Levy Trail/Levy Trail

I walked three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 47:28. There were fourteen other people on the trail, including one biker, one baby-carriage pusher, one baby, and two dog walkers, none of which seems to settle very well with the fact that Levy leads the world in per-capita crack heads.

This evening I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 31:21.

OVERHEARD
"Nice weather, ain't it?"
—the biker, despite high humidity and the looming likelihood of severe storms

Cook's Landing/Levy Trail

I walked and jogged for 1:51:50 from Cook's Landing this morning, but jogged more than usual—for about forty-five minutes I'd guess. My trek included the Big Dam Bridge. I was a little late, and consequently missed the Geezers. Late this afternoon I walked and jogged two miles on the Levy Loop in 27:46. I planned to walk, but the black clouds blowing in, with their thunder, motivated me to mix in some running.

Speaking of motivated, I have been cheered all day by an advertisement for foreign Viagra I received. The email's headline read: Motivate your meat lord

Orange Street Loop

I walked and jogged the Orange Street Loop tonight in 38:16, and missed the Levy Trail.

Levy Trail

I walked three miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 45:56.

VINNY'S BLOG
Here is the email Vinny sent to announce today's blog:  This Interleague stuff is hard choosing a hitter so I may just take some days off and follow the good Professor Pete but I am hardcore and I feel it isn't right not to make a pick every day because that is the way I played it for the first 12 years but the rules have changed and it's always a good thing so we will see what happens. Enjoy the blog.

Ridge Road Loop

I walked the Ridge Road Loop tonight in 1:00:24.

Levy Trail/Levy Trail/Hash

I jogged for a total of about six minutes, and otherwise walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 28:57. Late in the afternoon I walked two miles on the Levy Trail with Ashley McReynolds. Then we went to the post Hash run. Her father died a few days ago.

OVERHEARD
"Brilliant. Criminal. Could've been a great president. Threw it all away."
—89-year-old former Kansas senator Bob Dole, after he was asked on one of the Sunday morning news programs what he thought of Richard Nixon

Levy Trail

I jogged three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 35:44, with splits of 11:02 for the first mile, and 24:42 for the final two. That could be my slowest ever, three-mile, non-stop run, with the possible exception of Miles 15, 16, and 17 of the 2005 Little Rock Marathon. The difference is that I was comfortable today, and miserable back in '05.

OVERHEARD
"I mean, I think that looking at The Falling Man and to discuss it is, is the only option we have, given that there is a falling man."
—Tom Junot

Levy Trail/Louisiana Downs

I walked and jogged two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 26:49, and later rode all the way to Bossier City, Louisiana, with Tim and Kelly Cooper, to lose $14.80 betting on thoroughbreds. This is the way it will be. Which is fine. The fried chicken was perfect.

Burns Park Loop

We walked three miles of the Burns Park Loop this morning, with a detour on the orange trail, in 55:48.

Two Rivers Park

We walked six miles through Two Rivers Park this morning in 1:48:52. I found nine pennies, which is, I believe, a pr. Eight were within a foot of each other.

I did not lose or gain weight the last month. I weigh 175, down seven pounds in three months. It's gonna be hard to reach 169 by The Midnight 50K, unless, you know, I quit eating so much.

OVERHEARD
"A good gauge of how the country's doing is the length of cigarette butts on the sidewalk."
—lyric from a song I heard this evening on National Public Radio

Levy Trail

I walked three miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 44:13. We're waiting in Levy to help gather body parts and photo albums blown in from Oklahoma. There are all sorts of red signals headed this way on weather.com.

Levy Trail

I walked and jogged three miles this afternoon on the Levy Trail in 39:04.

Hash

We started way out in east Little Rock, by the airport, and I walked and jogged for 39:22.

Burns Park Loop

It took me 2:00:09 to reset The Great Cross Country Race this morning, an effort that was clearly worth it. It was the best run I have set. I am sitting on my couch, at 3:28 in the afternoon, grilling leftover Hash hamburger meat, which smells wonderful, waiting to watch the Preakness Stakes, watching the Reds play Philadelphia on television. I came home with seventy-one tubes of Gu, part of the "shit" B.J. said he wanted to get out of his car.

Burns Park Loop

I spent 2:30:48 this morning and afternoon setting The Great Cross Country Race, mostly on the Burns Park Loop. I'm not sure, of course, but I probably covered seven miles. Maybe a little more. However far it was, I'm hungry. God I hope I don't have to reset it in the morning. It's turned muggy for the first since last summer.

