Wednesday, April 30, 2008
YouTube - Victoria Moore -Regretting What I Said
an old song of christine lavin's sung by victoria moore-----
YouTube - Victoria Moore -Regretting What I Said
YouTube - Victoria Moore -Regretting What I Said
last day of april,12 mile run and a cold heavy rainstorm
we were up at 5am and out of the house so gail could catch the 6am bus to london to do some work research there. from the bus station i headed east towards the oxford sport center past the bodleian library and the holywell music hall as well as several college campuses and then out high st. actually ran past gail's bus as it had to wind around town and was stopped picking up some passengers at the queen lane stop. was hoping to run a little on the roger bannister track that was supposed to be opened at 7am. was still early for that so i took a loop around christ church park and was one of many early morning runners watching the sun break through the clouds knowing that the forecast called for heavy rain starting at 7am.
ran the big loop and a shorter version and headed over to the track, which by chance, was not going to open until 8am today. so much for planning, so i headed around the sports complex and down meadow lane. wide enough for one car, but mostly used by students on bikes headed to the sports center, this lane ran a long way north and south and while side was student housing or apt flats, the other side was parks, nature reserves and playgrounds. pretty and quiet also as a few bikes passed me going north and a couple of faster runners passed me going sought. i hadn't expected to be going fast today, but was moving down the lane as best i could.
went down to the end and cut over the donnington bridge which brought me back to the thames river path and turned north. several college crew teams were out and their coaches rode up and down the path shouting instructions - one was particularly funny to me as a woman coach yelled to her 8 woman on the water that their legs should be burning by then and i was thinking my own quads were that way also. up ahead at the abingdon road bridge the crews all turned around and headed back to the boat house area while i kept going north and in to grandpont nature park.
today i decided to run all the way back into the park despite the wet grass and see how far back it went. was drizzling a little now and i ran past several rabbits who must have wondered what i was doing back there. no sign of anything back here but parkland, but the grass was soft to run on and it was very peaceful. i did a loop around the back of the park and turned back and took the long way back to the thames path. and turning north i caught up to a woman who was just bouncing up and down while she ran. couldn't go too fast that way which is why i was able to catch up to her at this point. said good morning and surprise of surprise she said good morning in return. asked me where i was headed and i said rainbow bridge. she was going to botley so we hung out together for the next mile plus a little.
she wanted to know if i knew how she could get faster. easy to answer that one, but the obvious quick fix was to change her form. so we tried an experiment as we ran and i had her move her feet back underneath her more and push off on her big toes- many of my runners have heard that one. anyway, not that i am Einstein the coach but she immediately was going forward instead of up and down and when she dropped her arms some that helped even more. the pace had picked up enough for me i can say and i suggested that she look into joining the headington road runners and do their speedwork with them. something i should be doing myself, but their schedule just doesn't work for me. anyway, lisa went off at botley and i headed up the thames towards the rainbow bridge. maybe my role in life is to give 2 minute coaching lessons to new runners. who knows?
i spent the next two miles asking myself whether i wanted to run 16 more marathons for an even 200 or try to run faster 5k's with less training than the marathons would take, leaving some time for golf. no answer yet. my brain wants to do the marathons. my right leg wants to do 5k's. either way i was still going north and the trail was now pretty muddy. they had cut down lots of trees and cleared paths for their heavy equipment, so where runoff had been stopped before, water was now able to hit the trail. by now the usual band of suspects were out running and we exchanged our good mornings. i was about 11 miles into it and decided that was enough so i headed back home. about 12 miles in all, maybe a little more. the cold heavy rain made me quickly think that there was real need to muddle through though 3 more miles. 10 was the original goal. now for a hot shower and some food.
sitting here now two loads of laundry behind me and also the shower and breakfast, while the rain still pours down. was hoping for a longer day of golf hitting, but don't really feel like walking outside just yet. will see where we stand a little later and can finish my latest book forecast is for 5 more days of rain- were you surprised? tomorrow will be may day here and though it almost feels like spring wants to come out, it is in actuality more like fall weather. it was 42 degrees when i started out this morning and will be low 40's the rest of the week along with the rain. i see more and more why people here cherish every moment of sun they get. i myself am not looking forward to virginia's humidity.
washer stopped and it is time to hang up clothes. three months to go from today.
ran the big loop and a shorter version and headed over to the track, which by chance, was not going to open until 8am today. so much for planning, so i headed around the sports complex and down meadow lane. wide enough for one car, but mostly used by students on bikes headed to the sports center, this lane ran a long way north and south and while side was student housing or apt flats, the other side was parks, nature reserves and playgrounds. pretty and quiet also as a few bikes passed me going north and a couple of faster runners passed me going sought. i hadn't expected to be going fast today, but was moving down the lane as best i could.
went down to the end and cut over the donnington bridge which brought me back to the thames river path and turned north. several college crew teams were out and their coaches rode up and down the path shouting instructions - one was particularly funny to me as a woman coach yelled to her 8 woman on the water that their legs should be burning by then and i was thinking my own quads were that way also. up ahead at the abingdon road bridge the crews all turned around and headed back to the boat house area while i kept going north and in to grandpont nature park.
today i decided to run all the way back into the park despite the wet grass and see how far back it went. was drizzling a little now and i ran past several rabbits who must have wondered what i was doing back there. no sign of anything back here but parkland, but the grass was soft to run on and it was very peaceful. i did a loop around the back of the park and turned back and took the long way back to the thames path. and turning north i caught up to a woman who was just bouncing up and down while she ran. couldn't go too fast that way which is why i was able to catch up to her at this point. said good morning and surprise of surprise she said good morning in return. asked me where i was headed and i said rainbow bridge. she was going to botley so we hung out together for the next mile plus a little.
she wanted to know if i knew how she could get faster. easy to answer that one, but the obvious quick fix was to change her form. so we tried an experiment as we ran and i had her move her feet back underneath her more and push off on her big toes- many of my runners have heard that one. anyway, not that i am Einstein the coach but she immediately was going forward instead of up and down and when she dropped her arms some that helped even more. the pace had picked up enough for me i can say and i suggested that she look into joining the headington road runners and do their speedwork with them. something i should be doing myself, but their schedule just doesn't work for me. anyway, lisa went off at botley and i headed up the thames towards the rainbow bridge. maybe my role in life is to give 2 minute coaching lessons to new runners. who knows?
i spent the next two miles asking myself whether i wanted to run 16 more marathons for an even 200 or try to run faster 5k's with less training than the marathons would take, leaving some time for golf. no answer yet. my brain wants to do the marathons. my right leg wants to do 5k's. either way i was still going north and the trail was now pretty muddy. they had cut down lots of trees and cleared paths for their heavy equipment, so where runoff had been stopped before, water was now able to hit the trail. by now the usual band of suspects were out running and we exchanged our good mornings. i was about 11 miles into it and decided that was enough so i headed back home. about 12 miles in all, maybe a little more. the cold heavy rain made me quickly think that there was real need to muddle through though 3 more miles. 10 was the original goal. now for a hot shower and some food.
sitting here now two loads of laundry behind me and also the shower and breakfast, while the rain still pours down. was hoping for a longer day of golf hitting, but don't really feel like walking outside just yet. will see where we stand a little later and can finish my latest book forecast is for 5 more days of rain- were you surprised? tomorrow will be may day here and though it almost feels like spring wants to come out, it is in actuality more like fall weather. it was 42 degrees when i started out this morning and will be low 40's the rest of the week along with the rain. i see more and more why people here cherish every moment of sun they get. i myself am not looking forward to virginia's humidity.
washer stopped and it is time to hang up clothes. three months to go from today.
fact of the day,bush economy, and yellowstone buffalo,mc cain,mc cain on russia
yesterday i had an email from a sometimes friend telling me he would no longer read my blog as i was clearly more liberal and anti-bush/mccain than he thought. what can i say? i blog things that interest me and sometimes i think they would be interesting to others. but make no mistake about it, while i would call myself a moderate, though socially very liberal, i despise what this president and his administration have done and have failed to do on just about every major issue-good job brownie aside- and i see mccain as more of the same, possibly without the horrors of a cheny vp. just in case my blogs have been too subtle, the mission has not been accomplished. and living here in england had made it worse. here i get to talk to people from all over the world and it is easier to see the global effect of our country's impact on that world. to say that being against a war is conservative or liberal makes no sense. i would bomb the hell out of anyone that we needed to do so to protect us and in many cases our allies. but not just because they have oil. anyone who wants to stop reading can do so. it just makes me angry when they argue about flag pins and thousands are now dead or injured. and the iraqi people who want a decent life live in turmoil, while people in africa kill their goats for food so they can feed their children and worry about the goat's milk later. and this administration is against stem cell research....
pastor wright aside i care more about what they will do about health care, the economy, energy, food, education, social security, medicare, returning veteran's, torture, land mines, immigration, --i can go on and this little list is not in priority order. without a majority in congress not much will get done unless they work together and if they see every issue as us and them rather than the good of the country god help us all. end of rant for now. my run certainly didn't give me runner's high today.
so are the states still red and blue? and how will michigan and florida be resolved? when will the dems change their stupid primary system? and what should i do with my stimulus money?
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Fact of the Day
George Washington gave his inaugural address today in 1789 when he became the first President of the fledgling United States of America. The address was delivered at New York's Federal Hall which was the USA's capitol building at that time.
from scotsman.com
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crooks and liars
To hear Bush tell it, the economic anxiety Americans feel right now is somehow related to tax cuts that expire in 2011 — tax cuts that primarily don’t help the middle class or low-income families anyway.
In all seriousness, how many people who are worried about their families’ finances right now are going to say, “I’ve been really worried, but now that I know my tax rate will remain the same in 2011 as it is 2010, I’m feeling better again”? That, in essence, is what the president argued with a straight face this morning. The answer for economic angst now is maintenance of existing tax cuts three years from now.
Ben at TP recently offered a competing explanation for economic anxiety.
[M]aybe American negative attitudes toward the economy stem from the housing and credit crises, job losses, rising unemployment, a volatile stock market, high gas prices, high family debt, flat wages, increasing budget deficits, a weak dollar, and rising health care costs — not to mention the effects of the $12 billion per month war in Iraq that is being bankrolled largely on borrowed funds.
Could that have more to do with explaining why Americans are so upset with the economy? Nah. It must have something to do with expectations for tax rates in 2011. After all, as Bush insisted this morning, those three-years-away rates “cause different behavioral patterns.”
That makes a lot more sense. Thank goodness the president and his congressional allies are so in touch with concerns and fears facing American families.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNN:
More than half of Yellowstone National Park’s bison herd has died since last fall, forcing the government to suspend its annual slaughter program.
Bison’s natural habitat is at high elevations, but they move lower when grass for grazing becomes scarce.
More than 700 of the iconic animals starved or otherwise died on the mountainsides during an unusually harsh winter, and more than 1,600 were shot by hunters or sent to slaughterhouses in a disease-control effort, according to National Park Service figures.
As a result, the park estimates its bison herd has dropped from 4,700 in November to about 2,300 today, prompting the government to halt the culling program early.
“There has never been a slaughter like this of the bison since the 1800s in this country, and it’s disgusting,” said Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign, a group seeking to stop the slaughter program for good.
Government officials say the slaughter prevents the spread of the disease brucellosis from the Yellowstone bison to cattle on land near the park. Brucellosis can cause miscarriages, infertility and reduced milk production in domestic cattle. [..]
The USDA acknowledges that bison-to-cattle transmission is difficult to document, but it says investigations indicate that bison were the likely source of infections in cattle herds in Wyoming and North Dakota.
But critics call the culling an overreaction. There is no documented case of the disease passing from bison to cattle, they said.
Let’s call this another front on the War On The Environment, shall we? Since their concerted effort to gut the Endangered Species Act last year, which included de-listing the gray wolf in February, resulting in 10 wolves being killed in Wyoming alone this month, the Bush administration has been responsible for causing at least two species (the Lake Sammamish kokanee and the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit) to become extinct. And even more are threatened as they ignore environmentalists. Further, experts are saying the construction of the ridiculous border fence is threatening to make species like jaguars, ocelots, and the Sonoran pronghorn extinct in the United States. Heckuva job, Bushie.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Countdown Tuesday, Keith and Rachel dissected two of McCain’s major potential liabilities: his own “radical” pastors and the many examples that threaten his image as the Honorable Campaign Finance Reform Champion.
Download | Play Download | Play
“He’s such a maverick he not only doesn’t play by other people’s rules, he doesn’t even play by his own rules.”
Despite his horrendous showing at the ABC debate, I’m grateful Stephanopoulos finally broke the media silence and confronted McCain on his Hagee problem last weekend. When will the rest of the mainstream press wake up and realize that religious leaders on the right have been saying controversial stuff for years?
When will they also realize that the Maverick they fell in love with has left the building? Saint McCain once championed strict campaign finance rules. Now he exploits (and even violates) his own signature legislation. The man who once stood as the moral arbiter on torture now remains silent as his own legislation gets used to torture people. He was for the Bush tax cuts before he was against them. Agent of intolerance to commencement speaker. “Bring em all home” to “100 years is fine with me.”
Are there any defining attributes John McCain won’t sacrifice to appease the lunatic fringe and become President? More importantly, is there any way to get the press to cover this?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fareed Zakaria: McCain Would Mean Second Cold War
Posted: 29 Apr 2008 08:38 AM CDT
Thank God someone out there is scrutinizing McCain’s neocon craziness.
Newsweek:
On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in 25 years. Yet almost no one noticed.
In his speech McCain proposed that the United States expel Russia from the G8, the group of advanced industrial countries. Moscow was included in this body in the 1990s to recognize and reward it for peacefully ending the cold war on Western terms, dismantling the Soviet empire and withdrawing from large chunks of the old Russian Empire as well. McCain also proposed that the United States should expand the G8 by taking in India and Brazil—but pointedly excluded China from the councils of power.
You would think a policy-reversal of this magnitude would merit some attention. Not in McCain’s Media.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pastor wright aside i care more about what they will do about health care, the economy, energy, food, education, social security, medicare, returning veteran's, torture, land mines, immigration, --i can go on and this little list is not in priority order. without a majority in congress not much will get done unless they work together and if they see every issue as us and them rather than the good of the country god help us all. end of rant for now. my run certainly didn't give me runner's high today.
so are the states still red and blue? and how will michigan and florida be resolved? when will the dems change their stupid primary system? and what should i do with my stimulus money?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fact of the Day
George Washington gave his inaugural address today in 1789 when he became the first President of the fledgling United States of America. The address was delivered at New York's Federal Hall which was the USA's capitol building at that time.
from scotsman.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
crooks and liars
To hear Bush tell it, the economic anxiety Americans feel right now is somehow related to tax cuts that expire in 2011 — tax cuts that primarily don’t help the middle class or low-income families anyway.
In all seriousness, how many people who are worried about their families’ finances right now are going to say, “I’ve been really worried, but now that I know my tax rate will remain the same in 2011 as it is 2010, I’m feeling better again”? That, in essence, is what the president argued with a straight face this morning. The answer for economic angst now is maintenance of existing tax cuts three years from now.
Ben at TP recently offered a competing explanation for economic anxiety.
[M]aybe American negative attitudes toward the economy stem from the housing and credit crises, job losses, rising unemployment, a volatile stock market, high gas prices, high family debt, flat wages, increasing budget deficits, a weak dollar, and rising health care costs — not to mention the effects of the $12 billion per month war in Iraq that is being bankrolled largely on borrowed funds.
Could that have more to do with explaining why Americans are so upset with the economy? Nah. It must have something to do with expectations for tax rates in 2011. After all, as Bush insisted this morning, those three-years-away rates “cause different behavioral patterns.”
That makes a lot more sense. Thank goodness the president and his congressional allies are so in touch with concerns and fears facing American families.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CNN:
More than half of Yellowstone National Park’s bison herd has died since last fall, forcing the government to suspend its annual slaughter program.
Bison’s natural habitat is at high elevations, but they move lower when grass for grazing becomes scarce.
More than 700 of the iconic animals starved or otherwise died on the mountainsides during an unusually harsh winter, and more than 1,600 were shot by hunters or sent to slaughterhouses in a disease-control effort, according to National Park Service figures.
As a result, the park estimates its bison herd has dropped from 4,700 in November to about 2,300 today, prompting the government to halt the culling program early.
“There has never been a slaughter like this of the bison since the 1800s in this country, and it’s disgusting,” said Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign, a group seeking to stop the slaughter program for good.
Government officials say the slaughter prevents the spread of the disease brucellosis from the Yellowstone bison to cattle on land near the park. Brucellosis can cause miscarriages, infertility and reduced milk production in domestic cattle. [..]
The USDA acknowledges that bison-to-cattle transmission is difficult to document, but it says investigations indicate that bison were the likely source of infections in cattle herds in Wyoming and North Dakota.
But critics call the culling an overreaction. There is no documented case of the disease passing from bison to cattle, they said.
Let’s call this another front on the War On The Environment, shall we? Since their concerted effort to gut the Endangered Species Act last year, which included de-listing the gray wolf in February, resulting in 10 wolves being killed in Wyoming alone this month, the Bush administration has been responsible for causing at least two species (the Lake Sammamish kokanee and the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit) to become extinct. And even more are threatened as they ignore environmentalists. Further, experts are saying the construction of the ridiculous border fence is threatening to make species like jaguars, ocelots, and the Sonoran pronghorn extinct in the United States. Heckuva job, Bushie.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Countdown Tuesday, Keith and Rachel dissected two of McCain’s major potential liabilities: his own “radical” pastors and the many examples that threaten his image as the Honorable Campaign Finance Reform Champion.
Download | Play Download | Play
“He’s such a maverick he not only doesn’t play by other people’s rules, he doesn’t even play by his own rules.”
Despite his horrendous showing at the ABC debate, I’m grateful Stephanopoulos finally broke the media silence and confronted McCain on his Hagee problem last weekend. When will the rest of the mainstream press wake up and realize that religious leaders on the right have been saying controversial stuff for years?
When will they also realize that the Maverick they fell in love with has left the building? Saint McCain once championed strict campaign finance rules. Now he exploits (and even violates) his own signature legislation. The man who once stood as the moral arbiter on torture now remains silent as his own legislation gets used to torture people. He was for the Bush tax cuts before he was against them. Agent of intolerance to commencement speaker. “Bring em all home” to “100 years is fine with me.”
