Easter Sunday

Saturday I ran around the block. 46 minutes. 55 sunny and a light northeasterly breeze. A fine day for a run. No unusual pain or aches or anything. The only thing I can come up with, for the pains I experienced early last week, is my shoe was tied too tight. Sounds crazy but I can't figure a better explanation. The pain on the top of my foot caused me to change my stride which led to the other various aches and pains. Crazy but true. Saturday afternoon we went to sisters-in-law for an early Easter dinner. Good food and beverages. Had an easter egg hunt for all the kids. Was kind of hard to tell who had more fun the kids or the adults. My wife is fairly certain we now need a 4 wheeler to run around our property after she went for a ride on her sisters. I'm all for it. We need some new toys around here.
Easter Sunday while the kids were at church I went for a run around the block. 47 minutes. Another beautiful spring day 50 sunny and that light northeasterly breeze. No aches or pains. Just a good run and over 20 miles for the week. My total comes to 21.5 miles. After last Tuesday I didn't think I would do it. But 2 days off made all the difference. Now to work on the speed. My goal is to run a 10 minute mile. Then put 2 together. That's my goal. Will try to reach this by Memorial weekend. Got to have something to shoot for. Memorial Day.
That'll do it for now. Will run for beer.

Good Friday

Went around the block today. 4 miles. Sunny and 70 with a light breeze. 45 minutes. And no pain. Not in the foot, leg or knee. Painfree. Maybe I just need not to run everyday. Maybe this old man is not meant to go that often. Maybe. The kids had a half day of school so my twelve year old daughter went with me on her bicycle. She'd zip ahead and wait, all the time hollering 'Hurry up, boy you're slow'. Very funny kid. What a nice spring day. Took my shirt off after the first mile. Shorts and shoes. Summer is almost here. Didn't miss the sweating part though. The cold months one wears so much clothing you don't reaize how much perspiration you can generate. Running light. Will try to get a run in tomorrow, probably in the morning, we'll be away in the afternoon.
Don't think I'll get 20 miles in for the week but it might be close.
OK then. Will run for beer.

Tuesday 3.5 Miles

Not sure what is going on with the right leg. Strange pains and whatnot. Walked the last 1/2 mile because of ITB like pain in right knee. 45 minutes and another great summerlike spring day. Great, just great. First pain on top of foot then behind knee and then side of knee. I don't know. Trying too hard? Maybe. Shoes tired? Possibly. Old age? Probably. Took today (Wednesday) off and will try tomorrow. See what new and interesting pain might show itself. Boy, it seems like it's always something.
On a happier note the tanning is coming along glowingly. Nice and quiet and relaxing time in the tanning bed. 1 week from tomorrow morning will find us heading to the Pacific ocean by plane. Still have some planning to do for Grandma and the children but it all is coming together nicely.
OK then will run for beer.

Monday Run

Not a fast run but did 6 miles today in 75 minutes. A nice cloudy day with a slight southerly breeze. temp was 51 at start and 61 at the finish. Felt pretty good for the most part. No top o' the foot mystery pain. Shins were tight for a mile or 2 in the middle section and my right knee had a minor pain when I ran on the hard road surface. On the back of the knee and the pain dissapated when I went to the softer shoulder of road. Time for new shoes? Methinks it is so.
The snow appears to just about gone in the woods finally. Looking forward to a little trail running. Something different. A softer surface for running. Now that it is spring, we got all the bicycles out of storge today. I'll get them ready for riding tomorrow before I go to work. And I went to the tanning salon today, for the first time in my life, to work on a Hawaii base tan. 10 days from now we'll be flying west. Can't wait to get there.
Other than that nothing goin' on. Will run for beer.

Thursday Run

Went 3.5 miles today. Mostly cloudy light breeze and 55. A nice run today although I have a new pain. On top of the right foot towards the outside a bit. Maybe I tied my shoes too tight. I don't know. This is the second time this week I've noticed it. Haven't twisted or turned my ankle or stepped in any holes or landed awkwardly so I don't know where this is coming from. Only hurts when I run. Be keeping an eye on it.
Mileswise this has been a productive week. 18.25 miles. WooHoo! Next week 20 miles. That's my new goal. 20 miles. Gonna get there. No runs this weeklend as I work. And one of these days I will hit the 10 minute mile mark. That will be a tough nut to crack for me. Might 1 or 2 miles but don't have the stamina to string 3, 4, or 5 miles together. Not yet.
Alrighty then. Will run for beer.

Running with the Kid

Went for a short 2 mile run with Annie, my oldest child. She's 12 and a beautiful happy-go-lucky kid. She decided to run 6th grade track. Today was the first time I've run with her. HA! what fun. She's slower 'en me. That's saying something 'cause I'm pretty slow. I know she'll get better as time goes on but she's doing a lot of the same things I did when I started this running thing. I'll show her the ropes and offer advise if she wants it. But she needs to ask because I remember what it was like when I was a kid and my Dad told how to do everything. I'm not sure she will so I'll slip a hint into one of our conversations. I hope she sticks with it because her mother and I would like to see her become more active in her lifestyle. Unfortunately her mother and I will be in Hawaii on our vacation (belated honeymoon) when the 2 meets, 6th grade has, will happen.
Hopefully Grandma can take somes pics for us. We did the 2 miler in about 30 minutes with a beautiful sunny day and 50 degrees with a light breeze. A nice easy run for me. I think Annie enjoyed it too.
Later. Will run for beer.

Sunday Six, Tuesday Six point Eight Seven

Sunday was a nice day. Low 50's partly sunny and the wind wasn't a factor. Did the 6 mile route in 75 minutes. Nothing unusual or exciting happened. Kids at Grandma's and the wife was working. Had a nice bit of stretching and a cool soak. Life was pretty good Sunday. Didn't go Monday as I took it as a rest day. Was busy on the phone getting different car insurance. Insurance is a major rip off as far I can tell. They raise your rate when you haven't had a claim and the excuse they use 'you're due to be involved in an accident'. Due my *ss. I call it legalized extortion. The insurance industry and the oil companies both have you by the short ones. Have to have both to drive and that's what I, as an American, do. I saved a couple dollars shopping around but it is a hassle. And that's the way it is.
Tuesday ran a different route, for me. Went to the post office. 6.87 miles according to GoogleMaps. Going there wasn't too bad as it is mainly downhill. Took about 35 minutes to get to the post office. Forgot to check my watch until I collected the mail. Remember Killer hill? Haven't run on it since last summer. The steep part of the hill is just over a 1/2 mile long by the odometer in my truck and rises 120'. The mile up to it rises maybe 30'. The rest of the run is a piece o' cake. Fairly level. Nothing like that hill. Took me 55 minutes to get home. Could not run up that hill. It's just too steep for this old man. Can't do it and, most likely, won't try again. My legs are tired from walking up ( and maybe from going 6.85 miles so soon after the 6 mile run). And the weather was breezy (and felt like it was in my face going and coming) snowing and 32, just a nice spring day.
I've never run up the entire hill and, quite frankly, no longer expect to. I've learned my humble lesson. I was making a pretty mile per minute until 'The Hill' then my average went from about 11 to 13 thanks to that hill. Stretched and soaked in a cool tub and put my feet up until dinner.
That's all the whining from me today. Will run for beer.