Two Weeks

That's two, two, two weeks in a row of doing this walking and running thing five days a week. Walk Monday, run Tuesday, walk Wednesday, run Thursday, run Saturday. And all in the heat of summer. Makes winter me feel lazy for not taking advantage of the nicer temperatures. Or maybe I just like to get out and sweat. Whatever the case, I walked a little over 2 miles yesterday and ran 3 miles today. I'm feeling more energetic, not a ton but enough to make a difference. Work has been brutal but I'm not as run down as I was before the last couple of weeks. Who knew that exercising could help increase your energy level?

Tuesday Hot

Detecting a theme in the titles of these posts? Yes, it was 98 degrees and heat index 104 today. And about the same yesterday, when I walked about 2.5 miles. Today I went 3 miles with about 70% running. I think. I'm not tracking it down to the yard or meter, whichever measurement you prefer. Instead, I'm just trying to stay in the shade as much as possible and make it through all the sweat. As a person who actually likes hot weather, this is a great time of year. For those of you who don't? We can still be friends.

Saturday Hot

It's soggy this morning. And by that, I mean it's hot and humid. I slept late and went for a run about 9:45 a.m., by which point the temperature was in the upper 80s. And very humid. People have been remardking that it's early in the summer for it to be getting this hot. I think they're afraid of how July and August will turn out. Anyway, I did my 3 miles and overall felt pretty good. This past week has been very helpful in acclimating to the heat. I plan to continue mixing in walks with running days. It certainly can't hurt.

More Walking and Running

The temperatures remain around 100 degrees and I'm still getting my butt out the door. Yesterday I walked again, same route, which turned out to be about 2.15 miles.

Today the breeze was lighter, which made the heat feel...hotter. I only went 2 miles, mainly because I forgot my hat. Since I had a couple of spots frozen off my head a few weeks ago I'm trying to be careful, at least until they heal. Also, I caught my toe on an uneven section of sidewalk right outside the neighborhood and almost went down. I kept upright, but even that little bit of jarring feels less good the older I get.

Kicking Butt

Yesterday I felt like it was better to get out and sweat than to sit on the back patio and drink a cold beer. So I walked about 45 minutes in 100 degree heat. At least it was very breezy. I figure I probably went over 2 miles but I didn't wear my GPS so we'll just go with that estimate.

Then tonight, with similar temperatures, I ran/walked 3 miles. I walked a minute every half-mile and then the last third of a mile or so. Even with the heat it wasn't too bad. At least I got to sweat as planned. Trying to kickstart some activity and get rid of that lazy butt. Tomorrow I'm planning on walking again. It's a good motivator to get through otherwise long days of work.

Lazy Butt

Work kicked my butt this week. I was worn out every afternoon by the time I finished, and even worse by Thursday. It probably would have helped relieve stress if I'd gone out and run, but my developing sense of laziness did not help. Today I finally got my act together and headed out for 3 miles. I ended up running about half of it, due to my old friend humidity. When I started out the temp was 77 degrees and was up to 84 by the time I made it home. As I write this in the afternoon it's 100 degrees with heat index of 111. Summer has arrived!

Let's Run

Last night and early this morning it rained, a nice thunderstorm that woke us up a few times. That made it a little humid but also knocked down the temperature. When I ran 3 miles today it was only 82 degrees. Not bad for the beginning of June in Texas. I only saw three other people out on the trail, all three on bicycles. The stream cutting under Lake Forest was the fullest I've seen it so far this year, I think. Not a bad thing.

Memorial Day Outing

This morning I walked with The Wife and then followed up with my own run/walk. The temperature had climbed into the 80s by the time I ran so I added in the usual walking. My "run" was 3 miles, a little rough with the heat and humidity. Not too much to complain about, though, since we haven't hit the 100-degree days yet. I also figured it was good to get in a run today since I have a work outing tomorrow and it would be tough to fit in the time to run and then clean up. Among other activities for the day I fixed the toilet in the master bath (replaced the valve), made green chile salsa, and went to the store. It's been a busy day and I think I'll chill for the rest of it.

68 and Running

No, 68 is not my age. It was the temperature this morning, a day I had off from work. It was sunny and almost no wind. Very nice. BTW, I was right about the rain on Tuesday. It didn't hit until evening when we were at a restaurant with my sister and nephew. I watched the forecast all day and the chance of rain kept getting later and later. What was 100% at noon became a lower percentage later. Seriously, I don't know how those people keep their jobs.

Anyway, today I ran another 4 miles. Felt good, and then I came home and mowed the lawn. I think tomorrow will be a good day for smoking some pork. At least, that's how it looks from here.

Planning Ahead

It's supposed to rain starting in the early morning hours and all day tomorrow. Sure. We've heard this song and dance before and ended up with nothing. If you believe the potato heads who predict the weather we'll get over two inches before it's all said and done. I don't believe them. Regardless, because I have a dinner commitment tomorrow evening I decided I should go ahead and run today.

It was in the mid-70s, unseasonably cool for Texas. Almost no wind. After all the strong gusts we've had over the last week who thought I'd be wishing for a breeze? Also, I ran 4 miles. Without walking (except for the hill, of course). Felt good all the way and enjoyed a really nice day. It would have been a shame to waste it.

