Still here, just damn busy!

Three weeks into the new running program and the calendar posted upon our refrigerator is getting marked-up with more X's rather than frowny-faces.


When a complete row of X's occur, we get to treat ourselves but after this past, full week-end of events, I don't know how we could treat ourselves. What could be possibly left to do? Thai food, movies, group run, long run, Ethnic festival, more movies, barbecue, drinks, shopping, gym, etc.

In short, I've been sticking to the running program and am seeing results. The 16 mile long-run on Sunday didn't phase me and I no longer view this distance as "long". I broke the run down into 10k sections consisting of 3 laps. It's usually when I get to 18's or 20's when I begin the distance taxing with some pain and around 23 miles is when the cramping begins. Hopefully, this program will prepare me.

Due to the "Bike to Work Week", I had to purchase a bike as I've been without one now for seven years or so. I just detest biking because you're painfully, slouching over the handle bars whether the bike is a road or mountain bike. Moreover, the seats kill my ass. Nonetheless, I am going to be a trooper and appease the wife and bike with her to work.

Attending the bike bizarre on Sunday, rather the junk, bike bizarre, I found pieces of crap for $80 to $100 when I expected to pay $40 at most for someone else's garbage. If I had purchased someone's rust sculpture with rubber, it would cost me another $100 just to get the bike to roll on it's wheels. Instead, I went to Target and purposely found a nice, ugly bike that I hope no one steals. Once back in 1989, I purchased a $800 mountain bike for my birthday and had it less than twenty-four hours. Returning to the parking meter where the bike was U-locked, I found both the bike and parking meter missing with me left holding a $800 bicycle seat. So, yesterday I bought Schwinn Jetstar -- my "retro rocket bike". If it only had fins!

Actually, I like the bike because I can sit upright and have 21 gears for our hilly part of the world. With the addition of fenders and a carrier, I think I'll be able to ride to work for the rest of the summer -- a good thing as we're becoming a one car family soon -- by choice. Since we work at the same place of employment and gas is approaching $4.00 a gallon, it makes no sense to have two cars and drive five miles to work when I can easily bike in the same time as it takes to drive due to congestion. Grocery shopping, our Friday night dinners and Saturday races/group runs, hauling dogs and sometimes golfing, are the only reasons for the need of our car now.

So, running is going very well and summer is just beginning. The first race is this Saturday and the following week-end, we're heading down to Phoenix for the Police and Elvis Costello concert.