Stressed Out

I was stressed out about something today and did not feel like running. So, I went to the track this evening and ran one mile.

Stormy Run

The group met at the park this evening. About the time we started running, it started raining and lightning. I cut my run to 3 miles on the park roads and it got a little worse as I finished. The others ran trails and everyone made it back safely.

Lazy Day

I got up at 9:30 this morning and didn't t do a lot all day. I guess that is retired life. After Nautilus this evening, I ran a 3.7 mile loop around town. It was hot, but what else is new?

Four at the Park

I did 4 miles on the park roads this evening with Stephanie and Mariah. The rest of the group ran trails.

Texas Marathon Triple and Marathons of Texas

The Texas Marathon Triple is apparently gone after just two years. The TMT consisted of the Texas Marathon in Kingwood on January1, the Surfside Beach Marathon in February and the Seabrook Marathon in March. Complete all three and you get a TMT jacket (donated by Puma), a cap and the first year, a T-shirt. Steve and Paula Boone direct the Texas Marathon. They told me that Puma will no longer provide the jackets and Surfside and Seabrook are dropping out. I guess that means that the TMT is gone. The other challenge is the Marathons of Texas, which consisted of the White Rock Marathon in December, Houston in January and the Austin Marathon in March. Do all three and get a jacket. They have not announced a 2009/2010 Marathons of Texas challenge and I have emailed them twice and have not received a reponse.
I had planned on doing both challenges this year, which would require doing the Surfside Beach Marathon on February 13 and Austin Marathon the next day. Now, I'm not sure what I am going to do. I have already signed up for White Rock, Texas Marathon in Kingwood and the Houston Marathon.
In the meantime, I ran my 2.9 mile loop around town this evening.

Sunday Night 5K

I went down to The Woodlands for the Sunday Night 5K at 7 p.m. My friend, Ed Thompson, and I ran together and we did 33:18. Not a great time, but my fastest on that course in about 12 races since March 2008. Had a nice visit with Jon Walk and Bill Dwyer, who were putting on the race. Waverly Walk was there helping, also.

Dog Days 5K

I got up early this morning to put out the signs for the club's Dog Days 5K Run & 1-Mile Run/Walk. Darren's daughter, Tamany, 13, was there to direct the race, since Darren is out of town. We had 25 runners and walkers show up, so I did not run and helped her. She did a great job getting everybody signed up, compiling the race results and presenting the ribbons to the winners. After the race, I met up with Brian Zemlicka and his son, Chris, Leslee Cade and her daughter, Becca, at the Cafe Texan on the square for breakfast. We had a nice visit. It was good to see a lot of new faces at the race and everyone seemed to have a good time. I had a pretty bad sinus headache all day, so I took it easy this afternoon. According to weather.com, a good rain was headed our way this evening. I rushed outside and put fertlizer on the front lawn, the kind that you have to water afterwards to keep the grass from burning. As you would expect, the rain never came. So, I have to go water my lawn tomorrow morning. Then, my neighbor's daughter drove up to my house and said her mother needed help with a snake on her front porch. I went down the street and killed the snake. Then, I drove into town to get in a run. When I got to the track, there was a light rain and lightning. I ran one mile and left. I needed a rest day, anyway.

Morning Run

Except for races, I do not normally run in the morning. However, Ben and I are going to the Astros game tonight, so I ran at 10 a.m. this morning. Meagan and I did the Avenues 5K course. While the temperature was probably around 80, the humidity was very high. In any case, it sure beats those 100 degree+ days.

Three at the Park

We had a good group at the park this evening. Meagan Lee joined us for the first time. She signed up for the Huntsville Half (her first) and will be running with us and increasing her distance. She ran 3 miles on the park roads with me and then we walked another mile. Norman Langwell was there for the first time in a long time. He and Tiffany Potter were doing 8 miles.

Easy 2.9

After Nautilus this evening, I did my 2.9 mile loop around town. My hamstring bothered me some, but I was careful with it. I made sure I stretched before and after my run. I stuffed several hundred envelopes today with Hillcrest Huntsville Half Marathon & 5K Run/Walk entry forms. Tomorrow, it's address labels and stamps and a trip to the post office. This is the mail out to last year's runners. So now, I have hang nails in addition to the hamstring problem.

Rehab Run

I met up with the group at the park this evening. I ran an easy two miles, while they ran trails. The hamstring seems to hurt more while running up or down hills. Maybe I'll have to go to The Woodlands for all my training runs.

Hamstring Acting Up

That darn hamstring that I pulled last summer is acting up again lately. It had been fine and I am not aware of a particular instance where I re-pulled it. I'll have to take it easy for a few days, not that I have been doing otherwise. After Nautilus this evening, I ran my regular 2.9 mile loop around town. The last half block is downhill and that it when it really hurt.

Rain, Wind and Hail

We had a heavy rain, with wind and hail late this afternoon. Surely, those big cracks in the yard were filled up with water. We had some people over for dinner this evening and I ate too much. Just before dark, I ran two miles on a full stomach.

Tour de Huntsville

The rain in Huntsville this afternoon really cooled things off. It was about 75 degrees when I went out to run at 6:30 this evening. I ran the Tour de Huntsville 5-mile course.

Will the Rain Revive the Dead Grass?

