A Little Tired

Several nights of not sleeping well seemed to catch up to me today toward the end of my run. I ran 4 miles with four fartleks in miles 2 and 3, but by the time I reached the big hill heading up to the neighborhood I ran out of gas. I've always considered sleep an important piece of the overall training picture. This week (post-Thanksgiving) I'm trying to get back into my exercise routine. No travel upcoming for several weeks, and normal days and weekends at home. Hopefully I can also get some good sleep and shed some of the extra poundage picked up over the last several months.

Post-Turkey Trot

Today warmed up into the low 60s, but even so it still felt cooler because of the breeze out of the southeast. After the holidays I knew I needed to get out for a run. I ran in mid-afternoon, and I don't know if it was because of that or not, but very few people were out. I saw one person on the way out and probably five on the return journey. Regardless, I ran 6 miles without stopping and overall felt good about it. Early on I had a big twinge in my left quad, but nothing beyond that. It's a little sore tonight but only if I concentrate on it. Weird. Both of the knees are fine and I think the speedwork of the last week has really helped with that.

More Speed

Daughter #1 is in town for the holiday and we decided to take everyone to the gun range for some fun this afternoon. Unfortunately their wait time was too long and we couldn't get a lane. I had planned on that taking a good chunk of time, but instead we arrived home earlier than planned, which meant I had time for a run. Once again it was a beautiful sunny day with great temps. I ran the 4-mile route with fartleks again, this time with an extra one in the last mile but no sprint at the end. Once again everything felt good and it's nice to get some variation in the running.

We haven't found a Turkey Trot in the area for the family this year, but then again we didn't look very hard. Maybe next year we can revive that tradition.

A Little Faster, Please

After last Thursday's run, and missing Saturday to give the knee a rest (or was it just plain laziness?), I decided to run on a Monday afternoon. First, it was perfect weather outside and tomorrow there's a chance of rain. Second, I needed to do something physical and working out inside didn't appeal. And third - did I mention how nice it was outside?

I decided to run only 4 miles today and up the pace a little. My first mile clocked in at 9:50, and then I ran some fartleks over the next two miles. I sped up four times, running down the path to a spot I picked out beforehand. I felt the difference in my stride and strangely enough my left hip gave me a little more grief than the knee. Neither felt really bad, though, and the change seemed to help. I also sprinted at the end into the neighborhood. All in all, a nice pre-holiday outing that felt good.

Pause for the Knee

Today was blustery, but in a Texas fall way. The temperature was still nice, and the wind actually helped cool the sweat. I ran 6 miles total, although the last one was probably half-walking. About mile 4.5 I felt out of kilter with my right knee, so I stopped and walked about twenty yards. It felt fine until I made it onto Lake Forest after mile 5, and so I walked a little more. After another attempt at jogging I decided it was best to walk the rest of the way.

One thing I noticed was that I was trying to slow my pace, and that seemed to contribute to the pain. When I made it to the top of the big hill I decided to try a sprint to the finish to see how the knee would respond. It felt fine. Maybe my problem is running too slow, or thinking about it too much. Either way apparently I need to pick up the pace when I feel like something is out of whack.

Office Day

Today was an in-office day, but I was able to escape early enough to run before dusk. The day was really nice, sunny and upper 70s. Daughter #3 wanted to run with me, which was a nice treat. We ran 1 1/3 miles together before I dropped her off at the house, and then I ran the rest of the 5 miles on my own. It was fun to run with one of my kids since they're better companions than the FVRP.

Back Home

Was out of town this week for work, and didn't get in any runs due to schedule and early darkness. This morning was perfect weather and a great 5-miler. I saw more people out on bikes than running, but as usual that didn't stop me. I probably could have gone another mile, but really the distance I did was just fine. I've spent the last several hours pruning the bushes in front of the house, which turned out to be a bigger chore than I expected. Time to relax.

Wamego Run Part 2

Yesterday I got out again in the afternoon, after some storms rolled through in the morning, and ran a nice 5-miler. Rather than going around the baseball and soccer fields the whole time, I went down to the park and ran around it a couple of times first. The humidity wasn't too bad, certainly not as horrible as this past summer. I felt good the whole way. The only other person I saw on the paths was a guy who was walking and switching directions each time around like I was. About the fourth time we passed each other he said that at least we're persistent. Probably, but I was also getting dizzy from going in circles.