Runalong?
09/30/07 08:18 PM *Bloggishness*Permalink
September was busy (as you could tell by my
infrequent blogging), October will be too. So as not
to frustrate my few remaining (and long-suffering)
faithful readers I have decided to henceforth publish
Runalong on a weekly basis, on Mondays. I'll enter
stuff as I come up with it and publish it all each
Monday. Check in once a week and I'll try to make it
worth your while!
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Life is Simple: Eat, Drink, Hike
Trinity Alps Wilderness
Yesterday three of us took a little jaunt through one
of the most popular sections of the Trinity Alps,
Canyon Creek. Our 20 mile journey took us up past
waterfalls to Canyon lakes and L Lake with a side
trip to Boulder Lake. About half running and half
hiking we had a great time on a beautiful fall day.
Sadly I forgot my camera, but this was my favorite
view (courtesy of Google Images):
Haute Route Finale
The last day of our trek was one of the very best. I
wrote it up a couple weeks ago and my computer ate it
and it sufficiently discouraged me that I'm just now
finally getting around to re-doing it. At any rate we
enjoyed a relatively flat stretch toward Zermatt with
splendid views of the Matterhorn; manifold
wildflowers and few more "trisky" sections. Above
Zermatt my now-buff companions decided to take the
underground funicular down to town while I enjoyed a
run down the heavily travelled trail (many tourists
take the ride up and walk down) through a couple cute
villages, past a waterfall and, of course, past
hordes of Japanese tourists who looked at this
gray-bearded American flinging himself wildly down
the hill with looks of amazement. Perhaps they
wondered if something was chasing me.
In Zermatt we met up with our Swiss friends who we had shared several dinners with. Sybille has since written to us, inviting us to visit her and her family in their hometown. Maybe someday. We had a celebratory meal, bought a couple souveneirs, and eventually hopped the train back to Germany and thence to home. It was time to leave and go home- we all could feel it. We didn't want it to end. But we were ready. We didn't know what we felt, but it didn't really matter. We were going home. But when I look at these pictures...
In Zermatt we met up with our Swiss friends who we had shared several dinners with. Sybille has since written to us, inviting us to visit her and her family in their hometown. Maybe someday. We had a celebratory meal, bought a couple souveneirs, and eventually hopped the train back to Germany and thence to home. It was time to leave and go home- we all could feel it. We didn't want it to end. But we were ready. We didn't know what we felt, but it didn't really matter. We were going home. But when I look at these pictures...
Modern Prophet: Rupert Holmes
09/21/07 03:48 PM *Permalink
A married couple are divorcing after they chatted
each other up on the Internet using fake names.
Sana Klaric and husband Adnan poured their hearts out to each other over their marriage troubles.
Using the names 'Sweetie' and 'Prince of Joy' in a online chatroom, the pair thought they had found a soulmate with whom to spend the rest of their lives.
It should have turned out like a real-life version of the 1979 Rupert Holmes song, Escape, where a couple meet through advert by someone 'who likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain'.
But, unlike in the song, there was no happy ending after they turned up for a date and realised their mistake. Now the pair, from Zenica, Central Bosnia, are divorcing after accusing each other of being unfaithful.
Sana, 27, said: 'I was suddenly in love. It was amazing, we seemed to be stuck in the same kind of miserable marriages. How right that turned out to be.'
But when it dawned on her what had happened, she said: 'I felt so betrayed.'
Adnan, 32, said: 'I still find it hard to believe that Sweetie, who wrote such wonderful things, is actually the same woman I married and who has not said a nice word to me for years.'
They accused each other of being unfaithful! They felt so betrayed!
Every once in a great while there really is immediate justice in this world.
Sana Klaric and husband Adnan poured their hearts out to each other over their marriage troubles.
Using the names 'Sweetie' and 'Prince of Joy' in a online chatroom, the pair thought they had found a soulmate with whom to spend the rest of their lives.
It should have turned out like a real-life version of the 1979 Rupert Holmes song, Escape, where a couple meet through advert by someone 'who likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain'.
But, unlike in the song, there was no happy ending after they turned up for a date and realised their mistake. Now the pair, from Zenica, Central Bosnia, are divorcing after accusing each other of being unfaithful.