Super Humid

This morning a non-rainstorm came through. What I mean is that weather radar showed a green patch over us for about a half-hour but no rain actually made it to the ground. What it did cause was a nice spike in humidity. When I went out to run before lunch it was super-humid. Along with a little sun it was not my favorite condition for running. I went 3 miles with a few walking breaks, which seemed reasonable given the day. I sweat a lot, which was the main goal anyway. Now as I sit and type this on the back patio it's still warm and humid and I'm sweating after I took a shower. Oh well. I'll have to take one tomorrow anyway.

Too Much Vacation, Not Enough Running

Went to the beach last week and into this week, which meant vacation and no running. Actually, I did run briefly but it was to chase some punks who stole stuff from under our canopy on the beach. Didn't catch up to them, unfortunately.

Today at home was very nice, and since I'm still off work I got to run in the morning instead of late in the day. I only went 3 miles and kept a slow pace as I start working off the vacation gluttony. No more vacations in the foreseeable future.

Walk and Run and Walk and Run

Another warm day, and humid as well, plus the sun was out. I ran/walked 3 miles total. I have to say I wasn't feeling that great at the beginning but it was a good choice to get out and sweat a little. Really, that's the only reason I went. More than exercise itself I just felt like a good sweat was in order. And as always, glad I did it.

Summer on the Way

Been another lazy week with no excuse for not running. Also a couple of late nights, with a concert Thursday night and men's conference last night. And this evening a playoff hockey game. I'm getting too old for so many late nights in a row.

Anyway, got out for 3 miles today. Spring, what we had of it, is over and today's high is around 90. I walked at the mile markers and the last bit up the hill and into the neighborhood. I felt okay and got in some good sweating. No complaints here.

Let's Go 3

The wind kicked up this afternoon, but it was fine since the temperature made it into the low 80s. I thought about going a little bit more but settled on 3 miles without walking. That was a good choice since I felt good all the way through. I sprinted the last bit and even made it to a 7:30 pace. On the downhill, of course. I'm not a speedster. Overall, though, a good day and I enjoyed the outing.

What a Day

The temperature was only about 73 degrees this afternoon, and even better, barely any wind. A nice change from the past week and beyond. I ran 3 miles and enjoyed it. Plenty of people out and about, as they should be. Today was also The Boy's birthday, and we went out for a Baker's burger for lunch. That slowed me down on the run, I'm sure, but it was worth. As was the birthday cigar after the burger. Not a bad day, all in all.

Attack of the Allergies

Last Sunday, Easter, I went out and sat on the back patio for about 15 minutes. Apparently that was not a wise choice. The rest of that day and all of Monday I had a horrible allergy attack. The Wife says it was one of the worst, if not the worst, she's ever seen me with. People who don't have allergies have no idea how it feels. I was blowing my nose every couple of minutes and sneezing every sixty seconds. On Monday evening I tried something new. I took a slug of Nyquil at 6:30, managed to stay up another couple of hours before going to bed, woke up at 11:30 and took another shot of the stuff, and then slept the rest of the night. I woke up in much better shape. I took some Dayquil on Tuesday and felt a lot better. I should have tried this approach years ago. The rest of the week was a slow climb back toward normalcy, although today I have a touch of it again after running 3 miles and then mowing the lawn. Plus it's ultra-windy still, and that never helps with the allergies. More medicine might be in store for today. 

Hat Day

I ordered a hat to provide some extra coverage for my mostly-bald dome and today was my first day to run with it on. Not sure I like it. It felt a little hot even though the day wasn't that warm and the sun wasn't even shining. I think a lot of body heat is released through my head, and without that I felt warmer than usual. Or it could be that it was also humid. I'll try it again and we'll see if it's going to work.

I went 4 miles today just before lunchtime. I thought there would be more people out but turned out to be not as much as I expected. Regardless, I'm just glad to get out and enjoy a nice run.

Top-Notch Day

Thunderstorms and laziness rolled through the area on Tuesday, but today was a red-letter day in Harper Valley. Temps in the low 70s, sunshine, only a slight breeze - it was a gorgeous day. If I hadn't run today I would have had to do some sort of penance in foot-deep snow for a month. I gazed longingly out the window all day and finally made it out for 3 miles after work. You'd think the paths would have been thick with people but ended up being not nearly as many as I expected. Maybe people were surprised by the nice weather. Who knows. Regardless, it was a day to remember.

First April Run

Here it is the 10th of April and today was my first run. Well, kind of. I went 3 miles total, running the first half and walking back against the wind for the last half.

A couple of weeks ago I did a couple of afternoons of yard work, some of which involved digging up a circle around the tree in the back yard and moving a bunch of bricks into a level position. I'm not sure if that's what caused the problem, but I felt a pain on the outside of my left knee a few days afterward, and ever since, although it's feeling better. I iced it a couple of times and obviously didn't run or do much else. I felt it just a little in the first mile of today's run, which is why I walked the latter part. I do need to get back into shape before beach time this summer.