Sunday, March 18, 2007

03/18/07: 10.5 Mile Run: Brownell-Shades Creek Loop

Judy and I met at 6:30 am. It was a bit chilly at the start, but I warmed up quickly. I do wish I had taken gloves. This run seemed to go faster than the last time we did it, but time was not that different. We saw a few runners take off at the beginning, but we didn't seem to see nearly as many as we normally do. We did see some juveniles take a shopping cart from the side of the road, off the road completely, and put it in the middle of the road. This was at Greensprings and Lakeshore. This is a major intersection in Birmingham. It is unbelievable that someone old enough to drive could so easily disregard the safety of others and intentionally set up such a dangerous situation. I ran over and took the cart off of the road.

Data

Distance: 10.5 Miles
Time: 1:41:49
Heart Rate: 156
Pace: 9:41
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature-44° (wind chill: 24°)
Humidity-40%
Route: 10.5 Mile Loop

03/16/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the Daily Source Code on this late afternoon run. I am actually logging this on Sunday and my poor old brain can't remember if anything interesting happened on the run, so I am just logging the data. I am too busy and stressed these days!

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 27:48
Heart Rate: 156
Pace: 9:16
Weather: Clear
Temperature-59°
Humidity-31%

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

3/14/07: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Today, I put the iPod on music and shuffle as I was caught up on the podcasts I normally listen to while running. It was warm and I enjoyed running in shorts and a singlet. The early daylight savings time has ensured that I am running in the dark.

Data

Distance: 5
Time: 47:35
Heart Rate: 155
Pace: 9:31
Weather: Few clouds
Temperature-63°
Humidity-54%

03/13/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the Daily Source Code during this morning run. I bumped, not literally, into Prince who lives in my neighborhood. He ran the marathon and we have run together a few times in the neighborhood. It was good to see him and it helped add some diversity to the end of the run. Adam and listeners are reacting to a television episode about the "Global Warming Swindle". This following search string on Google will get you some good hits if you want to see more: channel 4 global warming. I have not had a chance to watch yet and I do intend to. I am sure that since this discussion involves politics, big business, and lots of passion the truth will be hard to discern.

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 29:27
Heart Rate: 142
Pace: 9:48
Weather: Clear
Temperature-54°
Humidity-83%

Sunday, March 11, 2007

03/11/07: 8.5 Mile Run: Shades Creek Greenway

Judy and I met at 6:30 am (yes, on the new daylight savings time). So, we had 1 less hour of sleep, but we got out there and got to it by running. The weather was beautiful and there were lots of runners about. At one of the water stops, I overheard on female runner telling another "I would go 20 miles with you, but I didn't bring any Gu." Well, I handed her the pack of Gu in my water belt. I don't know if that gave her a chance to run 20 miles or forced a different excuse. I hope I didn't put her on the spot if her motivation was to simply not run that far without admitting she didn't want to do it.

Data
Distance: 8.5 Miles
Time: 1:21:08
Heart Rate: 151
Pace: 9:32
Weather: Clear
Temperature-51°
Humidity-83%
Route: The usual 8.5 Miler

Saturday, March 10, 2007

3/10/07:3 Mile Run Neighborhood

I drove back from Blythewood, SC last night, about 6 hour drive. I got tired near Augusta, Georgia so I slept in the car until 3:30 in the morning. Then, kicked it on home. I got here in time to get to my 8:00 am Muscleworks class at the gym. My son said "Daddy, I want to go to the gym too." So, I took him. They have a supervised little childcare area with toys and playground equipment. He had fun. Then, when we got home, I got dressed to run and he wanted to go on the run too. So, I got out the jogging stroller. You can see the impact on my time below. But, it was fun. He and I chatted the whole way. Very cool!

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 33:08
Heart Rate: 155
Pace: 11:02
Weather: Clear
Temperature-62°
Humidity-67%

03/07/07:6 Mile Run: Blythewood, SC

I was caught up on the podcasts I listen to while running, so I put the iPod on shuffle and selected my running favorites playlist. The run felt good and man did I need the stress release. Yes, the work stuff is still keeping my strings wound tight. Today, I get in front of customers and open a session to review software architecture. This will actually be fun though as this is one of my favorite subjects.

Data

Distance: 6.064
Time: 56:14
Heart Rate: Not measured
Pace: 9:16
Weather: Clear
Temperature-42°
Humidity-89%
Route

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

03/02/2007: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Phedippidations and Daily Source Code during this morning run. I had already completed most of the Phedippidations podcast and some of the Daily Source Code episode. And, the was a Phedippidations promo talking about Steve's upcoming attack of the Boston Marathon in the Daily Source Code. It was just odd as it rolled out, because nearly sounded like one long show with a simple transition.

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 28:44
Heart Rate: 154
Pace: 9:34
Weather: Clear
Temperature-51°
Humidity-41%

iTunes Install Failure on Vista-Sometimes

My Microsoft Vista expedition continues. I have 2 machines running it now. One is my Toshiba Portege M200 and the other is on an Ancient Gateway case in which I have install a Elitegroup KM400-M2 AMD-based motherboard. Both machines told me that iTunes had an update available. It downloaded and installed (after the Vista obligatory are you sure, are you really sure dialogs) fine on the Gateway/KM400. On the Toshiba, it complained about vbscript not registered or installed and the install of iTunes aborted. Well, sure enough I had to register vbscript.dll on the Toshiba. Thanks to MSDN for having the info available to learn from.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

03/04/07: 10.5 Mile Run: Brownell-Shades Creek Loop

Judy and I met at 6:30 am. It was very cold, but off we went. It took several miles to get any sense of comfort for the temperature. I would have been fine with heavier gloves. Judy simply underestimated the temperature. But, we hung in there and got through it. We were both glad to see it end though. I guess since it was our first long run since Mercedes, we had simply lost touch with what it feels like to run so long.

My wife, son, and I watched the lunar eclipse last night. It was very cool. I was driving around the neighborhood trying to find a good viewing spot and it turned out to be my front yard! I am glad we did it though, very cool.

