Club meeting

We had a running club meeting at 6 this evening, so I worked out at Iron Works and went to the park earlier this afternoon.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails.

Later run

I went out to the park about an hour later than usual this evening.  It was in the 80's and relatively cool.  I ran 3 miles on the park roads and felt much more comfortable.  Two races coming up this weekend, 5K on Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday (maybe both in the rain).

Same 3

There was a little rain at the park this afternoon, so the temperature was down into the 80's.  Instead of trails, I ran the same 3-mile course on the park roads that I ran yesterday.

Still hot

It was in the 90's this afternoon, with a heat index of 105.  I went out to the park early with the intention of running 5 miles on the park roads.  I cut it to 3 miles.  Sure hope it cools off before the long races for the season start this weekend.

Back to the park

I took a break from football this afternoon and ran 2.5 miles on the trails at the park.

Woodforest Charity 10K and Buffalo Bayou Brewery Run

I ran the Woodforest Charity 10K in Conroe this morning.  The course was relatively flat and through various neighborhoods in Conroe.  I finished in 1:21:08 and won first in the 70 and over age group.  This was 21 seconds faster than my 10K time in New Braunfels last week.  It was hot and humid and I had to take on a lot of water during and after the race.  It was well-organized and I got to visit with a lot of good friends.  Then, I drove on down to Houston to run the 11:20 a.m.,Buffalo Bayou Brewery Run with my, niece Amie, who lives in Houston.  I stayed with her and we finished the 3.6-mile course in 52:30.  By then, it was really hot and humid.  We cooled off with a brew and then had lunch together.  This was my 900th race.

Thursday and Friday

Due to a computer issue, I was not able to blog last night.  However, I ran 2,5 miles on the trails at the park and ran laps at the track today.  10K race tomorrow.

Mid-afternoon trail run

I went out the park at 3 this afternoon and ran 4 miles on the trails.  Nice run until I tripped on a root and took a hard fall in the dirt in the last mile when I was good and sweaty.  I skinned up my left knee in the normal place.  I should just put on band aid on that spot before I run trails.

Regular Tuesday trail run

Regular Tuesday.  Ran 2.5 miles on the trails at the park.  This was my 2,522nd consecutive day of running.  October 18 will be 7 years.

Park roads

After Iron Works this evening, I went out to the park and at the last second, decided to run on the park roads.  Ran 2 miles.

Easy park run

I went out to the park this afternoon and ran an easy 2.5 miles on the trails.

Gruene 10K

I drove over to New Braunfels yesterday afternoon to run the Gruene 10K this morning.  This was the 6th straight year I have run this race, so I suppose that it is now one of my streak races.  It was unusually humid for that part of the state and I was drenched in sweat when I finished.  My finish time was 1:21:29, a whopping two seconds faster than last year.  I was first place in the 75-79 age group (yes, I was the only one).  After the race, I went back to the hotel for a shower and then to lunch with my wife.  Then, I took a nap in the truck while she was at the Farmers Market and then another nap while she was in the health food store.  On the way back to Huntsville, I got in a third nap while she shopped at the Antique Rose Emporium in the town of Independence.  We finally got home about 5 p.m.

Laps - 10K tomorrow

With a 10K tomorrow, I went to the track this morning and ran laps.

Signed up for 14 Half Marathons

I have signed up for 14 half marathons for this season and will probably add 2 or 3 more.  My goal is to complete 101 half marathons to honor those who have served with my Vietnam unit, the 101st Airborne Division. So far, I have completed 73 half marathons and hope to reach my goal next year at age 76.   I completed my 101st  marathon at age 72 in 2014.
    In the meantime, I ran 3.5 miles on the trails at Huntsville State Park this evening.

Early run

I had to go down to The Woodlands this evening to have dinner with my son, so I worked out at Iron Works and ran trails earlier than usual.  While at Iron Works, I ran into my old friend and follower of this blog, Marvin Dittfurth.  We had a nice visit.  Good luck on your Tri this weekend in Tyler, Marvin.  I ran 3 miles and never saw any other person, just one snake and one rabbit.

Good to get back on the trails

After nearly a week of running on hard surfaces, it was good to get back on the trails at the park this evening.  I ran 2.5 miles.  I suppose it rained at the park yesterday.  The trails were wet, but not muddy.

