While some might call it an obsession, I insist it’s merely an interest, but the fact of the matter is that I do have a big interest in baby shoes. Yes, baby shoes. I don’t know what it stems from, and no, I don’t have any bizarre foot fetishes and I’m not a “sneaker head” (a weird subculture that collects and obsesses over different sneaker options), I guess I just think that babies should wear shoes like the rest of us. Babies are just little people, right? Well, little people should wear little shoes. I know, I know, babies aren’t up and about like us grown folk, and no, I can’t explain why would someone would wear shoes if they can’t walk, but I feel as though shoes are as much of a style statement as they are a functional tool. Plus, shoes help as much, if not more, as socks do to keep your feet warm, and I’m quite yet expecting Natalie to say “hey guys, my feet are cold. Can you put some shoes on me?” So, no niece of mine is ever going to have a shortage of shoes options…and when you look as adorable in shoes as Natalie does, why wouldn’t you want to wear a fresh pair of kicks?
Other
I’m not sure how this story slipped by me when it first ran (http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1919347_1919843_1919842-1,00.html), but I’m thrilled that it didn’t slip by the collective cognizance of America. Dr. Douglas Schwartzentruber and Dr. Larry Kwak were recognized today as two of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world. The progress they’ve made is encouraging. Their goal would change the world. Now that’s influential.
GBM
To borrow a line from the great Bob Seger, when faced with the challenge of running five miles tonight on a windy Spring evening, “I found myself seeking shelter against the wind.” Like Bob, perhaps, I stayed inside tonight, and opted instead to break out my trusty old step machine…or should I say, I opted instead to break my trusty old step machine, as yet another stepper fell victim to the havoc I’ve wrought on our indoor exercise equipment. The death toll now includes three step machines and an exercise bike, as forty minutes into my stepping routine tonight, I heard the all too familiar sounds of snapping beneath me. As the machine cracked and crumbled, so too did the promise of shelter I had for those windy, chilly or rainy nights that I just didn’t feel like running outside. From now it looks like all of my exercise will take place on the roads outdoors, spurred on now by the challenge thrown at me by Daris on The Biggest Loser. I thought I was the cat’s pajamas (whatever that means) when I completed a three-mile run in 25:57 last weekend, until I saw the formerly fat Daris bang out a 5K this week in 21 minutes. Impressive, for sure. Now I’m coming after you, Daris. Steppers just won’t do it for me any longer.
Running
From the National Brain Tumor Society website…
“NBTS has requested that the US Postal Service produce a stamp to increase brain tumor awareness. We are asking that you join us in petitioning the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to approve a brain tumor awareness stamp. There is no such thing as too many letters and signatures! The Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee considers only ‘events and themes of widespread national appeal and significance.’ Right now, 600,000 people are living with a primary brain tumor. (That’s more than the population of Seattle, Denver, or Washington, DC). Thousands more have metastatic tumors. Please speak out for those who are affected by this devastating disease.”
To sign the petition, please visit here: https://secure2.convio.net/bts/site/SPageServer?pagename=AwarenessStampPetition
GBM
This troubling editorial - a piece that paints an ugly portrait of the efficiency, or complete lack thereof, at NIH and the National Cancer Institute - was brought to my attention yesterday (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/opinion/25sun1.html?hp). With over 11 million Americans currently coping with cancer, and one in four of us expected to die at the hands of this undiscriminating terror, American livelihood is literally on the line at NIH. I’ll pray that they get it together at NIH, before it becomes too late for too many more.
GBM
I am pleased that my 7-mile run today took just 70 minutes out of my day, but I can’t say that I’m all that thrilled with how I felt during it. Granted, in the end my 10-minute per mile pace was exactly what I was hoping for when I set out for a more-relaxed run (after pushing myself to a personal-best three-miler yesterday), but I felt generally lethargic and dead-legged as I jogged. I suppose that through the course of my marathon training I’ll have peaks and valleys as my leg muscles are built-up and broken down in the next six months. Today was one of those valleys. What I am pleased about is that tomorrow’s schedule calls for a day of rest. On Tuesday I’ll push it again.
