We are having some computer issues at home so I’m late posting.  The weekend runs did get done, 5 miles on saturday & 7 on sunday.  It was hot & sticky both mornings even that early, w/ little wind & a few clouds.  All my pelicans, cranes, herons, gulls & fishermen were out along w/ one guy kayak fishing & a couple on stand up paddle boards.  The water was pretty calm both mornings.  

I was all happy about being able to carry my phone until I took the case off after a run & saw it was full of sweat.  Don’t know how I managed that but I'm pretty sure it’s not good for the phone.  Carried my ipod sunday & it died on me at the turnaround.  Think I drowned it.  Let it dry for awhile & put it on to charge last night.  Seemed to take a charge so I’m hopeful.  I love my istuff.  

later.

I started running a couple of years ago, at first all I wanted was some exercise to help me sort of “keep up” w/ my then 4 year old son. I’ve come to really enjoy running & I do it now just because I want to. This past week, I’ve had the great pleasure of running w/ my now 7 year old son. So far, we’ve kept to 1 mile, some walking but more running than walking. He’s enjoyed it & wants to do more. I’m happy.

Breaking News:  It’s still HOT!  

Yeah I know, it’s July.  In other news, it’s almost August!  Forecast for August?  HOT!  Might rain.  Might not.  Sometimes there’s Hurricanes.  Sometimes they go somewheres else.  Sometimes they come here.  Then it’s September & eventually it’ll start to cool off.  But right now, it’s hot.

Film at 11:00.

Had packages waiting for me when I got home from work, I love packages.  Got my Sorbothane insoles, my drymax socks, my Marware shell for my phone, & my Sennheiser earbuds!  Life should be good, my runs should all be smooth, & I should be running much faster than I ever have before!  Well, life’s pretty good anyway.  The insoles & socks did what they do & well.  The Marware shell is the best I’ve tried at keeping the phone secure & DRY.  I sweat a lot.  The earbuds actually were pretty great, comfortable, killer sound, what’s not to like.

As I was now able to carry my phone, I was now able to listen to Pandora!  Yay!  Made me feel really old & out of touch.  Instead of setting it to a station I’d created, I just set it to “Alternative”.  I liked what I heard well enough but I didn’t recognize any of the bands or songs.  I’m such a relic.  

Yesterday’s evening beach run went ok.  Strong crosswind as I got started which is what you want, doesn't help or hinder but it’s nice to have a breeze.  About a mile & a half in I realized it was now blowing more from my back & at two & a half miles when I turned around it was blowing hard & I was running directly into it.  The run back was a struggle.  Not only was it a hard steady wind, but the sand really stings.  I think I lost a layer of skin & my legs felt like I’d run up a two & a half mile stairway.  

peace.

I’ll be giving blood later this afternoon, so I ran this morning rather than doing my usual Tuesday afternoon run.  I’ve given blood in the evening & then run the next morning w/out issue, but I figure running just a couple hours after might be ill advised.  The early morning is a pleasure in itself, Venus & Jupiter are very bright right now & w/out a moon, the sky was full of stars.  I ran in the neighborhood & all the houses were dark & quiet, everyone asleep, still the pre-dawn dark so the birds hadn’t even gotten started yet.   Just the sound of my breath & footsteps.  One fat old raccoon waddled across the road in front of me.  A couple of years ago I often saw a fox on these early mornings but I guess she’s moved on.  As I finished, the sky was brightening & the birds were cranking up.  Makes for a good morning & good mornings make for good days.   

Sunday sunrise run went very well, I somehow managed to get to the beach a bit earlier than usual so my start was in the pre dawn grey & I ran into the rising sun.  As difficult as it sometimes is to live in an area so determined to maintain its backward status, I do love the natural beauty we are blessed with.  I can get up on a Sunday morning & run on a seawall, watching the herons, cranes, & pelicans compete w/ wade fishermen & dolphins for their breakfast or take the kayak out either on the bayous or on the sound if the water’s calm.  One of these days, I’m going to get me a SUP & I’ll be out there w/ the dolphins on calm days!  If I’m craving more surf & emerald green water, Pensacola’s only a couple hours drive away.  We camp at Ft Pickens on Santa Rosa Island & eat oysters at Peg Leg Pete’s after playing in the water all day.  I love it there, my retirement plan is to buy a camper & park it at Ft Pickens.  I’ll run early, walk the beach all morning & then ride my bike to Peg Leg’s for lunch.  

Update on the Yurbuds, they’d done well for Saturday’s 5 miles but became irritating somewhat during Sunday’s 7.  I think it was just the size, they really are quite large,  & weight pulling at the ear.  They still did well & it wasn’t so bad that I’m getting rid of them but I did go ahead & order the Sennheiser’s.  I do like the behind the neck type.  Will see.

