My buddies Joe T., Tom, Ed Souza, and I had a great run this morning on one of Joe's many training routes in the Leon Springs/Boerne area back roads.
Although it was very humid the cool mist made for a comfortable run. Running on the bridge over IH 10 I couldn't help but wonder what motorists on the highway thought seeing four runners wearing headlamps crossing the bridge overhead at 6 AM. We stirred dogs and scared deer in the residential area we ran through making our way to Boerne Stage rd. Boerne stage road is a typical Texas hill country back road with gradual gentle inclines and lined with farms and ranches, although many new subdivisions are popping up. .
The Airport lights on the Boerne airfield, all three of them, weren't powerful enough to light up the road. Maybe the fog was too thick. We turned left on a small narrow road for an out and back to add some mileage. The surrounding area looked spooky with that Scooby Doo like fog blanketing the fields. I said to Joe that this would be really scary running alone. Tom said it would be really scary if Zombies started coming out from behind the trees!
Back on Boerne stage road we shared our stories about Dog encounters while running. Joe had the best. He stopped and tried to carry the dog home. Tom had the most costly, $100 in medical bills. For the dog!
At mile 7.5 and just before daybreak we found Joe's water stash. The next stretch took us up a two lane black top, past a few sheep ranches to cascade caverns. We also spotted a donkey hanging out with a few cows near Elmer's ranch (sign on the fence). The Donkey looked suspicious to me.
With three miles to go Joe tells us the last 1.5 miles is uphill. Reaching this point it seemed we all were determined not to fade. We kept a steady pace and actually ran the last mile faster than any of the previous miles (8:15).
But wait! The end of the run would be at 13.6. If you know Tom he doesn't round up. normally I do but this time I followed Tom and Joe for an out and back down Fair Oaks road to make it 14. Ed did better by going further to get his 16.
We celebrated with Recovery drinks of Coffee stout and Chocolate milk
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