Winning Back What I Lost

Clearwater, Sand Key, FL:  A couple of easy runs before and after training. Great view of both the sunrise and sunset as I nearly the whole length of Sand Key just to the east of Clearwater.  White sandy beaches that were some of the cleanest that I've ever seen.  Beaches looked like a well-groomed ski run.  Temp in 80's w/ a slight breeze that I had at my back on the way home.  Nice.

Clearwater Beach, FL: Very tired today.  Weird chirping noise from the AC in my hotel room.  Took a nap after training today.  Woke up and ran from my hotel to the waterfront mansions of Belleair Beach (straight out of Scarface) and back. Easy pace.  Obviously, the humidity here is something to contend with.  I'm literally drenched by the time I get back to my hotel.  The lowlight of my run was a little 'hole-in-the-wall' restaurant w/ an outdoor bandstand.  Heard a few sec's of a horrible rendition of Pearl Jam's "Daughter" that actually made me embarrassed for the guy singing.  He seemed to be impressed with his performance  though.  Good for him. 

Clearwater Beach, FL:  Got out of training earlier today and went for a run in the middle of the afternoon- big mistake.  Temp was near 90 and the humidity made it feel like I was running underwater.  Found some neat trails to run on at Sand Key Park though.  Today was supposed to include some speed training but the heat, humidity, and the climb up a 100 ft high bridge separating Clearwater Beach from Sand Key killed that.  Ended up with a couple of faster miles and 4+ easy miles.  Jumped into the pool and jacuzzi as soon as I got back. 

Wanted to run outside but it was raining this afternoon.  6+ miles on the TM.  Started slow and ended at around 8:00/mi pace. 

630AM: Easy, slow run. Three days off.  Friday was a travel day and I didn't get to my weekly long run on Saturday because life got in the way.  Much cooler than Florida, but its nice to be home. Sun came up during the last half of my run.  Nice to not have to finish my morning run in the dark. 

6:15AM: Tuesdays with Court.  Met up near the Cloverdale overpass.  I had promised to meet him on the north side of the bridge but he beat me to the other side.  I'm gonna have to get up a little earlier next week.  It's just over 2 miles from my house which means I'd probably have to get up 15 mins earlier to be safe.  Sleep is precious, especially when I don't usually hit the pillow until around midgnight. Easy run.

630AM:  Easy run on a cold and rainy Wednesday.  I was supposed to do a tempo run but I just couldn't get into it.  I don't mind the cold, but the rain just saps every bit of my energy. 

730PM: Easy, slow run.  Had the day off so I took advantage of the opp/y to catch up on some sleep.  Put the kids on the bus and went back to bed until my eyeballs fell out.  I needed it.  Still, I felt pretty sluggish.  Don't know if its the weather or the fact that I'm wearing twice the amount of clothing because of the weather.  Anyway, I was able to crank out some miles and remain consistent if not fast. 

6PM:  Long, slow run in between college football games. Perfect temp for running, low 40's, and no wind.  Scary moment when I rolled my ankle on a stray pine cone that was on the sidewalk.  It ended up not being too serious and I'm actually encouraged that this means my ankle is getting stronger.  Now if I could just get rid of the plantar fascitis in my heel.

630AM: A little bit warmer this morning.  Didn't even need a hat.  Easy, slow and even pace. Unlike the past week, I felt like I could step it up a bit but I resisted the urge.  I hope that same spring in my legs is still there on Wednesday for my planned tempo run. Big day today, got a meeting this morning in one of my more contentious cases and a job interview in the afternoon. 

615AM: Another Tuesday.  Met Court on the Cloverdale I-84 Overpass.  It was so windy that being blown off the bridge onto I-84 seemed like a very real possibility.  Ran with Court for a couple of miles until a light rain which had started toward the middle of the run threatened to turn into a downpour.  The route home was straight into the wind and rain.  Rain let up as soon as I got home and it looks like it will be a nice fall day. Figures.

645AM:  Late start this morning.  No rain, which was good.  As I feared, my legs weren't into running a quick tempo run.  Maybe I'll try again tomorrow? 

625AM: Short easy run. Had to cut it shorter than usual because I needed to get to work earlier.  Today is also my 15th anniversary.  Hard to believe my wife hasn't come to her senses by now. 

630AM: Easy pace. Weather is starting to turn colder, you can feel it in the air. I'm hoping it doesn't turn to bad. Big BSU home game tonight in Bronco Stadium. Need to locate the ski pants. They're calling for a 70% chance of snow by the second half. Planning on a long run tomorrow morning. Could be interesting. 

630AM: Another easy run. I really didn't think I would get this run in. I had some sort of intestinal flu over the weekend and I was throwing up yesterday.  Finished the run with no problems but I kept it even slower than usual. That was probably a good thing w/ all of the snow and ice on the sidewalks. 

615AM: Rought night last night.  Woke up when hail started pelting my window.  Around 430am the power went out. That always wakes me up because I sleep w/ a fan in my room.  Not for the cooling but for the background noise.  When the fan stops spinning I stop sleeping.  The power came back on immediately but I never went back to sleep. 

Met up w/ Court on Cloverdale.  He keeps beating me over the bridge.  I actually got up earlier but I guess I was really dragging my feet getting ready to run in the snow that had fallen overnight. We got a couple of very wet and heavy inches of snow.  The kind that sticks to your shoe and weighs you down.  The temp was actually pretty nice which left me a little overdressed. At least I had the sense to wear a pair of wool socks over my running socks. This kept my feet mostly dry and warm until towards the end of the run.  Very slow pace, even slower than usual. 

1230PM: Went to bed early last night and got the best night's sleep in ages. Alarm went off at 6am and I checked the temp which read single digits. Decided that today was a good day for a midday run.  I felt pretty good but it was a difficult run. A lot of ice on the sidewalks and rodeways which made it hard to pick a path or get into a rhythm.  I finished without falling down but there was plenty of slipping.  Weather is supposed to very cold until the weekend which will hopefully melt and then dry out the roads.

730PM: Still lots of ice out there.  Managed to avoid slipping and falling until I reached my driveway at the end of the run.  Heading for Reno tomorrow to see BSU v. Nevada.

Reno, NV: Squeezed in a decent treadmill run at the hotel in between the buffets and the indigestion over BSU's heartbreaking loss to Nevada late last night. 

615AM: Very cold. So cold my boogers froze to my face. I felt surprisingly light on my feet. I've been eating a ton since Thursday.  The best part of Thanksgiving is definitely the leftovers.  Shooting for 40-45 miles this week as I gradually increase my monthly mileage to where I'm doing 200 miles per month in 2011. 

6AM: Quick run because I had to be at work early today.  Not as cold. Slow pace. Big storm coming today and tomorrow.