Levy Trail

I jogged a total of four minutes and walked three miles and the Levy Trail this morning in 44:19. My right knee was a little stiff to start but now feels fine.

OVERHEARD
"You need to get a bra."
—Jeff Lukas as I jogged by him on Orange Street

Levy Trail/Levy Trail Loop

I walked for 14:06 on the Levy Trail this morning to 47th Street and back, or roughly two-thirds of a mile, and felt much better than yesterday.
To this point, I always thought I'd have to be close to ninety to get excited about breaking forty minutes for a two-mile walk. Nope. I went through the first mile of the Levy Trail Loop this afternoon in about twenty-one minutes and was therefore pleased to complete the walk in 39:43. My right leg has a few things going on—in the hip, knee, and heel—but is no longer truly painful. I'm nearly positive that's my career slow for a two-mile outing.

HEADLINE PREDICTION...
...for tomorrow: Co-pilot In Deadly Crash Told Germanwings CEO He Planned To Commit Suicide And Take Planeload of Passengers With Him 
"I thought he was telling joke; I mean, you know, pulling leg," airline boss said. "Who would think he would be serious?"

Levy Trail

I aborted an attempt to walk the Levy Trail this evening after about half a block. My right leg from hip to knee has kept me from exercising since last Monday. It still feels a bit fragile, but I believe I'll be fine soon.
Pam 2 is a four-way tie for fourth in the NCAA Tournament newspaper office pool headed into the Final Four. I'm not sure about this, but I think she will finish tied for third if Kentucky wins the tournament and Michigan State upsets Duke in their semifinal game. We'll see.

NCAA Tournament

With three rounds of the NCAA Tournament remaining, I think Pam 2 has a chance to finish tied for second in the newspaper's office pool. In the quarterfinal round, she will need Kentucky to beat Notre Dame and Wisconsin to beat Arizona today, and Duke to beat Gonzaga tomorrow, and, finally, for Kentucky to win the national championship. I'd put her chances at about one in four, so reasonable. No member of Pete Perkins's immediate family or household has ever finished higher than third.

NCAA Tournament/Tamarac Stakes

Midway through fourth round, Pam 1 is a in six-way tie for ninth, and Pam 2 is in a six-way tie for fifteenth, out of 69 entrants, in the paper's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament pool. She needs victories for Gonzaga and Oklahoma tonight, and for Kentucky to win the tournament. Pam 2 probably has the best chance to win or finish in the money.
Competitive Edge will race today in the Tamarac Stakes at Gulfstream Park near Miami. It will be his first start since he won the Hopeful at Saratoga on Sept. 1. He will need to run well enough today to encourage his connections to enter him in the Arkansas Derby two weeks from tomorrow, where he will need to finish in the top three. That's his only chance to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.
Competitive Edge pulled away in the homestretch to win the seven-furlong Tamarac Stakes by seven lengths.
A minute after the race, Basil Julian sent me a text from Oaklawn, where he watched a simulcast of the race. "Competitive Edge looked awesome!" he wrote.

NCAA Tournament

Pam 2 is in a six-way tie for third with 45 points, one point behind the fellow in second and five points behind the guy in first (who has Villanova as his overall winner, which was eliminated in the second round. He should be no trouble). Pam 1 is in a nine-way tie for 12th with 43 points. Kane Webb, Tim Cooper, and Stephanie Harris are among those tied with Pam 1. Jason Files and Jeff Krupsaw are in a three-way tie or ninth for ninth with 44.

Maple Street Loop/NCAA Tournament

I walked the Maple Street Loop through the rain this morning in 30:27.
Halfway through the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Pam 1 and Pam 2 are among those in a six-way tie for third in the paper's office pool. Both have have scored 35 points (players get two points for victories in the second round [then three in the third, and so forth until the championship game, which is worth six points]). They are in a group which includes Tim Cooper and Kane Webb. Two people are one point ahead of us, including Jason Files.
A colt named Where's the Moon finished second in the Sunland Derby today. I won $30.40 for a cold $5 exacta with Firing Line over him. I'm crazy about his name and hope like heck he runs in the Derby. Where's the Moon.

Levy Trail/NCAA Tournament

I walked three miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 45:12.
Pam 2 is in a two-way tie for first in the paper's NCAA Tournament pool after the first round. She correctly picked 27 of 32 winners. Pam 1 is in a twelve-way tie for ninth with 25. Familiar names nearby include Jason Files in a six-way tie for third with 26. The people tied for ninth with Pam 1 include Tim Cooper, Jill Bleed (Jake's wife), Kane Webb, and Stephanie Harris. The large group one back, at 24, includes Jake Bleed, Jeff Krupsaw, Kimmie Krupsaw, and Walt Webb.

OVERHEARD
 "This is how you beat Kentucky, I think. You have to put out a good effort."
—Jim Spanarkel, lead analyst on the Kentucky-Cincinnati broadcast

"The worst team in the NBA would steamroll Kentucky."
—Charles Barkley, after he heard that Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown suggested the current Kentucky team could compete in the NBA. Barkley is correct. At most, five players on the current Kentucky team will play in the NBA. Twelve players on the worst NBA team are already in the NBA

Orange Street Loop/NCAA Tournament

I walked the Orange Street Loop this afternoon in 46:01.
Walt Webb is back in charge of the paper's NCAA Tournament pool. This year we are computerized—on a CBS Website—for the first time. There are 69 entrants, and a little more than halfway through the second day, Pam 2 is in a three-way tie for first. She has picked 19 of 23 games correctly. Pam 1 is in a 17-way tie for 19th with 17.

