Watt's Running

I learned that Barb E., my first year’s marathon running buddy, was planning on moving, and for the past year her family has been in turmoil which has been very stressful for her. I asked if we could run together so on Friday we ran 10 miles in her neighborhood. I listened and was amazed at her emotional strength with everything that has happened to her family, and her. The time flew by and we completed 10.1 miles in 1:50. When you run with someone you share part of you. Not seeing their face you look ahead, but their voice and their presence is with you. You run with their essence, their spirit, and their inner being. I treasure the moments that we’ve run together. I wish her the best in her new home, and I will miss her dearly. Run on Barb, dear friend. Your finish line is only a turn away.

I have noticed a new spring in my step since I’ve started Weight Watchers. So far I’ve lost about 7 pounds over the past three weeks. It makes me feel good and I feel like running more. The weather is getting cooler which is another reason to feel good about running.

I’m taking the weekend off. This is unusual for me. I went to work yesterday instead. And today I might do that again, but it’s also Mother’s Day and Matthew is coming for dinner. I also have chores to do such as mowing and shopping. If I were to do a long run today I’d be too sore to push the ol’ rickety lawn mower around. I’ll call this my recovery week. Yeah, that’s it. It’s a physical and mental recovery week. OK, now on to other things…

Hi All,

How are you all? I thought I’d send a little note and tell you what’s been happening in my life. Although I’m retired from marathoning I’m still running. Each weekend I drive downtown, park behind RunTex Riverside and run the 10-mile Town Lake Trail counterclockwise starting at mile marker 10. You are all welcome to join me anytime.

I try to start at 7 AM, but this morning I was a little late and started at 7:30 AM. The sun was already up, the temperature was 55-60 and clear. It was a great day for running. I started out slowly, went under Congress Avenue Bridge with the air tinged with the smell of bat guano and finished the first mile in 10:50. Up and over the Riverside hill, cross I35, and back on the trail. I passed several runners who were going the other way. I enjoy seeing other runners in this beautiful pastoral setting with the grass, the ducks, and the lake in the bright sunlight.

Between miles 8 and 7 a group of five runners were coming towards me in the distance. Two gals in the lead and ten feet back two gals and a guy. As they approached I didn’t know the gals, but I saw the guy was my dear running buddy Ed B. So about fifty feet out I yelled hello to Ed and waved. It was very typical of Ed running with the ladies. He’s such a charmer. The two gals passed me, and then the next two did too. Ed had stopped on the trail and looked to be bending over to pick something up. I’m running and I was almost up to Ed when all of a sudden he reaches behind and pulls down his shorts and moons me. Yup, that’s right, Ed B. mooned me in the open on a clear sunny day on the trail in East Austin. Unbelievable! I yelled as I passed that that was a mental picture I’ll never be able to forget unfortunately. TMI – Too much information. Way, way, TMI. As quickly as he did it, it was over, his shorts were up and he was again running and catching up to his group. I laughed for the next three miles. I know, I know. Most of us have seen Ed’s monkey, but ladies and gentlemen I’ve seen a side of Ed that I bet none of you have experienced I hope.

Now for those who haven’t… Ed’s butt is a small, and cute and tight butt – a true runner’s butt. It’s not marbled with fat as a couch potato’s butt. It is a very au-natural butt without a hint of tan. I can’t tell you if it was a clean-shaven butt. I just didn’t have time to focus, but if I had to guess I would say no, because what I know of Ed is that he’s just not that kind of guy. So in summary it looked to me like a fast butt, a well-tuned muscular butt, a Boston-qualifying butt.

Now afterwards I am thinking why did he do it to me. What have I done to Ed to show me this special side of himself. I’ve always tried to be polite and friendly to him, but not too friendly. We’re running buddies and that’s special, but not that special. I mean we did run Chicago Marathon together, but he was miles ahead of Kevin and me. Now you’ve got to understand that I have held and squeezed his monkey. I’ve even laughed at his monkey as he pulled it out at races and stretched it to its full length. Did this somehow encourage him? I hope not. I am bewildered.

So to all my running buddies past, present and future, if you are running and see Ed in the distance approaching please be prepared for him to take a butt-shot of you. For me next time I run Town Lake Trail I plan on bringing a camera.

