An Ecological Conundrum

I recently found myself facing a little puzzle. I wanted to buy a bottle of water, something I generally do not do, because I filter and usually keep plenty around, but I was out and badly needed more fluids. I looked at the two choices I had, half-liters for 17 cents or a liter and a half for 69 cents. I was puzzled at first by the price premium for the larger bottle, but decided to buy it because I figured it had less ecological impact. Further examination and thought revealed to me the mistake in my logic. A half-liter bottle need only be strong enough to hold up to handling about a pound of water, while a liter-and-a-half needs to hold up when subject to three pounds of water. The difference means that the small bottles are vastly thinner and though the two additional necks adds plastic to the equation, I figure the total works in ecological favor of the 3 smaller bottles. Never mind that two would have certainly sated my needs at the time. I'm now quite sure I made the wrong choice.

A Confession

I have gotten sloppy. I am back in school, but will be finishing that this semester. I want to be thinner and am willing to work at it. I also really dislike the cold and the big dose of snow and ice we've been getting. That makes it hard for me to get outside.
I want to go on the record that I am committing myself to losing 20 pounds by the end of summer. I am just shy of 190, and I want to be under 170, not because that's my goal. It isn't, rather I want to get there so that some other fitness activities don't stress my body as much. I'm also committing myself to be doing three good, substantial workouts weekly on the roads by the end of March.

On Hot Chocolate and Dying

I've become a fan of McDonald's McCafe Hot Chocolate, so I stopped by my local McD's this AM. I sat down to drink and read, and there was a group of about 6 older men (70ish) who were talking rather loudly. The result was that I read little and laughed a lot.
One guy said that he wasn't planning a viewing when he died, but if he had one, he'd like one of his buddies to slip his cell phone into the casket, go outside and call him during the event.
They were also talking about sales going on now, and one of them mentioned that Joseph A. Bank is appartently offering 70% off, so if any of his buddies needed a suit to be buried in, now might be a good time.
It sounds a bit dark, but these guys were having fun, and it brightened up my morning a bit. I, when I go, would kind of like a New Orleans style jazz procession from the service to my interment.

On Meb and Baldini

I just read the part of Meb Keflezighi's new book Run to Overcome where the 2004 Olympic Marathon was described. I've got to say that this race was a favorite of mine. I watched it on the back deck of my house with my son, then six cruising in and out.

Near mile 22, Meb and Italy's Stefano Baldini were running together, trying to chase down Brazil's Vanderlei de Lima after having dropped Kenya's Paul Tergat. Meb turns to Baldini and says "Endiamo primo e segundo" (Let's get first and second). As described in the book (p. 129), "His eyes bugged out. He looked absolutely shocked, like he was thinking, Is this black dude in a USA uniform actually speaking Italian to me?"

Shortly thereafter, de Lima was pushed from the course by a deranged spectator. The spectator was pulled away from him by other fans, but de Lima was doubtless slowed and rattled a bit by the incident. He was quickly caught by Baldini and then by Keflezighi.

As the race neared its conclusion, my son was chanting, "Go Meb, Go!" As well as the race turned out, I think my favorite part was when de Lima ran onto the track and "did the airplane" running with his arms outstretched and running a swerving pattern on the track having beaten the odd circumstances that had delayed his arrival. His face reflected pure joy, and I consider it one of the most special moments in sports.

The book, which is an easy read (it was co-written by sportswriter Dick Patrick) provides lots of insights into Meb's success. While I haven't yet finished it, it's clear to me that this book will be a well-loved addition to a runner's library. It will likely be especially valuable to young runners as it contains lots of important distance running lessons presented without being preachy.

Out of the Money

For the first time in several years, the Boston Red Sox did not qualify for the post-season. They finished the regular season with a record of 89-73 with a winning record of 0.549. That record represented the fifth best in the league, but third in the AL East. Both teams that finished ahead of the Sox made the playoffs.

