Has it really been a year?!

I ran on Memorial Day, which was 5 days ago. I can't recall when I last run; I hope it was not when I last posted on this blog, which was exactly one year before this Memorial Day. But who knows. I started a freelance gig in June of last year, and they took up some weekend time. Regardless, I am 100% sure I did not run in the fall, because I got a new phone in October, and I had not taken out the headphones until I ran this past Monday. In fact, I could not even hear out of the headphones, so maybe they don't even work. Or maybe it is just user error.

I do, at times, jog for anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes with Bailey, but Monday was my first real run. And I am happy to say it went well. I did about 2 miles and I only stopped when Bai did her business. I did have mt music playing; it was just pumping out of my phone.

I hope to get out on Sunday, but since I am singing in the morning and have choir practice tomorrow night, it is not looking very likely. I could not bring myself to run this morning because I washed my hair late last night, after coming home from Kennywood; I can't see washing it 10 hours later, when I spend so much money for color.

Excuses, excuses. But hopefully I won't have too many more of those.

Back in the game

After many months, I finally got in a good run. 

Since the winter, I had stopped running. Over the past couple of months, however, I would run for a couple of minutes at a time once or twice during my walks with Bailey. Most days I just fast-walked with Bailey. But on days I had extra energy or when it seemed like Bailey just wanted to run, I figured I might as well move a little. Fortunately, it was enough to keep me in decent running shape.

The temps and the humidity had gotten high the last week. Finally, this afternoon, a storm came through, and the temps went down in the lower 70s. It was great. So off B and I went. It was uneventful. We stopped briefly twice so she could do her business. We did 2 miles (our long weekend route). And then I dropped her off and ran one more mile. I felt pretty good, other than a little bit of ankle pain, which I had been having during some walks.

With summer upon us, I doubt I will go back to regular running, but it's good to know I can still do it, especially after a 2.5 mile walk this morning. 

Running the cough right out me!

I was doing well right around Christmas with my long walks and a couple of runs. But, alas, a couple days after Christmas, I got sick. I started off feeling tired and achy, and within a day I started coughing and pretty much have not stopped since, although as the days and weeks go on, I cough less and less. Mostly. Walking in the cold makes it worse.

Today, the temps reached the low 60s. It was glorious. After some pretty cold days this past week and a snowy last Saturday, I figured I should put on the running shoes and go. So I did.

Bailey and I ran about 2 miles (our long walk route). I stopped for about 15 seconds two times so Bailey could do her thing, and I needed to walk for about 5 to 10 second so I could catch my breath going up a hill. But for the most part, it was all good. I am not sure I ever felt any pain, other than my usual breathlessness when I run up the big hills.

In fact, I felt so good about the run that I decided to drop Bailey off and run our usual 1.2-mile route myself. During that run, I had to walk up the biggest hill for under 10 seconds. I was fine the rest of the way.

Since this is January, and it will inevitable get cold again, I am guessing I won't be running again anytime soon. But it was nice to get one in, after such a long break. I guess the daily walking has kept me in pretty good shape.

Some Christmas-y runs

Not surprising to me, I pretty much fell off the running wagon after Thanksgiving. My choir sang for Lessons and Carols, which called for a Sunday night practice on the 6th, and the actual Lessons and Carols the following Sunday. Then I went to a musical the Sunday after that (six days ago). Throw in the shorter days, and my usual Sunday late afternoon/early evening runs were thwarted.

Last weekend, or maybe the weekend before, however, I managed to run for a few minutes here and there during a longer weekend Bailey walk, but still not much of a run. But starting this past Wednesday, the 23rd, we got out early to begin our holiday break, and my running commenced. That mid-afternoon run came on the heels of my eating a giant plate of nachos and drinking a beer not even two hours prior, but I manged to run about 2 miles. The next day, Bailey seemed to want to run some more, so I managed to get in another run, though I did not run the entire time. On Christmas morning, I had no intention of running for a third consecutive day, but, again, Bailey was motoring, and I felt pretty good, so I ran for at least half of the trek. During those three days, the temps were in the 60s, and I was running with a Santa hat, so I was definitely not comfortable. Who would think you would be sweating in long pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt at the end of December? But I got through it.

