Long run lead my motivation

Activity: Run
Mileage: 8.2 miles
Time: 1:33:21 -- 11:24 pace
12:29, 11:38, 11:21, 12:06
11:56, 11:10, 10:45, 10:22, 1:34 (0.20 mile)
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

Motivation at just the right time.
Late yesterday I talked to Kevin about a Saturday long run. We spent a fair amount of time trying to work out the logistics, but our attempts were futile. Either he'd have to leave his house in Conroe at 4:30am, or I'd have to do the same and be late to the hospital (to hang out with Pre). We agreed this was not a good morning to run together. The last thing I said to Kevin was, "If you get a wild hair, meet me here at 5:30am".

This morning I hit the snooze and was heading down a path that would most likely have delayed my morning run. Before the snooze alarm went off a second time, I heard the doorbell. Panic was the first emotion, then I realized, "Hey... its probably Kevin". He saved my bacon.

We were out the door in less than 15-minutes. Eight WONDERFUL miles for both Kevin and I. He's had some hip issues, but not today. My ankle is much better, it appears it only needed a rest day to mend. Beautiful day to be out on the streets!

First 20+ mile week since February 11-17th. Its time for a serious base and a few more miles.

Pre is still progressing nicely. Another couple big bottle feeds.

Walk and Pre eats!

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 3.25 miles
Time: 56:23 -- 17:21 pace
Location: Kingwood - Greenbelts

As mentioned in an earlier post, I've used the hospital time to catch up on some neglected reading. Today I was thumbing through the April issue of Inside Texas Running. I was shocked to find a picture of ME running the Buffalo Wallow. Thank you Houston Striders for submitting the photo. Very Cool!

When Pre was moved from the level III unit to the level II unit, we got a new doctor. She's one of the chief pediatric fellows and a super nice woman. We've had no problems remembering her name, which of course is; Dr. Cox.

There is "light" discussion of Pre's discharge sometime next week. His discharge depends on three things:
-The results of a couple more test
-He starts eating on his own
-Absence of apnea episodes

EVERYONE was excited he took 50cc of formula during today's bottle feed. We were getting concerned, as he wouldn't take more than 20-25cc, therefore most of his meals have been tube fed. Plus, I was the lucky one to give him is first big meal.

The picture below is just minutes after eating. He was exhausted from all the "work" he did.

Life noise (long post)

long sigh.
I'm in a better place right now. Pre's incident has shown me there is more important things in life. Often I find myself wound-up about random stupid shit, when in reality... its simply "noise". All that matters is me and my kids. Everything else is out of my control. I've been dealt some crappy cards in recent months, but most of it has been the result of someone else's decision. I can't change that. All I can do is stay the course. By that I mean, continue doing what is working for ME.

Its been interesting to take notice of friends and family during Pre's birth and subsequent hospitalization. A few people went waaaay out of the way to "tell me what a good friend they are", while others proved their friendship through their actions. All of this has been very interesting, yet once again... only noise.

With a small family and even smaller group of friends, there's not been many shoulders to lean on. Don't get me wrong, I have friends and most have offered to help, but its a different level of connection I'm missing.... and needing. Its hard to explain without blurting out my personal life for the world to read.
...another long sigh

Pre, Alison, and I did a lot better after I squeezed in that first run. It was incredibly hard to leave the hospital and do something as "selfish" as run, but running is the one thing that is holding me together. Its where I can compose my thoughts, destress from the events of the day, and prepare for the day ahead.

I have a grand idea how to celebrate these new feelings, but it requires a little more thought. I promise to share with my readers as soon as I plan to execute my idea. The basic concepts are simple;
-All that matters is me and my kids.
-Everything else is Life's Noise.
-Finally, running has been the medium to my mental and physical health.

Today is a new day.

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3.05 miles
Time: 35:04 -- 11:30 pace
Location: Kindwood - Eat End Park

The run went exceptionally well. Nice breeze inside the trails, humidity was okay, considering it had rained a few hours prior, and the wildlife was abundantly active. Halfway into the run I came around a turn in the trail and immediately found a whitetail deer eating grass in front of me just off the trail. The doe didn't hear me coming and didn't see me because she was facing the other direction. I passed so close to her I literally could have slapped her rump. Indeed a cool encounter.

There was some noise on my run. I ate a fatty-fried meal just before the run. Should not have to tell you how I felt. I know better, but I'm grateful for the reminder that food is fuel and nothing else. I'm also nursing the ankle. Its getting worst with each run. Good thing tomorrow is an off day!

