I’m in Draper, UT… Given the distance, it might have been prudent to have rented a car. But I don’t have that risk to worry about, but I won’t really be able to go explore Salt Lake City on the way back to the airport.

I am staying at a Fairfield Inn, so if you need some expert opinion, mine won’t be any good since this is not a Holiday Inn Express. I doubt that I will get much time to blog or play on facebook or anything else during the day, although I might get some free time. I will be around in the evenings here, but I think they are going to give us some homework.

The view here is impressive. My view hasn’t changed a whole lot, I still mountains when I look outside. However, these Mountains are much more pointy. I do have Stella with me, so I will take some pictures. Had a car, perhaps I could have driven to some places to snap pictures.

I am going to try to run Monday, Wednesday and check out the workout room Tuesday and Thursday. There is supposed to be a cold spell here, so that might cut down on the outdoor running. Of course, I am running at altitude ( 4500 ft) but I don’t think that I will be here long enough to really gain any benefit… *sigh*

I am approximately here: -111.871223,40.52693899999999

Well, I better rest…

Looks like it’s going to be one of those Digest versions of the week. I did have some incidents that could warrant a seperate entry all to itself, but I ran out of time.

Monday: Terry Day got switched from Tuesday to Monday, so I ended up running 4.4 miles at Lakeshore under some beautiful conditions. After I ran, I made my way over to Panera Bread so that I could use some Wifi while I did some Stock homework for my up coming trip. I had planned on just getting a drink since Panera is the House of Gluten and I can’t really eat anything there. So, I am standing in line and an atheletic couple with their kid is ordering and the guys says he’ll have a salad. The dim lightbulb above my head brightened by 10 watts. Salad? He’s having a Salad! Can I have a Salad? I can have a salad! So, as I was on the computer I was eating a SALAD! And it was a good one too… only think “bad” about it was the casein in the cheese… but no biggie.

While I am at Panera. A mom’s group comes and sits down in the same “area” in Panera. This basically means that you are part of the conversation even if you didn’t want to be, it’s you just can’t chime in. This is why blogging when things happen is so much easier than one of these re”crap” posts. The mom’s group was pretty funny… to get away from their lives for a little sisterhood bonding over coffee in Panera, they sure did talk about their kids alot… oh and pregnancy… and epidurals… and childbirth… and their kids… and their friends kids… and the therapies their kids are taking.

So after I left Panera, I headed to errand run at Target. I did the “Perimeter Run” in Target to see if there were any good deals on the Clearance, but no such luck. I found some running shorts that I could use, but decided to just use what I have for right now. So I am in the check out… waiting… it’s almost close so there’s only one cashier open on the electronic’s side of Super Target.

I would have sworn the couple ahead of me was a Hooker and a Trick, based on the way she was dressed. Then I noticed how much they resembled each other… and so then it was just a  father/daughter  outing.  But While I was paying, this woman is storming out of the store… walking fast with bags. Then you here “Hey, I am talking to you. Hello?”

“I’m talking to you,” he calls again as she is just out the store. She does say something to which you hear him reply, “Liar!” Oh, THAT’S going to end well tonight. Too bad there was a kid following the dad. I guess the woman could have been his daughter, given the fact that I had mistaken the hooker daughter earlier.

Tuesday: I gave blood: 1) I could give again, 2) I don’t have a race until the end of the month and 3) They called me personally to ask to give because they were short in the blood supply. I am in demand. Of course, now I am “untouchable” for 16 weeks. And I forgot to bring in my Super Donor card for my extra t-shirt.

Wednesday: Nothing Really to Report

Thursday: In our neighborhood, we have a neighborhood watch program which requires (loosely) to patrol the neighborhood once a year. This is a deterrent for criminal activity, but doesn’t deter houses getting Rolled (with TP). Thursday was our day… and out of ALL the days in the week, Thursday is the worst day. 1) I have the kids in the evening and 2) My Lovely and Talented Wife has her unit meeting that night.

So instead of the normal: Tub Time, PJs, Books and Lights Out, it was Get Your PJs On And Head To The Van!

Now, the last time we went into the van in PJs, it was BOOMSday here in Knoxville so The Elder asks, “Are we going to see fireworks?”

“Not this time.”

We drove around the neighborhood once and then parked near the entrance so that I could inspect the cars that were going in and out of the neighborhood and Make My Presence Known! The kids were watching a video and I even popped some popcorn for them while in the van with the hopes that they would fall asleep and I wouldn’t have to do anything but lay them in their bed.

After a while I felt the urge to go. I would taken care of it right there in the van, but I am still trying for that Parent of the Year Award and although it would have been resourceful, using the 20oz Diet Coke bottle as a portable receptacle was not really prudent with the kids. So, we went home, briefly.

We snaked around the neighborhood again looking at basically nothing. It had been raining all afternoon and there was not a soul outside. Not even some punk kids having fun in the rain. I did stop and unclog a storm drain that had been partially clogged from the Eucalypus leaves and pollen. There was a small dam formed and the water was backing up making a 6 inch deep area, that was about 3 feet from one of the “High Voltage” boxes in the neighborhood.

