"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail"

Ran my first miles of 2011 in my VFFs (because I forgot to pack my regular shoes when I packed my running clothes)

Ran on the MWRT alone -- 4 out and 4 back. Felt good.

44F, E10

AP: 7:29

I decided to ramp it up a little on my last vacation day before heading back to work. My plan was to run with Darin and Dave at 7:00AM for 7 miles, then run some more on my own. I got a flat tire on the way to Darin's so, I got there as they finished. So, my run today was solo.

I'm running a 15K race on Saturday, so decided to go run the course -- twice. First time, forward, second time in reverse direction (not running backwards -- but running forward from finish to start :)

I made a wrong turn and ended up adding almost 2 miles to the first 9.3 miles (7:54/mi for 11.25 miles). I stopped at the car, downed a bottle of water and a Honey Stinger, then headed out for the second pass. I was making mental notes of various distances (2 miles, 1.5, 1.0, 0.5, and 0.25) from the finish line (just in case I have some kick left on Saturday..so I'll know exactly how much real estate I have left to cover)

I did quite a bit of walking on the the second 9.3 miles--especially when my total got above 17 miles. (keep in mind that my last marathon was June at Utah Valley---and my last run over 15 miles was at the end of July 2011 - El Scorcho). I had forgotten that stiff/tightening feeling -- and the sore feet. I guess there's a reason we ramp up for marathons. I took it easy -- today was about finishing the 20 miles, not about speed. I have about 7 weeks to be ready to run a 3:40 marathon at Cowtown (I'm pacing for the 3rd consecutive year...and it's not a gimme this year!) :)

45-53F, partly cloudy, light wind

AP: ~9:00

I didnt' sleep well last night. Woke up at 3AM to my dog barking. Decided to skip the run with Darin and Dave, and got an extra 2 hours of sleep time.

Ran at lunchtime alone. Weather was great. Felt pretty good -- but only had time for 4 miles. Will take another rest day tomorrow in prep for 15K race on Saturday morning.

AP: 7:21

55F, sunny, 5S

It was a perfect day for a race. 38F, sunny, slight breeze.

Had no idea how I was going to do. I have been ramping up the miles this week, and even ran this course twice on Tuesday to become familiar with the terrain.

Someone said "Go", we started running, and about 10 seconds later the gun went off  :). I got into a good rythm early on, and felt pretty good. The plan was to go out at 7:30 first mile, then try to speed up -- and like 100% of all my other races, I DID NOT stick to the plan. I hit the first mile at 6:55, and felt fine. A few of my buddies were running with me, too. I was with Dave and Scott for the first 3 miles, then let them go ahead of me (It is much better to be passed by your friends early in a race, rather than late in the race). I kept about 50 yds behind Dave and Scott for the next few miles. Dave started pulling away, and I was kind of resigned to finishing right with Scott. But with 1 mile to go, I started gaining on Scott (this was an uphill section). Before I knew it I was passing Scott.

I finished strong -- passing Scott and 1 other runner in the last mile. Though Scott is in a younger AG, the other runner I passed was in mine -- which allowed me to take home 3rd in the 45-49 AG!!! Woohoo! Dave finished 1st in our AG about 40 seconds ahead of me.

My final time of 1:05:23 is a PR for 15K!! (My Garmin had 9.4 miles, AP: 6:57)

It was a fun race, and it was fun to see a few of my running buddies take home some hardware.

38F, 5MPH N

6:55,6:50,7:04,6:53,6:55,6:59,7:10,6:59,7:00,

Solo lunchtime run from home. Was a little chilly for me, but the run felt comfortable. Toes were a bit numb for the first 4 miles (I think I might need looser shoes)

31F, S 2MPH, cloudy

AP: 7:24

7:38, 7:38, 7:22, 7:35, 7:10, 6:59

7AM run w/ Darin and Dave. It was a good solid run -- a little colder than anything I've run in thus far this season. Finished strong. Need to run tomorrow -- at least 5 or 6 to make up for missiing yesterday. I can't afford to NOT run, now that the count down to Cowtown is less than 50 days!

25F, SE 3, clear

AP: 7:30

Ran 5.3 w/ Darin and Dave. About the same pace as yesterday's 8 miler, but felt tougher. It was also 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. Plan to run 18-20 miles Saturday morning.

34F, S8

AP: 7:28

Met Ty at the trailhead at 9AM. Ran the first 13 w/ Ty (7:50/mi), then he left. Motivation dropped, ended up walking quite a bit -- but still finished the 20 miler w/ AP about 8:50. I've got about 40 days to be ready to run 8:24/mi at Cowtown! :)

41F, W 5, cloudy

AP: 8:50

Enjoyed a day off of work, and got in a nice 10 miler this afternoon. 

54F, S 10

AP: 8:10

Solo lunchtime run from home. Wasn't very motivated to get out there, but after the first few miles it wasn't too bad.

AP: 7:40

52F, 12 NNW, sunny

Almost identical run to yesterday's.

Lunchtime solo run. 

AP: 7:38

51F, sunny, S10

Only had time for a quick 4 miles at lunchtime. No watch.

35F, S10

Drove about an hour to run with Darin, Dave, and Scott this morning around Lake Grapevine. The plan was to finish the 20 miles at AP 8:15 (including stops). The weather was almost ideal - about 32 F, 5MPH wind, no clouds when we started at about 8 AM. The sun warmed things up nicely.

I decided to stop my watch ever time we stopped for drinks just to see what our actual running times were--the other guys kept their watches running through the stops.

Scott dropped out after 16 miles (he wasn't planning to do 20). Darin, Dave, and I finished our 20 miler at an AP of 7:54/mi -- and my Garmin logged 7:43/mi while we were running. I believe this might have been my fastest 20 mile training run ever -- and I didn't walk at all. This was quite a confidence builder for me -- as there are 35 days until Cowtown where I need to average 8:24/mi for the 3:40 pace group.

Next weekend is a step-back week -- where we're all running a half marathon in Dallas.

32-38F, 5 S, sunny

AP: 7:43 running   7:54 including stops

I took another "use or lose it" vacation day today. My wife droppe me off a Lake Weatherford while she went to a massage appointment. That gave me about 75 minutes to run before she'd be back to pick me up.

The weather was great. about 45, sunny, little wind when I started my run aroun 12:30pm.

I finished 1 lap around the lake and got about 1/2 mile into the next lap when she picked me up (1 lap is about 8 miles).

We ran some errands, then picke the boys up from basketball practice. I had her drop me off 2 miles from home so I could get in at least 10 miles for the day. I ran these last 2 at about 7:20/mi pace--quite a bit quicker than my leisurely pace around the lake.

AP: 7:50

45F, sunny, 5MPH

A fast 4 miler w/ Mike at lunchtime -- dodging the cars and running back into a 10 MPH wind.

AP: 7:18

45F, 10 NW, sunny

Ran at lunch w/ Darin, Mike, and Curtis. Curtis hasn't been running much, so we ran the first mile a little slower than normal -- and Curtis turned around and finsihed 2. Darin, Mike, and I found a new route, ran to a little pond with a sidewalk around it (0.6 mile loop). Finished fast with 2 sub 7:00s -- I was trying to get a feel for race pace at this Saturday's Half Marathon. Felt good.l

Happy 8th Birthday, Ethan!

