Yuri's Night 5K: Houston Running April Race of the Month

Each month "Houston Running" will designate a Race of the Month that this blog will either partner with, attend in person and/or specifically help promote. Our Race of the Month for April 2006 will be the "Yuri's Night 5K / 1K Kids Run", which is directed by Houston Running Bloggers' Sarah Graybeal.

Yuri's Night is a global celebration of human space achievement, held on the anniversaries of the first human into space, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, and the flight of the first American space shuttle, Columbia. The official web site is http://www.yurisnighthouston.net/. Online registration can be accessed directly through this link.

"Houston Running" knows that there is a lot of race choices that Saturday; however, even though I didn't participate in this event last year, I'm personally knowledgeable that Sarah does a quality job on everything that she is involved in.

In most cases and in future months, "Houston Running" will look for the race director to provide a free race entry - in exchange for placement at the top of this blog for the entire month - that will be available in a drawing to all readers of this blog. How sweet is that?

Enjoy Yuri's Night 5K on Saturday, April 1st in Clear Lake and get ready also for May's "Houston Running" Race of the Month on Saturday, May 6th in Tomball - the 3rd annual Trot for ToMagWa 5K.

Waverly Pictured with Mike Huckabee and Laura Yasso

I had been having some problems uploading pictures here recently to the blog. Not sure why. Nonetheless, now that they seem to be resolved, here is a picture of Waverly with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee at the Expo for the Little Rock Marathon.




I was genuinely impressed that we is just a down to earth man who was shopping at a booth or two pretty well unnoticed until another person and myself bothered him! Although I'm sure that it isn't the first time that that has ever happened to him. The Governor set a personal record that day with the help of Houston's Dr. Jeffrey Ross.






As I mentioned before, we sat in on a session by Runner's World Bart Yasso talking about running your best half marathon or marathon.

The real treat was getting input also from his wife, veteran ultramarathoner Laura Yasso.

She talked to some folks after the session was over about running the Houston Marathon as well as doing Sunmart once.

Waverly's Photo Finish from Brenham

Waverly finishes with her fourth best 5K ever (37:22.9 chip time) on a tough Blue Bell Fun Run course in Brenham.

HARRA's Tour de Bayou Coming Soon!

HARRA's ever popular The Tour de Bayou is coming soon. Maybe even to a location near you! Stages will be held on five (5) consecutive Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. The locations and race distances are as follows:

Stage 1, April 4: White Oak Bayou at Thelma (White Oak Ave. between Houston and Studemont), 4 miles
Stage 2, April 11: Spotts Park (Memorial Drive and Heights/Waugh), 3 miles
Stage 3, April 18: Buffalo Bayou at Shepherd (Memorial Dr. at Shepherd), 5 miles
Stage 4, April 25: Ho Chi Minh (Memorial Park, south side of Memorial Dr., west entrance), 3-5 miles
Stage 5, May 2: Ho Chi Minh (same as above)

The events are free (sponsored by RunSport and HARRA) and the trappings are minimal. The times are cumulative but the races can also be run individually.

HARRA is always needing course guides, course markers, finish line and results help. So if your racing karma is low, contact RunSport (713-524-6662) or Roger Boak (boak@hal-pc.org) to volunteer.

Seven Hills Running Club Group Run/Walk

Well, our president, Ken Johnson, officially labels the "Run In The Woods 3.5-Miler" non-competitive; however, I don't think anybody really took it as such (even though I didn't run as well as I had wished.) Ken told us our times as we finished but he didn't write them all down.

I could still feel that my quads were a little tender from the Blue Bell Fun Run 10K the day before in Brenham; however, it was more the fact that I had a late (and full) breakfast at about 11:45 a.m. before hitting the trails at 2 p.m. in Huntsville State Park.

I covered the 3.5 miles in a disappointing 37:28 or 10:42 per mile (especially when I did a 9:59/mile pace later that evening at Memorial Park - and did the tough Blue Bell course in under 10 minutes a mile -- just barely.)

I started off really fast and about 8 minutes into the run (with a little bit of a slight incline going out to the first turn), I fell behind Melissa Broussard and Jan Parks. For awhile Sara Seale and Marissa Padilla were in front of the two of them, but they soon opened up a gap on them. At some point Len Hill passed me and then they all opened up a margin that I could never close.

When I finally made it back in, I told Len, who Ken has asked to write something on me for the club newsletter, that his first question of our interview would be, "What distances do you like best, Jon?" and my answer would be, "half and full marathons!" I hate the short stuff! (Let me rephrase it: I tolerate it!)

To no one's surprise, Robert Duncan led the group of 10 runners followed by J.C. Guzman, Lindsey Tlustos and Rick Cook. Randy Welch, Sara, Marisa, Jan, Len and Melissa finished in order in front of me. John, Kathy and Colleen Cook all walked the course to make sure that all of the trail markings were picked up.

(Hans Jaegar and Christopher Wilson were in New Mexico running the Bataan Death March Memorial Marathon outside of Las Cruces at the White Sands Missile Range. Hans completed the race in 5:22:26. Chris completed it in 4:41:07 (80th of 1,792 finishers). The day before, I also saw club members Ray Alexander and Skipper Nethery at the Blue Bell Fun Run 10K.)

I've been a member of Seven Hills Running Club since the beginning of last year and I really enjoy spending time with members of the club (and will look forward to running Stu's Country Mile with the group on the 4th of July in Centerville.)

March 26th Houston Running Bloggers RC Club Meeting

Sunday evening, I took Waverly with me to Memorial Park and Beck's Prime Restaraunt for the first-ever Houston Running Bloggers RC group run and club meeting.

We had eight (8) of us run and another six (6) members join in for the presentation by Tom and Mary Anne McBrayer regarding course certification. Beck's Prime was a little loud, without reserving the room and paying a fee; however, I think everyone learned a bit from Tom as far as how to read a course certification map and most importantly, how to run a certified course.

Our next meeting will be on Sunday evening, April 23rd and a time and a place will be announced as soon as possible. We'd love to have you come join us and hang out with us. We'll also be identifying another speaker as soon as possible.

I ran a 2.9-mile loop in 28:58.18 with Holden Choi and Joe Carey. (They slowed down a little bit for me, but I was carrying on a conversation the entire way.) James David Dykas and Keith Kelleher were a little bit ahead of us. David's wife, Jaclyn, started just a little bit before us. Edwin Quarles and Jessica Alexander ended up doing four (4) loops while Holden had gotten in a loop before we got there.

We talked about our Runner of the Month process as well of a couple of things we wanted to get accomplished in 2006. Everyone got to meet Jan Poscovsky for the first time, which was a pleasure for all of us. (I'd still like to get over 20 again like we did for the pasta party.)

I feel really great about the dynamics of our club that we have and while we missed a number of members who weren't able to be there, we still had a great time and will look forward to continuing to celebrate our collective successes in the sport.

"Run, Preacher, Run": Odessa's Running Preacher

(Originally appeared in the Odessa American on Saturday, February 25, 2006)

By Jennifer Edwards
copyright 2006, Odessa American

Is your refrigerator running? How about your pastor?

At least one Odessa church can say their pastor is running, and running strong, all in the name of encouraging his congregation.

At the beginning of February, the Rev. David Johnson, aka “The Running Preacher” of Central Baptist Church, once again confronted his most challenging race — one that he’s attempted yet failed to complete three times in the past three years.

With 44 races under his belt ranging from 26.2 miles to one other 100-miler, 53-year-old Johnson might seem like a pro. But the Rocky Raccoon 100-Mile Trail Run in Huntsville, he said, has always stood in the way of a perfect record.

“This race has been my nemesis,” he said.

Johnson began running marathons and races six years ago to raise funds for various charitable causes. Until this past Feb. 6, the RR was the only one he had yet to complete, he said. But he tried — oh, how he tried.

“The first time I tried was February 2003 and had to quit at 73 miles,” he said. “In February 2004 … (I) pulled myself at 80 miles because I was called to an emergency situation back home with a family in our church.”

The third attempt in February 2005 also fell short, perhaps because his ambitions were, well, too ambitious.

“I did a bit too much before the run as I did a 50-mile run and the next day a 25.2-mile marathon in mid-December,” he recalled. “Two weeks before the 100-miler, I did a Tsunami Relief run of 34.2 miles around Odessa.”

Perhaps because of that, he was pulled from the race at 77 miles because he missed the time cutoff. Johnson said he doesn’t know why, with 43 other successful races under his belt, the one he couldn’t lick would continue to bother him. Perhaps that’s why it rankled so. The race became his Waterloo. Luckily, unlike Napoleon, he got more than a second chance; he got a fourth. And that’s exactly what he needed to beat it, and to inspire his congregation.

