Perfect

This morning the weather was perfect. I left the house around 9 o'clock and ran 6 miles under a clear sky. There was just the tiniest amount of a breeze, and the temperature was about 60 degrees. While I saw a few people out running and walking I expected to see more. Maybe there were out earlier. Whatever the case, I had a great run and felt outstanding. I could easily have gone another two miles or more, but this brought my weekly mileage to 21 and I saw no reason to push it. I hope next Saturday is nice and maybe a will add on a few more to the long run.

Short

Took off for run this afternoon that turned out to be only 3 miles. I planned on going more, but a big front was moving in and storms were on the way. In addition, I had a flat tire on the way to work this morning and struggled with it for way too long. I hate the jacks they put in modern vehicles. I cranked and cranked on it and it got to the point where it didn't move any higher. I finally called The Wife and had her bring the floor jack to me. Within thirty seconds I had the tire finally lifted high enough to remove it after struggling with it for half an hour. Nothing like trying to change a tire on the shoulder of an Interstate highway during rush hour traffic. Anyway, that wore me out and was no help to the shoulder I injured last Friday night. In fact, it set me back quite a bit, and no telling when I'll be able to exercise again. The run was a slog through 90 degree temps and a lot of humidity. In reality it was probably for the best since I'm running four times this week and cutting this run short keeps my overall mileage down.

Two Days in a Row

Another run out of the norm, but really only because I ran yesterday. Today is my normal running day (Tuesday) so it wasn't that far from normal. It rained off and on all morning and into the early afternoon, but by running time it was mostly sunny and humid. I started out with the same cadence as yesterday but by the end of the first mile my knees were hurting. I decided it might be better to ease into this thing so I settled back to my normal rhythm. That seemed to work although I felt a slight twinge at times. I ran the whole 6 miles with the last couple being with the wind at my back - which makes it sweatier since nothing evaporates off my face or front. Nevertheless I made it and felt pretty good. My shoulders are still hurting from the rock climbing last Friday so not sure yet what I'm going to do about my off-day exercises. I suppose I can still do the ankle weight routine, but anything involving the shoulders probably needs to wait.

The Rare Monday Run

I ran today because I didn't run Saturday. Friday was a really stupid day at work and then I spent the evening at a rock climbing place with The Boy. All that combined with a dose of ragweed conspired to give me a nice allergy attack Friday evening, and all day Saturday I felt like crap. I've been pretty fortunate so far this year but Saturday was not good. The body aches and general feeling of being drugged stayed with me all day. I meant to go for a run at various times but just couldn't drag myself to do it. I felt better yesterday and again thought about running but never made it out the door. This morning the sky was cloudy after some overnight rain and the air seemed clear. I went out for a 6-miler and felt great, and still do. I'm hoping this weekend was the worst of allergy season.

I finished Born to Run and did a little more research on barefoot running. I don't think it's for me, although I can see the potential benefits along with the possible side effects. The joy of running is what I'm focusing on from the book, and I think somewhere in there it also talked about cadence. I tried that on my run this morning and concentrated on 180 steps/minute. I checked several times with my Garmin and found that I was able to maintain that rate of footfalls for most of the run, even on the hills. When I started out I felt like I was running in place, but that was okay. I ran a little faster today, 9:17/mile, but I attribute that to the 61 degree temperature than I do the change in cadence. I'm going to keep trying and might have to find a metronome for the iPod or some mp3 that has a beat at that rate.

Lake Shore Running

Spent the first half of the week in Chicago and got up early on Tuesday for a run alongside Lake Michigan. It was sunny and humid, and promised to be a hot day. Still, I enjoy that route quite a bit and it ranks in my top five places that I've run so far. Runners and bikers were out in full force. The hotel was north of the Chicago River and a few blocks west of the lake. I ran south past the Navy Pier and around the backside of the aquarium and then the planetarium. Not many were on the part of the lake, and I ran until the concrete petered out. Funny, I forgot to start my GPS when I started and didn't get it going until over a half-mile into the run. I ended up running about 6.15 miles. When I returned to the hotel I was going up to my floor by myself, but then the car stopped on the second floor where the restaurant is located, and three people had to share my stink in the small car. I almost apologized but skipped it since they were enjoying breakfast while I was out sweating.

Today was a pretty hot run at home with the temperature in the upper 80s. It wasn't bad compared to some of the scorchers we've had lately, but I still took my water bottle with me. I ran 6 miles and only walked two minutes on the hill by the golf course. It was an enjoyable run and I only saw three other people out enjoying the day.

Yesterday at the airport I had to buy a new book since I'd finished the book I took with me as well as the new issue of Runner's World. I ended up buying Born to Run. I've heard about this book in the pages of the aforementioned magazine and probably should have borrowed it from the library rather than overpaying for a paperback version, but I was in Chicago and the library was in KC. Nevertheless I devoured the first half of the book by the time the plane landed. The adventure and the writing reminds of Into Thin Air, which I need to re-read. I won't be running barefoot, by any means. The message I've taken away so far is the joy of the ultrarunners in the book. That translated into a few attempts to smile on today's run, which was mildly successful. Guess it needs more work.

Still Humid, Too

This morning I woke up earlier than planned, but that's okay since it allowed me to get out for a run before the day heated up. There were quite a few other exercisers out in the 8 o'clock hour, apparently with the same thought I'd had. I ran 6 miles and ended up at a 9:37/mile pace. Even thought the temperature wasn't bad it was sunny and the humidity made its presence felt. Looks like summer is going to hang around for another week or so, and that's okay with me. I still haven't settled on a late fall/winter race other than wanting to do a couple of 5k races with the family.

Hot Still

I thought we were done with the hottest of the hot weather, but not quite. It's actually supposed to be in the upper 90s again this weekend. Today was about 90 degrees and I took the water bottle with me again. When I walked down to the end of the block I saw a helicopter hovering around the north part of the neighborhood. On my way home two police cars had sped past me with emergency lights and sirens going. So on my run I decided to head north and see if there was anything to see. There wasn't. I did discover a dirt road that will soon be paved, connecting to the next neighborhood up. I ran through there, back around the elementary school, and down the hills to the traffic circles. I walked a couple of times for two minutes each in order to cool down, and decided today was going to be a timed run rather than a distance run. I still went 5 miles and was outside for right about an hour. That seems the way to do it and hopefully I can remember that next year as well.

Noon Run

This morning I was going to get up at a decent time and run earlier in the day since I'm off work. That didn't pan out. Instead I got up about 9:30 and started my run at 11:15. Normally running in the middle of the day like that isn't the best idea, but the heat has broken and it was around 80 degrees. The killer was the constant sunlight, but it still wasn't too bad. I blew off my Saturday run due to extreme laziness. Today I was back to doing a 6-miler and it went okay. I walked up the golf course hill, where the city workers congregated to remove more dead roadside trees. If you take away the walking my pace was around 9:30/mile. I probably should have had more liquids before I left the house but I still made it. Lesson learned for next time, if I remember.

100

It was 100 degrees outside when I left work, and only marginally cooler on the outskirts of town where we live. I decided with that sort of temperature it was best to shoot for 4 miles and that seemed to be about right given that I'm also trying to keep the time outside shorter. I continued the 8/2 practice and ran the hillier part of my route because it also has more shade. This stuff is supposed to break on Monday. Don't know if I'll run or not on Saturday mainly because I don't feel like getting up early again. I saw a couple of cyclists today but no other runners. Weenies.

Another Delayed Post

Ran again yesterday with the temperature at about 95 degrees. I did the 8/2 running/walking thing again and once more it worked very well. I was shooting to be out for 60 minutes and that was about right if I included the walk at the beginning. My total ended up being 5 miles and that seems a good distance in the heat. At times it felt like I was trying to get in as little distance as possible but that's okay. It's supposed to stay hot through the weekend, which means more run/walk sessions.

I Ran Yesterday

Even though it was Saturday I got up early to run before the day got hot. And I'm glad I did. A bunch of other people were out as well. I ran 8 miles and felt pretty good afterward. That gets me up to 20 miles again for the week (or close to it if you're keeping track at home, but I'm going by effort to make up the quarter-mile that I didn't technically run). It's supposed to be hot again this week, and up to 98 degrees by next Saturday. This is like earlier this year, except it was Winter that kept appearing after Spring made an appearance for a few days. Last week it was almost Autumn-like, whereas this weekend and next week we're back to Summer. As I've said before, though, you won't catch me complaining about the heat. Bring it!

91

It was 91 degrees when I went out for a run this afternoon and I changed up my strategy. Again, this is an idea I should have thought of long ago. I decided that rather than running the usual 6 miles I would run/walk for a set amount of time. I set out to run 8 minutes and walk for 2 of every 10 minutes. It kept me from heating up too much. I was aiming for 60 minutes total or just under, but this being my first time to try it I was off by 4 1/2 minutes. I ended up going 5.75 miles. Next time I'll adjust a little more and shave off that extra bit. Didn't see too many other people out in the sun today, but that was no surprise.

