Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 27:54. Man, my legs felt very lively. Do you reckon it was all them dumplins I ate? I think I'm going to try to make some this afternoon for the Reds game.

By the way, Bluffton was built next to a seemingly endless ridge on the rolling hills between the Arkansas River Valley and the Ouachita Mountains. It has a population of about fifty. There are fifteen or so houses, most with long front porches and screened-in back porches, and hundreds of huge trees, on about a half-mile stretch of blacktop. People there use the word "beautiful" a lot. The only buildings are the church, a post office, and a long-abandoned Masonic Lodge. The nearest store is ten miles away.

Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 32:00. At first my legs felt deader than the wedding plans of those boaters on the Hudson, but later came around.

OVERHEARD
"I like that you've named your fictional city 'Bob's Hot Dog.' It sounds like a place where I'd like to live."
—fifth-grade teacher to a boy in her class on Teaching Channel Presents (PBS 2)

Park Hill Loop/Levy Trail Loop

I walked and jogged the Park Hill Loop late this morning in 1:10:48, with splits of 15:06, 14:33, 13:31, 14:33, and 13:05. I walked all of the first mile, and jogged downhills—for a total of 8:35—during the final four. It's getting a little warmer. At noon, it's 85°F, with a heat index of 89. Late this afternoon I walked and jogged the Levy Trail Loop in 27:08.

I PLAN TO STAB...
...William J. Lynch, Jr., CEO of Barnes & Noble, the next time one of his employees tries to sell me a motherfucking credit card

Levy Trail/Hash

I jogged and walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 24:19, with splits of 11:55 and 12:24. This afternoon I walked and jogged about three miles with the Hash. We ran in the Riverdale area, near Rebsamen Park Golf Course, and ended at a pool. I had fun. Hashers look better in swimsuits now than ever before.

One hour/Maple Street Loop

I did something this morning I haven't done in a while, which was to walk and jog for an hour on no particular route. I started on the Levy Trail, eventually got close to where John Kelley lives, went on a couple of streets I haven't seen before (including Farmere Circle, which featured a perfect looking tan and white cat), eventually went up a tough hill that passes the apartments where John used to live, and then wound my way back home. Alternating one-minute jogs with four-minute walks, I got to my house in 59:34, walked to Tom's driveway and turned around to finish in exactly one hour. I'd say I went about four and a half miles.*

This afternoon I used a 4-1 walk-jog ratio to complete the Maple Street Loop in 26:50. I met Guy Lyons, Mary's husband, on the driveway of their house on Maple Street. He impressed me.

*Google Earth says I went 4.14 miles

Levy Trail

It was 73°F when I started my walk-jog this morning. It's overcast, and feels like football season. I wish this were the first day of Camp Clearfork. I alternated four-minute walks with one-minute jogs to complete three miles on the Levy Trail in 43:55. It was the first time I have felt good on my legs since about 1 a.m., Sunday.

OVERHEARD
"Keep it up. Keep it up. That's good exercise, good for your heart. I like your shorts."
—goofy, middle-aged woman on the Levy Trail. I was wearing my bright green, plaid golf shorts

"That sounds just like a woman. If there was a meteor about to destroy the earth in thirty minutes, they'd be happy there was still enough time to get to the beauty shop."
—my new barber Pete, at the Sherwood Barber Shop, right after an old man said his wife didn't get out anymore, except to go the doctor and beauty shop

Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 31:25. My foot hurt a little when I started, but not at all by the time I got to the trail. It feels fine now. My forehead got moist, but otherwise I did not perspire. It's 84°F at 2:15 p.m., with a heat index of 85. They say it'll get down to 65 tonight.

OVERHEARD
"That'll make God smile."
—Dodgers announcer Vin Scully, after he told a story about Reds third baseman Todd Frazier: "Frazier was walking to the plate when a man with Downs Syndrome, sitting right behind home plate said, 'I want you to hit a home run, Todd. I love you.' And Frazier turned to him and said, 'I love you, too, and I will hit a home run.' And then he did, and you can see the picture of Frazier crossing the plate, and the man behind him standing with his right arm raised, with a look of absolute joy on his face."

Levy Trail

My right foot still hurts, but it's getting better. I think it'll be fine in a few days. I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 32:49.

Orange Street Loop

I walked the Orange Street Loop tonight in 46:03. My foot feels much better. Dad made some great ribs. In fact, it might've been the best rib meat I have eaten. Unfortunately, and anyone who knows me well know this is saying a lot, they were too salty. He used a cheap, Sam's Club dry rub, and it was almost all salt. Still, the meat was great, so tender, so juicy, that I'm over the salt. In fact, heck, I'm watching the Reds, and I'm going to the refrigerator for the leftovers right...now.

Levy Trail

Man, my left foot hurt like hell yesterday. It feels fine today, but now my right foot hurts like hell. That's gotta be a sign of climate change, right? I walked the Levy Trail this afternoon in 37:51. At 3:33 p.m., it's 92°F, with a RealFeel® of 100.

