Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	Feb
Distance	3141.1	215.1	93.8
Time	19 days, 23 hrs, 52 min	1 day, 10 hrs, 17 mins	14:56
Days	553	39	17
States	14	1	1

Well, February wasn't much of a month I'm afraid. I sure hope that I'm going to be ready for the Green Bay Marathon. I'm really falling behind.

I didn't run this morning. I got up, took a quick physical inventory, and went the hell back to bed. I'm hoping to run both days this weekend, but I may not get to. It will be a busy weekend. There's some sort of a music thing at the middle school. Both girls have to perform, and Mrs. Jogger has to be a room monitor in the afternoon. So, we'll see.

Day 553 -- Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

This photo of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest looks depressingly familiar, I'm afraid.

Humboldt-Toiyabe is the largest National Forest in the 48 contiguous states, but it seems to me that they are cheating. The damn thing is ten different districts, spread all over Nevada, and a bit of California. It really should be ten National Forests. I'm near the Santa Rosa District, but the picture is from the Austin District, well south of here, in the central part of the state. So sue me.

I ran an easy four today, and felt OK. My foot isn't bothering me much when I run. If I don't think about it, I don't even notice it. It's bothering me a little tonight, after I iced it down, but I'm doing OK.

Another thing that I did this evening that was hard on my foot (and my back, and my arms, and my legs) was to spend an hour chipping at the ice at the end of the driveway. We've built up a nice layer of ice there, but with the recent warmer temperatures, it developed a pothole that was really menacing the vehicles as they went in and out. Since there was no practical way to fill the pothole, we have to try to eliminate the ice, which is a good six inches thick in places. And well packed down by being driven over. It's a pain. I didn't get it all cleared out, but I made some progress. I put down some salt, and I'm hoping with temperatures near freezing tomorrow that I'll be able to clear it out.

Day 552 -- More Golconda

On June 7, 2006, the schoolhouse in Golconda (and the one in Manhattan) was listed on the Nevada Register of Historic Places. From the press release:

Constructed in 1888, with a high school addition built in 1929, the Golconda School played a significant role in educating the children of Golconda and the surrounding areas for seventy years, and is illustrative of the development of education in the State. The school was important in the overall community development and planning of the Golconda community, as it thrived as a mining town and mineral bathing resort designation. The building is significant as an unusually well-preserved nineteenth century wood-frame vernacular school with Second Empire influences.

I ran six miles today, which felt really, really good. It's amazing how much that does for me. Yesterday, I was kind of dragging all day. Today, even though it was a busy day, at least I was in a better mood. Tomorrow, I find out whether I can run two days in a row.

No running today

I overslept. It's as simple as that. And the promised storm passed south of us, so the Little Joggers' schools didn't cancel or even delay. So I had to help deliver them, and never had time to run. I suppose that it's just as well that I'm resting my foot.

In other news, the University System of which my school is a part is developing a document addressing how system campuses should act to increase diversity in the student body and faculty. Apparently, we are going to "identify critical leverage points for broader engagement and accountability to achieve excellence.*" That ought to do it.

*One of the faculty senators actually asked "Did Dilbert's boss write this?"

Day 551 -- Golconda...or not

The web site from which I stole this picture is labeled "Golconda, Nevada" at the top. Then it says, in big bold letters that no one could miss, "All these pics are in the wrong place at the wrong time..." So, I don't know what this means. I think this picture is from Golconda. But maybe not.

I did run today, for the first time in a little while. My foot is feeling OK. I've been icing it regularly, and taking my naproxen sodium. It's a little sore, but I'm going to try to persevere. We'll see what I have time for tomorrow. It depends partly on the weather. We are getting a nice winter storm (for a change.) If school is not canceled, I have to take the oldest and newest Little Jogger over to school early for choir practice. If it is canceled, then I have more time to run.

Day 550 -- Injury Update

First off, Day 550 was yesterday. I did get out and run a little over three miles in the morning. I meant to do four, but my foot was still hurting.

