rocksNroots

About that Snow

2012-01-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Freezing Optimism

Coming up on "Snow Day" Number Three here in Seattle and environs.

A series of storms have come in over the weekend and into this week that have dumped a fair amount of snow on the region. Not as much as expected here in Seattle, more in other areas, but that hasn't stopped people from dubbing this event "Snowmageddon." (By the way, this is hardly original. "Snowmageddon" is the name of a pretty bad made-for-TV movie and we were already tweeting about it and "snomg" in 2008.)

This has even made the national news. Did you know that we've been "walloped" and "pounded" and now even the LA Times is calling us "wimps," Los Angeles!? At least the commenters on that piece have the good sense to throw it right back. People gripe about how incapable Seattleites are of driving on snow and there are lots of fun online videos showing the snow-related bumper-car festivities accompanied by gleeful schadenfreude-driven comments. "Look at those idiot Seattleites!" they cry "We KNOW how to drive on snow where I live." Even Jim Cantore (Who? Oh, now I know) made the trip out just to report on this.

So listen up America!

Yes, it is a Subaru!

Of course we can drive on snow! We do it all the time. In the mountains, where we ski, snow shoe, and run. Every other car is a Subaru (I am exaggerating) precisely because we like to drive in snow. Heck, we even like to ski in the city and enjoy a little sofa sledding.

So let me tell you a little bit about this snow thing. It is and it isn't about snow. It is about ice. In fact, I am just back inside from a late evening session of spreading ice melt on the sidewalks with a neighbor. It is dark out there and the surface of the snow is covered with an ice crust of at least a quarter inch thick. It makes for a satisfying crunch and in the places where it is packed down (like in the road) for a seriously slippery surface. Wunderground reports 27 degrees out there. Tomorrow morning everything is likely to be as slippery as a hockey rink.

I once heard U-Dub Atmospheric Scientist Cliff Mass explain what happens here. First we get snow which generally melts because the ground is never really cold enough to freeze. Then because of the regional topography and weather patterns, we get a nice shot of really cold air out of the Frasier River Valley which has the effect of freezing the snow melt. We get a nice hard glaze that, depending upon the length of the cold snap, sticks around for a while. Our normal weather pattern returns, 40-odd degrees and overcast, the ice and snow melts, and then we have urban flooding. We are in the icing pattern now. By Friday the thaw will come in and it will be time to trade snow boots for Wellies.

Any major metropolitan area that experiences that kind of icing sees traffic rapidly turn into a bumper car ride. This is something one learns growing up amid the Midwestern Metropolises not to mention the occasional ice-storms that shut everything down for days in the East. And then there was that year (1987-88) where Newark, Delaware was slammed with so much snow that we could only walk on the road. The sidewalks were covered under six-foot piles while residents tried vainly to sweep the snow with brooms and shovel it with dust pans. As to urban flooding, well there is that rather telegenic house right at the bottom of Malibu Canyon Road that took ALL of the run-off during the major storms during the 1990's.

Seattle isn't so different.

Except for one thing. The Hills.

Yep, Seattle has hills. Most of them natural and some of them human-made, the result of a rather ambitious regrading project during the late 1800's and early 1900's. How hilly is Seattle? According to the Seattle DOT we've got streets as steep as 26% and "many blocks in town with 18% to 21% grades." Get yourself a protractor or a big compass and see what that actually looks like. Then imagine driving up it or down it on ice or wet packed down snow. What is that like? I don't care what you are driving or if you have chains, studded tires, sandbags, whatever, you are going for a ride. In 2008 I saw a woman helplessly sliding down a modest hill in my neighborhood looking for all the world like a ball in a pinball machine. She was holding her head and screaming as she went past. Holding on to the steering wheel was pointless. Should she have taken another route? Probably. Was there another route? Ah, now there is a conundrum. Play with this map to see. Try going from Phinney Ridge or Ballard over to the U District or Wedgwood without hitting any hills. Should she have tried the bus? Walked? Not for me to say.

Walking or running up and down those hills when they are icy is something to try. I have. It can get quite fun. Sometimes, as PuddleThumper will attest, a nice pair of screw shoes is indicated.

Now, this really isn't a rant (well maybe except for the LA Times part and the media histrionics). It is odd to live in a place that shuts down like Seattle does. When we first moved here I was a bit surprised at this state of affairs and more than a little skeptical of my student's excuses, "I live on a steep hill and . . ." But having lived here for some time now I've come to understand that what makes Seattle pretty special (it's moderate weather) comes at a price. It really wouldn't matter how many plows the city has or how much salt and sand they put down. Given what happens, there is only so much that can be done.

Te at Saint Edwards State Park

So here's to day three of the Snow Days. School districts in the region have cancelled classes as have The Learning Factory and the Mega-Research/Learning Factory just down the track. It is nice to hang out on the couch with a fire going and work away at all the things I never have time to do. Even nicer to venture out into a world that has slowed way down and in which people take joy at playing in the snow.

I've managed to go running in the snow for the past two days. Both times coming home into the freezing wind out of the north. This afternoon my running hat was frozen as was my jacket and my face was windburned. My tummy (yep I got one of those) was actually also quite chilled and looked like it was on its way towards frostbite. Perhaps I should have heeded this advice? Oh wait, I did.

The dog has been exhausted by all this romping around. He was covered in ice this afternoon too. What a blast.

I know it is inconvenient and costs the economy, one of my neighbor's stores made a whole $16 today, but the city and the community generally continues to function. That is, if one is not working minimum wage or homeless and actually outside in all this mess or both. Let's not forget that . . .

Update: 6:45 AM

Rare ice storm warning issued by the NWS. Roads are, indeed, skating rinks, SeaTac has closed all runways, and . . .

Time to find that sand.

Wheeze, Cough, Sneeze, Wheeze, Cough . . .

2011-12-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

I am sick, actually it feels as if I have been sick most of the Fall and this has made a serious dent in my fitness.

The first four weeks of the Fall Quarter I spent with just enough chest congestion to not be unable to run (raced twice) but just debilitated enough to feel like crap and unmotivated most of the time. One good week of working out (swimming, biking, and running) and then a week where the wheels come off. Weird.

And now, now that the winter break has commenced, I find myself fighting either a cold or a chlorine allergy/sensitivity so bad that it put me in bed for the whole day yesterday. Spent the day sleeping and watching episodes of Star Trek: Phase II. These are pretty well done but it is a little odd to see someone else playing the central characters. Kind of nice to do this really but I am feeling sad for what seems a wasted day.

Not to mention the tendonitis in my knee that I am now working through.

Sheesh!

How am I going to get any kind of distance at this rate?

I will, it'll be a challenge but there it is.

In the meantime, it's the holidays! :-)

Some random stuff.

I raced last weekend, the 12K's of Christmas in Kirkland, a well-run event. A rather hilly course but one that I have done twice before, once in the pouring rain and again in 20 degree weather. Sunday was a bit misty and cold (normal Seattle weather) and it made for nice running conditions. Given this fall this was a nice test of where I actually am physically and, I happy to say, the news is relatively good. I am not fast (at least not as fast as I was when I did this course the other times) but I do seem strong. This felt like a good hard run and it was nice to have K, a friend of mine coming back after a couple of years away from running (and not by choice), run in with me after his own race.

Running in these kinds of races can be an interesting experience. You see all kinds of things, anything from strange running form to people deciding to squat at the side of the road (remember that carnage in Philly GVB?). During this race I had a guy let go a very smelly and loud fart right in front of me. It took a bit to get out from the smell. Passed this guy only to have him pass me again just before the finish. At least I didn't have to run in his wake. A headphone wearing woman ran into me three times. Not brushed against me mind you but full-on collision. I am not sure what was going on except, perhaps, that she was too busy figuring out whatever running program and playlist was on her iPhone that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Better she ran into me than a sign post or a curb or a car or . . . Then there was the guy running with his dog. They got in front of me and the dog is on a six foot leash and is wandering in and out of the traffic lane on 108th. The guy is listening to headphones and is concentrating on his shoe that has come untied when the dog goes back out into the traffic lane just as a double-long bus goes by. I can't believe what I am seeing and literally bark "Dog In!!" This startles the guy and he veers off to the grass verge to tie his shoe. Catches me up a little later on and gives me a look. Hmm.

Next race? Resolution Run with the Polar Bear Dip and then I am thinking of the Nookachamps Half Marathon on January.

Oh yeah, you can't really trust your GPS . . .

Happy Holidays!

This will be fun!

Bye Steve . . .

2011-10-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs died today. It is all over the news and this was important enough that my DW came down to the garage while I was spinning to let me know. Tim Cook's statement not-withstanding here will be a lot of words on his passing. Here are mine.

I first met Lisa at UW-Parkside in the early '80's in a computer lab filled with early IBM machines (the kind you had to boot from a floppy) and Apple 2's. So much fun. More fun than our old Commodore 64 and certainly easier to use than the TRS-80's I learned to program on. Here was something that could "do" something.

Macintoshes soon arrived on the scene. In the evenings we used to have them play MIDI songs in synchronization. And those disks, those tiny disks.

And then I went off to grad school and worked on DOS machines. But, you know, I would make party invitations using one of the Macs in the campus labs. Graphics, different fonts, etc.. Lugged a "portable" DOS machine around during the late '80's before buying my first Mac and that is where it has been ever since.

Learned video, graphics, and layout stuff on a Quadra 650. Animation too.

Stepped on a Powerbook 180 (opps) and replaced it with the machine I used to write my dissertation, a Duo 280.

First work machine? Powerbook Blackbird 5300—rigged for the presentation and multimedia development I needed to do in the classroom. Wasn't Sound Jam cool?

Along the way a couple of new iMac DV's made an appearance in my study and office but, really laptops were the way forward for me.

Powerbook G4? Sweet! And then the MacBook Pro followed by the thrill of the iPhone, the iPad, and a small collection of iPods.

There is a reason.

Some years ago, back when Apple products had made a temporary disappearance from college campuses (due in large part to the short-sightedness of IT decision-makers) a student asked me "Why do you use a Mac?" I thought about this and said "Because it lets me do what I need to do without getting in the way."

And that is really it. Forget "Cool." It just doesn't get in my way.

Of all of the things that Steve Jobs did it is this simple thing that is his greatest gift.

Thanks Steve.

Swimming in the air.

2011-08-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

Well, now here is something interesting. A nice three-dee flyover of my Magnuson OWS today.

Manguson OWS and more routes in Seattle, WA on MapMyFITNESS. Find route

Killer descent, huh?

.9 miles in 28:40 give or take.

Triathlon #2: ChelanMan Olympic

2011-07-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is it. This is what all this training has been for. It was a blast and unexpected too.

Let's just say that I was quite nervous in the week leading up to the race and could not keep from smiling during the race.

Here are the stats (BuDu Racing):

Swim Time: 0:29:53.2

Swim Rank: 116

T1: 4:38.5

T1 Rank: 419

Bike Time: 1:53:34.7

Bike Rank: 494

T2: 2:05.

T2 Rank: 305

Run Time: 1:02:38.5

Run Rank: 342

Age Group Place: 19/21

Gender Place: 219/228

Overall Place: 439/503

Overall Time: 3:32:49.9

OK, now here is the long (ish) post (I am tired).

Day One: The Night Before

Sj, Cr, and I drove out together. Rather Cr drove while I lounged in the front seat chatting idly about this and that. It seems so long ago and I honestly cannot remember. Mostly (I suppose) it was about what was happening over the weekend and what we were looking forward to. Sj is coming back from a stress fracture so her goal was to finish, enjoy everything, and have fun. I had been training and wanted to race. My left hip and leg had been bothering me and I knew that that could present a problem on the run. It is an odd thing that all of this soreness simply disappeared the closer we got to Chelan.

I love the drive. The terrain reminds me so much of the hills behind Santa Barbara and the warmth radiates. It is almost as if the land has nothing to hide. You can see every contour under a grass, bushes, and the widely spaced trees. It has been a cool spring and summer in the PacNW this year (here is why) and there was a hint of green mixed among the yellow of the dry grass. Here and there, evidence of the last round of wildfires in blackened tree trunks. I love the smell. Chaparral and other scrub. I love the cliff faces, naked and jagged. Through it all run the rivers of the northwest, strong, cold, and life giving to the communities that line their banks. It was nice to just watch, to loose myself in the scene.

We arrived at about 4:30 and checked in. I was sharing a condo with four other guys. Two were doing the Long Course (Half Iron), two (including me) who were doing the Olympic, and one who, having just completed Ironman Coeur d'Alene, was going to do the Sprint on Sunday. There was tri-gear all over the place competing for space with the various personal effects and food that we had all brought. Triathloning is turning out to be one of the heavier sports I have ever tried.

Off we went to check in, pick up our packets, and rack our bikes for the evening. Very smooth process. Very organized as you can imagine. Two very cool race shirts. Why two? I'll explain later. Race briefing was interesting. Interesting because it was hard to hear and over complicated. Briefing everyone on 3 or 4 simultaneous events has to be a challenge. I was most concerned about the no-drafting rules for the bike. Three bike lengths, passing in 15 seconds, and dropping back if you are passed. There was a USAT Ref out there and, as this is a sanctioned event, they would be monitoring things closely. I

And then it was off to eat dinner and get gear ready for the next day.

I inhaled a spinach pizza and a salad (huge) at one of the pizza joints next door and went back up to the condo to ready my gear and go through my checklist. Not only is this sport heavy it is complicated too. That done I retired early and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before lights out.

Bunk beds are not the greatest thing ever invented. I understand that they are efficient and probably fun if you are a kid but . . .

I did sleep but, like everyone else, kept on waking up and checking the time. 0500 seemed to come every 30 minutes or so as I would wake up, grab my phone, and check the time only to fall back on my pillow for X number more minutes of sleep. P, who was sleeping on the couch, got up at about 0430 and I decided to just do the same thing. Breakfast (PBJ, banana, and coffee) and a shave (gotta look good for the cameras AND any iota of smoothness will just enhance my hydrodynamic and aerodynamic efficiency). Things were to kick off at 0700 so at 0600 we headed out the door and to the park to prep our transition areas.

The sprinklers had come on during the night and soaked the ground. There was a grassy mud puddle right next to my rack and most people's bike numbers had gotten so wet that they were already disintegrating. I borrowed Sj's pump and got my tires up to 100 psi all the while hearing little explosions as people over-inflated their tubes. At each discharge a little knowing and empathetic sigh would go up. The RD was calling out briefings and urging us to get out to the beach for the swim start.

I had lots of energy and dissipated some of it impersonating a sea lion on the sea wall before going for a warm-up swim. The water was a "chilly" 68 or 70 degrees but I found it quite comfortable. The neat part is that is so clear. Clear enough to see the bottom, the fish, and (unfortunately) the occasional beer can. The water even tastes good, a fact I reported to M who, having just recently learned to swim, jokes that he hydrates during the swim.

What wave was I? It is a blur. We cheered the Long Course people off the beach and watched them power into the distance and then at 0730 the Olympic swimmers went off. My wave started at about 0740. I lined up to the left and outside of the wave. This would give me more than 1500 meters but I would also have more swimming room. The RD counted us down and in we plunged.

The Swim

What a difference practice and one other race experience makes. This start was more crowded than at Issaquah but I felt immediately at home in the water and just started stroking. Not thrashing or windmilling as so many others around me were—stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe on the other side, and so on. Not all out but just steady. Rounded the first buoy and headed for the second glimpsing the underwater line that had been set up. It was pretty crowded on that line so I stayed off to the left and continued to sight. Long leg to the dock (see the map) and there things got interesting. The closer I got to the dock the shallower the water became AND the slower I was moving over the bottom. There was a current that took a bit to claw through. Once through I took advantage of what felt like a following current and sprinted for the finish.

What was I thinking? No singing? No calming. Just enjoying the effort and thinking about the upcoming ride and run. It was nice.

The beach and the swim out. My hands hit the bottom and I gathered my feet underneath my body. Staggered a bit as the sand slid out from under me but heard CL cheering at me. Big smile as I trotted up to my bike.

Much better than last time! Ear plugs help A LOT! I highly recommend these from TYR (Barracuda also makes the same thing or is it sells the same thing). A little trouble getting my suit off. A lot less trouble getting my feet into my socks (baby powder) and then into my shoes. Garmin on, bike off the rack, and off I went running uphill to the mount line. On the bike and then I was off.

Bike:

I love riding. Even though it is a serious business it brings out the kid in me. The love of speed. Make no mistake, I work hard but it is still fun.

This was a 24.8 mile rolling course running along the shores of the lake. I had ridden much of this in May and had a blast on the uphills and downhills. Instead of hugging the shoulder of a busy highway we had the right lane to work in and traffic was being controlled by various volunteers and flaggers. Within .30 miles I was going strongly at 22.3 mph and hugely enjoying it. Was I getting passed? Of course. I would hear the heavy rumble of kevlar race wheels coming up behind me as a rider propelled a very expensive bike pass. I passed people too and traded off with a few. Slowed on some of the climbs more than I would like. Even though I was riding fast (for me) I was also conscious of having to preserve my legs for the upcoming 10K (a simulation of which a couple of weeks ago left me dehydrated and useless for a week) and took it easier on the climbs. Lots of smiling too. The new wheels, Mavic Speed Cities, felt great. Solid. Very solid.

It started to rain. At first little stinging droplets and then harder. The road got more and more slippery and I began to notice lots of soggy race numbers on the side of the road. I went past someone who had been trading off with me and joked "Of course it is raining!" She laughed as did I.

Things were going great. I was averaging 18.5 mph overall with a max speed of 32.5 on a long downhill and a minimum of 7.5 on a climb.

And then . . .

I heard this strange sound coming from my rear wheel. At first I thought it was my race number rubbing the tire (I had it mounted on the seat stay instead of the top bar). No. Hmm. The sound continued and I noticed that my rear tire was losing air. CRAP!

Totally flat by the time I pulled over. OK, time to get to work. Flipped the bike over in the dirt/mud at the side of the road and bikers whizzed by (just as I had done to others with flats). Across the road a father and his daughter were cheering people on. They asked if I needed help. I said, "No. I can't accept outside help but thanks for the offer" and went back to work, hoping that the SAG Wagon would come by (they didn't). Pulled the wheel, got the tire off and the tube out, and ripped my right pinky finger open in the process (not that I noticed). Ran the inside of the tire with my hand. Nothing obvious. AK and KK drove up and took a picture and asked where all the blood came from. Hunh? Blood? :-P

Got the tube placed and the tire remounted, loaded a CO2 cartridge into my little pumpy thing, and charged the tire. COOL! Remounted the wheel and spun it to check. There was a wobble. CRAP! What was wrong? Tube had bulged out. Deflated the tire. Packed it in, getting blood everywhere, pulled out my next cartridge, threaded it in, and, nothing. The CO2 rushed out but the tire didn't inflate. Well, bugger that. Let me try my pumpy thing. Nope. The tube is not taking anything now. CRAP! I am in a race and I am 3 miles or so from the finish. What to do. I start to run with my bike, in cleats. Then I think. Hmm. Don't I have a run to do? Duh!

