Country Run / Heat Training Part 2

To begin, I would like to let it be known that I prefer “psycho” over “crazy.”

Having settled that, Friday I put in 2 hours at the gym in town.  It was delightful, though I couldn’t quite figure out some of the weight machines.  They are all drastically different than my gym’s back home.  The hamstring machine here felt just plain ole’ wrong to me (I’m sure I was using it incorrectly.) 

Saturday morning, I woke with terrible pain in my left knee (after much thought, I believe weight training day prior was the culprit.)  We drove all over town in search of a foam roller.  Even the sporting goods store had no idea what I was talking about, which surprised me, since Stephenville is a college town, and there’s lots of athletes here.  Well, I resorted to a canister of tennis balls and a knee brace.  Wore the brace all day, did all my floor exercises, ab work, then rolled on a tennis ball.  OUCH.  OUCH.  OUCH.  The knee pain almost instantly disappeared. 

I didn’t get out the door for my HEAT TRAINING TAKE 2 today until 7:30 AM, and it was already 85 F (29.4C).  Having filled my pack to the brim with half ice and half water, I carried with me two cold bottles of Gatorade, which after running the front pasture of the Miertschin ranch, set them down before the gate I would exit on my way off the ranch.  Then I commenced to put in a couple miles running the pastures and various trails on my in-laws’ property.  Hard miles.  The ice in my pack seemed to melt right away.

From the front pasture, I ran to my favorite cedar elm grove.  There in the shade stood the burro that our children have named Dunkus.  As soon as I got my camera out, he was gone.

Grasshoppers jumped all about me as I ran into the next pasture.  They mainly crashed into my legs.  But the bigger bizarre creatures, they sometimes smacked into my chest which was needless to say, alarming.  The worst of the grasshopper attack was when one would crash into my palm, and then flutter there for a second against my skin before flying away.

My concern wasn’t grasshoppers so much as rattlesnakes and ticks.  Wasps were a problem too, but I can take them pretty well.  Sure, I don’t want to get stung.  But I’ve been stung by a wasp before, and I can handle it.  Ticks – they just plain ole’ gross me out.  And rattlesnakes, well, I don’t consider them a problem at home, but here where the grass is tall and there is no trail, my fear was a rattler seeing me before I saw him!

Cedar elm grove

Some semi-trail running

Then the grass got to be waist high.  I couldn’t see the ground, which made for a difficult run, unable to see the ruts and rocks and such.  With that heat bearing down, I couldn’t wait to get off the ranch and out onto the country roads.  I noticed vultures flying above as I ran along the scorching-hot fence line.  By the time I made the bone-dry creek bed, I felt relief because of the shade it offered.  But the run was so difficult through this portion and I was growing warmer and warmer, that I began to grow nauseated.  Just calm down, I told myself, take it slowly and get the heck out of this hard stuff.  One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other . . .  

Running through tall grass

Creekbed

Finally, after an entire hour of running, I approached the gate to the front pasture.  I picked up my 2 bottles of Gatorade, put one in my backpack.  The other, I opened and began drinking as I ran along the pasture’s front fence line, grasshoppers slapping at my legs.  Even with the scorching heat I couldn’t have been happier to meet the country road, the land of little shade.  Once I hit that country road, a breeze came in.  I felt good.  So far, my body temperature had only fluctuated .5 degrees. 

The remainder of this run (about 9 miles / 14.48 km) was pure scorching heat.  When I’d see a cluster of trees in the distance, I ran toward it with the feeling that I was going to pick me up a pot of gold.  By now my body temperature had increased by one degree.  Drinking and running through the shade, quickly brought it down, but not down to normal, just about .2 to .5 above normal.

I draped the handkerchief over my head, but only wet it down once.  I just couldn’t waste my water after that.  I fought against the urge to conserve fluids and continued drinking little amounts frequently.  Believe it or not, for a good while during this HOT run I was having fun despite the torture.  It felt great to work against the heat AND CONQUER IT.

My feet felt particularly hot.  I felt an urge to tear off my socks.  But what felt hottest were my calves.  It felt like someone was holding torches just inches away from them as I ran.  Running in pants, I actually felt would have been better today. 

I wasn’t exactly sure on my water supply because my pack was heavy with the sports drink and a giant apple.  Ten miles, I told myself, when you reach ten miles, you can have the other Gatorade.  But at 9 1/2 miles, my body temperature had increased 1.5 over normal.  What’s a half a mile?  So I opened up the drink and ran it on in slowly, very slowly to the old cemetery where I could see its shady trees at least a mile away.

One of the few places where I exclaimed, “Shade ahead!”

Posing on bridge over dry riverbed.

