Better Than Thursday

May 30, 5:35 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 4.32 miles
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 71, clear
@end: 73, sunny
Shoes: GG Pegasus

Today was better than Thursday by a long shot. It was just as warm and humid, but I got up early enough so the sun wasn't beating on me. I still took several walk breaks, but ran probably 3/4 of the distance (if not a little more). Carrying around the extra 15+ pounds (relative to this past September) just makes it harder, too. One would think I'd have ditched it by now ... or just not have acquired it in the first place.

That Didn't Go So Well

Workout

May 27, 8:50 a.m. CT

Warm up: .5 mile walk

Distance: 4.32 miles

Cool down: .45 mile walk

@start: 75, humid, sunny

@end: 80, humid, sunny

Shoes: GG Pegasus

Intended to run most of it, but it only took a handful of blocks to realize I wasn't going to be able to run nearly as much as I wanted. Running in San Jose when it's 50 degrees and cloudy is one thing. Running in Princeton the morning after a heavy rain the previous evening when it's 75 and sunny is an altogether different proposition. I really don't like summer all that much. Blech. The running/walking mix probably ended up being about half and half over the 4.32 miles, maybe even a little more walking than running.

Ran (plodded) the Whole Way

May 23, 7:50 a.m. PT

Warm up: .5 mile walk

Distance: 3.5 miles

Cool down: .5 mile walk

@start: 48, sunny

@end: 52, sunny

Shoes: GG Pegasus

When I started the run today, I didn't plan to run the whole way. It just sorta morphed into running a little farther before walking until I just decided to run the whole way. Felt okay. Quads will be sore tomorrow. They were a little sore by the end of the run. I haven't run this far without walking since last November.

More Walking and Running

May 16 -- 8:50 a.m. PT

Distance: ~3.7 miles

Walked to Patty's Inn to work with my hubby in the "hot dog stand." Was a good day except the Sharks lost. :-(

May 17 -- 8:19 a.m. PT

Warm up: .5 mile walk

Distance: ~3.75 miles

Cool down: .5 mile walk

@start: 54, cloudy, SSE@5

@end: 55, light rain, SSE@4

Shoes: GG Pegasus

Walked twice for a couple blocks each time. Legs were still a little sore from Saturday's run and were feeling unusually fatigued. Felt some numbness along the arch of my right foot that came and went a few times. That's another new thing. Jolly. :-|

It's Been a Month, But Here We Go Again

The last time I was in San Jose, I got sick, enough so that I went to the doc which is an unusual occurrence for me. For about 2 weeks I had no get up and go. The other two weeks just amounted to me being being lazy. At any rate, I'm back to getting back to running, again.

Workout

May 15, 8:15 a.m. PT

Warm up: .5 mile walk

Distance: ~3.25 miles

Cool down: .5 mile walk

@start: 54, cloudy, calm

@end: 55, partly cloudy, clam

Shoes: GG Pegasus

It was nice to be out and moving again. Makes me wonder why, at the time, being lazy seems like such a good thing. I walked three times. Didn't really pay much attention to how long ... a couple blocks or so each time, I guess. All in all, my body wasn't achy except my feet a little. The plan at this point is to alternate walking and running days for a little while, couple weeks maybe. I haven't decided yet whether I want to do the Evansville Half Marathon this year or not. If I do decide to do it, I need to start training for real around the first of June for the October race.

Sunny California 3 Miles

Workout

April 16

12:45 p.m. PT

Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: ~3.25 miles
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 66, sunny
@end: 69, sunny
Shoes: GGPegasus

I walked twice for about 3 blocks the first time and 2 the second. Felt okay during the run, but not great. Heels seems ok for now. I'm planning to walk to Patty's Inn in a little while, so that'll be another ~3.5 miles. There are lots and lots of flowers in bloom out here. Most of them are different from what one typically sees in Indiana. I need to take my camera with me and take some macro shots.

