Easy Run at the Lake

Today I met Jay and Jan early for a jog around the lake. The weather was perfect...cool, clear, and dry. I think the temps were in the high 30s. We went clockwise which is nice so you can see the sun rise on the back side of the run. My legs were a little tight this morning, but felt good as the run progressed. Jan jumped off at the Congress bridge due to some residual skiing pain and Jay and I continued on. I think we picked up the pace a little after Jan jumped off. It was a nice run.

Stats - 7 Miles/1:10:14/10:00 pace (probably a little faster; didn't stop the watch at my potty stop)

Easy Run at Home

Today I slept in and ran at home instead of getting up at 5AM and meeting the group. I slept really well which is what I needed. My legs felt good with a little soreness, but nothing major. After my effort yesterday, I was a little worried. I started off pretty quick (8:05 first mile) today so I guess I still had some spring in my legs. I quickly slowed myself down and settled into a nice groove. I wore my MP3 player today and that is a nice change since I rarely run with music. I had some mellow stuff on and that worked well with my slower pace for the last 4 miles. I did the usual out and back to highway 45 and then ran up Escarpment almost to Slaughter.

I got home and did some "higher-open" exercises, stretched and did 100 crunches and 50 leg extensions for my abs, and did two sets of back raises for my back. I feel really good now and plan to work hard until race day.

Stats - 5.13 miles/44:13/8:36 pace

3M Half Marathon

Today was probably the most fun race of the season, the 3M half marathon. Although Decker is my favorite race, this one is a close second due to its downhill, easy course. The weather was almost perfect for the race with temps in the 40s at the start, clear, cool, and a light wind. My goal was to run under 1:35 and my stretch goal was to do the same time as Decker 1:33:30. I got up at 5AM and drank most of a 34 oz. bottle of Gatorade Endurance at home. I loaded some extra clothes at the last minute and then headed up to Gateway. I hit the port-a-potty for a deuce and then found some of the group for the warmup. We did about a 2 mile warmup with drills and then I ran back to my car to change. I stuck with my plan to run in a singlet. I ate a carboom and drank the rest of my Gatorade. I found a tree, dropped my bag off at the bag check, and jumped into the chute. I found some of the Gazelles, but not Kelly or Diana.

The race went off a little late at 7:10 and we couldn't hear the national anthem or any introductions due to technical difficulties with Evil's truck. The gun went off and it took a bit to get to the starting line. The crowd was really thick so I picked my way through for the first mile or so. We climbed up to Braker and then headed across to 183...that's where it broke loose a little bit. I found Marci at that point and we stuck together for a few miles. We headed down 183 and onto Mesa Drive where it really picks up. It is like a little chute through there that is really downhill through Spicewood Springs and onto MoPac. I wasn't feeling so hot through the first 5 miles at all, but kept plugging away. It usually takes me a few miles to get going and mentally I am learning to manage the hard times better.

Mile 1-5 Splits - 7:45, 7:26, 7:14, 7:15, 7:14

We got through the little section along Great Northern, the relay transition area and then to Burnet Road for the start of some more downhill sections. There are few slight up hill parts, but for the most part it is downhill or flat. We were limited to one lane in this section so the traffic was a little hard to maneuver through. There were many people running 3 across so you had dodge the cars to get around them. I started to get into a good rhythm through this section. I have been trying to get a fast turnover going ever since I met Dave Hill in Tucson. It seems to be working for me. I finished the Burnet section and got onto Medical Parkway to 34th Street where there is a little hill that I used to think was a mountain. Sometimes I think the Gazelles should be the Mountain Goats since we all seem to love hills.

Mile 6-10 Splits - 7:10, 6:27, 7:23, 7:13, 7:21
Note: I think the Mile 7 split was a little short, but I think the mile 8 split made up for it.

Once I got onto Guadalupe it was time to "drop the bomb." I didn't think I had anything to drop, but I got into a really good cadence and went faster. I had a couple of my fastest miles in this stretch. Thon caught me at the North end of campus, but I broke away once we passed the University Catholic Center and St. Austin's. I did a quick sign of the cross for each church and then took off. I didn't see Thon until the finish line. I was passing many people during the last few miles and didn't seem to slow at all as we climbed up to 12th street. I made the turn and saw Carrie ahead of me. She was having an awesome race. I tried to catch her, but she accelerated as well as we swept into the chute. She ended up getting me by 8 seconds. I crossed the line in 1:34:16 which was a new half marathon PR for me.