I had initially planned to write this because I expected the Sox to have finished out of the money, but with a better record than at least one of the teams that made the playoffs, but a slump about 2 weeks back dropped the Sox record a bit.

Still, especially given the injuries they had to deal with, they have nothing to feel badly about with the season's results. A look at each division shows the AL East to have a 0.532 record, while the Central has a 0.493 record, and the West has a 0.481 record. Clearly, the Sox play in the league's best division, and this affects their record. Would they have won either of the other divisions if they played there? Probably, but they don't.

Congratulations to the Rays, Twins, Rangers and Yankees for making the playoffs. I guess I have to root for the Rays, as I can't root for the Yankees, ever! Given their records, I have to believe that an AL East team will be in the World Series, but I'm not sure which one. Time will tell.

Quizzed

Yesterday, I stopped by the office of the paper for which I write. In the course of discussion, the fact that I'm in school chasing a math degree. The publisher, who's a trained engineer, decided to give me the quickie quiz of my mathematical knowledge. He asked, "What's the integral of 1/x?" I pondered for about a second, just to be sure I didn't blurt something stupid, then replied, "Natural log, isn't it?" I was then told that many eople who claim to know math do not know this (or at least can't answer it on the spur of the moment). It's a foundation in Calculus II, so there is really no excuse (except forgetfulness) for math people not knowing this. It's really a good simple test - if you can't answer, you really have no business claiming to be a math head (mathlete?).

A Few Car Images

A trio of lifted car images:

The Citroen 2CV


A Triumph TR-8


A Triumph TR-6

Crossing Paths

Last week, I went to a park in town and there was a guy riding a big wheel unicycle - the wheel was about 3 feet in diameter. last night, on my way to class, I passed an International tractor. A very rare sight on NJ's suburban roads. Both of these things made me smile, big toothy grins. I like crossing paths with the odd and weird.

Takedown!

Yesterday, I took a fall at a local park. I was running on a trail that parallels a road. I tripped on a mostly buried rock. It took me down hard. I opened up my right elbow and right knee. After making the "nuggh" sound as i hit the ground, I rolled off my back, got up and got back to running while I tried to evaluate my condition. I took looks at the places that hurt, and saw some blood on both places. They pained me into the night, and my knee felt stiff yesterday, but all was fine today - I should be healed in about 10 days. Still, it was a bit frightening.

A New Heart

A friend of mine is getting a new heart tonight. This has me thinking a bit about mortality. Not in a bad kind of way, just that he is, if all goes well, getting a new lease on life. However, his gain is somebody else's loss. His heart had to come out of someone, and they can't have been too sick - if I understand right, most hearts come from young, healthy people who died suddenly in some tragic way. That person likely has parent, a spouse or significant other, and maybe children. They all suffer a great loss, but others gain by their loss. My driver's license is marked as organ donor. Is yours?

UPDATE: I jumped on Facebook this AM and found out there was an issue with the heart and he's slated to go hame today with his old, beat-up heart. I'm sure the decision was right, but it's an emotional roller coaster.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

The title is a reference to the theme song of the old Rawhide TV series. The reason for the post was a chance meeting yesterday with a guy who had no legs. I was in a store, and I see this guy in a wheelchair checking out as I went through a nearby line. As I went out, he had headed our before me. I gave him a hand holding his cart while he unladed groceries from it. He was fairly young, I guessing 30ish. We talked a bit about wheelchairs, and he had one of the hand-cranked jobs, I think they call handbikes in the back of his van. He told me he's been called a wimp on occasion by some of the push-rim guys. He also told me that he hopes to compete in the NYC Marathon. Before we parted, I asked if he minded telling me what had happened. He told me he'd lost his legs in the crash of the Staten Island Ferry. I'm always impressed by some of these guys who when life deals them a lousy hand just keep moving forward and do what they can with a good attitude.

