There goes the neighborhood 5K #327 (38 remaining)

This last month or so of 5Ks are going to be particularly challenging from a mental standpoint. I’m just really bored of running the same routes over and over.

I actually live across the street from my old neighborhood of years ago. That’s the high dollar guard gated community of Stoneybrook West.

I have been thinking about running here for a long time, but as I mentioned it is a guard gated community. However, in my quest for something new, I decided to try to run through the gate anyways.

I was able to just squeeze around the liftgate while the guards busied themselves with the many cars passing trying to get in.

a mother duck and her two ducklings

 

It was a really nostalgic run as I took in the now mature landscaping and relived some memories of what seems like a different lifetime ago. The run itself was a bit labored.   Luckily, I was distracted trying to notice all the landscape and neighborhood changes from when I was one of the first occupants in this area.  As a side note, my right glute and hamstring continue to trouble me with soreness. https://www.strava.com/activities/588093350/embed/4e553386317cb0ed912ddd791342588c3d96a03d” target=”_blank”>328th 5K

Black Lake (yes there are gators)

I actually visited my old house, which seemed ginormous to me now. It was empty and looking for an owner. I’m told the house has not been able to stay lived in for various reasons.

It’s funny how my life has come full circle

Seems like a different lifetime when I lived here

 

Amaya’s basketball championship run 5k #248

Today was filled with excitement as my daughter Amaya’s team was playing in their first playoff game as the number one seed and cluster regular season champions.  Watching her play is the highlight of my week.  She plays with such passion and energy that is contagious.

I definitely wanted to get my 5K out of the way as they would be playing the late 6:30 game on the other side of town.  I knew it would be very late, and that I’d be lucky to get an hours sleep after the game and long drive home.  If I still had to run a 5k when I got home, it would not be a good idea.

My 5K run was ok, started out slow but relatively pain free.  Still worrying about my knees, I’m really concentrating on perfect running form.  I have no room for sloppy run mechanics or “lazy” running.

https://www.strava.com/activities/511441852/embed/1162464a624be72b42f56ea5054cde407f8fb332

I did check the mileage on my shoes and they are definitely are in need of replacing as they are well over 300 miles.

Amaya’s team, the Sunridge Lady Eagles won a close game and are onto the next round. A fast turnaround next game is Wednesday with a yet to be determined opponent.

 

 

An exhausting night 5K run #228

 

I should be sleeping….

Today was a very tiring day. Operating on about 2 hours of sleep since last night I headed out on my 228th consecutive 5K.  I really did not feel like running today and just wanted to get it over with.

My body felt all achy all over. But at some point I started to enjoying the run.  The night air felt extremely good.

https://www.strava.com/activities/495432233/embed/f2ef31f954938420507728fc05378d648a09ed09

I can promise you if it weren’t for this run streak, I would have been resting on my butt all day.  I just feel really exhausted at the end of my 5 consecutive nights working third shift.  The lack of sleep and the unnatural habit of working when I should be sleeping really takes it’s toll on me.

 

A love myself Valentine 5K #226

Self love is the best love

Wearing red and white in honor of Valentine’s Day

So today was Valentine’s day.  A day to spend with that special loved one.  Since I’m pretty much solo these days, I decided to love on myself.  It is really hard for me to address my own needs before the ones I love.  Which is mainly my children who were with their mom today till 6.  Leaving me all alone to figure out what to do with my time.

I woke up exceptionally groggy and it took me awhile to get up to run my 5K.  I can tell you with 100% surety that I would not have exercised today had it not been for my 5K a day streak.  Looking for motivation as I’m having to do a lot these days, I decided to explore a nearby neighborhood.

https://www.strava.com/activities/494021760/embed/1bace044d0bb8af188712b40b2336520f6bc3d15

My main focus today was to just get it done.  Take it easy and not put unnecessary stress on my already groggy body.  I did a good stretch and then spent the rest of the day playing UNO and drinking tea with the Kiddies.

 

Mini Sprint Triathlon day

Busy day starts with a chilly 1000 meter swim (no wetsuit). It’s funny the warmer the outside air is (70ish), the colder the water feels (60). Although the water was 2 degrees warmer than two days ago, it felt 15 degrees colder due to the much warmer outside air (from 39 to 70 degrees).

For today’s swim, I had a great surprise visit by my good friend Sincy! I’m still amazed at my once shy/reluctant swimmer friend came out to swim in such cold waters.  Not only did he brave the cold water, he kept right on my heels all the way across and I had to be on my game to keep up with him on the way back.  Way to go Sincy!!!

