Yoga

I can't do this. I am not a yoga master. In fact, I have never taken a formal yoga class. I mostly learned from the videos Basic Yoga Workout for Dummies and Beyond Basic Yoga for Dummies, both starring Sara Ivanhoe. I've done a little reading, and occasionally I'll borrow a different yoga workout video from the library. But the point is that I'm not an expert.

Oh, and I hate stretching. Always have. The guy who got me started running insisted on stretching before a run, so I did, reluctantly. Then I read that you aren't supposed to stretch cold muscles, so I gleefully dropped my pre-run stretch. Sure, the article also said to stretch after a run, and I did. A little. Sometimes. For a while.

I actually went through a period where I ran and ran and never stretched at all, and, looking back on it, I can't believe that I was that dumb. I was definitely getting tight, and it was cutting into my running.

So, relatively recently, I have gone back to yoga, and it really does help my running. I'm definitely looser, and much less sore. So I won't go into tomorrow's workout tight from today's, which means tomorrow's run will be better.

How much time does it take? Twice a week, on my non-running days, I do the full workout, the "Daily Dozen," which takes about 40 minutes. On running days, I do about six poses after my run, plus a few non-yoga stretches, which takes maybe 10 minutes. A full yoga practice increases strength, flexibility, and balance, but I concentrate on flexibility for the post-run workouts.

So, if you hate stretching, but want to keep loose and make your running better, try yoga. It really can help, and you don't have to twist yourself into a pretzel. I promise.

Internet Aware Traditions

If you don't get this, the place to start is with this post by John Cole. Then go on to this other post by John Cole. Long story short, a commenter on this post by d said a kind of a goofy thing, and now people are mocking them mercilessly. Who am I to pass up a little mocking? So, the latest album by the band NeoNeoCon, which is titled "Internet Traditions".

Day 634 -- Laytonville

From Pacifica Riptide, the Chief Drive-In in Laytonville. (Incidentally, when I first saw the name of the web site, in all small letters with no spaces, I had a hard time parsing it. "Pacific Arip Tide?" "Pacificar Ip Tide?")

I ran 5 miles today, right on the ten minute pace that I'm trying to practice. I was very pleased. It was again a beautiful morning. I hope this weather lasts forever, but I doubt it will.

Day 633 -- Cahto Rancheria

Just south of Laytonville is the Rancheria of the Cahto Tribe. The Cahtos, like a lot of small tribes, are dwindling fast. There are only about 250 people on the rancheria now, only 55 of whom are official Cahtos.

I didn't know the word "rancheria", but apparently it is

n. Southwestern U.S.
1.
a. A Mexican herdsman's hut.
b. A village of these huts.
2. A rural Native American settlement.

(from the American Heritage Dictionary, via dictionary.com)

Today was another beautiful day to run in SW Wisconsin. I set out to do an easy 3, but actually ran about 3.6 before I stopped. I would happily have run more, but I'm trying to stick to my training schedule. I just wish I could bottle this weather, and release it an hour or two at a time throughout the summer. Of course, I'd have to save a bunch for the day of the marathon.

[Update: I guess this didn't publish yesterday because of a formatting error. Ooops. Apologies to those who were on tenterhooks waiting for the latest installment.]

Day 632 -- Longvale

I grabbed this particular picture of Longvale because (a) the photographer, Krissa, was there not that long ago, on April 15, and (b), I love the name of her blog, Ecclectic Arcania. According to Krissa,

The city of Longvale, California, was once a small, thriving little town along Highway 101, about 15 miles north of Willits.
Situated along the railroad tracks, it had its own train station, a small lumber yard, and thriving businesses and homes.
Eventually the lumber industry died out, the trains stopped running, the highway was re-routed, and the town just shriveled up and died, leaving nothing behind but a few scraps of rusty iron and the weeds growing from the foundations. The post office was de-commissioned in the 1950's, and there is almost nothing left of the main town site now.

The funny thing is that Longvale shows up clearly on MapQuest, but Willits, the other town that she mentions, doesn't. I had to actually search for it, and sure enough, I ran right through it without noticing. It's maybe halfway from Calpella to Longvale. (If you get the right zoom on MapQuest, the town name does show up, but I never did while I was running by.) So, as an added bonus, here's a picture of me in Willits, courtesy of the on-line Laughlin, Nevada, Guide.

Today, I got in the long run that I didn't get yesterday. It was great. The weather was absolutely perfect, at about 60 degrees and low humidity. My legs were a bit tired by the end, but I was far from spent. I could have run several more miles, if I had had the time and the inclination.

The weatherologists have promised at least three dry days in a row, starting today, and I intend to hold them to it. We need it. The people in Cedar Rapids and up in the Dells could use it even more. It will take a lot more than three days for them to dry out.

Day 631 -- More Mendocino

I was going to run 10 miles today, which would have taken me pretty close to Longvale, but as you can see, I got cut short.

