Thirty Four Miles to New Zealand

Jakeb and I ran twelve miles this weekend. Twelve miles sounded like nothing especially since we had run twenty miles the weekend before. Since it sounded like nothing to us we decided not to take GU or water and just run free and unencumbered by anything we would have to carry.

Jakeb did ask “We’re not taking water?”

I said, “Nah we can make it.”

Although the run seemed short we made it harder than it had to be by not at least taking water. It is HOT in Singapore. Have I said that before?

At the end Jakeb was saying “A cool glass of water has never sounded so good.”

Our training schedule says we have thirty four more miles to run in training before the marathon. Then next Wednesday evening we board a plane for New Zealand. We plan to do more than run a marathon. We will go into the mountains while we are there and see what we can see. Maybe even hang out with Frodo.

Our “long run” is eight miles this Saturday. There is a good chance I will leave the water at home again – some people never learn.

A muppet with a drunken puppeteer

I haven't written here in while so I doubt anyone is reading but that is fine with me. Coming here is a therapy of sorts so as I sit on the couch if you have bothered to come here listen as I tell you how I "feel".

I ran 18 miles with my son Jakeb this morning. We planned to run it on Saturday morning but at about two miles in Jakeb wasn't feeling it so we cut the run short and only ran 4 miles. Today the 18 miler was good but Jakeb was feeling his Wheaties and he ran me into the ground. I should have made him keep running on Saturday morning. Being run into the ground is what happens when a 43 year old runs with a 17 year old. I am just glad I can complete 18 miles even when the last two included a fair bit of walking.

Training for the Christchurch marathon hasn't gone exactly as planned. I hurt my left foot running in the wrong shoes and had to take a week off. We made a trip to the US and Jakeb had a school field trip to Malaysia. All of this made us deviate from the prescribed plan.

Even though there have been challenges and changes in the schedule we are on track to run a marathon in New Zealand. Next week is 19 miles and in three weeks we run 20 and then comes the taper. For me this time I am saying thank God for the taper.

Training for a marathon with Jakeb is completely worth it. It has not turned out as I expected ... like most of the rest of my life these days.

Thanks for listening. I will be back on the couch next time I am desperate for some therapy.

I want to know Lord why it's got to be so hard
I feel like a muppet with a drunken puppeteer
But I'll survive ...I will survive.
To the Light - Newton Faulkner

The beginning of marathon training

January was a 117 mile month for me. That was a big month mileage-wise considering I ran a marathon in December.

Monday Jakeb and I started marathon training for SBS Marathon in Christchurch New Zealand. It is hard to believe that there are only 18 weeks to go until the marathon. At the same time it feels like there is a lot of work and many miles to run before the marathon too.

We will have to work hard to get to the starting line ready to run 26.2 and healthy at the same time. I am pumped that Jakeb and I will finally get to run a marathon together.

Not much running to write about

I have run 4 times since the Singapore Marathon. Otherwise I have either been resting from the marathon or sick. I had cold and flu type symptoms for about a week and a half. Then just when I got over that I got a stomach bug. It could have been something I ate or drank while we were in Vietnam – which was a really good trip so I guess it was kind of worth it.

Anyway, I am ready to run again.

I asked for and got P90X for Christmas. Now I don’t know when I am going to do it. My running would have to suffer some but maybe I need to take a break for a while. I cannot stop completely because I want to be ready for Christchurch Marathon training with Jakeb.

SBS Marathon Christchurch New Zealand

On December 1st I entered Jakeb and me in the SBS Marathon in Christchurch New Zealand. I think it is cool that he gets to run his first marathon in New Zealand in a town named Christchurch.

When the Singapore Marathon told us that Jakeb could not run the marathon unless he was 18 years old we started looking for a marathon to run in Asia. It seems that none of them will let a person run unless they are 18.

While checking out marathon calendars I found the SBS Marathon's web site and could not find an age limit for the race. I email the race director and told him about Jakeb wanting to run a marathon and that he had run a 25k and two half-marathons. I asked if a 17 year old could run his race.

He emailed me back and said that since Jakeb had a running background he seemed well prepared for the race and he said "Will be great to have some more overseas runners at the event. FYI, I ran the very first SBS Marathon when I was 14, so would be a tad rude to deny your son... :-)"

So we have a marathon to train for together ... finally.

I ran this morning for the first time since the Singapore Marathon. I feel fine when I am walking. But running was another story. I still feel it in my quads so I ran s l o w .

Singapore Marathon Evaluation

Here is a chart showing my finishing position in the Singapore Marathon compared to other runners. I would have never finished this close to the front in comparison to the rest of the field in the Houston Marathon. There are many people here who are willing to sign up for the marathon and stroll along until they finish.

There is nothing wrong with walking a marathon. I do have a problem when they dump the marathon course in with the half marathon and 10k races when the people in them are walking while the marathoners who run are still trying to finish. I had a hard time weaving through and sometimes breaking through the crowd of walkers who took up the whole road.

Singapore Marathon 2009

Singapore Marathon is hot. I knew it would be. Since Jakeb could not run the full I didn’t train my hardest for this race. My goal – to run the slowest marathon I have ever run.

Jakeb and I caught a taxi at 4am in front of the house. The race started at 5:30am so the runners can get some miles in before the scorching sun comes up.

I ran the full. Jakeb ran the 10k since that is the longest race a 16 year old is allowed to run in Singapore.

Jakeb ran 47 and change.

I ran 4:20:29.

Mission accomplished.

Singapore Marathon Taper

Peak training for the Singapore Marathon is done. I ran my final 20 miler of this training cycle on Saturday. It was a slow run but I covered the miles. Now it is time to taper.

I like tapering for the marathon because it means I get to reduce the mileage some. It means that my chances of making it to the starting line of the Singapore Marathon are pretty high.

I hate tapering. One of the hard things about the taper is that it is hard to keep up the intensity. Even though the mileage drops I still need to run at a solid pace. At the end of the taper and nearer the marathon I start to feel edgy. I am ready to get the show on the road. I feel like I am eating too much and not running enough.

So welcome to the taper. I hope it is over soon.

I switched to Switch

I bought a new pair of running shoes last Sunday. I was scared I would have a hard time finding running shoes here in Singapore but the selection and availability is better than in the US. I went to Queensway mall and had to look for a while but I found a pair of Brooks Switch for 59.90 Singapore dollars. That is about $45.00 US. I know that these shoes are inexpensive even in the US but I thought I got a pretty good deal and so far I like running in them. I switched (pun intended)to a pair of motion control shoes because I thought I could benefit from the extra support. And the Switch is not supposed to be the most rigid of motion control shoes anyway.

On another subject Andrea went to Indonesia on Tuesday for the day with her mom and sister. They left yesterday for Thailand and will be back on Sunday. Jakeb is in Cambodia on a bike trip with the school seeing the Cambodian countryside up close. Tori is in Denton at college. Anna and I are having fun hanging out together here in Singapore. We are eating the food we both like the best. I could have never imagined even a few years ago that this is the life I would be living …

"Every new beginning is some other beginning's end"
Closing Time - Semisonic

Driven by the music

I ran hard this morning … until my iPod died. Then my pace on Bukit Timah slowed. The hills on Clementi were a drag.

I thought about it and Saturday was the same thing. I ran a 20 mile long run. I ran from the house to MacRitchie reservoir where Jakeb was supposed to meet me so we could finish off the last twelve together. About a mile from MacRitchie he stepped off of a bus in front of me to run the last thirteen instead of twelve. When I saw him ahead I took off my headphones and my pace slowed.

My running and my pace have been driven by the music lately. That is not necessarily so bad but I don’t want to rely solely on music.

