Southern California Cold

As the years pass, I find it difficult to believe I once unloaded trucks in sub-zero temperatures for the post office. This was back in Chicago during a series of winters so furious that the national media assured us we faced global cooling. A new ice age was a'coming. All the science agreed.

Here in greater Los Angeles, anything below 60 degrees is a sign of global cooling. At track practice last night I would run 880 repeats, then put on my jacket and stretch vigorously until time to go again. (Temperatures were in the 40s, but this is considered Hawaiian-shirt weather for a Midwestern winter.)

Speaking of Hawaiian shirts, my Teammates running the Honolulu Marathon will be feted tomorrow night at a San Gabriel Valley pizza parlor. (A humble but sincere gesture.) They are less than two weeks away from their event. I remember my excitement last year, preparing to go.

Now I've went.

So I'll wear my sea shell chain finishers medal and bask in the ever warmth of friends.

Bay Area T-Day

Up to the San Francisco Bay area for turkey with the in-laws. My wife and I drove up Tuesday and got back Friday. Smooth traffic sailing all the way. We stayed with an aunt-in-law. She listens to NPR 24/7 and has the TV going as well. Electronic voice overdose. I don't think I turned on the car radio all the way home.

Yesterday I ran ten miles with the Team. A light practice turnout with many folk gone for the holidays. I experimented with my marathon pace. Hills made it difficult to maintain even splits. But I managed a respectable average.

Today, my wife cooks a turkey for our private dining pleasure.

Work has pretty much dried up. Nothing in sight for the new year. But I'm grateful to be alive and healthy.

SB Half Marathon Final Time

Master Time Keeper from Santa Barbara contacted me. A unique series of events involving my chip and a faulty mat led to a two-week delay in recording my finish: 2 hours, 4 minutes and 52 seconds.

I thanked him for his diligence.

K, we are now official.

Ran 18 miles today with the Team. Took an ice bath afterwards. I should be walking around fine tomorrow.

To work now on a script for my overseas client.

Santa Barbarians and Race Results

A final twelve names were added to the finsher's roster for the Santa Barbara Half-Marathon.

I was not among them.

I had fun and got a nice finisher's medal.

Plus a knock in my engine turned out to be a failing water pump. It held up on the two-hour ride home and didn't strand me in some desolate valley on a Saturday afternoon.

But I never officially ran the race.

I have already registered for the inaugeral City of Angels Half-Marathon. The mostly downhill course begins in Griffith Park and ends in downtown Los Angeles, passing the Silver Lake Reservoir and Echo Park lagoon.

Here's hoping for a good, officially recorded, finish time.

And no engine problems.

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks my first year on the web.

3,398 visits.

5, 770 page views.

Many thanks to my fine regulars.

I hope to add sound and video files in the coming year.

Hoo-ray for cyberspace.

A Mere Ten Mile Run

EZ Saturday. We ran a brief ten miles in preparation for the next intense phase of training.

No final results yet from the Santa Barbara half-marathon. But I received the promise of some from the Master Time Smith.

Back writing on my foreign animated show after a two-month hiatus. (It takes a long time for outlines and scripts to be approved as they must pass among different authorities on three continents.) But income will be useful as we just had new gutters installed and are in the midst of exterior painting.

We're broke but looking good.

SB Half Marathon Time Woes

All the half-marathon chips were tabulated and matched with tags torn off each runner's number bib. The revised final results for the Santa Barbara News Press Half Marathon are in!

Eighteen more runners were added to the official finisher's list.

I wasn't one.

I sent another email to the Santa Barbara Athletic Association's master tabulator. I asked if there wasn't anywhere else he could check for my chip. As the race was my best half-marathon effort, I said I'd really like an official time.

So far, no word back.

Perhaps they're waiting to count the absentee chips.