Saturday

The weather is officially starting to change here in Alabama-- chilly mornings and mild days. Chamber of commerce-type stuff. This is the type of weather that gets none of the headlines, and it'll be what we can expect for the next six weeks or so.

So I ran a six in shirt sleeves and shorts for the first time this season, and it felt great. I ran a chilly four-miler Friday morning in a Nike reflective vest and arm warmers, and needed it all. Today, I didn't.

I also tried to keep my heart rate below 150, and it worked for the first three miles or so. I have a hard time keeping the effort even once I climb a hill or two, so when effort has to increase, the heart rate typically stays there. This time I throttled back on the pace (my average pace was 9:16, but it's a long run and pace doesn't matter as much), but the HR stayed in the low 150s. I was pretty thirsty for the last little bit, so I'll try to change that for the next time.

That made 10 miles for the week. My right calf has felt fine, so I may hit 20 or so next week. Weight is the thing I'm chasing right now-- I was at about 157 when I ran the half in Huntsville, and I'm closer to 165 these days. Still healthy by many standards, but I'd like to get rid of these 7-8 pounds.