Mildly Running

Compared to recent months, this morning the temperature was mild. We're still headed toward 90 degrees today, but this morning at 8:30 it was only 75. I went 4 miles and ran 3.6 of that. Since I've been running/walking again this year, I've walked a quarter-mile to the top of a hill before running, which is different than the way I used to do it. Back in the day, I'd only walk .15 miles as a warmup, but also to give my Garmin time to sync with the GPS satellites. That's what I warmed up with today (sans Garmin) and at the end. Now, I know you're thinking that the math doesn't add up. 4 - .15 - .15 = 3.7, not 3.6. That's because I walked a tenth of a mile up the big hill on Lake Forest. See? The math adds up. I increased the pace the last little bit, which was kind of a nice change. Rain in the forecast the rest of this week, so we'll see when I get a break to go out again.

Longer Run

The weather this morning was great, as predicted. 69 degrees when I walked out the door around 8 a.m. My goal was to run without walking, other than the beginning and end, and mission accomplished. I went 6 miles total with 5.25 of that in running mode. That's easily the longest I've run in a year, what with supporting the medical profession with two surgeries, recovery and rehab, and hot weather. Lots of people out exercising this morning and it felt good to be one of them.

Streaking

That's a streak of two weeks in a row where I ran four days in a row. Not sure I'll keep that up, but it's felt good as the temperatures start to decline. I was going to run later in the morning but a meeting got moved into the afternoon, freeing up a block of time for me to go 5 miles. Not only did I make it four days in a row, I think this was also the longest continuous run I've done in months at 4.25. It helped that the temp was only 76 degrees when I went out the door. I plan on running one more time this week, on Saturday, and I'm hoping it's just as cool that morning since I want to get in an extra mile on the total.

A Different Three

I got out again today for a short run. I went west this time, you know, trying to change things up from the normal route. I went 3 miles (well, 2.92, but close enough). I was going to get to Ridge and head north a short way, but the sidewalk was closed a few hundred yards before that due to some sort of road closure and whatever else they were doing. So, I had to improvise and ended up taking a path back that I've used for walking. The temperature was lower, only in the mid-80s and high today of 94 degrees. Yes, I think the many days of 100+ degrees are finally over for the year. I've heard from various sources that we had anywhere from 60-70 days of hitting the century mark this year. Sounds about right.

On another note, I tried my new MP3 player that arrived on Tuesday. This one is 128GB, compared to the 8GB of my old iPod. I copied a bunch of podcasts to it and started listening to one on today's run. The unit is incredibly light. It can use Bluetooth but I prefer to use wired headphones since they don't run out of power. We'll see how long the charge lasts on this thing. I haven't given up my iPod, though, just want to test out the newfangled contraption.

Let's Do Four

I'm trying for four in a row again this week, and today I made it 4 miles between morning meetings. The thermometer said 75 degrees, but it was most definitely NOT 75 degrees. Seemed about six or seven degrees shy of the actual temp, plus humidity also made it feel warmer. If it had actually been 75, I would've done my route without walking. Instead, I walked a couple of times and got in 3.1 miles or so of running. I thought I'd have to change my route since there was a city truck on the running path in Creekview, but when I checked with the crew they were just picking up trash and going slow. In reality, I figured I could navigate slower than them but it's not a contest. Still, I came back through the neighborhood on my return route in an attempt to give them space.

Snuck In Another

Monday morning seemed to work out pretty well with the chance to get in a short 3-miler. Plus, the temperature remained in the low 80s and that was nice. I ran 2.25 of it and overall felt good. I figured I had fresh legs since I hadn't run since last Thursday. As before, I'm still contemplating a full marathon. The weather's finally supposed to break this week, staying below a hundred for the first sustained period in months. I'll take it and hope I have the opportunity to sneak in a few more runs.

Four in a Row

There will not be a five in a row post this week. Four is plenty. I didn't sleep well last night so today I didn't try to push a long run without breaks. Instead, I went 5 miles with intervals of one, two, and three-quarters of running. Certainly warm, about 84 degrees when I got home. At least I went out early enough to find shade along several sections. Not much else to report about today. Glad I've been able to get out so much this week. Next week is supposed to be quite hot still, with temperatures in the mid-90s. Summer just won't let go.

Three in a Row

I have fewer meetings this week and I'm trying to take advantage to get out and exercise each day. Today was the third day in a row. I went 3 miles, running 2.25 of it without stopping. My endurance is getting better, especially in light of the fact it's still summer here in north Texas. The temp was already up to the high 80s by the time I got out with humidity to match. Regardless, I'm enjoying the consistency. I'm also front-loading this week since I'm smoking a brisket on Saturday and if I have the chance to run, it'll be a short one. At this point looks like I'll have a window tomorrow to get a few more miles.

Reconsideration

Today was warm by ten a.m. with plenty of humidity, as usual. I still went 4 miles in my usual interval configuration, with two one-mile and a final three-quarter mile segments for a total of 2.75 miles of running. Once again, the running is feeling good and since I'm keeping it slow, it's achievable.

