quick

Quick and easy 3 miles yesterday at Barton Creek from the pool parking lot after work.

6

Got in a quick 6 miler at Kens on Christmas Eve before we left for Bulverde.

great!

Got in a good 8+ miles this morning.  My alarm went off at 4am and I was down to the office and on the street by 515.  I ran from the office (507 W 17th St) down West Ave to 3rd.  West on 3rd along the railroad tracks to Lamar.  Across the Pfluger bridge and then the I35 loop back to Pfluger around to Congress and then meandered thru downtown to the corner store near the office for a newspaper and walked it in.  Great way to start a high mileage week!!

again

10 miles this morning at LBL in 1:43.  Pretty darn happy with that.  Shan, Diana, Mark and I did the usual 7 mile loop together and then we all headed out for more fun.  Mark and I did the 3 mile and the gals did the 7 mile again.  Good times......again!!!

scrambling

Doing some scrambling to get in my miles this month.  Late last week I was feeling just a bit like I might be getting sick so I bailed on my planned run for Saturday morning.  Misty and I went to Kerbey Ln restaurant for a good breakfast and then did some Christmas shopping.  Later that day we met my sisters family in New Braunfels for a birthday dinner for my brother in law.  We weren't able to get JoJo in before we left town for New Braunfels and began calling him in as soon as we got home.  We called him several times before he showed at the back door.  After he came in Misty immediately noticed a problem with the fur on his face.  Upon closer inspection it appeared as if he had been in a fight with another cat.  A few minutes after coming in his face began swelling so we called our vet tech neighbor Stacy and she came over to assess JoJo.  She determined that he had an abscess, and boy was it growing fast.  He must have been in the fight within minutes of us arriving home.  Stacy was able to get in touch with our other vet tech friend Tracy who went to the vet shop first thing Sunday morning and brought some antibiotic for JoJo.  We are very fortunate to have them as friends!!

Back to my running.  I felt like I needed to wait for JoJo's assessment from Tracy before I went on my planned 10 miler Sunday.  I got on the trail late morning and had planned on 10 miles but bailed after 5.  Whenever I get a late start on a weekend run I very seldom run the miles I plan.  During the run I'm feeling guilty thinking about things I could be getting done at home.  So during Sunday's run I decided I would attempt to get in 2 runs on Monday and it worked!!  I started at my office at 6am yesterday, ran down to Townlake at Lamar, then to Congress up to the Capitol and back to the office for 5 miles and then when I got off at 4pm I drove to Bull Creek and ran the 7 mile Forest Ridge course.  I've only done 2 runs in one day a couple of times in the last year so I'm feeling good about my plan.  A 7 mile run after work today will finish off Sunday's plan!!

smiled

Another Thursday morning run in the books.  A few days ago a Facebook friend posted something from Outside Magazine about keys to a good quality of life.  One of them was to have a scheduled weekly run with good friends.  I just smiled......

test

Had a good 10 miler Saturday morning.  It was COLD.  I started at Mopac and by the time I got to Lamar I was still so cold I seriously considered doing the short loop but talked myself out of it.  I still had the option  to peel off at 1st or Congress or I35 but I warmed up pretty quick after Lamar and continued on.  After I passed the dam on Pleasant Valley and turned onto Lakeshore Dr I shifted into the wind and boy was it cutting.  Thankfully it was just gusty.  I was pretty warm except for my hands.  I wore a single pair of  wool gloves that are the giveaways at races so they are not very substantial.  I already own a decent pair of gloves besides the white ones that may have been a bit better but I told Misty before the run that I need to invest in a really good pair of cold weather gloves that aren't too bulky.

I passed the test again though.  Days like Saturday are tests that people of my ilk put on themselves.  We purposely put ourselves in situations that are difficult or may possibly fail at.  My plan for Saturday morning was the 10 mile loop under far from ideal conditions.  That made it that much more satisfying!

good, good, good

Good, good, good run this morning with pals!!  Diana, Shan, Sam and I did the 7 mile loop at Townlake in 1:09.  A bit slow but that's okay.  The first wave of the arctic front arrived early this morning and had some unexpected light rain with it.  I wasn't expecting that.  I wore a short sleeve under my gore-tex jacket, gloves and skull cap.  1 mile in I removed my gloves and 1 more mile I had my cap rolled up over my ears.  Good run though.  Sam was way out in front most of the run and finished that way.  I'm a bit lucky and thankful Diana isn't in great shape and held the pace back.  It was very good for all us of us to be together.  Maybe one of these days we can have all 6 of us including Mark and Steve!!

3

Easy 3 miles at Townlake yesterday after work.  Planned on more but wasn't feeling it.  7 tomorrow and 30 on Saturday will still give me a 40 mile week.  Hopefully the weather people are right about the arctic cold front arriving AFTER our run tomorrow morning!!

bonds

Had a great week of running.  7 miles at Townlake Wed after work then Sam and I did 22 (3 loops at Forest Ridge) miles at Bull Creek.  Today Shan and I did 10 together and I finished with 4 solo miles for a grand total of FIFTY miles for the week.  I finally did it again.  I haven't had a 50 mile week in a long, long time!!  I would venture to say that I haven't had a 50 mile training week since Dad had his stroke in June '09!!
Sam and I had a great time Saturday.  Diana H joined us for the 1st 5ish miles and then bailed.  She and her husband Robt are long time Austin residents but are moving to Bend Or.  They will surely be missed.  They are a big part of our running community!!  I wanted to bail out on the run at the end of our 2nd loop but Sam said we should get in 5 more and then when we got back to the cars again I tried to quit again but Sam wasn't having it.  If he hadn't been there I would have most likely stopped at 14 yesterday.
Today Shan and I had our usual good conversation recounting the great Thanksgiving dinner that Misty prepared and what a good time everyone had.
I'm very, very fortunate to have the friends I have.  Our bonds are strong.

blues

Headed off some early holiday blues with a 7 mile run yesterday after work.  Still pretty chilly.  Last 3-4 were in pretty much total darkness, which I love!!

stronger

Another good Thursday morning run in the books.  We had a nice surprise when Sam V showed up.  I've been prodding him to join us off and on for years and he finally did it.  We had a great time and Sam's wacky off the wall humor added a nice spice to the run.  I'll add too that Sam burned it up!! He pushed the pace right from the start.  My overeating self had a tough time hanging this morning.  Oh, the glorious pain.  And boy was it painful!!  In the last mile I slowed dramatically and still finished in pretty much the same time as last week, 1:06.23.  If I could get my emotional eating under control I'm guessing I could probably run faster.  I need to be stronger!!

runners

Run, run, run.  That's what we do.  That's what we thrive on.  We plan our lives around running.  We look forward to the feelings of pain and joy we experience while running.  We would be very difficult to live with if we couldn't run anymore.  It is our peace of mind.  Some of us have dreamed about it and done it our entire lives.  We are runners!!

cold!!

