33rd Street Loop

I jogged the 33rd Street Loop's three-mile option this morning in 33:36, with splits of 11:10, 10:58, and 11:28. My legs did not feel quite dead. Perhaps inadequately fueled would fit. Tom Zaloudek and I plan to spend this afternoon and early evening at Oaklawn Park to bet the Friday card at Santa Anita Park, including the first four races of the 2014 Breeders' Cup. I also plan to eat a lot.

OVERHEARD
 "They just lies, and I'm tied of 'em. Ain't got time for 'em."
—woman on a cell phone at Kroger

DOCTOR PETE'S DEAD CINCH, LOCK OF A LIFETIME SILVER BULLET SPECIAL

Take everything you own to the nearest pawn shop, sell it, and take the money to your nearest race track or off-track gambling facility to bet it on Don't Tell Sophia (No. 7) to win the Breeders' Cup Distaff (Race 9 at Santa Anita Park). Sophia will come from way off the pace to crush heavily-favored Untapable and her hot, red-headed jockey Rosie Napravnik. In fact, Untapable will finish no better than third. With that in mind, bet the following $1 superfecta. 1) Don't Tell Sophia (No. 7); 2) Iotapa (3); 3) Close Hatches (10) and Untapable (11); 4) All. Cash this ticket, which will cost $14 (and should read 7/3/10+11/1+2+4+5+6+8+9), and meet me in Rio for big piles of meat and fried potatoes and all the Milwaukee's Best Light and porter in town
 

Levy Trail/38th Street Loop

I alternated two-minute jogs with three-minute walks to complete three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 41:54.
This evening I walked the 38th Street Loop in 33:24.

35th Street Loop intervals/Levy Loop

After a half-mile warmup of jogging and walking, I did the middle three miles of the 35th Street Loop by alternating five-minute runs with three-minute walks, then mostly jogged the final half mile. My splits for the whole loop, which I completed in 44:25, were 11:08, 11:57, 10:54, and 10:27. I finished the three miles of intervals in 32:10. I did a total of four five-minute runs. It interests me that I completed the loop forty-eight seconds faster than when I ran it nonstop on Saturday.
I walked the Levy Loop at dusk in 31:04.

OVERHEARD
"Looking good."
—both Charles and Linda, a couple who live in the house immediately north of the Chiropractic Clinic, as they walked their dog on Orange Street and I ran by them very close to the one-mile mark of the 35th Street Loop. It's the first time I remember hearing 'looking good' other than during an official race

Levy Loop-Mellene Street Loop/38th Street Loop/DFL

I felt almost fast this morning as I ran the Levy Loop in 20:25, with splits 10:18 and 10:07. Immediately afterward I jogged and walked the Mellene Street Loop in 13:15 to cover three miles in 33:59. A comfortable drizzle fell throughout.
This evening, through 59°F mist, I alternated one-minute jogs with one-minute walks to complete the 38th Street Loop in 24:38, with splits of 12:39 and 11:59.
The DFL Green Bay Packers defeated Trojan Men, 136.61-126.43, to advance to 6-2 and remain in second place. Green Bay trailed by forty-five points going into Sunday night, but got super performances for NFL Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and New Orleans running back Mark Ingram (whose last name gave Pete the idea for Keith Ingram's, the protagonist of A Different Closet). The NFL Packers lost to the Saints, 44-23.

Levy Trail/Ghetto Cat Loop

Starting at about 1:30 this afternoon, I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 33:17.
I walked the Ghetto Cat Loop this evening in 29:29.

Orange Street Loop intervals/Hash

To honor the first country to present an NFL quadruple-header on free television, and to increase my aerobic and anaerobic endurance, I alternated two-minute runs with one-minute walks this morning to complete the Orange Street Loop in 35:57, with splits of 11:43, 11:45, and 12:19. This was probably a little easier than it should've been, so I will probably wait until at least halftime of the Detroit Lions-Atlanta Falcons game—which began at 8:30 a.m. Central from London—to drive to Kroger for a package of bacon.
 I rarely take eagle trails, but took one this afternoon with the Hash, and regretted it shortly thereafter. We were on the bluff between the River Trail and Fort Roots, and ended up climbing a dangerously steep path that had most of us frightened. It was such that a fall would have led to injury at best, and perhaps death. I was out for 1:22:48, and probably didn't cover much more that three miles.

