New phone coming tomorrow!



New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone! New phone... • 9:20 PM 0 comments

More on using bots in online poker games:

For what it's worth, game theory suggests that if it's likely that the other players are cheating, then the only winning strategy is to cheat. But the only ethical strategy is not to play at all. But I find this whole concept fascinating. One of the developers of a commercial poker bot likens his efforts to civil disobedience.

That being said, I've spent the morning researching what it would take to do this.

First, the online casinos have detection methods, both overt and subtle, for detecting the main commercial packages. There are ways around those detection methods, but, like any measure/counter-measure situation, it's not static. Each side is working to gain the upper hand, and at any given moment the advantage can shift.

Second, even if one is using one of the commercial packages, and especially if someone programs their own bot, one would have to have the skills of both a programmer AND a decent-to-good poker player in order to come up with a winning strategery. The author of the article I linked to below estimates that it can take as many as 2500 hours of programming to come up with a set of rules that will win over time AND code that into a bot. And even then, one can only win, say, $5 per table per hour on average. Sure, if it runs 24/7 that's $840 per week per table... but one of the ways to detect bots is to watch players who play 24/7, so the longer it goes on the more risk of having an account siezed and any winnings taken.

So, like most things, there's actually a lot of effort that would potentially be required to cheat and win at online poker. And it would take a large outlay of time and equipment and personnel to make big money. And, the more people you have involved, the more chances of getting caught or getting turned in.

Bummer. For a moment there I thought I'd found The American Dream (make buckets of money for free). • 12:12 PM 0 comments

For all the philosphers and ethicists out there, a question.

Is it unethical to cheat at an illegal enterprise? And for an example, I present the concept of using software to beat online poker sites.

...at least, I'm assuming that it's illegal to gamble in online poker games in the US. I know lots of people play... but is it technically legal? • 6:49 AM 1 comments

This morning I saw a guy at Starbucks with the highest of high maintenance requests:

He specified the temperature of his coffee.

"One hundred eighty degrees, please." • 6:45 AM 0 comments

After my brief flirtation with gambling this past weekend, I spent some time (when everyone was out of the house) watching Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown. I was fascinated by the knowledge and strategery... um... knowledge... of the host Phil Gordon, and it was fun watching B-list celebs pretend they know something about poker.

Of course, I know very little about poker, so it's not like I was being all elitist. I was just relying on the commentary from the host. Oh, and Dave Foley is funny, too, even with his goofy goatee.

No-limits Texas Hold 'Em is the game they were playing, which seems to be the poker of the moment. Heck, even the former Ensign Wesley Crusher is playing it these days.

Sadly, I would be unable to watch the show normally, since it appears to be on at 1 PM and 2 AM. Plus, I don't get Bravo; I'd have to upgrade. But, I am still intrigued, so I'm going to find some poker games and mess around, maybe pick up a book or two. I won't play for real money at first, but if I have a knack for it, I might find some online games to play...

That sound you hear is my credit reports groaning in anticipation... • 6:29 AM 0 comments

So, Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone.

My plans for the weekend involved renting a car, running in the ORRC Turkey Trot 4-mile run Thanksgiving morning with my nephew Max, and then he and I would drive down to Lincoln City to meet up with the rest of the family for Thanksgiving on the Oregon coast.

The first part went according to plan. I had reserved a compact car from Hertz, but when I showed up, they had given me a "free upgrade" to a Pontiac G6 Sedan GTP: 240 HP 3.9 liter V6, leather interior, sun roof, 6 disk CD changer, traction control, Tiptronic 5 speed transmission... the works. It was going to be a fun car to drive to the beach! I realized that it had a downside, though, when the gas gauge showed only 3/4 after only 21 miles. Yikes. Oh, well, all good things come with a cost...

The other downer was waking up Wednesday with a sore left ankle. I don't know how I'd hurt it. I hadn't run all week, since the previous Sunday. But Wednesday morning, I had a muscle ache that felt like a twisted ankle. I didn't know if I was going to be able to run the next day or not. When I talked to my sister, I mentioned the possibility of me not running, and she told me that Max had been looking forward to the race all week; he was, at that moment, picking out some running pants, since it was likely to be quite cold for the run. I felt bad, but injuries happen (even if I had no idea how this particular one had happened).

