Owner: 5ksandcabernets URL:http://5ksandcabernets.blogspot.com Join Date: Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:23:54 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: A man writes about marathons, wine drinking, and fatherhood. Site statistics:Click here
Six-word memoir 2008-04-18 22:23:28 This item was actually at the bottom of a post I wrote a few months ago, so for the one or two people who read this blog, my apologies.One of my coworkers, whose blog is titled: Circle30, has "tagged" me.She has asked me to play the, "Six-word memoir" game.It is from a recently released book titled, "Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure."The book has only been out since February 5, but if you type "Six-word memoir" into Google, you get more than 50,000 search results.Needless to say, The. Memoirs. Are. Sweeping. The. Nation.Here are the rules:1) Write your own six word memoir2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track i
Boston Marathon: Six degrees of separation 2008-04-20 21:38:05 They run the BostonMarathon
today. The Holy Grail of Marathon running, if you will.I haven't even come close to qualifying.But I got the digits.I found the bib numbers from some of the races I've run. (The other ones are lost). I added them, then divided the number by the number of bibs I have.The number I came up with is my own Fantasy Boston Bib Number: 2731I went to the Boston Marathon Web Site and found the last few finishers with this Bib number.The Boston finisher with Bib No. 2731 over the last few years has finished in a time ranging from 3:14 to 4:17.I may not be fast, but I've got fast karma.I'm rooting for whomever wears Bib No. 2731 today.Get out your bib numbers. Play the game. Who are you rooting for?And by the way, if you see one of your bib numbers in my picture, drop me
Fighting for my love and affection 2008-04-23 00:22:34 I did a lot of sole searching and decided it was time to end the affair.The new squeeze has caused too much pain, suffering, and a trail of guilt.I've figured for the longest that it was time to get that old flame back which has carried me through the years, through every major step I've taken.So the other night, I swallowed my pride and reclaimed what was once mine: The Brooks Adrenaline.I've been an Adrenaline wearer since the GT5 model, in 2004. They fit my feet perfectly. Sleek, not too heavy or bulky. Just enough support for my somewhat flat feet.I ran both marathons in them. But I was a younger runner back then and strayed to other shoes from time to time. There was sexy Saucony. Naughty Nike and New Balance.I was going out with Adrenaline during my 2007 marathon training. But my fee Read more:Fighting
Run the Boston Marathon, for only $20 2008-04-24 12:35:06 If you ever think about cheating to gain entry into the BostonMarathon
, here's some advice: Don't do it.On the Letsrun message boards, someone spotted an ad on ebay with a guy offering to sell his Boston Marathon bib. This would allow someone who didn't qualify to run in last Mondays Boston Marathon a chance to run. And not just run in the back, but near the elites. The seller had qualified by running a 2:30 at his qualifying race.His opening bid was about $20 and soared to more than $400. He said he couldn't run because he was injured.His ad read like this:If you have ever dreamed of running the Boston Marathon and being in the front, take advantage of my unfortunate injury, by bidding on my entry.Because I cannot run, I am letting someone else enjoy the race. I qualified in a time of un
Komen 5K Race for the Cure: Race Report 2008-04-26 11:05:29 My time: 21:56Not a pr, but with the last 3/4 of a mile uphill, I feel pretty good about what I did. And the time is better than the last three 5ks I've done, and those were all flat courses.I'll write a more detailed report later, but here are the splits...1: 6:45 (was feeling good)2: 6:55 (pacing myself for the hill to come)3: 7:31 (ok. this hill _ on Weatherford Street _ is ridiculous)3.13 :45 (Sprinted in and tried not to throw up on the slow person cutting the chip off my shoe).More later....
Read more:Race Report
1,000 visitors! 2008-04-25 13:57:40 At 9:59 this morning, my site went, well, platinum. 1,000 visitors.The momentous visitor was Gandaman (Hope you don't get mad at me for outing you buddy.)It took three months for 1,000 visitors, so I just want to thank my mom right now for getting on my site every day, 10 times a day.Also....I'm trying for a 5K pr at the Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Fort Worth Saturday morning. Gotta beat a 21:09. That's a 6:49 mile.They just released the map of the route and the last part of the run is slightly uphill.Keeping my fingers crossed.