35th Street Loop/Maple Street Loop

This might have been my longest nonstop run since September of 2012, or possibly 2011. I jogged the 35th Street Loop this morning in 45:13. I'm interested in my splits, since I didn't look at my watch as I ran; they were 10:55, 11:29, 11:43, and 11:06. Those are more irregular than I expected, since I felt pretty much the same until the final half mile when fatigue crept in.
Tonight I walked the 38th Street Loop in 33:02.

Ghetto Cat Loop

I walked the Ghetto Cat Loop at lunchtime today in 33:59.

F Street Loop/Burns Park Loop/Levy Trail

I walked one lap of the F Street Loop very early this morning in 35:54. The F Street Loop was first blazed in November of last year. It's exactly a half mile from my driveway to its start and end on Sycamore Street. The loop is one mile, and goes south on Sycamore, east up into Park Hill on 33rd, north on Poplar, and west back into Levy on F and 35th Streets. I used it for hilly intervals for about three weeks last fall before I made them too difficult.
Starting at 9 a.m., I walked the Burns Park Loop with Ron and Elaine, their good friend Ben Spurlock (a former Hasher who moved to Springfield, Mo., at least twenty years ago), Bob McKinney, and Sandy Venable, in 1:43:40.
This evening, as a warmup for Thursday Night Football (in which Denver receiver Demaryius Thomas will play for the DFL Packers), I jogged, ran, and walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 26:42. I don't think I will make three-a-days a habit.

Orange Street Loop/Ridge Road Loop

This morning, starting at about 9 a.m., I jogged the Orange Street Loop in 31:47, with splits of 10:32, 10:40, and 10:35. This was the best I have felt on a nonstop run in a while, at least several months.
I walked the Ridge Road Loop this evening in 1:05:00, and stepped into my house four and a half minutes before the first pitch of Game 2.

Levy Trail Loop/38th Street Loop intervals/DFL

I walked the Levy Trail Loop this morning in 29:13.
This evening I did 38th Street Loop intervals, with a mile of alternating one-minute runs with one-minute walks between two half-mile jogs and walks. I completed the loop in 23:54, with splits of 11:20 and 12:34. I don't know what my time for the middle mile was, but I felt as if I were going fairly fast
Man, the DFL Green Bay Packers barely held on to defeat the Ratpackers, 122.32-121.12. It kept me interested in Monday Night Football until very late. The DFL Packers are now in second place at 5-2. The NFL Packers are also 5-2, and have looked great the last three weeks.

OVERHEARD
"Yeah, but I ain't the first person they done did that to before."
—dude on the Levy Trail to another dude, probably about getting cornholed at work or the DMV

"Shit, if I'd'a knowed that, I could'a went and bought some fuckin hot dogs."
—dude at Kroger

35th Street Loop/T.V. Hill Road

I alternated two-minute jogs with three-minute walks to complete the 35th Street Loop this morning in 51:16. My splits were 12:57, 13:08, 12:18, and 12:53. This felt pretty easy. The weather continues its spectacular run. As of yesterday, we've had ten consecutive days of highs between 69°F and 82, with lows in the 50s, except for two nights in the high 40s.
Thirty minutes after eating steaks tonight with Richard, Lilian, Jim, and Karen, I walked and jogged from Dad's house through the hillier-than-two-motherfuckers neighborhoods around it for 35:13. I'd say I went about two and a half miles.
The DFL Green Bay Packers lead the Ratpackers, 122.32-97.98. The Packers are done. The Ratpackers have Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell going tonight, plus a defensive player. Yahoo predicts I have a sixty-seven percent chance of winning. I'd put it at about eighty.

Park Hill Loop/Hash

This morning I alternated easy, one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete the Park Hill Loop in 1:13:48, with splits between 15:07 and 14:01, and then argued Razorback football with Bobby Vint on his driveway for a solid half hour.
This afternoon I walked 2.4 miles with the Hash on the former Western Hills Country Club course, which runs along the southern edge of First Tee.

Levy Trail/Ghetto Cat Loop

I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 40:19. My legs feel fine today. Overall, I feel borderline light. If I can just keep from banging the fuck out of my ankles, knees, and hip joints while crawling from bed to the new refrigerator, I could be about to turn a corner.
This evening I walked the Ghetto Cat Loop in 29:22.

33rd Street Loop/Levy Trail

I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks and increased the jogs by a minute and decreased the walks by the same each fifteen minutes to complete the 33rd Street Loop this morning in 1:02:57. My splits were 13:07, 12:50, 12:19, 12:28, and 12:23. My legs were dead, which explains why by the end I was running slower than I walked.
Late this afternoon I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 31:38.

