Beat the heat 5k #338 (27 left)

My whole objective for this run was to get out early and avoid the ever increasing heat.
It has been extremely hot and humid, especially by my normal early evening run. The longer I wait in the day to run my 5K, the hotter it gets and more miserable I feel.

My run was a “sweatfest”, my main objective was to find a route where it was mostly shaded in my neighborhood.  By the time I got out there, it was already a “cool” 87 degrees and getting hotter.  I did manage to find a route where the path was about 70% shaded.

My favorite Florida tree the crepe myrtle

 

Amazingly after two days of running with my old shoes (misplaced my new shoes), my knees started to hurt. I’m still amazed at how a little worn down rubber can make my knees hurt.  After about two miles, I felt a jarring pain in my left knee that caused me great concern.

Luckily this run was on my new shoes, but it appears as though the damage has already been done. I’ll have to monitor this latest injury as I continue these last days.  #339 5K

 

I cracked my iPhone 5K #326 (39 remaining)

My daughter Amaya has been sick and working hard on giving it to me. I’ve manage to fight off the germs so far. I’m wondering if all this running has made me almost bulletproof?  A couple of times during this run streak I’ve almost caught a few colds and flu symptoms. I’ll get a scratchy throat or runny nose, but the bug will never fully take ahold of me.

My run was good without much drama. My main struggle seems to be with boredom of running the same routes over and over again. #326th 5K

This is the turtle I saw 2 days ago, not so bulletproof

I did subscribe to YouTube Red, which allows me access to all my old childhood music and videos even with the screen off. My best running song today was one of my all time jams.  Mama used to say

At the very end of my run, I stop to take a selfie and my iPhone slips out of my hand cracking and scratching it up. Is there a worst feeling to dropping your phone??

Dropping my iphone while taking this pic, makes this one costly selfie (I did find 20 cents)

I like to keep my phone in a case, but take it out sometimes when I run as it fits easier in my waist belt without the case. Plus I like to have my phone ready for any photo ops that I might miss taking my phone out.

Oh well, what’s done is done. Onto my run in the 30’s remaining.

 

Family 5K run #305 (60 remaining)

Today was one of those ho hum days.  Feeling quite drained and sore, I was not in the mood for running a 5K.

As it often is in life, when you set out on a great goal and you get down and out, help will come from the least expected places.  Today my unexpected help came from my daughter Amaya aka “The Female Flash”.  Amaya wanted to get one last workout in before her big track meet tomorrow.  Amaya was quite excited to run and stretch with “The Old Man”.

While I didn’t quite share Amaya’s enthusiasm for running today, I could certainly get excited about helping my daughter work through one last training session before her big meet.

We went through an extensive warmup and stretch routine and then a light 5K run.  My son Amante went along for the “ride” so it became a family affair.  The kids didn’t stay with me for the entire 5k, but it was just the boost of energy I needed.  305th 5K

The remainder of my run was nice and steady with no music, just my thoughts.

 

A speedier 5K #304

Again today I woke up an hour before my scheduled time to awaken.  With sleep being at such a premium, I need to figure out what is going on lately and quick.  I did not procrastinate as much as I did yesterday.  I also made good use of the roller to “iron out” my sore muscles.  Rolling out my muscles must have released some form of hidden energy.

I set out to run a casual pace,  and felt really comfortable at whatever pace I was running.  My curiosity got the best of me and I looked down at my watch to find out what my current run pace was.  Only to realize shouldn’t have looked down at my watch as I was running at a sub 9/min per mile pace.  I was actually running at an 8:14 pace.  I haven’t ran at that pace in a very long time.

I was shocked that I was running that fast as it did not feel like I was going at that pace.  The funny thing about the mind is as soon as I was aware of how fast I was running, I began to fatigue and slow down.  I really believe if I hadn’t looked at my watch, I would have had one of my best run times in months.

As it panned out, I slowed down to a still respectable sub 10 minute pace.  Next time, I will just listen to whatever pace my body wants to run at fast or slow.

https://www.strava.com/activities/563636371/embed/67b16b742b36f7ed45dd261d08dc3233a9560f27

 

I beat “The Man” 300th consecutive 5K run (only 65 remaining!)

