Or how I learned to stop whining and love the jog
(Apologies for typos – there’s a couple of sticky keys on the machine I’m using, and I want to publish and go to sleep)
Best of intentions today to get out and enjoy near-melting temperatures. I really did have them. Except, once again, reality sets in, work becomes a priority, and I blow off running during the day. I was wrapped up by the afternoon, and probably could have snuck out on my way home, but my lovely wife had been strapped with both a big project for her job and her fourth day of being snowbound with the boys. We love them, but I really could feel for her – Jake’s pre-school was closed on Monday for snow removal, and his class at the Y was cancelled today for much-needed painting, etc. (Hopefully they’re bringing in a few new machines; the resolvers are sticking around longer than usual. Good on ’em)
So, after bath time, it was down to the basement again for another little while on the treadmill.
Plod plod plod plod plod plod – 9:30 pace for the Simpsons. It was the episode where Mr. Burns finds true love on Flag Day, but she runs off with Snake. Good start to the episode, but after a while it just drags.
So, I’ve made it through the Simpsons and still have a half-mile or so to go (fast-forwarded through the commercials). Next on the tape? Monday’s 24 (Noon – 1). The show’s been good up to this point, but not great. I think I enjoy it most for the government in-fighting. Finally, an accuate portrayl of turf battles. Although, I doubt anyone’d really scuffle if lives were on the line. In any case, the episode opens with Jack Bauer storming a terrorist stronghold to rescue the Secretary of Defense and Jack’s girlfriend. Oh yeah. Much of the first 10 minutes or so was shot to look much like a first-person-shooter video game, so much so that I was having flashbacks to hours playing Doom/Half-Life/whatever. Pretty stinking cool.
So I kicked up the pace a bit, and knocked out another mile plus at about 8:20 while Jack and SecDef killed bad guys and waited for the Marines to show up. Wow. Just wow.
Here’s what I’m wishing for – a treadmill that senses how fast you want to run, as opposed to how fast you tell it to run. I probably would have hit 8 minutes there for a while, but I didn’t want to click it up so high. Good stuff, though.