Race report: Boerne Turkey Trot 10K

Turkey Trot success!  Let me tell you some tales of this chilly and fantastic event.
 
Imagine first a grassy, pre-dawn town square, with a costumed turkey and a group of runners doing YMCA instructor-led aerobics to warm up before a race, unfettered by the mist and wind and cold.  It was silly and fun and reminds me that the YMCA has a wonderful approach to community health.  

stepping it wide

 Is this what Japanese company workers feel like every morning?  If so, they are a lucky bunch!  Army PT could take a lesson! 

A gazebo shelters the coffee service, the race registration table and swag bags.  Actual restrooms (and port-a-potties) sit at the far end of the square, right by the start/finish line (how convenient!).  The course immediately turns out of the city and right into neighborhoods and the "Greenway No. 9" paths. 

it just looks cold

I love a small autumn race in a tight-knit Texas town where JROTC presents the colors, local students sing the National Anthem, high school cross-country runners show up with their non-running parents to sweep the 5K, and begins with a heartfelt prayer by the aforementioned aerobics instructor.

Fall racing reminds me of my high school cross-country meets in northeastern Ohio--early Saturday mornings, icicles in my hair, and all extremities freezing in those wee shorts and jerseys.  And the fallen damp leaves on the muddy grass and paths.  I definitely miss these signals of fall!

I miss them so much that I've forgotten how to dress for running in cold, wet weather.
Friday night I bought running tights- so far so good.  Since moving from Alaska, I've lived in Georgia, various place in the Middle East, Miami, San Antonio and El Paso.  These are not places where you ever need running tights nor do you see them very often, so I was glad to find any pair at all on such short notice.  I am not a fan of tight pants or skinny jeans but for the sake of my core temperature, I wore the tights in their full thigh-highlighting glory.

ugh tights.  no reason to smile.

 Combined with 3 x long-sleeve shirts and an earwarmer/headband (which nicely tamed the Seagulls as well), I was ok.  Not comfortable.  Not cozy warm, even by the end of the race, but good enough to survive.  And pretty good for someone who's been living out of a suitcase since July!

Y'all I was disheartened!
I couldn't hold an 8:00 pace yesterday.
This does not bode well for my 1:45 half marathon goal in TWO WEEKS!!
Yes, I intentionally dressed as much like a snowman as possible.  And I forgot to eat my morning snack or have my morning coffee.

And I'd stood shivering in the misty, blustery 36F for an hour before running
But it took me 4 miles to feel at all warm, and to even get a sub-8:00 pace going.  
Now I know how it feels to be that turtle in a peanut butter pond.

I can see myself shivering in this pic!

 Yes, I did see one guy in shorts and short sleeves at the race start.  I think he won the 10K, and I think it's because he was running as quickly as possible to get back to warm clothes.

I was on my own at the race, imagine that, I couldn't convince anyone to stand around the cold with me at 0600.  I had to leave my warmups in the car and then I took the YMCA-provided shuttle to the race start.  If anything, I would re-do this process.  I was shivering for about 45 minutes until the race started.  I don't like that.  Next time I'll park at the City Square instead, so I can leave my warm clothes on longer as well as retrieve them right away.

Lies!!  There was no "45F" on Saturday!  The race ended with 36F!

 I think the sudden cold front is a Turkey Trot tradition in Boerne.  Some participants commented that last year, the inaugural TT, was sunny but 29F at the start.  Sheesh, Hill Country, I almost miss your 106F, 70% humidity summers!

I hate to be the sort of person I was at the awards presentation yesterday.
Usually, if able, I like to stick around for the awards, especially if I know I'm getting one.  In my mind it's bad form to be too cool to pick up your age-group medal.  C'mon now, it's only a few minutes extra at the end of a small race and it's nice to applaud everyone as well as be appreciative of any recognition.  This might be someone's first award and it's nice to support their hard work, even if you scoff at their pace.  It's just that, it's their pace.  I'm 100% not a scoffer, but I digress...

Ahh, back in the warmth of my car!!

Yesterday the 10K awards were at the very end-- even after the 5K.  Now that I'm in the 30-39 age group, I was announced near the end, but even so I just waited for my name, accepted the medal, and I ran.  

Yes, I ran away.  Didn't wait for the last few age categories.  Didn't wait for the shuttle.  I had to keep moving to prevent the now air-chilled sweat on my skin cooling me further with every slight breeze.  

