Over 80

It was over 80 degrees again today and you know what that means. Or maybe you don't. It means walking at every mile marker. This helps me ease into the summer temperatures. I went 3 miles and that included the walking at the beginning and end, so really only 2.7 miles of running. Minus the other minute-long walks at the mile marks. And the big hill into the neighborhood. So, maybe 2.4 miles? Anyway, I felt a little sluggish, maybe because I woke up three times last night. I blame that on one of the dogs having the scoots in their crate and my thinking I heard a dog barking. In protest. Turns out I wasn't dreaming it, but it still made for a not-so-good night of sleep. Let's hope the week improves from here, both for the dogs and me.

Early Run

We have some obligations today, so I got up and started my 3-mile run a little after seven a.m. Not a lot of people out, but a few walkers and cyclists. The mild temperature certainly helped offset the humidity from the rains of the past few days. I enjoyed getting out before the rest of the world woke up and got busy. When I came home I ate breakfast and sat on the patio drinking coffee, while the neighborhood birds sang their little hearts out. Nice and relaxing start to the day, including the run.

Spike

The temperature spiked to the mid-80s today and with that, I walked at every mile marker as is normal when the mercury surpasses 80 degrees. I ran 3 miles and really, it wasn't too bad. A breeze from the south helped keep things manageable. I felt a bit sluggish in the last mile, maybe due to age or heat, or both. I also have to mow the lawn today, so better get to it.

Rain? Not So Much

Supposedly, we were supposed to get rain all day. Instead, it's been overcast with a distinct lack of rain. Maybe later, says the forecast. In the meantime, I went out and did 3 miles right before lunch. Seems like my foot problems are in the past, which makes me happy. I don't like having to recover from an injury when the weather is a mild as it has been the past few weeks. Oh well, you don't always get to pick the timing of these things. I felt good and was glad to get a run in today since the forecast had made it look like that wouldn't happen.

A Nice 3

Lovely day here in north Texas and I got out at lunch for a 3-miler. Light breeze and sunshine plus mild temperatures all combined to make it a good run. I enjoy days like this, knowing what it's going to be like around here in a few months. My foot pain lingers like a phantom that won't leave, but it's not getting worse. I think using the shoe inserts in my normal-wear shoes has helped. Afterward, since I was already nice and sweaty, I ran the lawnmower over a patch in the back and most of the front yard where the shade grass is already growing nicely. Looks like rain all day Saturday and into Sunday, but we'll see how accurate the forecast is in affecting my upcoming weekend run.

Give Me Three

Skipped Thursday's run due to work and a little bit of foot pain, but got out today for 3 miles. The pain is still there on the underside of my right foot. Not as bad, though. I put inserts into my daily-wear sneakers and that seems to have helped. We'll see how it feels the next few days. My heart rate hit the theoretical maximum at the end of today's run (220 minus age). As I've stated before, I'm pretty that's not exactly correct. Feels like I should have a higher max, especially when I'm in good shape. I'm not out of shape right now, exactly, but I'm also not at the top of my game. The answer? Keep running.

Another Recovery

It's been another ten days since I ran due to the foot pain. BTW, the meat I smoked on the 29th turned out very well to popular acclaim. Anyway, I thought about the foot issue and what had changed. I'm using the same running shoes I've always used and a pair that gave me no problems. What did change was the weather, and with that going back to casual sneakers with no arch support. They're what I've worn for years when getting out and about (non-running, of course), but I don't wear them over the course of winter. Resuming their usage must've caused problems with my feet and so I've discontinued using them for now. I bought a pair of another brand of casual shoe, this with a little more arch and cushioning in the heel. I've only worn them once so far, yesterday, and then today I ran 3 miles. I have a little bit of pain, but not too bad. I'll continue with the new casual shoes and hopefully that makes the difference.

