Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Go out in the midday sun.   I've used that quote before, but it became appropriate again today.  We actually left for the park at 1:00 pm, but that's noon according to the sun.  It wasn't so bad, actually - the sun was bright and constant, but the temperature was 69 with a little west wind and a low dewpoint.  We lathered up well with our favorite super sun screen, (VaniCream SPF 35, from Mayo Clinic, stays on for a whole marathon), and had a great run.

Indigo bunting on our feeder skirt.
They really do look that bright.

I didn't feel as strong as yesterday, but I'm limiting calories right now to lose a little weight, and that's probably the reason.  Regardless, I did a 3 to 2 run/walk and finished 6.24 miles in

Grass trails are sometimes just
dirt (left) and sometimes improved
with wood chips (right)

1:08:10, for a pace of 10:55.  That's a mile farther and yet a half minute per mile faster than yesterday, though it did feel a bit like a race today.  We parked in the main parking lot, and I found myself running directly to the water fountain there at the end of the run.

Whining: Just a little complaining from the PFS in the right knee, not a limiting factor.  After the run, the left knee bothered a little too, but I didn't analyze it to figure out what type of injury it is.

Weight this morning 161.8, same as yesterday.

Five Miles a Little Faster

I'm back on the grass trails after more than two inches of rain two days ago.  They are mostly dry, with only a few spots so wet that I had to creep along the edges.  After taking a day off to rest a back pain, I felt very strong and increased my pace a little compared with other recent runs on this same trail, doing a run/walk ratio of 3 to 2, sometimes faster than that.

Standard breakfast, mostly
organic, oatmeal beneath.

I finished the 5.16 mile run in 59:02, a minute faster than Monday, and for a pace of 11:26.  If I had run continuously I might have done better yet, but I'm building up to that slowly.  I did three miles recently, so four miles next, maybe later this week.  I'm also trying to lose at least ten pounds, which I currently wear around my waist, and that will help.  I started at 164 lb after the recent Fargo Marathon, down to 161.8 today.

Whining: Slight mumbling from the PFS in the right knee.  No problem from the back pain.

Ahead of the Rain

Rain was forecast for most of today, so we got up a little earlier than usual and went to the park.  I ran on my favorite grass trails, using a 1 to 1 run/walk ratio and even a little faster than that at times, hustling a bit to get back to the car before the rain hit.  Indeed, I never felt a drop but the windshield was dotted with droplets as we drove away.  Perfect timing.  Now as I write this, lightning is crashing about, rain is falling in buckets, and I am delighted to be safe and warm indoors.

Distance: 5.16 miles; time: 1:00:01, pace 11:38.  This is the same route as last Thursday, and I finished it about a minute and a half faster today.  That’s nice, but I’m surprised that the difference isn't even greater.  The run was thoroughly enjoyable, with cool, cloudy, breezy weather and soft, dry trails.  It doesn't get much better.

Whining:  The right knee with PFS complained a little, but not enough to bother.  I felt a brief, sharp pain in the right side of my back, just below the rib cage, about where I suppose my right kidney would be.  I think it was muscular, though, and it mostly went away.

Do Not walk

The grass trails are still beckoning, and this time I decided to do a run that included no walking at all.  Not a long one, just three short miles, but I ran the whole way except to briefly walk carefully down a few steep hills.  it went well, in lovely running weather, and I enjoyed it.  Of course I have to run slower  when I don't do any walking, but for a short distance like this I can probably get to the end faster doing run-only instead of the usual run/walk.

I can't prove that today, however, because I forgot my watch.  Looking at the clock in the car, though, it took me between 31 and 32 minutes to run 3.01 miles, so if my time were 31:30, the average pace was 10:28.  I'm happy with that - the route is quite hilly and a little treacherous, requiring careful foot placement. Tomorrow I'll go back to the run/walk, which is easier on my ancient joints and muscles, but maybe I'll run four miles without walking sometime soon, and then maybe five, and we'll see where that goes eventually.

Whining: Zip.

Six Slow Miles

Since the 26-mile marathon I've run 12 miles, with six more on tap for today, totaling 44 for the week.  That's more than I should run in a week, of course, so it puts me at risk of some runners' injury (any of many).  Nevertheless I took the risk because  (1) there is no impending marathon; (2) I'm feeling very strong; (3) I could deliberately take it slowly; and (4) I really really wanted to do this run today.  The trails were calling!

Today's breakfast, mostly organic.
Oatmeal beneath.

I started off slowly, as intended, but I had slightly misjudged the weather, wearing one shirt too few, and decided to go faster to keep warm.  Then I felt pain in the right knee with PFS, and had to slow again, a lot.  When that subsided I could go faster again, and overall, in the end, I suppose I went faster than I had intended.  6.24 miles in 1:18:44, pace 12:37.

But I had a great time!  Near the end I realized that my legs were fatigued, which is good for a training run; it means that training is happening.

Whining: The right knee was worse today than yesterday, and the pain actually limited my pace for a while.  The PFS comes and goes, though, and toward the end of the run the pain was almost gone again.  I'll take the next day or two off (yard work instead) and it will clear up.  Also, I'm planning to start a set of resistance exercises, which will include the core-strength exercises that can fix the PFS.  Watch this space, see if it really happens.

Five Miles on the Grass Trails

I pushed a little harder today than yesterday, because it felt good.  The run/walk ratio was 2 to 3 some of the time, but 1 to 1 more of the time.  I finished 5.16 miles in 1:01:24, for a pace of 11:54.  Today was windier, more cloudy, and colder than yesterday, at 46 degrees, but shorts and two shirts did the trick nicely.

Whining:  Minor complaints from the right knee with PFS (patellofemoral syndrome) but that’s to be expected when running on uneven surfaces.  It will be OK.  Six miles tomorrow?  We’ll see - there is yard work to be done too.

Yesterday's breakfast:  Organic fresh blueberries & strawberries, fresh
mango, dried organic currants, roasted hazelnuts, organic plain
yogurt, with gluten-free oatmeal beneath.

Grass Trails!

Wide grass with a narrow rut,
typical of the park's trails

At last, the trails are firm enough for running and I don't have to be extra-careful, because there is no big race coming up.  I ran 4.03 on the grass trails this morning savoring my first spring run on my favorite trails.  I do love it.  There were a few wet spots, but nothing a runner couldn't avoid.

This was the second recovery run since Saturday's Fargo Marathon, and I felt great, charging up hills because it felt good and cruising down easy slopes too.  I walked down steep slopes, though, to protect my knees.  The run/walk ratio was 2 to 3, time 49:42, pace 12:26.  The grass trails are always slower.

Whining: None.  Five miles tomorrow?