FOURTH TIME’S THE CHARM

The stage: Huntsville, Texas, deep in the woods of Huntsville State Park.

The challenge: Five 20-mile loops and 30 hours of eating on the road, drinking on the road, changing on the road and absolutely eschewing sleep.

Back home, at least one fan was cheering for him — a fan Johnson said has been an inspiration to the church this past year.

Santos Carillo, 59, faced his own challenges in October and December, when his foot and then a portion of his left leg had to be amputated due to a blockage. Carillo, said he admires Johnson’s endurance in tackling the race.

“It I think it is great for his age, that he can still do this,” he said. “It inspires you because he does not give up.”

Carillo said Johnson’s try-and-you’ll-get-there-eventually mentality has helped him make his own transition after the surgery.

“Like I tell him, when they cut my leg off, it might take me longer to get there, but I will get there,” he said. As Johnson himself, eventually did.

TRIUMPH OVER DE FEET

As usual, Johnson started out at 6 a.m., stopping every 20 miles to change his shoes and socks and to nab something to drink and eat on the trail.

Occasionally, he’d don warmer clothes as the temperatures plummeted from 70 degrees during the day to 35 degrees at night.

He was going along at a good clip, he recalls, until mile 52. Then, the terrain made itself known.

“Because of all the trees, there are … knoblike roots, all covered with pine needles,” he said.

He clipped the root, fell and rolled, he said. Luckily, he hit sandy soil. Later, at mile 88, Johnson said he narrowly avoided disaster.

“I was running by myself and literally going to sleep as I ran,” he said. “I knew it was getting bad when I suddenly opened my eyes as I was about to run right into a big bush.” But by then, he said, he knew he was home free.

“When I started on my last loop, I knew I had it,” he said. “I did get emotional a little bit.”

At 28 hours and seven minutes, he finished the race and inspired his congregation — yet again.

“This is a reminder to me, our church and our community to persevere and continue on in the race or the life we are called,” he said. “The setbacks should only encourage us.”

Way Behind!

I'm way behind on the following recaps:

+ Houston Running Bloggers' initial club meeting tonight
+ Seven Hills Running Club' club run this afternoon
+ Blue Bell Fun Run 10K race report
+ Waverly's PR 1-mile effort on Friday and her 5K on Saturday
+ Law Week 8K analysis
+ Seabrook Marathon analysis
+ Bayou City Classic 10K analysis
+ Run the Woodlands 5K #150 report
+ Number of stat updates - including all who have run the HARRA Spring Series!

I will try to knock them out as soon as I possibly can!

And, of course, it is back on the plane in the morning to Vancouver!

The newest running blogger in Houston: Erin Foley!

I chose my words carefully there because I didn't want to imply an addition to the Houston Running Bloggers (which would be perfectly OK!); however, I wanted to welcome 31-year-old Erin Foley, a member of the Al Lawrence Running Club, to the blogging fold!

And Erin, aka "HTownRunner" -- http://htownrunner.blogspot.com/ -- will take the mantle of Houston's fastest female running blogger from LisaLeese!

Erin's been off to an impressive 2006 so far as she collected a 2nd place finish on Saturday at the Law Week 8K with a time of 32:11.3 -- her fourth top 4 age-group finish in a HARRA Spring Series race.

Here is Erin's complete list of racing times this spring:

Aramco Houston Half Marathon -- 1:35:08 (Race picture)
Buffalo Wallow 6K -- 26:53 (2nd in age group)
Park to Park 5-Miler -- 32:57 (4th in age group)
Freescale Austin Half Marathon -- 1:29:37 (Race picture)
Bayou City Classic 10K -- 42:15.7 (3rd in age group)
Law Week Fun Run 8K -- 32:11.3 (2nd in age group)

Erin, welcome and we'll look forward to more good racing and a unique insight from a talented and accomplished runner.

Rest In Peace Buck Owens

'Hee Haw' country star Buck Owens dies at 76
'Act Naturally' singer had more than 20 No. 1 records
http://www.buckowens.com/aboutbuck.html

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Buck Owens, co-host of television's "Hee Haw" and who shaped the sound of country music with hits like "Act Naturally," has died. He was 76.

Owens died at his home, said family spokesman Jim Shaw. The cause of death was not immediately known. Owens had undergone throat cancer surgery in 1993 and was hospitalized with pneumonia in 1997.

His career was one of the most phenomenal in country music, with a string of more than 20 No. 1 records, most released from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s.

They were recorded with a honky-tonk twang that came to be known throughout California as the "Bakersfield Sound," named for the town 100 miles north of Los Angeles that Owens called home.

"I think the reason he was so well known and respected by a younger generation of country musicians was because he was an innovator and rebel," said Shaw, who played keyboards in Owens' band, the Buckaroos. "He did it out of the Nashville establishment. He had a raw edge."

Owens was modest when describing his aspirations.

"I'd like to be remembered as a guy that came along and did his music, did his best and showed up on time, clean and ready to do the job, wrote a few songs and had a hell of a time," he said in 1992.

An indefatigable performer, Owens played a red, white and blue guitar with fireball fervor. He and the Buckaroos wore flashy rhinestone suits in an era when flash was as important to country music as fiddles.

Among his biggest hits were "Together Again" (also recorded by Emmylou Harris), "I've Got a Tiger by the Tail," "Love's Gonna Live Here," "My Heart Skips a Beat" and "Waitin' in Your Welfare Line."

And he was the answer to this music trivia question: What country star had a hit record that was later done by the Beatles?

"Those guys were phenomenal," Owens once said.

Ringo Starr recorded "Act Naturally" twice, singing lead on the Beatles' 1965 version and recording it as a duet with Owens in 1989.

Pickin' and grinnin'

In addition to music, Owens had a highly visible TV career as co-host of "Hee Haw" from 1969 to 1986. With guitarist Roy Clark, he led viewers through a potpourri of country music and hayseed humor.

"It's an honest show," Owens told The Associated Press in 1995. "There's no social message -- no crusade. It's fun and simple."

Owens himself could be rebellious, choosing among other things to label what he did "American music" rather than country.

"I took a little heat," he once said. "People asked me, `Isn't country music good enough for you?' "

He also criticized the syrupy arrangements of some country singers, saying "assembly-line, robot music turns me off."

After his string of hits, Owens stayed away from the recording scene for a decade, returning in 1988 to record another No. 1 record, "Streets of Bakersfield," with Dwight Yoakam.

He spent much of his time away concentrating on his business interests, which included a Bakersfield TV station and radio stations in Bakersfield and Phoenix.

"I never wanted to hang around like the punch-drunk fighter," he told The Associated Press in 1992.

Bakersfield Sound

He had moved to Bakersfield in 1951, hoping to find work in the thriving juke joints of what in the years before suburban sprawl was a truck-stop town on Highway 99, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area.

"We played rhumbas and tangos and sambas, and we played Bob Wills music, lots of Bob Wills music," he said, referring to the bandleader who was the king of Western swing.

"And lots of rock 'n' roll," he added.

Owens started recording in the mid-1950s, but gained little success until 1963 with "Act Naturally," his first No. 1 single.

Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. was born in 1929 outside Sherman, Texas, the son of a sharecropper.

With opportunities scarce during the Depression, the family moved to Arizona when he was 8.
He dropped out of school at age 13 to haul produce and harvest crops, and by 16 he was playing music in taverns.

He once told an audience, "When I was a little bitty kid, I used to dream about playing the guitar and singing like some of those great people that we had the old, thick records of."

Owens' first wife, Bonnie Owens, sometimes performed with him and went on to become a leading backup singer after their divorce in 1955. She had occasional solo hits in the '60s, as well as successful duets with her second husband, Merle Haggard.

One of her two sons with Owens also became a singer, using the name Buddy Alan. He had a Top 10 hit in 1968, "Let the World Keep on a-Turnin'," and recorded a number of duets with his father.

In addition to Buddy, he is survived by two other sons, Michael and John.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Wednesday Night Run in North Vancouver

The two-week stay is winding down and I'll be flying home Friday morning. Thank goodness! I like my job; however, the travel and being away from home can be a little challenging.

I got out on the streets very late on Wednesday evening - sometime after 11 p.m. Pacific time and it was simply just to get out and loosen the legs up. It had rained much of the day after being pretty nice out both Monday and Tuesday. (Monday, I was just completely zonked out from the long drive back north followed up by the regular work day.)