Riding on a flat tire is an interesting experience. Luckily for me it was the rear that went and I could control things pretty well although the wheel tended to slew out when the should angled down to the right. Was going along slowly when CL and CP went by. They had been offering encouragement to all of us on the CL team. Stopped again to see if I could get the tire inflated with an undischarged CO2 cartridge that was lying on the side of the road (lots of biking related stuff on the side of the road, I know this because I was watching things very carefully). CL and CP kept their distance as I did this in case a course marshal went by. No joy and I continued on with CP behind me calmly encouraging me.

Whump! Whump! Whump!

I could hear lots of sympathetic comments from bystanders and encouragement too but, truth be told, I wasn't too fussed. Stuff like this happens. It could have been worse. There were sirens in the distance and lots of road rash. Me? I had a flat and a cut finger. Could've been much worse. Besides, it was fun.

The final hill up to the transition was kind of steep and as I whumped up it another racer came along side me and said "Did you know you have a flat tire?" I smiled and said "Yes, I know." I really wanted to add "Thank you Captain Obvious!" but didn't. Concentrated up the hill and then negotiating the turns to the dismount line and in to T2. Weight over the front wheel, back of when the rear began to slide out.

Thinking about things now I am kind of bummed. I was on pace for something just over an hour. Right up there with the leaders in my age group actually. But, live and learn.

Now why did the tire go? I still haven't done the postmortem on the tubes yet and have to take the wheel in to the shop to have it looked at as well (there are some mars on it now but it looks OK). CL theorized that the rain threw up bits of sand which worked its way down between the rim and the tire and abraded the tube. This might explain the slowness of the failure.

In the battle of the bikes Chelan 2, RPD 0 (damaged wheel during Tri-camp in May as well). Heh!

Lessons? Carry two tubes and three cartridges and make sure that the trigger mechanism is fully closed and that the cartridge penetrator is properly lined up.

Faster this time because I just slipped my shoes on and went. Bit of a hike.

Run

Kind of anticlimactic actually. I was slow and started to get hungry pretty early on despite eating and drinking on the bike. Puddlethumper's energy bars are quite tasty.

The course was basically the same as the ride. The sun was coming out and the air was getting steamy. I really had to pee so I stopped at the first aid station, had some water, and took care of business.

Slow run but not a slog because I was so happy to be out there. All the volunteers and the spectators created a sustaining energy. So too did the other participants. Got my picture taken too with a smile on my face.

During the last mile my left knee and hip started to play up and I had to play with stride a bit to work it out.

As with so many of these races it was over before I knew it. The final climb was easy and we finished on a downhill (Yay!). With a smile on my face too.

Challenging race.

Food and then watched everyone else coming in before heading out to explore Chelan a bit and rest. I felt great! Tired but great and I suppose the argument could be made that I didn't really race hard enough. But I am happy and looking forward to the next challenge.

On Sunday I would have Triathlon #2.333, but more on that later.

G.L.O.W.S.

2011-06-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

19 Days until Chelan Man and my triathlon training is going along nicely. 350 or so miles of swimming, biking, and running. It has been a while but I am now up to running 10 miles, swimming over a mile consistently, and routinely biking 30-45 miles.

Today's little bit of training was G.L.O.W.S (Green Lake Open Water Swim), a one-mile race.

Was I nervous? Yep.

Am I always nervous? Yep.

Nervous despite the fact that I have been routinely swimming this distance and longer.

Could I do this? Would I have the energy? Would I panic at the mass start? Would I be able to swim with high intensity?

Turns out the answers are: "Yes," "Yes," "No," and "Yes." :-)

So how did it go?

A blast!

-----------------------------

Sunny June morning here in Seattle, one of those days that Puget Sounders are so thankful for given that summer doesn't really start until after July 4th. Email from the race director the night before saying: 1) get here early as it will be crowded, 2) water temp is 64.5m and 3) because of the cold water swimmers wearing wetsuits would be eligible for prizes. Hmm. So, normally someone wearing a wetsuit would not be eligible? This is a rule/norm/practice I need to know more about.

Sj and Cr picked me up at 8:15 and we found parking very easily. Check in was easy too as there were no lines. "Are you wearing a wet suit?" "Yes." "Is it a full suit?" "Yes" "OK, then I don't need to mark you. What size shirt? Take your pick." Then it was time to meet up with the CL team to get ready. Picture taking, suiting up, nervous talking, bathroom visits (it is axiomatic that as soon as you get zipped into your suit that you will have to pee), and worrying about whether or not my new optical goggles would leak. AK and KK rolled up on their bikes to watch the festivities.

At 9:00 am the half-mile race started off from the other side of the lake. A distant surging of arms and white water that gradually trickled closer and closer. As we wouldn't be going off until after the last half-miler came in, somewhere around 9:30, I jumped into the water to warm up and to test my new goggles. They worked! I could see. The water felt wonderful too, maybe a little warm.

Pretty soon the last half-miler came in and we were moved to the start area. Announcer announced "Keep the buoys on your left" and "I will say 'Swimmers on your mark' and then the starting gun will go off." Not even seconds later he said "Swimmers on your mark!" and then "BANG!!!" and we were off.

Lots of people around me. I could see feet everywhere. Feet flashing up and down. Feet and torsos thrashing around me. People cutting in front of me, colliding, stopping and starting. It took a little bit to establish a rhythm but I did. No panicking (as I did at Issaquah) either (all the practicing and warming up helped).

It is difficult to say much about the first half mile. There is a particular sensory deprivation that happens in murky water. The water is green and you cannot see much beyond the tips of your fingers. Unless other swimmers are immediately upon you they exist as shadows until you catch a glimpse of their heads and windmilling arms when sighting. Three quarters of the way over my left ear plug went missing and the water rushed in. That was going to be a problem later on. Then the last buoy was next to me. I flipped on my back, went around it, flipped back over and started towards the finish.

Not sure why this is but the second half of this race seemed to go faster than the first. The sun was in my eyes. I spent less time sighting and, consequently, swimming a not-so-straight line, and felt an interesting surging as people around me started gearing up for a sprint to the finish. It was infectious and they took me with them. At least I think I was sprinting but haven't a clue. In my sightings the finish arch came up faster and faster, the bottom of the lake began to resolve itself in my vision, and soon my hands were scraping the bottom. Feet down and wobbled up the steps to the finish line. Hit stop on my watch, looked up at the clock and saw 25:11 so I am calling my time that which means that I had the following stats courtesy of Triathlon Conversion Calculators: 1 mile in 25:11, 1:25 per 100 yards, at 2.3 mph.

AK shot this as I was waiting in the finish chute line, looking seriously for all the world like a rather grumpy over-stuffed sausage.

(photo courtesy of PuddleThumper, 2011)

Truth is I was just trying to stay upright. :-P

Pretty soon I was checking in with the other members of the team, all of whom had a great time.

This race confirmed that I DO need earplugs. :-)

Home then, quick post-swim breakfast of spaghetti, and then on the bike for 20-miles of power segments on the very crowded Burke Gilman trail.

Tomorrow?

40-45 mile bike ride interrupted by a search committee meeting followed by a brick to a 6-miler. Should be fun but I can't wait to put my wetsuit on again. After Chelan it will be the Swim For Life in August. 2.24 miles from Medina to Madison Park.

In the meantime, I'll wait for the official results wearing my new t-shirt. :-)

It's Official!

2011-06-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

Here are my results:

Gun Time: 1:36:18

Net Time: 1:36:18

Swim Time: 00:8:46

T1: 00:8:05

Bike: 00:47:33

T2: 00:02:18

Run: 0:29:38

Overall Place: 363/541

Division Place: 36/47

Not bad! Not bad at all.

The transitions (ahem, "layovers") is something to focus on. Practice makes perfect. Right?

Let the analysis and drawing of lessons begin . . .

My * First * Tri!

2011-06-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

4 AM came awfully early this morning.

The sky was just beginning to lighten and the birds were waking up. My alarm woke everyone in the house up. Well, it woke the dog up and he started barking at it and THAT woke everyone. I had been porpoising the waters of unconsciousness all night and his barking still came as a shock. I could barely move.

All my packing was done the night before and all I needed to do was to wake up, have breakfast, and do some other stuff best not mentioned (like putting on a rash guard). My feet did not want to hit the floor but I eventually found myself shuffling the dog around the block in an attempt to clear my head and to allow him to clear his you know what. That and listening to the birds singing something like "Why are you awake? Why are you awake? Why are you awake?" (not an imaginative song I know.)

"Bye" to the DW and the FFF's (Four Footed Fiends) and at 4:45 I began the 40-minute drive to Issaquah. Packet pickup, body marking, and the transition areas were to open at 5:30 and the anal retentive man in me wanted to be there early enough to get a good rack position. 30-minute drive under cloudless skies on barely trafficked roads.

It is an odd thing to be "body marked." Number "119" on my left calf and left shoulder and "my age" on my right calf but there it is. This would come in handy later on as I could tell how old people were when I was passing them (the obverse for those who passed me is also true). I wonder how many people pay attention to this and think "Hah! I just passed a 25 year old!"

Standing in line to get into the Transition area I saw D a few spots ahead. Iron Man D, a strong swimmer who is known for bombing hills on his bike, turning around and climbing back up just so he can bomb it again. By the looks of it he was there even earlier than I. It took a while but I finally got a good position on the end of the first "my age" rack and got my gear together only to change it when CL came over to give me some pointers about where I should place my towel and my gear so that people wouldn't trample it AND I would have lots of room when changing. She also aired up my tires and suggested that I walk the transition route from the swim to my rack and then from the bike return to the rack and figure out where to go for the run. Do this without your glasses for the swim to bike.

Talked a bit with M too, who was doing his first tri as well.

Good advice. Past the Port-O-Potties (and the lengthening line) and the 8th rack on the right. Others were doing likewise so this seems a good practice.

Mandatory meeting at the beach at 6:45 found me in my wetsuit asking a woman if she could "zip me up." I wonder how many times in my life I have actually said that to a total stranger. Then a thinly sung "Star Spangled Banner" (why must they always be sung so) during which someone standing next to me grunted when the word "free" came up.

Tri's are more complicated than foot races and so I listened extra carefully:

Keep the yellow buoys to the left at all times. Check!

We'll be starting in waves. Check!

Elites start at 7 and we'll call the waves out so you can get on deck. Check!

Make sure to wear your assigned color swimming cap. Check! (Mine was something like the consistency and color of those cheap yellow dish washing gloves.)

Then I just stood there beginning to boil in my wetsuit as wave after wave of "young" people went off and, as I did so, I noticed two things. First, the swimmers seemed to be going so slowly but I knew they were actually traveling quite fast. Second, my stomach was beginning to go all liquid on me. I was nervous. Very nervous. More so as my wave start got closer and closer.

The Swim:

Stood rather quietly at the right front of my group. There didn't seem to be as many yellow heads as there had been other colors in the other waves and so we were all going out together. The water was cold but, compared to Lake Chelan a few weeks ago, seemed quite warm. I dunked under to get my face wet and felt the odd sensation of a single trickle of water making its way down the inside of my suit. There was nervous joking going on around me and no little amount of griping about how cold the water was.

The siren went off and I dove into a thrashing the likes of which I've not experienced before. There were people all around me. I could sense them, feel their turbulence, and see the bubbles from their passing. It was hard to get into that rhythm that I had been practicing: Face down in the water, one, two, three, breathe, sight, face down, etc... Instead I started swimming with my head up because that is what everyone else was doing and it was slowing things down and because I was starting to panic. I aspirated some water and came up coughing. The guy swimming next to me kept stopping and bobbing vertically. Why I do not know.

I decided to calm myself and get back to training—focus, stroke, breathe, sight—started playing music in my head (the Prophecy Theme from Dune), and just swam.

The last yellow buoy seemed to come rather quickly and I turned towards the beach. After a few minutes I noticed that people were standing up and that I was catching mud with my hands. I stood up too. "This cannot be the end!?" I thought and sure enough it wasn't.

Sandbar!

The bottom slopped away and I started swimming again to the beach feeling a bit bewildered and looking a bit like a well-stuffed sausage but with a smile on my face. Why a smile? I had done it AND CL was there cheering for me. It felt nice.

300 yards to the transition area from the beach? Sounds about right although it might have been shorter.

I was wobbling around feeling really unbalanced as I trotted along trying to find my wetsuit cord and not run into anyone (or off the path as it were).

Found my bike but discovered that someone had knocked my helmet off and my glasses were on the ground as well. Had they been crushed that would have been the end of my race and the beginning of that little bit of Hell I call not being quite able to see well enough to do much except play Angry Birds at close range. They were OK. Stripping out of my wetsuit I suddenly felt like I was going to pass out and it took a bit to clear. I have to find out what this is. I asked another friend, M, about this and it happens to her too. She puts her helmet on first so if she falls down her head will be protected. Good thinking.

Don't remember much about this transition. I think CL was talking with me nothing is clear. I changed my shirt and got my cycling shoes on and started trotting for the bike start. There was PuddleThumper with a big smile on her face egging me on as she manned the bike out gate. Yay!

Got on my bike and started riding in the middle ring right behind a guy struggling to move a mountain bike 5 mph. It was too tight to pass him and the guys behind me were getting verbally impatient. I worked my way around, ate some Clif Blocs which I also started aspirating and sputtering pieces of all over my bars (there is a lesson here), and then started riding in earnest.

The Bike:

A very fun and mostly flat out-and-back course that was narrow and twisty at the beginning. Shifted into the big ring and just went. My legs were feeling very strong and I was breathing well. Rode in the upper-teens once we got on the main road.

Another cyclist and I were trading off during the early moments and he joked that it was going to be "that kind of day" as he went past me. I caught and passed him and jokingly introduced myself as we would be spending a bit of time with each other. He didn't get the humor I think and I didn't see him until well after I had turned around.

Then it was just riding, passing and getting passed by riders who seemed to have rockets attached to their bikes. Some people warned about passing. Most of the fast ones did not. One one curve I saw a cyclist sitting down with blood everywhere. A course volunteer was with him. He looked done. Wonder what happened.

The first big climb took the mickey out of lots of people and they started getting wobbly in front of me (even the fast movers). I shifted into the second ring and spun my way up. Indeed, my focus was on keeping my cadence up regardless of gear. The first descent was a blast. Big ring, hard gear, and an almost 35 mph chase down. I could not believe how fast the miles were ticking by. Every once in a while I'd glance at my HR. Way up there, in my road race band, but I was not feeling like the effort was hard. All this training is paying off I thought.

The return was also fun. Big climb at 9 went well and then I bombed the downhill and kept up the pace all the way back to the park.

Came in to the dismount line (didn't see the touch line and was not reminded to do so by the volunteers) and got off my bike. A rider ahead of me almost fell over. I trotted past and with a much clearer head found my station, racked my bike, and started getting ready for the run.

T2:

This time I remember that CL was talking with me about how I was feeling. I got my shoes on, changed my Garmin from bike to run, and said to her that using two Garmins in future might be the way to go. Grabbed a couple of Clif Blocs and headed out for the run.

The wrong way. :-P

CL gently directed me the right way (thanks!).

The Run:

Going from the bike to the run has been the part I hate the most (although the swim to bike transition might take that dubious position after today) but today everything felt good. I was warmed up and using short quick steps to get my legs turning over.

There was a moment where I thought "Nuts! I forgot my inhaler." I generally need that when running but realized that it would not be necessary today. My watch reported something like a 9:19 pace and I knew that it would be good.

Neat course. A mixture of concrete, XC trails, shaded areas, and full sun.

My metronomic machine was on and the time and miles ticked away. I just felt good. Not too hot or cold or anything, just good and solid. Well-hydrated and fed from the bike (fueling strategy seems to be working) meant I didn't need to grab water on the course. Trail running skills helped in the muddy and uneven areas. Just a nice run.

I kept on hearing my name and high-fiving other CL athletes as they went past the other direction. Another runner remarked upon this as I passed him. "You are a popular guy" he said. "It's about time too!" I replied and wished him luck. It was nice to see all kinds of friends, acquaintances, and training partners out there. Usually I am out there all by myself.

The end nearing I kicked up my pace a notch or two and got into something of a sprint with another runner. She was not going to be passed and gave it everything. I crossed the mat just after her to the cheers of the assembled CL athletes (thanks guys). BIG SMILE! (Though the pictures I've seen of all this on Facebook show me looking like I am at the edge of death).

I guess I am a triathlete now. :-)

Feels good.

But . . .

The Fretting:

. . . now I am fretting about two things. Bike things.

Triathlons have SO MANY RULES.

First, did I draft? There were moments where I was within a bike length of a rider in front of me. Trying to pass or stuck there while we were passed. Did that break the rules?

Second, I saw no touch down line, nor signs, nor was I warned that it was coming up by the volunteers, at least I think not but here is the rule. It was in the briefing and I was thinking about it but just missed it and kept rolling slowly while clipped in.

So, while I may have completed my first triathlon I may also have been DQ'd especially if I did this in front of a sharp-eyed course marshal.

Kind of a sour note to what has been a most wonderful day but we'll see when the results come out and, if so, lesson learned. Not the first time something like this has happened to me (losing my timing chip during my first marathon was a hard one too).

Things I Learned:

My body and mind reacts in strange ways to rapid shifts in activities
I can calm myself down and focus when needed
I need to find something to eat that I will be less likely to aspirate or change the way I take what I do have in
Keeping a clear head is hyper-critical. Noticing signs and obeying instructions is something I have to work on
Bill The Butcher has some of the best hot dogs I have EVER tasted
This was a very fun way to spend a morning and I think I am hooked

Well, there it is.

Time to get ready for the ballet. Giselle at PNB this evening.

Oh yes. I think I did all this in about 2:15:xx but I really am not sure.

How Weird It Feels . . .

2011-02-27T21:06:00.001-08:00

I've decided to take the plunge, literally, and train for the Chelanman Olympic Triathlon this July. Why? It just seems silly not to swim and ride when I like doing them so much. Besides, multisport training can help me make a healthier athlete right?

It is just that it just feels weird.

Weird not to be running six days a week. My body is either liking this or not, I cannot tell yet, and my mind hasn't quite reconciled itself to the change. I know that I am working but at this point in my training I feel like I am simply slacking off. That is the strange part.

At the same time I am learning all kinds of new things, like how to swim properly. 1.5 mentally exhausting hours in the pool this morning made so because I had to concentrate on changing my technique. What I remember from junior high swimming and what I have been doing since then is flat out wrong. You are supposed to roll back-and-forth when stroking to minimize resistance. I suspect that the theory behind staying level is that you are not wasting energy. I guess there really a trade off between twisting or rocking and lessening resistance on the one hand and bucking into the water. Looking at video of triathlon swimmers starting off it always looks odd to me. I suppose that competitive swimmers (Phelps, etc.) also do the same thing but they look so very, very rock solid in the water too. It is all confusing.

I wonder if TYR Nest Pros can be done in prescription? Simply the best goggles I've ever had. No leaks. No Leaks!

Wet suit? That is coming next, after swimming paddles.

Isn't swimming supposed to be simple?

Never thought I'd enjoy riding on an indoor trainer either but I am. It seems like most of Seattle is doing the same as I cannot find a trainer tire at any of my local bike shops (next stop is online I guess) and my poor road tire is melting from the heat. Tomorrow my coach has me riding one-legged to build strength. This will be novel.

