Astros Race for the Pennant 5k

I ran my first race since early January where my left Achilles wasn't really a factor. It was rather warm this morning; I was sweating quite a bit after running an easy warm up mile. I'm not sure how many people ran this morning but the course was never really congested for me. I haven't run many races this year so it was nice to get out there and get the race day experience.

Went for a Run Around Noon Today

While it wasn't raining around noon today, I finished my run just as wet as I did running in the rain last night. It just wasn't nearly as comfortable; I may as well become a fan of running in the rain if I'm going to get just as wet running in heat and humidity. It really wasn't that bad out there today; I may be starting to acclimate to the warmer weather we will be having the next few months.
Looking at my training log for the month of May, I've only run once over 10 miles this month. I have averaged right at 25 miles a week for the month; just haven't done anything particularly long.

Running in the Rain

It wasn't pouring down, but I did run in light rain tonight around 7pm. I normally opt out of a training run if it's raining. I figure that I'll run a race in the run but there's no need to train in it. Tonight actually felt good though; the shower definetely made things alot cooler. The Road Runner Sports cushion insoles that I tried in my new pair of 1061s seemed to work fine. My achilles has been bothering me a little more than it has the past month or so. I just taped it with Kinesio Tex tape; hopefully that will help it.

More new shoes

I had a pair of New Balance 1062s at my front door when I got home from Houston Thursday afternoon. I wore them Thursday evening for a 6+ mile run starting from Town Center. First impressions of the new model is that it is roomier than the 1060 and 1061 models that it replaces. I don't seem to have the blister issue with the insole that came with this shoe as I am having with the 1061. I'll see how it goes as I add more mileage to the shoe but it's looking good so far. Friday was my off day; I mowed the lawn and took Waldo to Cattail dog park. I slept in again Saturday morning; I went to TWHS 9th grade campus track around 8 or so Saturday evening to get in 2 miles at marathon pace. I wanted to get in a 10 mile run Sunday but my achilles wasn't feeling quite right so I never got out the door. I ran yesterday afternoon with RC squared since I took Sunday off. We did the Nature Trail loop starting from the overflow lot across from the trail. I forgot my Garmin for the 2nd time this week.

It's Gettin Hot.....

Last night I ran Flintridge without the Superfeet insoles on my new 1061s. The shoe felt better/not nearly as rigid but I did get a hotspot around my heel. Maybe I'll tree a heel cup with the NB insole; seems like the 1061 heel is wider than the 1060 and that movement may cause blisters. The heat is definetely on this week; running at 7 yesterday evening and at lunch today produced soaking wet cap brim dripping sweat from me.
I remembered my towel this morning when packing my gym bag but I forgot the Garmin. Seems like I'm always forgetting one or the other. Oh well, I knew the mileage on the route I was running and actually am glad that I didn't have the watch. Not trying to hit any specific time. It got ugly on the 2nd half of the run as part of it was along the Woodlands Waterway and there is not any shade there. Shade makes a big difference in this heat.

New Balance 1061

Sunday afternoon I ran in a new pair of NB 1061s with green superfeet premium insoles. I think I'm going to try the shoes without the green superfeet this evening. Although recommended for running, I felt that the superfeet were too stiff; I'll see how tonight's run goes with the thin insoles that came with the shoe.

New Balance LOVE/Hate Ad Campaign

Back to the Track

I did an easy run Thursday evening from Alden Bridge Shopping Center. Saturday evening I ran to the track at TWHS 9th grade campus and ran 2 miles on the track at my target marathon pace. It was the first time I was on a track since early February when I aggravated my Achilles tendon to the point where I was hobbling around the next day. Its still not 100% although it is feeling a lot better these days.
I wrapped up the weekend earlier tonight with a 10 mile long run. The plan was to get out early this morning to run but I woke up slightly sore so just slept in instead.

Early afternoon sauna

Thunderstorms rolled in around lunchtime yesterday so I waited til they passed through and went for a run from work around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. It ranked fairly high on the yucky scale; I managed to get around 5 miles logged for the day. Went for my weekly deep tissue massage yesterday evening; legs are feeling better today.

