My Aching Back

I don't know how I did it, but I strained my lower back Wednesday night sitting on a couch. It felt fine when I sat down, but it was sore when I got up.

I didn't run Wednesday or Thursday but got out for an hour this morning. It was only supposed to be 40-45 minutes, but I was feeling good and took advantage of it. It's finally hot and humid here, so I was quite soaked when I was done. Jenny gave my back a massage last night, and I really didn't feel anything other than a little stiffness when I was running uphill.

This weekend I'm going to a baptism and working around the house. Since we won't be moving anytime soon, we might as well improve the house we have.

Motivation

Why is it that I can feel so enthusiastic about my run the next morning the night before, but when my alarm goes off all I want to do is stay in bed? Ideally, I'd love to have a schedule that allows me to run in the afternoon when I get home from work, but with three small children that want/need my attention, it's just not possible. Overall, I think it's just getting in the frame of mind that when my alarm goes off, it's time to get up and do work.

I didn't run at all over the weekend, but other than that it was good. I weeded the garden and cut the grass, we had a party for my and my in-laws anniversary, and I started a project with the kids. Monday and Tuesday I ran, but this morning I couldn't drag myself out of bed.

Slacker

While I had planned this week to get back on track with my running after vacation, it didn't quite work out. I ran Monday, Wednesday, and today, but was off Tuesday and Thursday. This morning was the steamiest it's been all summer. Usually by now it's hot and humid all the time, but it's been cool so far this summer. The traditional DC summer weather is only supposed to last a day or so, though, since it gong to cool down this weekend.

In between work this afternoon, I watched some of the Paris Golden League meet. Anna Willard's kick to win the 800 was impressive!

Vacation

I didn't get in the running I planned on during vacation, but at least I had a good time. We spent the first couple days in Pittsburgh seeing some sights with my mother-in-law, who had never been there before. After that, we headed to Indianapolis to visit some of my wife's family. The highlight of Indy was the zoo. It's not too big, but they had a lot of interaction with the animals and the kids had a good time.

I ran when I had the chance. The few days I did run I ran for about a half hour except for July 4, when I ran for a whole hour.

Now it's back to work for about a month until the family and I head off to Hilton Head for a week at the beach.

More Travels

It's been very nice to be back in Pittsburgh for the fourth. The weather's been great, cool even, especially for July. It's a welcome change from the 90s and the humidity we usually have on the fourth.

I ran for just over an hour yesterday. It was one of the longer runs I've done for a little while. I could definitely feel some tightness in my hamstrings and butt, so I need to make sure I stretch those out better. This morning I ran for 20 minutes, just about all I had time for before church. I just ran for a little while to try and loosen up so I could come back and stretch.

Tomorrow morning we're headed for Indianapolis to see some of Jenny's family. I was disappointed to see a little while ago that IUPUI was demolishing their track. I watched the 2007 US championships there.

Communication

One benefit to blogs, facebook, twitter, etc is that they allow the user to communicate with others anywhere in the world who share interests. It's for that reason that I'm attempting to actually write this blog again.

As far as my training goes, it's been aimless lately. Due to work and home responsibilities, I haven't been running as much as I'd like. Things seem to be settling down, and I'm trying to get to a consistent schedule so I feel like I can pick a goal to start training for.