alabama master

In Wisconsin

Last year on my birthday I was also in Wisconsin and did a a long run run from my Mom's house north along the lakeshore for 11 miles and then back. This year would have been a great day day to run long (temp 27, very little wind) but with the rehabing shin I kept it short. So instead of running 43 miles on my 43rd birthday, I opted for 4.3.   33:50/7:52 

In Wisconsin

Much colder today with temps in the teens and a 20 mph wind. I tried to keep the wind at my side or back, but I had a .8 mile stretch of dead on headwind. Shin felt pretty good today so I picked up the pace. I'm looking forward to getting back to Alabama and hitting the trails.   29:50/7:17

13.5 hour car trip back to Alabama. This will wreck me for running until Monday.

Easy run in the rain w/Eric over in his neighborhood. We added a little hill work on stratford pl and high stratford pl. There are some very stately homes up there with a nice view of the city. 46:00/7:48

Trail run on the Land Trust section of Mt Mist. It had rained Mon and Tues so I knew I would get into some mucky sections of the trail, but overall it was very runnable. I started at the Trough Springs lot and ran down to Bluff Line, Railroad Bed, Alms, a side trip around 3 Caves, then up Waterline and back to Trough, then a short out and back on Natural Well. Felt good to be out on the trails, even got snowed on a couple times. 1:16/10:30.

Morning run with Eric in his neighborhood and Pt Mallard. No adverse effects from yesterdays trail running. The low sections of the Pt Mallard trail are still under water. We talked about the sorry state of both Decatur City Police and Morgan County Sherrifs depts. 52:18/7:28

Afternoon run:

I headed over to the mountain and did 8.5 from the trough springs hikers lot to natural well then down into mccay hollow. I missed a turn and ended up climbing out of the hollow by the picnic area west of the lodge. That's the 2nd time in as many tries on solo runs that I have missed that turn. Rest Shelter hill will wait for another day. The remainder of the run was the first part of the Mtn Mist course to the bankhead road crossing then on the cold springs trail to fern dr crossing then onto the land trust's high trail and bluff line back to the trough springs lot.

Night run after work thru neighborhood and oak lea. Kept an easy consistent pace throughout. Temp was in the mid 30'sbut I overdressed and had to shed the hat and gloves about half way through. I love running on trails but it is nice to be able to move along quickly and not have to worry about foot placement. More trail work on Mon and Tues. 42:15/7:03

Back to the Mountain. I dropped down into Mccay Hollow on the trial that I came out on last week. This time I found the turn to take me across the creek to the trail that goes to Rest Shelter Hill. I thought being some-what fresh and doing it at the start of the run I would be able to run it all, but it humbled me and I had to take some walk breaks during the climb. Once on top, I picked up the pace on the flat, good footing section of the South Plateau trail that serves as the home stretch for Mtn Mist 50K. At the van I shedded hat, gloves, and my 2nd shirt and took off for the Mtn Mist trail, Warpath descent to the Goat trail, then back on Mtn Mist trail to the climb out on the Dizzy 50's course. I was a good mix of all the different terrain that the 50K has to offer and I hit my pace goal. More Land Trust sections tommorow. 1:56:17/9:42. 

Ran the 2nd half of the Mtn Mist course. Missed the turn at railroad bed and alms, got back on course via wagon trail. Got up water line at a good pace, til the waterfall crossing, where I fell hard and almost went over the falls, (stay off the green slippery rocks). Only sustained a scraped up hand but gained additional respect for the Mountain. McCay Hollow went well, but again the steep climb up rest shelter hill slowed me down to walking. 2:48:30/10:11

Eric and I headed over to the Mtn for a run with a lot of other Mist runners. We helped mark the course from the tailhead to aid station 1 then ran warpath, powerline, K2, goat trail, and stone cuts then headed back to the car. Eric Charette ran with us, and blew us away on the K2 climb and the 1/2 mile climb out of stone cuts. He will do well in next Saturdays race. Eric and I both concluded that most of K2 will be walked.

My third running of this race and my best finish, PR lowered by 9 min. Overall and in hindsight it was a great run, yet still very painful and numerous times during the run I questioned my sanity and swore I would never do it again. But, hey only 7 more times and I get the 10 timers jacket. I trained better for this years race than I did for the others, but I know I can do better with more training next year. Stats to follow.

Aid #1   6.2m 52:21  7:47pace  22 place

Aid#2   5.22m 47:40  9:07p 22 fastest

Cumulative 11.94m 1:40:00 8:22p 20 pl

Aid#3  5.33m 51:29  9:39p  36 fastest

Cumulative 17.27m  2:31:28 8:46p 26 pl

Aid#4  3.74m 44:34  11:55p   95 fastest

Cumulative  21.01m  3:16:01  9:19p 35 pl

Aid#5 4.03m 58:18  14:27p   80 fastest

Cumulative 25.04m 4:14:18  10:09p  44 pl

Aid#6  6.06m  1:20:34  13:17p 79 fastest

Finish  31.1  5:34:52  10:46p   47 place

A beautiful 60 deg day, got out at 10:45 and just ran. Garmin battery was low so I left it at home. Soreness from Mist is gone. Road running feels good. Distance from gmapspedometer.  1:05:00/7:18   

Easy out and back on tammy,central and norris mill roads. Made it to the first bridge of the Flint Creek Bottoms at 4 miles. Some mild hill terrain out that way. 58:35/7:19

Kelly is running the Mecedes Half Narathon on the 15th and hasn't done much hill work. So I ran with her thru Oak Lea and Montclair/Montevallo areas. This run has a good mix of mild to major hills. She has been having some minor ITB problems and by the time we got to 6 miles after the major hills she'd had enough and we walked to last mile home. Still, she ran it at just under 10 min pace, which is what she wants for her half debut.

A full day of biking (15 miles while measuring a 10K course), walking (One and a half miles with family and dog at Wison Morgan Park) and a  8 mile run thru neighborhood, oak lea and the monte hills. Ran while listening to "This American Life".   1:01:00/7:37

Kelly and the girls went to Scottsboro for the Throbbing Heart 5K. Kelly ran great placing 1st in the Masters with a time of 26:00, another PR. Sunday the 15th she runs The Mercedes Half Marathon in Birmingham. I predict 2:05-2:15 for her.

neighborhood run.  32:18/6:59

Home to Julian Harris Elem. and back.  1:16:04/7:37

neighborhood and oak lea. 36:31/7:18

My wife Kelly ran her first half-marathon today at The Mercedes Half and Full Marathon in Birmingham. She ran a very respectable 2:04:02 which is 9:28 pace. She beat my predicted time for her by 1 minute. The weather was great and the girls and I had a great time driving all over B'ham to see her along the race course. We all had a great day.

Night run in the drizzle around neighborhood and oak lea. No watch, just ran.

