I'll bet your friends must hate my now I guess
I get the strangest looks from that bitchy crowd
And oh they must think they have every reason to

- airborne toxic event, does this mean you're moving on?

Friday afternoon is the best time to hit the gym, it seems. I counted only 6 people on the whole second floor while i was working out, and not a gym bunny in the bunch to give me weird looks. Today I had a good one. Did a sweaty 2 miles on incline dreadmill, then a mile on track broken up every 3 laps with strength training. It's a good workout and a nice way to break up the running. I ate like a hog after I did this the other day though, which is why I did it again today. Bf is taking me to my favorite restaurant tonight so I need a good appetite!

Rant of the Refugee

Warm yourself by the fire, son,
And the morning will come soon.
I’ll tell you stories of a better time,
In a place that we once knew.
-Rise Against
I didn't have a lot of time today, because I have to take my son to get some shots.  Wait - it feels like I've written that before.  I have a long rant on this subject, but I don't think I can deliver it coherently, so I'll just sum up.  This situation speaks to a system that is really broken and I, as a fake immigrant, can only resolve it one of two ways:  1) call in a favor from a friend who is a pediatrician (who is awesome and thank you) or 2) drive my ass (and my son's ass) up to Toronto and it get it done there.  I'm assuming a real immigrant wouldn't have the local network to use option 1 and so would be in a tough spot.  Oh yeah, option 3 is pull my son out of school for the next 3 weeks while I wait for an appointment.  I guess I'll just say that I respect everyone's right to have an opinion on any issue, especially one as complex as health care, but if you are going to use the "Obamacare sucks because it is just like Canada" argument, please don't say that shit anywhere near me.

Did I say that I wasn't going to rant?  Huh.  Oh well.  Onto other news.  I ran today.  Short and fast.  I ran the 2.1 mile loop in the neighborhood.  I had 15 minutes as a target, but am OK with just over 16.  I'm going to assume it was 15 minutes for the first 2 miles and then the .1 took the rest of the time.

And let's add "Prayer of the Refugee" by Rise Against to the official playlist.  I really like this band - I'm afraid they may have jumped the shark on their last album, but this earlier stuff is great.  Here's the link.  Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-SQGOYOjxs

Today I don't feel like doing anything

I just wanna lay in my bed.
- Bruno Mars

I've felt that way all week pretty much. I drug my ass to the gym feeling like I was still half asleep. I did a sloggish (sure, that's a word) 2 miles on dreadmill and then rode a bike for 10 minutes. I hope I come out of this slump soon. Maybe when the weather cools.

Nice Shot

For the most part they're right
But look how they all got strong
That's why I say hey man, nice shot
-Filter

Back to the gym today.  I didn't have too much time, so I decided I would do some fast running.  My first thought was to try to do 3 miles in 21 minutes.  Then I did the division and realized that wasn't what we were doing today.  So I thought I would do some intervals and see what happened.  I ran fast for .75 mile and then walked for .25 mile and repeated 3 times.  And then I ran a little extra at the end.  Total ended up at 3.5 miles.

I was in a hurry because I have to take my son for shots this afternoon so he can continue to go to school.  One of the rules in Texas is that a certain shot has to be on or after the 4th birthday, and he got his a week before he turned 4.  Seems reasonable that this doesn't count and that he would be removed from school if we don't get this accomplished by Friday.  Sorry - should have put a sarcasm alert in front of that last sentence.

So at the end of my run on the treadmill I lifted a few weights.  I ended up cutting my leg on something in the gym while I was lifting.  Maybe I'll see if I can get a tetanus shot thrown in for free ...

Mixing it up

Today I did one mile at 2% incline on dreadmill, then I did the bf workout which entails running laps around the track and doing strength training every 3 laps. So I did a mile of this, interspersed with vertical crunches, dips, bosu planks and pushups, hip flexors, incline sit-ups, and hamstring pulls. It was a nice way to mix things up although I probably should have run more. It was tiring! Also the flouncy gym bunny was back and walking around the track with me. I'm starting to think she has a personal mission to harass me. This time she had a purple flouncy skirt with black bra. It's that Lululemon crap, which basically screams "I want you to think I'm rich and I think I'm hot." Good times.

