How Much Discomfort Can I Tolerate?!

Weather - 72 degrees, sunny.

Another great autumn day. Rachel and I went to Homer Lake, I ran, and she hiked. I did a full loop of the forest paths, the trees were spectacular. I ate too much before running, and it felt like a basketball was dribbling inside my stomach, but I still managed 7.5 miles.

#352

Weather - 74 degrees, sunny.

It felt like summer, looked like autumn, a good combination for training, so I ran to the South Farms and looped back through MBK to the arboretum.

After the run 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 30 minute walk home.

#353

Weather - 73 degrees, sunny.

My allergies are lessening, and since it is still warm, I am able to run at close to normal speed. 

The last few days I have had good running energy, most likely caused by long, deep sleep. Today ran 10.50 miles  on the South Farms/MBK loop. After mile 5 I picked up the pace, but still was able to breathe easy. The final mile was the fastest, it felt really good.

I voted this morning.....

#354

Weather - 74 degrees, sunny.

Felt a bit of muscle soreness in my quads, so just an easy 3 miles today, then 2 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 30 minute walk home. 

#355

Weather - 58 degrees, raining.

 I felt good on my run today. I was hoping to run in the rain, and the weather cooperated. The temp was 62 when I started, but dropped to 58 with some moderate wind when I finished. I was planning to run 3 hours, and I ran the South Farms/MBK loop 12 minutes faster than last weeks 3 hour run. I have been getting good sleep, and my lungs are returning to normal, and on my run today I had to keep slowing myself down because there is no need to run 8:00 minute miles for 3 hours. I think I averaged 8:30 miles, which is 30-45 seconds faster for my long runs during the last 2 months.

I stopped to refuel at Strawberry Fields, ate a hummus sandwich, banana, and some blue juice in about 6 minutes. When I restarted my run I could feel the chill of the wind and rain and decided 12 miles was good enough, so I ran a half mile back home and called it a day.

I am having a good week of training, so my confidence is beginning to return.

#356

Weather - 42 degrees, cloudy, windy.

November weather has finally arrived. I felt a strange tightness in my chest at the beginning of my run, so I decided to take it easy and run only 3.5 miles.

After the run 3 sets of strength exercises, stretching, and 30 minute walk home.

#357

Weather - 35 degrees, cloudy, windy.

Ahhh, cold, windy weather with gray skies -  a perfect day for running with an iPod.

I have been training on feel for the past couple of months, no set plans for any day. Today I found myself heading once again to the South Farms. It has such a lonely, melancholic beauty which interacts well with a solitary runner. I did a modified loop for 8 miles.

My iPod was perceptive of the mood of the day, the shuffle chose some appropriate music for such a blustery afternoon - Les Yeux Fermes : II Happy Ending, by Terry Riley; Philip Glass' Koyaanisqatsi; Death is a Disease and Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell - that is some heavy-hearted sound.

I have ended up with weekly mileage in the low 50's recently, and I am taking it easy, so I must still have some good fitness left over from the summer.

This morning I went photographing at the railyard, and while tramping around with my tripod and camera equipment discovered that carrying a heavy backpack yesterday morning was the cause of my peculiar chest tightness. Today the tightness was gone, so maybe it was a muscle spasm in the pecs.

#358