When I went down to Eugene, Oregon on Sunday, I stopped at the legendary Hayward Field, the home of the University of Oregon track and field program where "three Bills" coached the Ducks for 93 years. The stadium's namesake, Bill Hayward (1904-47), Bill Bowerman (1949-72) and Bill Dellinger (1973-98). However, one name will always be associated with Oregon track and field -- Steve Prefontaine.

The day before at the track, Galen Rupp, Oregon's boy wonder today, and Olympian Dan Browne competed against each other in the 3,000 meters while the husband-wife team of Adam and Kara Goucher won their respective events -- the 1,500 and 3,000 meters, respectively.

The track is open for anybody to run on while the Ducks aren't working out. And while it is just a track, I almost felt unworthy to step out there and run some. In fact, I didn't time myself even. I figured that it would have been sacriligeous given the talent that was run in the Stadium over the last century.

I ran 13 laps for just more than a 5K. When I started, there was a sign on the infield that said, "No walking or jogging in lanes 1 through 4." To avoid any confusion as to what I was doing out there, I moved to lane 5!

After leaving the Stadium, I went driving towards nearby Hendricks Park (which is less than a mile and a half away.) At the top of the hill, near the intersection of Birch and Skyline, was Pre's Rock - the place where Prefontaine died in a car wreck. As I got out of my rental car, there came a high school runner who had just climbed a pretty steep hill. He looked over at the memorial and kept moving. For those that have been there and know how steep the hill is and how narrow the road is, it would be challenging for anyone that was sober to go through that area with any speed.

I snapped a few pictures (which I can't get uploaded to here for some reason) and then went to find what is known as Pre's Trail to get in a few more miles since I had scratched the half. I found part of it, but I really didn't have a sufficient amount of fuel left in the tank and only got in about 2.5 miles and that was a challenge. Although it was clear and sunny, it was cool and windy. So I got in approximately 5.5 decent miles for the day.

Back to Wednesday night here in North Vancouver, I went down Marine Blvd. west towards the Lions Gate Bridge, but tonight I didn't run over it. I ran 2.332 miles in 24:02.04, which included a short, steady incline within the first 5 minutes. It wasn't quite as long as the last incline in the Blue Bell Fun Run 10K on Saturday, but it was just a tad bit more steep.

I came 1.461 miles back east on Marine Blvd. before turning onto Keith Blvd. The problem is: I don't have a time. About two and a half minutes into the return trip, a man asked me what time it was. I pressed the one button on my watch and it stopped the time.

Keith Blvd. turns into 13th Street and it is a long - .857 miles - steady uphill. I covered that distance in 11:49.73 while focusing on breathing, turning my feet over quicker and using shorter strides and putting my nose in front of my toes (as Bart Yasso had reminded me).

Once I made it to the corner of 13th Street and Lonsdale Ave., I ran down Lonsdale (about 13-14 blocks) to Carrie Cates before making a right hand turn back to the hotel. The .866 miles -- all downhill -- went by in what could have been a quicker 8:22.97.

The total distance turned out to be 5.534 miles using Geoff Guenther's distance tool on the HARRA web site and the time was probably right about an hour and a minute or two (guessing the time that was missed). I was trying to get some elevation data on the almost mile long incline; however, the site isn't bringing it back in time.

Top Men's Runners In Houston

If you had to pick the best runner right now in the greater Houston area (besides Sean Wade, of course), it would be a tossup between 28-year-old Houstonian John Hedengren and 33-year-old Luis Armenteros.

Hedengren, who vaulted into the top three echelon when Gabriel Rodriguez moved back to Miami early last winter, has won all three (3) of the HARRA Spring Series races so far, edging Armenteros in the last one, the Bayou City Classic 10K. He also finished 4th at the Rodeo Run behind Wade, Armenteros and Colin Wolfe.

Armenteros hasn't exactly faded off the scene though. In his six (6) 2006 races, he has won two 10K's, finished second twice to Wade (in the Rockets Run and the Rodeo Run) as well as being one of the top Texans in the elite-laden field of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

John's younger brother, Alan, 27, who lives in College Station, would certainly fall into the next pack of three-to-five runners in the greater Houston area. All three of their times are posted here:

John Hedengren

3/11/2006 - Bayou City Classic 10K - 31:57.0 (Overall winner)
2/25/2006 - ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run 10K - 32:39.2 (4th overall)
2/11/2006 - Park to Park 5 Miler - 25:55.0 (Overall winner)
2/ 4/2006 - Buffalo Wallow 6K - 20:08.8 (Overall winner)

Luis Armenteros

3/11/2006 - Bayou City Classic 10K - 32:10.6 (2nd overall)
2/25/2006 - ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run 10K - 31:27.4 (2nd overall)
2/18/2006 - Mardi Gras Beach Run 10K - 33:35.7 (Overall winner)
1/28/2006 - Angelton Spectacle Spectacular 10K - 32:15 (Overall winner)
1/15/2006 - Aramco Houston Half Marathon - 1:09:00 (48th overall)
1/ 8/2006 - Rockets Run 5K (2nd overall)

Alan Hedengren

3/11/2006 - Bayou City Classic 10K - 33:49.2 (6th overall)
2/25/2006 - ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run 10K - 35:27.6 (21st overall)
2/18/2006 - Galloway Gallop 10K - 33:46 (Overall winner)
2/ 4/2006 - Buffalo Wallow 6K - 20:22.7 (2nd overall)
1/14/2006 - Run The Woodlands 5K #145 - 16:16 (Overall winner)

One of the top Masters runners in town is 43-year-old Terry Garrett. He has scored five wins in five races so far this spring; however, he hasn't competed in any large race this season bypassing the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run and the Bayou City Classic.

Terry Garrett

3/18/2006 - Lookin' Good 10K - 33:27 (Overall winner)
3/ 4/2006 - Women Against Violence 5K - 15:57.7 (Overall winner)
2/25/2006 - Run The Woodlands 5K #148 - 16:01 (Overall winner)
2/11/2006 - Run The Woodlands 5K #147 - 16:27 (Overall winner)
2/ 4/2006 - Buffalo Wallow 6K - 21:44.6 (Masters winner)

One of the up-and-coming runners (with tons of potential) is The Woodlands' Ben Schulz, who is still just 19 after starring for Danny Green's cross country and track teams at The Woodlands HS. Schulz's best performance this spring may not necessarily have been his 17-second win over Junior Mitchell at the Kingwood Bridge Fest 5K; however, it may have been his almost defeat of Armenteros in Galveston two weeks later at the Mardi Gras Beach Run 10K.

Since that race, though, Schulz's performance have tailed off somewhat. Armenteros put three minutes on him and Channelview's Mitchell bounced back and clipped him by 21 seconds at the longer distance.

Ben Schulz

3/11/2006 - Bayou City Classic 10K - 37:28.0 (29th overall)
2/25/2006 - ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run 10K - 34:37.7 (16th overall)
2/18/2006 - Mardi Gras Beach Run 10K - 33:37.4 (2nd overall)
2/ 4/2006 - Kingwood BridgeFest 5K - 15:46.3 (Overall winner)
1/15/2006 - Aramco Houston Half Marathon - 1:27:22 (179th overall)

Blue Bell Fun Run Mile-By-Mile Primer

Saturday, March 25th is 28th annual Blue Bell Fun Run 10K / 5K in Brenham, Texas. Waverly (she's doing the 5K) and I will be there as well as a number of other Houston Running Bloggers and Seven Hills Running Club members - bypassing for a week the bimonthly Run The Woodlands 5K.

One of the staples of the Blue Bell Fun Run is all the free ice cream you can eat -- after you finish! (Edwin: I don't think they'll allow coolers!)

Another staple is Houston's John Yoder, a member of the Houston Striders, who will be running the Blue Bell Fun Run for his 12th straight time! (You'd have to coax it out of him, but he failed to mention that he has also won it three times!)

John says, "I wouldn't miss it for anything. (It is) kind of like my streak at the Houston Marathon. They are the only two races I have done every year since I started running."

For those of you who have never challenged the Brenham course, I have a treat that is almost as tasty as a cookies and cream ice cream sandwich! I asked John, one of the nicest (yet consistently fast at all distances) guys, to give us a "Blue Bell Fun Run rookie" mile-by-mile primer:

Mile 1. The Start. Don't be deceived when you stand at the top of the hill and start thinking to yourself, "Gosh, this course has a net elevation LOSS. And look at that first 1/4 mile. You run downhill. This will be a piece of cake!" It gets decidedly harder as the race goes on. This is NOT a PR course, but not nearly as bad as the Capitol 10,000 in Austin. The race starts on a fairly wide road and unlike some of the more crowded Houston races, there doesn't seem to be as much crowding and jockeying for position to be on the front line out here in the country. After heading on a slight downhill for 1/4 mile, the course turns right and then turns right again for a slight uphill.

