Just shut up and dance

In the words of forever our girl, Paula Abdul, she is right. I ran 7.52 miles tonight and lifted in between at our gym. I think the whole week last week I ran a total of 8 miles or so and yet have no adventures to show for it. Any hulabaloo I might have been involved in during that time frame, I already forgot. I think I might start pre blogging and then running to that adventure later.

P.S. JSW, welcome. So great to have you in this little community.  I promise you will never have felt smarter in your life amongst a group of people.*

*Source: none 

Jedi mind tricks

Today I had one of the best treadmill runs I have had in a very long time.  AND . . . wait for it . . . I forgot my ipod and didn't even have headphones to plug into the TV.  How did you do it?????  you're asking.  I know, pretty incredible, right?  I used my jedi mind tricks, which I will share here. 

I started out on my normal 2% incline and for whatever reason, I just felt pretty good.  I took turns watching the 3 tvs that were in front of me, trying to name the politicians on Fox news, trying to follow the indoor football game (which I still don't understand the allure, btw), and watching slides of ads and gym activities.  I also periodically scanned the room for people to mock in my head, and transfer such mockage to the page.  Today was dull for people watching though, just a bunch of sweaty gasping people like me. 

So, I was at speed 5, which is 12 min/mi, and after half mile I turned it up to 5.2 (I know, right!!??) and kept going and still felt good!  Then I started to play "when can I rest", which is a mind game where I say, if I get to point A, then I can take a rest.  Today I said after mile 1, I'll turn it down to 1 incline and go until I feel I need a rest.  This usually works because then I just keep going unless I'm totally dying.  So I'm into mile 2 and still feeling decent, watching Bill O'Reilly and his idiot facial expressions was entertainment enough even though I couldn't hear what he was saying.  And watching clips of our handsome president at the correspondent's dinner (which I really don't get, I mean why does Kim effing Kardashian get to see him speak??? what's she "famous" for, a sex tape??  God!!!!!!!).  After half a mile at 1 incline I turned the dial up to . . . wait for it . . . 5.5 speed, which is 11 min/mile.  I am telling you, I was on fire today!!!  And was somewhat beat when I crossed the 2 mile mark, where I said I would turn it down to 0 incline and 5 speed and just go for a bit longer.  And I kept watching the analog clock on the wall, saying just 5 more minutes, etc, but I don't dare look at the actual distance on the treadmill because that always throws me into a defeatist funk ("omg I can't possibly go another .75 miles at this pace, or It's only been .15 mi???")  And, I kept going, only now I'm thinking I feel so good I need to get this all done in less than 35 minutes, which has me up to 5.5 after a half mile, and 6 for the last quarter mile, which is 10 min/mile pace and truly is a sprint for my little legs.  I finished adequately beat and sweaty, and in 34:54, which is the best time I've had on tready for awhile. 

Who knew 3 miles could be so enthralling??

No more marking first-year papers
No more citing sources...
Greet me with banners and balloons
And my hard drive smashed to pieces
Nothing left for me to say
When I write my master's thesis.
John K. Sansom, "When I Write my Master's Thesis"

To celebrate turning in the first draft of my doctoral thesis ('thesis' here in Canada but 'dissertation' in the US), DH dragged me on my first run in . . . well, I'm not sure, but I believe it was pre-kids and pre-master's program, so that's at least 9 years. Yep, my first run in 9 years.  Realizing that made me feel a little better about not being able to run the whole 2 1/4 miles without stopping.  And, being an academic, I had to quantify what I learned by doing it:

1. It's a lot more fun to talk about running a half-marathon over a couple of margaritas in Tucson in December than it is to start training for said event in Toronto in April.
2. DH is awesome for letting me blow my nose on his ratty t-shirt instead of my 20-yr-old sweatshirt.
3. Knees hurt.
4. In Canada, running gloves are a good investment.
5. It feels so awesome to be done with a run!
6. Knees hurt.
7. It's a little better when the snow stops.

