This is a personal blog. The contents are a reflection of my life and thoughts. It is not reflection of anything else. Lots of swimming, cycling, running, and some archaic posts including comments on reading, some ranting and raving, and plain old dribble...
I have been holding off posting the first 2 negative results out of shame I guess. But, in the interest of history, I decided to post the results. I am sure it has nothing to do with the latest result which is within, OK barely, the healthy limit of 200. I sure hope I can manage to maintain by diet alone, but these high results are scary. Yes, I had cheated a little. It was just a little, but it appears that is all it takes. :(
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| April 23, 2008 | 206 |
| May 8, 2008 | 231 |
| July 27, 2008 | 198 |
First, let me say I was touched by learning of George Carlin's death. I feel like I see the world much as he did. Although, I could not express is as comedically or eloquently as he did. One on my favorite recent runs including listening to a snippet of George in on of Adam Curry's Daily Source Code shows while I was in Barcelona. I hope that George enjoyed a life as enriched as the enrichment he provided the rest of us. I only knew him through his professional persona, but it was all good. Goodbye George, here's to you!I had what felt like a near death experience of my own this week. I went out for my Wednesday run at about 6:30 pm. My son's swimming class had ended early just prior to this because there were storms in the area. I checked the weather online and their were clouds approaching our area, but they were small and blotchy. So, I thought I could handle the rain and it didn't look that bad outside. I didn't see menacing looking clouds, hear any thunder, or see any lightening. So, off I went. Well, on the way back lightening struck the ground 30 feet in front of me! It sure got my attention and next time I may just take the weather a little more seriously.
I coded up my first web pages for the iPhone. Quite enjoyable, I forgot how much I just love the pure act of writing code and seeing results. I especially like the "webkit" CSS tags for rounded corners, shadows and such for boxes in Safari. Cool stuff.
On the negative side, my Motorola Motorokr S9 headset that was recently replaced (for about the 4th time) that is no longer under warranty, lots its up volume control today. I hope I never accidentally turn it down! I love no wire and this headset when it is working. I am incredibly disappointed that it just won't last.
Favoriterun GPS sync capabilities came back. I reported my problems to their help email and did get a response indicating they were looking at it. Thanks!
I went bike shopping yesterday. I rode a lot in 1980-82, but have not really rode any at all since. for those few years, I rode at least 15 miles everyday to and from work in the USAF. In those days, I rode on a converted touring bike, a Peugeot (see picture). I took off the bumpers, handle bars, and friction based lights. I put on drop handle bars, small bumpers just to deflect water from the rider, and battery operated lights. I rode mostly at night since I worked the midnight to 7:00 am shift. Well, I rode a collection of modern bikes yesterday (Giant, Trek, and Specialized) and man if my memory is right, what a difference. Of course, I am still not sure what to purchase I liked the feel of the Trek, but some of the Giant's had better components and supposed a more comfort styled frame. I will be buying something soon. I feel a tri coming.
Data| Distance: | 11.41 Miles |
| Time: | 1:42:51 |
| Heart Rate: | Not measured |
| Pace: | 9.01 |
| Weather: | Overcast Temperature-75° Humidity-79% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 27:33 |
| Heart Rate: | 148 |
| Pace: | 9:11 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-78° Humidity-66% |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 26:31 |
| Heart Rate: | 148 |
| Pace: | 8:50 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-73° Humidity-84% |
| Distance: | 6.22 Miles |
| Time: | 54:38 |
| Heart Rate: | 149 |
| Pace: | 8:47 |
| Weather: | Light thunderstorm (w/Lightening!) Temperature-88° Humidity-40% |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 28:31 |
| Heart Rate: | 139 |
| Pace: | 9:30 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-67° Humidity-87% |
Another week of running. I kept up with my usual podcasts during the runs and managed to squeeze in some techie listening here and there too. On the Sunday (June 22, 2008) long run, we ran across a copperhead snake about 15 inches long. It wasn't too scary, but it did take my breath away at first. I am feeling a new bout of iPhone fever with the announcement of the upcoming release of the new iPhone. Sleeker, normal headphone jack, 3G, and GPS, humm.... I haven't decided if I'm upgrading or not.