On Olympic Medals

My friend, Vince Hemingson, made a post in his blog about choosing not to see Olympic medals at the Canadian Mint. I've seen the Vancouver medals, and they look to be about the size of CD's or DVD's.
I've had the pleasure of carrying a very old Olympic medal around the world. (I also turned down a chance to meet the Queen of England, but that's a whole other story.) One of the places where I took this medal was to the Expo at the London Marathon in 2008. It was displayed there, along with Dorando's Cup, and one of the events was an Italian press conference. At this press conference, which was organized by the Enzo Ferrari Memorial Marathon was Stefano Baldini, the 2004 Olympic Marathon Champion.
I found myself standing close to Baldini, and he commented, "Mine is much bigger." (Now, aside from all the potential nudge, nudge, wink, wink implications of such a statement, it's true.) The medal I was holding was about the size of a U.S. half-dollar. Olympic medals have grown significantly over time, from the very small size of the early era, to these oversize medals of today.
Those of you who might want to run a marathon in Europe may want to consider the Ferrari Marathon. One of the related things you can do tied to it is to visit the Ferrari Museum, which is located in the start city of Maranello. The finish is in Carpi, where marathon legend Dorando Pietri spent his running life. See more about the Ferrari Marathon here.

Olympiad

Last night, as the Olympic Games began, I was at my running club's annual banquet. I did not see the torch getting lit (and what I now understand was its malfunction). The Georgian luger who was killed came up briefly in conversation.
After I walked in with my camera, I got tagged with the official photographer designation. One of my personal highlights is the annual hall of fame induction. Because my club is now 75 years old (unless it's 76 or 77, there's some debate), it was also a special year. Likely the biggest name inducted was high jumper Milton Goode, a 1984 Olympian, and the other big name was Curt Clausen, a racewalker who competed in 3 Olympics (1996, 2000, and 2004) and captured a bronze at the world's in the 50km in 1999. Another inductee was a man who'd run the first New York City Marathon (and is still out there banging it out 40 years later!).
I shot a couple of hundred photos, and will post them on the club's blog.

Awaitng The Snow

The weatherman is saying that we are going to see over a foot of snow tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about this. I still haven't found my x-c ski boots, so don't think I can go out tomorrow. I'm sure my son will be glad to get a day off, and based on the predicted conditions, I think his snow day is pretty much a sure thing.

Millrose Games

I spent last night at Millrose. My favorite race was the college 4x800. The reason was somewhat personal - don't get me wrong, the race was great, but it was only one of several excellent races. In this race, it took a little while to sort out, but around the midpoint, it looked like it was going to be a two-team race, University of Virginia and New York AC (yes, the organizers played a bit "fast and loose" with qualifications, but I think it proved justified). As the anchors took the batons, it had tightened up, with four teams within about 10 yards of each other. Then, the runner from UVa exploded - he just ran away from the field. The announcer commented that this runner was Robby Andrews, winner of last year's high school mile. Robby just blew away the field. It was really impressive, and it's clear that Robbie is going to be a star (it might be argued that he already is), at least if he stays healthy.
The man sitting in front of me was cheering frantically for Bergen Catholic in the Suburban 4 x 400 (I think) and in one of the turns, Bergen's runner went down and disappeared. He'd gotten tangled up or jostled, and went down, that's a part of the close quarters that indoor racing entails. It's sad when that happens, but sometimes it does.
Oh, and Bernard Lagat won his record-setting eighth Wanamaker Mile, surpassing the record he held jointly with Eamonn Coghlan. Lagat ran away from the field in the "premier" event of the meet. It was unquestionably the glamour event, but the women's mile was probably even more stacked with talent (Sara Hall, Sally Kipyego, Hannah England (who won), etc.), and the was lots of superb racing coming from unknowns and lesser knowns.
Aonther fine race came from the high school girls, with Emily Lipari of Roslyn, NY dueling Cory McGee of Pass Christian, MS. Before the race, I'd told my son to watch Lipari and McGee. I didn't realize that McGee had taken second each of the last 3 years, but she looked bigger and stronger than most in the field (my actual term was "looks like a horse" - and that wasn't an insult), and when it was announced that she'd been brought up from MS, it was clear she wasn't "field filler." The two of them set the race, but Lipari, who I believe is stronger as races get longer, faded late.
A good, intelligent recap of the meet can be found here. Another good recap is here.

