Setback

Late last night, I tripped in my home, fell and re-pulled my hamstring. I was up most of the night in pain. I went out to the park this evening and managed a very slow and ugly 1-mile+ run on the trails. I am giving up on even attempting the marathon on Saturday. That will break my streak of 6 consecutive Surfside Beach Marathons and my streak of 4 consecutive Texas Marathon Triples. Surfside is leg 2. At this point, I am not sure about my two marathons in March. In the meantime, I am going into a recovery mode and keep my running streak alive. Since I am tired of blogging about my hamstring and short and slow recovery runs, I will not be blogging every day until I am back into racing.

In Keeping with my Plan

In keeping with my plan, I did another short run today. I ran 1.3 miles on the roads in town this evening. The forecast for Saturday's marathon is 70 percent chance of rain. I hate running in wet socks.

Long Run of the Week

I ran 3 miles on the trails at the park this evening and that will probably be my longest run of the week. Resting up for the Surfside Beach Marathon on Saturday; 26.2 miles on the sand. I have run it for the last 6 years and every year the weather is different. Wind, rain, cold, hot, fog, you never know.

More Rain

It rained most of the day, but still no complaining. Just wish I could store some of it for the summer. More or less a routine Monday. I worked out at Nautilus this evening and then went to the track and ran roads from there. My run ended up being 1.5 miles. Back to the park tomorrow.

Lazy Day

I did some light yardwork today, but mostly I watched TV and messed around on the computer. I did go over to the track this afternoon and run laps. No blisters or new black toes from the marathon yesterday. The hamstring does not seem worse, but my intention is to do short runs all week and then run the Surfside Beach Marathon on Saturday.

Ophan Hope Trail Marathon

Me and the Race Committee, Melanie, Jennifer and Dawn

I got up early (ugh!) this morning and went out to Huntsville State Park for the 1st ever Orphan Hope Trail Marathon. It was in the 30's at the start. The course was two loops of 13.1 miles. By the time I started my second loop, it was warmer and I got rid of the gloves and headband. I ran the first loop in 3:22, but was being careful not to trip on a root and reinjure the hamstring. I stubbed my left foot a couple times and jarred the hamstring. Fort most of the first loop, I ran with Stacy Orr of Spring, Texas and our visit seemed to make the course shorter. She was running the half marathon race, so I ran the second loop alone. It seemed to take forever and I finished in 7:18:04 (2nd in age group). I tripped and fell four times during the race, but did not reinjure the hamstring. Since no one saw or heard me fall three of the four times, I'm not sure those count as falls.
They had over 400 registered runners for the full marathon, half marathon and relay. The race went very well and I expect that it will grow as the word gets out. Nice tech shirt, finisher medal and age group award and plenty of enthusiastic and helpful volunteers.

Ready for Tomorrow, I Guess

It rained last night, so I do not know what the trails will look like for tomorrow's Orphan Hope Trail Marathon at Huntsville State Park. However, I do know that it will be cold; 37 at the start and up into the low 50's in the afternoon. No rain in the forecast.
I had some errands to run in Conroe and The Woodlands today, so I stopped by the new Fleet Feet store in The Woodlands and picked up my race packet. Later this afternoon, I ran laps at the track.

Different Directions

We all seemed to run in different directions at the park this evening. Hans and I ran down to Amy's Crossing to check out the muddy section from the Rocky Raccoon 100 & 50 over the weekend. With no rain since, it was okay. We actually only ran a little over a mile and then walked most of the rest. Based on everyone's report, the trails seem to be in good shape for the Orphan Hope Marathon this Saturday. The problem is, though, there is a 70 percent chance of rain tonight and tomorrow.

Another Short Run

I ran laps this evening, after working out at Nautilus. The hamstring hurts worse in the morning and seems to loosen up as the day goes on. Looking forward to the trail marathon on Saturday. I have not run a trail marathon since March 1, 1997.

