What's the name of this blog?

I Run Outside!  Or, I can do two things at the same time!  Like running and showering.  Today was my first super-soaker rainstorm of the year.  The first 3 miles were fine, and the last 2 it rained a lot.  And I ran in it!  I love running in the rain.  The noise of the rain is amazing, it drowns out and covers up almost everything else, like cars and jet planes.  It makes all the barking dogs quiet.  It makes the birds quiet.  It keeps other runners and walkers and cyclists indoors.  It's solitude and bliss.  The only thing I don't like is the squish, squish, squish of my feet in my shoes.  When it first started to rain I could feel every single rain drop falling straight through the mesh on my shoes and onto my socks and feet.  The shoes have amazing ventilation.
My back/hip/butt/piriformis was grumpy for the first 1.0-1.5 miles.  Then it was awesome.  I ran fast for the last 3 miles (my fastest mile was when it was raining the hardest) and set a new route record for my 5 mile route.  And my muscles didn't even lock up during my cool down walk.  For the last two days I've been stretching my piriformis several times a day, and not just the painful side, but both sides equally.  That way I'm not producing a flexibility imbalance that may lead to future injuries.  During my run I could feel the stiffness in my left side from the stretches, even though it's the right side that is injured and painful.  And I can even feel it mildly in my back on the left side too.  So, on I go with the ice, heat and ibuprofen.  Hopefully it will all be cleared up in the next few days.

Whoa back!

Not a good night for my back. It was aching from the start, loosened up for the middle and was decent for the end. But it locked up during my cool down walk so I couldn't do much stretching. I'm going to the chiropractor tomorrow after work. Tomorrow is a planned non running day, but I might ride my bike.  It should be a good rest for my back.

On the run again

Very hot tonight and very humid, so I didn't start my run until after 8:00.  I'm glad I waited that late, but if I had waited in later, there wouldn't have been any TP left in the park restroom.  I had an emergency bathroom stop after 4.5 miles (ate too much this afternoon).  Stall #1:  No TP.  Stall #2:  Just enough TP for me, I finished it off.  Phew!  Anyway....
My back felt good for the run.  I noticed it, but not pain.  That was nice.  I took it super easy with my run tonight because of the heat.  Forecast for tomorrow is another hot one.

Only an idiot

Days like today leave me with one small victory.  I found one of my limits.  Today that limit was heat and humidity.  Yes, I ran in 87 F and 53% humidity.  I ran carrying two 20 oz. water bottles and it wasn't enough.  At least not at the pace I tried to run at the start.  Or maybe it was the big hill in the middle that finally did me in.  Anyway, I left my phone in the truck and just used my watch since I knew the distance I would be going today.
So I set off and the first 1.5 miles were easy, so I left one of my water bottles on a bench.  I walked for a little bit to take a nice long drink.  The next mile was not bad, but definitely hot.  I walked again and took another big drink.  The next 1/2 mile was tough with the hill right at the end, and I didn't exactly recover from it for another 1.5 miles.  And then I was overheated and had to walk a lot.  So here's how it broke down:
Run 3.5 miles with two walking breaks to drink, stop for long drink, pour water on self, walk slowly through the shade.  Walk/jog another 1/2 mile very slowly.  Walk another mile slowly with now luke-warm water.  Pickup left behind water bottle.  Walk another 1/2 mile drinking a lot.  Jog the last mile very slowly.  Walk 1/2 mile very slowly for cooldown.
Should I start running in the mornings?  How could I manage it and still get to work by 6:30 AM?

Good hot run

I was busy yesterday with family obligations, and I had to work late.  So I took the day off from running.  And my back thanked me all day today and was good enough for running today.  So I set off and ran 6 miles.  In the BLISTERING heat.  OK, maybe it wasn't that hot.  But when you're running it feels much, much hotter.  The breeze was pleasant though.  I should have carried a water bottle with me today.  I stopped at mile 3.5 to get a long drink and hit the bathroom.  I had to walk a few times that last 2.5 to cool myself down a little, but I still felt very, very good about this run.  It feels good to hit 6.0 again, I think it's my favorite distance to run day-in, day-out.

Crash and burn

I set out to repeat yesterday's run (minus the pitstop) and it didn't happen. After 2 miles I was spent. After 3 I threw in the towel and walked.

