Dragons

Yesterday became a two-run day as soon as we got out the door. My morning run with Train started a bit slow and, after a mile and a half, I realized that I wouldn't be able to get in as many miles as I had hoped before my 8am class. My pace was simply awkward. After opening with a 7:30 mile, I felt like my form could be best described as a 'slow man's flail.' It was no surprise to me that Logan decided to go a separate way from me less than half a mile later.

Realizing that this run could best be salvaged as a morning yog, I just sat back and took it easy as my body jerked me around UA's Rincon Vista Sports Complex and back home. Like a newborn goat, I muscled my way past any sort of fluidity and, against all odds, managed to go the entire distance without falling into any sort of rythm. I've never really believed in junk miles but I definitely believe in quality miles and I think it's just bad practice to force on crappy miles when you can just do quality miles later. It's like any other sport you practice at -- you reinforce the right way to do things. If you are doing something wrong then you try to tweak it. If you can't tweak it, well, pull up some pine -- you can try again another day.

So after classes went by for the day, I saw that Bill Clinton would be speaking today at 6:30pm at Reid Park. WOG session be damned, I went ahead and got me a ticket. For those of you who do go to WOG this afternoon, it'll probably be the safest workout you'll ever run.

Getting the ticket along with getting my homework done, I did not get out the front door until 10:30pm. I figured 5 miles would be fine so I threw on the iBlax, some gloves, and a beanie and headed south.

It's nice to be a guy sometimes.

I was immediately hit by the cold of the night. It's been a long time since my lungs have breathed cold air and it reminded me of why they call cold air "nature's anthrax" (And it ain't because cold air rocks). About two blocks from my house I saw a dog running around in the middle of the street. It growled at me as I ran past. No doubt it was frozen to death as I am pretty sure that no mammal could possibly survive in these nighttime winter temperatures. A couple cop cars then pulled up to the corner. 'Probably here to clean up that dogsicle,' I thought as I gave 'em the ol' stink eye.

My run on ODC went much better than the Rincon Vista run from that morning. Out I hit 7:20 and 7:10. On the way back I thought I'd to go like 7:00 and 6:40 but, unfortunately, a near confrontation with a group of hooligans tagging the walls along ODC under 22nd St caused me to pick up my first mile pace (6:37) which led to a harder than desired second mile (6:19).

Whatever, I figure this all can't hurt me though.

I jogged in the last half-mile to my neighborhood where those cops were still sitting in their cruisers while that frozen dead dog was still running around the street. I considered telling them about the tagging going on -- but then I figured they'd probably just try to fine me somehow and make me stand in the cold while they took a report that does nothing. Instead I just ran past, came inside, ate a banana and went to sleep.

It's so awesome having heat in the house now.