I really need to start either weight training or core exercises SOON. Not sure why I can't find time for those activities. Tomorrow seems like a perfect day to start, right?

Lots of details about Pre's health, but you know what? Its all noise. He's happy, continues to gain weight, and is being cared for by some of the best in the business. That is all that matters.

Below is a picture of Pre waving at dad for his daily blog picture.
Man, I LOVE these kids of mine!

Article, run, Pre

While in the hospital with Pre, I've had lots of time to read. Today I came across a gem of an article within the pages of Runners World. Author Amby Burfoot's article was titled, "What's Your Ideal Weight?". Anyone else read it? If you didn't, its short and worth it.

One third of the way into the article Burfoot talks about fat-fitness questionnaires and how people are "wildly optimistic" (lying) about their fitness level. Burfoot then leads the reader to the Cooper Center studies, which have tested thousands of subjects on a treadmill. Anyways, there was a bit of encouraging news for us "big runners";

"The Cooper Center studies show that aerobic fitness is a powerful predictor of longevity. Indeed it's often better to be fat but fit rather than lean and out-of-shape. Fitness can trump fatness.
... That's a great message, and one we should all take to our non exercising, overweight friends. They need every bit of motivation they can get. Still, we should also remember that weight loss is almost always good. Because lean and fit will trump fat and fit."

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 34:53 -- 11:38 pace
12:03, 12:11, 10:38
Location: Memorial Park

Met the Striders at Memorial Park for their weekly Wednesday run. Crowd was light as many are leaving tomorrow for the Reno-Tahoe Ultra Relay. To my surprise, Lynn made the drive to Memorial for the first time. We ran together a majority of the time, but when she took walk breaks I used the opportunity to execute a small amount of speed work. On her walk breaks I took off at a 7-ish effort level for one-minute, turned around and ran back to her. Lynn ran 1.50 miles. I wanted better results, but my legs were tired.

Little Pre is doing good. In fact, so well they moved us to a Level II care area late this afternoon. He's off the oxygen and hasn't had an apnea episode in 24-hours!

Go Pre, Go!

Most of the test came back with only preliminary results. Echocardiogram good, but there is a hole in the top of his heart. This is normal for babies.... it takes a little while to close up. MRI normal, with the exception of results that are more consistent with a younger child. They also saw some chemical spikes on the MR Spectrum. Nothing major, but the doctors didn't talk much about it. They want to see the full report first.

We moved to bottle feeds, but it didn't go too well. Tonight they are suppose to do a sleep study. Tomorrow they will be examining his upper GI track in search of any acid reflux or anatomy abnormalities.

Pre and a trail run

Shortly after arriving home I was debating whether to run on the treadmill or at the East end park. While looking for clean clothes, Lynn called. That was all the help I needed to hit the park.

My schedule called for four miles. Lynn did a nice job of pacing herself, but the humidity was getting the best of her. She completed 2.25 miles of running. Lynn took advantage of some stretching while I took off down the trail on an out-and-back to finish the remainder of my run.

Something is suspicious with my ankle. No pain, no swelling, no bruising, but something feels.... weird. Some soreness noted during and after the run, but very minor stuff. As a precaution, I'm icing it again tonight and taking some ibuprofen.


Forgot to mention the last fifteen minutes of my run was on dark trails. I consumed enough bugs to skip dinner. Yum, flying bugs!

Activity: Run
Mileage: 4 miles
Time: 50:33 -- 12:38 pace
Location: East end park

Pre is doing fine. For various reasons they had to intubate him again this morning. After his MRI and MR Spectrum, they extubated him, which made me very happy. Tonight they changed his nasal cannula with a low flow meter. The plan is to ween him off the oxygen and see what happens. Late yesterday he was moved to a crib, but was placed back under a warmer because he couldn't maintain his temperature after sedation. He also seems a lot more irritable today. Not sure what to make of that.

Not many results returned from prior test. Rounds with the doctors went well. With a little luck they will remove the nasal gastric tube and allow him to bottle feed tomorrow. Last night they lost his IV during his bath. Now Pre has a new IV in his right foot and a bruise in his right arm as proof of his old IV location.

We also had some visitors today, which was nice.
Stormie Reed, Weston Davis, Chief Outlaw, and EMS Chief Legoudes.

