Levy Trail/Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 33:44, and this afternoon two more in 33:03.

OVERHEARD
"We're just drinking beer, and chillin.' "
—one of two homeless-looking men sitting on the west side of the Levy Trail near McDonald's, at 8:34 Friday morning, answering a question asked by Charles (who lives on Orange Street, next door to The Chiropractic Clinic). It was overcast and damp, and a particularly cold-feeling 45°F. "Hey, Timmy, what are y'all doing?" Charles said. After he received the above answer, Charles laughed, and said, "Well, all right. Sounds like y'all got a plan."

Levy Loop/Maple Street Loop

I walked the Levy Loop this morning in 30:13, and jogged for about two minutes to test my new Nike Free 4.0s. There ain't much to them. In fact, they feel kind of like house shoes. I'm afraid they may be limited to Geezer walks and grocery shopping, though I might put them through one good trail run to take the glow-in-the-dark whiteness off of them.

Tonight, for the first time since I began the Ouachita Trail Belly Shrink '14 Crash Course®, my legs are a dead. I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete the Maple Street Loop in 27:58. Tomorrow I will walk very slowly.

Burns Park Loop/Park Hill Loop

The Geezers, including Jack Alsup, Bill Brass, Bob McKinney, Sandy Venable, and I walked the Burns Park Loop this morning in 1:40:41. My legs felt as fresh as they ever feel. I hope to run this evening. When I came home, Ruth, for the first time, was waiting on the front porch with Pam. Heretofore, she has only entered the house through the kitchen. She might be the prettiest yellow cat who's lived. Also on the porch were my new running shoes. Now I'll open the box.

I did, and pulled out cool looking shoes. I'll see later if they work on trails. Maybe Friday, or this weekend. All four pairs of my racing flats work better on the streets. I used a pair as I ran the Park Hill Loop tonight in 57:01, with splits of 10:58, 11:32, 11:11, 11:47, and 11:32. Man, I gotta put in some hill work.

Levy Trail/Levy Loop

I walked the Levy Trail from my house to Camp Robinson and back (5.2 miles) in 1:22:42. It's cold, 27°F. Ruth came in this morning and shivered for a good, solid twenty seconds. She ate and went back out five minutes later. Now, late in the afternoon, she's in again, with Pam and Jo. I just got in myself, after having walked the Levy Loop in 31:37.

33rd Street Loop/33rd Street Loop

I walked the 33rd Street Loop late this morning in 1:17:47. At about 5 p.m., my blood sugar was a little low, so I gave a tube of vanilla flavored ViFuel Endurance Gel a go, and it worked well. Then, an hour later, I had the best run I've had in while. I ran the 33rd Street Loop in 54:48, with splits of 10:37, 10:31, 10:52, 11:22, and 11:26. Walking around today, shopping for groceries and so forth, I had a feeling I'd run well tonight. I have to believe it was inevitable, otherwise those three boxes of ViFuel would be eaten in a month.

Levy Trail/Hash

I alternated one-minute runs with four-minute walks to complete three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 38:29, with splits of 13:21, 12:29, and 12:39. I wore short pants, and took off my gray sweatshirt with a mile to go. It's 51°F, with a RealFeel® of Brownsville, Texas. The temperature, however, fell throughout Who the Fuck is Misty's Hash run this afternoon and into the night. I ran a lot of the way, and felt great. Someone's GPS said we went 5.8 miles. I was out for 1:26:57. We ran from Hillcrest over by the Country Club of Little Rock and all the way down Cantrell Blvd. to the other side of the bridge by Town Pump.

Levy Loop/Maple Street Loop

It was a nice surprise to see I had walked the Levy Loop in 30:47 this morning. I felt so comfortable. I haven't checked the temperature, but it is toasty warm relative to yesterday. Tonight I jogged a little, maybe for three minutes, but otherwise walked the Maple Street Loop in 28:18.

Levy Trail-Ghetto Cat Loop/Orange Street Loop

It was 9°F when I got up at about 6:30 a.m. It was 10 when I left for my walk a little before 9 o'clock. It warmed to 23 as I walked the Levy Trail, from here to Camp Robinson and back, and the Ghetto Cat Loop in 1:52:08. That's 7.2 miles, with splits of 1:21:14 for the Levy Trail, and 30:53 for the Ghetto Cat Loop. My pipes did not freeze.

Late this afternoon I walked the Orange Street Loop in 44:53.

