communing with nature

After a long hiatus from the trails, I was able to get out on them today for about a 7 mile run. I chose the one trail at the park that I normally avoid (probably because of the stairs) and ran it. I forgot how much I liked this trail. It winds along the banks of Fall Creek and is mainly flat until it reaches a series of stairs. I took them with ease and climbed up, up, up and then circled back down the other side of the trail only to do another lap. Second time was just as nice, stairs not a problem. My GPS couldn't synch so I never knew my distance for sure, but I went by time. I am not 100% sure of my pace either, but I at least ran a 10:00/mile pace. I finished and felt great - not worn out like I have been on previous runs.

Yesterday I took the time to clear some limbs from our weeping willow and got a swing hung up for Lilli. She got up from her nap and tried it out right away. Over a half hour later she was still in there swinging away, until it was snack time. It was still tough to get her out of the swing -- she loves the outdoors as much as I do, but we got her out. Hopefully we can go out for a bike ride today or just do some more swinging - anything to be outside...

renewal

Perhaps my last entry was too negative. After all, running tends to have it's rough patches. This morning reminded me my running can be reaffirming. I started out at 5am, in the dark, heat and humidity. I didn't run at all this weekend, so I planned for a 7 mile run this morning (I know that's not really much of a long run to some), so I headed out at a comfortable pace. I felt pretty good actually, not tired or run down. I get 3 miles into my run and I see some lighting, hear some thunder, then it began a soft rain. It felt great, but seeing some more lightning kept me focused. I decided to head back home and see if it would pass. The rain kept me cool and just felt so good. I love the smell of a summer rain - it is so fresh. As I rounded the corner into my neighborhood, I could see the sun coming up behind all the clouds - a new day beginning... Just me and my thoughts... pretty cool. As I approached home, the thunder and lighting as well as the rain had passed, but I chose to end the run at 5 miles. I felt good, still could have gone a few more miles easily, but want to focus on running more consistently throughout the week.

ho hum

This blog is supposed to be about me and my running. I do not have much to tell unfortunately. I did run on Monday morning - a relatively fast 5k in the neighborhood and also this morning - normal 5 mile route and pace... a bit boring. Very uninspiring.

Some weekends I struggle to get a run in and there have been a few recently where I didn't run at all - I just didn't care.

What is going on? I wish I had an answer.

Time seems to be a commodity that I have little of these days. I try to get stuff done and still don't have time. I actually played hooky from work on Monday to mow the lawn, do some laundry and shampoo the carpets - I really know how to have fun on my day off! But this didn't get done on the weekend, and needed to be done.

So, feeling somewhat caught up, I can relax just a bit. But there is a huge list of things to do and it looks like we'll be taking a stay-cation this year and working around the house... oh the times they are a-changing...

realizing some savings

It's an odd title perhaps, but that sums up what the last couple of days has been about... First, let's rewind to the beginning of the week though to recap some actual running.

I was able to get out for a very brief 2 mile run on Monday after work. It was spur of the moment, but I left a little early, picked up Lilli from school and asked her if she wanted to go for a run. She replied "Yep!" So I got the jog stroller out we went. She l-o-v-e-s her jog stroller (or at least going fast). The run got shortened a bit because of dark clouds moving in fast, but any run is always a good run.

Tuesday I couldn't get out of bed to go for a run in time, so it had to wait until Wednesday. Got started a little late, but wanted 5 miles so had to make it quick. Long story short, natured called half way into my run and I was thankful I wasn't doing and out and back - only a mile away from home. whew!

Thursday was another "Lilli Day", so tried again for at least 3 miles. This time had to cut it short because someone was fussy... so we settled on 2.5 miles. I think she was hungry, at least when we got home she ate pretty well. So not an awful week of running, but I was hoping for a little better mid-week runs. I really need to get a training plan together soon!

Now, back to the last couple of days: Steph and I took Friday off because she had an endoscopy scheduled for the morning and she was sedated for the procedure and couldn't drive all day, sign important papers (these are the words on the form) or anything like that. So it seemed like a good time to take off and maybe relax a little. On the way back, we were driving in the neighborhood and notice a few garage sales, so we stopped on a whim. The first one had a "double wide" jog stroller, so clothes, toys and books. We looked at the job stroller a little while and weren't sure about it. It would be handy in the future if we have another kid, but it wasn't totally necessary to get. It was $20 and looked brand new. I offered $15 and she accepted. Score! Filled the tires up with air and took it for a stroller around the block later that evening. I think Lilli likes it more than her single-seater... it rides like a Cadillac.

Today was our neighborhood sale (which was why there were a few early ones). We looked around, found a couple of items, but nothing we were necessarily looking for. The one thing we wanted was a bike trailer for Lilli so we could all go out for a ride. The ones we had looked at at the stores were $100 - $120, so it wasn't going to happen any time soon unless we could find a used one. We decided to try another neighborhood that was also having a sale. The first place we drove past had one sitting in the driveway. I almost jumped out of the car to check it out. It looked practically new, had everything with it. I of course counter-offered, but they stuck with their price of $40 (still a great deal), so I said I'd take it.

This evening, the three of us took it out for a spin in the neighborhood and had a great time. I am not sure if Lilli liked it more than the jog stroller or not, but I think it's a winner. I think I could even enjoy bike riding again...

the calm after the storm

After a wild Saturday night of thunder, lightning and plenty of hail, Sunday was a calm, beautiful day without a cloud in the sky. It started off a little slow, but I made it out to the park for some trail running, which I was sure would be plenty muddy.

I wasn’t disappointed. I couldn’t even get to the main trail without going through standing water and mud, so it set the tone for the run. I decided to keep it somewhat easy and enjoy the surroundings. Much like my yard, there were plenty of downed leaves everywhere, but there were also more wash-outs than before, making for some treacherous running. I made my way up and around the trail loop, then dropped down, crossed the road and went up another hill to another trail. I got to the top and through the woods and began to circle around the mounds that were in the clearing. I decided to extend my run up here by running cross country style along the line of the woods where a path had been mowed. It proved to not be my best ideas – I managed to find a hidden hole and wrenched my right ankle a bit. I kept running and assessed my ankle and it seemed okay. I made it to the road (level ground) and ran a little while on it to see how my ankle was feeling. The initial pain subsided and disappeared, so I jumped back onto the trail and back down the trail. I finished my loop and then kept going along the banks of Fall Creek, then up the sledding hill and back down. I headed back to my car and then stretched and cleaned up.

 

It was a short run (5 miles) but I packed a lot of terrain in and got quite a workout. I finished feeling worn out – but in a good way. Like I finally accomplished something good. It wasn’t until later in the day that my ankle started throbbing… not terribly painful, but sore. This morning it seems better, slightly sore, but nothing to worry about.

 

I’ll try for a few easier road runs this week – hopefully after work today – and see how it goes. I am also going to try to put together a training schedule for the fall and it may be a full marathon training plan (even if I only run the half). Stay tuned for more on this…

 

Until then, happy running…