Astros Race for the Pennant 5K

All I had to do today was simply show up on time and the 2010 edition of the Race for the Pennant would be considered a success to me.

But as long as I was there, I figured I'd run the course too, finishing the 5K in an even 38 minutes according to my trusty Forerunner 205. This might have been closer to 35 minutes if I didn't take a few stops to take some snapshots with the Backflip. This was my first time to return to the RFTP since the switch to the out-and-back course over the Elysian viaduct. While I have a hate-hate relationship with this roadway overpass, tangling with it many times on Marathon Sunday and on Rodeo Parade mornings, it can reward the amateur photog with some nice vistas of the north face of the downtown skyline.

With the fifth anniversary of my first 5K behind me, it's time to look forward to one of my favorite neighborhood running events -- the Houston Heights Fun Run on June 5.

Shelter From The Storm

I'm in a feel-good mood today. Last night we took a figurative trip back in time with the sounds of Toad The Wet Sprocket at the House of Blues. It was my first time at the venue and my first time to see this group live. As far as I was concerned, they were still every bit the band that left its mark in the 90s, all the way from the curtain opening with "Something's Always Wrong" to the encore farewell with everyone singing with the wistful "Walk On The Ocean."


I'm also feeling good about running too. I've been a decent job of getting out there recently. The nausea and achilles issues of last year have abated. I'm readying myself for a rematch with the Heights Fun Run. There are 21 miles going into my running log for the week last completed, including a seven-miler yesterday -- my first rain run since the thunderstorm that killed off my old cell phone.

Speaking of storms, I was relieved that rain stayed out of the picture for as long as it did. The bane of my home life this past month was the renovation project at my apartment. It all started innocently enough with a notice at the beginning of April that we'd be seeing some stucco repairs that would take approximately six days.


Well, one thing led to another over the past six weeks, and basically the entire perimeter of my apartment was eventually sucked into the renovations. At various points in the project, I was worried about my porous walls, with accidental holes in the drywall that led directly to the exposed stucco frame. As I watched rain pounding the windows on Friday night, I felt as if Providence held off that deluge until every chink in the structure was patched up. This weekend I've been able to return stuff back into my bedroom and living room. My patio garden will be basically restarted from scratch. But it's over and getting "my place" back to myself is cause for feeling good!

I could feel this blog going stale, so it's it's nice to come back with an upbeat post. Last night as "Toad" rocked the House of Blues, I was wondering to myself why I don't go see more rock concerts. I was also thinking about the contrast between last night's show and the last concert I saw, The Steep Canyon Rangers fronted by Steve Martin.


On a geek note, that bluegrass concert in April was my first time to see the new Apple iPad in live use. Martin was using it to organize his setlist.

I hope all my readers had a good spring. I can feel Houston's trademark humidity returning as summer comes back to rule.