took the day off from running and beth and i walked around oxford and probably did about 15 miles - we started up binsey and down the river and across port meadow. a pretty morning and no rain yet- weather report said we had 3 hours before heavy rain hit. we went across the meadow watching the horses feed and then we cut across walton well lane and over to university parks, a very pretty park owned and taken care of by the university. we did the big loop around the northern path and around the pond and then cut down to the area known as mesopotamia. a nice trail along the water and over to marston road; i misses a turn there and we walked a little further before hitting our right turn, but no problem as we intended to walk for 4-5 hours if the rain wasn't horrible.
then we headed back towards town and took a break and grabbed a bagel and a drink before heading off again. still no rain. and then all the way back home through the city center as they say here. stopped and bought some lunch and went back to the house and had a quick bite and back out again as there was still no rain.
across botley road and headed down the bike path towards osney island and turned around there as the trail was sort of under water/very muddy and headed west. we took the long way around the bike path and headed down to north hinksey village past some more horses and all the way south to the oxford rugby stadium- this is where Gail and i usually run our hill repeats. then we went under the ring road (oxford beltway) and up!!! a steep hill through raleigh park towards harcourt hill and over to cumnor hill. then finally down the hill and towards home.
a nice very big loop around oxford going in all 4 directions- can you hear john fogerty singing in the background? then beth did some stuff and i went off to hit balls and tried to learn how to stay behind the ball and some other things and it went better today. not all good of course, but the good was very good so all i need to do now is get to where i can do that more often and cut out the rubbish.
time for one bucket and off to cornmarket to meet gail. beth bought herself a very cute coat and we went to sainsbury's to get dinner. and after 2 loads of laundry it is time to pay some bills and get ready for the trip to london.
good long day today and no rain- hope it doesn't make up for it tomorrow. april 1st tomorrow. happy birthday grandma sue! many more i hope.
too quick a blog for what we did today but all i have time for. seemed longer walking it than writing about it. but you can pack a lot into a day here and got a lot of ideas walking around. need to go back to deer park as it was closed when we got there today. a pretty city here for sure.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Mozart's day
very restless night of sleeping for all of us as we turned the clocks ahead and lost an hour of sleep and at the same time i think our one remaining cat is going through some kind of cat grief or simply cannot figure out where the now deceased cat is and spends his time loudly crying out for him.
so it was no trouble getting up early and i am sure the about 3 hours of sleep will catch up to me sometime. but out the door i went. almost 50 degrees and not raining yet so i headed north and did my usual to the church run and then stopped on the way south and ran 12 x 100 striders to try and wake up the legs. then ran past the new bunch of sheep and over to the river. very pretty this morning as it was now about 7:30 which normally would have been 6:30. nobody out at all as i headed down the thames and i went all the way to botley road. then i decided to keep it simple today and just turned around and went back up the river. i did cut over to the canal and went north and got off at walton well road and headed back through port meadow and looped around and then back down binsey lane and home. just short of 8 miles and that was enough and all i had time for as we had a morning "coffee hour" mozart concert to go to.
held at magdalen college today as there were too many people for the more usually used holywell music room. a nice 70 minute concert by the adderbury quintet group. and after we headed over to the white house pub and had the uk version of fish and chips. this pub claims to make the best fish and chips in oxford and it was the best we have had so far by a lot.
then we walked over to the botanical garden and took a tour of the lovely gardens. they have great soil here and lots of rain and things grow very well. wonder how they would deal with my Virginia red clay?
we left the gardens and headed over to christ church meadow. walked the loop along the cherwell river over to the thames river and then walked up the thames through grand pont park back to botley road and over to binsey lane. probably about 7 miles of walking all together.
home for a bit and then beth went out to walk some more while gail had a bit of time to do some work and i went to the range to hit some balls. still nice out and no rain- the predicted storm must have passed us by. today's range session went ok. by ok i mean i continue to learn some things and i hit some nice balls and also some less than nice, but i still feel i can get there. my swing was longer and smoother for many swings and i even hit my fairway wood pretty good. worked on finishing the swing in a balanced way and also on my turning the sternum move without the hands. then added staying down and flexed. will keep at it. one bucket was all i had time for and i will get to do more at some point. after hitting 2000 chips and pitch shots and putts while i was home, and not getting to do any short game here at all(at least yet) the full swing is it for now. i have come up with a plan for the shorter stuff, but have to wait to implement it.
and that was the day- dinner and sunday paper, etc will fill up the evening and beth and i have a long walk planned for the morning in the three hour window we have before the big storm is supposed to hit. will adjust on the fly so to speak and see what the day brings us. london trip on tuesday we hope.
last day of 8 months tomorrow. april 22 makes us two digit midgets for those of you who have counted down days before.
so it was no trouble getting up early and i am sure the about 3 hours of sleep will catch up to me sometime. but out the door i went. almost 50 degrees and not raining yet so i headed north and did my usual to the church run and then stopped on the way south and ran 12 x 100 striders to try and wake up the legs. then ran past the new bunch of sheep and over to the river. very pretty this morning as it was now about 7:30 which normally would have been 6:30. nobody out at all as i headed down the thames and i went all the way to botley road. then i decided to keep it simple today and just turned around and went back up the river. i did cut over to the canal and went north and got off at walton well road and headed back through port meadow and looped around and then back down binsey lane and home. just short of 8 miles and that was enough and all i had time for as we had a morning "coffee hour" mozart concert to go to.
held at magdalen college today as there were too many people for the more usually used holywell music room. a nice 70 minute concert by the adderbury quintet group. and after we headed over to the white house pub and had the uk version of fish and chips. this pub claims to make the best fish and chips in oxford and it was the best we have had so far by a lot.
then we walked over to the botanical garden and took a tour of the lovely gardens. they have great soil here and lots of rain and things grow very well. wonder how they would deal with my Virginia red clay?
we left the gardens and headed over to christ church meadow. walked the loop along the cherwell river over to the thames river and then walked up the thames through grand pont park back to botley road and over to binsey lane. probably about 7 miles of walking all together.
home for a bit and then beth went out to walk some more while gail had a bit of time to do some work and i went to the range to hit some balls. still nice out and no rain- the predicted storm must have passed us by. today's range session went ok. by ok i mean i continue to learn some things and i hit some nice balls and also some less than nice, but i still feel i can get there. my swing was longer and smoother for many swings and i even hit my fairway wood pretty good. worked on finishing the swing in a balanced way and also on my turning the sternum move without the hands. then added staying down and flexed. will keep at it. one bucket was all i had time for and i will get to do more at some point. after hitting 2000 chips and pitch shots and putts while i was home, and not getting to do any short game here at all(at least yet) the full swing is it for now. i have come up with a plan for the shorter stuff, but have to wait to implement it.
and that was the day- dinner and sunday paper, etc will fill up the evening and beth and i have a long walk planned for the morning in the three hour window we have before the big storm is supposed to hit. will adjust on the fly so to speak and see what the day brings us. london trip on tuesday we hope.
last day of 8 months tomorrow. april 22 makes us two digit midgets for those of you who have counted down days before.
where we live in oxford
Binsey, Oxfordshire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Binsey is a small village just to the west of Oxford, England, in modern times encompassed within the city's ring road. It is the other side of the River Thames from Port Meadow, and a couple of miles south-west from the remains of Godstow priory.
Its most famous feature is the church of St Margaret, set at some distance north from the surviving houses. Its fame lies mostly in that, just outside its west end and belltower, stands the model for Lewis Carroll's 'Treacle Well' from Alice in Wonderland; this is a holy well dedicated to St Frideswide, patron saint of Oxford. She had fled to Binsey in a bid to escape marriage to a king of Mercia, whose pursuit of her was halted when he was struck blind at the gates of Oxford. Frideswide's prayers brought forth a healing spring, whose waters cured his blindness, and the spring was walled into a shallow well which became something of a focus for pilgrimage, the medieval sense of the word 'treacle' meaning 'healing unguent'.
The reason for the apparent separation of church and village is revealed best from the air; crop-marks show the floor-plans of houses that lay along the straight road that runs between them, suggesting a much larger village during the medieval period, or possibly one that has 'migrated' south.
The village and its associated farmland belonged to St Frideswide's Priory during the 14th and 15th centuries, until the Priory's dissolution and (apparently) incorporation into Christ Church, a college of Oxford University.
The village also contains a large public house, 'The Perch'. (which burned down july 2007 and is being rebuilt)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Binsey is a small village just to the west of Oxford, England, in modern times encompassed within the city's ring road. It is the other side of the River Thames from Port Meadow, and a couple of miles south-west from the remains of Godstow priory.
Its most famous feature is the church of St Margaret, set at some distance north from the surviving houses. Its fame lies mostly in that, just outside its west end and belltower, stands the model for Lewis Carroll's 'Treacle Well' from Alice in Wonderland; this is a holy well dedicated to St Frideswide, patron saint of Oxford. She had fled to Binsey in a bid to escape marriage to a king of Mercia, whose pursuit of her was halted when he was struck blind at the gates of Oxford. Frideswide's prayers brought forth a healing spring, whose waters cured his blindness, and the spring was walled into a shallow well which became something of a focus for pilgrimage, the medieval sense of the word 'treacle' meaning 'healing unguent'.
The reason for the apparent separation of church and village is revealed best from the air; crop-marks show the floor-plans of houses that lay along the straight road that runs between them, suggesting a much larger village during the medieval period, or possibly one that has 'migrated' south.
The village and its associated farmland belonged to St Frideswide's Priory during the 14th and 15th centuries, until the Priory's dissolution and (apparently) incorporation into Christ Church, a college of Oxford University.
The village also contains a large public house, 'The Perch'. (which burned down july 2007 and is being rebuilt)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
another rainy day and playing tourist
up and out early enough and then came back to get gail. morning heart rate was 47-not too bad, but i could tell during the first mile that yesterday's total of 16 miles plus the driving range had left the legs tired.
but got gail and we headed up to the church and then over through port meadow, still mostly under water from all of the rain. south down the river and my friend lorraine was sitting on her houseboat reading something by georgette heyer. she called out and her and gail got into a conversation about british historical novels for a bit and then we went on. down the trail of puddles, but the3 morning was nice enough and some sun was out. all the way down to the street and ran gail up towards the grocery store so she could get some croissants and i headed down osney island and over king george trail to add a few miles. ran all the way to the end an d turned around and then down to the bike path and back up osney to the main street and stopped at the store myself to pick up a few things. then home. tired but ok. no more pain than usual and stretched for awhile and had a little breakfast and while beth was getting up i went up to the driving range and hit one bucket of balls with the four clubs i brought with. better than yesterday and not as good as two days ago, but am figuring out some stuff.
back home as the rain started. we decided to live with the weather and headed to town to see the sights, world war monuments, art museum and libraries and some of the colleges. also toured christ church and the first gravestone we saw was john locke's. a very pretty church. i was impressed by the 6"6" knight that was buried in the church in 1336. funny what we think of as old in the usa.
left there and stopped to get some hot tea and a snack. then back home to rest up a bit and have some dinner. planned for tomorrow to try and get into the mozart concert we could not buy tickets for today. nice little dinner and here i am typing.
an ok day given the tough weather we walked several miles in and through. a good five miles of walking for sure. and we change the clocks ahead tonight here so another hour of sleep lost.
somewhere as i get ready to head off to sleep my friends julieta and mary kate are enjoying birthdays. and we are all another day older. all good !
ireland golf trip seems more than likely now. already looking forward to seeing more of ireland. also just found out i am going to cincinnati in october as well as erie and philly, a busy month. nice to plan out as it makes home seem closer than the 123 days to go.
but got gail and we headed up to the church and then over through port meadow, still mostly under water from all of the rain. south down the river and my friend lorraine was sitting on her houseboat reading something by georgette heyer. she called out and her and gail got into a conversation about british historical novels for a bit and then we went on. down the trail of puddles, but the3 morning was nice enough and some sun was out. all the way down to the street and ran gail up towards the grocery store so she could get some croissants and i headed down osney island and over king george trail to add a few miles. ran all the way to the end an d turned around and then down to the bike path and back up osney to the main street and stopped at the store myself to pick up a few things. then home. tired but ok. no more pain than usual and stretched for awhile and had a little breakfast and while beth was getting up i went up to the driving range and hit one bucket of balls with the four clubs i brought with. better than yesterday and not as good as two days ago, but am figuring out some stuff.
back home as the rain started. we decided to live with the weather and headed to town to see the sights, world war monuments, art museum and libraries and some of the colleges. also toured christ church and the first gravestone we saw was john locke's. a very pretty church. i was impressed by the 6"6" knight that was buried in the church in 1336. funny what we think of as old in the usa.
left there and stopped to get some hot tea and a snack. then back home to rest up a bit and have some dinner. planned for tomorrow to try and get into the mozart concert we could not buy tickets for today. nice little dinner and here i am typing.
an ok day given the tough weather we walked several miles in and through. a good five miles of walking for sure. and we change the clocks ahead tonight here so another hour of sleep lost.
somewhere as i get ready to head off to sleep my friends julieta and mary kate are enjoying birthdays. and we are all another day older. all good !
ireland golf trip seems more than likely now. already looking forward to seeing more of ireland. also just found out i am going to cincinnati in october as well as erie and philly, a busy month. nice to plan out as it makes home seem closer than the 123 days to go.
Friday, March 28, 2008
a nice day for ducks
up early and out the door just before 7am. no rain yet but lots of clouds. had looked forward to the first run back in town since the states visit. up the road and passed the driving range where they were picking up the balls for the new day. then boom- the sky went dark and the rain came-and the wind came, but still mostly at my back. i kept going. was tempting to go home for better gloves or hat or heavier vest, but it was not a good idea to walk into a warm and dry house at this point.
on up the road as they say- puddling up fast as i headed up to st margaret's church. no animals out today though i saw the sheep farmer's truck. lorraine's car was still there so the phenomenologist had not yet gone to work. would she ride her bike in this weather?
to the church cemetery and turned around and now headed into a wind- this was at least a two club wind- know how i know that? i asked myself if i had 145 to the flag what would i hit? normal 7 would certainly not be enough and a 6i didn't feel right either- was a 5 for sure- 2 club wind- so you see how golf can tell you about the weather when you are running.
brutal though as i headed over the port meadow trail, had 8 miles in mind and that was what i was going to do- turned south down the thames- lorraine's bike was locked to the gate- went over rainbow bridge past the sign that said the trail was closed for 2 more weeks. they were way behind schedule, but i had seen them sitting in their trucks, they weren't going to get out and work in this weather- guy rolled down the window and asked me if i knew it was raining? rhodes scholar for sure- said i was looking for my lost duck and kept going. i can be a smart-ass too.
down the trail i went splashing through and around the puddles. once you are wet, really wet, does it matter how much wetter you get? nah.... noticed the new railings up at the low point where it always floods and then further down i noted the new screened fence on the side of the trail and the homeless people places were gone. shame as i always looked forward to seeing them. just around the corner i ran in to john moving down the trail with murphy, his dog. ran him home and turned and went over to the canal. rain was letting up but not the wind. headed north on the canal and went past jericho a bit before turning back and off the canal towards the train trail near port meadow. saw a new iron gate which meant a trail path was open so cut over and went a half mile up before a downed tree blocked the path and the mud got pretty thick- another time i told myself and turned around. down the train trail -nobody out. all the way down and then behind the cafe building and back over towards the river. did a nice loop up and then back down and over to the train station and around the dorm building. that was about right so i headed towards the grocery store for newly baked bread and yogurt and some bottle water.
just over 8 miles- a little cold and very wet, but a nice time actually once it warmed up a bit. now for the hot shower and the breakfast.
afterwards i walked up to town and ran errands and paid bills. topped off the cell phone for $100 and paid the real estate taxes for april- $305. i love this country.
then home again. three more miles of walking behind me, but the usually nice way to coolw down turned wet again as the rain started once more.
home again. spent some nice time with gail and beth and when we had a break in the rain, and after gail went to the pc world shop beth and i decided to take a short walk which turned into a 4 mile loop around the meadow and thames river. was pretty and we made it home just before the rain.
i headed up to the driving range and hit 100 miserable balls, but did learn a little more about grip and wrist cocking. still, very frustrating after yesterday's quality ball striking, the clean crisp sound replaced by constant clanking noises. maybe the ball was too far back....
home for dinner. and some bill paying by check. and emails and it is after 11pm now and the day is almost over. forgot- we did see a swan out when we walked and that was pretty. and lorraine's bike was gone and the car was still there. kudos to the world's nicest squash player for toughing out the rain. remember the UK motto-we cope- right, my motto for them.
more tomorrow from the land of NO. almost april.
happy birthday to julieta and mary kate. two of the nicest people sharing a birthday tomorrow. do they have champ potatoes in the republic of ireland?
and where is eileen finer anyway?
no time to edit so hope it is more right than wrong....
on up the road as they say- puddling up fast as i headed up to st margaret's church. no animals out today though i saw the sheep farmer's truck. lorraine's car was still there so the phenomenologist had not yet gone to work. would she ride her bike in this weather?
to the church cemetery and turned around and now headed into a wind- this was at least a two club wind- know how i know that? i asked myself if i had 145 to the flag what would i hit? normal 7 would certainly not be enough and a 6i didn't feel right either- was a 5 for sure- 2 club wind- so you see how golf can tell you about the weather when you are running.