Evening Run

Today was an odd day. The air conditioner has frozen up a few times in the past few days, and I thought we had the problem solved with a new filter on Saturday. However, today it froze up again. The Wife texted me about it so I talked with someone at work who's an HVAC expert. He said it was probably the A-coil and told me I needed to get some evaporator cleaner. I spent two hours getting to the interior of the unit, spraying the coils, and putting it back together. Naturally The Wife also had a meeting here tonight. The temperature hasn't gone down much yet but I can't tell if that's because of the a/c or because we have a lot of people in the house.

That's the intro to why I ran at 7 p.m. tonight instead of a couple of hours earlier. That actually turned out to be okay since it was over 90 degrees today. It was still in the upper 80s when I was out but the sun was going down and there was a little bit of a breeze. Unfortunately I forgot to drink something between working on the a/c and running, or it probably would have gone better. In spite of that I still ran the 6 miles at a 9:30 pace. Needless to say, I've been pretty thirsty since getting home.

I Ran on Saturday

Today is Sunday, but I ran yesterday and didn't log it until now. It was a nice 6-miler, run without iPod or Garmin. Also without contact lenses, which I probably should have worn but thought if I was going all-natural I'd go all the way. There were probably a couple dozen other people out running on a nice, cool Saturday morning. No telling how fast I actually ran but it felt pretty good and unstrained. I should have run Thursday in St. Louis but the Virtual Running Partner had work calls and I wasn't particularly motivated to get up early. I keep thinking I need to pick a race to run this fall but haven't done it yet. I was talking with someone at church this morning about races this fall, which should serve as another reminder that I need to get it done.

Two 3-Milers

This morning the Virtual Running Partner was in physical presence instead of the usual virtual reality. He's been nursing an almost-sprained ankle and could only go 3 miles today. He ended up on a phone call for work so I headed out for a solo 3-miler and then came back to get him for the second part of my run and all of his. We kept the pace reasonably slow, clocking in at just about 10 minutes/mile. The sky was overcast and the temperature was in the mid-60s when I started. It was a very nice day for running, and of course it's always good to get together once in a while with my Virtual Buddy.

Neighborhood Run

This morning was mild and sunny. For a change of pace I headed north in the neighborhood, a way I haven't one in a long time. The developers are opening up a new phase and the big earth movers were out putting in sewer and water lines. I used to run this route back in the day when I would loop around the neighborhood several times. Apparently it's been a few years. The street at the north end of the development where I would turn east is now the third street from the end. A lot of homes and families now live in the area, and I had no idea. Before I knew it I'd run a mile and a half and I was still in the neighborhood.

I ran 6 miles all together and took another route through the development to the east of ours that I also used to run. It has a big hill up the middle and then I used to run down one side road or the other. It was nice to change things up so much and kept me from being on the main routes the whole time. By the time I made it home the temperature had risen to 76 degrees, but in August that's certainly nothing to complain about.

Give Me a Break

Today was another of the sporadic breaks in the heat, with plenty of cloud cover to boot. In other words, it was nice. I felt like I was running pretty fast, but that's relative since my overall pace turned out to be 9:37/mile. Not real speedy, but certainly faster than the recent runs during the heat. My pacing was also affected by a lack of sleep last night, I'm sure. Late goings on at work with a crappy computer system meant I had to stay up late on the phone, and then of course I woke up before the alarm went off. Not much fun, but at least tomorrow is Friday. Saw a few people out running today, but not as many as you would think with the cooler weather. I wore the old shoes again as part of my rotation to integrate the new pair, but also because there were some sprinkles on the way home and I didn't want to wear the new ones if it rained.

Wet Air

Thankfully there was plenty of cloud cover for this afternoon's run. In fact, the sun came out just as I finished, a great example of perfect timing. The temperature was 88 degrees and the heat index was 96. Due to the clouds I was able to run, slowly, almost the whole 6 miles. I walked about three minutes on the way back by the golf course. That was because what little wind there was blew from the south and at the time I was running north. Not only did the air feel wet, it felt like a still, smothering blanket. The walk cooled me down enough  to make it the rest of the way home. I saw about five other runners out today, a pretty low number but understandable on a warm, humid day.

Humidity is Tough

This was another day where the temperature was lower but the humidity was sky-high. When I left this morning about 8:30 the temperature was 73 degrees. Right before I started the sun came out and that steamed up things. I ran 6 miles at a decent enough pace, just under 10 minutes/mile, but at times it seemed like things were dragging. I ran over to the Interstate to change the route and came back uphill against the breeze, and I was fine with that. There's a serious lack of shade that way but the wind was definitely a part of my plans. Saw a few people out running, probably a dozen or so, but not nearly as many as when it was cool out. I wore the old shoes again and next week I will rotate in the new ones for two out of the three runs.

August Arrival

The first day of August arrived today with some heat and humidity, but not to the extremes they could be. In fact, this afternoon the high was 89 degrees. I probably should have taken a bottle of water with me, but I didn't. I walked three times from mile 4 on, and although I wasn't in desperate shape it was just me trying to be smart and manage the heat. 89 degrees obviously isn't the same as 100, but it's still pretty darn hot for a runner. The breeze was out of the south, meaning the last two miles were with the wind and therefore not as cool as running into the wind.

I wore the new shoes again and I can definitely tell they're different. I don't like that shoe companies make such major changes between models of the same shoe. If my knees start hurting then I'm going to be ticked.

A Modest Run

The temperature today was in the low 80s but it was plenty humid after some rain the past couple of days. I got about two houses down the block before realizing I left my Garmin at home. I turned back and then decided I'd do this run at my own pace. That was probably a good idea since it kept me more sensitive to speed, which was important with the higher humidity. A few times I felt like I was running too fast and slowed down so I could run the whole 6 miles, and it worked. At the turnaround on Shoal Creek I walked for about 15 seconds but that was to wipe sweat off my face. Other than that I kept the pace at whatever felt comfortable. I wore the old shoes today to alternate with the new ones I wore Saturday and will wear again on Thursday. It's my usual way of breaking in new shoes and getting used to the changes, especially since this model of the Cumulus feels different.

Break in the Heat

Today was a great running day. The temperature this morning when I ran was in about 63 degrees. What a big change from 90+ degrees. I started out slow but picked up the pace as the 6 miles passed under foot, and finished with an overall 9:10 minute/mile pace. The sun was out but not unbearable with such an early Fall-like feel to the day.

I probably saw two dozen other people out running, which has to be the most I've seen in ages. There were even more runners than bikers today, which has not been the case lately. One precept I keep is that I never make fun of other runners in how they run, what they look like, or their attire. I saw one lady today that I've seen before and she's obviously overweight and a little bit older, running at what looks like a 15-minute pace, but you know what? She's out running and I give her credit for that. That's what makes running great in my book. Anyone can do it - you just have to get up off the couch and out the door. You don't have to be fast or even run in a race, but if you get out there then you're a runner. It's not complicated.

More Hotness

Today was again hot, as is usually the case in July, and plenty of humidity to go along with it. Since it was only 85 degrees I split the running to walking ratio as 9:1. It worked just fine and I got in a full 6 miles. I thought about not taking my water bottle with me but I'm glad I did as it came in quite handy. I drank most of it and it was almost completely melted by the time I returned home. Still haven't tried the new running shoes yet - maybe next week.

Lower Temperature, Higher Humidity

I thought it would be better to get up early and run in a lower temperature. I was wrong. I woke up about 7 a.m. and the choice was between running then at a lower temp or waiting until later and knowing I'd sweat it out in the hot sun. The lesson to learn here is that even if it's only 80 degrees outside but the humidity is 70%, it's about as bad as 95 degrees and 50% humidity. Or at least it seems that way. I varied my route and ran up to PVBC, doing two laps around their parking lot so as to stay on relatively level ground for a greater amount of time. That was only mildly helpful as the lightest of breezes was blowing out of the north so any time I was running with the wind it was almost stifling. Even the mostly downhill route back to the neighborhood was tough with the high humidity.

I got a new set of running shoes this past week. I wore them all day yesterday at work for a casual day. One or two more times of wearing them about seems like a good way to break them (and my feet) into the new mold. These are the new model of Asics Gel Cumulus, and they're definitely different than the model I was wearing. The fit seems to be smaller, especially in the upper and in the forefoot. We'll see how well they feel on a run this coming week.

Dog Day

The dog days of summer are definitely here. Today's temperature was 96 degrees and I decided to trim the mileage accordingly. I ran 4 miles and did my run/walk thing on the hills. I headed straightaway to Shoal Creek since at least there's some shade there. This was one of those runs that felt like a lot of effort. In fact I've had 10-mile runs that were easier than this. Even though the mileage wasn't up to my normal outing it certainly felt like more.

Hot Hot Hot

Today it was hot when I ran 6 miles. Like 93 degrees hot with a heat index close to 100. I sweated a lot and walked several times. And then God sent a big cloud overhead for the last 1.5 miles and I was okay.

The fact that I'm getting older and seem to keep waking up at an earlier time than my regular sleeping late each morning actually worked in my favor this morning. Here in mid-July I would expect the temperature to climb rapidly every day but today it rose slower and not as high. I woke up by 7 a.m. and was on the road at 7:45. I varied the usual route and went 7 miles. I did walk about three and a half minutes up the big hill on Flintlock but otherwise did pretty well to keep in the shade of the trees and houses along the route. I went without music and enjoyed the quiet of the morning before it got busy. Another good easy run during a summer that hasn't been too bad so far this year.

