Barefoot Bill?

My monthly mileage was shorted significantly when I changed races at the OT50. I have a goal to run at least 100 miles every month. The streak is in its infancy, but I sure as hell don’t want to start over. While logging yesterdays run I happen to notice the mileage for April was only 96.48. Today I was supposed to run two miles and Friday is my ‘off-day’. As you can see, I would have missed my goal by a mere 1.5 miles. I’m glad I noticed this in time to fix the issue! And yes, my streak continues… SEVEN months and counting!

Today was my third mid-day run this week. I don’t mind the heat when the humidity is this low. There was sweat dripping from every inch of my body, but I never felt hot.

The mowers are in the area, so I took several pictures of my bayou rim route before the scenery changes to that of urban life. The grass has been so high lately that I’ve been wearing my gaiters and I love, love, love it!

Run:
3.75 miles
40:56
10:55 pace

Walk:
1.18 miles
19:00
16:06 pace

Kingwood FIT will be up and running before I know it. Last season lots of people asked me questions about barefoot running. The best I could offer them was references to books and websites, because I know very little about this newest craze. At times I’ve taken it even further by being a barefoot running naysayer due simply to ignorance.

More and more ultra guys are adding small amounts of barefoot running to their regimen and treating it as cross training. These same athletes are seeing positive results, which I can no longer ignore.

I want to add my own personal disclaimer: You don’t need expensive Vibram five-fingers or any other brand of minimalist shoe to be a barefoot runner. If you want to run barefoot, then take your shoes off and run. Why over complicate the issue? Of course, the terrain DOES matter, so don’t go running in a debris laded ditch and not expect your feet to get sliced open. I digress….

This afternoon I took off on my trail bike for a few leisure miles. On my way to the Kingwood High School track I took a wrong turn on the greenbelts and nearly doubled my mileage. I was on my way to the track because I wanted to try a little barefoot running for the first time.

I predominately land heel first, which is better known as a heel striker. If running barefoot could teach me anything, I hope to learn how to land mid-foot. As an added bonus, I also like the idea of toughening the souls of my feet as well as strengthening the small stabilizer muscles of my lower legs.

At the track there was a group of young high school athletes along with 4-5 other people walking. The attention of the younger runners was quickly on me as I got off my bike and took off my socks and shoes.

The infield looked plush, so I ran the first loop on the grass closest to the track. I was shocked how refreshing it was to run sans shoe. One spot was wet and I could feel mud squishing between my toes as I ran, reminding me of my childhood in the country. On the second lap I decided to run on the rubber-like surface of the track. Neither of the surfaces seemed to bother me. There was something different about running without shoes, but it is hard to put into words.

It is easy to see how this could help you become a midfoot or forefoot striker. Something automatically changes and you naturally land mid-foot. At one time I tried to land on my heel, which I did with a small amount of discomfort. Half way through the second loop I could sense a small bit of tightness on the anterior aspect of both shins. One thing I learned from reading blogs of people who run barefoot is to “ease into it” or you will be hurting.

I felt really good running both this morning and the half mile barefoot session. Hard to believe, but the barefoot experiment yielded an 8:53 pace. Over the next month I plan to run barefoot at least once a week, while increasing the distance. I’m not looking for a miracle, but I want to become a better runner and possibly a better coach with a broader range of experiences.

I was pumped when I got home, so I finished the day with a small set of push-ups.

Barefoot Run:
0.5 mile
4:21
8:53 pace

Push-ups: 19

Trail Bike:
11.42 miles
1:01:39
11.12 mph

LP run

The first phase of “Kill the Facebook” is now complete. I went from hundreds of friends to less than 20 total connections, which includes friends, companies, and groups. I have better things to do in my life than check my FB status 50 times a day. I already feel better having deleted the majority of FB. I only kept those connections which provide usual information to me. I’ve so tired of reading the mundane activities of people I barely know; “I hate traffic”, “I’m going to work”, “I just fed my baby etc…

With the extra time I plan to start mowing my own lawn. I hate to lay off the lawn guy, but that will save me $30 every two weeks. This is another step towards a simpler life.

I cut off the cable last week. Now we only get a few select channels via a digital antenna. We haven’t missed television one bit and we are saving $70 a month!

I contemplated running the LP run this evening. Since I’m still recovering from the OT50, I thought it was best to save my money and run at home.

For the second time this week I set off to run in the mid-day heat. The run was quite pleasant resultant to lower humidity. I ran the bayou rim which lacks shade from the usually blistering sun.

Run:
4.1 miles
46:39
11:22 pace

Walk:
1.09 miles
18:15
16:45 pace

Wednesday has become Andrea’s unofficial speed work day. Even though I decided not to run the LP race, we decided to make the trip to the ST. Thomas high school track and let her hammer out 33:20 minutes of racing.

Andrea ran consistent splits ranging from; 2:05-2:19, most resting close to 2:11. Her effort was solid and good enough for FIRST female 35-39! She was shocked at the win, but she knew she had done her best.