Are there any defining attributes John McCain won’t sacrifice to appease the lunatic fringe and become President? More importantly, is there any way to get the press to cover this?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fareed Zakaria: McCain Would Mean Second Cold War
Posted: 29 Apr 2008 08:38 AM CDT
Thank God someone out there is scrutinizing McCain’s neocon craziness.
Newsweek:
On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in 25 years. Yet almost no one noticed.
In his speech McCain proposed that the United States expel Russia from the G8, the group of advanced industrial countries. Moscow was included in this body in the 1990s to recognize and reward it for peacefully ending the cold war on Western terms, dismantling the Soviet empire and withdrawing from large chunks of the old Russian Empire as well. McCain also proposed that the United States should expand the G8 by taking in India and Brazil—but pointedly excluded China from the councils of power.
You would think a policy-reversal of this magnitude would merit some attention. Not in McCain’s Media.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
surprise- another rainy day in oxford
up at the range late yesterday in a small storm to hit balls and did what i could given the weather made it all pretty miserable most of the time, though there were moments of clouds and sun rather than just downpour. i used those moments to do a little more chipping. nobody else would come out from under cover so i had a chance to practice chipping for a bit and continued to work on my three main clubs- 8iron, lob wedge and hybrid. i know now also that i can chip with any club without too much more practice on any specific one of them. just depends on the situation and need for loft or roll, etc.
once you practice or play often enough you can feel when you need to do something differently as when the ball is sitting down in a hole or in taller grass. wish i had that same feeling with all of my clubs, but i certainly don't.
today we got up and went out to run before the storms hit again as it wasn't too bad early. we did the loop around king edward park and then went to the made up track area to run some sprints. my basal rate was 45 today so at least my heart had recovered. gail and i are in different places in that respect as her legs are ahead of her heart and my heart is ahead of my legs. not that my legs cannot do the runs, but they are geared up right now for long slow distance(lsd for runners) and faster running beats them up and exposes their weaknesses to injuries.
so carefully i did a relaxed workout trying just to stay under 8 minute pace and work my way down. it will be real track time soon and there is no reason to be hurt before the real work starts. i ran the workout while gail ran her own version of a workout and when she was done i ran the loop back to the main road where she left to go home and i turned around and ran the loop back to the track again(it is one side of a track cut into the grass). was raining now. and i continued to run and work my way down to 5:28 pace-these are short sprint's so that is not very impressive, but it is good leg turnover work and with 62 miles in the last 8 days not too bad.
finished up my 28th sprint and did some good stretching and headed the long way back down the bike path to the north hinksey village road and then turned for home. not a bad workout and i hope there is something left for tomorrow's longer really slow run.
got a lot of stuff done at home while waiting for the rain to let up enough to walk up to the range and finally, like yesterday, gave up waiting and just went. that is why we have gortex now right? i was the only one up there when i got there and all of the workers were hitting balls pretty much. the rain was now on and off. when it stopped i chipped and when it rained i hit. still only working on my irons. not as well as yesterday, but not as badly as three weeks ago or most of this past year for that matter.
eventually the rain was just too hard to do much. you couldn't really see where the balls were going and it was coming down so hard that chipping didn't make much sense so i did some set up and posture work and some weighted club swings and then left to walk home and get really wet.
but i lived through it and now dried off i type. listened to some of the news shows from this past sunday as i did some work in the house and some reading i needed to do. gail is off to london tomorrow- so we will need to be out of the house by 5:20 or so. should still be raining. the next several days look wet. people must get tired of all of this rain, but i guess they get used to it as they like to say they do.
92 days to go.
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saw the next article and i guess we will have plenty of traffic to deal with back there. with ft belvoir expanding and the new educational center at mt vernon and the beltway adding toll lanes it should be lots of fun. wonder what gas will cost by the time we are back there. the first time i put gas in my own car- not my dad's, it was kayo gas and was 18.9. then i switched to the cheap gas at food fair for 17.9. didn't last long and soon enough gas had rocketed to almost 30cents. saw gas on sale here at the cheap gas place for $9.90 a gallon us money. but i paid $3.30 for a large bottle of diet coke today so why not pricey gas? also read that oxford is the only place in the UK where housing prices have not gone down. there are just too many people and not enough places to live here. but i digress....
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Toll Lane Work Means Hundreds Of Trees Will Be Removed
04-29-2008 10:26 AM
(Tysons Corner, VA) -- Hundreds of trees along the beltway in Northern Virginia will disappear, as crews set up staging areas to add four new toll lanes. Trees and brush are being removed along the beltway near Georgetown Pike, Chain Bridge Road, I-66 and Braddock Road. Project spokesman Steve Titunik says because the Georgetown Pike staging area is near a school, the land will be turned into a nature area when the toll lane project is finished. The 14-mile project between Springfield and the Dulles Toll Road will create lane closures and traffic delays when the major construction work gets underway this summer. Two public hearings are scheduled next month in Northern Virginia.
Copyright 2008 Metro Networks Communications Inc., A Westwood One Company
once you practice or play often enough you can feel when you need to do something differently as when the ball is sitting down in a hole or in taller grass. wish i had that same feeling with all of my clubs, but i certainly don't.
today we got up and went out to run before the storms hit again as it wasn't too bad early. we did the loop around king edward park and then went to the made up track area to run some sprints. my basal rate was 45 today so at least my heart had recovered. gail and i are in different places in that respect as her legs are ahead of her heart and my heart is ahead of my legs. not that my legs cannot do the runs, but they are geared up right now for long slow distance(lsd for runners) and faster running beats them up and exposes their weaknesses to injuries.
so carefully i did a relaxed workout trying just to stay under 8 minute pace and work my way down. it will be real track time soon and there is no reason to be hurt before the real work starts. i ran the workout while gail ran her own version of a workout and when she was done i ran the loop back to the main road where she left to go home and i turned around and ran the loop back to the track again(it is one side of a track cut into the grass). was raining now. and i continued to run and work my way down to 5:28 pace-these are short sprint's so that is not very impressive, but it is good leg turnover work and with 62 miles in the last 8 days not too bad.
finished up my 28th sprint and did some good stretching and headed the long way back down the bike path to the north hinksey village road and then turned for home. not a bad workout and i hope there is something left for tomorrow's longer really slow run.
got a lot of stuff done at home while waiting for the rain to let up enough to walk up to the range and finally, like yesterday, gave up waiting and just went. that is why we have gortex now right? i was the only one up there when i got there and all of the workers were hitting balls pretty much. the rain was now on and off. when it stopped i chipped and when it rained i hit. still only working on my irons. not as well as yesterday, but not as badly as three weeks ago or most of this past year for that matter.
eventually the rain was just too hard to do much. you couldn't really see where the balls were going and it was coming down so hard that chipping didn't make much sense so i did some set up and posture work and some weighted club swings and then left to walk home and get really wet.
but i lived through it and now dried off i type. listened to some of the news shows from this past sunday as i did some work in the house and some reading i needed to do. gail is off to london tomorrow- so we will need to be out of the house by 5:20 or so. should still be raining. the next several days look wet. people must get tired of all of this rain, but i guess they get used to it as they like to say they do.
92 days to go.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
saw the next article and i guess we will have plenty of traffic to deal with back there. with ft belvoir expanding and the new educational center at mt vernon and the beltway adding toll lanes it should be lots of fun. wonder what gas will cost by the time we are back there. the first time i put gas in my own car- not my dad's, it was kayo gas and was 18.9. then i switched to the cheap gas at food fair for 17.9. didn't last long and soon enough gas had rocketed to almost 30cents. saw gas on sale here at the cheap gas place for $9.90 a gallon us money. but i paid $3.30 for a large bottle of diet coke today so why not pricey gas? also read that oxford is the only place in the UK where housing prices have not gone down. there are just too many people and not enough places to live here. but i digress....
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toll Lane Work Means Hundreds Of Trees Will Be Removed
04-29-2008 10:26 AM
(Tysons Corner, VA) -- Hundreds of trees along the beltway in Northern Virginia will disappear, as crews set up staging areas to add four new toll lanes. Trees and brush are being removed along the beltway near Georgetown Pike, Chain Bridge Road, I-66 and Braddock Road. Project spokesman Steve Titunik says because the Georgetown Pike staging area is near a school, the land will be turned into a nature area when the toll lane project is finished. The 14-mile project between Springfield and the Dulles Toll Road will create lane closures and traffic delays when the major construction work gets underway this summer. Two public hearings are scheduled next month in Northern Virginia.
Copyright 2008 Metro Networks Communications Inc., A Westwood One Company
Monday, April 28, 2008
remember 4000? well now we're at 4056
with oil and food shortages around the world and recession now almost a dirty word, the war goes on-lt
from msnbc news:
4 U.S. soldiers killed in Baghdad attack
Rocket or mortar strike kills troops around the capital
Do you remember ‘shock and awe’?
updated 4:15 p.m. ET April 28, 2008
BAGHDAD - Four American soldiers were killed Monday in rocket or mortar attacks in separate volleys in Baghdad.
The attacks raised the monthly U.S. death toll to at least 44, making it the deadliest since September.
Three of the Multi-National Division — Baghdad soldiers were killed just after 1 p.m. in an eastern section of the capital, the military said.
The statement did not give an exact location for the attack, but the area has been the scene of intense fighting recently between Shiite militiamen and U.S.-Iraqi troops.
Another soldier was killed by indirect fire in western Baghdad, the military said separately, using its term for a rocket or mortar attack.
In all, at least 4,056 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Militants shelled Baghdad's Green Zone on Monday as troops tried to push Shiite fighters farther from the U.S.-protected enclave and out of range for their rockets and mortars.
At least three more salvos hit the Green Zone in central Baghdad. In Sadr City — the stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia — U.S. soldiers battled deeper into the district a day after fierce clashes that killed at least 38 suspected militants, the military said.
U.S. soldiers killed seven more extremists Monday after coming under small-arms fire in Sadr City, the military said. Four of the suspects were killed in an airstrike and three others by an Abrams tank crew, according to a statement.
Sadr City has become the center of a showdown between the Iraqi government and the Mahdi Army, which is led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. U.S. forces have been increasingly drawn into the battles — including operations seeking to curb a rise in mortar and rocket attacks on the Green Zone.
from msnbc news:
4 U.S. soldiers killed in Baghdad attack
Rocket or mortar strike kills troops around the capital
Do you remember ‘shock and awe’?
updated 4:15 p.m. ET April 28, 2008
BAGHDAD - Four American soldiers were killed Monday in rocket or mortar attacks in separate volleys in Baghdad.
The attacks raised the monthly U.S. death toll to at least 44, making it the deadliest since September.
Three of the Multi-National Division — Baghdad soldiers were killed just after 1 p.m. in an eastern section of the capital, the military said.
The statement did not give an exact location for the attack, but the area has been the scene of intense fighting recently between Shiite militiamen and U.S.-Iraqi troops.
Another soldier was killed by indirect fire in western Baghdad, the military said separately, using its term for a rocket or mortar attack.
In all, at least 4,056 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
Militants shelled Baghdad's Green Zone on Monday as troops tried to push Shiite fighters farther from the U.S.-protected enclave and out of range for their rockets and mortars.
At least three more salvos hit the Green Zone in central Baghdad. In Sadr City — the stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia — U.S. soldiers battled deeper into the district a day after fierce clashes that killed at least 38 suspected militants, the military said.
U.S. soldiers killed seven more extremists Monday after coming under small-arms fire in Sadr City, the military said. Four of the suspects were killed in an airstrike and three others by an Abrams tank crew, according to a statement.
Sadr City has become the center of a showdown between the Iraqi government and the Mahdi Army, which is led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. U.S. forces have been increasingly drawn into the battles — including operations seeking to curb a rise in mortar and rocket attacks on the Green Zone.
relentless forward motion north on the river thames
most runners will know about relentless forward motion. mostly it is a phrase used for the miles near the end of a race when all you want to do is pit one foot in front of the other until the finish line is there.
after a couple hard days of running in a row i knew not to expect much. the morning heart rate was 49, now way above the 10% rule for recovery from my now new low of 42.
still, it wasn't raining yet and i wanted to go out even if i just walked. but i started running right as i left the house to try and stay motivated.
ran north up binsey and over the trail to the river and headed north on the thames. some crew were out practicing and i saw the horses and cows romping together on the other side of the water, today a clear almost blue black color. the sun was out and the sky was a north carolina blue for a change though the weather people had argued about when it would rain today.
ran slowly north towards the nunnery, passing the tree cemetery and some more cows and lots of geese with their new little ones. they hissed at me as i passed and the cows moved slowly aside and i kept going one step at a time. was too pretty out to think much of being tired. and actually it wasn't too bad, more like the 21 st mile of a marathon than the 24th.
not many people out walking yet though some through hikers were camped just beyond the downed large trees and they had a little fire going and their dogs wandered about, seemingly docile as most dogs here seem to be.
what a pretty day. up the thames where i fully had intended on turning around at godstow road rather than deal with any traffic at all even for the shortest time on these legs which couldn't have jumped too fast had that been needed. but at the road i decided to continue north. it had been some time since we wet that far north on the thames as the trail peters out and is more suitable for people walking with good boots on rather than runners in their "trainers".
so north i went and the trail was pretty good for awhile and i passed the moored house boats and smelled the coal burning. love the boats with the flower pots on top. eventually the dirt trail met a paved wider bike path and i kept going. it had been some time since i had been this way and i had forgotten that some of this was paved. and it was now very rural. lots of sheep and cows in the fields and i could now barely hear the roar of the ring road, but the scenery was really pretty as the sun shimmered on the river with the ducks and geese coming and going and an occasional swan barely moving along in search of food. off in the distance to my left, the wytham woods were just gorgeous with the sunny blue sky behind their hills and the sun reflecting down on the trees. wish i were a slightly better writer so i could capture the scene more expressively for the few readers of this, but we have all seen days like this.
up to kings lock and slightly beyond and then the trail turned really narrow and i knew it was time to turn back having added two more miles north to the run. sometime before i leave here i will keep going just to see where i can meet the canal. will wait until i have fresh legs for that day. and so i turned south and it took about 4 minutes and the sun was gone and the sky was black and the wind was dead in to my face now. hard to explain this, but i was enjoying that as it kept me cooled off and also kept my pace nice and slow and steady.
two miles back down and across godstow road and the sun was now back out and the wind died down. met a couple walking i had talked to before and they warned me to look out for the cows on the trail. shortly i found the 20 cows or so who were walking the path and i mooed them over and they let me pass. i must make a good fake cow.
anyway, the rest of the run was pretty usual. went all the way down the thames after crossing over rainbow bridge and then under the train bridge. was actually feeling a little more energetic and moving a bit faster. using the right leg now to run also. didn't have enough energy to just use the left; a good test for it. ran the loop around templeton college and the rewley abbey and then back under the bridge and headed home. went down botley but passed the grocery store to add just the little bit i needed to make sure i had 10 miles in. down to the bike bath and around and that seemed to be enough and bought a few things and headed home.
and here i sit typing as the washer washes. with so few clothes here and such a little washer we tend to do a lot of laundry. the clothes can dry pretty quickly in the conservatory if the sun is out. they say now rain at 1pm. it is 12:33 as i type this. the sky is sunny to the east and black to the west where most of our rain comes from, though it also comes south from scotland.
more later but time to go to work sort of- btw- today is ann margaret's birthday-can she really be 67? what is kim novak doing today? or robin roberts?
speaking of the new robin roberts, i wish her well in her battle against breast cancer.
after a couple hard days of running in a row i knew not to expect much. the morning heart rate was 49, now way above the 10% rule for recovery from my now new low of 42.
still, it wasn't raining yet and i wanted to go out even if i just walked. but i started running right as i left the house to try and stay motivated.
ran north up binsey and over the trail to the river and headed north on the thames. some crew were out practicing and i saw the horses and cows romping together on the other side of the water, today a clear almost blue black color. the sun was out and the sky was a north carolina blue for a change though the weather people had argued about when it would rain today.
ran slowly north towards the nunnery, passing the tree cemetery and some more cows and lots of geese with their new little ones. they hissed at me as i passed and the cows moved slowly aside and i kept going one step at a time. was too pretty out to think much of being tired. and actually it wasn't too bad, more like the 21 st mile of a marathon than the 24th.
not many people out walking yet though some through hikers were camped just beyond the downed large trees and they had a little fire going and their dogs wandered about, seemingly docile as most dogs here seem to be.
what a pretty day. up the thames where i fully had intended on turning around at godstow road rather than deal with any traffic at all even for the shortest time on these legs which couldn't have jumped too fast had that been needed. but at the road i decided to continue north. it had been some time since we wet that far north on the thames as the trail peters out and is more suitable for people walking with good boots on rather than runners in their "trainers".
so north i went and the trail was pretty good for awhile and i passed the moored house boats and smelled the coal burning. love the boats with the flower pots on top. eventually the dirt trail met a paved wider bike path and i kept going. it had been some time since i had been this way and i had forgotten that some of this was paved. and it was now very rural. lots of sheep and cows in the fields and i could now barely hear the roar of the ring road, but the scenery was really pretty as the sun shimmered on the river with the ducks and geese coming and going and an occasional swan barely moving along in search of food. off in the distance to my left, the wytham woods were just gorgeous with the sunny blue sky behind their hills and the sun reflecting down on the trees. wish i were a slightly better writer so i could capture the scene more expressively for the few readers of this, but we have all seen days like this.
up to kings lock and slightly beyond and then the trail turned really narrow and i knew it was time to turn back having added two more miles north to the run. sometime before i leave here i will keep going just to see where i can meet the canal. will wait until i have fresh legs for that day. and so i turned south and it took about 4 minutes and the sun was gone and the sky was black and the wind was dead in to my face now. hard to explain this, but i was enjoying that as it kept me cooled off and also kept my pace nice and slow and steady.
two miles back down and across godstow road and the sun was now back out and the wind died down. met a couple walking i had talked to before and they warned me to look out for the cows on the trail. shortly i found the 20 cows or so who were walking the path and i mooed them over and they let me pass. i must make a good fake cow.
anyway, the rest of the run was pretty usual. went all the way down the thames after crossing over rainbow bridge and then under the train bridge. was actually feeling a little more energetic and moving a bit faster. using the right leg now to run also. didn't have enough energy to just use the left; a good test for it. ran the loop around templeton college and the rewley abbey and then back under the bridge and headed home. went down botley but passed the grocery store to add just the little bit i needed to make sure i had 10 miles in. down to the bike bath and around and that seemed to be enough and bought a few things and headed home.
and here i sit typing as the washer washes. with so few clothes here and such a little washer we tend to do a lot of laundry. the clothes can dry pretty quickly in the conservatory if the sun is out. they say now rain at 1pm. it is 12:33 as i type this. the sky is sunny to the east and black to the west where most of our rain comes from, though it also comes south from scotland.
more later but time to go to work sort of- btw- today is ann margaret's birthday-can she really be 67? what is kim novak doing today? or robin roberts?
speaking of the new robin roberts, i wish her well in her battle against breast cancer.
