Couple Miles

The Veterans Museum in Huntsville gave my family a tour this afternoon and presented my Marine son, Timothy, with a nice certificate of appreciation for his overseas service. There were a lot of senior veterans there for the presentation and it was very thoughtful of them. I know that Timothy really appreciated the honor. It was sure different than when I got back from Vietnam in 68. I had not been in the new facility next door to the Texas Prison Museum. It is worth a stop if you are driving I-45 through Huntsville.
Later this afternoon I ran two miles around town. Race in College Station tomorrow.

Tour de Bayou, Stage 5

Hans, John and I went down to Houston this evening to run the Tour de Bayou, Stage 5. Almost all of the course was through narrow and winding trails with plenty of short hills and roots to trip on. Someone said the course was about 3.5 miles and I did not keep track of my time. It will eventually be published online. Since this was the last stage of the tour, they had a nice post-race party and door prizes. Hans won a new pair of running shoes.

Trip to Tyler

I went to the track this morning for a rare AM run. Afterwards, Marilynn, Ben, Tim and I drove up to Tyler for a family function to celebrate Tim's return from his overseas deployment with the Marine Corps. When we arrived in Tyler, we went to a friends massage school to return something that I had of his. We ended up getting a tour and a massage. That was nice.

Unseasonably Cool

It was cool and dry for our group trail run at the park this evening. And, it is suppose to get down to a record low of 47 tonight. My sons, Ben and Tim, ran trails with us. We did the usual Tuesday evening 4.1 miles, except for Ben, who missed a turn and did a longer run.

Outer Loop

I ran the 6.8-mile outer loop at the park this afternoon alone and then went fishing at the park later with my sons, Ben and Tim. After eating out with the family this evening, I went back into town to work out at Nautilus.

Party

We had a party at our house today to welcome Timothy home. I ate too much and did not get around to running until late this evening. I went over to the track and ran laps. The first one was particularly difficult.

Spring Fling 5K

I ran the Spring Fling 5K in Huntsville this morning. The weather was a little cooler after the front went through overnight. I ran the hilly course in 33:59. I noticed in the group photo taken after the race that I had my shirt on inside out. No one pointed it out to me. It reminded me of the time that I looked down after a race and noticed that I had two completely different running shoes on. I guess thats part of not being a morning person.

Sluggish Run

It was hot and humid today and I felt very sluggish during my 3-mile run around town this afternoon. Guess we have a storm approaching.

Timothy is Home

Our Marine son, Timothy, got back to Huntsville today. He returned from deployment in the Middle East to his homebase, Yuma, AZ, last week. He has to leave again for Yuma on May 4. Obviously, we are proud of him and his service.
This afternoon, I went to Nautlilus for a workout and then did a 3.5-mile solo run on the trails at the park. I did not see another person or any creature on the trails.

Starting to Plan

I am starting to give some thought about my marathon goals for the 2010/2011 season. I did 13 and a double (two in one weekend) this season. Do I go for 15 and a triple next year? I do not know yet, but I will be working on a schedule. In the meantime, I plan to do a lot of 5K's this summer, most certainly to include the Polish Pickle 5K in Bremond on June 26 and Stu's Country Mile 5K in Centerville on July 3.
After working out at Nautilus this evening, I did my normal 3-mile loop around town.

Tuesday Park Run

After working out at Nautilus this evening, I met up with the group at the park and ran 4.1 miles. Still nice weather, but I know that it will be hot and humid soon. Annie Brickell, who is a sophomore at SHSU, joined us for her first trail run. Hopefully, she enjoyed the experience.

Congratulations to Boston Finishers

I could not find the Boston Marathon on TV this morning, so I followed the race on the Internet. Congratulations to my Mass. friends, Ryan and Bethany, and my fellow streaker, Vincent Attanucci of The Woodlands, for their finish.
This afternoon, I wrote my column for the paper tomorrow, mowed by yard (on a riding lawn mower), worked out at Nautilus, ran 3 miles on the roads in town and took Marilynn and Ben out to dinner tonight.

6 Months

Today was a minor milestone. My new running streak reached 6 months. Woopie! In another 6 months, I can get back on the national streak list again - at the bottom, of course. The list is at http://www.runeveryday.com.
We had a lot of rain today, but I managed to get in a 3-mile run around town this afternoon, without getting too wet.

Blue Bell 10K

It was raining in Huntsville early this morning when I left for the 65-mile drive over to Brenham for the 32nd Blue Bell 10K. It was warm and humid in Brenham, but no rain. I had to park about an half mile from the race headquarters. I walk the half mile, picked up my packet, walked back to my truck and then back to race headquarters. The start line was about a quarter mile in the other direction. The race was suppose to start at 8:30, but it was nearly 9 before the actual start. Even though there are some tough hills, I like the course. I finished in 1:12:16. The post-race activities drug on forever. I left before they started the awards, drove straight home and did not get back until 1:15. This was my 9th time to do this race and am not sure I will do it again. Besides, this year they changed from 5 to 10-year age groups. I would not have placed in either case, but with about 1,000 runners in the 10K, 10-year age groups is ridiculous. It was nice to visit with a lot of friends, some of whom I have not seen in a long time.