Data

Distance: 10.5 Miles
Time: 1:42:24
Heart Rate: 155
Pace: 9:45
Weather: Clear
Temperature-32° (wind chill: 24°)
Humidity-52%
Route: 10.5 Mile Loop

Saturday, March 03, 2007

03/02/2007: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Daily Source Code during this afternoon run. An appropriate ending to another stressful week of work. Is it just me or is everyone, everywhere complaining about stress at work. It is too bad we all seem to think that we must drive ourselves to the point where work feels more like stress than energetic movement towards attractive goals. Yet, I have to admit sometimes the former seems to rule. :(

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 27:55
Heart Rate: 151
Pace: 9:18
Weather: Clear
Temperature-60°
Humidity-18%

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

02/28/07: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Daily Source Code and Accident Hash during this early morning run. Like yesterday, I felt good and like I was running strong. I would like to see times faster than 9:24 when I make such statements. But, it is important to feel good.


I have set http://www.transparentandauthentic.com, my only domain, to use Google Apps. I am very impressed with the SaaS characteristics of Google Apps. It was extremely easy to set it up and get the simple site flowing with the content. Very cool, Google!

Data

Distance: 5
Time: 47:17
Heart Rate: 151
Pace: 9:24
Weather: Clear
Temperature-49°
Humidity-41%

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

2/27/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Daily Source Code during this early morning run. Adam resolved his wifi problems by making sure his SIID was unique and such. Seemingly obvious, but understandable. Remember I posted how I mistakenly kept reseting a neighbors gateway thinking it was mine. Easy to confuse when the default names are the same and their are but a few providers (e.g., DLink, Linksys, etc.). The run felt strong. It must be the effect of not marathon training. My legs feel fresh and strong.

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 28:12
Heart Rate: 147
Pace: 9:24
Weather: Clear
Temperature-41°
Humidity-62%

Sunday, February 25, 2007

2/25/07: 8.5 Mile Run: Shades Creek Greenway

Too wet for Judy. So, I ran alone. I put the iPod on shuffle and kicked off my running playlist which is huge. Good tunes were selected even some that just by listening I couldn't name the artist and album. I more music than I know. The run was cool and damp to start but was quite warm and sunny by the finish. I felt great and compared to my usual pace ran quite strong. I felt strong too. I have been battling sinusitis and did have a little nose bleed, but no big deal. One does get interesting looks from folks passing while you have blood running from your nose though.


I got a "real" comment on a recent post. Typically, when I get a comment about checkout someone's site it is junk and I end up just deleting the comment. But, cy21, of Web Development Scripts-Blog, left a comment complimenting this blog and asking to exchange links. He may have generated the link via some kind of spam mechanism, but his blog does actually look interesting and useful. I especially like the digital pictures of the designs and problem domains that his scripts tackle. Very practical looking stuff. He cy21, let me know if you really read this blog (as in reply to this post). Sorry to be so cynical, but seems like nearly all "I like your blog" comments are generated instead of posted by someone who is actually looking. I do use PHP at work (well, someone who works for me does). I will tell her to check out your blog as well.
I never heard any reply comment after posting this nice notice about this guy's site. Which makes me think that one of the things he figured out how to do was post comments on blogs in a spammy way. So, not cool.

Data
Distance: 8.5 Miles
Time: 1:16:13
Heart Rate: 151
Pace: 8:58
Weather: Few clouds
Temperature-55°
Humidity-67%
Route: The usual 8.5 Miler

Saturday, February 24, 2007

2/23/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

It was very warm today. So, I got to run in shorts and a singlet again while I listened to the latest Daily Source Code. It is interesting listening to his wifi woes, if you will. Apparently, he has dead spots even in very close proximity to the router and there are apparently lots of hotspots showing up as candidates at his condo in San Francisco. I once was amused by a reoccurring problem I was having. My Internet connection was fragile for awhile and every time it dropped I had to reboot the network. It seemed that every time it came back my Linksys gateway/router was reset to factory defaults and was reported an older firmware than I knew I had loaded. So, I kept reseting the defaults to my preferred settings. I didn't touch the firmware. But, then miraculously, my settings including the firmware would return. I finally figured out that I was tweaking a neighbors box. He must have just kept reseting to factory specs. He is still out there with the same settings. Sometimes when my local network has trouble, I jump on his.

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 28:29
Heart Rate: 151
Pace: 9:29
Weather: Clear
Temperature-64°
Humidity-17%

Thursday, February 22, 2007

02/22/07: 6 Mile Run: Neighborhood

It was very warm today. So, I got to run in shorts and a singlet while I listened to the latest Daily Source Code and Phedippidations. This Phedippidations episode (#85) was about Steve Prefontaine. If you are a runner, you know who he is. This episode was awesome. I felt a real connection listening to announcing describing races Pre was running. And, I nearly cried as I approached my big hill which is where I heard Steve talk of Steve's last day (he died in a car crash at the age of 24). Way damn good show Steve.

Data

Distance: 6
Time: 59:00
Heart Rate: Hit the wrong button again and lost the data
Pace: 9:50
Weather: Clear
Temperature-67°
Humidity-23%

My Cholesterol is Normal!

I got my updated cholesterol results. And, I knocked it out of the park. Here's the results:

Metric Original Result Healthy Goal New Results
LDL 169 - High Less than 130 110 (59 less)
HDL 70 - Normal More than 40 47 (23 less)
Total Cholesterol 239 - Borderline high Less than 200 171 (58 less)
Triglycerides 145 - Normal Less than 150 70 (75 less)

I just couldn't be more pleased. Oh, and I lost 15 pounds. I did eat oatmeal everyday. I guess I should be a commercial.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

02/20/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Daily Source Code. It is very interesting to hear how projects get sparked and baked for PodShow and for Adam. If I could find a way to spark this kind of collaboration at work, I can only imagine what could be done. And, yes I am thinking about it. This was a good steady run, but I did some how manage to hit the start/stop button the watch so I lost the data.

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 30:00 (estimate)
Heart Rate: Not known
Pace: 10:00
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature-52°
Humidity-74%

Monday, February 19, 2007

2/18/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

After taking a week off to recover from the marathon, it was time to get back out there. I listened to the latest Daily Source Code. It felt good to run again. I decided to make the first one a nice and short one. I will be falling back to my usual 4 day a week schedule with my long runs alternating between 8.5 and 10.5 miles. Just enough to keep me in shape. I have gone back to the gym for a couple of muscle works sessions. I had fallen back on this with all of the time dedicated to the running for the marathon.