This morning, I had planned to just walk, but once we got to the top of the long street, I decided just to run down the hill and up most of it. I took a break or two, so I probably ended up running about a mile or maybe less, but still a run. Today was the coolest day; it was probably around 50 degrees, and without the Santa hat, I was finally comfortable.

I am off for another week, so other than when I will be away overnight on Monday, I should be continuing the longer (2 mile) walks with Bailey. And I will probably manage to run a bit during a few of them. But if not, that will be just fine by me.

A Thanksgiving run

So I did not run this past Sunday, but I did get a run in on Thanksgiving morning. Bai and I did about 3 miles, probably a little less. I am certain our first mile was a 10-minute mile or less, going Bailey speed. In fact, the first few tenths of a mile were practically a sprint. The second mile was at a more reasonable pace, and the last mile was almost slow; at times I had to get Bai to pick up the pace.

I don't recall any great pains. It was tough when we went fast or up a steep hill. But all in all, it was good.

Probably won't run again tomorrow night, but that's okay. Just glad I got that run in plus daily walks.

Continuing the streak (which will probably be broken this weekend)

Bai and I ran for about 30 minutes on Sunday, once again. It might have been longer. In fact, I might have run with her for about 20 to 25 minutes and then went back out. Yeah, that seems right. This is why I need to write down what I do soon after I do it.

There was nothing remarkable about the run. But it happened, and that is what counts.

I have a super busy weekend ahead, so I am guessing my streak will be broken. What can you do.

A complete run with the dog

Yesterday I decided that since Bailey's weekday walks are getting shorter, I should really try to wear her out on Sunday (after we took a long walk Saturday). So Bail ran with me for my entire run yesterday.

As usual, she started off full force, which is too fast for me. I tried to keep up, to get the heart going, and I was kind of glad she slowed down up the hill at the end of our first part of the run. We kept the same pace as we continued up the hill and then down another hill, and we continued to keep the same pace along that long street we sometimes walk on. Bail did stop to do her business a second time on that street, which coincided with my hearing cheering from a house. So I pulled up ESPN on my phone, and determined the Steelers were driving for the go-ahead score in the last few seconds of the game. I tried to wait that out, but after about a minute or so, I decided to keep going, and just try to watch my phone as I ran (which I don't recommend). Fortunately the Steelers prevailed, and I did not hurt myself trying to determine that!

Our run continued to go pretty well until Bai decided she wanted to run up the steep hill at the end of the street, which I really can't do, so I tried to reign her in. We kept going on the main street, then up our street, and after I tossed her business into our driveway, we kept going to the end of our street and into the field. We ran a few laps there, and eventually ran a few more times up and down our street.

When I had hit 35-38 minutes (I wish I could remember), I decided that was pretty good. Even with our couple of stops, I figure we ran 3 miles. And it was nice not to worry about timing.

I felt good pretty much the entire time (except when Bailey was running really fast). I recall getting a slight hamstring or butt pain, but that was it, and it did not last long. I really could have kept running, but I know the family was waiting for me for dinner, and I still had to lift some free weights and shower.

So, a good run!

I ran last week.

I blew off the week before, but I did, in fact, run last Sunday, the day after Halloween. There was nothing remarkable about that run. I want to say that I ran for about 30 minutes, but it may have actually been longer. I took the dog with me for about 1.5 miles. She started off super-fast, and I realized within a minute it was because her arch-enemy/dog friend Courtney had just gone by, and Bai was hot on her scent. I am guessing I was running about 6 mph for the first couple minutes.

I seem to recall my time ending up in under 6 minutes for the trip up and over 6 minutes for the trip back, but during the latter, I did not bother to stop my stopwatch while Bai was doing her thing and I was subsequently picking up her thing.

One thing I do remember was I did not get my usual pain in my left calf. So there was that.

Will I run tomorrow? No idea. But I am still keeping up walking. However, now that it is nearly dark when I get home (and in a week or so, it will be dark), I have been walking Bailey for only 5-10 minutes. So that is bad for both of us. We did walk for about 30 minutes today. I will do that tomorrow too if I/we don't run.