brutal though as i headed over the port meadow trail, had 8 miles in mind and that was what i was going to do- turned south down the thames- lorraine's bike was locked to the gate- went over rainbow bridge past the sign that said the trail was closed for 2 more weeks. they were way behind schedule, but i had seen them sitting in their trucks, they weren't going to get out and work in this weather- guy rolled down the window and asked me if i knew it was raining? rhodes scholar for sure- said i was looking for my lost duck and kept going. i can be a smart-ass too.
down the trail i went splashing through and around the puddles. once you are wet, really wet, does it matter how much wetter you get? nah.... noticed the new railings up at the low point where it always floods and then further down i noted the new screened fence on the side of the trail and the homeless people places were gone. shame as i always looked forward to seeing them. just around the corner i ran in to john moving down the trail with murphy, his dog. ran him home and turned and went over to the canal. rain was letting up but not the wind. headed north on the canal and went past jericho a bit before turning back and off the canal towards the train trail near port meadow. saw a new iron gate which meant a trail path was open so cut over and went a half mile up before a downed tree blocked the path and the mud got pretty thick- another time i told myself and turned around. down the train trail -nobody out. all the way down and then behind the cafe building and back over towards the river. did a nice loop up and then back down and over to the train station and around the dorm building. that was about right so i headed towards the grocery store for newly baked bread and yogurt and some bottle water.
just over 8 miles- a little cold and very wet, but a nice time actually once it warmed up a bit. now for the hot shower and the breakfast.
afterwards i walked up to town and ran errands and paid bills. topped off the cell phone for $100 and paid the real estate taxes for april- $305. i love this country.
then home again. three more miles of walking behind me, but the usually nice way to coolw down turned wet again as the rain started once more.
home again. spent some nice time with gail and beth and when we had a break in the rain, and after gail went to the pc world shop beth and i decided to take a short walk which turned into a 4 mile loop around the meadow and thames river. was pretty and we made it home just before the rain.
i headed up to the driving range and hit 100 miserable balls, but did learn a little more about grip and wrist cocking. still, very frustrating after yesterday's quality ball striking, the clean crisp sound replaced by constant clanking noises. maybe the ball was too far back....
home for dinner. and some bill paying by check. and emails and it is after 11pm now and the day is almost over. forgot- we did see a swan out when we walked and that was pretty. and lorraine's bike was gone and the car was still there. kudos to the world's nicest squash player for toughing out the rain. remember the UK motto-we cope- right, my motto for them.
more tomorrow from the land of NO. almost april.
happy birthday to julieta and mary kate. two of the nicest people sharing a birthday tomorrow. do they have champ potatoes in the republic of ireland?
and where is eileen finer anyway?
no time to edit so hope it is more right than wrong....
Thursday, March 27, 2008
travel day
never did finish yesterday's blog, but basically i ran 5 tired miles in the morning and then spent the next few hours dealing with the house and getting ready to go to england. also hit 120 pitch shots and some putts in the backyard.
the trip here was mostly uneventful-the way i like it. the usual challenges of checking in and security were not too bad ass they have gotten better at doing it more quickly. it is funny how differently each country does things. we still do the most here in the usa from what i have seen.
plane was ok and even though they said we would leave a little early, we ended up leaving 25 minutes late. lucky that there was not a full plane and i had nobody sitting next to me and neither did beth as we were a couple of rows apart. with so many empty seats on the plane i find it amusing that the virgin people could not change our seats to be next to each other. worked out ok in the long run and we ended up changing seats later in the flight. i did get to watch "the valley of elah" which i mostly didn't like. the acting was good, but the story didn't grab me at all. read mostly on the plane and snuck in 3 hour of sleep.
and back to oxford and binsey lane and the tent we live in. i am almost too depressed to say i am depressed and i promised i would be positive so i will be- how's that. a quick run to the store and bank and a little lunch and then while beth got some needed sleep to fight her case of flu i headed up to the range with my 3 wedges and hit 100 balls. for whatever reason i hit them better than i have in three weeks or so. working mostly on the last two lessons of stuff and had some nice tempo. i still think that when i am home and get to hit 800 pitch shots a week i get a nice tempo that carries over to my longer swing. and granted these were just wedges but they were hit ok 90% of the time. like it when they make that nice sound of a cleanly hit ball and they stop on the green quickly so i know there was some spin on them.
and got a ride home from a guy i played golf with at magnolia park. and here i am about to unpack, in a house with one cat instead of two., the noisy crying cat no less. should be a good week ahead. everyone says i missed some horrible weather. no rain today as predicted. the weather service here is really hit and miss and not all their fault as we're stuck between systems most of the time.
125 days to go- it's a really pretty country, but it is time to go home.
the trip here was mostly uneventful-the way i like it. the usual challenges of checking in and security were not too bad ass they have gotten better at doing it more quickly. it is funny how differently each country does things. we still do the most here in the usa from what i have seen.
plane was ok and even though they said we would leave a little early, we ended up leaving 25 minutes late. lucky that there was not a full plane and i had nobody sitting next to me and neither did beth as we were a couple of rows apart. with so many empty seats on the plane i find it amusing that the virgin people could not change our seats to be next to each other. worked out ok in the long run and we ended up changing seats later in the flight. i did get to watch "the valley of elah" which i mostly didn't like. the acting was good, but the story didn't grab me at all. read mostly on the plane and snuck in 3 hour of sleep.
and back to oxford and binsey lane and the tent we live in. i am almost too depressed to say i am depressed and i promised i would be positive so i will be- how's that. a quick run to the store and bank and a little lunch and then while beth got some needed sleep to fight her case of flu i headed up to the range with my 3 wedges and hit 100 balls. for whatever reason i hit them better than i have in three weeks or so. working mostly on the last two lessons of stuff and had some nice tempo. i still think that when i am home and get to hit 800 pitch shots a week i get a nice tempo that carries over to my longer swing. and granted these were just wedges but they were hit ok 90% of the time. like it when they make that nice sound of a cleanly hit ball and they stop on the green quickly so i know there was some spin on them.
and got a ride home from a guy i played golf with at magnolia park. and here i am about to unpack, in a house with one cat instead of two., the noisy crying cat no less. should be a good week ahead. everyone says i missed some horrible weather. no rain today as predicted. the weather service here is really hit and miss and not all their fault as we're stuck between systems most of the time.
125 days to go- it's a really pretty country, but it is time to go home.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
washington post article on china and olympics/repression/bush
washingtonpost.com
Olympic Shame
China risks turning the Games into a showcase of repression.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
AS CHINA'S COMMUNIST leadership conceived it, this year's Olympic Games were to mark the country's debut as a global power, with a booming economy and rapidly modernizing society. Instead, it's beginning to look as though the Games could become a showcase for violent repression, censorship and political persecution by a regime that has failed to rise above the level of police state. Though they present themselves as worldly and reformist, President Hu Jintao and his leadership group seem unable to grasp how the policies they have pursued in recent months have undermined the honor of staging the Olympics and risk destroying China's international prestige.
Even before the upheaval in Tibet this month, Mr. Hu's government was tightening its grip: shutting down publications, imprisoning dissidents and harassing lawyers in the name of pre-Olympic harmony. Officials have reneged on pledges to loosen media controls, not only in Tibet -- where the foreign press has been denied access to the carnage -- but in Beijing itself; as of this week, authorities won't allow live broadcasts from Tiananmen Square, site of the deadly crackdown on pro-democracy students two decades ago.
If foreign media have trouble, domestic dissidents have it far worse. They are being imprisoned just for criticizing the country's handling of the Olympics, even though China's constitution protects free speech. On Monday, land-rights activist Yang Chunlin was sentenced to five years in prison for starting a petition with the slogan, "We want human rights, not the Olympics." Last week, another dissident, Hu Jia, was put on trial on charges of subversion; he was arrested after testifying to the European Parliament via the Internet and publishing a letter urging the world to focus on human rights concerns in connection with the Olympics.
In foreign policy, there has been no discernible change in Beijing's support for some of the world's most criminal regimes, from genocide-sponsoring Sudan to Burma's brutal junta. China continues to prop up the Stalinist dictatorship of North Korea, even as that regime fails to comply with a commitment to disclose and dismantle its nuclear weapons. It is helping to block international sanctions against Iran, even as it rapidly increases trade with a regime that is flouting U.N. orders that it freeze its nuclear program.
Unfortunately, the Chinese leadership may have been encouraged by Western leaders -- including President Bush -- to believe it could maintain these policies and still hold a successful Olympics. Though French President Nicolas Sarkozy has now said publicly that he would not rule out boycotting the opening ceremony in Beijing in response to the repression in Tibet, Mr. Bush has not altered his ill-considered statement that he would attend the games as "a sports fan." Yesterday, the White House reiterated that the president plans to attend the opening ceremony, gratuitously signaling to Mr. Hu that he need not fear that imprisoning dissidents or beating Tibetan monks will affect even that most political of Olympic events.
In fact, whether or not Mr. Bush attends, it looks increasingly likely that the Olympics will serve to remind the world not of China's emerging greatness but of its continuing denial of freedom to its citizens, its repression of minorities and its amoral alliances with rogue states. Mr. Bush apparently prides himself on his ability to talk with Mr. Hu. If so, he should tell the Chinese president that his policies are turning these games politically toxic.
Olympic Shame
China risks turning the Games into a showcase of repression.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
AS CHINA'S COMMUNIST leadership conceived it, this year's Olympic Games were to mark the country's debut as a global power, with a booming economy and rapidly modernizing society. Instead, it's beginning to look as though the Games could become a showcase for violent repression, censorship and political persecution by a regime that has failed to rise above the level of police state. Though they present themselves as worldly and reformist, President Hu Jintao and his leadership group seem unable to grasp how the policies they have pursued in recent months have undermined the honor of staging the Olympics and risk destroying China's international prestige.
Even before the upheaval in Tibet this month, Mr. Hu's government was tightening its grip: shutting down publications, imprisoning dissidents and harassing lawyers in the name of pre-Olympic harmony. Officials have reneged on pledges to loosen media controls, not only in Tibet -- where the foreign press has been denied access to the carnage -- but in Beijing itself; as of this week, authorities won't allow live broadcasts from Tiananmen Square, site of the deadly crackdown on pro-democracy students two decades ago.
If foreign media have trouble, domestic dissidents have it far worse. They are being imprisoned just for criticizing the country's handling of the Olympics, even though China's constitution protects free speech. On Monday, land-rights activist Yang Chunlin was sentenced to five years in prison for starting a petition with the slogan, "We want human rights, not the Olympics." Last week, another dissident, Hu Jia, was put on trial on charges of subversion; he was arrested after testifying to the European Parliament via the Internet and publishing a letter urging the world to focus on human rights concerns in connection with the Olympics.
In foreign policy, there has been no discernible change in Beijing's support for some of the world's most criminal regimes, from genocide-sponsoring Sudan to Burma's brutal junta. China continues to prop up the Stalinist dictatorship of North Korea, even as that regime fails to comply with a commitment to disclose and dismantle its nuclear weapons. It is helping to block international sanctions against Iran, even as it rapidly increases trade with a regime that is flouting U.N. orders that it freeze its nuclear program.
Unfortunately, the Chinese leadership may have been encouraged by Western leaders -- including President Bush -- to believe it could maintain these policies and still hold a successful Olympics. Though French President Nicolas Sarkozy has now said publicly that he would not rule out boycotting the opening ceremony in Beijing in response to the repression in Tibet, Mr. Bush has not altered his ill-considered statement that he would attend the games as "a sports fan." Yesterday, the White House reiterated that the president plans to attend the opening ceremony, gratuitously signaling to Mr. Hu that he need not fear that imprisoning dissidents or beating Tibetan monks will affect even that most political of Olympic events.
In fact, whether or not Mr. Bush attends, it looks increasingly likely that the Olympics will serve to remind the world not of China's emerging greatness but of its continuing denial of freedom to its citizens, its repression of minorities and its amoral alliances with rogue states. Mr. Bush apparently prides himself on his ability to talk with Mr. Hu. If so, he should tell the Chinese president that his policies are turning these games politically toxic.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
dum de dum dum /12 mile day
and so there is one day to go and tomorrow i head back to the UK. time here in the usa goes so much faster than there. or so it seems -
but today after gail's call i went out and got 12 miles in-8 decent ones and 4 just moving along down the trail. went south down the path and up the big hill towards mt vernon. have to love that hill, but some of the older runners as i now am, will remember the hill before they moved the path over to get it a little straighter (too many bike accidents on the curves) and how it was even steeper then. back when we could run into the estate before 9/11 stopped that.
pretty morning out in the low 30's temp wise and the sun up over the river with the tide going out. seems like i had recovered pretty well from yesterday's sprint workout and nothing hurt more than usual, in fact a little less actually. i watched out for the hamstring of course and kept the pace steady and the pf muscle was held at bay.
heart rate which had been 47 when i woke up was a little higher than it should have been at this pace, but i have found that my heart rate is higher here in the states and maybe it is the humidity or allergens in the air or maybe i am just more tired as i am certainly busier and getting less sleep.
on the way back i ran into carol and we chatted a bit while i slowed down for her and then headed up the hill towards the 3 mile marker. at waynewood i decided to add some extra miles and ran north planning to run the east blvd loop, but i ran into my friend barbara and she told me about her latest bursitis problem and how she was retiring as a runner at least for now. dr had given her some meds and the pain had gone away and now that she was trying to run again the pain was back. there comes a time when you just ,make the right call and ratchet back. i wonder myself sometimes if i will ever run without pain again and doubt it. once pain is a given it is easier to deal with. doesn't make sense i know. when i am back here for good i will try again to get it fixed. but for now my left leg can carry me. i still try to re-train the right leg and it is coming along slowly.
so i turned around and went back with barbara all the way back to her house so she could show me her latest contractor work- they built over the back steps and also converted the screened porch into a full time use room. must be nice to have a fully functioning house. someday maybe...
and then i took the long way home down neal st. and cut over to the trail and made sure at that point i did enough to get 12 miles in. then home and spread the rest of the topsoil and mulch, and cut the grass one last time before leaving for oxford. ran the dishwasher and did laundry while finishing writing out the bills and then headed off to the post ofc.
passed a nine car accident on the other side of the road. cars up in the trees and smashed all to heck sitting in the road- airbags deployed and people being helped and medical care and police arriving. in a 35 mile zone this seemed like a lot of damage and i guessed that someone crossed over the lanes though it was hard to tell who had. was thinking as i crawled past how upset i had been that i was running later than i had wanted to, but had i been 6 minutes or so earlier, i could have been much more involved in this thing than just watching. timing, huh?
after the p.o. went to the range and did some short game and hit some balls. getting some feel back in the short game and still not striking the ball well. but won't get to practice again for some time. am still committed to trying again for awhile and will see what happens. part of the fun in golf is to actually be able to play rather than just hit and find. was it just over a year ago that i got my handicap ,down to 11 and was actually planning balanced shots? not there now for sure. and i hate hit and hope.
spent the night getting ready to go back - clearing out the house and getting stuff ready to be packed. will finish tomorrow-
next blog will be from the uk in 2 days most likely. some sleep would be nice so will wrap up shortly and try.
hillary and barack show continues. is there something in the water at the governor's mansion in NY? letterman is ranting about the tick on his back. and the war goes on while the economy sucks. what will happen when the boomers start in on social security and medicare? but i digress... smile- everyday is an adventure and an opportunity.
but today after gail's call i went out and got 12 miles in-8 decent ones and 4 just moving along down the trail. went south down the path and up the big hill towards mt vernon. have to love that hill, but some of the older runners as i now am, will remember the hill before they moved the path over to get it a little straighter (too many bike accidents on the curves) and how it was even steeper then. back when we could run into the estate before 9/11 stopped that.
pretty morning out in the low 30's temp wise and the sun up over the river with the tide going out. seems like i had recovered pretty well from yesterday's sprint workout and nothing hurt more than usual, in fact a little less actually. i watched out for the hamstring of course and kept the pace steady and the pf muscle was held at bay.
heart rate which had been 47 when i woke up was a little higher than it should have been at this pace, but i have found that my heart rate is higher here in the states and maybe it is the humidity or allergens in the air or maybe i am just more tired as i am certainly busier and getting less sleep.
on the way back i ran into carol and we chatted a bit while i slowed down for her and then headed up the hill towards the 3 mile marker. at waynewood i decided to add some extra miles and ran north planning to run the east blvd loop, but i ran into my friend barbara and she told me about her latest bursitis problem and how she was retiring as a runner at least for now. dr had given her some meds and the pain had gone away and now that she was trying to run again the pain was back. there comes a time when you just ,make the right call and ratchet back. i wonder myself sometimes if i will ever run without pain again and doubt it. once pain is a given it is easier to deal with. doesn't make sense i know. when i am back here for good i will try again to get it fixed. but for now my left leg can carry me. i still try to re-train the right leg and it is coming along slowly.
so i turned around and went back with barbara all the way back to her house so she could show me her latest contractor work- they built over the back steps and also converted the screened porch into a full time use room. must be nice to have a fully functioning house. someday maybe...
and then i took the long way home down neal st. and cut over to the trail and made sure at that point i did enough to get 12 miles in. then home and spread the rest of the topsoil and mulch, and cut the grass one last time before leaving for oxford. ran the dishwasher and did laundry while finishing writing out the bills and then headed off to the post ofc.
passed a nine car accident on the other side of the road. cars up in the trees and smashed all to heck sitting in the road- airbags deployed and people being helped and medical care and police arriving. in a 35 mile zone this seemed like a lot of damage and i guessed that someone crossed over the lanes though it was hard to tell who had. was thinking as i crawled past how upset i had been that i was running later than i had wanted to, but had i been 6 minutes or so earlier, i could have been much more involved in this thing than just watching. timing, huh?
after the p.o. went to the range and did some short game and hit some balls. getting some feel back in the short game and still not striking the ball well. but won't get to practice again for some time. am still committed to trying again for awhile and will see what happens. part of the fun in golf is to actually be able to play rather than just hit and find. was it just over a year ago that i got my handicap ,down to 11 and was actually planning balanced shots? not there now for sure. and i hate hit and hope.
spent the night getting ready to go back - clearing out the house and getting stuff ready to be packed. will finish tomorrow-
next blog will be from the uk in 2 days most likely. some sleep would be nice so will wrap up shortly and try.
hillary and barack show continues. is there something in the water at the governor's mansion in NY? letterman is ranting about the tick on his back. and the war goes on while the economy sucks. what will happen when the boomers start in on social security and medicare? but i digress... smile- everyday is an adventure and an opportunity.
