Back Inside Part III

I had that blah feeling this afternoon and seriously considered not running. But I didn't something yesterday that I don't normally do - I weighed myself. With all of this inconsistent running it seems I've put on 7-8 pounds, which is not surprising since my pants have been a little...tighter around the waist lately. That thought spurred me to jump on the treadmill (it was 104 this afternoon - not conducive to an outdoors run) and run 5 miles.

I don't run to control my weight, but I will admit it's a nice byproduct. It's been well over a year since my last race and I can tell in my general fitness level. This weekend I put together a training plan for the KC Half Marathon in October. If I can get in the training during the heat of summer I think I can run the race. Maybe not my fastest ever, but at least it'll get me back in the game. Time to kick it up a notch.

Update: After I published this I realized this is the third time I've titled a post "Back Inside." Sometimes my unoriginality can be inspiring.

Outside

This week I was in Philadelphia again, with no way to post after my runs. For some reason I haven't been able to creates posts on my iPad.

I ran twice at Neshaminy State Park. Both days were extremely hot and extremely humid. At least the running trail offers plenty of shade. On Tuesday I ran counter-clockwise and went a total of 4.25 miles. I wanted to get to an even four and ran up the middle of the park by the pool and around the picnic area. That added a little more distance then I'd originally wanted, but a quarter mile wasn't too bad. I was just happy to be running outside again.

On Thursday I changed it up and ran clockwise, which was nice because I had a better view of the river and the Philadelphia skyline. It was a hotter day, or so it seemed, and by the time I'd run two circuits of the park I had no interest in trying to get to a round number. I ended up at 3.75 miles.

Both days my mileage wasn't as much as I'd intended, but I return to my philosophy of effort versus mileage. With the heat and humidity my level of effort was at least as much as a 6-mile run on a spring day. And I certainly sweated more.

Today was going to be a treadmill day. I woke up briefly about 6 a.m. and thought about going for a run then, but sleeping longer won the argument. A few hours later I drove to the store to get some milk and saw a ton of people walking and running because of the thick cloud cover. The temperature was 85 degrees, but the clouds and a little bit of breeze made it seem cooler. I took my water bottle, which turned out to be a good move. I kept the pace slow and easy and went 6 miles. The only time I walked was coming up the hill by the golf course. I definitely needed to slow for a walk since I could feel my heart beating way too fast. I'll be interested to see how the heart monitor recorded that stage of the run.

For at least a week I was able to run outside. That was a nice treat.

Back Inside

This was kind of a lost week for running since The Wife and older kids were out of town. I had offsite meetings on Tuesday and on Thursday it was my mom's last night to be here. In both cases I weaseled out of running, leaving only today to finish out the week. I ran 6 miles on the treadmill again. It went fine but I'm looking forward to running outside again someday. Sure, the temperature was in the low 90's instead of over the century mark, but that's still pretty darn hot. This week I'll be out of town and will try to keep it going, hopefully outdoors.

Weighing the Alternatives

This morning I woke up early enough to have a choice about running or going on a grocery run. I chose to get to the stores and avoid the crowds. As we drove by a number of runners out to beat the heat I felt a twinge of remorse, knowing I would end up on the treadmill again. But I can't be too upset with myself since I really don't like crowded grocery stores and there were some good deals I would have missed if I'd gone later in the day. I got in my 6 miles and some Breaking Bad. Guess I can't complain too much. With more 100 degree days in the future it looks like I might finish Season 4 before the month is out.

The Fun Continues

More heat, more running inside today. 6 more miles on the treadmill and another 1.5 episodes of Breaking Bad. When I left work this afternoon and got in my truck the temperature read 120 degrees. Of course that's because the truck had been sitting outside all day and once I got going the reading plummeted to 106 degrees. I love summer!

It's getting to be time to pick a race. I need to do something this fall and figure out a training plan. Maybe next week when I'm sitting at all-day meetings with nothing better to do.