Ran before work w/ Darin and Dave. From the start I felt sluggish, and let Dave and Darin go ahead. I'm missing my every-other-day rest days. I used to feel revived when I only ran every-other-day -- this is what marathon training is all about! :) As sluggish as I felt, I still managed the same 7:18/mi that I did on the past few days.

Friday will be a rest day, followed by a half marathon in Dallas on Saturday.

AP: 7:18

36F, 5S

I had another great run this morning in Dallas. I got up at 4:15, got dressed, drove 40 miles to Darin's house. Ate a banana and a piece of toast with honey and peanut butter for breakfast. Got the race at about 7:20 (8:00am start), picked up out bibs and event shirts, jogged a little and at about 8:01 we were off.

The weather was great. It was supposed to be about 45 at the start so I wore shorts, a singlet, and gloves. Not much wind at all.

The course circles White Rock Lake in Dallas, and has a few excursions back and forth through some various trails to make up the 13.1 mile course. For the most part it is flat. A few small ups and downs, and a .2 mile climb at the finish.

Before I started I was thinking that I would try to run around 7:00/mi for as long as possible. (my PR run at White Rock in December I ran about 7:08/mi -- so I figured with all the training I've been doing and the ideal weather conditions, I should at least try to beat that) (I also wanted to see if I could beat Darin and Dave, who both finished ahead of me at White Rock -- we're very evenly matched--on any given day, any one of us could win our little 3-man race)

After dodging a few walkers and joggers during the first mile, I managed a 7:03 -- it felt comfortable, so I picked it up a little and settled in with what I felt was a good pace. At about mile 5 Darin and Zachary (Darin's 17 yo son) caught me, and started to pass me -- as I settled in behind another guy..who I guess was slowing down without knowing it. So when D and Z went past, I decided to stick with them. About a mile later, I found myself ahead of them again and from the lack of breathing noises and foot pounding, I must have put a little distance between us (I never look back in a race).

At about mile 9 Zachary came flying by - he must have went from 7:00s to 6:30s -- I knew he would probably finsh ahead of me, so I wished him luck.

The last 4 miles seemed to take the longest. I was determined to maintain the pace. According to my Garmin I was at about 7:02/mi. I passed about 4 people in the last mile and finished that final .2 mile uphill climb feeling pretty strong with a 1:33:12 (NEW PR!!)

Zachary finished about 30 seconds ahead of me, and Darin, then Dave finished within a minute or two behind me. Today was my day.

It turns out I placed 3rd in our AG!!!! (which put Darin and Dave 4th and 5th..out of the hardware)

I took home a glass plaque that says "Age Group Winner".

It was a great day here in Texas - as I write this it's about 75F outside! I need to get outside and enjoy this little taste of Spring.

Splits:

7:03,6:49,7:08,7:10,7:03,7:01,6:54,7:03,7:08,7:10,7:07,7:10,7:05, (6:40/mi last .2)

According to my Garmin:

13.20 miles/1:33:12 

AP: 7:04

Rest day. Left Achilles tendon is a little tender from Saturday's half marathon...

February is not starting too well. We got some snow and cold overnight. Blizzard conditions. The high today was 17F. No school for the kids -- no running for me. I'm going to have to brave the elements soon -- can't get too much rest. 26 days 'til Cowtown.

Well, that's a week for the record books! (NOT!) I was going to do 20+ mile today. The roads were still coated with ice, so I opted for the treadmill at work -- I only lasted about 15 minutes before I decided to run outside (it was probably 80 degrees inside the gym)

The temperature was about 40F when I joined Dave and Darin. I was trying to hold my MP (8:24), and had a hard time going that speed (I kept dipping below 8:00/mi). The ice and snow was melting, it was a slippery slushy mess in spots, and dry in others. I just wasn't feeling it today, so I packed it in after about 13. I'll try again tomorrow -- though we're expecting yucky weather again.

My kids were home from school Tuesday-Friday due to ice and snow. I worked from home all this week, and at a lot more than I should have -- especially because I didn't run all week. I hope I didn't cause too much damage. Next week will be better!

Ran after church. The weather wasn't too bad and the roads were dry!!! I normally take a break on Sunday, but because I cut yesterday's run short, I decided to make up for it. I only had time for 9. I tried again (unsuccessfully to run 8:20s..I've got 21 days to get that pace comfortably)

AP: 8: 12

46F, N10-15, cloudy

First run in my new Mizuno Wave Alchemy's. The shoes felt great,  but I felt sluggish. Very windy, but temperature wasn't too bad. Ran w/ Dave and Darin (all at our own individual paces). My Garmin battery died, so I'm guessing I was about 8:00/mi.

AP: 8:00

42F, 19 NW

I was mentally prepared to endure a lunchtime run on the treadmill, but Dave and Darin convinced me to run outside (28F, 5MPH wind, sunny). I'm glad I ran outside.

We started out with a 6:56 first mile. I'm not sure why we went so fast, I think Dave wanted to run the entire 8 miles at 7:00/mi (and he did). Ran 2 miles  to "the pond", then did 7 laps, then headed back. The weather wasn't bad, and the pace felt fairly comfortable (Half mary race pace)

It looks like our final long run before a 2 week taper will be on Sunday. We're thinking about racing a 5K on Saturday morning...it might be a Saturday morning decision for me (I'd hate to injure myself this close to Cowtown - 17 days out)

AP: 7:09'

28F, 5N, sunny

Decided to stretch the lungs and legs a little this morning. Ran a 5K race. My buddy, Dave was there, and he was healthy. I started with a 6:05 first mile (flat), then a 6:53 (uphill), then a solid 6:35 3rd mile..and sub 6:00 for the last .1, for a 20:25. Not a PR by any stretch, but I was happy only finishing 8 seconds behind my buddy, Dave.

We placed 2nd and 3rd (out of 14) in our AG. Took home a ceramic Buffalo trophy and a doorprize gift certificate to a Mexican restaurant.

The weather was nice. 42F, no wind, and sunny. I'd like to order this same weather for Cowtown.

Met Dave and Darin at the Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers clubhouse. The plan was to run 16 -- I was wanting to run my pace group pace (8:23/mi), but I didn't want to run alone. I decided to run with Dave and Darin - and they planned to run 7:45/mi.

Once I loosened up (after about 3 miles), I felt pretty good. The weather was great (a little windy), but temps were in the low 40s. After 16, Darin had to leave, so Dave and I ran 2 more cooldown miles (about 8:00/mi).

Blueberry muffin, and double-chocolate latte for breakfast. 2 water/gatorade stops. No gels. 

AP:  7:38

40-45F, 10-15 N, sunny

Solo lunchtime run from home. 3 out and 3 back. I wanted to get a feel for 8:20/mi pace. It wasn't too bad while headed into the wind, but it was hard to slow down when the wind was behind me. I think I'll be looking at my Garmin quite a bit on race day -- hoping that I'm not accordianing (if that's a word) the pace too much. 

AP: 8:14

71F, S15-20, sunny

Lunchtime intervals w/ Dave and Darin. It was a bit on the hot side and very windy.

AP: 7:50

70F, 15-20S, sunny

7 easy solo miles at lunch. How quickly it goes from too cold to too hot.

75F, 5 SW, Sunny

AP: 8:18

1 week 'til Cowtown. Ran an easy 10 miles this morning in the heat, humidity, and wind of north Texas. It wasn't too bad, and I'm hoping conditions improve by next week. It was about 60 at 7:30am, and 90% humidity. The 8:20 pace I was trying to hold was a little tough going into the wind, but fine otherwise.

