Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Gearing up for our 50th Birthdays!


Sarah and I both celebrate our 50th birthdays this spring. About a year ago, I said something like, "Hey, we should run a 50 mile race for our 50th birthdays," knowing that there were no 50 mile races around here in the spring. Sarah said that was too far, but there was the 50K Spokane River Run in April.

Damn.

So, we've been building up our mileage this winter. Today, I have a 14 mile run planned. I say planned because I usually wind up getting lost in my thoughts, and adding another couple of miles to the run, according to my Garmin Forerunner 305.

This GPS wristwatch is pretty cool because it also tells me what my current pace is. I also have my really old IPod Mini on board. It's dented up and glued together, but still works OK.

I never listen to music when I run, just podcasts. Some favorites are Real Time with Bill Maher, Harry Shearer's Le Show and WTF by Mark Maron. You might remember him from Air America's Morning Sedition.

My absolute favorite podcast is Coast to Coast AM. Some of the stories people call in with are pretty funny, especially when the caller is drunk and he discloses the sad tale of the werewolf/vampire/alien/liberal who stole his fiance. Some of the shows depart from the paranormal and feature famous scientists - experts on astronomy, geology, mathematics, etc. The same callers still call in. This is fun to listen to as callers try to turn a scientific treatise on black holes into a discussion concerning demonic air fresheners, time-traveling telemarketing and machine elves. Priceless.

Here is a good article, my neighbor Brad shared, concerning George Noory the host of Coast to Coast. Everyday people always tell great stories on this show, and Noory continually treats them with respect and kindness. And then there's always UFO Phil.

I hope to get back into the barefoot running after our birthday celebration.

Happy Trails!

3 comments:

Spokane Al said...

Happy birthday!

And while I would not want to discourage you from the Spokane River Run, I must say that a couple of years ago I did the 25k run and it was tough, technical and I fell on my face three times. It convinced me that rock strewn narrow paths are something I should avoid - but then again I am a clumsy old guy.

There is a 37 mile race coming up soon - the Centennial Trail Run is on March 13 ( http://www.ctrun.net/ ).

Take care.

Hank Greer said...

I was going to mention the Centennial Trail run as well. It looks very tantalizing.

Yeah, I'm a bad liar.

I am thinking about doing the 25k section of the Spokane River Run. I should get out there and preview the trails. From what I heard, I'll probably need to wear shoes for that one.

EvilElf said...

Unfortunately, I do have a habit of falling on my face when running trails. If I do, I hope it's early, close to the car.