Rest/Jitters/Baseball

So – I blew off Sunday’s run in favor of trying to completely lick this left foot thing. Think it was the right decision, the twinginess was almost nonexistent this morning.

Today’s supposed to be a rest day, but after a great day of twitching and wanting to sweat, I got the kids in bed, gave my annual kickback to my undergrad school, and headed off to go swim. Got to the Y and

Darn, no goggles.

guess I’m resting.

Should be sleeping, but there’s playoff baseball, baby! Love watching the ‘Stros at Minute Maid – George and Bar are sitting behind home plate, cheering like the rest of the unwashed. One of the few redeeming things about the Bayou City.

Here’s hoping for two teams in the World Series, neither of whom have been to the Series since 1959 (before there was a team in Houston). I’m going to have to pull for Houston, since they actually play baseball in Houston, instead of the watered down version popular on the South Side, Boston, and the Bronx, where only 8 of the players have to bat. My pop’s going to not speak to me during the series, though – a product of Dwight David Eisenhower High School in Blue Island.

11:32 – Stupid Eccstein – punching a base hit with 2 out in the top of the ninth. I want to go to bed.

11:33 – Eccstein again – stealing second with Edmonds at bat. At least the ‘Stros won’t lose to the Braves again. Though this St. Louis thing is getting old.

11:34 – Lidge goes way inside, almost hits Edmonds. This isn’t really happening. Nope, nope, nope. Choke City got killed in 1994 with the Rockets, right?

11:35 – Lidge walks Edmonds. I should have hit “Post” and gone to sleep 10 minutes ago. Acid in the stomach. Is my ankle twinging? Geeze.

11:36 – Pujols – makes the second grader in me laugh, even though he’s about to plant one in the Crawford Boxes. I may be ill…

11:37 – I was wrong. He hit it over the railroad track, bounced it off the window. The upside? More baseball to watch.

11:39 – Reggie Sanders. Took a huge cut for strike two. Went down looking. I dunno if I can make it through the next three outs without puking. Advertising helps – the first commercial was Gatorade’s “It’s 90 feet to first – no matter where home is” spot; possibly the finest bit of sports writing in the last two years, since Bill Simmons went all California on us (Sorry Jeff).

11:41 – Brief wish I were still drinking – at least I’d have fallen asleep at about the sixth inning.

11:42 – Pujols beats Willy Taveras, Rookie of the Year candidate, to first on a slow roller. One out. Minute Maid is absolutely silent.

11:43 – Jose Vizcaino? Wow. I thought he retired. Is Nolan Ryan warming up?

11:45 – Isringhausen is pitching. Grudzielanek plays in the infield. I wish I had the Card’s contract, per letter, for doing jerseys. Pujols makes another great play at first – two outs.

11:46 – Chris Burke is the last chance to end the series tonight. Granted, he was clutch to break the Braves. Not tonight.

D’oh.

Hmm, this may be the last play-by-play I do for the ‘Stros. Though, got to hand it to the Cards, and Eckstein, especially. It ain’t over till it’s over.

This is what I’ll remember from mile 26 to 26.2…

Motivation

Thanks, everyone, for the comments, thoughts, and encouragement after my rant yesterday. It’s appreciated.

The internet’s a funny beast. Shifts things from finely shaded to black and or white. I’ll admit, I’m struggling. And there wasn’t anything I said yesterday that I wasn’t feeling right then, at that moment.

What was completely not captured, though, was the love of the struggle. The joy in the fight.
Continue reading Motivation

Hurt this morning still. Don’t they know there’s training on?

Looks like I’m going to take today easy and do 3 or so on the ‘mill this evening – give myself a chance to heal prior to adding stress again.

PS – I blew it off.

Y U been gone so long?

(Click here for soundtrack; courtesy of the Oxford American, which is recently relaunched with their annual Music Issue. Best $9.95 you will spend on tunes this year.)

15 miles last Saturday was cake. Doing it on the 5 mile long trail through Stowe was brilliant – beautiful weather, flat run, and I was able to go about 2 miles from the hotel, stash the camelback, run about 5 miles total to the end of the trail and back, pick up the camelback and suck down a healthy dose of water and Swedish Fish over the next 5 miles, ditch it and do the last 4 miles without the weight. Good times.