This afternoon I met Darin at the start of the Cowtown Marathon and we rode our bikes over the new course. It took us almost 3 hours to cover the 26.2. The course isn't too bad. lots of litte ups and downs and 1 or 2 significant uphills (mile 9 is the biggest, but nowhere near Veyo at SGM). It was good to see the new course, at least now I know what to expect.

The biggest concern now is for raceday weather. I'd hate to have Tom Slick come all the way from Sandy City to Ft Worth for a hot, humid race. Here's to hoping for 40's, low wind, and overcast skies!

AP: 8:19

60F, 90% humidity, S10-15mph

Solo run at lunchtime. I decided to take the first 2 miles at a comfortable 8:00 pace, then picked it up for the last 5.

Weather was nice. It was 60F, 10 mph breeze from the South, sunny -- humidity was down from Monday's run.

5 days 'til Cowtown. The weather gypsies are not currently my friends. Temps should start in the mid 50's and possibility of rain. Which usually means high humidity :). It's still 5 days out, plenty of time for a revised forecast.

 8:01, 7:59, 7:52, 7:33, 7:27, 7:11, 6:32

Decided to run at lunch. 76F, wind gusting over 20MPH, Sunny, 76% humidity -- hopefully this will make me appreciate whatever whether we get on Sunday at Cowtown.

AP: 7:50

Picked up Slick at DFW yesterday, then took him site-seeing. We went to the expo and picked up our packets, walked around a bit, bought a few things, then we drove the marthon route (with a break for some Asian noodles).

It is almost ideal running weather...but that is today (Saturday). Its 38F now, with nearly no wind, 80% humidity, getting up to 75 today. BUT..the overnight low in Ft Worth is supposed to be 63F, 90% humidity, 12-18MPH wind. I can't help but stress about the weather..but there's nothing I can do about it. We'll do our best tomorrow and see how it goes!

Going to spend some time with the boys today (they have a basketball game this morning, and a soccer game this afternoon, then Slick and I will be heading to Ft Worth for the night.

I can come up with lots of valid excuses for having my second slowest marathon (out of 20), but the truth is, I just wasn't mentally or physically prepared for today's Cowtown Marathon.

It was good having Tom Slick in town for this event -- he added quite a bit of his "Tom Slick" charm to this event...he'll probably get his picture in the Ft Worth paper with a cigar in his mouth as he crossed the finish line. He never ceases to impress me, as he is so dedicated to his training and his pre-race routine.

I didn't sleep at all last night, and felt a little feverish...but, I decided to give my 3:40 pacing a shot. The temp was 67F and 90% humidity, with S 15-20 MPH wind. I should be able to run in these "local" conditions. I was more worried for Tom Slick.

I was right on schedule up until the 18th mile, when I made an unscheduled pit stop. I handed the "3:40" sign to one of the group, and said I would catch up. I knew, I wouldn't catch up. I was just feeling aweful. I walk-ran the last 7 miles...totally dejected. I guess some days just aren't your day.

It was a little encouraging to see a few people from our pace group after the race..and they thanked me for the steady effort for the first 18 miles. One of the women, ended up speeding up for a 3:35, and the guy I handed the sign to finished at about 3:41 (I told him to keep the sign as a sourvenir for his first marathon.)

Even though I had a bad day, it was a great weekend. Hanging out with Tom Slick, seeing lots of running buddies, and adding another finisher medal to the collection (3rd of 5 to complete the "Cowtown Star").

I think my finishing time was around 3:53 -- I'm not in a hurry to look at the Garmin.

Update: 2/28/2011

Splits

1 - 8:20

2 - 8:20

3 - 8:21

4 - 8:09

5 - 8:14

6 - 8:15

7 - 8:23

8 - 8:16

9 - 8:24

10 - 8:43  Long uphill mile into the wind..was shooting for around 9:00

11 - 8:20

12 - 8:14

13 - 8:09

14 - 8:08

15 - 8:18

16 - 8:15

17 - 8:13

18 - 9:18 (pit stop..the beginning of the end)

19 - 8:33

20 - 8:41

21 - 9:42

22 - 10:13

23 - 11:06 - I believe this is my all-time slowest marathon mile

24 - 10:44

25 - 11:56 - a new all-time slowest marathon mile.

26 - 8:59 - I managed to eek out a sub-9:00 only because a friend of mine came by with a chance to BQ. She seemed to be struggling, so I let her draft with me. She helped me as much as I helped her. So, I'm wondering if I was really hurting bad -- or just overly lacking motivation for the past 6 miles. I don't know.

Time: 3:52:50

First run since Sunday. Forgot my shoes, so ran in VFFs (I keep them in my car's trunk at all time). Ran on the grass along the road. Windy, but in the 60s. Felt OK.

AP: 8:30

Last night I received an email from the Pace Group manager from Cowtown..he wanted to know if I would like to pace the 3:50 group at Big-D on April 10th. Without fully thinking it through I accepted. (I was already planning to run the half or full at Big-D (Dallas), but was going to go for a fast one. Maybe I should reconsider. )

The plan was going to get up at 5:30 and run 16 w/ Darin and Dave (1 hour away). When the alarm went off, and I saw it was 32 degrees out, I decided to go back to bed, then go to church with the family.

After church, I went to the trail for a solo run. I had been feeling a little "tweak" on the right knee since before Cowtown (I think I did something playing soccer with the boys), so I wanted to take it easy today, and had no firm plan on mileage. Since I didn't bring anything to drink, I figured I'd just run 5 out and 5 back, then drink something at the trailhead, and if I felt up to it, I'd tack on a few more miles. 10 miles felt great, so I decided to call it quits and maybe do a longer mid-week run this week. The knee felt fine, a little tenderness on the left Achilles, but other than that, felt great!

50F, 5-10E, sunny

AP: 7:54

7 lunchtime miles from home. Felt a bit sluggish.

AP: 7:54

75F, sunny, SSW 17, 42% humidity

800 repeats at lunch w/ Darin and Dave.

The first 2 were a little fast (3:06, 3:08), when we turned to come back into the wind, I was out of gas. (3:20, 3:30), then jogged back. The wind was gusting, but my legs were heavy today.

AP: 8:15

61F, 17-25 NW, 34% humidity, sunny

I got a little bit of a relief in an email today. I'm no longer pacing Big-D (the organizer decided not to use our pacers this year). No pressure now..and if I feel good, and the weather is right, it might be time to go for a BQ.

It was another windy day. Ran solo at lunch and decided to run 800 repeats again. This time I jogged out 3 miles into the wind, then did the speed work with a nice tailwind. I know this is cheating, but it's better than not doing it at all. With a 23 MPH wind, I was barely able to run sub 8:00s into the wind.

4 x800 at about 3:08 each. Then one last 400 at 85 s.

75F, 23 S, 14% humidity, sunny

Springbreak 2011

After 3 days of rest ( camping, gardening, laying tile), I went for a lunchtime run. It was great weather, and even though I had been feeling some slight right knee pain throughout the weekend (I think I did something while coaching soccer), it didn't seem noticeable while running.

50F, 5-8 N, cloudy

8:20, 8:06, 7:38, 7:29, 7:34, 7:10, 6:43

First run in 5 days (life got in the way this past weekend, but my garden and yard are looking good!)

