Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:42
Pace: 9:39 min/mi

Comments: I was able to squeeze in a Thanksgiving morning run before the rains arrive. I've been really inconsistent with my running so I'm hoping to take advantage of breaks in the rain forecast over the next few days to get back on track.

This was pretty much as I expected. Kinda slow and sloppy. Soreness in my legs at different stages. The constant breeze was not appreciated but not nearly as bad as it could have been. A good run overall though.

Conditions
Hour: 6:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 65 degrees
Humidity: 90 percent
Wind:10 mph
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: Right shin sore toward the start.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:32
Pace: 9:22 min/mi

Comments: Got busy yesterday morning so skipped the run. But that's OK since three runs the first week back is a pretty good target. I'll aim for four this week.

This run went really well. Sloppy and my conditioning still blows, but overall a nice run. This mid-50s/overcast conditions are pretty much my perfect running weather as well. Started fine. Had a few moments that weren't too fun but held on and hit a nice stride for the last mile-and-a-half.

Conditions
Hour: 8:10 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: overcast
Temperature: 56 degrees
Humidity: 76 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: nada

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:04
Pace: 9:31

Comments: Chilly this morning but not so much that it nipped back. The walk to where I start my runs was a bit uncomfortable but I warmed up fast enough once I got started.

My legs felt a little bit better today but there was still some soreness. I felt I actually had spurts where I was actually running but I've got a long way to go before I'm doing that for the whole workout.

My GPS screwed up at the end of the run so I really have no idea how fast I did this one. Not that it really matters at this point. EDIT: Got the numbers manually.

Conditions
Hour: 6:15 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 43 degrees
Humidity: 86 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: Left hip and right heel a little sore at the start.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:28
Pace: 9:51 min/mi

Comments: It took a bit of determination to get going this morning. Finally got started at the last possible window. That's good but not promising. I've got to get better motivated.

I knew this would be an unpleasant effort and it was. I was achy at the start and sloppy the whole way. The cool temperatures kind of counters that pesky impulse to cut things short though. I finished a bit quicker than the run on Sunday so that counts as progress.

Conditions
Hour: 6:30 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 53 degrees
Humidity: 98 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: nada

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 20:52
Pace: 10:13 min/mi

Comments: After a very strong summer I stopped running altogether in mid-September. Lotta reasons but none of them really good enough to justify the six-plus weeks off. So I finally shamed myself out the door this morning and it was about as bad as I had thought it would be.

I was slow, sloppy and not an iota of my conditioning remains.

The worst thing about this layoff is I've missed some of the absolute best running weather of the year. But things are still very nice and I was able to have pretty good temperatures even though I didn't run till 11 p.m. Well, time to take advantage of what's left.

Conditions
Hour: 11:00 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 65 degrees
Humidity: 41 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: nada

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:15
Pace: 8:48 min/mi

Comments: Damn strong run. And that was despite pretty brutal heat and humidity. I know I should only be focusing on completing the distance and ignoring the pace but it felt good to finally go out and get that sub-9 min/mi run in.

I knew getting started that hitting that mark was possible so, instead of trying to push the pace, I really worked on concentrating on the run itself. Keeping idle thoughts at a minimum and being hyper aware of my form, my stride and my breathing.

As a result, every mile was under the 9 min/mi mark (although the first mile made it by just two seconds) and the last mile was 20 seconds faster than the first. Since I'd like to get a bit longer run in tomorrow, I'm going to have to throw speed completely out the window for that one.

Conditions
Hour: 6:20 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 77 degrees
Humidity: 82 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: right heel was sore at one point.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 36:16
Pace: 9:04 min/mi

Comments: Ugh. Back to the sweltering hell runs. After a week of almost crisp mornings, the heat and humidity have returned in full force. After feeling almost human when I'm done, I'm back to the miserable sweat monster.

Still, my legs felt very strong today. I was a little worried getting started that I was going to slog this the whole way but, after about a half mile, I got warmed up and it went pretty smooth.

Very smooth, to be honest. My splits varied by just three seconds over the whole run. That's a crazy level of consistency for me.

Conditions
Hour: 6 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 75 degrees
Humidity: 85 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: nada

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 36:23
Pace: 9:05 min/mi

Comments: Strongest run I've had in awhile. The time doesn't really reflect it because I played it very conservative given this is my third day straight out there. I was pretty wary getting started due to that but warmed up well and held a pretty constant pace the whole way. As much as I'd love to have a run like this again tomorrow, I best give myself some rest before I screw something up.

Conditions
Hour: 5:50 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 67 degrees
Humidity: 75 percent
Wind: 5 mph
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: nada

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 38:38
Pace: 9:39 min/mi

Comments: I'm starting the week with some consistency, if nothing else. This was an unremarkable four miles. The biggest plus was that I didn't have to suffer through it due to the continued cooler conditions.

I knew I'd be a bit achy from Sunday's run and I was but it didn't last longer than the first mile or so. I slowed down each mile of the run until the last one which was about the same speed as the first one.

I don't know if I am going to try for a run tomorrow or take a day off. It really depends on how my legs feel for the rest of today, I think.

Conditions
Hour: 5:45 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: clear
Temperature: 68 degrees
Humidity: 69 percent
Wind: 5 mph
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: Tight everywhere getting started but warmed up. Still a bit of an issue with the right calf.

Fitness Run

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 56:29
Pace: 9:24 min/mi

Comments: While not an earth-shattering performance, this was the least uncomfortable run I've had in awhile. After the maximum-mileage week I ended up doing just one run in the last seven days. That's probably a good thing given the little aches that had surfaced but it's not doing my conditioning any favors.

A cold front finally broke the sweltering conditions, though. The temperatures were somewhat cooler but the humidity was dramatically less. And that made the effort that much more productive on this run. I kept pretty close to 9:20 pace except for the last mile when I lagged significantly. Overall, a very promising performance.

Conditions
Hour: 7 a.m.
Surface: concrete
Weather: partly cloudy
Temperature: 70 degrees
Humidity: 57 percent
Wind: calm
Location: Lewisville, Texas
Shoes: Asics Gel-Kayano 21

Injury update: Still getting the stiffness in the right calf.