Mile 11-13.1 Splits - 7:15, 7:12, 6:42, :40

I grabbed a bottle of water, my medal and just started to jog a bit. I did a little loop for about .25 miles and then came back to find Jay and some other folks. We did another .75 miles and headed back to get our stuff and get some food. I grabbed a breakfast taco from Rudy's, checked the results (I ran 7 minutes faster than last year and still finished 8th in the Clydesdale's). I had to run some errands so I got into the bus line and headed back to the top.

All in all it was a great day. I have major confidence heading into Freescale and I need to keep my intensity up for the next 3 weeks and just run my race on the 19th. I PR'd by 3:32 over the Indy half last May and my pace was only one second slower than my fastest ever 10k. I feel really good!

Easy Pre Race Run

Today I met the group at 7:30 for our usual pre race run. It was a little drizzly and really humid. G told us to run out for 15 minutes and back. We ended up going about 16 minutes out and back for a totaly of 30 minutes. We also did 5 strides. The rain started to come down harder so we all headed back to RunTex for stretching. The 3M folks were there already so I got my packet. I was going to go over and stretch, but there was minimal dry space so I just headed home.

Stats - 3.41 miles (including strides)

Afternoon Run

Today I had an early meeting so I wasn't able to run in the morning. I decided to run when I got home so I could still have a day of rest on Friday. What a difference running in the afternoon was for me. I felt sluggish, slow and generally not good at all. I guess I am used to running on an empty stomach and while I am fresh in the morning. It was actually kind of cool outside and I felt a little cold with just a t-shirt on. I ran a new loop out and down LaCrosse towards the new school and did a big loop around toward the south and to highway 45 and back to the house. I felt a little better towards the end, but still kind of a rough run. I need to stick to running in the morning!

Stats - 5.3 miles/43:40/8:14 pace

Fartleks on the Trail

Today we did our usual Wednesday, pre-race fartleks on the trail. It was still cold this morning, but not as cold as yesterday. G told us to warm up for two miles and then start our fartleks; 15 x 1 minute with one minute rest in between. I started out running with Jerry ahead of Jay's pack, but I dropped back when the fartleks began and ran with Jay's group. Two weeks ago I couldn't keep up so I felt good today and led a couple of repeats. We did a good job of the speed part as well as scaling back on the slow minutes.

We did 5 strides at the finish and then spent about 15 minutes on Gilbert's balance drills. I am finally starting to get these down and I think it is helping my running. I really should practice these more at home.

I have an early meeting tomorrow, so I think I am going to move my rest day to Thursday, run 5-7 miles on Friday, and then the easy 4 on Saturday. G wants us to run our Decker time at 3M, which means 1:33 for me. I think that's kind of fast, but very doable. I definitely want to break my PR of 1:37 and shoot for a sub 1:35.

Stats - 7.5 miles (with run and strides)

Easy Recovery Run

Today I met Jay at 6AM for an easy 7 mile run around the lake. It was cold again this morning so I had to wear tights again. We went a little faster than last week averaging in the low 9's for the run. The pace felt good and there were was no pain or anything from the 20 miler and Meriden yesterday. My legs actually feel really good for 4 weeks out. The problem I am having is that I can't ditch my cough at night and I can't seem to get enough sleep. I think the two go hand in hand and I am always tired at this time of the training.

We did 5 strides after the run and I headed off to the gym where I lifted weights; arms, legs, abs, and then stretched.

Stats - 7 Miles/1:03:36

Meriden

Today we did kind of a long workout although the speed/strength portion wasn't that long. We left RunTx Riverside at about 5:50 for a run to Meriden for some hills to get our legs moving and hour hips opened up. I didn't measure the warmup, but was thinking it was about 3 miles to get over there. I ran with Anne and Marci for a bit and then had to make a pit stop at the tennis courts. My stomach has been hurting since Saturday and I was thinking I pulled a muscle, but now I think it is a bit of a stomach bug. Anyway, I took care of business and got over to Meriden where I half-assed through the drills. We were told to do 3 repeats and then stick around for some sprints up the starting hill.