Until next time.

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!

A shorter run over the weekend

I know before too long my running streak will end. I came close this past weekend. I did not have a lot of time before dinner, so I was just going to walk, rather than change into my running clothes. But within about 30 seconds, Bailey was pulling, so I went with it. Unfortunately, I was in khaki shorts, which are not the most comfortable attire to run in. And I have dropped a few pounds, so I found myself continuously pulling my shorts up. That hindered me, but I at least ran (jogged), somewhere between 1.5 and 2 miles. I should probably check.

I really should lift weights tonight, since I had to skip last night, thanks to a painful flu shot in my arm, but my arm is not quite 100 percent, so I may wimp out. With choir tomorrow that will put quite a few days in between.

Oh, well. Sometime you just feel lazy!

Lest I forget

I ran yesterday late afternoon. That was a triumph in and of itself because J had a couple of girls sleep over the night before, and I got about four hours sleep max that night. I was not exactly peppy on Sunday, but I hated to end my streak. Plus, Bailey did not get her walk on Saturday, since I waited until the second/last girl left early that evening, and by the time dinner was done, it was pouring. So no walk for Bailey.

Just before dinner yesterday, I put on my running clothes, and away we went. Bailey, as usual, was booking, at times I could barely keep up. She stopped once or twice for a quick pee break, and then she stopped for her BM. When we finished that first .6 miles, we had been going about 6 minutes. We did about the same on the way back. Then, I decided to drop off her pile of crap, and we ran for another at least 10 minutes, this time around the field and the lot at the end of the field. I figured she could use the extra exercise. This time, I was the one who had to get the dog moving; she wanted to do a slight jog. For the last 10 minutes, I ditched her and ran a different route.

I felt pretty good the entire time, save for a slight, brief leg pain. I am definitely glad I did not wimp out. Unfortunately, I have been slacking in the weight department, but hopefully I can pick that up tonight or tomorrow.

Until next time...

Must have missed logging a week

I ran last weekend, but for some reason did not blog about it. Really the main (usually only) reason I blog about my running is so I can keep track of it. Otherwise, I would never remember doing it. I am thinking I ran on Labor Day, but would not bet the farm on it. But I seem to recall feeling good about eating a lot at the neighbor's picnic that day, so I am going to go with that.

When I woke up yesterday, I was chilly for the first time in months. I looked at the temps, and decided that 55 degrees was too cold to run. Which is crazy, because in my running days, 50-degree temps were the best. But I guess my older body is used to running in warmer weather, and although I hate anything above 70, 55 felt too extreme.

So I blew off running and went about my day. But when I started walking the dog early that evening, I decided to try to run a bit. That decision was mostly made for me because Bailey was in a running mood from about minute 1, so I went with it. I might have slowed down or stopped a couple of times, but it was my almost-typical 1.2 mile run. In jean, no less. When we got back home, and I started to take off my tennis shoes, I decided to re-lace up and get back out there. I ended up running around the field at the end of our street for somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes. I kept a steady, not fast pace. I felt really good and probably could have kept going. I think it helped that it was all flat.I don't think I will be running in jeans again any time soon, but still, not constricting at all.

I am definitely glad I kept my streak up. Once the temps turn really cold or gets wet or snowy, I am guessing I will put my running on a hiatus. The dog needs her daily walk, and I just don't see myself running on wet roads with her without falling.

But until then, hopefully I can keep it up. And the walking. And the weight lifting, which I have been doing about every three days.

Four weekends in a row, and I want a medal.

During this morning's run, Bailey was really moving. So much so that I am thinking I ran my fastest to date:

5:39 for the first .6 miles
5:59 for the return .6 miles

As usual, I stopped once while Bailey did her business (well, twice, but I hardly count her not-even-10-second pee break). And once we finished our run, I deposited her waste, dropped her off, gulped some water, and wiped some sweat off, so I got another couple-minute break.