After yesterday's post I reconsidered the Garmin purchase. I think my Apple Watch's charge would last long enough to track a marathon and I have time to do some testing before running a theoretical race. No need to panic-buy and spend $150 on something I might not even need. So, I canceled the order. I think my bigger question will be music. My iPod is twenty years old and does the job on short runs. I can even get in three runs or so before it dies, which to be fair, ain't bad for such an old piece of tech. I'm sure it won't last four+ hours, though, and I'll need something else. No, I'm not carrying my iPhone for 26.2 miles. The less weight, the better, which is why I like the old iPod. Again, I have time to figure this out. More to come...

A Monday Outing

I had the chance to run this morning, once again before it grew hot, so I took it. I went 3 miles and ran 2.25 of it straight. In other words, I only walked at the start and end. It seemed like a short run, which it was. Felt good and I should be able to get another one in tomorrow.

I'm thinking more seriously about doing a marathon in February. I pulled out the old plan and worked backward from the race date to see when I'd have to get serious. That would be in early December, which gives me plenty of time to build the base. I also started thinking about a GPS to train with and use during the race. My Apple Watch is good but I'm not sure it'd last like I need it to. I've never run a marathon with it. I also realized the last one I ran was in 2017, almost nine years ago. I pulled out my old Garmin and it is dead, dead, dead. Into the trash it went. Lots of miles with it but no use to hang onto it when it doesn't work. I ordered a new Garmin and will have to figure out if I want to keep it or if the Apple Watch will do what I need. I don't know yet. It certainly sounds like I'm making plans to run a race, doesn't it? 

Shady Five

Got out early enough this morning to catch shade along a good portion of the route as the sun rose. I ran through the neighborhood to the north, kind of the alternate route, because once you get to the other side you're running alongside a line of trees on the east edge of the path. As you might know, the sun rises in the east. The weather cooled last evening as a line of storms came through and we received a very, very small dose of sprinkles. This morning I started off with temp in the upper 70s, which sounds nice, but the humidity was super-high. I went 5 miles total, with 3.75 of that running - intervals of one mile, two miles, and three-quarters. Felt like a little bit of a slog, especially the last interval, but I stuck it out. We're still looking at thermometer readings hovering around the century mark for the next week. Pretty crazy for mid-September.

Constant

Today marked a nice milestone, literally. I was able to get out earlier than expected due to a rescheduled meeting so I took advantage of the "lower" temperature (low 80s) and ran without stopping. I walked the first quarter-mile, then ran 3.25, ending with a half-mile walk. For those of you without a calculator, I went 4 miles total. This is one of the few times I've run this far since starting off the year with injury and surgeries, as well as enduring a long run of scorching weather. I decided to go for it once I stepped outside and realized the thermometer worked in my favor. I have to say I never felt out of sorts and it went well. The heat continues for at least another week and we'll see if the chance to run without walking comes up again.

New Standard

Today I went 4 miles, which is starting to feel like the new standard. That's a good sign since I can build on that and hopefully get back to how life used to be when six was the usual outing with longer runs on the weekends. Once again, I managed to run between meetings before the temperature rocketed to the century mark. Overall, it was a good run. That thought that this is becoming the normal hit me a few times. I think it matters to extend the length of the run on Saturdays so these weekday runs don't seem like such a big deal.

Labor Day Walk

Went this morning on a walk with The Wife. Only about 80 degrees but plenty humid. We walked 1.75 miles through the neighborhood and got our sweat on. New homes are going up in the neighborhood to the north of ours and we walked through that area. Interesting how many models of the houses look so similar, although I'll come right out and say I'm jealous of the three-car garage on one of them. It was a nice start to a day off. Up next? Coffee and a cigar, along with some writing/editing of my latest book.  

Mostly Good

I didn't sleep well last night, what with waking up a couple of times in the early morning hours. I rolled out of bed a little after 7:30 and made it out the door around eight o'clock. The first part of the run was good, with a mile interval followed by a two-miler, but the last one ended up being only a quarter-mile since I ran out of gas. I walked the last mile home for a total of 5 miles. We're still in the summer weather pattern and look to be doing so another week, at least. The humidity is the killer, at least for my running. I found plenty of shade this morning. It's not shady everywhere, but it's certainly humid.

Cooler and Humider

Let's be clear - when I say it was cooler today, that's relative. It was still 90 degrees and the humidity ratcheted up to make it feel like 100. My original plan was to go five today, but the moisture in the air made me dial it back. I went 4 miles and pondered walking the last one, but I stuck it out to get my running total up to 2.75 miles, with the usual one-mile intervals followed by a quarter. Not gonna lie, today felt like more of a slog, probably because of the humidity. My iPod charge also died, which I found out after I stepped out the door, so that threw me off as well. Oh well, they can't all be great runs.

Wet Blanket

This morning was definitely different than my last run. When I walked outside, I felt the oppressive weight of humidity like a wet blanket. I resolved right away to run and not let it keep me from having a good outing. At least in that regard, I was successful. A crew on Lake Forest made me detour across the street early on since they were trimming trees and making an awful mess. Still, I got in 4 miles with a total of 2.75 in the running column. I kept it slow and easy and that worked. Since then, I've been working on hydrating and enjoying some air conditioning. That seems to be the cure for a wet blanket.