We're Halfway to Chicago...

Yesterday I ran my second "half marathon" of the year. While it wasn't the event Nashville was, it still was awesome to complete 13.1 miles a second time in one year!

I met Becky at 5:30 AM at White Rock Lake... yes... I said 5:30 AM on a Sunday morning! We met on Wednesday at that same time to beat the heat and run 9 miles before work. So, since it was a great experience, I figured I should start doing that on the long runs.

It's a rough morning to meet that early. I actually woke up at 3:45 and left my house by 5. I should have known it would be hard - the humidity (my old nemesis) was very thick (even though the temperature was 74 degrees).

We started out and within the first mile I was starting to feel the sweat. By mile 3 it was still dark and I was drenched. Becky's iPod was dead, so I just kept mine in my pocket and we talked a lot. By mile 5 we were at the spillway - the sun had come up and I actually ran up it. This means my legs have gotten stronger, which has been a problem in past runs.

Around mile 7 she commented that I had rung out my sweatband/headband at least 5 times on the run. Now for comparison, on Wednesday when we ran I never had to do that. This was BRUTAL humidity! The crazy thing was the sun wasn't blazing down on us, and the temperature was nice... it was just humid!

By 9 we were back at the parking lot and I needed a new dry wristband. I had been hitting every water fountain since our run began, and I was soaked. My socks were even wet... and I'm wearing all of the clothing that is supposed to be dry-fit! Running in wet socks is not a joy, believe me!

Well, we headed around the lake again. This time we just went 2.05 out, and then the same back. It was AWESOME to finish 13.1 miles! We both high-fived each other and she was screaming! I then took my shirt off and rung it out. (Becky didn't like seeing that, ha!) When I got home I discovered 2 more toenails were ready to come off. For those keeping track, I've now lost 4!

I then proceeded to take a shower, eat my sonic breakfast burrito, and went back to bed. Slept for 2 hours and felt pretty dang good after that. Later I went over to see my folks, then met Kevin for a few beers at the Flying Saucer. I decided to eat dinner at "The Flying Fish" just across the street. While eating my catfish and sipping on my Shiner, I just smiled: "Wow... you did it... and you're DOING it!"

Crazy thought - one year ago I was contemplating playing soccer in an adult league. To do that, I went out and kicked the ball around. Well, that was almost a year ago and I could barely run 2 laps around the soccer field. What a year it's been!

Chicago... here we come!

The Dirty Dozen...

For the third time this year, I ran 12 miles. Uuugh... I just can't put into words how painful it was this morning to run the lake. Ok... maybe I can.

First of all, I'm calling this "The Dirty Dozen" because it was probably the toughest run we've had this year. We seemed to have so many obstacles working against us today!

I met Becky at 7:15 AM this morning at Big Thicket - the eastern side of the lake. We hit the road shortly thereafter, and immediately things went south.

One thing that was apparent is we were missing 1/3 of our team - Chandra is in Boston this weekend. Both of us had also worked out the day before. Becky had run in a 5k for charity, and I had mountain biked almost 7 miles with Rob and Kevin. Anyway, we were feeling the effects of sore calves. It took just over 3 miles before they loosened up for both of us.

Next, the humidity. It seems we have very humid mornings here in Dallas these days, and I gotta say that it's killing us! You can't breathe! It's like running in a sauna. So that just causes me, the Sweatinator, to just stream water.

Around mile 5 my right knee started up. This was the same knee I had major problems with in 1999 when I ran the previous marathon. I had to walk - and the only way I can describe it is it felt like someone was jabbing my funny bone... but in my knee. Thankfully, it loosened up and we were able to start running after a bit.

After 6, we started feeling the heat. Geez Louise it was hot! So, humidity... heat... it was a banner day for both of us! Anyway, we ran as best we could and drank as much as we could. At mile 9 I stopped at my truck to drink water and get a dry sweatband. We then made our way across the bridge again and to the other side of the lake, where we turned back and finished up 12 miles in 2 hours 24 minutes. Not a blazing time by any means, but given what we were up against, we were VERY happy with the results.

Just for grins, I want to show you what it looks like to mountain bike. On Saturday (as I mentioned) we biked Boulder Park. It was hot and humid even in the 7 o'clock morning hour, but it was a good "cross training" session for me. Anyway, it looks like spaghetti compared to a run. Mmmmmm.... spaghetti.... :-)

Friday...

You know that feeling you get (I sound like that guy on the Whataburger commercials) on Friday when you're extremely tired from the week and all you can think about is relaxing on the weekend? Imagine adding physical exhaustion to your mental exhaustion and THAT'S how I feel each Friday!