Then I went on to run for another 18+ minutes, this time including another crazy hill. Up until I got to that point, I was mostly jogging; my heart rate was "only" around 160 bpm, I think. But once I ran up the hill, my heart was around 190, so I ended up walking for a minute. All in all, I am guessing I ran about 3 miles. The temps were decent; around 70, I think. Sunny, but not too humid.

Regardless, I am proud of myself of actually running four weekends in a row (and continuing to walk during the week).

I still get some pains here and there. I wish I had remembered to tell my doc about the weird, sharp leg pain I get in my left calf. But the pains don't last long, so I am not too worried.

Until next time...

Make that three weeks!

Frankly, I am kind of boring myself with all my running details. I think the important thing for me (since pretty much no one comes here) is just to document my exercise. I am extremely forgetful. Had I not blogged about gaining weight last year, I would have not recalled that I was up to one of my highest weights (ignorance is bliss).

Keeping track of these things gives me accountability. It makes me feel guilty, and guilt is a powerful motivator for me.

I can't get down with the latest eating craze (the 21-day fix, shakeology and the like). I just try to eat well most days. I unfortunately add junk on top of my eating well most days. But when things seem to start getting a little out of control, I tend to back off/get better. Hence my working a little harder and eating a little less (most days) after my May weight gain.

I was surprised to see that my weight was down around 151-152 this week. Much, much better than the 157-8 I was lugging around in May. But my weight flucuates so greatly, that I am fairly certain that during this upcoming week, my weight will be back up around 153-4 (hopefully no higher than that). When I was at the doc, she said my weight was fine and I seemed healthy, so there is that.

I have been walking pretty much every day. I missed a Bailey walk Thursday evening, but I walked during the day at work (as I try to do 3 or 4 days per week), and I did walk around the picnic I went to (I ate a lot there as well, so...). Friday I also skipped a Bailey walk, thanks to taking the kid to a friend's house and hanging out there, but I did walk at work, once again. I made up for it Saturday by running in the morning. I ran my 1.2  miles with Bailey and then for another 12 minutes around the field and my street. I also did some errands that afternoon, and I walked Bailey for a short walk that evening. Today there were a few more errands and the typical 1.2 mile walk with the Bai-Boo.

I have been keeping up with lifting weights, though I really don't want to. I typically do it 3 days per week, every other day and then a two-day hiatus in between at some point. I do push-ups most days, but if I forget to do them when I first wake up or I just don't feel like doing them, once Bailey is around me, push-ups are impossible.

So there you have it. I mostly like myself the way I am, because I mostly work at it. There is certainly room for improvement, particularly as far as eating goes, but I want to live a little too.

Until next time...

Check me out running two weeks in a row!

When I woke up yesterday, I decidedly did not want to run. I tried to come up with some excuses, starting with "but I just lifted weights last night and I did three sets," and which moved easily to "it is going to be 90 degrees in a few hours" and ended with "I am pretty sure I had heat exhaustion last week after running, so is it really worth it?!"

But, fortunately, my good self won out, due in no small part to my having to wash my hair that morning anyway. So I got dressed, leashed up the dog, sun-blocked up, and off we went.

There was nothing remarkable about yesterday's run, only that Bailey decided not to drop a pile during the walk, most likely because I did not feed her breakfast and she is used to saving it up for our evening walks.

But I felt decent. Not great. Warm, but not overly. The temps were around 74, I think. I did the first .6 miles in 6:06, and the second .6 in 5:53, and then I got a much-needed reprieve when I dropped the dog off and gulped down some water. I ran for another 12 minutes just around my street, the field, and the lot beyond the field, so I figure I ran for about 3 miles, which was better than last week.

Now I need to talk myself into lifting weights again tonight. Pretty sure I will come up with a few good reasons not to. :-)

Too much time in between runs

Somehow I thought I ran last weekend. I honestly can't recall. But I did run yesterday, and it was tough!

I felt so completely out of shape. I actually ended up doing the first half in about 5:48 (I think!) and then the second half was 6:12 (I might have the numbers reversed). After that, I tacked on another 10 minutes among my street, the field at the end of the street, and the lot at the end of the field, so I probably ran a little more than 2 miles.But it was a struggle to get there.

