Cool Runnings!

I'm back!  At least, in one sense.  I'm not going to start running on my own for a little while yet, but I decided today it was time to start running with the boys again.  Lybi and I made the decision to cancel our cable TV today, so we needed something we could do with the boys, and they always have too much energy.  1.5 miles with Sam, then about 0.85 with Joey and about 0.15 with Adam (maybe more, but I'm not counting).  Joey really tired me out - he ran his portion at about 9:08 pace!  I feel really good about this, and it should help me to lose all the weight I have gained since injuring my foot, while keeping me from running too fast and hopefully keeing me from getting injured again.

Ran with the boys again this afternoon.  Sam's legs were a little sore, so we shortened his run today, and he actually ran quite a bit faster.  Both Sam and Joey ran about 0.85 miles, and Adam ran around 0.25, so I will call it 2 miles.  My legs are a little bit sore too . . .

2 more miles with the boys this afternoon.  Sam went first, he did fairly good, although not as fast as yesterday.  Then I ran with Joey - the little punk kept speeding up!  He has very good running form, and he is very slender - I think that he will probably be a good runner as he gets older.  Then I ran with Adam.

Huh.  I thought I had blogged this, but I guess not.  2 more miles today with the boys separately.  Sam did good, but Joey kicked butt.  He is a speedy little runner when he puts his mind to it, and very competitive.  All I have to do is run just behind and to the side of him where he can see me. I just checked out his time - he averaged 8:30 pace for his entire 0.85 mile run.  Of course, the distance might be a little bit off, but still - he was rocking for a 7-yr old.  I wonder what would happen if he squared off against Sasha's daughter Julia . . .

Same old, same old.  2 more miles with the boys.  I'm glad I'm doing this and glad I'm taking it slow.  Starting next week, I WILL get to bed on time and start doing P90X with Lybi in the morning.  She's a sweetheart for being willing to do it with me, and hopefully she will help me to get to bed on time, because honestly, I think that she is more motivated than me right now.  My biggest motivation right now is getting through my master's program as quickly as possible, and exercise kind of takes a lower priority.  So I will need her to help me to stay well-rounded and not get too one-dimensional in terms of my studies.

Approximately 1.5 miles with Samuel to the store and back to pick up a few needed items.

1.5 miles with Samuel, then 0.8 miles with Joey and about 0.2 miles with Adam (may have been more, but I'm not counting).  Good times.  They all did pretty well, but today was more of an easy run day for them.

2.5 miles with my boys in the afternoon.  Adam is starting to do better with his runs - I think he likes it when I pretend to be gasping for air because he is running too fast for me :)  Sam has been complaining of his tummy not feeling well - oddly enough, it seems to flare up right when I announce we are going for a run :o  Joseph is just a little running machine.  His legs are like little pistons.  I ought to take some video of him running - he really has good form, especially for a 7-year old.

2.3 miles today.  I didn't get to run with Adam because it was time for dinner and I had Elders Quorom visits after dinner :(  He was pretty bummed about that.  I ran first with Joey, and he did quite well, but was whining towards the end about not feeling good - I told him to slow down, and he just seemed to not be able to.  That child!  Sam had been coughing all day, and I gave him a reprieve by allowing him to take his razor scooter with me while I ran.  Probably a mistake on my part, as it resulted in me running significantly faster than I normally do with him - sub-8 minute pace.  Haven't done that for a while . . .

2.5 more miles today, mostly with the boys.  Ran with Joey first, he did much better today - no whining, even though he ran faster.  Adam did well too.  Sam was still not feeling well, so I let him ride his bike with me today - another bad idea.  He actually peeled off after the first loop, and I finished by myself.  I ran way too fast :o  Even if I calculate that my 1.5 mile loop is really more like 1.45 miles, I still ran about 7:20 pace for the entire run, including the portion I ran with Sam on his bike, which I know wasn't that fast.  I didn't look at my watch until I was finished, but I ended breathing quite hard.  Finished up the night doing my P90X workout - shoulders & arms, plus Ab Ripper X.  On Ab Ripper, I am almost back to where I can do all 25 reps of each exercise.

