Running and Texas

Travis and I spent a week and a half in Texas.

I got to go running with Jen, my sister-in-law, near their house outside of Houston. It was fun running with her again. We explored through a wooded area near their house, almost got lost, ran into a bunch of spider webs, and soaked up the humidity.

Travis and I got to go running through The Woodlands one day. It was very hot and humid--the beautiful scenery almost made up for it.

In Dallas, we got to run with Melanie. One day we went to the gym and did speedwork on the treadmills. We were the only ones in the gym, so that made it more fun. We all got to run together, but still go at our own pace. Good stuff.

The next morning, we woke up early to go to the track. We all wanted to see how fast we could run a mile. So, we walked and jogged around the track a few times to warm up, then we got our cameras and stopwatches ready. Travis and I went first while Melanie took pictures and timed us. Then Melanie went after us, so we could take pictures of her and time her. It was really hard, but the fact that we only had to go a mile made it a little easier. After we all ran, we took another lap or two around the track to cool down, then went home. Here is a picture of Melanie on one of her laps. You can check out Melanie's blog for more pics.

I love this picture.

A couple days later, Melanie and I ran a half marathon. It wasn't an official one. So, we ran around beautiful White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX. It's a 9 mile loop, so we ran around once, then did a four mile out and back for the rest of it. Y'all, it was so hot. Luckily, it was pretty cloudy and the sun only caught us a few times. But, I'm pretty sure I've never sweated so much in my life. Anyway, the run was really good. We did a seven minute run with a minute of walking for the whole thing. The walk breaks are life savers. Here are a few pictures.

Pre-run. Tired. Smiling.

Post-run. More tired. Not smiling. Sunscreen and sweat attacking our faces.

A view of the lake behind us.

The whole week and half was fabulous. Travis enjoyed meeting everyone. By the end of the trip, he looked and acted Texan. Here are some fun pictures from the trip.

Travis wanted Texas barbecue, so we took him to Rudy's. Yum.
Apparently, Zoe enjoyed it, too.

We got to practice our gun shooting skills with my brothers. Isn't Travis stylin'?

Aunt Katie made brisket for Travis. He had never eaten or heard of it before. He liked the brisket at Rudy's, but decided hands-down that Katie's was the best.

We had a Branch Fourth of July breakfast. Travis broke the ice with a couple cartwheels, and was a hit with the kids for the rest of the trip.

Travis had only ever dreamed about Whataburger.

I think he liked it.

This is my favorite picture. Zoe and Travis became best friends.