Making Progress Slowly

Workout

April 13
7:55 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 4.32 miles (ran all but about 1/3 mile)
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 43, 95%, sunny, calm
@end: 65, 61%, sunny, SSE@2
Shoes: GG Pegasus

Walked three times, once for three blocks, twice for one block. Longest running segment was about 1.5 miles, shortest about .5 mile. Felt heavy and sorta cumbersome, but feet and legs seem to be okay. It was nice to be able to run as much as I did, even though it was slow going. Tomorrow, I'm going to San Jose for two weeks to see Paul. I've GOT to keep the running/walking going while I'm there.

Today is my dad's birthday: Happy Birthday, Pop!

Calm, Clear Evening

Workout

April 10
7:45 p.m. CT
Distance: ~5 miles total, 3 miles running
Walk 1/2 mile, (run 1 mile, walk 1/4 mile) x 3, walk 3/4 mile.
@start: 63
@end: 58,
Shoes: GG Pegasus

I probably shouldn't have run a whole mile, yet, but I rather needed to know that I could still run that far at least. Beautiful evening. Too much traffic to suit me, though. None at all would be nice! Unrelated: Paul & I have been married two months today. And they said it would never last. :-) :-) :-)

Another Warm, Windy Outing

Workout

April 7
8:45 a.m. CT

Distance: ~4.75 miles total, ~2.5 running

Walk ~12 blocks, (run 8 blocks, walk 3 blocks) x 4, run 7 blocks, walk 7 blocks.

Found Money: 1 cent

@start: 69, 63%, mostly cloudy, SSW@19 gusts to ???
@end: 69, 60%, cloudy, SSW@23 gusts to 27
Shoes: GG Pegasus

Felt a bit tired and sluggish today. Right heel (the bothersome one) was ok. Left heel ached a little at the end of the 4th running segment but was fine on the 5th. Still, it's good to be running again, even if it's just a couple miles in chunks instead of 6 miles straight.

Starting Over, Again

After not running for months (the 2 miles I did on the treadmill on New Years Day don't really count), it's time to get back in the swing of things, get in shape again, and ditch the 15 pounds I've acquired since early October. My heel still bothers me, but not nearly as bad as it had been. I walked 3.5 miles a few times when I was in San Jose last month and felt pretty good. My heel usually doesn't hurt when I walk or run now, but it does tend to be a bit sore the next morning.

The plan is to walk/run, slowly increasing the length of the run segments over the course of a month or two, and throw in some bicycling. Would love to add rowing, but I need to find a place with a rower or acquire one. I'm also ditching the watch and heart rate monitor for now do I don't end up going too fast too soon.

Workout - April 5

7:40 a.m. CT
Distance: ~4.75 miles total, ~2 running
@end: 68, 83%, mostly cloudy, SSW@11
Shoes: NEW grey & green Pegasus

Found Money: 12 cents

Walk several blocks (~12), (run 6-7 blocks, walk 3-4 blocks) X 5, walk 4 blocks.

Workout - April 2

9:00 p.m. CT
Distance: ~4 miles total, ~1.5 running
Shoes: Dyads

I hate the Dyads. They are going in the yard sale! Walk 1 mile, (run 4 blocks, walk 4 blocks) x 3, run 8 blocks, walk 4 blocks, run 4 blocks, walk the rest of the way. Around here, 4 blocks are generally about a quarter mile.

Really nice, easy 5.55

Workout

November 6, Friday
9:57 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 5.55 miles
Duration: 58:03
Pace ave: 10:27
HR ave 159, max 175
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 53, 58%, sunny, SSE@1o
@end: 58, 44%, sunny, SSE@12
Shoes: Pegasus 25

Nice, easy run. A zillion times better than the last outing a couple days ago! Must have been the four (4!) apple fritters I ate yesterday afternoon and evening. Nutrition at its finest ... doh. Another gorgeous fall day in southern Indiana!

Really Crappy 6 Miles

Workout

November 4, Wednesday
9:34 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 5.98 miles
Duration: 1:11:40 [out 33:03, back 38:36]
Pace ave: 11:59 [out 11:03, back 12:54]
HR ave 154, max 172 [out 160/172, back 150/169]
@start: 54, 44%, sunny, SSE@13
@end: 59, 39%, sunny, SW@11
Shoes: Pegasus 25

Struggled with the outbound three miles into the wind and started doing an ahdhoc run/walk as soon as I turned around to head home. My legs felt weak and tired. On the way back, I was REALLY hungry (I ate the usual banana before heading out the door). HR was higher than it should've been for the pace. Disappointing. Weather was nice, but it started to get a little too warm. Feh.

