Archive for February, 2007
Short run, recovery day
Miles run: 2.76
Time: 24:34
Pace: 8:52
Temp: 25°
HR: 153/170
Perceived effort: 5
On the iPod: a random sampling of Ladytron
Planned on two miles. Ran those well, tried for a little more and just didn’t have it. A paltry three quarters of a bonus mile are free for the taking. Though I don’t know why you’d even bother.
Warning, whining ahead… I suffered a little from post-dinner stomach sloshing. Even though all I had was two tasty slices of cheese pizza and a water. And, the top of my left foot, the tendons there are sore and talking back to me like a disrespectful four-year old that wants the the box of crayons but knows you won’t give them because you’re visiting a relative with white carpeting and a dachshund that likes to snag said crayons and chew on them up on the white couch.
It was a gorgeous day today. A day worthy of playing hooky from work and hitting the road for some big miles. Perhaps even cycling miles. But then I’d have to fix the two flats on my trusty Trek. I take that back. NOT trusty Trek, since it flaked on me.
But no. No big miles where had today. Sigh. Did anyone else get out today?
A Fast Five
Miles run: 5.02
Time: 43:57
Pace: 8:44
Perceived effort: 7
HR: 153/175 (avg/max)
Temp: 33°
On the iPod: Podrunner mix at 173 beats per minute
Second fastest five miler yet–just missed the best pace by three seconds. Nice and warm tonight, a smidge over freezing. I ran after dinner and struggled with an uncomfortable stomach the whole time. Probably could have squeeze a couple seconds out of the 8:44 pace with a tame tummy.
Previous five mile paces: 9:26, 9:30, 10:30, 9:22, 8:42, 9:14, 9:28.
I got a second wind at the end of work yesterday, Monday, but squandered it on a family dinner. Dinner ran late and it was snowing by the time I got home. Somehow I managed to tap back into that energy tonight and pull off a great run. The power of the mind… just remembered how I felt, enjoyed it, and applied it to the task at hand.
Found out the local brand spanking new YMCA costs $41/month (with no long-term commitment necessary), and Adult Swim instruction is $75 on Tuesday nights. It’s sad that I have to take lessons, but I need to figure out what I’m doing wrong when in the water. See… I sink rather quickly. Am I moving incorrectly and pulling myself downward by accident? Am I just not that buoyant? I bought a triathlon magazine this weekend and have been leafing through it not really absorbing that much but getting a feel for the sport. Damn but there are a lot of ads in that magazine! Seems like every page has an ad for some tri somewhere in the world.
Anyway, one thing I did manage to absorb in my unfocused haze was that wet suits can provide buoyancy. Bonus! If that’s the case, then I’m looking for the most buoyant sucker I can find! Any of you readers have experience with wet suits? Brian? Dani? My reliable jet-ski racer EMT readers?
Banks suck
Ok, maybe not my bank, per se, but the credit card company that my bank uses to provide me with a credit card linked to my checking account.
So here it is, about three or so years after an incident where an unknown and suspicious charge was placed on my bank credit card. At that time the bank advised I change my card and get one with a new number. Sounded like a good idea. I went through the process. My bank was very friendly and helpful in spite of the frustrating amount of work that needs to get done to accomplish such a task. The first card they mailed me never showed up, so that had to get canceled and a new one re-sent. More delays.
Fast forward by a year or two. My bank sends me (and several thousand others, no doubt) a letter apologetically stating that my CC number is on a list of possibly compromised numbers. I would be receiving a replacement card in the mail soon. Great. Just f*cking great.
Two weeks ago I received yet ANOTHER letter to this effect. WTF?! I just got my shiny new replacement card with, I notice, an expiration date much farther into the future. Are they trying to ease the pain with the knowledge the card won’t expire any time soon? Doesn’t matter guys… you’re just going to F*CKING cancel it on me before it expires ANYWAY!
Why is this such a big deal to me? Why am I acting like a five year old in a tantrum kicking a freshly painted wall? Because ALL my bills get paid automatically online. Most of them go through this card. EVERY time there’s a screwup like this, *I* have to go to each of my creditors/utilities/dog groomer/whatever and change my account settings. Doesn’t sound like THAT much work, I know, but keep in mind I’ve engineered the bill payment system to be totally self-sufficient and interaction-free so there are no late payments, missed payments, etcetera. I’ve already gotten a warning from one of my creditors saying. “Um, you’re a little late.”
And, no, I don’t blindly go through life with machines paying my bills. I check them ever week. In fact I noticed Amazon mistakenly charged me several hundred for something I returned. And that Moe’s double charged me $10 for a dinner once (’course I couldn’t find the receipt and doubt if I could have gotten restitution, so just let that one go…) I keep a Google Spreadsheet of all the bills and check them off throughout the month as they appear online in my bank account.
It seems like with all good (auto payment of bills) there must always come some bad (compromised account numbers). Why does this have to happen? Why has it been three times for me in the last four years? Can’t a brother get a break?
