Some Actual Running

I didn't run much at all last week, only two out of seven days. This week should be better, especially with the end of daylight savings time. Both kids were in bed an hour or so earlier than usual, leading to what was probably my earliest bedtime in weeks. I did make it out for six miles this morning. It was a decent run, fine except for the unwanted bathroom break about two-thirds of the way in. I probably would have run a little further, but I wanted to make sure I was at work by about 8:15 so I could be home in time for Halloween. This is the first year the Puff is actually going trick-or-treating. He's going to be a school bus.

Doubts

I'm not sure about trying to run a marathon this spring. It's not something I want to go into unprepared, and lately I've been feeling like that's what is going to happen. B's still not 100%. He has good days and bad days, and the bad days stress J out, which in turn stresses me out. It doesn't help that everyone's been sick recently either. All this has caused me to miss some runs.

So I'm leaning toward just run-as-run-can until B gets a little older and his eating habits improve. That way, I won't be stressed out about trying to train for anything. If I can run more than I think, great. If not, so what? Then when everything settles down, I can reevaluate.

Miserable

The best word to describe the conditions during my run today was miserable. The temperature was in the mid-40s, the wind was blowing, and it was raining. However, I was determined to run, especially since I hadn't the past two days. I ran out the Parkway, since I figured it was the safest route in the dark and rain. Two minutes into the run I was cold and wet. The out portion of the run was into the wind, leaving me wet and cold. Originally I planned on running eight miles, but I felt so bad going out that I turned around early. Going back was better. The wind was at my back, so I actually warmed up somewhat. I felt good enough to add some loops around the house to get me to eight miles for the day.

Despite the poor conditions for today's run, what happened after I got home was worse. I was in the unfinished section of the basement, getting out of my wet clothes. I was standing up, pulling off one of my socks when I lost my balance and hopped forward. We recently replaced our fridge, and the old one is in the basement, with the metal shelves on the floor. The old refrigerator was in my path, and I sliced my big toe on one of the shelves. It's not quite as bad as it sounds, but it has caused some discomfort when I walk.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's not raining as I type this, but it's been raining most of the time since Friday morning. It's not a heavy rain for the most part, just a steady, light rain or mist. Luckily, the rain stopped long enough for the 5k I ran this morning, though it did leave some puddles on the course. And before I write anything about the race, let me say that I am an idiot. The race started as I was making my way to the starting line. It was my fault; I didn't give myself enough time to put on my flats and singlet and get over to the start.

I started about 30 seconds behind the field. It was a small race and the start cleared quickly. I passed people during most of the race, but mainly in the first mile. That was a bit of a problem, since the race was run on a bike path that wasn't all that wide. Despite the weaving during the first mile, my splits were almost even. They were 6:14, 6:16, and 6:17, and then according to my watch 31 seconds for the last tenth, making my time 19:19. I'm OK with my performance. At this point, just getting back to consistent running as I get into the base phase of my marathon training, I can't complain. But that doesn't mean that I didn't want to do better.

Friday I did seven miles and some strides.

Who Needs Sleep?

I need sleep, and apparently B needed sleep last night. I'm exhausted right now, and can't wait to go to bed. I ran eight miles out and back along the Parkway this morning. It was a pretty slow, easy run. I got to bed late last night, after B was done eating, but still got up to run this morning. Ah, routine. But seriously, I think that if I had felt worse than I did, I would have slept in.

B slept for over eight hours last night. It's nice to not have to get up in the middle of the night, but we do want to be sure B is getting enough to eat. He's added a feeding before he goes to bed, though, and that seems to help him sleep longer.

Kicking Myself

Today was the third day in a row that I have kicked myself in the same spot on my ankle while running. I guess my left foot swings a little bit right when it's coming down, and if it swings a little too far to the right I kick myself. It's not terribly painful, it just stings for a minute or so, but I'd like to avoid it.

Yesterday I had a good eight mile run. I ran another of my eight mile loops with a slight modification. There's a fairly major intersection I need to cross, and I just missed the light. So rather than wait for the light so I could go straight, I turned left and went home the back way. The distance is basically the same each way. When I got home, I was surprised to see that I had run a little under eight minute mile pace. Most of my other recent runs have been closer to 8:30/mile. I guess I picked up the pace a little more than I thought.

I took the day off yesterday because B had his follow-up appointment with the gastrointerologist. He said everything looked good, and to come back for another follow-up in two months. He also gave us a prescription for Zantac for B. Our pediatrician had mentioned it, but he said B should be taking it. It could help prevent any future eating issues.

This morning I did seven miles. B's schedule was thrown off from the doctor's appointment, so he, and also I, got to bed late. I still felt pretty good this morning anyway. It must be the nice fall weather.

Get Up!

