short and sweet; decided to go to hit some balls but was just horrible again and will give up on that for awhile; have no idea what i am doing right now and it only makes my legs tired; as i don't get to play anyway it can wait and i can stop whining about it and everyone will be happier. did lift some weights and stretch a lot and some putting on the bedroom rug; yea huh?
and than brought me to the end of the day where i watched a little Wimbledon though i have no real interest other than a passing one in the williams sisters and federer and murray; murray has the hopes and weight of the entire country on his shoulders and i know his match is over but don't know who won. more on that later.
landis lost his appeal today and i still don't believe he cheated though i can believe someone set him up. must be hard not to trust anyone else to get you food or a drink or most stuff. what a system. will be interested to see how hard it might be to follow the tour from here as i just really enjoy that. am also hoping to get to watch the ladies english open this weekend though it may be hard with no car.
and time moves on ever so slowly- one month to go now. cannot go by fast enough.
more tomorrow and if my legs have recovered at all will run again. long warmup, short track and cooldown would be the plan. hottest day of the summer so far they say and UV will be really high. should be fun.
peace-
Monday, June 30, 2008
last day of june 2008 part 1
busy day so will start here. determined to get 10 miles in today and just live with whatever pain the right pf and hip cause. not a smart attitude and not one i would encourage, but am more depressed everyday and just want to focus on the running and going home now. goal this week is to get 70 miles in somehow, anyway i can. can get better at home. signed up for the harrisburg marathon anyway and it gives me even more of an excuse to run.
morning heart rate was 47. just tells me i need some rest but i know that. later is all i can say or if the body just breaks down before i can give it the rest it needs. so out the door and up to the church. a pretty morning and about 57 degrees. up binsey i went past the cows and heard the rooster crowing as i past the last house. the village was quiet and nobody seemed to be working on the pub, now scheduled to open on july 20th just in time for us to go home. still a little shade around on the lane. the sun was up way before 5am this morning and stays up really late still. this weather is perfect for me as compared to the usa with its much higher and lower temps and humidity. high today will be 68 and it will go into the
70's the rest of the week.
at the church i turned back down binsey and headed back through the village and over to port meadow and then down the thames crossing the rainbow bridge and running south until the train bridge which i ducked under and went over to the canal. ran the loop down the canal and did a short bit on the road and turned back up towards snake park and ran that trail back to the canal and went north up to the bridge for the oxford university press. over the bridge and back down towards town and then over to the canal path again and towards the river. went north on the river and went over the new temporary bridge they are building to connect the trail trail and the river trail. would have been really nice to have had this option as i run this way all of the time and like everyone else i had to go the long way down and around to hook back up to the trail.
ran up the train trail not intending to go all the way up. had about 9 miles in now and soon i could turn and head for home, but wanted to make sure i had the ten miles in. the pf started acting up around 6 miles but got no worse. wasn't tired at all, just a little tight and a bit thirsty as i opted not to carry water and live with the two glasses i drank before coming out. at the dorm building fence i turned back with just about 10 miles in now. ran back over the temp bridge and down the swan trail and over botley road to the grocery store and then home. probably 10.5 miles or just a little more. enough either way. a good start to the week run wise.
with 4 weeks left in our year here i have 2782 miles in. with today's 10 and tomorrow's run i will go over 2800 miles. that's a really good mileage year for me. at my old speed i would have had several hundred more miles in for sure. now to get some steadier paced runs in if possible. my head fights that for sure. can stay out for ever but not at a steady pace yet. will test myself once before i come home and figure out what i need to do or if it is even possible. figuring two days off to play golf at home i should be fresher more often and if i can get the right side fixed i will be even better. is this the week of the four hour run or does that wait a week or even two. the coach says wait. will see...golf will wait though.
laundry is done and hung up. the wallflowers are singing and the weights are waiting. will pay the rent tomorrow. back later.
morning heart rate was 47. just tells me i need some rest but i know that. later is all i can say or if the body just breaks down before i can give it the rest it needs. so out the door and up to the church. a pretty morning and about 57 degrees. up binsey i went past the cows and heard the rooster crowing as i past the last house. the village was quiet and nobody seemed to be working on the pub, now scheduled to open on july 20th just in time for us to go home. still a little shade around on the lane. the sun was up way before 5am this morning and stays up really late still. this weather is perfect for me as compared to the usa with its much higher and lower temps and humidity. high today will be 68 and it will go into the
70's the rest of the week.
at the church i turned back down binsey and headed back through the village and over to port meadow and then down the thames crossing the rainbow bridge and running south until the train bridge which i ducked under and went over to the canal. ran the loop down the canal and did a short bit on the road and turned back up towards snake park and ran that trail back to the canal and went north up to the bridge for the oxford university press. over the bridge and back down towards town and then over to the canal path again and towards the river. went north on the river and went over the new temporary bridge they are building to connect the trail trail and the river trail. would have been really nice to have had this option as i run this way all of the time and like everyone else i had to go the long way down and around to hook back up to the trail.
ran up the train trail not intending to go all the way up. had about 9 miles in now and soon i could turn and head for home, but wanted to make sure i had the ten miles in. the pf started acting up around 6 miles but got no worse. wasn't tired at all, just a little tight and a bit thirsty as i opted not to carry water and live with the two glasses i drank before coming out. at the dorm building fence i turned back with just about 10 miles in now. ran back over the temp bridge and down the swan trail and over botley road to the grocery store and then home. probably 10.5 miles or just a little more. enough either way. a good start to the week run wise.
with 4 weeks left in our year here i have 2782 miles in. with today's 10 and tomorrow's run i will go over 2800 miles. that's a really good mileage year for me. at my old speed i would have had several hundred more miles in for sure. now to get some steadier paced runs in if possible. my head fights that for sure. can stay out for ever but not at a steady pace yet. will test myself once before i come home and figure out what i need to do or if it is even possible. figuring two days off to play golf at home i should be fresher more often and if i can get the right side fixed i will be even better. is this the week of the four hour run or does that wait a week or even two. the coach says wait. will see...golf will wait though.
laundry is done and hung up. the wallflowers are singing and the weights are waiting. will pay the rent tomorrow. back later.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
june 29th
am heart rate was 48 which was high but lately has been somewhat normal. has been a long time since i have seen 42/43 and i know i need a break. will sort out a schedule tomorrow sometime as we are down to 31 days and must figure out what we can and cannot get done.
after last night's 4 mile walk back from the restaurant i figured i would be dead for today's run and i was. same as usual i was not really tired as i was tight. gail and i went out early enough and he did her run and i added a little to it throwing in some sixteen 50 yard striders working purely on form and not speed. followed that by doing a slow loop around the park and creek bed trail and then home.
later that morning we took a bus down to abingdon as we had not been there before and just wanted to see someplace we had not been. the bus took us downtown and we saw a nice old church and a mid-evil garden which was really pretty. also did a little food shopping as they had a nice store that we don't have in oxford and then we headed back to oxford.
back in oxford we stopped at the burrito joint and had some decent burritos and then walked home. added to the 6 miles of running this morning was another 5-6 miles of walking. 52 miles of running and another twenty or more of walking this week. no wonder then that the legs need a break especially after the 3+ hours of running on thursday.
then spent the rest of the day reading and watching golf on the computer. last day of june tomorrow and will sort it out in the morning when i see how i feel. no golf today other than a few swings to stay a little loose. the golf just seems so unimportant right now and that is almost hard to believe, but practice has been so bad and i don't get to play anyway so it is hard to stay motivated. i did register for a marathon in november that a friend of mine is running and it will be fun to do that again with him as we have not done one together since cape cod in 1996 i believe.
two holes to play between kenny perry and woody austin. more tomorrow. austin ahead by one. stay well people!
after last night's 4 mile walk back from the restaurant i figured i would be dead for today's run and i was. same as usual i was not really tired as i was tight. gail and i went out early enough and he did her run and i added a little to it throwing in some sixteen 50 yard striders working purely on form and not speed. followed that by doing a slow loop around the park and creek bed trail and then home.
later that morning we took a bus down to abingdon as we had not been there before and just wanted to see someplace we had not been. the bus took us downtown and we saw a nice old church and a mid-evil garden which was really pretty. also did a little food shopping as they had a nice store that we don't have in oxford and then we headed back to oxford.
back in oxford we stopped at the burrito joint and had some decent burritos and then walked home. added to the 6 miles of running this morning was another 5-6 miles of walking. 52 miles of running and another twenty or more of walking this week. no wonder then that the legs need a break especially after the 3+ hours of running on thursday.
then spent the rest of the day reading and watching golf on the computer. last day of june tomorrow and will sort it out in the morning when i see how i feel. no golf today other than a few swings to stay a little loose. the golf just seems so unimportant right now and that is almost hard to believe, but practice has been so bad and i don't get to play anyway so it is hard to stay motivated. i did register for a marathon in november that a friend of mine is running and it will be fun to do that again with him as we have not done one together since cape cod in 1996 i believe.
two holes to play between kenny perry and woody austin. more tomorrow. austin ahead by one. stay well people!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
running and drinking water
Water: 8x8
Posted by: "flagshipone" flagshipone@gmail.com flagshipone
Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:46 am (PDT)
Interesting article I found this morning......
Dr. Chet Zelasko | June 24, 2008
Water has been in the news recently--drinking water, to be more
specific. Two researchers from the University of Pennsylvania attempted
to find the source of the long-standing recommendation to drink eight
8-ounce glasses of water per day or 8 x 8, for short (1). They saw that
the Internet was full of recommendations for drinking a lot of water,
and they wanted to find out why. They examined all clinical trials on
drinking water back to the 1970s, and they couldn't find a single
clinical trial to support that recommendation!
Next they decided to examine some of the reasons that are given for
drinking 8 x 8--their reasoning was that the recommendation had to be
based on science. Let's see what they found.
Clinical Outcomes
The researchers found four reasons cited on the Internet for drinking
more water:
* Eliminate toxins
* Improve organ function
* Help weight loss
* Prevent headaches, including migraines
They couldn't find significant research to support any of those
claims. I agree, for the most part.
Drinking more water to flush the body won't eliminate toxins--it
just adds more fluid to the body. You eliminate toxins by providing the
liver with proper nutrients so it can neutralize toxins and then
eliminate them through the kidneys, but more water won't help that
process. The right foods and supplements will.
Drinking water before eating to help with weight loss proved to be
equivocal. Some studies support it, others do not. I think that it comes
down to being consistent. If you drink 8-16 ounces of water 15 minutes
before every meal, that will give your body the water it needs and may
help you eat a little less. As the researchers suggested, because water
is not patentable, the research to prove or disprove it will never be
done. I would try it anyway because there's no harm and it's a
way of providing nutrients--and water is a nutrient--to the body on a
regular basis.
Drinking water to help organs such as the skin or the brain also
doesn't have much basis in research. Severe dehydration can affect
the skin, but drinking more water doesn't provide additional
benefits. The sparse research on drinking water for migraines did show
improvement, but it wasn't statistically significant. The brain is
almost 80% water and the muscles about the same. Lack of water can cause
fatigue and contributes to muscle cramps; it wouldn't be surprising
if drinking more water did benefit headaches, including migraines.
Is 8 x 8 Justified?
Let's get back to the original question of the eight 8-ounce glasses
of water per day. Is it justified? As I said, the researchers examined
clinical trials back through the early 1970s, but perhaps they should
have picked up a basic physiology textbook instead, such as Guyton's
Textbook of Medical Physiology (2). If they had looked there, they would
have found a section in the chapter on fluid balance that talked about
how much water we lose every day under normal conditions:
* Skin (not from sweat)--12 ounces
* Lungs--12 ounces
* Sweat--4 ounces (without exercise)
* Feces--4 ounces
* Urine--48 ounces
* Total: 80 ounces per day. And remember, that's without
sweating due to exercise or high heat and humidity.
The recommended 8 x 8 would provide 64 ounces, and that means we would
be 16 ounces short based on typical fluid loss, even before your daily
exercise routine. That's why eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day
is still a good idea. Notice I said fluid. Tea, coffee, sports and
energy drinks, soft drinks, juice--all fluids count toward that total.
The researchers focused only on drinking an additional 64 ounces of
water per day. They picked a position and defended it from a strict
clinical-outcome perspective. Normally that's good practice, but in
this case it just didn't make any sense.
There's one more thing that you'll probably read somewhere and
that's the water in fruits and vegetables counts toward that total.
I agree, but most of us eat only three or four servings of fruits and
vegetables per day, if that. Let's say you start your day with an
orange; that's four ounces of fluid. Later, with your dinner, you
have a medium baked potato along with a cup of broccoli; that would add
four ounces and three ounces respectively. Then let's say you top it
off with a banana--another three ounces. From the foods you ate, you got
14 ounces of water--you still need another 66 ounces. And that's why
eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day is still a good idea. Now you
know why. Bottoms up!
References:
1. Negoianu D, and Goldfarb, S. Just Add Water. J Am Soc Nephrol
2008; 19:1-3.
2. Guyton and Hall. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 10th Edition.
W.B. Saunders. Pps 264-5. 2000.
Posted by: "flagshipone" flagshipone@gmail.com flagshipone
Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:46 am (PDT)
Interesting article I found this morning......
Dr. Chet Zelasko | June 24, 2008
Water has been in the news recently--drinking water, to be more
specific. Two researchers from the University of Pennsylvania attempted
to find the source of the long-standing recommendation to drink eight
8-ounce glasses of water per day or 8 x 8, for short (1). They saw that
the Internet was full of recommendations for drinking a lot of water,
and they wanted to find out why. They examined all clinical trials on
drinking water back to the 1970s, and they couldn't find a single
clinical trial to support that recommendation!
Next they decided to examine some of the reasons that are given for
drinking 8 x 8--their reasoning was that the recommendation had to be
based on science. Let's see what they found.
Clinical Outcomes
The researchers found four reasons cited on the Internet for drinking
more water:
* Eliminate toxins
* Improve organ function
* Help weight loss
* Prevent headaches, including migraines
They couldn't find significant research to support any of those
claims. I agree, for the most part.
Drinking more water to flush the body won't eliminate toxins--it
just adds more fluid to the body. You eliminate toxins by providing the
liver with proper nutrients so it can neutralize toxins and then
eliminate them through the kidneys, but more water won't help that
process. The right foods and supplements will.
Drinking water before eating to help with weight loss proved to be
equivocal. Some studies support it, others do not. I think that it comes
down to being consistent. If you drink 8-16 ounces of water 15 minutes
before every meal, that will give your body the water it needs and may
help you eat a little less. As the researchers suggested, because water
is not patentable, the research to prove or disprove it will never be
done. I would try it anyway because there's no harm and it's a
way of providing nutrients--and water is a nutrient--to the body on a
regular basis.
Drinking water to help organs such as the skin or the brain also
doesn't have much basis in research. Severe dehydration can affect
the skin, but drinking more water doesn't provide additional
benefits. The sparse research on drinking water for migraines did show
improvement, but it wasn't statistically significant. The brain is
almost 80% water and the muscles about the same. Lack of water can cause
fatigue and contributes to muscle cramps; it wouldn't be surprising
if drinking more water did benefit headaches, including migraines.
Is 8 x 8 Justified?
Let's get back to the original question of the eight 8-ounce glasses
of water per day. Is it justified? As I said, the researchers examined
clinical trials back through the early 1970s, but perhaps they should
have picked up a basic physiology textbook instead, such as Guyton's
Textbook of Medical Physiology (2). If they had looked there, they would
have found a section in the chapter on fluid balance that talked about
how much water we lose every day under normal conditions:
* Skin (not from sweat)--12 ounces
* Lungs--12 ounces
* Sweat--4 ounces (without exercise)
* Feces--4 ounces
* Urine--48 ounces
* Total: 80 ounces per day. And remember, that's without
sweating due to exercise or high heat and humidity.
The recommended 8 x 8 would provide 64 ounces, and that means we would
be 16 ounces short based on typical fluid loss, even before your daily
exercise routine. That's why eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day
is still a good idea. Notice I said fluid. Tea, coffee, sports and
energy drinks, soft drinks, juice--all fluids count toward that total.
The researchers focused only on drinking an additional 64 ounces of
water per day. They picked a position and defended it from a strict
clinical-outcome perspective. Normally that's good practice, but in
this case it just didn't make any sense.
There's one more thing that you'll probably read somewhere and
that's the water in fruits and vegetables counts toward that total.
I agree, but most of us eat only three or four servings of fruits and
vegetables per day, if that. Let's say you start your day with an
orange; that's four ounces of fluid. Later, with your dinner, you
have a medium baked potato along with a cup of broccoli; that would add
four ounces and three ounces respectively. Then let's say you top it
off with a banana--another three ounces. From the foods you ate, you got
14 ounces of water--you still need another 66 ounces. And that's why
eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid per day is still a good idea. Now you
know why. Bottoms up!
References:
1. Negoianu D, and Goldfarb, S. Just Add Water. J Am Soc Nephrol
2008; 19:1-3.
