There's something about Jason La Canfora's description of the Vinny Cerrato Era that brings to mind Snape becoming headmaster of Hogwarts. And that would make Snyder...
Sigh.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Movie Review: Spirit of the Marathon
What appeared to be 400 or 500 people packed two theaters at the Regal Gallery Place theater in Chinatown. All to see a 100-minute movie about runners training for the Chicago Marathon.
Spirit of the Marathon followed two pros, Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga, and four amateurs. Two were training for their first marathon, one was trying to qualify for Boston, and one, an older man, was espousing the John Bingham philosophy.
The movie itself was pretty good. I found myself making comparisons to the "Marathon" program on PBS late last year, which was totally disappointing in how it went into great depth at the beginning, and then suddenly just ended. Spirit was better. Flatlandish commented that the music sometimes seemed overly dramatic for household scenes and training runs, but we agreed that the actual marathon footage was inspiring.
In all, I spent most of the movie comparing myself to the amateur runners. I bristled at comments about "zen runners" (those who don't run with a watch) and people who prefer to run solo being somehow odd. Talk about how the marathon is the ultimate test. (I don't personally believe that just getting through a marathon means you can get through anything life throws your way. Maybe I'll go into that more in another entry.) And all the freaking gear they carried with them!
The parts following Deena and Daniel were much more interesting, to see how the elites train, how they live, their attitudes toward running and toward everything else. They were both so positive, even when the circumstances weren't. Maybe that was just the magic of editing, but it sounded good. I yearned to see Deena's finish, and I felt Daniel's disappointment with yet another third-place finish. The rest of the audience did too, as smatterings of applause broke out with Deena's victory, and everyone groaned when seeing Daniel's 2006 finish in the epilogue.
I didn't have that same involvement with the amateurs. Maybe for the guy trying to get to Boston, who wound up injured halfway through his training. Watching him cheer on his wife made me smile, yet with that slight ache as of course he really wanted to be out there in the crowd. I wanted to know what the one struggling woman's problems were. And how the older fellow's daughter felt after her first. Like "Marathon," it just sort of ended. I suppose the ending has to be quick, as the climax is really the marathon, but surely there is more insight they can gather after the experience.
There were some emotional points, for sure. My mood is vastly more stable when I'm running than otherwise, but I still occasionally feel a rise in my throat and tears in my eyes just before a big race. That little itch of pride and anticipation makes itself known, and then just as quickly dissolves as I get down to business. And there were a few times, especially during the introduction, that I felt that same sensation during the movie.
In the end, Race for the Soul remains my favorite running movie. But Spirit is probably a good film to, say, show my mom, to explain why I do this. It seems more accessible, less crazy, and certainly a lot fewer blood, blisters, and gore shots!
Spirit of the Marathon followed two pros, Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga, and four amateurs. Two were training for their first marathon, one was trying to qualify for Boston, and one, an older man, was espousing the John Bingham philosophy.
The movie itself was pretty good. I found myself making comparisons to the "Marathon" program on PBS late last year, which was totally disappointing in how it went into great depth at the beginning, and then suddenly just ended. Spirit was better. Flatlandish commented that the music sometimes seemed overly dramatic for household scenes and training runs, but we agreed that the actual marathon footage was inspiring.
In all, I spent most of the movie comparing myself to the amateur runners. I bristled at comments about "zen runners" (those who don't run with a watch) and people who prefer to run solo being somehow odd. Talk about how the marathon is the ultimate test. (I don't personally believe that just getting through a marathon means you can get through anything life throws your way. Maybe I'll go into that more in another entry.) And all the freaking gear they carried with them!
The parts following Deena and Daniel were much more interesting, to see how the elites train, how they live, their attitudes toward running and toward everything else. They were both so positive, even when the circumstances weren't. Maybe that was just the magic of editing, but it sounded good. I yearned to see Deena's finish, and I felt Daniel's disappointment with yet another third-place finish. The rest of the audience did too, as smatterings of applause broke out with Deena's victory, and everyone groaned when seeing Daniel's 2006 finish in the epilogue.