A Fun Conversation

Last Friday, I got called to substitute teach. While having lunch in the teacher's lounge, a librarian struck up some conversation with me. I mentioned that I'm a bit of an authority on 1908 Olympic Gold Medalist Johnny Hayes. I mentioned my favorite "librarian fact," that Melvil Dewey, the Dewey Decimal System guy, was a big proponent of the simplified spelling movement of that era. So, while Dewey was born as Melville Dewey, he wanted to be Melvil Dui, but because the government felt surname changes would cause problems with public records, he died as melvil Dewey. Theodore Roosevelt was also a proponent of simplified spelling.
She left interested in this unusual characteristic of the American most associated with library science. BTW - I asked her about the difference between Dewey Decimal and the Library of Congress cataloging system.

Mention of how he liked to spell his name here. And here. There's a pretty extensive history of spelling reform here.

Best Shape of My Life

My last post drew two responses, the first said, in essence, choose to get into the best shape of your life this year, and the second agreed with the concept. My response is "Impossible!" Why? As recently as the spring of 2005, I was running roughly 50 miles per week, and getting a 50 year-old body to that level from a state of poor conditioning takes much longer than a year, even if issues like the need to earn income, care for my son several days a week, and continue my education were not factors.
So, I still stand by my original premise of "getting into reasonable shape" this year. Now, it's time for a few mea culpas. I did not yet get the training log. I did not begin a formal training plan this week. While I have done a few basic and very limited exercises, they lacked the structure and volume to cause soreness, a sign that muscles were overloaded. So, forgive me dear readers, I have sinned by failing to make progress on my resolution during week 1 of 2010. I promise that week 2 will be better.
Still, how will I quantify my progress? I will establish a single goal, to be able to run 5 kilometers at will by the beginning of summer. I will also draw the beginning of summer to be the traditional start of the summer season here in NJ, Memorial Day. If any readers are outside the USA, that's the last Monday in May. As a secondary goal, I want to lose weight, but am currently unable to quantify that, as I don't own, nor have access to a scale. I will purchase on in the next couple of weeks.

The Nines

I just got on Google and saw they'd written 09/09/09 09:09:09 on their page. I glanced at the clock - 9:10...well, at least the world didn't end!

What a Blockhead!

"How do you find running in those shoes?," asked the runner who was passing me.
"Not too bad, but I really feel the big stones," said I.
"Be careful in them, I got a neuroma from running too far here in a bad pair of shoes," he replied.

So began a conversation about my unusual footwear this morning. I was running in boat shoes because I'd driven off thinking my shoes were in the car. It was the second time I'd made that mistake in 2 weeks. What a blockhead!

Last time, I'd headed to the last race of the summer series without them. I racewalked 2 miles in bare feet then. I gathered six blisters, and didn't work out for five days afterwards. What a blockhead!

Got a story of your blockheadedness? Please share, otherwise I'll think you're all perfect!

Fitness Plan - Revised

I've been struggling to get motivated to get myself back into running shape. It's been hard. I've decided that I will aim for daily activity - to me that means 5 days each week. After picking up my bike on Wednesday, I took it out for a short twenty minute ride on Thursday evening. Today, my son and I went for a walk of about an hour. We're going to run with an area club tomorrow morning. That will be three days in a row.
My hope is to integrate more activity into my day, and to keep it varied. The plan is to gradually build my aerobic condition while I strengthen by legs. Once I am comfortable running, I'll try to do that 3 or 4 days a week, with other activity on the other days.
I hope this will also help motivate me to drop some additional weight - I'm at about 185 lbs., I'd like to get down to about 165 by year end.