Running Wild

I ran on the 3M trails after work today, but the wind was really blowing and it had so much pollen in the air that my eyes really started to get red and irritated due to allergies.  It got so bad that I couldn't keep them open for more than a few seconds at a time, so I called it a day.  In my book, when you're having a hard time just staying on the trail it's time to quit.

I did four 1/8 mile uphill sprints on the lane going up to my house.  A total of 1 mile including the return downhill recovery jogs.

This was a very hot run on the Brushy Creek trail in Austin.  It was about 4 in the afternoon and 95 degrees.  Lori was on her bike and I was running.  The trail is a crushed granite surface so we were going as fast as I felt like running.  I tried to keep cool by dunking my head in the creek periodically but thermal management was definately an issue.  95 isn't that hot, but I haven't been acclimated to it yet this year.  Afterwards we went out to dinner at ZTejas with friends and it felt great to relax with them.

Did a pair of runs today with Lori  on her bike.  The first was in the afternoon and was a trail run over some rocky trails north of the neighborhood where Lori lives.  This trail was not very well suited to the bike that Lori was on and was more of a chance to explore some of those trails.  The second run was after dark and was in the neighborhood with Lori on her bike again.  This was more fun because it was cooler, and we were on smooth surfaces so we could both go faster.

Today I ran a pair of races, a 10k followed by a 2 mile run, with Eric Schotz and Jon Elmore in Moulton AL.  I was second in my age group in both races (after Eric).

Started with a 1.5 mile warm up, followed by a 10k Race at a 6:39 pace

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:41:46	6:39 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:41:46	6:39 pace
Distance (mi )	6.27
Moving Speed (mph)	9.0 avg.	14.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+162 / -166
Temperature (°F)	53.6°F avg.	60.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	E   2.5 avg.	E   4.6 max.

followed by a 2 Mile Run at a 6:24 pace

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:12:55	6:24 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:12:55	6:24 pace
Distance (mi )	2.02
Moving Speed (mph)	9.4 avg.	12.6 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+52 / -55
Temperature (°F)	62.6°F avg.	64.4°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	SSW   5.8 avg.	SSW   6.9 max.

This was my first time running a course that started at my house and went to a small trail loop at the Trinity City Hall and back.  The route involves a nice little climb up to the top of Trinity Mountain and a run along a ridgetop through a residential neighborhood before dropping back down off the mountain to get into Trinity proper, and then back again.

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:52:52	7:48 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:52:52	7:48 pace
Distance (mi )	6.78
Moving Speed (mph)	7.7 avg.	12.6 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+624 / -626
Temperature (°F)	80.6°F avg.	80.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	NNW   10.4 avg.	NNW   10.4 max.

Elevation Change	Total (ft)
Total Elevation	1,250
Elevation Gain	624
Elevation Loss	626
Net Elevation Change	-2

Vertical Speed	Average ( ft/min)	Maximum (ft/min)
Ascent	11.8	117.2
Descent	-11.8	-160.0

Grade	Average (%)	Maximum (%)
Overall Grade	-0.0	--
Ascent Grade	3.5	23.2
Descent Grade	-3.5	-21.8

Relevant Data
Start Elevation (ft):	730
Finish Elevation (ft):	727
Min. Elevation (ft):	628
Max. Elevation (ft):	816

Today I ran on the 3M trails at lunchtime.  I ran the 5k course twice.  It was a pretty nice day to be out.

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:55:19	8:23 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:55:19	8:23 pace
Distance (mi )	6.60
Moving Speed (mph)	7.2 avg.	12.9 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+737 / -739
Temperature (°F)	69.8°F avg.	69.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	WNW   6.5 avg.	WNW   8.1 max.

Today Lori and I did 4 repeats of 1/8 mile sprints up the hill I live on.  Then we ran at Point Mallard with Abbie in the evening.  On the way back we came across a yellow lab running loose with a german shepard puppy.  They had collars and tags with the owners phone number.  We tried to take both dogs home to call their owners, but the yellow lab broke loose and took off running with my leash still trailing behind.  We took the german shepard puppy home and called her owner's cell phone.  He stopped by his house before coming to get her and found the yellow lab outside the house already, still dragging the leash around, so all's well that ends well.

Today I ran on the Point Mallard trail with Lori riding along on a bike.  This was a pretty hot run, with the temperature in the 90s.  We should have waited until later in the evening after it had cooled off.  This was my second day running in a new pair of Nimbus 10s, and I got a blister that formed on my heel.  Also, the squats yesterday and lunges today really slowed me down today.  As a result, this was one of my slowest runs in a long time, with an 8:17 pace.

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:58:14	9:08 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:52:51	8:17 pace
Distance (mi )	6.38
Moving Speed (mph)	7.2 avg.	10.4 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+108 / -108
Temperature (°F)	85.1°F avg.	89.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	ENE   2.9 avg.	ENE   5.8 max.

Tonight I ran from my house north to the Trinity city hall and back.  It's been raining a lot for the past couple of days and it just cleared out a few hours ago so the temperature was still cool.  I listened to podcasts about the prospects of understanding the aging process in terms of the genes that are active.  Single gene deletions or activations can double the lifespans of nematode worms and mice, for example.  Another was about the impact that an inuit tribe had on the ecosystem of an artic lake 400 years ago by butchering whales in the watershed of the lake.   The resulting nutrient flow into the lake made algal blooms that could be seen in the diatom fossil record of the sediments.  Lastly, there was a segment about a catalytic hydrogen generation method that used ethanol as the feedstock and had twice the efficiency as burning the ethanol directly.

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:52:51	7:44 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:52:51	7:44 pace
Distance (mi )	6.83
Moving Speed (mph)	7.8 avg.	13.9 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+618 / -619
Temperature (°F)	71.6°F avg.	71.6°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	NNE   10.4 avg.	NNE   10.4 max.

Profile

Loading...

Plot: Elevation  vs. Distance       Time Display: Grade

Tonight I did the run from my house to the Trinity City Hall again.  The route includes a loop around the city hall and the baseball fields that is a crushed limestone surface.  I tend to do this route in the evening and there are usually peewee ball games going on.  I listened to podcasts that discussed natural gas hydrate deposits in Canada that are estimated to exceed the worlds known petroleum reserves.

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:58:11	8:13 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:54:05	7:38 pace
Distance (mi )	7.08
Moving Speed (mph)	7.9 avg.	11.7 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+677 / -679
Temperature (°F)	80.6°F avg.	82.4°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	SSW   7.5 avg.	SSW   8.1 max.