Training with Flies

ounce wrote:Period 2 should have a make or break theme song.  I'll have to think about it.

This week and next will be normal Wednesday and Friday runs with lifting on TTh.

I did wake up this morning with the intent of lifting, if the body was accommodating.  It was because I wasn't stiff, draggy, nor wanting to go back to sleep.  I tweaked my routing, there, to include the incline bench press (one of the 3 laying bench press machines).  Last week, when I lifted all three versions (flat, incline, and decline), I noticed the incline bench press was not able to lift the same reps as the other two.  So, today, I did some remedial lifting.  The incline works the Clavicular Head of the Pectoralis Major.  I can certainly confirm the incline press works that muscle.

The other two benches I can do 3 sets of 6 at 90 pounds.  The incline is 3 wobbly sets of 4 at 90.  Below is your picture aid of two of the three muscles.


Tomorrow is 5 or 6 at a 'high' cadence.  Something around 157, maybe even testing 160.  Certainly a hammock emptying number.  That coupled with lifting today ought to be awfully interesting as to energy stores.

Thanks, Nancy.

It will be interesting to see how the lifting and higher cadence goals affect the run tomorrow.  Good luck.  Fingers crossed for some of that cooler weather again.

Nice 5 yesterday.  You did a nice job of pushing those tired, uncooperative legs during the last mile.  Cadence fluttered but wasn't bad at all.  And your pace didn't drop much either.  Good to hear temperatures are cooling slightly.  

nkrichards wrote:Nice 5 yesterday.  You did a nice job of pushing those tired, uncooperative legs during the last mile.  Cadence fluttered but wasn't bad at all.  And your pace didn't drop much either.  Good to hear temperatures are cooling slightly.  

Thanks, Nancy.  We're in our late Summer time period.  The air you can wear seems to be saying 'until next year.'  Guess I'll be in that transition period from plodding to jogging.  I am very curious to see how all of the running in the heat since MAY will affect the splits in this Period 2 to Thanksgiving.  May, June, and July were very hot for the months they were, while August was wet and, as a result, not the normal very hottest month of the year.  It was 'seasonal.'

And an extremely tame hurricane season with zero, absolutely zero, named tropical systems in the Atlantic in August.  That hasn't happened since 1997.  The Saharan dust that traverses the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico mostly in June, has lasted all Summer, except for the first two weeks in September.  This past Saturday, September 10, was the apex of the busiest time in hurricane season.  Only five named storms, so far.

So, I've been able to plod all Summer.  Those mornings with 82 ambient degrees with a dew point of 80, are gone.

Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch watching the Texans tie the Colts and wondered what my 'calmly sitting' HR was. 53 bpm in the middle of the afternoon.  Boy, that's low.

Friday was the sorta long run, if the legs were agreeable.  I wanted to make this a real sorta long run, which I believe to be half of the long run distance.  It was 75 degrees with a 74 dewpoint.  Not really a noticeable difference between a 80-80 morning.  But it became more and more noticeable as the miles clicked along because I wasn't bleeding time as the miles added up.

Cadence was set at 150.  Last Wednesday's 5 mile run was at a 157 cadence.

I finished 9 miles at 149 average.  Stride length continues to be low at 0.68.  Normal for me is 72-75.

I was able to click off those 149 spm with no problem. 15:48 pace at 129 avg HR.

One thing I surmised back in August about the plodding.  At 16 and 17 minute paces, even 15, it takes a whole lot of steps to cover any distance, compared to the steps needed to cover the same distance, but at 13 minute paces.  My poor tootsies.  This has caused a near-problem with one toe, but I don't run in pain.  And since a sharp, stabbing pain is our threshold for stopping, I keep going.

I lifted on Thursday, too.

I want to get faster, as it's the only way to finish the marathon, officially.

Today.  Long run day.  A slow moving cool front (moreso a dry air line) is slowly making it's way through Texas. Tuesday morning, it's supposed to be 68 degrees.  Supposed to be that for Wednesday and Thursday, too!  But not today.

This morning, I did not wake up when the alarm went off, but did 30 minutes later.  I wanted to run 16 miles as it was my plan for 2 weeks ago, so why not today?  I carried 9 Fig Newtons, which is calculated as 1 Fig Newton per mile, starting at mile 7 when wobbling occurs due to brain fog.

It was 80 degrees at 1:30 a.m. with a dewpoint of 68 degrees.  Like on Friday's run, it felt like 80 degrees.  The cadence was 146.  By mile 6, I wasn't doing too bad.  There was a slight north breeze and I hadn't squeezed out sweat out of my sweatband as frequent.  By mile 9, I was still doing 146 and hadn't touched the Fig Newtons.  At mile 10.5, I pulled out the first Fig Newton.  Let me restate this, with 5.5 miles to go, my brain fog was occurring.  I had noticed during August that the brain fog was delaying its occurrence.

This was so gratifying.  I was holding cadence and holding pace in the 16's, even though I detest that pace.

By mile 13, I was tickled to death that I was going to finish 16 and it was my motivation to finish the 3.

Why was I finishing 16 today, when I couldn't just 2 weeks ago?  It was the cooler morning, plain and simple.  My body wasn't working as hard trying to keep me cool because the air temperature and lower dewpoint was bearing more of the burden.

I did finish the 16 only 2 minutes slower than budget. 16:08 pace.  Avg HR was 128.  Avg cadence was 146.  I was consistently above 130 for the second half of the run.  I came to mile 15 and I had to stop due to fatigue.  I rested for a minute or so, then completed the final mile.

I checked the temperature after the run.  It was 74 degrees with a dew point of 69.  It had cooled a whopping 6 degrees in 4 hours.  Usually during the Summer, you're lucky if it cools 2 degrees.

So the weather was a large factor in my completing 16 miles, today.

Something funny to me, post-run.  There was SO much dirt on my shoes due to about 10 miles of plodding on a crushed granite trail at Memorial Park that when I took my shoe off at the front door and dropped it to the ground that it made a thud and sat right where it landed.  Usually, it will hit the ground and lay over on its side with a modified bounce.  Not today.  It was like it had a 5 pound weight inside.

Excellent, but tiring, run today.  I just need to get faster, now.  NOW!  We'll see.  Thanks for reading.

nkrichards wrote:
Excellent, but tiring, run today.  I just need to get faster, now.  NOW!  We'll see.  Thanks for reading.