Shingles Shot

A good runner friend of mine in Houston, who is in his mid-60's got Shingles a few months ago. It started on his side and affected his Sciatic nerve and ultimately left the lower part of his leg numb. He was on pain medication for a month. He recommended that I get a Shingles shot and this afternoon, I went down to Walgreens and got one.
From what I have read, if you had chicken pox when you were a kid, the diseases stays in your body in a dormant stage. Later in life (i.e. 60's) it can come back as Shingles. The possibity of getting it increases with age. The pain from burning and blistering can be severe and can go on for weeks.
The pharmacist that gave me the shot said that if I ever do get the Shingles it will not be as severe because of the shot.
I met up with the group this evening and ran a 3-mile loop on the trails.

Not Much to Report

Not much to report. I worked out at Nautilus and ran laps at the track.

Sunday Night 5K

I drove down to The Woodands this evening for the monthly Sunday Night 5K. The hamstring loosened up a bit as I ran and I finished in 36:52. My intention is to take it easy for the rest of the week and definitely run the Orphan Hope Trail Marathon at Huntsville State Park this Saturday. The next Saturday, I will run the Surfside Beach Marathon, which is the second leg of the Texas Marathon Triple series. I have completed the series for all four years of it's existence, so I will definitely be spending time on the beach on February 18.

Character Flaw and Dogs

I got up at 5:15 this morning and went out to the park to turn in my chip and then run (unofficially)one of the three 16.67-mile loops of the Rocky Raccoon 50-Mile course. When I got to the park about 6:30 for a 7 a.m. start, it was lightning with a heavy rain. I had to park a long way from the start line. I sat in my truck. My hamstring burning and I had not gone to the restroom. It got close to 7 and I decided that I was not going to face the elements for an unofficial 16.67-mile training run. I went home and went back to bed. It must be a character flaw, but in retrospect, I feel like I wimped out. Later in the morning, I went back to the park, turned in my chip and visited with friends. This afternoon, I went to the Sam Houston State girl's basketball game, ran 3 miles on the streets in town and went back to the park to take some photos of our club volunteers on one of the aid stations.

Speaking of my 3-mile run in town. I was running past the house next to Wendy's on Sam Houston Ave. and a dog ran out to tell me that I was in his territory. Some college guys on the porch called him back and kindly offered me a beer. I declined and finished my run. About 20 years ago, I was running past the same house and a dog ran from the house and tried to grab my leg. I avoided the bite and a girl came out of the house and retrieved her dog. Late that same night, I was driving past the house in my Suburban, when the same dog chased a squirrel across the street in front of me. Unfortunately, I could not avoid hitting and killing the dog. Today, I did not stop and relate the story to the college guys; they may have perceived it as a threat, anyway. Sam Houston Ave. is a very busy street and I hope they keep their dog on a lease when it is outside.

Compromise

Having pretty much decided not to run tomorrow because of my injury, I went out to the park this afternoon to pick up my packet for the Rocky Raccoon 50-Miler. I met up with a bunch of friends and we visited for a while. Then, I ran 1 mile+ on the trails before a storm came through. When I got home and looked in my packet, I found my non-disposable chip. So, that means I have to take it back out there tomorrow. I have decided to compromise. I will turn in my chip before the race, put on my race number and run one of the three 16.67-mile loops. My hamstring should be able to survive the distance and recover for marathons the next two weekends. There is a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms throughout the morning, so it should be fun. That will be on top of all the rain tonight and in the last few days.

Two Trips to the Park, Again

I attended a meeting with the new Huntsville State Park Superintendent and organizers of the Orphan Hope Trail Marathon to discuss arrangements for the race on February 11. Then, we spent some time on the trails and then meeting with Joe Prusaitis, who is directing the Rocky Raccoon 100 and 50-Mile Race this weekend. Then, I went back to the park this evening and ran 2 miles on the park roads, while the group ran trails. We all got caught in a heavy rain during our runs. The hamstring hurt all day and I am seriously considering not running the 50-mile race on Saturday. When I pulled it last October, I never imagined that it would still be hurting in February.

Week Going By Fast

With the marathon on Sunday and a 50 miler coming up this Saturday, the week seems to be going by fast. Just two more days to rest up. I went to the track this evening and ran laps.