I missed a million miles of fun

Of course you can't become
if you only say what you would've done
so I missed a million miles of fun
- Len, Steal My Sunshine

Well I'm back on the proverbial horse.  I had my appt last Tuesday and got permission to remove the boot.  The doctor said I could start back up running SLOWLY, and I was all hey, that's the only speed I got, so no problem.  But before I could run, I had to solve my shoe problem.  So I spent an hour in the running section of Sports Authorities having anxiety over which shoes to pick, and they are all so expensive!  I grilled the sales guy about his qualifications, and he insisted he knew a lot about feet because he was a former semi-pro ballroom dancer.  I didn't dive into that one.  He finally convinced me to order these Mizunos online that they didn't even carry in the store.  When I got home and researched them, I found out they weren't even a stability shoe, which I most definitely need.  So on Wednesday I went to an actual running store and tried on a bunch of shoes, and settled on a pair of Asic Kayanos.  They're a pretty cushiony and stable shoe, although they set me back quite a bit more than those bastard Sauconys.  I did a lot of reading on stability running shoes, and these Asics are near the top of almost every list (and Saucony isn't even on many lists).  I remember at the last running event I attended, where I watched my little sis do the RnR Phoenix, I was looking around at shoes and Asics were by far the most prevalent.  So, I'm hoping I found my perfect shoe. 

Long story short, I went out Wed and did two miles, and I will say it was pretty rough.  Lung burn and the whole deal.  I ran one mile and walked/ran a second.  Then Thursday I did the same thing.  I had pain in my right calf and pain in the muscles beneath my toes (never I knew I had muscles there).  I went out again on Sunday and did three, and again it was just really rough.  This evening I did 3 again, and for the first time I felt that little spring in my step when I started off.  I felt good, for just a little bit.  So it'coming back.  I don't remember having this much difficulty after my knee surgery though. Maybe it's that threshold of 43 that I crossed recently.  Getting older is a slippery damn slope. 

So April was pretty much a bust, but May is starting off ok. 

Seventeen

“So many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible.”
― Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

I'll be around; a few more miles to go
-The New Amsterdams

Seventeen today.  I set out to do eighteen and I could have, but I had a hard stop at noon (I use that phrase all the time no matter how hard my stop really is - I might be the boy who cried "hard stop") and I started a little bit late and ran a little bit slowly.  Who cares though?  Seventeen is the farthest I've ever run and while I did experience some dead leg - it was manageable.  I used both of the strategies I've developed - yelping in pain and walking.  Both are effective in their own way.  I also went back to my old shoes.  Not sure that I really understand what is going on, but I'll keep wearing the old shoes, keep stretching, and keep yelping in pain as necessary - sounds like a foolproof plan.

I know there is probably a low click through rate on these - but I highly recommend The New Amsterdams "Turn Out The Light".  This video should be an accepted treatment for high blood pressure - I don't think you can watch it without feeling a wave of calm.  Or maybe it's just me - it could be the Canadian experience which makes me appreciate canoes.  It is such a part of the culture there that I regularly was in conversations where the word "portage" was used.  And never by me.  Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGxlnmJt9GE

Forty Minutes of Tranquility

Forty minutes into this movie,
I'm about as bored as you, and you're asleep.
-Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves

Yesterday.  3 miles.  Slowly.  211.5 for the year.

The run, much like the last paragraph, was short and boring.  But boring is better than painful.  Speaking of painful, I'm going to have to get up early tomorrow and run a lot.  I'll let you know how it goes.

The line quoted above is the beginning of "The Same To You" and it always makes me think of Ran Dumb Thoughts.  When we were younger, we would regularly rent movies.  Yep - rent, not stream.  And about 40 (or 4 minutes) into the VHS tape (that's right - VHS) he would be asleep.  Every time.  He's probably seen the first 5 minutes of every movie ever made.  One night he showed up with the director's cut of The Godfather - like 6 hours long.  I don't think he made it 6 minutes.  Maybe that's why I like this song so much.  Or maybe because Chris Wollard is really talented and all over this playlist as a member of Rumbleseat and Hot Water Music.  Or both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJkgxx8c47k

A Tale of Three Pizzas

Once upon a time I could take anything, anything.
Always stepped in time, regardless of the beat
I moved my feet, I carried weight
What I could not do I faked
-Rise Against

Yesterday, I ran near Lake Michigan, my 2nd favorite of the Great Lakes.  That's right - I have a ranking - 1) Ontario, 2) Michigan, 3&4) Those other two and 5) Erie.  A quick 3.5 miles through downtown Chicago and a little waterfront.  It went really well.  I ran fast (for me) and felt good at the end of it.

So my trip to Chicago was good - I had a whole lot to accomplish for work, but outside of that I was hoping to see Alkaline Trio and Rise Against in their home city (not playing) and to eat some Chicago-style pizza.  The first night I'm there, a vendor invites me to dinner.  One of the guys had lived in Chicago and promised to take us to the place that started deep dish pizza.  Awesome.  Except that it was Pizzeria Uno.  And it was not good.  And I knew it wouldn't be good, but couldn't come up with a plan to escape when we stopped walking and he announced "here it is".  I should have faked an injury.  So then the second day for lunch there was a buffet that had hotel-catered deep dish.  And it was OK (better than Uno).  But then after my run, I went to Lou Malnati's - ate some amazing pizza, watched the Blackhawks (silently rooting against them), and salvaged the food portion of my trip.

