Some thoughts while I run

I have a race coming up this weekend that I have been looking forward to for a while. It is a 10K that is billed as being a fast race due to the flatness of the course. So I have been running pretty often, hoping to improve my time by about a minute or more. My plan is to run hills, so that when I run the flat course, my body will think, “hmmm, this is easy…I can go faster.” I have no idea if this will work, or even if this is a good training practice…I probably should read up on that.

Anyway, this week, as I look forward to my race, I caught a cold. I mean what timing. It’s not a bad one, but it does leave me feeling lazy and weak. I’m still planning on running the race and I’m still hoping that I run a personal best, but it does get you thinking.

I wonder about all those athletes who train all their life for an event, say the Olympics and something like this happens to them. They can try as hard as they can, but their body might just be having an off day. I mean I am just some weekend jogger who can enter in another race, but for those professional athletes it all comes down to one day. It just might be a day that they don’t have their “A” game.

Of course if I don’t get a good time, I have my built in excuse, “I did pretty well for having a bad cold.” And I guess I have that in the back of my mind to give me doubt. But it also makes me think of the professional athletes who don’t use that excuse. Can anyone forget the image of Michael Jordan on the sidelines of the NBA finals with a towel over his head ravaged by the flu? He said he was so sick that standing made him nauseous and caused him dizzy spells. He almost past out several times during the game, but still he played because it was the finals. Jordan scored 38 points that night to help the Bulls win the game and eventually the series.

We’ll see how I do this weekend, I’m sure I’ll be saying, “I did pretty well for having a bad cold,” on Saturday night (more like Wednesday when the official results come out). But I’d rather look at my time after the race and not use my built in excuse. After all, Jordan didn’t get his highest point total, but I’ll always remember that game as his best performance ever.

Ehlersism #109

It’s a very simple rule: Slower Traffic to the Right

Right after man created the second wheel he thought to himself, “how am I going to get around this slowpoke.” So he developed the simple rule of passing on the left. Life was great, everyone knew that if someone was going faster they should stay to the right. This rule applied to everything involving motion. Let me tell you those caveman moving sidewalks at the Caveman International Airport were so orderly (walk to the left, stand on the right).

Well somewhere along the way we forgot that rule. I could go on and on about the idiots who are camped out in the left lane on the Interstate doing 5 under the speed limit while humming to themselves and wondering why you are glaring at them as you pass them on the right with a line of 40 other pissed off cars….deep breath. I mean I know everyone didn’t take Driver’s Ed, but don’t you think they would figure out they might be doing something wrong after getting flipped their 20th Bird. And why exactly do they think we are flashing our lights when we come up behind them? Just to say “Hi.” If these people ever drove in Europe they would end up a smear on the side of the Autobahn.

But it is not just driving. I know not everyone spends as much time at the airport as I do, but how lazy do you have to be to just stand there on the moving side walk. And if you are going to stand, do you not notice that most people are trying to walk…move over. Some airports even have a line drawn down the middle with “walk” printed on the left and “stand” on the right…and people still don’t get it.

Races bug me the most. The very definition of a race is to go fast. Trust me, I know that fast is relative to each person…I probably couldn’t run one mile at the pace professionals can run a marathon. But I know if someone is going faster than me; I should try to move to the right. And I’m not saying that is easy to do in a big race that, but common sense should tell you if you are walking you might be going slower than everyone else. And if you are going slower than everyone else, maybe the left is not the place for you. They tell you during the race: Walkers to the right. Most of the time you can hear a runner politely remind them, “Please walk on the right.” But still they walk on the left. Why?

LSWho?

A view frm my seat 

In the grand scheme of things who are we to complain. I mean Hurricane Ivan killed people, destroyed houses and left thousands without power. So my wife and I couldn’t complain when our plans to visit her parents in Pensacola fell through because of the storm. Here her parents worried about when they were going to get their power back and when they would ever get their yard cleared. My wife and I worried about how we were going to go to the Auburn v. LSU game without our trusty babysitters.

