Careful Park Run

Norman and I met up at the park this afternoon to run trails. I was extra careful not to trip and repull my hamstring with Sunmart next Saturday and four marathons in the three months. I made it around the 6.8 mile outer loop with no falls or trips. Whew! Norman did an extra 1.3 miles for good measure. We ran into Robert Duncan on the trails, acting like one of those wimpy bikers.

Leftover Turkey 10K

I ran the Seven Hills Running Club's Leftover Turkey 10K this morning in Huntsville. It is a tough course, out and back on Veterans Memorial Parkway, nothing but up and down hills. I finished in 1:14:23, slower than I run on a flat 10K course. We had 25 runners and walkers doing the 10K, 5K or 1-mile race. Ben Harvie (62) and Robert Duncan (48) ran the 10K together and both finished in 47:58. Ben came back and met me at the 5 mile mark and ran in with me.

Feeling Better

I felt better today, even though I am still congested. No fever tonight, though. I ran an easy 3 miles (not that I don't run any other way) at the park this afternoon. There were a few hikers on the trails and one armadillo, but I did not see any other runners.

Run Thru The Woods 5 Miler

I didn't get much sleep last night and I got up early to go down to The Woodlands for the Run Thru the Woods 5 Miler. I don't know how many runners they had, but it seemed to be over 2,000 and the largest crowd I've seen at the race. It was warm and humid, but the course is very flat, except for the overpass over I-45. My time was 58:47. My history in this race is below. Met with many friends and several SHRC members at the race. Club members were Sara Lange, James, Josh and Crystal Spencer, Karen Felicidario and Robert Duncan. Jon Walk was there as the race announcer and he did a good job, I suppose. Since I was running the course, all I know is that he remembered my name as I crossed the finish line. We had family over for Thanksgiving this afternoon and evening and all is quiet for now. My fever is back up, but I get to sleep in tomorrow.
Run Thru The Woods
2002 - 51:10
2003 - 54:03
2004 - 53:14
2005 - 57:28
2006 - 58:56
2007 - 56:12
2008 - 58:47

Darn Fever

I felt lousy all day and am running a fever tonight. Usually, I get a sinus infection every two years and now this is my second this year. I went over to the track this evening and walked a mile with a friend and then ran a mile. Gotta get up early tomorrow for the 5-miler in the Woodlands. Ugh.

Allergies

I am not sure what it is blowing around this time of year, but my sinuses are killing me. I felt ill and sleepy all day. I skipped going to Nautilus this evening and went out to the State Park to run the roads. It was relatively quiet out there this evening. There was no wind and the lake water was glassy still. You could see the reflection of the colorful trees on shoreline in the water and it was quite picturesque. I should have brought my camera. In any case, I ran 3 miles. The cool air seemed to open up my sinuses and I felt a little better. Ben and I went to the Sam basketball game with Western Michigan (Sam lost).

Two on the Road

After 12.5 on the trails yesterday, I did 2 miles on the road in town this afternoon. I suppose it's part of my tapering plan for the Sunmart 50K on December 6. I'll figure out the rest of it before then.

Warm on the Trails

For late November, it was rather warm on the trails at the park this afternoon. I met up with Megan Williams from the SHRC and Even Stein and James and Rochelle Cabe from Houston at 1 p.m. We ran 12.5 miles, starting and finishing at the lodge. I was surprized that we did not see any wildlife. I guess it was too warm, even for the armadillos. Evan, James and Rochelle are running Sunmart in a couple weeks and this was their first trail run at the park. We had a good run and nice visit.

Cannonball 5K

I ran the Cannonball 5K on the Texas A&M campus this morning. It didn't start until 9:30 - my kind of race. Finished in 31:30, which was my best 5K time in two years. I guess the secret is to run a marathon to train for a 5K. Is that right, Coach Bill? It was a nice race, about 100 runners, flat course, longsleeve T-shirt and lots of door prizes. The male and female winners won a GPS and the age group winners got watches. They only went one deep in the 40 and over category, but I won a minor door prize. I came back to Huntsville to shower and change clothes and then went back to College Station with Marilynn for a wedding shower.

Nothing to Blog

If I was not so consistent in blogging everyday I'm not out of town, I would not blog today. I only ran one mile at the track this evening. It's Friday, you know.

At The Park

After Nautilus, I met up with the group at the park this evening. Hans and I ran 3 miles on the park roads and Phillip and Curtis did something longer on the trails. After that, Marilynn, Ben and I went to the Sam Houston State basketball game against North Texas. It was a close game, but Sam lost.