AP: 7:44

71F, S15-20, cloudy

Lunchtime solo run. The wind was fierce on the way out...sustained 25 MPH gusting to 31. My heart rate was nearly maxed out while running slower than MP. But...on the way back, I ran 2 miles at 5K race pace, with my HR about 80% max. I really need to find races that are point to point down wind! :)

AP: 7:20

71F, S25-31, 45% hum, partly cloudy

Lunchtime 800m intervals w/ Darin, Dave, and Mike.

71F, Sunny, 25% humidity

1 mile warmup

.47 mi - 2:42 (5:44/mi) - AHR 143

.25 mi recover - 10:09/mi - AHR 135

.50 mi -- 2:50 (5:40/mi) - AHR 156

.25 mi recover - 12:19/mi - AHR 131

.50 mi - 3:08 (6:18/mi) - AHR 153

.25 mi recvoer - 14:17/mi - AHR 120

.50 mi - 2:59 (5:58/mi) - AHR 160

cooldown 1.25 mi (9:00/mi)

Earlier this week my running buddy, Dave, decided to put together a team of 5 to compete at a local 5K in Ft Worth. This is an annual event run to raise money for an AIDS/HIV charity. The trophies for this event are wooden parrot statues, and we thought it would be cool to earn one of those cherished baubles. After looking through the results from last year's race, it appeared that if we could put 5 of our friends together on a team, we would have a shot at the "team" championship.So, we signed up.

Race morning was a bit on the warm side, but comfortable, with a strong breeze from the South. 65F is fine for a 5K, just glad I wasn't running a half or full marathon in it. 

The 10K started at 8AM, and the 5K was supposed to start at 8:30, so at about 8:10 our team went for about a 1 mile warmup jog, then did a few strides. At about 8:20, we hear "1 minute to start", so we rushed over to the crowded starting area and worked our way though the crowd to try to get near the front. There was a team of kids from a local running club, and they were everywhere..especially near the front. When the horn sounded I had to do a little weaving to avoid running some joggers over.

The plan for today was to try to run 20:00. The plan was to go out easy in the first mile (6:40ish), then speed up from there. I drove the course before the race, and realized that the first mile was by far the easiest, and most downhill, so I ran what felt like an easy pace and crossed the 1st mile make at about 6:17. I felt good, and I could see the first hill up ahead. At about 1.5 I caught up to my friend, Ruthie, at about the same time Dave caught up to me and passed me. I decided to try to stick on Dave's tail. The 2nd mile was 6:30. I knew the 3rd mile was going to be a bit tougher, as there's a fairly steep hill to climb, and then a turn into the south breeze to the finish. I stuck behind dave, maybe 10 yards or so. Close enough to keep him in range. Up the hill we trudged, passing 1 or 2 people. Once we crested the hill, there was a little relief on a slight downhill. At about a third mile to the finish we turned into the wind and headed south. At this point, I was still feeling OK..and better yet, Dave was still 10 yards ahead. I'm so used to running with Dave, and always finishing right behind him. I finished 8 seconds behind Dave at our last 5K in Feb, and just as I was about to resign myself to another finish behind him, I decided to go for it. I don't get too many opportunities to be within striking distance this close to the finish. Today was going to be my day. Dave was going to eat my dust. With about 200 yards to go, I made my move. I kicked it down a gear and sprinted past Dave. I'm pretty sure he was shocked to see me, and by the time he realized what happened I was a few yards ahead. He kicked it in, too. I finished ahead of Dave!!!!! Woohooo!!! My day was made!!! 

When the results were posted, I went over to see how we did in our age group. Imagine my surprise when I saw Dave had finished 20th overall and I was 21st. In the shuffle to get to the starting line, I worked my way up a little further than Dave. So, even though I finished ahead of Dave (gun time), he beat me with chip time! The margin 0.6 seconds (yes about 1/2 a second). Dagnamit! :)

It turns out that our training group of Dave (20:08.4), Darin,(20:21) and I(20:09.0) took the top 3 spots in our AG (45-49) out of 44. We each received  a progressively larger parrot statue for our efforts. It turns out that our team placed 3rd overall -- out of the trophies (only 1st and 2nd for team division).

I'm really not at all upset that Dave beat me (by 0.6 seconds), and that our team didn't place. In fact, it's kind of funny, and something I'll remember for a long time (Dave won't let me forget it, I'm sure :) It was a fun day, and I was happy to have a strong finish -- it seems like it's been a while. Sub 20:00 is still within reach, so we'll have to go for it again soon....and next time maybe I'll finish ahead of Dave. ;)

Pictures are here:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=642181372311%3A1212264154&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

I was going to try to go long today but I wasn't feeling it (even though the weather was perfect),and turned around after 3 miles. I ran the last two fast (6:20s), so I wouldn't feel like a total failure.

46F, 5MPH S, cloudy

Ran w/ Darin at lunch (Dave had a meeting and couldn't join us) We were planning on 8 miles, and I thought it would be a good tempo run day, as the weather was unseasonable cool and a little drizzly. Nice running weather.

AP: 7:11

55F, NW10, drizzly

Lunchtime run w/ Darin and Dave. We weren't sure what do accomplish on this run. Took the first mile leisurely (8:20), then picked it up to about 7:40/mi. Because I didn't run yesterday, and Darin and Dave ran 800m intervals, I decided to run 2 x 800s at 6:00/mi pace, while Darin and Dave headed back. I caught Dave on the way back..he was walking. Said he thinks he pulled a calf muscle. :( I walked the last mile back to work with him, while we chatted about our plans to BQ this year. He's considering TOU....is that a good race to BQ at?

Ty texted me at 7am and asked me if I was running today. I was kinda thinking about it, but his text got my butt out of bed. I met him at the trailhead at 8am for an easy 10 miler. We started with an 8:30 mile, then sped up a little to about 8:00s. At 9 miles our avg pace was 8:05, I told Ty I was going to run the last one fast to see if I could get my avg under 8:00 for the 10 miler. I needed about 7:15. I was a little surprised when I check my watch at the end and ran a 6:17 last mile with an AP of 7:54.

Next weekend Big-D Half Marathon. We'll see if the weather dictates a PR attempt.

Lunchtime run w/ Darin. We didn't have a plan before we headed out, but wanted a "kinda fast" run.

15MPH headwind on the way out. At 4 miles had an AP of about 7:30. Decided to see if I could run run the final 2 sub 7:00. It wasn't too bad with a strong tailwind!

60F, SE 20, 40% humidity, sunny

AP:  7:11

last two were 6:17 and 6:34 (5K race pace).

Weather looks like a repeat of Cowtown weather for Sunday's Big-D...looks like it will be the Half Marathon with no hopes of PRing ;)

4 lunchtime miles. 2 with the wind, 2 against the wind. Last 2 were fast.

An easy 4 miles with Dave (who is nursing a sore calf)

AP: 8:00s

75F, sunny, low humidity

Solo lunchtime 800m x 4 intervals. 

AP: 6:00/mi  (2:50's with the wind, 3:05, 3:08 against wind)

65F, S15, cloudy

A friend of mine told me about this race a few weeks ago. It's a new race to raise money for a local school PTA. As it is 10 minutes from my house, AND I wasn't going to be in Boston this year, I signed up my two boys and I.