The LP run is one of the few races with a Clydesdale division. If I would have run, I would have easily won second place. Dang.

I visited with numerous friends. It was nice to be among the running community again. We planned to show up a few minutes before Andrea’s race started, but the traffic was light and we arrived over an hour early. Within ten minutes of arriving I had people asking me to be their lap counter. I would have rather sat back and enjoyed the race, but I couldn’t say no when an old friend asked for my help.

Maybe we are not as good of friends as we once were. The man asking for my help didn’t seem to have the time to talk to us (other than him asking me to count his laps) and he never took the time to say, thanks. I was disappointed by his manners.

People will forget what you did to them and people will forget what you said to them, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

Bike Ride

Two bike rides facilitated my first 20+ mile ride of 2010.

My morning ride with Preston was under surprisingly cooler temperatures. Preston sat behind me in his bike seat while we toured 12-miles through Kingwood.

The second ride was a social gathering with Shaina, Wyatt, Andrea, and me. Andrea and I rode to Wyatt’s house and then cycled about seven miles with them before returning home. I also had Shaina’s daughter, Peyton in the bike seat while riding with them.

Trail Bike:
27.4 miles
2:22:54
11.43 mph

Ready, Set... Acclimate!

It is warm outside. I convinced myself that I need to start acclimating to the heat, so I forced myself out the door at 4 pm. The temperature was 86 degrees when I started running.

Preston is with me for a couple days. We’ve been having a lot of fun. He enjoyed sitting in the stroller, while dad gave him a tour of the Kingwood greenbelts.

The first mile was rough. My legs felt fatigued and heavy. I persevered through the first mile and fell into a rhythm thereafter. The schedule called for four miles. I took an anomalous route today and ended with an additional 1.5 miles.

I saw something worthy of posting…
On occasion the water at Kingwood Lake is extraordinarily clear. Today was one of those days, where you could see the bottom of the shallow lake. One of the first things I noticed was a snake in the water. Frequently I see little heads popping up in the water and I find myself wondering if it is a stick, turtle, or snake. Today there was no doubt as to the identity, because I could see the long body of the snake under the water.

The snake was not extraordinary; it merely drew my attention to the area. While watching the snake I saw something ten feet away that was large and ORANGE moving in the water. I stopped running, hoping to see what it was. Within seconds it was clear, it was a HUGE goldfish?!? Well maybe not a “real goldfish”, but that is exactly what it looked like, with big bug eyes and all. If it was indeed a goldfish, then this was the grandfather of them all. I would estimate the length of the fish was at least 24-inches. Way too cool!

The last few runs have been on the roads. Now my right knee is achy. Twenty minutes with an ice pack seemed to alleviate the issue.

Run:
5.48 miles
1:03:19
11:33 pace

Walk:
1.35 miles
21:51
16:14 pace

In the Gym again

At work

I’m on recovery from the OT50. This week I self prescribed 12-miles for the week. Two runs this week went over the scheduled mileage and left me within half a mile of the weekly total. Running a mere half mile seemed worthless, so I ran 1.5 miles followed by a short cool down walk.

Run:
1.5 miles
16:57
11:18 pace

Walk:
0.32 mile
5:22
16:46 pace

For the first time since January I lifted weights. It felt good and I hope to find a rhythm in the gym.

Strength Training:
Upper Body

Smell the run

Even though it has only been a week, it feels like forever since I’ve seen the kids.

On my way home from work this morning I called Erin and asked about Alison’s softball schedule and to ensure the game was not cancelled or moved. The team was playing in Onalaska at 10:15, which was just enough time for me to see my babies. Soon as I got home I showered and made the 1.5 hour drive to see Alison play ball.

She plays for a team called “Ball Bratz”. I’ve only heard of them losing one game and today I see why. They are phenomenal with a great mixture of sluggers and fielders. The coach has told Erin on several occasions that Alison is one his two star players. I'm biased, but she does seem to be the brightest star on an already talented team.

Today Alison had two at bats. The first resulted in a base hit and two RBI’s. Later she scored off a base hit. The second at bat was a double, down the third base line with another two RBI’s. Alison advanced to third, but was tagged. While playing second base she made a couple amazing stops. She tagged one runner and the other runner she threw out at first base. The final score was 11 to 0.

Alison is an amazing athlete.

We had a couple late EMS calls last night so I took a two-hour nap once we got back home. Shortly after waking up I laced up my shoes and hit the trails.

Today everything seemed to have an exaggerated aroma. On the bayou I could smell freshly cut grass and the sweetness of nearby honeysuckle. Once we turned onto the greenbelts the scent of bar-be-que immediately made my mouth water for the better part of half a mile. With Kingwood Lake in sight the scent of water was in the air, almost like the mist of a beach.

