Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday, (new shoes?) and Happy New Year


Ok, I'm about to head-out on my little new year's eve run. I'm so fired-up for a killer 2011. On that note (not that I need them) I'm going to buy a lighter trail shoe.

I'm thinking of trying the Montrail Masochist, the Inov-8 X-Talon 212, or the La Sportiva Crosslite.

Hmmmmm.

So, I forgot my Garmin but had the Highgear, re-set the altitude and hit the trail. Accumulated reads 2512 ft. I ran up and over Cowles Mt., then ran and summitted Pyles Peak, returned, then hit a single-track that goes down towards Santee, and then back up to finish back to the car. My lungs are toast. I found snot where snot should not be allowed.

Mileage was ~10 miles.

Looking at the backside of Cowles, on my way to Pyles.


Getting closer to Pyles, looking back, Cowles in the distance.


On top of Pyles. There's the trail going back.


Yum.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Late Wednesday

Full day of skiing. Wet conditions, meaning a frozen rain that just wet everything. Like a baby.
Never been in those conditions. Haven't skied too much southern California, but it's probably typical. Got in some nice runs solo, with wife after a beer break (terrific draft selection: I had a PBR).

But the best part is watching the 6 soon to be 7 year old learn how to negotiate the snow. The mountain has a GREAT children's program. Jack is loving the snow board (I hear you if that's not old school enough, but he it's too fitting) and he gets to hang with a bunch of other kids and get schooled by a cool young instructor.

Lots of ale.

Wednesday

Fresh snow is falling outside the window right now. Full day of skiing on tap, then one tomorrow.
Glad I'm not super gung-ho on skiing (though I do enjoy it a lot): $$$$.

Yesterday I ran 2 miles. Yip. De. Doo.
This morning I ran 5 miles in the hotel gym.
Now coffee.
An hour or so, we'll be skiing.

Yesterday was a beautifully sunny half-day on the slopes.
Tomorrow's forecast: sunny.

Fresh snow sandwiched between. Very grateful for all that I have and get to do.

Keep running!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Monday

Hit Cowles Mountain with the new Garmin. Ran up the backside, up and over, down to the base of Pyles Peak and back. Only 6 miles with 1500ft. of climbing (some very steep - which I worked-on). First real vertical in awhile and felt good. But I've been running basically everyday for a while. The run took me just over an hour. Might do this 3-4 times. Get my up and down work. Weather was terrific.

Heading to the local mountains tomorrow for some skiing, back on Thursday.

Keep running!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sunday

8 solid miles on the rain soaked streets of San Diego. That may be it for today. We'll see. Off to some family event then I'm up against beer:30.

With a down week in terms of mileage, I'm jazzed because the efforts are much better, stronger (and easier). I'll get in two solid efforts Monday and Tuesday before heading to the mountains for a few days.

Let's. Get. It. On.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Drinking an ice cold ipa

And thinking about how this is a great time of year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are fun traditions that basically revolve around giving, gratitude and good eats and drinks. Can family be nuts and even toxic? You bet. Mine is nuclear. The heart of my family passed away in 1999. The place is a catastrophe in her wake. Disaster. I may add to that in my own inability to handle my share. Where was I supposed to learn how to do that? Well, I try. Raising my own family is my goal. This has been a great little Christmas.

But as of right now, Christmas night, the next week is freaking cool. Kids are out of school, which means I am too (after all, I'm proudly the biggest kid of all), my wife is taking the week off, we're heading to the mountains for a couple of days of skiing, then back in town for more. . .running and gunning (whatever that means), then New Years, which isn't necessarily my favorite "holiday," but has meaning in that it marks the beginning of the end, the end, and then a new beginning of sorts.

The header pic is from Lucho. I'm pretty sure it's a sunrise (geez, I hope it is for the sake of this riff). This is meaningful. I am coming-up on a new year of running, some races early-on, a big adventure run with a friend and who the fuck knows what happens after that. I'm pumped for some good things running, working, and family - wise.

