Wednesday, August 1, 2018

WWU - Back to Running

When you are a runner, I think it's safe to say you can take a week off and jump right back into it.  Two weeks off?  It's going to be a little harder, but it won't take long before you're back to where you were, stamina-wise.  But more than three weeks off?  It's almost like starting over.  Combine that with the hot July temps and, well, it's a little rough. 

Luckily for me, Diane had the same amount of time off from running, so we were in the same boat.  I had one run with Jeff before she got home from her vacation, and that run told me I needed to dial back my intervals, so when Diane and I ran together, we did 1:1 intervals and managed to do 2 miles in hot, humid, and generally "WHY do we live in Texas" conditions (that sentiment always brought on upon returning from a cooler state in the summer).  In the spirit of trying to make running more fun, I've been looking for different distractions, and that morning we noticed that the sunrise was a beautiful, vibrant pink, so we kept making turns in order to keep running toward it.  It was fun and we went down some streets we don't normally go on, which made the run more interesting as well.

On Saturday we decided to go for 3 miles - yes I know, be impressed at that lofty goal!  But neither of us wanted to kill ourselves, so 3 miles it was.  The moon was full and we got to run toward it for the first mile, which was neat.  We also ran on the side of the road that we don't normally run on, because the sidewalk is not as wide and there are a lot more driveways to contend with, but at our usual crossing point, the landscape sprinklers were on for quite a way and we didn't want to get soaked.  The run went surprisingly well, which I wasn't expecting, but I think easing our way back with the 1:1 intervals was the reason.  Heck, I may just continue to do that until it gets cooler!

When I went out for our run yesterday morning, I noticed that our driveway looked completely dry, which was surprising because a really strong thunder and lightening storm blew in around midnight.  It woke up all of us and Paco ended up taking shelter in our bed, poor little puppy.  I could see on the radar (what, doesn't everybody check their weather app when it storms in the middle of the night?) that the storm would pass shortly and then we should be good to run in the morning, but when I saw the dry driveway, I wondered if it had somehow stormed without actually raining?  I guess it did rain because we found a few puddles in the road as we ran, but it was odd how dry (and yet how horribly humid) it was.

I'm enjoying getting back into running, getting to catch up with my friend, and finding new things to notice about each run.  After nearly nine years of running, I'm needing to make some changes, and all of this is helping me to do that.

13 comments:

  1. I think you have a good running strategy with the intervals like they are until the weather cools off some or the humidity drops at the very least. Its in the high 70's here in the mornings right now with stupid high humidity readings. I for one can't wait till the temperatures cool off some.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you are doing great with easing back into running....and I also think it’s a great plan to continue that way through the hot hot days!!! It’s running and it’s not ‘killing yourself’!!!

    One of those weird rains where the neighbors got dumped on but you stayed dry maybe..odd but it does happen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL on your definition of running - I totally agree. :)

      Delete
  3. Ironically, we have had quite a bit of your TX style humidity here this year - way more than usual - and I've been varying my workouts quite a bit. This is probably the least I've run in a summer season as I've mixed it up with strength training and some good old fashioned walking on really heavy days. I suppose the trick is to just keep moving and wait for the drier air!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's great that you mixed things up this summer; I'm learning to relax a bit on "having" to run, especially when the heat index is super high at 6:00 am.

      Delete
  4. Nine years of running?!! I can still remember when you were doing those hard workouts with the box jumps and the big tires! That humidity!!! Its just terrible. I am not liking out never-ending hot weather here, but at least there's no humidity with it. Still, the heat does not encourage vigorous exercise!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh man, Sam has a box jumping box in his garage and seeing it gave me flashbacks! I can't believe I finally was able to do box jumps...and I'm glad I don't have to do them anymore.

      You are exactly right, even without humidity, hot weather makes one want to lie in a cool room with an iced tea and a good book. Not go workout, no siree!

      Delete
  5. Glad to see that you're back at it. Humidity sucks the life right out of me. Run/walking is the way to go. It's better than staying inside. You are so lucky to have company too. That helps the motivation big time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, having someone to run with keeps me going!

      Delete
  6. So weird about the driveway! Yes, I do check the weather app in the middle of the night too! Hah! Your nighttime run sounds great - I’ve been doing later evening runs to avoid the crazy heat!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never checked the weather as much as I do now, before I started running.

      Delete
  7. I LOVE LOVE LOVE running toward the sunrise. It's such a treat. I hope you continue to find more things like that to enjoy in your runs!!!

    ReplyDelete

Comments are now moderated to prevent spammers from leaving, well, spam - but rest assured that as soon as I read a real comment, I will publish it. So please, comment away, even though the blog is officially closed. Thanks!