Smoke tasting graham crackers 2008-04-27 22:18:20 Ok. Watching Mavs-Hornets, Game 4. It's halftime. Drinking a glass of Zinfandel. Its a 2006 Edmeades from Mendocino County.The label says, "with dollops of smoke, graham cracker, chocolate and fruit..."Now, I don't know what smoke tastes like. And my inexperienced palate hasn't figured out how to discern graham cracker. (Maybe, as NY Times wine writer Eric Asimov blogs, this wine is on Viagra.)But I know what I know.I like this wine. Yummmmmmy.
Read more:Smoke
FW Komen Race, Part II: Race report 2008-04-27 10:14:49 This is the elevation chart for the race I ran yesterday, the Fort Worth Komen 5K Race for the Cure. You can see the big hill I blogged about. At about 2.5 miles in, this thing hits you. You turn off of Forest Park Boulevard onto Weatherford Street.At this point in the race yesterday, I was averaging a 6:45 mile pace. Well on my way to setting a 5K pr.Then I hit this hill. It was .58 miles. Elevation, according to my Garmin Forerunner 305, was 68 feet. So basically, I had to climb a five-story building. (Didn't Batman need to pull himself up a rope to do this kind of thing?)It took me 4:21 to get up this hill, a 7:48 pace. My heart rate soared from 90 to 95 percent max. My total minute-per-mile pace slowed from 6:45 to 7:04.I sprinted the rest of the way in to shave a few seconds off my to Read more:report
Revisiting my nappy head 2008-04-29 09:03:29 A few weeks ago, I blogged about the challenges of a black man needing a consistent hair cut living in a mostly white neighborhood. I wrote that either I could take my chances at a place like SuperCuts, where they employ men and women who are not barbers.Or I could drive 20 to 30 minutes or more to the black neighborhood and wait another 30 minutes or more to get a really good haircut.Gandaman and I had a real nice virtual discussion about this topic.And by some of the hits I got on this page from search engines, I can tell it was a subject on the minds of many "hairstylists" across the country.A sampling of what people googled..Cut black man hair, from Oregon how to use clippers to cut a black mans hair, from North Carolinahow to barber black people hair? from Ontario, Canadahow to cut a
I've run more than two days this year 2008-04-30 09:16:08 I finished off the month with a 6 mile run in 51:50 today. Here are my running stats for the month and the year to date.Total runs: 19Total miles: 110.61Total time: 15 hours, 54 minutesPace: 8 minutes, 37 seconds a mileAverage heart rate: 82 percent of maxHighest average heart rate: 91 percent (Last Saturday's Komen 5K run)Total miles this year: 407.85Total time this year: 2 days, 12 hours, 39 minutes, 47 secondsPace: 8 minutes, 55 seconds a mileAverage heart rate: 80 percent of maxHighest average heart rate: 93 percent (Jan. 1 Blackeyed Pea Run 5K)
This love of mine 2008-05-02 00:21:00 My son turned 9 months old a few days ago.For the last 9 months, I've thought about him. Every. Hour. Of. Every. Day.I've had many loves in my life.But never one like this.When his mother was carrying him, I wondered how I'd take to him.And then I saw him in the sonogram. Sticking out his tongue, the nurse said.And I turned away because I didn't want his mother to see me tearing up.The day he got here, it was love at first sight.It's weird. When I feed him or hold him, I find myself nibbling on his ear or his nose or his little toes.He looks just like me. The same crooked smile. The same frown when he isn't happy.The same happy disposition.The same temper.If you told me I couldn't have another glass of wine, couldn't run another mile, couldn't earn another dollar if I wanted to be with Noa
Sneaky, sneaky! 2008-05-03 09:53:08 21:40This was my unofficial time in the Mayfest 5K run this morning on the Trinity Trails in Fort Worth.I decided to run it the last minute before taking off to Austin to see my son.Didn't want to tell anybody I was running it because then I would have put too much pressure on myself to run a certain time.I was still a little tired from running last week's Komen Race for the Cure 5K, but today's time is still 16 seconds faster. The big reason is that there were no hills on this run.Splits (My Garmin 305 said I ran 3.13 miles)1- 6:52 (Couldn't catch my breath. At one point, I was running a 6:20 mile)2 - 7:05 (Paid for the bad pacing in mile 1)3 - 6:51 (Felt strong and passed several people)3.13 - :51
Don't forget about me 2008-05-05 09:16:47 Every two weeks I visit my son in Austin. I always ask myself one question before he sees me:"Will Noah remember me?''I mean, just how much memory does a 9-month old have?A ton, I guess. Last Saturday, when I got to his mother's house, he was asleep in his car seat. I leaned in to kiss him on his forehead and he woke up. There was silence for a split second. Then he started giggling.Ok, I remember thinking, he remembers me.I do a lot of things during my stay to make sure he knows who I am.I play with him rougher than his mom does. (Don't worry, I don't throw him off a building for luck like some people do.)I also run his little fingers through my nappy hair, which of course, is much much much different from his mother's hair.He said "Ma-ma" a few times over the weekend, and I'd be lying if