I got more blood taken today to see if I have made progress on my goal to lower my LDL from 169 via diet. I need to reduce it by 23% to 130. I sure hope I see progress. I would imagine 23% in about a month may be a bit much to hope for, but I hope I made significant progress. I should know tomorrow, February 20, 2007.

Data

Distance: 3
Time: 30:16
Heart Rate: 152
Pace: 10:05
Weather: Clear
Temperature-45° (sure felt colder)
Humidity-32%

Still Tweaking Vista on the Portege M200

Last week, I discovered that the sound on my Toshiba Portege M200 on which I have loaded Vista would not play sound. Some might say that is a good thing since the speakers on this laptop just suck big time. A friend of mine threatened to kick my ass once because I kept playing things over the speakers while he could hear it. Something about chalkboards.... Anyway, it wouldn't play sounds via the headphone jack either. So, I started trying to fix it including interacting with Joshua Flanagan on his blog. This is the blog that was the source of my inspiration to load Vista on the M200 in the first place. But, alas his machine and mine seemed to be the same except his mades sounds and mine didn't.

Then, I discovered an entry on Jeffreys Ruminations - Network Blog where Jeffrey said:
Key Tip: If you upgrade to Vista and have no sound, you need to temporarily go back to XP or a Linux distribution and unmute your system volume. Better yet, un-mute your audio BEFORE upgrading to Windows Vista.
Read more...

Too bad I didn't discover this tip first. But, then I found this on Toshiba's support site. I decided to get brave and run it on the M200 despite the failure of Toshiba to indicate that I should expect it to work. Well, it did!

I 2 applications that don't work well now. RealPlayer won't play the free radio stations. So, I uninstalled it. And, ZipBackup doesn't let me expand and select individual folders on my C Drive and it is able to see the other built in collections like Music. I haven't decided what I am going to do about it yet.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

2/11/07: Mercedes Marathon: I Made It

I ran the Mercedes Marathon today. I ran the first 20 miles way too fast, but it was fun. I was was just a little of 3 hours has 20. My goal was 4:30, so I had plenty of time left, but not much energy. I did not run a smart race. I ran a 7:44 first mile. Oh, a mere 2 minutes+ too fast. And worse, I kept running to fast for the first 10-12 miles. It just felt good. I paid for it in the last 6. I walked a lot. But, I did meet my time goal and I finished. After pneumonia and shin trouble, I guess I can't really complain. So, now for some rest.

Data

Distance: 26.2
Time: 4:32:37 (unofficial results)
Heart Rate: Not measured
Pace: 10:24
Weather: Clear
Temperature-30-49°
Humidity-47-24%

Added this table to show how if faded toward the end
DistanceTimePaceLeg DistanceLeg TimeLeg Pace
6.256:059:026.256:059:02
9.31:23:599:013.127:549:00
13.11:58:549:053.834:559:11
15.52:23:499:162.424:5510:23
18.62:56:509:303.133:0010:39
26.24:32:3710:247.61:35:4712:36

Saturday, February 10, 2007

02/08-09/07: 6 & 3 Mile Runs: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Daily Source Codes. I am logging this on Saturday, February 10th, 2007. Yes, that is the day before the Mercedes Marathon. This is what I have been training for. So, tomorrow is the BIG DAY. I feel like I am ready. I am rested and ready to hit it. I have set up a running playlist on the iPod (basically, put everything in but things I don't like to run to). Got a call with good wishes from my friend Lito that I have not heard from in a long time. That was nice. He is not running, but I appreciated his thinking of me on this big day. Judy will be there since she is running the 1/2 marathon. She will do well. I think a marathon is in her future. She had said that if I delayed until Nashville, she would put the whole marathon on her list.

Alas, I chose to stay on target for Mercedes.

I noticed that my speaker is not working on the Toshiba with Vista. So, I am trying to load the drivers for that now.

Data

02/08/07
Distance: 6
Time: 59:57
Heart Rate: 154
Pace: 9:59
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature-40°
Humidity-57%

02/09/07
Distance: 3
Time: 28:52
Heart Rate: 154
Pace: 9:37
Weather: Mostly cloudy
Temperature-35°
Humidity-52%

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

02/06/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I listened to the latest Daily Source Code. I am getting excited at the upcoming big one (the Mercedes Marathon) coming this Sunday. Other than that, this was simply a good relaxing run in the midst of some intense work I am on.

Data

02/02/07
Distance: 3
Time: 30:17
Heart Rate: 147
Pace: 10:05
Weather: Mostly cloudy
Temperature-30°
Humidity-39%

Monday, February 05, 2007

Vista on the Toshiba Portege

Yeppee! I hated the idea that my only option for loading this laptop was via the harddrive recovery CD provided when I purchased my Portege. And, thanks Joshua Flanagan's article I achieved my goal. I was able to run a setup program from a DVD drive on my network. So, I am extremely pleased. Vista seems to work well (or as well as XP) here too. So, not a bad deal at all.

Thanks Joshua!

Sunday, February 04, 2007

02/04/07: 11 Mile Run: Brownell-Shades Creek Loop

Judy and I met near 7:00 am. It was very cold, but off we went. This is the last long run before the marathorn next Sunday. I think I am ready. Judy is going to do the 1/12 and is aiming for something near 2 hours. So, I will see her at the starting line, but she will be running faster than I will from the beginning. So, I will get the iPod loaded up. I am getting very excited now. I believe I will be able to do and I am looking forward to the effort.

I have started the Vista Load on the Toshiba. While this makes for the fourth time I have loaded an operating system on the Toshiba, I am excited at the idea of being able to load something from a DVD drive. I am still booting it from a PXE drive, but using a procedure I discovered on the web. Thank you Joshua Flanagan!

Data

Distance: 11 Miles
Time: 1:48:10
Heart Rate: 159
Pace: 9:50
Weather: Clear
Temperature-37°
Humidity-55%
Route: 10.5 Mile Loop +
.5 Mile Add-On

Saturday, February 03, 2007

02/02-03/07: 3 Mile Runs: Neighborhood

It has been cold, foggy, and wet. But, I have been getting my runs in as planned. I listened to the Daily Source Code during each of these 2 runs. I am not feeling any discomfort. So, I am hoping that all is well and the my marathon next weekend will go good.
I have started the process of preparing my PXE server to serve up Vista to my Toshiba Portege M200. I am taking it slow to ensure that it goes as smooth as possible. Great plan, but I bet it won't go as easy as I hope. Technology never does.

