New Running Blogger and HRB Member!

I'm very excited to pass along that not only has Houstonian Christy Gonzales started a new running blog in the last month (I've been slow on my blog web searches), but she has also joined the Houston Running Bloggers!

Her blog can be found at http://txrunnergirl.blogspot.com/!

She's 34, trains with Houston Fit and will be running the Chicago Marathon this October. It will be Christy's 6th career marathon. Her five (5) previous marathons to date have included the following:

2003 - hp Houston Marathon, 5:21:17
2003 - ING New York City Marathon, 6:07:16
2004 - hp Houston Marathon, 5:51;51
2006 - Chevron Houston Marathon, 5:40:43
2006 - Freescale Austin Marathon, 5:42:14 (gross time)

Source: marathonguide.com

What excites me the most about Christy's joining our group is her spirit! Here's a couple paragraphs from her first post earlier this month:

So my goal is to run as fast as I can. You will learn from my posts that my definition of fast is not really that fast - it's just fast for me. I sometimes feel bad when I tell people I run, because in all honesty, I jog. When non-runners think of people running marathons and other races, they picture people like Flo-Jo or Carl Lewis. Um, yeah, that would NOT be me. After I completed my 1st marathon, I was so proud. Yes, I finished it in 5:22...not Boston worthy by any means, but I finished dang it! A girl at work asked me, "Did you win?". I don't think I answered, I think I just turned around and walked away.

I run for a few reasons - 1) to stay in shape, 2) to be able to eat bad stuff and not feel too bad about it, 3) I enjoy it! Yes, I want to better my time and PR, but I want to have a good time doing it. Before I started running, I thought that I wasn't capable of running, much less running marathons. I proved myself wrong and I'm so glad I did. I hope that my blogging will inspire someone else who felt the same way to start running too. Hell, if I can do it, anyone can!!!

What an attitude! Something that we can all be energized from!

Please take time to check out Christy's blog and welcome her to the running blogosphere!

Additional Beach To Bay Photos on the Web

Browsing through the Runner Triathlete News message board, I noticed that somebody had posted a link of photos taken by a Corpus Christi Caller-Times photographer at this year's Beach To Bay Relay. They appear on the website, "CorpusBeach.com".

Some of the photos include pictures of Houston area runners. They include the following:

+ The winning On The Run team's 5th leg runner, Ramiro Alvarado -- Picture
+ The Houston Striders' Chris Boylan -- Picture
+ NASA astronaut and Seabrook resident Karen Nyberg -- Picture
+ Anchor of the top mixed division team, "The Juice," Vaughn Gibbs -- Picture

Here are some that appeared in a photo gallery at the web site of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times:

+ Houston's Drew Prisner breaking the finishing line tape -- Picture
+ Bayou City Road Runners teammates Suzy Seeley handing off to Jay Hendrickson -- Picture
+ Prisner in the first aid tent at the finish area -- Picture
+ The Houston Striders' Tommy King finishing -- Picture
+ Another Houston Strider, Sabra Harvey, gets first aid care after anchoring their Female Senior Masters team to victory -- Picture

Found and thought I should share!

Tuesday Running, Riding and Music

Memorial Day was an emotionally challenging day in the metropolis of Spring as it sapped any desire to combat things with physical exercise. Yes, I was a little sore from Sunday's run with Dave; however, that was not what stopped me from getting out to get something done and in the books.

On Tuesday, I logged three (3) easy miles with Waverly in Huntsville on the Veterans Highway route. (I started to call it a course, but it is just a sidewalk along a long and open off-the-beaten path road just west of Interstate 45.) The subsequent plan was to get a bite to eat at Sonic and play some volleyball with other Seven Hills Running Club members; however, some on the course developments required a change of plans and a return to Spring. I didn't get the watch started right as we started; however, I had 36:16.77 for a good bit of the 3-mile run.

Waverly and I both have some ground to cover to get back to our most recent positive state of fitness. I followed up the running effort with approximately 20 miles on the stationery bike (55 minutes) at Bally's in The Woodlands. (Random setting, Level 7.) I probably pushed this workout a little bit too much, but I have to get ready for the Webster Bicycle Duathlon on Sunday, July 23rd where HRB members will go head-to-head.

I still haven't made a decision about whether or not I'm going to run the Heights 5K on Saturday. I'll probably still do the 10K that I have on the schedule for Sunday morning in Vancouver less than eight (8) hours after I fly in. Nonetheless, I will probably still be there at the Heights 5K as I have some other tasks to accomplish.

On a musical side note (as I usually try to keep this completely a running blog), I have to pull one out of my friend Cassie Cowan's bag and comment on three (3) CDs that I picked up Friday evening. They were as follows:

+ Jamey Johnson "The Dollar" (An excellent debut album that is anchored by his hit debut single, "The Dollar", but other keepers are "Flying Silver Eagle", "Ray Ray's Juke Joint" and "Rebelicious".)
+ Chris Cagle "Anywhere But Here" (Features "Miss Me Baby" and "Wal-Mart Parking Lot" but one song that is a lot like "Chicks Dig It", from an earlier album, is "Hey Ya'll")
+ Brad Paisley's "Time Well Wasted" (I haven't listened all the way through the 16-song CD; however, the first two songs are radio singles "Alcohol" and "The World" but there is a good song on there with Alan Jackson called "Out in the Parkin' Lot")

One album I can assure that I won't be buying is the Dixie Chicks' new release.

Waverly's birthday present from her mother and me? Floor seats for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Saturday, July 22nd performance at the Toyota Center. (Sarah, don't worry, I'll still be reading for the duathlon the next morning!)

Some Race For The Pennant Astros 5K Followup

As I perused the results from this past Saturday's Race For The Pennant Astros 5K, I realized that there were some new names that many people may not be aware of. Therefore, I have compiled the top 20 for both the men's and the women's overall.)

I also have updated the all-time age group winners web page. It can found here.

Men's
1. J.P. MacHemehl, 22 - 15:01.7 (Course record set by the Aggie harrier from Fort Bend Kempner)
2. Sean Wade (KW), 40 - 15:12.0
3. Cole Dailey (HH), 23 - 15:12.3 (Former UH Cougar trackster who finished his eligibility in '05)
4. Luis Armenteros (HH), 33 - 15:39.3
5. Adam Davis, 24 - 15:53.4 (Former Rice Owl harrier)
6. Fred Miller (HS), 29 - 16:15.3
7. Jon Butler, 43 - 16:16.7
8. Vaughn Gibbs (ALRC), 32 - 16:20.2
9. David Wittman (HH), 36 - 16:21.6
10. Ahmes Harb, 17 - 16:21.8 (Dropped a 16:19.2 at Resurrection Run 5K in April; Doesn't race a lot)
11. Cornelio Garibay (ALRC), 37 - 16:29.1
12. Jose Lara (ALRC), 30 - 16:43.1
13. Corey Kellam, 20 - 16:47.7 (Runs cross country for UT-Tyler)
14. Gerardo Mora (HMSA), 39 - 16:49.4
15. Joey D'Eramo, 16 - 16:56.1 (Junior in '06-'07 at Houston St. Pius X HS)
16. John Yoder (HS), 35 - 17:01.2
17. Matthew Perri, 15 - 17:07.8
18. Joe Oviedo (TOR), 30 - 17:15.9
19. Thomas King, Jr. (HS), 37 - 17:17.9
20. Joe Flores (HH), 46 - 17:28.5

Women's
1. Lauren Smith, 15 - 19:16.4 (Brazosport HS cross-country runner)
2. Caroline Chamness (HS), 41 - 19:28.1
3. Melissa Henderson (ALRC), 31 - 19:36.6
4. Molly Farrell, 16 - 20:09.3
5. Allison Nadolski (BCRR), 29 - 20:20.9
6. Erin Foley (ALRC), 31 - 20:25.1
7. Susan Walters (TOR), 41 - 20:29.6
8. Phyliss Aswell, 39 - 20:53.2
9. Heide Mairs (TTC), 45 - 20:56.8
10. Sara Collazos (HMSA), 16 - 21:05.0
11. Mary Williams, 16 - 21:12.4 (Hails from Lake Jackson)
12. Alyssa Crocker (TOR), 15 - 21:12.6
13. Elizabeth Gilbert, 15 - 21:38.4
14. Suzy Seeley (BCRR), 47 - 21:39.7
15. Eva Luckey (HMSA), 52 - 21:51.7
16. Anita Werner (TOR), 40, 21:58.9
17. Molly Thibault, 23 - 22:06.7
18. Sharon Morin, 43 - 22:13.6
19. Deb Clifford (TTC), 45 - 22:28.5
20. Alie Moody, 25 - 22:30.0 (Former Loyola Marymount/Klein HS athlete)

Houston Marathon Results CD Arrives

I don't know whether it hit my mailbox on Friday or Saturday, but it got pulled out of it on Monday. I had a chance to go through it last night as well as just a few minutes ago this morning.