I wish I could hook myself up to an electrical generator. Seems a shame to waste all that energy when I could be charging something. Right?

So far I can say that all this cross training has helped my running. Leg lifts are easier as is turnover and when my back feels tightly compressed from a run a swim stretches me out nicely. Though challenging, the Orcas 25K a few weeks ago was easier for all this other work. Nice high leg-lifts meant that I did not trip over any rocks and roots as is my normal practice in a long race. Recovery was a bit easier except for the stuck tendon in my right leg that loosened right up once I got back on the bike.

Yep. I think I am going to like this. Certainly I will need it.

In other news.

Remodeling mayhem is in full swing. Never thought I would fall in love with a refrigerator (a German one) or learn about building codes, shiplap, insulation, and utility masts but I am. It is not so bad except for the times when I have to answer a question every five minutes, a decision that will be "permanent" or expensively temporary. And then there are all those expensive unforeseen issues. At least we are doing our part to restart the economy with this orgy of consumerism, right?

The quarter is winding down. We've entered the ninth week and it just seems unreal. Looking over some essays the other day I realized that my students are smarter than me. DW said "Well, it is about time! :-P" I agree. Kind of nice. In the meantime, guess what, the professorate is not churning out rabid left-wingers at all despite the best protestations of the right. Of course, we are going to go through another round of deep budget cuts which will be painful and, guess what, likely stop the orgy of consumerism, the very orgy needed to get the bloody economy going in the first instance unless, of course, you would much rather sell cars in China. Yeah, this is wearing.

Better go hop on the bike for a bit. :-)

Strongest/Longest Run in a While!

2010-12-28T17:32:00.001-08:00

Solstice Eclipse

2010-12-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

12.20.2010

The last time there was a lunar eclipse on the Winter Solstice was in 1638, 372 years ago. Shortest and Darkest Day of the year and a red Moon. What could be better?

It would be cool if the weather deities would be so kind as to remove the cloud cover from the Puget Sound so we can all enjoy it. Wouldn't it.

So far, so good! :-)

Here are some pictures from my walk.

Uh Oh! Clouds coming in!

Relatively clear skies.

Huge Moon!

And more . . .

And now 9:43 pm PST (US), approximately 50 minutes before the eclipse is to start! Time to get the good camera out.

11:30 pm PST (US) and the clouds parted:

And now I have to go to sleep. WAY Past My Bedtime!

O Tannenbaum

2010-12-19T18:18:00.001-08:00

Random Stuff for November and December

2010-12-18T21:45:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, the gorging season has officially arrived and my email inbox is stuffed with exhortations from the most "famous running magazines of all" about "avoiding those holiday pounds" this year. It is kind of funny that most "lifestyle" magazines have the same messages, just different modalities. Damn those holiday pounds. But let me ask you, would anyone actually eat "Cream-cheese filled wraps and mini meatballs"?

The quarter is over, has been for a week, and I took the very first opportunity to come down with a nasty cold right after turning in my grades. That was fun but at least I could relax, enjoy it without having papers hanging over my head, and catch up on my TV watching. On top of my holiday faves ("Christmas Story", "Holiday Inn", and "Miracle on 34th Street") I've been watching "The Pacific", "Community", and "Centurion".

FYI "The Pacific" is quite riveting. Though all war movies have now internalized the conventions, look and feel of "Saving Private Ryan", "The Pacific" presents a rather honest look at the complexity of war and its dehumanizing effects. There is a wrenching scene during the Battle for Okinawa where a moment of re-humanization occurs which renders all the militaristic bombast that passes for war and action film these days pale by comparison. Devastating. "Community" made me cringe when it first came on. I teach at a CC and, well, it just seemed stupid (close to the bone?) but the show has sure developed into a romp through popular culture parody. "Centurion"? Give it a miss. It is standard, unidimensional chase film disguised as a splatter-fest (joyfully attested to by the directors and actors in the DVD extras). Even better, go see "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" in Smell-O-Vision (and sing-along, taste-along) if you can.

We've been having some bizarre weather of late. City closing snow storms, warm and wet rain storms, and sun. In honor of this randomness, here are some pictures taken as I walked around the neighborhood over the past month.

Monkey Puzzle Tree after the snow storm that shut Seattle down for about a week.

Couldn't catch that Gingerbread Man.

Pineapple Express came in and blew and washed leaves into interesting patterns.

Same thing with crab apples.

Some Seattleites have odd senses of humor.

Some are even odder . . .

And today? Today it blew 16 mph sustained with gusts from 33 to 50. We went out into the mountains for a run. It snowed on us.

49 days to go for the Orcas Island 50 and 25K. I am entered. Think I can train up in time?

Happy Holidays! Time to decorate our tree, perhaps the Charlie Browniest on the block.

Stay tuned for the obligatory running year assessment . . .

Seattle Marathon (Cheering Section)

2010-11-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today was the Seattle Marathon and I decided to go out to cheer on the runners, three of whom I did know and most of whom I didn't. So I decamped to the shaded and frigid corner of 24th Avenue and Interlaken, just before the 22-mile marker. This is such an interesting section of the course. A steep climb from the Arboretum, crossing an arterial, and then a gradual climb into Interlaken Park, in my opinion one of the prettiest places in Seattle.

Cheering people on makes me rather self-conscious but PuddleThumper had thrown down a challenge to make a lot of noise and so I did.

It is amazing how limited one's vocabulary becomes when doing this. So many "Good Job!" , "You Got This Hill!", and "Looking Strong!" or "Looking Good!", "Strong Work XXXX", and (of course) "Keep It Going! You Are Almost Done!" I was struck by the sense that much of this was something of a lie. No, "lie" is too strong, a "noble lie" perhaps.

Occasionally someone would respond with a smile at my comments and show that momentary boost that comes with encouragement. I know how much this means and providing it was a nice experience. Mostly people were kind of glazed over, inward focused, with determined faces (smiles or grimaces, it is hard to tell with people). Is that how I look at Mile 22? Many were limping. One guy stopped for a long time working on a hamstring cramp, so I took a bottle of water over to him. He declined and laughingly said that it wasn't lack of water that was the problem, it was that we was running 26.2 miles. He smiled, I wished him luck, and he hobbled off. And then there were these two guys one of whom said to the other "You know, at this point I wouldn't mind getting hit by a bus!"

And what of my friends?

Realrunning's GVB was first through, looking strong. He stopped, hugged me, and then asked that I keep his sunglasses as they were "really bothering" him. He finished in something like 3:50:XX. Geomatic Guy was next. He popped up right in front of me it took a rapid bit of pattern recognition before I realized who I was looking at. "Ron!" I shouted. He jerked and looked so surprised that I thought I had gotten his heart started. But he kept going for a 3:55 finish. Waited some more and was joined by PuddleThumper's DH and Coach Lesley to wait for her to come. I'll let her talk about her race but I am happy to say that I met my challenge and cheered loudly and that she looked quite good and came in 593rd. Any finish is a good finish in my book.

This was a nice, if a bit chilly, experience. Sitting at home with a steaming cup of tea, it is nice to reflect on the culminating and inspiring efforts of all those people out there.

Good job all!

La Buffa, this one's for you . . .

2010-11-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

August 16, 2010 5:27 PM

paul said...

I am desperately interested in "weaning myself off orthotics". In my case the damage has already been done --arch pain, heel pain (PF) and Morton's neuroma, all caused, by (in order) years of carrying big packs up big moutains, shoe salesmen, insole salesmen and podiatrists. Please comment further on your approach/success in bare-footing your way off the orthotic merry-go-round, especially, your observations on Vibram 5-fingers.

Thanks,

La Buffa

La Buffa/Paul,

Better late than never!

How have things been going weaning off orthotics?

Well. I haven't used them in a very long time so I count what I have been doing a success. My shoes are lighter and, baring minor things, I have not been really injured since getting rid of them. This does not mean that all my pronation issues have gone, a fact that every shoe fitter remarks upon when finding shoes for me to try. The smartest one I know looked at me and said "Well, it is obviously working for you so . . ."

Five Fingers?

I bought a pair this summer and spent quite a bit of time walking around in them (couldn't quite bring myself to wear them everywhere, everywhere like the ballet or the opera as I have seen others doing). They are amazingly comfortable and joy to wear, great way to strengthen your feet and ankles as well as slowly rebuilding your arches AND working on form. TheVFF's are a bit chilly though and I need to get a slightly bigger pair so I can wear toe socks in them.

I have not yet used the Five Fingers for significant running for three reasons:

First, there is a potential toe-hooking problem. Catching my feet on random rocks and roots and peeling a toe away at speed, gives me the willies. My solution has been to use more minimalist running shoes (Inov8 295's). This summer I caught a left foot on a piece of rebar stealthily sticking up out of the trail and ripped my trail shoe wide open. Judging what happened to the shoe, this would have been much worse without its protection.

Second, my running mechanics are hampered by my size. I am a larger runner and, though strong, my weight does mean that I am less agile. Proponents of barefooting would argue that running barefoot would be the way to solve this problem and that size ultimately would not matter. I tend to agree with this but am in the middle of the transition process, a process that has its fits and starts.

Third, as you can guess from the narrative on this blog, I take things like this very slowly so as to minimize injury possibility. There was an article in Northwest Runner a few months ago had sports doc writing about increased incidences of barefooting injuries. In her 11/18/10 comment, Sarah makes the same point and that she is mixing shoes, taking it slowly, and "babying" her feet. She is right, there is no sense in trading one set of injuries for another.

What I have had to do is unlearn bad form habits AND strengthen my whole body instead of focusing on fixing the local problem (pronation). This, I guess, is my most important discovery. Yoga and massage has helped me keep things loose.

I have some questions for you:

Have you experimented at all with yoga and massage as a way of releasing some of the tensions in your feet, etc.? Having a conversation with yoga instructors and massage therapists about what can be done would be a good starting place. Finding someone who can carefully work with you on these issues and customize their approach is particularly important. I have found that yoga helped with balance, core strength, and flexibility, all things necessary for good form. It seems to me that nothing you do will matter much without this.

What have you done to work on your form? In Our Own Devices: How Technology Remakes Humanity (2009), Edward Tenner explores the ways that shoe technologies alter the human body. Orthotics, not to mention our shoes, force a fix. Why not change your form in such a way that a "forced fit" is no longer necessary? There are many ways of doing this besides yoga. Feldenkrais helps you become hyper-aware of what you are doing and uses the slightest of adjustments to render change. Chi Running is an interesting approach designed to help you with alignment and that "light and easy" style Sarah mentions. It does so by increasing body awareness and working to change what feels normal. Danny Dryer, founder of Chi Running, makes the point that shoes do not matter if one adopts a "barefoot" style. It strikes me that what Dreyer advocates is very much like what happens in cultures that rely on minimalist footwear. I have found Jim Hansen's post on these techniques and others quite useful.

The bottom line is to find what works for you and to stick with it over time. Align and relax your body and then your feet will eventually follow.

Five Fingers and other minimalist shoes become an afterthought once you've done that.

I hope this helps.

A Walk

2010-09-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Took a walk this afternoon.

Interesting sky . . .

and my favorite tree . . .

In the Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don't Give A Shit?

2010-09-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

In The Know: Are Tests Biased Against Students Who Don't Give A Shit?

Thanks GVB! :-P

Summer is over

2010-09-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

But I am not over summer, yet.

At this moment I am trying without success to do some course prep for the start of classes this coming week. Course prep? Writing syllabi, establishing reading schedules, and setting up Blackboard classrooms . The first two things are not so bad, it's the Bb classrooms that require the heavy lifting and the most time. Simply porting content over from the last time doesn't work as I am one of those profs who insists on revamping for relevance every quarter. I am excited in the abstract at the start of the academic year, perhaps the excitement will be more real once the quarter actually starts. In the meantime I have two days of meetings to get through and lots of things to build.

At least with the arrival of September we are moving out of the political silly season that constitutes much of the summer. It has been like watching a slow motion train wreck in which all of the yahoos on board escape and run around the countryside. Of course we still have to get through just over seven weeks of campaign vitriol, histrionic reporting, and robocalls before we can attempt declaring an end. Something tells me that we won't be able to though.

Summer 2010 in the Pacific North West was a strange one. Not so warm, in fact down right cool and rainy compared to the heat wave of 2009 that had everyone panting and dipping in Green Lake late at night. Only of handful of hot days this year.

The upshot of this is that I don't feel like I have actually had a summer this year and it disturbs me to think of how sensitive I have become to the vagaries of the weather. Sure we can run year round up here and it is green all the time but there is something about the feel of sun on your skin that is so precious that we can't wait for summer to begin after July 4th and (some of us) mourn the end of the 2 months or so of truly glorious sunshine we get before heading back into the grey. The grey has stayed with us.

If the weather has been iffy around here so has my running at least until quite recently. I can feel my strength returning over the past couple of weeks. A combination of things like finally having the time to spend up in the mountains and running with music have helped as have the banishment of the "I can't . . ." thoughts as in "I can't run up this hill . . . " I've just started running up those hills and zooming down them. Been participating in a core class too that is helping quite a bit (no, abs work is not something I do for fun). I've also been inspired by Sj who trained for and completed her very first IronMan (and has a very nice commemorative tattoo).

So what is next for me?

A few weeks ago GW visited on his way back from UltraMan Canada and he and M started working on me to train for something interesting. They convinced me to try the Chuckanut 50K in March 2011. Hard to get in I gather but I'll train and try. Going up to run there during the Fall sounds like a great idea. Any readers like to join me?

Cross training too. I've decided to find a pool, a not too crowded pool, to swim in twice a week before teaching and I'll probably bike commute once a week as well.

Two conferences coming up: the first is in Northfield, Minnesota in October, the second in Durham, North Carolina in November. Both are interesting, on quantitative reasoning and undergraduate research and each has the bonus of being a completely new place to experience. You can bet that I'll be taking my kicks with me and looking for trails. Exciting.

So much possibility.

Hmm. Maybe I am over summer. :-)

Where have America's tolerance and acceptance of Muslims gone? - latimes.com

2010-08-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

This just makes me so sad and tired. Why is it that people claim special license to ignore their capacity to think? For a culture that claims so strongly the cult of the individual the herd is simply too much in evidence.

Where have America's tolerance and acceptance of Muslims gone? - latimes.com

Once a Runner? (Or the story of my first DNF)

2010-08-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I had my first DNF today and have been walking around in a funk all day. Am I a runner or am I not? Seriously questioning things and have been since Eugene—even though there have been moments of fun (i.e., Ragnar) nothing has been right since the marathon.

So here is the self-pity which I will get over quickly else I be the recipient of an endless round of dope-slaps administered by my friends.

Today was right in the middle of a heat wave, 90 degree temps forecast and it was, as you can imagine, heating up pretty fast by the time the race started at 8:30. The sun was out, the sky blue, and very pretty.

But my HR at the start, just standing there was approx 108 which means that I was nervous or something basic is not right or both. The "gun" went off and I started running conservatively. There were lots of runners out today and most were running without packs, with bottles or nothing. I decided on my pack. As we circled the field a woman commented to me that it was a good thing it was water sloshing around on my back and not in her stomach otherwise she'd be in trouble. I went out very conservatively because of the heat and the fact that I wanted to save my legs. Walk-ran up Lost Beagle and then some of the hills after the first water stop (gelled there and picked up a new one). It was quiet and pretty on this section of the course and I was just cruising along. Passing and getting passed on occasion. Walked in a train up Wilderness Peak too and actually caught people that had passed me.

In other words, things were going pretty well. It was hot but not too bad. I was trying to keep my HR down as much as possible too. Electrolyte tabs every hour too (I actually remembered them this time).

Two other guys and I were in a train ascending WP and when we got to the top we started going down. There is that false drop and then short climb again and I slipped into third position as I didn't want to thrash my legs too early. The guy I let go saw the next uphill, looked at me, and said "You've got to be kidding!" I grinned and said, "have fun". Descent was gingerly by my standards and this might be why I developed problems. Definitely not one my best floaty descents by any stretch of the imagination. I was just going along, hearing people whooping it up as they dropped the trail and saying hello to hikers and one other trail runner coming upslope (silent as a ghost and I didn't see him until he actually stepped off the trail). I remember thinking "Do I really want to be doing this today?"

Then about 3/4ths of the way down I felt something go in my right quad. Just a little pop not a rip or some sort of massive tear. Just a pop and my leg really didn't want to do what it needed to do. I wouldn't say that my quad shut down all the way but that is what it felt like as I could feel my hamstring kick in to take some of the load, especially on the uphills. It didn't hurt but I realized that I had reached the "'Fuck It!' Point" (FIP). Decision time. Depression time. Self-pity time. Do I go back up, over, and down or do I continue on around Shy Bear, hit the aid station, and then walk back to the start. Decided that doing that climb on my leg was not the right thing and so I pressed on. Walking. Limping. Feeling tired, hot, and like a wimp especially when getting passed. This was the worse part of the run, letting the disappointment sink in.

Got to the aid station, drank a Nuum, asked if they had a radio (they had a phone), asked them to call ahead to let the folks at the start know that "52 was dropping out" and that I would walk back to the start on my own. The two guys asked if I knew the way. I said "yes" but wanted to scream "Of Course I Do!" So on I went. Shy Bear sure looks funny going the "wrong" way. Pretty steep too. Soon I was at Fred's Railroad passing the point where the leaders should have broken the course tape coming off Quarry Trail. It hadn't been broken. On I went, walking and occasionally limping when I started hearing footfalls behind me. There were the leaders. I tried to stay out their way as best I could. Skipped running down Bypass and Old Man's trail because of this. Went to Claypit Road instead.

The closer to the finish I got, and to the cheering, the more awful I felt and the more embarrassed. I had to check in and get some ice on my thigh but really considered sneaking out the back, straight to the car and out. I didn't.

Sat in the field by myself icing. Feeling very sorry for myself and otherwise having very bad thoughts. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Went to the car when the ice was almost melted. Changed and drove home. Felt unbelievably tired on the way. M said that I looked like all hell when I got in the house (Te was just happy to see me). Showered, ate a little, lay down on the couch and slept. Woke up and both my thighs were numb, numb in that good "my body is repairing things" way.

I've been thinking about this all day though and am really disappointed although I am also happy that I was able to get myself out of there under my own power (thankful really) and that I made a smart decision rather than pushing on. The embarrassment is mine alone and, frankly, those few people that I talked with up at the start all had knowing looks on their faces. They've been there too. Still . . . .

Could I have done this to myself by running so conservatively? Is there something I could have done better?

There are two levels of problems here, one that is easy to address, the other not so much.

The leg can be repaired with a little TLC as it does not seem too messed up at this point. More worrisome is the high HR. This could mean fatigue and nervousness or it could be something more systemic. I'll monitor this. Heat? Certainly a factor and we haven't had too much opportunity to train when hot because of the unusually cold summer we've been having. Not much to do there.

