8 mile run in Maryland

Another bagel run. I went 8 miles today because I wanted to visit my son Nathan. The social part of the run was disappointing. My usual companions were not there. I did see a few people and told them about Nathan.

The run was very good. Nice weather, low 80's or so. I went at a good not too fast pace. And I kept it up throughout the run. I may have even speeded up for the last few miles. I, as usual, really liked the hills. I'll check my Garmin data when I get a chance to download it.

I hope to do some biking tomorrow.

Thanks for you thoughts during this difficult time.

-- Mitchell

A Very UnImpressive Week (except for MRC on Monday!)

After my week of cross-training last week due to the groin injury (now recovered), I was looking for a decent return to running week. I enjoyed our slow 3 miler in the 101 heat on Monday with Rob and Carl. Tuesday, I did a 4 miler inside at 10:50s. Crossed trained ellipical on Wednesday and caught a early evening 5.4 miler outside at 10:50's on Thursday. Took yesterday off for the Royals game, which was fun but we had a very long return due to road work. Didn't get to bed until 12:45 am. So today, I didn't get out till 9am. I ran into the humidity Rob reported and only made it 6.4 miles into my planned 9-10 miler before starting some serious walk breaks. Ended up with a 9.1 mile workout that included 2 miles of walking...on a flat trail under shade for goodness sake!

I'm hoping for better mileage and pacing next week! It looks like our days of 100+ are finally behind us. -- Bill

Sock swap for a hot spot

I really was looking forward to my long run this week. I thought that, with the break in the weather, it'd be a little cooler and a little less humid than has been the norm lately. I got up early and was out the door by 6:40 a.m. I drew up a training schedule Friday night, and only needed a total of 24 miles for the week, but it also called for a 12 mile long run today. I wasn't going to go that far, but thought I might be able to do 10, and if I did I'd end up the week with a bit over 30 miles.
I headed straight north (on my very zigzaggy course) from the house. It wasn't long before I determined that it wasn't as cool as I'd hoped, and the humidity was over the top. It was mostly cloudy, so the humidity was trapped against the ground which, as luck would have it, was where I was. I had plenty of water and was moving slowly, so I decided I'd shoot for 10 anyway.
About one mile out I began to get a hot spot on the pad of my left foot, something that has plagued me since returning to running two months ago. This time it came despite brand new $9 running socks. Thinking my left shoe might be slightly less snug than my right, I stopped at mile 2 and re-laced. It did no good, but at least by then I was done with uphills for a while and the problem eased.
By the time I reached the 5-mile mark I was pretty well soaked from sweat, and the hot spot was getting hotter. I sat down on a big rock on the side of the road and removed my shoes and socks and then put my right sock on my left foot and vice versa (no, I didn't swap my shoes), thinking that might make a difference. Both socks were soaked with sweat already by then.
The sock swap didn't work either, but the whole thing was manageable as long as I walked up the hills, which by then I was doing with increasing frequency.
At mile 7 I dropped in at the 72nd St. Sinclair station for some much appreciated cold water from their soda fountain. From there I plodded on home, finishing 9.71 miles in 1:36:30, which is a 9:57 pace. That was enough for exactly 30 miles for the week. -- Rob

Mud Slug!

If I wasn't already running slow enough, it sure doesn't help when you try to run with one to two pounds of mud on your shoes!

I decided to take advantage of the cooler temperature this morning and get some kind of a run/walk in. I walked 1/3rd of a mile and picked up the pace to around 12:00 mpm. I walked a minute after the first mile and kept the pace as comfortable as I could in order not to aggravate my knee. I was around the two and a half mile point when I noticed a new road under construction (still dirt) in a new housing addition. I thought it would be fun to DISCOVER where it went. The road looked solid enough, so I set out to see where it went. It wasn't too long before I felt like my feet weighed ten pounds apiece! I looked down and there was mud caked about 2" to 3" thick on each of my running shoes. I didn't forget that we got some rain this morning, I just didn't think we got that much! I stopped to scrap it off, then began running again.

At any rate, that was the MO for the next 3/4Th's of a mile, jog and scrap, jog and scrap. I finally ended up on AA Highway, where I figured it was going to end anyway, and did a final scrapping on my shoes. By then, my knee was giving me some difficulty, but not so much that I felt like I had to stop.

I ended up running, walking, jogging and scraping 5.2 miles. My knee is still a problem and I'm not sure how long I can keep fighting it. Tomorrow is biking day and I hope to get in between 30-40 miles. Hilly Hundred is a little over two months away and I need to concentrate on increasing my biking mileage...........MIke

Taking advantage of the break in the weather

This little break in the weather has been great for outdoor exercising. I still wait until the sun gets low on the horizon before I go out, but running at 84 or 85 with no direct sun is significantly more comfortable than the same temperature WITH direct sun. Much less 90 or 95 with direct sun.

I went out without a clear idea how far I wanted to go. No less than 3, and maybe as much as 7. The relatively moderate temperature allowed for a longer run. My splits after the first mile were pretty consistently in the 9:10 to 9:25 range, and I never felt like I needed to walk to conserve energy. I even drank on the run.

Final mileage was 7.1 in 1:06:24, for a 9:22 pace. -- Rob

Cold snap

It was about 17 degrees cooler tonight than last night, so that gave me a great opportunity to get out and run. Of course, the temperature was still about 90, so it wasn't exactly frigid. I waited until about 7:40 pm to leave the house, giving the sun plenty of time to get low on the horizon and eliminating the energy-sapping effects of direct solar heating.

As usual, I started slowly. It took about 2.5 miles to loosen up and get my breathing right in the hot, humid air. I walked about 30 seconds every mile or so.

Overall pace was 9:39 for 5.4 miles. I was quite comfortable for the second half of the run and could have gone farther, but decided there was no point in it. There's still a long way to go to Dallas. -- Rob

I'm Back, yes? No? Maybe?

Went to the doc for my final follow up after the knee surgery. Evidently, the pain I'm still having in my knee is due to inflammation to the damaged cartilage. He told me I could run or bike as much as I wanted, but the pain is just due to inflammation from the aggravation. I could have received a cortisone shot for it, but declined. He said I could just stick to ibuprofen and ice.

Soooo, I decided to get some kind of a run in today before it got too hot. I began at 9:30 when it was hot but not nearly as hot as it's going to be later today. It was already in the 90s when I began so I walked the first third of a mile and then began to run at a slow pace. I finished the first mile, including the walking, in 13:50, but I almost turned around and returned home a couple of times thinking that it just wasn't worth the pain. I turned my watch off and walked about a minute or so then turned it back on to begin mile two. Finished mile two in 10:47 and turned the watch off again for a minute or so while I walked again. Finished mile three in 10:16 and repeated the walking with the watch off. Mile four was getting pretty challenging as the temperature was climbing. However, I finished mile four in 10:37 and called it good. Knee ached, but I took some Ibuprofen and will ice it down.

Perhaps my running days are numbered now, due to the deterioration of the cartilage in my knee. I didn't tell the doctor that I'm having the same kind of pain in my right knee now. I suppose that makes sense, since both have suffered the same abuse and pounding over the years. I haven't had that sharp pain that would indicate a meniscus tear yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if, it too, showed up in the future.

For now, I'll just be content knowing that I've accomplished what I wanted to, with regards to my running. I'll be okay with just riding the bike if that what it comes to, but I really would like to run one more marathon with my son, David, and cross the finish line with him........Mike