More rain

My lawn has never looked so good in the summer., but I have to mow it ever 4 or 5 days.  It rained again today.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails at the park this evening, mostly in a light rain.

New shoes

I put on a new pair of shoes this evening and ran 2 miles on the streets around the campus.  They always feel so cushiony when they are new.

Wellness 5K - 800th race

I got up very early this morning and drove 90+ miles down to Katy to run the Wellness 5K at 7 a.m.  I drove through rain most of the way, but it let up for the race.  However, my wife walked the race and got caught in heavy rain for the last 10 minutes.  I finished in 38:57 (2nd in my age group).  This was my 800th race since I started racing in 1983.  On the way back, we stopped in north Houston and had breakfast with our son.  Lots of rain yesterday and today, but none at home in Huntsville.

Polish Pickle 5K

For the 20th consecutive year, I ran the Polish Pickle 5K in Bremond this morning.  Bremond is about 95 miles northwest of Huntsville.  It was raining when I arrived and the rain continued for most of the race.  The lightening had passed and it was relatively cool for this race.  I finished in 37:43, which placed me 4th of 7 in the 70-74 age group.  On the way home, my wife and I stopped at the Kosse Cafe in Kosse and had breakfast.  This was my 37th race in 2015, my 799th lifetime race and my 2,078th consecutive day of running.

Normal Friday

With a race tomorrow morning, I went to the track today and ran laps.

Solo park run

I went out to the park at 5:30 this evening.  Jason and Curtis were already out running and no one else showed up.  So, I ran 2 miles on the park roads.  When I finished, I visited with former runners, Hans and John, who had been biking.

Avenues 5K course

Waiting for it to cool down a bit, I did not run until 7 p.m. today.  After Iron Works, I ran the Avenues 5K course.  It is a relatively shady course, but has some tough hills.  It traverses the highest point between Houston and Dallas.

Flying J's

I met up with the group at the park this evening.  The three "Flying J's", Jason, Jacob and J. C.,  ran 3.5 miles together and finished before I completed 2.5.  Glen, James and April ran other distances.

Got it out

I have not mentioned it in my blog, but last Thursday night, I took out my contacts for the night.  My right eye kept waking me up during the night.  When I went to put them in Friday morning, I found that only half of the right eye contact was there.  The other half was obviously still in my eye.  I tried to find it all weekend and periodically felt it in my eye.  It kept waking me up during the night.  I went to the eye clinic this morning.  It took some searching by two ladies, but they finally found it and removed it from the corner of my eye.  That was a relief.
After Iron Works this evening, I ran 2.3 miles around the campus.  A good friend, Haleigh, stopped and we visited for a while during my run.  Great news.  She moved back to Huntsville and will be the track coach at Huntsville HS.

Gator Bait 5K

For the first time, I ran the Gator Bait 5K Trail Run at Huntsville State Park this morning.  Very hot and especially humid.  I felt sluggish and unmotivated and my finish time of 50:36 (50:23 chip time) showed it.  With all the rain lately, the trails were muddy in spots, but I managed to not to trip over a root and slip in the mud.  It was probably a new 5K PW (personal worst) for me.  However, I won first in the 70-74 age group (I was the only one).  I did beat the guy in the 75-79 age group.  My next race is the Polish Pickle 5K on Saturday.  It will be my 20th straight year for running this race.

June Bug 5K and Buffalo Bayou Brewery Run

I ran our club's June Bug 5K this morning in the Spring Lake Sub-division.  Hilly and humid.  I finished in 39:47m about 2 minutes slower than my normal 5K time lately.  I went home, showered and then left for Houston to run the Buffalo Bayou Brewery 3.5-Mile Run at 11:20 this morning.  Being Houston, it was a flat course, but the heat was terrible.  I plugged along and finished in 47:08.

Resting up for a 3-race weekend

It's Friday and I plan to run 3 races this weekend.  Late this morning, I went to the track and ran laps.

Wet trails

It seems as though it has been a while since I went to the park.  I ran 2.5 miles on wet and muddy trails this evening.  Lots of rain earlier today.

The storm has passed

Tropical Storm Bill has passed this area and has moved up north.  According to my rain gauge, we had one inch of rain overnight, but none today.  However, as expected, the humidity was very high.  After working out at Iron Works this evening, I ran 3 miles around the town and campus.  Felt very sluggish.

Pre-tropical storm run

Tropical Storm Bill was headed up this way from the Gulf and there was a 100% chance of heavy storms this evening when we usually run at Huntsville State Park.  So, late this morning, I drove over to Veterans Memorial Parkway and ran 2 miles in a light rain.  It looks like the storm took a more westerly path and there was no rain this evening.

