Polish Pickle 5K

I ran the Polish Pickle 5K in Bremond this morning for the 19th consecutive year.  They had over 800 runners in a town with a population of 900.  I finished in 36:02, which was good enough for 3rd place in the 70-74 age group.

Usual Friday

As usual, with a 5K tomorrow morning, I ran laps at the track this afternoon.  Gotta get up early tomorrow.

Just me and Nicole

It was just me and Nicole who showed up at the park this evening.  Hans and John were there biking, so they stayed with her for 4.5 miles.  I ran 3 miles on the trails.

Wet 5K run

We had a light rain for our Wednesday evening 5K run from the church.  Surprisingly, there were more runners there than usual, including a couple of new guys.  The cooler temperature (80's) and the rain made the run much more comfortable.

Steamy park

It rained this afternoon, so the park was hot and steamy this evening.  After working out at Iron Works, I ran 3.5 miles on the trails at the park  Sara Seale (now McCullough), who use to run with us about 10 years ago until she graduated from SHSU, was back and ran with us tonight.  Great to have her back.
I heard that there was radio news today reporting that a girl was bitten by an alligator at the park yesterday.  She was swimming in the lake at night after being warned not to.  And, I see the main threat at the park as biting horse flies.

Avenues 5K

I ran the hilly Avenues 5K course this evening.  I suppose it was the heat and humidity, but I felt very sluggish.

Run with Jason

One of my old friends, who moved from Huntsville about 10 years ago, was back in town today to run the Gator Bait 15K Trail Run at Huntsville State Park.  Today was his 100th consecutive day of running.  He asked me to run part of the course with him this morning.  I did that and then ran some on the park roads.  He ended up getting 3rd in his age group.  He and his friend came over to the house for showers and then we all went out for lunch.  We had a nice visit.

June Bug 5K

I got up early this morning and put out the signs for the club's annual June Bug 5K and 1-Mile at the Spring Lake Sub-division in Huntsville.  We had 60+ runners and hot and humid weather.  I finished the hilly course in 37:13, a little slower than I expected.

Houston

I loaded up my lawn mower and stuff this morning and went down to Houston to do my son's lawn.  He is recovering from a serious arm infection.  On the way down, I stopped at several places to drop off race entry forms for our Huntsville Half Marathon in October.  After I got back to Huntsville, I had  to get some signs and other stuff ready for our club run tomorrow morning.  I finally got to the track this evening and ran laps.

Two

Only speedy Jacob and Jason showed up at the park this evening.  I ran 2 miles while they ran 3 and I finished only minutes ahead of them.

Church 5K

After working out at Iron Works, I met up with the group and ran the church 5K course.

Tuesday at the Park

As usual on Tuesday, I worked out at Iron Works this evening and then went to the park.  I ran 3 miles on the park roads.  Also as usual in mid-June, it was hot and humid.

Iron Works 5K course

I spent the morning working on my running column for tomorrow's Huntsville Item.  The column is already on the Item web site.  Click HERE.  I wrote on hydration and got more technical than I usually do.  I always think that some doctor or other professional is going to contact me and tell me that I don't know what I am talking about.  None have done so in the nearly 9 years that I have written the column.  In any case, hopefully I have made a difference.
I worked out at Iron Works this evening and then Clayton and I ran the 5K course starting and finishing at Iron Works that I measured last Friday.  Clayton complained that it seemed to be all uphill and that we should reverse the direction.  If you start and finish at the same point, the course is flat.  To reverse the direction, you will have to run on the other side of the road; that will require remeasuring the course.  Ugh.

Oops

I forgot to blog yesterday.  I ran 2 miles on the road in town in the mid-afternoon 92 degree heat.

