okay!!

Our run got off to a good start the 50yrds or so until the young cackling hens got fired up right behind us.  We could hardly hear ourselves talk.  At first we were going to drop back behind them but it was quickly apparent they were running pretty much the same pace as we were so I said I made the idiotic suggestion to  pull away from them.  I sure was regretting that decision while I was sucking major eggs trying to keep up with Mark and Shan going up the hill on Riverside Dr.  Oh well it all worked out okay.  Shan and I continued on after our 7 and I did the 3 mile loop and Shan continued on for 21 miles!!  My 10 was in 1:45, pretty happy with that!!

I'm super happy with my mileage total of 91 this month.  As of Jan 12 I had a total of 11 miles due to my achilles and my upper respiratory viral infection.  For '13 I only had 5 months of more or equal mileage to this month.  I thought this months mileage was toast and getting my year off on mileage right off the bat it worked out okay!!

winter

I got in a run I really needed yesterday evening.  Talk about staying out of the looney bin, that's what yesterdays run was all about.  I was in a real low spot due to several factors.  I let one of my co-workers behavior really affect me yesterday afternoon AND I'm REALLY @#$%ing tried of winter.  If memory serves me correctly we had some fairly cold temps before Thanksgiving this year.  Winter just seems to be dragging on and on this year.  I did the 7 mile loop at Townlake in the midst of the polar vortex and felt much better afterwards.
I'm starting to get excited about pacing my pal Sam V at RR100 this weekend.  He will be the 4th friend I've paced to a RR100 finish.  He and I had a really good conversation this morning about food and other logistics.  I think part of the appeal of doing the long distances for me is the planning, gear and logistics.  I think part of it is the way I'm geared but I'm sure part of it goes back to being a field Marine ages ago.  (A little bragging here.  A day or two ago I was thinking how cool it was that I planned and prepared all the gear for our trip to Guadalupe Mtns with NO written list.  I will also say my wife did verbally remind me of several items.  She's fairly experienced at these things too.....LOL).  The difference with this particular pace job is that Sam is 62 therefore he can have a pacer the entire 100 miles so I've decided I'm going to do 60 miles with him.  I'm doing a little self serving here.  It's gonna be a great long run in preparation for the Run Like the Wind 24hr March 22.

cold cold

Cold, cold Saturday AM run!!  I got a little later start than I wanted to but was still the 1st person at the HOL.  I've been using the tech-no-logie in my phone lately.  The music app to be specific.  It's cool and weird at the same time.  Once I get the music going it's pretty cool but it's just alien screwing with the logistics of it all, ear pieces etc..  I've been thinking it would be pretty cool to have it for the night portion of the 24hr in March.  I may need to get different ear buds though.  Midway thru my run I was starting to get a reverb during my footfalls that got a little annoying.  My ears could have been stopped up too.  They haven't been quite right since my sickness and the elevation change on our trip to west Texas.

So, I'm chugging along and I get to Twin Falls where I'm really hoping the water will be low enough for a dry easy crossing.  I first go to the point where Rick and I used to cross but there is no way so I go around the corner upstream a bit and see that it's looking pretty good to stay dry.  The water was flowing heavily between a couple of big rocks but getting across looked very doable.  I had to commit to a fairly lengthy step out though.  Here goes nothing and BAM, SLOSH. In the water!!  The air temp was 26-28 degrees.  I fumbled around as my right leg also went in to the knee.  My main concern at this point is NOT going under completely, keeping my spare phone dry and not submerging my 2 hand bottles.  SUCCESS!!  Only feet and legs.  But my damn feet are going to be cold, cold for a good while.  Oh well, it all worked out and I had another good out and back in the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

great time

I'm going to stop describing my Thursday morning runs as good or great.  They are are all great.  So, here we go.  

