Running With Perseverance

It feels good to be wrapping up May on a high note. I’m still babying my hamstring—keeping my mileage low, minimizing hills—but it’s rewarding me with pain-free runs, even when I push my pace. The smile on my face isn’t just endorphins, it’s also gratitude that’s giving me a runner’s high.

Scooby’s pretty happy too!

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I got home from Austin last weekend, but it felt like I brought the Texas weather back with me. I’m not going to complain, though. My hamstring seems to be truly on the mend, and I am happy to be running pain-free—even in the humidity. 🥵

Scooby’s tongue says it all!

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I spent most of this week in Austin, Texas, attending and speaking at a legal conference. Of course, I fit in some running in Austin even though I had to skip a breakfast session to do so.

The Texas State Capitol

Running In Austin

This was my second trip to Austin, and I was looking forward to running in Austin when the temperatures were in the 80s instead of when daytime highs were over 100F. I remembered wishing I’d had my headlamp on my last trip, and packed that in my carry-on. Good thing, because it didn’t get light until about 6:30 am.

The best running near downtown Austin is along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail that runs by the river.

The green square at the top center shows where the state capitol building is.

My hamstring had tolerated the 3+ hour flight well, so my first day running in Austin I headed out for a 5 mile loop. I went west (?) on the downtown-side of the river until I got to the pedestrian bridge, and then crossed the river and headed back east. The route was partly shaded, but once in a while offered views of the Austin skyline.

Some parts of the trail were lined with lighted railings.

Others were more natural.

I reached a boardwalk that went out over the water,
and used the end of that as my turn-around point.

There were lots of others out running and walking.

I hit 4.5 miles a few blocks from my hotel, and decided to walk the rest of the way. The warm temperatures, high humidity, and lack of water had sapped my energy, but at least my hamstring wasn’t complaining!

My second day running in Austin I opted for a shorter city route since the conference programs started earlier. I ran up to the state capitol building, and around the back where there were some gardens and statues.

The Ten Commandments

Texas Pioneer Woman

From the capitol, I ran back to the river and along the path in the direction of my hotel to end up with a 3 mile loop. The weather was much nicer than the day before, so I was glad I had gone out for another run in Austin. The conference session I missed was about how to manage stress, so I figured my time was well spent actually managing stress before my presentation later in the day. 😉

Weekly Wrap

Since I’m writing this late after traveling home from Austin yesterday, I’m going to skip my weekly wrap. I had early flights coming and going, but got my Peloton blue dot walking Scooby and walking at the airport. As I mentioned above, my hamstring continues to improve BUT now I have something going on with my ankle. Argh! It’s not in the Achilles area and doesn’t hurt when I run, so I’m not going to panic.

This week wraps up Lawyers Have Heart fundraising for the ❤️American Heart Association ❤️. Please use this link if you want to donate and thanks to everyone who donated already!

A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.