Undeleted and Ready for A Good Year

Well I decided to reinstate the blog even if only for a few readers. Just after I deleted due to lack of motivation regarding running among other things I found out my daughter is a regular reader. She would read at school during her computer time and said she wanted me to continue. That was really all I needed. Regarding running I reached an all time worst year in the six years I have been at this. I guess life is just like that sometimes it kicks you in the butt and you have to keep going in the hope that better things lie ahead. My last entry was about our puppy Jake we adopted from BARC over Thanksgiving. He passed away after two weeks due to a bad case of distemper which he had before we adopted him. Later I read an article about BARC and how most of the animals there are sick and disease is rampant in the kennels. I really hope 2010 is much better, I am ready for some happy times. I plan to run the half marathon this year but very slowly. I really don't know what to expect since this is the first year I have had such sparse training. I guess I will just hope it is cold enough to propel me to the finish! I think that indoor running will be on the agenda for the rest of this week as I am a real wimp in the cold...

A New Running Friend

I mentioned in a previous post that we had lost our wonderful dog Lucy recently. She was the greatest dog (I am now a dog person because of her!) I know I will always miss her. I knew I wanted another dog so over Thanksgiving week I took the kids to a local animal shelter. Our new dog would have to be a rescue like Lucy was. Anyway we head to the shelter and get checked in with badges and all then we proceed to the puppy area. The dogs all looked so ready to get out of there and it was rather distressing. I spotted a puppy in the corner just quiet in his cage and that was it he had to go home with us. He is very sweet and calm. The kids were not very picky, they just wanted a cute dog. Jake was one of only four pups there that day. The girls that worked there told me they were busy the day before. I guess because he was quiet people weren't interested but I liked his calm demeanor. So we get him home and he is really scared being in a new place. Gradually he starts to eat and feel comfortable around us. He starts to seem a little too quiet to me. A few days later we take him back to the shelter to have a vet look at him and we get some unsettling news. She thinks he has either Kennel Cough (not so bad) or Distemper (definitely bad). He gets some medicine and we are told he will either get better or much worse. Wow, so we are really upset and I watch him closely for the next week as he takes his meds. He starts to get more active and is still eating and drinking so I figure that is good. I also decide to take him to our local vet just to get their take on the situation. Our local vet says it is not Distemper, just Kennel Cough and he will recover in a few days. I am happy to say his is getting better and is now acting like he is ready to start getting outside and getting in shape. He is still really calm for a puppy and he actually does what we tell him to. He is good with the kids though he is weary of strangers (which I guess is good). I am still trying to figure out what type of dog he is, the shelter had him listed as a lab mix. I suppose I need to post some pictures and maybe someone will have an idea...

Running State Of Mind

Lately I have wondered what attracts me to running. My motivation has been at an all time low yet running is still on my mind. I remember when I was fast (all relative I know) and I ran with the fast people. I enjoyed the competition and was constantly looking to improve and reach higher goals. I think the first thing that really hooked me 6 years ago was that running was an escape, a place where my mind was only in the moment. My problems were never solved during a run and I never thought about world peace or whatever only how I was feeling or if I could pick up the pace to catch the runner ahead. I would listen to my friends discuss their lives and comment if I had the breath. On an easy run I could joke and laugh and just enjoy the experience still never thinking of my non running self. These days I am happy if I get in 2-3 miles in a morning and I notice how much better I feel when I do. Maybe it is because I took a moment to just exist quietly in my mind and turn off the rest of the noise. I guess this is why I am jealous when I am speeding to my various appointments throughout the day and I catch a glimpse of a runner out my window. I always think about that state of mind and wonder when I will be there again.

My Life as a Non Runner

Lately I would have to classify myself as a non runner due pretty much to running very little or never. When I do run I have to take walk breaks much like when I first started six years ago and that stinks. My clothes do not fit the same and I have been making lame attempts to run just to somewhat fit into my pants. Business has been challenging the last 2 months so that has taken away from workouts as well. For me I tend to loose focus in training when other parts of my life are distracting me. Some continue to be dedicated through good and bad times but not me. Things are picking up at work but it always seems to be something lately. Work starts to go better and then something crops up with the kids and so on. We lost our dedicated and loving dog Lucy on Friday. She was suffering greatly and now she is in a better place. We miss her. So this is how life has been for a non runner that misses running and sunnier days.

XC Relay Report

Another weekend of hills seemed to be on the agenda for me. I headed to the Tornado's XC relay on Saturday after a day of setting up for another event later that evening. My formal attire was stashed in a friend's hotel room before I left because I knew there was no way I could make it home before the banquet started. The plan was to be the first runner and then get straight to my car afterwards and fly down the freeway in time to get there before the 6:30pm dinner. This race was much harder than I remember. The last time I ran this was year before last and I was in much better shape. This year I was happy to get through the race in one piece. Definitely not an easy time. Either way after the heat and hills and some short recovery it was back to Clear Lake for a nice dinner and good company. After the program my phone rang so I stepped outside and my friend Jackie told me we placed second overall. I was pretty surprised but I had a good team and they were able to really pick it up and smoke the course. I enjoyed meeting all the girls and I look forward to another good team next year! The rest of the night included some good beverages and dancing (as best I could on sore legs). All in all a really good end to the day.

Toughest 10K

I got a strange idea last week about entering a race. What better to do after several months of very little running but enter a race? Actually the slower more relaxed approach I have taken to my runs has been a good thing for me. I think I forgot how to enjoy just taking a nice jog with friends. Anyway I decided to run the Kemah bridge on Thursday morning with one of my favorite running friends. We survived (much to our surprise) and it put another idea in my mind. Maybe I should run the Toughest 10K on Saturday. I really had no idea if I could even finish. My long run has been only 6 miles and no hill training. I showed up at the boardwalk Saturday and decided to just run how I felt and walk if I needed to. I really enjoyed seeing all of the running friends I had missed over the last several months. A long lost family member even showed up (my second cousin). Very interesting. So we chat and catch up and then the race starts. I go out easy and just try to stay comfortable because I know the bridge is sitting there waiting and I have to make the climb 4 times. Ouch. I get through the first two climbs OK and I try to keep the fit people in view. The third time up I am starting to feel bad and I really want to walk but I keep chugging. Finally the last climb is behind me and I move forward to the painful finish. Thankfully my family is there to congratulate me on my finish. I hurry home and on the way I get a call that I left my age group award behind. I really did not even think I could place on such a tough course so I was happy. This was over 7 minutes slower that my 10K PR but I think my performance was better than I have ever done. Good times with friends and a workout that kicked my butt (in a good way)! All in all not too bad...

I Got the Music Back

So I finally found my ipod in an old gym bag (been really long time since I showed my face at the Y). Now I am getting up regularly to run 3-5 miles most days. The run this morning did not feel good, the humidity really overwhelmed me. When I run a little later in the day (6:30 am instead of 5am) I can tolerate the heat because the humidity is somewhat lower. Anyway I am glad to be back in some kind of routine. I need to find a race to train for when it gets a little cooler. I am thinking something short like a 5K or 10K. Registration for Houston is approaching and I would like to register for the half but even that sounds so long. My long runs right now top out at 7 miles. I suppose January is far enough off that I may be in decent shape by then.