Week of 4/17-4/23

Sunday-0 miles: Carrie got back from Nashville today, so instead of running I wanted to just spend some time with her.

Monday-6.6 miles: Mt. Airy was finally dried up a little from no rain for 48 hours. I explored the Cedar Trail, not a good idea. It is basically a 300m drop straight down the side of a ridge, then comes right back up the other side.

Tuesday-0 miles: It was raining pretty bad all morning, so I skipped the run and just headed into work.

Wednesday-5 miles: After the crazy rain/wind storms yesterday and last night I headed to Mt. Airy after work today. There were tons of trees down along the trails, not to mention it was sloppy as hell. I tried to move as much of the branches/trees off the trails as I could, but there were some trees down that I wouldn't even be able to wrap my arms around.

Thursday-0 miles: I left work at 5pm and would have liked to go to the trails, but the grass needed to be cut in a bad way. Does cutting grass for 2 hours count as cross training?

Friday-4.8 miles: I left work around 6:45pm and headed to Mt. Airy right in the middle of a pretty bad thunderstorm. I decided to brave the weather and get the run in anyway. The trails were like ankle deep flowing rivers the whole way. There was one stream I had to cross that was about shin deep...good times! I even sat in a puddle afterwards to wash off some of the mud off before driving home.

Saturday-0 miles: Worked all day, then headed straight to a concert afterwards...so no running.

Totals
Miles-16.4
Time: 2:24:38
- Not a lot of miles and only 3 runs. The hip is feeling good though, no pain. Next week I can hopefully get more runs and more miles in, even though this rain is supposed to continue throughout the week. Congrats to Michael Burke who finished 2nd in the Wildflowers 50k trail race in a huge PR of 3:55!

Saturday 4/16/11

It was cold, windy, and on/off rain today...perfect weather for a trail run! Headed to Mt. Airy for some fun in the mud. Ran about 5 miles trying not to bust it, which I almost did once by clipping my toe on a fallen tree while running down a slippery hill. That would have been a stellar face plant. The University of Cincinnati ROTC people were out in the woods in full camouflage gear practicing how not to get lost in the woods (I am guessing). I am just glad they realized I am on their side. Headed to my favorite restaurant in Cincinnati...actually up in Mason, The Wildflower Cafe for dinner with the Hadaway clan. Once again, delicious! It is pretty quiet around the house this weekend with Carrie being in Nashville for the bachelorette party. Looking forward to her coming back tomorrow!

Tuesday 4/12/11

Headed to Mt. Airy Forest this morning for another trail run. After about 14 hours of rain it was pretty sloppy. Also the temperature was about 45 degrees cooler than Sunday! Everything was going good, just trying not to fall down on the muddy trails when about two miles in I twisted my right ankle pretty bad on a rock. I hobbled around on the trail and finally loosened it up enough to where I could start running again. Then about four miles into the run I did the same thing to my left ankle. This one was not nearly as bad, but needless to say I wasn't very happy with myself. I should have been watching more carefully. In all the run was 4.8 miles in 43:15, pretty slow pace with the mud and twisted ankles. Otherwise it was a great run. Jeff Wells, owner of Fleet Feet Louisville came in today to train us on how to educate customers on Trigger Point Therapy. Pretty amazing what it can do for people!

Monday 4/11/11

Woke up today to the threat of some pretty bad weather. It rained pretty hard, but not too much wind like what was predicted. I had off work today so as usual I bummed around drinking coffee and while watching CNN and Sportscenter. The only two places I went today was to Kroger to get supplies so I could make jambalaya tonight and to the Blue Ash Recreation Center which I joined two weeks ago. I have started lifting weights 2-3 times per week which I haven't done in a couple years. I have to say I am really enjoying it. I took the day off from running as I don't plan on running back to back days for a while. For dinner tonight I made the jambalaya with andouille sausage rather than smoked sausage and the verdict is that it is better with smoked sausage.

Sunday 4/10/11

After a hiatus to heal up everything I headed out to Mt. Airy Forest for a hilly, muddy trail run. I have not run at all for two weeks and ran close to nothing the three weeks before that. Needless to say, I was huffing and puffing every step of this run. Of course my first day back is also the hottest day of the year so far, about 87 degrees. The good news is my hip did not seem to hurt at all. Being off the road and having a fresh pair of shoes helped. In total the run was 4.7 miles in 40:48 (8:41 pace). Mt. Airy along with Clear Creek Park are going to be the only places I run for a long time. As nice as it is to run through all the neighborhoods around our house, I don't think my body can handle pounding pavement like it used to. Old age I guess! I received word this week from my good friend from high school and college Jimmy Wiggins that he wants me to be a groomsman in his wedding in July back home in Louisiana. I can't wait since he and his soon-to-be wife Megan were both on the LSU Track team with me and we have many of the same friends...most of whom I haven't seen in 5 years or longer. Thibodaux, Louisiana will never be the same! Here is a photo I took today of a tree house that is in Mt. Airy Forest pretty close to where I start and finish my trail runs.