Trails, Again

I met up with the group at the park this evening and I opted to run trails rather than park roads.  I ran a 2.5-mile loop.

1,200

Today was 1,200 days on my current running streak.  I'll soon be half way to where I was on my previous streak.  I was late getting started this evening and ended up running laps at the track as it was getting dark.  Earlier today, I signed up for the Texas Marathon in Kingwood on January 1, 2014.  Why so early?  They are almost full.

Trails

I met up with the group at the park this evening and ran 2.5 miles on the trails.

Day After the Marathon

I woke up this morning feeling like I was fully recovered from the marathon yesterday.  My big toes were a little sore, but that was about it.  And, I am sure that was from going up and down the steep hills.  I am going to New Braunfels this weekend for a half marathon and then I will run the Love.Run.Marathon on the trails at Huntsville State Park on February 9.  I worked out at Nautilus this evening and then ran a 1.3-mile course on the roads in town.

Miracle Match Marathon

For the fourth time, I ran the Miracle Match Marathon this morning in Waco.  The temperature got up in the 70's with strong winds.  It was tolerable, but certainly not ideal running conditions.  I completed the first half in 3 hours flat, 51 seconds faster than in the Louisiana Marathon last Sunday.  My second half, however, was much slower and I finished in 6:26:59.  The first half is relatively flat, but mile 14 thru 24 is very hilly.  Some are so steep it is virtually impossible to run up or down.  So, a slower time was expected.  I did place 2 of 5 in my 70-74 age group.  I made the 2+ hour drive back to Huntsville and got home in time to take a 30-minute nap, go to church and have dinner out with the family.

Frost Your Fanny 5K

Our club had it's annual Frost Your Fanny 5K this morning in Huntsville.  I usually run the 10K, but I have a marathon in Waco tomorrow and opted for the 5K.  I finished in 37:08 on a very hilly course.  I posted all the race results on our club web site and then left for Waco.  It is supposed to get up to 74 degrees tomorrow, so staying hydrated will be important.  Several years ago, I ran this same marathon and we had snow flurries.  At the expo in Waco, I met the race director of the new Army Marathon (April 21) and had a nice visit with my good friend, Loren Sheffler of Houston.

Helping with the Love.Run.Marathon

This morning, I met up with five ladies from Houston, who comprise the race committee for the Love.Run.Marathon to be held at Huntsville State Park on February 9, to discuss the race and walk some of the course.  The race consists of a marathon, half marathon and 10K.  They gave me a sneak peek at the finisher medal, which will be given to the finishers in all three races.  It really looks good.
I am running a 5K tomorrow morning and a marathon on Sunday, so I went to the track and ran laps this afternoon.

Back from Dallas

I ran laps at the track yesterday morning and then drove up to Dallas for my son's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Ceremony.  He has worked hard for it for the past 9 years.  Today, I went to lunch with three grandchildren at their schools before driving back to Huntsville this afternoon.  Lunch was at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and noon at 2 different schools.  The cafeteria noise is still ringing in my ears.  I got home in time to go to the park and run 2 miles on the park roads.  Tonight, I attended the annual Seven Hills Running Club meeting, awards presentation and election of officers.  I received the award for running the most races in 2012 (55 of 'em) and was reelected as the Treasurer.

Heavy Yard Work

I spent much of the afternoon digging up shrubs and replanting them.  Then, I found it relaxing to work out at Nautilus and run 2 miles on the park roads.

Louisiana Marathon

I ran the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge yesterday.  It was my 91st race of a marathon or longer distance.  Since I was leaving early Saturday morning for Baton Rouge (5 hours plus drive) I ran at the track after midnight Friday night to get in my Saturday run.  We stayed in the Hilton downtown next to the Mississippi River and only about 3 blocks from the race start and finish in front of the state capitol building.  The race started at 7 a.m. with the temperature in the 40's.  Before the race was over, it was in the 60's.  Beautiful running weather and no rain or wind.  The course was relatively flat and very scenic.  It included a loop through the LSU campus.  Those people in Baton Rouge are really nuts about LSU.  Purple and yellow everywhere.  We went to Mass at the cathedral Saturday evening and half the people there, including a 90 year old lady in front of us, were wearing purple and yellow.  Back to the race.  I got to the halfway point in 3:00:51 and finished the race in 6:08:46.  While it was nearly 30 minutes slower than my pre-hamstring pulls and tears last year, it was my best marathon time this year.  I ran into several runners from Texas that I knew.  What really surprized me was running into John and Karen Wallace of Michigan.  I have been communicating with John and Karen and their son, John III of Seattle for years, but never net them in person.  They are all streakers with streaks much longer than mine.  John III ran across the USA a few years ago and John and Karen ran from Michigan to Mississippi.  I ran into Karen and John on an out and back section of the course and had a nice visit with them after the race.  Then, we drove an hour west to Lafayette and spent the night there before driving back to Huntsville today.  This evening, I worked out at Nautilus and ran laps at the track.

Park is Open Again

Huntsville State Park is open again after 4 weeks of being closed on weekdays for hunting.  Now, we can get back to our Tuesday and Thursday park runs.  I went out there this evening and ran 2 miles on the park roads.  Nice weather for a longer run, but I am resting up for the marathon on Sunday.

Easy Day

In keeping with my plan to take it easy this week in preparation for a marathon on Sunday, I ran 2 miles on the roads in town this evening.  Nice sunny day, again.