Easy run in 'hood and oak lea  7:30 pace. My motivation to get out the door and run has been low lately as you can tell. I'm waiting for the spring jump start or something...

neighborhood run at 7:07 pace. Kelly and I are running a 10K this Sunday, I have no expectations of time due to my dismal training efforts, but maybe this will be what I need to jumpstart me back into regular training.

Neighborhood and oak lea run after work. Still taking it easy with no speed work. I felt good, really light, I might be turning a corner as the world tilts towards spring and I get out of the late winter doldrums. One other runner spotted, it was a nice night. 37:32/7:31

Late night run after watching MI-5 on PBS, very cool show.  I made a Lenten vow to run every day, so that should hopefully get me back into racing shape. Also am getting back into the habit of stretching before and after runs. Flat run through neighborhood. 23:48/7:56

Noontime run thru neighborhood to Wilson Morgan loop and back. Felt slightly stiff and sluggish for first 4 miles, probably due to my increase in mileage/frequency. 44:38/7:26

Morning run thru neighborhood. Felt good, kept it easy. 29:44/7:26

race tommorow

North Alabama woke up to a blanket of snow today with temps right at 32. I got some good pictures and video to show my northern family and friends that yes we do get snow down South (just not very often, which is fine by me). The girls were lookong forward to playing in it after church, but the sun came out during church, and by 11:30 the meltdown had taken place. We did see a couple of snowmen still hanging on on the ride home.

The race was a rare Sunday afternoon event, so Kelly and I headed over to Huntsville after lunch for the 2pm start. A very stiff 15-20 mph wind was responsible for the snow to sun weather change and with the race course being a 5k out and back run twice we had the pain and pleasure of head wind and tail wind all throughout the course.I had no expectations going in, so I started out the first 1/2 mile at a pretty conservative 6:45 pace with a tail wind. when we made the turn into the wind I tried to tuck in behind a group of bigger runners but he pace was not working for me so I pushed on up ahead and planted myself in 8th place by mile 1 and stayed there the remainder. The 5th mile was the worst with it occuring during the most head wind, but I gained a lot back in the 6th mile with the tail wind and buildings blocking the head wind going into a slight uphill finish. I was somewhat surprised that I broke 40 given my fitness level, plus I garnered some HTC grand prix points. Splits: 6:07, 6:18, 6:06, 6:25, 6:54, 6:15, 1:25

Kelly ran well, 57+,  not a PR but a fine effort. We enjoyed a lot of good socializing post race, and the food afterward was plentiful, I enjoyed the hot chocolate. Overall a well run event.

Easy run thru neighborhood. Had a slight ache/stiffness in left hip that worked out by the end of the run. 23:16/7:45

10pm run after getting back from officiating the long and triple jump at an Austin track meet. I got there at 6:45 to relieve Kelly so she could get home to the girls. I was a cold night and I felt sorry for the kids in the 300 hurdles, 3200meter run and 4X400 relay who still had to do their events after I left @ 9pm.

Just a quick slow jaunt around the neghborhood. 16:11/8:06

Ran at Delano Park on the newly USATF/RRCA certified 1 mile loop. Where the Delano 12 Hr. run will take place on March 14th. Ran a 5 mile step down while waiting for Kelly to get there to ru w/her. Splits: 7:30, 7:13, 6:57, 6:43, 6:24. Total: 34:48/6:58 avg. Then 4 miles @ 9:30 pace with Kelly. I felt really good throughout. At home afterward I was stretching my left quad in a hurdlers stretch when I felt a little twinge in my knee and by the time I went to bed it was stiffening up and causing pain when I went through a squat range of motion. So back to the RICE. It really doesn't hurt in walking so I'll try a little running tomorrow and see how it goes.  

Iced and elevated my knee all day. Felt good enough to do an easy 5 with Kelly at Wilson Morgan trail in the evening. 48:30/9:42

A quick out and back in the neighborhood at 9:30 pm, knee feels good, just some slight stiffness. Need new road shoes, will run in my Asics 2140 trail shoes til I can get to Fleet Feet.   14:30/7:15

Ran home from Eric house after a family dinner and Delano 12 race planning. Nice warm night.30:00/7:30

A quick run after work and before dinner (in daylight!), thru oak lea. 22:01/7:20

 A nice hot summer afternoon run at the beginning of March. It was in the low 80's and humid when I headed over to Pt Mallard to run a 4 mile loop. First 6 miles went well @ a 7:15 pace but I didn't pick up my bottle until after the first loop and by then I was in a hydration/electrolyte deficit. The last mile felt laborius but I managed to keep it at 7:30. You just can't acclimate in one day I guess. My body is telling me it is not liking this everyday running, I just need to build more endurance. Tuesday's run will be two miles max at 10 min pace, an active rest day. 58:57/7:22.

Easy run with Kelly, 9:30 pace

At Delano Park right after work w/Kelly. 2@ 9:45 pace 1 @ 7:00. Cold and windy. Looks like rain the next 4-5 days, we'll have some wet 12 hour runners on Saturday.

A 5 mile fartlek through neighborhood and oak lea. Felt good and strong with my pickups @ 5:45 pace. Two runners spotted. Cold north wind, winter not wanting to let go just yet. 34:29/6:54.

A lap around Delano park at night with shovel in hand trying to mitigate the the flooding of the trail.

During the Delano 12 Hour. Ran with with several different runners as they competed during the day. Results @ www.delano12.com This is the third year Eric and I have put on this race and it turned out great dispite the unending rain that came down for the first 8 hours of the race, turning sections of the trail into long deep puddles and mud fields. Next year the SUN will shine!

Easy run thru neighborhood at night. After all the digging, hauling of coolers, and other activities involved with putting on the Delano12, I had some soreness in muscles I don't normally use causing my whole body to feel old. 22:00/7:20

Ran after work thru neighborhood and oak lea. Was planning on doing 8 min pace, but just ran how I felt. First mile was 7:45 then I picked it up after I started to get warm and loose, but still nothing too fast. I'm looking forward to wed,thur,fri up on Monte Sano with  the family at a cabin. I'll get some good trail running in and some good hikes with Kelly and the girls.   36:15/7:15

At 11:30pm after waking up from an unscheduled nap. Put on my shoes and ran around block a couple times in my pj's.