The weather was perfect. 45F, low wind, low humidity. Some people seemed a bit overdressed wearing long tights, long-sleeved shirts, and gloves.

The fun run for the boys went off at 8AM. My 8 year-old (Ethan) took off to the front of the pack, while my 7 year-old and I took a more leisurely pace. The fun run was an out-and-back loop, with a water stop at the 1/2 mile mark. Ethan ran most of the race, with some walk breaks, and finished in about 10 minutes. Christian and I walked when we had to...and finished a few minutes behind. I was proud of both my boys. That was my warmup.

The 5K started at about 8:30. I lined up on the front row, surrounded by grammar school kids. Where were the adults? It seems like the few adults that were there opted to start back behind the kids. Not me..I planned to get ahead of these kids before I ran one over.

The race started, and I quickly got up to my 5K race pace. I was in 3rd place at about a quarter mile, and then we started the long, gradual hill, where I took the lead. I glanced at my watch and saw I was at about a 5:45 pace..which, at this point in my running life, is not sustainable for 3.1 miles, so I dialed it back a little. I crossed the first mile at 6:15. That wasn't so bad, and I was in first place. I never looked back, but I could tell there was no one behind me. I got to follow the motorcycle cop!!!! Yes, the motorcycle cop was leading ME! At the 1.55 mile mark, I turned around and headed back. This was my first view of the chase pack...which consisted of a guy about my age about 30 seconds behind me, and nobody even close to him. I thought to myself that I could possibly win this thing. Is he just holding back?

The second mile as a 6:38. I was heading up hill now. I knew that with 1/2 mile to go it would be a nice gradual downhill to the finish, so I just chugged along. I saw a few of my friends coming the other way, which is always fun!

I never looked back and just ran my own race. The last 1/2 mile seemed fairly easy. As I rounded the corner, someone said "here comes the leader", and a few people clapped, as I crossed the finish line (no tape..I always imagined there was a tape to break...but I guess not :). 20:10. I had just won my first race since grade school!!!!

My oldest boy, Ethan, ended up 3rd overall in the fun run and won his age group and got a medal. Christian was a little disappointed that he didn't get anything. But, I got the "Overall Fastest Male in the first ever Porcupine Promenade" 2 foot trophy!!!  (Which I am entrusting to Christian to take good care of for me....it made him happier.)

Most of my other buddies that were there (not my usual speedy buddies from work, but rather the up-and-coming speedsters from my church) took home some hardware, too! It was a fun day, and I'm grateful all the really speedy guys were running another race in Ft Worth or Boston! :-)

 45F, Sunny, 5MPH

Here are the results: http://clinesrunningcorner.com/results2011/porcupinepromenade_april16_2011.pdf

6 easy miles solo at lunchtime.

AP: 7:50

82F, 30% humidity, S15, sunny

Intervals with Mike and Dave at lunchtime

800 - 2:50 (with the wind)

800 - 2:45 (with the wind)

400 - 1:25 (into the wind)

400 - 1:27 (into the wind)

200 - 0:37 (into the wind)

400 - 1:25 (side wind)

65F, NE10, 57% humidity, cloudy

Interval Wednesday w/ Darin (Dave is still nursing a sore calf)

1 mile warmup 7:58

800m - 2:51 - 5:41/mi

2 min jog

800m - 2:49 - 5:40/mi

2 min jog

400m - 1:25 - 5:41/mi

3 min walk/jog

400m - 1:27 - 5:52/mi

1.5 min jog

200m - :38 - 5:00/mi

1 min jog

415ft - 22:37 - 4:45 (slower than Boston Marathon winning pace :)

60F, N10, Cloudy

Still fighting a sinus infection. It doesn't seem to impact my lungs, but I've been coughing quite a bit (especially at night).

Lunchtime 7 miler. Enjoying some cooler temps.

Sunny, 70F, N3

6 lunchtime miles with Darin (Dave is still nursing his sore calf). Enjoying the cool, dry weather. Started with a 7:40 miles, and ended with a 6:20. Felt good, especially for having taken 5 days off and getting over the sinus infection thing.

60F, Sunny, 44%, N8

Wednesday intervals w/ Darin.

1 mile warmup - 8:15

800 m - 2:55 - 5:50/mi into S wind 10mph

200 m recovery - 1:37

400 m - 1:23 - 5:36/mi

400 m recovery - 2:39

400 m - 1:26 - 5:49/mi

200 m recovery - 2:23

800m - 2:49 - 5:35/mi

200m recovery - 2:16

400m - 1:20 - 5:19/mi

200m recovery - 2:16

200m - 0:36 - 4:45/mi

1.22 mi - jog back to work - 8:38/mi

I entered the Mayfest 10K race in Ft Worth on Saturday. I was planning to run about 6:40/mi, but ended up with 7:03/mi and still managed 3rd in my AG (about a minute behind Darin). It was windy, and about 70...but I just wasn't feeling it. (I ran a fast 6 miler on Thursday than I did at this race). Maybe it was the 2 bratwursts I had for dinner the night before??? It wasn't my day. 

I'm not entering this as a Race Report, because I don't feel like I raced it. :)

Solo lunchtime recovery run. It was a little too hot for me, so I took it easy.

87F, S15-20 MPH, Sunny, 51% humidity

I WON THE ST GEORGE LOTTERY...4 for 4!!!! (I'm guessing it is not totally a random drawing). This means I can totally slack off this summer. With about 100 days 'til SGM, I'll pick up the training, but for the next month or so, I'm going to enjoy shorter mileage and short races.

Met Darin and Dave (Dave has now started running again after giving a sore calf a few weeks of rest) for a 7:00AM run before work.

It wasn't too bad out, but for some reason I felt really sluggish. We only did 3.5 miles.

AP: 7:33

It was lightly drizzling at lunchtime when Darin and I headed out for our Wednesday speedwork. We kept close to our plant, so if we saw any lightning we wouldn't have too far to hussle back to safety.

It was a short workout.

1 mile warmup - 7:48

.5 mi - 2:53 (5:46/mi)

2 minute rest/walk

.5 mi - 2:55 (5:49/mi)

2 minute rest/walk

.25 mi - 1:22 (5:29 /mi)

1.5 minute rest/walk

.25 mi - 1:20  (5:26/mi)

 0.75 mi recovery back to work (9:47/mi)

Darin and his son, Zachary were planning to run this race, and seeing that the weather was supposed to be unseasonably cool (for Texas), I somehow I talked myself into driving the 40 miles to run it with them. Dave, who has been cutting back on his running was there, too. Darin and I believed it was our day to beat Dave (who has beat us in most other races we've been in this year). 

A week ago Darin schooled me at a 10K, by about a minute. I was hoping for redemption.

It was about 50 degrees when the gun went off at 7:30. Abouta 15MPH NW breeze. I took off at a comfortably painful pace, one that I was hoping I could maintain for 3.1 miles. Darin and Dave were somewhere behind me. The race had the most turns of any 5K I've ever run, meandering through a mall at the start, then out on the perimeter of the mall, then some meandering to the finish. Check out the Garmin. It wasn't too bad, but I thought it was going to be a slow day because of all the corners...and there was some wind (I don't like wind). Maybe 15 MPH - it's my friend when it's behind me, but when I feel it against me, I mentally start checking out.