90 Is Not 100

My water bottle still had ice in it when I finished. It's amazing how much difference 10 degrees can make. I did the walk/run thing again but spread it out a little bit and not as often. I went 19 minutes and then walked one, and then about another 15 minutes before walking up a hill. Then it was just walking up a couple more hills but for the most part I kept it going. I went the full 6 miles this time and felt decent at the end. My overall pace, including the walking, ended up being about 10:50/mile. That seems about right for a guy who was out for an easy run, not trying to kill himself. I'm enjoying the hotter weather. Apparently not so much with other runners since I don't see many out this week and probably won't next week as well since it's going to stay hot.

Heated Up

To merely call yesterday's run a hot one would be a disservice to actual hot days. It was 97 degrees, sunny, and humid. So naturally it was perfect for a run. I took my water bottle, which was filled with frozen solid ice. I told myself I would run as far as I could with as many walk breaks as I needed. And I needed plenty. The first three miles or so I did the run eight minutes/walk two minutes routine, and it worked pretty well. Once I got into the bigger hills I walked the uphills, and that seemed to go okay as well. I decided 5 miles was a good enough distance, and by the time I got home I'd probably walked a quarter of it. By forty minutes into the outing my ice was completely thawed and starting to become closer to the outdoor temperature than to freezing. I did see one other runner and two walkers (not zombies, fortunately). I don't mind the heat too much. It's summer; this is how it's supposed to be.

Red Cedar Run

In Wisconsin for the weekend and took off down the Red Cedar State Trail this morning. It was reasonably warm and plenty humid. I like this trail since it's mostly shaded and meanders along the Chippewa River, which creates pleasant, relaxing sounds on its way over rocks and submerged treefalls. The mosquitoes were out but not too bad, just mildly annoying. For a Saturday morning I expected to see more people. A dad and his two sons took off from the parking lot on their bikes shortly after I did, and I saw a couple of other bikers, a couple out for a walk, and two other runners. I went 6 miles and averaged right at 10 minutes/mile. I enjoy running this trail but have to admit any time I'm here I imagine it covered in snow.

Moving Break

Last week I helped The Parents move and I have to admit it kicked my butt. I helped on Thursday, my normal running day, and it wore me out. The temperature was about 90 degrees, not too bad, but the humidity was high. That night I woke up in the middle of the night and my back was killing me. We finished moving them on Friday and I knew it was wise to skip running on Saturday as well. I thought about running yesterday, which was a Monday, but we were up late Sunday night at Shakespeare in the Park and I felt like dog crap all day. Today, though, I was ready to get back to it. The temp was a mild 83 degrees and a few big clouds covered the sun for about 2/3 of the 6 miles at various intervals. Since the weather was cooler than last week and I was mostly running in shade I went the whole distance without walking and finished at a 9:40 pace. It was nice to get back into the groove.

One More Break

Storms rolled through this morning and made this afternoon very, very humid. Once again I caught a break and clouds kept the temperature down to the high 80s. I practiced my walk/run method again and it worked great. I was dripping with sweat like a wet sponge when I got home, but once more I wasn't worn out like I used to be on these hot runs. I went the full 6 miles and with the walking my pace was 10:30/mile. The success of this new method thus far makes me wonder why I didn't think of it years ago. Too stubborn and wanted to get in every bit of the distance running, I suppose.

Walks Allowed

This morning was not a major sleep-in day for a change. I woke up by 8 o'clock and knew I needed to get out the door before the heat ramped up. Once again the humidity was high and the shade sporadic. My goal was to get 7 miles in and I was able to do so with a few walks. I've certainly evolved on this position over the years but it seems to be paying off. If I'd tried to push for running that far without breaks I don't know that I would have made it. I walked four times (I think), timing the cooldowns to the big hills on the route, or at least most of them. It worked and I think it's better for me to go into a run with the attitude that I will probably be walking since otherwise I beat myself up about it afterward.

Also kind of funny today was the number of people I saw running who were dressed similarly to me. I wore black shorts and a blue sleeveless technical shirt - we called them muscle shirts back in the day but that seems like a misnomer now. I passed one guy whose shirt was even the same shade as mine and sleeveless as well. He was walking while his wife had run ahead. Later on they met up and he started running again and they passed me. We might have the same fashion designer but he was faster. Anyway, it was just kind of funny to see so many people wearing the same color scheme. Glad everyone got the memo.

No Break Today

Well, the break from the weather...broke today. It was 93 degrees out there this afternoon, sun shining, and a good stiff breeze. Oh, and it was humid. The Wife questioned me when I was dressing for the run, asking me if I'd been outside. I went out with a plan again, and once again it worked. After the first nine minutes I walked one. Then I went to eight minutes running followed by two walking. I followed that for the most part except for the hills near the golf course, where I variously spaced the runs to match the big hills. I was pretty wiped out when I got home, but not nearly as bad as if I'd tried to run the whole thing and ended up in even worse shape. I think I can continue this pattern as the summer progresses, although on some of the future runs I'll need to take a water bottle with me. I don't usually weigh myself post-run, but after sweating so much I jumped on the scale and it read 159.2. I then drank half a bottle of sports drink, which was about 16 oz., and then weighed again. Strangely enough it read 160.2. How about that? Can't remember if I've talked about weight on here or not, but the low 160s seems to be the weight that I gravitate to if I'm in decent shape. Much more than that and I can tell. Like a lot of people my weight fluctuates but I don't worry about it a lot, going mostly by the way I feel. Vacations are bad for that, but at least so far in this life I can get back to a certain level fairly easy. In this weight-obsessed culture I give as much thought to my weight as I do to "celebrities" or reality shows.

Another Good Day

Once again I lucked into some cloud cover and still mild temperature for today's run. A big storm system passed by on the west side of the city and it kept the sun at bay. I thought for a bit that it might head our way but it stayed away. The humidity was still high, and after the first mile I walked for a minute. When I continued and kept the pace reasonable I realized I wouldn't need to do the run/walk thing like I did last week. I kept a good run going for the full 6 miles and finished with a 9:45 pace, even with that minute of walking. I'm enjoying the off and on rain over the last few weeks, especially since I haven't had to water the lawn yet.

Wandering

Caught another break today with some high clouds and a temperature in the low 80s for the morning run. Rather than pick a route beforehand I figured I would run between 7-8 miles and go where my feet took me. I ran up to 291, then back down Flintlock, took a left to go up to Pleasant Valley Baptist Church, then back to Flintlock and Target before setting my sights on getting home. The morning was quite humid and I kept the pace deliberately slow, especially on all those hills where I tend to speed up. I walked the big hill on Flintlock on the way back for almost four minutes, but I knew I needed to rather than killing myself on it. It was a smart move. Overall I went 7-1/3 miles, which is an odd number, but basically I just ran until I got back to where I normally end. I could have added a little more to get to 7.5, but why?

Yesterday I was looking at a map of the area online and noticed a "Ancient Family Cemetery" in a very odd place just off Flintlock. There are some newer apartments on the west side of the road just south of where the new library is going in. When I reached that area I walked into a small grove of trees on a little hill and sure enough, there was an old white marble marker. It was about three feet tall, rectangular, with names on each of the four sides. The oldest was someone born in 1784 (I think) who died in 1829 (or 1789-1824, can't remember which since I was in the middle of working out). The others were from a similar timeframe. I had no idea it was there until yesterday and I've driven and run by that area hundreds of times. It was a nice surprise and very cool that whoever has built up that area left it untouched, kind of like a hidden treasure in the shade of the trees.

Catching a Break

Today's conditions were a gift from God after Tuesday's inferno. It was cloudy and the temperature was about 83 degrees, a nice break from two days ago. I was prepared to walk several times but I kept my pace slow enough (about 9:40/mile) that I didn't overheat and was able to run the whole 6 miles. I felt good the whole time and several times backed off a faster pace, knowing the humidity and still-warm temperatures could cause me to crater easily.

I pulled a muscle in my back yesterday on the left side. It was causing some pain late yesterday and early this morning. I have no idea how I pulled it. It's somewhat better now since I've been babying it. From past experience going on a run doesn't do anything to aggravate pulled muscles like this unless it's really bad. In fact I think it does the opposite since a run relives stress and loosens up most of muscle groups. I'm sure chiropractors might have a different opinion, but that's what works for me.

Suddenly Summer

After work the temperature on my truck readout showed 97 degrees but was down to 95 when I got home. After my run it was 92. I planned ahead to play it smart today. I ran slow with a walk break every ten minutes. My first break was a one-minute walk, then up to 90 seconds for the next two breaks. Then I went to two-minute breaks the rest of the time and that worked perfectly, keeping my core temperature down and not overdoing it on the hottest day of the year so far. I went the whole 6 miles and was able to keep from feeling completely worn out by the end. Let's hope I can keep this in mind as the summer goes along.

Pleasant Saturday

I laid around far longer than I should have this morning and decided it would be best to eat breakfast before going out for a run. I finally exited the house about 11 a.m. The temperature was pleasant enough in the low 70s with a nice southerly breeze. I ran all the way up to Highway 291 and did a loop on a few side streets before doing the rest of my regular route. I felt much better today than I had on the previous runs this week. My goal was to go 7 miles and that's exactly what I did. I walked a few minutes by the golf course as the temperature was getting warmer by that time and I felt the need to cool down. I feel better about today's run and hopefully next week's outings will continue the upswing.