And I'm starting the post Christmas week off with some freaking cold ipa. Love this!

Saturday

Thought I might get some "volume" today and yesterday. Oh well. I'm still happy to get out and run just about everyday.

A very nice 6 mile spin around noon, sun breaking through, with a fairly empty stomach. Woke-up to a cinnamon roll and coffee (with a little Bailey's ;). But again, felt great to get out and sweat.

Just had some leftovers and am now enjoying a 22oz Hop Stoopid. This is great beer. While I'm on the subject, I got a case of IPA for Christmas. I knew it. Santa's all hopped up.

More Soft Rock

Merry Christmas!

I hope these bring you some warm and fuzzy feelings. . . beyond what Santa left under the tree. Having studied Afro-cuban percussion for years and sat-in on some pretty nice gigs, I do appreciate fine jazz, soul, afro-cuban groove, etc. But the childhood roots are strong.

Here's a classic afro-cuban groove typical of what "we" liked to play.


The lyrics, the trumpet solo, background singers. Major nostalgia...


Chicago. This one is super duper cheese from one killer band.


A little more groove.


Yeah!


Soft Rock Rules. Yeah, I said it.


Back to reality.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Friday

8 miles, over 1200 ft. of climbing and just as I got back to the house I gagged on a bunch of snot. Beautiful. Now I'm dazed and confused, sitting here with the smells of my wife's cooking, watching one of those retro Christmas claymation trippers, drinking a beer.

A friend of mine and I have been "almost" joking around about soft rock. If you're age appropriate, you remember this genre. The lyrics and the instrumentals are so cheesy they're authentic. I'm guilty of a little nostalgia with respect to listening and even enjoying some of these tracks. I think of the beach, summer time, soccer games, sitting in the back of a station wagon, my parents fighting. . . great memories. Kind of tugs at me.

Here's a classic.


Here's what I'm listening to now.


These guys usually make a playlist.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Thursday

8 miles that included all kinds of pace. It was a progression run. I feel pretty damn good.
The next couple of days (Xmas eve and Xmas) should be a little volume. That will help limit the damage from holiday food and ale.

Plus I lost 10lbs without even realizing it. That's just consistent running and a predominantly vegetarian diet.

And GZ says he's running Mission Gorge. That would be a great way to start 2011.

Tonight, we're off to The Grinch at The Old Globe Theater. Last year was sensational.
Now it's a tradition.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Tuesday and Wednesday

5 miles each day but they were about as different as I could imagine.

Tuesday was a 5 because I just wasn't feeling it. I have a lot going on right now, kinda fighting the muck of allergies, had a physical, kid's dentist appt., kung-fu lessons. It was a weak 5 miles.

Wednesday I took off and did 5 miles, pushed the pace, had a ton of energy, felt great.

I am sure the break in the rain has a lot to do with my energy. For whatever reasons.
Pumped for the rest of the week, Christmas, some sunshine and some solid work-outs.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Monday

7 glorious miles this am. I had a lot of energy and just felt good. The rains looks to break in a couple of days so I want to be ready to get out and have some fun.

Courtesy of Darren Rovell of CNBC, a sellout crowd in the NFL buys about 50,000 beers at a game. No beer tonight @ TCF. Obviously the game can't be played at the Vikings' arena, so they are playing at the University of Minn. home field. No beer? Ouch on several fronts.

Macca is a beauty. Here's some footage I guess NBC didn't use during its telecast last Saturday.
A little more about the Macca/Crowie rivalry.




Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Weekend and Discourse

The week ended with a whimper running-wise. I did 5 easy miles on Saturday in the a.m. and the rest of the weekend was pretty packed with activities. I could have definitely done some work, but the family time/seasonal vibe and the general tiredness said, don't worry about it. I really am tired, which might be from the traces of a virus that seems to be going around (at least in my little cabin). Plus I just finished some pretty stiff drugs taken for the work done on my neck. Sounds crazy.

