Thursday was Opening Day for Major League Baseball, which IMHO should be a national holiday. I bring this up because I chose to watch the Cardinals opener against the Dodgers instead of running. It ended up being a mistake since the Cards got their butts kicked. Lesson learned.
Today was really nice and I ran 3.5 miles. Then I followed last Saturday's pattern and spent a couple hours working in the yard. Guess that means springtime is really here. It certainly burns some extra calories.
I missed Thursday due to rainstorms and laziness, but mostly laziness. Today was absolutely gorgeous, with temperature in the 50s and abundant sunshine. I ran 4 miles but with a break in the middle since I stopped and talked to someone I know. The running part felt good and not too much effort, which is good since I have lots of yardwork to do this afternoon. I'm getting in the physical effort today for sure.
With the recent rain, the grass is turning green and the trees are budding. The day started off cold, 35 degrees, but warmed into the upper 60s with a load of sunshine. I felt good and ran 4 miles. I think the "race" on Saturday got me in the right frame of mind to work on my fitness and mileage. I want to keep it going but Thursday looks like a rainy day. I might have to rearrange my running schedule or hope that there are breaks in the storms.
The rain stayed away this morning so we could run the McKinney Shamrock 5k. Compared to my last couple of outings, this was actually a good run. I didn't push it and finished with a 10:20 pace, a little faster than my normal outings. Then I topped it off with a full Irish fry-up and a couple of pints. It was actually nice to do a race again, even though I wouldn't call what I did "racing." Just a good outing with some friends and about 1500 other people.
Between work calls I was able to get out for a 3-miler. I still felt like I was dragging even though the weather was decent, if a little humid. Maybe that was the problem. Also, allergies since I felt like my windpipe wasn't operating at full capacity. Anyway, I walked briefly at the 2.3 mile mark since my heart rate was kind of high. I ran a little more, walked up the big hill, and finished with another short run. Then sneezed and had a runny nose for a bit. Such a joy. I was glad to make it out since rain was in the forecast but held off.
Whichever way you spell it, that's how I felt today. I slept like dookie/dooky last night and of course, that carried over into today's run. I actually ran a mile and then walked home, for a total of 2 miles. Maybe I can get a good night's sleep and try again tomorrow. Rain is in the forecast for Thursday, so it makes sense to move that run forward a day and see I feel better.
It's sad that the last couple of weeks I've averaged two runs and about six miles. That used to be my standard for one run. Thursday it rained all day, which makes for a good excuse, but overall it's just sad. This morning I went for a 3-miler and it was a decent run with a stiff, cool breeze from the north. Good news, though: yesterday I signed up for a St. Patrick's Day 5k, which will actually be on the 16th. It's not much in the running department but at least it'll be something fun.
I felt kind of lethargic on this afternoon's 3-miler, like I was lagging behind the pack. Not sure what the deal was since I've slept all right the past few nights and allergies haven't been bothering me. Maybe I've been eating too much rich food, like the beef kind of rich food. Maybe I should eat smaller portions. Or eat something not so heavy. Maybe, but probably not.
Tuesday evening I was taking out the trash and pivoted just outside the back screen door, which was closing behind me. As I pivoted, the back of my right heel scraped up the metal corner of the door, leaving a nice, long gouge. Yes, I swore. That kept me sidelined for Thursday but it felt good enough today.
There's a line from the late, great Kirstie Alley in her role from Cheers where her character, Rebecca Howe, has a bad moment and whines, "I am too stupid to live!" Well, I wasn't in that bad of a situation today, but still felt pretty idiotic. During my 4-mile run, I experienced a multiple instances where one knee or the other felt not quite right. I almost walked the last half-mile or so, but I focused on keeping my form moving straight and economical and all was good. However, when I got back inside and took off my shoes I realized I'd worn my walking shoes. In other words, the old pair of running shoes that I don't run in any more. I've now done that multiple times. I may not be too stupid to live, but maybe I'm too stupid to run.
