rain, what rain?

Got up at 4 am to get in a couple of extra miles before joining the Fleet Feet group at 5:30. But, it was raining pretty hard and according to the radar it looked like it would last for awhile. I went ahead and dressed accordingly. "Tight" tights, singlet, high visibility yellow rain jacket, hat, gloves, ipod in a baggie and old lightweight trainers. Instead of driving to Fleet Feet I headed out into the rain from the house. That would give me an out, should it start raining to hard or I was really miserable.

It was raining pretty steady and came a real downpour, not even a quarter mile from the house. Luckily the downpour only lasted a 100 meters or so. It continued to rain, but stopped completely about a mile or so out from the house. The wind was pretty brisk on the way out. I went 4 miles out to Bragg HQ's and turned around. I'd forgotten one thing when I headed out but was able to "adapt and improvise". Coming back on the greenway I could really smell the fresh earth, almost like when a field is newly plowed. Reminder that spring is only a couple of months away.

On the return of my out and back the wind was at my back coming up Thompson Lane. Usually can't seem to feel the wind when its at your back. I was thinking that while JC was singing "your own personal Jesus". Felt the wind this morning it was a warm gentle push. Not continually, but just every once in awhile, must have been the gusts.

All in all, a pretty good birthday morning run. At least until Paula told me she couldn't open the garage door. Seems the spring that winds the cable that pull the door up are broken? Guess I'll be waiting until a repairman can come and fix it. I was able to finally get the door up, and hold it up for Paula to back out. But, now the door won't even close all of the way. Happy freakin' birthday.

busy weekend

Slept in on Saturday, but still able to get out early enough to get in 5 miles before starting with the group at 7 am. Did another 8 miles with Jason and the Rock. Had to do the last 2 miles by myself, though. Still felt pretty good, better pace than last weekend. Ended up with 15 miles.

Met Paula's sister and family, plus her mom and dad for a trip to the Williamson County Ag center to see the RV show. RV's for everyone, except the million dollar plus Prevost's. Paula wants to get a pop up camper to pull behind the van. We used to have a hard side Apache pop up camper when we lived in Georgia. Should have held on to that. Be nice to just have a hunters special to leave up at the farm, but wouldn't be able to trailer it anywhere. No big hurry to get anything.

Had a late lunch at Cracker Barrel. I just had a blackberry cobbler and some bisquits. Paula and I were going out to eat at Ombi for my birthday and valentines for dinner. Really like the big fireplace and rocking chairs. I played Ryan a game of checkers and then we ate. Played another game against Dylan. Don't think I've ever been at Cracker Barrel that wasn't packed.

Paula and I got to Ombi about 5:15. We were the first one's there. I had a Yazoo beer and Paula had some wine, plus the crab cakes to start. Crab cakes were really good. Paula had a salad, just the typical, nothing fancy. Paula had the scallops, with curried artichokes. She didn't care for the artichokes, I thought they were pretty good, but to spicey for her. Her scallops were good, but that's only thing she liked from the entree. I got one of the specials, a pistachio encrusted trout. Excellent, best fish I've ever eaten. Rice was very good as well. I was pretty full and gave Paula half of my trout. We split a dessert, a chocolate coated peanut butter ball. It was rich, but not overly. Paula didn' like that either. I ended up eating all of it.

Sunday morning slept in even later. Got another 10 miles in really slow. Slower than my long run yesterday, but it was a really nice day. Hung out around the house and read about half of the "Duel in the Sun". Everyone came over around 3 pm to celebrate my birthday. Peggy made a pecan cake that tasted like pancakes, it was wonderful. Had some pecan ice cream as well. Went in to work after they left and worked until 9 pm or so.

Smokin'

It wasn't on my run this morning. Speedy paced me through another 5 miles at tempo/half marathon pace. I was really feeling the effects of that small cigar I smoked last weekend. YUCK. Really enjoy the cigars, every once in awhile. Downside is my running is affected for the next two weeks from just one tiny little cigar.