I got a very measly 43 miles on the week. I wouldn't even publish the number but for a tale of the numbers for the coming weeks and months.

There's been a pretty soft discussion going on over on Zack's and one of his buddy's blogs.

It's basically an exchange where all of the other participants really only have their own views from which to exchange. This is understandable, I guess. To each his own. But when the issue and ideology are inseparable, the discussion can sink quickly if there is zero common ground. All that's left are the bubbles (narrow-minded discharges) that superficially go pop. From my experience, the best discussions are those in which people can (even for a second) try to understand another person's view(s), which includes background/history/values/circumstances; to put it another way, some of these topics, believe it or not, are a little more complicated when one considers how the issue might affect others who are not like him or her.

Sticking with the metaphor, what could be a real treasure of an exchange plunges to the bottom of the proverbial sea. For me, in the end, it's like watching guys drown in their inability to see the issue past their own position (their own nose as the saying goes), beyond the world they live in. And since this is a world with many different people, living in many different circumstances with different kinds of backgrounds and education, who are becoming more and more connected through a variety of ways. . .well, the absolutism with which one speaks on such a controversial issue (and this one is definitely controversial) is pretty shallow. It's closed-to-outsiders; it's a kind of club where they all remind each other of how great their views are and anyone else is wrong and doesn't belong. It's weak. Their argument is nothing new; it's evidence of what some call exceptionalism.

I am not necessarily calling their position ridiculous; but instead their approach to the discussion lacks effort, which lacks context and perspective and therefore credibility (which is important if you want it to stand outside the "club"). This is why liberals and conservatives are at such odds. They have so much difficulty seeing some merit in the other's position.

So, you would think that on a blog somewhere where there is generally a ton of perspective accompanied by evidence of solid values, that this would be a place for healthy exchange.

Here's what's going on (and I will make this as short as possible):

Someone is suing McDonald's for its unfair marketing strategies (using toys to entice children).

Some people think this is a ridiculous claim. On the surface, even I agree. Parents need to demonstrate more control over their children.

Taken out of context (in other words, read in a vacuum), this claim reeks of irresponsibility and character; and someone hired a lawyer to go after a company for essentially interfering with the parenting of his/her children? What the fuck. Here's some business trying to market and sell its product in a seemingly acceptable way (billboards, TV, the internet, radio, etc); and someone can't seem to control his/her child (which is a way around saying him/herself) in light of this marketing? It's becoming a problem, affecting the child's health, behaviors, values; therefore, let's sue the company? That does sound a little odd.

If you asked even a six-year-old, the child would say that doesn't seem right.

The only problem with this being a break-away slam-dunk is, well, a lot of things. And I can only summarize these points because, to me, some of them are so obvious. And secondly, I'm not going to spend too much more time on an argument that I know will go no where in trying to move the aforementioned audience. Anyone else reading, who wants to research for a better understanding, go for it.

1) the gentlemen I had this brief discussion with say that the lawsuit is stupid. It has no merit. The claimant and her case lack any responsibility, etc. (what I just said above about a superficial understanding of the issue). Their point is that parents anywhere and everywhere are responsible for their children. Just say no. What's wrong with these parents?

I don't know the background of all of the guys who share this view, but I think they should have considered that not everyone has the same background, set of circumstances, values and education as they. Their education and histories might put them in a position to easily limit the influence of some company like McDonalds. Is it inherent in being a human being that one can easily negotiate in and around this influence? Again, I don't know these guys' backgrounds. If I did, my case would be easier to make. But there are people in this country who are brought-up in so many different ways, with different views. There are people struggling in so many different ways. There a people who culturally (in certain parts of this country) do not necessarily value a "healthy" lifestyle. That's how they were brought-up. It's not necessarily their fault. Certain parts of this country support/encourage an unhealthy lifestyle. Period. Should I assume that these gentlemen have the same kinds of views toward religion? People in many many cases do not choose how they are brought-up to view the world.

