Quote of the Week

Via the Baltimore Sun:

"We just don't have no work force," said Jay L. Newcomb, who employed 30 of the guest workers at the A.E. Phillips & Son Inc. crab house in Fishing Creek last year. "We're going to be out of business if we don't have no pickers."

The next Joe the plumber, maybe? I hope this is how the rest of the country sees Maryland.

Training Begins 2009

It's the start of another training season, which means only one thing - it's time to map out the goals for the year I'll probably never achieve. How's that for positive for you?

Anyhow, last year I finished a marathon, a half marathon and a ten miler but got disappointed when I couldn't run the second marathon because of a cold. There's 50 bucks I'll never see again. I didn't set any records but did achieve some personal best in the half and 10 mile because I hadn't run either before. So, I guess I set a baseline last year and now it's time to go out and improve on past results.

I'm cutting back the total length of competition runs this year by switching up the spring full for a half. Spring fulls just suck to train for and I'm not doing another one unless it's the Boston. The halves will be Frederick and Philly (probably), the 10 mile will be Annapolis and Baltimore, since I missed out last year, will be the full in the fall. So, with those races in mind here are my goals:

1. Run 10 miles in under 60 minutes, and furthermore, 13.3 miles in under 1 hour, 20 minutes. I would say I'm going for a sub 3 hour marathon, but if you realized how much time and effort it takes to get that level you'd understand why I'm not going there.

2. However, I do intend to better my previous best marathon time of 3:37:37. This one I am going to accomplish, damn it! It's been too long.

3. Improve strength and flexibility. Of course, that means more stretching and strength training along with rehab for my knee and IT band. Every year I battle an injury at some point during training and this year I'm going to work my ass off to ensure it doesn't happen again.

4. Continue to lift and work it into my training regiment. I gained almost 10 pounds of muscle over the break, along with 5 pounds of fat, thanks to the Bowflex. I need to keep thing going on the muscle end to become a better, more complete runner and athlete.

5. Get my diet under control. To drop the weight I put on over the break, I'm going to have to drop down to 1,100 to 1,300 calories a day. Not to mention, those calories have represent the right foods to replenish and refuel my body. Eating right is always a battle, but it's something I'm going to have to do.

There, I put them in writing. Now I have to do it.

Signing Day!

Get ready Hokies! 'Cause the restocking starts on Wednesday!

Public Service Announcement

I'm no grammatical genius or anything but this has to stop.

"Try and" is not equivalent to "try to" when placed in front of a verb, people! In fact, it's just plain wrong.

For example:

Incorrect
Sawyer and Juliet protest that they should try and warn Jack and the others about what happens so they don’t get in the chopper, which Sawyer and Juliet...

Correct
Sawyer and Juliet protest that they should try to warn Jack and the others about what happens so they don’t get in the chopper, which Sawyer and Juliet...

"Try and warn Jack" literally means that you tried Jack and you warned Jack. I'm not saying trying Jack isn't possible but I don't think that was the intended meaning. "To warn" is an infinitive and I think it was meant to stay that way.

I know people, including myself, say "try an'" in conversation but we've got to be smarter when writing. I've been seeing this shit all over the place lately - from educated people, writers who should know better - and it's driving me nuts.

If you'd like to learn a little more of the history behind "try and" here's a short discussion of it's origins, just for shits and giggles.

HTML playday

This is just a test.

Feburary 28th

Scheduled Distance: -
Miles Ran: -
Total Time: -
Current Weight: No idea
Current Condition: My hands are messed up

Haiku:

running's a hoppy
bouncing, pounding kind of fun
snowboarding's smoother

or

drunken snowball fight
at night heals a raw spirit
hurts the agile hand

How's that?

Feburary 21st

The ebb and flow of blog posting is much like riding the ocean in dingy. Sometimes you're on the crest of a wave, riding high and writing like your brain's on fire. Sometimes your in a valley between waves, sitting low and waiting to ascend the next rolling face of inspiration. In the distance, it all averages out to a flat line, a steady even continuation all the way to the horizon. But in close proximities, it's nothing short of a rollercoaster.

I seem to be middling in one of those valleys at the present but have no fear for the next wave is coming. I can feel it. I've got to ramp up the running first and get back on schedule - that process has already begun. Surely, the writing will follow. Unfortunately, the ground swell won't pass my my little corner of the internets until at least Wednesday of next week. I'm snowboarding in Tahoe from Saturday till then.

You've made it this long, another couple days isn't going to kill anyone. Sorry, K. Get yourself a gawker account (email richard) and we'll spend our remaining days belittling and snarking each other to death.