Short road run

Since I have 3 races in the next two days, I only ran a 1.3-mile loop on the roads this afternoon.  However, with school out for the holidays, there was very little traffic.  It would have been a nice day for a long training run - if I needed one.

Run Thru the Woods 5-Miler

I got up early this morning, picked up Jill and Kelly and we all went down to The Woodlands to run the Run Thru the Woods 5 miler.  It was my 12th straight year for running this race and it was by far the coldest.  The temperature was in the high 20's or low 30's.  I finished in 1:02:07, a couple minutes slower than last year.  Now, Friday off and then three races this weekend.

Track

I had a doctor's appointment in Conroe this morning and then spent much of the day running errands in Conroe and back in Huntsville.  Traffic was terrible.  I went to Iron Works later this afternoon, but they were closed.  So, I ran laps at the track and someone told me that the other Iron Works was open.  I went there for the first time and worked out.  Off to The Woodlands for a cold 5 miler tomorrow.

1,500

Today, marked 1,500 consecutive days of running on my current streak.  In another 983 days, I will be back to where I left off when I broke my last streak on October 14, 2009.
It has been cold and rainy all day.  It snowed for a couple hours this afternoon and then rained some more.  It looks like it will be cold and dry for a few days.  No one else showed up at the park this evening, so I ran 2 miles on the park roads.

Building up immunity

I am convinced that running every day in the heat and cold or whatever the weather, you build up immunity to illness.  I have not had the flu since I started streaking.
It was windy this afternoon, in the 30's and raining.  I ran south on Veterans Parkway this afternoon.  Frankly, I had to go to the restroom and there was no place.  I turned around at one mile and headed back into the north wind, heavy rain and cold.  Some lady stopped and offered me a ride.  I told her I was out having fun.  So, I got in 2 miles - and more immunity.

Cold and rainy, again

The temperature was in the 40's this afternoon, but it seemed colder with the wind and light rain.  I ran 3 miles around the campus, before watching the Cowboys beat the Giants.

Run the Woodlands 5K

It was cold and rainy when I went down to The Woodlands this morning to run their second and fourth Saturday of every month 5K.  The rain let up during the race and the cold (40's) felt good during the race.  I finished in 38:13, about my normal lately for that course.  After the race, I stopped at The Woodlands YMCA to pick up my race packet for the 5-miler on Thanksgiving.

Cold and rainy

We had very heavy storms early this morning and light rain and cold all day.  Since I never made it to Iron Works yesterday, I went this afternoon and then ran 2 miles around the campus.  Just as I was finishing, I ran into my friend, Dana, and we had a nice visit.  I'm glad I was not the only one out in the cold, wet weather.

Race plans

I stopped at Schlotzsky's for lunch and ran into Sara McCullough, one of our running buddies when she was a student at Sam Houston.  She is teaching in Lovelady and was here for a class for the day.  Had a nice visit with her.  This afternoon, I attended a planning meeting at the Chamber of Commerce for a 5K they are putting on December 7.  Then, I went straight to the park to run.  No one else showed up, so I ran 2 miles on the park roads.  My race plans for the rest of this year:

Nov. 23 - 5K in The Woodlands
Nov. 28 - 5 Miler in The Woodlands
Nov. 30 - 10K in Huntsville
Dec. 1 - Half Marathon in Waco
Dec. 1 - 5K in The Woodlands
Dec. 7 - 10 Miler in Conroe
Dec. 8 - Marathon in College Station
Dec. 14 - 5K in Willis

I may add another one when it is scheduled, but so far, it will be 67 races for 2013.

Night 5K

Our group met up at 6 p.m. this evening and ran a 5K course around the university.  After running and then going home to take a shower, I made it to the Sam Houston State basketball game by 7:30, 30 minutes late.

3 at the park

I ran 3 miles on the roads at the park this evening.

Ran short of daylight

By the time I got out of Iron Works this evening, it was nearly dark.  I did manage to get in a 1.9-mile loop in the avenues before it got too dark.

Bad morning

A couple days ago, I signed up to run today's Great Strides 5K in College Station.  One site said the race would start at 8 a.m. and another said 9:30 a.m.  I sent them an email and never heard back.  The way races go on the A&M campus, I assumed that the 9:30 start time was correct.  I set my alarm for 7:30 this morning.  I woke up about that time and turned off the alarm before it went off.  I got up, took a shower and got dressed and was about to leave for College Station.  Then, I realized that I had gotten up at 5:30.  So, I went back to bed and got up at 7:30.  I made the 50-mile drive to College Station and arrived at the race at 9 a.m..  Unfortunately, it was over; started at 8.  They gave me my packet and agreed to let me run the course (which I knew) and time myself.  At about mile 2.5, I tripped on a curb, fell on the concrete and cut my knee pretty bad.  I finished with a bloody knee, with blood running down my leg. My time was 36:58. They documented my time.  I have no idea whether or not they had age group competition, but I doubt it.