In my defense, most people had re-obtained their warm clothes at this point, but I was still an unwarmed sweaty mess, so I ran the extra mile or two to my car and I'm glad I did, for more than just avoiding hypothermia.   I saw more of the absolute adorable-ness that is Boerne.  I ran past families brunching in tiny cafes.  I ran past dogs and their mindful owners, enjoying the cool air.  I ran over the Guadalupe River and saw some funny-looking mutt swans (or geese?) oblivious to the freezing temperatures as they paddled under the bridge on Main.  

There are parks and restaurants and antique shops and a Sotheby's Realty and lots of Lexi and Porsches, so you know what sort of people are moving into the area.   A Walmart and a strip mall and some fast-food places (and yes, of course, a YMCA hosting Turkey Trots too) all are part of Main Street now.  I would love for such a picturesque town to maintain its baby-sized quaintness, but there's no future in that, how many antiques and slices of pie can a city sell among its own residents?  So as in many places, the very survival of the town is also what's destroying some of its charm.  I just hope the happy balance continues in Boerne. 

4.9 miles until I meet my goal of 100 miles in November!

Today, I'm going to the gym.  To run in shorts.  My thighs refused two days of tights in a row.

Half Marathon Training: break 1:45?

I'm almost embarrassed to re-announce my goal to break 1:45 in my half-marathon since I don't have a wide margin of comfort that I'll make it.  And nothing is more embarrassing than failed anonymous internet middling-pace running goals...oh wait...

I've been training according to this:

Runner's World 1:45 Half Marathon Plan.

 which I found by googling, for free, although it seems Runner's World wants to charge me $24.99 from other googlings?  IDK...I didn't obtain this illegally, it's just a pdf in my search results...maybe the joke's on me and this is a 2:00 plan...ackk!  I haven't read any reviews of the plan, so I guess I'll critique it myself after the race in 2 weeks.

I've been sticking to it at an overall B+ level.  I took a few days off last week when I was ill and BFFs with the toilet but I hopped back on the training train right after.  

My overall impression of the RW plan?  It seems like it's LESS running than I normally do, but with more speedwork and slower, longer runs than I would normally tolerate.  So, fewer garbage miles traded for some higher-quality workouts?  I hope so.  I incorporated some of my races into the training schedule, and I hope that won't degrade my 13.1 performance.

I've run much of this on a treadmill, and wonder...how does that compare to running outside?  Yes, it feels easier.  So I add 1% incline and I run 0.2 to 0.3 mph faster than the prescribed pace.  I don't know if that's an adequate adjustment.  Someone commented previously that the mental rigor that running for an hour+ on a treadmill requires is all part of the game.  A really boring game at times, but necessary for achieving one's goals (I hope!) all the same.

The weather and my late start on the training are working against me, but I've been close to a 1:45 in half marathons before so I feel like I can gut it out in Las Cruces with enough internal fortitude.  The altitude is tricky as well, but I'll spend a few days running at 7000' elevation in Taos the week beforehand, maybe that'll help as long as I don't end up with pulmonary edema.  In general, I am never fully prepared for races.  I take a lot of strange pride in knocking out fairly decent times without the most rigorous preparation.  I'm working on changing that just so I can see what some "focused" training will do.  The hardest part has been relegating my pace to the 9:12 prescribed in the long runs.  9:12?  Why in the world would I do that, when I spent so much time digging my pace out of the 8s and 9s and edging slowly towards the 7s?  I cheat and use 8:49 to 8:41.  For pride's sake.  Which I may come to regret 1:45 after I start my halfsie and have yet to finish...

In other news, San Antonio has taken a turn towards winter.  My 10K tomorrow morning is sure to be character-building...I didn't bring my winter running clothes with me (uh, when I got here in July, because I am a normal person and did not plan on being here after Labor Day).  Yesterday, 82F all day.  Today and for the rest of the week?  Wind, rain, highs in the 40s, yeah, these are the whines of a Texas winter.  I went to survival school in Washington state in February one year, and that is the yardstick by which I measure my tolerance for miserable weather and tomorrow could come close.  D says "people love to read about self-induced misery!" and he eagerly anticipates my cyanotic and goose-bumpy race report tomorrow.  As I hope you do too.

My big challenge for tomorrow's race...restraining my new haircut, or as I like to call it, the Flock of Seagulls.  Serves me right for going to Great Clips.  Cheep, cheep, did my hens have chicks this winter or is that just me?  I don't like hair in my face when I run.  I don't like it swinging against my neck and shoulders.  Love a ponytail, when it's not too long, because I am a sweaty sweaty girl and my hair becomes a mop of head sweat, sprinkling to and fro as I run, a censer of perspiration.  That particular avenue of simplicity is now gone, thanks to my [new] complicated bangs arrangement.  Seriously, Teri from Great Clips, I've had the same haircut since I was 5.  I know what I like and what I don't like is having to think about how I'll configure the Seagulls tomorrow.  I'll otherwise be mistaken for Mike Score!