I'd like to think (and hope) that the Marathon was able to save a significant amount of money by embracing the digital revolution.

The only thing that was lost in the transition from paper to CD was the listing of the marathon winners. However, I've complained here before that they pay two (2) events -- the half marathon and the 5K -- official lip service by not listing their winners in any of their materials (unless it is in the media packet).

Bottom line is this: It's already researched for you, slap it on a web page and be done with it! At the most, it is an hour's worth of billable time for the person or company that maintains the web site.

Overall, I think the results CD was a very effective effort. I'd give it an A- for the first time out of the box!

I think the Marathon responded to what I'm sure wasn't only my criticism with a personalized results certificate. However, if the New York City Marathon or the Marine Corps Marathon is the standard, then an 8 1/2" by 11" certificate is the way to go. But the smaller version fit in with the packaging elements of getting the CD out. (I understand that and don't have a clue - at the moment - how you resolve that without ratcheting up cost.)

I'm glad to see that they resolved the language on the 17,779 number from "participated" to "registered". I think it is the most accurate reflection available and it is something that I've seen other marathons do -- most recently the St. Louis Marathon that is held in early April.

My only criticism is this: "Attribute the positive quotes (or testimonials) to the people that actually made them." There are quips that rotate at the bottom of the main screen mixed in with some factoids, but without crediting the person that said them. At the last two consulting firms that I worked at prior to the one that I am at now, we had specific procedures that we went through to procure testimonials and we found it to be more credible if there was an individual's name and organization attached to it.

Do I think that they are marketing schlock without them? Not for the most part, but consider this line from one of the rotating advertisements -- "I loved the personalized finisher certificates -- a really wonderful touch."

Well, hello, how can you love them (I double checked just to make sure that my 2005 cardboard certificate wasn't magically filled in) enough to get a quote in the results CD before you've even received the results CD?

10.5 with Mr. Smart ... and, no, not Maxwell Smart

New HRB member Bill Cox - and Houston Strider - commented on one of yesterday's posts about keeping the run "smart", as it related to running with an injury. I did. I ran with Mr. Dave Smart, one of our Houston Running Bloggers (HRB) members out in The Woodlands.

We ran a 10.5-mile loop recommended by Rick Cook, who helped me race direct Run The Woodlands 5K #154 yesterday.

Dave and I started at Northshore Park on Lake Woodlands Drive just west of Grogan's Mill, went west out to Kuykendahl. We headed south at Kuykendahl to Flintridge, where we took a left and headed back east to Panther Creek Drive. We turned right there and took it around to Lake Woodlands Parkway.

After getting to Lake Woodlands Parkway, we got on the sidewalk trails (and off the road) and ran east to Grogan's Mill and then back west to the park to close the loop. We covered the 10.5 miles in 1:59:52 -- a little longer than what I might have hoped for since we think we covered the first 5 miles in 54 minutes and change. The upper 70's/high humidity morning made it fun. (Yeah, right!) I was completely soaked when nature called near Creekwood Park across the road from McCullough Junior High - which was McCullough High School when I graduated from Spring HS in 1984.

Our splits where all over the place as Dave had ballpark estimates, according to Google Map, where the mile markers were. (Sweat does wonders to a paper map!)

What did I learn from this run this morning? I could go out and run a half marathon, without the IT band pain, in cooler temperatures, but the Carrabba's Half on Saturday, June 17th, in San Antonio might be a crap shoot. (Two years ago, I was kind of ready for the heat and still only did it in 2:32. Last year, coming back off of an injury and the first time that I had covered 13.1 miles in six weeks, I did it a sweltering time of 2:48. Pretty embarrassing.)

We had a good time running together. Dave's conversation style over that length of distance is much like he writes on his blog. Very low-key, high in description but not so much as to bore you and with his sons being so heavily involved in Boy Scouts, Dave is extremely keen to pick up on what is going on in the nature and environment around him. It is something that I just have not developed as much of an appreciation for. However, I very much respect those individuals that do.

Although Dave's just five or six years older than me, certainly doesn't carry any extra weight and is way faster than me on the shorter distances, Dave's in excellent shape and didn't seem to have any problems with the distance. I think Dave, Holden Choi and Joe Carey all have the opportunity, if they all choose to do the Houston Marathon in January, to push the 4:30 envelope. They were all in the just over 5-hour range this past year. However, all of them have made significant strides in their running since then!

Towards the end of our run, I was commenting on the quality of people that we have in our HRB group and how some of them did yesterday. The one thing that I have been truly blessed with is the large number of constituencies of runners that I have at my disposal -- and it is something that I'm thankful to have all of the good friends that I do.

When we made it back to Northshore Park, The Woodlands resident Debbie Tripp, who turned 50 recently, was waiting there to pick up her digital camera that we used yesterday for Run The Woodlands 5K. We probably spent another 20-30 minutes shooting the breeze as it threatened rain, but I learned that Debbie will be in San Diego next Sunday to make her attempt at her first full marathon, the Rock 'N Roll Marathon. She's going to employ a 5-1 method as she put that into place on long runs starting with the 3M Half Marathon in Austin last January -- at that race she dropped time from her very first half marathon effort at Houston two weeks before.

So in James David Dykas and Keith Kelleher style, my "shout out" of the day goes to Debbie as I wish her to "Rock On" in San Diego. (Yes, yes, imitation of my fellow bloggers is the sincerest form of flattery!)

Hmmm ... Bowling and running may not go together

Waverly had a birthday party this evening with a lot of her classmates from school as well as some other friends her age. It was at a bowling alley here on the northwest side of town. Dad hasn't bowled in about 10 years or so and it showed a little bit. My three-game series was sort of like my warm weather 5K time.

About three frames into the first game, I realized that my style of pulling back and letting it fly might be having an effect in the area of a possible hernia. But undeterred from having a good time, I continued on and bowled three (3) games. I figured if that is what it would turn out to be (although foolish as the opinion truly is) that to be available to have a good time with my daughter after being gone for the most of two weeks would be worth it.

I've had the type of pain before without any long-term lingering effects. So we'll see how the 6 a.m. 10-mile run I have planned with fellow Houston Running Blogger Dave Smart in the morning goes.

Dead Man Walking on Saturday Afternoon

That is about what it turned into this afternoon as I went out to log 4.1 miles in the heat of the afternoon -- a little after 4:00 p.m. (I should have just done 2.1; however, once I had gotten past the one turn, it was 4.1 or bust!)

I can't show you the route because it isn't on the Google maps and I don't have one of those fancy map-charting devices (aka Garmin).

I ran the first 17:45 out to Spring Stuebner and then it was a run/walk fest the remainder of the way. Towards the end, I got it to a 3-minute run/1-minute walk (well, this is what happens when you take a collar for the week -- 2 days to just being lazy, 2 to lower back pain and 1 to pain at the top of the IT band) where I kept my foot turnover at about 170 steps per minute.

It was definitely not pretty as I hit the 4.1 miles in an ugly 48:08.70 -- 11:45/mile.

Florida Ironman 70.3 Race Report from The Woodlands' Kim Hager

This past Saturday, May 21st, The Woodlands' Kimberly Hager returned to multi-sport racing after an eight-month absence at the Florida Half Ironman at Walt Disney World. She was 151st of 1,898 finishers, the 22nd female overall, 16th in the field of 19 professional women and was the 2nd overall finisher from Texas as well as the first female finisher from the Lone Star State.

A week before competing in the Florida Half Ironman, Hager is seen here pacing a Luke's Locker Beat participant at Run The Woodlands 5K #153. (Photo by Dave Smart/Run The Woodlands 5K Series)

Kim's overall time was 4:55:50. She did the 1.2-mile swim in 33:44, the 56-mile bike in 2:42:38 and the 13.1-mile run in 1:34:39. Transition times were 2:54 and 1:55 from Swim to Bike and Bike to Run, respectively.