Night trail/road run on Monte Sano. When I run at night in Decatur there is plenty of light for me to see my way w/o a light. Up on the mtn with just a sliver of moon low on the horizon there was none. I carried a small flashlight which only lit about 30 ft in front of me. Pace was real easy to avoid trips and falls.Earlier in the day we took a 3 mile family hike from our rented cabin to the Stone Cuts trail, part of the Mountain Mist 50K trail run.I'll add some pictures shortly. 50:00/8:20

7 with Kelly on the roads atop Monte Sano @ 10 min pace. Took a half hour break to get the the girls up and help w/breakfast, then back out for a 6 mile all trail run.Encountered a small (3 1/2 to 4 ft) rattle snake sunning itself on the Mountain Mist trail, at first I thought it was a stick across the trail, but as I got closer I realized what is was and did a large bound to get over it. I stopped and observed it for about 30 sec, it didn't move besides rattleing its tail at me; I took this as a sign I was not wanted there so I ran on. 51:15/8:32

8am trail run on our last day on the mtn. From the Cabin to the White trail to the Family Bike trail (out and back). This trail is fun to run fast on, it has a smooth soft surface with a lot of quick twist and turns and very little elevation change. I then got on the South Plateau blue trail and ran all of that back to the hikers lot and took the white trail back to the cabin. 56:02/8:00

 We checked out and headed over to the playground and then the girls put on two improv routines at the ampitheatre. We did a short hike down to a waterfall and got more pictures then headed down into Huntsville for shopping and lunch. We really enjoyed our stay on the mountain and would recomend the cabins, they're rustic, but nice.

Back to work. Got home had dinner with the family, the went to see "Watchmen" with Eric. Great movie with a detailed story and cool visual style.

Got my run in after the movie, another short run. 7:46

Nice tempo run after work. I wasn't feeling my best, (too little sleep?) my legs felt heavy, but I pushed it anyway to try and gain some fitness. Splits: 7:15, 6:56, 6:45, 6:24, 6:40, 6:22. felt better afterwards than I did before. 40:24/6:44

.5 with kids at track practice.

Ran with Kelly and Brother thru neighborhood. 40:00/10:00

Sort of a tempo run in that I negative split from start to finish, but never got much faster than 7min/mi, felt good though. 59:06/7:23

1 mile throughout track practice w/kids including a couple speedy 200's

4 after work easy thru neighborhood and oak lea  31:00/7:45, then 3 w/Kelly thru neighborhood @ 10min pace. Worked out my left hip soreness.

The kids track meet was postponed due to rain and a flooded track, so I worked all day and rescheduled my partail off day to next Tues when we'll try to put the meet on again. My girls did not get out of the day w/o a workout. Before dinner my youngest two ran a steady 1/2 mile with me at 9:20 pace while my oldest continued on to get in a mile at 9:03, she was racing me at the end.

Other 4 were a 9pm run through neighborhood. 30:49/7:42

I had planned to run 10 from the house over to Jullian Harris Elem, and at about 6 I ran into Toby Page. Toby and I  both ran Boston back in '07. He was out for a 4 miler so I just ran along with him and talked. He had run the Chicago Marathon the year of the extreme heat and made it through unscathed; training in Alabama in the late summer and fall helped him out. It was nice to catch up with him and he helped me add two miles to my run. 1:31/7:35

1 with the kids at track practice. I was feeling the days previous run during the bounding drills. The track practices will be my mini speed workouts.

No race today so I got in a "long" run at 10am. Ran from the house across town to Pt Mallard and back. Stopped by Eric's house on my way back for an aid stop. He had braved the the early morning storms and rain and ran the McKay Hollow Madness 13.1 trail run with a co-worker. He said it was quite muddy, but he became "one" with the puddles. I was glad I stayed dry and mud free, plus I enjoyed sleeping in. My plan is to increase my milage by doing longer back to back to back runs on my 3 day weekends. 1:56/8:00

Afternoon run around neighborhood. I haven't run a sub 7 in a while so after a 7:50 first mile I dropped a 6:43, felt good. Dinner was waiting so I cut it short.

Late and tired, I got 1 in before bed, two easy rest days in a row.

11pm run. It felt warmer than it had all day, 57deg with a slight south wind and got sprinkled on in the last mile. After my last two "rest" days I needed to get moving again. Easy warm-up mile with the rest at tempo pace.  36:00/6:47

The girls were supposed to have their rescheduled track meet tonight and the weather was perfect for it at 6pm when it was to get underway, just like it was last Thurs. but it was cancelled again in the early afternoon when there was some scattered showers. We'll get a meet in sooner or later.

16 at 12:30pm, great weather, ran west to old moulton road then south to mud tavern, back east to home. Lots of hills. 2:03:27/7:43

50 meters(6.47) and bounding drills with the kids at track practice.

4 w/Kelly at Delano @ 10min pace. I talked to Phillip Parker while at the park. He is the overall Alabama State Record holder in the 50 mile(5:43) set back in 1984 when he was 46, he is 72 now and still runs ultras. I told him about the Delano 12 Hour and that we now had a certified 50 mile run. Alabama hasn't had one since 1995. He said he would love for someone to break his record. He has had some recent health issues but is feeling better and looking forward to running long again. A very nice man and a Legend in Alabama ultrarunning.

Ran after the storm a little after 9pm, still pretty windy but no rain. Kept to the flats of my neighborhood, I had my fill of hills yesterday. 31:49/7:04

Home to school loop @ 10pm

Long busy day, home to school loop again 20 sec faster than last night. 

Kelly ran the Scholarship 8K in Huntsville, placing 3rd in her age group with a time of 43:14, an 8:41/mile avg. Unfortunatly she is now suffering from a mild case of plantar fac. in her left foot.  

After work and before dinner quick run. 28:34/7:09

9am: The temp will be dropping as the day goes on, so I got a morning 10 mile run in thru the neighborhood, the "monte hills" and oak lea. Kept prety much sheltered from the NW wind. 1:14:55/7:29

11am: Went to the funeral of Joe Shartung today. I coached his two boys in track lthe last two years and Joe hepled out at the meets. He was a long jumper in school and really helped the kids out in teaching them the mechanics of the jump. He was a devoted father and husband and will be deeply missed.

2:30pm: More sad news, I just found out Gina McCreless passed away from brain cancer last night. Gina was a member of the River City Runners and helped out tirelessly in making sure the River City 10k and Spirit Runs went off smoothly. She was a regular fixture on the Point Mallard running trail which she loved dearly. She will also be deeply missed. 

4pm: Did some sprint relays with the kids at track practice. I let them talk me into having practice indoors in the upstairs hallway of the school because of the cold and wind. We also worked on starts. Every day they hear from teachers "Don't run in the hallways", so when they get to do it they have a blast.

9pm: After "Chuck" with the family, and "Heros", just Lily and I, I got another 10.17 miles in. From home to Wilson Morgan Park-3 loops- then back home, all flat. The weather had deteriorated throughout the day with the wind picking up speed and scattered showeres popping up. My am run was in shorts, double layer long sleeve tech shirt, gloves and runners hat, pm run was shorts, long sleeve tech shirt, Mizuno Breath Thermal pants, Boston jacket, smartwool crew socks, gloves and Delano 12 Hour fleece hat. 1:19:28/7:49

Noon time run to try and take advantage of warming temps, but with the wind still howling out of the NW it was still cold. Ran an out and back on the Pt Mallard trail continueing on the bike path close to the 6th Av overpass on market street. Once I got away from the wooded trail and on the bike path the wind made itself known as I was running straight into it for 3+ miles. But I knew as soon as I hit 6 miles I could turn and let it push me back to the park. I was feeling a little sluggish from yesterdays runs so I was just trying to maintain 8 min pace. Thanks to the tail wind I was able to neg split the last 6. I did  a lot of brainstorming to think of some way the River City Runners could memorialize Gina, her visitation was tonight and funeral tomorrow, Kelly and I were both able to get off work so we can attend. 1:34:23/7:52

Did two laps (1/3 mile) and ran some relays with the kids at track practice, left knee bothered me a little, I'll RICE it before bed.

