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6/29/2009 13.1 Again.Well, we did it again.
Mark and I stood in corral 14 for twenty five minutes before we were able to cross the start line. Others (I've heard) had to wait upwards of an hour after the initial gun went off. I guess that's what happens when you run in an event with 25,000 people.
It was a good race, though. The course got pretty scenic around mile 6 as we ran along Lake Washington. Elevation gain wasn't nearly as bad as the map indicated. People were in good spirits, the weather cooperated perfectly and as I quitely predicted, Mark kicked my ass - not that I'd have it any other way.
Next time I'll do two things differently: Not eat as much breakfast and run harder in the last three miles. Oh, and get new shoes three weeks from the start of the event. I ran in my trainers which (by the time of the RnR) had almost no support left in them.
Next race: Seattle Half Marathon 2009 - November.
Who's comin with me! Fin 6/19/2009 Daily QuestionsI find that I ask these five questions every day. Without fail.
1.) Wanna go poop?
2.) What are you barking at?
3.) Have the doogs had vittles yet?
4.) Where's your xxxxxxx?
5.) Who's a sassy pooch?
xxxxxx = ball, sock, sister, squirrel, bone, frisbee, cookie, etc.
Fin 6/18/2009 Rock & Roll !See that picture in my profile? Two cool dudes doing their "serious" faces for the camera.
That's me and one of my best friends, Mark. About four years and 20lbs ago.
We were roommates with another buddy of mine, Bryan, in Redmond. The apartment complex we lived in was built close to a network of trails that ran for miles and eventually joined the Burke-Gilman Trail. Damn near each day after work we'd set out on a five mile run. Left to our own devices we'd probably think of an excuse to stay home and veg - Xbox, Simpsons, WoW, Bud Light - but we kept each other motivated. Verbally taunting one another until we all had our running garb on.
Bryan and I were in relatively good shape. He a soccer player and me an avid hiker, we weren't slouches by any means. But Mark... avid swimmer, PCT hiker and self imposed distance runner... was by far in the best shape of the three of us. And he kicked our asses.
Daily.
It was great.
On 6/27, Mark and I are running the Rock & Roll half marathon together. 13.1 miles of ass kicking.
I can't wait.
Fin
6/14/2009 Plantar FasciitisI may have it.
And on the other hand I may be a giant pussy. Either way you slice it, my feet really hurt.
My friends at Wikipedia define PF as: "...a painful inflammatory condition of the foot caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia or plantar aponeurosis that supports the arches of the foot or by biomechanical faults that cause abnormal pronation.".
While this supports my self diagnosis to a T, I'm still not convinced. See Exhibit A.
 Exhibit A.
My pain isn't located in the Most Frequent Area of Pain as the diagram points out. Instead I fall into the 5th percentile on the abovementioned survey. Leading me to believe it's not Plantar Fascitis.
Perhaps I should visit the friendly neighborhood Podiatrist before things get out of hand.
More to come.
Fin 6/13/2009 Door DingsMy car, while it's not "new" by any means, is still new to me. I've only had it since December '08. When I got her she was perfect. Not a scratch on her. Detailed, shiny, perfect new car interior complete with new car smell. My new car.
When I ran into a sign at the Tiger Mountain trailhead and dinged the front bumper, I was pissed at myself because, well, I'm a good driver and I don't do stupid shit like that. But it was okay because I did it.
When I took an intersection a little too fast and smacked the front fascia on the street, scraping the hell out of it, I was pissed at myself. But it was fun and it was okay because I did it.
When I spilled diet coke in the door jam while trying to get my tech bag out of the passenger seat I cringed. Man, that's gonna be a sticky mess. But it's okay because i did it.
When the asshole in the green SUV parked next to me in my office parking lot, leaving barely a foot betwen our cars and dings the shit out of my door in order to get out, I got pissed. Because you're an asshole. What is the deal?! You know you drive a giant piece of shit. You know you need at least two feet between you and the car next to you in order to open your door. So why park so close to me? Why did you do that? Why are you a big jerk?
