I felt great on Saturday and had the house to myself for a few hours. It was beautiful out so I grabbed my running shoes and shock absorber socks (along with britches and a shirt) and went for a run. My previous long run was just over 3 miles but I knocked out the 4- and 5-mile walls with a 5.2 mile jog through the neighborhood.
The run went so well I even felt pretty good afterward, enough so that I went for a short bike ride and then later that night took the pup for a walk. Was tired yesterday and could tell I had been running, but looked forward to another week of wearing out my running shoes.
This morning wasn't quite as nice as Saturday, or even yesterday. Storm rolled through last night and brought cold temps and wetness. This morning's run took place in 37 degree, wet, windy weather. It didn't take long to realize today wasn't going to be as much fun, though I did learn a few things. First, my shoes aren't made for the colder temperatures. They're adidas running shoes and they're made out of the same stuff as some of my golf shirts. Not sure what it is, but the shoes breathe to let the nasty, sweaty foot stank out and keep my tender little toe toes cool. That's great when it's hot out, but not so much when it's 37 and wet. I could feel the wind blowing through my shoes and after the first puddle, my big toe started to get numb quick. I made a mental note to either get another pair of shoes or avoid puddles like the plague.
The second learning experience consisted of learning something new and confirming something I was pretty sure I knew. Running into the wind isn't as much as running with the wind. It's obvious, but for some of you who might not be playing with a full deck, I thought I'd mention it again. I'm not sure how long I've been working toward running a mini, but I'm picking up on things that I hadn't before. After riding my bike all summer, I was able to tell which way the wind was blowing by looking at the lakes I'd pass (It may seem silly not to be able to know which way the wind is blowing, but when you're wearing a helmet and pedaling along at 15-20 MPH, you sometimes can't tell, especially in the midwest where it might be blowing in several directions at once). Anyway, I'm not much of a spitter, but I've found I do spit a few times during each run. When I'm running with the wind, my spit travels a good deal in front of me. When I'm running against the wind, I end up wearing my spit. Again, it seems obvious, but your mind wanders when you're out there picking them up and putting them down. I decided that spitting to the side took the guesswork out of the equation.
Between the cold, the wet, the wind, and being a Monday morning, I wasn't out for some marathon of a run. Just a bit more than I've been doing to help push my endurance a bit. I set my goal for three miles. That was out and back once, then back out again half way and back again. I really wanted to stop after a couple miles, but I kept telling myself, "You're a fat bastard...you're a fat bastard...you're a fat bastard" and I kept going.
I was out for just shy of 3.25 miles and just over 30 minutes. I went with the phone app that seems to be the most accurate (though it's a bit shy on the calorie counting), and also because it's got a split time thingy showing time and speed for each mile. My first mile was in 9:51 and a barely upright 6.09 MPH. I expected it to suck because it was into the wind most of the way and I was still trying to wake up. The second mile was downwind, though you can't really tell as it was in 9:46 at 6.15 MPH. I got a bit of a second wind after that second wind and several times had to slow myself down. That third mile was 9:34 and 6.27 and consisted of both into the wind and with the wind. A couple times I actually found myself running instead of jogging. I noticed as I get closer to home and my running is almost done that my legs start running a bit faster than I want them to.
Despite the cold, I was sweating something fierce. I peeled off the layers of clothing and ordered them upstairs to the hamper. After a shower and a shave, I hopped on the scale. Last Monday was a disappointing 187.2 on my way to Friday's 184.8. Today was a mostly good 184.8.
There's Monday Night Football tonight, but it'll suck so I'll keep it to one beer. Also, to make sure I drink a lot of water during the day, I picked up a way fancy 28-ounce water bottle with the impressive 'freezer stick' in it to keep my agua cold. (Thought I'd throw in some Spanglish to impress my Latino contingent)
My goal is still to see 179.X or better by Thanksgiving morning. I'm going to have to move that up a day early because some of us are planning on going to Bar Louie the night before Thansgiving and that'll add a couple pounds probably. To drop 5 pounds in 9 days is likely going to mean I have to cut out the beer this weekend. That'll suck because I've still got some quality brew at home.
Regardless, I'm getting there slowly but surely.
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