Miracle Mile/Levy Loop/Ft. Roots

Yesterday I spent 18 minutes setting the Levy Area Miracle Mile and then 15 minutes walking it again. John Kelly later won in 5:57. Corky, who had breast cancer surgery last week, and Josh, who's having hernia surgery today, tied for last in 19 minutes.

This morning I walked the Levy Loop in 30:40.

Then I teamed with L.V. "Big Quaker" Dyer to win the Ft. Roots old-men scramble and $10, which meant that after our green and cart fee, we were only out $5. We scored a 36. On No. 9 we were 135 yards out in two. I hit a 7-iron 20 feet short of the pin. L.V. asked what club I'd used. He pulled out an 8-iron, hit a crisp low shot that hit in front of the green and hopped on.

"I think that's going over," L.V. said.

"No, man, that's rolling right at it. That could be close."

His ball disappeared.

"Son of bitch, L.V., did that go in?"

"I think it did. I can't see it."

Del and some old Chinese guy told us in the clubhouse that it hit the pin, stopped for a second and then dropped in the hole.

LV. told me he was caddie at the Country Club of Little Rock in the 1960s, which might help to explain why he actually got pissed we didn't each get $10.50. "You tell me 60 percent of $35 is $21, so that's what we would should get. I'm just saying that's what's fair."

I played pretty well. My highlight was parring No. 4 by myself. We used my 7-wood, my driver chip from 125 yards, sand-wedge pitch over the bunker from 20, and 6 foot putt.

Levy Loop/Rebasmen Golf Course

I walked the Levy Loop this morning in 30:41, and walked Rebsamen with Randall from work and a Methodist minister from Malvern this afternoon and evening. I scored a 94, with nines of 45 and 49. I had 3 pars, 9 bogies, 5 doubles and 1 triple, and used 35 putts. The minister, named Steve, was born in Van Buren, Mo., same as my father.

Levy Loop

run in 19:50, my first run in six days, so pleasing.

Levy Loop/Fort Roots scramble

I walked the Levy Loop in 30:09 this morning. This evening I played with a guy named Billy in a two-man scramble at Fort Roots. We scored a 37 to finish in a three-way tie for third. For the playoff, we chipped from the front of the clubhouse to the No. 9 green. Not one of the six people hit the green. We lost. My chip looked good, but hit the edge of the cart path and bounced straight up. Terrible luck. Otherwise, I played very well. On No. 7, the 380-yard Par 5, I looked like Tiger Woods. We used my 230-yard drive, and my 6-iron from 150 stopped eight feet from the cup (which was somewhat equivalent to slam-dunking on an eight-foot goal), but we both lipped out our eagle putts. Man, we had fun. Billy and I played with two other twosomes, among them a guy named Ray who drank beer and whiskey straight from a pint bottle all the way around. He got louder and funnier as we went. He had the weirdest approach to golf I've seen. Ray would line up literally 45 degrees to the right and then hook the cow shit out of his ball. He hit some great shots, but some terrible ones, too. Line of the day went to Kenny: "Hey, Ray. Take a look in the fucking mirror and you'll know how fucking ugly that shot was."

Levy Loop

walked in 30:54, with mile splits of 15:38, and 15:16.

47th Street Loop

walked and run, a little, in 41:15.

Levy Loop

I walked the Levy Loop after watching Stewart Cink win the Travelers, and before watching a tear-jerking TV show about people building a great big house for some family in Minnesota.

Day 60

Thursday I jogged the Levy Loop in 21:38. Friday night, after walking 18 holes at First Tee, I ran on the trails around Chenal Mountain and tripped over something. A root, I think, and fell into a tree and bounced face first into the trail. The right side of my face looks a bit like it did when an airbag deployed into it four years and nearly four months ago. I have a tremendous bruise on my left arm, and another on my left shoulder and right thigh. I think I covered about 3 miles, including a c. 1-mile walk to my car. That's how the 60th day of my current streak went. Tonight, after listening to the Twisters' 51-28 victory over the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Wash.) Fever, I walked the Levy Loop without taking the time. My legs hurt. I played First Tee, nine holes from the back and nine from the middle, in 107, with Tony from the Hash, Rob the runner, and Randall from work. I had an 11 and a 9 and 1 par (on the final hole from 134 yards with a lovely 8-iron to 15 feet).

A few days

My laptop broke. I ran Hash on Sunday, probably covered 3 miles. For the second week in a row, I got lost and had to cross I-40 where it runs through Burns Park. On Monday I ran the 47th Street Loop in 30:42. Tuesday morning I walked the Levy Loop in 30:04, and tonight ran the Park Hill Loop in 41:20.

