Looks Like it WIll Only Be 2 Times this Week

This week will be a jam packed Toastmaster week as we are in Contest season. I missed hills on Tuesday because I had a contest to attend and will miss on Saturday, as well. I did manage to make it out yesterday and today and do 30 minutes of walking in the neighborhood. I'm hoping to get out on Sunday and do between 8 and 10 miles.

6 Miles in the Neighborhood

Saturday was a holiday for me, so I didn't make it out with FBF. This morning I discovered yet another path, this one on the north side of Woodstream that followed the bayou and curved around, connecting with Sweetwater. It was hot, but not unbearable.

Marthon Kick-Off Party and 5K

Tonight was the Chevron Houston Marathon Kick-Off Party. The location, used to be held in Memorial Park, was moved to Sam Houston Park, downtown. They added a 5K run this year. I got downtown just with a great showing from FBF, but it was a long wait until 7:30pm when the 5K was scheulded to start. I guess they had to wait for rush hour to be over. The race started on Allen Parkway, just West of Bagby, went down to Waugh and back around. Bob and I ran a little, but mostly walked and still made it to the finish line in just under 44 minutes.

An Hour of Hills

Tonight, Bob and I did hills. We got to the parking garage early and did 3 laps. It took us longer than usual, but we finished. Thursday night is the Marathon Kick-Off Party. This year it's being held downtown instead of at Memorial Park. There is also a 5K race that we've signed up to do. I'll count it as my third training for the week.

40 Minutes in the Early Evening

I had an early appointment this morning, so I didn't get out until just before 7:00pm. It was still pretty hot, especially with the sun beating down on the lake. I'm planning on doing hills tomorrow and will get one more training in at the 5K race downtown on Thursday.

6 Miles on My Own

I missed the run with FBF yesterday because I had been fighting a cold, but felt much better this morning. The air was crisp and clear and actually cool. I went on a new route, exploring the greenbelts throughout the neighborhood that I hadn't been on before.

They're Baaaack!

This morning I did my 35 minutes by the lake. Nature was at her finest - lots of wildlife including baby and "teenage" ducks and turtles. As I turned the corner, there were those pesky geese, back from their summer vacation with their almost grown baby. They started honking and charging, but I got my water bottle out and was able to get them to back off by squirting them. They were still on the path when I made my circle back, but they walked away and didn't honk. I forgot how peaceful life was while they were gone.

45 Minutes of Hills

This evening I did 45 minutes of hills. I got to the garage a bit early, but still missed several other early birds, including Bob, who has started their first lap. I figured I could catch them coming down and at did at the second incline before the top. I turned joined them on their descent and continued to do another 2 full laps. Bob stuck with me for another 15 minutes so I could get my time in. Our Sugar Land hills are a lot steeper than the ones in the Oakville Half, but I have a feeling they won't compare to the the ones in San Antonio this November.

10 Miles with Fort Bend Fit

This morning Steve, Bob and I met at 5:00am. Steve's training for the New York Marathon on Novemeber 4th had him scheduled to do a 15 miles.I figured that since I had bumped my mileage to 13.1 this past Monday, that I would be up for it. Around mile 6 I realized that there was no way I could make it that far, so Steve continued with his route and Bob and I finished up the 10 miles route that everyone else was doing. Needless to say I was exhausted by the time we made it back to Velocity.

Oakville Half Marathon

Today I did the Oakville Half Marathon in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. It's a really nice town with harbors on Lake Ontario. This was the race's debut year, although the director has done the nearby Mississauga Marathon for the past four years. It was well organized with lots of water stations. The course ran along Lakeshore drive and wound throughout some lovely neighborhoods. It had rolling hills, but nothing like Austin. The weather was great-in the high 60's at the start of the race with overcast skies for the entire time. The temperature was in the low 70's at the end of the race. The last mile ran along Lake Ontario and past the harbour. The race markers were set out every 1K, and although there were 21 of them, it actually made the race more manageable since they came up every .6 miles. I did 1:00/1:00 intervals for the first 11K, then walked mostly for the balance. I finished with a time of 3:17:45.7.

Just Before the Start