It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.

I got in two runs over Memorial Day weekend.

First was at Fort Yargo on Saturday morn. I showed up early and temps were cool. I thought I was doing fine until about halfway.

Then I kind of bottomed out energy wise and slowed a lot. I got back to the parking lot with 11 miles done in 2:30.

At the car I shot some video to show how humid it was.



I was puny all day after that. The scale had me 4 pounds lighter after the run and that was after lots of water.

So I rested on Sunday and ate more to make up for it.

Monday I went to Harbins Park early and things were better. Lower humidity and I didn't go as long. 8 miles in 1:40.

I ran the bike trails off the paved section and didn't see anybody.

Well, nobody on a bike anyway. This guy was friendly enough.



Later I ran across another one that was a bit more shy.



Good trails at Harbins.

Warming up

I've been pretty happy with the spring temps this year. Relatively mild for Georgia and all.

Then today we're getting a taste of what's to come.

I went out for the lunch run and ran slow since I was tired. But 3 or 4 miles into it and I was getting hot.

So I started searching out the shady stuff.

Like here, I can hug the tree line.



That will get you only so far and I walked a bit to stay in control of the hot stuff.

I cut in to the lake and enjoyed the breeze over the water.

And ran into the youngsters out for a stroll with Mom and Dad.



Dad was hissing at me (or maybe that was Mom).

And this last thing from Runner's World was too good to pass up.

It's only funny because it's true.

Weekend running at Fort Yargo

Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, GA is our go-to for the closest trail running. I hit it yesterday early for a long run and got in about 13 miles. Good times.

Then this morning I went back with Jon for a shorter run. Our plan was 30 minutes out and 30 minutes back. Jon was telling me to go ahead since he would be slower than me. Jenny was planning to join us.

I was up at 6 thinking we would be leaving to get an early start. After getting some coffee going I went to check on Jon. Had to wake him up so he could tell me the plan was to go at 7:30. They just forgot to give me the plan. :)

So Jon and I hung out waiting for Jenny to get up so we could leave at 7:30. But that didn't happen. Jenny missed her alarm or something. Jon and I went ahead and left at 7:30 to get moving.

Down at the park we started at the bridge across the lake. Such a nice morning.



The trails at Yargo are shared with the mountain bikers and that usually makes for nice trails.



Early on I chased Jon.



But I bonked out pretty hard. Some runs I get all shaky and stuff after 15-20 minutes. Usually I eat some snacks and by 35 minutes I'm good.

Here I'm walking it out trying to get through the tough stretch.



Crossing the dam, I'm still working on it.



Jon passed me on his way back moving well. I made the turnaround and started feeling more like it. So I picked up the pace to run Jon down.



I managed to start closing on Jon on the way back. Here he's running across the dam.



I went by him around the lake.



We ran on in and made it home in time for church. Except that church wasn't happening today. So we ate instead.

The Son of the Voice in My Head

I was planning to take Mom to lunch today after she rescheduled yesterday.  So I got to the gym at work early figuring on running some miles after the weights to make up for missing the lunch run.

And that's what I did.  Weights first (ugh), then 6 miles on a beautiful morning.  Cool temps with the sun coming up made for a nice run.

I called Mom at 11 to check on her and she begged off again.  Just not feeling like going out today, she said.  No problem, I told her, we'll try again next week.

Meanwhile, even as I 'm telling her that, the voice in my head pipes up with "Hey, now I can go for a run!".  This must be a different voice than the one that wants to cut the hill repeats short.

So I sit there and ponder the state of things.  I could go for another run.  But that's probably not the smartest thing to do.  I'd hate to mess up the weekend trail running by overdoing it today.  Such a nice day though.

I compromised by taking a walk around the lake.

And that seemed to make everybody happy.

The Voice in My Head

I had planned to take Mom to lunch today for a late Mother's Day.  Then she had to reschedule.  We'll try that again tomorrow.

So I got to run instead and headed out for hill repeats.  Slow hill repeats. 

Thursday morning boot camp was tough today.  Lots of stairs and other assorted goodies left us all looking like a wet noodle.  We enjoyed a recovery cinnamon roll courtesy of Lois' 80-something mom.

At lunch I jogged up the driveway at work headed for the longish hill.  Lots of room beside the driveway to run in the grass and that's where we do hill repeats.  It's about 300 yards with a decent incline.

And usually I do 10 repeats.  Run (sorta) up the hill, turn around and jog back down.  Repeat.

Today the voice in my head started right up telling me how hard boot camp was this morning.  How 10 repeats were an awful lot and maybe 6 would be good today.

