Day 417 -- Silverthorne

I passed through Silverthorne about halfway through today's run. I found this nice moose photo at Blessed2Bless, and I thought I'd join in.

I almost didn't run this morning. We had rain last night, with thunder and lightning, and just as I walked out this morning, I thought I caught a flash of lightning out of the corner of my eye. Lightning is one condition that I won't mess with. So I almost turned around and went back to bed. But I never heard the thunder, and I decided I could get out and run, and if it did turn out to be lightning, I could get home quickly enough. I never saw another flash, so it might just have been my imagination.

I pretty quickly began to wish that I had gone back to bed. I don't know whether it was the humidity (which is still high), or lack of sleep, or too many miles this week, but today's long run was difficult right from the start. By the time I had done six miles, I knew that I was in for a long day. There wasn't anything in particular wrong, I just didn't have much energy. It was one of those days when I just had to keep on for the sake of keeping on.

And I didn't quite make it. I stopped about a mile and a half short of my goal, and walked the rest of the way. I don't feel good about that, but I'm trying to keep it in perspective. This is one day in a long training regimen. I did do a lot of work, and I got stronger. I'm sure that I'll bounce back and finish my next long run.

It happened to me in the spring, too, while I was training for the half marathon. That time, it was the seventeen miler that I couldn't finish. Today, it was the eighteen miler. Both times, I think that I psyched myself out early. I decided early on that it was a bad day, and I just kept dwelling on it, rather than letting myself run. And both times, I was monster thirsty when I stopped. I thought I hydrated pretty well today, but I still drank a lot when I got home.

Anyway, I'm pretty tired now, and going to take tomorrow off. Then on Tuesday, I'll get right back out there.

Oh, one more thing. Today I passed the thousand mile mark for the year. Last year, I didn't pass 1000 miles until September 26. So I'm about seven weeks ahead of last year's pace. Which shouldn't be a surprise. Last year at this time, I was dreaming about a marathon. Now, I'm training for one.

Swimming with the Sharks

The Thrift Shop where Mrs. Jogger works is having a bag sale this morning. Everything you can stuff in one bag for $1 on selected items, mostly summer stuff that they want to clear out. Mrs. J was going to go over and take all the kids. I was lounging on the sofa, thinking seriously of taking a little nap while they were gone.

Suddenly, the phone rang. It's the Thrift Shop. Someone called in sick, and they want Mrs. J to work. Could I take the kids over?

Panic!

We get there maybe 5 minutes after the store opened. There are approximately a hundred billion little old ladies standing around the sale tables. Scraps of fabric are flying. I tentatively try to wedge into the crowd to see what's actually for sale. No one bites me, but that doesn't mean that no one was tempted. The Little Joggers all flee for the safety of the non-sale part of the store. I'm alone. I don't know anyone's size, and I have only the vaguest idea of what the kids like to wear.

More panic!

Anyway, I made it out alive, but it's not an experience that I want to relive any time soon.

Day 416 -- Keystone

Keystone is a ski resort town, so there are lots of images of it on the web. This one, from Wayland Baptist University, has the advantage of at least having been taken during the summer. And where is Wayland Baptist University? Why, Plainview, Texas, of course.

I did end up taking yesterday off from running, so I was predictably cranky and listless all day. I didn't sleep well last night, but I popped up and ran this morning, and it felt really good. It felt faster than it was. I thought I would beat Wednesday's time (over the same route) but I was two minutes slower. Oh, well.

Day 415 -- Montezuma

Montezuma, Colorado, is a little south of the stretch of I-70 on which I'm currently running. And something tells me that Roger Wendell is not cross country skiing in this area this week. Nonetheless, a photo is a photo. Perhaps I should photoshop in a stocking cap for my head.

Today was one of those days when I could barely drag myself out of bed. I did it, and I'm glad that I did. I think it would have been a much rougher day if I hadn't run. But it was sure hard to get started. I even caught myself this evening being glad that I don't have to run tomorrow. That's not a very normal sentiment for me, these days. Most of the time, I'm looking forward to my next run. But tomorrow will be a good day to take off, before a lot of miles this weekend.

Day 414 -- Silver Plume, Colorado

Thanks to WesternMiningHistory.com, there are lots of good pictures of Silver Plume, Colorado on the web. I'm not sure why I picked this church and this store. The peak population in Silver Plume was about 2000 people, but now they are down to only about 200, so I'm afraid a lot of these buildings are abandoned. The store still seems to be active, though.

I ran eight miles today, in wicked humidity. I swear that my clothes wouldn't have been wetter if I'd taken a dip in the pool. Nonetheless, I made decent time, and I feel OK, now. I can't wait for the weather to break, but there's no break in the forecast.

Day 413 -- Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	Jul
Distance	2339.8	965.3	160.3
Time	14 days, 13 hrs, 24 min	6 days, 4 hrs, 30 min	1 day, 1 hr, 23 min
Days	413	156	23
States	12	5	2

Marathon training is definitely ramping up. July was my second longest month ever, surpassed only by April, when I was at the peak of my training for the half marathon. I'm scheduled for about 170 in August. We'll see what that actually turns out to be. July was also only the second month where I've run more than 24 hours in a month.