I rested in the cemetery, walking about sort of melancholy over the youth buried there.  Then I sat at the age of the Benson Family plot and ate my apple and finished off my sports drink.  While sitting there, I noticed the distinct smell of men’s cologne.  It was faint, but didn’t fade my entire stay.  I thought to myself the following scenarios to explain the cologne: 

1.  A nearby plant smells like men’s cologne.

2.  Someone wearing this cologne had just recently visited the cemetery.

3. Theodore Benson, the patriarch of this family plot who was buried in 1912, had come from beyond to see who was sitting on the edge of his family plot! (No disrespect intended). 

After relishing my apple, I walked up to Theodore’s grave and noticed a handful of change, mainly quarters, some newish, others old and tarnished in a pile on top of his gravestone.  He had also a wife buried next to him who outlived him by twenty-six years.  And they had 3 sons, 1 daughter all living into adulthood (but not old-age), except 1 son who lived only 11 months.. 

Pink Lady, my favorite apple.

Acknowledging one of the many children buried here, Bennett Sageser (7 years old)

My temperature returned to normal, I took off running again for the last 1.75 miles or so.  With very little shade, I was quite fatigued.  My body temperature though remained only about a 1/2 degree higher than normal.  With about .75 of a mile remaining, I ran out of all fluids.  At one point, I abruptly stopped beneath the sun that seemed to be concentrating on only me, and I walked half a dozen steps.  Then I picked it up again, and slowly ran it on in finishing off just under 12 miles (19.31 km). 

The temperature (in the shade) upon my return

Miles run today:  11.75

Elevation Profile:  +935/-969

Heat Training Begins

We did not travel to Texas for heat training.  We came out to visit family.  But just simply standing, or sitting outdoors, I breakout in a sweat it’s so dang hot out here.  When I wake at about 7:00 AM, it’s already over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27C). By late morning, it’s triple digits until about 8 PM.  Then it’s in the 90’s for the rest of the night.  See.  Perfect for heat training.

I know for many runners that running in 83 degree weather is not much.  But for me, a heat sensitive gal who runs mainly in the coastal hills of California, heat is a big problem.  I never begin a run in 80 plus degree temperatures back home, and one with little shade at that.

I took it nice and easy today, running through the ranch fields first.  Thousands, I mean literally thousands of grasshoppers flew and hopped out of my way as I made through the grass and virtually everywhere else that I ran.  There were little ones, yellow ones, brown and red-striped ones, giant brown ones.  And they’d fly into my legs, sometimes my arms.  And when the big ones hit my hand, I’d have a little “freak-out” moment.  The big grasshoppers were about four inches, the smallest about an inch.  A truly amazing sight.  The only way to avoid the critters was to run directly in the middle of the country roads.  (Which I did not do often)

Heading off the ranch 

I started off slow and ended slow today (slower than usual).  I also carried a thermometer and took my temperature regularly.  Through out the 8 miles, my temperature increased a maximum of 1 degree, but only for a short while.  It mainly increased from .2 to .5 degrees in this heat.  And I was able to quickly bring it back down by drinking fluids.  I also noticed that my temp came down quickly when I ran through shade.  I plan to take my temperature regularly as I train in the heat while I’m here.  I’m not sure what I’ll discover.  Mainly, I just want to be aware of my body and know what if feels like when its overheating so I don’t do a repeat of my little heat exhaustion drop out from Bulldog last year.

Pretty flowers everywhere, even though this part of Texas is in a terrible drought.

The beautiful lonely roads of Texas countryside

One of the large grasshoppers

A quick pose before acres upon acres of fields, no people, no cars, no other sounds except my feet hitting the ground.

A stop at an old cemetery

8.02 miles (12.9 km) run today.  I drank my entire 64 fluid ounces of water and one small bottle of gatorade – this amount of fluids is unheard of for me back home for this distance of a run.  I barely drink this much on a 15 mile run back home.

Back at the ranch, I was giddy that I got in my first heat training run.  Then I crashed hard and fell asleep before heading off to the water park in town. 

Good-bye Texas

Thursday, last full day in Texas, I spent lounging, hiking, talking with family.  About mid afternoon it was time.  Time for speed work – my last run in Texas 2010.  It was not as miserable as usual (speed training that is ).  But still, I was pretty miserable.  I forced my way though.

It will be sad to leave.

Miles logged:  2.0

Runners!

I went for an afternoon run today, something I rarely do in California.  But the weather was cool and only 6 more miles was going to knock me over the 1,200 mile mark for 2010.  That’s less than 2009, but I’m still dang satisfied with 1,200.  Especially due to all my injuries, and especially, especially due to the fact that I used to think that running was about the worst thing a person could ever put themselves through (on purpose!)