No Saturday race today

No race today, but am doing a 5K in College Station tomorrow morning.  I spent some time today re-measuring a 5K course on campus.  It will be used for a race in December.  Afterwards, I ran a 2-mile loop around the campus.  It is really getting warm again, after a week or so of cold weather.

Two days of laps

We had a running club business meeting and potluck dinner last night, so I ran laps at the track yesterday afternoon.  After the meeting last night, I left at 8 p.m. and drove up to Tyler, arriving about 10:30 p.m.  I spent most of today at the hospital in support of my niece, who was having serious surgery.  I drove back to Huntsville tonight and run laps at the track about 9:30 p.m.

2-Miles and 5K

I ran 2 miles on the roads at the park yesterday.  This evening, I met up with the Wednesday evening group and ran a 5K on the streets at 6 p.m. with a flashlight.  This cold weather feels great.  It is suppose to freeze again tonight.

Soldier Marathon

We spent Thursday night in Mobile, Alabama.  I got up early Friday morning and ran laps around the hotel parking lot before driving up to Columbus, Georgia for the Soldier Marathon on Saturday.  We had perfect weather for the marathon (50's and 60's).  There were 700+ running the full marathon and many more running the half and 5K.  I think about 2,500 total.  I finished in a slow 6:34:09, which placed me 4th of 5 in the 70 to 74 age group.  They changed the course somewhat from last year.  This year, it crossed the river and went into Alabama for a short distance.  My wife had lived on post at Fort Benning in the late 50's, so we spent some time finding her house and some other haunts.  We spent Saturday night in Phenix City, Alabama (across the river from Columbus) and then drove down to Hammond, Louisiana on Monday.  We stopped in Mobile and found the church where my parents were married in 1921.  It is still an active church, but in a bad part of downtown Mobile.  It is so bad and there is a chain link fence with locked gates surrounding the church.  Then, we detoured from I-10 and visited the Mississippi beaches near Biloxi.  I ran some highway from the hotel in Hammond yesterday evening and survived the traffic.  After driving back from Hammond today, I ran laps at the track and then worked out at Iron Works.

Mobile

After a long drive to Mobile, AL today, I arrived at the hotel just as it was getting dark.  The hotel is in the middle of a very busy area, so there is no access to a good place to run.  So, I ran loops around the outer perimeter of the hotel parking lot until I ran for 15-minutes +

Short road run

In keeping with my plan to rest up for this Saturday's marathon, I ran 1.5 miles on streets in Huntsville this evening.

Forgot to blog yesterday

Not that I had anything important to say yesterday, but I forgot to blog last night.  All those falls at the 25K trail run seem to catch up with me yesterday.  I felt very tired and my back was sore.  After working out at Iron Works, I ran laps at the track.
Then, I received an email from Paul, who lives in Tyler and is the race director for the Rocky Raccoon 25K.  He asked me to go to the park and remove the flagging on part of the course.  So, this morning, I went out and walked about 2 miles and removed the flagging and gel packages that the litter bug runners left on the trail.  Then, I ran back to my truck.  I did not see another person on the trails.

Sunday Night 5K

As I do every first Sunday of the month, I went down to The Woodlands to run the Sunday Night 5K.  I finished in 38:39.  Gosh, 38 something is getting to be my regular 5K time.  I need to do better.

Rocky Raccoon 25K

I got up at 4:30 this morning and went out to Huntsville State Park.  I started working traffic control at 5:30 and then ran the 25K (15.5 miles) at 8 a.m.  My intention was to finish the race and not screw up my sore ankle.  I managed to do that, but I tripped on roots several times and fell.  My ankle is not any worse tonight, but my body is sore from falling.  I finished in 4:34:30, a little off my 25K PR of 2:31:00, set in 1995.  This was my 13th consecutive year for running the Rocky Raccoon 50K or 25K.

Friday routine

Since I have a 25K tomorrow at Huntsville State Park, I ran 1 mile+ this afternoon on the roads.  This evening, I went out to the park, met up with Jacob and Jan and we drove to the back of the park to set up the aid station for the race tomorrow.  I have to be there at 5:30 in the morning to direct traffic and the 25K does not start until 8.

Ankle, again

My ankle was hurting again this evening, so I limited my run this evening to 2 miles on the park roads.  The 25K on the trails Saturday will be a test.  My goal will be to survive without making my ankle worse or otherwise injuring myself with 4 more marathons on the schedule.

New Wednesday evening group

Steve started a new training group for Wednesday evening runs.  Four of us showed up this evening; we started at the Baptist Church on Sycamore and ran the Huntsville 5K course.  It rained most of the day and rained during most of our run this evening.