I ran an easy 5 miles today, after taking a much-needed day off yesterday. I was way too tired after Sunday's schlog. The heat and humidity continue, so all my runs are slow, but I finished my scheduled five today, which is what counts.

Which Ancient Language Are You?

As seen at Fumbling Towards Geekdom:

Your Score: Akkadian

You scored

You are Akkadian, a blend of the incomprehensible symbols of the Sumerians with the unwritable sounds of the early Semitic peoples. However, the writing just doesn't suit the words and doesn't represent everything needed, so you end up a schizoid mess. Invented in Babylon, you're probably to blame for that tower story. However, crazy as you are, you're much loved and appreciated, and remain actively in use by records keepers long after schools have switched to other languages.

Link: The Which Ancient Language Are You Test written by imipak on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

You should take this test, if nothing else, for the disclaimer, which is classic.

Day 412 -- Idaho Springs

According to Go-Colorado.com, Idaho Springs is "the birthplace of the Rocky Mountain Gold Rush." It boasts an "authentic nineteenth-century Main Street" Just behind my arm you can see the authentic nineteenth-century USAToday newspaper box. The site goes on, "The main draw of Idaho Springs, however, is the breathtaking scenery of the Rockies." I believe that. I'm well into the mountains, now, and when I Google for images, I see lots and lots of beautiful scenery. I must admit that the thin mountain air is getting to me, though.

Seventeen miles today stretched to about 17.5. It was, as predicted, pretty sweaty work. I drank and drank and drank, and felt pretty OK when I finished. I've still been thirsty all morning. But mostly I've felt a good sense of accomplishment.

Day 411 -- Genesee Park

Here I am at the Park'n'Ride at Genesee State Park. RockyMountainRoads.com says, "It's hard to believe that mass transit has found its way this far up the mountain," but I don't find it hard to believe at all. We aren't that far from Denver, and I'm sure there are lots of people who prefer to live up here and commute.

Today's eight miler was kind of rough. It's still really humid. I made it, but I had to stop for a walk break. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to do 15 miles. Even with walk breaks, I may need an IV drip to keep hydrated.

Day 410 -- Golden

OK, I'm cheating. I'm about in Golden, a good 12 or 15 miles west of the state capitol building. But when I was in Cheyenne, I decided to drop in on Frank again, and so here he is. For new readers, Frank has visited all the state capitols by actually going there. I believe that he's too technologically illiterate to just photoshop himself into the picture. Why else would he bother to do all that real traveling?


Anyway, I thought I'd throw in this shot of Golden, which I lifted from the Mountain Project. And what is the Mountain Project, you ask. Only "The Premier Resource for the Climbing and Mountaineering Community." I have a soft spot in my heart for climbers, who are definitely crazier than runners. Running 26.2 miles is definitely saner than climbing a mountain.

I ran an easy 4 this morning, although in 103% humidity, no run can truly be called "easy." Better make that a "slow 4".

Day 409 -- White Ranch Open Space Park

I think White Ranch Open Space Park is a cool name, although in some places, they seem to just refer to it as "White Ranch Park." From the website:

White Ranch is home to abundant wildlife and encompasses open meadows, forested foothills, a pristine canyon, buttes, rock formations and Van Bibber Creek along the southern border.

It's really quite pretty. No offense to western Nebraska, but there's a lot more interesting stuff to stand in front of than there was a month or two ago. This isn't the greatest photo, but it does clearly show the entrance to the park. I lifted it from the Golden Gate Fire Department.

I ran a nice long eight miles today. It's not too hot, yet, but the humidity is sneaking up. However, I survived, which is always a good thing for any run.

Day 408 -- Eldorado Springs

Four and a half miles today took me somewhere near Eldorado Springs, home, of course, to Eldorado Natural Spring Water. Founded in 1983, they offer "a convenient, affordable way to bring the world's best bottled water to your home or office." Can't beat that with a stick.

We're in Grandma Jogger's hometown again for a few days. My sister is up from Georgia for a visit, and we've packed 12 of us into Grandma Jogger's house. It's noisy. But we're having a good visit. My niece is 7 and my nephew is 3, and they are cute and friendly. I'm a little out of practice with the moods of a 3-year-old, but fortunately, when he gets really, really, really whiny, it's not my problem. All yours, Sis!

Day 407 -- Boulder

Boulder is sort of a popular hang-out for runners and other athletes. They can train at altitude, and hang out in a pretty cool University city in between workouts. So why not visit the Boulder Running Company store?

I spent six weeks in Boulder one summer. I was studying the classics, of all things, in a program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. We read the Iliad and the Aeneid, and I don't know what all. It was fun. I was going to say that the NEH didn't get their money's worth out of me, but maybe they did. I don't think that the program was meant to turn out new classicists, but more to broaden people like me who were going into other fields. And if today I study ancient mathematics, maybe at least a little of that traces back to my early education in classical literature.

