Roxy training diary month 35
April 2006

Apr 29.  Three big events in one day.  In the morning, I attended a graduation breakfast for Child and Family Studies. 

Then, midday, Rosemary and I drove down to Orem (about an hour each way) to a place called Dream Dinners.  Dad had given me a gift certificate, so with that and a small amount of coin we were able to assemble six dinners (about six servings each) in a couple of hours.  They have everything set up for you in stations, so you just go to the different locations within the store and assemble what you need in a ZipLoc bag, then freeze it.  We had fun, but with 50 years of combined lab experience plus some food service experience, Rosemary and I were a tad frustrated with the slow pace of some of the other assemblers.

Finally, Saturday evening, we attended the annual Crystal Crest Awards ceremony, where I was scheduled to serve as a presenter.  This is an Oscar-style awards ceremony celebrating the best of Weber State.  It was an honor to be invited to participate.  I rented a tux (complete with purple vest and tie!) for the occasion, and was one of two people presenting the Scholar of the Year award to a pre-med, Justin Harper.  I also got myself photographed with Rosemary (who looked spectacular) and my pal Lynlee Robinson, who was nominated for Woman of the Year. 

I don't get enough chances to use the word resplendent, but my friend and co-worker Greta von Plant was resplendent in an ecru-and-black formal dress with pleated bodice and tulle overlay.  I thought we took her picture, but we didn't — so maybe someone will loan me one for this here webpage. 

Afterward, I was complaining that unlike the Oscars, we didn't each have our own theme.  So Greta asked, "if you had a theme song, what would it be?"  Rachel didn't pick one, so I picked "Brick House" for her.  For me, I decided on the Santana version of the Buddy Holly classic "Well...All Right". 

Karleton, who works with me, won Man of the Year.  It must be because of those evening workouts in the gym.

Karleton, ? and Rachel

Rosemary is Happy to be Seen with Brenda & John Kowalewski and Dan Bedford

Annie Sleeps on the Couch

Jim & Rosemary Get Formal

Jim & Lynlee

Apr 24-26.  After delivering my last lecture of the semester, I took off to Washington, DC for Posters on the Hill.  A Weber State student, Kalista Francom, was presenting and I wanted to be there to see it in person.  As far as I remember, it was my first time back in Washington since 9/11 and a lot had changed. 

It was Kalista's first time in DC, so I asked the cab driver to show us the monuments.  That used to be fantastic, especially at night, but he didn't do a very good job of it and in any case everything was blocked off for security reasons.  I don't think you can get any wheeled vehicle within 250 yards of a monument any longer.  It was sad, if understandable, that one of my pleasures in life had been removed.

We made up for it the next day.  On Tuesday, we had a chunk of time in the middle of the day between photo ops with Senators and the evening poster session, so Lauren Fowler and Raelynn Wheeler and I went to stand in line in front of the Supreme Court.  We were allowed in to watch a case being argued before the court, which was a first for me and an incredible thrill. 

Then, we all got together for lunch and visited the Lincoln Memorial in the afternoon.  Of all the Washington monuments, this is my favorite. 

Later that afternoon, after photos with Senator Hatch, I had some alone time so I strapped on my trusty iPod and went for a run.  The hotel was on Capitol Hill, so my plan was to run a loop around the mall.  I wanted to try out the mix I had put together for the upcoming Ogden half-marathon.  Off I went, but on song 5 ("More Fun in the New World", X) my iPod conked out.  I suspected a secret gubbmint plot to inactivate all MP3s of protest songs (even though this one belonged to the Reagan administration), but in the event it turned out my speaker wires had been rubbed bare.  So I ran the rest of the way in silence, which was not bad.  I ran up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Rocky-style, and then back down and finished the loop (probably close to 6 miles).  Along the way, I was treated to fantastic views of the White House, Jefferson Memorial, Smithsonian and National Archives. 

There is a lot more oxygen in DC than in Ogden, so that was nice; on the other side of the ledger, the humidity was a lot higher so that wasn't as nice.  All in all, it was one of my best runs ever and I got to see My Monuments.

The iPod, however, was locked up, and I had to let the battery run down to reboot it.  I was thinking for a while there that I was going to have to buy a new one, so I was glad to get it back in action. 

Wait for It

Apr 23.  Our friend Emily was visiting, so we did dog and tourist stuff this weekend. 

Saturday, we went hiking. Since there were three of us, we could take all three dogs, which is a nice break.  It was a long hike, up Strongs Canyon to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail then across to the Ross Drive area and back down to the house. 

When we got back, Annie was pooped and this morning she was a little stiff, so she got some extra Rimadyl.  It was too much for her.  We need to not push her so hard.

Saturday night, we watched The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and that was fun.  Whatever happened to Pamela Franklin?