Mile 2. More gradual uphill with some gradual downhill thrown in as well and then you "may" hear a train whistle off in the distance. Don't panic. You don't need to kick it in high gear, the train passes 30 feet above you on a bridge. The first year they ran this particular course, I got freaked out that we would have to cross the train track and yet I could hear a train in the distance and I wanted to beat the train. Not a concern and save yourself for "The Hill" later.

Mile 3. If I remember right, the course crosses "The Trestle" which is hyped in the brochure on the race. Basically a small wooden bridge that you need to pay attention to your footing while crossing. Try to keep your eyes on the road and not on the bluebonnets scattered by the side of the road! The course goes through some residential country neighborhoods with large lawns next and contains what appears to be the steepest hill on course. You will probably miss it as it isn't very bad.

Mile 4. You leave the subdivision and head on a narrow country lane, which is your shadiest section of the course. It lasts about 1/2 mile. If it is a hot day, be glad for trees. If I remember right, there is some actual downhill slopes to this 4th mile.

Mile 5. More downhill before you leave the country and turn right onto a busy highway. Runners have the wide shoulder and the right lane to run in. Don't worry too much about the traffic as there isn't much and you are 100% safe. Now the uphill section begins. Just when you thought you were tired they up and throw a long slow uphill that seems like it will never end. Nothing steep, but it just goes on forever.

Mile 6. Light at the end of the tunnel. That hill you were cursing having to walk uphill to the starting line now becomes your best friend. Top of the hill and a quick 90* left turn takes you down that steep hill straight to the finish. Not too steep you have to put the brakes on to hold yourself back but steep enough that you will PR for your fastest .2 in the final stretches of a 10K.

"Now go and shower up if you please and chow down on all the Blue Bell ice cream your stomach can handle. You've earned it!"

And since John will be in before every one else, his note to me after last year's race: "I downed five (5) ice cream snacks yesterday myself. Well off my PR of 7. I will be in strict training for next 12 months when I attempt my record next year."

And if it is especially hot, I have no doubt that Yoder will be in contention for not only a 4th win but also that always special, "ice cream PR"!

See you in Brenham on Saturday and look for the orange Houston Running Bloggers sign!

Karnazes: To Run 50 Marathon Courses in 50 States in 50 Days!

When I was at the world-famous Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon, I picked up an out-of-print book on the Boston Marathon (copyright was 1976, I believe) as well as an autographed paperback of Dean Karnazes' book, "Ultramarathon Man."

I saw him at the Runner's World booth at the New York City Marathon Expo, but didn't stop and speak to him at all. He was autographing book copies there (which was only in hard copy then). Everybody that I've heard talked (including Laura Yasso in Little Rock) and read about him has been very positive.

On a post card-like card in his paperback, there is a promotional piece about Karnazes doing 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days or as his sponsor calls it, "The North Face Endurance 50," beginning Sunday, September 17, 2006 at the Lewis & Clark Marathon in St. Charles, Missouri.

To the average runner like you and me, this would be a herculean task.

For somebody like Karnazes who has done the following: running 350 miles in 80 hours & 44 minutes, mountain biking for 24 hours straight, swimming across the San Francisco Bay, running across Death Valley in the middle of summer, running a marathon to the South Pole and winning the Badwater Ultramarathon: The World’s Toughest Footrace, this latest effort almost borders on the ordinary!

But, in actuality, it appears that Karnazes will really only be running 8 "official" marathons and 42 long training runs. Here are the actual events that Karnazes currently has on his schedule:

9/17/06 - Lewis & Clark Marathon, St. Charles, Missouri
9/24/06 - Boulder Backroads Marathon, Boulder, Colorado
10/1/06 - Portland Marathon, Portland, Oregon
10/7/06 - St. George Marathon, St. George, Utah
10/14/06 - Hartford Marathon, Hartford, Connecticut
10/22/06 - Chicago Marathon, Chicago, Illinois
10/29/06 - Marine Corps Marathon, Washington, DC
11/5/06 - New York City Marathon, New York City, New York

In fact, in a story in today's online edition of Portland's "The Oregonian," it states that, "Only eight of them will be "live races" with other runners, and one of those is the Portland Marathon on Oct. 1. In most states he'll run a regular marathon course by himself or with anyone who wants to join him."

According to Steve Boone of the 50 States Marathon Club, there have only been five (5) individuals to have ever run 50 marathons in 50 states in one (1) calendar year. They are as follows:

Rick Worley (Texas) -- 1997, 1998, 1999
Tony Lopetrone -- 1997
Nancy Broadbridge -- 1997
Larry Macon (Texas) -- 2005
Craig Holcomb (Ohio) -- 2005

The mission of the event, according to The North Face Endurance 50 web site, is to "encourage, motivate and inspire people of all ages to become active, make physical wellness an essential and enjoyable priority in their lives and to promote healthy, active living across this great country."

Karnazes told KGO-TV on March 13th that "We're facing an epidemic in obesity and inactivities with our youth. I want to promote fitness and health and enjoying the outdoors."

An interview with Karnazes in the Lansing (MI) State Journal can be found here.

Wade Wins Masters in Shamrock Sportsfest 8K

Houstonian Sean Wade was 8th overall in Saturday's Shamrock Sportsfest 8K in Virginia Beach, Virginia; however, the former Olypmian from New Zealand won his first Masters' race with a time of 25:18.80, beating his closest opponent, Villa Rica, Georgia's John Tuttle, by nearly a minute, to earn a $500 pay day.

The top five (5) men's Masters' runners were as follows:

8 20021 Sean Wade, M, 40, USA/NZL .......................... 0:25:17.70 5:09 0:25:18.70
15 20023 John Tuttle, M, 47, Villa Rica, GA ................... 0:26:13.40 5:20 0:26:15.70
21 20029 John Piggott, M, 40, Williamsburg, VA ........... 0:26:57.90 5:29 0:26:59.80
28 23440 Rob Hinkle, M, 41, Yorktown, VA ................... 0:27:26.70 5:35 0:27:29.00
29 20030 Stephen Chantry, M, 51, Williamsburg VA ..... 0:27:28.80 5:36 0:27:30.80

The story in today's The Virginian-Pilot indicated that runners were running into a "teeth of a headwind".

Wade finished 8th in a field where six of the first seven runners were Kenyans who are training here in the States in places such as West Chester, Pa., Chapel Hill, N.C. and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Finishing 12th was 29-year-old Benson Osoro (Kenyan/Ann Arbor), who finished 2nd at the Bison Stampede in Austin this past November.

While looking to see if Wade's biggest competition in his first two national Masters races, Rick Fuller, from Eugene, Oregon, was running at the Oregon Preview yesterday, I did see that Dan Browne (of the Nike Oregon Project) won the 3,000 meters in 8:13.00 while Oregon sophomore Galen Rupp was fourth, a second behind, in 8:14.20.

Scratched Half Marathon in Washington State

When I did back-to-back half marathons last April 30-May 1, I did it to prove to myself that I could get my body to a point where I could. (It is the same type of thought process, I think, that causes people to think about a 50K and then a 50-miler.)

I really needed the rest Saturday evening. I had gone to bed late Thursday, had worked all day Friday, went back to the hotel and got into bed at about 7:15 p.m. However, I don't think I got to sleep until somewhere around 9:45 p.m. The alarm, though, was off at 12:30 a.m. so that I could be on the road by 1:15 a.m. Then it was a seven-hour drive, including stops at the Border, gas, food and a little picture taking, that put me in The Dalles, Oregon (from Vancouver) by 8:15 a.m.

At about 8 a.m. Pacific time this morning, I was going to get out of here by 8:15 a.m., drive the two and a half hours to Olympia, Washington, register and be ready to run again at 11:30 a.m. However, when I was re-checking things, the runs started at 11 a.m. -- making it a little bit more difficult. So mark the Leprechaun Classic Half Marathon down as a scratch!

The thing is too that I wasn't making a special trip here like I did last year to Iowa and Nebraska. Washington state isn't going anywhere and I'm going to be up in these parts for awhile. I figure I might as well be smart about things, especially since I ran pretty hard yesterday.

I'm going to head down to Eugene, take in a few sights, try to find a couple of the parks there, stop by Hayward Field and then try to stop in at Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland before heading back towards the Border.

