Had a very enjoyable running weekend! Took my son Coop to the ByronFest 5k on Saturday morning. He is 16 and runs track and XC. I thought with the awesome programs they have at Byron that there was sure to be a great level of competition for him at this race and I was right. He set a PR with 18:43 (that includes road 5k's) and still didn't medal! That's OK with us, we would rather he ran good times using stronger runners as rabbits than go to some little road 5k and finish top five with a slower time. For instance, he ran in a very small road 5k earlier this summer and won it, but with a much slower time than Saturday at Byron. I brought home 3rd place medal (22:07) in what I like to call the "younger old guy division", otherwise known as 40-44. It's becoming a running joke with me and Coop that we go to a race, he beats me by 3-4 minutes,  I come home with another medal to add to the pile in my dresser drawer, and he gets nothing!

Also, A big shout-out to the Rockford Road Runners Coyotes, you guys were out in force! Always nice to see that group, they epitomize what running should be all about. As great as ANY kind of running or race is, I feel that those that run trails have a bit deeper understanding of what running should be about. Times, PR's, splits, pace, tempo runs... those things are fine and dandy and useful to become a better runner. In my opinion, though, running is one of those thing we were meant to do, and we were probably not supposed to be doing it on blacktop with cars and trucks rushing by us. We are supposed to be putting our feet to the dirt and grass, connecting with our surroundings, competing with ourselves rather than other runners, and just having a damn good time!

Anyhow, we came straight home and packed up for a one-night camping trip with friends at White Pines State Park. I had not been camping in quite a while and it was remarkeably peaceful, though I didn't sleep real great. The next morning me and my wife headed out on for a 8-miler on the Pines trails. We ran a super easy pace, which was nice since I was a little tired from the race the day before and the lack of sleep. I love running at the Pines because it is easily the most technical trails you will find anywhere around here. If you like tree roots, this is your dream come true. I hope to get a detailed review with some pics up later this week. 

Well, no beer comment this time. It's not even noon, for crying out loud!