Runs

After work today, I went and ran seven miles at the park. My time is still too slow at 1:07. I shouldn’t have any problem hitting 1:03 on a relaxed run or 57-58 minutes on a fast run. My goal as I get myself healthy is to increase my speed.

After the run I did a workout.

Hurricane Ike certainly did it’s damage where I live for trail runners. I went by the State Park and read the sign saying that it would be two to three weeks before they open. This was after listening to a message on the phone saying they were closed indefinitely. The sign also said they would either fine or arrest people entering the park while it’s closed. Then the nearby National Forest had signs saying it is closed until December 11, 2008. Crazy! They will fine up to $5,000. Double crazy!

With that I decided that I would run seven miles on the road. I went to a popular running road that you can go straight out and back on while getting a good distance in. I did my seven miles and went home disappointed.

I went out this evening after work and ran 7 miles on the trails. It felt alright but there was certainly some lingering pain in the IT Band area. I’ve started to incorporate some different stretches before and after runs along with more cross training. I’m hoping that all of this creates a situation where my body can correct itself. It sure felt good to be out in nature again for a little over an hour.

I’m still recovering from the injury so the past couple days have been workouts of a different sort. I went to the trails and scretched through them on my bike. I forgot how much I enjoy going out there and riding. I am going to check out a few other trails on the bike for fun.

Today I went to the track and ran some speed drills. I repeated 800s until I was nearly dizzy. It’s good to feel workout pain because then I can reward myself with Mexican food.

Alright a rare victory at work this past week. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks but things should slow down. I rarely talk about my personal life but sometimes it factors into my running, so I guess it doesn’t hurt to mention it.

I’ve been on the road for work the past couple weeks. The timing couldn’t have been better with the unfortunate knee/ligament injuries. I was able to focus on work without worrying about what I needed to do with running.

Today was good because I was able to get a good punishment on a felony trial. My client was found guilty (not surprising) and received an appropriate punishment. I can’t help but think that part of that sentence came from my work with him beforehand and at trial.

After I made it home I decided that I had gone long enough without running. I went out to the trails and ran 5 easy miles. I think my time was a pathetically slow 49 minutes but I finished it up without feeling any pain. I’ve been reading a lot of information about what happened to me and I’m convinced it was mostly from switching shoes to a type that doesn’t help my pronation. I’ll continue with more cross-training, but I’m going to slow down on the shoes that precepitated this injury.

There comes a time when most runners get bored of the same old running routes. For me that has been neighborhood paths that get old, high school tracks that look the same, and even trails that start to blend together.

What do we do to correct that? I don’t know, but I know that I go out on new paths. People in my running club often run the same 5 mile loop or one of two 7 mile loops. All three of these have gotten a little boring after running them hundreds of times.

Today I went out to run at the park and found that the park was closed. Thunderstorms and strong winds ravaged through the area tearing down trees and with them powerlines at the park. I went instead to the Lone Star Trail which goes through the Sam Houston National Forest.

There is a path about two miles long that goes into the park, so I ran that. It has been about 3 months since I last ran it and the grass, weeds, and trees have overgrown the path. My legs were suffering as I drudged through it. Finally I made it to the park where I took a couple short trails back to the highway. I saw some of the downed trees but no downed powerlines. I finished up about six miles overall. I saw that John and Lavonne were out at the National Forest and hope they chose the trail that I did not because it might have been a little more manicured.

You won’t see my logging 30-40 miles this week as is my typical mileage. When the temps get into the 100s I stay inside. No need to risk serious heat-related injuries for a few hours on the trails.

While running in the heat of the summer I’ve noticed that occassionally I’ll come across a little repreive from the heat. It is about 90-100 degrees here in South Texas without any repreive until late in the evening. Does anyone know what causes little pockets of much cooler air that occur when I’m out on the trails? Other people in my running club wondered as well as I.

I’m not training for any races but I haven’t neglected my running too much. I’ve given myself a couple extra rest days during the week, but I am stepping up the mileage a little on the days I do run. In fact, I’m not able to run as much with the group because they step down mileage when it’s hot. My philosophy is fewer days but more time out there. Once I’m out there I might as well endure it for awhile.

Sunday I ran a slow 7 miles. Today I ran a very strong 7 miles. Neither was the same trails so it wasn’t too boring.

Saturday evening I decided that I’d run though the park in the dark of the night. I started with enough light that I’d be able to make it far enough that only 15-20 minutes would require a light. Once it got dark I turned on the light and was making pretty good time.

Then I made it to a swampy area where I saw a snake. Then I turned my head and saw another snake. Then I looked to some puddles of water and saw another snake or two! They were all over. So I got a little closer with the light so that I could figure out what they were. Sure enough, I was blocked by some water moccasins.

Although I hadn’t seen any of these at the park, I wasn’t thrilled to be greeted with them this evening. A close relative of the copperhead (of which I’ve seen). Now it might have just been a water snake as harmless snakes are known to mimic the water moccasin as a defense mechanism. In fact, most of the time people claim to encounter a water moccasin they are probably actually seeing a harmless water snake that flattens its head and acts more aggressive to scare you into thinking it’ll harm you.