When I first woke up, it was raining and rumbling thunder, so I figured that I wasn't going to run at all. I decided to go ahead and do some yoga and then take a shower. But by the time I was done with my yoga, it seemed like it had blown over. Hot dog! I laced up my shoes and headed out. But no, it was a false alarm. Within the first mile and a half, it had started rumbling again, and by the time I got done with the first three mile loop, it was pouring. So, I packed it in.

These things do happen. At this point, I'm thinking about running my 10 tomorrow, skipping this week's cross training, and getting back on schedule on Tuesday. More updates as events warrant.

Flooding

You have probably heard about the flooding in the Midwest. We had a pretty wet spring (following a very wet winter) and this past week or so, we got enough rain to really push us over the edge. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is largely underwater, and a levee failure up in the Wisconsin Dells drained Lake Delavan (an artificial lake) and washed away at least five houses. Sitting as we do about midway between Cedar Rapids and the Wisconsin Dells, I'm happy to report that we have a couple of minor puddles in our basement. Our area certainly has had its share of rain (and then some!) but we've dodged the devastating flooding that has hit some areas. So, don't worry about us, but do pray for those who have been hit hard.

Day 630 -- Mendocino National Forest

Mendocino National Forest is a huge piece of land -- approximately 65 miles long and 35 mile wide -- so I'm running west of it for a couple of weeks. With no place else to blog today, I decided to pop over and take a visit. From QuoVadimus.org, I got this picture of a dirt road along "Long Ridge," but I have no idea if that's anywhere near my current virtual spot.

Today was a beautiful day to run. The temperature was in the low 60s, and the humidity has dropped way down. I was seriously thinking about taking a little detour at the end of my run, just to put in some more miles. But by golly, I'm in training, and I'm sticking to my schedule. Now watch, tomorrow it will be either rainy or hot for my weekend long run.

Day 629 -- Detour to the Coast

I'm running up Highway 101, which is pretty far inland, and, as I said yesterday, there isn't much to visit in this stretch of road. So I decided to go a little further afield to visit the coast. Thanks to the Watershed Stewards Project, I have a very nice beach picture near Fort Bragg, which is just about due west of my current position.

I did an "easy" three miles today, although frankly, it wasn't that easy. There's no reason why that should be. I haven't been working that hard this week. I just felt stiff and it was really hard to get loose. Oh, well, tomorrow is another day. Actually, tomorrow is a day off, so Saturday is another day.

Now they tell me!

You Should Get a PhD in Liberal Arts (like political science, literature, or philosophy)

You're a great thinker and a true philosopher. You'd make a talented professor or writer.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Hat tip to Addy N.

Day 628 -- Potter Valley

North of Redwood Valley, there's about 20 miles of empty. I don't think of any part of California as being sparsely populated, but there it is. I imagine that they don't think of any part of Wisconsin as being densely populated. (According to Wikipedia, Milwaukee is about 50% more densely populated than San Diego.)

Anyway, I have to reach out a bit to get pictures. There's a town of Potter Valley several miles east of Redwood Valley, and I managed to match that up to this photo, although it's not clear to me whether there's a valley called Potter Valley, which might be separate from the town called Potter Valley. In any case, here I am.

I note that this image is clearly copyrighted, by Barbara Ertter, and that once again, I have used it without permission. Sorry. I also note that the copyright is 1988. Really? It sure as hell wasn't posted on the World Wide Web in 1988. In fact, I'd guess that Ms. Ertter did not have a computer capable of adding that copyright notice in 1988. But, I guess that's when she took the photo.

And what about my running? I ran 5.5 miles today. On Wednesday and Saturday, I'm trying to work on my pacing, running steady 9:45 to 10:00 miles. Today, I failed. I went out too fast, and even though I slowed down in the second half, I still finished under 9:45. I'll just have to work on it.

Return of the Fake Album Cover

In January and February, there was an Internet meme going around where you took some random links and made a fake album cover. I really got into it, before it sort of faded away. Today, inspired by Dead Dad and Rudbeckia Hirta, I have devised "Blowing Cellulose", the new album by the band The Mouth of Mainstream Culture.

That is all.

Day 627 -- Redwood Valley

Just beyond Calpella is the town of Redwood Valley, California. And this? This is Erin Vanderweker, standing in front of a driveway treated with PEP Spray-On Liquid Asphalt. Erin appears on their web page as one of several satisfied customers in the Redwood Valley area.

Well, today was a slow and easy day. I did just 3 miles, at a 10:20 pace, on the track. The reason that I went to the track is so the the first Little Jogger could come with me. She ran intervals -- running 200 yards, walking 200 yards -- while I ran miles. She wants to be a sprinter for the track team next year. She's got a way to go, but she's willing to get out of bed during the summer to practice, so that's a good sign.

Des Moines Kickoff

Nineteen weeks to the IMT Des Moines Marathon, and I started my official training with...a bike ride. Well, my marathon training program has cross-training on Monday, so that's how I started. Tomorrow's run will be pretty easy, too -- just three miles. In fact, this week is going to be a jog in the park compared to last week. That was sort of the plan. I wanted to work hard to get a solid base going into the official training. Don't worry, I will be back up to hard stuff all too soon.