Data

02/02/07
Distance: 3
Time: 29:12
Heart Rate: 154
Pace: 9:43
Weather: Fog
Temperature-39°
Humidity-94%


02/03/07
Distance: 3
Time: 29:23
Heart Rate: 147
Pace: 9.47
Weather: Clear
Temperature-32°
Humidity-81%

Thursday, February 01, 2007

02/01/07: 7 Mile Run: Gym

It was cold and raining. So, I went to the gym and ran 70 minutes. I don't really know how many miles, but they went by at 14 loops per mile on the indoor track. Boring, but dry and warm. Works for me....

Data

Distance: Near 7
Time: 1:10:00
Heart Rate: 163
Pace: Not known
Weather: Raining
Temperature-34°

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

01/30/07: Been Running & Running Mercedes

I have been running. I have just not been able to get out here to log it. And, even better, I have registered for the Mercedes Marathon. Still no pain too! So naturally, I am excited. I was in a bit of a funk thinking I wouldn't be running it. I am still a bit intimidated by the distance, but I have done it before and should be able to do it now.

Andrew, thank you for the kind words, by the way. You mentioned car pooling to Little Rock. Are you in Birmingham?

Data

01/27/07
Distance: 3
Time: 28:37
Heart Rate: Not measured
Pace: 9:32
Weather: Clear
Temperature- 39°
Humidity - 79%


01/28/07
Distance: 13
Time: 2:06:03
Heart Rate: 160
Pace: 9:32
Weather: Clear
Temperature- 36°
Humidity - 62%


01/30/07
Distance: 4
Time: 37:00
Heart Rate: Not measured
Pace: 9:15 (on a Treadmill in Newark, NJ)
Weather: Clear
Temperature- 19° (outside)


Friday, January 26, 2007

01/26/07: 5 Mile Run: Columbia, SC

I ran and there was NO pain! It was cold though. I was excited to see a comment on my post about losing my opportunity to run the Mercedes Marathon. And, wow I got a comment. Thanks for the thoughts Andrew. I am considering your advice. The idea of NOT extending my training a couple of more months is quite attractive. I do know folks going to Nashville, but not well. So, Little Rock is an option. I haven't formed a plan yet, but I am thinking about it. I am also wondering if I might still pull off running Mercedes.

The dang garwin died (batteries, I'm sure) so I ran based on time.

Data

Distance: Not measured, at least 5
Time: 57
Heart Rate: Not measured
Pace: Not known
Weather: Clear
Temperature-31°

Vista will go on Toshiba Portege M200 !

Oh so it seems. I haven't tried it yet. But, this blog entry sure seems reasonable and means I won't have to rely on Toshiba's recovery CD everytime I need to put an operating system on the laptop I love. Yeppee! I will report back once I try it. I already have a PXE server, so this should be quite achievable.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Laptop Load Woes

I recently committed to using my personal laptop which is a Toshiba Portege convertible as the tool for white boarding during some recent meetings at work. On the friday before I was due to travel on Monday, the harddrive crashes on the Toshiba and it will not boot. This is the third time this has happened on this laptop. Add that to my concern that having my full music library on the laptop for iTunes use and I decided it was time to put in a new harddrive.

So, off to Best Buy. My Portege does not have a CD, DVD, or Floppy drive. So, I don't really have a good way to boot it except via a PXE server and the recovery CD that came with the machine. I have previously posted about doing this, but you can get good details online. This time the laptop would boot, but the recovery utility kept telling me that the destination drive was not reachable. So, I put the drive in a box that allows me to connect to a computer via a USB port. I made sure it was partitioned and formatted and tried again. Same problem.

So, I put the known bad harddrive in the Portege and tried again. That worked, but I am extremely confident that this harddrive will not last. But, CMS Data Transfer came to the rescue. I used it to transfer the content from the original harddrive to my newone. That worked!

Of course, this post took but minutes to write. The actual experience took me days to complete. After I got the laptop booting, I had to apply all patches and load software. That task is not complete yet, but is on its way.

My next goal is to figure out how to get Vista on this box!

01/25/07: Good New & Bad News

Good news: The shin is not hurting AT ALL.
Bad news: Work has taken over my every waking moment, so I am not getting any runs. I have lost the momentum I had for getting to the marathon. So, despite having got my 20 miler in, I don't think it would be wise for me to think I could bounce back from an injury that had me limping last week, skip 1.5 weeks of runs, and go out and do my marathon. I am also battling the emotional turmoil of knowing I got that damn close and had to bag it. It SUCKS!

So, now I am setting my sights on the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, TN, April 28th. I will update add a new training plan soon.

So, it sucks for now, but I am not put down yet!

Saturday, January 20, 2007

01/20/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

The shin did hurt significantly earlier in the week, so I skipped the last 3 runs. This run did not feel too bad, but I could tell the shin was still in recovery mode at best. It didn't hurt much if at all the rest of the day. So, I am planning to run tomorrow, but I am not sure how far yet. I am scheduled to do 15.

The Toshiba has died again. Gees! So, I guess next step is to try a new harddrive. I do so wish my techie stuff would just work. And, after I just finished going through hell getting iTunes stuff set up on it. Arghhhh.

Data

Distance: 3 Miles
Time: 29:38
Heart Rate: 155
Pace: 9:52
Weather: Clear
Temperature-36°
Humidity-57%

Sunday, January 14, 2007

01/14/07: 20 Mile Run: Brownell-Shades Creek+Montclair

Judy made it today. We ran the first 9 miles together. Then, Judy continued for about 2 more miles while I add 11 more. After Judy turned off I put in the ear buds and turned on the iPod Nano. I listened to the latest Phedippidations. Steve mentioned my thanks to him for motivating my cholesterol checkup. In fact, a local running coach mentioned that he had heard Steve mention it when I first showed up to run this morning. I finished off the run with a couple of sessions of Accident Hash.


