Much better

I ran again today. This morning actually. Not too early though, left just before 9:30. It was a much better run. Possibly because the temperature was much cooler, about 70F I ran a bit faster (for a slow, get back into shape run) than I managed either of the two previous runs. The run was a bit longer too (5 1/4 miles). Altogether not totally displeased.

So, looking at the comments from Blunoz over my las few posts, I've decided to produce a quick list of gear/kit that I use with any regularity. As a word of caution, I am not a gadget-head, nor do I feel the need to have the top-of-the-line of everything (or anything for that matter). I fall into the 'it works for me' and the 'I don't want to spend too much' categories. So, here goes.


Shoes: Mizuno Wave Rider 10. I have a pretty neutral gait it seems, and these shoes seem to work for me so far. I recently replaced a pair of Wave Rider 9s and these new ones don't have many miles on them (only 25 so far). We'll see how I feel as they age.

Watch: Polar S120. Pretty basic features, but it works for me. I've forgotten it on this trip and am really missing it.

Music: RCA Lyra RD 1028. It took some effort to find this on the web for a link. See the comments about my HRM.

Clothing: I've pretty much got a mish-mosh of different brands and styles. Probably b/c I'm still trying to figure out what I like. I'm not wild on running tights though. I've got a pair of Under Armour shorts that I like a lot (read: no-chaffing) as well as two of their shirts. I'm particular to Adidas running shirts of which I have a few. I'm not too keen on the Nike running shirt that I have. I find it a bit rough and on longer runs painful.

That's about it.

Reports of my demise...

Yes, that's probably a misquote of Mark Twain but I am still alive. Despite the hopes of some (Lovely Wife perhaps?) who believe I may be worth more dead than alive.

I hit a bit of a running low point. It's called a move. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this or not, but moving is a bit unpleasant. I probably could have eeked out a few runs here and there. In fact I did manage two over a period of about a month. But sometimes you have to make a choice: Happy family, well organized, planned and executed move on one hand, continued regular running on the other. I selected the former.

So now I've managed two in the past three days. I am back on the horse, but it hasn't been a painless experience.

I'm now in Washington, DC. I've left lovely England where the temperature was nice and moderate all summer, and arrived here. Where it's been over 90F everyday. I'm not a morning person, I just can't get myself up and run at those hours. So I waited till after the heat of the day to get my run in. Or so I thought. The first day I found an outdoor thermometer that read 94F (34.5C) as I was finishing up. Not very pleasant. But at least it was a humid heat.

I must continue though, because I have a goal! A GOAL! Yes a goal. I found a 10k to run. A few months back I had the 'great idea' that I could run the Marine Corps Marathon this fall. Then the Lovely Wife reminded me of the upcoming move. Yes, she keeps me out of trouble all the time. So I've elected to run the simultaneous 10k. Should be doable I think. With essentially a month to prepare I should be okay. Probably no Personal Best this time though.

Post Script #1: I made two cheap shots at the lovely wife. She doesn't deserve them. Lovely Wife is truly a lovely wife!

Post Script #2: New blog for people to check out: Blunoz' Random Ramblings

Portsmouth 5k

I mentioned in my post from 7 Aug that I had a bit of a worry about the 5k on the 8th. Well the 8th has come and gone and to be honest I'm more pleased than I had thought I would be. It must have been the nice slow run on the 7th that helped loosen the muscles etc, but I ran much better than I thought I would.

The conditions were better this time, which probably contributed to the better time. During the run on July 4th, shortly after the turn around point (the course is essentially an out-and-back) we were greeted with a vicious head-wind. This time the wind was mostly from the side so it probably didn't play a major factor in the times.

I tried to improve on pacing this time as well. I did my best to resist the urge to go out too fast. Basing my pace off my heart rate monitor I tried to maintain an even, slower pace during the first half. It didn't necessarily work as I felt like I couldn't maintain the pace by about the 3.5k mark.

I also tried to run 'with' people during this one. A dangerous tactic I'm sure, but I figured in a 5k I might be able to get away with it. I found a group of people running at about the same pace I was trying for and tried to stick with them. It worked okay until the end, when a gentleman at least 2 age divisions above me that I'd been running near demonstrated significantly more 'kick' than I possess.

It all worked out in the end though. My time (by my watch) was 22:48 (besting my previous time on the course by nearly a minute and a half).

(Oh, and I bought a new pair of shoes the next day.)

Music

I usually don't use an ipod when I run. Firstly, I'm too cheap to buy an ipod. I've just got a generic run-of-the-mill mp3 player. Secondly, I like to listen to what's going on around me, and have a little inner monologue when I run (except when I'm in the gym at work where they play some of the most atrocious music ever made and I feel the need to try to blot out the sonic weapon of mass destruction that surrounds me, but that's a different story).
I ran today for the first time in too long. I'm calling it a 'planned rest'. Actually, it's just difficult to stay motivated during the summer break. I had planned to do some speed sessions over the weekend in preps for a 5k tomorrow. They just never materialized. I did a lot of active things, hiking, walking, gardening, just no running. Which makes me worry a little about the 5k tomorrow (but like music in the gym, that's a different story).

The sad thing is, the entire time I was running I had the same song in my head. Was it something inspiring? Something up-beat to keep me going? No, it was the theme song from Bits and Bobs. Yes, fatherhood is a wonderful thing. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the song, if you click on the 'fun and games' you can get an idea of what this is like going through your head...even if it isn't the theme song itself).

My Other Obsession

I didn't run today. Had an offer from a neighbor to go for a run 'early' which was 6:30. Sorry, just didn't feel like getting up that early today (it's a holiday and all). So we went out for a walk in the Forest of Bere. More than a walk really. The lovely wife had promised a picnic/Geocaching day out for Father's Day back in June. For those of you who don't live in England, I think this was one of the first really 'nice' days since Father's Day. So off we went.

After enjoying a simple but very nice picnic lunch (salami, cheese, bread, fruit). We were off on our walk. The day was absolutely perfect: sun shining, son shining, a gentle breeze, animals about. To top it off, we found the cache we were looking for (only minimal bushwhacking required and very little mud).

I can't really call it exercise. Although we were walking in the woods for a few hours, it was at a 3-year old's pace. (But it was better than sitting on the couch with a beer watching television.)