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.

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.

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!

An interrupted run

I really wanted to wait to run until tomorrow, mostly because I washed my hair this morning and I hate to wash it twice in one day. But since today's high was only around 73, the humidity was nothing like it had been, and it was not very sunny, I decided to take advantage.

Just as Bailey and I started the awful hill, a little yorkie ran out and right up to Bai. Unfortunately, Bailey is not good with cats, so I am scared of how she might be with little dogs. I tried to yank Bailey away, but the little dog just wanted to see Bai. I left them sniff, and it seemed to go okay, but I was still scared. Fortunately, the owner of the yorkie picked up her dog, and Bailey gave up after a few more attempts. Then we started up the hill, but we lost at least a minute with that. So my 7:30 for the first mile was probably 6:30.

No sooner had we gotten to the top of the hill and turned around did Bailey stop to do her business. Fortunately the rest of the walk went pretty smoothly (though always annoying carrying a bag of crap). As usual, I dropped her off when our 1.2 miles were up, gave her some ice cubes, wiped off my sweat, took a couple gulps of water, and I was off again. But I don't recall feeling any pain anywhere, so yeah.

My second trip resulted in 6:23 for the first half and 6:36 for the second half, so pretty respectable. I ran for another 8 minutes around my street and the field at the end of it. Then I decided to run another 5:30, just so I could hit the 40-minute mark. Sure, there were some rests in there, but all in all, I feel good. I felt my left hamstring pain just for a bit, as well as my right knee pain for a different bit. But, again, it was good.

In fact, I kind of want to run a 5k. Hopefully soon.

Should have recorded that last run

I ran Saturday morning, but did not have time to blog about it before I went to my mom's. Originally, I had planned to wait until Sunday morning to run (there), but I figured better to get it done, in case something got in the way. Turns out something did.

Anyway, I, unfortunately, deleted my times for that run. I think I did the first trip with Bailey at around 6 minutes each. One trip might have been under, and one might have been a hair over. So it was good. On my second (dog-less) trip, I ran into a guy I saw last Saturday. We ran together for most of those .6 miles. It turns out this tall, thin guy (who has legs that pretty much go up to my chest) is 62 and has been running since HS, but things have come up that have kept him from running. He has been trying to get back into it, but uses the treadmill at times. I told him I hate the treadmill (not that I have one), but I am sure it is better for my knees. I also told him that my husband is afraid that I will need my knees replaced before I turn 50. He kind of laughed, but he did not say what I wanted him to, which was, "I have the same knees I was born with." I was glad we were able to talk, as that is distracting, and it even helped having him go up that awful hill. But I was also kind of glad that I turned around at the (almost) top of the hill, while he kept going, since I get so winded by that.

Anyway, I thought my second trip was a little slower, although I kind of think I did the first half with that guy at about 6 minutes. I finished it off up and down my street a few times plus a few laps in the field at the end of the street, for at least 8 minutes, and maybe even 9.

I seem to recall that my knee hardly hurt, and my hamstring just a bit. I also don't remember my feet hurting like last time. But this happened three days ago, which is like a lifetime with my memory.

Unrelated (I hope!) to that is that the front of my right leg has been bothering me today and maybe a bit yesterday. I walked around just fine at Kennywood yesterday, but I limped during my short walk at work, and I was slowed during my 20-minute walk with Bailey tonight. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I won't be running. However, if the weather forecast does not change, I might not run the next few days regardless, if 88 degrees turns out to be the coolest.

Some new pains

During today's run, I am happy to say that my left hamstring hurt less than usual. My right knee may have also hurt less or about the same. Unfortunately, I noticed some shin pain in my right leg, which fortunately was not too awful. My feet were also bothering me a bit, which I found surprising. I think I have worn these shoes no more than a dozen times, probably less. About 2/3 of those runs were about 3 miles, but a few were only 1 or 2 miles. I do tend to walk a bit, but regardless, at most, I have run about 36 miles in these shoes. No idea what that is about.

Anyway, tonight's run started off with Bailey, who was really moving. So much so, that we did the 1.2 mile trip in just under 12 minutes. I think the trip up was just under 6 minutes, and the trip back, which I actually timed, was 5:45, a new record. It helped that Bailey did not stop to relieve herself.

I dropped her off after that run, gulped some water, and I went back out. The 3-minute break helped. Eating just one burrito (which is still hardly a snack), instead of my usual seconds, helped as well, although I did notice my dinner more during my second run. And temps in the upper 60s/low 70s with little humidity and no sun, also great. In any event, for the repeated trip, I did the first half in 6:24, and the second half in 6:21.

Then I ran more leisurely, other than a couple of faster bits, for the next 8 minutes.

I feel pretty good. My heart rate still gets up there (to the max up the hills), but I can recover fairly quickly.

I will just keep swimming. Keep swimming. Keep swimming.

Sometimes I feel too old to do this.

I ran this morning, after a five-day layoff. Unfortunately, today's run was preceded by 2.5 beers at lunch yesterday, which was followed by a margarita on the rocks and a beer during happy hour/dinner. I drank plenty of water yesterday, but somehow I don't think it was enough. I really felt as if I was struggling today.