2. Guyton and Hall. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 10th Edition.
W.B. Saunders. Pps 264-5. 2000.
run, golf, read and eat
heart rate was 48 when i went to sleep around midnight, but i had a really restless night of trying to sleep while dealing with the right leg and what i will sciatica-- could just be piriformis and itb plus something else going down the entire right side-what do i know- but the pain was there. so i didn't get the usual recovery of 3-5 heartbeats and woke up at 48 also, and still knowing i wasn't feeling quite right.
waited a bit to make sure i was ok enough to go run and drank some water. finally decided to go run and stay close to home for awhile, but once i got outside on a morning best described as sunny intervals, i seemed ok and ran a long somewhat quicker than normal warmup as i really wanted to do some sprints today. after some long and short loops around the park and bike path, i headed back over the the made up track. fortunately the lanes are still burned into the grass and i can still see the white outlines.
started cautiously enough and ran two sets of six with a stretch break between sets. ran well enough and my times have gotten better over the past few months. it is much easier to run them quicker than i used to with less effort and also when i want to i can pick up the pace and run them faster. after two sets i tried relaxing for a few to see how easy i could make them go and that went ok. i could feel the piriformis a bit after the 15th one and decided to try two more and stop. the last one was my fastest one since i have been here and that was a good sign. met a nice guy named conrad after my last one who had been in a clint eastwood movie in africa and he told me clint was a really nice guy. we talked politics for a few minutes and then each of us went where we needed to go. i ran back down the bike path to get some cooldown in and towards north hinksey village to check out their gardens, still about 63 degrees and a little windy but not bad out. a nice day for here and no rain in the forecast.
then home after getting the newspaper and some food at the store and spent the morning doing laundry and reading a bit. then off to the range to hit a few balls before we headed up to summertown for some italian food. the range went so-so at best. took about 60 balls working on my takeaway to start figuring it out. the last balls were really good, but it is just too frustrating these days. chipped for 20 minutes and headed home. only brought 3 clubs with me and that made it easier at least to walk home and also got to chip with two clubs i never use. not much difference though. same technique and a little more or less air time and roll. nice to know i can use pretty much any club now. have been practicing with my hybrid lately also and that is pretty decent to get through higher rough and when the ball is sitting down. would be nice to be able to do this to a green, but that will come soon enough now.
we walked up to city center and took a bus up to summertown and then walked to the restaurant. one of the few we like to eat at as the food is good and the service is better than usual. still really expensive using usa money, but what can you do? for some salad and personal pizzas, a couple of waters and diet sodas and two good deserts, with tip it was $93. probably $40-50 more than at home. oh well....
then we walked the 4 miles home. nice night to walk and we saw many colleges as we went and we were able to walk off some of the dinner. pleasant enough though i started to feel today's run somewhere along the way. my legs don't really get tired they just get tight and if i am out long enough the pf will start vibrating.
and then home. listened to last night's gwen iffel show and watched some wimbledon and here i am. now back to fold the clothes i washed and read some more about the russian revolution.
a pleasant enough day and one less to go. more and more of what i do now is to get ready to leave. on monday i will pay the last month's rent, having already paid all of our council taxes for the year. will be curious to see how the price of gasoline will change our life at home. how will fairfax county cope with lower house assessments or will they just raise the tax rate on lower assessments? our house will go through an overhaul one way or another when we get back.
time to bring back the datsun b-210.
waited a bit to make sure i was ok enough to go run and drank some water. finally decided to go run and stay close to home for awhile, but once i got outside on a morning best described as sunny intervals, i seemed ok and ran a long somewhat quicker than normal warmup as i really wanted to do some sprints today. after some long and short loops around the park and bike path, i headed back over the the made up track. fortunately the lanes are still burned into the grass and i can still see the white outlines.
started cautiously enough and ran two sets of six with a stretch break between sets. ran well enough and my times have gotten better over the past few months. it is much easier to run them quicker than i used to with less effort and also when i want to i can pick up the pace and run them faster. after two sets i tried relaxing for a few to see how easy i could make them go and that went ok. i could feel the piriformis a bit after the 15th one and decided to try two more and stop. the last one was my fastest one since i have been here and that was a good sign. met a nice guy named conrad after my last one who had been in a clint eastwood movie in africa and he told me clint was a really nice guy. we talked politics for a few minutes and then each of us went where we needed to go. i ran back down the bike path to get some cooldown in and towards north hinksey village to check out their gardens, still about 63 degrees and a little windy but not bad out. a nice day for here and no rain in the forecast.
then home after getting the newspaper and some food at the store and spent the morning doing laundry and reading a bit. then off to the range to hit a few balls before we headed up to summertown for some italian food. the range went so-so at best. took about 60 balls working on my takeaway to start figuring it out. the last balls were really good, but it is just too frustrating these days. chipped for 20 minutes and headed home. only brought 3 clubs with me and that made it easier at least to walk home and also got to chip with two clubs i never use. not much difference though. same technique and a little more or less air time and roll. nice to know i can use pretty much any club now. have been practicing with my hybrid lately also and that is pretty decent to get through higher rough and when the ball is sitting down. would be nice to be able to do this to a green, but that will come soon enough now.
we walked up to city center and took a bus up to summertown and then walked to the restaurant. one of the few we like to eat at as the food is good and the service is better than usual. still really expensive using usa money, but what can you do? for some salad and personal pizzas, a couple of waters and diet sodas and two good deserts, with tip it was $93. probably $40-50 more than at home. oh well....
then we walked the 4 miles home. nice night to walk and we saw many colleges as we went and we were able to walk off some of the dinner. pleasant enough though i started to feel today's run somewhere along the way. my legs don't really get tired they just get tight and if i am out long enough the pf will start vibrating.
and then home. listened to last night's gwen iffel show and watched some wimbledon and here i am. now back to fold the clothes i washed and read some more about the russian revolution.
a pleasant enough day and one less to go. more and more of what i do now is to get ready to leave. on monday i will pay the last month's rent, having already paid all of our council taxes for the year. will be curious to see how the price of gasoline will change our life at home. how will fairfax county cope with lower house assessments or will they just raise the tax rate on lower assessments? our house will go through an overhaul one way or another when we get back.
time to bring back the datsun b-210.
Friday, June 27, 2008
one less day to go
not much good to say about today. did the 6 mile shuffle this morning on legs that wanted some recovery from yesterday's three and a half hour run and then somewhere during my shuffle i reminded myself that i didn't usually run the day after i ran a marathon. but i got through it and at least spent the time outside and burning some calories, not many at the even slower than normal pace i was moving. some tightness but no real pain until right at the end when my piriformis acted up. might add here that it was an on again off again thing the rest of the day.
the river was pretty and i spent some time running around king george's park after gail went home. turns out i was correct about this park being george and not edward, though the sign at the other end says that part of it is the oatlands road playground area. i also went over and checked out the elementary's school solar driven water pond. really like it. i was headed over to the makeshift track when the kids came out to throw frisbee like things so i ended up going to the pond instead.
did try to do some golf practice and that didn't really go well, at least hitting the ball. short chipping practice went well though and that was good. am just hanging on until i get home and that is not the best way to do it and had hoped to go to the really lousy 9 hole course, but the rain changed those plans. too much trouble and walking to go there in the rain. another day maybe. really hard pushing myself to even go hit balls but i try.
the rest of the day was spent doing house stuff and reading. starting to work on what goes and what stays. will throw away a lot of what is here and will give away even more. some will be brought back also and some might have to be mailed home. my plan is to take as little as possible back there. just want to go home as healthy as i can if that is possible.
and that was the day. a sort of useless day and must admit that i am totally unmotivated to do anything now but go home. looking forward to going to the bank on monday and paying the last month's rent.
not much of a blog i know. weekend coming but everyday is the same now as gail works them all trying to catch up from her travel. if it doesn't rain i may head over to witney and watch some of the cancer relay rather than subject myself to more bad golf hitting or swinging. the ball is not getting in the way of my swing like it is supposed to be doing.
will see how much it is raining in the morning and go from there. as long as each day comes and goes that is ok with me. best day this week might have been the day i spent in bed with the fever, though the long run yesterday was ok. will go for four hours at least once while we are still here.
peace everyone.
the river was pretty and i spent some time running around king george's park after gail went home. turns out i was correct about this park being george and not edward, though the sign at the other end says that part of it is the oatlands road playground area. i also went over and checked out the elementary's school solar driven water pond. really like it. i was headed over to the makeshift track when the kids came out to throw frisbee like things so i ended up going to the pond instead.
did try to do some golf practice and that didn't really go well, at least hitting the ball. short chipping practice went well though and that was good. am just hanging on until i get home and that is not the best way to do it and had hoped to go to the really lousy 9 hole course, but the rain changed those plans. too much trouble and walking to go there in the rain. another day maybe. really hard pushing myself to even go hit balls but i try.
the rest of the day was spent doing house stuff and reading. starting to work on what goes and what stays. will throw away a lot of what is here and will give away even more. some will be brought back also and some might have to be mailed home. my plan is to take as little as possible back there. just want to go home as healthy as i can if that is possible.
and that was the day. a sort of useless day and must admit that i am totally unmotivated to do anything now but go home. looking forward to going to the bank on monday and paying the last month's rent.
not much of a blog i know. weekend coming but everyday is the same now as gail works them all trying to catch up from her travel. if it doesn't rain i may head over to witney and watch some of the cancer relay rather than subject myself to more bad golf hitting or swinging. the ball is not getting in the way of my swing like it is supposed to be doing.
will see how much it is raining in the morning and go from there. as long as each day comes and goes that is ok with me. best day this week might have been the day i spent in bed with the fever, though the long run yesterday was ok. will go for four hours at least once while we are still here.
peace everyone.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
where does my brain go?
Where does my brain go
When it seems like it is hiding
From me
When I can look at the future
and it all seems so clear
and yet out of focus
when will I take the time
to figure out what is going on
and will I know the answer
somewhere out there someone has
the replacement bulb for the
headlight not working
I walk the streets of a foreign town
And the people speak to me
Without saying a word
And it is like I know them and what
They are going through
And I know I don’t yet it seems so real
Like silent talking and a nod of the head
Tells me their story
And my brain feels like it is on constant caffeine
Though mostly it feels tired
And words I write seem to say nothing
Worthwhile
Though I know what I am trying to say
And cannot find the words or meaning
Where is Cinderella now and what would the
Other Boleyn girl be doing if she were alive
In a world without Pricilla potter and marlene stumacher
Who cares why denise or Christie are getting divorced
Why does middle America worry about rich and famous America
Does it matter what Lindsay lohan is doing right now
And of course it doesn’t really but does it and to who
If the Yankees win a game or lose it does the world change
And become better or worse and does it change the life of anyone
Other than Yankees or yankee fans
Does it wipe out the memories of being a kid and rooting for
Warren spahn and robin Roberts
Does my world consist only of the past and harry Anderson
Or willie mccovey getting four hits off of robin in his very first game
Or do I remember that wrong and do I really want to google
It to find out and how many years from now if someone were
Reading this would it be before they wondered what googled meant
And is it a good thing I didn’t mention records or eight tracks
And where is my 45 copy of “go now” by the moodie blues and
“Lose your money, but please don’t lose mine”
And if my father were still alive would he still be yelling at me to turn down
the volume and would I say in just a minute
and why do I understand that so much better at 61
than I did at 17
and what do I know really as I search for what’s next and find only tomorrow
and I know that I must move quickly or else I will just wallow
in everyday nothingness like these past two years spent searching
and watching and chasing a little white ball
and why do some people just have it and others do not and why does the same clothes
on two different people look great or way out of place
and why can’t Microsoft word let me put words where I want them rather
than have them do it automatically for me and then put them in the wrong place
and isn’t it a good thing that I never did drugs if I can think like this without them and why did george carlin die when the world needed humor
and is it all just momentary pablum as my father used to say
but I am far removed from where I started to be and am writing about stuff I had no thought of writing about when I started and was trying to see if I could just put thoughts on paper that made some sense without thinking about them before I typed them out
and so where did my brain go for the last ten minutes or so and what is robin Roberts doing right now and harry Anderson is unfortunately still dead and I still have no idea where potter or stumacher are and is Barbara j still drawing pictures of palamino horses
and is carl tancredi still playing dots and does it bother him that I am one day older than he is and I bet he doesn’t remember me at all and that is ok for I am not that guy who was there in 9th grade and viet nam saw to that and then cancer piled on and I am someone different than even I remember but better and worse and if I could go back I certainly wouldn’t go back that far because I couldn’t stand to be that dumb again
and so I will go search for my brain and stop this for now and maybe Michael rush has the answers because I think he knew Priscilla and marlene also
and maybe mr cannon is still playing basketball and mrs fisher is done crying and mrs Higgins has forgiven me and someone should tell mr prone that I still have the breadboard I made in his class that he gave me a b- for and I could tell mrs Jacobson that I am still jogging some 52 years later thanks to her and mrs weiner and they can stop kidding me now about liking anita I can’t remember her last name
and maybe someone nice married ms wallbridge, the love of every 6th grader who wasn’t in love with mrs eisenberg and I didn’t really mean to hit the principal with the dusty board eraser that I was throwing at someone else who ducked
and my world is great and I love it all! Especially the ice cream and pizza.
When it seems like it is hiding
From me
When I can look at the future
and it all seems so clear
and yet out of focus
when will I take the time
to figure out what is going on
and will I know the answer
somewhere out there someone has
the replacement bulb for the
headlight not working
I walk the streets of a foreign town
And the people speak to me
Without saying a word
And it is like I know them and what
They are going through
And I know I don’t yet it seems so real
Like silent talking and a nod of the head
Tells me their story
And my brain feels like it is on constant caffeine
Though mostly it feels tired
And words I write seem to say nothing
Worthwhile
Though I know what I am trying to say
And cannot find the words or meaning
Where is Cinderella now and what would the
Other Boleyn girl be doing if she were alive
In a world without Pricilla potter and marlene stumacher
Who cares why denise or Christie are getting divorced
Why does middle America worry about rich and famous America
Does it matter what Lindsay lohan is doing right now
And of course it doesn’t really but does it and to who
If the Yankees win a game or lose it does the world change
And become better or worse and does it change the life of anyone
Other than Yankees or yankee fans
Does it wipe out the memories of being a kid and rooting for
Warren spahn and robin Roberts
Does my world consist only of the past and harry Anderson
Or willie mccovey getting four hits off of robin in his very first game
Or do I remember that wrong and do I really want to google
It to find out and how many years from now if someone were
Reading this would it be before they wondered what googled meant
And is it a good thing I didn’t mention records or eight tracks
And where is my 45 copy of “go now” by the moodie blues and
“Lose your money, but please don’t lose mine”
And if my father were still alive would he still be yelling at me to turn down
the volume and would I say in just a minute
and why do I understand that so much better at 61
than I did at 17
and what do I know really as I search for what’s next and find only tomorrow
and I know that I must move quickly or else I will just wallow
in everyday nothingness like these past two years spent searching
and watching and chasing a little white ball
and why do some people just have it and others do not and why does the same clothes
on two different people look great or way out of place
and why can’t Microsoft word let me put words where I want them rather
than have them do it automatically for me and then put them in the wrong place
and isn’t it a good thing that I never did drugs if I can think like this without them and why did george carlin die when the world needed humor
and is it all just momentary pablum as my father used to say
but I am far removed from where I started to be and am writing about stuff I had no thought of writing about when I started and was trying to see if I could just put thoughts on paper that made some sense without thinking about them before I typed them out
and so where did my brain go for the last ten minutes or so and what is robin Roberts doing right now and harry Anderson is unfortunately still dead and I still have no idea where potter or stumacher are and is Barbara j still drawing pictures of palamino horses
and is carl tancredi still playing dots and does it bother him that I am one day older than he is and I bet he doesn’t remember me at all and that is ok for I am not that guy who was there in 9th grade and viet nam saw to that and then cancer piled on and I am someone different than even I remember but better and worse and if I could go back I certainly wouldn’t go back that far because I couldn’t stand to be that dumb again
and so I will go search for my brain and stop this for now and maybe Michael rush has the answers because I think he knew Priscilla and marlene also
and maybe mr cannon is still playing basketball and mrs fisher is done crying and mrs Higgins has forgiven me and someone should tell mr prone that I still have the breadboard I made in his class that he gave me a b- for and I could tell mrs Jacobson that I am still jogging some 52 years later thanks to her and mrs weiner and they can stop kidding me now about liking anita I can’t remember her last name
and maybe someone nice married ms wallbridge, the love of every 6th grader who wasn’t in love with mrs eisenberg and I didn’t really mean to hit the principal with the dusty board eraser that I was throwing at someone else who ducked
and my world is great and I love it all! Especially the ice cream and pizza.
