Training with Flies

Summer is tough! Just wondering if you ever put a water bottle in the freezer the night before so it stays cold when you run. There's only so much you can do, though, I know.  Moving to Minnesota for the summer sounds lovely....

Julie wrote:Summer is tough! Just wondering if you ever put a water bottle in the freezer the night before so it stays cold when you run. There's only so much you can do, though, I know.  Moving to Minnesota for the summer sounds lovely....

There's a local, now retired, orthopedic surgeon that has completed multiple Bostons.  His summer hideaway is Idaho.

As far as the water bottle and your nice idea, I'd have to hold it for the 2 miles, before dropping it off.  Don't think the discomfort, for me, would offset the benefit.  But I'll see if I can take your idea and modify it, somehow.  Thanks for that, Julie.

-30-

Lifted this morning.  77 degrees outside.  While I was doing the bicep curl, I was thinking about the 2 months that I've been doing the same weight with not much advancement.  It's been just 1 muscle strand construction completion cycle (6 weeks) in that 2 months.  I guess that might imply that the 30 pound dumbbell weights that I use are past the current bicep's ability and more than the usual muscle strand construction will be required to master that weight.


Thanks for reading.
Tomorrow will be the 4 miles at 158.  Heat 'n humidity in spades for the next couple of weeks.  I'll just have to see what's going to happen.

OOof. That heat and humidity is brutal. Does continuing to slog away actually yield any physical benefit you can measure when the weather cools off? 

Part of me thinks it might, even if it's only maintaining a level of fitness before the external stresses ease off enough to allow your body to go faster. But if it doesn't - and you end up in the hole once October rolls around, maybe switching to some other exercise would be a better choice? Yeah, I know. Easier said than done. But I'm just wondering what the heat and humidity does to your physiology and your ability to get beneficial adaptations to exercise. If the heat and humidity puts your body into survival mode, struggling to just keep your metaphorical head above water, I wonder if taking a break is the better option to avoid burnout? Just a thought, anyway.

Mark B wrote:OOof. That heat and humidity is brutal. Does continuing to slog away actually yield any physical benefit you can measure when the weather cools off? 

Part of me thinks it might, even if it's only maintaining a level of fitness before the external stresses ease off enough to allow your body to go faster. But if it doesn't - and you end up in the hole once October rolls around, maybe switching to some other exercise would be a better choice? Yeah, I know. Easier said than done. But I'm just wondering what the heat and humidity does to your physiology and your ability to get beneficial adaptations to exercise. If the heat and humidity puts your body into survival mode, struggling to just keep your metaphorical head above water, I wonder if taking a break is the better option to avoid burnout? Just a thought, anyway.

Speed.

The body doesn't have to work as hard to try to keep me cool, when it's cooler.  I was plodding 12 miles, last August, at a 146 cadence setting on the gnome.  Now, I'm at 158.  Last year, I was trying to train for the full and figured out in September that I wasn't going to make the cut.

Plus, if I stopped running, and restarted in September, I would be hard pressed to finish the Half because all of my stamina would be zero.  It takes longer to get stamina, these days.  Also last September, I was at 90 pounds for the flat bench, incline bench and decline bench press.  During November and December, I had to cut back lifting to 1-30 minute session per week to try to lessen the drop off in lifting weights.  That really made me weaker, when I restarted after the half in mid-January.  

Today, I'm at 90 pounds for the flat and incline and 95 pounds on the decline.  So when a muscle isn't being used, it's burned as fuel, every time.  Every time!  That's why I'm determined to lift 3 days and run 2 days all summer long.  I'll have to swap a day to running 3 days and lifting 2 days, probably in October, so I can have a good long running day.  I want to finish training in December with many 15 mile long runs under my belt, while lifting 2 days a week.  That's the goal.  Mondays will be the long run day.

-30-

It was 79 degrees with a dew point of 75 and no breeze.  I've pretty much cemented a 4 mile run into my brain, song or no song.  Today, I was 3 seconds speedier than last Thursday...at a lower cadence of all things.  The last two-tenths, when I make the final turn to home, was at 158 cadence.  I'll finish every run, now, with that cadence.