The mental problem is a bit more difficult to crack. I seem to have lost my "Mojo" and have had difficulty getting out the door to train. Running has just seemed hard since May and it has been hard to be happy about lacing up my kicks and hitting the pavement. Do I need a break? Is this the nadir of my running for this year? Will things get better? I don't know. First I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. ;-P

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/44534538

OK, there you have it. Sitting here typing and my leg has stiffened up a bit. Moving it helps.

Don't Blame The Opera!

2010-08-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

So deep was my disappointment, walking out of McCaw Hall last night, that I never wanted to see Wagner's Tristan und Isolde again or, at the very least, not in a very, very long time. I left the hall angry, a new experience for me and I have been trying to think why? This, despite Wagner's inability to edit, is most definitely NOT his fault.

The orchestra sounded wonderful and I am really glad that Asher Fisch will be back to conduct The Ring. Singing? We were there on an off night actually. Forbis was ill and his understudy came in to sing. He gave it his all but just didn't have it and got weaker and weaker as the evening progressed. Persson was pretty interesting too but by the end I was really tired of her. BUT having some sense of how hard these roles actually are I won't hold that against them. The understudy worked very hard and really gave it his all. You know something is wrong when Melot gets bigger applause at the end.

The problems were with the stage direction really and there were some rather silly elements in the set design. Imagine Grimsley sitting down holding up a toy ship. The expression on his face seemed to say "You are kidding me, right?" Or Tristan wriggling around on the stage (or his sick bed as it were). Shouldn't look like a fish out of water but it did.

Bluntly put, this production sucked all of the passion out of one of the most sublimely passionate pieces of music ever written. Though ably and beautifully conducted the direction was inexplicably dispassionate at best and downright annoying at worst. The first act worked for me and I was excited the rest of the opera only to be bored to tears during the second act and by the third act I was past caring. Isolde's big ending aria was just sort of "Meh". Kind of hard to compete with Eaglen and Heppner don't ya think?

This review gives you some sense of this fiasco.

http://oregonmusicnews.com/blog/2010/08/05/seattle-opera’s-tristan-und-isolde-an-uneven-concoction/

I don't mind experimentation and all that. Hell, I welcome it! They could have painted everything silver and sat on boxes for all I care. But the beautiful passion of this piece was taken away and that is just unforgivable.

Ragnar 2010 Recap

2010-07-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

I overheard the following sotto voce exchange as I was walking back to my car yesterday morning:

Man: That guy did Ragnar!
Woman: What's Ragnar?
Man: I've heard about it. You have to be crazy to do it

and so on . . .

I smiled a little, tugged my sweat stained Ragnar technical T away from my chest to cool down a bit, and walked slowly back to the car. I was tired after this simple day-after three-miler with fairly sore quads but otherwise alert and happy.

Was this crazy?

No, not especially. On the scale of 1 to 10 of crazy running a 187-mile relay with 11 of your closest friends, or casual acquaintances, or total strangers as the case may be runs maybe a 3. There are crazier things I can think of—Base jumping seems like a good candidate for an 8 or a 9.

Picture this:

222 teams
roughly 426 (possibly as much as 444) highly (or snidely) innuendo decorated vans pulling on and off the roads in the 187 miles from Blaine to Langley
contents of said vans spilling out in snoozing bunches every once in a while on stretches of grass and the inside of school gymnasiums
426 rolling running frat parties
XXX numbers of volunteers monitoring all the runners, ensuring course safety, serving food, and shivering in the cold
an alternative universe in which external happenings recede crazily into the background
the intensity of forming relationships and bonds in the compressed environment of the task and the van knowing that in the end there would be a little awkward and bittersweet farewell (Facebook to the rescue!)

and you'll have a sense of this Ragnar Northwest thing.

This was my second time running and in the weeks before I was rethinking my participation. Was I trained enough? Could I go faster than my standard shuffle? Did I really want to spend all this time in the close confines of a van with people I barely knew? Would I be able to hold up my end of things and make a positive contribution to the team's effort? Questions, questions, and doubts but as the day came nearer and we got our van and leg assignments I started getting more and more excited (and nervous), so much so that sleeping and working in the days immediately before became a challenge. I went into this relay already with a sleep deficit.

I think one of the most difficult things was meeting all the new people who I would be running with. GVB, our captain and chief organizer, are colleagues at The Learning Factory and I knewCap'n Ron but everyone else? Walked into the living room of GVB's Shack the night before and met SP, poet and GVB's Grad School buddy, chose water over the proffered beer and whiled away an evening in pleasant conversation before sleeping just below the surface of consciousness. Up at 5:00 at the sound of a coffee grinder and grunt of surprise from SP. Gawd that coffee was tasty (what was it GVB?), kind of like rocket fuel. We were on the road just before 6 to pick up the rest of the runners in Van 1. Van 1 is a red VW Eurovan nicknamed "SuperVan" and it easily though messily held K, B, E, and Cap'n Ron.

Picture this, one guy in his 50's another rapidly moving towards 40, and me in my mid-40's packed into a van with three 20-something women. Could have been awkward but it wasn't. B gets the credit for this by setting the scatological and sexual innuendo tone very early on. Hilarity reigned. And why not? In SuperVan's confined spaces filled with sweaty running-related detritus we were going to become intimate strangers over the next two days. It really was nice because we were able to begin getting to know each other a welcome addition to the excitement. Finding a common ground on contextual jokes was particularly amusing (who hasn't heard of "Better Off Dead"?). Everyone was excited.

Quick stop in Marysville for petroleum distillate and more coffee (note: GVB, compared to theHarbucks swill I got there your coffee wins hands down) and up to Blaine we went.

We were going to be following the yellow line on this map.

We all got geared up and while I was walking around looking at stuff the rest of the crew borrowed van decorating supplies. SuperVan was marked up by the time I returned. Our 10:00 start time approaching we accompanied GVB to the starting area and saw the introduction of the teams. There were all kinds of teams including a group of folks dressed as cavemen and women. I just don't get the costumed running thing actually. We were going to be in full sun in temps going into the 80's over the course of the day. Why would you wear fake animal skins, wigs, etc.? I know, I know, it is fun and creates team spirit and identity but still . . .

GVB was lead runner, following by yours truly, K, B, E, and then Cap'n Ron. As runner 2 I had a 6.2-mile leg followed by 3.5 and a 3.2 mile legs to look forward to.

GVB took off on his first run, a rather boring, exposed, and flat run and we jumped intoSuperVan to get to the next exchange. We stopped to cheer him on and get him some water. It was hot! Runners who had started earlier were going by looking toasted. One guy, dressed in all black, asked for water and complained that he had not seen his team all day (the day had just started!!!). He looked awful. "How much further?" croaked another runner. Pretty soon GVBcame by and we gave him water, jumped back into SuperVan and started going towards the exchange.

We had underestimated where we were in the course and saw the exchange as we rounded the corner from where we had parked. D'OH!!! Hurriedly readying myself, water bottle andGarmin, I practically vaulted out of the still moving SuperVan as cries of "86 Your Runner IS IN!" assaulted my ears. Ran down a ditch and into the exchange. I think GVB had not stopped by the time I reached him, at least I hope so, got the slap bracelet that was our baton, and jetted out of the exchange and onto the course. After a quarter mile or so I realized that myGarmin had not acquired its birds and had to restart it but I was running in the 8's, faster than I had been training for except during the track workouts. I pushed into the long, fully exposed three miles of rolling hills towards the water with a rather stiff breeze. Got passed by an Ultra and encouraged by a guy belonging to the "Total Domination" team on several occasions. Rounded the corner for the next 3 miles along Birch Bay to the cheers of Ramblin Wreck (my team). Got passed on this part of the course by someone who knew me from AR but whom, I regret to say, I recognized but did not remember very well. I will call her "Acquaintance". Pleasant though hard running along the Bay. I was feeling strong and taking advantage of whatever shade I could find. Pretty soon I could see and hear the exchange and caught Acquaintance because she seemed to have some difficulty. Handed off the "baton" to K who went off in a blur and began the business of recovering before heading off to the next exchange.

K had a very hard leg, one that I remembered from 2008. 8 miles of rolling exposed hills. We also could not support our runner with water on this leg (there were water stations) because of the traffic. She looked like she was running so well, and fast, that we took off to the next exchange. I took a lot of pictures of other teams and runners while waiting. One guy was wearing different shoes (one black and one white) and I wondered why. One of the cavemen came in, handed off, went behind the bushes, and puked his guts out to the general hilarity of his team mates who duly photographed the moment. Somewhere out there on the Interweb there are pictures of a fur-clad homo sapiens sapiens yakking in the bushes next to the shipping offices for Ocean Kayak. Blech! I mean, Ah, Err, funny!

K came in hot (both speedily and otherwise) but with a smile on her face and a "That was hard!" on her lips passed off to B who went off on her leg.

As ever, we jumped into the van and went off to support our runner. As ever, as ever . . .

Took our first break in Bellingham after we had handed off to Van Halen. A nice nap in a sunny park along the waterfront. Runners were going through and we cheered them on as they went. Saw American Flag Speedo Guy going through too dressed in a speedo, American flag bandana, and (if I remember correctly) a neon-green cape. He scared some kids and some adults too. :-P

Van Halen was full of really fast movers and I do mean fast. Not sure of their timing but it was a good thing we bestirred ourselves to get to the next main exchange because they blasted through their legs. Mistake avoided thanks to the wonder that is text messaging.

Just before 8 PM I was up for my second run, a generally downhill course towards the east. It was incredibly pretty evening. The sky was beginning to dim down and turning a light shade of purple. The moon was incredible. It was still hot though and I was working very hard. My lovely team mates yelled at me to run faster as they went by in SuperVan and I playfully flipped them off while smiling. At least I think I was smiling. GVB reports that I look so very serious when I run.

I picked off a runner almost immediately and then started chasing two more about .5 miles ahead of me. I am a pretty good downhiller and can move on the flats when I want to and was able to close with them and then to pass them. Didn't look back afterwards and concentrated on increasing leg turnover. Pushed very hard. As I got closer to the exchange I heard "86! Your runner is in!" and though "Oh No! Not again!" but K came out of the crowd and into the exchange, I sped up to 7:20 pace, handed off and peeled out of the exchange. I had run faster than my team expected! Cool!

Off to the next exchange to change and to see that Van 2 had put us much further ahead. Didn't recognize any of the teams at this exchange. Team Louisiana (a USN team from the submarine Louisiana) would be around us for the rest of the time. I changed into my next set of running clothes and put on bug repellent to the sound of the Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling" that someone was playing very loudly on their car stereo. Now I like this song, it is peppy and so on but it is also overplayed and, well, I just hate autotune. So as we excited the exchange I askedGVB to put on some appropriately competing music. His choice? Very cool! The Lonely Island'sNatalie's Rap. Aw Yeah!

At this point I have to say something about the volunteers. They were amazing. Two in particular stood out to me. Vuvuzela Gorilla Guy and Early Morning Barista Woman.

Vuvuzela Gorilla Guy was directing traffic into the exchange area dressed, you guessed it, as a gorilla and blowing a vuvuzela which he had bought for 5 dollars in honor of the World Cup and which he was hoping to get full value from on this evening. How the neighbors at this park felt about this instrument later on in the evening I don't know but it was sure funny at the time.

Early Morning Barista Woman? I'll talk about her later.

After handing off to Van 2 we headed for some sleep at Deception Pass State Park. Though I had been eating constantly I was also hungry and took the time to fuel up some more. Decided NOT to eat my second Subway sandwich because the cooler was now a warmer and smelling a bit funky. So was SuperVan come to think of it.

Deception Pass State Park looked as if it had been invaded by giant multi-colored caterpillars. Sleeping bag clad runners were strewn about the grass everywhere and pretty soon I was likewise. GVB had his phone and was expecting a text on Van Halen's progress about 4 or 5 in the morning. I heard the text come in at about 2:15 AM, Van Halen's runners were half-way through their legs. Time to get up and get ready.

Do you know how hard it is to find your team in the dark when they are all wrapped up in sleeping bags and distributed all around the place? Not easy. As I was walking around someone else shone a light at me and said "Jeremy is that you?" All this stumbling around was pretty funny.

GVB and I went up to the exchange and waited for SP to come in. He did, looking all sweaty and tired. Now the thing to know about SP is that he is a prankster. As he came in he pantsed GVBand GVB had to adjust everything before he could run. Funny stuff.

It was pretty dark out and kind of chilly but the right kind of chilly that is most conducive to running. We were all festooned in the required safety gear (front and rear lights and reflective vests) which made the drive to the next exchange an amusing tour of reflecto-runners. Sleepyreflecto-runners.

Waiting for GVB to come in I realized how far ahead Van Halen had put us. How? The portapotties were basically unused. I was pretty nervous. This was third leg and I wasn't sure what kind of speed I would have in me. Everything felt good though, unlike 2008 when my right hamstring was so messed up that I could not straighten my leg. Spent some time talking with Early Morning Barista Woman. She had been up all night and would be on shift for another two hours before going to work. I asked what she did and she said she was a barista. I made some lame joke about that being the right job to have after a night like this and she laughed as she checked out my lights. That was dedication right there. Thanks!

GVB came up the hill and passed off to me just before 4:00 AM and I went up and up on my last leg. One of the USS Louisiana runners came up behind me and was chatting with his support van. They were talking about how many kills he had and he said "I am about to get number 16." Yep, I was kill number 16. He passed me and disappeared into the distance. There was one other person ahead of him as well but all I could see were the blinking tail lights. Now, I was keeping track of how many people I passed but it sure felt odd to be described as a kill. Civilian sensibilities?

I ran as hard as I could and averaged about 8:30. It was so quiet. The moon was still up and the beginnings of the dawn was manifesting itself. I saw an owl go by but was concentrating too hard to notice much else. Handed off after 26 minutes or so and my relay was done.

Fast forward to the Finish Line.

We went to breakfast at the Freeland Cafe, inhaled an omelette with hash browns and toast, and was still hungry before heading into Langley and the finish line.

They were still getting set up. K and I set up her badminton set to play while were waiting (her birthday present) and then went to exchange t-shirts, shop the Ragnar store, and otherwise wait. A few teams were trickling including runningshoes.com and alwaysrunning.com (the team I ran with in 2008). The live band was warming up. The finish line announcer was doing some announcing and playing music so loudly so as to drown out the live band. We waited. It was hot. Text came in that SP was on his last leg, the anchor leg and we should expect him. So we moved out to the road so we could see him and then run in. We saw him, drenched and done in by climbing in the heat. He turned the corner and we ran in with him.

Done!

Fifth Team Across the Line (I think).

Our time (according to B) was 25 hours and 5 minutes. Wow!

Before the race I was thinking "Do I want to do this?" and "This will be the last time." but this was such a good experience and I feel invigorated, in love with running again. A feeling that I haven't had since Eugene and I am actually looking forward to the Cougar 13 next month.

I hated to say goodbye to the denizens of SuperVan. Let me just say that it was a special joy to share this experience with them all and let writers more eloquent than I put that feeling into words. Look to GVB's column in this coming month's issue of Northwest Runner for that.

And yes, I am thinking of Ragnar next year too.

Dying to know the official results.

Comeon Ragnar! :-P

Run 1: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41697992

Run 2: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41697990

Run 3: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41697988

Recovery: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41800375

Ragnar 6

2010-07-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Coupeville where I am now showered and done.

van #1 IS DONE!

Now we breakfast and head out to the finish.

Coffee would be most welcome now. :-)

Ragnar 6

2010-07-23T22:29:00.000-07:00

Cap'n Ron is out running through the dark flats of La Conner, we are refreshing ourselves at La Conner HS, and preparing to hand off to Van 2 who, is just coming off a big pasta feed with wine and someone's mother's house. Color me jealous. I am also pretty wired.

I ran something like a 8:13 pace on my last run and am feel pretty good. Never really thought that a Swiss Miss hot chocolate could taste so good.

Stomach has calmed down and I am going to give the rest of my Subway Sandwiches a miss as our cooled is no longer cool. No sense in tempting fate. Switching over to fig newtons, popcorn, almonds, and trail mix (if I can find it). Just ate a banana too.

Our next stop is going to be the camp ground at Deception Pass. if we guestimate what Van 2 does we'll have to start running again st about 3:30 am. Figure an hour for GVB's last run and i'll be going at 4:30 or 5:00.

Feeling so much better this year compared to two years ago. Running a bit slower I suppose but the big difference is that we started earlier and I am real still within my waking day.

Ok, time time to head out and see what is happening.

Ragnar 5?

2010-07-23T21:08:00.001-07:00

3.5 in 19:13 or so. Don't know if I have another one of these in me.

Roadkill? 3 for 4 total but whose counting. :-P

Now this all gets tough. It is 9:00 and I am getting closer to bed
time. Next run is going to be way dark.

Pretty moon out this evening. Soft sky. Mossies out in force.

SuperVan is getting a might funky but spirits are high.

Soundtrack? Neezie Pleaze

Nice!!

Ragnar ?

2010-07-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Greetings from somewhere outside of Conway. We are at a school, an elementary school with boys and girls rooms, been a while.

Sleeping and resting. Van 2 is hauling ass and we should be back on in an hour or so. Sunny and breezy. Lots of sleepy people out here.

I'll be the first runner who has to wear reflective gear for the evening.

Had my first smore in I don't know how long, since i was a kid maybe. Hasn't really improved since then actually.

Had a nice nap and seem to have gotten ahead of my hunger but, in truth, my stomach is not feeling so well. Seems to have settled though. Hope it does not give me trouble on thenrun.

It is interesting to look at the other vans and their running crews.

Here in van 1 there is a discussion of beer, premium beer. This following a discussion of food.

Ran an 8:56 for my first leg. We'll see how the second one goes. :-)

Ragnar 3

2010-07-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Runner five is about to start. We are at exchange 4, Ferdale HS. Nice breeze. The heat is taking it's toll on runners though. Lots of people walking. I need to do some adductor stretching.

Ragnar 2

2010-07-23T12:06:00.001-07:00

Currnetly driving through leg three. I finished my leg in something like 58 minutes. I don't really know because, well, we were a little late getting to the exchange because we were waiting along the side of the road cheering on other runners, including GVB. Hot! Very hot! And some of the runners were really suffering.

We pulled up just as they were calling out #86. hopped out of the van and sprinted out through the exchange. Garmin would not acquire so I couldn't tell how fast i was going. Steady breeze out of the west and then south west as we turned south along Birch Bay.

I think I ran nines although I ranged between 8 and 9:30.

Two road kills for me and I was road kill for two other people.

Currently parked on Grandview waiting for C. She is flying along.

Pleasant. Legs and lungs feel good. :-)

Ragnar 1

2010-07-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

8:37 AM

At the Ragnar start up in Blaine.

Nice drive up, everyone is awake (for now).

We've a 10:00 start, safety check in and briefing is done.

Very sunny and warm. Going to be hot.

We are team # 86, Ramblin Wreck and our official team color is ORANGE.

SuperVan is being decorated. Pictures to follow.

Me? Slept pretty well, good coffee to wake up. Second coffee from Starbux. Good? Not-so-much.

Getting excited about being runner # 2.

Running order is:

Greg
Robin
Cathleen
Bethann
Erin
Ron

Getting hungry too.

OK, time to get serious.

More later.