OVERHEARD
"Did you hear some gun shots down there?"
—65-year-old man on the Levy Trail near Mexico Tequila. I told him I heard four shots I suspected came from a late-model black car close to the old Dixie Pig building. I was no more than a block away, and it was enough to encourage me to reroute

I PLAN TO STAB...
...non health professionals worried about ebola who don't live in or near central or southern Africa

38th Street Loop/Orange Street Loop

At 8:09 a.m., it's 47°F in Levy. I should've worn gloves. I walked the 38th Street Loop this morning in 31:26, and my hands still hurt a little. It's hard to type.
Tonight I jogged very slowly for a total of ten minutes and otherwise walked the Orange Street Loop in 47:45. If my back hurts later on, I promise I'll be too embarrassed to mention it.

Levy/Levy Trail Loop

I took a random, 1:14:15 walk through Levy this morning, primarily to burn calories for my first meal at the new Levy Waffle House.* Cooper is on his way to join me.
Early this evening I walked the Levy Trail Loop in 33:12, and then ate ribs at Sim's with the Humpin Hash (which decided not to run), and then went to the Arkansas State Fair for the first time since 2006.
Of my fifteen or so Fair trips since c. 1980, this was my least favorite. I believe it was the first time I had been there in a group larger than four, and unaccompanied by either a close friend or date.

*this was the first time I had eaten at a new Waffle House, which likely explains why our waitress seemed confused. The pork chops, however, tasted exactly like the best pork chops I have eaten, or like Waffle House pork chops everywhere

Orange Street Intervals/Levy Trail/DFL

I did Orange Street Intervals this morning and felt better than the last time I did them, on Wednesday, but completed the loop a mere three seconds faster, in 34:46. As before, I used the first half mile as a warmup and the last to warm down, and alternated one-minute runs with one-minute walks between. My overall splits were 11:49, 11:13, and 11:44. My interval splits with 11:10 and 11:01.
In retrospect I believe it will be a while before I do these more than once a week. They're hard.
My idiocy needs no further verification, but here's some anyway: Two days after I feared I had permanently damaged my lower back, I got up out of bed and ran intervals. Within an hour, my back was killing me.
It has, however, calmed down a lot and feels much better than it did several hours ago, and several hours after I hurt it Sunday. I'm not worried. Internet sources said the worst thing to do is spend the day in a chair or bed, and that seems about right. I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this evening in 34:46, and feel fine. I might relax a bit for a few days.
The Democrat Football League Green Bay Packers were defeated by the Complete Sellouts, 131.70-92.83, and dropped to fourth place at 4-2 with seven regular-season games to play. The top six teams make the playoffs.

Levy Trail/Hardcastle Loop/DFL

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 34:37.
Late this afternoon I walked the Hardcastle Loop in 46:50. I felt very good.
After tweaking the crap out of my back yesterday, and subsequently treating it with ice and ibuprofen, this morning I rated it at about 90%. After this evening's walk, it feels fine, almost as good as ever, no worse than my back frequently feels. I'm relieved.
The DFL Green Bay Packers got smoked. We trail the Complete Sellouts, 117.70-92.83. We're out of players. The Sellouts have San Francisco's defense going on Monday Night Football, so the score will get worse. The NFL Packers won a thrilling, 27-24 victory at the Miami Dolphins. Aaron Rodgers threw the winning touchdown pass with three seconds left.

Levy Trail

I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete three miles on the Levy Trail at lunchtime in 43:39.

OVERHEARD
"It is, man. That's what I'm headed for right now."
—Twenty-five-year-old man, in blue jeans and a gray hoodie, to conclude the following conversation:

Pete: "Hey, man,"
Man: "Hey. It's a good day for walkin, ain't it?"
Pete: "Yeah, it is. It's also gonna be a good day for watching football."

33rd Street Loop/Maple Street Loop

I was a little over two miles into the five-mile 33rd Street Loop this morning when it began to seem odd how slowly I was going. My third or fourth suspicion was hypoglycemia. I successfully performed some elementary math, and then started counting presidents backward: "Obama, Bush, ...." Shit. Clinton? Is that possible? Has it only been eight years since he was president. Wait. One term is four years, I know that. You know what, I think I'll eat this tube of Vi Fuel Endurance Gel.
Five minutes later I was fine.
I completed the loop in 1:08:21, with splits of 13:12, 13:53, 15:21, and the last two miles in 25:53. I jogged the last 10:26 non-stop and felt very well when I finished.
Tonight I alternated two-minute runs with three-minute walks to complete the Maple Street Loop in 25:05, once again on very lively legs.
How can anyone, who isn't currently a fan of the Cardinals, Giants, or Orioles, possibly not cheer for the Kansas City Royals?