Friday morning Jakeb and I ran together beside a drainage canal near the house and up a street called Ghin Moh. Our pace was pretty fast not because there was music pushing us but because that is the pace that felt right.

My plan is to run the marathon without headphones. I should start running without them now and hopefully it will go well then.

I think my iPod shuffle is about to bite the dust. That may not be such a bad thing.

No water system here.

Usually by now the weather in Texas is cooling off and my long runs though hard do not take as much out of me. Singapore is a different story. It is 75 degrees in the morning and around 90 in the heat of the day even in October.

Yesterday I had 18 miles on the training schedule. Since I am running the Singapore Marathon without Jakeb my motivation for it is not as high as it would have been but I am determined to finish the training and run the race. I am also determined to run it easy and make it the slowest marathon I have ever run. That way I will be able to recover well for whatever marathon Jakeb and I decide to run together.

Saturday night I filled up my Camelback and put some Gu in the zipper pouch. I thought surely 2 liters of water would last me 18 miles but my camelback was empty at about mile 13. I stopped at a brand new apartment complex and asked a security guard at the gate if I could fill up with water. He looked at me sternly and said, “We do not have a water system here.”

Yeah right. I felt like a homeless guy asking for a cigarette. Oh well. A couple of miles down the road I tried again and this time the security guard was more compassionate and let me use the water faucet outside of the building.

I have 5 more long runs left. 19 this weekend, 12 after that, 20 then 12 then 8. Then on December 6th I intend to run my 6th and slowest marathon.

Assaulted by emotion

I like to listen to live albums. Not just a song from a concert but the whole concert because I think that if they are thoughtful about it an artist is telling a story for that night by the way the concert set is built.

I bought John Mayer's album 'Where the Light Is- Live from LA' not too long ago. I bought the whole thing because I wanted to listen to it in order as if I were there.

The next morning I put on my headphones and took off for my morning run. I had built a playlist of the album and started from the beginning. The first part of the concert is an acoustic set. It is cool to hear how good John Mayer really is when he is out there by himself with a guitar and maybe one other acoustic instrument to accompany him. Both his voice and playing are really good.

A couple of songs in there is a dobro just playing chords and John Mayer playing over the top. It was nothing I recognized but I was really getting into it. Then seemingly out of nowhere he starts playing the chords to daughters.

Fathers be good to your daughters ...

I almost had to stop running because of the water in my eyes - and it was not sweat and there was no rain.

I was assaulted by emotion. With Tori being at college and Anna just going on a mother daughter weekend where she and Andrea talked about some very grown up things I had a strong realization of the fact my kids are growing up. That is not a bad thing and I do not wish for them to stop becoming who they are supposed to be. I just know I have a short time with the Tori, Jakeb and Anna. And I will (and do) miss them when they are not in my house.

The rest of the album is pretty good too. I like the acoustic part best.

In other news Andrea, Anna, Jakeb and I went to Nepal week before last. Jakeb and I trekked the Ghorepani / Poon Hill trek, we all saw some beautiful sights and ate some really good food. Here is a picture of Jakeb and I from our trek.

Well I'm not one to sit and spin
'Cause living well's the best revenge
baby I am calling you on that
from REM Live at the Olympia (the live album I just pre-ordered)

You can hear the whole album here --> link

Rain and a Big Lizard

Sunday morning it was raining like crazy and because of the thunder and lightning Andrea was not too thrilled with the idea of Jakeb and me going to MacRitchie Reservoir for our 9 mile run.

MacRitchie has a trail system around the lake and it is one of our favorite places in Singapore to run. Part of the trail is on a section called treetops walk where the parks department has built bridge walkways in the tops of the trees around the park. Jakeb and I have never been on this section of trail and with the lightning it would not be the greatest place to be.

When we set off from the parking lot the rain had slacked off and the thunder and lightning were gone. Most of the first part of our run was uneventful. When we got to the trailhead of the treetop walk it was barely sprinkling. So we took off up a hill that was steep enough to have to walk. When we got to the entrance of the treetop walk the gate was closed. It did not open until 9:00 am and we were about an hour early.

As we descended the hill back to the trail head it started to rain pretty hard again. We started running when we got back to the trail. We ran past a golf course and back onto single track trails. There is one section of the trail that has a pretty sharp ascent and then after you top the hill a pretty good descent. The water was running in the middle of the trail like a river and Jake and I were having fun splashing along as we went. The trail was a little bit crowded in this section and on the way down Jakeb splashed through and big pool and totally drenched a lady as he passed her. It was raining so I hope she expected to get wet.

The trail we were running was only seven miles and I wanted to get in nine so we decide to run a couple of miles out and back on the trails we had just run. We got to the MacRitchie dam and right in the middle was a lizard. This big lizard was about three feet long and was totally blocking the path. Are you kidding me? This would never have happened in Texas. We walked behind the lizard for the length of the dam and finally had to run past it because it would not get out of the way.

It continued to rain even after we finished our run. Our legs were covered in mud. I love running in the rain and having another adventure in Singapore.

Singapore said "Cannot!"

A rep from the Singapore Marathon called me last week and said “No! Your 16 year old son cannot run the marathon. And no you cannot receive a refund. Cannot! Cannot!”

But she said they would gladly withdraw our registrations if we would like. Withdraw them without a refund … yeah right!

I am still signed up for the full marathon and Jakeb is now signed up for the 10k. We will at least go get our packets. I may run as much as I can slow and easy on less than full marathon training. I may run just to people watch and have fun.

We are switching our training around and will probably run the Hong Kong marathon in February. They allow 16 year olds to run their marathon. We may run something else, we will see.

Running fun

This morning Jakeb and I ran four miles in the rain. It was a really fun run. We ran beside drainage ditches that were flowing like the Guadalupe River with Canyon Dam wide open. Everything looks different outside when it rains. I’ve always liked running in the rain and it is no different here in Singapore. We will see if my opinion is different after monsoon season.

Sometimes running can become drudgery. For the last couple of weeks though I have looked forward to almost every run. Even running the hills has come easier and I feel stronger running them. Hopefully the good feelings will last for a while.

When we first moved into our townhouse here in Singapore I woke up early the first morning and ran four miles. I got done with my run and I stood in the outdoor shower for a second to rinse the sweat from my clothes and then dove into the Allsworth Park complex swimming pool. I floated in the water for a while when a security guard walked around the corner of the building.

I said, “Good morning.”

In his staccato Asian accent he said “Pool’s closed.”

I said “okay when does it open?”

“Seven o’clock.”

“But I run every morning before seven o’clock and I want to cool off in the pool.”

“Pool opens seven o’clock.”

“So you mean I cannot jump in the pool to cool off after I run because some person somewhere decided the only time residents should enjoy the pool is after seven?”

“Pool opens seven o’clock.”

Knowing I was not getting anywhere with Mr Rigid Rule-follower I gave up and got out.

So I do not jump in the pool after I run except on the weekends when I run later in the morning. But I do go down and cool off by standing under the shower by the pool. I know the security guards know I am there because there are cameras everywhere. I have not been kicked out of the shower yet. Even though it is not the pool I enjoy being able to cool down after a run before I have to go inside. It reminds me of standing under the water hose behind the house in Lake Jackson.

Running the Singapore Marathon .. or not

I registered Jakeb and myself for the Singapore Marathon the other day. We have been looking forward to running this marathon for over a year. This would be Jakeb’s first. The problem is that to run the Singapore Marathon you have to be 18 years old.

I emailed them and asked if they would let me sign a waiver to allow him to run. If not we will be looking for another marathon on this side of the world to run between December and February.