More Humidity?

Another so-so run today that I thought would go better. The temperature was 73 degrees but I still never felt great. I thought it might be humidity again but upon further review it wasn't hat bad. Maybe I'm just having a tough time getting things going again after being on vacation. I felt the urge to walk at one point but finished the 6 miles without doing so. The clouds were out for part of the run as well so don't know what the problem was today. We'll see how Saturday's run goes and if it's any better.

Pumping Up the Humidity

My suspicions while on today's run were confirmed when I arrived home and pulled up a weather web site. The temperature was 73 degrees, but the heat index (if you believe in such things) was 80 degrees. I knew it was a good day for a run, but it rained earlier and with all the wet stuff we've been getting lately it combined to drive up the humidity. That made what should have been an easy run in a moderate temperature into a little more difficult run with lots of sweat. I went the whole 6 miles without walking and kept throttling back my pace. I still finished at 9:40 per mile, which was probably too fast but hey, I made it and felt okay at the end. If rating today's run I'd say it was average - not good, not bad, just a run with no pains or major complaints.

Three Runs and a Fall

I've been on vacation this past week and very remiss in logging my runs. I will gladly refund a prorated portion of the subscription price for anyone who wants it.

Last Saturday the Virtual Running Partner and I went out for a 6-miler. We thought about doing 7 miles but it was humid and very sunny, with the temperature around 80 degrees. We walked a few times since he's not used to running on hills like we have in the area. Not a horrible run, and not a great run. Sometimes the runs are just...there.

On Wednesday we suited up for a 4-miler. This one was better, mainly because it was shorter. Strangely enough there were plenty of people out at noon on the mid-week day. This was a run where we probably could have gone longer, but there was no need to since we're not training for anything at this point.

Today was back to solo running, and I went 6 miles. It was a good run, although my last few miles were a little slower, and here's why. I was running north on Shoal Creek after making my turnaround. On the way south I'd noticed a city worker on the grass in the wide center median walking around and taking notes. As I came even with him on the return trip I ran across a cross street and wouldn't you know, my left foot kicked into one of the loops on my right shoelaces and down I went. This is the first time I've fallen in a couple of years, at least, and a lovely reminder that I need to monitor my shoelaces better. Anyway, I put out my hands and did a roll onto my right hip. I scraped my right knee a little, but not too bad, and my hands were barely scraped. I jumped up and kept running. I looked over at the guy in the median, who was talking on the phone, and he signaled to see if I was all right. I gave him the thumbs up and kept going. A half-mile later I slowed to walk up the hill by the golf course and did a better survey of my injuries. Even now my hip is a little stiff, but otherwise I came out of it okay. Some days you're just a klutz, I suppose.

Great Day for Running

Today was a real Spring day. The temperature was in the 60s, the sky was overcast, there was a nice little breeze, and it wasn't too humid. I forgot my Garmin at home so I have no idea how fast I ran, but for the most it felt like a faster-than-normal 6-miler. It must have been pretty good timewise since I got home at 5:45, which couldn't have been much more than an hour since I'd left, including the beginning and cooldown walks. I felt good, strong, and focused on the run. So far allergies haven't kicked in too bad and I'm enjoying the outdoors as much as I can before ragweed season hits. Not suffering makes a run like today so much better. People who live without allergies are very fortunate, and today I got a taste of what that's like.

Storm-Free Run

Yesterday a big tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, and today they had more thunderstorms. Very tragic. Here it was a nice day, a little overcast at times, but no storms in the area. The temperature was a nice 73 degrees and a nice little wind from the northwest that kept me cool. I ran the standard 6-mile route and because of the somewhat cooler temperature (as compared to Saturday) I ran at a 9:47 pace. Still acclimating to the warmer temps but days like today help since they're a nice transition from cooler to warmer.

Skipping Spring

On today's run I thought several times that we had skipped Spring and gone straight to Summer. That's not unheard of in these parts. The main reasons were a temperature in the 80s, full-on sunshine, and plenty of humidity. I planned to go 8 miles, and that's exactly what I did, albeit with a few periods of walking, including one extended time on the way back east on 96th Street. The run pretty much wore me out, which is fine, and I definitely look like I got a lot of sun today, especially combined with the weekend outing for lawncare. Today's run means I got in a full 20 miles for the week. My goal is to keep that going and maybe increase a little over the next month or so.

Not as Hot

Today the temperature was only 81 degrees, and my overall pace for 6 miles was 10:04/mile. I ran the whole way, which means I paced myself correctly. It was a good run. I've been listening to DBT on my runs lately in anticipation of the concert next weekend. My left knee was hurting today at work but gave me absolutely no issues on the run today. I still think it's related to my trip a couple of weeks ago and every now and then I tweak it while wearing dress shoes or banging it into a corner of the desk. Right now, no problem. We'll see how it feels tomorrow.

Hot and Tough

I knew going into it that today's run was not going to be a good one, but I ran anyway. I knew this for several reasons:

#1- I was awakened suddenly early this morning at 2:30 a.m. by the smoke alarm. I was awake for about two hours after that. I know from experience that when I don't get good sleep my runs are subpar.
#2 - The temperature soared to 91 degrees (or more) this afternoon.
#3 - When I took my first couple of steps into the run I was met by a blast of wind from the southwest.

I took it slow and walked when I had to up the big hills, three times. It was as tough as I expected but not bad enough to keep me from going the full 6 miles. I'll take this temperature over freezing cold days any chance I get.

The Rare Friday Run

I didn't run yesterday because The Family came home and it would have been rude to leave for an hour just a few minutes after they pulled into the garage. I postponed until today and it was worth it. Most of the day it was cloudy and almost cool, but when I got home the clouds started breaking and the day warmed. It was probably in the mid-70s by the time I got home and I sweated a lot more than I thought I would when I left the house. I took the route up toward the elementary school, which turned out to be a lot of uphill against a north wind. Overall my pace turned out to be about 9:25 which wasn't bad given the temperature. I'll get my third run for the week in tomorrow or Sunday. I'm flexible about that.

Sweating with an Oldie

Today we're back on track for Spring. The temperature was about 75 degrees and the sun was out, albeit with a scattered cloud in the way here and there. Off the treadmill and back outside I went for 6 miles. My left knee had been achy the past few days, which I attributed to sitting on a plane for four-plus hours last Thursday. At least that's when I first noticed it. Today I felt no pain during the run and it's okay afterward as well. It was warm, relatively, that a couple of times sweat dropped from my head onto an arm or leg and once I looked up at the clouds to see if it was sprinkling. Guess it's time to start getting into slower and sweatier runs as summer draws closer.

The Runs in Atlantic City

This past week I was on travel status for work in Atlantic City. The conference I attended was at a casino there, and they pretty much try and make it so you never have to leave the grounds. And if I wasn't a runner I probably wouldn't have done so. But being from the desert I at least have to get out to look at the ocean, which I think I've said before is endlessly fascinating to me. The weather was cool and extremely windy the whole time I was there, but I went running anyway.

I was going to go early on Monday morning before the meetings started, but it was raining and I went back to bed. Tuesday was cloudy and the rain seemed to linger in the morning, but I was able to get out that afternoon. I ran south along the boardwalk, all the way to where it ended. The waves were crashing in on the beach due to the wind, which was behind me for the first half. When I reached the end of the boardwalk I turned around into a very strong headwind. It was slow going at a few points but I endured. There was a fishing pier that I wanted to go on to get closer to the surf but it was fenced off about halfway down so I only was able to go a few paces. Some of the properties I ran past were remodeling and advertised a condo on the beach for $1.8 million, or one a few lots back toward the city for only $750k. Crazy. I went a full 6 miles and running on wood the whole time was a new experience. The part of the boardwalk going south was in good shape, much different from the next day's run.

I knew the weather was going to be cold when I returned home so I went ahead and ran on Wednesday as well. This time I headed north, starting out against the wind this time in order to have it at my back for the second half, going past the most heavily populated parts of the boardwalk. There were plenty of people out but because of the weather it wasn't overly crowded. At one point I passed a small group gathered around a guy lying on the ground. A policeman was there as well and I couldn't tell if the guy had passed out or if something else was going on. Anyway, once I reached the last hotel in line going north the boardwalk suddenly became deserted and the quality of the boardwalk itself deteriorated. Many of the boards were splintered and a few times felt like they could give way under my feet. My plan was to follow the path around the north side of the point, but I reached a point where it was blockaded and I could go no further. The buildings were in bad shape, including one that must have been a hotel at some point and then became a run-down apartment building. It looked to me like once you get away from the tourist parts of the city that the rest of it's not in the best of shape. Since I had run only a bit over two miles my plan to run with the wind behind me for the last half was thwarted. Once I reached my original starting point I had to run another .8 miles south and turned back to get the wind in the face again for the final push. I got in my 6 miles but it wasn't how I'd originally planned it. Good thing I'm flexible.

I returned to snow in Kansas City. It was coming down as the plane landed, the first snowfall in May in these parts in over a century. Today it was still cold and misty in the morning, and I ran 6 miles on the treadmill. It's supposed to warm up again tomorrow. Maybe this time it'll stick.

