Running Commentary

I don't quite know how I managed to title two posts in a row "Day 11," but I did. I have corrected my mistake, which means now I'm on Day 14, not Day 13. Why do I feel like I've pulled a fast one? I guess I haven't, but don't all runners want to pull a fast one? Or at least run a fast one? Anyway, I'm getting into a groove on this daily writing thing. Although I have to admit it has had the effect of slowing down my novel writing. But I'm over the halfway hump in the accountability department and fully expect to transfer my groove habit over to the book when I hit the nonexistent blog called Day 22.  So what about today? Well, here's the "What I did" section: The day's not over, but I've been fairly sedentary. Only at 6350 steps, despite having walked about a mile to the mailbox and back to send in our tax payment. Also, I shelled peas (see above) but didn't get any step credits for it. Maybe it was a bit aerobic?...

I need to get this post written while I'm still upright. I am so ready for a nap. A righteous nap, I think. I did run the Pleasanton Run for Education this morning, and when I say "run," I mean that's just what I did. I just never felt like taking a walk break, so I didn't. One nice thing about a run for education is seeing so many healthy and friendly young people. I wish I had gotten their names. What I did: Finished a 10K in an unofficial time of 1:11:28, which included a final mile run at 11:26. Not exactly blinding speed, but it got a smile out of me. Not at the time I ran it, of course, seeing how I was focused on just covering ground. I beat the only other 10K I've run in 2016, the Bay Breeze Run in Hayward, in which I ran 1:12:41. A quick "yay" before I tell you that 10K's I did in 2013, 2014, and 2015 were all faster than today's run. You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need. Thin...

Is it better to be accountable late than never? I have to answer yes to that question if I'm to continue with my 21-day blogathon. No excuses here--we got home late from a beautiful wedding, I knew I had to get up early Sunday (today!), and, truthfully, I FORGOT my commitment. Oh well, I'm forced to say, that's history now. It's a new day. So. Yesterday, Day 11: What I did: Ran an easy 3 miles in the morning. Loped here and there around the neighborhood and ended up at the farmer's market downtown. Bought a smoothie, bought some berries and some fresh peas, and walked on home. When and where: About 10 am, and as I said, stayed close to home. How it felt: Good, although my legs are a bit tired. Will be interesting to see today (Day 12) how my 10K goes. Photos: Cuteness alert: There was a dog-fostering booth adjacent to the farmer's market. Sleep on, little puppy -- And you, please keep on running!

Bonus photo: Blue Moon Odem, Vida Blue, Dave Stewart, and Rickey Henderson throw out ceremonial first pitches on Jackie Robinson Day for MLB. As seen on TV! Tired puppy. One definition of accountability is when a tired puppy manages to act like a big dog long enough to fulfill a commitment, whether it's burying a bone or writing a blog post. So, I come not to bury this Day 11 report but to write it. It may get accomplished more easily if the puppy (the writer) drops this mixed and unwieldy metaphor. How was today? Glad I asked myself. It was good, but felt rushed. Felt kind of weird to sit in a single row of seats. What I did: Dawdled over the Sudoku long enough after breakfast that I had to hurry to BART in time to squeeze in a visit first to the taxman and  then to the doctor, who were to be found some 10 miles apart, and still manage to get back to Pleasant Town before Z got home from work.  I took BART for reasons I often do, that is, so I can walk from my des...

Here comes a short post. Have a lot on my plate right now! What I did: Walked quite a bit. I have 10,682 steps and counting on my fitness tracker. An okay middle-range number. Where and when I did it: All day, off and on. This morning I parked midway between the library and the bookstore on Main Street, walked to the library for books, dropped them at the car, walked to the bookstore to buy a wedding present, walked back to the car, and drove home. Usually I'd have ridden my bike on these errands but my legs are tired so I'm saving them for the weekend. Note: My plan to run a 5K Sat. and a 10K Sun. have had a setback--the Play Ball 5k has been postponed until July 17 because Corrigan Sports is (rightly) thinking the Coliseum area will be a madhouse Saturday because the Golden State Warriors are hosting the first game of their post season that day. Further note: I've become a Warriors fan. Had never even looked at Pro basketball until I somehow got hooked by Step...