Back Inside

I'm back to running on the treadmill after Saturday's outing. The temperature is expected to be in triple digits several times over the next couple of weeks, and that means more treadmill running. Yesterday I ran 6 miles and felt just fine. It also helped that the Season 4 of Breaking Bad is now on Netflix. The downstairs TV isn't hooked into anything other than a DVD player, so I had a new setup. I brought the iPad with me and set it on the treadmill console. Unless I'm watching a DVD this might be my new setup for good. It took a few seconds to get used to bouncing up and down as I ran and the screen shifting a little as well, but it wasn't bad. And definitely worth it, both for the run and for the quality show.

Hot and Semi-Stupid

I waited too long to run this morning and paid the price. I had to drop off one of the kids at 10 a.m. at church, and on the way back I saw several people out running and walking. I thought to myself that it seemed okay and not too hot and hey, I should do that myself since I'm a little tired of running inside. I changed quickly and set out. I kept the pace slow and planned on some walk breaks. By the time my 6 miles was up I'd walked five times, mostly on uphill parts so that my core temp wouldn't get too high. As always with these types of runs it's mostly about the lack of shade on my route. I always feel like things would go better if I wasn't in direct sunlight the whole time. I was pretty done in by the time I got home, but not horribly bad. I also mowed the lawn this afternoon, and after that little bit extra outside I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon sitting on the couch and watching a ball game. Which turned out to be a bust since my team lost in extra innings. At least the lazy part of that worked out well.

Two Runs

I started out the week in DC. The high temperatures had plummeted to the mid-80's by the time I arrived, meaning I could run outside. On Tuesday I rode the Metro to L'Enfant Station and walked up to the National Mall. The center paths were closed for construction or something, so I ran the perimeters of the Mall, which were clogged with tourists. I headed east to the Capitol and ran around the pool and went west. Past the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, in front of the Lincoln Memorial before bending around to the Korean War Memorial, one of my favorites. At that point I ran east again through the MLK Memorial and along the north edge of the Tidal Basin. By this point the humidity was getting to me so I walked a little around the Jefferson Memorial. I ran/walked the rest of the way back to Crystal City. The last mile or so I walked. The total for running was about 6.5 miles and the grand total by the time I made it to the hotel was about 8 miles. I love running in DC and even though running-wise it wasn't the best, it was still fun.

Today back in KC there were thunderstorms in the area. The temperature here had dropped but I'm not a big fan of lightning so I ran inside. I finished up Lonesome Dove and got in 6 miles. The treadmill is nowhere near as exciting as a run through DC, but it served its purpose.

Scorcher

Today the temperature on the thermometer in the truck showed up as 106 degrees. Needless to say I ran on the treadmill again rather than dissolving into a puddle out in the hot, hot sun. We're supposed to get a break starting tomorrow, but in the meantime a fan and the treadmill were what I dealt with today. I ran 6 miles, giving me a total of 15 miles for the week It was a good week exercise-wise, with three days of running and three days of weights. It's nice to get back in the swing of things just in time to be interrupted by a trip to DC this week. At least I can take my running shoes and get in a run in one of my favorite running venues.

Joys of Treadmill Running

Still over 100 degrees during the day here, and once more unto the treadmill. Today I experienced one of those joys of treadmill running. I'd done my five-minute warmup and had run for about seven minutes. Lonesome Dove was in the DVD player again and things were going well except I noticed I was sweating a little more than the last few times. It finally dawned on me that I forgot to plug in the fan that circulates the air and keeps me cooled down. I hopped off and stepped over to where the fan plugs into the power strip. As I lifted the power strip my thumb hit the power button, which naturally shut down the whole operation, including the treadmill. Good grief. So I had an unscheduled break while I powered everything up again and returned to the previous state, except this time with the fan running. And speaking of running, I went 5 miles. Now if I could just stop eating so much I might actually feel better about everything.

