Sometimes

Sometimes a workday saps your soul. That happened on Thursday when I planned to run late in the afternoon, but it was a day full of meetings. Including a last-minute one that should have been an email or instant message, but instead ended up taking 45 minutes. By the time the day ended I just wanted to relax with a cold beverage and cigar. I know, I should've gone for a run to clear my head and rejuvenate my energy level. Oh, well, there'll be days like that. Today I was up early, way too early for a Saturday. I had to wait for daylight before heading out for a 5-miler. What a great morning for a run. 62 degrees and sunny meant I wasn't the only one who had that thought, as there were plenty of runners and walkers out. What is it with people walking on the wrong side of the path? I ran into two, one of whom moved to the correct side and another who didn't. Tell me you're an a-hole without telling me. That guy is probably a horrible driver, too. Okay, enough snark. It didn't ruin what ended up being a good run. I tried to keep the pace quicker than I've been running and it worked. Hopefully next week will be better from the work standpoint and not interfere with my running schedule.

Water Under the Bridge

Rain rolled through early yesterday and now there's water in the stream again. It certainly smells better, which means it doesn't smell at all. I went for a late-morning run today due to a gap in my schedule, which also gives me time to work on my truck later on (oil pressure sensor replacement). Today I ran 4 miles without walking, except for the big hill. I felt good the whole way and tried to keep the pace quicker than the last few months but not enough to wear me out. I did enough to run "faster" while keeping my heart rate in a good zone. I thought about running up the big hill but decided I didn't want to. Overall, it felt good to be outside and being in the zone for a nice run.

Humid Saturday

I don't think the humidity would've felt so bad this morning if there had been a breeze. As it was, the temperature was in the 70s but wow, the humidity felt pretty soupy. I ran 5 miles and I didn't walk until the three-mile marker. From then on, I walked again at the four-mile mark and once again the last quarter mile like I did Thursday. My main reason for the walking was my heart rate. Although it didn't spike too high, I wanted to be careful with the humidity. I also changed things up and listened to Pink Floyd's Momentary Lapse of Reason album. Maybe it's time to go back to listening to podcasts since it's been awhile. Can't stay in the same rut forever, you know. 

Stinky

I went out early afternoon today for a nice 4-miler. Well, the temperature was a little warm, in the low 90s. So I walked every mile and as a concession to the heat, walked the last quarter-mile that I'd normally run back into the neighborhood. Summer is hanging on here in Texas but looks like it's supposed to break next week. I mean, we're almost to October, so why not? The lack of rain has caused the stream to dry up on the far side of the neighborhood pond to the north. That means the place stinks a little, what with the rot and lack of moving water. A chance of rain is in the forecast early next week, but we'll see. They've been wrong before. I missed my Tuesday outing due to a work event in the afternoon and birthday outing for some friends that evening. One thing I've learned over the years is to not fret about missing a run, especially when I'm not in training for a race. The other thing I thought interesting was how the moderately quicker pace I ran in my last outing translated to running the same today, when really I needed to slow down a little. Oh, well. Lots of learning still going on even a couple of decades into this running thing.

Early Saturday Run

I'm at that point where I wake up early every weekday to get started on writing and work, and that now translates to waking up at that time on weekends as well even though I don't set an alarm. So, this morning right about 6 a.m. my stupid body and brain decided the day had started. I headed out the door about an hour later, waiting a few minutes for daylight to actually, you know, do its thing. I ran 5 miles with the temperature at 70 degrees. It was a nice morning for a run, and apparently for a hot air balloon as well since I saw one go overhead. Lots of people out walking, running, and dog walking. Seems like a lot of other people wanted to get out early before it climbs into the mid-90s this afternoon. I'd like to get some yardwork done today but first, coffee.

Sub-12

I spent the first half of this week in Austin on a work trip. Nothing like driving to and from Colorado and then turning around and making a round trip right away to the state capital. Anyway, today I knew I needed a run in a bad way. I felt tired and lethargic most of the day, a sign my energy level is low and needs to be replenished with some exercise. I decided a 3-miler seemed to be the best choice, but once I got going I realized I've been plodding along at the same 12-minute+ pace for a long time, mainly due to growing older and the heat, but mostly growing older. I decided to kick it up a notch, especially now that my Apple Watch provides a current pace readout (see earlier post). Sadly enough, upping my pace by 30 seconds seemed like a big lift, especially since the temperature is still in the upper 80s. It was the right decision, though, and I felt better toward the end. I even ran sub-10 the last third of a mile. As the weather starts to cool, I think I'll make a faster pace a priority over the fall and winter months.