Greyhound 5K

I got up at 5 this morning and drove 89 miles up to Kosse to run the Greyhound 5K at 7:30.  There were about 100 runners there.  It gave me a chance to visit with some old friends and meet some new ones.  I finished in 36:08.  I finished 2nd in the 70 and over age group.  My friend, Dennis Alston, who just turned 70, took first (darn young whipper snapper).  There were at least two others in the age group behind me.  On the way back to Huntsville, I stopped at the Town Cafe in Centerville and had breakfast.  Today, was my 1,700th day on my current running streak.  I've been there twice before in previous streaks, so no big deal.

Measured a new course

I measured a new 5K course for the club this afternoon.  We will use it for the first time for our club run on July 26.  It starts and finishes in front of Iron Works.  I walked the distance with an engineer wheel.  After all that walking, I went to the track and ran laps.

2 Miles

After working out at Iron Works, I ran 2 miles on the roads at the park.

Two lawns and a 5K

I mowed my lawn this morning and then loaded up my mower and drove down to Houston to mow my son's lawn and fix his lawn mower.  He is out of the hospital and at home, but not up to lawn care.  I got back to Huntsville just in time to join the group to run the 5K course on campus, starting and finishing at the church.

Big crowd at the park

Seems like about everybody that runs with us at the park showed up this evening.  I stuck to the park roads and ran 3 miles.

Heavy rain today

There was a forecast of heavy rains in Huntsville this afternoon, so I went to the track this morning and ran laps.  The rains came, but were gone by this evening.  Nice to get the rain.

Sunday evening run

After an afternoon of doing yardwork, I ran an unplanned course on the streets in town.  It turned out to be 3.3 miles.  I also contacted the timing company that timed the race yesterday.  It looks like I was given chip 906 rather than 806.  Runner 906 had my finish time, so they corrected my online race results.

Heights 5K

I got up at 5 this morning and drove down to Houston to run the Heights 5K.  I guess you could say it was a 6-cow race, with 961 finishers in the timed event.  The course was flat and down and back on Heights Blvd. in the northern part of Houston.  According to my Garmin, I finished in 35:41.  The chip-timed race results said 36:51 for my chip time.  I am not sure how that happened, but I am sure about the 35:41.  I will claim that.  In either case, I was 6 out of 9 runners in the 70 and over age group.  The overall female winner was Kaytlynn Welsch (age 13), with a time of 18:44.  Her 11-year old sister, Heather, finished in 20:11.  Amazing.

Friday routine

As usual on most Fridays, I did a short run due to a 5K race tomorrow morning.  I went to the track in the mid-afternoon heat and ran 1.3 miles on the roads from there.

Over 90 today

As expected in early June, it was over 90 degrees today.  I ran 3 miles on the roads at the park this evening, after working out at Iron Works.

Back to Houston

I went back down to Houston this evening to pick up my wife and bring her back to Huntsville.  Before leaving, I got in a 1.5-mile run on the roads in town.

Tuesday at the park

After working out at Iron Works this evening, I ran 2 miles on the roads at the park.  Hot and humid.

Sunday Night 5K for the 50th time

On Saturday, I ran 2 miles on the roads in town and then had to go to Houston to be with my son, who was being admitted to the hospital.  I had to come back to Huntsville on Sunday afternoon to take care of some business.  On the way back to Houston, I stopped in The Woodlands to run the Sunday Night 5K.  I finished in 35:28, which is my fastest time for this monthly race since September 2011.  He was released from the hospital this afternoon, so I drove back to Huntsville this evening.  I ran 2 miles on the roads in town just become it got dark.

Mid-day run

I thought I might have to go down to Houston this afternoon or evening, so I ran at mid-day.  Ran an unplanned course on streets that I know well in town.  The course ended up being 2.7 miles.

No rain today

There was no rain today, so a few runners showed up at the park this evening.  I ran 2 miles on the park roads, while the others ran trails.

It was suppose to rain this evening

It was suppose to rain this evening at the time our group runs from the church on Sycamore.  Anyway, it did not.  We ran the normally hilly 5K course around the campus.  Hot and humid, but that will get worse as the summer progresses.