Texas: A Border Clash Over a Mexico-Border Fence | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 | Newsweek.com
i found this to be a really interesting article about a Texas border town and the proposed wall to be built to fight immigration(my joke); one of the many consequences is to put all 18 holes of the UT Brownsville golf course on the Mexico side of the wall. i did blog the picture in the article as i found the sign amusing at first before i actually read the article- saying not to hit golf balls into Mexico; hopefully the sign is on the left side of the course and they are slicers rather than hookers like myself.
it is a shame we cannot put the entire government on hold until after the elections. i did think one of the quotes was interesting about ingenious people finding a way over anything we built. why do we want to keep ingenuous people out?
but i digress.....
Texas: A Border Clash Over a Mexico-Border Fence | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 | Newsweek.com
it is a shame we cannot put the entire government on hold until after the elections. i did think one of the quotes was interesting about ingenious people finding a way over anything we built. why do we want to keep ingenuous people out?
but i digress.....
Texas: A Border Clash Over a Mexico-Border Fence | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 | Newsweek.com
Sunday, April 27, 2008
2251 miles in 39 weeks
2251 in 39 weeks shows what can be done when you have a lot of time on your hands or feet- a little over 57 a week, though the last two weeks have been slightly less with more emphasis on faster running. fifty miles a week would give me 3000 for the year here. has been many years since that many miles were run in a year by me. back then i was faster and it took less time. hope the old body can hang on.
went out today trying to beat the rain as it was already overdue. warm though and somewhat a mixture of sun and clouds. went south and weaved around the trails which ran along the various creek beds, before picking up the back trail towards north hinksey village and came out behind the fishes restaurant. early enough so that on a sunday morning the little village was quiet and there was no traffic. went down to the rugby stadium and turned back. idea was to not stay out that long and i wanted to go check out the 100 yard track stretch that had been cut into the west side of king edward park.
back up and across the bike trail where a few dog walkers were now out and about. went all the way to osney mead road and then over to where they had cut and lime marked about 8 lanes-didn't count them- and marked them off in ten yard increments. a nice place to do striders on a marked grass field.
ran 15 x 100 yard striders and 10 by 50 leg turnovers. legs felt looser than they had in awhile. funny that they were pretty tired going down to the village but now had some spring in them. more importantly they still felt good afterwards. not the right piriformis of course, but the right quad was not bad and i was hoping that all of the stretching and using it more and more was starting to pay off. i used to be able to run 100's at 4 minute pace, but not anymore. started at 8 minutes and worked my way down to under six minute mile pace and that was fine. ran some at a steady pace, some with the second half faster and some with a pickup every ten yards. a good stretch when i was done and a couple of miles warm down. made a nice easy morning and still no rain.
stopped at the grocery store to get what turned out to be black forest rye bread- a really heavy bread, but that was all that was left already that early. no yogurt as they had fridge problems last night. after the usual morning stuff, went up to the range to hit some balls and try to steal some more grass time for chipping.
still no rain. had a decent practice, but was a little up and down. still focusing on my drills and almost recent past lessons. am striking the ball better though some still leak right and every so often i get into a hit it thin streak. i asked the nice pro if he could take a quick look at my swing and he did. told me i was cupping my left hand at address sometimes, not every time and that was leaving my clubface open at the top and also making it harder to get on plane, and to swing through and release the club. worked on that for 50 balls and clearly it helped when i did it correctly. he had also showed me how to maintain the right hand angle at impact of the right wrist cock for extra power. not as easy to do but i will keep at it. it can be so much fun and also the height of frustration. will be better when i get to play more.
did get to chip for a bit- about eighty 8 irons and 60 lob wedges. that went pretty well. then hit the rest of the balls and practiced chipping from heavy rough with my hybrid. i had always put that off back home as there was just so little time, but here i don't have that problem and i was surprised to see just how easily i could get the ball out of heavy rough with my hybrid. will stay with that practice as it adds another shot to the arsenal so to speak, and could take away having to hit that shot with a 56 or 60 degree wedge. pops up, out and then just rolls. of course i am not hitting them onto a green just yet, but will get there. had thought about heading back to the 9 hole course, but with heavy rain called for it didn't make sense at the time. now of course, with just a few drops it was too late. a few pitch shots later i was headed home. will see what the rest of the day brings.
watched george step... and meet the press on the computer and then read the sunday paper while sort of watching a movie about jane austen, an icon here for sure. a so-so movie based on her own letters about some of her life and how she ended up not marrying. i was more interested in the way they depicted england at that time in history.
and now here i am before i start my on-line banking. another day done-pleasant enough. the house still stands and the cat still cries. the end of april approaches. spring feels like it is here as the temps in the morning are warmer and there is even a bit less rain. still called for but happens less often. given how dark the skies were this evening it is hard to believe we didn't have a huge storm.
btw- i posted some stats about the states because i got interested in puerto rico and statehood. they have 4 million plus people and sixty something delegates, but no vote in congress. many complicated issues over their statehood possibilities and i read several articles about it this morning, but not sure who is right yet. an email i sent to someone who would know came back undeliverable and i will send it to their congressional office this week.
sixty + million people here in the UK in space smaller than oregon if i remember correctly. Oxford is either the second or third most expensive place in the country to live in or visit depending on which study you believe. London and Bath are the other two.
went out today trying to beat the rain as it was already overdue. warm though and somewhat a mixture of sun and clouds. went south and weaved around the trails which ran along the various creek beds, before picking up the back trail towards north hinksey village and came out behind the fishes restaurant. early enough so that on a sunday morning the little village was quiet and there was no traffic. went down to the rugby stadium and turned back. idea was to not stay out that long and i wanted to go check out the 100 yard track stretch that had been cut into the west side of king edward park.
back up and across the bike trail where a few dog walkers were now out and about. went all the way to osney mead road and then over to where they had cut and lime marked about 8 lanes-didn't count them- and marked them off in ten yard increments. a nice place to do striders on a marked grass field.
ran 15 x 100 yard striders and 10 by 50 leg turnovers. legs felt looser than they had in awhile. funny that they were pretty tired going down to the village but now had some spring in them. more importantly they still felt good afterwards. not the right piriformis of course, but the right quad was not bad and i was hoping that all of the stretching and using it more and more was starting to pay off. i used to be able to run 100's at 4 minute pace, but not anymore. started at 8 minutes and worked my way down to under six minute mile pace and that was fine. ran some at a steady pace, some with the second half faster and some with a pickup every ten yards. a good stretch when i was done and a couple of miles warm down. made a nice easy morning and still no rain.
stopped at the grocery store to get what turned out to be black forest rye bread- a really heavy bread, but that was all that was left already that early. no yogurt as they had fridge problems last night. after the usual morning stuff, went up to the range to hit some balls and try to steal some more grass time for chipping.
still no rain. had a decent practice, but was a little up and down. still focusing on my drills and almost recent past lessons. am striking the ball better though some still leak right and every so often i get into a hit it thin streak. i asked the nice pro if he could take a quick look at my swing and he did. told me i was cupping my left hand at address sometimes, not every time and that was leaving my clubface open at the top and also making it harder to get on plane, and to swing through and release the club. worked on that for 50 balls and clearly it helped when i did it correctly. he had also showed me how to maintain the right hand angle at impact of the right wrist cock for extra power. not as easy to do but i will keep at it. it can be so much fun and also the height of frustration. will be better when i get to play more.
did get to chip for a bit- about eighty 8 irons and 60 lob wedges. that went pretty well. then hit the rest of the balls and practiced chipping from heavy rough with my hybrid. i had always put that off back home as there was just so little time, but here i don't have that problem and i was surprised to see just how easily i could get the ball out of heavy rough with my hybrid. will stay with that practice as it adds another shot to the arsenal so to speak, and could take away having to hit that shot with a 56 or 60 degree wedge. pops up, out and then just rolls. of course i am not hitting them onto a green just yet, but will get there. had thought about heading back to the 9 hole course, but with heavy rain called for it didn't make sense at the time. now of course, with just a few drops it was too late. a few pitch shots later i was headed home. will see what the rest of the day brings.
watched george step... and meet the press on the computer and then read the sunday paper while sort of watching a movie about jane austen, an icon here for sure. a so-so movie based on her own letters about some of her life and how she ended up not marrying. i was more interested in the way they depicted england at that time in history.
and now here i am before i start my on-line banking. another day done-pleasant enough. the house still stands and the cat still cries. the end of april approaches. spring feels like it is here as the temps in the morning are warmer and there is even a bit less rain. still called for but happens less often. given how dark the skies were this evening it is hard to believe we didn't have a huge storm.
btw- i posted some stats about the states because i got interested in puerto rico and statehood. they have 4 million plus people and sixty something delegates, but no vote in congress. many complicated issues over their statehood possibilities and i read several articles about it this morning, but not sure who is right yet. an email i sent to someone who would know came back undeliverable and i will send it to their congressional office this week.
sixty + million people here in the UK in space smaller than oregon if i remember correctly. Oxford is either the second or third most expensive place in the country to live in or visit depending on which study you believe. London and Bath are the other two.
Population by State — Infoplease.com
28 states have less than 5 million people; 8 states have less than a million people.
Population by State — Infoplease.com
Population by State — Infoplease.com
Saturday, April 26, 2008
rare sunny day in oxford
with five days ahead of heavy rain predicted it was nice to have a rare day of almost warm sun today. in almost eight months you can count days like today on two hands. and the days are getting longer also of course. and just as i think spring may have arrived the forecast is for colder and wetter days coming.
but today was a good one and after very little sleep again-not quite sure what to do about the cat running around all night crying, but will have to talk to the vet this week or figure out some way of keeping him quiet.
so up and out of here reasonably early. morning basal heart rate was 46. with no real expectations after yesterday's dead running legs i went out the door and up to the church and then back to the measured sprint stretch of binsey lane. the legs were moving ok and nowhere near as sore or dead as yesterday. ran 10 sprints in a relaxed but faster mode. started at 8 minute pace and worked my way down to just under 7:30ace. for this distance that is not that hard, even for me. the key was to stay relaxed and in control while trying to use both legs-that even sounds funny as i type it. the right leg was tight in the usual two places, but moved at least.
after the sprints i stretched a bit and headed over to the river. went north to the tree cemetery and then south all the way back to botley road and then a long loop around king edward park and to the store and home. a pretty decent 6+ miles. even felt some spring in the legs as i walked the last yards to the house.
a quick cleanup and breakfast later we were on our way to the bus station a mile away and caught a bus towards Blenheim palace, but stopped before that and walked a little more than a mile to the village of bladon. this is about a mile from the palace where winston churchill was born and here in bladon, at st martin's church he and his family are buried. a nice little church that had been rebuilt in the late 1800's. was pretty interesting to see the family plot and the other graves as they always tell a story of the history of the area.
we also ran into a colleague of gail's from the university and then we headed off to the palace passing by a world war memorial to the fallen from the village. the guess work started about this time as we tried to figure out how to get back to the palace even though we were on palace grounds. this is a really huge place and a wrong turn can mean extra miles of walking as there are few ways to cross the lake/river. with two ways to go we picked one and headed off. in truth we probably went the longer way, but was really hard to guess from where we were. a few signs might have been helpful, but about three - four miles later along what was a very pretty and rolling road we came to some people going the other way and they said we had a bit more than 2 miles probably to go.
we went on and came to the statute of john churchill the war hero and original owner of the palace that we had seen from the distance when we last visited the palace. and across the famous bridge who's name i now forget and eventually the palace came into view and up and around and we were there. by now, we had walked about 8 miles in total and my quads were not happy. we took the coffee, diet coke and scone break and that helped revive us. it was about 66 degrees at this point.
we had come just to go through the gardens again and to see how they had bloomed out. hope gail's pictures turn out as they were really nice. i counted 15 different types of japanese maple trees. i have 14 at home and have none of these so will look forward to adding some back in virginia. taking copious notes and walking around for another 2 hours with one sit break at the waterfalls it was a really nice little treat. we also met some nice australians and some women from new england. all good.
then we walked the long walk back to the bus and actually got through the gate before they closed this time and eventually made our way back to oxford and the walk home. 6+ miles of running and about 10 of walking. enough exercise for the day for sure. no real chance of going to the golf range today to see what was wrong yesterday and will try tomorrow weather depending. a nice day outing. and a day less to go.
time to decide what we can get done and what we will skip. suddenly the end is in sight. gail still has at least a few trips to go on and i have one more stateside visit. for me the rest of the time will be a mix of running, some golf and some travel sightseeing. plus we have friends coming in country in may. time should go quickly and hopefully the house will keep functioning at least at its current level- one step above a tent. not much more need for heat which is good. the house has only been above 62 degrees one time since we have been here. was 64 once-not sure how that happened. the power is back on though my computer outlet stopped working and i changed outlets, but now gave up the light. just relating, not complaining. all positive, all the time, that's me.
now to north carolina and indianna- does it ever end? yes of course, but not quick enough for anyone i know.
four days of heavy rain ahead- should be fun.
stay well everyone.
but today was a good one and after very little sleep again-not quite sure what to do about the cat running around all night crying, but will have to talk to the vet this week or figure out some way of keeping him quiet.
so up and out of here reasonably early. morning basal heart rate was 46. with no real expectations after yesterday's dead running legs i went out the door and up to the church and then back to the measured sprint stretch of binsey lane. the legs were moving ok and nowhere near as sore or dead as yesterday. ran 10 sprints in a relaxed but faster mode. started at 8 minute pace and worked my way down to just under 7:30ace. for this distance that is not that hard, even for me. the key was to stay relaxed and in control while trying to use both legs-that even sounds funny as i type it. the right leg was tight in the usual two places, but moved at least.
after the sprints i stretched a bit and headed over to the river. went north to the tree cemetery and then south all the way back to botley road and then a long loop around king edward park and to the store and home. a pretty decent 6+ miles. even felt some spring in the legs as i walked the last yards to the house.
a quick cleanup and breakfast later we were on our way to the bus station a mile away and caught a bus towards Blenheim palace, but stopped before that and walked a little more than a mile to the village of bladon. this is about a mile from the palace where winston churchill was born and here in bladon, at st martin's church he and his family are buried. a nice little church that had been rebuilt in the late 1800's. was pretty interesting to see the family plot and the other graves as they always tell a story of the history of the area.
we also ran into a colleague of gail's from the university and then we headed off to the palace passing by a world war memorial to the fallen from the village. the guess work started about this time as we tried to figure out how to get back to the palace even though we were on palace grounds. this is a really huge place and a wrong turn can mean extra miles of walking as there are few ways to cross the lake/river. with two ways to go we picked one and headed off. in truth we probably went the longer way, but was really hard to guess from where we were. a few signs might have been helpful, but about three - four miles later along what was a very pretty and rolling road we came to some people going the other way and they said we had a bit more than 2 miles probably to go.
we went on and came to the statute of john churchill the war hero and original owner of the palace that we had seen from the distance when we last visited the palace. and across the famous bridge who's name i now forget and eventually the palace came into view and up and around and we were there. by now, we had walked about 8 miles in total and my quads were not happy. we took the coffee, diet coke and scone break and that helped revive us. it was about 66 degrees at this point.
we had come just to go through the gardens again and to see how they had bloomed out. hope gail's pictures turn out as they were really nice. i counted 15 different types of japanese maple trees. i have 14 at home and have none of these so will look forward to adding some back in virginia. taking copious notes and walking around for another 2 hours with one sit break at the waterfalls it was a really nice little treat. we also met some nice australians and some women from new england. all good.
then we walked the long walk back to the bus and actually got through the gate before they closed this time and eventually made our way back to oxford and the walk home. 6+ miles of running and about 10 of walking. enough exercise for the day for sure. no real chance of going to the golf range today to see what was wrong yesterday and will try tomorrow weather depending. a nice day outing. and a day less to go.
time to decide what we can get done and what we will skip. suddenly the end is in sight. gail still has at least a few trips to go on and i have one more stateside visit. for me the rest of the time will be a mix of running, some golf and some travel sightseeing. plus we have friends coming in country in may. time should go quickly and hopefully the house will keep functioning at least at its current level- one step above a tent. not much more need for heat which is good. the house has only been above 62 degrees one time since we have been here. was 64 once-not sure how that happened. the power is back on though my computer outlet stopped working and i changed outlets, but now gave up the light. just relating, not complaining. all positive, all the time, that's me.
now to north carolina and indianna- does it ever end? yes of course, but not quick enough for anyone i know.
four days of heavy rain ahead- should be fun.
stay well everyone.