On our way back to the stakeout point, I saw something in the road. It looked like a curvy stick, but what’s better than a curvy stick? A SNAKE!

And that’s what I said, “A Snake!”

“Where?” questioned The Elder.

“In the Road, right here,” as I pulled upside it so that I could take a picture. I had Stella with me in case I needed photographic evidence of something. I took 1 picture and the batteries died. *sigh*

“You want to see the snake?”

“Yeah,” The Elder replies trying to get out of his seat, “I want to see the snake.”

“Me Too,” chimes The Younger.

“OKay, Hold On.” I back the van so that I can approach the snake from a safe angle. But I pulled The Elder out of the van and showed him the snake. This was one of those non-domesticated snakes. It started to pull it’s head up as if to say “My Dad was a Cobra and My Mom a Rattler… so Back off!” But seeing that the snake was almost accross the road, I put The Elder back in the Van and popped out The Younger.

By the time we got to the snake, it was almost in the woods. But he did get to see it move. Had I not been holding The Younger, I would have grabbed the snake out for a better view… but I didn’t, although I did touch the snakes tail.

So we went back to our stakeout place and we hung out here for a while. It was now dark and rainy and I couldn’t really see much of anything. By the time I got home The Elder had fallen asleep, YES! But The Younger was still (wide) awake, DARN! So, it sorta worked out.

Friday: After 3 days of not working out, I finally decided to run. My intention was to do 5 miles, but once I got started, I bargained with myself to do 4 miles. But the 1st mile was REALLY hard. I could not figure out why it was so tough. At the end of the 1st mile, that I would only do 2 miles with a long walk break in between. As I was walking, I realized that I did give blood this week and this was the first workout since then. So, I wasn’t so upset that 2 miles was about to kill me.

Next Week: I will be in Utah for most of next week at  Trading Education Seminar. Although I will be very busy, I will have computer access, so maybe I can catch up on some people’s blog and actually leave meaningful comments. Maybe even work on a little Gravity while I am there!

Breakthrough Corporation
1805 Maryville Pike
Knoxville TN 37920

Dear Breakthrough Corporation,

Enclosed with this letter is a donation check for $477.00. That may seem like an odd amount (and literally, it is) but there is a reason for this unusual number. April 2^nd is World Autism Day, as you are well aware, and I did something special that day to help fellow people who have Autism.

One of my special interests is trading stocks and options. It’s a newly found interest and is a good fit for my personality, plus the potential to make lots of money makes it very useful. I decided that on World Autism Day I would take the highest winning trade and take profits on that trade and donate it to an Autism charity. It just so happens that trade was worth $477.00.

My next dilemma was to choose which worthy Autism charity to donate the money. It did not take me long to decide to keep it close to Knoxville. And since it just so happened that I was getting ready for Ribbon Run 5k on April 19^th, Breakthrough Corporation was fresh in my mind.

I look forward to Breakthrough Corporation making a larger impact in the Knoxville community. I’m also looking forward to participating in the Ribbon Run 5k in the years to come. My only regret is that I did not send this check in sooner.

Sincerely,

p.s. Here my blog entry on my plan for World Autism day: http://www.planet3rry.com/2008/04/02/world-autism-day/ and this is the result: http://www.planet3rry.com/2008/04/03/world-autism-donation-result/

This Week’s Theme: Time

This is the finish line to the Run for the Deaf 5k which is held annually at the Tennessee School for the Deaf. This is one of my favorite race because the course is pretty and relatively “flat”, also all the proceeds go to a great cause. This picture is late, but it was “hunted” on Saturday. In case you were wondering about “my time”, it was 23:27.

Find out How you can play the weekly Photo Hunt
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There wasn’t a whole lot of fanfare at the Run for the Deaf this year. There was some worry that the weather would dump on us, as it was the weather was perfect, but rain would dampen the race.

I got to race early enough so that I could get a nice pre-race warm up in before reporting to race start. At race start, I saw that quite a bit of the fast runners were there in the front, so that I knew getting an age group award was out of the window for this race. And that was actually a stress that I didn’t have to carry the burden over the race.

The race started and it’s a nice downhill start. Although this is tough on the legs, it’s easier on the psyche and lungs as you pick up speed for the race. As I mentioned before, parts of Island Home is “Level Flat” not “Knoxville Flat”. Apart from the Start/Finish, the race is a combination of “Level-Flat” and “Knoxville Flat”.

Mile 1

So with a down hill start and the rest of the mile is flat. It’s really easy to go out fast. This is great if you are going for a PR time. However, if you are unexperienced, you’ll be out like at the 1/2 mile mark like the kid that was running ahead of me, then his friends caught up and he said “I’m Done” and proceeded to walk.

