I signed up for the Army Ten-Miler back in April, an event that takes place in less than 4 weeks from now. I've made some strides, so to speak, in my running endurance, where my previous 2-mile comfort range is now up to approximately 4 to 5 miles. I'm quite impressed with myself, a consistent behind-the-pack finisher in my gym class days. The unfortunate part, however, is the race is twice as long as my comfort zone, so these next 4 weeks are crucial in both physically and mentally preparing for the ATM. This introduction leads into two items that come to mind: 1) my childhood was one of major un-athleticism, and 2) running in DC is really enjoyable.
The first item speaks on my inability to play sports as a youngster. I think kickball was the only thing I felt comfortable with, mostly due to its lax requirement of skill. Running an entire mile was a recipe for respiratory and digestive disaster. Basketball was absolutely out of the question, as my early age lack of height came into major play there. It's not like I was obese as a child, I just wasn't good at sports.
Things have changed drastically since this pitiful time I just described. I have embraced athletics as a primary form of leisure. I became quite adept at basketball, a sport I am fascinated with. In fact, it's very possible that I spent more time on a hardwood court than in a college classroom. I've dabbled in a variety of sports, collecting a heap of random equipment and specialized footwear along the way. I can't pinpoint how or when things changed for me. Something in my mind just wanted things to change. Gone are the days of being picked last.
Something I detested was the 1-mile run. This was still an issue until the last 5 years of my life. Lack of cardiovascular endurance was something I mistook as a genetic disadvantage, rather than unadulterated laziness. I never could understand why anyone could or would want to run long distances. With a 5K run sounding like utter hell, marathon running completely baffled me.
Fast forward to now, I'm signed up to run 10 miles, and I think I can do it, and enjoy it. I did a six mile run yesterday to the Washington Monument, passing by the Lincoln Memorial and a couple war memorials on the way home. Almost every time I run, I pass by the White House and a dozen embassies. This is typical for a DC route, since to get anything longer than 4 miles, you will end up jogging past some building of political or historical importance. Add in a couple terrain changes, and you've got an interesting, but exhausting, tour of the nation's capital.
My experiences with both basketball and running have taught me that I can rise above things I am ordinarily fearful of, to the point that I enjoy them. Moreover, the more apprehensive I am at something, the more enjoyment I have in working and excelling at it.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tejas
I made my second visit to Texas this past weekend, a trip to to the state capital, Austin. I was in Plano earlier this year, and I have a short Houston stay scheduled for October. With this post, I present a few thoughts regarding the Lone Star state as they are still fresh in my head.
Highways: The road system in the big Texas cities are wide and numerous. It seems that it is a southern characteristic to have extremely spread out areas of suburban civilization surrounding a metropolitan center. In the case of Texas, this means big highways - everywhere.
Food: BBQ or Mexican, take your pick. It's all very authentic and quite delicious. You basically need to leave the state to get any other cuisine that isn't a national brand.
That's really all I have right now. Apparently my trip to Texas involved a lot of driving and eating, which isn't that far from the truth.
Highways: The road system in the big Texas cities are wide and numerous. It seems that it is a southern characteristic to have extremely spread out areas of suburban civilization surrounding a metropolitan center. In the case of Texas, this means big highways - everywhere.
Food: BBQ or Mexican, take your pick. It's all very authentic and quite delicious. You basically need to leave the state to get any other cuisine that isn't a national brand.
That's really all I have right now. Apparently my trip to Texas involved a lot of driving and eating, which isn't that far from the truth.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Seven years later
My (temporary) move to DC has been one of timeliness. Things are abuzz with the Presidential Election less than 60 days away, I've managed to escape another bout of active hurricanes in Florida, and the Pentagon opened its 9/11 memorial today.
Ah yes, 9/11...that event almost escaped my memory. Today marks the 7th anniversary of that pretty influential date in America's history. Seven years ago, the rules of the game were all different. We lived in a country that was free-wheeling off the 90's Clinton-led administration; our only form of national news came in the form of the President's extracurricular activities. It seemed like the president for the new millennium was hooked up with a free ride.