I was doing OK. I managed to pass the first place female and about 1 mile into the race, and stayed ahead of her by just a little bit. I kept hearing her fans telling her that she was the first female (I'm pretty sure she was a highschooler).

At about the 2.5 mile mark, we turned into the wind and up a slight incline. That's when Darin passed me. Dangit! I was running out of gas, and he turned on the after burner. I just let him go and hung on 'til the finish. I crossed the line at 19:54 (I forgot to stop my watch..so ignore the Garmin time)

Darin finished about 20 seconds ahead of me (yes, I choked badly, losing 20 seconds to my training buddy, my peer, my equal, in the last .6 miles of the race). I'm a little bummed that I couldn't finish stronger, but I'm happy that Darin placed 1st in our AG, and I was second. It turns out Dave was only about 20 seconds behind me...and I ended up beating the 2 top women finishers by 2 seconds! (They must have been gaining fast...they had identical time 19:56)

We hung around for the awards, and this race, even with a couple hundred entrants gave out certificates and goody bags to the 1st place finishers in each AG. It was a little disappointing to go home empty handed after another podium finish, but that's OK. It was a nice morning for a race and I went sub 20:00 for the first time in about a year! I'll take it

I just read a report HERE. I didn't realize that men and women were competing for the same awards. That stinks even more...especially for the women. I'm sure they'll straighten it out next year. I believe people who organize races should be veterans of a few races, or at least consult a few veterans to find out what works at most races, and what people expect for their entry fee. The awards aren't a very big deal, but race directors need to be clear in their advertising, and by all means, separate the men from the women.

6 solo miles at lunch. No watch. About 8:00/mi. Enjoying cooler temps and some sunshine.

70F, N6, Sunny, 44% humidity

I forgot my running gear today and had to scrounge around for shorts and ended up wearing my VFFs for the first time in quite a while.

Ran with Darin, Dave, and a new, younger, faster guy, Michael. We started out with an easy 8:20 mi, then sped up from there.

AP: 7:23

70F, SSE 10MPH, 46% humidity, sunny

Wednesday intervals w/ the fast guy (Michael, 33)

I predicted that the weather conditions would make today's run challenging, and I wasn't disappointed.

1 mile warmup

800 m - into the wind - 3:21

2 mine recovery

800 m - into the wind - 3:20

2 min recover

400 m - into the wind - 1:33

2 min recovery

800 m - with the wind - 3:01

2 min recovery

400 m - with the wind - 1:27

2 min recovery

400 m - with the wind - 1:28

2 min recovery

200 m - with the wind - 0:37

2 min recovery

short spint - 500 yards @ 4:24/mi

81F, S 14-24MPH, 57% humidity, cloudy

Well, this was my first run in the past 4 days. My wife went to visit her sister for the weekend, so I got the opportunity to see what being a single parent is like. So, like any father of 7 and 8 year old boys...what did I do? I bought the boys a go-kart. Yes, a little spontaneous, but I had to follow through with something that slipped out of my mouth. Something about how when I was a boy, I always wanted a go-kart...and I saw the little gears turning in their little heads. And before you know it, we were buying a go kart. We spent the majority of the weekend riding around our property making trails. The goats didn't seem to mind too much....anyways we had a blast and...it seems like I have a new tool for getting them to do their chores. "No riding until your room is clean" ...until the dishes are put away... genius".

Anyways, today's run was a short one with Darin just after a thunderstorm passed. It wasn't too bad. We got progressively faster.

80F, cloudy, humid, S10

7:53, 7:38, 7:25, 6:44

AP: 7:25

After an evening of continuous tornado warnings, rain, and hail, it was good to see the light of day and and run intervals with Darin. I forgot my watch, so I had to keep up with Darin and use his.

1 mile warmup - 8:30

800m - side wind - 2:50

2.5 min recovery

400m - 1:20

2.5 min recovery

200m - 0:40

2.5 min recovery, then turned around and headed in other direction. Wind was from the side, but slightly from behind. Much better.

800m - 2:48

2.5 min recovery

400m - 1:15

2.5 min recovery

200m - 0:37

1.2 mile recovery jog back to work

80F, W10, sunny

Lunchtime 6-mile progressive run w/ Dave and Darin. Started out with a 8:30 mile, then sped up from there, finishing into the wind with a 6:48.

75F, NW10, Sunny, 45% humidity

AP: 7:24

After 4 days off of pool parties, eating, and yard work...I ran w/ Darin and Dave before work. It felt pretty good. Breezy, and 75F.

5.25 miles / AP:: 7:25

75F, partly cloudy, 10-15W

Went to track w/ Darin for a pre-work speed workout. Neither of us felt great before we started and thought we would be hard-pressed to do our planned 1600, 1200, 800, 400 intervals at 6:00/mi pace.

 77F, 3MPH S wind, 70% humidity

Lunchtime easy 5-miler. Very hot and sunny. It's going to be a long summer!

92F, S20

AP: 8:13 (walked for a little while due to phone call)

I've been working on my short game lately. Very few long runs, but added speed work once a week. I've been enjoying running 5Ks this year -- 5Ks are a whole different breed than halfs or full marathons.

My buddy, Darin has been a little faster than me, lately. He beat me in the last 2 races we've run, and I had one goal in mind at this race...to finish ahead of Darin.

I arrived at the schedule 8AM race at about 6:30, as the volunteers were setting up. I paid for my entry, then decided to check out the course. I had plenty of time to walk/jog the course as a warmup, and was pleased to see it was mostly flat. The start is a very gradual uphill for about 1/4 mile, followed by a slight downhill for about 1/8 mile, then completely flat until the last 3/4 mile -- with the 1/8 mile uphill, followed by a 1/4 mile gradual downhill to the finish. I knew if I could somehow be ahead of Darin with 1/4 mile to go, he wouldn't be catching me (I like downhills )

It was about 75 degrees, and sunny at start time. The race started promptly at 8AM. During the 1st mile I was almost surprised at how good I felt -- 6:05, and I knew Darin was behind me somewhere. At about 1.5 miles a guy passed me, so I kept him in my sights. I crossed the 2nd mile in 6:18 (this mile was flat and a little into a 5-10 MPH breeze, which felt good). Darin was still somewhere behind me (but, I was afraid to look back ) At about 2.5 miles I caught and passed the guy who had passed me a mile earlier. I was still feeling good...thinking "If Darin catches me, I'll have a little left in the tank to battle back). I turn the corner and headed up the slight incline with about .3 mile to go, then crested the top and saw the finish line..and kicked it up a notch. There was nobody in range to catch, and I still didn't look back. But, I could tell that nobody was close behind (you can usually tell by the people standing on the sides if someone is making a move). I crossed the line in 19:35..my best 5K this year, and only about 8 seconds shy of my all-time PR! Darin finished 9 seconds behind with 19:44 (1st in our AG)...and I regained the top spot of our little running group (Dave, the other member of our lunchtime running club ran a different 5K on Saturday and finished in 20:20...he's still recovering from a calf issue). I ended up 6th overall, winning the Overall Masters' award.

I ended up winning a plaque (for overall masters 1st place), and a $100 gift certificate to the local community pool (which I gave back, as I live about 40 miles away and really couldn't use).

It was a fun morning, and I know Darin will be gunning extra hard for me next race! (I really need to start ramping up for SGM, soon, but am having lots of fun with the short races!)

Morning quick 3.5 w/ Darin and Dave.