Day 626 -- Calpella

I ran 15 miles today, tearing through Talmage, all the way to Calpella. That's right, Calpella. Apparently, this is the west coast version of Grandma Jogger's home town (which, I guess, should really be called Iapella.) If it weren't for JogAmericaBlog, I might have gone through my whole life without knowing that there was a town of Calpella, California.

I'm really proud of my run today. It didn't start out to be a good run. I was tired, and it was wicked humid. It's not a good sign when you are still in the first three miles, and you are already cataloging the things that hurt and ache and itch and chafe. But, by golly, I pounded out the whole 15 miles. There is no feeling quite like the feeling of running right to the point of exhaustion. It was great!

Day 625 -- Talmage

I'm not quite to Talmage, but I couldn't wait to get to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. After all, according to their web site, they "welcome people who devote themselves to the search for happiness and peace for the human race, and to the investigation of the universal truth of life." Friends, I am all over that. (The picture, by the way, was taken by Qin Zhi Lau. I found it at Answers.com.)

The original plan for this week was for me to run on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, then take Friday off before the weekend. But by late Wednesday, it was pretty clear that I was too sore to run Thursday. So I took yesterday off, and ran an easy 5.3 miles this morning. That was actually indoors, at the gym, because it was thundering when I woke up. It had pretty well blown over by the time I actually got out the door, but I didn't know that.

Now they are predicting more storms tomorrow night into Sunday, so I'm seriously thinking about doing my weekend long run tomorrow, in case Sunday is rotten. The gym isn't even open on Sunday, so that won't be an option.

Day 624 -- Hopland

I liked the idea of visiting the Hopland Brewery. I wonder if they use special "Hopland Hops". Picture from The Redwood Empire.

I ran 7.5 miles today. It was not only farther than I ran yesterday, but I ran it faster. And I had a hillier route. So I earned the right to be tired today, which right I am exercising right now.

Day 623 -- Yorkville

One problem with Flickr, as opposed to some other common sources for photos, is that people tend not to leave any sort of captions. I have no idea who this woman is, or why she is standing outside the Yorkville Mini Market and Deli. However, I liked the parallel between her stance and mine, so here it is.

Yorkville is actually a bit off track. I'm on highway 101, and Yorkville is a bit west, on Highway 128. But I'm officially out of the Bay Area, and towns are a little further between here.

I ran five miles this morning. I didn't go too fast, but I was still feeling the effects of the last few days of exercise by the end. Oh, well, it's all helping me to get stronger, so it's good.

Exercise

USJogger turned into USBiker this morning. My marathon training program this summer has me cross-training on Mondays. I just bought a new bike, so I have decided to bike for my cross-training. Marathon training doesn't actually start until next week, but I figured I would go ahead and get in the habit.

I have a friend who actually bikes for exercise, so I asked him if he would take me with him this morning. It was fun to have someone to talk to, and I don't think that I held him back too much. We didn't go really far, although it sure seemed like it.

In fact, I got a double dose of exercise today. My friend didn't want to leave until 6:30, and I was up at about 5:00, like usual, so I dragged out my yoga tape and did 45 minutes of yoga before the bike ride. I'm trying to get back into yoga, because I need to stretch more. Of course, yoga isn't aerobic exercise. In fact, I think it must have helped with the biking, because I'm not as sore as I should be.

Day 622 -- Cloverdale

Look at the cool twisted chimneys on this building in Cloverdale. They may be a bit hard to see, so here's a better look:


These photos come from BushBlog, named after the blogger, Mike Bush, and not after our only president. He seems to be a pretty sporadic blogger, but he does have lots of good photos.

I set out today to run about 12 miles, and by the time I was done, I had run my second half marathon in two weeks. This one was considerably slower than the official half I ran in Green Bay. It was less humid than yesterday, so it wasn't too bad a run, other than being, well, 13 miles long. I finished the last four or so on stubbornness and guts.

Day 621 -- Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	May
Distance	3605.3	679.3	124.8
Time	23 days, 6 hrs, 29 min	4 days, 16 hrs, 54 mins	21:16
Days	621	107	21
States	15	2	1

Mark this down as the first day of summer. It was slightly warmer than it has been. It was about 60 degrees (F), as opposed to the high 40's and low 50's that we've had. But the heat wasn't the problem. In fact, I remember starting out thinking, "This is a great day. I'll be able to run forever." The problem was the humidity. We had storms Thursday night into Friday, and there's still a lot of moisture in the air. After 6.5 miles, I was dripping sweat.

I know, it's going to get worse. Very soon, it will be heat and humidity. This is just a taste of what the summer has in store.

Overall, it was a good month. My total mileage was down. My long run was the half marathon, and I had only one more run in the double digits. But I'm feeling pretty good, and ready to start training for the marathon.

Day 620 -- Healdsburg

From the web site for Healdsburg Inn on the Plaza:

Built in 1901, this classic California inn has the best location in town, right on the historic Healdsburg Plaza. From summer concerts in the outdoor bandstand to antique fairs and holiday tree lightings, all of the town’s best events take place right here, literally outside the door of the inn. Guests are also surrounded by Healdsburg’s stylish shops, galleries, wine tasting rooms and superb restaurants.