Have had an active day thus far. I walked / ran for 6 miles and then went to the gym, where Heather supervised my beating my upper body into submission so it could be good company for my tired legs.  What I did: I've been wanting to check out a section of the Arroyo Mocha trail ever since the city finished refurbishing a section of it. I've been hoping it's been upgraded to a bike-able state--it's been okay for running but a bit rough for my city bike. So I ran north up Bernal to the Iron Horse Trail, where I cut over to the arroyo trail at Stoneridge Ave. The spiffed-up trail looks good! Stayed on it for a bit and then made a left over on Omega to Parkside Drive and from there cut across the Sp orts Park and made my way eastward to the gym. We won't talk about the 3 times I had to stop and check Google maps. For me, the simplest run can fast turn into a thrilling exercise in orienteering, also known as figuring out where you are when you're feeling alar...

Here I am again, writing when it's near my bedtime. Not only that, the A's are on TV--and they're ahead! Accountability, indeed. It was a BART kind of a day. Finished my book! I didn't run today, but did ride my bike out to BART so I could get to Berkeley to pick up my bib for the Play Ball 5K at the Coliseum Saturday. I ran it last year with friends and had a great time--will be satisfied to run it solo this year and have a good time. Registration includes a ticket to the day's game. I'll probably go for a while but will need to cut it short so I can get ready to go to the wedding of my dear friend R. to her sweetheart. All in all, it should be a fabulous day. Running, baseball, and love. who could ask for more? Admiring the mind that paired these materials in the BART station. What I did: Per Map My Run, I rode my bike a total of 8.26 miles. Also, walked quite a bit in getting to and from the BART station to Sports Basement and also in getting fr...

A funny thing happened on my way to writing this blog post. As I opened my laptop I suddenly realized how I was going to resolve a plot problem that has been bedeviling me for days as I lurch along writing my novel. You didn't know I'm writing a novel?  Formally decided or not, working on my novel has become part of my demanding accountability of myself. First draft due (to me!): July 14, 2016. A significant date in my running life, BTW--in 1996 it was the date the barri cades fell and I ran my first marathon. At the time I was stunned to realize it was one of the happiest days of my life. I have never changed my mind about that designation. Of my life! Whew. Lying on my back doing crunches I caught this cloud sneezing. Seems like it had inhaled some seagulls and had to get them out! To better see the see the seagulls, click on the image. Today probably isn't one of the happiest days, but so far it's a good one. Last night before I went to bed, still exhaust...

The day after extensive rain. I had some vague plans to go to the gym, but couldn't seem to move much in that direction. Got part way through straightening up my home office when I realized I was spinning my wheels. Jumped in the car and went to the grocery store, where I managed to pile up about $200 worth of food and "stuff" before I escaped. I hadn't shopped for two weeks, except for occasional forays in search of bananas, so $200 seemed okay. By the time I got home, unpacked my goodies, and had some lunch, Z was deep into the Formula I race on TV that he'd recorded last weekend. When he finished I switched over to the A's game, which ended with my teaming beating Seattle. No time to catch my breath, then--on came the Warriors! They triumphed over the Spurs in a lively nail biter of a game. Yes, it was a sports-watching, couch-potato-ing kind of a day Chez Elaine and Z. Even Danny Mo was lethargic. What I did: Not much. Only recorded about 6300 ste...

Was it a verdant spring like this one that inspired a rock band to call itself Green Day? There I was at 7 am, all dressed up with nowhere to go! In Pleasant Town it was sprinkling gently, so I figured it would be game on for the WoW relay team to meet at Redwood Park for a hill run. Wrong. Turns out it was rainier in Oaktown than here; the run was cancelled so we could all avoid becoming casualties of mud on the trails and the trails could avoid becoming casualties of us on them. It was a little wet when I stopped briefly at Stanley Middle School. Click on the photo for the full effect. I'll  just go to the Lafayette / Moraga Trail, sez I, and run my own darned paved hill run. So I did. Have you ever seen gentle sprinkles morph into steady rain? Well, I have. This very morning, actually. Blub, blub. What I did: 9.75 miles at a run 4 minutes / walk 1 minute pace. 4.5 miles down the hill; 4.75 up. Admittedly the hills on this course are gentle, but on the way back up,...

