Caught Up A Second Time; July 21, 2021

Wait, I'm still having troubles blogging.  Yes indeed.

And apparently walking or running too.

That's because I started to develop some significant pain in my left knee.  

I think it is largely walking a lot of miles on shoes whose tread had worn out on the fronts of the shoes - and in the effort to maintain speed, I fear that my "racewalking like" gait might even had hyperextended things.

I don't know.  I just know that it hurt and it forced me to take a break.

It was that Monday, the 5th, where I really started to feel things pretty bad.

And then after putting down 44.04 miles from July 10 to July 16, I was toast.

Plus I wanted to spend Saturday morning July 17 watching Waverly compete in the Camp Gladiator Games at Concordia Lutheran High School in Tomball.

She did great.  I was really impressed with her effort and fortitude.

It is tough watching your child complete in something that seemed more difficult to her than her running either of the two marathons that she did.

Nevertheless, I shut things down completely last Saturday.

And then I cycled for three days before getting back out and walking Tuesday night at a "just barely count it pace" of 15:55 - per the Strava app.

I will still log miles against the GVRAT, but my goal is not necessarily to finish it.

I rowed some today and felt nothing at all.  In fact, the 10 minutes went by pretty quick.  I was surprised.

I plan to walk again tonight and then I may run a race over the weekend.

I'm actually happy not having a plan at all.

Here's the last seven days' worth of activities:

July 15 (Thursday) - 5.16 miles walking in Hannover Forest subdivision (1:18:34) - 10 miles cycling on Air Assault bike (30:05) - 0.54 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 16 (Friday) - 4.98 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway and Hughes Landing (1:19:34) - 1.32 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 17 (Saturday) - 2.2 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 18 (Sunday) - 10.9 miles cycling on Air Assault bike (33:33) - 0.73 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 19 (Monday) - 10.6 miles cycling on Air Assault bike (31:36) - 0.56 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 20 (Tuesday) - 3.69 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (58:22) - 14.7 miles cycling on Air Assault bike (43:41) - 0.61 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 21 (Wednesday) - 1,894 meters rowing (10:00) - 10.4 miles cycling on Air Assault bike (30:42)

Again, the "miles walking (Apple Health)" is just time on my feet where my phone is on my body in some way.

If you're reading, thanks.  I appreciate your time and interest.

Getting Caught Up; July 14, 2021

Well, my vacation was altered by a dropped phone at the Hampton Inn in Lake Charles Friday night, July 2 and then Tropical Storm and/or Hurricane Elsa that was to make its way to Florida, stopping my run with Robert "Raven" Kraft.

Actually, what changed the course the most was the fact that I had to go to Baton Rouge to get my phone fixed on Sunday, July 4.  It got resolved, but I just decided to stay there Sunday night and begin to move west to my other planned location, San Antonio on Thursday and Friday, for a convention.

So if you see "miles walking (Apple Health)", that's just a result of me being moving with my phone less any time running or walking briskly while having the phone on my person.

It is what I call "Light Walking" to add into a total "Time on My Feet".

My last "reporting period", I had 167.10 miles running and walking and 36.53 miles "light walking" for 203.63 "miles on my feet" - a record.

July 2 (Friday) - 3.04 miles walking in Hannover Forest subdivision (45:15) - 1.46 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 3 (Saturday) - 4 miles at LAR's 4 on the Fourth, Lake Charles, LA (40:50.98) - 0.82 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 4 (Sunday) - 3.1 miles at The SHARK Run 5K, Orange Beach, AL (31:17.09) - 0.89 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 5 (Monday) - 4.42 miles in three Louisiana cities (46:53) - 1.51 miles walking in one Louisiana city (22:23) - 1.77 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 6 (Tuesday) - 3.6 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 7 (Wednesday) - 7 miles walking along or near The Woodlands Waterway (1:45:27) - 0.5 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 8 (Thursday) - 2.9 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 9 (Friday) - 1.5 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 10 (Saturday) - 5.91 and 5.00 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (1:26:10 and 1:15:19) - 0.59 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 11 (Sunday) - 5.18 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (1:16:22) - 1.32 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 12 (Monday) - 6.1 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (1:31:05) - 0.6 miles walking (Apple Health)

July 13 (Tuesday) - 2.01 mile walking in Hannover Forest subdivision (29:55) plus 4.09 miles walking along The Woodlands Waterway (1:01:24) - 10.2 miles of cycling on Air Assault bike (30:33) - 0.6 miles walking (Apple Health)

So these were my activities to get things caught up.