Yesterday afternoon I realized that my Dailymile mileage counter was at 1999 miles so my 7 year old & I went for a quick 1 mile run to make it an even 2000!  He’s the reason I started running in the first place, I was a 50 year old father of a 4 year old & figured I better do something if I wanted to keep up w/ him.  

Peace.

Picked up a set of the Yurbuds on my way home from work yesterday, tried them out this morning & was very pleased. Once I got over the idea that they were as large as they are & followed the instructions, I realized what a good idea they were! They sort of lock in the ear, I could tug on them pretty good w/ out worrying that they might come out. As to the sound, they are a bit bass heavy, surprisingly, compared to others I’ve tried but more than adequate for my needs. After just the one run, I’m not ready to give an unguarded endorsement but so far I am happy w/ them.

The sky had cleared this morning & the sun peeked out! It was still fairly cool & there was a light breeze which made for a very pleasant run. The tide was out & the water in the sound was like glass. Wish I had a SUP!

We’ve been having an abundance of rain here on the Gulf Coast, feel guilty about it when I read about the drought conditions other areas are experiencing.  I’ve gone whole summers w/out running in the rain even once but this year it’s becoming the norm.  Not that I mind, a good rain is just the ticket when it’s in the mid 90’s.  During the winter, not so much, I’ll run in the cold & I’ll run in the rain but I’m not real happy about running in the cold rain.  

Yesterday we had a pretty fair thunderstorm come through in the afternoon & by the time I went for my run it was still drizzling & COOL!  MID 70’S!  IT FELT GREAT!  Most of my summer runs are sweaty plodding acts of stubbornness that are to be endured more than enjoyed, this was a lovely taste of why I run.  Had a few folks honk at me, I try to think they are being supportive but I know they’re thinking “what an idiot, out there running in the rain.”  Personally, I don’t know why everyone doesn't strip down to a pair of shorts & go for a run on a rainy afternoon!  Really, how many chances do you get?

I’m having earbud issues right now, I’d had a pair of the behind the neck type that I liked well enough until one side quit on me.  I tried a pair of the JVC Sport Clips, they wouldn’t stay in my ear but wound up sort of dangling near my ear which wasn’t terribly satisfactory.  I may go w/ a pair of the Yurbuds but I want to look around a bit more.  Things I liked about the behind the neck type were the ease of one handedly taking them on & off & that I could easily hang them around my neck.  I carry a handheld water bottle & fumbling w/ twist in earbuds might be a pain.  

ok, took the shoes back to the store (Run -n- Tri) & they exchanged them w/ no problems.  Brought home this pair of Brooks Glycerin.  1st run in them yesterday evening & I loved them!  Even felt a bit decadent.  I’m running nearly all my runs now at the seawall which is a hard cement surface so I thought I might do well to get one of the more “cushioned” shoes.  These certainly are that but w/out feeling mushy.  W/ so many competing theories & opinions out there as to what shoe does what & might be best & what running style might be best it’s hard to know what to do, I try to pay attention to the information that’s there but in the end I just do what feels best to me.  My main objective is to be able to run & to be able to run for many years to come.

So, good runs yesterday evening & this morning, my earbuds gave out on me yesterday about 2 miles into a 5 mile run.  I’d have thought they might last longer than a few months even w/ my sweaty ears but oh well.  I’ll be looking for a new pair this afternoon.  Decent sound from buds that stay in my ear is what I ask for.

Sunday sunrise long run did get done, I’m just now getting to posting it.  The run itself went fine, I left the new shoes at home & ran in my faithful Cumulas 14’s.  I just couldn’t get over feeling like I was wearing clown shoes in the new ones, I think 12.5 is just too large.  I’m going to take them back this afternoon & see if I can exchange them.  I’d like to try the Ghost 5 as I was happy w/ the Ghost 4 other than a bit tight in the toe.  Will see.  Plus, I like the Brooks colors, when you’re old, slow & gawkey like me, flashy gear makes all the difference!

I’d loaded up the ipod Friday night but didn’t carry it Saturday as it was raining.  I’d selected the Shins, Oh, Inverted World, & listened to that on the way out, running into a cloudy sunrise.  After the turnaround, I skipped ahead to the live version of Jane Says for a little aural palate cleansing & then finished up w/ the Pixies Surfer Rosa for the return.  Just as Jane Says ended I looked up & saw a double rainbow.

