sunday a day late on monday-i.e., the broken laptop

quick catch up blog as my vista program shut down my computer yesterday and it took awhile and some stealth work by gail and some guess work by me to get it to work again. in a nutshell then- was up and out early and gail also came out to run. i did the loop with her and hopefully her heel is starting to get better. we ran up binsey lane and then over and down the thames trail along the water. was a nice morning, though cooler than it should be for this time of year.

eventually gail headed home at botley and i went back up the thames a bit and then over to the canal through the templeton path and past snakes nature park. always love the sign that says keep out but a park called "snakes" doesn't have to ask me twice to stay out. went up the canal path past wolvercote letting the bikes sneak by. i would guess that 99% of the bikes here never ever give a passing warning. they will ride behind you rather than pass if it means saying "passing on the left or right"-they pass anywhere here so a constant vigil for bikes can be necessary if you run where they ride.

small boats are going down the canal and they wave as i run north. the ducks and geese look at me like i am in their way, but they scatter as i get closer. i still get a kick out of watching them come in for a landing on the water. the sun darts in and out behind the clouds and i zip up and down according as the temperatures shift. legs feel ok so i go up another mile or so and then turn back south. at this point i will reach the park at about 8 miles done. at the end of the canal path the construction signs are all gone so i continue on to see what they have done and then head over towards the train station and cross over the botley st. bridge to hit the little hotel grocery store for some water, but of course they are closed. on to the park i go.

i run the smaller loop around the park today as i have my 8+ a little in now and just want to run some striders before i head home. there is a guy running around the park in his bare feet listening to his ipod and he nods and says good morning back to me in response to my hello. it is still pretty early out and cool now. i cannot imagine running around a park which floods constantly and where people walk their dogs constantly in my bare feet. always glass around here on the edges where the beer drinkers dump their bottles that they try to throw into the waste cans and miss. i still remember getting stitches in my foot stepping on a piece of glass from a beer bottle in the water at wildwood crest in nj and have been cautious about going around in my bare feet since.

i start my striders hoping to just run 10 about 7 minute pace and stretch out a bit. on my fifth one the pit bull lady comes out with her dog. picture christie brinkley walking a mean ugly dog and not on a leash. we have dealt with each other before as she likes to walk across the make shift track and then stop and wait for the dog. now picture me running fast for me down the straightaway towards a pit bull glaring at me. there is always that moment where i either stop or the dog moves. dumb game and this morning- yesterday now actually, the dog moves away when i am withing 15 yards. not that i want to risk getting bitten, i don't, but when i start and then he moves in the lane i don't want to stop. seems easier to move over for a large cow somehow. at any rate they move on as i say-, not trying to sound sarcastic, thanks to her for calling the dog. she says nothing of course and moves on across the field.

i run the rest of my striders running only the last one hard at what would be 6:30 pace and head over to the southern part of the path to cooldown on the way home. i catch up to a guy i see occasionally who runs at 15 minute pace or so and never in straight line, but he is always very friendly and i wish him a good run and nice day. he does the same and asks how it went for me today. well, i replied and he smiles and says he used to be faster, but age has caught up to him. me too i say and refuse to utter the line i truly despise-"at least we're still out here doing it" ;;;; who came up with that one? have to love the well intentioned though i know. mr positive still trying, and not always succeeding.

i leave him and head back. get the sunday paper and some yogurt and head home to the tent house. a pleasant morning reading and watching the replay of the preakness. then off to hit some balls while gail writes.

today the range goes ok. i am still learning and making some progress. i take breaks to do some chips and pitching between full swings. the session goes ok. the pro watches a bit and says i should satay as relaxed with my full swing as i am with my chips and pitches. confidence he says. also says i am hitting it cleaner and i thank him. two buckets later i finish up and then go help my friend paul learn how to hit pitch shots. we try 40 yard shots as that is where the flag is today. goes ok and then i head home. stop just long enough to watch the pro swing as he asks me to watch where his club is at the top. he is trying a longer swing himself - he can fix himself, though i see that even pro's can be wrong about their alignment.

get home and then we go for a walk into town, stopping to see an art exhibit at the community center. we walk about two miles up into the college area and then turn for home, but making a quick decision, we decide to stop for burritos at the mission mexican restaurant and end up next to three americans here on scholarship to grad school. we talk politics mostly and it is pleasant enough and then we all head out. a relaxing evening planned, but the computer is not working and the fun begins. hours later it is seemingly fixed. i will skip the details. it works and that is what matters. at 1:30 am i try to go to sleep. another day done.

except of course it is now tomorrow as i write this and i will be back to blog today's 9 mile run later. i watched the news of the earthquake in china and it was just horrible. makes me want to forget the stupidity of trying to learn how to hit a golf ball straight and move there and help the people re-build their lives, but i won't. maybe in my next life i will be less selfish and more courageous. but for now i will send money and walk up to the driving range.