I didn't have that same involvement with the amateurs. Maybe for the guy trying to get to Boston, who wound up injured halfway through his training. Watching him cheer on his wife made me smile, yet with that slight ache as of course he really wanted to be out there in the crowd. I wanted to know what the one struggling woman's problems were. And how the older fellow's daughter felt after her first. Like "Marathon," it just sort of ended. I suppose the ending has to be quick, as the climax is really the marathon, but surely there is more insight they can gather after the experience.
There were some emotional points, for sure. My mood is vastly more stable when I'm running than otherwise, but I still occasionally feel a rise in my throat and tears in my eyes just before a big race. That little itch of pride and anticipation makes itself known, and then just as quickly dissolves as I get down to business. And there were a few times, especially during the introduction, that I felt that same sensation during the movie.
In the end, Race for the Soul remains my favorite running movie. But Spirit is probably a good film to, say, show my mom, to explain why I do this. It seems more accessible, less crazy, and certainly a lot fewer blood, blisters, and gore shots!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Chilly Cheeks Trail Race (report)
We headed up to Reading, PA, yesterday for an adventure on the trails. I'd done a Pretzel City Sports race last summer and thoroughly enjoyed the sadistic race director's efforts. So when offered the opportunity to spend good money running around in the bitter cold, I took it.
Because Chilly Cheeks starts at 10 am, we opted to drive up that morning. Fun. Three hours there, three hours back. Ninety minutes of running, each. Flatlandish was going to stay with me for the race (it being his first trail race), but he ran up one hill that I walked (silly him!) and he was out of sight before long.
The race is 7.2 miles, with several pretty good climbs. But thanks to snow a few days prior, even the downs were dicey. Especially when surrounded by a bunch of pansy road runners. I often stopped completely to let people pick their way down so that, once they were clear, I could leap and fly and catapult my way to the bottom, which is so much more efficient, so much safer, and so much more fun (which is the point of trail running in the first place). When having to go down slippery slopes slowly, everyone was grabbing tree trunks and branches for support. People also kindly held branches out of the way, or at least intended to, which is how I ended up being whipped in the face a few times. Oh, that stung.
Did I mention the wind chill was around 0°F?
One problem I wasn't expecting was that the cold gusty wind was making my eyes water, which made seeing the trail a trial.
Best part of the race is the end, where you climb up Mt, Mud, basically a 20-foot wall of dirt. Hands-on, dirty, and given the crowd I was stuck in, carried a high risk of being kicked in the face. Scurried up that, toddled my way to the finish, and grabbed some cookies. Post-race food also included a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancakes. We hung out with my friends Dave and Angus (who are far more hardcore runners than I) while enjoying the music and dance of a local family polka troupe. Fun day.
My Garmin seems to have a cold, and was whining of low batteries for the entire race. The total distance isn't right, but here's the elevation chart it did produce, just for a general idea:
Because Chilly Cheeks starts at 10 am, we opted to drive up that morning. Fun. Three hours there, three hours back. Ninety minutes of running, each. Flatlandish was going to stay with me for the race (it being his first trail race), but he ran up one hill that I walked (silly him!) and he was out of sight before long.
The race is 7.2 miles, with several pretty good climbs. But thanks to snow a few days prior, even the downs were dicey. Especially when surrounded by a bunch of pansy road runners. I often stopped completely to let people pick their way down so that, once they were clear, I could leap and fly and catapult my way to the bottom, which is so much more efficient, so much safer, and so much more fun (which is the point of trail running in the first place). When having to go down slippery slopes slowly, everyone was grabbing tree trunks and branches for support. People also kindly held branches out of the way, or at least intended to, which is how I ended up being whipped in the face a few times. Oh, that stung.
Did I mention the wind chill was around 0°F?
One problem I wasn't expecting was that the cold gusty wind was making my eyes water, which made seeing the trail a trial.