I did the repeats about 20 seconds slower than normal, but felt pretty comfortable doing them and my legs did feel good. Splits - 4:59, 4:52, 5:00

I did 5 sprints up the hill and 3 backwards and my legs were really loosening up. G really knows his stuff cause this workout did exactly what he said it would do and I feel great. I ran back with Sean and Emily and then headed home to get ready for work.

Stats - 9.8 Miles

I am really glad we are winding down. I have been so tired lately and really need a break. I need to figure out what I can do after the race so that I can keep the weight off. I think swimming is the key, but I need to get some lessons so I can learn how to breathe. I still want to do well in the shorter races this spring, but I don't want to get up at 5AM 4 days a week.

Last Really Long Run Before Freescale

Today was our last over 20 mile run before Freescale. We are 4 weeks out so this is it...thank God! I met the group at RunTex for the drive to Spicewood and 183. The weather was actually pretty good except for a wind that started out of the north and then kind of swung around to the west and south as we progressed. I think our goal was to leave at 6:00AM, but we ended up rolling at almost 6:15. We did the last 22 miles for the Freescale course except we ran on the trail for the out and back instead of risking getting hit by a car.

I ran with Gretchen for the first few miles and then stopped for a potty break. When I emerged from the bushes, I jumped in with Patrick, Diana, Kelly, and Volel. When they caught me the conversation had already degraded to the word of the day being "ass." I was able to contribute to the conversation. We headed across Braker where some A-hole truck driver felt that he had to drive in the right lane and blast his horn as he went by us instead of using one of the other two open lanes. We had a few near misses during this run and I began to wonder what the hell was wrong with these rude drivers. We stopped at Henry's water station at about mile 5.5 where I ate a carboom and drank some powerade.

Mile 1 -5 Splits - 9:09, 8:52, 8:53, 8:33, 9:00

We headed down Burnet and all decided to hit the Jack in the Box for the restrooms. We headed out of there and ran into Jay's group through the industrial park. We pulled away and headed down Shoal Creek. We stopped at Rudy's water stop around mile 10 and I ate another carboom. The discussion took a turn for the worse...can't be mentioned here. We made the left on Hancock and then the left onto North Loop to make the nasty stretch across to Duval. I knwo this is going to be a struggle point in a few weeks due to the slight climb through that area. The road also has a huge camber so I need to be sure and run in the middle of the road. We stopped at Duval and 53rd for another Henry stop and caught up with Volel. He ran ahead of us through the Shoal Creek area. I ate another carboom, drank some powerade and we were off again. We headed down Duval which was a nice downhill with the exception of one area where you have to climb a bit. I was beginning to feel tired through this section. My travel and lack of sleep was catching up with me. I focused on my form more and continued on. I was thinking of how I could cut some mileage off, but wanted to stay mentally tough and complete the 22 miles.

Mile 6-15 Splits - 8:51, 8:54, 8:33, 8:48, 9:05, 8:59, 8:52, 9:17, 8:56, 8:34

We went through the campus up the nasty hill right before the capital and then around the capital and onto Congress. We were bunched up again and stayed on Congress until we made a right on 2nd street. We cut down San Antonio and onto the trail. Patrick and Kelly veered off at the Pfluger bridge and Volel and I kept on to the MoPac bridge. Diana caught up with us there and the 3 of us took the south side of the trail back to Auditorium shores. Volel took off and I tried to keep up with him. I picked it up a bit for the last 4 miles chasing down Volel. I caught up with him right at the finish.

Mile 16 - 22 Splits - 8:54, 8:43, 8:37, 8:07, 8:19, 8:21, 8:04

Most of the folks had finished and were already stretching. I did 3 strides and then walked back with Jay and Amy to RunTex. I wasn't feeling so good...my stomach was hurting a bit so I packed it in and went home to stretch. I ended up sleeping all day long. We went to dinner at Pappasito's and then I came home and fell asleep on the couch at 7:30. It was a good final long run.

Stats - 22.2 Miles/3:13:32/8:43 pace

400 Repeats in Los Gatos

I was still in the bay area today so I got up at 5AM to meet with a training group at Los Gatos High School. A lady I work with at Sun trains with them so I met her and the group at 5:45am. It was a lot colder yesterday so it was a good thing I bought some tights last night at the New Balance store in San Jose. I just happened to walk by the store on our way to dinner with Sun.