Geriatric Gym

He likes the warm feeling but he's tired of all the dehydration
-The Hold Steady

We're talking about running, right?  As much as I enjoy the warm feeling of running outside, it's just too damn warm.  And so I joined a gym.  But I don't really want to go to the gym, I really want to run outside.  So instead of joining the nameless fitness center (that is open all day, all 24 hours in the day - by the way) that I visited last week, I decided to go a different route.  I joined a city rec center.  One year costs as much as a month at the other place.  They have treadmills - I'll be fine.

So I go today.  One of the things I don't like about going to the "real" gym in the middle of the day is that there are so many people there who prioritizie the gym over work (and not in the good way, like "I have a job, but they are pissing me off so I'm going to the gym" more in the "me lift weights, me no work" type of way).  Anyway - that wasn't the crowd I encountered at the rec center.  I walk in and there is a woman wearing jeans on the treadmill and she is holding court - asking everyone in the room if they watch some show.  I realize my trusty, fully-charged iPod is going to be my best friend today.  Except it isn't fully charged.  And it lasts about 10 minutes.  And so I heard lots of what she had to say - including how one of her friends really likes the man she is dating because he has a disabled placard and can park close to things.  Luckily, she eventually put on her sweater and left.  Which makes sense, since it was only 95 degrees out.  (Did I mention the crowd was a bit on the older side?)

Oh yeah, I ran on the treadmill.  I did incline intervals.  I ran at the same speed, but for 1/2 of each mile I ran at incline.  It was pretty good and fairly difficult.  4 miles.  Then I left - no sweater needed.

It's a beautiful day

I went to the gym first thing and did my normal 3 miles while watching the show on the track. There was a veritable cornucopia of people going after it today: the boxing crowd alternating laps with boxing drills, an old lady walking around the track in her long cotton t-shirt and denim shorts, a skinny gal who is always there walking laps with a sweater over her shoulders and talking on a cell phone the whole time, and a couple others. On the treadmill I was next to one of those skinny buff chicks who run at 6.5 with no shirt on, and an older lady strolling while reading a book. Right in the middle where I'm most comfortable. Then I showered and went to sign the closing paperwork on my old house, which has been a financial pain in the ass for six years. Yay!!!!

Misplaced trust in old friends
Never counting the regrets
By the grace of God, I do not rest at all
- Ron Pope, a drop in the ocean

It was a relatively uneventful day at the gym today. Two miles on treadmill at incline and one on track. I thought perhaps I should be ramping up for something, a half marathon perhaps. Nah.

Home For A Rest

You"ll have to excusee me, I'm not at my best

I've been gone for a month, I've been drunk since I left
These so-called vacations will soon be my death
I'm so sick from the drink I need home for a rest.
-Spirit of the West

 

One thing I've been thinking about is treating the half marathon as a series of smaller runs in between water stations.  I might do better if I run to the water station, walk while I enjoy my refreshment, and then run to the next station.  This does mean that I lose one of my favorite parts of the half marathon - grabbing a cup and drinking while running and then tossing the cup down wherever.  It makes me feel like an Olympic athlete.  And it reminds me of that Seinfeld episode with the coffee.  So much that I like.  But anyway, I thought today I would run a 2.1 mile loop around my neighborhood, stop at my house for water, and repeat, and then repeat again.  It would be a little bit like a hockey game - 3 periods with intermissions.

First loop was uneventful.  Water break was nice.  Second loop was a little painful.  Water break was extended a little and I changed my drenched shirt for one that would soon be drenched.  Third loop was difficult.  But all in all successful.  6.3 miles.  No heat stroke or dehydration.

Raindrops bead again
They make a tide pool on your summer skin
Rollin, Better Than Ezra

It rained again last night and this morning. I can't emphasize enough how weird this August weather is, or how much I love it. I ran outside at 1030 and it was only 80 degrees, but muggy. I got a lot of cloud cover and mostly sun the last mile. I did 3.5 and walked the last one. Fat dog really struggled. At one point she just laid her fat ass down on the sidewalk under a tree. We got home and she crashed just inside the door, and hasn't moved since.