3:26:33 was today's run- 6/26/08
was so disgusted with yesterday's failed attempts to hit a golf ball somewhere near where i was aiming that i vowed to just run today as long as my morning heart rate was under 50, thereby assuming that i had come close to recovering from yesterday's run and that there was more than half a chance that fever was gone.
then somehow after i was up at 6am i fell back asleep and lost an hour of early morning, but the heart rate was 47 and that was good enough to throw extra sun block on and head out. and it was a very pretty morning. the british must be delirious with this streak of good weather. about 62 degrees and sun going in and out behind the few clouds. i was late enough that the world was up now and cars were about and a dog walker and even an occasional runner went by in one direction or another.
i headed up binsey lane towards the church, deciding i would stop each two miles for the first hour and stretch for a minute and get some of the tightness out. the right leg is slowly recovering from the usa visit where it always gets worse and the left leg has been tighter than normal as it takes the brunt of the work when the right leg is not good. ran north slowly towards the church and through the village. the new herd of cows was out and i actually scared one of them when i came around the corner and the cow jumped. funny. ran up to the church and then back to the white rail bridge and stopped to stretch a bit. was tight but knew it would loosen up after another stop. came all the way down binsey back towards the driving range and at botley road i turned back north towards port meadow.
stopped this time at binsey village to stretch at the port meadow gate and it was getting looser and that was good. then headed back to the church one more time to make sure i was ok. heading back across port meadow lane i started to suddenly feel very tired. had about 5-6 miles in now and knew i wanted to go at least 12 so the choice quickly became go on or stop and try again tomorrow. maybe yesterday's 10-11 miles was a lot after the fever. decided to take a two minute walk and see how i felt and then decide.
two minutes later i felt a little better. clearly the air was full of pollen and different fragrances and i thought i could just slow down a bit and go on. so down the river i went and then cut over to the loop around fiddler's island. cows were sharing the path this morning and i mooed my way by them as they scattered at the strange sound. good to know i don 't actually sound like a cow yet. at the end of the loop i ran up the short hill to the canal and headed north. caught a break here as i ran into two women training for a long hike in america, one a law student and one a biological engineer student i believe.
we went north together for awhile and reached the wolvercote lock where they were getting off in search of a place to have lunch, but they decided to try the burgess nature park loop first and then head back to the pub. i got off with them and headed over to what used to be the wolvercote post office store to get some water while they headed over to the reserve park. of course the p.o. was now closed but the store was still open and i got a drink there and then headed back towards the river trail. was somewhere around 11 miles now and feeling ok. not really fresh, but not bad and able to go on.
went past the trout pub and then south on the thames trail past godstow lock. cows were on the trail here too and much more stubborn cows they were so i walked around them rather than continue to get them to move over. they didn't recognize my mooing at all. down the thames i went. the temps were climbing slowly towards 68 but not too bad and the sun drifted in and out behind the clouds keeping the UV exposure somewhat to a minimum.
ran all the way down to the rainbow bridge and did a quick stretch and then south on the trail and then over the port meadow bridge back towards the canal. cut north on the path towards burgess park and then ran a loop in the park myself. this is such a pretty place and so quiet that all you hear are the birds and the occasional overhead airplane. off in the distance were the wytham woods shining in the sunlight next to some really green fields. ran the big outside loop and one cut across loop for a little hillier run and saw nobody at all. there could have been many other runners but the way the park is you can see nobody for a long time no matter how many others may be in here.
then i headed south on the old horse trail and back to the canal and ran south along the canal until the railroad bridge. cut off the canal at this point and ran past snake park and rewley abbey and over to the train station. went across the botley road bridge and ran back towards home finally. only half a mile from here and i stopped at the grocery store to get some things and a paper and walked and jogged home with the two bags bouncing. somewhere between 17 and 20 miles but more probably
18+. not fast but good enough. would have been 23 miles once and i have run 100+ marathons faster than this, but considering the run yesterday i was ok with it. hard to believe that i could feel like i did at 6 miles and get this in. next up is 4 hours, but not tomorrow.
now to see if i can get my phone fixed and do some laundry. no golf practice today.
then somehow after i was up at 6am i fell back asleep and lost an hour of early morning, but the heart rate was 47 and that was good enough to throw extra sun block on and head out. and it was a very pretty morning. the british must be delirious with this streak of good weather. about 62 degrees and sun going in and out behind the few clouds. i was late enough that the world was up now and cars were about and a dog walker and even an occasional runner went by in one direction or another.
i headed up binsey lane towards the church, deciding i would stop each two miles for the first hour and stretch for a minute and get some of the tightness out. the right leg is slowly recovering from the usa visit where it always gets worse and the left leg has been tighter than normal as it takes the brunt of the work when the right leg is not good. ran north slowly towards the church and through the village. the new herd of cows was out and i actually scared one of them when i came around the corner and the cow jumped. funny. ran up to the church and then back to the white rail bridge and stopped to stretch a bit. was tight but knew it would loosen up after another stop. came all the way down binsey back towards the driving range and at botley road i turned back north towards port meadow.
stopped this time at binsey village to stretch at the port meadow gate and it was getting looser and that was good. then headed back to the church one more time to make sure i was ok. heading back across port meadow lane i started to suddenly feel very tired. had about 5-6 miles in now and knew i wanted to go at least 12 so the choice quickly became go on or stop and try again tomorrow. maybe yesterday's 10-11 miles was a lot after the fever. decided to take a two minute walk and see how i felt and then decide.
two minutes later i felt a little better. clearly the air was full of pollen and different fragrances and i thought i could just slow down a bit and go on. so down the river i went and then cut over to the loop around fiddler's island. cows were sharing the path this morning and i mooed my way by them as they scattered at the strange sound. good to know i don 't actually sound like a cow yet. at the end of the loop i ran up the short hill to the canal and headed north. caught a break here as i ran into two women training for a long hike in america, one a law student and one a biological engineer student i believe.
we went north together for awhile and reached the wolvercote lock where they were getting off in search of a place to have lunch, but they decided to try the burgess nature park loop first and then head back to the pub. i got off with them and headed over to what used to be the wolvercote post office store to get some water while they headed over to the reserve park. of course the p.o. was now closed but the store was still open and i got a drink there and then headed back towards the river trail. was somewhere around 11 miles now and feeling ok. not really fresh, but not bad and able to go on.
went past the trout pub and then south on the thames trail past godstow lock. cows were on the trail here too and much more stubborn cows they were so i walked around them rather than continue to get them to move over. they didn't recognize my mooing at all. down the thames i went. the temps were climbing slowly towards 68 but not too bad and the sun drifted in and out behind the clouds keeping the UV exposure somewhat to a minimum.
ran all the way down to the rainbow bridge and did a quick stretch and then south on the trail and then over the port meadow bridge back towards the canal. cut north on the path towards burgess park and then ran a loop in the park myself. this is such a pretty place and so quiet that all you hear are the birds and the occasional overhead airplane. off in the distance were the wytham woods shining in the sunlight next to some really green fields. ran the big outside loop and one cut across loop for a little hillier run and saw nobody at all. there could have been many other runners but the way the park is you can see nobody for a long time no matter how many others may be in here.
then i headed south on the old horse trail and back to the canal and ran south along the canal until the railroad bridge. cut off the canal at this point and ran past snake park and rewley abbey and over to the train station. went across the botley road bridge and ran back towards home finally. only half a mile from here and i stopped at the grocery store to get some things and a paper and walked and jogged home with the two bags bouncing. somewhere between 17 and 20 miles but more probably
18+. not fast but good enough. would have been 23 miles once and i have run 100+ marathons faster than this, but considering the run yesterday i was ok with it. hard to believe that i could feel like i did at 6 miles and get this in. next up is 4 hours, but not tomorrow.
now to see if i can get my phone fixed and do some laundry. no golf practice today.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
fever gone? who knows? ran anyway-
woke up with slight headache and heart rate of 47 so i decided i was feeling good enough to get out of bed and run. so off i went at not quite 7am heading up binsey lane on a really pretty morning with temps at about 61 degrees and sun in the sky and some wind blowing about. then over to the thames and south on the trail. the green of lorraine's boat didn't look as harsh in today's light. not a person around yet as i headed down the river, a really dark green color and pretty high along the newly formed banks thanks to the construction which raised them up to stop flooding.
went down past the rainbow bridge and through the detour and watched the swans watching me. geese were coming in for a landing and some ducks sat on the banks watching them also. funny. was running ok actually. the legs were not all dead as i missed yesterday and the head was hanging in. not moving that fast, but running none the less and not in bed asleep and sick.
i ran down to swan bridge and did a u-turn and came back up to the detour sign just to add a mile or more in the shade on soft ground and then turned south again and headed over to osney road and then down to king edward park. gail was going to come out and meet me here, but i must have been early. a little more than 5 miles in so far and i ran a short loop around the park just to past the two creeks which are always pretty and the horses were out grazing along the southern creek field. some bike riders seemed annoyed that i was on "their" trail, as i was running against traffic and that meant to them that i was on the wrong side of the path. this is not the mt vernon path with a line down the middle and i absolutely refuse to run along the other side and have bikes pass me on the right side while they talk into their cell phones and generally don't pay attention. on i went and they passed closely but they went by. only once did i have to remind one to wake up as he headed right towards me and showed no signs of moving over. they never warn you here that they are passing or at least hardly ever so be careful when running in england. last time i counted i was warned two times of 37 riders.
did the loop actually still ok and not annoyed and went over to the made up track cut in the grassy field and started to do some 100 yard sprints, very carefully and worked my way down to a quicker pace, using as little effort as possible. had about 15 done when gail came along and i ran 8 more with her. the slightly slower pace took some of the pressure off of the tight muscles in my legs. still, i was using my right leg and though i could now feel the pf muscle, the right leg was trying to help and didn't hurt. i was still bothered that i cannot cross my right leg over my knee and will work on that.
the run done we headed back home, stopping at the store for some breakfast and a newspaper. after the usual morning stuff i headed up to the city center and ran my many errands, post office, bank, pharmacy, bank, and open market. all done including the 2 mile walk in under 90 minutes. sometimes things can get done quickly here. was raining off and on now, but not too badly so i decided to walk home. always easier to walk home as it is a pain to have to walk so far to get the bus anyway once in city center. another two miles and i was certainly getting my exercise, but i had some really nice things to show for it and the bills were all paid for another month.
had a very light lunch at home and then headed off to the driving range where i just stunk the joint up. tried hard enough and did the drills, but not much worked today. i just suck somedays and that is life. i did pitch so-so ok and chipped well at least. tried another bucket of balls after that and it was no better. oh well! i could stop playing golf and never miss it, though what i mean is i could stop going to the range and never miss it. even a bad day on the actual course can still sometimes be fun. this is not golf i tell myself and it will be better tomorrow, but i know better. i have spent this year forgetting how to swing a golf club and though i have moments when i am better i still mostly stink. but like most i still think i can get it back and just don't have the courage to stop. shame on me.
then home and read some and worked out a bit of a calendar for the next 5 weeks. 35 days to go and time to start thinking of what to do with stuff that we are not going to take home. should have a yard sale but we won't. dinner bell rings- another day almost done.
btw- i finished the bookclub book for this month- "the book of illusions" by paul auster. was wondering if anyone reading this had read it yet? or had read anything else by this author?
went down past the rainbow bridge and through the detour and watched the swans watching me. geese were coming in for a landing and some ducks sat on the banks watching them also. funny. was running ok actually. the legs were not all dead as i missed yesterday and the head was hanging in. not moving that fast, but running none the less and not in bed asleep and sick.
i ran down to swan bridge and did a u-turn and came back up to the detour sign just to add a mile or more in the shade on soft ground and then turned south again and headed over to osney road and then down to king edward park. gail was going to come out and meet me here, but i must have been early. a little more than 5 miles in so far and i ran a short loop around the park just to past the two creeks which are always pretty and the horses were out grazing along the southern creek field. some bike riders seemed annoyed that i was on "their" trail, as i was running against traffic and that meant to them that i was on the wrong side of the path. this is not the mt vernon path with a line down the middle and i absolutely refuse to run along the other side and have bikes pass me on the right side while they talk into their cell phones and generally don't pay attention. on i went and they passed closely but they went by. only once did i have to remind one to wake up as he headed right towards me and showed no signs of moving over. they never warn you here that they are passing or at least hardly ever so be careful when running in england. last time i counted i was warned two times of 37 riders.
did the loop actually still ok and not annoyed and went over to the made up track cut in the grassy field and started to do some 100 yard sprints, very carefully and worked my way down to a quicker pace, using as little effort as possible. had about 15 done when gail came along and i ran 8 more with her. the slightly slower pace took some of the pressure off of the tight muscles in my legs. still, i was using my right leg and though i could now feel the pf muscle, the right leg was trying to help and didn't hurt. i was still bothered that i cannot cross my right leg over my knee and will work on that.
the run done we headed back home, stopping at the store for some breakfast and a newspaper. after the usual morning stuff i headed up to the city center and ran my many errands, post office, bank, pharmacy, bank, and open market. all done including the 2 mile walk in under 90 minutes. sometimes things can get done quickly here. was raining off and on now, but not too badly so i decided to walk home. always easier to walk home as it is a pain to have to walk so far to get the bus anyway once in city center. another two miles and i was certainly getting my exercise, but i had some really nice things to show for it and the bills were all paid for another month.
had a very light lunch at home and then headed off to the driving range where i just stunk the joint up. tried hard enough and did the drills, but not much worked today. i just suck somedays and that is life. i did pitch so-so ok and chipped well at least. tried another bucket of balls after that and it was no better. oh well! i could stop playing golf and never miss it, though what i mean is i could stop going to the range and never miss it. even a bad day on the actual course can still sometimes be fun. this is not golf i tell myself and it will be better tomorrow, but i know better. i have spent this year forgetting how to swing a golf club and though i have moments when i am better i still mostly stink. but like most i still think i can get it back and just don't have the courage to stop. shame on me.
then home and read some and worked out a bit of a calendar for the next 5 weeks. 35 days to go and time to start thinking of what to do with stuff that we are not going to take home. should have a yard sale but we won't. dinner bell rings- another day almost done.
btw- i finished the bookclub book for this month- "the book of illusions" by paul auster. was wondering if anyone reading this had read it yet? or had read anything else by this author?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
three in 10 acknowledge racial prejudice from crooks and liar's
still a long way to go in good old USA. probably the numbers are even worse because it has to be hard to acknowledge this level of ignorance out loud to a stranger taking a poll:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
crooks and liar's---
Three in 10 acknowledge racial prejudice
Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:30 AM CDT
It’s hard to characterize these results on the racial/political landscape as encouraging.
As Sen. Barack Obama opens his campaign as the first African American on a major party presidential ticket, nearly half of all Americans say race relations in the country are in bad shape and three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. […]
Overall, 51 percent call the current state of race relations “excellent” or “good,” about the same as said so five years ago. That is a relative thaw from more negative ratings in the 1990s, but the gap between whites and blacks on the issue is now the widest it has been in polls dating to early 1992.
More than six in 10 African Americans now rate race relations as “not so good” or “poor,” while 53 percent of whites hold more positive views. Opinions are also divided along racial lines, though less so, on whether blacks face discrimination. There is more similarity on feelings of personal racial prejudice: Thirty percent of whites and 34 percent of blacks admit such sentiments.
Nearly nine in 10 whites said they would be comfortable with a black president, suggesting there are quite a few white voters who harbor feelings of racial prejudice but would accept Obama anyway, or there are quite a few white voters who are lying to pollsters about their comfort with a black president. (It’s worth clarifying only two-thirds of whites would be “entirely comfortable” with a black president, meaning about a quarter of whites say they’re comfortable with the idea, but they’re not thrilled by the idea. I’m going to guess these are the whites most likely to be lying.)
Some wanted to see the silver lining of these results.
At National Review, Kathryn Jean Lopez saw the glass as half-full.
While “three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice,” that number is down from their 1999 poll (the only one they cite for reference). And “Whites” assess themselves with less prejudice (30 percent) than “Blacks” (34), which bodes well for “the first African American on a major party presidential ticket.”
And while three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice,” seven in 10 did not. In other words, the overwhelming majority.
I wish I could feel as encouraged. Yes, 30% acknowledge racist tendencies, which is down from 1999. But it’s only down from 34%, and the figure among whites has dropped from 32% to 30%. Lopez alluded to “massive improvements.” It looks to me, given the three-point margin of error, that we’ve seen very little progress at all.
Similarly, while I’m delighted that a strong majority say they do not harbor feelings of racial prejudice, two angles come to mind. One, some of the 70% might be lying. And two, when nearly one-third of the American electorate in the 21st century is willing to concede feelings of racial bigotry, that’s not good.
Nevertheless, the same poll also found that “just over four in 10 think Obama’s candidacy will improve race relations, nearly three times as many as think it’ll hurt.”
It sounds like we could use the boost.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
crooks and liar's---
Three in 10 acknowledge racial prejudice
Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:30 AM CDT
It’s hard to characterize these results on the racial/political landscape as encouraging.
As Sen. Barack Obama opens his campaign as the first African American on a major party presidential ticket, nearly half of all Americans say race relations in the country are in bad shape and three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. […]
Overall, 51 percent call the current state of race relations “excellent” or “good,” about the same as said so five years ago. That is a relative thaw from more negative ratings in the 1990s, but the gap between whites and blacks on the issue is now the widest it has been in polls dating to early 1992.
More than six in 10 African Americans now rate race relations as “not so good” or “poor,” while 53 percent of whites hold more positive views. Opinions are also divided along racial lines, though less so, on whether blacks face discrimination. There is more similarity on feelings of personal racial prejudice: Thirty percent of whites and 34 percent of blacks admit such sentiments.
Nearly nine in 10 whites said they would be comfortable with a black president, suggesting there are quite a few white voters who harbor feelings of racial prejudice but would accept Obama anyway, or there are quite a few white voters who are lying to pollsters about their comfort with a black president. (It’s worth clarifying only two-thirds of whites would be “entirely comfortable” with a black president, meaning about a quarter of whites say they’re comfortable with the idea, but they’re not thrilled by the idea. I’m going to guess these are the whites most likely to be lying.)
Some wanted to see the silver lining of these results.
At National Review, Kathryn Jean Lopez saw the glass as half-full.