And with many thanks to my good friend and Hager's fellow Luke's Locker Beat coach Bill Dwyer, here is Kim's race report from the Florida Half Ironman:

“You can measure a man by the adversity it takes to discourage him.” -Robert C. Savage

"It has been a long eight months since I last raced. During that time I was confronted with knee surgery and extensive rehab, pneumonia, and overwhelmed with the stress a parent faces when their child has been injured in an accident. Needless to say, when I took to the starting line of the Ford Ironman 70.3 Florida I had no idea what to expect as far as my performance! My goals were relatively simple…test out the knee and see if it can handle the stress, finish the race, and most importantly, appreciate the day.

"My coaches, Ed McNeely out of Peak Centre for Human Performance in Canada and the guys at TriVantage Fitness Loft in Houston, did an excellent job of physically preparing me for my race. They were quite patient and considerate with tweaking my training schedule as other events occurred in my life that impacted my ability to train. Unfortunately the past few months of training have been checkered with interruptions related to illness and family circumstances, but continuous testing and communication with my coaches led to necessary changes to my training schedule that helped me be as well-prepared as I could be for this race.

"The purpose of making the trip to Disney was twofold: I would get to race and my youngest daughter would get to visit Disney World for her first time. We arrived to Disney on Saturday and while my daughter headed off to Magic Kingdom with her father, I went to the race site to register and attend the pre-race meeting.

"It was fun to be back at race site, and visit with friends and sponsors at the expo. I was able to chat with Frank Day at PowerCranks and thank him for encouraging me to be diligent with my training on PowerCranks in an effort to help rehabilitate my leg. I only recently starting implementing PowerCranks into my training, and it was not until then that I realized just how imbalanced my legs were to each other. There is no cheating with PowerCranks!

"As the day progressed, I continued to get a bit more nervous and anxious for race day. The last time I raced was back in September and I was feeling a little rusty. In addition, it had been less than a month since my oldest daughter was hit by a car while biking to school and spent almost a week in the hospital fighting an infection in the wound she incurred from the accident (note: she is doing better, and we realize she is quite fortunate that the injuries sustained were not more severe). Furthermore, it was at the pre-race meeting that I realized that 6 miles of our run would be along a canal that was on uneven terrain! I immediately wondered how my knee would react to the conditions and tried not to dwell too much as I knew it would only produce negative thoughts.

"After checking my bike into transition on Saturday, I returned to my hotel room at the Animal Kingdom Resort. My husband and daughter finally returned from their day at Magic Kingdom around 11:00 p.m. I had to stay up to hear the exciting stories she had to share with me since I missed out on her fun that day. Even though the alarm was set for a very early wake-up call, I enjoyed listening to her and watching her eyes light up as she talked about Space Mountain, Cinderella’s castle, the princesses she saw and all the other rides she went on.

"Race morning arrived and the weather was absolutely wonderful. As usual, the pre-race hours rush by and before I know it I am at the starting line. We had a beach start which is something I had not done in a long time. Yes, I could tell I was out of practice! Oh well, I told myself, “just grab onto someone’s feet!” My goal on the swim was to avoid any alligators and to not swim alone. I succeeded.

"Then, it was onto the bike. I recently received my new Quintano Roo Seduza and was anxious to get it out for its maiden (race) voyage. I felt pretty decent at the start of the race, but then started feeling flat. I figured that was either due to the Ironman training I have been doing (in preparation for IM France) or I was just out of shape (negative talk is NOT good in a race…and, as it ended up, the tire I was using had a slow leak and I was riding with low tire pressure). I kept telling myself to push on, that this was excellent Ironman training, and to just do the best that I could every moment that I am out there. Honestly, I entered this race without specific bike goals. I was so focused on how my knee would handle the run, that I overlooked this aspect. I guess this is why ‘tune-up’ races are important, as it helps remind us what still needs to be worked on!

"As I started the run I was happy to realize that my legs actually felt pretty decent. I was able to keep a good turnover and I did not have a dead leg feeling. My new Seduza was such a comfortable ride, that I was able to get off my bike with a fresh leg feel. The run course was 3 loops. I like loop courses as it helps me to mentally break down the run into smaller intervals. Each loop had a 2 mile portion that went along the canal with some uneven terrain. While I usually look forward to this type of run, I was very apprehensive during this portion on every loop. The legs felt great, but the knee felt unsteady and I did not want to chance things. I knew this would impact my run time, but I still felt like I did the best that I could do during each part, and I was happy to have a strong finish at the end of my run.

"I have been racing enough to know that giving 110% effort does not always produce a personal best when measuring ‘success’ by a clock, podium finish, or a “coveted slot.” However, as I look back at my race goals, I can say that I had some success. Was this my best race? No, but even though I had to make some adjustments on the run, my knee survived. I finished the race. And, most importantly, I did appreciate having the opportunity to be out on the race course with some of the best athletes in the sport.

"Following the race I enjoyed visiting with the other participants and then hurried back to the hotel so I could join my daughter at Disney. Although I was tired and just wanted to rest, I could not wait to enjoy the Disney adventure with her. We had a lot of fun as we ventured onto the Tower of Terror at MGM … something I would not necessarily recommend trying just hours after completing a Half Ironman race!

"Last, but not least, I have to mention that the volunteers were absolutely wonderful at this race. The run course had more than the usual number of aid stations, and those volunteers were kept very busy! They maintained a great attitude and their work and enthusiasm did not go unnoticed. I also have to say thank you to my sponsors, Timex Multisport Team, Bike Lane and TriVantage Fitness Loft, all of whom have been very supportive and whose help is invaluable."

Chronicle Column This Morning

If you haven't checked out Roberta MacInnis' column in the Houston Chronicle this morning, please do!

There was a mention of the winning Houston-based team at Beach to Bay Relay this weekend (but you'll have to wait for the HARRA Footprints article in July/August's edition of Inside Texas Running to find out who the winning team and its members were in 1996) -and- some quotes from Sean Wade about his success this spring on the Masters road racing circuit.

The interesting quote about the sleeping tent in Roberta's story explains Sean's last three (3) blog posts about altitude.

Listed below are the top 20 Men's Open times at Beach To Bay Relay since 2000. Drew Prisner indicated via e-mail that he was the anchor for all three of the Houston entries in the list.

1 - 2000 - SOLERS SPEED, 2:11:57, San Antonio, TX
2 - 2003 - DISMAS CHARITIES TEAM OF PEACE, 2:12:15, San Antonio, TX
3 - 2000 - HERRMAN HERRMAN RACING TEAM, 2:13:35, San Antonio, TX
4 - 2001 - ROGERS SOLERS SPORTS 1, 2:17:13, Corpus Christi, TX
5 - 2003 - ROGER SOLER'S ROLLERS, 2:17:18, Corpus Christi, TX
6 - 2005 - WWW.LAREDOHEAT.COM, 2:18:17, Laredo, TX
7 - 2004 - WWW.LAREDOHEAT.COM, 2:19:53, Laredo, TX
8 - 2003 - I ROCK AND I RAN, 2:20:17, Corpus Christi, TX
9 - 2003 - RUNWILD SPORTS, 2:20:28, Houston, TX
10 - 2000 - FLEET FEET BOBCATS, 2:21:03, Corpus Christi, TX
11 - 2006 - ON THE RUN, 2:21:51, Houston, TX
12 - 2000 - NEW BLUE ROOM TEAM#1, 2:22:13, Corpus Christi, TX
13 - 2004 - SOLER ELITE, 2:22:13, Corpus Christi, TX
14 - 2001 - DON T BONK, 2:22:18, Dayton, TX
15 - 2005 - DISMAS CHARITIES, 2:22:22, San Antonio, TX
16 - 2001 - ISLANDER TRACK CLUB, 2:22:42, Corpus Christi, TX
17 - 2005 - SOLERS SPECIAL ORDERS CC, 2:23:55, Corpus Christi, TX
18 - 2001 - SOLER ECLIPSE, 2:24:17, Corpus Christi, TX
19 - 2002 - RUN WILD SPORTS, 2:24:18, Houston, TX
20 - 2004 - FLEET FEET RACING, 2:24:38, Corpus Christi, TX

May 2006 Running Club Newsletters Online

Yes, the month is almost over; however, there have been a number of running clubs who have posted their May 2006 newsletters online in the last seven (7) to 10 days. They are as follows:

Bay Area Running Club -- Their May edition of "E-BARCer" has been online for awhile at this link.
Bayou City Road Runners -- A combined April and May edition of "The Bird" is located here.
Brazosport Area Road Runners Association -- The spring 2006 edition is here.
Houston Masters Sports Association -- When I first looked, their May 2006 effort was online for the first time at the following link; however, it is no longer there.
Houston Striders -- "Stridelines" can be found here.
Seven Hills Running Club (Huntsville) -- "Hill Peek" can be tackled here.