Some people are from very disfunctional families. Maybe there's only one parent, extreme poverty, a genuine lack of education with a subsequent value system that promotes a certain lifestyle or discourages the discernment that others have. Are you really ready to say it is their fault for having those histories? Can you call them "stupid" for not having the means to make the same decisions as you?

People are different. To lump your values on everyone else is, well, pretty laughable. Really? This is an holier-than-thou kind of attitude. It's troubling. It's condescending.

Note: I haven't said a word about the power of the marketing.
Just because the marketing doesn't work on you, do not think therefore it should not work on some one else WHO IS DIFFERENT FROM YOU. Jesus.

2) There were some classic "comparisons" to the woman's complaint about the restaurant using a toy. These were in response to my suggesting she might have a case. One said it's like a mountain race using a mountain, or a restaurant using crayons, or like a jewelry store that sells expensive jewelry. Thought this was obvious, but the big problem with McD's and the rest of the fast food industry is that people are developing some pretty serious health issues because of the product. To clarify, there is a correlation being made by people like the Center for Disease Control between fast food and obesity and other deadly conditions. It doesn't matter if you think that claim is bogus. It's become common knowledge. The problem people have (the woman is not alone here) is that the toys entice kids to want to go to that restaurant (probably not even for the food at all) for the toy. Of course, they eat the food.

McDonald's is the largest toy distributor in the world. More than all the stores you're thinking about right now. Look it up. So, all those toys. All those grams of fat. That connection has posed a problem for many people. This is not commentary. I am summarizing. Those are the facts.

If you are having to pay on those medical costs brought to you by the fast food industry, are you still okay with the business going about its business? You probably are.

I guess cigarette advertising is okay? I'm sure, according to you, it is. Holy shit.
This is just the surface math. On to #3.

3) Here's a quote: "I'm not going to talk about any peripheral issues here, because they are irrelevant, such as: where McDonald's makes the toys, how much the workers are paid, whether you think their food is healthy, and what its other policies are. People might not like those policies, or other things McDonald's does, but they have absolutely no bearing on the issue at hand."

That's another way of saying, I want to ignore these other areas because they might (DO) complicate this issue. Really? Irrelevant? That's like me saying I want to talk about the great moral leadership of the Catholic church but I am going to ignore all of the "peripheral issues." Yes, it's the same. Unbelievable. Many have chronicled the various abuses and unethical business practices of McDonalds. This is terribly relevant because many groups, cities and countries have already acted to ban or prohibit McDonalds from doing business. Read a book, google it, ask someone. It's common knowledge. And when there already exists that kind of awareness of the nature of that business (McDonalds), how can it not be relevant? What judge ignores claims against McDonalds at this point?

And you wonder why people still eat there in such numbers? Read #1.

No need to go into this other than to say that several European countries have banned the restaurant or its advertising (especially as it relates to children: see Sweden among others), and the cities of Santa Clara and San Francisco (a fairly large American city) have banned the Happy Meal because of the use of the toy to market that product. Some one criticized this point, saying, "I don't find the fact that San Francisco and Santa Clara have banned Happy Meals to be particularly convincing - it is not hard to find examples of government stupidity and over-reach, particularly at the municipal level." That's not convincing? An individual is suing McDonalds for the use of a toy in its marketing to children; and 2 cities have banned the Happy Meal because of the toy. Fine if you think that is "government stupidity," but it's just sorta sound reasoning to call what those cities did precedent. And sure, suppose the lady loses her case. That does not dismiss that she has a case. To dismiss it entirely? Not enough oxygen, fellas.

Another great quote: "The issue at hand is that of a principle: the inalienable right of an individual or company to engage in a peaceful, non-fraudulent activity; a right that -- unfortunately -- few governments and citizens properly acknowledge."