My nephew and I drove up to the Oregon Forestry Center, dressed as warmly as possible for the run. We picked up our shirts and bib "numbers" (since it was a fun run, it wasn't timed and there were no actual numbers), then tried warming up. After just a few short minutes, up and down the hills near the Zoo, I could tell that there was no way I would last for the 4 miles of the run. I asked Max if he'd be OK running by himself, and after some thought, he agreed. I apologized for not running in this one. I waited with him at the starting line, and then after it started I found my dad, who had showed up to get some pictures.

And I was very impressed at Max's time in the race! He ran 2 minutes per mile faster than he had run in our last race! His final time was almost exactly 45:00 even! He is really improving. I'm looking forward to our next race.

Then we drove down to the beach house, and I gorged myself for two whole days on the traditional Thanksgiving fare; ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing... and plenty of pie. We played Trivial Pursuit, which my sister's father-in-law, Tom, won every time. It stormed and rained for most of the time, which is fine since the beach house is right on the beach and has a fireplace. Warm, cozy and we all went a bit stir-crazy but that's normal for family. Right?

I also did a little bit of gambling at the Chinook Winds Casino... I'm not much of a gambler, so I managed to lose about $25.00. But it was fun.

My dad and Aunt Carol (his girlfriend... and my mom's sister. Long story) came down on Saturday. Carol brought more pies, delicious home-baked pies. Mmmm... and then I drove back to Portland that afternoon. Quite the weekend!

I'm sure I've gained 10 pounds... all that eating and no exercise. But, hey, it's the holidays, right? • 8:13 PM 0 comments

Posting over the holiday weekend* will be spotty, since I'm going to be with my family in Lincoln City, a quaint seaside town with few, if any, 21st century conveniences like indoor plumbing and wireless internet connectivity.

So, I present my Friday Cat Blogging on Wednesday!

Smacky got to play outside in the sun this week. It may not look it from the pictures, but even in the sun it's been cold. Luckily for Smacky he's got a fur coat.





...and here's some more!

*For all my international readers, this upcoming weekend marks the official start to the consumer-oriented shopping spree known as "the holidays". After a traditional day of rest marked by incredible overeating and ritual family spats, Americans celebrate our exceptional wealth and sensitivity by spending money on anyone and everyone we can possibly label "friends and relatives", gifts which are exchanged on the formerly pagan day marking the winter solstice. Happy Holidays! • 2:53 PM 1 comments

This just in:

Generalisimo Francisco Franco - still dead. • 8:35 AM 0 comments

Ran today. Ran Friday night, too, just 5 easy miles, but since I forgot to blog about it when it was fresh in my mind, I'm going to gloss over it.

But, today, I planned on a long run, 8 miles. Even though it was sunny outside, it was still cold, so I headed for the gym. Wore my Asics. Music was Eminem's "Encore" (thanks, Tracy, for burning that for me!) for the first half, then Gorillaz "Demon Days" for the last half. Since I expected the total time to be close to 90 minutes, I brought Gatorade and Cliff Bars with me.

I started out at a 10:20 pace, and kept that up for the first two miles, where I had to break for a drink. I pushed hard to finish the next two miles at a faster pace, but it was not to be. My total time, including my walking breaks, was 42:00 and I completed 4.08 miles, which averages to a 10:18 pace or so. Not bad.

After a short bathroom break, I set out to reach my goal. I thought I was going faster, until a 2:00 long walk break right around 2.5 miles. Still, I reached 4.0 miles in 41:27, which averages to a 10:21 pace, only slightly slower than my first half. I have to say I strongly considered stopping my second session at 3.92 miles, because I had only promised myself I would go 8 miles total... but that last .08 miles wasn't that hard.

I still wish I could just keep going at a running gait the entire time, but I have to remember that I have only been doing these long runs for a few months. It will take me a while to get conditioned to running the entire distance. And I'm not competing with anyone but myself, so every time I do a little bit better, I win.

Oh, small note: I have a hangnail on my left big toe - painful, but it didn't hurt my running. • 4:20 PM 0 comments

One of my favorite living authors, Bruce Sterling, is getting married today in Los Angeles to author Jasmina Tesanovic.

