35th Street Loop

I ran the 35th Street Loop in 41:43, with splits of 10:12, 10:04, 10:28, and 10:58. I felt fine. This was easy, and it was kind of nice to not have to run at a goddamn seven-minute-a-mile pace to make up for four minutes of walking each mile. On the other hand, I think I might be getting something out of those 10-mile runs like last night's. I mean, fuck, I'll bet Deana Drossin doesn't do 10 miles of intervals all in one sitting very often.

I had a little problem with hypoglycemia this afternoon. Nothing major. I identified it early, somewhere in the third mile. I could've stopped and walked three blocks home, but decided to push through. It just made me a little slower, that's all; and I'm good at that. I am slow in every essential way.

Park Hill-Gimblett Loop

This was easy. I walked the first two minutes of each half mile, or a total of 40 minutes, to cover the Park Hill-Gimblett Loop in 1:47:28, with splits of 11:05, 11:17, 10:32, 11:20, 10:40, 10:51, 10:55, 10:30, 10:41, and 9:37. My blood sugar was at 56 thirty minutes before I started. I ate a package of Gu and drank two ounces of grape juice, and it was at 134 just before I stepped out the door. I ate Gu at 3.5 and 7.5 miles, and it was at 81 when I finished.

Gimblett Loop

My legs were deadened more than expected from nine holes walked at Rebsamen Park Golf Course, a half-round completed about 90 minutes before I began my slow tour of the Gimblett Loop. But they revived. I walked two minutes to start each half mile and finished in 56:21, with splits of 11:24, 11:49, 11:09, 11:09, and 10:50. I almost quit after a mile, but didn't want to write the word "aborted" in the title. Plus, I thought I might start to feel better, and did; in fact, felt great after ascending the 47th Street hill, or for the final three and a quarter miles.

I played with an approximately 55-year-old dad and his North Little Rock High-junior son, named Greg and David, respectively, and had a hoot at Rebsamen. We all sucked. I scored a 54, with 2 bogies, 5 doubles, and 2 triples.

Two NLR cops pulled me over on F Street. I thought they were going to bust me for running on the road and not the sidewalk, but instead said there have been a lot of burglaries in Park Hill and Levy and to please call 911 if I saw any "suspicious behavior."

Maple Street Loop/Hash

This morning I walked the Maple Street Loop in 29:13, and this afternoon spent 44 minutes on Reverend Bob's run from Ray Winder Field's parking lot. Some woman with a GPS watch said we went 3.3 miles. I, of course, got all sentimental and cried like a baby. Those fucking GPS watches.

Maple Street Loop/Gimblett Loop intervals

The weathermen say a big storm is coming. Weather.com agrees, although I don't need a fucking meteorologist to tell me with 70 degrees in late December and a 30 mile-an-hour wind and a sky churned black and gray that there might be a storm on the way. I walked the Maple Street Loop through light, horizontal rain and leaves and Christmas remnants blowing across the streets in 27:33.

This encouraged me. Hours after the storm left wet roads and an enduring, high wind, as I jogged down the 35th Street hill toward my house tonight, I figured I was about to finish the Gimblett Loop, with 60 seconds hard/easy through the third and fourth miles, in about 48 minutes. I felt light and strong; was barely breathing. I "wouldn't have blowed out a match," as a trainer at Oaklawn Park once said to me about his colt after a workout. I got it in 45:36, with splits of 9:47, 10:02, 8:36, 8:36, and 8:35.

Orange Street Loop

I jogged for two minutes and walked for three until I had covered the Orange Street Loop in 37:07, with splits of 12:20, 13:04, and 11:43.

Old Centerpoint Highway

NASHVILLE — Pope Street, once you get out of town, is known around these parts as the Old Centerpoint Highway. A fellow named Phil Brown, while up from Nashville for the Great Cross Country Race back in May, told me about it as the least traveled of running options here. It seems nice; at least it was car-free on Christmas Eve and Christmas evening. Tonight I ran four miles out and back, walked a bit of the third mile, in 46:17. This run was fueled by Waffle House pork chops and Waffle House's new menu item, biscuits and gravy.

