Tonight's Run - at least I'm not in New Guinea!

NOTE: I added a bunch of new stuff to the blog today if you're interested. Including the "widgets" already on the right side column (news from the Virgin Islands, etc.), I put up some lists of my favorite websites as well as what I'm currently reading. I also am trying to link stuff whenever relevant in my entries - so if something is blue, click it! The purpose of this is twofold - first, it's fun for me to mess around with, second, the 3 of you that read this can kill more time at work. See, we both win!





Just got back from a really good, short run with Pim. It was again a really nice night and the perfect temperature out - all I had on was shorts and a tshirt and I was really styling by rocking my black dress socks w/ my nikes. Went on the same "to the park and back route" as I did Tuesday night, but went a bit faster and a little further this time. I was definetely tired at the end but glad I could more or less comfortably run the whole thing.

After the run and uploading to the nikeplus site I did my old favorite, 8 minute abs. 8 minute abs was one of those short workout tapes really popular in the mid-nineties, a la "Buns of Steel" etc. I first came across it when I was in college at Northern Iowa. I was friends with a girl named Lisa who lived several floors below me and one night asked if I wanted to do the tape when I was hanging out in her room. Well one thing let to another.. (no - not like that! get your mind out of the gutter) and we ended up working out to the tape every night together. Eventually several others joined us, and I'll admit I think it was the fact that I was pretty much the only guy taking part in this ritual that kept me coming back. For some reason, I got a hold of the tape, and by the time I left for my first year at summer camp, we had a large portion of the 4th floor of Campbell Hall stopping by on a regular basis each evening to tone our mid-sections together. I digress... my point is its a good tape and actually does give you a great ab workout in just 8 minutes. I also enjoy counting the number of times the "leader" says "gang". I swear he must say it at least 20, as in "Let's go gang, just 5 seconds left before the next motion". I'm trying to get Ashley to start in on it w/ me but she opted out tonight as she has had a long day and has to get up early tomorrow for an important meeting. You can check out 8 minute abs here:



Food report:
-no breakfast as usual (gotta work on that)
-lunch: Pizza Bagel at Einstein's. Tiny side salad and a diet coke (no refills)
-dinner: Roast Beef and swiss sandwich, grapes, and potato salad with O.J. to drink

If you couldn't tell already, I'll probably diverge a bit from solely talking about my training in this blog - if you don't like it sorry, I'll try to report on the running stuff up front. Anyway, just wanted to report that Ashley and I went to see a really interesting and engaging speaker tonight at the 1st Infantry Division Museum at Catigny Park in Wheaton. His name is James Campbell and he just came out w/ a new book called "The Ghost Mountain Boys." It details the 42 day long journey of troops in the 32nd Infantry through the mountains of New Guinea during WWII. They were the first to ever actually cross from one coastline to the other, and it has been described as one of the worst and most difficult military campaigns/traverses of the war, however it has been almost completely overlooked in the textbooks, history, etc. He even said Ken Burns only dedicated ONE sentence to these guys in his recent PBS miniseries "The War" (Mom, I figure you'd appreciate that - My mom has on ongoing personal feud w/ Ken Burns. I'm serious, ask her about it).

Anyway, what these guys did was just absolutely amazing. And upon completing the journey, they were immediately thrust into absolutely horrid war conditions on the Northern coast of Papua New Guinea where the Japanese had already dug in and took up strategic positions. There is a LOT more to the story than that, so if it sounds good, go get the book. The cool thing is the author actually went over and completely retraced the steps of the journey, tearing an ACL in the process but making it coast to coast and over the mountains none the less. They even had some local native "carriers" help them that had been children and walked along w/ the soilders during the War. You're probably wondering why I even knew about this book or would care since I'm not really a war buff. I first read a summary article of this guys journey to retrace the steps of the "mountain boys" in my favorite magazine, Outside. When I saw he was going to be here tonight I definetely wanted to go.

I was able to ask a question after the lecture and it was cool to hear the veterans that were there ask some questions as well. They all stood up to be recognized which was neat too - some who had served on New Guinea. We bought the book following the lecture and waited in line to have it signed. The author was extremely nice and talked w/ us for several minutes about the piece in Outside, etc. Overall a really cool night.

Oh one more thing on the training. The nike website lets that I'm using w/ my high tech nikeplus ipod kit and shoes let's you set goals and track them, so I'll post that as well. Here is my first goal:



Ashley, sorry I was annoying you on the way to the talk tonight. I love you more than anything and thanks so much for all the support you have given me!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's report!