7.5 or maybe 8 miles (who knows)

2010-06-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

1:34:09

Better late than never, right? For a race report I mean.

Cougar Mountain 7.5 (although it could be 8 but opinion is divided on the subject).

I forgot my Garmin!

The weather of late has been simply dreadful (ask anyone). A couple of days of sun followed by grey, wind, and rain. Though technically still Spring people in the Puget Sound are deeply ready for summer to begin. Me too.

But this day, this day was a wonderful day for a race. Warm and dry after a week of drenching and chilling rain.

I got out there early enough to have a nice warm up and as I was kitting up in the parking lot I struck up a conversation with a woman about to run her first trail race. She had been running the course in the rain two days before and told me how mucky it was. She was nervous and peppered me with questions about what to expect and how everything would work. Listen to the RD's talk and have fun I said.

After my warm up I went to stretch a bit and was greeted by BM who had been out marking the course, was going to man the water station, and sweep the course. I know him from Seattle Running Company (now Fleet Feet Seattle). We chatted a bit, he wished me luck, and I went to stretch.

The RD gave his talk and noted that there were lots of puddles. How to handle them? Run straight through them as that is where they are the least muddy and slippery. Of course your feet do get wet.

And then we were off. Around the very mucky meadow to thin the pack out, up the road, and onto Klondike. All the way through the mucky meadow people were complaining about the muck and the fact that their feet were getting wet.

I was feeling pretty good. Just trotting along and enjoying myself when I ran into a knot of runners slowed down by a puddle. I cut right and went through while everyone else tried to not get wet going to the left. As I passed I heard "You know, all you need to do is say 'On your left!'" but just kept going and was soon running basically alone going up Lost Beagle.

This was a good run for me, the longest in a while and the first, since Eugene, where I ran the entire time (not a step of walking). It was important for me to do this, mentally important.

Water and gel at the three with a "Good Job Robin!" from BM and off I went, up the hill, for the next 4.5-5 miles. Kept on getting passed by some folks who would slow way down on the hills and I would then pass them. One, a 13 year old wearing a Germany soccer jersey, kept on flying past and then . . .

This went on the rest of the time but by the time I got back to Fred's Railroad for the final .9 miles I was completely alone and I stayed that way until the finish. Sprinted to the finish and crossed feeling good and with a smile on my face.

Ran into MW, a colleague at TLF, who also raced. She was icing a hamstring that she torqued badly at mile 4 and had to run the rest of the course to get out. Ouch!

How long was the course? The chatter at the finish line had it more like 8. Last year my Garmin measured 7.96 so I'll go with that.

How did I do?

Slower than last year but that is not surprising given the difficulties I've been having recovering coupled with increased weight and work-stress. Still, I finished and did so happily looking forward to the next race and to refocusing my running to the next goal.

I drove home feeling revitalized . . . singing all the way.

World Cup 2010 & Geopolitics

2010-06-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Very interesting blog/book.

http://worldcupsoccervoice.blogspot.com/

Interview at http://kuow.org/program.php?id=20531

Of course, the Sounders lost last night to DC United. :-/

Do Over, Please

2010-06-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

I'd like to forget last month.

Actually I know that I should remember it well and pay attention to the lessons of it.

As I sat on the train on May 3rd I thought I would take a week or so "off" and then be able to capitalize on all the strength and stamina that results from 18 to 20 weeks of training. Such fantasies smacked right into the reality of what I did to my body on the day before.

I won't say that running 26.2 miles is nuts but it turns out that it truly messed up my body something fierce. This past month has been a wash of frustration and, not pain, but soreness coupled with very low levels of motivation. So great the frustration and so low the motivation that even working through Higdon's post-marathon recovery plan was beyond my capability. In the month since Eugene I've run 85 miles. There are some lessons here and I've only just begun to pay attention instead of maundering about how hard this month has been.

Get a massage ASAP after the event (My mistake was to wait a bit too long trusting on my own ability to stretch, yoga, and self-massage)
Eat better (OK, OK, this one should be a given and, for the most part I've done OK but there is always room for improvement as I do love pizza and bagels a bit too much.)
Wait to race (What was I thinking trying to race the Cougar 5-miler in May? Everyone has permission to dope-slap me when they see me next. It was an OK race but the first real indication that my legs were still played out.)
Stop comparing myself to all the "real runners" out there in the Th8tas, my running forum team (I am not an ultra (yet) and may never be so why waste mental energy and angst trying to contribute to the weekly mileage. Every mile run is a mile run, a fact that I should not get to complaisant about.)
Remember fondly how good it felt to put in a 20-miler on one day and then race a half-marathon the next as a way of boosting mood (Careful though as this could be depressing too.)
Remember that running is supposed to be good processing time and therapy of sorts (at least it has been), a good way of working out work angst (and boy has work been angsty lately). Use that when things get rough.
Don't push it. (I am getting old and things are not bouncing back as well as they did in the past. Be patient, it'll happen.)

Took me a while to think of all this and, though much of it is obvious, it is freeing to both realize it and to articulate it. Much of this misery has been mental so the "naming of it" has been remarkably freeing.

Time to lace up my kicks and head out there again, this time with a smile on my face . . .

Summer awaits! :-)

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s new book, Nomad, Reviewed - The Daily Beast

2010-05-24T12:58:00.001-07:00

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s new book, Nomad, Reviewed - The Daily Beast

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Phys Ed: Do Our Genes Influence Our Desire to Exercise? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-05-24T08:14:00.001-07:00

Phys Ed: Do Our Genes Influence Our Desire to Exercise? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

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Seattle Opera's "Amelia"

2010-05-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

One of my great pleasures is to see new operas. Some of these might just be destined to become "classics" in their own right. It is exciting to think that this could be the case and that I was among the first people to actually see the work performed. What's on my list? Doctor Atomic, An American Tragedy, and, through the wonders of HD-Casts in the theater, The First Emperor. This weekend I added another, Seattle Opera's "Amelia".

I really enjoyed the first act very much. It was raw and visceral and not too over-the-top. Very strong singing and, well, that third scene was just rough. I felt like I could really connect with the story, etc..

The second act lost me, especially the scenes in the hospital which were so (and I know this is opera) unbelievable. Really lost me when Amelia awakes from the coma and demands natural child birth. The doctor mewling about C Sections was especially weak although I know that this was a big issue in the, what, 80's and 90's. The final scene during the birth just annoyed me. Here we have something that is supposed to represent the continuity of life, the end of doubt, etc. and it devolved into a Marx Brother's comedy accompanied by so much noise. Clichéd representation of women giving birth. Perhaps the ghosts of Dodge and Amelia's mother would have been better set in their clothes rather than scrubs?

Loved the sets and the singing (it was all so very, very strong and exciting really) but the music was pretty unforgettable (it is movie music designed to drive the drama—it did—but nothing more, excepting the Navy Hymn. We ran into one of the people from our opera group who hated the music.

There were some other things that I just didn't think were as well integrated as they could have been.

Fear and risk is worth the payoff as a theme is pretty good. The Flier and Dodge and having a baby. But the scenes with The Flier, though intriguing dramatizations and contemplation just didn't seem to fit in so well. Neither did the Icarus scene. I understand in my head their relation but they didn't really gel together as well as they could have.

Going in to this we had talked to friends who were deeply affected by the story and the performance (mentioned this in the car yesterday). I wonder also if part of my reaction has also to do with the fact that I have not had a child? I know it to be a powerful event but, again, that is a mental thing rather than something I feel in my heart.

When it was finished I leaned over and said to M that the second act needed revision. We'll see if it does. The audience around us was pretty lukewarm and it took a while for them to get on their feet. Quite a few people, including Stattler and Waldorf, bailed on the second act which, frankly, is a shame because there were some very neat things in this that I hope they are able to refine. It is nice to see such operas coming out of the American context and using contemporaneous themes and characters.

Eaglen? Very pretty singing. Actually, it must have been neat to compose the vocal parts for the specific singers chosen.

Would I see this again? Sure would.

Musical Shoes

2010-05-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

And they are my favorites too . . . !

(thanks for the tip-off PuddleThumper!)

Something New to Try

2010-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Train

2010-05-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Traveling by train is such an interesting experience.

I am sitting in business class which, oddly enough, actually has less leg room than the reserved coach class seat I had on the trip down to Eugene last week. I do have power for my laptop and can go into the Bistro car to use the wireless network there if needed. I might just do that in a bit.

I've been taking photos out of my window at each stop as a sort of running record of the trip. There have been prettier scenes on the opposite side of the train but I've eschewed them. Interesting. You sure see the a** end of a lot of towns this way. Sometimes you don't see anything at all.

So here goes:

Eugene, Oregon

Albany, Oregon

Salem, Orgeon

Oregon City, Oregon

Portland

Vancouver, WA

Red Light Hold (just outside of Vancouver)

Kelso/Longview, WA

Centralia, WA

Olympia, WA

Tacoma, WA

Tukwilla, WA

Hold at Boeing Field

Seattle, WA

Bus

Eugene, Eugene

2010-05-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Eugene Marathon 2010

The Bottom Line:

Garmin Connect: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/32031153

The Director's Cut:

This has been an amazing trip, my very first to Eugene, and I've been soaking up the sun as well as the University Atmos. A really pleasant campus and I gather that I am seeing it in its finest spring sun and bloom. Almost makes me want to trade in my Seattle gray but that might be premature given how little of the town I know. Well, I know it a bit better after today.

Just got back from Espresso Roma on 13th Avenue. I wrote my dissertation at the Espresso Roma in Isla Vista so the place brings back some good memories except that the coffee is not so great compared to what I am now used to and, well, walking in it just smelled funky (closed and humid). I tried to read but was having too hard a time concentrating so I walked home. My legs are tight and tired but I can still manage a standard walk and a rather sprightly clip. It is a very sunny 66 degrees out there and the coffee has given me some focus so here goes!

I was up at 5:00 this morning but that really just meant that I got out of bed having been just below the surface of consciousness all night. Rattled around the room trying to get things going as it were and ate (a banana and scone with OJ) before headed out the door at about 6:30 to get to the start. It was chilly but not too bad and the sun was coming out. It was going to be beautiful day.

Two start corrals to chose from, sub-10 and plus-10, and I got in line at the front of the plus-10. My plan was to go out easy for a warm-up and then come up to cruising speed (9:30's) over time.

Uh Oh!

Standing there I started to get really woozy. I mean like pass out woozy and a bit nauseous. Not sure why this was going on. My HR was really in the mid-90's, this is low for me when I am waiting for a race to start, so perhaps it was just nerves. Kinda scary and I was worrying what this might mean for the run. Even considered bagging it right there but decided to start and see how things went. I think Mac and Cheese was not the best night before dinner for me.

Bump and Go

Didn't hear a starter's gun or anything but pretty soon the lead runners were away and we started moving forward. I didn't start running until I hit the start mats and off we went. Boy can people chatter up a storm during the first moments of a race, before the reality of the effort hits.

By mile two I was doing alright, feeling solid, mouth-breathing away, and trying like mad NOT to go out too fast with all the talking Half-Marathoners.

Hills?

The course is hillier than I expected it to be but not overwhelmingly so. This is one of the times that I am thankful for living in Seattle. Nevertheless, people around me were actually grousing about it though which became a little annoying after a while.

I was, for the most part, on my own. Water stations every two miles with Gatorade and water and I hit every one, alternating between Gatorade and water (the taste of which was another thing people were grousing about). This went on at least until someone shoved a small bottle of Gatorade into my hands as I went by. I carried that the rest of the way, drinking out of it as needed, while getting water exclusively from then on. By mile 24 I wanted to get rid of that bottle but crossed the finish with it as if it were an old friend. Perhaps by this point it was.

It was nice to see something of Eugene beyond walking around near the campus and also the train station. It reminds me of a Midwestern city like the one that I grew up in. Lots of people out cheering us on which was pretty cool. For the first time in a race I managed a lot of smiling. Perfect running conditions too. Sunny and cool with indirect sun.

GI

At about 9.29 I had to go to the toilet. Actually it was before that and I had just skipped a bunch of Porta-Potties (even thought of turning around). We came back through the start area and so I got to use the facilities there. No waiting and lots of choice. Not sure why this happened but I did lose some time attending to the issue and spent the rest of the race reeling back in all the people whom I had passed.

Bananas

The interesting thing is that at the 9-ish marker the volunteers were giving out bananas and, well, I am not so sure that is such a good idea. There was mashed banana everywhere along with the peels. All I could think of was that last scene of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World" in which Ethel Merman slips on a banana peel. Yet another smile on my face combined with care in my step.

Far from the Madding Crowd

We split off from the Half Marathoners just about at the 10-mile mark and things got really quiet and very sparse. Eerily so even though we were running along a main road. Running through Springfield (I think) was very neat. The main street was pretty quiet but had lots of interesting shops (not boutiques or anything but real shops and storefronts of a rather human scale). People were out all over the place cheering us on from porches and front yards.

LiquidGold at the half. Man! That is intense! Like molasses. I have to say that I liked it and it did give me energy but the flavor is very strong. I had been gelling every 5 miles as planned and was feeling pretty strong but by mile 10 my stomach was growling and I was getting hungry so this honey and molasses concoction was quite welcome.

Some climbing and then around Autzen Stadium and Allen Baker Park where we went right past a dog off-leash area. It was fun to watch and to be cheered on by clots of people. Being "out" of the city and surrounded by green grass and trees was just refreshing and in the distance I could hear more cheering and muffled drums. Drums!

Music

The closer I got to the 17 mile mark the louder became the unmistakable sound of a pipe band's drums. Disappointingly no pipes just drums but just before I reached them they started up with a nice march, Scotland the Brave. I whooped and waved as I went by. At that moment I would have paid them to run along side me or would have slowed down to march with them the rest of the way. I heard them again across the river on the way back and it gave me a thrill. There's not a Scottish bone in my body but there is something about the pipes that makes my heart soar and the hair on the back of my neck stand to . . .

On the subject of music. Eugene and Springfield sure put on a well-meaning show but it wasn't all that motivating. With the exception of the pipers, a Beatle's cover band (I think), and a middle school dance team everything else was this kind of whiny downbeat rock or acoustic guitar. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to see the people out there playing and I wouldn't trade it but the lack of a beat was a bit hard to take at times.

Bad Garmin! Bad!

After the pipers I noticed that my Garmin had stopped and that my mileage and time was off by about a mile. Bummer.

We were, again, on a bike path next to the river and I was running strongly and feeling alright. It was here that I started catching all the people who I had passed earlier but whom I had fallen behind because of my pit stop. It was also here that people's wheels started coming off. We were a rather thin crowd now and I went across the 30K mats alone. Stomach was growling again so I gelled just after the 30K mark and then when I got to the 20. No wall.

And then it got serious

Of course 20 miles is when the race really starts. 6 more miles. By this time the sun was full out and beating directly down. At least it was flat and even a bit downhill. I just ticked the miles off, trying to maintain a even pace and steady stride. Walked the water stops, etc.. More wreckage. Just before making the final southward turn towards the Stadium I passed a guy who was obviously done in and running with a upper body move that I cannot even describe. Lots of other people limping along too. Then I passed a couple walking along. He was supporting her and she was complaining of being very cold. She looked very pale. I offered them what remained of my Gatorade but they declined. Honestly, I felt like pulling over and vomiting too and I am not sure why.

Then it was onto Franklin and onto the campus. So many people still waiting and cheering which gave me a boost and kicked into a higher gear for the finish. Got passed entering the stadium by a woman wearing a tie-die shirt and running skirt. She zoomed around three other guys running three abreast. I said "good on ya" as she went past.

Turning into the stadium was kind of intense. Not only was I almost done but but I kicked it into sub-eight mode and then felt a searing stitch on my right side that almost made me double over. That would have made for an interesting finish wouldn't it? I held it, looked up at myself on the Jumbotron, heard my name called by the announcer, hit the mats, and was congratulated and high-fived by the volunteers. One guy put a blanket around me and I just walked on down the track smiling I think. I hope.

At the finish area I got a couple of pancakes and hunkered down by a fence to eat them. I had one bite and felt like I couldn't have any more so I ditched them in a compost bin and walked back (slowly) to the hotel. Dropped my stuff into the room and hit the pool for an ice bath that felt so good.

Hmm

GI issues today which is pretty unusual for me and my face was caked with salt the likes of which I have not yet seen. PuddleThumper suggested that my body just could not take the water and gel combination and that is why things were going off the rails a bit. I think she is right about that. I'll bet my electrolyte tabs are right on the counter where I put them when packing for this trip—a forgetfulness I'll be sure not to repeat in future.

Yay!

My goal was to beat my (unofficial) Portland time of 4:24:xx and I came close at 4:26 and I'll confess that alongside relief at being finished I was also a bit disappointed that my time was not faster. But looking at the data and considering the fact that I do not feel as beaten up as I did after Seattle Rock N Roll last year I am patting myself on the back for a job well-done. Basically even pacing for the first and second half of the run, a real first for me.

This was such a nice run that I think I would do it again.

Slideshow

See the Register-Guard website: http://www2.registerguard.com/mm/index.php/slideshows/comments/eugene-marathon/

The Night Before

2010-05-01T19:42:00.001-07:00

I am ready, at least in terms of fueling and preparations for the night before. Now the mental dance begins. :-)

Tick, Tick, Tick . . .

2010-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

The end of marathon training so . . . so anti-climatic. The taper I mean. Two weeks at 32 down from 60+. Six days to go and what am I running this week?

Monday 3 m run, Tuesday 4 x 400, Wednesday 2 m run, Thursday rest, Friday rest, Saturday 2 m run, Sunday 26.2

Of course this is not going to work out as I don't fancy running a track workout after work, a 9:00 PM (are the lights even on?). We'll see.

It has been a rather eventful couple of weeks. The Florida trip took quite a bit out of me and I've been feeling off since my return. Running has been alright and I've managed, only just, to avoid disaster as things wind down. Disaster?

I have a bad habit of doing something nasty to one of my ankles two weeks before a marathon. Since this has happened three times and this will be my third marathon I can say with 100% certainty that this is part of my training ritual. Badly rolled ankle descending Tiger Summit before Portland, slashed ankle before Seattle Rock N Roll (broken glass in a garbage bag I was taking out), and this time?

LAST weekend I had to do myself an injury. It was one of those days where my shoes just didn't want to fit right and I ended up with an inflamed tendon going up the front of my ankle (I basically ran the last three miles with my shoe untied to keep the pressure off). To make matters worse I managed to drop a board right on the tendon while cleaning. Ankle blew up a bit. And then there was the severe nipple chaffing that went on because of the humidity and generally warm air but the less said about that the better. Not the worst 18.5 miler I've had but it came close. Certainly the most embarrassing . . .

All flipping week I have been worried about my ankle. I've been icing, resting, not running so much, etc.. Bought a new pair of shoes (needed to anyway but). Nothing I did was taking the soreness away and I was beginning to think that I had actually broken it. ARGH! Wouldn't that be typical?