So, I went to a doctor, and they took X-rays of my foot, which were negative. I'm pretty sure the doctor suspected a stress fracture, too, so we were both relieved that it wasn't. So her prescription was anti-inflammatories, ice, and rest. OK, I can do that.

This morning, I did 25 minutes on the stationary bike, and 20 minutes on the rowing machine. I figured neither of those was a high-impact exercise. It felt good to get exercise, but it's not the same as running. I'll be happy to get this behind me and start running again.

Doomed Megalopolis

"Doomed Megalopolis" is an excellent name for a rock band. I love the album title, too. Maybe this random image isn't quite the one that I want, but still, it's a good album cover.

In fact, after typing that, I decided to give it another try. So here's a better cover, featuring, no doubt, the girls in the band.



I have decided to go exercise tomorrow, come what may. My foot was feeling much better right up until I made that decision, when it decided to pain me again. So I may opt for the exercise bike, or some other low-impact alternative. But I can't go another day without exercise, or I'll blow up!

I voted

Today was primary day in my state. I got out first thing this morning and pulled the metaphorical lever for Barack Obama. It wasn't an easy choice. There's a lot to like about both Democratic candidates, and a little to dislike about either. My feminist friends over at Shakesville are a little suspicious of Obama. The see him as running an antifeminist campaign. That is, they think that he is running against Clinton as a woman, instead of as a person. Which he may be. That may even be smart politics. But we don't have to like it.

I, in any case, will be perfectly happy to vote for whoever the Dems nominate. I'd like to see an Obama/Clinton ticket, in pretty much either order. Mostly, I'll be happy to see the end of the current administration, which I think is criminally incompetent.

Injury Update

My foot feels better today. I'm going to give it another day off, and then run easy on Thursday. There's no real reason to suppose that it's a stress fracture, or anything else serious. That's just a Bad Thing that popped into my head. In any case, if it doesn't feel better, I'll get a professional to look at it. OK, Mom?

Day 549 -- Failure Isn't Fatal

Nothing much to stand in front of here on the highway between Valmy and Golconda, so how about a nice new album cover? This is "Failure Isn't Fatal," the newest album from the group Focusing. Or, I don't know, maybe it's "Focusing," the newest album from the group Failure Isn't Fatal. It really could go either way.

I ran an easy four this morning. However, my right foot is sore. Right on the ball of my foot, I've got a sore spot. I don't know what it is. The hypochondriac in me is saying that it's a stress fracture, and that my training is about to go out the window. I hope not. In any case, I'm going to give it a day or two off. I hate to do that, but I'd hate more to make it worse.

Day 548 -- Change of Plans

They are predicting a blizzard for tomorrow. Again. If they named midwestern snow storms the way they name tropical storms, I'm pretty sure that we'd be up to at least Blizzard Raoul. Or possibly Victoria.

Anyway, it looks like even the mile and a half drive to the gym tomorrow will be fraught with peril, so just in case, I ran today. Since the gym is closed for an idoor track meet, I ran outside. It wasn't too bad, except that there's enough snow around that you really have to watch your footing, which takes more concentration. And, of course, I haven't rested that much after a long week. So I only did 4.7 miles. But it looks like that's the most that I can hope for this weekend.

This image? Why, it's the Battle of Valmy, of course.

New Album Covers

Somehow, it occurred to me that I hadn't posted a new album cover in a while. So, may I present "For Love and Art," by Gimmeldingen. Not crazy about the band name, but I do like the album title, and the cover art. For a good band name, I have to go with POP3 Connector. Here's their latest, "Work Like a Dog." This one, I think I like all three parts.

Day 547 -- More Valmy

I believe that today is the day that I actually run past the exit to Valmy, so, courtesy of RockyMountainRoads.com, the exit to Valmy.

I ran seven more today, topping off a good week. I ran all five days, for a total of over 28 miles. If I get in a long run this weekend, it will really be good. I'm tired tonight, but planning to take tomorrow off and run on Sunday. We'll see.