The online logging from my Garmin Forerunner 305 has been a hit or miss lately. Motionbased wouldn't upload 1 day this week and I have been able to upload, but not save on favoriterun.com for the last 3 runs. Technology is great until it doesn't work. And, this is just flaky enough that I still use both of these sites. Oh, and the Garmin Training Center that comes with the watch portends to work with Google Earth, but that never seems to work either. It says I need to load Google Earth, which is loaded. Damn software and puters.
To top off the end of the week, I got called by the provider of the credit card I used for business expenses. Some vendor's software system got compromised and my number was being used in Mexico by some thugs!
| Distance: | 10 Miles |
| Time: | 1:44:34 |
| Heart Rate: | 139 |
| Pace: | 10:27 (Ran with the crowd at a relaxed pace) |
| Weather: | Haze Temperature-71° Humidity-84% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 27:00 |
| Heart Rate: | 145 |
| Pace: | 9:00 |
| Weather: | Partly cloudy Temperature-70° Humidity-81% |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 27:04 |
| Heart Rate: | 144 |
| Pace: | 9:01 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-62° Humidity-78% |
| Distance: | 6.14 Miles |
| Time: | 57:34 |
| Heart Rate: | 142 |
| Pace: | 9:22 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-60° Humidity-80% |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 27:09 |
| Heart Rate: | 145 |
| Pace: | 9:02 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-70° Humidity-87% |
Some how I have let my days get so consumed that I can barely keep up with this blog. :( Perhaps, I should get back to doing them after each run. Little, but frequent bursts could be more time efficient? Regardless, the running is going well. I have been traveling a lot, some for work and some for pleasure. For work, I went to Orlando for the Gartner Application Architecture, Development & Integration Summit from June 7-11. The conference was well done and information packed. It challenged many traditional viewpoints of architecture and introduced lots of thoughts around modernization, governance, SOA, and anything as a service. Very interesting. The long run on Sunday, June 8 felt Hot!
We took are yearly trip to the Smokies for the annual synchronized firefly adventure in Elkmont, TN. We were not able to get into the Elkmont campground. We stayed in Cade's Cove. To get to Elkmont, one has to goto the Sugarlands Visitor Center and catch a bus. Once its parking lot is full, no one else is permitted to ride to Elkmont. We were going to set out late (about 7:00 pm for this adventure. So, I opted to stay in camp. Unfortunately, for those that tried, they were not able to ride as Sugarlands was full. So, I made the right choice. I ran the Cades Cove Loop road. It was an awesome road. At one point, I was running towards a mountain whose peak was obfuscated by fog, but whose main moutain side was clearly visible and covered with Mimosa tree blooms. It was beautiful. Traffic was light and drivers were very respectful and friendly. This was a good thing since it is a 1 lane, 1 way road. There were some good hills, but not bad overall.
We concluded our trip with a visit to Chattanooga, TN and its Aquarium. We did see a dreadful episode of capital punishment administered by some boy's father (it was Father's day too). His first swat to the boys bottom that the sound alone was alarming and we were 200 yards away. But, he didn't stop with one swat. He added a couple more of equal veracity. I nearly came unglued and found myself very emotionally charged. I just can't stand to hear about or see people hurt children. This man didn't teach his son anything other than you use violence when you are angry. We watched this man intently as he walked the boy to his van. He showed no further signs of violence. The rest of his family lagged well behind. It would appear that this is a scary man. So sad. Mean people simply suck!