Left knee is fine but left hamstring was nagging at me all day so I waited until 9pm to run to give it more rest. After 3/4 of a mile it warmed/loosened up and I ran comfortably. Did a ladder down easy tempo starting at 8min pace going down to 7min pace thru neighborhood and oak lea, avoiding all the steep hills. 54:33/7:30.

Kelly and I went to Gina's funeral today. Before she died she was able to get in touch with the pastor that was at her church when she was a child thru her teens. He did a wonderful job. As we were leaving the the grave side, Gina's Mom told Kelly to get a rose from the casket bouquet, Kelly picked out a beautiful one in a color that Gina would have loved.

School loop after work and before heading to the AHS track meet to volunteer. I knew I had to get something in before hand because the meet and clean up afterwards usually last close to midnight.

The girls stayed at the in-laws last night and Kelly and I got to sleep in til 7:30am! We headed down to Hartselle to join them for breakfast. Kelly's brother Will was there with his 2 yr old lil' Will. We ate and visited then I ran home. I took the long way, thru town then out Bethel Rd to Indian Hills Rd, went thru the refuge on Red Bank rd. My bottle was close to empty so I ran up Hwy 31 to my work place to fill up, then headed home via Central Pkwy and Tammy. 14 miles with some significant elevation changes. 1:46:05/7:35

Got home and Kelly and Brother were ready to run, so I joined them. She is still having problems with plantar fac. in her left foot so we stopped after 2 miles at 9:47 pace.

River City 10K tomorrow, well rested, not so much. No predictions beside I'll finish.

4am wake up call advising me one of my co-workers called in sick and I needed to come in @ 6am. This took running the 10K off the agenda. I was able to get some of my pre-race volunteer duties taken care of before going in. A big thanks to Eric for covering for me on my missed duties. I really wished I could've been there.

Kelly spent the day and evening at an away track meet in Pelham AL. The girls hung out at home then Kelly's mom picked them up and they spent the rest of the afternoon in Hartselle. Avy got to do another egg at Pat and Paul's church. I got off work at 3pm and picked up race stuff from the park and visited w/Eric to get the race recap. Dinner w/the girls in Hartselle, then home to wait on Kelly's return. Did some last minute egg dyeing when she got home around at 10pm.

Got an easy 2 in around the neighborhood. This marks the end of my lenten 40 day streak of running, 272.69 miles. A 100K this past week, my longest training week ever.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, HE IS RISEN!, and a day of rest for me. Peace.

rest

more rest

Worked 9 hours then got the girls from school and finally got in that track meet that had been postponed twice. All the kids did great, but it was a long night, we got home a little after 10 pm.

No run, even more "rest".

8.5 at Delano Park on the mile loop. Miles 1-3 @ 7:10 pace, 4-8 @ 6:45 pace, the .5 @ 7 min pace. Felt pretty good, just a little nagging twinge in my left hip which I've been dealing with off and on for the past 5 months and think I can trace back to a hard fall while ice skating a week after the Rocket City Marathon. The day after the fall I raced a 5K and felt fine. I doesn't slow me down, it just lets me know its not quite right.

1.5 with the kids at track practice. I've got a 3rd grade boy that has run a 6:24 mile already this year. He did 6x1/5mile at 1:10 with 90 sec rest, I ran 5 of them with him to get him on pace, his last one on his own was 1:06. 

with the kids at track practice

During the kids track meet.

 I have 2 girls (one is my daughter Lily) on the 7th/8th girls team and they combined to score enough points to place 4th in the 8 team competition, got a nice trophy too. All the other kids ran well and we had a good time in great weather.

Night tempo run; 7:38 warm up then 6:56, 6:37, 6:15, 5:56, cool down @ 8:15. After my many rest days it seemed pretty easy to keep a fast pace.

1 mile with kids at track including short intervals with my miler.

w/kids @ track practice including some bunge cord and parachutte resistance running

PM run over to dunbarton and back. Right quad got a slight cramp during MP miles and stomach was a little heavy from a late dinner. 58:20/7:17

7pm departure on a tour of 5 city parks; Wilson Morgan, Rhodes Ferry, Jessie Smith, Delano, and Point Mallard. 85% bike path/sidewalk/trail, the rest roads. 2:32:29/8:02

At track practice w/kids, lots of short, fast sprits

Felling no ill effects from last nights long run.

Schotz and I are running 21+ miles of the RAA course tomorrow morning, from Hartselle to Moulton

Why would anyone get up ay 4am on their day off, drive 40+ miles to run 22.5 miles?, easy, for the love of the run and to share it with a good friend. Eric and I ran a partial segment of the Run Across Alabama from Hartselle to Moulton. This segment is not very challenging elevation wise but it's some beautiful country side and pretty much runs due west so every stride you take gets you closer to your destination. We saw a lot of equine, bovine, and canine and some indistinguishable road kill. We kept the pace easy, btw 8:30 and 9:00 with two aid stops. After the second aid stop just past 15 miles we were both fueled with some gatorade and chocolate and the pace picked up without either one of us really saying we were going to. Miles 17-22.5 were all under 8min pace and we even dropped a 7:05 on mile 19. A great morning of running, home by 10am.  3:15:42/8:42

5 mile breakdown tempo run, 35:24/7:04 avg, with a 1 mile cooldown @ 8:05 pace. Legs felt a little heavy during first 2 miles, but loosened up in the last part. Kinda warm still at 5:20pm. Listened to This American Life on NPR.

7.6 in the afternoon from home to Wilson Morgan (2 loops) and back, kept pace pretty even at 7min/mi thoughout.Getting heat acclimated. Remaining mileage w/kids at track practice.

Two cases of swine flu reported in Madison, just 20 miles away. They are elementary school kids who are both recovering fine after medical attention. But it did prompt the school system in Madison County to shut down til Monday. This in turn cancelled all school related sporting events around the state. Kelly will not be going down to Gulf Shores for the State track meet. I am waiting on word from John Carroll HS in Birmingham to see if the girls track meet on Friday is still on.

I had planned on a 16 mile mostly trail run at Pt Mallard (shaded/soft surface). After my first 4 mile loop I stopped at the van for aid, but alas had the Integra key instead of the van key in my shorts pocket. So I took off to the other side of town to Austin HS to find Kelly and get her key,(roads and no shade). Thankfully I was able to catch Eliza, Eric's wife, at home and got some GU and S-caps and a refill on my bottle. Made it to AHS right when Kelly was getting her lunch break, got the key, visited with her, refilled my bottle and headed back to the park. 14 miles, 1:46:23/7:35

1 mile with kids at track practice, Toy bowl cancelled due to Swine Flu concerns.