Best part of the race is the end, where you climb up Mt, Mud, basically a 20-foot wall of dirt. Hands-on, dirty, and given the crowd I was stuck in, carried a high risk of being kicked in the face. Scurried up that, toddled my way to the finish, and grabbed some cookies. Post-race food also included a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancakes. We hung out with my friends Dave and Angus (who are far more hardcore runners than I) while enjoying the music and dance of a local family polka troupe. Fun day.
My Garmin seems to have a cold, and was whining of low batteries for the entire race. The total distance isn't right, but here's the elevation chart it did produce, just for a general idea:
The Worms' Weekend
Friday and Saturday mornings I was greeted to a few escapee worms on the bin's lid (which is under the bin). So on Saturday we went to Home Depot and got some bricks (33 cents each!). I also wanted some screen, but they didn't have any (???). But the elevation seems to have done the trick, as no worms have crawled through the holes since then. Excellent.
I was concerned that the worms weren't eating fast enough; I have way too much scrap bagged up in the fridge, and barely any has been consumed so far. I'm producing way faster than they are eating. They have found the food, which makes me happy--there are clusters of worms in each pocket of scrap I've buried. But that food is starting to smell. Went online looking for some advice, perhaps on how to coach them to eat faster.
(Tangent: It seems the VAST majority of vermicomposting websites are Canadian. Vancouver especially seems to have lots of strong municipal support for it, with brochures and such. Interesting...)
Found a helpful site, All Things Organic, that had a lot of useful info. For instance, the worms won't eat fresh food--they wait for microorganisms to start decomposing the food, then they go to town. So they may not eat much at first, because they're biding their time.
Also, worms are curious. I did not know that. And so when they are introduced to a new environment (a bin) they will explore. And that explains the tracks of castings I see running up the sides of the bin.
And finally, I should not have added water to the bin this morning. (The bedding seemed really dry, so I drizzled maybe a cup of water over it.) The articles say that the bedding will become more moist as the worms get revved up. And by all means I should not have added water straight out of the tap, because it has chlorine in it. (Need to let it sit overnight so the chlorine evaporate.) I hope I didn't kill my wormies.
I was concerned that the worms weren't eating fast enough; I have way too much scrap bagged up in the fridge, and barely any has been consumed so far. I'm producing way faster than they are eating. They have found the food, which makes me happy--there are clusters of worms in each pocket of scrap I've buried. But that food is starting to smell. Went online looking for some advice, perhaps on how to coach them to eat faster.
(Tangent: It seems the VAST majority of vermicomposting websites are Canadian. Vancouver especially seems to have lots of strong municipal support for it, with brochures and such. Interesting...)
Found a helpful site, All Things Organic, that had a lot of useful info. For instance, the worms won't eat fresh food--they wait for microorganisms to start decomposing the food, then they go to town. So they may not eat much at first, because they're biding their time.
Also, worms are curious. I did not know that. And so when they are introduced to a new environment (a bin) they will explore. And that explains the tracks of castings I see running up the sides of the bin.
And finally, I should not have added water to the bin this morning. (The bedding seemed really dry, so I drizzled maybe a cup of water over it.) The articles say that the bedding will become more moist as the worms get revved up. And by all means I should not have added water straight out of the tap, because it has chlorine in it. (Need to let it sit overnight so the chlorine evaporate.) I hope I didn't kill my wormies.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Mush!
So Cow Dog has basically no fur on his underside. If he wears a harness for any outdoor activities, he's a chafed, bloody mess; we generally just use his Gentle Leader for everything. That has its drawbacks--a worn area on his snout, a short lifespan for the Gentle Leader, and the feeling that we're going to break his neck if we stop or turn suddenly.
I've explored various methods of preventing the harness chafe, and finally started looking at sled dog equipment. Cow Dog is only 28 pounds, much smaller than a typical sled dog. I found a place, in Alaska no less, that sells "Harness Rub Protection T-shirts" in extra-small (dogs under 38 pounds). Fleecy, durable, and neon green. It arrived today!