Sunday, we headed up to Snowbasin for the last day of the winter season.  We rode the gondola and ate brunch in the Huntington Room.  After driving around the Eden/Huntsville area and scoping out the Ogden Marathon half-marathon course, we got home to a Roxy who really needed some mental and physical stimulation.  I was hosing the winter dust off the deck, and she started chasing the spray, so we made a game out of it.  Roxy got soaked and had a great time.

Note Ben Lomond in the background of the middle picture below. 

Over There

Aerodynamic Tongue

A Faceful of Water

I Got the Squirrel!

Dylan: Sleep Contortionist

President Hu               Doctor Who

Dylan sleeps in the most unusual and uncomfortable-looking positions.  Rarely do we catch him with the camera, but Rosemary snapped this one while he was dozing in his crate.

Today, it began to snow.

Reading the New York Times gave me another idea.  An article about President Hu's visit to the U.S. got me to thinking about President Hu and Doctor Who.

Apr 15.  The rain let up early, so Roxy and I went down to Draper (about an hour south) to practice at Colleen Hawker's place. 

Roxy wasn't great, but it was good for us to practice in an unfamiliar place.  We did some heeling, and some recalls, and we participated in some group stays.  Roxy was a good distraction but she did better at the stays than I would have expected. 

In agility, she was pretty flaky and unfocused, running around obstacles and insisting on entering between poles 2 and 3.  We worked some things out, but it was clear she still has a long way to go.  Now that the daylight is helping, we need to wish for good weather and simply get out and practice more.  I keep saying that, and one day I'm going to do it.

There are so many captions I could write here, but I'll just let you write your own.

Dylan on Ice

Isi, Tracy, Roxy and Jim

Apr 11.  Friday, April 7, I made the long drive to Colorado with the dog-kids to meet up with Rosemary (who spent last week at the Norwegian Elkhound nationals) and run in an agility trial with Roxy.

Dylan is still recuperating.  Okay, LWW fans, I forgot to tell you about that.  Sometime last month, he started limping and holding his back taut.  We figured it was his back end, probably hips, but X-rays were all negative.  So, when he didn't get better, we got a referral to the K-9 Rehab Center, a specialty vet clinic in Bountiful.  Turns out he dislocated the carpal (wrist) bones on the front right paw.

"Dr. Pam" and her staff are taking great care of Dylan.  He gets a massage and hydrotherapy from Marianne twice a week.  What a life.  He just wiggles and gets all gooey when he goes in the clinic doors.  Is it the physical therapy, or is it the fact that the mostly-female staff make a big fuss over his hunky self?  Hard to say.

Dylan was out of action and a scratch, Annie is retired, so it was up to Roxy to uphold the family honor.  Which she did not.  But I didn't do my part either.  I even missed my Starters Standard run on Saturday, which almost never happens.  I was nonplussed.

We did get to see a recuperating Isidingo and Tracy Smith, who roomed with Rosemary during the Norwegian Elkhound national specialty.  Of course, Rosemary got to spend time with Tracy, but I had not seen her in a good while so it was good for me to get caught up.

Sunday was better, and we had some nice sequences.  Roxy had settled a bit and we actually got into a groove a couple of times there.  We stayed around to the end, getting in our Jumpers run before we left for the long drive back.  On the way back, we listened to the audiobook Marley and Me, which I had downloaded to Rosemary's iPod.  Thanks to CCC for that recommendation.

Back to the K-9 Rehab Center in Bountiful.  One odd thing about naming a town "Bountiful" is that it appears on local businesses, to wit: "Bountiful Collision Center" and "Bountiful Dialysis Center", and those are just the ones next door to the vet clinic.  I looked for "Bountiful Sewage" but to no avail, although "Bountiful Sewer" works. There are, however, "Bountiful Nutrition", "Bountiful Power", and "Bountiful Trophies" in Bountiful.  Even "Bountiful Accounts Payable".

Who knew that Britney Spears and K-Fed are less than ideal parents?

Apr 5.  I don't know why this strikes me as funny, but it does.

Judge Judy Sheindlin is on TV.  She often gives voice to one of my favorite quotes: "Don't p**s on my leg and tell me it's raining."

Judge Raid Juhi is the Iraqi judge presiding over Saddam Hussein's trial for genocide.  There was a story about him in today's New York Times that refers to him repeatedly as "Judge Juhi" and I'm thinking, "What's she doing over there?"

Here, for comparison: Judges Judy and Juhi.