From my viewpoint you had a pretty impressive week and a very impressive long run on Monday.  To finish 16 after 9 on Friday is a huge jump in mileage.  And you're maintaining your cadence much better than earlier in the year.  I know the slow paces are frustrating but you've identified the heat/humidity as at least part of the problem and trained right through them.  I think the speed will come as you continue to rack up mileage with challenging weeks like last week...and the weather cools.


Curious to hear how you're feeling today.  I would be surprised if it didn't take a day or two to recover from your long run.


Take care of yourself.

I hadn't considered the 9 miles on Friday with the 16 yesterday.  I did get good sleep over the weekend, except Sunday night, which is expected since I get up at 12:30 a.m.  Yeah, 25 miles in 4 days is pretty darn good.  Thanks for noticing that, Nancy.

I've made it a standard practice that when I go to sleep on Monday nights, I don't set the alarm.  For some reason, I wake up more during the night after a long run, than any other day.  

I didn't go to sleep early, last night, because the 1972 movie "The Godfather" was playing at the theater for 1 night.  I never saw it in the theater and the ticket was $5.  Almost a 3 hour movie.  On TV, I've never seen it all the way through.  it dragged some, but was good when it was good.

I got about 7 hours sleep.  I had just minimal stiffness, but when I went to go get the mail, I could tell there were some muscle cells that didn't want to be awakened.  Even now, I could go back to sleep.

I will try to run on Wednesday.  If I do, it'll be 5 miles, but I'm also considering using Wednesdays as hill work at the parking garage.  Maybe every other Wednesday.  Still in the development stage.

I'll get to bed earlier, tonight.  And by the way, out at IAH this morning, the official low was 68 degrees.  The last time Houston was in the 60's was May 28th at 63 degrees.  My Weatherbug location (about 3 miles east) got down to 71.  It's trending in the right direction.

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:
Excellent, but tiring, run today.  I just need to get faster, now.  NOW!  We'll see.  Thanks for reading.

From my viewpoint you had a pretty impressive week and a very impressive long run on Monday.  To finish 16 after 9 on Friday is a huge jump in mileage.  And you're maintaining your cadence much better than earlier in the year.  I know the slow paces are frustrating but you've identified the heat/humidity as at least part of the problem and trained right through them.  I think the speed will come as you continue to rack up mileage with challenging weeks like last week...and the weather cools.


Curious to hear how you're feeling today.  I would be surprised if it didn't take a day or two to recover from your long run.


Take care of yourself.

I hadn't considered the 9 miles on Friday with the 16 yesterday.  I did get good sleep over the weekend, except Sunday night, which is expected since I get up at 12:30 a.m.  Yeah, 25 miles in 4 days is pretty darn good.  Thanks for noticing that, Nancy.

I've made it a standard practice that when I go to sleep on Monday nights, I don't set the alarm.  For some reason, I wake up more during the night after a long run, than any other day.  

I didn't go to sleep early, last night, because the 1972 movie "The Godfather" was playing at the theater for 1 night.  I never saw it in the theater and the ticket was $5.  Almost a 3 hour movie.  On TV, I've never seen it all the way through.  it dragged some, but was good when it was good.

I got about 7 hours sleep.  I had just minimal stiffness, but when I went to go get the mail, I could tell there were some muscle cells that didn't want to be awakened.  Even now, I could go back to sleep.

I will try to run on Wednesday.  If I do, it'll be 5 miles, but I'm also considering using Wednesdays as hill work at the parking garage.  Maybe every other Wednesday.  Still in the development stage.

I'll get to bed earlier, tonight.  And by the way, out at IAH this morning, the official low was 68 degrees.  The last time Houston was in the 60's was May 28th at 63 degrees.  My Weatherbug location (about 3 miles east) got down to 71.  It's trending in the right direction.

Funny...the combined mileage for the two runs was the first thing that caught my eye. 

Good to hear you're not overly tired.  Also good to hear the temps are trending downward.

Marty often watches parts of the Godfather movies.  He's seen them so many times he can practically recite the lines before they do.  I've only seen them in bits and pieces so struggle to follow.

Enjoy your Wednesday run.

Well, I usually just deal with the Sunday-Saturday stats, but I thank you for noticing it.

-30-

This morning it was 72 degrees with a dewpoint of 70.  Still feeling the humidity, but I'm not sweating through my warmup.  Thursday, the humidity comes back and it looks like it'll be more than 10 days before cooler temps come back.  Though mid-70s will be the high side, not 82.

Reading over Nancy's speed work, last night, got me to thinking about how to execute my 5 mile run today.  It had been setting the gnome at the highest number where I thought I could maintain for the entire 5 miles or maybe just bleed some cadence in the last mile.

Since I need to increase pace from mid-16s to 13 even in 12-15 weeks, I felt like I need to dabble in the increasing of cadence more aggressively on the 5 mile distance.

Her speedwork was a 4 x prescribed distance at a pace.  So, my fly was to do 5 x 1 mile at 155, then 157 for mile 2, then 159 for mile 3, then 161 for miles 4 and 163 for 5.

It worked pretty well.  The legs and especially the lungs were not used to the 157+ cadences.  The heart was unimpressed.  For mile 5, I forgot to increase to 163 because of technical difficulties of the battery falling out of the gnome.  I was settling in to the cadences during mile two with my breathing that held to mile 4.  Then, I started bleeding a bit in time to the end of the run.  I was glad that it worked as well as it did.

The legs in the first mile and a half were whining, due to Monday's 16.  But settled down.

Split were all in the 14's.  That was nice.  Avg cadence was 158 and avg bpm was 128.  120-132 bpm.  I was very surprised the HR wasn't higher for the style and numbers in the cadence.

Something to build upon for next time.  Last Friday's sorta long run of 9 miles was at a 150 cadence and did that cadence for the whole run, but a pace of 15:40+ into the 16s.  It was 75 degrees, last Friday, and ought to be that again, this Friday.

This coming Monday, I will not increase the mileage, rather probably 13.  Thanks for reading.

Lifting, tomorrow.

ounce wrote:Well, I usually just deal with the Sunday-Saturday stats, but I thank you for noticing it.

-30-

This morning it was 72 degrees with a dewpoint of 70.  Still feeling the humidity, but I'm not sweating through my warmup.  Thursday, the humidity comes back and it looks like it'll be more than 10 days before cooler temps come back.  Though mid-70s will be the high side, not 82.