Weight loss: Too much of a good thing? 2008-05-06 09:08:27 A few months ago, I lamented my weight, which was a shade over 170 and figured I was drinking too much wine during the week, which was causing my weight to stay the same even though I was running pretty much four to five times a week, averaging close to 30 miles a week.Then, I figured out that I could keep drinking wine and still lose weight reasonably as long as I picked up my pace during my morning runs. Say, from 9:30 minute miles to under 9.Of my last 15 runs, 14 have averaged under 9 minute miles, including five under 8 minute miles.I got on the scale today after a 6-miler and it read: 1 6 2Whoa. Now some of that is lost water weight from the run. I was 166 when I went to bed Monday night, with a nice wine buzz courtesy of a 2004 Marietta Cellars Zinfandel. (Thanks for the recommenda Read more:Weight
Why they like me at the office 2008-05-07 13:01:39 I buy pounds and pounds of Starbucks coffee.I ground my own beans and make the best pot of Joe that a cheap, office
-issue coffee-maker could make.I buy fancy cookies and pastries from whole foods and share them with co-workers.How can you not like working for a guy who has buttered you up with Pike Place Roast and cranberry loaf.I’ve got management skills, baby.I’m the office hero.
Big weekend plans 2008-05-09 08:36:21 1. Take mom to lunch Sunday. Try to keep her from Luby's or Olive Garden. Tell her its okay if she allows me to spend a little more money on her. Tell her I love her. Call my son's mother and thank her for being such a great mom.2. Run 10 miles Saturday. Was just checking the running log and noticed I've done so much speed work lately that I've not paid attention to long run training. Last run of at least 10 miles was April 12. That's way too long ago.3. Work Saturday evening. The newspaper I work for will be covering local city and school board elections. It won't be nearly as exciting as Barack vs. Hillary, but we editors are getting free Mexican food for working. So how bad can it be.4. Get my haircut Saturday afternoon. I blogged a few weeks ago that I finally found a barber for my nap Read more:plans
10k on the 10th 2008-05-11 20:05:17 I usually don't post on Sundays. Too tired. Too lazy. Too everything.But there is something of an Internet running revolution going on at one of the blogs I read. A blogger named Nancy is hosting virtual races and inviting people to post their times, whether they ran in real races or just workouts, on her blog.From the looks of her comments, lots of people are participating.Saturday was her 10k on
Elscorcho run: I've got work to do 2008-05-10 13:54:20 Friday, I signed up for the El Scorcho Run, a 25k race scheduled for July 20 in Fort Worth's Trinity Park.The race starts at midnight.In Texas, or as we say Tek-Ses, the temperature around midnight in July is still in the mid 80s. So today, I went out for a 15k run (OK, it was supposed to be a 10-miler, but I didn't make it that far) just to test my long-running ability in the heat.It was 76 degre
I'm one of the fastest guys in North Texas, for now. 2008-05-13 07:55:08 There's a guy I used to work with. Runs a Web site called Clinesrunningcorner.comHe takes the results of every 5k and 10k in North
Tek-Ses and compiles a Top 10 list, by age group and by sex. He calls it, "Fastest at Metroplex Road Races.'The "season" starts the first of May, which means, if you run a 5k or 10k the first weekend in May, and you run it reaonably fast, you have a better chance of ap Read more:Texas
Too much junk in the trunk? 2008-05-12 08:37:18 Sometimes when I run by a building with mirrors or reflecting glass, I sneak a peak at myself to check my form. What I see is not often very flattering. It looks like I'm literally dragging my ass.I've got these skinny legs, and skinny arms, but my ass belongs on a man who weighs at least 30 pounds more than I do. When you have to buy jeans that are one or two sizes too big in the waist because of
You call this stuff wine? 2008-05-15 00:06:02 I should know better.When the wine salesman, err, sommelier, comes up to me in the store trying to sell me something, its not necessarily something they think tastes good. Its usually a bottle that gets them their commission.I normally steer clear of these people. They don't know my taste buds, how finicky I might be, whether I like spicy zins or big cabs or fruit forward petite syrahs.They don't Read more:stuff
Dead wine guy 2008-05-16 16:38:10 I'm sure I spent a lot of money on his stuff: Robert Mondavi, a winemaking genuis.