Treadmill in Summer

With the temperature over 100 degrees outside it was definitely another day for running inside. I plugged Lonesome Dove into the DVD player. It was fun because I haven't watched it in a couple of decades. In fact, I still remember when it premiered on TV because my college buddies and I made quite the event of it. I ran 4.5 miles with more to come on Thursday.

Fo' Miles

I've been lazy. No other way around it other than to admit it. Between being out of town, having company, and other assorted activities, I've been lazy. Now that the temperatures are in the scorching range it's time to get back to some running.

Last Saturday the Virtual Running Partner and I went for a run of 4 miles. It was a good thing we did because that was really the only good time to run while his family was here. It was cloudy and about 70 degrees, but by mid-afternoon the sun had come out and cranked up the temperature to 90 degrees, where it's stayed every day since then.

Today the thermometer is supposed to top out close to 100 degrees. I ran 4 miles on the treadmill with an electric fan trained on me and Field of Dreams on the DVD player. When I came back upstairs The Boy chided me for having a fan and "cheating." I told him cheating was better than running outside and getting heat stroke. Not sure he bought it but I don't care. This will probably happen frequently over the next several weeks until the weather cools down again.

Run/Walk in Summer

Today the temp was about 92 degrees but very windy, so I hoped it would provide a little relief from the heat. Not so much. I took a bottle of frozen water (aka "ice") with me and of course it was mostly melted a couple of miles into the run. I kept it slow, close to 11 minutes/mile, and decided I would walk every mile and a half. That turned into a little more walking and I ended up cutting the run short by about a mile or so. My total was 5.5 miles, but of that I ran probably 4.5. Still, I kept it under control and the walking helped keep my core temperature down. That's key when it's hot out like this, and making the run shorter means I'm not inviting injury for just a little more distance that's meaningless in the long run. Pun intended.

Run and Drive

Ran 6 miles this morning in 80 degree sunshine and then drove to Des Moines to get my big girls. Now I'm tired.

Memorial Run

Tuesday morning started out lazy. I don't usually sleep well in hotels, but Monday night was an exception. I planned to get up and go for a run in the morning since rain was in the forecast. When the alarm went off I got up and checked out the window - it had rained but was not currently doing so. And naturally I went back to bed.

After work I blew off a cocktails and dinner with a group of people and went for my delayed run. I paid for it "forgotten" Founding Fathers. I exited through a hedge to get back up on the 14th Street Bridge and across the Potomac River.

As I neared the airport the early evening flights were coming in from the north, which means they follow the river in from the northwest to land at Reagan National. I'd observed people standing by a parking lot along the flight line as I ran by earlier. This time a plane was coming in so I slowed and let it pass right overhead. The noise was great and the plane was less than a couple hundred feet up. Now I know why people were standing there because it actually was kind of cool.

Overall I ran 7.4 miles with at least another 3/4 mile of walking. Politicians can corrupt D.C. all they want but for now it's still one of my favorite places to run.

Manhattan Running

Spending the weekend again in the Little Apple means an outing on the Linear Trail. I discovered this afternoon that there is a portion of the trail that's shaded. Unfortunately that was not the part I ran this morning, which was decidedly unshaded. That was fun, especially with the temperature in the low 80's. I kept expectations low and ran 6 miles instead of trying to tack on a few extra. There weren't many other people out, meaning that there must be a lot of smart people in Manhattan. Or school's out. Either way, I only saw about five other people in my hour in the sun. I'm glad to say my knees are still feeling good and I gave some thought to running a race this fall. It's about time to get cracking on the training plan.

Dad and I followed up the run with an outing to Famous Dave's for some ribs. He didn't run but he got some ribs anyway. I'll allow that.

Hot Runs

Didn't have time to post about yesterday's run, but we're into the part of the season where all the outings are in hot weather. The temperature was in the upper 80's and I ended up walking up the hill by the golf course on the way back as well as just inside the neighborhood entrance. Which is also uphill. I did my 6 miles and in spite of the heat it felt good. I'm enjoying being able to run and feeling better. As I've said before, it's time to pick a race and start planning for it.

