Running Part I

A long time ago in an elementary school named Ocean City, there was a day at the end of the year called 'field day', where students from each classroom per grade would compete against one another. 4th ? 5th? 6th ? grade. I can't remember when these pics were taken. I'm going to guess 6th grade because I vaguely remember the shoes.

So at some point, like around 4th grade. We had to start each day of recess or PE with one mile around the track. 4 laps of most kids groaning in agony. On Fridays we would run while being timed. It was this big nerve racking thing to me. Everyone lining up, jockying for position, and then taking off as fast as you could. Depending on how fast you ran, you could skip days of running the following week. If you ran under some number minutes you only had to run the following Monday and Wednesday. Something like that.

I hated running everyday. A mile was just a waste of time. It was hot, and I had other things to do man! I would get so nervous and wound up about running for time on Fridays, I would sometimes puke my food up while running. I recall once my buddy Shane applauding me for so strategically and artfully even, bombing the tires lining the track with my beef and rice vomit. It was like natural.

At field day tho, things were different. No one was faster than me when it came to running 100yards. Kids would tease me and say why do your feet hit your butt when you run. I won that dang race just about every year since 1st grade too. My 5th grade teacher wouldn't let me run in it, because he was boxed into his 'fair' choosing methods. I still hold that against you Mr. McCloud!

When 6th grade came around, everyone said that I couldn't beat Karlos Rhodes. He was such a cocky dude, but we got along really well. He was a nice kid, and I respected him. On race day, I made the mistake of lining up in gravel, thinking I was off to the side and wouldn't have to knock elbows. That didn't work out so well when my foot went right out from under me, and I stared in absolute horror as the pack left me with Karlos in the lead. I ran my ass off and came in second, just a stride away from beating Karlos. Not bad for giving them a 20 yard head start. I want to say Karlos congratulated me and put his arm around me as if to say good run son. He still had that charming smirk in his eye too, that said nana nana poopoo stick your head in doodoo! (tosh.0 ref)

But I was a sprinter, not a runner. And once I moved on to middle school, running or sprinting was lost to other things like cycling and tennis.

Running in the relay race. Jeez, such pressure at an early age to help your team win.

Me and Scott Robertson in the 3 legged race.

The classic tug of war!! And to think I did that with a military belt buckle on! Gawd that is hilarious!

1 year ago in the Mobile

Once upon a time 3 white boys got lost in the ghetto in southern Alabama. We did not take pictures of that incident. Wait, no that's not true. I did not because I was trying to drive our ass out of there! But I did take some others.

Doctors Orders

Apparently, I am not one to follow the doctor's orders! I guess that makes me super stubborn doesn't it?

Since the beginning of this year, I have been immersing myself in all that is running. I try to be conservative and mindful of not over doing it. Even my workouts are always fairly bland for intensity sake. It's ridiculous that of all the things that would keep me from running it's my stupid shoulder. It's not like I run with my arms waving in the air (Pheobe style). Maybe I should?

My shoulder or impingement syndrome came on strong again this past Sunday. It's basically inflammation of the tendons in my left shoulder. Monday morning, I got a call from our realtor (whoah deja vu) and had a couple of hours to get the house ready. It was really hard to clean that morning. The pain from my shoulder radiates all the way across my collar bone and into my neck. In certain positions, it is difficult to breath. Sometimes, it even feels like my chest is going to snap and my ribs will break. There's sharp pain of some level no matter my body position, and of course raising the arm above my shoulder is near impossible. One also has to 'wipe' with the other hand. Try that sometime. It's funny.

So yah apparently, I'm not following through on 3 things.
Ibuprofen 3x a day for 6 to 8 weeks. Soon to be naproxen 2x a day
Doing my rubber band exercises every day (not every 4 days)
Icing after every run ( I know I know wheres the heat right J :p)

Well by golly ( wagging finger) I'm going to commit without deviation I tell ya.

Anyway, all that aside people are still looking at the house. There's still hope!

