Some Good Running

My last few runs have gone quite well. I've been running a strong aerobic pace, and the distance is coming back up. Now if I could just sleep a little bit more, I'd be a really happy camper.

This morning I ran eight miles along the Parkway. It was cold and a little windy, but nothing too bad. Yesterday I ran about nine and a half miles with one of J's friends. She's training for the Shamrock Marathon in VA Beach. While I finished with nine point five miles, she continued on and ran twenty. My other days since I last posted were nine, ten, eight, and seven miles. I'm glad to see the consistently and to have the desire to get out the door every morning.

Snow Day

Mike is not the only one who's had snow lately. We got a little less than two inches Sunday afternoon, and let the kids go outside and play in it. j loved it, but b didn't think it was so much fun.

I ran Sunday morning before the snow started, one lap (5 miles) at Burke Lake pushing b in the stroller. I wanted to do two laps, but since I was late getting out the door in only did one.

Saturday was cold and blustery, with 20 to 30 mile per hour winds. I ran seven miles in the morning, and then the kids and J and I headed off to Warrenton so J could run a race. She's training for the National Half Marathon and her training schedule called for a 5k. The race was only three miles, but that's close enough. Despite the wind, she ran a great race and finished in 22:36. Adding about a minute or so to estimate her 5k time, she broke her PR by almost three minutes!

Monday morning I ran eight miles in conditions that could be described as a skating rink. We got some sleet or freezing rain overnight and there was a layer of ice on the snow. I was cautious and only really slipped one, but being cautious made the run take about 10 minutes longer than it should. This morning I ran just under nine miles. I was going to run a little extra around the house so I got up to nine, but the stomach issues I was having towards the end of the run caused me just to stop as soon as I got back home.

One thing I've noticed since I've begun consistently running after my post-marathon layoff is that I often feel hungry while I'm running. I get up, get dressed, and head out the door, so I don't eat before I run. This has been my routine for a while, and I don't remember feeling like my stomach is so empty in the past.

Chance

I took a chance this morning and ran out and back along the Parkway. The last time I ran there in the dark, I tripped and fell while I was running through the portion that is under construction. Nothing like that happened this time, because while they've still not finished redoing the path, they have added a third lane to the road that is not yet open to traffic. I ran in that lane and avoided and the ruts from the construction vehicles.

I ran eight miles, the longest I've run since the marathon. I'm working on getting the mileage up and maybe running some 5k and 10k races in late spring.

Winter is Here

It's January and winter has finally arrived. This morning it was in the mid 20s with a slight breeze as I headed out the door. I ran seven miles, and about halfway through I really just wanted to be done. It wasn't due to the weather, I was just tired. I was running a loop though, so there was nothing to do at that point but soldier on home.

Last night I had the chance to watch the brief documentary about Craig Mottram, The Big Mazungo. I got the DVD from David Monti, but if I remember correctly you can find it on Youtube. It's well worth your time.

Spoke too Soon

When I last wrote, I thought b was getting better, but boy was I wrong. He seemed OK last Tuesday so on Wednesday he ate normally, but Wednesday night it was all coming back up again. And to make things even better, J wasn't feeling very well either and j was throwing up as well. I finally caught whatever was going around and was feeling a little queasy Friday afternoon. By the weekend, though, things had settled down and everyone was back to normal.

With the sickness going around, I didn't run much at the end of last week; in fact I didn't run from Thursday through Sunday. Yesterday I ran six miles and this morning seven. Until this afternoon it's been unseasonably warm--I ran yesterday morning and this morning in shorts and a t-shirt. But the front's come through, and tomorrow morning the temperature will be in the 20s

Recap

First, a little synopsis of my last three days of running:

M: 7 miles
T: 4 miles
W: 7 miles

I don't have anything terribly exciting to report about the runs. I'm just trying to work on getting the mileage up and am keeping the runs easy. The hip flexor was pretty tight Monday, not quite so bad Tuesday, and best of all today. Winter weather has finally arrived, at least for a few days.

I was hoping that Tuesday's run would have been a little longer, but Monday night b picked up some kind of stomach bug--there's been one going around his playgroup buddies, although it might have been something he ate--and got sick three times. Remarkably, he slept through all of them. The first time he made a little noise, but the second and third times he got sick J and I only found out because we went into his room to check on him. Thankfully it seems it was only a 12-hour or so bug, and he's feeling much better now.

Easy Day

After not running yesterday, I got out for an easy six miles this morning. I was close to talking myself out of getting up early, but after I made my list of things I'd like to get done this afternoon, I knew I had to get up and run or I wouldn't run at all--like yesterday.

The hip flexor was pretty tight this morning. I wonder if the day off yesterday had something to do with it.

Tired

I don't like Grey's Anatomy that much, so why was I awake last night watching it? Because J was watching it. Staying up until 11 last night made for an early morning, but I got out for six miles. One of my resolutions for the new year is to not let being a little tired deter me from getting up and running. I figure the worst thing that could happen would be for me to run a mile or two, feel terrible, and come back home. Even that would be better than not running at all. The hip flexor felt ok today.

A New Direction

I didn't want to run the same loop three days in a row, so I turned left instead of right this morning and ran seven miles on a loop I haven't run for a little while. Around this time of year, this loop takes me past a house that puts out one of the largest display of Christmas decorations around, but to my disappointment they had taken it down. The hip flexor felt ok until I started up the big hill. Still, it's not having a big effect on my running.

Same Old, Same Old

I ran six miles again today, on the same loop as yesterday. The hip flexor felt good until about halfway, when it began to act up a little. I made sure to stretch when I got back, and I also used The Stick for a brief massage. The plan is just to stick with easy running until the leg feels better.

Easy Day

Today's run was just an easy six miles. It was breezy but not too cold this morning. Despite having the day off due to the Federal Government being closed, I got up early and got my run done before everyone was awake.

After some stretching this morning, I figured out that the tightness really is in my hip flexor and not my groin. I'm not altering my stride at all, so I'm going to continue to massage the muscle and take some drugs before I take any time off.

A Good Start

Happy New Year!

Today was the second (I'm pretty sure) annual See Mommy Run New Year's Day run. See Mommy Run is the group J does most of her running with. This year and last year they had a little get-together at Burke Lake Park to celebrate the new year. Everyone runs a couple miles and then comes back to eat and drink whatever everyone brought. Usually we'd run around the lake, but the rain kept us off that, so we ran five miles along the path that follows the road the park is off. It was a good start to the year.

I have some goals for 2007 that I'll cover in a day or two.