Great run this morning with my old pal Mark L.  We did the 7 mile loop at Townlake in 1:06.14.  I was a bit disappointed in the time.  It felt faster than that and we really picked up the pace the last 300m or so.  Oh well, we beat everyone in the bed on this cold morning.  One of my co-workers said it was 28 degrees.  I believe it, it was cold!!

recovered

10 good miles at Townlake this morning in 1:55.  First 9 was in 1:40 and the last mile was easy.  I felt good this morning.  I think I've recovered pretty well from the long Saturday run.  Pretty serious cold front blowing in this morning.  Gonna be bundled up pretty tight Thursday morning!!

lunges

Sam and I got it done yesterday.  24 slow miles at Forest Ridge in a shade over 7hrs.  That was exactly what I needed, some real good slow time on feet.  What a fun time we had screwing with each other and trudging on and on.  We had some unexpected light rain to get the day started but it passed after a while.  We added the relatively short scenic route at the gravel parking entrance twice for good measure.  This is the 3rd straight run where I can really see improvement in my left knee from the lunges I've been doing.  Normally Sam burns me up on the downs but not so much yesterday.  I felt much more sure footed and confident on the treacherous downs, just plain felt stronger.  And what a wonderful feeling it was.  I also felt a difference with the little core work I've done lately too.  I sure regret all the core stuff languishing for a couple of months but it is what it is.  I still feel that I have a good shot at a really good PR at Bandera.

hugging

Really good run this morning with Shan and Mark at Townlake.  We did the 7 mile loop in 1:07.52.  First time in 3 weeks we were all 3 together for our weekly run.  I missed 2 weeks ago because of my shoulder and Shan would've missed because of her back but downtown flooded really bad.  We had a good time and had some great conversation and then a 3 way hug at the end.  Okay, I hugged them when they were hugging!!

townlake

Got in a really good 7 miler yesterday morning at Townlake.  There's still signs of the flood down there.  I took a minute to stand next to the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue.  From looking at the flood picture the water must have been up to my chest.  Truly unbelievable the power of mother nature!!

new beginning

Got in 6 after work Thursday after work and Misty dropped me off 5 miles from her Aunt and Uncles house Saturday morning and I ran the country roads in.

Not real happy with my mileage in Oct especially considering it had 5 Saturdays in it.  There was a whole bunch of stuff that caused that to happen so I'm not going to worry about it now.  Travel, some physical stuff, our Halloween party.  One Saturday morning I was all geared up and just wasn't feeling it.  Each month marks a new beginning so I'm going to make the most of November

3

All I could muster was the 3 mile loop at Townlake after work yesterday.

6

Got in 6 miles at Kens with Marc G Friday after work

cracked me up

Really easy 7 miler at Townlake yesterday after work.  A month ago while we were on vacation I slept weird one night and have had a crick in my neck going down into my right shoulder blade.  It's something I thought would just fade away but hasn't.  It flared up pretty badly Tuesday and Wednesday to the point where Wednesday night I couldn't even find a comfortable position to sleep in.  I felt like shit first thing Thursday morning so I bailed on our run.  I saw Richard midday and he "cracked me up" pretty good.  I'm sure hoping I'll get some relief the next 24hrs or so!!

dumped

Good run at Forest Ridge yesterday after work.  I missed the last little loop near the bottom on the Captex side.  As I was approaching the loop the sky's were black and it was starting to sprinkle so I went straight to my car.  I wasn't in my car very long when it dumped on me!!

running water

Great 7+ mile run at Forest Ridge this afternoon in 1:35.26.  Very happy with that since it's about the same time I've been running for 10+yrs on this course, especially since I enjoyed 5 Rangers yesterday evening. Had planned on a long run yesterday but got to the creek and saw the running water and turned around and went home.  Didn't feel like being out on a cold, blustery day, just wasn't feeling it.  A 100 mile month is still in site though.

58

improved

We changed up our usual Thursday morning routine in a big way this morning.  We (Shan, Mark and I) did the Scenic/ Pecos 7 mile loop in 1:08.  Two changes I guess.  Number 1, we ran roads and number 2 we did a fartlek run on the hills of west Austin.  It kicked my ass good but that's the idea.  We alternated very easy and hard 1 mile.  It felt good to be running fast for a change.  We're going to do this workout for 3 weeks and then do our traditional 7 mile loop to see if (how much) we've improved our time.

51

catch up

Time to catch up on the blog. Last weekend at the lake I got in a 10 mile and a 7 mile on the roads.  Last Thursday Shan, Doug and I did his normal routine.  Alternate powerwalk 1 mile, run 1 mile hard for the Mopac to Congress loop.  I really enjoyed that!!  We had a great time too, enjoying lots of laughing and conversation!!  After our 5 mile loop I headed on to Forest Ridge and knocked out the 7+ mile loop.  The really cool part about this part is that the faster tempo from our morning run carried over to this run as well. My time was basically the same as it usually is, in the 90 minute range.  This morning I did the 7 mile loop at Townlake.

44

sniffling

Pretty decent run this morning considering that yesterday afternoon I had serious doubts I'd get it in at all.  Late last week I started suffering some allergy effects and then it subsided.  Well, it reared it's ugly head Tuesday afternoon and kicked my ass all day yesterday. I did some sneezing and sniffling most of the day yesterday and felt really blah.  It just came in waves.  I'd feel pretty good for a while and then it would come on again.  After work though, I felt pretty good all the way till bedtime.  I woke up this morning at 430 and felt pretty cloudy but came around quickly.  Our time today was 1:20, which is not to shabby at all considering we had several walk breaks.

The templates where I keep my mileage and shoes updated won't accept any edits for some reason and I'm too dumb to figure it out so I'll be keeping that stuff on a separate word processing program from now on.

7

100

Very, very pleased with my 13 mile run in Barton Creek yesterday after work.  Late last week I had some allergy stuff coming on and didn't feel much like running Saturday morning.  We were in Bulverde Sunday so I had pretty much given up on getting my 3rd consecutive 100 mile running month.  The only time I can remember running any substantial mileage after work was a 10 mile Friday evening run a couple of years ago.
Yesterday was very much like my long run a couple of Saturdays ago.  I got started and had a big goal but wasn't sure if I would or could pull it off.  I got to the 5 mile marker yesterday and felt pretty good and just kept on trucking.  I'm really pleased I didn't over think these 2 runs.  I just got started and did them.

easy

Easy 5 this morning at Townlake.  I've had a little rough spot in my throat for over 24hrs now.  I sure hope I'm not getting sick.  I really need to get in 13 miles tomorrow morning!!

faster

Good 7 mile run this morning with Shan.  Mark was a no show.  We ran it in 1:15.30, several minutes faster than a typical run this summer.

reveling

catching snippets of strangers conversations as we pass
cinders crunching under my feet
the trail lined with green all the way around
round and round I went
no one else out there all day like me
many many people on this beautiful day
not a single one I know
mentally breaking into sections
one at a time
just keep on moving
reveling in what I can do

49

Forgot to add yesterday that I had a 49 mile week last week.  Pretty darn happy with that!!!

chugging

Excellent run yesterday.  Did all 5 loops at Townlake in 6:08!!  29.2 miles.  Very, very happy with yesterdays run.

I was supposed to run the Lighthouse 50k Saturday but my car broke down Friday after work.   I was stuck for a while and needed to run a few errands for the run.  I just didn't feel like it.  I was pretty bummed about the car.  We finalized a loan for a newer car for Misty Thursday so I was freaking out a bit about the possibility of going from zero car payments to 2 in a matter of days.  My next thoughts were making up for the miles I'd miss for the 50k.  Townlake seemed like it made the most sense but it's so tough mentally with the repeated loops.