OVERHEARD
"It's thirtain-sevin, Arkinsawww!"
—man with a deep southern Levy accent on his front porch on Maple Street with the score of the Arkansas-Alabama football game. I didn't want to know anything about it, since I plan to watch it on ESPN3 after (I hope) San Francisco beats the dog piss out of St. Louis in Game I of the NL Championship series, but was nevertheless pleased to hear the score and the man's delight

GUESS WHAT?
This morning they opened Levy's first Waffle House. It's directly across the street from McDonald's, a four-minute walk from my house. I probably will no longer be able to afford my property taxes

Levy Loop/Levy Trail

This is something I didn't expect to happen before my seventieth birthday: I jogged the Levy Loop very comfortably this morning in 24:31, with splits of 12:23 and 12:08. My legs felt downright lively, and still I averaged 12:15.5 a mile. Nevertheless, I am pleased to have jogged two miles nonstop at ease.
Late this afternoon I walked 3.14 miles on the Levy Trail in 49:56.

Orange Street Loop/Levy Trail

I walked the Orange Street Loop early this afternoon in 44:15.
This evening I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 31:20.

Orange Street Loop intervals/Humpin Hash

It would be beneficial I believe if I would start doing something like these Orange Street intervals at least twice a week. This afternoon I walked and jogged a half-mile warmup, then did two miles in which I alternated one-minute runs with one-minute walks for eleven runs. My overall time and splits were 34:49 and 11:34, 11:04, and 12:10. My splits for the interval miles were 10:49.9 and 11:09.2.
These felt good enough to encourage me. I hope to do them again on Sunday morning.
It took me 1:31:45 to go a little over five miles with the Humpin Hash. We started at Vino's, wound around the Capitol Building, worked our way to the River Trail and River Market, and headed back.
Oh. By the way. The winner of the Arkansas Traveller was a very handsome (at least according to Chrissy Ferguson), 31-year-old lawyer from Little Rock named Wes Hunt. He averaged exactly 9:35.5 a mile to become the third person to break sixteen hours at the Traveller. His time was 15:59:12.

Two Rivers Park

I walked for 1:13:14 with Bill Brass, Elaine Gimblet, and Bob McKinney at Two Rivers Park this morning.

Levy Trail Loop/Levy Trail

I walked the Levy Trail Loop this morning in 32:02.
This evening I alternated four-minute walks with one-minute walks to complete two miles on the Levy Trail in 28:26.

Ouachita National Forest/Levy Trail/DFL

WILLIAMS JUNCTION—I ran and walked a total of about two hours, probably a little more, as I watched the Arkansas Traveller 100 yesterday afternoon, last night, and this morning. My legs felt very good throughout.
Early this evening I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 35:09.
The DFL Green Bay Packers defeated the Sherwood Shigellas, 123.97-74.13. Green Bay remains in third place. The NFL Green Bay Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, 42-10.

OVERHEARD
"Drew Stanton literally threaded the needle."
—Fox football analyst Troy Aikman, after Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton completed a sideline pass between two defenders to running back Andre Ellington

"It was a great game, especially for both teams."
—Pablo Sandavol, after the San Franciso Giants' 18-inning playoff victory over the Washington Nationals late Saturday night

Levy Loop

I walked the Levy Loop at lunchtime today in 31:37.
Late this afternoon I walked two miles on the Levy Trail in 30:41l

Fort Roots Loop/Levy Trail

Bill Brass, Bob McKinney, and I walked the Fort Roots Loop this morning in 1:51:01. It starts at Burns Park Golf Course, goes up to Fort Roots off of the River Trail, follows a recently paved asphalt trail that runs along the Arkansas River side of Fort Roots, past the parade grounds, and down an ancient trail I remember from 1980 to the skateboard park on the river. There it reunites with the River Trail, which we followed back to the golf course. It is 5.51 miles according to Brass' GPS watch. We went very slowly, talking the whole while.
After watching the NFL Green Bay Packers advance to 3-2 overall with a 42-10 shellacking of the Minnesota Vikings, I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete two miles on the Levy Trail in 25:55. During the final mile I incorporated my nearly forgotten race walk technique, last used the summer of 2011.

Fort Roots/Maple Street Loop

This morning, starting at about nine o'clock, I walked an out-and-back with the Geezers from Burns Park Golf Course to Fort Roots, plus a few tours along the gillions of trails once we reached the top. We were out for 1:28:32.
Tonight I walked the Maple Street Loop in 33:10.