Day 1,853: 12-mile run

After lots and lots of procrastination today, went out for a 12-mile run to catch up on my miles for the week.

Run was extremely pleasant, despite the fact that I didn't want to run today. The weather started out at 48.6 degrees and climbed to 64 degrees. A single long-sleeved technical T-shirt worked for the entire run. I'm glad I didn't have a second shirt layer.

In races I usually eat a gel at about mile 9. Today I didn't have any energy gel or water but I could tell that I felt a little more tired than normal at about 11 miles or so.

Given my stiff shoe problems with my new shoes so far, I decided to wear my backups, my Adidas running shoes that I bought at Costco for $30 and use for walking/caching. They did fine.

Time: 11:30 a.m.
Temp: 48.6 degrees (climbed to 64)
Gear: Technical T-shirt, long (Atlanta Half Marathon '09), shorts, Adidas running shoes.

Day 1,849: Run in the rain; 500 miles

It had been raining pretty steadily the last few days and today was no different. The weather really reminded me of when I lived in the Pacific Northwest. Over there you had to get used to running in the rain -- or you didn't get to run.

At least over there, I had a pair of waterproof Nike running shoes that I'd bought at a Sports Authority in the Chicago suburbs.

I didn't have that kind of luxury today but I wanted to run in my regular running shoes anyway because logging about 1.8 miles today would mean I would put 500 miles on them -- that's usually when I retire them for a new pair of shoes.

It's taken me a while -- and lots of money -- trying different windbreakers to find out which one can protect me the most during steady rain. I finally found a good one -- a yellow Novarra windbreaker that is used for cycling -- it has a zipper pouch along the flat of the back.

Wore it today. My shoes got wet quickly and although it wasn't the worst thing in the world, my legs were kind of tired so I opted for a 2-mile loop instead of the 4.2 mile regular course that I have.

Although wet, my shoes were able to retire today knowing that they've put in 500 good miles of running the last few months.

Time: 11:00 a.m.
Temp: 49 degrees, light rain
Gear: Technical T, long (Atlanta Half Marathon '11), shorts, Novarra windbreaker, white Jager hat, Nike Air Pegasus+ 27/A.

Day 1,841: Return to the Riverpark!

After 3 years and 7 months, I finally made a return to the Tunica Riverpark. Instead of having to run in casino parking lots, it's been a great place for me in the past to get in a 2-mile run on a nice trail through woods.

This time around, there was an added bonus: It was filled with geocaches. I drove over there in the crisp morning. It was about 36 degrees out. I bundled up appropriately!

I didn't park where I'd normally parked, opting for a slightly longer run along the river.

I don't think people have been around this nature trail for a while because the first thing I noticed was long pieces of animal droppings on the boardwalk. There was water underneath the boardwalk but not the flooding that I saw in 2008.

The trail has been upgraded from just a path to one with nice little pebbles that possibly could be traversed with a wheelchair.

It was cold and in the end I got a 3.5-mile run in along the entire complex.

Time: 9 a.m.
Temp: 32 degrees
Gear: Technical T-shirt, long (x2), running pants, gloves, Marmot windbreaker, Adidas running shoes.

Day 1,830: 28 degrees and climbing

It was 28 degrees out for the run, but unlike the previous day, the weather climbed during the run (and for the rest of the day, too).

I bundled up like the previous day but within three-quarters of a mile out shed the hat and the gloves. By 1.8 miles the windbreaker was a little much and it was tied around my waist by 2 miles.

I don't know what the temperature was when I finished but it certainly wasn't 28 degrees anymore.

Time: 9 a.m.
Temp: 28 degrees
Gear: Tech T, long (x2), Marmot windbreaker, running pants, gloves, Novarra watch cap, Nike Air Pegasus+ 27/A.

Day 1,829: 24 degrees out!

Today's run is the coldest I've run in so far this winter. At 24 degrees, I really had to bundle up.

But what to wear? I looked back at this blog and noticed that I wore pretty much everything.

So I went with it all -- double layers, running pants, windbreaker, hat, gloves. At about .75 of a mile, I took my hat off. My head just got too warm to keep it on.

At about 1.8 miles, my gloves came off, although they went back on and off for the next .5 miles. In the end, I had to wear my left glove because the Garmin watch makes it harder to pull the sleeve over it.

Like other times, though, the cold made me procrastinate but once out and running it was great!

Time: 8 a.m.
Temp: 24 degrees
Gear: Tech T, long (x2), Marmot windbreaker, Outdoor Research hat, gloves, running pants, Nike Air Pegasus+ 27/A.