My chosen route takes me through three different pedestrian tunnels, which have been freshly painted. The painted tunnels were the strongest aromas of the day; even though we only spent a few seconds in the tunnel the tang was stout enough to give me an instantaneous headache. A couple other unfavorable odors included those from pesky four-legged trail walkers and that of a woman smoking will walking her dog.

It was a great run and my legs are not as heavy as they felt a few days ago. I regret leaving my water bottle at home, because it was getting warm near the end. The walk intervals were surprisingly speedy as well.

I’ve become addicted to walk intervals. The decision has been made to eliminate these little pests in an orderly manner. Today I ran 1.25 mile intervals with a short 0.15 mile walk. Every couple weeks I want to increase the interval and decrease the recovery for non-speed work intervals. Running intervals is a result of coaching beginning runners. At times I feel like I am de-training. As I said before, it is time to put my training FIRST.

Run:
5.51 miles
1:03:11
11:28 pace

Walk:
0.9 mile
14:22
15:57

Lost Run

Just like any other day, I strapped on my Garmin and went for a run. I started the session with a brisk walk to the greenbelt. Even though the humidity was wicked, I still managed to have a great 2-mile run. The workout was complete after a brisk walk home.

Once I got home my Garmin synced with my computer. Then something weird happened, the session completely disappeared. I can’t find it anywhere. The workout is not on my watch, my computer, Garmin connect.com. It has disappeared to never be seen again.

Luckily this was a short run and I remember the distance and pace.

Later in the afternoon I did a complete CORE workout. It has been a long time since I’ve done the core workout. A full core workout was tough, but I feel much better for “Gettin’ it Done”.

Run:
2.06 miles
24:45
12:01 pace

Walk:
0.30 mile
5:00
16:40 pace

Strength Training:
Core

Full video of Ouachita Trail 50

Ouachita Trail 50 from Bill Cox on Vimeo.

Running again...

This afternoon I ran two miles, which is the first time I’ve run since the Ouachita 50k. It was a slow run, but my legs feel so much better now. I enjoyed running with Lizy and reflecting on her accomplishments over the last couple months.

A majority of the soreness is gone. There is a weird feeling in my knees while running, probably from the lack of running for three days.

This evening I ran an additional 20-minutes with my Power in Motion group. They’re still rocking along nicely.

Sorry to sound incredibly selfish, but I’m ready to focus more on MY training. Shaina has met her 5k goal, Lizy & Albert have passed their agility test, and PIM is nearly none. I’ve taken on a huge task of starting a KW FIT Trail group, but I have a couple months till then. I need to make a commitment to put my training above all others.

Run:
4.06 miles
50:00
12:19 pace

Walk:
2.11 miles
36:08
17:07 pace

FBI Agility Test

As soon as I got off work this morning I rushed to Memorial Park to watch Lizy and Albert take their FBI agility test.

I arrived within minutes of them starting the sit-up test. Lizy held her usual high number, while Albert did more than expected for TWO extra points.

Both candidates did phenomenal at the 300 meter sprint. Albert was in the 50-51 second range, while Lizy ran a personal best of 61 seconds!

Over the last couple months both applicants have made vast improvements to the number of push-ups they could perform. Unfortunately, small changes in the guidelines changed their typical cadence. They’ve both been performing push-ups with their hands on a soft surface (dirt/grass) and only went down until their upper and lower arm made a 90-degree angle at the elbow. The Testing Agent made them do the push-ups on asphalt and made them go all the way to the ground. Either way, Lizy and Albert were able to hammer out enough push-ups to stay in the test.

The 1.5 mile run was the final test and probably the most dreaded by the two applicants. They each knew what time they needed to run in order to move on to the next hiring process. The run went as planned with the exception of a local Personal Trainer clogging up the track, forcing the runners to go around them. Albert ran a safe and consistent 1.5 miles with nearly identical splits. Lizy ran a solid first lap, and then found a rhythm for several laps, before pushing hard to the end.

I am extremely proud of both these athletes. They did all the work, but I'm glad I was a part of their training.

And yes, they both PASSED!!!!

Both Lizy and Albert have worked extremely hard for this day and they deserve the future success.

Well done you two!

FYI: These are my estimated times and numbers. I stood back while the test took place. The recruiter may have faster or slower times than I recorded. This was merely my recordings.

Video's from Ouachita 50

OUCH!

What the hell!?!?!?

I’m so freaking sore. Everything aches; from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet is throbbing. I’ve grown accustom to soreness in my calves, back, hamstrings, and quadriceps. This time the pain knows no boundaries.

Andrea tried giving me a massage, but it hurts for her to even touch me. All this and I ONLY ran the 50k. If I feel this bad, Rick and Karen must be in a hospital room….

Ouachita Trail 50 race report

Mantra:
HTFU.
As Karen stated, it is an attitude.