All of these statements are based on empirical evidence from Friday morning, even, unfortunately, #7.


Apparently, in our house when we blog, we quote a song and then link to it:  http://greetings2thenewbrunette.blogspot.ca/2012/02/song-du-jour-when-i-write-my-masters.html#!/2012/02/song-du-jour-when-i-write-my-masters.html

I don't know if that counts a citing a source, but at the very least, like an obedient academic, I've learned how to fit in when I write. 

The flip side of sanity is the game

I'm fourteen million miles away from sane
A dark man in the restroom window pane
His words just pour out human pain
- Blue October

This is a particularly haunting song about drug addiction by one of my favorite bands.  My daughter has discovered them recently so I've been inspired to listen to their old stuff.  Really genius stuff imho.

Fat dog and I did 3 on the road today.  I was heading out to the gym, but there was a deceptively gently breeze blowing in the bright sunshine of a gorgeous April day.  So I decided I'd test the waters outside even though it was already 10:30am.  It was a lovely run but I couldn't really find my mojo a lot of the time because fat dog had to hit the rest stop THREE times, and then I was just damn tired on the way home and it was hot.  I intended 3.5 but oh well.  Fat dog was still on the floor gasping and panting 30 minutes after we got home.  Guess I need to get better at taking her out more. 

The Otherwise Unnoticed Hurricane

But she can hide
Hide in the pouring rain
She rides the eye of the hurricane
-David Wilcox

The wind was angry today my friends - like an old man trying to send back soup at the deli.  I'm pretty sure I must have completely circled a hurricane since I ran into the wind on my way out AND on my way back.  Despite being a victim of a malicious wind, I ran 5 today.  It was a lot like my go to run, except I ran past the Canadian Tire and went on to the Esso station.  Which looks a lot like an Exxon station.  Just a little more socialist.

On my run today I saw some strange things.  The weather was so strange that there were people in shorts playing beach volleyball and there was a guy running wearing gloves and earmuffs.  And there were people in both types of wardrobes lined up for the ice cream truck.  I saw a Canada Goose, all by itself, strutting across the street, like it knew that it was a member of a protected class and that all cars would stop for it.  Note - everyone and everything is a member of a protected class here.  I broke several laws last week with my unethical treatment of gnats - please don't report me.  Anyway the Canada Goose had such a ridiculous walk with such a pronounced head bob that it could have been my former high school teammate at the dunk contest.  I wish I had a YouTube link to share.  Of the dunk contest - you can probably find one of a goose.

I also saw a man on a bike who gave me a look like he was going to run me over.  I put some thought into the best way to defend yourself on foot against a bike attack.  Launching like Chuck Cecil just won't work.  I worked out the physics on my run - you lose every time unless you are already wearing a helmet and can use it as a weapon.  I think you have to matador the initial attack.  I'm sure it won't be long until there is a reality show that explores this confrontation and comes to the same conclusion.

Get my drink on and my smoke on

Then go home with someone to poke on."
Yes folks that's some Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on this Friday evening, inspited by bf and his love of all things hiphop. I am posting this from my awesome new iPhone and realizing it is in fact more difficult than my windows phone for work. But that is the only thing less awesome let me tell you. I feel like I have finally joined the 21st century. So anyway bf and I hit the gym at lunch today and I did a very decent 2 miles at incline.

Sent from my iPhone

Parent's Day and The Burger's Priest

I want to take a streetcar downtown

Read Henry Miller and wander around
And drink some Guinness from a tin
-Lowest of the Low

I missed my Tuesday workout (kids) and missed my Thursday workout (tired/early meeting with someone one of my employees pissed off) and so today was pretty damn important to run.  And I did.  But more importantly we celebrated the completely made up Parent's Day (as proposed in a previous post.)  Took the kids to school and then did what we wanted for the day.  Really pretty good.