My best wishes to the bride and groom! • 6:57 AM 0 comments

Friday Cat Blogging!

Cats have a cleaning fetish. Here's Smacky cleaning himself:




And here he is later, poking around my laundry basket:



Selfish cat. Why won't he help out?

...and here's some more!

Waaaaaaaaay more cats over at the Carnival of the Cats which goes up Sunday; the 87th edition will be hosted this week by Scribblings. • 6:49 AM 1 comments

Sometimes I'm torn between my compulsive need to correct mistakes and my desire to seem friendly and well-liked.

And sometimes the whole thing backfires.

Word of the day: chagrin. • 5:52 PM 1 comments

I signed on to the Providian website to check if a payment had posted to my Visa card. Or, rather, I tried to. It wouldn't let me sign on. It gave me a message to call their customer support line.

At first I figured I had just messed up the password. I tried their "reset password" feature... and one of the things it needed was my credit card number. But when I pulled out my wallet, I realized that my Providian Visa card was missing.

It's not a card I actually use at this point. One of the features of the card is that it charges no interest on transferred balances until March '06, so I've been moving the balance of my other cards over to it, and paying it down. So I hadn't left it somewhere, since I don't pull it out of it's little slot behind my BofA Visa card. Y'know, ever. But this was worrisome.

It also dawned on me that the people in area code 925 who had been trying to get a hold of me for the past day might be connected with my missing Visa card. I called the number on their website, and, after figuring out how to bypass the automated "Please enter your 16-digit credit card number now" part (press 00), I was soon speaking to Stephen from Providian's Fraud Division.

Stephen asked me to verfiy my social security number, then proceeded to let me know that there were some purchases on my card that had flagged their notice. Most of them were gas purchases. I told Stephen that I don't even own a car, so it was unlikely that I had been filling up the tank. I told him about my most recent transactions (a payment and a balance transfer), and he was convinced. He cancelled the card, and is sending me a new one. I had previously thought that I would be liable for the first $50 of transactions, but Stephen said that I would likely be liable for none of the fraudulent transactions, provided their investigation shows that they were not mine. I'm confident that will happen.

I was a bit stunned, so I didn't ask him the obvious question: how much had they charged to my card? I guess I'll find out when the paperwork gets here.

But now I have to figure out how this happened. How did they get just that one card, and nothing else?

The only clue I have is a memory. I don't recall the exact day, but I do remember an incident at my gym. I always keep my wallet in the same pocket (right rear), but there was a day last week where I came back to my gym locker after a workout, and when I went to put on my pants, my wallet was in the wrong pocket. I had looked at my wallet at the time, but didn't see anything missing. My Providian Visa may have been missing, though; I might have failed to notice it because it's usually hidden behind my BofA Visa.

I had brushed the incident off, but not without wondering if it was a phildickian moment, akin to the scene in "Time Out of Joint" where the hero goes down what he thought was a three-step stairway, but found it was only two steps.

Now, I believe that, somehow, someone had gotten into my locker, gone through my wallet, and stolen this credit card. Still seems strange to me, though. The simplest scenario is that I had forgotten to lock it. That feels unlikely to me, since, in addition to my wallet, I normally have my larger iPod, and my laptop, in my backpack, and I certainly did on the day of the above-described incident. That knowledge leads me to lock my locker every time I leave it. But memory is a fluid and fallible thing, so it's possible I'm not remembering it.

Another oddness is that they didn't take anything else of mine - my drivers' license (yes, I have a drivers' license but no car), my debit card and other Visa, my bus pass. But the thing about all of those is that they all have my picture on them - normal for drivers' licenses and my permanent, county-issued bus pass, but thanks to Bank of America's focus on security and customer service, both of my cards issued by BofA have my picture on them, as well. I want to give BofA a huge, wet, sloppy kiss for that.

At any rate, this should all turn out to be, if not a positive experience, at least not a negative one. I will probably not be out any money, I'm getting a replacement card, and nothing else seems to have been stolen. I'm going to have to be more cautious at the gym, though, and I might buy a new lock, just in case whoever got my card picked the lock. And, of course, I'll have to pay close attention to see if any other personal information of mine was stolen, also.