They Lied

Today was supposed to be nice, or at the least not rainy. The weatherman lied. Again. This morning it was cool and misty/sprinkly with a cool breeze from the north. I took The Boy to breakfast for his birthday and saw several people running, thinking to myself I was going to wait a good long while before joining them. As it was, the precipitation mostly stopped by 10 a.m. I put on my long pants and a long-sleeved T, which seemed somewhat lacking as I saw other people more bundled up during my 6 mile run. I was fine, though, which is what matters. Overall the run was pretty good and I finished at a 9:06 pace without feeling like I was pushing it too fast. I felt more relaxed than I have the past few weeks, and that's probably because I don't have to be in the office for a week. Amazing how that helps.

Back to Spring

After a final dose of wintry-like weather today we were back to a gorgeous day. I went out at lunch to run some errands and was excited all afternoon about getting out for a run after work. I was not disappointed. The temperature was in the mid-60s with a light breeze and plenty of sun. Just the cure for the wintertime blues. After ditching Tuesday's run because of the cold and rain I was glad to run my usual 6-mile course. Lots of other people were out running, walking, and biking, which was no surprise. At about the halfway mark I felt a little weirdness in my gut, kind of low down center/left, almost like a stitch but not quite. I walked up the hill by the golf course on the way back for a minute or so but it didn't really help any. I don't feel any lasting effects but I suppose it's something to keep an eye on in the future. If every day was as nice as today this would be a great place to live.

Sunny Saturday

It seems Winter still wants to hang around a little bit more, but Saturday was a nice day. I could have waited until later in the day to get a little more warmth, but it seemed best to get the day going. I ran 6 miles and overall felt pretty good. The twinge in my left knee from a few days before was gone, which was encouraging. I managed to avoid the neighborhood garage and the usual accompanying bad drivers. I also mowed once I returned home, so I definitely got in my exercise for the day. It looks like more bad, or at least cold, weather is on the way this week. What a weird year for weather.

Winter Is Still Here

I thought winter was gone, but that's not the case. Today's high was about 40 degrees and windy. On my way home I knew there was no way I was going to run outside. I ran 5 miles on the treadmill and the heater was running in the house. Crazy.

Yesterday afternoon and into the evening I felt a twinge in my left knee. It's the usual soreness that happens when I get new shoes, whether running or work. I felt it a couple of times when I woke up during the night and decided I should wear my old dress shoes to work today. I did that and everything is fine. I've had my new dress/work shoes for about a month and that's all I can point to as the problem since my running shoes haven't changed. We'll see how it goes over the next week or so, but as necessary I might mix in the old ones. I do need new running shoes as well but that's a topic for another day.

Getting Warmer

We had a cold spell this week, regressing into a little bit of winter, and I chose to refrain from running on Thursday rather than going out in the cold. Today was better as we ascend toward real Springtime temperatures. I stuck with a 6-miler even though I could have gone further, but decided there was no point in going a couple of extra miles after missing a session. When I was out earlier running an errand with The Wife we saw a lot of people running, walking and biking. By the time I went out about an hour later I saw two people on bikes and one runner. Guess everybody was trying to get in their exercise early in the day. I'm just glad that Winter seems to be behind us and we're headed toward warmer weather for good.

A Slower Form of Variety

Went the variety route again today for 6 miles, albeit a little slower this time. A pretty strong wind was coming out of the south but it mostly worked in my favor, helping me up some long hills. It was also quite humid, and the part where I wasn't running against the wind was very sweaty since there was no breeze to cool me from the front. Not a bad run overall, and not a great one. My pace was about 9:35 overall, but I ran the whole way and feel good several hours afterward. I guess that should count as a successful run.

More Variety

Today I continued the trend I started Thursday and ran 7 miles over a course I haven't run in a while. The temperature was nice enough but there was a strong wind out of the south. I also seem to be doing some unintentional hill training with the choices of the last few outing. I hit the top of one hill while going south on Flintlock and about got blown back down the hill. It was good, though, and I felt strong the whole way.

Last night I made the mistake of looking at my weight, which was pretty stupid considering it was the end of the day and I hadn't exactly been the model of moderation yesterday. Even so, I was appalled. Looks like I need to stop snacking so much and doing a better job of meal management.

Variety

Today I decided it was time to shake things up. I have a normal 6-mile route that I've traversed for several years. Yesterday I was thinking ahead to today's run and a little spark flared up, telling me I should go for a little variety. The problem with that thought is that the new path is much hillier than my regular run, as if that's possible. Even when I was out in today's gorgeous weather I thought about taking the path of least resistance, as it were. But no, I stayed on the north side of the street and veered right when I should have turned left at Albuquerque. Yes, the hills were as bad as I remembered them, but I took them slow. Even so I finished below a 9:30 pace. With a day as nice as this any bad thoughts just didn't matter. I enjoyed the change of scenery, even the amusement of a cyclist coming up the hill behind me as he talked on his cell phone. Looks like I should shoot for more variety in my runs. I was thinking my body is probably so used to the ups and downs and all the little quirks of my usual run that it needs to be shaken out of its stupor. Not that my body is stuporific, but hey, it looks like variety is a good thing.

Past the Rain

I suited up to run on Saturday morning in the midst of Easter week craziness. The first time I got to the front porch it was sprinkling. I decided to wait, not wanting to get caught in a cool, almost cold, Spring rain. After about an hour I figured the time was right and was getting ready to go again when I looked out at the deck and noticed it was sprinkling again. I decided that was enough since we had things to do and took the day off.

Today was another story. I was worn out from work - again - but knew I needed to run. Tuesdays seem to grind me down, for some reason. Anyway, the temperature was about 50 degrees with a cool breeze from the north. I donned shorts and a long-sleeved technical T and hit the streets. Overall my time for 6 miles was just under a 9:15 pace, no doubt aided by the cooler temp and my desire to get back inside.

I suppose it's time to pick a race in order to have a goal this year. I was trying to remember the date of my last marathon. If I have that much trouble remembering when it was then it's definitely time to run another.

Outside Again

The snow has mostly melted and the sidewalks were clear again today. On top of that it was 62 degrees when I left work, sunny, and with very little wind. Again, one of those nice days where if I'd tried to not run then I probably would have hurt myself with the effort. At least this time I recalled my previous too-fast runs and went out at a better pace. Overall I finished with about a 9:35 pace for the 6 miles, which is fine with me. I looked at the Garmin a few times but mostly ran by feel. It paid off and I had a great run. Hopefully the snow is gone for good.

Reality is Cold

Back from my trip and back in the Midwest. Today's forecast was for rain and snow, with an accumulation between 4 to 8 inches. The rain was supposed to start at 4 p.m. and transition to snow at about 9 in the evening. The snow actually started right away a little after 4, so I'm guessing the pile of snow outside will be closer to 8" than 4". That said, I didn't much feel like running outside and being cold today. I stayed indoors on the treadmill and did my 6 miles while watching the very first Star Trek movie with the younger kids. Apparently they (the producers, not the kids) were very proud of their special effects. That movie seemed to try and split the difference between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars and not being successful in either direction. The kids' reaction: weird. And they're right.

San Francisco

Went to San Francisco this week for work and was able to fit in a couple of runs. Which I have to say I was a little more excited about than the work, but I tend to be that way. Running is fun, and work...well, work is work. My hotel was about a mile from the Moscone Center, and I quickly remembered how hilly SF is. The walk back each day was about three blocks of steep uphill walking. The weather was decent, although a bit cool in the evenings. More about that later.

On Monday I set out for the beach. I took the Muni to Ocean Beach, and that in itself was an experience. I figured the Muni was like a subway, stopping at each station along the way, but no, it wasn't. The train functioned more like a bus, dropping off passengers whenever they signalled for a stop. There weren't that many people on the train, but after every stop the "Request Stop" light lit up immediately again. I thought we'd never get there. I suppose you get used to it if you ride every day.

Upon arriving at the last stop I disembarked and walked across the highway to the beach. It was an overcast day with a nice breeze. Ocean Beach was pretty much uninhabited except for a few brave souls. I'm fascinated with the ocean and large bodies of water, having grown up in the desert Southwest where we had neither. Dang, the ocean is big. I love the sound of the crashing waves and the sizzle as the foam sinks into the sand. The vastness of the water is impressive to see in scale with people standing at the water's edge. The path north started on the beach and then onto the promenade paralleling the sand. Lots of sea gulls but still not many people. I stopped numerous times to take pictures, and this particular run was more a mixture of stopping, walking, and jogging than a straight run. I walked up the incline to the Cliff House and stopped again to take pictures of the rocks just off the beach. Then I took a path to the Sutro Baths. The deck there had great views and the first glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge towers. Then it was into the woods along Land's End and the trails leading east. The paths were up and down and definitely not made for bikes, with plenty of rocks and roots and stairs.

