Turkey Trots

I ran in the GCRC 5K race yesterday.  I’m not sure what happened.  I hit the first half right at my target of a sub 21.  But, the turnaround just stopped me cold.  I’m not a fan of the hard turnarounds, and this one was really tough.  No complaints though, I came in second OA and finished first again in the Master’s category.  I also ran a little faster than last year. 

For the year, I will have set two more PRs.  My total number of races will be the best and the number of hardware won is also a best.  So really, I have no complaints.

I found out yesterday that a former employee of mine has passed away.  She was only 48.  She had some chronic respiratory issues.  I’m sad that she passed away.  She had two kids and although they are grown, they are way too young to be without a mom. 

And, in the running community, a fellow BARCer had a heart attack on Wednesday.  I’m happy to hear that he will be OK.  Again though, I have no complaints.

I enjoyed a very pleasant and upbeat run with Lisa today.  It was a little over 10 miles at an 8:12 pace.  The weather was gorgeous.  It reminded me of how lucky I am.

Long Track Night

Last night’s workout was a 3X2000m effort at 10K pace.  It was a fairly nice night.  Temps were in the 60s, a little humid, with a slight breeze.  With it being a holiday, the crowd was little lighter than usual, but we still had about 8 folks at the track.  I started off at just over a 7 min/mile pace, and worked the next two down to 6:50, and 6:40.  Yes, it was again faster than my goal, but it felt good to run fast.

I look forward to a nice Thanksgiving Day Trot.  It should be some nice weather.  I would like to see if I can push it and go for that elusive sub 21 minute 5K.

No Complaints

Running on the trails is good for both mind and body.  Running in the woods certainly cleanses the mind.  There is no traffic, only nature.  It’s also good for the body.  The legs need to work a little harder on the soft muddy stuff, but, at the same time, it’s easy on the joints. 

I got up a little late on Sunday.  I ran around the neighborhood on concrete trails.  Although I ran 19+ on Saturday, I felt very good on Sunday.  I started with an 8:30 mile and soon dropped the pace down into the sub 8 minute zone.  Overall, I put in 9 miles at an 8:03 pace.  The temperatures were near perfect with very low humidity.  I knew I was moving, but the run felt easy.

Today was an easy 5 miler.  I got up early and ran with Julie around the neighborhood.  It’s good running with her.  We kept the pace right at 9 min/mile.  I was able to run pain free and it just felt nice.  It was another cool morning.  I actually wore a long sleeve tech shirt this morning. 

It will be interesting to see who all comes to the track this Tuesday.  I know that Nica, Julie, and Dotie are all out of pocket for the week.  In fact, it might even be tough to find folks to run long with over the weekend.  Well, at least my i-Pod is charged up!

Brazos Bend Trail Run

I got up early and headed out to Brazos Bend State Park with Julie and Dotie.  There was a fair amount of rain on Friday and early today.  There was suppose to be a bunch of us heading out, but most folks backed out because of the rain and possible trail slop.  However, I thought it was about perfect.  The rain stopped when we got out there.  Some of the trails were a little wet and had some mud.  But, for the most part the trails were in good shape.  I did hit one spot where I lost a shoe in the mud.  One of the other trails had some slick mud that made slipping and sliding fun.  But, other than getting a little dirty, no one fell.  In fact, I would call the day a perfect day for running on the trails.

We put in just under 20 miles and kept the overall pace at 8:44.  There were a lot of miles that we were able to run in a low 8 minute pace.  Even the other muddy, slicker trails, the pace never got much above 9 minute miles.  The only disappointment was that for the last mile or so, I felt like I was gassing out some.  I just could not run fast in the last mile.  However, I think this may have been due to the fact that I only had one Hammergel and I ran out of water.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable run and I would give it an ‘A’.

After the run, we stopped off in Alvin at Joe’s BBQ for lunch.  It was nice to have some meat after a long run.  In fact, it kind of felt like we captured our prey after a long hunt.

A Nooner

With being out last night after work, I was not able to get in my usual Wednesday night run.  Running this morning was out of the question because of last night.  And, I really could not wait until tonight to run because of my Friday early morning run.  So I decided to go ahead and run at lunch.

I’ve only run two other times at lunch since I started to work in Texas City.  With the weather making a turn to nice, I need to take the opportunity to run a little more during my lunch break.  I headed over to a park in the city.  There are a couple of easy loops to do around the park.  It may be repetative, but it’s an easy way to get in 5 or 6 miles.  Also, from the park, I could head into town on the bike trails. 

It was a little warm today.  But I got in a solid 5+mile run.  For the week, I wound up in the mid 50 mile range.  I plan on going for an 18 mile run this weekend.  It will be on trails.  The pace will be kept pretty easy.

