The Long Run

My parents invited the boys over for a sleepover.  So, I had the rare treat of being able to run with Jenny.  We tried out a new running spot, the Upper Tampa Bay trail.  It was quite nice.  Very picturesque, lots of shade, good facilities.  We ran north up the trail until the end, since we started in the middle of the trail, the end was about 4 miles.  Eventually they will extend it to connect with the Suncoast trail which connects to the Starkey park trail.

We were at a nice even pace throughout the run.  We chatted some but mostly just enjoyed each other's company and the perfect weather.  

Average pace: 9:26 

After the run we stopped at Panera for a bagel and coffee.

Today's run actually works out really well since we will be driving all day on Saturday and part of Sunday so I'm going to basically shift my running week one day to the left. 

Yesterday turned into a very busy and tiring day - but also very fun with the afternoon spent on the water.  So, my goal for this morning was to get the job done.

My legs felt dead at first.  I usually don't get this, more typical is tightness down by my shins.  The deadness cleared up after the first mile then things went pretty smoothly.

The other odd thing today was that the last mile didn't feel great, usually this is the best mile for me but today it was maybe the 3rd or 4th best mile.

The running route was starting from the Y and through 3 different neighborhoods around there.  Temp was very pleasant in mid 60's but there was some wind here and there to do battle with.

Average pace: 8:16 

It will be sort of a tough week for running since I need to get all my miles in before Saturday including a long run since we'll be driving most of Saturday and Sunday. 

LOST AND FOUND DOG

This morning I had no idea what kind of run to expect. I was just going to do 9 and see what happened. I got moving but was slow at first. Something in my left hip was bothering me slightly, it felt like it might loosen up.

Less than a half mile from home a dog came running after me. I wasn't sure at first if it was a friendly dog or not. I told him to go away. He stopped at first, but when I started to run he ran after me. He was a cute brown mixed breed dog around 30-40 pounds, similar to my brown dogs. I then ran after him and he seemed to be leading me. We started going around the neighborhood loop with him in the lead. People were looking at me like I was a bad dog owner taking his dog out for a run with no leash. I caught up to the dog to check for an address on his dog tag. He lay down on his back while I checked. No address, just the rabies vaccination information. I thought I would go with the dog around the loop until we got back to my house so I could call the dog's vet. The dog started slowing down and I thought maybe we should go the short way back, maybe this was an older dog and he was getting tired? Finally the dog turned down a side street. I saw a man get out of his car in the driveway with an exasperated but relieved look on his face, his dog had come home now.

So, this was good for an interesting one mile warm up at an 11:30 pace. I got back to my normal route, heading down the old road towards Thousand Oaks and then into Trinity Oaks, looping through there and heading back.

The rest of my run went pretty well, I didn't go too fast and did not try to make up lost time. My hip was ok, I'll just keep an eye on it and maybe not do the planned tempo run tomorrow.

Average pace: 8:37

This morning's run didn't quite work out they way I had planned but I did get something in.   After yesterday's issue with my hip I spent some time in the hot tub last night which seemed to help.

This morning I went to the Y, did some warm up on cardio machines inside then headed outside for a run, hoping for 7 or 8 miles.   As soon as I started it didn't not feel right.  I haven't pinpointed the exact spot but it's around my hip flexor on my left side but it is not the hip flexor.  The pain is not terrible but hurts on each step even if going slow.

So, I went back inside, got on another machine for a bit, and did some weights.  Now, I felt a little bit better.  I got onto a treadmill and won't slowly.  I gradually picked up until I was at a 9 minute pace.  It felt better as I kept on going but did not completely clear up.  At this point I was running out of time so I only did 3.25 miles.    Hopefully I can shake this soon.

This morning's run was pretty good. My hip was back to Tuesday's level, maybe slightly better. I think the hot tub last night helped out, along with some advil.

I ran from the Y, initially on an out and back course which would have been 6 miles if I stuck to that. I was feeling good enough that I added a little bit on during the return trip. The weather was nice again this morning but the air is starting to change and it won't be long before the morning's are not so cool.

Average pace: 8:30 

I biked the boys to school so Jenny could get her run in before it got even warmer out. I like taking the boys to school, it's good to spend a little more time with them and it is also a good post run cool down.

Hopefully I can have another decent run tomorrow, if I'm back to normal I'll try for 12.

I did my long run one day earlier than originally planned since I'll be driving most of the day tomorrow.  Ideally I would have done 18 miles but I'm not 100%.  So, considering the circumstances 14 was pretty good.

 I woke up a little bit earlier and got moving just before 6:30.  I headed out of our neighborhood, down the old road to Trinity Blvd. and then into Trinity Oaks.  I kept on going towards the horse farm (well, they used to have horses there at least) and turned around once I got there.  I headed back the same way except I stayed on Kinsmere to Hawbuck, across Little road and then back through Thousand Oaks West, and then home.

First 3 miles were slow (did not break 9:00), gradually got faster as I warmed up and then kept the miles between 7:45 and 8:15. 

Average pace: 8:22

It felt good to get this run out of the way since the trip to Texas will require some adjusting of my usual running routines. 

Still having some hip issues on my left side, it was no worse today during the run than yesterday, but after the run I felt it a little bit more than yesterday.