And lastly, today at the park, I met a man named Tim that was in 9th grade while living on Clark Air Base when I was born. He's here in Omaha visiting his mother and has been living in Seattle the last 25yrs. A real nice guy. One of those people you meet, and the conversation just flows. He told me in vivid detail about his young adventures in the PI when he was young. Kinda makes ya think of the Celestine Prophecy! hahahahaha ok not really.

Ok let me just back in here for a sec. It's now 1:34am. Heard a noise outside my back porch. Thought to myself, "another storm?" since we had a big one last night, but oh no no no no. I opened the blinds and hit the lights and saw............

a orange kitten mauling some small rodent. The tussel had knocked over the watering can. The small cat just picked up his dinner and blazed out like lightning. All that was left was a big spattering of thick blood all over my porch! The look in that cat's eyes! More where that came from little guy. Stick around I say!

Chaf

From a Runners World forum post.. cracked me up!

"I'm lactating red now. Wednesday's run started this whole nipple thing. Thursday I body-glided my nips up. Below average performance, they still burned afterwards. Today I cut out some little pieces of moleskin and slapped them on my nipples. Technically they worked. I had no nipple chaf***e. However, I just yanked that moleskin off my nips and the old scabs came off too! I could nurse a baby vampire right now. argh."

As it were....
There in the dibble dibble daaaawwwwp
is a sandwich as big as I can see
with a grassy bottom and ashen top
waving and undulating as I try to float
along this white line
gotta go , gotta go!
Press my chin into THE nothing
fierce in my susurration
There in the dibble dibble daaaaawwwwp

As it was...

He walked in little circles at the corner of the road. He looked angry and hot. Overweight, with clothes that didn't match his face. Was he a stupid man? Was he happy? Or did he just really have to shit?

I sat there waiting for my tuscan herbified cornstarch scowling at him. Inverted with constant pain I guess I felt the need to pad my mental state with lofty and yet cliched questions of morality. Just slap me with some sense of vague reality like that diesel fuel screamer inside a coconut mustard fat butt.

Ok that made no sense.I will agree with you on that.

(said in a bright shiny [yet fake and sarcastic] tone with wiggles on top)
Heres my new book!

Pollen

The grasses must be happy. Pollen is surely in the air, and is kicking my ass right now. Today has been pretty bad.

Shake Keane

Have been watching Treme on HBO. Some of the music has inspired me to think about jazz. I remember growing up and listening to my father's records. He had a bunch of jazzy brass albums, moog records, and some country. I think the moog stuck the most as it would explain my love of many purely electronic bands. There was one album though that had a lot of trumpet as I recall. Man!!! I loved that record! I'd play it backwards, at super slow speed, and fast speed. And of course, I would just build legos and listen to it. hahahahaha that's a funny scene.

So I asked my father to look it up for me in his vast collection, and the title is the artist. Looks like I might be buying a record player to hear me some Shake!

Here's the only youtube vid I could find with his work.

Tornadurz

I found two dead mice outside today. Good! Poison is working.

The baby rabbits have left their hole. They are pretty cute and will let you pick them up to pet them.

Was going to run on the trail today, but after driving for a bit decided that the mammatus clouds were kinda scary ( they mean bad shit is a brew). I was pretty sure the storm would stay north, but I decided not to take a chance. Especially after the wacky weather change the other day riding my bike. One minute sun, the next min cloudy with solid 30mph winds. Toughest 20 min ride for me eva!

Anyway, I ended up at the base gym. This gym is inside a converted airplane hanger. It has a soccer field, 2 basketball courts, 2 tennis courts, a .4 mile track around all of that and enough gym equipment to train a small army.

On my last lap of my run, they announced that everyone had to go to the bottom locker rooms. The tornado sirens were going off outside.

So I sat in that locker room for 50 min with 60 sweaty men and 1 baby. One young guy declared that no one was to go poop while we were all stuck in there. yah no shittin in here man! It was very hot and cramped in there.

I was glad I decided to bring my phone and put it in the locker. I was texting Liz back and forth about the storm. Lots of hail and a confirmed tornado about 20 miles south of us. Our area got hit with power outages, 3 in of rain in 30 min, and some pretty big trees split in half. I was very glad I played the conservative card this day.