Smart snakes. I was content to let these snakes, water moccasins or not, be smart. I turned around and ran back. That turned my 7 mile run into about an 11 mile run.

So you think you’ve seen a water moccasin when out hiking, running, or boating? More than likely not but in any event here is what you should look for. On the water the water moccasin swims with it’s entire body exposed. If you saw only the head of a snake it’s more than likely not the water moccison. Furthermore, the water moccasin is unjustly considered aggressive. There have been lab-type tests done that show they are not generally aggressive. They tend to only bite if they are grabbed. Even then the bite is usually a dry bite without venom. If you see one you would be right to leave it alone but you don’t have to have a deathly fear of it

Yesterday morning I ran the outer loop at Huntsville State Park. This is about seven miles. I brought along water as my check of the weather showed it was already 90 degrees. Make no mistake about it, it was a brutal run.

I did see a few deer grazing near the perimeter road at the far southwest side of the park. I also ran into about three single mothers with six or seven kids. They were on the Triple C looking for the Alligator Branch trail. They had come from the nature center and were trying to get back to their campsite. I let them know they made a wrong turn and got them turned back around. On the way in I ran into J.C. who was running until he couldn’t run anymore.

In the evening I went back to the park and ran five miles with Phillip. It was raining when I got to the park, so we waited until the rain died down. Then about a mile into the run it started to pour. It rained down on us just about as hard as I’ve ever run in at the park. It was still fun.

I’ll be traveling to Amarillo (first time to see that west Texas city) for work, so I’ll be away from the blog for a couple days. However, I am going to see if I can check out Palo Duro Canyon for a little running. It sort of depends on how far it is from where I’m working but it’s a definite possibility that excites me.

Earlier this afternoon the temperature reached about 91 degrees where I live. Then in the matter of about an hour that dropped by nearly 25 degrees as dark clouds blocked the sun and rain poured down. I watched the radar and saw that most of the storm (including the rain, lightening, and sounds of thunder) had passed the area. I went out and ran 5 miles. It’s always interesting to run after a storm because you have to pay a lot of attention for downed branches and trees blocking the trails. After the run, I told my friend that when it’s under 80 degrees I really feel like a different runner. It’s so much easier to push the pace and finish in good time.

Last night I ran a quick five miles at the park with a group. They did the loop one direction, but I went the other way. Phillip and I finished within 30 seconds of one another. Some of the other guys took considerably longer as it appeared they decided to walk a good distance.

This morning I ran the same trail by myself. I ran it a lot slower than last night because I didn’t feel 100%. Overall it made for two good, quick fives.

I went out to the park this afternoon because it was such a nice afternoon. After a couple days of temperatures in the 90s, it was nice to have a day where it was 74 degrees at one in the afternoon. That’s about when I started my run.

I saw my friend J.C. finishing up his run, so I spoke with him for a little while about his strategies and goals for the year. He was in good spirits. After about ten minutes of talking I took off and ran seven. It wasn’t fast but I finished in just over an hour. There were lots of people on the trails as it is probably one of the few really nice days we’ll have until next Fall.

Today was an easy 20 mile run in the park. When I woke up this morning I didn’t plan on running anything more than 7 miles. But the weather was too nice to skip an afternoon outside.

I’m not training for anything, so I took the run at a slower pace. I started by the outside of Huntsville Park and ran to the outer trail twice. After each lap I ended it by sprinting up the highway access road to the national forest entrance and back. This made it just over 20 miles.

My first lap was done in 1:30 for a 9:00 minutes per mile pace. This was too slow, so I pushed the second lap a little harder and finished it in 1:25 for a 8:30 m/mile pace. On each of them I splited the 8th mile to push it extra hard. The first lap I ran the 8th in 8:02 minutes and the second lap I ran it in 7:45. Not too shabby.

What a good day outside. I’m thinking about signing up for a trail half marathon to have a fun race to run during the summer. Too bad it’ll involve some travel.

My friends decided that they are going to run some of the trails tomorrow. So I looked at the weather and decided that I still needed to run today. Tomorrow is supposed to be a little stormy and I try to avoid the lightening. I know, I know, I’ve run in it for both races and regular runs, but I still don’t plan on doing such. Normally it’s a sort of "hey that sounds like thunder but I can’t see any lightening. I will just make this a short three mile run"…Of course, bad idea.

I called Phillip and got him on board for a run today. We got out to the park and saw a lot of gray rain clouds above. Knowing that there was a chance of storms with the skies looking like it could be any minute we went for seven miles. We ran the outside loop which is supposed to be about 7 miles. I take that back, I ran the outer loop but he cut off to give a little shortcut. Phillips GPS actually showed it more around 6.44, but he’s not sure if the Garmin was 100% accurate. I think it’s close because he cut off about 100 to 150 meters.