I finally came out on El Camino Del Mar and through a very nice neighborhood. I'm sure these homes are very pricey, especially given the location. Down some steps onto Baker Beach, where I went down closer to the waves and got some sea-level pictures. Then it was onto the Battery to Bluffs Trail, which is very rugged. By the time I was getting close to the end of it I'd already topped 6 miles on my GPS and felt every bit of it. I did a fair bit of walking on this part of the trail since it was so up-and-down and had lots of stairs. I took one wrong path at one of the batteries but quickly backtracked to make it down where I could cross under the bridge. Once on the east side of the bridge I turned down another dirt road that would have ultimately taken me to the path I wanted, but I turned back and found a quicker way. At that point the rest of the run was flat. I finally stopped running for good at the 9-mile mark and walked the rest of the way to the cable car stop. That was another experience in itself as I had to wait 45 minutes and the wonderful crews were clearly in no hurry. I realize now that it's not a good idea to count on the cable cars as reliable or timely transportation since they're made for tourists. As it was I stood in the darkening evening and the nice breeze and became progressively colder. The hot shower when I finally made it back to the hotel felt awesome.

Wednesday I took the aforementioned unreliable cable car to Fisherman's Wharf and headed west along the same route I'd finished with on Monday. This is the Bay Trail, part of which runs along the northern perimeter of the San Francisco peninsula. On this particular day it was misty and somewhat foggy. The rain never seemed to pick up much during the day so I ventured out, and lo and behold it actually stopped a couple of miles into it. This route skirts the yacht club, another fascinating sight that we didn't have in the desert. This time I navigated my way up to the Golden Gate Bridge and ran along the east sidewalk, stopping at regular intervals to take pictures. I discovered the buoy in the harbor below the bridge sounds off exactly every twenty seconds, and the effect was pretty cool in the partial fog. The tops of the bridge towers were shrouded in mist. Overall it was a damp outing that I totally enjoyed. I hoped to see some of the big cargo ships pass under the bridge while I was there but none did, maybe allowing to the fog. I ran back along the same path and ended up at 7.58 miles for the run. Then I went a few extra blocks to Fisherman's Wharf, where I grabbed clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, a bottle of water, and an Anchor Steam. All tasted great. Instead of going to the cable car nearest the wharf I went inland a couple of blocks and got onto one with a smaller waiting line. Again, the crew wasn't in a hurry but at least I had to wait only 15 minutes or so. Again, the hot shower felt great.

I totally enjoyed my outings in SF. It's a gorgeous area and the run across the bridge should be on every runner's list of things to do. The area west of there along the beach and the bluffs is now one of my favorite scenic runs ever. It's one of those things I wouldn't have done unless I was a runner. Getting out and seeing the sights is one of the benefits of running. Exploring a new area is fun, and unless I was a runner I likely wouldn't do so much of it. The work part of the trip wasn't so bad, but the running part was truly outstanding. Maybe next time I'll be able to share it with someone.

Garmin Mistake

Today was 6 miles in colder, windier weather than it has been this past week. I muddled through and found that I was still running too fast. My overall pace was 9:10/mile, way too fast for a long run. For some reason I've been having trouble slowing down these last two runs. It wasn't as bad today, but I consciously had to keep applying the brakes.

But that's not what today's main point was. After I got home I was going to charge my Garmin before the upcoming trip. When I put it in its cradle and plugged it in the screen didn't display the usual message saying charging is in progress. I tried a few different outlets with the same result. I decided to look up online how to reset the device, which I've done before but it's been awhile. I pressed the buttons as told and it asked me if I wanted to delete all data. I went ahead and said yes, which I had done the previous time. In retrospect I should have thought about it a little more. I haven't been downloading data for quite a long time because the program on the computer crashes any time it starts. Well, come to find out they had an update that solved that issue. I installed the update and sure enough the program started up with no problem. Unfortunately the last run it had downloaded from my Garmin was November of 2011. So I lost all the data for well over a year's worth of runs. Darn it. At least I have the record of all those on this blog, but it would have been nice to have a little more info in a different form. I'm not going to cry too much, though. At least my GPS still works and helps me out during my runs, which is the main purpose I like about it. Maybe I could have saved the data, maybe not. Chalk it up as just another lesson learned.

Mistake

I was just too excited for yesterday's run. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid-60's. It was one of those gorgeous days where the wind was breezy rather than overwhelming, the kind that's rare around these parts. I started thinking about this run the night before, and even left work early in order to fully enjoy it. So of course I started out too fast and had trouble slowing down the whole time. It wasn't until 4.5 miles into it that I finally slowed down where I wanted to be, and that was only because i had run too fast for too long and couldn't do it any longer. I finished the 6 miles without walking, though. When I slowed down to a 9:15 pace it felt like I was crawling, and even more so when I got to a 10-minute pace.

I saw a lot of people out, mostly women, as well as a few bike riders. Apparently everyone had Spring fever and needed to get outdoors. Next week I'll be in California and I'm looking forward to several runs there.

Wind

Today was quite windy, which in turn made it quite cool. On my way home from work I thought it would be okay to run without head covering or gloves, but I was wrong. In fact, by the time I headed out snow flurries were falling from the sky. It didn't last long, petering out within the first mile, but it was kind of cool to run in it for a few minutes without suffering a major snowfall. Because of the cold I ran pretty fast, finishing the 6 miles at a 9:11 overall pace. However, that included two minutes of walking up a steep hill against the wind. That means my actual running pace was just under 9 minutes. It felt pretty effortless, except of course when I was going against the wind. I felt kind of blah all day at work and thought about skipping a run, but it was also one of those days where I knew I needed to do it and kick some endorphins into my system. Overall it was a good run and the musical accompaniment from Mark Knopfler was top-drawer.

Run Before Rain

Today's forecast called for rain, which I mostly avoided. It sprinkled on me a little while I was out this morning, but not too bad. I was going to go 8 miles but stopped at 6 because I felt like it. Sometimes that's just the way it is. I dug into some past podcasts for my accompaniment today and it was enjoyable. I saw several other people out running and biking even though the weather wasn't that great. I think they were trying to get their routine done before it started raining steadily in the afternoon. In fact, when I went out late in the afternoon I did see a couple of people running in the drizzle. Guess they didn't have the chance to run in the morning, and I know what that's like. God bless 'em for persevering.

The Melt Show

The snow has been melting slowly as the week goes by, and chances are looking good for even further melting over the next two days as the temperature climbs into the 50s. I considered running on the treadmill but decided I would rather be outside. It was sunny and a little breezy. Snow gummed up the sidewalks at times but I was able to run or walk around it. At one point I felt like I was running some intervals because I ran in the street until a car showed up in order to get past snowy sidewalks. I found enough dry concrete to run a full 6 miles. Hopefully on Saturday I can run outside without having to trudge through snow. One other good thing was that I kept the uppers dry on my shoes. I was afraid I'd end up running with cold, squishy footwear but managed to avoid that. Along with some good news toward the end of the work day I had a pretty good day.

Snow Remains

I ran 7 miles on the treadmill today because there are big piles of white stuff still infesting the city. Seriously, it's going to be a long time before it goes away. If not for the treadmill I'd be stuck doing nothing and losing what level of fitness I have. The TV also helps. Eventually I'll get cabin fever and go running outside before I should, but for now I'm okay. Pay no attention to that twitch.

Change Up

It was another run on the treadmill today since that darned snow is still piled high all over the city. Rather than just go for a straight run I decided to change it up and make it a fartlek run. I did a 2:30-3-4-3-2:30 pattern and pumped up the pace from 6 miles/hour to 7.5 miles/hour. In the measurements used by everybody but the people who make treadmills, it was from a 10 minutes/mile pace to 8:30 minutes/miles. Overall I went 6 miles and felt good the whole way.

So why do treadmill manufacturers make their equipment with the measurements that way? It makes us have to do math, but that can't be the reason. Maybe it's for the more casual users. Or maybe the common man (and woman) is more easily capable of figuring out that type of system as opposed to those of us who live and die with pace and trying to hit a certain number. It's annoying, but it's what I would call a 21st-century First World problem. Kind of like the person who complains how when they use the remote start on their car and the seat warmers don't come on. Yeah, it's not really a problem.

Snow Again

I was right. We were blasted with snow last night to top off the snow that fell last week while away. It was enough to make deep piles on all the sidewalks and roads. Which means I ran on the treadmill for 5 miles. Sigh.

Last Run Outside

One more run in Texas in nice weather before returning to the snowy Midwest. Today we ran another 4 miles in sunny, reasonably warm temperatures. I knew as we went that it could be a couple of weeks, at the least, before I get to run outside again. The KC area got a foot of snow a couple of days ago and now the prediction is for another 8-10 inches (at this point) for Monday. I thought I'd missed the big snow of the season but apparently not completely. Darn it. I need to live someplace where it doesn't snow.

Texas Again

Another good run today in Texas. Yesterday it was cold and rainy, and today it turned nice again. It was 52 degrees with no wind, or at most a little breeze from the south. I ran 4 miles again with the Virtual Running Partner and his ankle continues to improve. I'm especially grateful to be running in Texas since today snow hit Kansas City in what the weather sites refer to as a blizzard. Ha! I am so glad I missed that.

More Texas

Another run in Texas this morning, this time for 4 miles. It was a new route near Brad's house, through a nice neighborhood and even nicer lake area. The weather was a little cooler but that's okay, because it still wasn't as bad as home. The rest of the day was spent at the record store and playing penny can. It was a good day.