4 miles, 1:02:31, 15:37 pace, 126 avg bpm, 148 avg cadence
1.  15:36, 156 spm
2.  15:20, 147 spm
3.  15:48, 145 spm
4.  15:45, 143 spm

NO 16+/mile paces!  That's a victory in and of itself!  I didn't plod a single mile.
So, mile 1 cadence is fine.  I'll work on increasing the subsequent cadences, as I somehow get comfortable with the high 70s.  I might drop in a 5 mile run every now and then.

thanks.

Shoulders workout, this morning.  Had some troubles locating some weight clips that keeps the weight plates from falling off the barbell, if I have a lifting problem.  So I had to locate a pre-weighted barbell that was a little lighter than I'm accustomed to lifting.  Safety thing.

Finally, I went over to the incline bench press.  Again I couldn't find the weight clips.  I really need them because each side had 3 plates (2-10 and 1-2.5).  So, I adapted and put 1-25 pound plate on each side.  I did 2 sets of 2 and 1 set of 4 because this was the first time I had lifted 95 pounds on the incline.  As a result, the incline surpassed the flat bench weight.  95 vs 90.  Flat will advance to 95, next time.  Decline has been at 95 for a while and is fixing to go to 100.

Tomorrow morning is another 4 mile run.  

Come back and see us.  thanks.

That's fascinating, and logical. I wasn't thinking of dropping all cardio, though - but it would have required an exercise bike in the a/c or something. 

I absolutely understand how heat slows you down. I still remember by best (and almost my fastest) marathon started with frost on the ground and me lightly dressed. Shedding that heat seems to be so important to performance. Maybe if I was built like a whippet, that'd be less an issue, but I'm built more like -- what? not quite a bulldog but something bulkier, anyway -- so I get what you're saying.

Your observation on the impact of running on lifting muscle is interesting, and a little depressing. It must make finding the right balance tricky... and the balance probably keeps changing as we age. Fun!

I tried running on a treadmill, last summer.  I did it for a couple of weeks, then stopped.  Had a heavy duty fan blowing hard into my face, too!  

The balancing of running and lifting and the energy stores available, last summer, were the main reason why I'm lifting 3 times and running twice.  I want to attempt to build my energy stores (don't know if that's possible) throughout 2023 and see how long I can lift 3/run 2.  If the body is conditioned to do that and in September or October then to Half training mode of run 3/lift 2, I would love to be able to lift all the way to the week or 2 before the Half race in mid-January.

The wild card is going to be how much weight I lose doing Keto (started that last week) and its affect on the energy stores.  5 pounds a month would be nice.  Easy at first, not as easy at the end of the year.

Last year, during November and December, when I dropped a day of lifting to go 3 run/1 lift, that dropped day instantly became a rest day because I was tired.  I was in the low teens for a long run, then.

All summer I was modifying runs, paces, how much to lift, cadences.  It's why this blog is named Training with Flies, because I was constantly changing things on the fly.

I'll have to think on how I will increase mileage, once I get the cadence on the present 4 mile runs up into the 150s for all 4 miles.  If the cadence doesn't increase much, and quickly, I might just increase the mileage, cadence be damned.  At least my blood pressure isn't an issue.  Over 31 days, the average is 125/78.  The new normal BP from 2017 (I think) is 119/79, so I'm good.

Thanks, Mark.

Mark B wrote:That's fascinating, and logical. I wasn't thinking of dropping all cardio, though - but it would have required an exercise bike in the a/c or something. 

I absolutely understand how heat slows you down. I still remember by best (and almost my fastest) marathon started with frost on the ground and me lightly dressed. Shedding that heat seems to be so important to performance. Maybe if I was built like a whippet, that'd be less an issue, but I'm built more like -- what? not quite a bulldog but something bulkier, anyway -- so I get what you're saying.

Your observation on the impact of running on lifting muscle is interesting, and a little depressing. It must make finding the right balance tricky... and the balance probably keeps changing as we age. Fun!

I struggle to run in the heat...the temperature at the finish of my BQ was right at freezing.  And I wish I was built more like Michele but that's not going to change.

ounce wrote:I tried running on a treadmill, last summer.  I did it for a couple of weeks, then stopped.  Had a heavy duty fan blowing hard into my face, too!  

The balancing of running and lifting and the energy stores available, last summer, were the main reason why I'm lifting 3 times and running twice.  I want to attempt to build my energy stores (don't know if that's possible) throughout 2023 and see how long I can lift 3/run 2.  If the body is conditioned to do that and in September or October then to Half training mode of run 3/lift 2, I would love to be able to lift all the way to the week or 2 before the Half race in mid-January.

