Earth Day 2010

“Gravity is a Harsh Mistress” – The Tick

Today is Earth Day 2010 ... On this date, FORTY years ago; I celebrated the FIRST Earth Day by colliding with Our Planet, breaking my arm and earning my VERY FIRST trip to the Emergency Room!!! There would be many more, as documented here

I don’t remember the exact details of the crash, only that it involved a Schwinn StingRay, a steep hill, a temptingly cambered curb and an Evel Knievel mindset.

Dix Road in Wethersfield rose up to meet Ridge Avenue at what seemed then to be a tremendous height. From end of this street [in fact, from the end of all the streets in the neighborhood I lived in up there] one could look across the “valley” created by the Connecticut River and see quite a ways away.

When I hit the curb at speed and launched myself into the air, I truly felt like I was flying; even though, in reality, my rear tire couldn’t have been more than a foot off the ground.

I guess I was too busy admiring the view to remember what I had seen on ABC's Wide World of Sports so many times. That being: “If you don’t keep your front wheel straight, you’re gonna get acquainted with the ground real fast”

Sure enough, my front wheel struck the sidewalk at an angle, wrenched the handlebars violently to the left and I departed over the chrome, as I was bucked forward onto some poor retirees lawn.

I didn’t hear or feel a “Snap!” [as I would with my collarbone, when I fell off the monkeybars later that Summer], but a persistent ache, accompanied by bruising and swelling that inspired my Mom to take me up to the Hospital.

I think it was then that I fell in love with my first nurse.

March Comes In Like ...???

Chevy Chase:
Last week we made the comment that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Now here to reply is our chief meteorologist, John Belushi, with a seasonal report.

John Belushi:
Thank you Chevy. Well, another winter is almost over and March true to form has come in like a lion, and hopefully will go out like a lamb. At least that's how March works here in the United States.

But did you know that March behaves differently in other countries? In Norway, for example, March comes in like a polar bear and goes out like a walrus. Or, take the case of Honduras where March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a salt marsh harvest mouse.

Let's compare this to the Maldive Islands where March comes in like a wildebeest and goes out like an ant. A tiny, little ant about this big.

[holds thumb and index fingers a small distance apart]

Unlike the Malay Peninsula where March comes in like a worm-eating fernbird and goes out like a worm-eating fernbird. In fact, their whole year is like a worm-eating fernbird.

Or consider the Republic of South Africa where March comes in like a lion and goes out like a different lion. Like one has a mane, and one doesn't have a mane. Or in certain parts of South America where March swims in like a sea otter, and then it slithers out like a giant anaconda.

There you can buy land real cheap, you know.

And there's a country where March hops in like a kangaroo, and stays a kangaroo for a while, and then it becomes a slightly smaller kangaroo. Then, then, then for a couple of days it's sort of a cross between a, a frilled lizard and a common house cat.

[Chevy Chase tries to interrupt him]

Wait wait wait wait. Then it changes back into a smaller kangaroo, and then it goes out like a, like a wild dingo. Now, now, and it's not Australia! Now, now, you'd think it would be Australia, but it's not!!!



[Chevy Chase tries to interrupt him]

Now look, pal! I know a country where March comes in like an emu and goes out like a tapir. And they don't even know what it means!!! All right? Now listen, there are nine different countries, where March comes in like a frog, and goes out like a golden retriever. But that - that's not the weird part!!! No, no, the weird part is, is the frog. The frog- The weird part is -

[has seizure and falls off chair]

Someone's Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

Day 3 of Broad Street training and I'm still on Plan [meaning, I haven't over-run my Program ... yet ] Two days in a row*??? How long has it been since I've done that??? This is from the guy who was once asked by Coach Xena: "How long has it been since you took a day off?" ... And I couldn't remember

Not that my Mojo has left, as some of my friends have been struggling with, it’s just been the way things have been going lately, from a scheduling or meteorological standpoint. [Bad timing or bad weather]

As I was cruising around, my thoughts turned to my cousin, who took Silver in her Age Group at the University City 5K. She has no plans to defend her title in Philly, but I happened to wonder where her result there would put her in her NEXT race, judging by last year’s results at her racing debut in Hartford.

Subject: No medal in 2010 I'm afraid

5th O'Hartford 5K
Hartford, CT, March 15, 2009

FEMALE AGE GROUP: 40 – 44
1st Place - WEST HARTFORD, CT 23:03
2nd Place - COLCHESTER, CT 23:12
3rd Place - WEST HARTFORD, CT 23:13

Although a 28:00 could bring you in around the Top 20 for your Age Group … That’s pretty sweet – and doable, if you haven’t lost too much fitness over the Winter. Sub-25:00 gets you near the Top 10

Coach R

After I checked her time from last year, curiosity got the better of me. Doe has no plans for running Broad Street this year [or anything else it seems, which makes me sad], so it fell to my nearest male competitor. I checked Disco Bob’s 2009 time.

He only beat me by 3 minutes last year, just barely cracking 90 minutes … He slyly let me know that 2010 will be his 15th Broad Street in a row … being ever diligent, I checked back a couple years … He’s been LOSING 3 minutes every year, while I’ve been 3 minutes quicker for each 10M I’ve done!!!

Yeah, there’s blood in the water.



* Day 1 was a “Rest Day” … You know, to keep ALL the Mondays consistent

I :heart: my Coach

"Once more into the breach ..."

Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!

Whoa … That’s a bit harsh!!!

I only mean to say that … when I said I wouldn’t be racing in 2010, it was mostly due to D’Wife’s job, since she works on Sunday – prime racing day – we most likely wouldn’t have anyone to watch D’Kid while dad trotted around Philly or Jersey or PA or wherever. Just for shits & giggles though, my Coach and I whipped up a 10-week Training Program for Broad Street, with the caveat “Whether I’ll actually register and run it is a whole other story LOL”

Well, two developments came together over the weekend

1] D’Wife approved of my Race Day Plan / Conspiracy, should she not be able to take the day off: Her BF works at Blue Cross and plans to Volunteer that day; if D’Wife can’t get the day off, Cathy will take D’Kid with her to whatever task she’ll be doing, whether is water stationing or something at the finish line

B] My brother’s sister-in-law [my sister-in-law’s sister?] told us yesterday at my nephew’s baptism party that SHE is doing it, too.

With those two pieces of the puzzle now in place …

Registration Confirmation for:

2010 Blue Cross Broad Street Run

Dear rudy,

Congratulations! You are now registered for 2010 Blue Cross Broad Street Run. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.broadstreetrun.com

God help us all …

Know Your Rights

"You have the right to Free Speech ... As long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it"

You are all on notice - one more issue with any of you and your ability to post in the PRT [Post Race Tent forum on Kickrunners.com] will be removed. Further issues, and your accounts will be closed completely.

I no longer care who started it; which side you're on; whether you feel justified in your disdain for each other or not - I simply am tired of it. Period.

Your subscription service doesn't give you the right to abuse this site or slice hairs to cause shit - period. If you don't like that - you can demonstrate your dissatisfaction with my decision by leaving the site.

I've informed Grizzly and Sierra of the steps required to remove your permissions from the PRT - and they both have the ability to place your accounts in moderation.

If you would like a refund on the balance of your subscriptions, then simply email me your PayPal account information and I will be happy to refund you that balance.

If any post; veiled or not - comes across the wrong way to any moderator whatsoever, your access to the PRT will be closed immediately. If you then violate any other rule - based on the moderators opinion in any other forum, your accounts will be closed.

Rich

Lock me out of PRT Rich, see if I care ... as long as I can VRAA.