One thing I remember about the program, that makes a lot more sense to me now, is how many of the participants were non-traditional students. Only a handful of us were regular 19- or 20-year-olds. The rest had at least a few years out of school, including at least one woman who had sons my age. I think that was probably a deliberate decision by the selection committee, who probably decided that non-traditional students would get more out of the program, by virtue of being more committed to their studies. So I guess I was pretty lucky to go at all.

I ran eleven miles today. It was a nice cool morning, and the run felt good. It's supposed to warm back up this week, so I'd better enjoy it while I can.

Day 406 -- Get the Lead Out

Today was the Second Annual "Get the Lead Out" Run in my little town. (My town is in an old lead mining area of SW Wisconsin, which sort of explains the name.) I ran the first one, last year, and I thought at the time that it would be cool to try to run every year, so that when they have the 10th, or the 15th, or the 25th, I can say, "Oh, yeah, I've run every one."

One little problem: We were way too busy today for me to run it. It started at 8:45, and I had to coach a soccer game at 10:00. The oldest and newest Little Jogger also had a soccer game, and Mrs. Jogger was taking the other three kids to a production of "Seussical, the Musical" this morning. So no way I was going to get to run this thing. So I cheated.

I got up at my usual time, jogged down to where the race would start, ran the 8 kilometers (finishing about a minute slower than last year), then jogged home. I took a shower, then went out and picked up my race packet. So, officially, I didn't run the race. No finishing time will be posted for me. But I did pay the entry fee, I ran the distance, and I have the t-shirt. I'm counting it. In 10 or 15 or 25 years, no one will know the difference.

The punch line is that I won a door prize. This race has a lot of door prizes. Last year, I won a nice reflective vest, that I've worn quite a bit. I figured this year, either I wouldn't be in the pool at all, because I didn't officially finish, or they'd draw my name, look around and see that I wasn't there, and draw someone else's name. But one of my neighbors stepped up and picked up my prize, a nice little windbreaker, and nobody complained. So, it was definitely worth entering. Next year, I'm planning not to coach, and I hope that I'll be able to run the official race.

(Get the Lead Out logo from Maumee RAP.)

Day 405 -- Berthoud

Here I am in front of the Auserehlian Rug Cleaning School in Berthould, Colorado. To be honest, I'd never thought about where oriental rug cleaners got their training. In fact, I never thought about the profession of oriental rug cleaning. Seems like an awfully niche market, but hey, I guess someone has to do it.

I also call your attention to the web site ImagesOfColorado.com, where they have a lovely photo of a bald eagle in front of Long's Peak, near Berthould. I had downloaded the photo, and stuck myself into it (completely ruining the artistic balance) before I read their restrictions that specifically prohibit the use of their images on other web sites. I'm not too careful about copyright law on this blog, but I can't bring myself to simply ignore a restriction like that. Nonetheless, go to this site and click around. They've got some lovely shots.

I was scheduled for an easy four today, but I stretched it to almost five. Feeling guilty about stopping yesterday, I guess. Which is silly, considering that I ended up finishing the run. I only took a break; I didn't quit completely.

Day 404 -- Loveland

The Kroh Park Shelter in Loveland. Loveland has a very extensive city government site.

I surprised myself today. I stopped short four miles into a five mile run. I was running a pretty brisk pace, and it was very, very humid, but still... Usually when I stop short, it's after I have to talk myself out of it two or three times. I'll be tempted to quit, but talk myself into keeping at it. Then I'll finally pack it in on the second or third round of that. But today, I just suddenly stopped.

Anyway, I walked around the block and then ran the last mile. So I did get my five miles in.

Day 403 -- Colorado State University

I shouldn't leave Fort Collins without dropping in on Colorado State University. Here I am, standing in front of the building that houses the Math Department. I don't know anyone there. Actually, at one time, I looked into taking some on-line statistics courses from CSU, but I never actually did.

I ran an easy four today. I'm really halfway between Fort Collins and Loveland, well south of CSU, but what the heck!

Day 402 -- Ft. Collins

Fifteen miles today took me through Fort Collins. As some of you know, I have a special reason for wanting to visit Fort Collins, although frankly, I'm really just on my way through to Boulder. This is the Fort Collins Museum, which seems quite nice.

One of the great things about my Sunday long runs is the anticipation. During the week, I just basically get up and run before I have time to wake up. But for a long run, I start thinking about it the day ahead. I lay out my clothes, so I don't have to look for them. I decide what I'm going to eat. For a regular run, I don't eat until it's over, but for a long run, I'll have an energy bar ahead, and one or two energy gels on the run. I mix up my Gatorade and put it in the fridge. Then I'll go to bed early, thinking about my route.

Today was a good run. It's the longest run I've had since my 20 miler on May 6. It was tiring, but it was fun. Now I'll take a day off, and get back to work on Tuesday. This is a "step back" week, so I'll be taking it easy.

Day 401 -- Wellington, CO

Wellington, Colorado is "a rural haven of 1500 residents." This according to the Relocate America web site. I know that I would definitely move here, if I were moving.

I ran seven miles this morning. It was nice and cool, and I managed a decent pace, even over some rough hills. The day off yesterday did me some good.