Day 546 -- Valmy

This is Lola Munoz, at some time the oldest cowboy in Elko County, employed by the Ellison Ranching Company, and seen here, with me, in front of the Valmy Post Office. I have only two questions. Lola? Really?

My legs weren't sore this morning, but they were kind of dead. I'm glad I only had an easy four miles planned.

Day 545 -- Copper Canyon

Copper Canyon is a ghost town southwest of Battle Mountain. Alas, I couldn't find any good pictures on-line, so I settled for this one a planned community near Reno called Copper Canyon. Beautiful, ain't it? And I'll get there, in another couple hundred miles.

I ran seven today, and really felt pretty good. I'm not really sore tonight at all. I'll have another long run this weekend, if I can squeeze it in. Our university is hosting an indoor track meet on Saturday, so there are no gym hours at all. I hope I'll be able to get in on Sunday.

Day 544 -- More Battle Mountain

I'm somewhat past Battle Mountain, now, about halfway to the next town, Valmy, but there's still more to write about Battle Mountain, and there ain't nothing in between, so....

First of all, the above pic. I lifted it from Wikipedia. It holds a certain attraction for me, because my town has its own giant letter on the side of a nearby mountain. Well, hill.

Next, the name. According to BattleMountainTourism.com, Battle Mountain was named for a fierce battle between prospector George Tannihill, Captain Pierson, and 23 other emigrants on the one side and a whole passel of Native Americans on the other. Only problem is, there's no contemporary account of the battle, and only Tannihill's say-so that it ever happened. So Battle Mountain seems to have been named after a battle that wasn't.

Finally, the nice image below, by Richard Masoner, who asserts that Battle Mountain is not an armpit at all. Certainly no worse than the other little towns and wide places in the road scattered around this part of the country.

Oh, by the way, I ran 5 x 800 meter intervals today. I had 6 x 800 on the schedule, but I was pressed for time, since I had to get home and drive the oldest and newest Little Jogger to school early. Oh, and the 5 wore me out completely, and I probably couldn't have run another step, but mostly it was the Little Jogger's fault.

Ouch!

From a student's review of a paper on math education:

They gave a good example using mutilation...

Another example of the failure of spell checkers.

Day 543 -- Neither Fast Nor Far

Last weekend, I did my long run late Sunday afternoon, so that my Monday morning run was only about 12 hours after that long run. I blamed my tired legs on Monday on the short time. This weekend, I did my long run on Saturday morning, so I that my Monday morning run was almost two full days later. So on what can I blame my tired legs this morning? I'm afraid the answer might be "old age."

No picture today. I'm giving a Calculus exam this evening. It's in a room with a computer, so I can type this, but I don't have access to my pictures. Oh, well.

I ran four miles today, neither fast nor far. But I ran 'em.

Day 542 -- Battle Mountain

I'm five or seven miles short of Battle Mountain, but past this sign, which is east of Elko. There's an interesting story behind it, of course, which is related at the web site SouthPoleStation.com. It seems the Washington Post held some sort of contest to identify the armpit of America, and some local newspaper editor (since departed) managed to get Battle Mountain elected. For a while, the town played along with the joke. For a while there was even an "Armpit Festival," with sponsorship by (what else?) deodorant companies. But after a while, the townspeople decided it wasn't the image that they wanted to cultivate. The current slogan, seen below, is "Basecamp to Nevada's Outback." But the old slogan hasn't entirely gone away.


Today was "long run" day. I wasn't sure how much to attempt. The schedule said 13, but I had come up short trying to run 10 miles the last two weeks. I decided that 10 would be good enough. I ended up compromising by running exactly two hours, which got me 11.7 miles. It was a good run, but I'm sore now. Tomorrow would be a good day to take off.

Day 541 -- Dunphy

The exit to Dunphy, courtesy of RockyMountainRoads.com. Dunphy is actually a little east of Rixies, so I'm past it, but hey, I found a picture.