And here's Mr. Handsome showing off his new duds:
And now we're off to go for a run and see how it works.
I've explored various methods of preventing the harness chafe, and finally started looking at sled dog equipment. Cow Dog is only 28 pounds, much smaller than a typical sled dog. I found a place, in Alaska no less, that sells "Harness Rub Protection T-shirts" in extra-small (dogs under 38 pounds). Fleecy, durable, and neon green. It arrived today!
And here's Mr. Handsome showing off his new duds:
And now we're off to go for a run and see how it works.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Worms, Day 1
They've found the food. That makes me happy. I have celery scraps in one corner, which seems to be especially popular, and miscellaneous in another corner, which has also drawn a group. If I dig into the paper, I find more, just hanging out. And I believe I've seen my first castings--some dirt-looking stuff around the celery. Cool.
They move really fast. I've been wearing a headlamp to check them, and they scurry away much more quickly than I expected.
Lingering question is whether they'll accept big pieces of food scrap (like a banana peel or a whole spoiled pear) or if it has to be in smaller pieces. We shall see.
I also must stop pestering them.
They move really fast. I've been wearing a headlamp to check them, and they scurry away much more quickly than I expected.
Lingering question is whether they'll accept big pieces of food scrap (like a banana peel or a whole spoiled pear) or if it has to be in smaller pieces. We shall see.
I also must stop pestering them.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
My New Pets
"What's she doing with a bin of leaves?"
Making dirt, baby. Over Christmas, I was peeling tons of vegetables, and I felt like a dope throwing away all those nice scraps. But I have no yard, not even a balcony or porch, so it's not like I can compost. But I googled around, and found vermicomposting. It sounded like a New Years resolution, but the timing is just coincidence.
And today my worms arrived on my doorstep! Luckily we had to come home early (ironically for a pest control inspection), so they didn't sit out in the snow/wintry mix all day.
I already had my bin, and for two weeks I've been saving scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, and general plant matter in a big bag in my fridge. Yes, my husband is very tolerant.
Last night, anticipating their arrival today, I drilled the ventilation holes. This morning I collected a big bag of dry leaves. And upon coming home today, I soaked some strips of newspaper. The newspaper went in first, as bedding. Then some dirt from an ailing donor houseplant. (Apparently worms need "grit" to aid digestion.)
Then I took the worms out of their packing. They came in a small cardboard box (about 6x6x6?), inside two paper bags stapled shut. Looks like a few worms got antsy and tried to escape--there were worm remains dried along the sides of the box. So valiant!
They traveled in a fine mulch. I tried to scatter it loosely around, but the worms themselves fell out in one giant tangle. I gently tried to separate the tangle, but it was cold and slithery...and I think I'll let them get settled on their own time.
Then I spread the dried leaves across the top (because they like to be covered). Added a handful of "food" from my scrap bag, underneath the leaves. And, uh, that is that. I guess in two or three months, with daily feeding, I'll have a zillion worms and a bunch of their castings. Which, seeing as how I don't have a yard, balcony, or porch, I guess I'll give to other people? Or try again with some new houseplants.
A few more photos, for your viewing pleasure:
That last one is food scraps, BTW. And big thanks to WormWoman for the great service!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
All-Star Zimm?
Saw on MSNBC that the Cardinals and the Blue Jays are swapping third basemen. The Cards' 3B is Scott Rolen, who is a regular at the All-Star Game. Now he's in the American League.
Might this trade open the door for Zimmerman to get to the All-Star Game?
Might this trade open the door for Zimmerman to get to the All-Star Game?
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Running away from Active.com
A year ago, Active.com acquired CoolRunning.com. I had kept my training log on Cool Running since I started running in 2003, though I had sort of slacked off on it for the second half of 2007. With the advent of the new year, I figured it was a good time to get back to the log, and I ventured into the Active world.
Good god.
