Second leg: Hillsdale to Capitol Hill Library

Date of run: January 5, 2014
Time of run: 2:00 pm
Temp: 37 degrees
Conditions: Dry and sunny, 89% relative humidity, winds 8 mph
Distance: 3.1 miles to, 3.5 miles from (6.6 miles total)

Beautiful day for a run! Nice part to this one is it started downhill. Very easy to break into a trot and get going. The entire run TO was on Capitol Highway, which isn't really a "highway" anymore but just a very busy road, with very few sidewalks, unfortunately. This is the kind of run where I spent most of my time alternating between running on the road, and ducking off into dirt/gravel/whatever just off to the side to let cars go by without forcing them to move over. I also realized that although the run started downhill, most of the trek to Capitol Hill was uphill, so by the time I got there I was pretty drenched in sweat. (Three layers: technical shirt, warm long sleeve shirt over that, short sleeved jacket over that.) Note for next run: One less layer!!

Then I started CD browsing. It didn't take too long to find an intriguing prospect: An album called Maximum Balloon, by David Sitek, producer/member of cool band TV On The Radio. I've listened to their albums and always found them interesting, but wasn't aware of this solo effort. The review looks good; I'll report back next week on how it sounds.

Sweaty hat and gloves now zipped up in jacket pocket, and CD safely tucked in large back pocket of my shorts, I headed out for the run back to Hillsdale, this time taking an alternate route that was a little longer, but in addition to being a different route (for mental interest), I hoped it would have more sidewalks. Alas, such was not the case. At least the majority of this run was downhill.



Happy to report, almost no soreness or nagging injuries on this day. Just tired, probably due to staying up late with the family over the holidays, and overindulging in sweets and starch. Not to mention increasing my mileage at a pace greater than 10%/week, which meant I had to run slowly to be careful not to pull anything. I had one of those humbling moments where a guy, approximately my age, went loping past me with huge strides, but at 6 miles I had NOTHING in the tank to try to keep up so I let him go by without a struggle. (I mean, just moving at all was a struggle by that point!)

So, 6.6 miles completed, no aches, pains or pulls, a quick stop at Starbucks for coffee and ready for next week's longer run to the Sellwood-Moreland Library. At five miles each way, with quite a bit of elevation gain, this could be one of the toughest runs of the whole project, especially considering my current fitness (not that great yet, to be honest).

Looking forward to the flatter layout of east Portland!

First Run: Home to Hillsdale Library Branch

Date of run: December 29, 2013
Time of run: 5:00 pm
Temp: 39 degrees
Conditions: Dry and dark
Distance: 5.4 miles total

As I've become a regular walker, and then runner (or walker/runner/hiker hybrid), I've discovered an important thing about what motivates me: I MUST have a goal or I just don't get out on a regular basis. I've done "50 Walks," "29 Hikes," several marathons/half marathons, and charity/"fun runs" and what's become obvious is, completing the goal is anticlimactic. Once done, I tend to founder until I get on track with another goal. And so, the Library Run Challenge: To run from one library branch to another, and back again, until I've visited all Multnomah County branches. To make it interesting, I intend to borrow one (just one!) CD, listen to it, then return it by the time of the next leg (the start of the next leg), and report back here. If I see a book of interest, all the better; I'll check that out too!

First leg: Home to the Hillsdale Branch.

OK, so I'm a little out of shape. Well, not really, but not in shape for road running. I spent the summer running/walking/skipping through Forest Park (all 80 miles!) and while that got my legs in shape for lots of elevation gain, I was running on very uneven - although relatively soft - ground, so modified my stride to land in a more sure-footed way, which tends to build up the calves but doesn't prepare you for a nice rhythmic stride along flat, hard ground. So I'm trying to start out slowly, with shorter runs, walking when necessary to make sure I don't overdo it at first.

Tonight's run was an interesting exercise in noting, then adjusting, then overcoming niggling little pains: First, my left knee felt a bit arthritic (though I don't think it's actually arthritis but more of a strain-induced pain that fades quickly with rest). Then after the first mile or so, that pain went away for the most part, immediately followed by some right ankle stiffness (I suspect from the recently unfamiliar pounding - and considering the cooler temperature, almost flopping - of my feet on the pavement. I walked for a while until that stiffness/pain faded, then started running again until I reached the library. This was a climb of several hundred feet. Nothing too steep but hey, it definitely increases the workload.

I got to the library too late this time, it was already closed. So I took a couple of pictures and started back downhill toward home. About a mile into the run back, my right hip started to complain a bit. This I've learned I can run through if I don't push too hard, and really concentrate on smoothing out my stride, paying close attention to posture, foot placement, pace, etc. It really didn't get much worse, so i was able to run all the way back home without further problems.

Note to self: I won't list total times on these runs, for one because I'm not that fast to begin with and it's not about fast, it's about getting there; and two because I may linger at the library for a bit looking for something interesting to check out, and I'd rather enjoy the time rather than worry about tracking how long it's taking.

I hope you understand.