We ended up beating the rain with somewhat slow times of 1:03 and 1:05. Not a great day at the park but I did it feeling like a slug. Now if only we can avoid the thunder tomorrow.

I had fun on my long run this evening. I enjoyed it because even though I was alone, I ran into a lot of people on the trails. One girl mentioned that she liked my shoes as they were the same type of Brooks as mine. Later I came across another woman who let me know that she wasn’t going to run much further because she was tired. I recognized her from some local races, but I hadn’t spoken to her before today.

For my second loop, I found a few guys from my running group and ran with them. It was a fun long run.

I wasn’t supposed to run because I’m in Kansas for a wedding, but I brought my running clothes. I ran on the treadmill for a limited time, because I had to get to the wedding rehearsal. I ran a mile at a good clip and finished in 6:34. It felt really good to run one that fast.

I was going to go on an 8 mile run this morning but I ended up dropping it all the way down to four miles. Then I went about two miles this evening just to give myself a halfway respectable total distance for the day.

I’m still waiting on the splits for the RR50 mile to be put on their website. As soon as that happens, I will write a fairly detailed race report about my first fifty mile race. Other than that, I’ve just been keeping up my mileage little by little. On Friday, I ran 5 miles very fast. Today I ran 10 miles very slowly.

I was up in Dallas this weekend for a bachelor’s party, so I wasn’t able to do much running. When I returned this morning, I went out for a short five mile run and realized that I still have a lot of recovery left to do.

My muscles aren’t hurting like the did the first day I ran after the race, however, I don’t have the energy I need. It was also a little odd to run in 78 degree whether in the middle of February. I can’t believe it’s this warm down here. Oh well, I guess it makes for more runnable running days.

I went on a 21 mile run with a friend yesterday. We’re getting a final long run in before the Rocky Raccoon 50 mile race. Even though Huntsville got a lot of rain, the trail conditions at the Rocky Raccoon are still good. We only had a couple puddles that we had to run around. It was a great run.

This was a pretty good week of running, especially as I’m going to count Bandera which was run last Saturday.

Saturday I ran Bandera 50K in Bandera, Texas. It was well organized, beautiful, and difficult. I found some weaknesses, which I’ve started to correct.

Monday I ran a couple miles around the neighborhood just to get my muscles working again.

Tuesday I went to the state park and ran 5 miles before they closed it off for hunting.

Thursday it was four miles of interval training at the track.

Friday I met some friends out at the state park and pushed hard for a sub-hour 7 mile loop. We ran a modified loop that goes into both the outer section and inner loop. Both have their pros and cons. This helps to make it more pro.

Finally, Saturday, I ran a few miles at Memorial Park in Houston, Texas. Today that park turned into an area for the marathoners to run through during the Houston Marathon.

Total miles was: 52

I cut my long run a little short yesterday. Although I planned on running 21 miles, I went about 19 miles. It was a good day for running. I ran three different loops (2 7-mile loops and one 5 mile loop) and met up with some friends. It was fun to get this long run out of the way for my race on Saturday.

I love the holidays. It’s fun to get to see family members that I haven’t seen in awhile; it’s fun to eat a lot of good food; and it’s fun to run with my stepfather.

He’s older than me, but he is consistently faster. He’s always good about giving me tips and advice about my own running, so I like to run with him. We only went out once this week but it was good.

I also went out on my own during a little snowfall. I don’t have much of that now that I’ve moved to Texas. I thought it would be a little more fun than it was due to the snow hitting my eyes pretty hard.

A good holidays!

I went for a quick five mile run today at the park. When I got there I saw that a group of cars, all of which belonged to members of the running club, were in the parking lot. I knew they were out there somewhere, so I ran the opposite direction they run. I passed them about 2 miles into my run and then met them as they finished.

It was nice to see them, but I realized that I miss running with the group. I like talking to them and enjoy the occasional run with them. I’ll have to join up with them later this week to have a nice little run.

I was a little worried about my running last week. I couldn’t run more than 3 miles without having to stop and walk, I was sweating like crazy in cool weather, and I wasn’t enjoying the run at all.

That was last week; yesterday, it was just the opposite. I was able to run a 10 mile loop without any problems. I ran it faster than I thought, didn’t sweat, and loved the run. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 50s. There was only a couple people on the trails, but I didn’t see them until about 8 miles into the run. I had a great run out there with nature.

I ran a seven mile loop today, so that I can stay in shape for the 50K in January. It wasn’t so good. I started off strong enough with an 8:16 mile, but I fell off that pace quickly. I was far too sweaty for it being 55 degrees and couldn’t handle running any of the hills. I walked a little than then would tempo run a little stronger than normal between the walks. By the time I was at my last two miles, I was able to run it the rest of the way at a much quicker pace than normal. It’s just a little weird that I had such a bad start.

Last night, my neighbor dropped by to see if I wanted to go out to the park and run. I can’t turn down an offer for a run, so I put on my running clothes and we headed out.