First I wanted to break your drivers side window. Then thought better of it. Instead I was going to kick a giant dent in your quarter panel. But I couldn't. So I waited in my car for 35 minutes working on the tirade of expletives I'd unleash on you once you came back to your busted ass POS.
But what good would that do.
I probably stand a better chance of winning the lottery while being struck by lightning then having you read this. But if the planets align and somehow, one of these days you end up reading this weak, passive-aggressive rant and you realize this is directed at you, I'll leave you with some sage like advice. Something I try to live by:
Don't Be A Dick.
Fin 6/4/2009 Tour de FinGod I miss cycling.
My cycling passion started circa 1995 when I started doing yard work for one of my neighbors while living out on the Issy-Hobart Rd. Don and Barb Shelton were avid cyclists and kept all their bikes in the garage close to where they stored their lawn mower. Every week I'd go over to their place to mow their lawn, but before I set out on that grueling two hour task, I'd spend 10-15 minutes oogling their cycling mecca. Don rode a custom Land Shark. Black red and yellow carbon fibre frame, full Campangolo group and fresh Continental Gran Prix rubber. The thing didn't weigh more than 13lbs with pedals. A real work of art. Barb had a blue Serotta - aluminum frame and midde of the road components. More of a touring bike, but far more expensive than I could afford. They also had a brushed aluminum Santa Cruz tandem that was just a beast. 2" aluminum down tube, perfect TIG welds - just awesome.
Don saw me admiring their collection one day and mentioned that he and Barb were going out on an STP training ride that coming weekend and asked if I wanted to go. I had purchased a Specialized mountain bike a few weeks back and hadn't done anything "big" with it yet so I said sure, not knowing what I was really getting into.
That next weekend we loaded up their Taurus station wagon with their tandem, Barb's Serotta and my Specialized and set off for a park and ride somewhere on SR202...
...wow this is getting long winded.
Long story short, I was hooked. I had no problem keeping up with "pros" on road bikes while riding my knobby tired Chromoly mountain bike. It left me wanting more.
Not too long after that my mountain bike was stolen. It was replaced with a 50cm Cannondale R800 - team colors (red/yellow) full Ultegra 600 and fast - omg was it fast. I rode that thing all over the place - easily logging 1000's of miles.
I knew I had offically made the switch from mountain biker to roadie when I was riding home from a friends house one day. He lived up on the top of Cougar Mt and the road down averaged a 12% grade back into Issaquah. I stopped at the bottom of the hill, my face streaked with tears from the wind, red cheeks and racing heart. A convertable porche pulled up next to me and the guy said, "Hey, did you know you were going 55 down that hill?". I smiled, "Yeah.", was the only thing I managed to get out.
55mph on a bike. Unreal!
Over a decade later, my Cannondale now sits in my garage. Neglected and collecting dust. I haven't put a foot to pedal in years. My cycling flame was snuffed out with the advent of a drivers license, sports cars, school, work and a million other excuses.
Until last week.
Walking through the MS Commons to get lunch with Meghan, we happened upon the newly opened campus bike shop. A glimmer caught my eye and I turned to see a super sexy '07 S-Works Roubiax Dura Ace on display. Needless to say the spark was re-ignited. But, like with other gear intensive hobbies, cycling isn't cheap and I didn't have their $3000 asking price just laying around.
We'll see what the summer brings.
Fin 6/3/2009 Get LostYesterday I got lost.
It's not very often I get lost. I'm usually pretty good about keeping my bearings, deciphering NSEW by the sun and generally being aware of my surroundings. Last night, however, the train came off the tracks.
Started out by telling Meghan that I was going to take a quick run before dinner. We have a nice little 3 mile trail that goes up through the woods in our development and comes out in an area called Grand Ridge (ritzy houses). But instead of going the standard route (starting down at Central Park and running UP to Grand Ridge) I decided to run the trail backwards (starting up at Grand Ridge and running DOWN to Central Park) because it would be easier. Afterall, today was supposed to be a rest day.