7 miles at Townlake this morning with Shan and Steve.  I was telling Misty this morning before I left home how the dynamic of our Thursday morning runs can vary from week to week.  Typically it's Shan, Mark and I.  Sam V has joined in a couple of times recently and also Diana H. but Steve F. called yesterday afternoon to let me know he was going to join us, and Mark texted yesterday evening letting me know that he would not be joining us this morning.  It's been quite a while since Steve joined in so it was very cool to have him along.  He's a very good (fast) runner and he always tries to push the pace.  We all had a great time as usual!!

Guadalupe Mountains

Good 7 mile run at Townlake yesterday morning.  I'm extra proud of my getting out.  To say that Vincent and I were worn out when we returned from Guadalupe Mtns Monday would be a huge understatement.  We were very tired and  very sore.  We got in 18 miles in 10hrs hiking the Peak and doing a fair chunk of El Capitan as well.

Vincent and I had an outstanding time bonding.  Lots and lots of good conversation.  He really was game for pushing his limits.  18 miles in one day is new PR.  His previous long was pacing me 10 miles at the Wild Hare 50 mile Nov '12.  I'm really looking forward to our next adventure whenever it may happen!!

missed

Great 7 miler this morning with Diana, Mark and Shan.  It had been several weeks since we have all run together so it was nice all of us being together again.  It may be quite a while if ever we are together on a Thursday morning due to Diana and Rob't moving from Austin next week.  The are a huge part of our ultra running community and will be missed!!

boss

Decent 7 mile run this morning at Townlake.  Still not over what ever viral infection I've got but I'm gonna keep on truckin anyway. I'm gonna show this virus who's BOSS!!!

come around

2 miles at Kens yesterday and 4 miles at Forest Ridge today.  I'm still not completely over whatever sickness I've had but am slowly improving.  I damn sure ready to be 100%.  I would have never guessed that my running year would start so badly but it has and I have to persevere.  It'll come around!!

thud #2

2103 ended with a thud and 2014 seems to be starting that way.  I went to the Dr yesterday and found out I have an upper respiratory viral infection and was told by the Dr that I should definitely not run AT ALL this Saturday.  The way I still feel this morning at work I pretty much agree.  It would be pretty irresponsible for me to even run the 50k and risk any kind of relapse after taking 3days off work due to this illness.  170.00 buckaroos down the tubes too.  I've decided I'm not going to sign up ahead of time for races.  I (we've) lost too much money thru the years on lost entrance fees.  Joe's races are only 20.00 more for race day, not unreasonable at all.  Next on the horizon, looking forward to pacing Sam 60 miles at RR100 and Sam's 24hr on March 22.

thud

This running year ended with a resounding thud.  I had been experiencing a strange pain down below my left ankle as if I had rolled it or had some trauma to it for about 10 days or so.  At work last Friday afternoon I began flexing it and rolling it around and after a while realized it was hurting bigtime.  By the time I left work I could only walk with a pronounced limp.  It hurt!!  The pain started below my ankle and ran up my leg not quite to my calf.  Well, I had my last long run scheduled for the next day  The weather forecast was beautiful and I was looking forward to a good long run.  When I left work I called Shan and left her a message telling her what was going on and to see what her advice might be.  She called me later saying she thought it was my achilles flairing up.  Wow, I never expected that.  Her advice was to not run and take a bunch of vitamin I and ice a lot.  Well so much for a good positive ending to this running year.  On a positive note the Ibuprofen and ice really seem to have done the trick.  Thursday evening after work I went on my first easy test run on the trails in Pease Park.  I had a good 5 miler and mixed in plenty of walking.  That afternoon I sort of felt like I might be getting sick but thought a little fresh air would help.  NOT.  I woke up Friday morning feeling terrible.  I mostly had body aches but felt just terrible.  Now wasn't this just crazy.  I get the achilles under control and am 8 days out from the Bandera 100k and now I'm frickin sick!!  Well here I am early Sunday morning and am feeling much better.  A little hungover from the meds I've taken but definitely feeling better. I need to do a bunch of stretching and working out the kinks after doing nothing but lay around the last 2 days but now I think I can look forward to the race!!