Darned Ankle

The darned ankle I sprained 4 weeks ago is still hurting and I have a 25K trail run this Saturday and a marathon the next Saturday.  I ran 2 miles on the park roads this evening.  I wish it would freeze, so the mosquitoes would go away or whatever they do when it gets cold.

Back to Monday

As usual on Monday, I worked out at Iron Works and then ran the roads around town.  The route turned out to be 2.8 miles.  Today was our 46th anniversary, so my wife and I went out to dinner tonight.  I went to Vietnam a few weeks after we got married in 1967; it is hard to believe it has been that long since Vietnam.

Sunday at the park

After watching the disappointing Cowboy - Detroit game this afternoon, I went out to the park and ran 3.5 miles on the trails.  We had a heavy rain last night and it really cleaned off the trails.  My next race is a 25K at the park next Saturday.

Run the Woodlands 5K

There were a lot of race choices this morning, but I went down to The Woodlands and ran the Run the Woodlands 5K.  Because of road constructions, they have not held this race for a while.  Normally, it is on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month.  In any case, I got to visit with a few friends.  I finished the race in 38:17.  While down there, I visited some stores and had breakfast at IHOP before heading back to Huntsville.  This afternoon, I attended the Sam Houston - Northwestern State football game.

Can't believe how much faster my computer works

My computer is running so much faster.  Where can I go to get a new human browser to make me run faster?  Since I have a 5K in the morning, I went to the track this afternoon and ran laps.

At the computer shop

For months, I have been having computer problems.  It takes forever to do anything.  Even when I post on this blog, I cannot go back and edit the narrative.  I assumed that I needed memory and I had more memory added.  I took it in to the shop today and stayed with them while they worked on it.  It turned out that my Internet Explorer browser was messed up.  They switched me to Google Chrome and now the computer is super fast.  Now, I can even edit the narrative in this blog.  I cannot imagine how much time and frustration the slowness has cost me for months.
I met up with the group at the park this evening and ran 3 miles on the park roads.  The ankle felt a little better.

Unplanned route in the avenues

After working out at Iron Works, I went to the track and ran an unplanned route in the avenues.  Even ran down a couple streets I had never been on before.  The route turned out to be 3.3 miles.

Half roads, half trails

James and I were the only runners who showed up at the park this evening.  We started out running on the park roads and ended up running on the trails.  I had this fear of screwing up my ankle, with a marathon on the roads coming up in a week and a half.  I am not sure how far we ran, but it was probably about two and a half miles.  This cool weather feels great.

Texas 10 Series Waco cancelled

I received an email this afternoon notifying me that the Texas 10 Series race in Waco on November 3 has been cancelled.  Apparently, they did not have a sufficient number of entries.  That's disappointing.  I was looking forward to the challenge of running 10 miles the day after the Rocky Raccoon 25K  On the other hand, now I get to attend my son's birthday party Saturday evening.
After working out at Iron Works this evening, I ran an unplanned route on the streets around town.  The route turned out to be 2.6 miles.

Darn ankle

The darn ankle was still sore today.  I took plenty of Ibupropen today and ran laps at the track this evening.  Feels better this evening.  My plan is to run a 5K this weekend and the next weekend a 25K,10-Miler and a 5K.  Surely it will be okay by then.

Huntsville Half Marathon

I got up early this morning, loaded up boxes of trophies, the race clock and inflatable arch and drove to the campus for the Huntsville Half & Quarter Marathon & 5K.  I set up the clock and arch and ran the half marathon.  The weather was perfect, temperature in the 50's and 60's and dry.  I finished in 2:58:52, about a minute faster than last year.  I was the only one in the 70 & Over age group, so I won 1st in my age group.  The ankle I sprained a couple weeks ago really hurt.  It's funny, it did not bother me in the marathon last Sunday.  I only have a 5K next weekend, so maybe it will be okay before I start running long the following weekend.

4 Years

For the third time in my 4 running streaks, I have reached the 4-year mark.  I am still mad as heck about breaking my last streak four years ago on the knee issue.  The doctor misdiagnosed the injury and talked me into not running for four days.  I could have run.  If the future, I will run if I physically can.
Since I am running a half marathon tomorrow, I ran laps at the track this afternoon.  This cool weather feels great.

Packet labels

Our club is putting on the 35th Annual Huntsville Half & Quarter Marathon & 5K this Saturday.  I was to print the packet labels this evening in time for packet stuffing at 6 p.m.  I had all sorts of problems getting them printed.  Then, after taking them 10 miles to the packet stuffing, I realized that I was missing some of the labels.  I had to go back home and print the two missing pages and take them back to the stuffing.  I missed my run at the park and ended up running laps at the track about 8:30 p.m.  I sure hope this cooler weather holds up for the race on Saturday.

