Another 4

I originally planned to run a little more today, but my hips felt stiff and I decided to go only 4 miles. Plus, it was a little on the cool side with a stiff breeze from the southeast. The sun was shining, so that helped, but with temperature in the 40s and that breeze, it didn't exactly convince me to go for a longer run. I saw a few people out on the trails, but seems like fewer than usual at that time on a Saturday morning. Not much else I can say about today's outing other than I'm glad I got to run a little. Now it's time for a nice hot shower.

Turkey Trotters

Two of my girls ran the 5k Turkey Trot in Frisco this morning, along with 8,000 or so of our best friends. The temperature was a nice balmy 42 degrees and with the breeze felt like 35. The sun came out about a mile into the run and that helped a bit, but the walk back to the car afterward felt quite chilly. A few observations about people and their behavior in a "race" like this: if you're walking, go to the back of the pack. There's no reason for you to clog up the course by waking five abreast across the road. There's a 1-mile run/walk that starts before the 5k/10k people, and they should start them after the runners. And if you decide to walk, go to the sides. People are oblidiots. In spite of the usual stupidity, the girls and I had a good time. I still think it's funny to give out finisher medals for a 5k, but then again, I didn't turn it down. Happy Thanksgiving y'all.

Lovely Autumn Run

Early afternoon today I ran 4.25 miles. It was a lovely autumn day with temperatures in the upper 50s, sunshine, and gentle breeze that didn't cool it down too much. Unlike yesterday, when I went for a walk with The Wife and I never felt like I warmed up even though I wore plenty of layers. Today I wore my old running shoes, while yesterday I walked in the new ones. That seemed to be the smart way to do it, unlike last week when I tried to run straightaway in my new pair. I got the extra quarter-mile today beyond my goal by running through the streets of a new neighborhood to the north of ours. The earthwork crew has finished laying out the lots and the streets are in, so I thought why not? It added some uphills to my workout, but not as bad as trying to run up the steep hill I normally walk on Lake Forest. Anyway, all good today and I'm ready for the Turkey Trot on Thursday. I might even walk again tomorrow even though it's supposed to be windy again, which is the same forecast for Thanksgiving.

Back to Normal

Today my calf muscles cooperated, as expected. I was a tad bit tentative at the beginning of my 6-mile run, but no twinges or anything reminiscent of Thursday's debacle. I'm more than happy to report a routine, ordinary run. It's a nice autumn day in north Texas, and temperature was about 60 degrees when I did my late-morning outing. I probably saw three kids on bikes with training wheels, being chased by a parent or two. Kind of funny to see so many on one run but must be the season. The kids looked happy and the grown-ups did, too. Other than that, several people out walking dogs, cyclists, and a few runners. My pace ended up a little under 11 minutes/mile. Not great but it's giving me a base so I can ramp up the speed over the coming months before it gets hot outside again and I return to a snail's pace with walk breaks.

Aborted Launch

Today seemed like a really nice day to run and I was excited to get out in the sunshine. I started running and both of my calf muscles started barking at me. You didn't know a calf barked, did you? Anyway, I quickly determined it wasn't a good idea to keep going. I thought I'd hydrated enough today, but maybe not. Or maybe it was because I got new shoes and should have walked around in them more before trying a run. Regardless, I came home and ate a banana and drank a few glasses of water, then smoked a cigar on the back patio to relax. Kind of a bummer. I might try again tomorrow, with the old shoes, to see how it goes. Weird things happen sometimes.

Missed

Yeah, I missed a couple of runs last week, but that was planned due to going out of town. Today I hit the pavement again and went 4 miles on a really nice day. It felt good the whole way and I enjoyed the sunshine and mild Texas weather. My right hip has been a little sore recently and I've been trying to make sure it's not because of some sort of problem with my left side not pulling its weight. Or maybe I need to refresh my running shoes. Really, it's probably about time to do that. Anyway, nothing too serious, and I need to make sure I'm ready for the Turkey Trot next week.

Brakes

After two days of wrestling with the rear brakes of my daughter's poorly engineered car, I have to admit feeling more than a little sore. And I probably shouldn't have run today, but also thought maybe it'd be a good idea to get out and stretch the muscles and flush the lactic acid from them. I suppose it was partly successful, although I felt like I was running uphill the whole way. I kept having to tell myself to relax and that also was only partially successful. I went 4 miles, though, and that will probably end up being a good thing. Unless, of course, I feel worse tomorrow, but that's probably not going to happen.

Lucky 7

I can't remember the last time I ran 7 miles. I could go back through previous posts and find out, but that would require research. In fact, it's been so long that I forgot where my turnaround point was and ended up running an extra quarter-mile or so. Oh, well, it was a gorgeous day, sunny and mild temperature with a nice little breeze from the north to keep me cool. I chose to not wear a longer-sleeved shirt today and that proved to be the right choice. I went late in the morning and the paths seemed a little clearer than I expected. Maybe everybody had gone home for lunch or something, but other than the part around the lake at Bonnie Wenk Park it seemed navigable. I ran by a few families doing photo shoots, apparently getting a head start on the holiday cards. Good for them.

Temptation

I felt the temptation to skip again today, but resisted. Mainly because the day has been overcast and busy with work. But after missing a couple of days last week, I decided to not be a weenie. In fact, I even ran 5 miles today, upping the game a little bit. We're supposed to get rain all day tomorrow, but Saturday looks good. As always, I'm glad I went and it felt good to accomplish a nice run. It's amazing how a day and a week can be super-busy, but a nice run helps clear the head.

No Stink

A bit of rain on Saturday and a lot yesterday, but I have no excuse for last Thursday. Today, though, today was nice. 64 degrees, sun shining, a breeze from the north, and 4 miles of good running. I wore a long-sleeved technical t-shirt with shorts. To clarify the title of this post, all that rain means the creeks and streams are running much fuller than a few weeks ago and the stink is gone. Hallelujah. Today is Election Day in the U.S. and schools were closed so apparently people can vote there. It made for less traffic on the roads and a nicer run for that reason. Also, last weekend I registered for the Turkey Trot for me and my two local daughters. Looking forward to that again along with a little motivation to keep running between now and then.