Rested Up

I'm rested up for the 50K on Saturday in California - maybe too rested. I went out to the park this evening to meet up with the group. It was raining, as it did all day, and no one else showed up. So, I went to Nautilus, worked out and then ran on a treadmill. That's the first time I have run on a treadmill in probably a couple years. How can anyone do distance on treadmills?

Track Run

I went to the track this evening, with the intention of running the roads from there. Randy Woodward was there finishing up his run. He had a half mile to go and I ended up running a mile with him. We talked a while and I had to leave to pick up Marilynn at the airport.

Easy Run at the Park

I'm tapering for the 50K this Saturday. I ran 3 miles on the roads at the park this evening. Marilynn gets back from Chicago tomorrow night. Except for coffee cups, I have no dirty dishes in the sink. All the restaurants in town, except those that serve stuff from the water, did well the last few days.

Rainy Run

I was asked to attend a meeting at the university late this afternoon at about the same time I planned to run. So, I ended up running a mile+ in the rain in my neighborhood before the meeting. Then, I went straight to a restaurant to have dinner with Ben and his friend.

Sunday Night 5K

Not being a early morning person, I like these evening races. I went down to The Woodlands this evening for the Sunday Night 5K. I ran it in 31:36, my fastest time on this course since November 2004. Think what I could do with 100% of my quadricepts. Jason and Laura from Huntsville were also there.

Nacogdoches

I slept in this morning and had just enough time to run a mile before going to the Sam Houston - Stephen F. Austin game in Nacogdoches with Ben. We had a good time, but Sam lost badly. We sat with an old friend of mine, Jim Sawyer, of Center. He and I were officers in the Rose Runners in Tyler in 1985. I also saw Kori Estrada, who was a van-mate at the Texas Independence Relay last March. She is a school teacher in Lufkin, not far from Nacogdoches. It was so crowded, I could not reach her for a visit.

Early Start

I got up at 4 this morning to take Marilynn down to the airport for a flight to Chicago. She will be visiting our daughter, Lisa, and will come back on Wednesday. So, it was a quiet day at the house, not that she is that noisy when she is here. I went to Nautilus this evening and then did a 3.2 mile run around town. Gosh, I love this cooler weather.

Knee Felt Good

Since we had a Seven Hills Running Club meeting at 7 this evening, we had a small group at the park at 5:30. John and I met up with Laura and we did the three-mile loop. My knee felt good. I plan on doing the Sunday Night 5K in The Woodlands this weekend and the 50K in California on October 31. Congratulations to the new club officers elected at tonight's meeting.

Easy Day

I went over to the track this evening and ran laps. It was suppose to start raining and I figured I could not get in a long run anyway. Jill Baine, who just rejoined the Seven Hills Running Club after a 20+ absence, was running. She slowed down and ran a couple laps with me. I think I ended up with a mile and a half. At one time, Jill was the fastest female runner in Huntsville and at 48, she won her age group in the Huntsville 5K last Saturday with a time of 22:21. Anyway, its good to see her back in the club and running well.

Back to the Scene

I met up with the group at the park this evening and ran roads while everyone else did trails. I did the 3-mile loop, which included the spot where I faltered last Tuesday. I did not realize that I was running down a hill at the time.

A New Beginning

After not running for four days, I went to see an Orthopedic Surgeon today. He examined my knee, looked at the MRI and said that the 80% tear in my quadriceps did not occur last Tuesday. It had been there for some time. He said that the sharp pain I felt last Tuesday was probably due to an awkward step and the hitting of two bones together. He said that I could run as much as I wanted. So, I ran 2.8 miles on the streets this evening - with no pain. The beginnings of a new streak.

The Streak is Over

I went in for an MRI on my knee this morning and just got a call from my doctor. He said that I have an 80% tear in my quadricep and advised against any running until it is repaired. Any running right now may cause the other 20% to tear and a complete tear would be much more difficult to fix. So, my streak is over at 2,483 days (6 years, 9 months and 17 days). I'll accept it, get it fixed and try to get back to running as soon as I can. I have to call an Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow and make an appointment. This is my last blog entry. Thanks for reading my entries.

Good Sign

I went to the doctor this morning about my knee. He said that I tore a muscle, strained a muscle or pinched something (I think he used more technical terms). I have to go in for an MRI tomorrow morning to find out the specific problem. My big worry was running today. I went over to the track and ran a very easy mile without sharp pain. I trust that that was a good sign. Tomorrow will tell. Hopefully, I will still get to run the half marathon on Saturday.

Something Happened to my Knee

What started off as a routine park road run this evening turned into a knee injury. I met up with the group and Mariah, James and I decided to run on the roads, while the rest ran trails. At at mile and a quarter, I suddenly felt sharp pains under my left knee cap. I could not continue. I started walking back and James went back to the Nature Center, got his car and came to get me. I sacrificed some of the ice cooling down my beer and put it on my knee. I'm not sure what is wrong with it. I hope I did not break something. I will try to see my doctor tomorrow. With my upcoming race schedule (scroll to the bottom), it is very frustrating. Thanks to James and Mariah for being so helpful or sorry for messing up your run.

