Location: Memorial –> Blossom –> Rose Garden
Distance: 5.8
Temp: 95

• Thursday was the day most of Houston was underwater thanks to Tropical Storm Erin, but it actually created some runner-friendly conditions for the SMART run.  By 6:00pm, the rain had stopped, and I headed over to Memorial Park.  The water levels had subsided and the roads were pretty empty.   
• Matt & Chip decided to have us do the 6 mile Rose Garden Run.  When I first heard "Rose Garden Run," I groaned - flashbacks to the HoustonFit course, with that dreaded stretch up/down Memorial.  Fortunately, we took the Crestwood –> Blossom route instead.   Even though the distances are the same, it's remarkable how different scenery makes a route feel shorter.
• There were seven of us - Chip and Michelle sped out first, Jessica and Matt's wife (?) followed, and I was in the back with Maureen.   Matt kept checking in on Maureen and I - I felt bad that he was holding back on our account, so I told him I knew the way to the Rose Garden and to go ahead if he wanted.  He did run ahead for a while, but came back to check on us when we reached the Shepherd/Memorial intersection. 
• Overall, the run was OK.  I seriously hate the heat.  
• On our way back, Matt hung back with me and Maureen.   Around the 4.5 mile mark, he started motivating us to increase our pace.  At one point, I fell back and Matt told me to catch up to tell Maureen about dragon boating.  He joked that he'd make me do that anytime I fell back.  ahhhhh!!
• Matt stayed with us all the way back to the starting point.  I really appreciated that, but also felt a little bad that he didn't get a hard workout for himself.   
• Afterwards, we did lunges up and down the parking lot.  Ow. 

Location: Memorial –> Blossom –> Jackson Hill
Distance: 4.5 mi
Time: dunno
Temp: 93

• Met fellow Striders & SMARTies for my first Wednesday night club run.  I considered skipping the group run to wait till it cooled down, but I decided to head over anyways.  I was at the pool/fitness area at 6:50pm, and Steeve, Barbara and Vic were already waiting.  By 7ish, there was a pretty healthy sized group - maybe 14?.  Vic, Barbara and others headed out to run the trails - I was tempted, especially since Barbara and Vic are around my pace group…..but with my luck I'd probably trip over a pebble and dislocate a hip or something. 
• So, I decided to run with the road runners.  I was a little nervous heading out, since everyone in the group was faster than me.   I asked Steeve for a breakdown of the route, since I figured I'd lose all the fast runners and wanted to make sure I followed the same route back.  As we headed down Blossom, Steeeve and David (?) gave great advice about adjusting the SMARTlite training schedule for New York, since it's currently geared for the Houston Marathon in January.   The good thing is I'll still be able to do the group SMART workouts, as long as I add extra mileage where I can.  
• Although I've only done SMART for a few weeks, I already like it much more than HoustonFit.  I especially appreciate the variety in workouts and venues, and the fact that I'm not lost in a sea of hundreds of runners (with Coaches who hardly keep track of their runners).  Huge crowds of runners are great for race day - but not for weekly training runs.  And thank GOD I don't have to run that $(*&ing "final" stretch from Shepherd to the volleyball courts that every single HoustonFit Saturday run ended with.  Oh, and I'm not paying $75 to do all of it.  Ok, HFit rant over. 
• For the first half of the run, I was feeling OK.  The "recreational" pace (as Steeeve called it) was definitely faster than what I would consider recreational, but I was able to keep a consistent pace even though I was in the back of the pack.   The second half was harder, and I was still in the back of the pack, but I felt better than I thought I would.   At the water stop at Starbucks, Steeve said he knew it was a tempo run for me (an easy run for everyone else), and I really appreciated that.   I get intimidated running with fast people, but it's a great motivator and challenge.  I'm glad I ran with the group, instead of waiting till after 8pm.  
• Back at the meeting place, Steeeve and Barbara bring out a cooler filled with….beer!  Awesome. 

Location: Rice Military/Memorial Park
Total Miles: 5
Total Time: [my watch is dead]
Start Time: 8:15pm
Temp: 97F

• I overslept (damn!) and missed the SMART Sunday morning run at Cullen Park, so I ran in the evening with my sis and MN. My sis's new apartment is near Memorial, so we parked at her complex and jogged over.   I initially wanted to do the 10 miles I missed in the morning, but by the time we finished one loop, I was ready to head back.   Too damn hot!   Where else is it 97F, and super humid at 9pm??  Houston, that's where.  I hate summer in Houston.   I actually think it's a little cooler in the early mornings, even though the sun is out.  Not sure why that is. 

