We Ain't Old... Not Yet.

Today, August 19th, 2004, is a banner day. Mark your calendars. This may be hard to believe, but today marks the first time that I've ever completed one lap (running) around Lake Calhoun. Now I know what you're thinking, you're thinking: What? It's not that hard. And you're right, it's 3.2 miles. I can get on a treadmill, and run 3.2 miles no problem. However, lacking the steady pace that the 'mill provides, I'd never lapped the Lake, nor the sister Lake Harriet, in the four years of my off and on infatuation with conditioning exercise that have coincided with my living near the Lakes.

Now, I should also mention that I rarely make the attempt. I don't often run for distance outside, opting instead to rollerblade or do a sprint workout. Nevertheless, you'd think I'd have made the lap at least once before in my 50 or so other attempts. Not so. I wasn't even intending to do it today, I just didn't ever feel tired enough to quit... at least not until the end was in sight, but at that point I was gonna finish out of spite no matter what.

I'm not sure why this is stuck in my craw today... but I think it has to do with an email that wadE sent me yesterday. We'd been talking about tennis, and our unskill relative to the Olympic athletes (specifically Roddick, although this was before he lost), and how they'd just basically beat the ever-living shit out of us on the court, and so on. wadE commented on how he was impressed by the way they cover the court, and said of his own tennis running:

and it's the best/only type of running I'm good at. I was even better a couple years ago... this getting old thing sucks.

With respect, I disagree, and I'm offended on wadE's behalf by wadE's statement. Heh.

You see, the thing is, I don't feel old with regards to physical activity. I've lost about 20 pounds so far this year, and I feel faster and more coordinated than I have in years. This is really the most un-fat I've been since my first year after college... even though I'm right now at the weight where a lot of people were coming up to me that year and saying...

"So... puttin' on a little weight, eh?"

I should've listened more closely and just stopped eating then.

Now I'll grant you, the body is gonna degenerate, and I'm not always gonna be able to look good. I don't have any desire to look like I did when I was 18. I was a rail. Way too skinny. However, on the flip side, I can tell you right now what I don't wanna look like: Wade's friend from IsraeliSauna.Com.

So that's some incentive, I think.

In any event, I think that there's plenty left in my tank, and baring any arthritis-type problems, wadE's tank too. That's why I'm offended on his behalf - he doesn't need to make any excuses - we just need to get out there and play more tennis, dammit!

But hey, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong... still, I say:

We Ain't Old! ...at least, Not Yet! :)

Let's pad this article out with some odds and ends...

Odds And Ends:

I would like to make the public proposal that I will climb a 20-foot ladder if Jason will come see the movie Open Water with us. That should be about equal terror between the two of us, and I'll also promise equal rebuttal time in any SP.com article that could arise from the movie viewing. I think it's a fair offer.

I have a new laptop that chooses to freeze at completely unpredictible times, although I'm fairly certain I can tie it down to the video card, or perhaps the logic/motherboard, although it seems to happen most frequently during video-intensive moments. It's incredibly frustrating, and I've learned to save often. As soon as my work schedule allows me to be without this thing for a few days, it'll be going in for repair. It has given me some new perspective, though. I think I must have some idea now of what it must be like to own a Windows XP machine... except that I know that mine'll soon be fixed! Yeeeeeeeowww! Heh heh... but it still sucks.

Ok, first it was Summer Sanders, now it's Natalie Coughlin. Did I miss the memo about swimmers being incredibly cute? I think I must've.

In either case, both of you are welcome to use the Sue Bird Memorial Send Alex an Instant Message link. (No offense to Sue, mind you. She's still my #1. She just hasn't bothered to get in touch yet. I can't figure out why...)

I think I'm out of Ends. Never outta Odds, though! But I am done for tonight. Take care, peeps.

--08/19/2004