As it turns out Misty was my spur.  When I mentioned to her Friday night that I might do all the loops at Townlake she said, "do it"!!  When I got up Sunday morning and headed downtown I still hadn't convinced myself to do it all but I just kept chugging along and got it done.

tired

I'm tired.  3 straight mornings of running. 19 miles.  Only 31 to go for my 50 mile week.  Lighthouse 50k this Saturday in Blanco.  I'm pretty excited about getting in a 50k.  But I'm a bit nervous about it too.  I've been getting in some decent mileage but my longest run is only 18 miles and that was several weeks ago.  That run was pretty hilly and I've got plenty of other hilly miles where I think I'll be alright.  The course is a mystery too, so that's kind of fun.

gem

The Hilton reminds me of Misty's Mom Donna
The Radisson reminds me of our wedding night
The Lamar bridge reminds me of Bush 43 nearly getting buried in garbage
I think about Rick when I run by he and his wife's marker
I try to put myself back in time when I run across the Congress bridge
I sometimes wonder what Townlake looked like before the Pleasant Valley dam
We are the same age
When I sometimes tire of running Townlake I remind myself how fortunate we are to have such a gem in our midst

plowed

Had a nice relaxing 7 miler this morning.  1 day down 3 to go for my 50 mile week.  This morning was the key to the week since I typically sleep pretty badly on Monday after getting plowed on Saturday.  I had a decent nights sleep last night and didn't even consider not getting up when my alarm went off @ 445.  The seasons are definitely changing.  This mornings run was very dark all the way till the last mile.  I suppose it'll be that way until the time change in October.

Shannon

Good run at Kens with Shannon Saturday morning!!

3rd

Good 7 mile this morning with Shan and Mark in 1:17.32.  Only my 3rd run of the month but my mileage shouldn't suffer with a big mileage week planned next week.  I have the Lighthouse 50k next Saturday that I'm really looking forward too!!

end

Got in a real good 10 miler after work Friday.  It was a good hot one too.  I did the 1st 5 in 1:05 and finished in 2:20.  Pretty happy with that considering the heat and the end of the work week!!

easy

4 miles last Saturday at Kens.  Had planned on running further but just wasn't feeling it.  Did some exploring on side trails instead.  Still ended up with 113 miles for the month of August.  Pretty good base miles over the hottest months of the year.  September should be a few less miles with a good rest week next week.  I still expect to get in at least 100.  I'm shooting for a 50 mile week the 2nd week of the month with the Lighthouse 50k on Sep 14th.  Haven't had a 50 mile week in a long, long time.

7 easy miles this morning at LBL.

shocked

Good run with Shan this morning.  We did the 7 mile in 1:18.19!!  The reason for the exclamation marks is that I'm throwing my hands up when it comes to finish time expectations.  I would have bet money our run was 4-5 minutes slower than that.  Our pace didn't seem like much and we took 3 significant walk breaks.  I was truly shocked when I looked at my watch when we finished.

best gal

2 miles this morning with my best gal in our 'hood!!

visualizing

Pretty good 10 miler @ LBL this morning in 1:52.  Mixed in a lot of walking so running pace must have been pretty good.  Today also marked 100 miles for the month.  I'm really happy with that.  2 more runs this month should easily give me 120 for the month!!  That'll be my biggest month since probably sometime in 2010 I bet.  That total will give me a 25 mile average for the last 2 months (9 weeks).  Very pleased with that.  During my runs I've been visualizing the 100k in Bandera in Jan, getting my mind right for a great run.

kismet

Good 10 mile run in the Barton Creek Greenbelt this morning in 2:20.   I had 4 total stops that probably took 30 min.  2 stops for gels, 1 pretty good fall and 1 stop when I encountered Jim B.  It's uncanny how he and I come upon each other in Barton Creek.  Today I encountered him where the main trail meets Shan's.  1 minute later and we wouldn't have seen each other.  Weird stuff.  His Mom passed away a few weeks ago and we mostly talked about that.  My running circle is pretty small and I'm really glad he's a part of it!!

Oh, and I visited with Rick a bit too!!!

chance

After abusing the hell out of my body Saturday/ Sunday I've rebounded well with a 19 mile work week!!  This morning I started at the Mopac footbridge with a headlamp and ran to the Zilker trailhead and did an out and back totaling 7 miles.  When I was almost back to the pool parking lot I ran into Steve F.   He was headed out on a run.  We stopped and chatted for a few minutes.  I sure enjoy chance meetings like that with good running friends!!

faster

Excellent 5ish mile run this morning!!  Shan, Mark and I ran the Mopac- Congress loop in 48:17.  Shan and Mark were both unable to run tomorrow on our usual Thursday and I'm early guy on Wednesday mornings so we had to make due with the shorter loop.  I really enjoyed the shorter loop.  We were running 30 secs per mile faster than our usual 7.4 mile loop so I could really feel a difference.  I really liked it for a change, felt like a real runner.  I'm going to suggest that we run the faster shorter loop and then add on a couple of super easy miles as a cool down.  That'll be a nice change I think my running pals and palletes will like.

There's been a thread going on on the Tejas Trails FB page the last couple of days in regards to ultra runs getting too big and overloading the trails.  That got me to thinking about something I've always wrestled with a bit.  Take the ego out of  participating in events and just run for the sake of running.  No events, no races, just run.  I've never been brave enough to actually do it and I probably won't be anytime soon.   Races give me the motivation to train (play), eat right (some of the time) and spend time with the few people I still know at races.

Another thing that really bothers me is the prices of races these days.  Lots of events now have numerous distances, 50 mile, 50k, 25k and even 10k.   Lets say the 50 mile costs 90.00.  It seems a bit unfair to me that the 50k that is 19 miles shorter and is 80.00 and even more unfair that the 25k is 70.00!!  The 25k people are going to consume very little if anything at all at the aid stations.  So basically they are paying for a shirt and finishers medal that may have cost the RD 15.00  That's gouging plain and simple.  It's become a business and I don't like it at all.

There are few races I may continue to participate in because I have a history I'd like to continue but in the future I'm going to be very selective about the races I enter.  I may even try to come up with my own special personal events to get ready for.

super easy

Made it thru a super easy 7 this morning.  I took it very easy because I'm still recovering from whooping it up big time in SA this weekend.

18

Another awesome run with Sam V Saturday morning.  We did all the main Bull Creek trails (18 miles) in 4:45.  I'm very happy with that time.  I need to research but of the 3 times I've run that I'm pretty sure it's the fast I've done it.  And it's always a great day with my brother Sam!!!

staying power

Good 7 miler this morning with Mark L. in 1:19.17.  I'm trying not to be disappointed in that time.  It felt much faster than that.  I was expecting a time several minutes faster than that.  Oh well, it's still good in the early morning humidity.  I felt great again today on the Camelbak Elixir (yes, that's the name).   I'm really beginning to believe that this stuff really does inhibit lactic acid buildup.  I'm not experiencing any of the typical fatigue that I usually do.  This Saturday will be another good experiment with the Elixir.  Sam and I are doing a 19 miler in Bull Creek Saturday.  We'll see what kind of staying power it gives me!!!

camelbak

Had a great Thursday morning run with Shan last week.  We did the Pleasant Valley- Lamar loop in 1:16.54, a full 2 minutes faster than the previous week!!  With less than a mile left Shan commented about what a good run we were having.  I told her I had planned on surprising her at the end of our run with the secret to my faster running.

Camelbak brand electrolyte tablets.  I first used them on my run Saturday before last when I had such a good 2 loop Kens.  I could definitely feel the difference on one run.  My plan for last Thursday was to drink one tab with water when I got up and then have a 2nd one in my run bottle.  Well, it worked perfectly.  It was just Shan and I and I was able to talk the entire way and never really felt any lactic acid buildup like I normally do on Thursday mornings.  It was truly amazing and made the run so much more enjoyable.

I had Thursday off work so I decided I may as well add on a couple of more miles so I did an easy Lamar- 1st street loop for a total of 9 miles.   It was a great morning of running!!

