Yeah, baby, that’s running and me.
Three workouts to record. Yep, that’s right – Billy’s been having a phenomenal week so far.
Newsvine
Got invited to Newsvine’s beta courtesy of the good folks at the Mac Observer’s Mac Geek Gab.
As a result, I’ve got invites to give. Let me know if you want to try it. I’m still kind of up in the air over its usefulness or lack thereof. Not quite sure if I really “get” it. We’ll see.
As another question, I’m looking to change my layout to a three-column dealie. Anyone got recommendations for wordpress templates, as I’m running way behind in learning HTML, CSS, etc…
Sites that intrigue me
Chugga, chugga.
So I’ve been meaning to check out the William C. O’Neill South County Bike Path, which is right off my commute. Monday, on the way home, I finally stopped the car and did it.
I’m glad I did – it’s an absolutely great spot for an easy run – old rail bed, exceptional asphalt surface, pretty quiet. Plus, it runs through Great Swamp, which is some of the best duck hunting in New England. Saw a bunch of ducks and geese heading back to roost at sunset.
4 miles, 36 minutes. The first half I kind of loped along. I kind of didn’t feel like running. The youngest kid has given up on sleeping through the night. I think it’s ’cause he’s old enough to realize we put him in a cage every night, but the wife’s afraid if we take the rails off of his crib, that she’ll never get him to sit still again. She may be right, but it’s still disturbing to wake up two or three times a night to screams of terror. It could also just be the cold he’s been fighting (and that I’m sure to have soon).
The second half, though, I was glad that I’m not on the HRM kick that lower case jeff is on. My legs and lungs said go. I went. 20 minutes at the 2 mile turn-around, including some dawdling on the way out to enjoy the trees. 16 minutes on the way back.
Now, if I can just get off my butt one morning and catch the sun rising over the sod fields…
Gotta soggy notion…
Saturday. Drill.
Slept late and didn’t run first thing in the morning while it was misty and warm. Spent most of the day walking back and forth between the reserve offices, which are on the bottom of the hill, and the hospital, which is at the top. At some point in the last couple of years, the Seabees at the base built an absolutely sweet staircase from between the hospital and the cluster of office buildings the ResCen is in, but nobody ever uses it, ’cause it’s pretty steep, and about 100 stairs.
Nobody ‘cept me. Personally, I love it. It’s cut through the woods, it kind of wanders back and forth from bedrock sticking out of the rhodendrons to another bit of bedrock. Saturday was especially good – I spooked a deer, near the parking lot. Out of instinct, thinking it was a car waking her, she bolted towards the elevated walkway. Then we made eye contact. She did a double take. I blushed and turned down my eyes, thinking she was flirting. Then she turned around and tore around the rocks and out of sight. Good times.
Anyway, PT is at the end of the day. After wasting an entire day at medical and dental (guess what? I still need to floss more. I bet you do, too…), it was time for the monthly paid hour of physical fitness. And right about then, the nice weather gave way to rain.
Butcha know what? I strapped on the sneaks, prayed that the jacket was at least a little waterproof, shoved the iPod in the inside pocket, and hit the road. The other marathoner in the unit had gotten to the gym before me and promptly disappeared (turns out he was running on the inside track. There’s a word for that – smart).
But I did the perimeter trail. Walked a couple of the steeper hills. Reveled in the rain. Was amazed that the new sneaks seem impervious to mud. Prayed they don’t rust…
Sunday? Absolutely beautiful. I was locked up inside all day. We did get out for a family walk/bike ride before folks showed up for the Super Bowl. Nate was beside himself cheering whenever Jake would pass the stroller on his bike. Jake got going by himself at least once. I think it was while he was going down the “big” hill in front of the house. He made it down this time, feathering his brakes. I was proud. Next step is to teach him how to do it no hands, no feet, spread-eagle, and screaming with his hair on fire.
I have much to learn…
New (to me) Cool Bike Photoblog
Martino’s Bike Lane Diary…
Think they were swimming fast before?
6 mile! swim race in Australia called off due to Shark:
Swimmers in the Cole Classic ocean swim, a 10-km (six-mile) race out through the heads of Sydney Harbor to the city’s northern Manly Beach, were around the halfway mark Sunday when the shark was spotted, local newspapers reported on Monday.
Sharp looking web page for the aussies, BTW.
And I’m still trying to get my head around the whole idea of swimming 10K. It’s not much more than a year ago when running 10K was at the edge of my realm of possibilities…
Best choice I’ve made all week
So, I almost didn’t run today. Almost.
