Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 168 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Today was a planned rest day—no workout.

Angie had a work function this evening, and I joined the festivities. I got free food and beer, so I didn't mind missing a workout.

WARR: T-minus 79 Days  ¶ 10:17 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 170 lbs.
Course: Big Bend
Distance: 6 Miles
Time: 51:16
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny, 78°

Comments: I ran an easy six miles after work. I started getting nipple chafe, so I took off my shirt for the last couple miles of the run. Although the sensation of air moving over my bare skin felt nice and cooled me off, I was rather self-conscious about my extreme paleness. Luckily, there weren’t many people around to gape in horror at my pasty body.

WARR: T-minus 80 Days  ¶ 10:16 PM

 
Resting Pulse: 48 bpm
Weight: 168 lbs.
Course: Soos Creek
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: 33:29
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Cloudy, 65°

Comments: I ran an easy four miles after work.

WARR: T-minus 81 Days  ¶ 10:47 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 169 lbs.
Course: Pit Bull Run [House Mix]
Distance: 6 Miles
Time: 53:25
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Cloudy, Drizzle, Cool

Comments: I ran an easy six miles after work today. I saw a five-point Black-tailed buck along the way. The sunburn on my feet presented no problems. It has already faded into a light tan.

WARR: T-minus 82 Days  ¶ 11:08 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Today was a planned rest day—no workout.

After yesterday's race, Angie and I headed up to Jake's cabin on Useless Bay for a get-away with some friends. I played a little bit of beach golf, drank a little Scotch, and played a little Munchkin. In the process, I sunburned the top of my feet. I guess that's what I get for not wearing shoes. I hope this doesn't mess up my workouts.

WARR: T-minus 83 Days  ¶ 11:58 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: Bridle Trails 5k
Distance: 5k (5 miles with warm-up/cool-down)
Time: 21:26
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Cloudy, Cool

Comments: I ran a trail race this morning. The course wasn't too difficult, although there was a long, steep uphill in the first mile. I went out a little too hard (as usual) and faded a bit at the halfway point. I made a wrong turn at on the course, but I only lost a few seconds, as I realized my mistake quickly. I simply wasn't paying attention and ran a few yards down the wrong fork at a trail junction before I noticed there wasn't any flagging. It could have been a lot worse.

My time wasn't great, but a trail race is always a bit slower than a road race, and my legs were a little tired from—for the first time in a long time—a full week of training. Bearing that in mind, I wasn't disappointed with my results. It seemed that most of the competition opted for the longer race, so I even managed to place in the top 10 overall.

WARR: T-minus 84 Days  ¶ 11:56 PM

 
Resting Pulse: 52 bpm
Weight: 168 lbs.
Course: Down by the River
Distance: 3 Miles
Time: Not Timed
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny, Warm

Comments: I ran an easy three miles after work today. I have a race tomorrow, so I just wanted to do something super easy to keep my mileage up. Mission accomplished.

WARR: T-minus 85 Days  ¶ 11:52 PM

 
Resting Pulse: 50 bpm
Weight: 166 lbs.
Course: Soos Creek
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: 33:06
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny, Warm

Comments: The problem with getting out of shape is that your mind and your body don't agree. That is, your brain tells you that you’re running an easy, relaxed pace, but five minutes into the workout your body says, "This isn’t easy; this hurts!"

I jogged an "easy" four miles after work today. Near the end of my workout, a gigantic insect land ON my lip and tried to crawl into my mouth. I tried to blow it off, but its grip was too strong. I had to push it off with my tongue. That means I got to TASTE the bug. It was nasty and bitter, and the flavor lingered on my tongue for ten minutes. Blech.

WARR: T-minus 86 Days  ¶ 11:49 PM

 
Resting Pulse: 52 bpm
Weight: 165 lbs.
Course: The Wrecking Yard
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: 34:52
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Cloudy, 61°

Comments: I ran an easy four miles after work today. I felt a little bit stiff and rusty when I started out, but by the time I finished, I felt pretty good.

WARR: T-minus 87 Days  ¶ 11:48 PM

 
Resting Pulse: 50 bpm
Weight: 168 lbs.
Course: Big Bend
Distance: 6 Miles
Time: 49:35
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Mostly Cloudy

Comments: I finally managed to put in a training run. I'm considering myself back on track. There will be no more slacking.

