Ding-dong, Avon calling

I really stepped out today. As I’ve noted before, you don’t know your limits until you push them. I don’t know that I pushed mine today, but I forced myself into a longer run because I headed out of town to the south, which means a minimum 6 miles. I added a detour I avoided once before (backtrack for a third bridge) and bagged a full 7 miles. Next time I hope I’ll push farther and hit 8 or 9. I have an idea how to do it. By that I mean I know what I need to do to the same route to add the necessary miles, which I’ve done before.

The thing is, I’m a week and a half away from my half marathon and I’ve not followed any kind of training regimen. I intended to. I had one sent to me by a friend. I had my own idea, too. But my nagging knee negated both. Add to that a general state of dysfunction and disarray in my life and a chronic lack of motivation and you’ve got a recipe for failure. But failure is not an option. I will succeed in this. I am woefully lacking in willpower in many areas of my life (daily schedule, housekeeping, diet, exercise, finances, to name a few), but I have this gut feeling that willpower will carry me through this endeavor.

Not that I’m gonna totally slack off and show up Sunday morning, June 2, and expect my body to listen to my mind. Oh, the muscles, bones, ligaments, joints and all will have some preparation. Maybe not all they deserve, but it ain’t gonna be no pop quiz.

Beyond physical preparation, I have prepared my gear a little. Last week I picked up my Team Acapulco shirt for the Run Galesburg Run event during lunch at the restaurant. For the advertising (cuz I’m a star runner) I received the shirt and half my registration fee paid by the restaurant. Lemme tell you, beyond the shirt, I’ll plug the restaurant anytime: Great food and great service. I love the place. Proprietor Elvith Santoyo is wonderful and she is doing the half marathon, too. Given that she’s half my age I reckon she’ll do much better. But we’re on the same team, so props to us all. Can’t wait to meet the rest of the Acapulco runners.

The shirt has a cool slogan printed on the front and race info and logo on the back and it’s a neon yellow/green. That’s awesome because aside from my Nathan reflective vest I have no high-visibility running apparel. Somebody will be sure to spot my motionless form in even the most overgrown ditch come race day.

I also decided to try out my hydration belt for the first time today. I knew I was going to do a longer run than usual and it might be a bit warm (actually only reached 77, but that’s warm when there’s no shade). After last summer’s E.R. visit at the conclusion of a 12.5-mile run in 80-degree heat, I asked for the hydration belt on my Christmas wish list. D3 Melissa came through for me and I thank her. It’s a weird feeling to have that water bottle bobbin’ up and down on one’s right kidney. But it wasn’t annoying and I appreciated the fluids along my route. The belt has a handy pocket for keys, too.

One piece of gear remains: new shoes. I’ll stop in at Go Outside and Play Running Co. this week and buy the latest Mizuno Wave Inspires (this year’s edition of the shoes I wear now). They’re a pretty penny, but they’ll help, and I love those shoes! I think this year’s model uses orange for an accent color, which is a DenverBroncos color, so hey!

As noted previously, I’ve not been treasure hunting on my runs during “training.” But my eye was drawn to a white sign curled on the western side of the W.C. Jackson Bridge near the end of my run. I backtracked after initially ignoring it, figuring I might need something to write about since my current writing project isn’t yet ready for public consumption. It turned out to be a magnetic sign for Avon products, the kind a local seller will place on his/her car. 

Makes a great refrigerator magnet!

The sign touts Avon products and bears the local rep’s phone number, but included in equally large type the words “Tiny Tillia.” What the H is that, I thought? Well, here’s what it is:

Transporting families to a whimsical world of wonder, Tiny Tillia adds fanciful fun to mom and baby’s daily routine. The Tiny Tillia collection features toys, bath and clothing products for baby as well as beauty must-haves and accessories for mom. Originally sparked by a mother's love for her children, the line even includes a lovable cast of characters. To learn more about Tiny Tillia, visit tinytillia.com.

Check it out at your own risk. I think babies are happy with cardboard boxes and wrapping paper; save your money.