We ate lunch today at the Burger's Priest, which is a roughly 12 square foot restaurant that serves - wait for it - burgers.  They have like 4 things on the menu - unless you know about the secret menu, which has about 4 more things.  Anyway - it is basically a counter and a line and all I'm thinking about while waiting in line is the Soup Nazi.  It really has the feel that if you do something wrong you will be told "no burger for you - one year!".  Luckily, we did not upset anyone and got our burgers (if you say "smoke" you get fried jalapenos) and they were really damn good.

Then we went to the bank (less awesome), a local grocery for fruit, the specialty cheese store (amazing), the bread bakery, and then home for a nap.  Dinner tonight was wine and fancy grilled cheese.  Whether it is classy or not is in question, but it made me really happy.

Oh yeah and there was a run.  I guess I've used up my space for the day - I hope someone else comes along and tells you about the run.

I miss the catch when you throw me the ball

I'm the last kid standin up against the wall
- ??? Rude boy

I need to look this one up, its a song from a playlist bf made me and it doesn't have the artist.  Its a very funny rendition of "Not my name" by the ting tings, and at first I wasn't sure who did it first but these guys give a shout out to the ting tings at the beginning.  I'm also not sure if bf put this on my playlist first or if I put the ting tings version on his.  So funny.  Anyway, this one goes "are you calling me rude boy" instead of "are you calling me darlin?".

So a lesson in gym etiquette and/or a gap in values learned today.  A couple months ago bf and I were treadmill running and I hopped off and told him I would see him downstairs, I was gonna go get something to eat.  It never would have occurred to me to ask if he wanted to come since he was in the middle of his workout, and in my mind that's sacred.  Its hard enough to get to where you're working out, right?  Enough obstacles without someone interrupting your mojo.  But as it turns out, bf thought I was rude for not inviting him. So I was rude girl.  Lesson learned. 

Today, bf decided he wanted to hear all about my day while I was in the middle of my treadmill run.  So he's standing next to me asking questions and instead of asking if we could discuss this after I'm done, I banged on the stop button, crossed my arms and looked at him.  Rude girl again, dammit.  But I just didn't want to lose my mojo, you know?  I think bf has a much easier time with this given how he springs up the mountain all antelope-like. 

But I digress.  What's awesome is that we can partner and share in this whole effort of staying healthy and going to fabulous (sometimes) cities to do awesome (painful) races.  Nothing rude about that. 

So about my run . . . I did 2 miles at incline running straight, but interrupted by a bathroom break.  It was a decent workout.  Yesterday I did a decent 3 miles on the treadmill, so I'm getting back into summer hamster wheel mode. 

Pats Run and the Jersey Lily

I started yesterday at the godawful hour of 520 am to get to Pats Run, which starts at 7am and is always incredibly crowded.  Its a run/walk in honor of Pat Tillman, the ASU and Cardinals football player who turned down a multi-million dollar contract to join the army after 9/11 and was killed.  Its 4.2 miles (his number was 42 at ASU).  It was really warm this year by the time we got off at 745.  Bf ran with me which was very nice.  We did the first mile at 11 min pace and it felt ok although I almost immediately started playing that game in my head of "when can I stop?". The 2nd mile is half uphill, a long gnarly hill, but I stuck in there and ran all of it, so 12 min mile.  By 3, I was losing it in the heat probably 85 degrees) and my lips were parched, my mouth full of cotton.  I walked a lot this mile.  Mile 4 was better but I was really struggling, and bf said its ok it's really hot, and I grasped onto that excuse like a straw.  I finished in 50:07, just shy of 12 min miles, which isn't as cool as my 48:54 finish last year.  Sigh.  And I was fatigued the whole rest of the day!  Then last night bf and I drove up to Prescott for my b'day and had drinks in a historic pub on whiskey row called the Jersey Lily, which was a perfect way to cap off the day. 