WARR: T-minus 88 Days  ¶ 11:46 PM

 
Resting Pulse: 54 bpm
Weight: 166 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Today was supposed to be the first day of my take-no-prisoners, no-holds-barred training push. Well, that didn't happen. I plopped down to rest for a second after work, and the next thing I knew it was seven o'clock. I was too groggy and grumpy to do much of anything, so I wrote off the day as yet another loss.

WARR: T-minus 89 Days  ¶ 11:44 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: There's only 90 days until the World Airline Road Race, or WARR. This is my favorite event of the year; it's like my own personal Olympics. There are people from all over the planet coming together for one big competitive event. (Of course, not everyone takes it as seriously as I do.) I even have a rival, a guy from Lufthansa who's won my age group the past two years. (I was second and third, respectively.) This year I'm in a different age group, but I'd still like to beat him. (Can you see why this is fun for me? Who else do you know that has a German rival? Lance Armstrong?) To do that, though, I really need to get serious about my training. I’m busy today, it being Father's Day and all, but tomorrow marks the beginning of my take-no-prisoners, pull-no-punches assault on training.

WARR: T-minus 90 Days  ¶ 11:41 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Angie and I saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith today. I thought the movie started out a little bit slow, but it really picked up at the end. I enjoyed it.  ¶ 11:38 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Planned rest day—no workout.  ¶ 11:36 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: My legs felt quite sore after yesterday's race. I’ve decided to take the rest of the week off and start up my training again on Monday.  ¶ 11:35 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 168 lbs.
Course: Father's Day 5k
Distance: 5k (4 Miles with Warm-up)
Time: Rather Not Say
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Sunny

Comments: Today's race was just terrible. I had considered skipping it, and afterward I really wished I had. Instead, I ended up with two blisters, shin splints, and the worst 5k time I've run in the last fifteen years.

I know I needed to train better if I want to race better, but I'm having trouble motivating myself to run when I'm racing so poorly. It's turning into a vicious circle.  ¶ 7:17 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 168 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I had an appointment at the bank this afternoon, and ran out of time to run. I kind of wanted to make up for yesterday with an easy run today, but that didn't happen.  ¶ 7:20 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 167 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: Crunches
Weather: N/A

Comments: I skipped my run today. I shouldn't have, but I did. This is turning into a continuing theme. (I did do some crunches though.)

Since nothing exciting happened today, let me tell you about a little adventure Angie and I had last week. We went downtown to watch Episode III at Cinerama, and since we didn't want to deal with traffic and parking, we rode the bus. This meant we had to take the bus home, at night, on one of the less desirable routes.

For a short while, we had the bus to ourselves. Then, a few stops later, about a dozen people poured on. A woman sat down in the seat in front of us. She looked normal, but she smelled like she'd fallen into a vat of tequila. A man stumbled down the aisle flopped into the seat across from us. He mumbled incoherently under his breath and seemed to have great difficulty staying upright. The last person on the bus was a man with a cell phone pressed to his ear. Instead of taking a seat, he paced the near the front of the bus.

I buried myself in my book until I realized the bus had stopped. I realized I heard raised voices. I looked up from my book and saw that the driver and the cell phone man were arguing. The driver tried to hand Cell Phone a piece of paper and said, "Take your transfer and get off my bus."

Cell Phone said, "This is the last bus home. I can't get off." He didn't take the proffered transfer slip.

"Get off my bus or I'll call someone to drag you off."

"Whatever." Cell Phone sat down on the seat reserved for the handicapped and crossed his arms, frowning.

The driver reached for his radio, keyed it, and said, "Could you send someone down to my bus on Second and Jackson? I've got someone who refuses to get off." There was a paused as he listened to the dispatcher on his earpiece. Then he said, "He was all MF this and MF that, and when I asked him to get off, he refused."

"This is just because I swore?" shouted Cell Phone. "I apologized for that. I just found out my friend got shot last night—two times in the head. I swore, yes, but I apologized. This is the last bus home."

The driver shut off the engine and stepped off the bus, clearly disinterested in anything Cell Phone had to say.

We waited on the stopped bus for ten minutes. Cell Phone sulked inside while the driver stood on the sidewalk outside. The only sound I heard was the man across the aisle mumbling to himself in a low, steady drone. Finally, the police arrived.

An officer came on the bus and walked up to Cell Phone after the driver pointed him out. "Come on, let's get off the bus and talk about this."

