Day 66 - Runny nose

I've noticed lately that every time, and I mean EVERY time I go outside, my nose starts to run.

Just a little bit. Just enough to require a tissue. Or in a pinch, a sleeve.

Even today, with the temp peaking over 50F, there it was, just a little dollop of snot, dangling, precariously.

"Why does my nose run like this?" I asked myself, out loud, garnering stares, glares, and just a hint of disgust from the patrons of the breakfast joint.

What purpose can it possibly serve? Is my nose trying to create a mucous-based ice dam to close off the flow of cold air? Or is it simply trying to annoy the host organism (me) to the point it just stays inside?

Determined to get to the bottom of this mysterious nasal tomfoolery, I consulted the source of all information... the interweb.

The best answer I found was on a health web site targeted for children. Perfect place to learn about snot:

When you're outside on a cold day, your nose tries its best to warm up the cold air you breathe before sending it to the lungs. Tiny blood vessels inside your nostrils open wider (dilate), helping to warm up that air. But that extra blood flow leads to more mucus production. You know what happens next. Drip, drip, drip.

Ha! I was right. No useful purpose. Unintended consequence, like global warming, and pregnancy.

Another example of an unintended consequence is something like, say... you're a runner, and you don't stretch like you should, and day after day you tighten up just a bit more, and eventually your stride is all hinky, and that causes you to strike the ground funny with one of your feet, and it starts to get a little ouchy.

This consequence of not stretching was definitely not intended. The intended consequence was a few minutes more sleep. Or getting to my meeting on time. Or having a chance to enjoy my lunch, as opposed to shoveling food in. Those consequences worked out fine.

This new one, though, the unintended one, is not fine. It's not an injury. Not yet. It's a warning sign at this point. Only because I've actually learned my lesson after years of doing the exact opposite of the right thing when it comes to warning signs. The exact opposite of the advice I'd give someone else.

Today, though, my foot felt... good. Normal.  Still, I didn't want to push it.

That's a lie. I did want to push it. The weather was perfect. Dog was stoked. We were out at the incredible Northview Christian Church cross country course. All signs point to "Yes".

Just short of half way through my 5K, the course turns back toward the finish. I was feeling good. My muscles were warm. The dog was finally settled down.

But... I pulled the chute. Better to cut short today and not aggravate the foot.

How mature of me. The dog was not impressed.

Good running,
Doug

Numbers: 1.4 miles - foot feels better, but still being careful.

Day 65 - What not to eat for Breakfast

It all started with my daughter smoking her PR by 9 seconds while winning the 500 Free at Divisionals (Yea Maggo!!!)

Then we headed out for live music. Who doesn't love live music? Who? Who said "me"? You? Ok, you... you just keep quiet while the grown-ups talk.

The band was having a great time, which makes it all so much more fun. Even when they're playing songs I've never heard before. Hip-hoppy songs that I'm sure are very popular. Somewhere. Certainly.

We listened and danced until the band stopped. Then played some pool. Then, time to go home.

Almost.

It was 2:30a and we decided we were hungry.

No one is ever really hungry at 2:30a.

Regardless, we found ourselves at Steak -n- Shake, a well known pseudo-diner-style burger place in the Midwest, which was surprisingly busy for 2:30a. Most surprised was the lone waitress who was serving all of the tables and the drive-through.

Here's a hint for those of us over 40... if you're at Steak -n- Shake at 2:30a and the room is a woefully under staffed, and you haven't had a nap, you might want to just go home. It's gonna be a while before you leave, and you'll be sitting down, and you'll realize you're not really hungry but you are really sleepy, and you'll want to put your head down on the table.

Eventually I ordered, received, and inhaled what I always order at S-n-S...

The Frisco Melt

Here's what the menu says about the Frisco Melt:

Two Steakburgers(TM) with American and Swiss cheeses, on buttery, grilled sourdough with our sweet ’n tangy Frisco sauce. Served with fries. 

"Hey! Doug! Over here. No, Here. Me! The guy who doesn't like live music. Yeah... uhm... I've actually BEEN to San Francisco, and no where did I ever see a sandwich like that."

You're asking for trouble, mister. Didn't I ask you to be quiet?

If you must know, the Frisco melt is not named for the city of San Francisco. It's actually an acronym...

FRISCO: Flaunting Risk of Indigestion, Stomach bloat, Cardiac Arrest, and Obesity. 

That's why I always get a side of cottage cheese... to make it healthy.

Good running,
Doug

Numbers: 1.7 miles, again tentatively trod, mostly on grass. Left foot really tender during the run. No race today, but did show up to hold down the fort/booth for Marty.

Day 64 - Four Acts

Today's blog will consist of 4 acts.

Act I - The Sky

This is a sky under which one should be running.

Central Indiana not known for our crystal clear blue skies. We hit the lottery today.

Couldn't get my run in early. Had a demo to prepare. But a lunch time run was going to be sweet.

Act II - Bank by Phone

Thanks to my new (and smokin' hot) financial planner, I am finally making some progress on wrangling the ol' pesos. Today's task was to get the payoff amount and interest rate for my car loan. Simple enough.

Not.

