October 7th

It was 68° with a nice breeze.  Fall is approaching and it's really a great time to run.  I thought I would run through from Skelp Level Road to the pedestrian bridge on the Brandywine River Trail; ~3.5 miles.  I warmed up and stretched, put on my music and set a nice, easy pace (about 16 minutes a mile).  After the first mile my back was aching pretty sharply and I wasn't sure how much further I would go so I slowed to a fast walk and went on to the bridge; on such a beautiful afternoon it's hard to give up.  I stopped there, standing on top of the river and stared into the water.  Then I did some stretches and worried about cooling down too much.  I turned and headed back to the car at a fast walk.  After a bit I realized I'd get to the parking lot faster if I was running, so I took up my slow paced run and set myself a steady in and out breathing rhythm: in to a count of four through my mouth and out to a count of six through my nose.  That took my mind off my back. 

One young woman passed me doing a brisk run/walk.  I passed a couple of folks both coming and going who were pushing strollers and having a nice chat.  A large group of high school guys (cross-country team perhaps) passed me in both directions.  They really make running look easy.  Mostly, I had the trail to myself and I could just look at my surroundings and ponder all things.

I keep thinking I should bring Minnie dog along on my runs but she gets so distracted.  She loves to sniff everything and has to relieve herself a number of times on any given outing - all stop!  Probably best to keep the dog walking separate from the Pat running.

11,633 steps today.
Pat



September 28, 2015 Running

I reset my C25K app today to week 2, day 1 and ran it twice (90 second runs with 2 minute walks 12x).  I ran the Brandywine Trail from the covered bridge to the Trestle Bridge and back to the car (approximately 3 miles).  I chose this section because it puts a longish hill climb right in the middle of my workout.  It was hot and humid and started raining just as I finished up.  There was a disgusting amount of sweat; I find it interesting that I sweat more once I’ve stopped my run than while I’m actually running.  The question is am I sweating more or just able to notice it… either way it’s icky.

I ran past a young woman that had the nicest posture.  I thought if she could keep her shoulders back, tummy tucked and spritely pace and still smile that least I could do was keep stumbling along gasping for air and nod back.

No one calls it jogging anymore.  What happened to jogging?

I try very hard on run days to talk myself out of running; this is called negative self-talk.  First, I try to see if I feel rotten anywhere from my hair follicles to my toenails.  Then I think I’d really rather take a nap and read my book sitting out on the patio - basically wouldn’t everyone?  Finally, as I pull on my running clothes I tell myself maybe I’ll just walk the route or better yet find a bench and watch other folks work out.  In the end, I turn on my favorite playlist and start my workout.  The warm-up and stretches feel great and when I’m nearly done the running feels OK or at least like I’m not going to die.

Pat