As I was driving yesterday and seeing some of the incredible sights in this part of the country, I thought to myself, "If Sarah was along on this road trip, we'd have to stop (and justifiably so) and take tons of pictures." I believe from where I was at, driving along the Columbia River back towards Portland, that you can see both Mount Hood and Mount Saint Helens. I got a picture or two (and one really good one of the Dam at The Dalles with Mount Hood in the background), but I'm having uploading pictures from my personal laptop to blogger.com and not sure why.

Briefly from Oregon: Huge Half Marathon PR!

No chip time problems with 75 total runners (and walkers) in the half marathon and 8K.
I'm hurting and tired.
I need a shower, a good bite to eat and sleep. (They will happen in that order.)
The Eugene trip is cancelled for this afternoon. Pre will have to wait for another trip.
The half in Olympia, Washington tomorrow will be a race-morning decision.

However, despite all of that, I nailed a half marathon PR! of 2:09:58 at the Wheatfield Half Marathon in The Dalles, Oregon. It is what I had on my watch and what the race director Bob Thouvenel called out as I crossed the finish line (and he had one of the cross country race timing devices.)

And maybe for the first time ever, I negative splitted the back half of the course.

I have nothing to attribute this to other than the cool weather. Everything in the preparation to run this race was totally wrong. (More on that later.) The course from before the mile 1 marker to the turnaround at 6.55 miles was a very slight and steady uphill that you only really saw running back; however, my legs felt it going out (and it was really discouraging me).

Here are the splits:

Mile 1 -- 8:26.21

This is what caused me doubt about the length of the course. I thought to myself, "No way." Plus the difference between the mile marker going out and the mile marker coming back the other way kept variating. I figured if they were a tenth of a mile apart that I should see a time difference of about 57 to 63 seconds. One was 1:10 and a couple of others were low 40's.

Mile 2 -- 9:39.25
Mile 3 -- 10:19.58

Included the water stop at the 8K turnaround. Two people that I was behind and hoping to pace off of were only doing the 8K. Ugh! 5:09.98 to the turnaround. 5:09.60 to the next marker.

Mile 4 -- 10:09.94 (38:34.98)

This included a 37-second need to relieve myself along side of the road. Sorry for the visual; however, I couldn't see anyone in front or behind me just past the mile 4 marker.)

Mile 5 -- 11:03.50 (49:38.48)

My legs felt dead here and I was really questioning running over the bridge in Vancouver Wednesday night as well as the long drive to get there this morning - among other things. I really felt at this point that it was going to be a long day and that I was really going to be close to my 2:20 expectation.

Mile 6 -- 10:34.73 (1:00:13.21)

I went 5:36.59 to the turnaround to give me a 1:05:49.80 midway. Just before I made it to the turnaround, I passed what I thought to be the last runner who started at 10 a.m. 4:49.62 to the mile 7 marker, which included taking on water.

This was also the start of the downhill plus there were also three groups of walkers out on the course who started an hour early at 9:00 a.m. (to save the race director a little time.) When I crossed the mile 6 marker, the third group of four walkers were just approaching the mile 7 marker. I never thought I'd ever see the person in front of me, but a goal was to make sure that I passed the last group of walkers before I finished.

Mile 7 -- 10:26.21 (1:10:39.42)
Mile 8 -- 9:34.38 (1:20:13.80)

After this split, I decided to try to turn things up.

Mile 9 -- 9:19.18 (1:29:32.98)
Mile 10 -- 9:41.25 (1:39:14.23)
Mile 11 -- 9:40.17 (1:48:54.40)
Mile 12 -- 9:54.50 (1:58:48.90)

Miles 10 through 12 were still downhill; however, there was a very strong headwind. I thought to myself, "Well, I did this last month in Surfside," and kept pushing. I could have thrown in the towel here like I did at Surfside, but I'm proud of myself that I didn't.

Just past the mile 12 marker, I caught the last group of walkers. I tracked the person in front of me that they were about 2 minutes ahead of me. The most that I could cut it down to was a minute and 36 seconds near 12.5 or 12.6.

Last 1.1 -- 11:09.62 (2:09:58.52)

I politely asked the guy who was helping the race director (this was a race to benefit the local high school cross country team and the RD was the coach), "Can I ask a question and you not take offense to it?" He said sure. I asked him, "I know you guys are track and cross country coaches, but are you sure that it's a complete half!" (I just didn't believe the time.) He said that they have used it a lot and have measured it over and over.

With that, I call it a PR! and that I've now crossed the 2:10 threshhold!

If I had chosen not to take a T-shirt, race day registration was $10! Pre-race registration was $5! (Hearing that it benefitted the cross country team, I figured that they'd make a little bit from the t-shirt sale and got one. It was $25, but since I had communicated with him via e-mail, he basically gave me the $20 pre-registration race.)

The only negative about this race is that they could have had a water stop at mile 4.5. We went from the 8K turnaround to the half turnaround with no water. So three cups of water the whole race. I looked a salt lick when I finished and quite honestly, I'm surprised that I didn't cramp up; however, I was actually overhydrated -- even at the 4 mile marker.

Alright. I know. So much for "briefly"!

Goal of Back-to-Back Half Marathons This Weekend!

I haven't done this in almost a year (Iowa-Nebraska, April 30-May 1); however, the weather seems perfect for it! Cool temperatures!

The plan as before: Go hard on the first one and then finish the second one! Last year, I PR'd on the first one and if it hadn't been for a tight achilles muscle that popped, I might have come close to setting a PR the next day.

I'll be travelling very early Saturday morning from Vancouver, British Columbia across the middle of Washington state to The Dalles, Oregon for the Wheatfield Half Marathon. (Yes, I hadn't heard of it either!)

The Dalles is east of Portland along the Columbia River, the race starts at 10 a.m. Pacific time and as long as things go well, I'll complete a half marathon in my 11th state and a running event in my 18th state.

I hope to get down to Eugene, Oregon to visit a piece of road racing history (however, I won't get there in time to see Galen Rupp and Dan Browne compete against each other in the 3,000 Meter Run at a track meet at Hayward Field), spend the night in Portland and then drive about two hours north Sunday morning to Olympia, Washington for the 11 a.m. (Pacific time) Leprechaun Classic Half Marathon.

It will be state #12 and #19, respectively, as well as running an event in my 9th state capitol.

I'm looking ahead at a lot of things; however, I plan on being here in Vancouver on Monday, May 7th to participate in the Adidas Vancouver International Marathon. One interesting running note about Vancouver is that it was the place, in August 1954 at the Empire Games, where Roger Bannister and John Landy both went under 4 minutes in the mile.

When my wife and I were here in 1991 on our honeymoon, I actually went to Empire Stadium and took a picture of the monument outside the stadium. I've learned that they've been doing a lot of re-development in that area so I'll have to find out if things are still in place!

No Limits at Saturday's Lookin' Good 5K/10K

Well, then again, there might be if you are doing the 5K!

Houston Running Bloggers' Erica Smith began to panic as she read the race instructions last weekend after she went to Luke's Locker on W. Gray to register for this Saturday's event put on by the Houston Eye Associates Foundation.

Here's what she wrote in her blog:

"I went to Luke's Locker to sign up for the Lookin' Good 10k. I paid my fee, got my t-shirt and packet and left.

"At a red light, I was reading the race instructions.

"There is a time limit on the 10k! And the time limit is 60 minutes!!! If I pushed myself, I could probably do it in 70 minutes, but I'm not willing to go that fast and it's still past the time limit.

"So, I have two choices. I can either switch to the 5K, or not do the run and run with TNT instead. Considering I already have the t-shirt, I'm thinking about swallowing my pride and running the 5K."

Thanks to Monica Shak, Executive Director of the Houston Eye Associates Foundation, Erica will be able to run as fast as she is trained for and not have to swallow her pride!

"We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We apologize for the confusion, this was a typing error and we meant it in regards to the 5K.

"There will not be a time limit for the 10K race, all runners will be allowed to finish the race. We will correct this mistake and have an adjusted instruction sheet available at our next Packet Pick-Up, which is this Thursday.

"Please pass this information along to your club members and feel free to contact me with any other questions."

The Lookin' Good 5K and 10K has long been a staple of the Houston running community -- this year's event is the 21st annual -- and we appreciate Monica responding so quickly.

Run hard, run fast and look good doing it!

Houston Area Running Clubs' Newsletter Updates

The city's two largest running clubs, the Houston Striders and the Bayou City Road Runners, have released their March 2006 newsletters.

They can be found at the following links: Stridelines and The Bird!

Other HARRA clubs that have recent semi-monthly newsletters online are the Houston Harriers (January), the Al Lawrence Running Club (December) and the Brazosport Area Road Runners Association (Winter 2006).

