Team Vintage gets denied by DPS

To be fair: we understand completely.






29 days to go...

On running classes

THREE *@#%$^*$ MILES! YES!

I wish I had tracked down the lovely young woman who I ran next to tonight. She was one of the greatest things to happen to me and this running thing, and I didn't manage to get her name. But after we arrived back at Running Fit she said, "You did a really great job tonight," and that meant the world to me. I will beg her to run next to me next week. I RAN THREE MILES.

I am going to finish this race. I could cry I'm so happy.


Please, donate.

I will see you at the finish line.

I'm sorry, could you just pick that up for me, please?

I may have tried to progress too far. I took a new path Monday night, and as you may remember, it's been quite a while since I've run on anything but the elliptical. This new route was a bit more scenic, a little more residential. There seemed to be zillions of runners out with me, giving me the nod, "way to be, welcome to the club." I was humming along, thinking about how fascinating it is to be part of this crazy cult, these people who get a high from doing this. And then I pretty much had a coronary.

WHAT THE?!? "Excuse me, sir? Yes, that on the ground over there--it's my heart. It seems to have burst forth from my chest. Do you mind? Thanks. Lemme just put that back..."

The culprit? This:

Good grief, it felt like that anyway. You have GOT to be kidding me with this hill business. I am not so naive that I don't understand running on an incline takes more effort, more aerobic work. However, I was pretty blind to the fact that even a slight grade would make me stroke out. My heart was beating so hard that I was certain you could see it thumping cartoonishly, even if I was wearing a parka.

It occurs to me that the path between the stadium and campus has its share of hills. I cannot help but hope that my running class, which starts Thursday, addresses this issue. Stretching suddenly seems to be a problem, too. My quads are pretty sore from the additional stress, and I really have to do a better job at warming them up. I'd try to fit yoga in my schedule if I thought I had an ounce of time to do it.

So, for the first day back, the unimpressive tally:
14 minutes walking (10 warm-up, 4 cool down)
24 minutes running--the hills, people. I couldn't make it to 26...

Tonight and Tomorrow are pretty much out, but I'm terribly excited for class on Thursday. Wish me luck, and warm muscles!

Weather brought to you by Ang and Todd

Disclaimer: We are financial planners, not videographers.




more update: there's a tornado.
even more: everyone's safe. The rain has momentarily stopped and I passed some brave soul out running in the street. Maybe I CAN go out tonight!

Just a quick update...

So...right...

Maybe if I tried harder I *could* stop the rain by complaining

You know those movies where someone brainwashes someone else, and the brainwasher has a "trigger" for the brainwashee to carry out the evil plan? The only movie that comes to mind right now is Zoolander and the "Relax" song, but I know there are more movies like that. Think iconic, like what "Stuck in the Middle With You" is to Reservoir Dogs. Those songs that are harmless but associated with gruesome madmen.

My trigger is "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" and it's been stuck in my head for days and days, for obvious reasons

Wikipedia tells me this was the #1 song on the Billboard charts in 1970. While that is most likely true, I think the more pertinent bit of information, for this blog, is that it seems to cause me to have near-psychotic episodes dating back to my early childhood, when I had no idea there was anything but country music and polka. Thanks, Mom and Dad, by the way. I don't know if it's the trumpet or the ukelele (?) but I see red when this song comes on. FOR NO LOGICAL REASON. I am fairly certain that I was hypnotized and something happened to the evil mastermind because I am never commanded to actually do anything, I just sit there all angry while some stupid Burt Bacharach song plays.

Anyway, it won't. stop. raining. I could probably run while it sprinkles, under normal circumstances, but it is also 40 million degrees out. It is no joke that "it's a sauna out there." Every time I stepped out of my car last night my sunglasses fogged. Every piece of paper that is not in air conditioning is warped and curled. Misery.

I really don't know what to do about the training because there is just no good answer. The most obvious solution is to go run indoors, but that does get old fast. There's little other choice, I guess.

So, I am feeling like a lazy bum this week, regardless of how busy I've been. I did manage to do 35 minutes on the elliptical Monday night, but there's a little voice inside me saying, "You used to be at 45 minutes, and you know very well that it's not the same as running." I kind of fear that in just these few days I have lost progress, but I'm trying to stay positive. The weather is supposed to finally break on Friday, and then it's...oh no...SEPTEMBER?!? WHAT?

Oh wait, September means football. IT'S ALMOST SEPTEMBER!


Will someone please figure out how to make the rain stop so I can get past 26 minutes? Because really, do you actually want me to attempt to complain more? You don't want that.

BJ Thomas is not affiliated with this blog in any way.

On hurrying.

I may not be known for being on time. Maybe.

It's unfortunate that I'm motivated by pressure, and it's even more unfortunate that while it causes me to be successful at making it out of the house, I'm generally not exceptionally prompt. I like to think that I am really good at being on time for my work appointments and so I have built up quite a bit of chrono-karma for the other parts of my life. No? It doesn't work like that?

Yeah, I kind thought not and really had to strongly consider whether to run on Saturday. It was 2:29 when I tied my shoes and headed out the door. I thought, "Ok...go 20 or so minutes, up the neighborhood streets, through the Diag, back up Division. I'll get back at 2:49, jump in the shower and make it to the wedding...by 4:00." This was perhaps not the best plan. I forgot about the warming up that would have to be done, and I completely forgot that I would be running near the Law Quad, so I'd have to go a little bit further to see if I could catch the bride and groom having photos taken. People always take pictures in the Law Quad (if someone were smart they'd just rent dorm space from a poor [HA!] JD student and run a photography studio from there). Going the extra distance set me back--and they weren't even there (yet). I checked my iPod: 2:43 and I was pretty far from the shower.

Can't you just picture my nightmare fantasy...
"Do you take this man to be your..." CRASH everyone turns scowling at the offensive jerk who tried to sneak in late and let the door slam shut during the vows. NOW THE VIDEO IS RUINED. RUINED! The bride cries, mascara streaking down her face and onto her pristine white dress. Agony. The groom looking back and forth between his grief-stricken almost-wife and me, "Why would you do this? WHY?!?"*

Guess who learned to run fast.

I forgot my watch, but I started out at 2:29 like I said, and fell into the doorway at 2:59 (and into the shower at 2:59:06). I think sprinting the last 3/4 mile home should count for something. I mean, I was desperately averting disaster.

The opposite of disaster

Made it.

*Yes, I believe weddings do involve that much drama.
**The brownish stripe is me.