Miracle Match Marathon

I ran the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco today and finished in 5:49:12 (3rd in age group). It was about 28 degrees at the start and did not get much above that for the rest of the race. There were even a few snow flurries. I wore shorts, long sleeve T-shirt, gloves and a sweat band over my ears and I was confortable the entire race. It is billed as the toughest marathon in Texas. Obviously, that is due to the steep hills between mile 14 and 24. Two years ago when I ran this race I finished in 6:03:52. So, today was an improvement. Finishers received a medal and a windbreaker. Nice. Plenty of aid stations and there were lots of freezing, but friendly volunteers. Logistically, the race is easy. Park in the Hilton parking lot, hangout in the hotel until race time and walk out the front door to the start line.

Frost Your Fanny 5K

It was appropriately named. I ran the Frost Your Fanny 5K club run this morning. It was the same hilly course that is used for the Huntsville 5K every October. Cold run, even a few light snow flurries. I finished in 34:01. Tomorrow is the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco.

Cold Winter

After what seemed to be a long hot summer, this seems to be a colder than usual winter. I ran 2 miles around town in the cold this afternoon after a workout at Nautilus. I plan to run the club 5K tomorrow morning and then head for Waco for the marathon on Sunday - in the cold.

Yuma Territorial Marathon

Marilynn and I got back from Yuma, Arizona this evening. We drove out there last Wednesday and Thursday to visit our daughter, Mary, and her family. While there, I ran the 1st Annual Yuma Territorial Marathon. I finished in 5:34:19, my fastest marathon time since Austin in 2004 (5:10:27). This was also my 50th marathon and I wore bib number 50 to commemorate the occasion. There were 53 finishers in the marathon and 110 in the half. No age group awards. The race started and finished in front of the Cocopah Casino in Yuma. The course was out and back along a major highway through the lettuce fields. Most of the course was flat and the weather was in the 40's, 50's and 60's - and, no humidity. I felt good during the run and Houston 6 days earlier never bothered me. Next is Waco on Sunday and I dread those steep hills from mile 14 to 24.

The drive to and from Yuma - After leaving Tucson and headed for Yuma, we drove into a sand storm. At first, visibility went down to about a 100 yards. Then, visibility went to zero and I was in the left lane on I-10. Just as I got into the right lane, there was a wreck in the left lane and I barely missed it. After we got out of the sand storms, it starting raining. As we got closer to Yuma, the wind picked up and it was hard keeping the car on the road. Went went around 4 18-wheelers that were blown over in the highway and another which had left the road. Yesterday evening on the way back, we passed a bad wreck just south of El Paso. I saw on the news last night that a couple were killed in the wreck. Today, we drove from Van Horn to Huntsville and it rained almost the whole way. Near Sonora on I-10, the rain got so heavy that I could see nothing and I got off the road. As we got closer to Sonora, it started hailing and the hail was one or two inches thick on the highway. It was like driving on ice. We passed several cars that slid off the road and wrecked. We were glad to make it back to Huntsville safely.

Avenue Hills

The group ran the avenue hills this evening. I did 1.6 on the streets and another .5 on the track and I had to leave to be at a dinner at 6. Thank goodness that this is the last week the park will be closed for deer hunting. While I do not have a trainer, I suppose that I should not do any long runs this week anyway with the marathon on Saturday.

Recovery Run at the Park

I met up with Hans and Mary this evening at the park. We ran 2.8 miles and then had a tailgate party. I still felt beat up from the marathon yesterday. It is giving me second thoughts about running two marathons in the same weekend in February. I have signed up for both. I have another marathon this Saturday in Yuma and another in Waco the next weekend. I will see how I feel after Waco.

Houston Marathon

I finished the Houston Marathon today in 5:46:31. Marilynn and I got up early this morning and drove down. Logistically, everything went well. We parked in a parking garage next to the Four Seasons and hung out in the lobby at the Four Seasons until race time. They put all veterans (10 or more Houston Marathons) in the first wave. I got in the back of that wave and never had to fight the crowd. The second wave did not start for another 10 minutes and they never started catching up with me until 4 or 5 miles. I was surprized about how many friends I saw during the race, both runners and spectators. I ran the last four miles or so with Bridgette Collins of Dallas. She and I use to work together in Huntsville in the early 90's. She has since written two books on fitness. It was good to visit with her again. I have not run Houston in the past two years and noticed a big increase in the crowd along the course. Maybe it was the nice weather.

Added a Marathon to my Schedule

With the Houston Marathon tomorrow, I rested up by running a mile at the track this afternoon. I signed up for the Yuma Territorial Marathon in Yuma, Arizona next Saturday. Hope the sand is not blowing. The next weekend is the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for my schedule. After marathons on three consecutive weekends, I'll have two weeks to rest up for two marathons in the same weekend in February.