I bat that idea around while the repeats continue.  I don't mind listening to the voice in my head but I need to keep moving.

I get to the 6th and keep moving.  The voice pipes up with how 8 would really be a good number considering how the legs feel.  This stuff really goes on in my head.

7 and 8 go by and I keep moving.  The voice kinda shuts up for a bit, then starts talking about which direction to take after 9 and 10.  Easy way back to work or around the corner for 2 more miles.

I listen to the voice and finish 9 and 10.  Easy way is straight ahead but the legs know better.  Back down the hill and around the corner for 2 more miles to finish with 5 miles total.

I don't have to argue since I'm not going that fast.  It doesn't really hurt and the day is beautiful.

The voice is always there offering alternatives to the planned workout.  I'll listen but I got to keep moving.

Waiting for Nathan and other things

Recent events include moving my oldest son, Nathan, to his new place. We purchased a small house in Winder and he's renting from us.

Here's Nathan in the new place.



He's pretty happy with the fast internet and TV on the Roku box.

His new place is much closer to our house which was one of the main goals of moving. So we can spend more time with him and help out when needed. I took him to the Ingles nearby for grocery shopping.

Nathan takes a while to buy groceries. I enjoyed a coffee and chili while waiting patiently.



Chili wasn't bad, but I prefer Wendy's. Didja know Wendy's is now serving baked sweet potatoes? How good is that?



It's served with a buttery, brown sugar condiment. Yummy.

And here's most favored daughter Jenny on the porch at Andy and Nancy's house in Charlotte. Just for fun.



Sunday morning I headed to Fort Yargo for a run. It was raining when I started.



And raining when I finished. Lots of puddles, lots of mud, lots of fun.

I stopped by Nathan's house after the run to pick him up for a Mother's Day visit. He wasn't quite ready so I went to Bojangles for coffee and a biscuit while he showered.



I have decided that waiting for Nathan can have its benefits.

Lunch running

I'm still easing back into the blogging routine. And I'm still wishing I had the old blog around. But it's okay.

New days are ahead.

Meanwhile my lunch runs continue to be a highlight of the workday. I try to do weights in the gym on mornings of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Tuesday morning is light cardio in the gym. Thursday morning is the most excellent boot camp class. Tuesday lunch is another boot camp.

So that leaves Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for lunch runs. These are all pretty easy runs since I space them around boot camps.

Thurdays I might do some hill repeats to build on the morning boot camp. Mon, Wed, and Fri I just go according to how I feel that day. Usually running for an hour+, I'll get in 6-8 miles.

Running around the office I won't find any trails, so I stay on dirt where ever I can find it.

See the trail here? It's only good when the grass is cut.



We do have a paved trail that runs a half mile around the lake on campus.

 

It's a great place for getting out of the lab.

Muck Run - May 5, 2012

Jon and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo by heading to glorious Carnesville, GA for the Muck Run 5k.

We arrived in time to drive around looking for the place. Down a few dirt/farm roads and we chance upon the race. GPS was not helping.

Park in the field and head to the start area.

 

We checked in and enjoyed the facilities.



This run is one of those mud runs with obstacles throughout the course. Distance is 5k and runners go off in waves of 200 an hour apart. We're expecting a slow 5k but extra fun.



In the distance we spy one of the upcoming obstacles that await us.



We line up at the start cross-county style in a line facing the first obstacle about 100 yards ahead.



Shotgun goes Boom! and away we go.



I'm using a new camera so lots of pics and video for this one as I test it out. Supposed to be waterproof so this one was a good test. Anyways we hit the first obstacle and we're backed up waiting our turn.



We went under the bamboo and into the woods. Jon's trailing me a bit here as we trot along.



Next was the tires.



We got our first taste of mud. The guy in front of me was digging a shoe out of the muck.



First water stop before we crawl through the mudpipe.



Several tires were scattered along the course.



There were hills.



And banjo music.



And spider webs.



And more mud.









We have to get down on all fours to crawl under the webbing here.



Then we slide into the creek to wash the mud off a bit.



Run up the creek for a while.



This was the only thing I failed completely. Couldn't do the monkey bars. Jon handled it no problem.



Out of the woods and almost done.



Yeah, we look pretty good.



Up and over the haybales.



Then the waterslide to finish. That one had the kids going around to do twice.

Nathan got a photo of us at the finish.



Food was next.



Nathan enjoyed the festivities while Jon and me got muddy.



Nice shirt!



We had a blast and I look forward to coming back next year. I need to work on my monkey bar skills.

I think our time was about 63 minutes. Slowest 5k ever!! But maybe the most fun.