Making Peace With The Hills

Singapore running is hot. I expected that. Jakeb and I ran eight miles on Saturday morning and when I finished my shoes were squishing with the sweat that had run into them from my legs.

If I do not run early here I will not run. That is no different than it was at home. Life here is busy just like it was in Texas. As the kids get involved in school and we get involved in church and work picks up and all of the other things we will find to do my schedule will not get any better. So in Singapore like in Lake Jackson I run mostly when the sun is down. But I expected that too.

There are quite a few things about running in Singapore that I did not expect. I did not expect to run with so many other runners. There are a lot of people who run here. I think this morning was the first time I have not passed another runner during my run. Today is a public holiday and I am going to work. Everyone else decided to sleep in I guess.

I did not expect to have to run on so many hills. They are not big hills but I come from the pancake flat Gulf Coast of Texas. Our house in Singapore is on a hill. You don’t notice it so much when you drive to it. No matter which direction I run I finish going uphill.

At first I just powered up the hills. I continued to run the pace I was until I made it to the top or had to stop running and walk. I walked a lot. But somehow along the way I figured out that I have to shorten my stride and slow down to be able to run the hills well.

This morning I ran a four mile loop (or a little less than seven kilometers – I will always think in miles). I ran alone and listened to music and ran within myself. I felt good at the end and I probably finished faster than when I push myself too hard. This is a lesson I should probably try to learn in other parts of my life as well.

Running in Singapore

We arrived in Singapore Friday. This morning is the first morning I have not run. Actually I did not run the Friday morning we got here but that does not count because we had only arrived a couple of hours earlier.

Jakeb and I ran Saturday morning. As we stepped out of the hotel there were the sounds of tropical birds. It was obvious we were not in Lake Jackson any more. From the hotel we ran down a road called Bukit Timah to the Botanic Gardens. It is a beautiful place with lots of vegetation and small ponds. There were people practicing Tai Chi all around the park – some in groups and some alone. It is a beautiful form of exercise. We returned down Holland Road through the shopping district on Orchard Road and back up a hill towards our hotel.



Yesterday we ran down to and then along the river to a place called Clark Quay (pronounced ‘key’). We ran past parks and restaurants. We passed people walking and running. We passed a guy sleeping on a park bench, but he was a well dressed teen-ager so I am sure he was not homeless. Our run was a 6 mile out and back and by the time we got to the turnaround at 3 miles I was already drenched. Even though the Texas coast is humid, it must be more humid here. I sweat more if that is possible.

I guess one of the most unexpected aspects of Singapore is that even though it is urban, there is an amazing amount of vegetation. I expected that since there is a lot of concrete and high-rises it would be like Houston. But it is much greener and more tropical.

As we have searched for a place to live I have talked a lot to our realtor about how important it is for me to live in a place I can run. I am not sure there is a place that would be bad for running in Singapore.

Although there is much more to see I feel like I am starting to get to know Singapore even if only slightly - mainly because we have explored. There is no better way to see the world and the places that are new to me than to see it on foot.

Run on …

Moving on ... while running.

We moved out of our house on Thursday. We gave the keys to the new owners on Thursday night. The whole thing was kind of surreal. I can't live in a place for eight years and not have some nostalgia about leaving it even though I am looking forward to where we are going and am actually very relieved that the house is no longer ours.

On Thursday morning I ran six miles. I ran two of my three mile loops. The last one I ran was a route I call ‘sidewalk’. It is the first run I ever ran after we moved into 709 Center Way. I have run full circle in a figurative way and it is kind of symbolic that it is time to leave.

We are living with Andrea’s parents for the next couple of weeks before we get on an airplane bound for Singapore. We are taking space in their camper and a couple of spare bedrooms. This morning Jakeb and I ran four miles on a route I call ‘yaupon’ that used to start at our house and run past Andrea’s parent’s place at mile two. Today we started here and ran past our old house at mile 2. It was strange.

The changes in our life have helped us realize that this Singapore thing is emanate. We knew it was coming but has never been more real. In all of the craziness of the last couple of weeks running has kept me grounded as usual.

Happy B'day to me ...

Today is my birthday. Happy birthday to me.

People have asked me what I want and I have a hard time with the question. I want to be able to run so I would like a pair of running shoes but when I need a pair I go buy them. Maybe that is not so good of a present.

I want to read a book but I am picky about what I read. I like to hold a book in my hand and read a bit of it and smell it. If I like it I put the copy I just picked up back on the shelf and take the third or fourth one back. I want a clean and fresh book no one but the stock person has touched with a smooth cover and no wrinkled pages. No one can buy me a book. I have to do it for myself.

My family gives me what I want from them the most – them. If they could give me more of them that would be a weird birthday present. “Happy birthday – have some more of me.”

I really do not need anything. In fact Bono says it best:

Walk out into the street
Sing your heart out
The people we meet
Will not be drowned out
There’s nothing you have that I need
I can breathe

Jacob's Ladder and a Lack of Variety

On the way home from work I stop at a parking lot on Highway 6 and run four miles in Terry Hershey Park. I run the same four mile route almost every time I run there. Jakeb gives me a hard time about running the same thing over and over. After driving for over an hour to and from work I have little time for variety. And besides, the park is scenic and I have not gotten tired of it yet.

Tuesday I was finishing up and I looked towards the reservoir on the edge of George Bush Park. On some concrete stairs that ascend the levee there were probably 25 or 30 people climbing to the top. Once they reached the top they would turn and climb down and once at the bottom they would start over again. The long line of people looked like a bicycle chain going around sprockets at either end of the stairs. I guess they were some kind of training group but it looked a little strange.

It reminded me of the story in the Bible where Jacob lays his head on a rock for a pillow in a place called Bethel and has a dream of angels ascending and descending stairs (a ladder) to and from heaven. Except as far as I could tell these people were not angels and they were definitely not making it to heaven.

It won’t be too long until all of mine and Jakeb’s running routes are new and different. I can handle the same four miles and Jacob’s ladder for another month. June 17th we fly out of Dallas on our way to Singapore where at least for a while every step we run will be on ground we’ve never run before.

The Maze 2009

Jakeb and I packed up and drove to Jason's house in Columbia Lakes yesterday at 1 pm. We got in Jason's car and drove to Austin. We picked up our packets at Rugue Equipment for The Maze. Then after a stop at Runtex we ate at Chuy's(I ate the 911 Hot Plate), got some Starbucks and checked into the hotel. After the Celtics beat the Bulls (okay I dozed before the game was over) we crashed to get some rest for the race this morning.

The Maze is one of mine and Jakeb's favorite races. It is a 10k and 30k at Walnut Creek park put on by Rogue. It has a couple of creek crossings where you do not have any other choice but to have wet feet.

We ran the 10k. Jakeb finished in 51:23. Jason finished in 51:29. And I finished in 56:21. I took off too fast. The hills were a killer. But I had a blast.

We were back home by a little after 1pm. It was a really fun 24 hours.

Gator Gallop 2009

Today Jakeb and I hit a milestone in our running (pun intended). We ran Brazosport College Gator Gallop 5k. I ran a 23:25. Jakeb ran right at 23:00. That’s right he beat me. I think I should probably get used to it. This is the first time of many I am sure.

This is probably the last race we will run in Lake Jackson before we move to Singapore. Next up Jakeb and I are running The Maze in Austin.

Bayou City Classic 2009

I ran Bayou City Classic Saturday morning. Andrea, Tori and Gwen walked it. Jakeb sat it out this year because he had spring break plans that had him out of town.

When I woke up Saturday morning I was cold. I had felt like I may be getting sick and I was a little tired. The combination of all of those factors made me want to dress warm. I put on a long sleeve cotton shirt with a tech shirt over it. I put on tights and shorts and brought my gloves along. I was warm by gosh and I was not going to be cold during the race.