Alltel Arena

I walked for 32:21 around the mezzanine of Alltel Arena before the Arkansas Twisters' 61-25 victory over the Lubbock Renegades. I traveled about 2.25 miles, and picked the winner of the Miss Twisters Pageant, a c. 15-year-old who looked a little like a woman I know who our photographers call Miss Hathaway.

RidgePointe Country Club

JONESBORO — I walked 45 minutes along the sidewalk thingee at RidgePointe Country Club today, stopping to watch very good golfers hit shots. My CGPS calculated I covered 2.6777 miles, but my confidence in that instrument wavers. I might turn it in to God for a readjustment. I'm pretty sure I went at least 2.75 miles.

Levy Loop

walked in 30:12 last night, and 29:44 this morning.

Day 50/Levy Loop

walked in 29:04.

Levy Loop/Ft. Roots

I walked, and jogged a little, maybe 5 minutes, the Levy Loop in 25:18, at 6:30 a.m. Central, and then played 18 holes at Fort Roots. Del and I finished third out of four teams in the Fort Roots Mens Golf Association 2-man scramble with a 40. We doubled No. 8 when I hit my drive out of bounds and Del his in the ditch full of puke and sludge to the left. Second scored a 38, so Del and I cussed our performance on No. 8. Next time I will hit a 3-wood. After a 10-minute break, Roy and I played nine more. This 70-year-old man, who hits his 9 iron 140 yards with about a three-quarter-walk-right-up-to-the-fucking-ball-and-swing-away swing scored a 40, and I a 47, with my walk-all-around-spit-waggle-take-a-practice-swing-back-away-look-at-it-again-spit-waggle-eat-a-couple-of-SweeTarts-waggle swing. Roy said, "Pete, you're way better than a 47." I used 18 putts. Roy used 14. Motherfucker got up and down from 100 yards for par on No. 7. My current handicap on the course is 20 (for 18 holes). Roy made me sign the card so he could turn it in to adjust our handicap. I hope that bumps me up to at least a 21. The 18-hole, individual Fort Roots championship tournament is scheduled for July 3 at 8 a.m.

Hash

I jogged for a total of about 10 minutes on a 60-minute Hash run that sucked big plastic dicks. Man. It was hot and bug infested and rocky and weed-strewn. I spent 15 minutes on I-40, got a ride from some guy in a Jeep who thought I was the driver of a truck he'd passed stranded on the road, and flirted with a woman named Sarah who appeared and is a big horse-racing fan. She knew Winning Colors was the last filly to win the Kentucky Derby, which impressed me, although she said Winning Colors was a "mare" rather than a filly to lose points.

Gimblett/Kelly Loop

This is a new loop that passes a block from John Kelly's house and directly past his former apartment and Ron and Elaine Gimblett's house. It's 5 miles long.

I ran it tonight, after listening to the Arkansas Twisters victory over the Amarillo Dusters and talking to Ivy for 30 minutes on the phone, in 53:15, with mile splits of 10:45, 11:18, 10:32, 10:18 and 10:22. I like this course a lot and felt great. It was easy.

Levy Loop

My legs were dead today for the first time in a while. I ran and walked the Levy Loop in 24:12, running most of the first mile in 11:04, and walking most of the second in 13:08.

Earlier I played Ft. Roots with a cart and white Precept Lady iQ-180s, in 85, with 1 birdie, 5 pars, 8 bogies and 4 double-bogies. I used 31 putts with no three putts.

47th Street Loop

To honor a friend's new daylight running schedule, I ran before dark today. I used the same technique as last night, going easily, not looking at my watch, taking splits but not checking them en route, and covered the relatively flat, fast loop in 29:18, with splits of 9:50, 9:50, and 9:38. This was my second favorite run since Feb. 2005, ranked only slightly below last night's.

But fuck running. I was most pleased today by my results using a golf ball marketed to women, the Precept Lady iQ 180. They come in three colors: pink, white, and one that looks like it's wrapped in crystal, like a ball the above honoree once told me about after she found it at Ft. Roots while playing w/out me.

I can't wait to see Paula Creamer.

Park Hill Loop

My hope tonight was to complete the course with little effort, and I met it. I ran it in 40:40, with splits of 10:34, 10:18, 10:12, and 9:36. In terms of effort/outcome, this was my best run in years (perhaps since Feb. 2005), a delight.

Park Hill Loop

in 39:08, with splits of 9:50, 10:04, 9:43, and 9:31.

Levy Loop/Ft. Roots

LL walked in 29:12 after 18 holes at Ft. Roots in 88 (41 with a Callaway, and 47 w/ a Titleist)

Park Hill Loop

run and walked in 48:48, with splits of 12:48; 12:28, 11:58, and 11:34. It's a little under 70 with a breeze. Now I'm on my front porch with Pam, Sam and Jo, watching baseball. Oh. I covered 23 miles this week.