Texas Run

Today we're in Texas and the weather is outstanding. It's vacation time and normally I'd slack off, but I don't want to lose the training I've developed recently. I'm feeling good about my running and don't want to go back to ground zero, so I brought my stuff and plan to run four times this week. The wind was out of the south today but I didn't mind. All I brought to wear for running and shorts and short-sleeved Ts, which means it better stay nice. I went a full 8 miles today and finished with an overall 9:23 pace. Not bad for a long run the day after driving nine hours. I could get used to weather like this.

Valentine's Day Run

Meant to post this yesterday but got involved making dinner and such. The weather was quiet breezy from the north, probably in the 15-20 mph range. That made the last couple of miles tough and I slowed down a little, but still finished with an overall 9:05 pace or so. Not as fast as Tuesday's run but still not bad. On that run I was adjusting the volume on the podcast I was listening to and accidentally hit the skip button, which took it back to the beginning of the podcast. I couldn't find my place again but was able to finish it on yesterday's outing. I've mentioned Hardcore History here before, I think, but I'll say they're really good for a break from music. This was a 5-part series on Genghis Khan and the Mongols. Fascinating stuff, which I knew very little about. In fact, prior to this if you'd asked me what timeframe he and his descendants lived, I wouldn't have had a clue. Hint: it was in the years prior to 1260, at which point the unified Mongol alignment is generally believed by historians to have ended. Anyway, I really enjoyed it. It's a good break from music sometimes, and besides that it's just cool. Very much recommended.

Quick

I knew today was going to be a good run and I was looking forward to it from the time I woke up this morning. The forecast was for a temperature above freezing with little to no wind. For once, the forecast was right. The temp was about 42 degrees and the wind nonexistent. Right before I left work my running time was compressed due to having to pick up a kid at about 6 p.m. I started out quick and kept up a good pace for the entire 6 miles. My one hiccup was when I attempted to adjust the volume on the podcast I was listening to and accidentally started it over. I walked for about two minutes trying to get it back to the point where I'd left off and finally gave up. Overall I finished the distance in 52 minutes, which if I'm doing my math correctly works out to an 8:40 pace. It felt good the whole way.

Some runs are worth waiting for.

Fierce Wind

I should have run yesterday, but allergies kicked my butt and I thought the better decision was to take a nap. Today I had time after church, and I paid for the 24-hour delay. Yesterday was nice and calm, while today is very windy with some fierce gusts. My plan was to run 8. Instead I ran 6 and called it good. It was back to that whole level of effort thing. I actually walked a couple of times up some hills because the wind was just too much. There was one point where I even felt like I was going backward. Nevertheless I'm glad I did it. The sun was out and I put on some sunscreen even though it's early February. I suppose I should be glad the temperature was nice enough for an outdoor run, and I am. I thought about a treadmill run but chose the outdoors instead. Even with the wind it was a better choice.

Suitable

Last night and this morning it rained, but by the time I was off work the sky had mostly cleared. The sidewalks were dry excepting a few spots where mud had run onto the concrete. The temperature was in the mid-40s with a nice, stiff breeze out of the north. It was just suitable enough to run, and so I did. I was feeling blah all day at work, the result of that first feeling of allergies from yesterday, I'm sure. Oh, good. I was hoping that would start early this year. In my ongoing battle to never give in I ran 6 miles and it made me feel better, albeit colder. That hot shower afterward removed the chill from my bones.

I know my pace was about 9 minutes/mile even though I didn't have my Garmin. And how do I know? Because when I started to run I was listening to a podcast that had 57:28 to go, and when I finished it still had at least two and probably three minutes to go. I'm giving myself the benefit of the doubt because the last couple of miles was against the wind and the effort was definitely there. And to top it all off, I'm glad tomorrow is Friday, because I'm tired.

Weathercasting

The weatherman was wrong today. Again.

The forecast high was about 45 degrees. When I was on my way home from work the temperature readout on my truck said 56 and never wavered. I'd say the forecast was wrong.

The sun was shining and with a minimal breeze it was another great day to run. I'd felt congested in the afternoon and if today had been nasty I would have skipped the exercise. As it turned out, I couldn't not run (double negative intended). I ran 6 miles at a pretty good clip, probably in the 8:30 range for most of it. I'm guessing since once again I left the Garmin at home. Beautiful day, nice run.

Variable Running

This was a week of extremes with the weather. I ran in 76 degrees, treadmill, treadmill, and 42 degrees. It was a record-breaking high temperature on Monday followed the next day by wind and snow. Today the temperature ascended to a point above freezing and it was nice enough to run outside. My long run for the week was 6 miles, but in light of the overall mileage it was fine. I made it to 21 miles total, which is a nice uptick from the previous week. As usual lately I ran without the Garmin, and it was nice easy run. Saw several people out enjoying the intermittent sunshine, including one older lady who was shuffling along in a "run." As I've said before I'm not going to make fun of anyone who has the wherewithal to get out and exercise. I saw that particular lady twice and waved to her both times. It's the people who won't get off the couch who don't deserve a wave.

More Scrubs

Another run inside as the temperature around here has plummeted, getting into the single digits tonight. I ran while watching Scrubs on the iPad, some great episodes from the first season. For some reason I thought we'd starting watching the show a couple of seasons into the original run, but going back to the very beginning makes me realize we were there pretty much from the start. Good stuff. The run itself was for another 5 miles, this time without any speed bursts. We'll see how the weather looks on Saturday before deciding where and when to run.

Winter

It's amazing how quickly the climate can change in just 24 hours. Yesterday the temperature was 76 degrees, and at the same time today it was 38. For anyone keeping score at home, that's half of what it was one rotation of the Earth earlier. Today was rainy, with thunderstorms, and then snow expected in a couple more hours. All that in combination with the temperature was enough to keep me indoors. I thought about not running but decided I needed it, so I ran on the treadmill and even threw in three three-minute bursts. My normal speed is 10 minutes/mile, although I think it's faster than that since the machine isn't calibrated. My pickups were at about 8:30/mile. Overall I ran 5 miles, which is according to my plan for the week. At this rate it looks like the rest of the plan might be on the treadmill, too. Here's yet another moment in time where I wish we lived someplace warmer.

Summer

Today the temperature set a record high temp here in KC. And not just by a little. The previous record high on this date was 63 degrees, and today that mark was shattered as the mercury rose to 76 degrees. Of course that meant I needed to get out for a run, which I promptly did on my arrival home. But wait, you might say. It's Monday. You're not training for a race and you don't normally run on Mondays.

Let me explain.

My intention was to run on Saturday and complete a good week of mileage. The airlines and weather combined to conspire against me, though. My flight out of Philadelphia on Friday night was delayed by snow, causing me to miss my connecting flight in Atlanta. I don't know who thinks it's economical to fly from Philadelphia to KC by way of Atlanta, but that was the plan. I didn't get to the hotel in Atlanta until after 2 a.m., by which time I was originally scheduled to be home. I finally arrived at the house after noon on Saturday, and was pretty worn out. The day was nice enough but I needed a nap more than I needed a run. On Sunday I could have headed out as well, but the spirit didn't move me. It did today, though, and I took advantage of it with a 5-miler.

I was going to go for a full six but decided that if I'm going to run four times this week I should take it easy and not build up my mileage too high. It's supposed to be nice again tomorrow before the cold returns on Wednesday. If I can do another couple of 5-milers and then a 6-mile run on Saturday that would give me 21 for the week, and that seems acceptable.

Mid-Week

This week the "lazies" set in, aided and abetted by brutally cold weather. Also it was The Wife's birthday yesterday and it seemed unseemly to run on her big day. I should have run on Monday but somehow never got around to it, although I did rotate the tires on the van. Anyway, since I'm going to be out of town on business the next couple of days it was now or never today. And it worked out since today was pretty decent. The temperature was 44 degrees when I set out and even though it cooled off considerably as the sun descended it still wasn't horrible. I ran my regular 6-mile route at a good pace. I left the GPS at home but I would estimate my pace as between 9-9:30 per mile, and closer to the former. This will be a short-mileage week due to getting in two runs (the next on Saturday) as opposed to the usual three, but somehow I'll survive. I also like it that it was still reasonably light outside when I arrived home, even though the sun was past the horizon. It gives me hope that Spring on its way.

More Global Warming, Er, Climate Change, Umm, Nice Weather

60 degrees in January! I ran in shorts and a long-sleeved technical t-shirt today. The wind was pretty strong in spots, but I certainly can't complain about the temperature. I washed my truck before running, and thought since I was out in the sun so much I should put on some sunblock. Lots of people out today walking, running, and biking.

I went 7 miles today for my long run and wore the Garmin so I could get the distance right. I know my route for 4, 5, or 6 miles, but beyond that it helps to have a GPS. I didn't feel like I was running any faster than normal, but when I finished my time came in right at 63 minutes for a 9-minute pace. Not bad for a mid-winter's run where I still feel like I'm recovering from my unplanned two-week hiatus.

The weather returns to its regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. I'm thankful I got to enjoy it today as much I did. That reminds me, I still need to move someplace warm.

