Midwest Wind

I'm in Kansas right now visiting family, and yesterday a group of us decided to go to the park and walk or run as each saw fit. I ran with my sister for a couple of miles, with a few walks due to 30 mph winds with higher gusts. It was quite the day. Overall I went 4 miles with a level of effort that seemed higher. It was good to get out and sweat a little bit, though, so I can't complain too much. My back is feeling better. Now if I can just keep from eating and drinking too much this week.

Back Again

While working in the yard last weekend I tweaked my lower back, which while not the worst it's been was still very painful at times. All of Sunday and Monday I walked gingerly and re-tweaked it both days. On Tuesday it felt better and I got all dressed up to go for a run, but when I bent over to put on my shoes my back chose that moment to seize up again. Ugh. It wasn't until Thursday that I went a whole day without re-injuring it. I decided I wasn't going to chance it with a run, and therefore waited until today (Saturday). 

Today is a little more humid than recent days. I went 5 miles with several walks. I would say those were planned, but in reality I stayed out too late last night and also was very sensitive to not injuring my back again. It was good to get out and sweat, though. Here's hoping I can keep my back from any further complications.

Saturday in the Park

I've probably already used that title for a post, but over the course of all these years it was bound to happen. Yesterday was indeed Saturday, and a really nice day for a run. It was about 55 degrees, sunny, and a nice breeze to keep me cool. I went the usual 5 miles and felt good the whole way. Not as many people were out as I expected, but maybe it was just timing since I went later in the morning. Regardless, not only was it a good run but I also had smoked a really good brisket. The rest of the day was focused on relaxation, and all I can say about that is mission accomplished.

No Music

I walked out the front door and hit play on my iPod (yes, it's still around), and it immediately went dead. I hadn't charged it in too long, apparently. Which actually turned out to be good timing since then I just took it back inside instead of wearing it on my waistband for an hour. I considered taking my phone but decided to go without accompaniment today. It was refreshing. I ran my 5 miles and even though it was 80 degrees there was a nice breeze and I ended up walking only once after the fourth mile, and that for only about 45 seconds. Oh, and the big hill, too, but then I sprinted into the neighborhood and to the finish line. All in all a good workout with nothing but the sounds of nature. And cars. And people talking. And my shoes hitting the pavement. But other than that, nature.

Mostly Fine

Today was a little more humid than recent days, but it still turned out okay. I did another 5 miles, and walked at 3.5 for a minute or so. I think at that point I was probably running a little fast, and the wind was at my back instead of cooling me off. Other than that it was a pretty good run. I thought about waiting until tomorrow but decided today was just fine.

Average

Today's run was just average. Didn't feel great, didn't feel horrible, but managed to make it through the 5 miles without walking. It was another breezy day, overcast, with a temperature in the low 70s. Humidity and heat will be here before we know it, so I'm trying to run regularly and build up my foundation so I can get back to six-milers as a matter of course.

To Mexico and Back

Okay, so I didn't run to Mexico last week. And I didn't run while I was there. But I did walk on the beach every day and enjoyed some relaxation. The hotels were at 50% capacity and package deals were insanely cheap, too much to resist. Even though there was plenty of food, I didn't eat myself into a stupor. Now that I'm back it's time to bear down and get consistent with running again.

Today's weather was overcast and windy, but mild temperatures. I ran 5 miles, just like last Tuesday. It was a good run, with no walking other than the big hill. A good first outing to re-establish a good cadence again.

Inconsistency

With rain for several days and a trip to Oklahoma thrown in partway through the last week, my running has been quite inconsistent. At least today was really nice. The sun was out, temperature around 60 degrees. I went 5 miles with no walks other than the big hill. Probably due to fresh legs and not running in a week, but also a little surprising considering that I had a major allergy attack starting Sunday afternoon. Today was marginally better. We'll see if this little outing today causes it to flare up again.

Back to the 70s

Windy but warm today, a far cry from this time last week. Temperature was in the mid 70s and I wore shorts and a t. Good strong run, with less walking over the 5 miles. I also cut my hair today for the first time since Labor Day and am now back in summer form. Maybe that's why the run went well - my head was streamlined.

Cold Snap

 The past couple of weeks since my last run have been crazy. About this time last week we were in the midst of a cold spell that lasted until yesterday, including a couple of rounds of snow that combined probably a foot or so. The worst thing was that Texas is not built for weather like that, and so we lost power for several days. The natural gas was also limited, not that it mattered since we had no electricity. We were supposed to have rolling blackouts, but being on for two hours out of 26 isn't exactly "rolling." Power finally came back on Wednesday, which was great after waking up several days to temperatures in the house in the low 40s. We were very blessed since none of our pipes burst. As of today everything seems back to normal, at least for the time being.