Dogs

Back from vacation and ran 3 miles this morning. The weather was a lovely 70 degrees and sunny, very nice for a run. I did get in plenty of walking in Colorado, with several days in the 7-8 mile range, as well as a bicycle ride one day that probably ended up around a 12-mile-ish total. Maybe more. My watch recorded 9.33 miles but I know it didn't get the whole outing. Anyway, today's events included dogs. I was on the way back and a couple walked toward me with their German Shepherd, and a guy walking my direction with two big dogs. All three of us converged at the same spot on the path and the dogs barked at each other, as well as lunging against their leashes. I'm at least smart enough to not get in the middle of that so I stopped and walked until they'd put some distance between them, earning me a funny look from one of the guys. What am I, stupid? Anyway, it was slightly annoying but ended up being harmless. At least I got out and did a vacation recovery run.

More Shade

I went out for today's run a little after 1 p.m., trying to get some stuff done later in the day. I found more shade than I expected along the route. Probably because of overhanging trees along the lake path and for which I'm grateful. I only went 3 miles but it felt good and the temperature at the time hovered around 90 degrees. I walked a minute at the mile markers but probably could have run it all without the walks. That's okay, better safe than sorry. I'll be doing some hiking over the next week or so and will decide if that's worth posting about or if it's best to just wait until I get another run in again. When we went to Ireland in 2022 I should've posted about our walks there since we averaged from 7-9 miles a day. That probably won't be the case in what's coming up, but we'll see. If I can't run at least I can get in some exercise.

Bleh

This morning I went 6 miles but have to see it was a bleh kind of run. The first three miles went fine, but the second half was rough. Once again, I think it was a combo of heat, humidity, and lack of breeze on the trail that did me in. I kept an eye on my heart rate and decided to walk a few times when it rose to what I considered too high. I didn't get to my max heart rate but reached well over 90% several times. No need to push it, especially in the heat of a summer Texas sun. Not the best outing I've ever had, but also not the worst. Could've been better, I suppose. Still, it's good to get out for some exercise and a little sweat. 

Alone

I saw only one other person out today, a guy walking his dog. Which is odd, since the temperature is several degrees lower than earlier this week. Not that it's cooled off THAT much, since it was 98 and heat index 105 while I ran 4 miles. Anyway, I think it turned out to be a good run. As usual, I walked at the mile markers. The third mile was the toughest since I ran with the breeze at my back, although I think the hollow around the lake tends to throttle any wind. I considered walking a few times since it felt a little stifling but kept the pace down and made it.

Also today, I hate to admit this, I finally changed the display on my Apple Watch to show Current Pace instead of Average Pace. I'd done it before but for some reason it switched back shortly after and I've never gone back to change it. I do have to say Apple doesn't make it easy to figure out how to modify the display, but after searching the Internets for a few minutes I finally found what I was looking for. Much better to see that on my run and make sure I'm not going too fast in the heat. Yeah, like that's possible.

102/112

The weatherman lied! Yesterday the temperature topped out at 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Today's temp was supposed to "cooler" than yesterday, only making it to 99 degrees. That's where the lie comes in. I ran this afternoon and it was 102 degrees with a 112 heat index. Those three degrees might not mean much to you, but they sure did to me. Anyway, I kept it at 3 miles today. I have to admit, I almost didn't go. I felt low energy all day and thought about just kicking back and doing nothing for the rest of the day. But I also know that when I feel that lack of energy the only thing that builds it back up is expending energy on something like a run. As usual in these situations, I'm now glad I went. I feel much better and feel like I've earned some time to relax.

Sunday Stretch

Today's goal was simple: get out and sweat. The humidity is really high today and certainly helped me reach my goal in short order. I only went 2.5 miles total. After smoking pork, ribs, jalapeno poppers, and sausage all day yesterday, I just needed to sweat out some of the residue. Out of the 2.5 miles, I ran about 2.25 of that. My right knee felt fine and no other ailments made an appearance. We're supposed to be up to 106 degrees tomorrow, and 98 on Tuesday, my next planned running day. Seems like summer is gvinig us the finger one more time before it departs.

Just a Walk

Tuesday I skipped running. I didn't sleep well at all the night before and felt blah all day. Knowing this was a recipe for a crappy run, I decided to skip it. Plus, I have a little tenderness on the outside of my right knee. Today I knew I needed to sweat, so I went out for a 2.5 mile walk. I do have to say it was nice to get out, even with the temperature over 100 degrees. At least some big clouds blocked the sun for a part of the walk. I'm hoping the knee continues to feel better, but it'll probably be Sunday before I get out again since Saturday is a smoking day.