Sana, 27, said: 'I was suddenly in love. It was amazing, we seemed to be stuck in the same kind of miserable marriages. How right that turned out to be.'
But when it dawned on her what had happened, she said: 'I felt so betrayed.'
Adnan, 32, said: 'I still find it hard to believe that Sweetie, who wrote such wonderful things, is actually the same woman I married and who has not said a nice word to me for years.'
They accused each other of being unfaithful! They felt so betrayed!
Every once in a great while there really is immediate justice in this world.
Excedrin headache #999
09/19/07 10:35 AM *Permalink
I had a junior high teacher who claimed that he
stopped getting headaches once he threw away all his
aspirin. I thought he was nuts. Maybe not.
“If you get more than two headaches a week and take pain pills for them, you’re at risk.”
“If you get more than two headaches a week and take pain pills for them, you’re at risk.”
Have a cuppa theanine
09/19/07 09:49 AM *Permalink
Well, yesterday was the big day, hope you didn't miss
it! The Fourth International Scientific Symposium on
Tea and Human Health presented its latest findings
and apparently the teaologists are all atwitter over
the discovery that a component of tea called theanine
apparently enhances alpha brain-wave activity,
leading to "a calmer, yet more alert" state of mind.
It works synergistically with caffeine and probably
explains why I, a 32 ounce per day tea drinker, am
such a lert, he calmly testified. If you want
theonine, you've got to drink tea; apparently tea
holds the patent on this stuff 'cuz you can't get it
from any other sources.
Other compounds in tea, polyphenols, flavonoids, catechins and magic fairy dust, may help prevent dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological disorders, all of which are far more common in Americans than in Asians. Mrs Runalong notes that apparently it doesn't do anything to reverse congenital neurological disorders; but I'm not sure what she's trying to get at.
Anyway, tea also may fight cancer, heart disease, obesity and global warming. OK, they didn't say "global warming" but they do say "may" a lot though they never point out the obvious implication of the word "may" which is that it also "may not" do any of these things. So why not add global warming to the list!
Seriously, these were Real scientists (link), and the benefits of tea drinking, while not fully established in every detail, look to be manifold. But be warned: the stuff they sell in bottles in the convenience store, next to the soda pop, has so much "high-fructose corn syrup" that it will probably do you more harm than good. HFCS is proving to be one of the worst things in our diet, but I'll save that for another time. Right now, I've got to finish my cup of Yunnan.
Disclaimer: I made up the part about magic fairy dust. Sorry to disillusion you. Here's a true fact to make up for it: Canadians drink more than seven billion cups of tea per year! Per capita! OK, that's one true fact and one false fact. I can't help myself, it seems to be some kind of neurological disorder that even theanine can't cure.
Other compounds in tea, polyphenols, flavonoids, catechins and magic fairy dust, may help prevent dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological disorders, all of which are far more common in Americans than in Asians. Mrs Runalong notes that apparently it doesn't do anything to reverse congenital neurological disorders; but I'm not sure what she's trying to get at.
Anyway, tea also may fight cancer, heart disease, obesity and global warming. OK, they didn't say "global warming" but they do say "may" a lot though they never point out the obvious implication of the word "may" which is that it also "may not" do any of these things. So why not add global warming to the list!
Seriously, these were Real scientists (link), and the benefits of tea drinking, while not fully established in every detail, look to be manifold. But be warned: the stuff they sell in bottles in the convenience store, next to the soda pop, has so much "high-fructose corn syrup" that it will probably do you more harm than good. HFCS is proving to be one of the worst things in our diet, but I'll save that for another time. Right now, I've got to finish my cup of Yunnan.
Disclaimer: I made up the part about magic fairy dust. Sorry to disillusion you. Here's a true fact to make up for it: Canadians drink more than seven billion cups of tea per year! Per capita! OK, that's one true fact and one false fact. I can't help myself, it seems to be some kind of neurological disorder that even theanine can't cure.
McKenzie River 50K: What a wonderful race!
09/11/07 12:26 PM *Permalink
I just watched the video (below) so the song is on my
mind, but Saturday really was a great day. It's
probably the most fun I've ever had in a 50K race.