New orders include a sleep apnea test and another EEG of his brain.

Near-miss running injury

After yesterdays post I ran. Nothing fancy, just three miles.

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles

Time: 34:20 -- 11:27 pace

Location: Trailwood Village

Tonight, I squeezed in another three miles. My legs felt good, so I pushed the pace. Halfway into the run I tripped over something in the road. The incident resulted in me laying my ankle over. It hurt like hell for a few seconds. I stopped and assessed the damages, but no major issues were noted. Close call.

Activity: Run

Mileage: 3 miles

Time: 31:05 -- 10:22 pace

10:57, 10:15, 9:53

Location: Trailwood Village

Okay, the news you REALLY want. Preston is doing a lot better. They extubated him to see if he would breath on his own. Unfortunately, he had six apnea episodes within three-hours. So, they needed to shift gears... again.

When he is stimulated, even slightly, he starts breathing. The doctors decided to see if a small amount of oxygen via nasal cannula would work. Indeed the presence of oxygen blowing in his nose is enough stimulus to keep him breathing. Now we're working on a more definitive diagnosis to the underlying issue.

They've done all the typical test(s), but now we are getting into the grab-bag category. Today we had a cardiac echo, consult with genetic doctors, consult with the neurological team, and a few others. They have ruled-out a metabolic disorder, viral or bacteria infection, therefore 90% of the antibiotics have been discontinued. They are also increasing his feeding, which he is tolerating well. Tomorrow he will have an MRI with contrast of his brain, plus we should have the results back from a few other misc test.

I'm optimistic. Today was also the first time I was able to hold Preston since this started. When I have that little boy in my arms, there isn't a problem in this world. It was a GREAT feeling, which can only to be topped by bringing him home!

Those that know me or follow this blog are aware of the last minute name change. There wasn't much thought put into it, we both simply liked the name PRESTON. A couple days ago, I made him a banner with his name on it and placed it on his medical bed, so everyone would know who he is. Today I was looking at his banner and I thought to myself, "Not many nicknames for Preston". All at once I noticed the first three letters of his name:
"PRE"

Sure, its corny, but I think it is cool. For the non-running readers, see the link below for an explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Prefontaine

Fragile life

Weird how life can change so fast. Sometimes for the better and sometimes.... for the worst. I don't have the energy to post the details, but I thought it was important to post a newer picture of my little man. I've cried to the point of being all cried out, so blogging the hour by hours details would just make me hurt more.

In the words of an insightful friend:

THIS TOO, WILL PASS

Sucker punch

Running is the last thing on my mind.

Preston stopped breathing yesterday. I've spent the last 25+ hours at Texas Children's Hospital. Currently he is intubated and on a ventilator.

I'm flooded with thoughts and emotions. No time to write, I need to get back to him.

Below is a link to a photo alblum of our first two-days.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZM2rRm3as2LCQg

Confront it!

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:27 -- 11:49 pace
Location: Home Treadmill

Ouch. My legs ache like crazy. Shin splints developing on my left side.

The worst thing you can do when faced with a challenge is to run away from it. Because it will come after you, and will gain even more strength. If you think it's bad now, just wait until it has grown bigger and stronger. You'll regret that you did not choose to face it sooner.

Confront your challenges as quickly as you can. You'll make far more progress that way. Going forward through the obstacles may indeed be difficult. Yet it is a far better path than going backwards in retreat.

Sooner or later you must work your way through the challenges that stand between you and your goals. The sooner you do it, the better. It will never be easy, but there's no need to make it more difficult than it has to be.

Move yourself forward. Push a little harder when you need to. Confront the challenges as they come, get them quickly behind you, and you can go as far as you want.

Ralph S. Marston, Jr.

Yuck

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:24 -- 11:48 pace
Location: Treadmill**

Am I really this slow? Started today's run pushing Alison in her jogging stroller along the greenbelts. Run was cut short due to the heat and humidity. I can tough out a miserable run with a little whining, but Alison was sweating... so it was a no go.

After getting home I finished the final two miles on the treadmill.

I'm tired. It may be due to lack of sleep, but I simply don't feel like running. Additionally, my legs are tired, they ache, and are heavy.

My son.

Preston Wayne Cox
June 19, 2007
13:06 hours
6 lbs 4 oz.
18.5 inches long


















Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:25 -- 11:52
Location: Home Treadmill

Squeezed in a run while at home. This run was a tough one. My legs are tired and I got lots of aches and pains.