The afternoon sun is blaring to the tune of about 85 degrees (unseasonably warm for Seattle in May) and I eventually make my way up to the Grand Ridge trailhead. Recent news reports of bears in Issaquah and a recently posted "Share This Space With Wildlife" sign at the trailhead make me overly sensitive to woodland noise as I cautiously make my way through the trail. After about 10 minutes on the trail, the paranoid/delusional side of me starts to make me think that the eyes of woodland creatures are tracking me through the forest. This makes me uneasy so I run a little faster. Hell, the sooner I get out of here the better.
So I'm hauling ass running down hill and I come across this fork in the trail. Since I usually come from the other direction I never see this fork and just keep going my merry way. However now I'm forced to make a decision. I think back to the trail map that was posted along side the "Share This Space With Wildlife" sign. It showed an equestrian trail that cut through the forest and eventually met up with the trail that I was on - so I thought. With that sound logic I stayed the course and continued along what I thought was the right path.
Thirty minutes, 3 miles and 1000 feet decended later I find myself on some AT&T access road that runs parallel to I-90 about 1/4 mile from the High Point Exit - that's Exit 20 past Issaquah.
BUT!
Its not until I run along WB I-90 for 35 minutes before I'm able to figure this out. So for 35 minutes I'm legitimately lost. And I gotta tell ya, it scared the hell out of me. Not only because the sun was going down and there have been recent bear sightings in the area, but I haven't seen ANYONE on this trail and a hawk almost pooped on me.
Fortunately for me, this access road eventually turns into the Mountains to Sound bike path that terminates in Seattle. My quick 3 mile jaunt just turned into a two hour 7 mile ordeal. Meghan said I was gone so long that she was thinking about forming a makeshift search party with the neighbor.
For those of you who are wondering, "Mike, I don't care that you got lost, what was for dinner!?" wait no longer:
-Grilled Steak salad w/ bleu cheese, avocado and candied pecans
-Garlic bread
-Italian Pasta Salad
I think today will be a rest day.
Fin
PS - Map of proposed and actual routes to come. 6/2/2009 HOV WTFThis morning I got into my car to go to work and noticed my neighbor down the street doing the same thing. She struggled with her kid, bags and whatnot and eventually set off toward I-90, with me following. We made our way down Highlands drive to the I-90 onramp where it splits into three lanes. The far left going down into downtown Issaquah, middle lane for HOV traffic getting on the freeway and the far right lane for the rest of us.
While I wait my turn patiently in the right lane, she makes her way over to the HOV entrance and jumps right on the freeway. Now, granted I only had to wait an extra 45 seconds or so to get on the freeway, but seriously?
Now I know the law and she legitimately used the HOV on ramp, but the fact that people can consider their children as HOV worthy occupants is BULLSHIT.
In my minds eye, the HOV was created for the purpose of reducing the number of cars on the road and to provide an incentive for able bodied drivers to share a car. Thus reducing the number of cars on the road and reducing pollutants/contaimina
Children under the age of 16 and expecting mothers should not be included in HOV approved passengers. When was the last time you saw a fetus driving an SUV or a 6 yr old taking themselves to Kindergarden in the family Taurus. You're not helping remove cars from the road by having them as passengers! It doesn't make any sense!
This even extends to the elderly! Dear old grandma with the coke bottle glasses and body crippling arthritis who the state declared shouldn't be driving decades ago shouldn't contribute to the HOV body count.
All this being said, I recently found out my sister is pregnant. I'm going to be an uncle (God help me). And you can bet your ass the second I find out she's been abusing the HOV system like the rest of these brain dead idiots, I'm going to read her the riot act. Not that she'll listen anyway.
Rant over.
