Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Feeling the Running

Did the same routine today as I did Saturday and for the first time in a long while the running part felt normal. I've walked a lot and become used to that cadence, I think. On my last half-mile interval today I had that thought about not thinking about it. It was a nice moment. Not necessarily a runner's high but still good. 4 miles total with 2.5 of it of the running variety. 

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Coming Back

Every time I go out and put some running in with the walking, I tell myself I'm coming back from injury and laziness, but mostly laziness. Today was beautiful, with temperature in the high 60s and sunny. I went 4 miles total, with 2.5 of that running, including 1.5 miles straight running in the middle. I'm starting to feel better about running, stronger and not getting winded as easily. I also think the days and nights where we get down to freezing or lower are over. I'm fine with that.

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Back to Sweating

What a difference from Monday and the last couple of days. Today was warm, topping out over 80 degrees, and while there was plenty of wind at least it wasn't the bitterly cold kind. I was able to get out after lunch for 3 miles, running half of that. Looks like the cold weather is finally over for us, but then again, you never know for sure. It was nice to get out and sweat again.

Monday, March 20, 2023

First Day of Spring

According to the calendar, winter is over and spring is here. The freezing overnight temperatures and cold wind this morning from the southeast disagree. Fortunately, the rest of the week it's supposed to be in the 70s. Since I have a crappy schedule for work today and tomorrow in the afternoons, I went for a 2-mile walk with The Wife this morning. Let's just say the weather was brisk and leave it at that. Here's hoping that was the last of it.

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Slicing

The wind out of the northeast sliced right through my clothes on today's outing. The temperature was supposed to be 48 degrees but felt like 42, or so said the weather app. It felt colder than that. In fact, at the first blast a couple of blocks from home I almost turned around and went back. But then I decided I'd gone to all the trouble to get dressed that I might as well follow through. I went 4 miles total, running half that in half-mile intervals. If it hadn't been for that darn wind it would have been a really good outing. I even stopped when a woman and her four friends were taking a picture and offered to take it for them so they could all be in it. That's me, walking, running, and making friends.

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Double Post

This is a two-fer.

Yesterday went for a morning walk with The Wife. It was a bit cool and we bundled up. The wind was out of the northeast and blasted us pretty good about two blocks into it but we decided to keep going. Once we warmed up it was better and we went 3 miles. The trip back, going south, was better. At least it was sunny the whole way.

Today I took advantage of a gap in my work calendar and got out for a little over a half-hour. The total mileage was 2.4 miles, an odd total. That was because I had a time limit and included running for about a mile of it. Again, a nice day. I was motivated to do it today since tomorrow is supposed to be cooler, too many meetings for work, and a chance of rain. The days I'm getting out are not necessarily the normal ones, but at least I'm able to wedge in some activity.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Enjoying the Weather

Today's temperature is supposed to get us up into the 80s. When I went for a walk/run at about 11:30 it was still in the high 60s and overcast. Two hours later it's 78 and sunny. Still enjoyed it, though, and decided to go 3 miles total today. I ran half of it in half-mile increments. Felt pretty good. It was a little breezy out of the south but that was a feature, not a bug.

Monday, March 6, 2023

Third Day

This was the third day in a row I went for a walk and it was another beautiful one. I went about 3.2 miles this time. The temperature was above 80 degrees, not bad for Texas in early March. Once again I considered running but my hips felt tight after several days in a row of exercise. Seems kind of lame, no pun intended, but I'm trying to develop consistency without hurting myself. I don't know if I'll get out tomorrow but we'll see how the day goes.

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Follow-Up

Today was another beautiful day and I went for a 4-mile walk. I considered running a little but decided to go for the extra mile instead. If I can get back on track with 3-4 outings a week then I will start adding running into the mix again. Walking was a good choice for today.

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Lost Week

What a week. Once again making a living cut into my time to get out and exercise. Plus I went to New York City on Wednesday and flew back Friday. I missed a big windstorm that come through on Thursday. Fortunately, today was extra nice. The Wife and I got out for a 3-mile walk and enjoyed temperatures in the low 70s. As I've said before, I need to prioritize exercise and that's my plan in the next week. I find I get a little grumpy without exercise. Nobody wants me to be grumpy.