Labor Day 5K

I ran our club's annual Labor Day 5K this morning in the Spring Lake Sub-division. I finished in 40:24, which made it one of my slowest 5K's ever.  The course is very hilly and I was probably a little tired after so much travel over the weekend and two 5K's yesterday.  We had a nice crowd of 62 runners.

Kolache 5K and Sunday Night 5K

Thursday afternoon, I drove up to Arlington (between Dallas and Fort Worth) for the Cowboy-Texan football game.  After the game, I drove to Wylie (northeast of Dallas) and got there about midnight.  I visited family on Friday and Saturday and got in runs on a trail at a park in Plano.  I left Wylie at 5 this morning and drove 2 hours down to West (north of Waco) to run the 40th annual Kolache 5K at Westfest.  I finished 4th of 7 in the 70 and over age group, with a time of 37:59.  After the race, I attended a polka Mass in an open arena in the middle of the festival and then drove 2 hours+ back to Huntsville.  After a good nap, I drove down to The Woodlands to run the Sunday Night 5K.  I finished in 37:54.

Laps

Busy day.  I went to the track and ran laps this morning.  Running streak day 2,510.

5K x 500

The last few days, I have been working on some of my race stats in response to a request from Dr. Stephen W. DeBoer (number 3 on the national streak list) of the Mayo Clinic, who is working on an article about racing over the age of 50.  First, I found out that my lifetime race count is 895, not 897 that I thought.  The other surprise was that the 5K I ran last Saturday in The Woodlands was my 500th 5K.  Well, how about that?
      This afternoon, I continued my park habit.  Ran 2.5 miles on the trails.

Old newspaper photo

Last night, I was going through some old Seven Hills Running Club files and came across this November 26, 1997 article in our local newspaper.  The month before, a 45-year old Houston police officer died of a heart attack while running our club's Huntsville Half Marathon.  I was the race director and club president.  He fell on the course and four CPR-qualified people tried in vain to save him.  One was a race road guard, another worked at the beauty shop across the street and two were driving by and stopped to help.  I presented all four with plaques at a city council meeting in the presence of the officer's widow.  I did not realize it until I saw the article last night that one of the four was Marcus Luttrell.  He later became a national hero as the "Lone Survivor."  Click on the photo above to enlarge.
      This evening, I ran 2.5 miles on the trails at the park.

Trail habit

With the students back on campus, traffic in town is terrible.  I am reluctant to run the streets around the campus.  So, I will probably be doing most of my runs on the trails at the park.  After Iron Works, I went out to the park and ran 3.5 miles.

Sunday afternoon trail run

I intended to do a long run at the park this afternoon.  However, it started raining on my way to the park.  I waited for the heavy rain to stop before heading out on the trails.  With the rain, standing water on part of the trails and lightening, I cut the run to 2.5 miles.

Run the Woodlands 5K

I drove down to The Woodlands this morning and ran the Run the Woodlands 5K for the 77th time.  With my sore back problem, I was a little concerned about my finishing time.  I ended up with a 37:47, which is in my normal "shot group."

Park, again

While it is not my usual Friday routine, I went out to the park this afternoon and ran 2.5 miles on the trails in a light rain.

Return to the park

It was back to Iron Works this evening and a return to the park for my Thursday routine.  My back is still sore, but I managed to get in 2.5 miles on the trails.

Back from North Carolina

I returned to Huntsville this evening from an 8-day trip to North Carolina to visit my daughter and her family.  She is married to a Marine and they live in government housing at Camp Lejeune on the coast.  I had not been there before and was surprised how big the base is (246 square miles).  I flew up on Tuesday and got in a run that evening.  The base has miles and miles of well-maintained 6-foot asphalt running trails.  No loose dogs on the base.  In fact, Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mix dogs are not allowed on the base. One day, I got a a 3-mile run on the beach.  My lower back was really sore and stiff the next day.  However, I did manage to get in a run everyday, including a couple 3-mile+ runs.  During one of my runs, I got caught in a storm, with heavy train and lightning.  Monday of this week was running streak day 2,500.  When I got home this evening, I ran an unplanned route in the avenues.  It turned out to be 1.7 miles.

Sore back

I guess it was all that climbing and descending on the trail run yesterday that caused my back to be so sore today.  Nothing serious, but I did a short (1.3 miles) on the roads in town this evening.