Live and learn, I guess. • 5:51 PM 0 comments

It is 907 miles to drive from my house, to Tehachapi, California. • 4:16 PM 1 comments

Quick running update.

Ran last night. Just planned on 3 miles at a moderately-hard pace. Succeeded, but it was a tough run. I think I'm coming down with something. Bleh.

Tonight was speedwork, same drill as last several weeks; after a mile of easy warmup, do four alternating sets of 4:00 fast, 2:00 easy. Record my distance. Then a mile of cooldown at whatever pace I need.

Music was Gin Blossom's "New Miserable Experience" (kinda slow for a speed workout, but whatever, it worked). Wore the Asics, and they gave me a freakin' blister again. I am not pleased.

And even though it was tough, and I had trouble breathing properly (too much gunk in my sinuses), I managed to improve from last week's 9:15 average pace, to a 9:11 average pace (distance: 2.61 miles).

Imagine what I could do if I could, y'know, breathe. Yay. I rock. • 8:16 PM 0 comments

Quick running update.

Wore the Asics, at the gym, planned 4 miles or 40 minutes whichever came first.

Music was Green Day's "American Idiot".

Only goal was to complete the distance, didn't worry about pace. Had been tired and hungover all day (made a couple of vodka martinis last night while watching the "Firefly" DVD set. Good show. More on that later) so wasn't sure how well I'd be running.

I set the pace at a steady 10:00 mile, and just started running. Tried to just float and not think about the distance or the time, and in retrospect, I'd say I got about 60-65% of the way there. The negative voice was there in the back of my head, as usual, and my legs were stiff for about the first mile and a half. After that, I started loosening up. Around mile 3 I started to breathe heavier, but I focused on tightening up my form and lifting my knees more, and it got better. The negative voice told me around then that I could stop at 3.5 miles, I'd proved my point, but I ignored it and continued on to the finish.

As I approached 37:00 total, I grew bored with the steady pace, and cranked the speed up to 7.0 miles per hour, or an 8:34 pace. I wanted to push through to the end, and something something 'lactic threshold' blah blah blah. Basically I wanted to give a wake-up call to my body. It worked, I kept up the faster pace until 40:00 even rolled around on the indicated, and I had travelled 4.04 miles. It wasn't enough to much change my average pace over the entire distance, but it did get my blood and brain and body moving a bit faster. Felt good. • 6:25 PM 0 comments

OK, today was my fourth day in a row running. Planned on 7.5 miles total, at the gym, didn't care what pace as long as the miles were covered.

Wore the Adidas. At the gym I decided to split the total into two 3.75 mile segments, with lots of water in-between. Music for the first segment was Gorillaz "Demon Days", music for the second was Bad Religion "All Ages" (and boy-oh-boy did I need the energy and encouragement from those old punkers).

Like I said, I didn't care about the pace. I did manage to pull off the first segment without slowing down to a walk. I averaged about a 10:00 pace, did some faster stuff in there but balanced it out with some 10:30 pace. The negative voice was talking to me for the first two miles but I managed to just push on regardless. Around two miles in I started to feel my pace. But the last half-mile was difficult.

Was extremely thirsty going into the second segment, so instead of water I drank some PowerAde out of the vending machine. Had to stop a couple of times during the last half to drink, and to walk a bit. I estimate I spent about 5 minutes at a walking pace. Maybe only 4. Hard to say. But I did finish at a brisk pace - I cranked it up to a 9:13 pace (which seems slow but feels fast at the tail end of 7.5 miles of running, I can assure you, at least to me) for the last quarter mile, to try to push through my lactic threshold.

Stretching? Yeah, also hard. I was really tight after those sets of runs. Still am. But I will have all day Sunday, plus most of Monday to recover. I might even not run until Tuesday. Yeah, like that will happen... me going that long without running. • 4:12 PM 0 comments

Did my 5-mile run today, as planned. In the gym, wore my Asics. Used two puffs of my inhaler. Music was Green Day's "American Idiot".