Anyway, we did a two mile warmup in the dark streets of Los Gatos. It is a really cute little suburb of San Jose. I did my drills while the others did their routine. I then ran with their fast group for 5 repeats. I did my one jog lap and then headed out for another 5 repeats on my own. It was about 6:50 so I had time for two more repeats and about a .75 mile cool down before I had to hit the road back to my hotel. I averaged 1:36 for the 12 repeats with a fast one of 1:30. This is the same pace as my repeats on 9/7/05 so I figure I am in good shape with a month to go to Freescale.

Stats - 12 x 400 repeats
7.51 miles

We continued our meeting with Sun in the AM and in the afternoon went to this place in Los Gatos to play Boce Ball. It was a blast! I headed from there around 3PM to catch my flight. When I got to my gate, I ran into Anne Espinoza and chatted with her for a bit. She was finishing up a week up in Napa with her company. We were both happy to be coming home!

Run in Baylands Preserve

After flying in last evening from Austin, I got up early and ran with a lady I work with in the Baylands preserve in Sunnyvale. We left the hotel at 6AM in the dark. It rained yesterday, so the trails were a bit muddy. We went out about 3 miles and turned around. Poor Michelle tripped over a pipe that was sticking out of the ground before a foot bridge. It was a graceful fall, but it turned she dinged herself up pretty good. She dusted her self off and we finished the run. It was good run and the sunrise over the SF bay was really nice...a great way to start the day.

Stats - 5.87 Miles/56:12/9:35 pace

7 Mile Recovery Run

Today I met Jay and special guest Jan for an easy recovery run. We haven't seen Jan since before the holidays when she got hurt. It was cold and freakin' windy again. A front blew through last night and there was a strong wind out of the NW. We had it in our faces for the north side of the trail. It seems like every time I run lately it is into the wind...getting old!

Anyway, we were able to catch up on things and enjoy a peaceful run in the dark. We ran at a really slow pace which was nice after yesterday's workout. I headed to the gym afterward and did my leg exercises, some arm exercises, abs, and did the full stretch routine. Less than 5 weeks to go and I am down to 201 pounds. I need to drop another 6 in next few weeks.

Stats - 7 miles/1:12:19/10:20 pace

The Road to Wilke

Much to my surprise, yesterday I got the email from G about the week's workouts and saw Wilke on the schedule for today...yuck! This is the workout that makes me remember running suicides (lines) during basketball practice in high school. It is a really long workout too with the warmup, drills and the actual repeats. The weather was warm and humid...like mid 60s and lots of humidity...almost summer like. Anyway, we gathered at 5:45 and I ran over quietly with Emily and another lady I don't know that well. We chatted a bit about how my posse ran the wrong way during Saturday's long run...oh well!

We did our drills and then hit the mountain. Sidenote...why doesn't G call it Mountain Wilke? G wanted us to do 10 forward, 3 backward and then 3 of the 20 yard sprints at the top. I was hurting after 5, but continued on. I was running with Sean for the most part, but he always beat me to the top. We grumbled through the last 5 and then hit the backward repeats and the sprints. I don't really like the backward ones either, but really like the sprints to flush out the legs at the end of that workout.

I ran back with Sean and then headed home to get ready for work. It was a really good workout and I feel really good about it. Today was a Wilke "PR" for me. My previous best was 8 so I beat that by 2! I was thinking I did 10 before, but was wrong. It's a good thing I didn't know or I probably would have bailed early.

Stats - Approximately 9 miles with warmup, drill and the workout.

The 3M Course

Today we ran the 3M course at 6AM. It turned out to be a really cold day. It was about 32 at the start, but still very dry. We haven't had a good rain since November and the last measurable rain was about a month ago. I drove straight to Gateway since today is also going to be "Elfa" day and got there late. I barely had time to tie my shoes before everyone took off. I caught up to the pack and settled in with Diana and Kelly. At about the 3 or 4 mile mark we took a pit stop at a conveniance store and the whole gang went by. We stopped for water and I ate a Carboom at about the 6 mile mark and we were on our way again. We took a wrong turn on our way to Medical Parkway so we missed the second water stop and that really sucked. We were all doing OK though since it wasn cold outside. We passed Marci at about the 12 mile mark and she was walking. She said she had some IT issues.