Friday, April 25, 2008
tired 8 miles / decent burrito
woke up with my lowest heart rate in quite awhile at 42. a little speed work could get it down even lower i hope. should have had a good run but was stiff and tired from the first step until about 6 miles. the last two were decent.
in a nut shell, i went out hoping to go long, but knew right away that would be a struggle. air quality seemed bad or at least it was hard to breathe and my legs were just tired and tight. no reason for that i didn't think, but that was reality and i never could convince myself to get too far away from the house.
so basically i ran up to the river trail and went north for another mile and turned south and down the trail and then back north up the canal towpath. a very pretty morning and getting warmer as i went. decided to go see the church off in the distance in the jericho neighborhood. didn't seem that far away and was hoping the target would wake me up. a pretty church built in the 1800's, new by the standards here. and i did some running around the parish streets i had not been on before and stopped at a little neighborhood store for some water and then headed down walton street into the city.
hit the main road and turned towards the train station and home, but at that point i was starting to feel just a little bit better so i cut up behind the train station and back to the river and added a couple of miles before heading south and home. a sluggish 8 miles in the book, but far from the quality run i was looking forward to.
and after the usual chores and stuff i went up to the range and worked on my drills, but not good today. something was in the wind. was hoping to keep building on the last few days, but golf fools me all of the time. wasn't bad, but not good. not sure why again. a pattern for the day-sluggishness with no readily apparent reason- not enough rest or food or whatever... spent 40 minutes chipping and that went well at least. no green to chip on so i aim for the daisies. at least i can work on technique and feel and i stay in touch with it. better than hitting thing and flat 8irons.
and then home and off to "the mission" the newly opened burrito place i wrote about and it was packed but we ended up with some good food-"value for money" as they say here. then over to have a little ice cream-good stuff but very expensive. and then home to catch up on stuff and call home and then do some computer work. email seems to be working again and i will try and catch up later this weekend. but we are off in search of something winston churchill tomorrow and maybe back to Blenheim castle gardens. heavy rain and cold temps are headed our way for sunday thru tuesday so we will get out tomorrow.
way more to say, but not tonight. my promise of sleep has been lost for another night. but the mind is good. everyday an adventure- and opportunity for something good to happen. who am i really? peace!
in a nut shell, i went out hoping to go long, but knew right away that would be a struggle. air quality seemed bad or at least it was hard to breathe and my legs were just tired and tight. no reason for that i didn't think, but that was reality and i never could convince myself to get too far away from the house.
so basically i ran up to the river trail and went north for another mile and turned south and down the trail and then back north up the canal towpath. a very pretty morning and getting warmer as i went. decided to go see the church off in the distance in the jericho neighborhood. didn't seem that far away and was hoping the target would wake me up. a pretty church built in the 1800's, new by the standards here. and i did some running around the parish streets i had not been on before and stopped at a little neighborhood store for some water and then headed down walton street into the city.
hit the main road and turned towards the train station and home, but at that point i was starting to feel just a little bit better so i cut up behind the train station and back to the river and added a couple of miles before heading south and home. a sluggish 8 miles in the book, but far from the quality run i was looking forward to.
and after the usual chores and stuff i went up to the range and worked on my drills, but not good today. something was in the wind. was hoping to keep building on the last few days, but golf fools me all of the time. wasn't bad, but not good. not sure why again. a pattern for the day-sluggishness with no readily apparent reason- not enough rest or food or whatever... spent 40 minutes chipping and that went well at least. no green to chip on so i aim for the daisies. at least i can work on technique and feel and i stay in touch with it. better than hitting thing and flat 8irons.
and then home and off to "the mission" the newly opened burrito place i wrote about and it was packed but we ended up with some good food-"value for money" as they say here. then over to have a little ice cream-good stuff but very expensive. and then home to catch up on stuff and call home and then do some computer work. email seems to be working again and i will try and catch up later this weekend. but we are off in search of something winston churchill tomorrow and maybe back to Blenheim castle gardens. heavy rain and cold temps are headed our way for sunday thru tuesday so we will get out tomorrow.
way more to say, but not tonight. my promise of sleep has been lost for another night. but the mind is good. everyday an adventure- and opportunity for something good to happen. who am i really? peace!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
two days in the life of.....
plans for yesterday changed as the rain roared in and we ere up and out of the house by 5:40am so gail could take the bus to london and meet a colleague and do some research. i ended up staying here and as i walked her the mile to the bus station in my running clothes i went for a run in the rain, a cold rain. had planned to take the day off, but figured since i was up that early i would reverse my days and take thursday off instead.
so on legs that need a break i left the bus station and went east and up through the market area and headed north to the university parks and went in on the bike path side and ran the trail down to the mosque and turned back and went back to the main park. was light out and several people were commuting to work on their bikes and even said good morning.
into the main park and did two big loops around the outside of the park and pond area. the rain had lessened by now and i felt like i was barley moving but i was moving. headed out of the park and reversed my usual path to the park and ran back down walton lane where beth and i had come when she was here and all the way down towards port meadow. went up the canal path just before entering port meadow and headed north towards wolvercote with no intentions of going that far, but i did end up there and turned around and headed back down south. didn't want to deal with even the shortest piece of road as tired s i was and it was really pretty along the canal
and except for the occasional bike or dog walker there was nobody out.
on the way south i decided to really kill the legs and i got off at the bridge into northern port meadow and went up a little bit and into burgess park. i just absolutely love running in this nature park. and even the somewhat heavier downpour now didn't ruin it. it was so foggy now that the entire outside area of the meadow beyond the park was foggy gray and inside the birds were still singing and there was a little more light in the open fields.
i cut across the field headed from 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock diagonally and on the grass trail. less muddy than the usual outside loop we take and it took me into the heart of the nature reserve. at one point after running for awhile i stopped to look around and it was just gorgeous- if you like standing in the middle of a nature reserve while it is raining with birds singing and trees budding and some yellow and white flowers blooming. what can i say?
went all the way to the end and then did a short loop around the northern end and turned back south on the grass trail. about 7-8 miles into the run now. my second and third wind had passed and i was running on memorex as i like to say. just keep moving and focus on the scenery. i heard a woman yelling for her dog but i saw nothing. some goldfinches went by me and way over to my left i saw three deer going the other way and not bothered by me at all.
down the trail and finally outside the gate and headed south back towards home. funny sight as i watched a gray heron and some geese fishing in the water of the meadow- it is almost always flooded over, but i couldn't imagine there were lots of fish in the water. i was now running over hoof prints of the horse who were not out today. decided against the train trail and went south and down the thames trail. the tree cutters were still out cutting down stuff. eventually the trail will be easier to run and there will be more light, but i know the runners will miss the naturalness of the trail and i am pretty certain that there will be more bike use. i still hope they don't make it all too sterile. they were to be finished in march ha ha. hope i get to see the finished product.
and then finally i was back down on botley road. close to ten miles i am guessing. not even my usual pace so hard to tell but long enough and good enough to rest tomorrow-which is today as i type this.
turns out the blog page was down for maintenance at the only time i had to type it up so that got a rest also.
after the run yesterday now, i did get to hit some balls at the range. have drawn up a little practice plan and have stuck to it for three days now. lots of drills and focus. i can do this i tell myself. will work on basics and the last two lessons i had and not waste the time left here. seems to be helping. i know so much more than i can do it is funny. i even spent some time watching mark the pro hit to help hm stay on plane. nice swing. was fun watching and it always helps my own tempo later.
jumping ahead now as it is late here and i have lots of bank stuff to do yet- i did take today off. so did gail and we went to the town market and bought a few treats - framed pictures, some used books, and a little hand painted vase. then we went over to the department store to spend some of our xmas gift present from gail's brother and i got a nice little golf vest and gail picked up some nice pants. a nice treat to have xmas extend out into april.
then off to the bank and post office to mail bills back home, pay $600 more dollars in council taxes here, and withdraw from va banks money to deposit here to cover the council taxes. interesting system i must say. all done and as a reward we stopped at the coffee house for gail's morning coffee and i even tried one of their soft pretzels. $2.20 for an ok sized pretzel, but not a philly pretzel for sure -the five for a dollar kind. won't do that again.
and then home while gail headed off to the bodleian library. did house stuff and eventually headed up to the range. worked on my drills again. y and l drills mostly and sternum turn drills i made up- all seemed to be helping when i do them right. worked with irons up to the 6. no woods yet. why ruin a fun day?
also got to help two nice brooke's college students who were just starting out their golf ventures. got them up into the air and straight sometimes. always will argue that teacher training was worthwhile. i am far from good but i can help a beginner and i never fail to mention that they should start right then with lessons from the pro- 2 kids together can take a lesson for 30 pounds here-includes two large buckets of balls. in us dollars that would be $60 with $28 dollars worth of balls included - 32 bucks for two people for a lesson- worth it in my book. this is a hard game to teach yourself. even cheaper in their money. they were telling me they had visited calif-LA and also las vegas and thought everything was so cheap-especially the food and gas.
and so another day is over. almost- still stuff to do here. and the penna primary is behind us now. would be funny if this were decided by the puerto rico primary. i must have mentioned this before, but how does PR get more delegates than 26 states and then not be allowed to vote in the national election? how does the district of columbia not get representation. why does condi rice lie about jimmy carter? and most things? i know the answer to that one.
way to go joanny on her great marathon run at the trials. and also a big best wishes shout out for billy rodgers-the father of american marathon running as he battles his prostrate cancer. haven't talked to him since my last cape cod marathon, but people don't come any nicer. i will always be grateful to him to allow me the opportunity to run with him after the cherry blossom race-what a treat. like playing horse with michael jordan or nine holes with tiger woods. get well boston billy!
will deal with the backlog of emails in the next couple of days. i know that not all of my emails are being delivered as i sent mysef two emails and never got them, but tonight i got one i sent tonight so maybe it is working again.
stay well everyone--- i know i should go back and proofread this but i hope it isn't too bad. 97 days to go.
so on legs that need a break i left the bus station and went east and up through the market area and headed north to the university parks and went in on the bike path side and ran the trail down to the mosque and turned back and went back to the main park. was light out and several people were commuting to work on their bikes and even said good morning.
into the main park and did two big loops around the outside of the park and pond area. the rain had lessened by now and i felt like i was barley moving but i was moving. headed out of the park and reversed my usual path to the park and ran back down walton lane where beth and i had come when she was here and all the way down towards port meadow. went up the canal path just before entering port meadow and headed north towards wolvercote with no intentions of going that far, but i did end up there and turned around and headed back down south. didn't want to deal with even the shortest piece of road as tired s i was and it was really pretty along the canal
and except for the occasional bike or dog walker there was nobody out.
on the way south i decided to really kill the legs and i got off at the bridge into northern port meadow and went up a little bit and into burgess park. i just absolutely love running in this nature park. and even the somewhat heavier downpour now didn't ruin it. it was so foggy now that the entire outside area of the meadow beyond the park was foggy gray and inside the birds were still singing and there was a little more light in the open fields.
i cut across the field headed from 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock diagonally and on the grass trail. less muddy than the usual outside loop we take and it took me into the heart of the nature reserve. at one point after running for awhile i stopped to look around and it was just gorgeous- if you like standing in the middle of a nature reserve while it is raining with birds singing and trees budding and some yellow and white flowers blooming. what can i say?
went all the way to the end and then did a short loop around the northern end and turned back south on the grass trail. about 7-8 miles into the run now. my second and third wind had passed and i was running on memorex as i like to say. just keep moving and focus on the scenery. i heard a woman yelling for her dog but i saw nothing. some goldfinches went by me and way over to my left i saw three deer going the other way and not bothered by me at all.
down the trail and finally outside the gate and headed south back towards home. funny sight as i watched a gray heron and some geese fishing in the water of the meadow- it is almost always flooded over, but i couldn't imagine there were lots of fish in the water. i was now running over hoof prints of the horse who were not out today. decided against the train trail and went south and down the thames trail. the tree cutters were still out cutting down stuff. eventually the trail will be easier to run and there will be more light, but i know the runners will miss the naturalness of the trail and i am pretty certain that there will be more bike use. i still hope they don't make it all too sterile. they were to be finished in march ha ha. hope i get to see the finished product.
and then finally i was back down on botley road. close to ten miles i am guessing. not even my usual pace so hard to tell but long enough and good enough to rest tomorrow-which is today as i type this.
turns out the blog page was down for maintenance at the only time i had to type it up so that got a rest also.
after the run yesterday now, i did get to hit some balls at the range. have drawn up a little practice plan and have stuck to it for three days now. lots of drills and focus. i can do this i tell myself. will work on basics and the last two lessons i had and not waste the time left here. seems to be helping. i know so much more than i can do it is funny. i even spent some time watching mark the pro hit to help hm stay on plane. nice swing. was fun watching and it always helps my own tempo later.
jumping ahead now as it is late here and i have lots of bank stuff to do yet- i did take today off. so did gail and we went to the town market and bought a few treats - framed pictures, some used books, and a little hand painted vase. then we went over to the department store to spend some of our xmas gift present from gail's brother and i got a nice little golf vest and gail picked up some nice pants. a nice treat to have xmas extend out into april.
then off to the bank and post office to mail bills back home, pay $600 more dollars in council taxes here, and withdraw from va banks money to deposit here to cover the council taxes. interesting system i must say. all done and as a reward we stopped at the coffee house for gail's morning coffee and i even tried one of their soft pretzels. $2.20 for an ok sized pretzel, but not a philly pretzel for sure -the five for a dollar kind. won't do that again.
and then home while gail headed off to the bodleian library. did house stuff and eventually headed up to the range. worked on my drills again. y and l drills mostly and sternum turn drills i made up- all seemed to be helping when i do them right. worked with irons up to the 6. no woods yet. why ruin a fun day?
also got to help two nice brooke's college students who were just starting out their golf ventures. got them up into the air and straight sometimes. always will argue that teacher training was worthwhile. i am far from good but i can help a beginner and i never fail to mention that they should start right then with lessons from the pro- 2 kids together can take a lesson for 30 pounds here-includes two large buckets of balls. in us dollars that would be $60 with $28 dollars worth of balls included - 32 bucks for two people for a lesson- worth it in my book. this is a hard game to teach yourself. even cheaper in their money. they were telling me they had visited calif-LA and also las vegas and thought everything was so cheap-especially the food and gas.
and so another day is over. almost- still stuff to do here. and the penna primary is behind us now. would be funny if this were decided by the puerto rico primary. i must have mentioned this before, but how does PR get more delegates than 26 states and then not be allowed to vote in the national election? how does the district of columbia not get representation. why does condi rice lie about jimmy carter? and most things? i know the answer to that one.
way to go joanny on her great marathon run at the trials. and also a big best wishes shout out for billy rodgers-the father of american marathon running as he battles his prostrate cancer. haven't talked to him since my last cape cod marathon, but people don't come any nicer. i will always be grateful to him to allow me the opportunity to run with him after the cherry blossom race-what a treat. like playing horse with michael jordan or nine holes with tiger woods. get well boston billy!
will deal with the backlog of emails in the next couple of days. i know that not all of my emails are being delivered as i sent mysef two emails and never got them, but tonight i got one i sent tonight so maybe it is working again.
stay well everyone--- i know i should go back and proofread this but i hope it isn't too bad. 97 days to go.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
fact of the day wed. april 23-- a late post
Fact of the Day-from the scotsman.com
Today is St George's day, the national (if largely uncelebrated) day of our jolly good neighbours, the English. It is also the anniversary of the deaths of some of England's most famous literary sons. In 1616, William Shakespeare died; in 1850, William Wordsworth died and in 1915, Rupert Brooke died.
Today is St George's day, the national (if largely uncelebrated) day of our jolly good neighbours, the English. It is also the anniversary of the deaths of some of England's most famous literary sons. In 1616, William Shakespeare died; in 1850, William Wordsworth died and in 1915, Rupert Brooke died.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
penna day at last
figure hillary will win penna. by about 7 points- what do i know? she disappoints me more and more every time she talks. does she not get iran? not understand the state of our military? would we want her as commander in chief? not that she is a woman- my friend susan would make a better president and i would rather she had the red phone in her hand and be on the end of the 3am phone call. but is obama the man? why, when the democrats could have walked into the white house are they in this place right now? how does mcfight the war forever mccain win the white house? is it the war vs not the war? did the dems not win the congress last time because they promised to end the war and then did not? or is it the econonmy? am i better off now than i was 8 years ago. a little actually. but the world is not for sure. and for the next generation will they be? more rant later i am sure.
i blogged or will blog later an article in the washington post about fairfax county and real estate taxes. when we rely on those for our funding and have no backup plan
we will always run into problems every so often because of market fluctuations. those of us who got in at the right time are ok. we have some equity. falling prices cut into our profit, our fake money profit, not money that we had in our pockets, but money we had in our plans.
in the last fluctuation of real estate prices we had to sell a house that was worth less than the market and lost some money. timing is everything they say. if people owe more on their cars and houses then they are worth are they stuck holding onto them and will sales slow down? if the county real estate taxes go up- for greater irs deductions- or down for less county taxes paid in, will the county or feds be able to make that up? are we mortgaging the future again? will the schools suffer as they always do in times of financial crisis? and of course maintenance will stop -always the first thing cut. then roads. will richmond keep even more of nova's tax money? how much profit does exxon have to make before anyone gets upset? what price gas will make people change their lifestyles? is it possible to change? do the soccer fields move closer? does safeway? or whole foods? or do we give up vacations?
will be curious to see how it all plays out. what kind of mood am i in i wonder?
and so this morning on my almost normal five hours of sleep i headed out to run. about 40 degrees and the sun out a bit as i ran north thinking of where i wanted to go. thought i might head over to university parks and started that way. over the rainbow bridge with the oxford crew teams in the water. the 8's were out and the doubles and the pairs also. down the thames i went noticing how green the water was today. went all the way down and cut over under the train b ridge and back up the canal towpath. my head was fighting the run to the parks. not fresh but not that tired and i was moving at least. all the way up the canal towards wolvercote and then over the allotment bridge towards the parks i forced myself to go. but i never got that far. stopped for some water at a local newsstand store and knew i just didn't have it in mind to go that far today.
back onto the canal and ran all the way down to the end at the hythe st. bridge road. then down the road and behind templeton college and back up the canal. was doing my best to stay away from the trail headed home. about 7 miles in now, but knew i wasn't going long today. up the canal and finally back over to the river and went north a bit and then turned for home. past 8 miles by now and it would be nine when i got home and that is what happened. nine miles -ok, legs were not all dead and the mind couldn't only push so far today. think i was just hungry.
threw a load into the washing machine and settled down for some breakfast. lots i want to do today and time to get started. more later i hope. will post this before i read it so i don't erase my earlier ranting. can feel old age creeping in. interesting watching yourself age if you pay attention to it. and yet i have more energy at 61 than i ever thought i would. the pollen and the midges(sort of like gnats) here remind me that spring will come and it is supposed to get up to 17c here today- about 64F
for those of you at home. i see sun as i type. hard to believe. if you listen closely
you can hear BBC say that it will rain the next three days. that's better.
we have electric power and lights again. i hear the mailman leaving mail. 99 days to go. to what.............?
funny but there are four xmas cards in the mail from the states today. wonder where they have travelled huh?
i blogged or will blog later an article in the washington post about fairfax county and real estate taxes. when we rely on those for our funding and have no backup plan
we will always run into problems every so often because of market fluctuations. those of us who got in at the right time are ok. we have some equity. falling prices cut into our profit, our fake money profit, not money that we had in our pockets, but money we had in our plans.
in the last fluctuation of real estate prices we had to sell a house that was worth less than the market and lost some money. timing is everything they say. if people owe more on their cars and houses then they are worth are they stuck holding onto them and will sales slow down? if the county real estate taxes go up- for greater irs deductions- or down for less county taxes paid in, will the county or feds be able to make that up? are we mortgaging the future again? will the schools suffer as they always do in times of financial crisis? and of course maintenance will stop -always the first thing cut. then roads. will richmond keep even more of nova's tax money? how much profit does exxon have to make before anyone gets upset? what price gas will make people change their lifestyles? is it possible to change? do the soccer fields move closer? does safeway? or whole foods? or do we give up vacations?
will be curious to see how it all plays out. what kind of mood am i in i wonder?
and so this morning on my almost normal five hours of sleep i headed out to run. about 40 degrees and the sun out a bit as i ran north thinking of where i wanted to go. thought i might head over to university parks and started that way. over the rainbow bridge with the oxford crew teams in the water. the 8's were out and the doubles and the pairs also. down the thames i went noticing how green the water was today. went all the way down and cut over under the train b ridge and back up the canal towpath. my head was fighting the run to the parks. not fresh but not that tired and i was moving at least. all the way up the canal towards wolvercote and then over the allotment bridge towards the parks i forced myself to go. but i never got that far. stopped for some water at a local newsstand store and knew i just didn't have it in mind to go that far today.
back onto the canal and ran all the way down to the end at the hythe st. bridge road. then down the road and behind templeton college and back up the canal. was doing my best to stay away from the trail headed home. about 7 miles in now, but knew i wasn't going long today. up the canal and finally back over to the river and went north a bit and then turned for home. past 8 miles by now and it would be nine when i got home and that is what happened. nine miles -ok, legs were not all dead and the mind couldn't only push so far today. think i was just hungry.
threw a load into the washing machine and settled down for some breakfast. lots i want to do today and time to get started. more later i hope. will post this before i read it so i don't erase my earlier ranting. can feel old age creeping in. interesting watching yourself age if you pay attention to it. and yet i have more energy at 61 than i ever thought i would. the pollen and the midges(sort of like gnats) here remind me that spring will come and it is supposed to get up to 17c here today- about 64F
for those of you at home. i see sun as i type. hard to believe. if you listen closely
you can hear BBC say that it will rain the next three days. that's better.
we have electric power and lights again. i hear the mailman leaving mail. 99 days to go. to what.............?
funny but there are four xmas cards in the mail from the states today. wonder where they have travelled huh?