Monday, March 24, 2008
track run, etc as promised
so monday has turned into track workout day. for the golfers in the audience, track work is the meat of running like practicing your short game is to golf. harder on the body, but necessary. running has times and your future efforts can be pretty well predicted-unlike golf.
so after gail's cal from the UK, i headed up to the track- short sprint day today with particular attention to my right hamstring and trying to use the right leg more. two divergent issues there for sure, but i am really good at monitoring when i am running.
37 degrees and windy. the morning heart rate was 48, not a good sign, but figure i was tired from the driving to and from philly and the night sleeping on my mom's couch. shorter warm-up than normal as i wanted to go really easy at the beginning and work the right leg in. so i started slow and worked my way up. ran 22 x 100 and 10 x 200. at some point more than soon i need to do longer stuff, but that will wait- would like to be able to use both legs and not drag the right one along.
mixed up the 100's and 200's a bit-paid close attention to how the leg was doing and tried to use the right one more now and then. noticed that when i used the right leg i gained a second every 100 meters and heart rate went down a bit. that tells me i am right about how much better it would be using two legs. i know that seems obvious, but it is worth the effort trying to retrain the right leg. got the pace down to 6:40 and didn't try to go lower. could keep the rpm's at 90 and that was a good sign, though it still felt tight. stretching was helping a little but not enough.
most speed workouts cover 2.5-4 miles. the average runner - like the 19 handicapper- would run about 3-with warm-up and down that would be about 6-8 miles depending on your recovery intervals. the closer you get to a race the less recovery you take trying to simulate race day pace more. earlier in the season you take more recovery trying to get the body in tune. usually longer and slower speedwork comes first following a base season and a hill season- i have done both of those and am using the 10 mile run days to get longer speedwork in with hard miles and halves on the trail rather than on the track with the curves putting pressure on the hip and knees.
and when i slowed 4 seconds on the last effort i knew it was time to stop. 2.75 miles of sprint work and with a 2 mile warmdown an 8 mile day. a good effort and fun time- not for everyone, but not everyone can spend two hours practicing their putting either. as my old friend frank used to say- nobody gets faster sitting on the couch at home.
and with the fun part of the day over it was time to go to work. spread 300 pounds of topsoil and fixed the stone path in the backyard. then headed down to the cpa's to finish the tax stuff. all went ok and rather than get a haircut i stopped at the post ofc and then headed to hilltop. played 12 holes with 2 balls. making progress but a long way from where i was and need to be again.
afterwards, i hit 100 balls and did the js drills. then chipped for awhile and hit a couple of hundred putts. 100 pitch shots and that was it for the day. off to get a haircut and dinner. some m ore work in the garden and did laundry and folded clothes. started to pack and made several phone calls. read the post and still having some light, went out and hit another 75 pitch shots and little chips. played with flop shots from 25 yards and spin cuts from 8 yards- sort of practice, but more like being a kid and just playing- tried to get the ball to bounce left and right hitting over the bunker- should be an easier shot on the course once you have hit several hundred of them in practice right?
and now back to packing- ride to the airport arranged. with enough done tonight i can squeeze in some golf tomorrow-
forecast for oxford is rain for the next 5 days-
so after gail's cal from the UK, i headed up to the track- short sprint day today with particular attention to my right hamstring and trying to use the right leg more. two divergent issues there for sure, but i am really good at monitoring when i am running.
37 degrees and windy. the morning heart rate was 48, not a good sign, but figure i was tired from the driving to and from philly and the night sleeping on my mom's couch. shorter warm-up than normal as i wanted to go really easy at the beginning and work the right leg in. so i started slow and worked my way up. ran 22 x 100 and 10 x 200. at some point more than soon i need to do longer stuff, but that will wait- would like to be able to use both legs and not drag the right one along.
mixed up the 100's and 200's a bit-paid close attention to how the leg was doing and tried to use the right one more now and then. noticed that when i used the right leg i gained a second every 100 meters and heart rate went down a bit. that tells me i am right about how much better it would be using two legs. i know that seems obvious, but it is worth the effort trying to retrain the right leg. got the pace down to 6:40 and didn't try to go lower. could keep the rpm's at 90 and that was a good sign, though it still felt tight. stretching was helping a little but not enough.
most speed workouts cover 2.5-4 miles. the average runner - like the 19 handicapper- would run about 3-with warm-up and down that would be about 6-8 miles depending on your recovery intervals. the closer you get to a race the less recovery you take trying to simulate race day pace more. earlier in the season you take more recovery trying to get the body in tune. usually longer and slower speedwork comes first following a base season and a hill season- i have done both of those and am using the 10 mile run days to get longer speedwork in with hard miles and halves on the trail rather than on the track with the curves putting pressure on the hip and knees.
and when i slowed 4 seconds on the last effort i knew it was time to stop. 2.75 miles of sprint work and with a 2 mile warmdown an 8 mile day. a good effort and fun time- not for everyone, but not everyone can spend two hours practicing their putting either. as my old friend frank used to say- nobody gets faster sitting on the couch at home.
and with the fun part of the day over it was time to go to work. spread 300 pounds of topsoil and fixed the stone path in the backyard. then headed down to the cpa's to finish the tax stuff. all went ok and rather than get a haircut i stopped at the post ofc and then headed to hilltop. played 12 holes with 2 balls. making progress but a long way from where i was and need to be again.
afterwards, i hit 100 balls and did the js drills. then chipped for awhile and hit a couple of hundred putts. 100 pitch shots and that was it for the day. off to get a haircut and dinner. some m ore work in the garden and did laundry and folded clothes. started to pack and made several phone calls. read the post and still having some light, went out and hit another 75 pitch shots and little chips. played with flop shots from 25 yards and spin cuts from 8 yards- sort of practice, but more like being a kid and just playing- tried to get the ball to bounce left and right hitting over the bunker- should be an easier shot on the course once you have hit several hundred of them in practice right?
and now back to packing- ride to the airport arranged. with enough done tonight i can squeeze in some golf tomorrow-
forecast for oxford is rain for the next 5 days-
crooks and liars- surge working?
More violence in Iraq
Posted: 23 Mar 2008 08:00 PM CDT
But didn’t Lindsey Graham say the surge is working? (h/t Atrios)
NT Times:
Rockets and mortars pounded Baghdad’s U.S.-protected Green Zone Sunday and a suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army post in the northern city of Mosul in a surge of attacks that killed at least 57 people nationwide.
The deadliest attack of the day was in Mosul when a suicide driver slammed his vehicle through a security checkpoint in a hail of gunfire and detonated his explosives in front of an Iraqi headquarters building, killing 13 Iraqi soldiers and injuring 42 other people, police said.
Posted: 23 Mar 2008 08:00 PM CDT
But didn’t Lindsey Graham say the surge is working? (h/t Atrios)
NT Times:
Rockets and mortars pounded Baghdad’s U.S.-protected Green Zone Sunday and a suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army post in the northern city of Mosul in a surge of attacks that killed at least 57 people nationwide.
The deadliest attack of the day was in Mosul when a suicide driver slammed his vehicle through a security checkpoint in a hail of gunfire and detonated his explosives in front of an Iraqi headquarters building, killing 13 Iraqi soldiers and injuring 42 other people, police said.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
three days in one
have been away from the computer for a bit and not added a thing to the blog. funny how much more time there is while staying in the UK to write up the daily blog and how here i am constantly on the go and hardly ever have time to do it right.
but at any rate i will try to catch up. think of it as free flowing rather than in any kind of natural order.
ran 4+ miles this morning on the track at elkins park. i may have written about this track before, an old cinder track at the local junior high school, some two miles from where i lived as a high schooler and from where my mom now lives. and the site of my one and only 50k win.
the reason i mention that is today while i was on the track running a couple of guys came on the track who recognized me as the guy who had won the race they had also run in. just for kicks i looked it up in my log- August 4, 1990-the race start6ed at 7:15 am and it went up to 90 degrees that day- we ran on a cinder track and i was really out to get a good workout in. having run a wed. night race a few days before -the belle haven 8k as a tempo workout-each mile faster than the mile before-last mile that night was in 6:25. that was after 21 days in a row and no time off. had done a speed-workout the night before with a final mile in 6:31.
so i wasn't fresh, but then as now i was pretty strong. no hip problems back then though. ran mostly around 8 minute pace. in that heat i figured i could get 20m miles in at that pace. turns out they posted a leader-board and at 20 miles i was in 4th place. decided to keep going and some guy from pittsburgh was right next to me asking if i was going the entire distance. at that point i said yes and picked up the pace. went through the marathon and was in 2nd and i kept feeling stronger. dropped the pace just below 8's for a bit to see if i could close the gap on the leader and caught him at 28. cruised the last 3 miles in just over 8's and actually had to run an extra lap as my lap counter missed the 3rd lap of my mile. hard to believe i ran 8:08, 8:09, 8:08, 7:58, 8:08 and then 10:08-think they missed one?
anyway-it was good enough to win and i got a 100 gift certificate and a pair of gel
lytes racing shoes. plus a plaque i still have. and nice to be remembered 18 years later.
but today as we ran slowly around the track we talked about getting old and trying to stay healthy and find a running schedule that allowed enough recovery and still let you stay in shape. nice to know i am not alone in this quest.
i note that on this same log page i had run a 5:55 mile and a 6:01-- must have been nice- several weeks later i ran the marine corps marathon in 3:13-
but i digress-easy to looking back at the log i have kept in some fashion for over 30years now.
spent the rest of the day with my mom after breakfast at jack's with her friends. then drove back to alexandria and worked on the house a bit and then went to hit some balls and do some short game practice. just as i seem to be getting some touch back it is almost time to return to england.
yesterday i ran 10 hard and hilly miles. ran in my new bandito shoes which i had ordered and didn't realize when i went to put them on, that they were slip lasted. this basically means they are for people with better arches than i have, but i put my orthotics in and ran the 10 miles without any problems and they were nice and light also.
was out at sunrise, the river was pretty and i did the usual 10 mile no frills run-down to the 8 mile mark-stopped at john mercaldo's bench and said hi(11 years now since john died)and came back up the trail and cut over and came home the east blvd way. all of the houses on that street are now sold. fun street to run on and i was running well at that point. saw a couple of deer crossing the parkway and finally got to see two eagles flying towards ft hunt.
pretty much finished the run and went to philly. did hit a 100 pitch shots in the back yard and watered the garden a bit before i went up. a pretty day and no real backups in traffic. unusual for easter weekend.
this came after an uneventful 4 mile run on friday and some golf at hilltop and many errands being run. then the little dinner adrienne and i had planned actually happened and 7 of us showed up at the riviera restaurant. what i would give for a place like this in oxford. but if it is there i have yet to find it- good food, nice prices and good service. not in england.
it may be the economy stupid, but it must also be the WAR. when viet nam was the war that seemed to matter to the entire country. who does this war matter to? if over 60%are against it how would anyone know that? i do remember the front pages of the paper gave the numbers of everything during viet nam. shot down planes and casualties, etc. today they try hard to hide the fact that 4000 are dead. the big deal made about 1000 is way back in time and we hit 4000 today and who knows? somewhere in this country somebody got a knock on the door while they were having dinner and they were told that their_______________-fill in the blank here- was killed. i used to wonder when i was sitting in the bunker on night guard duty what my family would have been doing at that same time in case we were over run-weird thoughts i guess to have had. was always hoping that my dad would have been home just in case.
does anyone remember that when the viet nam war started they used to send cab drivers around with the notices of death and that people were afraid to call a cab so that people living on their streets would not panic. then later they had to change it as the cab drivers would arrive drunk- that was the story at the time anyway. wonder what part of the wall my little donation paid for.
on a lighter note, i listened to bbc news tonight while driving home and they had on questions for the prime minister. if it weren't real politics you would swear it was a comedy show. if you ever have the chance, listen for a few minutes. that is all you will be able to take as they yell at each other. bush could not do that as it takes a slightly quick wit to handle it.
it is very late and i need to get out of here and do some stuff. in a nut shell i have 3 days before i go back. 129 more days to go. spring is here and they are calling for snow showers.
wanted to talk about some other stuff, but will hold off. funny how i have no interest at all in march madness. most sports in fact right now.
i have more interest in the vote, the boycott and the protest. have we become so apathetic? the young zealots have become the old pilates class. me too- seems sad though. we were going to change the world and all we did was grow old.
track work in the morning- cold track work-looking forward to it though. peace
ps- i still think they could solve the mortgage crisis if they made the banks give everyone with an ARM mortgage a 7% 40-50 year mortgage so they could make the smaller payments while equity built up and the real estate world turned around as it will someday. do the banks really want to own all of those properties with no equity and no payments coming in and few buyers around?
but at any rate i will try to catch up. think of it as free flowing rather than in any kind of natural order.
ran 4+ miles this morning on the track at elkins park. i may have written about this track before, an old cinder track at the local junior high school, some two miles from where i lived as a high schooler and from where my mom now lives. and the site of my one and only 50k win.
the reason i mention that is today while i was on the track running a couple of guys came on the track who recognized me as the guy who had won the race they had also run in. just for kicks i looked it up in my log- August 4, 1990-the race start6ed at 7:15 am and it went up to 90 degrees that day- we ran on a cinder track and i was really out to get a good workout in. having run a wed. night race a few days before -the belle haven 8k as a tempo workout-each mile faster than the mile before-last mile that night was in 6:25. that was after 21 days in a row and no time off. had done a speed-workout the night before with a final mile in 6:31.
so i wasn't fresh, but then as now i was pretty strong. no hip problems back then though. ran mostly around 8 minute pace. in that heat i figured i could get 20m miles in at that pace. turns out they posted a leader-board and at 20 miles i was in 4th place. decided to keep going and some guy from pittsburgh was right next to me asking if i was going the entire distance. at that point i said yes and picked up the pace. went through the marathon and was in 2nd and i kept feeling stronger. dropped the pace just below 8's for a bit to see if i could close the gap on the leader and caught him at 28. cruised the last 3 miles in just over 8's and actually had to run an extra lap as my lap counter missed the 3rd lap of my mile. hard to believe i ran 8:08, 8:09, 8:08, 7:58, 8:08 and then 10:08-think they missed one?
anyway-it was good enough to win and i got a 100 gift certificate and a pair of gel
lytes racing shoes. plus a plaque i still have. and nice to be remembered 18 years later.
but today as we ran slowly around the track we talked about getting old and trying to stay healthy and find a running schedule that allowed enough recovery and still let you stay in shape. nice to know i am not alone in this quest.
i note that on this same log page i had run a 5:55 mile and a 6:01-- must have been nice- several weeks later i ran the marine corps marathon in 3:13-
but i digress-easy to looking back at the log i have kept in some fashion for over 30years now.
spent the rest of the day with my mom after breakfast at jack's with her friends. then drove back to alexandria and worked on the house a bit and then went to hit some balls and do some short game practice. just as i seem to be getting some touch back it is almost time to return to england.
yesterday i ran 10 hard and hilly miles. ran in my new bandito shoes which i had ordered and didn't realize when i went to put them on, that they were slip lasted. this basically means they are for people with better arches than i have, but i put my orthotics in and ran the 10 miles without any problems and they were nice and light also.
was out at sunrise, the river was pretty and i did the usual 10 mile no frills run-down to the 8 mile mark-stopped at john mercaldo's bench and said hi(11 years now since john died)and came back up the trail and cut over and came home the east blvd way. all of the houses on that street are now sold. fun street to run on and i was running well at that point. saw a couple of deer crossing the parkway and finally got to see two eagles flying towards ft hunt.
pretty much finished the run and went to philly. did hit a 100 pitch shots in the back yard and watered the garden a bit before i went up. a pretty day and no real backups in traffic. unusual for easter weekend.
this came after an uneventful 4 mile run on friday and some golf at hilltop and many errands being run. then the little dinner adrienne and i had planned actually happened and 7 of us showed up at the riviera restaurant. what i would give for a place like this in oxford. but if it is there i have yet to find it- good food, nice prices and good service. not in england.
it may be the economy stupid, but it must also be the WAR. when viet nam was the war that seemed to matter to the entire country. who does this war matter to? if over 60%are against it how would anyone know that? i do remember the front pages of the paper gave the numbers of everything during viet nam. shot down planes and casualties, etc. today they try hard to hide the fact that 4000 are dead. the big deal made about 1000 is way back in time and we hit 4000 today and who knows? somewhere in this country somebody got a knock on the door while they were having dinner and they were told that their_______________-fill in the blank here- was killed. i used to wonder when i was sitting in the bunker on night guard duty what my family would have been doing at that same time in case we were over run-weird thoughts i guess to have had. was always hoping that my dad would have been home just in case.
does anyone remember that when the viet nam war started they used to send cab drivers around with the notices of death and that people were afraid to call a cab so that people living on their streets would not panic. then later they had to change it as the cab drivers would arrive drunk- that was the story at the time anyway. wonder what part of the wall my little donation paid for.
on a lighter note, i listened to bbc news tonight while driving home and they had on questions for the prime minister. if it weren't real politics you would swear it was a comedy show. if you ever have the chance, listen for a few minutes. that is all you will be able to take as they yell at each other. bush could not do that as it takes a slightly quick wit to handle it.
it is very late and i need to get out of here and do some stuff. in a nut shell i have 3 days before i go back. 129 more days to go. spring is here and they are calling for snow showers.
wanted to talk about some other stuff, but will hold off. funny how i have no interest at all in march madness. most sports in fact right now.
i have more interest in the vote, the boycott and the protest. have we become so apathetic? the young zealots have become the old pilates class. me too- seems sad though. we were going to change the world and all we did was grow old.
track work in the morning- cold track work-looking forward to it though. peace
ps- i still think they could solve the mortgage crisis if they made the banks give everyone with an ARM mortgage a 7% 40-50 year mortgage so they could make the smaller payments while equity built up and the real estate world turned around as it will someday. do the banks really want to own all of those properties with no equity and no payments coming in and few buyers around?