Running Hills on Worn Out Shoes

As I got to Forestgate Park last night I realized that I forgot to put my running shoes in the car. After I ended up parking in the street (they have swimming lessons going on at Forestgate now) I found one other pair of shoes in the car; a retired pair of NB 1060's. At least one layer of the sole was worn at the right toe. I opted to go with the NB 833's that I already had on my feet. They had much less wear than the 1060's; I just would've preferred something with more cushioning for hills and the extra 10 pounds that I'm carrying around these days. It ended up being a decent run; with the current humidity levels here I was totally soaked after the 4 mile run.
I was hoping to go out and run at lunch today. It got dark right before lunch and the skies opened up; looking much better now. I will try and head out around 3 this afternoon to get in a run. We are under a tornado watch until 3.

A track and field athlete was featured in my LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation email today. It's not often that distance runners get featured in the land where football rules.....

Gameday Xtra: John Kosgei Setting the Pace in First Season at
LSU
(05/14/2008) BY www.LSUsports.net
by Jesse DelernoLSU Sports
Information
When John
Kosgei departed the Rift Valley Province of western Kenya -- an
African region world-famous for its distance-running supremacy -- there was
little doubt he would embark on a successful collegiate career in the United
States.
Kosgei’s hometown of Eldoret and its neighboring towns and cities are
fertile breeding grounds for world-class athletes who dominate international
competitions, including the Olympic Games.
But even with his country’s
illustrious history of distance-running success, the junior phenom continues to
raise eyebrows with what he’s been able to accomplish in only two and a half
years of collegiate track and field.
Kosgei’s collegiate career began at
South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, where he earned five All-America
honors in the National Junior College Athletic Association and helped the Texans
win their first outdoor national crown in program history. After two sensational
seasons, he transferred to LSU where he has been nothing short of spectacular in
his first season.
His talent was on display in his very first 3,000-meter
race of the indoor season when he broke the school record with a time of 7
minutes, 55.49 seconds at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in February,
shattering the 19-year-old mark held by LSU great Terry Thornton since
1989.
Kosgei followed that feat with an unprecedented performance at the SEC
Indoor Track and Field Championships where the captured titles in both the mile
and 3,000 meters.
His victory in the 3,000 meters marked the first time in
LSU history that a Tiger had claimed the event title at the SEC meet. Perhaps
even more impressive was his winning time of 3:59.85 in the mile, which broke
the four-minute barrier for only the second time in program history. For his
efforts, Kosgei took home the SEC Commissioner’s Trophy as the top individual
point scorer on the men’s side for the meet and was named the SEC Male Indoor
Runner of the Year.
Assistant head coach Mark
Elliott, who coaches LSU’s distance runners, did not expect his gifted
transfer to have this much success right away.
“It’s almost unbelievable what
he’s been able to accomplish during the indoor season,” Elliott said. “I know
he’s talented, but if I said that I knew he would win both races at the indoor
conference championships, I would be lying. There are a lot of great runners in
this conference.”
With all of the extraordinary accomplishments he has
attained thus far, it’s hard to believe that Kosgei has only been running for a
few years after taking up the sport late in high school.
“Back in high
school, I started jogging with my family and friends and I told myself that I
should try this,” Kosgei said. “I just kept jogging and jogging, and I really
liked it. Day by day, I was getting better and better and realized I could make
it in this sport.”
Kosgei credits his father as an influence in his running
career and pushing him to be the best he can be.
“My father didn’t think I
could run early on, but he watched me get better day after day,” Kosgei said.
“He kept encouraging me and bought a pair of shoes for me to run in.”
Kosgei
trained rigorously in the Great Rift Valley, hoping for a chance to take his
talents overseas. His break would come in 2006 when a friend and fellow Kenyan
approached him about a special opportunity.
“A friend of mine who ran track
at South Plains in Texas came back home looking for runners,” Kosgei said. “I
was running every morning at the time, and he told me about the opportunity to
run in the United States. I said, ‘Hey, that’s a good deal.’”
As Kosgei
started flashing the potential at SPC that would make him a national champion in
the 5,000 meters and a four-time NJCAA runner-up over a two-year span, coaches
from across the country began to take notice, including those on the LSU
staff.
“When we were competing at nationals last year, the LSU coaches came
over and talked to me about potentially running for LSU,” Kosgei explained. “I
came here for a visit and decided this was a good place for me to continue my
career.”
In addition to furthering his collegiate career at an elite track
and field program, Kosgei also chose to attend LSU for academic reasons.
He
hopes that a political science degree from LSU will allow him to make a
difference in his native Kenya, which had been the scene of widespread ethnic
violence and unrest until mid-April. A disputed presidential election in
December 2007 led to more than 1,200 deaths and disrupted the training schedule
of many potential Olympians hoping to qualify for the Beijing Games this
summer.
But before Kosgei can look forward to a political career back home,
he has a collegiate career ahead of him, including a chance to help the Tigers’
outdoor postseason efforts that starts with the SEC Outdoor Championships this
weekend. Additionally, he is looking to post a qualifying mark for Kenya’s
Olympic trials.
“Right now, he’s looking to run some pretty good times to
qualify for his country’s Olympic trials,” Elliott said. “I think if he’s on his
game and he’s pushed pretty hard, he’ll run extremely well the rest of the
season.”

