fall

Wrapped up this months running yesterday with an early morning 7 miler at Townlake.  I had hopes of getting in 100 for the month by getting in 2 runs today but I was just too zonked last night and slept in this morning.  I'm running tomorrow morning instead so it won't matter on my yearly mileage total.  Speaking of yearly mileage I'm gonna have a goal of cranking out 400 more miles this year.  In the big scheme of things 133+ miles per month really should not be a big deal but with my recent history it could be a formidable challenge.  If I really am serious about doing well in the 2015 Texas Trail Running Championship I really need to get in these miles this fall.

hood

Early morning 5 miler in the hood this morning.  Had a good nights sleep but started waking up around 4 so I went ahead and got up and got my day started.  My experiment not using my Spenco inserts was not successful so I'm back to using them starting with yesterday mornings run and they feel so good.  I'm planning on a super easy 4 miler in the hood tomorrow morning before I paint all day at John P's office.

granted

First truly cool morning of the new season this morning.  As always a little chilly getting started but felt great during the run.  I'm still in recovery from the 50k last Saturday so I requested and was granted a couple of walk breaks but we still did the 7.5 loop in 1:18.

TRAINING

Another notch on the 'ol gunbelt yesterday.  I finished my 27th 50k in 7:05.  It didn't feel very pretty but not bad considering everything.  Unfortunately yesterday showed that I can still get out and get through a 50k with little or no real training.  I really need to change that.  With a little real training the last 2 months I could easily have run 30-45 minutes faster.  I also wore my hydration vest the entire way with very little training carrying it lately too which slowed me also.

The course was all on jeep roads on the Lighthouse Hill Ranch.  The ranch is north of Blanco and south of Johnson City so it is right in the heart of the beautiful Texas Hill country.  There were gorgeous vistas around every turn.  The course could have been so much more difficult if was truly a trail run.  And what an enormous ranch it was.  A ten mile loop all within a single property!

I've been fighting several little niggling injuries lately so I really thought I'd have to be satisfied with the 20 mile distance.  My left plantar has been bugging me for months.  I got a piece of chicken wire stuck in the ball of my foot a month ago that's also bugging me a bit.  My left knee has been doing great until the last week or so feeling like it needs an adjustment.  With all that said and along with very little mileage (98 miles the last 7 weeks) I really didn't expect to finish the 50k.

Our day started out perfectly until we got to my office and was unable to retrieve the breakfast tacos I'd purchased Friday morning ( I forgot them when I left work Friday afternoon) for the race. The only other thing I brought to eat were a few banana's and a few Clif Bars.  The race site is almost exactly a hour from home so that was a huge bonus but along the way we realize we don't have a chair packed for Misty.  Shit!! What the hell else can go wrong!  We arrive at the race site and the start/ finish line is a half mile walk in the dark on a jeep road.  I'm lugging my big race tool kit and a cooler full of ice and water bottles with my hydration vest on.  Misty keeps insisting on carrying the cooler but I tell her it's easier having something heavy in both hands vs. one.  After we get to the start/finish and get set up we figure that Misty can go into town for a chair and tacos after the race starts.

Sam V and I get started together and go through most of the 1st ten mile loop together.  Old times new times, here me and Sam are again, out there getting it done.  Not nearly in the fashion that either of us is accustomed too or necessarily happy with but nevertheless we're out there.  I take longer than Sam replenishing since he's carrying hand bottles.  I decided a few weeks ago to carry everything I need with the hydration pack.  Misty helps get me fixed up and going and I head back out feeling just okay.  The humidity on the 1st loop was pretty high and I'm totally soaked.  It takes me a couple of miles to catch Sam but we hook up and go a little ways together and all of a sudden I get a good burst of energy and continue on without Sam.  A couple of miles later I come upon David J.  I assume we're going to share some greetings and that I'd continue on alone but we finish out the loop together with some excellent conversation along the way.  I hadn't eaten very much on the 2nd loop so I was super happy that Misty had gone into Johnson City
for tacos.  Boy were they good!!  My out of shape body was telling me to stay in the chair and cash in the last loop but my mind was saying to continue on.   It took me 2:35 to do that last 10+ miles but I got it done. Now it's time for some damn TRAINING!!!

530

Got up a little earlier than usual to get in 7 this morning at Townlake.  Got down there at 530 so I didn't have to push it this morning, need to save some for the weekly Thursday run.  When we went to bed last night it was raining and rain was also predicted for this morning so I was a little concerned about getting rained out this morning but it worked out fine.  I'm not a big fan of running in the rain.

Starting to get a little excited about the 50k this weekend even though my plantar issue isn't resolved and I'm having a weird knee thing the last few days.  It really just feels like it needs a chiro adjustment, just a bit out of whack.  I seriously considered dropping to the 20 mile option but really need to get these miles in.  I've pretty well decided to do the Bandera 100k so this will double as a buildup for the 100k and Big Bend in November.

snake

Yesterday afternoon was probably the last hot afternoon run of the year.  I did the short 5 mile version of Forest Ridge taking it easy and mixing in plenty of walking.  I wore the snake gaiters for some Big Bend training and they were not too cumbersome.  I'll need to get some compression socks so they don't rub the skin off my legs.  Another busy weekend coming up.  Looking forward to a chill one one of these days......

nice morning

10 miles this morning at Townlake in 2hrs.  Very nice morning.  Even though the temp was 78ish you can feel that fall is right around the corner.  I mostly had the trail to myself this morning, not too many people out.  I was a little surprised.  

running

It seems a lot of things got in the way of my running last month.  Unfortunately that happens I guess.  Life can get a pretty crazy sometimes.  The running always seems to come back around though.  Older and slower is the name of the game now but that's what happens.  I have my sights set on some distance this winter......again.  Looking forward to some long fall training runs along with the big one in Big Bend. It's coming back around I can feel it.