Pre–race:
I lack the ability to properly taper for a race. This race was no different. For some dumb-ass reason I decided to run a hard 5k the weekend before an ultra. A sub 25-minute 5k left my legs sore for several days. The only reason I mention this is because it was the start of my week and it left me worried how “rested” my legs would be for a long trail run.

In the weeks leading up to the race I joined forces with Crystal Falls (Karen) and Cracker Barrel (Rick). These two characters are the coolest and toughest ultra trail runners I have ever met. At any given point during the drive to Arkansas I was either soaking up valuable information about ultra running or laughing my ass off. Needless to say, I had a BLAST.

We left Kingwood at noon on Friday and arrived in Little Rock, Arkansas a few minutes before 7pm. After a quick bite to eat and a short walk to Wal-mart we retired to our hotel rooms for the night. We made plans to leave the hotel by 4:30am, which meant I needed to wake up at 3:30am. Even though I was in bed by 10pm, the nervous excitement left me starring at the hotel ceiling for two hours before finally falling asleep.

The alarm went off four hours short of a full nights worth of sleep. For breakfast I ate two wheat fig newton’s, a wheat bread fold-over with peanut butter & honey, and a large cup of green tea.

Weather:
Weather.com forecasted a 30% chance of rain for the entire day. We awoke to cooler temperatures, partly cloudy skies, and a nice breeze. For the average person, the day was absolutely beautiful. The temperatures proved to be a lot warmer than I like once I started running. In the darkness of the pre-dawn hours of the race I was sweating. During one of the first videos I recorded myself saying, “It’s warm. This is going to be a long day”. Lucky for us, we never saw a single drop of rain and the temperatures stayed moderate.

Route/course:
Looking back, it is rather simple… Pinnacle Mountain chewed me up and spit me out before I know what hit me.

I assumed the course would be single track through a forest of rolling hills in the Ouachita Trail with a short, steep mountain to climb. Needless to say, I took this course for granted. Rick spent a lot of time giving both Karen and I detailed descriptions of the route, yet I was NOT ready for the rocks and constant change in elevation.

The rolling terrain lasted for 25 of the 31 miles I ran. The rolling terrain never ended, the hills just kept coming one after another.

We ran about three miles on the road before entering the trails. Once in the trails we started climbing upward, so I naturally assumed we were already climbing Pinnacle Mountain. I thought to myself, “This is tough, but I’m going to have a good day”. Before those thoughts had a chance to settle in, we started running downward. It wasn’t until we crossed a power line easement opening on the trail that I spotted Pinnacle Mountain ahead of us. We had not even begun the ascent upward. With the mountain in front of me I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves because I knew there was going to be tough running ahead.

The night before the race I crunched different numbers and I knew what it would take to beat the cut-off times. I also had various paces in mind for a “good day”. Nothing was formal, but I had planned to walk the steep inclines of the mountain while running intervals of 25-minute/5-minutes. Half way up the mountain I had already discarded any type of strategy. It was disheartening to look at the pace on my watch, which often read 30+ minutes per mile.

To minimize the length of this race report I’m not going mile by mile. I'll simply cover some of the highlights.

One the back side of the mountain I was in a pack of ~15 people descending Pinnacle. The leaders stopped because they were looking for blue ribbon. Rick had already told me the paint was yellow on the mountain, but it was too late because I had followed the group. We knew we were not on a highly travelled area because the rocks were loose and people were falling. We made a lateral correction which took another 10-15 minutes, but finally found our way to a safer route down the mountain.

At one time, around mile twelve we ran on the road for awhile. Once we returned to the trail the terrain improved a lot, which was conducive to faster running. I lead a small group of 4-5 runners for 25-minutes. One of the runners saw that I was wearing a Garmin and asked what our pace was. At the time we were running an 11:00 minute/mile pace. I was feeling better about the course and my effort, but that was short lived as well. The rocks and hills returned with vengeance. From that point on I watched my pace slip further and further away from the needed cut-off times.

Before reaching the Northshore Aid station there was a sign separating the 50-mile course from the 50k route. I was running a 16:04 pace and needed a 15:59 pace to beat the Northshore aid station cut-off. Luckily, the race director gives the 50-mile runners the option to drop down to the 50k. I knew beforehand there was a two mile difference from the sign to Northshore. I was behind on pace and knew the course wasn’t going to get any easier, so I dropped down to the 50k.

Once at the aid station they asked me if I wanted to continue on with the 50-mile course, which I declined. They gave me the option, but like I said before, I knew it wasn’t going to get any easier and I had just added two additional miles if I decided to continue the 50 miler. Unlike the other aid stations, I spent a fair amount of time at Northshore. I sat down and taped my feet, changed shoes, left my handheld bottle behind in exchange for my hydration vest, stretched my back, grabbed my ipod, and I picked up a few items to eat. All in all, I probably spent about 8-10 minutes before getting back on the trail.