Enjoy!

Houston's Sean Wade claims another Masters title!

ING Bay to Breakers 12K Results (San Francisco, CA)

Men's Division:
1 Gilbert Okari Kenya 0:34:20
2 Julius Kibet Kenya 0:35:18
3 Lewis Nyariki Kenya 0:35:25
4 Josphat Nyariki Kenya 0:35:36
5 Celedonio Rodriguez Alamosa, CO 0:35:57
6 Bolota Asmerom Oakland, CA 0:36:05
7 Philip Lagat Kenya 0:36:18
8 Simon Wangai Kenya 0:36:22
9 Ridovane Harroufi Morocco, CA 0:36:37
10 Matt Levassiur Alamosa, CO 036:38
11 Lamech Mosoti Kenya 0:37:17
12 Tommy Greenless Walnut Creek, CA 0:38:14
13 James Nielsen Stanford, CA 0:38:22
14 Sean Wade Houston, TX 0:38:58
15 Steven Moreno Oakland, CA 0:39:18

Masters Division -- Top Finishers
Male: Sean Wade, 40, Houston, TX, 38:58
Female: Sylvia Mosqueda, 40, Rosemead, CA, 42:07

S.F. Mayor: Gavin Newsom, 59:04

Number of Registered Runners: 40,000
Estimated Total Number of Runners: 62,000

"The race, a popular annual (95th annual) event in San Francisco, also included a runner dressed as Barry Bonds chasing another runner dressed as Babe Ruth and a runner wearing a Dick Cheney mask dressed in hunting gear." (San Jose Mercury News, 5/21/06) (Where was the pitcher dressed as the Astros' Russ Springer? -- JW)

Despite being saddled with a handicap of 4 minutes, 40 seconds at the start, Kenya’s Gilbert Okari was still able to catch the leading woman, Tetyana Hladyr of Ukraine, just past the 7-mile mark on the Great Highway to win the overall first prize of $25,000. It marked the 16th consecutive year a Kenyan man won the race. (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/21/06)

Just Under 5 Miles in Vancouver on Sunday Morning

I didn't want to get up and run as the bed felt pretty comfortable as the cool temperatures from outside made their way into the bedroom through the open window. (Plus after yesterday's IT band episode, I was curious as to how much and soon I could push it.)

I made it outside and combined pieces of a couple of routes that I've done for 4.768 miles (yes, the HARRA tool is my friend) in 47:18.21 -- a pace of 9:55/mile. (Now I know why I was feeling like I was running a 5K. I was close to a decent pace.) The route was this one.

I broke it into two pieces -- out to Stanley Park and then back.

The out part was 3.02 miles in 29:38.72 for a pace of 9:49/mile. The back, although the same route, was 1.748 miles in 17:39.49 which translated to 10:06/mile. (This part included a run up from Pender to Haro on Bute, which is a pretty fair incline.)

Mileage last week: 21.85 (should have been more, but added 12.5 miles walking to it)
Mileage this week (to date): 4.768

Beach To Bay Marathon Relay News and Notes

(Likely to be updated throughout the evening ....)

The total number of finishing teams were up from the last two (2) years. There were 1,117 finishing teams in 2004 and 1,177 last year. 2006 found 1,201 teams posting official finish times. The website reported before this year's event that 1,301 teams had entered. (I have an e-mail into Media Coordinator Chuck Trexler to confirm this information as it has been removed.)

Division winners are as follows:

Men's (111) -- On The Run, Houston, 2:21:51
Junior Men (13) -- Mall Shoe Service VIII, Corpus Christi, 2:29:06 (3rd last year)
Mixed (182) -- The Juice, Houston, 2:37:40
Men's Masters (24) -- Zapata Roadrunners, Zapata, 2:37:55
Male Senior Masters (14) -- Sugarland Finish Line, Katy, 2:46:00 (Repeat w/new name)
Commercial (83) -- Team Arsenal, San Antonio, 2:46:32 (4th last year)
Mixed Masters (17) -- Fast Over 40, San Antonio, 2:47:07
Male Middle School (6) -- Grant Boys 6, Corpus Christi, 2:52:00 (2nd last year)
Military/Law Enforcement (82) -- SAPD Blue, San Antonio, 2:53:53 (3rd last year)
Women's Masters (14) -- DFW Wonder Women, Irving, 2:57:07
Odds & Ends (486) -- Tacuache Bros, McAllen, 3:01:07 (2nd last year)
Women's (109) -- Red Shoe Runner Club A, Edinburg, 3:03:09 (2nd last year)
Female Senior Masters (5) -- Super 6 Striders, Houston, 3:26:54 (Repeat w/new name)
Male Elementary (13) -- Dawson Patriots Boys I, Corpus Christi, 3:27:31 (Repeat)
Junior Women (15) -- Mustangs, Laredo, 3:29:14
Male Ultra Senior Masters (3) -- The Rositas Real 6, Corpus Christi, 3:37:59 (2nd last year)
Female Elementary (11) -- Dawson Patriots Girl I, Corpus Christi, 3:51:06 (Repeat)
Female Middle School (10) -- Grant Girls 6, Corpus Christi, 3:54:18
Female Ultra Senior Masters (2) -- North Park Lexus Striders, McNeil, 4:14:20

The following Houston Running Bloggers RC members competed on the following teams at today's events:

Erin Foley -- 2:43:36, Run Wild Sports Timing, Houston TX (5th Mixed, 17th Overall)
Edwin Quarles -- 3:45:07, Electric Prunes, Lake Jackson, TX (41st Men's, 263rd Overall)
Jessica Alexander and William "Bill" Cox -- 3:59:09, The Strider Stompers, Houston, TX (90th Odds & Ends, 412th Overall)

Six (6) of the top 20 overall teams were from the Greater Houston area.

The winning "On The Run" team, which was a "who's who" of Houston running plus an out-of-towner in Charlottesville, Virginia's Mark Hamiter, posted the 7th fastest time (2:21:51) since 2003. (It was also the slowest winning time since 2003.)

With a lineup that included former Houston Marathon winner Drew Prisner, last year's 25K winner Ramiro Alvarado, On The Run racing team members Sam Rodriguez and Alan Hedengren and Houston Striders' top runner Bret Riley, the team won by 7 minutes and 15 seconds over a junior team from Corpus Christi (2:29:06).

The third place overall team was made up of members of Riley's club, the Houston Striders.

The "Red Line Striders" team (2:30:38), which featured all-around good guys John Yoder and Tommy King plus Peter Prescott, Chris Boylan, Fred Miller and David Minken, easily edged the 4th-place team which was made up of member of the Tornados Running Club in Houston.

The "King Tornados", who finished in 2:34:51, were made up of Alex Zuniga, Joe Oviedo, Val Ochoa, Jason Moreno, Clint Sherouse and Pete Lopez.

"W" is for Waverly!

Here is what the "red headed princess" looks like when she is dressed like a "red headed princess" and when she's not in running gear!

This is after her 5th grade graduation ceremony Thursday night.

Dad was surprised during the ceremony when, during one of the 11-12 songs that the 4th and 5th graders performed -- something to the effect of "Best Days Of Our Lives", Waverly piped in (like many of the other kids during the song) and said that her "best day" was "...when I ran the half marathon."

No Karnievel tricks but put down 11.2!

Fellow blogger Duncan Larkin likes to call Dean Karnazes' feats "Karnievel tricks". It's kind of funny; however, unless the person that left an anonymous post on this blog calling Karnazes a "cheeseball" is somebody like Clear Lake's Mark Henderson - an accomplished ultrarunner - then, in my mind, until they do something similar, they have no right to be throwing around names.

Where am I going with this as it relates to me? Basically on a semi-long run this morning here in Vancouver, British Columbia, my right IT band started to hurt and while I knew that I was less than 2 miles from the apartment, I stopped -- after 11.197 miles -- and walked it in. Basically, I had done too much as it is.

So 10.65 + 11.2 = 21.85 miles for the week. (I was hoping to do some last night and more this evening; however, I might have done too much and a little damage today.)

I really wasn't trying to get all of the miles back at once to get to 25; however, I felt pretty good running this morning in cool temperatures -- enough for me to run in a long sleeved technical shirt.

