The Last Long Run for '05

-

Just completed my last two-hour run for the year. It was a little rough, with me more than once regretting that second glass of cabernet at last night's wonderful holiday party.

I've been reading lots of bloggers' annual rundowns on year-end mileage and milestones electronically recorded in logs and journals. I've kept the same record-keeping system since I began road racing in 1992 -- a pocket calendar I either pick up at a Hallmark store or receive in the mail from a charity organization. It ain't sophisticated, but then neither am I. I duly note if I exercised and for how long or how far; I also mention my weekday routes for later comparison. The asterisks represent the onset of "that time of the month" -- a potential PR killer for women like me. I also note trips to help jog my memory and make me feel less guilty about missed opportunities. That's it.

By the time W-2 forms arrive in the mail, I'll have misplaced my 2005 race calendar. By St. Patrick's Day, it'll be declared officially lost. I'd like to think someone secretly holds on to them and will present them much later in my life when I am unable to run strong and long and maybe even remember running at all. That's why I never spend time trying to track them down.

Popular posts from this blog

I Leave You With This

-
Image
There's this social media post some guy put up on Instagram. I almost scrolled past it, but I'm glad I didn't. It asked what question we should ask ourselves when we die. In retrospect, ChatGPT's response was basically pulling from Eastern philosophy, but, still, I couldn't stop thinking about it in the hours and days since I first heard it. Here's a partial transcript I cribbed using -- what else? -- AI. Some guy set up the prompt, which was long and convoluted. The following picks it up from there.  Some guy : I'm assuming most people would ask, 'Where am I going? What's next?' Something like that. Is that a good question?  ChatGPT : No, because they don't matter. Some guy : W hy don't they matter?  ChatGPT : If there's a heaven or hell or some next phase, you're likely already heading there. Asking won't change your destination. It's a wasted question.  Some guy : That's a good point. Um, what about 'Did I do en...
Read more

What's Your Slavery Footprint?

-
I just came across an app that immediately intrigued me because it brings awareness to something way too often overlooked in this country. It's called The Slavery Footprint , and I found out about it this morning courtesy of this post . Living in California, and traveling regularly through the Central Valley where a bulk of everyone's U.S.-bred fruits and nuts are produced, I became keenly aware of how poorly farmhands are treated in this country. I even blogged about it several years ago . Some of us tend to feel morally superior because of the foods and lifestyle choices we make. After taking this "test," perhaps that piety will recede a bit. After you take it, you can share your score if you wish. Personally, I'm embarrassed by mine.
Read more

Do Mom and Dad Make You Run?

-
I know of a lot of middle-aged running friends who are motivated by their parents to run. Their mother or father was in poor health for many years and it ultimately cost them their lives (or at least a higher quality of it), and so one reason they initially put on a pair of running shoes was to avoid the same fate. However, that's not the sort of parental connection outlined in a provacative post about the link between exercise and genetics in this morning's Daily Beast. It reflects a couple of scientific studies that show we may be genetically encoded to favor workouts. That means some of us will never enjoy exercising like others, nor will our children. If this is true, then those of us modeling good behaviors by eating well and exercising in moderation may merely be passing along the endorphin baton to those with our "exercise gene." And that might also explain why some parents who push their kids into sports end up disappointed that their child never "takes...
Read more