I wanted to test my speed, so after a mile warmup, I cranked the pace up to an indicated 9:05 and held at that for 2.25 miles. I did 2 miles last week and about 10 seconds faster, so I wanted to do at least another quarter-mile farther today. And I did. Yay, me. I rock! After that, I had to walk for about 2 minutes, then finished the remaining distance at between a 10:00-10:30 pace.

Still haven't decided if I'm going to do my long run tomorrow or Sunday. Stay tuned. • 7:40 PM 0 comments

Friday Cat Blogging!

Smacky slowed down long enough to pose for some pictures this morning. He's also showing off his new red collar. He came back one night last week without his purple one and limping. The bum foot is better now, although I was worried for a bit. And a neighbor brought back his collar and tag. The collar was ruined but I'm glad I've got his tag.

Sorry for the out-of-focusness of several of these. My camera (an Olympus D-520) is several years old now, and doesn't do so well with fast subjects or low light. Damn. Must be time to upgrade.





...and the others can be seen here.

Waaaaaaaaay more cats over at the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and the 86th edition will be hosted this week by Curiouser and Curiouser. There are more weekly cats at eatstuff's Weekend Cat Blogging which has many participants who may not be familiar to Ark or Carnival participants. • 10:09 AM 1 comments

I realized at some point that, by not running on Tuesday, but still wanting to run 24 miles this week, that would mean I would probably have to run 4 days in a row: Wednesday (speed work), Thursday (3.5 miles), Friday (5 miles), and Saturday (7.5 miles). I could either take Friday as a rest day and run those miles on Sunday, or I could move my long run to Sunday. Oh, I suppose there are several possible combinations. But, dammit, I don't want to run on Sunday because that throws off the whole rest of the week. I'll play it by ear.

But, in the meantime, I had a simple goal tonight: 3.5 miles, not pushing the pace. Easy-peasy. Did it at the gym, wore the Adidas. Music was The Decemberists, "Picaresque". Did not use the inhaler. And, I did the miles only slightly slower than a 10:00 pace. I didn't keep track of the exact time.

The first mile felt fine. During the second mile my negative inner voice chimed in, and worked to convince me that I only needed to do 2 miles, or only 3 miles, or only 30 minutes, or only 35 minutes. I just kept going. I did slow the pace down a bit, but never broke stride into a walk at all. I did sweat a lot, but regular readers know that that's normal for me. I did have some heel pain, but concentrated on lifting my knees and pointing my toes, which helped shorten my stride and increase my turnover (pace of my feet hitting the ground), which was good. Also tried to focus on "running tall" and keeping my head and shoulders up, although I didn't do so well with that. Overall, it was a good, steady run, and hopefully it will pay off with an increase in my aerobic capacity, which is why I do the slower runs, after all.

...and, afterward, after I stretched out, I spotted a cute busty blonde on the treadmill, that I had seen in the gym a lot recently. I had made eye contact in the past but hadn't gotten any acknowledgment back from her. This time, still up on the rush that follows a good strong run, I thought I'd "test" her to see if I could make her smile. I walked slowly in front of her on the treadmill, caught her eye, and, smiling, briefly stuck my tongue out at her. This very nearly used up all my bravery, so I kept walking and looked away, but as I did, I saw a smile form on her face! I count this as a successful test, and I will smile and say "hi" the next time I see her, to take the next step. • 7:09 PM 0 comments

Tonight was speedwork. At the gym. The plan was the usual, you know the drill: 1 mile warmup/cooldown, and in-between those, four alternating sets of 4:00 at a fast pace, and 2:00 at a slower pace.

Last week, I had troubles involving not being able to stay on one of the "good" treadmills; well, this week, I had the luxury of being able to keep one machine for the entire workout (except for one brief panic when I went to get some water but left my gym key and cell phone on it, and when I came back, some guy in a trucker hat was stretching on it, and doing his best to not look me in the eye or hear me, until I finally practically shouted at him (he was not wearing headphones, by the way) that I was not finished with this machine and could I have it back? "Oh, you're not done?" he said, and sheepishly stepped down).

I wore my Asics, and the usual shorts and long-sleeved shirt. I forgot my hat, so sweat was running down my forehead as if it was Multnomah freakin' Falls, but I lived. Music was Bad Religion (needed the punk rock to help me kick it into high gear). I did use two puffs of my albuterol inhaler (although it must surely be used up by now; maybe I don't really need it? Is it now a psychological crutch?)