Reading over Nancy's speed work, last night, got me to thinking about how to execute my 5 mile run today.  It had been setting the gnome at the highest number where I thought I could maintain for the entire 5 miles or maybe just bleed some cadence in the last mile.

Since I need to increase pace from mid-16s to 13 even in 12-15 weeks, I felt like I need to dabble in the increasing of cadence more aggressively on the 5 mile distance.

Her speedwork was a 4 x prescribed distance at a pace.  So, my fly was to do 5 x 1 mile at 155, then 157 for mile 2, then 159 for mile 3, then 161 for miles 4 and 163 for 5.

It worked pretty well.  The legs and especially the lungs were not used to the 157+ cadences.  The heart was unimpressed.  For mile 5, I forgot to increase to 163 because of technical difficulties of the battery falling out of the gnome.  I was settling in to the cadences during mile two with my breathing that held to mile 4.  Then, I started bleeding a bit in time to the end of the run.  I was glad that it worked as well as it did.

The legs in the first mile and a half were whining, due to Monday's 16.  But settled down.

Split were all in the 14's.  That was nice.  Avg cadence was 158 and avg bpm was 128.  120-132 bpm.  I was very surprised the HR wasn't higher for the style and numbers in the cadence.

Something to build upon for next time.  Last Friday's sorta long run of 9 miles was at a 150 cadence and did that cadence for the whole run, but a pace of 15:40+ into the 16s.  It was 75 degrees, last Friday, and ought to be that again, this Friday.

This coming Monday, I will not increase the mileage, rather probably 13.  Thanks for reading.

Lifting, tomorrow.

I like the added variety/challenge that you achieved with your 5 mile "fly".  

Your run would be considered a progression run...you gradually increased the challenge as the run progressed.  Melissa often puts progression runs in my schedule.  The speedwork runs normally include a rest period.  A set number of intervals at a set pace with a rest period between each interval.  For example....My 4 x 1 mile run consisted of a 1 mile warmup at easy pace, 4 x 1 mile @ HMP-10 seconds with a 400 rest period at easy pace between each interval, a 1 mile cooldown.

The goal of speedwork is to increase turnover (cadence) which is one of your goals at this point.  Some of the speedwork intervals are quite short...as short as a 400 or even just 30 seconds of hard effort.  These are done at a quicker pace.  Others are longer and slightly slower but still a step up from marathon pace.

Interestingly, I think your progression run was a good way to increase cadence...AND...it also would have helped build endurance.  The name is just a name.  The important thing is I think it was a good choice of runs that helps you progress toward your goal.  

Bravo for adding it to your schedule.  And an even bigger Bravo for completing it well!!

Thanks for the explanation, Nancy. I can count on one hand how many times I have done those. Only once can I remember training for a marathon for anything other than beating the cutoff time.

I will have to think about where else I can insert that. I feel like I have to do a combination of tactics to speed me up.

Yesterday, I lifted weights and it seems like I am losing a bit of bench press strength. I am considering the idea of lifting in the evening of a Monday long run. I think I'll be too sleepy to do it, though. I could use lighter weights.

Today, I was not able to run due to GI whining that started Thursday evening. But! That might allow me the rest to run another long run in the 16 range rather than a step back distance on Monday.

Temps will be in sync with dew points around 75, then.

Y'all have a good weekend!

ounce wrote:Thanks for the explanation, Nancy.  I can count on one hand how many times I have done those.  Only once can I remember training for a marathon for anything other than beating the cutoff time.

I will have to think about where else I can insert that.  I feel like I have to do a combination of tactics to speed me up.  

Yesterday, I lifted weights and it seems like I am losing a bit of bench press strength.  I am considering the idea of lifting in the evening of a Monday long run.  I think I'll be too sleepy to do it, though.  I could use lighter weights.

Today, I was not able to run due to GI whining that started Thursday evening.  But!  That might allow me the rest to run another long run in the 16 range rather than a step back distance on Monday.

Temps will be in sync with dew points around 75, then.

Y'all have a good weekend!

I think that increasing your cadence will result in a quicker pace and help you toward your goal of beating the cutoff time.  And that seems to be what you're trying to do with the cadence work you've been doing.  I do think that the 5x1 run you did was an effective way to train the cadence...and it also would have helped improve endurance.  You're on the right track.  Speedwork runs...as described earlier...are another tool but I'm not sure they would help any more than the progression type run you did.  They might if they enabled you to run at a higher target cadence for a short period...training your legs to respond a bit quicker.

Peter (PT) recommended that I work on increasing my cadence by doing quick step ups and jumping rope.  He said it only takes a couple 30 second intervals to activate those fast twitch muscles.  I have to admit I haven't had time to do them very often.  In your case I think just 30 second of stationary fast running would be very helpful.  It should be followed by full recovery if you plan to do more than one repetition.  There are all kinds of "tricks" in the bag and we only have so much time so we have to prioritize and pick what we think works best for us.

Hope you're able to fit in some lifting time.  It will get harder as your mileage increases.

Sorry to hear you had to skip your Friday run but as you said you should be well rested for Monday.

Enjoy your weekend.

Monday's run ended up being an almost July temp run.  I should've been rest enough to finish 13 miles, at minimum.  Turns out, the heat started taking its toll about 7.5 miles and I finished 10 miles, then the 3 mile walk back home.  Disappointing.

I did take advantage of the recovery at home and stood more inside, rather than just sitting.  I would stand until my feet hurt, which didn't happen.  I would also walk around the complex more.  I was thinking that those muscles firing to keep me standing would help in the recovery.

I don't know if it was that or what, but come Tuesday morning, I was not too tired to go to lift.  This is the first Tuesday that I've lifted in a couple of months.  So, that was nice.

Buuuuuut, maybe the flip side was not doing well on my run on Wednesday.  Digging a bit deeper, I had the cadence set at 160 spm on Wednesday.  I think I got three-fourths of a mile before I decided to stop.  So, the working hypothesis is that not lifting on Tuesdays helps Monday's recovery and makes running successfully on Wednesdays possible.  160 cadence was a stretch to try to run 5 miles.  I just didn't think I would have to stop so soon.

Thursday became a second try of Wednesday 5 mile run.  Started at 154 and would advance 2 spm per mile up to 162 at mile 5.  It was 77 degrees with a dew point of 74.  The run was decent, overall.  I wasn't able to maintain cadence during miles 3 and 4, but was able to dig a bit deeper to hold on through mile 5.