I ran a very easy four and a half today. It was only eight or nine minutes slower than my six miles yesterday. I also got in a bit of biking. Tomorrow is a scheduled day off, and I'm looking forward to it. I need a little break.

Day 619 -- Windsor, California

A couple of good pictures from Windsor.


First off, this is Forrest and Myra Galt, of Galt Photography. They stand ready to capture your special day on film. If you do click through to their site, check out their portfolio. They've got some really interesting stuff.


Second, here's the Pat Elsbree Skate Park in Windsor. This is the second time I've snagged a skate park from Concrete Disciples, although I'll be damned if I can tell you when and where the first one was. Many days and thousands of miles ago. Then, as now, I just thought Concrete Disciples was a cool name.

I ran just over six miles today. I felt great, and set a decent pace. I haven't really started training for the next marathon, so I'm just enjoying brisk six milers.

I may be your imaginary friend....

HT Addy N.

Your Score: Snuffleupagus

You scored 54% Organization, 41% abstract, and 47% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are somewhat organized, both concrete and abstract, and both introverted and extroverted.

I bet you didn't think you were Snuffleupagus. Let's find out why.

You are both somewhat organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Alloyius Snuffleupagus (and all Snuffleupagus') is not sloppy by nature, but he moves so incredibly slowly that it is impossible for him to be totally organized.


You both are about equally concrete and abstract thinkers. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course. Snuffy generally has very basic interests, but he explores his abstract sensitive side when he plays his snuffleflute.


You both are somewhat introverted. Originally Snuffleupagus was very shy and was only Big Bird's invisible friend. However as he has aged he has started to build new friendships with new characters. Like Snuffy, you probably like to have some time to yourself. However, you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren't scared of social situations.

The other possible characters are

Oscar the Grouch

Big Bird

Cookie Monster

Ernie

Elmo

Kermit the Frog

Grover

The Count

Guy Smiley

Bert

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Link: The Your SESAME STREET Persona Test written by greencowsgomoo on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test View My Profile(greencowsgomoo)

Day 618 -- Annadel State Park

From Wandering Lizard, an "Online Magazine with Information relating to attractions, lodging, dining, and travel resources in selected areas of California," comes this photo of the upper section of the W. Richardson trail in Annadel State Park. I'm cheating a bit here, because Annadel State Park is east of Santa Rosa, and I'm heading northwest. But I knew that state parks are always good for a few good photos.

I took yesterday off, at least from aerobic exercise. We took the Little Joggers up to Madison to the zoo and to the botanical garden, which resulted in a lot of walking. Which was fine. I was tired by the end of the day, but not exhausted.

The trip was fun, except for the part where we lost the littlest Little Jogger. We were all watching the otters, and we stepped back to count noses, and came up one short. He says that he turned around from the otters and we weren't there, but of course that's ridiculous. Even in our panicked searching, we made sure that there was somebody standing there by the otters, where we had last seen him. Anyway, we apparently haven't drilled enough that when you find yourself lost, you go back to the last place you saw an adult and stay put. He went wandering off to find us. We lost track of him for maybe 10 or 15 minutes total, but it seemed a lot longer. Certainly long enough for my imagination to run away with me. But eventually we found him, half the zoo away, a little upset, but otherwise intact.

Today I slept in, and then went for a run in the late morning. This turned out to be a good thing, because it was much nicer at 10:30 than it was earlier. It was cold when I did get up, and must have been colder at 5:30. Anyway, I did a brisk 3.6 miles, which felt pretty good, even after being on my feet so much yesterday.

Another Great Cake

You might remember the fantastic dragon's egg cake that Mrs. J baked for the medium Little Jogger last month. Well, she's done it again.


Those of you familiar with the "Captain Crunch's Crunchling Adventure" computer game will recognize this scene immediately. The little fella with the blue hair is a Crunchling. He is visiting Jurassica, where he is having throwing practice. The volcanoes on the left and right spit out boulders (which you can see flying in an arc over his head) and he tries to break them up with a rock. If you look closely, you can see he's holding a rock. The other four Crunchlings aren't in the game, but Mrs. J made extra, figuring each kid would want one. (Four kids, five Crunchlings. I had to eat the extra, to avoid a fight.)

For good measure, here's the new seven-year-old with his Mohawk and 3D glasses.

Happy Birthday, Little Jogger!

It's pretty hard to top the Anniversary present that Mrs. Jogger and I got seven years ago. Of course, we planned ahead for that one. Our anniversaries tend to sneak up on us, so we don't have time to get the kind of present we got for our fourteenth anniversary.

The littlest Little Jogger turns seven today. Going on 15. He is, by far, the smartest of the six of us. He reads and does math at the third grade level, at least. He has a tremendous imagination, and no compunction about sharing the things that he makes up. For Cub Scouts, the boys made puppets, and each was to put on a little show, using the puppets he made. The Little Jogger went first, and no one wanted to go second, because he was a pretty tough act to follow.