Full Moon 50K

I wasn't disappointed last night, but am a bit today. I completed 27 miles of the Full Moon 50K, and quit at 7:33:31. There was, I believed, no way I could finish the final four miles in 1:26:29 (and, now, at 11:29 a.m. Sunday morning, after having written that, realize that I still believe it), but that really wasn't the point. My legs had a sudden lockup. I was doing my best to not fall down when I stopped to let a vehicle pass, which happened to be the shuttle van bringing down people who didn't make the 2 a.m. cutoff at Elaine Gimblet's aid station. They gave me a ride from approximately a quarter mile short of the final water stop.

By the way, the course started a little over a nine-minute walk and jog towards Arkansas 10 from the last few years' starts. All the GPS people said it was about 32 miles long, or roughly a 52K. My splits (with aid station stops in parentheses) were 2:12:25 (5:19), 1:57:12 (7:52), 2:04:25 (7:27), and 58:50. Man, I'm sore.

My new, $25 Coleman headlight worked well. I wish I had had it for Rocky.

Levy Trail

I'm sure it seems silly to some that I would go for a two-mile, walk-jog, ten hours before I'm scheduled to start a 31-mile race. I did it for at least two reasons—exercise helps me control my blood sugar, and I hoped it might help me feel a bit more confident leading up to tonight's race, which it did. I walked and jogged two miles on the Levy Trail in 29:13, and felt great. My legs were springy, and nothing hurt. My over-under for the Full Moon 50K is 8:32:32. That would get me done at about 3:32 a.m. tomorrow.

Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail at lunchtime in 30:49. I hope I feel better tomorrow night.

OVERHEARD
"Where that girl at? She be talkin' 'bout, 'I be right there.' "
—woman on a cell phone in the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot as I walked home from Kroger (as I left my house, Sam was meowing from the driveway with a big dead bird in her mouth. When I got home, Pam was with her, and had mutilated the bird. I guess the lower half of it is under one of the cars. I don't know where the head is either)

I PLAN TO STAB...
...the next person who says, "...national conversation."*
*though, of course, this will mean everyone on PBS and NPR, hosts and guests, will be stabbed

Levy Trail

I walked and jogged two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 29:31.

Orange Street Loop

I probably should've waited another week on that golf. My crushed rib cage bothered me a little more today than it had in several days. I walked and jogged the the Orange Street Loop at lunchtime in 42:20, with splits of 14:08, 14:22, and 13:50. That's a 7:17:26.6 50K pace.

OVERHEARD
"He's one of the most fiery competitors, by far."
—Amanda, on @TheOpenLIVE, with one of the most confusing sentences I have ever heard, by far

First Tee/Ghetto Cat Loop

I played nine holes from the middles at First Tee this morning and afternoon in 46, with 1 par, 6 bogies, and 2 doubles. I used 17 putts. My ribs hurt a little, but didn't affect my swing, I don't think. This evening I walked the Ghetto Cat Loop in 30:27.

Levy Trail/Levy Trail-Levy Loop

OK, it's kind'a crappy out now. At 12:42 p.m., it's 90°F, with a heat index of 95. I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 31:37. I hope to go a little farther this evening, which I did, but not by a lot. I walked and jogged 3.47 miles on the Levy Trail and the Levy Loop in 51:23. That's a 7:39:50 50K pace.

Maple Street Loop

I walked and jogged the Maple Street Loop this morning 28:50.

OVERHEARD
"Not a good shot by Phil. It's running like a scalded rabbit."
—NBC announcer at the Scottish Open

I PLAN TO STAB...
...the next person I hear use a British accent on an American news program, unless they're in a country where most people have British accents

Levy Trail

I walked and jogged 2.39 miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 33:56, and felt great. The pain in my right rib cage has subsided to a mild ache, and the bounce of my jog did not seem to affect it. Here's hoping the weather in south Texas is somewhat like the weather here. At 11:53 a.m., it's 87°F, with a RealFeel® of 85. The humidity is 38 percent, and there's about a ten mile an hour breeze blowing from the north.

OVERHEARD
"I hope I can get there before dark."
—overweight woman on the Levy Trail speaking to an old woman in her backyard. She said she was going to walk to Pine Bluff, and then onto Altheimer, which is about fifteen miles farther. Even at four miles an hour, it would take her sixteen hours, so she'd make it by about three o'clock tomorrow morning

Levy Trail

At 1:54 p.m, it's 89°F, with a RealFeel® of 87. It's dry and comfortable, a rare combination for July 12. I walked and jogged three miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 45:35. I jogged for a total of five minutes, slowly. My ribs hurt, but not much.

Levy Trail

Man, I had a great time in Nashville today. My Aunt Teenie and cousins Ann and Nita were there. What nice women. They convinced me to visit Fort Worth this fall to watch TCU football, and to play golf with a combination of their husbands, sons, and nephews, who all struggle to break 100, Nita said. Ann asked what I like to eat. I said my favorite was fried chicken. "Well, there's a Church's close to our house." I then said I like almost everything, including steaks, ribs, and pork chops. "We do all those," Nita said. "We'll find you tickets as soon as we get home." Once I got to Levy, after daydreaming about football, golf, and meat, I walked three miles on the Levy Trail in 47:38.

