10 miles.....

The mileage is creeping back up and this past Saturday Stacie and I ran 10 miles at Terry Hershey park in Houston. She had come down (with the dogs) to visit me over the weekend while I was working and we were determined to get our Saturday run in before the heat! 6am start and we made a very consistent 10 minute/mile pace, only stopping for water at the fountains on the path. Overall it was a nice run, not too crowded at the beginning but as we were getting closer to the car, the amount of traffic seemed to increase.
Not to rant, but I am always amazed at the audacity of people using the trail (runners and bikers) who do not have any common courtesy. (stepping up on my soapbox and clearing throat) There are some people who, for one reason or another, need to run 3 and 4 abreast all the time. To pass these people you have to run off the trail and in the weeds. As I both ride and run, I understand that runners have the right of way on the trails but show some courtesy when being overtaken by a bike and file up until they are past. That being said it also irks me when bikers do not “announce” their intentions nor how many are in their group. I realize that these are not laws but are done out of common courtesy to fellow people who are all just trying to stay healthy while having some fun. I also realize that they are not necessary all the time when the trails are not that crowded, but on a weekend morning or weekday afternoon I feel it necessary. (stepping down)
Sorry about the rant, but it has always been something that bothers me and I am sure that I am not the first one to go on about it…..and I could have kept going on.
So back to the running……or well training. Happened upon a great single-track trail on the opposite side of the bayou where we have been running in Terry Hershey park. Checked it out yesterday and was very surprised to find how nice of a trail it was for my mountain bike cross-training. Only got to ride for 45 min because I got a late start and it was pretty well dark when I was coming out. The trail was nice, some technical spots mixed in with some nice cruising; overall a nice combo. The ride was a little wake-up call that I need to get on my bike more often than I have been, had to stop and rest a couple of times after some pretty good climbs. Check cross training off my list for this week.
Tonight is a 5 mile run which I am anticipating will go well. I am shooting for 15 miles this Saturday here in Houston. That is the full park trail from Hwy 6 to Beltway 8……Will keep you posted
Scooter

7 miles!!!

Although I have not been writing, I have been running (and stretching). Slowly I am building my mileage back up and keeping myself injury free. Last Saturday I ran with the team for the first time in well over a month. Ran with the 1/2 marathon group as they were doing 7 miles and felt really good the whole time. The course route took us through the Hyde Park area of Austin which has some really cool houses to look at. Felt like running in New Orleans again with the early craftsman style houses on big lots (instead of the current trend of big houses on small lots). Felt like I was keeping a good pace until I was passed very quickly by the Rouge Training group that is for the Austin Marathon in February to qualify for the Boston Marathon. They thundered past me like I was standing still.......I did not even try to keep pace with them! Finished up my 7 miles in a little over an hour which put me in the high 9's but I am happy with that.
Will be shooting for a 10 mile run this Saturday.......look forward to that!
Scooter

Fundraiser Tournament

Ok, I know that I promised that I was going to be more diligent about posting new blogs on here but life has not slowed down enough to give me time.
On September 9th we (myself, Stacie, Meredith and Beth) had a washer tournament fundraiser at our house in the greenbelt. For those of you not familiar with this game, it is like horseshoes but you use 1” washers and try to pitch them into a hole in the ground. Simple enough……. We had a great turnout and some really awesome prizes for the winners, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Started on the red beans Friday night and let them cook all day Saturday. Had never made that quantity of red beans before and I ended up firing up my high pressure burner in the backyard to get the water to a quick boil!
We had a “set-up” party on Saturday afternoon to get prepared for the fundraiser. Kyle (Meredith’s husband) and I were in charge of making the washer pits in the greenbelt and the girls took care of the Costco and grocery store trip. Kyle and I got the pits made, set up the floodlights in the trees and did some damage to a keg of beer. The girls came back loaded down with groceries and we had to get creative to fit it all in the fridge. We worked on blanketing the house and neighborhood with Team in Training posters and banners that were donated by out local chapter and even hung one up over the washer lanes.
Woke up at 3am Sunday morning to start my smoker and get the brisket on. I had never smoked a brisket before but I was up to the challenge. Took naps till 8 or so waking up every 40 min to check the firebox and temps on the smoker. Stacie and I picked up some large tables donated for use at the fundraiser and got them moved into the backyard. Beth showed up with the donated keg (which was already iced down) and we moved it to the back to let it settle for a while. Brisket came off the smoker a little ahead of schedule but I held it in the oven till the party started.
The tournament got underway at 4pm amid a great deal of laughter and good-natured ribbing. Food and drinks were flowing well during the games and even after the tournament ended there was plenty to graze on. Some grand prize for the tournament were a football autographed by UT head coach Mack Brown, massage gift certificates, and a gift certificate to one of Austin’s fine dining establishments. In the end we had enough door-prizes to make everyone happy!
The guests slowly trickled out, floodlights were turned on to light the washer lanes and we had a couple more games just for the fun of it. In the end, everyone had a great time; we had some good laughs, good food and good drinks all while raising money for a very worthy cause.
I will post some pictures when I get a chance.
Scooter and Stacie!