Ready to take off for a run in the countryside 

After two miles of dusty county road I came upon a small cemetery.  It stood there all by itself, next to acres and acres of farmland, some green fields, others brown.  The white fence that surrounded the cemetery was open.  So, I took a detour and ran on in.  The short visit made for a somber moment.  Too many of those grave markers were for children.  Many of the grave markers were simply rocks that someone had erected white crosses over apparently some time later.  Small tattered Confederate flags stuck in the dirt over two graves, fluttered in the wind that had been blowing quite hard since I left the ranch.   I felt the need to tread lightly among the graveyard as not to disturb the graves.  After reading every marker, I was off running again out on the road. 

In the distance I could see a farmhouse with three dogs racing down its long, quarter mile dirt “driveway”.  “Oh Sh**!  Not again,” I grumbled and reached into my pack for the pepper spray.  The dogs ran to the road and waited for me there, barking, barking, barking.  “Stay,” I said in an authoritative voice as they approached me.  They continued to bark ferociously, but approached no closer as I ran by.  “Stay!”  I commanded again, and then “Good Dogs,” as I ran on.  “Good Dogs.”

I ran lonely county road after lonely county road.  Some of them gravel, some paved, most of them dirt.  The solitude was absolutely serene.  And then, way, way up ahead, I couldn’t believe it.  Was that another dog approaching me???  I continued running with my eyes on something moving closer and closer to me.  Then finally, to my utter disbelief, I realized she was a runner!  I actually met another runner out here.  She was wearing a hydration pack and laughed when I said “Oh my gosh!  Another person!”  And then, if that wasn’t great enough, not too far behind, another runner!  He wore a hydration pack too and when I asked if they were training for something, he said “No, just trying to get off some of those extra holiday pounds.”    I was so delighted, you’d think I’d never met another runner before : ))

Is there anybody out there???

Yes, by gosh, there is!  Runner number two on the road.

Turns out, I missed a turn on my loop and ran almost 3 miles out of the way (there and back).  I knew something was up when I hit a main highway with cars whizzing by.  I had ran to the next town!  I phoned the ranch to find out where I went wrong.  And it turned out that I missed a turn well before I met the runners.  So I wasn’t too sad about the extra miles.  Actually, I was happy. 

Back on the right road

Miles logged this afternoon:  9.44

Countryside Run

The thermometer read 20f degrees when I stepped outside this morning just as the sun began to cast its glow into dark skies.  I wrapped myself up pretty good (except for my legs), packed a breakfast of dried fruit and nuts, strapped on the water and headed out the door for a run.  Oh ya, I was wearing my road shoes too, for I wanted to venture off the ranch and into the countryside.

Actually, I planned on a ranch loop first thing, but with all those coyotes barking away, like they were running through the fields having a grand ole’ time, I decided to do a quick run on only well-defined ranch trails before hitting the road. 

The small stock pond was about half frozen over.  The wind blew cold.  My face took it pretty well because I brought a scarf to wrap and close everything off but my eyes, if need be.  My legs were the really cold parts.  But after about a quarter mile, I really didn’t mind the cold legs.

Bundled up for my countryside run

That’s not snow on the ground, it’s ice

A quick shot before I ran off the ranch

And so I continued my run along the lonely county roads of Erath County, Texas.  I waved at my mother and father-in-law as they drove in from town for their morning newspaper.  I hoped that I didn’t worry them running out on the road so early in the morning.  I came upon very few cars for the first several miles.  And every driver that I saw, waved, just like they were my in-laws.  I waved back. 

I ran simply taking it all in, snacking here and there on my breakfast.  I stayed in the now, I kept the past and present out of mind.  Good thing.  A fox crossed my path so quickly, I barely knew what to think of her graceful movement.  Her tail was long and fluffy, darker than her brown body.  She resembled a wild cat, but in no way carried itself in that sleek cat-like manner, not to mention her torso was much too low to the ground.  I knew she was no domesticated dog for sure, too delicate and as I mentioned above, graceful.

Cattle out to graze saw me as I ran those endless county roads and they began running – in the same direction I ran.  I had to laugh at that sight, me running along the road with fifty or so cattle running along on the other side of a fence.  I never saw another runner though.  That’s of course, not to say there weren’t people running this morning in Erath County.  The county is so immense and sparse at the same time, the chances of coming across another runner outside of town are just too slim.

Lonely county road of Erath County

Cattle ready to dart at the sight of me

I was surprised how thirsty I grew running in such cold weather.  I was surprised also that the water in my drinking tube was frozen (I quickly felt for the water in my pack, relieved that it was not frozen and worked on the tube until I finally got it flowing.)