I sat out in the sun in the backyard for a bit this afternoon, dozing a little. Then I got going for a run since I desperately need the exercise and outdoor time. I took it slow and easy and went 4 miles, with walks every mile. It's odd to see that our temperature right now is 70 degrees, and just a few days ago we were at 0. I was actually overdressed today with short, a long-sleeved technical, and a regular t-shirt over it. It was good to sweat. Looks like the cold weather is behind us and hoping we can back to our regular Texas mild winter.

Punctuated by Walking

Maybe I should have had two big mugs of coffee today since it worked last time. I held off from running yesterday because of cold and mist, and then this morning was cold and windy. After lunch the sun came out and the temperature went up about 10 degrees, so I went out. For some reason I felt pretty lethargic and I only went 4 miles, punctuated with several walks. Maybe it was a bad night of sleep since I woke up with an allergy attack about 3 a.m. I was going to run more but decided this would be my intro to the running week and a warm-up rather than the long run from the previous week. It's supposed to stay cold through next weekend, and hopefully the wind and precipitation will cooperate so I can keep running.

Good 5

After Tuesday's short trial outing my knee felt just fine. Today was windy but sunny, and I can describe how I felt today as strong, with fresh legs from not running a lot the past ten days or so. I went the usual 5 miles on the usual path. I enjoyed it the whole way, which was nice because let's be honest, not every run is enjoyable. Sometimes it's a slog, other times you feel really good. Today was one of the latter.

Knee Tightness

After my run last Tuesday I was sitting in the living room. I got up and my left knee was stiff and I all but limped to the kitchen. Over the next several days the stiffness decreased but a little bit of pain lingered. This weekend was very windy and I could have pushed it with my knee but decided a little bit of rest was better.

Today I tested it and right away felt a tightness on the left side. It was very localized and now I'm wondering if I'm leaning against something that is causing pain, kind of like I experienced with the other knee and resting it on the edge of the mattress all night, every night. Regardless, I went a mile and then walked a half, and then alternated on the way back for a total of 3 miles. Right now it feels all right. We'll see about tomorrow. And I'm also going to be very alert to anything I'm doing that could be causing chronic pain.

Rain/Laziness + Travel

I did not run last week. Early in the week it was cool and raining, and Thursday we went out of town for a few days. Also, that first thing included just general laziness, weather-induced to some degree.

Today I was back at it. I ran 5 miles. It was one of those outings where I felt strong and like I was killing it, but the pace didn't reflect that. It's okay, I wasn't out for speed. It was cool, probably just a tad too cool for my shorts and t-shirt, and the breeze didn't help. Still, I felt good and it's nice to be in the groove again.

Cold Start

This morning started off cold, right at freezing, and I waited until 11 to run. The wind wasn't as bad as the other day, but there was still a breeze. I ran 6, all the way, and powered up the big hill again. That's becoming a habit really quick. Overall it was a good outing, and not as many people out on a Saturday with the cold and wind. I wore shorts but long sleeves, mittens, and a stocking cap. Hey, it's not about style. It's about works for me on a given day.

Head Wind

Today was one of those days where it would have been easy to tap out. Wind out of the north at a steady 20 mph. 

I've been here before.

I donned long-sleeve technical with a regular t-shirt over it, and shorts. For the most part I was plenty warm, and the only tough part was a few times into the wind. 

Fortunately, in the last mile I had a tailwind. When I drew close to the big hill (still needing a name) I crossed over the street in front of someone and decided to keep running rather than walking 50 feet in front of them. Since I probably should have run hills at some point this week it turned out okay. 

In the end, despite the environment, it was actually a good run.

Clear and Cool

A bit chillier than I thought it would be when I left, but still not horrible. I went my 5 miles and felt really good the whole way. Lots of pairs of people out today, all thinking that the whole sidewalk was theirs. Come on people, don't be stupid on purpose.

Crisp and Clean

Today was definitely on the cold side, with a temp of 40 degrees when I headed out about 10:30 a.m. Fortunately the breeze was minimal, but I still bundled up. Overall I went 6 miles. Other than a walk at 4.5 miles or so for a brief minute, I felt good. I might have been a little overheated at that point but I felt my heart rate was up too high. At the next mile marker I was passed by a guy in shorts running a lot faster than me. He said hey and commented that I was a 'tough guy to catch'. I don't know about that. My pace at the finish was 9:45/mile, and that's with the aforementioned walk as well as the walk up the big hill. Not a bad pace, but certainly not blazing like he was. That got me to 20 miles this week, which is the first time I've hit that in a long while. Feels good.

Somebody Turned on the AC

It got cold here in north Texas the past couple of days. Okay, it's all relative since it's only in the 40s. But the wind is coming out of the north and really chilling when you're running into it. I was looking forward to running and wasn't going to let the cold stop me, especially since I've run in worse over the years. I went the usual 5 miles and am feeling good. Hoping on Saturday to add another mile to that and get to 20 for the week.

Good Start

Today's run added to the good start from Sunday. I went 5 miles on an almost-perfect running day and felt great. 60 degrees when I finished with the sun just about all the way down, and no complaints. I'm hoping to keep up this nice beginning to the year.