"Back" at it...

Hi. Remember me? It's been awhile since I posted a workout. A dozen days to be exact. Those twelve days were filled with lots of lower back pain, ice, ibuprofen and three or four visits to my chiropractor. All that to take care of an inflamed disk in my lower back. Ugh! Avoid lower back pain. That's my word of advice for you today.

I woke up this morning at 5:15. I felt great - only a little stiffness - so I decided to try running. My plan was to stay close to home and quit running if I encountered any pain at all. I was not going to make the same mistake I did twelve days ago and run for an hour or so after the initial pain. No way!

I got dressed, grabbed my poor neglected Garmin and headed out the door. With no plan in mind, I started running. There was just a twinge here and there as I started. Not pain really. Just annoyances. I kept my back as steady as I could till it loosened up.

I thought about just running the mile loop I'm familiar with so that every time by the house I'd have the option of stopping, but I was soon feeling pretty confident so I ditched that idea and just ran around town. I ran past four or five churches where close friends serve and then ran past the EMS station. I prayed for all the pastors and paramedics as I did. God knows that pastors and medics need help!

I finished my run and decided to walk around the block to cool down. Just after I turned the corner, I was startled by a shadowy figure standing by a car and the sound of something metallic hitting the ground. After the shock wore off, I figured out it was my neighbor and not some dark knight who was about to pick up his sword and dispense with me. The sound was him dropping one of the two canes he needs to get around. It was laying on the ground at his feet. Good timing. God's timing! I picked the cane up for him. He thanked me and I went on, my day off to a great start! (garmin data)

North and south half mary...

It was warmer this morning than any of my previous morning runs this year. I started out with a goal of running 12 miles and ended up overachieving by a mile point 1. I ran all the streets in the northeast quadrant of town, doubling back where I had to, but mostly running up and down time and time again. I cheated through someone's yard early on, but other than that I stayed on the street. I got warm around three miles in, took off my headband and ran for about a mile before my ears started screaming at me to put the thing back on. It stayed in place the rest of the way. I had a bit of pain in my lower back for most of this run, but it was bearable. I'll be glad when all the ice and snow melt away. I'd love it if we'd get back into the 50 to 60 degree range. 28 is just not pleasant. (garmin data)

After work with my wife...

My wife has started back into running again, so when I got home from work I went out with her. She's using the Couch to 5K program, so we ran and walked alternately for about 20 minutes.

All the snow and ice are melting right now, so the biggest chore was finding dry pavement to run on. We decided to give Stout a try since it's one of the main thoroughfares near us. Cleared streets and traffic go together. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of people out when we were.

My wife's plan was to run 90 seconds at 10:00 pace, then walk briskly for 2 minutes. In twenty minutes, you can do that six times. That's what we did. We went north on Stout first, running and walking our way out to the cemetery. After three rotations, we turned around and ran and walked back. We hit our last walk just about right. We were less than a block from home.

I'm proud of my wife. Nearly every running time was at 10:00 pace or slightly faster than that target. The last run was closer to 9:20 pace. (garmin data)

First run of 2013 at home...

It was a bit nippy this morning - 17F when I woke up! I got dressed and ready to run anyway. There's no way I'm going to get ready for a 100-miler if I don't run in all conditions.

I stepped outside and my beard immediately froze. I ran a few steps and my eyelashes iced over. It was cold, but once I got warmed up it wasn't all that bad.

Since this was my first run at home since the beginning of the year, I decided to run a "2013" route. I must say it was much easier to do here than it was in Wichita. There were hardly any straight streets there. Straight streets abound in Pratt! I only had to go a couple of blocks over to begin my drawing.

I ran the route twice, having close encounters with a car only a few times. The ice and hard packed snow on the streets were of greater concern than the traffic. I was only a little nervous once or twice as I rounded corners and climbed hills on the slippery stuff.

I finished up, walked a short way home to cool down, and stepped inside. I must say, gas heat is one of the greatest inventions ever! (garmin data)

2013 zero zapper...

I couldn't leave my mileage for 2013 at zero for very long. It just wouldn't be right. I had to get out for a run this morning. I just had to. It was a beautiful snowy morning. 20F with a light wind.

I got up around 7:30, grabbed my gear, got dressed, spent too long on dailymile, then headed out for my run.

I had planned out my route ahead of time, so I knew as soon as I left my in-laws' driveway where I was going. I ran up Oak and over to Osage, then north to 30th which I took west to Seneca.

I took the little jog north on Seneca, then continued west on 30th. I crossed the little foot bridge at Glenn and ran on to Everett which was the street where things started to get interesting in my plan. I ran this way and that, doubling back on my tracks at times, so that when I was done with the next mile or two, I had a beautiful 2013 on my GPS display.

That done, I re-crossed the foot bridge, ran back down 30th to Osage and returned to my in-laws' house. I was just short of 10K at that point, so I ran south to 33rd, turned around and ran back till I had that distance. I pressed stop and walked the rest of the way back.

My beard froze quite nicely while I was out and 2013's zero has been zapped. I am happy. (garmin data)