August Rain

-

When you plan an August run for about 30 to 40 runners, you worry about the heat. Which is why I arrived at Lake Miramar this morning with a cooler full of post-run frozen fruit. I also went home with at least half of it, all still frozen.

We had limited resources, human and otherwise, so I kept everyone doing loops around the lake instead of sending them up into the hills and upland trails. I can’t recall it ever raining in August, but the light showers did have one benefit: it kept weekend congestion to a minimum and reduced the number of cyclists on the path as well. One cyclist that did show up slid on the slick road and couldn't get back up. He left in an ambulance.

Hosting these runs is a lot of fun. And I’ve now done it enough times with my half marathon training program that I could go out the night before to see a play and then stop by a party and not worry about last-minute details. I also have my wonderful friend Louise as a volunteer, manning her usual post in Natalie Park (Mile 3 on the route) and doing a superb job as always.

This time I’d invited my friends Todd and Christine to run with us. Many of the runners in our fastest packs were racing in Oceanside this morning or had run the night before. Still, Todd proved to be quite the speed demon and Christine was closer than expected on his heels. I hope they both are proud of their efforts. And I hope they’ll join us again, only on a more exciting course.

Here are some photos from the morning. I'm counting this one as a success, inclement weather and all.












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