First we wondered if they would have the game at all. They didn’t decide until Friday that it would not be postponed. So we searched for a replacement babysitter, but we felt guilty about asking someone to watch Ains for the near 12 hours or so we would be gone. Then we toyed with the idea of brining her…nope, you do not bring a 2 year old to a game that big. Finally my wife (who will henceforth be referred to as MRS. WONDERFUL) insisted that I go to the game alone. She said it’s stupid for both of us to stay home, I mean we already have the tickets.

So off I went to Auburn to meet up with my friends, tailgate for a bit, then sell our extra ticket and watch the game. Sure I felt a little guilty that she was home watching on TV when she would rather be there, but I knew I would never forgive myself if I didn’t make it.

Our tailgate is still suffering from some problems: What used to be a wonderful, organized and fun Tailgate; now is scattered, thrown together and missing our tent and a good location. We made the best of it though; many were missing because of the storm and everyone had a story to tell about damage and power outages. I even had to sell our extra ticket for face value (unheard of for a game this big) because the storm had changed many people’s plans. But all was forgotten come game time.

I was a little late getting into the stadium because I had to sell the ticket, but I caught the buzz in the stadium from the eagle flying. It has been a long time since the eagle flew, but if you ever have a chance to see it, you’ll know why there was a buzz. We just felt like we had a good chance to win this one.

The game was nerve wracking. The Auburn Defense dominated and kept us in it; so much so that it felt like we were ahead, instead of behind. I just knew we were going to score again, but I wondered if the Defense could keep up their pressure for the rest of the game. When we finally scored we missed the extra point that would have put us ahead, but a penalty was called and we kicked again for a one point lead. At that point it felt like it was our destiny to win, but we still sweated out the last 1:40 on the clock.

I raced out of the stadium and ran to my car. Usually a win like this would be celebrated with my fellow tailgaters for a while, but I was anxious to get home and celebrate with my wife and daughter. As I faced the 2 hour ride home alone, I tried to call home, but the cell towers were busy with others discussing the victory. I did get a message on my voice mail from Ainsley saying simply, “I wuv you Daddy.” So I raced home and arrived before she went to bed and told her all about the game.

The Celebration begins 

Ivan Leave us Alone

Well I was just traveling in Florida on business and while driving from appointment to appointment I was getting drenched by rain. So I turned on the weather report only to discover I was traveling through the reminisce of hurricane Ivan. Hurricane Ivan! The same storm that scared my parents (after having survived Francis and Charley), then pounded my in-laws leaving them without power and with a lot of yard damage (thankfully no structural damage). After playing around with my family, Ivan set it’s sights on my friends that live in Birmingham including 2 day-old Ella. Then of course Ivan made his way to Atlanta to have a little fun with me.

My hurricane story is pretty comical compared to the rest of my family. I mean my in-laws had to evacuate then try to sleep through the pounding of 130 mph winds. After that they had to wait days to make it across town to see if they even had a house left. Thankfully everyone and everything turned out alright; well they did have about a week worth of yard work to do. Then Jeanne battered my parents and my sister (The 4th storm to do so) and had them without power for a day and damaged their pride and joy, their boat.

Me, well when we lost power during Ivan I immediately raced to the corner store for ice and beer. I mean you can get through just about anything with cold beer. Then I drove to pick up my daughter early because I figured things would get worse. The drive over to pick her up normally takes 5 minuets, instead took 40. Lights were out, roads were flooded and trees were down. By the time I got home the neighbors were calling to see if I had any beer (I have a bit of a reputation I guess). So everyone congregated in my garage with flashlights, beer and cell phones. Poor Sheryl had to drive from downtown, a trip that usually takes 20 minuets, took her 2 hrs. But she was a trooper and stopped for a bucket of chicken on her way home.

As the night wore on, everyone went to their houses for change, cards and more candles. We decided that poker was the best way to ride out the power outage. While eating our chicken and dealing the first hand of Texas hold-em, the power came back on. I know it is awful to say, because many were without power for weeks, but we seemed a little disappointed that the excuse for a party had ended so soon. So no one objected when Julie quietly got up, turned off all the lights and we continued to play poker in the dark…we did turn on the TV though.