We didn’t make it to the park until a little after five, yet we planned on running the five mile. I told my neighbor that I’d carry a light because there was no way we’d beat the sunset. Sure enough, by mile three it was dark enough that the light was helpful. By the last mile, it was absolutely necessary.

I hadn’t ever run in the dark while trying to guide someone else. I was the only one with a light so he ran closely behind me. I listened closely to his feet as they made contact with the ground to see what his speed was like. If he was hitting a lot of roots, I knew that I couldn’t speed up. We did a good job of focusing on the trail and adjusting speed accordingly.

We finished the run in 38 minutes which is close to the fastest I can run it. Then on our way out of the park we saw a huge owl in the middle of the road.

I like how little things can change the mood of your runs so easily. It’s amazing how you can do something as easy as buying a new pair of running shoes to make your runs have a little pep again. I bought my first pair of Puma running shoes. I read that they are good enough, saw a pair for $29.00, so I bought them.

I don’t train on asphalt much so I rarely buy road shoes. I bought them and put them on yesterday. It was a 15 minute two mile which is about 30 seconds better than what I’ve been running for the past year.

That enthusiasm spread to my run today. I decided to put my light on and took off at 4:45 for a 10 mile run through the trails. I was happy and doing great. That is, until I saw myself getting passed by two cross country runners from a local university. Often I see them going the opposite direction, but this was the first time I’ve been blown past.

Demoralizing.

It’s nice to come home on holidays because it’s a time that I get to run with my stepfather. He’s an avid runner who sort of taught me that having some goals in running, aside from just running the distance, is admirable. He taught me that having a community of runners to join with for an evening run has benefits aside from running. And he has taught me a lot of humility as he always speeds past me.

This morning, I woke up and got on my running clothes because I knew that I would be running with him. I also figured that it would be in the low 50s, so I packed a long running shirt, shorts, and longer socks. Lo and behold, it was 22 degrees. I wasn’t about to give up my run and he’s about 5 inches shorter than me, so I ran in what I had.

It was cold…but I finished 3 miles at an 8 minute mile pace with him. It was a good paced run for me while being a trot for him.

This week I’m going to be taking it a little easier than normal. I’ve got the 24 hour run starting Saturday morning, so I wanted to taper some for it. I’m excited and will keep you posted.

The weather has started to change enough in Texas that I’m not finding snakes. Last week, I think I ran into my last one of the season. Unfortunately, I actually stepped on it. It was a long green snake; I just wasn’t paying enough attention. I ran into it and saw that it wasn’t hurt or being aggressive. As I ran on, I saw a turtle at the side of the trail.

Yesterday, my training run went a lot better than expected. I went out to the trails after work thinking that I would just run the seven mile loop alone. It was a gloomy day because of a gray overcast and a little water on the ground from a rain earlier in the day.

I decided that I didn’t want to run alone, so I called my friend Phillip to see if he wanted to go. He said he needed to see if his daughter was going to hang out at his place or if she was just dropping by. He called me back a few minutes later and said he’d be at the park in ten minutes.

I’m glad that I called him because he came with his Jack Russell who was more than excited to run. We started at a fast pace, so it wasn’t long before Phillip and Bandit were far ahead of me.

Around mile 4, I noticed that my pace was a lot better that it normally was. In fact, I thought that I might be able to finish the run in under 1 hour. With this thought, I started to get a little bit of a second wind. I decided to push the pace and caught up with Phillip and Bandit. With about two miles left, I passed Phillip and Bandit and started to run 8 minute miles.

Ultimately, I finished in 59:43. That’s the first time I’ve ever run that loop in under an hour.

Recently, I have learned that some days my body loves to run up and down hills while other days it hates it. I tried to figure out what might cause the discrepancy, but I can’t. So I just decided to embrace it and go with how my body feels. Unless I’m in a race, it’s not really imperative that I run each and every hill if my body doesn’t want to do it. As the heat is starting to leave, I am noticing that my body is thanking the fall.

While it’s currently 92 degrees outside, the days have gotten a lot better for running here in Texas. I don’t like the heat but a lot of the humidity is gone. Also, we’re seeing some nice lows in the morning and later in the evening. Just look at how pretty our skies are.

After exactly 40 minutes of running, I reached a milestone of running 1000 miles in a year! I’m thrilled that in 9 months I have been able to run that far. It averages out to a little over 4 miles each day. I’ve still got a little over 115 days left to run so I’ll try to make it to 1500 this year.

Today I ran with my ipod playing music in my ears. I don’t do this often because I like being able to focus on nature. The problem is that it’s so hot that longer runs are difficult without something to entertain me.

Well the earphones didn’t stop me from hearing a family of deer! They scared the heck out of me because I was running alone and they didn’t hear me until I was just feet from them. They jumped up and I saw the mama and little kids running away. They are so cool to watch.

I wish I could run through the trails as easy as them.