Cameron Park 6.5-Mile Trail Run, Waco

Saturday afternoon, I drove over to Waco (2+ hours) to run the Cameron Park 6.5-Mile Trail Run this morning.  I have run the steep roads through the park a bunch of times for the Waco Marathon and a couple different half marathons.  However, I have never been on the trails until this morning.  Obviously, it was hot and humid.  Soon after the race started, we went up "Jacob's Latter," which is a steep set of staris going up the side of the hill.  I had to wait in line to enter the stairs.  The trails were very rocky with steep ups and downs.  So many times, I had to grab trees or limbs to keep from sliding or falling.  There were plenty of roots to trip on too.  My goad was to take it easy, not worry about time and finish without an injury.  I almost stepped on a copperhead once and took one light fall.  The last mile or so was on the trail along the river and relatively flat.  My finish time was 2:14:32 and there were still 2 runners finishing after me.  I was the only runner over 70, so I picked up a first in age group win.  More good news:  when I got back to Huntsville this afternoon, I found over 3 inches in my rain gauge.

Saturday at the park

I did not have a race this morning, so I went out to the park and ran 2 miles on the trails.  I did not encounter any police chases, though.

Exciting laps

I went over to run laps at the track this evening.  As I was finishing, a car drove by at a very high rate of speed.  I watched him pass another car on the street that runs by the track.  Then, he never slowed down for the next intersection on the corner (Ave. O & 19th St.).  He hit another car in the intersection and then slammed into a tree and embankment. About the time he wrecked, here come 3 police cars chasing him.  He jumps out of the car and starts running through the neighborhood.  I watched the whole sequence of events.  The police caught him a block away.  The guy in the car he hit was hurt, but apparently will be okay.  I have not seen anything on the news yet, so I do not know why they were chasing him.  I am just thankful that no one was killed.  I have run through that intersection hundreds of times over the years.

Regular trail run

I met up with the group this evening and ran my "regular" 2.5-mile loop on the trails.

Easy 2

After Iron Works this evening, I ran an easy 2 miles around the campus.  The students will be back soon, so I will be running around the campus less.  Just too much traffic.

5 hot miles

I ran trails ahead of the group this evening and ran 5 miles.  It was about 100 degrees and humid.  No trips or falls or snakes, people or other creatures.

Restful Monday

I took a break today and worked out at Iron Works and ran 2 miles around the campus this evening.

Sunday Night 5K

It was 100 degree when I showed up in The Woodlands to run the Sunday Night  5K this evening.  I ran the whole thing with my friend, Jon Walk.  We finished in 38:01.  After the race, I took my wife's shopping list and went to Trader Joe's, not far from the race.

Southern Star Brewing 5K

For the second year in a row, I ran the Southern Star Brewing 5K in Conroe this morning.  Since last year, they moved the brewery and the course.  There were 388 finishers.  I finished in 39:52, a little slow.  According to my GPS, the course was 3.17 miles.  It was very hot and humid and that may have slowed me down some.  In any case, I was first in the 70 and over age group (yes, I was the only one).  I really enjoyed visiting with a lot of friends - and having a couple of beers.  This was my 43rd race this year and 894th since I started racing in 1983.

2,483

Today was my 2,483rd consecutive day of running.  This ties my longest streak, which I broke in October 2009.  On that day, I was just over 1 mile on a 3-mile road run at Huntsville State Park.  I was going down a short, but steep hill, when I got a tremendous knee pain.  I ran a painful mile the following day before I had an MRI done.  The doctor looked at the MRI and said that I tore 80 percent of my quadraceps attached to my left knee.  He convinced me not run run for fear of tearing the other 20 percent.  So, I did not run for 4 days.  I saw an orthopedic surgeon who confirmed the tear.  However, he said that it was not a new tear and I could run all I wanted to.  The pain was probably just some bone hitting bone.  The other doctor specifically told me that I tore it that week.  So, I started a new streak on October 19, 2009, thinking that I would be 75 years old when I got back to 2,483 days.  Darn, I'm there.  Late this morning, I went to Huntsville State Park to run the same 3-mile course that I tried to run when I broke my streak.  I was especially careful going down that steep hill.  I finished it this time.