TV Blackout

Carnell Williams was named the Offensive Player of the Week for an SEC-record eighth time
 

Well I gave it a shot this weekend. Most sports fans have tried it at one point or another, with very limited success. It’s called the TV blackout, where you record a game and avoid at all costs finding anything out about the game until you can watch it.

For me it was an easy prospect. I had a children’s birthday party to go to where I watched the first half of the Auburn/Miss State game, then I had a 30 min. drive home where I was recording the second half. No problem, listen to FM radio and turn it off if they show any hint of commenting about sports, don’t answer your phone and don’t look other divers in the eye incase you have to wonder why the guy with the AU license plate is cheering or crying. This will be a piece of cake…and if anything fails, I’m really only missing 10 or 15 minuets.

I have had friends who have attempted a much more ambitious TV Blackout. In an attempt to convince his wife that he understood there was more to life than Auburn Football, one friend agreed to go to a concert on the night of a game. He carefully thought out his plan taking pains not to wear any Auburn gear for fear that someone might say, “Hey, that was a great game today,” or something of the sort. Then he spent the next day running from any newspaper, radio, internet sites and coworkers (I believe he had to resort to fingers in the ear “I’m nooooot listening,” more than a few times. He was successful, but with his obsession, he failed to convince his wife of anything. Now she knows that, at least to him, nothing is more important than Auburn Football.

Thankfully my wife is of a like mindset as me. She was fully onboard with the plan; however, she wasn’t quite as worried about missing 10 minuets or so of the game as I was. After we saw that Auburn was up 21 to 0, she really couldn’t understand my obsession, but she played alone. We drove home in TV Blackout mode, drove through the neighborhood without acknowledging anyone (our neighborhood is populated with many College Football fanatics), and rushed inside settling down to watch the second half that was being recorded on Maggie. We were surprised at how easily we avoided any mention of the game as we turned on the TV to find….I had messed up in scheduling the recording somehow and the game didn’t record. Oh well, the game was a blow away and we only missed 10 minutes of game time. Calk this one up to lesson learned. Hopefully I won’t have to do that again (I’m usually at the game), but if I do, the most important element of the TV Blackout plan…is make sure it will record.

The Evolution of a Tailgate Crew

Game Time!. 

Finally, Football season is here. After a long hibernation, Auburn fans slowly emerge from their summer caves anxious to forget about the bitter dream that was last season. Just as important as the football season however, is the tailgating season. And this year looks to be as challenging as any.

Way back in the mid 90’s our illustrious Tailgating Crew started out on the Drill Field as novices. Sure we tailgated in college some, but then a home game was just that…at our house. We could walk to the games, and when we did travel to away games we were happy to eat pizza out of the garbage (Derek Roh’s famous quote: “I can’t tell if those are black olives or cockroaches.”) We just enjoyed seeing our fellow, recent graduates and we were glad to have an excuse to get together.

As we approached the new millennium our Tailgate crew had grown in size, but soon we faced our first challenge. Our gathering spot was now for RV’s only now. We were being forced out. We tried to find new spots, but we were unorganized and were forced to resort to the Intramural Field. Wile the Intramural Field was familiar ground in it’s proximity to our old college home , the Delta Chi House, it felt cut off from the rest of campus. So we searched, organized and eventually found a new home near Drake Medical Center. Our new home did not come without a fight: we battled with another tailgate crew that claimed Drake as their turf for the past 30 years. Like two rival army’s we tried to establish a beachhead by getting there earlier and earlier. It was as natural as evolution; eventually we prevailed and even learned to coexist with the old generation of tailgaters.