Started off this past Saturday with my shoe loosely tied and with a different lacing type. It hurt going downhill. Oh how it hurt and I thought that I would not be getting very far. S$#t! Stopped, took off my shoe, and massaged the tendon. The pain went away. OK. Put my shoe back on and started running. Pain came back. S$#t! S$#t! OK, now what? Idea. Roll my sock down. BINGO!!!! The tops of my sock was compressing the tendon and making it sore. This explains why I've been having some much trouble this week. No pain! No soreness! No nothing! Duh! Ah, err, I am so relieved. Just have to make sure that my socks don't come up much beyond the top of the shoe. That and put bandaids on my nipples.

Ran the inaugural Top Pot 5K as a tune-up this weekend. Ran out there, raced, and ran home after skipping the complementary donut. The race went really well and it felt nice to cut loose a bit. Came in 518 out of 2243 runners in 26:25. Would have been fast but this was such a crowded field and I had to stop and retrieve my Garmin just before the finish because another runner's elbow hit the quick release and it went flying. Ah well. A solid 8:30 performance.

Of course, somehow, between the time I registered on Saturday afternoon and the race I managed to switch from being a male runner to a female runner. This happens every time I submit a hand written registration.

Lots of stuff to finish before heading down to Eugene on Friday. Taking the train. Sure hope that they have WiFi on board.

I'll be wearing 1265 next week.

Airlines need an attitude adjustment - latimes.com

2010-04-12T21:43:00.001-07:00

Now here is some good thinking . . .

Airlines need an attitude adjustment - latimes.com

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It could have been worse but . . .

2010-04-11T19:25:00.001-07:00

I am so glad to be home.

Of course I am currently missing my Garmin running watch, my newest pair of running shoes, two pairs of running shorts, two technical T's, clothes for the four days I was at the conference, a dress shirt, my water bottle, a book, and a mess of conference materials not to mention my laptop power cord extension. Frontier Airlines assures me that all of this will be arriving on the 8:00 flight from Denver. It should have arrived with me at 2:00 but then I didn't get in until almost 5:00.

This has certainly been a long, eventful (not in a good way), and tiring day.

Woke up at 4:00 AM Orlando time to get a 5:00 shuttle to MCO. No problems. The lobby was filled with bleary-eyed students, many of whom had been up all night at the closing dance and then (for some) homework. Big bus pulled up and we filled it to the gills. Student sitting next to me was whining and whinging about being tired before falling asleep, snoring very loudly, and then starting to drool. I concentrated on looking out the window at all of the malls we went by in the predawn darkness.

Got to the airport and went as fast as I could to find the Frontier counter to get my boarding passes and drop off my bag. Good thing too as the woman who ended up behind me was holding the line for 13 other people. One guy was working the counter and had to deal with a bunch of nursing students whose bags were overweight because of their textbooks. Took a while and another check-in agent to get the line moving. Went away from the counter towards the security line and . . .

stopped. Just stopped.

Security area was just nuts and there was a TSA guy trying to get people into 4 lines that funneled into one entry point. "Keep space between the lines! Four separate lines!" he kept on saying. Note to the TSA: how about actually putting the lines on the carpet if you need this to be the case. The visual cue might help. All lanes were open though and things went fast once I got into the main line. People were muttering and grumbling though and, OH, the smell of unwashed socks was breathtaking.

Found the gate, got some coffee, sat down to do some email, boarded the flight to Denver and took off. Cool.

Half way through the flight we had a medical emergency but, fortunately, there were lots of nurses, trainee nurses, and at least one doctor on board and the person seemed to be alright. She was escorted off the plane by a paramedic when we landed and then taken off on a gurney.

That is when the real fun began.

I am not so sure that the merger between Frontier and Midwest is going all that well and, judging from my experiences in Denver itself, there are some real organizational problems.

Unannounced gate change in Denver along with an unexplained delay, the reader board showed a 1:00 departure instead of 12:10. OK, I walked around a bit and then settled down in the rather chaotic boarding area (it is wall-to-wall people and just feels cramped). Another medical emergency right there (the paramedics were certainly busy today). 1:00 came around and there was no airplane. The crew showed up but still no plane. Finally it showed up and we boarded. And then we sat . . .

For 2.5 hours we sat.

Some problem with the bags. One passenger was called off the plane and interviewed on the jetway about something or other. Lots of thumping around underneath and no indication of what was going on. Finally, an announcement, something wrong with the luggage. They had to take it off and re-screen. There were TSA people all over the tarmac speaking meaningfully into their radios and cell phones. This went on and one in 15-minute increments. At least we were able to get up and move around AND they serviced the lavatories. They were just about to bring on some more catering (and more drinking water) but the pilot got word that we were cleared and after hearing that the bags had been replaced we buttoned up and after taxiing interminably were in the air.

Pretty bumpy and grumpy flight. One of the lavatories went down and there wasn't much to eat or drink. Missed meetings, connections, and shuttle services (my seat mate was worried that she wouldn't get back to Camano Island). Another woman behind me was having claustrophobia problems while we were waiting. The Flight Attendant was getting progressively snippy and ended the flight sitting rather sullenly in the jump seat after having disappeared into the galley with her make-up bag. She made some comments to other passengers that were what I would consider to be rather rude and inexcusable.

The view of Mount Ranier was amazing, a real welcome home that made all the foregoing mess OK.

Then I got to carousel #7 to wait for my bag. Talked with another passenger out here for a job interview while waiting for the bags to come out. The carousel started, bags started coming off, and then . . . nothing. The other passenger looked at me and I him, we both shook out heads, and headed over to the lost luggage counter. That took a while.

I took a cab home (expensive but fast).

I just cannot figure out what went wrong today.

It could be that there was some sort of security problem, hence the TSA reaction. It could have been that the bag counting and tracking systems for Frontier and Midwest Airlines did not mesh correctly (there was some excited whispering about this by the DEN ground crew). I don't know.

What I DO know is that given the choice I won't be flying either airline again. I realize that a fair amount of this might have been beyond the airline's control but it was the reactions of their personnel that were fairly off-putting. It was almost like all the apologies made were simply empty words going over a shrug as if to say "It happened, it's not our fault, get over it." I cannot remember a day of flying where I heard so many people on and off the aircraft speaking so negatively and so angrily about the way that a situation was handled. I suspect, also, that barring terrorist threats, rather a lot of this WAS the result of a cascade of decisions made about airline processes. "Just get over it" is not an appropriate attitude to take given the impact that this failure cascade had. I got off rather lightly by comparison to the missing luggage containing job interview clothes, the missed connection that was going to stop grandparents from meeting their grandchild.

It's 9:17 PM, the Frontier Baggage Office at SeaTac is open from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM and then from 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Addendum: 9:31 PM—Frontier called. They will drop the bag at my front door tonight. Driver has a lot of deliveries to make. It is either this or waiting until who knows when tomorrow.

Epcotus Interruptus

2010-04-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/29538447

Hee! Hee!

I got in "trouble" this morning on my run this morning.

My plan was to run from the Dolphin out to Epcot Center, that distinctive dome that I always see in the pictures of WDW. Silly me. Epcot Center is acreage rather than just a building.

So off I went. It was actually kind of chilly with a wind out of the ENE that raised some goose flesh. Dawn was not a hint at this hour and the moon shone clearly through a light haze. The birds were just starting their morning noise. The only signs of human activity were the various "cast members" and "crews" driving into work, the early morning hotel staff quietly going about their business, and a single runner sitting in the lobby thoughtfully drinking a glass of water and waiting, I presume, for her running buddies. Off I went, forcing myself to go slow and following paths and signs towards Epcot. Found the correct path and had to go over a fence (first clue I ignored) and then started picking my way along what looked like a path. The I heard "Excuse Me!" (very loud) and I stopped and turned to see a security guard hurrying my way. "You can't be in here yet. The Park is not open." "This is the Park!!!?" I said. "Yes" he replied. I apologized, said that I thought that "Epcot was over there", and headed back the way I came only a little embarrassed. You see, it didn't look like a park . . .

Finished the run by hitting some of the areas that I have been running over the past couple of days and then headed back to the hotel for a shower, and left-over pizza for breakfast.

First panel of the day was packed. The Magic Kingdom was open last night for PTK members until 2:00 AM and, judging from the droopy eyes, most of the students and faculty had gone. But there were there, ready with questions about the upcoming honors study topic. I am impressed. They acquitted themselves much better than faculty and grad students do on the first session on the last day of a conference (in my experience it is generally the presenters talking to one or two folks).

One more panel this afternoon (I am skipping the convention part this morning, the noise, crowd, and intensity is too much for me) and I'll catch up with my students and TLF work. Planning on one more run this afternoon/evening, through Epcot Center of course, and then more work. Early shuttle tomorrow and a long day of flying.

Hyperreality

2010-04-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

One of the keynote speakers today, the accomplished Dr. Sanjay Gupta, put his finger right on the oddity of this place. Making a speech on the Democratization of Information before 3570-odd Phi Theta Kappans busily enjoying themselves at Walt Disney World after having just spent the past few months in Haiti and reporting from West Virginia makes for a decidedly jarring transition.

Mine hasn't been that jarring but I am acutely away of the ir-reality of this resort. No, a pleasure dome, for it is all built on a monumental scale (about the only unpleasant thing is all the smoking that goes on). So here I am, writing by the pool, as the sun begins to set and the evenings frolicking begins at the bar. Two Mallards have claimed the pool as their own, much to the amusement of the last few diehard, prune-handed children. Everything is clean, orderly, and polite and you have to look very hard to find imperfection. After all the guest have gone to bed even the pool area will be magically cleansed in preparation for the next day.

Where am I and what am I doing?

Thanks to the determination of the folks in Student Services at TLF I am attending the annual International Phi Theta Kappa Convention in Orlando (technically at the WDW Dolphin Resort which is 15-20 miles out of Orlando or the airport). And actually, I am really excited to be here. Excited at the exuberance of all the students and advisors. This is a big deal. I have been advising for about a year and this is the first time that I have been getting a clear picture of what this is all about. Useful. This is the best thing that I can say about the conference part of it, although I will say that all of the eagerly lapped up platitudes about leadership are bit hard to take. The convention part of it, all of the yelling, screaming, and carrying on and the tedium of voting for officers I can probably do without (my ears are still ringing from today's exertions). GVB will attest, I just don't know how to have fun at these things.

But this hyperreality is hard to get over. Really hard.

You can see it in the deference of the staff under the guise of "custom care" or whatever it is called, the immaculate nature of everything, and the fact of isolation. This is a planned community in the first sense and it is possible to walk hither and yon (I've been discouraged from doing so as there is a lack of connecting paths, better to take the WDW buses from place to place if you lack a car). I am not trying to be snarky or dismissive. There is no irony here, this is an intentionally constructed simulacra of the real world, an escape.

So far, I've managed two short runs. The first, a 4-miler early yesterday morning, began with me stumbling around in the dark trying to find my way literally when the sidewalk ended and the road disappeared into a tunnel. I ended up cutting through a resort and found a canal path that took me out to a movie studio theme park. No one was around save for the random guest running or walking and the park workers getting ready for the day. It was just me and the wake up sounds of this patch of Florida. Birds (Mynah birds?), rabbits, and even a fox. Everything was tidy though, even this wildlife seemed like interlopers. I managed to see a wart too. A rat trap tucked into the underbrush that screened off a swampy area. Today's was a quick and very hot lunch-time run in the two-hour break I had between a opening session and talk/panel with Rachel Maddow and the afternoon's sessions. 80 degrees as I ran 3.19 miles in an attempt to circumnavigate the resort complex. In this I was not successful as, well, the pavement ended. I came in dripping and overheated with just enough time to shower, grab a quick bit, and get back to the fun. 5 feet of elevation gain on both runs. This place is flat. So flat that I can see forever from my hotel room and count cellphone towers as they set with the sun.

This is all very (expensive) fun but I will be glad to get home where a flat run means nothing less than 100 feet of climbing (unless you count Green Lake). Of course, the reality of my work keeps intruding (as it should) but, for at least one more day, I'll enjoy this.

Oh yeah . . .

AR "Yes" It is possible to get a pinot grigio here but I haven't a clue as to its quality. I have to say that the Whiskey Sour that I was able to get a few sips before it was demolished by an out of control toddler learning to walk was "Meh"—and it was made with Johnny Walker Red.

Springtime In Seattle

2010-03-31T10:51:00.001-07:00

There are a number of different types of light in the Puget Sound, the silvery grey mist of the winter months, the brilliant blue skies of the summer, and the golden light of the fall, but it is the light of the spring time that is most exciting of all.

As the seasons change and the winds shift from north to the south we get all kinds of unstable weather. One minute you'll be walking around under blue skies, the next getting pelted by hail as a thunder squall moves through. Makes for a spectacular light show in more ways than one.

Ragnar

2010-03-29T11:07:00.001-07:00

I was wearing my Ragnar sweatshirt the other day and Meridith, the morning manager at The GB, asked me what the Ragnar symbol meant? She had seen a sticker on another customer's car and thought "Hey, Robin wears that too. I'll ask him!" So she did and in between the preparation of my coffee I explained the whole Ragnar concept.

I bring this up because it is getting on towards Ragnar Relay season and GVB has managed to convince me to join his team and, even more importantly, to actually commit by paying my share of the registration fees.

Oy! What have I gotten myself into (again)?

187 miles of running from Blaine to Langley split amongst 12 runners in two vans in temperatures that range from 80 degrees into the 30's at night. Three legs of running, quite a bit of it uphill and some of it in pitch blackness so late at night that even the bars have closed.

Actually, it was a lot of fun the last time and I am looking forward to it again.

Team #86 "The Ramblin' Wreck" is an optimistic name if I ever heard one (how about the "Nattering Nabobs of Negativism" or N3 to wax Agnewish).

Late July is a long way away and I've got to focus on Eugene for the moment (hmm, methinks it time to make my travel arrangements). Of course, there is still the Cougar Mountain Series as well.

But Eugene first, yes . . .

59.97

2010-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

59.97 miles last week.

Kind of a tough week at work, budget cuts, a RIF announcement (Reduction in Force), final exams coupled with tons of grading, the odd student complaint about Blackboard's inconsistency, and, of course, desperate emails imploring for extra credit points. Perhaps the oddest thing was talking with an advisee about getting training as a make-up artist (just so you know, a Ph.D. in Political Science does not prepare you for such conversations, at least not well anyway).

Running, on the other hand, went splendidly. Tuesday's 10-miler (2 X Zoo Loop) was a blast and ended with me blasting down hill while weaving through a whole mess of Team In Training folks. Saturday's 20-miler took place under a brilliantly sunny sky and ended up as a 21-miler with an ice bath. So much stronger than the last long run but I should mention that dehydration was setting in by the end despite the fact that I had been drinking water and Gatorade all throughout. The week ended with the Mercer Island Half Marathon, a race that I DNS'd a few years ago (the flu), and which presented a rather unique challenge following the 21-miler. I must have done something right on Saturday as I had all kinds of energy, power, and stamina going into the race. A very hilly course that I ran consistently. I simply had fun and finished in 2:05 with an overall pace of 9:35. Even better, I was walking around easily afterwards and was complimented by another runner who said: "Good Job Today! I couldn't catch you . . . " Quite an ego stroke I must say. Lots of carnage out on the course though including a man who collapsed just feet from the finish line—lots of paramedics working on him. Just a reminder that 13.1 miles is not a trivial distance by any stretch of the imagination.

I seem to have come off some kind of plateau in my running. My 2010 Nookachamps time was 2.06.59 and my official Mercer time was 2:05:38. Yes I was working hard but it didn't feel as hard as in January and I certainly don't feel as done in afterwards and I did then. Interesting. What a difference training makes. :-)

The best part? I am now officially on spring break which means that I can noodle around a bit and take care of stuff around the house—getting the front garden cleaned up, trying to patch a leak in the roof, spring cleaning. Still have some TLF-related things to do: course planning, a college open house, and a All-Washington Academic Team ceremony in Olympia. Still, it is nice to be even more in control of my time.

Even better, nice to actually read something fun. Like Richard Holmes's The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science. Then there is the Star Trek original series marathon.

And the Saints Go Marching In

2010-03-04T17:16:00.000-08:00

Terfel met his first marching band (no really that is a band).

Much barking, growling, backing up, and looking at me for reassurance
ensued.

They weren't that bad, really, although their "Major" kept on yelling
at them to "Dress Right!"

Running Times Shoe Trends Discussion

2010-03-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Folks,

Reposting this very interesting discussion on shoes, shoe trends, shoe marketing, and notions of demand.

Running Times senior editor Brian Metzler discusses the trend toward more minimalist shoes, new players in the market, whether increased prices are here to stay, and more. (11:51)

Listen

Kind Of A Rough Week

2010-02-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

It has been sort of a rough week round here.

After two challenging runs at the weekend (a very hilly 16 on the 20th and 9.5 miles at MP on the 21st) I found that I had done something to my right hip. Trying to run my three-miler on the 22nd was just awful—no juice and very sore legs. I finally decided that something was wrong when even walking and standing became a trial. Advil and stretching helped but did not eliminate the soreness which, to be honest, was actually pain (something I have a hard time admitting when going through it). The question, and fear really, was whether or not this was all muscular or had I sustained some damage to my femur or hip joint (an acquaintance of mine broke his femur head while running the Boston Marathon, not pretty). Ever since my stress fractures of a few years ago I find myself immediately jumping to the "You've done it now Boyo!" and "Well, that does it for your marathon now doesn't it." I took two days off in full awareness of what this was going to do for my training schedule. But schedules are meant to be broken if needed and I needed to do it.

Lots of stretching and rest and I felt ready to have something of a test run on Thursday. Decided to take the dog to Magnuson for our customary 3 miles with a swing through the off-leash area. And here is where things got even more interesting. I got bitten.

Te was out ahead of me romping with some other dogs. They all went around a corner. I trotted after him and, as I went round, a terrier type dog charged me (brown with black brindle and a spade head), whipped around behind me and got my calf. It's owner was right there and I said to her "Your dog put teeth on me!" She said, either to me or to her companion, that "She was not sure what it was about joggers that set her dog off" and proceeded to walk off. Had I the presence of mind I would have gotten information from her but I didn't. Instead I collected Te and we continued on. Blood was flowing by the time I got to the car and where I had been tagged was getting pretty sore, hot, and swelling. Burned it out with Hydrogen Peroxide when I got home and decided to call the doctor to get a tetanus shot (that was a treat). We dismissed rabies as a probability.

I did report this incident and have had a number of calls from Seattle Park and Rec, expressing concern but all of them reiterating the "enter at your own risk" policy that governs the off-leash areas. Seattle Animal Control sent two officers out to the house to interview me and take a picture of my leg. Of course, unless I had identifying information to give, nothing much can be done except to compile reports.

You might be thinking, "You are such an idiot RPD! What the Hell were you thinking running through an off-leash area!?" My answer simply is I was exercising my dog in much the same way that many others were and do. The fact is that this dog was out of control with both me and other dogs in the area (it was going after Terfel too) and the owner plainly does not know how to handle it. Her remark suggests that the dog has done this sort of thing before and, to my mind, the fact that she simply does nothing about it suggests rather poor judgement. I am a big guy but imagine, just imagine, if this dog had gone after one of the many children who run through that park? Not the dog's fault, that prey drive was obviously popping. Owner? That is another story and I hate to be around when her luck runs out. Nuff said.