Fourth Street/Pope Street

NASHVILLE — My run tonight pleased me, surprised me in that regard. I had eaten a great pile of fried new potatoes and onions;* they probably weighed close to three pounds before they were cooked. Less than two hours later, at about 9 p.m. Central, I went for what I figured would be a very slow and uncomfortable two-mile walk/jog. By the time I had adjusted to the chill, was warm enough to walk, I realized I was quite comfortable trotting along at what I gauged an 11-minute pace, so I ran out of town into pitch black on ancient, uneven pavement for 17 minutes, and then ran back for 15:30 (it was a little more downhill for the return) to cover what I guess was a little over three miles. It was a nearly perfect, easy little jog, topped this evening by nothing save those motherfucking potatoes.

*truly, I really mean it this time, the best plate of potatoes I have eaten, better even, believe it or not, than a plate the Vratils and I devoured in San Antonio six days ago. I fried these in a large electric skillet, set at 400 degrees, for a little less than 40 minutes, maybe 38. They could've been eaten 10 minutes earlier, but I let them crisp. It was almost four pounds of potatoes with three large, white onions, fried in a quart of canola oil. I have never seen my mother so surprised and delighted by any of my previous culinary efforts. The secrets: make way more than you think can be eaten (we ate them all), fry them at a slightly lower temperature than seems appropriate (400 was as high as the skillet would go), and remain patient.

Gimblett Loop

Tonight I acknowledged my fitness upfront, and started two laps of the Gimblett Loop intent on walking two minutes each half mile, hoping to complete them comfortably and at something close to a five-hour marathon pace (11:26/mile). I covered the ten miles in 1:48:34, with splits of 11:26, 11:33, 11:04, 10:59, 10:26, 11:13, 11:08, 10:52, 10:19, and 9:34. Every step felt good.

My blood sugar was at 107 fifteen minutes before I began. I ate a package of Gu, and then packages at 3.5 and seven miles. It was at 145 when I finished. I had not taken a shot of long-term insulin (Levemir) since 9:30 a.m. Central, which might explain the rise. Also, I suspect my carelessness with both bottles during my five-day, San Antonio trip might have compromised their contents. I will forego the pre-run Gu package before my next long effort.

I am pretty sure I have never broken 20 minutes for two miles that included eight minutes of walking (as I did my final two). I was strong tonight, a rarity, and pleasing.

Aborted Gimblett Loop

Apparently a day of depravity could not be overcome by a 12-hour bout of cleaning and clean-living. I hoped to run the Gimblett Loop twice, but instead completed a modified version of the Levy Loop in 22:08, with splits of 11:07 and 11:01. My legs felt like they belonged to someone else; to a man who hasn't run in a long time or ran a long way yesterday.

Hash

I marked the Jesus Christ Memorial Two-Mile Race to Hell for the Little Rock Hash House Harriers on Sunday. I guess it took me about 30 minutes.

Hashers ate 43 chili dogs. They raced slowly. The winning time was 13:27. A pretty, 25-year-old named Elsa Kanner won the women's division in 15:14. Sam spent the entire evening on the front-bedroom bed's headboard, endured multiple pettings, and emerged as a reserved, cat star; Jo and Pam remained under the bed throughout.

My house is a fucking mess.

Park Hill Loop

This was about as easily as I can run. I completed the Park Hill Loop in 51:44, with splits of 10:22, 10:39, 10:02, 10:50 (I had to slow way down to pee, and am happy to say managed to keep all but few drops off my legs and shoes), and 9:52.

35th Street Loop

After a nine-hour, 59-minute, 46-second drive from San Antonio to Levy, I ran the the 35th Street Loop in 37:51, with splits of 10:01, 9:15, 9:27, and 9:08. This was surprisingly easy, and it was a joy to have Jo walk with me half a block back to our house after I finished, and after she licked my legs.

Now, two hours after my run, at about 10 past midnight, I am digesting a 13-ounce pan-seared ribeye and deep-fat frying a pound of new potatoes and a large white onion. Sam, to my delight, sits in my lap, as Pam sleeps in the back bedroom.