Today's Stats

Temp: 75-77 degrees F

Distance: 7 miles

Weekly Total: 7 miles

Treasure: Avon magnetic sign (for automobile display).

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

I Don’t Wanna – The Call

Changes - Yes

Paradise – Bruce Springsteen

Prove Your Love – Taylor Dayne

Turnaround (Studio Version) – Robert Plant

You Won’t Be Mine – Matchbox Twenty

Wish You Were Here – Avril Lavigne

Glad Tidings – Van Morrison

Come Sail Away - Styx

I Will – Matchbox Twenty (Gonna see these guys again in July!)

Heartbreak Warfare – John Mayer

I Me Mine – The Beatles

Argue – Matchbox Twenty

Bonus – C+C Music Factory

I Still Haven’t FoundWhat I’m Looking For – U2

Hearts - Yes

A Penny Saved…

OK, I’ll confess it. I suck at money. Numbers. Finances. Math. All that stuff. How did I produce a child who became an accountant? Good fortune (pun intended), perhaps? 

I had a basic knack for living within my means when I was a kid with a $10/week allowance plus lawn-mowing money from Grandpa in the summer. No idea where extra cash came from in the winter – surely not from shoveling snow, at least not that I recall.

A week’s allowance would fill the tank of my 1971 Super Beetle and last about two weeks. During the school year I stretched the $10 from the alternate weeks into lunches of my choice at school. I could have taken a lunch for free from home, and sometimes did, but $1.05 bought a six-pack of Hostess Doughnuts, a Hostess Fruit Pie and a carton of orange drink. Yeah, that really was my diet pretty much daily through high school; thanks to a teenager’s metabolism I stayed skinny and didn’t break 145 until well after graduation.

Well, it doesn’t work that way now. Neither fiscally nor metabolically. My money tends to disappear before I know I had it and the calories are happy to linger like unwanted relatives at the holidays. Oh, I try on both fronts, but not very hard. But I suppose I make more of an effort than some and have more success than some, so pat me on the back. Or don’t. I know there’s room for improvement – more room than a Gulf Coast hotel at the height of hurricane season.

Anyway, I understand the importance of money. And ironically, for my often poor stewardship of funds, I am quite frugal. And I’ll stop on a dime to pick up a penny. The financial gain is part of why I pick up aluminum cans when I run – when I pick up stuff, which I haven’t done much lately. Anyway, today I did stop for a penny. I think just to have something to list in my Treasure category below. I noted it was a 2001 and stamped with a D, indicated it was a product of the Denver Mint.

I toured the Denver Mint back in 1996 when my parents paid for me to take a trip to see my favoritefootball team play a game. I remember parking about 12 blocks from the Mint (probably in a free lot, or at least the cheapest I could find) and walking to the mint. Arriving at the mint I read the sign at the door prohibiting weapons and realize I have to hike back to the car to deposit my Buck knife for safe-keeping. I returned in time to make the final tour of the day.

I left with the impression that Denver minted nothing but pennies. Were that so then, it is not so now. Perhaps the Denver Mint simply mints coins and no paper currency. Whatever the case, my memory is what it is, and I imagined at the time the ridiculous amounts of security at a mint that produced nothing but one-cent coins. What an absurd crime, to rob a national mint of millions of pennies. ‘Twould be a humorous tale, however.

When I visited Sweden in 2004 as part of the Rotary District 6460 Group Study Exchange, the penny played an important role in my ambassadorship. Members of the GSE team were encouraged to take with them gifts for their hosts, preferably items that spoke of their hometowns. I, of course, leaned on Carl Sandburg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author conveniently of Swedish descent. I procured some mementos from the Sandburg Birthplace, including a handful of oversized reproductions of Lincoln pennies that came in paper sleeves with Sandburg’s homage in support of Lincoln’s visage on the copper penny.