Today became a sleep catch up morning.  It's been a weird week.

Looking ahead to next week, Monday's morning weather will be like Thursday.  But a cool front will move through on Monday lunchtime that'll drop morning temps on Tuesday into the 60s for the rest of the week!  Soooo, I'm going to move my long run from Monday to another day, in order to take advantage of the 60s.  The cool weather is supposed to last a week!  I'm talking like 68 Tuesday and 60 on Friday for a low with dew points in the 40s.

Might do a 5 mile progression on Monday, long run Wednesday, then something on Friday or Saturday morning.  Yes, I have a rare weekend off.

I'll have to ponder whether I'm doing it in the right order.  That's the news!

This coming week poses a

This morning, it was 79 degrees with a dew point of 74.  I imagine this will be the last hurrah of Summer.  A cool front has passed through Houston this morning and the dry air has started sifting through.  It's still supposed to get up to 95, today.  But the lows for the next 10 days are to be in the 60s or 50s.  

Mondays are usually long run days, but I pulled a swap in anticipation of the lower lows.  Wednesday it will supposed to be 61 degrees, just a scant 18 degrees cooler than this morning.  Did I mention the dew point is supposed to be in the 40s?

Might have to break out my tights.

The query is how far to run this morning?  So, I decided to do a 4 mile progression run because I think I'll recover well enough by Wednesday that the cooler temps will offset any remaining recovery.

I started at 155 spm, then increased 2 spm/mile up to a max of 161 for mile 4.  Depending on which app I look at determines which time, even though Strava takes their time from Polar.  Polar is a little slower.  Don't know why.  Cadence and stride length data comes from Garmin

4 miles, 59:49, 14:56 pace, 120 avg bpm, 135 max bpm, 157 avg cadence, 0.69 avg stride length
1.  15:36, 109 bpm, 154 spm, 67 sl
2.  14:54, 119 bpm, 157 spm, 68 sl
3.  15:20, 122 bpm, 157 spm, 69 sl
4.  13:58, 131 bpm, 160 spm, 72 sl 

I have mentioned once, recently, of my frustration with my stride length all summer.  But today, once I hit 160 cadence, my stride length increased back into the low 70s, which is normal for me.  

On Friday, I mentioned on Strava that on my 5th mile, I could only really do 162 cadence for 2 tenths of a mile, which is really sad.  I don't know, had I ran 5 miles today, if I could have ran a 161 cadence or not.  But I am very pleased with running a 161 cadence.

You might notice that mile 3 split was about 30 seconds slower than mile 2.  The only thing I can say about that is that I decided during mile 3 to run mile 4 and that thinking slowed me down?  Or I was sandbagging a little during mile 3.  Whatever it was, I could sure tell that I was going faster when I increased the cadence.  And I finally have a sub-14 split.  I still have to average around 13 for the marathon pace.  So, I am not in the clear by a long shot.

For the purpose of tomorrow's run, I slept in, today.  8 hours.  Figured that would help for tomorrow's run.  

Last night before bed, I went looking for Jupiter.  The next couple of nights, Jupiter is in the night's sky and is visible without binoculars and even with city lights.  It rises in the east, as the sun sets.  At 10 p.m., it was about 40-45 degrees elevated and all by itself.  Not quite as bright as Venus, but considering Jupiter is some 367 million miles from Earth and Jupiter is the closest to Earth since 1963, it bears seeing while it's available.  It won't be this close again until 2129.

When I looked at Jupiter, it was brisk outside.  For down here, 'brisk' is in the 40s.  It was about 74 with a dewpoint of 52 at 10 p.m.  Around 4 a.m., it was 66 with a dew point of 52.  Tomorrow, a bit cooler.

So, I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  I haven't decided on a distance, but 16-19 seems to be the brain's idea.  If the brain had to run it, the brain might have other ideas.

Y'all have a good day.

ounce wrote:For the purpose of tomorrow's run, I slept in, today.  8 hours.  Figured that would help for tomorrow's run.  

Last night before bed, I went looking for Jupiter.  The next couple of nights, Jupiter is in the night's sky and is visible without binoculars and even with city lights.  It rises in the east, as the sun sets.  At 10 p.m., it was about 40-45 degrees elevated and all by itself.  Not quite as bright as Venus, but considering Jupiter is some 367 million miles from Earth and Jupiter is the closest to Earth since 1963, it bears seeing while it's available.  It won't be this close again until 2129.

When I looked at Jupiter, it was brisk outside.  For down here, 'brisk' is in the 40s.  It was about 74 with a dewpoint of 52 at 10 p.m.  Around 4 a.m., it was 66 with a dew point of 52.  Tomorrow, a bit cooler.

So, I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  I haven't decided on a distance, but 16-19 seems to be the brain's idea.  If the brain had to run it, the brain might have other ideas.

Y'all have a good day.

I like what I'm seeing.  

Nice run on Monday.  It qualifies as speedwork in my book.  And I do think mixing things up like you're doing will help get you to your goal.  Long runs serve a purpose but they aren't the only path forward.

Good to hear that you planned some extra rest in preparation for tomorrows long run.  Hope you get the cooler temps they are predicting.  Don't forget to fuel before you feel like you need to.  It's a good idea to stay ahead when it comes to fueling.  Sounds to me like Fast Freddie has an evil twin that lives in your head...Far Freddie maybe.  Have a great run.  I'll check Strava in the morning before I head over to visit Mom.

I should pop my head out and see if I can see Jupiter tonight.  I think it's supposed to be clear.  Of course that means I need to stay up past dark.  That is a bit easier now that the days are getting shorter.    I'm normally in bed between 8:30 and 9:00.

Have a great run. 

Impressive effort this morning.  Hope you're resting up.  Recovery is just as important as training.

nkrichards wrote:Impressive effort this morning.  Hope you're resting up.  Recovery is just as important as training.

Thanks, Nancy.  It didn't feel so impressive the last 3 miles, but my mind convinced me that as I left the 3 mile loop for the 4th and final time, that every step I took is a step further than the 16 miles I finished a couple of weeks ago, plus I wanted to walk as little as possible even when the plodding took on new meaning.