Afternoon - ran with the boys. They had been out playing on their bikes and scooters for quite some time, so I let them go on their bikes/scooters with me as well. Joey first - he did well - we ran about 8:20 pace together, with him on his scooter. Then I ran with Adam on his bike - we did about 0.5 together at about the same pace. Finally, I ran 1.75 with Sam in 12:34, with the last 1/8 of a mile being quite fast, finishing with a strong sprint.  The boys enjoyed it; I enjoyed it - we will have to see if we continue doing this or not (them on their bikes instead of running with me).  It is certainly more of a workout for me than when I run with them.

PM - 3 miles with the boys again.  I ran 0.5 with Adam on his bike at about 9:00 pace, then did about 0.75-0.8 with Joey running - he actually ran about 8:40 pace!  Then I finished up with about 1.7 miles with Sam on his bike.  He pushed me a bit harder, and I broke under 8:00 pace.  I ran the entire thing in my aquasocks - I wanted to see if that would help my foot to improve.  Felt pretty good.  We'll see how that goes.

PM - 3 miles with the boys today.  They rode their bikes again today (Joey rode his scooter).  Joey did the first 1.5 miles with me and then peeled off, and Sam and Adam did all 3 miles, since they were on their bikes.  Second half of the run was definitely faster (and harder) than the first half.  Ran again in my aquasocks - not too bad, but I could feel a bit of pounding in my forefeet when I started running faster - just not used to running without any cushioning, I think.  However, I don't think I have to worry about pounding on my heels.

2.25 miles with the boys.  Joey didn't want to run (or take his scooter) so I didn't make him, but Adam and Sam went with me.  Adam went with me first and did 0.75 (or so), and then I took Sam for another 1.5 miles on his bike.  Ran in the aquasocks.

2.25 miles again.  Joey was sick, so I made sure he stayed inside.  Adam and Sam both went together with me on their bikes for the first 1.5 miles, then Adam peeled off at our house, and Sam did the last 0.75 with me.  He made me run pretty fast.  Again in the aquasocks.  I am really hoping this will help my foot to feel better.  I'm starting to be frustrated about the amount of time it is taking for my foot to heal completely.  Maybe I should actually go see a podiatrist . . .

Well, I have some bad news today.  A couple weeks ago I went to see an orthoped, as my foot pain had come back after starting to run again.  He took x-rays, which were inconclusive, and referred me to a bone scan, which I had last week.  I had my follow-up appointment today with the doctor, and he went over the bone scan with me.  Results show a definite hot spot right around my R navicular/cuneiform, indicative of a stress reaction/stress fracture.  So I am off running for at least another month (has already been a couple weeks).  I am also going to look into getting some orthotics and see if I can figure out what the best shoe would be for me.  I apparently need some firmer arch support than I have been getting.  So at least I have some additional knowledge about what is going on, and can treat it.  If the pain comes back after I start running again, then we are going to get an MRI to see if anything else shows up, but hopefully that won't be necessary.

Hooray!  I am back to running again after several months due to a stress fracture!  I went out today during lunch and ran 4 easy miles.  I could tell I was out of shape.  Although the run felt very good, and there was no pain in my foot whatsoever, and I was running at an easy pace (8:30 pace), my legs were pretty tired at the end, and I was sweating pretty good, even though it wasn't terribly hot.  I will probably only do 3 miles tomorrow to be a little easier on the legs, but boy does it feel good to be back running.  There is just nothing quite like it.

Lunchtime - another run!  No foot pain!  Can you tell I'm excited?!  3.25 miles today, a little less than yesterday, but a little faster than I had planned.  Turned out to be about 8:10 pace.  Felt pretty good, even though the temperature was getting up there.  High today is supposed to be 95.  Sorry, all you Utahns . . .

Luch - since I got my shoulders sunburned yesterday after only 25 stinking minutes in the sun, I ran indoors on the treadmill today - didn't want to risk further sunburn.  The nice thing about the treadmill is that I know exactly what pace I am running.  So I ran 4.75 miles at 8:30 pace, and it felt good.  No up- or downhills, so I was able to work on maintaining good form and relaxing.  Still no issues with the foot.  I'll drop down to 3 miles tomorrow.

