i ran 3.5 miles last night. i figure that maybe the reason i can’t quite break through the 30 minute 5k barrier is that i never run longer than a 5k. thus my body isn’t used to having to run any farther, thus it starts to get tired around the 2 mile mark. so i’m going to try to add one long run a week (i want to work up to 5 miles) and see if that helps. maybe i’ll add a day of speedwork too.
softball was cancelled last night, for reasons unknown. and thus my hitless streak continues.
i am looking forward to a relatively quiet weekend. tomorrow is the unofficial dm4 (that’s my branch at work) day at the ballpark, so i’m going with a bunch of people from work to see the astros hopefully beat the brewers. they won last night, and the cubs lost, so they’re tied for the central division lead. man, it’s gonna be a close finish.
becca will make fun of me, since i’m about to talk about a book that i’ve been reading since march 2001 or something, BUT… last night i read another travel essay in my “best travel writing” book. it was called “weird karma” by pj o’rourke. a quick search didn’t turn up a copy online (it was worth a shot), but if you ever see it in print, or in a back issue of men’s journal, i highly recommend it. it was an enjoyable read, about a 6 day, 1600 mile trip sponsored by land rover to promote the discovery. they started in pakistan and quickly crossed the border into india, where they followed the “grand trunk” road to calcutta.
the final sentence said it all (i’m paraphrasing; i don’t have the actual text in front of me): “the front cover of a popular magazine touts this month’s feature story about the intricacies particle physics. you think you’re in nation of geniuses! then you turn around and see a guy walking by with a bucket on his head.” it was an essay that was well-written, and managed to be quirky and funny while still conveying the seriousness of india’s problems with overpopulation and extreme poverty.
my description really doesn’t do the essay justice. ah well.
i wish i could write like that.
