Runner Dad

Not much inspiration lately, but I commited myself to a minimum of one post per week...

We've been enjoying nice, cool weather for a few weeks (with lots of rain). But there was a short heat wave over the weekend. It has abated, but you can tell that the steamy weather will be here soon. Here in New England there's a precious short time between the snow/ice/rain weather and the hot and sticky stuff.

Today's run was with overcast sky, but nevertheless the atmosphere was close and humid (and this at 7:30 in the morning). If the sun had been shining it would have been quite uncomfortable. I'm going to have to be more diligent about keeping hydrated as I start cranking up the mileage just as summer weather really gets going. I started paying attention to water fountains on my route, and found there are hardly any at all. Along the south bank of the Charles I see a lot of scars where fountains have been removed (for shame, Boston!).

This week I'm trying something different. Yesterday I ran 7.1 miles, which previously counted as a long run. My custom has been to take a few days off after a long run, so I would do that run on Friday. But pretty soon my training schedule will ramp up, and before I know it I'll be doing 7 and 8 mile runs several times a week (and a 12 or 15 mile long run at the end of the week). So I thought it would be good to follow yesterday's long run with a short 3-miler, instead of a day off. So far, so good.

Add this to the benefits of regular exercise: auto parts! For months, we've been driving the van around with 3 hubcaps. We had the fourth hubcap, but it was missing the wire retaining ring (if that's the right term) that would hold it in place. I've been meaning to stop by a junkyard and look for a replacement ring (don't want to pay $30 for a whole new hubcap). During yesterday's run, something on the side of the road caught my eye. I knew in an instant what it was. The question was whether to stop and pick it up on the off chance it was the right size. Well, I did, and it was!

Good run today. Got into the office early enough to do a longer run, so I did my 7.1 mile route (Charles River to the BU Bridge). When I crunched the numbers, it turned out to be 7.5 minute miles! This is very encouraging. It seems my rest week has served me well. The news shoes probably had something to do with it. Not to mention nice weather-- brisk temps in the mid 40's, and bright sunshine.

I've been a little discouraged about my diet. There's been a post-party glut of snacky foods in the house, and I have done a poor job resisting them. I May have put on a pound or two as a result.

I've been thinking of writing a post about eating against one's better judgement--how one can see very clearly that something is not in one's best interest and chose it anyway. This is one definition of sin. Whoah--- sin! That is such a loaded word that I've been reluctant to bring it up. It need to be discussed very delicately. I don't want to sound moralistic, or turn off any secular readers. I'd rather approach it from the perspective of what it says about the human condition-- that we often stray off the path we've set for ourselves.

Anyhow, today was a good day, hopefully the kickoff to a good week.

I was going to post on Wednesday saying how great it was that the rain was over (we had a solid week of it). They predicted showers today, which did not seem like a big deal. however, by the time I hit the street it was steady moderate rain. Before I was done it was steady heavy stuff.

So what? I really don't mind running in the rain, as long as it is not too cold. It was actually fairly pleasant. The worst part was avoiding the puddles and the muddy spots. I saw a fair number of other runners who were not deterred by the weather either.

I did a little over 4 miles, for a weekly total of about 16 or 17. I need to check my calender to see when my official training begins. Some point in the next month, but I don't know for sure the date.

Ok, I took my week off, and now its time to get back with the running. I really did miss it. This is encouraging to me, since it shows how much running has become part of my everyday life (I've been running less than three years (not counting the phases earlier in my life)).

We've gotten soaked with rain for the last week, really soaked. But I ran anyway. Both Monday and today I had to wade through a few ankle-deep puddles along my running path. It wasn't miserable; it sort of made it feel like an adventure.

My first run after the time off was actually on Friday. I dropped the car off for service, then ran home, circa 3 miles. It's nice to use running to fulfill an actual transportation need.

No post in a while, I know. Things have been pretty busy in the family (no trouble, just busy). Over the last few weeks I've been feeling a bit of strain all around. Sometimes its my Achilles tendons, sometimes my knees, even my shins. Still nothing painful, but what is best described as "creakiness".

I think part of the reason is that my shoes were shot. I got a new pair and I think that will help a lot. But I also decided that, discretion being the better part of valour and all that, I should take a week off. Better to do it now than be forced to do it later when I'm in the middle of my serious training. So I plan on not running until the weekend.