Overall it was a really nice run on a very nice course. I can't wait for race day because I am going to give it full effort this year. In the past I have always held back and it didn't pay off at Freescale. With 3 weeks in between races, I should be good to go.

Carla and the kids picked me up to head to the top so I skipped strides and stretching. I did some light stretching while I was waiting for my shelving. I ended up working until about 5 after we got home so I was really tired and fell asleep watching football.

Stats - 13.55 Miles/2:00:05/8:51 pace

For the week I ended with over 58 miles which is near or just beats my longest mileage week. I am feeling good!

7 Miles in the Neighborhood

After the crappy workout I had yesterday I was eager to hit the roads this AM. I love Thursdays and Fridays because I get to sleep until 6:30. The weather changed again and we had this nasty wind out of the south and it was actually humid. The humidity was nice, but the wind sucked.

I did my usual out to highway 45 and back north to Davis route. I took my mp3 player and had a really nice run. The miles into the wind were slower so I practiced my form and enjoyed the miles at my back. I went a bit slower than I usually do on these Thursday runs, but I am still in recovery mode from the race on Sunday.

I am finally starting to feel normal again. Hopefully I don't have any more setbacks before the race. Tomorrow is a day of rest before the easy run on the 3M course on Saturday.

Stats - 7.19 Miles/1:02:18/8:40 pace

2000s at Zilker

Today we met to run 2000s at Zilker. I was not up for this at all. It was in the 30s when I woke up and I just wanted to go to bed. My quads are still hurting from Sunday and I have soreness where Lucy kicked my butt yesterday on the massage table. I needed to get the mileage in so I went thinking I could go not as hard as usual.

We jogged over, did our drills and got started. I got into my usual group and really tanked the first one with Sean coming in at 9:57. I don't think I have ever run that slow during this workout. I was able to pick it up for the next two, but then went slower on the last one. I think I am still getting my legs back after being sick. The race only lengthened that process and I used myself up more than I probably should have.

Splits - 9:57, 8:43, 8:38, 8:50

I averaged 9:02 with the tank lap and 8:44 without it. I averaged 8:17 back in August so today's workout was a disaster. I will chalk it up to "one of those days" and not worry about it. I will run an easy 5-7 miles tomorrow, take Friday off and then we will run the 3M course on Saturday morning. Hopefully my legs will be back for next week's speed workouts.

Stats - 8.67 Miles with warmup, workout and cool down.

Easy 7!

Today I met Jay and Amy at the RunTex for an easy 7 around the lake. I took yesterday totally off since I was really tired from the race on Sunday. The weather changed again so it was actually kind of cold by the lake. I think somewhere in the 40s. I decided to wear tights, gloves and two layers on top. We re-hashed the pain of Sunday and moved on to some other topics to pass the time. We ended up averaging like 10 minute miles, but that was fine with me. I am still really sore and not feeling like doing much. I may have gone too hard on Sunday, but I ran "how I felt" and that was my goal for the race.

I went to the gym for the first time this year and did a few upper body exercises, calf raises, abs, and a really good stretch routine before I headed to the office.

I got a massage at lunch time and Lucy really beat me up. I wanted to scream a few times. I am sure I will be sore tomorrow for our speed workout. I may sandbag the workout and just get some laps in. I don't want to over do it since I feel like I did after Chicago. We have less than 6 weeks until Freescale and I don't want to blow it now.

Stats - 7 Miles - Very Slow!

RunTex 20 Miler

Today was the first RunTex 20 miler. This race replaced the RunTex 30k that used to be in Buda. The weather was half good and half bad. The temps were nice (50s) so we could run in a singlet, but the wind was crazy. It was a steady 20-25 MPH with gusts up to 35MPH.

I met Jay and a new guy named Peter at Gateway and we headed over to the course. I ate a Clif Bar on the way up and drank most of a 34oz Gatorade endurance. We got to the course and headed off for the warmup. I hit the porto can prior to the warmup and was able to adjust my weight and hydration. We started off and ran into Gilbert. We covered about 1.5 miles during the warmup and then did our drills. I headed off with Jay to get the race gear on. I ate a Carboom and finished off the remaining Gatorade so 34 oz in me prior to the race. We hit the bushes on the way to the start line and then blended in with our groups. I line up with Diana, Marci, and Kelly. I had no idea what to expect since I had a whole week off due to my illness and really only had a few days to get some food and re-hydrate.