AP: 713

77F, sunny

Solo lunchtime run in the heat! 94F, S15 (wind felt OK running into it, but when it was behind me, I couldn't feel it.)

AP: 7:55

Ran w/ Darin before work. Felt very sluggish (did abs class for the first time in at least a year yesterday. Now I ache all over :(. Both hips have been feeling sore (like ITB...not sure what's up). I've been cutting back on the distance..i should be feeling better, not worse.

80F, S15

AP: 7:52

Missplaced my Garmin...will look for it tonight. I'm a little lost without it.

Ran before work wtih Darin and Dave. I haven't had a chance to run in the past 5 days..it was good to get out and run.

Ran the first 5 miles easy, and walked last .5 miles.

80F, S20

AP: 7:35 (running), with 0.5 cooldown, AP: 8:02

Solo run at lunchtime. It was only about 85 degrees, so it wasn't too bad.

I've been having some hip pain lately, and it's got me a little concerned. I'm about to start ramping up the miles, but I don't feel it's a good idea. I'm pretty sure it's the ITB (outside of hip on both sides). The plan is to take a week off, get some new shoes, and revitalize my plans -- while doing some low-impact cross-training (bike riding, swimming, walking).

85F, cloudy, S6

AP: 805

Pre-work jog w/ Darin in my new Kohl's Asics (some sort of Gel's -- I'm going to see if shoes make that much difference. I paid $45 for them.)

Shoes felt good. Still feeling a little hip/ITB pain on left side (right side has subsided). I know this happened a few years ago, and I can't remember how it went away. I'll RICE it often, but I need to start ramping up for SGM....really, really I do.

82F, sunny, 5S

AP: 7:45

5 miles with Darin before work. The new Kohl's Asics feel fine, so far. The hip pain is still present on the left side, but not too bad. I'm sure it will go away with time...

AP: 7:31

78F, S5, sunny

Went trail riding with mountain bikes with Darin and Curtis. This is the first time I've ridden on trails in...well, I can't remember. Curtis had an extra bike he loaned me. The trails were narrow and winded through lots of trees which provided nice shade. The surface ranged from hard-packed dirt, to sand, rocks, roots. It was a lot of fun, and I was happy that I wasn't holding Darin or Curtis back and was able to keep up. After 2 hours of riding we ended our workout with about a 2 mile trail run. It was about 95 degrees during the run, but it didn't feel too bad in the shade. It was a great workout and a welcome change of pace.

I'll call it 8 miles.

82-95F, sunny

Easy 5.5 miler w/ Darin before work. Started at 6:30 to beat the heat. 

82F, 5S, sunny

AP: 7:45 

6:30AM run w/ Darin and Dave. Nothing special, just 6 miles.

82F, 5S, some clouds

Ran trails at Lake Grapevine w/ Darin and Dave. I could really get used to single-track running. You really need to pay attention to EVERY STEP - you have to watch for roots, rocks, branches, sand on every step. I had no problems and got a great workout! I'm looking forward to the next time we hit the trails (on bike or foot).

AP: 9:30

82F, 5S

Took a vacation day today and started it with my longest run in months. I know I need to run long to get ready for SGM -- but I've been lacking motivation. This was the boost I needed. I hope to run longer this Saturday. I walked a little and drank plenty along the way -- baby steps.

AP: 8:50

82F, E5, sunny

4 lunchtime dreadmill miles. I progressively increase the speed from walking to 11.5 MPH (just to get it over with faster)

AP: 8:00

72F, 0 MPH (indoors)

6:30 AM run w/ Darin. Homegrown cantelope tasted great for breakfast!

AP: 7:33

82F, W5

My Brush With Bush

 Darin texted me on Friday night to go trail running with Jo, Dave, and him at the same place we ran last week. I was to meet at his house at 6:00. I woke up at 4:40 and, as usual, weighed the pros and cons of going back to sleep with the benefits of running. And is the case usually when someone else is waiting on me, I decided to get my running clothes on and head to Darin's (about an hour away from me).

When I got to Darin's, Jo was there, but Dave had to back out due to him having to take his daughter to a soccer game or something. No biggie. 

On the ride to the trailhead, Darin said that plans had changed, as the bridge to the place we ran last week was under construction, so we opted to head to the trail on the other side of the lake that he, Curstis, and I mountain biked from 2 weeks ago.

As we arrived at the parking area at the trailhead, there was a rather large guy wearing a white polo shirt and slacks blocking some of the shady parking spots (shade in Texas this time of year is a precious commodity). I was thinking, "that's kind of rude". So after we parked a little further down, I went and talked to the guy. I asked him if there was some special club ride going on -- as there were a couple top of the line Treks waiting on stands. He said, "yep, local club". And that was about that..

Just as we were about to head out on the trail for a 6 mile loop, two Suburbans pulled up. The few others at the trail head started murmuring that it was "him". It was George W Bush. Yes, the 43rd president of the United States. He was there to go for a mountain bike workout with about a dozen others (I'm sure some were security and some were local bike riders or friends of his). And Jo, Darin, and I were right there. He shook all our hands and looked genuinely excited to be our there for a workout on a hot summer morning. He said to Darin, Jo, and I, "you're the lean group" (or something like that).Within minutes, Mr. Bush's entourage passed us on their mountain bikes as we stopped running to step aside to let them pass. Mr. Bush was cruising right along at a nice clip. How cool was that!?

 After a few minutes, we started our jog, just a little star struck from our brief encounter. We chatted on the run and wished we had thought to take a picture. Darn it! Nobody's going to believe us!

At about the 1.5 mile point, the single track trail crossed a park road with a port-o-let. Jo had to make a pit stop. I saw the van that had the bikes, and the big guy that I had talked to earlier. Darin and I walked over to him, and I said "I'm sorry for being a bit of a jerk back there.". He said "You weren't a jerk".  I felt the need to apologize...so I did. We chatted for a few more seconds, then got back on the trail.

The trail system we were on has about a 14 mile loop with traffic designated as "one way". At about 3 miles out we hopped on the trail heading back toward the parking lot. Jo had to get back to teach an aerobics class. After we got back to the parking lot, we took a few pictures of ourselves with Darin's smartphone and said goodbye to Jo.

Darin and I saw that the Mr Bush's SUVs were still there, so we thought maybe we might have a chance to get a photo with him if we could be there when he finished his ride. We ended up hopping on the trail, headed in the opposite direction. At about 1.5 miles out, we encountered the entourage...it seemed like they picked up a few more riders on their train. We stepped off the trail and watched them pass. Then we followed them. They put a little distance on us, but we thought that perhaps we might still only be a couple minutes behind them when they finished, and if we were lucky we might meet him again and get a picture.

Sure enough, as we finished. There he was, mingling with about a dozen people at the trail head. I asked him if he'd mind if we took a few pictures. He said "Sure, go ahead", and he even congratulated Darin and I for a great run in the heat. Believe me, the feeling was mutual. Mr Bush had just celebrated his 65th birthday a few weeks ago, and I was very impressed by his commitment to fitness, and his ability to ride those narrow, even dangerous trails. It was a very cool encounter, one I doubt I will ever forget.

Here's my picture with "W":

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1121750&l=70e976126d&id=1837428836

I feel really bad that Dave had to change his plans for a family commitment, and that Jo missed out on the photos after we finished. Maybe there with be a "next time".