While “three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice,” that number is down from their 1999 poll (the only one they cite for reference). And “Whites” assess themselves with less prejudice (30 percent) than “Blacks” (34), which bodes well for “the first African American on a major party presidential ticket.”
And while three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice,” seven in 10 did not. In other words, the overwhelming majority.
I wish I could feel as encouraged. Yes, 30% acknowledge racist tendencies, which is down from 1999. But it’s only down from 34%, and the figure among whites has dropped from 32% to 30%. Lopez alluded to “massive improvements.” It looks to me, given the three-point margin of error, that we’ve seen very little progress at all.
Similarly, while I’m delighted that a strong majority say they do not harbor feelings of racial prejudice, two angles come to mind. One, some of the 70% might be lying. And two, when nearly one-third of the American electorate in the 21st century is willing to concede feelings of racial bigotry, that’s not good.
Nevertheless, the same poll also found that “just over four in 10 think Obama’s candidacy will improve race relations, nearly three times as many as think it’ll hurt.”
It sounds like we could use the boost.
a day of fever and sleep
not much to blog today- woke up with a pulse rate of 52 and some level of a fever and went back to sleep and slept for 14 hours. equilibrium is also off. not sure where this came from, but spent the day sleeping and or resting and am going back to that in a minute. hopefully it will be better tomorrow. wasted what looked like a nice day asleep. still, it is one day less to go.
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Fact of the Day - from scotsman.com
The Battle of Bannockburn ended on 24 June 1314. The Scots used an infantry formation called a schiltron - a cluster of soldiers armed with extra long spears rammed into the earth to break enemy cavalry charges. King Robert the Bruce won a resounding victory against the English army despite being outnumbered three to one.
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Fact of the Day - from scotsman.com
The Battle of Bannockburn ended on 24 June 1314. The Scots used an infantry formation called a schiltron - a cluster of soldiers armed with extra long spears rammed into the earth to break enemy cavalry charges. King Robert the Bruce won a resounding victory against the English army despite being outnumbered three to one.
Monday, June 23, 2008
tired 7 mile monday
some thing's going on with my health but i haven't got it figured out yet. my morning pulse was 48, not high or low, and at least down from last week's 52, but where is the 43 rate?
went out early enough to run and it was a beautiful sunny morning with the temperature at 61 and almost no humidity to worry about. went north up binsey lane and then north on the river up to godstow road. turned south there past 27 swans that i counted. pretty seeing them all together. the river was very quiet as was the trail. a few walkers were now out as i headed south and even a runner or two.
near rainbow bridge i ran into my friend lorraine and turned back with her as she headed over towards binsey village. left her there and turned back towards the thames and the trail south. decided to go over the port meadow bridge and run south on the canal which was just really nice this morning and i liked looking at the gardens along the water. many people had moved into the new condo building along the canal and people were having their morning tea and coffee on their balconies. at 700,000 pounds these new homes did not come cheap, but they had a great location for sure along the water in the little village of jericho and withing walking distance to town for most people. i ran on.
went down over the bridge to the train station and across the bridge over botley road. then headed back towards home and the grocery store. the entire run had been a supreme effort of overcoming fatigue to keep moving and i was glad it was about to be over. had forced myself to get my 7 miles in and wondered what impact today's run would have on tomorrow's. still feel some health issue is there. have not done enough to be tired and last week given the travel was my first week below 50 miles in a long time. time will tell i guess.
at least the right leg was coming along with all of the stretching i have been doing. the pain is still worst when i do anything but stand up. weird. will keep stretching. plan right now is to do an easy series of short sprints tomorrow and see how that goes and then make a decision about a day off on wed.
took a little break after the run and read for an hour and then headed up to the driving range where i tired to figure out what went wrong at the end of yesterday's effort. decided to just work on my drills and forget yesterday. seemed to be a little better though i still am having trouble with what i feel are basic things. the new grip is still uncomfortable, but i will adjust to that. went up to the fairway woods today. some really well and some hooked badly. still lots to do. chipping and pitching went ok and i have taught myself a new shot i think- a short little high lob. worked ok off of the grass and i can do it from a reasonably tight lie and it may be helpful down the line if i can use it on a real course someday. it does force you to really concentrate on some things.
back home to deal with house stuff- won't bore anyone with those details. no fun at all and afterwards i took some more time to read my club book. another day about over after the laundry was hung up. time rolling by and as i have said before i don't want to wish it away so will just enjoy each day and eventually get back on that plane and go home.
went out early enough to run and it was a beautiful sunny morning with the temperature at 61 and almost no humidity to worry about. went north up binsey lane and then north on the river up to godstow road. turned south there past 27 swans that i counted. pretty seeing them all together. the river was very quiet as was the trail. a few walkers were now out as i headed south and even a runner or two.
near rainbow bridge i ran into my friend lorraine and turned back with her as she headed over towards binsey village. left her there and turned back towards the thames and the trail south. decided to go over the port meadow bridge and run south on the canal which was just really nice this morning and i liked looking at the gardens along the water. many people had moved into the new condo building along the canal and people were having their morning tea and coffee on their balconies. at 700,000 pounds these new homes did not come cheap, but they had a great location for sure along the water in the little village of jericho and withing walking distance to town for most people. i ran on.
went down over the bridge to the train station and across the bridge over botley road. then headed back towards home and the grocery store. the entire run had been a supreme effort of overcoming fatigue to keep moving and i was glad it was about to be over. had forced myself to get my 7 miles in and wondered what impact today's run would have on tomorrow's. still feel some health issue is there. have not done enough to be tired and last week given the travel was my first week below 50 miles in a long time. time will tell i guess.
at least the right leg was coming along with all of the stretching i have been doing. the pain is still worst when i do anything but stand up. weird. will keep stretching. plan right now is to do an easy series of short sprints tomorrow and see how that goes and then make a decision about a day off on wed.
took a little break after the run and read for an hour and then headed up to the driving range where i tired to figure out what went wrong at the end of yesterday's effort. decided to just work on my drills and forget yesterday. seemed to be a little better though i still am having trouble with what i feel are basic things. the new grip is still uncomfortable, but i will adjust to that. went up to the fairway woods today. some really well and some hooked badly. still lots to do. chipping and pitching went ok and i have taught myself a new shot i think- a short little high lob. worked ok off of the grass and i can do it from a reasonably tight lie and it may be helpful down the line if i can use it on a real course someday. it does force you to really concentrate on some things.
back home to deal with house stuff- won't bore anyone with those details. no fun at all and afterwards i took some more time to read my club book. another day about over after the laundry was hung up. time rolling by and as i have said before i don't want to wish it away so will just enjoy each day and eventually get back on that plane and go home.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
two day catchup post
slept almost 14 hours yesterday with gail convinced i had a fever. not sure, but do know something was not quite right. did a very slow 4 miles later in the day after taking it very easy for most of the day and then hitting some balls at the range. that was the day in a nutshell. if i had a fever i hope it is gone now. my heart rate came down to 48 and was 47 when i got up today, though i noticed that my balance was giving me some trouble.
went out early enough this morning to run and after a sluggish start with a very tight pf muscle i finally got going and the first hour went by ok. ran past an old herd of cows and then a new herd. a very pretty morning though extremely windy. gail came out when i had about an hour done and we ran about three miles together and then she headed home down binsey lane and i headed over to the river.
wanted to go north but they were having a fishing competition of some sort and it was easier to just head south down the river. noticed my friend Lorraine had painted her boat an interesting shade of green - being kind here. the river was also a dark green and i went down the trail all the way to botley road. they are working further south on the trail now but usually open what they can on the weekend. was good to see that the new part of the trail was draining much better than the old part and that the new grass was coming in nicely. somehow i might have missed a turn as i had to climb over a rope across the trail to keep going.
at the swan bridge trail i ran into a group of women runners headed north and they were motoring along chatting it up the entire time. nice to be young and fast. just a memory now. at botley i turned around and came back to the train bridge and did a short loop along the canal and then headed back down to botley road and over to the king edward park, where i ran the large loop around the park and then headed over to the grocery store to pick up a sunday paper and some bread. had about 10 miles in when i got to the store and that was enough for today. the leg which had been very tight had held up for the most part, but was clearly not good. had been worse since i was back in the states and am not sure whether it was the speedwork, the hills, or the bike that had forced a bit of a re-lapse. will be interesting to see if i can stretch it away some. it is hard to figure out what you are going to do when you don't know how your legs are going to react or feel.
gail wanted to work some so i headed back up to the range and hit some great and horrible shots. if you just watch the balls you would have sworn two different people were hitting them, but i will work it out i hope. on the way home i ran into Lorraine who asked me if i had seen her boat and i said i had and noticed that she had painted it. turns out her dad had done that and had somehow gotten the color incorrect. they were going to repaint it shortly. it was not the british racing green she had hoped for, but a more psychedelic green. she gave me a book to read and it turns out gail just loved that book. added it to the list and will read it after the book club's "the book of illusions".
afterwards we had some lunch and then went up town to get the book club book and a few things we needed. then we walked home and stopped on the way to get some yogurt. town was as packed today as it was empty yesterday. school is out now and most students are gone. summer sessions and language schools are booming though and the tourists are pouring in to see oxford and shop. dinner and laundry precede house chores and another week is wrapped up.
37 days and a wakeup. congrats to stewart cink for the great up and down on 18 to win his tournament. must be nice to be good.
fun week ahead here if all goes as planned. temps in the 68 range with low humidity and not much rain called for. they would hate virginia summers here.
went out early enough this morning to run and after a sluggish start with a very tight pf muscle i finally got going and the first hour went by ok. ran past an old herd of cows and then a new herd. a very pretty morning though extremely windy. gail came out when i had about an hour done and we ran about three miles together and then she headed home down binsey lane and i headed over to the river.
wanted to go north but they were having a fishing competition of some sort and it was easier to just head south down the river. noticed my friend Lorraine had painted her boat an interesting shade of green - being kind here. the river was also a dark green and i went down the trail all the way to botley road. they are working further south on the trail now but usually open what they can on the weekend. was good to see that the new part of the trail was draining much better than the old part and that the new grass was coming in nicely. somehow i might have missed a turn as i had to climb over a rope across the trail to keep going.
at the swan bridge trail i ran into a group of women runners headed north and they were motoring along chatting it up the entire time. nice to be young and fast. just a memory now. at botley i turned around and came back to the train bridge and did a short loop along the canal and then headed back down to botley road and over to the king edward park, where i ran the large loop around the park and then headed over to the grocery store to pick up a sunday paper and some bread. had about 10 miles in when i got to the store and that was enough for today. the leg which had been very tight had held up for the most part, but was clearly not good. had been worse since i was back in the states and am not sure whether it was the speedwork, the hills, or the bike that had forced a bit of a re-lapse. will be interesting to see if i can stretch it away some. it is hard to figure out what you are going to do when you don't know how your legs are going to react or feel.
gail wanted to work some so i headed back up to the range and hit some great and horrible shots. if you just watch the balls you would have sworn two different people were hitting them, but i will work it out i hope. on the way home i ran into Lorraine who asked me if i had seen her boat and i said i had and noticed that she had painted it. turns out her dad had done that and had somehow gotten the color incorrect. they were going to repaint it shortly. it was not the british racing green she had hoped for, but a more psychedelic green. she gave me a book to read and it turns out gail just loved that book. added it to the list and will read it after the book club's "the book of illusions".
afterwards we had some lunch and then went up town to get the book club book and a few things we needed. then we walked home and stopped on the way to get some yogurt. town was as packed today as it was empty yesterday. school is out now and most students are gone. summer sessions and language schools are booming though and the tourists are pouring in to see oxford and shop. dinner and laundry precede house chores and another week is wrapped up.
37 days and a wakeup. congrats to stewart cink for the great up and down on 18 to win his tournament. must be nice to be good.
fun week ahead here if all goes as planned. temps in the 68 range with low humidity and not much rain called for. they would hate virginia summers here.
issues for the next president/the first 90 days
economy -usa and the world's
terrorism
war/iraq-afghanistan
energy/oil/supply
status of the military - size and equipment, etc
health care
social security
medicare
immigration
budget deficit
aging society
real estate crisis
trade agreements
education/schools
supreme court appts
iran
employment
recovery from the last eight years
space exploration
fema/red cross- emergency and disaster relief
irs-tax reform
terrorism
war/iraq-afghanistan
energy/oil/supply
status of the military - size and equipment, etc
health care
social security
medicare
immigration
budget deficit
aging society
real estate crisis
trade agreements
education/schools
supreme court appts
iran
employment
recovery from the last eight years
space exploration
fema/red cross- emergency and disaster relief
irs-tax reform
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
thursday part 1: 36 x 100
quick bit on today's run. some sleep last night despite sciatica still acting up and causing some itb and nerve pain all down the right side. where did this come other than sitting in a tight cramped airplane?
but at any rate, i was up just before 6am with a heart rate now back down to 48. still high, but not crazy high like the past two weeks. out the door to run at 6:20 and headed over to king edward park to run some striders; gail to join me later. a nice cool morning with the sun already up for awhile. mostly dog walkers up and around and a few people biking to work and school. did a loop around the park to warmup and had 15 minutes in when gail came out.
the workout was a simple on- coach benson's old standby- 36 x 100 with a 100 jog recovery. i added stopping to stretch the itb every 12 striders. thne ran a pretty good workout. despite being tight and in pain- not something i would recommend to everyone, i ran nice and strong and made sure i used the right leg so as not to favor anything and cause other problems and also to keep using the right leg and hoping to help break down whatever scar tissue was in there enough to be able to run with both legs.
this is a workout where you just fall into a nice rhythm and i tried to run them pretty consistently hard, rather than just a few really fast. and that worked well today, with the last 30 striders being within a second of each other and all generally faster than usual. somewhere around the 31st i could tell that the leg was getting tired or tighter might be a better way of putting it. tried to relax more and maintain form. you can tell when the body is saying almost enough or enough. i don't always listen to pain when i start out but i do listen once i am running. your body tells you things if you pay attention. i probably run more often when it says not to start, but i wanted to do this workout and would rather miss an easy run day than a hard workout day. 100's may not seem hard, but run 36 of them hard and you will feel it. a good sign now is that i am able to run them faster at a lower heart rate. hoepfully next week i can start going back to the real track, though it is not nice to have this so close to the house and to be able to run sprints on grass and warmup and down on a dirt and grass trail along the water.
made sure the cooldown was long enough to make it an 8 mile day. this puts me over 2700 miles for the year here so far, my biggest year in awhile. with 40 days to go i will probably be just short of 3000 miles. we have enough travel coming up that there will days that will be missed, but the trips are nice ones and a little break won't hurt. i am definitely stronger than i was last year. and when i get home and start getting some treatment for the pf/itb/sciatica i am hoping i can gain some more speed. plus i hope to be able to run some with faster people. will have to find a good mix of running and the rest of life as there is so much more to do there and stuff that needs to be done. much more free time here even if everything does take longer to do. just being away from this house will be better.
onto the rest of the day- lots to do: back later for part two i hope.
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from crooks and liars blog ---
Stephen Colbert delineates the way that John McCain attempts to diversify and distinguish himself from George Bush: by the way he characterizes his stances.
It’s no secret that one of John McCain’s biggest challenges as a candidate is distinguishing himself from President Bush. I’m not sure why he’s eager to spurn President Bush’s supporters. I mean, that’s walking away from almost 29% of the American electorate and nearly half the Bush children.
But he’s so different from Bush already. The only issues they agree on are education, immigration, Iraq, abortion, Supreme Court judges, Social Security, tax breaks for the wealthy, wiretapping, trade, healthcare, the Middle East, same sex marriage and Medicare.
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but at any rate, i was up just before 6am with a heart rate now back down to 48. still high, but not crazy high like the past two weeks. out the door to run at 6:20 and headed over to king edward park to run some striders; gail to join me later. a nice cool morning with the sun already up for awhile. mostly dog walkers up and around and a few people biking to work and school. did a loop around the park to warmup and had 15 minutes in when gail came out.
the workout was a simple on- coach benson's old standby- 36 x 100 with a 100 jog recovery. i added stopping to stretch the itb every 12 striders. thne ran a pretty good workout. despite being tight and in pain- not something i would recommend to everyone, i ran nice and strong and made sure i used the right leg so as not to favor anything and cause other problems and also to keep using the right leg and hoping to help break down whatever scar tissue was in there enough to be able to run with both legs.
this is a workout where you just fall into a nice rhythm and i tried to run them pretty consistently hard, rather than just a few really fast. and that worked well today, with the last 30 striders being within a second of each other and all generally faster than usual. somewhere around the 31st i could tell that the leg was getting tired or tighter might be a better way of putting it. tried to relax more and maintain form. you can tell when the body is saying almost enough or enough. i don't always listen to pain when i start out but i do listen once i am running. your body tells you things if you pay attention. i probably run more often when it says not to start, but i wanted to do this workout and would rather miss an easy run day than a hard workout day. 100's may not seem hard, but run 36 of them hard and you will feel it. a good sign now is that i am able to run them faster at a lower heart rate. hoepfully next week i can start going back to the real track, though it is not nice to have this so close to the house and to be able to run sprints on grass and warmup and down on a dirt and grass trail along the water.
made sure the cooldown was long enough to make it an 8 mile day. this puts me over 2700 miles for the year here so far, my biggest year in awhile. with 40 days to go i will probably be just short of 3000 miles. we have enough travel coming up that there will days that will be missed, but the trips are nice ones and a little break won't hurt. i am definitely stronger than i was last year. and when i get home and start getting some treatment for the pf/itb/sciatica i am hoping i can gain some more speed. plus i hope to be able to run some with faster people. will have to find a good mix of running and the rest of life as there is so much more to do there and stuff that needs to be done. much more free time here even if everything does take longer to do. just being away from this house will be better.
onto the rest of the day- lots to do: back later for part two i hope.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from crooks and liars blog ---
Stephen Colbert delineates the way that John McCain attempts to diversify and distinguish himself from George Bush: by the way he characterizes his stances.