On another note - my Polar S210 watch battery is dead.  It died sometime during the Long Beach Dragon Boat competition.  Since I bought the watch on eBay, I figured I couldn't get the battery repaired by a dealer, so I started shopping around for new watches.   On Saturday, Vic showed me his way cool Garmin Forerunner 305, which I totally want……but now it turns out I can get my Polar battery repaired for $21, including shipping costs.  Cheaper than a $200+ Garmin…..but oooh, I would love a GPS watch.  

(catching up on reporting my logs) 

Tuesday
- ran the Allen Pkwy loop with John. We also explored the new Buffalo Bayou Path from Sabine all the way past UH Downtown.  The paths are beautiful.  I hope that more people discover this new part of Houston’s parks.  As usual, I didn’t bring my watch, but our run lasted about 2 hours.  In Allen Parkway, there were rabbits everywhere - we guessed we’d seen at least 10.   Also saw an owl and some bats.

Thursday
- ran with Alex for the first time.  It was his first time doing the Allen Pkway loop.  We started at Eleanor Tinsley, and did the entire loop.  The trails were surprisingly dry given all the thunderstorms this week.  It was a nice, mellow run.  One hour. 

 

Location: Allen Parkway Loop
Distance: 4.77
Total Time: n/a
Start Time: 7:20pm
Temp: 88F, 60% humidity

Nothing different about today’s run compared to Tuesday - same route, same time, some running partner, same conditions.  I even forgot my watch again, just like Tuesday.  heh.

My short term running goal is to average 20 miles per week by the middle of June, and 25 to 30 miles per week by the end of July.   The 2006 SMART Program (organized by the Houston Striders!) starts August 1st - it’s pretty intense, and I need to build my weekly mileage if I want to keep up.  Steverecommends 4 to 5 runs during the week, with a long weekend run:  4-4-4-8 or 3-3-3-3-8.  Right now, I’m averaging 10 to 12 miles per week, usually broken down as 4.5-4.5-3  or 3-3-3-3 at the most.  I guess I’ll need to switch out one of my gym days for running, and increase my weekend runs.   

Before tonight’s run, I stopped by Luke’s Locker to pick up my race packet for the Race for the Pennant 5K this Saturday.  While I was there, I bought an extra pair of running shorts, some Hammer gel (my energy gel of choice is CarbBoom, but I decided to give Hammer a try), and a NeatSeat car seat cover.  I’ve been eyeing those NeatSeats for a while, and finally broke down and bought one tonight.  They’re made of microfiber and keep the car seat clean & dry - great for the summer, when I have to drive back home all gross and sweaty after being outside.  They even come with cloth covers for the seat belt!   Anyways, I’ve tried carrying towels in the car, but this will be easier for me.  I took the very last NeatSeat they had - in fact, I got the display item with 20% knocked off.   Yay Luke’s!

Location:  Allen Parkway from Shepherd to Sabine St (following lower trails)
Distance: 4.77 miles
Total Time:  n/a
Start Time: 7:00 pm
Temp: 86^°F, 60% humidity

Ran the Allen Parkway Loop again with John, mostly keeping to the lower trails.  I had forgotten to pack my watch this morning, so I wasn’t able to time the run.   

We started from our usual location at the Jackson Hill Bridge and headed east on Memorial at a nice, even pace.  We looped around at Sabine, back to Shepherd, and then took the bridge over Memorial back to Jackson Hill.   The heat and humidity were uncomfortable, but otherwise I felt good during the run.  Hopefully, this is a good sign since one of my running goals for 2006 is to get used to running in Houston’s summer heat. 

For the summer, I’ve switched out my Amphipod fuel belt for a  handheld bottle.  The fuel belt is too bulky for the Summer’s hot weather, and I’m not covering the same distances in my long runs as I did during the fall/winter.  The handheld bottle is surprisingly easy and comfortable to carry- the strap is tight enough where I don’t have to grip it during an entire run, but not too tight where my hand feels like it’s being squeezed.  It’s also less hassle than the fuel belt - no fumbling around or rearranging multiple bottles.  At first, I was worried that it would make me feel kinda lopsided or tire out one hand/arm, but I got used to it pretty quickly.  Plus, the size is perfect for the 4-5 mile runs that I’m averaging these days. 

 

I’ve gotten lazy about posting my runs/workouts.

Location: Allen Parkway
Distance: ~3.5?
Time: 44:16
Pace: 12:38

• Met John again for another run.  It was hot, but not as bad as I expected it to be.  We started at 6:45pm, crossed the Jackson Hill bridge and then headed east along Memorial.  John’s calf was injured from Tuesday’s mini-hill workout, so we took it easy.

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