Nice Run, Beautiful Day

Workout

November 3, Tuesday
9:05 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 4.32 miles
Duration: 44:38.2
Pace ave: 10:19
HR ave 166, max 180
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 49/45, 46%, sunny, N@8
@end: 50/45, 39%, sunny, NNW@11
Shoes: Blue Pegasus 25

Quads were still a little sore in an occasional twinge-y way from Saturday's 5k race. Didn't much care about pace. Just ran. Weather was awesome, simply beautiful!

Big Hill, Tired Legs, Creaky Joints

Workout

October 22, Thursday
11:59 a.m. PT
Warm up: .5+ mile walk
Distance: 1.53 + 3.12 = 4.65 miles
Duration: 52:50.7 [18:19.6 + 34:31.1]
Pace ave: 10:46
HR ave 157, max 182
Cool down: .5+ mile walk
@start: 61, 95%, cloudy, calm
@end: 65, 70%, partly cloudy, NNW@3
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

Ran up & down, up & down, halfway up, walked down the mongo hill where Cathedral of Faith is located and then tacked on a 5k run. The hill was okay until the third trip up. Still not fully recovered from the half marathon. Legs and joints are a bit creaky.

Gloomy 5

I'm headed to San Jose tomorrow to see Paul. Woohoo!

Workout

October 15, Thursday
8:41 a.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 5.01 miles
Duration: 53:29
Pace ave: 10:40
HR ave 153, max 167
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 46/43, 93%, cloudy, N@5
@end: 47/43, 91%, cloudy, NNE@7
Shoes: Pink Pegasus

My legs aren't sore any more from Sunday's race, but they definitely aren't very perky, yet, either. All in all, a pretty good run.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

6.48 Mostly in the Rain

Only a week from tomorrow until I leave for San Jose, again. I'm SO ready to be there!

Workout

October 8, Thursday
7:13 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 6.48 miles
Duration: 1:10:36
Pace ave: 10:53
HR ave ???, max ???
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 53, 88%, cloudy, ESE@7
@end: 53, 88%, cloudy, S@2
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

My HRM wasn't reading the signal from the strap properly again. I think it must be time to change the battery in the transmitter. I hope that's all it is, at least.

The rain started about 5 minutes after my run began & ended about 15 minutes before the run did. I hadn't run in three days, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this run. It felt pretty good, but I feel a little achy now. I'm not particularly tired, but I'm not sure I'm up for the full 13.1 distance of Sunday's race. Guess we'll find out soon enough. At least it won't be too warm: the forecast is calling for a low of 38 Saturday night with a high of 56 on Sunday, partly cloudy skies, winds NNE@7. Awesome running weather!

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

I sure haven't done a very good job this time of ditching the extra pounds I put on while in D.C. Ugh.

weight: post run 146.8
bf: 29%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Really Good 6.1

As expected, it's mystery as to why my hair has been falling out, I have acne worse than when I was teenager, and I've been very fatigued. On the CBC, my MCV and MCH are high (as has been the case for at least the past 5 years now), RDW-SD is high along with MPV. Those last two are new readings on the CBC. RBC and HCT are on the low end of normal, also typical for me. None of that means there isn't something wrong, it just means it's nothing new. The only thing really different is that sodium was low, chloride was on the very low end of normal, and CO2 was on the very high end of normal. Bilirubin was also high (tends to run high normal), but all the other liver enzymes were well within normal ranges. So, I'm going to just chalk it up to this summer having been a whole lot more stressful than normal with a break-up, Granddad's death, step-mom's cancer, Gran being moved to assisted living, a ton of travel, a new relationship, and the upcoming move to San Jose (early 2010 most likely).

