Spiders and Snakes

I had no plans to run Saturday morning. I awoke early as usual, had my coffee and decided to head out to Government Canyon State Natural Area. I headed out at 7:15 AM for the 15 minute drive. It was surprisingly cool. The ranger at the check in station joked about needing to don a wool cap this morning. 70 degrees, a cool breeze, and low humidity is a welcome change from this awfully hot summer we've been having.
I filled my camel back with water, a hand held with water and stuffed my waist pack with Succeed electrolyte capsules, my camel back pocket with my phone and keys, and my handheld pocket with a lara bar. Where's my hat? Oh s%$t! I forgot my hat. Well I reached for my bandanna and as I checked for my reflection in my trucks windows to wrap my bandanna on my head, I saw my hat on my head.
Going up the trail I walked the steady incline at a fast pace on the Sendero Balcones trail for about the first mile then running the flat, downhills, and slight inclines to the twin Oaks trail at mile 2.5. Twin Oaks from this point is a steady descend. I was surprised to be running through spider webs. I thought for sure some one had been up or down this trail before me today. I had arrived late and had seen more cars than usual at the main parking lot. I wasn't looking for webs and just took it in stride when all of a sudden I caught a SPIDER in my mouth! Right between my lips! Phew! Plaw! Spit, Spit! Phew! What are the odds? RIGHT IN THE MOUTH! Thank God I was in the process of exhaling! It felt like a fuzzy gummy bear with legs! I wiped my mouth over and over again with my bandanna, Rinsed my mouth out with water, and spit over and over again. I was afraid to drink water. What if the spider regurgitated or excreted on me? AAHHH! I've eaten bugs many times in my life running and biking and joked about extra protein but spiders I can do without. Thank you very much!
The rest of my 10+ mile run was great and I felt better as I went on. Even picking up the pace and working on my speed as I attacked the hills and sped up on the flats and downhills, when all of a sudden a mountain biker up ahead waves at me to slow down. As I approached him walking I saw what he was looking at. A checkered garter snake had caught a toad and was in the process of swallowing it. WOW! what a sight. We discussed helping the toad but hey, we've got to let nature play itself out. The toad seemed to have resigned itself to it's fate. Soon another trail runner came by and we watched the process for a while but realized the snake was going to be busy for quite some time. I took some photos with my cell phone camera and we moved on.

RAIN!

It's been SOOOO long since we've had any rain in south Texas. On top of 45 consecutive days of 100+ degree days, we haven't had any substantial rain all year.
Today as I left work I dreaded running in the 100 degree afternoon again. Should I just go to the the gym and hit the elliptical trainer? As I arrived home I felt a cool breeze and off to the west I saw dark clouds! Wow, is rain on it's way? Thunder and lighting off in the distance was exciting! I checked the radar and noticed most of the rain was developing south of my house and moving away, with more moving in from the north, but a big void right over my running route. Aw shucks, no rain for us. Well the cool breeze was pleasing and summoned me to RUN in the creek trails. I wore my gore tex running shoes just in case and wore my iPOD. It felt so nice running under a cloudy sky and a cool breeze. 3 miles into my 6 miler small raindrops were falling on the dry parched dirt trail. Drops of rain were causing subtle puffs of dirt to rise from the dry powder like trail. With more thunder and lighting around I decided to put my iPOD in my camelback pocket. I had read a report where the iPOD acts as a lighting rod and people have been burned in thunder storms while wearing an iPOD. The rain became heavier and I was enjoying every minute. In most of my runs during this summers HOT dry weather I would stop 2 to 3 times on a 6 miler to rest. On this run I did not stop once. As the rain got more intense it felt even better. One block from home. I took off my hat and walked with my face facing the sky. Raindrops hitting my face, I wiped the water off with my hand. Arriving at home I stood on my drive way enjoying the rain as it continued to hit my face. RAIN, So good, so good.