Wet run

After working out at Iron Works this evening, I went out to the park.  It was raining and for some reason, no one else showed up.  I ran 3 miles on the park roads.  The cool rain felt great.

Memorial Day 5K

As has become a tradition, I hosted the Seven Hills Running Club's annual Memorial Day 5K Run and breakfast at my house this morning.  We had 70 runners and a great time.  By the time I got around to running myself this afternoon, it was raining.  I ran laps at the track in the rain.  No complaining; we needed the rain badly.

Getting ready for tomorrow

I spent much of the day getting ready to host our club's annual Memorial Day 5K at my house.  Lots of details, especially with breakfast after the run.  Expect over 100 runners and family members.  I took a break this afternoon and ran 2 miles on the roads in town.

Fredonia 5-Miler

I got up at 5 this morning and made the 100-mile drive over to Nacogdoches for the Fredonia 5-Miler.  Several old friends were there, so it was great visiting with them.  This included Sara McCullough, Jimmy Jones, Cindy Sosa Springs and Zeno Boehmer.  Zeno is 85 and still running.  I remember when he was in his 60's, he was the overall winner of a half marathon in Woodville.  The last time I ran this race was in 2003, when I finished in 49:03.  I was a little slower today, with a finish time of 1:00:05.  I was second in the 70 and over age group, behind Jimmy and ahead of Zeno.

Friday short run

Since it is Friday and I have a 5-miler tomorrow morning, I ran a 1.3-mile loop on the streets in town.

Park roads

After Iron Works this evening, I ran 2.3 miles on the park roads.

Church 5K

This evening, I met up with the group at the church and ran the 5K through the campus.

Tuesday at the Park

After working out at Iron Works, I went out to the park and ran 2 miles on the park roads.

Back from California

After getting in a run in Huntsville on Friday, we flew out to California for the weekend to meet and visit with our son's fiance's family.  We had a short layover in Denver and flew to San Diego.  The family lives in Encinita, a beach community on Hwy. 101 about 30 minutes north of San Diego and that is where we stayed.  It was very close to the ongoing wild fires, but the wind was blowing from west to east, so there was very little smoke in the Encinita area.  It was a busy weekend, but I got in runs along Hwy. 101 on both Saturday and Sunday  We got back to Huntsville tonight and I went over to the track and ran laps.

Compressed schedule

My schedule this evening was sorta compressed.  While working out at Iron Works this evening, I found out that most of our trail group was not going to be at the park this evening.  I had a running club meeting at 6:30 p.m., so I was not going to make it either.  No problem, except that we had a new guy coming up from Houston to run with us.  So, I went out to the park at 5:30.  The new guy was there and a couple other of our trail runners.  I got in a 1.5-mile trail run, went home to shower and be at the meeting at 6:30.  I also had a ticket for the Sam Houston State baseball game, which also started at 6:30.  I made it to the game about 8 p.m. and finally had dinner about 10 p.m

Back to BCS

I drove back over to Bryan/College Station today to get my 1974 VW Bug Convertible from a shop there and tow it back to Huntsville.  While there, I had lunch at the Coco Loco Mexican Restaurant in Bryan. Best Mexican food around.  This evening, I worked out at Iron Works and then ran the 5K course from the church with the Wednesday night group.  It was a small group tonight, me and Clayton.  School is out, so the traffic in the university area is light.  Nice.

Early run

I went with my son and his fiance over to College Station this evening for the Sam Houston State - Texas A & M baseball game.  I never made it to Iron Works today, but I did go for run in the avenues this afternoon.  It was an unplanned course, which turned out to be exactly 3.1 miles.

Working trail run

My friend, Paul Stone, who directed the Hog's Hunt Trail Run at Huntsville State Park on Saturday, asked me to clear the flagging on part of the course.  So, after working out at Iron Works, I went to the park and did a working run for 2 miles on the trails.  I deposited all the flagging in a trash can and then ran 2.3 miles on the park roads back to my truck.  Hot and humid and it is storming now.  More rain is expected for the next 2 days.

