Everybody gets knocked down - how quick are you gonna get up?

One of my favorite songs to run to is The Hours's Ali in the Jungle 

It's, not, how you start, it's how you finish,
And it's, not, where you're from, it's where you're at,
Everybody gets knocked down,
Everybody gets knocked down,
How quick are you gonna' get up?
How quick are you gonna' get up?
Everybody gets knocked down,
Everybody gets knocked down,
How quick are you gonna' get up?
Just how are you gonna' get up?

I was pretty much humming those lyrics all weekend. 

It started with a normal run with the Brak Pak on Thursday evening.  Just a regular, mostly road, run.  Until I rolled on a rock and found my face accelerating toward the asphalt at an alarming speed.  Luckily (?), my right knee took the brunt of it.  After finishing the run and heading home - I realized how BAD the knee looked.  I would have taken pictures, but it made me queasy to even look at it - like a golfball was sitting on top of my kneecap under the skin.  SCARY - so I ignored it, took a boat-load of ibuprofen, and covered the knee with ice (my medical treatment for 90% of all ailments).

Luckily (again), by Friday morning, after ice, compression, and elevation, the golfball-kneecap receded, and I was left with a sore, bruised knee and an aching body.  So, I went for a test run/walk with a buddy who just finished the bar exam on Friday night and killed my pain with margaritas and ceviche (my medical treatment for 90% of all ailments).

On Saturday morning, I ran the Hispanic Women's Network of Texas 5k.  It hurt, but my knee (and aching body) made it. Without falling.

 AND came in 1st Female 35-39.  Partly because the fast chicas - like Roche on my right - ran the 10k.

  and then I went home and iced my knee (the right one) and munched on ibuprofen.

Sunday morning was the Paesano's 10k trail run.  I fall on trails, but have never fallen during this (pretty technical trails) race.  Until now.  It all started out well enough - nice weather, and nice and easy on a sore knee and achy body.

It was a nice run until almost mile 5, where the trail smoothed out some, with just occasional rocks.  Unfortunately, I found one and went flying - hitting my left knee and knocking the wind out of myself.  But I got up - and finished pretty bloody.

and looking like a crazy running chicken in pain

Here's what THAT injury looked like, even after it had been cleaned and bandaged by the EMT (that sucker would NOT stop bleeding - pretty gruesome).

So, all told, I hurt, but it could have been MUCH worse - both falls, that is.  And I got up - both times. Because you just gotta get up.

Thanks to Ceci, IAAP, SAPhotographers, and Kevin G. Saunders photography for the pics.  Thanks to the running gods for allowing me not to land on my head or break anything (hopefully).

Joining the modern age

I was really, really tired this weekend, so no races for me, and no ugly race pics for you.  But I did work quite a bit on the 33rd Annual SARR Women's 5k - this year's race director is yours truly.  And I got a smarter-than-me phone.  I still don't quite know how to work the phone - or aim the lasers that it MUST have in there somewhere - but I did manage to create this.  Scan it and register for my race! (really, don't be afraid)

RAIN!

Well, this was not the recipe for a fast race.  First, I began my race preparations yesterday, attending happy hour with work buddies, then hitting my buddy, Carl's, memorial at an ice house - he would have wanted it that way.  So, this morning, I woke up to RAIN and more RAIN.

And I didn't like it - but I went out to run the Street 2 Feet 5k, benefiting Haven for Hope, SAMMinistries, and the Street 2 Feet homeless running program.

But at least it waned for the race - so that I could run like a WET crazy running chicken

Though wet, it was a nice course - through CLOSED OFF downtown roads (that rarely happens).  So, I finished in fine chicken form - local anchor, Randy Beamer, called it "a most dramatic finish!"  Here it is frame-by-frame (thanks, Jose!)

(I was just trying to distract everyone from my slow finish time.) But, really, it was a slick course!
Then I stuffed my pie-hole, chatted with buddies, and headed into work (no worries - AFTER a shower).

 I returned home to find this - apparently, Gwen employed some mad ninja skills, broke out of her room, and tiptoed up on the couch next to 7-pound dog-hating Simba. (Maybe I need to turn up the heat, after all.)

Thanks to Scottydog and IAAP for the pics!

Two race weekend

I started last weekend out with the Rodeo Stampede 4 miler.  It's a nice little run, around the Red Berry Mansion (where a runner apparently got charged by an antelope), and back around to finish at the Rodeo grounds.  Here I am with Jackie, freezing at the start (which means it was below 40 degrees).

On Sunday, it got colder.  Just in time for the inaugural Be My Valentine 5k at the Pearl Brewery.  This race was directed by my pal, Ceci, and was a fun run, even in the cold.

and photo finish...

and it may have been a good idea to bring pants (really, pants are always a good idea)

thanks to Carlos, IAAP, and Scottydog for the pics!

Sad news

I was going to post the chilly pictures from this weekend's runs, but I was hit with sad news - my friend and fellow Brak Pak'er died in a motorcycle accident Sunday morning.  Carl Winkler (a/k/a Forest) was a good pal who always came prepared with running shoes, a mountain bike, sometimes a costume, and always a cooler.  He's already missed.

Bye Carl. 

Eisenhower 10k trail challenge

I'm a pretty terrible trail runner and pretty much always fall down.  So, when it poured all night before this race, I figured that I was toast.  But, lo and behold, I stayed upright and had a good run.  Especially nice was the section from mile 4-5, which was soft mulch, winding slowly down the hill.  Ahhhh - but, no fears, even that gentle part did not tame the crazy running chicken in me.

It all started out normally, albeit cold.

Then, I unleashed a little crazy on photographer Ceci - check out those chompers!

Then, I ran along fairly normally, until I said to buddy, Adrian "do you want to see how to run like a crazy chicken?" (not really)

LIKE THIS!

And then, he left me behind to run as a solo crazy chicken

and then it was done

Afterward, we enjoyed a bunch of chow, beer, tequila, and vodka (really).  And I schooled Gary (top masters runner) on how to run faster (not really).

In the end, I nabbed 3rd in the 30-39 age group (really) and 1st overall crazy running chicken (not really - though that ABSOLUTELY should be a category).

At least Vaca the cat was suitably impressed

Thanks to Bart for a great event - and SA Student Photographers and Ceci/IAAP for the pics!  Next up - Rodeo 4 miler and Cupid 5k next weekend.

Big Bend 25k secret canyon pics

As I mentioned, I chickened out from attempting to find Whitney's secret canyon during the Big Bend 25k.  Remember?  The possibilities of bears, snakes, mountain lions, SPIDERS, and my dead body never being found due to my absolute lack of a sense of direction?  Yep, that's it - that time.

Anyway, my buddy and runner extraordinaire, Kimberly, ran it with Whitney - buddy, crazy, and runner extraordinaire, the day before the race....and here are her pics I swiped of the secret canyon.  I'm TOTALLY running this next year!

Thanks, Kimberly for the pics that I swiped :)  Next year, we run it - Saturday!