First order of business: The 15-minute timer has been goosed up to 20 minutes. It's been taking me that long to write anyway, and I can't think of any reason to keep pretending it's 15.  What I did: So far today -- I got up and thought about doing an easy 3-miler before keeping my training appointment at 10:30. As we know, thinking is not doing; I had breakfast and went back to take a little catnap (with cat in attendance, of course) for 30 minutes. Catnap ended when cat walked on my chest. Then, I walked over to the gym in the sprinkling spring rain. The distance to the gym is 4/10 mile, which hardly qualifies the walk as a warmup, so when I arrived I got on the rowing machine for 10 minutes. Heather found me anyway, even though the rower is partially hidden, so she started me in on an upper-body workout. Here's what I did: Explication of some of the above. I did the entire list three times: DB = dumbell (the instrument, perhaps also the user) Smith machine...

Howdy. The 15-minute clock is running! A rare photo of the author, who was having a bad hair day. What I did: Took BART to the A's game. In the process got in a light cross-training activity: 4 miles to the station from my house to catch the train, then 4 back after the game. BTW, do NOT ask about the game.  I felt like I was back in 2015--good starting pitching, but no hitting, only a little defense, pretty stinky bullpen. No Groundhog Day, please guys.  When I did it: Midday. The two rides were 3 1/2 hours apart. I took the Iron Horse Trail both ways. Once you get down to Stoneridge, there are a few large, dicey intersections, but a bit of prudence makes the whole route pretty safe. How the bike ride felt: Good, for the most part. Had the bike tuned up yesterday, and that cured the wobblies.  But my left knee started hurting on the return trip, a fact that demotes the ride from a 9 to a 7. Will ease off a bit until I get some more miles under my saddle. ...

Did you really think I wouldn't show? On only the second day of this 21-day commitment? It never crossed my mind to bail when it's only Day 2.  Anyway, the 15-minute timer is going, which is my advance excuse for any typos, grammatical gaffes, or unintelligible writing herein! What I did: In the morning, took BART into Berkeley where I picked up my newly checked-up bike. Had breakfast with a friend.  In the women's loo of the restaurant where we ate I was struck by this painting of what appeared to be a city under attack. Seemed an odd piece to put in a bathroom. Anyway, then it was back on BART with said bike. I rode it from the Pleasanton station home, which was 4 miles. It went into the shop because of a wobble--was happy to get it back more or  less wobble-less. The next activity on the agenda was to BART to Lake Merritt around 6 pm. I met with the GoWow women for some Cascade Stair climbing and a run around the lake. Just got home about an hour ago--which e...

Welcome to the Accountability Blog, Day 1. The longtime readers of this blog (all 3 of you) may vaguely recall a time when I posted for 21 consecutive days. This was back in March-April 2012. Today I'm here to tell you I've decided it's time for another bout of daily writing . Starting today, I'm going to post every day for 21 days. Twenty-one is a committed, even m ilitary kind of number: 21-gun salute! This time around will be different from the last 21-day accomplishment. This time will be about running, my running, and not much else. I've been having trouble over the last month or two in keeping current with my hard copy running log. I love having the thing--so why is it so difficult following a run to s top and jot down the specifics of my workout? I'm going to take a cue from my esteemed favorite nephew, whom I'll call Bob because that is his name.* He frequently goes on FB and shares a brief and impressive summary of his workout. So, for 21 days I...

  A week-long trip to parts unfamiliar has to be by definition a week-long trip to a different frame of mind. I just came back from a trip to Hawaii with my nearest and dearest (husband, sons & their wonderful wives, grandchildren), and am here to tell you that in the course of a week my frame of mind wandered every which way, including up--and even down. When we arrived Saturday night, I was leaning toward the down end of the spectrum but figured it was the lack of sleep--we had gotten up at 3:30 am to catch the plane. The next day was one I don't much remember. But I know that Monday I awoke early--time for a run. Yay, right? I still felt a bit logy, but went out to meet the dawn anyway. I've been running strong lately and so thought a steep trail heading through the woods to a bluff overlooking the ocean would be just the ticket. It was the ticket, all right--only it felt like a ticket to a heart attack. My pulse shot up and my breath became a memory. As I sl...