Lazy Day

Andrew and I went to the state park yesterday to run. We had not heard that anyone else was coming, so we waited until about 5:58 and then went in. We did see Josh, but I think he took the usual route. Andrew and I decided to vary it a bit and went up to Amy's Crossing, then took a left, then another left to go down the shortcut and back up the same trail to the car. Because I wanted to get an hour workout in, we passed the car and walked and ran a ways down to the picnic area before turning around and making our way back. Overall it was a lazy kind of run.

South Texas

We never made it to Goliad State Park to go running. However, Friday my mom and I went bike riding about 6.2 miles, Saturday Andrew and I went running down the road and back, and Sunday morning I worked out on the elliptical for an hour. Then when we got back out to Huntsville (still Sunday) I worked out on my own exercise bike another hour.

The wedding was Saturday and was so much fun. I saw a handful of people I had graduated with, some former teachers of mine, and of course my friend who was the bride. It was a large wedding (maybe 400 or so...?). The ceremony started a little after 3 and we left the reception at around 10:20 that night. We participated in the grand march which was fun and dancing in general. Andrew had a good laugh when I screwed up.

While home I also went shopping in Victoria, visited my grandparents, and rode my parents' four wheeler.

Oh, and Andrew and I both have bikes now along with a bike rack for taking them with us if we want. My parents both got nice, new, custom bikes and passed down their old ones to us. Their old bikes are fine with me though, especially since I do not have a few hundred lying around to purchase a new bike anyway. I figure they will be great to ride around town and for us to do a little cross training.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Renegade Route

Yesterday John, Hans, Ken, Amy, Josh, and I ran what I have decided to call the renegade route at the park since I am not sure it has a name other than the 4 or 5 mile route. Andrew opted out of coming due to a headache.

The trail was pretty as usual, the temperature was surprisingly cool (due to the rain), and it was almost unbearably humid (once again due to the rain). Despite that I persevered and managed to run the first part to the road without any walking breaks. I even picked up my pace at a few spots after the road and kept up with Hans and John more. I'm still taking the shortcut before Amy's Crossing, but maybe I'll add in that extra tenth soon...maybe. Also, the wildlife was especially fond of Hans. Two armadillos at two different locations and a few deer all decided to startle him on the trail past Amy's Crossing and the bench.

I continue to carry my ipod with me when I run the trails, but I can't remember when was the last time I used it. It's more like a blankie I guess- there for security. I am working on not needing it at all so that if/when I enter a race I can do without. Plus, I feel like I focus a little more on what I am doing which is great since the terrain is rough and the wildlife is so friendly.

However, listening to the ipod has been great for running on the track at the HKC. Then it's almost like a treat- music, air conditioning, flatness, the appearance I am doing more than I am since it is only 200 meters for a lap...yep, it's like ice cream, lol. The trail runs are more like a sandwich- necessary, more to them...(note to self: blogging when hungry is bad, bad, bad...).

In other news, I'll be going home for a wedding this weekend. We might run at the state park there or around my parent's property. I'll type more on all that later.

Church of the Whispering Pines

So the "sermon" yesterday ended up being 5.9 miles long. I made it through the whole thing, alternating between running and walking. Hans, Philip, John, Marisa, and I ran the 5.9 route while Andrew and Chris added onto the route at two different points.

Because Andrew split off with Chris, he missed out on the closed trail experience. :-P Not only were we watching for roots as usual but there was the added pleasantry of brushing between plants that intruded onto the trail and the ups and downs of running in what I guess could best be termed a gully or ditch. It definitely served to keep my mind off of how long I was running or how much effort I was exerting. We eventually got back onto open trails after about a mile or so.

This was also my first time walking on the dam. It was really pretty and very hot without the shade from the trees. Andrew jogged across because as pale as he is he could already feel himself burning. I thought I would take the chance to rest and look around since I don't burn quite so easily.

Hans and I tried to take the "shortcut" to get off the dam (a dirt path that was less steep than going down the concrete) but we had to wade through an inch of water to get back on the beaten path. The other runners who had already crossed tried to tell us to go back (the water looked deeper from their vantage point) but we went across anyway.

I have moved the Garmin forerunner 205 (or something similar) to my running related wish list. For a while I have wanted a heart rate monitor (nothing too fancy really). However, I like the idea of accurately tracking my distance and seeing the route on the screen in addition to tracking my heart rate. And since apparently it is possible to get one for under 2o0 (watch with the heart rate monitor strap) it might not be so far off a wish as I originally thought. In fact, maybe I will be able to get one this semster, lol.

I'm thinking today I might run a light mile or two at one of the tracks or around the neighborhood. I don't want to do too much after yesterday but there's no way I'll have time to run tomorrow.

Crazy Weekend

Today was a loony day and not because of running. In fact, we did not run today or yesterday since tomorrow's Church of the Whispering Pines "sermon" will be a lengthy one (6 or 7 miles worth), and we figured it wouldn't hurt to rest up a little. No, today was loony because of cell phones. To make a long story short, Andrew and I are now with verizon instead of cingular/at&t and have spiffy new phones.

We also went to eat at Giovanni's which only perpetuated the craziness. They were super busy and as a result Andrew got his fettuchini without the chicken (they brought out the chicken a little later) and supposedly someone else got my baked ziti which is why took a little while and so on...but the food was still good and honestly I was just glad to be eating Italian. It was also nice to see them busy since we would like the place to stick around for a while. Our waiter was great about everything, and when I had commented on not having ricotta cheese on my meal they brought out extra.

Oh, and we went to see The Dark Knight at the drive in theater in Tomball with Becky and Brandon Friday night. It was a lot of fun...although i still can't believe parents brought their under the age of 5 years old children to it (the movie did not start until 9pm, was about 2 hours long, and was far too creepy for that age)!