I PLAN TO STAB...
...the next person who says, "We won't be denied," which means at least fifteen people in the NCAA men's and women's tournaments will be dead by Monday

Levy Trail Loop

I walked the Levy Trail Loop this morning in 29:01. It's 11:06 a.m., and I plan to stay right here, aimed directly at the television until the last goddamn game. Pam has filled out two brackets

Hardcastle Loop/Oaklawn Park

I walked the Hardcastle Loop this morning in 46:48.
Jeff Krupsaw and I drove to Oaklawn Park today, where I lost $13.60 to trim my profit to $39.30 after nine trips. Basil Julian was there and we, along with Ray Paladino, laughed all afternoon.

Levy Trail

I walked and jogged two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 27:57.

Levy Trail/Ghetto Cat Loop

I alternated two-minute jogs with three-minute walks to complete two miles through thick fog on the Levy Trail this morning in 28:00 and noticed something that seemed unusual. I looked up when it was still dark and could see black sky and stars, even though the fog was thick enough to encourage me to run on the trail for the sake of safety. Is that the way it usually works?
All right, finally, my windows are open and the fan's on. It's 72°F at 5:33 p.m. I walked the Ghetto Cat Loop this afternoon in 30:58.
 

Levy Trail/Hash

To prove how slow I am, I alternated one-minute jogs with five-minute walks to complete two miles on the Levy Trail this morning in 29:54.
This afternoon I walked for 1:06:44 way out in west Little Rock on Reverend Bob's Hash run.

OVERHEARD
"You look at least eleven years younger than fifty-six."
—Lacey. I later thanked her, and then asked where she came up with "11." She said it had something to do with her being blonde

Oaklawn Park/Levy Loop

I jogged the Levy Loop late tonight in 25:50, with splits of 13:20 and 12:33. What's good is that it was fairly easy, which is nice for my first run since October.
Did you know you could major in thoroughbred racing at the University of Louisville? I met a petepretty Louisville student in the Oaklawn Park pressbox today. She's an intern for horseracingnation.com., and for spring break she came to Oaklawn. Heather, dressed in beat-up Levi's and a cheap flannel shirt, told me all about Competitive Edge. "Did you watch the Hopeful Stakes?" she asked.
I wrote nice stories about the Rebel and Azeri Stakes and lost $25 to drop my eight-trip profit to $52.90.
American Pharoah won the Rebel Stakes. I forgot to ask the owner why he misspelled Pharaoh.

Levy Trail/Central Avenue in Hot Springs

I walked two miles on the Levy Trail late this morning in 31:37. A steady drizzle fell throughout. My yard is saturated. Water is pooled up across it.
I am in Hot Springs to cover the Class 6A boys state championship basketball game between Jonesboro and Pine Bluff and got here early enough to go for an approximately two-mile walk. It's lovely out tonight, a little damp but pleasantly cool. A long-sleeve shirt night. A good night to make out with Kelly Young in front of the Arlington Hotel or to walk about two miles in 32:27, depending on what's at hand.

Burns Park

The Geezers and I walked a little less than three miles on sloppy Burns Park trails this morning in 49:22. It sprinkled most of the way.

Levy Trail/Orange Street Loop

I walked with the Geezers this morning for 45:01 on the Levy Trail and wore short pants for the first time since last fall. It's warm and sunny out.
This afternoon I alternated one-minute jogs with four-minute walks to complete the Orange Street Loop in 43:38, with splits of 14:52, 14:58, and 14:38.

OVERHEARD
"I've seen you running and walking since I was seven years old."
—22-year-old soldier from Camp Robinson, named Cortez, who grew up on Gum Street between 35th and 36th Streets, a member of the Gum Street Gang. Pete met him in line tonight at Edward's cheap grocery store

Maple Street Loop

Starting at about 6:30 this evening, I walked the Maple Street Loop in 34:47.

Maple Street Loop

I walked the Maple Street Loop this morning in 33:25. Most of the ice is gone. It got up to 60°F yesterday and was above freezing through a night for the first time since last July.
You know what, I moved my watch forward maybe four minutes after I got up this morning.

Levy Loop/Oaklawn Park

Levy remains snow covered for the third consecutive day. It's bright blue this morning but freezing cold. They say it'll get to 50°F at Oaklawn Park today, where I will soon go to write about the Honeybee Stakes and the Hot Springs Stakes. I walked the Levy Loop in 36:23. The streets are still icy.
I lost eighty cents on a two wagers at Oaklawn, which leaves me up $77.90 after seven trips this season.

Ghetto Cat Loop

I walked the Ghetto Cat Loop Loop this morning over four inches of ice and snow in 39:08 and then joined Jo on the front porch where we watched vehicles fail to make it up Orange Street Hill.

Maple Street Loop

This is new for me, and probably for everyone else. Rain fell all last night and today in Levy but turned to sleet at 4:30 this afternoon. At 10:30, it's still sleeting. There are three inches of sleet here. They say it'll start snowing like two motherfuckers in an hour or two. We might get four or five inches of snow on top of the sleet. Crazy. What's crazier is that I walked the Maple Street Loop tonight, beginning at about 9:30, in 48:06. That was about as fast as I could safely go. I had a hoot, and didn't see any life outdoors.

Ghetto Cat Loop

I walked the Ghetto Cat Loop this afternoon in 32:31.

Ghetto Cat Loop

When I began my walk of the Ghetto Cat Loop this morning, it was 33°F in Levy. Rain started to fall about half way through. I came in freezing after a walk and jog of 30:05.

Hash

Rain fell all day in Little Rock. It poured, colder than two people, throughout our Hash run from MacArthur Park this afternoon. I was out for 42:44. Before that we volunteered at the Hash aid station for the Little Rock Marathon and had enormous, ice-cold fun.