Missed Iron Works

I missed my workout at Iron Works this evening.  I was doing dirty work in my garage this afternoon, including changing the oil and lubricating my lawnmower.  It took longer than I expected and I just made it to the park for our 5;30 run.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails.

Another hot day

Today was another hot day, but I suppose you can expect that in August.  This evening, I ran my 2-mile loop around the campus.

Hot trail run

It was right at 100 degrees when I went to the park to run trails this evening.  I ran 4 miles and finished soaking wet from sweat, even my shoes.  I fell once and skinned up my left knee in the usual spot.  Can't wait for cooler weather.  Three more days to tie my longest running streak of 2,483 days.  To me, that is a more important milestone than 1 year, 1,000 or 2,000 days.

Loop around the campus

After working out at Iron Works, I ran my 2-mile loop on the streets around the campus.

Wellness 5K

It was an early morning start to get down to Katy, just west of Houston, to run the Wellness 5K at 7 this morning.  It's an hour and a half drive.  I ran most of the race with my friend, Jon Walk,  My nience, Amie, who lives in Houston, ran the race too and we had breakfast at IHOP afterwards.  I finished in 37:19

Laps at the track

With a 5K in the morning, I ran laps at the track this afternoon.  Then, I went to Houston to a club to watch my son perform.  Smoky rock concerts are not exactly my thing, but it is important to support the family.

Stretched out the distance

It's getting late in the summer and time to start stretching out the distance.  I have no race tomorrow, so I ran 4.2 miles around town at 6 this evening.  It was still around 90 degrees.

Rain is on a streak

Another day with rain.  I guess you can call it a raining streak.  It was just me and Jason at the park this evening.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails.  Despite the recent rain, the trails are in good shape.

More rain - cooler temps

We had a little more rain this morning and I had a doctor's appointment in Conroe late this afternoon.  So, it was later than normal when I worked out at Iron Works and ran.  The temperatures was in the mid-80's when I ran 3.3 miles on the streets around town.

A little more rain

We got a little more rain this afternoon.  If this keeps up, the cracks in my yard will disappear.  No rain for the run this evening, though.  I met the group and ran 2.5 miles on the park trails.

No complaining

No complaining, but I had to run in the rain this evening.   We had a nice rain this evening, 2.75 inches at my house.  It was still raining when I ran 2 miles around the campus at 7 this evening.  The cooler temperature felt great.

It's been so hot -

It has been so hot that my pineapple plant is producing a pineapple.  I cut the top off of a grocery store pineapple a couple years ago, rooted it and then put it in a pot.  This is the first time it has produced a baby.  It was 99 degrees this evening when I went for a run.  I ran an unplanned around town and the campus.  It ended up being 2.6 miles.

Dog Days 5K

I ran our club's annual Dog Days 5K this morning at Elkins Lake here in Huntsville.  The course is very hilly and it was hot as blazes.  I thought I may finish in over 40 minutes, but I ended up with 38:42.

Short avenues run

With a 5K in the morning, I ran 1.3 miles in the avenues this afternoon, when the temperature (according to my truck) was 100 degrees.  This was my 2,469th consecutive day of running.  In another 14 days, I will equal my longest streak.

Just me and Glen

It was just me and Glen at the park this evening.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails.  Hot and humid.

Day one of another drought

After one inch of rain yesterday, it looks like today may be day one of another long stretch without rain.  Besides, I think that one inch yesterday went down into all the wide cracks in my lawn.  After Iron Works this evening, I ran an unplanned route through the avenues and the campus.  It turned out to be slighter over 3 miles.

Rain at an inconvenient time

My son's big dog died suddenly this afternoon.  He decided to bury him in the woods behind my house.  So we dug a grave in the hard dark clay.  Just as we laid him to rest and started shoveling the dirt in, it started to rain very hard.  It was the first drop of rain in weeks, so, even though it came at an inconvenient time, it was welcome.  My rain gauge said one inch.  I made it to the park in time to meet the group.  I ran 2.5 miles - and no falls.

Ran late

I purposely waited to late evening to work out at Iron Works and then run.  I started my run at 7:30 p.m..  By then, the temperature was in the high 80's, noticeably cooler than the high 90's in the early evening.  Anyway, I ran 2.9 miles around the campus streets.  The pain in my hip is almost gone.  I am convinced that the Cryotherapy was the key to my quick recovery.