I won't go into details of the route (you can look at it here), but I covered it in 1:59:17 -- a pace of 10:39 that included some nice steady inclines. Therefore, I'm happy with it even though I didn't get to my goal of 12.345 miles, which is where I stop at the 7-11 and replenish.

I will say this though: the part of Vancouver that I ran through before I turned back north on Granville, which is the major artery from the airport to downtown, was very, very peaceful as 98% of the people where still in bed between 6:30 and 7:15 a.m.

One other things that I realized this week is that I am logging 2.5 miles worth of walking a day to and from work; therefore, since I was here working 5 days (Monday through Saturday minus Thursday), that means that I have an extra 12.5 miles in (although not with the same amount of stress on the legs).

Here's what the 1:59:17 for 11.197 miles means? It isn't good enough to hit the 4:30 goal now; however, it gives me a target. If I maintained the pace, it means that I would have covered a half in 2:19:30. A 10% slide on the back half translates to a 4:52:57 marathon and a 20% slide (crash and burn) means a 5:06:54 marathon.

If I were to slide 10% in the back half, what would I have to do in the front half to get a 4:30 marathon? 2:08:35! Now the encouraging thing is that I've done a 2:09:58 half -- my PR!

When I ran the Freescale Austin Marathon in February, I was at 2:16:14 through the front half and finished in a PR of 4:47:32. A 10% slide translates to 4:46:05 - so I wasn't far off. While the desire is to negative split or be closer to it than the slide that I mention, I know what my history is to date. These types of runs give me some numbers to work with.

The one thing that is different between the Austin Marathon and today's run is that 1.) the Austin course was flat (today's wasn't) and 2.) I hit every single water stop - almost 17-18 - and had nothing today. Therefore, I have a lot of work to do but I can logically see the light of a 4:30 marathon at the end of the tunnel.

I would welcome some different views and thoughts to the numbers presented above (given my background to date).

HARRA Announces 2006-07 Board

HARRA President Tom Stilwell reported on Tuesday that the individuals listed below met Monday, May 15th's deadline to serve on the organization's 2006-2007 Board. He noted that they will be confirmed by a vote of the membership at the June 17th Summer Celebration which will be held Satuday evening at St. Arnold's Brewery.

President - Anna Sumrall Helm (BCRR)
VP Clubs - Roger Boak (TTC)
VP Road Race Management - Stephen Mayor (HH)
Treasurer - Audrey Christiansen (FLS)
Membership - Erin Foley (ALRC)
At Large Members: Jo Ann Luco (HMSA), Cheryl Esposito, Sara Troscher (HF), Bob Linza, Bruce Mansur (BCRR)

Stilwell indicated that HARRA's by-laws provide that the president appoints 3 positions and that the remainder are elected. The positions of VP Communications (Doug Spence), Secretary (Scott Michelman), and Webmaster (Geoff Guenther) received no nominations and consequently will be filled by the President and the Board in their July meeting.

"Please welcome, congratulate, and support the forthcoming board of 2006-2007!" Stilwell said. "With the support and cooperation of all clubs, this boardlooks to be a dynamic, outgoing, and successful group of people who will be a great asset to the running community in Houston."

On a personal note, it is disappointing to see Doug and Geoff go by the wayside. Both individuals, who I consider to be good friends, contributed greatly to HARRA and its image during their tenure. Doug was responsible for putting together Footprints in Inside Texas Running (ITR) on a monthly basis while Geoff brought the organization's web site into the 21st century. -- JW

Thursday Afternoon Running in Houston

A combination of my quads being a bit sore from Tuesday's run, a busy work day, having to box up another employee's personal belongings and ship them back to the States, a late dinner and an early wake-up call this morning, I got nothing on the books for Wednesday. (I was wiped out and in bed last evening at 10:30 p.m. That is how tired I was.)

I flew home today (Thursday) to be able to be in attendance for Waverly's fifth grade graduation ceremony this evening! (And I go back in the morning as we are in the middle of a system build!)

I had my shoes laced up at about 5 p.m. to get in the 4.1-mile loop in the heat (90 degrees); however, talking running with a good friend of mine on the telephone cut that down to 2.1 miles at 5:40 p.m.

But, good news (for me, at least)! I did the 2.1-mile loop in 21:43.57 - a 10:20 pace! And this was a run that everything was wrong! I wasn't hydrated real well, I just had a regular pair of shorts and a cotton T-shirt on. (All of my running gear was in Vancouver as I was going to be in for less than 24 hours.), and I was wearing a recently retired pair of shoes.

That gives me 10.65 miles for the week, which probably means that I won't get to 25 before the end of the day Saturday. But I have to remind myself that I am coming back from something that I needed to see the doctor about less than a week ago too.

One thing of note on the run though. I was no more than about four-tenths of a mile into the run when I was beyond the neighbor's driveway across the street when I saw him in the corner of my eye behind me. He and his wife have been retired for awhile and they are very nice people. I was pretty focused as the heat wasn't bad, but it was on my mind.

I knew he wouldn't think anything of it; however, as I kept running, I wanted to make sure that he didn't think that I was being a jerk and didn't say "Hi!" After I finished up in front of both of our houses, I walked across the street and talked to George to make sure he completely understood. (Of course, he thought nothing of it.)

When I run (and even when I walk to work in the city), I typically try to make eye contact with people. It is something that makes many people nervous or is something that they have a hard time doing, but for me it is an attempt to make a personal connection with people. One of the things that bugs me is when you say "Hi!" to somebody while running that they can't take the time to return the greeting - or even acknowledge it.

As I commented the other night when I was in Memorial Park, Sean Wade was able to maintain his 6-minute pace but still motion at me and acknowledge my presence. (As an aside, a participant in one of Sean's Monday morning Kenyan Way training sessions reported that if you hadn't sought it out your own, he never would have brought up the fact that he won the Masters division of the Bloomsday 12K Run in Spokane. One would say, "Well, he's getting paid to coach, not brag." This is true; however, when the focus is on one's self, that level of modesty regarding one's abilities or their contributions to the sport can get easily lost.

To me, this sport is all about people and the relationships within it. I just don't have time for the head games. I do too much and get in over my head sometimes, but I would rather deal with that stress than the emotions that come with doing nothing.

Why do I do this blog -- other than attempt to positively promote the sport? Because I have fun with it and I have made so many wonderful friends through the sport and this medium -- and I will continue to make them.

One of the best pictures that I've seen recently on a club website is on that of the Central Mass Striders -- a club that Run The Woodlands 5K founder Don Drewniak was very, very active in before coming to Houston. The bottom line is: "How can you not get excited about a picture like that!"

If we all participated in the sport and maintained our relationships with people with the enthusiasm of a child, you wonder what we could all accomplish together!

Almost 8.6 on Tuesday Night!

Back to the grind.

I did more miles than I probably should have; however, I felt good, relaxed and I kept it steady and pretty slow. I thought that I was going to have an issue with the IT band in the first 2 miles, but I really think that some of the problem had to do with gait. Because as I concentrated on making sure my right foot strike was where were it needed to be to lessen the slight twinge from becoming a large one, things cleared up and I was able to put in 8.6 miles (8.578, to be exact).

The time was slow. 1:34:59 or a pace of 11:04/mile. If I'm doing a 10-mile race or a half marathon, this is not a time that I need to be running. Though for a full marathon - an 11-minute mile is a 4:48 (which I'll take every time out). (The route was here.)

I was giving things some thought as I ran from approximately 11:00 p.m. local time until 12:30 a.m. around the quiet Stanley Park. While I'm glad for my fellow Houston Running Bloggers RC members who are spinning off PR's as if they were 45's; however, I think that my thing is going to be "going long" more often.

That means I'm very comfortable being happy with doing more marathons. And my goal is to try to put myself in a position to be able to run a marathon consistently under 5 hours. I think that once I can get there, I should be able to trim some pounds with consistent weekly mileage in the 35-45 miles per week range and then find that one (1) marathon that I can work towards and try to get myself in the 4:30 or under range.

Things to think about and push towards! I hope each one of you have a major target that you're working for. I know for Jessica Alexander, for example, that while she is enjoying getting faster, the marathon is still that elusive target for her. And I'll go so far as to say this: Taking the 1:59 that she ran at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January and the improvements that she's made thus far, if she runs anywhere near a 1:50 at the Luke's Locker/Koala Health and Wellness Centers Half Marathon in late October, I think a Boston qualifying time isn't out of the realm of possibility for her.

