Stressed

I have been very stressed out today about something and did not feel like running. So, I ran one mile at the track. Tomorrow may be even more stressful.

Park Mysteries

I have been running trails at the Huntsville State Park for the last 13 years or so. The park is a great local resource for runners, bikers and hikers.
On the south perimeter road, there is a spot where water runs over the road in wet weather. For years, there was a sign at that spot that said, "Amy's Crossing." It was a common reference point when describing different courses on the trails. However, no one I knew had any idea who Amy was or why there was a water crossing named after her. Well, I got an answer from the park superinendent, Chris Holm. Here it is:
"According to my sources...Amy was a past employee (Environmental Ed. Coordinator) who apparently, after a brief rain shower one day, called out the troops to rescue her when she got "stranded" on the other side of that creek crossing. When everyone showed up to assist, it was discovered that the water was only ankle deep and she ended up "saving" herself by simply walking across the creek."
Mystery One solved.
When running trails in the hot summer months, occasionally you run into pockets of cold air, which last only a few seconds. When running with Lavonne and Amy last Sunday, we ran into one of the pockets of cold air. Lavonne asked me what caused it. I have no idea and asked a few other trail runners. They said they experience the same thing but do not know what causes it. Lavonne is pretty persistent and emailed USA Today for an answer. She received a response and posted their explanation on her blog. Click here for a link.
Mystery Two solved.
We had a nice crowd for our 4.5 mile run on the trails this evening. It was Hans, Chris, John, Phillip, Andrew and Karen, Katie, me and my Marine son, Timothy. Curtis had just finished his run when we arrived. We did not experience any pockets of cold air, but we did pass Amy's Crossing.

Long Summer

Hans, Chris, Phillip, Amy and I ran trails at the park this evening. Amy had a date tonight, so she cut her run to a mile and a half. The rest of us did the regular 4.5 mile loop.
I don't know if its just me, but this summer seems extra long. I know that I have spent more time on the trails at the park this summer. Usually, I let the horseflies have the park during the months of May, June and July, but most of them seem to be elsewhere this summer. The hot weather is relentless and its only the end of July. And, we still have two more months of hot weather to go. My first marathon of the season is the Marathon 2 Marathon (Alpine to Marathon, Texas) on October 18. One way or the other, I am going to have to get my distance up in August and September. Thank goodness for Electrolyte capsules! I am looking forward to the challenge of running 26.2 west to east on Highway 90 from Alpine to Marathon. I "drove" the highway on Google Earth and there is absolutely nothing between Alpine and Marathon. It will be like running the Surfside Beach Marathon, except there will be no noisy surf or seagulls. After two careers and six kids, I enjoy solitude.

Road Run

In anticipation of going to the Astros game this evening, I did a short 2.4 mile run on the roads in the 100 degree heat at 3 p.m. As it came out, we could not get the family together and we did not go to the game.
If anybody knows a good rain dance, I need you in my yard. We did not get a drop in my neighborhood during the hurricane last week and there is virtually nothing in the forecast. I dread seeing my next water bill.

Amy Does 6.8 - Barefooted

Lavonne, Amy and I did the 6.8 mile outer loop at the park this evening. It was a new distance for Amy and she ran in her usual manner - barefooted. She and Lavonne are running well. We started at 6 p.m. when it was still hot. By the time we finished, the sun was low on the horizon and it at least seemed much cooler.

Dog Days Done

The Dog Days 5K was this morning in Huntsville. This was our monthly club run for July. We had 13 runners, including several kids from Livingston, Groveton and Magnolia. Darren Grant and his daughter, Tammany, did a great job in putting on the race. I took care of putting out and picking up the turn signs on the course and driving the course during the race to keep an eye on the kids.
I ran 3 miles on the roads about 4 this afternoon. When I passed a temperature sign, it read 100 degrees.

Friday Trail Run

Amy and her friend, Sketch, and I did a little over 3 miles on the trails at the park this evening. We ran into Seven Hills Running Club member, Gerald Peters, who was finishing up his run.

Day Off

I had a bunch of stuff to do today and I have to go down to the airport this evening to pick up Timothy. I took the day off from running, except for one mile at the track this afternoon.

Dry at Home, Wet at the Park

My lawn is craving some rain water; there are so many cracks in the ground, it looks like we were hit with an earthquake. The outer bands of the hurricane did not quite reach Huntsville today. However, there was a heavy rain just south of Huntsville and it looks like the State Park received a good dose. We ran the "steamy trails" at the park this evening. We did the regular 4.5 mile loop. It was me, Hans, John, Josh, Karen and Amy. Phillip and Curtis had run earlier and were leaving the park when we got there.

Crowd at the Park

We had a nice crowd at the park this evening for the 4.5 mile loop. It was Hans, John, Lavonne, Phillip, Marisa, Amy and myself. Curtis was just finishing his trail run when we got started. Amy is still running barefooted and is doing well with the 4.5 mile course. She has made a commitment to run the outer loop (6.8) with me at 6 p.m. on Sunday. It will be a new distance for her, but she can do it.