The gun went off and we headed out on the back side of the Dell Diamond. We made a right turn and headed into Old Settler's park which is really big. We headed through there and through a small neighborhood before heading out into the country. The course was nice so far. We all stuck together pretty well and the first 5 miles went by without incident. I took on water at all the available stops with the exception of the very first one and ate a Carboom just before mile 4.

Miles 1 -5 Splits - 8:20, 8:08, 7:56, 7:58, 8:00

As soon as we turned the corner at mile 5 the wind blasted us in the face. We continued to work together taking turns at the front of our little pack. We would pick up some folks and drop them as we went, but it was really nice sticking together for this rough day. The second five miles of the course was mostly flat to slight downhills in the country. I ate another Carboom prior to mile 8 and continued drink at each water stop. We got to the main road that runs in front of the Dell Diamond and made a right and the wind was worse. We got along that road then made the right into Old Settler's park again. This really sucked because you could see the 10 mile people peel off and finish while we had to keep going. I thought for a second of saying screw it and quitting, but I kept on going.

Miles 6-10 Splits - 8:11, 8:02, 8:18, 8:01, 8:23
First 10 Miles - 1:21:17

After the first loop there isn't much else to say about the course. We stuck together until about mile 12 or 13 and then we separated. The ladies got ahead of me with Diana ahead of them. I caught them at a water stop and then it was just Diana and I. I ate another Carboom before mile 12 and continued to drink. We finally got some Powerade on the back side of the course. I rely on sports drink, so was disappointed to keep drinking water.

Miles 11-15 Splits - 8:12, 8:10, 8:04, 8:00, 8:05

We turned the corner again at the 14.8 mile mark and the wind hit again. This time it felt worse. I don't know if it was from fatigue or if it was getting stronger...probably a little of both. Diana and I continued to run together and I was working to eliminate the "drafters" who were really bothering me. We had one guy who was breathing really hard and coughing up a lung and this other little bastard who just camped on my left shoulder. At one point I had enough and just blasted ahead about a quarter mile. I don't know where I got the energy, but I found it. Diana didn't know that I was trying to ditch the drafter and she stayed with me stride for stride. She is very strong! We continued on and before mile 16 I drank a whole package of Enervitene. I was hoping for a little boost. As you can see by the times below it didn't help much. Diana and I were side by side until about the last couple of hundred yards where she pulled ahead. I didn't have anything left although the last mile was the fastest of the final 5 miles. I grabbed some water and went for some food waiting for Jay. I didn't have to wait long. He had an awesome race. We headed back his truck and got some dry clothes and some much needed Endurox. We then headed back to the food area to get more drink and to visit with some of the other Gazelles.

Miles 16 - 20 Splits - 8:28, 8:32, 8:39, 8:40, 8:22

Second 10 Miles - 1:23:11

Overall I was very happy with my performance. On a terrible wind day, I stayed strong and only finished 3 seconds per mile slower than my Chicago pace. I stayed mentally strong and didn't have any body breakdowns. My right glute flared up a bit, but I stayed focused and kept my form going. I ended up retaining my 2nd place crown in the Rhino division (200-220lbs) for the 3rd straight year. I got a pretty cool running hat for placing. I think I am on pace to have a good race at Freescale. I am still going to go into that race with no BQ goals. I am going to be loose and run how I feel. It has worked for the last 3 races and I need to get it to work again on marathon day.

Easy Tune Up Run

Today I met the group for our usual day before race day easy run. We met at 7:45 and headed out for a 30 minute run. I saw a bunch of folks I haven't seen in a long time. I ended up catching up with Kelly for the 30 minutes. We all ended up at Auditorium shores for some balance drills and then the group did the stretching routine. It is amazing to see how much the group had grown in the past year. It has lost some of its intimacy, but I guess the weekday groups haven't grown that much. I picked up my packet and headed home for a day of rest.

I drank a lot, ate a turkey sandwich for lunch, ate a bag of rice crackers and then had bowtie pasta with sauce for dinner at Johnny Carino's.