Who can tell me, how do you accommodate for treadmill vs outdoor running?  What sort of conversion factor do you use?  I base mine on perceived exertion...not sciency indeed.

11.1 miles to go before I reach 100 miles in November.  Not as difficult as I thought!  I'll try for 125 in December.

Weston Wright 10K: better than a PR

Yesterday I woke up early, hit snooze several times and then hurried to Roosevelt Park for the 5^th annual Weston Wright "Lighting the Way" 10K.  

Several hundred people were there, and the race was professionally organized by iRun Texas’ Split Second Productions with a great crowd of racers, supporters, volunteers and Lighthouse for the Blind staff.

Are there post-race scooby snacks?

 Lots of raffle prizes (multiple $100 and $50 gift certificates for running stores, restaurants, museums, movie tickets) and if I’d known about the used-shoe drive before leaving El Paso, I would’ve encouraged my entire Wave Rider collection to serve a better purpose.  

The race registration/packet pick-up began at 7.  Chip timed races (10K and 5K) began at 8.  I had not been to this park before but people held signs directing drivers to the race area (so helpful since I am not familiar with the neighborhood!) which set the tone for this extremely well organized race.  I arrived later than expected (Snoozy Susie) but I found parking, picked up my number and race shirt and visited the toilette all in about 30 minutes.  The only problem is that we used the park’s restroom facilities, which, while way nicer than a portapotty, meant there were only 2 stalls per gender for the entire crowd.  Still, there wasn’t a very big line.  I had to hurry from car to registration and back, but I also arrived 30 minutes later than I planned.  “Planned.”

The race course is on the Riverwalk- but by Riverwalk, I mean the extension of the Riverwalk south of downtown and the Riverwalk you’re thinking of.  It’s the Mission Reach trail, heading quietly for the Mission San Jose and others. The gentle riverbank hills were very pleasant and the entire course is contained on the pathways.  The race organizers had placed mile markers and cautionary “Runners on Roadway!” signs to warn fellow trail users.  The aid stations were at mile markers 1.5 and 2.5 of this mostly out-and back trail.  The 5K split from the 10K just after the 1.5 mile aid station, with a little loop off the main trail, then joining up for the return trip.

I loved that at all turns and intersections, several people held large arrow signs pointing exactly where to run.  No confusion there!  

I ran the first mile too fast: 7:22.  At mile 2 I was at 14:48.  Then I became a reasonable person and slowed down, drank some water, and finished 48:27 meeting my goal of running (barely!) in the 7:40s.  I PRed and took home first overall female but I’ve got to hand it to the men’s race, those guys were incredible.  The top several guys were running 5 to low 6 minute pace.  Yikes!!  I am not in that league for sure.

Proof, because I don't believe it either!

 Weston Wright (bib number 1!) was there with his family.  He looks about 8 or 9 years old and he is blind, like many of the participants and volunteers.  This is his race and has been for the last 5 years, and it specifically supports the Blind Children's Education Fund.  The San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind oversees this event with the support of their employees, members and board of directors who showed up in force to run the race and create the event.  Beamer, the stuffed lighthouse mascot was there too.  Yeah, I had to think about it for a sec, too :)

Beamer!  Or there's a barber at the finish line.

 In other news, despite what the race pictures probably show, I did not knock down a blind woman at the finish line!!  I just happened to round the final corner and come up behind a woman who dropped her red-tipped cane right in front of me.  I stopped to pick it up for her but she was able to recover herself but I am very nervous that the finish line photos show what looks like me, grabbing a cane and deciding to fell a blind woman to beat her to the finish line.

I met many great people and their families and this race has the cozy feel of a tight-knit family reunion.  The friendly folks at www.iRunTexas.net produced the event and invited me to come to their running store’s weeknight social runs – I’ll try while here in town.  I felt so personally welcomed that I want to check it out.  Runners in general are such a friendly bunch.  Except for me, per the finish line incident photos :)

 

I was inspired by a very nice large woman in her first 5K run/walk, huffing and puffing slowly up the inclines and walking much of the course but I tell you this race is a far bigger victory for her than me regardless of what the chip time says.  No I don’t think she is also visually impaired but if you really want to be extra inspired, we can just say that she is.  She is the reason why San Antonio wins.  

