A Tiny Bit Faster

Not a lot faster, but a bit. My weight seems stuck at around 193# and has been there since before Christmas. If I could get rid of 20#, I think I could get back to where I want to be with my running.

I did have to stop a couple of times to wait for school buses and other vehicles. I finished with a "moving pace" of 9:38 mpm.



Run well, y'all,
Bob

Long Run -- Sort Of

I guess long run is a relative term. Fourteen months ago, a long run would have been 10-14 miles. Right now, on my way back to a good weight and a decent level of fitness, a long run for me is 5+ miles. So, today, I headed out for a long run. The temperature in Nairobi was 53° and the humidity was 57%. At 6:30, the sun was just coming up. So, it was a beautiful, almost perfect morning for a run. It was hard -- I haven't gone more than 5 miles in Nairobi in a very long time -- since 11-Nov-09. I ended up taking several walk breaks. My pace was only 9:45 mpm -- a full minute per mile slower than that Nov-09 5-miler. Still, considering my current fitness level and weight, I'm satisfied.

Have you ever had to struggle to get back in shape?

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running on a Lavender Carpet

Jacaranda trees are not native to Kenya -- they originated in South America -- but this time of year they bloom all over Nairobi and their blooming signals the start of the short rainy season. They have been planted all over Nairobi and are beautiful. One of the unique things about the Jacarandas is that they flowers fall while still lavender-blue and gives the impression of a lavender carpet on roads and walkways. So, the last few days, my runs have been on lavender carpets. Cool!

I'm still getting used to the altitude and hills of Nairobi -- it's getting better. It was raining pretty hard this morning so I didn't run. Yesterday, though, I ran 5.2 miles at a pace of about 8:44 mpm.

Run well, y'all,
Bob