-30-

So, it was 73 degrees, but with a dewpoint of 50 degrees, when I left.  When I returned, it was 64 degrees.  It was quite comfortable.  So comfortable that I pass along these two comments of comparison.  1)  I squeezed my headband twice with the combined amount of sweat less than the amount at mile 5 when the temps were 76/76 degrees.  2)  Parts of my shirt were still dry at the end.

I believe that I started the run at a 148 cadence, then increased it by one every second mile to 151, then every third mile (or per loop) until I got to 153 (about mile 9), then I kept it there for the duration.  I am always cognizant and eager to bump the cadence, so as to approach that 162 cadence.  I held the 153 until through mile 15, which I think is pretty darn cool.  Then, 151 at 16, 149 at 17, 140 at 18, and 135 at 19.  The Garmin's graph (also known as the 'pier' graph) for cadence was really pretty, up to the last 2 miles, when I jumped into the water.

You know, after finishing today's run, I was glad, but not tickled.  But tonight, I can say that I ran (but still plodding) 17 miles and slogged the final 2.  Considering 16 was my prior best length, hopping to 19 miles and finishing is right nice.

Nancy, I am recovering well, to my thinking.  I stood for most of the morning doing things and walked around the complex.  I find that limits the rigor mortis during the day, if I was just sitting.  My feet are surprisingly in good shape.  But going through the 3rd loop, my upper, upper thighs were really whining.  But I kept going and hoping it would stop whining.  It did by the start of the 4th loop.  Sitting for a time (like to type this report), then standing does cause some tightness to relieve by walking a bit.  Drinking a lot of water and eating a bunch of protein should help repair the muscles.  I took a 3 hour nap, this afternoon.  

Regarding Fig Newtons, I packed 12, with the prevailing thought of starting them around mile 7.  I didn't start until mile 13.  When I did start, I was eating them 2 at a time.  THAT seemed to be a very good move.  I didn't have a lot of wobble, nor fog, throughout the run to mile 17.  18 and 19 had a lot of worn muscles to deal with.  One thing, all of these long runs I have done is to extend the miles before needing Fig Newtons.  I remember starting to eat Fig Newtons at mile 8, back in the Summer.

So, this was a tactically, well executed run, which included a couple of flies (increasing cadence during the run and fig newton consumption).  Now, I'm ready to go to bed.  No lifting tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

This morning, I was groggy after sleeping 7 hours.  But standing and walking around was not an issue.  I can tell there is some residual, body-wide fatigue going on.  Like in my forearms, of all places.  When I do a long run, I carry a quart of water with me to my 2 mile staging drop.  I drop it, then pick it back up with 2 miles to go, so I have some hydration, then.  With the cooler weather, I might be able to just bring a pint bottle of water.  But the weight of the water could be the issue of forearm fatigue.

I have a stuffy nose, too.  I'm figuring it is also a residual of the run.  Some immuno-response to system wide fatigue.

I'll work on not having to nap, today.  Thanks.

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Impressive effort this morning.  Hope you're resting up.  Recovery is just as important as training.

Thanks, Nancy.  It didn't feel so impressive the last 3 miles, but my mind convinced me that as I left the 3 mile loop for the 4th and final time, that every step I took is a step further than the 16 miles I finished a couple of weeks ago, plus I wanted to walk as little as possible even when the plodding took on new meaning.

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So, it was 73 degrees, but with a dewpoint of 50 degrees, when I left.  When I returned, it was 64 degrees.  It was quite comfortable.  So comfortable that I pass along these two comments of comparison.  1)  I squeezed my headband twice with the combined amount of sweat less than the amount at mile 5 when the temps were 76/76 degrees.  2)  Parts of my shirt were still dry at the end.

I believe that I started the run at a 148 cadence, then increased it by one every second mile to 151, then every third mile (or per loop) until I got to 153 (about mile 9), then I kept it there for the duration.  I am always cognizant and eager to bump the cadence, so as to approach that 162 cadence.  I held the 153 until through mile 15, which I think is pretty darn cool.  Then, 151 at 16, 149 at 17, 140 at 18, and 135 at 19.  The Garmin's graph (also known as the 'pier' graph) for cadence was really pretty, up to the last 2 miles, when I jumped into the water.

You know, after finishing today's run, I was glad, but not tickled.  But tonight, I can say that I ran (but still plodding) 17 miles and slogged the final 2.  Considering 16 was my prior best length, hopping to 19 miles and finishing is right nice.

Nancy, I am recovering well, to my thinking.  I stood for most of the morning doing things and walked around the complex.  I find that limits the rigor mortis during the day, if I was just sitting.  My feet are surprisingly in good shape.  But going through the 3rd loop, my upper, upper thighs were really whining.  But I kept going and hoping it would stop whining.  It did by the start of the 4th loop.  Sitting for a time (like to type this report), then standing does cause some tightness to relieve by walking a bit.  Drinking a lot of water and eating a bunch of protein should help repair the muscles.  I took a 3 hour nap, this afternoon.  

Regarding Fig Newtons, I packed 12, with the prevailing thought of starting them around mile 7.  I didn't start until mile 13.  When I did start, I was eating them 2 at a time.  THAT seemed to be a very good move.  I didn't have a lot of wobble, nor fog, throughout the run to mile 17.  18 and 19 had a lot of worn muscles to deal with.  One thing, all of these long runs I have done is to extend the miles before needing Fig Newtons.  I remember starting to eat Fig Newtons at mile 8, back in the Summer.

So, this was a tactically, well executed run, which included a couple of flies (increasing cadence during the run and fig newton consumption).  Now, I'm ready to go to bed.  No lifting tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

The last three tough miles were the impressive ones.  You did them!

Sounds like you're doing all the right things for recovery.

Seems like you're waiting a very long time to start fueling.  Are you intentionally trying to get your body to adapt to burn more fat.  I've been reminded...frequently...to remember to fuel early.  Once you feel like you need it it's often to late.

ounce wrote:This morning, I was groggy after sleeping 7 hours.  But standing and walking around was not an issue.  I can tell there is some residual, body-wide fatigue going on.  Like in my forearms, of all places.  When I do a long run, I carry a quart of water with me to my 2 mile staging drop.  I drop it, then pick it back up with 2 miles to go, so I have some hydration, then.  With the cooler weather, I might be able to just bring a pint bottle of water.  But the weight of the water could be the issue of forearm fatigue.

I have a stuffy nose, too.  I'm figuring it is also a residual of the run.  Some immuno-response to system wide fatigue.