I was able to run the past couple of days. Yesterday, I went on a 5 mile run through the park and didn’t see anything. The only big setback was the humidity which was terrible. Today I ran with a friend and we saw a little family of boars (Scary) and a deer (not Scary). So I have been able to get a couple runs in this week.

It doesn’t matter to me if work is really busy, I still make time for a run. There isn’t much that can simultaneously focus me on my life, work, and goals and destress me more than running. So why forego that just because work is stressful?

This week I will be very busy with a felony criminal trial just to turn around and had have a civil trial the following week. It’s not typical for me to have back to back trials but you can bet I went on a run yesterday!

One of my favorite things about trail running is getting to see wildlife. It is clear when I’m out there that animals like boars, alligators, and coyotes all have more of a physical presence than I do. This isn’t my trail — I have to respect them.

That helps to remind me that even though humans might have torn down a lot of the land that belonged to animals, this is still theres. We owe nature a debt of gratitude for letting us live on it. It used to be that I’d be angry when forced to steer clear, or slow down, to an animal, e.g., a deer, crossing the highway. Running on the trails reminds me that this is their land and I should be grateful to see animals.

Today I ran seven miles and saw a few beautiful animals. The first was a deer who took off when it heard me approaching. Then I ran upon a turtle that was crossing the trail. I stopped to talk to him. As I lifted him into the air, he ducked into his shell. He kept the shell open enough that he could watch me. I noticed that one eye was damaged and felt bad for the little guy — nature isn’t nice. Later on I heard a big bird and saw a majestic looking vulture. I know most people don’t like vultures but when you see one spreading his wings to fly it’s amazing. They are huge, intelligent, and command a little respect for how much they do to keep nature clean.

Alright, I ran 15 miles today, in two runs. I ran five miles this morning because I didn’t feel too great. Then I went back out and ran 10 miles. I realized shortly into the ten miles that my stomach still had aches.

All told, I saw 3 deer, bunches of squirrels, one dog, zero snakes, one other runner, a father and son walking, and three tree branches crash to the forest floor. All in all that seems like a good long run to me.

After work, I put in a quick Friday run of 10 miles. People worry that they can’t work out on a Friday because it’ll interfere with their social life too much, however, I was finished before 6:30.

I don’t recall how long it took but I didn’t push too hard. I figure that some of the runners at the Western States 100 will be doing  enough pushing for all of us.

If you want, you can chart their progress at the WS100 website. Meanwhile, I will actually have a life and be listening to US Supreme Court oral arguments on my computer…

Today is a great day for a long run because it’s the longest day of the year. Go out there and catch the sun if you haven’t already.

It’s always a little tricky for me to figure out how to get a good run in when I’m out of town for work. Sometimes I will plan my running schedule around my travel schedule so that I can rest/recover while traveling. Other times I want to try to find a place to run in the city.

My stepfather, while staying in Vegas, will run up the stairs of the casino to get his workout in. That is because a lot of the casinos have fitness centers that require a membership fee. For instance, when he stayed at the Luxor, he asked the security guard if he could just run up the 20 or 30 flights and they okayed it.

Today I just did the standby treadmill in the hotel fitness center routine. I don’t really like treadmills because I don’t think they are helpful for anything beyond a steady workout. It messes with my pacing because I’m not a runner who tracks the exact speed. I typically have a stride that works for me that keeps me on pace. It’s hard to find my stride on the treadmill. Also, I don’t think treadmills are very safe as far as damaging knees and shins.

Either way, I got my workout in!

I went on a run this evening with my friend and his dog. Typically this jack russell has no problem running our distance. I think that he’s gone as far as 14 miles with us before.

This evening, due to the 90-something degree heat, we decided to only run 3.5 miles. It was barely 2 miles into the run when his dog suddenly laid down on the trail. He just plopped down and wouldn’t get up!

I guess that the heat was the breaking point. We let him catch his breathe and then finished the run at a slower pace. At the end of the run he was able to drink plenty of water.

I know that I look young, but I think that at 28 it’s past the age that little kids can exclaim, “Mommy, that boy is running!” as I pass them on a bridge.

Ridiculous.

Sometimes it’s nice to split up your workout into two shorter distances. I intended to run the seven mile loop this morning. I began running at a medium pace and was soon passed by a mountain biker. Following him, I passed over some water on one of the recently constructed trail bridges. Once I was at the jeep road, I started to feel pretty weak. It is normally not until mile 5 or 6 that I want to stop and walk for a minute.

I decided to turn around instead of struggling through seven miles. I took a different route back to the trailhead that made my run about four miles. This isn’t really enough mileage for me on a Sunday, so I decided that I would make it a twofer by returning later in the day.

Once it cools down, I will go back out and run about three miles to make it a seven mile day. This is a nice compromise to the one long run.

Woo! I need to run with my friend from the running club more often. The last time we did the seven mile loop, I came in about 2 minutes earlier than my PR. We ran a five mile loop today, and we finished it about 4 minutes quicker than my previous PR. It took us 41 minutes which is just over an 8 minute mile.