My return trip was leisurely and I tried to keep my spirits high. I was learning a lot and I wanted to soak it all in. There was a noticeable down side to slowing down; it felt like I was on the trails for a long-ass-time. By the time I reached the last aid station I was ready to get off those rocky hills. Unfortunately, I had 1.2 miles to go before the road. The AS volunteers told me there was one more hill to climb. They wasn’t lying about “another climb”, although I wouldn’t call that a hill. For a moment I thought I had made a wrong turn and was going back UP Pinnacle Mountain. It was a staircase climb that took all the wind out of my sail.

The final three miles was on the road. My legs felt good and as a testament to their endurance, I ran a 10:30/mile pace over the last two miles. It doesn’t matter one damn bit, but I picked off 4-5 people on the road. That means I left a lot on the course, but I’m ok with that. This was a 31-mile training run. I’ll be a better runner in the future because of all the lessons I learned at this race.

Damage Control:
Thankfully, I didn’t fall. Lots of people bled on this course. At least 50% of the people I watched cross the finish line had at least one small scrap. Truth be known, I probably ran too slow to fall!

Near the summit of Pinnacle I felt a slight bump as I rubbed my Garmin Forerunner on a rock. Nothing major, it merely touched a rock. After I finished the race I realized I chipped the glass on my watch. The damage is minimal. I’m going to try and place silicon in the crack to keep the watch waterproof.

For the first time during a race I had occasional bouts of nausea. I tried a Ginger candy from Zombie Runner and WOW, it totally worked!

As usual, I’m sore everywhere.

The never-ending rocks took a toll on the bottom of my feet. I choose to wear my Asics road shoes because they have fewer miles on them. This proved to be a poor decision. I couldn’t wait to switch to my Brook Cascadias at the Northshore aid station. Once I donned trail shoes I felt the added protection, but the damage was already done. My feet felt battered and bruised.

I’m undecided about the role of elastic shoe laces on a technical course. On the climb up I lost my shoe several times when they wedged between rocks. It wasn’t a big deal, but it is probably safer to have a properly secured shoe when climbing up rocks.

On the drive to Arkansas I told Rick about recent problems with blisters on long runs. Rick told me to duct tape the areas that give me problems. I’ve read about taping feet with duct tape, but I never thought it would make this big of a difference. I still have tender areas on my feet, but I noticed a lack of blisters for the first time in an ultra.

Apparently I got dehydrated during the run. I urinated once early in the race and not again for six hours. When I finally pissed it was dark and resembled the soda I had drunk hours before. Not good.

Race/RD/Aid stations
The small town race atmosphere is always a favorite of mine. There are moments when I like the hoopla of big-production races, but my heart is in the trails with a few friends. Chrissy and Stan did an excellent job of putting on a fun, tough race. The magic of their race is in the finer details; the handmade finisher’s medal, warm food when you finish, photographer atop of Pinnacle Mountain, and liberal options to change distances (rather than DNF).

The photographer was one of the coolest things ever. Somehow he hiked to the top before the race started and by the time we finished he was there with printed copies of our final steps up the mountain for only $5, what a deal!!!

The aid stations are top notch. There was no shortage of cheerful and knowledgeable volunteers stocked with amble supplies for each and every runner. I tried to thank as many volunteers as I could. There are numerous hard workers behind the scenes I never saw. I wished I had time to thank them all.

Gear:
I had every intention of recording the race via my Flip camcorder. Everything went as planned till the back side of the mountain. I’m not sure what happened, but it would not turn on anymore. I assume my excessive sweating killed the camcorder. The few videos I captured, up to the 4-mile mark were nice. I only wish I had captured more footage.

Fuel/Hydration/Supplements:
I carried my handheld water bottle for the first half of the course then swapped it out for my Nathan hydration vest. It was difficult to climb with a water bottle in my hand, yet it is light and easy to manage. The hydration vest freed my hands, but 70 oz of water becomes heavy while running/walking up hills.

I’ve had a lot of success with S-caps on long runs, so a couple months ago I ordered Amino from the Succeed website. At the New Orleans marathon I tried Amino with dismal results. Lots of things went wrong in that race, so I felt it was necessary to give Karl’s supplements another try. Amino upset my stomach and made me feel thirty. If you’ve ever tried it, you also know it taste horrible. Needless to say, I’ll be off-loading this crap on someone else. A lot of people praise Succeed products, but I’m sticking to his S-caps only.

Runners and Friends:
Rick ran the 50-mile course and made the top ten OVERALL. Rick was also the first Texan to finish the fifty miler.
Karen did equally well with a strong and impressive finish. Karen was the first female Texan to finish the fifty miler.

Lessons Learned:
Soda works well as a pick-me-up, but there will be a small crash
Duct tape ROCKS to prevent blister
Ginger candy works for nausea
Succeed (Amino) sucks!
I need a lot more hill training
Drink more water!
Wear terrain appropriate shoes
Run atop of larger rocks, rather than stepping on smaller rocks that bruise the hell out of your feet
No elastic laces on technical course
More core exercises needed

Timing:
My Garmin Forerunner and the TRAIL course were relatively close in total distance. The difference over 31 miles was about one-tenth of a mile.