Cell Phone stood and followed, but he stopped at the door. "This is the last bus home. If I get off, how am I going to get back?"

The officer said, "The driver doesn't want you on the bus, and you have to do what the driver says."

"Look, I just found out—just now—my friend got shot last night. I'm just trying to get home, and this is the last bus. How am I supposed to get home if I get off?"

"That's not my problem," said the officer. "Just get off the fucking bus."

Cell Phone clicked his tongue in annoyance, but complied. The driver had the bus started and underway seconds later.

Personally, I thought the driver acted a bit unfairly. But then I missed most of the argument, and I didn't have some guy up in face either. To keep things in perspective, I saw on the news that a couple of days after this encounter, a passenger assaulted a bus driver over $1.50. Also, this is the city where, for no good reason, a passenger shot a bus driver—while he was driving across a bridge, no less. My point: I'm glad I'm not a bus driver.  ¶ 9:45 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 167 lbs.
Course: The Wrecking Yard
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: Not Timed
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 71°

Comments: I ran an easy four miles today. My legs were fried from yesterday's race.  ¶ 10:28 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 170 lbs.
Course: Sound to Narrows 12k
Distance: 12k (8 Miles w/Warm-up)
Time: 56:03
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Partly Cloudy

Comments: I ran Sound to Narrows today. It went poorly. I started out all right, but I started struggling about four miles in. From there I kept getting slower and slower. I probably should have skipped the race, given my lack of decent training, but I thought it would make a good tempo run, if nothing else. Alas, I've got a feeling I'll be sore tomorrow, setting back my training even more.  ¶ 11:19 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 170 lbs.
Course: The Wrecking Yard
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: Not Timed
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Cloudy, 70°

Comments: I didn't go to work today because I needed to wait around the house for a couple of different contractors to come out and do some warranty work. I managed to squeeze in a quick run, then I had to take Angie and her sister to the airport so they could get to a bridal shower in LA. I have the house to myself this weekend.

I'm already lonely and bored.  ¶ 11:17 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 170 lbs.
Course: The Wrecking Yard
Distance: 4 Miles
Time: Not Timed
Other Exercises: Crunches
Weather: Sunny, 73°

Comments: I managed to get out and put in a training run. It was quite a shock to the system. I even did some crunches when I was finished.

You know that expression "pain is just weakness leaving the body"? Well, judging by today's efforts, I must be very weak.  ¶ 10:11 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: 170 lbs.
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I was overwhelmed by lethargy again today. I just couldn't summon the energy to go for a run. I was so tired, I didn't even eat dinner, which, considering how I keep getting heavier, might be a good thing.  ¶ 10:01 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: Today was a planned rest day—no workout.

I went and saw Episode III finally. Angie and I met with J-Glo and his inamorata for a quick bit, then the four of us headed to the theater. I must admit I enjoyed the movie. It didn't make my all-time greatest list, but it was a marked improvement over the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.  ¶ 11:48 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I meant to run today since I'm taking tomorrow off, but I came home and fell asleep before I could get changed into my running clothes. By the time I came to, it was dark. I had a busy weekend, and I think it caught up with me.  ¶ 10:23 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: Lick Creek
Distance: 8.6k (6 Miles Completed)
Time: See Below
Other Exercises: None
Weather: Variable

Comments: I had all kinds of trouble with this event. It wasn't that I couldn't navigate to where I wanted to go, I just got there too slowly. If it's not a trail or a road, I'm pathetic. After stumbling through some undergrowth to reach control point six of eleven, I looked at my watch and saw I'd been on the course for nearly 90 minutes. When I looked at my map and saw how much work I had left to do, I quit. I haven't ever quit a course voluntarily before, and I was a bit disgusted with myself, but I didn't want to stumble around in the bushes for another 90 minutes. The sole highlight of this event was spotting a Western Tanager as I walked back to the registration area to let them know I was DNFing.  ¶ 8:02 PM

 
Resting Pulse: Not Recorded
Weight: Not Recorded
Course: None
Distance: Zero
Time: N/A
Other Exercises: None
Weather: N/A

Comments: I skipped working out today because Angie and I went to watch the Prefontaine Classic down in Eugene. With nearly five hours of driving each way, finding the time for a workout wasn't in the cards.

I had a great time at the track meet. I took my camera with me to document the occasion. Here are a few photos:





  ¶ 11:14 PM