This morning, I was a little behind on getting around, but I made it out to meet my running club for a 7 mile loop. I started with a conversational pace with a girl until she stopped to walk. At that point, I pushed forward into the lead of the group and ended up finishing about 9 minutes before the other runners today. It wasn’t a PR time for me but it was what I strive for — 1:03.

Last night there was some rainfall and storms in the area. My experience with it is that it floods out some of the trails that I like, so I decided I wouldn’t go on a morning long run at the park.

Instead, I went on a relaxed two mile run around the neighborhood. It’s not as far as I would have gone, but I will go on a 4 mile run around the neighborhood later tonight.

Last year on Easter weekend the temperature reached 100 degrees here in Texas. This year we are in the 40s with sleet coming down on us.

I knew that the temperature was going to drop and that there would be rain, so I ran a 7 mile trail yesterday. I met up with a friend from the running club who brought his Jack Russell. I ran that loop quicker than I ever have before coming in at 1:01. It was a tough run but I feel good for going that quick.

Today, I enjoyed the rain from inside.

Ok, I didn’t like my solo night run on the trails. I was spooked by my own stupid shadow, I turned my ankle, and I ran into a huge puddle of mud. Ugh.

I have family visiting a couple days this week, so I won’t be able to run a couple days. When I woke up, I decided that instead of watching the tube until it was time to meet the running group, that I would get one loop in before they made it. I ran seven miles and then rested until they arrived. Then I ran the loop with them at their pace. Now I’m ready to sit on the couch and watch the tube.

This was a pretty nice weekend for my running. I didn’t run at all on Friday, because I wanted some recovery time. But I ran 21 miles on Saturday, a 7 mile trail run today, and finished the day with a 5K club run which I finished in 25 minutes and 23 seconds. All in all, not too bad for a weekend.

Today is my 28th. Tomorrow I will celebrate it by running 28 miles. I know some people celebrate it by running an hour for every year they have been alive. That is simply too much living for me right now. I’ll just take a mile for each year. See you in 28…

I went out this morning and ran one loop around the a section of the outer loop at the park. This meant that I ran right around 5.5 miles this morning. I think that was good as I went to a concert last night and didn’t make it in until 1am. It was a little cool outside but the sky was a bright blue and there wasn’t too much water on the trails. It was really beautiful today, but I didn’t have it in me to stay out there for two laps.

Today I hit the trails again and found some that were actually dry! I only went about three miles, because I didn’t bring along a flashlight. I didn’t think it would be wise to get stuck out on unknown trails without light.

About one mile into the run, I came upon a creek where they still had deer hunting stands set up. This is a state park that allows deer hunting at certain times of the year to control the populations. About two hundred feet in front of me where two beautiful deers! I was so happy to see some actual wildlife on a run. That’s not something you see much of in Dallas.

Then on the drive home, I saw about five does out by the side of the highway. They weren’t scared by the cars but weren’t coming into the roads.

I wish I had brought my camera.

I am finally moved and connected to the internet again. It’s very nice to finally have a link to the outside world! I went on a run at Huntsville State Park the other day to try out their trails, but I found they were too wet. I only made it about a mile and a half.

I haven’t run in over three days, so my legs are itching for a run. I think this evening I am going to run 8 or 9 miles just to see some different areas of the city. Overall it seems like a pretty boring place, but it’s only temporary so I’ll just enjoy the running.

I woke up at 4am this morning to head out on my 21 mile run. My plan was to run a quarter of the way around the lake and then off towards downtown Dallas. On the way back I would head north about 5 miles and then turn to go back home.

I left my place at 4:15 to the bitter cold. The temperature when I left was around 22 degrees. I was bundled up with a few layers, a hat, gloves, and a scarf around my face. Much to my surprise, I saw one person who was running in shorts. Please wear appropriate running gear in the elements! You might feel warm because your legs are moving, but you are exposed to bitterly cold temperatures.

As I was approaching downtown Dallas, the weather started to change as I felt some rain drops. As I continued I noticed that it was actually a wintry mix of snow and sleet coming down. As it started to accumulate on me, I decided that it would be best to turn around.

Instead of heading north, I decided to back track my path. I didn’t see the guy running in shorts, but I did start to see some cars slipping around. This is a good reason to avoid road running, I suppose. I decided to run on some back routes where I wouldn’t see as many people on their morning commute. As I ran, I decided to pick up some speed because of how uncomfortable it was outside. My miles went from being about 8 minute miles to closer to 7:30.

When I made it back to the lake it was pretty clear that a lot of businesses would be closed in DFW. There was simply way too much of a mess which was making it difficult to get traction on the run. I made it back in one piece and had a shower and a bowl of oatmeal to warm myself up. I made it 18 miles today.

Despite the rain, I decided that I would go on a quick three or four mile run last night. There was a lull in the rain, so I figured I could miss most of the rain, which I did. I also wanted to try out my new hat and gloves in the colder weather. I’m happy to say that I was so warm that both my hands and head were sweating a little.