The price is beyond reasonable - $30 – and students get a $15 (50%!) discount.  I think an entire high school cross-country team showed up!  I consumed about $50 worth of coffee, bagels, donuts, fruit, beer, water so I should probably write Beamer a check :)

If I’m in town next year at this time, this race is on my MUST DO list!  5 stars!

It didn't rain but it wanted to

 Next up, I registered for a Turkey Trot 5K/10K nearby on 23 November: the Boerne YMCA Turkey Trot.  Boerne is hilly, so I’ll consider myself warned.  That’s my last weekend here in SA but I’m glad to have found a Turkey Trot held before Thanksgiving Day as I will be driving across Texas that morning.  I’ve done one every year since 2012 and I’d hate to miss my 2^nd annual.

How do you find your next race? Next up: Weston Wright 10K!

Just as the El Paso racing season kicks off with some fantastic local events, I'm headed back to San Antonio until Thanksgiving.  

So I found a race for next weekend, along the wonderful Mission Trail.

All the time that I've lived or worked in San Antonio, and I've never heard of this race before:
The 5th Annual Weston Wright "Lighting the Way" 5K/10K, to support the children's education arm of the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind.  I'm happy to support this organization and from the website, it seems like Weston himself, an 8 year old, might be there too.

Come run with me!  I signed up for the 10K.  It's on Saturday!  You can register on race-day, and I love that the registration website has a "sleep-in special" where you can donate even if you know that you won't make it to race morning-- it's a website that knows my husband better than I do! :)

I find most of my races on Road Race Runner or Running In The USA race calendar, but these are not all-inclusive. How do you find upcoming races?  I feel like I miss a lot of great local events...

McKelligon Canyon Run, 6 months later

Autumn in the high desert, as interpreted by my cell phone

 Oh my gosh, has it really been six, SIX!!! months since I ran this gorgeous route?  

Nah, but it's been half a year since I brought my phone on a run with me (hence the lack of race selfies, or really any race pix at all).  

I don't know if you've noticed, but iphones are expensive and you can't trust the weather (I have an 11 year old BS in meteorology, and that's the sum total of what I remember). 

I've been out of town for about 4 months, and intermittently before that since May, so I haven't been running this route as much as I'd like.  I had some time today to fix that!

Rounding the first bend, atop the first hill

Whenever I run here, I have to wonder why there's no official race held here in the Canyon.  The scenery and facilities lend themselves to a great event.  It's a well-known, low-traffic, centrally-located, and well-loved route with a built-in amphitheater along a 5-mile loop.  Perfect!  And there are myriad causes out there of which awareness must be raised, I'm sure.  For example, I'm very aware that there's no road race at McKelligon Canyon!

Who wants to encourage a race here?  Me!

Miles and miles of the ribbon of road...mmmm!

Have I mentioned the scenery?  It's not too different from the pictures I took in spring.  Though, to me, this October, El Paso looks richly verdant.  Well, for El Paso:

Looks pretty green to me!

And if you're picky, there ya go, some more fall splendor! Yellow aster-looking things!

In other news, I'm heading back to San Antonio next week for the remainder of the fall....!  Just when I was settling in, too....sigh.

Perhaps upon my return to the Alamo City I will do more running and less stopping-and-taking-pictures-ing.  It's good to have goals :)

Perhaps the race theme should be LITTER awareness!!  boo.

El Paso Transmountain Challenge 2013

I would love to be that skinny one day!

 I ran the 36th annual 2013 El Paso Transmountain Challenge half marathon on Sunday.  I liked it - just like last year- and when I finished, I had the same thoughts as the year before: I could be a whole lot better at this thing if I practiced!

Please note I only think that after the downhill portion, not on my way up-up-up the initial climb where I generally wonder if I can gracefully tumble down the side of the thorny mountain just to get out of the event.

No matter how often you drive this road, you will wonder, "how did this thing double in uphill grade overnight?"

The weather last year fought us runners- as if the terrain weren't challenging enough- with biting wind and an unseasonable chill in the air.  I was also glad that there was no baby stroller involved this year, but thinking of that, I missed my friends who have since moved to New York. 

Last Sunday at 7 am?  Warm, still air, only a breeze picking up as the path crested the mountains.  This time D was with me at the start and he too ran the race.  We don't run together at these race events.  That's a subject for another post though :)

Just like last year, the path is a one-way half-marathon, climbing 1300 feet in the first half of the race, only to descend, once midway, to the end.  It is a challenge indeed. 

The border patrol delegation ran in a nice tight formation again.  Lots of elite-looking runners, and lots of people who are new to fitness and have chosen a challenge up front.  That's what I like about this race, the terrain is intimidating yet so many people start and finish the course regardless.

