More Rain Means More Mud…
Friday, May 16, 2008
9 Days Until Bolder Boulder

Because it had rained, I knew the route we ran again would be muddy today. I tried calling my running partner but was unable to reach her. I decided she, too, figured it was too muddy to run so I started to head out the door to the YMCA, where I would finish my weight workout. Nothing like spreading a one-day weight workout over three or four days!

Right before I was going to leave, at about 5:45 am, I saw Angela’s car at my gate. I met her when she pulled into the driveway and suggested we go to the YMCA. She was reluctant because her membership had expired but she had sent in an exit survey which gave her an additional month. Plus the folks at the “Y” wanted her to come visit, if not come back.

She relented and ended up being pleased at the decision. Tracy and Scott greeted her warmly at the entrance. I could tell their enthusiasm for seeing her set her at ease.

We decided to run on the track. I was sore and my running partner explained that was due to the fact I worked out on Tuesday and Thursday. She said there was usually a two-day delay At first, I was miserable but, after just several laps around the “Y” track, I felt better.

The YMCA’s indoor track was terrible. It had a cement-like surface and no cushioning. It would cost about $20,000 to put an extra surface on the track (even painting it with some kind of cushioning material would be an improvement) and I was surprised they had not done it, especially given some of the other ways they had spent far more than that. But, hey, I wasn’t in charge and didn’t want to be. I was just a lowly customer or, as they said, “guest.”

My goal was to do 30 laps but we both agreed, as we neared 30, that 40 made more sense. We completed 40 and Angela said she could keep on running another 40. I told her, if I had the time, I was good for another 20 or so but I had to get home to get my daughter going for school. We both were pleased with our run and agreed to do a final long run on the White Rocks trail this Sunday, starting at 5:45 am. I wanted to run tomorrow but decided to see how I felt.

After taking care of Holly and getting her to school, for breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and butter. It was OK, health-wise, but my biggest success was the low volume of food intake. I would see how I might do today. I had weighed in at 200, which was disappointing after hitting 199 yesterday

I spent the day tackling farm-related issues, television show challenges, doing dishes, and the usual assortment of problems. For lunch I had two McDonald’s Spicy McChicken sandwiches with some extra mayonnaise I added to each sandwich. I drank Arizona ginseng ice tea throughout the day. I was consuming my supply and not replenishing it because of the amount of corn syrup in the beverage.

I even took a rare break and watched the movie, “Dan In Real Life,” with a friend. I was impressed with actor Steve Carrell’s performance. The movie was poignant but also had some very funny comedic moments. People who were parents probably enjoyed it more than others. I had a Monster energy drink and wondered how many calories I consumed. I definitely was alert the rest of the day.

When I picked up Holly, she took me by surprise when she told me there was a surprise party for her friend, Juliana. Juliana was moving to Kansas (or Kentucky, depending on the source of the information), and a surprise “going-away” party had been planned. Holly had been sent an invitation electronically but I had blocked that Website so she found out yesterday. She forgot to tell me and the party started in less than 60 minutes.

We zipped home and, fortunately, I had some gifts stored just for these kinds of emergencies. I found a cute stuffed toy puppy and bath set with some cologne and soaps. Holly liked this much better than the “Tabu” cologne I had suggested. For some reason, Holly thought Tabu was for men and she dismissed the idea that a girl or woman would like it. I quickly wrapped the gift while she took out the dogs and then we zipped over to Superior to her friend Kirsten’s house. Kirsten’s Mom was going to give both girls a ride and I would pick up Holly at 9:30 pm.

After dropping off Holly, I returned to take care of the dogs and get back to work. I spoke with Mike Dino, the CEO of the Democratic Convention’s Host Committee, and suggested a possible way we could help with their fundraising. The concept was to offer advertising and promotional benefits via the television show to prospects they otherwise could not get. This would be a win/win/win because the Host Committee would get revenue it otherwise could not get, the sponsors would get marketing benefits they otherwise would not get, and we would get additional funding to expand the viewing audience of the programs. It was a nice way for everyone to come out ahead.

At 9:25 pm, I headed out to get Holly. My goal was to get to bed by 10:30 am so I could do a long run at 6:00 am tomorrow morning. After all, this was my last weekend to train and I knew I needed another six months. The fact I had not even registered for the Race may have been the biggest statement of all. By the time I had visited with Bailey’s Mom and drove Holly home, it was almost 10:30 pm. After getting ready for bed and watching parts of “Nightline,” Jay Leno and David Letterman followed by Jimmy Kimmel, I finally fell asleep by 12:30 am. An auspicious end to the day…