Improving hip

My hip was still sore today, but is improving.  I ran a 2-mile loop on the streets through the campus this evening.

Rock Island 4-H 5K

I got up early this morning and made the hour drive over to Hempstead to run the Rock Island 4-H 5K at 7 a.m.  I have run this race several times, but this time they had only 14 runners in the 5K and another 8 in the 3K.  My hip was painful for a while, but eased up during the race.  I finished in 39:01, a little slower than normal.  It was a flat course and my GPS showed it to be 3.17 miles.  In any case, I was first place in the 60 and over age group and was given a medal and a watermelon.  I am just thankful that my running streak has survived the hip injury.  Today was running streak day 2,463 (20 days from reaching my longest streak).

Cryotherapy

I was awake much of last night, with hip pain from the fall at the park yesterday.  I just could not find a comfortable position for sleep.  Then, I kept thinking about how I was going to run today.  I decided on cryotherapy at a relatively new place in Huntsville.  I went in for the first session at 10 this morning and a second session after lunch.  Each session lasted 3 minutes at a temperature of about minus 250 degrees F.  I really felt better after the second session and ran 1.3 miles on the road (98 degrees F).  There was some pain, but much better than before.  I have a 5K race in the morning and I plan on running it.

2 Falls

I ran 3 miles on the trails at the park this evening and fell twice.  The first time I hit my left knee and opened up the scabs from the cut from my fall last Thursday.  Now, back to the healing process.  Then, I fell a second time and landed hard on my left hip.  I have had ice on it tonight, but it is really sore.  I may have a painful run tomorrow.

Heat Index

When I checked this afternoon, the heat index was 106 and I am sure it was close to that when I ran this evening.  I ran my 2-mile loop around the campus.

Dry

We have had no rain for several weeks, so it is getting terribly dry.  We either get too much or none.  Now, we are in the none cycle.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails at the park this evening.  The sand is getting deep in places.

Back from the Valley

After running laps at the track on Friday morning, I drove 409 miles down to Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley.  My son and his wife live there, but are moving to Arizona this week.  I went down to help them with the move.  I got in runs there on Saturday and Sunday, but no races.   I drove back to Huntsville this afternoon and got home at 8:30 tonight. I went to the track a little after 9 tonight and ran laps.

Hit the dirt

I was running 2.5 miles on the trails this evening and for the first time in a while, tripped on a root and hit the dirt.  I'm okay, just a skinned knee.  I have skinned it in the same place so many times, I wonder if the scar tissue eventually becomes callous.

Only 30 more days

Today was my 2,453rd consecutive day of running.  That means that I have only 30 more days before equaling my longest streak of 2,483 days.  Back in October 2009 when I started my current streak I remarked to myself that I will be 75 years old when I get back to where I was.  Gosh, I am 75 now.  Time goes by fast.  Anyway, after Iron Works this evening, I ran my 2-mile loop around the campus.

Felt like Monday

Today was Tuesday, but after the holiday weekend, it sure felt like Monday.  Jason and I were the only ones who showed up at the park tonight.  He said that the heat index was 110.  I believe it.  In any case, I ran 2.5 miles on the trails.

Stu's Country Mile 5K

For the 21st consecutive year, I ran Stu's Country Mile 5K in Centerville this morning.  My visiting son ran it with me and we both finished in 39:08.  It was hot and very humid and I felt sluggish.  I was 2nd of 3 runners in the 70 and over age group.  And, as usual, a bunch of us had breakfast at the Town Cafe before heading home.

Sunday Night 5K

I had a house full of visiting family, but I slipped out this evening and drove down to The Woodlands to run the Sunday Night 5K for the 72nd time.  I finished in 36:59.

No race Saturday

This was one of the few Saturdays of the year that I did not have a race.  Instead, I did yard work.  This evening, I ran a 2-mile loop around the campus.  This week, they made some of the streets through campus one-way with diagonal parking on one side of the street.  This will give a different look for the Huntsville Half Marathon and Texas 10 Series Huntsville courses.

St. Max's 5K - 888

I went down to Houston this evening and ran St. Max's 5K.  It was a small race put on by a church.  They probably had 30 to 40 runners and walkers, mostly walkers.  There was no age group competition and I came in 11th overall with a time of 37:13.  They had plenty of food and beer after the race and I met some nice people.  In any case, it was my 888th race.