Another Missed Thursday

I enjoy running in the heat and rarely do this, but Thursday I decided to let the heat win one. The air temp rose to 103 (I think) and heat index to 112. Sometimes you just have to relax and realize missing a day isn't going to be the end of the world. This morning when I went out the thermometer read a cool 74 degrees. I ran 4 miles with the intention of running more but decided not to push it too far today. Plus, I hadn't eaten yet or had my coffee and that always factors into how I feel about a longer run. Looks like temperatures will continue to hover around 100 degrees over the next week and that's fine with me.

4 in 100

The thermometer hit the century mark today, although the humidity was down a bit from where it soared to last month. That meant even though the air temp was 100, the heat index topped out at 105. As opposed to about four weeks ago where the air temp hit only 96 or 97 but heat index went all the way up to 111 or more. I'll take today, thank you. I went 4 miles and did the one-minute per mile walk thing, plus an extra 30 seconds on account of the 100-degree heat. That meant at mile three I walked 3 1/2 minutes. At the end of the first mile I thought maybe I didn't need the extra half-minute but as usual, I'm glad I did from the beginning since it paid off later. Of course, then I came home and mowed for a little additional exercise. Smart? I don't know about that.

Scum

Got out this morning by 7:30 to avoid the heat and also because I'm smoking pork today. I went 5 miles and ran the whole way since the temperature was below 80 degrees. It was a nice outing and I felt pretty good about it. I kept the pace slow and enjoyed the morning sun glistening off the scum on top of the lake as I ran by it. Plenty of people out and about and I even got passed by another runner. I plan on spending the rest of the day relaxing on the back patio and already got started with coffee and a cigar. The temp should hit the century mark today and seems like a good day to do a whole lot of nothing.

Ending July in Normal Fashion

We're making it back up to the century mark on the thermometer before month-end. The days of rain and clouds are gone, but they were nice while they lasted. Today I ran 4 miles and did the 1-2-3 minute walk thing. Surprisingly, I only saw three people out on the trail. One was a guy walking, and the other two were walking down Lake Forest with a gas can. They stopped at the bridge to light cigarettes, so I'm guessing they weren't out for exercise. I took it easy the whole time, keeping a slow, steady pace. My heart rate maxed out at 154 bpm, which means I felt good and didn't push it too much. That's going to be the way to go over the foreseeable future.

5 and Fine

After the weirdness with the cramps on Thursday, I have to admit a little trepidation when I started running this morning. Fortunately, all went well. I took the westward route, which is what I'd wanted to do a couple of days ago. This time I ran 5 miles with only a couple of walking breaks. One was at the two-mile mark for a minute, and the other at 3.8 up the big hill on Virginia east of Ridge. The temperature started a couple degrees shy of 80 and ended at 81 when I finished. A bit humid, as expected. That's probably the last relatively cool run I'll have as Texas summer weather returns next week after a little bit of a break. I still don't know why I had calf cramps and need to do a little research. Could be electrolytes or lack of Vitamin D? Plenty of ideas but not sure the cause yet.

Unexpected Cramps

Yesterday afternoon was weird. I set out for a 4-miler and made it less than a mile. About a quarter-mile into it, both calves cramped. Usually that only happens after I've run 20+ miles. This cramping wasn't as bad as what I've experienced in the late stages of marathons, but it kind of weirded me out a little. I'd gone west instead of my regular route, so I turned and took a loop around another block, running to see how it went. That went fine, but I decided to call it a day. Cramps like that usually point to something my body needs and isn't getting. I'd been drinking water all day, so it wasn't dehydration. Maybe potassium? Anyway, in the short term I dosed the problem with ice-cold beer. That seemed to help and I'll try again tomorrow. Disappointing. And weird.

Inspiration with Perspiration

Today was one of those days where I received a bolt of inspiration while I ran my 4 miles. I'm working on a sequel to my novel First, which came out last October. I've struggled with a few false starts and now am about two-thirds of the way through a draft that I felt was going well but would need a lot of extra work to make it a book I'd want to read, much less publish. About a mile into today's run I thought of an idea I probably should've realized before and it brought everything together in my mind. Some of the root problems I knew I'd have to fix will disappear and the book will be more compelling.

What about the run, you ask? Good question. I wish I'd been able to run this morning since the temperature was in the 70s and the sky overcast. This afternoon the sun poked out and temperature rose to the mid-80s. Still not bad for Texas in July, though. It was a good run with the built-in walks. The best thing I can say is that the perspiration gave me some inspiration.