Tour de Bayou - Stage 1 - Spotts Park (and Happy Easter!!!)

Every Spring, HARRA (Houston Area Road Runners Association) holds a series of races (free) at various 'cross country' spots around the Houston Area (all inside the loop).  I have never done the series for one reason or another (mostly because I SUCK at cross country and because its so hot already!).  This year I decided I wanted to give it a try because of the challenge, a change in a workout and also to reconnect with some that I have lost 'touch' with over the past several months.

Spotts Park is an area where when I first started with KW, we would go to occasionally for a hill workout, and man did I hate it.  Its honestly the worst hills we have here and I dont know for sure if they're man-made or not, but they're steep and long and you can really track out a good course with a lot of repeats and and with some of the smaller ones thrown in, its easy to get a mile loop.  This first stage consisted of 3 of those loops (my Garmin clocked it at 2.99).  Additionally, KW never does hills there anymore simply because its just too hard.  I hope he never incorporates them again, but I wonder just because the hills at Shepherd/Memorial may be compromised with a new trail that is being done there.

And when I say steep I mean you seriously cannot run up them, unless you are a very experienced cross country runner or just a VERY good runner in the first place.  And going down some of them are just as difficult (I only put the hammer down on the very last one going into the Finish and almost ate it).  At the very start you head up this one hill, not the worst one, but man what a way to start.  I noticed about 1 mile in that a few people had already quit.  I had resigned myself to the fact that this could NOT be about time, but just to simply finish.  This almost didnt happen because 2 miles in and I was just ready to quit.

But I didnt.

I reminded myself that this was my run/workout for the day...finish it June.  And so I continued. 

Let me see if I can put this in perspective a bit.  The winner of this stage, normally a 15:xx 5K guy ran it in over 17 minutes.  And me?  My best 3 mile time was 25:50 on a flat race course last November.  Today?  Try over 34 minutes...yeah.  Tell me about it.  Obviously there was a lot of walking up those hills...and keeping your footing was not easy so it wasnt like a normal walk.  No sirree bob.  I was DRENCHED in sweat, my legs were KILLING me and my HR was THROUGH THE ROOF...

But I did indeed finish and I was proud that I didnt quit.  I am just thankful that this is the only time we do this course.

This week, on Thursday, its almost 4 miles and not quite as hard.  I am disappointed that I wont be doing this one though, because of the 5K on Saturday that I want to do really well at.  To do another cross country hilly hard workout on Thursday would not bode well for a race on Saturday (I am shocked I did as well as I did this week on Saturdays long run; post on that later).  I will be out there to watch and socialize though!  It was indeed great to hang out and chat with so many people I know and just havent seen enough of lately!

So there you have it...its Easter Sunday and I hope everyone has a wonderful day with the ones you love!  I will be spending it with Mom et al at the hospital.  And Lent is over!  Bring on some meat!  ;)  I made it 46 days without meat, including fish, etc.

p.s. I had a date yesterday afternoon, into the evening and I must say, the best date I have had in a long, long time...basketball (although we didnt really watch; we were talking too much), a couple of drinks, and then we went to dinner...thats all you get to know about that. For now  ;)