Squeezed in a run

Just after returning from Wylie this evening, I squeezed in a run at the track before attending a family get-together here in Huntsville.

Texas 10 Series Plano

I ran the Texas 10 Series Plano 10-miler this morning.  It was a little warm and windy, but not bad.  My son and 13 year old granddaughter, Sara, ran the single loop 5-mile race.  I finished in 2:10:34 (2nd in my age group), a couple minutes faster than the super hilly Texas 10 Series Huntsville race last month.  Sara ran to the finish line with me and that was special.  She was 1st in the 14 and under age group with a time of 46:33.  I won $100 in the post race drawing and split it with Sara.

Friday short run

It's Friday and I have a 10-miler tomorrow.  So, I ran my short 1.3-mile course in town.

It was suppose to rain

We did have rain this morning;  the first in weeks.  It quit raining about noon and the forecast was for more rain about the time we meet at the park to run trails.  So, I went into town early this afternoon, worked out at Iron Works and ran 2.8 miles on the roads in town.  Then, it never rained this evening.

Laps

I had to go to my wife's annual Master Gardener Dinner tonight, so I ran laps at the track this afternoon and then worked out at Iron Works.

Three at the park

Usual Tuesday.  Three miles on the trails at the park after working out at Iron Works.

Avenue hills

It's back to Monday.  I worked out at Iron Works and then ran an unplanned route in the hilly avenues.  It turned out to be exactly 2 miles.

Sunday Night 5K

I got back from Wylie this afternoon, just in time to head down to The Woodlands to run the Sunday Night 5K.  I finished in 36:30, compared to 36:41 last month.  I remember when I use to run this course under 30 minutes.  The course must have gotten longer over the years.

Three in Plano

I am spending the weekend with my son and his family in Wylie, northeast of  Dallas.  I drove over to Plano this afternoon to scout out the course for the Texas 10 Plano next Saturday.  Tough hill from 1.5 miles to 3 miles.  Otherwise pretty flat. I will be running the 5-mile course twice for the 10-mile race.  Look forward to it.  Later this afternoon, I went with my son to the Plano Police Officer's Gym.  While he worked out, I ran 3 miles on the roads.  The temperature was 90 degrees.

Short run Friday

Before heading out of town today, I ran 1.3 miles on the streets in the avenues.

Cool for the third day in a row

Nice running weather at the park this evening.  For the third day in a row, it was relatively cool.  I ran a 3-mile course on the trails.

2 Miles with J.C.

After much heavy work around the house today, I worked out at Iron Works and then went to the track to run the roads from there.  Speedy J. C. was there and wanted to run two miles with me.  He slowed down to run with me and I sped up somewhat.  So, it was a good workout.  I received my re-covered custom orthotics in the mail today.  I have been running in some old ones for about a month.  Felt good to be back in my current ones with new covering.

Cooler

It was a little cooler today and a good chance to paint the ceiling of my front porch.  My right arm and shoulder really got a workout, plus a lot of leg exercise going up and down the ladder.  Got it done.  After working out at Iron Works this evening, I met up with the group at the park and ran 3 miles on the trails.

Did not feel like running today

This was just one of those days, I did not feel like running.  However, I went to the track to run laps.  There were too many people there, so I ran 1.5 miles on the roads.  That's day 1,653.

90 degrees

It was 90 degrees this afternoon when I went out to run in the avenues.  Ran 3.3 hilly miles.

Spring Fling 5K

I ran our club's Spring Fling 5K in Huntsville this morning.  I finished in 36:13.  When not running, I played race photographer.  Photos at http://7hills.us/SpringFling2014.htm

2,000th blog entry

This is one of those milestones I was talking about a few days ago.  Since I started blogging 6 years ago this month, this is my 2,000th blog entry.  I know I have not said much and the blog is not read by too many people, but it somehow keeps me accountable for my running.  I need all the motivation I can get.  It's Friday and I have a race tomorrow morning.  I ran a short 1.3-mile course on the roads in town this afternoon.