In the past couple of weeks, because I have slacked off in running, I would sometimes run for a couple minutes at a time during my evening Bailey walks. I probably did this 3-5 times per week. Some days I would manage only one 2-minute fun. During other walks, I would run a few times, anywhere from 1-3 minutes. Unfortunately, I tended not to stretch after those walks, which resulted in soreness the following days.

I think I am giving up the twice-weekly runs; considering I can't seem to run every week, I have to be realistic. And, if I can continue to get in a few bursts of running during some of my Bailey walks each week, I think it will all balance out.

I will say that running in the heat yesterday morning (it was about 74, but the sun was strong) and then later walking around Phipps, and finally helping the hubby cook on the grill and in front of a hot stove resulted in too much time in the heat/sun. It really affected me. I was kind of dizzy/light-headed for most of the evening. I ended up not even going to work today, as I was just not feeling myself. Mostly I was feeling old. :-(

Until next time...

It was a run.

On Saturday, while at my mom's in Indiana County, I had one of what is likely my last runs there. I did not think about it at the time, but now I realize the significance of it. :-(

From the first step, my left calf hurt. I have been having some problems with it, where at random times I get a sharp pain that tends to last just a minute or two. Because of the pain, I started off running really slowly, wondering if I was hurting myself doing so. But after a few minutes, the pain subsided. I never picked up my speed a whole lot more, but I was okay with that.

I am not sure how far I ran. I ended up lasting for about 33 minutes. My guess is that I ran around 3 miles (I certainly was not doing a 10-minute mile). On a positive note, running up the biggest hill in the neighborhood was not awful. It went better than the steeper, though not nearly as long, hill in my neighborhood. Once I made it to the top, I felt not too bad.

I am glad I ran Saturday morning when the temps were in the low 70s. If I had waited until Sunday, the temps would have been close to 80. I certainly did not want a repeat of last week.

All in all, I am happy with the run. I hope to run during this coming week. We shall see.

I don't know how people run in the heat!

I took a two-week hiatus from running. It was not intentional, but sometimes life (and laziness) gets in the way. This past Saturday morning, after 15 days off from running (but not walking and weight lifting), I got back out there. The night before, I saw that the temps were going to be in the low 70s around 8 or 9 a.m., so I figured I was good. But apparently with a 12-hour lead time, weather.com could not get the temps right. By the time Bailey and I set out for our run at around 8:40, it was nearly 80 degrees with about 75 percent humidity and a real-feel temp of 80 or 82. Yuck.

Usually when I start running, I picture myself as this in-shape, attractive, nice-bodied 30-something. I had no such illusion this time. I was miserable about 5 seconds into the hot run. Bailey was racing down our hill, and I was ready to stop. But I soldiered on. She stopped to relieve herself early on, which was somewhat welcome, and by the time we got to the big hill at the end of the first trip, she was barely moving. I actually had to kind of pull her. When we got to the top of the hill, I stopped for a few second to catch my breath. I was pleased with the 6:17 time. Probably one of my longer times, but the way I felt, I figured it would easily take me 6:30 for that .6 miles.

Running back down the hill was a kind of relief. I don't remember much about the run back home, just that I was anxious to get back and drop Bailey and her BM off. Bailey must have been anxious too; she really pushed us that last tenth of a mile; we finished that half in 6:02.

Once I de-leashed her, I gulped some water, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and tried to apply a little more sunblock to myself, which was pretty pointless as sweaty as I was. After that several-minute reprieve, I got back out there and did the same run again. Nor surprisingly, the second revolution was worse. I ran 6:25 the the first half and an awful 6:53 the second half, but considering I had taken two weeks off and that it was hot and humid, I was perfectly happy with those times. I finished the run with another approximately .6 miles; I did that in just over 7 minutes and on mostly flat surfaces, so it was probably a little further. But even if not, I will take the 3-mile run in about 36 minutes.

I find it unlikely I will run again this week; maybe I will just go back to running weekly. I have been walking Bailey daily for about 1.2 miles. Plus I walk several days a week at work. And I have been keeping up with weight lifting.

I need to do better with eating, but I will take the victories where I can get them and just be glad these legs still move!