Bayou Bash, Browns & Body

I am thrilled my hometown team picked up Brady Quinn yesterday. I can upgrade my Tim Couch jersey to a Brady Quinn one. Here's hoping Brady has a more successful pro career than Tim. One never really knows with quarterbacks as the Texans surely understand.

The Bayou Bash was a lot of fun and thanks to the Al Lawrence Running Club for their hard work. It's bad enough trying to get relay teams organized, unless you are Coach Steeeve who is an expert, I can't imagine actually managing a relay race. The course was great and it was really neat having sort of a figure eight style course. It would be better with a little less congestion at the start/finish and somehow the posted results seemed a bit off. My team was placed in Masters when we were all Grand Masters. I also swear our time was not correct, but it doesn't matter. It was a great day and our long trek from Clear Lake was well rewarded.

I ran pretty well despite being heavy legged and tight all over from my hard Tuesday speedwork and Wednesday follow-up run. I knew something would go wrong so I warmed up more for this two miles than I ever have warmed up for a race in my life. At the gun, I threw caution to the wind and went for it. I picked off about 4-5 runners along the way at my 7 min/mile pace. One speedster passed me and he was flying. No one else challenged me on my run. As I turned in to the final 300 meter stretch, my hamstring started pulling and cramping. I did not slow down and prayed that it would not seize. It did not, thank goodness.

My body is nursing a hamstring strain and an irritated achilles from this weeks fun. Frankly Scarlet, I don't give a damn. I will rest up now.

My definition of rest was this mornings 4 mile recovery run at an 11 min/mi pace at 124 average HR. I was able to pace a club member who was at our Sunday morning run for the first time and this was a good workout for her. It was just the type of run I need right now and I'll probably run with her again next Sunday morning at the same pace for five miles. I wish there was some way for my body to heal and recover faster than it does. It is what it is.