The wild card is going to be how much weight I lose doing Keto (started that last week) and its affect on the energy stores.  5 pounds a month would be nice.  Easy at first, not as easy at the end of the year.

Last year, during November and December, when I dropped a day of lifting to go 3 run/1 lift, that dropped day instantly became a rest day because I was tired.  I was in the low teens for a long run, then.

All summer I was modifying runs, paces, how much to lift, cadences.  It's why this blog is named Training with Flies, because I was constantly changing things on the fly.

I'll have to think on how I will increase mileage, once I get the cadence on the present 4 mile runs up into the 150s for all 4 miles.  If the cadence doesn't increase much, and quickly, I might just increase the mileage, cadence be damned.  At least my blood pressure isn't an issue.  Over 31 days, the average is 125/78.  The new normal BP from 2017 (I think) is 119/79, so I'm good.

Thanks, Mark.

It's tough to find the right balance.  I was going to suggest the treadmill but do understand if that is not a good option for you.  I HATE the treadmill.  Coach Melissa has helped me understand the benefits of running in less than ideal conditions but also encourages that I modify pace and distance as necessary.  It's hard to make that mental adjustment.

I find your lifting/running interaction interesting to say the least.  My core/strength work is so much different.  Primarily dumbbells and body weight with lighter but more reps.  Totally different from your max lift goals.

So my thoughts...it's your life and your goals and your body.  We can provide thoughts but ultimately the decision is yours.

And congrats on the nice BP readings.  Do you track your resting HR?  That's something I keep an eye on and I've been pleasantly surprised to see that on average it's in a pretty good place 46-47 according to my watch.  It's lower when I sleep but the watch doesn't use that number...it uses resting but awake.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:That's fascinating, and logical. I wasn't thinking of dropping all cardio, though - but it would have required an exercise bike in the a/c or something. 

I absolutely understand how heat slows you down. I still remember by best (and almost my fastest) marathon started with frost on the ground and me lightly dressed. Shedding that heat seems to be so important to performance. Maybe if I was built like a whippet, that'd be less an issue, but I'm built more like -- what? not quite a bulldog but something bulkier, anyway -- so I get what you're saying.

Your observation on the impact of running on lifting muscle is interesting, and a little depressing. It must make finding the right balance tricky... and the balance probably keeps changing as we age. Fun!

I struggle to run in the heat...the temperature at the finish of my BQ was right at freezing.  And I wish I was built more like Michele but that's not going to change.

ounce wrote:I tried running on a treadmill, last summer.  I did it for a couple of weeks, then stopped.  Had a heavy duty fan blowing hard into my face, too!  

The balancing of running and lifting and the energy stores available, last summer, were the main reason why I'm lifting 3 times and running twice.  I want to attempt to build my energy stores (don't know if that's possible) throughout 2023 and see how long I can lift 3/run 2.  If the body is conditioned to do that and in September or October then to Half training mode of run 3/lift 2, I would love to be able to lift all the way to the week or 2 before the Half race in mid-January.

The wild card is going to be how much weight I lose doing Keto (started that last week) and its affect on the energy stores.  5 pounds a month would be nice.  Easy at first, not as easy at the end of the year.

Last year, during November and December, when I dropped a day of lifting to go 3 run/1 lift, that dropped day instantly became a rest day because I was tired.  I was in the low teens for a long run, then.

All summer I was modifying runs, paces, how much to lift, cadences.  It's why this blog is named Training with Flies, because I was constantly changing things on the fly.

I'll have to think on how I will increase mileage, once I get the cadence on the present 4 mile runs up into the 150s for all 4 miles.  If the cadence doesn't increase much, and quickly, I might just increase the mileage, cadence be damned.  At least my blood pressure isn't an issue.  Over 31 days, the average is 125/78.  The new normal BP from 2017 (I think) is 119/79, so I'm good.

Thanks, Mark.

It's tough to find the right balance.  I was going to suggest the treadmill but do understand if that is not a good option for you.  I HATE the treadmill.  Coach Melissa has helped me understand the benefits of running in less than ideal conditions but also encourages that I modify pace and distance as necessary.  It's hard to make that mental adjustment.

I find your lifting/running interaction interesting to say the least.  My core/strength work is so much different.  Primarily dumbbells and body weight with lighter but more reps.  Totally different from your max lift goals.