It’s no secret that one of John McCain’s biggest challenges as a candidate is distinguishing himself from President Bush. I’m not sure why he’s eager to spurn President Bush’s supporters. I mean, that’s walking away from almost 29% of the American electorate and nearly half the Bush children.
But he’s so different from Bush already. The only issues they agree on are education, immigration, Iraq, abortion, Supreme Court judges, Social Security, tax breaks for the wealthy, wiretapping, trade, healthcare, the Middle East, same sex marriage and Medicare.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, June 19, 2008
hurry up blog post
one day soon i may catch up and have a little time, but not today for sure. still getting over jet lag, but almost there. last night's 4 hours of sleep didn't help much. tonight won't be much better probably, but at least i will be more back on the usual schedule.
the "tent" house is really starting to fall apart even more and here's hoping i will hold on for 6 more weeks without us getting too sick. but more on that later.
today after some short few hours of a miserable sleep i went out to run. still early and almost cold as it was about 50 degrees and a little windy. turned out to be somewhat windy all day long. i ran north on binsey towards the village and cut over to port meadow where i ran into two americans not quite sure of where they were and how to meet the cab they had called. spent a few minutes explaining the options and that went ok and the cab met them at the end of the lane- seems they were living on a small boat on the thames for 2 weeks. she was headed back to oregon while he stayed here for two more days. on i went.
over to the thames and south past the cows. into the wind also, but at least it was not 100 degrees with deep humidity. over rainbow bridge and down the thames. the workers had made lots of progress while i had been gone and had also made a long detour for the next phase of trail repair. the water was a moving green color and the ducks and swans moved along quietly and in apparent hurry. i kept going also, at a speed that made it look like i was in no apparent hurry either. all the way down to botley road and then over to the canal and north back to walton lane and port meadow. i did this loop three times rather than get too far away today as i knew i was tired and at any moment i might want to stop.
but i hung on for about 7 miles and then headed to the store for food and supplies.
then home and back into town to go to the bank and run some other errands. got that all done in an hour or so and walked home. another 10 miles of movement. almost miss my car.
back to the tent house and did some laundry while i ate a little breakfast. then headed up to the range and hit 200 balls working almost totally on drills with some chipping and pitching thrown in. went pretty well until the last 20 balls or so and i could tell i was fading in my focus. time to go home and relax.
read some while waiting for gail to come home and we had a nice little dinner and then went for a cooldown walk- chilly out actually. we walked over to the community center and past the lawn bowling courts to the old swimming hole and water falls. very pretty back there and clearly there are not many visitors back here these days. walked past a "no golf" sign. sort of funny as i doubt many people come back behind the community center to hit golf balls.
then home again to deal with bank stuff and all sorts of admin paperwork. now the blog. then fold clothes and try again to get some sleep. have slept about 12 of the last 96 hours. what can i say? not quite the way i had planned it, but will catch up somewhere and maybe answer some of the many emails i have not the past few days.
a joy to run here again i must say. the local pub, the perch is set to re-open in july, having been re-built again after its' second fire in two years and the village of binsey is planning a "fete" to celebrate. should be fun.
more tomorrow. maybe the sciatica will cooperate and allow some sleep tonight. peace.
the "tent" house is really starting to fall apart even more and here's hoping i will hold on for 6 more weeks without us getting too sick. but more on that later.
today after some short few hours of a miserable sleep i went out to run. still early and almost cold as it was about 50 degrees and a little windy. turned out to be somewhat windy all day long. i ran north on binsey towards the village and cut over to port meadow where i ran into two americans not quite sure of where they were and how to meet the cab they had called. spent a few minutes explaining the options and that went ok and the cab met them at the end of the lane- seems they were living on a small boat on the thames for 2 weeks. she was headed back to oregon while he stayed here for two more days. on i went.
over to the thames and south past the cows. into the wind also, but at least it was not 100 degrees with deep humidity. over rainbow bridge and down the thames. the workers had made lots of progress while i had been gone and had also made a long detour for the next phase of trail repair. the water was a moving green color and the ducks and swans moved along quietly and in apparent hurry. i kept going also, at a speed that made it look like i was in no apparent hurry either. all the way down to botley road and then over to the canal and north back to walton lane and port meadow. i did this loop three times rather than get too far away today as i knew i was tired and at any moment i might want to stop.
but i hung on for about 7 miles and then headed to the store for food and supplies.
then home and back into town to go to the bank and run some other errands. got that all done in an hour or so and walked home. another 10 miles of movement. almost miss my car.
back to the tent house and did some laundry while i ate a little breakfast. then headed up to the range and hit 200 balls working almost totally on drills with some chipping and pitching thrown in. went pretty well until the last 20 balls or so and i could tell i was fading in my focus. time to go home and relax.
read some while waiting for gail to come home and we had a nice little dinner and then went for a cooldown walk- chilly out actually. we walked over to the community center and past the lawn bowling courts to the old swimming hole and water falls. very pretty back there and clearly there are not many visitors back here these days. walked past a "no golf" sign. sort of funny as i doubt many people come back behind the community center to hit golf balls.
then home again to deal with bank stuff and all sorts of admin paperwork. now the blog. then fold clothes and try again to get some sleep. have slept about 12 of the last 96 hours. what can i say? not quite the way i had planned it, but will catch up somewhere and maybe answer some of the many emails i have not the past few days.
a joy to run here again i must say. the local pub, the perch is set to re-open in july, having been re-built again after its' second fire in two years and the village of binsey is planning a "fete" to celebrate. should be fun.
more tomorrow. maybe the sciatica will cooperate and allow some sleep tonight. peace.
Boswell: After proving he's perfect, Tiger has to change - Washington Post- nbcsports.msnbc.com
an interesting article about tiger and his injuries--
Boswell: After proving he's perfect, Tiger has to change - Washington Post- nbcsports.msnbc.com
Boswell: After proving he's perfect, Tiger has to change - Washington Post- nbcsports.msnbc.com
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
tuesday's run, etc.
behind on this- thought i had blogged my tuesday run, but must have only thought about doing it and then didn't. in a nutshell gail had called really early and got me up so by 6:20am i was out on the trail again. went north up through the construction and then over the bridge just past the water stop. turned left and went past the few houses there and then down the trail towards the 6 mile mark. not bad out today heat and humidity wise, though i always feel some sort of pressure to get finished on the days i fly as it feels like there is so much to be done before i leave.
but when i run north i go at least past the 6 mile mark to see the wide water area of dyke marsh as it just so pretty and this early it is extremely so with just one heron standing in the water waiting for breakfast to come swimming by.
then back up the long hill. passing up the water fountain i stay straight on the road and turn down towards east blvd. a car goes by now and then on their way to work and i continue on looking at the gardens. i throw in a few short little pickups to stretch the legs out a bit and then at collingwood i cross back over the parkway and turn south. back down towards waynewood and i keep going south. it is early and despite feeling pressure, there is none really. i cannot get it all done and will leave lots of stuff waiting for our return.
i run all the way down to the restaurant on the hill and turn back towards home. this should give me about 9 miles and will do for the day. once home i do a quick short ride on the bike to just stretch out the legs again. 12 easy miles at a steady rpm's about 94 and then a short weight workout and finally done.
spent the rest of the morning scurrying about with house stuff and trying to clean up the flooded stuff and subsequent mold. took a break and hit some pitch shots and putted some. no range today for sure. eventually i just stopped everything and got ready for don to come get me and take me to the airport. the rest as they say, is history and i am back here. and life goes on...
but when i run north i go at least past the 6 mile mark to see the wide water area of dyke marsh as it just so pretty and this early it is extremely so with just one heron standing in the water waiting for breakfast to come swimming by.
then back up the long hill. passing up the water fountain i stay straight on the road and turn down towards east blvd. a car goes by now and then on their way to work and i continue on looking at the gardens. i throw in a few short little pickups to stretch the legs out a bit and then at collingwood i cross back over the parkway and turn south. back down towards waynewood and i keep going south. it is early and despite feeling pressure, there is none really. i cannot get it all done and will leave lots of stuff waiting for our return.
i run all the way down to the restaurant on the hill and turn back towards home. this should give me about 9 miles and will do for the day. once home i do a quick short ride on the bike to just stretch out the legs again. 12 easy miles at a steady rpm's about 94 and then a short weight workout and finally done.
spent the rest of the morning scurrying about with house stuff and trying to clean up the flooded stuff and subsequent mold. took a break and hit some pitch shots and putted some. no range today for sure. eventually i just stopped everything and got ready for don to come get me and take me to the airport. the rest as they say, is history and i am back here. and life goes on...
back in england
might as well with the fact of the day from the scotman.com-
Fact of the Day
The final battle of the Napoleonic Wars was fought today near the Belgian village of Waterloo in 1815. One of the greatest heroes of the battle was cavalry sergeant Charles Ewart of the Royal Scots Greys, who single-handedly captured a French regimental eagle standard. Buried in Manchester in 1846, Ewart's remains were later reinterred at the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.
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anyway- made it back; flight went as ok as it could. the plane was packed and we had the smaller jet so the seats were horrible and very tight and no sleep at all was possible; did watch a very sweet Japanese movie. the meal was not as good as usual, but i came prepared for that and ate what i brought on. and then i got the bus right away when i got there so i was back in the "tent" earlier than i had thought possible. nice to have no luggage, though i am not sure customs was happy with my frequent in and outs of the country. one more time to go and they won't have to worry about me anymore.
had a light lunch and a quick little nap and then went to the range and really was trying to pin down exactly what i will be working on. hit great and bad- usual pattern, but could tell i was tired. 150 balls later and some chips and i went back to the house. nothing i can say will explain exactly how disappointing it is to be back here other than to be with gail of course. but only 6 weeks to go and will try to enjoy those parts of oxford that i truly do like and probably am just tired now so it looks worse than it really is- how's that for a politically correct lie? at least here i can limit how many lies i hear mccain tell.
no run today but did walk a few miles and hit balls so i got some exercise at least.
will catch up with everything tomorrow. i do notice a different attitude within me right now and i am not sure it is a good one. time will tell.
Fact of the Day
The final battle of the Napoleonic Wars was fought today near the Belgian village of Waterloo in 1815. One of the greatest heroes of the battle was cavalry sergeant Charles Ewart of the Royal Scots Greys, who single-handedly captured a French regimental eagle standard. Buried in Manchester in 1846, Ewart's remains were later reinterred at the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle.
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anyway- made it back; flight went as ok as it could. the plane was packed and we had the smaller jet so the seats were horrible and very tight and no sleep at all was possible; did watch a very sweet Japanese movie. the meal was not as good as usual, but i came prepared for that and ate what i brought on. and then i got the bus right away when i got there so i was back in the "tent" earlier than i had thought possible. nice to have no luggage, though i am not sure customs was happy with my frequent in and outs of the country. one more time to go and they won't have to worry about me anymore.
had a light lunch and a quick little nap and then went to the range and really was trying to pin down exactly what i will be working on. hit great and bad- usual pattern, but could tell i was tired. 150 balls later and some chips and i went back to the house. nothing i can say will explain exactly how disappointing it is to be back here other than to be with gail of course. but only 6 weeks to go and will try to enjoy those parts of oxford that i truly do like and probably am just tired now so it looks worse than it really is- how's that for a politically correct lie? at least here i can limit how many lies i hear mccain tell.
no run today but did walk a few miles and hit balls so i got some exercise at least.
will catch up with everything tomorrow. i do notice a different attitude within me right now and i am not sure it is a good one. time will tell.
Monday, June 16, 2008
run, golf and the house
long day today; up early and ran a short track workout with a long cool down; got 8 miles in with 20 x 100 and 10 x 200-then off to squeeze in my last 9 holes before i leave- played well after shaky start and shot one under par with 4 birdies for 9 holes. has been awhile since i had three birdies in a row; a nice change from the way i have been playing lately.
then ran around doing last minute errands, got the lawn mowed before the storm hit, cut up some more rug and dealt with water damage. did laundry, etc, etc. still at it and need some rest. not enough hours in the day these past several days and i probably could have done a better job dealing with it all, but i always want to do it all and not in love with settling-
more tomorrow- actually, not probably until wed. night.
then ran around doing last minute errands, got the lawn mowed before the storm hit, cut up some more rug and dealt with water damage. did laundry, etc, etc. still at it and need some rest. not enough hours in the day these past several days and i probably could have done a better job dealing with it all, but i always want to do it all and not in love with settling-
more tomorrow- actually, not probably until wed. night.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
father's day post
short and sweet - or at least short-
up and out and ran 8 miles. not as hot and humid as yesterday, but still not great- went north and south today so as not to get too far away from home- also carried water again. morning heart rate was 49, a little better but not good at all. must be the humidity but my heart rate has been high ever since i have been back and it is also hard to keep it down while i am running. decent run though and i was a little stronger after i got the first mile stiffness out of the way. weight is down a couple of pounds since i have been back despite all the eating and rinking i am doing, but i have been working really hard on the house and have been very active -
spent several hours after the run working on the house and yard, cutting up wet rugs and mowing the lawn and replanting things and weeding some. also cleaning out stuff and throwing things away.
practiced some in the back after i finished some of the work out back and then went to dinner with beth and shawn. good food and company and was nice to not eat alone. then stopped at the range on the way home as i had to pass it anyway and hit a small bucket of balls doing drills. still cannot swing the golf club but am trying.
then home to work on the flooded area again. and that is where i am off to. running out of time and so much won't get done, but only 45 days left before we are home semi-permanently. seems funny but we have trips to ireland and france right after we get home.
us open playoff tomorrow and won't get to see much of that most likely- hope it goes down to a birdie on 18.
up and out and ran 8 miles. not as hot and humid as yesterday, but still not great- went north and south today so as not to get too far away from home- also carried water again. morning heart rate was 49, a little better but not good at all. must be the humidity but my heart rate has been high ever since i have been back and it is also hard to keep it down while i am running. decent run though and i was a little stronger after i got the first mile stiffness out of the way. weight is down a couple of pounds since i have been back despite all the eating and rinking i am doing, but i have been working really hard on the house and have been very active -
spent several hours after the run working on the house and yard, cutting up wet rugs and mowing the lawn and replanting things and weeding some. also cleaning out stuff and throwing things away.
practiced some in the back after i finished some of the work out back and then went to dinner with beth and shawn. good food and company and was nice to not eat alone. then stopped at the range on the way home as i had to pass it anyway and hit a small bucket of balls doing drills. still cannot swing the golf club but am trying.
then home to work on the flooded area again. and that is where i am off to. running out of time and so much won't get done, but only 45 days left before we are home semi-permanently. seems funny but we have trips to ireland and france right after we get home.
us open playoff tomorrow and won't get to see much of that most likely- hope it goes down to a birdie on 18.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
three day recap, sort of-
up and down last three days spent between being ok and somewhat depressed. without all of the details at least they are behind me. starting with today on 4 hours of sleep i went out and ran 12 miles in the heat and very high humidity. to highlight just how hot it was, i drank a bottle of water before i went out and three bottles while i was out and then a bottle and two diet cokes after i was done and still lost 5.5 pounds during the run.
a good 12 miles though. my morning heart rate was 52- extremely high and normally i would have rested as i knew i was tired, but not from running, just from the lack of sleep and the heat. if the heart rate hadn't been way too high all week i would have been more concerned, but i figured i was just tired and the heat was driving it up. the last few days have been full of leg cramps and lower leg pain for no apparent reason. i couldn't be drinking more fluids, though not gatorade and maybe i need more electrolytes.
i tried to just run with my monitor at about 70% and let the heart rate creep catch up with me as it got warmer and my blood thickened. that worked pretty well and i was only over my heart zone for 15 minutes of the entire run. went north a bit and then south and headed to ft hunt to run a few loops in the shade without the larger hills. ran 4 of the larger loops in the park that added 6 miles to the run and then a rotary 10k was about to start so i headed back down to the trail towards mt vernon and that was ok despite the heat. i stopped twice to refill the water bottle and kept going. and i had 12 miles in when i got home. unlike oxford the trails are marked here so it is easier to tell how far you went, though i do prefer to just run for time.
then home to work on house stuff and lawn stuff and run to the store and get what i needed. what a pain it is to go anywhere here and it does take a lot of time to get things done. funny comparing that to oxford.
ate too much just trying to recover and refuel. then later after dealing with bank stuff i went to the driving range and the storm hit while i was on my way. still got to hit but i was truly horrible and after a second bucket of just doing drills i gave up and went home - to deal with the flood in the basement again. the two fans seem to have no impact on it but i will keep trying.
