May 20-26: Birmingham & Chattanooga Runs

I kept up with the Daily Source Code, This American Life, and Phedippidations. This week's runs include an 11 miler in Chattanooga, TN. My son loves the aquarium and Lookout Mountain there. The Riverfront Park in Chattanooga is a cool area for running, walking, biking, and just general outdoor fun. I saw a river otter, squirrels, great blue herons, and rabbits. I also saw a group of rowers on the river. I thoroughly enjoyed the run.

Data

05/26/2008: Chattanooga, TN Riverfront

Distance:	11.04 Miles
Time:	1: 41:05
Heart Rate:	129
Pace:	9:09
Weather:	Clear Temperature-66° Humidity-75%
Route

05/24/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles (Battery died on Forerunner 305 and older heart rate monitor recorded time, but I couldn't recall heart rate from the watch)
Time:	28:23
Heart Rate:	Unknown
Pace:	9:27
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-67° Humidity-93%

05/23/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:41
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:13
Weather:	Clear Temperature-70° Humidity-84%

05/21/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	5 Miles
Time:	46:02
Heart Rate:	142
Pace:	9:12
Weather:	Clear Temperature-59° Humidity-83%

05/20/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:13
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:24
Weather:	Clear Temperature-70° Humidity-76%

May 13-18: Running in Birmingham and Las Vegas

I kept up with the Daily Source Code, caught up with This American Life, and Phedippidations. The latest episode of This American Life, The Great Pool of Money, was extremely interesting as it told the story of lending practices that led up to the current credit crunch. Imagine having an underwriter basing your loan on what someone in your profession can make; not how much you actually make! Amazing. It remains true that if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.

Speaking of money, I just got back from Las Vegas. I was busy as usual, but managed to gamble for 2 hours. My favorite form of gambling is craps. I simply bet minimum amount on the pass and come line and back them up with something like $5 odds. After 2 hours, I made $296 and left. Yeppee! I always play at the Casino Royale because of its low minimum bids. $3 dollars for craps in this case. They raise it as the night wears on the place begins to fill. I left when they raised the table minimum to $5. I'm cheap. But, it was fun for 2 hours.

My workouts in preparation of the USMC Mud Run are going well. We added 2 more team members are have renamed ourselves Quatros Tontos (4 Fools). I used a universal machine at the hotel in Las Vegas, I stayed at the Desert Rose Resort. I just used its legend for a collection of workouts. It felt like it did good and I did have some soreness. I also made a trip to the weight room one I got home. So, I have added 2 weight-bearing exercise workouts to my 5 day a week running schedule. All seems to be going well and I am looking forward to the event.

I also registered for the Third Annual Phedippidations Worldwide Half Marathon Challenge, October 11-12, 2008.

Here's the latest running stats:

Data

05/18/2008: Brownell-Shades Creek Greenway Loop

Distance:	10.96 Miles
Time:	1: 38:28
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	8:59
Weather:	Clear Temperature-63° Humidity-67%
Route

05/17/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	26:20
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	8:46
Weather:	Clear Temperature-48° Humidity-89%

05/16/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	26:31
Heart Rate:	146
Pace:	8:50
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-65° Humidity-70%

05/14/2008: Las Vegas, Nevada

Distance:	6.13 Miles
Time:	55:47
Heart Rate:	150
Pace:	9:06
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-60° Humidity-17%
Route

05/13/2008: Las Vegas, Nevada

Distance:	3.11 Miles
Time:	26:06
Heart Rate:	141
Pace:	8:23
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-60° Humidity-18%
Route

May 4 - 11, 2008: 6 Runs in Birmingham

I kept up with the Daily Source Code, caught up with This American Life, and Phedippidations. I have signed up for the USMC Mud Run in Columbia, SC scheduled for September 20, 2008. I have run this before and it is tough and fun. A friend of mine that turns 50 on her next birthday has decided that she needs a signature event to prove she is still tough. OK, she didn't say that per se, but that is my interpretation. My recent marathon was my event for the same purpose. We named our team "Dos Cincuenta Tontos" (Two Fifty Fools).

