Training Log Archive: PG

Bridle path loop on Mt. Toby. Beautiful morning, low 50s, dewpoint 35, though still had a hard time getting out the door. At which point it seemed prudent to make a bargain -- just get out, no need to run hard. So I took it relatively easy for the first part up to the power line, then a little quicker the rest of the way. Felt ok, though lower back muscles are still tight.

Was thinking about my time for the not quite 5K yesterday, and thinking of course how some more training might lower it. But then it occurred to me that conditions were perfect -- cool (almost cold), low humidity, and my legs seem to have some life. In other words, don't get my hopes up about any great improvement. Though that's no reason not to try.

And also wondering about the course length, measured 3.05 in Gmaps Pedometer -- I assume it measures just horizontally and doesn't take into consideration the extra distance when you go up and down hills -- so how long was it really?

C • Pythagoras 3

C • Happy Birthday Peter 1

Back to the 50s, and it's slim pickings. The only photo I can find (without making a visit to Litchfield, where I'm sure there are quite a few in old family albums) is from 1954, my Little League team, the "Dodgers" (in those days, the real Dodgers still played in Brooklyn). Though for me and others on the team who were on the small side (midget size?), our apparent team name was the "Odger," as the first D was lost under my right armpit and the S spent its time under my left one.

I played second base. At the plate I think I got a lot of walks because of a very small strike zone.

The other thing I remember is that in those days parents, or at least my parents, never came to games. I got there and back on my bike. Parents, one assumes, had better things to do, and certainly didn't worry that if we were out of sight, then we were sure to be kidnapped, or worse. Times have changed....



(click on photo for a larger version)

Tomorrow, last stop, the 40s (and my birthday). Dave is coming by for a run at 8:30, so I will have the rest of the day to eat cake. :-)

C • which 3

5K race right here in Sunderland, part of the "Fall Festival," which I hope they get better attendance at than they did for the race. Maybe 20 starters. Finished 4th, 21:30. But that was ok, got a good hard workout, just what i wanted, and time was not terrible. First road race of the year and only second running race of any kind, almost forgot how to do it....

Route.

A little before, a little after.

Lower back has been very sore last couple of days, a couple of tight muscles. But it seems ok once I get warmed up. Sitting is not so good. Hopefully this will pass....

Looking for the military-era photos -- can't seem to find them!

A fine afternoon, sunny, breezy, just what fall is supposed to be. First played a few holes of mellow golf with a very interesting fellow, on the board of the local YMCA, we had a good talk about non-profits, and then more about the problems of the local schools (his wife is on the School Committee). He was #41, meaning 41st new person I've played with this year. Original goal was 25. A very good project, met a lot of interesting people.

And then home to mow the "lawn" for the second (and last) time this year. Hardly needed mowing -- the moss is looking very healthy and has made great strides this year towards it eventual complete takeover -- but it will make it easier to round up the leaves over the next month.

And then I looked in the Wall Street Journal and found the following --

"Long unpopular with gardeners and careful tenders of grassy lawns, moss has new cachet as a trendy ground and outdoor wall cover. It's also used in small, desktop rock gardens and as a base in Japanese bonsai-tree kits. Gardening Web sites and TV shows advocate its low-maintenance growing potential, the cushiony feel of walking barefoot on it, and even the plant's supposedly stress-reducing green color."

Once again I seem to be ahead of the times without even knowing it.

Definitely a fine afternoon.

Damn, I hadn't lost the military photos after all.... :-)

So, going backwards in time as usual -- what would Einstein say about this whole operation (other than "great hair")? -- here is the most recent beardless photo I can find, last day of work at the Pentagon, where I was a civilian for the last few months but still in a military environment....



And then earlier, getting promoted to first lieutenant....



And then earlier, getting an award for being first in my class at Finance Officer Basic School (and this was really important, because it got me assigned to Washington for two years instead of to Vietnam), location Ft. Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis, affectionately called Uncle Ben's Rest Home for the easy pace of life, classes every morning, golf every afternoon....



And then earlier, getting commissioned as a second lieutenant (second louie = basically worthless), but this was also as first in my class (and this was really important because it got me commissioned in the Finance Corps instead of as a Combat Engineer). That's my mom on the right....



And then earlier, I spent a couple of months at Ft. Knox in Kentucky learning all about M48 tanks. They were fun to drive....



Now, of course, the military wasn't all hard work. This photo, in which I recognize only myself and the colonel at the far right (but not the 3-star general standing next to me), seems to portray several of us holding what seem to be golf trophies! I do recall at some point a week-long all-expenses paid trip to Louisville for the First Army Golf Tournament....



And, of course, there was a lot more to the 60s, though my photo files are almost totally barren. All I can come up with is....



Tomorrow, the 50s, but a very meager photo supply.

Back to the 70s, when I started orienteering, and I've found this fine shot of me and Sharon Crawford -- yes, she was actually young once, too! -- at the 1978 O'Ringen, though I'm not sure where the fine hats came from....



Though it was not my only fine hat, there was a blue-and-white model made by Gail -- though you'll have to take my word for the color, as the National Park Service was only using black-and-white film when they covered the croquet tournament on the Eclipse south of the White House, an event sponsored by the British Embassy, in which I won my first two 4-person matches to advance to the final....



Where I got trounced by a guy smoking a pipe, no less.



And then there seems to be a fine multi-colored hat, also by Gail, early 70s, back-country skiing above Taos, though there doesn't appear to be an excess of snow....



Found a photo of another "sport" -- coed touch football, though I'm not sure if any plays were called for the dog....



Through all of this, the younger, the more hair....