Cool, again

We finally got some cooler weather, again.  With the marathon on Sunday and the Huntsville Half Marathon this Saturday, I am really taking it easy this week.  No long runs.  This evening, I worked out at Iron Works and then ran 2 miles around the campus.

Getting back to normal

I feel like I am fully recovered from the marathon on Sunday.  I worked out at Iron Works this evening and then ran 2 miles on the roads at the park.

Tyler Rose Marathon

We drove up to Tyler Saturday afternoon to run the Tyler Rose Marathon for the third time.  At packet pickup, I had a nice visit with my good friend, Loren Sheffer, publisher of the Texas Runner Triathlete.  He was there promoting his great magazine.  I also visited with my friend, Parvaneh Moayedi from San Antonio, who was there to run the marathon.  It would be her 153rd marathon in the last 12 months, setting a new world record.  She is an amazing athlete, so inspiring.  As expected, it was hot and humid on race day, temperature in the 80's and about as humid as it can get.  I usually do not wear a cap, but did so to keep the expected rain out of my eyes.  There was no rain during the race, except for a few sprinkles here and there.  I felt pretty good the entire race and ran a very steady pace.  I hit the halfway point at 3:06 and finished in 6:25:10.  Even though the course is up or down hills virtually the entire 26.2 miles, I never walked, except through the aid stations.  My slightly sprained ankle from the week before hurt, but was no worse than the regular hurts encountered during a marathon.  As it came out, I was the only runner in the 70 and over age group, so I won a nice age group winner medal.  We attended Mass Sunday evening at the Cathedral in Tyler and then my nephew's birthday dinner.  We drove back to Huntsville this morning.  I finally got back to Iron Works this evening for a workout and then ran 1.3 miles on the roads.  Next up is the Huntsville Half Marathon this Saturday.

Shiitake Mushroom 5K

On Saturday, Darren Grant rode up to Madisonville with me to run the Shiitake Mushroom 5K, which is held each year in conjunctions with the Shiitake Mushroom Festival.  This was my first time running this race in several years.  It is usually held on the same day as our Huntsville Half Marathon.  They issued homemade paper numbers, which fell off once you started to sweat.  With different places to get free race numbers, there is no excuse for homemade numbers.  The age groups were unusual and they announced that the course was 3.2 miles (a 5K is suppose to be 3.1 miles).  3.2 seemed to be correct; my finish time was 39:57. 

Resting up

I did a lot of work around the house today, but as far as running goes, I am resting up for the 5K tomorrow and the marathon on Sunday.  I took a break from work at the house this afternoon and ran laps at the track.

Busy day

For being retired, I was busy today with a lot of errands.  This included taking my computer into the shop to add RAM.  This evening, I attended a running club meeting at the library from 5:30 to 7 p.m.  I left a few minutes early to pick up my computer from the computer store, which closed at 7 p.m.  However, I could not get to the store.  The Sam Houston State Homecoming Parade was going down Sam Houston Ave., where the computer store is located.  I parked a block away on the other side of Sam Houston Ave.  With the permission of a police officer, I cut through the parade to get to the store.  I picked up the computer and cut through the parade again to get to my truck.  Then, I went to the track and ran laps.  My plan is to run a mile tomorrow, a 5K race on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday.  The latest weather forecast is for 79 degrees and a 50 percent chance of rain.

Back in Huntsville

I got back to Huntsville this afternoon and spent a couple hours updating the running club web site.  Worked out at Iron Works and then ran an short unplanned route in the the avenues.  It turned out to be 1.8 miles.

Another city park run

I went down to the same city park this afternoon and ran about 3 miles on the concrete trails.  Back to Huntsville in the morning.

Park Run

I went to a city park (not in Huntsville) and ran 3 miles on a concrete trail.  Nice clear and cool weather, but I much prefer running on asphalt.  I read once that asphalt is 10 times softer than concrete.  Most of the marathon in Tyler next Sunday will be on asphalt, however, some of it is on red brick streets.

Cool and clear

It was cool and clear this evening.  Perfect running weather.  I ran 2.8 miles on the roads.

St. Anthony's Fall Fest 5K

After driving to Wylie (northeast of Dallas) yesterday, I attended a local high school football game last night.  After the game, we walked across a field to get to where the car was parked.  I stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle.  It was sore this morning, but I ran the St. Anthony's Fall Fest 5K in Wylie at 8 this morning  It was hot and sunny and I finished in just over 39 minutes (2nd in the 65 and over age group).  My time was slower than usual, but the ankle did not seeem to bother me while running. At 10:30 a.m., I attended my granddaughter's soccer game in Wylie.  It was in the mid-50's, raining and windy.  What a contrast to the weather a couple hours earlier!  Tonight, the ankle is still sore.  I always worry about injuries in the days before a marathon.