It was a windy, overcast day so the temp was pretty good.  The tide was up & the water was rough for the sound.  Lots of my birds, had a group of at least 20 Pelicans flying in front of me in a large V.  They were w/ me for quite a ways allowing me the illusion of meaningful contact w/ the world around me.

thought I’d share this, it seems like really good idea. I’m not involved in any way, it just seems like something that’s needed.


http://www.bia-sport.com/

had the alarm set for 5:30, woke to thunder at 5:00, thought about staying in bed but wanted to try out the new shoes. It was raining but gently as I drove to Courthouse Pier, sat there in the truck for awhile, looked at the weather map on my phone a few times, pretty good bit of lightning but the rain wasn’t getting any harder so I went for it. Had to leave the ipod behind but running in the rain was pretty nice actually. Hardly anyone out, couple diehard wade fishermen & one very determined golfer. My birds seem to have gotten over the fireworks & made their way back, they were huddled on the sand & pilings. All in all, it was a pretty nice morning & a good run. The new shoes felt good although I’m still getting used to them being a half size larger. Feel a little like clown shoes. They’re stuffed w/ newspaper drying now. Extra bonus, it’s still raining so I won’t be cutting the grass today!

so, I got the new shoes, switched the laces for white & they are a little easier on the eye. Give them a try in the morning. Loading up the ipod now.

Back to normal after yesterday's political rant, my afternoon beach run did get done.  It’s still crazy hot, imagine!  The seawall I run on is about 10’ wide & white cement.  It soaks up the sun all day so that by the time I get there it’s hot enough that I think it could melt the soles of my shoes if I stood still long enough.  The breeze felt like the furnace some friends of mine used for glass blowing.  

I’ve been having some problems w/ pain in my shins, particularly my right.  It goes away after about 2 miles but at times has been bad enough that I’ve considered stopping.  I am also having an issue w/ my left shoe which has suddenly become too small!  Don’t know how the hell that happened.  Anyway, I think this afternoon will involve some shoe shopping.

Ordinarily I blog my little thoughts about my days run, simple observations of birds & weather.  Occasionally something like this happens.  I apologize for the rambling & disorganized nature of what follows.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning the Affordable Care Act this great lumbering brute of a country moved another increment forward, in our convoluted meandering fashion we managed to put the needs of others above our own selfishness.  There have been screams of anguish & much gnashing of teeth & there will still be setbacks to come, but these screamers & gnashers will become more & more irrelevant as they always do.  It is an ongoing mystery to me that they do not recognise themselves, that they do not look at the old films of klansmen & segregationists, of the schemers & haters, the small minded bigots who love their little power & can only hold onto it by denying someone some small something, that they do not see themselves in these images & know that they are on the wrong side.  

Nationally the response was swift & predictable, Speaker Boehner announced another misguided vote at taxpayer expense, Romney said yet again that it was a good idea when it was his but now . . . not so much, Faux news spent the day reporting on, well Rupert Murdoch actually, go figure.  

The outrage was particularly intense here in Mississippi, Bryant quickly gave the old segregationist standby about the “over-reaching federal government”, he knows his audience & his audience knows him, the infant Palazzo was quick to puppet the party line like a good little boy, & our tea-party adoring local media, all smirks & sneers, reported the news as if they’d stepped in something.  

But why should it be this way?  Why is Mississippi, a state that stands to benefit the most from the new law, certainly a state w/ the greatest need, determined to fight to the bitter end any attempt at progress?  What is it exactly that we want?

We speak reverently of Haley Barbour & praise his “leadership” in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina when his accomplishment was to tell us how strong & independent & self reliant we were while squeezing every dime of disaster relief he could get out of the Federal Government.  Even w/out the funding that results from natural disasters, our state gets back far more than we ever pay in in taxes & yet the tea party yahoos run rampant, a festival of self congratulation & bile spitting hatred.  

After electing a Republican Governor & majorities in both the House & Senate on the promise that “now we can get something done”, what was the agenda?  A draconian Immigration law that would have encouraged racial profiling, a demonstratively unnecessary voter ID law designed to deny the poorest & most disenfranchised among us the right to vote (think of these together as Jim Crow Lite), & legislation designed to force the closure of the states only abortion clinic denying women a legal right to exert control over their own bodies.  

All of these were certain to wind up in Federal Court, w/ little hope of implementation, costing the state considerable time & resources, w/ no discernible benefit to anyone but the politicians involved & all have proven to be very popular.  Again, what is it exactly that we want?  What “good old day” do we wish to return to?  How is it that we have come to celebrate the bullies among us?  Why do we now openly sneer at ideas like fairness & diversity?  Why are so many ideas & attitudes that ought to have died off during & after the Civil Rights era now making a comeback?  Why are so many using this disturbing trend for political gain w/ no thought to the consequences?

