(Way) early Spring run

Technically spring is still over two months away but today’s run under an overcast sky with the temperature at 10ºC felt pretty damn close. In fact, my hands were sweating so much that I took the gloves off (!) at the halfway point. I probably could have worn a t-shirt and shorts.

I had a very fast start and could tell by my stride — nice long steps but still comfortable. I can only imagine my times if I could maintain that pace. 😛 While i still slowed down as I progressed I did well overall, so I’m pleased with the result.

The trail was dry but still muddy in patches. Perfectly fine for the run. Nothing unusual to report today, apart from the return of one shopping cart. It was sitting next to the port-o-potty as if waiting for its owner to come out but I never saw anyone claim it.

Oh, and I did my first dipsy-doodle today. During the last 400m or so I reached into my pocket to grab the nano, as I usually hold it in my hand for the final stretch. I managed to pull the glove out of the pocket and dropped it, then had to decide how to retrieve it without impacting my time. I did a 360 and without trying to slow my pace, came back up to it and scooped it up without stopping. This may seem a minor thing but given my usual level of coordination it left me impressed.

Results:

Total distance: 10.04 km (previous: 10.53 km)
Average time/km: 5:39/km (previous: 5:45/km)
Best time/km: 5:04/km (previous: 5:23/km)

Piggybackin’ in the USA (actually Canada)

The best part about today’s run was no freakin’ rain. I thought the piles of snow were bad last winter but days of torrential rain don’t do a whole lot for me, either, as it turns out. The grass is very lush, though.

It was around 8ºC so fairly mild and a light breeze blowing from the east on occasion (which actually felt good on my face). I felt fine for this run except for some gas around 8-9k (Thai food last night is my best guess). The trail was still muddy in spots and the SE corner required a nimble hop over one bad section but it was otherwise in the best condition it’s been the last few weeks.

Since it was a Sunday and not raining, dog walkers were out in force. Some really cute dogs, too. Six guys were paired up and tossing baseballs at one of the diamonds (all balls remained clear of my noggin) and there were a few joggers as well, though the fastest was running clockwise so I couldn’t gauge if she was faster or not. I wasn’t in a competing mood, regardless (evidenced by my slower start and overall pace). I did clock my longest run to date, though — 10.53 km, which took slightly over an hour.

The strangest sight was a pair of younger guys (mid 20s or so) who were working out. They were racing up the steep hill at the west end of the park and doing other various exercises. At one point as I jogged by one of them was actually piggybacking the other up the hill. While an admirable feat of strength, there is something about adults piggybacking that seems a wee bit weird. I guess it depends on whether you’re using a cup or not.

Results:

Total distance: 10.53 km (previous: 10.03 km)
Average time/km: 5:45/km (previous: 5.36/km)
Best time/km: 5.23/km (previous: 5.08/km)

Goodbye, my friend: Pooter 1992-2010

Okay, Pooter is a dumb name but I think it fit my cat very well. She was originally named Pepper when she was owned by a friend who gave her to me when we moved out of an apartment we had been sharing back in 2000. At that point I’d been living with her for four years.

Ten years later and at over 17 years of age, she had stopped eating a few days ago. She had a host of ailments like many older cats — thyroid problems, kidney issues and other more minor things — but she was still as feisty as ever and retained every last bit of her wonderfully skittish personality. Even as she faded in these last couple of days there was still that same spark, however diminished. She gave the vet hell as he examined her this afternoon but it was clear that she was unlikely to really improve and the cost of diagnosing and treating her — both monetary and emotional — was too high.

I made the immensely difficult decision to have her euthanized. She is now resting in the backyard, not far from where Diz was buried back in 2001. I thank Tim for helping and doing a fine job on that part.

I am of course expecting her to come out of the bedroom and demand to be fed or to start meowing loudly at my feet when I’m on the phone because I am obviously not paying attention to her, but now there is just silence.

Every night she would snuggle up against me when I went to bed, right up near my shoulder. She would stay there until I turned out the light and then, convinced that I was safe and comfortable, she’d move off to her preferred spot on the bed. She allowed me to sleep until it was breakfast time. No sleeping in for that.

I cleaned up her food dish and rinsed it out a few minutes ago. Instead of topping up her water dish, it now sits in the sink, waiting to be washed and stored away. I threw the can of food in the fridge out. I cleaned her litterbox but don’t have it in me to actually empty it and set it aside. It will take awhile to adjust. She was my companion and friend for 14 years and I already miss her terribly.

Rest in peace, Pooter. I hope I treated you well.

Fat World

CBC has a news story today about how Canadians’ Fitness Levels Plummet. Some findings:

  • the percentage classified as overweight or obese [since 1981] rose from 14 per cent to 31 per cent among boys, and from 14 per cent to 25 per cent among girls aged 15 to 19
  • based on BMI, 19 per cent of males and 21 per cent of females aged 20 to 39 years were classified as obese. By age 60 to 69 years, the percentage was about one-third.

