Back to Back!

In preparation for my upcoming 100K on January 09, I had to run a "long one" or a back to back (two long runs on consecutive days). I decided on the back to back. The "Gang" was headed to a Fat Ass run this past weekend and I, because of family commitments, could not attend. As it turns out I was able to get out Saturday and Sunday morning for two 20 milers. Long runs or back to backs are necessary to prepare yourself for an ultra. I have really never run back to backs in training, preferring to run one very long run before my event. These past few months I have felt exceptionally well and was fortunate enough to put two long runs together. You have to find what works best for you and what you are able to fit in to your schedule. We are all different and have commitments, responsibilities,and LIFE that confronts us. Do the best you can!
As it was a last minute decision on Saturday, I went out alone. It's great running with company, but sometimes it's also great running alone. Although I enjoy conversation, running alone allows conversation with your own thoughts. Yes, I wore my head phones listening to my iPod, but my thoughts were my own. And listening to "MY MUSIC" conjured up memories from my past. My iPOD is filled with music from my childhood and teenage years. Music that brings back memories from 7th grade, High School, and my first girl friend! The pretty little girl who smiled at me in Biology class. The vacations I spent as an adolescent visiting Family in Southern California, the religious retreats in the Texas Hill Country during my Tennage years, and so on.
Sometimes my mind relaxed and I just gazed at the beauty of nature on this cold misty day.
A spider’s web strung on bushes and laid across the trail. Dew gently resting on blades of grass. Even the weeds looked pretty in their bright shades of green. Wet rocks of all shapes and sizes displayed a shiny appearance. Birds flying about through the trees.
A great way to Meditate.

Running with Penny!

This afternoon was very nice and pleasant. Sunny and about 67 degrees with a light breeze. Perfect for running, but I just did not FEEL it. I worked till midnight the previous night and was back at work at 6:30 this morning. I felt OK but lacked energy. As I walked out the front door Penny, my four year old Labrador, called out to me from the back yard with her whining yelp. As if to say, "come on...........take meeeee!" I walk her often, but maybe not often enough. We do make out every so often and exchange "Carinos" (cuddling) every morning as I feed her! She does not touch her food until she has walked me back to the door and gives me the the once over(smelling me from head to foot).
"OK, let's go Baby" Maybe I don't want to run today. We'll walk. Penny still wants to pull me along, but I stop when she pulls too hard and she will slow it down. We headed for the French Creek trails adjacent to my subdivision and soon encountered large puddles left over from the recent rains. Labs are supposed to love water but Penny hasn't received the memo. She finds a way around. Some of the puddles were too large to go around. There was very high grass straddling the trails, so I decided to head back to the neighborhood. I was tired and was heading home and thought, "hey, how about some hill repeats?" "can ya hang Penny?" "let's see how many we can do." My neighborhood is very small and sits along and on top of a hill. We headed up the first hill which is about a 1/2 mile long with a leveling off at about 3 tenths of a mile up then straight up. We repeated the last tenth 5 times and jogged back to the base of the hill and ran right back up once. Penny was hanging! And so was her tongue! We descended at a very slow pace.
Turning the corner heading back home, we attacked the hill leading to our house. We ran past our house and all the way up the hill. What a beautiful view from the hilltop as the sun was setting behind us. We jogged back down to the house and Penny looked at me my with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth but very content. Her look said, That was good, but I'm spent.
I love my Dog. And She loves me.

REST

It’s amazing what a break from training can do.
Recently I was FORCED to rest. I was feeling very tired and my leg muscles seemed sore all the time. Laboring through short runs and exhausted after long runs, I wondered if there was something wrong with me. What should I do? I started to examine my eating habits and started to question some of my choices. Was I sleeping well? Enough? Maybe I wasn’t recovering properly. After all a few beers after a long run should always be accompanied with food, and water. Was I neglecting to do this (too often)?
Well it all came crashing down on October 8th. I felt so tired. My head felt like it was hollow. Every muscle in my back and legs ached. I would feel sharp pains in my abdomen occasionally.
I wondered if I had he flu. It sure felt like it. I could not walk very long let alone run. It took 10 days of rest to fully recover.
On the 17th of October I went out and ran 17 miles at Government Canyon. I felt so good. My leg muscles were strong and I had no difficulty running the climbs. Other than being a little sore, due to running 17, I felt great and have been running with rejuvenated muscles. We as runners are reluctant to take a break from training fearing we may lose some conditioning. We often hear it is good to take a break and let the body rest. IT’S TRUE! Do it sometimes.