In addition to Sincy coming out for a cameo appearance, I met some amazing people from Daytona and Michigan too.

https://www.strava.com/activities/492662673/embed/0453b1db2832a74d6faa95f4e680d0aa1bb51320

My good friend and now expert swimmer Sincy

After my swim it was onto my 5K #225 in a row. I found a new trail almost across the street from the lake.  My run felt great as I have no idea what my pace was or anything.  I was just determined to run by feel and to take it easy.  I can’t emphasize enough how enjoyable running a new route is.  All my senses seem to come alive as I look for new pictures to take, learn about new areas and just take in all the sights and sounds of someplace new.

https://www.strava.com/activities/492662694/embed/2f4c5ecdb3a2df026b567ff6158bbcf69e38d11d

As a last minute decision I decided to hop on my bike for an hour leisure ride.  I remembered my commitment to ride my bike at least an hour or more a week.  Due to my son’s late basketball game (5:30pm), I was able to get one more exercise in.  I just really love riding on my bike.

https://www.strava.com/activities/492724646/embed/9311bb6a5261049a16f465d193505d94f64c3424

I loved the energy of this Abe Lincoln

With my cancer scare, I’m really not taking anything for granted. Enjoy life while you have it to live. No one (not even me) is promised tomorrow.

 

Colon Cancer Scare 5K Run day #225

Savoring my ability to run

Today was an emotional day for me.  I’ve been keeping a very personal issue private for several months.  I have been having sporadic rectal bleeding and didn’t know why?  I had been trying to correlate this bleeding to something I ate but couldn’t.  I am one of those weird people that examine my stool on a daily basis.  I don’t touch it or anything, but I don’t just flush and forget  it either.  So to have some blood in the toilet is a very unnerving ordeal.

Then all of a sudden the bleeding increased in volume and frequency.  This increase in bleeding really scared me and I could no longer ignore what was going on.  I began to start thinking I had colon cancer and I began to cry.  I looked up colon cancer on WebMD and I had a few of the symptoms but not all of them.  The symptoms I’m having are of course bleeding and the other is my age of 50 and sex of being a male.  None of the other markers fit, like pain, lethargy, etc.  But, once I had the idea that I had colon cancer in my head, I began to think some very dark thoughts.

 

Sorry for the graphic image, but posting to help others that may be suffering

I headed out for my run as I worked my way through the tears and sadness.  I felt a strange energy as I ran and had my best time outside under the 10min/mile time in a long while.

 

https://www.strava.com/activities/491072231/embed/7a31f0df22580a4b48138641cc35b7f3cb696c3e

I gave a desperate text to my friends at Lake Cane and they suggested that it might be hemorrhoids instead.  The reason being the color was bright red versus dark  brown, when I went to the bathroom, it felt like I was never quite finished, not enough fiber in my diet, too low carb, the blood was mucousy and streaky.  When I researched and read the symptoms of hemorrhoids it felt much better to me and I immediately cheered up.

My good friend Sincy, who sadly lost his dad to colon cancer, still insisted that I make an appointment to go get checked out to verify what’s going on.  My appointment is this Tuesday February 16th at 9:30am.  I’m feeling confident that I just have hemorrhoids and not colon cancer.  The bad news, from what I’ve been able to research is the only way to get rid of hemorrhoids is surgery.  I’m sure surgery won’t be any fun, but it’s a far cry from having colon cancer.  The hemorrhoid surgery will put my run streak in some serious jeopardy.  I wonder how long one can suffer with hemorrhoids and not risk their health?

 

Consecutive 5K day #220 YMCA treadmill

Today was a bit chilly outside and I just wanted to run on the treadmill as I was feeling a bit tired due to my 4th consecutive night of 3rd shift work.  I felt pretty good until a runner passed me on the virtual path and made me mad.  I have no idea why, but I decided to pick up my pace and then I started to feel a strain on my right hamstring and glute.  Must resist such silly ego trips as I’m still not giving myself enough easy days to heal.  I was able to get a good stretch and cool down.  I resisted the urge to do weight training as I had to get home  and try to get a few hours of sleep.

I’m really needing to make sleep my number 1 focus.  It is hard as I seem to have way too much to do during the day to get anywhere near 8 hours of sleep.  As it is, I was able to get a few hours of sleep today.  My sleeping hours were from 10am to 2:30pm and 8pm to 10:15pm.

 

https://www.strava.com/activities/489240353/embed/af09f6a5ed7d14e6a56e4da3f7f1b98a16110e38

 

A new route, new sights and sounds 5K #219

 

Something majestic about this tree

 

Enjoying the sun and crisp 55degree air

Today I decided to break things up and run a different route. As I’ve stated before, I get a big boost of energy from running someplace new. A new route takes new alertness to avoid any unforeseen potholes, uneven sidewalks etc. Plus all the new visual stimulation allows my mind a certain level of distraction.  Being distracted just seems to make the run go by really fast.  The weather was a bit chilly at 55 degrees, but the sun was shining so I was still a happy runner.  I didn’t really think about my injuries too much, but also didn’t want to push the pace and risk it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/488584814

 

 

Messed around and did a Sprint Triathlon today

Today was a “throwback” kind of day.  A typical day for me a few years ago, when I was chasing my IRONMAN Arizona dream.  A day consisting of all three triathlon disciplines of swimming, biking and running.