Back to what has been chronicled at length about McDonalds (and many American companies/industries that flourish under corporate law), to call its business practice here and all over the world "peaceful" is foolish. These statements work in a tree house during a club meeting, but in the big world where people who really care about these issues do a little reading, exploring what is really going on, they are simply uninformed and immoral if you really want to get down.

4) I only have one link in this piece and I could have several. This is the foundation of what is unethical about some of American business. If anyone is really interested, and wants to understand more the history of the corporation, one might see that these are not necessarily benign entities innocently selling their products.

It's more complicated than that. This is not Leave it to Beaver. Open both eyes.

In conclusion, the woman's case seems a little far-fetched on the surface; in the end, it's not.
And I have no trouble acknowledging the complexities in this case. I wish we all had this dialectic approach.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Friday

Another touchdown! 7 more miles. But unlike the rest of this week, I got to push things a little. In other words, instead of HR 132, I might have hit 145. I know, huge. Felt stronger for sure.

What does the weekend have in store?

I have 38 miles on the week. Really can't feel them at all.
The easy miles do that sort of thing. But, hey, they count.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Thursday

7 miles, again, very ez. Still cleaning-out the pipes. But I feel like I'm getting some work done. Weather for the weekend doesn't look hike/trail friendly so I might be indoors putting one foot in front of the other.

I have family members who no longer celebrate Christmas. Here's the problem with that. First, why do you not acknowledge this particular holiday? Because you practice a different faith? If that's the case, you better be really really strict with regards to ALL tenets of your new faith. Slacking-off and enjoying what other Christians and non-Christians do year-round who still celebrate Christ's B-day and/or the red and green holiday of giving and lots of good food and spirits, only to "stick it to us/them" come December, well, that's chicken shit. It says a lot more than "I am of this other faith and by God I will not observe the Christmas holiday, which is a scam." Seriously?

There are so many reasons for families to congregate this time of year. Traditions, exchange of gifts, travel, spending time with family and friends, faith, and oh yeah, THE CHILDREN. If you have kids, especially little ones, they love this time of year. Sure, the cynic says, "they've been conditioned, even brain-washed." That cynic is some sort of "liberal" who has no soul. Fine, tone down the gifts for yourself and others, you jackass; ease-up on the eggnog. But embrace the innocence you once had before you flushed it down the toilet (or legitimately began observing another religion/faith).

The season gives us an opportunity to recognize good traditions (family gatherings/church/gifts) and themes (generosity and gratitude and family). It can be fun. Can it be stressful with so much emphasis on gifts and decorations? Sure. So tone it down. If you're that faithful to another spirituality, fine. But you better watch-out. . . because for those of you (especially in my family) who have gone cold-turkey on the Christmas season: I will be watching you the rest of the year, sure to interrogate the inconsistency of your new found "purity." Jehovah will be watching too.

Another sick video from that Danny MacAkill cat:

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Wednesday


7 miles very ez. Not feeling 100%. But it felt good to put one foot in front of the other.

I will get my Garmin dialed in for this weekend and actually transport both the High Gear and the Garmin. Compare notes. The High Gear, though I thought might have a bad sensor, has spit-out some accurate numbers as of late. When I was in the back country here in SD, the elevation was reading ~4500ft where we ran (which is accurate) and the accumulated read 1600+ft. A friend of mine said, nahhh. His Garmin I think read 900 something, but he later confirmed my data was correct. Good news! And sure there was a lot of descent that day, but we did some nice rolling sections with killer, runnable climbs.

Back to finish my thought on not feeling 100%, I think I'll do some hiking this weekend. Work-on some steady climbing and lovely descending which means basically falling down the mountain. I love descending so long as it's not too steep for too long.

There was a Rick sighting. Very nice to see.