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
broken promise to sleep, ten mile run and taxes done
shut the computer down at 2:40 am and the taxes were as done as i could make them be for now. in less than 7 minutes i was setting the alarm for 5:55 am and trying to sleep. so much for my promise to get to sleep early. and even lowered my daily average of 4 hours a night. is this what getting older is going to be like?
was shutting the alarm off as when the phone rang and after catching up some on the news of the day in the UK, i was out the door and headed north on the trail towards the 8 mile marker. seems a bit lighter out each day now and i gather we are aging almost 20 minutes a week now. still, it seems cold for this time of year. legs felt strong, but my head seemed tired. the morning heart rate of 49 was proving a true indicator of fatigue.
but the sun was peeking through the clouds and i was all alone on the trail for now. up and down the hills i went and decided as i went across the bridge that went over the parkway, i changed my plans. there was no denying my body was running in two separate planes and the head was losing to the legs. i turned down the road and headed down towards the east blvd loop instead of continuing north. i could add miles later if i woke up. the new tenants have some canoes parked in their driveway and the new fence has, for whatever reason, been replaced by an even newer fence. strange. and then i came upon "navy lady". don't know her name but she and her husband are in the navy and we have run together before and i was thankful for the company and the chance to rag on english culture a bit and compare it to their experiences living in france.
navy lady believes that the people living in northern va. live in a bubble that is unlike a lot of the rest of the area. diverse, educated, employed and travelled,their interests are different than most of virginia. it is certainly not lynchburg, where i once watched them root for the south in a civil war
re-enactment, but i cling to my belief that despite the obvious differences people anywhere in any culture might appear to have, ultimately they all want some of the same things- a chance at a decent life for themselves and their families and a chance to not always live in struggle. that would be my simplified version.
three miles later i left her at the edge of the soccer park and turned back towards the northern trail. determined to stick it out for 10 miles i ran north far enough to be able to just turn and head home without adding on any distance once i hit waynewood. at seven miles my right hamstring reminded me that all was not well and i stopped and stretched for a quick minute. some relief and i made it home as the sun came fully out and the wind seemed to pick up. all in all not a bad run with 56 minutes in my training zone and a couple above. was thankful that navy lady is just a tad slower than me these days.
the "fun" part of the day now behind me, i quickly fell into errand mode after spending 10 seconds trying to convince myself to take a nap. ha on that i guess. off to the ban\k, the post ofc again, safeway for some food, and then the library and senior center to leave some donated stuff. then back to the house to get the golf clubs and head down to woodbridge to the cpa's ofc to deliver the taxes for quick double check , etc. that done i was off to the range.
worked on yesterday's lesson and was diligent about working every 10 balls for one thought. seemed to be helping. did my usual 100 pitch shots to start though as that gives me a sense of rhythm and confidence when i am behind a bunker i must go over.
then met a guy from west philly and mayfair. he had asked me something and i mentioned a restaurant in philly and he recognized it as being on city line ave. i was last there with a women's basketball team i was coaching for dinner way back in 1970. time flies.
anyway- we decided to go play 9 holes together and i actually played a little better today. got up and down 3 of the first 4 holes for par and was striking the ball well, even if it i was just missing the green. we played from the tips which isn't long on this course, but the wind was a screamer. really blowing! but true to my own spirit my new philly friend said it was good practice for when it really counted.
after the round i treated him to a bucket of balls and we hit on trying to watch each other for different things. went ok, but strangely, not as well as on the course. i like being target focused and willing the ball into the hole. then went to hit some chips and putted for awhile. hit another 80 pitch shots and all in all not a bad day of practice. i am determined! let the world beware.
by now it was pretty late in the day and i was hungry. had my little late lunch/early dinner and read for a bit and di some laundry and ran the dishwasher. sorry gail, but this house has one unlike the tent we live in at oxford.
just about midnight now and am not sure what is keeping my eyes open. so away i go. another day done and another day of possibilities coming. in a few minutes it will be 131 days to go.
almost forgot. i ran into carol today and we lamented that our friend steve had moved away to richmond. he and his dog were fixtures on the trail and i always knew i could count on them being out no matter what the weather was as he did me. i met carol when we were both going through our cancer treatment - like lance- her husband left her while she was doing chemo. are men really the schmucks they pretend to be?
carol's sister had also undergone chemo and had died during my last trip home from england and at the same time as her condo had been flooded out. the woman has had a string of bad luck for sure and has found solace in being out on the trail. a sweet woman whose only vice that i know of is that she voted for gw bush and she knows i love her but will never forgive her for that. but i digress....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fact of the Day
Martha M Place gains a gruesome immortality today in 1899 when she becomes the first woman to die in the electric chair. Due to women being unable to vote at the time, she is sent to her death by an all-male jury.
The Scotsman Archive
thursday, 20 Mar 2008
The Scotsman Digital Archive
was shutting the alarm off as when the phone rang and after catching up some on the news of the day in the UK, i was out the door and headed north on the trail towards the 8 mile marker. seems a bit lighter out each day now and i gather we are aging almost 20 minutes a week now. still, it seems cold for this time of year. legs felt strong, but my head seemed tired. the morning heart rate of 49 was proving a true indicator of fatigue.
but the sun was peeking through the clouds and i was all alone on the trail for now. up and down the hills i went and decided as i went across the bridge that went over the parkway, i changed my plans. there was no denying my body was running in two separate planes and the head was losing to the legs. i turned down the road and headed down towards the east blvd loop instead of continuing north. i could add miles later if i woke up. the new tenants have some canoes parked in their driveway and the new fence has, for whatever reason, been replaced by an even newer fence. strange. and then i came upon "navy lady". don't know her name but she and her husband are in the navy and we have run together before and i was thankful for the company and the chance to rag on english culture a bit and compare it to their experiences living in france.
navy lady believes that the people living in northern va. live in a bubble that is unlike a lot of the rest of the area. diverse, educated, employed and travelled,their interests are different than most of virginia. it is certainly not lynchburg, where i once watched them root for the south in a civil war
re-enactment, but i cling to my belief that despite the obvious differences people anywhere in any culture might appear to have, ultimately they all want some of the same things- a chance at a decent life for themselves and their families and a chance to not always live in struggle. that would be my simplified version.
three miles later i left her at the edge of the soccer park and turned back towards the northern trail. determined to stick it out for 10 miles i ran north far enough to be able to just turn and head home without adding on any distance once i hit waynewood. at seven miles my right hamstring reminded me that all was not well and i stopped and stretched for a quick minute. some relief and i made it home as the sun came fully out and the wind seemed to pick up. all in all not a bad run with 56 minutes in my training zone and a couple above. was thankful that navy lady is just a tad slower than me these days.
the "fun" part of the day now behind me, i quickly fell into errand mode after spending 10 seconds trying to convince myself to take a nap. ha on that i guess. off to the ban\k, the post ofc again, safeway for some food, and then the library and senior center to leave some donated stuff. then back to the house to get the golf clubs and head down to woodbridge to the cpa's ofc to deliver the taxes for quick double check , etc. that done i was off to the range.
worked on yesterday's lesson and was diligent about working every 10 balls for one thought. seemed to be helping. did my usual 100 pitch shots to start though as that gives me a sense of rhythm and confidence when i am behind a bunker i must go over.
then met a guy from west philly and mayfair. he had asked me something and i mentioned a restaurant in philly and he recognized it as being on city line ave. i was last there with a women's basketball team i was coaching for dinner way back in 1970. time flies.
anyway- we decided to go play 9 holes together and i actually played a little better today. got up and down 3 of the first 4 holes for par and was striking the ball well, even if it i was just missing the green. we played from the tips which isn't long on this course, but the wind was a screamer. really blowing! but true to my own spirit my new philly friend said it was good practice for when it really counted.
after the round i treated him to a bucket of balls and we hit on trying to watch each other for different things. went ok, but strangely, not as well as on the course. i like being target focused and willing the ball into the hole. then went to hit some chips and putted for awhile. hit another 80 pitch shots and all in all not a bad day of practice. i am determined! let the world beware.
by now it was pretty late in the day and i was hungry. had my little late lunch/early dinner and read for a bit and di some laundry and ran the dishwasher. sorry gail, but this house has one unlike the tent we live in at oxford.
just about midnight now and am not sure what is keeping my eyes open. so away i go. another day done and another day of possibilities coming. in a few minutes it will be 131 days to go.
almost forgot. i ran into carol today and we lamented that our friend steve had moved away to richmond. he and his dog were fixtures on the trail and i always knew i could count on them being out no matter what the weather was as he did me. i met carol when we were both going through our cancer treatment - like lance- her husband left her while she was doing chemo. are men really the schmucks they pretend to be?
carol's sister had also undergone chemo and had died during my last trip home from england and at the same time as her condo had been flooded out. the woman has had a string of bad luck for sure and has found solace in being out on the trail. a sweet woman whose only vice that i know of is that she voted for gw bush and she knows i love her but will never forgive her for that. but i digress....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fact of the Day
Martha M Place gains a gruesome immortality today in 1899 when she becomes the first woman to die in the electric chair. Due to women being unable to vote at the time, she is sent to her death by an all-male jury.
The Scotsman Archive
thursday, 20 Mar 2008
The Scotsman Digital Archive
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
an okay rainy day
was up pretty early and out the door to run after gail's early call from england; blogging from the usa is not as much fun as from oxford as everyday here is more typical and knowing i am going back there soon, filled with junk to get done first.
but as i said, out the door to run with the sun just coming up i headed south on the trail towards mt vernon. very uneventful early morning run- nice sunrise over ft washington again but knew the rain was coming. cool air but warming up quickly, saw nobody as i headed past ft hunt and down cardinal alley and over the harry anderson bridge and through the swamp. some walkers out now- the usual morning group and we shared a greeting.
stopped for a quick stretch at the water fountain near the 1 mile marker- 2.5 miles from the house. was very tight. trying to keep the stride a little shorter than usual again to help the right hamstring recover. through the woods where many trees were down now and up the hill to the mt vernon parking lot. some excitement as a bike rider decided he liked my side of the trail better and he actually went around me on the wrong side of the trail. but missed me at least. up to the non-working fountain and stretched again for a bit at the bench. a little better.
and then back down the hill. heart rate dropped quickly going down , but the legs were not that fresh for sure and i know i need a day off. between the faster runs, more speed work, more hills, harder bike rides, and longer hours on my feet practicing
my legs are not getting enough recovery here at home. throw in 3 hours less sleep a night and a morning heart rate a constant 4-6 beats higher and i know i need some rest.
but running and stretching i made it back to the house and wandered around the garden a bit picking out wild onions. the newly planted shrubs looked ok as they have been getting watered and rained on more than enough. seven miles for the day and now off to baltimore.
up to baltimore to see julieta and have some help with all of the bad habits i picked up lately. don met me at my house and we headed up and got up there with no problem, though it started to rain as we got close.
had a really nice and very helpful lesson and then started back home. not enough time right now to go into more details but have a really good idea of what i have to practice and focus on now.
and now back to doing taxes. already late and stuff to do. sleep awaits but not yet.
but as i said, out the door to run with the sun just coming up i headed south on the trail towards mt vernon. very uneventful early morning run- nice sunrise over ft washington again but knew the rain was coming. cool air but warming up quickly, saw nobody as i headed past ft hunt and down cardinal alley and over the harry anderson bridge and through the swamp. some walkers out now- the usual morning group and we shared a greeting.
stopped for a quick stretch at the water fountain near the 1 mile marker- 2.5 miles from the house. was very tight. trying to keep the stride a little shorter than usual again to help the right hamstring recover. through the woods where many trees were down now and up the hill to the mt vernon parking lot. some excitement as a bike rider decided he liked my side of the trail better and he actually went around me on the wrong side of the trail. but missed me at least. up to the non-working fountain and stretched again for a bit at the bench. a little better.
and then back down the hill. heart rate dropped quickly going down , but the legs were not that fresh for sure and i know i need a day off. between the faster runs, more speed work, more hills, harder bike rides, and longer hours on my feet practicing
my legs are not getting enough recovery here at home. throw in 3 hours less sleep a night and a morning heart rate a constant 4-6 beats higher and i know i need some rest.
but running and stretching i made it back to the house and wandered around the garden a bit picking out wild onions. the newly planted shrubs looked ok as they have been getting watered and rained on more than enough. seven miles for the day and now off to baltimore.
up to baltimore to see julieta and have some help with all of the bad habits i picked up lately. don met me at my house and we headed up and got up there with no problem, though it started to rain as we got close.
had a really nice and very helpful lesson and then started back home. not enough time right now to go into more details but have a really good idea of what i have to practice and focus on now.
and now back to doing taxes. already late and stuff to do. sleep awaits but not yet.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
tuesday comes
somehow i never managed to get back and finish yesterday's blog and i know i am losing the dance of balance and the bear is winning- old poster saying leftover from my dumber days and who says we get wiser as we get older?
spent yesterday after the run going from store to store and trying to get stuff the use here needs and other stuff to take back to england with me. then worked on clearing out stuff in the house, cleaning and yard work. eventually i made my way to the range ad tried to practice. short game feel is coming back, but i have not yet practiced every thing i know i need to. still, i am feeling more comfortable with it and am putting and chipping better each day. my pitch shots are not there yet and i still don't like my tempo, but i know it will come. i hit 100 pitch shots over the bunker practicing high and low shots and held and released swings. did the usual 56 and 60 degree chips plus the 8 and 6 irons for longer chips. then putted for an hour- left to right and right to left; up and down hill; 3, 6 10 and 15 footers. how can people not like practicing puts? same way i hate hitting my driver.
got home about 8pm and did on line banking for awhile and dealt with bills and post ofc junk. eventually i read for a bit and had a little dinner-- and watched kate b on leno. somewhere around 1am i got to sleep.
and up at 6am for gail's call and then went out to run. yesterday's right hamstring problem was still there and i kept the stride shorter and relaxed. supposed to be a recovery day and the body was crying for rest anyway- ran a short 7 miles and met air force john and diane's friend joe on the trail and chatted a bit and then headed home as i had a 11:50 tee time. hit some pitches and chips and then putted a bit and headed out.
played in the second foursome with jack, jim and bob- a good group for my first time back on grass in a bit and i was determined to stay positive despite the 22 shanks i hit yesterday practicing. it was nice to be playing with some of the guys again and catching up a bit. and i can learn things watching other people hit balls.
didn't strike the ball well at all, but got around the 9 holes in 42 counting a lost ball penalty on #6. did have a birdie and my new 5 wood seems like it will be a nice addition as i hit it twice and struck it well both times and was pretty long with it.
today's play showed me more of what i need to focus on to try and recapture some of the old game. the last time i played here i shot even par; i am not that guy right now for sure. can be hard to trust your swing when you are afraid to take the club back and have to force yourself to do that. what confidence!
but i do know enough now to "fake" my way around. just fade everything and take out the left side as best you can and keep the ball in play and chip and putt well and live to play another day. 2 of my fades still managed to have more draw then they should have, and one led to the lost ball.
the range went worse; had some help from the pros there who pointed out several things i was doing incorrectly that i didn't used to do. and late in the day i was managing to take the club back with my turn and not with my hands and started to strike the ball more cleanly. will keep at it as i grow more determined .
home depot and gnc followed but skipped safeway meaning i had breakfast for dinner but that was ok. then laundry, a ton of emails, did the stone work i needed to almost done with the one project and back to home depot on friday i hope. hit some more pitch shots as the dark swallowed up the yard just trying to relax. i could practice all day if i had nothing else to do.
now in the process of doing taxes and throwing away anything in the house i feel like getting rid of. almost cathartic.