Monday, April 21, 2008
interesting article on pubs here from the ny times
A Pub Crawl Through the Centuries
By HENRY SHUKMAN
Published: April 13, 2008
DR. JOHNSON declared a tavern seat “the throne of human felicity.” The Frenchman Hilaire Belloc, who spent his life in England, said: “When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves. For you will have lost the last of England.”
A good pub is a ready-made party, a home away from home, a club anyone can join. Some British pubs began as simple meeting places, some as coaching inns — hostelries where stagecoaches stopped for the night for fodder, bed and stable. Generally these were larger, and had a secondary pub at the back for ostlers, farriers and other riffraff.
In Oxford, which has some pubs — like the Bear, on Blue Boar Lane, and the Mitre, on the High Street — that date back to the 1200’s, many of the names echo the Middle Ages. The White Hart (a stag, Richard II’s heraldic emblem), the Kings Arms (named for James I, during whose reign neighboring Wadham College was founded), The Bear, the Wheatsheaf: all are names that call up a past of knights, farms and forests.
A pub is a great leveler — not a workingman’s club, but an everyman’s club. The best are filled not only with the scent of yeast and hops, but also with banter and wit. Back in 1954, when the Rose & Crown on North Parade Avenue in Oxford was threatened with closure (inadequate toilet facilities), the defense that won the day called it a “home of cultured, witty and flippant conversation.” Whether it’s how to warm plates swiftly or use the hyphen correctly, there’s no talk like pub talk. Some, like the Rose & Crown, are a kind of family. Its landlord, Andrew Hall, knows exactly how much to know of his regulars’ business. But every well-behaved person who is neither a dog nor a politician is welcome too.
The Rose & Crown is an ideal pub. Half a mile north of the city center, it’s only 140years old, but the three small, wood-paneled rooms and the affable, eloquent host make it a home away from home. It also keeps the best pint of Old Hooky in town. Brewed about 20 miles away at Hook Norton, said to be the country’s last “steam brewery” (i.e., very old-fashioned), it’s a legend in the annals of real ale, a vessel of hazel clarity, redolent of harvest stubble lit by an evening sun, of woods drenched in rain, of dewy meadows at dawn, of cattle in dells, of Thomas Hardy and sandy-gray churches nestled in the nook of sheep-studded hills. If this isn’t the drinkable essence of England, nothing is.
Some say the pub is in crisis. A few years ago, The Guardian reported that for the first time since the Norman Conquest fewer than half the villages of England have a pub. Chains of horrendous corporate-owned “vertical drinking establishments” — giant Identikit bars — threaten the real pubs, and the real pubs are mostly owned by equally horrendous “pubcos,” companies invented to dodge laws against brewing monopolies. Yet somehow real ale, championed by Camra (the Campaign for Real Ale), and real pubs do survive.
A chap at the back bar of the Kings Arms, with long hair, sports jacket (slight rip in shoulder seam) and a pint of Waggle Dance at his elbow, is holding forth about Bulgaria — “I’ve always loved the country,” he drawls — then about Falstaff. Some say the death of Falstaff in Shakespeare’s “Henry V” symbolizes the death of merry old England. In come the Protestants, out go the bibulous friars, jolly yeomen and Mother Mary. After that, only in the public house did the Middle Ages continue to find shelter.
The Kings Arms is a linchpin of Oxford life. Situated at a junction in the heart of the city, it has spacious, airy front rooms, and at the rear three or four small rooms, all thick with honey-colored wood and irregular in shape. It was founded in the early 17th century when adjacent Wadham College was being built (the landlord presumably hoping for trade with the masons). It used to be host to bare-knuckle and cudgel fights, almost to the death, in its courtyard.
The Bear, tucked down Blue Boar Lane at the back of Christ Church, has only two tiny wood rooms, which date from 1242. They are covered, wall and ceiling, with picture frames containing short pieces of ties. Ties of clubs, regiments, schools — the Royal Gloucester Hussars, the Imperial Yeomanry, the Punjab Frontier Force, Lloyd’s of London Croquet Club — telling of an older, more powerful, more sedate England. Croquet, beer, cricket, empire and P G. Wodehouse: a snip off your tie, and you’ll get a free pint.
The small Eagle and Child on the broad boulevard of St. Giles’ was for decades distinguished mostly by the coziness of its nooks, and by the fact that — like its counterpart across the road, the Lamb & Flag, where Graham Greene liked to drink — it has long been owned by St. John’s, a college of spectacular wealth. But in the last few years, since the “Lord of the Rings” movies, it has become a celebrity among pubs. It was here that the Inklings (Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and others) would meet of a Tuesday to drink, talk and smoke.
On a summer evening, when green-filtered light from the trees floods in through the front windows and the sheen on its paneling is restful on the eye, it’s both dark as a hovel, yet struck through with daylight. But alas, the nooks were clearly made for smoking, and feel denuded now that a smoking ban began last summer. These oak rooms without smoke? Any writer of the 19th or 20th century — Tolkien, Lewis or whoever — without pipe, cigar or cigarette? Unthinkable. Unwritable.
There’s no mistaking the age of the Turf Tavern. Its string of low-beamed, stone-walled rooms could be straight out of Chaucer. But what really makes it is its three gardens. In one, beside the cottages of Bath Close, you could be in a Cotswold village, with flower boxes and black beams. The other side, you’re deep in the shade of the ancient city wall, erected against the Vikings. You can hardly tell if it’s 2008 or 1408. You hear no cars or TVs, only the babble of voices softened by ale and nighttime. How many centuries have people hungry for learning, for the book, sat here under the walls swigging jars of ale? On a summer night, with the sky stretched over the stones of Oxford, history becomes a living stream of Ruddles and Theakstons, Hook Norton and Feathers.
Here, allegedly, Bill Clinton didn’t inhale. Here, too, Bob Hawke most affirmatively did swallow a yard of ale (two and a half pints) in 11 seconds, securing a place in the Guinness World Records, as well as (later) the Australian premiership.
One could crawl on and on. There’s Old Bookbinders down in the canalside neighborhood of Jericho, a stone’s throw from Castle Mill boatyard (threatened with imminent development), which inspired Philip Pullman to create the Gyptians boat people in “The Golden Compass.” At Bookbinders, the ales are kept in barrels behind the bar, and you can reach into a tub for free handfuls of ground nuts. There’s the Gardeners of Plantation Road, with its armchairs and two wood rooms, and the best vegetarian food in town. Not to mention the Trout on the river, the Grapes in the center, the White Horse, and the little Half Moon by Magdalen Bridge. Oxford: what a surfeit of good will in its honey-gold stone and nut-brown glasses.
By HENRY SHUKMAN
Published: April 13, 2008
DR. JOHNSON declared a tavern seat “the throne of human felicity.” The Frenchman Hilaire Belloc, who spent his life in England, said: “When you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves. For you will have lost the last of England.”
A good pub is a ready-made party, a home away from home, a club anyone can join. Some British pubs began as simple meeting places, some as coaching inns — hostelries where stagecoaches stopped for the night for fodder, bed and stable. Generally these were larger, and had a secondary pub at the back for ostlers, farriers and other riffraff.
In Oxford, which has some pubs — like the Bear, on Blue Boar Lane, and the Mitre, on the High Street — that date back to the 1200’s, many of the names echo the Middle Ages. The White Hart (a stag, Richard II’s heraldic emblem), the Kings Arms (named for James I, during whose reign neighboring Wadham College was founded), The Bear, the Wheatsheaf: all are names that call up a past of knights, farms and forests.
A pub is a great leveler — not a workingman’s club, but an everyman’s club. The best are filled not only with the scent of yeast and hops, but also with banter and wit. Back in 1954, when the Rose & Crown on North Parade Avenue in Oxford was threatened with closure (inadequate toilet facilities), the defense that won the day called it a “home of cultured, witty and flippant conversation.” Whether it’s how to warm plates swiftly or use the hyphen correctly, there’s no talk like pub talk. Some, like the Rose & Crown, are a kind of family. Its landlord, Andrew Hall, knows exactly how much to know of his regulars’ business. But every well-behaved person who is neither a dog nor a politician is welcome too.
The Rose & Crown is an ideal pub. Half a mile north of the city center, it’s only 140years old, but the three small, wood-paneled rooms and the affable, eloquent host make it a home away from home. It also keeps the best pint of Old Hooky in town. Brewed about 20 miles away at Hook Norton, said to be the country’s last “steam brewery” (i.e., very old-fashioned), it’s a legend in the annals of real ale, a vessel of hazel clarity, redolent of harvest stubble lit by an evening sun, of woods drenched in rain, of dewy meadows at dawn, of cattle in dells, of Thomas Hardy and sandy-gray churches nestled in the nook of sheep-studded hills. If this isn’t the drinkable essence of England, nothing is.
Some say the pub is in crisis. A few years ago, The Guardian reported that for the first time since the Norman Conquest fewer than half the villages of England have a pub. Chains of horrendous corporate-owned “vertical drinking establishments” — giant Identikit bars — threaten the real pubs, and the real pubs are mostly owned by equally horrendous “pubcos,” companies invented to dodge laws against brewing monopolies. Yet somehow real ale, championed by Camra (the Campaign for Real Ale), and real pubs do survive.
A chap at the back bar of the Kings Arms, with long hair, sports jacket (slight rip in shoulder seam) and a pint of Waggle Dance at his elbow, is holding forth about Bulgaria — “I’ve always loved the country,” he drawls — then about Falstaff. Some say the death of Falstaff in Shakespeare’s “Henry V” symbolizes the death of merry old England. In come the Protestants, out go the bibulous friars, jolly yeomen and Mother Mary. After that, only in the public house did the Middle Ages continue to find shelter.
The Kings Arms is a linchpin of Oxford life. Situated at a junction in the heart of the city, it has spacious, airy front rooms, and at the rear three or four small rooms, all thick with honey-colored wood and irregular in shape. It was founded in the early 17th century when adjacent Wadham College was being built (the landlord presumably hoping for trade with the masons). It used to be host to bare-knuckle and cudgel fights, almost to the death, in its courtyard.
The Bear, tucked down Blue Boar Lane at the back of Christ Church, has only two tiny wood rooms, which date from 1242. They are covered, wall and ceiling, with picture frames containing short pieces of ties. Ties of clubs, regiments, schools — the Royal Gloucester Hussars, the Imperial Yeomanry, the Punjab Frontier Force, Lloyd’s of London Croquet Club — telling of an older, more powerful, more sedate England. Croquet, beer, cricket, empire and P G. Wodehouse: a snip off your tie, and you’ll get a free pint.
The small Eagle and Child on the broad boulevard of St. Giles’ was for decades distinguished mostly by the coziness of its nooks, and by the fact that — like its counterpart across the road, the Lamb & Flag, where Graham Greene liked to drink — it has long been owned by St. John’s, a college of spectacular wealth. But in the last few years, since the “Lord of the Rings” movies, it has become a celebrity among pubs. It was here that the Inklings (Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and others) would meet of a Tuesday to drink, talk and smoke.
On a summer evening, when green-filtered light from the trees floods in through the front windows and the sheen on its paneling is restful on the eye, it’s both dark as a hovel, yet struck through with daylight. But alas, the nooks were clearly made for smoking, and feel denuded now that a smoking ban began last summer. These oak rooms without smoke? Any writer of the 19th or 20th century — Tolkien, Lewis or whoever — without pipe, cigar or cigarette? Unthinkable. Unwritable.
There’s no mistaking the age of the Turf Tavern. Its string of low-beamed, stone-walled rooms could be straight out of Chaucer. But what really makes it is its three gardens. In one, beside the cottages of Bath Close, you could be in a Cotswold village, with flower boxes and black beams. The other side, you’re deep in the shade of the ancient city wall, erected against the Vikings. You can hardly tell if it’s 2008 or 1408. You hear no cars or TVs, only the babble of voices softened by ale and nighttime. How many centuries have people hungry for learning, for the book, sat here under the walls swigging jars of ale? On a summer night, with the sky stretched over the stones of Oxford, history becomes a living stream of Ruddles and Theakstons, Hook Norton and Feathers.
Here, allegedly, Bill Clinton didn’t inhale. Here, too, Bob Hawke most affirmatively did swallow a yard of ale (two and a half pints) in 11 seconds, securing a place in the Guinness World Records, as well as (later) the Australian premiership.
One could crawl on and on. There’s Old Bookbinders down in the canalside neighborhood of Jericho, a stone’s throw from Castle Mill boatyard (threatened with imminent development), which inspired Philip Pullman to create the Gyptians boat people in “The Golden Compass.” At Bookbinders, the ales are kept in barrels behind the bar, and you can reach into a tub for free handfuls of ground nuts. There’s the Gardeners of Plantation Road, with its armchairs and two wood rooms, and the best vegetarian food in town. Not to mention the Trout on the river, the Grapes in the center, the White Horse, and the little Half Moon by Magdalen Bridge. Oxford: what a surfeit of good will in its honey-gold stone and nut-brown glasses.
two days in one
was just about to write up yesterday's blog when the light fixture in gail's office blew up and cut off the power in the house or so we first thought. turns out some circuits were still working, but by the time we got it all sorted out the blog was skipped over.
on a pretty typical very cloudy and drizzly morning i ran north towards st margaret's church and stopped at the measured sprint pole area on the way south to run some striders. goal was to stay under control and run as many as possible- no set number- these were the shorter striders than the other day and i thought i could run them comfortably at about 8 minute pace. and that is what happened.
did 3 sets of 20, stretching a bit after each set. in hindsight now as i type this, 40 would have been good enough, as the 60 left the legs a little tight for this morning's run. but 60 it was and then down and over to the thames trail. rain had stopped and the sun peeked through the clouds just a bit. the river was black today, a really dark color.
but no adventure today. usual suspects were about, the crew teams out on the river while the cows and horse grazed about. the swans were pretty enough and a man was throwing bread pieces at them while i kept running down the trail and over to the canal. ran my little loop there i like to do and headed back down and over to osney island. picked up the king edward trail there and went down to the end of the trail and back to the grocery store to get a sunday newspaper and then home. a decent little 9 mile workout and run. knew i would pay for the 60 efforts tomorrow and i did today.
so today in the rain i just went as slow as i could go so i could keep moving and stay out long enough to get some exercise in. gail came out about three miles into my run and i had headed back down binsey lane looking to see if she would come out. hard to stop reading with so few pages to finish the book.
we turned back up binsey and to the church. the sheep were grazing and the cows were on the move playing follow the leader. i mooed at them and they kept their eye on me. doesn't actually sound like a moo when they do it, more like a loud blah. but at any rate gail stopped to do her striders while i ran up and down the lane waiting. then we headed home and i ran down to the store again to pick up a few things and then home to get the electric people out to the house.
pretty typical that when i called the management people were out of the office until the 29th on holiday, but a couple of calls later i found someone who could help and i await them as i type this.
after yesterday's run i took a chance and loaded the golf stuff up and walked to the bus station and caught a bus and went out to a little nine hole golf course. the sky was dark, but not rainy and since more rain wasn't due until 4pm i thought it was worth the shot at playing. lots of walking later i was on the course. only person out there except for the dog walkers, one of whom had a huge boxer who must not have like golfers, but eventually was taken away.
and i played so-so at best though i did manage one birdie and one double Bogey and a slew of pars and bogies. played 18 holes and practiced some. all in all a worthwhile outing. re-enforced what i knew i needed to practice. chipped and putted really well despite no practice on that stuff. made a nice 15 footer for the birdie and 2 little twelve footers for pars. was hooking a bit as i do when i make bad turns and leave the club stuck behind me. and it would have been easy to be frustrated by it, but i will stay encouraged that i was able to play first of all and get around ok for 18 holes with one ball- one of mary's taylor made's.
and that brings me to now. read in the paper that a golfer in his 90's drove his "buggy" into a trap and overturned it and it crushed him to death. his partner had minor injuries. what a shame! there will be more on this story as i am not sure they really know what happened yet. this gentleman had played that course for mover 40 years and i sense he may have had a medical problem and that the buggy then went into the trap. will see. either way a really nice man judging from the paper has died, and on the same golf course that has had two major fies in the last few months and has fought off developers from taking it over.
home today from viet nam 40 years. 100 days to go to be home from here. what will i count down next? is there a lesson there?