Spinning

I was once asked what I like better, Riding my bike or running. I said running because I just put on some shorts, shoes, and head on out the door. As opposed to biking where I have to load up the bike, drive to a safe location, air up the tires, don all the special gear, ride and then reverse the scenario to drive back home.
I was out for a 45 miler on the road bike today. Sure, It's a great form of cross training. But sometimes I feel like I am missing out on a great trail run. Once I am out on the road though it is such an exhilarating feeling. There is nothing like reaching a steady cadence of 100 revolutions per minute! Spinning the legs and feeling the wind in your face.
I headed out on a training ride in preparation for the up coming MS 150 bike to the river with some friends. A group of 7 of us headed out from Helotes Tx. to Rio Hondo for a great ride on roads following the "Texas hill country trail".
We came upon a team time trial competition on Hwy 471. Those guys were Moving!
At the 30 mile point we stopped at a convenience store and soon a group of about 50 riders came in.
After re-fueling we were off to tackle the toughest part of our ride. A 7 mile stretch of steep rolling hills. Once we crested the last hill we thought it would be clear sailing for the last 8 miles to the finish until we hit a strong head wind!
Zack, The "KID", blew us away as he steadily faded off into the distance.
Josh, Tim, and I formed a pace line to the end.
What a rush! Spinning at 20+mph, inches behind your buddy's wheel in a pace line.

The common Poorwill

Yesterday was a surprisingly cool July Saturday morning. A welcomed respite from the terribly hot days we've been having. 100+ degrees for over six weeks! The cool morning was a result of the previous evenings rain no doubt. It seems a little cooler up in the hills of Bandera too.
Arriving at the Hill Country State Natural area two hours before dawn, Chris, Liza and I met Bridget and her friends Katie and Roger. It had been awhile since we'd been night running at Bandera. Donning our headlamps, We headed out. I led the way. Being up front I was able to see the nocturnal wildlife on the trail. Rabbits were everywhere. I saw a baby armadillo! I call out to announce what I see and try to shine my hand held flashlight on the animals. As I Shined my flashlight on a large spider to watch it's eyes glow, I see a bird sitting on the trail. Hmm, I thought, that's unusual. As we continued I saw another, and another. Short plump, black/gray colored birds with glowing red eyes. Some in groups of two or three. These birds would not move until we were almost on them. I stopped and pointed them out to all.
Daybreak was quickly upon us. It is a beautiful sight to see the sun rising above the hills out here. Chris noted that there was no cloud cover though. Pretty and cool morning yes, but soon the the sun would be hot over head. Our route today was over all the major climbs. This was a no drop run, so we waited for all to catch up once we crested the hills. This allowed us to enjoy the views while visiting with Bridget and sharing stories with new friends as we regrouped. What a nice morning for trail running. Reliving this years Bandera 100K where Bridget and Liza battled in what was the fastest pace among the top 5 women in the history of the race was interesting and fun. Two very talented Ladies.
Bridget and her friends left us after about 15 miles. Roger had a self defense class to teach. We bid them farewell, but not before Bridget shared some of her water with Chris who was almost out. Chris and I then continued over the sisters behind Liza as we challenged her to run up the hills. We watched in awe at how she seems to glide up those climbs. After 18.5 miles I was cooked.
Later I researched the birds we saw. The birds,it turns out, were the Common Poorwill. A nocturnal bird that feeds on moths and other insects at dawn and dusk. This is the only bird that hibernates in the winter. Don't know what's common about that. One of the joys of trail running is what we get to see in the wild. Always something different and/or new. No trail run is ever the same. That's the joy of our sport.

Running Barefoot! Well, in Five Fingers.

I now have run twice in my Vibram Five Fingers. And I love them. When I ran Mt Disappointment in 2007, I ran along side Barefoot Ted and was in awe of him running barefoot. Hanging off his hydration pack were these weird looking slippers with individual toes! At the time I had never seen them. Domingo, a friend of mine wore his to a recent trail run and I thought they were interesting and considered trying them. But it was not until I read "Born to run" that I decided to buy a pair. As soon as the UPS truck drove up with my package I opened it up, put them on, and went out for a 3+ mile run at OP Schnabel park. They felt surprisingly comfortable On the soft dirt trails. As I hit the rocky portions I had to walk when the rocks were loose but was able to resume running on larger stationary rocks. Yes my feet were a little sore after the run, and the next day, but not bad at all! Today I headed out to a nearby High school track and warmed up with half a mile, then I ran 6-100 yd sprints on the grass. Boy that felt good. Just like a kid again. Running barefoot.