We also saw a terrible wreck on I-75 towards Chattanooga, TN as we headed home. A van or SUB had clearly rolled on the highway and landed off the road on its wheels. Our first observance was of a helicopter landing on the opposite side of the highway. We didn't see any gore, but this had clearly just happened. To make matters worse, we saw another car that hit a guard rail apparently trying not to hit the car in front of it as it noticed traffic has stalled for the first accident. I tried to find a link to any news related to this, but couldn't find it. I have had the same problem in the past. It is hard to find news stories about car crashes. Too common, I guess. :(
| Distance: | 11.57 Miles |
| Time: | 1:49:20 |
| Heart Rate: | 150 |
| Pace: | 9:26 |
| Weather: | Overcast Temperature-70° Humidity-88% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3.1 Miles |
| Time: | 26:45 |
| Heart Rate: | 147 |
| Pace: | 8:38 |
| Weather: | Mostly cloudy Temperature-72° Humidity-84% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 26:57 |
| Heart Rate: | 141 |
| Pace: | 8:58 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-72° Humidity-84% |
| Distance: | 6.38 Miles |
| Time: | 58:46 |
| Heart Rate: | 148 |
| Pace: | 9:12 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-73° Humidity-87% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3.56 Miles |
| Time: | 30:41 |
| Heart Rate: | 143 |
| Pace: | 8:37 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-74° Humidity-87% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 11 Miles |
| Time: | 1:43:59 |
| Heart Rate: | 154 |
| Pace: | 9:27 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-77° Humidity-76% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 28:18 |
| Heart Rate: | 143 |
| Pace: | 9:26 |
| Weather: | Partly cloudy Temperature-77° Humidity-76% |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 28:29 |
| Heart Rate: | 138 |
| Pace: | 9:29 |
| Weather: | Partly cloudy Temperature-74° Humidity-85% |
I kept up with the Daily Source Code, This American Life, and Phedippidations. I got fired up listening to the latest episode of This American Life, The Prosecutor. It is so hard to believe how politics, office and governmental, can get so personal and forget that truth and service are frequently the better goals.
I have been suffering with slow performance on my personal laptop for a longtime (like since I loaded Vista). I bought 2GB's worth of sims yesterday and stuck 'em in the Toshiba. And, walla, responds like I expect. I hate that I waited so long. But, all is well now.
| Distance: | 6.04 Miles |
| Time: | 55:38 |
| Pace: | 9:12 |
| Weather: | Clear Temperature-75° Humidity-82% |
| Distance: | 3.02 Miles |
| Time: | 27:42 |
| Heart Rate: | 148 |
| Pace: | 9:12 |
| Weather: | Partly cloudy Temperature-71° Humidity-84% |
I kept up with the Daily Source Code, This American Life, and Phedippidations. I spent most of the work week in Blythewood, SC working.
During Sunday's long run, I thought about George Bush and God. Specifically, I reflected on the fact that he was elected with large support from the Christian right. Thus, I'm sure when he was deciding on the "justness" of the upcoming Iraq war he was going to launch, he must have called on God. Surely, he would not make such a momentous decision without appealing to God in prayer. Thus, given that God offers direction and that Godly men would surely benefit from such direction and prayerful reflection, dare we ask why George was so wrong. OK, I'm assuming that given the arguments presented for the war (e.g., WMD, ties to Al Queda, etc.) proved to be false. So, is George not Godly? Does God ignore pleas to help such ungodly matters and choosing to go kill people? Why did this religious and righteous man get it wrong on such an important matter? Let's take religion out of politics, please! Let's make sure the press asks really hard questions next time. For example, maybe some journalist should have asked Powell if any American had talked to Curveball about those mobile chemical factories! Oh yeah, Obama resigned from his church. Is he choosing another? Just makes me wonder...
| Distance: | 11.08 Miles |
| Time: | 1:40:10 |
| Pace: | 9:02 |
| Weather: | Scattered clouds Temperature-77° Humidity-74% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3 Miles |
| Time: | 26:04 |
| Heart Rate: | 150 |
| Pace: | 8:36 |
| Weather: | Mostly cloudy Temperature-63° Humidity-94% |
| Distance: | 3.11 Miles |
| Time: | 26:04 |
| Heart Rate: | 143 |
| Pace: | 8:36 |
| Weather: | Mostly cloudy Temperature-63° Humidity-94% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 6.12 Miles |
| Time: | 55:02 |
| Heart Rate: | 142 |
| Pace: | 8:59 |
| Weather: | Light rain Temperature-59° Humidity-94% |
| Route | |
| Distance: | 3.14 Miles |
| Time: | 26:39 |
| Heart Rate: | 145 |
| Pace: | 8:29 |
| Weather: | Mostly cloudy Temperature-69° Humidity-75% |
| Route | |
 | For those that want to get me stuff ;) |