The Leslie Spit

Life goes by so fast
You only want to do what you think is right
Close your eyes and then it's past;
(it's the) story of my life
-Social Distortion


I ran a long way today.  A little under 8.  And slowly.  I wasn't quite right to begin my run because I was going to go at about 2, but things happened that pushed it to after 3, and then I was hungry and yada yada yada.  Since I am a delicate flower finely-tuned athlete, this was enough to throw me off.  But I slogged along and ran into a nature area called the Leslie Spit.  I know that spit is some sort of nature word, but I still think this is an awful name.  In the name of education I looked some things up.  A spit is an elongated often hooked strip of sand or shingle projecting from the shore, deposited by longshore drift, and usually above water.  However, while this sounds like where I was, I also learned that I was actually on a headland and the name is technically incorrect.  I guess spit is such a lovely sounding word that you want to use it even if it isn't exactly right.


Anyway, as I entered the spit, I was attacked by a swarm of gnats (or some other tiny bug - am I making it clear that all of my observations about nature are approximate?)  This might be a good time to mention that if I'm not thinking about it, sometimes I degenerate into a mouth-breathing runner.  So I swallowed about 30,000 of these things.  And then proceeded to spit them out one by one.  So my attempts to rename the Leslie Spit were undone before they even started.  Although as I went through the renaming options, I did think of a great name for an all-girl punk band - Leslie Badlands.


That's as good as it's going to get for a segue into our official song release.  Story Of My Life by the most important punk band of our generation, Social Distortion.  Every running playlist for me has at least one Social Distortion song - and my favorite song changes regularly, but right now it is this one.  Here's the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh8zcbC_Dcw

Speed To Burn

If you don't like my fire
then don't come around
cause I'm gonna burn one down
-Ben Harper

I ran today with speed in mind.  I set out to complete 4 miles with a section of my playlist to time me.  I wanted to finish the run before the end of Heroes Get Remembered.  So I start at a pretty good pace and when I get to the turnaround point I'm thinking "that was pretty fast".  I cross the street and turn around to head back and immediately I start crying.  Not exactly crying, but I was hit with such a stiff wind that it felt like it blew tears out of my eyes.  My next thought is that my first half time of "pretty fast" would have to marked with an asterisk as wind-aided.

But I fought through the wind and made it to the home stretch in good shape.  I realized I had about 1 song's left of distance and up starts Hero of the Day.  I hit the finish line at the end of that song meaning that I was one full song faster than intended. 

And now to answer the questions that have to be on your mind.  Yes - my playlist is alphabetical.  Not because I'm anal.  It's just an easy way to randomize the artists.  Or maybe both reasons.  And for your second question - no.  Holding Out For A Hero from the Footloose soundtrack is not the next song.  Or anything else Hero related.  And finally, no - this doesn't count as releasing another song from the official playlist.  Hero of the Day is still unofficial.

And I'm done - I'm not going to discuss 4/20 and different attitudes across the border.  I'm not going to suggest that the maple leaf isn't the appropriate leaf to have on the flag here.

"I was scared to be happy, now I never will be!

I'll take this regret to my grave!" said Jenna.

"You mean our grave, where we'll  lie on top of each other in one coffin, pelvis to face, for all eternity," Paul replied. 

I went to the gym tonight against the odds given that I was on a plane most of the day then went in to work then had McDonald's for dinner.  But, my girl wanted to go and that was the motivation I needed this night.  Since it is Thursday, I thought it would be a good distraction to watch good tv on the tready, so the above is my favorite quote from 30 Rock, still one of the most clever shows on tv.  Another one was when Jack was telling Liz she needs to have kids and she accused him of being "so transvaginal.".

Anyway, I totally had to run tonight because I'm doing Pats Run on Sat which is 4.2 miles and I haven't exercised since Sat and I can't even remember the last time I ran on the road.  So I'm nervous.  But it went much better than expected and I did a good 2.25 miles at incline, then walked most of the rest of the way to 3.  Pat here I come!

