Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:29
Pace: 9:52 min/mi

Comments: Finally got off my ass and out the door. I really could have put in a run the last two morning but, for some reason, I let the negative inertia keep me inside.

This run went pretty well, actually. It was very warm and humid but not insanely warm and humid as it has been. My first two miles were nicely in the 9:30 range but the last two I slowed significantly.

It's the time of year to get serious about the routine. The next six weeks will be brutal but, if I can stick with it, I can have a great fall.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:44
Pace: 9:55 min/mi

Comments: Surpised myself and actually got out the door this morning. Probably a bit on the late side so the rest of the day might be a bit rushed. The big plus is this wasn't as absolutely horrible an effort as I feared.

It's slightly cooler today than it has been in awhile but it isn't, by any means, pleasant yet. It was very warm and very humid and I suffered accordingly. But there wasn't the urge to walk it in or that truly awful slog sensation on the worst days so... yay?

Anyhow, kept it under 10 min/mi pace. Splits were all over the place. Let's take another stab at consistency.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 40:12
Pace: 10:02 min/mi

Comments: After a rare occasion that my asshole neighbors decide not to have an all-night party in the parking lot I actually got a decent amount of sleep and woke early enough to get the run in.

This wasn't fancy nor intended to be. It's hot and humid but at least the sun isn't beating down. I just wanted to get the four miles and accomplished that.

In fairness, the 10 min/mi pace is probably pretty good giving the conditions and my lack of training but the key thing was the distance.

Fitness Run

Distance: 2.56 miles
Time: 25:07
Pace: 9:48 min/mi

Comments: Well, I haven't run in more than a week, I ate terribly yesterday, got no sleep and was pissed as you could possibly imagine. So it's no real surprise this run completely sucked.

And let's not forget that it's scorchingly hot and I got out well after the sun came up.

I was hoping for four miles. I got just more than two-and-a-half. The 25 minutes of cardio after the layoff probably was the one upside to this debacle. I'd like to try and get the routine going again this week but I can't say I'm optimistic.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 37:50
Pace: 9:27 min/mi

Comments: The good news here was this was a completely workmanlike effort. I got up when I intended, I got out the door when I intended, I got the kind of run I intended.

My quads were a little sore after the effort on Monday and started a little stiff on this one but I warmed up pretty quick. Temperatures weren't brutal. Humidity was bearable. Barely.

I had a bit of a headwind at the turnaround but, overall, conditions were as good as one can expect in Texas during the summer. My splits were all over the place but all within a 20 second range so I can live with it.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 35:58
Pace: 8:59 min/mi

Comments: Best run in three-and-a-half months. A lot of things came together just right to make it happen. I ate well, slept well and got an enormous break from the weather.

Woke up to pretty rough thunderstorms but these had mostly pushed through by 7:30 a.m. I waited until the rain stopped and then got out to take advantage of the unexpectedly cool temperature. The trick was to beat the clouds passing through and the sun coming out because today is expected to be the hottest of the year.

As a result, I found myself pushing the pace and, surprisingly, not suffering overmuch from it. At the turnaround I realized I had a chance at a sub-9 minute pace run so I tried to dial in and focus on the second half. Got it with two seconds to spare.

Fitness Run

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 30:29
Pace: 10:09

Comments: Back into the "slog" range of performance again. It was overhot and windy. The cloud cover kept the sun away for the first mile but it got the broil on after that.

I wasn't expecting a hell of a lot from this run and I got pretty much what I expected. After three miles I was done and walked the rest of the way in. The splits started slow and were closing in on 11 min/mi at the end.

Still, this is a good effort if I get off my ass and follow up with another tomorrow.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:09
Pace: 9:47 min/mi

Comments: Whoof. This one was rough.

I started off a bit achy and in conditions best describe as "sauna-esque." I warmed up well enough on the first mile and had a nice little stretch early in the second mile where I was feeling pretty strong.

After that it was nightmarish.

It was the usual culprits; heat, humidity and lack of conditioning. When the sun came out on mile three I was basically in a battle to finish without walking. Which I accomplished. So there's that.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 40:32
Pace: 10:08 min/mi

Comments: This run went a hell of a lot better than I would expect following a weeklong layoff. That doesn't mean this run was very much fun.

The mornings are officially torpid and I made a rather large mistake waiting to get out until after the sun was up. With temps in the 80s the only blessing was the humidity was just at 'brutal' rather than 'hellish."

So, yes, I was slow but my last two miles were exactly the same pace so consistency is nice. Moreover, I didn't really get that walk-it-in impulse which is a very good sign.

Fitness Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 39:43
Pace: 9:55 min/mi

Comments: Not as awful as the last run but that's only a matter of degree. This run was rough from the start and got downright sadistic over the last mile when the sun came out in earnest.

My goal, other than finishing the damn thing, of course, was to keep it under 40 minutes. With a decent first mile and a second that was less so, that meant keeping the final two miles under that 10 min/mi pace mark.

It wasn't easy. My inclination was to disassociate my way through the thing but keeping the pace down took concentration. It worked but it wasn't a lot of fun.