One of the best newsletters not online is the Houston Masters Sports Association's "HMSA News". I picked up Tom McBrayer's March 2006 effort at the 49th annual RRCA National Convention on Saturday afternoon and there is at least one piece of news:

"The Marathon date for '07 will be January 14, the traditional Sunday before MLK Day. But for '08, it's going to be a week earlier."

Tom also pointed out in his "Out & Back" piece that KRTS 92.1 FM, the classical station that was the long-time sponsor of the 25K, is having its call letters revived for a new station in Marfa, Texas. Tom notes that, "It's slated to be a PBS station, said to be the last area in the nation not covered by public broadcasting," and then added that "don't expect a 25K in Marfa." I guess you'd have to call it the Marfa Lights 25K Night Run!

And his best salvo, which I agree, is as follows: "For the Rockets Run, awards were made to the top 25 males and females. The Teachers Fund Run, two weeks later, gave to the top 50 overall. Are we witnessing the start of a trend? What ever happened to a time and place for everyone, not to mention age groups?"

The Seven Hills Running Club's "Hill Peek" newsletter for March 2006 should be coming right around the corner!

Have news? I'd enjoy seeing any club's newsletter. Please include me on either an e-mail list or if you are still mailing hard copies out to your members, e-mail me at walksports(at)aol.com for my physical address.

Wednesday Night Lions' Gate Bridge Run in Vancouver

Well, I had hit a little bit of a rut.

After the euphoria of four marathons in five weekends, I took two days off, ran Wednesday night, flew home Friday morning, worked out at the gym (55 minutes on the elliptical) Friday night, paced Waverly Saturday morning at Run The Woodlands 5K and then did 6.2 miles in the subdivision Sunday night (2.1 with her, an additional 4.1 on my own.)

So here it was. Another Wednesday night. The plan to run in the morning had come and gone and here I was staring the prospect of "maybe" getting in one run before trying to run a half marathon or two this weekend.

My biggest fear is that I'll slip on my progress that I've made over all of this time. Sure, I know that I'm not going to PR every race out; however, I'm looking to make sure that I don't have a dedicated drop off like I did last summer (after being off for about four weeks because of an injury).

At 10:15 p.m., I was out the door of the Lonsdale Quay Hotel without a firm plan of how long or how far I was going to run. But I did know that I would try to make sure that it was definitely over an hour. And I accomplished that goal and, in fact, I basically duplicated a run that I did out here the very first week that included crossing over (and back) the Lions' Gate Bridge.

I had referenced the dimensions of the bridge in this post and I had followed this route -- one that Geoff and Rachel Guenther of the Houston Striders may appreciate the most.

The stats before?

The first 3.8225 miles, which included the bulk of the incline over the bridge, was covered in 42:40.47 while the back half was covered in 42:25.00. (There was a break of 1:00.61 at the foot of the bridge on the city of Vancouver side.) A total of 7.645 miles in 1:25:05.47 for an overall pace of 11:08 per mile.
Tonight?

The first 3.8225 miles, which included the bulk of the incline over the bridge, was covered in 40:12.76 while the back half was covered in 39:21.81. (There was a break of 1:00.40 at the foot of the bridge on the city of Vancouver side.) A total of 7.645 miles in 1:19:34.37 for an overall pace of 10:25 per mile.

So I'm happy and can sleep well tonight!

My miles Sunday night were as follows: 2.1 miles in 25:26.70 with Waverly and another 4.1 miles in 45:21.45 -- all, of course, in nice warm temperatures and lots of humidity! Yay! I actually introduced some fartleks into her run. Very simple though. Basically when we got to the "crack" in the street by the next lightpost, we started to run fast and then when we got to the next one we backed it off but kept running.

She ran 2.1 last night with my wife and she did the same distance in 26:58; however, she was going to try and do some tonight. (She's getting ready for her mile run on Monday at school and then the Blue Bell Run 5K next Saturday in Brenham.)

The Woodlands' Lou Wilson: Marathoning at 69!

It isn't the age that's such a big deal. There have been plenty of older - and faster - runners than Lou; however, it is just the fact, other than being a great individual (along with his wife, Nora), that Lou has been pretty steady thus far in 2006.

On Sunday, at the Lower Potomac River Marathon in Piney Point, Maryland, Lou posted his 8th marathon finish, including one each for the last six weekends.

He's no Ed Whitlock; however, but look at his times so far this year -- all within 13 minutes of each other.

5:49:31 -- 1/ 1 -- (Kingwood) Texas Marathon
5:48:50 -- 1/15 -- Chevron Houston Marathon
5:38:53 -- 2/5 -- Mardi Gras Marathon, New Orleans
5:48:54 -- 2/11 -- Surfside Beach Marathon
5:42:50 -- 2/19 -- Freescale Austin Marathon (was really less with the chip time difference)
5:36:31 -- 2/25 -- (Fort Worth) Cowtown Marathon
5:37:29 -- 3/ 5 -- Little Rock Marathon
5:37:04 -- 3/12 -- Lower Potomac River Marathon (Maryland)

Lou had originally been signed up for the marathon this weekend in Abilene; however, he will be running the Seabrook Lucky Trails Marathon on Saturday.

Please make sure if you are there to say Hello! to Lou and congratulate him on his efforts. Not sure what he looks like? Here's a picture of the two of us at the Little Rock Marathon!

Spring Westfield's Jones wins national 2-mile event

While Sean Wade was representing the Bayou City last Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida at the USA 15K National Championships, Spring Westfield HS junior Nichole Jones bounced back from December's Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships with a win Sunday in the 2-Mile Run at the Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover, Maryland.

Jones, who finished 27th against a stellar prep field after winning the South Regional two weeks before, passed the pre-race favorite, Saratoga Springs, New York's Nicole Blood, midway en route to an impressive time of 10:29.09.

“I was thinking (Blood) was going to go with me if I passed her,” Jones told high school track and field's top internet site, dyestat.com, in a copyrighted story. “Then when she didn’t, there was a point when I started to slow, because I was afraid of her kick. But then I thought, I’m feeling good, what the heck.”

Even though, Jones finished one place ahead of Blood at the Foot Locker Nationals at Balboa Park in San Diego, California, she knew that less than a month ago Blood unleashed a furious kick to pass a pack of five runners at the USA Cross Country Championships Junior 6K event.

In that event, which was televised on ESPN2, Blood left California sophomore Kauren Tarver (who finished 5th at Foot Locker), Nevada's Marie Lawrence and three collegiate runners, including Baylor's Erin Bedell, behind to win in 20:45.

In Sunday's win, Jones defeated Roanoke, Virginia junior Catherine White and Columbia, South Carolina's Kate Niehaus, who was the event's defending champion. (White was 11th at the Foot Locker Nationals.)

Competing in an early section (of three) of the Boys' 1-Mile Run, Dallas Jesuit's Will Smith finished second in the mile in 4:24.71. The main section winner, Ashburnham, Massachusetts' Ayalew Taye, posted a time of 4:14.31. The all-time high school mile record belongs to Alan Webb, who recorded a 3:59.86 on January 20, 2001.

Memorial Park Trail Building, Saturday, March 18th

Whether you're racing Saturday, March 18th in the greater Houston area or not, Peter Tyler, the Executive Director of the Memorial Park Conservancy, can use your help!

For what you ask? Trail building in Memorial Park!

"We hope you've already marked your calendars and made plans to join us in Houston's Memorial Park," said Tyler. "We're expecting a great turn out and look forward to seeing you there!"

What: Trail Building in Memorial Park. A new 1.5 mile crushed granite trail for park visitors.
When: Saturday, March 18th from 9:00am - 3:00pm.
Where: Infantry Woods Trail in Memorial Park, across Memorial Loop West from the Lieberman Trail (our main running trail)

"We will meet at Memorial Loop West at Memorial Drive, across from the Lieberman Loop," Tyler continued. "You can't miss us, just look for a tent with the Conservancy banner. Don't forget your work gloves, long pants, closed-toe shoes, and enthusiasm! No previous trail building skill necessary, but ability to push a wheel barrow will be greatly appreciated.

"When complete, this trail will become a new option for those who run, walk or bike in Memorial Park. The Conservancy will provide tools, drinks and lunch for all volunteers."

For more information or to join the trail building fun, contact Peter Tyler at 713-863-8403.

RRCA National Convention Speaking Engagement

I had the opportunity - thanks to Steve Shepard and the Houston Striders as well as the RRCA - to be a presenter on the "Blogs/Discussion Groups/Web Sites" program at yesterday's 49th annual RRCA National Convention here in Houston at the downtown Hyatt Regency.