The End of a Two Day Streak

We did the usual 4 or 4.5 mile route at the park. Tonight it was just me, Andrew, Chris, Hans, and John. I plan to rest the next few days since we are running a longer run on Sunday morning.

The Usual...As Usual

Andrew and I ran the usual 4 or 4.5 mile run at the park today. Hans, Ken, Amy, and Jon also ran. Katie came out again but only had time to run to the road before she had to get going. It was a good run overall.

I Can Do This!

Katie and I went running on the HKC's indoor track today. The plan had originally been to run at Pritchett, or if it was too muddy to run one of the 5k courses, but the rain forced us indoors. I'm not sure exactly what Katie's workout consisted of (she varied it from mine) but I basically ran 3 miles with walking breaks in between. Below is a break down of my workout.

400 meter warm up walk
1 mile: ran between my relaxed and my pushing it pace (time: 10:58)
400 meter walk
1 mile: relaxed run 400 meters, pushing it for 400 meters, repeat (time: 11:09)
400 meter walk
1 mile: relaxed run 200 meters, push it for 200 meters, repeat (time: 11:19)
400 meter cool down walk

I seemed to be running a pretty consistent mile time for each. I'm hoping that eventually I can repeat this workout and see an improvement. At any rate, it's a decent start.

I told Andrew earlier how amazing it is to be able to say I ran three miles...and not only that, but also not be falling down exhausted. I can do it. My body knows I can do it-but my mind...it's still working on understanding this. I guess I just need to reflect on Adrienne's blog title thing a bit more, lol. The thing about running being a mind game is so true. I find that once I get going it's not so bad and it's even better if I can just forget what my legs are doing except for the occasional posture check. I'm excited about getting to the point where I can run faster and longer. I can do this!

Marisa's Course

The weekend was fun but busy. We went out of town for a wedding in Houston and ended up staying with Andrew's family an extra night. Saturday evening we went to Kemah to walk on the boardwalk with some friends who had also been at the wedding. It's crazy how much is out there and the number of people walking around. Parking was horrible. We parked in the overflow parking and enjoyed a nice extra bit of walking rather than stalking people to their cars in hopes of them leaving, paying 6 bucks for a closer spot, or pulling our hair out in frustration.

As a result though, we didn't make it back in time for the usual morning run. But we still ran that evening. In fact, we decided to try out the course known as Marisa's course on the Seven Hills website. Before that we had only run the 4 mile route and out to Amy's crossing and back at the state park so it was great to check out a different trail.

It was pretty running on the part that is alongside the lake, and I could see why they did not want bikers on that trail. There were so many long and short bridges set up and some of them with quite steep inclines. I actually did not see any wildlife, just two guys fishing. Andrew was momentarily startled by something rustling very close to him and as a result startled me running about 10 or more feet behind him.

Oh, and I ran the whole course, no walking breaks. It took me about 47.63 according to my timer on my watch. Not too bad I guess considering it was outside and it was over 3 miles. Andrew says it is a 3.5 mile course. That's another goal down at any rate. :-)

We also ran (or "swam") this past Thursday the usual 4 mile route.

Trail Run...or "Swim"

We ran Monday and today at the park. However, today felt more like swimming than running. The temperature wasn't bad...just the humidity. It felt so good to take a shower after that.

Also, my friend Katie joined the usual group of us on today's run. She did well for her first time out, keeping between me and Ken the whole way. An armadillo even walked out onto the outskirts of the trail to say hi, but neither of us saw it until we were almost past it. It makes the run that much more entertaining when random wildlife (snakes and hogs not included) appear.

In other news, summer 2 is off to a good start. And on that note, back to studying...or at least attempting to. :-P

Who Needs R&R?

Yesterday was a busy day. Not only did we run 2 miles (prior route backwards) but I also went shopping in San Marcos with Andrew's mom and aunt. That was crazy...it seemed like everyone else had had the same idea. One of the shopping outlets was so packed we had to park behind the center. It reminded me of trying to park on campus just before class starts...and made me appreciate again living close enough to walk to class. I would not be surprised if there was at least one fender bender in that lot yesterday. I'd much rather walk a little farther than drive around for 30 minutes stalking people walking to their car.

The day ended with some swimming and another walk. The swimming consisted of me sitting in the hot tub watching Andrew and his brothers splash, attack, and just goof off in the pool. I tried to stay out of the war zone. :-P Meanwhile Shiloh (their small dog) kept running around the pool licking water off of anyone within reach.

Then this morning we went for a walk through the neighborhood and onto the nature trail. Andrew and I woke up later than planned (8 instead of 7:40) and so had to catch up to everyone else. The nature trail consisted of a paved walk in a figure eight formation through the brush. No roots and few hills. We did see a deer though.

While we have gotten some rest and relaxation, it's been more of a break from attending class than anything else...and a break from Huntsville. Not that I don't like Huntsville-but it's nice to get away. Yay for breaks!

Oh! And I ran the two miles in about 24 minutes. Hills and all.

Visiting Family and Running

This morning was great. I woke up, put on my running gear, grabbed an apple for breakfast, and went for a two mile run with Andrew in a very hilly and pretty neighborhood in San Antonio. It took us a little under 30 minutes, and then we came back for some muffins Andrew's aunt had made (blueberry, yum). We saw countless walkers and dog walkers along with the occasional runner.

As usual Andrew left me in the dust which was fine with me. Also, I walked none of the route, yay! Who knows, maybe I will be running 3 miles straight soon despite hills.

Happy July 4th everyone!

The Usual

We went running at the state park again today and overall it was a pleasant run. No wildlife sightings other than ourselves. :-P

In other news, summer 1 session is over and the summer 2 session starts on Tuesday.

That's it-now, time for some sleep...