The good news is that things are healing nicely and I don't have any soreness. The bite broke the skin but there wasn't any deep penetration. Big bruise though that was pretty sore for a bit. Today the tetanus injection site is sorer than the initial wound. I got lucky. Really lucky.

The even better news is that things are looking up. Got some new shoes this week, Mizuno Wave Riders, and had a 6.75 miler today as well as a couple of dog-exhausting runs in the park as well. Hip seems fine with some residual muscle tightness. I got lucky yet again.

Hey, blogger! The consumer protection police would like a word with you. - By Jack Shafer - Slate Magazine

2010-02-26T16:55:00.001-08:00

Hey, blogger! The consumer protection police would like a word with you. - By Jack Shafer - Slate Magazine

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Stand Up While You Read This! - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-02-24T09:21:00.001-08:00

Stand Up While You Read This! - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

Posted using ShareThis

Early Spring?

2010-02-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

Thought I would just share this with you.

Brilliantly sunny February day here in Seattle, not a cloud in the sky, and we are headed up to the upper 50's or low '60's (12-16 C) today with sunny skies forecast for much of the rest of the week.

This is amazing!

All trees and plants have been fooled and have started budding early. Even the grass in the backyard (or what I like to think of grass) has started growing.

I am in maximum solar radiation uptake mode.

I wouldn't mind this lasting for quite a bit longer actually. Seattle sparkles in the sun and Seattleites perk up, shed their layers of Gortex, and move (lots of company on my run last night, so much that Peter Gabriel's "I Have the Touch" was my theme for the duration).

Of course, this also does not bode so well for the summer—all this sun with no storms on deck isn't doing the snowpack much good.

Still . . .

Ahhhh.

TRACK!

2010-02-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

Run 7.30-Track (2-mile warm-up, 5X800's, 1-mile cool down)

Not quite Yasso's, at least I think not but there you go.

I decided to run early in the day because the last time I had a hard 7-miler just before yoga class, all the stretchy-bendy stuff just was not pleasant. Running "early" will give my legs time to cool off a bit as it were.

Decided to do the standard AR track thing. Ran a two-mile warm-up around the north part of the lake, did the workout, and then one mile back. It was pretty lonely out there, although half-way through the track portion some guy started walking (slowly) around the track. I used the McMillan calculator to come up with what I thought would be a good target to shoot for (3:25 or so) based upon a 2:03 half. That was too fast but since Higdon called for a 5K pace for this workout 8:30's were pretty good. Decided to split the difference. Two at around 8:30 and two a bit faster with a final 800 pushing a little faster but only if I felt during the fourth that I had another one or two 800's left in me. I did, and went for it with the notion of a strong finish in mind. It went well overall. I don't think I really warmed up until my first 800 but then everything felt pretty good. Hamstrings were very much cooled off and stretched out but adductors and other front-side muscles were singing (will have to focus on this during yoga). Hips felt pretty good, especially after yesterday's trail run. Strong and controlled? I would say, bang on my intentions. I am tired but not thwacked and, therefore, quite happy. HR was a little high, especially stubborn on the cool down run but not so out of whack. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/24455971

I was so famished when finished that I decided to go straight to Whole Foods for eggs, biscuits with gravy, and BACON! MMMMM BACON!

My legs feel really good, not sore at all but kind of nicely warm and tingly and loose. Blew the gunk out of them today. :-)

Yasso 800's

2010-02-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well, here is a new one on me. Higdon's week six plan says:

Thursday: Back to the track for more speed training. Today's track workout is 5 x 800 meters, jogging or walking 2-3 minutes between. Do the 800s at about 5-K pace. If you decided to try Yasso Repeats, check the introduction to the Advanced schedules for a reminder as to how this works. You can do this same 5 x 800 workout on the road or even on trails. If you don't have exact measurements, run for time instead of distance. For example, if you normally run 6:00 mile pace in a 5-K, an equivalent workout would be 5 x 3:00.

Hmm. Yasso Repeats? What is that?

Mr. Burfoot provides the answer.

Might give it a try. Now, what was my 5K pace again?

OMG, REALLY?

2010-02-02T20:45:00.001-08:00

Does this look real to you or like something out of Avatar?

Well, I hope so because I just booked in for the PTK Convention this coming April. The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin.

Looks like a cruise ship on land!

I don't actually have to leave this place for the 4 days (except to go to Disney World—Not going to happen . . . negative data from days working in theme park.

Please, please, someone, tell me there are good places to run!

In Orlando . . .

In April . . .

Well, there is this and this.

(somebody I know will be going to DC. Now there is a fun place to run . . . in April . . .)

Nike Free: Update to the Update

2010-01-31T19:34:00.000-08:00

So, I received my custom Frees Version 5's this past December (12/7/10) to be precise, about a month after I ordered them. LOVED THEM!

Check out the

NikeFree 5.0 iD Running Shoe

I designed at NIKEiD.com

On January 12, 2010 I contacted Nike Customer Service to arrange for their return. :-(

Seems that the fabric that takes the place of the heel cup wore out after just over a month. I discovered this as my finger went right through one of the heels as I was putting them on.

Did I say that I loved these shoes? Yes, but they should have lasted more than a month don't you think?

Here's hoping that the folks at the "Blue Ribbon Direct" on Tuggle Road in Memphis see fit to issue me a credit.

Broke down this past Friday and went down to the NikeTown store in downtown Seattle and bought another pair of Free 5.0 V4's (Black and Anthrocite). Good excuse, too, to join PuddleThumper for lunch at Cafe Pho (yummy Vietnamese Sandwich for me).

Ahh! My feet and legs are happy again.

Over the past few months I have become acutely sensitive to how much "regular" shoes weaken my feet and ankles. Edward Tenner's Our Own Devices: How Technology Remakes Humanity has a very interesting chapter on shoes and the manner in which they evolved and the impact that they have on how we use our bodies. Turns out that the "common" shoe (and probably the first one invented) is some variation of the flip flop. Even more interesting are the differences in walking style based upon the primary shoe in use. Check it out.

Study: Humans Were Born To Run Barefoot : NPR

2010-01-27T17:22:00.001-08:00

Study: Humans Were Born To Run Barefoot : NPR

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Il Trovatore @ Seattle Opera

2010-01-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

Overhead as we were leaving "Well, it got better . . ."

That about sums it up.

Seattle Opera's Il Trovatore was pretty disappointing for this opera fan. I've heard it (you all have heard the best bits) but never actually seen it live and was quite excited at the prospect. But, the sentiment quoted above sums it up for me. I'll give this opera another chance. Just not this production.

Don't get me wrong, the singing was simply beautiful and I could believe the pain in the words. The production design was appropriately drab as befits the story (the corpses swinging from the rafters . . ?). I even enjoyed our very own version of Statler and Waldorf sitting behind us as they made all kinds of inappropriate noises and comments (they left during the intermission as did a goodly number of the people sitting in our section)—though the fact that I was actually enjoying something annoying is not a good sign.

Two problems throughout the evening really made me not want to see this again.

First, the conductor stopped the music after every aria. As M observed, the audience was initially reluctant to clap. Late during the second half, the conductor abandoned this tactic and the audience, well trained to clap by this time, persisted through the music and the singing. It sucked the life out of the first two acts and threatened to do the same during the second two. Is this a opera tradition? If so, Please stop! Either that or just throw a concert Andre Rieu style.

Second, there were some choices made with the staging that really slowed things down, further destroying dramatic tension. The best example I can give takes place during ACT III. (The Gypsy's Son) when Manrico and Leonora are pledging their love before going to the wedding chapel. Just prior to this, Manrico's mother, Azucena, has been captured by the Count Di Luna and taken off to prison. In between these two scenes there was a pause while the stage hands placed and lit I don't know how many candles on the stage. It was beautiful, striking even, and (perhaps) did double duty as the candles in a wedding chapel and also the pyre to which Azucena is destined. But it took something like five minutes to get going, minutes in which the audience sat hushed in the darkened hall and then gradually started murmuring and muttering and even giggling. Was this visual effect worth the break in concentration? I think not. You have to know that some poor choices had been made when that happens. Every scene change was like this. A couple I can handle, but all of them? I really hope that all this is being rethought.

Now, I am a generally tolerant opera goer and can find something to enjoy in just about everything I've seen. Seattle Opera usually does a much better job than this.

Reviews:

Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2010825923_opera19.html
Seattle Weekly: http://www.seattleweekly.com/2010-01-20/arts/opera-review-il-trovatore/
The Gathering Note: http://www.gatheringnote.org/?p=6400

Foodish Discoveries

2010-01-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Food. It's What's For Dinner!

Four really good discoveries over this weekend.

Last night I went out for dinner with PS, a longtime friend whom I get to see only rarely. He lives up on Capitol Hill, the land of interesting eating possibilities. To be honest, I was feeling like a burger and a beer would hit the spot BUT PS had already had two beers under his belt along with Dim Sum whilst on a date earlier in the afternoon so I suggested Phở. A friend of his had recommended Pho Cyclo. It sounded good and so off we went.

I had Pho Tai Bo Vien (Flank Steak and Meatballs) that was very tasty and not at all heavy. PS had a soup with wontons and shrimp that he reported to be very good. The broths were delicious. Dinner for the two of us—two soups, spring rolls, and a diet pepsi for me—came to $20 (really). Very reasonable and worth a trip. I can't wait to go back. Dilettante Chocolate for dessert (Oh boy!). :-)

This morning we took Terfel to the Ballard Farmer's Market. It was his first experience with all that distraction (food, kids, other people, dogs). He got a lot of attention and had a fair amount of fun.

Tonight we are having an artisanal pizza from 'zaw, a pear and prosciutto pizza on a very thin crust. It is baking right now and, well, I can't wait (a 10-mile run will do that). Savoy Cabbage and Pomegranate salad to accompany (never had Savoy Cabbage either). [Additional: YUM!!!]

New teas too. Sip-t has the most amazing chai, fruit blend, and a mango-lime tea I've had the pleasure to taste. Looking forward to a nice, flavorful, cuppa this evening.

Finally, caveman bars. A small Edmonds-based company that specializes in making food bars with no more than five ingredients. I bought three bars (Peanut & Sea Salt, Coconut Flax, and Cinnamon Pecan) and ate one, the Peanut one, during my break between my two five-mile loops today. Very fresh tasting and not cloyingly sweet as so many of these things can be. Nor was it heavy.

All-in-all, some nice discoveries.

Slip Slidin Away

2010-01-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

Well, my XC race this morning was not at all that bad. In fact it was really quite fun and something of an experience. A 3000 Meter mud-fest.

It has been raining quite heavily this past week (especially yesterday) and the ground is just sodden. But it has also been pleasantly warm (we've been experiencing March weather in January while the rest of the country is in the deep freeze).

I ran the two or so miles out to Magnuson and the race start at a rather easy pace along the Burke Gilman trail. It was threatening to rain. I was hoping that it would hold off until the race was over when I would be comfortably ensconced in PT's car on my way home. It was chilly but otherwise calm and quiet. Saw only a few people out at least until I got down into the park itself, when more and more carloads of runners started showing up.

Finishing my warm-up found M and her friend. We discussed the course which we could see was very much on the mucky side. M decided to go and exchange her shoes for spikes. I wandered around a bit and then saw PT finishing her warm up (big smile on her face too). Heard the BANG of a starter's pistol announcing that we had 10-minutes remaining before the start.

Boy was the start area wet. It was easy to sink a half to a whole inch into the ground just standing and waiting. The RD came to make his pre-race announcements and waved his pistol around as he did so (don't ask why this particular little detail stuck with me although I expect that someone waving the business end of a gun at you would get your attention even if only a starter's pistol). This course was longer (than last years) and slightly different due to the ongoing construction to bring electricity back to the shore area. His description was complicated and I didn't really get it. No matter, I'd just follow the crowd. I mentioned that someone was going to go kersplat in one of the puddles. M responded that, now that I had mentioned it, it would probably be me. :-P

Then, BANG, and we were off. A rush of slips, slides, and yelps as runners sought to avoid puddles or were shocked at the wet. Pretty funny. I felt really calm as we started and even had a smile on face (the more mud the better). As the speed picked up I could feel all my energy draining away within the first 25 yards or so, felt very strange. But as we cleared the first "hill" and transitioning to the Fins area my strength started coming back and I just kept going. Behind me were two HS girls who were just sort of joking along. They passed me just before the fins and then I passed them going up Kite Hill. At that point they decided that maybe they should take things a little more seriously (perhaps the thought of getting beaten by a large lumbering guy was too much) and they both cranked it up. One just flew away. The other moved in front of me and stayed there until I passed her again as she stopped and looked back for someone else). "Kum and Go" guy (a very tall man wearing a "Kum and Go" T-shirt) went flying up the hill past us all and then just started trotting. I thought "What was that all about?" [And, yes, his shirt is not obscene. It refers to a gas station chain in the Midwest.]

It was really slippery and midway through the first loop I could feel the toll that this was taking on my legs and hips as they contended with the not-so-firm footing and all the lateral movement as my feet slid. My shoes, the Innov8's, proved to be incredibly grippy all things considered and I began trusting them more and more as I went tightly around the curves. Behind me, I heard the very wet sounds of someone else going kersplat in a puddle (but not me).

The second loop was challenging but also felt better as I knew what to expect and was very much warmed up. I spotted the guy who finished just in front of me during the last race and decided that I had to catch and pass him. It took some doing but I finally did at the base of Kite Hill and then he just disappeared. I think this is the first time I was able to beat him (couldn't do it during last year's series). It felt really good to do so but I have a feeling that he was having a bad day. Hope he is OK. In the middle of all of this the sun made an appearance, its welcome light changing the way the course looked (indeed the whole park).

The finish was interesting. We had to run up a slight rise through all kinds of churned up mud and standing water. 25 yards away and I kicked it up a notch. Then I heard someone coming up fast behind me and I put everything I had into an all-out sprint to the finish. People were yelling (for me? for him? I don't know). I held off the challenge and crossed the line in 16:40 with ragged lungs and in 117th place. Right behind Phy (who was complaining "What happened?!" as we stood in line to submit our place tags). Someone else was complaining about having mud in her teeth. Was this the person who fell or had they been following someone else a bit too closely?

Short cool down run in which I ran into PT. We washed our shoes in a deep puddle and squish, squished squished our way back to the records area so she could turn her card in as well and grab some food. Half a bagel and two cups of water later I was deposited at my doorstep. OOOFFF! That is when I felt all the mud stress.

What a fantastic race and, though exhausted, I've still a smile on my face 8 hours after. Second loop was faster than the first and I finished very strongly. My first race of 2010.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21988114

Miles for the day? 5.42

Tomorrow I'll do a slow 10-miler as per the Higdon Plan. 33 miles for the week.

33 miles and I am feeling strong. :-)

One of "those" runs . . .

2010-01-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today I had one of those runs that reminded me why I love running as much as I do and why it is as big a part of my life as it is.

I've decided to work through one of Higdon's Marathon Plans which should ready me for a run sometime in May. Which one? I am thinking of three: Eugene, Big Sur (all uphill but pretty), and Avenue of the Giants (really remote but pretty). I still don't know and am temporizing. What would you do?

In any event, so far (and we are only in week 1), I am liking this plan. It spreads a variety of running throughout the week (a nice change from loading the distance runs around the weekend). Simple too.

Today it was hills (as if I don't get enough hills already). A good opportunity for me to actually sharpen up. Couple of miles warm-up and then 3 X Hill (200-400 meters), and then a cool down. Total of around 5 miles.

It was a nice day for trails but I wanted flat too so off to Magnuson I went.

Normally I don't listen to music when I run but today, today I decided to bring my iPod along and just cut loose. It made for a nice change of pace.

Ran first along the waterfront hitting every puddle and rocky beach that I could. Then into the dog off-leash area. That was fun. Two dogs started chasing me though, a Scottie and a Poodle. Nothing more than worrying though. Finished running through and hopped a fence and back out in the fields. More mud and some small hills before heading over to Kite Hill for the repeats.

The repeats were hard but good practice for the 3000 Meter XC Race this Saturday—I ran the same path in 2:45 and 2:41 (for .30 miles) and 2:37 (for .28 miles)—a pretty steep hill.

Then around and around through more puddles, getting thoroughly wet and muddy. It was simply a blast and I've been carrying around an endorphin high since I finished (went flying through Yoga class this evening).

I hope. I hope. I hope that more runs like these are in my future. :-)

Play List?

Sure!!

Finale-Igor Stravinsky
Every Day I Die—Gary Numan
Dread Rock—Paul Oakenfold
The Dusty Miller—The Chieftains
Within A Mile of Dublin/The Old Blackthorn—The Chieftains
Cars (Rush Hour Skadiva)—Techno Army Featuring Gary Numan
Freeways (Euromix)—Men Without Hats
Tá An Coileach Ag Fógairt An Lae (3 Pipes)—The Chieftains
Where do the Boys Go (Extended Version)—Men Without Hats
Working Overtime—New Order
Masters of the Universe [Eternal Basement Remix]—Juno Reactor
Friends (Pure Version)—Gary Numan
Pulstar—Hypnosis
Om shanti om (Medley Mix)—Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone & Shreyas Talpade
Deewangi deewangi—Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone & Shreyas Talpade
Destination Unkown (TV Mania Remix)—Missing Persons
Nine Lives of Miss MIDI—Saga
Turn Up The Radio—Autograph
Domino—Genesis

Oh yeah, the run data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21889848

My Running Year, 2009

2010-01-01T17:02:00.000-08:00

My 2009 running year ended on 12/23/09 with a short run in my neighborhood. The cause? A cold which has translated itself into bronchitis. Antibiotics are supposed to put paid to this but, while much of the congestion has gone, most activity sends me into paroxysms of stomach tightening, headache inducing coughing, an unpleasant experience both to undertake and to witness. Still not as bad as D, one of my T3 Teammates, who just found out that she has a stress fracture of the femoral neck that has her on crutches for 6 weeks. Put's things into perspective, eh?

What did this year look like?

It had it's up's and down's. :-P

Some numbers and other bits of trivia:

Total Miles: 1527.90

Races Completed: 11

Resolution Run 5K
3000 Meter XC
Nookachamps 13.1 miles
2 Mile Track
2 Mile Handicap Race
Cougar Mtn 7 mile race
Seattle Rock N Roll Marathon
Cougar Mtn 10 mile race
Cougar Mtn 13 mile race
Seattle Half Marathon
3000 Meter XC

PR's Set: 0

Race's DNS'd: 3 (5 mile Cougar Trail Race, Portland Marathon and Winter Grand Prix 2-Mile Road Race)

Shoes Expended: 7

3 pairs of Mizuno Wave Ascend's
3 pairs of Mizuno Wave Elixir's

Most Challenging Run: Spider Meadow and Spider Glacier

Most Exotic Running Locale of the Year: Maui

Running Locale I wish I had more time to explore: Haleakala Crater and Vancouver B.C.

Number of Trail Runs: 81 for 564.17 miles in which I gained 196025 feet

Overall I am pleased with how I did this past year.

