75

This morning I rose early enough to be out the door by 7:30. At that point it was 75 degrees. I don't think I've run in a temperature that low for several months. It was delightful. Even though I didn't sleep well last night, the run went quite well. I went 5 miles and ran 3.75 of that. I almost chose to run three miles straight in the middle of that but decided I wasn't trying to impress anybody. Plus, my heart was about 140 bpm and I wanted to keep it around that range rather than pushing it higher with a longer interval. It really was a lovely run and I'm glad I did it early enough to get some relatively cooler cooperation.

Only 90

This morning I went out a little after 9:30 a.m. and the thermometer hadn't even hit 90 degrees yet. Plenty humid and sunny, though, which still necessitated walking. Because I had extra time due to a meeting cancellation, I went the extra mile - literally. 4 miles total with 2.75 in running mode. My back felt a little tight when I started out (I don't know why) and a bit better at the end. Overall, I took it slow and easy and enjoyed shade wherever I found it. It's nice to be able to run in spite of the heat.

On another note, I went to a book club meeting on Tuesday, a first for me. The book was Haruki Murakami's running and writing memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I figured if I was ever going to a book club this would be the time since both topics are in my wheelhouse. Anyway, there were about twenty people there and let's just say they weren't fans of the book. It came out almost two decades ago and several people questioned the motivation for the author to run, saying it seemed he only worried about hitting certain times. To be fair, one person mentioned it was before personal computers masquerading as phones became ubiquitous and all we had were magazines and local running clubs. Fair point. Seemed everybody at the time was obsessed with qualifying for Boston but running has become more social since then. The book club folks also said it read like a running blog with just the facts. Wow, they'd really hate this blog, wouldn't they? I found the memoir interesting because both writing and running are mostly solitary acts and for the author, they didn't bleed into each other. That's quite different from my experience, where I've solved plot hangups in my books many times while out for a run. Some people, particularly one of the young ladies, vehemently disliked the book and the author, particularly his maleness and some of his observations about the "scenery" while running in Boston. I didn't find it over the top, but what do I know? Anyway, an interesting experience that I thought I'd share.

Monday Funday

I wanted to get out today since I have lots of meetings tomorrow morning and can't run when it's cooler. We're still in the 105-108 degree temperature range here in North Texas. This morning was overcast just enough with high clouds to offer a little relief before the thermometer skyrocketed. I left the house about 9 a.m. and did my 3 miles, with two of that in running mode. Felt good that the temp was "only" in the mid to upper 80s. Last night the youngest daughter and I talked about running a marathon next year and we might do the Cowtown in Fort Worth at the end of February. That means I'd have to get my butt in gear by the end of next month and actually work out a plan, which I haven't done in almost a decade. At least the training would be in cooler weather. No decision yet. Just pondering the possibility.

Yet Another

It's another day with temperatures expected to exceed the century mark - 105 degrees, as a matter of fact. Supposedly we only hit 98 yesterday, the first time we fell under 100 in over a week. Anyway, I headed out the door at 7:45 a.m. when it was only 84 degrees. I went 4 miles with 2.75 of that in running fashion. Not the greatest of runs today, and not the worst. I persisted, though, and glad to get in three instances of running in one week, especially in this heat wave. Not sure that'll happen in the coming week, but I'll do my best.

Uncool Runnings

Got out again this morning before the heat kicked in, and did the same running intervals as a couple of days ago. Also listened to a work meeting that kept me nice and distracted. I slept horribly last night and worried today's run might not go well, but strangely enough the lack of sleep didn't seem to have an impact on my exercise. I went another 3 miles and saw one other person running and another walking. Otherwise, seems most people are staying inside where it's cool.

Against the Odds

I slipped out this morning between meetings and got in my run/walk before the temperature skyrocketed. Today's high is 105 degrees and I felt lucky to beat the odds and be out there when it was only 92. I went 3 miles and ran two of those, as the usual pattern has been lately. I listened to a work call and I think because it was different than music or a podcast it made the outing go faster. I felt good upon my return and grateful I had the chance to actually run during this heatwave.

Spontaneous Outing

I decided on the spur of the moment to take a walk after lunch. That spontaneous outing could've also ended in spontaneous combustion, and while that might have made for a cool video off someone's Ring camera, would not have been good for me. I walked 2.25 miles, a good extra outing on a day I don't normally get much exercise. Plus, I avoided school start and end times and honestly ran into only one other person crazy enough to be out in the heat. Tomorrow might also end up as a walk since I doubt I'll get out in time to run.

More Four

Another 4-miler today and as advertised, yes, I got out early enough to run. 2.75 miles of the total, in fact. It was tough in the sunlight and humidity and the breeze from the south felt good when I was fortunate enough to get a wisp. I coveted the shade and took every opportunity to remove my hat and let my head cool in the shadows. I finished right about nine o'clock and now it's time to sit on the back patio and drink some coffee.

Early Enough

I had a gap between meetings this morning so I got out early enough to run. Plus, there was a little breeze from the west that helped things. I went 3 miles total and ran two of them. It felt good to be able to run after all the walking. Not that walking's bad. I just want to run and get in some miles a little (marginally) quicker. I followed up the run with mowing the yard, again before the temperature hit the century mark again. This sets me up for another run on Saturday morning. I'm enjoying the hot weather even though it puts a dent in my running efforts. Still better than living in a place with real winters.

Another Sun Walk

Once again I didn't get outside until mid to late afternoon, about 3:30. Of course, the temperature was near 100 degrees and heat index well over that. I walked the whole way, detouring where needed to find shade along the sidewalks. I went 3 miles, an extra mile over yesterday, which seemed appropriate since today would normally be a running day. Not sure I'll get out tomorrow. There's always Thursday, though.

A Walk in the Sun

I decided I needed to sweat and get some sunlight this afternoon, so I went for a 2-mile walk. As I mentioned previously, we're in the midst of a heat spell, or as we call it in Texas, summer. We hit about 98 degrees today, a few degrees off the predicted mark for the next week-plus. I headed west and enjoyed a nice stroll. School is about to start up around here again, which means I'll need to be aware of the start and stop times for the students in the surrounding neighborhoods. No need to get caught in a bunch of cars and kids walking. We'll see how tomorrow goes. This might be an extended period of walking unless I can get out earlier in the day, like maybe on Saturday. No use trying to run when it's a hundred.

This Sunday

Today I'm back at it after the week off. We're in the throes of 100-degree weather for the foreseeable future and I got out this morning a little after eight. I went 3 miles, with the usual running increments. I kept the pace extremely slow and that worked for me, especially after not running in about ten days. I have a feeling I'm going to have to get out early on days where I can so I can run; otherwise, there'll be walking in the afternoon. Either way, I'm going to do my best to get in sweating mode.

Last Sunday

Been on vacation the past week with no running involved. I did walk about 6 miles last Sunday, though. The Wife and I took a morning walk around a big pond/small lake in the Twin Cities area, and then we walked that afternoon with nephew, niece, and their baby to a playground. I topped it off by walking after dinner to a shop where I could buy a good cigar lighter. Before you say hey, great job, let me counterbalance this day of walking with a couple of days later where I didn't even put on shoes and ended up walking a total of a mile for the whole day. If the fire pit hadn't been thirty yards away from the cabin, I might not have even walked that far.