Running in Life's Slow Lane

6.0 mi -- 11:45/mi avg pace -- 713 cal

Today's splits ---
11:44
11:46
11:42
11:51
11:52
11:37

Felt good to finally get back to a 6 mile workout. I'm not sure if I will be able to walk tomorrow but at least today I can celebrate conquering the distance once again. With the heat and humidity being a double dose of danger I allowed myself to stop for Gatorade at the 2.70 and 5.0 mile marks. While stopped I also stretched and toweled off a bit hoping to help cool the body.

Realistically, I should approach all my long run days with allowances for stopping and stretching as well as the needed cold drink. I'm too old to prove my masculinity by dropping over in the heat.

Location: Chesapeake, Va.

4.0 mi -- 11:56/mi avg pace -- 450 cal

Today's splits ---
12:02
11:48
12:05
11:47

The remnants of last night's heavy rains still clung to the air as I started running at 0600 today. As a result I was damp to the bone before I had completed the first mile. I can't complain about the temperature though as it was only 64F when I left the hotel. Good run on a pleasant morning. The smell of honeysuckle was thick in the air and the smell of green things after a rain was enjoyable.

At 2.7 miles I was hit by a spell of nausea and dizziness so I stopped and walked a bit. I kept the pace quite a bit slower for the rest of the mile once I started running again. I had no problems with the rest of the run so it was a passing thing.

Location: Chesapeake, Va

5.08 mi in 01:05:34 for a 12:55/mi pace burning 435 calories.

Today's splits ---
12:48
12:57
12:48
13:00
12:58

Instead of waiting for the alarm I had set at 0530 my body chose to awake at 0430. This let me take advantage of the cool morning (57F) to start my run in relative comfort. Running in the total darkness was a bit unusual but once I got my stiff legs moving I fell into a nice slow pace. My target pace was 13:00/mi which is an area that puts absolutely no strain on my heart or lungs. It is the pace at which I feel like I can go forever if my legs would just stop complaining about how tired they are. With the cool temps and lower humidity this morning if felt even more so.

Lots of bunny rabbits out in the darkness of the pre-dawn. Some of them are obviously quite accustomed to human activity as I was able to get within 4-5 feet before they would hop just far enough to see that I was not going to pursue them further.

Location: Chesapeake, Va

4.01 mi in 49:42 for an avg pace of 12:24/mi burning 370 calories.

Today's splits ---
12:41
12:40
11:59
12:16

A bit warmer and more humid than yesterday's run but still very pleasant. My pace was right on the mark as McMillan's calculator claims my Easy Run pace should be in the 12:03-12:33 range. I tried to keep my arms lower and my shoulders more relaxed. This will probably be a project for the next few weeks as I try to make improvements to my running form.

No bunnies this morning. Instead I was treated to a beautiful  morning sky of layered clouds. Where the clouds were thicker the sky was colored a deep indigo, contrasted by bands of lava reds in places of thinner cloud cover. With the deep greens of the thick tree lines in the foreground the whole landscape was quite scenic.

Location: Chesapeake, Va

3.51 miles in 42:30 for an avg pace of 12:05/mi burning 327 calories.

Today's splits ---
12:15
12:18
12:20
05:37 (10:57/mi pace)

Achy run today with the calves being the loudest complainers. It felt like I was working extra hard to keep my pace in the target range. Everything eased out around 2.5 miles and I pushed the pace during the last 0.33 miles. Reached down to the mid 8 range. It's fun to flirt with those sorts of numbers but I am not ready to maintain that pace over any distance.

Three rabbits this morning and an equal number of joggers or walkers. For some reason I must have been looking skyward a great deal because I recall seeing several groups of what I guess to be geese flying overhead. Surely it's too early for migrating so they must have been local flocks moving from one pond to another.

Location: Chesapeake, Va

Absolutely 0 miles today as I spent the morning flying from Chesapeake, Va back to Lawton, Ok. I plan to spend 3-4 weeks at home before traveling again so there will be plenty of time to accumulate miles in the days ahead.

4.15 mi in 49:19 for 11:53/mi pace burning 471 cal

Today's splits ---
11:50
12:01
12:07
11:58
01:21 (09:20/mi pace)

Back at home and running with Teresa. My schedule only called for 3 miles today but Teresa was slated to do 4 so I did the extra mile. It was a pleasant temperature (74F) with cloudy skies and we got just the slightest bit of rain midway through the run. The only thing missing was a breeze.

As always, it is wonderful to be back home.

Location: Lawton, Oklahoma