So my thoughts...it's your life and your goals and your body.  We can provide thoughts but ultimately the decision is yours.

And congrats on the nice BP readings.  Do you track your resting HR?  That's something I keep an eye on and I've been pleasantly surprised to see that on average it's in a pretty good place 46-47 according to my watch.  It's lower when I sleep but the watch doesn't use that number...it uses resting but awake.

Thanks, Nancy.  I tracked my HR for three nights.  Once by using Polar's sleep mode.  That didn't report what I wanted.  More how long I slept is all.  The other 2 times, I put it back on usual running mode.  It's amazing how far I ran in the bed.

My RHR was 47-49.  Lowest recorded was a 42.

On running, last summer I traded cadence for distance.  Reduced the cadence and I could run farther.  The downside was it took a long while to get the cadence back to 157.  Splits were a plodding 16 & 17 min miles.  This year, protect the cadence on the gnome and see if the actual cadence splits increases with faster splits (few 16 & 17 min/miles).  Last year, I was going for the Full, so I had to go longer at a lower cadence for the endurance stash.  This year, just the Half.

-30-

This morning I was prepared for another 79 degree morning.  N-n-n-nope.  It was 81 degrees with a dew point of 79.  Stepped outside and CRAP!  Well, let's see how far I could run.  0.41 miles.  If on Tuesday it's 81 degrees again, I will do my best to run 4.  I know how 81 feels.  So, time to overcome.

Tomorrow, lifting.  Here we go.

I saw your run on Strava...ugh...feels like 91. 

The watches do come up with some funky stuff.  My running watch is pretty useless for RHR.  I have the garmin version of a fitbit that tracks stuff like that.  I gives a "body battery" report....I often run out of body battery by the end of the day.  

I find running at a higher cadence exhausting.  I don't worry about keeping my cadence up if I really do want an easy effort run.

Happy lifting.

When does it start to cool off? Have you thought about how walking in the heat helps your stamina and fitness? Just asking because I know running it is can be so very tough but walking would be better than nothing. July is our hottest month, and I assume that's the case for most of the country.

nkrichards wrote:I saw your run on Strava...ugh...feels like 91. 

The watches do come up with some funky stuff.  My running watch is pretty useless for RHR.  I have the garmin version of a fitbit that tracks stuff like that.  I gives a "body battery" report....I often run out of body battery by the end of the day.  

I find running at a higher cadence exhausting.  I don't worry about keeping my cadence up if I really do want an easy effort run.

Happy lifting.

I slow ridiculously, when my cadence is in the 140s.  Last Fall, I raised the cadence from 146 to 157 over a few weeks.  And I've stayed at 157 until a week or so ago.  Even if I was at 157 now, I would still be slowing.  So I'll keep it at 158.

I don't have anything to lose by doing 158 as a target, since I'm not training for the Full, like last year.

body battery?  interesting term.

Julie wrote:When does it start to cool off? Have you thought about how walking in the heat helps your stamina and fitness? Just asking because I know running it is can be so very tough but walking would be better than nothing. July is our hottest month, and I assume that's the case for most of the country.

The 3rd week of September is when the first Fall front rolls in.  But it usually just clears the coast (50 miles away), then returns as a warm front.  We might get 1 day of less than 73 degree mornings.

This heat spell is way earlier than usual.  July usually starts the 80 degree mornings.  Galveston may not get below 85 by sunrise.  August is our hottest month.  A hurricane can do things, too.

Regarding walking, if I allow enough time to walk what I don't run, then that would work, Julie.  But I desire to return to my home by 6-6:15 a.m., which means I'd have to get up earlier than the 4:30 wake up time.  4:00, if I'm running 6.

-30-

Lifting went well.  60 minutes.  Thanks for the comments & have a cool weekend.

79 degree dewpoint. 

That's just terrible. But it does help me understand why some of my fellow Peace Corps volunteers from the Gulf Coast walked around Thailand going "What? Humid? This?! Pfft." while the rest of us were about to melt into the pavement or grow mushrooms in various body crevasses.

Just for fun I thought I'd share what my "body battery" charge is this evening.  I was running with a total stranger and we got a good laugh about the fact that we didn't feel tired until we saw how low our battery was.  

With a battery that low, then you try to re-start a run, do you ever get that fast "click-click-ckick" but it doesn't start? Do you call Marty to come jump you off?

