"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail"

Lunchtime run w/ Darin. Ran the entire 4 miles! Maybe it was the cutback on the medication, maybe it was the weather? It didn't feel all that great, but it felt better than last week. Now that I've cut my BP med in half, I seem to have a little more energy, and don't have "night cough" (I typical side-effect of Lisopril). I'm not 100%, but I'm headed in the right direction

AP: 8:00

Miles 3 and 4 were 7:19 and 7:23, wind aided with HR about 160 for both (still about 10 BPM over normal for me)

84F, overcast, humid, S12

After a good 5 days of rest, today's run went surprisingly well. HR was down about 10 BPM from similar effort last week. I've cut my BP med in half, and I think it is helping. BP is well within good range, and fatigue has lessened.

Even though it is hot and humid now, I'm going to try to get in 4 runs this week, and see how things go.

AP: 7:55

AHR: 145

82F, N10, humid, partly cloudy

Solo lunchtime run at home. Weather was a little cooler than it has been, and the running felt pretty good. I walked a few times...not because I had to, but wanted to see how quickly my HR dropped.

HR/effort is still not back to 100% normal, but things are MUCH better than they have been, and I'm feeling encouraged. Cutting my BP medication in half, seems to have helped (at least mentally, if not physically). My BP is in a normal range, and I'm able to run!

I also found a pair of OAKLEY women's sunglasses along the hwy. No scratches. I think they're real -- gave them to my darling wife! (Happy early Mothers Day, Dear)

6 miles.

AHR: 131 (I think the strap needs a new battery. It was fluctuating quite a bit...I'm sure the AVG was closer to 145)

AP: 8:04

8:07

8:45 (a little walking)

7:36

9:52 (a bit of walking)

7:44

6:48 (stretched the legs a bit..felt pretty good)

75F, sunny, NE 10

Lunchtime run w/ Darin. Ran out into a 10 MPH headwind. Stretched for 10 seconds at the 2 mile mark. Then ran a fairly fast (for me) 2 miles in.

8:22, 7:39, 7:14, 6:41

AP: 7:30, Avg HR: 155 bpm, max: 172 bpm

77F, SE 10, 40% humidity

After not running all weekend, I decided to run some intervals. 

The first two 800s felt pretty good, then my left calf tightened. Maybe a little too much, too soon. Ran/walked back. I think I cut back before I did any real damage. I need to gradually get back in to the speed, and make sure I'm well-hydrated.

1 mile - 7:45

stretched

800m - 2:53

recovery - 2 min walk/jog

800m - 2:55

recovery

400m - 1:25

left calf started hurting. Jogged/walked/ran back to work.

78F, N6, 45%, sunny

AP: 8:45

Had no idea what to expect today. Started out slow w/ Darin. After 1 mile, Darin's hip was bothering him, so he walked. My calf (which gave me fits yesterday) was feeling OK, so I kept going. At the 2 mile point (where I would turn around for a 4 miler), I decided to go another 1/2 mile. Kept an easy 8:00ish pace through 4 miles -- then ran a 7:29 5th mile. Calf felt pretty good. In prep for today's run, I was sure to drink plenty of water this morning (I think that's what I did wrong yesterday). I'm encouraged!

80F, NE 6, 45%, sunny

AP: 8:15

Lunchtime run w/ Darin. 

8:16, 8:15, 7:52, 7:23

Felt good!

85F, sunny, Air Pollution Watch Orange, S7, 25% humidity, UV: Very High

It's been a while since I've run with my buddies at Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers (LGRAW), so I met a the clubhouse at 7:15. Darin was there, but Dave was running late (forgot his shoes). So, Darin and I ran 2 miles before Dave showed up. Then ran another 6 miles. My first 8 miler in quite some time. Felt good. Finished strong.

Signed up as a member of LGRAW (even though I don't go there often, I do use their water/powerade which they have on the trails when I go there). $20 annual membership..not bad.

9:08,8:32,8:15,8:45,8:00,8:09,7:46,7:07

AP: 8:13

AHR: 143

Max HR: 170

72F, humid, sunny, slight breeze.

Easy recovery run (yes, I took it easy after yesterday's 8 mile run). Felt good. Ran into Mike at the pond, walked a little with him.

83F, N8, Sunny

AP: 8:30

Started out slow with Mike and Darin. At 2 miles, Darin and Mike headed back, while I did the 0.6 mile loop around the pond. I caught up to them after they stopped to walk a few times. I walked a little with them.

It is getting hot in Texas.

85F, sunny, S6

AP: 8:10

Lunchtime run w/ Darin and Mike. First 2 miles into the wind. Decided to run a fast 3rd mile (6:03 with about 15MPH tailwind).

Did an experiment today. My HR monitor has been a little flaky (seems to go up and down sporadically during my runs). So I swapped Garmin's and straps with Darin for today. While he was wearing mine, his HR seemed fairly constant. While I was wearing his, I experienced some periods of sporadic readings (i.e. while at about 95% max effort in the mile I ran I looked and saw about 140s, instead of the the 160s+ that I would have expected. It's possible that my strap is not making a good connection---or I've got some irregular heartbeat going on. I might have to get it checked out to be safe.

88F, S18, 46% hum, UV Very High, Sunny

AP: 8:15

Decided to run a the Firemen's 5K race in Ft Worth. If I was in shape and race-ready, this would definitely have been a PR course. 1st mile a little up and down, 2nd mile steep downhill, 3rd mile, gradual downhill.

Got there about an hour before race time to signup, pop, and jog some of the course. It was a warm morning. 75F and slimy (humid). It wasn't ideal.

Gun went off at 8:00.

mile 1 - 6:12 - took the usual 1/4 mile or so to get the HR up and breathing heavy. Felt comfortable but could feel that my legs weren't used to the speed.

mile 2 - 6:14 - started this mile with a little climb, and then a steep downhill. It felt pretty good. I passed quite a few on the downhill.

mile 3 - 7:01 - at about 2.2 miles, a small group of runners passed me. I felt like walking - which I did for about 10 seconds, then got going again. About 1/2 mile later, I felt like walking again - but only for a couple seconds.

Last .12 was pretty solid sub 6:00 pace -- felt strong at the finish.

Total: 20:04, 3rd in 45-49 AG

Had I been logging more miles and doing consistent speedwork, I could have been in the 19:30 range. I'll shoot for it next year!

Not happy that I walked, but felt good to get out and run fast.

Followed the race with a 1.5 mile jog back to the start. Hung around for awards, then to breakfast with a few running friends (John, Ruthie, Elizabeth, and Sherry).

Happy Memorial Day

 I called up my old buddy, Ty last night to see if he wanted to meet me at the trailhead this morning. He hasn't been running much lately, so I said whatever he was up to I'd keep up.

We were planning on running 4 out and 4 back for a total of 8 miles. It was a warm morning, so I tossed my shirt on a bush at about 1.5 miles out. On the way back I realized I forgot to pick up the shirt until we were about at the 1 mile mark. So, we ended up getting an extra mile in for a total of 9. I sped up on the last mile.

After the run, I bought Ty breakfast at little cafe on the Weatherford town square. It's a great way to start a day - a run and catching up with friends.

AP: 8:32

75F, W6, sunny 

Solo lunchtime run. Felt good.

75F, partly cloudy, E10

AP: 7:37

AHR: 144