As for the Preakness Stakes tomorrow, I do not recommend wagering. Among the things out of my control for which I nevertheless root, I root hardest for a thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown again before I die. So, I'm for Orb. I'll probably be pretty drunk, and stuffed full hamburgers, cheering for him on NBC late tomorrow afternoon.

Levy Trail

I jogged and walked three miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 35:43. It's overcast and cool, after a morning of drenching rain. I wonder how the water will affect my course for The Great Cross Country Race.

OVERHEARD
"It don't take a scientific rocket to figure that out."
—former Arkansas Razorback football coach Danny Ford, from about 1995. I was reminded of it when Sergio Garcia said it didn't "take a rocket engineer" to know that he and Tiger Woods don't get along

Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 33:28.

Levy Trail/Burns Park Loop

My quadriceps are sore, undoubtedly from the three-mile march up Mount Magazine. They felt better after I walked and jogged three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 36:46. It's 84°F at 11:30 a.m., but as cool as 84 gets, with a nice breeze and zero humidity. The RealFeel® is 83, at 11:30, but it got to 90 at 3:25 p.m., and that was a little hot as I quit two thirds of the way through the Burns Park Loop. I felt OK, except for the part where I thought I might throw up. I got to the BMX track in 47:14, which is close to two minutes faster than I had before, and then walked back to my car on Laman Drive. I was out for 59:58.

OVERHEARD
"That runnin be hard on your knees, man. Get you a bicycle. It'll be more easier."
—overweight young man on the Levy Trail

Orange Street Loop

I walked and jogged the Orange Street Loop this afternoon in 40:11.

Levy Trail

I walked three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 42:16. I'm not sore. Does your television get NBC? I'm for Jeff Maggert, and David Lingmerth, the former Razorback I'd never heard of until yesterday, even though he lives in Fayetteville*. I hope Woods trips and breaks at least one bone, and that Garcia breaks all of his clubs in the middle of the first fairway.

*I beg your pardon. Lingmerth now lives near Jacksonville, Fla.

Mount Magazine Trail Run

HAVANA, Ark.—The Mount Magazine Trail Run was a hard way to cover 18 miles. It took me 4:56:30. I finished with Ron Gimblet, tied for next to last. I'm pleased. It was beautiful there.

Levy Trail/Levy Trail

I walked the Levy Trail very easily this morning in 32:08, and expect to do the same late this afternoon or early evening, but instead went a mile further. I'm in at 5:12 p.m. after going three miles in 48:01. Bill Brass said he plans to pick me up at 5 a.m. tomorrow for a trip to the Mount Magazine (eighteen-mile) Trail Run. I don't know what to expect. Four-hour finishers were at about the middle of the pack last year. That might be too much to hope for. I'll put my over-under at 4:38:15. We'll see.

Burns Park Loop/Levy Trail

Sandy and Hugh and I walked the Burns Park Loop this morning in 1:39:34. Sandy told me she's fried frozen okra for years. In fact, she said she even freezes fresh okra before frying it, and that she washes it in egg white before tossing it in the flour and cornmeal. Oil is heating in my electric skillet as I write. And now it's cooling, as I eat fantastic fried okra and watch The Players Championship on pgatour.cbssports.com. This evening I walked two miles on the Levy Trail, through perfectly light rain (you know, the sort that doesn't get you wet, just cools you) in 31:32.

OVERHEARD
"Really?"
—Sandy, after Pete said he'd driven all the way to Dallas the first time he was told a Hash run would start at the Grassy Knoll

"Well, I'd have to fly from there."
—Hugh, after he said he would never move to Sedona, and Pete said, "Heck no. It would take you too long to drive to all those goddamn Mississippi State football games."

"Man, my humor is wasted on you two."
—Pete, after Hugh said, "Well, I'd have to fly from there." ...."No, I got that one," Sandy said. "I mean, I'll admit I'm pretty slow, but don't think I ain't starting to figure you out."

I PLAN TO STAB...
...the next person who says, "...ball-striker...," regardless of context (as if there are players on the PGA Tour who aren't good ball-strikers, or there are courses which don't require good ball-striking). Ball-strikers

Cook's Landing/Levy Trail

We walked and jogged seven miles this morning on the River Trail, out and back from Cook's Landing, in 1:43:57, and late this afternoon I completed two miles on the Levy Trail in 26:08. En route, I ran a half mile in 4:52.0, and jogged a quarter in 2:43.6.

Burns Park Loop/First Tee/Levy Trail

Bill Brass measured the Burns Park Loop at 5.1 miles this morning. He said that's what his watch usually reported. It seems I'd heard 4.8. The extra three-teenths makes sense. It means I flew yesterday, averaging 14:14.7 a mile. This morning we walked the loop in 1:42:56, or 20:11/mile.

