Checking in...

I have been checking in with myself about where I am with my running goals and my 2014 resolutions for running. I had 6 things on my list:

1) to be more social... Every month is a little more but I have at least been posting on my online groups where I'll be running and asking other runners to join me. Also in joining USAFit Cypress I now do my long runs in a group setting, which I have to admit has been really nice. I still tend to run alone but at least I am out with other runners trying to achieve the same goals. The after run social aspect of the group is really great and the seminars about things from what the different type of shoes that are out there to how to use a foam roller properly have been really informative.

2) getting my family involved...This one is a little tougher. My youngest loves to run with me so I have been taking her out to the bayou with me a few times a month when I run hills. My husband has agreed to run a 5k with me in January, so lots of progress there. My other two kids do not show much interest but I have still not given up on getting them involved. 

3) keeping an 8 base in the off season...Kind of hard to do since my last long race (Magnolia Hills 21k) was only a few weeks ago so I haven't had much of an off season. Things have gone from there to marathon training which brings me to #4.

4) THE MARATHON... as I have blogged about before I put my big girl panties on and registered for the Louisiana Marathon. Training officially started on 7/12. There is no going back now.

5) Quality vs Quantity...this is really a tough choice. I love being out there at races. I have taken my marathon training schedule and have fitted only races that fit in with the long distance mileage runs to it. Some months now I only have one race, other I have 3. My up coming races now have a different focus, rather than just finishing they are to help me condition for Louisiana. 

6) The run fund...I started one but it now serves a slightly different purpose, to fund Christmas. I was feeling selfish setting money aside to just for my running. I decided that the money would be better spent giving to my family so I am still setting it aside, but what ever is left at the end of the year I will use for races in 2015. In the mean time I have been using whatever is left from my budget to buy races and gear. I have managed to already book races into March of 2015. 

I am ending July on a few non-run days. Life sometimes gets in the way of running but I take everyday a new. I have managed to move 77+ miles this month. Not the best of months but with long runs being cut down and the heat motivating me to run in the morning less, it's not a bad number. Tomorrow I am ducking out to run the trails in Memorial Park so I hope to end the month with just over 80 miles. August looks to be another low mileage month but I have 2 races, the Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer 5k and the Kingwood 10k. Both are fabulous, well but together, very popular runs in town and I look forward to running them every year.

Runners Toes

Really this is just a lament about my lack of toe nails. I promise I'll spare you the pics. So far this year I have lost a total of 7 nails, all but my big toes and the one next to it on the left side. After Magnolia Hills I took the polish off my toes and what did I notice? Those 3 are now in the midst of coming off too, plus my second to last small toe on my right side is now coming off, again. That little toe has taken a beating this year, Seabrook gave it a huge blister from the tip to half way down under it, plus I think I may have broken it since it was squishy for some time. Now my poor little toe is squishy once again. Ugh! What to do? I am cool with the little ones coming off on their own, they are small so it doesn't take too much time, but I can not imagine how long it's going to take for the big ones to come completely off. In reality I guess they have been working their way off for some time, it appears that they are both at the half way up mark. Just not sure if I should wiggle them off the rest of the way or wait. They don't hurt so I might just wait. Guess I'll just paint them and live in denial about it a bit longer.

X-terra Magnolia Hills 21k

Sometimes becoming a better runner means getting out of your comfort zone. I would consider myself the "outdoor" type. Those who know me know that I not only know my way around setting up camp but love hitting the hiking trails. However, since moving to Texas and mainly due to the humidity, I have not really done either in nearly 10 years. I miss it. It has come time for me to do what I love. This weekend I combined my wanting to be a better runner with my love of nature and hit the trails for the X-terra Magnolia Hills 21k. I was a bit anxious about it since we are heading into mid-July and that crazy summer heat and humidity is seriously settling in. The forecast for the day. hot with a chance of it getting hotter with an even bigger chance of if you are out there too long you might burst into flames. No, I am dead serious. Starting line temps looked to be 78 with 80% humidity and add to that close to 3 hours worth of running, my finish line temp forecast looks to be near 90 and once you factor in the humidity the "feels like" temp should easily be anywhere from 95-100 and then add that 20 degree spike for a person running temp and yes I could very well burst into flames out on the trails.

I am calling him "The Omen"

I get there so early I am the second runner there. I go to check out the site and it's nothing but up hill from the parking spots. The view from the start area across the lake was really beautiful as the sun rose. I got a good reminder as I came back to my car to gear up that I am a visitor in nature as I nearly stepped on a Copperhead snake that was taking up residency under my driver side door.
The event was so low key that even when the director was yelling thru his megaphone you could not hear him. Us runners gathered down by the lake for the late 8 am start and wait. At 8 am they started the announcements and by 8:10 we started the race. The course is 2 large loops and one smaller loop around a lake.

Magnolia Ranch lake at dawn

The 21k is to follow the blue markers and arrows thru what is a off road bike trail. BIKE TRAIL. Runners should always take notice when a race is run what is primarily a bike trail. The trail in most parts was about a person width wide, bikes will typically run down the center of the trail and after extended use they wear a groove that creates a "V" in the center of the trail. For runner this means the our foot strike on either side of this groove is at a slant, this is very hard on a runners ankles and after repeated miles can make your foot feel like it is going to snap off. As was the case with these trails. The saving grace being that after a few miles the trail opened up for a good distance to allow your ankles to stretch back to normal before having to take another beating. The trail had been listed as being "fast" and on some of the down hill there was nothing to do other than speed down it but of course you had to climb in order to get to that point and where as in the switch backs it wasn't much of an issue on the straight uphill portions in the sand it was a bit more difficult. Luckily all but the last two miles where mostly under the cover of the trees so it was warm but it wasn't blazing until you got towards the finish.

