Daily Challenge 5: Trail Running

Off today, so I waited until I had already spent some time writing and painting before I went outside for my run. I've been reading Eat & Run: My Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek (checked out the e-book from my local library). I've been enjoying it so far. Something he said caught my eye. It wasn't anything I haven't heard before, but maybe with enough repetition it'll sink in. He talked about running slow. Walking as needed. Not worrying about time and distance. All good points. The key for me is that I need to put in the time out on my feet. Not run down the street and back, huffing and puffing, gasping for air and call it good after fifteen minutes! So today I set out to do a loop up around through town. I figured even if I walked much of it (which I did), it'd take less than an hour. Mostly because my time to exercise is usually limited. I might have an hour set aside.

It worked out pretty much as I expected. I got too hot, I ran as I could. I left the paved trail for a dirt trail that more or less went the same way, and that was fun. I'd really like to get out more on trails, but to get to most of them I'd have to drive somewhere first. That's usually not an option.

In anycase, it was a nice run/walk. I'm slowly building up my strength and endurance!

Daily Challenge 2: Freezing Fog

I went out for a run this morning, down to the trail and back. I bundled up before going out. It was 25°F, cold, but not too bad. It was also very foggy (see above), and everything was frosted. No barefoot running under these conditions. Instead I wore my Vivobarefoot Breatho shoes, which are nice. I'll start incorporating more barefoot work when the weather improves!

Daily Challenge 34: Out Running

I weighed myself this morning and discovered that my weight continues to go up! I'd hoped that exercising this past week would have brought it down a smidge but I guess not. Oh well. It's not really about the weight, except that it gets easier to do the things I want without carrying around extra weight. I'll keep working on it, right now I'm about 25 pounds heavier than I was this time of the year in 2011.

I went out today for another short run down to the trail and back. One more step along the journey.

Daily Challenge 31: First Post-Op Run

This morning I went out for my first post-op run. I took it very, very slow. I haven't walked much or done anything like this since before the surgery. In fact, the last run I posted here was clear back on September 17th! Part of that was just that I was spending more time on biking and triking. Still, it's been a while and I definitely felt that in my legs. Since I was moving so slowly it wasn't as much work for my lungs. One of these days I want to get a Garmin GPS watch with a heart-rate monitor so that I can track that as well. I'm using Endomondo on my phone right now, but the watch would make a lot of this easier and can sync with the site.

I didn't do this run barefoot! Cold, wet and dark doesn't make for a good combination. I did wear my Vivobarefoot trail running shoes, which I like for conditions like this. As conditions improve I'll work more barefoot runs into my rotation.

In any case, this is a start. I think I'm going to continue alternating exercise forms, and gradually get into shape!

Daily Challenge 29: Dinner Break

I didn't actually track the time on this one, so I'm using the times from when I walked it the other day. Today I headed down the street on my dinner break. Long day today, arrived at work before 8:00 AM, and ended up leaving after 9:00 PM. It was nice getting out for a short walk. I particularly like the way the lights reflect on the street, and the contrast between the cool skies and the warmer colors of the street. More and more I'm looking at things, asking myself how I would paint them.

For the walk itself, I'm still hurting from the surgery. I took it slow and didn't push too fast.

Daily Challenge 28: A Walk in the Dark

This morning I took a walk in the dark, with dog. It was 29°F outside. I wore my Vivobarefoot Breatho Trail shoes this morning. With the cold and not being able to see much (I didn't take a light), that seemed safest. Just meandered around our trails for a bit, taking my time in the dark and conditions. It was a good chance to get out in the early morning. When I heal enough, I expect to do more early morning walks/runs and rides.

Daily Challenge 27: Lunch Break

On my lunch break I took advantage of the sunny (cold) weather outside to take a walk down to the corner and back. I'm not fast, and even that far was a challenge. I didn't do the walk barefoot, but I was wearing my minimalist Vivobarefoot shoes. I have three different pairs from them. Expensive, and worth the price. They've held up for years.

Recovering from the surgery is clearly going to take time!