Short Friday run

Since it is Friday and I have a 5K in the morning, I went to the track this morning and ran 1.3 miles on the roads from there.  I ran in new shoes out of the box, which I hope to get broken in for the marathon on October 13.

Got it

I drove down to Conroe to meet the salesman from Tomball Ford to exhange my old truck for the new one.  They put the wrong running board on it, so I had to drive on down to Tomball to get the right one put on.  I ended up waiting at the dealership for about 3 hours.  When I finally got back to Huntsville, I went out to the park and ran 7 miles on the trails.  It was humid as heck and I was completely soaked in sweat when I finished.  It is 10 days away from my first marathon of the season.  Looks like the temperature in Tyler, Texas for that day is going to be around 80.

Still no truck

Still no new truck, however, they are going to meet me in Conroe tomorrow morning at 9:30 to trade the new truck for my old one.  I did yard work all day and went to Iron Works this evening and then for a 2-mile run on the roads around town.  Long run planned for tomorrow.

No new truck today

I sorta waited around today for delivery of my new truck.  They called this afternoon and were still waiting for it to be delivered from a different dealer.  Hopefully, I will get it tomorrow.  After working out at Iron Works this evening, I met up with the group at the park.  Everyone was doing a short run, so I ran 2 miles on the park roads.

In Tomball most of the day

I spent most of the day at Tomball Ford trying to buy a new truck.  We finally made a deal late this evening and they are suppose to deliver the truck to me in Huntsville tomorrow afternoon.  I made it to the track about 10 tonight and ran laps.  I felt like I was fully recovered from the 10-mile race yesterday, but I was not mentally ready for a long run tonight.

Texas 10 Series, Katy

I was so sleepy last night, I forgot to post.  I left at 5 a.m. yesterday to drive down to Katy (west of Houston) for the Texas 10 Series, Katy 10-mile race.  It was a 2-loop 5-mile course, all on concrete streets.  As expected, it was well-organized and a first class race.  However, the humidity was brutal and I ran slower than expected.  The last 10-mile race in the same series was in Huntsville.  I finished that in 2:05 something.  Yesterday, my time was 2:21:24.  In any case, it was good for 2nd place in the 70 and over.  I got beat by a young 70 year old.  The next race in the series is in Waco on November 3.

Bulldog Dash 5K

I drove about 40 miles over to Iola, Texas this morning to run the Bulldog Dash 5K.  Had a great time.  Got to visit with Sara, who use to run with us years ago when she was a college student at Sam Houston.  The course was flat and looped the small town.  I think they had about 50 runners and there was no age group competition.  I finished in 37:43.  After I got back to Huntsville, I took a nap and then went to the Sam Houston State - Eastern Washington football game.  Eastern Washington is ranked number 2 in the FCS and Sam Houston State is ranked number 4.  Just as I got to the stadium for the 2 p.m. start, it heavy storm came through, with plenty of lightning.  They delayed the start of the game until nearly 3:30.  There was flash flooding on the street below the stadium and at least two cars got wiped out.  I moved my truck to higher ground and waited until the game was getting ready to start.  Sam won 49 to 34.

Friday

Since it is Friday, I skipped working out at Iron Works.  Late this morning, I ran laps at the track.  Two races this weekend, 5K tomorrow and 10-Miler on Sunday.

Signed up for the Soldier Marathon

I signed up for the Soldier Marathon at Fort Benning, Georgia, to be held on November 9.  I ran this last year and enjoyed the beautiful course along the river.  I went to jump school at Fort Benning in 1967 and my wife lived there while her father was stationed there when she was young.  She has not been back since, so we will drive there and enjoy the visit.  That completes the schedule of my final marathons.
Number 97 - Tyler Rose Marathon, Oct. 13
98 - Soldier Marathon, Fort Benning, Nov. 9
99 - BCS Marathon, College Station, Dec. 8
100 - Texas Marathon, Kingwood, Jan. 1
101 - Love.Run.Marathon, Huntsville State Park, Feb. 15
In the meantime, I went out to the park this evening and ran 3 miles on the park roads.

Shorter run

After running 16 miles yesterday, I ran 1.7 miles in the avenues this evening.  The humidity was low and that felt great.

Stretching out the distance

There are two weekends before my marathon on October 13 and I am running other races or have other plans.  So, I have to do my long runs during the week.  It was 90 something this afternoon, but I went out to the park and ran 2 miles on the park roads and 14 miles on the trails, for a total of 16.  Luckily, my knee held up okay.  I found 2 lost and dehydrated ladies in the back of the park.  I gave them directions and part of my water.  I barely had enough to get back to my truck and replenish before running another loop.  I assume that they made it back okay.