I just couldn't bitch more about iTunes silly idea that I would move files to an external drive and want to have it connected every time I sync my iPod. As Adam Curry said on a recent podcast, I can't wait for a user friendly desktop application for managing my content and podcasts on the iPod. The iPod is great, but iTunes is TOO controlling and inflexible. I won't even mention how many hours I have spent trying to get it to do what I want done! So, now I putting the 15+ Gbytes back on my laptop. What a f**king waste of space! I will never, let me repeat NEVER actually use those files on that disk again. They are just there because iTunes is f**king stupid. The song is on the iPod. It is on an external drive. Don't make me carry the drive everywhere I want to sync up a podcast feed to the iPod! Let me add that f**king iTunes takes way to f**king much CPU time rending the laptop useless while it copying files between my drives. Thank you Apple for wasting my f**king time!!!!

Data

Distance:20 Miles
Time:3:27:19
Heart Rate:156
Pace:10:21
Weather:Clear
Temperature-58°
Humidity-81%
Route:Al's 7 Miler +
13 Mile Montclair Run

Addendum: Well, during the run yesterday I noticed a little soreness in my right, lower shin. It is uncomfortable today. I have been applying RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation), but it is worrisome. I am hoping that it turns out to be nothing.

01/13/07: 3 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Well, I lost the data for this one since I clicked on the record button on the Polar system on the next run before I realized it. I do remember looking at the watch, so I know the time is about right.

Data

Distance: 3 Miles
Time: 30:43
Heart Rate: Lost the data
Pace: 10:14
Weather: Clear
Temperature-59°
Humidity-70%

Friday, January 12, 2007

01/12/07: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another run with the 30 Gb. I neglected to pay close attention to the second song since I was in shuffle mode again. But, I think it moved to the third song prematurely again. Comfortable run again. This Sunday is the longest training run I will have for the Mercedes Marathon, so I am hoping for the best. If I make this one, I feel extremely confident that I am ready. I do have to admit that I am a bit nervous about it. In fact, I have been thinking about it all week. I have been really good with my eating my habits this week. So, the first week of improved eating has gone well. The only thing I need to improve is reducing the percentage of fat in the cheese I eat. I didn't each much, but I didn't buy reduced fat.

It is amazing to see the spin George Bush puts on his desire to increase the number of troops in Iraq. I heard him say something like "this is different. Now, the leaders on the ground can predict success...". What were they predicting last year? Are you kidding me? I can't say if adding more troops is the best solution or not with any real certainly. But, George has not convinced me either. I have visions of "This time they WILL dance in the streets and put roses at our feet....". It is a huge mess. No easy answers exist.

Data

Distance: 5 Miles
Time: 50:57
Heart Rate: 155
Pace: 10:11
Weather: Most cloudy
Temperature-56°
Humidity-75%

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

01/10/07: 10 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I took the new iPod 30Gb. I think there may be a flaky thing with the shuffle mode. Both times I have used the second song did not completely play. All other songs played fine. Very interesting. Other than that, it performed well. It was another cold morning, but I was dressed for it. The sun rose to my back as I ran the last half back. For a few minutes, I had the sensation of a car's lights coming up behind me. It was weird.

Data

Distance:10 Miles
Time:1:40:44
Heart Rate:150
Pace:10:04
Weather:Clear
Temperature-29°
Humidity-82%

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

01/09/07: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

A brisk, cold, early morning run during which I listened to the latest "Best of Charlies". I used the iPod Nano. There were more people around the lake than usual. Must be due to New Year resolutions. Good! Never condemn or ridicule someone trying to improve themselves by focusing on their newness and lack of fit to the goal line. They may get there if you help instead of hinder.

iTunes is NOT as pleasant as I had hoped. After loading the new 30GB, I decided that I really didn't need 16 GB of iTunes library on my laptop harddrive. So, I moved it as instructed on iTunes to my external 200GB drive. But, even if I indicated in settings that I will manually update the music files on the iPod, iTunes won't boot if the external drive is disconnected. So, I will have to move the files to a desktop here and reserve the laptop for the Nano only. What a pain in the ass. Apple, give me control!

Data

Distance:5 Miles
Time:51:44
Heart Rate:154
Pace:10:20
Weather:Clear
Temperature-39°
Humidity-65%

Sunday, January 07, 2007

01/07/07: 15 Mile Run: Brownell-Montclair-Shades Creek

It rained, so no Judy. I used the new iPod. It worked great during the run, but I think it got wet. Apparently, it doesn't like to get wet. The wheel control is bit flaky at the moment. I suspect it will dry and be fine. I had it covered in a second skin. But, it wasn't completely protected from moisture. I had the belt of my water bottle carrier through the second skin. So, I think that the amount of water that fell on me simply provided too much water for the iPod. Lesson learned, if I am right. Next time I will put it in a carrier that will help shield it from most of the water. Freaky gadgets!

As for iTunes, I am impressed! I was able to update the music collection on the iPod several times while iTunes was still converting *.wmv songs. The conversion took almost 24 hours! But, it seemed to work.

The run was slow, but steady. I am glad I did the distance and will settle for that for now. I listened to my latest 3 CD purchases on the new iPod:



Data

Distance:15.21 Miles
Time:2:42:33
Heart Rate:Not measured - Used GPS
Pace:10:41
Weather:Cloudy-Raining
Temperature-60°
Humidity-93%
Route:Al's 15 Miler

Saturday, January 06, 2007

01/06/07: 8 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Well, the Creative Zen started missing out in the first 2 miles. It has been retired. I purchased a 30GB iPod. It has been converting my media player formatted files (*.wmv, I think) all day. The Creative purchase was a mistake. Too few accessories and too difficult to keep up with the right software. Since I have been using iTunes a lot anyway and I have have gotten quite acquainted with my iPad Nano, I don't think I will regret my purchase.

I missed my planned 5 Mile run on Thursday and didn't make it up on Friday, so I combined that 5 miles with the 3 miles planned for today for an eight miler. I felt fine and I had taken my iPod Nano with me so, I listened to the latest "Best of Charlies" as in Daily Source Code, Accident Hash and more TPN Rock during the run. I did just recently purchase The Moody Blues' Anthology and was looking forward to listening to that, but that will have to wait for the iPod 30GB load.

