The Long Run

1.62@10:21

After missing a few days, tried a short run.  Ran around the 1.25 mile loop and added a little extra on.  Was coughing a bit still but the running seemed to help a little bit.

2.26@10:19

A little bit farther and just slightly faster than yesterday.  Still coughing quite a bit.  Ran the 2.25 mile loop inside Westlake Village.

No running today.

2.26@9:49

Did a short loop near my house.  A little bit faster than last run but about the same distance.

Still coughing.

3.12@8:51

Saturday run but not a long one.  One loop inside Westlake Village, feeling a bit better and grateful to have a run back in the 8's finally.

4.16@9:22

Short, easyish run but longer than Saturday.  Feeling better now, almost back to normal.  Ran from my house to the Starkey Gap trail and then north for a little bit before turning around to go back home.

6.26@9:14

A little farther and faster than yesterday and first distance of 10k for the month. It was the old t-shaped route but with added in pieces of the Starkey Gap Trail.  So, from my house, cross Trinity Blvd to RTJ, to Heritage Springs gate then all the way to Trinity Blvd intersection, then back towards Starkey Gap and south to the Pinellas county line, then north to cross Trinity Blvd at the trail crossing, then back to Foxwood via the ditch and Brick Oven parking lot.  Sounds more complicated than it actgually is.

5.27@8:36

Ran in Westlake Village, doing two different shaped loops.  Am I back?  8:36 pace felt pretty good. It was 9:25 for the first mile, 8:05 for the last mile, but not each mile was faster than the last, so not quite a progression.

5.03@8:33

Up and down the street (Lakeview Drive mostly) in Westlake Village.  Slightly faster than yesterday but not quite as far, but kind of the same distance and pace for the most part.

5.05@8:59

Ouch!

Round two of recent running setbacks.

Ran from Westlake Village, over to the Pinellas Trail and north for a little bit and then turned around.  Just after reaching Omaha Ave got a sharp stabbing pain in my right knee.  I guess I've been having a few warning twinges.  It wasn't too bad once I slowed down and took it easy and was almost at the last mile.  Was running in the 8:30's, then was just under 9:00 finishing up mile 4, and mile 5 was 9:07.

Ok, just need to take it easy for a bit and maybe do some knee area strengthening work.

8.12@9:47

Was hoping for 10 to 12 mile range, thought that knee wouldn't be worse.

Almost scrubbed the run about half mile into it.  But, stopped, stretched walked a little and decided to at least run a mile out and then turn around.

So, made it to the mile, turned back and by the time I was near the house was feeling a bit better so figured I'd do some loops in Wesetlake so I'd be close to home if it got bed.

It didn't get bad, get a little bit better.  Overall pace was slower than recently, but 9:47 not so bad considering first mile was 11:58 and almost scrubbed then run.

No run today.

Decided why not give it a rest.  Was in Hilton Head at in-laws new vacation house, did some walking and a lot of relaxing on the beach.

Another day off from running.

Had an early morning flight from Hilton Head back to Tampa.   Will try a run tomorrow.

3.38@9:55

One bigger loop and one very small loop inside Westlake Village.  Slowish 11:49 first mile as I warmed out and worked out some knee stiffness.  About 9:00 pace for last mile.

6.08@10:10

I stayed in Trinity last night so I drove over to Longleaf for a fairly early start (for me) at 6:40.  The Thursday strider group was mostly finished with a few people still hanging out, said hi to some people I hadn't seen in quite a while.

Started my run and a little ways in saw Tom coming back from his run.  Ran out to the lake in Starkey Ranch and used the water fountains.  Started to head back and ran into Jenny.  Ended up running back to Longleaf.  I had been struggling a little bit with my pace and was probably favoring left leg too much but seemed to get that straightened out on the return trip.

6.24@9:28

Two different sized loops inside Westlake Village.  Knee still bothering me but it gets better about half mile or so into the run.  The little rolling hills in the neighborhood (especially the uphills) seem to help.

5.12@9:49

3.16@9:36

Pieced together 8 miles from two runs.  First run was what I could fit in between when I woke up and the time at which Jessica needed to leave to make it to Saturday morning body combat class at the Y.  5 seemed pretty low for a Saturday so got in three more (hot) miles after she got back.

Loops inside Westlake Village

4.43@9:58

One bigger loop inside Westlake Village followed by some up and down Lakeview.

Trying to make it to 100 miles for the month but it is going to be tight with overnight trip to Atlanta followed by 4 days in Puerto Rico while trying not to overstress my knee.

8.16@9:38

This run felt pretty good, got in a decent amount of miles for a weekday.  Ran from WLV, over to the Pinellas Trail via Delaware and then north to just past the old train tunnel and then back home.

6.25@9:17

Ran from my house, across Trinity Blvd and then southbound on the Starkey Gap Trail, not quite reaching Tarpon Ave.

1.35@11:20

Knee acting up a notch.  Short and slower treadmill run in Marietta, GA.  Up kind of late with traveling and then unwinding.  Meeting with customer and then head back to the airport.  At the airport I decided to walk to airside "E" only to find flight had been changed back to "A".  It was about a mile from security to "E".  I took the train to "A".

No running today.  Travel to Puerto Rico with Jessica, Charlotte-Dani, Andy, Jacob, Sophia, and Aubrey.  Made it to the airport on time, check.  Made it out of San Juan airport after filling out covid forms, check.  Two ubers to the hotel (with the second one turning out to be big enough to have fit all of us), check.  And finally check into the hotel.

Another day off from running.  Tour by van of various sites inside San Juan and out to the Rio Grande area and the rain forest.  Unfotunately, rain forest was too rainy so no swimming in the river and couldn't walk very far on the trail before heading back.

2.71@11:18

Finally, at least a short run.  Ran on  Isla Verde beach not far from the hotel.  Ran about as far as I could before I'd have to wade through water to get to the next section.  Run felt pretty good.

Last full day here, early flight back tomorrow morning.  Trip was a success with lots of time together, some sightseeing, restaurants with local dishes, beach time, cocunut leaf hats, fresh cocunut milk from a cocunut, and a big drink from a pineapple with a Puerto Rico flag sticking out.

Travel day.  Return trip a success, but lost our cocunut leaf hats due to USDA regs.  Lost a bottle of hot sauce I forgot to put in checked bag, and one bottle of body spray also not in checked bag.  Could have been worse, everyone back ok.  Baby was good on the flight.

3.76@9:27

Well, that didn't go so well.  The knee pattern the last couple of weeks was a small amount of pain for the first half mile while warming up and then feel better and feel fine after the run.

Today was opposite day.  No problems warming up or any time during the run.  Ran one lap in Foxwood, then biked a lap, then ran another lap.

Not too long after my run, knee felt horrible.  Lots of popping and crunch, hurt to sit down, hurt to stand up, walking not much fun.  Not sure what I did to it this time.

Fortunately, this is almost three weeks in the future and it has gotten a lot better.  I'm basically where I was before today.  Slowly getting better but I'm going to take some rest days, start back walking, then run/walk and then go from there.

Talking to my brother, who's had two knee surgeries.  He's since learned to give his knees time to "calm down" and has so far prevented a third knee surgery.