The Argument

This morning I was lying in bed knowing that I didn't have to go to work and arguing with myself about going for a run. That's never the best time to have an argument, because the bed usually wins.

Through the blinds I could see it was cloudy. I thought to myself it's pretty rare that I go for a morning run, and certainly rare to go for any run at this time of year when it's cool outside. No, that didn't animate me.

I ran 20 miles last week, and I know I'm not going to run Saturday. So if I don't run today that leaves me with only 6 miles for the week, which is coming down too much off my weekly target. I'll lose the ground I've gained over the last month or so. Nope. The sheets were apparently made of glue, because I couldn't loose myself from them.

I need the exercise. Too much food lately and starting to feel it around the middle. I pulled the covers up over my chin.

It's swimsuit season. I don't care.

I have a few extra hours before I leave on a float trip. If I don't run then I'll just putter around and do nothing during that time. Is that a bad thing? I could sleep a little longer.

None of these arguments got me out of bed. In the end, I'm not sure what finally did cause me to rise and throw on my running shorts. Maybe it was the weight of all the pathetic arguments finally pushing me off the nice, comfortable mattress because there wasn't enough room for both them and me.

I talked The Wife into running with me and she did her usually two-miler and I hung on for a good 6 miles total. It was breezy out of the north so the run back was tough, but I made it all the way without having to walk. Amazing what a lower temperature will do.

About a mile from home a group of four young, shirtless guys passed me going the other direction. A few minutes later I heard talking behind me and realized they'd turned around and were passing me. I estimate they were going a couple of minutes faster per mile than I was, which means they were probably running a 5-minute pace. Haha. Really, though, as they blew by me with their young bodies and seeming invincibility, I thought to myself , hey, I'm wearing a Heart of America Marathon finisher's t-shirt, which I bet none of them owns. I dragged myself out of bed this morning after a tough debate concerning whether or not to run. And besides, I have at least 25 years on them. I hope they're still running when they're my age, but what matters to me even more is that I'm running now. And enjoying it, no matter who passes me.

Untethered

I was struck by a little bit of fancy this afternoon and decided to run without my Garmin. There were a few reasons - it was quite warm and I wasn't going to run a set pace, I was running my normal route and knew the exact 6-mile distance without the GPS, and finally, I just felt like it. I listened to my body to run the pace that felt right, slowing myself a couple of times because of the heat. I walked the big hill by the golf course again. Although I probably could have run it without too much of a problem, I still felt like it was best to slow a little and take advantage of the shade. We're on the cusp of summer and I'm almost to the point of needing to take a water bottle with me on evening runs.

20 Miles

Even though it was a Saturday The Wife and I went out for a run. Plus we roused Daughter #1 to join us, and let me just say she was less than enthused. Nevertheless, she's training for a triathlon and needs to run when she can. She pulled up lame with an ankle problem that could be related to having to get up too early on a Saturday. The Wife ran two miles with me and then I did another six. Today's total of 8 miles means I ran 20 for the week, the first time that's happened in quite a while. I could go back and research to find out when that was, but I'm too tired on a Saturday night after a couple of holiday cook-outs.

The Knee has been fine the last two days after the scary episode on Thursday. When I was running today with The Wife it felt fine. But just as we split paths and I was running downhill I felt a couple of twinges. It was weird.

The feeling passed within a quarter-mile and I ran the rest without incident. When I was coming back by the golf course I walked for a couple of minutes since I could feel the high humidity and knew it wasn't good for me. I almost felt bad about six minutes later when I had to walk again, but I knew I was overheating. Looking back I can see this is one of those moments when experience paid off. A few years ago I probably would have kept running to get in the full distance without stopping, but I knew today that it was better to slow down and give my core temperature a chance to lower. And now once again I live to fight another day.