After I made it out a mile and half, I decided to turn around and head back in. It was sort of errie at the lake because the only things I saw were the flooded lake and a few random cars parked along the side of the lake. I’m guessing the people inside of them were only there to make out on that somewhat secluded road.

I did have my flashlight with me, so I felt pretty safe, and was going back at a good clip. I was able to see about a 100 feet in front of me a lone runner was coming the opposite direction on the path. When we crossed, he turned around and asked if he could run with me. Of course, I said that I’d be happy to have someone else out with me.

He let me know that he’s training for the Cowtown Marathon in Ft. Worth and was out on an 18 mile run. I think he was also a little lonely out there as there was really nobody running. This wasn’t even late, maybe like 5:45 or 6pm. It was great to have someone come over and decide to run.

Nick, if you happen to run across this, thanks for running with me for a couple miles and best of luck at the marathon.

Today I went out on the White Rock trails by the hatchery with my brand new digital camera. I decided that it was time to get a camera so that I could take some photos. You’ll see more of the trails in my flickr account.

I was going to go on a bike ride with a friend, but she had to get a tune up for her bike. That was going to take a number of hours, which meant that we had to scrap the biking idea. Instead, I went over to the trails and ran a bit while stopping to take some photos.

I hope you had a great Saturday.

After work today, I put on my running clothes and hit the trails. It was a new trail for me, so I was able to explore as I ran. I ended up going about 8 miles. While I was running, I started to think about whether I like trails or the road better and I couldn’t make up my mind. I think there are nice things about both. The road is good because you can go a little faster and not worry about your ankles. The trails are good because they have better views, it’s easier on your legs, and I think the oxygen is richer. It was a really fun run on the trails.

I ran a quick three mile run today. It was nice but a little rainy. When I left to go on the run it was overcast but soon the rain started to come down on me. Tomorrow should be better…

Today was the first time I ever ran all the way around White Rock Lake without stopping once. I’ll admit that last night I had a couple drinks too many, which meant that I was very dehydrated this morning. Luckily, it didn’t seem that I hit the point of having a full on hang over, but I needed to do something with myself to feel better.

After drinking about 60 ounces of water and doing laundry, I hit the road running. I live off the east side of the lake, so I decided to head clockwise from my home. When I made it to the west side, I decided to run through some of the trails they have made by the old pump house. I ran an extra mile or two back there and crossed the creek by climbing an old tree!

The paths were really crowded with walkers today, so I had to jump off to the grass many times as I was passing people. But I felt strong the entire way around the lake, so I didn’t stop for water or anything.

It looks like I went about 12 miles in just under a 9 minute mile pace.

Isn’t it great when you feel nothing but strength on your run? The past two nights have been a breeze. I love it when I feel just as strong, today I even felt stronger, at the end of the run, as I did at the beginning.

Yesterday I ran about 2.5 miles in a very quick run. Today I ran 3 miles, lifted weights, and finished up with 25 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine.

I went on my evening run fully expecting to come home drenched in rain. Instead, I just came home drenched in sweat. Why is it 80 degrees the week before December? Why, despite all the dark clouds, did it not start to rain?!

I enjoy running in the rain, so I am disappointed. However, I had a great run that didn’t feel bad on any level. I went out about 2.5 miles then turned around and strolled back. My pace got quicker as I continued and I never felt much pain. It was a nice run for a Monday after a 15K.

But where, I ask, was the rain?

I like to go on an easy run the day before a race. I know that some people say you should take the day off, but I do better if I run a little bit. It won’t be far enough that it gives me any soreness, but I want to get my heart rate up and a muscles warmed up.

This evening I ran about three miles. I was able to do it with my newly purchased water bottle. It’s one of those bottles that rests on your hands with a cozy strap. I’m excited that I can have a lot of water right there with me for my runs.

I’m going to get a good nights sleep and hope for the best tomorrow!

Tonight I went on a five mile run along the northeast side of White Rock Lake. It was a good run with a strong finish. Not really too much to say about the run itself because it was just a staying in shape run. It did get me thinking about a question my friend asked me at work: what side of the road are you supposed to run on?

I have always read that you should run against traffic but it isn’t advice I follow. Generally, I feel more comfortable running with traffic because I think a car is more likely to be looking for people that way than someone coming towards them. However, I change my thinking when I’m running at night with a light. At night, I want the light to really shine on the person driving so that they know I am running right there. Also, if they have their headlights on then I can see them in the distance and plan accordingly.

My general rule is during the daylight hours I run with traffic but against traffic after the sun sets.

Alright, so I did take a different route today because I wanted to go further, but it wasn’t really the wrong way to run. Instead of heading south along the east side of White Rock, I went north. This path is a bit different because it’s through more of the paths and land rather than being along the lake. I enjoy it from time to time.