I believe a 5K is also available, with a start and end point coinciding with the end of the halfsie. 

Aid stations were as great as ever, every 2 miles, with liquids and potties and medical staff.  Such enthusiastic volunteers- and I love forever the guy who coined the term that today was just another great "El Paso Sunday!" as we ran past his aid station, less thirsty and far more motivated than when we arrived.

I love that you can see the immense 50' x 100' flag at the Old Glory Memorial finish line from several miles out.  The silence as you run along, at a tenth of the speed you'd drive, allows the beauty of the Franklin Mountains and El Paso to impress and distract you from the uphill plod.  

After the descent, a sharp right turn along an almost flat frontage road leads you just over a mile to Diana Drive.  A sharp left- and ahead you see the cheering finish line corral and the taunting clock.  I crossed the line, with water and a medal and time to enjoy the Old Glory Memorial Plaza and all the post-race treats!  Such yummy burritos, from Crisostomo I believe? 

From the snack-filled finish, buses await to take you back over the mountain to the start, where we parked the car.  This is maybe the one day a year the entire Transmountain Road is closed- which we didn't know prior to the race- the only real hiccup of the day.  As compared to last year, though, the parking was much closer to the start. The bus situation is really no hassle at all.  It's nice to have a 15 minute ride to chat with the other racers and point out the spots along the course where we all felt miserable. 

The city of El Paso executes this race flawlessly and safely.  The road is closed, and there are no cars anywhere near the path, even along frontage roads toward the end. 

Anyone can do this race, and everyone should.  The prices, even at the last minute, are in the $40 range.  I am thankful again for the military discount this year.  The packet pickup is Friday and Saturday but not available on race morning.  It's fuss-free, and the shirt is pretty stylish for a race shirt, and a nice technical material in sizes from XS-XL.

I could've run faster, but I didn't.  I had a great race all the same.  I am back from San Antonio (6 weeks early, thanks to the shutdown) and waiting to see if I'll be called to return today.  

Always surprises!

And Turkey Trot season is nearly here!  I am ready!!!

Who else is excited for autumn racing?

Shutdown...yet still running!

So the government shut down...is not good for anyone.  I am thankful that my job is intact, but we certainly haven't been spared the insanity.  Two days ago, we were sent home in the middle of our training course, just to be called back a day later.  We will likely be sent home in the next coming days, over a month early, only to have to return again later in 2014 or beyond.  This is frustrating, and yes, will end up costing our government even more, but it's all about timing and flavors of money and other things I understand only well enough to know that one ought not mix them up!

It's a mess- yes- a lot of important folks are furloughed, and that frustrates me on their behalf.  But I still feel that we have it really good in this country, which you know if you've traveled anywhere else.  We aren't living under an oppressive regime (though you may have thoughts otherwise!) and we live in relative safety and security.  I learned from others earlier this summer during the furlough, that you've got to keep more in your savings account than you think and that no job or retirement plan or anything is guaranteed.  I made some changes in these lean times, too-- I cut out going to Starbucks, foremost because it's way too pricey and I don't need it, and second of all because of their rumored idea not to allow firearms, carried concealed with a permit, in stores.  I'm a little confused, though, since at some point in the past, they were on the other side of the firearms story.  I just feel like if people are carrying gun, I want them caffeinated and alert to their surroundings.  Oh yeah and I also think we should endorse our Constitution.

This morning, we (well, 4,000 of my closest friends and I) met up at 0445 for a unique concept...the Brigade Run.  So despite being broke and shutdown, we are still running!  What a metaphor!  What is this nonsense, you ask?  A celebratory event?  Sometimes.  A way to bring local festivities to the post, albeit very early in the morning?  Oh yes.  A commemoration of the retirement of a distinguished individual?  Occasionally.  Super annoying to all those involved?  Always.  The good news is that in these broke times, this is a free event, powered only by tired Soldiers, too tired in fact to gripe much about it. 

If you like to stand around for 45 minutes, then sprint madly down a dark street, followed by walking and bumping into the lines of people in front of you for periods of time, then more sprinting, walking, stumbling, over a course of about 3 miles, then this is an event for you.  For the rest of us sane people, it's tolerable and amusing.  The best part is when you smell the bacon, because that means you're near the chow hall, and there physically isn't much road left at that point.  It also means that you can quickly replace both the calories burned, and then some.

Next up...the Transmountain Challenge 2013 in El Paso.  I signed up!  Hope you are there...here's how it went for me last year.  I'm looking forward to a weekend home.  D promises to run this year too.  He is such a trooper and responds fairly well to my "guess what I signed us up for?" announcements.  Fairly. 