He's a good kid, and a lot of fun to be around. He does sometimes have trouble staying on task. He'll be looking for his backpack, to get ready for school, and he'll find something that interests him, and he'll just wander off to play with it. But he's a lot of fun, and we're glad that we have him.

Day 617 -- Santa Rosa

There's an artistic program that various communities have been doing versions of for the past five or ten years. You take a bunch of identical, plain objects, usually fiberglass. You distribute them to local artists, each of whom decorates their objects in some distinctive way. Then you plant these things around town. Presto! Local art. Des Moines did eggs. Madison did cows. Somebody around here did butterflies, but I'm not sure who. And Santa Rosa, California, home to Charles Shulz for more than 30 years, did Charlie Brown. Here's "Summer Treat" Charlie:


"Surf Chuck":


"High Definition Charlie Brown":


And "University of Michigan Old-Timer":


These are my four favorites, but there are fifty-one more. Hat tip to Dave's Travel Corner, where I saw my first Charlie.

I ran nine and a half miles this morning. It was hard, but I didn't push my pace at all. I got home, and the rest of the household was just arising. Slug-a-beds!

Happy Anniversary!

Twenty-one years ago today, Mrs. Jogger walked down the aisle with me. Well, figuratively. We didn't have an aisle. Our wedding was in the college chapel, which is in the shape of a cross with four equal arms. We got married "in the round", with the action in the middle and the guests seated in the arms of the cross. It was kind of cool.

It's hard to believe that we've been married for twenty-one years. The days are long, but the years are short. We've been through a lot together. Not all of it was fun, but the together part was pretty good. We're still very much in love, which is saying a lot after all that time.

Happy Anniversary, Mrs. J.

Day 616 -- Rohnert Park

Well, I thought maybe I could stop at the In-N-Out Burger in Rohnert Part. Alas, I went running at 4:00 am California time, and I suspect that they are not open. We don't have In-N-Out Burger around here, so I've never been there. I wonder if they are any good.

I'm not totally recovered from my race last weekend, but I was recovered enough to run a hard 6.5 miles this morning. The weather is still good, although it was just a bit windy this morning. Nonetheless, I had a good time. I'm now planning to go to bed and take a nap until Tuesday.

The photos from the Green Bay Half Marathon are up. I'm not planning to order any, but they are fun to look at. A couple of interesting ones there. Number 31306-756-007 is a distance shot. If you look, you can see me right in the center of the frame. And Mrs. Jogger points out that it gets the whole "Cellcom Green Bay Marathon" banner in, which is kind of cool. Number 31306-689-010 is some other guy finishing, and you can just make me out in the background. I have no idea why anyone would order a shot like that. Finally, number 31306-621-021 isn't me at all. If you look you can see that the top of her number is much like 3135. It's probably 2135. Whoever was sorting the photos took a guess, and guessed wrong.

Day 615 -- Wine Country

I'm not sure exactly what qualifies as "Wine Country," but we are close enough for me to find a vineyard. This is Volamus Vineyards, a "small family owned vineyard located North of Penngrove, California at the top of the Petaluma Valley just West of Sonoma Mountain." I don't drink much, but I do enjoy an occasional glass of wine. Perhaps I can stop in for a taste. (Although, on closer inspection, it doesn't seem like they actually make wine here. They send their grapes to Sonoma Coast Vineyards to be wined.)

I ran three miles this morning. The weather continues to be very nice, so I ran it really slowly, so I could enjoy the weather longer. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. My plan at this point is to take tomorrow off and try for a bit of a longer run on the weekend. We'll see.

Day 614 -- Petaluma

St. Vincent's Catholic Church in Petaluma, California. This picture was posted to Flickr by Kevin, who, as far as I know, is not related to me.

I ran five miles this morning, at a decent average pace. I definitely slowed down at the end, so my first three miles or so were at a really good pace.

We continue to have cool mornings, which are perfect for running. I hope that I get my legs back soon, because the weather is great for really long runs. But today, five was about all I could do.

Day 613 -- Novato California

Nice room, huh? We're meant to be admiring the ceilings, which are NewMat Stretch Ceiling Systems. Whatever those are.

I did run 3.5 miles this morning. I'm more sore than I thought I would be. But I'm just going to take it easy for a little while. I'm supposed to start training for DesM Moines on June 9. Between now and then, I'll just run as the spirit moves me.

Results

Results of the Green Bay Half Marathon have been posted. I was 1522nd, 872nd man, and 127th in my age group. I'm happy to report that I was the top finisher, male or female, from my home town, though. There was the only one finisher of each sex, and I was way ahead of her.

I don't know if anyone signed up for live updates using the bib number I posted. It turned out that they changed my number at the last minute, presumably because I changed races. I swear that when I looked up that number, it said I was in the Half. Anyway, it turned out that that number belonged to Amy Schoenberger, who finished in a respectable 3:58:15. I'm sure that that number was happy that she wore it, instead of me. I would have had it out on the course a whole lot longer. My actual bib number was 3135, in case you want to look me up now.