We got there about 45 minutes early and sat in the car for a while. When we finally decided to get out the wind was brutal and I thought I had made a good decision by wearing all of the layers of clothes. People around me were just in shorts and shirts and were shivering at the start. But not me, I was warm and comfortable … until I started to run.

The crowd started moving and I took off at a good pace. I felt like I could run a good race, maybe not as fast as last year but it would be a good time. Then I started sweating. I had to take off the gloves. I hit the first mile in 7:45 and thought to myself, “Tommy you are stupid. You are wearing way too many clothes and you know better.”

So slowed down. I watched the people around me run. I ran for fun and a t-shirt. And I finished in 49:22.

Immediately after finishing I started shivering. So after getting a t-shirt, a Saint Arnold’s spring bock and a breakfast taco I went to the car and changed into warm dry clothes.

Tori came across the finish around 1:20ish and Andrea and Gwen finished a little later.

I am glad I ran. It is the first time in a long time I did not push myself to finish as fast as I possibly could. It was a cold hot cold day.

Texas Independence Relay 2009

Jakeb and I had a great time running the Texas Independence Relay. I feel the same as last year where there is so much I could write and yet I could never fit it all in. Here are some highlights though:

I ran with some good people. This race makes you so stinkin exhausted and delirious that you have to have some laid back people to make it through two sleep deprived days without killing each other. It was really good to hang out with old and new friends and to meet even more people I only knew from reading their blogs - like Jessica.

Everyone ran hard. You run not just for yourself but for a team of people who are counting on you to do your part.

Last year Cassie and Manny were on my team but I did not feel as if I knew them very well because the were in the other van. This year our team rotated vans and it was good to be able to hang out with everyone. Cassie you make a great captain.

Jon is an organizational genius. TIR for two teams of bloggers would not happen without him. He puts together personalities that gel and sets up who runs what legs by knowing every runner and the way they run so well. Jon you amaze me and I appreciate what you do.

It was good to talk to Wes on the way up to and back from the relay.

The highlight of the whole weekend was running with my son. Everyone was very complimentary of Jakeb and it made me proud that he is my kid. For Jakeb’s take on the weekend check out his blog.

I hate that we will miss this event next year since we will move to Singapore. I really appreciate Jon slotting me in the last leg and letting me run to the finish. It means more than it would otherwise.

Texas Independence Relay

Jakeb and I are running the Texas Independence Relay this weekend. We will run a lot, sleep very little, hang out with old and new friends and be exhausted at the end - but glad we did it.

100 miles for the children of Segera

My friend Jason is running the Rocky Raccoon 100 miler next weekend. I know that running a hundred miles has been on Jason’s radar for a while. We have run a couple of trail runs together and he totally digs them. Jason and I view life through a similar lens and trail running and trail runners fit both of our personalites. Jason is running 100 miles because he is made for it. But that is not all.

Jason is running a hundred miles next week for something much bigger than himself. He is running 100 miles for the children of Kenya and the Segera Mission. Jason’s wife has been on a mission trip to Kenya and this fall a group of kids came to our church to sing as part of the Daraja Children’s Choir of Africa. The Culverhouse’s opened their home for some of the girls from the choir to stay with them. This was the catalyst for Jason to want to run 100 miles for something bigger than himself. Every mile he runs will earn money to go towards the needs of children in Segera.

Bright Point is the organization that is facilitating sponsorship of children in Segera and this is from their web sight:

... In early January, Culverhouse and his wife returned from a church-sponsored Cambodian mission trip where they led a hair academy for members of the Leveasar village. “I just can’t describe the feeling we got from the people there,” he said. “There is something about meeting a real need. There is no greater feeling that going somewhere to make a difference in someone else’s life and having them give back more than you gave to them. Yes, we gave them a life skill and provided equipment for them to start a career, but they gave me a dose of reality – a clear view of respect, pride and love.”

He says it is the same feeling he gets when he sees the smiles on the faces of the Kenyan children his church helps support. “Just like the kids in Cambodia, when given the opportunity to be educated, these kids take it seriously,” he said, linking to two mission experiences together. “When Jennifer and I taught in Cambodia, you could hear a pin drop during class. The students wanted to work through breaks and lunch so they could learn as much as possible. They know that the only hope for them is a relationship with Christ and an education.”

So it is for the children of Segera. “If we continue to wait for someone else to do something, the loss of these beautiful children will continue,” he said. “I know the only hope for them is for someone to step into the gap and be the hands and feet of God.”

I am pacing Jason through 12 miles in the middle of the night. It seems like a drop in the 100 mile bucket but I know it will help him make progress in that journey. The same goes for the help that these kids get. Sometimes what I can do seems miniscule but it helps another human make significant progress in their journey through life.

If you would like to read more about Jason’s 100 miles – or possibly donate – or possibly sponsor a child in Africa long-term check out one of the links below:

Jason's story

Bright Point's web site - Click "Jason 100"

Picture from the Houston Half Marathon

Houston Half Marathon 2009

Jakeb and I ran together the whole way. We ran about half of the race with Wes, Jenny and Dan (Jenny’s dad). At the water station after the 5-mile mark I told Jakeb to get some Gu ready and we both ate some and kept running. After the 8-mile mark Jakeb said “Dad I have to stop!” He went over to the other side of the road and puked the Gu back up. We waited a while and when he felt better we took off. Even though puking took some out of him, he did a good job of running hard.

Jakeb and I ran almost all of our long runs together and we did not use Gu at all. I know better than to try something new on race day. Gu doesn’t bother me so I assumed it would not bother him. Oh well you live and learn.

Our whole family participated in some way this weekend. Anna ran the kids run Saturday morning and did a great job. Tori did the half and walked/ran and finished in 3:07. I think she is thinking about running one some day. Andrea walked/ran and finished with her sister Gwen in 3:18. Gwen’s husband (my brother-in-law) Mike ran the half in somewhere close to/under 2:20.

Mine and Jakeb’s splits by my watch are below (unofficial of course):

1 - 8:31
2 - 8:02
3 - 8:03
4 - 8:33
5 - 8:18
6 - 8:17
7 - 8:28
8 - 10:08
9 - 8:26
10 - 8:22
11 - 9:03
12 - 8:59
13 - 8:24
13.1 - 56
Total - 1:52:37

2008

Total miles 1350.

PR’s:
3:55:13 - Houston Marathon
45:45 - Bayou City Classic 10k

In 2009 the running is sure to be choppy working in Houston and with a move overseas. Jakeb and I are running the Houston Half-marathon in a couple of weeks. Jakeb also wants to run a trail run before we move. I plan to finish the year with a marathon in Singapore (again with Jakeb). We will see what happens. The year never turns out quite like I expect.

More alone than usual

I ran four miles this morning. Bundled up against the cold I flipped through the shuffle to find music that was fast and turned the volume up to LOUD. At about the mile mark I noticed that something seemed different. It was definitely colder but that was not it. Then I realized what it was.

Most mornings I probably pass 20 to 50 cars. People inside are sleepily making their way to work. This morning on my whole run I only saw five cars or so. I ran on Willow Drive and Yaupon – normally busy streets – today no cars. I crossed Oyster Creek Drive twice. Usually the intersections there have multiple cars at them, even at a little after 5 am. But not this morning.

Last week Dow Chemical announced that they were going to idle some production plants and shutdown others completely. They told both contractors and direct employees to go home until January 5th. Some have vacation and will get paid while they are off. Some have no vacation and are out of luck. Some will come back on January 5th to resume work. Some will go home and get a phone call later that they are no longer needed.