Run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 3 miles
Time: 35:56 -- 11:59 pace
Location: Home Treadmill

My legs feel a lot better.... post run.

While training on my treadmill last year I talked a lot about the calibration of my SportsArt 3150. I still think its incorrect. I was moving at a good click, yet the time-mileage states otherwise.

I've been advised to not worry myself with time, but I thinks its important to note my perceived effort. The pace felt like 11:00.

ITS TIME!

Leaving to the hospital, doctor is inducing at 5pm!

Revision:
This pregnancy has been crazy. This morning we had a scheduled doctors appointment. The doctor stated it was time to get this baby out. Within minutes of our consent, we had a 5pm appointment. When we arrived at the hospital they we preparing Erin to undergo a C-section. Thorough all the rushing, the patient chart was wrong (erin and I never talked about a section). Now we are back home... but there is good news. After meeting with the doctor and the hospital staff we have a definate game plan. We are to come back at 7:30pm and start a medication that will help her dilate and by morning they will start inducing labor.

Hopefully this time tomorrow, the rollercoaster ride will be over and my baby boy will be here.

PS> Erin is wanting to change his name. So, it will be a SURPRISE!

Long ride

Activity: Cycle
Mileage: 50.18 miles
Time: 3:18:00 -- 15.2 mph
Location: East Harris County

What a weekend! Yesterday I ran 11 miles and today I rode 50 miles. Together, that's nearly 6-hours of "endurance exercise".

My legs are completely dead. The cardio for both events was surprisingly good, its the legs that have gone heavy and limp. I skipped an ice bath secondary to Father's Day activities. Maybe that's the reason I'm seating here in discomfort.

I rode with Steve from work. We did the same route as last weekend with one minor change. This time we started at his house, which added about 4 miles each way. We were a mile short upon our arrival home, so we spun around his neighborhood to make the odometer click over 50 miles.

The pace looks slow, but I'm happy with it. For 80% of the ride we were under a light drizzle. Then we found ourselves in a HARD rain (with a bad-ass headwind) for a couple miles. Near the end the traffic was heavy in Kingwood, so we decided to ride the last five miles on the sidewalk, which really slowed us down. So, with all things considered.... I think we did pretty good. Minus the rain and the stop-and-go sidewalk section, our pace could have easily exceeded 16 mph.

I need to find a way to recover quickly. This week I start a series of 3-milers... on my way to the first 20+ mile week since February 11-17. With an increase in my support staff, I feel really good.

You are the embodiment of the information you choose to accept and act upon. To change your circumstances you need to change your thinking and subsequent actions -- Adlin Sinclair

Long run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 11.0 miles
Time: 2:25:23
Location: Kingwood

I don't feel much like blogging, but I'll give you the high and low points. Vic and I scheduled this run earlier in the week. We designed the time and course to accommodate Lynn, but she was unable to run at the last minute. Being a Super-Strider, she met us at the park with a gallon of cold water and insect repellent. Thanks Lynn, you rock.

Vic and I decided to slow the pace down and simply enjoy the scenery. Unfourtantely, it ended up being extremely humid this morning. The kind of humidity that makes you sweat walking to your car. Plus, there was no breeze whatsoever.

We did a great job through eight miles. We held off any walk breaks for the first 5 miles. At the 8 mile mark we both started feeling fatigue. By the time we saw ten miles we were exhausted. A mile later, 11 miles.... we were done. The route is 13.75 miles, so you can see we walked in from 11 miles.

I can't speak for Vic, but I was feeling shitty at 10 miles... to the point of being nauseated and lightheaded. I consumed a ton of water, but apparently it wasn't enough. At nine miles I took a bathroom break and noticed I FAILED the urine test. It was somewhere between tea and coffee. Not good at all and I felt it.

I'm still excited about running double digits. My last double digit run was 12 miles on February 17th. Per some advice. I sat in a bath full of cold water. Not quite an ice bath, but cold enough for me. Also took some ibuprofen to speed up recovery in preparation of a Sunday morning bike ride.

Change

Lots of new stuff on my horizon. I'm excited about the possibilities. Sorry, the information will not be released for quite some time. I'm worried I might look like a failure if I don't succeed.

Not sure why I made this post. Maybe I want to look back a year from now and say that June 16, 2007 was day zero. At least I will know I tried. I owe myself that much.

