Today was first run since Saturday’s 7+ miler. I skipped Sunday’s recovery run in lieu of doing a full afternoon of yard word (raking, cutting tree limbs, turning dirt, moving rock…).

It was a splendid morning; weather here on the Mogollon Rim has ben mild, short sleeves in the day (I hear Phoenix may hit 95 today, yikes!). I’ve been thinking as the light and temperatures drop I will have to move my runs to the afternoon, but its still reasonable to get outside at 6:30 … 7:00… 7:30.

I have tuned a good loop in the neighborhood for a 40 minute run, so I get back right about that time mark. It’s got a few short hills, both up and down. It’s getting so when the Nike+ iPod coach lady chimes in the 5 minute marks, I know whether I am sligthyl ahead or behind the usual spots. I have it in shuffle mode, but it seems that it always starts with the same song before shuffling- AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top — yeah, my high brow culturally relevant music selection — but I like it since it is just about a 5 minute song, and I get to the same spot usually as the bagpipe/guitar solos at the end are fading out.

Well unless today, like when about 3 minutes in I already had an untied lace, and for some reason I fumbled around getting it tied – it felt like 2 minutes, I am sure it was only 20 seconds.

Not much of a big obstacle, especially since I am not racing anyone, but it generally place me 150 feet behind the usual spots.

The next 25 minutes went good, smooth, well, ok, until I got that nagging feeling.

Damn.

I have to go………

Not like “go” run, but Get My Arse to a Toilet ASAP “go”. Although I am in a forested area, its all homes, with fenced yards, barking dogs, people armed with guns looking out their windows with binoculars (I exaggerate, a little), but I cant just pull off behind a tree and let loose.

Maybe it will go away.

Right.

Isn’t this the kind of expository writing you like to read?

To cut a not so good story short, I stopped at a spot I could walk a short cut home, so was a little less run time/mileage than schedule.

But I was out there, running. I had to go (running).

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

What a great day to be running. And s***, I actually felt good running.

I made a trip down to Phoenix last night to hang out with my CyberSalon friends, but also so I could finally make a Team Diabetes run– 7 miles at South Mountain Park. In my TeamD past, I always missed this run.

It had its challenge- it was cold and dark at 6:30, though not as cold as the mornings up here. And thr route is hilly- following the main Park road past the TV towers turn off, towards San Juan Pouit. For those doing the half marathon run, we got to turn around about a mile past the gate, but those crazy Full Marathoners had to go to the end of the road.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

Coming back was a gas! I did not realize how much we had climbed. I decided to go very slow and easy, keeping company with fellow runner Sue.

I felt good finishing, and with only minor shin soreness (the pains that sidelined me in 2006 seem to be kicking at the door, I skipped running Thursday for a rest).

It was great to run with people I met in previous years and new folks- we even managed to have a meetup in the middle of the 4 type 1 Diabetics who are running- me, Sue, Brendan, and Brian) – I suggested we call ourselves the DTDs the Diabetic Team D-ers.

I enjoyed getting a chance to be part of the regular team runs, even if it looks like the next possible time I could make it might not be til mid December.

South Mountain is a fantastic park, I think it is one of the municipal parks inside a city, something like 16,000 acres, with trails that lead you to places you cant see any sign of the city, the killer hill bike ride to TV Towers, old gold mines, horseback riding.

It was actually the first place I visited in my bike when I arrive in August 1987- I remember the wide eye look of the guard when I cruised by. I was in much better shape then, but maybe not as wise.

And Yay! This felt like one of my best days running.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

I had a busy day at work, this is day 1 of an online conference our organization runs, and it is non-stop behind the scenes activity preparing speakers and trouble shooting the technology. Not to mention being up til 1:30am the night before doing prep work.

But I was determined to stay on track of training this week since I am not traveling, and when I spotted a 2 hour mid-day hole in the schedule, I filled it with run time.

It was chilly, only 48 degrees at noon, but the air was clean and good. I picked a “sort of route”, roads I mostly know that go through the neighborhoods on the north edge of town, near the Forest boundary. This is a lot of up and down, small step hills, but nothing flat in sight.

Something funny happened because I felt kind of good running, no where near a high, but I felt like I could go a bit. I got to a 20 minute turn around point, got a little lost on the way back, but ended up where I was hoping too, and got a good 45 minute run in.

I’m worried because my right shin is feeling tender, the same way it was 3 years ago. I ran on it then, and developed shin splints, resulting in me walking most of the half marathon on 2007. I want to run this time! Get better shins, pease?

Ugh, in the 6am darkness of my warm bed. Do I really want to put on shorts and go run? Not really. But I gotta get/stay on track, and this week is tough with the online conference we are running at work. not only are the days filled with helping our presenters prep, sorting out tech issues for participants, but its late nights taking care of other things behind the scenes.

But I went out, and had to be out the door by 7 to stay on schedule today. Brrrr, the outdoor thermometer was 42 and the morning weather report suggests a big drop tomorrow, even a chance of snow up the road in Flagstaff. Moving keeps me warm.