Got lucky today

It didn't start out like luck. The medium Little Jogger and I mowed the yard, and when we done, even though it is somewhat cooler than it has been, we decided to have a couple of popsicles. Well, we ate the last two of the good kind of popsicles. And when the medium Little Jogger found that out, he was upset. So, I went down to the chest freezer downstairs to see if there were any more of the good popsicles. There weren't, but oddly, the bad popsicles were kind of slushy. So we felt around, and realized that the chest freezer had become a chest non-freezer. But, because we noticed so early, only the stuff like the popsicles had thawed. The meat was all heavier, so absorbed less heat. So we got it all out into the little freezer upstairs. But it could have been really bad. So I'm glad that we ate the last of the good popsicles.

Day 400

Day 400 since I started this cross-country run at the beginning of 2006. Back on Day 300, I projected Day 400 to be July 8, so I missed it by four days. I must have taken a few extra days off. That's OK, because the days I did run, I ran long. The first 100 days I ran 537.4 miles, the second 100 days I ran 539.5 miles, the third 100 days I ran 517.7 miles, but the latest 100 days I ran 643.2 miles! And I don't even want to think about what productive work I could have accomplished in the time it took me to reconstruct those numbers.

I ran an easy 4 today, and even so, I felt pretty flatfooted. I just plodded along. Time for a day off.

Oh, the image is from the MySpace Page of the 400 club, a place in Miami that is way, way too hip for an old jogger like me.

Day 399 -- Carr

This bison is a cellular tower. It was designed by Kramer.Firm, Inc. They have a wonderful gallery of photos of their various sites. I love some of their "camouflaged" sites. I'm really guessing as to the scale of this one. How big is a cellular tower, anyway?

The weather has broken, here, so I went for a good long run, at a nice pace. Yesterday I did 4.9 miles in almost 50 minutes, over a 10 minute per mile pace. Today I did 6.7 miles in 57 minutes, an 8:30 pace. And yesterday I was sweatier. I was tired at the end, but it was a good tired.

Day 398 -- Welcome to Colorado

After spending three months in Nebraska, I just cut across a corner of Wyoming, so I'm in and out just like that. Today's "Welcome to Colorado" image comes from the Geography Club at Southern Connecticut State University. They went to a meeting of the American Association of Geographers, and brought back a few photos.

I ran another easy 5 today. I was pretty pooped at the end. The humidity is still thick enough to cut with a knife. It's supposed to cool off and dry off a little tonight. Won't be soon enough for me.

Um....Is this thing on?

The esteemed Shakespeare's Sister has added me to the Big Blogroll of Infinite Awsomeness, and has done so in a very public way. So all of a sudden I'm getting a few extra hits. (OK, a lot of extra hits. 1% of the Shakesville audience is probably way beyond my usual daily traffic.) Only problem is, these people are used to witty and articulate analysis of current news and trends, not some bozo Photoshopping himself into the western landscape. So now I feel pressure to be witty and articulate, preferably from a left-leaning, progressive point of view. Let's try this:

W Sucks!

Thank you. Anyway, welcome, Shakers. If you are trying to figure out what this blog is, try clicking on "About My Journey" at the right. Feel free to leave a comment, and come back for more wit and articulateness, any day now.

Day 397 -- More Cheyenne

Here's a cool web site from someone who just likes funky signs, and commercial architecture. I stole this picture of the Wyoming Motel from him. If you go visit, do click around. He's got some cool stuff.

I'm a bit south of Cheyenne, and should cross into Colorado tomorrow. I ran an easy 5 miles. The weather continues to be hot and brutally humid, so even an easy 5 miles was hard.

Venting (Just a Little)

I haven't posted much about the medium Little Jogger's soccer team, which, you will recall, I am coaching this year. It hasn't been real pretty. They won their first game (the one that I missed while I was in D.C.) and have lost every game since. But they don't seem too discouraged. These are seven-, eight-, and nine-year-olds, and they just want to play. Literally, one kid asked me after the game today what the score was, and when I replied "4-2", he asked "Who won?" Which is what makes today's little peeve all the worse.

One thing that these kids have problems with is goal kicks. Depending on who is kicking, they sometimes have trouble getting them out of the goal box. In the first half, my goalie really struggled, to the point where a couple of times I had someone else take the goal kick. That's OK. Generally, what the ref does is call it back if it goes really, really short, but lets them play if it goes close to the edge of the goal box.

In the second half, their goalie had similar struggles. So on one kick, my guy took to goal kick, kicked it back at their goal, hit it off the post, then followed that up and scored. I was proud of him. He kept his head, followed the shot, and got a goal. So that's when their coach complained about the ball not going out of the goal box. He bent the ref's ear, to the point that the ref asked me if it was OK to call the goal back and let them retake the goal kick. (The ref was just a fifteen year old kick with a tube of Oxy in his back pocket, or he would have known never to change a decision like that.) I said, "Sure. Let's just play soccer." So Cole lost his goal, and we eventually lost 4-2, instead of 4-3. I'm just mad that their coach made a big deal out of it, especially right then. Let my guy have his goal. These kids just want to have fun.

Anyway, I didn't make a big deal of it at the time. I'm trying to get my kids to be good sports, and I didn't think that arguing over this goal would be a good example. I just filed it away to gripe about on the Internets.

