Freethinker ~ Freerunner

I ran this morning with Kevin and Mike.  It rained on us for about the first hour and ten minutes and then it let up.  We started at 5:30 so Mike could join us.  It felt like 4:30 with the time change.  I was so worried I was going to oversleep that I set multiple alarms.  I ended up waking up at 4:30 on my own without alarm assistance.  I believe I have been gradually conditioning myself to become an early riser.  It has been a goal of mine for the past year or two to become an early riser.  I believe early rising is a characteristic of more organized and productive people.  

We talked a little bit about the GOP primary and it was determined that each of us voted for different candidates and none of those candidates were Romney.  Kevin voted for Gingrich, Mike for Santorum, and I for Paul.  I believe this pretty well represents Romney's problem all across the country. He is leading in the polls and winning most states, but not by large margins because he has been unable to close the deal with the various factions within the Republican party.  A liberal politician named Elliot Spitzer observed this morning on This Week that the Republican party is split into three segments; the religious, the mainstream corporate, and the libertarians.  His analysis was that Romney has thus far been unable to pull all three of those together because the three segments don't get along so well.  He may be right about that, but I still think that the three more than likely will unite against this President's failed economic policies and vote for the nominee (Romney) in November.  With the independent voters who will hold Obama responsible for high gas prices and an economy that is not recovering fast enough, he will more than likely lose the election.  I will admit I'm less sure about this prediction today than I was six months ago, but I'm not changing my mind just yet.   

We also discussed the casino that is in the midst of construction near our running trail.  I said that I sort of feel sorry for the tribe who got the appropriate permissions to build, but has since been stonewalled by an opposition group of citizens.  Mike was less sympathetic to the tribe stating that he believed the casinos were connected to the Chicago mafia.  I should have said that I oppose on principle Indian tribes special rights to build and operate businesses which other citizens can not.  I usually try to keep running conversation light so maybe that is why I did not speak my mind, but after I got home and thought about it I decided that was my default position and I should have just said so.  I read a great letter to the editor in today's Broken Arrow Ledger making this very case.  The letter said something to the effect that if you are for certain races or ethnic groups having special rights which other groups do not have you are for racial discrimination.  I concur.  

I ran six miles at a moderate intensity (7:36 pace) in my New Balance 1260's followed by one mile at a lighter intensity (8:55 pace) in my friend Kevin's Vivo Barefoot shoes. 

This was my first experience running in a true minimal shoe.  This shoe has absolutely not padding whatsoever.  It is basically just a rubber sole to protect your feet from being impaled by rock and other sharp object in the road.  It felt really strange with my feet slapping the asphalt streets and the concrete sidewalks.

I may experiment with it a little bit more after the Grassland race on Saturday.  

Today was a very productive day.  Alisha and I worked out for about half an hour at the gym on upper body weights and some leg exercises as well.  After we got home I ran my seven miles.  Immediately after that we trimmed our bushes in the front and back yard.  We also put up three shelves in the garage and did a little organizing out there. 

It is currently 83 degrees and feels unbelievable like a summer day.  We just grilled some burgers so I must end this post and go eat. 

I ran a 30 minute tempo this morning and felt pretty good.  I now have three two full days and three nights to recover for the Grasslands Race on Saturday.  

Splits: 

7:38

7:25

7:03

7:05

This was a St. Paddy's Day race in Forth Worth, Texas.  I ran it this weekend because I was in Texas for another race that I ended up not being able to run.  Long story.  Perhaps I will fill in the detail later, but as for now I'm going to finish unpacking as I just got home.