Afterwork run to exorcise the demons of three 12 hour days in a 911 center. Ran my Dunbarton 8 course and was cruising down duncansby drive at 6 min pace when a van cut me off at an intersection and completely threw me off pace, so it goes, still was happy with the resulting overall time, pace and feel of the run. 55:26/6:56

Ran to Wilson Morgan park and did multiple loops then home. Ran a little more than six with Ed Richey and about three with Wayne Heckler. The trail was nice and soft after all the rain with only minimal puddles. The last few miles on the roads home my legs started feeling yesterdays effort. 1:55/7:40

Right knee telling me to take a rest day. Feliz Cinco de Mayo, food and spirits tonight.

Back to the track. Yasso's 800's at Austins track after work. I started kind of conservatively with the first 3 @ 3:00 then dropped down to 2:58, 2:55, 2:52, 2:53, 2:49, 2:51, 2:42. The recovery between is the same time that you ran the interval in, for me I was able to jog a lap. This is really a marathon workout; say you want to run a 3 hour marathon, you run 8-10 800's in 3 min with 3 min rest in between, if you make it through all of them feeling strong you should be in shape to run well, provided you did some long runs as well. Anyway, it just a fun workout and it felt good blowing that last one out, a good confidence booster for a sub 30 in the 8K this Sat.

Oh, and to give props to the great young gun hailing from Huntsville, I ran the last one shirtless.

Easy run thru neighborhood and oak lea to work out some kinks that cropped up Thursday.  Wednesday nights track w/o left me with some soreness on the inside of my right quad and sitting for 12 hrs at work on Thurs didn't help. It felt a little tight at the begining of the run but fine after I warmed up. It is very humid here and even with a nice breeze there is not much wicking happening. I still feel good for a sub 30 tomorrow at the 8K. 39:56/7:23

Steeple Chase 8K here in Decatur. A 7am start time so it was an early morning. I got in a good warm up on 2+ miles of the Brooke Hill 5k course. Temp was in upper 60's with a high humidity. The plan was to run even splits at just under 6 min pace to finish sub 30. I went out a little fast (the first mile is downhill), 5:43, then settled in to 5:56 for the second mile. Mile 3 in 6:07, mile 4 (with a substantial overpass hill climb) at 6:15, and the last .97 in 5:57. I could see 29+ on the clock as I came down the long finish but came up just a little shy with a 30:01:51 on my watch, 30:02:00 official. The River City Runners chip timeing system worked great.

Kelly ran well, 43:34, not a PR but a great effort and good for 2nd in her age group.

The skies opened up after the last walkers finished up, but by the time the awards were over it had let up enough for me to run 6.25 back home.

Ran the Cotton Row 10K loop twice with the training groups. Only stretched the legs out a couple miles with Marty on the first loop decent, otherwise a real easy pace and a chance to converse with fellow runners. 1:47/8:38 

Quick run thru neighborhood before Wed night bible study. 23:00/7:04

Ran the RAA course, www.runacrossalabama.com from Hwy 67/Gum Pond rd to Hartselle.

2:56:46/7:57

The track meet scheduled for this evenening was rained out. I got a short run in after the rain, thru the neighborhood.  7:18, 6:30, 6:09, 7:11, 7:16, last .25 at 7:33 pace.  36:20/6:55

Round and round, did a 4 mile loop at Pt Mallard 4x. There were a couple of areas that have experienced some heavy erosion with all the rain and parts of the trail are waterside with the high water. Loved the shade and the soft surface. 2:01:23/7:35

Evening run thru neighborhood and oak lea. I'm still on the fence whether to train long thru this weekend or rest for the Cotton Row 10K on Memorial Day. 37:19/7:28

I've been ignoring some tendon pain in my right knee for the past week, it only hurt when not running, but today at work it was really bad(I sit all day). When I got home I decided on a short, slow run to get a gauge on how bad it was getting. 3 miles at 8min pace and it felt fine the rest of the evening. Will await results after sleep.

Got called into work on my off day so no run this AM, but the knee is felling good, will try and get in a run this afternoon or evening

I am definatly not 100%, have a head cold that is moving to chest congestion. It always amazes me how much mucas the human head can store and then dispense with a good blow of the nose or a runners nose blow, it just kept coming. Just tried to get some miles in a give the knee a shake down. Other than the nagging fatique it went ok, no real knee pain to note at this time, I'll see what the AM holds. Cotton Row 10K will not be a race for me but I will run it.  1:38:11/8:11

A pecious day of sleeping late, Church, then working the packet p/u for Cotton Row Run til 8:30pm. Knee feels good, might run fast at the race tomorrow.

Ran a respectable Cotton Row 10K. Enjoyed running w/Kelly in the 5K, she got 1st in her age group with a 26:08. Got in a afternoon run from home over to Eric's to meet up with him and Elliott for some stroller miles. Great day of family, friends and running.

Was planning on turning 10 laps at Delano Park but the weather put the kibosh on me after a little over three. I sought shelter under the pavillion by the tennis courts when the lightning and heavy rain were right over the park. This proved to be the wrong place to ride out the storm as I witnessed first hand the filling of Lake Delano, and was stranded as water rose all around the pavillion. My shoes had stayed relativly dry up to this point, but when the rain let up enough for me to dash back to our Church I had to slog thru ankle deep water to get out of the park.   26:45/ 7:58

Easy run thru neighborhood, the monte hills and oak lea. My road shoes are beaten down so I'm back in my trail shoes that are pretty comfortable on the roads as well. I 've got to get to Fleet Feet and get new road shoes soon though, as RAA is only about a month away. 56:10/ 7:49

Work day, then went over to Brother-in-Law Will's house for grilling out. He is a new Dad second time around with the recent birth of his daughter baby Belle. Got home and worked on Spirit of America race prep.  http://www.rivercityrunners.org  This year the race will be in memory of longtime club member Gina McCreless who passed away from brain cancer this past April. She loved the trails at Pt Mallard where the 5 mile gender and age graded race is held.

Easy night miles through neighborhood. I startled a man walking his dog (off leash), the dog started after me not in a menacing way and the man freaked out and started yelling at the dog. I think the man needed more controlling than the dog did. Still quite warm at 9:30 pm. 23:42/ 7:54

Evening run after work. Had some GI issues during the run so it was not a pleasent experience, Garmin battery also gave out 1 mile onto run. Milage from gmaps pedometer. 1:10/7:57

Sleeping in , yard work and water park, active day but no run, still need new shoes.

2pm run at Delano Park(89 degrees and very humid). I got 8 laps in while Avy and Kelly cooled down at the splash pad and playground. The splash pad was also quite refreshing for me as a post run cool down. 1:01/ 7:37

6:30pm runs at the Huntsville cross country park. Ran the 1 mile, 3 mile, and 2 mile at various speeds. We had an early dinner which made for a heavy stomach and some uncomfortable running, didn't feel my best until the 2 miler.

