Addicted to Exercise

Well I guess I did something right yesterday because I didn’t feel anything at all in my legs today even after that monster hill workout.  Maybe all that sprinting at the top loosens everything up.  Either way, I went out and ran at Town Lake this morning.  I didn’t really have an objective, and I actually ended up running about ten miles, all west of I-35.  I felt smooth, and my heart rate was spectacularly low.  I finished by Auditorium Shores, and Gilbert was there, so he reminded me about using a quick turnover, so I did a bunch of strides to practice that.  That was better, so then I went to the gym.  I did all my leg exercises, and I’ll do some core tonight.  I don’t think my legs have ever felt better.

This morning it was just me and my thoughts on an easy lap around Town Lake.  I ran from Barton Springs, so with the trip to and from the loop, it was eight miles.  I started off feeling a bit tight, but after a mile or so I really felt good.  My legs felt graceful again, and I ran around the loop with ease.  It was a little bit cold and wet, but I didn’t really notice that until I finished.  My heart rate was a little bit high on the run, and I’m not sure why that was.  I did a handful of strides and then hit the gym for some leg exercises.  Tonight I did another monster core workout, so I expect to be a little sore tomorrow.

This morning I ran the seven-mile loop around Town Lake. I was up late last night, so I was a bit sleepy and did not manage say “hi” to everyone I saw. I had a nice little run, though, and my legs felt pretty good. I did some strides in the dark afterwards, and I didn’t really feel very quick on my feet. That workout yesterday was pretty intense, though, so that’s all right. I stopped by the gym afterwards for some leg weights and a bunch of core. I feel really good now, so I should be all ready to run fast tomorrow morning.

I don’t know if it’s the cooler weather or the little tweak I did to my affirmations, but I had a really, really good run this morning.  After saying hello to the Monday/Wednesday group, I took off around the seven-mile loop.  It seemed like there weren’t as many people out today as usual.  It was a little bit warmer than yesterday, but it still felt really good.  I just ran my lap and focused on being smooth.  The run just seemed easier than usual.  I came around and did some strides at the end.  According to the watch, I was a little bit fast, and my heart rate was up a little bit, but I felt great so I’ll take it.  From there, I went to the gym and had a pretty good core and lower body workout.  I left feeling great, and that was it for today.  I’m just happy I get to go out and do all that.

I set out again this morning to run the seven-mile loop.  I had a pretty good time running around there in the dark, and my legs felt good.  As it turned out, I ran pretty much the same exact run as yesterday (just a couple seconds different), but my heart rate was a lot lower.  I think that’s a good sign.  I still haven’t decided what I will do on Saturday.  I’d like to stick to the trail, but I think all the groups are heading out on the roads.  Oh well.  I’ll think of something.

For some reason, today it seemed that the people on the south side of the trail were much more responsive when I said “good morning”  than the ones I saw on the north side.  I thought about why that might be the case while I finished the run, but I did not come to any conclusions.  Maybe if I am diligent and keep doing this every day I’ll end up being that happy runner people see out on the trail.

I did some strides at Auditorium Shores, and then I just headed home and did some core exercises there.  All in all, it felt good, and I am definitely on the right track.

This morning I ran the seven-mile loop yet again.  I felt much better than yesterday, so I thought I must have been running more slowly, but I was surprised to see that both my pace and heart rate were slightly higher than yesterday.  It was pretty dark out there.  I think we are overdue for a time change around here.  My greeting response rate seemed lower than usual, but otherwise it was a nice run.  I did my strides at Auditorium Shores at the end and then went to the gym.  I worked out my upper body and did some core, and I left feeling really good.

This morning I ran the seven-mile loop, and it felt really good.  I was just relaxed, and I enjoyed being out there again.  I want to do the group workouts, but I can tell I’m still a little bit tired.  My numbers were pretty good today, but my heart rate was maybe just a little bit high.  I did a bunch of strides at Auditorium Shores at the end of the run.  That felt pretty smooth but a step or two slower than normal.  I had plenty of time today, so I did a really good set of exercises at the gym as well.  I got through all the lower body and core exercises and left feeling good.  If I feel especially motivated, I’ll do some upper body tomorrow.  Otherwise I’ll get to that next week.

This week I am committed to just doing easy runs around Town Lake.  I’ll see how I feel at the end of that and make a decision on what to do next.  I will stay away from the hard workouts until I know my body is operating at 100 percent.  I feel all right now, but I can tell I do have some tiredness in my legs.

Today I was a little short on time, and I just ran the five-mile loop.  It felt all right.  I was amused at the end when I saw a group of people doing the mountain climber drill on the grass at Auditorium Shores.  That’s a tough one, and they did not look that happy!  I did a handful of strides and left feeling pretty good.  I am looking forward to adding some weights tomorrow.

I had been feeling good and really itching to get out and run all this week, but I had promised myself I would hold off until today to give my body some rest.  I was planning to just run on the trail, but when I arrived at RunTex I ended up visiting with some people and then going with Kenny to set up one of the water stops.  We ran a loop from there which included Scenic Drive and Exposition.  It was a little shorter than I planned to run, but it was probably just about right.  I was definitely a little more tired than I thought.  We ended up with 5.5 miles for the loop, and my numbers looked good.

I’ll stick to easy running this next week. I’m  just happy I have an activity like this.  Someone this morning was talking about how nice it would be to be outside every morning running and watching the sun come up, and I was like, I get to do that!  If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way.

This morning I ran the short version of the easy run.  It was just the four-mile loop.  I felt a little bit off the pace, but at the end my watch reported that all my numbers were good.  That must just be the reduced mileage messing with me.  I did a bunch of strides at the end, and those felt really good.  I wanted to just keep doing them, but I decided I should save some of that energy.  I stopped at the gym and just did one set of all the exercises, and that was it for today.