I got my cholesterol results. And, when the nurse asks for the phone number for your pharmacy, you know it ain't good. My numbers are not horrible, but my LDL is too high. Here's the results:


MetricResultHealthy Goal
LDL169 - HighLess than 130
HDL70 - NormalMore than 40
Total Cholesterol239 - Borderline highLess than 200
Triglycerides145 - NormalLess than 150

So, I am changing my diet and getting another reading in 1 month. I gotta say this feels like a wake up call to me. I didn't have a New Year's resolution, but I do now. Cut the fat out and eat more healthily! I owe Steve Runner, from Phedippidations, a huge thank you. He recently did a show on Jim Fixx who died while running after have a heart attack. Jim's cholesterol was high! Steve talked about his own numbers. And, I realized that I didn't even know what mine were and really never have! That motivated me to go get the measured. I don't like the results. But, I would damn sure rather know!

Data

Distance:8 Miles
Time:1:22:24
Heart Rate:153
Pace:10:18
Weather:Cloudy
Temperature-57°
Humidity-83%

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

01/03/07: 10 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Good run, but frustrating technology and irritating drivers. I have finished ripping my entire CD collection and putting it on the Creative Zen. Last time I used it, it starting cutting out (intermittent spans of time with no music) in the first mile. I assumed it was the battery which indicated low and went on. I charged it fully this time and had it loaded with my entire collection. But, the damn thing still cut out. And just after 5 miles, it died altogether. None of the buttons worked despite the screen indicated it was still powered up. So, head phones off and finished the run. I pushed in the reset button and I guess I will have to see if more problems repeat. Arghhhhhhhhhh


Now for the irritating drivers. I have been running these longer runs from my neighborhood by exiting our gated community and running along a county highway, highway 41. And, typically these runs are in the dark. I wear a reflective vest and use a flashing light to give the drivers plenty of opportunity to see me. Some of these assholes drive as if the yellow line is a brick wall despite the fact that there is no traffic in the opposing lane. Some honk. It just about drives me bananas. I start having thoughts of just kicking the asses of the drivers. It is so hard to fight the aggressive feelings this creates. But, I really just wish they could be kinder and more considerate. Pulling over a little bit to let us runners know that you see us and letting us stay on the road instead of jumping to the grass would be so cool.


Next bitch: blogspot keeps changing the bgcolor tag to some style crap that makes the text in the cells in the table below the color I want for the background. So, I am having to edit these entries in raw HTML. arghhhhhhhhhhhhh



Data

Distance:10 Miles
Time:1:42:18
Heart Rate:149
Pace:10:13
Weather:Clear
Temperature-36°
Humidity-85%

01/02/07: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

This may have been the coldest run in a year, brrrrr. Uneventful otherwise and I am blogging late so here's the data....

Data

Distance:5 Miles
Time:51:44
Heart Rate:153
Pace:10:20
Weather:Clear
Temperature-32°
Humidity-82%

Sunday, December 31, 2006

12/31/06: 13 Mile Run: Brownell-Montclair

No Judy today due to rain. As it turned out, the first 9 miles were dry and comfortable, but I did get soaked in the last 4 miles. I listened to TPN Rock which is a new podcast to my subscription. I like it quite well. I got introduced to the idea by Accident Hash (actually Accident Mash which features hosts from both shows). Anyway, it made for good music for the run.

Data

Distance:13 Miles
Time:2:17:24
Heart Rate:156
Pace:10:34
Weather:Cloudy/Raining
Temperature-66°
Humidity-90%
Route:13 Mile Montclair Run

Saturday, December 30, 2006

We Should Not Celebrate Killing

Amongst the dancing in the street and George Bush's statements, I just want to say that killing a man (yes, even an evil man) is not something to celebrate. It may be necessary. It may be the right (no, make that the "best") thing to do. But, it is not something to celebrate. Let's hope that others can learn from justice and choose paths that don't result in killing. Saddam got his justice, but we should have mercy on his soul and have wished for him a better path from his birth to his death. A better path that would not have led to groups of people choosing to kill him.

In fact, as I think of mass graves created at the order to kill as offered by Saddam, I am also faced with the presentation of the killing chambers in operation in Iraq now. Is there a chance that all that has happened is that the decision makers have changed and the killing continues? Humans are so vicious!

I bumped into the gem looking for the aforementioned reference. Economics, religion, class, justice, oh the convoluted relationships.

12/30/06: 4 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I neglected to mention that while I was running yesterday, I watched a great blue heron land in the top of a tree around our lake. It was a majestic site. Today, I swear I saw a Muscovy Duck in our lake despite Alabama not being a native habitat for Muscovies from what I can find. Very cool, if you ask me.

As to the run, I was slow, but steady. I listened to the last Daily Source Code for the year. Adam claims he is going to blog more this coming year. I hope so. I was disappointed when he decided to reduce the content of his show notes because some listeners were using them to determine whether to listen or not. For me, the show notes were a great source for reminding me what I had listened to. I used them to remind myself what I might want to comment about here. I frequently create these blog entries hours after I run. So, reminders are handy. Adam's decision to reduce show notes was nothing but a downer for me.

Data

Distance:4 Miles
Time:41:47
Heart Rate:153
Pace:10:26
Weather:Cloudy
Temperature-54°
Humidity-86%
I thought it was windy despite the National Weather Service's assertion that wind speeds were only 7 mph

12/29/06: 5 Mile Run: Neighborhood

No glitches; no GPS; no Creative Zen. Humm..., well there weren't any glitches, but it probably isn't that simple. I ran with the heart rate monitor and the iPod Nano. I listened to the latest Phedippidations which was pretty much a best-of with a lot of focus on Steve's skits over the last year. Not totally my cup of tea, but that's ok. Steve's show consistently delivers quality so I don't mind a little divergence every now and then. I didn't skip ahead or interrupt so I must have gotten something out of it. Good year Steve!
As to the run, I was slow, but steady. After being sick and then just jumping back in, I am keeping my expectations a little lower than they would be if my training had not been interrupted. I got my cholesterol levels checked today, but I won't know the numbers until next week. I haven't had them checked since the 80's so I am a bit nervous.

Data

Distance:5 Miles
Time:52:57
Heart Rate:152
Pace:10:35
Weather:Clear
Temperature-57°
Humidity-64%

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

12/27/06: 10 Mile Run: Neighborhood

Another technical glitch. This time it was my fault, no doubt. I only had 2 podcasts loaded up on the iPod and the total time was less than 1 hour. So, I took the Creative and assumed I would listen to music. But, the Creative's battery indicator indicated that it was low. But, I thought I might get lucky. I didn't. It died within the first mile.