on a pretty typical very cloudy and drizzly morning i ran north towards st margaret's church and stopped at the measured sprint pole area on the way south to run some striders. goal was to stay under control and run as many as possible- no set number- these were the shorter striders than the other day and i thought i could run them comfortably at about 8 minute pace. and that is what happened.
did 3 sets of 20, stretching a bit after each set. in hindsight now as i type this, 40 would have been good enough, as the 60 left the legs a little tight for this morning's run. but 60 it was and then down and over to the thames trail. rain had stopped and the sun peeked through the clouds just a bit. the river was black today, a really dark color.
but no adventure today. usual suspects were about, the crew teams out on the river while the cows and horse grazed about. the swans were pretty enough and a man was throwing bread pieces at them while i kept running down the trail and over to the canal. ran my little loop there i like to do and headed back down and over to osney island. picked up the king edward trail there and went down to the end of the trail and back to the grocery store to get a sunday newspaper and then home. a decent little 9 mile workout and run. knew i would pay for the 60 efforts tomorrow and i did today.
so today in the rain i just went as slow as i could go so i could keep moving and stay out long enough to get some exercise in. gail came out about three miles into my run and i had headed back down binsey lane looking to see if she would come out. hard to stop reading with so few pages to finish the book.
we turned back up binsey and to the church. the sheep were grazing and the cows were on the move playing follow the leader. i mooed at them and they kept their eye on me. doesn't actually sound like a moo when they do it, more like a loud blah. but at any rate gail stopped to do her striders while i ran up and down the lane waiting. then we headed home and i ran down to the store again to pick up a few things and then home to get the electric people out to the house.
pretty typical that when i called the management people were out of the office until the 29th on holiday, but a couple of calls later i found someone who could help and i await them as i type this.
after yesterday's run i took a chance and loaded the golf stuff up and walked to the bus station and caught a bus and went out to a little nine hole golf course. the sky was dark, but not rainy and since more rain wasn't due until 4pm i thought it was worth the shot at playing. lots of walking later i was on the course. only person out there except for the dog walkers, one of whom had a huge boxer who must not have like golfers, but eventually was taken away.
and i played so-so at best though i did manage one birdie and one double Bogey and a slew of pars and bogies. played 18 holes and practiced some. all in all a worthwhile outing. re-enforced what i knew i needed to practice. chipped and putted really well despite no practice on that stuff. made a nice 15 footer for the birdie and 2 little twelve footers for pars. was hooking a bit as i do when i make bad turns and leave the club stuck behind me. and it would have been easy to be frustrated by it, but i will stay encouraged that i was able to play first of all and get around ok for 18 holes with one ball- one of mary's taylor made's.
and that brings me to now. read in the paper that a golfer in his 90's drove his "buggy" into a trap and overturned it and it crushed him to death. his partner had minor injuries. what a shame! there will be more on this story as i am not sure they really know what happened yet. this gentleman had played that course for mover 40 years and i sense he may have had a medical problem and that the buggy then went into the trap. will see. either way a really nice man judging from the paper has died, and on the same golf course that has had two major fies in the last few months and has fought off developers from taking it over.
home today from viet nam 40 years. 100 days to go to be home from here. what will i count down next? is there a lesson there?
fact of the day monday april 21
Fact of the Day
Pioneering conservationist John Muir was born today in Dunbar, East Lothian, in 1838. Following emigration to the US, his interest in nature led to the creation of the Sequoia and Yosemite national parks. A prolific writer, his books included "My First Summer in the Sierra" and "Our National Parks", as well as "A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf" and "The Yosemite". To read more about Great Scots visit
heritage.scotsman.com
Pioneering conservationist John Muir was born today in Dunbar, East Lothian, in 1838. Following emigration to the US, his interest in nature led to the creation of the Sequoia and Yosemite national parks. A prolific writer, his books included "My First Summer in the Sierra" and "Our National Parks", as well as "A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf" and "The Yosemite". To read more about Great Scots visit
heritage.scotsman.com
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
day out in cheltenham, uk, etc
no blog yesterday as i got back too late and in truth it wasn't that exciting a day. ran five miles in the morning on the usual route that i begin with, but came home with gail rather than run anymore. seemed like a good idea to get some rest and cut it short, then do a day trip today and essentially have two days to more fully recover.
the run yesterday went as ok as a tired run could go and the day was cold but nice. afterwards i did some work around the house and some reading and then went to hit some balls-not well as it turns out- and went home early. more house stuff and on-line banking and we went out for dinner for a change.
went to a new burrito place that had just opened this week and hoped for the best. turns out that a guy from oxford who had lived in san francisco for nine years had moved back and opened this little place. and it was pretty good. for two decent sized burritos, some chips and two cokes it was only $24. and the place was full of americans looking for a burrito they could enjoy rather than what tries to pass as burritos at some of the local places. not bad. i go out always expecting the worse and am hardly ever disappointed in eating out here.
as planned skipped the run today and left pretty early for the bus to cheltenham, a decent little spa and market town about 56 miles from here. we were able to get a free ride there as the city council just changed the rules for bus riding for people over 60( almost hard to say that) and that gives us access to places we might not have gone otherwise. for instance today it saved us $36 in bus fares. thank you city council. FYI i will add that we pay $300 a month in city council tax here which they then use to pay what they call concessioners bus costs. would need ten trips like today each month for us to break even, but the tax has to be paid regardless of whether we ride the bus or not.
and we had a decent time despite the cold, somewhat windy and drizzly weather, meaning a pretty normal day's worth. after a ride with some really pretty farmland and hilly woods views, we had some breakfast there and gail bought a new hat she looks pretty cute in, and then we went to the art museum and enjoyed that. they had some nice stuff there in paintings and really old furniture and also some new ceramic pottery work that was pretty innovative.
afterwards we walked around and visited some of the old churches and gardens. the town has architecture somewhat similar to the town of bath, but on a much smaller scale. we met some interesting people who gave us some advice on what to see and to avoid and that was interesting also. we found an indoor mall and just walked around to see what type stores they had and then walked around there market place a bit.
after a little light lunch at an italian sidewalk cafe we did the walk around thing some more and gail stopped for a hot waffle treat at a stand.
and then back to the bus for the 90 minute ride back to oxford and we passed the time chatting with some people from nova scotia who also live in oxford and we compared places we had been to hike and ride the bikes. and then back to town and to the market to get a little something for a light dinner.
all in all an ok day out despite the weather attempts to ruin it. not as much history to see, but not bad. the town was a market town before it discovered in 1715 that it had healing mineral waters. read somewhere they watched the pigeons in their town and they looked healthy and found that it was the water. what can i say? that changed their mission and the town grew to about 105,000.
so an ok enough day and another one done. more rain coming this week and at long last the penna. primary will be held. let's get this thing over so we can get on with the real fight. btw, gordon brown is under attack here as prime minister like bush is back there. not disliked as much, but definitely going in the wrong direction. more on the state of the world on another day. i do grow to dislike and distrust the media more every second i breathe.
also coming up this week is the boston marathon and woman's olympic qualifier. boston was always a fun marathon to run as it is point to point and when you are out on the roads running it was neat to pass by towns and actually head somewhere. best of 3:02 there and had a good time there that year. weather can always be iffy and i hope they have good stuff this year. deena and kate should make the team, but i have no idea who will get the third slot. luck to all. will try and watch some of it on the computer.
last note- 40 years ago today i was on my way home from viet nam. left my outfit and headed to the than san neut air field. flew on flying tiger airlines from there to okinawa where i bought a hershey bar (my only memory of the stop) and then on to oakland, ca. and eventually flew united airlines back to philly arriving on april 21st, a sunday if i remember it right. it was great being home, but a little weird sleeping in a bed and not hearing all of the noise of the compound and wondering how everyone back there was doing. first time in over a year i slept without a rifle leaning against the bed.
i hope the guys in iraq get to go home soon also. also hope some of this made sense. thanks.
the run yesterday went as ok as a tired run could go and the day was cold but nice. afterwards i did some work around the house and some reading and then went to hit some balls-not well as it turns out- and went home early. more house stuff and on-line banking and we went out for dinner for a change.
went to a new burrito place that had just opened this week and hoped for the best. turns out that a guy from oxford who had lived in san francisco for nine years had moved back and opened this little place. and it was pretty good. for two decent sized burritos, some chips and two cokes it was only $24. and the place was full of americans looking for a burrito they could enjoy rather than what tries to pass as burritos at some of the local places. not bad. i go out always expecting the worse and am hardly ever disappointed in eating out here.
as planned skipped the run today and left pretty early for the bus to cheltenham, a decent little spa and market town about 56 miles from here. we were able to get a free ride there as the city council just changed the rules for bus riding for people over 60( almost hard to say that) and that gives us access to places we might not have gone otherwise. for instance today it saved us $36 in bus fares. thank you city council. FYI i will add that we pay $300 a month in city council tax here which they then use to pay what they call concessioners bus costs. would need ten trips like today each month for us to break even, but the tax has to be paid regardless of whether we ride the bus or not.
and we had a decent time despite the cold, somewhat windy and drizzly weather, meaning a pretty normal day's worth. after a ride with some really pretty farmland and hilly woods views, we had some breakfast there and gail bought a new hat she looks pretty cute in, and then we went to the art museum and enjoyed that. they had some nice stuff there in paintings and really old furniture and also some new ceramic pottery work that was pretty innovative.
afterwards we walked around and visited some of the old churches and gardens. the town has architecture somewhat similar to the town of bath, but on a much smaller scale. we met some interesting people who gave us some advice on what to see and to avoid and that was interesting also. we found an indoor mall and just walked around to see what type stores they had and then walked around there market place a bit.
after a little light lunch at an italian sidewalk cafe we did the walk around thing some more and gail stopped for a hot waffle treat at a stand.
and then back to the bus for the 90 minute ride back to oxford and we passed the time chatting with some people from nova scotia who also live in oxford and we compared places we had been to hike and ride the bikes. and then back to town and to the market to get a little something for a light dinner.
all in all an ok day out despite the weather attempts to ruin it. not as much history to see, but not bad. the town was a market town before it discovered in 1715 that it had healing mineral waters. read somewhere they watched the pigeons in their town and they looked healthy and found that it was the water. what can i say? that changed their mission and the town grew to about 105,000.
so an ok enough day and another one done. more rain coming this week and at long last the penna. primary will be held. let's get this thing over so we can get on with the real fight. btw, gordon brown is under attack here as prime minister like bush is back there. not disliked as much, but definitely going in the wrong direction. more on the state of the world on another day. i do grow to dislike and distrust the media more every second i breathe.
also coming up this week is the boston marathon and woman's olympic qualifier. boston was always a fun marathon to run as it is point to point and when you are out on the roads running it was neat to pass by towns and actually head somewhere. best of 3:02 there and had a good time there that year. weather can always be iffy and i hope they have good stuff this year. deena and kate should make the team, but i have no idea who will get the third slot. luck to all. will try and watch some of it on the computer.
last note- 40 years ago today i was on my way home from viet nam. left my outfit and headed to the than san neut air field. flew on flying tiger airlines from there to okinawa where i bought a hershey bar (my only memory of the stop) and then on to oakland, ca. and eventually flew united airlines back to philly arriving on april 21st, a sunday if i remember it right. it was great being home, but a little weird sleeping in a bed and not hearing all of the noise of the compound and wondering how everyone back there was doing. first time in over a year i slept without a rifle leaning against the bed.
i hope the guys in iraq get to go home soon also. also hope some of this made sense. thanks.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
how long can you tread water?
anyone reading this old enough to remember bill cosby when he was a young comedian might remember his comedy routine on noah and the arc. when noah asked god if he had looked down into the hull of the ship and that he, noah, wasn't going to clean up that mess, god simply replied with his question. Noah, how long can you tread water and then in the background you heard thunder and rain.
almost four miles into today's run i was wondering how long i could stay out and just persevere. clearly the legs weren't all recovered yet, but i had it in my mind to do at least ten miles and so up the thames i kept going thinking i could always walk home.
(leonard cohen is singing "the partisan" in my background. he doesn't have the best voice but he is one creative writer and his songs are so penetrating, though he may not be the best one to listen to if you are the least bit depressed he will feed that depression)
just past the tree cemetery i saw cows wandering in the river and one lost big black and white running around looking for the others so i gave him a little push in the right direction and he wandered down towards the water also. first time i ever pushed a cow. and i kept going up the thames and past the nunnery. i kidding asked the guy working the godstow lock if he knew how far woodstock was and he said he didn't know where woodstock was. another 7 miles or 8 i am guessing. wasn't going that far today.
but did head over to wolvercote and stopped for some water at the post office. decided to do some loops around the village and check out streets i had not been on before. saw some interesting mixes of new and old houses and some nice gardens. always looking for ideas. some very pretty euphorbias and spireas.
then headed over to the canal and headed north into a old wind. temps were just about 40 now, but felt colder despite the sun because of the wind. the canal is just gorgeous today and i am far enough north of the city that i am alone with the ducks and geese and the sky and water. went past a sign welcoming people to Oxford and a little farther up i passed the sign telling me woodstock was still five miles to go.
turned on my lap timer and kept going-figured i would go up 2 miles and then turn around. and that's what i did. when i got back to the junction of the canal and the thames i ran towards the thames but the trail really narrowed down and was like running through weeds rather than a trail at this point so i turned around and went back and down the canal.
and about two miles down i ran into a woman on her way to town and we went down the canal path together and she told me of some nice places to visit while we were in the UK. and at the oxford press bridge she turned off and i went on back into town now and bikes and dog walkers were out and an occasional runner going by the other way. i ran all the way into town to hythe bridge road and turned back north. the longer i could stay away from heading home the better chance i had of getting miles in.
went over the train bridge and back to the thames river trail. nice break here as the oxford crew team was out training and going u and down the river. the coach recognized me and we each waved. i headed north on the river. about 11+ miles in now and i decided to push the pace up the trail and jog back down and do that three times. and so i did.
the crew was doling the same thing in the water, which by the way was the color of a united parcel brown truck today. weird. three times up and down and then did a quick stretch and some knee bends and headed home. still a mile away and that would be a little over 14 and enough. 10 miles of persevering and through some cold winds and that was a good mental exercise.
the sun is out now shining away and it is probably a little warmer and when the clothes are done in the washing machine i will head up to the driving range.
life is good and 105 days to go. made plans to go watch the ladies english open on july 4th. guess they don't celebrate independence day here like we do. life is good and only 105 days to go.
almost four miles into today's run i was wondering how long i could stay out and just persevere. clearly the legs weren't all recovered yet, but i had it in my mind to do at least ten miles and so up the thames i kept going thinking i could always walk home.
(leonard cohen is singing "the partisan" in my background. he doesn't have the best voice but he is one creative writer and his songs are so penetrating, though he may not be the best one to listen to if you are the least bit depressed he will feed that depression)
just past the tree cemetery i saw cows wandering in the river and one lost big black and white running around looking for the others so i gave him a little push in the right direction and he wandered down towards the water also. first time i ever pushed a cow. and i kept going up the thames and past the nunnery. i kidding asked the guy working the godstow lock if he knew how far woodstock was and he said he didn't know where woodstock was. another 7 miles or 8 i am guessing. wasn't going that far today.
but did head over to wolvercote and stopped for some water at the post office. decided to do some loops around the village and check out streets i had not been on before. saw some interesting mixes of new and old houses and some nice gardens. always looking for ideas. some very pretty euphorbias and spireas.
then headed over to the canal and headed north into a old wind. temps were just about 40 now, but felt colder despite the sun because of the wind. the canal is just gorgeous today and i am far enough north of the city that i am alone with the ducks and geese and the sky and water. went past a sign welcoming people to Oxford and a little farther up i passed the sign telling me woodstock was still five miles to go.
turned on my lap timer and kept going-figured i would go up 2 miles and then turn around. and that's what i did. when i got back to the junction of the canal and the thames i ran towards the thames but the trail really narrowed down and was like running through weeds rather than a trail at this point so i turned around and went back and down the canal.
and about two miles down i ran into a woman on her way to town and we went down the canal path together and she told me of some nice places to visit while we were in the UK. and at the oxford press bridge she turned off and i went on back into town now and bikes and dog walkers were out and an occasional runner going by the other way. i ran all the way into town to hythe bridge road and turned back north. the longer i could stay away from heading home the better chance i had of getting miles in.
went over the train bridge and back to the thames river trail. nice break here as the oxford crew team was out training and going u and down the river. the coach recognized me and we each waved. i headed north on the river. about 11+ miles in now and i decided to push the pace up the trail and jog back down and do that three times. and so i did.
the crew was doling the same thing in the water, which by the way was the color of a united parcel brown truck today. weird. three times up and down and then did a quick stretch and some knee bends and headed home. still a mile away and that would be a little over 14 and enough. 10 miles of persevering and through some cold winds and that was a good mental exercise.
the sun is out now shining away and it is probably a little warmer and when the clothes are done in the washing machine i will head up to the driving range.
life is good and 105 days to go. made plans to go watch the ladies english open on july 4th. guess they don't celebrate independence day here like we do. life is good and only 105 days to go.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
day after tax day useless blog
paid the piper today for yesterday as i thought i might. legs weren't all that tired but were a bit tight and gail and i did her usual 4 mile loop and rather than stay out and keep going i stopped also. no sense risking injury. i still had lots of walking ahead today anyway.
was nice enough out-somewhat foggy and a little cold but it warmed up, we ran up and over port meadow and past the workers working on the trail and cutting down trees and making a muddy mess, which i know will be nicer eventually if you like pristine. hope they leave some of it as natural as it has been for the last zillion years.
water was pretty clear today. the legs didn't have any giddy-up in them but they got around the loop and down the thames path and home. not much to say. nothing really hurt from yesterday's workout and if they are better tomorrow i will do some hill repeats and if they are not ready will go slow and easy and put the hills off until friday. weather channel is calling for rain for the next four days, but that basically means that sometime during each day it will rain.
then off to the public market for lots of stuff we needed. always a fun little outing and with an extra trip to the bank and also to check out a brand new burrito place that just opened i got another 3-4 miles of walking in. sometimes it is about the calories- glad i don't live in france where they are cracking down on thin models or something related to that. right---
then home and read some more of the book club book. am curious about the murder mystery part of the book but in general just want this book over. reminds me that my friend lorraine gave gail and i another book to read and i will drop off the swap book for her on her boat.
and finally to the driving range to follow up on yesterday's decent day. was up and down with a somewhat tighter back than i wanted. this doesn't allow me to make a full turn and leads to adjustments- a pro might call them manipulations- but i tried to work on stuff and though the results were not always good i still feel like i am making some progress.