King of Running

I'm the king of rock, there is none higher
-Run DMC

I ran 4 miles on the treadmill today.  My membership to this gym lasts another couple of weeks and I'm hoping they hang on until then.  There's probably 20 treadmills in the place, but there are only about 5 where both the treadmill part and the TV part work.  Maybe it's because of people like me who have probably used more electricity and soap than I paid in membership.  Anyway - I found a functioning treadmill and TV and ran.

While I ran I wasn't really interested in any of the stories on TV - I kept thinking about a story from earlier in the week.  There was a headline that said "Struggling Spaniards upset that King of Spain wasted money on elephant hunt".  Really?  There's a King of Spain?  You're allowed to talk openly of hunting elephants?  I had no idea.  When I tried to picture him (since I don't know what he looks like I'm imagining the Burger King) hunting elephants - for some reason I see him doing it Palin-style from a helicopter.  Probably not how it actually went down, but a good distraction while running.

Speaking of royalty, the Queen of England appears on Canadian currency. Her and some guys playing hockey.  Not together.

Rancid Running

All I got is this blank stare and that don't carry no clout at all ...
It's time, time to say goodbye
-Rancid

I ran 3.5 on the treadmill this morning, and quickly.  I wanted to make sure I was on time to my 8:30 meeting.  Which ended up starting at 9 since no one else was on time.  Sweet.  But it was a good run.

Update from my last post.  As soon as Vancouver lost game 3, they got their best player, who is out with a concussion (no on dance), and put him on a plane to LA (presumably to play game 4 - healthy or not).  Oh - and they started their backup goalie in game 3.  Never too early to panic.  It's time, time to say goodbye.

Now we get to the good part.  Another playlist update.  Since Four Year Strong is from Boston, we technically haven't stopped the original six playlist.  It stops now.  We go to Northern California and add Ruby Soho by Rancid to the playlist.  I really like this song.  If you aren't a Rancid fan, give them another chance - this song kicks ass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuqUrCroBzQ&feature=related

Beware The Drizzle

A darker grey is breaking through a lighter one ...
I hate Winnipeg
-The Weakerthans

I set off today with the sky medium grey and some light rain falling intermittently.  I thought of the wise advice from Master Shake and tried to "Beware The Drizzle" (Aqua Teen Hunger Force anyone?), but I should have known that my nemesis of over-running would rear its ugly head.  I left the house with a plan and dressed monochromaticly - two things I almost never do - but seem to work for other people.

It turns out the route that I set out didn't really exist.  When I realized this I was stuck in the untenable dilemma of choosing between admitting defeat by turning around or over-running.  When my exit from the Don Valley was provided in the form of 30+ crappy stairs, I was pretty happy that my 6 mile plan wasn't going to be extended into 8 or 9 (only 6.5) and that I didn't need to wade/swim across the nasty water and scale a fence in order to get back to the surface.

Now with the run completed, I can focus on the NHL playoffs.  This is an important time of year here in Canada.  When I first moved here I had the naive (or maybe in retrospect, condescending)  idea that once your local team was eliminated that some nationalist pride would guide fans to cheer for the other Canadian teams.  Of course this isn't true.  I wouldn't assume that Jets fans start cheering for the Giants, or Mets fans root for the Yankees, but I guess I thought the inherent niceness of Canadians would supersede the hatred you have for teams after you meet their fans (except for the St. Louis Cardinals - such nice, polite, Midwestern people).  Anyway - everyone in Canada outside of BC hates the Vancouver Canucks and is thrilled to see them down 0-2 to start their series.  Watch out for this - if they lose tonight and go down three games, the level of panic will be like nothing you've ever seen before.  And those jackholes will probably riot.  What can I say - now I hate them too.