Run:
50k (31.07 miles)
8:59:10
17:21 pace (YUCK!)

Elevation (per Rick, who ran the 50-miler)
Start: 268 feet
Max: 1,007 feet
Total accumulation: 3,852 feet

Oh yeah, one more thing:
Texas Rules & ARKANSAS SUCKS!
(see the picture of my bib to understand)

Trail Group Approved

There has been minimal changes in the condition of my legs. I took it easy during the bike ride home from work. The soreness was most notable on 2-3 changes in elevation. The ride was otherwise uneventful.

Trail Bike:
6.08 miles
30:29
11.97 mph

Today I met with the program director of Kingwood FIT to discuss the opportunity of starting a TRAIL group. After a discussion of various issues related to the group, she gave me the green light to start the program. I’m VERY excited about this opportunity. It will require a lot of work on my part, but it will be a lot of fun!

The weather was delightful for Power in Motion this afternoon. The Baton-2 group is solid and will totally rock the Cinco de Mayo 5k.

Run:
2.15 mile
22:00
11:10 pace

There has been uncertainty regarding Rick and Karen’s attendance at the Ouachita Trail 50. At one point today it looked like I would be traveling alone, but now it seems like everything is back on track. I don’t mind traveling or running solo, but without a doubt, it will be a better experience with friends.

I scheduled a massage for tomorrow and I hope to have lunch with Alison. After that I plan to stay off my feet as much as possible and try to get my legs back.

Letter

Dear Legs,

Accept my apologies for not taking better care of you this year. Our 2010 race reason has been fun & exciting! I’m concerned about our previous healthy relationship. For the last two days you have been lethargic and even…. standoffish at times. I am sorry for taking our relationship for granted.

This Saturday we will go on a massive journey. I need you. I will NOT be successful without your complete devotion to the undertaking. In the days leading to Saturday’s adventure I promise to mend our physical and mental bond.

I only need two small activities from you this week and both of these will take place tomorrow. I need to cycle home from work in the morning and then a leisurely run with Power in Motion. Thursday and Friday will be all about you, I promise.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. I sincerely look forward to a little R&R.... just me and you, alone.

-Bill

I cycled to work this morning. Nice ride even though my legs are dead weight. I arrived 45-minutes early and ran two-miles through downtown Humble.

Run:
2.1 miles
22:31
10:43 pace

Trail Bike:
6.51 miles
34:38
11.28 mph

Adventure Run

My legs are so freaking sore! This is not an injury pain, mere soreness from pushing my legs as hard as they would go in race conditions. The decision to run a 5k road race one week before an ultra could end up being a crucial mistake.

Thankfully my lovely wife has massaged my legs and lower back several times, which has been a huge help. I don’t know what I would do without her!

Today we ran four miles that ended up being an ‘adventure’ run. We started at the bayou nearest our house and ran to the newly found horse trail. We normally turn at the baseball fields, but today we decided to see where the rugged single track lead. The route resembles a hog/deer trail more than a human traveled path. The corridor weaves back and forth between the sports complex and the power line easement. After one mile the trail dumped us off at the Kingwood FFA barn. We ran through the FFA parking lot and took the greenbelts to River Grove Park/marina via Woodland Hills.

One mile before turning around at the San Jacinto River we saw an ATV trail that was in the middle of a large power line easement. Since we were on an adventure we thought we would check out this trail too. This was a GREAT, albeit short trail that ended at Hamblen Road. I never put two-and-two together and was shocked how close Hamblen Road was to River Grove Park.

I was not ready for the journey to end, so we crossed a small drainage ditch and took off through the woods. Essentially we were running back the way we came, but without the trail. It was a surreal feeling to run bent over to avoid limbs, jumping over trees, and entwining our voyage through the unmarked forest. A short half mile later we stumbled upon Woodland Hills Rd. From there we retraced our route home.

Andrea and I said very little to each other during our run, yet we experienced something that a million words could never explain. It is a magnificent feeling to run though life with my best friend, pun intended.

Run:
4.0 miles
46:46
11:41 pace

Walk:
1.05 mile
18:42
17:48 pace

Custom Plate

I know it's vain, but I'm thinking about ordering this as my new Texas license plate. I LOVE the new retro option.

Maybe I could make it a gift to myself after Saturday's 50-mile run.

Is it too early to say, "I run 50's"? This time next week I will have only run two 50k's and two 50 miler's.

Bellaire Trolley 5k & Bear Chase Possum Run

What a great day to be a runner in the Cox family!

Erin registered Alison for the Bear Chase Possum run after her HUGE success at Rocky Raccoon kid’s race. It has been hot and humid in the Houston area this morning, but Erin reported beautiful weather in Groveton, Texas. I don’t have a lot of details about Alison’s race, but I know she placed second overall and FIRST female. Alison simply amazes me. When I grow up, I want to be just like her! I wish I didn’t have to work today, so I could have been with my wonderfully talented baby girl.