My car loan is the only low-tech loan I have. Probably the only low-tech account period. Not statements. No online access. It's like 1973.

I found a phone number (surprised it was 7 numbers and not written with letters for the exchange, like KL5-1227, or PA6-5000). I was able to hear all about my last payment, when it was made, for how much, what page it was entered with a big feathery quill in their big Ebenezer Scrooge style accounting book. Useful stuff like that. I even managed to get the payoff amount.

Now, all I needed was the interest rate... let's go through the options, again. Nope. Nope. Nope. Might be down this rat hole... Nope. Maybe I'll press "0" to talk to a person. Nope. All the way back to the top... Nope. Nope. Nuh-uh. Nope. Nope. Uh, no, already tried that, numb-nutz recording. Ah, "7" for a person. Of course, everyone uses 7.

Your interest rate? Well, says here that it's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!

"Your hold time is 6-8 minutes." <--- This is a big fat lie.

20 minutes of truly horrible music interrupted by commercials for the bank's other offerings, like horse shoeing and blood letting.

When the "banker" finally answered, I had my interest rate in about 15 seconds.

Act III - BSOD

Believe it or not, there is something worse than a conference call.

Giving a demo or your software by way of a conference call is way worse.

This involves not only a horrible conference bridge with everyone on speaker phone and in rooms with the acoustics of a trash can, but also an intricate chain of connections and not-ready-for-prime-time technology called "Web Conferencing", just so the other side can see on their computer what is happening on mine.

It's even better when you have to prepare the demo from scratch.

And it takes your entire morning and lunch.

And you don't get to run over lunch with the other guys under that gorgeous sky from Act I.

But if you're lucky, and I was, it all comes together. In this case mere minutes before the demo starts.

Everything was working just fine... except that the other-side of this demo had problems logging in. 5 minutes gone.

Next they needed a new projection monitor (there are several people in a room looking at a big screen showing my computer screen...probably in the dark... kinda creepy thing to do at work if you stop and think about it). 10 more minutes gone.

The second monitor didn't work either. Another 10 minutes...

Finally, the demo is underway... the host gives a little intro and hands it over to me, not realizing that 30 seconds earlier I'd been dropped from the Web Conference. My laptop had popped a BSOD ... Blue Screen of Death.

This is what the Grim Reaper looks like to an Operating System... and a live demo.

My product was fine... but the laptop I was using as my link into that tenuous chain of "technology", just puked all over itself. And then passed out.

Luckily my host was able to vamp for the 10 minutes it took for my laptop to reboot and for me to insert my tin cans and string back into the line.

It all dragged on long enough to butt up against yet another meeting filled afternoon... meaning no run from work.

The rest of the demo went great. Thanks for asking.

Act IV - The Run

I was home by 5 and anxious to get my run in.

Turned out pretty good, actually, for the dog. She got to go with me. We hit a big grassy field that would be easy on my foot and crazy fun for her nose.

You know... it worked out great for her. A little too great. She got to run and I came home first instead of going straight to the swim meet.

You don't suppose she's been studying up on ways to hack Web Conferences, do you? She could mouse easy enough, but how would she type with those big doofy paws?

I better change my password.

Good running,
Doug

Numbers: 1.4 tentative miles. Foot not looking good for the race tomorrow.

Day 63 - ToDo List

Some people swear by ToDo lists.


I see a ToDo list as a never-ending reminder of all of the things I haven't done.


We all have competing priorities in our lives. Here are some of mine (in no way complete and in no particular order... so don't infer anything about what's there, what's not there, and what's above what... don't judge me!):

• Kids
• Eat
• Sleep
• Work
• Family
• Friends
• Dog
• TiVo
• Work
• Girlfriend
• House
• Meditate
• Car
• Learn to surf
• Bills
• Stretch
• NetFlix
• Floss
• Yoga
• Save
• Travel
• Mental Health
• Laundry

Pick a category. Seriously... pick one. Got it?


Ok.


In 5 seconds I could list 5 things that I should be doing for that category, or plan to do, or need to do, or want to do. And 4 of those things have been on "my list" for months.


How can anyone live with so much undone?


Tell you what I do... I retreat. Last night I ordered Chinese take-out for two. Ate all of it. In front of the TV, under a blanket, in my comfy lounge pants.


How can I justify this? Easy... I was catching up on my NetFlix. I've had the same 3 DVDs for weeks, just sitting there, nagging me to watch them. Of course those will be replaced (with astonishing speed) with three more DVDs from my never ending queue of movies that I don't remember adding to my queue let alone remember why I thought I'd want to watch them.

Everything competes for our time and attention and energy. And none of it ever goes away. Nothing is ever done. Every task completed just makes room for the next one.

I suppose a good ToDo list can help you, when you actually feel up to doing something, to decide just what you should do. Or want to do. Or can do in the 7 minutes you have before you have to fetch your daughter from swim practice. "Let's see... shall I clean up whatever the dog hacked up or get at least one toilet unclogged...Hmmmm..."

Alert readers may have noticed that running wasn't on the list. Well, neither is breathing.

For me, running isn't a task. It's subsistence. My daily runs have kept me going. Kept my head clear. Kept my mood positive. They've helped me to accept these things to do as a part of life, things to be enjoyed and savored.