Allergies!

My allergies kicked my butt all say today. But now I'm felling quite good. Was it a cold instead? The weather has cooled off nicely this evening, so maybe that is knocking down the pollen, but it has been windy.  Too many complicating factors.  Anyway... I bucked up and ran anyway.
I had to make a pitstop around 1.5 that finished off my bout of earlier trips to the bathroom.  I felt fine after that.  Weak, but fine.  And very sweaty.  I was sweating way more than I should have for a moderate and cloudy day.  Probably the allergies/cold.
Today was a victory.  I had lots of reasons not to run, and I did it anyway.  And now my reasons for not running are rapidly receding.  

Saturday short

I took a short run today after a long walking warmup.  No pain in my back until after 1 mile, then it was manageable and didn't cause me enough pain to upset my stride.  I iced it good after I got home and it really stiffened up.  I also found that when I'm lying on my back that if I lift my left leg, I can feel the tug on the right side of my lower back, where it's hurting.  I'm suspecting I've strained a hip/butt muscle and it's tugging on the nerve in my back, and that's what's causing the pain.  So- I have a good core routine to do to strengthen every thing, and I've got some good stretches to do.  I have hope for next week.

Back attack part 2

My back felt better today, until I started running.  I could feel a little tightness immediately and I had hopes to go 6 miles.  But at 1.5 miles I knew better so I turned around and decided 3 was good enough for today.  I even did a 1/2 mile warmup walk before running to try and get it loosened up.  It felt fine while I walked, but not fine when I started running.  It definitely felt better today than yesterday.  I'll get some good sleep tonight and it should be even better tomorrow.

The one I gave up for my job

Today I thought I would run like any other. But after three steps I felt some tightness in my back.  I kept on jogging nice and easy because it was my warmup.  I figured it would loosen up after 1 or 2 miles and I would be able to stretch and do my 1 mile test.  I was wrong.  The pain gradually increased and after a mile I stopped and walked 1/2 mile.  I jogged another 1/4 mile and I knew I couldn't do any more, so I walked another mile.  Disappointing.
I spent almost 4 straight hours this morning at my desk feverishly editing a proposal.  I didn't take enough breaks to get up and stretch.  But I didn't feel any pain at the time either.  It's not major back pain because I can't feel it except when I'm running.  Hopefully it will be short lived.

The new gear

So since about the first of March I've had some trouble off and on with shin splints.  Finally in mid-April I decided the problem was due to my shoes:  Cheap, "trail" shoes from a general shoe store.  So I bit the bullet and went to a real running store and got fitted for real running shoes.  And I bought a running hat.  My forehead was starting to get a little too much sun.  So here they are:

Here's the damages:  Hat $20.  Shoes $110.00,  Total with Tax: $139.10

Results?  I instantly fell in love with the hat.  The black hem around the bottom is actually a rain gutter.  All the sweat from my head runs down into it, then it drains at the back of the hat and runs down my back when I'm running.  Kind of an unsettling feeling at first.  But you know, my back is sweaty anyway.
As for the shoes- it felt amazing running in them on the sidewalk outside of the running store.  They are much littler and nimbler than my regular trail shoes.  I felt fast as soon as I started wearing them.
How about the shin splints?  This week I finally seem to have kicked them.  I've had a lot of good runs and only a little annoyance from the shins.

Last night's run

I didn't have time to run until last night after 8:00. I took my headlight because I knew it would be dark before I finished up.  And I told myself that it was my "reward" run.  I could run however far and however much as I wanted as a reward for finishing a hard and long week of running.  So I did almost 7 miles, and tried my best to set a new personal best for 10 km.  But I ended up 15 seconds too slow. 
At times my knees felt kind of funny, and a little tired from my 4 mile walk earlier in the day.  But they definitely felt rested after taking Friday off.  So, it was a good run.
And it wasn't even spoiled by crossing paths with a skunk during my cool down walk.  I shined my headlight at him so he knew I was there, and he lifted his tail to warn me what was coming next.  So I turned around and cooled down in the other direction.

