Its That Time of Year Again

How could I forget that today was the morning after Weber High School graduation?  You'd think with all the strange experiences I've had on these 'mornings after', I would have avoided the track today.  But as I walked up the hill this morning, I heard voices and realized, "oh no, I forgot AGAIN!"

2011 was a pretty sedate year as they go, (see last year's post for a rundown of some prior years' experience http://thegeorgiapages.blogspot.com/2010/05/strange-start-to-day.html).  Today when I was about half way around my first lap, I heard pounding feet running behind me.  Two boys came up level with me and jogged along side for awhile interviewing me about who I was, why I was there, how often I run, etc.  When they were assured that I wasn't there to cause them any trouble, they took off across the grass to the 30 or so sleeping bags in the middle of the football field.

During my next several laps, the rest of the group woke up, turned music up loud and a group of boys and girls voices were singing along and laughing raucously.  For me, who is used to the absolute solitude of my morning jog, it was extremely distracting.  I am comforted by the fact that I won't have to deal with the noise again for an entire year.  AND Since I will have a graduate in 2012, maybe I'll remember to skip the track on the morning after next year.

Running Report

By way of update, I did buy new shoes a couple of weeks ago, in fact, I've logged a good 30 miles on these puppies now and I'm happy to report that my foot is healing nicely with no new injuries to report.

My new shoes after 30+ miles (soaking wet this morning)

This morning I made my way to the track in the pouring rain.  I love running in the rain because it is so easy to breath and I can run a lot further without my lungs feeling hot.  I got up to the gate and found it chained and padlocked!  Who does this to me??

So I had to do my running in the road this morning.  The good new is that before 5:00 a.m. there are very few cars on the road and on this rainy morning I saw no other joggers.  The bad news is I have always disliked running on the side of the road.  Here are the top 10 advantages of jogging at the track versus the road:

1. I can take off my jacket, hat, gloves, etc and leave them along the way.  I'll be back around and pick them up sometime before I leave.
2. No potholes, rough spots, rocks or open manholes to trip over or fall into.
3. No cars shining their headlights in my eyes.
4. No cars making me run closer to the edge of the road or pushing me onto the grass or sidewalk.
5. The soft rubbery surface is much easier on my knees and ankles.
6. I don't have to think about where my feet are landing (open manhole, etc) so I can focus my mind on important topics like planning a wedding or writing my next philosophy paper.
7. I can easily figure the distance I've run--each lap is a quarter of a mile.  I switch back and forth between lane one and lane two to keep track of the odd/even numbers and how many miles I go.
8. Running the bleachers are a great way to get a cardio boost at the end of my run.
9. The bars surrounding the track are great to hang onto while I stretch before and after my jog.
10. Most people prefer running the roads around this town, so I often have the track all to myself!

First Day of School

Monday, May 9, 2011.

Today was my first day back to school in 29 years.  I was feeling old and crusty as I sat among beautiful and handsome young students in my Philosophy class today, but hey, it takes some of us longer than others to get the job done.

The professor was working really hard to scare kids out of his class talking about how intensive it will be; the amount of reading required every other day; the expected quality and quantity of the papers we will submit; his tough grading policies; and his complete intolerance of late work.  One girl got up and left during his hour long spiel (the class lasts 3 hours two days a week).

But I'm not worried about Philosophy (maybe I should be??)  I'm actually too scared about my Intermediate Algebra class to spend much of my anxiety on Philosophy at this point.

I'll keep you posted.  Maybe some of you can help me with homework assignments and give me tips on keeping up with those young students who already know everything.