Exploring New Running Routes
Monday, May 5, 2008
20 Days Until Bolder Boulder

Our plan today was to see what our options were for running in the Erie area. Angela came by my place at 5:45 am and we headed out to run in the area. It was almost eerie because I had not run on some of the dirt roads we were using for as much as ten years. Houses had sprouted all around my place and I had not seen many of them close up.

We ran for a half a mile to the east, went around an irrigation pond, and then headed back west before turning north for another half mile. Then we went west for half a mile and eventually found our way onto a public trail around a small lake not far from my place. We then took a route on a sidewalk for half a mile or so. I was unenthusiastic about being on concrete and my knees screamed, “No, no, no, you moron” repeatedly. I promised them I would try to not repeat this concrete feat.

Soon we were back on the farm and decided to head east again. Once we reached County Line Road, we headed back for the more than one mile return to my house. We ran for about an hour and easily covered 4½ miles. I liked our easy pace and it was fun to see the area.

At home, I woke up Holly and got cleaned up for the day. I made Holly turkey sandwiches for lunch and, simultaneously, I scarfed down a few pieces of Monterey Jack cheese and delicious sliced turkey from Sunflower Market. The latter was expensive but tasted great. That was my breakfast. Now, if I could hold down my appetite today, I would have a shot at hitting 200 or less tomorrow.

All morning I worked on the television program and various e-mail correspondence. Between e-mails, proposals, and phone calls, time passed quickly. We had a crisis on the farm with an agricultural burn (“ag burn”) that got out of control. The Fire Department helped and put it out in about 60 seconds. When I saw the tiny area involved (perhaps 2,000 square feet), I was amazed there was a problem. This was typical of farming, however, in that every day there was a new challenge. Long ago I had gained great respect for anyone who tried to make a living in agriculture. It was a tough business and I was always finding news ways to lose money in it.

After all the excitement, I headed to Denver to meet with the CBS4 team and the KBDI producer who were all working together to plan our Democratic Convention coverage. I had agreed to be the “color commentator” for four 2½ programs – one each night of the Convention – from August 25th to 28th. Only my KBDI compatriot made it due to a scheduling snafu and we had a good time talking about our projects, the upcoming show with Governor Ritter, and the Convention.

Having attended a number of both Democratic and Republican National Conventions, I was one of the few people around who had on-site Convention broadcast experience. Conventions were great – one party after another – but this one, of course, had the potential to be far more exciting than usual.

At Pint’s, I ordered my usual Arnold Palmer. I wanted to order a natural beef hamburger but was going to go with a salad instead. I was planning to be good but, when I saw the opportunity to have a all-natural beef burger with Texas chili on it along with melted cheese and French fries, I couldn’t resist. I ate the piece of lettuce and slice of tomato pretending that balanced out the other 99% (by weight) of the meal. Heck, if I couldn’t I eat good food and find a way to lose the weight, I figured I might as well enjoy the bad stuff. I knew I now needed to go for another four-mile run but that wasn’t going to happen.

I headed back home to the farm, worked a little, picked up Holly, made her a snack, took out the dogs. I ate a large Caesar salad with grilled salmon and smoked salmon – a great combination – and decided to call it a day eating-wise. I was ready to burst. That didn’t last long though because at about 8:00 pm, after helping her with homework, I started eating directly from a tub of Breyer’s “Waffle Cone OVERLOAD.” Wow, was that ice cream good.

That evening, my former occasional running partner, Bill Jones, called to see what I was doing exercise-wise these days. He asked, “Have you started training for the Bolder Boulder?” I responded, “I’ve started my training table…” My weight and inability to lose any more pounds reflected my statement.