It's easy to spend one's life doing lots of things, and not enjoying any of them.

Take time to do what you enjoy, and eventually you'll enjoy everything you do.

Good running,

Doug

Numbers: 1.2 miles on a still tender left rear paw. Still hoping to race Saturday.

Day 62 - Get well soon, Mike

Just back from my short recovery run this afternoon I got some jolting news.

I guy who used to work in my office, a guy who was a stud runner and triathlete, had a stroke last night after a run.

He's alive. That's about all we know for sure.

I don't personally know him, but most of my running buddies at work do. They are shaken. Me too.

We runners tend to think of ourselves as impervious to this kind of thing.

We aren't.

But the running didn't cause his stroke. Running will lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes and other bad things, but it doesn't take it down to zero.

Let's face it, we could all drop dead at any moment. As amazing as the human body is, it has a few single points of failure. We need to respect that, but we can't live our lives waiting for a system to fail.

Go see your doc every once in a while. Tell her you're running (or walking or yoga-ing or whatever you're doing). Ask if she recommends a heart scan, or daily aspirin, or whatever. If your cholesterol is high, knock it down. Don't freak out, but be sensible.

Running makes us stronger, healthier, and happier. Unfortunately, it doesn't make us immortal.

Good running,

Doug

Numbers: 1.3 miles on the now muddy pond loop, in desperate need of some good stretching.

Day 61 - Surprise!

Intervals (a type of "speed work" workout, with periods of going fast alternating with periods of going slow to recover, which helps to build strength and speed) have never been my favorite.

When Mike proclaimed that his workout today would be intervals, I was on the fence. He wanted to do them on our local rails-to-trails path. I'm an old track guy. I like running in circles, and controlling my pace, and knowing that if I need to quit I can just walk to the parking lot. Still, I was considering it.

Here's a peek into my internal monologue: "I could use some speed work, but I'm also only a couple of months back into 'serious' running. I've logged a some pretty good base miles, but I'm a little nervous about my twingey left foot. I want to race well this weekend, but I also wouldn't mind a nice lazy run and a ridiculous debate."

Even after we'd started I hadn't made up my mind.

When the fence I'd been riding ran out, I went with the interval guys. I could always opt out and turn back, right?

There days when you surprise yourself. Those are good days.

Better days are when you surprise others.

Even better days are when you thump guys considerably younger than you.

Today was an "even better" day. :-)

Good running,

Doug

Numbers: 5.0 miles with 3,2,2,2,2,3 minute intervals. Legs felt great, stride was springy.

Day 60 - A Secret

We're friends, right? I need to get something off of my chest.

If you aren't a runner, or really close to a runner, you probably don't know this. It's our dirty little secret.

We stink.

Literally.

During and after a run, in general, we smell pretty bad.

All of us.

It's not our fault. It's nature's fault. And polyester.

Here's the deal. We wear gear made of "technical" fabrics that "wick" moisture away from our skin. This keeps us from freezing in the winter, and carrying around pounds of our own sweat in the summer.

The downside is that these miracle fabrics somehow harbor the teeniest of microbes.* And these little guys stink when they get wet.

Washing the gear gets most of the stink out. But somehow those little buggers survive the soak, wash, rinse, and spin cycle.

Worst of all are the shoes. And to compound that, I run, typically, without socks. And to compound that, often I shove my shoes into my bag still damp after a run. So it's a festival of reproduction for stinky cooties.

My shoes are offensive. From quite a distance.

Desperate, I turned to the source of all knowledge... the interweb.

Athletic wear detergents... shooting BBs at a tank.
Freezing the shoes after washing... dubious and would ruin every subsequent batch of ice, forever.
Vinegar in the wash... maybe, if I had a couple gallons of vinegar handy.

But there was one idea that seemed crazy enough to work, and had nothing but positive feedback.

I am not making this up.

Several people swore up and down that this was a Can't-Miss solution to my scent problem.

So, to the horror of my children, I walked around Target for a good 30 minutes with a big box of denture cleaner under my arm. That, my friends, was fun.

After my short run, I plop-plop-fizz-fizzed**... and sat there... waiting... staring... half expecting to hear a billion tiny screams from the mass microbicide.

Results... wet, still pretty smelly, but pearly white running shoes. Just kidding about the pearly white part.

I used three tablets. The box came with 120. I'll give it one more Nuclear Option try this weekend. Like 20 tablets.

I'm not holding my breath.

But if you're unlucky enough to be on the elevator with me after a run, you might want to.

Good running,
Doug

PS - My good buddy Dave, yesterday, voluntarily ended a 128 month streak of running at least 100 miles per month. That's almost 11 years, folks. He's healthy and still running strong, just felt it was time to end it (on a power of 2, no less).

Numbers: 1.6 miles - felt great and wanted more, but left foot just a bit tender and I want to race this weekend.

* Brooks makes a line of clothes with silver, a natural anti-microbial, woven into the fabric. Pricey. Works great. (thermoregulating, odor-fighting X-STATIC® )

**I know, that's Alka-Seltzer... hey, maybe that would work.