A BusinessWeek story painted a similar picture for the U.S. with the “good news” being “obesity in the United States may finally be stabilizing instead of increasing”. One of the findings from the studies south of the border:

  • the adult study found the prevalence of overall obesity was 33.8 percent — 32.2 percent in men and 35.5 percent in women

I have written about weight loss and exercise before and I am utterly dismayed at these figures, especially after I found out something myself: unless you have some kind of medical condition that prevents or complicates it, achieving a healthy weight is simple. Here is all that’s required:

  1. Don’t eat junk food.
  2. Don’t eat fast food.
  3. Eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meat.
  4. Avoid processed food that is loaded with sugar and/or fat.

That’s it. Eat properly and your body will maintain its own natural weight. You may still be a bit thin or thick depending on your actual body type, but you’ll be the right weight for that body type.

Add in a modest exercise routine three times a week for 20-30 minutes to help out. More if you’re into it.

In June 2008 I weighed 187.5 pounds and was probably on my way to 200. I am a thin person so a lot of this weight was packed around my middle. I changed my diet to something sensible. This morning I stood on the scale and came in at 144 pounds. No magic pills, no special powders or drinks needed. Just a bit of willpower and the desire to stop feeling uncomfortable about my own body.

I wish more people would have the same sort of epiphany I did a year and a half ago (okay, so a doctor also told me I was pre-diabetic. That was the “epiphany-assist”).

And what’s the deal with McDonald’s being an Olympic Sponsor, anyway? Somehow I don’t see the medal winners chowing down on Big Macs and fries before they go for the gold. Or maybe they do and their freakishly perfected bodies somehow transform that junk into something with real nutritional value. Or they’re all fembots. Well, except the guys. They’d be malebots.

Diesel half-run

The good news: the weather was cloudy and 10ºC, with little wind.

The bad news: my calves started hurting only a few km in and that sometimes diesel smell was not only present, it was ever-present.

At the 5k mark I stopped the run because I didn’t want to risk hurting my calves again (I think they’re okay, just sore from pushing a little harder) and the air quality was obnoxiously bad, probably the worst it’s ever been.

Since the rains had let up, most of the flooding on the trail had receded but it was still mushy and tricky to navigate in a few spots. Nothing else unusual to report.

I’m contemplating another 5k run tomorrow to make up, depending on how I feel.

The results were 5.05 km total, average pace of 5.29/km, fastest lap was 5:15/km. Interestingly, my second km was 5:16/km, almost identical — that may have caused the soreness to spring up. my second km usually falls off anywhere from 4-8 seconds.

Ironic reader comment 01/12/10 edition

Today The Tyee published an article about a library memo advising librarians to stick to Olympic sponsors’ products for events. A reader laments in the article’s comments:

Library’s are feeling the effects of lack of funding as it is

He presents a compelling case, no?

Tyee article here.

Make mine muddy!

It was almost spring-like today with the temperature a positively warm 10ºC.

The gusting winds and torrential rain reminded one that it is still indeed winter.

Since it had been raining all day prior to my run the trail was good and flooded by the time I got there. It was so bad even the mini-trail running inside the main one was starting to get muddy and river-like in spots. Several times I nearly lost a shoe as my foot landed in especially thick and clingy muck. Here is a Neil Armstrong-esque print I left that rapidly filled with water:

The rain was relentless and did not ease up at all during the run. I was wet right down to my skivvies. Not really ideal conditions but I endeavored to improve my time and indeed did so, clocking my first sub-56 minute 10k. Not fast, really, but it’s more steady improvement.

I thought I would have the trail to myself given the weather but one girl appeared around the 6k mark and jogged ahead of me. She came to an abrupt halt at the first puddle and gave it a wide berth before proceeding. I jumped over it, passed her and she vanished shortly after. It is no surprise that people don’t like miserable conditions to run in. What is more surprising is how hesitant people are to get their shoes even a little muddy. It’s raining, you’re on a trail made of dirt and mulch, your shoes are going to get muddy. If you don’t like it, find a treadmill in a nice climate-controlled community center.

Results:

Total distance: 10.03 km (previous: 10.17 km) — quite enough, given the weather and conditions 😛
Average time/km: 5:36/km (previous: 5.41/km)
Best time/km: 5.08/km (previous: 5.11/km)

Smelly Run

5ºC and intermittent light rain for today’s run through the first 8km, a steady light rain for the final 2km and a rather hard rain after I got home. Dodged that liquid bullet!

There was little wind which normally is good, however there was the smell of diesel hanging in the air and the lack of any breeze meant it was pretty much there for the whole run. Later it was joined at one corner of the path with the smell of hot glue and general construction-related odors. Blech.