For most of my run, I was out there by myself with nothing but my flashlight, keys, and a cell phone. It was a medium paced, strong run. I didn’t slow down or stop once, so I was pretty happy with myself. Like I said, I only ran into people a couple times.

On my route back I went by a group of runners who had a guy singing and another guy telling me that I was going the wrong way. They seemed like a jolly enough group but I was ready to get home and work out.

Once back at the apartment, I went over to the work out center and rode the stationary bike. As I ran further, I only rode the bike for twelve minutes. I just made sure to set the bike at nearly the highest resistance so that I’d get some good leg work finished.

I’m still thinking about White Rock…

Alright, so I ran yesterday and today without any sort of a break in my run. I probably shouldn’t mock my weakness of walking too much because I didn’t run too far.

Yesterday and today I ran 2.5 miles each time. I took the same course around one little section of the lake. It is an easy run but with the cold and dark, I don’t want to go out too far.

After the run, I have gone to my apartment workout center for some cross-training. Yesterday I rode an exercise bike for 24 minutes. Today I rode the same bike for 12 minutes, did some weight training, and then ran the treadmill for 12 minutes.

Weakness bad. Cross-training in a warm gym good.

My biggest running weakness is stopping to walk. It doesn’t matter if I’m just going to run a quick two miles or a long 12 miles, I will stop and walk. I know that it’s a mental hurdle but it’s one that has been with me for a few years now. I’m not sure what the deal is because I used to always keep in motion and finish strong, but I don’t do that anymore.

Today was one of the first times that I have changed that with a really strong run. I did stop but it was only to retie my shoes. Not only did I finish the run strong but I went into my apartment workout center and ran another two miles on the treadmill.

When I started my run, I was a little frustrated with myself because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run a long run. My goal was to make today my weekly long run, but I had to change for a few reasons. I started the run so late that it would be dark by the end, I didn’t dress properly with the cold coming at nightfall, and I realized my chest was more congested than I anticipated. Instead of a long run, I made it a fairly quick four miles. Then I ran two more on the treadmill.

I guess six miles and breaking a mental block isn’t too shabby.

Do you run on Friday? I think that a lot of people take Friday off because they are going to go out with friends or family, they have a race on Saturday, there aren’t many groups that want to run on Friday, or any mixture of those reasons.

I think that it’s one of the best days for me to run. I do enjoy going out with friends on Friday night, but I am able to take off from work a little earlier. This gives me enough time that I am able to go on a speed workout. Since I’m going out, I will be taking a shower regardless, so I might as well get a workout.

Are you as convinced that Friday is a good day to run?

I’ve always been the type of runner who enjoys going out alone. When I run, it is the time I have to myself to relax and enjoy the world moving around me. When someone else is running with me there is a distraction I cannot stop. I will say that even though I enjoy running alone; I don’t enjoy being alone on the trails.

Today was like that because there was almost nobody on my running path. I like to see other people as we cross paths so that I can give them a friendly nod and hand wave but today was silence. The wind was blowing hard, the leaves were crackling, and the temperature was a warm 79 degrees. Perhaps this is why people stayed in?

It’s days like these when I wish I had a running buddy.

Daylight Savings Time has always presented a problem for me because the daylight hours shorten which leaves me less time for running. I know many runners will either turn to cross training, treadmills, or simply take time off but I enjoy night running.

Recently, I have been going on runs around White Rock Lake with after the sun has set because of the peace and focus I can achieve. It’s very satisfying to focus on one small area of space as you run without worries about the world around.

Night running is certainly more dangerous, so I would not recommend it to everyone. Most importantly, you have to have a running partner if you are going to run safely. I think running partners and running clubs are very beneficial to running in general, however, I think it’s essential if you’re going to expose yourself to the dangers of night running. This means that the group or partner should adjust their speed to make sure the entire group is running together.
Slow down. Night running isn’t meant to break any records and it’s going to be a little more difficult to react to your surroundings. This is most applicable when you are trail running at night.

It’s important to have a good headlight or flashlight or both. Petzl and Princeton Tec make light weight headlights that will light a 60 yard area as you run. Lightweight LED flashlights are also a good option if you want to carry a handheld light. Make sure that you pack a extra batteries if you plan to be out on a long night run.

It’s also a good idea to let someone else know that you’re going out on a run. I have really enjoyed all my night runs and always look forward to this time of the year when the runs are still early enough in the evening that I can get a few good miles in before heading home.

I would go out to run this morning if my back didn’t feel like someone took a sludgehammer to it.

Already 82 degrees and it’s only 6am; however, it’s going to be above 100 today. I guess that I’ll go for my run sooner rather than later.

The end of July and it’s in the 70s in Texas. This is so unbelivable that I’m going to put on sun sunscreen like it’s aftershave and run around the nearby lake. Yes, this will be seven nine miles of pain, discomfort, and public humilation; however, that’s what makes me me.

UPDATE: I realized that it was actually nine miles when a friend at school reminded me. Soon after my legs remembered that it was nine and a half miles. It was beautiful outside.