I probably should have just left my watch on Run instead of changing to Walk, but I still would have had to walk a decent amount. Just an irrational need to not have my Run workout look slow, I suppose. I should be able to get back out there tomorrow during lunch or after work. Imma be tough no matter what.

Is it just too cold or icy there right now?

Back on track the last couple days.

No watch, no tracker, no music. Just me and the dog.

Nice. You should do a 5k.

Work conference next week in the Texas hill country. I can't wait to check out some running trails out there. Gotta be good running this time of year.

Tried intervals. Yeah that didn't last long.

3 miles in 27:35. Most of the run felt great.

Did it suck at the beginning or end or middle?

Only toward the end when my breathing was more difficult. I usually feel that more around halfway in. I probably could have gone be faster during sections also though.

The Houston Marathon is this weekend. A goal of mine is to get a marathon before my 40th b-day (May 2023) and this one is the most obvious candidate. Hard not to get caught up in the buzz over the weekend. All the runners are picking up their bib packets at the expo around the corner from where I work, and the route crosses a lot of my local areas. Exciting times that make me just want to go out for a run right this second.

Rooting for you.

Remind me again did you previously run a lot, or is the last year or so a new experience?

I've run since middle school. My distance in track was the half mile and the mile, and I usually placed at meets. To this day, the drum and bass beat of the breakdown for the Toadies song "Possum Kingdom" is synonymous with a running cadence in my head. All I listened to before track meets in the 90s.

In college and my early 20s, I didn't run much. I discovered bikes and did a couple of endurance races, including a 150 mile two day ride from Houston to Austin. I liked it but it didn't ever make me want to go further or challenge myself beyond that.

Late 20s I suddenly decided I wanted to run again, and kind of dedicated myself to it. Not fully, but enough to buy shoes and stay interested. That boom in my life culminated in a half marathon down the Vegas strip. Like the long distance bike ride, after I was done I was done. For a long while. I didn't train for that race and am surprised I even finished. It was an accomplishment. Something I could check off a list. I don't even remember my finishing time.

I really started thinking seriously about running in 2017. A few reasons combined here to help me get into it for real. I was getting married that year so I wanted to get in shape for the photos. Hurricane Harvey really hurt my city, including the bayou greenways, and I ran and rode them as a way to show solidarity in the nice things a city can provide, and also this thread was in high gear and I kind of got fomo. I read Born to Run and really connected with a few characters in that book. Everything just kind of clicked. But still it sucked. Running sucked and I wasn't very good at it. It was all in the mind. I never could break past that 3 mile mark or see any improvements, so I sort of gave up again. Not fully, but not a "regular" runner and certianly not in any mindset to sign up for or finish a race.

It really wasn't until my son was born in 2019 and the pandemic doldrums of 2020 combined to really help me make it a part of my life as important as breathing. There was also a fundraiser thing for an ultra runner who fell ill in 2020 (Tommy Rivs) and the whole Ahmaud Arbery thing that fired me up and showed me that running in one's life is a gift and can be Important with a capital I. Somehow I pushed into longer distances than 5k, learned to slow down and enjoy the weekly mileage, and just have fun with it. Exploring new routes and never running the same loop twice in a row helps with this. Getting new shoes helps with this. Talking in this thread and on Strava helps with this. Signing up for a race definitely helped with this.

It's been a long journey and I don't blame anyone for taking a lifetime to buy in to running. It's certainly taken me a while.

Probably a lot of typos in that post. I was typing frantically and getting it all out. I will not edit so please forgive the mistakes.

Getting into long run territory for real this week. 8 miles in 1 hour & 14 minutes. Actively using these runs to test gatorade and gel strategy. Gatorade will be at the aid stations so that's what I'm carrying on these test runs.

Mile 3.5 - swig of Gatorade
Mile 5 - Huma gel. All natural with chia and brown rice syrup for sweetener. Caffeine in it as well.
Mile 6.5 - more Gatorade

After the gel I was floating. Started out with a 9:45/mile pace and finished with an 8:23/mile pace. No noticeable stomach issues.

Good run but super windy. Like, running against a wall for the first half of an out and back windy.

Dang, bro. You were booking it.

Did 4 miles in 36:50 to beat my personal best by one minute. I was sucking wind for a few minutes afterward, but overall it felt pretty dang good.

Beating by a minute is no joke. Good run, my man.

Thanks pal. I've really turned a corner over the last month. I'm really jonesing to do a race now.

Definitely do a 10k like you've been talking about. Get the race day feel.

There's actually going to be an 8k here in the summer. I know that's a way out, but I think that would be a good thing to experience before a 10k. I can get a few 5k's in before then also.