Lunch - 4 easy miles outside.  I wore a tech shirt to cover my sunburned shoulders.  I took yesterday off, because I got really crappy sleep, and I wanted to avoid overdoing it.  Sleep wasn't much better today, but a little better, so I decided to go ahead and run.  Took it nice and easy, felt pretty comfortable throughout.  I also wore a mesh hat, and that helped me to feel a little cooler, although I don't quite know why . . . average pace about 8:30 again, maybe a tad faster.

Lunch - I ran outside again, but this time I was smart enough to use sunscreen to cover my alabaster skin that is normally protected (i.e. my shoulders and neck).  It was a beautiful day out, and maybe that led to my running faster than I realized.  I thought I was only doing 4 miles, and it wasn't until I got back to my desk and calculated the distance on gmap-pedometer that I realized it was actually 4.3 miles.  So what I though was a nice pace ended up being about 30 seconds/mile too fast.  Go figure.  I was wondering why I felt more winded than normal running today - I thought it was maybe because I still was carrying too much food from eating a lot over the weekend.  Nope.  Guess again.  Well, now I know the distance better, and no harm done, and no sunburn (hopefully - I'll have to check it out later today).

Lunch - another lovely run - this one felt a fair amount easier than yesterday, now that I know the exact distance and had a better idea of the times I should be seeing for the pace I was trying to hit.  Right about 8:30 pace for today - right where I wanted to be.  Foot still feels good - no problems.

Lunch - decided to go out today, in spite of hearing that there was an ozone advisory today.  I went a slightly different route so that I didn't have so much up- and downhill running today.  Ended up being about 4.4 miles, average pace of about 8:25/mile.  Felt good, foot feels fine, but I do need to get some new shoes here in the next month or so.

Lunch - 4.2 easy miles outside.  It was pretty nice when I started out, but warmed up a bit during the run.  There was also a fairly strong wind from the east.  Averaged about an 8:45 pace today, was trying to take it easy since today was Monday.  Nothing special about the run today, foot still feels good, no problems to report.

Lunch - another nice run outside.  It didn't feel quite as hot as yesterday, and it was breezy again, which was quite nice.  4.6 miles, average pace of 8:15/mile.  Felt very good, foot continues to feel good.

Lunch - a little bit less today outside because I had a meeting at 1:00.  Did 3.5 miles at about 8:10 pace.  The run felt quite good, and I am noticing the weight start to come off (which is a very good thing!).  Foot still feels good.

Lunch - 4.5 miles on the treadmill today.  There was an ozone advisory today, and I decided it was a good idea to take a break from the heat and sun and run inside instead.  First 4.25 miles was at 8:30 pace, then I added in a last quarter at 6:00 pace.  Felt very good, nice and relaxed, the weight is slowly coming off.  I plan on getting a new pair of shoes this weekend and retiring my old ones that have a fairly large number of miles on them (I stopped counting).

Lunch - ran outside today.  I didn't get a chance to run yesterday because I was taking a test during my lunch hour (thankfully I passed).  It was beautiful out today, right around 80 degrees out when I headed out the door.  I ended up running a little bit faster than I intended, but it was still slower than 8:00 pace (barely), which is good.  I also ordered a new pair of shoes last Friday, and they should be here on Wednesday.  Anyone ever worn the Saucony Grid C2 Flash shoes?  I got tired of paying 80-90 bucks or more for running shoes, so I got these ones for under 60 bucks, and with Bing cashback, they are closer to 50.  Depending on how they feel, they may be my new running shoe.  They are actually less than an ounce heavier than my current Grid Tangent 3's, so I am happy about that.

Lunch - 4.6 miles outside at about 8:25 pace.  It was a little warmer than yesterday, but overall not too bad.  I will probably be running on the treadmill tomorrow, however, since it is supposed to crack 100 again (only second time this year!).  My shoes are supposed to arrive today, which will be nice - I can tell that my tangents have pretty much lost what shock absorption they had.