The weather was an unusually windy day for this time of year.  I first noticed the windy conditions crossing back from my lake swim, when I thought someone had put me in the washing machine cycle.  The water was quite choppy, but I really enjoyed it.  I just imagined dancing with the lake instead of fighting with her.

https://www.strava.com/activities/485651288/embed/7dc32d4fe0357643ed734d228ce569aea5054411

After my swim, it was off to get the kiddos to school.  After my extended T1 transition, I hopped on Zapata and decided to go for a one hour bike ride.   Having set no goals other than to ride for an hour, I experienced a level of freedom and enjoyment that I haven’t experienced in awhile on the bike.  No cadence, no HR to monitor, no speed checks, just me and my sleigh rolling down the street.

I can’t believe it’s been almost three months since riding my bike.  All of this 5K run focus has left me time strapped for my other sports.  I quickly remembered how much fun it is to roll along versus pounding along the pavement.

With the exception of a little shoulder and tricep discomfort, I felt exceptionally spry and energetic during my first bike ride in eons.

https://www.strava.com/activities/485793428/embed/8a3c8b505cee640a77505351fde1f9dcdd49f4b1

I guess this is what they mean by end of the road.

 

Zapata was happy to be back on the road again!

My one hour bike ride flew by exceptionally fast and it was time for T2 and to get in my daily 5K run in.  Except this time my 5K was a brick, because I was running directly off my bike ride.  I had forgotten how tough it is to run off the bike.  My legs felt heavy for the first half of the run, but I was able to find a slow pace I could maintain.  I dare not push the pace due to risk of aggravating my hamstring and glute issues.

All in all a great day and a wonderful remembrance as to why I love triathlon so much.

I haven’t worn my trisuit in quite some time!

 

Halfway to my goal of running a 5K daily for one year

https://www.strava.com/activities/461468039/embed/1f8e19ece72d52e56a9f19e30c46875ea97192db

My day started like a lot of my days with a lake swim at Lucky’s Lake.

A bit chilly out this morning.

I love this sign!

After my two lake crossing this morning, I reached a running milestone. Day 183, which means I’m officially half way to my goal of running a 5K a day for one year. 183/365=50%.

https://www.strava.com/activities/461465431/embed/ff4a78417696eb6b3a3d6feaf556f44ba755396c

I’m amazed that I’ve made it this far considering the nagging injuries I’ve incurred.  The journey has had many twist and turns that’s for sure.  Like right now I’m currently struggling with some nagging right glute and hamstring issues.  These issues have really slowed down my running.  I dare not push the pace, for fear of being derailed for a longer period of time.  I have to somehow keep running while at the same time allowing my body to get some rest and heal.

You’ve heard of the term “dog days of the summer”?  That’s what my quest currently feels like.  Each day it seems to be a grind to complete my 5k run.  A part of me longs to do other activities that I have put aside for fear of injuring myself.  Activities such as basketball, weightlifting and cycling have not been part of my routine for awhile now.  This has been the longest time I haven’t cycled in three years time.

I do plan on adding some light weightlifting to beef up my physique and make my body more resistant to injuries going forward.  The problem is that I can’t push too hard as building muscle requires rest and recovery.  Is it possible to build muscle on minimal rest and recovery?  We shall find out, as I’m going to take a before and after picture to track my weightlifting journey.

I wanted to capture the halfway point of my 5K/Day journey with a nice photo

I love bamboo

I’ve really become dependent on running with music.  I’m finding motivation by running with a different playlist everyday.  Before I started this running quest, I loathed running with music and just enjoyed the sound of my breath and feet hitting the pavement.  I would like to get back to running without music, but for now the music is a good motivator for me to continue the streak.  Also running in different locations that I’ve never run before adds motivation and “childlike” intrigue.

Instead of my normal what have I learned list, I’m going to talk about what has been the easiest part of my journey and what has been the hardest.

The easiest part surprisingly has been the actual running itself.  I’ve got the 5K run down to such a routine, it’s just a matter of doing it.

The hardest part has been documenting my journey.  It seems that I’m having trouble keeping up with recording my runs, how I’m feeling that day, challenges, blogging etc.  A close second would be taking the time to address my injuries properly.  Getting more massages, acupuncture visits, roller therapy to really address my injuries.

I’m looking forward to learning more about myself on the second half of this journey to a year’s worth of daily 5Ks.