Interesting gizmo.

ounce wrote:With a battery that low, then you try to re-start a run, do you ever get that fast "click-click-ckick" but it doesn't start?  Do you call Marty to come jump you off?

Interesting gizmo.

  It's another gimmick to get you to buy their watches...but it's kind of fun.

Boy, what would be your numbers after a long Long Run and does it correlate to how you feel?

-30-

This morning, I had recorded my BP, as I have since May 14, which is 35 days.  5 weeks.  Out of curiosity, I filtered the spreadsheet by systolic (top number).  Whenever I ran, I would put the figures in italics.

The 7 lowest numbers, except 1, were all taken after running, which are the Tuesday & Thursday runs.

Thursday	25-May	7:04	118	80	77
Thursday	1-Jun	7:22	116	77	83
Tuesday	23-May	7:03	115	79	65
Friday	16-Jun	7:14	115	76	60
Tuesday	30-May	7:06	113	81	65
Tuesday	13-Jun	7:41	112	74	66
Thursday	8-Jun	7:06	111	77	69

ounce wrote:Boy, what would be your numbers after a long Long Run and does it correlate to how you feel?

-30-

This morning, I had recorded my BP, as I have since May 14, which is 35 days.  5 weeks.  Out of curiosity, I filtered the spreadsheet by systolic (top number).  Whenever I ran, I would put the figures in italics.

The 7 lowest numbers, except 1, were all taken after running, which are the Tuesday & Thursday runs.

 

Thursday	25-May	7:04	118	80	77
Thursday	1-Jun	7:22	116	77	83
Tuesday	23-May	7:03	115	79	65
Friday	16-Jun	7:14	115	76	60
Tuesday	30-May	7:06	113	81	65
Tuesday	13-Jun	7:41	112	74	66
Thursday	8-Jun	7:06	111	77	69

Interesting...don't stop your running routine!

My body battery is definitely affected by my running but day time stress and sleep are bigger factors.  It goes down a bit when I have a long run but if I sleep well it jumps back up and I'm fine.  On the other hand if I've had a stressful day and my sleep is less than ideal it doesn't go up like it should and then it really drops the following day.  Stress during the day causes it to drop more than running. That's when I get into trouble...and can feel the affects.  Tuesday was an SOS run and I was starting with a low battery but by Thursday evening I had recovered and was at nearly a full charge. Friday was a short easy run but I had a tough day and was not in a good place this morning.  Could I tell?  Yes.  Did that affect my run?  Probably...as did the heat.

So I guess that for both of us running seems to be beneficial in measurable ways.  

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:Boy, what would be your numbers after a long Long Run and does it correlate to how you feel?

-30-

This morning, I had recorded my BP, as I have since May 14, which is 35 days.  5 weeks.  Out of curiosity, I filtered the spreadsheet by systolic (top number).  Whenever I ran, I would put the figures in italics.

The 7 lowest numbers, except 1, were all taken after running, which are the Tuesday & Thursday runs.

 

Thursday	25-May	7:04	118	80	77
Thursday	1-Jun	7:22	116	77	83
Tuesday	23-May	7:03	115	79	65
Friday	16-Jun	7:14	115	76	60
Tuesday	30-May	7:06	113	81	65
Tuesday	13-Jun	7:41	112	74	66
Thursday	8-Jun	7:06	111	77	69

Interesting...don't stop your running routine!

My body battery is definitely affected by my running but day time stress and sleep are bigger factors.  It goes down a bit when I have a long run but if I sleep well it jumps back up and I'm fine.  On the other hand if I've had a stressful day and my sleep is less than ideal it doesn't go up like it should and then it really drops the following day.  Stress during the day causes it to drop more than running. That's when I get into trouble...and can feel the affects.  Tuesday was an SOS run and I was starting with a low battery but by Thursday evening I had recovered and was at nearly a full charge. Friday was a short easy run but I had a tough day and was not in a good place this morning.  Could I tell?  Yes.  Did that affect my run?  Probably...as did the heat.

So I guess that for both of us running seems to be beneficial in measurable ways.  

What got me curious on the BP was yesterday morning was higher than during the week.  I sorted the below by high to low.  10 of 17 are a Saturday or a Sunday.  All of the days are pre-BP medicine.