Cool run after the rain

We had a nice rain this afternoon and it was relatively cool.  After the rain, I ran 3.5 miles around the campus and avenues.

It was suppose to rain

The forecast was for 100 percent chance of rain today.  After church, I managed to mow the yard and still no rain.  I went for a run at 5 p.m., expecting to finish before the rain began.  I ran an unplanned course around the campus, which turned out to be 2.2 miles.  Here it is after midnight and still no rain.

Greyhound 5K

For the fourth straight year, I ran the Greyhound 5K in Kosse this morning.  Kosse is 88 miles northwest of Huntsville.  As usual for this time of the year, it was hot and humid.  I finished in 37:50 and was 2nd of 3 in the 70 and over age group.  I got a chance to visit with some good friends, including Dennis Alston, who I had breakfast with at the Kosse Cafe after the race.  Today was my 2,064th consecutive day of running.  This race was my 33rd this year and 795th since I started racing in 1983.

Laps at the track

As on most Fridays, I went to the track and ran laps this morning.  5K race tomorrow morning.

Running club meeting this evening

We had a running club meeting this evening, so I skipped running at the park.  I ran an unplanned route through the hilly avenues.  It turned out to be 2.5 miles.

Easy day

I did not feel well today, but got in a 2-mile run in the heat of the early evening.

Dry trails

After so much rain in May through the 29th, we have not have a drop since.  I met up with the group at the park this evening and ran 2.5 miles on the trails.  The trails were very dry, with deep sand in places.

Back to Monday

Mowed the yard, worked out at Iron Works and ran 2 miles on the streets around the campus.  The knees were a little wobbly after 3 races this weekend.

Wellness 5K and Sunday Night 5K

I got up at 5 this morning and drove down to Houston to run the Wellness 5K at 7.  It started and finished at the U. of Houston Downtown campus.  I planned to come down Main St. from the north to the campus and avoid the downtown area.  However, roads were closed due to construction and I ended up south of downtown.  I finally made it to the race, but with little time to spare.  The course was out and back on a concrete trail along the bayou (probably under water a week ago).  I finished in 37:37.  They did not have age group awards, but I was the only runner over 70.
This evening, I went down to The Woodlands with Julia Buck to run the Sunday Night 5K.  I finished in 37:03.

Heights 5K Race

For the fifth straight year, I went down to Houston this morning and ran the Heights 5K Race - about 1,000 of Houston's fastest runners on a flat out and back course on Heights Blvd.  The overall winner ran 14 something.  I finished in 37:34, 4th of 5 in the 70-74 age group.  It was my 30th race in 2015 and I have 5 more scheduled this month.
After the race, I went to a couple stores in Houston, looking for a replacement part on my old binoculars, which I bought in Vietnam 48 years ago.  Luckily, I found the part.
On the way back to Huntsville, I stopped and had lunch with my son on the north side of Houston.

Friday routine

With a race tomorrow morning, I went to the track and ran laps this afternoon.

Avenues 5K course

Normally I run at the park on Thursday.  However, we had a club officers meeting this evening and I missed the park.  So, I ran the hilly Avenues 5K course late this afternoon.  As far as my knees go, it was the most comfortable run I have done in a long time.  Cortizone works well.

Post cortizone shot day

Since I had a cortizone shot in my left knee yesterday, this had to be a short run day.  I spent most of the day mowing the yard and working on my son's car, but I did get to Iron Works this evening and then ran laps at the track.  Nice comfortable run without much knee pain.

Scare at the track

Since I had a doctors appointment at 1 p.m. today to presumably to get a cortizone shot in my left knee, I went over to the track and ran laps this morning.  During my my last, a Huntsville Police Officer, who I did not know, parked and waited for me to finish my lap.  I was a little scared.  I knew that I was not getting a speeding ticket for running too fast, but I thought maybe a family member had been in an accident.  He said that he needed to talk to me.  He said that he was training for the Huntsville Half Marathon in October and wanted to know if he could push a baby stroller.  I told him that I would talk to the race director, but was sure it was okay if the stay behind all the other runners.  Whew!
   The doctor and I were convinced that the pain in my knees was caused by the arthritis under my knee caps.  The cortizone shot in my right knee three weeks ago really helped.  So, as expected, he gave me a shot in my left knee.  I have to do another short run tomorrow, but no restrictions after that.  We had a serious talk about so much running, verses alternative exercises for cardio.  He said that even with my knee issues, I was in better shape than 99 percent of his other patients my age.  He said that he would continue to support me the best he could.  Reminder to myself - keep streaking.

Second day of the drought

Two days in a row now with no rain.  Seems like a drought.  After working out a Iron Works, I ran an unplanned route on the streets in town.  It turned out to be 2.7 miles.