Hello from Austin, originally uploaded by escapevelocity.

View of Town Lake from the Radisson.

First, the bad news.

At the end of July, my trusty Polar S210 stopped working.  I was hoping it was just a dead battery, so I shipped the watch to one of the Polar Service Centers.   Two weeks ago, a Polar tech called with the diagnosis: water had gotten into the watch through a crack in the casing, which made it completely unrecoverable. 

Now, the good news. 

Yup - I gots me a Garmin Forerunner 305, with heart rate monitor and GPS goodness.  I started using it at this weekend's Yasso 800s, and I love it.  Lots of cool bells & whistles, but the GPS functions are what make it awesome.  I'm still figuring it out, but so far it's been great.  I love seeing my mileage during a run - somehow, it makes it easier.  And I'm totally going to get addicted to uploading my workouts, seeing maps of my routes, and all kinds of overly-detailed data that appeal to my inner geek.  Love. This. Toy. 

…and thus ends my attempt to quit drinking coffee, originally uploaded by escapevelocity.

Iced coffee with soy and splenda. Notice the water to keep me hydrated.

Location: Memorial –> George R. Brown
Distance: 13 miles
Temp: 88

• Got to Memorial Park at about 5:50am.  The park was already crowded with a mix of marathon training groups and preparations for the HARRA Party in the Park at 8am. 
• We did our 2 mile warmup via Crestwood –> Blossom –> Jackson Hill.   As usual, I brought up the rear, this time with Maureen and Randi.   Blossom was busy - we must have passed 5-6 packs of runners from various running groups.  Caught up with the faster SMARTies at Jackson Hill, stretched, then Heather explained the two routes for the morning: 13 miles vs 8 miles.  
• I felt pretty good the first 6 miles.  It was hot, but not like last week's run.  At the halfway point, we slipped into the GRB hotel for some water and to stand in the wonderfully chilly lobby. 
• Heading back, I started struggling between miles 7 and 8, so I took some Gu and water - I think this is where I lost my hat (see below).  By mile 8, I had fallen about 50 meters behind Randi.  It wasn't comfortable, but I knew I could make it through. 
• Right after I crossed Waugh, I looked down at my fuel belt and realized my hat was gone!!  :(  I had attached it to my belt during the warmup, and was planning to wear it when it got sunnier.  I felt terrible because it was a gift from some friends who had recently visited NYC.   I turned around to jog back up Allen Parkway, checking along the path for my hat.  I returned to the spot where I had pulled out my Gu and water bottle near Eleanor Tinsley, but no luck.    I knew I had it at the Hilton next to the Convention Center….but I wasn't prepared to turn my 13 miles into 18+ by jogging back through Downtown.  So, I headed back to the park.  :( 
• On the way back, I saw Vic doing his long run.  Yay Vic! 
• I tried to pick up the pace on the way back down Allen Parkway, but it wiped me out.  I started doing walk breaks at Memorial/Shepherd and stopped in the Shell station to refill with cold water.   I continued my run/walk/run/walk back to the Park, and decided to skip the 2-3 mile cooldown and just walked back to my car.  bleh.   Surprisingly, my actual mileage was just below 13 (12.92), thanks to my hat-searching time.  
• At the Party in the Park, I saw June (yay!) and Jessica.  Yay!

If you happen to see my hat, it is: white, dri-fit cap with "NYC Half Marathon" printed on it.  It looks like the hat below, but the letters are in lime green letters.  There's also a green apple printed on the side.  Please contact me if you happen to see it on Allen Parkway.   *sigh*

August in Houston, originally uploaded by escapevelocity.

Bleh.

In what may be filed under "Bad Decisions of the Year," I've decided to give up coffee until after the NYC Marathon.  I can't articulate the reasons clearly right now because, well, I haven't had any coffee this morning. 

But since I don't completely hate myself, I've decided to abstain from coffee, but not caffeine.  So, it's all about tea from now till November.  I made a batch of green tea last night, and put it in the fridge for some nice chilled green tea.  I've had four cups so far.  

Don’t get stuck in a hurricane without some chili, originally uploaded by escapevelocity.

Hurricane preparedness: Batteries, flashlights, water….and Wolf brand chili.