Who's doing more running now that the government's shutdown?  I sorta am!

Losing weight, winning the obesity war: San Antonio.

San Antonio, according to Men's Health, is the 7th fattest city in America.  

Texas in general maintains 5 of the top 10 fattest cities:

1.  Corpus Christi, TX
2.  Charleston, WV
3.  El Paso, TX (yikes!!)
4.  Dallas, TX
5.  Memphis, TN
6.  Kansas City, MO
7.  San Antonio, TX
8.  Baltimore, MD
9.  Houston, TX
10.  Birmingham, AL

But unlike these other cities, San Antonio has dumped a lot of money into overcoming this stigma and in August, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District announced that the obesity rate in San Antonio dropped from 35.1% to 28.5% over the past 2 years, per the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.  The big (little?) deal here is that San Antonio is now below the state obesity rate, which has actually increased over the past 2 years.

I moved away from San Antonio a few years ago, and returning this summer I can absolutely see the difference that this money made in the city's fitness emphasis.

There are salad bars in schools.  And at even the most authentic restaurants, I see lighter, lower-fat options highlighted.
 
This morning, the first cool morning of the season, I ran the Salado Greenway and stumbled on a sign at the Tobin Trailhead indicating "Free fitness classes here!" sponsored by the Mayor's Fitness Council.

The trail system itself has been expanded for miles.  It's well-groomed, superbly maintained, and a haven for fitness enthusiasts and wildlife.  I plod along with walkers, runners, cyclists (even ellipticyclists!) of all levels and body compositions there. 

Along the Riverwalk, I now see bicycles for use- free for 30 minutes, after that a nominal fee- which can be turned in at various locations around town.  If you're smart, you could bike all over town for free, relaying from bike turn in to next bike turn in.

The city buses (VIA public transport Bike and Ride) have bike racks on the front.  No extra fee to pop your bike on the bus!

All this comes to a total of $15.6M.  That's a lot of money in these tricky economic times, but what a savings in terms of easing our future healthcare cost burden.  I'll call it a victorious battle in the war on obesity, which is now classified as a disease.  And what a triumph for the 70,000 San Antonians who can now call themselves free of obesity.   

Though the city of San Antonio fights on, the larger problem remains that the Texas obesity rate itself is just far too high.

What is your city doing about this epidemic??  I'm not sure what El Paso plans.  I saw several new trails under construction last I visited, but sadly there isn't the overall metropolitan fitness gestalt that I feel here in San Antonio.

Read more here:
City of San Antonio Obesity Rate Drops Below State Average
Mayor's Fitness Council: a citywide 8-week challenge

Race review: Gruene 10K and a bonus victory

 Gruene Hall is such a great Texas landmark.  It's the oldest continuously-operating dance hall in the state.  It oozes with real charm, the ambiance and wall-memorabilia the utter envy of artifical places like TGIFs and Applebee's.  I love that George Strait got his start here in the 1970s and the creaky wood floor just melts my heart.  Most nights, live music performs on stage at the Hall.  I love the cash-only bar and the sound of the screen doors creaking shut around the building.  Even more, I love that the town of Gruene, for the 4th year in a row, hosted a 10K race today.  

Nice shirt!

 I'd been here before for the Tour de Gruene cycling event, in a November a few years past.  This morning was mildly cool, with sunlight easing in by about 0830.  Make no mistake, despite the gentle setting this is hill country and this race will surprise you with its hill teeth!

I arrived at about 0700 for the 0800 race start.  There's no other race than the 10K and the simplicity is nice.  Packet pick-up is within Gruene Hall itself.

 The race starts in a grassy knoll across the street from the Hall, the same starting area as used for the cycling events.

I loved the course.  I loved hearing roosters along the way especially in light of recent events.   The scenery is hilly, farmy, and the course winds over the Gruene River and under a few railroad trestles.  Just lovely, and a few degrees cooler than the city.

There was a good crowd for the event and a very nice post-race gathering on the grounds of the Hall.  A live band played, massages were available, so too beer, sausage wraps, water, fruit, etc.  The German roots of Gruene seemingly dictate that a sausage or wurst is involved with most every event held there.  Fine by me!

I met my goal and squeaked in just under 8min/mile. I'm happy with it and those hills (when will I learn that Hill Country is hilly?!) tested my courage, which I like every now and then.

A great morning race and a perfect start to my weekend!

And now for the real highlight of the day...

After the race, on my 30-minute drive back to San Antonio, I needed a lift from my good friend caffeine.  I stopped at an on-the-way Einstein Bros Bagels.  I won't tell you where.  But I needed the loo.  Before coffee.  