Golf Course

Got my run in this morning on the golf course. The best thing about the golf course is the soft surface. I'm no golfer, so I don't know all of the different spots on the course, but they seem to have at least 2-3 different levels of grass cuts. I don't run on the rough or outside the white markers. A fellow runner and golfer showed me how to run the course, from hole to hole and avoid the greens. This gets as close to running on a shag carpet as you can get. I really think the benefits of doing this twice a week have really helped me to be able to pick up my mileage and increase to six days a week.

Other states where I have lived had either trails or crushed stone pathways to run on. Sure wish Murfreesboro had such a place to run. The Stones River Battlefield has a short trail, but it isn't quite long enough, plus you have to run on the asphalt to get to it. That kinda defeats the whole purpose of running on the trail. The new medical center complex is supposed to have a walking path around it. I'm pretty certain it will be asphalt.

The good thing about running the golf course in the winter is the ability to see where you're going. We usually run before sunrise. I guess all golf courses are off limits to runners. On a cloudy morning the light reflects off the clouds, same thing on a full moon. Only downside to the winter is having to get up at 3:30 am to get out to the course. Summer time you don't have to get up as early, but the course is almost always damp to wet from the dew. Plus, the chemicals they put on the grass to kill the weeds and make the grass grow are pretty strong. You can smell them when you run and also on your legs when you finish. Or it's the gray water they use to water the grass?

The biggest benefit to running on this particular golf course will have to remain a secret. Most runners could probably figure it out. I've only run on three of the courses here in town. I know someone else who runs on another, and that still leaves two more courses that we haven't tried out yet. So, where I run will have to remain a secret. I don't think the groundskeepers have a issue as long as we're off the course before the golfers show up. I'm certain everyones official position is the golf course is restricted to golfers between x:am and y:pm 365 days a year. I'd bet they don't really have time to try and run off one crazy runner. If so, I'll move to the next course and hope my ears don't burn to much because I let the secret out.

Super Tuesday

Bah, voting is a pain in the ass. Can't fault the folks working the polls, guess they're all volunteers. Most are very cheery. Drove pass the place where my voter registration cards says I was supposed to vote. Instead I went to Sportscom, where I'd voted early a couple of times. Evidently that's where I erred. Sign on Sportscom said voting was at Kingwood Baptist, had another couple follow me over there. Waited 10 minutes in line to find out I should actually be voting at Siegel Middle School. Four voting machines at Kingwood and only 10 minute wait to get to one.

Siegel Middle school had the voting in the back of the school this year, in the hallway in front of the gym. Only 2 voting machines and a 20 minute wait. One thing I noticed from both voting places, was the lack of younger voters. Seems like everyone must have been at least 30+. Maybe just the time of day, 8-9 am. But, I feel in order to be able to complain about the elected officials, I need to vote. So I do.



Got my run in this morning with the Fleet Feet 5:30 am group. We did 6.25 miles and then I added another 2 miles. This was my ninth run in a row, since a day off. Tommorrow will be a day off. Wore a old pair of shoes because my new pair was still wet from the golf course yesterday. Need to buy another pair to alternate.

3 x 3:30

Nope, not some new speed workout. I've gotten up at 3:30, 3 times this week to meet Speedy for a 4:30 run. Yesterday, he talked me into my first speed workout in 5 weeks. We ran the same course we'll run this morning. Start at Comcast and do a 10 mile loop through the neighborhoods and outskirts of town. The plan was 40 minutes at marathon pace, but ended up doing 5 miles at about half marathon pace. Comfortably hard workout, I was ready for it to be over at 4 miles, but pushed 1 more mile.

This morning was supposed to be our 2nd golf course run this week. Rained like mad yesterday and the temperature is actually 42 degrees this morning and still lots of gusty winds. Monday's golf course run the temperature was around 22 degrees and the grass was crunchy in spots. No way it has drained enough to run today.

Tommorrow I'm going to sleep in till at least 5 am. Think I'll go 15 miles on Saturday with the Rock. I'll start early and get in 5 miles before I swing back and run another 10 with him and who ever else shows up. And Sunday, look out. Sleep in to 6 am or better. Need to rest up for some kind of football game that night. Always a lot of hype, but never much of a game. This one should actually be closer than those in the past. Giants by 3.