New shoes = no pain

Kelly's birthday!!! After work we all went out to dinner and a movie at PF Changs and The Monoco. We saw UP in 3D, very good. Got home too late to get in a run on National Running Day.

Ran a little over 6 on the flats in my neighborhood then headed over to the Monte hills for two reps, the rest though oak lea, dunbarton and almon place before heading back home. Started at 11:15am but temps were relativly mild today with low humidity, cloud cover and a cool breeze. Not quite the heat acclimation I was looking for but over all a good run. 2:38:41/ 7:56

34 miles on bike during 1/2 marathon certification in Florence, only thing that got sore was my behind.

Evening run thru neighborhood, Monte hills and oak lea. My quads were a little sluggish due to my biking yesterday, but started feeling normal after 4 miles. Went thru 8 miles at 58:45 then cooled down the last .14 at 8:38 pace. 1:00:00/7:22

After a light dinner ran from home to Rhodes Ferry to meet up w/family to watch "The Music Man" at the blow up out door theater. 55:00/ 7:51

9pm run, there is no escaping the humidity, still completly soaked when I got home. 1:01:03/7:38

3.5 with Kelly and the AHS XC kids at their summer base building runs. We ran on the trail at Julian Harris Elem. Afterwards I hit the roads and took a tour of City View Estates then headed home. Cloud cover and mid 70's but still 100% humidity and some sprinkles. Hosed myself down in backyard after I finished. 9:45 pace for the 3.5miles, 1:03:23/7:55 for the 8

Ran neighborhood, Monte Hills and Oak Lea with a couple of speed p/u's just for fun. 52:38/7:16

We are planning a run on Sat the 20th @ 6am starting at the Rails to Trails trail head on Piney Chapel rd just north of Athens. Its an out/back with the turn around where ever you want. Eric and I will be running to the AL/TN state line then back for about 21 miles. Aid and bathrooms at 0/5+/10+/16/finish. Please pass info along to anyone who might be interested.

Morning run w/Kelly for 2 then 5.14 on my own. 9:33 pace with Kelly, 8:21 pace on solo effort, felt good

AM: 3 easy with Kelly thru Oak Lea then continued solo on my Bird Spring 10K route with Jessie Dr and Chestnut Mtn Rd hills thrown in. Stopped at the spring at the half way point for some cold spring water. Took a back yard hose off to cool down, my daughters think I'm crazy, I'm begining to agree. 1:27:55/8:27

PM: 7 at various paces at the XC park in H'ville

AM: 1 hour solo run to Wilson Morgan(2 loops) and  back. Temp wasn't too bad but humidity a killer. 7.63 1:00:00/7:51.  Then ran 4 w/Kelly thru neighborhood and Oak Lea at 10min/mile  Will try and get a PM run in also.

Limestone Co Rails to Trails plus 4 miles of Veto rd with Eric S, Great run.

w/Kelly thru neighborhood and Oak Lea. 10 min/mile pace.

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com   10 days

Warm up run to Monte hills, then hammered them 2X, tempo run on extended return to home. 41:00/6:43

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com   9 days

RDing the Spirit of America 5 mile this Sat. y'all come! 

HTC XC runs

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com   8 days

RDing the Spirit of America 5 mile this Sat. y'all come! 

Off day from work and running, but I did do a short cave hike with our childrens church group.

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com   7 days

RDing the Spirit of America 5 mile this Sat. y'all come! 

5 on the bike measuring the Spirit of America course. Then at high noon I ran the course, thankfully over half is shaded trail so the extreme heat didn't bother me. 35:26/7:05

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com      6 days

RDing the Spirit of America 5 mile this Sat. y'all come! 

Work day then Spirit Race prep= no run=good tapering for RAA

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com      5 days

RDing the Spirit of America 5 mile tomorrow, y'all come! 

Spirit of America 5 mile run. Got a mile in running around before/during/after. We had a great turn out 198 registered, 183 finishers plus the fun run. Results at: http://www.rivercityrunners.org

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com      5 days

Work day, rest day. Had a huge carbo loading dinner at the Chambliss' house.

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com      4 days

Morning run w/Kelly at Pt Mallard. 1:41:57/10:12. Thus begins a 200 mile week.

Countdown to RAA     http://www.runacrossalabama.com      1 days

I just realized my math on my countdown is off, that, and we've decided to run the firtst 6 miles from the AL/GA border to our hotel in Mentone on Tuesday afternoon, so Wednesday we can just rise and run instead of driving to the start.

AM- 5.7 thru neighborhood and Oak Lea at a comfortable pace. The humidity has lessened so my wicking clothing is once again wicking. This afternoon we start the RAA with an easy 6-7 from AL/GA border to our hotel in Mentone.

http://www.runacrossalabama.com

PM- 6.15, day zero of RAA

Day 1 of RAA ran from Mentone, Al to Guntersville State Park, felt great up until mile 47 when GI problems took a toll on me. Spent evening in ER getting 3 liters if IV while drinking 100 oz of water. Kidney function returned, good to go for tomorrows run from Guntersville to Hartselle.

DAY 2 of RAA, from Guntersville to Hartselle, lots of hills. Haa bunch of different people come out and run w/us. Elliott came out for the last mile for Eric S to push in jog stroller, great moments.

DAY 3 of RAA- From Hartselle to Russellville. Traci DeWeese, my coworker arranged for police escort for us runners from start all the way to the Franklin Co line. We wern't running against traffic, WE WERE TRAFFIC. Great Day, 29 miles to go on day 4.

Last day of the RAA from Russelville to Red Bay at the AL/MS State line. 5am start time got us one extra hour of sleep, but it took me about 5 miles to get warmed up enough that it wasn't too painful to run. After that I felt pretty good and ran at a good pace. We had a lot of family and friends join up with us today to run and support like the last few days. It made for an enjoyable run. Eric C, Eric S and I all crossed the line together. There was no place I would have rather been. It was very emotional. The kindness and generosity of people was very apparent throughout the whole run and I believe we did something good in raising awareness and funds to find a cure for Tay-Sachs. I fell blessed to be a part of the event. 

Tuesday night XC runs in Huntsville. 3 miles in 20:36, 10 min rest, 2 miles in 13:11, .5 cooldown. Met up with fellow runners and families at Little Rosies afterwards for some great mexican food.

1 w/Camille in the AM, then another 1 in afternoon  at various speeds while running alongside Camille and Avy on bike riding practice.

Another bike ride session with Avy. She was motivated and did the big and small loops of our neighborhood as I ran alongside, had to work it to keep up w/her on the downhills. Still working on u-turns and brakeing.