Regular Tuesday

Workout at Iron Works and 2.5 miles on the trails at Huntsville State Park.

New course

After Iron Works this evening, I went to the track and started running an unplanned course through the avenues and the campus.  It turned out to be 3.3 miles.

Rainy trail run

It was just me, Jacob and Jason running trails this evening.  There was a light rain during my 2.5-mile loop on the trails.  It had obviously rained much harder at the park earlier today.  No complaints about the rain, except we got less than 1/2 inch at my house.

One hundred

I am not sure what the official temperature was when I started my run this evening, but my truck thermometer said that it was 100.  I ran my 2-mile loop around the campus.  We are past due for more rain and it is early summer.

Easy Sunday

I ran an easy 2-mile loop around the campus this evening.  RSD 2,443.  In 40 days, I will tie my longest running streak of 2,483 days.

Polish Pickle 5K

I ran the Polish Pickle 5K in Bremond this morning.  It was my 21st consecutive year for running this race.  Bremond is 98 miles northwest of Huntsville.  I finished in 37:09, less than a minute faster than last year.  I was 3rd of 6 in the 75-79 age group.  Last year, there was only one runner in that age group.  We had a lot of our club members there, as usual, and I got a chance to visit with a lot of other friends.

Friday laps

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

Old timers back at the park

Becca was here from Tennessee, Jocelyn from The Woodlands and Sara from Lovelady were all back at the park this evening.  We had a nice run and visit.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails.  Regular hot summertime weather and plenty of sand on parts of the trail.

New course

After Iron Works this evening, I ran a completely unplanned course through town and the campus.  I think I even ran a street that I had never run before.  Anyway, the course ended up being 3.1 miles.

No rain today

We had a good chance of rain today, but none at my house.  Looks likes we are entering a summer drought after so much rain early in the summer.  It was still hot and humid at the park tonight.  I ran 2.5 miles on the trails.

Monday routine

I worked out at Iron Works this evening and then ran 2 miles on the roads around the campus.  It seems to be my summer routine on Monday.  Looking forward to running my 21st straight Polish Pickle 5K in Bremond on Saturday.

Father's Day

We went to Mass on Saturday evening, so this morning I went out to support and take photos of our club members running the Gator Bait 15K and 5K Trail Run at Huntsville State Park.  I should have signed up to run.  Had a great time visiting with friends.  I spent the rest of the day with two of my sons.  This evening, I ran 2.8 miles on the streets around the campus this evening.  After eating too much today, I felt very sluggish.  I suppose the heat and humidity had something to do with that.  After so much rain, we have had none for at least a week.

June Bug 5K

I ran our club's annual June Bug 5K this morning in the Spring Lake Sub-division.  The course is very hilly and the heat and humidity was high.  I finished in 39:19.  While that is a minute or so slower than recent 5K's, I ran the same race on the same course last year in 39:47.  In any case, this was my 34th race this year and 886th since I started racing.  Today was my 2,435th consecutive day of running.

Snake at the track

As I do on many Fridays, I ran laps at the track early this afternoon.  There was a large dead snake on the turf a foot from the track.  At least I think it was dead.  They seem to be everywhere this summer.  My next door neighbors found a large rattlesnake in their backyard last week.

No title

I cannot come up with a title.  It would probably be the same as Tuesday.  Hot and humid 2.5-miles on the trails at the park.  It will be that way for most of the summer.

Mid-90's

It was in the mid-90's this evening when I went for a run.  Did my regular 2-mile course around the campus.

Hot and steamy trails

I ran 2.5 miles on the trails at the park this evening.  Hot and steamy, but no biting horse fly attacks.

Avenues 5K course

After Iron Works, I went to the track and ran the Avenues 5K course from there.  Low 90's and very humid.  In the last mile, a nice guy stopped and offered me a water.  I declined, but thanked him.  As he drove on, I noticed a Marine sticker on the back of his pickup.

Easy Sunday

During the afternoon heat, I ran 2.3 miles on the roads around the campus.