Copperhead

For the first time in a couple years, I encountered a snake on the trail at Huntsville State Park.  While running a 2.4-mile loop this evening, I met up with a 18-inch copperhead laying across the trail.  I have been running those trails for about 20 years and use to see a lot more snakes, mostly coral snakes and copperheads.  Maybe my eyesight is going and I just don't see them anymore.

Wednesday group

As usual for Wednesday, I met up with the group and ran the 5K course around the campus.  Summer is here.

Gardening

Now that it is past Easter, I planted my share of the family garden - melons and corn.  Now, we will see which comes up first, plants or weeds.  I ran 2 miles on the roads at the park this evening.

Knee pain

I am continuing to have pain just below the left knee cap.  After a mile or so, it eases up a bit.  So, I will take it easy this week.  After Iron Works this evening, I ran an unplanned route in the avenues.  It turned out to be 1.80 miles.

Town Creek Trail

I finally ran on the Town Creek Trail in Huntsville.  It has been there for years in a green area of the city.  It is basically one loop, with some side trails.  Including the side trails, the distance I ran was 1.8 miles.  I ran this afternoon after having family in today and eating way too much.

Super Hero 10K

I got up early this morning, picked up Jill and Kelly and drove over an hour east to the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation east of Livingston to run the Super Hero 10K.  My niece, Amie, was visiting us and made the trip with us.  Even though it warmed up during the race, it was rather cool for the start.  Most of the course was on paved roads winding through a heavily wooded area.  I finished in 1:16:18, which placed me 2nd in the 60 and over age group.  After the race, they provided hamburgers with the fixings.  While there, I ran into several old friends and had a great time visiting with them.

Laps

It's Friday and I have a 10K in the morning.  So, I went to the track this afternoon and ran laps.

Running Milestones

As a runner, and especially as a streaker, I tend to keep track of milestones.  There are so many to track.  Such as, years since I started racing, number of marathons completed, number of races run, consecutive days of running, number of consecutive times completing certain races.  To me, it's all part of staying motivated to run and stay healthy.  The primary reason I blog is self motivation.  I probably have the most boring blog in existence, and I know from the counter, that only a few people read it.  However, I feel that it keeps me accountable.  I hate to run and many times I run farther than the 1-mile required to maintain my running streak, just because I have to account for my daily run.  In a week, I will reach a new milestone.  I make my 2,000th blog entry since starting my blog in April 2008.  Gosh, another milestone, 6 years of blogging.
Today, I worked out and ran 2.4 miles on the trails at the park.

Normal Wednesday

After working out at Iron Works, I met up with the group at the church and ran 3.1 miles around the campus.  The high temperature today with in the 60's.  From the looks of the forecast, this may be the last cool day in the foreseeable future.

Team RWB

I was invited by Team RWB to participate in an information program for veterans this morning at the VA Hospital in Houston.  I left Huntsville at 8 this morning and made it to the hospital just in time for a 10 a.m. start.  I worked with Daniel Cowart and Justin Taylor.  Justin was one of the members who ran with me carrying a flag at the Love.Run.Marathon last February 15.  We saw and visited with a lot of heroes.  This evening, I worked out at Iron Works and then ran 2.4 miles on the trails at the park.

Now, it's cold again

Just when I thought it was spring, the temperature got into the 40's today.  And, I had stored all my long sleeve running T-shirts for the summer.  I took it easy today and ran 1.3 miles on the roads after working out at Iron Works.

Texas 10 Series Huntsville

I ran the Texas 10 Series Huntsville 10-mile race this morning.  Warm and humid, with a light rain for part of the race.  It is the hilliest of the 7-race series, but I am use to the hills.  I finished in 2:12:44, which was good for 2nd place in the 70 and over age group.  However, having run all three in the series so far, I have accumulated plenty of points to be comfortably in the lead for the Armadillo Cup in the 70 and over age group.  A win for the series includes a cash prize of $250.  The next race in the series will be in Plano on May 10.  Then, three more races in the fall, Fort Worth, Katy and Conroe.