Day 396 -- Cheyenne

It's been a while since I crossed paths with Frank. He has taken pictures of himself in front of all the state capitols. I last encountered him almost a year ago, in Indianapolis. Then I managed to miss Springfield, Des Moines, Jefferson City, and Lincoln. Perhaps I'll make it to Denver. In any case, good to see you again, Frank.

I switched my long run, which I usually do on Sunday, to today, because tomorrow promises to be nasty hot and humid. Today wasn't that much better, but I survived by taking lots of water breaks. I ran 14 miles, my longest long run in quite a while, actually. It felt really good.

Day 395 -- Archer, Wyoming

The Winged Warrior, a photo shot by Bob Krieger and posted at TrainNet.org. You have to look close to find me in this photo. It was taken near Archer, and I'm near Archer, so I figured that was OK.

I ran four miles this morning, relatively easy. My schedule has been thrown off by the race on Wednesday. I didn't run yesterday. But I'm planning to get back on schedule for the weekend. Seven miles tomorrow, and 14 on Sunday. We'll see just how hot it gets.

My First Blog

Long ago, before there was any such thing as a web log, before there was any such thing as a World Wide Web, not quite before there were Personal Computers, but before everyone had one, I had this friend...

We were in high school. It was a typical high school, in a typical small Iowa town. We were Smart Kids(tm), which wasn't the key to popularity. We weren't reviled, but we were marginalized. And we became friends.

We lived on the same street. We hung out together, usually at his house, but sometimes at mine. We watched TV, played basketball in his driveway, teased his younger sister and brother, and generally did high school boy things.

We also wrote notes. Most years, we had some classes together, so we'd see each other, but we also wrote notes to each other. Sometimes three or four a day. We didn't have to work too hard in class, of course, so that was something to do. Our notes were filled with inside jokes, mocking references to our teachers and to other students, and general surrealism. That was my first effort at writing just because I wanted to write. Writing whatever was on the top of my head. In other words, blogging. But of course I didn't publish it for anyone to read. I gave it to Stu.

Nobody has ever gotten me quite as much as Stu did. I've been married to Mrs. Jogger for 20 years, but still there are some ways that I'm not as close to her as I was to him.

He went to school out of state, married his his high school sweet heart, and moved to Arizona, of all the Godforsaken places. So we don't see each other very much any more. The last time was before the first Little Jogger was born, more than 12 years ago.

Stu and his wife and are in Iowa this week. They came through Grandma Jogger's town, our old home town, and we had a picnic with them, their two kids, my four kids, Grandma Jogger, and her housemate. It was really good to see him. In some ways, we picked up a conversation that we dropped suddenly 25 years ago. In other ways, it was weird to talk to this stranger with our long-ago shared history.

I hope that we can keep in touch. It's easier now than it ever was. We just need to decide to do it. And we should. I think I'm going to try.

Day 394 -- Freedom Fun Run

Today I ran in the Freedom Fun Run in a little town near Grandma Jogger's town. It was fun. We're down here for a week, and I figured (correctly) that I could find something to run on the Fourth of July. I was just going to pop over and run, and leave the kids with Grandma, but it turned out to be a family outing. Everyone else did the 1 mile, and I did the 5K. The oldest and newest Little Jogger, the first Little Jogger, and the medium Little Jogger all ran it. Grandma, her housemate, and the littlest Little Jogger all walked.

It was a good race, although not fast. In fact, this is the first time in my six organized races that I failed to set a Personal Record (PR). Of course, the previous five races were at four different distances, so it wasn't hard to set a PR. This was, in fact, my third 5K, and the slowest of the three. But that's OK. The weather was pretty hot, and I haven't been training for a 5K. I messed up the pace, as usual. I went out too fast, and faded at the end. You might detect that by comparing the above photo, of me just crossing the starting line, to the below photo, of me about three blocks from the finish line.

The Little Joggers enjoyed themselves. They are talking about doing it again next year. We'll see where we are for the Fourth next year, but we will undoubtedly be able to find something nearby.

The rest of the day was jam-cram packed with activity. They had a kids fishing thing, where they threw some fish into a little artificial pond in a local park. That was not really successful. There were too many kids, and not enough gullible fish. The littlest Little Jogger was devastated that he didn't catch anything. But he got over it when we took him to the rest of the fun -- frog racing, sack racing, pony rides, and the dunk tank. Hot dogs, root beer floats, and ice cream. A great parade. It was pretty hot. By the time we'd been out in the sun for five or six hours, we were medium well. But it was worth it.

Tonight, there will be fireworks, of course. We'll all stay up late, and then, I hope, sleep in tomorrow. I'm not committing to running. If I get up, I will, but if I sleep in, so be it.

Movie Review: Ratatouille

We took the Little Joggers to see Ratatouille, the new Pixar movie, last night. Pixar doesn't do bad movies. They range from good (Cars, A Bug's Life) to great (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo). This one is well along the spectrum towards great. It was funny, interesting, and enjoyable. The plot was complex enough to keep you guessing, but not too complex for the littlest Little Jogger. Like all kids movies, it has a few fairly simple morals, but it doesn't get too heavy handed with them.