Stats 30 minutes/3.6 miles

Easy 4 Miles in the Hood

I was going to stick to my two day rest period before a really long race strategy, but I had to get out and redeem myself after feeling so crappy on Wednesday. I stayed up lating watching the Longhorns win the National Championship on Wednesday night and slept in yesterday. I am still trying to shake the bronchitis along the annual Cedar Fever.

So today I felt guilty and went for a run. I just wanted to get the legs moving and get some air into my lungs. I was going at a pretty decent pace when I ran into Bob Wischnia on my return portion of the out and back. We chatted for a few minutes and I forgot to turn my watch off...no biggie. Bob is just coming back after falling through the roof at RunTex. I guess he cracked a bone in his neck and is out for the race on Sunday and possibly 3M and Freescale. He said he was lucky he landed on his feet or it could have been a lot worse. It's too bad he got hurt since he was having an awesome season.

I finished up my 4 miles and did 2x50 ab crunches and then headed to work. I felt a lot better, but know it will be a couple of more weeks before I am 100%. I have 6 weeks until the marathon and as long as I can finish on Sunday, I should be still on track.

Fartleks on the Trail

Today I joined the Gazelles for the first time in two weeks. It was good to be back, but I knew I wasn't ready for a really strong workout. I didn't sleep good due to my cough and I was tired from my run yesterday.

I decided to join Jay's group for the workout. There were a lot of folks there including some sandbaggers that I trained with this summer for Chicago. We did a two mile/20 minute warmup and then did 1 minute on/1 minute off x 15. The group took turns running up front, but I passed because I could barely keep up with the pack. I did my best and finished with the group at Auditorium shores. G told everyone to do a one mile cool down, but I was shot and headed home. I originally planned to head to work, but I was not feeling good after the workout. I headed hope did a bit of stretching, grabbed a shower, and went back to bed for a few hours.

I feel better this afternoon and am ready to cheer for the Longhorns in the big game tonight against USC. Hopefully I can get a good night's sleep tonight and head to work in the morning.

Stats - 7 miles/1:02:18

2005 Running Recap

It was a really good year for me as far as running goes. I turned 40 in March and joined the "Masters" division which meant even harder competitition within my age group. It doesn't matter much to me as long as I keep enjoying my running and keep improving. I didn't hit my big goal of qualifying for Boston, but I am now within 13 minutes of that goal...a far cry from 29 minutes at this time last year.

2005 Accomplishments:

• Completed two marathons - Freescale 2/05 and Chicago 10/05
• Ran 3 half marathons - 3M 2/05, Indy 5/05, and Motive 11/05
• Ran 1839.53 miles for the year/153.29 miles per month/35.38 miles per week - 123 miles more than last year
• Competed in 14 races and averaged a top 14% finish overall for all races
• Established 10 PRs; 9 of them after turning 40 including 25k, 30k, and marathon PRs during the Chicago marathon
• I got my weight under 200 pounds for the Chicago marathon
• Stayed relatively injury free; nothing major hurt

Goals for 2006

• Qualify for Boston
• Run two marathons...one qualifying attempt and one tourist run
• Get back on a continuous weight training program - I was good during my Chicago training this year, but slacked off afterwards
• Crack the 20 minute barrier for my 5k time
• Crack the 40 minute barrier for my 10k time
• Learn how to swim so I can take some time off my feet this spring and summer
• Continue to work on my diet
• Run injury free

That should do it. I hope everyone has a great 2006!

7 Miler in the Neighborhood

I went to the Dr. this AM, and I do have bronchitis. He said it is on its way out, but that is hard when the Cedar is kicking in high gear and I am very allergic to that. I got a new inhaler to open up my lungs before I run, but it will take a few days to get my lung capacity back to normal.

I headed out on my usual 4 mile loop and added 3 miles down to Davis lane through the new shopping center on Escarpment. They finally opened the road. I went running around noon and the weather was already into the 70s, very dry, and a warm sun. My legs felt good, but my breathing was still off and I was really tired when I got home. It was good to get some mileage under my belt before the 20 mile race on Sunday...I have no idea what to expect there at all.

