Liftoff

AM: 17 miles, avg 6:50. Probably the best long run in the last couple months, but it didn't come easy. I planned 18, but my right calf started freaking out around 16.5. Nothing serious.

PM: 2 miles with Elise on her bike, 1 with Anna.

AM: 6 miles.

PM: 8 miles at lunch.

After running in the humidity all summer, there is a time each year, usually in November, when a couple of cool weeks leads to some great runs and workouts.

I felt that out there today (in January)! In my case, I'm not rounding into top form, which can't help but feel like an opportunity missed.

I am glad to be running in cool weather and not hurt for the first time in awhile.

AM: 6 miles.

PM: 8 miles at track. Descending ladder with Quint, Anthony and Lee. Nothing amazing, but a little progress.

Workout: 1200, 800, 400, 200, EACH WITH 200 REST, 2 SETS WITH 400 REST BETWEEN THE SETS.

Splits:
4:20.2, 2:50.5, 1:18.5, :34.3
4:07.8, 2:42.3, 1:13.4, :32.9

Chilly night, upbeat crowd at track. Something that seems so Floridian: two of the best races in Pinellas County are happening this weekend. At one point the race directors locked horns and now make it an annual tradition to schedule their events on top of each other. Plenty of racing options for runners this weekend, anyhow.

Just plain lazy.

Lazy, part 2. Also, we have our company Holiday Party tonight. It's a little late this year, but two years ago it was held in May.

For bedtime reading, I've been tackling The Hobbit with my seven year old . This is kind of a big deal, since we spent the first 5 or 6 years of her life reading indestructible cardboard books about colors, shapes and dogs.

Assuming anyone who cares has already read the book... we are near the end when Bilbo confronts Smaug. Elise was sure Bilbo would somehow defeat the dragon, which is what the narrative structure leads you to expect. The story is told in 3rd person, almost entirely following Bilbo around.

Tolkien's way of handling the dragon is kind of quirky, though. After his second conversation with Bilbo, Smaug flies off in a rage, torches the secret entrance the dwarves & hobbit found, then flies off (to Laketown it turns out). Bilbo and the dwarves are left hiding in the mountain for a couple days wondering where the dragon went. They eventually loot the treasure and walk out the front gate.

In the next chapter, the narrator basically says: "Well, I bet you wanted to know what happened to the dragon, right? Here goes...."

It's a neat chapter and beautifully written, but the fact that Smaug meets his demise far from Bilbo and the dwarves, and then the jump back in time to tell the story, add up to a pretty jarring resolution of one of the major questions in the book.

It stuck out because as an adult reading it, I kind of just plowed over those issues and followed the plot and didn't think much of it. But my daughter was kind of scandalized.

8 miles at lunch with Quint. The best part of the run was when he climbed a fence like Spiderman to avoid a huge puddle in the middle of the bike path, thought he was clear, then jumped in the middle of it.

No run this morning. Woke up to a drizzle that turned into a downpour as a storm moved in from the gulf. Not that I would have run anyway, having been out late at the company dinner party.

We had a good last year, so they took us to an expensive restaurant and ordered a ridiculous amount of food and drink. On one hand it was fun, but I found it impossible to tune out the sheer excess. It reminds me of being a kid at Christmas, and of course I loved the toys, but I also felt a lot of shame when I saw all the presents, and knew the situation of kids elsewhere in the world.

Maybe it's just the weather, but it seems that the default human condition is to take care of yourself and your family, then maybe your immediate social circles. People seem to fall into three categories in this regard. The first group doesn't care about the massive inequality that exists, and if anything enjoys explaining why others are less fortunate. The second group is just as bad, people like me, who don't like the way the world is but don't translate their feelings into actions. Then there's a minority who volunteer their time, money, or choose careers like teaching or social work where you forego lavish dinners and higher salaries in exchange for directly helping other people.

At some point I want to move into the third category. I already regret living most of my life too selfishly thus far.

1 mile with Anna on her bike, 2 with Elise.

I think that's it for the day. I'm going to run the Clearwater 1/2 tomorrow. Plenty of reasons not to: we're heading to Orlando for a wedding after lunch, and won't be home until 10 or 11. It's a tough course with 4 serious bridge crossings. And it's going to be raining. For some reason, when I add that all up it makes me want to go.

I'm not going to bring a watch- just run however I feel tomorrow morning, maybe with a friend, maybe just watching the race unfold. If I caught lightning in a bottle I might be able to run 1:18, but I doubt I have the willpower to put myself through the grinder to run 5 minutes over my PR.

I was sad to read about Ryan Hall's retirement yesterday, but it did seem inevitable. You could argue he received a disproportionate amount of attention vs. other American runners, although some of it was due to his unique ability to inspire others. He could be frustrating to cheer for with his flakiness, but I'm from CA and can relate to flakehood firsthand. It was easy to believe he'd hit his homerun and win a major marathon. I think all his fans and detractors were hoping that would happen.