Red Dirt Harriers

I ventured over to Redbud for my annual non-paying entrant position. This year proved to again be warm like many years, but unlike last, and a lot of people paid the piper. I think most people just chalk their slow times to the course and heat but they don't ave the doubly frustrating side effect of nausea. I, being an apparent "uber-Anglo" with slim to no pigment in my skin seem to suffer heavily, either that or I suffer from a vit. D overdose on these occasions. I also tore my heal up running without socks so hopefully that amounts to naught. Anyway, alot of people were doing the skeleton dance out there so the fact that I was running in a progressive fashion made me feel for the people I went by late in the race. I ran like a 18:15/17:15 split which was fine by me considering the ridiculous continuation of an overlap of the 5 and 10k courses that completely stagnates the 10k course and if you're racing it's one of the more demoralizing scenarios I can imagine w...

I'll try a simplistic format for this one so myself and everyone else can get on to their Dia de la Conejo or moveable feast festivities. points worth mention for the week: 1. logged decent mileage through the Oklahoma spring gales and in spite of my own severe pedestrian deficiency thus far, this year. 2. survived a remarkably severe, yet short, weather phenomenon that I maintain marked its epicenter at the very site I call home, Essex Square Apartments. I'm talking downed power lines, uprooted Bartlett pear trees, and significant on site structural and auto damage. 3. Attempted a "pint night" unsuccessfully, but capably handled the $3 Wednesday burger. 4. Fended off an advance from middle-aged woman while dropping off recyclables in short shorts. mentionable on this day: 1. 90 minute run in high wind and humidity, perhaps my least favorite climactic scenario. 2. lost consecutive Foosball matches to decidedly weaker opponents 3. cut weight with first hair cut in l...

All right here I am. I'll lay it all out for you. I've been lax, I've been busy, I've been angry. I've biked alot of miles instead of run them, I've drank a lot of beer without having run to and from the bar, and I've set not a one race goal for the future whilst listening to and watching those around me tear up the scene. But on this day, I have bucked that trend, I've run to a bar and quaffed one beer and then another. I timed this so as to ensue with a certain cold front that was blowing through town so that I was particularly chilled whilst sitting on the patio at the Library but perfectly acclimated while running home, dare I say outstanding. I am really glad to see my friends around me feeling good and running well and I will ride the upswell of energy that I pulled from this weekend to get my own ass in gear.

Those were the words uttered, or shouted, over and over at me through the phone as Skolnick and I headed out of the apartment to see what manner of road kill awaited. As we headed down Buchanan St. to try to corral a one Spenis Hunt, we started peaking in to several bars to see where this hooligan was lurking. Our phone convo circuitously proceeded something like Me: All right man we're looking for you, so you're in Joe's? Spenis: Yeah Joe's and Othello's. Where you at? Me: I coming from just up the street at Essex, stay where you are we're coming for you. Spenis: Where you at? La Luna? I'm at White St. and Boomer. Me: Fuck me. How the hell did you get over there so fast? Now where are you, we're on White St. and I don't see you. Spenis: Where the fuck you at? So as you can see, we were in a bind. Spencer was clearly obliterated, PD were out and about, and I couldn't seem to find the asshole, considering I'm walking down the street, which are...

After some deliberation, I finally agreed to head out on the bike with my co-worker Duke Kern, on the bike. I needed to get in something a little more serious in the way of active endeavors what with everybody around me doing all manner of good things on the run. I met Duke and a few other guys from Fossil 1 racing at the Draper marina and headed south, covering all manner of Norman, OKC, and Slaughterville countryside. I felt reasonably good for about 45 miles and then I incurred a definite hitting of the proverbial wall, which saw me crawl in while one of the other guys that's a little off his game paced me. All in all it was a good one for sure and I definitely need to learn to eat and drink more on the road and most importantly get out on the road for some longer jaunts. I covered right around 60 miles in 3:10 or so, while the others pulled away by a minute or two in the last 5 miles or so. I was pretty beat at the end, I've never ridden that far, but I enjoyed the company ...

I'll be making a concerted effort to amp up my posting and maybe throw in a couple "best of" posts since I have been so pitiful in keeping up with this thing. Must. Find. Motivation.

As has been the trend for quite sometime now, I'm battling injury so I'm hitting the bike which is not so unpleasant and allows me to commute to work in a fairly timely manner without the use of a drop of that blasted petrol. Speaking of combustible compounds, I have been back at the fermenter, priming yeast for battle. My latest beer has yet to be named, suffice it to say that it's a BIG BEER. I started with a sweeter Irish style stout so, think sweeter than a Guinness but drier than a Sam Smith, and then I elected to ferment on American Oak soaked in a little Michael Collins. So time shall render a verdict, I will definitely cask next week and I should be able to get a sense of the direction that this thing is headed. It will definitely be a beer that should benefit from time in the bottle because of such a spectrum of ingredients. Last point of order, I was unable to attend the McNellie's Pub Run 2009 which I'm not pleased about. In any case, I think the race des...