Oak Meadows Elementary School

SAN ANTONIO — Erin and I walked Scout and Socorro to Oak Meadows Elementary and around the school's track this evening. We were out for 43 minutes and walked about three miles.

This afternoon we played Cedar Creek Golf Course, a lovely, narrow and hilly, relatively expensive public golf course. I scored 112 and Erin 128. She owes me a dozen golf balls and $1. We played through fog that did not recede, even late in the afternoon, and for much of the day in mist and intermittent soft rain. Still, we had a blast; at least I did, particularly on the two holes upon which wagers were made.

Big Loop

SAN ANTONIO — Sometime when I talk out of my ass, I'm correct by coincidence. This time I was not.

The Big Loop was much tougher than the Park Hill-Gimblett Loop, plus I felt like shit. I quit after four miles run in 47:26, with splits of 11:37, 11:56, 12:10, and 11:43. I then jogged one minute of each five back to the car to complete eight miles in about 1:41. My legs were dead from the start. So dead, in fact, that I was somewhat pleased to run as fast as I did on long and occasionally steep hills, one after another as long as Erin and I were out. She flew off when I turned around, and ran eight more miles at about nine minutes a mile.

San Antonio Loops

SAN ANTONIO — On Tuesday evening, beginning at about 6 p.m. Central, Erin Vratil and I ran the four-mile extended dog loop in 43:25, with splits of 10:52, 11:21, 10:33, and 10:39. We ran the loop after walking about three miles with dogs Scout and Soccoro.

On Monday, Erin and I ran 5.22 miles on what I'll call the Barrel Oak Street Loop in 52:01 with splits of 11:02, 10:35, 9:59, 9:19, 9:12, and 1:50. I believe we started at about. ...shit; I'm not sure. I'll say 7 p.m. Central. I ran this on a diet of two fried pork chops, black-eyed peas, fried okra, a slice of cherry pie with cheese and ice cream, and a slice of pepperoni pizza.

On Sunday, after a round of golf at La Loma [I scored 116, Erin 115, and Chris 107, the first time both have beaten me in the same round, the second time Erin has beaten me, and the (I believe) third time I have lost to Chris. This could be our order for a while], Erin and I walked about three miles with Scout and Soccoro.

My runs on Tuesday and Wednesday were relatively easy. Upon further inspection, the last of our Monday outing probably added to the most effortless three-mile run run so fast since I started this streak in July. We did it in 28:30 and it was a fucking snap.

It was far snappier for Erin. She is very fit, capable, literally, of running circles around me on runs this slow.

Tonight's four miles were easy enough to give me confidence of running 16 miles at a similar pace in the morning, I'm curious. I asked Erin if that pace would be easy for her over 16 miles. "Oh yeah," she said, as if I had asked her about the maintenance of it around the block. She considered my statement of confidence, hesitated briefly and said, "I'm worried you might really struggle, because. ..." My ego rattled before she could continue and I interrupted by saying, "It's such a hard course? No, Erin, it's not harder than the Park Hill-Gimblett Loop."

Erin's and my ego often collide. Typically we respond with a heated unfolding of cerebral maps to show the paths of our justness. In this particular instance, I responded by talking out of my ass.

It doesn't matter how difficult the course is. Sixteen miles run across a giant countertop surfaced like the Olympic track in Beijing would be difficult for me, at an 11-minute pace for Christ's sake. My confidence has subsided, and discomfort is bound to intrude.

War Memorial Stadium

I walked and jogged for 25 minutes out and back from War Memorial Stadium to cover about two miles.

Maple Street Loop

If I didn't have this steak going, I wouldn't have done anything today except shop and wash clothes and pack and change a fucking break light and sign Christmas cards and hit plastic golf balls in my yard and watch a high school football game. The streak reached 147 days when I walked the Maple Street Loop this afternoon in 31:20.