Faster than Two Motherfuckers Loop

My first attempt to google-earth The Levy Faster than Two Motherfuckers 3K course came up with one that was exactly two miles long. All I had to do to make a 3K was drop the Hillside Drive component. By putting it back in, I now have another two-mile loop. This one finishes with about three-quarters of a mile on the Levy Trail. I like it, and walked it this morning in 31:13. My ribs hurt, but at a tolerable level. I'll bet I can run a little by Friday.

By the way, here's my new plan for the Midnight 50K (I guess I should accept that it's now the Full Moon 50K). I will start at 7 p.m., and go as far as I can go before they make me drop out. To not get pulled at the 25K turnaround, I'll have to be there by midnight, and then at the 37.5K by 2 a.m. I'm confident about the turnaround. Beyond that, who knows?

Levy Trail/Levy Trail

Someone on the Internet suggested people with broken ribs take four ibuprofen, three times a day. I took four at noon yesterday and felt enormously better within an hour. I still hurt, but only a little. I just got in from a hot, two-mile walk on the Levy Trail that took 31:57. At 6:39 p.m., it's 94ºF, with a RealFeel® of 101. We're in our second hot spell of the summer. It's supposed to peak tomorrow. I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this evening in 31:19. I'm four doses into my ibuprofen regimen. I might cut down from three doses to two a day tomorrow. Or maybe Thursday.

Levy Trail

I'm not sure how long I'll have to walk as slowly as I did today. We'll see. I walked the Levy Trail this morning in 34:04. My most painful moment came when I met two teenage boys, and said, "Hey fellows." It hurts to talk any louder than my normal voice. Coughing sucks. So does clearing my throat. Sneezes are unbearable, like the ol' red-hot poker. One thing I have found is that ribs are very easy to ice, and ice helps a lot. I'm going to the store for a big bottle of ibuprofen.

Levy Trail/The Levy Firecracker Faster than Two Motherfuckers 3K

I had a pretty good tussle with hypoglycemia Saturday morning, predawn. My face looks like I fell on a sidewalk, and, shit, I think I might have broken a rib. It hurts like hell to run. I can't, so I walked two miles on the Levy Trail on Saturday night in 32:41.

I'm glad I didn't take my temperature before I set The Levy Firecracker Faster than Two Motherfuckers 3K. I know I felt like hell when I got up at 5:30 this morning. It took me 45:54 to mark the run, I had to back track at least 100 meters once to keep a ghetto SUV from seeing me setting marks, so I got my two miles. I don't remember the last time I had a fever. Maybe back in the spring of 2003. I'm not sure. It's at 100.1 right now, at 7:20 a.m.

Kroger® flu medicine has done the trick. I feel fine at 11:38 a.m. Three more hours sleep helped.

Thirty people started the The Levy Firecracker Faster than Two Motherfuckers 3K, which is close to a record for a Levy Series event. The first three men were: Josh Madison, 14:22; John Krillenberger 14:23; and John Kelley, 14:34. The first three women were Holcomb Mosely, 17:07; Petra Williams, 17:19; and Laura Mrak, 18:03

Levy Trail

Man, I spent a good part of the day fixing my yard for The Levy Firecracker Faster than Two Motherfuckers 3K, scheduled for Sunday, with a 5:30 p.m. start. There's more to do before dark, plus I'm watching the Reds-Miami game, but I took a break to walk three miles on the Levy Trail in 46:09.

Maple Street Loop

I walked the Maple Street Loop tonight in 30:48.

Levy Trail Loop

I walked six miles on the Levy Trail Loop tonight in 1:27:27. The weather remains perfect, as it has been for a while. It's a bone-dry 75°F at 9:20 p.m.

Levy Trail

Homer Bailey made me put off my walk until late. He threw a no-hitter tonight for the Reds, in their 3-0 victory over San Francisco (he was perfect until he walked a batter to lead off the seventh inning). Afterward, I walked two easy miles on the Levy Trail in 32:28. I'll bet a lot of people in La Grange, Texas, are happy tonight.

Levy Trail Loop

I guess there may have been Mays and Junes as nice as the last, but I don't remember them. The spectacular weather has continued. It's 10:55 a.m., on the first day of July, and its 81°F, with a RealFeel® of 81. There's a ten mile-an-hour breeze blowing from the north, and the sky is bright blue, without a hint of haze. I walked and jogged the six-mile Levy Trail Loop* this morning in 1:19:46, with splits of 13:59, 13:07, 13:55, 13:04, 12:41, and 13:00. My three-mile times were 41:00 and 38:45.

*Levy Trail Loop means there's a loop through random Levy neighborhoods added to make the starts and finishes as close to my driveway as possible