Lunch - I ran inside on the treadmill today because it was supposed to break 100, plus I have a little bit of sunburn that I need to let heal.  Since treadmill runs are so boring, and I didn't bring my mp3 player, I livened things up by switching speeds around a bit.  Started off at 8:30 pace for the first mile.  After about 0.5, I was starting to feel some discomfort in my arches, due to the new shoes, but at 1 mile when I cranked up the speed (only to 8:00 pace), the pain went almost completely away.  At the 2 mile mark, I bumped up to 7:30 pace and held that for a mile, then for the 4th mile, I dropped back down to 8:00 pace.  At the 4 mile mark, I decided to throw in a quarter mile surge at 6:00 pace.  It felt good - much better than it did last time in my tangents.  I think the improved cushioning from wearing a new shoe helped.  Cooled down after the run for a couple minutes.  Noticed as I was changing that I have a hot spot on the outside (medial side) of each of my big toes from the new shoes.  Hopefully they don't turn into blisters.

AM - I got up early this morning to run, instead of running on the treadmill during lunch.  It was actually really nice.  I got to enjoy nice temperatures this morning, and get things moving early.  The run felt pretty good.  No issues with the foot, but I did feel a little bit of tenderness on my big toes again from the new shoes.  No blisters, just a little bit of a hot spot.

AM - 4 miles outside, but I didn't get a chance to run until about 10 AM, so the sun was high in the sky, and it was already pretty hot out.  Had to put on the sunscreen and wear a hat.  It's getting too hot out now to run any time other than early morning.

AM - got up early again this morning for a nice 3-mile run.  Averaged about 8:00/mile.  Felt very nice to get out early, the weather was beautiful, and it was nice and cool (at least compared to how hot it has been getting in the afternoon).  It has been downright sauna-like these past few days.

AM - was originally planning on doing 3 easy miles this morning, but my right calf started to tighten up on me around 1.5 miles.  I stretched it out and ran a little bit more before deciding to not to any more to avoid injuring it.  I am seriously considering asking for a pair of VFF's for my birthday so that I can strengthen my feet and avoid having to wear orthotics.  I detest wearing orthotics - even if they are the Dr. Scholl's $50 ones instead of some rigid custom-molded ones from a podiatrist.

AM - 2.5 easy miles before work.  Felt good to get out and run again after deciding to not run on our vacation (although we did a lot of walking).

Man, I gotta get my butt in gear and start running every day.  My excuse has been that I haven't been getting to bed early enough, thus waking up at 5:30 wouldn't allow me to get enough sleep.  But I decided last night that I needed to run this morning, come what may.  Hopefully this will inspire me to get myself to bed no later than 10 PM, 'cuz I'm gonna run, no matter what.  I only did 2 miles today, but still, it felt good.  Now gotta keep it up for the rest of the week and get myself back in the habit so I can lose some of this extra weight I'm carrying around . . .

AM - 2.5 easy miles this morning, keeping with my pledge to run every morning, no matter what.  It felt good to run, but I definitely need to make sure that I get a bit more sleep tonight.  Average pace of approximately 8:00/mile.

AM - another run in the bag - that makes 3 days in a row!  Just 2 miles again today.  Ran a different route to break up the monotony, first mile was easier, and the second mile was run a bit harder.  Here's hoping that consistent training will finally get me to lose the weight I need to lose.

AM - 3.5 miles outside - it was wonderful.  It had rained a bit during the night, and I even got dripped on a little bit when I went out.  It wasn't too hot, so that was nice.  I was originally planning on running 4 miles, but I wimped out and settled for 3.5.  It's actually a good thing, though, because we ended up having a really busy day.

After months of wondering where my Garmin cradle was to charge up my Forerunner 205, I finally took the initiative last night and poked around in out box where we keep our spare cables and such.  Voila!  Found the cradle and a spare USB cable.  Since the wall charger didn't work, I just plugged it into my computer to charge it up.  It was nice to be able to run with the GPS watch again, to get a better idea of how fast I was running and how far.  2 miles today to take it easy after the day of rest.  I found myself having a tough time maintaining a steady pace, so that is something to work on.