Apprehensive over running past the junkyard that I ran by 2 years ago, I was greatly relieved that no junkyard dog roamed the premises threatening to take a chunk out of me.  I still carried that pepper spray, you can be sure.  And then, some time past the junkyard, I heard a little jingle, jingle, jingle.  I took an anxious look behind me to see a gorgeous brown Pointer running seemingly happily right along with me.  She was a beauty with those big brown floppy ears.  And just like that, she was off as I ran onward, curious to see where this county road lead.

I ran past orchards, a dairy farm, hay farms, ranches and farm houses.  I saw the Texan star displayed proudly, along with the American flag and signs that read, “Pray for America.”  And then at the bend in the road, I came upon another farm with a quaint white house and detached garage with a giant Texan star on top.  The unfenced yard had with no less than five big barking dogs who promptly ran off the property, crossed the road and charged right at me with vicious barks and teeth snarling. 

“Okay, okay,” I told myself.  “Remain calm.  Don’t do anything different.  Don’t race ahead.  Don’t stop.  Don’t even let your heart speed up.”  I smiled and said, “Good Girl!  Good Boy!”  and kept on running my same pace.  They left me in about a minute.  But that was a minute way, way too long.  I told myself that this would definitely not be an out-and-back run today.  Somehow, I needed to make this run a loop; I did not want to face those dogs again.

Soon after that, I hit a farm road.  Farm roads are much busier and faster than county roads out here.  They have lines painted down the middle to separate two lanes.  And they have nice big easements along them to run in.  I ran in this easement, against traffic, as an occasional car raced by at sixty plus miles a hour.  So determined to not meet those mean doggies again, I kept running along the icy grass easement.  My feet felt cold, while I hoped to eventually hit the main farm road that lead to the county road that the ranch is on, making this run a loop.

At the two hour mark and not seeing any sign of the farm road I needed, I turned back.  My feet were wet.  The wind blew strong and cold.  And worse yet, I had to pass those dang dogs again.  Perhaps they just needed to smell me the first time I ran past.  I hoped I wouldn’t be a stranger to them this time around.

Well, I was a stranger to them this time around.  They charged me again.  The biggest, pit-bull looking dog came up on me fast and furious, the others close behind.  I really thought the attack was on.  I desperately didn’t want to pepper spray them, so I continued my “Good Dog!” bit and ran on, smiling like a fool.  Then finally the owner of the house, a little white-haired lady stepped out the front door and called her dogs back to her.  They promptly left my side and surrounded the woman on her porch.  I waved to the lady, said good morning.  I almost wanted to apologize for disturbing her!!  If I was back home in The O.C., I would have been extremely angry at the owner for letting such scary dogs roam fenceless.  But this ain’t the city Sister!  This is the country, where there’s sometimes a mile between houses and coyotes roam the fields in enormous packs. 

The remainder of my countryside run was uneventful, though beautiful.  My Pointer friend even joined me again for a short portion (she was a doll!)  Uneventful, I say, except for the fact that a strong cold wind blew hard against me and my feet were by then sopping wet from melted ice.  It was lovely still, though I did cut my run short about 5 miles.

Returning “home” on my countryside run (county road below)

Miles logged:  15.15

+1,079 feet

Christmas Run

The weather took a turn on us in Texas on this delightful Christmas morning.  The birdbath in the yard had a layer of frozen water.  And when that wind blew, it felt a lot colder than freezing.   Some family members told me that it was too cold to run.  Ha.  That’s pretty funny, because I know that once I get running, no matter how cold it is, the layers start coming off.  And then I went outside.  Yup.  It was cold, cold, cold.  (Thing is, I MUCH  prefer running in this kind of cold than in the heat.)  And it was about 11:00 in the morning when it should have been warming up (by my California standards that is : )

Frozen Bird Bath

But I went for a leisurely run anyway.  You know how Christmas morning is?  As much as some of us look forward to it, the day with family or friends, good food, cozy times, it can be quite hectic and loud.  I needed to wind down.

Posing for my Christmas Run

 

The ranch was serene as usual.  Empty as usual.  And at times, boy did that cold wind blow.  I felt comfortable though, and with this speed training, a leisurely run is oh so easy, fun, seemingly so natural.  I ran much of the same loops that I ran the other day.  Through the cow pasture, through Post Oak Groves and out to two stock ponds.  Then I ran the fence all the way to the dry creek bed, where I lost my water bottle.  I had no trouble finding the road back, because my husband has been driving it over the past couple days so I would have tire tracks to follow.

Not often I will get to feature a trail on video in Texas.  So, here it is, what I first called “Dry Creek Trail” but now think “Fox Tail Trail” is more appropriate.

 

Miles logged today:  5.13