Early Park Run

Lavonne and I went out to the park at 8:30 this morning and ran the 6.8-mile outer loop. I normally do not get up that early, but I had to get up early to return the engineer wheel that I borrowed this weekend to measure the course in town on Sunday. The park was virtually empty and we saw no wildlife, except for a large and docile copperhead along the trail.

Course Measurement Day

With an engineer wheel I borrowed from the city, I measured the 5K course to be used by the Kats for the Cause 5K here in Huntsville on November 14. It was basically the same course used for the CASA 5K last week. I shortened it up to a 5K (16, 404 feet). So, I walked that distance, plus some back and forth. Then, I went straight to the Hillcrest Huntsville Half Marathon Committee Meeting at the Fire Station. After that, Phillip came over to my house and we loaded race signs onto his truck. I squeezed in a 1-mile + run in the rain in my neighborhood, before going to church this evening. Busy day.

Long Run

I went out to the park this morning and did 18 miles alone. The trails were in good shape and no mud. The cooler weather felt good. I only took one light fall and that was at about 15 miles.

Forgot to Blog

It is after midnight on Friday and I am getting ready to hit the sack. I just realized that I had not blogged today. I spent much of Friday on final preparations for the Huntsville Half Marathon next week, including several trips to the T-shirt supplier okaying final prints. It looks good and I think the runners will like it. I squeezed in a 2.5 mile run around town in light rain this evening before taking the family out to dinner. Cool weather at last!

Tour de Bayou

I went down to Houston with Jacob and Leah this evening for Stage 2 of the Tour de Bayou. It was suppose to be a 4+ mile course up and down the bayou (cross country style). However, unless I have suddenly gotten real fast, it turned out to be a little over 3 miles. I finished in a little over 30 minutes, as I recall. The distance and times will be published later. Hot and humid conditions. Hans and John were also there. Ben Harvie, one of our club members from Houston, was also there. He is the fastest guy over 60 in Texas. This was Leah's first race ever, so she moved from being a "jogger" to a "runner." Congratulations to her and thanks to Jacob for driving down.

Cancelled Race

I had signed up for the Homecoming Kat Krawl 5K on campus Saturday morning, but got an email today saying that the race has been cancelled it for a number of reasons, i.e. half their volunteers are out sick and they only had 3 runners signed up. Darn, I may have placed in my age group. It is suppose to be relatively cool on Saturday, so I will plan on doing a long run at the park. I had better get with it; I have the 50K (31 miles) in California on October 31. I am keeping busy with a lot of the advance work for the Huntsville Half Marathon & 5K on October 17. Our entries are ahead of any previous year at this point in time. After a workout at Nautilus this evening, I went to the track and did a 2.9 mile loop around town.

Getting Back to Normal

We had a nice crowd at the park this evening. While I had some pain in my foot, I ran the 4+ mile loop with the group. Very warm and humid. I am ready for cold weather.

Recovering

My foot was better today, but still painful. I ran a mile at the track this evening. I think I can do better tomorrow.

Ugly Mile

I developed a problem with my foot last night and I was up virtually all night with throbbing pain. I doctored it today and there was no question about keeping my streak going. I went out to the state park this evening and ran a little over a mile. It was ugly, but there was no one else around to watch the hobble. I had planned to do a long run this morning, but I will have to reschedule it until later in the week.

Long Day

I got up at 5:30 this morning and put out the signs for the CASA 5K Run at SHSU. I then worked the finish line for the race. After that, I ran a 2.9 mile loop around town. Then, Marilynn and I went to the Fair on the Square for a while. Ben and I went to the SHSU - St. Joseph's football game at 2 p.m. About 2 minutes into the game, they called a lightning delay. It resumed a little after three and then Ben and I sat through the game in continuous rain. SHSU won 41 to 0. I must be a dedicated fan. This evening, I have been trying to finalize the race results for the race this morning.

Planned Races

I added a list of my Planned Races to this blog. Scroll down to the bottom of this page. I have already signed up for most of them, so I hope I don't break a leg. I will probably add some shorter races as I go along.
Sorry to hear that Melissa Stelter has a stress fracture in her foot. She had planned to do the Huntsville Half and her first marathon in Kingwood on January 1. I wish her a speedy recovery.
I went over to the track this evening and met up with J. C. We ran a loop around town, which turned out to be 3.1 miles. Of course, when we got closer to the finish, J. C. took off and left me in his dust.

Only Three of Us at the Park

Only three of us showed up at the park this evening, me, Phillip and Jacob. I did 3 on the road while they did trails. I know that Hans was running the Tour de Bayou in Houston this evening.