I took yesterday off, choosing to get my exercise by shoveling. The Little Joggers had kept the driveway pretty clear on Wednesday -- Mrs. Jogger has set up a scam whereby they earn computer time by shoveling -- but the plow dumped a lot of snow at the end of the drive overnight between Wednesday and Thursday. We're running out of places to shovel the snow. So it should stop snowing, now.

Today, I ran six miles. I think that I could have done more, but I'm going to do my long run tomorrow, and I didn't want to overdo it.

Day 540 -- Rixies, Nevada

Seven miles today takes me just about exactly to Rixies, Nevada, but I'll be damned if I can find any decent images to post. So, I went ahead and designed the album cover for "By Your Friends", the newest album from The Rixies.

In other news, Mother Nature has dumped a mess of snow on our neighborhood. Again. The Little Joggers had a snow day, and they even closed the University Campus at 2:00. Alas, my only real class was at 11 this morning, so it met. I also had my Calc study group from 1 to 3. After 2, I told my students that they were there without authorization, and one raised a fist and cried, "Fight the Power!" You've got to admit, it's gratifying to have students who aren't looking for an excuse not to work. I mean, they do have an assignment due tomorrow, but still, they are working on it, instead of seizing on an excuse to blow it off.

Math Geek Jokes

We are hiring in our department, and last night a bunch of us took a candidate out to eat. Since we were going to the Mexican restaurant, Mrs. Jogger tagged along. It was the closest thing to a date we've had in months.

At one point, one of my colleagues suggested that "N-category theory is for people who think that category theory is too useful." Everybody laughed but Mrs. Jogger. I wonder why that was?

Hey, I'm totally over the fake album cover thing!

No, I'm not.

Day 539 - Beowawe

Thanks to Bryan's Public Gallery, I have a photo of the exit to Beowawe, which is about where I am, now. According to the Elko Rose Garden site:

Beowawe is pronounced Bay-o-wah'-wee and is an Indian word meaning "gate" - so named for the peculiar shape of the hills close to town which gives the effect of a gateway opening to the valley beyond.

They also say that the church is for sale for $11,000, which includes the building, well, and land. Sounds like a deal, if you don't mind worshiping out in the middle of nowhere.

I ran just three miles today, still trying to get my legs broken in. It was a good three miles, though, at a decent pace.

Day 538 -- Palisade

Ten miles southwest of Carlin is the Nevada ghost town of Palisade. "The settlement along the Humboldt River was named for the sheer rock walls to the east. The palisade, in turn, was named for a similar formation on the Hudson River in New York." I'm standing on the remains of the steps of the courthouse.

Yesterday's run was late afternoon, because the gym didn't open until 3. This morning's run was first thing in the morning, the only time I have in the weekday. So it was only about 12 hours after the end of yesterday's run. Ugh. I made the four miles, though. A small victory, but a victory.

Day 537 -- Carlin, NV

This, folks, is Valgardson and Sons, Inc., of Provo, Utah, moving a whole water tank in Carlin, Nevada. That's moving, folks.

Speaking of moving, I got out and ran eight miles today. I planned to run ten, but I just didn't have it. I'm a little worried about my training. I'm several miles behind where I want to be. But I've been sick. In any case, I'm feeling somewhat better today, and I'm hoping to have a good week.

Another Day, Another Album Cover....

Not done yet

Best Band Name Yet

I'm not thrilled with this cover layout, but I do like the band name.

I skipped my run this morning. I was up and dressed, but then I noticed Mrs. Jogger waving a little white flag, and I decided to stay home to help her deal with the Little Joggers as they awoke. It turns out only the oldest and newest Little Jogger was up to school. So Mrs. J ended up home with three kids and three trillion viral cells. When I got home this evening, there were no fewer kids, thought I'm not sure there were fewer viral cells, either.

I hope we get a lot of rest this weekend, and start back up the slow road to recovery.