Back to it - home, running, and critters

So, wow - what happened?  I flew back on Monday - in from the CHI marathon, whirl-wind tour of SE WI, 20th HS reunion, and assorted craziness.  And my head is still spinning. 

But, I ran the Alamo Beer Race #4 (15k) on Saturday and felt great.  Which you cannot tell from these pics.

At the start - (Kent is shamelessly promoting the Santa Antonio 5k on December 3.  If you are in or near San Antonio, you MUST RUN it - in a (provided) Santa suit.)

And then there was the run

I was actually feeling pretty dang good - no GI issues, no 26+ miles to run, and hitting a sub-10:00 pace with no problems.  But, as my buddy, Jenna, pointed out - these finish line pics are AWESOME.

"So what DID I run that in?"

"Damn, that slow?"

"well, heck, carry the 1, divide by 60 - not so so bad"

I'm so good at hiding my emotions.

And then, it was off to Dia de los Perros  I was so busy preparing my costume for the Dia de los Muertos run  that I didn't exercise due diligence in constructing dog costumes.  So, Gwen was a lion and Dingo was a jaguar (dogs dressed as big cats - get it?)  (they have tails and ears)

 Dingo with her brindle buddy, Cappy

 Dingo teaching Cappy how to knock over my buddy, Dulce

 Gwen teaching a trainer how to give her treats even if she fakes 'down'

The remains of the leopard.

thanks to Scallywompus, SA Photographers, Kevin Saunders, and Dulce Bares for the pics.

Next up: (maybe) cruiser ride of Eastside cemeteries, last zoo run of 2011, Dia de los Muertos 8k, and Eastside cemeteries running tour - and that's all between Tuesday-Saturday. 

run, eat, sleep, repeat, repeat

This was the last real training week, so it was a little rough - and the temps headed back into the triple digits.  On Saturday, I headed to the "Mission Possible" 10k - the 3rd in the series of the Alamo Beer Runs.  It started at the Blue Star Brewery and ran along the riverwalk- mission reach.

 Ruben & I

Kimberly & I

The race course was pretty complex, but I kept it steady, since I knew I had a tough run on Sunday.

Afterward, there was a splendid post-race celebration, with multiple local beers, burgers, migas, bloody marys, music, and even a parking lot art thing.  So, I ate, showered, slept, ate, and slept.

And then I woke up early to head out to Fleet Feet at about 0500, to add on some miles and then run with them - all told, it was about 20 miles.  I was going to run 22, but it was SO humid, and I got sick of hearing "squish squish squish" (from my shoes, beginning around mile 5).  And then I I ate, showered, slept, ate, slept, and watched football. 

My feet and legs are tired, but I'm still not having any major issues - hopefully that continues.  Next up, Dingo & I hit the Race for the Rescues (walking - I don't need a dog-related injury).

Thanks to Scallywompus and Kimberly for the pics!

Sunrise 10k pics and skunks

Well, here are the ugly race pics from the Sunrise 10k in Alamo Heights.

Including the uphill (ugh) finish

This morning, I got up early to run (hobble) 9 miles. Before I left, I let the dog out - and she promptly chased down a skunk. I don't think she actually got sprayed, but she sniffed at the spray enough to get it on her. So, I got to spend 9 miles (then the rest of the day) with skunk stench in my nose. At least I know I can run under pretty much any condition, hey?!

My bodyguard and future linebacker

I got home today and watched this on the news:

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=81cbd219-7a0f-42df-9e33-f10c9520e566

I'm not sure where exactly on Babcock the man attempted to kidnap the two women, but I do know that I ran up Babcock, past the Shell station, and back on Saturday for my ill-advised run to work. One of the women outran the man, which I hope that I too would be able to do.

So, today I wasn't taking any chances and ran with my bodyguard, Gwen the pitoodle. We set out for 3 miles but it was hot and, apparently, it's even hotter when you are dark grey and furry. I got the look which was previously posted below in the reenactment. So, we trotted about 2 miles and returned to the yard, where Gwen got her new toy - a football.

She really tore into it. Literally - it's pretty flat right now. I'm not sure whether it was her reaction to Brett Favre asking to be released by the Packers or whether she was practicing so that she could join her "cousins" in the 2025 Packers starting offensive line. Here are her future teammates.

Just don't discriminate against her 'cause she's a girl. She can really tuck the ball and run.

Ugly race pic reenactment

I know. Not even a week, and I'm already reenacting an ugly race pic. Well, this one is of my sometimes running partner, who I am unable to get an ugly race pic of as I am dragged/dragging her along the zoo run route when it's about 100 degrees (you try that with 52 pounds of sheer muscle on a leash). Anyway, this is pretty much what the race pic would look like at 1.5 miles:

Gwen the Pitoodle: "SRSLY Y R WE RUNNIN WHEN THAR R NO KITTEHS 2 CHASE?" Translation: http://speaklolcat.com/


Okay, she's not so ugly. But she has gotten into a bad habit of licking frogs in the yard at night. If that makes her run faster, I may try it, too, but I'm pretty sure it won't work. http://www.eopoint.com/wiki/index.php/Froglicking

So far, it just makes her wipe her tongue with muddy paws and bury her head in the (kiddie) pool and blow bubbles - but then, I've been like that after many races (and some weekends).