This morning I did an easy Mopac- Congress loop (5ish miles).  I hope to get in a high 30's mileage week before blowing out my liver at Joe's Ice House in San Antonio this Saturday.  This will be the 2nd straight year for a Lee 'hood reunion at an old watering hole in our old neighborhood.  Last year was at The Texan Ice that was very close to the house I grew up in.  Joe's is a bit farther down West Ave.  My uncle Jimmy told me uncle Bud used to drink beer at Joe's 50yrs ago!!!!

buzz/ limped

Ran an excellent 2 loops at Kens Saturday.  I ran almost even splits for a total of 2:50.  It was one of those days.  My endorphins were blasting so hard I sat on a rock with less than .5 mile to go and sat there for a minute and basked in the buzz.  Another incredible running experience for the books!!!

Limped through a weak 4 miles early Sunday morning.

next week

Another great Thursday morning 7 miler with Shan.  Mark is crewing for a guy doing Ultraman Canada.  Should be some good stories from him next week.  Yeah!!!  Someone else to share the talking duties!!!

working good

5 miles this morning at LBL.  I ended up with 111 miles for July.  My goal was 115-120 so I fell just short of that.  That'll work just fine.  I've got the rest of the summer and fall for a good mileage buildup.  I dont't need to get it all at once especially since I'm healthy and everything is working good.  A couple of more decent hot months and I'll be primed for higher mileage in the fall.

10

10 miles at LBL Saturday morning in 1:59.

lumbering ass

7 miles at LBL with Mark in 1:18.  I'm pretty happy with the run mostly because I didn't do any pleading to walk this time. We had a very average time which also pleased me and big lumbering ass.  Mark and I did not have any differences either mostly because I let him do almost all the talking which is fine by him.  We had some long stretches where we didn't talk at all that were not uncomfortable, I guess because we've known each other so long.

2x1

Walked 2 miles with Misty this morning and then did 2x1 mile from home.  In between did jumping jacks, abs and dumbell curls!!

full moon

6 mile run at LBL this morning.  I ran the 3 mile loop and then did 4 pull ups, 40 jumping jacks and 50 crunches.  Ran the 3 mile loop a 2nd time and came back and did 2 more sets of pull ups, jumping jacks and crunches.  All by the light of a full moon!!

snapped

Painful but fun run with Shan and Mark this morning.  We did Lamar- Pleasant Valley in 1:18.  That's a right on par with previous runs.  I did 83 burpees yesterday morning.  That may account for me feeling like we were running faster than we actually were.  Good times though, I only snapped at Mark once!!

Oops, almost forgot about my 5 miler at Kens Tuesday evening.  I did it 1:14.  I'm pretty darn happy with that.  I have a goal of getting that under 60 minutes when the weather cools down!!

chance

14 mile run in Barton Creek yesterday.  I started at 6am and did Rudy's and then got back on the main trail headed towards the dam.  As I neared the dam I called Misty knowing she may be close by as she was hiking with a friend.  Sure enough they were very near the bottom of the hill so I told them I'd wait for them. They made it to the dam in just a few minutes and as we were chatting Jim B came around the corner.  We greeted each other and I asked if I could join him.  Of course he said yes.  We ran for 2hrs thru the inner trails, Panty, Shady etc.  It was a very nice change of pace not having run those trails since he, Sam and I ran together a couple of years ago.  At the 3hr mark I wanted to finish alone so I told Jim to go on by himself.  He understood and we bid farewell.  What a great chance encounter that was!!

after work

Got in a 2nd run yesterday after work.  4 miles thru campus across 34th and back down via Hemphill, Nueces.

dumb

Great run this morning with Shan.  We had 2 walk breaks totaling 5-6 minutes and still ran 1:11 for the I35- Mopac loop.  Not too shabby for my big dumb ass!!

segments

Great run and workout this morning.  Got in 6+ miles in during several segments.  In between I did sets of jumping jacks, abs and pullups!!  Great way to start the day!!

run

Had 2 good runs over the long weekend.  Thursday morning Misty, Tracy and Shan and I started at the Dog Park parking lot at 7am and hiked the usual Kens loop.  Then Steve met Shan and I at 9ish to run Kens loop .  Steve and I then did the 4 mile flat for a total of 14 miles for me.  I like how there were 3 segments, all with different folks with me being the common denominator.

Sunday Misty and I started at the HOL and power hiked the main trail.  Misty led so she could familiarize herself with the trail some more and we also stopped at Ricks Spot.  Cris S and some others got together Saturday morning and cleaned up all the growth that was in the area and it looked great   We continued on to Spyglass where we had left Misty's truck and then I continued on alone to Zilker to complete the out and back for a total of 15 miles.  The 9 miles I ran alone were done in around 1:50.  I'm really happy about that time considering it was nearing midday and heating up a bunch.  I really fell like I'm starting to get back in shape now.

weekend

A recap;

I had a great weekend of running.  Sam and I got in an easy 13 miles Saturday morning.  We had actually just finished 12 when Misty called.  She and 2 friends were also in Barton Creek and one of her friends was in some distress from the heat and humidity.  I headed back down the Hill of Life and Sam went to his vehicle for some water to take down.  I assumed they'd be working their way up but when I got to the bottom they were resting in the shade.  I gave Stacy a gel and an energy bar and after a few minutes we headed back up the trail.  We were about a quarter of the way up when Sam showed up with water.  We slowly worked our way up to the top and all ended well.  Stacy was still a bit sickly on Sunday from Saturday's adventures though.

Sunday Misty, Tracy and I started at the HOL and and walked up cedar chip around and back down powerline and back to the main trail where I headed towards Zilker for a total of 12 miles.

Great weekend of running and hiking.  It was so great to be back out there sweating and exerting myself in the woods.  I live for days like I had this weekend!!  I ended up with 91 miles for the month after scrambling for miles this weekend.  I'm really glad it all came together in the end.  I'm healthy and feel like I'm getting in better shape now for base building this summer.

Also had a great run this morning with an old running chum, Mark Raymond. He and his family moved to Rochester New York about 6yrs ago.  When he lived here he was a big part of the trail running community and a good friend.  I paced him the final 40 miles on his only 100 mile finish in 2006.  He and Diana and I had a great run!!  The three of us together total 2375k at Bandera.  The 2 of them are 2050 of it.  They are 2 of only 5 people who have the 1000k jackets for Bandera!!!

foggy

I drug my still foggy self out of bed this morning and got in a pretty good 7 miler in the 'hood.  I was surprised at how good I felt after what I put my body through this past weekend.

My Marine buddy's Paul, Chris and Kurt came for a visit last weekend and boy did we whoop it up.  We drank a bunch of beers and had some fantastic fellowship.  We are all pretty lucky guys to have connected 30+ yrs ago for a relatively short period of time and our relationship is strong enough that an effort is still made to get together.

hot

Hot 5 at LBL yesterday after work.  I was very pleased with my time of 1hr even.  Very pleased with that effort.

ankle

Good run on Saturday.  10 miles at Barton Creek from the HOL.  Haven't typed HOL for a while.  This was my first trail run in 12 weeks due to my pretty badly sprained ankle.  The ankle held up quite well and even passed a few minor tests along the way too.  It was so nice being out there, it's seemed like forever since I was in the woods.

Coach Lindsey was right about my new zero lift shoes.  I woke up Sunday to some pretty tight calves and upper achilles.  I wouldn't say I'm injured but they're pretty tight.  I rolled them out with a rolling pin several times yesterday and have done some easy stretching too.  I should be good for an easy run tomorrow morning.

