I've Got Gas!!

I drove by a gas station with working pumps and hardly any line this morning so I pulled in and filled up. I also called everyone I knew that might need gas and let them know where to get it. Maybe the problem is starting to ease up a little bit. I should be good through the end of next week at this point. Other items of interest:

• I ran a 3 mile hill course in my nieghborhood last night. I was very pleased with my 27:19 time. I am looking forward to an official race on a flatter course to see what I can do a 5k in at this point. I am considering an event in Kentucky in a few weeks since I will be in the area visiting the in-laws.


• One of my neighbors is planning a 5k event to help raise money for the schools in our area. Since one of my kids goes to a school that will benefit I am planning to run in it. If you are interested in this October 25th event let me know and I will get you an entry form. I am nagging him to get the race up on active.com but until then we have to use the old fashioned mail order form.

Massive Update

Since there were several things I wanted to comment on today I decided to do a bullet list to try and keep it short:

• I did a 20 minute trail run with my friend in Colorado. This was my first trail run and I enjoyed it (after not during). I had to walk a few sections but other than that I thought I handled the new type of running and lack of oxygen pretty well.


• I did not watch all of the presidential debate last Friday but my favorite part was when Obama said (and I paraphrase), "I have a bracelet too that was given to me by srgt uh uh um by tthe mother of srgt uh...". He finally got the name out but it was such a "me too" moment that totally backfired on him.


• The gas shortage in Georgia is really starting to become an issue. I am not sure if this is an actual supply problem or if people around here are just stupid and creating the problem with their panicking. What's funny is that I hear we are the only state having these issues right now.


• I got to play Duke Nukem 3D this weekend on my Xbox 360. This was a huge game when I was in college and we spent many a day with wires spread between our rooms or having LAN parties to play this game. Now I can play it across Xbox Live and not have to drag by computer to someone's house to play Dukematch.
  

I. CAN'T. BREATHE.

Today was day 2 of running in Colorado.  At dinner last night a friend of mine, that is a Colorado native, told me that the second day of running would be harder than the first... he was right.  I had no reason to doubt him but to hear it then experience it just drove the point home harder.

Forrest and I decided to try a different route today and ended up running about 5 minutes along a mostly level route then 15 minutes that was all uphill.  The lack of oxygen was real clear as I headed uphill gasping for more oxygen all the way.  At 20 minutes we turned around and ran the 16 miles back to our hotel.  It got a little easier toward the end of the run (maybe because it was downhill) so maybe there is hope for tomorrow when I go trail running with my Colorado-native friend.

I figure we were running at about a 12 minute mile pace but my lungs felt like I was running at something under a 9 minute mile pace.  Of course the real problem may be the cool, clean air that I am breathing here rather than the humid, polluted air of Georgia.  Either way this has been an interesting experiment.

O2

Since this my first trip to Colorado since I took up running I decided to give running a try while I was here. First problem... its cold here. It was not unbearable but it was something new to deal with. It will eventually start to get cold in Georgia so this was just a sample of what is to come as winter gets closer. Second problem... there is not as much oxygen in the air here. While I could tell a difference I compensated by running at a slower pace but I could tell it was a little harder. I plan to run the next two mornings I am here as well. More later.

No. Freakin'. Way.

OK, so I stole that title from the last series at my church but it applied twice in the last 14 hours so I thought a little plagiarism was in order:

1. The same 2 mile run that I ran on Tuesday night in 18:54 on Tuesday night I ran in 17:47 last night. That is a 8:49 mile and the best mile average I have ever run. Not sure if the cool nights are helping or if I have experienced one of those mystical breakthroughs that all the running books and articles talk about.
   
   
2. I just saw something from our R&D guys that has me so excited I can't sit still. I can't say anything at all about it other than that it is very cool and that I can't wait for the world to experience it. Stay tuned!
   

What "No Freakin' Way" moments have you experienced lately?

Here's A New One

My dad called me today to tell me that the landlord for a facility he is opening as a daycare center called with an interesting demand. Somewhere she heard that he was planning to hire a specific person to work in this daycare center. Somehow she assumed that she had the right to call my dad and threaten to terminate his lease if he hired her. I know I am not a lawyer but I am pretty sure there is nothing in his lease that gives the landlord the right to dictate who he can and cannot hire. Whatever she is smoking she needs to quit... it is making her look stupid.

Parktards

I have ranted about this before but Ron, Chris, and I ran into the perfect example of the middle class, snobby, soccer mom driving (or rather parking) her land barge this afternoon. Ron needed to stop at the Post Office to mail a package. To our surprise (and, we have seen some pretty crazy stuff in our line of work and things rarely surprise us anymore) the first 3 spots were taken up by one vehicle. Somehow, she managed to avoid taking up any of the handicapped spots though. To top it off, Ron laughed and shook his head as he walked by and her teenage daughter rolled down the window and shouted, "GET OVER IT!" At least we know that the women is spending her teaching her daughter manners rather than how to park.