listened to obama's speech on the way home. didn't convince me but i don't need convincing. seems like hillary's strategy now is to hang in and see if obama shoots himself in the foot. will the super delegates give it to her if they think she is more electable? does anyone in the party remember the game is to beat the other team? do they really want 8 more years of bush in a hero's pow body?
the usa must remember that in a global economy the 800 pound gorilla has a big impact on the rest of the jungle. and we were that gorilla-
lowering the interest rates again sounds good but will drive inflation up. does pres. bush really think the economy is ok? does he not pay any attention at all? that is called a rhetorical question btw.
i hope he has learned to ride his mountain bike well while he is president.
i digress- life is harried right now. the schedule for the next several days is filling up fast and england is calling me back again far too soon. so much i cannot get to here right now.
more to do and must go.
spent yesterday after the run going from store to store and trying to get stuff the use here needs and other stuff to take back to england with me. then worked on clearing out stuff in the house, cleaning and yard work. eventually i made my way to the range ad tried to practice. short game feel is coming back, but i have not yet practiced every thing i know i need to. still, i am feeling more comfortable with it and am putting and chipping better each day. my pitch shots are not there yet and i still don't like my tempo, but i know it will come. i hit 100 pitch shots over the bunker practicing high and low shots and held and released swings. did the usual 56 and 60 degree chips plus the 8 and 6 irons for longer chips. then putted for an hour- left to right and right to left; up and down hill; 3, 6 10 and 15 footers. how can people not like practicing puts? same way i hate hitting my driver.
got home about 8pm and did on line banking for awhile and dealt with bills and post ofc junk. eventually i read for a bit and had a little dinner-- and watched kate b on leno. somewhere around 1am i got to sleep.
and up at 6am for gail's call and then went out to run. yesterday's right hamstring problem was still there and i kept the stride shorter and relaxed. supposed to be a recovery day and the body was crying for rest anyway- ran a short 7 miles and met air force john and diane's friend joe on the trail and chatted a bit and then headed home as i had a 11:50 tee time. hit some pitches and chips and then putted a bit and headed out.
played in the second foursome with jack, jim and bob- a good group for my first time back on grass in a bit and i was determined to stay positive despite the 22 shanks i hit yesterday practicing. it was nice to be playing with some of the guys again and catching up a bit. and i can learn things watching other people hit balls.
didn't strike the ball well at all, but got around the 9 holes in 42 counting a lost ball penalty on #6. did have a birdie and my new 5 wood seems like it will be a nice addition as i hit it twice and struck it well both times and was pretty long with it.
today's play showed me more of what i need to focus on to try and recapture some of the old game. the last time i played here i shot even par; i am not that guy right now for sure. can be hard to trust your swing when you are afraid to take the club back and have to force yourself to do that. what confidence!
but i do know enough now to "fake" my way around. just fade everything and take out the left side as best you can and keep the ball in play and chip and putt well and live to play another day. 2 of my fades still managed to have more draw then they should have, and one led to the lost ball.
the range went worse; had some help from the pros there who pointed out several things i was doing incorrectly that i didn't used to do. and late in the day i was managing to take the club back with my turn and not with my hands and started to strike the ball more cleanly. will keep at it as i grow more determined .
home depot and gnc followed but skipped safeway meaning i had breakfast for dinner but that was ok. then laundry, a ton of emails, did the stone work i needed to almost done with the one project and back to home depot on friday i hope. hit some more pitch shots as the dark swallowed up the yard just trying to relax. i could practice all day if i had nothing else to do.
now in the process of doing taxes and throwing away anything in the house i feel like getting rid of. almost cathartic.
listened to obama's speech on the way home. didn't convince me but i don't need convincing. seems like hillary's strategy now is to hang in and see if obama shoots himself in the foot. will the super delegates give it to her if they think she is more electable? does anyone in the party remember the game is to beat the other team? do they really want 8 more years of bush in a hero's pow body?
the usa must remember that in a global economy the 800 pound gorilla has a big impact on the rest of the jungle. and we were that gorilla-
lowering the interest rates again sounds good but will drive inflation up. does pres. bush really think the economy is ok? does he not pay any attention at all? that is called a rhetorical question btw.
i hope he has learned to ride his mountain bike well while he is president.
i digress- life is harried right now. the schedule for the next several days is filling up fast and england is calling me back again far too soon. so much i cannot get to here right now.
more to do and must go.
Monday, March 17, 2008
track run,etc
never did get back to do the rest of yesterday's blog. mostly the day included house work, errands, garden work, and hitting shanks and crappy shots at the range. though later at home i hit about 100 25 yard pitch shots and think i figured out what i was doing wrong- will see later. i did shoot a mediocre 37 yesterday at hilltop and i had one nice birdie on number 4 hitting a cut iron to 5 feet and making the putt. i like hitting a fade on that hole as it takes out the left bunker and out of bounds and always gives me lots of green to work with if i am short. also i don't usually hit a hook when i am trying to fade. when i die on my stone they can put: here lies larry who has hit his last hook. then they can put it in any of the left bunkers at hilltop.
highlight was running into Adrienne and Debbie at hilltop and arranging dinner for friday night. will see if we can get some more of the gang to come out. 6 of us so far.
one of the disappointments in golf for me is the lack of the club like feel and community i get in the running community. they call running the loneliness of the long distance runner sport, but golf is so much more like that than running. and that is probably my fault in my failure to do something and my own bad mental
attitude about it.
like doing a long run with friends on the canal in any kind of weather and looking forward to breakfast together while we discuss what is wrong with the rest of the world, golf can have that. playing with friends has the same connected feeling without some of the runner's highs and low physical feelings.
and maybe i just need to do a better job of staying connected to people i like. interesting that while in the UK i have so much time and here i rush around trying to get it all in.
still, not sleeping try as i might. and so after just under 5 hours and talking to gail this morning, i headed over to the sandburg school track to get in a short speed workout, knowing the legs were really tired yesterday at the lake. while don pulled me around yesterday i was on my own today and though it wasn't raining, it was 37 degrees with a nice headwind. and there was a lacrosse festival getting ready to start, but they told me to stick to the upper track for awhile and i could get a run in. so 400's became 100's and 200's while they moved stuff around the track. still, i managed to get 22 x 100 and 6 x 200 in and it went well enough. still trying to muse the right leg and always quicker when i can. today about 40 minutes the right hamstring told me it wasn't used to running like this anymore and i alternated hard and relaxed for the rest of the workout, but kept it under 6:40 pace, which was the goal.
some good stretching after a warm down and then back to the house. and now for the rest of the day- hope to be back later.
ps-- today was the last day for Pendi the cat, a sweet little thing who will be more missed than i would have thought, and won't be sitting on the steps waiting for me anymore. know it was hard on gail and probably even ginger to take care of this while i was away.
no time to re-read or edit so i hope this made sense.
highlight was running into Adrienne and Debbie at hilltop and arranging dinner for friday night. will see if we can get some more of the gang to come out. 6 of us so far.
one of the disappointments in golf for me is the lack of the club like feel and community i get in the running community. they call running the loneliness of the long distance runner sport, but golf is so much more like that than running. and that is probably my fault in my failure to do something and my own bad mental
attitude about it.
like doing a long run with friends on the canal in any kind of weather and looking forward to breakfast together while we discuss what is wrong with the rest of the world, golf can have that. playing with friends has the same connected feeling without some of the runner's highs and low physical feelings.
and maybe i just need to do a better job of staying connected to people i like. interesting that while in the UK i have so much time and here i rush around trying to get it all in.
still, not sleeping try as i might. and so after just under 5 hours and talking to gail this morning, i headed over to the sandburg school track to get in a short speed workout, knowing the legs were really tired yesterday at the lake. while don pulled me around yesterday i was on my own today and though it wasn't raining, it was 37 degrees with a nice headwind. and there was a lacrosse festival getting ready to start, but they told me to stick to the upper track for awhile and i could get a run in. so 400's became 100's and 200's while they moved stuff around the track. still, i managed to get 22 x 100 and 6 x 200 in and it went well enough. still trying to muse the right leg and always quicker when i can. today about 40 minutes the right hamstring told me it wasn't used to running like this anymore and i alternated hard and relaxed for the rest of the workout, but kept it under 6:40 pace, which was the goal.
some good stretching after a warm down and then back to the house. and now for the rest of the day- hope to be back later.
ps-- today was the last day for Pendi the cat, a sweet little thing who will be more missed than i would have thought, and won't be sitting on the steps waiting for me anymore. know it was hard on gail and probably even ginger to take care of this while i was away.
no time to re-read or edit so i hope this made sense.
YouTube - Smokie - Living Next Door To Alice
for whatever reason im just like the sound of this band- they have been around in the UK for 30+ years and this was one their first big hits; they also do some good covers of usa sounds- anyway, if i blog it i can get to it easier-
YouTube - Smokie - Living Next Door To Alice
YouTube - Smokie - Living Next Door To Alice
Sunday, March 16, 2008
run around the lake after a tippy hedren experience
weird start to the day today- went to burke lake in the rain to meet don and run. on the way there, two birds flew into my passenger window, but were able to fly away. two miles later 2 more birds flew into my already broken front windshield and they wouldn't live to talk about it. so after yesterday's incident when the truck in front of me lost some boards that i could not help but run over as well as the stone breaking my window and 2 bird incidents i wondered what was going on. kept heading over furnace road and then as i turned the corner near the dump, i just missed hitting 3 white tail deer crossing the road. must be a spell on my car.
finally got to the lake and don and i ran around in the rain moving slowly but steadily, stopping briefly to say hi to lynn cooper's memorial bench. poor lynn died right after i was diagnosed with melanoma from melanoma. back in the day when we were decent runners we had run the jfk 50 miler together and i still stay in touch with her husband pete, the leader of cookie's crew relay team.
mentioned to don that we might want to pick out the spots for our benches while we were still alive so we would know where they were. somewhat kidding, but still seems like a good idea rather than have our friends someday say, he would have liked the bench here.
cold and rainy and muddy and puddly(is that a word?), but we got around. i could tell the quads had run 10 hard miles yesterday, but my legs are strong from all of the miles run in the UK and i was able to go around and then walk and run 2+ more miles around the parking lot loop while waiting for the group to come in as don went off to find breakfast.
and then home to a hot shower and breakfast myself. now off to the day's adventures. back later.
finally got to the lake and don and i ran around in the rain moving slowly but steadily, stopping briefly to say hi to lynn cooper's memorial bench. poor lynn died right after i was diagnosed with melanoma from melanoma. back in the day when we were decent runners we had run the jfk 50 miler together and i still stay in touch with her husband pete, the leader of cookie's crew relay team.
mentioned to don that we might want to pick out the spots for our benches while we were still alive so we would know where they were. somewhat kidding, but still seems like a good idea rather than have our friends someday say, he would have liked the bench here.
cold and rainy and muddy and puddly(is that a word?), but we got around. i could tell the quads had run 10 hard miles yesterday, but my legs are strong from all of the miles run in the UK and i was able to go around and then walk and run 2+ more miles around the parking lot loop while waiting for the group to come in as don went off to find breakfast.
and then home to a hot shower and breakfast myself. now off to the day's adventures. back later.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
2 days worth ; second try at it; and 41st anniversary
having lost 40 minutes of typing i will try again. got home too late to blog yesterday and what i have found is that since being back in the usa the day's are filled with more normal stuff than in the uk, but that trying to get months of stuff into a couple of weeks while trying to carry on some normal things is somewhat frustrating. what has lost out so far is sleep and that will change as i laid out a better plan with more organized priorities.
yesterday i got up in time to squeeze in 4 slow and easy miles as a way of being outside while also trying to recover a bit from the week's runs. less miles this past week, but several decent efforts of either speed or hills. less walking but just as much time on my feet while working on the house stuff. was out pretty early and saw nobody else while i was out. basically went up to the water fountain just past the five mile mark and did a quick stretch and turned back home.
got home and stretched some more and then walked the garden to see what i wanted to do with it today. quick light breakfast and threw clothes into the washer while i mowed the back yard and moved some potted plants around. pruned what i could and then planted some small replacement shrubs i had gotten. watered the new stuff and stopped.
spent some time practicing pitch shots(about 100 shots)in the back of the house and short little shots over the bunker i had built sometime back. it is always lots of fun practicing out back using different wedges and hitting high and low shots and practicing flops and different spins. is taking some time to regain some touch and feel, but it is coming.
off to the range to hit some balls and do some longer chipping and putting. but first i stopped at the garden center and bought some stone. i9 am determined to finish my rock garden and don't want to wait until we are back for good to get going again. would have gotten a little more for the same money at the rock and gravel place, but the ride would have taken too much time. loaded the car and went to the range.
practiced for awhile on the green. several golfers i knew were there and we set up a little putting competition to add some pressure. my putting went well yesterday as i get used to the new putter and to putting on grass again; same for the chipping- short game will come back faster than my swing because it was always better and i know more about what i am doing. also my tightness doesn't get in the way.
hit 150 balls and took some time to help a couple-scott and christine- who were hitting next to me and are just starting. turns out christine works for billy casper golf. was fun working with them and they seem like a nice couple who will enjoy golf.
i hit ok and can see some progress. not consistent yet, but at least i feel like i know what i am trying to get to even when i don't get there. got gas on the way home and did a quick stop at 7-11 to get a paper and some diet cokes. basically home in time to clean up, eat a little, glance at the paper and try to get some sleep.
morning heart rate was 46 as the new day dawned and i talked to gail for a bit and then headed out on the trail in semi-darkness. sun should have been coming up, but it was very cloudy. headed up the trail north towards the 8 mile mark determined to get 10 miles in today. warm-47 degrees and headed towards 63 or so, but i was dressed for warm and had bottle and a half of water before i started out. about 50 minutes into the run the sun's yellow ball came up as i approached dyke marsh and the tide was also out. a pretty little area as i have probably said before.
got lucky at the 8 mile turn around as a woman pushing a baby jogger was right there as i turned and we hooked up and ran back down to the 5 mile water fountain together. she had lived in london three years ago and her husband was from Guatemala so we bantered on about the prices in the uk and how cheap her husband thought everything in the usa was. ah, perspective. especially the gas. have i mentioned that petrol was over 410 a gallon in the UK?
pushing that baby jogger certainly didn't seem to slow her down much and while i was able to talk so i knew the pace wasn't that bad, my heart rate was climbing quickly. this part of the run also included the really big hill at the 6 mile post and that helped. left her at the water fountain and was determined to keep it going. and did! even went past waynewood blvd and down to the three mile marker just to add a little.
at home i was determined to get the blog done and did, but somehow the pc lost it. how frustrating that was, but i was out of time at that point and had to get the front lawn cut and the stones all put into place as well as plant the last of the plants and get some short game practice in. then paid some bills and headed out to run some errands and then over to the range. i want that swing to work, but it is determined to stay hidden for a bit.
short game went really well. two fellow melanoma survivors were there and we chatted some about our latest checkups and our drs. always looking to add insight, especially when it might save my life.
hitting was up and down-the good was really good and the bad wasn't that bad, but it wasn't right. will keep working at it. i did get more insight and kept at it for two buckets and then headed to safeway.
and then home - almost forgot: today 41 years ago i left for viet nam. with the rest of my company we flew to california to meet the ship we would sail on and stopped at the denver airport to change planes. funny, we were in uniform and carrying our weapons. must have looked pretty funny to the other people in the airport and i still have the pictures i sneakingly took of friends posing with their m-14's at the airport.
nothing like spending 30 days at sea on a ship with 2800 guys. truly horrible powdered food and salt water to shave in. what more could you ask for? how about sleeping 4 decks down with lots of guys who had never been on a ship before and didn't like the waves and the back and forth of the ship- won't bore you with the rest other than we stopped at okinawa and picked up guys who had deserted. while there i also got a bad sunburn- little did i know that years later this would lead to my skin cancer. at the time i just suffered it rather than go on sick call as it would have been a court martial offense if i could not have stood guard that night.
so the ides of march is almost over and caesar is still dead. how long ago was 44bc.? AU is in the tournament. spitzer is gone. hope mrs spitzer is ok. why do people feel the need to judge her? don't get it. so much judgment and so little empathy. is ,love blind as they say or does love force rationalizations?
all this in a world where paris hilton can charge $50k to come to your party as -paris hilton. i wake up everyday wondering what paris and nicole and brittany were out doing while i was asleep. hang in there lindsay!
and 3987 military are dead in the useless war we are mired in. who is judging that? is someone out there designing a memorial right now? love the troops and feel sorry for their family's loss. glad i came home.
and GW talks about how romantic it would have been for him to have been able to fight in a war. every time i think he couldn't say something more stupid he fools me. mr i am just a simple little president and don't understand the economy.
we can have 8 more years of this if we elect john i want to be george bush too
mccain.
but i am tired and need to get up to be at burke lake to run in the morning. my first attempt at this blog was better i am sure, but this is it for now.
yesterday i got up in time to squeeze in 4 slow and easy miles as a way of being outside while also trying to recover a bit from the week's runs. less miles this past week, but several decent efforts of either speed or hills. less walking but just as much time on my feet while working on the house stuff. was out pretty early and saw nobody else while i was out. basically went up to the water fountain just past the five mile mark and did a quick stretch and turned back home.