The animation was incredible, of course. But Pixar long ago figured out that great animation doesn't make a great movie. They just tell good stories, that's all. This one is definitely a keeper.

Day 393 -- Hillsdale

According to real estate agent Joe Prunty, Hillsdale is in the Cheyenne metro area. According to what I can see, there's still 10 or 15 miles of open country between here and Cheyenne.

I ran 4 miles today. It's still reasonably cool, but the humidity is way, way up. This afternoon is going to be brutal, I'm afraid. Then thunderstorms overnight. I might not get in a run at all for the fourth, although, if the weather is OK, there's a 5K race that I might run. We'll see.

Day 392 -- Burns, Wyoming

More from Wyoming Tales and Trails. This is the water tower in Burns, about 1915. So, in running my 3 miles today, I traveled backwards in time about 5 years. At this rate, by the time I get to California, there will be dinosaurs!

Today wasn't actually a running day on the schedule. But I felt like running, and the weather forecasters have threatened that this would be the last cool morning of the week.

Peace Patroller

My Liberal Identity:

You are a Peace Patroller, also known as an anti-war liberal or hippie. You believe in putting an end to American imperial conquest, stopping wars that have already been lost, and supporting our troops by bringing them home.

Take the quiz at www.fightconservatives.com

Via Misty at Shakespeare's Sister

Happy Birthday, Little Jogger!

Today is the oldest and newest Little Jogger's official birthday. As I said last year, we don't know her actual birthday. When she was found, she knew her age, but not her birthday, so the Ukrainian government arbitrarily assigned her a birthday of July 1. Good as anything, I guess.

So now she's officially 13. I think she must have been 13 for a while, really, because she's certainly working on her teenage attitude. And we all know that you can't start being a surly teenager when you are really only 12.

We've actually been without her for the last week. She came down to spend the week with Grandma Jogger. They've had a good time together. It's been a bit quiet around our house. Not too quiet, though. The other three Little Joggers still managed to stir up some trouble.

Day 391 -- Pine Bluffs, Wyoming

Actually, I'm well past Pine Bluffs, somewhere near Egbert. However, I couldn't find any good photos from Egbert, but there were these lovely old photos from Wyoming Tales and Trails. This is downtown Pine Bluffs, sometime around 1920.

I ran 9 miles today. It's a step back week. I did 12 last Sunday, and I will do 14 next Sunday, but this week I'm taking it a bit easy.

Day 390 -- Jogger's Progress

	Trip	YTD	Jun
Distance	2179.5	805.0	120.4
Time	13 days, 12 hrs, 1 min	5 days, 3 hrs, 7 min	18:53
Days	390	133	22
States	11	4	2

June was the first month of 2007 that I didn't surpass the mileage of the corresponding month in 2006. In June, 2006, I ran 138.8 miles, which was actually my longest month of the year. Of course, this June, I'm in the early weeks of my marathon training program, so it's not surprising that I didn't run that far. And 120 miles isn't bad, either.

The weather in Wyoming continues to be nice. It was 60 degrees and comfortably dry this morning. I ran a paced 6 miles, and I held the pace pretty well, but dropped off a little in the last mile or so. That's OK. It was a nice run, anyway.

Day 389 -- Wyoming

As promised, here I am, entering Wyoming. This photo is from someone at RobertBody.com. I don't really understand what this website is all about. It seems to just be one person's vacation photos. I can't tell if this welcome sign is anywhere near where I am on the Nebraska/Wyoming border. But they all probably look pretty much the same anyway.

I ran an easy 3 miles today. A cool front came through last night, so the temperature was 12 degrees (F) lower than it was yesterday, and correspondingly drier, too. It was very pleasant. I was tempted to make a joke about how the weather was much nicer in Wyoming than it is in Nebraska, but I'm not sure how that would go.

Dayy 388 -- Last Day i Nebraska

I've been in Nebraska since Day 319, which was March 24. Just over three months. And I was already halfway across when I entered, having come up from the south. Imagine if I had started in Omaha! Anyway, tomorrow I'll cross over into Wyoming.

Not much for pictures, so how about a generic Nebraska corn field, from RoadFan.com?

Day 387 -- Oliver Lake

This is out of order. Oliver Lake is between Kimball and Bushnell, and I'm a few miles past Bushnell. But I could find photos of Oliver Lake, and couldn't find any photos of anything west of Bushnell. Besides, I wanted to go fishing.

I ran an easy 3.4 miles this morning. It had to be easy, because it was already 74 degrees and humid at 6 in the morning. It's going to be a long summer.

Day 386 -- Bushnell

This photo of Bushnell, Nebraska, was uploaded to WebShots.com by someone with the handle USRoadman. We're brothers under the skin. Of course, he's actually going out and visiting all these places. I'm just riding his coattails.

I ran 12.5 miles today, my Sunday long run. It was a little warm, and terribly humid. I was dripping with sweat when I finished. I don't know why people run in the afternoons during the summer. The last couple of miles were pretty hard, but once I stopped and got some fluid into me, I felt OK. My legs aren't too sore.