On this day I beat “the man”.  LOL

Overshadowing my 300th consecutive 5K run was a day in court for a speeding ticket and a second ticket for not having my driver’s license available. I really didn’t have a reason to be fighting it in court. I mean I was speeding and I had misplaced my driver’s license on said day.

My only hope was that the officer who issued the tickets wouldn’t show up. When the judge got to me she asked “how do you plead? Your choices are guilty, no contest or not guilty”.

The difference about this court is they don’t tell you if the officer had showed up or not. I rolled the dice and said not guilty. After a brief pause, the judge told me the officer was no longer with the department!! All charges against me were dropped. Had I plead guilty or no contest, I would have still had to pay ticket and court cost.  Who hoo, a sign of a good day!

 

After my victory in court, it was onto my 5K run. My 300th consecutive day of running 3 or more miles. What seemed like a mild undertaking to me at the time I made the challenge to myself, slowly took over my life.

Since I was already in Polk county, I decided to find someplace new I had never run before. I found this run trail called Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve.

 

An unusual mix of nature and residential

The trail offers a mixed of beautiful lakeside views, rustic bridges to cross and residential housing of various income levels.

 

 

A symbolic 5K sign

I saw three jack rabbits seemingly coming out of the woods to greet me along my path. Every time I would stop to get my phone to take a picture of the rabbit, they would scurry back into the woods.  I guess some experiences in life are for your eyes only.

 

The run itself was more of a dogfight with myself, as my legs after working 5 consecutive nights of third shift feel like iron poles.  The weather is starting to get really hot and today was no exception with the temperature around 90 degrees.   300th 5K run

I somehow survived my run and finished my day with another Zumba class. The class was high energy and fun.

All in all, a very memorable 300th 5K. I can’t believe I only have 65 more to go. I’ve even amazed myself at this point. I’m most proud of my 50 year old basketball knees holding up this well.

I’m actually looking forward to not having to run, and mixing in more variety to the activities I do.

 

A run in the 9’s 5K #298 (67 remaining)

Happy to be running miles under 10 minutes today

With most of my runs now in the 10 or 11 minute mark, it’s a pleasant surprise to find myself feeling good enough to be running at a faster pace.

I actually felt pretty good during this run.  I got an unexpected boost from my random playlist with a song I hadn’t heard in awhile. The song is Sugarhill Gang Listen to Message II (Survival) by Melle Mel & Duke Bootee on @AppleMusic. https://itun.es/us/3bgot?i=322463309. 

Running in the 9’s for a portion of this run. It felt good to be able to pick up the pace a little. My right leg only spased on me one time.298th 5K

I’m still having trouble getting a good amount of sleep.  My sleep seems to be limited to two or three hours max.  I’ve even started waking up an hour or more before my scheduled wake time.  Gotta definitely get my sleep issues under control.

 

70 days left! 5k day #295

After getting a good nights sleep, it was off to my ritualistic Lucky’s Lake swim. I’ve been listening to Tower 26 podcast regarding swim technique and improvement.
I highly recommend this podcast for any triathlete looking to improve their swim. I find the podcast very informative, funny and easily digestible. The podcast is kept short on purpose to give you just a few things to concentrate on whilst swimming.

A view that never gets old

Get your dog paddle instructions here

Even the turtles came out for a swim

 

A happy swimmer

For this swim, I focused on full arm downward extension in the front and faster underwater hand rate. The swim first crossing of the lake was rough, as it had been a week since swimming. Swimming is the one sport where you need frequency versus time in the water. For example, if you can swim 20 mins a day 3 times a week versus 75 minutes once a week. Choose the 20 minutes for 3X a week for better improvement.
I’m trying to mix in something different and fun to supplement my running, so I’m trying Zumba. I think sometimes it’s good to confuse the body with some new moves and a totally different exercise or sport.

 

A friendly gator keeping me company around the lake during my run

My run started off ok , then I began to experience some right hip pain. My pace started off fast and finished slow once my hip started to bother me. My back is much stiffer than it has been in a long time. I need to spend more time treating my muscles, massage and recovery. https://www.strava.com/activities/554730493/embed/c3a67ded440efc8e46525e69c0c7672b5855f9a5

 

Johnson & Johnson Performance 5K #284 (81 remaining)

 

a warm welcome

 

My day actually started with a full night of work from 11pm to 7am. Then off to Johnson & Johnson Performance Institute workshop.