Day 612 -- Race Day Report

I finished the Cellcom Green Bay Half Marathon. I'm pleased with my effort and with the result. I don't think that I could have run 14 miles, much less a full marathon, so it was a good thing to limit myself to the half.

I woke up around 5:15, which is pretty typical for me. Of course, typically I throw on some workout clothes, grab drink, and hit the road. One of the things that I hate about race day is the long wait for the race to start.

I decided to take the shuttle bus over to the stadium. They had predicted 8,000 runners, and had only 2,000 available parking spaces, so they were pushing the shuttle for those of us staying in hotels. I don't know about the parking -- it seemed like there were empty spaces -- but traffic was pretty heavy going in and out of the stadium, so I'm just as glad that I caught the bus.

It was a bit chilly, with a mild wind. But I've been training in chillier and windier, so it didn't bother me much. I surrendered my sweatshirt to the gear check team, and stood around for most of 45 minutes in my short sleeves and shorts. That did bother me, but once we got running, it was OK.

The start was fairly well-organized. The start corral was clearly marked by pace, and I stood between 10 and 11 minutes. The worst part was people who came at the last minute and tried to get to their pace. The whole 3:40 pace team (about 8:30 milers) tried to squeeze through from the back in the five minutes before the start. I don't think that they made it up to their proper starting spot, but I assume that they got on pace once the crowds thinned out.

Which took a while. It was very crowded at the start, and it was several miles before I really felt like I was running my pace, and not dodging the people around me. One guy right ahead of me at the start took a tumble when he tripped over a garbage bag that someone had been wearing for warmth and threw off at the last minute. Why they couldn't at least have made it over to the side and thrown it off the road, I don't know.

My first mile was exactly 10 minutes, right on the pace that I wanted to run. But that was mostly because people were holding me back. The next three miles were all under 10, and I had to fight to hold myself back. I consciously let a lot of people pass me between about mile four and mile eight. I think that that was wise.

The marathon and half marathon ran together for the first 11 miles. In other races that I've run, the two have split off fairly early, then occasionally come back together for a while. It was nice that you were always running with people on your pace, but it did contribute to the crowding.

The fans were great. The first half of the marathon route (the half that I ran) is kind of a convoluted path that generally sticks to the same area. So I kept seeing the same fans over and over. None of them was cheering for me in particular. But they were all enthusiastic and helpful.

The highlight of the race comes as the very end, when you run into Lambeau Field and make one lap around. It was great. I couldn't help but look up at the "Ring of Honor" featuring the names of all the Packer greats from the past. Yes, I did stop to touch the grass, even though they tell you not to.

I did finish strong, passing a few people at the end. My time was 2:03:30, which was perfectly satisfactory. It's just under the world record...for the full marathon. So if Haile Gebrselassie had run Green Bay today, I would have beaten him by about a minute.

Right after I stopped, I got hit with a wave of exhaustion and nausea. I'm usually hungry after a long run, but today I sat there holding a quarter of a bagel and an orange slice, and I couldn't even think about eating them. Eventually it passed, and I managed to eat. In fact, now, about three hours after I finished, I'm getting hungry (even though I've eaten quite a bit.)

I hopped on the bus and it delivered me right back to the hotel. The marathon route actually goes past the hotel. For a while, I could look out my window and watch people go by. The elites had passed long ago, and I was mostly seeing walkers and very slow runners. Now, even that's over.

Overall, it was a good run, and I'm pleased. I do want to run another marathon. I've got my sights set on Des Moines in the fall. I'll have to work hard this summer to get into shape.

Day 611 -- San Rafael

This is the front of Vin Antico in San Rafael. If you click through for the review, you'll see that the reviewer thinks that "The San Rafael restaurant situation is looking up." Of course, this post was from November, 2006, so who knows if the Vin Antico is even still there. If the restaurant situation in San Rafael is all that typical, it doesn't take long for a place like this to come and go.

I type from my hotel room in Green Bay (technically, in DePere.) Tomorrow is the half marathon. I'm a little disappointed that I'm not running a full marathon. But then again, it show how far I've come, when I think that 13.1 miles is kind of a cop out. In any case, I'll do fine tomorrow. I'm not even trying to run as fast as I ran in Madison last spring. I know that I'm not in as good shape now as I was then. I sort of have my sights set on 2:10, which is 10 minute miles, but the truth is, I'll be happy to finish standing up.

The packet pick-up and expo was at Lambeau Field, the home of my beloved Packers. That was fun. I foolishly neglected to bring a camera. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to have one tomorrow. I'm taking the shuttle bus over to the start of the race, and I wasn't about to leave a camera in my checked gear. But it would have been nice to have one today to take some pictures of Lambeau. In any case, it was fun.

Yes, I did run this morning. I did an easy three miles, just to warm up and stretch out. I'm pretty sure that I'll be in shape tomorrow for a good run. In any case, I'll find out.

Betrayed!

I came upstairs the other night, and Mrs. Jogger, whom I used to trust, was giving the medium Little Jogger and the littlest Little Jogger mohawks! Now they look like tiny little punk rockers:




The boys, of course, are pleased as punch with their new looks. They have taken their heads to school to show them off to all their friends. Oh, well, at least it will grow out. It's a few years before they start asking for tatoos.