2.7 Mile Loop in Town

After Nautilus this evening, I went out and ran my 2.7 mile loop in town. I noticed a lot of law enforcement activity in town and found out before I got home that there was an inmate escaped from the Wynne Unit in Huntsville between 4 and 5 this evening. They are still looking for him. My son, Ben, is a Correctional Officer at the Huntsville Unit and he got called in this evening to help with the search. Hopefully, they will find him soon. Update: 10:27 p.m. Ben just called me to tell me that he was just caught in Madisonville.

Sunday Seven

Lavonne and I did 7.0 miles at the park at 5 this evening. It was hot, but it is suppose to be this time of the year. We ran into J. C. Guzman on the trail and he said that Curtis Barton was out there also. My hamstring felt fine.

On the Wet Roads

I put on a new pair of shoes out of the box today and hit the roads in town just after a storm passed. After I started running, a lightning storm blew in and I had to cut the run to 2.2 miles. Obviously, I got back to my truck without being struck. My hamstring seemed okay, so its back to the trails tomorrow afternoon in the heat.

So Far So Good

With the hamstring problem yesterday, I took it easy all day today and ran laps at the track this evening - fortunately, without much discomfort. I'll try a longer road run tomorrow.
Being a streaker, injuries, especially lower extremity ones, become worrisome. You always think about injuries, ones that will stop your streak now or become worse and stop it later. My previous streak was stopped by appendicitus in mid-December 2002, the day after running the Sunmart 50K and two weeks short of five years. Stopping that streak was a no-brainer. I was in the hospital for four days hooked up to too many things. I missed 13 days and had to start all over again. Now, I have gotten past the five-year mark. There have been some days when it was really painful to get in a run. I certainly realize how fragile a running streak is. There are so many injuries and illnesses that could stop it cold. I don't enjoy running and streaking is a way to make myself do it. I am convinced that running in the heat, cold, rain and whatever has helped me build up immunity to the flu and maybe other things. I know that since I started streaking, I have not had the flu. Before streaking, I use to get it as much as anybody. Of course, my streak is nothing compared to the top guys in the U.S. At the top of the national streak list is Mark Covert of California, who hits 40 years on the 23rd of this month. I'm 134 on the list. The list is maintained by the U. S. Running Streak Association.

Darn Hamstring

Lavonne and I did the outer loop (6.8 miles) at the park this morning. About a mile into the run, I turned my ankle on a root. While my ankle was okay, I pulled my left hamstring (the same one I pulled a little over a year ago). We finished the run, but it took longer than usual. I'll know more when I run tomorrow. The last one was not a streak stopper and I don't think this is one either.
My son, Lance Corporal Timothy, called from Cherry Point, North Carolina. He just got his orders for his first duty station. After he finishes his training next week, he will be assigned to the Marine base in Yuma, Arizona. That's great, because our daughter, Mary, and her Marine husband, Eric, are assigned there. Timothy is really looking forward to being with family. Marilynn and I were out there last August and it was 114 degrees every day. I learned very quickly to run well after dark. That place really makes you appreciate what the Badwater runners go through, with temperatures ranging from over 130 to down below freezing, during that 135-mile race.

Another 4.5

It was back to the park this evening for the 4.5 mile loop. The group consisted of Hans, John, Andrew, Karen, Amy, Katie (not Katy) and myself. When we got finished, some of us were ready for an adult beverage. However, John's cousin, the park police officer, came by to visit. We finally came to an understanding with him and we had a beer.

Soggy Shoes

It was so humid on the trails this evening that my shoes and socks were soggy from sweat when we finished. Hans, Chris, John, Phillip, Lavonne, Amy and I did the 4.5 mile loop.

Rain - Finally!

After at least two weeks without a drop, we finally got a nice rain this afternoon. I enjoyed sitting on the back porch just watching it. After it was over, I went to Nautilus for a workout and then ran 2.7 miles around town. The cooler temperature felt good.

Outer Loop

After church, I went out alone and did the outer loop (6.8 miles) at the park. I did not see any runners or other wildlife, except for a tick crawling up my shirt after the run. I'm blogging early today, because I have to write a Running Shorts column this evening for the paper. It's Katy's turn to write the column, but she is very busy and asked me to take her turn. The only problem is that she did not give me a suggested topic. I'll come up with something. It's like writing papers in college; the hard part is deciding on a topic.

RTW and Picnic

I went down and ran the Run the Woodlands 5K this morning. For the 8th straight time, my 5K race finish was 34 minutes and something. Not fast, but darn I am consistent. After the race, I joined some others at Skeeters for breakfast. This included Loren Sheffer of Inside Texas Running and Runner Triathlete News and his friend, Lief, a professional comedian from Utah. Debbie Tripp, Bill Dwyer and others joined us. Later today, we had our annual summer Seven Hills Running Club picnic at the Huntsville State Park. We had a good time and I ate too much.