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Today, I felt fully recovered from Saturday's marathon. I worked out at Nautilus this evening and ran my 3-mile loop on the roads in town. With another marathon next Sunday, I will take it easy this week. That's one good thing about running a marathon every weekend, no long boring training runs are needed.

Club Run

Our club had its annual Sweetheart 5K club run this afternoon. I put out the signs and had intended to run. I felt a little dehyrated from the marathon yesterday and opted to take photos instead. Later, I went over to the track and ran laps.

Surfside Beach Marathon

I ran laps at the track with Leah Koester Friday morning before heading for Surfide Beach (south of Galveston) for the marathon today. This was my 6th straight year for running this race. This marathon is entirely on the beach. The sand was not as hard-packed as it usually is. However, the temperature was in the 70's with a nice breeze. Overcast skies. I felt like I ran well and never walked between aid stations, but my finish time of 6:30:47 is slower than I expected. My previous PR for this race was 6:04 and my PW (personal worst) was 6:27. In any case, Surfside was my 15th marathon or longer this season (Oct. 10 - Apr. 10), with 5 more to go to achieve my goal of 20.

Threatening Weather

I checked the forecast this morning and it was suppose to storm later this afternoon. So, I went out to the park late this morning and ran 3 miles on the trails. As it turned out, the storm never materialized

Cooling It

No long runs this week. After a lousy marathon last Sunday, I am cooling it and resting for the marathon this Saturday. I went out to the park this afternoon and ran the same 3-mile loop on the trails.

Easy Three on the Trails

I went out to the state park this afternoon and did a solo 3-mile run on the trails. Can't beat the weather right now. The weather also looks good for the Surfside Beach Marathon this Saturday. Low chance of rain and a high of 72.

Day After

Maybe I would have felt worse today if I had a faster marathon yesterday, but I felt okay today. No blisters or soreness. I did my routine workout at Nautilus and then ran laps at the track.

Austin Marathon

I ran the Austin Marathon today. I went into this race expecting a decent time. The 50 miler was two weeks ago and no marathon last weekend. I had a good night's sleep at the hotel in Austin last night and felt good at the start. For some reason I did not have the strength today. It was rather warm and humid in Austin, with very gusty winds. Of course, Austin is very hilly, too. Except for brief stops for fluids at the aid stations, I ran the entire distance. I finished in 6:21:09, which must be my slowest marathon ever. That's about 30 minutes slower than Houston just three weeks ago. I'm not sure what it was. My wife thinks it was the Philly Cheese-Steak, with fries, dinner that I had last night. I suppose that at age 69 any marathon finish is acceptable, so I'll take it. With the completion of Dallas White Rock in December, Houston in January and Austin today, I completed the Marathons of Texas series for the 2nd year in a row. With that comes a special medal. I'm taking it easy this week. I have marathons the next four weekends.

Chick-fil-A 5K

I ran the Chick-fil-A 5K in Spring, Texas this morning. Finished in 33:20 (1st in age group). Yep, I was the only one in the age group. Got a medal, some chicken coupons and a Lowe's gift card. Nice. I have not eaten chicken since I was a kid, so I gave the coupons to friends. Jon Walk did a great job putting on this race. Now, off to Austin for the marathon tomorrow.

Marathon Prep

My left foot was very sore and swollen today, so I ran a gimpy mile at the track this afternoon. Tomorrow, I am going down to Spring for a 5K race. Then, I will leave for Austin tomorrow afternoon for the marathon on Sunday. Tonight. I did my normal marathon preparation. Besides my running clothes, here is what I packed:

• 2 bandaids for my nipples
• Vaseline
• 3 Power Bars to have with my coffee on Sunday morning before the race
• 4 extra safety pins, in case I lose those in my packet
• MP3 player with a fresh battery. Player is loaded with Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Texas Tornadoes, Johnny Horton, Ray Price and polka music.
• Camera
• Ibuprofen tablets for after the race
• 1 Fanny pack to carry the following during the race: 4 packets of GU and 12 electrolyte capsules

Another 3-Mile Trail Run

Most of the group opted for a longer trail run this evening. Since I am tapering for the Austin Marathon on Sunday, I did a 3-mile loop. Nice weather.

Warmer Weather is Nice, However

This warmer weather is nice for short runs, but I was just checking the forecast for the Austin Marathon on Sunday. It is suppose to get up to 76 degrees. Even in Texas, that is a little warm for a marathon. In the meantime, I am taking it easy this week. This evening, I ran the hilly Avenues 5K course. It includes running up and down the highest hill between Dallas and Houston. Good training for Austin.

Solo Run at the Park

I went out to the park this evening an did a solo 3-mile run on the trails. The weather is such a contrast to the cold and wet weather of the past month. If it stays this warm for very long, the snakes and biting horse flies will be out soon.

Track

With a total of 16 miles on the trails Saturday and Sunday, I took the day off and ran laps at the track. J. C. and our old trail running buddy, Annie, were there. I visited with them a while and then ran a mile with J. C. I will run the Austin Marathon next Sunday, so I will take it easy this week.