then spent some time watching the pro practice for next week's big tournament. he said he shot 75 yesterday missing greens to the left. even i could see why pretty quickly and he knows i know his swing and trusts me now to say something. nice thing is he can change stuff in a hurry and boom- high and straight again mostly. have a feeling it is something he will have to stay on top of as we all have tendencies i guess.
as much as i have learned about the golf swing since i have been here i still stink. knowing and doing are two different things. and on not good days when it is cold and dark and windy and you are hitting low and thin, it can be hard to force yourself to stay out there and keep hitting badly waiting for lightening to strike. especially when i know i won't play again for months. not meaning to whine he whines anyway.
enjoy the debates. won't miss that for sure. we need to get this process over with so we can start attacking the lies of mc cain. hard to believe how screwed up everything is. what will anyone do about immigration, are thy still building the wall, how does puerto rico get more delegates than 26 states and then not be allowed to vote in the general election, who will fix social security, what will happen to medicare, what about all of the children left behind by no child left behind, are gays really more of a threat than terrorists, how will the economy change even if gas drops back down to $3.35 and stays there(it never comes back down all of the way), who will figure out the easy solution to the housing crisis/problem, but i am ranting now.... sorry
off i go- not making sense anymore and must be tired. would have made more sense to hit the delete key for this one.
was nice enough out-somewhat foggy and a little cold but it warmed up, we ran up and over port meadow and past the workers working on the trail and cutting down trees and making a muddy mess, which i know will be nicer eventually if you like pristine. hope they leave some of it as natural as it has been for the last zillion years.
water was pretty clear today. the legs didn't have any giddy-up in them but they got around the loop and down the thames path and home. not much to say. nothing really hurt from yesterday's workout and if they are better tomorrow i will do some hill repeats and if they are not ready will go slow and easy and put the hills off until friday. weather channel is calling for rain for the next four days, but that basically means that sometime during each day it will rain.
then off to the public market for lots of stuff we needed. always a fun little outing and with an extra trip to the bank and also to check out a brand new burrito place that just opened i got another 3-4 miles of walking in. sometimes it is about the calories- glad i don't live in france where they are cracking down on thin models or something related to that. right---
then home and read some more of the book club book. am curious about the murder mystery part of the book but in general just want this book over. reminds me that my friend lorraine gave gail and i another book to read and i will drop off the swap book for her on her boat.
and finally to the driving range to follow up on yesterday's decent day. was up and down with a somewhat tighter back than i wanted. this doesn't allow me to make a full turn and leads to adjustments- a pro might call them manipulations- but i tried to work on stuff and though the results were not always good i still feel like i am making some progress.
then spent some time watching the pro practice for next week's big tournament. he said he shot 75 yesterday missing greens to the left. even i could see why pretty quickly and he knows i know his swing and trusts me now to say something. nice thing is he can change stuff in a hurry and boom- high and straight again mostly. have a feeling it is something he will have to stay on top of as we all have tendencies i guess.
as much as i have learned about the golf swing since i have been here i still stink. knowing and doing are two different things. and on not good days when it is cold and dark and windy and you are hitting low and thin, it can be hard to force yourself to stay out there and keep hitting badly waiting for lightening to strike. especially when i know i won't play again for months. not meaning to whine he whines anyway.
enjoy the debates. won't miss that for sure. we need to get this process over with so we can start attacking the lies of mc cain. hard to believe how screwed up everything is. what will anyone do about immigration, are thy still building the wall, how does puerto rico get more delegates than 26 states and then not be allowed to vote in the general election, who will fix social security, what will happen to medicare, what about all of the children left behind by no child left behind, are gays really more of a threat than terrorists, how will the economy change even if gas drops back down to $3.35 and stays there(it never comes back down all of the way), who will figure out the easy solution to the housing crisis/problem, but i am ranting now.... sorry
off i go- not making sense anymore and must be tired. would have made more sense to hit the delete key for this one.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
tax day part 2
driving range went somewhat better today and that was good. probably enough said about the golfing frustrations so let's just say i will keep at it and hope for the best. always seem to learn something anyway and that is good. longer swing today and also a better turn. lost it a bit near the end and then got it back some. nice day at least until right near the end the sky turned really black and everyone started bailing out as the wind picked up. stayed and finished and walked home as the rain began, but was glad i decided to skip trying to play somewhere today. it is a whole new ball game without the car and the walk to the bus plus the walk to the course and then having to live out of whatever you packed into that bag and your "trolley" just adds lots of downtime to playing. explaining not griping and i don't mind playing in the rain but you wouldn't want to be out playing in what it is doing as i type right now. nicer days are ahead i am sure, even in england.
typical article in the paper here about the master's questioning whether the british golfers lost their nerve at augusta. they point to closing rounds of 76-rose,
78-poulter, and 79-casey. thy wonder whether immelman of south africa has more nerve than they do - (he did shoot 75). none of sunday scores were really that good. tiger had the third best round at 72. any decent round by him wins and they say immelman choked. where was donald? where was doughtery? westwood? playing their hearts out and just didn't have enough that day. just have to love the media. i allow that a reporter with a 20 handicap or whatever is entitled to their opinion, but and a big but-- ..... knowing how little room for error there is on any golf shot and under a lot of pressure, things don't always go well. must get easier as you are put in that situation. i played enough sports to not get on the athletes when they are trying except for when they melt down and go for the green like phil... my bad! tiger had it won and missed his putts. he still played the best of everyone. he may have given it away on the first day when he parred two par 5's and bogeyed one. lost 4 strokes there and lost by two. just observing. love them all -except funk and lancaster. personal.
and monty complaining he should have been invited. i would have rather watched david duval and ian baker finch and michelle wie...gotcha
i love immelman's swing myself as it seems nice and simple- back and through and he did just recover from major surgery. way to go trevor is what i say!. get them next time tiger. i always hope for a 6 man playoff or 6 woman or pick your number. i just like match play-
and all of those rounds in the 80's.. maybe they tigerized the course too much for merely really great golfers. imagine playing augusta now with the old equipment and some balata balls. right!
back to "lovely bones" enjoy the day out there. one week and penna will be behind us and maybe we'll know more. maybe not. like obama said i am bitter, but have not fallen back on my religion or my guns. there may be one person in this world who is more upset by this administration than i am but i hope not for their sake. i just need a candidate so we can get to fighting the real enemy of fixing the world and the usa my friends. who has their money on rice as his vp?
but i digress.......................
typical article in the paper here about the master's questioning whether the british golfers lost their nerve at augusta. they point to closing rounds of 76-rose,
78-poulter, and 79-casey. thy wonder whether immelman of south africa has more nerve than they do - (he did shoot 75). none of sunday scores were really that good. tiger had the third best round at 72. any decent round by him wins and they say immelman choked. where was donald? where was doughtery? westwood? playing their hearts out and just didn't have enough that day. just have to love the media. i allow that a reporter with a 20 handicap or whatever is entitled to their opinion, but and a big but-- ..... knowing how little room for error there is on any golf shot and under a lot of pressure, things don't always go well. must get easier as you are put in that situation. i played enough sports to not get on the athletes when they are trying except for when they melt down and go for the green like phil... my bad! tiger had it won and missed his putts. he still played the best of everyone. he may have given it away on the first day when he parred two par 5's and bogeyed one. lost 4 strokes there and lost by two. just observing. love them all -except funk and lancaster. personal.
and monty complaining he should have been invited. i would have rather watched david duval and ian baker finch and michelle wie...gotcha
i love immelman's swing myself as it seems nice and simple- back and through and he did just recover from major surgery. way to go trevor is what i say!. get them next time tiger. i always hope for a 6 man playoff or 6 woman or pick your number. i just like match play-
and all of those rounds in the 80's.. maybe they tigerized the course too much for merely really great golfers. imagine playing augusta now with the old equipment and some balata balls. right!
back to "lovely bones" enjoy the day out there. one week and penna will be behind us and maybe we'll know more. maybe not. like obama said i am bitter, but have not fallen back on my religion or my guns. there may be one person in this world who is more upset by this administration than i am but i hope not for their sake. i just need a candidate so we can get to fighting the real enemy of fixing the world and the usa my friends. who has their money on rice as his vp?
but i digress.......................
roy benson workout -part one i hope
thought i would get this in while waiting for the washing machine to finish and listening to some old ABBA in the background.
up and out this morning past cars covered in frost and temps now at 36 degrees. morning heart rate was 45 so that was good. legs not springy but not dead like the past several days. wonder what they would feel like with 3 days off. haven't not run two days in a row since northern ireland golf trip.
but plan now is to cut down weekly mileage and get some more sprint work in and maybe some faster hill work repeats. maybe even go to the track some more. problem with the track stuff is that i have a choice of running 3 miles to get there and then do the workout or work until after 9am and take the bus. never know what you will find there when you get there with only one public track for the oxford university teams to use as well as anyone else and running clubs.
speedwork presents opportunities for getting faster at the risk of breaking something down - and it always seems to highlight the problem body parts. in my case the right quad and left hamstring, a definite body imbalance plus now the added bonus of a bad right piriformis and right hip, things i can control to some degree with an eye on pace.
the track can wait for another day and i ran up to my measured road sections. past the new hear of cows and the sheep and the deer and the pheasants running around in the field. don't get this view at ft hunt or tc williams track.
stopped to stretch at the white rail bridge and started with an eye on controlling pace, getting back my old breathing rhythm, and working the right leg again. did the old workout of coach roy benson for jock geezers i think he called it, 36 sprint intervals.
(abba now replaced by sinead o'connor)
about 46 minutes into run/workout my lungs finally opened up and i could actually get some oxygen to my legs and smell the air. wouldn't wish my asthma on anyone else though i usually don't complain about it anymore. but i can tell when the lungs kick in more by my ability to smell the air than to breathe, strange....
the workout went ok. i stayed under control rather than go all out and watched everything somewhat. the right leg had good and bad moments, but there is small progress there i think. the breathing (chieftains and the corrs now )pattern is easier to get back in place. simple-every two left foot steps you breathe. breath two three four breathe two three four-you get the idea. this really helps avoid side stitches and can be done at any pace. and late in a race when you are sprinting for the line it gives something to focus on.
ran six sets of six and each set i tried to focus on something different. not sure everyone would do the workout this way and maybe when i was younger i would have just run them and not worried about stuff, but it is more fun this way and i think it will also help me work a little easier. 36 of anything is not an easy workout and about number 24 you start telling yourself that 24 is a good workout... like trying to hit 200 putts and wanting to stop about 120. but 36 gives speed and strength and also helps the brain keep going when you want to stop. as they say the hardest lap in a mile race is the third lap. everyone can do the last one.
(emmy lou harris, dolly parton and linda ronstadt now)
stretched after a little warm-down and headed over and through port meadow to the river. still cold but the sun was out with very little wind. back past the sheep and cows and down the thames i went. water very green today and several boats out as well as dog walkers. cut over to the canal and did the small loop around templeton college, but was turned back by the police a a bike rider had been hit by a car and they were working on her. seemed ok from where i was but was holding her ankle and grimacing. hope she is ok. with 10,000 people riding their bikes everyday here accidents are always possible.
went back around and over past the train station and did a quick little jog past the old st thomas the martyr church and then back towards home. will see how it all feels later. i like to say you can tell how a workout went by how you feel the next day. i already know that gail and i will start out together tomorrow as she skipped today to work on the paper she is giving later today.
(amy whitehouse on now-i must be the only person who has never heard her sing, but her personality disgusts me so i never listened to her, but the sound is ok; in this song she is singing a duet with linda ronstadt so that helps)
and the washing machine stops so i will also and come back again later. it is still really early in the morning here. btw- i started the lovely bones book last night. strange so far. will see why everyone likes this book so much as i go along.
will post this so people know i am still alive and come back later and finish it.
up and out this morning past cars covered in frost and temps now at 36 degrees. morning heart rate was 45 so that was good. legs not springy but not dead like the past several days. wonder what they would feel like with 3 days off. haven't not run two days in a row since northern ireland golf trip.
but plan now is to cut down weekly mileage and get some more sprint work in and maybe some faster hill work repeats. maybe even go to the track some more. problem with the track stuff is that i have a choice of running 3 miles to get there and then do the workout or work until after 9am and take the bus. never know what you will find there when you get there with only one public track for the oxford university teams to use as well as anyone else and running clubs.
speedwork presents opportunities for getting faster at the risk of breaking something down - and it always seems to highlight the problem body parts. in my case the right quad and left hamstring, a definite body imbalance plus now the added bonus of a bad right piriformis and right hip, things i can control to some degree with an eye on pace.
the track can wait for another day and i ran up to my measured road sections. past the new hear of cows and the sheep and the deer and the pheasants running around in the field. don't get this view at ft hunt or tc williams track.
stopped to stretch at the white rail bridge and started with an eye on controlling pace, getting back my old breathing rhythm, and working the right leg again. did the old workout of coach roy benson for jock geezers i think he called it, 36 sprint intervals.
(abba now replaced by sinead o'connor)
about 46 minutes into run/workout my lungs finally opened up and i could actually get some oxygen to my legs and smell the air. wouldn't wish my asthma on anyone else though i usually don't complain about it anymore. but i can tell when the lungs kick in more by my ability to smell the air than to breathe, strange....
the workout went ok. i stayed under control rather than go all out and watched everything somewhat. the right leg had good and bad moments, but there is small progress there i think. the breathing (chieftains and the corrs now )pattern is easier to get back in place. simple-every two left foot steps you breathe. breath two three four breathe two three four-you get the idea. this really helps avoid side stitches and can be done at any pace. and late in a race when you are sprinting for the line it gives something to focus on.
ran six sets of six and each set i tried to focus on something different. not sure everyone would do the workout this way and maybe when i was younger i would have just run them and not worried about stuff, but it is more fun this way and i think it will also help me work a little easier. 36 of anything is not an easy workout and about number 24 you start telling yourself that 24 is a good workout... like trying to hit 200 putts and wanting to stop about 120. but 36 gives speed and strength and also helps the brain keep going when you want to stop. as they say the hardest lap in a mile race is the third lap. everyone can do the last one.
(emmy lou harris, dolly parton and linda ronstadt now)
stretched after a little warm-down and headed over and through port meadow to the river. still cold but the sun was out with very little wind. back past the sheep and cows and down the thames i went. water very green today and several boats out as well as dog walkers. cut over to the canal and did the small loop around templeton college, but was turned back by the police a a bike rider had been hit by a car and they were working on her. seemed ok from where i was but was holding her ankle and grimacing. hope she is ok. with 10,000 people riding their bikes everyday here accidents are always possible.
went back around and over past the train station and did a quick little jog past the old st thomas the martyr church and then back towards home. will see how it all feels later. i like to say you can tell how a workout went by how you feel the next day. i already know that gail and i will start out together tomorrow as she skipped today to work on the paper she is giving later today.
(amy whitehouse on now-i must be the only person who has never heard her sing, but her personality disgusts me so i never listened to her, but the sound is ok; in this song she is singing a duet with linda ronstadt so that helps)
and the washing machine stops so i will also and come back again later. it is still really early in the morning here. btw- i started the lovely bones book last night. strange so far. will see why everyone likes this book so much as i go along.
will post this so people know i am still alive and come back later and finish it.
Monday, April 14, 2008
3:03am
3:03 am was when i went to sleep; long weird evening i won't bore anyone about. had 10pm on my mind, but something always seems to come up.
gave into the need for rest and didn't run today. was still up between 7 and 8 am so had another solid night of almost five hours of sleep. finished my book this morning and the last two days of newspapers and did some laundry and went to the grocery store. certainly more time in the day when you don't run.
headed down to the driving range and was mostly rubbish today. not sure why. was really looking forward to adding onto the last few decent days, but just could not take the club away correctly and everything seemed to be thin and low. straight to be sure, but rubbish. then suddenly i hit about 35 good ones and then rubbish again. 35 of 200- not good huh? very frustrating and nothing seemed to change it. and went home.
hit 200 putts on one of the two rugs in the house. not like real putts, but i could work on my stroke and still head. better than nothing. had thought about taking a cab to the golf course, but a cold rain and dark clouds didn't encourage me.
house stuff followed and another day is gone. hardly an inspiring day or an inspiring blog but what can i say? not worth lying about. did buy a new computer briefcase on line.
book club book for the next month is "lovely bones" by alice sebold. keeps my streak alive of never having voted for the book we ended up reading. and i hear tiger lost. keeps the boycott of master's week tv streak alive also at three. need to get a woman member in augusta so i can watch it again. in reality i think they screwed up the course anyway for exciting golf. how many us opens do we need in one year? and the winner shoots 75 on the last day and still wins. boo on that!
but what do i know? just another depressed golfer who can't figure out how to take the club away from the ball. could be worse. golf is not war and nobody is shooting at me.
will start over tomorrow.
smile!
gave into the need for rest and didn't run today. was still up between 7 and 8 am so had another solid night of almost five hours of sleep. finished my book this morning and the last two days of newspapers and did some laundry and went to the grocery store. certainly more time in the day when you don't run.
headed down to the driving range and was mostly rubbish today. not sure why. was really looking forward to adding onto the last few decent days, but just could not take the club away correctly and everything seemed to be thin and low. straight to be sure, but rubbish. then suddenly i hit about 35 good ones and then rubbish again. 35 of 200- not good huh? very frustrating and nothing seemed to change it. and went home.
hit 200 putts on one of the two rugs in the house. not like real putts, but i could work on my stroke and still head. better than nothing. had thought about taking a cab to the golf course, but a cold rain and dark clouds didn't encourage me.
house stuff followed and another day is gone. hardly an inspiring day or an inspiring blog but what can i say? not worth lying about. did buy a new computer briefcase on line.
book club book for the next month is "lovely bones" by alice sebold. keeps my streak alive of never having voted for the book we ended up reading. and i hear tiger lost. keeps the boycott of master's week tv streak alive also at three. need to get a woman member in augusta so i can watch it again. in reality i think they screwed up the course anyway for exciting golf. how many us opens do we need in one year? and the winner shoots 75 on the last day and still wins. boo on that!
but what do i know? just another depressed golfer who can't figure out how to take the club away from the ball. could be worse. golf is not war and nobody is shooting at me.
will start over tomorrow.
