Schweaty Runs

I need to whine. It’s getting hot. Very hot. I met my GSA BFF, Kit, this morning for a run at 6:30 am. We figured we could go early (instead of our usual lunch break) and avoid the heat. Wrong. It randomly rained for a few minutes at about 6:10 am. The rain didn’t cool the temperature down a bit. Instead it fueled the humidity even more. Kit and I always push each other though, and we managed to get through 5 miles in just under 49 minutes. That’s better than the 10-minute pace I’ve been running at lunchtime. I realized I need to bring my water bottle with me, regardless of the time of the day.

I’ve been on a running bender lately. Last week I did 6 runs in 5 days. I’ve been hitting the trails with some friends who run on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning. The trails are a whole new beast. I average just under 14 minutes per mile, which sounds insanely slow. The scary downhills slow me down the most. I tippy-toe down those things with way too much trepidation. The trail shoes (Mizuno Ascends) have helped with the traction and ankle stability though. Now I just need to build some more confidence as I gain experience. I’d like to do a 25K in the coming months, then a 50K, and then maybe the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler in February. That sounds quite ambitious though. I still have my sights set on the Houston Marathon in January, and this is giving me a great base to work from.

Mizuno Wave Riders on the left, Mizuno Ascends on the right, and Gus scoping out the new shoe situation: