Addicted to Exercise

I knew the Monday/Wednesday group was not going to be at RunTex today, so I decided I would pay a visit to the Firecracker run group.  They were running the seven-mile loop at Town Lake, which was good.  They also picked up the pace by a ton about half-way through.  I was drawn into it for a little bit, but then I settled down.  I needed an easier day than that.  I felt a bit stiff through the whole run, and my heart rate was way too high.  I obviously need more practice sticking to my plan, though, regardless of what everyone else does.  It’s hard not to speed up when you’re getting left in the dust.

I went to the gym after that and had a pretty nice workout.  I did some leg and core exercises, and it felt good.

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.

This morning it finally sunk in that the marathon is coming right up.  I ran the five-mile loop at Town Lake instead of the seven-mile one.  I stood around visiting for quite a while before I ran.  I probably would have stayed there all morning except a couple people ran by that I wanted to catch up with, so that got me going.  My legs were a little stiff as a result of an intense core workout last night, but I still had a good time.  My heart rate was really low throughout the run, possibly because it was a little cooler outside.  I did a bunch of strides at Auditorium Shores afterwards, and those felt really good.  I really got moving towards the end, there.

I had lots of time, so I did a really good gym workout.  I got all the muscle groups and left feeling refreshed and ready.

Yesterday I said I wanted to have another run just like that one when I went today, and I was surprised this morning at how close it was.  I ran the seven-mile loop again, and I felt pretty good.  I just cruised along, happy to be out there and enjoying it.  When I finished the lap, I checked my watch and found that my time and heart rate were virtually identical to yesterday (4 seconds slower, it turns out, and I’m not really particular about exactly where I start and stop the thing).  I did a bunch of strides this time, since those were feeling good, and then I went on to the gym.  I just did some leg weights and core exercises, and I left feeling ready to go.

This morning I was pleased to wake up and find my leg feeling pretty good. I went on to have a really nice run around the seven-mile loop. I felt a bit sluggish at the start, but soon I started thinking about how thankful I am that almost exactly five years ago my friends Chris and Anthony talked me into training for the marathon the first time. I thought about all the wonderful things I’ve experienced as a result of that, and the next thing I knew I was nearing the end of my run and cruising along pretty fast. At the end I had some water and did some strides, and those felt pretty good. From there I headed to the gym where I did pretty much all my exercises. I felt good when I left. Tonight my leg is a little tight again but hopefully I’ll wake up to another day just like this one tomorrow.

This morning, Gilbert was having a circuit and core workout at AHS, so several of us were tasked with running the seven-mile loop, but with a stop at AHS to work in some exercises. I arrived a couple minutes late just in time to see the group leaving. That was different. Usually they don’t get started right away like that. So it turned into a little test to see when I would catch them. I estimated it would be right near AHS, but I reached them a little before that. The exercises there were fun. I got to do a couple sets of medicine ball throws before we did the usual leg lifts and fast feet. I still don’t do the fast feet correctly, but I was surprised to see how high my heart rate gets doing it even badly. I joined a fairly big group for the remainder of the run, and I was happy to have a little slower pace there to make up for catching up at the beginning.

My leg still felt a little tight, but it was all right. I’m sure now I can safely run on it, but I’m still running easy until Thursday this week. Tonight I did an hour of core, so I am nice and tired now!