After Alison finished her race she had two softball games, which she won… both. She is an athlete and a CHAMPION!

I’m so overcome with pride that I’m fighting back tears of joy! I attached a few pictures below, compliments of Erin.

Over 100-miles away I ran with Andrea and Shaina at the Bellaire Trolley 5k. Naturally I wanted to be with Alison, but I was only able to take off work for a few hours. I had to report back to work as soon as our run was done.

This race was Shaina’s goal race and I was there to take a stab at my 5k PR. Andrea’s knee is behaving, so I gave her the green light to run/race.

As I stated above, it was hot and humid. I knew things would be tough after a short half mile warm up, I was sweating like it was high noon in August. My goal was to hold a 7:30 pace as long as possible. Looking back now the plan was unrealistic, because my schedule lacks any quality speed work.

I hit the first mile in 7:37. I was able to hold a PR pace until the half way point. I gassed out after passing the water stop at 1.5 miles. I struggled to stay under 8:00/mile pace for the second mile and mile three was pure misery. The heat left me nauseated and wanting to stop. Within the final ¾ mile I spotted Andrea over my right shoulder. I refused to wimp out in sight of my darling wife.

I stopped the clock in 24:45; 54-seconds shy of a PR. I’m happy with a top 50% finish in my age group. I placed 13th out 30 runners. With cooler temperatures and more rest I think I had a fair shot at a new PR. This race has lit a fire in my gut to kill my 5k PR time. Unfortunately it will probably have to wait till the Fall.

Andrea finished ten seconds ahead of me and 7th place in her age group. I’m impressed with her speed. Andrea has been dealing with knee pain for several months and still kicks my ass on shorter distances. She’s going to be a top local runner when she finds her stride!

Shaina met her goal of finishing a 5k. Her race was successful, yet a tough first race. Gauging by the number of emails she sent me this week, it is obvious the running bug has bitten her!

It is worth repeating... it’s been a great day of running.

Run:
5k
24:45
7:57 pace

Run (warm-up/cool-down):
0.88 mile
11:17
12:49 pace

Overage

It’s not often I go over on my weekly mileage. I’m on taper for the OT50 and this week I scheduled myself a leisurely 20-miles. I’m currently at 22-miles and I still have one more run planned for tomorrow.

Today I ran with client L. Her physical agility test date should be announced soon; therefore she’s essentially on taper too. Her schedule called for two miles, but she asked to swap her Friday/Saturday run. Changing days meant I would run four miles today. We met in the middle when she agreed to run trails and I settled for the extra mileage.

In the end we ran a hybrid route of half trails and half greenbelts. Weather was nice for mid-day. I’m impressed with her improvement in such a short period of time. Just five weeks ago she struggled to run a 13:30 minute pace.

I’ve crossed paths with lots of animals while running, but today I crossed paths with a real beauty. A few feet before turning onto the horse trail we passed a huge turtle that was easily 18-20 inches in diameter. I see lots of turtles in or near the bayou, but this was the first time I have seen a turtle on the trail. Very cool!

Run:
4.0 miles
50:41
12:40 pace

Walk:
0.45 miles
7:35
16:51 pace

Run Home

The return home run was enjoyable.

The temperature felt 20 degrees cooler after a small cool front moved in last night. My desire to move north grows exponentially every time I run in Houston's gawd-awful heat, so it was nice to run one last time in cooler weather.

I found another issue with the new backpack, albeit a minor problem. The Transverse 30 only has one set of load compression straps. These straps are located near the middle of the bag, which allows minor movement at the ends of the main compartment. When running to work yesterday I loaded my laptop, a couple books & magazines, clothes, food for the day, and various other items needed for 24-hours of work. There was a casualty inside the backpack; the excessive movement shredded my magazines.

Yesterday I mentioned the pack was hot and did not breathe well. The heat resulted in a small amount of dampness on the items closest to my back. It sounds like I’m unhappy with the pack, but that is not the case at all. Both of these issues are minor and easy to fix.

Before setting off on my run I realized the battery in my Garmin forerunner was dead. Apparently I left the watch on last night after syncing to my computer. The watch had enough battery life to stay on, but it repeatedly warned of “low battery” and the battery level bar was EMPTY. To my surprise the watch made it the entire run home. I’m a total nerd for numbers, so the watch working the entire time kept me from stressing out.

With no idea of how long the Garmin battery would last I decided to take a shortcut home. I ran along the bayou for the last ¾ mile. This morning I FINALLY decided to pick up the “trail snake” that I talked about earlier this week. I attached a few pictures of this morning’s run and the “snake”.

Run:
4.7 miles
50:55
10:50 pace

Walk:
1.5
25:53
15:55 pace

New Fast Pack

I ran to work this morning.

