A quick update.....
My wife and I went to Memphis last Monday, and it took pretty much the entire day to get there. We checked into the Peabody Hotel, which is a very nice hotel with many characteristics similar to the Davenport Hotel here in Spokane. Although it was late in the evening, we walked down to Beale Street and sat in a tavern and listened to some live music for a while. When we got back to the hotel, the nice lady at the desk reminded us that the duck procession is at 11am and 5pm each day. So if you have stayed at the Peabody, you already know about the duck procession, but this will be our first time of seeing the ducks.
Our group met in meeting rooms at the hotel, which was very convenient. But at about 10:30 on Tuesday morning, all of us in attendance went out to the lobby or the mezannine level to watch the ducks, and this is quite a sight. The lobby is packed full of people, and then the second level is packed about four deep as well, with people leaning over the railing to get a good look. There is a bright red carpet that has been rolled out that leads from the elevator directly to the fountain in the middle of the lobby. People line both sides of the red carpet all the way up to the fountain. Many are jockying for the best vantage point, and the noise level and conversation level and anticipation level are very high. Promptly at 11am, an elevator opens and out comes a group of ducks that walk single file over to the fountain. The crowd is somewhat hushed but the camera flashes are unbelievable. The ducks waddled with a swagger, but I'm certain they are well paid and probably set for life. They stay in the fountain until 5pm, at which time another ceremony happens as they waddle single file back to the elevator and back to their home. Now speaking of their home.....that evening we had a reception on the roof of the hotel, and that is where the duck penthouse is. Although we can't actually go into their penthouse, they have quite the view of downtown Memphis and the river and they can hear some of the music being played down on Beale Street. There's quite a bit of fowl language! It sounded to me like they use the "Q-word" frequently, especially when trying to make a point or when startled. We all heard a Q-bomb when one duck bit another duck.
The next evening, our group loaded buses and visited Graceland for the evening. We enjoyed the tour of the mansion and the grounds and gravesites. They also have two of their jets on display and all of the cars that Elvis owned.
Then we made it back to Spokane on Thursday. I have now "ran" on both Saturday and Sunday at the track, but there is some making up time ahead after being gone last week. This upcoming week is very important in terms of getting back on track with the training. This was the Cliff Notes version for this past week, and am anxious to have a good week starting tomorrow.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
On Friday, I scooted out of the office for a short while and went up to 57th for a quick jog. After about two miles, I was drenched, and mainly from the afternoon sun. So I walked back to the car. That evening, we drove to Seattle, and then yesterday morning, I walked at a track - it was about the best we could do with all the little people soccer games going on. And then today, I "ran" at the track for four miles. So I'm feeling fairly ok about where I'm at in the training schedule. Now I'm headed out of town until Thursday, so I guess elyptical machines or treadmills will have to serve as a substitute until next weekend.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Recurring nightmare
While enjoying the "rest" day, I wanted to take the extra time to discuss a recurring nightmare that I've been having. Maybe it'll be therapeutic to put this to writing, and see if there is some underlying message here.
The setting in the dream is a meeting room in downtown Seattle, filled with people that comprise the planning committee for this year's marathon. The meeting is called to order by the Head Marathon Organizer (HMO). He starts by saying "I'd like to call this meeting to order. In our last few meetings, we discussed all of what went right with this last years race. Today's agenda will address what didn't go so well, and discuss any strategies that need to be instituted to correct the issues. Mr. Secretariat, can you please read the first incident report filed from last years race."
Secretariat reads a complaint submitted from a group of volunteers at the finish line."....and we need to consider closing the course much earlier than the current six hours. The neighbors are sick and tired of listening to six hours of the theme song from Chariots of Fire. We have lives of our own and can't be expected to sit there for that long. Most everyone, except for you-know-who, is done with the race well within four hours. Last year, we resorted to pitching pennies and playing rock/paper/scissors while we were waiting for the last group to finish."
One committee member barked "I heard that there was a food and water station over in Seward Park that was literally consumed by one of those clydesdales. Wiped 'em out. This guy shuffled away with about fifty Power Bars!"
Ned in the back row, chewing on a handful of raisins and Metamucil, bellows, "And another thing.....I've got a friend that I run with that's a seismologist over at the U, and he says there's actually seismic activity during the race that can be pinpointed along the course. He's afraid it could trigger 'the big one'."
Bill, in the middle aisle sprinting on his mobile treadmill, says "Lookit, I think there's clearly enough evidence here that we should narrow our focus, and stop accepting entry applications from......" As the room was roaring in approval of Bill's sentiments before he completed his sentence, HMO stands and slams the gavel onto the table, screaming "Order....Order I say! ....Need I remind the group that the mission statement for our race says that we strive to be a fun-filled and challenging event for all equines - thoroughbreds, geldings, and clydesdales alike."