Bunny Run 5K

I drove an hour down to Humble this morning to run the Bunny Run 5K.  My good friend and member of our running club, Kas Kramer, directed the race.  It started and finished at the Sports Complex in a very nice sub-division.  There were over 100 runners for the 5K.  Everyone got a finishers medal, but no age group awards.  I finished in 35:50.

Friday rest day

Since I have a 5K in the morning and a 10-mile race on Sunday, I went to the track this afternoon and ran laps.  Then, to the Sam Houston State baseball game tonight.

Skipped Iron Works

Someone came to my house to pick up the club race clock to use in Groveton this weekend.  He came at the same time I am usually at Iron Works.  Then, I went straight to the park to run trails with the group.  I ran 2.4 miles.

Church 5K

After working out at Iron Works, I met up with the group at the church this evening and ran the 5K course around the campus.

Seven

I worked out at Iron Works earlier this afternoon and then went out to the park and ran 7 miles on the trails alone.  The group started later and ran shorter distances and we all finished about the same time.  Nice cool weather, but windy.

Roads

After working out at Iron Works this evening, I ran an unplanned route on the roads in town.  It turned out to be 2.6 miles.

Sunday Night 5K

I forgot to post last night.  For the 48th time, I went down to The Woodlands and ran the Sunday Night 5K.  I finished in 36:41.

Dogwood Dash 5K

I drove and hour and a half east to Woodville to run the Dogwood Dash 5K this morning.  Nice cool and clear weather.  I finished in 34:25, but my GPS said that the course was exactly 3 miles.  My friends came up with the same distance.  I have never run this race before, but it has been around for many years.  Why can't race directors accurately measure their course?  In any case, I was first in the 70 and over age group - and there were three others in the age group.  I walked around the Dogwood Festival for a while and got back to Huntsville by 1 p.m.

Restful Friday

Since it is Friday and I have 5K in the morning, I went over to the track this evening and ran laps.

Skipped Iron Works

Just as I was leaving the house this evening to go to Iron Works, I received a phone call.  By the time the call was finished, I had enough time to get to the park to meet the group at 5:30.  I ran 3 miles on the trails.  It is really nice at the park now; dogwoods are in full bloom, as well as other flowers.

Had to run to rest up

I spent much of the day doing heavy yard work and was really tired this evening.  To rest up, I worked out at Iron Works and ran 2 miles around the campus.  I felt much better afterwards.

Photos at the Park

The Chamber of Commerce is publishing a new Newcomers Magazine and they scheduled a photographer to take photos of our running group at the park this evening.  So, we had a much larger group than normal and they all looked good.  After the setup photos, we ran 3 miles on the trails.

Recovery day

My left knee was sore today and I am not due for another shot of the stuff from a rooster's cone until next fall.  It hurt at times during the 10-mile race yesterday.  So, after working out at Iron Works this evening, I ran 1.3 miles on the roads.  It eased up a bit after a quarter mile or so.  I iced it when I got home.  I am sure it will be okay in a couple days.

Texas 10 Series Boerne

I ran the Texas 10 Series Boerne 10 miler this morning.  Perfect weather and a nice and relatively flat double loop course around the city.  I finished the first loop in 1:04:53 and the second loop in 1:05:17, 23 seconds slower.  My total time was 2:10:10, which placed me second in the 70 and over age group.

Running of the Bears 5 Miler

I drove down to Montgomery this morning and ran the Running of the Bears 5 Miler.  Nice run, but it took forever to get the awards ceremony started.  Good thing for chip timing.  I finished in 59:31 (2nd in my age group).  Within about 45 minutes from getting home, I was on the road to Boerne, west of San Antonio, for the Texas 10 Series 10 Miler tomorrow morning.  Went to Mass this evening in Boerne and then had hill country BBQ.