Foot Pain

Yes, it's been eleven days since I ran. After the last outing, the bottom of my right foot between the middle and fourth toes swelled. I don't know why. It was weird, because I'd expect something like that on the ball of my foot, but not in the middle. I iced it and then took it easy for - well, the last eleven days. Today I felt the cabin fever and knew I needed to get in some exercise. Even though I'm smoking a pork butt today, I slipped out for a 3-miler. The run itself was good, but my foot is aching again in the same spot. Must be something with my shoes that apparently popped up unexpectedly, but I don't know what. More to come on that, I think. Now it's time to relax and smoke some meat and jalapeno poppers.

Spring Winds

The spring winds continue today, to the tune of 25 mph with gusts over 40. That made running southward a bit more difficult, but even more than that the temperature of 80 degrees slowed me. I walked a couple of times on the last half but managed to get in 4 miles. It was a nice, easy outing after the race on Saturday. I felt a few calf twinges in the first couple hundred yards but told myself if I couldn't run, at least I could walk. They went away and didn't come back, so running only came into play because of the heat. Yeah, it's going to get hotter, but this is the part of the year where I start to build tolerance. That way when the thermometer hits 100 degrees I can at least go out for a bit where there's shade.

Shamrock 5k 2025

This morning turned out to be nice, a far cry from the gusty day before. It seems a good part of west Texas blew into town yesterday and the sky was filled with dust. We caught a break for the 5k, which started at 9 a.m. Really, it only got a little breezy with the last half-mile or so, which circuited Towne Lake and put us going due east into the wind. Could've been worse. Anyway, I didn't run Thursday due to work issues, and felt like I had fresh legs today. It actually went way better than I would've hoped. The first mile is mostly uphill, kind of a kick in the pants to start a race. I felt good, and jumped ahead at a good 10-minute pace. Most of that was spent dodging around slow people and walkers, who for some reason all think they should be at the front when we start. That's my biggest pet peeve about people in these races. The second mile recovered the previous elevation gain and my pace increased slightly. My time was (unofficially) 29:42, a nice time for a guy of my age who hasn't been running fast at all. I feel good about coming in under the half-hour mark. I looked at my watch a couple of times and it said my heart rate was basically at the max, but I don't think that was right. I definitely felt the effort of the run, but at no point did I feel like I was overdoing it. It makes me think the watch is off in measuring my heart rate, or maybe adrenaline and the little bit of competition offset it. IDK but it was a great run and I'm happy with the results.

Double the Fun

I just realized I forgot to log last Thursday's 4-mile run. Probably because I was able to go earlier in the day than normal and got busy doing other stuff. If I remember right and my fitness app is correct, I ran the whole way and even sprinted at the end. Probably because I knew Saturday would be a rainout.

Today I went 4 miles again, this time in sunshine and a stiff breeze from the south. It was also 80 degrees. I walked at the 3-mile mark since I figured that was a good practice distance for the 5k upcoming this Saturday. My music also went out less than 2.5 miles in, meaning I ran in relative silence for most of the last half. A couple of groups of high school kids out along the path and a few other random strangers enjoying the nice day. Looks like the wind is supposed to pick up again later this week, but hopefully the St. Patrick's Day run will be decent.

Sirens

Woke up just after 5 this morning to thunder and lightning, and then a bunch of wind. Somehow managed to go back to sleep and then was awakened again at 5:45 by tornado sirens. I checked the radar and all seemed well, other than a line of storms going through, and the sirens stopped shortly after. All that to say, I wasn't sure how the weather would turn out today other than windy. However, I apparently hit a good spot late morning with a stiff breeze from the southwest, but not as bad as it's going to get later. I ran 4 miles with about 200 yards of waking in the last mile when my heart rate got a bit higher than I like. I don't know, I don't feel horrible when that happens, but if I'm going by the recommended heart rate, it's over 90% in those instances. Anyway, the walk helped bring it back down and I finished just fine.

