According to Plan and More

Yes, today's run did go according to plan. I waited until late morning to run, for two reasons: #1 - My normal path was closed until 9:30 a.m. due to the McKinney Historic Half, which I clearly did not participate in; and #2 - It was cool and windy and I wanted to wait for a little relief. My plan was to run three .75-mile intervals and I did so on the first two but extended the last one to a mile. That gave me 2.5 miles of running out of 4 miles total. My calf muscles felt fine and I'm thinking that tightness on Thursday was a one-off due to too many meetings and trying to rush. No such problems today. We have rain in the forecast so we'll have to see how I can wedge some runs in between the showers.

Rubberbands

Today was a little step back from the progress of the past few weeks. Sunny and very breezy, the temperature was around 80 degrees. The past couple of days have been full of non-stop meetings for work and by the time I got out this afternoon, I had a short window before the high school let out for the day. I felt like I was in a rush and when I started running after a half-mile walk, my calf muscles felt very, very tight. Like stretched rubberbands. It didn't feel right and I stopped to walk again after only a quarter-mile. I decided at that point that today's outing would be only 2 miles. At the midpoint where I turned around, I started running again and felt more relaxed, the aforementioned muscles included. I ran a half-mile and walked the rest of the way home, where I proceeded to mow the lawn. If you're keeping score, that means I ran .75 miles, not really what I hoped for when I started. Still, it was good to get out and sweat a little. Hopefully Saturday's run goes more to plan.

Three in the Morning

Today I dialed it back to an easy 3-mile outing. I ran 1.5 miles in two .75-mile intervals that went well. I got out between meetings and I have to say it's always a good thing to get some outdoor time during the work day. Especially since I had a meeting in the afternoon that ran over a half-hour. With other family commitments after that I might not have been able to run today unless I did so in the morning. Here in Texas the trees are budding, as are the flowers, and the grass is turning green. Overall, we had a mild winter. Which kind of sucks because I would've loved to run during the good weather. Oh well. God must've known I needed a break.

More Than Two

Today was absolutely beautiful here in north Texas. Sunshine, temperature about 70 degrees when I ran about 10 a.m. and a nice little breeze to keep things cool. I added a mile to the total distance to go 4 miles and ran three .75-mile intervals to log 2.25 miles of running. I wasn't sure I should do all that but I felt good and kept it at a snail's pace. On the last interval I figured I was running so slow someone might pull up and hand me a walker. Of course, I'm conscious of the path and making sure I don't fall. Over the years I've fallen at least three and maybe four times, with the last one being the obvious worst. I think that's a pretty good average overall and I'm not really worried about falling, but let's be honest - the thought's there so I make sure to avoid it happening again. The thermometer got up to 90 degrees this afternoon and I'm glad I ran earlier.

Warming Up

After freezing temperatures earlier this week, we are on our way to the 90s by tomorrow and the weekend. I went out this morning when the temp was in the low 60s and enjoyed a nice run, especially since now it's 84 degrees in the afternoon. I went 3 miles and ran the same distance as last time, 1.5 miles, but this time in only two .75-mile intervals. I wasn't sure about combining intervals but I felt good, so what the heck, might as well go for it, right? Saturday I might add another half-mile to the overall distance. We'll see how it goes. As far as health, my shoulder feels fine and so does the place where I used to have an appendix. Hoping to stay healthy and enjoy the nice weather and exercise.

No Shamrock Run in 2026

The local Shamrock 5k was last Saturday and due to the fact I'm still ramping up my running, I missed it this year. I smoked pork, ribs, sausage, and jalapeno poppers instead. That said, it got cold here from Sunday afternoon into Monday morning, dropping from a high of 84 degrees on Sunday afternoon to almost freezing by Monday. This morning was even colder as we hit 31 according to my reading. At least it wasn't as windy this morning as it was yesterday. I went out around 10 a.m. for a run and almost turned around since the temp was in the low 40s and the little bit of breeze made it even colder. I persevered and ended up getting in my 3 miles, this time with 1.5 miles of running (.25, .5, and .75 intervals). I kept the pace slow and as always, am glad I went ahead with the run instead of skipping it. If only there'd been a Guinness waiting for me when I got home.

Saturday with a Little Extra Running

Not a lot of extra running, mind you. Just an extra quarter-mile during the 3-mile run. I guess the real news is that I did two half-mile runs as opposed to all quarter-mile runs. Started off with a half-mile walk, a quarter run, a quarter walk, a half-mile run, a quarter walk, and a final half-mile run before walking the rest of the way home. Doubling the run intervals seemed to work well. I didn't get worn out or heart rate too high. It's good to start extending the runs. The other night my youngest was trying to talk me into doing a marathon next year. I told her I'd entertain the idea as long as it's a flat course. This could be the start of laying the foundation for a lot of training.

Keeping it Up

Went for another walk/run today and did the same routine. 3 miles total with 1 mile of running in quarter-mile intervals. Still feeling good and maybe this weekend I'll extend the running just a bit. Kind of like a long run, but you know - not so long. We had thunderstorms roll through last night and when I woke up at 6 a.m. it was still blowing really hard and sprinkling. By late morning the clouds cleared and the wind died down. Mostly. It was a nice outing, and I must have hit the sweet spot since the wind picked back up here later in the afternoon. Not sure if I'll get out tomorrow but I'll see if I can find some free time.

Another Walk/Run

Today was another nice day and even though it's the second day in a row for an outing, I wanted to get it done since it might rain tomorrow. I did the same routine of walking and running, coming in at 3 miles total with 1 mile of running. The temptation to run a bit more was high, but I kept it in check. No need to push it at this point. Even though it was less than twenty-four hours since yesterday's exercise, I felt good and am once again happy to be back in the game. We'll see how the weather cooperates this week since I want to be back to regular runs.

Walking for Work

After last Saturday's triumphant return to the world of running, I spent the week in Las Vegas for work. Due to being a last-minute addition to the attendee list, my team stayed at the Excalibur. The meetings were at MDM Grand. If you look those up on a map you will think to yourself, hey, that's not too far. And really, it's not. But when you have to walk it four days in a row, the last towing luggage, it can get a little old. If you did look it up or you know the area, just to be clear, the meetings were at the convention center on the east side of the complex. Basically twenty minutes of walking. Hey, I'm not complaining. I got in over 10k steps every day, and far beyond that on several. What I didn't get to do was run.

That was today. A gorgeous, 70 degree and sunny day in early March. I wanted to run yesterday but the weather gods didn't cooperate, sending rain and wind all day. I did the same routine today as I did last week, with 1 mile of running in short quarter-mile intervals and the rest in walking. That seems to work well as I start over with my running career. I'll probably do it a couple more times before extending the running intervals. The goal here is to build a strong foundation, not to see how quickly I can progress to a half-marathon or more. Keep me honest here. I just want to increase bit by bit and return to normal.