smile!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
amateur attempt at saying something
preface-sometimes i find putting down words on paper really carthartic and someitmes i wish i could write down what i want and then have it be in disappearing ink so it doesn't have to be seen by other people. usually i just erase the words or the entire blog. my thoughts should not bore other people, but i can still find the process to be a growth expereince, and it is more so when i don't erase or delete and do post it than when i do delete it. the following should be tsaken in that context. i only erased a few sentences.
up and out this morning on legs that i knew weren't ready to run. the last run
steve t. and i did together was on the w&od trail. steve was a hammerer. he didn't like to go slow, but he always liked to say that everybody else was pushing the pace. as most runners would tell you and i am sure it is true of many activities that you do with friends that take some kind of effort to do, that you get to know people when you run with them in the rain and snow and hot and humid days up hills and in all kinds of wind and when you are fresh and when you are tired.
but some guys are always there. and steve was that guy. the one you could count on for sure. who was right where he said he would be when he said he would be there. ray was like that; so was ron and i would like to think i was too. even bill could be that guy. so was frank. so the group with all of its personalities held together. and ran through the days and nights and weather.
and guys came into the group and left the group and sometimes there would be 15 of us running together, but these guys were the group. the others did what these guys did. and now there is no group. people move away and lose touch or get caught up in their own lives. and some pass on.
when my parent's friends started to die i thought that was a shame and that is what happened to older people. but now my friends are passing on. and i can see that it is more than just older people passing away. each one takes a piece of you with them when they go. some more than others to be sure and not like when my dad or grandparents passed away.
and i understand people dying and being lost more than i understand people simply losing touch, but that is my problem and i know that. and every year the marine corps marathon goes on and the cherry blossom race happens and i still have the memories of the group and those and other races. steve and ron and i running marine corps and climbing up that hill the first time i ran 3:06 and we cursed the hill at the end as we ran. and all of the new york marathons we ran together and the nights at ft hamilton and in sleazy hotels on broadway or lexington-memory fades here. and the really greasy but great nyc pizza.
and all of the food that young marathoners could eat and the places that didn't like to see us coming for their all you can eat meals. and ray telling his wife joyce to cook for 20 people when he had 10 friends coming and joyce not quite understanding why until the meal was over.
and the nights we met after work and ran home in the dark picking ron up at IRS and getting in our run and going over the workday and the plans ahead for various races.
and so on legs that practically begged to sleep in i went out to run and headed up to the church and then over to the river. and steve would have thought we were walking i was going so slow, but i was moving and it was his fault of course, though he always liked to blame ron in truth for the pace. i only pushed at the end. i was always a better second half runner. negative splits we said.
down the river i crawled along and the women's crew team was out and so were the cows grazing and the sheep laying down and the horses were on port meadow getting their daily feed of grass in. and on up to the nunnery i headed. and then back down. no sense to be too stupid here. i was not running well enough to get out on the road to wolvercote and so i headed back down.
ran into lorraine here and we took a minute to catch up and arrange a book swap. then she went off to sainsburys (like a safeway )and i went on down the trail. and cut over to the canal and did a little loop there and then back up the river and across port meadow in reverse and down binsey lane and home. about 7 miles. steve would have liked the run if not the pace. someday someone will run in my memory too maybe and i hope they have as pretty a run, but also hope they are less tired. three days in a row now i have run instead of rested, not wise.
home and ate breakfast and watched the london marathon. two good races and a great effort by ryan hall who ran 2:06+. funny that someone could run that fast and get
5th place. i can remember when they said nobody would break 2:07. 2:04 or better is next.
and later off to the golf range. gail kept working on her paper for this week and i worked on my swing. left shoulder was really tight for some reason, though i never felt it at all yesterday. worked about 125 balls today as the rain and wind came and went. not as good as yesterday, but not bad. better position and turn, but shorter swing due to the shoulder. tried 9 and 10 o'clock swings and that was ok. longer was just too tight and was not good. still, some progress was made. as dave peltz says- practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent.
and back home and then took a bus over to harcourt hill, one of the brookes college's campuses. got out and went exploring for some of the hilly woods walks we wanted to do and while gail kept working on her paper i thought i could be the scout team and found three nice trails we could take, all pretty hilly. but nice scenery and i met a bunch of nice people hiking around or walking their dogs and even riding their bikes up the trails. walked for 90 minutes and then went back and caught the bus back home. even on a tired day i managed about 14 miles of running and walking.
and here i am. another day done. not rushing them away. want to go home now, but will just live each day as it comes. even at my age i am not willing to give days away. and change is coming one way or an other.
up and out this morning on legs that i knew weren't ready to run. the last run
steve t. and i did together was on the w&od trail. steve was a hammerer. he didn't like to go slow, but he always liked to say that everybody else was pushing the pace. as most runners would tell you and i am sure it is true of many activities that you do with friends that take some kind of effort to do, that you get to know people when you run with them in the rain and snow and hot and humid days up hills and in all kinds of wind and when you are fresh and when you are tired.
but some guys are always there. and steve was that guy. the one you could count on for sure. who was right where he said he would be when he said he would be there. ray was like that; so was ron and i would like to think i was too. even bill could be that guy. so was frank. so the group with all of its personalities held together. and ran through the days and nights and weather.
and guys came into the group and left the group and sometimes there would be 15 of us running together, but these guys were the group. the others did what these guys did. and now there is no group. people move away and lose touch or get caught up in their own lives. and some pass on.
when my parent's friends started to die i thought that was a shame and that is what happened to older people. but now my friends are passing on. and i can see that it is more than just older people passing away. each one takes a piece of you with them when they go. some more than others to be sure and not like when my dad or grandparents passed away.
and i understand people dying and being lost more than i understand people simply losing touch, but that is my problem and i know that. and every year the marine corps marathon goes on and the cherry blossom race happens and i still have the memories of the group and those and other races. steve and ron and i running marine corps and climbing up that hill the first time i ran 3:06 and we cursed the hill at the end as we ran. and all of the new york marathons we ran together and the nights at ft hamilton and in sleazy hotels on broadway or lexington-memory fades here. and the really greasy but great nyc pizza.
and all of the food that young marathoners could eat and the places that didn't like to see us coming for their all you can eat meals. and ray telling his wife joyce to cook for 20 people when he had 10 friends coming and joyce not quite understanding why until the meal was over.
and the nights we met after work and ran home in the dark picking ron up at IRS and getting in our run and going over the workday and the plans ahead for various races.
and so on legs that practically begged to sleep in i went out to run and headed up to the church and then over to the river. and steve would have thought we were walking i was going so slow, but i was moving and it was his fault of course, though he always liked to blame ron in truth for the pace. i only pushed at the end. i was always a better second half runner. negative splits we said.
down the river i crawled along and the women's crew team was out and so were the cows grazing and the sheep laying down and the horses were on port meadow getting their daily feed of grass in. and on up to the nunnery i headed. and then back down. no sense to be too stupid here. i was not running well enough to get out on the road to wolvercote and so i headed back down.
ran into lorraine here and we took a minute to catch up and arrange a book swap. then she went off to sainsburys (like a safeway )and i went on down the trail. and cut over to the canal and did a little loop there and then back up the river and across port meadow in reverse and down binsey lane and home. about 7 miles. steve would have liked the run if not the pace. someday someone will run in my memory too maybe and i hope they have as pretty a run, but also hope they are less tired. three days in a row now i have run instead of rested, not wise.
home and ate breakfast and watched the london marathon. two good races and a great effort by ryan hall who ran 2:06+. funny that someone could run that fast and get
5th place. i can remember when they said nobody would break 2:07. 2:04 or better is next.
and later off to the golf range. gail kept working on her paper for this week and i worked on my swing. left shoulder was really tight for some reason, though i never felt it at all yesterday. worked about 125 balls today as the rain and wind came and went. not as good as yesterday, but not bad. better position and turn, but shorter swing due to the shoulder. tried 9 and 10 o'clock swings and that was ok. longer was just too tight and was not good. still, some progress was made. as dave peltz says- practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent.
and back home and then took a bus over to harcourt hill, one of the brookes college's campuses. got out and went exploring for some of the hilly woods walks we wanted to do and while gail kept working on her paper i thought i could be the scout team and found three nice trails we could take, all pretty hilly. but nice scenery and i met a bunch of nice people hiking around or walking their dogs and even riding their bikes up the trails. walked for 90 minutes and then went back and caught the bus back home. even on a tired day i managed about 14 miles of running and walking.
and here i am. another day done. not rushing them away. want to go home now, but will just live each day as it comes. even at my age i am not willing to give days away. and change is coming one way or an other.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
dead legs and a planted right foot
another late night and crying cat kept sleep to a minimum. another late start to the run, but at least it had stopped raining. with gail off to the law library i headed up the road to the church turnaround. past the cows and the sheep and sleepy binsey village. noticed the rock wall which had fallen down was still down. around the corner and away i went, but couldn't help but notice my legs just weren't coming with me. quads were basically dead. not good at this point 1.5 miles from the house and i decided to run down the lane and see how i felt when i got to the trail across port meadow.
got lucky here as my friend Lorraine was coming out of one of the houses and we had a chance to catch up as i took a short break. and then headed off again. legs were not any worse and i decided to head across and down the thames to see just how many trees did not survive yesterday's trail work.
slowly, very slowly and down the thames i went. caught another break as my even slower than me friend was out with his wife and we headed back up the trail a bit so he could also check out and then bitterly complain about the down trees and the sterility of the entire work. will be curious to see how it ends up. though i was hoping for a little work being done on the two obvious flood areas, the city council seems intent on re-doing the entire trail. time will tell.
and back down the trail to john's house where i left him and headed over towards the templeton college trail. turned towards home at that point promising myself to be real careful about whether i ran tomorrow or took the day off. turned the corner where i usually run my striders without one teeny little thought of doing that today.
then bam!
around the corner and about twenty trees had been cut down in the rewley abbey garden. 2 foot stumps now stood where pretty trees and shrubs had been yesterday morning. maybe they just wanted more sunlight to get into the garden area. at any rate, another lost set of nice trees and lost shade on the trail. maybe there is time in my life to become the next johnny appleseed yet.
and on the way home now and picked up a few things at the store and called it a day. highlight of this run was seeing friends again rather than the run itself. about 6 miles worth of calories and legs that need a break maybe. plan was to cut back on the mileage soon and start doing some more speed training. with a morning heart rate of 45 this morning i should not have been this tired.
home and gail still at the library. did some laundry and after the usual morning stuff headed up to the range. had some thoughts to try out. had gone over my notes from last couple of lessons. why were some days so good and others so bad. not a real in between. i hit well or i hit rubbish(UK expression).
and the first 20 balls or so were more rubbish than good. put some hitting tape on my gap wedge to see where i was hitting the ball. most shots had been weak and thinly hit with a leaking right movement. thought back to what jim linza had told me about coming out of my posture several weeks back. somehow the club face was not squaring up fast enough. too far from the inside or too much body motion?
tried a little faster rotation and pulled the next few shots. went to a 9 iron. really concentrated on the right knee flex, a lighter grip pressure and staying down and behind the ball. and BAM! high, long and straight. about 135 yards or. a decent 9iron. even hit the middle of the red circle on the tape. and did that about 10 times in a row.
best thing was that the swing felt so easy and i could really get through the ball and clear the left hip and whack away. and felt no pressure on my back which i certainly did after yesterday's 250 attempts. if i normally shoot 85 or so- 87 , whatever, and 30 putts or so and say 8 pitches or chips- too kind to myself here probably- then then 49 full swings are in a round of golf. a large bucket is two rounds, 250 balls is five rounds. just thinking out loud on paper.
but i only hit 110 balls today. got 10 freebies from the guy next to me who got tired of the cold wind. but i kept on with my little experiment. longer swing produced more balls a little on the toe. what felt more like my normal swing kept the ball in the middle of the club. a better release and finish with the club over my shoulder helped the ball penetrate through the wind and hit the green. an over active right hand stopping a good release made the ball leak right- into the imaginary bunker.
i worked all the way up to the 6 iron. wanted to be able to keep working on stuff and not defeat myself mentally. not all great shots as i am not that good no matter what i try, but clearly this is the way to go. just turning the chest and not using the hands and keeping that right foot down helped get the left shoulder under the chin and my back more away from the target. let's face it i am not mr. flexible.
once there the club just dropped in the slot and the hip got out of the way more naturally and the club went on its own. and my balance was really nice. the club also didn't come across the line so fast. of course probably by tomorrow this swing will be lost in my memory archives and i will be searching for it. jotted down some notes and hope they serve as a reminder. should fly "J" over here for a look. maybe tiger will loan me his plane.
had to get going. just as well as mr. bang the club into the mat and curse out the ball is now hitting next to me. bet that helps. so does the big time sway and chicken wing elbow. i am quiet and i leave. i can go days here without hardly talking to anyone. not my norm.
met gail and went with her to get some stuff at Staples- same one as the usa has, just more expensive. was $66 for printer ink cartridges. amazing how bad the dollar is. stopped on the way home at the used book store and bought the next book club book and one for gail and gave some advice on running to the owner and then home for some dinner and down time. listened to last night's news hour and gwen ifill shows. will read some and call it a day.
outside now someone is shooting off fireworks. go figure.
signed up for the race for the cure in DC as i will be home then and also for the relay for life. nice to be able to start planning things back there. but only time will tell how it all plays out.
note- looking at my watch just now i noticed that it is april 12th. i hardly keep track of the days here at all unless i have to catch a plane. and though i would love to not run and rest tomorrow, i never do not run on april 13th in memory of my friend steve thompson who passed away on that day. i have six days like that in my year now. getting old has a little bit of everything to it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fact of the Day
The US Civil War began on this date in 1861, when the Confederate Army bombarded the government-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Southern-based Confederates won the skirmish in a day and led to four years of strife across the country.......
Scotsman Digital Archive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
got lucky here as my friend Lorraine was coming out of one of the houses and we had a chance to catch up as i took a short break. and then headed off again. legs were not any worse and i decided to head across and down the thames to see just how many trees did not survive yesterday's trail work.
slowly, very slowly and down the thames i went. caught another break as my even slower than me friend was out with his wife and we headed back up the trail a bit so he could also check out and then bitterly complain about the down trees and the sterility of the entire work. will be curious to see how it ends up. though i was hoping for a little work being done on the two obvious flood areas, the city council seems intent on re-doing the entire trail. time will tell.
and back down the trail to john's house where i left him and headed over towards the templeton college trail. turned towards home at that point promising myself to be real careful about whether i ran tomorrow or took the day off. turned the corner where i usually run my striders without one teeny little thought of doing that today.
then bam!
around the corner and about twenty trees had been cut down in the rewley abbey garden. 2 foot stumps now stood where pretty trees and shrubs had been yesterday morning. maybe they just wanted more sunlight to get into the garden area. at any rate, another lost set of nice trees and lost shade on the trail. maybe there is time in my life to become the next johnny appleseed yet.
and on the way home now and picked up a few things at the store and called it a day. highlight of this run was seeing friends again rather than the run itself. about 6 miles worth of calories and legs that need a break maybe. plan was to cut back on the mileage soon and start doing some more speed training. with a morning heart rate of 45 this morning i should not have been this tired.
home and gail still at the library. did some laundry and after the usual morning stuff headed up to the range. had some thoughts to try out. had gone over my notes from last couple of lessons. why were some days so good and others so bad. not a real in between. i hit well or i hit rubbish(UK expression).
and the first 20 balls or so were more rubbish than good. put some hitting tape on my gap wedge to see where i was hitting the ball. most shots had been weak and thinly hit with a leaking right movement. thought back to what jim linza had told me about coming out of my posture several weeks back. somehow the club face was not squaring up fast enough. too far from the inside or too much body motion?
tried a little faster rotation and pulled the next few shots. went to a 9 iron. really concentrated on the right knee flex, a lighter grip pressure and staying down and behind the ball. and BAM! high, long and straight. about 135 yards or. a decent 9iron. even hit the middle of the red circle on the tape. and did that about 10 times in a row.
best thing was that the swing felt so easy and i could really get through the ball and clear the left hip and whack away. and felt no pressure on my back which i certainly did after yesterday's 250 attempts. if i normally shoot 85 or so- 87 , whatever, and 30 putts or so and say 8 pitches or chips- too kind to myself here probably- then then 49 full swings are in a round of golf. a large bucket is two rounds, 250 balls is five rounds. just thinking out loud on paper.
but i only hit 110 balls today. got 10 freebies from the guy next to me who got tired of the cold wind. but i kept on with my little experiment. longer swing produced more balls a little on the toe. what felt more like my normal swing kept the ball in the middle of the club. a better release and finish with the club over my shoulder helped the ball penetrate through the wind and hit the green. an over active right hand stopping a good release made the ball leak right- into the imaginary bunker.
i worked all the way up to the 6 iron. wanted to be able to keep working on stuff and not defeat myself mentally. not all great shots as i am not that good no matter what i try, but clearly this is the way to go. just turning the chest and not using the hands and keeping that right foot down helped get the left shoulder under the chin and my back more away from the target. let's face it i am not mr. flexible.
once there the club just dropped in the slot and the hip got out of the way more naturally and the club went on its own. and my balance was really nice. the club also didn't come across the line so fast. of course probably by tomorrow this swing will be lost in my memory archives and i will be searching for it. jotted down some notes and hope they serve as a reminder. should fly "J" over here for a look. maybe tiger will loan me his plane.
had to get going. just as well as mr. bang the club into the mat and curse out the ball is now hitting next to me. bet that helps. so does the big time sway and chicken wing elbow. i am quiet and i leave. i can go days here without hardly talking to anyone. not my norm.
met gail and went with her to get some stuff at Staples- same one as the usa has, just more expensive. was $66 for printer ink cartridges. amazing how bad the dollar is. stopped on the way home at the used book store and bought the next book club book and one for gail and gave some advice on running to the owner and then home for some dinner and down time. listened to last night's news hour and gwen ifill shows. will read some and call it a day.
outside now someone is shooting off fireworks. go figure.
signed up for the race for the cure in DC as i will be home then and also for the relay for life. nice to be able to start planning things back there. but only time will tell how it all plays out.
note- looking at my watch just now i noticed that it is april 12th. i hardly keep track of the days here at all unless i have to catch a plane. and though i would love to not run and rest tomorrow, i never do not run on april 13th in memory of my friend steve thompson who passed away on that day. i have six days like that in my year now. getting old has a little bit of everything to it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fact of the Day
The US Civil War began on this date in 1861, when the Confederate Army bombarded the government-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Southern-based Confederates won the skirmish in a day and led to four years of strife across the country.......
Scotsman Digital Archive.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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