I know that Dow is a business in the business of making money. I know that times are hard. But it seems heartless to send people home during the holidays.

I was a Dow contractor until May of this year. I am glad I am not there anymore. I didn’t see it coming. I am not that smart. I left because of restlessness and a desire for the adventure of living overseas. I got the benefit of returning to the best company I have ever worked for.

Although I often run alone, I ran this morning more alone than usual. I ran hard and mad and sad.

Routine

This morning I planned to run a hard five miles listening to loud fast music while bundled up to lessen the bite of the cold. I was really looking forward to this morning’s run but I am disappointed to say it never happened.

Before I go to bed I have to make sure everything is ready for me to run in the morning. My schedule is tight and if I don’t get stuff together I will end up leaving late for work. My pre-bedtime routine includes making coffee. The first destination after my feet hit the floor in the morning is the coffee pot. It is not the restroom my body requires first, it is a sip of heaven. To get that sip first thing the coffee machine has to have water, freshly ground beans and a timer set to 3:52am. Never set the time for a number with a multiple of 5 – that is so overdone.

Second I go upstairs and find what shorts, shirts and socks I am going to run in and throw them in a pile in front of the closet. Not a neat pile, but a messy pile of tech material that is convenient to find grab and put on.

Next I find my iPod if I am going to run to music. Some mornings I intentionally leave it at home.

Last I set my alarm for 4:10am and go to sleep.

If I plan a run and don’t the reason is usually because of a lack of motivation, being too tired, or being too sore or injured. But I always at least get up and make an attempt to get out of the door.

This morning I didn’t run because I apparently forgot the last step of my pre-bedtime routine. My alarm didn’t go off. I woke up at 5:10am without the help of the alarm clock. It is quite possible that I needed the rest, but I am disappointed that I didn’t get to run.

Who says that being in a rut is a bad thing? Being in a rut keeps me out of the ditch.

Too tired not to run.

The last couple of nights have been late nights. Driving a little over an hour to and from work is starting to get to me. My brain is fried and my body is tired. I feel like I might be getting sick. All together it makes for a good excuse to blow off running.

The only reason I am posting this is so I can say in a public way that after work today I am going to park the car at Terry Hershey Park and run. It will be good for me and tonight I will sleep well.

Update: I ran four, about half of it on the bike trails at THP. It was fun and I am glad I did it.

TIR redo

Even though I changed jobs in May it wasn’t until the first Monday in October that I had to start driving to Houston. Running in the morning is not really feasible unless I am willing to get up at about 3:00am. Even for an early riser like me that is too early.

I leave for work at 5:10am and I am done at work at around 4:30 or 5:00pm. Long before I started driving here Andrea suggested that I should find a place close to work to run and maybe let the traffic clear out before I start my drive home.

As soon as work is over I change into my running clothes. My office is in Park Ten near I-10 and Highway 6. As I thought about where to run I had an epiphany of sorts that I should run where I ran last year for the Texas Independence Relay. Terry Hershey Park is just south of I-10 and a couple of miles from where I work. I ran the 6 plus mile leg of the relay in Terry Hershey Park and it was my favorite of all of my relay legs. Plus afterwards Jose stopped the van for Kolache Factory so it was a memorable morning all together.

A couple of weeks ago I stood and stretched on the same spot where I stood and waited for Edwin to finish his leg through George Bush Park. I ran two miles out and two miles back in a place that was both scenic and strangely familiar.

Running in Terry Hershey Park reminds me a bit of running around Town Lake in Austin (without the lake and the hill country scenery). I normally run alone so it has been motivating to run on a trail with so many people either walking or running or riding their bikes to stay fit. It is very different from running in Lake Jackson mostly alone.

Perspective

I used to think I ran in the dark. That was before, when I ran beneath streetlights and the houses lining the streets had porch lights with electrons coursing through their filaments.

I stepped off of the curb not knowing if my foot would land on concrete or fall into the abyss of a hole someone dug during the night without my knowledge on the corner of Sycamore and Center Way. I pushed the play button on my shuffle and the ominous tones of the song Elusive by Scott Matthews rang through my ears.

She’s a gambler spinning wheels
The poison victim but look of steel
The coldest heart you’ve ever felt
The coldest hands you ever held

The beginning of the song is the solitary sound of the strumming of just the E string, D-tuned to give it a lower tone. My breathing was already labored and my stride was choppy.

Something starts hitting me in the head and for a minute I think it is raining. What is strange is that the rain is dry, not wet. Slowly and a little painfully I come to the realization that I am running through a cloud of mosquitoes.

The moon is only a quarter of its luminous self; there is a lack of street light. The low tones of Elusive worked together with the mosquitoes and the dark to make the whole run and my attitude oppressive.

She’s elusive and I’m awake
Finally real there’s nothing fake
A mystery now to me and you
Open my eyes and I’m next to you
She said my destiny, lies in the hands that set me free

I turned the corner onto Oyster Creek and there was a light in the distance. U2’s God’s Country came on.

Desert sky
Dream beneath the desert sky
The rivers run but soon run dry
We need new dreams tonight

My eyes adjust to what little light there is and I have to watch my step and run between limbs. Sometimes I weave into the grass to avoid downed trees. There is no rhythm to my run but the work of it is changing my mood.

Sleep comes like a drug
In God’s country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses
In God’s country

As I leave the trail and pass downtown there is power and the light seems a bit unreal. The side walk is clean and straight. I get to the place where I think less about running and my mind wanders more.

The turn from Circle Way to Center Way reveals porch lights in long rows meaning the people inside are cool. It gives me hope even though I know when I step into my house it will be hot.

I am reading What is the What, the story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the lost boys of Sudan. As I think about a hungry child running in the dark from death by a lion or the hand of a heartless human being, I wonder what I, running in the dark for my health and pleasure, have to complain about. Sara Bareilles’ song Many the Miles plays in my head:

There’s too many things I haven’t done yet
Too many sunsets, I haven’t seen

Boring

I was told recently that my running blog has become boring. Not that it was interesting when I wrote regularly but since I have not written in a while I guess it has no chance to be anything but boring. The truth is that since I got a new job I have been a bit apathetic about things such as blogging.

I will not try to catch up. I think it is better to just start where I am and see if it lasts.

Hurricane Ike blew through our neighborhood and we are still without power. It has not been all that bad because the weather is cooperating. For the last two mornings I have gone out to run at 5am. It is a good thing the moon has been bright because the neighborhood is dark without the street lights. Even with the moon there is enough debris lying around that I have to really pay attention to where I step so I don’t twist an ankle for the hundred millionth time.

Since the power apparently will be off for a while I am sure I will get to see (or not) what it is like to run without a source of light at all. Maybe I should just close my eyes and barrel ahead.

Today I made the Houston Marathon Course Map my computer wallpaper at work. I need to be reminded that I am supposed to be training for a half marathon in January.

Run on …

Firecracker 4 2008

The whole family ran the 34th annual Firecracker 4 here in Lake Jackson. This is our third year to run it together. I've run it a few times alone.

Anna repeated as "women’s" champion of the 2-mile walk. Andrea and Tori finished close behind.

I ran 31:21, over a minute more than last year’s time. Jakeb finished less than a minute behind me.

We saw a lot of friends and had a good time as usual.

King's X XV

Thursday is normally my day off from running. Most Thursday mornings I go eat breakfast with a friend but this morning was he and his wife’s anniversary so we didn’t eat together. Instead I ran.

I probably should have rested but last night I downloaded the newest record (although it is really just a bunch of digital 1’s and 0’s rather than vinyl) from King’s X – one of my favorite bands. The place I am best able to really listen to music is when I run and I couldn’t wait to get out and hear the new tunes.

