New shoes: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 5

exercise

Feeling anti-social today. Spent most of the day cleaning the apartment and cursing the entire race of humanity for all time, past, present, and future. Well, mostly. My apologies to anyone I may have offended today; these moods come and go, and, trust me, you don’t want to be around me when I’m like this.

Went shopping for a new pair of running shoes and had to force myself to describe my running routine to the clerk. Didn’t want to get stuck with some shitty shoes.

I went to The Portland Running & Walking Company (they used to be just the Portland Running Company but apparently lost a lot of business to people who “just walk”). Tried on a bunch of shoes, ran for the sales clerk, tried on some more.

For the record, I bought a pair of Brooks Adrenaline 5’s, in size 10EE (I’ve got a wide foot). A year or more ago I started with Brooks Addictions, but those are heavier shoes with cushioning for larger folk, like I used to be, and I liked the lighter shoe with its curved sole. Felt good, and much lighter. The clerk suggested them since I’ve lost so much weight since acquiring the Addictions.

Can’t wait to try them out.

Really really really wanted to fit into the Nikes (so I could cash in on my friend’s employee discount, hee, hee, hee!) but dammit, Nike makes shoes for narrow-footed people.

Weekly miles

exercise

Time to add up the miles this week:

Tuesday: 5+ miles (ran to work)
Thursday: 2+ miles (Tryon Creek State Park)
Saturday: 3+ miles (Mt. Tabor Challenge 5K)

Total: 10 miles.

About what I wanted, since I’m supposed to “taper” my miles the week before a race.

I’ve worked my way up to 20 push-ups and over 40 sit-ups in almost 2 weeks. It feels like slow going but I’m sticking with it.

My weight is a little high (174.5 lb this morning) but still in my range. If it goes above 175 I’ll cut back on the food until it drops. Hopefully I’m not rebounding…

Next week I’m going to aim for speed more than distance. I’ll post a training schedule later.

Colors

exercise

Regarding the picture I posted:

I’m more embarrassed by the cheesy grin I’m sporting, than by my wearing the bright red Nike shirt.

Normally I only wear black, white, or gray but my running clothes have been known to have some color to them…

Mt. Tabor Challenge 5K

exercise

Ran the Mt. Tabor Challenge today. The course was tough but not as tough as I thought it would be. Mostly downhill (which isn’t easier, for those of you who aren’t runners).

Caleb and I stayed together for about the first half of the race. When we passed the 1-mile marker, Caleb checked his (brand-new Nike) watch and said we’d done that in 7:20, which surprised the hell out of me. That was all downhill, so I was running faster than I should have, even though I’d been purposely trying to hold back.

I finished about the same today as I did in the Lake Run, around 29 minutes. The clock just turned 29:00 as I approached the gates.

Team Saponifed 6/19/2004
From left: Caleb, Jake, Brian (the author)

Jake ran it in 20:23 and probably finished first or second in his age group. Caleb ran it in around 27:00, two minutes faster than me. The nice thing about being the slowest person among my friends is that they’re at the finish line, waiting for me and cheering me on!

Run food movie

exercise, Movies

Went running in Tryon Creek State Park with some friends last night. Wanted to run, but didn’t want to melt in the heat (it was over 90 degrees yesterday in Portland), and didn’t want to push myself too hard with the Mt. Tabor Challenge on Saturday, so my friend suggested that it would be cool in several senses of the word.

He was right. It was beautiful up there, and running on the trails was a nice change from running on asphalt or concrete. A nice warm-up for the Mt. Tabor Challenge.

Afterward we went out for BBQ at Tennessee Red’s in SE, then saw “Kill Bill Vol. 2” (me for the second time, my friends for the first time).

White man says walk

General

Almost got hit by a truck at lunchtime.

I was crossing West Burnside at 10th Ave in front of Powell’s Books. There were some other people crossing in the opposite direction (south to north), and I looked up and saw the “White man says ‘walk'” sign, so I stepped out into the street. As soon as I did, the signal changed to the flashing orange hand.

There were a couple of cars waiting for the pedestrians to clear, and I waited for a second while two cars turned left onto Burnside. A large panel truck was behind them, he slowed a bit and I figured that he was going to let me go because I was standing out in the middle of the street. So I started walking.

I guess the truck was just slowing down for the turn, though, because he kept coming. I looked up through the windshield to see if the driver was looking for me, and couldn’t tell. I was still walking and he was still coming…

I thought, “What a dork!” but kept going (I’m stubborn at the most inopportune times) and so did he. I had to break into a run, and dodge into the eastbound lane to get out of his way.

He never even slowed down. I don’t think he even saw me.

Skipping is bad

Tech

Speaking of running to work, I don’t think I should run with my iPod anymore.

Dammit.

It skips. Badly. Like whole albums at a time.

Sure, the damn thing is still under warranty but I don’t want to have to be without it while sending it off for repair, or, more likely, replacement with some refurbished piece o’ crap that someone else broke.

Now I just have to find a RAM-based player that’s as cool as an iPod. Do such exist?

Slow to ponder

General

Why am I so tired lately?

I’m taking my vitamins, my diet is under control, I’m exercising regularly (ran to work yesterday morning).

It couldn’t be stress, could it? Hucking fell, I hate Qworst.

Telecom cursed

General

On top of everything else, my work phone isn’t working, either. It just rang and wouldn’t go to voice mail.

So Debra from Qwest may not have been lying when she said she tried to call and couldn’t leave a voice mail yesterday. Maybe I’ve turned the corner. Maybe Qwest has decided to stop lying to me.

…naaaahhhhhh. One possibly truthful statement doesn’t negate 16 days of lies and irritation.

I guess I’m cursed now. Telecom cursed.

Monday-est

General

It’s been the Monday-est Monday ever.

It’s had everything: me forgetting stuff, bosses telling me multiple times to do stuff that I’m not supposed to do, battling with Qwest (still. Still!) over my lack of phone service.

Let me put it this way: having my teeth cleaned was the highlight of my day.

Talking to a girl on the bus, she’d mentioned that she’d had dinner with a friend in NW Portland. I told her that I’d been in NW this weekend past, and had had a pomegranate margarita, and that it had been good. “It was called a Persephone” I explained.

“Oh, that would be good. And good for you,” she confided.

“Really? You don’t think the alcohol would counteract the benefits of the pomegranate?”

“Oh, no.”

I smiled at her. “I like the way you think!” But, then, thinking it over, “But I’m afraid I’ve eaten too many seeds and now I’m stuck in Hell.”