Another Sunday run

Since I was not angry this Sunday and did not need to clear my head, I decided I would take the Bai-Boo for a run. It was the coldest it has been in quite some time, (temps were in the mid 40s) so I wore lined jogging pants, a long-sleeve under armour shirt, and a jacket over top. I started off cold, but felt fine after a few minutes.

For our usual first .6 miles, we did it in 5:41, because Bailey was, as usual, pretty much running. Instead of doing the return trip, we went the rest of the short distance to the top of the hill, then we made a left and start running toward the main road, before a barking German Shepherd convinced us to go down that hill instead. We ran down the hill until we got to a side street, took that, then ran up another street, until it ended in the crazy steep hill. We finally headed back to the our usual primary street and then ran up our street and home. It took us a little under 12 minutes to run that little more than a mile trek. During this time, Bailey stopped to drop some logs and relieve herself; I did not stop my timer. So that was probably a little over an 11-minute mile. Not as great as I usually do, but we are not in competition, folks!

After I dropped her off, gulped some water, and caught my breath, I went back out. This time, I ran down my street, making a right (instead of the usual left) on our primary street, and down the primary street, before running up another dead-in street. I turned around, ran back up the hill, ran back up my street, and ran to the end, through the field, and around the lot at the end of the field a few times. I finished the run with a few trips up and down my street and also did a few, short sprints.

I ran about 40 minutes again; after about 35 or 37, I walked sort of jogged for a minute before a good song  came on, then I decided to run again. So I probably came close to 4 miles, but based on how I did during that one mile, it was probably more like 3.75 miles.

I will take it. I felt pretty good, despite the cold (I used to love to run in 40-degree weather). Even my heart was not past my maximum heart rate of 180 bpm while running up the one hill (of course I am not supposed to actually hit the max), so that is pretty good. I felt that odd, sharp, almost searing pain in my calf three times, once during the first minute, once during my trip back out, and once towards the end. Each time, it did not last more than about 10 seconds, but still don't get it.

That is all.

Anger and irritation fueled that run

I was quite irritated with my family yesterday afternoon. Off the top of my head, I don't even remember why, though I think part of it was because of my kid's whining about having to vacuum. She hardly does any chores, and vacuuming takes her all of 20 minutes because she does it about as well as my husband, which is to say, not well.

Anyway, I decided rather than be angry and eat, and I would lace up my shoes and run. Because I wanted to clear my head and not have my run be interrupted by several pee breaks and one poop break, I left Bailey at home. Turned out to be a good decision.

I did the first usual .6 miles in 5:52. I am pleased with anything around 6 minutes. In fact, keeping it to around 6:30 would be just fine, so it was a good start. Rather than turn around, I decided to run the rest of the short distance up the hill to where the street ends, and then to head down a long, somewhat steep hill, a hill I had not run down in years. I ran backwards for about half of it, because running down steep hills hurts my knees. When I got near the bottom, I started running the "right way," and then ran on the next street. That street starts off flat for a couple tenths of a mile, but then it becomes a little hilly. The last tenth or so of a mile is ridiculously steep; I pretty much feel as if my heart and/or lungs are going to burst of out my chest. At one point, I took a 6-second pulse count, and I pretty much stopped to do it, so that helped.

I got back on my usual street, and then kept going past my street, down the hill, again, running backwards for a bit. I turned up a dead-end street, which is pretty hilly, and again took another pulse rate for 6 seconds, but I kept moving. When I got back onto my usual street, which contained another big hill to reach my street, I again took a 6-second pulse count, and pretty much stopped while doing that. I made it up our street, and then continued to the end of it. I ended up running in the field for some amount of time, until I had nearly hit 40 minutes. Then I ran back up and down my street a few times, and called it a darn good run when I had gone just over 40 minutes.

I am guessing I ran about 4 miles, since I tend to run about a 10-minute mile. It might have been a little less, but, still, I am quite pleased. It has been quite awhile since I ran for that long, and without any real breaks, like my usual Bailey timeout for her to do her business  and then another respite to drop her off, wipe off my sweat, and gulp some water.

After I got back and gulped some water, I got Bailey, and took her on our usual 1.2-mile walk.

Then I came home and was beat! And too tired to lift weights. But today I did take Bailey on a long walk, so there is that. And I am still sore.

I blew a week off.

Last weekend marked the first weekend in months that I did not run. Technically, I did run for a few minutes during one of our weekend walks, but that is not really running. So my streak is over.

I have continued to walk Bailey every day, and I get a longer walk in a couple of days a week. And I have walked at work at least 3 or 4 days a week. And I have continued to lift weights (after having taken a week off due to a painful flu shot almost two weeks ago).

So I am keeping at it. But my knees hurt a little most days. The pain is usually quick, almost like a buckling, and then it is gone. But it does come pretty much every day. Ah, age.

I don't have a lot of faith in myself that I will run tomorrow, mostly because I am lazy. But we shall see. I hate to skip two weeks!