Mostly Yard Work

I spent most of the day doing yard work in my yard and then helping my neighbors lay sod in their yard. I finally got around to running this evening; I went to the track and ran laps. I have to get up early tomorrow to get over to Brenham for the Blue Bell 10K. I skipped the race last year because of very heavy electrical storms and I was surprized that they still held the race. The forecast is for 40 percent chance of rain at race time tomorrow. The rain does not bother me. It's the lightning that I worry about.

Tour de Bayou, Stage 3

Hans, John and I went down to Houston this evening and ran the Tour de Bayou, Stage 3. My son, Ben, went along as a spectator. The course was 3.85 miles and my finish time was around 45 minutes.

Darn Taxes

I spent much of the day working on my taxes. I don't know why I am doing them this early. They are not due until tomorrow at midnight. Each time I got totally frustrated during the day, I went outside and did yardwork.
This evening, I worked out at Nautilus and then did a 3-mile run around town. It rained during mile 2, but it felt good. Tomorrow, finish up taxes and then go to Houston to run Stage 3 of the Tour de Bayou.

Big Day

Our Marine son, Timothy, returned from his overseas deployment today. He is back at his base in Yuma, AZ and will be in Huntsville on April 22. We are proud of him.
I started working on my taxes today. Mine should be fairly simple, but it gets complicated. Hopefully, I will be able to finish up tomorrow.
I never made it to Nautilus today, but I did get out to the park this evening and run 4.1 miles with the group. Maybe it was the nice weather, but I felt strong.

Normal Monday

I worked out at Nautilus this evening and then did a 3-mile run on the roads in town. This seems to be a normal Monday routine.

Sunday Drive

Marilynn and I took a Sunday drive this afternoon and visited some small Texas towns to the south. We have been to many of them, but we also took some backroads and visited some towns we had never been to before. Obviously, the wildflowers are in full bloom. Hope you enjoy the photos. Check out the smallest Catholic church in the world and the longhorn with the crooked horn.

We got back to Huntsville about 7 p.m. and I went to the track and got in a run.

Hog's Hunt 25K

I got up at 4:45 this morning and went out to the Huntsville State Park. I checked on the race clock to make sure it was set up okay and then took a volunteer out to her place on the course. We hiked about a quarter mile on the trail with flashlights. The trail really looks different with flashlights. I have a hard enough time not tripping on roots in broad daylight; I would never make it running in the darkness with a flashlight.
I got back to the start line for the 7 a.m. start of the 25K (15.5 miles). The weather was nice and I never tripped and fell. I finished in 3:48:58, nine minutes faster than my last 25K on the same course in November.
After the race, I went home, cleaned up a bit and went to a 2:30 p.m. wedding in Brenham, 65 miles from Huntsville. Sara Lange, who is a member of our running club and a good friend, married Chuck Nagle. Got back at 9 p.m. I wish them the best and hope they have a bunch of little runners.

Work at the Park

I went out to Huntsville State Park this afternoon to deliver and set up our club race clock and canopy for the Hog's Hunt Trail Run tomorrow morning. I also picked up my race packet and got in a short run on the trails. I am running the 25K, starting at 7 a.m. The 50K starts at 6 a.m. I have to get there a 5:30 to get the clock in place and start it at 6. Then, I have to drive a course monitor out to an intersection on the trail and then get back to start running at 7. The weather is suppose to be cool. It would be a good time to switch to the 50K, but I have to be at a wedding in Brenham by 2 p.m.

Stage 2 of the Tour de Bayou

John, Hans and I went down to Houston this evening to run Stage 2 of the Tour de Bayou. This is a free race put on by the Houston Area Road Racing Association. The tour started on Thursday, April 1 and runs for 5 Thursdays. Each stage is run along a different section of the bayou. There were about 170 runners this evening. Stage 2 was 3.2 miles through tall grass, up and down embankments, narrow trails and some walkways. I finished in 41:30.

Stormy in Huntsville

I did yardwork much of the day and was trying to get a workout in at Nautilus and a run before the storm hit this evening. It hit as I left Nautilus and was driving to the track to run. Very heavy rain, hail and lightning. I ended up parking at the back corner of the Mall and running out and back on Veterans Memorial Blvd. It was still raining and lightning, so I kept the run to a mile+. I had to get to a church function, anyway.

Nautilus and Trails

I worked out at Nautilus this evening and then ran 4.1 miles on the trails at the park. After I got home, I developed a bad ear ache. I must have run too fast and got too much air in my ear.

Back in Town

After a few days on trails, I ran a 3-mile loop on the roads in town this evening. Back to trails tomorrow.

Easter at the Park

After church today, I went out to the park alone and ran the 6.8-mile outer loop. The trails were almost empty. I ran into one biker and one family hiking.

Muddy Trails 5K

I went down to The Woodlands this afternoon to run the Muddy Trails 5K. I thought the race started at 4 p.m. and I got there at 3 p.m. The race did not actually start until 5:40. The good news was that I got a good parking spot. With no rain for a while, it should have been called the Dusty Trails 5K. I finished in 34:19. I had a beer and a couple hot dogs, visited with a lot of friends and then drove back home.

Trails on Good Friday

I went back out to the park this afternoon alone and ran the outer loop (6.8 miles). The weather is getting much warmer, but not so warm that the flying insects are a problem. I almost expected to see some snakes, but I did not. However, since it is Easter weekend, there were a lot of hikers and bikers on the trails.

Back to the Park

I did yard work this afternoon, took a nap and then went to the park and ran 4.1 miles on the trails. No Nautilus today.