This workshop was a full day of self discovery and learning new strategies to get the most out of the energy you have in a day.

A side benefit was getting to attend with several of my friends from Lucky’s lake.  The class was lively, funny and very informative. I learned key strategies to be more effective. Strategies like breaking the myth of multitasking being an effective strategy. Eliminating the excuse story I tell myself as to why I’m not doing more.  The value of adding recovery to your work day, just like an athlete does.

The campus was amazing and felt like a very exclusive country club. There were healthy snacks and drinks to keep you alert throughout the day.

Immaculate grounds

A light healthy breakfast

Lots of healthy snacks

A lively group of athletes

 

etched in the band says “finish the mission”

 

Feeling uplifted and at the same time absolutely exhausted by the time I fought rush hour traffic to get home.

I knew I still had my 5K to run and my energy was almost zero. After tending to the kids, I slugged myself around to get my run clothes on. My son must have sensed my utter despair and offered to run with me. This kind gesture from Daddy’s little man was just the extra energy I needed to get through my 5K run today.

My favorite little man

My run was surprisingly easy considering that I hadn’t slept for almost 24 hours. I had some spots of aches and pains but nothing I couldn’t manage. 284th 5K

An absolutely amazing day.  That left me almost too tired to sleep, if that makes any sense.

 

Saved a turtle “Triday” and #371st 5K

Today was a busy day. On the schedule today was my lake swim, kids to school, 5K run, bike ride, book fair, Baskeball camp and homework.

My lake swim was tough going out as I felt out of breath. However, coming back across the lake was much better as I warmed up and relaxed. Lucky’s lake #281

I practiced bilateral breathing again. I realized, I missed the balance feeling that breathing to both sides gives me. I could also watch the sunrise coming up as I breathed to my left. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous crossing back. Sometimes I wish I could swim with a camera.

After doing my fatherly chores it was onto my 5K run. I chose to do my run before my bike ride as to not risk a DNF on my 5K after biking for an hour.

My run was good, I ran basically pain free. I tried to push it around the lake as my competitive juices got the best of me. #271st 5K
To complete my “Triday” all I had left was an hour bike ride. I’m limiting myself to an hour as to not risk injury or taxing my body too much for my daily 5K.

 The highlight of my ride was rescuing a turtle trying to cross one of the busiest streets in my area. This turtle was directly in my bike path.

Blessing number one was not crashing on my bike. If I didn’t see him and my front wheel hit his shell, that would have been disastrous for both of us.

Bike riding takes such extreme concentration as you never know what could jump in front of you. One second of loss focus could end your cycling career.
I had a lot of fun on my ride and enjoyed feeling the wind blow by me. Hour bike ride
It was nice not having to worry about going to work later in the night.

 

Amaya’s 14th birthday 5K #257

Today is the official day of my baby girl’s 14th birthday.  Unfortunately, we cannot celebrate the way we want to because she had track practice after school and a host of homework assignments to be completed before spring break this weekend.

We did have time to go to her favorite place in the world Chewy Boba Tea.  We also played a couple games of UNO before heading home for a long homework night.

My actual run was a little faster than normal because I wanted to have lunch with my son at school. I only had about a half an hour to get to his school on time this meant that I had to run at about a nine minute pace.  For those of you that have been following my runs lately, you know my runs have been no where near a 9 minute pace. However, the motivation to meet my son for lunch seemed to give me a boost to run at the faster pace.  I was able to make it to his school just in time for lunch.  I

During my run, I experienced some slight right ankle pain, right knee throb, and my right hamstring had just a little slight throb.  But other than than that, I was able to run at the faster pace.

My Garmin watch seems to be failing on a daily basis now when I try to upload my activities. I have to reboot my laptop, add the device again, etc. it’s getting to be extremely time consuming and annoying.  I am still unable to upload my run, as Garmin was closed by the time I tried to upload my watch.

Whenever I call Garmin, they are very helpful. However, the sync issues continue to plague my day. I really need to get another watch that wirelessly transfers my runs.