the last two days are hardly worth noting, but mostly because i am too tried to deal with their futility. ran 4 miles and rode 21 miles both days for exercise. don and i played 9 holes of golf at jefferson on thursday with kim and paige. then worked on the house and tried to get things started for our return trip- getting no help at all from various contractors and just finally decided to do what i could and deal with everything when we get back. still, have to deal with the mold and decide what to try and save and what to just toss out.
time for some sleep- maybe things will look better when i am rested. in reality life is good. the house will be dealt with at some point. will do what i can - with just a couple of days left it is time to decide what must be done before i leave and what can wait.
can still hear thunder outside though i thought the rain had finally passed through. fortunately the house didn't lose power for the fourth time since i have been home.
will see what tomorrow brings and maybe my spirits will be better.
a good 12 miles though. my morning heart rate was 52- extremely high and normally i would have rested as i knew i was tired, but not from running, just from the lack of sleep and the heat. if the heart rate hadn't been way too high all week i would have been more concerned, but i figured i was just tired and the heat was driving it up. the last few days have been full of leg cramps and lower leg pain for no apparent reason. i couldn't be drinking more fluids, though not gatorade and maybe i need more electrolytes.
i tried to just run with my monitor at about 70% and let the heart rate creep catch up with me as it got warmer and my blood thickened. that worked pretty well and i was only over my heart zone for 15 minutes of the entire run. went north a bit and then south and headed to ft hunt to run a few loops in the shade without the larger hills. ran 4 of the larger loops in the park that added 6 miles to the run and then a rotary 10k was about to start so i headed back down to the trail towards mt vernon and that was ok despite the heat. i stopped twice to refill the water bottle and kept going. and i had 12 miles in when i got home. unlike oxford the trails are marked here so it is easier to tell how far you went, though i do prefer to just run for time.
then home to work on house stuff and lawn stuff and run to the store and get what i needed. what a pain it is to go anywhere here and it does take a lot of time to get things done. funny comparing that to oxford.
ate too much just trying to recover and refuel. then later after dealing with bank stuff i went to the driving range and the storm hit while i was on my way. still got to hit but i was truly horrible and after a second bucket of just doing drills i gave up and went home - to deal with the flood in the basement again. the two fans seem to have no impact on it but i will keep trying.
the last two days are hardly worth noting, but mostly because i am too tried to deal with their futility. ran 4 miles and rode 21 miles both days for exercise. don and i played 9 holes of golf at jefferson on thursday with kim and paige. then worked on the house and tried to get things started for our return trip- getting no help at all from various contractors and just finally decided to do what i could and deal with everything when we get back. still, have to deal with the mold and decide what to try and save and what to just toss out.
time for some sleep- maybe things will look better when i am rested. in reality life is good. the house will be dealt with at some point. will do what i can - with just a couple of days left it is time to decide what must be done before i leave and what can wait.
can still hear thunder outside though i thought the rain had finally passed through. fortunately the house didn't lose power for the fourth time since i have been home.
will see what tomorrow brings and maybe my spirits will be better.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
not as hot, but much more tired
wasn't that bad out actually when i went out to run, but there wasn't much firepower in the legs either. morning heart rate was a ridiculous 52 and i know i should have just slept in and recovered from all of the time i was outside yesterday, but i was really trying to just take thursday off as my plan had called for or at worst friday, if needed.
so i went out hydrated and headed north and went up to the 6 mile marker and then back down the east blvd loop throwing in the long hill at the bottom of kent rd as well. then at the parkway i turned around and ran the loop in the other direction and went back to the water fountain north of the 5 mile marker. then finally towards home, adding just a little bit south past waynewood blvd and a little north to make sure i had the distance in. enough and then home. nine miles, amazing on these legs. trying to stretch a bit, i rode 40 minutes on the bike while waiting for the air conditioner people to show up, but got a call cancelling instead, something about two people calling in sick and them having to take care of the older people who had no air conditioning and they were sure i would understand and yes, they could reschedule for august.
this call was almost immediately followed by a return call from my cancer dr.'s officer saying i could make an appt at my dr's new office but my insurance wouldn't cover it and i would have to pay out of my own pocket. seems the dr had not been approved yet to pick up her old patients from kaiser. another treat for me--
but one more to go as the rug/flood repair people couldn't make it out today and would call in the morning. strike three i think that was. oh well-
out back to cut the grass and weed a little and to re-plant some stuff that needed to be dealt with before my return to the UK next week. then i practiced some in the back yard hitting 120 various type shots with the lob wedge.
and then back in to cut up some more rug and throw more stuff out. third shower of the day came early today. ate a huge lunch as i felt almost weak, though not all that hungry. then off to the driving range where i practiced short game with brad and then hit a bucket of balls so-so to be generous. head was trying but the body was not willing. almost had my hook perfected but i ran out of balls too soon.
and home-- some more laundry, some vacuuming of the rug and more throw away of stuff.
and boring as these last few blogs have been that is all i have right now. need one good night of sleep but it obviously won't be tonight.
on the bright side we get to try it again tomorrow. other than the rug and future mold it could be worse. will work out the dr. thing one way or another and i don 't really care about the golf right now. the legs will recover and i can do the bank work tomorrow. everyday is saturday.
under 50 days to go now. already have some golf set up for when i get back and some races to run. will deal with the house and all the rest later. time to hang up clothes. peace. on that note, we have been at war over five years now. see if you can guess what the two sentences i just erased said. mission accomplished. good job brownie. yada yada yada---
so i went out hydrated and headed north and went up to the 6 mile marker and then back down the east blvd loop throwing in the long hill at the bottom of kent rd as well. then at the parkway i turned around and ran the loop in the other direction and went back to the water fountain north of the 5 mile marker. then finally towards home, adding just a little bit south past waynewood blvd and a little north to make sure i had the distance in. enough and then home. nine miles, amazing on these legs. trying to stretch a bit, i rode 40 minutes on the bike while waiting for the air conditioner people to show up, but got a call cancelling instead, something about two people calling in sick and them having to take care of the older people who had no air conditioning and they were sure i would understand and yes, they could reschedule for august.
this call was almost immediately followed by a return call from my cancer dr.'s officer saying i could make an appt at my dr's new office but my insurance wouldn't cover it and i would have to pay out of my own pocket. seems the dr had not been approved yet to pick up her old patients from kaiser. another treat for me--
but one more to go as the rug/flood repair people couldn't make it out today and would call in the morning. strike three i think that was. oh well-
out back to cut the grass and weed a little and to re-plant some stuff that needed to be dealt with before my return to the UK next week. then i practiced some in the back yard hitting 120 various type shots with the lob wedge.
and then back in to cut up some more rug and throw more stuff out. third shower of the day came early today. ate a huge lunch as i felt almost weak, though not all that hungry. then off to the driving range where i practiced short game with brad and then hit a bucket of balls so-so to be generous. head was trying but the body was not willing. almost had my hook perfected but i ran out of balls too soon.
and home-- some more laundry, some vacuuming of the rug and more throw away of stuff.
and boring as these last few blogs have been that is all i have right now. need one good night of sleep but it obviously won't be tonight.
on the bright side we get to try it again tomorrow. other than the rug and future mold it could be worse. will work out the dr. thing one way or another and i don 't really care about the golf right now. the legs will recover and i can do the bank work tomorrow. everyday is saturday.
under 50 days to go now. already have some golf set up for when i get back and some races to run. will deal with the house and all the rest later. time to hang up clothes. peace. on that note, we have been at war over five years now. see if you can guess what the two sentences i just erased said. mission accomplished. good job brownie. yada yada yada---
speedwork in the heat
this is actually tuesday's entry but it is past midnight now- had too much fun cutting up the rugs in the basement to stop and blog. at least i could do laundry at the same time.
i was at the track just before 6:30am and the heat index was already pretty high. and of course there was nobody else out there that early. my only plan for the workout was to take what the heat allowed me and try and stay below 8 minute pace. also my right leg was really tight as the kneecap prevented me from stretching it. some with a short and slow jog warmup i started and made it up as i went.
started easy with some 100's and then moved up to 200's and 400's. mixed them up as i went to relieve some of the heat stress and add some recovery. it actually went pretty well though as an old coach i do realize this was a mixed up workout. still, in the end i was able to get in 21 x 100; 5 x 200; and 3 x 400. a shirt workout but given the heat and the right leg tightness it was ok and all below 8 minute pace. most of it was faster. the cooldown gave me 7 miles and that was ok too.
then home to cut the grass and weed and plant and re-plant and water. took 3 hours to do that. then i started in on the laundry room. also made some calls to try and get someone out to work on the big rugs but no luck there. after the second shower of the day i had some lunch and went to the driving range. spent two warm hours chipping and putting. then played 5 holes of the course and hit a bucket of balls and went home. they were having league play and the pace was slow enough that i got some extra putting in while waiting, but 5 holes of that was enough. best shot was a five iron from 178 onto the green. and i putted really well. still not where i need or want to be but have hope it will be good enough at some point after we get home.
home brought the third shower of the day and dinner. then back to the laundry room. and then read some and that brought me to right now. a long and very warm day. running out of time to get things done, but will keep plugging away and try to keep getting the house ready for when we come back. the heat and a/c guy comes tomorrow.
time to get going. can still get almost 5 1/2 hours of sleep if i stop now. busy day ahead tomorrow. then golf on thursday i hope. boring blog i know, but it will get better. funny how much less time i have for things here.
50 days to go.
alanis and emmy lou both released new albums today. rumor has it that gordon lightfoot has a new one also. and today was judy garland's birthday. full of useless facts huh?
i was at the track just before 6:30am and the heat index was already pretty high. and of course there was nobody else out there that early. my only plan for the workout was to take what the heat allowed me and try and stay below 8 minute pace. also my right leg was really tight as the kneecap prevented me from stretching it. some with a short and slow jog warmup i started and made it up as i went.
started easy with some 100's and then moved up to 200's and 400's. mixed them up as i went to relieve some of the heat stress and add some recovery. it actually went pretty well though as an old coach i do realize this was a mixed up workout. still, in the end i was able to get in 21 x 100; 5 x 200; and 3 x 400. a shirt workout but given the heat and the right leg tightness it was ok and all below 8 minute pace. most of it was faster. the cooldown gave me 7 miles and that was ok too.
then home to cut the grass and weed and plant and re-plant and water. took 3 hours to do that. then i started in on the laundry room. also made some calls to try and get someone out to work on the big rugs but no luck there. after the second shower of the day i had some lunch and went to the driving range. spent two warm hours chipping and putting. then played 5 holes of the course and hit a bucket of balls and went home. they were having league play and the pace was slow enough that i got some extra putting in while waiting, but 5 holes of that was enough. best shot was a five iron from 178 onto the green. and i putted really well. still not where i need or want to be but have hope it will be good enough at some point after we get home.
home brought the third shower of the day and dinner. then back to the laundry room. and then read some and that brought me to right now. a long and very warm day. running out of time to get things done, but will keep plugging away and try to keep getting the house ready for when we come back. the heat and a/c guy comes tomorrow.
time to get going. can still get almost 5 1/2 hours of sleep if i stop now. busy day ahead tomorrow. then golf on thursday i hope. boring blog i know, but it will get better. funny how much less time i have for things here.
50 days to go.
alanis and emmy lou both released new albums today. rumor has it that gordon lightfoot has a new one also. and today was judy garland's birthday. full of useless facts huh?
Monday, June 09, 2008
start of monday the 9th -12 mile run
gail called before 6am and after that call i headed out. was warm enough already and i headed north on the trail. decided to let my legs and the weather dictate the day's run, but wanted to go easy enough to get some low level speedwork in on tuesday. today could be a bit of a test for the right kneecap. still not sure what happened unless the pace and longevity of the 5k race pace over stretched it somehow. it started the run feeling stiff, but no pain while running.
went up the trail until the 5 mile water fountain which wasn't working and turned south. down by the three mile marker i ran into my friend barbara and ran back to her house with her. then turned and ran the streets doing the long alden road loop and over to ft hunt park. ran a loop there and tried to get water but no fountains were working and the bathrooms were locked up. all strange for this time of year. down to the trail i went and the fountain there wasn't working either.
turned south on the trail towards mt vernon. ran down until i knew i could turn and have 12 miles in when i gt home. was really pretty warm by now and i wasn't at all tired though i was thirsty. still i plugged along trying to keep the heart rate down. as every runner knows the heat and length of the run thickens your blood and drives the heart rate up if you stay out long enough. know as heart rate creep, it can be fun if you are trying to keep your heart rate at a certain percentage- on days like this that would typically be 70% or a little lower. i was able to do that mostly except on any hill. that seemed to drive the heart rate up even if i slowed down.
still it went ok. not many runners out but loads of bike riders. i saw two woman walkers carrying two water bottles each and doing curls with them as they walked. i ran a few quicker striders to stretch out the legs a bit and used the shade spots on the trail as my markers, a shady sort of fartlek.
and then finally home ran a little down west blvd to make sure i had the distance in and then at home rode 10 miles on the lifecycle as a cooldown. not a bad workout given the heat, lack of water and the 10 mmiles i ran yesterday. and noticed that i got stronger as i went, a good sign.
back later for more. will be interesting coming back home. not sure exactly how yet but i know i am coming back a different person than i left. not sure if that is good or bad yet. will be interesting to see how this plays out.
went up the trail until the 5 mile water fountain which wasn't working and turned south. down by the three mile marker i ran into my friend barbara and ran back to her house with her. then turned and ran the streets doing the long alden road loop and over to ft hunt park. ran a loop there and tried to get water but no fountains were working and the bathrooms were locked up. all strange for this time of year. down to the trail i went and the fountain there wasn't working either.
turned south on the trail towards mt vernon. ran down until i knew i could turn and have 12 miles in when i gt home. was really pretty warm by now and i wasn't at all tired though i was thirsty. still i plugged along trying to keep the heart rate down. as every runner knows the heat and length of the run thickens your blood and drives the heart rate up if you stay out long enough. know as heart rate creep, it can be fun if you are trying to keep your heart rate at a certain percentage- on days like this that would typically be 70% or a little lower. i was able to do that mostly except on any hill. that seemed to drive the heart rate up even if i slowed down.
still it went ok. not many runners out but loads of bike riders. i saw two woman walkers carrying two water bottles each and doing curls with them as they walked. i ran a few quicker striders to stretch out the legs a bit and used the shade spots on the trail as my markers, a shady sort of fartlek.
and then finally home ran a little down west blvd to make sure i had the distance in and then at home rode 10 miles on the lifecycle as a cooldown. not a bad workout given the heat, lack of water and the 10 mmiles i ran yesterday. and noticed that i got stronger as i went, a good sign.
back later for more. will be interesting coming back home. not sure exactly how yet but i know i am coming back a different person than i left. not sure if that is good or bad yet. will be interesting to see how this plays out.
$4 gas prices is news to the president
from the c and l blog-june 9, 2008
Gas Hits $4 a Gallon; Bush “Hadn’t Heard That”
Posted: 08 Jun 2008 04:44 PM CDT
Just a little over three months ago, President Bush declared he “hadn’t heard” that gasoline would soon reach $4 a gallon. Today, the milestone anticipated by all save the President of the United States came to pass:
“Drivers are paying an average of $4 for a gallon of gasoline for the first time. AAA and the Oil Price Information Service say the national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to $4.005 overnight from $3.988. But consumers in many parts of the country have already been paying well above that price for some time.”
Given the stratospheric - and uninterrupted - rise in oil and gas prices, Bush’s February 28 display of ignorance is all the more jaw-dropping. Asked by a reporter about the looming arrival of $4 gas, Bush the former oil man did what comes naturally and played dumb:
Q What’s your advice to the average American who is hurting now, facing the prospect of $4 a gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing —
THE PRESIDENT: Wait, what did you just say? You’re predicting $4 a gallon gasoline?
Q A number of analysts are predicting —
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, yeah?
Q — $4 a gallon gasoline this spring when they reformulate.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard that.
Perrspectives has more on Bush’s mind-numbing mindlessness and his dismal history of broken promises to “jawbone” his Saudi and Kuwaiti friends into opening the spigots.
Gas Hits $4 a Gallon; Bush “Hadn’t Heard That”
Posted: 08 Jun 2008 04:44 PM CDT
Just a little over three months ago, President Bush declared he “hadn’t heard” that gasoline would soon reach $4 a gallon. Today, the milestone anticipated by all save the President of the United States came to pass:
“Drivers are paying an average of $4 for a gallon of gasoline for the first time. AAA and the Oil Price Information Service say the national average price for a gallon of regular gas rose to $4.005 overnight from $3.988. But consumers in many parts of the country have already been paying well above that price for some time.”
Given the stratospheric - and uninterrupted - rise in oil and gas prices, Bush’s February 28 display of ignorance is all the more jaw-dropping. Asked by a reporter about the looming arrival of $4 gas, Bush the former oil man did what comes naturally and played dumb:
Q What’s your advice to the average American who is hurting now, facing the prospect of $4 a gallon gasoline, a lot of people facing —
THE PRESIDENT: Wait, what did you just say? You’re predicting $4 a gallon gasoline?
Q A number of analysts are predicting —
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, yeah?
Q — $4 a gallon gasoline this spring when they reformulate.
THE PRESIDENT: That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard that.