It was nice getting a good rain this morning, but I have so much dead grass, I'm not sure how much it will help. I also received my water bill today and it was three times the normal amount. Yes, it has been a hot and dry summer.
I did a two mile run this evening. Next month, I will start getting serious with my distance. Today, I signed up for the White Rock Marathon in December and the Houston Marathon in January. Right now, my marathon plans for this year:

October 31 - Helen Klein Classic 50K, Sacramento, CA
November - marathon, somewhere
December 13 - White Rock Marathon
January 1 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood
January 17 - Houston Marathon
February 13 - Surfside Beach Marathon
February 14 - Austin Marathon
March - Seabrook Marathon

Thursday Park Run

I spent most of the day in Kingwood and Houston. We had a good group at the park this evening. I ran 3 miles on the road, while the others ran trails.

Loop Around Town

I waited until nearly 8 p.m. this evening and did a 3.2 mile loop around town. Sure feels better running with the temperature in the mid-90's than the 100+.

Missed a Day

If you are one of the zero who probably read my blog every day, you may have noticed that I missed blogging yesterday. My computer picked up the swine flu and went crazy. I took it to the computer shop yesterday and got it back this evening. The same bug tried to attack it again tonight, but new anti-virus software they loaded on it blocked it. For right now, it's working. I did do a 2-mile run yesterday, when it was 100 degrees. This evening, the group met at the park and I did 3 miles with Mary on the park roads. I had to get back into town by 7:30 and Mary went on to do 2 more miles.

Sunday Night in The Woodlands

I went down to The Woodlands tonight for the Sunday Night 5K. I ran the whole thing with a friend, Ed Thompson. We both finished in 34:42. I appreciate Bill Dwyer and Jon Walk putting on this race for The Woodlands RC. Hopefully, we will have more Seven Hills RC runners down for the event as the summer progresses.

Late Run

I decided to beat the heat and run late this evening. So, I had dinner about 6 p.m. and started running about 8 p.m. The problem with that schedule is that it is hard to start running a couple hours after eating. I did a 2.9 mile loop around town and finished just as it was getting dark. I visited briefly with Sarah Spielvogel at the track before I ran. She has been busy with school and has not run at the park with us lately.

Up a Tree

I was up a tree this afternoon trimming branches. Going up and down a 24-foot extension ladder is tiring. I went to the track about 8 p.m. and ran at least a mile. That means I lost track of my laps and I probably ran 5 laps. Most of today was actually spent working on the entry form for the Hillcrest Huntsville Half Marathon. I just put a printable entry form on the club web site. That means that if you read this blog, you can sign up right now and be assured of getting a low bib number. Now, I have to work on online registration and the entry forms to be printed and distributed to the running stores and to the tennis center at Memorial Park.

Four at the Park

The group met at the park this evening. While the rest ran trails, Mary and I did four miles on the park roads. The temperature was over 100 today and it was near that at 6:30 p.m. when we ran. And, we still have nearly three more months of hot weather!

Ran with Mary

After a workout at Nautilus this evening, I went over to the track. Mary Sweeten was there and just ran a mile. She and I then ran a 2-mile hilly loop around town. Patsy Collins was running and walking at the track. She and Roger are planning their first half marathon in San Antonio in November.

No One Complaining About the Rain

We started our run at the park this evening in a light rain. There has been so little rain this summer, no one complained. While the group ran trails, I stuck to the park roads. I did about 3.5 miles. New club members, Charles Walker and Jennifer Johnston ran trails with the group for the first time.

Summer Doldrums

During June and July, my running alway seems to be in the doldrums. It's too hot and without any long races coming up before October, there is not enough motivation for long runs. My runs seem to be stuck at around 3 miles. I did my 2.9 mile loop around town this evening after a workout at Nautilus. The shots in my knees seem to be helping. I have noticed that there are a lot more 5K races around during the summer than in the past. That's good. In 2008, I ran 39 races. I have already run 23 this year. My first long race this fall will be the Helen Klein Classic 50K in Sacramento, CA on October 31. So, I will have to get serious with my distance in August.

Texas World Speedway 5K

Since I run everyday, I'm always looking for something different. This evening (7:30), I ran the Texas World Speedway 5K in College Station. My time was 34:31, ten seconds faster than the 5K yesterday. It was good for 2nd place in the 51 and older age group (yep, there was only two of us). The course was a single loop around the race track. A front was moving through, so it was overcast and windy and not as hot as it would have been otherwise.

Stu's Country Mile 5K

As usual, a bunch of us from the club went up to Centerville for Stu's Country Mile 5K. It was hotter than usual, but we all survived. I ran a 34:41 and placed third in the 60 and over age group. Also, as usual, we met for breakfast at the Town Cafe and then watched the 4th of July parade around the square. While the race entry fee was only 10 bucks, Marilynn bought about 100 bucks worth of stuff at the booths around the square.

Back from Tyler

Marilynn and I attended a funeral in Tyler this morning and got back this evening. I took a day off and went to the track and ran a mile. I needed the rest, since I am running two 5K races again this weekend.

Mid-Day Run

Since I am going to Tyler this afternoon, I ran my 2.9 mile loop around town in the mid-day heat.

Last Shot

I got my last of three shots in my knees this afternoon. They already feel better, but it takes about 3 weeks after the last shot for the full effect (or is that affect?). So, I had to run this morning. I did a 2-mile loop around town.