Why Dogs?

That was my question on today's run: why do we call it the dog days of summer? I like dogs and it's not fair to hang the heat and humidity on them. I ran this morning when the temperature was only 85 degrees. By comparison six hours later, it's 96 degrees with heat index of 103. I went the 3-mile route, walking two of them in mile intervals. I have to say, I actually felt pretty good. I even got distracted with whatever the heck I was thinking about, probably work, and suddenly found myself at the end of the second running portion. This weather appears to be the forecast for the foreseeable future, which is no surprise to anyone who's lived in the southwest. I'll do my best to keep up the frequency of my outings.

Home Run

Back home from Chicago and running my normal route. Today I went 4 miles with temperature around 90 degrees and windy. The wind helped. I ran 2.5 miles of the total and stopped the last interval at the half-mile mark since my heart rate seemed a bit too high with the effort of running against the wind. I also mowed the lawn when I got home since I figured why not, I'm already sweaty and it needed to be done. That way I can truly rest tomorrow without any chores. I need to stain the back fence but today is not that day. Nor will it be tomorrow.

Chicago Run

I spent the week in Chicago this past week for work and got out for a run early Tuesday morning. I intended to go one more time but ended up sleeping an extra hour both days I intended to try. Tuesday was nice when I started out at 6:15 a.m. along the river walk. I ran 3 miles without stopping, all the way to the lake and back. I haven't run in Chicago in several years and glad I was there the week before a heat wave sets in, which is in the forecast for the coming days. Lots of people out even at that early hour and even though I didn't run more than that, I still got in plenty of steps walking around downtown. I don't take my personal laptop on these trips, which is why this recap is delayed. Good to know I can still run at least that far without a break, especially when the weather cooperates.

More Humidity

We got lots of rain yesterday morning, which added to the humidity quite nicely. This morning when I went out it was about 80 degrees and honestly not too bad unless I wasn't in the shade. Then the sunshine and humidity combined to make it quite a challenge. I went 3 miles and ran two of it. I was going to go an additional mile but kids were coming over and I didn't want to miss time with them. The heartrate was up at the end of the second interval, which was interesting because I didn't really notice. Glad I got in the exercise this week. We'll see how next week goes in Chicago.

A Longer Walk

Today I decided the best course of action was to walk. Why? I didn't sleep well last night, had five hours straight of meetings where I stood a lot, and the temperature is 93 degrees with heat index of 104. Does that seem like a weenie move? I did add another mile to the usual route and ended up at 3.17 miles according to my watch. And I did sweat a lot. This route through the neighborhood to the west also include some nice hills. I don't think things would've gone so well if I'd tried to run. Sometimes you have to roll with the situation. Or walk, not roll. I got out and exercised. That's what counts.

Lost the Weekend

I didn't run this past weekend, due to a lot of yard work on Saturday and torrential downpours all day on Sunday. At least I got exercise with the stuff at home, but it would've been nice to get in a run. Sad story: I seeded two sections of our front yard on Saturday and then the rain on Sunday washed a lot of it away. More on that in a moment.

That happened today when I made it outside for a 3-miler at lunch. Sunshine and a LOT of humidity. I persevered, though, and ran two mile-long increments. I had the chance to do a few other things while I was all sweaty, so I mowed and then reseeded one portion of the lawn. Let's hope the rain stays away for a few days and I don't have to do it again.

Walk for Two

This afternoon I decided to walk instead of trying to fit in a run. Several factors played into this. First, the temperature was above 90 degrees and heat index over 100. Second, I stood a lot today because of meetings. That usually translates into cramps when I try to run. And third, I just felt like a walk. I went 2 miles and then mowed the lawn, so I think it was the right decision. A run would've been nice, but a walk was the right choice.

Two Out of Three

I was able to get out this morning before it got hotter and it was still humid and quite warm. I went 3 miles and ran 2 of them, in mile-long increments. As usual, I thought about running that extra quarter-mile walk in the middle, but what's the point? All in all it felt good and I'm glad I did that walk. The summer is starting to heat up. Plus, after all that rain the humidity and the water level in the creek are staying high. It's nice to get out earlier in the day instead of trying to run after a full day's work. It's a good brain break. The weather for the rest of the week looks good. Let's hope the schedule is the same.

Wet Blankets

If Thursday felt like running with a wet blanket on, then today felt like running with two. All that rain they'd forecast to basically cover the weekend has been a no-show so far. I guess the music festival is getting a break this year. I felt kind of crappy yesterday evening, which I think was the past week catching up with me. I slept until after nine this morning and didn't go for a run until about 2:30 p.m. when I was sure the rain would miss. I went 3.5 miles in total, but only 1.6 in running. Why? Because my heart rate was up higher than I wanted, probably because of the aforementioned not feeling good yesterday and the even earlier mention of the humidity. I needed some exercise and a change of scenery from my office, plus a chance to sweat. Glad I got to exercise and glad it turned out to be a nice day.

Thursday - Missed Posting

Not sure how I forgot to post about Thursday's run, but here it is. I had a lot going on that day. Meetings, then a run, then another meeting, then mowed the lawn, then lunch, then a shower, then another meeting, then a trip to the grocery store, then another meeting...get the picture? What can I say about the run in the morning?  Humid. Like running with a wet blanket on. I got in 3 miles and I think I ran two of them. I know, it's only been a couple of days, but did I mention it's been crazy with work and life? Apologies for the tardy post.

Deliberate Walk

I wanted to run today but chose the wiser course of walking. The temperature was about 92 degrees but heat index was 104 because of the humidity. I knew that wouldn't go well if I tried to run. So, I walked for 2.2 miles and still managed to sweat quite nicely. The first part of the walk was mostly in the sun and I could definitely feel the humidity. At least I got out for some badly needed exercise. Let's see how the rest of the week goes, especially the weekend since there's a lot of rain in the forecast. I would be skeptical but there's a music festival downtown and it always seems to rain when that's going on, which means the rain might actually happen.