Yes, they successfully carried my old log over to the new software. But the interface is just a disaster. First, Macs don't exist in their world. They also desperately want you to use one of their cookie-cutter training plans, so you have to have a plan in your calendar, and then report to the log whether you actually completed the workout.
I haven't followed a stringent plan in over a year. I much prefer to just set a weekly mileage goal, perhaps figure out my long run in advance, and then fit the remainder in where my schedule allows. This non-plan successfully got me through JFK and my Marathon Trifecta last spring, so I'm sticking with it.
I futzed with it for a little while, and after finally getting one day's workout entered, hit Save. "Error. Workout could not be saved." Oh, that's it.
To cut to the chase, I found this more than sufficient replacement. It appears to be where CoolRunning's forum refugees went, too. Like Running Times after the Runners Worldredesign forum disaster, there was already an active forum community that didn't appreciate the invasion. And like Runango, it's totally independent--just a guy who designed some software and pays for the hosting himself. The log is awesome. The same stuff Cool Running had, but also it has a section for recording intervals, and another for race placements. And graphs galore. I don't need all that stuff, but it's fun to play with. And it's easy to use! And if it keeps me motivated, all the better.
Epilogue: Yesterday I also registered for a race through Active. I opened the confirmation e-mail today to print out the registration. Despite clicking the link in the actual e-mail, Stupid Active makes me log in and then says I am not permitted to access the registration. Oh, Active, you suck so.
Good god.
Yes, they successfully carried my old log over to the new software. But the interface is just a disaster. First, Macs don't exist in their world. They also desperately want you to use one of their cookie-cutter training plans, so you have to have a plan in your calendar, and then report to the log whether you actually completed the workout.
I haven't followed a stringent plan in over a year. I much prefer to just set a weekly mileage goal, perhaps figure out my long run in advance, and then fit the remainder in where my schedule allows. This non-plan successfully got me through JFK and my Marathon Trifecta last spring, so I'm sticking with it.
I futzed with it for a little while, and after finally getting one day's workout entered, hit Save. "Error. Workout could not be saved." Oh, that's it.
To cut to the chase, I found this more than sufficient replacement. It appears to be where CoolRunning's forum refugees went, too. Like Running Times after the Runners World
Epilogue: Yesterday I also registered for a race through Active. I opened the confirmation e-mail today to print out the registration. Despite clicking the link in the actual e-mail, Stupid Active makes me log in and then says I am not permitted to access the registration. Oh, Active, you suck so.
Farewell, Coach
Wow. I mean, I guess I'm not completely surprised. But it makes me all the more glad I went to the welcome home Saturday night.
I hope they promote Williams. The team has developed such chemistry over the last six weeks, and it would be a shame to start over with a new staff. Imagine an outside guy like Cowher walking into that emotionally loaded locker room.
Plus, personally, I'm sick of rebuilding years.
I hope they promote Williams. The team has developed such chemistry over the last six weeks, and it would be a shame to start over with a new staff. Imagine an outside guy like Cowher walking into that emotionally loaded locker room.
Plus, personally, I'm sick of rebuilding years.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Feets
I've found myself lately watching people's feet during my walks to and from work. Not specifically their shoes, and not because of the standard DC downcast gaze. I'm watching them pronate. Or, more often than not, overpronate. Like the chick in the black and white Keds this morning, whose walking made my ankles hurt.
When I see that, I find my feet overemphasizing my own neutral-to-underpronating style. Weird. And a good thing I wear old running shoes to work every day.
When I see that, I find my feet overemphasizing my own neutral-to-underpronating style. Weird. And a good thing I wear old running shoes to work every day.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Standing in a field, in the rain, at 3 am
So I hadn't done anything crazy in a
fast forward six days
After the heartbreaking loss and knowing the forecast for overnight was a cold rain, along with a wide open Sunday perfect for a new hike, it was a little hard to stay motivated for this sort of adventure. But at 11:45 pm, we set out.