Now Peter has been fairly quiet in most of the previous meetings. He generally can be found in the front row, right side, and is often sipping on vitamin-laced pomegranate juice stored in his Eddie Bauer fanny pack. He stands up amidst all the chaos and subgrouping and addresses the committee. "It seems the answer here is simple. What is the biggest motivator, the focal point for any clydesdale?" "Calories" the crowd shouts back. Peter says, "Correctomundo! So given that, how 'bout we put a food station BEHIND the starting line. We pack that table with Twinkies, donuts, cream puffs, ice cream, whip cream....the "clydes" will never leave that spot". Mark, who can't be readily seen because he is in a Ichiro-esque squat position, feet pointed outwards in a nearly 180 degree angle, a maneuver designed to stretch the abs, quads, and iliotibial band, screams "Brilliant idea. Give that man a Nobel Peace Prize!".
Ben yells from his seat "Let's wrap this up. I have a meeting at the top of the Space Needle and I'm taking the stairs. Do I hear a motion?" "So moved" says Herm. Then HMO, after the vote, hits the table with the gavel, and says "Meeting adjourned."
Then I usually wake up and can't sleep.
The setting in the dream is a meeting room in downtown Seattle, filled with people that comprise the planning committee for this year's marathon. The meeting is called to order by the Head Marathon Organizer (HMO). He starts by saying "I'd like to call this meeting to order. In our last few meetings, we discussed all of what went right with this last years race. Today's agenda will address what didn't go so well, and discuss any strategies that need to be instituted to correct the issues. Mr. Secretariat, can you please read the first incident report filed from last years race."
Secretariat reads a complaint submitted from a group of volunteers at the finish line."....and we need to consider closing the course much earlier than the current six hours. The neighbors are sick and tired of listening to six hours of the theme song from Chariots of Fire. We have lives of our own and can't be expected to sit there for that long. Most everyone, except for you-know-who, is done with the race well within four hours. Last year, we resorted to pitching pennies and playing rock/paper/scissors while we were waiting for the last group to finish."
One committee member barked "I heard that there was a food and water station over in Seward Park that was literally consumed by one of those clydesdales. Wiped 'em out. This guy shuffled away with about fifty Power Bars!"
Ned in the back row, chewing on a handful of raisins and Metamucil, bellows, "And another thing.....I've got a friend that I run with that's a seismologist over at the U, and he says there's actually seismic activity during the race that can be pinpointed along the course. He's afraid it could trigger 'the big one'."
Bill, in the middle aisle sprinting on his mobile treadmill, says "Lookit, I think there's clearly enough evidence here that we should narrow our focus, and stop accepting entry applications from......" As the room was roaring in approval of Bill's sentiments before he completed his sentence, HMO stands and slams the gavel onto the table, screaming "Order....Order I say! ....Need I remind the group that the mission statement for our race says that we strive to be a fun-filled and challenging event for all equines - thoroughbreds, geldings, and clydesdales alike."
Now Peter has been fairly quiet in most of the previous meetings. He generally can be found in the front row, right side, and is often sipping on vitamin-laced pomegranate juice stored in his Eddie Bauer fanny pack. He stands up amidst all the chaos and subgrouping and addresses the committee. "It seems the answer here is simple. What is the biggest motivator, the focal point for any clydesdale?" "Calories" the crowd shouts back. Peter says, "Correctomundo! So given that, how 'bout we put a food station BEHIND the starting line. We pack that table with Twinkies, donuts, cream puffs, ice cream, whip cream....the "clydes" will never leave that spot". Mark, who can't be readily seen because he is in a Ichiro-esque squat position, feet pointed outwards in a nearly 180 degree angle, a maneuver designed to stretch the abs, quads, and iliotibial band, screams "Brilliant idea. Give that man a Nobel Peace Prize!".
Ben yells from his seat "Let's wrap this up. I have a meeting at the top of the Space Needle and I'm taking the stairs. Do I hear a motion?" "So moved" says Herm. Then HMO, after the vote, hits the table with the gavel, and says "Meeting adjourned."
Then I usually wake up and can't sleep.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
My wife and I had a wonderful dinner with Steve and Jan Prawdzik on Monday evening, along with a few other folks helping with Fr.O.G.s Helping Families - Brian's Legacy. Jan talked about Brian's life, and the impact of his medical issues on not only him, but others around him. Suffice it to say that I walked away from their home even more determined to try to make a difference right along with them. Jan and Steve have been through so much, and yet they have so much to offer and to give. There are more Brians in our community today, and there will be more in the future. And believe me, they and their families need our help. I have no doubts whatsoever that any donated penny that goes towards Brian's Legacy will be put to good use.
Five miles again this morning! It felt fine, except for the labored breathing and sore joints. I talked to Dan yesterday about some of the basic differences between thoroughbreds and clydesdales. He said that besides the obvious differences, clydesdales are able to carry much more internal fuel for the long runs. I guess I had never thought of it that way but maybe there is an advantage to the clydesdale physique after all.