Day	Date	Time	Systolic	Diastolic
Monday	22-May	7:21	139	82
Saturday	20-May	8:18	137	82
Sunday	28-May	7:44	136	82
Sunday	21-May	7:58	133	83
Friday	26-May	8:04	133	75
Wednesday	17-May	7:07	132	81
Monday	5-Jun	7:08	131	80
Saturday	27-May	7:56	129	83
Wednesday	7-Jun	7:07	129	79
Monday	29-May	7:50	128	78
Saturday	3-Jun	8:22	128	78
Saturday	17-Jun	7:30	128	74
Sunday	18-Jun	8:04	128	79
Wednesday	31-May	7:28	127	74
Sunday	11-Jun	7:43	127	80
Sunday	4-Jun	8:16	126	77
Saturday	10-Jun	7:08	126	80

Monday will be lifting.  I've lost 8 pounds, since starting Keto on June 12.  About an average start.

I waited 15 minutes at the gym, but no one arrived to open up the building.  I got there shortly before 5 and there were 6 people waiting.

So, I went home and did some email writing.

Well, tomorrow is running.  I will attempt to go 4 miles when it's 81 degrees.  Should be a fun run!

ounce wrote:

What got me curious on the BP was yesterday morning was higher than during the week.  I sorted the below by high to low.  10 of 17 are a Saturday or a Sunday.  All of the days are pre-BP medicine.

 

Day	Date	Time	Systolic	Diastolic
Monday	22-May	7:21	139	82
Saturday	20-May	8:18	137	82
Sunday	28-May	7:44	136	82
Sunday	21-May	7:58	133	83
Friday	26-May	8:04	133	75
Wednesday	17-May	7:07	132	81
Monday	5-Jun	7:08	131	80
Saturday	27-May	7:56	129	83
Wednesday	7-Jun	7:07	129	79
Monday	29-May	7:50	128	78
Saturday	3-Jun	8:22	128	78
Saturday	17-Jun	7:30	128	74
Sunday	18-Jun	8:04	128	79
Wednesday	31-May	7:28	127	74
Sunday	11-Jun	7:43	127	80
Sunday	4-Jun	8:16	126	77
Saturday	10-Jun	7:08	126	80

Monday will be lifting.  I've lost 8 pounds, since starting Keto on June 12.  About an average start.

Curious that the weekends are higher.  Is it the result of a busy, stressful week?  Or a very active Friday?  If it was every Saturday I would look closely at Friday but it's often Sunday.  Interesting but hard to figure out the cause.

Good job on the weight loss! 

ounce wrote:I waited 15 minutes at the gym, but no one arrived to open up the building.  I got there shortly before 5 and there were 6 people waiting.

So, I went home and did some email writing.

Well, tomorrow is running.  I will attempt to go 4 miles when it's 81 degrees.  Should be a fun run!

Bummer about the gym especially after you got up early.  Hope it was just a one time thing and doesn't happen often.

Will be thinking of you as you run in the heat tomorrow...after I wake up that is.     Stay safe.

My thought on higher weekend BP.  No exercise on the weekend.  Weekday BP is taken no less than an hour after exercise.

As far as the gym, soooo many times the place is open before the 5 a.m. time.  I can easily cut them some slack for life getting in the way.  I've thanked the girl that usually opens for being so consistent on opening before 5.

ounce wrote:My thought on higher weekend BP.  No exercise on the weekend.  Weekday BP is taken no less than an hour after exercise.

Good conclusion.

This morning, it was 82 degrees with a dew point 79.  The target was 4 miles at whatever level of plodding occurs.  I did manage to complete this journey.  I really did.

Decreasing the cadence from 158 to 157, which didn't help.  I just knew that I didn't want to match my actual cadence to the chirps on the gnome.  To resurrect two Reagan era phrases...Stay the course.  Just do it.

4 miles, 1:04:39, 16:08 pace, 131 avg bpm, 144 avg cadence
1.  15:37, 155 spm
2.  15:58, 143 spm
3.  16:23, 137 spm 
4.  16:27, 142 spm

I was able to hold the 157 on the first mile to around 13:30 or so.  I'll work on the 2nd mile's cadence, which might slowly increase.  That's the goal, anyway.

4 miles doesn't require any hydration during the run.  Awfully sweaty afterwards, though.  Moochus graceeus.

Love Reagan (I wanted to give him my Christmas jelly beans when I was little...)

I understand about the walking taking too long. I'm running into that this week with my knee.

Carry on, as they say. But summer isn't really much fun. I guess you get nice winters? There has to be some consolation.