I didn't get a chance to run this morning, so I decided to run in the evening.  I missed a couple days because my back was acting up and I had to go see a chiropractor.  But it is starting to feel better.  Used my freshly charged Garmin again, which was nice, because I could see how I was actually doing and make sure I didn't run too fast.  Average pace for the 3 miles of 8:19/mile.  I have a long way to go before I get back to my 08 SGM shape, but I am committed to getting there, even if I don't try to do SGM next year.

Another 3 miles in the evening.  It was cool to watch a storm rolling in on the horizon (although it ended up missing us - boo!).  I ran a different route today to mix things up, but it was hard to run today - I don't know if that's because of the 3 slices of pizza I ate for lunch, or the big plate of beans and rice I had for dinner (at least it should hopefully wash down the pizza!), but I gutted it out.  Legs felt fine, but I felt bloated.

PM - ran 2.5 miles outside - cut it a little short because it was kind of late.  It was pretty hot out.  I just ran around the neighborhood today.

AM - 2 easy miles early this morning.  Felt pretty good.  I feel like my aerobic fitness is slowly starting to improve - at least the run felt easier today on my lungs.  I'll continue to take things easy this week and maybe next, before I start to bump up my mileage.

PM - 3 miles outside.  The run felt good, no complaints.  I ran around my neighborhood again.  Had a slightly scary experience - as I had just finished the near loop and crossed over into the other side of our neighborhood, I heard some sirens and then the sound of a large diesel engine.  I just figured it was a police car pulling someone over or something like that and kept running.  But when I finished the far loop and went back to do my second near loop, there was an ambulance and a fire truck at a house just across the street from our cul de sac.  When I finished the second near loop, there was an elderly man in the back of the ambulance with an oxygen mask on his face.  It makes me feel kind of bad that we don't know more of our neighbors besides the ones in our cul de sac.  I hope he is all right.

PM - 3.11 miles outside.  It was actually quite lovely - clouds and rain kept the temperatures down today to a balmy 100 degrees or so, and it was cooler out this evening than it has been in the past week or so.  I started off nice and easy, and picked up the pace the entire run.  When I hit my turnaround point, I started to pick up the pace a bit, and my last full mile (not counting the last 3.11) was about 7:30.  Not blazing fast by any means, and I could feel the lack of cardiopulmonary fitness, but it felt good to open up a little bit.  Averaged 7:55/mile for the entire run, mostly due to the last mile.

PM - I didn't get to bed early enough last night to try and go out this morning with Burt - I'll have to try that next time.  Instead I ran this evening to make sure I got in my run today.  It was warmer out than Thursday.  I started off nice and easy and again slowly increased the pace.  I am hoping that doing this will help my aerobic system to improve.  We will see.  Road Runner Sports here in Tempe is holding a free 5K in a few weeks, and I plan on attending - it is on Thursday, August 19 at 6:00 PM.  No time goal in mind right now, just run to have fun.

PM - ran 3 miles outside at about 9 pm.  It had cooled down some, but it was still pretty warm.  Started off nice and easy, around 8:30 pace, and slowly increased the pace over the course of the run.  I don't recall the first mile split, but the second mile was 7:58, and the last mile was 7:16.  I felt the effort much more in my lungs than in my legs.  I take that as a good sign.

AM - I got to bed on time last night, and didn't get a chance to run yesterday, so I got up early to run this morning.  We had a nice storm last night, so I was hoping that it would be cooler, and it was, but it was also still pretty humid (at least for Arizona).  As usual, I started off pretty easy, and slowly picked up the pace.  First mile was 8:17, second mile was 8:03, and the last mile was 7:56.  Felt good throughout.