Surprisingly, I felt better as I went, and I only cussed the hills half as much as usual.

Winter is whispering, “I am coming and I am going to CHILLLLLLLLLL ya”.

Bring it on.

I returned home late afternoon yesterday after the 4000 mile trip home from Barcelona; on one hand I feel good about the distances and paces when I ran there, but also am feeling bad about losing a number of training days due to travel or just Plain Old Fatigue.

This morning I woke feeling rested, but got caught up in doing chores and organizing things, so I put off today’s run to the afternoon. Conditions here in Strawberry are ideal; sunny clear, temps in the high 60s. But woah did the energy drain out of my body, and I am hopeful I am safe in chalking it up to the altitude adjustment.

Still, I got my scheduled 4 miles in.

And I have this stylish new hat.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by cogdogblog

cc licensed flickr photo shared by melissambwilkins

If anything can keep my running it is (a) visual stimulation of outdoor scenery and (b) the fact if I ran 3 miles from my house, I have to run another 3 to get back. Hence my loathing of running on machine powered belts. Plus, I really lose my sense of pace and the damned digital readout it in my face.

Ok, enough whinging. It was raining hard in Barcelona this morning, so I took my grumbling and loathing to the fitness room on the top floor of the hotel. It has a lovely window view of building roof tops and distant mountains.

That held my attention for at least 3 minutes. The readout was less of a problem since it was in kilometers and Spanish, except for time. I got bored, and went as long as I could.

Que sera sera.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by iCAS

cc licensed flickr photo shared by . SantiMB .

Running does seem to help run down the jet lag feeling; I was feeling a bit draggish Sunday afternoon, after some lazy strolling down La Rambla and out to the harbor (which is gorgeous), but decided to see what kind of distance I could get done at 5:00PM.

I’m running down Via Laietena in my shorts and t-shirt and seeing people our bundled up i scarves and heavy coats; it does not feel really cold, but it is a big difference from the sun into the shadows of the canyon like narrow streets. I head through Barceloneta to the beach front, which turns out to be a marvelous spot to run with a wide pavement and lovely beach to distract the eyes, plus a lot of public art work in every direction.

It felt like a plain old run, but I did go farther than any run so far this training and somehow, at a better pace than any other run. I would not want to assume the longer I go the faster my pace, but that is a nice dream.

Definitely the new scenery helps!

This blog is the same in many languages. I lost a few days in the regular schedule; one with about 19 hours of travel time and the next day from jet lag from the previous day.

But today, still feeling sluggish, was a great energy burst to get out and run in a new city… Barcelona, which has been so far a wonderful feast of all 5 senses. I ran from our hotel east to the Arc de Triomf, a red version apparently of the one elesewhere, and then south along a nice trail to a larger park with a lot of paths to load up on miles.

I thought I was on the slow side, but it seems like a new city raises the pace. It was a great run… until I got mixed up on my directions walking back and ended up in an area where nothing was familiar. A few construction workers were no help in my trying to describe the big Gaudi Cathedral. I backtracked and tried a different street, and as buildings grew more Gothic, I found my way back.

I see those people running. They are smiling, laughing, like they are having the time of their lives. They are going fast, and passing me, they seem to smell of fresh soap. They must be going full on Runners High.

Without a doubt, I have never really gotten the High. I may have gotten a brief buzz during the Valley of the Sun Half Marathon in 2006 (my PR).

So I just keep on plodding, sweating, and despite the music of my iPod, pretty much feeling like I would rather be doing anything (just short of root canal), but running. But today, something felt slightly different- I got an earlier than normal start, it was a lovely 58 degrees and the sun was up enough to light up the land.

And I felt good going along on my 40 minute neighborhood loop; I fine tuned the route by adding one more street in the neighborhood across Fossil Creek Rd (it meant an additional uphill climb), so that I got the 40 minutes in perfectly when I returned to my house. And I felt…. sort of good. Like “not bad” good (not quite “smiling I love this!” good). I don;t think it was a Runners High, maybe a Runner’s Medium (or I was sponsored by Starbucks, a Runner’s Grande).

And that’s alright.

I’m optimistic with my regiment of magic vitamins and night time hot toddies (you have to like a recipe tied to Douglas Adams) that I may have turned a corner on a pesky cold.

The magic vitamins are the LifePak line frim NuSkin — in the 9 months I have been on them, with insane travel schedules and long nights working– I’ve not caught one cold, or if symptoms come on, like 2 days ago, it seems to nip it in the … welll where a cold has “buds”.

Today was scheduled for 4 miles; I decided with feeling good and a lovely sunny day, to try a challenge, and take on the Ralls Loop hills – it’s about 1.4 miles of stair step steep short hills, and even coming down the crest, there are swells and climbs as the drainages off of Strawberry Mountain create little up and down jaunts.

It felt pretty good, okay pace for running hills. I bailed on the last half mile. Oh well.