(tangent: Ran into our landlady on the way out the door, commiserated about the noise from the idiot kids next door, and agreed we'd call the cops if they were still making noise when we got back. Figured it would only be a couple of hours, and history says they'd still be obnoxiously loud.)
Headed out 66 to Rt. 7, onto Rt. 28, missed the turn for Waxpool Rd., turned around, found our way. It sure was dark, it sure was raining, and it sure was way past our bedtime. The parking area wasn't clear from the road, but fortunately some other folks showed up in due time and we followed them.
And that's how we ended up standing in a field with 100 other nuts, in exurban Virginia, in the rain, for three hours in the middle of the night.
The buses were 90 minutes later than expected. But we stood at the rope at the edge of Redskin Park Drive for a good half hour, teetering on islands of grass to stay out of the deepening mud puddles. And we were rewarded for our efforts.
As the line of buses rolled up, I could see Gibbs's face in the front, the lights reflecting off his glasses. He deboarded and, under an umbrella and surrounded by handlers and news cameras, began working the line, signing books as he went. We were about a quarter of the way up from the start, and he handed me a signed copy of his book, Racing to Win. Oh, wow! Then he hands Mr. Agnostic Rallycap a signed pocket copy of the New Testament. Woot!
All the while I'm standing there dumbstruck and silent, and Mr. Rallycap heaps congratulations and praise on Coach.
He continues down the line, glad-handing and asking his peeps to get more books from inside. Not long after he gifted us, the players start driving past, on their way home. Oh! There's Marcus Washington! And Stephon Heyer! Oh, and CP, who is eminently recognizable. A car with Massachusetts plates: Todd Collins, looking none too pleased. (We still think you did a remarkable job.) Chris Samuels! A sparkling white Bentley goes by, carrying Jason Campbell. And on and on. We couldn't recognize most of them, but we cheered regardless. It'll be a while before I can lose my voice for them again. Several players had their windows down, and a lot honked their horns for us and waved or gave us a thumbs up. One guy drove by holding a tiny video camera pointed our way. Oh, it was such mutual admiration.
Eventually the crowd thinned and I realized I couldn't feel my toes, so we started back across the field. Gibbs was still working the rope line. Wow, what a tremendous man.
We got home around 4:30. (It was still raining.) Fortunately the dopes next door had shut off the tunes, and we hit the pillow, satisfied.
A few more blurry pics:
EDIT: I totally forgot something...I have never seen a group of people with such a high percentage of smokers. I swear, it seemed like we were the only two not smoking. I heard the other day that only 19% of American adults smoke. Most of them were in Ashburn last night. Weird.
Friday, January 4, 2008
What does the Nationals' marketing staff do all day?
Svrluga reported today that there will be no winter FanFest and that a few players may make appearances at some other events this weekend and next. Maybe. They don't really know. And, um, this weekend is tomorrow. So presumably there will be no pre-event announcements to actually publicize where they are. And, we fans wouldn't even know this much if people hadn't been bugging Barry to inquire on our behalf.
Seriously. I work in marketing, and I plan events. I also spend too much time goofing off online, but I do get my work done and my clients and volunteer groups are happy. The Nationals list 15 people in their marketing and communications staffs. I also know through family that in other sports and at other teams, ticket sales account execs are responsible for promotion and events.
I'm totally perplexed how a large team of marketing, communications, and promotions professionals can drop such a huge ball, over and over. If the Lerners are as cheap as everyone likes to say, then they should be annoyed that they aren't getting their money's worth from this staff. What are they doing over there?
Seriously. I work in marketing, and I plan events. I also spend too much time goofing off online, but I do get my work done and my clients and volunteer groups are happy. The Nationals list 15 people in their marketing and communications staffs. I also know through family that in other sports and at other teams, ticket sales account execs are responsible for promotion and events.
I'm totally perplexed how a large team of marketing, communications, and promotions professionals can drop such a huge ball, over and over. If the Lerners are as cheap as everyone likes to say, then they should be annoyed that they aren't getting their money's worth from this staff. What are they doing over there?
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