MS Ride to the River

Thanks to all those supporting my MS "Ride to the River", benefiting
Multiple Sclerosis.
Your Support made it possible for those suffering from this debilitating disease to
try and live as normal a life as possible.
One sufferer of this disease who was at an aid station during a previous ride
thanked every rider whose attention she could get. She told me the funds raised
have helped her and those like her through more affordable treatment and
support. I will never forget the genuine expression of gratitude on her face.
This year’s ride started with a light drizzle as we started from the Alamodome, but one half hour into the ride the rain came down hard! My team and I were moving swiftly until I had a flat. My
friend Orlando helped me replace the inner tube. Orlando was a designated Ride
Marshall, so he was responsible to check on rider’s safety and any mechanical
failures they may experience. He did not have to help me though. But he did and
I felt obligated from then on to stay with him and any others that may need
help. We talked and helped some others with flats. The rain came and went, but nothing severe at all. This year’s route was very nice. We traveled over country roads taking us through St. Hedwig, Lavernia, and Seguin, on the way to New Braunfels. The roads were very quiet and rolled through pretty farmland.
At the Lunch stop, 50 miles into the ride, we caught up with some of our team
members and Orlando’s wife Elda. The three of us stayed together the next 25
miles. When we arrived in New Braunfels, the rain again came down in buckets.
We found safety under our team tent at the first day’s finish area. The
100-mile option was canceled due to high water along the route, which
straddled the Guadalupe River.
Sunday we awoke to a driving rainstorm, along with thunder and lighting. The ride
director decided to cancel the second day’s ride. Rider safety and emergency
personnel were taken into account in making this decision. We arranged for
transportation back to SA.
Again, Thank you very much for your help.

Bring it on skeeter punks

Oh the price we pay for rain. The recent frequent rains have been welcomed by all after the dry, very hot summer we experienced here in south Texas. What is not so welcomed is the return of the mosquitoes. A week ago, as I walked with my dog Penny through tall grass in the nearby creek I was attacked viciously by those nasty blood suckers. They were all over me! Stinging little turds! I ran out of there and headed home with welts all over my legs and arms. I rubbed down with alcohol and soon felt better.
I am not a fan of applying chemicals on my body, but needed to find something that will help against these nasty blood suckers. I searched and found "Badger" anti bug balm. It is made from all natural ingredients. After ordering it I patiently waited for it to arrive and stayed clear of the tall grassy areas. Although the skeeters found me on the upper levels of the creek too.
I was happy but surprised when my package arrived. 6 bucks for a .75oz tin of bug balm! I guess I hadn't realized how small an amount that is. Oh well, I readied for a run and spread a very light coating of the balm on my face, neck, arms, and legs. I soon found out a little goes a long way. The balm has a pleasant smell and is not at all uncomfortable or irritating.
What better place to try this stuff out than the tall grass in the lower levels of French creek, Where I was so viciously attacked a week ago. As I reached this area I saw the skeeters all around me. They tried but would not land. One brave one did land if only for a short time as it soon fell off! This stuff works! I had a pleasant run with maybe one more determined skeeter landing on my arm for a second. Keep in mind, this is a creek, with plenty of standing water. A perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
To add to my pleasant run, a mountain biker came to a complete stop as he saw me approaching. "Come on by" he said. "I am supposed to yield to you, Not everyone knows that" he said. "You are right" I resonded. THANKS!
As I headed home on this short 5 miler, the perspiration dripping from my body on this humid day made me wonder if the balm would hold up and keep it's potency. Arriving home I stretched on my front porch as perspiration dripped from all over my body. One sole speeder skeeter hovered over me trying to find a place to land. Here, No here, oh, there, no Here. It could not find a place to land. This stuff works!
As the Badger anti bug balm says "go ahead bug punks, make my day"
And the best part, "Good for the skin, bad for the bug".