Each of us get beat down from "life." Mostly it comes in the form of work. We work 8+ hours a day, deal with the stresses of projects/deadlines/mean & dumb people, try to maintain our households, and ultimately retire at the end of the day just to do it all over the next day.

Being single, I know how to manage this stuff as an army of one. I couldn't imagine what those that have to manage all of that PLUS a family must go through. Sheesh! My hat is off to you on that one...

Well, now that I've upped the training, I'm now just beat down freakin' tired at the end of the week. My long runs are getting longer, and the midweek runs are a struggle... but I'm pressing on for one simple reason: I'm encouraged!

You see, even though this is a strain - physically, mentally, etc. - I'm encouraged because of friends like you who read the stupid ramblings of a fat guy running! I'm encouraged by the Sunday runs with Chandra and Becky who make me get out of bed at dark-thirty to complete our LONG runs around White Rock Lake! And I'm encouraged by the results I'm seeing - pants are getting looser, my weight is dropping, and I've finally got "normal" numbers when I go to the Dr.'s office.

Ok, so here's where I stand right now: Sunday I ran 11 with Becky and Chandra around the lake. Yes, the sweaty man came out again. At one point at mile 6 Chandra thought, "what keeps flicking on me?" Well, she looked over and saw that I was soaked from head to toe... so it was me! Nice, huh?

This week I've run 7 miles on Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday morning I'll mountain bike (cross training) with Kevin and Rob. Then on Sunday I'll hit the lake again for 12 miles. If you don't know this, we're increasing our long runs each Sunday by 1 mile. We'll do that until September 23, when we'll run our last long run (21 miles) before we run Chicago on October 7.

So thanks for the encouragement! In fact, encourage others whenever you hear of someone shooting for a goal! You have no idea how much it means to them when they're constantly training for a difficult objective... and how it will make a Friday to them THAT much more satisfying... and relaxing!

Holy Crap-o-moley....

Have I mentioned how much I'm tired of the rain? Seriously... we've had so many storms that it's becoming annoying. Well, tonight I come home and it's actually a financial burden!

When I arrive home after 8, I see that my neighbor's tree (behind my house) has a limb that has come down and is in another neighbor's backyard. Hmmm... let's hope that nothing has happened to my little humble abode.

Wishful thinking. I look into my backyard and see what I "think" is ice. Nope. It's shattered glass. My patio table has completely exploded and the umbrella snapped (as evidenced in the picture). It must have been some storm to do that!

The umbrella, as you can see, is lying against the house. There is a patio chair turned over on top of it, and it's been ripped. I'm telling you... I had NO idea this was going to happen today. I noticed that my plants in the backyard look like they've been through hell... they are all beaten down. Not only did the backyard take a direct hit, but the front yard has downed limbs. I have a crepe myrtle that has been "crepe murdered!"

So, I guess I need to find a top for the table and a new umbrella. It's nice to not have to pay for watering the yard, but this is ridiculous! And, for those that know me pretty well, you KNOW how much this bugs me. The patio is probably my favorite "room" of the house. Oh well... guess it's time to redecorate!

Bonanza...

Yesterday I met Chandra and Becky at White Rock Lake. It's getting to sound familiar, huh? We meet at dark-thirty on a Sunday morning (Ok, it was only 7:30... but still, that's early for a Sunday morning!) and we run around the lake. We have to start early because of the heat. And this week was MUCH improved over last week's 88% humidity!

We meet up at "Big Thicket," a park on the east side of the lake. As I was stretching, Becky walks up and the exclaims, "OH MY GOSH!" She's staring at me and pointing as if I've got something on my shirt. She then says, "I can't believe we match!" Well, I look down and we're both wearing a navy blue shirt and black shorts. I'm like, "Ok... whatever."

A few minutes later Chandra pulls up. Before she's even out the door, she's pointing at both of us and laughing. I'm looking around and thinking, "Seriously... a dude wouldn't notice this." I guess that's the difference between men and women. In fact, Becky made a comment or two while we were running. I told her I'd bet money that if Kevin drove up right now, he wouldn't notice this similarity.

So we meandered our way around the lake. It was rough, to put it lightly. We took advantage of almost every water fountain, and we had to walk at times. I think my problem was that I ran 7 miles the day before. While my lungs weren't as bad as the previous week, my legs were really tired by mile 6. Around mile 8, Becky looked at me and said, "You look like you've been swimming!" Yes folks, I was THAT sweaty. She said she heard what sounded like someone running in a wet bathing suit. Nice image, huh?