As for my last line, "I hate wealth," it's a disease that Americans especially have. I will continue to define it. Sure it's close to greed, but is more insidious. Aggregating some useful content will do a fine job of paining this picture of which I speak. Everything from numerous credible articles, to videos, graphs, images and my own priceless commentary that I hope only sharpens its Wolverine claw-like apparatus with which I hope to completely annihilate each and every one of the scum bags who feed and nurture their pet snake (the name is wealth), who come into contact. . . with me.

And sure you have to start at the top, which makes my "mission" practically impossible and much more of a rant. I want this mission to be much more than that. It has to have sophistication or I have failed.

A note on the top: Every republican (rich person) I know really can't say a damn thing about the President because the guy just cut a deal to continue cutting taxes for them (the rich). Perhaps he's seeing if the right has a better solution to this economic crisis, or he's doing something strategic for his own agenda. Who the F knows.

"A veteran House Democrat said Wednesday that President Barack Obama is trying to drum up support for his tax cut package by warning lawmakers that failing to pass the deal would be "the end of his presidency."

Read more


The only reason I'm writing about this is that, again, I am on a mission to revive the middle class. It's in the works.

Other missions:
1) run, my friend
2) travel to Europe and attend a top-notch friendly with Rick
3) go to Colorado in the summer and run for beer with friends
4) start a business that's human and environment-friendly

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Tuesday and I'm rambling

5 easy miles. Pretty tired, lethargic. The 12 miles yesterday beat me up a little even though they were EZ, I guess. 5 was fine in that I want to get some quality tomorrow. We'll see.

I love that Cliff Lee signed with the Phillies. That along with the Jeter negotiations speak volumes about the state of the Yanks.

I hope a few members of the Jets' coaching staff lose their jobs. That team is circling the drain. Sure they could rise-up and make a run, but it looks like karma is once again rearing its head. Too much talk going in.

I watched part of a Premier league game between Chelsea and Tottham. A Brazilian on Tottham went down and did the typical writhing-in-pain routine. I have no idea if leagues are implementing rules to deal with these pathetic thespians, but this guy (I watched closely) revealed the anatomy of his lie as his hurt knee became his shin, became his ankle or foot (who knows). The camera started to cut back and forth from personnel on the sideline who began to gather the stretcher and probably a first-aid kit of some kind to the thespian, pounding the ground to express his pain, twisting, showing-off his teeth. Someone had already been dispatched to the fallen Brazilian who you knew wasn't that hurt (I played the sport, but anyone should be able to discern a "real" threatening tackle, etc., from a "glance" or non-threatening one); then he started to get up, but this guy was really playing it out. He was really milking this one; it's such a piece of shit, that strategy (make no mistake, it is a strategy).

Suddenly another player was getting warm, getting instructions from the coach. They were going to replace the "injured" player! This was good. Back to the action on the field, the stretcher was no where to be found. The fallen Brazilian was being helped up, and being escorted. Maybe he really was hurt (I wasn't falling for it; and I wasn't buying the new rule theory either. This guy was just plain narcissistic).

And the replacement started toward the field: Yes!

And the injured Brazilian started to walk and then jog back toward the pitch: Piece of shit!

So what happened? The manager who was helping the Brazilian nudged him toward the bench (you're done), and the look on the player's face said he was upset that he'd been pulled, grimacing as he jogged back to the bench.

That along with Chelsea's big stud, Drogba, missing a penalty kick made the whole affair pretty embarrassing. The sport is no fun. Americans don't like it because it's marred by too much finesse. What's too much finesse? Soft. Of course, we have other words for too much finesse, but need less to say, the sport is "out of our league." And despite being a former player and now getting my son involved, I concur with the majority of Americans. It's a bad show.

Enough sports talk. I hope to start railing against American wealth once I can wrap my brain around a good conceptual approach to my fight against an immorality that plagues this country (world for that matter).

I want to start a campaign: Run for the middle-class (and working class, too). But the middle-class is so critical to the perceived and real definition of this country, of democracy. That is going to be a monster to get off my chest.

