14 mile run, etc

got to sleep about 2am after doing on-line banking and bill stuff. plus dealing with last minute tax stuff from the states. i think i could write a handbook about how to live in two countries.

about 4am the rain woke me up as it was pouring down loudly on the back porch. then at 5:30 or so the crying thumper cat started his late night cries for something. all in all i did not get up to run at 6:30 am like i usually try to. but a little after 9i was out there letting my legs decide what to do. figured i would go longer if i was up for it or really short so i could recover and go long tomorrow.

went south today and did a loop around king george park and then over to the trail south towards the back of north hinksey village which is usually too muddy to run on, but seemed dry enough today and i ran along the creek there and came out at the Fishes restaurant and down to the rugby stadium. sun was even out and temps were not quite 50 yet.

did some short hill repeats there, about 10 of them. the quads take a real beating here as the runs tend to be almost all flat. then i headed back north and over the bike path and down the road to the trail behind the bodleian library and picked up the thames south there. all the way down to iffley lock. really pretty this morning. by this time i had decided i was staying out for at least 10 miles and would skip the daily frustration of the golf driving range. with no hope of actually playing and no real short game practice at all, i can afford the break.

so long it was and coming north on the river i turned near grand pont park and took a path i had seen but not run on yet. took me into south oxford village neighborhood and a past Pembroke college and an elementary school and brought me to what look like a dirt path. took a chance on that and figured i could turn back if it dead ended. hit the lap counter so i could time myself down that path and know what i needed to do later.

but as it turned out it was a nice trail which turned along the train tracks. with rabbits and many birds out it was pleasant enough, but short. the good news is that it turned back towards the river and came into the back of grand pont park so got lucky there. found another little 20 second hill there and ran up it and down about 12 times to stretch the legs, which by this time were saying -fooled you. but what i lack in talent i make up for in stubbornness.

back along the river north and ran into a guy from scotland who worked at the lock and was a bike rider. we talked about walking the ridgeway trail together and he actually took time to give me his phone number and a trail pamphlet. the scots are the best. that also killed some time so i could forget about my legs and just a little bit after i left "campbell" i ran into a woman and her husband who had biked all over america and lots of miles in virginia. they had actually ridden from portsmouth, va to alaska. i left them at osney lock as the boat they lived on was waiting for them. asked if i could borrow the bike and she laughed and said only if i ran their dog down the trail. but i was going north.

and over to the little hotel grocery to get a bottle of water where my friend from iceland wanted to know how far i had gone. not sure he believes me as his friend runs three miles a day and tells him how hard it is. what can i say?

across the street and up the swan trail and over the bridge up the thames again. went all the way up and crossed over and through port meadow and did the little loop back next to allotment creek. then headed up and across the rainbow bridge and north. at tree cemetery i met a couple going as slow as me from cheltenham, uk and he was a golfer also. he talked about playing the old course at st andrews in the winter. told me to try it in the spring or fall instead as it was very cold and windy and damp. sounds like usual weather here. but scotland is probably colder in the winter. went south with them but they went over to port meadow and i stayed south.

ran into some disappointment here. the guys working on the trail were cutting down trees to get rid of the roots as they fixed up the trail. didn't say a word as i didn't want to sound like everyone here about how disappointed i was that fixing the trail meant cutting down the trees. this section could use a little help, but i will miss the naturalness of it, as well as the shade. if i ever have enough money i will buy everyone here a book on how to "prune". but as i like to say, i digress.

down the thames and towards home. calculated that the trip down and over would give me just a little more than 14 miles and that was good enough. second long day this week. just to make sure i had enough in i ran some striders along the swan trail. the two swans looked at me as i went by a few times. enough and to home. all in all, somewhat tired at the end, but had enough to do the sprints and that actually made me feel better.

home to finish dealing with taxes i thought. turned on the pc after the shower and food and it said it would not start. that took awhile to fix and here i am. i wouldn't mind being dependent on technology if it was as stubborn as i am about getting things done. knowing it would take time i got some laundry done. who says multi tasking doesn't work?

more later- not as tired as depressed but it will pass. the sun is back out and the dark skies have passed by. 5 days of rain in the forecast. listening to old nancy griffith and kris kristofferson songs as i type and that brings back some good stuff. found an old you tube tape of nancy when she was a nursery school teacher and trying to make it as a singer. funny and good. and i always loved the old kris when he wrote well and had a gruff voice. listening to him sing was like watching your life happen. throw in some john prine "the great compromise" and the clouds lift.
112 days to go.
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Fact of the Day - from the Scotman
Today in 1912, the world's most famous ocean liner, the RMS Titanic, sets off from Southampton on its maiden voyage. Labelled unsinkable, this behemoth of the seas was crammed with the rich and famous of the day, all enjoying the latest in ocean-going comfort, as well as numerous steerage passengers off to make a new life in America. Most of them would not make it. Five days later she sank after striking an iceberg with the loss of around 1,500 lives - most of the deaths due to there only being enough lifeboats for about half of the passengers and crew. See more news on accidents at sea