The saddest part was that this was a mental run. In other words, I was running despite that fact that I really didn't feel like it. But, as it turns out I ran fine. I did get passed by another run, but hey, I am not the fastest runner on the road and I know it. The Timex/Garwin unit worked again and now I know the 10 mile turn around point (remember that last time I overshot the turn around point and almost ran 11 miles).

The quads did not feel bad at all.

Data

Distance:10 Miles
Time:1:40:45
Heart Rate:Not measured
Pace:10:04
Weather:Clear
Temperature-52°
Humidity-31%

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

12/26/06: 5 Mile Run: Demopolis, AL

I listened to Accident Hash during this run. My quads are still complaining but not strong enough to prevent running. I am hoping it is not anything to worry about. Tomorrow I run 10 miles. So, that should be telling. The Timex/Garwin "Time and Distance" system did agree with gmap-pedometer today.

Data

Distance:5.169
Time:50:59
Heart Rate:Not measured
Pace:9:51
Weather:Mostly cloudy
Temperature-40°
Humidity-86%
Route:Demopolis

Monday, December 25, 2006

12/24/06: 15 Mile Run + 2 Mile Walk:Demopolis, AL

This was supposed to be a 17 mile run. I used the Timex/Garwin Time and Distance system again. This time it screwed up again due to user error. You can't just turn on the GPS unit, put the watch on, set it to Chronograph, and press start. OK, I know you would think so, but no. You have to set to see one of the various readings that would require the GPS for the watch to know that you wish to use the GPS too. But, given yesterday's performance, I had measured the route with a car as a backup. So, no big deal. It did irritate me

As for the run, I listened to the random selections from the Creative Zen. I ran well for the first 8-9 miles. At which point, I started feeling some soreness in my quads. I made it to 15 miles and just couldn't push my legs to run anymore. So, I walked the last 2 miles. I am disappointed but in the grand scheme with the pneumonia and all, I am fairly pleased. I think I will try 17 again next weekend and if I get it in consider it good.

Data

Distance:15 Miles + 2 miles walking
Time:2:30:00
Heart Rate:Not measured
Pace:10:00
Weather:Mostly cloudy
Temperature-50°
Humidity-57%
Route:Demopolis

Saturday, December 23, 2006

12/23/06: 3.4 Mile Run: Demopolis, AL

This was supposed to be a 4 mile run. I used the Timex/Garwin Time and Distance system, but things were screwy once I got to the 2 mile mark according to the watch. It indicated that I had been running 7:15 miles. No way! I was feeling good, but not that good. But, sometimes your body can fool you. So, I turned around and ran back. At the finish, the watch said 3.5 miles. I thought, yeah I thought so! So, I added another 1/2 mile according to the same equipment. Well, when it was all said and done, I was .6 miles short according to gmap-pedometer. So, I assumed the chronongraph portion of the watch worked and used the mileage report by gmap for the "official" log entry. Stupid technology strikes again.

Speaking of stupid technology, Apple should take a lesson from Google. I had to reinstall my Toshiba laptop as I mentioned earlier. As a result, I installed iTunes on one of my other computers and set up my podcast subscriptions. I downloaded the episodes I had not listened to yet and plugged up the iPod. Did Apple go "hey, do you want to keep what's on your iPod?" or "would you like to update your library and your iPod such that any unique show on either is replicated to the other?". NO! It says you can only sync with 1 computer so if you continue, your iPod contents will be erased. Thanks Apple, you dumbass. That is not what I want. Somebody give me a podcatcher to update my iPod that gives me what I want and takes Apple's crap off my computer. iTunes sucks if you ask me. I love the iPod though.

Back to the run. I listened to the latest Daily Source Codes and my legs felt better than yestereday. I find it amazing that the body some how accomodates the loads we throw at it. Today's run felt good despite the slow pace.

Data

Distance:3.4 Miles
Time:33:47
Heart Rate:Not measured
Pace:9:56
Weather:Clear
Temperature-46°
Humidity-83%
Route:Demopolis

Friday, December 22, 2006

12/22/06: 6 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I ran while listening to a random selection of tunes on the Creative Zen Sleek. I was not able to update the iPod with Podcasts because the harddrive on my Toshiba Protege went tits up again. OK, I know you are thinking what is "tits up". I got that in the military and it means the Toshiba's harddrive died. You know, fell on its back with ... Anyway, I tried repeatedly to recover with no luck until I took the harddrive out and cleaned the contacts. So, now I am rebuilding it again. Oh, the Toshiba went down while loading the Creative. The Creative started reporting a firmware problem and I didn't seem to be able to reload it. Thus, I was think I would be able to add a new big iPod to my list for Christmas. But, damn if I didn't fix it.

As for the run, it was fine but my quads are still saying "man, you be working us hard". So, I am still a little slow, but that's ok. It was wet, but not cold. In fact, I had to drop some clothes along the way (I picked 'em up later) as it was so warm. All in all, a good run. This is the most mileage during the week for my Mercedes training schedule, so I am not going to worry about speed or a little soreness. There was a wreck on the road near where I come of the neighborhood. I went the other way so I didn't get to see any details.

Data

Distance:6 Miles
Time:1:02:25
Heart Rate:160
Pace:10:24
Weather:Light rain
Temperature-56°
Humidity-100%


Wednesday, December 20, 2006

12/20/06: 11 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I ran while listening to show 515 of the Daily Source Code and Accident Hash. I only intended to run 10 miles, but near the middle I must have gotten absorbed and I ran right through to nearly 5.5 miles. That's ok, I just shorten tomorrow's run. I did have a very scary experience. A car passed a school bus just as they both went by me on the 2 lane road upon which I was running. I didn't like it.

My legs are a bit tired and sore and I walked a bit of the last hill, but that's ok.

Data

Distance: 10.78 Miles
Time: 1:54:59 (too slow for Gabriel)
Heart Rate: Not measured (used GPS today)
Pace: 10:39
Weather: Clear
Temperature-53°
Humidity-74%


Tuesday, December 19, 2006

12/19/06: 7 Mile Run: Neighborhood

I ran while listening to Accident Mash # 3 as pulled with my Accident Hash subscription. If I find more time in my listening schedule, I have to add the TPN Rock podcast (this is the other half of the Acccident Mash). Judging by his commentary and musical selections, the host TPN Rock, Ewan Spence, and I have a lot in common. I also finished the rest of the Uncle Seth Live at the U-Turn Cafe, also downloaded as part of my Accident Hash subscription. As C.C. says, "all good."

