Starting over again

Starting over again. It's never easy to get back into any kind of rhythm.  Heck, I guess I'm not even worried about a rhythm right now. I just need to get any kind of consistency whatsoever. Is that a rhythm?  I'd be happy to just get three runs in a week on a consistent basis for a month and that'll be a good base for me.

With today's kind of weather, it sure makes it hard. It was 83° and very humid. It was raining in the distance. You could see it but it didn't rain where I was. It's  good and bad. The air had the humidity of the storm but no relief from the heat.

I went out planning on running 3 miles. Part way through my run, I thought about taking on about 4 miles, but then gave in and finished around three.

I feel like my head is going to explode.  I don't know if you can tell from the pic below, but my face is a little red.

Wow, it was humid today!

So someone on Twitter posted what the humidity was and I asked him how he found it.  He said that he used an Accuweather app for his iPhone.  I don't have that (app or phone) and I forgot what he said at the time.  I remembered weather, so I went to Weather Underground.  That worked, too, since they had humidity information.  When I got home after my run this afternoon (and after stretching, resting, and a shower, too), it said the temperature was 81 and felt like 86.  It had already cooled off a few degrees by that time and the humidity was 78%.  Well, I am not sure if I will start recording this information for all of my runs, but it is interesting to know when it is obviously high.  It would have been so much nicer if it just started raining.

I planned on running 2 laps around Lake Ivanhoe at an easy pace and I did just that.  I didn't do a stretching routine or a warmup jog.  I just started running, albeit slowly, but running just the same.  I ran 22:46 for the first 2.5 mile loop (9:06 average pace).

I ran into Marc from my Five and Dime running group and we ran and talked for about half a mile before our paths led us in different directions.  It was nice that we were running the same speeds, because he normally runs much faster than I and therefore I would be out of breath trying to talk.

When I finished the first loop, I ran inside my apartment and guzzled down a glass of warm water.  And off I went for a second loop.  This time I ran an average speed of 8:20 something.  I have it logged on DailyMile.com, but that is apparently down right now.

I just have to say that I love air conditioning.  I don't know if I could live in Florida without it.

Either way, it was a nice easy run.  5 miles in the bank.

New Running Shoes

I purchased a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus 11 running shoes.  In an hour and a half, I tried on over 20 sets of shoes to find a pair that worked for me.  Good room in the toebox, plenty of cushion up in the forefoot.  These shoes are comfortable for my running style and when I tried them on in the store, they didn't move around when I landed.  That is a key issue with me since I am a forefoot striker.

I took them out for a test spin yesterday.  I still had some knee pain in my right leg.  That is not a good sign, but it's not the first time I've had this.  I had this a few years ago when I was running with the Track Shack training program.  I just ran through it.  The tendon pain seems to go away after a few miles of warming up very slowly.  I have to take each stride very gingerly.  At least I had new shoes to give me a little emotional boost.

I haven't run at Lake Eola in awhile, so this was a nice change of scenery.  I did 2 laps very slowly to warmup.  The heat and humidity had already taken its toll on my mind and body by the time I got into my core workout.  I probably ran between 8:30 and 9:00 minutes, but it felt like I was giving the effort of 7:30 pace.  What can you do?  Keep running.

I ran 3 miles at that pace constantly having to remind myself to keep my arms pumping and my legs moving.  My feet felt great, though, thanks to my new Asics Gel Nimbus 11's.  It felt like I had little pillows in my shoes.

Running in Florida in the Summer

Three and half weeks since my last run and consequent post. I did a couple laps around Lake Eola around 5pm today. No pain... except in my lungs. It is really too hot to run in Florida during the summer. It doesn't seem to stop the YMCA runners from their Monday runs. I see them go by my apartment. I figure if they are stupid enough to tough it out, then I can, too.

I knew it was hot and humid, but I didn't really notice it until I stopped running. When we run (excluding the treadmill), we create our own wind. It's nice. When the sweat rolls down your forehead to your eyebrow and then down the side of your cheeks, you feel its natural cooling effects. As soon as you stop running, your self created wind is gone. On a day like today, there wasn't a breeze. The wall of air just hit me.

What the heck was I doing? It's a good thing my office is located across the street from Lake Eola. I made a dart for the door and the air conditioning. I hate running early in the morning, but I know why people do it.