At Least it was Sunny

The temperature was in the 40's today and it was sunny, for a change.  After working out at Nautilus this evening, I ran 2.8 miles on the roads around town.  The students are back in town, so the traffic is back to normal.

Signed up for the Miracle Match Marathon

I just signed up for the Miracle Match Marathon in Waco on January 27.  It is billed as the toughest marathon in Texas because of the hills, but I have run it twice before and it is not that bad.  Maybe it is because I am use to running the hills in Huntsville.  It will be my 92nd race of a marathon or longer distance.  My goal is 101, because I served with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.
I have already completed 8 marathons or longer this season and here is what I have signed up for the rest of the season:
91 - Jan. 20, Louisiana Marathon, Baton Rouge
92 - Jan. 27, Miracle Match Marathon, Waco
93 - Feb. 9, Love.Run.Marathon, Huntsville State Park
94 - Mar. 2, The Woodlands Marathon
95 - Mar. 17 - Seabrook Trail Marathon, Seabrook
96 - Apr. 21 - Army Marathon, Killeen
In the meantime, it was cold, rainy and windy again today.  After working out at Nautilus, this evening, I ran an unplanned route on the roads in town.  It was in the 30's and windy.  The course turned out to be 1.8 miles.

Another Cold Day

I stayed indoors this morning and wrote my column for tomorrow's paper.  Later this afternoon, I worked out at Nautilus and got in a 2-mile road run in new running shoes just as it was getting dark.  Looking forward to longer and warmer days.

No Houston

Having run the Houston Marathon 15 times, for the second year in a row, I did not run it this morning.  However, I got up this morning and watched the TV coverage, while having a hot cup of coffee.  It must have been miserable running with the wind, cold and rain.  Congratulations to all my friends who endured.
I went out to the state park this afternoon and ran 3.5 miles on the trails.  No rain, but it was windy and cold.  The trails were really in good shape, with no mud.  I am running the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge next Sunday, so I will take it easy this week.

Run the Woodlands 5K

I ran the Run the Woodlands 5K this morning and finished in 36:21.  Afterwards, I drove further south to Houston for the Houston Marathon Expo.  I am not running the Houston Marathon tomorrow, but the Expo gave me a chance to visit with a lot of friends, buy some running supplies and pick up a race packet for a friend.

Rare Morning Run

I had to drive up to Tyler this morning for a family get-together today, so I ran in my neighborhood early this morning.  I only ran 1-mile plus and it was miserable.  Guess I am not a morning person.

Sunny Day

After many days of rain and cold, it was sunny and mild today.  It gave me a chance to do some work outside and it was also a great day for running.  I ran a 6.8-mile loop on the streets around town.

Treadmill

It rained all day, with occasional lightning.  I just did not feel like running outside, so for the first time in a long time, I ran on the treadmill at Nautilus.  I just do not see how people can run on those on a regular basis.  I only did a mile+ and was totally bored.

More Rain

It rained much of today, but I did squeeze in a dry 2.4-mile run in the avenues this afternoon, before working out at Nautilus.

Dry Day, for a Change

It was sunny most of the day and I took down the outside Christmas lights and did some yard work.  100 percent chance of rain for the next 2 days.  I worked out at Nautilus this evening and then got in a 2-mile run around the campus just as it was getting dark.

Sunday Night 5K

I drove down to The Woodlands this evening and ran the Sunday Night 5K, put on by The Woodlands Running Club.  I finished in 35:33.  It was my 630th race since I started racing in 1983.

Cold and Wet Trails

Since I started watching football games at noon, I went out to the park late this morning and ran 3 miles on the cold and wet trails.  I was suprized about how many other runners were out there.

Campus Run

I ran 2 miles on the roads through the campus this afternoon.  As usual lately, cold and rainy.

Health

I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday to review the results of my colonoscopy a few weeks ago.  They found an ulcer in my colon and did a biopsy.  It was not cancerous, but the doctor told me that the biopsy shows that I have Crohns Disease.  However, I have none of the symptoms and he attributed that to blood flow from running.  The RX is to eat yogurt every day and come back in 3 years for another colonoscopy.  I can handle that.
It was cold and rainy again this evening.  Surprizingly, six of us showed up at the park.  I think all of us ran different courses and distances.  I ran 3 miles on the park roads.

Cold Run

I worked out at Nautilus this evening and then went to the track and ran laps just before dark.  The high temperature today was 43, so it had to be in the 30's when I ran.  No aches or pains from the marathon yesterday.

Texas Marathon

I ran the Texas Marathon in Kingwood this morning.  The weather ended up being fairly nice.  It was in the 50's throughout the race, with occasional light rain.  The course is 4 loops on a 6.55-mile concrete trail.  I feel really beat up tonight.  Last year, I ran it with pulled hamstrings in 7:21, after running it the previous years in 6:06, 6:07 and 6:08.  While I do not have the pain from the hamstring pulls, I do not think that I have my strength back.  I forgot to set my watch today, but I think my time was about 7:06.  I was really disappointed with that.  I sure got to visit with many good friends and that made it worthwhile.  As usual for the Texas Marathon, the finisher medal was enormous.  They said that it weighs 3.3 pounds.  On the way home, my son called me and asked me if I would stop in Conroe and pick up his girlfriend from work at the outlet mall and give her a ride back to Huntsville.  Then, my wife called and wanted me to pick up something at a department store in Conroe.  So, I went to the department store, ate at McDonalds and then slept in my truck in the outlet mall parking lot until my son's girlfriend got off of work at 6:15.  Long day.