The penny came up tonight in conversation with two of my daughters at Kastle Kreme, a local ice cream stand of some legend. Amanda, daughter No. 2, reiterated her dislike of that smallest of coinage denominations: “I hate pennies,” she said matter-of-factly. At times I question their purpose, and then I am reminded of Sandburg’s words. Lincoln may grace the $5 note, but the penny is where he belongs. We would pay him a grave injustice to strip him of that honor.

Today's Stats

Temp: 69 degrees F

Distance: 5.71 miles

Weekly Total: 5.71 miles

Treasure: 1 penny (2001, Denver mint)

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Day or Night – The Call

One of These Things First – Nick Drake (From the "Garden State" soundtrack)

If I Fall – Matchbox Twenty

More Than a Feeling - Boston

Everybody Wants You – Billy Squier

Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 6-9 – Pink Floyd

Push – Avril Lavigne

Only Heart – John Mayer

The New Love Song – Joshua James (Saw this guy at RibCo in Rock Island a few years ago on St. Patty's Day - pretty damned good.)

El Farol - Santana

Time and Time Again – Counting Crows

Girlfriend is Better – Talking Heads

Perhaps, Perhaps,Perhaps - Cake

A Last Request (I Want Your Sex Part III) – George Michael

Facts of Life – Billy Squier

Excitable Boy

Maybe excitable is a bit much, but I experienced a revival of confidence today. For the first time in weeks I felt some reassurance that I can still pull it together for the Galesburg Half Marathon Express on June 2. Yeah, I did only 4 miles. OK, not even 4 miles, but damned close, all right? But I felt good. Not that I wasn’t tired and a little sore, but I was certain that given more available time I could have kept going. I was in the zone. Or close to it.

Awaiting the start of the Run Galesburg Run 5K last year.

Twice I was thwarted by trains. Intending my 3.4-mile route, given time constraints today (yes, it was my day off, but I was busy, OK?). First, as I hit Academy Street and was about to turn north, the crossing arms came down, diverting my path momentarily south to the Donald L. Moffitt Overpass (what a ridiculous name – no disrespect to the honorable Rep. Moffitt) and over the tracks to Garfield Avenue. Then I turned north. The detour gave me a couple extra blocks on my distance.

So when I reached my northern turning point, where I sometimes continue a couple blocks farther to ensure the 3.4 miles, just turned east for a few blocks before heading back south toward home. Alas, as I approached the crossing just beyond North and Prairie streets, the passing train slowed and stopped. Ugh. Frustration. I was on a schedule today; needed to shower, pick up D3 (that’s code for my youngest of three daughters), have dinner and get her to her junior high band concert.

I loitered. No phone today, so no pix of the train or the waiting cars or the waiting me. I jogged west to peer down the line and see if the crossing a couple blocks away was open. It was not. I jogged back. I walked back and forth for a block. I stood around. I walked the block again. Stood around some more. Did knee lifts (like marching in place) to keep limber and waited. Finally the freight began to inch along eastward and the tracks cleared after about a 15-minute delay.

My knee felt fairly good and I felt strengthened and rejuvenated. The feeling that I can and will rise to the occasion in a few short weeks returned. Now to hold onto that.

To top it all off, I received a “shout out” from an old friend. Here’s what Brian had to say:

I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know how much I appreciate your blog.  Just finished lunch and catching up with your posts to avoid doing any real work.  It occurred to me that I probably haven't let you know how much I enjoy your work.

Photos are really good, subject is fun and makes me nostalgic for the old hometown and of course I love your playlists (especially the trends - digging that Matchbox Twenty, are we?).

Brian, right, and I, second from right, with Paul Keser, second from left,
and Glenn Ford, left, for a pre-wedding photo at Fat Fish Pub.

That sounds like I’m basking and bathing my ego in sunshine, and perhaps I am a little. But really it’s more a public “thank you” to my pal Brian Fry for his encouragement and kind words. I haven’t seen him since November of last year at the wedding of another close friend (close friends) and it was a longer interval since our last reunion. We vowed in November to stay in touch better and really haven’t. Since he’s made the move, it’s imperative that I step up and we uphold that promise together. What’s that line from “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”?