In Lynchburg,VA at my Dads house. 2 miles in the greenway and 4+ on the MBT behind his house in Peaks View park. MBT was totally shaded and moderatly technical. Saw two deer and a box turtle, which I almost stepped on. After I took his picture I moved him off trail so his life wouldn't end under a MB wheel.  59:04/9:22

Ran w/Kelly on the greenway and some trail. Left patella had some slight pain so I cut my run short.

In DC. Loop from hotel to Union Station to Capitol then through the Mall past Washington monument and on to Lincoln Memorial. Headed back to hotel via a loop around The White House. I started at 6:45am and the streets were already busy with traffic and pedestrians. I was hard to sustain a steady pace and once I got around the Capitol and Mall monuments my run beacame a sight seeing tour as well. Left patella was giving me a little trouble at the beginning, but after 4 miles it started tracking right and felt the best when I pushed the pace to btw 6:30 and 6:50 btw monuments and intersections. Full day of sight seeing w/family today.

ran to the the pizza resturant to p/u pizza then back carrying two medium pizzas, 8 mins.

I can cross running thru the streets of Washington DC with pizza off my list of running acomplishments.

6am run thru DC and across Potomac to VA. Last 5 at tempo progression with last mile in 6:15. Knee pain off and on, less so at faster pace, therefore I should just run fast all the time. Not likely.

Easy 8 w/Kelly on the Blackwater Creek Greenway to downtown Lynchburg and back. Still some ocassional left patella pain.1:17/9:37

After a 4 day lay off to rest my left runners knee problem. Had no pain at all and since I was well rested I ran 5 in 34:26. Arms felt a slight fatigue, but over-all felt great.  

At Guntersville Sate Park, ran with the AHS XC team on some pretty techical trails. After 3 miles felt the same pain in left knee as I had last week. The steep climbs and decents were a bit too much too soon. Very warm and humid at 4pm. We all watched "Running Brave" the Billy Mills story after dinner.

In Guntersville: Another six on somewhat easier trails. My knee was still letting me know that I shouldn't be running trails, but not as loud as yesterday. Still encountered some good  decents and climbs. With the hotel being at the top of the bluff there is always a good climb to get back to the start. This will be it for a while of tech trail running. I need to road race, I'm missing the competition. 

running alongside my girls bikeing

3.3 warm up from Eric's house downtown to the Steeple Chase 8K course where the "race" would begin. We met up with 6 other runners and the race was on. On the line between me and Eric was who would buy the post run chocolate shake.

1 mile split was 5:45 with Eric and I running side by side. Eric doesn't normally go out this fast but has great finishing stregnth, so my strategy was to try and gap him early on and hope I could hold him off. I went through 2 miles at 11:52 having put a little distance between us. At the hairpin turn around 2.75 I was able to get a good look at the lead I had on him. I was maintaining it but by no means increasing it.

3 mile split @ 18:22 worried me a little, I knew if it declined any further Eric would easily catch me up. The 4th mile has the big climb up the overpass over the tracks. I knew I would need to work hard on it and appoaching it I felt a little resurgence of strength. At the top I took advantage of the down slope and the decending turn that takes you under the overpass to the 4 mile mark. 24:59 at 4 miles.

 The last almost mile is rolling terrain that makes you work. I refused to look back to check on Eric's progress, I didn't hear him so I figured I was in good shape. At the last right turn onto the finish straightaway, I did glance over my shoulder to see Eric far enough down the road that I knew I was safe. I didn't bag it in but kept up a strong finish run to hopefully make a respectable time. I crossed the line in 31:23 with my legs letting me know that it had been a while since I had run speed.

 I had officially raced this course back in the spring in 30:02. Since then it has all been ultra training to prepare for the RAA. Feels good to run fast again. 5K race coming up on the 14th, The Midnight Run.

5 thru oak lea at 7:07 pace then running along side girls as they got some bike rides in.

Oak Lea and Monte hills after work, hot and humid. 51:18/7:20

Mid morning run (already hot and humid) after getting the girls off to school for their first day. Ran my hilly Day/Bird Spring/Danville Rd route. Carried my new 26oz. UD bottle and still had some fluid left when I got done, should be good for 10 milers. 1:04:46/ 7:37

Warm up thru neighborhood then 6 X 1/2 mile @ 2:54-2:45 with 2 min walk/jog recovery. Felt pretty good and was able to negitive split from start to finish. 3 mile cool down thru oak lea.

Midnight Run 5K Friday night in Cullman.

Night run thru neighborhood. 36:34/7:19

Warm up before Midnight Run 5K

Midnight Run 5K in Cullman with Kelly and several of my co-workers and their spouses and families. Nealy 700 runners this year. I was 2nd Master (1st was 18:12). Once again it was hot and humid. Went out in 5:45 and still had a good group of high school kids in front of me. At 1.5 miles I surged for 20 strides and made up a a lot of ground as I neared the water station. I swung wide around a group slowing for water and gained 5-6 places putting me in 8th place going through 2 miles @ 11:53. Two runners were able to get me back befor the third mile @ 17:43. My speed was only able to carry me through about 2.5 miles before I started to fatigue with the hilly course and weather conditions. But overall I was pleased with the run. Kelly ran well, 26:32, just 30 seconds off her PR. My co-workers, who are new to all this, had a great time.

Got a couple hours sleep then off to Huntsville to help out at the Triathalon. I worked the timing station at the run/bike transition. Afterwards I got in 3 miles on the XC course with Joe Franscica.

200 meters of swimming at the Fleet Feet racing team party. I have some stiffness in my left shin. Felt better after the swim.

Easy run thru neighborhood and oak lea after work. Shin still a little stiff but loosened up by end of run. Even 7:24 pace.  As I sit here two hours later I can feel a slight swelling in the lower connective tissue. RICE time.

1.5 real easy with brother, then 3.5 at 7:30 pace, although I speed up to 9mph shortly as I ran by the Decatur PD's Speed Wagon that was parked on Tammy St this am. Shin swelling and pain is all gone after a two day rest.

Tempo run in neighborhood and oak lea. Mile 4 in 6:18. Temps have cooled off and humidity down to comfort level. MP pace miles felt easy. 36:56/6:55 overall.

Late morning run at Pt Mallard on trails and bike path. Left lower shin got stiff and sore around mile 9. I know it's tendonitis and did RICE the rest of the afternoon and evening

1:14:10/ 7:25 pace

At the AHS Trail Trials at the tough 3M 2 mi. and 5k courses. I ran ahead in all 4 races making sure no one took a wrong turn. All the kids ran great.

Unfortunatly my shin tendonitis flared back up around 5 miles so by I was done I was hobbling. Back to the RICE and no plans to run soon.

Brooke Hill Run for Awareness  5K and 1 Miles. This is the 5th Year I have directed this race and we had an overwhelming turnout. 229 5K finishers and 80 1 mile finishers!

2 before church with a little shin stiffness at 1.5 miles. 8 min pace

1 w/Kelly at 5pm @ 9:45 pace with no pain or stiffness.