Little did we know, the Bush-Gore Election Day debacle would be a harbinger for the strife we would eventually endure, rather than the comedic relief that the Electoral College seemed to provide at the time. A couple months later, four crashed planes obliterated America's nonchalance. Seven years later, we're in this socioeconomic quagmire we all know as Reality.
What about this year's election, effectively a circus as depicted by our media? I suppose time's healing effect has done its deed, to the point where we can treat our Presidential candidates as rock stars. Perhaps it's our way of forgetting our woes. We're still fighting a war on the other side of the planet. The American economy is digging its own grave. We need some fun and games to divert our attention from these things. Of course, it's all fun and games until, well you get it...
Ah yes, 9/11...that event almost escaped my memory. Today marks the 7th anniversary of that pretty influential date in America's history. Seven years ago, the rules of the game were all different. We lived in a country that was free-wheeling off the 90's Clinton-led administration; our only form of national news came in the form of the President's extracurricular activities. It seemed like the president for the new millennium was hooked up with a free ride.
Little did we know, the Bush-Gore Election Day debacle would be a harbinger for the strife we would eventually endure, rather than the comedic relief that the Electoral College seemed to provide at the time. A couple months later, four crashed planes obliterated America's nonchalance. Seven years later, we're in this socioeconomic quagmire we all know as Reality.
What about this year's election, effectively a circus as depicted by our media? I suppose time's healing effect has done its deed, to the point where we can treat our Presidential candidates as rock stars. Perhaps it's our way of forgetting our woes. We're still fighting a war on the other side of the planet. The American economy is digging its own grave. We need some fun and games to divert our attention from these things. Of course, it's all fun and games until, well you get it...
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
So Hood
I've traveled an abundant amount in the past year. These aren't the most glamorous of places, mind you. We're talking Peoria, Wichita, Sacramento...not the greatest achievements of metropolitan civilization. One thing I'm noticing is I'm slowly checking off places from the Top 25 most dangerous cities list: Trenton, NJ (#14), Richmond, VA (#15), Baltimore (#12), Atlanta (#17), DC (#19), and Orlando (#25).
I actually started writing this post a couple months ago, but I really had nothing to say beyond: 1) I've been to a 'dangerous' city or three, and 2) I can see how said city would appear on said list (albeit, with a bit of hesitation on #25). That said, I've always seen myself as an outsider looking in when experiencing 'urban' America.
Last week, my sheltered living took a wrong turn, as I found glass shards all over my car's front seats and console, glass that formerly assembled what used to be called my passenger-side window. So now I'm missing two worthless items and I've been driving a rented Taurus for the last couple of days. What's more, this occurred in the confines of my apartment building's underground garage, which sounds fishy, until you look at the garage's charming security breaches - lack of cameras, busted door lock, no real presence of guards (none whatsoever really).
That's pretty much all I have to say about that incident, as getting your car broken into happens to a lot of people. It's a fact of city living, as now I have realized. I've lasted 8 months downtown now, another 6 more to go.
I actually started writing this post a couple months ago, but I really had nothing to say beyond: 1) I've been to a 'dangerous' city or three, and 2) I can see how said city would appear on said list (albeit, with a bit of hesitation on #25). That said, I've always seen myself as an outsider looking in when experiencing 'urban' America.
Last week, my sheltered living took a wrong turn, as I found glass shards all over my car's front seats and console, glass that formerly assembled what used to be called my passenger-side window. So now I'm missing two worthless items and I've been driving a rented Taurus for the last couple of days. What's more, this occurred in the confines of my apartment building's underground garage, which sounds fishy, until you look at the garage's charming security breaches - lack of cameras, busted door lock, no real presence of guards (none whatsoever really).
That's pretty much all I have to say about that incident, as getting your car broken into happens to a lot of people. It's a fact of city living, as now I have realized. I've lasted 8 months downtown now, another 6 more to go.
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