Rainstorm

Take me away from the norm.
- 311

Or as my sister said, "Rain!  Rain already!!" Its been blustering and cloudy and threatening a good storm for us desert dwellers all day, but nary a drop has fallen.  It was 59 degrees on the mountain today and I was chilly in my shorts but grateful I thought to grab a jacket.  Another 4.5 down.  Ran about half up and half down. 
**I forgot to add that my daughter corrected me on this lyric - it's actually "brainstorm" and it's a song about doing drugs, but I prefer it my way. 

I'm free to do what I want

Any old time!
- soup dragons

The title of this post was going to be "it counts!" because I ran out of time on Thurs and was only able to do 2 miles on the mountain before I had to pick up K from work.  What kind of crazy thinking is that, questioning the value of a 2 mi workout just because my standard lately has been 1+ hour runs on the mountain?  And then I got to thinking about running with my mom when I was in 7th grade and how each run was meticulously clocked and timed, and it wasn't enough to just go but we were always shooting to beat our prior time.  And eventually I quit running with her because the reason I ran was because I enjoyed it, and the metrics approach really killed the fun for me.  And I think it was out of this experience that my "you win if you go" philosophy was born.  It doesn't matter how far or how fast you go, just that you take the most difficult steps, the ones out the door.  My sister has become one of those runners like our mother, with times and metrics.  She's a Garmin lover, and I swear she has fun running.  Part of her joy is tracking her metrics and competing with herself.  So I guess the lesson here is different strokes for different folks, and most importantly honor your own process and what works for you.  Be free to exercise however you want any old time. 

Full Speed Ahead

Set out runnin' but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine-Grateful Dead

I was talking to a friend of mine about running - he is planning on running a 10k in May and he invited me to run with him.  I suggested that I would run it in about an hour and he was surprised it would take me "so long".  So I asked him what he would run it in and he said "I don't know - 54 minutes".  And so I stop myself asking "what's the difference?" because at the last minute I remember that most people really give a damn about their times.

What the hell.   Me too.  I hereby declare my goal of running 2:11 for the 1/2 marathon.  That would be churning out 10 minute miles one after another.  So when I got on the treadmill today I decided to do a one hour challenge to see how far I could run in an hour.  I put up 6.1 miles.  This is right on my 10 minute pace, but there are 2 problems.  First - I don't really believe that the treadmill is an exact replica of the real world.  Second - I was in no mood to churn out another 7 miles at the end of my run.  I'm pretty sure my friend RD Thoughts could put up 7.5 while eating a sandwich and so I now put out the challenge.  Try it out and put up a number for me to shoot for.  I'm waiting.  Patiently.

Ozzie and Burkie

Getting stuck in a rut
Out of luck with no life
You will be sorry
-Pushmonkey

Today was a day filled with apologies.  Ozzie Guillen apologized to the state of Florida for saying that he liked Castro.  (Full disclosure - I do not support Fidel, but I do frequent a bar named Castro's - I hope this doesn't cause me any trouble the next time at the border). 

The Maple Leafs apologized to their fans for missing the playoffs AGAIN.  They followed up their full page apology ad in the newspaper with a press conference with their GM - Brian Burke.  When asked if it would have been wiser for his team to be more like Pittsburgh, he responded with  "What’s the Pittsburgh model? They got a lottery. They won a goddamn lottery and they got the best player in the game (Sidney Crosby). Is that available to me? Should we do that? Should we ask the league to have a lottery this year, and maybe we pick first? Pittsburgh model, my ass"  It's not really an apology until you say "my ass".  Well done.

How does this relate to my running?  Hell - I don't know.  I ran 4 miles on the treadmill this morning, but only did 3 of my scheduled 5 intervals.  Maybe I should apologize for that.  Intervals - my ass.

Forget perfect

I'm just tryin not to be worthless
- Fort Minor

Awesome song that came up today when I just hit shuffle on the ol' iPod.  Sometimes the best playlists happen that way, although I did have to skip through some raunchy rap that I'm not sure how it got in there. 