I'm Back

I had to take a couple of weeks off from running because of a foot injury. Last night I went out and tested it out and had no problems. Plus, I ran 2 miles in 18:54 which is just under a 9:30 mile. If you know where I live you will be impressed with that time, otherwise you may make a comment about your grandmother's electric wheelchair being faster than that.

I caught the season premier of Biggest Loser last night. I was surprised at how excited these people where when they found out they would be on the show. I guess they see it as a life-changing event even though it is tough road they will walk (or crawl) for the next several months.

Head Down

I had to ignore the blog yesterday. It was one of those work days where you look up and it is 6:00pm already and you feel like you just got there. I have been working hard on a big project for hte last several days and got it done with a whole 5 minutes to spare on the deadline. Now I will spend the rest of today catching up on email and phone calls for everything else I have been neglecting. It is rewarding to get to the end of a big project though and get it done.

Sheeple

Last night I needed gas. I got in my truck and the "Check Gauge" light was already on. Since I have been driving my 1996 Ford Explorer since 1997 I knew that I could make it to one of my "home" gas stations without any problems. Driving in my best conversation mode I got to the Kroger and was surprised that at 10:00 at night there was a line 3 or 4 deep for each pump. Plus, they were only advertising a price for premium. Fearing I would not make it to the gas station up the road I made a break for it anyway and held my breathe. I made it, but all of the pumps were closed down there (the old bag over the handle trick). I pulled into a parking spot and called my brother who brought me a couple gallons he had for his lawn mower and I was able to make it home.

I guess people had heard some news report that we had several oil refineries in the path of Hurricane Ike. That must mean we will run out of gas in Atlanta in the next couple of days. What they didn't know is that President Bush had already relaxed some rules on oil imports making it easier to get foreign oil in, and that only 22% of our oil refineries would be affected by the hurricane. I expressed my frustration with people to my friend Chris and he his response was, "Sheeple are stupid". I thought that this was an appropriate way to describe this particular behavior. Not sure if this is a Chris-original but I am giving him credit for coining a new term that you will hear me using from now on.

CT Scan

I got the pleasure of a morning CT scan today including the lovely "vanilla shake" that you have to drink to make your innards glow. As I left the hospital I could not help but think about the raging debate over health care and whether we should socialize our medical system like they have in the UK, Australia, and other places. While this subject falls well "above my pay grade" I had to wonder how long I would have had to wait in line for my CT scan appointment had I lived in a socialized medicine country. My condition is not life-threatening so would that mean I would have to wait longer? Would the level of care not have been as good? While I will agree that the medical costs here in America have spun out of control (it was $4,500 for a 15 minute CT scan today) I am not sure that socializing the system is the right approach. And, for once I don't have an alternate suggestion...yet!

Taking the Week Off

Last Saturday I went out for a little 6 mile run and did something to my right foot. Not sure what yet, but it seems to have mostly gone away. But, with that plus the toenail plus this nagging cough I cannot get rid of I decided to take the week off. I plan to resume running on Monday. It is funny how 4 months ago I was so inactive and now a week off makes me feel sluggish and fat again. (I am still fat just not as fat as I was 4 months ago!!)

Learn to Park or Get Off the Road!

So, we returned from lunch this afternoon and there was one parking spot available in front of our office. However, the inconsiderate jerk in the spot next to it had parked his huge, gas-guzzling Chevy 2500 super cab well over the line. I cannot stand when people do this. I have even been known to make my wife re-park the family mobile (read: mini van) when she missed the spot. Being the kind person I am, I let all of my passengers out of the car and proceeded to park in the open spot inside of the lines. Unfortunately this only gives Mr Inconsiderate about 8 inches to open his driver side door when he leaves. I would be lying if I did not admit that it made me feel better.

P.S. I drive a beat up 1996 Ford Explorer so an extra dent from this this guy's door would only serve as a badge of honor at this point.

Spore

I caught a documentary on the making of Spore this weekend. For those of you that are non-gamers, Spore is the latest video game creation of Will Wright the legendary game designer of Sims fame. If Sims were about people then Spore is about everything else. Essentially you create your own lifeforms, planets, solar systems, etc while at the same time being able to visit the planets, solar systems, etc of all the other people playing the game. Watching the documentary reminded me how much I want to create video games one day when I grow up.