Mile 1 in 6:58

That, by the way, is a big forecasted PR pace for me. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hold on to that pace, but my in situ race plans changed to hold on to that pace. In Marathons, the common Rule of Thumb is don’t go out to fast… which is on the money because it’s a long race and going out to fast is costly. However in shorter races, if you want to get a PR, you have to go out fast! The trick is finding that threshold which you can go out fast yet still maintain your endurance to carry you. If you go out fast, your body “feels” that speed, so when you “slow down” your body relaxes but that new speed may be faster than what you would have been running had you tried to start the race at a conservative pace and tried to get faster over the course. It’s easier to slow down at the end of the race, then it is to speed up. A consequence is that if you go out to fast, you exhaust your Kick at the end of the race.

Mile 2

I tried to hit a rhythm with my strides and breathing. I was far enough ahead in the mass of runners that I had little traffic in front of me, and I tried, as we rounded corners or curvy streets to take the shortest distance from point to point, even if it meant I was running on the other side of the street.

I could feel that I was starting to slow just a little and I wasn’t sure what the last little hill of the Second mile would do to me.

Mile 2 in 7:33

I remained steady up the hill, but it was tough to maintain that speed afterwards. Once back on the Level Flat Street, I could nothing more than try to keep my pace going. I was fading. With 1/2 mile to go, I was praying for a shoelace to come untied so that I could take a break. A quick look at my watch and I knew that I would finish somewhere under 24 minutes, even with a teeny-tiny stop. I moved along.

The finish is a 2 tier up hill with the first tier being shorter/steeper than the second teir. Neither of them are monster hills but you do have to work at them. Before the race, I had practiced my Race Finish, looking at landmarks that I would use to begin my final approach into the Finishing Chute. There was the Speed Limit 25 sign that I would use to start to accelerate. Then there was the rug that Duct Taped to the Road to cover a pot hole that would be the final kick. I had no energy left for either. I had gone out too fast and I had no Kick left at the end.

I was actually relying on people to shout out to friends and family running that they could “catch” the guy in blue for motivation to encourage me to run faster. For the last 15 steps, I did sprint, or do my best sprint imitation. After finishing, I had to lie down in the grass with a bottle of water to catch my breath.

23:27 Official Time
52 Out of 204 Finishers
10 Out of 14 Age Groupers (35-39)

I was fairly pleased with my result. My personal goal time was 23:30, which I was pretty close at getting, although, I wasn’t exactly happy at HOW I got it with the fast first mile. I was hoping for a little more evenly paced race. But What Can You Do?

I did win a Door Prize - Papa John’s Large One Topping Pizza… so with a decent Race Shirt and a Free Pizza Coupon, I didn’t walk away empty handed.

From The Elder:

thomas youtube

Just thought you should know.

So, I am wrapping up the week, Race Week, at that with a lazy Friday. There’s not a whole lot going on right now. But let’s see what I have to share:

After my Run on Tuesday, I took Wednesday & Thursday as rest days. Mainly because my legs were sore from the run and I didn’t want to over tax them for my race on Saturday. I did today (Friday), swim 800m in the pool. That was nice and refreshing. I was able to work out my legs without the pounding, plus the distance wasn’t too tiring either.

My Upcoming 5k is the Run For The Deaf. This is one of my favorite races. 1) It’s run on Island Home, South of the Tennessee River and is just gorgeous. Not only is the scenery really nice, there are sections of the race that are totally flat… not “Knoxville Flat” but “level flat”. I had been hoping to use this race to attempt at my PR time, but with missing most of February with a sickness, I had a late start. Based on my last two 5k times, I would venture into a Sub 24 pretty easily, but an attack on 21:56 would be a little far fetched (although not totally impossible). The other reason why this is one of my favorite races is that the race profits go to support the Tennessee School for the Deaf. Now, I don’t personally know anyone who is deaf and without being able to communicate with them, I get REALLY uncomfortable, because I don’t want to be rude (or look stupid). But I think this is an awesome resource for those with this disability. Back in 2000-2001, I was a soccer referee for a short time and had the privileged of reffing some of the games for TSD. I was totally amazed, thus when I was able to do this particular 5k, I enjoyed it enough to put it as a “regular” on my annual races.

I generally do fairly well (personally) in this race. I’ve finished in 22:29 and 22:28 on two different occasions. My last running of it in 2005, I finished 24:01 and actually WON my age group with that “relatively” slow time. Although with it being the only race in the area now, I don’t expect that I will fare in my age group as well. I look at the 2007 results and based on my estimated finishing time of 23:30, there would be 7 people ahead of me in this year’s Age Group Males 35-39. But they do have door prizes and I might win one of those!

Also on Saturday, I am going to get the rest of my supplies to work on the flower gardens and vegetable garden. I had around 15 starter plants go wild, but then all but one died… *sigh*

Sunday, is up in the air, but I have 3 people who are having birthdays… What date is 9 months back from May 4th? Hmmmm…

Ellen sent me this story since it falls right up my alley. The only problem that I have with it is the title. I am curious why it’s called ‘Unbelievable’, It sure is believable to me.

‘Unbelievable’ sportsmanship in softball game

CWU players carry WOU player around bases after knee injury following HR