got home and stretched some more and then walked the garden to see what i wanted to do with it today. quick light breakfast and threw clothes into the washer while i mowed the back yard and moved some potted plants around. pruned what i could and then planted some small replacement shrubs i had gotten. watered the new stuff and stopped.
spent some time practicing pitch shots(about 100 shots)in the back of the house and short little shots over the bunker i had built sometime back. it is always lots of fun practicing out back using different wedges and hitting high and low shots and practicing flops and different spins. is taking some time to regain some touch and feel, but it is coming.
off to the range to hit some balls and do some longer chipping and putting. but first i stopped at the garden center and bought some stone. i9 am determined to finish my rock garden and don't want to wait until we are back for good to get going again. would have gotten a little more for the same money at the rock and gravel place, but the ride would have taken too much time. loaded the car and went to the range.
practiced for awhile on the green. several golfers i knew were there and we set up a little putting competition to add some pressure. my putting went well yesterday as i get used to the new putter and to putting on grass again; same for the chipping- short game will come back faster than my swing because it was always better and i know more about what i am doing. also my tightness doesn't get in the way.
hit 150 balls and took some time to help a couple-scott and christine- who were hitting next to me and are just starting. turns out christine works for billy casper golf. was fun working with them and they seem like a nice couple who will enjoy golf.
i hit ok and can see some progress. not consistent yet, but at least i feel like i know what i am trying to get to even when i don't get there. got gas on the way home and did a quick stop at 7-11 to get a paper and some diet cokes. basically home in time to clean up, eat a little, glance at the paper and try to get some sleep.
morning heart rate was 46 as the new day dawned and i talked to gail for a bit and then headed out on the trail in semi-darkness. sun should have been coming up, but it was very cloudy. headed up the trail north towards the 8 mile mark determined to get 10 miles in today. warm-47 degrees and headed towards 63 or so, but i was dressed for warm and had bottle and a half of water before i started out. about 50 minutes into the run the sun's yellow ball came up as i approached dyke marsh and the tide was also out. a pretty little area as i have probably said before.
got lucky at the 8 mile turn around as a woman pushing a baby jogger was right there as i turned and we hooked up and ran back down to the 5 mile water fountain together. she had lived in london three years ago and her husband was from Guatemala so we bantered on about the prices in the uk and how cheap her husband thought everything in the usa was. ah, perspective. especially the gas. have i mentioned that petrol was over 410 a gallon in the UK?
pushing that baby jogger certainly didn't seem to slow her down much and while i was able to talk so i knew the pace wasn't that bad, my heart rate was climbing quickly. this part of the run also included the really big hill at the 6 mile post and that helped. left her at the water fountain and was determined to keep it going. and did! even went past waynewood blvd and down to the three mile marker just to add a little.
at home i was determined to get the blog done and did, but somehow the pc lost it. how frustrating that was, but i was out of time at that point and had to get the front lawn cut and the stones all put into place as well as plant the last of the plants and get some short game practice in. then paid some bills and headed out to run some errands and then over to the range. i want that swing to work, but it is determined to stay hidden for a bit.
short game went really well. two fellow melanoma survivors were there and we chatted some about our latest checkups and our drs. always looking to add insight, especially when it might save my life.
hitting was up and down-the good was really good and the bad wasn't that bad, but it wasn't right. will keep working at it. i did get more insight and kept at it for two buckets and then headed to safeway.
and then home - almost forgot: today 41 years ago i left for viet nam. with the rest of my company we flew to california to meet the ship we would sail on and stopped at the denver airport to change planes. funny, we were in uniform and carrying our weapons. must have looked pretty funny to the other people in the airport and i still have the pictures i sneakingly took of friends posing with their m-14's at the airport.
nothing like spending 30 days at sea on a ship with 2800 guys. truly horrible powdered food and salt water to shave in. what more could you ask for? how about sleeping 4 decks down with lots of guys who had never been on a ship before and didn't like the waves and the back and forth of the ship- won't bore you with the rest other than we stopped at okinawa and picked up guys who had deserted. while there i also got a bad sunburn- little did i know that years later this would lead to my skin cancer. at the time i just suffered it rather than go on sick call as it would have been a court martial offense if i could not have stood guard that night.
so the ides of march is almost over and caesar is still dead. how long ago was 44bc.? AU is in the tournament. spitzer is gone. hope mrs spitzer is ok. why do people feel the need to judge her? don't get it. so much judgment and so little empathy. is ,love blind as they say or does love force rationalizations?
all this in a world where paris hilton can charge $50k to come to your party as -paris hilton. i wake up everyday wondering what paris and nicole and brittany were out doing while i was asleep. hang in there lindsay!
and 3987 military are dead in the useless war we are mired in. who is judging that? is someone out there designing a memorial right now? love the troops and feel sorry for their family's loss. glad i came home.
and GW talks about how romantic it would have been for him to have been able to fight in a war. every time i think he couldn't say something more stupid he fools me. mr i am just a simple little president and don't understand the economy.
we can have 8 more years of this if we elect john i want to be george bush too
mccain.
but i am tired and need to get up to be at burke lake to run in the morning. my first attempt at this blog was better i am sure, but this is it for now.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
good and bad stuff
bad news first- i know how hard it must have been for the owner of the cat to decide to put the cat down, but given the latest diagnosis from the vet concerning the future possible recovery of Pendi the cat, that decision might have saved a great deal of future pain and suffering without any real hope of a decent life. sorry i am not there to help gail through this, but once the appt is made it will pass quickly.
a sweet little cat who had a nice 9+ years of loving care at least.
that decision came to me in an email after i had come in from my little 7 mile run. tired as i was and my legs seemed to be, i was able to just stay out there and enjoy the trail and the river while just trying to stay on cruise control and deal with some light breathing problems. must have been some allergens in the air.
did the entire run without seeing anyone else on the trail. not very usual when the weather is as nice as it was today. ran what we call the east blvd loop meaning i went north on the trail and over the bridge and headed back down east blvd and across the parkway. came south to the 20 second hill and did 10 times up and down the hill to wake the quads up. had a sudden and really bad pain in my right leg at 5 miles but it passed in about 15 seconds and i never felt anything there again for the last 2 miles. strange for sure.
homeward bound and did some stretching. then went straight to work and mowed the grass and headed over to home depot for some stone and dirt. laid the stones when i came home and saved the topsoil and stuff for the future planting of some waiting shrubs.
eventually headed over to the driving range and spent 2 hours putting and chipping. was able to help my friend herb with his chipping some. and just helping him helped me also. getting some feel back and i chipped pretty well mostly. given some time the short game will come back faster than the full swing, but that was better also.
i hit120 pitch shots and then worked on the full swing using j's guidance. mostly today i worked on turning from the sternum-like that swing thought as it makes the one piece takeaway more focused for me and pulls my knee in and helps me stay away from the reverse pivot i used to love and still fall back into sometimes. add a lighter grip and a later wrist cock and the ball was going further and higher. gave some hope for the future and was actually fun to practice again. has been awhile...
and that all brought me to right here right now.
got an email from the london marathon and it included this story which you have to love- Buster Martin from London, aged 101 years, aims to become the world's oldest marathon runner. I reckon only a British man can be able to realise such a goal. Buster successfully finished a half marathon recently. His time: 5:17 h.
A frequently asked question is how long the official finish registration will be open. Officially 8 hours gun time is published but a look at last year's results reveals that the last runner was registered after 9:58 h. However, I am sure organisers will provide a side finish gate for Buster after sunset.
----------------------- go get them buster-- but i don't understand that only a british man can do this.
having run 184 marathons i understand the challenge of that distance and cannot imagine how it feels to do it at 101. my own goal has always been to live to be 92 and shoot my age on a full golf course. would need about 32 putts and than have 60 shots to get around. sounds doable doesn't it? i will throw the party.
hope for a more energized blog tomorrow-
a sweet little cat who had a nice 9+ years of loving care at least.
that decision came to me in an email after i had come in from my little 7 mile run. tired as i was and my legs seemed to be, i was able to just stay out there and enjoy the trail and the river while just trying to stay on cruise control and deal with some light breathing problems. must have been some allergens in the air.
did the entire run without seeing anyone else on the trail. not very usual when the weather is as nice as it was today. ran what we call the east blvd loop meaning i went north on the trail and over the bridge and headed back down east blvd and across the parkway. came south to the 20 second hill and did 10 times up and down the hill to wake the quads up. had a sudden and really bad pain in my right leg at 5 miles but it passed in about 15 seconds and i never felt anything there again for the last 2 miles. strange for sure.
homeward bound and did some stretching. then went straight to work and mowed the grass and headed over to home depot for some stone and dirt. laid the stones when i came home and saved the topsoil and stuff for the future planting of some waiting shrubs.
eventually headed over to the driving range and spent 2 hours putting and chipping. was able to help my friend herb with his chipping some. and just helping him helped me also. getting some feel back and i chipped pretty well mostly. given some time the short game will come back faster than the full swing, but that was better also.
i hit120 pitch shots and then worked on the full swing using j's guidance. mostly today i worked on turning from the sternum-like that swing thought as it makes the one piece takeaway more focused for me and pulls my knee in and helps me stay away from the reverse pivot i used to love and still fall back into sometimes. add a lighter grip and a later wrist cock and the ball was going further and higher. gave some hope for the future and was actually fun to practice again. has been awhile...
and that all brought me to right here right now.
got an email from the london marathon and it included this story which you have to love- Buster Martin from London, aged 101 years, aims to become the world's oldest marathon runner. I reckon only a British man can be able to realise such a goal. Buster successfully finished a half marathon recently. His time: 5:17 h.
A frequently asked question is how long the official finish registration will be open. Officially 8 hours gun time is published but a look at last year's results reveals that the last runner was registered after 9:58 h. However, I am sure organisers will provide a side finish gate for Buster after sunset.
----------------------- go get them buster-- but i don't understand that only a british man can do this.
having run 184 marathons i understand the challenge of that distance and cannot imagine how it feels to do it at 101. my own goal has always been to live to be 92 and shoot my age on a full golf course. would need about 32 putts and than have 60 shots to get around. sounds doable doesn't it? i will throw the party.
hope for a more energized blog tomorrow-
a harry anderson sort of day
harry anderson was once the right fielder for the phila phillies. he was rookie of the year and he hit 17 home runs that year. and way back then in my own little version of fantasy baseball- i called it infield-outfield- he was my right fielder and as a phillie, he was of course, an idol of every kid in my neighborhood. and he wore number 9 when he played. and that number has resonated with me ever since. like 36-that was robin roberts, but i digress.
so when i see number 9 it becomes somehow associated with harry. that's the background. now for the day.
so at 6am i was up after what seemed like a little nap and not a night's sleep. after gail's morning call i headed out the door and down to the river trail. a beautiful morning and the sun was the classic orange ball as it came up over ft washington and reflected on the potomac. headed north for a bit knowing i would turn around and see if i could find my friend steve who usually would be out on wed. morning. coming down the trail was a guy i know as "the hand" because as i would say good morning he would flick out whichever hand was closest to me, but never say a word. this has gone on for about the 12 years i have seen him out here. never a word...
about a mile and half up the trail i turned around and headed south. down the river and the orange ball was turning yellow as the day warmed up a bit and passing
ft hunt i ran through cardinal alley. the cute little red birds were out in force chirping away and i was feeling pretty good. off to the left an eagle was flying just close enough to be enjoyed. the pair nesting at ft hunt are always a treat to see and then i ran over the harry anderson, number 9 bridge. as you may know the bridges on the trail all have numbers. that works for the park service and for me it gives me an opportunity to make the trail more personal. harry's bridge runs over the swamp where the beaver's like to make dams and the herons hang out looking for meals. and the tall yellow flag irises are always really pretty. it was here i got the idea to grow them at home in the wet part of my garden. works well there also.
a little past there i ran into adrienne out with her little collie. for whatever reason i have always had a good feeling knowing that runners are such creatures of habit that in every past place i have lived at this same time right now they are out running so that if i were in horizon park today i would see the same people i saw there when i lived in tampa and in oxford the same people are out on the thames that i saw last week and will see in two more weeks.
adrienne's husband is from oxford so we talk about the rain in england and the lack of good food and the high cost of everything and she gives me the name of a cafe to try and a bed and breakfast to stay at in cambridge. good to know things and i run her back to her car and i head on down still looking for steve, but it is becoming clear he is not out today. steve is almost never late.
up the hill to mt vernon and i say good morning to joe, who seems lost without diane, who has moved back to canada. i miss running with diane as well as she was a real sweetie and always pleasant company for some miles down the trail when i was going through my cancer surgeries at the same time as her husband. she was always willing to slow down for me also.
i type this as deanna carter is singing on some late night talk show at 1:30am. a roy orbison tune -crying- more fun to watch and a sweet voice, but not roy orbison. it's hard to understand but the touch of your hand can start me crying... you get the idea................. thank whoever for music and it's joy.
grab some water at the fountain at the top of the hill and back down i go. no steve but i run into air force john and he says he thinks steve has finally moved to richmond. another trail friend gone and i suddenly remember that carol was not out either. i worry when carol is not out. she has had cancer a couple of times and we all like knowing she is ok and worry when she is not out for a few days.
and now the tv has gone from beautiful deanna back to talking about spitzer and the prostitute. can the media only cover one story at a time? hard not to rant about what should and shouldn't be a crime here but i will move on .
at 8 miles i start to do short little pickups to test the right leg. it is obvious to me now that the bike is the cause of the Pf problems on my right side and which will require more stretching. the air is cool, but still has a humidity we don't see in england. up the last little hill to the mile marker and headed home. a good enough 10 miles and a nice way to start the day.
did some yard work and made quick trips to the bank, post office and safeway. hit 120pitch shots in the backyard. put four of them in the bunker. clearly i have lots of work to do. then headed over to hilltop to work on last night's lesson thoughts.
but again with nobody on the first tee i took advantage and went out to play. asked jim for a cart number and he gave me n umber 9. perfect. jim is from philly and i say- the harry anderson cart and he laughs. at the same age as me he grew up with the same phillies and we reminisce about pudding head jones and del ennis and stan lopata-we throw in chico fernandez as a joke and i head out and play. jim heads home as his shift is over.
the course is crowded and i use the service trails to go around and through people and end up playing 16 holes with two birides. still not good but getting more comfortable and i did work on doing what i was shown last night. also on my visualiztion which i am getting better at and truly helps me.
then i hit a bucket of balls and chipped and putted some and headed home to do some laundry. a fast ending to an overly long description of today's run. a relaxed day though with little driving. now if i can get some sleep i will be ok.
heads up thought. tomorrow will be 40 years since i shipped out to viet nam. time does fly as we get older. and timer went by too fast today so i will do taxes tomorrow i hope. nice to know that everyday here counts as one less to spend in england get home. 139 to go. funny now that i know i will be in ireland in sept. if you play golf, you have to try link's golf. more than once. it takes time to get over how hard it is so you can see the beauty in thinking about where you are going to play every shot. wouldn't that be a great way to live in the uk-just touring around playing link's golf?
