Fourth 5k

[Samuel L. Jackson voice] Yes, it was fucking cold out there. Yes, it was windy. Yes, I saw snow as I left work. But if I'm going to run in the mountains at midnight three nights before Halloween, I had to know how it would feel. So I ran. I ran 5k. In the muthafuckin cold goddammit. [/Samuel L. Jackson voice]

I got home from work, pulled on a sweatshirt, wore some baggy shorts, donned a ski cap, and, to quote George Thorogood, out the door I went. For the first half mile, I regreted not wearing gloves, but that pain faded soon. It felt like my lungs were leaking. I had less lungpower, and I blame the cold for that more than the wind. Once the wind died down, the run was not bad, but the wind made the air much sharper. The legs were fine, the cramping was minimal (to which I credit the inability to breathe deep), and my head felt OK with the cap. I think I'll indeed run with a luchadore mask Friday night. My legs were bright red from the run, by the way. I passed by two runners last night, both young women, and now I wonder if I've done enough to be considered a member of the running community. Maybe it's too early for that.

I was winded more than usual after the run, and again I blame the cold. Travis called to say he ran a little bit yesterday to acclimate to the temperature and would definitely be there for the race. I told Your Sis that she didn't have to be there. It's going to be a late night.

I've run 5k four times in two weeks. I'm 34 years old. I've never tried something like this before, and except for random leg aches, I feel pretty good. I'll hit the gym lightly tonight.

Picture of the Day
Saturn has been my favorite planet since elementary school. We studied them in I think third grade. I was a little space nut. I read Sagan's Cosmos, and I got space books for Christmas and birthdays because I was such the nerd. AndI read them all because I was such the nerd. Jupiter may have the Red Spot, and Uranus may have vertical rings (or is that Neptune?), but Saturn as the first God King and head of the Titans, and I read mythology too as a kid. Double nerd! Gaze upon the coldness of space. That's what it felt like last night. And with that, I shall cease the whining.

In the News
During the 2004 elections, Democrats called for a timetable to hand over control of Iraq security to that country so we could bring our guys home. That was packaged by the GOP as "cut and run." Two years later, the U.S. bigwigs in Iraq announced they have a timetable to hand over control of Iraq security to the country so we could bring our guys home. This can cyncically and appropriately be called "midterm election desperation." After three years of repeating "stay the course," Bush said in a recent ABC interview that he never said "stay the course."