I like XV, especially the song Blue. This collection of songs is way more upbeat and less dark and cynical than King’s X has been lately. They are still very honest in their writing. I think I will like it. It is good to run to. Even though my legs are sore, running was worth it this morning just for the music.

8 things about me

8 really random facts …. because I was tagged by Adrienne:

1. I am a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of guy so I doubt anyone will read anything here that surprises them much.
2. I believe there will be Mexican food in heaven.
3. If I was told to pick anywhere in the world to live it would be the hill country of Texas. I’ve seen some cool places and would like to see even more but there is no place on earth quite like Texas.
4. I cannot stand for there to be any white on my fingernails so I cut them often and short. Some assume I bite my fingernails but do not. It comes from being the son of a mechanic and hating anything under them – especially grease.
5. I most often just want to know the bottom line so I have a hard time with people who over-explain things or repeat themselves (I heard you the third time …). This makes me less relational so I need to tolerate it more.
6. I am a tight wad.
7. I am mostly a happy loner.
8. I feel out of sorts when I don’t have a book I am currently reading.

I am not going to tag anyone because being a loner, everyone I know has been tagged already.

Sluggish running and news

I have been running but running has not been the focus of my life lately. I think my body has not fully recovered from Rocky Hill. The legs felt sluggish on my five-miler Friday morning and I was just altogether tired. This morning I ran three miles at a decent pace and I felt better.

Last week I accepted a new job. My first project is relatively close to home. My second project is in the office in Katy and has the potential to eventually send our family to Singapore. My running will suffer no doubt but I hope I can keep it up to at least a moderate level.

Who needs a week off?

I decided to take a week off after running Rocky Hill. I just didn’t want to run a long way for a long time. But yesterday I thought, “I am feeling pretty good. My legs are not that sore.” So this morning I woke up and stretched and ran three easy miles. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stay away. Please don’t hate me because of my addiction.

It felt good to move after a couple of days of rest. My day is better when I run.

Rocky Hill Ranch 50k

We got to Rocky Hill Ranch at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. The band was jammin at the saloon but we were prepared for that to be the case. We parked near the start/finish and Jason, Jakeb and I stretched our sleeping bags under a canopy we had set-up, put ear plugs in our ears and tried to get some sleep. The band played until about midnight and all was silent so that was good.

The moon was full and bright enough to where I woke up a couple of times wondering who had left the lights on. The temperature sank to the mid-forties and I woke up a couple of times wondering who forgot to turn on the heater. Then at 4 am I heard a loud voice screaming for people to line up. It was the race director giving last minute race instructions to the fifty-mile runners who opted for the four o-clock start time.

I was tired and sore from lying on the ground. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but around five I couldn’t lay there anymore. I got up and sat with Jason and Jakeb in the car until it was time for Jason to start.

Jason lined up for the fifty-miler at 6am and Joe, the race director, gave last minute instructions. This time I was awake enough to listen. He talked about how insane the first mile was with the up-hill climbs up Fat Chuck’s Demise. The runners took off and I started getting ready for the 50k/25k start at 7am.

Jason came back a little more than 30 minutes later from the 3.5 mile out-and-back that the 50 mile course took. He said “You’re gonna love it. It is crazy fun up and downs.” I found out later that Jason is a masochist.

I lined up with the runners that were left and listened to the pre-race instructions for the third time and Joe screamed go and we went. Slowly. Climbing and walking. Staring at my feet and climbing. After a mile things flattened out a bit and I got to the meat of the course. Rocky Hill is by far the most challenging course I have ever run. My mentality was to run slow, take walk breaks and be patient. Towards the end of the first loop I was questioning my decision to run 50k and trying to figure out how to motivate myself to keep running once I hit the start/finish.

About a half a mile from the end of the first loop I saw Jakeb on his mountain bike. He asked how I was doing and said that Jason was only 5 minutes ahead. I left Jakeb and about a quarter of a mile from the turnaround saw Jason as he started out on his next loop. There was my motivation - to catch Jason and run some with him.

Jason is a much faster runner than I will ever be. He qualified for Boston by breaking 3:10 a couple of years ago at Houston but I knew he was conserving energy to run the whole 50. It was energy I didn’t need so I picked it up a bit and really pushed myself back up Fat Chuck’s for my last loop. I would pay for it at the end of the race.

I caught Jason about four miles into my second loop. It was mile 19.5 for me, mile 24 for Jason. We ran together until the next aid station and I was scared that I would either slow him down or push him to where it would mess up his race so at the next aid station I ate some tortillas stuffed with ham and cheese and took off alone.

This section was the most difficult for me because I was alone and I walked more than I had hoped for. The last aid station came and went and all I could think of was “forward motion”. The lack of training and sleep were catching up and I felt like I was plodding, not racing.

I finally hit the finish in 6:18:09 by my watch. Rock Hill is a tough course and I only ran 15.5 miles at Hog’s Hunt for my longest training run. Normally I would have run a couple of 24 milers followed by some 10’s the next day. So I am happy to have finished.

Jason came in just a couple of minutes behind me and took off for his last loop. I was amazed to watch him come in and have the strength to take off for another loop starting with the steep pain from Fat Chuck. Jason finished in 11:35 just a couple of minutes slower than his Sunmart 50 mile finish. To me that was better than a PR.

50k with wicked leathers

About a month ago I got an email from Jason. Jason ran 50 miles at Sunmart in 11 hours and something and his email stated that he wanted to run 50 miles in under 11 hours and Rocky Hill Ranch would be his last chance before the end of the summer.

I thought to myself, “Go Jason!”

Then in the next line he said he didn’t want to go to the race alone and me and the other guy he sent the email to were the only two people that he knew that were currently running enough mileage to finish one of the races. There is a 50k and a 25k race that same day.

I gave it a lot of thought … about 2 seconds worth and told Jason that if the family calendar was clear that weekend I was in. I checked and things fell into place nicely for me to run. Jakeb is going along for moral support and to ride his mountain bike.

The responsible thing to do would be to sign up for the 25k. I could run that one in my sleep. But as EQ has stated on his blog, you only live once so I did the irresponsible thing and signed up for the 50k. I am not trained for a 50k. I will not finish it well but I will finish.

Jason and I made our plans. Due to his son’s evening baseball game we will not leave until 8:30pm. We plan to drive to Rocky Hill Ranch, set-up a canopy and fall asleep in a field under the stars, wake up the next morning semi-rested and run a long way.

Two days ago the race director sent an email saying that in an attempt to book as many activities as possible Rocky Hill Ranch is having a Bike Night. A local motorcycle shop called Wicked Leathers is sponsoring an event at the Rocky Hill Ranch Saloon with a live band and music and free RV spots and camping.

Oh great. Bikers and loud music and drunk people trying to find where they put up their tent mixed with runners trying to get some sleep the night before one of the longest races of their life. Not that I have anything against bikers or loud music or those who are drunk mixing with runners. I just think the combination works out better for the former group rather than the latter.

We could go find a hotel but if you read my last post you find in my case that may not be any better. I really didn’t know that the TIR weekend with its lack of sleep would be training for future races. This should be interesting.

Hog's Hunt 25k

Andrea and I bought a car on Friday. We got rid of our gas guzzling Durango and are now proud owners of a Toyota Camry. I’m going to miss the Hemi but I’m not going to miss the gas bill. It took forever to get the paperwork done and we didn’t get back to Lake Jackson until 10:30 Friday night. That is when mine and Jakeb’s Hog’s Hunt adventure began.