Knee

My left knee was sore again today, so I ran 1.9 miles on the roads in town this evening.

Running of the Bulls 5K

I got up early this morning and drove down to Houston for the Running of the Bulls 5K at Reliant Stadium.  This is the Houston Texans annual race.  I am not sure how many runners they had, but there must have been a couple thousand.  The race started outside of the stadium and finished on the field inside the stadium.  I finished in 37:23 and was 5th of 9 in my age group.

Tyler

I ran laps this morning before driving up to Tyler for a family affair.  I ate too much and got back to Huntsville about 10 tonight.

Wet run

I thought I found a break in the rain this afternoon and went out for a run on the roads in town.  I ended up running 5.2 miles, some of it in heavy rain.  No lightning, so it was not bad.

Back to normal

With the trial over yesterday, it is good to get back to normal today.  I went to Iron Works this evening to workout, but ran into an attorney friend of mine.  We ended up talking about the trial and I only had a short workout before meeting the group at the park.  I ran 3 miles on the park roads.

Finished in court

We finished the trial a day sooner than expected.  The jury came back with their verdict after 5 this evening.  My son and I did very well and it is a relief that the 7 1/2 year old case is over with.  It was close to dark when I got a chance to run, but I got in 2 miles on the roads in town.

Long day

I was at the courthouse today from 8 a.m. until after 5 p.m.  I am not use to sitting all day, so it seemed like a long day.  I managed to get home, change clothes and get out to the park to meet the group at 6 p.m.  I ran 2 miles on the park roads.

Temporary change of focus

My son had a minor wreck while driving my truck 7 1/2 years ago and he and I got sued.  It is finally going to trial tomorrow.  I spent most of the day preparing for the trial, which is expected to last 3 days.  So, for the next few days, I will focus on the trial and not do a lot of running.  I did manage to get in a 2-mile run on the roads this evening.

Darn bikers

Darn bikers.  I went out to the park this afternoon to run trails.  I got there in the middle of a big mountain bike race.  I drove to another trailhead and ran trails that avoided most of the bike course.  I am not sure of the distance, but I ran somewhere between 4 and 5 miles.

Gruene Hall 10K

I got up yesterday and ran a quick mile on the roads in town.  Then, I drove 50 miles over to College Station with my son for a meeting.  We got back about 2:30 p.m. and then I left with my wife for a 3-hour drive to New Braunfels for the Gruene Hall 10K this morning.  Of course, I had to drive back through College Sation to get to New Braunfels.  I ran the race for the third straight year, but finished in 1:22:42.  Both previous years, I finished in 1:16.  I am not sure why my time was slower this year; I felt okay.  The course was new this year and there were probably more hills.  I think the humidity was higher than normal for that part of Texas.  In any case, I was the only one in the 70-74 age group and picked up a first place win.  We drove back to Huntsville this afternoon.

Attended a presentation

I skipped the park run this evening and attended a presentation on running by Dr. Matt Wagner at the hospital.  He is an old friend, former owner of Nautilus and a Kinesiology Professor at Sam Houston State University.  Great presentation and a lot of my friends there.  It was over about 7:30 p.m. and I had my running shorts on under my walking shorts.  So, I ran 2 miles on the sidewalk along Veterans Parkway.  No lights out there and when I finished, it was totally dark.

Back to the park

After lunch today, I went back out to the park and ran 5 miles on the park roads.  Hot.

Copperhead

I ran 3 miles on the park roads this evening.  James came up behind me and said that I just ran past a Copperhead in the road.  I never saw it.  Thank goodness I am so fast that it did not have a chance to strike.

Rain, finally

We finally got about 15 minutes of rain this evening.  It was the first rain in weeks.  After working out at Iron Works after the rain, I ran 2 miles on the streets in town.

10 Miles

Although the distance is modest, I finally got some miles in on my sore knees.  I went out to the park this afternoon when the temperature was about 95 and ran 3 miles on the park roads and then 7 miles on the trails.  No trips or falls and my knees held up okay.  They are stiff tonight, but no swelling.

No race this weekend

This is one of the few weekends of the year when I do not have a race.  My knees were really sore today, so I went over to the track this afternoon and ran laps.  There were dark cloulds, wind and lightning and it seemed like it was going to hit any minute.  Must have been a mirage.  No rain.

Between the heat and darkness

The temperature was up to 96 degrees this afternoon, so I waited until evening to run.  It was still hot and humid, but I managed to get in 4.9 miles on the roads in town before it got dark.

Cut to Two

My knee was hurting again today, so I cut my run to 2 miles at the park this evening.

Stretching out the distance

I stretched out the distance on my sore knee this evening.  I ran 3.1 miles on the roads in town without much pain.  Gosh, I need to get my distance up quick; marathon on October 13.

