Week 2: Day 2 - January 10, 2017

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 4.64 miles; time = 55:37; average pace @ 11:59
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.4 miles

I checked the weather forecast on  Saturday evening. It said that it would be mostly cloudy today. Who knew that it would there would be some light drizzle or mist during my run this morning. I'm not opposed to having rain. Why not rain in the afternoon after I do my run and do a decent walk with my dogs? Or on days that I don't have a run? Or when I'm sleeping? Or only when I'm at work? I think I will just be fine running on most trails, but the two super hilly trail runs that I wanted to do (one at a jr college campus and one that I use to train for a half marathon) may be too wet and muddy, and I don't like to run in mud. I have to wait until next week to run at school. It is also suppose to rain tomorrow morning and Thursday morning. I am working on Friday morning, so no run on that day (I am a morning runner). While it will be sunny and clear on Friday morning, I won't be going to work by bike. I would have tried if I didn't have other plans (not working) on Thursday evening. I may be too tired on Friday morning.

Week 1: Day 7 - January 08, 2017

• easy trail/road RUN with one dog = 4.87 miles; time = 57:21; average pace @ 11:47
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.6 miles
• local bike ride = 15.01 miles; time = 1:18:40; average pace @ 11.5 mph

Running:

Total Weekly Mileage: 16.91
Total Monthly Mileage: 20.96

Total Yearly Mileage: 20.96

Total Shoe Mileage: 44.24

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 52.45

Total Monthly Mileage: 52.45

Total Yearly Mileage: 52.45

I checked the weather forecast a few days around Wednesday or Thursday. It said that it called for rain on Monday (tomorrow) and Friday next week. I am working in the morning tomorrow and Friday and I have already decided not to ride (bike) to work on these days because of the rain. I checked the weather forecast again yesterday. It has changed and now calls for rain tomorrow and Wednesday...maybe a little bit on Thursday evening with no rain on Friday. Now I wouldn't care to be in the rain when I run, but I had planned to run on certain trails (two short yet hilly runs...one at a local junior college and one on off campus, but close by) Thursday morning. While I will be okay to run on the OFF-campus trail, I have to avoid the one at school because it will be very muddy and I don't like to run in mud. The rain/weather has screwed up my running plans and I have to come up with a back up plan now. I suppose I can run on my other hilly trail run that I normally do when I'm training for a half marathon. I'm running a 10k race next month and the course is hilly, so I have to train on hills. It's also a good thing that I'm making an effort to cycle because I can feel EVERY hill on a bike.

Week 1: Day 4 - January 05, 2016

• easy road run (solo) = 3.28 miles; time = 37:49; average pace @ 11:32
• easy walk with dogs = 1.8 miles

I checked the weather forecast last week and I knew that it would rain this morning. I had told myself that I wanted to do two short, yet semi (to super) hilly trail runs on Wednesday (yesterday). But I forgot and didn't do them yesterday because I thought I would do them today. I ended up doing an easier route and avoided being on the muddy trails. I don't like attempting to run in mud. Mud is slippery. I don't want to slip and pull a muscle. I also don't want mud caked onto my shoes, adding extra weight and feeling slower than I already do. I ended up not walking my dogs as much as I wanted to because of the rain/drizzle.

Anyway, I still went for a run this morning. It was a little drizzle-y and misty, but I didn't bring my dog with me on the run. It's not missing a run will affect her general fitness level anyway.

I haven't signed up for any half marathons yet, but I am considering one in October. I will be raising funds for "Train 4 Autism" and I am friends with the organizer of this non-profit. He will have a promo code ready in April or May which will give us a discounted entry fee for the race. The last time that I did the race for that non-profit, I ended up getting a free race entry for using the promo code, so who knows. The race was also $80 for the early bird special in 2013. The entry fee is now $95 when I checked last month (December 2016)....and that's the early bird special. I do not know why the entry fee increase, but $80 is already so expensive!

Anyway....if I choose to do a half marathon in October, I have between now and mid-June to randomly miss a run here and there. I am training for a 10k (to be scheduled on Sunday, February 12) and I don't necessarily need to run four times a week for fun or while training for a 10k.

Week 1: Day 3 - January 04, 2017

• easy trail RUN with one dog = 4.59 miles; time = 55:58; average pace @ 12:12
• easy WALK with dogs = 2.5 miles

Attempted to take a nap after my run this morning with no such luck. I did close my eyes and it seemed like I was sleeping, but I didn't feel like I got any quality sleep.

Week 1: Day 2 - January 03, 2017

• easy trail RUN with one dog = 4.17 miles; time = 49:24; average pace @ 11:51
• easy WALK with dogs = 2.6 miles

I used to be able to take a one hour nap after going for a morning run. I do not know what happened and why I stopped. I have a hard time taking a nap after a run now. I am always tired and I really wish that I can take a nap even for 30 minutes or one hour after my morning runs.

Week 1: Day 1 - January 02, 2017

• bike commute to work = 37.44 miles round trip; time = 3:01:48; average pace @ 12.4 mph
• easy walk with dogs = 2.6 miles

In a way, I forgot that it would be "quiet" with less traffic (almost none) this morning because many people are/were still on "holiday" today. I went to work by bike forgetting this and came to that realization, four miles into my commute when I was wondering to myself why there were no cars out. I didn't bother to turn around to go home, and then go to work by car. I really am not afraid of rush hour traffic and I like it a little busy. Yes, I was a little worried that someone would hit me and run, leaving me in the street to die, and then not knowing when the next motorist will pull over to help me. But you know, I can't live in fear and this was just one time. If I survived, I would feel better for getting a ride in. I also saw the weather forecast yesterday. I knew that there would be a tiny chance that light rain. There was a little bit of mist, but it wasn't bad and I survived that too. I would not have gone out for a ride if it was a little bit more rain than that.

Week 52: Day 7 - January 01, 2017

• easy trail RUN with one dog = 4.05 miles; time = 47:38; average pace @ 11:46
• easy WALK with three dogs = 2.6 miles

Running: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 11.91

Total Monthly (December) Mileage: 81.81

Total Monthly (January) Mileage: 4.05
Total Yearly (2016) Mileage: 966.99

Total Yearly (2017) Mileage: 4.05

Total Shoe Mileage: 27.33

Cycling: 

Total Weekly Mileage: 0

Total Monthly (December) Mileage: 60.9
Total Yearly (2016) Mileage:1701.98

My original 2016 goal for running was 800 miles. I met that goal plus more! It helped that I had a schedule for running and treated it like it was an appointment:

1. Never miss a Monday (...or Tuesday) - Mondays are generally my non-running days since 2007

2. Run three days a week

3. Never miss more than two days of no running

4. Never give up

I also decided to run four days a week in 2016. I missed a few days of running, so I could have easily gotten 1,000 miles. Because I chose to run four days a week with one day of crosstraining (cycling), I lost 20 lbs. I need to figure out how to eat better so I can lose more weight.

When the time changed in March, I decided to ride/cycle to work once or twice a week. Because you know...it's environmentally friendlier, good for one's health, good crosstraining for runners, and saves gas money. Who knew that 2016 would be the year for flat tires! I have had my bike for three and a half years now, and I had eight flat tires just in 2016 alone. I didn't have a flat tire before 2016. I did change out the tubes (one front and one back) before,  but only because they were old and wearing out. All that gas money I saved went towards buying new tubes! I could have used the money for new running shoes, a race, or other fun things. On the bright side, running on challenging hills (mountains in my mind) became so much easier for me because of those times spent riding to work (you can feel EVERY hill, no matter how small or big, on a bike)!