3rd Annual Enshape Fitness Walk

I walked a little over a mile this morning with 100 or so of my fellow Entergy co-workers in our 3rd annual fitness walk. The walk was held in conjunction with Livestrong Day this year. Livestrong Army yellow t-shirts were sold with all the profits going to Livestrong. Breakfast burritos were also available for purchase after the walk with profits going to Livestrong.

I received an email from the Chicago marathon yesterday with the headline "The Countdown Is On: Only 6 Months Until the Bank of America Chicago Marathon". I could use the extra month of training coming off this Achilles tendonitis. I just hope all that extra water they are going to have this year is going to be there FIVE months from now.

Run from Skeeters

Ran with a small weekday group from Skeeters in Cochrans Crossing Shopping Center this evening. My legs were tight for some reason tonite, especially my left quad. I used The Stick before the run and stretched after. Soaked in cold water and all the ice from my ice maker when I got home. That's the closest I've come to an ice bath.

Thursday Social Run

Had a nice 6 mile run from Timberloch threw the Nature Trail looped this evening. Hung out with some of the Woodlands Fitters at Goosesacre on the waterway after. Will do some cross training with the lawn mower tomorrow moring then hit the road for a weekend in central Louisiana with my mom.

Run Powered by 180 Blue Energy Drink

I ran the woodlands pky/east panther creek/lake woodlands loop and then hit the waterway at lunch today. A co-worker gave me a couple of low calorie 180 blue with acai energy drinks to try a couple of months ago. I finally tried one today. Glad I did as I remembered that I forgot to eat breakfast this morning right as I started my run. I usually have instant oatmeal first thing when I get in to work but I somehow forgot to eat this morning. I did have a banana mid morning so wasnt running completely on empty.

Wet Shoes

I didn't realize how humid it was until I started running this evening. Got home and had to put the shoes in front of a fan to dry them out from my sweat dripping down into them. Gonna be an assembly line of drying shoes for the rest of the summer; I usually have at least 3 pairs of shoes in the rotation for this reason.

Nice Weekend Weather

After good weekday runs this week, I had 2 easy short distance runs Saturday and Sunday evening. My 26 miles for the week are where I should be training base mileage wise so I feel pretty good about that.
I worked the finish line area of the CB&I Tri Saturday morning. Its the best I've ever felt at a race finish line as I'm normally out running a race to get to the finish. My thoughts and prayers go out to the 51 year old Conroe man that died during the swim portion of the event exactly 6 months to the day that Ryan Shay died at the US Olympic marathon trials.
Looks like heat and humidity return this week. Happy running.

Thursday Evening Run

I had a good Thursday evening run. This has been a good training week; just need to wrap it up with decent weekend runs.