4 miles

Yesterday: 2 miles in 21:00. -- 10:30 pace

Today: 2 miles in 20:51. -- 10:26 pace

Congrats!

Small list of names I recognized on the NYCM 2007 lotto:

• Roberta Macinnis
• Cassie Mongdragon
• Caroline Chamness
• Carlos Concha
• Vic Kaiser
• Thomas King
• Bret Riley

Walk

Activity: Walk
Mileage: 5.25 miles
Time: 1:26:35 -- 16:30 pace
Location: Kingwood Greenbelts

I know better than to post personal stuff on the blogosphere, but I can't resist the temptation to chronicle more than running matters.

All that to say; I'm in a bad place. Can't shake this slump, this funk, this nastiness that has become my life. For the better part of six months I've been treading water, simply trying to stay afloat. Each time a beacon of light shines on me, its only momentary. Within days I'm right back where I was. You might be wondering what parts are shaking me up. Honestly, that's the bad part. Its an all encompassing funk. If I could get a hold of a couple bum areas, I'm sure the other parts would fall in line. But I can't seem to get a strong enough grip on anything.

What in the world is in my future? Thanks for listening to be ramble.

Morning runs suck

Activity: Run
Mileage: 2.22 miles
Time: 29:51 -- 13:27 pace
Location: Trailwood Village

How do morning folks complete those early ass runs?

I made plans to run a couple miles before work, then meet up with Lynn for a couple extra miles, hoping to log four for the day. Needless to say I didn't get out of bed for the pre-run, run. BUT, I did manage to run a couple junk miles with Lynn. Nothing spectacular. It was early, I was tired, and it was only two miles.

I looked at my training log. This time last year I was doing a lot of late night running. So, maybe I should revisit night running again.

I'm starting to get a nice loop of runner-friends. Seldom do I go more than a couple days without someone calling, texting, or emailing me about their running. Example. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you might remember my old rookie at work, Jason. He is in great shape, but wasn't in great running shape. Initially, he was working hard to run half a mile without stopping. Last week I got several calls from him, telling me he had ran four consecutive miles. Then earlier this week he tested himself and ran an 8:14 mile, at work, in the heat of the day. Way to go Jason! Then there is Sean, who is both a friend and co-worker. When I met him he could care less about times or races, but had a natural running talent. Now, every time I talk to Sean, its about his times and distances. Yesterday at work he ran 6 miles. The first four he ran with another guy (Steve, the one I did the long bike ride with), then he ran the last two miles at 6:20 and 6:13. All this after the first four miles were in the low 8:xx range. He has raw talent and now he's wanting to test himself more everyday. I'm glad to be around to hear all about it, in fact, I get more excited than he does!

For those of you interested, I sent an email to Mark Frazer with HARRA about the Summer Celebration. It took a couple days, but I did receive a reply. Below is a copy of the email, containing the simple answers to my questions. Thanks Mark, well done!

Dan Green is our speaker. He is a former winner of the Houston Marathon. Yes, there will be food and beer. Thai and Italian food will be plentiful. Plus a DJ will have music playing when we are not announcing awards.

Hope you can make it,

Mark

Long ride

Activity: Bike
Mileage: 38.5 miles
Time: 2:24:00 -- 16.1 mph
Location: East Houston

New cycle distance PR.

The QLS club in Kingwood has Saturday group rides leaving from the parking lot every week. Steve (from work) and I decided to check out the local riding group. Seemed to be about 20-30 riders in all. One of the riders told us that the months leading up to the MS150, they have 60+ riders. They also stated they have two packs, which both have varying distances of 20-60 miles.

All started well. I was there on time. I remembered all my equipment. The riders seemed likable. Perfect, right? The stars aligned for a good ride... so I thought.

Within half a mile my chain came off. I was able to quickly fix it and I was certain I could catch them, but then it happened again within 50 yards. By this time the pack was not in sight and had dropped us.

Steve and I know the area, plus we overheard the riders discussing the route, so we winged it on our own. We worked hard to catch them (first 10 mile's average speed: 19 mph), but we only caught glimpses of them in the far distance.

We started in Kingwood. At the twenty mile mark we were in Crosby Texas. We weren't sure which way to go, when suddenly we noticed a group of bikers at a local Starbucks. Luck would have it, this was the pack we started with. The unlucky part, they were done with the break and ready to ride again.