I pulled into the garage from our car shopping trip and I went into ‘let’s go’ mode. I threw the last of our stuff together and went up stairs to wake Jakeb up. We drove to a hotel on the north side of Houston and were ready to fall in bed since we had to get up early and run. There was some guy in the next room talking loudly. He never paused to stop talking. It was like he was practicing the Gettysburg Address. I thought ‘Oh great we are never going to get to sleep.’ But in about 20 minutes he stopped and the world was silent.

We woke up the next morning after what seemed to me like almost no sleep at all and drove to Huntsville State Park. We got there around 6:20 and picked up our packet and went back to the truck to warm up. It was amazingly cold for April 4th. I think it is weird that Sunmart in December at Huntsville State Park was hot and Hog’s Hunt in April was cold.

Jakeb and I wandered around before the start of the 50k and saw Karen and Katy. They took off and we went back to the truck to put on our shoes, race number water bottle and belt. We stretched for a little while and then went to the starting line where we saw Adrienne and her mom. We talked some and after some race instructions took off.

Jakeb and I were pretty evenly paced as we ran the road for a mile. My legs felt a bit dead but by the time we made it to the trails they started loosening. Jakeb ran strong the whole way. When we made it to the trails we were in single file with a group of runners and the pace slowed. Jakeb and I maneuvered past a couple of people and by the time we made it to the road in the back of the park we were running at a decent pace again. A ways down the road we started seeing the leaders coming back. Adrienne passed by us in first place in the women’s race and looked strong. She went on to win.

In the middle of the race we ended up behind a group of people who were running slower than us and we stuck behind them for a couple of miles. I think it was good to run behind them because it kept us from running too fast. I asked Jakeb how he was doing more than once and he continually said ‘I’m good.’

We made it to the boardwalks and passed the group ahead of us. I asked Jakeb if he wanted to pick it up and he said ‘Let’s go’ so we up’ed the pace into the aid station.

After downing a couple of peanut butter sandwiches and having our water bottles refilled we took off. A woman that was leaving the aid station told us that there was only about 3 miles to go so we ran a bit harder. In the last four miles I would guess we passed ten people.

In the last mile there is a hill (or two) to climb and I started walking and after a couple of steps Jakeb said ‘were not walking’ so I started running again. My kid is a slave driver.

We turned the corner and ran the power line right-of-way to the pavement at the finish. Jakeb sprinted at the end and I couldn’t possibly let him go alone so I ran with him as we laughed at each other. He finished a step in front of me. I stopped my watch at 2:30:52 - a 9:44 pace. It was a good race. I am proud of how Jakeb ran.

Jakeb just got his learners permit so he drove from Huntsville to the Woodlands. We stopped at Pei Wei on the way home and refueled. I drove the rest of the way home and had a horrible time staying awake.

You can read Jakeb's report here ... link.

Tracking mileage

Katy wrote on her blog that she doesn’t track her monthly mileage. I keep up with monthly mileage, weekly mileage, yearly mileage and shoe mileage all in a spreadsheet I created myself. It is not than I am a stat geek or anything but my personality is such that I have a feeling of accomplishment by knowing I can add another mile to the week, month, year and shoe.

I am taking off today and tomorrow to rest the legs for Hog’s Hunt and it kills me not to add data to runlog2008.xls. Below is a screenshot:

I have 102.5 miles on the GTS8's and I still like them. (see earlier post)

Jakeb and I may see some of y’all this weekend … later.

Hog's Hunt taper

Jakeb and I are ready for Hog’s Hunt this weekend. He has backed off some for a mini taper going into this weekend. We ran 12 together Friday before last and Jakeb had a really good run.

I signed up for the Rocky Hill Ranch 50k, so for training Friday I ran 11.5 with Jason Culverhouse (who talked me into RHR) and Greg Jones. We ran some roads and some single track. Then on Saturday Jakeb and I ran 8 together and I ran 2 more alone. I have not put enough time on my feet to run a 50k very well at Rocky Hill but I think I will be able to finish. The competitor in me may have a hard time taking it easy but I will try.

Here is my last week and a half of running:

3/21 – 12 w/Jakeb
3/22 – 7
2/23 – 5 (3 w/Jakeb)
3/24 – 5 (4 w/Jakeb)
3/25 – 5
3/26 – 5
3/27 – rest and strength
3/28 – 11.5 w/Jason and Greg
3/29 – 10 (8 w/Jakeb)
3/30 – 5.5
3/31 – 5 (3 w/Jakeb)

Jakeb ran some on his own during the time above. His miles alone are not listed. I ran 164 miles in March with two 42 mile weeks in a row.

Complain, so much easier ...

Jakeb has been out of town for the last couple of days turkey hunting with his Grandpa (Andrea’s dad). He was planning to run in the hill country while he was gone but I asked him about it when he got home and he said he had not ran at all. He had some lame excuse about it raining or something to that effect.

Last night I told him, “Get ready because in the morning I am dragging your sleepy rear end out of bed and we’re running three.”

So as promised at 5am I went into his room and shook him and said “Jake, get up and let’s go run.”

I heard a muffled “Uhhhhh ….” from under the covers.

I said, “I don’t think so, get up and let’s go run. While you’re at it put on a long sleeve shirt because it is a little cool.”

“Uhhhhh …”

He came down stairs griping about running in the cold and moaned as he put his shoes on. He said “ooouuuch” as we started the first stretch.

We stepped out of the house and started walking to warm up. Jakeb asked, “Can we start running now? It’s cold and I want to run to warm up.” What he didn’t say was that he wanted to start running so that the running would be over sooner.

We took off at a moderate pace running what we call the Oyster Creek route. As we moved through the run the pace got progressively faster. By the time we hit the 1st mile marker we were running at a decent clip, faster than my marathon pace. I didn’t start my watch so I do not have splits but I asked Jake at a mile and a half if he was okay with the pace and he said “yeah”. And that was it.

So we ran without slowing, on the sidewalk through the moss covered trees on Oyster Creek Drive, past an old man on his morning walk. As we turned the corner onto Sycamore a third of a mile from home I picked it up a notch and Jakeb stayed with me. We still aren’t killing it but after all of the complaining I heard before the run I was impressed.

About a hundred yards from the end of the Oyster Creek route Jakeb said “That felt awesome! Good run!”

I said, “HA! Now you see why I forced you to get out of bed.”

We got home and Jakeb took and shower and went back to sleep. - My son the paradox.

I woke up this morning with a funny taste in my head

My daughter Tori and I went to a concert last night to see Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles and others I had never heard of. It was a good concert when Ingrid and Sara were singing. There are a lot of interesting stories to tell but now is not the time. We stood in the same spot for a long time and my feet and back were hurting by the time the concert was over. I fell in bed at a little after 1am.

This morning the alarm went off at 6 am and I woke up Jakeb and we ran 10 miles. We had to get out early because Andrea’s dad was picking up Jakeb this morning to take him turkey hunting. Surprisingly the ten miles turned out to be good run for me. We ran around seven miles on concrete and about 3 miles on trails. The rest of the day has been okay but if I sit still for to long my eyes want to close.

I bought a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8. I hated the 7s but I think it is because they are too narrow and hurt my feet. I bought the eights in a 2E for the additional width. I ran the 10 in them this morning and I think I am really going to like them. Ask me again what I think went I get 100 miles on them.

This week was a 40-mile week. It is good to run that many miles again.

Friday stuff

I ran 10 miles this morning at a comfortable pace. Jakeb ran the first four miles with me.

I had a root canal at 9:30. I didn't like it.

I ate Chinese food for lunch went shopping and got coffee, all with Andrea.

I went with Anna back to the dentist for her to get a cavity filled. She didn’t like it at all.

Jakeb had a birthday party tonight. He and his friends are gone now having an air-soft gun war.