Because I didn't do much running in Switzerland I figured I wouldn't be able to go very fast but at least I did enough training in August to be able to finish the distance respectably. So I started out slow; the first five miles is technical and uphill anyway and I was stuck behind a line of about 30 other runners so I just relaxed and hoped I'd feel well enough later to be able to pick up the pace a little (though I figured I'd probably be lucky just to maintain). At least if I went slow I could enjoy the beautiful day without having to suffer too much.
It IS a beautiful course; following the river through old growth forest and past waterfalls, etc. Because of the lava and other roots and rocks it tends to be the scene of numerous bloodied knees and it has a long history of yellow jacket attacks, but we quibble.
After the first aid station the rest of the course tends slightly downhill but I just continued to cruise along, not knowing how my body would respond as the miles wore on. I passed several runners on the technical downhill sections as I tend to be relatively fearless/stupid about such things and was able to blow past those who were trying to get down safely (I got through the day w/o any falls. This time).
Nearing the halfway point I was feeling really good so I decided to start doing some real racing and see how far it would take me. It took me all the way to the end and I still felt great when I crossed the line. I did the first half in 2:51 (approx 11 minute pace) and the second half in 2:25 (approx 9:30 pace) and had fun, fun, fun all the way. As it was I was only five minutes slower than my previous trip here when I was a young pup of 47 years old and I could have broken five hours if I hadn't been so conservative. You just never know.
All six of us in the Redding contingent finished. Among us we only had one bloody knee and one bee sting.
What a wonderful day! (Click here for race results)
Because I didn't do much running in Switzerland I figured I wouldn't be able to go very fast but at least I did enough training in August to be able to finish the distance respectably. So I started out slow; the first five miles is technical and uphill anyway and I was stuck behind a line of about 30 other runners so I just relaxed and hoped I'd feel well enough later to be able to pick up the pace a little (though I figured I'd probably be lucky just to maintain). At least if I went slow I could enjoy the beautiful day without having to suffer too much.
It IS a beautiful course; following the river through old growth forest and past waterfalls, etc. Because of the lava and other roots and rocks it tends to be the scene of numerous bloodied knees and it has a long history of yellow jacket attacks, but we quibble.
After the first aid station the rest of the course tends slightly downhill but I just continued to cruise along, not knowing how my body would respond as the miles wore on. I passed several runners on the technical downhill sections as I tend to be relatively fearless/stupid about such things and was able to blow past those who were trying to get down safely (I got through the day w/o any falls. This time).
Nearing the halfway point I was feeling really good so I decided to start doing some real racing and see how far it would take me. It took me all the way to the end and I still felt great when I crossed the line. I did the first half in 2:51 (approx 11 minute pace) and the second half in 2:25 (approx 9:30 pace) and had fun, fun, fun all the way. As it was I was only five minutes slower than my previous trip here when I was a young pup of 47 years old and I could have broken five hours if I hadn't been so conservative. You just never know.
All six of us in the Redding contingent finished. Among us we only had one bloody knee and one bee sting.
What a wonderful day! (Click here for race results)
And I think to myself...
09/11/07 12:24 PM *Miss
O'Laney*Permalink
Mckenzie River 50K
I'm heading up to Oregon with Steve, Ted, Mark,
Lorelei and Ronny to run in the McKenzie River 50K. It's a
relatively flat and fast course for a trail 50K,
but I'm not relatively fast right now. I should
do OK but my hopes of using this to set a new
personal record for the distance have been
tempered by my lack of running while in Europe.
I wrote a scintillating report about our last day of the Haute Route, but my computer ate it. I'll redo it Monday; it was one of the best days of the whole trip. After that I'll do a little British show and tell for you. Have a great weekend!
I wrote a scintillating report about our last day of the Haute Route, but my computer ate it. I'll redo it Monday; it was one of the best days of the whole trip. After that I'll do a little British show and tell for you. Have a great weekend!
Extreme Male Syndrome
09/06/07 09:13 PM *Miss
O'Laney*Permalink
Here is amazing new scientific
evidence that men and women are ...
Different!
Background: In the 50s the sexes were different: men were better.