After ten days of Belly Shrink '14, I've covered 78 miles.

Park Hill Loop/Levy Trail

You know what, this was a pretty good walk I think. I walked the Park Hill Loop this morning in 1:08:08, with splits of 13:52, 13:57, 13:35, 13:46, and 12:57. It was an impromptu effort. My legs felt a tad dead when I began at a jog, so after about thirty seconds I slowed to a walk. By the time I got to 47th Street, I was pickin' 'em up and puttin' 'em down pretty easily, so I went for it. I think I resembled an eastern European race walker as I dashed down Orange Street Hill to break thirteen for the final mile. It's miserable here, overcast, with a temp of 28°F and windchill of 15. They say it'll get to 13 tonight, the same as it was two weeks ago when all my pipes burst. The water's already dripping in my tub, and I have a heating pad, covered by plastic bags and towels, on the faucets to my washer. I hope the new copper is safe from tonight. At 6:52 p.m., it's 24. The wind is blowing straight from the north, right down the Levy Trail. I jogged and walked two miles on it in 25:27, with splits of 12:26, and 13:01.

OVERHEARD
"We trying to do the same thing you trying to do."
—one of two teenagers I passed on the Levy Trail. I'm not sure what he meant. Was they trying to jog, or was they trying to stay warm and shit?

Fort Roots Loop/35th Street Loop

Including me, eight Geezers walked the Fort Roots Loop this morning. We went almost exactly six miles in 1:51:33. It was an easy stroll, except for the fast trek up from the River Trail to Fort Roots. Sandy Venable led the climb. This evening I jogged and walked the 35th Street Loop in 50:33. I alternated one-minute runs with one-minute walks through the middle two miles. It was sort of like doing intervals, but not quite. I went a bit too easily. My mile splits were 12:27, 12:26, 12:50, and 12:50.

Levy Trail-38th Street Loop/Chandler Street Loop

Man, it is windy and cold in Levy. The RealFeel is 25°F. I walked the Levy Trail from my house to Camp Robinson and back and the 38th Street Loop for a total of 7.2 miles in 1:46:18, with splits of 1:17:51 for the Levy Trail, and 28:27 for 38th Street. That's an overall average of 14:45.8 a mile. Late this afternoon I walked the Chandler Street Loop in 45:22.

Levy Trail/Oaklawn Park/Orange Street Loop

I walked three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 43:39, to begin the second week of my fifteen-week Ouachita Trail Belly Shrink '14 Crash Course®, targeted toward completing at least the OT 50K, and perhaps the 50 Mile. I'm also using it as a warmup for the Smarty Jones Stakes this afternoon at Oaklawn Park, where I plan to lay it all on the line for 8-1 shot Firestarter. There's a U-Haul truck parked in my driveway.

It's a good thing I was kidding about betting it all, because I lost almost every cent I bet. Fuck Firestarter. He fanned so wide on the first turn that it was all he could do to finish fifth (out of eleven). I lost a total of $41.40. But, for the good news, I jogged the Orange Street Loop, starting no more than five minutes after I got home (at about 7 p.m.), in 34:34, with splits of 11:13, 11:29, and 11:52, and felt wonderful every step of the way. I believe I could've maintained comfort at that snail's pace for at least another couple of miles.

Park Hill-33rd Street Loops/Levy Trail

I walked and jogged the Park Hill-33rd Street Loops in 2:19:38 this morning. I attempted to begin by alternating one-minute jogs with nine-minute walks, with a one-minute decrease on the walks each mile. I held pretty steady, but knew there was no way—without great effort—I could run the final non-stop. This pacing technique, by the way, served well as a blood-sugar gauge. My splits were 14:04, 15:15, 14:25, 14:24, 14:12, 14:01, 13:48, 13:56, 13:22, and 12:11. I ran non-stop for the final one-minute, thirty-eight seconds, as I succumbed for the first time in a while to the temptation to break a random time barrier (in this case, 2:20).

Today's scheduled football has engendered great expectations. For the first time I can remember, the teams in the Super Bowl semifinals were clearly the best through the regular season. The New England-at-Denver game has in every regard potential to stand as a classic. If it's close, decided late by either team, people will talk about it fifty years from now; particularly if Peyton Manning and Tom Brady excel. I can't wait. No no no. No. I can't fucking wait.