Resuming the ride with the 8-10 riders was a lot easier. There were times when the pack would surge, but we were able to hold on. At 30 miles we were on a long country road. In what seemed like a flip of the switch, they went from 17-18 mph to 23-24... and they held it. Needless to say, they dropped us.... again.

It was a great learning experience and I hope to do more long rides in the future. I had a good time.

URG!!

I'm interested in the HARRA Summer celebration, but c'mon already, what the hell is going on. Today is June the 8th. Tickets are discounted until June 13th and the Banquet is June 16th. HARRA STILL HAS NOT released the guest speaker.

-Is the speaker so lousy, they want members to buy tickets before they know who it is?
-Do they even have a speaker?

Let me stop before I get on my soap box. I will say this. I can have dinner in a lot of nice places for $15.00 a head. In fact, I could care less about the food.... its the speaker who is the main attraction. But its freakin' eight days till the event and neither the email nor the site have made any announcements regarding the speaker.

For those of you gritting your teeth, I'm not attacking anyone personally. I know HARRA is composed of an all volunteer staff, but this simply doesn't make any sense to me. Its one thing to say the celebrity speaker is so huge the name won't be released until a certain day, but its another when it appears as a lack of organization.

UGH!

Saving Grace

Nearly blow off another day of exercise without a valid excuse.... when out of no where the door bell rang and Lynn stood there, ready to run. I was a little confused, cause its about 110 degrees outside.

Honesty, I couldn't think of any other reason not to run, so I laced em' up and we hit the road.

There you go; Motivation in the form of a woman, equally important, a Houston Strider.

It was plenty hot for the noon run (no shit, huh), yet the humidity was low and a nice breeze hit us in the face most of the time. I pushed Alison in the stroller, which added a little more to my effort level. Our first walk break was at 1.33 miles, which is another milestone for Lynn. We pushed hard through the 1.75 mark, but Lynn faded fast under the Texas heat. After a small discussion, its most likely the result of minimal intake (half an apple and glass of milk) and the heat.

I told her what Coach Steeve told me... maximum weight loss and maximum running performance are at odds. Gotta find a balance. That's funny coming from me, who flip-flops to either extreme! Either way, if she wants to run longer distances in brutal weather, shes gotta eat.

Today, Lynn punched two cards. 1.)New long distance without stopping. 2) Running in the Houston heat.

Activity: Run
Mileage: 2.20 miles
Time: 31:25 -- 14:28 pace
13:42, 15:01, 2:43 (0.20 mile)
Location: Kingwood Greenbelt

Tomorrow I have a long bike ride on the schedule. This will be my first group ride. I'm very ANXIOUS! What if I'm too slow. What if I fall? What about flat tires?

hello

Sorry for the lack of posting. LOTS of stuff going on in my world.
Brief details:

Running: Nada, but maybe a couple miles later tonight (I'm at work). I took a work ability test on Monday and I was really sore for a couple days. Yes, it's waaay hard and it worked a lot of muscles I haven't used in a long time.

Diet: My diet is directly reflected by my mental status and well, that's not been so great. Vic is the man to put your money on. One day at a time for me right now.

Baby: No baby yet. Doctor is trying to hold out for an additional week. He said if the baby isn't here by the 15th, they will induce labor. We had a scare yesterday. Erin was admitted for a small time, but later released and sent home on bed rest.

Long run

Activity: Run
Mileage: 6.5 miles
Time: 1:23:06 -- 12:47 pace
12:54, 12:57, 13:50, 13:30
12:18, 11:50, 5:47 (0.50 mile)
Location: Kingwood East Park Trails

Odd run this morning. No clue why we were running a slower than normal pace. Kevin and I ran from the shopping center at Town Square to the East End Park Trails. The trip consisted of two miles of greenbelts on our way to the trails, nearly three miles inside the park, and the return trip. Even though I was pushing Alison in the stroller, the pace seemed much quicker than the Garmin displayed. Oh well, I suppose GPS never lies.

The run itself was awesome. Contributed most of that to the 6:30am start time. It was humid, of course, but otherwise delightful outside. Kevin instantly feel in love with the trails and said it was the prettiest run he has ever done.

The shin was silent. Legs and cardio felt strong.

June is off to a good start... running that is

Diet news: Dieted hard for the last 3-weeks. Fell off the wagon yesterday. Did really well in the morning and even packed my snacks for the Strider Picnic. Then, when I got home it fell apart. Not horrible, but far from healthy.