Finishline Balloon

For their part the RD's did a great job of marking the trail. The aid stations were no more than 2 miles apart and well stocked and manned. Well, that is until the middle of my second loop, those manning the stations had left, which would only be an issue if someone had gotten injured, there would be no one there to radio for help. With these trails not being for the inexperienced I feel that is a little irresponsible. In fact they let bikes out on the trail before the back of the pack had a chance to finish and one lady got injured trying to not get run over resulting in a DNF for her. The third thing for the back of the pack that sucked is that at the finish there wasn't anything left. The coolers were empty of everything but gateraid, only food left was stale bagels and orange slices and the raffles had all been done. Just another reminder to always carry a stocked cooler and have your own food at the end of any race.

Bib and tech shirt 

So how did I do? Miserably. I hated everything about the last 3rd of the race. The heat didn't allow me to "race" the course. By the time I finished I had pulled a ligament in my ankle. The course was a lot more technical than I had planned for and a lot more uphill than it been lead on to be. It would have been nice if Race Revolutions had put up an elevation chart for the course. I had in mind a 2:45-3 hour finish and actually finished in 3:35. I guess that isn't really that bad considering the amount of up hill walking I ended up doing and the few minutes I spent answering the age old question "Does a runner shit in the woods?" to which I also learned another use for a "chill tie".

Up next - nothing! No not really, marathon training. So far so good with that. The Cypress Fit winter 2 group kicked off while I was at Magnolia Hills so I will pick up with them for 3 miles next weekend. So far this month I have logged 43 miles. This week training consists of 3 easy run of 20-30 minutes and a long run of 3 miles. Just the kind of break my body needs to recover. Up coming races, nothing until the beginning of August and the Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer 5k and then right before school starts the Kingwood 10k. Both of which I have done before and have loved. 

Baytown Bud Heatwave

Talk about a hot run! WOW! This is the race I have been spending the past month, running in the heat of the day, to prepare for. When they say "if you are not use to the heat..." they mean it. Nowhere else in Houston are you going to get sausage on a stick, ice cold beer, watermelon, a costume and a sausage eating contest, after a not 5k but 5 MILE 4th of July run! The wildly popular running group Runners Alliance Sport really puts together a GREAT race and this one is no exception to that rule. Yes rule, their races are the standard that I measure other local races against. Everything from swag, to race course energy is top notch!

I came out an ran it two years ago just as it was starting back up after a few year hiatus and man has it grown! Where to start, how about parking. Since you can either park at the finish and walk to the start or vise versa parking is not difficult. Not too many races where you can park 2 cars away from the start. Even after I got lost on my way to the Lee College start line I still managed 2nd row parking. But having to park at the finish wouldn't have been bad either, the little over 1/2 mile walk to the start makes a good warm up for any runner. Just as the walk back after the finish is a great cool down. Not many races also have this organized of a race day packet pick up/race day registration going on right there in the starting corral. The race announcer keeps the vibe up beat and light, even under threat of a bit of rain you would not know it.

The race announcements are timely and informative, often with a little local trivia and some blurb about local runners doing good. And that is right up to the 10...9...8...7 am on the dot air horned start! The first mile takes you out to the festival that is Baytown's 4th of July celebration, make a left out to Market St. where you run behind more vendor booths, the funnel cake smell took me back to the Alameda County Fair, ah how I miss my hometown but for today Baytown is a close second. At the first mile maker you are greeted by the first water/Gatorade station. You keep going to mile 2 you hit another water stop along the now tree framed road. The road loops back around so at about 2 1/2 you come back there to the volunteers cheering you on hand you a towel freshly pulled from a bucket of ice water. Did I mention how hot it is, 77 with 100% humidity. Running makes it feel like it's 90+ out. Just before mile 3 you hit the first aid station again also freshly stocked with cold towels. Trucking on towards mile 4, to avoid more redundancy you turn right and make another loop around towards the start line, but before you can get there you have to pass another cold towel station and yet another, full aid station. As you turn this corner you are looking down the road to where the start was, yes was there are no longer any signs that this was where all this heated madness began, well other than the fact that if you parked here you are now running past your car, 1/2 mile to the finish. The finish is one street over and as you run towards it you can hear the cheering and music and smell the sausage cooking. A quick right, down a block and another quick right and the finish balloon is dead ahead. You only have to run thru the crowd lined streets where kids are proudly handing runners small American flags to wave as they cross the finish line while the announcer shouts out their name.

Bud Time

What a HIGH to finish on. What a better place to finish than at the Wismer Budwiser distribution center. At the end of the finish shoot, just off to the left a bit are cold as cold can be outdoor showers, with a small line of runners waiting to cool off in them.  Such a fantastic time!

Last time I thought I was ready and I ran it in 1:04:58, this year I finally knew what being ready was and clocked in at 56:18.