Cool but Still Humid

This morning's run was almost too cool at the start, just as the sun was rising. A couple of miles into it the temperature leveled out in the 60s and the humidity rate stayed high. The coolness helped but I still sweated a lot because of the moisture in the air. 'Tis the rainy season and we pay for it with high humidity. I ran the whole 6 miles except for the big hill on the way back.

We picked up our packets last night for Saturday's 5k. At this point I think I'll run it for fun. I haven't had the opportunity as I wanted to for speed work. This Tuesday was The Boy's birthday, and between taking him out for breakfast and making dinner I just didn't have the time for a run. That leads me to the conclusion that I'll take it easy on Saturday instead of trying to run fast and causing myself an injury. I wouldn't do well in the humidity anyway. Maybe I can find another 5k in the near future where I can get in some better training.

Lunch Run

Today I did a little speed work and more walking than I intended. When I first woke up it looked rainy outside, but once I put in my contacts and walked downstairs it appeared I was mistaken. Even so, I waited until lunch time to run, by which time it was sunny and approaching the warmer range. I ran a two-mile warmup and then a mile at 8:50 pace. Then a walk. Then finished out the next mile and picked it up for another half-mile. Then a walk. Then a slower run. And another walk. Then more runing. And another walk up the hill. And finally a slow run to close it out.

Not my best outing, but I concentrated on the speed part of the 6 miles. Walking was necessary. Still unsure how the 5k will pan out in nine days, but at least I got in the work.

Is It Humid Out Here or Is It Just Me?

Went out this morning for my run since there was a possibility of rain later in the day, and as I expected it was plenty humid. I ran my 6 miles, and it went way better than Saturday's run. Miles 2-4 included a pickup, although I walked briefly at the turnaround. My pace got down to the 9:00 range, and a few times a little under that. For the most part it hovered between 9:15-9:35, though. I'm trying to get a little speedwork in before the 5k, but I'm also thinking the conditions might be this humid then, too. If that's the case my hopes for a fast race will go right out the window.

4 from 6

I set out this morning with the intent of running 6 miles nice and easy. From the start I felt out of whack, and in less than half a mile felt the humidity. By the time I reached the 1-mile mark I'd decided 4 miles would be enough. I walked at that point and a couple more times. I was right - 4 miles was definitely enough.

Lost in California

I spent the week in the Bay Area, which was not too bad. The food was good, and the weather mild but pleasant. I stayed in Redwood City, south of SF and north of Palo Alto. I went out for a 6-miler on Tuesday after work, which unfortunately turned into 8.5 miles.

Since I have the Garmin now to track my run I left my phone at the hotel. All was good along the first three miles, and I made the turn feeling strong. My pace was also excellent, around the 9:15 mark or so. As I headed south and then back to the west along my return route I came upon a sort of traffic jam: a guy running ahead of me who I'd been chasing for a quarter-mile or so, a couple walking a dog, and a lady who just kind of wandered. This was the point where I was supposed to bear right, but instead I got caught up in the mix and didn't pay attention to the street signs. By the time I recognized several blocks later that I was on the wrong street, I made another bad move. I turned left instead of right, thinking I'd stayed right at the previous miscue and my return route was still to the left. It wasn't.

I realized as I encountered some steep hills that I was way off track. This is the point where having my phone would have come in handy. I made some turns, did some walking, and after about 15 minutes or so finally found a street where I could see the bay. Now I knew which way to go. I made it back to the hotel as darkness was falling.

I also quickly decided this was going to be my long run for the week. And my only run while away from home. I still finished pretty strong but knew I didn't need to push it with another run. I enjoyed the scenery, but next time I think I'll take my phone.

7 on Saturday

I didn't know there was supposed to be any rain today, but indeed, I was sprinkled on a couple of times. Rather than an actual distance goal I planned to go my regular route plus a side trip up to the middle school where our 5k starts in a few weeks as well as going beyond the dog park to the circle turnaround. All of that added up to almost 7 miles, which I actually achieved in my cooldown walk. 

My new(ish) Garmin informed me I set personal records for both the 5k and 10k, neither of which were very impressive. I'm hoping to do quite a bit better in the 5k race on April 30th. I'm shooting for 8-minute miles, which might get me close to placing in my age group. The next several weeks will see an emphasis on speed work.

A Fall in Spring

This morning I got out early(ish) for my 6-miler run. It was a great morning, temperature in the low 50s with sunshine. Everything was going well until...the fall.

I was almost 2.5 miles in when one shoe caught in the shoelace loop of the other, and down I went. Fortunately I know how to fall, and I rolled and came back up pretty quickly. All I suffered was a scrape on my right knee and a left shoulder that's a little sore where I impacted, but other than that it could have been worse.

Naturally there was a lady walking toward me, and as I recovered and ran past her she asked if I was okay. I told her thank you and yes, and that I've done this several times before by catching my shoe in a loop. On the return route I saw her again and she wished me a nice day, while she stared at my shoes, no doubt to see how bad they were laced.

Just another day in the ongoing embarrassment I bring upon myself.

Back in the Game

Opening Day was yesterday with the follow-up today (and should be a national holiday, I believe), and I'm also back in the game running-wise. I got new shoes last week and hoped to get out earlier in the day, but work kept interfering. I finally made it out the door about 4:30 p.m. when the temperature was 80 degrees. A little warm for running, clear skies and sunshine, but not as bad as it'll be in a few months. I ran 5 miles and sweated a lot.

I was thinking about running a half in early May and an attempt at a PR, but I just don't have the time to train properly for it. On Saturday I thought a 5k or 10k would be a good idea, and I would have the chance to train for running a 5k fast. On Sunday at church a new friend gave me a card about a 5k/10k that will take place on my regular running trails on April 30th. Talk about perfect timing. I registered for it, and the whole family was interested as well, so they're going to be running with me. Looks to be fun before it gets really hot.