I think (and by "I think", I mean "I know") that I may have once said something negative about Rise Against.  I was wrong.  I was grumpy and misinterpreted some (fairly obvious) sarcasm in one of their songs.  This band is the coolest.  They are in with "This Is Letting Go" and the lead singer Tim McIlrath is in with his cover of "For Fiona".  And one more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsI9l6yyXuU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3EPF2M6Ez8

Muscle Relaxants

Well hanging out on muscle relaxants,
Trying hard to see the worst that can happen now
I never know what's holding you up
And I never know when I'm holding you too much
-Rural Alberta Advantage

My doctor told me to take two weeks off and then quit.  No wait - that's just what golf pros say.  I was told to take two weeks off and stretch.  So I did.  Then my plan was to run 15 miles today.  I talked a friend into joining me for one of the 7.5-mile laps.  And he did.  It's just that I didn't get very far into the second lap.  In fact, my second lap was only 1 mile before I knew I was done.  8.5 miles is not really 15.  Somewhat discouraging. 

But we do not do these things because they are easy.  (I know, two weeks ago I quote a band named after a JKF conspiracy theory, who sing songs like "back and to the left" and then now I reference JFK.  It's like I don't have any master plan). OK - but I'd be all right with it going a little bit easier.  BTW, I'm at 205 for the year. 

And yes, Rural Alberta Advantage is in with Muscle Relaxants.  Guess what - this band is not from Alberta.  Yes they are Canadian, but not from Alberta.  They are from the home of the playoff-bound Maple Leafs.  That's right - the team that didn't make the playoffs once while I was there is now in.  And if Boston beats Ottawa today, then the Leafs will play the hated Canadiens of Montreal.  That should be pretty good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr1N-hBcsPE

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I go
- Queen, Bicycle

Honestly I'm tired of riding my bicycle as evidenced by the lack of activity these past weeks. I did see a javelina the other day which was cool, I think it was a teenager. This morning was a nice ride before it got hot, and I did get some lung burn and thigh burn. My sole purpose was to justify a delicious dessert I anticipate eating when bf takes me to dinner for my bday tonight. Yay!

Headed for the open door
Tell me what you're waiting for
Look across the great divide
Soon they're gonna hear
The sound, the sound, the sound
When we come running
                     - We Come Running, Youngblook Hawke

My favorite running song of late. I did two miles on the treadmill today just so I could come on this blog and say I am at 200 for the year. Pretty pathetic, I know, but I have had worse motivations. I also did an additional two miles on the elliptical, mainly so I could justify to myself the heinous crime of going to the gym during nice weather (in reality, the reason was I just could NOT stand running another hill this week). 

It counts

Bf and I took a little day trip today to a little town up north where it proceeded to snow heavily all day. We were snuggled under the covers after a good nap when dinner time rolled around but bf insisted he had to run, so he drug me in the snow over to this pathetic little gym that had equipment dating back to the 1970s. I dutifully got on the lone bike while he lifted some weights and then got on the lone treadmill. He stumbled twice and then stopped because the treadmill was skipping. So that's 3 bike miles for me and .09 running miles for him. After that workout we picked up little seizures pizza and cookies and promptly went back to bed.

I surprise Even Me

With how much of a bitch I can really be.

It has been snowing and really cold around here, leaving me with no choice but to do the treadmill. So yesterday at work I went down at a good time, and managed to snag a treadmill at work. I was planning to do 3 miles and was about five minutes away from completing that when ladies social hour came in. The other treadmill was taken, as well as the bikes. Two of the three stupid ladies got on the ellipticals, but did not stay on long, the third sat on the weight bench, presumably waiting for a treadmill to free up. All three ladies in their business clothes, all three yakking, and as an added bonus today, even talking to each other across the gym!

So I did 4.5 miles. Why? Because I can. And because they piss me off.

They kept trying to peek at my treadmill (I keep a towel over the display) trying to figure out if I was going to be off soon.... bitches have no idea what I am capable of, I would have run a fucking marathon before I got off that damn treadmill.  Eventually, they all three went and messed around in the weight room for a while, and then left without doing anything. I was off the treadmill by that time, but the other one was still occupied and so were the bikes.

So today it is still too cold to run outside, and more snow expected. I'll be down in the gym again, who knows what my bitchiness will accomplish?

I can't even think straight

This feels like my people were attacked. Not just Americans, but RUNNERS. Runners are some of the nicest people I know. They are tolerant and accepting of all shapes and sizes and ages of people who put one foot in front of the other and challenge their bodies each day. Because we all share a common goal - pushing our bodies towards health and well being. Finding that finish line, whether it's embellished with a balloon arch or just the welcome mat of your front door. Running has given me the deep knowledge that I am stronger than I know. That I'm capable of doing more than I ever dreamed possible. I know the people injured and killed today have those gifts, either by virtue of the fact that they run, or they are close to someone who does. But today I pray for Boston. I wish I could go for a run in solidarity with you all.