Thursday-
Today was a no run day. It's still raining which sucks, but right now we just tied for most days with 90 degrees or higher. 30 days in a row, one more and that would have been a record. We needed the rain though, as we are still down 10 inches from the norm.

So just wanted to update to keep the habit going. Today was altogether unproductive. No progress on the mural due to the printer being low on ink and half the pic i was going to paint turned out gross. I am painting a mural in our living room. It is of a forest. When I'm finished I can use it as a promotion tool, plus it'll be nice to have a cool mural. I'm planning another one for our computer room. I want it to be something modern, like a bridge or nice structure, still working on that.

Today was gloomy, but I did make it out to lunch with April. That was a nice break up in the day, but it was still just bland when I got home and I was so unmotivated to do anything. I played FFX and finished up something I was working on there. Then pretty much vegged on the couch. I did get my sittups and pushups in tonight. Right now I'm working on 50 push/100 sittups a day. It seems to be working. My calf raises from last night caused some soreness, so not all was lost from not running.

I guess i'll stop there, I did find this while looking for a guest musician on the Tonight Show. I absolutely adore and cherish headlines, so I was cracking up.

Headlines - Jay Leno

love the ones with people who are in terrible positions in the photos.

Unfortunately it was stormy today. It wouldn't have really mattered though, once April got home we had dinner and fell asleep watching a movie.

So coming up with an alternate workout that is equivalent to running is a task in itself. That's what I hate about schedules. One thing goes wrong and it can really throw you off course. So I guess I'll try running in the morning tommorow, and that should leave enough recovery time for friday night? Sounds okay to me. As for nights I'm unable to run I think maybe just doing squats and other muscle building exercises should suffice. I read back through my old stuff, and read my calves were underdeveloped, so that is something I can be working on.

Ok so I was going to post this the other day, but I forgot. It is from Galloway. He says it's not scientific, but he has gathered the information from other runners and his own experiences.

Adjusting Race Pace for Heat:
temp.....slower %......8 min/mile pace becomes
55-60.........1%...........8:05
60-65.........3%...........8:15
65-70.........5%...........8:25
70-75.........7%...........8:35
75-80.........12%..........8:58
80-85.........20%..........9:35
above 85 forget it run for fun

Again, this is for racing only. It doesn't necessarily pertain to training. What it does provide is a rough guide for pacing yourself on those hot days. For instance one day I ran in 93 degree weather, but tried to run a pace that I set at 78 degree weather. Thats about a 10% difference in pace. So instead of staying on regular pace, I should have cut at least 30 seconds off to stay at "normal" pace. Anyway I have all this stuff in my head, and because of that I forget to post it. So there ya go.

Wednesday 0 miles. Wall sits, calf raises.

Just a quick run tonight. Storm Clouds were moving in so had no choice. It never did rain, but there was thunder in the distance, and I saw a lightingstrike as I went in the door. April ran too. It was hot, but we ran later so it wasn't too bad. Started off together, but I went on ahead and worked up a nice sweat on the Ghill. "Giant Hill" for the laypers.

Quads were a little sore today. That is why I really wanted to at least get a mile in. It helps keep the lactose moving (lactose causes soreness). So once all the fat I've built back up starts to burn off I shouldn't have to worry about being as sore. All in all I've been sorer... is that a word? So not a big deal.

I've worked out the schedule to be MWF runs, with an optional saturday or sunday long run, possibly split into 2 runs. That should work well for not overdoing it. Well more to come. Since tommorow is a no run, I'll think of something to add in on the off days. Basketball comes to mind, there's a single court by the track that nobodies ever at, so that would be a great place to play. It's kind of hidden behind the building. I keep forgetting to take pictures.

Monday 8pm, cloudy at least 75 degrees. 1.66 miles, cooldown
silver--In case you're wondering, I always add what shoes so i know how many miles are on them ;-)

A nice hot day. So yesterday finally made it out to the course. It was another hot day around 96 degrees. Both me and April went, and we got there around 5 pm. It was still humid, so we had full bottles of ice water we brought along. Started off well the first mile wasn't too bad, just jogging pretty much. It was too hot to really run anyway. By 1.5 my lungs were searching for air and the stomach wasn't really hurting, but it did feel sort of tight. Not real sure how to explain that.

We went opposite ways, so the second time I passed April I told her it was time for a water break and she just said "uh-huh!". So we made it back around to the car with our melted ice water. I pretty much knew the run was over and told her that was enough for today. So 2.25 miles, but certainly in the heat it's equivalent to about 4 or maybe 5.

The new thing I'm doing is not timing my runs. So I'm just running while my ipod tracks the miles, and not looking at it. This should help me to go at my own pace, and judge for myself when I'm ready to stop. I would like to go for a certain date where I go for time, that should prevent me going fast on daily or long runs. Right now I'm thinking every two weeks, but I might wait a month before I actually start the first one. I think that's more realistic, as that would reflect an actual race season.

Okay so any running is good running at this point. I plan on keeping it up. April was happy to go as well, so I am happy that she is interested too. Maybe down the line she'll run a race herself, who knows.

Sunday 5pm, sunny 85 degrees. 2.25 miles, cooldown
silver

Hey party people

It's me! Yeah I am back. If you really need an explanation it's pretty simple. Summer came along, freedom and relaxation got the best of me. Ha ha, nah really my feet were getting tore up from running and I was having some pain in my ankle area. I still have a messed up toenail and that was from months ago. Basically I was running too much and it was wearing me down. I also wasn't able to find a teaching job this year, so that means more time trying to find work on my own. Mural and caricature jobs don't just throw themselves at you if you are artist, well maybe if you're Sebastian Kruger.

Anywho I'm back and ready for the next onslaught. Lol, I'm not dead. I had to redo the blog, ugh. I have a great new image host so now all the hard work I put into my pics won't be wasted by not being displayed.

As far as conditioning goes I have been working out. It has been a nice 99 degrees average down here, without the heat index, so not much running. But, I have been working on crunches and pushups, mostly regaining an upper body. I was getting pretty skinny from running, and I was starting to miss being able to pick up a bucket of paint or a ketchup bottle, toothbrush, etc.

So, if all goes well I'll be able to run tonight. Most of my running will take place at the park. I just got my tag renewal stickers yesterday so I can drive again! I paid for them a friggin month ago!