Monday: call it 8 miles
The start of this week was a very dark ride. Sunday night, I passed a kidney stone; it's as painful as you've heard. Monday morning it was -9 with -35 windchill, so I decided to run indoors and do a few errands (in the middle of nowhere at 6 AM). My car broke down again. They say one should stay with the car, but it would've been most of a day before anyone came by, so I decided to get somewhere with phone reception by foot. I was dressed for the weather this time, but it was a long run for the weather, in street clothes. I forgot to take off my glasses and they froze to my head, giving me frostbite on my temples.
I managed to get home and get the car towed in and repaired (two repairs in a week: $1500). There were two messages on the answering machine; one told me I had a funeral to attend, the other told me that my investments were essentially gone.
"Nobody gets what they want in this life and that is beautiful. Everyone dies twisted inside and that is beautiful." - They Might Be Giants, "Don't Let's Start"
Tuesday: 5 in 51. Most with Barb, who patiently listened to me complain. Very stiff from running in Doc Martens yesterday.
Wednesday: 7 in 65. Not exactly in a Christmas mood yet.
"Now when I talk to God I think he'll understand. He says, 'Stick by me, I'll be your guiding hand. But don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to.'" - Fleetwood Mac, "Oh Well"
"Dear God... don't know if you've noticed, but your name's on a lot of quotes in this book. Us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look." - XTC, "Dear God"
Thursday: 0 miles. Had a lovely Christmas meal with the family and swapped stories while playing cards. They tell stories like I do. The low point? Comparing worst vomiting stories. Maybe that explains 6 out of 7 siblings being unmarried.Came up with a decent joke (other than that my travel guide will be called "St. Paul on 3 Legs or Less"): I've decided to go "green" in decorating my house. Bamboo is renewable and pandas only eat bamboo, so I'm doing the house all in panda fur.
Friday: 7 in 63 (in rain!) Finally above freezing, but no faster.
Saturday: 0 miles.
Fell on ice in a grocery store parking lot. Hyperextended the bad knee, spraining a 4th ligament. There's only two more holding it together. Bought a knee brace.
"Small time Napoleon's shattered his knees..." - Tom Waits, "Diamonds and Gold"
Sunday: 20 in 4:05. Joined Carl for his truncated birthday run. He managed 42-43 of the planned 54 and had company from start to end. When I joined him at about mile 23, there was a sort of changing of the guard in those running with him and I was planning on getting him to his goal. He had icicles on his eyelashes when I caught up to him and his face was pretty red. The path was very icy, but was getting better as the day went on. I tried to keep him distracted with continuous blather. He stuck it out until his family came out to greet him and then managed one more lap around Lake Harriet. Though I had brought everything imaginable, I didn't eat or drink anything (except a cup of coffee - I never refuse coffee) and had my first food of the day at 5 PM.
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