Grand Rapids is 42.9 Degrees North; that means the sun set today at 5:10 pm. By the time I got out to run, it was pretty dark, although the sky was still grey. Now, I am fully aware that all of my European friends will be able to say, "What, only forty-two North? That far South?" I looked it up: Ljubljana is 46N, Munich is 48N, while Manchester is more than 53N! OMG! How do the Brits stand the dark? Is that a saying up there? If it isn't, it should be. (Maybe they store it up from the summer when the sun comes up at 4:30am) Well, it's all relative; we Michiganders are called the frozen north, partly because we are the last stop in that direction before Canada, and partly because we are known for being an inhospitable state. (It must be Detroit that's giving us the bum rap. We are plenty welcoming here in Western Michigan, as long as everyone stays on their side of the fence...uh, oh, I see what they mean...) Look at it this way, Chicago is almost 42N, but Austin, Texas is down at 32N, and Los Angeles is at 34N, but Miami is way down to 25N. That is the same as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! No wonder I hate Florida; I do not like the heat.
I was thinking about the track today. I went out two days ago and did a mile, but it wasn't a friendly experience, like in the summer. There was something about the track in the summer, under blue sky, track surface noticeably softer in the heat, which rose in waves from the black rubberized asphalt. This week, it was cold and foreboding. The wind made odd sounds with the cold metal bleachers, and the track was unyielding. I think a switch is in order until the sun rules the sky once again. Along with a switch from the track comes my method of gauging the run. Until my mileage is high enough to estimate miles from city blocks, I'll count minutes ran. It's as valid a measurement, and maybe superior to miles anyway. So, today I went out for twelve minutes. The pace was pretty solid, but I underdressed and didn't take a hat or gloves. Temperature is 35F / 2C, so it was foolish to go uncovered, especially after being sick so many times this semester.
I think I am getting mutant "bugs" from the students. I was told once that as we get older, we don't get sick as often because we don't repeat many bacterial diseases, but I've been sick unusually often since I returned to college. I told Dorothy today that I realized I have to stop biting my nails. I can only imaging the things I pick up from surfaces in a school with hundreds of youth. Yeah, I know.
I read on a USA Track and Field site that if I run any long distance races in the high 5s per mile, I will be able to submit for ranking. Too cool to be resisted! That is the current goal. Now, the question is, can I get to where I was running thirty years ago? On the one hand, I was young and firm. On the other hand, I am much smarter and determined now, I think. I once ran a 1:39 25K, but was not in the best shape I could have been; it was thirty one years ago. Plus, every generation runs faster than the one before, and college kids run former world record times. I must co-opt the future and train like they will in the twenty-second century, if I can figure that out.
Run: 12 minutes
Pace: energetic
Problems: cold hands, ears, neck (no hat, gloves)
Sleep: 2:30am - 9:30am (solid)
Dinner last: bowl home made chicken soup, hamburger/bean burrito later
Liquid: still a little dehydrated from the day, a late coffee, two PBRs.
Weight: 201 lbs / 91.2 kilo / about 14 stone (haha I'm just over 14^2 pounds; math humor)
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