Today I took the back way up the mountain and jogged off and on for about 1.5 miles, then diverted to a new trail I haven't tried yet and it was awesome.  It was called Bell Pass and had a giant rock formation in the shape of a bell (oddly, right?) in this gorgeous orange rock, and lots of cool desert vegetation like long spindly cactus type plants with bright orange flowers, and the trail ran along a gorge that might have water in it sometimes when it rains (I'm being optimistic here, no?). This trail has about 800 feet more altitude gain than our other trail too, so I think I will hit it again.  I'm thinking I did about 5 miles today but mostly walked after the first 2 miles. 

Like a Jesse Jackson Hunger Strike

Last we spoke, I was kidnapped and taken on a wild ambulance ride down the rabbit hole of life. I just got back back and my kidnappers dropped me off in in the mother of all VIP sections of life, US Airways row 32, seat f on the way from Phoenix to Philadelphia.

They took me to a land called Juxtaposed Sabbatical City where in that land....

(photo to left --Beauty D strolling like she just won our race back down to mountain and giggling about how hard of a struggle its going to try to just to appear to be a little magnanimous...my shadow below is grappling the same challenge but for real)

Beauty D displays a tough love (shit talking), elbow first approach of one on one baskeball. Picture Nell Carter from Give Me A Break and her pioneering approach to people skills and the shoes that you might have worn when you were watching that show because that is what Beauty D rolled in during our game. Admittedly, I can see why she was so grumpy since we ran ball handling suicides on the sidelines as both a warm up and nagging reminder to the preteen boys at both ends of the court that "we got next."

WMW rains hilarity to make a real run for blog of the year (I have a rekindled bitterness for Eli Manning manufactured out of nothing and burning strong) and best idea blogged that illuminates that we do not yet live in the golden age (holiday where only thing open are the schools).

I am back. New name, still lame. Bitch better have my honey.

P.S. Ran some 4 miles yesterday with Beauty D on the mountain in just under an hour. It was magic coming down the mountain. It was poo going up. Beauty D kept the view great for me whole run...

Heaven doesn't seem far away anymore

I have to look up the song that line is from, its a great one from my daughter's playlists.  I felt really groggy after my afternoon nap today and so was very iffy on the whole running thing, but as is sometimes the case in these situations, it was a great one.  I took off around 6pm and had a few minutes head start on bf, which was surprisingly motivating because I wanted to get as far as I could before he caught me.  A couple ladies stopped me at one point on the trail to warn me that a desert tortoise was in the trail about 10 minutes ahead and I was giddy with excitement because in the 20 plus years I've lived in this area I have never seen one in the wild.  It was not to be my lucky day though because I kept my eyes peeled all the way up the mountain and never saw the little bugger.  I felt so good coming down the back side of the mountain, I knew I could fly.  I stopped for a moment in awe so bf and I could admire the gorgeous amber Arizona sunset, and then we were off again.  We finished just at twilight and came home to an awesome Easter leftover buffet, and well earned!

Bottle Belt Runner

Sad enough to say that
Alone I could barely light a match
But together we can burn this place down.
-Four Year Strong

I decide today to do my normal 4-mile run and hope that it will be better than Friday, but otherwise it will probably be uneventful.  So I won't have anything to blog about, except that it is time to release another song from the official playlist.  But running never goes that way - there is always something interesting - you just have to notice it (or create it in your own mind).

My run starts by going down to the lake where I join up with the jogging path.  When I get to the path, there's a woman about 15 yards in front of me and she has one of those bottle belts with water bottles, and gu, and all sorts of crap on it like you would carry during a marathon.  I have the thought that anyone who owns one of these belts must be a more accomplished runner than me and so I will run exactly at her pace.  Which is probably the same thing a stalker would do.  So I follow her for about 3/4 of a mile and then she crosses the street.  Not because of me.  Probably.  I continue on my path, but notice she is now running parallel to me on the other side of the street.  Perfect - I can still take advantage of her pace.  But I'm not enjoying the constant checking and so I look to see if I can find someone else on my side to stalk pace me.  I see a couple running together wearing matching hats, but I quickly reject (and pass) them as I know how unreliable matching hat runners can be (sorry fellow green hats, but we all know it is true).  Anyway - I reach the turnaround point in record time and feel like for today, I was a bottle belt runner.

