I ran a 1:31:45 Sunday. That is my fastest. I thought it pretty good since I was coming off the flu, I did a track workout that week and I ran the day before. I was still hitting sevens at mile 10, so I thought I had a chance at setting a personal best. What I should be doing is formulating answers to the interview questions I'll be asked next Wednesday. Wouldn't that be cool if I pulled that off well? G'night. Aum Sat Nam.

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Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

Yesterday.

There is another race this morning. I'm coming off the flu, so I'll have to see how I fare. In motorcycle news, Willie helped me get it out of my trailer in Fall City. We are going to change the oil today and tighten the chain. The skies look clear right now and the radar shows rain in the Cascades and down near Olympia and Tacoma. It was really nice to be able to ride some yesterday. Motorcycles are good.

They were wrong.

My day now includes coffee in the morning and cough stuff at night. 'Night peeps.

I guess it is time to return to work tomorrow. The flu kept me out for three days. My chest is still messy, my head hurts and I'm generally not feeling up to speed. This thing really walloped me. Wednesday was the worst. What I'm concerned about now though is the Mercer Island Half Marathon next weekend. I'll just have to run it to run it, rather than trying to get a good time. I missed some key workouts this past week. I hope this doesn't limit my miles when I get myself back on the roads and trails.

I used some of that time yesterday to sift through and shred unnecessary receipts and credit card offers. This is a major coup. All that crap had been sitting on my counter for as long as I have been here. I even found a rebate sort of check in there. I think it is still good. Nicky was interested in the shredding, maybe because he is good at it himself. I gave him back to Lee this morning after breakfast at Ihop. I think he enjoyed his stay here. But don't take this to mean that I want to be given a cat or kitten. No no. This place is too small and those monsters wake you up at 2:30 in the morning. This one also enjoyed drinking from my water cup and knocking down my ficus tree.

If you can believe it, I was too ill to write a post here yesterday. I've have the flu. Yesterday really sucked. I can't remember the last time I spent most of the day in bed. So no work for me yesterday and today. Nicky has been keeping me company. Lee is back in town on Saturday and the chubby cat will return to his own place. I'll be able to run some errands today. I couldn't think of that yesterday. I hope y'all are feeling better than this. It shouldn't be hard.

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Originally uploaded by nthaniel.

"unbalanced"

I need to beat 22:41 this morning at the St. Patrick's Day Dash in Seattle. It is a 3.4 mile run from Key Arena, along the viaduct and ends at Safeco field. I'm not sure how I'll do because we ran about 17 miles yesterday at the Redmond Watershed. Two years ago they served twinkies, bratwurst and beer at the end. I was told about the running group there too. This should be fun.


Update: I ran a 20:14 (my time) 20:24 (gun time). I was that close to breaking 20 minutes. They had potato chips, sausage and, of course, beer at the end. I didn't go to the track workout on Wednesday, so this passed as that.

"You each possess in miniature all properties of the universe as you concieve of it at this present time . . . so what seems to you or to your scientists [to occur] outside of you, occurs within you, and now."

-Jane Roberts as Seth in Conversations with Seth, by Susan Watkins, pg.69

Here is my new roommate. Nicky will be here for a week. Not much going on if I'm writing about a cat. No running today. All the moving parts are moving and well, thank you very much. I don't feel anything untoward from my knee. Yay! I spent all day behind a 21. That, and the 38 miles in the last three days is enough to merit a break. Speed work tomorrow. Cheers.

Hey, I got a cat for a week. Lee is out of town and the (as I call him) racoon needs to be kept away from Mr. Captain. I just hope that, ahem, little Nicky doesn't howl while I'm away. He is getting used to the apartment right now, and he seems content. I've already said that he is smart, so maybe he'll believe me when I try to tell him that this arrangement is only for a week. Now it is time to get the ice off the back of my knee and then get to bed. G'night.

I don't have much news. I completed the radiation therapy application again and dropped it off at the school last Monday. While running with the maniacs this morning in West Seattle I was encouraged to keep trying by a family doctor. The marathon maniacs are an impressive group of runners. The other doc in the group is a neurologist. We ran about twenty miles. As I'm typing, there is a bag of ice strapped to the back of my knee. I hope it wards off any further injury. I've only recently started doing this. I'm very pleased with the results. I usually get back and after a shower I would go straight to bed for a nice nap. In sleep the body would try to fix itself and then the inflammation would complicate the recuperation. That area would get so full that the blood would have a tough time bringing nutrients in and carrying stuff out. At least that is how I think the process works.

Yesterday some of us from the ESR group did about eleven miles at the Mercer Slough. I hope my knee lets me run tomorrow. If it does, then it'll only be for a relatively short distance. I entered the Mercer Island Rotary Half Marathon and the St. Patrick's Day Dash for the month of March. You'd think I'd be losing weight with all of these miles, but think again. I'd love to lose just five pounds. I think it'd make a significant difference. I'm gonna try to get some sleep now. Y'all enjoy your week.