Just in time, I arrived at the shop's lovely and clean one-seater.  All was well, la-di-dah, and another person had barely knocked on the door as I was about to exit.  Good timing!  Time for coffee, I tell myself, and I'm a flush and a hand wash and $2.99 away from my delicious beverage from a magic bean.  

But what happens next forever changed my day...no flushie...try again...no flushie...uh-oh.  And though my first instinct is to low-crawl out of there, I have one exit only and I just cannot leave the commode as-is for the next waiting lady.  What to do?!  My husband's in a different time zone and I'm not sure our relationship is up to these sort of situations anyway.  I can't feign death plausibly, so I'll tell you what I did.  I pried open the tank, evaluated my patient, diagnosed the situation, ran a few tests and I fixed that thing in about 15 seconds. 

I maybe have opened a toilet tank once before.  

Maybe.  

So I'm calling it right now:  this is the most amazing thing I have ever done and I will take this victory even over meeting my pace goal at the 10K.  I AM A TOILET SURGEON!!  You cannot imagine the unspoken pride with which I held the door for the lady after me.  Or the celebratory manner in which I purchased and drank my coffee (why yes, I will go for the vanilla syrup today, tyvm!).  I called D immediately and shared with him the fantastic news, which he said I should share with you as well.  I am aware of the yuck factor.  I apologize.  But this is my real life.  You just have to play pick-up plumber every now and then.  One's dignity deserves it.  And if you've ever doubted the existence of God, take this lesson as proof that He is there and watching over everything :)

I hope I am just as good with my [human] patients.

Also, toilets are less complicated than I previously thought.

Happy running all!

Dodgeball Day

I was never much of a standout in gym class.  I really suck at gym class games.

Today I re-confirmed that dodgeball is just as scary now as it was in elementary school.  I could've used D's help for sure.  Or at least his silhouette, to cover and conceal me :)

This morning my peers and I played a few rounds with the folks at the Center for the Intrepid (CFI).

In case you don't know, CFI is a revolutionary place where unprecedented things are happening for the people who deserve them the most.  It's too earthshattering for me to merely describe, so feel free to look into it and all the people it touches.

One of these legs is not like the other

Today our opponents included a group of people who are currently receiving therapy at CFI.  These folks are not only undergoing several phases of recovery and therapy but many also have prostheses and braces and other orthotic devices of all sorts.

$#!&'s about to get real

 It was a strange feeling, to try and bean a guy missing an arm and leg, but that's also the pith of my experience today:  people are people, regardless of the pieces and parts, whether original or replacement.  And yes they merit dodgeball-beaning just as much as anyone else.  It's a lesson we intellectually understand but can't fully grasp until facing an amputee about to gun one's self down with a terrifyingly powerful and speedy rubber ball.   But it's the same lesson my 12 year old stepdaughter helps me learn, too.  To me she's a goofy and quirky and splendid tween, just as she should be, despite cerebral palsy.

At the end of the day, I wish I was better at dodgeball.  Each and every person I attempted to knock over caught the ball, forcing me out, just like in 4th grade.

Read more here:
The Center for the Intrepid
The IDEO Brace

When did races become so pricey?

While doing some booooring online training this morning (all morning, rather, which is about to morph into an all-day) I again failed to find the end of the internet but I did register for another race from the Running in the USA online race calendar.

During my search for local races, I stumbled on the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon and Half, scheduled for November 17 and I was all ready to sign up until I found this nonsense:

And now I have many questions.

Most of all, when the $&@!*$ did road races become so expensive?

I know nothing about race direction or organization but I am very curious about how the race fees are broken down.

Let's do the math: if I signed up today for the half, that's $120/13.1 miles or $9.16 per mile. Does this seems prohibitively expensive to anyone else?  I measure everything in plane tickets these days, and that's a plane ticket home for me.  Roundtrip.  

Or maybe those are fair prices nowadays and I've just been lucky enough to stumble on races that are more inexpensive.

I ran my first marathon (Cleveland, OH) in 2002 and I solidly remember the price in the $40 range.  Today, it's increased to $95 for the full and $80 for the half (if I register two to three months out).  We all know that the RNR series is more expensive than other races, but $120 for a half marathon is too steep for me.

So to satisfy my urge for another morning race I signed up for the Gruene 10K instead of the RNR Half.  I love Gruene Hall and the environs.  And I like the $30ish pricetag, which is $5.65 per mile, not that that's a useful measure of anything other than my inability to register for a race early, ever.  Cost aside, I'd really rather support a local club than the megawatt Rock and Roll series anyway.  And the race is next weekend.  