Sunday in the Park

Today was another nice weather day in Huntsville. I went out to the park this morning and ran 9 miles on the trails.

Signed up for the Athens Marathon

My marathon schedule for the remainder of the season is now set. I wanted to run one in Athens, Greece, but the trip would be too expensive. I settled for Athens, Ohio on April 3. I thought about the Salt Lake City Marathon or one in Kansas City, but I have spent time in both of those places. I have never been to Athens, Ohio, so I will go there. That gives me 7 more marathons to run this season, with the last being the Big D Marathon in Dallas on April 10. Scroll to the bottom of this page for the schedule.
There were some good races around this morning, but I had to speak to a group of Boy Scouts in a classroom at the university this morning. My topic was military service. My co-speaker was an Army major from Sam Houston State ROTC. The question of the day: "What countries have ya'll occupied?"
The weather was beautiful today in Huntsville. I went out to the park this afternoon and did a 7-mile solo run on the trails. Lots of bikers and hikers.

Trails, Again

The temperature was a little warmer today, but still in the 30's this evening. John, Hans and I ran our normal 4.2-mile loop on the trails at the park this evening.

Just Me and Curtis, Again

I suppose it was too cold for the fair weather group. Curtis and I were the only ones who showed up at the park this evening to run trails. He ran earlier and had just finished when I arrived. So, I ran 3 miles alone.

Where is the Global Warming?

I went out to run this afternoon and it was in the mid-20's and a windchill of 13 degees. We are not use to consistently cold weather in southeast Texas. I ran laps at the track and then went to Nautilus for a workout.

Back to Trails

I met up with the group at the park to run trails this evening. They decided to run the 6+ mile outer loop. Instead, I ran a 3-mile loop on the trails alone. When I ran by the Park Superintendent's house, he was in the yard and I stopped and visited with him for a while. We talked about the Rocky Raccoon Trail Run over the weekend. He said that a female runner broke her leg when she slipped on one of the iced-over bridges. I had not heard that.

Laps

I made it back to Nautilus for a workout this afternoon and then went to the track and ran laps.

Sunday Night 5K

Since my Dallas Cowboys had the night off, I gave up the first half of the Super Bowl this evening and went down to The Woodlands to run the Sunday Night 5K. I finished in 35:39. It was not one of my best times, but my pace was much faster than yesterday.

Rocky Raccoon 50-Miler

It was in the 20's at start of this race at Huntsville State Park. The course was three 16.67-mile loops on the trails that I am very familiar with. We started at 7 a.m. and I took it easy on the first loop. There are many bridges on the course, some over water and some over low places. They were all iced over. I went around the bridges spanning low places, but slipped and fell on my butt twice on others. The ice on the bridges had melted after the first loop and the temperature got up into the 50's. My only other falls were trips on the third loop. Most of the third loop was in darkness. Luckily, no injuries from the falls. My previous longest run was 50K (31 miles), so I did not know what to expect for the third loop. I took GU and electrolyte capsules every hour of the race and my legs kept going (though slowly). I finished in 15:16:27. I was a little disappointed in my time, but it was a PR (personal record). I think part of it was having run a marathon six days earlier. I am 69 and it was my 69th race of a marathon or longer distance.

Cold Continues

It has been freezing all day and is suppose to get down to 20 degrees tonight. My 50-miler starts at 7 a.m. tomorrow and the high temperature is suppose to be 53. Of course, by the time I finish tomorrow night, it will be cold again. I ran a mile plus on the treadmill this afternoon and had dinner at the local Italian restaurant this evening.

Back to the Trails

I ran trails again at the state park this evening. The cold continues and the "group" was only me and Jacob. It was his first run since running the Houston Marathon on Sunday in 3:12. He ran the 4+ mile loop and I ran the same 3-mile loop I ran on Tuesday. I tripped on a root and took a hard fall and ended up with soreness in my big toe joint. Hopefully, it will be okay by Saturday. Crews have been out cleaning up fallen trees, limbs and debri off the trails for the Rocky Raccoon 100 & 50 mile race on Saturday. That will give me less stuff to trip on.

Still Cold

In my 25 years in Huntsville, I do not recall so much cold weather as we are having this year. It was in the high 20's again when I ran this evening. I ran 3 miles on the roads in town after working out at Nautilus. The weather for the 50-miler this weekend at Huntsville State Park is looking good. Zero percent chance of rain, start in the high 20's and getting up to 55 in the afternoon.

Just Me and Curtis

It was in the high 20's and windy this evening. Only me and Curtis Barton showed up for the trail run at the park. Curtis ran around the lake and I did a 3-mile loop. With the storm last night and winds today, there were a lot of trees and limbs on the trail. A huge tree fell on one of the bridges down by the lake and crushed it. In another place, I had to climb over a fallen tree that was 3 feet in diameter. That means there will be a lot of cleanup work on the trails before the Rocky Raccoon 100 and 50-mile races this weekend.