AP: 9:45

82F

Morning run w/ Darin. It was hot. We were not motivated, but finished. We mostly talked about our chance meeting with Mr. President on Saturday. We're both thinking of sending the pictures we took with him, to him, in hopes we might get an autograph..

82F, 0MPH

6:30AM run w/ Darin before work..

81F

Just a short AM run w/ Darin. Saving ourselves for tomorrow's trail run. We're planning to run 1.5 - 2 hours in the morning - probably about 9-12 miles.

AP: 7:27

80F

We had quite a train on the trail this morning on a hot summer morning. It was a good run. Darin, Zachary (Darin's son), Ryan, Connor, Jo, Ruthie, and Cora, and I hit the trail at 6:30.

I led the first 3 mile stretch, then was fired for going too fast. Is 9:30/mi really too fast??? :) I went to the back of the pack and after 6 miles, the ladies left.

The guys went out for a different loop. It definitely got tougher. I was glad to see the end of the trail after about 2 hours.

80F

(didn't run into any ex-presidents today)

I decided to head to Mineral Wells State Park this afternoon. Yes, at the hottest part of the day, and ride my bike on the trail. Ice water in the camel-back was refreshing. I only did about 10 miles (50 minutes). I'll call it a 4-mile run. I swam for a few minutes after the bike ride, and headed home...after stopping at DQ for a Butterfinger Blizzard...yum.

 103F, 0mph

Progressive 5 miler before work w/ Darin.

AP: 7:30

84F, S5

Very similar to Monday's 5-miler w/ Darin. Finished with a 6:41 mile -- it's been a while since we've run sub 7:00s...today will be 26 straight days with the high temp over 100 degrees...This 5-miler was tough (it was 84F - which was the overnight low), I can't imagine running 26.2.

84F, 5S

AP: 7:29

Took a vacation days. Took the boys to tennis camp. Got there about an hour early so I could run some laps on the track and the boys practices their tennis. The spongy track felt great and flat. Did 7 miles, with the last one at 6:34 (just to stretch the legs a little).

The boys did great at tennis camp this week. Ethan (8) had to play in the final tournament with the older kids 11 and up, and lot both of his matches. Christian (7), who is rather used to his older brother beating him at everything, had his day and won all his matches! I'm proud of both of them.

Went to see the Smurf movie in 3D, followed by ice cream cones..it was a fun day!

After getting in at about 2AM from our friends' movie night, I woke up at 4:30AM, got dressed an met Ty (I haven't run with him in forever) in town, then we drove to Darin's..then Darin drove us to the trail head. The weather was about the same as its been for the past month...about 82F at start (6:30AM). Zachary ran 6.2, Ty ran 8, and Darin and I ran 11.4 miles. It took us almost 2 hours. After the run we swam a little at Darin's then headed home. 

82F, S5

AP: 10:00

3rd day of running in a row. Did 6 out and back at about 8:30 pace, then met Ty at 7:30AM at the trailhead and did another 6 miles. I was going to go back out for another couple miles, but noticed blood in my urine, so I headed home a bit worried, and have been drinking lots of water to flush my system. This has never happened to me before, so I'm a bit concerned. If it's still there this evening, I'll head to the doctor tomorrow. 

UPDATE:

Well, after about 4 hours of relaxing and drinking water and OJ, things seem to be back to normal! I'll continue to hydrate, and be sure to replace my electrolytes...I'll keep an eye on things, but I'm a bit relieved (so to speak).

82F

AP: 8:30

Rest day

Run w/ Darin before work. I felt a bit sluggish, even though yesterday was a rest day. The continuous string of 100+ degree days is getting old..we surpassed the 2nd place record with 31 consecutive days over 100 degrees at DFW. The all-time record is 69...we probably have shot at that one. Overnight lows are around 82-85 now..yes, I'm complaining...I think this year will be my last Fall marathon, as long as I'm still living in Texas...it's just too hot for training..yes, I'm a wimp...give me 50s and 60s, and I'm happy! :)

AP: 7:35

84F

5 solo miles before work at home. Got out the door at about 7:30. 85F.

AP: 8:09

Ran w/ Darin before work. Normally, we've been stopping at 5.00 miles, then walking the remaining .3 miles back to Darin's house. Today we ran the entire thing--which includes a bit of an incline. It's still hot...only minor hip pain today (ITB or something that's been nagging me for a few months)

85F, S5

AP: 7:40

Met Jo and Darin at the trail, again. Ran the first 6 mile loop with Jo and Darin (10:08 AP). Jo had to leave, so ran the next 6 mile loop with Darin (AP: 9:11). I took a rest day yesterday, and made sure I was plenty hydrated. No problems and we all felt good today. I'm seriously thinking of running a trail race in the fall -- I should be used to the ups, down, root, rocks, and sand by then.

Ran a 1 mile cooldown at Darin's house..to get 40 miles for the week (my first 40 mile week in a long time!!).

AP: 9:45

85-89F

4 slow recovery miles. No watch.

85F

3:00 PM fitness break. 5 progressive miles on the dreadmill. It wasn't too bad..at least it was climate controlled. Only 75 degrees!!! Finished last lap at 10 MPH.

6 miles w/ Darin before work. Felt OK. There was a bit of a breeze this morning that helped.

84F, S15

AP: 7:40

7 miles at lunchtime on the treadmill. Not too bad! Last mile was sub 7:00 with the last lap at 10mph.

59:00

AP: 8-something

72F, 0mph (gym)

Morning run w/ Darin at 6:30 AM.

83F, S10

AP: 7:30

I was planning on meeting my buddy, Ty at downtown Ft Worth to run along the Trinity River. But, for the first time in months, we called it off on account of rain! I was halfway to the trail when I saw his text, so turned around, bought a box of donuts and went home.

At about 8:45 the rain let up some, so I went out for a solo run from my house. Ran 8 and the cooler temps (low 70s) felt great!

AP: 8:12

72F, cloudy

Met Darin and Dave at Lake Grapevine and ran the paved trails. This is the first run with Dave in over a month..he's slowly getting back into it. Ran 8 miles with D&D, then went out for another 4...wished I had time for more. I really need to get some long runs in...and soon.

I'm taking some vacation days this week, so perhaps I can find time for a mid-week 18-20 miler. SGM is getting closer!

78F

My wife went to visit her mother, so I took the week off to spend with the boys. On Monday night we decided to go to Colorado to escape the heat. So I called friends of mine who live outside Denver to see if they would be around and wouldn't mind a few impromtu guests. On Tuesday morning we were on our way. After 13 hours and almost 900 miles of driving we made it to their house on Tuesday night.

Ran 6.41 miles with Charlotte at 6:30am. It was about 58 degrees!!!!! Who cares if there's less oxygen..the cool temps more than made up for it!

AP: 9:05

58F, sunny

Still in Denver (Westminster).

Got up and ran with Glen. He's not a runner, but he fooled me. He's extremely fit, but mainly rides bikes. Ran 9 miles with him at about 8:43 pace. 

After our 9, I ran another 4 with Glen's wife, Charlotte.

AP w/ Glen: 8:43  (9.00 miles)

AP w/ Charlotte: 10:00 (4 miles)

After breakfast, I took the boys to Rocky Mountain National Park - we entered through Estes Park (about 60 miles from where we were staying). We drove the scenic drive to 12,000 feet (Alpine Visitor Center). We loved seeing snow!!!!