PM - After raining (again!) this afternoon, it was a bit cooler out this evening, but again more humid than we Arizonans are used to.  Started off nice and easy, first mile in 8:25.  I was having a hard time getting into a rhythm today, and I was struggling during the entire run to get things going.  During the first mile, my lower back also started to tighten up.  Second mile in 8:05.  I could feel that I was pushing it a little bit more on this mile but was determined to get through the run.  Last mile in 7:43.  I wanted this to be over, so I finished pretty strong.  Cooled down afterwards.  Now it's time to get some sore muscles rubbed by an ever-so wonderful wife and then go to bed.

PM - I ran 4 miles outside this evening.  It was beautiful out.  Cloudy all day, and I don't think it ever broke 100 - it may not have even broke 90!  Started off nice and easy again, first mile was 8:31.  Second mile had a bit of gentle downhill, and I kind of got into a groove, so it was a bit faster - 8:14.  Turned around, and was originally taking it easy, but towards the end, I started pushing it a little.  Third mile was 8:18.  I really pushed it on the last mile.  My legs were fine, but my lungs were burning at the end.  The last mile was 7:13.  Overall, 32:20, average pace of 8:05/mile.

PM - 2.5 easy miles outside.  The weather was pretty nice out - I don't think it even broke 100 - so it cooled down a bit in the evening.  I decided to run without my inserts today because I don't like how they make my shoes feel like bricks when I have them in.  Tried to go nice and easy the entire time, but I still ended up speeding up for the latter portion of the run.  Average pace was about 8:10/mile.

PM - ran outside again.  I took a different route today to spice things up.  After starting off slower than I thought (unless my Garmin was just acting up), I started to pick up that pace after 1/4 mile.  First mile ended up being about 8:18.  Second mile was faster, about 7:58 (if memory serves me right).  Then I decided to pick up the pace, and ran the next 1/2 mile at 6:46 pace.  After a short break, I finished the run at a nice easy pace for the last 1/2 mile.  Average pace for the run was 7:51/mile.  I ran without my inserts again, and it felt much better than with them in - at least from the perspective of not feeling like I was running in a pair of bricks.  I will keep wearing my inserts during the day, but I think I am going to continue to not wear them for running.

PM - after a kind of harder run yesterday, I did 2.5 easy miles.  Nothing faster than 8:00/mile, average of 8:17/mile.

I ended up not running tonight - my wife had Roundtable and didn't get home until after 9:30 - but I did get in an Ab Ripper X workout.  I have decided that I need to start doing this to work on my core.

AM - 5 extremely enjoyable miles with Burt, MarathonDreamer and her husband (was it Mark?), and pedsendodoc (Jef MC's dad).  I gotta do this more often.  It was a total blast to run with other people.  We started off nice and easy, around 9:30 pace, and gradually picked the pace up.  Every mile I ran was faster than the previous, and then with a 1/2 mile left, I picked it up.  Total time was something like 44:34, average pace of 8:55/mile.  I am definitely going to plan on doing this again.

PM - 3 easy miles outside.  It was still pretty warm out.  I started off nice and easy, and very slowly increased the pace.  Average of about 8:15/mile.

PM - 4 easy miles outside.  It was hot.  Average pace of 8:22/mile, but my pace really varied from mile to mile.  Feeling pretty good, and hoping to bump up the mileage a little bit this week.

PM - 2.9 miles outside.  It was kind of hot, but the run felt awesome.  I had to curtail running for most of last week because of back issues, culminating in my having to miss work on Friday due to my back.  With how good this run felt, I am wondering if my back issues were causing issues with my breathing without my knowing it.  In any case, it felt really good to get out and run.  First mile was 8:22, second mile was 8:07, and the last 0.9 was done at 7:20 pace - close enough that I will call it marathon pace.

PM - a beautiful run after we had a little storm that cooled things down quite a bit.  It was actually drizzling a little bit when I went out for my run.  Started off nice and easy, as usual, and maintained a pretty steady pace for the first 3 miles, then picked up the pace for the last mile.  Average for the run was 8:06/mile.