Alright, it's late here --1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning! Good night!

Or Better Yet, They Can Keep a Blog!

Keeping a journal can help fit exercise into daily life
(c) Canadian Press, Lorrayne Anthony, May 13, 2006

(CP) - Al Charron had always worked out - after all, as part of the Canadian rugby team he had to be in shape. But after an injury, retirement and the arrival of a new baby, going to the gym didn't seem to fit into his daily activities.

"I didn't have to do any training. I wasn't going to be playing for Canada again ... the motivation wasn't there," Charron said from his home in Ottawa where he looks after his 19-month-old son and writes a column for the Rugby Canada website.

"I was in a bit of a rut."

But soon after he hit 300 pounds he heard that his wife and her girlfriend were going to keep a journal of everything they ate and every activity they did. He sniffed competition in the air, and that was enough for him to tell his wife that he'd do the same thing.

By keeping a diary of his activity levels and his eating habits, he managed to restart his fitness regime - and lose 25 pounds.

Fredericton-based life coach Susan Cantwell said that while it may seem surprising, many athletes run into fitness problems when they retire.

"When exercise is part of your job it becomes part of your life. When you stop competing (you) have to figure out how do I fit this in my everyday life," she said. "Keeping an exercise log and food log is a great way to show you where you are today and then setting out where you want to be in the future."

The journal shows you where you're going wrong. For example, everyone knows that eating late at night is not the best way to keep weight under control, but until you write it down you may not be aware of just how often you eat after 9:30 p.m.

Keeping a fitness journal also illuminates mini victories, Cantwell added. And those can be powerful motivators.

She recalled how one of her clients wanted to be active for 150 minutes per week. The first week of her log showed her that she managed to fit in five minutes of brisk walking every day. At the end of the week her 35 minutes of activity made her realize that it was only a matter of time before she would reach and then surpass her goal.

Keeping a journal helped Charron realize that lots of the things he did could count as activity, so he didn't feel too guilty about letting his club membership slide.

His knee injury that occurred a few months before the 2003 Rugby World Cup forced him to concentrate on exercises that didn't aggravate the condition - which was made worse by two more injuries to his knee after retirement. So he and his wife decided an elliptical machine in the home would be a good choice.

In addition to clocking time on the machine, Charron realized walking with his son, doing yard work, lifting weights and exercises such as sit-ups and push-ups were all activities he could do as part of life without rugby.

For Charron, the tiny element of competition with his wife and her pal got him started, and still helps him take things a little further every day.

"I play little mental mind games with myself, tell myself I'll do (the elliptical machine) for 30 minutes and then I'll go for 40 minutes."

While he found keeping a journal "a pain," he thinks it helped him in the long run.

Because he was recording everything he started changing his habits. He didn't want to write down that he ate a bag of chips or that he didn't go for a walk.

"It's too convenient to find all the little excuses," until you have to write it all down, he said.
Keeping a journal allows little goals to be celebrated, until they add up to something big.

"You don't have to do crazy amounts - run a marathon - to lose weight or get yourself in shape. You can do things slowly and gradually.

JoePa into College Football Hall of Fame

(There's always time to take a break in the running world to talk about Penn State football!)

Hall opens doors for Paterno, Bowden
By RALPH RUSSO AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- Since Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden failed to meet the qualifications for induction into the college football Hall of Fame, the folks who run the hall simply changed the rules.

Instead of requiring a coach be retired, the National Football Foundation decided to make any active coach over 75 eligible for induction.

With the red tape cut, the winningest coaches in Division I-A were elected Tuesday and can now be called Hall of Famers.

"I wasn't expecting it because I thought you had to die first - and I didn't want to volunteer for that," Bowden said during a conference call. "They might have changed the rules to get me and Joe in. But I'm very excited about it."

Paterno, who will turn 80 in December, has won 354 games and two national championships in 40 seasons as Penn State's head coach. No one has ever coached longer and won more games at one Division I-A school.

The 76-year-old Bowden leads major college football with 359 victories, 286 - and two national titles - since taking over at Florida State in 1976.

"I look forward to being in New York with my good friend Bobby Bowden and am delighted that we are going into the Hall of Fame together," Paterno said in a statement released by Penn State. "Hopefully, I deserve it."

Tinkering with the rules to admit Bowden and Paterno made complete sense to NFF president Steven Hatchell.

"Their legacies are intact," he said at a news conference.

Joining Paterno and Bowden are 13 players, including Heisman Trophy winners Mike Rozier of Nebraska and Florida State's Charlie Ward, who helped Bowden win his first national title in 1993.

"I think anytime a person is inducted into any kind of hall of fame, the people that are going in with him, surrounding him, is kind of a personal thing," Bowden said. "To be going in with Charlie is very good, I love that."

Florida's Emmitt Smith, who became the NFL's career rushing leader, and Virginia Tech's Bruce Smith, the NFL's all-time sacks leader, are both going into the college Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

The rest of the class is Colorado running back Bobby Anderson, Miami safety Bennie Blades, Minnesota defensive tackle Carl Eller, Washington defensive lineman Steve Emtman, Baylor safety Thomas Everett, Air Force defensive lineman Chad Hennings, Tennessee guard Chip Kell, Purdue quarterback Mike Phipps and Stanford linebacker Jeff Siemon.

They will be inducted in New York in December and enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in the summer of 2007.

Paterno took over at Penn State in 1966 after 16 years as an assistant with the Nittany Lions. The kid from Brooklyn with the thick black-framed glasses and high-water pant cuffs went on to build one of the country's most successful programs.

He won national titles in '82 and '86, and led his teams to five undefeated seasons. His program fell on hard times with four losing seasons from 2000-04, but he orchestrated a remarkable turnaround last year.

Penn State won the Big Ten for the second time and finished 11-1 and ranked No. 3 in the nation. Paterno won AP coach of the year, and the Nittany Lions completed their revival with a triple-overtime victory over Bowden and Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

Bowden began his head coaching career at Samford in 1959 and took over at West Virginia in 1970 before moving on to Florida State.

Before he arrived in Tallahassee, the Seminoles had won four games in the previous three seasons. He turned them into a powerhouse by never shying away from the best teams, even if it meant playing on them road.

Bowden led the Seminoles to national titles in '93 and '99, during an unprecedented streak of 14 consecutive seasons finishing in The Associated Press top five.

Ward might have been his best player. An elusive runner and accurate passer, he won the Heisman in '93. A two-sport star, Ward was a first-round draft pick by the New York Knicks and played 11 seasons in the NBA.

Ward, who attended the news conference with fellow inductees Bruce Smith and Hennings, said Bowden taught him about leadership.

"It's all about knowing who you are and what you do and getting people your trust around you," said Ward, now working in player development with the Houston Rockets.

Rozier became the second player to run for more than 2,000 yards when he won the Heisman in 1983 and ran for 2,148 yards.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Eight Finish 2nd Race in HEB Texas 10K Challenge

With the Jackrabbit Run 4 Hope 10K in Copperas Cove being run on Saturday, May 13th, eight (8) runners -- five men and three women -- have done the first two (2) races of the HEB Texas 10K Challenge.

The Bayou City Classic 10K in Houston on Saturday, March 11th was the first race in the Challenge.

They are as follows (ranked by cumulative time):

1.) Dave Magness, 26, Houston -- 43:57.1 (BCC), 45:18.0 (JR4H)
2.) Suzanne Riley, 27, Richards -- 49:44.1 (BCC), 52:40.4 (JR4H)
3.) Jessica Alexander, 25, Houston -- 51:17.0 (BCC), 50:58.5 (JR4H)
4.) Skipper Nethery, 57, Huntsville -- 1:09:06.3 (BCC), 1:11:41.0 (JR4H)
5.) James Codd, 54, Houston -- 1:16:25.1 (BCC), 1:05:31.2 (JR4H)
6.) Grace Codd, 55, Houston -- 1:16:26.1 (BCC), 1:05:31.1 (JR4H)
7.) Richard Kerr, 70, Houston -- 1:32:48.1 (BCC), 1:31:03.9 (JR4H)
8.) Randy Wallace, Jr., 22, Magnolia -- 1:35:01.1 (BCC), 1:39:12.5 (JR4H)

Congratulations to all eight (8) runners. The next race in the Series is the Dublin Dr. Pepper 10K in Dublin, Texas on Saturday, June 10th.

Surprised and Stubborn

My daughter, Waverly, surprised me and, of course, it doesn't bother me one bit!