The Drake spot became ours; and we couldn’t have asked for better. We were in close proximity to shopping and many food choices. We had parking for almost everyone, even room to camp or park an RV once a year. We also had room for the kids that suddenly emerged from our tailgating crew: The Next Generation. We evolved into a group of Professional Tailgaters, with all the right tools, including coolers, tents, chairs, loveseats, trashcans, even grills. The Drake Spot was our Utopia; we have many memories filled with happiness, sadness and a lot of drinking. But things do not evolve in a vacuum and once again our Crew faces another challenge: Our spot has been closed off once again.

So, much like the first time we were evicted from a spot, we met this first Saturday in September at the Drill Field. While this time the drill field offers us more room, even space for The Next Generation to run and play we also face the same problems. Once again we are cut off from campus; very far from shopping, food choices and worst of all far from the stadium. We also have new problems with a lack of parking spaces…this threatens our very nature: For what is a Tailgate Crew with out a Tailgate. We made the best of the situation, although the group was small (I don’t know if that was because not everyone came to the game, or because our group had…gasp…fractionalized). The tailgate was short due to the early start, and the game even shorter, with almost all of the action in the first half. But it gave us a chance to see the team in action (even though it was against an inferior team) and it also gave us a chance to see the tailgate in action. I personally think that both need improvement. I would like to see the development of a passing game to compliment our running game, as well as and improvement in both the location of our Tailgate and the number of participants.

Both our Tailgate Crew and our Team have overcome challenges in the past, and hopefully this year will be one that we remember for its positives. Here’s hoping that we return to the glory of the Drake Spot, as our team returns to SEC glory. WAR EAGLE.

Reed and Abby at Game 1. 

Gadget Addict

I throw the word addict around a lot, but this time I’m not too far off. You see I’m addicted to gadgets. I mean it really has all the signs of addiction. I start to crave something new. I obsess about a particular product. I research to make sure there is not a better one out there. I decide that I need it and search and search for it until I get to the point where I have to have it. Then I buy it and get that rush. I play with it for weeks and weeks. I discover every option. I tell others about it to the point that I could be a salesman for the company. Then, while I’m not one to stop using something, the rush wears off and I start thinking about my next fix.

While I do have a lot of toys, almost all of them serve a great purpose. My wife scoffed when I wanted to put Maggie, our Media Center PC, in the bedroom. She thought we should keep it in the guest room, sort of like a second office. Now even she gets frustrated watching live TV, “can we skip the commercials.”

Then there was my MP3 player. Yes I had one, but it was old and buggy. Besides, I run about 4 times a week and to me the music is as important as the shoes. So I had to get a new one.

Well don’t even get me started on my pocket pc. I use this thing all the time. It is my daytimer, my bookreader, and my music player when I travel. I couldn’t live with out it and rarely do you find me with out it in my pocket. My wife even saw the value of it, using my old one when I upgraded until it died. Now she always asks me for someone’s phone number (because she knows I’ll have it) while muttering that she needs to get a new one.

I usually do a good job of holding off from needing the next generation for at least one cycle. I am also pretty good about finding the right gaget for MY needs, not just the neatest one out there. A few examples are buying a flash music player instead of an ipod or iriver that had more storage. I needed it for the durability of running.

So when the new pocket pc’s came out…I resisted. Sure they were faster than mine. Sure they had better storage than mine. But mine still works fine (although the battery is a bit buggy and the d pad is showing strains of constant use). But I did have a problem. I had a cell phone number that I had for about 10 years and didn’t want to give it up when my new job gave me a cell phone with a long distance area code. People still called my old one even though they knew that they would be leaving me a message. So I took to carrying that cell around sometimes, at least on the weekends. But I also had to have my work cell, but I could leave that at home on the weekend. And I always had my pocket pc with me. So sometimes on a Friday night I could be carrying 2 cell phones and a PPC. I may be a geek, but I try not to look like one.

Then came the new pocket pcs with a phone built in. I use the pocket pc for work, so I had no problem justifying it in my mind. And the addition of a phone made it that much better…I am back to carrying only two things! Only one on the weekend! Isn’t it amazing how us addicts can justify everything? Well now I’ll start obsessing over the new Portable Media Centers.