I decided to take Bailey with me again. She made it most of the way into the first half of the run before needing to squat and leave the remains of yesterday's dinner, so I carried the lovely bag, and we continued on (I stopped my timer for this). I ended up doing both halves in just over 6 minutes, so my timing was good, even if I did not feel great.

I dropped her off at home, once we had done the full, approximately 1.2 miles. I did the same run again without her, and the second time was worse. I ran the first half in 6:36 (I did walk for about 10 or 15 seconds up the killer hill), and then, surprisingly, it took me 6:51 on the way back. I think the heat/humidity was getting to me. However, I ran for another 8:30, just so I could get in 3 miles.

I passed some guy on my way back, who appeared to be in his 60s. He might have even been in his 70s. I really wanted to ask him how he does it. He might have been running slowly, but he was doing it. Some days, like today, I just feel old. Not 60 or 70 old, but not as if I am in my mid to late 30s, since that is how I think of my 43-year-old self most of the time. :-)

We have a beach trip coming up in less than a month now, so I want to keep this up. As with last weekend, I walked Bailey again in the evening, so I am definitely getting enough exercise. But now I need to work on not eating every couple of hours.

Here's to next week.

A longer run

The running thing is going okay. On Monday, before I went out of town for most of the workweek, I got in a short (but long for me) run. I think I broke it in half, but I really don't recall. Then I was out of town for the next four days where I ate pretty much non-stop.

Saturday morning, I decided I had better get back on track. And since it was supposed to hit almost 90, I figured I had better run in the morning. So I leashed the dog, and off we went. We jogged/ran for about 11 minutes before Bailey decided to squat and go. Sigh. So I turned around after that and headed home. After dropping her "present" and her off, I went back out for another just over 11 minutes. All told, I ran about 26 minutes, so surely I ran over 2 miles. It was tough and humid and over 70 degrees, but I did it.

Unfortunately my knees hurt a bit yesterday, so I may not be able to keep up this running 2-3 times per week deal. I will just have to see how I feel tomorrow night.

I might have tired the dog out.

After a walk (just a walk) with Bailey Monday night, I decided to try the running thing, complete with new shoes. We started off walking (which is mostly Bailey dragging me). After about 8 to 10 minutes, I tried running. With Bailey, this is not my usual jog; we were moving. I felt good the first few minutes. The huge hill after that was tortuous (for me mostly), but we got through it. Fortunately, the downhill helped me catch my breath, and things were going well.

Unfortunately, after only 6 minutes, Bailey decided she needed to take a BM break. Not only did that break my stride, but I had to bag it then carry it for the rest of my run. Lovely. 

I ran for another few minutes, and then I dropped the bag off at the house. After a few more minutes of running on our street, Bailey seemed pretty worn out. So I dropped her off at house, made sure she drank water, and I went back out for another 5 or so minutes. Then I walked for a few. 

I felt pretty good after, although I am not sure if it is good that Bailey pushed me. It certainly is a hindrance when the dog stops to relieve herself. Breaking up the running as I did, did not seem ideal, but considering I am no longer in my 30s and not in tip-top shape, maybe that is just what I need.

Maybe I will start running again.

We adopted Bailey, our crazy, bundle-of-energy, rat-bull terrier, 4.5 months ago. Fortunately, she has calmed down some since then. But walks are a different story. This dog wants to move during a walk. Sure, she stops to sniff and relieve herself once in awhile, but even those things are quick.

In the winter months, I started to run up and down my street with her. I did this a few times and never for more than a minute or two at a time because the cold and my being in not-great shape would not allow much more. But after awhile, and particularly when it was snowy or icy, I went back to just walking with her. 

Now that spring is (sort of) here, and because this dog does not know the meaning of a leisurely walk, I have started to run/jog with her again.

Two nights ago, during our (typically) 20- to 25-minute walk, I tried jogging for 3 or 4 minutes. Then I walked. And then I jogged another 3 or 4 minutes. Unfortunately, I did not stretch when I was done; I guess my brain was not "counting" that as a run. But other than slightly sore legs yesterday morning, I was fine. 

Yesterday early evening, I managed to jog/run for 5 and then for 6 more minutes, with not even 2 minutes in between. This even included two hills. I actually felt pretty good, and Bailey was panting, though I have no doubt she could have kept going. 

The problem with this potential plan is that I don't want to do this every day; even when I was a "runner," I kept it to three days a week. And during those five months I trained for the Race for Pace, I ran only once a week. Since I walked most days, and usually briskly, that was enough. Now I typically walk four and sometimes five days a week at work, plus six and sometimes seven more times with Bailey. I think my legs, especially, my knees might rebel! 

And the other downside is what happened when I started those brief jogs in the winter: Bailey expects to run, and she starts off full speed. It took me awhile to get it in her head we were just walking (which, with her, is really clipping).

I guess I will just have to see how it all plays out. But in the meantime, if anyone in the Burgh wants a running buddy, I have a dog you can borrow any time!