Judge Judy               Judge Juhi

Jim's Half Marathon Mix

Love Stinks — J. Geils Band

Walk on By — From Good Homes

History, As Planned — Mascott

El Tango de Roxanne—Ewan McGregor/Jose Feliciano

Maybe Baby — Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Tenderly — Billie Holliday

Kidd — Marcella Detroit

AM Radio — Everclear

Bears — Lyle Lovett

Hello It's Me — Todd Rundgren

Natalie — Gretchen Lieberum

Rainbows Colored in Blue  — Sanford & Townsend

Cherry Bomb — The Runaways

Make It with You — Bread

Carry On Wayward Son — The Oak Ridge Boys

Banana Boat — Harry Belafonte

How Deep Is the Ocean — Diana Krall

Milkshake 'n' Honey — Sleater-Kinney

I Need a Heart to Come Home To — Shelby Lynne

It Was in the Pines — Sir Douglas Quintet

In the Midnight Hour — The Commitments

So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright — Simon & Garfunkel

Three Little Words — Duke Ellington Orchestra

Sleep On — Alison Krauss

Everything's Turning to White — Kasey Chambers

I'm So Excited — Pointer Sisters

The Lines You Amend — Sloan

Hey Baby — No Doubt

Gimme Some Money — Spinal Tap

Trickle Trickle — Manhattan Transfer

Buttons and Beaus — Shelby Lynne

Little Arrows —  Leapy Lee

Fallin' to Pieces —  Rob Thomas

Ambushers — Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart

Trains and Boats and Planes — Astrud Gilberto

Golden Slumbers — Beatles

A Woman Left Lonely — Janis Joplin

Rain on the Roof —  Lovin' Spoonful

Run — Snow Patrol

Apr 1. Today, I ran my first half-marathon.  That's over 13 miles, and boy, am I tired.

The weather was not ideal.  It was kind of a misty, cold, light rain throughout.  I dumped my insulated top at the mile 2 marker; I'll have to go retrieve it later. 

I had a really neat mix going on my iPod, and that helped.  What also helped was someone who was running the same pace as me, and joined me about mile 8.  She and I stayed together for the next 5 miles, encouraging each other quietly and pushing each other as needed. She was having trouble on the hills, and so I would pace those, and I was having trouble at the end, and she pulled me on. 

She finished just ahead of me.  I got to thank her later.  From the standings, it looks like she's Christina Mooney, and Google says she and her husband Sean own a Foothill Fitness Center in SLC.  So, Christina Mooney, a shout out to you.  We kept a steady 10 min/mile pace, and I appreciate your help.

About mile 11 I entered some sort of alternate universe.  It was not a good place, it was not a bad place, it just wasn't Earth.  I never got a "runners high".  I guess I used up all my endorphins and enkephalins in college. 

I have found that running for me is almost completely a mental game.  Physically, I can run the distance I need to (although I think a marathon would be pushing it waaay too far).  My mind wants to quit long before my body does.

The iPod helps a lot.  Rather than do what some people do and try to make a mix for the run, I just let 'er rip on full random.  I must have a preference for beat-driven rock and roll and for mellow music, because my run mixes seem to have some of both.  The songs I heard on my run are at left.  The ones that were just perfect for that particular moment in time are in purple.  Also, since it was raining, some rain songs were good.

"AM Radio" has a great running beat, perfect for my pace.  "Carry On, Wayward Son" by the Oak Ridge Boys is just plain strange, but it was a great distraction.  That was followed by the "Banana Boat" song, which is a great sing-along.  That got people away from me so I could concentrate on my pace and breathing.  "Little Arrows" by Leapy Lee was another great distraction when things were starting to get very tiresome around the north side of Pineview Reservoir.

Then, to take me to the finish line, "Run" by Snow Patrol.  Is that perfect, or what?

So, I have all kinds of cheap psych-outs I use on myself to keep going.  For the 15K, I kept telling myself, "When this is over, I'm going to go to Jeremiah's for pancakes."  The prospect of pancakes kept me going, and I made it.

For this race, it was the pastries at the end.  I said, "Mister, no pastries for you if you start walking.  If you keep running, you can have all the pastries you want."  So the "no-pastry" rule was what got me through some of the tough times.

Right after the end, as we queued for fruit and pastries, it started pouring rain and hailing.  People were still out running and walking in that.  I was happy to be under cover. 

My fingers had gone completely numb and were unusable.  Whether that was from the blood going to my trunk and legs, or from the cold, or from both, I'll never know.  I ate with my fists.  I asked some poor junior high girl to peel my banana for me (she was with her family, so it wasn't like a bad pickup line) and she looked at me pretty strange, but helped me out. 

I had a bit of a scare as my car key was in my back pocket and I couldn't grasp the tab to open the zipper.  Finally, I got the key out by brute force.  I just couldn't see asking someone to retrieve my car key next to my right buttock.  The banana thing seemed to be pushing the limits already.

Official results have me at 354th out of 445 runners overall, at 2:13:55.  That's 10:13 min/mile, which is close to my 5K and 10K pace and just where I wanted to be.  The larger entry meant that I moved up in my age group: I was 28/31 of men 45-49.  (Normally, I've been second to last in my age group.)

This was the first half of the Ogden Marathon course (Red Rock to Eden Park).  I signed up for the half-marathon on Ogden Marathon day, May 6.  That half-marathon is from Eden Park to Historic 25th Street in downtown Ogden.  So, I will have run a marathon: half on April 1, and half on May 6.

Bib of Destiny

Foot and a Half Marathon