I had a vague goal of 1500 miles this time last year but (actually) forgot all about it until pleasantly surprised in late November to have crossed that mark. No running injuries this past year which means that my approach (yoga, strengthening my lower legs via barefooting and Nike Frees) is generally working. I've more work to do to balance my knee and thigh strength.

Running on Maui, in Vancouver, Santa Barbara, and Tofino. In each I was left wanting more and would have done had the governor not banned out-of-state travel which nixed the conferences I wanted to attend. I am hoping that I'll have more such opportunities in 2010.

Some really challenging and new mountain runs with AR was a real highlight. Spider Meadow but also running from Cougar, over Squak, up Tiger, and then back down through Issaquah one week and then an extended Rattlesnake Ridge run really tested me. There were times during these runs when I did not feel at all like a runner but that usually passed.

Running my first official Marathon (second time unofficially) was something else. I basically trained myself on this one using AR group runs (thanks, Coach, for the patience) as my base along with long in-town runs of my own devise. In this I learned that I (mostly) have the mental toughness to do such things on my own. Even managed to find new and interesting places in Seattle to get lost in. Making the final .2 miles into the finish was one of the most wonderful moments I have had as a runner.

I also realized that if you can finish strong in a 13.1 mile trail race you can finish even more strongly during a road half-marathon.

Most importantly, and once again, I benefitted by a rather strong set of running friends (you know who you are). I love my little family of runners and knowing that all of the things that I go through in my own running life are not unique. It helps put things into perspective.

What am I not so happy about?

While I avoided running-related injuries I spent a lot of time actually sick over the course of the past year. Despite my best precautions and attention to rest and nutrition every cold and flu that came down the pike ended up making me miserable. This has been quite frustrating. I've actually not felt well since having the flu this past October. Wonder what is going on.

The weight I gained over the course of the fall. Somehow, the fact that I was not running as much did little to suppress my runner's appetite. This will have to come off.

Losing my speed during marathon training (most of my training runs were just plods). I know, I know, that is a serious distance. This coming year, I'd like to sharpen up. :-)

Missing races.

Missing Jessica. It recently dawned on me that she must have been suffering on our runs over the summer but she did them none-the-less, a testament to just how devoted she was and how much she wanted to be out moving. She never complained. I see Border Collies running around and get all wistful. There will never be another like her . . .

Hopes for 2010?

There are many but that is the subject for another post. :-)

The "Aughts"

2010-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here it is, New Years Day, and it is time to reflect upon what has been and what one hopes will come to be.

It feels strange to be entering into the second decade of a new century and I find myself wondering what 1910 must have felt like. Was there a sense of impending disaster as was to come or a sense of hope. Such things depend upon who you were, what you were doing, and how much struggle was in your life. People did suspect the shocking nature of what was to unfold. Some were welcoming, others saw tragedy.

Personally, I am happy to see the back of the "aughts" but I find myself curiously blind. What will the teens bring? More of the same? Looking back to 1910 I find that the headlines haven't really changed all that much—Revolution in Portugal, the Japanese annexation of Korea for starters, and war scares in Europe. Not much different than today's really.

The optimist in me hopes that we can transcend all this, come back to the realization that, at bottom, all people really want is to live a dignified life, and get on the business of discovering more and more of the wonders of the universe. The pessimist knows that we will not and that the long, slow, sad unfolding tragedy begun in the aughts will continue.

Here's to the optimist.

Terfel's Big Day(s)

2009-12-26T15:45:00.001-08:00

Two big days in a row for the puppy.

Christmas Brunch 2009

On Christmas we met up with Sj, C, and E for a bit of a walk out at Green Lake. E has a 15-week old Boxer puppy name Jamoca. The walk was fun with Terfel poking his nose into everything and otherwise leading Jamoca around.

Then back to Sj and C's place for brunch ("yum" is not really a strong enough word for "rosemary potato strata, breakfast meats such and yummy bacon and sausage, potatoes (you can never have too many potatoes), baked pancakes, toast and C’s coffee cake"), an occupation which took the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon and involved a great deal of puppy play. To wit:

and

Which resulted in . . .

Boxing Day 2009 turned out to be another big day for the puppy.

Brilliant blue skies and, by the time I bestirred myself from the bed, pretty warm temperatures. One of those amazingly pretty (and mild) Puget Sound winter days.

My cold, of course, has abated (some) but not enough to go run this morning with Sj (and her crew, and I missed a pretty cool run out at Tiger too). Would have a been a fantastic morning but I cannot manage even a block without descending into a coughing fit.

So, M and I decided to take the pup out for a hike at Cougar Mountain. His first time. Nothing like getting him excited about going out there now is there.

Cougar Mountain

Parked down at Red Town and took the Wildside trail out to where it joins with Red Town. A short loop really but lots of ups and downs and interesting things for puppies (and, well, me too) to poke noses in to. He was pretty happy to be climbing up logs.

Just past the trail down to Ford Slope and the Steam Hoist area we met a couple walking another puppy from the other direction. Annie, their Wire-Haired Terrier-Lab Mix, was about the same age as Terfel. We let them off-leash to have at it. About 15 minutes of full on puppy-play and chasing ensued and we had a nice chance to chat. The wind was coming up and branches (small ones) were beginning to fall of the trees. THAT got both the puppies attention.

Continuing on we were passed by a dad walking with his two daughters. This would not be at all noteworthy but for two things: first, one of the girls was plainly afraid of Terfel and second, both girls were wearing their brand-new Merry Christmas cowboy boots (one pair red, the other green). Just the thing for slogging through the mud, right?

Then it was time for a drink once we got to Red Town and so I carefully lifted the little fella up and . . .

He was pretty scared and unsure of his footing. Pawed at the water a couple of time and had a little bit of a drink. The important thing is that he did not panic.

Took a bit of a detour off Red Town down to the Ford Slope Mineshaft to read the signs. Ran down the hill and I almost biffed it on some ice. Terfel had a blast. He was less enthusiastic when we ran back uphill towards M. :-P

Terfel was tired but neither M nor I were ready to head home on such a pretty day. What to do, what to do?

How about stopping to get some more cookies from Immortal Dog and then (maybe) go for a swim out at Magnuson. OK!

While in the shop, Terfel met two lab mixes that had been playing frisbee. One, a young male, hiked his leg and peed all over a box of dog food bags. Hmm. There is a problem there methinks.

Lots of snoring out of the back seat as we made our way North.

Magnuson Park

So many people out walking their dogs in the park today. We put Terfel on Jessica's old Flexi-Line so he could get some distance and walked down towards the shore area. The first thing we came upon were two Pomeranians that were so fat (and puffed out)—imagine very fuzzy fully inflated puffer fish. Terfel tried to say "hello" but they were really having none of it. As round as these two were, however, they were obviously delighted to be out and about.

The water level in the lake has dropped and it was possible to walk along the beach for a very good distance (normally you cannot). Terfel is fascinated by bodies of water but tends to keep his distance. Today he ventured a bit closer and actually put a paw in the water. We came across a woman swimming her dog and Terfel watched and tried to play a bit but didn't go in. I threw a stick for him and he just watched it disappear. I suspect that he'll learn to swim with Jas the next time she goes.

It was pretty amazing to watch Terfel in the fields and bushes. He was bounding excitedly from place to place in obvious enjoyment. So much fun to watch.

Kite Hill was busy with kite fliers and even someone with a radio controlled glider. The kites and some of the kids flying them were very noisy. The kites because the wind was up and the kids, well, can kids ever be quiet when flying kites? I know I couldn't and I'll bet not much has changed. Terfel watched all this for a while and then we continued on down Kite Hill. A woman got out of her car and hailed us just as we were coming off the hill. "May I ask you a favor?" she asked. "Is your dog friendly?" she continued. "Sure" and "Yes" I said, "What can we do for you?" Her grand-daughter had been eyeing Terfel as we came along and wanted to meet him. She couldn't walk. So, the she opened the car door and Terfel jumped up to meet her, eliciting such a beaming smile. I gave the little girl some treats to give Terfel and she did. He was so enthusiastic and at the same time gentle. Turns out, the family was from Gig Harbor and had a baby who was at Children's Hospital. I can't imagine what it must be like to have three children, two of whom have medical difficulties at such a young age. I wished them well as we left but now regret not giving them my number. Perhaps the little girl would like some more puppy time? Her smile was wonderful.

Hmm. Perhaps Terfel has a future as a therapy dog?

Then we ran into (yet another) Lucy. What is it with that and dogs around here? We have three "Lucy's" on our block. Anyway, Lucy does not like puppies, a fact she made quite plain. But her family did, including a toddler and we stopped a bit to chat. I fed Lucy treats and pet her and everyone else pet Terfel. He was loving it.

All this running around in the dirt meant only one thing. Bath Time!

So off to Rub-A-Dub Dog for his very first bath. We'd been taking Jessica there for years, after discovering the hard way that her hair would clog the bathtub drain very, very badly.

What can I say. He did really well after a little coaxing up onto the platform. We wasn't happy about getting bathed but he didn't struggle or otherwise make things difficult. Only one problem. He didn't like the blow dryer. So, we just won't use that.

A very, very busy day which (again) resulted in

Just a few short months ago I was sadly thinking of all the "last" things I would be doing with Jessica. I am finding all of these firsts with Terfel to be wonderfully therapeutic and just plain fun.

I think he has the makings of a fine trail dog. He sticks pretty close, obviously enjoys being out in the woods, is curious, and (actually) likes to run. It'll be a while before we can do that though. Even so, I cannot wait.

Oh yes, I also learned something funny about Terfel's namesake and his pants (Thanks C!)

The National Interest

2009-12-24T15:18:00.001-08:00

The National Interest

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The Original Sin - Lapham’s Quarterly

2009-12-22T11:48:00.001-08:00

The Original Sin - Lapham’s Quarterly

The Original Sin

by Francine Prose

TAGS:: a woman's place,; feminism,; harlots,; misogyny,; questioning,; sex,; virgins

But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.—St. Paul

Hardly anyone noticed this summer when former president Jimmy Carter explained why he had decided to leave the Baptist Church. However “painful and difficult,” wrote Carter in an essay that appeared in the Guardian, his break with the denomination to which he had belonged for sixty years had begun to seem like the only possible response to past opinions expressed and codified by the Southern Baptist Convention. “It was an unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be ‘subservient’ to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors, or chaplains in the military service. This was in conflict with my belief—confirmed in the holy scriptures—that we are all equal in the eyes of God.”

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Cough! Sneeze! Wheeze! Cough! Wheeze! Sneeze!

2009-12-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

I am sick (again) and feel like whining a little.

A cold this time (I hope) and a tenacious one at that. Not the kind that puts you down for the count but rather the kind that is just annoying enough to stop you from doing the things you really want to do (like running and heading out to the mountains for some snow shoeing). It is hanging out in my head, throat, and upper chest—moving around as it pleases. Just when I think I've kicked it, it reminds me that I haven't.

So, I haven't run since the 17th and clocked in a whopping 11.30 miles last week (apologies to my mileagegame teammates (Go T3's, I can't)).

So what have I missed?

I DNS'd at the Winter Grand Prix 2-mile road race this past Saturday because my chest felt really iffy and I did not want to drive the congestion deeper down. At least PuddleThumper and MJ had great outings. Err! I hate this!!! Second race this year that I DNS'd because things were just not right.

Moreover, I am supposed to pace SJ on her 16-miler on the 26th. Don't know if I will be in shape for it. Speaking of which, I have to figure out a route with no major climbs. In Seattle no less. Wish me luck.

I know, I know. This forced rest is supposed to do me good. I am just disappointed at not finishing the year healthy.

OK, whining done. Time to move . . .

Au Revoir Mr. Lorenzo

2009-12-21T12:16:00.000-08:00

Perry Lorzeno, Seattle Opera's Education Director, died this past weekend.

I met him but once or twice but enjoyed his pre-opera lectures and the more extended series at Seattle U. His insights into Wagner were especially enlightening for me.

Even more, here was a master teacher. A joy to learn from. Capable of gleefully making opera's hoary history come alive with relevance. A joy to learn "how to teach" (and how to learn) from.

His blog and appeal for internet prayers, a heartfelt blog by one of his former students, and his obituary from the Seattle Times.

Rest well, Mr. Lorzeno. You fought the good fight. Someone once said that that you don't die until no one on earth speaks your name . . .

Thank you . . .

The Noughties, 00s: a fond(ish) farewell - Telegraph

2009-12-15T16:27:00.001-08:00

Well, this might just sum things up fairly well . . .

Nothing like a decade-long, low-intensity headache now is there?

The Noughties, 00s: a fond(ish) farewell - Telegraph

The Noughties: a fond(ish) farewell

Toby Young takes an irreverent look back at a decade characterised by a yearning for chaos.

By Toby Young
Published: 2:35PM GMT 11 Dec 2009

1 of 4 Images

Armed policeman stand guard over passengers at Gatwick Airport in 2006, at the height of terrorist-inspired travel chaos Photo: Gerry Penny/EPA

I was in a French ski resort on January 1 2000 and the first thing I thought about, when the fog of the previous night began to clear, was the Millennium Bug. Deputy US Defence Secretary John Hamre had predicted it would be ‘the electronic equivalent of the El Niño’.

Just how many planes had fallen out of the sky at the stroke of midnight? I plugged my laptop into a phone socket and heard the sound that will forever be associated with the turn of the century: ‘Eeeeee, orrrrrrrrrrrr, ooo-a-ooo-a-ooo-a-ooo-a.’

Is this attraction to chaos a reflection of comfort? For some people, all too many people this world over, this past decade has been all Hell, too much real chaos of every sort. And yet, Young's point about "mediated participation" in all this chaos is apt. A yearning, however twisted, to be "there" in the midst of it all?

A little scary.

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Frazz gets it right . . .

2009-12-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks to SS for passing this along.

In my case, quite apt . . .

http://comics.com/frazz/2009-12-12/

A Winter's Day Magic

2009-12-10T20:16:00.001-08:00

The rumor is that the Puget Sound is rainy and grey all the time. Much of the time this happens to be true but on occasion (especially during the summer) the region lights up in the sun. Those are the times that I just don't want to leave because everything goes from drabness to brilliance in a flash.

Of late we've been blessed by some early winter sun. The less said about the chilly temps (18 degrees F this morning) or the stagnant air (Stage 2 Burn Ban) the better. It sure looks pretty and after all the bluster of the past few weeks feeling the sun on one's face is a wonderful thing. Or is it just numbness from the cold?

I graded all morning and then, instead of going for a run, decided to take Terfel out for a long walk, his first real ramble actually. Aside from the standard things to sniff we saw some interest and odd things

From Winter Day

Someone (or thing) constructed a very large nest in the Union Bay Wildlife Refuge. Anything that big with a penchant for using blackberry bushes to do this is probably not something I want to run into.

From Winter Day

It appears that someone else (or perhaps the same creature) had a bit of icy fun at the UW's Conibear Shellhouse. There is a fair amount of ice going out some distance into the lake from this vantage. It seems quite thick in places. Thick enough to freeze this dock into immobility.

From Winter Day

Close up of the Ice Man.

From Winter Day

I don't think this boat is going anywhere soon. Good thing winter break is upon us.

From Winter Day

Terfel and the Ice Man.

From Winter Day

Terfel decided to take a puppy nap under Harry the Husky before attempting to cross Montlake Bridge for the first time. I could just hear the furrows being cut in his little brain with all these new experiences. He seemed giddy with excitement and that made the walk all the more enjoyable. We arrived home after and hour and forty five minutes of brisk walking and he was still going strong.

The weather is expected to "improve" if you can call warming temps and the potential for rain and/or snow an "improvement". I'll miss the sun, sitting in a window absorbing the heat looking at the blue skies. Actually, some blues skies and sun reflecting off a new blanket of snow would be quite a treat.

What a nice way to end the quarter.

2009-12-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

Nice surprise on my door step this afternoon.

My Nike Free ID shoes arrived.

They are interesting and seem put them together differently than the pair I have for running. Not much in the box except two inserts (5.0 and 4.5 support). The uppers are suede with venting accomplished via the holes you can see in the picture. Major differences in the heel counter too. Instead of a "hard" counter, Nike opted for a thin stretchable and highly breathable fabric that grips the heel but does not hold it.

They were a little tight when I first put them on but within an hour or so they stretched out into that familiar comfort that I have come to expect.

This pair, a little on the "formal sneaker side", are intended as my walking around shoes rather than running.

All part of trying to strengthen my feet, ankles, and legs. I look forward to wearing them.

And where did they come from?

Nike Inc ℅ Quindao Chang Shin

8653287224091

No 6 Quan Zhou Road

Jiaozhou City

Qingdao 266300

China

Thus continues my experiment . . .

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2009-12-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

We are in the deep freeze here in the PacNW. And, no, I don't expect any sympathy from those in colder climbs.

20 rather dark degrees F this morning when I took my rather reluctant dog for a walk.

But is HAS been stunningly sunny, a pleasant change from last December when we were wading through tons of slushy snow in a paralyzed city.

Here is a picture of me (courtesy of PT and her DH) finishing the first race of the 2009 Club Northwest Winter Grand Prix. Yep, I wore gloves and a double shirt the entire time and was generally freezing the entire time.

I am pretty happy about how I did. A little slower than last year but I felt much stronger than last year—there was more left in the tank and I could power up Kite Hill and use the downhill to my advantage. Still have that duck-foot thing going though. Almost caught one of those guys I was chasing last year.

Results are out: 110 out of 148 runners with an overall official time 16:20.1.

Here is the data blow-by-blow: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/20085451

Phys Ed: Can Vitamin D Improve Your Athletic Performance? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

2009-12-05T21:11:00.001-08:00

September 23, 2009, 12:01 AM

Phys Ed: Can Vitamin D Improve Your Athletic Performance?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Phys Ed: Can Vitamin D Improve Your Athletic Performance? - Well Blog - NYTimes.com

Vitamin D is an often overlooked element in athletic achievement, a “sleeper nutrient,” says John Anderson, a professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of North Carolina and one of the authors of a review article published online in May about Vitamin D and athletic performance. Vitamin D once was thought to be primarily involved in bone development. But a growing body of research suggests that it’s vital in multiple different bodily functions, including allowing body cells to utilize calcium (which is essential for cell metabolism), muscle fibers to develop and grow normally, and the immune system to function properly. “Almost every cell in the body has receptors” for Vitamin D, Anderson says. “It can up-regulate and down-regulate hundreds, maybe even thousands of genes,” Larson-Meyer says. “We’re only at the start of understanding how important it is.”

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Dog ownership better than a gym membership? A new survey says yes | L.A. Unleashed | Los Angeles Times

2009-12-02T21:33:00.001-08:00

Dog ownership better than a gym membership? A new survey says yes | L.A. Unleashed | Los Angeles Times

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Well here is something you don't see every day . . .

2009-12-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Magnuson Geyser Basin!

Took the dog for a walk on this most sunny of December afternoons and came upon this scene.

Apparently, this is what happens when you "drain" a water fountain line (or something) for the winter.

Pretty cool.

Sounded like a real geyser too, great whooshes of air.

If you haven't been to the Park in a while you really should take a look at the "new" wetlands constructed on the former site of "Mud Lake".