I found out this morning that due to some private property rights issues there will not be a Rouge-Orleans in 2014.  I'm pretty bummed but I still have the Bandera 100k National Championship to shoot for.

mix

Excellent 10 miler this morning filled with glorious pain.  Excellent, glorious and pain all in the same sentence. How many people are fortunate enough to be put those words in the same sentence?  There we go with fortunate added into the mix too!!

lemon tea

Late last week I made up my mind to give up coffee completely in the hopes that the lack of caffeine would improve my sleep.  Saturday morning was my last bit of coffee.  Sunday I felt okay, no headache or any other withdrawal symptoms.  Monday I got up like usual, made coffee for Misty and got my morning started by eating an apple.  I normally don't eat anything immediately after I get up but I've read that an apple will give you the same pick me up as coffee.  I didn't notice anything one way or the other with the apple but by mid morning I was not feeling good.  I felt like I had allergies and just plain felt bad.  By mid afternoon I was cratering badly and could not wait to get off work, mostly so I wouldn't screw something up!!   I didn't know how I'd feel in the morning so I didn't bother to get my stuff together to run Tuesday morning, not that I'd even be able to get it together anyway.  Since first thing yesterday morning I've felt pretty good.  Nothing like Monday afternoon, so this morning I got in 3 miles on some short loops in the 'hood along with several sets of crunches and hangs from the pull up bar.  I'm really enjoying my caffeine free lemon tea in the morning too!!

Coldspring

Solitude happened.  Some good miles too.  16 total.  Misty dropped me off outside of town Saturday and I ran thru Coldspring proper and then on the country roads to Camilla, the small lakefront community Misty's Aunt and Uncle live in.  That was a nice slow 11 miles in 2;20.  Sunday morning I got up early and got in a nice relaxed 5 mile walk for a 30 mile week.  I'm super happy to get this month off to a good start.  I really need to have 100 miles minimum this month if I have any hope of doing the big one in February.  The 3rd week of the month is going to be sketchy with the jarhead reunion.  It's gonna be a blast though!!!

addiction

Solitude.  I'm gonna get me some on Saturday.  It's been quite a while since I had a good healthy dose of that good stuff.  It's becoming more apparent everyday that I need regular doses of it too.  I can't even remember what I did for stress relief before I started running 15yrs ago.  I suppose it's possible that once I started getting it regularly I began to need it more and more, almost like a drug.  With this addiction I get healthy instead of meth face.

Shrek

Deceivingly fast run this morning with Shan.  We had 3 substantial walk breaks because I'm feeling like Shrek from eating too much and not getting my running miles lately.  But, our finish time was just a minute or 2 slower than a month ago.  I was pleasantly surprised. Oh, 1:19 was our time btw.....7.4 miles.

HURTING

Mark took it easy on me this morning.  No walking even though I was frickin HURTING the entire run.  The humidity had to be 100%!!!  Thankfully we had 2 brief stops for traffic on both sides of I35.  We walked in the last 150yrds for a cool down.

killed

Easy 4+ miles this morning.  First run in 12 days.  Needed an easy shakeout run before I get killed tomorrow morning.

BIG

Scratch that last blog post.  While reading the fine print in the race doc for RR100 I see that their is no crew parking at Nature Center and Park Rd aid stations anymore.  That changes everything.  That single change reverts it back to how that race was years ago.  The runner sees his crew only at the main start/ finish area (every 20 miles) and that was total drag for this runner and family/crew/ wife.

I know that some runners are very self sufficient and have little or no crew or pacers but Misty is an integral part of any success I might have had all these years.  To put it plainly, there's no way I'd be able to finish RR100 only seeing Misty/crew every 20 miles.

So, in my quest to do something REALLY BIG I'm run the Rouge-Orleans event in Feb 2014.  It is a 126.2 mile run from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.  It is predominantly a relay but 26 people finished the solo in '13.  They give you 42hrs to finish and it all coincides with Mardi Gras.

married

Okay, here we go.  I'm going public, however public my blog is.  My announcement has everything to do with keeping up with the Jones's.  All my running pals have accomplished extraordinary feats of endurance that far overshadow my 2 finishes at the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile.

Well, I believe I have my opportunity to do something over the top and scratch that big itch.

The number of runners wanting to run the Rocky Raccoon 100 mile and 50 mile has gone through the roof the last few years so the RD has decided to have them on back to back weekends in 2014.  The 100 on Feb 1 and the 50 on Feb 8th.

While I was running this past Tuesday morning I had an epiphany.  A very twisted one at that.  Why not run both RR's?  After thinking about it for a few miles I thought, "I really think I could do it".   And I really do think I can do it.  I have to do it.  I have to do one really big thing, one thing with a big wow factor and I think this is it.  I'm already working for it now, 81/2 months out.

Mark and I argued like a married couple this morning on our 7 mile run.  I was wrong.  Our time was 1:16:52!!

ankle

Diana and I had a good 7.4 this morning at Lady Bird Lake.  We did what has become our new Thursday morning run, the Pleasant Valley to Lamar loop in 1:17.  We've been super consistent on our times for this loop doing it in 1:16 and 1:18 our last several times out.  I'm planning on 2-7 mile loops Saturday morning.

My ankle is much better but there is still some soreness when I sit cross legged on the floor at night so I'm still a little nervous about getting out on the trails even though I'm really starting to jones for some dirt and trees!!!!  I have been pretty diligent with strengthening exercises the last couple of weeks.

meandered

Changed up my Tuesday morning run this morning.  I started at Auditorium Shores, did the 1st street/ Lamar loop and returned to the public area and did dead hangs off the chin up bar and 30 jumping jacks.  Then I ran the Congress loop, came back and did the dead hangs and jumping jacks again.  I can't even remember what loop I did next but I just meandered between Congress and Lamar and did a total of 6.75 miles and 3 sets of dead hangs and jumping jacks.  I had a great time, changed the routine and got in some upper body stuff along the way!!

benchmark

Had a great 7.4 at LBL this morning in 1:16.  Mark, Shan and I did the 7.4 (Lamar- Pleasant Valley) loop in 1:18 3 weeks ago so now we are setting some benchmarks.

I'm really happy with my 86 miles in April.  We've had a whole lot going on the past few months with home renovation and out of town travel.  It's going to be that way for the next 6 weeks or so too so I have to stay focused and get the miles in when I can.

.4

Shan, Mark and I had a really good run this morning at LBL.  We changed up the routine and started at the 1st street parking, ran to Lamar and then looped around the dam at Pleasant Valley and back for 7.4 mile total.  I thought it was an even 7 so I was pretty disappointed when I looked at my watch and it said 1:18.  That's when Shan told me about the .4!!  It was still a bit slow but I'll take it.

What it means to be a runner

This was the Tue 4/16 post on No Meat Athlete

What It Means to Be a Runner

 

Plenty of people who run, marathoners even, will tell you they’re not really runners.

There’s no shortage of posts from running bloggers claiming they don’t deserve the title, despite logging 30 or 50 or more miles every week. (Here’s mine, from over three years ago.)

For me, it took six marathons and a Boston qualification before I began to think of myself as a runner. But now that I’m comfortable with the name, I understand that being a runner has absolutely nothing to do with achievement.

Rather, it’s a mindset, a sense of connection with other runners … something that you just feel.

You feel it when you pass the same runner, day in and day out on your little neighborhood loop, and exchange that almost imperceptible nod that says, I understand.

You feel it when you’re in the car and you drive by a runner laboring to get her day’s miles in, and you wish that your little tap on the horn and thumbs-up could somehow express to her, I know exactly what you’re feeling, I’ve been there; come on, you can get through it.