Happy Saturday running...back to my online training...zzzzzzzz

Pub run pre-cap... AND confessions of a running shoe hoarder

I hate to do this to you...

But after I raved about the Mizuno Wave Rider 16s

I am going to wear an old pair of running shoes to the Pub Run tonight.

Good thing I brought a collection of Wave Rider 15s with me when I came out to San Antonio for the summer! 

My shoe cycle goes like this:ones with high mileage (yellow) are phased into the "for Army training" pile and the newer ones (purple and red) are for longer runs, and the newest (the 16s) are saved a third category, races and race-specific training.  It's just common sense, I don't have a shoe problem!  I promise!

A reflective belt really brings the picture together

I will upset myself if my new shoes get dirty too soon, I'm serious!!

Ridiculous, yes, but this is the real world where running shoes don't show up without $$ and I love to keep them somewhat clean and in good repair as long as I can.

Of course, I'll still run the $#!% out of them rain or shine or meatballs or whatever.

Just without assorted pub gunk stuck all over them.

So the uniform of the evening includes:

I've never even been to Nebraska

A shirt that the most generous friend in the world purchased for us gals since we somehow eked degrees out of the good ol' U of Nebraska! Not sure about the peace and love portions but hey hey it's a good looking shirt!

Hope to see you there!  And if you can't make it, I'll be sure to post some pictures tomorrow.  But it'd be better if you attended...just sayin'.

Happy Friday!  Where are you on the shoe life cycle?  And are you doing a pub run tonight?

Race review: I know why they call it a WHINE run now!

 The 2013 San Antonio Road Runners Labor Day 5 Mile Whine Run...

Figure 1.  Graph is to scale.

My earlier guess was unfortunately correct.

Well, umm, sooooo....AFTER the race we had fun at the Dry Comal Creek Vineyard.  Shady lawn, live music, vendors and club tents, hot dogs, wine, wine glasses, cheese, crackers, grapes, sodas, water, plenty of places to sit and relax and drink in the natural (and grapey) beauty.

I was not well prepared for the hills, but I loved the challenge.  Whining was in full force by, oh, 3 minutes after the start (see Figure 1).  

On a positive note:

Good swag: Chilled towels at the end, great after-party at the vineyard proper.  Nice purple technical t-shirt in men's and women's sizes.

I leave town and he starts wearing purple...oh my!

Great Support:  water and carb beverages every mile or so, also chilled soaked sponges.  Some families and neighborhood residents cheered outside with cowbells, but mostly a drawn out internal monolog with myself, wondering how much D would tease me if I bowed out of the race at various points. (The answer is quite a bit, not that he was faring any better :) )  Plenty of port-a-potties along the course if you knew where to look*.

The course itself was about 1/2 mile removed from the winery/vineyard, in a new subdivision.  It almost felt like we were either in the Truman Show or running through a road race-based advertisement for a hilly and up-scale housing development, but with a $25 entry fee and a chance to challenge myself on some hills, I would do this race again.

I would visit the winery/vineyard again too, even without the race!

There is a 5-mile walk option that begins 30 minutes before the 5 mile run.

We had so much fun we forgot to take pictures and sample the wine, which, I was told, was quite tasty.

The San Antonio Road Runners put on a great event- and I hope to be able to attend another SARR race.  I am not a champion runner but I do appreciate my health and the time I spend on the road or treadmill and I feel like the SARR is a welcoming club for all aficionados, regardless of natural ability.  I am as always very thankful for the military discount.

*Which I didn't.  In other news I definitely had The Running Bubblies midway through and I am very sorry to the owners of the back yard I surreptitiously visited.

Dry Comal Creek 5 Mile Whine Run: Labor Day 2013

I am thankful to have the day off on Monday!  I will celebrate with D who is coming to visit for the weekend and we plan to run the San Antonio Road Runner Labor Day 5 Mile Whine Run at Dry Comal Creek Vineyards in New Braunfels.

I am embarrassed to say that in all my time in San Antonio I've never been to New Braunfels though it is just up the road.  And the home of some great barbecue: a friend recommended Cooper's BBQ.

I've never even done an event with the San Antonio Road Runners either, and I'm looking forward to learning more about this group.

It's a chip-timed race and from the website, the scenery looks beautiful.  I can't find a course map but I hope that the race travels through the vineyards.  I imagine there is some wine at the end...or during!

Who's in town and wants to celebrate with me?  Does anyone know why this run has the word "whine" in it?  Is it all uphill?  That would certainly be appropriate...failing that I will focus on the wine vs whine :)

Happy running and happy and safe Labor Day weekend to all!