Back to Normal

I think I'm back to normal after the marathon on Sunday. Now, I just have my regular sore and stiff knees. I worked out at Nautilus this afternoon and then ran 3.4 miles on the roads in town.

Hill Work

After working out at Nautilus this afternoon, I met up with Lavonne, Hans, Chris and Jason Martinez at the track. From there, we ran a 1.5 mile course through the avenues with the steepest hills in Huntsville. Lavonne, Hans and Jason ran the course a second time. Since I am in the last day of my recovery from the marathon on Sunday, I stayed back and walked laps with a friend at the track.

5K, Marathon & Laps

Marilynn and I got back from San Antonio this evening. I ran the Kats for the Cause 5K in Huntsville Saturday morning and finished in 32:33. We then drove to San Antonio for the Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Marathon on Sunday. We visited some old Army friends, Jim and Diana Webb, who live in Cibolo, on the north side of San Antonio. They had us over for a very nice dinner and visit. Even though we have stayed in touch over the years, it has been too long since we have visited. Hopefully, we can get together more often. The logistics of the marathon with 30,000 runners was what I expected - a big hassle. By the time I got to the start line Sunday morning, I had already walked for miles and climbed so many steps. We got caught up in traffic in downtown San Antonio Saturday afternoon getting to the Expo in the Alamo Dome. I ended up parking on an upper floor of a parking garage and we walked a long way to the dome. It was wall to wall runners, but I managed to get my packet and visit with some friends, Jon Walk, Bill Dwyer, Debbie Tripp, Loren Sheffer and others. We got up at 5 a.m. Sunday and drove to the AT&T Center at 6 a.m. to get shuttle busses. I had a long walk to the bus there. I got on a bus to the start line in Breckenridge park, but they let us out blocks from the start line. Marilynn waited at the AT&T Center and caught a bus for the finish line (Alamo Dome) at 8 a.m. With all the walking and climbing stairs, I was tired at the start line. They started in waves of about 1,000 runners each, starting at 7:30 a.m. I was in the 24th waive, so it was nearly 8:30 before I started the race. The temperature was in the 40's at the start, but it warmed up quickly. At 2 miles, I threw away the headband over my ears and my gloves. Later, I wished that I had run in a short sleeve shirt, rather than long sleeve. I ran in a crowd for the whole 26.2 miles. The aid stations were great, there was a rock 'n' roll band every mile and plenty of high school cheerleaders along the way. The course was relatively flat. I finished in 5:48:07 (compared to 6:03:52 in Waco last month). I was okay with that. Marilynn and I stayed over in San Antonio Sunday night and drove back this afternoon. We stopped in Houston to visit Kenny and got home about 6:30 p.m. Later, I went to the track and ran a mile. As usual the day after a marathon, the first lap was bad, but after that it was okay.

Laps at the Track

Friday seems to be my normal day off and today was no exception. I ran laps at the track early this afternoon. I plan on doing the 5K race on campus tomorrow morning and then heading for San Antonio for the marathon on Sunday.

Park Run

I met the group at the park this evening and I did 2 miles on the park roads while they ran trails. When I did the outer loop on Tuesday, I stubbed my right toe on a root. Even though I did not fall, I felt a pull in my left hamstring (the one I have been trying to recover from). It has been sore since and I thought I should stay off the trails for a while longer. Running the quiet roads at the park isn't all that bad, anyway. We had a good group this evening, Hans, Chris, John, Ron Davis, Phillip and Curtis. Felix Montelongo had finished a run alone and he visited with us a while.

I must be getting old

I ran a 2.4 mile course around the Avenues this evening. There were two church missionaries walking up the street, wearing their white shirts, ties and backpacks. As I ran past them, I jokingly said, "Yall, should be running." They were very polite and friendly and after I passed, I heard one said to the other, "I wish my grandpa would do that."

Wet Trails

Lavonne, Norman and I ran the 6.8-mile outer loop at the park this morning. It was rather warm and very humid. I'm glad I carried water. We did not run into any critters on the trails, except for three other runners, including Curtis. With about a mile and a half to go, it started raining hard. I was drenched in sweat, so the rain felt good. Thanks, Lavonne and Norman.

Road Run

In anticipation of doing the outer loop at the park tomorrow morning with Lavonne, I did 2 miles on the roads in Huntsville. After that, I'll cool it until the San Antonio Marathon this weekend. I am apprehensive. Not about the marathon, but all the logistics involved. If I had known the race would have 30,000 people, I would have never signed up. I have learned to appreciate small marathons, where I can park near the start/finish and not have to run in a crowd.