I started out at a deliberately faster pace but was careful to not stretch much to increase my stride and I feel fine now, so mission accomplished there. My pace was fairly consistent and apart from the various smells and a bit of gas (probably from lunch) I felt pretty good. Finished with my best 10k performance to date.

I only saw one other jogger and she must have been passing through because I only saw her for a lap. One other guy was doing some balance exercises on the park equipment and on a nearby fence. I was tempted to take a picture. I’ve seen him before so I’ll likely see him again.

There were a few dogs being walked but one appeared to be there entirely on its own. It was a large black terrier of some sort and it had a white face which gave it a creepy sort of ghost look. It seemed happy enough just randomly trotting around the field. Perhaps I just never caught sight of the owner.

Results:

Total distance: 10.17 km (previous: 10.02 km)
Average time/km: 5:41/km (previous: 5.46/km)
Best time/km: 5.11/km (previous: 5.28/km)

On being manly

I got my hair cut today and the girl who cut it was fast, friendly and just the right amount of chatty. She did a really nice job, too. My only complaint is she told me to put my purse on the other chair so hair wouldn’t get on it. It’s not a purse. 🙁

It’s a shoulder bag. And it’s very manly. I use it to carry my iPod and, uh, the bowie knife I use to hunt moose with, though I usually just kill them with my bare hands. Yeah.

Not a purse.

Me vs. Mavis Beacon, part 2

Yes, it’s been nearly a year since the last time I went one on one with the formidable Mavis Beacon. I think it’s a testament to how much that composite character intimidates me that it took this long to return.

A new year means a new beginning, though, so I re-installed Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and after 50 minutes of carefully following Mavis’s lessons, here is my current status:

Yes, I can now touch-type at a rate of 10 words per minute. This means that adding seven fingers to my typing has reduced my overall speed by about 75% (I can hunt and peck around 40 WPM). However, Mavis has not only been forthcoming with encouragement, she has practically gushed about my phenomenal typing skills, to the point where I’m fairly certain I could type a bunch of nonsense and she would still lavish me with unearned praise. It seems this new version has defanged Ms. Beacon in favor of a kinder, gentler persona.

I’m still leery, though. She started out nice the last time, too, before switching over to her “You seem kind of dumb. Go play a video game instead” mode. Time will tell, I suppose.

Good Job! Good Job? 12 WPM sucks. That’s one of those thousand monkeys banging away randomly at the keyboard with the hope that he might be the one to spontaneously type out Hamlet. But I guess it’s more encouraging than “Wow, that’s so slow I had time to finish my tax return”. And I did actually discover something new about my typing: I have been sitting a little too far to the right of the keyboard. I noticed this when I was consistently hitting the wrong key and saw that my hand was turned in a way that the ghost hand onscreen wasn’t. Thanks, Mavis! (for now)

Touching another man’s Wii

I promise the title of this post will be my first and only Wii penis joke. Really.

Tonight, three years after its debut, I finally got a chance to play around with a Wii, thanks to an invite from Nic to try his out. He got it for the best price possible — as a prize in a raffle. Nice!

We played some Lego Batman after I got the lowdown on how to use the wand and nunchuk controllers and I think I did fairly well for a newbie. I had to play as Robin but hey, it’s Nic’s Wii so if he wants to play Batman, he plays Batman, dammit (and after watching how many times he plunged to his death while using the bat glide suit, I wasn’t too concerned about playing the sidekick). In one particular room we managed to kill ourselves repeatedly. I would push the joystick on the nunchuk and press the A button on the wand and Robin, the boy wonder, would happily walk off into a vat of lava or some toxic goo. Repeatedly. Being made of Lego grants you a kind of immortality, however, so the sting of death is not severe. We made a pretty good team, I’d say.

After putting away Mr. Freeze and Clayface, we moved on to the pack-in game, Wii Sports, testing out Tennis and Bowling. In Tennis we played two games. Nic beat me fairly handily in the first round as my fatheaded guys ran around the court looking more like rejects from Lord of the Dance than tennis players. The second game, however, found Nic without his mojo as he bobbled nearly every volley, handing me an easy win.

After drawing in Tennis we played a round of Bowling and I’m a bit concerned about Nic dislocating his shoulder when he plays the real thing because he puts some serious English into his swing. And it works. He got 5 strikes in all and ended with three in a row after finding the “magic spin”. I did not find any magic whatsoever and managed no strikes, though I got a few spares to stave off a humiliating defeat. Neither of us got a gutter ball.

Overall, the Wii left me unimpressed with its graphics (though being on a standard def TV probably doesn’t help much) but the controls were easy enough to grasp. The precision left something to be desired, though (see the countless deaths in Lego Batman as an example). While the party games are fun, I can’t say I’ve got a huge urge to trade-in my Xbox 360 for a Wii just yet.

Still, I must win at Bowling, so my Wii play is not over.