Day 385 -- Kimball

It's a busy weekend in Kimball, Nebraska. They are having the first annual Carp Festival out at the Oliver Reservoir. Accompanying that is a Kids Fishing Derby. And there's the summiting of Panorama Point, part of some fundraiser for juvenile cancer. Apparently, this morning people are climbing the highest points in all fifty states. As the Kimball website wryly points out, Panorama Point "looks less like a peak than like a tall spot in a pasture." Anyway, I've arrived just in time for all the festivities. Too bad I neglected to bring a fishing pole.

I ran six miles this morning. It felt good and relaxing, but I came home to a fight among the Little Joggers over whose turn it was to listen to a particular CD, so I'm all tensed up again.

Day 384 -- Kimball County

According to RockyMountainRoads.com, as highway 71 crosses into Kimball County, "the highway enters a more populous area than Banner County." It's not hard. Every Nebraska county that touches Banner county is more populous. I was surprised to find, however, that there are at least eight counties in Nebraska with fewer than Banner County's 819 people (Census 2000 data, reported by NegativePopulationGrowth.org.) All of them seem to be in north central Nebraska.

I ran three easy miles today, just beating the rain home.

Day 383 -- Approaching Kimball

According to RockyMountainRoads.com, somewhere in here, the road narrows from four lanes to two. This may present a problem, as I try to pass people in heavy traffic.

In other news, I found out why Harrisburg is the County Seat of Banner County. It is literally the only town in Banner County, according to Mapquest.

I ran six miles today, at a nice pace.

Move Over, Walt Disney...

via Shakespeare's Sister:

Day 382 -- South of Harrisburg

I'm about five miles south of Harrisburg, Nebraska, and a good 15 miles, at least, from the next town. Not much around to picture myself in front of. Fortunately, RockyMountainRoads.com has a whole series on Nebraska 71, the road I'm on. This is allegedly just about the right spot. I say allegedly, because it looks like any other road in western Nebraska to me. They could have photoshopped a sign that says "71" onto just about any road, and I would have believed them.

An easy three miles today. It has cooled considerably since Sunday, so I barely worked up a sweat. But I will tomorrow. I'll run six, and I'll try to pick up the pace a bit.

First Day of Summer

My semester was over about a month ago. But the Little Joggers had school up until June 8, and then I turned around and went off to DC. So in a very real way, this was the first day of summer -- the first day that I was home with the kids all day. I'm ready for September to come.

Not really. But it was quite a day. The two boys had tennis practice first thing this morning. That went OK. Then I started to take the oldest and newest Little Jogger and the medium Little Jogger grocery shopping, but the oldest and newest said she felt sick to her stomache. So I turned around and brought her home. She basically moped around in bed most of the day. I missed my noon book club meeting, because I didn't want to leave her. Then it started to rain, so I had to call all the soccer parents to cancel soccer practice. But the littlest Little Jogger's team did have practice (in the rain!) so I had to run him out and then run out and pick him up. Then, after supper, we played a rousing game of Animalopoly, and the kids are now in bed.

Tomorrow, more of the same.

I felt safe...sort of

Security is a much bigger deal in Washington than it is in my hometown. Just this evening, we went off for an hour or so and left the house unlocked. We weren't gone that long, after all.

I stayed in a dorm at George Washington University. We had scanner cards, like you get at hotels these days. To get in, you had to scan your card outside the building, just to open the door. Then you had to walk in 10 feet and scan your card under the watchful eye of the security guard. Then you had to walk another 10 feet and scan your card to call the elevator (or, in my case, to get into the stairwell.) It's all just meant for redundancy, of course. If it were just the front door, you could slip in while someone was going out. If it were just the guard, you might slip past when they weren't looking. If it were just the elevator, you could hang around and pop on when someone got off. But the odds of doing all three without getting caught are pretty low.

And that, of course, is just the security for a little dorm with no particular value. The security at the important buildings is really impressive. I didn't try to get into the White House or the Capitol, but I did see guards outside some important building looking under a car with mirrors, to make sure nothing was hiding underneath.

So, I was probably just as safe in Washington as I am here. I was never really far from a guard, and never even close to alone on the streets. But it sure did feel different than it does in small town Wisconsin.

Day 381 -- Harrisburg

Nebraska Highway 71, near Harrisburg. You probably can't read the signs at this size, but one says "Harrisburg," and the other says "No Services." That shouldn't be surprising, as Harrisburg only has 100 people in it. Oh, maybe it's a little surprising, since it's the county seat of Banner County. I truly am in the middle of nowhere.

I ran eleven miles today. It was hot and humid. I'm sure that it will get worse before it gets better.

Catching Up: Days 376, 377, 378, 379, and 380

Day 376 (Sunday) 6.2 miles, 58 minutes (Wisconsin)
Day 377 (Monday) 3 miles, 29 minutes (DC)
Day 378 (Wednesday) 5.8 miles, 55 minutes (DC)
Day 379 (Thursday) 4.5 miles, 45 minutes (DC)
Day 380 (Friday) 6.3 miles, 61 minutes (DC)

The distances in DC are all estimated, based on my time and what I guessed my pace was. I also did a huge amount of walking, none of which counts towards my journey. It was about a mile from the dorm where I was staying to the conference site, and I walked that six times each way. I also walked down the National Mall three times, two of which were also museum visits. And I did more assorted walking than I usually do around here.