Around 9 I told Becky to go on. I had to walk again. It was really becoming a beating at this point even though I knew I had less than a mile to go. Becky is good at finishing strong. Eventually, we all made our goal of running 10 miles. I haven't downloaded our pace yet, but we were under 2 hours so I feel ok with that.

Now, here's how I spent the rest of my day: DOWN! Running 10 miles does a number on one's body. I have a routine that I follow after a long run. First, I stop off at Sonic on the way home and get a Route 44 Cherry Limeade. I then lie down on the couch - prop my legs up and ice my knees. I flip the tv on and turn on Bonanza. Yes, I said Bonanza! It's enough to hold some of my interest, yet enough to allow me to drift off to la-la land if needed. Yesterday, I was mayor of the land. I was out cold for about an hour. It was awesome!

I was slow moving for most of the day, but somehow garnered some energy to mow my yard around 5ish. After that, it was back to the couch. Overall, a great day... now, I'm back to work after a week's vacation. My legs are still tired/sore, though. Too bad I can't be on the couch today watching Bonanza!

Galveston Trip...

For those that don't know this, my family has been going to Galveston each Memorial Day and Fourth of July for years. In fact, when I was growing up, we always went the first week in June and rented a cabin for a week. Once everyone went off to college, the plans changed to be on holidays to accomodate everyone.

Anyway, we always rent a condo at The Galvestonian for a few nights and spend the entire time either on the beach or at the pool. I'm usually the butt of some jokes because rarely a visit goes by without me getting one of my famous sun burns! This visit... hmmm... no chance of THAT happening!

We're having a lot of storms in Texas - extremely unusual for this time of year. On Monday, I drove down - took me about 4.5 hours - and made it in time for about an hour of sun on the beach. I had no idea that would be it!

Tuesday, we all headed back to the beach. As you can see, it was cloudy and overcast all day long. While we never experienced any rain, we still didn't need to put the canopy up to block the sun!

And because of the storms, the seaweed was churned up out in the gulf and brought ashore. Overall, not the best beach weather.

On Wednesday, July the 4th, it rained... all day! While the kids could play in the pool, a lot of the time we were up in the condo. Not a lot of fun. Trenton, Paul, and I decided to head to the Strand, which is where all of the shopping occurs within the historic district. We saw a movie/slide show on the Great Storm - the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveston and killed over 6,000 people. (That's why I have that historic knowledge in my entry below!)

Anyway, that was about it for the trip. While I didn't get to spend hours sitting in my chair, reading my book, and drinking my favorite beers... I did get to spend time with my family. And THAT was worth it! Especially since I didn't leave with a sunburn!

Running in Galveston...

Last Sunday I ran White Rock Lake with Chandra and Becky. It was a terrible run... 88% humidity! I could barely breathe. You'd run, and as Becky would say, "it's like breathing water!" 9 miles and gallons of lost sweat later, I made it around the lake. Oddly enough, I wasn't that sore. Just very dehydrated...

On Monday, I drove down to Galveston with the hopes of running along the famous Sea Wall. For those that don't know the history of the sea wall, it was built after the 1900 hurricane. That hurricane killed thousands of people, and was called "The Great Storm." They built the sea wall 17 feet above the water, and raised the level of the island behind it. The sea wall is around 7 miles in length, and was designed to protect the homes and buildings near the southern part of the island.

So, along the sea wall is road and pedestrian walk way. Lots of people use it - and in May when I was there with my family, I was kicking myself for not bringing my running gear. That weekend we were there was perfect - the temperatures were in the 80s, the sun was constantly shining, and there were a lot of people along the sea wall.

Well, not so much on Tuesday when I hit the bricks. It was overcast, the temperature was about 80 (not bad), but there was a bit of a strong breeze blowing from the southwest. Anyway, I wanted to run 6.

Starting off, I felt pretty good. My pace was good against the wind, and I was actually brave enough to run without a shirt (I figured I wouldn't be seeing anyone I knew!) When I reached the 3-mile mark, I figured I could pull a 7. So I made my way up to the Convention Center and turned around after 3.5. After I made it down to 5, I was REALLY looking forward to finishing up at 7. Even though I now had the wind at my back, it was best to end it soon.

Anyway, I ran pretty good. I ran 7 in 1 hour, 12 minutes, at a pace of 10.18 and my max speed was 9 mph. Whoo Hoo! So, here is what running the sea wall looks like mapped out:

Link