Unfortunately, I don't think many people will talk about the New England-Denver game, not even tomorrow. After it was over, I walked a calorie-burning two miles on the Levy Trail in 30:26. There were good food smells all over Levy. Here's hoping the 49ers-Seahawks game goes right to the wire.

OVERHEARD

"She fine."

—a man on his front porch on the other side of Orange Street Hill, after I asked him how Duchess was. Duchess is his household's female German Shepherd. She is colored and shaped exactly like Rin Tin Tin, except for, you know

Levy Trail/Maple Street Loop

I walked the Levy Trail from here to Camp Robinson and back this morning in 1:23:35. At an average pace of 16:04.4 a mile for 5.2 of them, I remained unstressed. Sticking to the same theme, I walked the Maple Street Loop this evening in 33:02.

Park Hill Loop/Levy Trail

I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete the Park Hill Loop this morning in 1:10:36, and felt good all the way, despite a 20 mph westerly that must've held the RealFeel® in the 20s throughout. My splits were 13:43, 15:23, 13:40, 13:58, and 13:53. Late this afternoon I jogged two miles on the Levy Trail in 23:02, with splits of 11:18, and 11:44. A headwind and fear of pooping myself combined with fatigue to slow the second mile.

OVERHEARD
"HEY, SOMEBODY COME GET YOUR GODDAMN DOG!"
—yelled by Pete Perkins in the fourth mile of the Park Hill Loop, as a c. 60-pound dog—colored like Scout/Bear, except with a black snout—barked and scowled as if he were madder than two motherfuckers. The dog had charged from a hundred yards a way. As Perkins walked backwards up a hill, continually shouting, in a madder-than-two-motherfuckers tone, things like, "Get back," he passed a 40-year-old man and an eight-year-old girl on their driveway, saying, "Come here, Chili."

This (paraphrased) conversation ensued:

adult dog owner: "Don't worry. He won't bite."
Perkins: "OK. That's good to know. Please forgive me for cursing."
ado: "Oh, don't worry about that. He just snuck out on us."
P: "That can happen sometimes. I'll tell you this, he's one good-looking dog."
a: "Thanks. I just, I wish he wouldn't bark so much."
P: "Ahh, he's just watching out for you and your daughter."

Pete felt badly about the "goddamn" part. Heck, he was frightened, but knows he shouldn't have been angry. Dogs get out all the time

Hardcastle Loop/Oaklawn Park

I took a four-minute jog during the final mile, but otherwise walked the Hardcastle Loop in 42:34. My hip felt completely recovered. It even felt fine as I lost $40 at Oaklawn Park. Fuck.

Orange Street Loop/Levy Trail

My left hip felt at least eighteen and a half times better this morning, as I walked the Orange Street Loop (in 47:44), than it did yesterday. Obviously I didn't injure it nearly as severely as I did last August. It also probably helps that everything I've eaten over the last twenty-four hours comes from the highest end of the anti-inflammatory scale; now make that the last thirty-four hours. I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete two miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 27:39. My guess, and hope, is that my injury did not involve the joint, but rather a part of the flexor called tensor fasciae latae* (the muscle you can feel running down the side of hips, a bit forward of the joint).
*I had to look that up, I admit

Levy Trail

Shoot, man, I hurt my hip again yesterday, loading a chair in back of Dad's suburban. At least I think that's what did it. I noticed it was a little tight last night. By this morning it was very sore. It got better through the day, but hurt walking a bit over two miles on the Levy Trail this afternoon in 32:16.

Levy Trail

We just had two nearly cloudless days. I think the high yesterday was 67°F. This morning I got about ten minutes into my two-mile walk on the Levy Trail and it started goddamn raining. I was out for 31:38.

QUESTION OF THE DAY
When did people start calling men bitches? I wonder how long it'll be before they start calling them the C word. I think I might start that, maybe in a couple of days

Hash

I ran Hash this afternoon from Conner Park, which I had never heard of until last night. It's on Cantrell Blvd., about a third of the way toward the Pinnacle Mountain turnoff, and is a nice place for running (and also for fishing. Dads and sons were pulling them in left and right from the small lake there). I walked with BJ for about forty-five minutes.

OVERHEARD
"The mushrooms are peeled and cooked."
—servant in the kitchen on PBS's Downton Abbey

"What's weighing on my mind is how soon I get a Bud Light in my mouth. That's priority number one."
—Peyton Manning, responding to a question after his team's victory in the quarterfinals of the NFL playoffs about long-term health concerns

Ridge Road Loop

I walked the Ridge Road Loop this morning in 1:01:02. The sun is out for the first time since last Saturday.