Laps

Since I have two races this weekend, I ran laps at the track this afternoon.

Skipped the park

The weather forecast called for rain this evening, so I skipped the park and ran 2.3 miles on the roads in town earlier this afternoon.  I ran in a light rain and the rain this evening did not materialize. Oh, well.

Church 5K

I met up with the group at the Baptist church this evening and ran the 5K course around the campus from there.  Earlier today, I mailed off my custom orthotics to be recovered.  So, for my run this evening, I wore an old ones, made from a cast years ago.  My feet were sore after the run this evening.  It may be a  few days before I adjust (or re-adjust) to them.  Five-mile race coming up this Saturday and ten-mile on Sunday.

Dogwoods

Every time I see the dogwood trees bloom at the park, I know that summer is near.  This is probably the best time of the year to run trails at the park.  Jacob (fastest in town) and I (slowest in town) were the only runs running this evening.  He ran 3.5 miles and I ran 2.5 and he was waiting for me at the finish.

Avenues 5K course

After working out at Iron Works this evening, I drove to the track and ran the Avenues 5K course from there.  Plenty of hills, including the highest point between Dallas and Houston.

Club run

Our club had its annual Run the Trails 3.5 miler at Huntsville State Park this afternoon.  I hiked out a mile to a "T" in the trails to direct traffic and take photos.  There was a chance of rain, but the weather turned out nice.  Later this afternoon, I ran 2 miles on the roads in town.

Tyler Azalea 10K

I ran laps at the track on Friday before driving 135 miles up to Tyler for the Tyler Azalea 10K this morning.  The temperature was around 60 with a light mist for part of the race.  The red brick streets were rather slippery, but fortunately no slips.  Due to the crazy winter this year, there were no azalea blooms to be seen.  My finish time was 1:18:37.  The 3rd place finisher in my age group was 1:14 something.  We had a family get-together in Tyler this evening and made it back to Huntsville around 10:30 p.m.  My leg is still swollen and sore, but it did not bother me in the race.

Doctor visit

My leg was somewhat better this morning.  I went to the track and ran laps - before my doctor's appointment.  The X-ray of my leg was negative.  The doctor diagnosed the problem as a contusion (bruise).  The pressure built up at the point of the impact (where the log hit my leg) forced the blood into my lower leg and foot.  He did not see any danger of a blood clot.  So, the swelling in my leg will take time to go away.  Heat treatments will help.  I was relieved that nothing was broken and there was no danger of clots in my blood stream.  This evening, I worked out at Iron Works.

Leg

My leg was not any better this morning.  It is swollen and discolored.  I tried to get an appointment with a doctor today, but the earliest I can get in is tomorrow afternoon.  This evening, I worked out at Iron Works and then survived a 1-mile run at the track.

On the trails with Bridgette Collins

My long time friend, Bridgette Collins of Houston, ran trails with us this evening.  Bridgette is a marathoner, running coach, speaker and author of three books on running.  She, Leah Koester and Jan Parks and I ran 3 miles.  My leg injury from logging last Tuesday seems to be getting worse.  I will run tomorrow and then try to see a doctor.

Sprained ankle

I ran 2 miles on this roads this evening.  After getting home, I was stepping in the shower and noticed that the inside of my right ankle was dark purple and slightly swollen.  Sprained?  I don't remember doing anything to sprain it and did not notice any particular pain when running.  It is about 12 inches below the bruised and swollen leg from the logging accident a few days ago.  I wonder if the injuries are related.  Oh well, keep running.

Solo trail run

I went out to the park this afternoon and ran 6.8 miles on the trails.  It was a little muddy in places, but no puddles that I could not get around. The temperature was in the 60's and it was very windy.  Nice running weather.

Veterans Memorial Parkway

Rather unusual, but I had no race this morning.  So, I ran 4.4 miles out and back on Veterans Memorial Parkway.