Running
After I completed a three-mile run today in an all-time personal best time of 25:57 (an 8:39 per mile pace that pushed both my legs and lungs to their limits), I started to wonder if I could keep that pace for another 23.2 miles (an outlandish goal at this point), and complete a marathon in a time between 3:46:00 and 3:50:00, how far from qualifying for the uber-competitive Boston Marathon would I be. As it turns out, the answer is that I’d still be so far out of reach that I can table that goal for a long, long time. In order to qualify to run the Boston Marathon, a 30-34 year-old male must have completed a qualifying marathon in 3:10:00. My time of 3:46:00 (a fabricated time of course, derived from extrapolating my three-mile pace into a 26.2 mile journey) would qualify if I was a 60-year-old man or 40-year-old woman. It’s a long term goal of mine to run the Boston Marathon. In the meantime, I have some work (and aging) to do.
Running
While I’m not 29, don’t have tattoos, and haven’t fathered three children with two women, Chris Shaw and I have a lot in common (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100423/ap_on_re_us/us_powerball_winner_missouri). He works at a convenience store (like I aspired to when I was five), sells lottery tickets at work (like I did in high school), bought a $5 Powerball ticket for Wednesday’s $258 million drawing (just like me), and I’m sure he’s thrilled that he won the Jackpot (while I’m actually quite pleased as well that he won instead of me). I can’t vouch for the wisdom of buying a $5 lottery ticket when you have just $28.96 in the bank, as any purchase that accounts for over 17% percent of your liquid assets better be big enough to live in, but I can’t argue with the results. When a $5 ticket nets a $124,875,122 payment - or 30 payments over the next 29 years (his choice) - clearly his questionable decision paid off. That said, while I’m genuinely happy that the far needier Chris won the jackpot instead of me (how can you not root for a guy with a grin like that?), I can only pray that God gives him the wisdom to handle his new windfall. In this case I think I’d advise him to take the 30 payments over 29 years. It’s far more difficult to squander an obscene amount of money if you collect it over time, rather than if this man’s bank account suddenly jumps to $124,875,150.96. Some might call Chris lucky already (which I won’t dispute), but the real need for luck comes now. Best of luck with figuring out how to live the rest of your life as the new richest man in rural southern Missouri.
Other
Is there a better show on television right now than CBS’ Survivor? Those of you outside of the Sereno family don’t know what you’re missing.
Will Tim Tebow justify Denver’s first round selection of the most analyzed and talked-about NFL draft prospect of all-time? I think not, but I sure am rooting for him.
Why are the Midwest and Middle East on opposite sides of the world? I don’t really need an answer to this question, but it seems like they should be next to each other.
After running four miles in 37 minutes today, how much faster can I go? My training plan calls for a three-mile run on Saturday, in which I’ll try to break the 9:00 per mile barrier with a sub-27:00 run.
Other
I’d be interested to see some type of physiological research, perhaps based in genetics or neuroscience or whatever decides how people are ‘wired’, that could potentially identify a gene or predetermined disposition that makes people of the “morning person” persuasion. I, for one, am certainly not a morning person. Make no mistake, I have tried (always in vain) to flip the script of my days, awaking earlier and going to sleep sooner in an attempt to make the AM hours more efficient. Case in point, last night I was asleep at a reasonable hour, and after sleeping soundly for eight full hours, I attempted to arise this morning and immediately head out for a five-mile run. While I did complete that run (eventually), the lethargy that I had to overcome, lack of energy that I felt, and yawns so large while I ran that I almost tripped on my chin, made my morning run far less than best. On the flip side, after a productive day at work in which I really hit my stride in the PM hours, I feel as though I reach my mental and physical peak each day around 10:00 pm. Why do I feel like I can run twice as far at night as I can in the morning? Why would I prefer the typical American workday to run from Noon-8:00 rather than 9:00 to 5:00? I don’t think it’s laziness. I believe it’s just how I’m wired. Who is with me?
Other