Resting

While I felt fine today after running the Rocky Raccoon 25K yesterday, I rested. That means I ran laps at the track. I spent hours today working on a photo gallery for last month's Huntsville Half Marathon & 5K Run/Walk. Click here for a link.

Rocky Raccoon

The Rocky Raccoon 25K is one of those races I do every year, for 8 years straight, anyway. Here are my times:
1998 - 3:01:17
1999 - 2:59:47
2001 - 3:04:18
2002 - 3:25:20 (age 61, start of bad knees)
2003 - 3:27:10
2004 - 3:34:49
2005 - 3:44:42
2006 - 3:52:40
2007 - 3:36:42
2008 - 3:43:18
The weather this morning was ideal for trail running. It was good to see so many other club members running. Since the 50K started at 7 a.m. and the 25K at 8 a.m., I never got to see everybody. However, I think this is a complete list.
50K
Norman Langwell
Phillip Clark
Gerald Peters
J. C. Guzman
25K
Holden Choi
Jon Walk
John Loftus
Andrew Husband
Karen Husband
Felix Montelongo
Ken Johnson

Thanks to those club members who got up real early and operated the Seven Hills Running Club aid station in the back of the park: Marilynn Johnson, Jan Parks, Ron and Mary Ann Davis and Millie and Deanna Langwell. They did a great job.

Twas the Night Before Rocky Raccoon

The Rocky Raccoon 25K is tomorrow morning and I guess I am ready. I ran laps at the track this morning and Norman and I went out to the park this evening to set up the club aid station in the back of the park. I went to the Huntsville Hornet football game in Willis tonight. It was the first Hornet game I've been to in several years. I sat with Norman and his family. Norman's son, Colton, played well tonight. I left early in the 4th quarter to beat the traffic and listened to the rest of the game on the radio. On the way home, they called Colton's name at least 8 times. Congratulations to the Hornets. They went undefeated in district and start the playoffs next week.

One More Day Before the Trails

I have one more day before I hit the trails for the first time in a couple months. The Rocky Raccoon 25K & 50K is this Saturday. The club is operating the "far side aid station" for the race. Norman and I are setting it up tomorrow evening and Marilynn, Millie Langwell, Jan Parks and Ron and Mary Ann Davis are operating the station on Saturday. Assuming my hamstrings survive Rocky Raccoon, Lavonne and I are doing a long run at the park on Tuesday morning. Then, it is rest time for the San Antonio Marathon the next Saturday.
I went to the track just before dark this evening. Kathy Cook was there and we walked for a mile and then I ran for a mile. Mairlynn and I took Ben out to dinner tonight to celebrate his 25th birthday, which was actually November 3.

Got my Gaiters

Maybe it is the way I run, but when on the trails, I accumulate a lot of trash in my shoes. During the Seabrook Trail (crushed gravel) Marathon last spring, I had to stop and empty my shoes about five times. All the stopping probably cost me a trophy. So, I ordered some gaiters online and received them this week. I'll probably wear them for the first time at the Sunmart 50K next month. In case you don't know what gaiters are, they are cloth thingies that fit around with ankle and over the top of the shoes. The elastic around the ankles keeps the trash from getting into the shoe. They come in some pretty wild colors, but I bought the more conservative camoflauge blue.
I went to the track this evening and took off running the roads from there. I ran some streets that I had never run before and got attacked by a couple small dogs. One got very close to my ankle, but then I got very aggressive and scared him off. Anyway, I check the distance of my run on USATF's America's Running Routes and it came out to be 2.0 miles.

Mid-Afternoon Run

I went to Nautilus at mid-afternoon, worked out and then ran 3.5 miles around town. There were not too many people at Nautilus, but the streets were busy for my run.

Adjusting to the Time Change

I ran out of daylight this evening and ran only 2 miles on the streets in Huntsville. I need to get a longer run in early this week and then taper for the Rocky Raccoon 25K on Saturday. I am looking forward to getting on the trails again after two months of road work.

Fallen Runner

Marilynn and I went up to Dallas Friday morning and got back this evening. After I got home, I soon learned that my good friend, John Burick, was struck and killed by a vehicle while running the roads in Huntsville on Friday morning. I am deeply saddened. We were neighbors for many years and attended the same church. And, he was a member of the Seven Hills Running Club for many years. He was one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. John, 75, was a veteran of many marathons. He ran the Huntsville 5K on October 11 (won 1st place in his age group). Last Saturday, John and several other club members ran the Shiitake Mushroom Festival 5K in Madisonville. He passed me and ended up winning the 70 and over age group. I will miss him. My condolences to Rosalie and to the rest of his family.