Saturday I planned to get up early and run in the morning, before everyone else was up. However, a late Friday night thwarted those plans. I woke up, but decided to go back to sleep. J tutors Saturday mornings, so I thought I'd take Puff in the stroller and run then. But B's schedule didn't work out right for that, so I had to hang around and make sure he didn't get too fussy if he got hungry. After tutoring, J fed B and I fed Puff, then J left for lacrosse, so I decided to take the kids for a run. (We have two jogging strollers, a single and a double.) By this point, I didn't want to run that much, but didn't want to take the day off either. So the three of us did three miles and called it a day. Afterwards, I was upset at myself for not just getting up and running early.

Sunday's run went much better. I actually did get up early and run. I ran one of my eight-mile loops and then added on a little more distance to give me nine miles for the day. I wish all of my runs could be like today's. I felt good, the temperature was nice and cool, and the sunrise was gorgeous. The only negative was the wind, but I'll take three out of four.

Today's run was another good one. I ran eight miles, out and back along the Parkway. It was windy when I started, but the wind seemed to die down as I ran. The past few times I've run this far along the Parkway, I've thought of Mike's hill phase. There's a great section of the path, from 11k to 9k, that would be great for hill work. Slightly after 11k, the path goes downhill to just past the 10k mark, and then back uphill to the 9k mark. I'm sure I'll be using it for that this winter.

Enjoyment

This week I've really begun to enjoy running again. B continues to eat and grow, so I'm less worried about him, the cool fall weather has arrived, and cross country season is in full swing.

This morning I ran on the path out the Parkway for a little over seven miles. It was another cool and damp morning. The weather is supposed to get better this weekend, though.

I was reading about the Charlottesville Marathon on marathonguide.com. In one of the comments, someone noted that last year's course wasn't certified, and therefore times run on the course could not count as Boston qualifiers. I'm not concerned with qualifying for Boston this year, but I think running on a non-certified course would leave me wondering about the accuracy of my time. That information makes me more seriously consider my backup plan, which is to run the Cleveland Marathon in May.

Cool and Damp

This morning's run went pretty well. I did eight miles, at a little over 8:30/mile. The temperature was nice, but it had rained not long before I ran, and the dampness made it feel cooler than it actually was. Plus there was some wind, so I'd run for a few minutes, warm up and sweat a little, and then be chilled by the wind. I'll take it over the middle of summer, though.

So far I have 31 miles for the week. After tomorrow and Saturday, I should be close to 50, which would be the most miles I've run in a week in a couple months. As I've said more than a few times by now, I'm working on getting the mileage up to a respectable level for marathon training. The hardest part is just getting out of bed in the morning. After I'm up and moving around, I feel OK.

What is it about rain that makes people drive so cautiously? My commute, which usually takes about an hour, took almost an hour and forty minutes this morning because traffic, even in the HOV lanes, was backed up. And it was really only drizzling.

Caffeinated

I learned a lesson last night. The lesson is not to drink a can of Dr. Pepper when I get home from work. It's the only explanation I can come up with for not sleeping well last night. I didn't think the caffeine with bother me, but I was wrong. My sleep was also not helped by staying up to watch Law and Order:SVU.

Despite the lack of sleep, I did get up and run this morning. I ran my four mile loop, and then ran past the house, up to the library/fitness center, and back for two more miles which gave me six for the day. I felt OK, although a little sore when I got home. I can't wait until the cool weather is here for good. It was in the sixties and humid this morning and I was sweating when I finished.

Ugh

I didn't feel good this morning when my alarm went off. I felt really sore and tired. So rather than get up and run, I set the alarm for 50 minutes later and went back to sleep. The sleep must have helped, because I felt better when the alarm went off again.

The Army 10-Miler took place this past weekend, although it was slightly more than 10 miles. It seems a "suspicious package" was found and the course had to be rerouted around it, making the course approximately 11 miles. Now safe is certainly better than sorry, but the race starts and finishes at the Pentagon of all places. If anywhere is safe the Pentagon should be. If I'd run the race this year, I would understand the concern, but also would be disappointed that I didn't get the race I expected.

Dichotomy

It was 53 degrees this morning while I was running. I'm comfortable in a t-shirt and shorts down to near 40 degrees. Everyone's different, however, and this morning I noticed multiple variations in running attire. I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. At one point, I passed someone wearing a light jacket and shorts. Later on, I passed someone in a sweatshirt, hat, and I think gloves. To each his own.

This morning I did six miles. My legs felt ok, but overall I was pretty tired after being up late last night. Sunday afternoon I did four miles after not running Saturday. I was simply exhausted all day Saturday after a very late Friday night. Friday morning, though, I had one of the best runs I've had for a while. I ran seven miles, but felt like I could have kept going for at least a few more. The soreness that had been bothering my legs was gone Friday and hasn't returned. Maybe I just needed a few days to get my body used to running more than three or four days a week.