"There's only one hard and fast rule in running: sometimes you have to run one hard and fast."








Sunday, July 11, 2010

Ever wonder how long a title has to be before it gets cut off by a news aggregator or a blogroll listing? Well, I did and this should pretty much answ

[Huh. Hit a character limit.]

Went for what was supposed to be a long run yesterday, after a number of days off due to eye allergies and possibly pinkeye. I awoke with my eyes stuck together with crust and one tear duct clogged and swollen to the size of a small grape.

[Sorry, no pictures.]

A warm compress, some antihistamines, some eyedrops (prescription for pinkeye) and I got a good look at the damage. Dark raccoon allergic "shiners" and bloodshot eyes that were more bloodmortared or bloodnuked.

Started coughing and sneezing as I finished the morning coffee and I could finally read the weather report. Dew point 62 - lower than it's been for a while (technically, it was low for two days, but I couldn't run those days, so they don't count). Went down to Lake Walkathon, where they were setting up for the yearly dragon boat races and Blue Cross/Blue Shield was staging their "Do Walk."

I ran maybe 20 feet before a gnat flew into my right eye. C'mon! I'm squinting like the lovechild of French Stewart and Renee Zellweger. That had to be intentional! Stuck a sweaty finger in my eye to get the bugger out and could feel my face react to the newly introduced allergens, lending myself to true Quasimodofication. Ran what I could.

Walked home and, when I could finally see my Garmin, read the taotal: 13 miles, 105 minutes.

[NOW you can start the hateful comments...]

10 comments:

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

[...] bloodshot eyes that were more bloodmortared or bloodnuked

I'd've taken those eyes out with a tactical nuclear strike.

If your eyes are gonna act like terrorists, that's what they can expect. I don't fuck around.

Glaven Q. Heisenberg said...

Which, by the way, is different from bloodnuked.

Because it's tactical.

ShutUpandRun said...

I have spent the past two years wondering just that: how many characters you can put into a title including spaces. Fascinating. What does answ mean?

RBR said...

I call blogland rules: "No pictures didn't happen."

Funny, I ran 10 miles today in 113 minutes. Even blinded, and in just shy of respiratory arrest you are ridiculously faster than me.

"I'm squinting like the lovechild of French Stewart and Renee Zellweger"

That is just hilarious and a little hot.

PiccolaPineCone said...

steve! sunglasses! protect your eyes from tyrant gnats and the sun's harmful rays. i am sure that any opthamologists who happen to be reading would agree.

SteveQ said...

@RBR: And then you go and claim your friend was stung by a bee on her breast and you don't have a photo of it.

Squinting like Clint Eastwood looking down the barrel of a rifle in a western sunset might be hot.

SteveQ said...

@Beth: So you don't have to count, apparently it's 150 characters maximum.

sea legs girl said...

I totally laughed out loud at the same lovechild RBR laughed at :D.

And then I realized, oh no, how many ophthalmoligists are there that read your blog? Did PPC call on me for an expert opinion? I don't even own sunglasses (I can't keep track of them). One time I had my corneas burned off while skiing, but they are fine now. No permanent damage. As far as I am aware, the long-term risks of sun in the eyes include POSSIBLY getting cataracts a bit earlier and POSSIBLY increasing the risk of some exceedinlgy rare ocular cancers. Oh and you can always get cancer on the skin AROUND your eyes, just like everywhere else. Just don't smoke, don't get diabetes or high blood pressure and the rest of our eye health is pretty much determined by genetics. But sunglasses do help keep out bugs.

RBR said...

RE: pics - Well, there was a video, but you can blame G for its never seeing the light of day. *smirk*

joyRuN said...

I love French Stewart. Hot in a dorky way.

WTF. I have to train specifically for and then kill myself to hit 13 miles in 105 minutes.

Word verification - doxyllus. Oddly fitting.