And... in my 24:00 of speedwork, I went 2.59 miles, for an average pace of 9:15.9, which is pretty decent speed and distance. I had a little less trouble keeping the pace this time, although, as mentioned, I do get dehydrated and thirsty. Don't get me wrong, I'm working hard by the third fast section, but when it was done and I was back to the slow pace, I didn't have to slow down as much.

Basically, I run at between an 8:27-8:41 pace during the fast sections, and no slower than a 10:30 pace on the recovery sections. I did walk for about a minute after the last fast section, though. I'm going to keep doing this drill every week until I can finish it without walking or stopping at all. It's a good drill to get me through the winter, I think. Maybe if I'm bored of it by December I'll come up with something else.

Also, my breathing has gotten, I don't know, easier or something - I'm not fighting to keep a steady breathing rate, I just breathe normally and don't try to suck in huge amounts of oxygen. Also also, my Asics started to give me a blister on my right heel. Ugh. Guess I'll need to wear the ankle socks, instead of the low socks. How annoying. • 8:38 PM 0 comments

Small update:

I updated my links page with a bunch of new cool stuff I've found on the intarweb. None of these are cutting-edge or new, but they're new to me. A couple of highlights of great time-wasting sites:

• Boing Boing - geeky fun stuff listing
  
• 43 Things - collaborative site for to-do lists... basically. Or it started out that way. Go look. It's fun.
  
• Flickr - a photo-hosting site that uses collaboration to organize an amazing amount of pictures from all over. I can spend an hour going through their photos organized by "interestingness".

Edit: fixed the link to Boing Boing. My bad. • 12:27 PM 0 comments

Comparing Mac vs. Windows vs. Linux

...or, more accurately, Mac users vs. Windows and Linux users, as told in pictures.

From the intro to the site:

The Mac Demographic

“I never liked the Macs and their frilly user interface. Being a Unix geek, I just wanted a set of Unix-like (or better) tools.”

“Why is 'Fairplay(TM)' so superior, other then the fact that it lives within the safe confines of the Apple reality distortion field, guarded by a phalanx of Apple fanbois?”

“Perhaps if you weren't a fag using a fag computer this wouldn't be a problem. Studies show that Mac users are fcuking retards who should be beaten and laughed at, and sent to live in Mac ghettoes where they get to pound their nobby, worthless, Apple hands on a single button mouse.”

Well, here’s the problem. The Mac OS, and in fact the entire Apple experience, is intuitive for a certain kind of person. Artists, fashion mavens, leftists, and other creative personalities can sit down with a 12-inch PowerBook running Tiger and comprehend its sensitive, tasteful aesthetic. It’s a rare instinct, this appreciation for beauty and truth; accountants and other such pencil-pushers haven’t a prayer.

In summary, unattractive squares should stick to Linux and Windows. Macs are for different thinkers.

The pictures tell the story: Macs are for the people who get laid. • 12:08 PM 0 comments

Did a nice easy run at the gym tonight. I was aiming for a "tempo" run - easy to moderate. I set my goal beforehand at 40 minutes or 3.5 miles, whichever came first.

Tried to keep a steady pace. Did almost the first mile at a 10:10 pace to warm up, then the next mile and a half at about a 9:50 pace - just until I was averaging a 10:00 pace. Then just tried to zone out and not think about anything for the next mile and a half. As I approached 3.5 miles, I negotiated with myself, realized I was a little tired but could still manage the remaining distance to 4 miles and 40 minutes.

Just to finish strong, I pushed the pace up to 8:00 for the last 0.1 mile. Felt good. When 4 miles came up, I felt like I could have gone farther, which is exactly what I was aiming for - leaving a little something on the machine.

Music was The Long Winters' first album. Wore the Asics. Did not use the inhaler, even though I felt a bit stuffed up all day. But whatever was wrong with my sinuses did not affect my run much. Once I got going, I breathed easily and steadily. My heart rate felt nice and strong but not overworked.