It was a beautiful night tonight - the temperature was a bit lower, which really made it feel nice, and I had a pop in my step due to getting my back adjusted today.  I started going to the chiropractor a couple weeks ago due to some severe pain in my back and found out that my back and neck were both out.  I found out that I have been carrying my head about two inches too far forward for quite a while (not helped by having a huge pillow to sleep on, since I sleep on my back), which caused my cervical curvature to be less than normal, and also was causing my neck and back muscles some major grief.  I also had some ribs that were out, which impacted my breathing.  Anyways, I can already tell the difference.  I am running faster with less effort.  Average pace today was 7:47/mile, with two of those miles on the dirt canal bank, which was quite lovely.  I picked it up for the last mile, which was right around 7:00 pace.

Got to run outside this morning - beautiful weather.  Don't know what the temp was, but it was pretty nice.  Was originally planning on doing 4 miles, but I just didn't quite have the time for it, but I at least got in 3 miles.  First mile, 8:05, second mile 7:43, third mile 6:58.  The first two miles felt quite good and relaxed, the third mile felt fairly hard, but that is normal.

Just a few miles today - drove back home from my wife's grandfather's cabin after spending the weekend there, and I didn't get very good sleep the entire time we were there, so I was pretty tired and didn't want to do very much.  Plus I ate too much for dinner and that was still weighing on me.  Nevertheless, averaged about 7:50/mile for the two miles.

Today was a much better day.  I got pretty decent sleep, and I also ate better, so I was feeling a lot better when it came time for my run.  4.5 miles outside, nice breezy conditions, just a shade over two miles on the canal bank.  Average pace of 8:05/mile, and I was extremely happy that I managed to stick to my desired pace and not speed up at the end.

It is finally starting to cool down a little bit, and this evening was just beautiful.  I decided to run on the golf course that is part of my new regular route, which was interesting, because it was so dark.  I ended up running through some sprinklers, and ran through at least 2 puddles from sprinklers, but overall it was pretty fun.  I pushed the pace pretty hard for the last half mile, then cooled down and did some stretching.  Average pace for the entire run was 7:55/mile, mostly due to the last half mile.

PM - I don't remember what my pace on this run was any more, other than it was around 8:00/mile.  If I remember right, this run was a bit difficult because I ran shortly after dinner, so I still felt pretty full.  Not much else to say about this run, other than that I got it in.

Yes!  Early morning run!  It was absolutely gorgeous out this morning, probably about 70 degrees with the sun just barely starting to light up the horizon when I left.  It was actually very nice to have a little bit of light to allow me to better see where I was running.  It was also nice that there were quite a few people on the canal bank running, even though I wasn't running with them.  I started off very easy, around 9:00 pace, to warm up my muscles, and slowly picked it up.  Once I warmed up, the pace progressed to sub-8:00 pace, and felt very good.  First mile was 8:00 on the nose.  Second mile was mostly on the canal bank (packed dirt) and ended up being 7:37.  This mile felt a little more difficult, but overall very good.  Third mile was also mostly on the canal bank, and I unintentionally picked up the pace even a little more - third mile was 7:27.  Once I hit the 3 mile split, I consiously slowed down a bit to get in control and slow down my breathing, which wasn't really bad, but was a little bit labored.  The fourth mile ended up being 8:01.  Average pace for the run was 7:46/mile.

On a side note, I have decided to start drinking a couple of slimfast (generic) shakes in the morning - one when I leave for work, and another a couple hours later.  I am hoping this will help me to eat healthier in the morning while getting enough calories to keep me going, and allow me to drop the extra weight that I have been carrying.  I REALLY want to get back down to about 170 and stay there.

AM - easy four miles this morning.  I made an effort to keep the pace slower today to take it easy.  It was still nice this morning, but not quite as cool as it was yesterday.  However, much preferable to running in the evening.  Hopefully I can keep it up.  Average pace of 8:20/mile.