In the 60s and 70s the genders were the same.
From the 80s until now we've been different again: men are worse.
This scholar argues that men are better than women... and worse.
What do you think?
Different!
Background: In the 50s the sexes were different: men were better.
In the 60s and 70s the genders were the same.
From the 80s until now we've been different again: men are worse.
This scholar argues that men are better than women... and worse.
What do you think?
A great story
Sit down with a cup of tea (hot or cold, depending on
where you live) and read Marcia's amazing account of her
solo run through the Sierras.
Excerpt:
Tyger, tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night.
The poetry of William Blake strolls across my consciousness as I pass through mile after mile of pitch-black forest. There are no tigers here, and the only thing burning bright is the light of my headlamp. I am comfortable alone in the forest at night. There is very little to be afraid of in these mountains. But, yes, things do occasionally happen to people who wander far off into the mountains at night, and those thoughts do not escape me entirely. I remember John's last words to me, as he kissed me goodbye early that morning. "Have fun. Don't get eaten."
Excerpt:
Tyger, tyger, burning bright
In the forests of the night.
The poetry of William Blake strolls across my consciousness as I pass through mile after mile of pitch-black forest. There are no tigers here, and the only thing burning bright is the light of my headlamp. I am comfortable alone in the forest at night. There is very little to be afraid of in these mountains. But, yes, things do occasionally happen to people who wander far off into the mountains at night, and those thoughts do not escape me entirely. I remember John's last words to me, as he kissed me goodbye early that morning. "Have fun. Don't get eaten."
Haute Route: St Nick to Europa Hut (Part 1)
Thursday was another rest day for the ladies. I hiked
up to the little village of Gasenreid, a short but
steep 1500' climb and found a great hotel (the only
one in town) with a nice big room with a balcony
overlooking the valley (see pics) for $40 per person
(super cheap by Swiss standards). Then I made the
easy flat two mile walk over to Grachen, a cute
touristy ski town, where I met a couple of cute
chicks who had taken the bus up from St Nick. We
wandered around the shops, stocked up on food for the
last two days of our trek, ate lunch at "Mike's
Place" and walked back to Gasenreid together.
Pics 1 & 2: Grachen; Pics 3-7:Pics taken of our from our hotel in Gasenreid.
Pics 1 & 2: Grachen; Pics 3-7:Pics taken of our from our hotel in Gasenreid.
Haute Route: St Nick to Europa Hut (Part 2)
Later that day, Mrs. Runalong and the Bex read
together while I wandered around town. Friday morning
we continued soouth on the Europaweg, a 20 mile trail
from Grachen to Zermatt. After a tough 1500' climb we
would spend the next two days traversing high above
the valley below. Because the hillside is very steep
the trail is very challenging in places with lots of
boulders and scree and abrupt drop-offs and a fair
amount of up and downness. But the views were
consistently magnificent, as you can see.
Praise the Lord, after weeks of iffy weather when even the best days were hazy, our last few days on the trail were postcard perfect! We did have one scare when Bex slipped and fell while crossing a steep and dangerous cascading stream but the only damage was to Dad's nervous system. Europa Hut was crowded and offered no privacy at the end of an exhausting day, but it's the only game in town. Tomorrow will be our last day... and one of our very best!
Climbing out of Gasenreid:
Snack time; looking north...
Becky's feet; Gasenreid & Grachen...
Decisions, decisions...
Can you see them?
Cross the danger area quickly!
A long ways down...
Almost there...
For the first ten days of the Haute Route, click here and scroll down.
Praise the Lord, after weeks of iffy weather when even the best days were hazy, our last few days on the trail were postcard perfect! We did have one scare when Bex slipped and fell while crossing a steep and dangerous cascading stream but the only damage was to Dad's nervous system. Europa Hut was crowded and offered no privacy at the end of an exhausting day, but it's the only game in town. Tomorrow will be our last day... and one of our very best!
Climbing out of Gasenreid:
Snack time; looking north...
Becky's feet; Gasenreid & Grachen...
Decisions, decisions...
Can you see them?
Cross the danger area quickly!
A long ways down...
Almost there...
For the first ten days of the Haute Route, click here and scroll down.