Canoeing Saturday Afternoon rocked – we used these guys – great equipment, pretty decent safety brief before, and a beautiful day on the river.

Sunday and Monday deserve detail and pictures – Sunday was hiking and swimming in a pond at the top of the Smuggler’s Notch ski area, and Monday was climbing the road between Stowe and Jeffersonville on a rented bike – so I’ll do them later.

Work has been busy. Boys are back, healthy and happy, from Texas. Wednesday was another great 7 miles on Jamestown – I figured out how to add a ton of hills and a mile to the run from the soccer field. Did it in just under an hour, which, while not flying is not bad.

Thursday was 6 at Bluff Point. THursday was hot and painful.

Tomorrow is 12 miles, early, to beat the heat. Then, I catch up on other blogs.

Couple of random runs and Vacation

Woo Hoo – Vacation.

I write this from the deck by the pool of the Golden Eagle Lodge in Stowe, VT, while my lovely wife is getting ready to head out to supper. The boys are safely at my folk’s house in San Antonio after an unexpected overnight in Elizabeth, New Jersey (heh – I feel kind of bad, but we tried to talk Ma and Pa out of the trip. The kids – no worries about either of them).

Wednesday – what a great run after work. It was hot, hazy and humid – even though it wasn’t foggy, it was tough to see Jamestown Island from Newport Island. I decided I’d time my run by iPod – do about 5 miles at a 9 minute pace. Good run despite it being near 90 and near 90% humidity (felt like I was running with Christian in Katy). Even better was coming home and putting it into the Gmaps Pedometer – 6.3 in about 50 minutes! Smokin!

Thursday was a tough day at work. Bunches of stuff came up, and I didn’t get to run. BUT, I did get out of the office by 4:30, and we were headed north by 6. Supper in Mass. Needed gas in White River Junction, so we figured we’d stay. Good choice. Good hotel, and a good run this morning – downhill to the Connecticut River (stealing Jeff’s “Epic” theme, I’d love to canoe or kayak from the headwaters down to the sound. Maybe when the boys are older…), then uphill back to the hotel. 4 miles, and man, are the hills killer.

Tomorrow is 15 miles. Stowe’s got a sweet 5 mile multi-use trail – figure I can do a lap and a half on that, right from the hotel. Beauty.

Off to find food…

July errata

1. Actually ran today. Had 5 on the schedule, and did the Jamestown route that I had thought was just over 6. The Google Maps Pedometer lists it at about 5.9. Which makes sense – I did the out in 23 minutes, and the back in 25, spending 5 walking trying to get my iPod to unlock (I was able to reset it in the car on the way home). First run I’ve had in two weeks that actually felt good – not quite a runner’s high, more like a runner’s contact high. Oh, and the guy who programmed the Gmaps Pedometer is raising money for the American Cancer Society when he runs the Chicago Marathon.
Continue reading July errata

Back

More or less.

I’d like to claim that I was totally and completely busy for the last week or so, but I’d be kind of lying. I have been busy enough that, while I have missed y’all greatly, other things (like sleep) have been more pressing. I’d apologize, but we’ve all been there, or will be.

The black cloud that struck Dianna and April-Anne skirted past Mystic, but never actually struck. Work’s been stressful but productive, the baby’s been sick, better, sick again, and better again, and I kind of blew a week’s worth of training.

Warding off the cloud – the boyos and I headed down to the Seaport for the antique and small craft weekend. Lots of beautiful boats I forgot to take pictures of while trying to keep the baby from walking off the wharf.
jake and nate in whaling boat 3
Continue reading Back

Busy

Hello, All.

Life is a bit busy again. Nothing bad, just really busy.

Will resume posting again soon. Probably around Friday or so.

George Hincapie rocks, BTW. Not only marries a podium girl, but wins the biggest and baddest stage of the 2005 Tour.

Inspiration

“Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.” — Benjamin Franklin (Autobiography, 1771)

Rock On, Ben. Be excellent to each other, folks.