I had a great time. Washington, DC, is very unlike my little hometown in southwestern Wisconsin. (It's this kind of keen observation that makes this blog what it is.) I will write more about it as I get caught up this week, but right now, I have a bed calling my name that doesn't have a plastic coated mattress, but does have Mrs. Jogger. A vast improvement over the bed I've been in for the last few days.

This picture is not me, but it could have been. I ran right there.

And...I'm Off!

What am I doing in front of the Lincoln Memorial? Have I suddenly turned around and run back to the East Coast? No, my virtual journey will continue in Western Nebraska. But my actual running will take place in Washington, DC. I'm off to a workshop on the Mathematics of Asia's Past.

I'm not sure how much web access I'm going to have this week. I'm not bringing my laptop, so I'll be at the mercy of the conference site. Rest assured, even if I'm not posting, that I'm getting my runs in. If nothing else, I'll be back here on JogAmericaBlog next Saturday.

Photo from Arrakeen.

Day 375 -- More Bridgeport

Finally, some real runners on this page! This is the Girls Cross-country team from Bridgeport High, which placed 2nd in the state in 2000. Not much seems to have happened in Bridgeport since 2000. At least, they haven't updated their web page very often.

I ran five miles this morning. It was nice and cool. I know the warm weather is coming. But for right now, I'm enjoying the cool mornings.

USJogger and the Fib From Outer Space

The story Larry Boy and the Fib from Outer Space is a VeggieTales video from Big Idea Productions. In it, Junior Asparagus breaks his father's favorite souvenir bowling plate. Rather than confess, Junior tells his father a little fib, that his friend Laura broke the plate. Of course, the fib grows into a monster that almost destroys Bumblyburg. The only person who can stop it is Junior, by telling the truth.

Sometime between the ages of 7 and 13 (I remember because I know what house we lived in), I did something similar. I was the kind of kid who snuck snacks when I shouldn't. Actually, I still am. I ate two pieces of cake. It must have been someone's leftover birthday cake, although I don't remember whose. I was insufficiently expert to cover my tracks. My mother knew someone had eaten the cake, but she didn't know who. She called us all in and asked her to look her in the eye and tell her that we hadn't taken the cake. I looked her straight in the eye and lied. I have a memory (no idea whether it's real or not) of her telling my father that the thing that she was really mad about was that some child (she still didn't know which one) had been able to look her in the eye and lie. I've forgotten a lot of my youth, but I haven't forgotten that. I've never told anyone that story until now. (And Grandma Jogger reads this blog. Sorry, Mom.)

Why bring it up? Because some version of one of those stories is almost certainly being played out in our house right now. Someone took a pack of gum. We know which Little Jogger likes gum, which one is most likely to take something without telling us, and which one is most likely to lie to our faces. But we don't have evidence.

We aren't sure what to do. There should be a penalty for having gum when you aren't supposed to, for stealing, and for lying. But, what about that one-in-a-million chance that the Little Jogger is innocent? Maybe it was one of the others. Or Mrs. Jogger accidentally dropped the gum behind her desk. Or something.

In the Veggietales version, Junior comes clean. The fib disappears, and Junior has learned a valuable lesson. I never came clean (well, not for 30 years), but I did live with the guilt involved. I grew. I matured. As an adult, I have a very hard time lying, which is probably just as well. I wasn't cut out for a life of crime.

And what will happen to the Little Jogger? I don't know. It may be 30 years before I find out.

More Blogthings

Your IQ Is 130

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

My "Logical Intelligence" is below average? Please don't tell anyone. Oh well, at least I passed eighth grade science:

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

OK, I'll stop now...

When I get bored, I play with Blogthings

I've visited Blogthings before, mostly in response to someone else finding one that sounded interesting. It's a whole bunch of on-line quizzes like, "What kind of wine are you?" and "What's your vampire name?" Usually, they ask a few questions with forced choices. From "What kind of wine are you?":

If you were giving a casual toast among friends, what would you toast to?
* To friendship
* To world peace
* To fun times
* To life
* To health

Then they compute your score somehow and give you something to post on your blog. Some people really have too much time on their hands.

Anyway, the test "What April Fool's Prank Should You Play?" is a bit different. It has one question: "How would you describe your sense of humor?" Instead of a forced choice, it has a box to type in your answer. I typed, "Understated." I believe that the blogthing had a little trouble with that word....

Your April Fool's Day Prank Should Be

Putting eyeballs in your friend's coffee

What April Fool's Prank Should You Play?

Day 373 and 374 -- Bridgeport

Not much to see out here but big rocks. Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock are just outside Bridgeport. If you've played Oregon Trail on the computer, you probably recognize them. They are "erosional remnants composed of clay, sandstone and volcanic ash. The rocks are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and in the Nebraska Natural Areas Register."

Not much reason why I didn't post yesterday. Just really didn't get around to it. I ran five yesterday and three today, and now I'll take tomorrow off.