For Whom the Dogs Bark

51F at beginning, 48F at end, rain with 20 mph N winds, 6.01 miles in 1:15:00, average pace 12:29, average heart rate 127 bpm.  With apologies to all the northerners, it was dang cold out there.  Normally on  Mondays I would be slower than this, but since I didn't run the long run very fast on Saturday I seemed to have recovered more quickly, there was very little of Saturday's run left in my legs this morning.  The previous Saturday I ran an hour shorter but 50 seconds per mile faster, and last Monday's run was almost a minute per mile slower than today.  Can't extrapolate too much from that but it is interesting to think about.  Anyway, this is an easy week.

I had to stop for about a minute while some lame lady's unleashed dog threatened an attack.  She was yelling at the dog to no avail, but I think she was angrier at me for living in the neighborhood than at her flesh-seeking canine.  All muscle groups appear to be intact.

48F, 6.16 miles in 1:15:07, average pace 12:12 minutes per mile at low heart rate.  Back in May I ran 6 miles at a 12:14 pace and haven't come close to that again until this morning, so I am making progress I guess.  It is sobering, however, to remember that that good run in May was right before the personal disaster otherwise known as the Ogden Mararthon.

45F, 7.28 miles in 1:15:03, average pace 10:18 at various heart rates, 2 mile warmup, 10K pace for four miles then jogging in, as follows: 12:59 (120), 12:06 (128), 9:19 (151), 8:36 (159), 8:33 (165), 8:07 (175), 11:54 (145), 3:29 (12:21 pace) (137). The object was to try to get in some miles at faster than my projected marathon pace, I think I'll do that about 3 or 4 more times in the next two weeks before I start tapering. It is amazing how difficult these faster miles are even though they aren't very fast for most runners. I made it through, but I think my climbing heart rate was a good indication that I have less than ideal conditioning at higher speeds, which means there is probably some low-hanging fruit out there if I do a lot more of these. They are tough though.

One of our associate lawyers told me this morning that he had seen the video of me being "interviewed" by my son-in-law after the St. George marathon. He is a running skeptic and thinks that my condition after the marathon mirrored symptoms of hypothermic shock. Interesting to think about, but not too flattering as I think about it.

36F, clear and no wind, 92% humidity.  6.31 miles in 1:15:00, average pace 11:53 at low heart rate.  My legs were very fatigued last night and my achilles was starting to bother me, so I went to bed an hour early and slept well all the way through.  It all came together this morning, first time I have run at low heart rate under 12:00.

They are actually predicting snow here tomorrow morning, up to an inch.  It only snows once every 5-10 years.  But I'll believe it when I see it, as our weather forecasts are unreliable here.  We are at the intersection of the continental west to east weather flows and whatever weather the gulf is bringing in that day.  Some days our weather comes from the northwest, other days from the southeast.  If I run in the snow will that make me a real blogger?

39F, 32F wind chill, wind NNE at 10-15 mph, 6.27 miles in 1:15:00, average pace 11:57/mile, low heart rate.

Well, no snow yet, but I can smell it in the wind.  The moon is riding high, fast-moving clouds this morning.  I think I will do it from my home computer today and it is not because I am a wuss.  There are about 75 languages spoken in Houston homes, almost all of them originating from countries between the 23rd parallels.  Other than the occasional Utahn or Michiganer, there is almost nobody in town who knows how to drive in snow.  The first flake will cause spinning Suburbans, school cancellations and weathercasters who sound like they are calling a football game.  Floods?  No problem.  Hurricanes?  Been there.  But when ice and snow arrive we allow ourselves a little excitement.

23F at beginning, 30F at end, no wind, 18.20 miles in 3:00:00, average pace 9:54 per mile, no heart rate monitor.

This is an off week so it wasn't supposed to be an all-out long run, but it was plenty hard anyway.  I think I could have finished a marathon at this speed but it would have been close.  I participated in a family fast yesterday and as a result (I think) my legs went dead in the second third of the run.  By the last 4 or 5 miles I either got used to it or they revived because it wasn't quite so bad.  Maybe I induced an artificial bonk or something, but it was an interesting physiological experiment.  I'll have to think about this one some more.

It snowed all day yesterday, heavily at times, but the temperature stayed in the mid-30s throughout, so nothing ever stuck in this part of town, although it did in other parts.  Then it became clear and cold last night.  This could very well be our coldest morning of the winter here in Houston.  I'm a real runner now.