I need a bigger shirt

Marilynn and I went down to Houston today for the Houston Marathon Expo. After picking up my huge bib, I realized that I may need a bigger shirt. It was nice visiting with old friends at the Expo and I even ran into Allison Gullet, who was a Seven Hills Running Club member and graduated from SHSU several years ago. This evening, it was raining when I started to run, so I ran the treadmill at Nautilus and then worked out.

Test Run

I did a lot of digging in the yard yesterday and had sharp pains in the upper part of my left foot last night and today. I went to the track and ran a mile in the rain this afternoon to test it. I assume that I pulled a muscle in my foot from so much digging, but it did not seem to bother me when I ran. With a marathon this weekend, that was a relief. Then, we had a club meeting at Margaritas tonight. It is always fun visiting with other club members.

5K with Mariah

Mariah and I met at the track this evening and ran the Avenues 5K course. It is good to see her persistent in her running.

Heavy Traffic Again

The students are back in town and the traffic is heavy again. After a workout at Nautilus, I ran a 3-mile loop around town this evening and had to be extra careful. Earlier this afternoon, I went down to the doctor in The Woodlands and got the stitches out of my back. Thank goodness, no more surgeries.

Quiet at the Park

The park does not close this week for deer hunting until 5 p.m. tomorrow. So, I went out there alone this afternoon and ran a 7-mile loop. I only saw one hiker during the entire run and no animals. It was quiet and peaceful and a perfect day for trail running. I suppose I need to taper the rest of the week for the Houston Marathon on Sunday. This will be my 14th Houston Marathon, even though I have not run it the last two years.

It's What Streakers Do

We got up early this morning, drove to Tyler and spent the day visiting with family and eating too much. We got back late tonight and I was beat. It was about 10:30 and 29 degrees outside. I went to the track and ran a mile. It's what streakers do.

100 Degree Difference

I got up early this morning to go down and run the Run the Woodlands 5K. The temperature when I left Huntsville was 16 degrees. Last August, when I ran in Yuma, Arizona, the temperature was 116. I prefer colder temperatures for running, but this morning was a little extreme. I finished in 33:33.

Sinus Problems

It's that time of the year. My sinuses are stopped up. I woke up about 4 this morning and really never went back to sleep. I started to go over to the track this afternoon and run a mile. Since it was so cold, I ran a mile + on the treadmill at Nautilus.

Routine

Even though the stitches are still in my back, I have been able to get back to my routine at Nautilus. They seem to be holding well and they come out next Tuesday. After working out this afternoon, I did a 3-mile loop around town. It was cold, but I was dressed warmly.

Late Run

I did not get around to working out at Nautilus and running until late this afternoon. I ended up doing a 2-mile loop around town in a light rain, just as it was getting dark.

Avenues

I ran 1.6 miles in the avenues this afternoon and another mile on the track. Then, I went to Nautilus. Some machines pulled at my stitches and some not. So, it ended up as a half of a workout. I get the stitches out next Tuesday.

Cold

I don't remember when it has been so cold in Huntsville for such a long period. And, it is suppose to get down to 17 on Thursday. I much prefer to run in the cold, so I'm not complaining. I ran a couple miles in town this afternoon. Even though I still have stitches in my back, I am going back to Nautilus tomorrow and see if I can push some weights around without splitting anything.

7 at the Park

I met up with the group this morning and did a 7-mile loop on the trails. Andrew and Karen Husband were visiting from Lubbock and joined us. It was good to see them back on the trails again.

Rest Day

I went to the track this afternoon and ran a mile. The first quarter lap the day after a marathon is always rough, but once the joints are loosened up, its not bad.

Texas Marathon

Ben and I went down to Kingwood this morning for the Texas Marathon. I ran and he worked as a volunteer. Nice weather and I expected to do well after a 5:41:19 at the Dallas White Rock Marathon a couple weeks ago. The course is a 6.55-mile course through the greenbelt in Kingwood. All concrete and you run the loop 4 times. I timed my first loop at 1:20 and I was okay with that. Mentally, the 2nd and 3rd loop got to me and I ran slow. I took on plenty of fluids at the aid stations and never walked between the aid stations. I probably took on too much fluid and had to make several pit stops. Soon after starting the 4th loop, I realized that I was on a pace to go well beyond 6 hours. Then, I really picked up speed and started passing a lot of other runners. I finished in 6:08:21. My time in this race last year was 6:06 and the year before, 6:30. Houston is next.