It Was Nice and Then the Sun Went Down

Today when I got home from work the temperature was in the mid-40's, a nice pleasant day especially for mid-January. The breeze was all but non-existent as I headed out for my 6-miler. I have to admit I was feeling crummy, like on the verge of sickness crummy, but there was no way I was going to waste a day like this. I felt just fine during the run and even afterward. I guess the exercise got rid of whatever crumminess I was feeling. In fact, this was a run where I decided to add a little speed work to break up the routine. Four times I ran faster for four light poles and then slowed back to my normal pace. I picked level or downhills for the faster runs. I'm not stupid.

For most of the run the temperature was really nice, but as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon it got cold in a hurry. As I was walking up the hill for my cooldown a guy was standing outside his garage and  commented on that same fact. I was glad to get back inside before it got colder, but I was even gladder that I wore a stocking cap and mittens or I would have been in bad shape.

Running Before Dark

Today was sunny but cold. I rushed home from work in order to run before the sun went down and made it, for the most part. The temperature was right at freezing, so I bundled up and had no problems. Although one member of my family didn't appreciate it when I held my frozen cheek against hers.

I stayed with a 5-miler today and will increase to 6 on Thursday. Still feeling good with no pain in the knees. My right foot is better as well. Although it still has some residual tightness in the morning when I get up it's nowhere near the pain it was prior to using the compression sock. That thing really works. I should probably write a review on Amazon but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm kind of lazy about that kind of thing.

Out in the Cold

Today I had that urge to run outside, no matter the weather, and fortunately the weather cooperated. To a large extent, anyway. I ran 6 miles that started when the temperature was 28 degrees and ended at 30. The weird thing was the wind was blowing against me when I was running south/southwest and then hardly at all when going straight south. As soon as I turned around to head north it was blowing against me again. How in the world does that happen?

It was another run without the Garmin and I just went at my own pace. It felt good overall, no pains, and no stopping to walk. All in all a good mid-winter run.

Cold Rain

Today was rainy all day and it wasn't a warm rain. It was pretty clear I'd have to run inside if I was going to run at all, so I did. 5 miles on the treadmill. I thought about waiting until tomorrow because it's supposed to be over 60 degrees, but I've been eating too many sweets and didn't want to wait another day. I can still run tomorrow if I want, but at least I got in today's mileage.

Groggy

I didn't sleep good last night and felt groggy all day today. It was nice outside, though, and I didn't want to waste a good day by not running. I wanted to run five or six but knew heading out that I probably shouldn't and wouldn't. I ran 4.5 miles and felt a little better at the end. Heading back to work after a long weekend definitely made it tougher to get up early. I've said it before and I'll keep saying how important it is to get good sleep. The nice weather, at least temperature-wise, is supposed to last several days longer. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow night but should be cleared out by the next time to run. I'm hoping sleep is in the forecast as well.

Another Six

This morning I wasn't thinking much of running outside. When I awoke it was cool and gray and cloudy. I spent some time running errands and on my way back home in the afternoon the sun came out. Say whatever you want, but a little bit of sunlight can change my mood. It did today and I rushed to get out the door to run in it. I ran 6 miles and by the time I was done the sun had disappeared again. There was a stiff breeze out of the south/southwest but I've run in worse. It was nice to turn around at the 4-mile mark and have it at my back the rest of the way home, though. Today's run got me up to 15 total for the week. My unintentional hiatus set me back a little. Over the next few weeks I'll increase just like I was doing before and should be back to 20 miles/week soon.

More of a Big Bang

I ran 5 miles on the treadmill today, or almost that, while watching a few episodes of Big Bang Theory. It's a pretty good distraction while sweating indoors. I say that I almost ran the whole distance but about 4.5 miles into my right knee felt a little wobbly, so I walked for a minute and then started up again. When I was a tenth of a mile away from the end I had to stop and walk again. Nothing alarming but just some signals from my body that it wasn't necessarily worth potentially hurting myself to get the distance.

The plantar seems to be almost gone. The compression sock has worked magic and I haven't felt any pain in my feet for what seems like forever, even though I know it's only been a few weeks. I continue to wear the K-tape when running and that provides the support I need. Without these two remedies I don't know that the plantar would have gone away without staying off my feet for months. And judging by the lack of progress when I wasn't running that wasn't going to happen.

New Year, First Run

I didn't realize two weeks ago that would be my last run for the year. Snow hit a couple of days later and I just never motivated myself to run on the treadmill. The snow hasn't disappeared, and in fact it snowed even more yesterday. Nevertheless my only explanation is laziness.

Today I got off my duff and ran 4 miles on the treadmill. Our new setup downstairs really helps. I hooked up the TV to our new receiver and cranked up the volume so I can hear over the treadmill. Not a bad start to the year. I could tell I'd been off a few weeks and now it's time to get back to where I was before the unintended hiatus.

2012 in Review: It was better than 2011, but still up and down. I have officially declared shoe experimentation to be done. Any problem I've had with knees or plantar fasciitis has been due to trying new shoes. From now on I'm sticking with the model I know works. I was happy to get back into a race this year and run a sub-two hour half marathon. Looking back through my log I forgot how much I ran on the treadmill this summer, but it was a good thing. I feel like I laid the groundwork this fall for a spring marathon. If I can get past the weird problems of last year I will be okay.

Mid_december Run

It started out cold today but warmed into the fifties. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow night, or at least th epossibility of it. Today's 6-miler went well and I still feel good. I keep thinking I'm dressed for warmer weather and feel cold when I start out but find I'm just right during the run and after. This was another run without the Garmin . It felt like I was running at a decent pace, even up the hills,. I think I'll continue this for a few more runs during the week, at least as long as I don't have to resort to the treadmill.

It Was a Cold and Windy Day

It wasn't really too cold, but it was kind of windy. Today marked another day back on the road from the race and I went 7 miles. I ran my usual 6-mile route and tacked on a bit more uphill toward 291 and a block into a couple of neighborhoods to add another 5,280 feet. Apparently I ran it in a pretty good pace since my Garmin (yes, I took it this time so I'd know when I got to 7 miles) had me at a 9:07 pace. That's not normally what I would shoot for on a long run but that's how it turned out today and it felt comfortable, so I'm okay with that.

As to my right foot, other than earlier this week when it hurt it's been improving every day. I washed the plantar sock, as I call it, so that I don't stink up a room when I come in. I used the k-tape for the run and that seem sufficient. Whereas before I felt a constant pain, even when sitting and doing nothing, now notice only on an occasion where I tweak it when walking. It felt just fine during the run and I'm grateful for that. My hope is that in a couple of weeks I won't even notice a problem.

Still No GPS

I've been running without the Garmin and it's been great. Not that I'll do it all the time, but for these runs to recover from the race I think it's been crucial to a good run. I just go out and run what's comfortable. Tuesday I ran fairly quick, or at least what felt like it, while tonight I backed off a bit. Plus we had a Christmas lunch today at the buffet and I knew it was to not jar the fatty deposits in my arteries too much. I even considered phoning it in today and resting but the temperature was about 50 degrees when I got home. I know colder temps are coming and I refuse to miss a day of nice running weather when it's in my control to do so. I went the full 6 miles as planned and felt - and feel - great. I don't think I burned enough calories to make up for the buffet but I made a good-sized dent in the total.

Feeling Prime

I ran 5 miles today and could have gone 6, but I decided there was no need for the extra mile at this point. Last week I ran three times and did 4-5-6 and this week I can go 5-6-7. Seems like a logical progression. Then next week I'll break the pattern and do 6-6-8 to get back to 20 miles per week. That seems like a good maintenance level for the winter until I decide which race to run in the spring. Once I figure that out I can create a training plan to get me there.

Close to Winter

The official first day of winter is December 22nd, and today was a step in that direction. It's been warm lately but is now on the downward slope. When I ran today the temperature was in the thirties, but it felt much colder relatively speaking compared to what we've experienced so far. I ran 6 miles, making a total of 15 miles for the first week back.

The great new development is the tape I ordered. It came in Friday and I wore it last night and all day today, including while running. It certainly seems to be making a difference quickly. It's incredibly lightweight. I plan on wearing it for the next several days and by Tuesday's run we'll see what kind of progress has been made.

Adding a Mile

The cold weather she's a comin'. Today was cloudy and less nice than Tuesday, but still not horrible. I added a mile and went 5 today, feeling good all the way. The couple of weeks off seems to have recharged me, which is good, especially since I didn't sleep well last night. I kept today's pace modest. This morning on the way to work I had the wonderful thought, "Today I get to run!" It made me feel good, as did the actual running. If only I was that easily amused every day.

New Run

The weather so far this December has been unseasonably warm. After the race I decided to take two weeks off and let my knee and foot heal. The knee feels great, but the foot has not changed. Given that resting doesn't seem to be helping in addition to the nice weather, I decided rest time was over and it was time to run. So I did.

Today I started with no Garmin, shorts, and a long-sleeved technical T and went 4 miles. Let me just say that it felt really good to be back out there again. It looks like I'll get to enjoy one more warm run before the weather turns cold.

As I ran I reflected about the race. During the just under two hours of that run my knee felt fine, my foot didn't hurt, and there was no trace of the abdominal pain I had during the appendix scare earlier this year. It was like everything that I'd been fighting all year disappeared for a great, almost perfect, run. Other than the mild case of plantar fasciitis that's lingered the run today was good. Tonight I ordered a compression sock that I should be able to wear at night as well as with shoes if needed. It should be here next week and I'm hopeful it will provide some relief.