Short run thru neighborhood. Only a slight twinge of tightness in my shin. Will continue to progress slowly.  23:30/7:51

No pain today and increased distance and pace slightly. Still keeping to the flat roads. 26:36/7:29

Over to oak lea for some rolling hills and flats. No pain in shin and have not had to take any pain or anti-inflamatory meds for two days; stretching well post run as well. 29:28/ 7:22

Morning run thru neighborhood and oak lea. 36:54/ 7:23

Will run Duck & Run 5K tomorrow in Athens.

Small 5K held in Athens. Top Master. Felt good to race again. No shin pain.

Easy 5 with thru neighborhood and oak lea before the Packer game. 45:00/9:00

I couldn't figure out what I wanted to do on this run til I got 5 miles into it. I changed plans at least 4 times when I got to different intersections. I ended up doing 5 hill repeats on Jessie Dr. seeing as that area has been neglected recently and my goal race in Nov. is all about hills.

Temp wasn't too bad but the humidity was oppressive and I was soaked by the time I got home. 1:05:40/7:55

Home to Dunbarton and back. 1 mile warm up then progressed the pace down to marathon for miles 5 and 6. Two mile cool down. Another humid evening and I did not feel my best.  58:08/ 7:16

Rain run thru neighborhood, Monte hills and oak lea after work. Would have gotten soaked even it it hadn't been raining due to still oppressive humidity. 53:09/7:36

In Bankhead Forest. Ran west along the High Town Path, which is a forest service road, (out and back) from Hwy 33 just south of Wren. Drizzle and high humidity throughout run. 1:51/ 7:55 

8.6 miles on bike while certifying a 5K course in Rogersville.

Night run thru neighborhood. Progressed from 7:50 down to 6:46. My running is feeling effortless again. 35:54/ 7:11

Split into two runs 3.35 @ 6:35pm then 3.65 @ 9:50pm. Ran same route, just went a little further on second go-round. Avg. 7:38 on first run and 7:25 on later. Still waiting for the humidity to break.

Rails-to-Trails 10K in Elkmont this Sat.

 A great day of running. A hilly and humid 10K in Elkmont with some good warm up and cool down miles and 3.2 miles of the race on the Rails to Trails. Kelly ran well also, placing third in her age group. We came home got cleaned up and got the girls off to Grammys house, then we headed to Desoto State Park to meet up w/the Schotzs to relax in the mountians for the rest of Sat and Sun. The park has a great trail system so Eric and I got in a great 9+ mile run Sat afternoon (our version of relaxing).

@ Desoto: Morning run before checkout from the cabin. 5 on trails then 5 on the roads. Part of it was on the RAA route going down the mtn from Mentone to Ft Payne. The hill milage was all steep switchback downhill. Pace variation from 17/mile to 5:15/mile. After checkout we went to see Desoto Falls and had a great gourmet picnic lunch. We will definatly go back with the kids.

Sore glutes from pounding the downhills yesterday. Rest day.

10pm flat neighborhood progression run. Cool temps, low humidity, dare I say fall is here.

 Stepped down from 8 to 6:42. Felt good. 35:51/ 7:10

AM: 8.6 on bike certifying the Jingle Bell 5K in Huntsville

PM: 2.5 at Wilson Morgan Park

Night progression run thru neighborhood and oak lea. 7:48 down to 6:42. 49:46/7:07

Made it thru half of a 16 mile run when I got bit by a stray dog. Three minor puncture wounds on my left ankle. I was on Pleasent Hill Rd just north of Old Moulton Rd.(out of the city limits) As I ran past the house I saw the dog in the yard, he was barking and running along a hedgerow of kudzu and I lost sight of him. The next thing I see is him cutting down a trail thru the kudzu to the road and he was right on me. He had his teeth bared and before I could spray him with my water bottle he got his teeth into my ankle. Right at the point where I was bit the road takes a steep decent and I was running out of control down the hill. I was about to tumble head over heels when I veered of into the ditch and made a sliding stop scrapeing up my left forearm on the gravel. There was no major damage done so I ran on about 3/4 of a mile to the water authority where I was able to clean myself up. I was going to continue my run, but thought it best to report the incident so it wouldn't happen to someone else.

I had an officer come pick me up and we went back to the house where the dog was. The lady came out and said "don't worry about this dog, he don't bite", to which the officer said "don't say that maam because the guy in the back of my car was just bit by that dog." The dog had no collar and had no shots, and after the lady heard that it bit me denied any ownership of it. That worked in my favor, as now county animal control could take the dog, put it down and have it tested for rabies.

I got a tetnus shot and a script for antibiotics at the ER. Now I just wait for the outcome of the dogs' rabies test.   

1:07:44/ 7:51

Reviewing my garmin at the point in yesterdays run when the dog chased and caught me, I got my pace down to 4:01/mile, unfortunatly that was total out of control running for about 100 yards, with an abrupt and painful stop, but still 4:01 pace!

A not quite tempo run. I just wanted to get out and pound the pavement for a while to see how my leg felt, which turned out to be fine. At about the eight mile mark I attacked the big hill off vestavia and continued up the Bell's driveway. That kinda killed my avg pace, but it felt good to be able to do it.  1:12:18/ 7:14

37:35/ 7:31

Monte Sano 15K: When I left Decatur @ 6:30am to go to the race the temp was in the mid 60's and slightly overcast skies. As I go 3/4's up the mtn I drove into the clouds and the temp dropped about 15 degrees. The weather would remain that way for the rest of the time I was up there. Running inside a cloud equals high humidity, my bane, but thankfully the cool temps kept me from bonking during the race. I went thru 10K faster today than I ran the Elkmont 10K 2 weeks ago. I felt pretty good throughout the race and kept my pace steady even with the rolling hills that make up much of this course. I did have one mental lapse during the 9th mile and took a wrong turn that allowed two runners to catch up and pass me. I let that effect me too much and was unable to make back the places. My time was better than last years, so that is a confidence booster for my up-coming 1/2 marathon on the 31st. 

 I got some more miles in running back out on the course with Eric Charette to find members of the 1/2 marathon training group and his wife Laura. Then a little over 6 miles trail running on part of the X-Terra 15K course that I wil race on the 25th. 

On Monte Sano: Ran the X-Terra 15K course with Eric C and Tim V, plus a little extra. The race should be fun, no major long climbs, but still some challenging ups and downs.

 1:26:14/ 9:03

3x Monte hills with warm up and cool down. 51:15/ 7:19

3+ miles over to the hill at my work, then ran the 1.15 mile loop 9X. Approx. a 200ft elevation gain and loss per loop. 2:05:27/ 7:51

A quick 5+ in the cold dark night. Progressed it down from 7:51 to 6:32, with the .41 as a cool down. 38:26/ 7:06 

Nice long run on the South Wheeler Trail. Dropped in some short MP pickups during last 3 miles. 2:43:40/ 7:48