Jason asked me if I wanted to run Rocky Hill on April 19th. He is running the 50-miler. I am thinking about the 50k. We would camp out Friday evening, run Saturday and come home Saturday night. I would have to take it easy but it sounds like fun to me.

More Bayou City Classic Pictures

Running

Finishing

Giving the Evil-Eye


















Walking in with my favorite woman in the world (Andrea)

Bayou City Classic Pictures

Jakeb, Tori, Peter, Mycaela

(l to r)

Mr. Evil

Andrea:
Only one number away from evil

Jakeb running

Tori and Peter
Doing something that is not running

Wilco and a 10k PR

Last night I went to see Wilco in concert. It was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Wilco is such a great band musically and Wilco’s music makes more sense after you see them live. That’s why their CD Kicking Television is the best.

I got home at 12:30am this morning from the concert and I had to wake up at 4:30am to make it in time for us to pick up a timing chip and get ready to race the Bayou City Classic.

The weather was perfect for running but a little too cold for standing around. Andrea, Jakeb, Tori, Peter, Mycaela and I got our chips and went back to sit in the warm truck until the start. Jakeb was talking trash about how he did not know what time he would finish in but that he was going to beat me.

We got out and made one more pass by the porta-potties. A couple of kids had a video camera and saw that my race number was 666 so they interviewed me and asked about my interesting number. They thought it was funny that I was wearing red and had a goatee matching the satanic persona. That was not the last comment I got about having that race number. It was fun. I really am a nice guy but like everyone else I am capable of so much evil so the number was appropriate for one race.

The race started promptly at 8:00 and I started running. I felt really good from the start and pushed myself. It wasn’t that hardest I have ever raced but I felt like I was making myself work hard enough that I would be happy with the result.

Here are my splits:
1 – 7:16
2 – 7:15
3 – 7:11
4 – 7:34
5 – 7:27
6 – 7:45 (going up the bridge over the bayou was taxing)
.2 – 1:16

My watch says 45:47. The official finishing time on the race web sight is 45:45. That is a 10k PR by over 2 minutes beating my PR at last year’s Bayou City Classic.

Here’s how everyone else did:
Jakeb – 48:26 for third in his age group but not fast enough to beat me
Andrea – 1:34:28 walking
Mycaela – didn’t wear a chip but came in around 55 minutes
Tori – 1:19:13 walking and running
Peter – 1:18:45 walking and running

I don’t understand the difference between Peter’s and Tori’s time since they stayed together.

I think I have proven to myself that I run pretty well on a lack of sleep based on last weekend’s TIR and this morning’s 10k.

I had a nap this afternoon. It has been an awesome weekend so far.

TIR Photos

The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic

The place we lived for 31 hours +

The finish line is in sight

203.67 miles later ...

Me and EQ

Texas Independence Relay Epilogue

I don’t know how to write this post as a narrative without it being a short novel. I know there is no way to describe the weekend adequately in this format, or at all for that matter. So here are some words and phrases that for me describe the Texas Independence Relay:

Gonzales, new friends, competition, prologue, run, hills, heat, Shiner brewery, good and bad coffee, asphalt, run, buffets, small sometimes stinky vans (blogger 1 and blogger 2), best drivers ever, run, determination, exchange points, stories, sore muscles, painkillers, run, road kills, blinkies, “Where’s Bill’s team?”, run, sleeping bags in a field, dogs, run, 2 hours sleep in a hotel, rolling hills through the park, run, ranchero kolaches, ‘finally a Starbucks’, sleepy, downtown, run, San Jacinto Monument, epilogue, medals, pizza. FUN.

If you would have asked me on Sunday morning at 12:30 am if I would do it again I may have said ‘no’, but now that it is over, looking back it was a really cool deal and I would consider toeing the starting line in Gonzales again.

It is quite a task to get fourteen people to work towards the common goal of running and supporting a run of 203 miles over two days. It was an accomplishment we can all be proud of especially Jon Walk who did a great job of getting and keeping the team together. Jokingly I told him, “Thanks Jon for organizing this agony.”

My right calf hurts a little but otherwise I feel pretty good. I went to bed early last night and I feel rested. I am going to take a couple of days off of running and let the calf recover. This weekend is the Bayou City Classic.

Thanks bloggers for including me in TIR at the “last minute”. It was good to meet you all in person.

I may post some pictures later.

Training specifically for TIR

I ran 12 this morning. The first two miles were an out and back. On the way back in from the out I remembered I told Andrea I would go to Shipley’s to get the kids some kolaches for breakfast. So when I finished my second mile I stopped at the house, got my keys and drove to Shipley’s, went through the drive-through, drove back home, dropped the koloches on the kitchen table and went back out the front door to resume my run.

Next weekend at TIR I will run for a while and ride in a car for a while and run again. So this morning I was training specifically for the relay. Run 2 miles ride for 20 minutes and run 10 more miles. Although the running distances and times riding in a car will be a bit different.

My first two miles passed in 15:36 (too fast). I hit the seven-mile mark in 58:17 cumulative time for approximately an 8:18 pace. I turned my watch off and took it easy for the last five which I ran mostly on trails.

Tomorrow Jakeb is supposed to run eight. I think I’ll run the whole thing with him depending how I feel.

Maybe not as nice as you thought

I registered the whole family for the Bayou City Classic yesterday. Jakeb and I are going to run it. Andrea and Anna are going to walk it. Tori and her boyfriend Peter are going to finish it but I am not sure if the plan is for them to run it or walk it or a combination of both. They may not be planning to finish together I do not know.

There is nothing interesting about registering for a race except for the way the race numbers fell out.

Peter – 671
Tori – 670
Jakeb – 669
Anna – 668
Andrea – 667
Tommy – 666

Yeah that’s right folks. Some people know me as a preacher; some as a generally moral guy, but according to the Bayou City Classic numbering system I am Satan.

Healing in a cabin

During my 10 mile run on Friday I had some pain on the outside of my left foot on the bone beside my toe. It was not painful enough to stop, just painful enough to be annoying. So for the weekend I decided not to run.

I had other reasons for not running. Andrea and I had reservations for a cabin at North Toledo Bend State Park in Louisiana. The cabin was a two-bedroom loft with a kitchen, fireplace and screened-in front porch. We brought a computer, DVDs, and some good food. We cooked, watched movies and sat on the front porch and watched it rain on the lake. I didn’t run a step. It was good to get away with Andrea and it was good to take two days off from running. (The picture above is the view from the front porch.)

This morning I ran five with Jakeb. We pushed it at tempo pace and my foot didn’t hurt at all.

Running with U2

I ran 10 miles Friday morning listening to my U2 playlist to get ready for U23D. Jakeb and I went to the IMAX on I-10 and the loop and saw it Friday night after his basket ballgame. If you are a fan of U2 it is well worth it. The movie was good but the sound should have been about 10 decibels louder. U2 has got to be one of the best bands ever, especially live.

On Saturday morning I ran 8 and I left the iPod at home because I ran the first 5 with Jakeb. The internal playlist in my brain was playing U2. “God – Part II” was repeating itself … “Don’t believe the devil, don’t believe his book, but the truth is not the same without the lies he made up …”

Sunday morning I ran 3 with Jakeb and stopped at home and got the iPod and ran 5 more with U2 playing for real in my head. It is so good I can’t turn it off. I will eventually move on but I always end up coming back.

Monday and this morning I ran 5 miles and I am still feeling the effects of the marathon. I don’t think I have done what it takes to sufficiently recover so it is my fault. My runs are not the most wonderful thing in my life right now but I am covering the miles and feel good about it.

If the stars and planets align in perfect harmony I will run the Surfside half-marathon this weekend.

BTW – I don’t really prescribe in that “stars and planets” stuff.