Fin 5/29/2009 This Could Be DangerousWhile tinkering with my WMD (thats Windows Mobile Device not Weapon of Mass Destruction) here on the toilet this morning, I discovered I could post blog entries from my phone. This changes everthing. No longer do I have to wait until I'm near my PC to regurgitate my thoughts into digital media. I can do it on the go! On the throne! On a plane (wifi permitting).... OMG - Blogs on a Plane. Just a sec, I have to make a call to Hollywood. Fin 5/14/2009 Lihue or bust.Meest and I booked a trip to Hawaii last night. We scheduled time off months ago and just now got around to booking the trip - three days before we leave. Now you'd think that waiting this long would really mess with the planning process and going into the Memorial Day weekend there wouldn't be too much available.
Wrong.
Given the economy, people are almost desperate to book their timeshares & condo's. We found a slammin' deal at the Hilton Kauai Resort for $99 a night with the last two nights free. Crazy! That and we used air miles to book our airfare. So far the vacation has cost us a grand total of $10 ($5 each for booking fees on Alaska Air).
If we play our cards right we should be able to get a week in Lihue for a little over $500 a person - air, lodging, excursions, food, the whole nine yards.
This is my first time to the Hawaiian Islands. Any suggestions for Lihue?
Mahalo.
Fin 5/13/2009 I'm...back?I've had a few coworkers ask recently, "When are you going to start blogging again?".
Start? Again?
In a way I've never really stopped. I've just been posting in a different location with a different medium - facebook, twitter, etc.
Yeah, I know, it's not really "blogging" per se, but it accomplishes what I want to do. Throw bits and pieces of me out there every once-in-a-while and offer some insight into my otherwise mysterious life. To that end, I promise I'll start posting here semi-regularly. And for those of you who need a daily "fix", check me out here:
or
http://www.facebook.com - friend me if you can find me.
Auf wiedersehen.
Fin 12/18/2008 Snow DayWell my corporate office closed its campus around 9:30am today. Which is great for me because I hadn't set off to work yet. Thus began my snow day. I managed to fill it with present wrapping, snow ball throwing, sledding on a snow shovel and finishing off a Valpolicella. 4/1/2008 Crap Day. Or is it?So, today I was pretty much having one of the shittiest days I've had in a long time.
"How shitty?" You ask? - well lets put it on a classic 1 to 10 scale.
Lets say 1 represents just having won a $10,000,000,000 lottery and realizing you never have to work another day in your life, resulting in a mind blowing, passout worthy orgasm. 10 represents taking a Scrooge McDuck style swim through his money bin, except the money is actually 30 tons of rancid, steaming hot, recently evacuated elephant shit.
Today was an 8. I'll spare you the details.
So to recitify the situation I stop working, go home, declare I'm going running and take a brilliant jog around the neighborhood. I saw an Audi R8 parked in my neighbors garage and reminded myself I'll be getting a new car soon.
Gettin better.
Upon getting home I kiss the Meest, play with the doogs and then take a long hot shower.
Better.
Grab a post shower beer.
Oh yeah.
And after a brilliant dinner, I sit down at the computer to do some email - only to be hit with this doozie.
Ladies and gentlemen, we're now back to a 4. What? I still have to do my mail.
Enjoy!
Fin
2/7/2008 New ChapterHey kids. Time for another bullet-point style update. Things are happening around here and, well, I feel obligated to keep you updated. Damnit.
Moving
Yeah, there's quite a bit of that happening around here recently. One of my best friends - Charlie - and his fiance moved to Texas last week. They join the likes of Carter and Dazey. The two seem to be heading up quite a successful "Move To Texas" campaign. While Austin is an excellent place to vacation, I can't see myself moving there anytime soon.
Because...
I'm moving back to where it all began - the 'quah. The girls and I are moving into a HOUSE on the plateau. I haven't lived in a house since I moved out of my parents place almost 10 years ago. Our new place is nauseatingly expensive and small for a house (1400sqft) - but its a house none the less. Expect a mass house warming invitation in the coming weeks.