Orange Street Loop

It stopped raining about an hour ago, after having rained most of the last three days, which followed record cold and frozen pipes all over town. To celebrate, I walked the Orange Street Loop this afternoon in 45:17.

33rd Street Loop

I walked the 33rd Street Loop late this afternoon in 1:13:38.

Maple Street Loop

I walked the Maple Street Loop this evening in 30:25.

OVERHEARD
"Well, there it is: The first 3/4-inch copper pipe we've seen all day."
—man in a crowd at Stanley Hardware, when I walked in with a foot-long chunk of copper pipe that burst near my water heater early Monday morning

Levy Trail

Ron, Elaine, Jack Alsopp, and I walked the Levy Trail from 33rd Street to Camp Robinson and back this morning in 1:50:38. Ron's and Jack's watches said we went 6.39 miles.

Orange Street Loop

At 11:12 a.m., it's 17°F, with a RealFeel® of 1. I walked the Orange Street Loop this morning in 40:22, fast enough to keep splits, which were 13:51, 13:57, and 12:34.

By the way, if you'll notice, I found out last night how to make the posted times on these blogs come from whatever time zone we want. It's pretty simple.

33rd Street Loop

If any Pam's Boy* readers would like to empathize with me as I watch the Packers play the 49ers in Green Bay this afternoon, here's what you do: agree to have $50,000 of debt added to your highest-interest credit card if the Packers lose. You will then know some of the agony I'll feel with each Packer mistake, or 49er success (though for me it will have nothing to do with money). The game should be nightmarishly close, and they're predicting a kickoff temperature of -1°F,** factors that should combine to increase its entertainment value for neutral viewers. It's scheduled to start at 3:40 p.m. CST, on Fox, but I kind of hope the power goes off, or someone breaks in while I'm showering and steals the TV. I walked and jogged the five-mile 33rd Street Loop this morning in 1:10:46. It's turning cold in Levy. The temperature is supposed to plummet throughout the day and night to something like 13°F.

49ers 3, Packers 0

The Green Bay Packers decided to start with their classic Porous defensive alignment. Fortunately, they tightened it up at the goal line on the San Francisco 49ers first possession, and limited the bad guys to a field goal with nine minutes left in the first quarter.

49ers 6, Packers 0

Our offense hasn't done dick—zero first downs on its first two possessions. Meanwhile, the defense is bending to bits, but not breaking. San Francisco has taken a 6-0 lead with 2:17 left in the first.

Packers 7, 49ers 6

The Packers offense at last stopped sucking dicks. A turnover stopped San Fran, and Green Bay drove 70 yards to take a 7-6 lead with about six minutes left in the half on Rodger's 5-yard pass to Jordy Nelson. Still, I'm goddamned panicked.

49ers 13, Packers 7

I don't know why I watch this shit. With 2:48 left before halftime, I'm ready for baseball.

49ers 13, Packers 10

You'd probably think I'd be in good football shape by now, but, fuck, I'm glad it's halftime. I need a break.

Packers 17, 49ers 13

They're setting me up. Kuhn just scored from the 1. Four minutes are gone in the fourth quarter, and the Packers are fucking setting me up, or at least trying to, the bastards.

49ers 20, Packers 17

See.

49ers 20, Packers 20

Fuck, man, this is awful. There are five minutes to play, and the goddamn score's tied.

49ers 23, Packers 20

Oh, well. Bring on the Reds and Beat the fucking Streak.

*does anyone know how I can make my blog post titles burnt orange rather than blue?

**only two games in NFL history have been played below 0°F, including the Ice Bowl, in Green Bay on Dec. 31, 1967, when it was -13 and the Packers beat the Dallas Cowfucks, 21-17

Levy Loop

I walked the Levy Loop this morning in 30:41.

Levy Trail

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 31:46.

Park Hill Loop

I jogged and walked the Park Hill Loop tonight in 1:05:44.

Kayce served pan after pan of the best grits I have eaten, and also gallons of delicious black-eyed peas. I was honored that she had lots of ice-cold Milwaukee's Best Light®.

Levy Loop

I walked the Levy Loop this morning in 31:55, and am fixing to go Kasey Smith Hall's for her c. eighth New Year's Day brunch. It will be my first since, I think, 2008. They've become a feast, I hear.