The Return to the Track

Alright, I have no discipline.  The training plan called for 8X800m with 400m recoveries.  My thoughts were to run the first 5 or 6 at a tempo pace but not to push it too hard.  If I felt good, I would run a couple in the 10K pace range.  Well, the first one we dropped at 3:23.  We hit the next five in the 3:22 to 3:27 range.  The last two were at 3:18.  Every single one was below my 10K pace.  So much for easing back into speed work.

The weather was very nice tonight.  It was cool, temps in the 50s, low humidity, and no wind.  We also had a great turnout of 17 people.  I ran my intervals with Julie and Chintan.  We really pushed each other very nicely.  I had no pain running tonight at all.  All in all, it was just a terrific night.

The track group contunes to grow.  We were missing a few of the regulars.  However, we were 17 strong.  ALso, with the cooler weather and the sun setting early, there were only runners on the track.

Getting back into it

The last two days of running have been on the Seabrook Trails.  Yesterday was a little more than 10 miles with Lisa and Julie.  We ran an overall pace of 8:28.  Today, I was back on the trails with BARC.  I was a little more serious this morning and took off fairly quickly.  I ran for a total of 14 miles.  The first 7 miles were just above an 8 minute mile.  The last 7 miles were a little slower, but not bad.  All in all, it was a good weekend for me in terms of running.  I put in just over 30 miles.  My body is coming back together.  My big toe still hurts some.  Although I’ve drilled it, it still keeps on pouring out fluid.  The hamstring felt pretty good.  It’s not perfect yet.  However, it is starting to feel much better.

Yesterday was interesting in that I headed over to Brazos Bend to do some bike riding with Irene.  I wanted to get my annual pass, and I wanted to check out the trails again.  We rode the bikes for a little more than 12 miles.  Very nice trails, and I look forward to heading over there for a run.

I’m still planning on easing back into the speed work.  I would like to get in a 18 miler during Thanksgiving week.  I’m undecided about running a turkey trot.  I think it is most important for me to keep it easy and hold what I have until Houston.  Time will tell.

Back on the Road

What a week or two.  My hamstring has been strained again, I run a 50K, I get a black toe-nail, and top it off with a bee sting.  All in all, it’s been a good week.  The time running easy has helped my hamstring a lot.  I ran Monday easy with little problem and I was at the track running a little harder.  After 15 years, I finally had to get a toenail drilled.  My toe started to hurt bad on Monday and got very painful on Wednesday.  I went to the doctor yesterday to get it drilled.  It feels much better now.  And, the process of getting a nail drilled is rather easy.  So easy, I took care of my running partner’s toenails yesterday.  All you need is a paperclip and some heat.

This morning’s six miler felt pretty good.  The toe hurt a little, but it was not too bad.  And, the hamstring feels OK.  I was back at the Chiro today for some more treatment.  It also felt pretty good.  It was not very painful at all.  I still plan to take it easy this coming week.  I’m hopeful that by the end of the month I might be able to get in some speed work.

Sting Like a Bee

It should read stung by a bee.  Since Rocky Raccoon, I cross trained on Sunday, and on Monday, I went out on an easy 6 mile run with Julie.  Both of us were sore.  In particular, we both managed to mess up the big toe nail.  However, for the most part I felt pretty good.

I made the decision to head down the track for some “speed” work.  Everyone else was running 4X1600m at half marathon pace.  As for me, I just wanted to glide some and test out the hamstring.  My toe was more of an issue than the hamstring.  I was running pretty well.  I just wanted to get 3 miles of some interval training in.  As I was finishing my last lap, I was under an 8 minut/mile pace.  And then,  I felt something in my hair.  I go to swat it away, and wham, I got stung on my index finger.  The pain was so bad and sudden, I had to stop. 

Maybe it was devine intervention.  Maybe, I was running too fast and and it was God’s way of stopping me.  Regardless, I rested a little, had some water and headed straight home.  So today, I have a big toe throbbing, an index finger pounding, and a hamstring that does not feel so bad.  This racing season is not meant to happen for me.

Rocky Raccoon 50K

Well my second Ultra is under my belt.  Set a PR today of 5:26.  My hamstring has not been doing very well, and frankly I almost thought about not even showing up.  After 6 miles, the hamstring was starting to flare up. I thought about calling it a day.  But Julie was nice enough to stay with me and after some talking, I was at mile 12 and not feeling too bad.  After the first 25K, I felt good but….  Well, I threw caution to the wind and went out for the 2nd loop.  I felt good, but after 26 miles, my body was tired and for the first time I think I was bonking.  I got to the last aid station and had a big handful of M&Ms.  The sugar rush was great.  It was almost like having magic pills.  I finished the last 3 miles at a solid 9 min/mile clip.

Trail running is a blast.  The folks at the aid stations are wonderful and the stations are stocked with the usual plus there is candy, chips, bananas, and gels at each one.

Looking forward to another trail run in Arkansas next year.