Work
Did I ever tell you I got promoted? I didn't? Oh. Well I did. From lackey to project manager. They tossed a few more peanuts my way and added an ass ton (roughly 7 tons) of responsbility. It's great for experience, but I'm not really seeing the monetary benefit. My direct report said I wouldn't be traveling as much, but that doesn't seem to have diminished either.
Odds & Ends
Scarlet has been paid off for nearly two years now and I've managed to save NO money in the absence of car payments. I declared that I'd drive her until she fell apart and, well its coming a lot sooner than I had expected. During the recent snow I had a great encoutner with a curb which left a fantastic yellow blemish on the wheel/tire. It wasn't an asthetic improvement, but the jolt seems to have re-aligned my steering.
I, um.. love xbox. I've been playing Guitar Hero like its going out of style (and it just might be) and I can't get enough. I know, I know "Guitar Hero"? Couldn't be any gayer than Big Gay Al, right? Wrong - all you nay-sayers out there - I challenge you! Pick up the plastic guitar! Feel the power flowing through you! Embrace your inner rock god and thrash out some Foo Fighers. Rage Against your Machine. Rock your neighbors Like A Hurricane!
And I'm spent.
Fin
PS - Pictures of the "house" posted. Mark - no comments about The Shire. 10/17/2007 Texts a la Mr SmithIts been nigh on six months to the day since my last post. I'm sorry I have to break the silence with such a trivial post, but the inbox on my cell phone is bursting at the seams.
The following is a collection of text messages (from oldest to newest) by one Mr Smith, whom I am friends with:
4/21/07 - 2:33pm
There once was a fellow named paco and a pegion who wanted his taco say paco these words we dont feed the birds for fear it will bring a whole flocko
6/10/07 - 6:08pm
Im drunk grocwery shoopping with my mom again
8/15/07 - 4:52pm
Crazy day buts all good now by the way my truck was a van peace bitch
8/15/07 - 7:11pm (a little over two hours later)
Yo hoesa yohoe a bottle of wine for me diseny land bithches whos with me first week of september lets do this shit i love xbox but is need a vacation
9/6/07 - 8:43pm
Ny father sigfry fucked a lion... Epics moiev is so fuch funny ier with wild horeses wine bottle movie over must pick newq watch peice out
9/6/07 - 9:00pm
Im out odf horewses wb in huntington beches is cw wht the fuck id want rhat bloinde
9/6/07 - 9:18pm
Oreso makes a desrwets pizzaa grosse fu7kyou mark dont now how that 7 nade it the r e iment fuck
9/6/07 - 10:15pm
Meed to sober up oit to find water if dont make it call rrz
9/6/07 - 11:09pm
Elivator girl reese witherspoon good kisser sober now don woorry i acomplished my msiision sir
9/23/07 - 3:01pm
I has mees a pitchers of bllue moon noew going drunk grocery shoppikmng with mum i love mmy hat myless
Mr Smith, I love it. Keep 'em coming man. We're going to publish you one of these days.
Fin
6/25/2007 RMTThis and last Sunday, Mark and I did some hiking. Last Sunday we ventured up to the West Tiger 3 summit in the wind and rain. Afterwards we enjoyed cold suds and big pies at the Flying Pie Pizzeria in the 'quah.
This Sunday we went further out on I-90 to the Rattlesnake Mountain Trail. Its a short 2.1 mile hike that gains a quick 1127ft - mostly in the last mile. Pictures posted. More to come.
Fin 6/1/2007 Wel, well, well!Damn near two months with no post. Ah well, I still don't have anything to say.
Orlando is an awful city.
Fin 4/6/2007 The AlchemistI read, in a book yesterday, an old Arabian proverb that made me laugh out loud:
'Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.'
It could also have been the three bloody marys I had on the plane...
Fin
PS - ...in first class. |
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