run my pace would have been crossing the finish line. It was a beautiful day for it. The temperatures were below 40 degrees at the start of the race and only into the mid-40s when the sun came out. My run, personally speaking, went well and I just kind of coasted along listening to music, enjoying the sunshine, and grateful that my baseball team is going to the World Series again this year. My pace ended up about 9:12/mile, and considering I wasn't trying to run fast that seems like a pretty good time.

Change Up

I decided to change things up today and run a different route than normal. So instead of a left turn at the end of the street I took a right and ran through the neighborhood, over an unfinished dirt road that's in the process of being paved, and through another community to a main east-west street. For the most part of the 6 miles I ran roads I don't normally navigate, but at some point I crossed into the familiar for a little bit. My overall pace was 9:12, which again wasn't bad. The cooler temperatures are certainly helping. I like this weather and I'm just trying to enjoy it before real-life cold snaps hit us.

Windy and Cooler

Yesterday was a holiday and today was my normal bi-weekly day off. I spent the weekend at the Irish Festival in Weston, and running just didn't fit into the schedule. I was expecting an easy recovery run today, but the lower temperatures played into my hands. Or feet. Or whatever. My pace for the 6-miler ended up at 9:02/mile. I have to say I wasn't trying to run that fast, going with whatever felt right, but it ended up being pretty fast. Relatively speaking, of course. The breeze was quite stiff out of the northwest. The sun was shining the whole way and since I ran in the early afternoon I didn't see any other runners out and about, big surprise. It was a pretty good run although I probably could have done better or maybe even faster if not for the indulgences over the weekend. I'm not Irish but I can act like one.

Anniversary Run

Today is the 21st anniversary of marrying my bride, and she was nice enough to allow me enough time to run. When I got home she was out in back in her hammock, and she said it was such a nice day that it would be a waste if I didn't get to run. And so I did, a nice easy 6 miler. My average pace ended up being 9:20/mile even though it felt slower. And I tried to keep it that way since the temperature was about 80 degrees. I knew I needed to run since we were going out for dinner and that would be a nice big calorie bomb. Happy to get a run in today, but even happier to be married to a woman I not only love but also like.

Faster Than I Should Have

I was pumped for today's run since it was so gorgeous outside and I needed to relieve some work stress. Once again I went out faster than I should have, but similarly I went with what felt right. The temperature was 73 degrees, sunny, and slightly breezy. Right at the end of the work day I developed a horrible stiffness in my neck on the left side, and the run did a lot to alleviate that pain. Even though it wasn't my explicit goal setting out, I ended up beating the time for my last 6-mile run by about six seconds. I probably wouldn't have except when I passed by the neighborhood a woman ran out and then crossed the street to run in front of me. Since I don't want to be the weirdo who runs behind a female runner for several miles, I passed her within a quarter mile and kept going at about the same pace except for the big hills. When I reached my turnaround point and headed toward home she was nowhere in sight, but that didn't affect my pace. By the end it was kind of pushing it to stay at that pace, but overall it felt good. Even though I like summers the best climate for running are the seasons on either side.

Fall is Here

This morning the temperature was 54 degrees at run time. I set off too quick, although it ended up not being a problem. I repeatedly tried to throttle down but ended up going with a pace that felt good. At the end of my 6-mile run my overall pace was 9:07/minute. Not bad for the first real run under autumn weather. It was cloudy when I started since a front passed through last night, but the sun came out and helped keep me warm from the slight breeze. I felt really good afterward and especially in taking advantage of cooler temps.

I didn't run Thursday due to a playoff game that turned out to be worth it. The weather that day was pretty nice as well but the timing just wasn't right.

Old Socks

I didn't run this weekend. We were busy, but mainly I was just lazy. It rained Saturday morning and I could have run, and I should have. I was exhausted from work and it would have done me good to run, but I opted out. Bad Randy.

Today was a different story. I felt good and was glad to get out on a nice day. It was 86 degrees, kind of warm, but I forgot my Garmin and just went with whatever pace felt good. Several times I slowed myself down. A little over a mile from the end I switched sides of the road and ended up about twenty yards in front of a guy I hadn't seen until I crossed over. It was probably good for me since it felt almost race-like to stay in front of him. I actually noticed my posture improved and I didn't worry so much about my gait.

I did have an episode with the socks I wore. I should have left them at home, in the trash, but I tried to get one more run out of them, and that was a mistake. The sock on my right foot had a hole on my right instep, up toward the front, and I felt it developing into a hot spot about 2.5 miles into the 6-miler. At 4 miles I stopped and pulled off my right shoe, trying to adjust but it didn't really help. I have two small blisters and it kind of hurts a little still. Moral of the story: just throw away the old socks.