I'll work on not having to nap, today.  Thanks.

It's always interesting which parts of the body are sore after a long run.  The legs are expected to be sore but...  I wouldn't be surprised if carrying the water is the cause of the forearm fatigue.  I assume there is additional water on our route.

Hope the stuffy nose passed quickly.

I don't think a nap on the second recovery day is a bad thing.  

Hope you enjoyed your weekend...will be on the lookout for activity on Strava.

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Impressive effort this morning.  Hope you're resting up.  Recovery is just as important as training.

Thanks, Nancy.  It didn't feel so impressive the last 3 miles, but my mind convinced me that as I left the 3 mile loop for the 4th and final time, that every step I took is a step further than the 16 miles I finished a couple of weeks ago, plus I wanted to walk as little as possible even when the plodding took on new meaning.

-30-

So, it was 73 degrees, but with a dewpoint of 50 degrees, when I left.  When I returned, it was 64 degrees.  It was quite comfortable.  So comfortable that I pass along these two comments of comparison.  1)  I squeezed my headband twice with the combined amount of sweat less than the amount at mile 5 when the temps were 76/76 degrees.  2)  Parts of my shirt were still dry at the end.

I believe that I started the run at a 148 cadence, then increased it by one every second mile to 151, then every third mile (or per loop) until I got to 153 (about mile 9), then I kept it there for the duration.  I am always cognizant and eager to bump the cadence, so as to approach that 162 cadence.  I held the 153 until through mile 15, which I think is pretty darn cool.  Then, 151 at 16, 149 at 17, 140 at 18, and 135 at 19.  The Garmin's graph (also known as the 'pier' graph) for cadence was really pretty, up to the last 2 miles, when I jumped into the water.

You know, after finishing today's run, I was glad, but not tickled.  But tonight, I can say that I ran (but still plodding) 17 miles and slogged the final 2.  Considering 16 was my prior best length, hopping to 19 miles and finishing is right nice.

Nancy, I am recovering well, to my thinking.  I stood for most of the morning doing things and walked around the complex.  I find that limits the rigor mortis during the day, if I was just sitting.  My feet are surprisingly in good shape.  But going through the 3rd loop, my upper, upper thighs were really whining.  But I kept going and hoping it would stop whining.  It did by the start of the 4th loop.  Sitting for a time (like to type this report), then standing does cause some tightness to relieve by walking a bit.  Drinking a lot of water and eating a bunch of protein should help repair the muscles.  I took a 3 hour nap, this afternoon.  

Regarding Fig Newtons, I packed 12, with the prevailing thought of starting them around mile 7.  I didn't start until mile 13.  When I did start, I was eating them 2 at a time.  THAT seemed to be a very good move.  I didn't have a lot of wobble, nor fog, throughout the run to mile 17.  18 and 19 had a lot of worn muscles to deal with.  One thing, all of these long runs I have done is to extend the miles before needing Fig Newtons.  I remember starting to eat Fig Newtons at mile 8, back in the Summer.

So, this was a tactically, well executed run, which included a couple of flies (increasing cadence during the run and fig newton consumption).  Now, I'm ready to go to bed.  No lifting tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

The last three tough miles were the impressive ones.  You did them!

Sounds like you're doing all the right things for recovery.

Seems like you're waiting a very long time to start fueling.  Are you intentionally trying to get your body to adapt to burn more fat.  I've been reminded...frequently...to remember to fuel early.  Once you feel like you need it it's often to late.

ounce wrote:This morning, I was groggy after sleeping 7 hours.  But standing and walking around was not an issue.  I can tell there is some residual, body-wide fatigue going on.  Like in my forearms, of all places.  When I do a long run, I carry a quart of water with me to my 2 mile staging drop.  I drop it, then pick it back up with 2 miles to go, so I have some hydration, then.  With the cooler weather, I might be able to just bring a pint bottle of water.  But the weight of the water could be the issue of forearm fatigue.

I have a stuffy nose, too.  I'm figuring it is also a residual of the run.  Some immuno-response to system wide fatigue.

I'll work on not having to nap, today.  Thanks.

It's always interesting which parts of the body are sore after a long run.  The legs are expected to be sore but...  I wouldn't be surprised if carrying the water is the cause of the forearm fatigue.  I assume there is additional water on our route.

Hope the stuffy nose passed quickly.

I don't think a nap on the second recovery day is a bad thing.  

Hope you enjoyed your weekend...will be on the lookout for activity on Strava.

I'll take your word for the last 3 miles as impressive, if doing them is the measure.

As far as fueling during the run, it is related to Keto in that I have plenty of fat from which to fuel.  Even if I was carb-based, I would be doing similarly because the Fig Newtons or any sugar based carb is mostly for clearing brain fog.  Even from what I consumed as a carb-based runner, it wasn't ever going to fuel my muscles.  It just can't get to the muscles, much less in sufficient quantities, to fuel the muscles.  That's why.

Now, would I do better regarding brain fog by starting to eat a couple at, say, mile 8?  I don't know.

-30-

I have water easily accessible, once I get to the 3 mile loop.  I decided on staging some water at mile ~2.3 for the return trip during those bonnie, bygone days of 80 degree mornings.  I rarely need water before about mile 5, even when it's 80 degrees.

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Nancy, you don't want to get the 5th booster before CIM, much less probably 10 days after the race.  My past 4 covid shots were consistent, in that I had mild, 36 hour discomfort with no fever.  Very similar to a flu shot.  The 5th one, however, had much more discomfort, yet no fever and lasted the same 36 hours.  If the 1st 4 shots earned a 2 or 3 discomfort out of 10, the 5th was a 5 or 6.  I was 2 days post-19 miles on Friday morning when I got the shot.  You may be different, but I think how you did before is not how the 5th will be.  Still worth the shot, IMHO.

I'm not concerned with the reaction of the flu shot.

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This morning, I was going to run 10 or 12 miles.  I was doing my usual warm up to the parking lot and back.  This time, there were 3 individuals that were checking out cars in the parking lot.  In fact, when I saw one checking out a Hyundai, I was going to say something as I made a turn in the parking lot, when I saw another walking in the same direction I was going.  He said nothing, as he and I were walking parallel about 6 feet apart.  I said nothing, as I watch one of the others look through a metal bed box in the bed of a truck.  There are security cameras on the property and I purposely walked with the other guy in the direction of the camera.  He had a hoodie and a mask on.  Much too warm for that.