Myself, Heather Marcellis, the president of the New York Flyers, and John Elliott, the president of marathonguide.com -- their bios can be found here -- shared the agenda.

Despite only having communicated via e-mail leading up to the program and not having met in person until shortly before the presentation, this session went very well -- if you call going over your allotted time a success!

Lance Phegley of Runner Triathlete News had some personal obligations and was unable to be a part of the panel.

We had approximately 35 attendees, almost filling the room, and had lots of lively discussion the entire session. I was honored to be chosen and certainly hope that I met the expectations of the organizers as well as the participants. I thought that Heather and John were both able to share with them some of the trends in content and web site management and that I was able to share a little bit of the growing world of blogging.

Wade 18th overall / 2nd Masters at USA 15K Championship

Houston's Sean Wade followed up his Masters record-setting win at the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run two weeks ago on Saturday with a second-place Masters finish (18th overall) at the USA 15K Championships during the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, Florida.

Wade covered the 9.3 miles in 46:52, just five seconds behind Eugene, Oregon's Patrick Fuller. The next two closest Masters runners were Coconut Creek, Florida's Phillip Watkins, 46, and Pewaukee, Wisconsin's Dan Held, 40, who finished in 49:15 and 49:57, respectively.

Fuller was Wade's nemesis at the USA Masters' 8K Cross Country Championships held last month in the Bronx at Van Cortlandt Park. Fuller defeated Wade by 26 seconds and was quoted as saying the following in a USA Track and Field press release, "I didn't go all out. I broke away on the third lap, and I was able to relax on the last lap. The course is actually fast and firm - that was good."

On Saturday, Wade and Fuller ran together in a pack of five runners. Wade led Fuller by a second at the 5K split, passing it in 15:22, while three of the five -- including Fuller, Wade and Colorado's Clint Wells, 30 -- hit the 10K split in 31:07.

February. 26 seconds. March. 5 seconds.

One would think that Fuller might be a bit less bold in providing "bulletin board material."

The overall event winner was San Diego resident Meb Keflezighi, 30, who won the event for the 5th time in his career posting a time of 43:41. In a challenge similar to what has been done the last couple of years at the Los Angeles Marathon and this past winter at the White Rock Marathon, the men were given a 5-minute head start over the elite women and Keflezghi delivered to capture a $5,000 bonus.

He passed fellow Californian Blake Russell, 30, down the stretch as she won the women's overall race in a time of 49:14. Jen Rhines, 31, of Mammoth Lakes, California (who was fifth here this past January in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon - 1:13:27) and Katie McGregor, 28, of St. Louis Park, Minnesota went second and third, respectively, in 49:47 and 50:20.

The men's top 15 went as follows:

1 -- Meb Keflezighi, 30, San Diego, CA -- 43:41
2 -- Matt Gonzales, 24, Albuquerque, NM -- 44:07
3 -- Abdi Abdirahman, 29, Tucson, AZ -- 44:07
4 -- Alan Culpepper, 33, Lafayette, CO -- 44:11
5 -- James Carney, 27, Marina, CA -- 44:24
6 -- Ryan Shay, 26, East Jordon, MI -- 44:40
7 -- Mark Carroll, 34, Providence, RI -- 45:27
8 -- Matt Gabrielson, 27, Apple Valley, MN -- 45:27
9 -- Andrew Carlson, 23, Apple Valley, MN -- 45:33
10 -- Fasil Bizuneh, 25, Marina, CA -- 45:43
11 -- Peter Gilmore, 28, San Mateo, CA -- 46:01
12 -- Matt Downin, 29, Norwood, NJ -- 46:15
13 -- Teren Jameson, 28, Salt Lake City, UT -- 46:21
14 -- Matt Levassiur, 24, Alamosa, CO -- 46:28
15 -- Chris Graff, 30, Arlington, VA -- 46:40

Austin's Cassandra Henkiel, 35, who won the women's portion of the ConocoPhillips Rodeo Run 10K two weeks ago, finished 11th against a stout field that included Boulder, Colorado's Colleen De Reuck, 41, and Albuquerque's Elva Dryer, 34. Henkiel posted a time of 53:11.

A record 9,241 finishers completed the 9.3-mile course.

Waverly runs 2nd best 5K at RTW 5K #149

While I didn't feel like pushing it hard this morning at Run The Woodlands 5K #149, I was able to help Waverly record her second fastest 5K ever (out of 16 career attempts).

She finished the course for the 9th time in her career in a time of 36:12. Her next Run The Woodlands 5K will allow her to be the youngest member of the 10-Race Club, which will eclipse the mark set today by 11-year-old Shelby Hayes of The Woodlands.

Waverly's splits were 10:54, 12:06.58, 12:10.96 and 1:01.10 for a time of 36:12.64. I tried to take her out hard -- for her -- only to give her an idea of where she stands as she'll do her school's physical fitness 1-mile run on Monday, March 20th. Her time this fall was 10:42.91.

Waverly may make the road trip to the Blue Bell Fun Run in two Saturdays before trying to make the RTW 10-Race Club in the month of April.

Bret Ramsey of Richmond won the event for the 8th time in a time of 17:55 while 12-year-old Bree Schrader of Austin may have become the youngest all-time winner with a time of 20:09. It allowed for she and her mother, Lea, to become the first mother-daughter combination ever to win the event.

Blogger Rick Cook of The Woodlands ran his 3rd fastest of 11 career Run The Woodlands. Cook broke the imaginary tape in 21:48 while Houston Running Blogger David Smart paced his 11-year-old son Benjamin to a 41:22 finish. It was Benjamin's first attempt at Run The Woodlands since last summer when the duo covered the course in 56 minutes.

Wade to compete today in USA 15K Championship

Olympians, defending champions lead field for USA 15 km Championships
03-08-2006, Jim Estes, LDR Programs, Manager, USA Track & Field, 317-713-4661

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Six 2004 U.S. Olympians, three of whom are past champions, will line up on Saturday, March 11, to compete for the title of national champion at the 2006 USA 15 km Championships. This marks the 13th year that the USA 15 km Championships has been hosted by the Gate River Run.

The women's field features 2004 Olympians and former Gate River Run champions Colleen De Reuck (2004 champion, 2005 USA cross country champion) and Jen Rhines (1998 Champion). De Reuck and Rhines will be challenged for the title by Athens teammate Elva Dryer, 2006 USA Cross Country 8 km Champion Blake Russell and 2005 USA Women's 10 km champion Katie McGregor.

The men's race will feature a similarly strong field with defending champion Ryan Shay taking on four-time USA 15 km champion and Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi. Shay and Keflezighi will be joined at the front by two-time Olympians Alan Culpepper (2004 Olympic Marathon Trials champion) and Abdi Abdirahman (2004, 2003 and 2002 USA 15 km Championships runner-up) as they compete for a total prize purse of $58,000, with the USA Champion earning $10,000.

Additional contenders for the titles will include 2005 USA 10 km Championships runner-up Matt Gonzales, 2003 USA 10-mile champ Chris Graff, 2005 World Championships marathon team member Turena Johnson-Lane and 2005 USA marathon champion Nicole Aish.

This year's running will feature the third offering of the Equalizer Bonus, awarding $5,000 to the first male or female to cross the finish line, with the top-seeded women beginning 5 minutes before the men. The 5 minute "head start" is based on the time differential of the U.S. 15K records: 42:22 for the men (Todd Williams, 1995) and 47:15 for the women (Deena Drossin, 2003), both set on the Gate River Run course.

In 2005, Ryan Shay overtook Jen Rhines coming off the Hart Bridge to win the bonus, and in 2004, Keflezighi, passed De Reuck at the 8 mile mark and cruised to his fourth consecutive USA 15 km title and to claim the Equalizer Bonus.

USA Running Circuit

The 2006 USA 15 km Championship kicks off the women's edition of USA Track & Field's 2006 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and is the second event of the year for men. The USARC, a USA Track & Field road series, features USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners, including Olympians Deena Kastor, Meb Keflezighi, Colleen DeReuck and Dan Browne. The twelfth edition for the men and tenth for the women, the 2005 circuit has eight events for men and seven events for women.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000, and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $4 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information on the 2006 USA 15 km Championships and the 2006 USARC, visit www.usatf.org.

Abilene (Texas) Marathon cancelled

YMCA cancels Marathon of the Great Southwest
By Blanca Cantu, Abilene Reporter News
March 4, 2006

The YMCA Marathon of the Great Southwest was cancelled this week out of safety concerns and a low number of runners.