She ran Run The Woodlands 5K #153 today in 37:39 without running much at all since she did it three (3) weeks ago. She ran it then in 37:26 - still not far off of her 35:57 PR!

If she can run through the summer time, she can probably be close to PR again at the Bearkat Bash 5K and maybe take it down further if she wants to do the half marathon again in January.

Now the stubborn part -- me! I went out at about 4:30 p.m. (yes, in the heat) and brisk-walked another 4.1 miles. I took my first anti-inflammatory this morning and now I understand why the doctor asked if I had a strong stomach. Its been upset all day. Maybe it will cause me to eat less.

I covered the distance today in 1:04:33. I got to the one hour mark not sure how far I was from the house, but I decided that I'd run a minute, walk a minute the rest of the way in -- to give the IT band a little bit of a dry run.

The second minute that I ran I just tried to generate enough foot turnover to get almost 180 footstrikes and then in the last 33 seconds, I had either 97 or 98. I remember one time when I bought a pair of shoes at Luke's and was working with Stan Timmer and he mentioned about trying to get in the 160-170 range on a consistent basis. I could see that it would take some work to maintain this, but it might be something to give a little bit more of a try periodically to see if it yields any benefits.

So, I ran 2 minutes and 33 seconds without any issues. I may get one more good walk in the heat tomorrow afternoon before I head back to Vancouver (as my goal this past week was to attempt to acclimate to the heat) and then start to run again.

Paint Me Safely Stubborn :)

I was going crazy. So I went out and walked 4.1 miles, taking it very, very easy.

It was so slow (yeah, I timed it ... force of habit) that it was 1:15:22, but I feel better.

Tomorrow morning, Rick Cook, Dave Smart, Waverly and I will handle the race responsibilities for Run The Woodlands 5K #153. Waverly is actually going to run it. Perhaps I'll head out and join her, as always, for the last bit coming in. (She hasn't been doing a lot so I'll be surprised if she cracks 38 minutes. We'll see. I hope she surprises me!)

One of the Luke's Locker Beat coaches that will be in attendance will be Kimberly Schultz-Hager. Kim, who holds the women's course record and was the 2004 winner of the Astros Race for the Pennant 5K, is a pro triathlete who qualified for the Woman's Olympic Marathon Trials and competed in the Trials in St. Louis in April 2004.

In her pro debut in November 2004 – the Mexico Half Ironman – Kim, who competes for the Timex Multisport team, came in 2nd Overall Female, also producing the fastest female run split time.

"What's In A Name?" On Newsstands Now!

If you're not a regular subscriber to Runner Triathlete News, you'll have to go to Barnes & Noble or your local running specialty store to get May's edition that includes my column, "Talking The Talk". The column focuses on "assumed names" or "pseudonyms" in road racing.

Why haven't you seen a huge dissection of Boston Marathon results here on this blog? My recap of the five state region's top performances will appear in the June edition of RTN.

As always, if there are people or subjects that you'd enjoy seeing profiled or discussed, please don't hesitate to let me or my editor, Lance Phegley, know. My e-mail address is walksports(at)aol.com and Lance's is lance(at)runningmags.com.

Tie One On For Charity 5K Race Report

As I walking with Waverly from the truck to take in the Houston Young Lawyers Association's Tie One On For Charity 5K downtown last night, I came up upon a woman who was positively commenting about the recent cool temperatures.

She introduced herself as Rosa Herst, a longtime member of HARRA and the Houston Masters Sports Assocation, and that it was her 23rd year to do this event. I indicated that I had done it the last two years, but couldn't because of my knee.

Rosa had indicated that it was sort of a tradition for her. (23 years might be indicative of a pretty bad - yet healthy - habit!) For some competitive runners - even though it is one of the few evening 5K's in town all year (if not the only one) - it may be a tradition that they pass on in the future.

This event went from one that was chip-timed (and may have had age group awards) to one that only recorded the times of the winners. Why? Because they were the only ones that got awards.

For the recreational runner, however, it was a dream as there were almost as many door prizes as there were jilted Enron investors or boyfriends of Lindsay Lohan.

4th place finisher Lance Collins said that overall winner Drew Prisner went off like "he was being chased by a pack of pit bulls". Prisner, a commercial law lawyer with Shannon, Martin, Finkelstein & Alvarado, P.C. and the 2002 Houston Marathon winner, blitzed the competition with a winning time of 16:02. (Here is a link to a picture from Prisner's 2002 run.)

Collins, who is returning from an extended 30-day bout of bursitis in his hip, finished fourth overall in 18:50 - a minute faster than his last 5K a few short weeks ago. Leno Rios was 3rd.

Sugar Land teen Ryan DiMarco cracked the 20-minute mark (as did area teen Sara Collazos) while Ryan's father, John, came in at approximately 22:20 -- just off of his PR setting time of 22-flat last Saturday. (Actually, Sara's dad, German, came in in between Sara and John.) Maybe a Father's Day Challenge is in order!

Even though I couldn't run it, it was a productive evening spent with good friends, including the DiMarcos, Lance and one of his training partners, Steve Schroeder as well as Becky Spaulding, who is a Bayou City Road Runners member that was a Power In Motion Fall 2004 participant. (Becky's times, she reported, as edging back down and she was pretty happy with the way that she's been running lately she said. She reported that she finished in the 30-minute window last night.)

And finally, as we save the absolute best for last, runners reported that they were treated to a well-known race spectator -- and fellow runner. Stepping away from the desk in preparation for the evening news at KHOU Channel 11 was Al Lawrence Running Club member Lisa Foronda, who reportedly posted a new 5K time at the Feliz!Now Cinco de Mayo 5K last Saturday.

While fellow ALRC member Erin Foley won the 30-39 age group in 22:01.3, Foronda cracked the 24-minute mark for the first time ever and finished 4th in 23:50.6.

You have to wonder if Foronda is getting faster as she has to repeatedly dodge Giff Nielsen's footballs and golf swings in the studio! At least she never had to work with Dan Patrick.

And The Official Diagnosis Is ....

... not as surprising as Chris Daughtry being voted off of "American Idol" this week.

If I could pick an injury in the knee area, I guess that I'd rather have an IT Band problem as opposed to a meniscal tear. And as Dr. Kant at KSF Orthopedic pointed out this morning, if it were a tear, I would have known about it.

They took three (3) X-rays of the right knee and he said that, other than a little bit of arthritis at the top of the knee, it looked very strong.

He asked me if I had a strong stomach. (I should have asked him to look as if I've missed a meal lately.) I said, "I did" and he prescribed a month's worth of Voltaren - an anti-inflammatory - to take twice a day. They recommended to ease back into some activity perhaps as early as Monday - including some of my old routine of the elliptical trainer and stationery bike - and come back in thirty (30) days if things didn't get any better.

So I guess it is "take a little down time", celebrate the successes of the past spring season (a marathon and half marathon PR!) and make sure that I can continue to doing what I love for another day.

A Joe Breda moment, but better!

In the ongoing world of timing chip management, this year we heard about the stories of thousands of runners not getting a start offset time at the Freescale Austin Marathon and the wet weather affecting the electrical parts of the timing system a week later at the Cowtown Marathon.

If you'll remember, our fellow "I Hate Running" blogger Joe Breda was a minute away from starting the Houstonian Lite 30K in Sugar Land last December when he was spotted by yours truly, Jen Kim and Holden Choi without his timing chip on his shoe. (Luckily, Joe hustled back to the chip area, got it on his shoe and finished the 30k on his way the following month to a marathon finish.)

From our friend with Luke's Locker's Beat training programs, Bill Dwyer, he reported that during last month's Big Sur International Marathon in California veteran Sugar Land Team In Training (TNT) coach John Mendez ran the entire marathon and didn't receive a chip time because he forgot his timing chip.

Bill pointed out that "this probably happened because he was too busy keeping track of an engagment ring".

His time? 5:17:00. Which was the same as Joann Van Buren's.

Coincidence? Probably not. John proposed out on the course and Joann said "Yes!"

The big question "Houston Running" has is which TNT event the two will get married at ... if they choose to play out veteran marathoner and ultramarathoner Ken Ashby's marriage to Dallas area veteran speedster Linda Kelly on the course of Dallas' White Rock Marathon last December.

Orthopaedic Appointment Friday

Well, I'm not taking any chances. I'm going in to see the orthopaedic doctor on Friday morning.