The Week That Was

Good grief, what a week. Seriously. It was a short week with the holiday on Monday, but I paid for it the rest. I felt drained at the end of every day and even though I should've gone for a run on Thursday I was totally wasted. Also, I'd been standing a lot, being on video meetings. I worked until late afternoon on Friday, as you do, and went to a concert last night. It was nice to get out of the house. This morning I slept until 9:20 am and had no obligations the rest of the day. I went for a 3-mile run and did 1.75 of that in actual running. I thought about going longer but didn't see much benefit in that, especially with the humidity and the fact I did have a few other things I wanted to accomplish, like mowing the lawn. Feeling more like myself here in the evening after sitting in the garage as I defrosted the freezer. Tomorrow should be a day of rest. At least that's the plan.

Good Timing

I went for a lunch run today, which turned out to be good timing since we got dumped on about the time I would've gone out after meetings. The rain came down like crazy for about ten minutes, at least, and now I don't have to run in the after-storm humidity. I enjoyed the earlier outing of 3 miles, 2.25 of which was running without a break. Felt good and enjoyed the quick outing. I don't mind seeing the rain and we can always use it in Texas.

Step Count

I was in Las Vegas this week for work and even though I didn't get in any runs, I certainly ran up the step count on Wednesday and Thursday. I walked over 5.5 miles each day. So I feel like I got in some exercise even though it wasn't strictly exercise.

Today I went out for a run and ended up at about 4.25 miles, with 2.25 of that in running. I walked more than usual because I ran into a friend and walked with him for quite a bit, catching up on things since I hadn't seen him before I broke my collarbone in October. He remarked that he thought I'd moved or something so I told him the saga of my surgeries in about two months' time and the road to being cleared to run again. It was a nice day, although a bit humid due to rain in the early morning hours. Nice and with plenty of sunshine, and at least the spring wind has died down after several weeks of blowing like crazy. Tomorrow is a smoking day with brisket, ribs, sausage, and jalapeno poppers. After exercise this morning followed by mowing the lawn, I feel like I deserve a nice restful Sunday.

How About Some Humidity?

I did the rare Monday run today because of my work schedule this week. I got in 3 miles total with 1.75 of that in running. A little bit of sunshine and a lot of humidity goes a long way in keeping things in check. Add in strong winds once again and it made sense to not go crazy. Felt good to get out and check that box, especially since I had a lot of boxes to check today. Early voting, mowing the lawn, and procuring some supplies for a work trip factored into the mix. I have a window to go running tomorrow so I'm hoping the rain holds off and lets me get out for another.

Hello, Wind

Quite breezy this morning. I didn't get out Thursday due to a day packed with meetings, so I was ready to go today. I went 4 miles, running 2.5 of it. The humidity is up and even though the wind helped a little, I felt better walking in several intervals. My iPod surprised me by being dead and I had to leave it charging. That was okay as I got to think about the book I'm writing without distraction. Nothing earth-shattering, just thoughts about what I want to do in future chapters. Afterward, I spent time eating breakfast, drinking coffee, smoking a cigar on the back patio, and writing. So far, it's been a good day with more to go. And I got in my run, which is always a good thing.

No Stopping

 I went 3 miles total today with 2.25 of that being a run without stopping. Felt good and it was a nice, sunny morning. I topped that off by mowing the lawn. And a lot of work, both stuff to do and meetings. All in all, a busy day. I've also been doing pushups since I got back from vacation and am up to 320 per day this week. I keep building up, just like I'm doing with running, and I'm feeling almost all the way back to normal. No stopping.

Still

This morning was very odd when I walked outside - the air was absolutely still. No breeze at all. Let's just say it's been awhile in Texas since that happened. It's been a blustery spring, as usual. The atmosphere just felt...weird. Regardless, I braved the calm weather and went 4 miles, with 2.75 miles of running total. I thought about trying to run without walking, but the humidity and calmness made it seem like I was running with a wet blanket over my shoulders. I'm not training or trying to prove anything, so I walked between intervals. I had a good outing and got it done first thing on a Saturday, leaving plenty of time for other things, like coffee on the back patio where I'm writing this.

Post-Vacation Run

Got back Tuesday from a week-plus on vacation in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. I didn't run but certainly got in a lot of walking. We went to Big Bend and hiked some short trails, less than we would've done normally but The Wife broke her foot the night before we left. Hiking in a big boot isn't the easiest in the world but she was game to do as much as she could. We also went to Carlsbad Caverns and did the Big Room circuit. Thankful that there is an elevator that helped us avoid the steep entrance/exit with all its switchbacks.

Today I'm back at it with a nice 3-mile outing in sunshine and mid-60s temperature. I ran two of those miles in 1-mile intervals. Not many folks out on a nice Thursday morning but to be fair, I did go out at an odd time between meetings. Glad to be back at it.

An Odd Mix

I got out today about 11:30 a.m. I probably should've gone earlier, but I had other stuff to work on as well as coffee to drink. The day was mostly cloudy and a little more humid than normal for this time of year. I went 4 miles total in kind of a weird mix of intervals. I walked a quarter-mile, then ran 1.25 miles. I walked another quarter and started another run, but only ended up going .75 miles because I encountered a couple with a dog that looked a little lame and didn't want to run by them on the way back. Therefore, I stopped short of a mile on the alternate path because it gets hilly at that point. Then I walked another quarter before starting up again. That interval ended up at a half-mile because my heart rate got a little high and I walked the last three-quarters of a mile. All told, it was a good run, just not very organized. Oh, well. A run doesn't have to be neat.