2:05 am - i am not meant to get sleep ever again am i? how long does jet lag last anyway?
so why do woman stand at the podium with "their cheating man" ? don't they just want to beat the crap out of them? sheryl crow is singing now. her last man left his fiance for another woman also. but he won a bike race so he was forgiven. and she has gone green. she would do well ikn the UK. they want to recycle the world amnd find a better place to put the 3oo million plastic bags they hand out. if they cannot get china, india and africa to join in their little island is in trouble.
but i digress... maybe someone will edit this for me as i head off to sleep. peace.
so when i see number 9 it becomes somehow associated with harry. that's the background. now for the day.
so at 6am i was up after what seemed like a little nap and not a night's sleep. after gail's morning call i headed out the door and down to the river trail. a beautiful morning and the sun was the classic orange ball as it came up over ft washington and reflected on the potomac. headed north for a bit knowing i would turn around and see if i could find my friend steve who usually would be out on wed. morning. coming down the trail was a guy i know as "the hand" because as i would say good morning he would flick out whichever hand was closest to me, but never say a word. this has gone on for about the 12 years i have seen him out here. never a word...
about a mile and half up the trail i turned around and headed south. down the river and the orange ball was turning yellow as the day warmed up a bit and passing
ft hunt i ran through cardinal alley. the cute little red birds were out in force chirping away and i was feeling pretty good. off to the left an eagle was flying just close enough to be enjoyed. the pair nesting at ft hunt are always a treat to see and then i ran over the harry anderson, number 9 bridge. as you may know the bridges on the trail all have numbers. that works for the park service and for me it gives me an opportunity to make the trail more personal. harry's bridge runs over the swamp where the beaver's like to make dams and the herons hang out looking for meals. and the tall yellow flag irises are always really pretty. it was here i got the idea to grow them at home in the wet part of my garden. works well there also.
a little past there i ran into adrienne out with her little collie. for whatever reason i have always had a good feeling knowing that runners are such creatures of habit that in every past place i have lived at this same time right now they are out running so that if i were in horizon park today i would see the same people i saw there when i lived in tampa and in oxford the same people are out on the thames that i saw last week and will see in two more weeks.
adrienne's husband is from oxford so we talk about the rain in england and the lack of good food and the high cost of everything and she gives me the name of a cafe to try and a bed and breakfast to stay at in cambridge. good to know things and i run her back to her car and i head on down still looking for steve, but it is becoming clear he is not out today. steve is almost never late.
up the hill to mt vernon and i say good morning to joe, who seems lost without diane, who has moved back to canada. i miss running with diane as well as she was a real sweetie and always pleasant company for some miles down the trail when i was going through my cancer surgeries at the same time as her husband. she was always willing to slow down for me also.
i type this as deanna carter is singing on some late night talk show at 1:30am. a roy orbison tune -crying- more fun to watch and a sweet voice, but not roy orbison. it's hard to understand but the touch of your hand can start me crying... you get the idea................. thank whoever for music and it's joy.
grab some water at the fountain at the top of the hill and back down i go. no steve but i run into air force john and he says he thinks steve has finally moved to richmond. another trail friend gone and i suddenly remember that carol was not out either. i worry when carol is not out. she has had cancer a couple of times and we all like knowing she is ok and worry when she is not out for a few days.
and now the tv has gone from beautiful deanna back to talking about spitzer and the prostitute. can the media only cover one story at a time? hard not to rant about what should and shouldn't be a crime here but i will move on .
at 8 miles i start to do short little pickups to test the right leg. it is obvious to me now that the bike is the cause of the Pf problems on my right side and which will require more stretching. the air is cool, but still has a humidity we don't see in england. up the last little hill to the mile marker and headed home. a good enough 10 miles and a nice way to start the day.
did some yard work and made quick trips to the bank, post office and safeway. hit 120pitch shots in the backyard. put four of them in the bunker. clearly i have lots of work to do. then headed over to hilltop to work on last night's lesson thoughts.
but again with nobody on the first tee i took advantage and went out to play. asked jim for a cart number and he gave me n umber 9. perfect. jim is from philly and i say- the harry anderson cart and he laughs. at the same age as me he grew up with the same phillies and we reminisce about pudding head jones and del ennis and stan lopata-we throw in chico fernandez as a joke and i head out and play. jim heads home as his shift is over.
the course is crowded and i use the service trails to go around and through people and end up playing 16 holes with two birides. still not good but getting more comfortable and i did work on doing what i was shown last night. also on my visualiztion which i am getting better at and truly helps me.
then i hit a bucket of balls and chipped and putted some and headed home to do some laundry. a fast ending to an overly long description of today's run. a relaxed day though with little driving. now if i can get some sleep i will be ok.
heads up thought. tomorrow will be 40 years since i shipped out to viet nam. time does fly as we get older. and timer went by too fast today so i will do taxes tomorrow i hope. nice to know that everyday here counts as one less to spend in england get home. 139 to go. funny now that i know i will be in ireland in sept. if you play golf, you have to try link's golf. more than once. it takes time to get over how hard it is so you can see the beauty in thinking about where you are going to play every shot. wouldn't that be a great way to live in the uk-just touring around playing link's golf?
2:05 am - i am not meant to get sleep ever again am i? how long does jet lag last anyway?
so why do woman stand at the podium with "their cheating man" ? don't they just want to beat the crap out of them? sheryl crow is singing now. her last man left his fiance for another woman also. but he won a bike race so he was forgiven. and she has gone green. she would do well ikn the UK. they want to recycle the world amnd find a better place to put the 3oo million plastic bags they hand out. if they cannot get china, india and africa to join in their little island is in trouble.
but i digress... maybe someone will edit this for me as i head off to sleep. peace.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
3:55 am in the life of the world's best putter
getting ready to write up the day i noticed a not too long ago blog titled 2:55 am. it is now 3:56 am though i started this at 3:55. this morning at 3:07 am i set the alarm for 6 and finally got to sleep. i notice a disturbing pattern that i am not getting any sleep. this after a previous week in the UK where i stayed up to watch primary results and two nights of bidding on ebay, pacific time-some 9 hrs behind us there- so now after 10 days or so of averaging 4 hrs a night of sleep i more fully understand why i am tired.
and yet there are things to do and abusing my normally good sense of priorities i type on. also noted is that unless i wake up and get to work i will spend at least one more late night dealing with the IRS stuff due soon.
but today was an ok day that got better as it went along. a good short little run followed by 28 more miles on the bike. some shopping, yard work, and an hour of hitting little pitch shots working mostly on tempo preceded runs to the bank and post office. mundane to be sure and still leaving the important, but unanswered question- why is my checking account off by only $3500. stay tuned for the sorting out of that one. maybe i just can't add or subtract when i am sleep- though with so little money in the account how can i be off $3500?
which segways to nothing- i left the post office and headed up to baltimore, a relative easy drive turned somewhat sour when a white chevrolet pickup truck threw a stone my way and cracked the windshield. another chore to deal with somewhere in the future. which does segway into something...
when i was much younger i lived constantly looking forward to what was ahead and planned as much of it as i could. family life was good and i still have almost all pleasant memories of it except for the up and down times of my father's illness, and the usual hormonal problems of being a teenage boy. eventually my dad regained his health and family life routine and now i deal with the hormonal problems of an aging about to be on social security older man. one day you just notice that people call you "sir' and you are not the "kid" anymore. i do have my own personal little theory on aging i will leave for another day, but in non-real years i am just about 42 or so on the maturity scale. no need to rush myself into being the same age mentally as physically. enough that the public sees a graying, slower runner person with he flexibility of a breadboard who can still touch his knees with straight legs. toes????
and so i type on- sitting here in my little red inner drive golf top- thank you again j. somehow i just knew that going to baltimore would put the fun back into golf again and i was right. amazing how some people can just put energy into the most tired of people. and it was just so much fun to whack away at the ball for a change without worrying about where it went. and a decent dinner followed. one thing about the UK-unless you have a lot of money eating there will not remind you of the usa. when the english long to come to the usa to go to olive garden and tgif's and denny's you just know we are judging food by a different standard.
which leads me to another subject. as much as i never cared for dear abby, that is how much i do like carolyn hax. her column to me at least, is less about advice and more about telling a person to hit their head against the wall and wake up and see the obvious.
if people would just stop and read the letter they were about to send carolyn and ask themselves what advice they would give the fool asking the question they were about to ask, maybe they would get it. like-i stopped calling all of my friends and now they don't call me. what now?
family and friends are what you have and what you need to nurture and cherish. but so is self time. somewhere you need to stop testing them and just enjoy what they have to give you and give what you can back.
time for a quote of the day- i leave these for self interpretation and i probably should do more research on the authors, but i use only the quote itself for what it says to me:
"if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, your life will be safe, expedient and thin"
katherine butler hathaway
in my mind i make every putt. i know i will and i never worry about missing one. i am the world's best putter. was it dr bob rotella who told me that? he was right of course. because if you are not the world's best putter and if you don't know you will make every putt, when you stand over your putt do you think i will miss this or i hope i will make this or do you just putt it and see what happens?
see the line and know it will go in. who was it that said-be the ball!
and yet there are things to do and abusing my normally good sense of priorities i type on. also noted is that unless i wake up and get to work i will spend at least one more late night dealing with the IRS stuff due soon.
but today was an ok day that got better as it went along. a good short little run followed by 28 more miles on the bike. some shopping, yard work, and an hour of hitting little pitch shots working mostly on tempo preceded runs to the bank and post office. mundane to be sure and still leaving the important, but unanswered question- why is my checking account off by only $3500. stay tuned for the sorting out of that one. maybe i just can't add or subtract when i am sleep- though with so little money in the account how can i be off $3500?
which segways to nothing- i left the post office and headed up to baltimore, a relative easy drive turned somewhat sour when a white chevrolet pickup truck threw a stone my way and cracked the windshield. another chore to deal with somewhere in the future. which does segway into something...
when i was much younger i lived constantly looking forward to what was ahead and planned as much of it as i could. family life was good and i still have almost all pleasant memories of it except for the up and down times of my father's illness, and the usual hormonal problems of being a teenage boy. eventually my dad regained his health and family life routine and now i deal with the hormonal problems of an aging about to be on social security older man. one day you just notice that people call you "sir' and you are not the "kid" anymore. i do have my own personal little theory on aging i will leave for another day, but in non-real years i am just about 42 or so on the maturity scale. no need to rush myself into being the same age mentally as physically. enough that the public sees a graying, slower runner person with he flexibility of a breadboard who can still touch his knees with straight legs. toes????
and so i type on- sitting here in my little red inner drive golf top- thank you again j. somehow i just knew that going to baltimore would put the fun back into golf again and i was right. amazing how some people can just put energy into the most tired of people. and it was just so much fun to whack away at the ball for a change without worrying about where it went. and a decent dinner followed. one thing about the UK-unless you have a lot of money eating there will not remind you of the usa. when the english long to come to the usa to go to olive garden and tgif's and denny's you just know we are judging food by a different standard.
which leads me to another subject. as much as i never cared for dear abby, that is how much i do like carolyn hax. her column to me at least, is less about advice and more about telling a person to hit their head against the wall and wake up and see the obvious.
if people would just stop and read the letter they were about to send carolyn and ask themselves what advice they would give the fool asking the question they were about to ask, maybe they would get it. like-i stopped calling all of my friends and now they don't call me. what now?
family and friends are what you have and what you need to nurture and cherish. but so is self time. somewhere you need to stop testing them and just enjoy what they have to give you and give what you can back.
time for a quote of the day- i leave these for self interpretation and i probably should do more research on the authors, but i use only the quote itself for what it says to me:
"if you let your fear of consequence prevent you from following your deepest instinct, your life will be safe, expedient and thin"
katherine butler hathaway
in my mind i make every putt. i know i will and i never worry about missing one. i am the world's best putter. was it dr bob rotella who told me that? he was right of course. because if you are not the world's best putter and if you don't know you will make every putt, when you stand over your putt do you think i will miss this or i hope i will make this or do you just putt it and see what happens?
see the line and know it will go in. who was it that said-be the ball!
Monday, March 10, 2008
a randomly written two day effort at a blog
no time to blog yesterday. got up at 6am and was out the door for a short 4 mile run in very cold temps and saw nobody while i was out. on 4 hours sleep i was surprised how awake i felt and how i had remembered to turn the
clocks ahead, but never thought about how dark it would now be early in the morning. always pretty to watch the sun rise over the potomac, but today the run would start and end in the dark.
quickie bowl of cereal and yogurt and off to philly. the cars tires were still a tad warped from sitting still, but they would iron themselves out over the miles. some light traffic, but not bad for a sunday. saturday's trip to philly had fallen ill to bad weather. up 95 i went and was too early for either the nike outlet store or golf galaxy- two of my favorite quick hits on the way up.
i had bruce, kate wolf, leonard cohen, gordon lightfoot and big and rich for company on the way and must confess that at one point i listen to "the river" 4 times in a row. if you haven't heard the song "the 8th of november" do yourself a favor and listen to it on you tube. all good stuff and i sailed up stopping once to top off the gas tank with liquid gold and buy a washington post. was a treat to be able to not read it on-line.
nice day at my mom's, whose life is even more on repeat than my own, but just barely. ate too much as usual after doing the list of things that waited for me to come back from the UK. then headed back down the road to home.
dark ride back but all went well despite some tie-ups in delaware until just before the wilson bridge, where there was a huge accident on the right side of the road and as i inched past it 25 minutes later i could still hear people screaming. didn't look good at all and even the tractor trailer had parts hanging down from the chassis. not a good sign that someone hit it that hard.
to home and threw in some laundry and climbed up on the bike. i can never sleep after driving back no matter that i must have had 20 hours of sleep in the last 5 days. did 28 miles on the lifecycle and just stayed steady at 95 rpm's and 24 mph. not true to outside riding, but a decent workout to go with the early morning 4 miles.
done at 1:30 am and grabbed almost 5 hours of sleep and woke up just before the phone rang from england. talked a bit as i stretched and dressed and then out the door again and up to the track.
morning track has always been one of my favorite runs. who knows why? the track is quiet except for the birds chirping and it is usually too early for other people.
and having not been on the track for awhile i was curious to see how much the right leg training i have been doing has mattered.
ran 18 x 200 and then 2 x 400. did 3 sets of 6 with each one faster than the one before. did the 5th and 6th mindfully using my right leg in a real stride and that went ok for the most part. i can see the progress. around # 15 i could feel some tightening and did the last 3 as relaxed as i could. then i ran the 400's trying to run the first 3 x 100 at the same pace and kicked it in a bit on the 4th 100. that went well. ran enough cool down to actually recover and also to get 7 miles total done. just as i was leaving some walkers came onto the track. good timing for all of us.
almost hard to believe that there are people who don't like running. cheap and easy exercise. yesterday in usa weekend there was an article about pam anderson, the cute cooksmart columnist, not the enhanced actress person. this pam was a runner and is so much better looking than the other pam, but in the article she says something i just love about running- some paraphrasing follows-
this is not torture; this is not work. this is loving myself in a healthy
way....
and my favorite--
the great thing about running is, you don't have to be athletic. you just
have to endure.
she has a good book out on the perfect recipes for losing weight.
anyway- the day went on after the run and several appts to have various things checked out and done or bought. all good for now. then to the range to try and find a piece of a golf swing and a little bit of rhythm. but nobody was on the first tee, so i thought i would jump out and see if i could still hit off of grass.
not used to being nervous on a golf course and playing by myself was surprised i felt that way. managed to get around and survive the few really bad shots and some decent ones. had a 37 on the par 31- not pretty and very few well struck balls that went straight as the solid hits seemed determined to hook their way around, but two good chips and one great putt and that was ok. then went back and played 5 more holes and even birdied the 4th hole with about an 18 foot putt. all in all an ok start and now to lose the hook and get some tempo and confidence back. hit 150 balls after i played and putted and chipped some.
i would fly dr bob rotella in to talk to me, but the plane needs some work so i will drive to baltimore instead and talk to someone i trust.
home in time to do some yard work and more laundry and write out some bills. a big bowl of raisin bran with a dying banana and the day is completed. not much of a blog today, but that is the way the day went. i had a better day than the governor of new york i can tell you. poor guy. another guy with two brains and the one on his neck not fully functioning.
a little luck and a decent attitude and life can be pretty interesting even in its most mundane moments. on the other hand, everything you say or write can be argued against. isn't the bell curve a great thing?
clocks ahead, but never thought about how dark it would now be early in the morning. always pretty to watch the sun rise over the potomac, but today the run would start and end in the dark.
quickie bowl of cereal and yogurt and off to philly. the cars tires were still a tad warped from sitting still, but they would iron themselves out over the miles. some light traffic, but not bad for a sunday. saturday's trip to philly had fallen ill to bad weather. up 95 i went and was too early for either the nike outlet store or golf galaxy- two of my favorite quick hits on the way up.
i had bruce, kate wolf, leonard cohen, gordon lightfoot and big and rich for company on the way and must confess that at one point i listen to "the river" 4 times in a row. if you haven't heard the song "the 8th of november" do yourself a favor and listen to it on you tube. all good stuff and i sailed up stopping once to top off the gas tank with liquid gold and buy a washington post. was a treat to be able to not read it on-line.
nice day at my mom's, whose life is even more on repeat than my own, but just barely. ate too much as usual after doing the list of things that waited for me to come back from the UK. then headed back down the road to home.
dark ride back but all went well despite some tie-ups in delaware until just before the wilson bridge, where there was a huge accident on the right side of the road and as i inched past it 25 minutes later i could still hear people screaming. didn't look good at all and even the tractor trailer had parts hanging down from the chassis. not a good sign that someone hit it that hard.
to home and threw in some laundry and climbed up on the bike. i can never sleep after driving back no matter that i must have had 20 hours of sleep in the last 5 days. did 28 miles on the lifecycle and just stayed steady at 95 rpm's and 24 mph. not true to outside riding, but a decent workout to go with the early morning 4 miles.
done at 1:30 am and grabbed almost 5 hours of sleep and woke up just before the phone rang from england. talked a bit as i stretched and dressed and then out the door again and up to the track.
morning track has always been one of my favorite runs. who knows why? the track is quiet except for the birds chirping and it is usually too early for other people.
and having not been on the track for awhile i was curious to see how much the right leg training i have been doing has mattered.
ran 18 x 200 and then 2 x 400. did 3 sets of 6 with each one faster than the one before. did the 5th and 6th mindfully using my right leg in a real stride and that went ok for the most part. i can see the progress. around # 15 i could feel some tightening and did the last 3 as relaxed as i could. then i ran the 400's trying to run the first 3 x 100 at the same pace and kicked it in a bit on the 4th 100. that went well. ran enough cool down to actually recover and also to get 7 miles total done. just as i was leaving some walkers came onto the track. good timing for all of us.
almost hard to believe that there are people who don't like running. cheap and easy exercise. yesterday in usa weekend there was an article about pam anderson, the cute cooksmart columnist, not the enhanced actress person. this pam was a runner and is so much better looking than the other pam, but in the article she says something i just love about running- some paraphrasing follows-
this is not torture; this is not work. this is loving myself in a healthy
way....
and my favorite--
the great thing about running is, you don't have to be athletic. you just
have to endure.
she has a good book out on the perfect recipes for losing weight.
anyway- the day went on after the run and several appts to have various things checked out and done or bought. all good for now. then to the range to try and find a piece of a golf swing and a little bit of rhythm. but nobody was on the first tee, so i thought i would jump out and see if i could still hit off of grass.
not used to being nervous on a golf course and playing by myself was surprised i felt that way. managed to get around and survive the few really bad shots and some decent ones. had a 37 on the par 31- not pretty and very few well struck balls that went straight as the solid hits seemed determined to hook their way around, but two good chips and one great putt and that was ok. then went back and played 5 more holes and even birdied the 4th hole with about an 18 foot putt. all in all an ok start and now to lose the hook and get some tempo and confidence back. hit 150 balls after i played and putted and chipped some.
i would fly dr bob rotella in to talk to me, but the plane needs some work so i will drive to baltimore instead and talk to someone i trust.
home in time to do some yard work and more laundry and write out some bills. a big bowl of raisin bran with a dying banana and the day is completed. not much of a blog today, but that is the way the day went. i had a better day than the governor of new york i can tell you. poor guy. another guy with two brains and the one on his neck not fully functioning.
a little luck and a decent attitude and life can be pretty interesting even in its most mundane moments. on the other hand, everything you say or write can be argued against. isn't the bell curve a great thing?