End of Semester Wrap-Up

I finished my grading today. That is, I finished scoring the exams and entering the scores in the computer. I'm not quite all finished, because I still have to decide on the final grades for both courses.

Mostly they are pretty straightforward. The one that has me thinking is someone who did very, very poorly on the final and averaged out to a 79.4. Since I round up, she's literally 0.1% from a B. On the other hand, she did very, very poorly on the final. She got an F, even after I curved the final a little by lowering the total possible points (so everyone's score is taken as a fraction of a lower number.) I don't know what I'm going to do. But usually, if I let it sit 24 hours, it becomes clear to me.

As usual, I'm conflicted about the end of classes. I'm happy, because I can relax a little. I actually have no grading to do. Not just that I'm not doing it. I have no grading to do. For months! On the other hand, I'll miss my students. It was a fun semester, and I'm sorry to see them go.

I'm off tomorrow for Green Bay and the half marathon. (In case you are wondering, yes, I have failed to run three days in a row, now. That's part resting for the half marathon, part sheer laziness.) I'm driving up to Green Bay, staying overnight Sunday, running the race Sunday morning, then staying over another night so that I can visit some friends in Oshkosh on Monday. (It's kind of a working visit; I'm going to talk to them about what they do in their Math Ed course.) The forecast for Sunday morning in Green Bay is cool and cloudy, but no rain until afternoon. In other words, perfect weather for a long race.

Trick Question of the Day

From one of my students in the Math Ed course. I don't believe she knew it was a trick:

Twenty-four cookies need to be divided into groups of 6. How many in each group?

Do you see the trick? The first person to leave the correct answer in comments gets 1000 "Whose Line" points.

Day 610 -- Homestead Valley

Volunteers sign in for National Public Lands Day at Homestead Valley. This photo is from the Bureau of Land Management.

As promised, I ran just three miles this morning. Tomorrow, nothing at all. Gotta rest up for Sunday.

Day 609 -- Saualito

There are hundreds of hotels located around San Francisco Bay. There is, however, only one on it. That one is The Inn Above Tide, in Sausalito. Here's a better view, minus the Jogger.

I felt like I pushed it this morning, although it only turns to have been 5.2 miles. I need to take it easier for the rest of the week, if I'm going to have a good run on Sunday. No more than three miles on any run this week. Promise.

I had a good day, I guess. Mostly grading. I had my education students do course portfolios, gathering the writing for the semester, and summarizing what they have learned. They are interesting, but they take time to read. I want to get them graded and get them back to the students at the final. I don't want them hanging around my office for the rest of time.

Day 608 -- San Francisco

On January 2, 2006, with the words "And I'm Off!", I left Rockefeller Plaza in New York City on my virtual cross country run. This is what I looked like back then. Today, I arrived at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. This is (more or less) what I look like now:


Fisherman's Wharf was my original destination, because it was a place in San Francisco that I had heard of. However, I decided that wasn't a spectacular enough photo, so I made this one:


OK, I think that I'm four or five stories tall. So sue me. I just finished running across the country. I feel four or five stories tall.

So, is this the end of JogAmericaBlog? Not hardly. I'm having too much fun to quit. My immediate plan is to run up the coast to Eugene, Oregon. All good runners should visit the cradle of the '70's running boom, which was fueled by people like Steve Prefontaine, Kenny Moore, and Alberto Salazar, and watched over by legendary coach Bill Bowerman.

After that, I plan to run across the country two more times. On my trip east, I plan to hit all the states north of my original path. (Only the contiguous 48, at least for now.) Then I'll run down the east coast and head back west, hitting all the states south of my original path. Each of those runs should take at least as long as this first one, so I'm set for at least another five years. After that, who knows?

If you want to see that path, click on "Track My Progress" to the right. It wasn't the most direct route from NY to SF. But I've had some fun.

Day 607 -- Emeryville

Emeryville, California, is home to Pixar Animation Studios. This is totally cool. I love Pixar. They are the best animators and the best story tellers working in the movies today. Apparently I'm not alone. Ken Bautista (that's him on the right, above) posted on the Official Pixar Blog about his trip to the studios in 2006. If I ever get out to Emeryville in Real Life, I am so there!

Anyway, I've run only 4.7 miles in the last three days. I took Thursday off, ran Friday, and then slept in this morning. I may get out later today, but I kind of doubt it.

Last night, I had the privilege of being the chaperon for the Large Group Music Festival. Both the girls went. The first Little Jogger is in band and choir, and the oldest and newest Little Jogger is in choir. So Mrs. J and I contributed twice as many seventh graders as the typical parent, so I felt an obligation to chaperon. It wasn't bad, although I don't know if I did a real good job chaperoning. The choir director, in giving us our charge, said, "Don't let them wander off on their own." Yeah, right. There were 80 billion kids from our school, and a dozen other schools, and pretty much as soon as we touched down, they scattered to the wind. I think we didn't leave any children behind, so I'm counting it as a successful chaperonage.