Stats - 7 miles/59:09/8:26 pace

First Run of the Year

I still wasn't feeling so hot so I slept in again and didn't make the Gazelle workout. I did take the girls out for a bike ride while I ran. It felt really weird to be out there and my legs and lungs felt really weak. Once I got warmed up, my legs felt good, but I had a hard time catching my breath. I have a Dr. appt tomorrow, but I bet I have bronchitis and that always affects my running.

Anyway, we covered almost 4 miles after a Caroline crash, some hills, and sand. It was interesting for all of us.

Stats - 3.92 miles/40:54/10:26 pace - lots of walking throughout for the bikers

Trip to Disneyland and Home Recap

Happy New Year! I am finally alive enough to write about our adventure after we left Tucson. We had a great Christmas day with my family. Presents, great food, and some quality time together. I don't get to see them nearly enough and treasure the time I do get with them. The kids were totally surprised when we told them we were headed to Disneyland on Christmas day.

12/26/05
Anyway, I got up and ran on Monday AM around 7 so we could get on the road by 9 to Disneyland. I went just over 6 miles at an 8:34 pace. Little did I know it would be my last run of 2005. It was long day of driving for me and Carla. The traffic was crazy heading into LA on I-10 starting in Palm Springs all the way in to the southern freeway that takes you to Anaheim.We made it to the Disneyland hotel around 3PM and quickly checked in so we could hit the park. The crowds were crazy, but it was nice to be there. The decorations, lights and all that were amazing. We took in the Holiday parade once we got in and then rode a few rides before heading back to the room around 9PM. We watched the fireworks from our room and then turned in. We wanted to get up early to hit all the good rides before the crowds got crazy again.

12/27/05 - Day 2 at Disneyland
We hit most of the major rides in the AM at Disneyland and then headed into Downtown Disney for lunch. This was the turning point of the trip. We ate a place called Brennan's which is an off shoot of the famous New Orleans restaurant. The food was terrible and I think I got food posioning from that lunch. We had a great afternoon and evening at the California Adventure Park and then headed back to the hotel. Early in the AM, the stomach violence hit. I thought it was just a passing thing, but it didn't go away.

12/28/05 - Day 3 at Disneyland
I woke up and started eating Immodium so that I could join Carla and the girls for the day. It worked for the morning and I was able to ride the Matterhorn with both girls. We hit some smaller rides and then headed over the California Adventure Park to ride Soaring Over California. We were able to get on with a very short weight and it was awesome. It simulates flying over California in a hang glider, but you get all the smells, wind and etc. of the areas you see. It was a blast and both the girls loved it. We headed over to the kiddie are and turned the girls loose. We then headed over the biggest roller coaster of both parks, California Screaming. Emma bailed so just Caroline and I rode it. I was shocked she didn't bail too, but she held strong. The ride blasted off and Caroline turned really white. We did a couple of drops and then went through the loop. Right before it ended she asked, "did we go through the loop yet?" We headed over to the Hollywood area to see the Aladdin show and that is where I started to fade quickly. I got the chills and felt like I was going to pass out. I slept during the show and then headed back to the hotel. I was down for the count...fever, chills, just plain food poisoning or the stomach flu. Carla and the girls went back to the park in the evening and I just slept...what a waste for me. I was really disappointed.

12/29/05 - Drive back to Tucson
I woke up feeling pretty good so we took the girls to breakfast with the characters. Needless to say no running again. I was weak and just wanted to eat. I ate pretty well and then we headed back to Tucson. We got there around 6 and met my brother for dinner. We watched the Wildcats play Washington State on TV and then headed to bed.

12/30/05 - Drive back to Austin
I woke up feeling really good, but a bit tired. It was 4:30 and we left at 5AM. We made really good time in the dark and stopped for gas in El Paso. I was drinking a lot so I could get hydated for the long run on Saturday. We were able to beat the Sun Bowl traffic and get through town pretty quick. We got to Van Horn around lunchtime and we were about half way home...that's when it hit again. I went back to the Immodium, but it didn't work so we kept having to stop. I was feeling terrible. Needless to say, it was a long 7 hours back to Austin. I managed to drive the last couple of hours, but as soon as we got home, the chills and fever hit again. It was a really rough night and again no running on Saturday.

I slept most of the day Saturday and wasn't able to keep food in my system until Sunday...so no running on New Year's day either. I guess the only good part of this is that I am down to 200 pounds again although feeling much weaker and not really wanting to eat too much.