I hate wealth.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Monday

12 miles. Getting back to normal.

1) Flat and broken into a couple of runs; I took advantage of some time. Went very very easy. Feel pretty good. Still cleaning-out phlegm. Phuck flegm. Today I equaled my mileage of all last week. Redemption? Maybe. A lot of easy miles this week (as many as I can manage).

2) I am slamming a PBR and then having a couple of Drakes' IPA. I had one of Drake's beers last week on draft, a very big ale that was pretty damn good. I give the nod to Cali ale, so I picked-up a 6er of the ipa.

3) When I was checking-out, I asked the guy why Green Flash had gone from 6 beers for $10+ to 4 beers for $10+. He very matter of factly said they had to. To paraphrase: their prices went up. There's a shortage of hops. Other beers' (he gave a nod to my 6er of Drakes) prices will probably be going up soon.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Update: Not too thrilled with the Drake's IPA. Ipa requires big hops and "finesse." There are so many grade B Ipas that taste less than mediocre. On the other hand, there are too many grade A Ipas to make that mistake (of grabbing a B).
So much for experimentation. It's back to the staples. Sorry, not-on-the-list-American-"IPA."

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Uhhhhhhhhhg

About 12 miles on the week.

Had a cyst/infected hair follicle removed from my neck Wednesday after a nice 7 mile run. The run felt great, especially after a couple of days off. After the run, off to the doctor. She numbs me up and then puts a couple of BIG needles in it and basically squeezes a bunch of stinky cottage cheese out of it for about 20 minutes (I think she should have lanced it).

Now I am on two big antibiotics, one for staph infection, just in case. These are DRUGS, so yes I'm doping.

But anyways, I go to bed that night feeling like shit and wake-up with yellow phlem in my chest. I did not have a chest cold. Big WTF.

So I took Thurs - Sat off just to rest and dress my neck wound and sit there and say WTF about this crap in my lungs. Errrrr.

Today, I said fuck it and hiked up Cowles mountain, jogging gently on the flats and downs. About 5 miles and 1000 ft. vert on the money. Had to stop and cough some shit up at one point, but that was it.

I feel much better now. So, week off. Back on the train!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

2011

Who wants a jinx? Not me.

But 2011 is going to KICK ASS. I am so fired-up. Hungry. Thirsty.
If you want to run, drop me a freakin' line.

Let's get it on.

This week I'm 0-2 because of work and today I was looking for a doctor to cut on me.

I will get 60-65 this week.

BUILD.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday

Watching a (hopefully) good game here on MNF. The San Diego Chargers' unfortunate history of futility continues, but I am a huge fan of good sport so having to go else where for great football isn't much of a stretch; in other words, with the feet up, a few cold beers on the take I'm recovering quite well.

Yesterday was my birthday and I went big (for me). I headed out to a section of the PCT with a few ultra folk. Toby, Mike and Sarah were solid running mates; I very much enjoyed my Bday on the trails and a few beers afterwards at Alpine Brewery.

The weekly mileage went like this: 5, 11, 6, 10, 6, 6, 16. I actually thought 62 was in the bag before the Sunday run as I anticipated 18, but it turned-out to be 16+. All in all, a solid week.

Today is strictly recovery. A few beers, a ton of left-over food and I'm going to actually stretch my ass. Literally.

The run turned-out to be 1600ft. vert and over 4000ft. of drop. It's a section of the San Diego area PCT that Toby and Mike hadn't completed, so that was the rationale. I loved it. We were able to run or asses off. Basically it was a very rolling course with some big drops and with the overgrowth (of cactus, etc.) and very rocky trail, there were some really technical sections. Again. Loved it.





Thursday, December 2, 2010

Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday - 6 miles MAF

Thursday - 10 miles MAF

Week end I will post a wrap on the week and discourse my old school stuff.
These runs feel so good.

So far 5, 11, 6, 10 . . .