And you felt it yesterday — Patriots’ Day, Marathon Monday, our sport’s proudest day – when you heard that something had gone horribly wrong at the Boston Marathon.

I think you become a runner when you recognize, in your own running, the essential kernel that motivates you and every other runner to get out there and log in the miles at the expense of so much else. Some runners do it for the medals and the t-shirts. Some run just to stay in shape. And others do it because, as they say, running is cheaper than therapy. But I think that at the most basic level, every one of us who runs does so because, deep down, we crave that little daily battle — against busyness, distraction, adversity, self-doubt — that every time we lace up our shoes, push ourselves out the door, and run, we win.

And when you reach the point when you look at another runner and sense that he understands the ins and outs of the very same struggle you do — and that, whatever his method, he manages to win it, over and over, just like you — you feel the connection.

To me, that’s what it means to be a runner.

When I got the text message yesterday saying there had been explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line, it was just about time for my scheduled five-miler. But as I watched the news with my wife (also a runner) and it steadily became apparent that this tragedy was no accident, I lost any motivation I had to run.

Something about running felt selfish … or maybe I just understood that, no matter how well I ran, there would be no win today.

For most of the afternoon, I just wanted to forget. To forget that no big city marathon, especially not our beloved Boston Marathon, would ever be the same. To forget that the very phrase “Boston Marathon,” with all the majesty and history and charm that are inextricably wrapped up within it, would be for many years supplanted by “Boston Marathon bombing,” words that would recall the images of the bloody sidewalk and the videos of flashing light, smoke, and panic.

And for a few minutes, I wanted to forget that I was a runner at all. As if distancing myself from it all would help to numb the pain.

But as the evening wore on and tragic details continued to trickle in, I felt something I’ve never felt before in my years as a runner: I sensed that I had to run … not for myself, but for someone — or something — else.

To say that I ran to honor the victims would feel a bit phony — when I headed out to run, there wasn’t any information about who they were or how old they were. All we could really guess was that each of yesterday’s victims was either a runner, or someone who loved a runner. And while it didn’t feel like it was my place to say that I was running for people I didn’t know, as I ran during the last hour of daylight last night, I got the distinct sense that I was running for something I did know — deeply, and personally.

I was running, really, for running.

I longed to see just one other runner, someone with whom to share that familiar, subtle nod that would say I understand, but mean so much more this time.

In the whole hour, I didn’t see a single other runner. But I knew they were out there, and that any who were would be thinking and feeling the same things I was.

And that, of course, is again what it means to be a runner.

I get the sense that, with time, we’ll come to view yesterday’s bombing as an attack on our country. But in the moment, it felt like it was an attack on the much smaller community surrounding our sport. After I got home and my wife and I hugged our son extra tightly before putting him down to bed, I signed onto Twitter, to connect with the community of runners I am lucky to have there.

I was unprepared for what awaited. There were hundreds of uplifting messages — quotes like Katherine Switzer’s, “If you are losing faith in humanity, go out and watch a marathon.” Posts from runners who said that earlier in the day they had questioned their goal to one day run a marathon, but now felt more strongly than ever that they had to make it happen. News that everyone would be wearing a running shirt today, Boston gear if they had it, in a show of unity. And of course, the outpouring of support for the victims and their loved ones, the city of Boston, and the runners, many of whom were still in their running clothes and without a place to stay, their flights cancelled and their bags lost in the commotion. Without a place to say, that is, until others stepped up and offered to help.

And when I went to bed, after a day that lasted far too long, I felt something I didn’t expect to feel.

Comfort. I was proud — and above all, grateful — to call myself a runner.

To the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy and the people who love them, we at No Meat Athlete extend our sincere condolences. The running community is our family, and a tragedy like this one makes our hearts hurt.

'hood

Ran 6 miles in the 'hood Saturday morning before we headed to Bulverde for birthday parties and major liver soakage.

smell the roses

I got in a super easy 7 miles this morning.  The original plan was to start at 530 and do the 10 mile loop but I  had a crap nights sleep and just didn't have any zip.  I did have a good mileage week last week and may be recovering from that.  Historically 34 miles in a week isn't a big deal for me (in '00 I averaged 33 miles a week for the year) but it was my highest mileage week in 6 months.  So, I had a nice easy slow down, do some thinking, smell the roses kind of morning.

jets

This past weekend was my best running weekend in a while.  7 miles at Lady Bird Saturday morning and 10 miles yesterday that included my very first Cap 10k.  That was also my first road 10k since the Runtex series during the fall of '98 when I was getting ready for my first marathon.

I almost didn't run yesterday though.  My boss paid for and planned to run the 10k but something came up and he wasn't going to be able to do it so he asked if I'd like to do it.  I though about it for a few minutes and thought that it might be fun and I could be a freak and add some mileage onto it by running from our office.  I  knew I could avoid a bunch of parking issues by running from the office.

However, Saturday evening we joined some friends at the Iron Cactus for a birthday dinner and along with a few beers didn't get home till pretty late.  As we were going to bed I was rationalizing and justifying not running the next morning.  We are way behind on interior paint, mostly due to not being happy with paint samples, so I was using that as justification for not running.  I wouldn't feel much like doing anything until at least noon or 1 after resting a while.  So, I went to bed planning on not running.  I woke up at 615 after some pretty solid sleep and realized if I got up right now I could still make the run.  So I quickly got busy gathering everything and made it down to the sea of people in plenty of time.

I was lined up about midway in the throng of 17,500 runners.  It took me 7:15 to reach the start after the gun sounded.  I started off easy not really caring about my time but after I got warmed up breaking the 60 minute mark did enter my mind a bit.  In the 2nd mile I walked a bit up Enfield and then the Aggie Corps running in formation caught me.  As it turned out I stayed close to them for most of the rest of the race.  With less than half a mile to go the Aggies past me again.  I decided I couldn't let the Aggies finish ahead of me so I turned on the jets and finished ahead of them!!

diligent

7 miles at LBL with Diana this morning in 1:13.  I think it's only been she and I once before on the Thursday morning run.  She's super easy to be around and we had a some great conversation.

I'm off to a positive start with my running so far this month.  We've got 2 weekends out of town this month so I'll have to be diligent with my weekday miles.

positive

Started the month of April off in a positive way with a 10 mile run this morning with Shan.  We had a good run with several walk breaks finishing with a cool down walk in 1:50.

gals

I had a great first run back after my ankle mishap 11 days ago.  Diana and Shan and I had a great 7 miles yesterday morning.  I didn't really know what to expect in regards to my ankle or my fitness.  I was really happy with the 1:18:42 we ran especially because I did a bunch of talking.  I definitely paid the price for that in the last mile.  Shan realized I was dropping back and told me there would be no walking now!! Great times with 2 great gals!!

gone

the void is still alive
the vacuum is still kicking
my heart's hole has not scabbed over
I suppose it may never
will it be easier to bear
in the future
I can't say
we all want to be
remembered
the clock never stops ticking
we will all be gone
someday

oh well

Not sure what to say about this mornings run.  Should I be my usual emotional, shoot from the hip self and let it all hang out or should I take a step back and chill?

We'll go with this;

This mornings run was just "M" and I.  How about that for starting nicely??  We start slowly warming up the 1st mile with the usual small talk.  I mention that our floor D-Day is nearly here and mention some of the things we have to do to finish getting ready.  One of those is the baseboards in our house.  It would be crazy to replace all the flooring and NOT upgrade the baseboards.  So, the right idea is in place but is plan to get it all done correct?

Well, according to M is not!

