too hot to handle

i ran the Too Hot to Handle 5k on saturday before i went to school to supervise massage interns.  i orginally planned to run the 15k, but time did not allow for that.  i showed up at the school looking mucho sweaty but after washing up a bit and changing into work duds, was transformed into a massage professional.  i thought the 5k was very well organized and went off without a hitch. the temp wasn’t too bad, the humidity was high, the singlet is the coolest one i now own and i ran my fastest 5k yet: 27:10. here are the splits: 9:08, 8:37: 8:32, 52 seconds for the last tenth of a mile, average pace 8:44. it’s funny; i was so happy and still am as i think about it now.  wouldn’t it be cool to run that pace for 13.1 miles?

in other news: we decided not to move to springfield, mo. to be Grandparents in Residence. there’s not much of a story there, really. having the house on the market caused us to look at it with new eyes and do some maintence and yard work that we had been putting off, so it feels pretty good around casa maasa right now. a fresh coat of exterior paint and some landscaping updates before the end of summer will complete the task. drop by… and bring your 28 foot extension ladder… it’ll be so fun.

 happy running!

Opinion, 2

i think it’s amusing,  in a “don’t you have anything better to do?” sort of way that there are studys of how male sweat affects a woman’s sex drive.  here are some comments from newsletter readers.  it doesn’t seem like male sweat is turning too many women on.  go figure…

“Different strokes for different I guess.  I find it arousing for my man to come wake me with hugs and kisses in the morning after he’s worked out.”

“Interesting article… You know, some “studies” just don’t make sense, especially when there are too many variables OR when not enough significant “like” data can be nailed down.  Sweaty men … nope, never done anything for me.  On the other hand, men coming out of the ocean or pool … now THAT’S sexy!”  (her italics).

oh, running. ran 9 miles on sunday morning with susan and cindylou. we all started together and ran a couple of miles while chatting. i ran on when they turned back for the parking lot at 2.5 miles. i love this hot weather training here. i really do!

happy running, amigos!

Opinion?

This is from my newsletter this month. 

I recently read a small article in a health mag about a study done at Cal State Berkeley that I was curious about. The study states that an ingredient in  ”male sweat contains a distinctive scent that prompts a change in women’s hormone levels”. What is this magic ingredient that ”induces sexual arousal and brain activation in women.”? Androstadienone. The study tested women’s levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, after smelling a “musky-scented test liquid”. The findings: ”…Improved mood and significantly higher sexual arousal plus a rise in blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing.” My sweat must be deficient in androstadienone because it matters not if I’ve run, worked in the yard or painted the house, my wife won’t come near me when I’m sweaty (“go away, you stink”). So, speak to me loyal readers, is there any truth to this? Has the sight of “soccer players fresh off the field, construction workers on a hot day, the buff gardener mowing the lawn” made you think you want a trip around the bases? Tell me if it’s so, if this really worked…for somebody.

Running:  ran 6 miles with susan today, then bleachers with calisthenics after.

Happy Running! 

Look what I found

this morning the weather was terrific. i don’t know what the temp was but it felt cool and humid with no wind and light rain. While my run was slow, it was a good, honest effort with a one mile warm up (10:30), a mile at tempo (8:37), one mile recovery (10:55), 2nd mile at tempo (8:59) then a ten milute cool down. i feel like i’m running just for general health and fitness and to maintain the conditioning level i have. that’s ok and very worthwhile. the half is out there and seems like such a long way off, but will be here before i know it.

while out trimming back the climbing roses, which have gone berserk with all this rain, i found this guy, a baby dove, waiting for mom to return with breakfast (and for me to get the heck away from the nest).  i’d like to move the yard with us too. 

 here are a couple more pictures of the latest grandson. he’s three weeks old in these pics. 

Happy 4th!

 Father forgive me, it’s been a long time since my last post.

The Lake Grapevine Runners and Walkers had their 1st annual 4th of July 10k fun run today and it was exactly that. No race numbers, beer at one of the aid stations, champagne at another, hot dogs and cold beer at the finish. It was a well run event and all who participated had a good time. my time: 1:03:05. I walked through all the water stops, chatted with lots of people and didn’t wear a watch. it was really fun.

For most of the month of June, Dianne has been in Springfield helping out the kids and getting her hands on the newest grandson Ben. We both really like Springfield and ever since the kids moved there, we’ve thought about moving there. So, we put our house on the market last weekend and are now setting our sights and hopes on relocating. Our house is unique, which is a another way of saying its overbuilt for the neighborhood. The yard is quite different than the standard urban landscape too. Seven years ago we took out all the turf and replaced it with native and adapted plants that don’t require water in the summer (not catcus and gravel and not nessessarily low maintainence, lots of wild flowers, native grasses and flowering shrubs). If we could, we would transplant the house. We’re envisioning a buyer knocking on the front door saying, “This is the house I saw in my dream last night! Can I please buy it?” More on this enterprise as things progress. There are lots of things to do.

 Happy Running!