I had three zero running or walking days, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

It puts a little bit of pressure on me for the GVRAT, but I'll figure it out.

Through July 13, 2021, there had been 74 days for 380.171 miles running and walking, an average of 5.14 per day.

There's 49 days left and 262.729 miles to go for an average of 5.36 miles per day.

A little daunting, but I've come this far as long as my left knee doesn't stop me.

Spring Creek Greenway Trail Thursday; July 2, 2021

Friday morning here and on the cusp of vacation that is going to be "make it up as I go".

I have to be in San Antonio on Thursday and Friday.

I have signed up for races in Lake Charles (Saturday), Orange Beach, Alabama (Sunday) and Orlando (Monday).

I cancelled my hotel in Orlando for Sunday night.

I think I will wait and see how things are on Sunday morning after I finish the 5K in Alabama and then decide from there.

My goal for the second half of the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee is to run more miles than I walk.  We'll see.

Tried to start that late Thursday afternoon when I went to Dennis Johnston Park to run on the Spring Creek Greenway Trail.

While it was hot (88-89) and humid (so much so that steam was rising off the trail as it had rained recently before), my challenges were two-fold:  1.) trying to maintain a 5K pace of like 9:45 in those conditions (impossible) and 2.) trying to get my legs used to running more than brisk/power walking (for a workout).

I covered 4.48 miles in 50:19.12 - 24:32.35 out to the mile 11.0 marker and 25:46.77 back.

And after I was done, I was wiped out.

Had dinner at Cotton Patch Cafe afterwards, but fell asleep soon after once I got home.

Could have been the comfort food, but think it was more the draining conditions.

May (31) GVRAT miles = 170.081

June (30) GVRAT miles = 154.25

July (1) GVRAT miles = 4.48

Total GVRAT miles - 328.811

Ahead of pace at 62 days = 315.60 based on 621 miles (6.2 miles = 10K; 1000K)

Slightly ahead of pace at 62 days = 326.72 based on 642.9 miles 

Have a great Friday!

Wednesday Work Done; July 1, 2021

Blogging here on Thursday afternoon about Wednesday's efforts.

During the morning, I pushed away from the desk twice to record 1.01 miles in 15:13 and 15:06, respectively.  Both of these were before noon.

I then posted 11.3 miles on my Air Assault bike in 33:25 before I eventually ended up, after getting a bite to eat at Mod Pizza, up on The Woodlands Waterway.

I needed to get a couple of miles to put more than the halfway point of the GVRAT so I got four miles exactly in 1:00:12.

Felt like I might have been moving a little bit quicker, but it wasn't to be.

May (31) GVRAT miles = 170.081

June (30) GVRAT miles = 154.25

Total GVRAT miles - 324.331

Ahead of pace at 61 days = 310.15 based on 621 miles (6.2 miles = 10K; 1000K)

Slightly ahead of pace at 61 days = 321.15 based on 642.9 miles 

Based on the development of Tropical Storm (and could be Hurricane) Elsa and its making its way to Florida on Monday at some point, I will not be running the 5K in the Orlando area that I've already paid for as well as running eight miles with Robert "Raven" Kraft.

I went ahead and cancelled by hotel for Maitland, Florida, near the race site, for Sunday night.

Therefore, I'll probably head back west after running the 5K in Orange Beach, Alabama on Sunday morning.

Changes.  They're inevitable.

Congratulations today to Jerritt Park's son, Brayden, for finishing second in the 3,000 meters at the AAU Region 17 National Qualifier in Webster earlier this morning, finishing in 11:34.83.  

He will advance to the National Junior Olympics meet to be held in Humble on August 2 - 7, 2021.  

Brayden will also compete in the 1,500 meters on Saturday.  He is the fastest qualifier of the field that is currently registered.