There are times where I can walk with without any pain or tightness and there are other times where things are bit of a challenge. I can lay on my left side, bend my knee and then flex the leg up and down and can specifically dial in on where there is something going on.

We'll see what goes on from here. Not going to put this off as it gets into a situation where it affects my ability at times to walk properly let alone run.

Officially on the Injured Reserve

It looks as if Rick Cook and Dave Smart will get another volunteer on Saturday morning at Run The Woodlands 5K #153. Everything I've read tonight points to the fact that I've developed an IT Band injury in my right leg. Its come from a number of things and is certainly self-inflicted. I've made a few mistakes here recently and now I'm paying for them.

I tried to eke out a couple of miles with Waverly at Memorial Park this evening; however, things just got to be too painful and by the time we had stopped to get something to eat at Jason's Deli (and before a trip to Barnes and Noble), I was having problems walking.

It was good to see Megan Clark-Dillingham on the trails after she ran her first 5K two Sundays ago at the Stepping Stones 5K/10K after having delivered her and her husband, Gavin's first child, Molly, late last year. She was running with former Houston Striders president Sandy Wollangk.

Before the mile 2 mark, after Waverly and I had been walking (since my right knee hurt and she hadn't run in awhile), we also said "Hi!" and waved at Lee Greb and fellow Strider/Houston Running Bloggers Jessica Alexander and Bill Cox. (Bill, when you saw me, I wasn't looking good! You lied!)

After Waverly got some water near the mile 2 mark, we stopped to talk to John DiMarco and his son, Ryan. I congratulated him on his PR that ALRC/HRBer Erin Foley helped pace him to. He was telling me when he found out what the winning time was for the women last Saturday (and knowing what Erin's PR was) that he apologized to her but I told him based on what I knew that she was happy to help him (which he also confirmed).

While we were standing there talking, Sean Wade waved (as he sped by), said Hi! and I was sharing with John how Sean had done this past weekend and the fact that he had won the Masters also at the Carlsbad 5000 and the Crescent City Classic 10K. John told me that he and Barry Chambers were over there in New Orleans as well. He said that he and Barry were close to each other around mile 3 (I don't remember if Barry caught up to him or vice versa) and that they realized that they were running in the vicinity with Bill Rodgers.

John, who finished in 49:20, said that he let Barry (47:54 at age 61) go so that he could run with Rodgers (47:24 at age 50).

Other than all of that, I had an excellent meeting at Memorial Park this evening from about 6:00 to 7:15 p.m. More on that next week!

Little Over 6 Warm Miles in Meyer Park

They're miles. 6.11 ugly miles, but still they were miles that I was running (minus 2 minutes). In 88 degrees weather no less. (85 degrees when I left the park.) Yes, I've survived to tell about it, but I didn't say that I necessarily liked it or that I did terribly well in it.

The last two days (Sunday and Monday) were failures as far as getting out there and getting something on the books and it will make it a little bit of a challenge to meet my mileage goal for the week; however, I have until Saturday night. In Duncan Larkin-style, there shouldn't be any excuses for not doing so if I want to call myself a runner, but being honest to my audience is important and they were 1.) sleeping in on Sunday morning and travelling back from Fort Worth and 2.) the depression that I deal with occasionally that is debilitating (more on that later).

Rising out of the abyss that it can be, I left the house at about 6:45 p.m. and headed for Meyer Park (near Cypresswood and Stuebner-Airline). I hate running loops, but I didn't feel like running in the neighborhood because I only have a 2.1-mile and a 4.1-mile loop (and I didn't want to do those multiple times either).

Each loop on the north side of Meyer Park is 1 1/3 miles. There is a 7/8-mile loop on the interior that shares some of the north side of the loop.

Lance Collins suggested in a comment about leaving the watch at home. But at times of my choosing, I can be incredibly stubborn. Therefore, here is the ugly report. But mind you, I still got the miles in!

Loop 1 -- 10:24.41 (mile), 3:51.94 (1/3 mile)
Loop 2 -- 10:51.11 (mile), *14:11.66 (1/3 mile plus 7/8 mile loop)
7/8 mile loop -- 14:29.81 (I walked this in between)
Loop 3 -- 11:03.34 (mile), 3:51.33 (1/3 mile)
Loop 4 -- 11:03.86 (mile), 3:48.62 (1/3 mile)

*I forgot to hit the lap button as I was going to walk the shorter loop but after 2 minutes, I just ran it.

So, Lance, I'll compromise and I won't calculate the pace per mile (but maybe after I better acclimatize to the heat maybe we'll be able to see some improvement).

Unless a little bit of the cool evening air that Dr. Neil Frank talked about at 5 p.m. this evening on Channel 11 appears, I probably will scratch the Tie One On For Charity 5K Thursday night downtown; however, we'll see! (But I'm still running Run The Woodlands 5K on Saturday as well as helping out Rick Cook and Dave Smart who will be volunteering at the race.)

Brooks Beast (B7, not a model just the 7th pair) mileage: 46 miles.

Awhile back, one of our fellow bloggers asked about how depression affected training and my response (in private until now) was this (and yes, the young eyes that reads this knows about what you'll read below):

Personally speaking, I believe it just shuts it (training) down. For me, it seems like it makes it doubly harder to put the running shoes on and to go out there and do an act that you KNOW is going to make you feel better.

However, when life is really rough and you are depressed (and I've never been clinically diagnosed with it), you tell yourself, "Yeah, I know that, but it isn't going to cure everything that I'm dealing with." Almost a self-defeating cycle.

As I mentioned before, for a long time, I never mentioned my wife in my blog because we had talked about ending things. The stresses, the loneliness and for me, the travel with my job, all play with the emotional desire to get out there and do an activity that we enjoy. Lots of the marital stress is gone, but the loneliness and travel factors into my mental state and it often times takes a lot of mental energy just to maintain an even keel to perform at work (to support a family, which includes an incredible daughter!)

There are a lot of times that I motivate myself to run based on fear - 1.) fear that I'll lose what I've gained (and not necessarily the fear of not hitting a certain time), 2.) fear that I'll put the weight back on that I lost and 3.) the fear that I would lose the respect of runners who follow my blog because I didn't run enough - even though my blog serves so many more purposes than just that.

Some of this was on my mind this evening as I ran and I felt compelled to share. I don't think it negatively affected my running though. (I think laying off for two days did!) And I don't share it to get a wave of e-mails, etc. and so on; however, maybe there are others that deal with the same issue(s).

There it is. The good, the bad and the ugly.

In the meantime, I have a June Runner Triathlete News (RTN) article due, some private and parochial high school football profiles to get done for Dave Campbell's Texas Football, the regular work stuff and I'm working on something awesome that I'm hoping that I can announce next week sometime.

Wade wins again; Chronicle misses opportunity

Congratulations to Houston's Sean Wade for winning the Masters division of the 30th annual Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K on Sunday in Spokane, Washington. The 40-year-old covered the 7.46-mile course in 37:45 which featured an impressive array of international talent.

Kenya's Gilbert Okari won again (in the sense that he won the Crescent City Classic and the Vancouver Sun Run 10K earlier) in a time of 34:14. Freescale Austin Marathon winner Mindi Pukstas of Lithuania was 11th overall in 36:07 while John Itati, one of the lead runners that Wade paced in the first half of the Chevron Houston Marathon, was 22nd in 37:29.

While coming in 25th overall, Wade easily outdistanced the remainder of the Masters field. Alan Newton (Boise, ID; 38:12), Sam Ngatia (Colorado Springs; 38:41), Dennis Simonaitis (Draper, UT; 38:50) and Danny Gonzalez (Lake Oswego, OR; 39:25) rounded out the top five in the men's Masters division.

Wade said on his blog Sunday evening (link above) that he was "in control throughout the race" and that he "could have run faster if needed."

To see Sean's finishing picture, click here.

Meanwhile, our hometown newspaper's attempt at covering running failed once again.

The three-paragraph blurb about the high school cross country coach that won the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati on Sunday in record time was once again nice (better than there being nothing there at all); however, those individuals that put together the "On Two" section can do better than sitting on wire copy that comes through.

We have one of the best Masters runners in the world and unless you know that 1.) Sean has a blog or 2.) you come here, you'd never know it.

That's a shame. We should be promoting and publicizing our own -- especially when they are successful.

Notes: There were apparently at least 25 Texans that completed the event, including HARRA members David Chester (Houston Harriers) and Martin Stupel (Houston Striders) who finished in 57:28 and 1:06:31, respectively.