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Saturday, March 08, 2008
busy day
funny how i seem to have so much more time in the UK than i do here with so much to do. couldn't seem to sleep last night despite being very tired and watched the charlie rose interview of steven hawkings from cambridge. really fascinating and i thought rose did a great job with some really insightful questions and a nice personal touch. glad it wasn't tim russert doing it. here's what tim's first question could have been- so do you think it was your fault for some previously committed sin that you have ALS?
anyway- that ended at 1:30 or so and i read until 2:30 and got up at 6 and talked to gail for a bit and headed out to run in the pouring rain. AM heart rate was 56- shows how tired some part of me was and i almost skipped, but figured it would be ok to be out even if i only walked.
did my usual start up strategy of just moving slowly until the body either warmed up or gave up. ran down the parkway trail to the 7 mile mark and met andy , a guy i had run with before who is a tri-athlete and is training for the florida ironman. he was trying to watch his heart rate also and made for a good partner. he is faster than me and 25 years younger so i just held on and we kept going, slowing occasionally to get our heart rates back down as we climbed the hills on the way back to the 3 mile mark. turned into a very good paced run for me as i ran the second 4 miles 6 minutes and 15 seconds faster than the first 4. shows how pathetic the first 4 were, but i ran the entire 8 miles with no walking and it was hilly and rainy and i had run a pretty hard 9 miles yesterday. over 84 minutes in or above the 70% zone and hit a high of 153 heart rate- probably a little over 80%. shows the miles in the uk made me stronger, now to get some speed and to get this right hamstring stretched out. hope to get on the track this week. but watch the hamstring.
then spent some time running errands, bank, post ofc, running store, lowe's, rite aid and the hardware store. then did some laundry and spent some time working on the house and mail, while waiting for beth.
had a nice visit with her and shawn and caught up some with them. all good. then hurried over to meet some friends at the driving range, but they were done when i got there. hit 210 balls trying to find my swing and saw some improvement while working on drills. still, i hit 18 shanks. hard to get confident that way, but i think i figured out why. was really cold and windy and that wasn't too pleasant, but stayed with it.
back home to some dinner and paperwork and now to get ready to go to philly in the morning. everything else will wait. have to turn the clocks ahead and lose another hour of sleep.
143 and a wakeup. gail says no news on the cat yet. forgot to ask about the plumber. there is no good way out with the cat and any decision will not be a good one for us. still, it would be nice to somehow save the cat.
anyway- that ended at 1:30 or so and i read until 2:30 and got up at 6 and talked to gail for a bit and headed out to run in the pouring rain. AM heart rate was 56- shows how tired some part of me was and i almost skipped, but figured it would be ok to be out even if i only walked.
did my usual start up strategy of just moving slowly until the body either warmed up or gave up. ran down the parkway trail to the 7 mile mark and met andy , a guy i had run with before who is a tri-athlete and is training for the florida ironman. he was trying to watch his heart rate also and made for a good partner. he is faster than me and 25 years younger so i just held on and we kept going, slowing occasionally to get our heart rates back down as we climbed the hills on the way back to the 3 mile mark. turned into a very good paced run for me as i ran the second 4 miles 6 minutes and 15 seconds faster than the first 4. shows how pathetic the first 4 were, but i ran the entire 8 miles with no walking and it was hilly and rainy and i had run a pretty hard 9 miles yesterday. over 84 minutes in or above the 70% zone and hit a high of 153 heart rate- probably a little over 80%. shows the miles in the uk made me stronger, now to get some speed and to get this right hamstring stretched out. hope to get on the track this week. but watch the hamstring.
then spent some time running errands, bank, post ofc, running store, lowe's, rite aid and the hardware store. then did some laundry and spent some time working on the house and mail, while waiting for beth.
had a nice visit with her and shawn and caught up some with them. all good. then hurried over to meet some friends at the driving range, but they were done when i got there. hit 210 balls trying to find my swing and saw some improvement while working on drills. still, i hit 18 shanks. hard to get confident that way, but i think i figured out why. was really cold and windy and that wasn't too pleasant, but stayed with it.
back home to some dinner and paperwork and now to get ready to go to philly in the morning. everything else will wait. have to turn the clocks ahead and lose another hour of sleep.
143 and a wakeup. gail says no news on the cat yet. forgot to ask about the plumber. there is no good way out with the cat and any decision will not be a good one for us. still, it would be nice to somehow save the cat.
Friday, March 07, 2008
good rainy day in virginia, jet lag aside
last things first- had my melanoma checkup today and had three actinic keratosis frozen off, but that was ok. no new melanomas and that is what counts. good to get the three pre-cancers off. for anyone reading this , be forewarned, two of the three were in places i could not see them and i do frequent self checking. nice to have a dr. kith a magnifying glass and a good light system. that also makes 23 pre-cancers that she has taken off. she told me that this was a life-long thing and it looks like she will be proved right.
turns out that i also had an infection of my swollen right hand and i got meds for that. probably from cleaning up the backyard during the flood. she gave it a long name i won't bore you with, but at least i feel like something is being done about it now and i can stop wondering what is wrong.
on another note, my dr is leaving her practice here and moving to a private practice in ashburn, so i get to make a decision about that. not today though.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
on the way to the drs in a driving rain, i was listening to the news and the announcement came on that the government was going to spend $42 MILLION dollars, sending out letters telling people that the economic stimulus checks would be mailed in may. this just amused the hell out of me. what a classic waste of money. $42 MILLION. how much more could they have given each person instead of this stupid letter?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
how about some out of the box thinking on the mortgage garbage? won't don't they just make the banks give everyone the chance at a 40-50 year 7% mortgage so they can keep their houses making a smaller fixed payment spread out instead of everyone getting screwed? i am no accountant and i didn't sleep at a holiday inn last night so i didn't crunch all of the numbers. i am sure there is a way everyone could make something like this work. why own more houses you cannot sell and also force people out? put the greed aside and fix the problem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
run wise- i went out at 7am and ran 9 miles. decent run and a little quicker than usual despite the hilly trail. did what i call the east blvd loop with some side tracking to see some of the new houses going up. more and more people are buying small houses and knocking them down and building large houses on the lot. my house seems smaller all of the time.
today the legs were good at the beginning and gave me some insight as to what i could do if the right leg wasn't always as tight as it is and the Piriformis muscle let me run. that lasted for almost 40 minutes and then it started to tighten up again. then after i finished the left hamstring let me know it wasn't loving me. more stretching ahead.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
golf-wise i did get to the driving range today for a bit. was rushed of course because there was little time before the rain came. spent some time with friends working on our putting strokes and critiquing each other and that was really helpful. then we had a 40 minute competition to add some pressure. that was also good.
but after some chipping which went ok, but not well- i will call it a good first practice in almost four months, i hit 105 balls and was horrible. bad doesn't tell how bad it was. only hit three wedges, but between pulls and shanks it was just awful. somewhere in the middle i hit three perfect shots-high, long and straight. then back to i don't know what. another oh well. will have to figure it out. cannot play golf with this swing as i have lost all confidence in it and have no idea where the ball is going. also seem really tight and having trouble getting the left shoulder back.
all in all though, a decent check-up makes the day a success. and tomorrow is another opportunity for adventure and hopefully, the jet lag and lack of sleep i am clearly going through will work itself out. of course, we do set the clocks ahead losing another hour of sleep.
turns out that i also had an infection of my swollen right hand and i got meds for that. probably from cleaning up the backyard during the flood. she gave it a long name i won't bore you with, but at least i feel like something is being done about it now and i can stop wondering what is wrong.
on another note, my dr is leaving her practice here and moving to a private practice in ashburn, so i get to make a decision about that. not today though.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
on the way to the drs in a driving rain, i was listening to the news and the announcement came on that the government was going to spend $42 MILLION dollars, sending out letters telling people that the economic stimulus checks would be mailed in may. this just amused the hell out of me. what a classic waste of money. $42 MILLION. how much more could they have given each person instead of this stupid letter?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
how about some out of the box thinking on the mortgage garbage? won't don't they just make the banks give everyone the chance at a 40-50 year 7% mortgage so they can keep their houses making a smaller fixed payment spread out instead of everyone getting screwed? i am no accountant and i didn't sleep at a holiday inn last night so i didn't crunch all of the numbers. i am sure there is a way everyone could make something like this work. why own more houses you cannot sell and also force people out? put the greed aside and fix the problem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
run wise- i went out at 7am and ran 9 miles. decent run and a little quicker than usual despite the hilly trail. did what i call the east blvd loop with some side tracking to see some of the new houses going up. more and more people are buying small houses and knocking them down and building large houses on the lot. my house seems smaller all of the time.
today the legs were good at the beginning and gave me some insight as to what i could do if the right leg wasn't always as tight as it is and the Piriformis muscle let me run. that lasted for almost 40 minutes and then it started to tighten up again. then after i finished the left hamstring let me know it wasn't loving me. more stretching ahead.
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golf-wise i did get to the driving range today for a bit. was rushed of course because there was little time before the rain came. spent some time with friends working on our putting strokes and critiquing each other and that was really helpful. then we had a 40 minute competition to add some pressure. that was also good.
but after some chipping which went ok, but not well- i will call it a good first practice in almost four months, i hit 105 balls and was horrible. bad doesn't tell how bad it was. only hit three wedges, but between pulls and shanks it was just awful. somewhere in the middle i hit three perfect shots-high, long and straight. then back to i don't know what. another oh well. will have to figure it out. cannot play golf with this swing as i have lost all confidence in it and have no idea where the ball is going. also seem really tight and having trouble getting the left shoulder back.
all in all though, a decent check-up makes the day a success. and tomorrow is another opportunity for adventure and hopefully, the jet lag and lack of sleep i am clearly going through will work itself out. of course, we do set the clocks ahead losing another hour of sleep.
dean on michigan and florida
from blog of cheaters and liars-
Countdown: Dean Will Not Bend Delegate Rules For Michigan & Florida
Posted: 06 Mar 2008 08:37 AM CST
NBC political analyst Chuck Todd appeared on Countdown Wednesday to talk about Democratic primary race and the situation with Michigan and Florida delegates. The Clinton campaign has been pushing for both states delegates to be seated and Senator Obama says he’s played by the rules and will continue to do so. Keith Olbermann reads a statement from DNC chair, Howard Dean, who is finally making the call — the rules will not be bent:
“We’re glad to hear that the Governors of Michigan and Florida are willing to lend their weight to help resolve this issue. As we’ve said all along, we strongly encourage the Michigan and Florida state parties to follow the rules, so today’s public overtures are good news. The rules, which were agreed to by the full DNC including representatives from Florida and Michigan over 18 months ago, allow for two options. First, either state can choose to resubmit a plan and run a party process to select delegates to the convention; second, they can wait until this summer and appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which determines and resolves any outstanding questions about the seating of delegates. We look forward to receiving their proposals should they decide to submit new delegate selection plans and will review those plans at that time. The Democratic Nominee will be determined in accordance with party rules, and out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game.
“Through all the speculation, we should also remember the overwhelming enthusiasm and turnout that we have already seen, and respect the voters of the ten states who have yet to have their say.
“As we head towards November, our nominee must have the united support of a strong Democratic Party that’s ready to fight and ready to beat John McCain. After seven years of Republican rule, I am confident that we will elect a Democratic president who will fight for America’s families in the White House. Now we must hear from the voters in twelve states and territories who have yet to make their voices heard.”
Dean is expected to make the rounds on the morning shows today to make this announcement. Voters from both Michigan and Florida want to have their votes counted. Let’s hope both states can come up with a workable resolution with the DNC. The candidates need to know what the expectations are so the party can move forward with the primary process and on to the White House.
Countdown: Dean Will Not Bend Delegate Rules For Michigan & Florida
Posted: 06 Mar 2008 08:37 AM CST
NBC political analyst Chuck Todd appeared on Countdown Wednesday to talk about Democratic primary race and the situation with Michigan and Florida delegates. The Clinton campaign has been pushing for both states delegates to be seated and Senator Obama says he’s played by the rules and will continue to do so. Keith Olbermann reads a statement from DNC chair, Howard Dean, who is finally making the call — the rules will not be bent:
“We’re glad to hear that the Governors of Michigan and Florida are willing to lend their weight to help resolve this issue. As we’ve said all along, we strongly encourage the Michigan and Florida state parties to follow the rules, so today’s public overtures are good news. The rules, which were agreed to by the full DNC including representatives from Florida and Michigan over 18 months ago, allow for two options. First, either state can choose to resubmit a plan and run a party process to select delegates to the convention; second, they can wait until this summer and appeal to the Convention Credentials Committee, which determines and resolves any outstanding questions about the seating of delegates. We look forward to receiving their proposals should they decide to submit new delegate selection plans and will review those plans at that time. The Democratic Nominee will be determined in accordance with party rules, and out of respect for the presidential campaigns and the states that did not violate party rules, we are not going to change the rules in the middle of the game.
“Through all the speculation, we should also remember the overwhelming enthusiasm and turnout that we have already seen, and respect the voters of the ten states who have yet to have their say.
“As we head towards November, our nominee must have the united support of a strong Democratic Party that’s ready to fight and ready to beat John McCain. After seven years of Republican rule, I am confident that we will elect a Democratic president who will fight for America’s families in the White House. Now we must hear from the voters in twelve states and territories who have yet to make their voices heard.”
Dean is expected to make the rounds on the morning shows today to make this announcement. Voters from both Michigan and Florida want to have their votes counted. Let’s hope both states can come up with a workable resolution with the DNC. The candidates need to know what the expectations are so the party can move forward with the primary process and on to the White House.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
quick note
woke up at 5am in oxford, uk and am typing this in alexandria, va. would be after 3am my time. am dead tired now after almost no sleep in three days- my fault but doesn't change it.
trip was ok; plane left late and got here late; but uneventful and i liked that. don picked me up and brought me home; went to safeway and got some food to get by, car started right up, but brakes felt funny.
almost could not in the front door with the mail blocking it. and tons of yard work awaits. all in good time; did everything i could tonight and am about done.
more tomorrow sometime after my cancer checkup.
trip was ok; plane left late and got here late; but uneventful and i liked that. don picked me up and brought me home; went to safeway and got some food to get by, car started right up, but brakes felt funny.
almost could not in the front door with the mail blocking it. and tons of yard work awaits. all in good time; did everything i could tonight and am about done.
more tomorrow sometime after my cancer checkup.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
shortest of blog posts
really busy day getting ready to go back to the states for a visit and appts of all kinds. gail and i ran about 4 miles in the morning along the river and that was all i had time for. had to get to the market and then do various chores and i still wanted to hit some balls at the range. should have skipped that as it was much worse than yesterday. no hooks today. balls weren't hit well enough to hook. some good blocks though. will worry about golf some other time. oh well.
lots of chores in the afternoon and working on the house stuff. gail's friend ginger will be here while i am gone and there is always much moving around of stuff to make room for another person. love company, but living in what is basically an indoor tent requires some planning to add another person.
plumber didn't show of course, but i managed to get some draino type stuff and fix the sink. the rest is up to a pro- the jerry rigging is still working. oh well again.
no word on the cat yet either. the vet is in a bit of a tizzy about the owner not calling and i am sure that the timing is the problem there as they are flying from belgium to indianna and even though they should be there by now, not sure they have their email up and running first thing. still, the cat will need medicine soon or not. at some point we will just do something probably. third oh well.
packing is always fun and sheer guesswork this time. so it doesn't really matter i guess and it will be ok one way or another. i need to care more about unimportant things.
was a pretty day- clear and cold and windy- the weather here is a broken record i know. no rain though the the weather people are calling for three days of rain over the three day weekend.
that's it for now. next attempt will be from virginia i hope.
lots of chores in the afternoon and working on the house stuff. gail's friend ginger will be here while i am gone and there is always much moving around of stuff to make room for another person. love company, but living in what is basically an indoor tent requires some planning to add another person.
plumber didn't show of course, but i managed to get some draino type stuff and fix the sink. the rest is up to a pro- the jerry rigging is still working. oh well again.
no word on the cat yet either. the vet is in a bit of a tizzy about the owner not calling and i am sure that the timing is the problem there as they are flying from belgium to indianna and even though they should be there by now, not sure they have their email up and running first thing. still, the cat will need medicine soon or not. at some point we will just do something probably. third oh well.
packing is always fun and sheer guesswork this time. so it doesn't really matter i guess and it will be ok one way or another. i need to care more about unimportant things.
was a pretty day- clear and cold and windy- the weather here is a broken record i know. no rain though the the weather people are calling for three days of rain over the three day weekend.
that's it for now. next attempt will be from virginia i hope.
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