I ran the 2008 Birmingham Zoo Run. I placed 28th overall and 2nd in my age group. My award for my place was a picture painted by a Gorilla. Here's the artist:

Here's the art:

Here's my certificate:

There was a teenage girl that kept catching up to me and nearly passing me for the middle mile. She finally did pass me, but she did help push and pull me to the finish line. I felt like telling her "thank you", but that would have been odd. So, I didn't. My five-year old son ran his first race (The You Can Toucan) too. Followed by a good morning at the zoo.

Data

05/11/2008: 10.5 Miles in the Neighborhood

Distance:	10.59 Miles
Time:	1:39:41
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	9:24
Weather:	Clear Temperature-68° Humidity-90%
Route

05/10/2008: 5K Birmingham Zoo Run

	Distance:	3.12 Miles
	Time:	23:16
	Heart Rate:	166
	Pace:	7:27
	Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-71° Humidity-81%
	Route

05/09/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:23
Heart Rate:	138
Pace:	9:07
Weather:	Clear Temperature-61° Humidity-93%

05/07/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	5 Miles
Time:	47:11
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:26
Weather:	Light rain Temperature-64° Humidity-63%

05/06/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:10
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	9:03
Weather:	Clear Temperature-50° Humidity-83%

05/04/2008: Brownell-Shades Creek-Crestline

Distance:	11.04 Miles
Time:	1:46:27
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:38
Weather:	Clear Temperature-54° Humidity-83%
Route

Apr 20-May 3, 2008: 9 Runs in 2 Countries

I kept up with the Daily Source Code, caught up with This American Life, and Phedippidations. Adam Curry keeps going on, show after show, about how everyone gets the government they deserve. Because, after all, no matter where you live you can protest and act. It matters not where as long as you are willing to sacrifice. Blah, blah, blah. It is an interesting conversation and I enjoy listening to the variety of viewpoints. But, it strikes me that Adam is another millionaire telling poorer people to be prepared to die for his mission. OK, he is not really going that far, but it seems to me that he is logically very close.

I have been very busy. Thus, the long time since the last blog. I did finish The God Delusion. A good book and it does make you think. You may need to be careful where you talk about it though. It came up a few times over dinner with some folks I work with. Several had read it. Some of the group made comments that a religious person might find distasteful. And at one point, one person said "I think I should tell you I am religious...." Richard would likely treat this with less accommodation, but this group shut down the conversation. Sex, religion, and politics eh!

Data

05/03/2008: 3 Miles in the Gym in Birmingham, AL

Distance:	3 Miles (estimated)
Time:	27:00
Heart Rate:	153
Pace:	9:00
Weather:	Raining outside

05/02/2008: Barcelona, Spain

Distance:	3.2 Miles
Time:	26:35
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	8:18
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-52° Humidity-67%
Route

04/30/2008: Barcelona, Spain

Distance:	6.04 Miles
Time:	55:34
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:11
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-59° Humidity-88%
Route

04/29/2008: Barcelona, Spain

Distance:	3.06 Miles
Time:	27:31
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	8:59
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-55° Humidity-82%
Route

04/26/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	11.13 Miles
Time:	1:43:13
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	9:16
Weather:	Cloudy Temperature-64° Humidity-88%

04/24/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	6 Miles
Time:	57:00
Heart Rate:	148
Pace:	9:30
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-78° Humidity-44%

04/23/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	5 Miles
Time:	46:45
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:20
Weather:	Clear Temperature-65° Humidity-56%

04/22/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:27
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:09
Weather:	Clear Temperature-54° Humidity-44%

04/20/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	31:44
Heart Rate:	136
Pace:	10:34
Weather:	Clear Temperature-49° Humidity-86%
I pushed my 5 year old in a stroller, thus the longer time. Yes, I felt compelled to point that out!