Workout

October 3, Saturday
7:47 p.m. CT
Warm up: .5 mile walk
Distance: 6.1 miles
Duration: 1:03:30
Pace ave: 10:24
HR ave ???, max 174
Cool down: .5 mile walk
@start: 54, 73%, mostly cloudy, calm
@end: 51, 81%, cloudy, SSE@1
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

My HRM was giving really low readings the first part of the run, especially in the second loop, so no clue what my average heart rate actually was. Also, I spaced during the second loop and couldn't swear to running the full length and not shorting it by a block (2 blocks total). I'm going to assume I shorted it, so instead of 1.56 miles, it was probably 1.42.

Lap 1: 17:21.2 123/137
Lap 2: 14:59.3 115/156
Lap 3: 15:44.1 131/167
Lap 4: 15:26.0 142/174

So, I felt really good running this evening. I took three days off to hopefully recuperate from whatever has been ailing me (low-grade fever Thursday). Need to do another sorta long run of maybe 10 miles before the half marathon on the 11th, probably Monday but maybe tomorrow evening if I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm really not very optimistic for a very good half, but I guess I could surprise myself. The 10-day forecast is calling for a low of 42 next Saturday night with scattered showers on both Saturday and Sunday. Sounds like perfect racing weather to me!! I think this will be the coolest weather I've had for the Evansville Half. Figures that my health/conditioning isn't at peak to coincide with the awesome weather, awesome meaning not too hot.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 146.2
bf: 30%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

Really Slow, Achy 6.48

I have a doc appt in the morning for some blood work. Reached the "fed up" point with the fatigue, hair loss, acne, and aches. It impacts my running too much! Well, at the least the fatigue and aches do. Could be thyroid, could be a bunch of other things. I just hope it's something cut and dried that can be fixed soon versus one of those mysteries that just keeps going on and on.

Workout

September 29, Tuesday
9:14 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 6.48 miles
Duration: 1:15:22 [(ran 22:00, walked 2:00])x3, ran 3:00]
Pace ave: 11:37
HR ave 158, max 170
Cool down: nada
@start: 55, 68%, sunny, WNW@11
@end: 57, 63%, mostly cloudy, NW@10
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

About 15 minutes into this run I knew it wasn't going to go well. My heart rate was 10 bpm higher than I expected, and I felt fatigued. At about 38 minutes, my whole lower body was aching. My arms were even tired from carrying the water bottle. Pathetic. When I ran this route this weekend, the pace was a minute faster per mile (didn't walk at all) and my ave/max HR were both lower, too. Go figure.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 145.2
bf: 30%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a

4 Mile Stroll on the Treadmill

Watched Monday Night Football while on the treadmill. Go Cowboys! I don't say that very often. Too many other teams I'd rather root for.

Earlier this evening, I sent my resume to a small networking products company in San Jose expressing interest in a sales engineer position. Hopefully I'll be able to get an interview scheduled with them for when I'm out there next month.

Workout

September 28, Monday
8:50 p.m. CT
Distance: 4.0 miles, treadmill @1%>>5%, mostly 3.8 mph
Duration: 1:03:58
Pace ave: 15:59
HR ave 103, max 123
Shoes: Brooks Dyads

I really don't like these shoes. Running in them is out of the question, so I thought I use them for walking. They just don't work well for me for that either. Another $90+ shot (bought them serveral months ago).

This walk didn't help my running training much, but at least it was better than nothing.

Because it was so windy here today, I pushed my long run out another day. It's supposed to be nice and cool in the morning (mid 40's), but may still be windy.

Food

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Foggy 6.48

Workout

September 26, Saturday
8:48 a.m. CT
Warm up: .45 mile walk
Distance: 6.48 miles
Duration: 1:09:13
Pace ave: 10:40
HR ave 152, max 167
Cool down: .45 mile walk
@start: 63, 97%, foggy, NE@2
@end: 64, 95%, cloudy, NNE@3
Shoes: Green Pegasus 25

The fog forced me to run a route in town instead out McCarty Road. Visibility was less than a couple blocks at times, so running on a country road with no shoulders seemed like a bad idea. I mostly enjoyed the run. The fog helped keep me cool, so my HR stayed down a bit more than it otherwise would have.

Food

My Food Diary on CalorieKing.com

Morning Stats

weight: 149.6, post run 147.6
bf: 29%, 28%
pulse: n/a
bp: n/a
bg: n/a