It's Official

The US10k organizers posted the official times this morning. I had predicted 62:05 on Tuesday based on the first mile official time and then the lap times from my watch. The official time: 62:04. I didn't quite get under the 60 minute mark that I was aiming for but now I have a time to beat next time I run a 10k. My time also placed me as finisher 1,644 out of 3,072 that had the official timing chip. My running buddies did real well too. Stacy finished in 62:51 and Steph finished in 66:51. I have my eye on a couple of 5k races coming up this fall. I may even get to run one in Ohio when I go to visit the family in October.

Phelps

Somehow I managed to injure a toe running the 10k on Monday. (I am braced for the sarcastic beating I am going take from that little fact.) Well, this means that I need to let it heal before I continue running. From what I have heard it is great to cross train during these "down" times. Last night I decided to hit the pool to swim a few laps since that is supposed to be a good aerobic workout. I have a new level of respect for Michael Phelps now! I managed to swim for about 25 minutes and when I was done I thought I was going to die. What Phelps does in the pool is even more amazing to me now.

US 10k Classic

Not sure what you did with your Labor Day but I started mine with a little 6.2 mile run with 12,000 running buddies up Cobb Parkway from Cumberland Mall to Whitewater. Here is how it went down:

2:12am - My 7 year old came into the room to let me know that he had clogged the toilet. I tried the plunger for a few minutes with no luck. Later I remembered that my wife had told me that our 2 year old had flushed some toys the other day. The plumber will need to fix this one.

3:00am - Not sure why but I woke up and was wide awake. Decided it would be a good idea to go get a drink and start hydrating for the race coming up in a few hours. 16 ounces later I was back in bed and fell right back to sleep.

5:00am - The alarm went off... I was not real happy about it but that 16 ounces of water at 3:00 helped get me out of bed. Ate 2 slices of toast with peanut butter topping (something new I was trying), drank another 16 ounces of fluids, took a shower, got dressed, and headed to pick up Steph and Stacey who were running the race as well.

6:15am - Picked up Steph and Stacey and headed to event.

7:00am - Arrived at event, worked through traffic, parked, and then walked 1/2 mile to the starting line. Stood in line for 30 minutes for the restrooms.

7:45am - Race start. I like to start near the back because it feels good to pass a lot of people as you run. This was a mistake this time and the 3 of us spent the first 1.5 miles weaving in and out of traffic, having to stop and walk sometimes to find a way around a traffic jam. We did pass a lot of people though!

• Mile 1 (11:58): This was a slow mile and I am not real certain where the actual starting line was. The main problem was traffic, along with how far back I started. I actually showed this a an 8:58 mile on my watch but we were 12:00 minutes from when the gun went off. Felt good so far.
• Mile 2 (10:09): Another slow mile as I am still having to weave in and out of traffic. I am still running with Steph and Stacey and we are having a good time talking and joking with people around us. There were some funny t-shirts to read as well. Still feeling pretty good overall.
• Mile 3 (9:33): Mile time comes down as the traffic clears up a little bit. I decided to hit the water stand this time and got slowed up behind some runners that thought it was OK to stop running to get their water. After nearly knocking down the lady in front of me I had my water and was back on my way. I had not realized ahead of time how bad the hills were going to be on this course. This mile had hill number 3 of 6 in it and I am starting to feel them now. Still feeling pretty good overall but realizing I am halfway and still have some serious work to do. I lost Steph at the end of mile 3, she went on to complete the race just a few minutes behind me.
• Mile 4 (9:16): Somewhere in mile 4 I lost Stacey as well. She stayed right behind me to the end but I did not see her again until the end. The hill ended at a McDonald's this time and I thought for a second about hitting the drive through. Overall I am still feeling pretty good and mentally I realize that there are only 2 miles to go.
• Mile 5 (10:05): THE WALL! Everyone has heard about it but this was my first experience with it. Mile 5 contains the hill referred to as "Dead Man's Hill". I am not sure if this is because of the hill or the fact that there is a Krispey Kreme and KFC on the same hill. The thoughts of walking are now all that I can think about. My legs feel like lead and I am wondering why I am out here. At one point I took a half walking step but willed myself on. I made it through but only by sheer determination that I had come this far and I was going to fininsh it.
• Mile 6.2 (11:04): The finish seemed easier than mile 4.5 to 5.0. Not sure why. Maybe it was mental because I knew I only had a mile left and I would be done. I managed to find the gas to sprint to the finsh line from just outside the 6 mile mark. It felt great to finish and like I had accomplished something huge. Plus, I passed 2 runners pushing strollers adn you always want to finish in front of the strollers!
  

If you add up those times it looks like I hit 62:05 which is 2:06 longer than I had wanted. But, it was my first 10k and from reading the paper this morning this is also one of the hardest 10k's in the nation. Overall it was fun and I plan to participate again.