My stride, though... was weird. It felt like my right leg was going farther than my left leg, so I had to consciously pull back with my right to keep from falling off the treadmill. Other than that, my muscles and joints, from my hips down to my feet, were fine once I was warmed up.

Plans for the week - either Tuesday or Thursday are optional; I'll do one or the other. Wednesday is speed day (my normal treadmill intervals), Friday is a moderately long but easy day (aiming for 5 miles), then Saturday is my long day (at least 7.5 miles). Sunday is a rest day.

It's nice, this week I have Friday off. Three-day weekends are the bestest. • 7:04 PM 0 comments

When last we heard from Brian the Runner, I had finished my speedwork Thursday night and, although I had lost track somewhat of my distance and time, was fairly sure that I was, in some ways, faster than I used to be. I intended to test this theory during my long run.

Today was my long run. I ran on well-rested legs (didn't run yesterday), I did use my albuterol inhaler, I ran in my Adidas, shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. My nanoPod served up Radiohead, "Hail to the Thief" (great running music, by the way) to start me off.

I was running at the gym, of course. It's been way too cold and rainy to run outside, at least for me. Luckily, Saturdays are not busy at my gym, so I had my choice of all the good treadmills today. And with the gym being so empty, I didn't have to worry about getting kicked off during my run.

So, with all that aside, and after walking for a quarter-mile, I started my warmup - 2 miles at what felt like a fairly easy 9:50 pace. I felt sure I could go faster, but wanted to save my legs for the next phase.

The next phase being my test: how far could I go at a 9:00 pace? I hoped for at least 2 miles. I knew it would be challenging for me, and worried about being able to keep up. I also worried that my warmup might have sapped my strength. I needn't have worried, however.

It was challenging, but I did manage to complete 2 miles at that pace! Due to the limitations of the machine, I had to set an indicated 8:57 pace (the next slowest speed was 9:05), but when 4.00 miles came up (that includes my warmup, remember) the clock showed 37:53 elapsed time. Subtracting 20:00 and 2.0 miles, that means my pace for that last two miles was 8:56.5. Which is a new personal record; my fastest-ever 2 miles. I wish I could bronze those two miles for a permanent record. I guess this blog entry is the best I can do.

After that, I needed to take a bathroom break. Then I went back on the treadmill for another 3.25 miles at an easy pace, since I still wanted to do at least 7 miles today. I didn't keep track of the pace for that final stretch, but I set the pace on the machine around 10:00, with two walk breaks of less than a minute and some other fooling around with the pace.

So, it seems that there's still improvement to be had for me in terms of speed. If I can do 2 miles at that speed, I can do 3 miles... eventually. And maybe even 6 miles... eventually. That's as far as I'll hope for now. I am over 40, after all. Time and biology are against me, but I'm not going down without a fight, that's for sure.

I'll continue with my speedwork and long runs, and make sure I give myself plenty of rest, and, come next Spring, I should be able to turn in some personal bests, after just over 2 years of running. Such a good feeling to overcome mental and physical obstacles. If only I can apply that feeling to other areas of my life... • 4:32 PM 0 comments

I caught a bit of Keith Olbermann's show last night while I was changing in the gym. He had Kermit the Frog on. Kermit is celebrating his 50th birthday, which is a good age for a frog.

Olbermann was jokingly trying to connect I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's indictment to the Muppet with the same (nick-)name.

Kermit's response was, "Yes, and the White House was very mad about that. They asked us to remove the letters C, I, and A from 'Sesame Street.'" • 6:55 AM 0 comments

Friday Cat Blogging!

I just snapped a couple of pictures of Smacky while he was looking for the Door into Summer this morning (from the Heinlien book of the same name). I'd open the front door for him, he'd poke his head outside, see that it was rainy and cold, and then meow his disapproval at my obvious mismanagement while going to the back door to see if it was warmer out there. After two complete cycles of this, I finally shooed him out the back door.

Here you can see the obvious disappointment on his face.



...and the others can be seen here.

Waaaaaaaaay more cats over at the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday. The 85th edition will be hosted this week by Pages Turned. There are more weekly cats at eatstuff's Weekend Cat Blogging which has many participants who may not be familiar to Ark or Carnival participants. • 6:49 AM 0 comments

Did my speed work tonight at the gym. Same drill as before: one mile warmup, then alternating sets of 4:00 at a fast pace (8:40 tonight) and 2:00 of slow pace (10:00 - 10:30 tonight), then one mile of cool down.