It was really warm at 6am. Feels like someone flipped on the warm weather switch.

Last night I bought a new fast-pack from REI. I loaded, ran, and then unloaded ten different packs before settling on the REI Transverse 30. I like the pack a lot, but this morning it seemed to lack breathablity. I could feel a lot of warmth against my lower back where the pack made the largest amount of contact.

My run to work was otherwise uneventful. I attached a picture of the HWY 59/San Jacinto River pedestrian bridge and my new Transverse backpack.

Run:
5.63 miles
1:05:13
11:35 pace

Walk:
1.76 miles
29:15
16:37 pace

Scary Moment

Happy 35th birthday to my wife! Andrea, you are the greatest person I have ever known. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you, but I’m thankful you’re my wife. I cannot begin to explain the happiness you’ve brought to my life! I merely live in the shadows of your never-ending kindness.

While at work yesterday I had a HUGE scare. I was assigned to Engine 1 and we were responding to a MVA. As I was stepping out of the truck my left leg slipped off the step and went straight to the ground. Fortunately I was holding onto the hand rails, which kept me from falling head first to the ground. The down side was my right left leg stayed firmly planted in the cab of the truck. The remainder of my body and left leg went to the ground, which was nearly three foot below. The end result was a severe hyperflextion of my right knee. The pain was so severe I was nauseated.

Immediately I thought about my upcoming race and how unfortunate an injury would be. I had trouble bearing weight on the leg for the seconds after the incident. I moved the joint through its usual range of motion several times and mysteriously the pain completely dissolved. What a SCARE!

There has been a little tightness in my knee and evidence something happened, yet nothing serious. I planned to run three miles at work, but I decided the smart thing to do was to rest instead.

At noon today I did a little damage control on an eight mile run. I ran a six mile loop on the greenbelts. I felt the even terrain of the greenbelts was more beneficial than the trails. In the beginning there was an obvious change in my gait. I quickly addressed the issue. Before I finished the first mile I was on auto-pilot.

Since the six miles came relatively easy, I decided to finish the last two miles along the bayou rim. There is a total lack of shade on the bayou when running mid-day. By the end of those last two miles I was dripping of sweat. In fact, the sweat was so bad I killed my iPhone.

It has been a couple months since the city has mowed the bayou. Personally, I like running in the taller vegetation. The spring wild flowers are in abundance and absolutely beautiful right now. The pedestrian traffic along the bayou resembles a trail path more and move everyday… or least it will until they mow again.

The last time they mowed the blades shredded a shoe. Part of the debris was an eight-inch piece of black shoelace. EVERY-SINGLE-TIME I run the bayou I come across that damn shoelace and jump 20-feet in the air, because it looks just like a snake. I’m mentioning this because the theme of today’s post was “scarred” and I find it amusing how it scares the shit out of me every damn time, yet I have not stopped to pick it up.

I spent the remainder of the day in the Woodlands exchanging my phone. Thankfully they replaced my phone for free. Typically water damage is NOT covered. The staff was friendly and told me, “As long as you shot straight with us and don’t try to feed us a bunch of bull we are a lot more likely to work with you”. The Apple store was CRAZY with people everywhere and they said it was a "slow" day. It would be interesting to hear the stories people try to convince them to believe.

Run:
8.0 miles
1:30:18
11:17 pace

Walk:
1.5 miles
24:53
16:35 pace

Camping at LH park

Today was productive. As soon as I woke up I installed Andrea’s new DVD headrest system. I found a great deal online, which meant the installation was up to me. Luckily they were easy to install and Andrea is happy with the way they look.

Earlier in the week Andrea booked a shelter at Lake Houston Park. The kids have been bugging us for an overnight campout. It was a breeze to pack since the park is 15-miles away and we only planned to be there for 20-hours. The shelter was new and the location was incredible. Everyone had a great time.

A couple hours before sunset, I took off for a trail run. I had my eye on eleven miles, but only made it to eight miles (plus 2 miles walking) before I ran out of light. The run rocked! I found a new out-and-back trail that is by far the best single track trail in the park.

On the far Southeast side of Peach Creek loop is a sign for primitive camping. I’ve never ventured onto the trail because I assumed it was short. Once I turned onto the Primitive camping trail I looked at the GPS, so I would know the mileage. What I assumed was a short trail ended up being 2.8 miles!!! When added to Peach Creek loop it’s a nice little run.

Today I ran Peach Creek loop three times, plus the addition I wrote about above, Hoot Owl trail, and the Magnolia Interpretation loop. This is probably the first time I’ve run at the park without traveling east of the power line easement.

Mosquito’s took over our campsite while I was gone. When I returned from running Andrea and the kids had enough as was ready to return to the comforts of Kingwood. Even though the trip was cut short, it was a lot of fun.

Walk:
1.75 miles
30:11
17:14 pace

Run:
8.22 miles
1:33:14
11:20 pace