Unexpected

I set out for this morning's run with high hopes, but ended up unexpectedly walking most of the last mile. My heart rate was up for the first three miles, and then my right calf felt tight. So, I ended up walking. I went 4 miles total but had expectations of going two more. I could have pushed it, but I also have a lot of yard work to do today and didn't want to make things worse. It was a nice morning, about 70 degrees with sun and a good, stiff breeze. Wish I could have run longer.

Shorts for Real

Today I got wise and wore shorts since it was 70 degrees out and sunny. That proved to be the right choice, although the people who had to endure my winter-induced paleness probably wouldn't agree. I planned on going 5 miles when I set out and really had to make myself not turn at the two-mile mark. I'm glad I went the full distance because I kept telling myself I'm not going to have many nice days like this and it'd be a shame to waste. I think I had the mental game going on because I'd rather sit around and enjoy a nice, cold beverage on the back patio. Another thing I told myself: I needed a run more than I needed a cigar. The cigars will be there tomorrow, but tomorrow might not be a good day for running.

Shorts

What a nice day! I went for a lunchtime run when the temperature hit 60 degrees and I probably should've worn shorts. The long pants seemed a bit much. I ran 4 miles in the sunshine and light southerly breeze. Felt good the whole way and no walking necessary. The cold is behind us and we're into mild temperatures now. I plan to take full advantage of the nice weather.

Consistency

The only consistency I've maintained this month is that I've run every Saturday. Beyond that, not much else. Once again, we had an extremely cold week. Several mornings I woke up to 10-13 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chill of -5. The afternoon temperatures soared into the low 20s. Needless to say, I didn't want to run in that weather, so I didn't. Today turned out much better, 49 degrees and sunny. I only went 3 miles, kind of a get-back-into-it kind of run. This coming week is supposed to be nicer and hopefully that gets my will to run back into place.

Want

I didn't run Tuesday or Thursday, and let me be clear on why: I didn't want to. The weather was cold, raining or misty, and windy. In other words, nasty. To be fair, I thought about running, but decided both times to stay inside where it's warm. Today kind of looked the same, except the temperature rose above 50 degrees on its way to the upper 60s. In fact, it was still misting just a bit when I walked out the front door. I could've turned around at that point but I'd already taken the trouble to dress and all. I ran 4 miles, not nearly as tough as my tries last week. Maybe it was because of fresh legs, or maybe the fact it wasn't over 80 degrees. Whatever, it turned into a good day. Looks like we're in for freezing weather again by mid-week, so I might move my outings around to accommodate.

What a Week

It wasn't the greatest of weeks in my long running career. An aborted run on Tuesday, a tough one with walking on Thursday, and today one that seemed relatively better but not great. The temperature was once again about 80 degrees, my normal threshold for adding in walk breaks. I did that today at the two-mile mark and again at three. That got me through 4.25 miles. I planned to go longer but realized I should take what I can get. It was nice enough outside but that higher February temp stifled my plans a little. It's supposed to get colder tomorrow and for the next week so maybe that'll help. Glad to get in a run but wish it could've been better. Oh, well. Like I said, sometimes you just have to take what you can get.

Hamburger Revenge

No cramps today, which was nice. However, my tactical mistake at lunch came back to haunt me. I met with the local work team at a burger joint, where I ordered a cheeseburger with bacon and fried egg, plus onion rings on the side. That proved to be a bad decision come run time. I went 4 miles total, running the first three at a painfully slow pace. I decided walking the last mile was the best course of action. In addition to the food, the temperature soared to 82 degrees at run time, further sapping my energy. Hey, I'm just glad I got to be outside and running without calf cramps.

Cramp Again

I wanted to run hills today as part of getting into much better shape, but the calf muscles in both legs cramped. Maybe because the temperature was twenty degrees lower today and felt worse because of the wind. Maybe because the first part of my attempted run was uphill. Maybe because I stood too much today. Maybe because I didn't drink enough water. I don't know. It's highly annoying, but I will try again Thursday. Heck, I might try tomorrow between meetings. We'll see.