Hanging out with the kiddo 2008-05-18 11:08:20 I'm in Austin this weekend visiting my son. He is growing so fast. He crawls fast. He eats alot. He can basically hold his own bottle. I've read so much to him that I practically have "Goodnight Moon" remembered by heart.He's almost 10 months old and wants to walk really bad. I'm going to take a lot of pictures and will post some later. The coolest thing he is doing right now: instead of leaning i Read more:Hanging
Fastest in North Texas? That didn't last long 2008-05-21 01:27:00 2 weekends.That's all it took for my 21:40 5k time during the Mayfest run in Fort Worth to be vanquished from the list of the fastest runners in NorthTexas
. The cutoff time in my age group, 35-39, is, gulp, 19:02.I checked into that running site that I wrote about a few weeks ago, the one where my former co-worker has compiled a list of every 5k and 10k run in North Texas. Because I had run my 5k
Run in this heat? 2008-05-20 20:16:09 I swear. I was going to run when I got home from work. But here in Tex-Ses, the sun decided to really get down to our level. So I went to Pot-Belly and grabbed a bottle of Edmeades Zinfandel instead. I did run this morning, (5 miles in 38:21) so it's probably a good thing that I didn't attempt a two-for today. And for what? I'm not really training for anything right now. I haven't really spent a
I was a frazzled parent 2008-05-20 09:41:38 My task Monday was to "babysit" my 9-month old son, Noah, while his mother went to work, and while his grandmother got a well-deserved day off to do whatever it is she wanted to do.Since his mother and I have been separated since October, I've gone down to visit Noah every two weeks, and every two months, Nancy brings Noah to Fort Worth. So I have changed dozens of diapers, prepared many a bottle
The cookie monster ate my training? 2008-05-22 00:57:40 Ever since it took me a disappointing 5-plus hours to finish the 2007 White Rock Marathon, I've been trying to figure out what went wrong. My training? Couldn't be. I ran my first marathon in 2005 in 4 hours, 41 minutes with just one week of at least 40 miles. Last fall, before my taper, six of my last seven weeks were at least 40 miles, which included a 45-mile week and a 50-mile week. The marath
Running in the heat: I deserved a margarita 2008-05-24 23:49:27 My son Noah is in town and me and his mother, Nancy, promised we'd take him to the Fort Worth Zoo. Early. Before it got over 90 degrees.So, for me that meant if I wanted to run, I'd have to be out the door before 7 AMMission Accomplished. But it was 78 degrees at 6:45 in the morning.I didn't drink wine the night before running, but I had a lot of pasta and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to "to
Calm before the marathon storm 2008-05-26 23:27:18 In between hanging out with my son and his mother, puttering through an 8.5 mile run, and Memorial Day festivities with my parents and siblings, I turned in an important piece of paper over the weekend: I registered with Fort Worth Fit, which is Luke's Lockers Marathon Program.For what will turn out to be about $7.50 a week, I'll get six months of marathon support in training for the White Rock La
What's an Olympian want with me? 2008-05-27 21:07:11 About a week ago, I got this email from a guy who said he was a Norwegian distance runner. Said he found my blog through the Complete Running Network, where we are both members. Said he has enjoyed my writing skills on wine and running.Said he was a two-time Olympic runner trying to bring attention to his own Web site and wanted to know if I'd link from my site to his.Now, my first thought was, "O Read more:Olympian
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