4th day in a row

I felt surprisingly good for my 4th day in a row of running.  I forgot how easy on my legs it is to run on the track- those two days on the track this week have been nice.  I've been able to run fast, but the soft surface has prevented the aches and pains that come with lots of pounding. 
So I did my 6 mile tempo run route.  My legs were tired, so I didn't have quite enough zip to run it hard.  I was really stiff when I started out, but after 1/2 mile I was feeling good.  I had to wait forever at the first intersection right before the 1 mile mark.  But after that I was cruising.  I ended up averaging 8:05 for all 6 miles, about 0:20 per mile slower than my route record.  Oh well- I wasn't trying to run it at record pace, because I knew my legs would be tired.  Anyway- there it is.  Now, time for a rest day.

At the track 2

Another track run. Another 4 miles. It's late, I'm tired.

Longest run

I did a long run today. It's been about two weeks since my last. It went well after about mile 7 or so.  Up until then my muscles were tight, or tired, or a little questionable.  Like my shins after the first short downhill- I could feel them but I kept on going. At the end of the run I wanted to keep going because I was in a groove and so pumped that the run went so well. So I ran enough extra to make sure that it ended up as my longest run ever, if only by 0.15 miles.  But it was an accomplishment, even if the GPS freaked out and totally screwed up the tracking.  Oh well.  I figured out the distance and manually entered it my endomondo account.
Here's something else I discovered about me and long runs.  I will not drink gatorade in the middle of the run ever again.  It leaves a funny film in my mouth once it dries out, so I'll stick to water.  I'll need to find a different way to get some carbs in me while I run these long runs.  But I do love a half-frozen bottle of gatorade for after my run and during my cooldown walk, that always hits the spot. 

At the track

I ran this evening, much later than I usually do.  And I went to the track, so I was out of my routine a little.  Sorry, no weather screen capture because I forgot, but it was about 68 deg, light rain.  I ran 4 easy miles on the track.  I run FAST on the track.  I did my first mile at 8:05, and my next three at 7:34, 7:39 and 7:24.  For the last half mile, I went all out, so for 3-3.5 I ran 3:46 (7:33 pace), but for 3.5-4.0 I ran 3:38 (7:15 pace).  That's getting close to my 5k pace.  Anyway.  It felt good to know I could run that fast without too much effort.  I better hit the hay, I've got a long run on tap for tomorrow.  And I need to get to work exactly on time so I can leave exactly on time.

The end of short week

Another fairly short run.  I was feeling my shins after the first 2 miles.  I could have gone another mile or two, but I think I stopped at the right time, and kept my weekly mileage about where I wanted it.  I think the heat really slowed me down too, it was a deceptive 75 degrees, because there was no wind so it felt much hotter than that.

Another short run

I did a better job pacing myself today than yesterday. But I still took some walking breaks, mostly to reset my pace and slow down. Tomorrow I'm not running and Saturday will be another easy run.
I checked my stride rate twice while running.  The first time I hit 180 exactly.  The second time I was closer to 190.  But I think what happens is that when I am measuring I speed up.  I certainly wasn't hitting 180 at the end of the run.  I was dog tired.  But I'm going to bed early tonight and catch up on my sleep.

Short run

I've got a lot going on tonight and I'm cutting back my mileage for an easy week this week. Plus it was HOT today. So 4 miles was enough. I started fast, faster than I meant to [7:47, 7:35], and then walked/ran the second half [9:29, 8:54]. Overall a good run, no shin trouble, I felt strong.  I didn't know I was running that fast until Endo told me so, it wasn't that hard of an effort.  

2x Hummel Park

Lots of rain after work today.  I got a late start running while I waited for the rain to let up.  Plus, I needed to go to this park to check out the facilities.  I must say, the bathrooms are quite nice.  Especially nice when I needed to use them after running only 2 miles.  I guess I ate too much fiber today.  The trails had standing water in spots, and I set off determined to run my loop twice, and finish with over 6 miles for today.  I also decided to run fast enough to keep my shins from bothering me.  I succeeded on both counts.  I even ended up running much faster than I was expecting:  7:58 average pace over 6.76 miles.  I may have a set a new 10k record with that effort.
So, as I was saying, the shins felt fine.  I did lots of exercises and stretches last night before bed.  And I didn't have to spend much time on my feet at work today, so that helps.  I took a short cold soak when I got home and did my full stretching routine.  I'll do more calf and shin stretches tonight and take the rolling pin after them.  That seems to help too.