sunday 1-28 austin's half marathon

yep i ran austin's half marathon yesterday..................it was nice and clear weather but it was cold...............and wind............i completed it 2.39 slow and it was only two weeks after running my 1st marathon..........i can say it was a learning experience , my legs just did not go......... my breathing was fine .........pain was felt in my legs from mile three on.....guess it was too quick to get back out there...............on the pavement...............so i will go back to the track at memorial park and keep up my weekly runs............... also it was lonely out there no one knew i was going to be out there except for two friends..............and they were not in austin for the weekend......i also did not wear my headset.......i think that would have helped me not think so much about the leg pains......... i just wanted to finish and it was good to get back out there........i actually had fun........ and i think that is why i run................

sunday 1-21 and all is well

today the sun came out for the first time in a week........ so good to see it........where did the time go.......last week in running the marathon it seem like the five plus hours with by so fast ....... i still can not believe it really happen........ at one point in the the marathon i saw the volunteers at the medical tents holding wooden tongue surpressors with some kind of jelly on them ........ to tell you how my diseased mind thinks....... i first thought it was raw honey ..........i had taken a jar of raw honey to the george r. brown convention center to spread on a bagel after the run........ i quickly learned the the wooden stick had vaseline on it...........i am sure glad i did grab one of those sticks because i might have just put it in my mouth............ and that would have been the end of my first marathon.......................today i can just laugh about it

14miles thru the 26.2 marathon

HERE I AM AT THE 14 MILE MARKER..............

FRIDAY 1 - 19

I WAS AT THE SEVENTEEN MILE MARKER WHEN THIS MAN SCREAMED " LOOKING GOOD ".....................AND I NOTICED THIS OTHER MAN WITH A HOODED COAT SCREAMED OUT "ARE YOU OK ??".............."HEY ARE YOU OK.??"......... I THOUGHT TO MYSELF WHO IS THE MAN SCREAMING AT ME .............THEN HE STARTED RUNNING DOWN THE SIDEWALK AND REACHED OUT TO GET MY ATTENTION.............IT WAS MY DAD............. I DID NOT RECOGNIZED HIM WITH HIS HOOD OVER HIS HEAD............. I ALMOST STARTED RUNNING FASTER TO GET AWAY FROM HIM BEFORE I SAW IT WAS MY DAD.................HE HAD SURPRISED ME.....

WED 1-17 THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT

HEY YALL THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS ESPECIALLY THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS................ CHRISTMAS NIGHT I PULLED A MUSCLE IN MY BACK AND I THOUGHT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RUN............AFTER SIX TRIPS TO THE CIRIOPRATOR AND SLEEPING ON THE FLOOR SEVERAL NIGHTS IT SEEM TO BE OK BY MARATHON MORNING ............ TODAY I FEEL FINE BOTH LEGS AND BACK.............THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS HAPPEN TO ME THE LAST 30 DAYS AND I THINK I WILL WRITE ABOUT THEM OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS............ THE FIRST THAT COMES TO MIND WAS WHEN I WAS ABOUT TWO MILES INTO THE RACE I SAW THIS YOUNG GIRL IN FRONT OF ME WEARING A WHITE SHIRT WITH MAROON AND GOLD LETTERING............ I DID NOT FOCUS ON IT AT FIRST BUT AFTER SEEING HER IN FRONT OF ME FOR AT LEAST A MILE I NOTICED THAT THE T-SHIRT SAID......TULOSO MIDWAY TENNIS 1999-2000 SO I RAN UP BESIDE HER TO SAY HEY I GRADUATED FROM T-M IN 1978 AND I HAD MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH TAKING MY MIND OFF OF THE RUN.............TODAY I WONDER IF SHE WAS A DAUGHTER OF ONE OF MY FRIENDS THAT I GRADUATED WITH............... ??? I SHOULD HAVE ASKED HER BUT I JUST WISHED HER GOOD LUCK WITH THE RACE ...........

TUES 1 -16 AND I FEEL GREAT......

IT IS FREEZING OUTSIDE AND I AM SO HAPPY THAT THE MARATHON WAS SUNDAY AND NOT TODAY.................... AFTER THE ICE BATH AND WARM SHOWER BACK TO THE ICE BATH AGAIN..........I FEEL REALLY GOOD .......... NOT AS MUCH SORENESS AS I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE............I THINK IT REALLY WORKS................

FINISHED MY 1 ST MARATHON............

HEY I FINISHED MY FIRST MARATHON IN 5 HRS 24 MIN.............MORE LATER..............

SAT 1-13 MARATHON EVE.............