Going into it, my legs were a bit sore and tight. I haven't been doing any hydrotherapy or temperature therapy (I know! I'm bad) and haven't been moving much at work. Also, lots of sleeping (with really really odd dreams - another post). So I was afraid that I'd have a bad run, which is practically a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Wore the Adidas, shorts and a long-sleeved shirt, because when I do speed work, sakes alive I sweat. The longer sleeves help keep me from flinging sweat everywhere while I pound out the miles. Music was Harvey Danger's "King James Version", followed by the Decemberists' "Castaways and Cutouts". Yay for PNW bands!

Tonight, though... there were interruptions. First, why in hell is the gym so busy this week? See, here's the thing; there's only six good treadmills at my gym. There's probably another 15 treadmills, but those 15 are crap. They speed up and slow down too slow, they're not as quiet as the good ones, and they don't report the basics in as readable a format as the good ones. So I eschew them.

Tonight, though, one of the six good ones was off, and the other 5 were in use and a quick walk-by showed that those using the good treadmills had just started their runs. Dammit.

So, I did a quarter-mile of brisk walking on one of the bad machines, then stretched out, then took a look. Yes! One of the good ones was empty. So I hopped on and started my mile warmup. Things were going well, so I got some water then started the speed work.

But I messed up and slowed down at 19:00 total instead of 20:00 (that total includes my 10:00 of warmup, so it was my second set of fast/slow) - argh. I did a minute of the slow speed, then a minute of the fast speed, then a minute of slow, but my timing was all off by now.

And by my third fast set, my digestive system made its presence known. I made it through my slow section, then had to go back to the bathroom. The break was annoying because I had been doing pretty good. Also, it meant that I lost track of how far I had gone and therefore my average pace. I'm pretty sure the total miles at that point were 2.87. My heart rate slowed down, and the sweat poured off my body like Multnomah Falls (I sweat during exertion, but once I stop, it seems to double or even triple in, um, flow) but I knew that I was going to go back and finish one more set of fast/slow.

But, of course, all the good treadmills were taken when I came back. What is it? Is the start of November the time everyone realizes that the holidays are coming so they'd better start working out to burn off all the delicious calories they're going to partake of in the next couple of months? I'm going to have to find another time to go to the gym if that's the case. I thought that getting there by 4:30 was enough time but apparently not.

...I had to do my last set on one of the bad machines, and it threw off my pace calculations because it didn't get up to my fast pace until 55 seconds had elapsed. So I counted my first set from 1:00 - 5:00. Then it didn't slow to my recovery pace for another 25 seconds, so I counted my recovery set from 5:30 - 7:30. But I had no way of eliminating the distance I covered in the extra time. I'm pretty sure my total distance, including warm up running and cool down running, was 4.77. My best guess is that, averaged over all four sets of speedwork (minus the 2 miles before and after), I managed about a 9:13 pace, which sounds right. It's a good time - but of course I had a break in there, which allowed me to catch my breath, so it doesn't really count, at least in my mind.

But, what I plan on doing to test myself, is this: during my long run, probably Saturday, which will more than likely be at the gym (the rainy seasons are upon us Oregonians), after I'm warmed up, I'm going to go for broke and see just how far I can go. If I can make 2.5 miles at a 9:00 pace that would show me that I am, in fact, improving. It would also be pretty freakin' fast for me. I'm not sure if I want to do the alternating fast/slow like my speedwork, or just set a fast pace and try to maintain it. Probably the latter. We shall see.

I may also run on Friday, but will just focus on running for a specific length of time, say, 40:00 and not worry about distance. Or I might not run again 'til Saturday and then have an easy run on Sunday. I'll decide tomorrow. • 9:58 PM 0 comments

Damn. Did it again.

Missed the anniversary of my blog.

Two years and two days ago I posted my first post.

Happy anniversary, Lunar Obverse!

Maybe I'll go back and post links to some of my favorite posts. And maybe pigs will fly out of my butt. • 6:53 AM 0 comments