The other guy and I split off in opposite directions.  He looked back in my direction and, now at 50 feet apart, I began walking backwards and looking at them looking at me.  I walked back to my apartment to call 911.  My apt is a ways from the parking lot.  I waited at the gate for the cops for about 30 minutes.  They never came, probably because there was no big crime going on, as I described it.

So, I wrote an email to the property manager about the event, mostly because I wanted to get it down on 'paper,' in case I needed to recall the event.

Then I went out again to warm up on the same route, when I saw a security guy in a car and told him about the incident.  By the time I finished doing my civic duty, I tried to start running, but my mind couldn't focus on the run and I stopped about a half mile into it.

I'll try to do this again, in the morning.  But without the hoodlums, maybe.

Not your normal morning.  Thanks for your comments, Nancy.

An hour later, I went the same route to warm up again.  I saw a security guard in a car coming through the gate and told him

ounce wrote:I'll take your word for the last 3 miles as impressive, if doing them is the measure.

As far as fueling during the run, it is related to Keto in that I have plenty of fat from which to fuel.  Even if I was carb-based, I would be doing similarly because the Fig Newtons or any sugar based carb is mostly for clearing brain fog.  Even from what I consumed as a carb-based runner, it wasn't ever going to fuel my muscles.  It just can't get to the muscles, much less in sufficient quantities, to fuel the muscles.  That's why.

Now, would I do better regarding brain fog by starting to eat a couple at, say, mile 8?  I don't know.

I wondered if you were still doing the Keto thing.  Your struggles during the last 3 miles do remind me of the way I feel when I fuel to late and/or to little but if Keto works for you then go for it!

-30-

I have water easily accessible, once I get to the 3 mile loop.  I decided on staging some water at mile ~2.3 for the return trip during those bonnie, bygone days of 80 degree mornings.  I rarely need water before about mile 5, even when it's 80 degrees.

-30-

Nancy, you don't want to get the 5th booster before CIM, much less probably 10 days after the race.  My past 4 covid shots were consistent, in that I had mild, 36 hour discomfort with no fever.  Very similar to a flu shot.  The 5th one, however, had much more discomfort, yet no fever and lasted the same 36 hours.  If the 1st 4 shots earned a 2 or 3 discomfort out of 10, the 5th was a 5 or 6.  I was 2 days post-19 miles on Friday morning when I got the shot.  You may be different, but I think how you did before is not how the 5th will be.  Still worth the shot, IMHO.

I'm not concerned with the reaction of the flu shot.

Not going to have to worry about reaction to the booster...I haven't been vaccinated at all and don't plan to.  I stumbled across a study from a source I deemed reputable early in the pandemic that indicated the vaccine damaged the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels...which was the cause of my initial cardiac event.  I decided I didn't need to inject something that would further increase my risk to something I was already vulnerable to and would prefer to take my chances with COVID.  Who knows if I made the right decision.

Haven't decided on the flu shot this year.  I started getting it annually a few years back but haven't been overly impressed with the effectiveness.  We are planning to travel to Australia in December so that my influence my decision.

-30-

This morning, I was going to run 10 or 12 miles.  I was doing my usual warm up to the parking lot and back.  This time, there were 3 individuals that were checking out cars in the parking lot.  In fact, when I saw one checking out a Hyundai, I was going to say something as I made a turn in the parking lot, when I saw another walking in the same direction I was going.  He said nothing, as he and I were walking parallel about 6 feet apart.  I said nothing, as I watch one of the others look through a metal bed box in the bed of a truck.  There are security cameras on the property and I purposely walked with the other guy in the direction of the camera.  He had a hoodie and a mask on.  Much too warm for that.

The other guy and I split off in opposite directions.  He looked back in my direction and, now at 50 feet apart, I began walking backwards and looking at them looking at me.  I walked back to my apartment to call 911.  My apt is a ways from the parking lot.  I waited at the gate for the cops for about 30 minutes.  They never came, probably because there was no big crime going on, as I described it.

So, I wrote an email to the property manager about the event, mostly because I wanted to get it down on 'paper,' in case I needed to recall the event.

Then I went out again to warm up on the same route, when I saw a security guy in a car and told him about the incident.  By the time I finished doing my civic duty, I tried to start running, but my mind couldn't focus on the run and I stopped about a half mile into it.

I'll try to do this again, in the morning.  But without the hoodlums, maybe.

Not your normal morning.  Thanks for your comments, Nancy.

An hour later, I went the same route to warm up again.  I saw a security guard in a car coming through the gate and told him

Sounds like you had an interesting run...or at least an interesting attempt at a run.  My run was interrupted yesterday to provide information to a local official searching for a boy.  I had passed him earlier on my run.  Apparently he left the middle school in a huff.  He was headed toward town when I saw him.  Haven't heard if they located him.

And it was good to see you completed your 12 miles on your second attempt yesterday.  Your miles are adding up!!

Well, Nancy, that's probably the best logical reason for not getting the shot(s) that I've heard.  

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The addendum to the 3 guys in the parking lot on Monday's failed attempt was there was zero broken glass anywhere in the parking lots.  So maybe, they were just peering and looking for unlocked cars and didn't break in to any of the cars.

-30-

So Thursday, I ran a 5 mile progression run where I started at 154 spm and bumped it up 2 per mile up to the end of mile 3.  Then bumped it 3 spm for miles 4 and 5.  The last mile was at 164 spm.  I feel like I am starting to lose some ground on meeting the target marathon pace.  Ergo I need to work on bumping and changing things.  The body is acclimated to the pounding, so I just need to nudge it a little harder, I believe.

There's not a whole lot of difference in the overall pace of the 19 mile run (16:33) and the 12 (16:16).  For both runs, the bleeding was the last 3 miles.  Yesterday's 5 mile run was an average of 14:53.

I think I'll run Monday another 19 miles at a faster cadence.  I'd like to be able to increase the miles, but I just think I need to become faster, first.

Have to do something.  I am please that I'm up to 19 in early October, though.

ounce wrote:Well, Nancy, that's probably the best logical reason for not getting the shot(s) that I've heard.  

-30-

The addendum to the 3 guys in the parking lot on Monday's failed attempt was there was zero broken glass anywhere in the parking lots.  So maybe, they were just peering and looking for unlocked cars and didn't break in to any of the cars.