The two most pressing issues in Mississippi are poverty & education & yet we spend our resources in legal battles.  Our elected leaders are selling us out for political advancement & to advance a national political agenda. (The fact that a number of Southern states are currently in legal battles over immigration & voter ID laws is no coincidence.)  Rather than working w/ the Federal Government for the benefit of the people they represent they follow orders, using the power of their office to put pressure on the current administration in the hope of influencing the upcoming elections.  

Wednesday sunrise run done, very nice, Venus & Jupiter bright in the east, sky turning pink & purple as I finished.  Have a great day!

evening beach run, cloudy & cooler but no breeze. I’d loaded up English Settlement & London Calling on the ipod & had set it to random. As it turns out, that was sort of a disservice to both bands. This is impression, not opinion; the Clash seemed authentic but not quite realized while XTC seemed a bit clever clever. It’s been quite a while since I’ve listened to either record & random juxtaposition while running down the seawall is hardly a fair assessment. As I’ve gotten older, I find that the music I’m most drawn to is the music that these guys were reacting to anyway. 

missed a couple runs this week w/ lower back issues, got out there today though. Overcast, breezeless, thick, muggy morning, beach covered w/ trash from the 4th, couple of homeless guys sleeping on the benches, sirens from police cars & ambulances, I’d loaded up the Allman Brothers 1st album. Was that kind of morning.

The garbage on the beach really gets to me, I can’t understand why people refuse to pick up after themselves. Mississippi has a considerable amount of its natural environment left but there is no interest in preserving it. Another thing I noticed this morning was that there were no birds. Usually I see lots, today I saw none. Run off by morons I guess. We really need to move.

As it turns out we did get to make a short trip out in the kayak, we put in at Courthouse pier & paddled up to the harbor & back. Less than 5 miles but still a nice time. Water was very calm, hoped we’d see some dolphins but I guess it was too late in the day. I’ve been seeing quite a few on my early morning runs. Did get to see pelicans up close & the occasional jumping fish.

beautiful morning! cooler for some reason & breezy, a little overcast so there was a nice sunrise, had a great run. No work today so I went to the beach instead of doing the usual wednesday neighborhood run & was able to get in 5 miles instead of 3. Win win & all! Thought we were going kayaking but the family appears to be sleeping in. This is why I need a paddle board, or a smaller kayak.

Happy 4th!

Yeah, yeah, it’s hot, blah blah blah. sweat, sun, frying eggs on the seawall & so forth. Still, the overwhelming distinguishing feature of my runs lately has been that it’s FREAKING HOT! It’s so hot I can’t properly use language, all my metaphors have melted like crayons on the backseat, it’s so hot the rest of my surroundings have faded into the background. I’ve heard angels sing, I’ve thought it was raining & it turned out to be sweat dripping into my face from the brim of my visor, I’ve found momentary enlightenment in Beatles songs (as it turns out I’m not actually the Walrus), & it’s just the beginning of July! I tell myself I’ve got just the 2 months to get through but I know it’s a lie, it won’t start to cool down until the end of September.

Today's run started that way, thick muggy breezeless hot. Right about 3 miles in, just after my turnaround, I notice the sky in front of me has gotten dark & just as I notice this I’m hit w/ an icy cold headwind. Seriously, it was like stepping from a steamy sidewalk into a dark air conditioned building it was so fast. Lightning starts flashing around the road ahead & the cars coming toward me have their lights on. I find that my pace has increased.

It’s surprising how invigorating an icy cold headwind & the threat of electrocution can be. I finished strong, at what felt like my best pace since we had temps in the 70’s. I didn’t get rained on & I felt great. This time of year my runs are not so much enjoyed as they are endured, today was a nice little taste of enjoyment. 

Sunday long run done, hot & muggy 80 degrees at 6:00 am & no breeze but it’s done. 25 miles for the week which is pretty good for me, plan to keep the mileage up over the summer, should help w/ the half in October & maybe w/ a full in February. Rehydrating now, one of these days I’ll remember to weigh myself before & after a run just to see how much fluid I lose. I drink a 20oz bottle of water during a run, I freeze it overnight & drink it as it melts. Some days that works better than others.

Talked to a fellow yesterday about renting one of the Stand Up Paddleboards. I’ve been interested for awhile now, having seen them in Florida & wanting to give it a try. I’ve looked at the YOLO boards in Florida, this guy rents & sells Hobie. I’d like to find one used but that’s not likely around here. Anyway, that’s on my list of things to do when we go to Puerto Rico at Christmas so maybe I can get some practice locally.

Have a great Sunday!