Good day

My knee was much better today and I ran 2 miles on the park roads with this evening without sharp pain.  This morning, I went into town to get an expensive replacement key made for my truck.  Last week, someone took my key from the fence while I was running.  I decided to check with the Huntsville PD first, but no one had turned it in there.  I checked with the University PD and they had the key!  Whoopee.  Somebody turned it in and saved me 40 or 50 bucks.

Knee treatment

My left knee was still very sore this morning.  I spent much of today icing it and treating it with Topricin.  It was improved enough this evening that I was able to get in an easy, but painful, mile at the track this evening.  Gotta keep the streak going!

Westfest Challenge 5K

My wife and I and our friend, Leah, left my house at 5 a.m. this morning for the long drive over to West (north of Waco) for the Westfest Challenge 5K.  The race starts and finishes in the middle of the Westfest.  West is the small town that had the fertilizer plant explosion last April that killed 15 people.  It is a community of Chech people.  I finished in 38:42 and was third of six in the 70 and over age group.  Leah was second in her age group.  After the race, we attended a Polka Mass in a pavillion at the festival.  It is a regular Catholic Mass, except the music is provided by a polka band.  We have never been to a Polka Mass before and the music was most enjoyable.  During the last mile of the race, I developed pain and swelling in my left knee.  When I got home, I took a nap with an ice pack around the knee.  I intended to drive down to The Woodlands this evening for the Sunday Night 5K.  I had to go down and meet my son to give him something, so I went down to the race.  There was no way I could run, but I was there to support two other club members running the race, including Leah.  Hopefully, a good night's sleep tonight will help the knee.

No Saturday race

 This was one of the few Saturdays this year without running a race somewhere.  I ran 2.9 miles on the roads late this morning and then we had a family get-together at my house this afternoon.  Then, we all went to the Sam Houston - Houston Baptist football game here in Huntsville tonight.  Sam won 74-0.  Gotta get up at 4:30 in the morning for a race in West.

Hot

The temperature got up to 99 about 5 p.m. today, about the same time I ran 2 miles on the roads.  It is so dry and no rain in the forecast.

Shots

This afternoon, I went to the doctor and got shots of the stuff from a rooster's cone under both knee caps.  I forgot that I was suppose to run before the shots.  So, I went to the track at 10:30 tonight and ran an easy mile.  Hopefully, my knees will start feeling better tomorrow and I can get on with my distance training.

Ran out of time

I ran short of time this evening and cut my run short.  Leah and I arrived at the track at the same time and we ran a 1.9-mile loop in the avenues.

Three Bucks

We see a lot of deer in our neighborhood, but only occasionally see a buck.  I looked out in my backyard this afternoon and there were three bucks.  Guess they know that it is not hunting season.
My knees ache and I am looking forward to getting the shots this Thursday.  It rained everywhere in the area this evening, except at my house.  The rain made it very humid at the park this evening.  I ran three miles on the roads.  Phillip ran trails and almost got bitten by a Copperhead.  It struck at his leg and barely missed.  My marathon in October is on the roads, so I will do most of my running on the roads until then.

No key

My wife and I went over to the track this morning to look for the key to my truck.  After an hour and a half thorough search, we gave up.  Then, I checked with both the University PD and Huntsville PD.  No one turned in the key, but they have my name and number.  This evening, I went back to the track and ran an unplanned course on the roads.  It turned out to be 3.1 miles.

Heat Wave 5K and Dallas

On Saturday, I put out the signs and then ran the club's Heat Wave 5K.  I finished in 39:28.  It is a little slow, but it was hot and the course very hilly.  After the race, I posted the results on the club web site and then headed for Dallas.  My wife and I went to the Cowboy - Bengal game at Cowboy Stadium.  It was my first time at the stadium and we had club-level seats at the 45-yard line.  Great seats, except that we were in the first row behind the camera pit and had to look around the camera guys.  After the game, we made the one-hour drive across Dallas to Wylie and spent the night with my son and his family.  We got back to Huntsville this evening.
I went over to the track and ran 1.5 miles on the roads from there.  All the students are in town and I almost got hit by one running a stop sign.  When I returned to the track, my key (which I always hang on the fence) was gone.  I looked for it until it got too dark.  My wife brought me the other key.  Why anyone would take a key without taking the truck is beyond me.  In any case, I will go back over there tomorrow morning and look for it.

Easy Friday

With sore knees and a 5K tomorrow morning, I ran a 1.3-mile loop in the avenues this afternoon.  I have an appointment next Friday to get shots of the stuff from a rooster's cone under my knee caps.  This lubricates the arthritis under the knee caps and eases the pain for about a year.