After M thoroughly went over how I'm doing things in the wrong order I bluntly told him, "oh well, that's the way it's going to be, AND, I'm out here on a Thursday morning for recreation and stress relief, NOT to be adding stress to my life"!!!

the ghost

incessant ringing
never seeming to stop
everything is personal
all alone on an island
at the darkest moment a commitment is recalled
to run
and run we did
and did and did
the ever familiar sweat and banter
the rocks, dirt and trees
always there for us
and the ever present ghost

time on feet

Sam and I had a really good 7 mile run at Barton Creek from the HOL.  Our time was 1:40ish.  Pretty slow but we had a great time and that's all that really matters.  Sam was still recovering from a great 50 mile the previous Saturday and I just needed some decent time on feet.

conversation

We had most of the crew for the Thursday morning run today.  Diana and Mark made it along with Shan and I.  We had our usual good conversation and plenty of laughs.   It's interesting how we all circulate around with our conversation especially if we haven't seen one person in a while.  I found myself talking with Diana and as we are talking I realize it's been several months since I've seen her and immediately there is more to talk about.  We talked about the new catitat, and the possibility of Freddie being gay and if cats can be gay or not and other cool stuff like that.  We engage in some very deep conversations some Thursday mornings!!

miles

Got in a 6 miler Friday morning in the neighborhood before we headed to Kerrville for the weekend and did the 7 mile loop at LBL yesterday after work.

Even though my running miles have been off I've been pretty steady with my crunches and push ups and that will serve me well when I can start to build up my mileage again.

time will tell

I've got to get myself in gear if I'm going to continue to be a runner.  I've averaged 52 miles per month the last 3 months.  Not so good.  I figured up my weekly average since 6/1/98 (date when I quit smoking).  I'm down to 20.4 miles per week in the time.  My average mileage has been steadily decreasing the last 4yrs with all the family shit going on.  I suppose a lot of people would be pretty happy with the miles I've done the last almost 15yrs but I just see the 4yr decline and wonder if I can pull it back together.  My longtime goal has been to maintain the 20 miles per week for 20yrs.  That's 5yrs and 3 months from now.  Time will tell

walking

Right out of the gate this morning I was in oxygen debt on our weekly run this.  Usually I'll try to limit my talking for the first mile or so to get in a good breathing rhythm and to get warmed up but this morning I was busy talking right away.  We put the cash down on our floors and signed the contract yesterday so we're pretty darn excited.  Something else I'm seriously excited about is that Jay has agreed to come over again this Saturday to help install the cat door and do the pantry tear out.  Jay is really saving my ass on the house stuff the last couple of weeks.  He'll never have to bring another beer to our house.

Back to the run. Shan is still recovering from barely missing qualifying for the Boston marathon last Sunday and I'm just plain slow anyway so Shan wasn't too hard on me about wanting to take 4 WALK BREAKS. We are in our 5th year of our Thursday morning runs and I cannot ever remember us walking that much.  Our time was still 1:11, pretty respectable for all the walking we did.

sluggish

I got in 5 miles at Ken's yesterday after work.  I didn't feel so hot.  I was still really sluggish from eating like crap all weekend and drinking too many beers Saturday evening.  The 5 miles took me nearly 90 minutes.  I could have pushed harder but decided to just take it easy and try and enjoy myself.  I did my sit up program this morning and am planning on another 5 miles after work this evening.

what I needed

I got what I needed this morning!!  A hard 7 miles at LBL with Shan.  We did it in 1:07.  I needed to feel the pain after everything that's gone on the last week.  Everything I had today was burning but somehow I kept on contributing to the conversation.  Thankfully Shan had a lot to talk about while I was injecting as much oxygen as I could into my lungs.  We even took a couple of walk breaks along the way too.

It looks like this month is going to be toast as far as running mileage goes.  14 so far this month and the next 2 Saturdays are pretty much spoken for.  This Saturday Jay has offered his services all day to help me finish the cat porch and next Saturday will be the demolition of the kitchen pantry in preparation to have our floors redone.  So, what the monthly mileage will boil down to is what I feel like the next 2 Sundays.  And, what that boils down to is my Saturday beer consumption.  I have a goal of NOT drinking this Saturday and getting in some decent mileage (15ish) Sunday.  We shall see how it goes.

hard

7 miles at Lady Bird Lake this morning.  Right now the plan is to do 7 tomorrow morning and the group run Thursday.  With that in mind I couldn't justify taking it easy today especially after not running at all since last Thursday.  Hard tomorrow is out because there's no way I'm running hard the day before the Thursday group run.  So, that meant hard today.  After a couple of miles I mixed a couple of sessions of fartlek.  I followed one with some very easy running and another one with some walking.  I didn't work too hard but it was definitely a good change up.  A little bit at a time will get it done.

I got a new waist belt holder for my phone so I can take pictures for my blog whenever I want too.  I probably should have zoomed in a bit but I'm still experimenting.

bucket list

Excellent 7 mile run this morning with my running pal Shan.  I think the near freezing temps may have scared Diana away.  Mark probably had little daughter duty.  Jim B was a no show after the formal email invitation last week.  He'll be joining us at some point I'm very sure.   Don't know what happened to Steve.  Maybe his usual 7 mile trail run with his pal Nancy after the early 7 mile with us was too much today.  It must be hell being retired and having to make decisions like that!!!

We had a good run in 1:06 and I shared the talking duties pretty well.  As we have in the past we talked about doing some real speed work on the Austin High track on Tuesday mornings.  We'd do a couple of miles to warm up and then some sort of repeats.  Man o man it would really help our running.  We just have to DO IT!!!!

I haven't been this happy about a running month since probably July last year. The month started off crappy with just a few miles the first 2 weeks.  Misty was really sick and then I got a minor cold that set me back a week.  Before Thursday the 17th I only had 15 miles for the month.   That evening started the turn around with an easy 5 miler from the office.  I wasn't feeling well and the weather had been cold and crappy but I got it done and the rest is history for this month.  A couple of back to back 30 mile weeks and what seemed like a very shitty start to the year is now the beginning of what could be a really good running year.

If all goes as planned I'm going to get to knock off the #1 item on my bucket list, running in the Grand Canyon.  Sam V has verbally committed to running with me.  We don't know what we're going to do for sure at this point but we'll get in at least 31-32 miles.  We are going to assess our fitness when we get there and decide whether or not to do the whole enchilada (very difficult 47 mile round trip) or not.   Anyway, I'm so damn excited I can hardly stand it!!

Lovie's back!!

I've got my Lovie back!!  She signed up for a weight loss challenge last Saturday after her first day of bootcamp in several months.  They've got her on a strict diet high in protein with limited amounts of "good" carbs.  They want her doing something everyday whether it be bootcamp or some walking.  She did a couple of easy walks Sunday to loosen up her muscles after their butt kicking Saturday and she also walked Monday evening with our neighbor Stacy.  Yesterday her plans were to get up at 5am with me and do bootcamp but she balked when I attempted to wake her up.  She said she would do the evening class of bootcamp.  We really like Eugene the evening instructor.  She's been kind of frustrated with the lack of choices in the meal plan and her frustration hit a high level yesterday evening and she blew off bootcamp again.  We talked about her need to get back into the early morning routine and I told her I wasn't going to let her off the hook the next morning.

