Summer Solstice Sweat

Days Since Last Run Below 80°F: 17
Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 33 (May 21, a pretty nice Spring this year)


36¼ miles for the week of June 14th through June 21st

M – sleep, 82°F at 4AM
Tu - sleep, 83°F at 4AM
W – 5¼ miles, average pace 7:49 mpm (143 bpm), 83°F at 4AM [Dow/Ol]
Th – 4¾ miles, average pace 7:37 mpm (142 bpm), 83°F at 4AM [Dow]
F - 7 miles, overall average pace 8:28 (141 bpm), 87°F at 6PM [SeaC/SSTrail/SeaC]
Sa – 7¾ miles, average pace 8:07 (143 bpm), 89°F at 11AM [SeaC/SSTrail-BR/SeaC]
Su – 11½ miles, average pace of 8:29 mpm, sunny and warm - crashed coming home, 90°F at 11AM [SeaC/SSTrail-BR-MacL-@M-BR-SSTrail)/SeaC]

I really don't like running in the heat.



Celebrating the Summer solstice at local noon, latitude 29 degrees North.

Summer Is Here

Days Since Last Run Below 80°F: 10
Days Since Last Run Below 70°F: 26 (May 21, a pretty nice Spring this year)


39¼ miles for the week of June 7th through June 13th

M – sleep, 81°F at 4AM
Tu – 4¾ miles, average pace 7:08 mpm (155 bpm), 82°F at 4AM [Dow]
W PM – 4¼ miles, 6x400/200, average pace 7:36 mpm (154 bpm), 400s in 83, 82, 86, 86, 88, and 88 (first time on the track since March 25th), 85°F at 7PM [B’Wood]
Th – 4¾ miles, recovery run, average pace 8:30 mpm (129 bpm), 83°F at 4AM [Dow]
F - 8 miles, overall average pace 8:19 (145 bpm), 87°F at 10AM [SeaC/SSTrail-BR-MBT/SeaC]
Sa – 7½ miles, average pace 9:21 (129 bpm), 88°F at Noon after working all night for another pump test [SeaC/SSTrail-MBT/SeaC]
Su – 10 miles, average pace of 8:22 mpm (132 bpm), sunny and warm - embrace the slow, 87°F at 10AM [SeaC/SSTrail-MBTrail - 2M-MBTrail)/SeaC]

Some pretty slow runs this week with Summer coming on strong.

Trying to Come Back Again

My left knee is still causing problems, but I was able to squeak through the Heights 5K this morning. I've never run this race before, but it's a good one. The course is a simple run down one side of tree-lined Heights Boulevard and then return up the other side. Hobby Airport had a decent 76°F, with a dry 65°F dewpoint (nice and dry for a June race) at 7:53 AM.

Shortly after crossing the finish line, both of my calf muscles cramped. After a 5K! I need to start some tempo runs and intervals.

I know it's crazy to drive over 100 miles for a twenty minute race, but I get stale if I just run week after week without racing. I'm always inspired just talking to other runners. Nearly all my Houston running friends were there and I even got to meet some new people.

My little old Queen Anne Cottage in Glen Rose looks like a hovel compared to the grand Victorian mansions in The Heights.



The crushed granite trail down the median of Heights Boulevard.

At Least the New Pump Is Running Well

I was at the power plant most of the day Friday and into Saturday morning getting my new million dollar pump in service. I slept right through Saturday morning's Freeport 5K. It was probably just as well that I did, because my knee was still bothering me when I ran a few miles Saturday afternoon. On Sunday I decided to dump the cautious approach and run fairly hard and fast. I felt great for the first six and a half miles, but in the last mile the left knee started bothering me again. I had to work Monday night to support testing a steam turbine driven pump, so I skipped running until now. I'm thinking about testing the knee again Thursday morning. We'll see.

I stumbled across this Boston Marathon race report from a sub-elite runner (courtesy of GB). I thought it was interesting to hear a Boston story from the elite runner perspective.

Running Boston Vicariously

I couldn't go to Boston this year, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the race. My coworkers surrounding my cubicle already know I'm crazy, but I'm sure that impression was confirmed while I cheered for Kara, Ryan, and the locals Monday morning. Here are some highlights I've stumbled across.

Kara making the turn from Hereford onto Boylston at the fire station.

The three women race down Boylston Street



Ryan Hall heading up Hereford


Hall taking third place. (from Ryan's Boston blog)


Ryan throwing the first pitch at Fenway.


Elite fluids staged near the 30K point (from KG's 30K/20M pictures)




The Boston Globe has many great pictures
Merga Breaks the Tape


Tune collapses after being edged out at the finish line


40 year old Coleen DeReuck pushed the pace early


Jim Rhodes has volumes of pictures from 1 mile, 30K, and 20 miles.

And of course, here are some of my old Boston pictures.

Down Hard

I've taken workdays off the last couple of weeks hoping to resolve the problem with my left knee. But the knee felt even worse last Sunday, so I'm in an eleven day period of complete rest. I missed a local 5K Saturday, but I'm looking forward to the 5K coming up in Freeport. I won't run again until Friday, so it won't be much of a race.

This was supposed to be my year to run the Boston Marathon. There's no Spring refueling outage at the power plant so I thought I could get vacation in April. But we're installing a new million dollar pump this week so no vacation allowed for me. I guess it's just as well. I'd really be miserable running Boston on this knee.



Ready to put the new pump into the building


My knee feels pretty good now. I feel like like I'm in taper, I have so much energy built up. I want to go out and blast a 10-miler. But this week is still recovery and installing the new pump.

One Step Forward, Four Steps Back

Last week I ran a decent 8K race following a pretty good training week. I ran my fastest Tuesday Morning Tempo of the year and a decent set of 800s Wednesday evening, despite warm temperatures, near Summer dewpoints, and a strong Gulf breeze. I followed Saturday's 8K race with a near-effortless 15-miler Sunday, averaging 7:16 pace with my heart rate at only 139 bpm. But during that run I hit a couple of fire ant mounds that stressed my left knee. About an hour later, my left leg was sore from the thigh to the calf and my knee was screaming with pain whenever I tried to straighten it or fully bend it.

The knee continued to hurt the next morning just walking. I took Monday off. The knee still hurt walking Tuesday. No run Tuesday. My left knee hurt when it was fully bent Wednesday; no run Wednesday. Thursday was better, but I didn't want to stress it.

I was able to run a very easy 7½ miler Friday on one of those days so beautiful you just have to run. Disregarding any common sense, I drove up to Bellaire Saturday morning to run the Trolley 5K. I figured my chances of finishing were about 50-50. I ran the first mile in 5:36; the knee held up but I didn't. I ended up slightly over 6 minute per mile pace. At least my knee didn't bother me during the race. But it did flair up a little during the cooldown.

Having to deal with this knee is incredibly frustrating. Over the years I've been told over again and over again by non-runners that I'm ruining my knees. But I'd always countered that I'd been running since 9th Grade and my knees are just as good now as they were in 1973. I can't say that anymore. I'm worried I might do something that will permanently sideline me. If I had a choice, I'd rather continue running another twenty years but never race again than run a sub-2:50 marathon and burn out. For running, I don't think it's better to burn out than to fade away.



The highlight at Bellaire was SabraH smashing the World Record for the Woman's 60-64 Age Group Road 5K She ran a 19:11.6. 

That's a 100.71% age graded result!