A little Spring in Summer

Up before dawn on Saturday to meet for a trip up to the Hills. Coffee is hot and the conversation is great. Catching up with a friend driving in the dark on the two lane highway. We hit the Hill country State natural area trails at daybreak. Wildlife is abound. Cottontail rabbits gathering under the trees as if preparing for an event. A whitetail deer jumps into the brush. Spiders hanging on their webs await the big catch. A Bird catching a wave above a hilltop, momentarily floats in place before drifting ever so gently across the overcast sky. It seems like a spring day in the middle of a very hot summer. It will be short lived though. The heat will return in the afternoon. But for now we enjoy the cool misty breezes along the hill tops. We make it to the first big climb, Sky Island. For a moment we enjoy the pretty view of the scenic Texas hill country. Ever greens everywhere. Mountain Laurels, Cedar trees, Live Oaks, Prickly Pear and Sotol Cactus. Coming off of the next climbs over Boyle's bump and Cairns, Chris called to say he overslept and was on his way. We took a short cut back to the car. On the dirt road we picked up the pace to sub 7 min. miles! Not a common practice. After meeting Chris we decided to run the Flat portion of the park. Soft single track dirt trails. No hills here, so no excuse to walk. Have to keep running. It came to an end too soon, but it was great conversation, and a great 17 mile run sprinkled with friendly laughter, and an admiration of nature.

Hells Hills 50K Smithville,Tx 06/06/09

While on a recovery run two weeks after running the Jemez 50K in New Mexico, I got suckered in to another 50K. I was registered for the 25K. Then John said he was thinking about the 50K but wondered who might carpool to the race with him. I said, "Hey I'll run it with ya!"
Waking up at 3 AM to drive the 100 miles for the 6 AM start was not something I was looking forward to. But the drive is not too bad after getting off the Interstate in San Marcos, and John is good company. We laughed and talked about Hank, the Helotes Bicycle shop owner for most of the hour and a half! Not many people you can talk and laugh about for that long. Hank is a character, very knowledgeable and a great guy who really loves what he does.
We arrived at Rocky Hill Ranch just outside of Smithville,Tx at about 5:30 AM. Enough time to prepare our gear and hit the port-o-potty. I parked a few yards away from the start so we could access our ice chest after the first of two loops. At check in (at the honky tonk like saloon) we were greeted by Robert Heynen and race director Joe Prusaitus who referred to us as the "San Antonio connection".
Hells Hills was a make up for the previously canceled Rocky Hill Ranch trail race. Joe was putting this race on free of registration fees! No shirt and only water at the aid stations.
6 AM, and 48 runners were off. The course is almost all dirt single track, some rocks, winding and weaving through tall pine trees for the most part. there are many short up and downs with sharp turns. This is a change to what we are used too. Very nice course with plenty of shade though. At one point we do run through an open cow pasture with grazing cows and bulls!
I started nice and easy but accelerated to catch up with Diana Heynen who had about 6 runners following her and just chatting away. John and I talked to her some about Jemez and up coming races. After the first aid station we parted ways. I had started the race with only one hand held and decided not to take my camel back. This worked well for the first loop. I munched on baked sweet potatoes and power bar gel blasts carried in my waist pack.
At the completion of the first loop I hit the ice chest at the truck and drank an ensure, ate half a chicken/cheese tortilla wrap and packed some quesadillas in my waist pack. I also drank a 16 oz bottle of water, re-filled my hand held with water and ULTRA endurance drink. I decided to take an extra bottle of water in the other hand just in case. Boy was I glad I did! I refilled this bottle and my hand held at every aid station on the second loop.
The heat was starting to take it's toll on me. I was also taking in 2 succeed electrolyte capsules every hour. The shady trail helped but the heat was still very much a factor in slowing me down. I don't know the exact temperature but I know it was in the 90's by 11:00 AM. My stomach was giving me problems at about this time. I was forced to walk slowly when it was really upset. Then after the last aid station with about 5 miles to go my right ankle/foot was aching so much it hurt to even jog slowly, especially on rocks. This pain in my foot is due to an old injury. I limped in at 6:42 and change.
I went back to the truck, showered with water I brought in gallon jugs, changed my shirt/shorts, grabbed a beer (Shiner Bock) and sat on the Honky Tonk's porch to wait for John while visiting with other runners.
Man, I love these trail runs.