“Understand that friends come and go, / but for the precious few you should hold on. / Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle / because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.”

There’s also this bit of wisdom: “Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.”

I hope Brian doesn’t mind my quoting his personal message to me. I do so with reverence and appreciation. Thanks, buddy.

Today's Stats

Temp: 77 degrees F

Distance: 3.96 miles (Can’t I just call it 4?)

Weekly Total: 3.96 miles

Treasure: Patience.

iPod Playlist (Shuffle):

Tell Me Why – The Beatles

Is There Something I Should Know? – Duran Duran

Lucky Star – Madonna

Poor Poor Pitiful Me – Warren Zevon

Genius – Warren Zevon (If you watch none of my video links, watch this one; Warren deserves your admiration and respect. Oh, and he deserves to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

Passenger Seat – Death Cab for Cutie

Why Can’t This Be Love – Van Halen

Swearin’ To God – Frankie Valli

Come Running – Van Morrison

Excitable Boy – Warren Zevon

Songs while I was waiting on a stopped train:

Silver and Gold (live) – U2

Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band

I’ll Work For YourLove – Bruce Springsteen

Fool To Love You – John Mayer

Back in the Saddle Again

I know I need to run, but I wanted to do an errand that was beyond my running ability today and a bike ride seemed just the solution. Kept me out of the car and out in the air and exercising. That’s good, right?

The road goes ever on and on...

 
You’d think my legs would be sore after that much pedaling, or my knee. Oddly, I feel it more in my soles. And my shoulders. Not used to hunching over on a road bike, neck straining to keep my eyes on the road ahead rather than the road under my wheels. My understanding of one fact gained renewed clarity: legs are much more efficient with pedals and wheels beneath them.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up running. Just needed a break and a renewal. Biking is, after all, my first love. Or is it? I’ve biked for decades and loved it from several aspects and in many forms, though I am mostly a recreational/commuting rider. But through scouting I became a hiker. So I suppose that was my first love, at least once I hit the mountain trails of Philmont Scout Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northeastern New Mexico. Biking, though, as a commuter and pedabout, is my passion.

Mark this day. I just coined a new word. Pedabout is one who cycles for relaxation and recreation, often randomly and with no fixed destination.

Hard to see through the spring growth.

So, today’s ride had a purpose, a destination. I wanted to see for myself a house for sale at nearbyLake Bracken. Not the typical Bracken mansion you’re imagining if you are familiar with the area. And I was just curious, given its price. Didn’t get an up-close look because I wasn’t sure of its exact location and didn’t want to intrude into a seemingly private residential setting. And once I spotted it from across the cove, I chose to accept the view I had and continued my ride home.

Lots of questions about a place like that: well water, septic, no garage, sloping gravel drive. What’s winter life like? What is the life expectancy of the well? What’s the water taste like? How often must a septic tank be emptied and what’s that cost? What about garbage pickup? Still, lake access, woods. Pretty cool.

Biking home I was treated to some minor hills, moody skies and bright roadside dandelions and clover. Also sore soles and butt. And tingly arms and sweaty hands on plastic handlebar tape. (Need to change that.) In the end, though, I thrilled at the ride and at my ability to find my way back on a loop I hadn’t ridden in two years. Not a big accomplishment, but one can get lost on country roads. Thankfully it’s a pretty straight shot. 

Today's Stats

Temp: 71 degrees F

Distance: 14.29 miles

Weekly Total: 22.19 miles

Treasure: Freedom.

iPod Playlist:

Matchbox Twenty’s “North (Limited Edition)” album

Parade (Video is a different version with a forgetful singer)

She’s So Mean

Overjoyed (Brilliant video)

Put Your Hands Up

Our Song

I Will

English Town

How Long (For Amanda)

Radio (Stopped here on second play-through)

Portrait of the returning hero, er, rider.

The Way

Like Sugar

Sleeping at the Wheel

Waiting on a Train (Non-LP Track)

I Don’t Wanna Be Loved (Non-LP Track)