Classes have ended for the semester. I have exams on Wednesday of next week. I do have some grading to do this weekend, but I'm not in a hurry to do it. I need a little relaxation.

Days 605 and 606 -- Berkeley

How could I resist this one? Regular readers know that I like to stop in at institutions of higher education, both big and little. And I like to stop in at libraries. So, when I found, as part of this Librophiliac Love Letter, the North Reading Room at the UC Berkeley Library, I just had to stop. I urge and entreat you to click through. Those are some of the most beautiful libraries I've ever seen. I was sitting here with the first Little Jogger, just browsing them, and saying, "Wow!" repeatedly.

Where to start on the last two days? How about at the beginning. I ran an easy (read: "REEEEEAAAAAL SLOW") 3.8 miles yesterday morning. Then I hustled off to school for my first lesson in Mandarin Chinese. Our university is opening a "Confucius Institute." These are a series of centers all over the world financed by the Chinese government to teach Chinese language and culture. It's a really big deal, because most of the Confucius Institutes are at bigger schools (and we specifically beat out Madison to get ours!)

The lesson itself was truly horrendous. We spent an hour on pronunciation. And we didn't even get very far. We covered a total of maybe eight syllables. I'm reminded of the person who learned to play the piano one note at a time. On Monday, he practiced playing middle C. On Tuesday, he practiced B-flat. On Wednesday, B natural. After he had practiced all 88 keys, he could play anything. He just needed to put them together in the right order. So, I'm all for learning pronunciation, but I hope that we will get some, you know, words to pronounce. We literally didn't even learn to say, "Hello," and "Goodbye." (So maybe it would have been better if Madison had gotten the Confucius Institute after all.)

The rest of the day went by in a blur. This is the last week of classes, and so I can't put anything off. I need to prepare the last of the new material, grade every paper and get it back immediately, write the review sheets and the exams (and try to make them similar but not identical), etc. We also had our Senior Seminar talks, where our math majors present in-depth projects that they have worked on for a semester. Many of the majors are inexperienced presenters, and some don't really master the material that well, so these can be painful. The one today (one of my advisees) was particularly awful.

In the evening, I took all the Little Joggers to the end-of-the-year potluck for the Cub Scouts. Mrs. Jogger went off to a meeting of her artsy-fartsy society. Fortunately, she sent some brownies and a nice vegetarian pasta salad. The salad was almost the only non-dessert that I could eat. The littlest Little Jogger's Cub Scout troop meets at the Catholic school, and apparently there are no Catholic vegetarians. Anyway, I got home from that about the kids bedtime, and stayed up typing another review sheet, so never got a chance to blog yesterday's run.

I started out this morning in the rain. I had gone a little way when it occurred to me that I could go down to the gym and run in the warm and dry. Just about then, the rain let up. Who am I to argue? I ran a healthy (read: "Only sorta slow") 6.2 miles, outside.

Today, more classes, more grading, more review sheets, and, as I say, another Senior Seminar talk. And now I'm finally home and relaxing a little. But only a little.

Day 604 -- Rodeo, California

This is Billie Joe Armstrong, the lead singer for Green Day. I'm sure that Uncle Not A. recognized him immediately. I chose him because (a) he was born in Rodeo, California, and (b) the fan web site where I got this picture is called GeekStinkBreath.net. I'm sure that if you were willing to surf around, you might even find out why.

I ran six miles this morning, a little further and a little faster than I had planned. It was another great morning for a run.

Track My Race

The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon (and Half Marathon) has a deal where you can sign up for live updates of your favorite runner as they pass the checkpoints. You can have them sent to your e-mail or your cell phone. My bib number is 264.

Day 603 - Vallejo

The Commodore Potts mansion in Vallejo. Someone named Dano bought it in 1972. The house was built in 1864, and had been through some hard times, but Dano fixed it up and won a California Architectural Heritage Society award for the most beautifully restored period home for 1975. Shortly thereafter, he sold it.

I ran ten miles this morning. It was very nice. It was just cool enough to be pleasant. I kept hoping that it will be exactly like this in Green Bay in two weeks. It warmed up to a beautiful afternoon. With the help of the oldest and newest Little Jogger, I put up a freestanding basketball hoop that we had bought yesterday, and the Little Joggers have been having fun shooting baskets. All in all, a good day, although I didn't get quite all the grading done that I meant to.

Day 602 -- Jameson Canyon

Uh-oh! According to the California Department of Transportation, rock slide has blocked the Jameson Canyon off ramp on westbound I-80. I guess I just have to keep running.

I did finally manage to make it out of the house this morning. It was touch and go. I tried to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep, but I couldn't. So I got up and got out and ran, and it wasn't too bad. There was rain off and on all day, but it was off while I was running.

Day 601 -- Cordelia

So, it turns out that the International Bird Rescue Research Center has a location in Cordelia. This is the new Pelican Aviary, which is under construction. Grandpa Jogger would like that. He was a big birder.

I got in 7.5 miles this morning. Not fast, but not as slow as Tuesday. It was warm, but a bit windy.