Perrspectives has more on Bush’s mind-numbing mindlessness and his dismal history of broken promises to “jawbone” his Saudi and Kuwaiti friends into opening the spigots.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
saturday and sunday in review
spent the weekend in philly after running 8 miles in the heat and humidity saturday morning on the river trail. as it is now 2 days later there is not that much to say about the run except that my right kneecap was sore. may have over stretched it after the 5k when it might have tighten up and then the stretch didn't help, but hurt it a little. will see. went slow and steady with a somewhat high pulse given the heat and humidity. not many people out on the trail at 6am, but the sun was up and i had to get going so i was out early.
the ride to philly was an easy one actually and that was a nice change. the weekend at my mom's went as well as it could have given the very high temps there. didn't go out at all except to the acme food store. ordered dinner from giovanni's and that was nice treat.
got up very early sunday morning and went to tookany creek to run. did the same thing as yesterday going at a speed i could handle in the heat. haven't run in this kind of h&h yet this summer and will not get this humidity in the UK, nor temps this most likely. ran into two guys i knew from elkins park-way back from the old fleet feet racing days- and we ran a few miles together and then walked some with bruce who was recovering from achilles surgery. ran enough to call it ten miles and it was just about 8am. nice to do it and be done early.
spent the day inside at my mom's eating, reading and watching some tv news and the 145 mile bike race in philly. later in the day i headed home. nothing at home went as planned as we had lost power while i was gone-strange- and of course, the basement flood still had to be dealt with. had hoped to go to the range but didn't make it. was too late and too hot and i was tired. kneecap was tight and not able to be stretched. will ice it down to morrow. supposed to be hotter. was 98 yesterday and 96 today-supposed to be 98 again tomorrow. was supposed to play golf but will get home too late to do that and not sure how i could have in that heat having to be all dressed up to avoid the sun.
one more day. hope the kneecap is ok. did get the run in today but then it tightened up. guess it didn't like running that hard. in truth i would have liked to have run more long faster stuff before i did it, but figured it was only 5k. time will tell.
meanwhile i have a heat headache and need some sleep after 10 hours in the last two days. lots to do this week.
the ride to philly was an easy one actually and that was a nice change. the weekend at my mom's went as well as it could have given the very high temps there. didn't go out at all except to the acme food store. ordered dinner from giovanni's and that was nice treat.
got up very early sunday morning and went to tookany creek to run. did the same thing as yesterday going at a speed i could handle in the heat. haven't run in this kind of h&h yet this summer and will not get this humidity in the UK, nor temps this most likely. ran into two guys i knew from elkins park-way back from the old fleet feet racing days- and we ran a few miles together and then walked some with bruce who was recovering from achilles surgery. ran enough to call it ten miles and it was just about 8am. nice to do it and be done early.
spent the day inside at my mom's eating, reading and watching some tv news and the 145 mile bike race in philly. later in the day i headed home. nothing at home went as planned as we had lost power while i was gone-strange- and of course, the basement flood still had to be dealt with. had hoped to go to the range but didn't make it. was too late and too hot and i was tired. kneecap was tight and not able to be stretched. will ice it down to morrow. supposed to be hotter. was 98 yesterday and 96 today-supposed to be 98 again tomorrow. was supposed to play golf but will get home too late to do that and not sure how i could have in that heat having to be all dressed up to avoid the sun.
one more day. hope the kneecap is ok. did get the run in today but then it tightened up. guess it didn't like running that hard. in truth i would have liked to have run more long faster stuff before i did it, but figured it was only 5k. time will tell.
meanwhile i have a heat headache and need some sleep after 10 hours in the last two days. lots to do this week.
Friday, June 06, 2008
never enough time in america
could have called today's diary entry just about anything the way today went, but what is going through my mind right now is how there is never enough time to do everything i want and need to do here and so choices have to be made and frustrations have to be dealt with. one of the nice things about living in "the tent" in oxford is that there really is not much to do with the house unless there is an emergency and even though we have had our shares of those they all get seem to get fixed one way or another.
but here in the states back in my real world there is much to do and not enough time to do it all. and especially frustrating is when one loses their car keys- still lost at this point in time--
today started early enough with my run as i knew it would be getting hotter and more humid every moment i delayed getting out. and today i decided i would try to run my own 5k time trail. just won't have enough time to do the race tomorrow and still get to philly with the stops i need to make on the way there.
so i was out early to the track- first time i noticed the car key was missing, but fortunately the track is only a mile from the house and somewhere i have a backup key. not for now though. have to be off of the track before the kids from school come out. was just over 70 degrees already and humid enough, but i had plenty of water in me and carried another bottle with me.
so off i went - in truth i expected this to be more of a mental test than a physical test. i had not raced in a few years now and the few times i tried a time trail i wasn't able to go more than two miles. the plan was to start steady and pick up each lap for about 6 laps. this would be the turning point i was sure. the only real goal i had other than to do the entire 5k was to get under 9 minute pace.
the first lap went by in 2:13 and felt ok, though not warmed up enough. there would be no stopping for stretching and i intended to use the right leg today. a 2:11 lap was right on pace and then i ran the third lap in 2:09 and the fourth in 2:07. so far so good. i was following the plan and the right leg was ok, didn't feel too hot though it was building and i was still in control of the pace and the planning, meaning the heat had not taken over yet.
the second mile started in 2:06. i could see kids over by the gym but they were going in rather than coming out. on the track i could keep pace at each 100 and that was helpful though i was running the pace i wanted to and didn't have to adjust yet. the 6th lap went by in 2:07 and it was the first time i felt the heat building up and i concentrated on my breathing pattern which fell into my old racing pattern of one breath every 2nd left foot hitting the ground. not as confusing as my writing makes it sound. breathe 2,3,4, breathe 2,3,4-like that. another 2:06 and by the end of this lap i felt better and now knew i could go the distance. the question left was would i have to slow down to complete the 5k. the second mile ended in another 2:06--two miles in 17:08. my last two mile trail was 17:11 about 6 weeks ago. all good so far. and i felt stronger now than i had two laps ago. but it was warmer for sure.
started the third mile with a 2:05 lap and it was good knowing i had not slipped back. just staying smooth and concentrating on my breathing and looking about 8 yards ahead so i could keep my lungs clear while maintaining my posture. then a 2:04 which felt easier than all of the other laps and now the tough lap was next. anyone can do the last lap, but first you have to do the next to last lap. it was warm now and i knew that i couldn't have stopped for water even if someone had been holding out the cup like they do at races. i was running hard and trying to be relaxed, but wasn't that relaxed. decided to run the first 200 steady and then pick up a tad on the curve. ran the lap in 2:02 and knew i could push it in from here. held that pace and again at 200 i picked up a little bit. with 100 meters to go i started to stride for the finish line. down the stretch and finished the 3rd mile in 1:58 - 25:18 for three miles. ran the curve hard enough and the last tenth in 26 seconds for a 25:44 finish.
the right leg had held up and the pf wasn't too bad other than a little tight. i had lost about 12 seconds in the first mile by not warming up enough, but i knew that even though i liked to run 2-3 miles before a race of almost any distance, i would not have done the ti e trail if i had warned up that much and thought i could go out fast enough and then pick up. this turned out to be true enough. a couple of other people running might have made a difference, but not sure. i am pretty good at pushing and pacing myself. racing flats would have cut another 6-10 seconds so all in all i think on the right day i can go another twenty seconds faster. lose another 10 pounds and get another 20 seconds. closer to getting under 25. one step at a time.
stretched really well and jogged three really easy miles. then ran several easy 100 yard striders at 8 minute pace. my heart rate at the end was 164. the heat added something to that, but figuring i was just about 93% at the end, my max is still about 172. not too bad and having just read the article by coach benson about older runners hearts being ahead of their legs, something i have blogged about before, i knew he was right. so had i been. the legs are strong enough and hopefully more stretching will get a little longer stride.
knowing my old 5k pr is 18:22 doesn't make this time impressive, but it is my fastest in several years. age graded it would be a 20:33 - that is for another blogging day. this is a local class time. need to take 2-4 minutes off of it to be any good for real, but will keep plugging away at my goal and see where it brings me. my lasst really decent 5k was many years ago - maybe 6-7 and was 22:10 if i remember correctly. was the philly race for the cure-7:09 pace i remember. but i can remember the friday night 5k summer series where my friend rob and i always ran the first mile in 5:50ish on our way to 18 something. but that was 25 years ago or so.
the rest of the day was busy - lots of yard work mowing the lawn and re-planting stuff and cleaning up from the storm. then the termite guy came and eventually the plumbers showed up. then i took some time to hit some chips and pitch shots and run up to the store. dealt with some bank stuff and went to the driving range to practice short game and hit a bucket of wedges. then home to deal with the basement and laundry.
and here i am at 1am and needing to pack and get some sleep. so off i go. will retool my run plan making the speedwork adjustment changes. i just will not have the time to run as much when we get back or if i do i will need to see what i am willing to give up. time will tell. maybe just a better balance of things- that will delay improvement, but allow for more to be done and enjoyed. at my age that may be the ticket. wanting it all and needing more time are not the dance of balance and the bear is just waiting to climb on the back. forgot to say that i did do a really nice little weight workout last night after the bike ride. i do think riding the bike helps leg turnover, but not sure it doesn't contribute to my pf problem.
run, breakfast and off to philly in the morning. will skip tonight's ride. actually, as it is now tomorrow it was last night's ride. a very hot week ahead weather wise and that will help decide what gets done and doesn't.
53 days to go.
but here in the states back in my real world there is much to do and not enough time to do it all. and especially frustrating is when one loses their car keys- still lost at this point in time--
today started early enough with my run as i knew it would be getting hotter and more humid every moment i delayed getting out. and today i decided i would try to run my own 5k time trail. just won't have enough time to do the race tomorrow and still get to philly with the stops i need to make on the way there.
so i was out early to the track- first time i noticed the car key was missing, but fortunately the track is only a mile from the house and somewhere i have a backup key. not for now though. have to be off of the track before the kids from school come out. was just over 70 degrees already and humid enough, but i had plenty of water in me and carried another bottle with me.
so off i went - in truth i expected this to be more of a mental test than a physical test. i had not raced in a few years now and the few times i tried a time trail i wasn't able to go more than two miles. the plan was to start steady and pick up each lap for about 6 laps. this would be the turning point i was sure. the only real goal i had other than to do the entire 5k was to get under 9 minute pace.
the first lap went by in 2:13 and felt ok, though not warmed up enough. there would be no stopping for stretching and i intended to use the right leg today. a 2:11 lap was right on pace and then i ran the third lap in 2:09 and the fourth in 2:07. so far so good. i was following the plan and the right leg was ok, didn't feel too hot though it was building and i was still in control of the pace and the planning, meaning the heat had not taken over yet.
the second mile started in 2:06. i could see kids over by the gym but they were going in rather than coming out. on the track i could keep pace at each 100 and that was helpful though i was running the pace i wanted to and didn't have to adjust yet. the 6th lap went by in 2:07 and it was the first time i felt the heat building up and i concentrated on my breathing pattern which fell into my old racing pattern of one breath every 2nd left foot hitting the ground. not as confusing as my writing makes it sound. breathe 2,3,4, breathe 2,3,4-like that. another 2:06 and by the end of this lap i felt better and now knew i could go the distance. the question left was would i have to slow down to complete the 5k. the second mile ended in another 2:06--two miles in 17:08. my last two mile trail was 17:11 about 6 weeks ago. all good so far. and i felt stronger now than i had two laps ago. but it was warmer for sure.
started the third mile with a 2:05 lap and it was good knowing i had not slipped back. just staying smooth and concentrating on my breathing and looking about 8 yards ahead so i could keep my lungs clear while maintaining my posture. then a 2:04 which felt easier than all of the other laps and now the tough lap was next. anyone can do the last lap, but first you have to do the next to last lap. it was warm now and i knew that i couldn't have stopped for water even if someone had been holding out the cup like they do at races. i was running hard and trying to be relaxed, but wasn't that relaxed. decided to run the first 200 steady and then pick up a tad on the curve. ran the lap in 2:02 and knew i could push it in from here. held that pace and again at 200 i picked up a little bit. with 100 meters to go i started to stride for the finish line. down the stretch and finished the 3rd mile in 1:58 - 25:18 for three miles. ran the curve hard enough and the last tenth in 26 seconds for a 25:44 finish.
the right leg had held up and the pf wasn't too bad other than a little tight. i had lost about 12 seconds in the first mile by not warming up enough, but i knew that even though i liked to run 2-3 miles before a race of almost any distance, i would not have done the ti e trail if i had warned up that much and thought i could go out fast enough and then pick up. this turned out to be true enough. a couple of other people running might have made a difference, but not sure. i am pretty good at pushing and pacing myself. racing flats would have cut another 6-10 seconds so all in all i think on the right day i can go another twenty seconds faster. lose another 10 pounds and get another 20 seconds. closer to getting under 25. one step at a time.
stretched really well and jogged three really easy miles. then ran several easy 100 yard striders at 8 minute pace. my heart rate at the end was 164. the heat added something to that, but figuring i was just about 93% at the end, my max is still about 172. not too bad and having just read the article by coach benson about older runners hearts being ahead of their legs, something i have blogged about before, i knew he was right. so had i been. the legs are strong enough and hopefully more stretching will get a little longer stride.
knowing my old 5k pr is 18:22 doesn't make this time impressive, but it is my fastest in several years. age graded it would be a 20:33 - that is for another blogging day. this is a local class time. need to take 2-4 minutes off of it to be any good for real, but will keep plugging away at my goal and see where it brings me. my lasst really decent 5k was many years ago - maybe 6-7 and was 22:10 if i remember correctly. was the philly race for the cure-7:09 pace i remember. but i can remember the friday night 5k summer series where my friend rob and i always ran the first mile in 5:50ish on our way to 18 something. but that was 25 years ago or so.
the rest of the day was busy - lots of yard work mowing the lawn and re-planting stuff and cleaning up from the storm. then the termite guy came and eventually the plumbers showed up. then i took some time to hit some chips and pitch shots and run up to the store. dealt with some bank stuff and went to the driving range to practice short game and hit a bucket of wedges. then home to deal with the basement and laundry.
and here i am at 1am and needing to pack and get some sleep. so off i go. will retool my run plan making the speedwork adjustment changes. i just will not have the time to run as much when we get back or if i do i will need to see what i am willing to give up. time will tell. maybe just a better balance of things- that will delay improvement, but allow for more to be done and enjoyed. at my age that may be the ticket. wanting it all and needing more time are not the dance of balance and the bear is just waiting to climb on the back. forgot to say that i did do a really nice little weight workout last night after the bike ride. i do think riding the bike helps leg turnover, but not sure it doesn't contribute to my pf problem.
run, breakfast and off to philly in the morning. will skip tonight's ride. actually, as it is now tomorrow it was last night's ride. a very hot week ahead weather wise and that will help decide what gets done and doesn't.
53 days to go.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
golf in the heat
today was spent at the golf course- prince william golf club actually. played with a bunch of the usual thursday guys minus a few who either had to clean up storm mess or probably lost power. the fact that it was cart path only didn't help and it was plenty warm out there also. but i surprised myself and got around ok.
my usual problem club, the driver, wasn't too bad today actually despite a hook or two but i chipped very well and got up and down 6 of 12 times with 6 greens in regulation. had 28 putts thanks to good chipping and with a little better putting i could easily have had 23-24 putts. the greens were slower than normal due to the rain but the greens were in nice shape. always liked the layout of this course and they have obviously been putting some money into it and it is in ice shape and they also have new carts.
the course was 53 miles away from my house so the ride out there and back after 4.5 hours pf playing and time for an ice cream after took much of the day. came home to work on the garden some and the basement some and did two loads of laundry and threw away some more stuff. then rode the bike for 20 miles and that brought me to right now, just about midnight. track work tomorrow i hope and the plumber coming to fix the sink. should be a really hot day and they are calling for mid-high 90's for the entire next week. philly on saturday and sunday. hope my mom's a-c is working.
boston by 5 with 2:34 left.
54 days to go in a few minutes.
my usual problem club, the driver, wasn't too bad today actually despite a hook or two but i chipped very well and got up and down 6 of 12 times with 6 greens in regulation. had 28 putts thanks to good chipping and with a little better putting i could easily have had 23-24 putts. the greens were slower than normal due to the rain but the greens were in nice shape. always liked the layout of this course and they have obviously been putting some money into it and it is in ice shape and they also have new carts.
the course was 53 miles away from my house so the ride out there and back after 4.5 hours pf playing and time for an ice cream after took much of the day. came home to work on the garden some and the basement some and did two loads of laundry and threw away some more stuff. then rode the bike for 20 miles and that brought me to right now, just about midnight. track work tomorrow i hope and the plumber coming to fix the sink. should be a really hot day and they are calling for mid-high 90's for the entire next week. philly on saturday and sunday. hope my mom's a-c is working.
boston by 5 with 2:34 left.