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Short Walk

The Wife and I went for a short walk today. We'd thought about going yesterday but it was blustery and decided to wait until today. This afternoon it was a decent temperature and we had a few minutes before she had to take a loaf of bread out of the oven. All told we probably walked less than 30 minutes but at least we got out and about for a few.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Midday Walking

I was off work yesterday, for the most part, so I took a lunchtime walk. Ended up being 2.9 miles but I'm rounding up. It was a beautiful day and the temperature was about 80 degrees on its way to 87 later in the afternoon. Nice breeze, and when I looked in the mirror later in the day it was clear I'd gotten a little sun. Nice to see the weather in Texas behaving like it's supposed to.

Monday, February 20, 2023

Sporadic Walk

Last week the weather turned bad again, and by that I mean cool and extremely windy. We had a thunderstorm warning one day and got...nothing. Still, it was a week of not getting out and by today I definitely needed to do something. The Wife and I went on a 3-mile walk in early afternoon and it was indeed nice to get outdoors. Even though yesterday was nice I smoked a brisket, but hopefully nicer days are in the near future. Gotta find some consistency again..

Monday, February 13, 2023

2.5 + 3 = 2

Equals two days in a row. I missed Saturday due to cleaning up some home improvement project remnants and went for a walk on Sunday afternoon. It was a gorgeous day, in the mid-60s and sunny, and I went 2.5 miles. I was going to go longer but when you reach a certain age your bladder tells you when it's time to turn around and go home before bad things happen.

Today was about the same temp, but overcast and a bit breezy. I still went 3 miles, though, and ran three intervals of .5, .6, and .5. So, if my math is correct, unlike the title of this post, that means I ran over half the distance today. Tomorrow is supposed to be extremely windy with some rain early, and same on Wednesday. We'll see how it goes.

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Back At It

Since last weekend when I went to concerts two nights in a row and stood for 5+ hours at each, my lower back has been achy. Not too bad, but I felt it today when I ran on my outing. I went 3 miles total and ran two half-mile segments. The weather was too nice to miss a run today and I'm glad I went. Being out in the sunlight is a nice pick-me-up, especially in what would normally be the dead of winter.

Monday, February 6, 2023

Felt Like More

Today was particularly windy, like the 25+ mph type of wind. With gusts stronger than that. It was also the day before rainstorms make an appearance so I decided to brave the wind and get in another walk. I went 3 miles again, but it sure felt like more. I think I deserve extra credit for this one.

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Three of the Walking Variety

Last week the cold weather came back with a vengeance, leaving behind ice for several days. I may not be a smart man, but I do know better than to tempt fate by trying to walk a few miles on a sheet of ice. The last couple of nights I went to concerts and stood for six-plus hours each time. When the sunny day showed temperatures in the 60s I was happy to get out for a walk. I thought about running some but my knees and lower back are still recovering from so much standing. I walked 3 miles and hope for nicer weather in the coming week. Rain is in the forecast, but we'll see.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Cold and More

A cold front moved in Tuesday and we even got a little snow, although that didn't even last until morning. Naturally, I chose to stay warm. Today was better, with a nice sunny afternoon and temperature of 52 degrees. I only went 3 miles but it was nice to get out in the sunlight. I ran about 1.75 miles of that. Felt a little stiff but not horrible. I think Saturday is supposed to be warmer but there's also a chance of rain. We'll see.

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Building Back Better

It was tempting to be lazy again today and stay home, but the day was too nice. Temperature in the mid-50s, sunshine, and light breeze from the south. Tempting, but I also know we will still have our fair share of really cold days in the next couple of months and missing out on a day like today would be regrettable.

I resolved to run most of today's 4-miler and ended up running three miles straight. I'm still not sure if the heartbeat count on my Apple Watch is correct since I got up to 156 but like I said previously, didn't feel like I was near the limit. It felt good to continue building back up to continuous running. The foundation is there, just gotta keep at it.

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Out of Town

I was out of town the last week, part personal and part business. I did not get in any walking or running while I was gone, which I knew was going to happen. The work part included a 5k run every morning, but I've taken my gear before and then it suits in my suitcase, so this time I didn't even take it.

Today was a light day workwise since everybody is getting back from the conference and I was able to get out for a 3-mile walk. It was nice to get out in the fresh air after being held hostage in a Vegas hotel for four days. The sunlight felt great even though it was a little on the cool side with a breeze from the north. No complaints, though.