HEY .............. ITS HERE............... I DID NOT SLEEP WELL LAST NIGHT SO I WILL CATCH A NAP HERE SHORTLY............I HOPE...........MY DAD AND TWO BROTHERS AND FAMILIES HAVE ARRIVED .............SEVERAL FRIENDS HAVE FLOWN IN TOO............. I AM EXCITED AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS ALL.............. IF ALL GOES AS PLAN I WILL HAVE SOMEONE EVERY FOUR OR FIVE MILES TO GIVE ME DRY CLOTHES AND GATORADE ETC................ AND I HAVE A LOCAL FRIEND THAT WILL RUN TOWARDS THE END WITH ME............. YOU CAN SEE ME CROSS THE FINISH LINE AROUND NOON TO 12.30 12.40 TOMORROW BY GOING TO ABC CHANNEL 13 WEB PAGE WHERE IT IS BEING CARRIED LIVE ...ON THEIR FEED...............ALSO THERE SHOULD BE 4 SPLIT TIMES ON THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON WEB PAGE.......... AGAIN BY BIB # 4243 ..............................LET'S GO..............SEE WHAT HAPPENS.................

FRI 1 - 12 36 HRS FROM STARTING

AND 41 HOURS FROM FINISHING...........I HOPE...............THIS WEEK HAS GONE BY FAST.........SO I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT THE NEXT 36 HRS WILL, TOO............... THEY SAY DRINK PLENTY OF WATER...... TONIGHT I SEE A REPORT THAT SAYS YOU CAN DIE BY DRINKING TOO MUCH WATER............. SOMETHING TO DO WITH NOT HAVING ENOUGH SODIUM IN YOUR BODY..........WELL THIS MARATHON STUFF IS NOT EASY IS IT........... I AM SURE THINGS WILL GO OK...........BUT IT DOES MAKE YOU THINK....... IT ISN'T JUST GET OUT THE AND RUN............. IT SHOULD BE FUN.................

1-10 WED

IT 'S HERE................THURS. FRI. SAT SUNDAY..........................MY BIB # 4243 ...........YOU CAN CHECK THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON WEB SITE TO SEE WHAT MY SPLIT AND FINAL TIMES ARE............. RUN MY FINAL RUN TODAY ...... ONE LAST EASY RUN OF TWO AND AN HALF MILES............. 7 AM SUNDAY MORNING WILL BE HERE OH SO QUICK..............................

1-7-07 SUNDAY NIGHT

COUNT DOWN LESS THAN A WEEK...............I FEEL GOOD TONIGHT............I RAN SIX MILES YESTERDAY AND I AM READY ................... AS MUCH AS I CAN BE.................THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS..............

FRIDAY 1-5-07 4243 MY LUCKY #

TODAY I RECEIVED MY OFFICAL NUMBER FOR THE MARATHON............. THE BIB NUMBER IS 4243 ............................ 4243 PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS THIS WEEK AS I TRY TO KEEP CALM ETC............... THERE ARE TWO SITES THAT I KEEP UP WITH ON THE WEATHER FRONT AND AS OF TODAY THE WEATHER FOR NEXT WEEKEND IS WELL UP IN THE AIR............... ONE SITE HAS RAIN AND TURNING COLD WITH STRONG WIND......... HIGH OF 56 AND THE LOW SUNDAY NIGHT 28 AND THE OTHER SITE HAS RAIN HIGH OF 68 AND LOW SUNDAY NIGHT 41 SO SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE..............AS FOR ME I HOPE THEY ARE BOTH WRONG............. NOT TO EXCITED ABOUT RUNNING IN THE RAIN................ WELL TODAY I DO NOT NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL CHANGE SEVERAL TIMES BETWEEN NOW AND THEN..................................I HOPE............

THURS 1-4-07 NINE DAYS

WELL THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING SOMEWHAT OK..........I RUN SEVERAL (3) TIMES THIS WEEK ............TIME IS GOING ACTUALLY FAST BECAUSE IT IS NOW ONLY NINE DAYS TIL THE START OF THE MARATHON .................I FEEL LIKE A HORSE THAT HAS BEEN PUT IN THE STARTING GATE AND IS READY TO RUN ......................I AM A LITTLE HYPER.........JUST A LITTLE...........LAST NIGHT AS I WAS LEAVING TO GO DO SOME FUNDRAISING ........I HAD A CAR ACCIDENT ...........SO NOW I AM DEALING WITH ALL THAT..........NO ONE HURT ETC.........JUST THE CARS .........AND THEY SAY THAT IS WHAT INSURANCE IS FOR ......................HOUSTON FIT HAS EVERYONE RUNNING SIX MILES ON SAT AND I GUESS THAT WILL BE THE LAST RUN BEFORE THE MARATHON.............HEY I AM JUST SO HAPPY TO BE HERE AT THIS TIME.............I WANT TO ENJOY THIS MOMENT..............I HAVE BEEN REMEMBERING MY FRIENDS AND LOVE ONES THAT HAVE PAST AND WILL NOT BE HERE TO SEE ME .......I HAVE ASKED IN MY PRAYERS THAT THE ANGELS GATHER THEM TO LET THEM KNOW OF THE MARATHON AND I HOPE TO FEEL THEIR PRESENCE........... AND HAVE ALREADY HAD GOOD FEELINGS FROM THAT REQUEST...............................PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS THANKS..................