54 days to go in a few minutes.
short and sweet
working backwards- like 240,000 other northern virginians who lost power tonight following a really huge storm that roared through earlier today, i had the flashlight thing going, and then boom, the power just came back on. ten after midnight now and i have to be up and out by 6:30 so this will be short and sweet as the title suggested.
back to this morning i got 90 minutes in on the trail and that was probably the last day for awhile i will be able to run on it as there were so many trees down and across the trail and the parkway later in the day, that it will be a few days for sure before it is near normal.
i thought they said the storm was coming tonight- figure i had time to do it all today- finished the run and then alex came by and brought breakfast and that was a nice treat. followed that by doing some more yard work, laundry and throwing out stuff. then ran to the store and got some food and bottled water.
finally i was ready to go to the driving range and maybe squeeze in 9 holes or at least practice, but nature had other plans. on the way there the storm broke quickly. by the time i was a few miles away trees were already down and traffic lights were out. the parkway was down to one lane and and police were directing everyone. an hour into this i had gone nowhere. just wanted to turn around and go home but could not where i was and had to crawl forward to find a place to go back. two hours later i was home- did stop and get a paper. lot of time to end up going almost 12 miles.
then home to darkness. it was still light out at first and the flashlight was working and there was food and it was ok. did i leave the tent in england for this?
i did 35 miles on the exercise bike and hit some putts on the family room rug while doing more laundry. wasn't too bad and i had a decent though cold dinner.
and off i go- not exciting but a glimpse of the day. in a nut shell- a run, a breakfast, house and garden work, laundry, bike ride, putting, dinner and reading. ok day- email from friends using their battery says they are still powerless. offered to bring them food.
will we golf tomorrow? only nature and nature know.
want to repeat one thing i have mentioned before-- people who say they will not vote for barack or hillary and will vote for mc cain instead don't seem to understand the usa's political system. the parties stand for different and specific things. would you vote against what you believed in to spite someone- of course people will. and to not vote at all- that is like giving one vote to the other side- just hard to believe that people would want the war to go on and all the rest of the crap mc cain will do because ----why again?????
back to this morning i got 90 minutes in on the trail and that was probably the last day for awhile i will be able to run on it as there were so many trees down and across the trail and the parkway later in the day, that it will be a few days for sure before it is near normal.
i thought they said the storm was coming tonight- figure i had time to do it all today- finished the run and then alex came by and brought breakfast and that was a nice treat. followed that by doing some more yard work, laundry and throwing out stuff. then ran to the store and got some food and bottled water.
finally i was ready to go to the driving range and maybe squeeze in 9 holes or at least practice, but nature had other plans. on the way there the storm broke quickly. by the time i was a few miles away trees were already down and traffic lights were out. the parkway was down to one lane and and police were directing everyone. an hour into this i had gone nowhere. just wanted to turn around and go home but could not where i was and had to crawl forward to find a place to go back. two hours later i was home- did stop and get a paper. lot of time to end up going almost 12 miles.
then home to darkness. it was still light out at first and the flashlight was working and there was food and it was ok. did i leave the tent in england for this?
i did 35 miles on the exercise bike and hit some putts on the family room rug while doing more laundry. wasn't too bad and i had a decent though cold dinner.
and off i go- not exciting but a glimpse of the day. in a nut shell- a run, a breakfast, house and garden work, laundry, bike ride, putting, dinner and reading. ok day- email from friends using their battery says they are still powerless. offered to bring them food.
will we golf tomorrow? only nature and nature know.
want to repeat one thing i have mentioned before-- people who say they will not vote for barack or hillary and will vote for mc cain instead don't seem to understand the usa's political system. the parties stand for different and specific things. would you vote against what you believed in to spite someone- of course people will. and to not vote at all- that is like giving one vote to the other side- just hard to believe that people would want the war to go on and all the rest of the crap mc cain will do because ----why again?????
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
11 miles and golf too, what country am i in really?
got out early enough to try to beat the heat and humidity some. must say that the river trail here is really nice to run on and there are opportunities to see various wildlife and water scenes and meet people, but it still doesn't have the sense of adventure that a run in oxford seems to have. must be i miss the cows and sheep and horses and pheasants.
but north i went and around the new detour by the bridge they are replacing towards the east blvd loop i wanted to run. up to the water fountain bridge and then crossed over the parkway and turned south and ran down east blvd past the arboretum and south back towards the trail. warm and humid but not too bad this early.
at the trail i turned back south and headed towards the 1 mile marker. none of the usual suspects were out yet this morning. i was running pretty steady, though not fast by any means. still, i felt pretty strong and that was a surprise in itself. this morning my heart rate was high enough that i gave up taking it, though it was around 52 i am sure. heat rate has been weird and i hope it is just the hard work and jet lag i am still not quite beyond. can you hear meatloaf singing in the background?
somewhere just past the harry anderson(bridge number 9) bridge i caught up to carol, my fellow cancer survivor, and we caught up a bit while i jogged along side her. carol likes to walk for a couple of hours on the trail. she has had a very hard last few years and i am sure the beauty and quiet of the river is cathartic for her. we get along fine as long as we stay away from politics, but i know her heart is in the right place, even if her thinking has been swayed by fools.
and on i went down to the mile marker and then back north. didn't want to run the big hill today. was good enough just tom keep running. was warming up quickly now and i stopped t the ft hunt water stop or a drink and met lisa there. we ran north together and then cut over to west blvd towards her house. a funny - as we ran north on west i mentioned that my favorite house in the neighborhood was on this street and when we came to it i pointed it out. and ... of course, that was her house. what are the odds? gail likes that house too. anyway- said it was built by a man from michigan who wanted it to look like a tree house over looking the river. it was certainly different than those around it. dropped her there to deal with the verizon guy as her phone has been out two weeks since the really heavy rainstorm flooded her basement and she has no phones working-jack got wet the verizon guy said. he also mentioned that this was an old neighborhood and the phone systems were old and we should all switched to verizon fios. these days with email accounts and passwords, etc i would have to change 100 things if i switched email addresses.
turned around at the house and ran up neal st. for a bit and did a loop back to the trail. went down to the water fountain again and then home. about 11 miles and enough for today. lots of errands to run after i watered the new stuff in the garden. then hit the many sores i needed to go to. good to get all of that done and not wear myself out in the garden again today. did work on the flooded basement but that is going to need more help than just me.
early in the afternoon i went over to the driving range and hooked with Art, a guy from james madison university and we played 9 holes at hilltop together. i was not good at all, but got around in 39 with one birdie on a 30 foot putt. was pretty if i say so myself and i did. but i was rusty as all get out and hit three really poor shots that caught me by surprise bu at least went straight. and i did get hit out of two bunkers and did get out and on the green. so all in all we had a nice time and i got to lose some of the rust and get over playing with strangers.
as we came back into the clubhouse the storm started, really heavy rain and lightening. any small thought we had about going back out for 9 more holes vanished as the course emptied quickly. it was really, really coming down and the drive home was fun watching the puddles come over the hood. good to get home as they announced a tornado watch for fairfax county and told people to get out of their cars. two hours ago and nothing yet and no more floods downstairs. just needed to have someone here to clean out the leaves from the drian and i was in oxford instead.
and that's about the day. usual stuff at home and some sleep would be nice tonight. tomorrow is a track day and alex for breakfast. then more house stuff to do as i try to get us ready to comeback home.
obama should be the guy after tonight and my long ago post of Hillary being toast has come. shame for her, but a flawed beginning strategy was the downfall for her and she ran a harsh campaign. i will be utterly surprised if he picks her as his vp. utterly.
on the other hand, this is the perfect election battle for me. two people who could not be more different and who are far apart on almost every issue and it will be a great test of where our country stands and who we are as a nation. are we still red and blue? are we still racist- somewhat sure-but how much? do we want war? etc, etc--choices couldn't be more clear cut- and i want to see the answer. but one thing i think is amazingly stupid-- if either of Hilary's or barack's backers could ever vote for mc cain than they truly don 't under stand the difference in the two parties and what they stand for. do you want to stay at war and give up almost every right of free people to say you are mad at who didn't get nominated? Que?
but north i went and around the new detour by the bridge they are replacing towards the east blvd loop i wanted to run. up to the water fountain bridge and then crossed over the parkway and turned south and ran down east blvd past the arboretum and south back towards the trail. warm and humid but not too bad this early.
at the trail i turned back south and headed towards the 1 mile marker. none of the usual suspects were out yet this morning. i was running pretty steady, though not fast by any means. still, i felt pretty strong and that was a surprise in itself. this morning my heart rate was high enough that i gave up taking it, though it was around 52 i am sure. heat rate has been weird and i hope it is just the hard work and jet lag i am still not quite beyond. can you hear meatloaf singing in the background?
somewhere just past the harry anderson(bridge number 9) bridge i caught up to carol, my fellow cancer survivor, and we caught up a bit while i jogged along side her. carol likes to walk for a couple of hours on the trail. she has had a very hard last few years and i am sure the beauty and quiet of the river is cathartic for her. we get along fine as long as we stay away from politics, but i know her heart is in the right place, even if her thinking has been swayed by fools.
and on i went down to the mile marker and then back north. didn't want to run the big hill today. was good enough just tom keep running. was warming up quickly now and i stopped t the ft hunt water stop or a drink and met lisa there. we ran north together and then cut over to west blvd towards her house. a funny - as we ran north on west i mentioned that my favorite house in the neighborhood was on this street and when we came to it i pointed it out. and ... of course, that was her house. what are the odds? gail likes that house too. anyway- said it was built by a man from michigan who wanted it to look like a tree house over looking the river. it was certainly different than those around it. dropped her there to deal with the verizon guy as her phone has been out two weeks since the really heavy rainstorm flooded her basement and she has no phones working-jack got wet the verizon guy said. he also mentioned that this was an old neighborhood and the phone systems were old and we should all switched to verizon fios. these days with email accounts and passwords, etc i would have to change 100 things if i switched email addresses.
turned around at the house and ran up neal st. for a bit and did a loop back to the trail. went down to the water fountain again and then home. about 11 miles and enough for today. lots of errands to run after i watered the new stuff in the garden. then hit the many sores i needed to go to. good to get all of that done and not wear myself out in the garden again today. did work on the flooded basement but that is going to need more help than just me.
early in the afternoon i went over to the driving range and hooked with Art, a guy from james madison university and we played 9 holes at hilltop together. i was not good at all, but got around in 39 with one birdie on a 30 foot putt. was pretty if i say so myself and i did. but i was rusty as all get out and hit three really poor shots that caught me by surprise bu at least went straight. and i did get hit out of two bunkers and did get out and on the green. so all in all we had a nice time and i got to lose some of the rust and get over playing with strangers.
as we came back into the clubhouse the storm started, really heavy rain and lightening. any small thought we had about going back out for 9 more holes vanished as the course emptied quickly. it was really, really coming down and the drive home was fun watching the puddles come over the hood. good to get home as they announced a tornado watch for fairfax county and told people to get out of their cars. two hours ago and nothing yet and no more floods downstairs. just needed to have someone here to clean out the leaves from the drian and i was in oxford instead.
and that's about the day. usual stuff at home and some sleep would be nice tonight. tomorrow is a track day and alex for breakfast. then more house stuff to do as i try to get us ready to comeback home.
obama should be the guy after tonight and my long ago post of Hillary being toast has come. shame for her, but a flawed beginning strategy was the downfall for her and she ran a harsh campaign. i will be utterly surprised if he picks her as his vp. utterly.
on the other hand, this is the perfect election battle for me. two people who could not be more different and who are far apart on almost every issue and it will be a great test of where our country stands and who we are as a nation. are we still red and blue? are we still racist- somewhat sure-but how much? do we want war? etc, etc--choices couldn't be more clear cut- and i want to see the answer. but one thing i think is amazingly stupid-- if either of Hilary's or barack's backers could ever vote for mc cain than they truly don 't under stand the difference in the two parties and what they stand for. do you want to stay at war and give up almost every right of free people to say you are mad at who didn't get nominated? Que?
out of control
just feels like that right now. was up early enough and went out to run. the morning heart rate was back down to 47. on the way back to normal i hope, but i am still tired. but i ran a solid 6.5 miles with 12 hill striders thrown in. not real hot yet, but pretty humid. went north and then south on the trail. pretty along the river, but i had lots to do and wanted to just run an easy run after the last two hard days in a row.
spent the rest of the morning doing laundry and finishing up cutting the 4 feet high grass and weeding as much as possible. hot and humid now and the heat is a real pain. eventually i just had enough and stopped and cleaned up and ran some errands. at $4.00 a gallon the errands will have to be planned a little more than usual.
did some inside work and then headed over to the range. spent about 90 minutes putting and chipping and that went well enough considering i am using old clubs. then tried to hit balls, but couldn't. two days in a row now i was just too tired to swing the club and gave up again fairly quickly. not sure if this is just hard yard work or something else is going on. not usually too tired to hit balls but could not swing and went home.
spent two hours dealing with bank and irs and va state stuff and instead of getting sleep it is now almost 1am. the penguins are about to start the third overtime and who can sleep now. tomorrow i will take the time necessary to get back on track for what i want to get done while home. and there is of course, the flooded basement to keep working on. time to start wrapping up. back tomorrow. rain and very hot weather ahead. philly on saturday and sunday. will probably skip the 5k. bye.
spent the rest of the morning doing laundry and finishing up cutting the 4 feet high grass and weeding as much as possible. hot and humid now and the heat is a real pain. eventually i just had enough and stopped and cleaned up and ran some errands. at $4.00 a gallon the errands will have to be planned a little more than usual.
did some inside work and then headed over to the range. spent about 90 minutes putting and chipping and that went well enough considering i am using old clubs. then tried to hit balls, but couldn't. two days in a row now i was just too tired to swing the club and gave up again fairly quickly. not sure if this is just hard yard work or something else is going on. not usually too tired to hit balls but could not swing and went home.
spent two hours dealing with bank and irs and va state stuff and instead of getting sleep it is now almost 1am. the penguins are about to start the third overtime and who can sleep now. tomorrow i will take the time necessary to get back on track for what i want to get done while home. and there is of course, the flooded basement to keep working on. time to start wrapping up. back tomorrow. rain and very hot weather ahead. philly on saturday and sunday. will probably skip the 5k. bye.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
hills and heat make for a long day on no sleep
well, i am not in oxford right now for sure. ran very early this morning and it was still pretty warm and humid. the legs were a tad tight at first but they woke themselves up and i ran north on the trail to see what they were doing to the bridge, but the bridge was gone and they had a temp trail of woodchips- after yesterday's thunder storms, the chips and temp trail was pretty muddy. went north for awhile and then turned south to go to mt vernon. have already run more hills in this short run than i would in a week at oxford.
carried water today as it was just too hot and i don't love the water fountains on the trail. they also cannot be counted on to be working. down the trail i went and about the two mile marker i ran into dave, a guy from stratford who does tri's. so back north i went with him and we ran about 4 miles together and chatted about running mostly and training.
then i ran him home and through his neighborhood back to the trail and north again. was pretty enough out and the flag irises at the harry anderson bridge were pretty. was actually running ok. this morning's heart rate was 54 and i don't seem to be over jet lag, coupled with no sleep and heat and humidity, but i was running ok, and i rsan all the way home and got 10 miles in today. a nice run the day after the track workout.
after a short breakfast i spent 4+ hours working on the forest that has taken over the backyard while airing out the flooded basement and doing laundry. was really hard work as the bottom of the 3 feet high grass was still wet and the mower had to be restarted about 70 times. got 80% of it done today though and will finish it early in the week before the temps hit 90 on friday. also replanted some purple fountain grasses and golden barberry's. more to do on moving stuff around as several things have really taken off while we have been gone. gave me a chance to test some of my pruning theories.
decided to unwrap the putting green and hit some pitch shots over the bunker. was fun trying to regain some timing and it didn't go too badly. after the third shower of the day i headed off to the driving range. spent some time on the chipping and putting green and then tried to hit some balls, but i didn't have the energy or the will. got as far as the 9 iron and then a few 5's and gave up and went home. would have loved to go right to sleep, but first had to gather and put out 5 cans of trash and garden waste.
should mention that i filled up the car with gas on the way to the range for $66. that will be fun to deal with when we are back.
short and sweet blog but i need to get going. tomorrow will be here soon enough.
carried water today as it was just too hot and i don't love the water fountains on the trail. they also cannot be counted on to be working. down the trail i went and about the two mile marker i ran into dave, a guy from stratford who does tri's. so back north i went with him and we ran about 4 miles together and chatted about running mostly and training.
then i ran him home and through his neighborhood back to the trail and north again. was pretty enough out and the flag irises at the harry anderson bridge were pretty. was actually running ok. this morning's heart rate was 54 and i don't seem to be over jet lag, coupled with no sleep and heat and humidity, but i was running ok, and i rsan all the way home and got 10 miles in today. a nice run the day after the track workout.
after a short breakfast i spent 4+ hours working on the forest that has taken over the backyard while airing out the flooded basement and doing laundry. was really hard work as the bottom of the 3 feet high grass was still wet and the mower had to be restarted about 70 times. got 80% of it done today though and will finish it early in the week before the temps hit 90 on friday. also replanted some purple fountain grasses and golden barberry's. more to do on moving stuff around as several things have really taken off while we have been gone. gave me a chance to test some of my pruning theories.
decided to unwrap the putting green and hit some pitch shots over the bunker. was fun trying to regain some timing and it didn't go too badly. after the third shower of the day i headed off to the driving range. spent some time on the chipping and putting green and then tried to hit some balls, but i didn't have the energy or the will. got as far as the 9 iron and then a few 5's and gave up and went home. would have loved to go right to sleep, but first had to gather and put out 5 cans of trash and garden waste.
should mention that i filled up the car with gas on the way to the range for $66. that will be fun to deal with when we are back.
short and sweet blog but i need to get going. tomorrow will be here soon enough.
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