I am back on the marathon schedule, proper. So, I ran 7 miles this morning and 10 miles tomorrow. I did skip the gym yesterday as I have some DOMS, delayed onset of muscle soreness, in my quads. It will pass, but I don't want to overdo it. Running in shorts and a singlet in December; you have to love living in the south.

Data

Distance: 7 Miles
Time: 1:12:17 (too slow for Gabriel)
Heart Rate: Not measured (used GPS today)
Pace: 10:17
Weather: Clear
Temperature-53°
Humidity-83%


Sunday, December 17, 2006

12/17/06: 8.5 Mile Run: Brownell - Shades Creek

I met Judy at 6:30 am as usual. I am a bit sore, leg muscle soreness. Judy took off in the last 2 miles. My goal was simply to run and see if my body is ready for more. I am planning to pick right back up on the schedule this week. That would be the schedule for the Mercedes Marathon. I think I am ready. I sure hope so.

Data

Distance: 8.5 Miles
Time: 1:24:03
Heart Rate: 152
Pace: 9:53
Weather: Clear
Temperature-47°
Humidity-83%
Route: The usual 8.5 Miler

12/16/06: Running Again: Meadow Brook 5K

I listened to the Daily Source Code and ran this 5K at a leisurely pace as planned. I think I am back! Yeppee. I have never been as sick as I was last week. It felt good to run again. I have run this race quite a few times and it is one that I try to make each year. It is sponsored by a Meadow Brook Baptist Church. They release doves at the beginning and adverstise their Jesus tapes. I haven't seen it, but it is some sort of video that they apparently use as some sort of evangelical tool. I am just there to run and they are nice folks.

Data

Distance: 3.1 Miles
Time: 29:43
Heart Rate: I forgot to record it before I started the next run
Pace: 9:35
Weather: Clear
Temperature-55°
Humidity-77%

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

12/04/06: Pneumonia Put Me Down

You are likely asking "what happened to Bob's runs?" Well, I got pneumonia and I have never felt so ill. I am starting to feel normal now, 12/13/06. But, I suspect I will not be running the full marathon at Mercedes. My training has been severely impacted. Which just sucks since I was doing so well. But, I should be able to do the 1/2 marathon. I will start planning for a full somewhere else.

Monday, December 04, 2006

12/03/06: 16 Mile Run: Demopolis

Well, the wife's advice worked out. I ran my 16 miler without any trouble. OK, I am tired, but that's expected. So, I am quite pleased with the results.

Data

Distance: 16 Miles
Time: 2:30:20
Heart Rate: Not Measured
Pace: 9:23
Weather: Clear
Temperature-42°
Humidity-65%
Route: 16 Mile Run

11/28-12/02/06: Running In Lots of Places

I have been so busy with vacationing, returning home, working, and celebrating Christmas on the River in Demopolis, Alabama that getting to this blog has been impossible. So, let me just catch up in 1 big post. I completed a few more runs in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. I changed my planned routes to include 5th Avenue which is the shopping, restaurant ladden route in Playa Del Carmen. I posted some pictures on Flickr. We did have a good time. And, there were some especially interesting bits. For example, I was laying in a hammock on our rooms deck reading when all of a sudden I heard a women moaning the clear throngs of passion. I gotta tell you that this got my attention.

We saw Tulum a beach side Mayan ruin that was just awesome. We snorkled along a reef, a lagoon, and in a cenote. All of this was arranged and managed by EdVenture Tours which I just couldn't recommend more strongly. The cenote was basically the entrance to a flooded cave that was once dry. Thus, there were under water formations. It was very cool. The lagoon was next to a beautiful garden that was very well maintained and well populated with sculptures. The snorkeling here including seeing large parrot fish and a barracuda. The trip was wonderful.

Data

11/28/06: Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Distance: 5 Miles
Time: 49:07
Heart Rate: Not Measured
Pace: 9:49
Weather: Few Clouds
Temperature-77°
Humidity-78%
Route: 5 Mile Run

Data

11/29/06: Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
The Garwin GPS unit died at about 1.5 miles. I am hoping it was just batteries. So, I just ran based on time. I assumed a very slow pace of 10 minutes per mile and turned around at 40 minutes.

Distance: 8 Miles (estimated)
Time: 1:20:00
Heart Rate: Not Measured
Pace: 10:00
Weather: Mostly Cloudy
Temperature-73°
Humidity-94%
Route: 8 Mile Run

Being the only runner on a vacation with 8 other people really makes it difficult to fit in runs. The group has no problem scheduling activities such that it is difficult to fit runs in. But, I think I did pretty good by only missing 1 run. Allbeit, I missed the longest run of the week. I was all perplexed about how I was going to make up for it. I was supposed to run 15 last Sunday and 17 this Sunday (12/03/06). After complaining and mentioning it to the wife, she said why don't you just run 16 this week. Now, that was such a simple and beautiful compromise. I wished I could've/would've thougth of it. Well, that is what I am planning to do.

So, we go back home alright. I ran my 6 mile out and back route in the neighborhood on Friday.

Data

12/01/06: Neighborhood
It was cold which is such a shock to the system after Mexico. But, I have to admit the body found the cooler temperature a welcome change back.

Distance: 6 Miles
Time: 58:23
Heart Rate: Not Measured
Pace: 9:43
Weather: Mostly Cloudy
Temperature-40°
Humidity-68%

After working the rest of the day, we headed off to Demopolis, Alabma for several things. Not least of which, we were heading to grandmamma's and granddaddy's where my son has been. Yes, we haven't seen him in a week. And, we missed him terribly. This weekend is also the annual Christmas on the River celebration in Demopolis. This celebration started back in 1972 when a good friend of our family and another fellow decided to add this celebration after seeing celebrations in other parts of the country.

Friday night is a dedicated to a big barbeque (which we arrived too late to enjoy). Saturday brings the annual Jingle Bell Run, the traditional, land-based parade, and the evening float parade on the river with accompanying fireworks. I ran the Jinble Bell Run.

Data

12/02/06: Jingle Bell Run in Demopolis, Alabama

Distance: 3.1 Miles
Time: 26:46
Heart Rate: Not Measured
Pace: 8:38
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Temperature-34°
Humidity-62%