I played nine holes from the middles at First Tee this afternoon in 54, with 1 par, 3 bogies, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 quadruples, and16 putts.

Late this afternoon I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 33:18.

Burns Park Loop/Levy Trail

I jogged for a total of 52:19, and otherwise walked the Burns Park Loop this morning 1:12:39. My old course record was 1:18:15. I guess the course is harder than I've given it credit for, because I pushed it pretty hard, and averaged 15:08 a mile. This evening I walked and jogged two miles on the Levy Trail in 25:12. There were at least twelve other people on the trail, if you count the baby being pushed by a jogger.

Maple Street Loop/Hash

Record cold in May is fine. It was 42°F when I started the Maple Street Loop this morning, which I walked and jogged in 27:28, or an 11:16:40 fifty-mile pace. This afternoon I arrived at the Burns Park covered bridge an hour before the Hash run was scheduled to start. So, heck, I went out for forty-nine minutes and felt great. Then I was with the group for another forty-five minutes or so, jogging a whole lot of the way. I'm sure I covered at least six miles.

OVERHEARD
"OK, now you can start telling people I'm twelve."
—Pam

Levy Trail/Levy Trail

I walked and jogged three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 40:31, and this evening—after once again failing to win an entire coastline—walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 31:48. My Kentucky Derby choice had the lead as the field turned for home for the second consecutive year, and then quit like two people.

PROFESSOR PETE'S BEACH-FRONT-PROPERTY? NO, UH-UH, YOU'RE-ABOUT-TO-WIN-THE-WHOLE-COAST KENTUCKY DERBY SPECIAL!!!*

First, bet $20 to win on No. 5 Normandy Invasion. Next, bet a $1 superfecta, coupling Normandy Invasion and No. 17 Will Take Charge in the first two spots, with No. 3 Revolutionary third, and No. 12 Itsmyluckyday fourth. Finally, box the following five horses in a ten-cent superfecta: No. 4 Golden Soul, No. 7 Giant Finish, No. 10  Palace Malace, Itsmyluckyday, and No. 18 Frac Daddy.

This will cost a total of $34. A simple Normandy Invasion victory should pay about $160. The longest of the superfecta shots would pay more than $100,000.

*OK, let's change this up a bit. Dime superfectas weren't for sale, and I assumed my readers would be unwilling to gamble $120. So, buy another $1 superfecta with Golden Soul, Giant Finish, Palace Malace in order, with either Itsmyluckyday or Frac Daddy in Fourth. If they finish in that order, and Itsmyluckday finishes fourth, you'll win half a million. With Frac Daddy, you'll be worth $1.5 to $2 million. The first $1 superfecta now boxes Normandy Invasion and Will Take Charge first and second, and Revolutionary and Itsmyluckyday third and fouth. Finally, put $28 to win on Normandy Invasion. For the same $34 mentioned earlier, you can win somewhere between twenty-five and two-hundred thousand pork-chop breakfasts from Waffle House®.

Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 29:21, starting at about 5 p.m. We're having crazy weather. It was 47°F when I finished my walk. Today's high was 50, which is the lowest ever high here for a day in May. We're supposed to have our lowest recorded May temperature tonight, of 36 or so, which would break the record of 42 set last night. We might get some snow in the morning. The had five inches around Fayetteville today, which is the latest accumulation ever in Arkansas.

Heights

Bob McKinney directed our tour of the Heights in Little Rock this morning. We went exactly four miles in about two hours. There was lots of standing around involved, and we took a detour so I could show off the garage apartment I lived in from October, 1986, through February 4, 1987.

OVERHEARD
"Pete, is that cat all right?"
—neighbor Bobby Vint, after he watched Samantha lick herself for at least fifteen minutes in my front yard

"No kidding? Really?"
—Kroger butcher, speaking to a Kroger manager, after the manager said, "No, Roosevelt was elected four times. They can't do that anymore."

Overlook Loop

Man, I forgot to stop my watch this morning. We walked and jogged right at six miles, and went pretty quickly, relatively. We started at the Cook's Landing parking lot, did the Overlook Loop, and did a bit on the River Trail to kill time before driving to Frankie's to eat with the Retreads. Overall, we were out for about an hour and forty minutes. We completed the two-mile Overlook Loop in about twenty-eight minutes. All I ate with the Retreads were cabbage, turnip greens, and boiled okra, but they were soaked in pork fat. For days it seemed. Jesus.