After taking yesterday off, I went running again this morning.  I am unfortunately not going to be able to do the free RRS 5K this evening - it is our ward temple night, which takes a higher priority than a free 5K.  The run this morning felt pretty good.  I got out the door and was expecting to start off nice and easy again, around 9:00/mile pace, and was a bit surprised to look at the Garmin at the 1/4 mile mark and see that I was close the 8:00/mile.  Oops - slowed down a bit to give my legs a chance to warm up.  First mile in 8:20, that's better.  Hit the canal bank and went south instead of north this time.  Second mile ended up being 8:05, still felt very good.  Third mile back along the canal bank and a small bit on the sidewalk.  Third mile I found out after the run was 7:51.  Last mile I was trying to keep it steady and nice and easy, then with 1/4 mile to go, I picked up the pace significantly.  Last mile was 7:34.

PM - ran with the boys today.  It was still kind of hot, but I ran with Sam on his bike so he could fulfill one of his Cub Scout requirements, and then ran with Joey, and took Adam on his scooter for a cooldown.  It was too easy for Sam riding his bike with me running alongside him, and I had to keep asking him to slow down.  Go figure . . . on the last hill, he took off back towards home and I sprinted after him, hitting sub-5:00 pace at some point.  Average pace of 7:44 for 2.3 miles with Sam.  I took a quick breather and then it was off with Joey.  He hasn't run in a while, so I wasn't expecting him to run too fast.  But he took off on me, and any hopes of taking it easy were lost.  He was breathing kind of hard at the end, but he kept up the pace all by himself.  Average of 9:01/mile for 0.7 miles with Joey.  Then I took Adam out and finally got to chillax with him and just cooled down running about 0.4 miles with him (approx, I didn't use the Garmin).  Not bad.

AM - got up to run this morning.  Glad I did - it felt pretty good.  Started out nice and easy and slowly got into a good pace.  First mile was 8:22.  Shortly thereafter, I hit the canal bank.  Mile 2 was 7:57 - a little faster than I had anticipated, but still felt pretty good.  Went a little further then turned around.  Mile 3 was 7:50.  Still feeling pretty good, but trying to slow down.  Mile 4 was 7:45, and then I cooled down for about 1/2 mile.  Average pace of 7:58/mile.

PM - 3.5 miles outside. Weather was cooler again, thanks to clouds and rain overnight. Average pace of 8:11/mile. My legs didn't feel springy tonight - more leaden, so it was tough to find a rhythmn. Oh well, glad I got out and ran.

I haven't been running as of late due to a recurrence in a slight calf strain on my right leg, but I have been working out so as to lose weight while I am not running, and hopefully when I start up again, it will be easier and less stress on my legs.  I am going to give it another week or so and will then start up again.

Well, even though I planned on waiting a bit longer, I ended up going out for a run tonight.  It has finally cooled off quite a bit here, and the weather was just beautiful.  I just ran around our subdivision twice.  I have already noticed a difference in how easy it is to run, after having dropped about 10 pounds so far.  This run felt very good to my legs, but was a little bit harder on my lungs (I have been dealing with a cough ever since we got back from our ward pioneer handcart trek re-enactment that we had the privilege of taking part in).  Average pace was 7:30/mile.  I will bill this as a progressive run, as each mile was faster than the previous one.  Still felt good, though.

3 more miles outside tonight - another beautiful night, probably in the 60's.  I took it easier today except for the last 1/4 mile or so.  Everything else was around 8:00 pace, but I picked it up at the end.  Felt very good, the weight is continuing to drop off (maybe my eating habits have actually improved, and maybe it has taken a while for all the effects of the pop to clear my system).

PM - 5 miles outside - beautiful weather.  This ended up being another progressive run without meaning to.  First mile was 8:13 - felt good, nice and easy.  Second mile was 7:48, still felt good.  Third mile was 7:38, could tell that I was picking it up.  Fourth mile was (if I recall correctly) 7:14 or so.  Took a little walking break and then cooled down on the last mile, 8:38 or so.  No residual soreness, legs feeling good, I feel like I have some more pop in my legs simply due to weighing less (finally!)  Gonna continue to work on that to get back down to my goal weight.

Another unintended progressive run this evening - just 3 miles.  Started out nice and easy, 8:15 for the first mile.  Second mile was 7:40, and the third mile was 7:05 or so.  Average for the entire run was 7:40/mile