3/28/21

Finally a day off. And a pretty good one. I set out this morning around 10 on my run. The goal was just to do 2 hours at a relaxed pace. I set the goal this way because of the heat. It’s getting hotter now, gradually, and I knew that it would be a factor. I’m not used to running in the heat of the day because I run after work when it’s slightly cooler and the sun is closer to the horizon instead of beating down from directly overhead. Turned out to be just slightly harder than I thought it would be. I ended up going 12.7 at 9:30 pace, roughly. I took the trail going away from downtown and then took a left at the Skyway Trail junction. I couldn’t figure out how far the water fountain at Gulfport was but I knew the one at Clam Bayou would be about 6 or 7 miles from my start point and that’s about the distance I needed to go before turning around. Now thinking about it, I think both water fountains are about the same distance from my starting point, but the Gulfport water fountain is sometimes turned off. I made a fine decision, either way. I love the smell of saltwater so it was nice running through the little bayou back there. There was an older guy and his lady/wife/friend riding their bikes past me on the way back and he said, “Looks like you’re doing a great job running!” To which I replied, “I’m doing my best!” Then his lady/wife/friend dinged her bike bell and said loudly, “Bike on the left!!!” Like I didn’t know. It seemed almost like she was trying to discourage her guy/husband/friend from talking to me, because he was in the middle of saying something else to me. Oh well, I’ll never know what it was, but I have an idea that it was about my sweat volume. One other person commented on my sweat volume during this run. Overall, it was a good run. No pain of any kind. No GI stuff. My heart rate was elevated for the pace I was running only at the end of the run, when I was in need of hydration. I think it’s common for my heart rate to jump up towards the end of a run even when I’m fully hydrated, though. It’s the excitement of being done, maybe. I notice that sometimes in the stats, even on short runs. 

Had band practice afterwards and that went well. Still need to figure out why Spotify and every other streaming service besides Apple Music won’t post our EP. 

Went grocery shopping after that. Had to go to Publix and Trader Joe’s. 

Made pizza with cauliflower crust after that. It was not as bad as I thought it would be, but not great. I guess that needs to be explained, ugh. I am trying to cut out as much wheat as I can from my diet. I’m eating things that are gluten-free. No nuts. No seeds. I have ulcerative colitis. It makes my life more difficult, but like anything else, once I get used to it, that will be the norm and I won’t think of it as difficult. 

Oh, it’s been a long time since I have had the time and correct head to write here. It feels strange, like I am writing to an audience that doesn’t exist. That’s not too far from the truth, I guess. I’ve been writing in a journal that’s contained within my computer, but at some point I knew I would come back here. Today felt right, because of the run mostly. I can’t make any commitment to frequency here. All I can do is remember that it helps me to write for some kind of perceived audience, as opposed to the circuit boards inside my computer. And hopefully, that will be enough to make me write here more often. I’m in a better place to write and run now.