And then finally, I can't possibly go zipping back through the 70s without a quick visit to June 9, 1973, day we tied the knot....



Up next, the military era, and maybe a little more from the 60s, planned for a Saturday when hopefully there will be no visitors.

C • Thanks for the photos! 1

Legs a little sore from yesterday's run, but not bad. I think my regular early morning walks help.

Very gloomy at the track, getting dark, rain imminent, increasing breeze. Just 6 of us. I didn't like the planned workout (1 minute hard, then 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, all with a minute easy between), because there would be no sense of how much or how fast you ran, and so no comparability to other workouts. But Dave Stoddard was planning on doing 3 x 1 mile, so I joined him, 8 minute cycle, 6:38, 6:35, 6:33. Felt like stopping after each one although I was running at a reasonable pace (no gasping after each one, recovered pretty quickly), obviously could have gone faster but haven't yet relearned how to suffer.

As usual, the absolute best part is being done.

Caught just a few sprinkles in the last couple of minutes. A mile down the road on my way home it was raining pretty hard and quite dark. Good timing.

C • OMG 10

Easy warmup.

Now back to the early 80s, younger still, when it seems I could look very debonair (here at Steve Tarry's wedding)....



and still end up in Sweden speaking quite excellent Swedish....





What range, what talent, what hair!

Tomorrow -- back to the 70s, and some cutting edge fashions....

C • beardless 6

With Phil, somewhat, from Mill River up to Atkins Reservoir (27:30) and back 24:09). Felt really crappy at the start, I'd had a headache much of the day, took some medicine in the early afternoon which sometimes fixes things, sometimes doesn't, but almost always makes me very drowsy for a couple hours, as it did this time. Woke up, went off to run, after a minute of flat and easy running I was breathing hard and falling behind. So I told Phil if he wanted to go any faster he was on his own, because I couldn't.

So he took off, getting maybe a "4" for effort but a "1" for sociability, at some point yelling back to me, "I'll wait for you at Flat Hills Road." When I got there, no Phil. Hmm, maybe he had a good time going and wanted to keep going right to the reservoir, I thought, so I kept going. Got to the turn-around at the reservoir, no Phil, hmm.

The one good thing was that I'd be slowly feeling better, slowly picking up the pace, thinking maybe at least he wasn't getting any further ahead.

So I headed back, and after 2 or 3 minutes, here comes Phil. And as we run back together, he gets a "5" for making excuses, and a "0" for navigation (he's only done this run a hundred times), and then he picks up the pace for the last 15 minutes and gets a "5" for being a pain in the ass, but I keep up with him, so that's ok, I end up getting a pretty good workout.

And then we have a nice chat for 10 minutes afterwards, so he gets restored back to the usual "5" for sociability. But his navigation is still, well, erratic.... :-)

And if it rains enough late tomorrow and I bag the track workout, at least I've had one faster effort for the week.

It was interesting, during the last 15 minutes when he was feeling spry, and I decided I was going to stay with him. A number of times he'd get 10 or 15 yards ahead, and I'd say to myself, close the gap, right now, don't let him get away. And I'd really pay attention to my stride and my turnover and I would close it right back up. Felt like a race, and quite fun.

More photos, moving back in to late 80s, getting younger all the time. First, finish at the French 5-Day in 1989 in the foothills of the Pyrenees, a little more spring to the step and a little more hair, well, at least it's browner....



Also in 1989, about 30 or 40 miles into the Angeles Crest 100 Mile in California, ran strong for about 70 miles, then croaked, but finished, 23+ hours....



And finally, probably in 1986, and definitely younger, just 41, postmortom at the Nipmuck Trail Marathon. One would think I had developed even then my talent for falling down, but I'm pretty sure this was the year I lost a shoe in a mudhole about a mile from the finish. I would have been happy to abandon the shoe, but not the orthotic inside, so I spent a couple of minutes on my hands and knees looking for it. Had a heart monitor on, so I could tell just how long it took....



Tomorrow -- younger still, and properly dressed!

For today we are actually spending one more day in the 21st century, marking the two-year anniversary (to the day!) of the Cyclops incident.

Which should serve as reminder that if you want to keep your good looks well into your senior years, it's best not to put yourself in situations where the outcome resembles what might happen if someone took a full swing at your head with a baseball bat. And didn't miss.

I still feel very fortunate not to have bashed in my eye socket, or fractured my skull, or broken my neck, or just packed it in for good right there.

To keep this site from losing it's PG rating, I will only post links to the pictures, and not the pictures themselves.

8 minutes after the crash, the race not quite over.
Cyclops
24 hours later
48 hours later
96 hours later
5 days later, stitches out, almost human.

And a related discussion thread from the archives.

Tomorrow we head back to the 20th century.

Oh, and training? Training? Training?

No but lots of rogaine practice. The season is winding down and have to take advantage of the good days.

If I really needed to train, Phil would have dragged me out.

Ok, so it's time to start a week-long birthday celebration, #63, culminating next Monday, and what better way to do it than eating lots of ice cream (that's already done) and posting some old photos. Using as a theme the theory that as you get older, you revert to childhood, the photos will get older and older, and me younger and younger, as the week goes on.

And, yes, at some point we will pass through the really hairy years, and then at some point through the military era (definitely not very hairy), and then, well, let's not spoil everything.

But for today, nothing too exciting, just setting a baseline, and hey, I'm definitely looking better, faster, fitter, and hairier than I ever will again.


At the 2007 Boulder Dash, photo by Eddie.

I should also point out that old age is not all bad. You get to hang out with other good-looking old guys....



... and also with the Hollywood starlets....



... well, actually Gail's sister, but she lives in LA....