Calendar is busy

For being retired, my calendar seems to be busy.  Right now, I am in the middle of ordering trophies and other stuff for the upcoming Huntsville Half Marathon.  I am also in the process of selling most of my season tickets to the home games of the Dallas Cowboys (I won them).  We have a club run Saturday and then I am headed to Dallas for the Cowboys - Bengals game.  Appointments next week and a Saturday football game here and two races on Sunday, one in West, TX.  Lots of races coming up and the first marathon of the season on October 13.
This evening, I ran 2 miles on the park roads and finished at the same time as Jacob, who ran 3.  It was my 1,404th consecutive day of running.

Still hot

Even though the temperatures have been down somewhat, it was still hot today.  We had hopes for rain, but it passed us over.  After working out at Iron Works this evening, I ran an unplanned route on the roads.  The students are back, so the main streets are busy again.  I stayed in the avenues.  My course was 5.6 miles.

New Shoes

I took a new pair of shoes out of the box today and ran 2 miles on the roads in town.  I suppose that I should consider them broken in now.  I need to start running longer; my first marathon of the season is on October 13.

Back to the park

It seems like a long time since I was at the state park.  I went out there in the middle of the afternoon and ran 3 miles on the park roads.  Came home and then drove down to The Woodlands to have dinner with my son at the Olive Garden.  When I got home, I realized that my credit card was missing.  Left it at OG and they are holding it for me, so back to The Woodlands tomorrow.

Watermelon Run for the Fallen 5K

Jill and I drove over to Hempstead early this morning to run the Watermelon Run for the Fallen 5K.  It is a tribute to all military members who gave their lives in recent wars.  The race was preceeded by a 30-minute ceremony, including a 6-plane flyover and parachutists landing on the football field.  Several hundred participated in the race, which was non-competitive and not timed.  Everyone is required to walk two laps around the track and then leave the stadium for the rest of the race.  It ends downtown with plenty of food and live music.  I have no idea what my finish time was.

Back from North Carolina

I got back from North Carolina this evening.  I drove up to Tyler in east Texas on August 5, spent the night with my sister and then took two days to drive up to North Carolina to visit my daughter and her family in Wilkesboro (northwest part of North Carolina).  I took the northern route up, across Arkansas and the length of Tennessee.  Ran into very heavy rains in the mountains of Tennessee.  During the rain, I hit a big bird.  I thought it would break my windshield.  Instead, it knocked the driver-side windshield wiper off my car.  I limped into the next town and got a new one.
On Saturday, we all went down to Valdese, NC and ran The Great Waldensian Footrace.  My son-in-law and I ran the 10K and my wife, daughter and two grandkids did the 1-mile race.  My son-in-law got a trophy for 4th place in his age group and I ran 1:20:20 and got 3rd place in my age group.  My grandson was 2nd overall in the 1-mile.  We hung around in Valdese after the race for lunch and the local festival.
This Wednesday, we spent most of the day hiking up and down Stone Mountain, about 45 minutes north of Wilkesboro. 
The first day in Wilkesboro, I ran in my daughter's neighborhood..  This is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, so there was a steep hill in every direction.  For the rest of the visit, I ran a trail along the Yadkin River, which runs between Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro.  Beautiful place and great place to run.
Took the southern route back to Texas.  Yesterday, we drove 600+ miles through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and part of Mississippi.  Today, we drove 500+ miles on through Mississippi, Louisiana and on into Texas.

Sunday Night 5K

I went down to The Woodlands tonight to run the Sunday Night 5K.  I have run this course nearly 100 times, but tonight they had to alter the course due to some utility construction.  The race director thought the improvised course was a little long.  I am not sure, but my time was 38:11, compared to 36:49 in the 5K yesterday.

Outriggers 5K

I got up at 4:15 this morning and drove nearly 2 hours down to Seabrook to run the Outriggers 5K at 7:30.  It is amazing how much traffic is on I-45 and 610 around Houston that early in the morning.  I arrived plenty early, got a close by parking spot and watched the sun rise over the bay.  The course is completely flat.  I finished in 36:49, which placed me 4 of 5 in the 70-79 age group.  Outriggers is a club overlooking the bay.  Had beer and pizza for breakfast.  After the race, I  drove all Houston and points north of Houston to leave Huntsville Half Marathon entry forms at running stores.  Got home about 1 p.m. and took a good nap.

Nausiated

I felt nausiated most of the day.  That's unusual for me, but I suspect that it has something to do with the very hot run yesterday - or maybe it was something I ate at IHOP this morning.  I went to the track this evening and ran laps.  I seem to be okay now.

Spring Lake 5K Course

I met up with three other runners at 6 p.m. this evening and ran the Spring Lake course.  This is a new course which our club will use for our August club run on the 24th.  It was close to a 100 degrees when we ran.  I am sure the heat index was well over 100.  And, the course did not seem to be so hilly when I drove it.  It was pretty much up or down.