The race, in its 28th year, was scheduled for March 18. Only 27 runners (one of those runners was The Woodlands' Lou Wilson) registered for the marathon, which in the past drew several hundred. A route of about 26 miles was planned for runners, making a figure eight through the city from the south side to downtown and north toward Hardin-Simmons University.

The race would have entailed a trek across major intersections on several Abilene streets including South 27th, South 20th, South 14th, South 7th and Barrow Streets. The race was set to begin and end at the YMCA in Redbud Park.

YMCA Redbud Executive Director Steve Hudman said that with the organization's ''budget crunch'' and the increasing cost of insurance, the liability was too great.

''It was just more or less a business decision,'' Hudman said.

Hudman said the community event never made much money. According to Hudman, the marathon costs about $5,000 to $8,000 to put on. Hudman said about 125 to 150 runners usually participate but only 27 registered this year.

Hudman said the YMCA board also was concerned about hazards created by runners in the middle of the city streets.

''All the (street) intersections couldn't be protected (by police),'' Hudman said.

Sgt. Doug Wrenn, over the traffic division for the Abilene Police Department, said he was surprised to learn the event had been cancelled. Eight officers were hired to work the marathon, Wrenn said.

He did, however, express concerns to YMCA organizers about the safety of the route.

''The biggest problem was crossing Southwest Drive at noon,'' Wrenn said. ''At 12 noon, the cars are almost backed up to Brookhollow Drive. It was not the safest venue.''

Wrenn said he suggested changing the route for next year, leading the runners from the south side of Abilene to an area just outside of town.

Wrenn said there may have been a misconception that the police weren't supportive of the event, but he added the department tries to help make community events as safe as possible.

Wrenn acknowledged that eight officers would not have been enough protection for runners.

Without complete police protection for the marathon throughout the city, it was too big of a risk to hold the event, the YMCA's Hudman said.

Future City of Houston Races

Have you ever wondered if there are events that are scheduled in the future but they haven't appeared yet on a race calendar?

In the city of Houston, there is a spreadsheet, which was last updated on 3/3/06 and can be found at downtownstreets.com that is maintained on line by the Department of Public Works & Engingeering. Here are some of the events, after Saturday's Bayou City Classic 10K, that can be found on this list:

Saturday, March 18th - 21st annual Houston Eye Associates Lookin' Good 5K/10K
Sunday, March 19th - 25th annual Houston Humane Society K-9 Fun Run*
Saturday, March 25th - John J. Eikenburg 8K Law Week Fun Run*
Saturday, March 26th - 1st annual S.C.O.P.E. Colon Cancer Awareness 5K Fun Run

Saturday, April 1st - 1st annual Steps for Students 5K
Saturday, April 1st - 28th annual Eeyore's 5K Fun Run
Sunday, April 2nd - Run for the Rose
Saturday, April 8th - Head Start Center 5K Run
Saturday, April 29th - Running for the Arts 5K
Saturday, April 29th - Rise and Shine 5K Run
Sunday, April 30th - Stepping Stones 5K/10K

Saturday, May 6th - 9th annual Sprint for Life 5K Run/Walk
Thursday, May 11th - Houston Young Lawyers 5K Fun Run*
Saturday, May 20th - Westside High School Athletic Booster Club 5K
Saturday, May 20th - National Alliance on Mental Illness Fun Run*
Saturday, May 27th - Houston Astros 4th annual Race for the Pennant 5K

Saturday, June 3rd - Heights 5K Fun Run
Saturday, June 10th - Houston Pride 5K Fun Run*

Saturday, September 30th - 2006 Komen Houston Race for the Cure*

Sunday, October 29th - Houston 20K Championship Race*

Saturday, November 11th - Feliz! Now 5K Run for Shriners Hospital
Sunday, November 19th - Houston Masters Sports Association 25K

Sunday, December 10th - Downtown YMCA Jingle Bell Run

The above list was also supplemented by this PDF file - last updated on 3/9/06 - which was found on the Public Works' City of Houston web page. These files list the planned route and/or location of the run, which gives you an idea of what the course will be like (without a map).

Items marked with an asterisk where located on the Mayor's Office Special Events Calendar which can be found here and was last printed on 2/15/06.

HARRA Spring Runner of the Season Updated

On Monday, March 6th, HARRA's vice president of clubs, Roger Boak, released the Runner of the Season totals after the organization's first two races in its 2006 Spring Series -- the Buffalo Wallow 6K and the Park to Park 5-Mile Run.

Runners in the Spring Series receive a percentage score for each race based on the WAVA standard times for that distance. A runner's final standing is determined by adding his or her top 3 races together. (The totals below reflects the runner's best percentage score of the first two races.)

The top ten (10) in each category is as follows:

Women Under 40
1. Jessica Word, 30 (ALRC) - 74.13%
2. Allison Nadolski, 28 (BCRR) - 73.97%
3. Melissa Henderson, 31 (ALRC) - 73.97%
4. Laura Bennett, 38 (BARC) - 72.50%
5. Erin Foley, 31 (ALRC) - 72.19%
6. Rachel Guenther, 29 (HS) - 70.18%
7. Sara Collazos, 16 (HMSA) - 66.02%
8. Kimberly Johnston, 37 (NONE) - 63.48%
9. Jennifer Chan, 34 (HS) - 62.66%
10. Sarah Husbands, 30 (ALRC) - 61.87%

Women 40-49
1. Christie Lammers, 49 (TTC) - 84.63%
2. Suzanne Day, 49 (HH) - 82.47%
3. Helen Grant, 42 (HS) - 79.78%
4. Rebecca Marvil, 47 (HH) - 79.51%
5. Heide Mairs, 45 (TTC) - 78.19%
6. Suzy Seeley, 46 (BCRR) - 76.23%
7. Bonnie Jo Barron, 44 (BCRR) - 75.45%*
8. Melissa Hurta, 42 (ALRC) - 75.13%
9. Anna Sumrall Helm, 40 (BCRR) - 72.11%*
10. Rose Rhoton, 42 (ALRC) - 71.14%

Women Over 50
1. Nancy Prejean, 60 (TTC) - 85.14%
2. Karen Bowler, 56 (HS) - 83.90%*
3. Eva Luckey, 51 (HMSA) - 80.01%*
4. Sabra Harvey, 56 (HS) - 78.62%*
5. Ann Ferguson, 63 (TTC) - 77.58%
6. Marcella Paull, 56 (HS) - 77.30%
7. Alice Keelin, 56 (TTC) - 75.26%
8. Yong Collins, 51 (HS) - 74.15%*
9. Cindy Sosa, 51 (HH) - 73.94%
10. Ivy Martino, 54 (BCRR) - 69.12%*

Men Under 40
1. John Hedengren, 28 (BARC) - 85.70%*
2. Alan Hedengren, 27 (BARC) - 84.71%
3. Rudy Rocha, 36 (BARC) - 83.62%*
4. Cornelio Garibay, 37 (ALRC) - 82.03%
5. Ramiro Alvarado, 33 (NONE) - 81.84%*
6. Fred Miller III, 29 (HS) - 81.13%
7. David Wittman, 36 (HH) - 80.44%
8. Sam Rodriguez, 30 (BARC) - 78.43%*
9. Scott Hardin, 33 (ALRC) - 78.08%*
10. Gerardo Mora, 39 (HMSA) - 77.55%*

Men 40-49
1. Terry Garrett, 42 (ALRC) - 83.49%
2. Richard Fredrich, 49 (TTC) - 82.30%*
3. David Washburn, 49 (TTC) - 81.45%
4. Tuan Nguyen, 44 (HMSA) - 77.63%
5. Kurt Pepper, 46 (FLS) - 77.34%
6. Mark Fraser, 49 (BCRR) - 76.91%*
7. Mark Conran, 46 (BCRR) - 76.39%
8. Matthew Nicol, 43 (BCRR) - 75.55%
9. Michael Wheatall, 45 (NONE) - 74.05%
10. Robert Brown, 47 (BCRR) - 73.57%

Men Over 50
1. Joe Melanson, 50 (HH) - 86.23%
2. Ino Cantu, 72 (TTC) - 82.19%
3. Ben Harvie, 59 (TTC) - 81.77%
4. Jay Hendrickson, 52 (BCRR) - 80.05%*
5. Richard Vega, 59 (TTC) - 78.12%
6. Scott Bounds, 53 (BCRR) - 77.74%*
7. Richard Verm, 52 (BCRR) - 77.55%*
8. Donald Brenner, 66 (BCRR) - 77.30%
9. John Polisini, 52 (ALRC) - 76.99%*
10. Roger Boak, 57 (TTC) - 76.26%

* indicates runner ran in both Spring Series races to date