-30-

So Thursday, I ran a 5 mile progression run where I started at 154 spm and bumped it up 2 per mile up to the end of mile 3.  Then bumped it 3 spm for miles 4 and 5.  The last mile was at 164 spm.  I feel like I am starting to lose some ground on meeting the target marathon pace.  Ergo I need to work on bumping and changing things.  The body is acclimated to the pounding, so I just need to nudge it a little harder, I believe.

There's not a whole lot of difference in the overall pace of the 19 mile run (16:33) and the 12 (16:16).  For both runs, the bleeding was the last 3 miles.  Yesterday's 5 mile run was an average of 14:53.

I think I'll run Monday another 19 miles at a faster cadence.  I'd like to be able to increase the miles, but I just think I need to become faster, first.

Have to do something.  I am please that I'm up to 19 in early October, though.

I tend to agree that 19 miles at a slightly faster cadence might be a better option than trying to increase the miles and struggling to finish.  You still have time to add miles.

I do like the shorter faster cadence...and resulting faster pace runs.  I think they'll help to get you closer to your desired marathon pace.

Have you ever tried a run/walk routine?  I've never tried it...and I'm not recommending it...but I know some people swear that they are faster overall as their run sections are significantly faster.  I think I would struggle to switch back to a decent run pace after walking.  

Hope the temperature is conducive to a good run on Monday.  In the meantime I hope you enjoy your weekend.

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:Well, Nancy, that's probably the best logical reason for not getting the shot(s) that I've heard.  

-30-

The addendum to the 3 guys in the parking lot on Monday's failed attempt was there was zero broken glass anywhere in the parking lots.  So maybe, they were just peering and looking for unlocked cars and didn't break in to any of the cars.

-30-

So Thursday, I ran a 5 mile progression run where I started at 154 spm and bumped it up 2 per mile up to the end of mile 3.  Then bumped it 3 spm for miles 4 and 5.  The last mile was at 164 spm.  I feel like I am starting to lose some ground on meeting the target marathon pace.  Ergo I need to work on bumping and changing things.  The body is acclimated to the pounding, so I just need to nudge it a little harder, I believe.

There's not a whole lot of difference in the overall pace of the 19 mile run (16:33) and the 12 (16:16).  For both runs, the bleeding was the last 3 miles.  Yesterday's 5 mile run was an average of 14:53.

I think I'll run Monday another 19 miles at a faster cadence.  I'd like to be able to increase the miles, but I just think I need to become faster, first.

Have to do something.  I am please that I'm up to 19 in early October, though.

I tend to agree that 19 miles at a slightly faster cadence might be a better option than trying to increase the miles and struggling to finish.  You still have time to add miles.

I do like the shorter faster cadence...and resulting faster pace runs.  I think they'll help to get you closer to your desired marathon pace.

Have you ever tried a run/walk routine?  I've never tried it...and I'm not recommending it...but I know some people swear that they are faster overall as their run sections are significantly faster.  I think I would struggle to switch back to a decent run pace after walking.  

Hope the temperature is conducive to a good run on Monday.  In the meantime I hope you enjoy your weekend.

I had thought about doing run/walk back in 2007 or so.  During the '07 Houston, I was running with (sorta) a couple doing run/walk.  I asked them what run pace do y'all have to generate to finish before the 6 hour mark.  They said a 12 minute mile will get them a 5:45 time.  So, that's the reason I didn't do it.  Didn't seem like I'd be getting enough juice for the squeeze.  I, too, think the switch back would be difficult, especially in the last 6 miles.

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Last week, I made an appointment with a podiatrist to check out my right 2nd toe's swelling and at the base.  It doesn't hurt at all, but I notice it mostly after a run and during the day after a run.  I'll ice it, if I think I can sit for 30 minutes.  I can't bend that toe nearly as far as the left's 2nd toe.  Since there's no stabbing pain, this is more of a baseline generating visit and see what his thoughts are for later.  AND since I'm not in constant pain, the appointment is the 25th, not this week.

Okay, so much for the housekeeping.

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Yesterday, Nancy, as I was pondering about this morning's long run your first sentence made me think about executing the 19 differently.  And if I could figure out where I should park the car, I was going to run the long run only at Memorial Park.  For the reasons of I have a reduced opportunity to fall, I won't have to worry about cards, and if I peter out early, I have to walk no more than 2 miles to get to the car.

So, I started running a planned 19 miles at just before 1 a.m. at Memorial Park.  I had 3 goals for the run.  To run at a faster cadence for a long run, to run at a faster pace, and to finish all 19.  I accomplished the first two.

The weather was 72 degrees with a dew point of 64.  It didn't feel warm, but my body would convince me that it was.  I didn't sweat profusely as a 65 year old in August, but I was sweating quite extensively.  That was the main reason why I ran 15, instead of 19.  Up to mile 12, I was thinking 20 miles.  But mile 12 started seeing me weaving and wobbling some, then much more during the last mile.  The sweat was also causing me to stop more frequently.

I was hitting 155 or even 156 throughout the whole run, according to Garmin, and clocking 14 & 15 minutes a mile, no 16s.  Last Monday's 12, I only did 3 155/156 and ZERO 14's, but 2 15's.  Plus to add a further insult to last Monday's run, the dew point was 55 degrees, not 64, today.

I made the internal decision to run faster and hold the cadence, this morning.  I wanted to see if I could do it.  So, while I don't think I am out of the woods of slow, plodding times, I now know I can run faster with a consistently higher cadence.  I found a screen on my watch that gave me instant pace and distance.  That instant pace was the motivation of the faster splits.

The comfort of running loops (and not running TO the loop or FROM the loop home) gave me the freedom to push the body.

Today's run was 15 miles at 15:02 pace at a 127 bpm avg.  HR stayed above 130 from around mile 8 to the end.  The hammock was empty!!!!!!  And I was still gettin' it.  3 hours, 51 minutes.  A 15 minute pace under sweaty conditions.  Last week's 12 with drier conditions was 16:16 pace at 117 avg bpm.

It's a turning point.  Not quite sure if I'm on the 'fast' track, but I have a positive experience.  And one on which to build.

Another benefit to doing loops was I didn't have to plod home 3 miles.  I stopped at 15 and gingerly walked to my car, weaving some.  I could've done one more loop as a plod, but I didn't need to do that.

Thanks for reading.