Park Hill-Gimblett Loop

This was not as easy as I hoped. I walked four minutes every mile to cover the Park Hill-Gimblett Loop in 1:52:51, with splits of 11:06, 11:28, 11:06, 11:38, 11:02, 11:32, 12:00, 11:19, 11:14, and 10:27.

Gimblett Loop

I walked two minutes to start each mile, and one minute to start the half miles between, to complete the Gimblett Loop in 55:34 with splits of 11:24, 11:47, 11:02, 10:49, and 10:32.

Maple Street Loop

I walked for about six minutes and otherwise jogged the Maple Street Loop in 22:24 on dull legs.

35th Street Loop intervals

I jogged the first half mile of the 35th Street Loop in 5:08, then did three miles of 14X60 seconds hard with 60-second jog intervals in 27:15, and jogged the final half in 5:12 to complete the loop in 37:35. My splits were 9:41, 9:20, 9:03 and 9:31.

Aborted Park Hill-Gimblett Loop/Hash

For the first time since Saturday, Nov. 15, my legs felt dead. I ran the first mile of the Park Hill Loop in 10:20 and felt none of the recent sharpness. It had not appeared through roughly the first half mile of the second, and my hands were cold and I realized that for some reason I had forgotten to pack energy gel, so I finished what is also the Maple Street Loop in 21:40. Oh well.

I suspect and hope the explanation is as simple as my poor diet the last two days. I lived on chili dogs and potato chips as I watched three state championship football games at War Memorial Stadium. I think I had five chili dogs, plus a few pieces of Popeye's fried chicken. We'll see.

Late this afternoon, I felt a little livelier running Mike Wickline's Hash run from Allsop Park. We were only out for 27 minutes, and probably covered about two miles.

35th Street Loop

I ran the 35th Street Loop easily, as I had wished in my lifetime's first online chat, in 39:34, with no-peak splits of 10:14, 10:02, 9:45, and 9:33. My first online chat. Jesus. I exposed my technological ignorance to a roomful of people, most of whom I have never met, and then, if I remember correctly, proposed they fly to Levy to kiss my butt.

Orange Street Loop

Maybe "hate" was too harsh. I don't like cold. It was more tolerable this morning, at 32, maybe because the sun's out. I alternated two-minute walks with three-minute jogs to complete the Orange Street Loop in 34:08, with splits of 11:56, 10:57, and 11:16.

Those three miles gave me 50 for the last seven days.

Levy Loop/35th Street Loop

I walked the Levy Loop in 30:36. It's cold; 39 with a hard north wind.

It's 39 again. I hate it (again, I love a handful of people who like cold, and understand why they like it, but I fucking hate it and would rather it be 105), but it does turn runs faster. Starting about 5:30 p.m. Central, I ran the 35th Street Loop in 36:44, with splits of 10:14, 9:08, 8:52 and 8:29. This run was a snap.

Gimblett Loop

I ran the Gimblett Loop over wet roads and through high wind in 43:40, with splits of 9:00, 9:44, 8:29, 8:33 and 7:54.

Maple Street Loop/35th Street Loop

It's 30 degrees, so I bundled up and walked the Maple Street Loop in 29:58. I was committed to not look at my watch, but nevertheless did about 20 yards from the finish and consequently had to walk like one of those goofy-assed eastern Europeans at the Olympics to break 30 minutes.

I ran the 35th Street Loop starting at about 8 p.m. Central in 41:29, with splits of 10:25, 10:22, 10:47 and 9:56.

Orange Street Loop/Gimblett Loop intervals

At about 8 a.m. Central I ran the final two minutes of each five to cover the Orange Street Loop in 34:42, with splits of 12:13, 11:34 and 10:55.

This evening I ran long intervals on the Gimblett Loop, going five minutes hard with a three-minute jog interval. I ran the first mile to warmup in 9:48, did four sets of the intervals through the next three and a half miles, with splits of 9:18 (which included the 47th Street hill), 8:44, 8:57, and 7:53. I did sort of push the final half mile to break 45 minutes. I completed the loop in 44:39, close to two minutes faster than my old course record. This felt good. Now I will go eat with the Gimbletts.