Running Blog

I’m still running. 

The winter can be tough week to week from a weather standpoint. It rains a lot in the spring too which is rapidly approaching. The worst part about the extended rainy season is that the ground is soaked and often doesn’t dry up for a long time. It makes going to the parks impossible. Last week was blustery and hoovering just under 20 degrees on Sunday, my big run day. No big deal. I needed a break. But I didn’t need one on the following Thursday when I usually do a second, much shorter, run. I missed running on the treadmill that night.

 I can’t run outdoors in the dark. In the summer I don’t mind if the sun is going down and I’m finishing up, but otherwise I avoid it. I’ve started thinking about how I’m going to approach the summer. Normally I go for a late morning jog on Sunday morning and add another morning one, maybe 3 miles, on a day off from work. So I’ll get two in for the week. But I’ve never tried to run more than 4 miles in the Oklahoma summer. It’s pretty much hot an hour after the sun is up. Anything over 3 miles is brutal. The heat adds another dimension that with sweating and cramping.

If I want to maintain the same distances in the heat, I’ll have to either run with water or wake up earlier. I can’t imagine getting up early enough for the heat to be a moot point. Even for work the earliest I’m out of bed is 8:00 am. On weekends it’s closer to 9:00. After coffee it’s almost 10:00 and by then the sun is punishing anyone foolish enough to exercise outdoors. So carrying a small bottle with a strap for my hand sounds like a good option right now. Will it be enough? I guess this will be a learning experience for me. If I have to cut back on the longer runs then so be it. I think I’ll have to answer the very tough question at the front of my mind “How bad do you want to run?”

I need to add an extra day with of running instead of doing other cardio like the spin bike at the gym. Nothing strengthens the legs for running like running. Currently I’m doing more squats and leg presses for the hamstrings. I can’t tell if mine are unusually weak or if the after jog pain is normal. I’ve heard from other runners that as long as you aren’t changing your stride the weaker muscles will come along. In other words, don’t worry about nagging soreness. Worry if something is pulled or stretched.

Anyway, I’ll keep figuring out how to increase distance and stamina in all types of conditions until It’s second nature.