Bri

Tomorrow I run my sixth marathon, the AT&T Austin Marathon. I have no performance goals. No heart rate monitor. No pace band or calculator. All I want to do is complete it – run, walk, crawl – it doesn’t matter. Hopefully I’ll be running with friends – my running buddies from class: Celeste, Glenn, Chris, and/or Jay. They’ve helped me so much this year. Now I need to go to bed since I’ll be getting up at 4:30 AM to prepare for the 7:00 AM start. Wish me luck. I’ll need it since 26.2 miles is a long long way to go. P.S. To my sweetheart, Kathy, I love you. You make my life sing such a sweet duet together.

I slowly ran four miles this morning. I have not run for four days. My class last Tuesday was terrible for me. We had to run seven miles. By this time that should be easy. However my right calf was unusually tight, and my left inside ankle had a burning sensation. It is the left ankle that worries me the most. I had to walk several times at class. This has me really concerned. The burning sensation didn’t go away after running for a while. Now today it is back again. So even though I rested it that has not helped. I am very worried since I didn’t run very fast this morning and the marathon is this weekend. All the more reason to stay at the back of the pack, walk when needed and just try to finish.

I signed up for the RunTex 30K today. This will be a very tough “race” that I just hope that I’ll be able to finish. I don’t plan on racing, only treating it as a long run. The course is in south Austin and is very hilly. The Rogue coaches are worried that we’ll hurt ourselves doing it so they have an alternative flat MGP run that day in Georgetown. They have also an alternative distance challenge as a result of this. However I want to complete the Austin Distance Challenge and not the Rogue Distance Challenge so I signed up for the RunTex 30k. Wish me luck since I’m going to need it.

Update: From one of my other classmates:

Hi, Team,

I just got finished biking the route for the ARA 30K. I was planning on running it, but no more. It’s really a hellish route all the way through, including three rather “insulting” hills in the last 3 miles. I’m really kind of miffed that someone would put together such a dumb and brutal route for such an important leg of the Distance Challenge, causing all of us to either risk disspiritment, at best, or injury, at worst, on the way to our actual goal of marathon. It just doesn’t make sense.

I really appreciate Rogue serving up the Georgetown option. Hope to see ya’ll there!

Robert

I’m going to have to retract my offer to run with Glenn on Sunday at Decker. I went out for an easy 5 mile run day before yesterday, and yesterday my left knee was stiff. So I’m worried. This knee has been “talking to me” over the past few weeks. After the run last Saturday in the cold, and the practice which I pushed real hard and probably shouldn’t have. Afterwards I felt it too, and it is getting worse. Also dear ol’ Decker has been my nemesis in the past where I’ve tried to start out hurt, and I’ve ended up barely able to walk at the end or flex my leg afterwards. I feel that I’ve got to take it easier. So that’s what’s happening with me. Naturally if I’m out there at Decker and warmed up and my knee is not stiff or hurting then Glenn should watch his back because I’m coming to get him. Just kidding.

Update: I was just walking around the mall with my daughter today and I’m feeling the knee AND I’M NOT EVEN RUNNING – ugh. So I’m upset, but dealing with it. I plan being at Decker, doing the warm-up (which will probably be the deciding factor of whether I run it and if I call it quits, then that’s it for the distance challenge [that’ll be the second time Decker has caused me to drop of of that]), and if I decide to do it then taking it easy on the run. I appreciated what Celeste told me by e-mail that she’ll be there to break wind.- oops – I mean she’ll let me draft behind her and walk the hills together which I might have to.

A business friend was in town so we did about 6.9 miles together at 6 AM today. The route was around Lady Bird Lake via Longhorn Dam.

For the past few years I’ve run around my neighborhood each morning. Typically I would head south through various streets in my neighborhood. I started out with a 3 mile loop (actually it’s 3.2 miles).

In time I included another 3 mile loop (actually it’s 2.8 miles).Then as I needed to go farther I added a 4 mile,5 mile,6 mile, loop.8 mile, loop.They all are south of me. Only recently have I explored to the north and I have now found a great trail that is just over 4 miles long. Once on the trail starting at the Wells Branch elementary school the path runs slightly up and down through green spaces, over little wooden bridges, under roads, and back to the school.Beyond that there are still more trails to the north of Katherine Fleischer Park which I will investigate later.
Update: North of Katherine Fleischer Park: 6 mile loop if turn back at 3 mile mark.7.1 mile, loop.8 mile north loop (watch out for field at Grand Avenue Parkway, possible wet grass – ugh)