And we add the above quoted song to our playlist.  Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die by Four Year Strong.  I got this song off a complitation that I found when I was trying to use up some free songs on eMusic.  Turns out it is pretty good to run to.  Here you go.  Happy Easter - enjoy the mosh pit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R5ysL36BGg

I get knocked down

but I get up again!"
 - Chumba Wumba, circa 1994

I feel like so far this year is conspiring against me sometimes!  I had written several mental posts about my trip to Telluride, wherin I boarded on Fri 3/30 and hiked on Sat 3/31.  One was called "I knew that I'd be alright in Telluride" which is a Tim McGraw song (some of you may argue that country has no place on this blog but to those of you I say you're wrong bitchez!).  I snowboarded for only a couple hours because the weather was pretty darn warm and the snow was slushy, it was damn near like water skiing sometimes.  So the next day I went on this awesome hike, I think about 5 miles (which probably means it was 3.5 but whatever you garmin worshipers, I much prefer my glorified distances).  It was like death trying to hike at 8000 feet but I made it through some great rock formations and onto an old mining road that was blocked in some places by old avalanches that I was able to climb over. 

Anyway, whilst I was having my great adventures, my daughter was attempting to treat (or not treat) a 3rd degree burn that she got from a motor bike accident on Friday, so by the time I got home it was infected.  I spent Mon and Tues nights in the hospital with her, and got home Wed evening.  So, today was the first day I exercised since last Saturday unfortunately.  I climbed the mountain with my sis, and we ran down, and while I seemed to struggle with it today, it was awesome. 

The Nachos Of Entrapment

Damn, damn the circumstance
-Lowest Of The Low

Really had to grind this one out today.  4 miles fueled by late night beer and nachos.  Since I was not the person who ordered the nachos, I believe I am a victim of circumstances beyond my control.  It is possible that I didn't have to attack them like a man ending a hunger strike, but I think it falls under the umbrella of entrapment.

Today is Good Friday and so everything is shut down.  OK - I can dig it.  But Monday is Easter Monday and school and banks are closed, but everyone else has to go to work.  This is just a terrible idea logistically. Really the reverse makes more sense - there should be a holiday where kids go to school, but that everything else is closed.  Or maybe I'm just tired and want to take a nap.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mmm bop, ba duba dop
Ba do bop, ba duba dop
Ba do bop, ba duba dop
Ba do
-Hanson

I ran 5 miles on the treadmill this morning. Since none of the nearby TV's had cartoons on, I watched Headline News and learned 2 things.  First - there is a Hanson reunion and they are in Toronto today.  Good stuff.  If there is one thing that stands up to the test of time it is boy bands.  But good for them.  I can't say I would do anything differently if I was them.  And to anwer the questions on your mind - no - I have no Hanson on my iPod and yes - I did have to look up those lyrics.  I have some stuff that is way easier to make fun of, just not this specific artist  group. 

Second - A study was released that discovered that kid's cuteness peaks at 4 1/2.  Well, I happen to know someone who is 4 1/2, and now I have to tell him that it's all downhill from here.  I don't think he's going to take that well.  He was pretty cute though as the goalie for the final week of his hockey/learn to skate.  He would drop down into the butterfly (or similar), but couldn't get back up with all the gear on.  So one of the coaches would have to skate over and pick him up to get ready for the next shot. I knew hockey was an important part of the culture, but I was surprised that the 500-seat arena was packed and that the Toronto Marlies mascot came to this game for 4 and 5 year olds.