Night Rider

This weekend the running group has a big run planned for Sunday at Government Canyon. 2 to 4 hours on the trails. Can't miss that! Brush pick up is also scheduled next week for my neighborhood. I need to trim some trees and lay out the brush by the curb. So when do I schedule my Bike ride? I have to put in some saddle time for the MS ride to river in two weeks.
I decided to start my ride at 5 AM Saturday morning. I have a "flea". A small but very bright red LED lamp I attach to the rear of my jersey. And I use a Petzl lamp on my handle bars as a headlamp. As I am about to leave my driveway my neighbor exits his house, coffee in hand, and tells me to be careful. "got all you need?" he asks. Yes, I reply. The only thing that worries me is drunks that may have been out all night I tell him. "yeah" he says. "they're out there".
I head out Mainland and onto Bandera road. My petzl lamp is bright enough, but does not stay stationary on my handlebars. It moves out of position with the vibration of my front wheel on uneven portions of the road. I continue to adjust it throughout the ride. The street lamps help somewhat with illuminating the road, but there are periods where the lamp comes in handy and helps in avoiding debris on the road. There are a few cars on the road, but mostly I have the road to myself.
As I reach Helotes, Tx at the 7 mile mark, I turn right on Scenic loop road. This road is a quiet two lane road with some homes on large two to maybe 10 acre lots. I pass through the sleepy town of Grey Forest. So small they don't even have a traffic light. Not even a blinking yellow light! But they do have a cop who likes to harass Cyclists into riding single file (Texas law states cyclist may ride two abreast).
Leaving Grey Forest the big climb begins. A three tiered hill about 3/4 of a mile long. Here the homes lay far away from the road. There is no lighting. It is pitched dark. I continue to adjust my petzl headlamp as I climb the hill. Over the top there is a short descend and a quick very short ascend then a one mile downhill. I am careful not to pick up too much speed for fear of something suddenly appearing on the road. A truck approaches towards me with it's bright lights on but quickly dims them. At the 15 mile mark it is almost 6 AM as I turn right onto Boerne stage road. It is still dark on the road and I AM 3 miles from Leon Springs, Tx. where Liza and Joe will be meeting at the Starbucks to run 16 miles on the road. I planned to surprise them.
I make it to Starbucks just as Liza and Joe are ready to start their run. what excitement! I have not seen Joe in months and Liza has just returned from Kenya where she was instructing tour guides on wilderness survival. We shook hands, hugged, and shared great big smiles. Liza shared a few stories too. I bid them farewell and I hung out at the Starbucks a while.
Returning towards home the traffic seemed to increase. I made it to the Leon Creek greenbelt where I road at a leisurely pace among walkers, runners, and other cyclist enjoying the overcast morning. Arriving home after 33 miles at about 7:30 AM, the neighbor was trimming his hedges and getting ready to mow. My wife and I hit some garage sales in the neighborhood. Then we returned home, she left for the gym and grocery store. I had breakfast, then trimmed trees, layed the branches out by the curb, mowed the lawn, showered, and took a well deserved nap.

The Human Spirit

Today I left home with Penny, my three year old Chocolate lab for a walk on the trails. Wearing my vibram five fingers we headed out on french creek then on to leon creek. Walking at a slow pace and enjoying the cool overcast evening. Penny was excited as deer frequently ran across the trail ahead of us. She made me proud as she calmly watched as mountain bikers came toward us on the trail and whizzed on by. As we reached the newly paved trails in the creek, two young boys about 5 and 7 rode up to us and asked " can we pet her?" Sure I said, but she's gonna lick you! the two boys smiled ear to ear as they pet Penny. "Why is her tongue hanging out?" they asked. She's been walking over two miles now I explained, and she is overly excited at the attention you are giving her.
As I bid farewell to the kids and headed back home, a young lady on a mountain bike came riding up and said Hi. I said Hi, and asked her how long she's riding today. "oh, I came from Babcock" she said. Wow, I responded. That's 4 miles to this point (Bandera Rd). Yes she said, but I do it almost everyday and it doesn't feel like 8 miles round trip. We struck up an interesting conversation and she explained she suffers from Diabetes. She tries to keep it in check by watching her diet and exercising. You all know me. I suggested vegetables and fruit to eat, to which she responded, "I do eat all that." She told me she was a runner in high school. I asked if she still runs, hoping to recruit a new runner to our group, she went on to tell me she also suffers from poor blood circulation in her legs and restless leg syndrome. And, she later explained "I also have low bone density, and scoliosis." All this she told me while smiling often. "Wow, you ARE sick" I said laughing. "Como una vieja!" she said (Like an old lady). I asked her age (I know, don't ask a lady how old she is), and she said she was 37. She did not look a day over 30. Due to the exercise and good diet, no doubt.
"Keep up the exercising" I told her. And "keep smiling and thinking positive." I will she replied. Nora rode off and I could not help but think what a great joy for life she has. She suffers from many illnesses and still smiles and tries to help herself through diet and exercise. So many others let such conditions rule their lives. But some like Nora fight through it.
Many of us are so fortunate to have good health. If you are one of these, Treasure it. If not, Keep smiling, and keep pushing on.