This morning when the alarm went off I got up like usual and told Misty that it was 5 0'clock.  She said okay and got on up pretty quick, got her stuff together and got out the door.  I went about my normal routine and when Misty got home you could see in her face right away that she's getting back the familiar glow that she has when she's happy.  She said that that was what she needed meaning bootcamp!!  I like having Lovie back!!

small world

Shan and I got in a good easy 7 this morning at LBL.  I'm really in need of an easy week after some good mileage the last 2 weeks.  This morning we ran at a pretty decent pace but mixed in several walk breaks and finished in 1:19, just about what I had planned.  Sometimes I feel a bit guilty asking Shan to run slower with me because she is capable of running so much faster ( after we finished this morning she ran a 2nd loop in 1:08!!) but she doesn't seem to mind very much.  For our finish today we walked the last quarter mile or more for a good cool down and saw our Thursday morning running pal Steve F. running the opposite direction.  Small world Austin Tx!!!!

run

All I've got to do is get my ass out and run.  That's all, just get out and do it.  Plan it, make it a priority and JUST DO IT!!!  With an easy week planned next week, 4 miles each on Monday and Tuesday and then the normal 7 Thursday morning I'll top 5 of my 2012 months.  Unbelievable!!  That's a good example of how crappy last year was in terms of running.  61 miles the last 2 weeks show that I've still got it when I focus.  I'm going to take it really easy next week and get in some recovery time.

Sam, Mark and I got in a really good 17 this morning at Lady Bird Lake.  We did the first 10 mile loop in 1:50, 15 was in 2:45 and I finished in 3:18.  I didn't have much left at the end and they had pulled away from me the last mile but that's all good.  As little running as I've done since the 50 miler I'm very happy with my running the last 2 weeks.  Run, that's all I've got to do.  Staying out of the looney bin!!!

lathery

There's just nothing like a new bar of soap.  All lathery and smelling good.  It's crazy to look back and remember the days of going 5 straight days without a shower.  Body cheese is a real thing people!!  It almost could have been 1891 instead of 1991 when I'd roll into the motel on time off with my big bag.  That's what I looked like, a dirty ass cowboy fresh off the trail.
Sometimes I fantasize about being a cowboy when I'm out running in the woods.  In some ways maybe me and my friends aren't that much different from the old cowboys.  We're out in the elements whatever they may be and we're pushing ourselves harder than most people.  Although back in the day everyone worked their ass off just to survive, unlike nowadays.

Shan, Steve and I had a good 7 mile run yesterday morning.  We did it in 1:08, a bit slow but Shan was coming off a 14hr day and I'm still sort of working my way back from minimal mileage and a cold.  Some good news is that the weighted leg lifts I've been doing regularly really seem to be helping my knee pain.

out of place

I had a very disciplined, slow, easy 5 mile run this morning at LBL.  HA!!  I'm sort of serious about that. Between being a drunken piece of shit, the holidays, Misty being sick, me being sick I've run very little since the 50 mile in mid November.  So, I'm doing my best to salvage a shitty mileage start to the new year by doing some cramming.  I had a pretty good rebound week last week and am off to a good start this week.  Today was just a junk mile day.

I finally found the trailhead to the infamous Thumper.  I had a short day yesterday so I had the afternoon to go exploring.  I've heard about this trail several times over the years.  Most recently when Larry K and I encountered each other a couple of Saturday's ago at Forest Ridge.  We talked about it briefly, or should I say "he" talked about it because I wasn't doing much talking during the mile or so we ran together.  I was too busy huffing and puffing in a attempt to hang with him.

Immediately I didn't feel at home.  I had to park across the street near a utilities entrance because the only other parking was at the curb and my POS car is out of place in this neighborhood.  As I went through the gate there was a small sign that said, "Tenants and Residents Only".   I went on through the gate and gave a friendly wave to a young mother whose kids were playing in the playground.  I thought I could see where the trail was and walked like I had been there before and knew what I was doing.  The trail head was very apparent and I headed down.  It didn't take long to get to a major turn.  Instead of going straight down I turned left and headed in the direction of the houses in the neighborhood.  The rest of the adventure is little hard to describe besides getting lost some but finding my way and having an elapsed time of 1:15.  I did enough running to roll my left ankle twice and get in at least 4 miles.

MLK

What a gorgeous morning we had today.  My drive to work only took 15 minutes due to the lack of traffic for MLK day.  I'm so glad we have a day to remember a man who changed our country in such a profoundly positive way.  MLK was inspired by Gandhi's non violent activism, and that's probably the only way the civil rights movement had any chance at success.  Those years were ugly enough but they most certainly would have been much uglier if the movement had been started by any other person besides him.  We are greatly indebted to he and his courage.

This past Saturday we spent the evening with a person who at the end of the night said,"I don't really like blacks, my friends are not going to believe I spent the evening dancing and listening to an albino black man"!!  Really?  Are you kidding me?  This guy is a brother in law of a friend, Derek, that Misty grew up with.  Two years ago he, his wife and son came to Austin and rented a house on Lake Travis.  We had a good time with them before and looked forward to partying with them again.  Saturday night the plan was to see Carolyn Wonderland, an Austin musician with a big following whom we hadn't seen before but put on an outstanding show.  She reminded us a lot of  Janis Joplin (oddly enough, Saturday was Janis Joplin's 70th birthday).  The main draw was Malford Milligan, a longtime Austin blues singer who fronted one of our all time favorite bands, Storyville and also happens to be a black albino. They are special to Misty and I because we both associate their music to when we first started dating.  I copied the following from the editorial page of the newspaper.  It's the end of his last speech.  It's almost like he knew what was coming later that day.

“We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you.

“But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

wife

This is my first attempt to upload pics from my phone to my blog.  My wife helped my old ass figure it out. She's smart!!

Peace

Peace.  Peace of mind.  At ease with myself.  15 miles with Sam was what I was so in need of.  Today's run, any run I suppose, is just what my soul needs to be at peace.
No need to be in a rush for anything today.  Peace.  Doing what my body and mind were made to do is bliss.  Just simply running......and some walking but yet continually moving.  Peace

relearn

Finally worked up the uumph to run yesterday.  Everything came together, I'm feeling a bit better and the weather outside was beautiful.  I changed it up some too.  I went across to San Jac and up to 34th, cut across to Lamar, down through West Campus and back to the office for a total of 5 miles. This was very similar to the route Mark R and I used to run together several years ago. 

I can't describe how good it was to get out and get moving.  After a long layoff I always wonder how my body will feel and I have this feeling like I'm going to have to relearn running.  It's really weird.  My knees felt pretty good even though I haven't been very diligent about doing my exercises.  Now that we don't have to head downtown to do the mail at 530 I'm going to shoot for 1 run a week from the office on a course similar to yesterdays.  I'm really looking forward to spending time in the woods with Sam tomorrow talking about our R2R2R in October!!!!

8

8 miles at Forest Ridge Saturday morning.

7

7 miles this afternoon at LBL.

thud

Ended '12 with a resounding thud.  835 miles (16 miles per week) for the year.  42 miles for the month of December and 63 for August.  My high mileage month was 113 in July.  I only had 4 months of the year that totaled 100 miles or more.  The kicker is that I've been mostly healthy, definitely healthy for the crappy August and December totals.

I suppose one way to look at it is that I'm fully rested from my very decent 50 miler on Nov 17.  I'm sure I took longer than usual to recover since I was so undertrained going into it. That 50 miler and Misty and I doing the Bandera 25k together last January are definitely the highlights.  And 118 total miles for the year with Misty is also very cool!!

There are a  positives though.  I'm actually in pretty good 7 mile LBL shape right now and I'm sure part of that is the relative consistency of the crunches and pushups I've been doing lately.  Those are 2 things that I can continue to build on.  I'm afraid on the 7 mile part I won't have any choice BUT to build on it since I've already informed Shan I'd really like to get under 60 min for it this spring.

So, onto another year.  I have some goals in mind but none I feel strong enough about to actually put in writing.