Near Snowy Encounter

Distance: 1.19 miles
Time: 12:31
Location: Yucca Loma to Rio Vista School and back

All forecasts were predicting snow for the high desert (and much of Southern California) this night.  I was almost certain I'd be running in the snow, or at the least some rain.  But it didn't quite materialize, which is usually the case in these parts.  I had gone to the store earlier, and driving home I did see some flakes floating in the sky, but it was a very light dusting that didn't last long.  By the time I left on my run the flakes were gone and no rain either.  Though it was cold!  I did the same route I ran last week.  1.2 miles up to Yucca Loma and over to the school then back through my neighborhood.  Fewer houses have their Christmas lights up still.  But I was glad to see some still did.  The run itself was pretty good.  Each run continues to get a little quicker.  My pace has gone from 12:00/mile to now about 10:00/mile.  Still way too slow for where I want to be for the Encinitas Mile, but I'm getting there.  I just need to stick to my training plan and little by little I'll improve.  As for now I'm paying for all those months off. 

Below Freezing

Distance:  1.22 miles
Time:  13:27
Location:  Rio Vista School to Yucca Loma and back

Well, that record didn't last long!  Yesterday I set out on a run in 37° weather, the coldest it had ever been on one of my runs.  I figured since this is only week 1 of a 12-week training plan, I was sure I'd be encountering colder days in the weeks ahead (and I still might).  But I didn't figure the very next day would set a new record, and not just by a little.  The temperature continued to fall today and by the time I left on my run at about 8:30 p.m., it was 30° outside!  Amazingly, the cold isn't as problematic as one might assume.  I was geared up with layers and gloves and full-length leg warmers.  Not to say it wasn't noticeably freezing.  I could feel it most on my face and with each breath I took, as the literally freezing air went down my lungs.  And luckily this was a short run.  Anything longer and I'm sure the cold would have started to become a problem.  But for a little over a mile it was manageable.  And my pace continues to "quicken."  I'm still running slow, but each run this week has gotten a little better, and that's all I can hope for.  Week 1 is officially in the books.  It was a hectic week, with Christmas and dealing with a stomach bug, and somehow I managed to get in 3 runs.  It leaves me no excuse any other week!  I may be dealing with more freezing weather next week, and it might be worse, as snow is even forecast as a possibility Tuesday or Wednesday (New Year's Eve).  But rain or snow I'll be out there.  11 more weeks to go.

Run #2 Coldest Ever

Distance:  1.18 miles
Time: 13:45

Location:  Yucca Loma to Rio Vista

With Christmas officially over, I set out tonight on my second of 36 runs to prepare for the Encinitas Mile.  My last run, Tuesday, was a slow mile plagued by sickness.  Tonight I felt 100% better, though I'm still slow and out of shape.  My plan was to run 1.2 miles, so I added a little distance by running up to Yucca Loma and taking it west towards Rio Vista, then I followed the same way back from Tuesday's run.  Christmas lights were still ablaze everywhere I turned.  But the one thing that set tonight's run apart was really the weather.  Previously, the coldest weather I'd ever run in was 39°.  That run was actually earlier this year, on February 1st.  But tonight it was an even brisker 37° when I set out!  And since this training regimen will take me completely through January and February, the likelihood that that record will be broken is pretty high.  Last winter was unusually warm.  It was usually in the 40s and 50s when I set out on night runs.  Normally up here in the high desert it dips down into the 20s for a good chunk of the winter, and this winter so far looks to be back to normal.  So I better get used to it!

The Long Break and New Goals

Distance:  0.93 miles
Time:  10:35
Location:  Rio Vista School and back

A long and unexpected break.  When last I posted on here I had just run the R.O.C. Race in Del Mar, it was mid-May, I was beginning to get some maintenance runs in for the duration of the spring, and I was hoping to line up a 5K for the summer.  That last thing didn't happen.  Not even close.  Instead, this is how the last seven months went down, in a nutshell:

Only a few days after my last post on here I had to have cataract surgery.  I knew it was coming, but it was something I figured would set me back only a couple weeks.  Instead I was instructed to take a full month off from any strenuous activity, including running.  So I figured by the end of June, then I'd be good to go.  But the summer of 2014, in some ways, resembled the summer of 2013 -- completely lacking in the physical activity department.  Instead I was busy being a dad.  And it was an eventful summer on top of it all.  My sister-in-law got married in July in Las Vegas, and my brother got married in August in L.A.  Then before I knew it work had started back up, summer came to an end, and no 5K to speak of.  I thought for sure I'd get one in during the fall.  But, again, life made things pretty jam-packed.  Every weekend was booked up, especially once fall hit, with trips to the pumpkin patch, apple country, the fair, and then of course the holiday season.  This isn't meant to be a complaint of the last few months... on the contrary, I enjoyed every minute of it with my wife and our son!  But I did begin 2014 with lofty goals of running 5Ks on a regular basis, and really giving my running a boost.  And for the first five months of the year, I held true to those goals.  But the ups and downs are expected, and what matters is that I make sure to turn it back on again, which is what I am now on the verge of doing. 

Earlier this month I finally set my sights on a new race, only this time not a 5K at all.  It's the Encinitas Mile!  Yep, a single mile.  The thought of it is almost as intimidating as a marathon!  The mile is a fast race, and a brief glance at last year's times revealed that some serious speedsters take part in this race!  But after seven months of inactivity, I wanted a short distance (as well as something different) to really get my training nice and focused.  A competitive mile may be out of my league right now, but I'm throwing fear to the wind and going for it!  Plus, it would give me a pretty nice training window.  The race is on March 15, which would allow me 12 weeks to prepare.  I got my training plan squared away and this was my first week.  It's a race that I hope will keep my motivated, since I won't want to be the guy at the back of the pack posting the 10-minute mile.  But it's also a race that seems unique and memorable, as the course runs right through beachfront Encinitas' downtown. 

So this was week one, and it got off to a pretty rocky start.  On Saturday I got hit with some sort of stomach bug.  It kept me in bed all day Sunday, and even Monday I wasn't feeling 100%.  But this is the week of Christmas, and there'll be lots of running around to and fro, visiting family.  I knew getting three runs in would be challenging.  So with Monday out, Tuesday became a must-run day.  I still wasn't 100% come Tuesday evening, but I felt well enough to muster a slow mile, which was all the distance I needed.  It was a struggle for sure, but honestly not as bad as I thought it would be.  I took it slow (as the time above indicates) and stopped once to check out some Christmas lights, but overall it was a promising run, and without the sickness it would have been even better.  It was a slightly cold evening (54° when I started) and the lights on the houses kept things interesting.  It was only one mile, so a very small start.  But it's taking that first step that is usually so hard.  With one run down, I have 35 left till race day.  Let's see what running adventures 2015 might bring!