Five miles again this morning! It felt fine, except for the labored breathing and sore joints. I talked to Dan yesterday about some of the basic differences between thoroughbreds and clydesdales. He said that besides the obvious differences, clydesdales are able to carry much more internal fuel for the long runs. I guess I had never thought of it that way but maybe there is an advantage to the clydesdale physique after all.
Monday, September 7, 2009
It's Labor Day! I went to a different track this morning, this time with my wife. She is four foot nine inches tall and weighs about 105 pounds (i.e. about a third of a clydesdale in size). She and I are both going to seen Brian's parents later today, at their house. Our daughter was a classmate of Brian's in grade school, so we have known the Prawdziks now for nearly 20 years. Wonderful people.
I "ran" three miles on the track, and feel pretty sore from Saturday's nine miles. I feel fairly confident that I can do this race in November because I "participated" in the same race last year. I "ran" with three other gentlemen - Steve, Dave, and Dan. All three of them are pharmacists (like me), and would be considered thoroughbreds (unlike me). Each of them could have finished in 3-4 hours, but instead we all stayed together for the entire six hours. We had a great time. I don't think that any of the three broke a sweat whereas I was drenched beyond recognition. Dave and Steve are brothers, and the three of us went to pharmacy school together at WSU. Dave was a groomsman in our wedding 26+ years ago. Dan is a well respected pharmacist in the Seattle area. Each of the three are intelligent but not nerdy. You would never hear them say "If we attached a benzene ring at the six position, the compound could reversibly acetylate megakaryocytes". You'd never hear that. But they are into providing a good service in their communities. It's my hope that we can all run together again this year, and that there will be some appreciable improvement on the finish time.
I "ran" three miles on the track, and feel pretty sore from Saturday's nine miles. I feel fairly confident that I can do this race in November because I "participated" in the same race last year. I "ran" with three other gentlemen - Steve, Dave, and Dan. All three of them are pharmacists (like me), and would be considered thoroughbreds (unlike me). Each of them could have finished in 3-4 hours, but instead we all stayed together for the entire six hours. We had a great time. I don't think that any of the three broke a sweat whereas I was drenched beyond recognition. Dave and Steve are brothers, and the three of us went to pharmacy school together at WSU. Dave was a groomsman in our wedding 26+ years ago. Dan is a well respected pharmacist in the Seattle area. Each of the three are intelligent but not nerdy. You would never hear them say "If we attached a benzene ring at the six position, the compound could reversibly acetylate megakaryocytes". You'd never hear that. But they are into providing a good service in their communities. It's my hope that we can all run together again this year, and that there will be some appreciable improvement on the finish time.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The schedule indicates I should be doing seven miles this weekend - all at once! Driving to the track, I felt that I should elevate the goal somewhat, and take advantage of the cool yet very sunny morning. I picked lane #3 and stayed there most of the time. Being this slow, I find myself drifting to the outer lanes as other, more swift runners show up to utilize the track. Over the ensuing one hour and fifty minutes, I did nine miles, which felt great.
The schedule and consistent "running" seems to be going fine so far. But to really be able to go the distance and to be able to finish the race in a reasonable time will require a pretty radical change in eating habits. Just as an example, I had breakfast at a restaurant this morning with my favorite daughter and her boyfriend. I had three eggs (over easy), sausage, hash browns and toast. That was gone in about 8 seconds. I couldn't help but wonder if they had maple bars or cinnamon rolls in the back to keep me going while the other two were finishing their breakfast. So that's another challenge that needs to be met.
The schedule and consistent "running" seems to be going fine so far. But to really be able to go the distance and to be able to finish the race in a reasonable time will require a pretty radical change in eating habits. Just as an example, I had breakfast at a restaurant this morning with my favorite daughter and her boyfriend. I had three eggs (over easy), sausage, hash browns and toast. That was gone in about 8 seconds. I couldn't help but wonder if they had maple bars or cinnamon rolls in the back to keep me going while the other two were finishing their breakfast. So that's another challenge that needs to be met.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
First off, it's now somewhat dark at 6am. I headed west on 57th at 6:15am, and it just didn't feel right. Each stride seemed off center and more labored than usual. I'm convinced that if there were any observers or passersby, this "runner" probably looked like one of the gentlemen from Czechoslovakia, the Wild and Crazy Guys. Remember how Dan Akroyd and Steve Martin walked with their legs going left and right? Anyway, I'm told that you simply have to persevere when this happens, and the "running" will become less labored.
Ultimately, the five miles went fine. I had to laugh, though, because school is now in session and the students are waiting on the side of the road for the schoolbus to pick them up. It has to be quite an eyeopening experience that early in the morning to see a clydesdale jogging by.
Next up, later this week, a longer distance. And I'm up for it!
Ultimately, the five miles went fine. I had to laugh, though, because school is now in session and the students are waiting on the side of the road for the schoolbus to pick them up. It has to be quite an eyeopening experience that early in the morning to see a clydesdale jogging by.
Next up, later this week, a longer distance. And I'm up for it!
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