Greyhound 5K

For the 5th straight year, I ran the Greyhound 5K in Kosse this morning.  Kosse is 88 miles northwest of Huntsville.  It gave me a chance to visit with a lot of friends, including Mary Kaplan, founder of the 254 Texas club.  It is a club of runners striving to complete a race in all 254 Texas counties.  She only has 20 more to go.  I completed the race in 36:51 and was second in the 70 and over age group, behind my old friend, Dennis Alston.  After the race, I had breakfast at the Kosse Cafe and then headed back to Huntsville.  Race 885 completed.

Laps

In anticipation of running a 5K in the morning in the big city of Kosse, I went to the track this afternoon and ran laps.  It was my first time on the track for a while, but the track has had standing water during all the heavy rains.

Avenues

We had a running club meeting at 6 this evening, so I ran in the avenues in the mid-afternoon heat.  I ran a completely unplanned route, which turned out to be 2.2 miles.

Favorite places to run

I was one of nine "prominent runners" asked by Texas Runner and Triathlete magazine to talk about our favorite local and out-of-town place to run.  The article is in the June 2016 issue.  I guess prominent doesn't mean fast.  In any case, I was honored to be asked.  If you have ever read this blog more than once or twice, it is obvious that Huntsville State Park is my favorite place to run.  Of course, I did not mention the biting horse fly season at the park.  Outside of Huntsville, I have a love/hate relationship with the extremely hilly Cameron Park in Waco.
    Maybe I am getting into a summer rut, but I ran my 2-mile loop around the campus this evening.

Finally transitioned to my new computer

I have had my new computer a week or so.  Even though I used it for a day after receiving it, I reinstalled my old computer with Windows XP, which did not seem so slow after all.  Windows 10 is a nightmare, even though I will eventually adjust to it.  I spent much of the day trying to install programs, some successfully and some not.  I will have to buy at least two replacement programs to install on the new computer.  All this is not easy when you are 75.
    I did go out to the park this evening after working out at Iron Works.  We figured out that the trails were too muddy, so we ran on the park roads.  I did 2-miles.  No biting horse flies.

Close call

After working out at Iron Works this evening, I ran my 2-mile loop around the campus.  I almost got hit by a car pulling out of a driveway.  Obviously, they were not looking in both directions.  At least it was not raining, although we got nearly a half inch at my house this evening.  Sure wish I could save some for August.

Sunday Night 5K

Since it is the first Sunday of the month, I went down to The Woodlands this evening and ran the Sunday Night 5K.  I finished in 35:57.  There were puddles of water on the course, but no rain.  This was my 884th race and 2,422nd consecutive day of running.  I look forward to going beyond 2,483, which was my longest streak.

Heights 5K

I drove down to Houston this morning to run the Heights 5K for the 6th straight year.  Guess I need to add it as one of my streak races.  The course is out and back on both sides of Heights Blvd.  Flat all the way.  It was raining when I arrived at the race and rained continually until I left.  No lightning and the temperature was in the 70's.  I felt very comfortable throughout the race.  I finished in 37:32, 2 seconds faster than last year.  I was 2nd of 4 in the 75 and over age group.  The other 3 were all in their 80's.

Veterans Memorial Parkway

It's Friday and I have a 5K tomorrow morning in Houston, probably in the rain.  We had more rain in Huntsville today.  I mowed my long and wet grass this afternoon and ran 1+miles on Veterans Memorial Parkway.

It keeps on raining - and, bats

I know in a couple of months, we will be praying for rain.  But for now, there is too much.  I figured that there would be too much water on the trails at the park, so I ran the Avenues 5K course this evening.  It had quit raining, but it was very humid.  My wife and I went to the Farmhouse for dinner this evening.  It is down near the prison and the "bat warehouse."  It is an old warehouse that the prison system once used for cotton storage.  It is now home to many thousands of bats.  I suppose that it is now a local tourist attraction.  Since it was starting to get dark when we finished dinner, we decided for our first time to see the bats leave the warehouse at sunset.  They started swarming out at 8:23 and were still swarming out when we left 30 minutes later.  I am not sure what the latest count is, but it must be well over 100,000.  It is amazing how many are in that building.

Rained most of the day

It rained most of the day.  I squeezed in a workout at Iron Works and a 2-mile road run between the rain and somewhere I had to go this evening.  I am planning on running a 5K in Houston this Saturday, but right now, the forecast is for thunderstorms.  And, with all the flooding, especially in the Houston area, there may be a problem getting to the race.