Was one of those busy, stressful days at the office, with a full plate for getting home tonight. I’d bought a printer that was going to cause stress with the wife if I kept it, ’cause we really don’t need three printers for two computer users. Still with the potential sickness from the kiddos, etc, so on and so forth.
But, it was a beautiful day, I wrapped up work on the earlier side of a typical day, and, on the way home, realized that I did have time to stop and hit the trails in Arcadia State Forest. Best decision I’ve made all week. Heck, it might be the best decision I’ve made all month.
Keeping with the “keep the mileage down a bit and try to avoid re-initiating planar fasciatis” theme, I was going to do 15 minutes out, 15 minutes back. But, the trees grew, the breeze blew, and the sun beat down on my ears. Life was good.
There was a time in my life when I was always making time to be back in the woods. Not sure why I don’t do it so often any more. Probably has to do with growing up, all that Christopher Robin allegory and such. But, I need to do better this year. Puts life into perspective and all that stuff.
Anyway, I ended up going “out” for about 21 minutes, with a couple minutes of walking, just ’cause it was that nice of a day to be in the woods.
Best part? the “back” was only 18 minutes – baby, I was flying. About halfway back, whatever weight I was carrying went away, I felt light in my shoes, and got that “flying” feeling. The one where you head down the trail as fast as your legs can turn over just ’cause it’s cool to see the bushes flying past. Where, no matter how rocky the trail, every footfall is just right, where your legs are moving around the rocks and finding the four flat inches to take the next step.
I was a giant Yawp tearing through the Rhode Island woods.
I get to sleep in Friday morning – Sitting in for the Mrs. with the kiddos, and only working half a day in the afternoon. Which is all good. Will probably do the long loop on Jamestown on my way into the office. Why? ‘Cause I can.
I’m a runner.
Funny how the marathon made me forget all that…
Billy and the boob tube
Heh, heh – he said “boob”
So, I haven’t run since Monday. The littlest of the two disease vectors is suffering from some sort of snuffley nose that apparently only strikes during the middle of the night. He was up most of Monday night, and a little last night. Plus, Monday night the dog had what we like to call “bad butt”. There was nothing but blaming it on the dog, and the wife was tempted to exile him to the garage for the evening. I was more understanding, but for the first time in years, he woke me up in the middle of the night to ask to head outside. I grumbled at first, ’till I realized that the alternative was picking up whatever was pushing out the stink prior to heading off to work at oh-dark-thirty.
Work has been great – I completely love the project I’m working on. The downside? Been busy as all get out. So between Nate, the dog, and the office, I convinced myself to blow off yesterday as a “rest” day. Was close to doing the same today, ‘cept guilt got the better of me about 9 tonight. So I broke down and popped in the Pilates DVD my lovely wife picked up for me after I’d offhanded mentioned that I was interested in learning it.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed with the program. The DVD’s set up so that, using a normal DVD player, you can customize a workout. Having no clue what I was getting into, I chose the “Abs” workout that the perky host (is that what you call them on workout tapes? Instructor?) recommended for a daily workout, and also chose the “Flexibility” or something similar, since I’m about as flexible as you’d expect a thirty-something who hasn’t taken the best care of himself to be.
20 minutes later, I’m feeling energized, happy, and thrilled that I was alone in the basement during the workout. But, basically, it kicked my butt.
Think I’ll be adding that to my quiver, for sure.
Pixiland Rag from the album “The Leprechaun” by Chick Corea
Bleg: New England Backpacking
As a test of an idea that Brogan kicked out today:
It’s a ways in the future, but I’m looking for suggestions for good places to get Jake hooked on backpacking. Here’s what I’d like:
– less than 2 hours from Hartford.
– Actual backpacking, not car camping.
– Preferrably something cool to do once the hike is over.
– Campsite not more than 3 miles from the trailhead
– Something cool between the trailhead and the campsite
I’m considering Pauchaug State Forest, just ’cause it’s really, really close to Mystic. Looks like Nipmuck State Forest has actual camping, too.
Other areas that I know are large and wild and close-by are Arcadia in Rhode Island (unsure about camping there; know the fishing’s great), and …
Is there anything like this in the Berkshires in Mass? I think the boy’s a bit too small to head up to the Whites in New Hampshire. And I love, love, love the Adirondacks in New York, ‘specially after going to prototype at Ballston Spa, but most of the places I’ve been up there are a pretty good ride in the car, which I think might kill interest on the boy’s part. And completely would rule out taking the two-year-old.
Thanks in advance, Internet. You’re the greatest.