October 8, 2008
October 7, 2008
The runner's footprint
There are some great articles in Runner's World this month regarding the environmental impact of running. The author goes to China where most running shoes are made to tour the factories and speak with the companies. It is a long article but worth the read if you're interested.
I found these two paragraphs an interesting summation:
Even so, it is important to keep trying to find a better solution. Many shoe companies have made improvements including: reducing the amount of materials in the shoes, reducing the amount of waste, increasing recycled content (though still a small percentage), creating a shoe that biodegrades 50 times faster, and creating programs that collect shoes for recycling and reuse.
It is still an uphill battle. Even beyond the energy, chemicals, etc that go into shoes, this slide show follows a pair of shoes from the factory, to store, to runner, to recycling program - for a total of 12,986 miles. And of course there are the events with their energy use and waste, but efforts are being made there as well. Here are their picks for the ten greenest races and tips on how to be a greener runner.
Damn! Those barefoot runners aren't so crazy after all.
I found these two paragraphs an interesting summation:
It's a solid start. But once you look down the rabbit hole, in southeastern China (nexus of the global shoe-manufacturing industry), in research labs, and in our own closets, it turns out that a corporate commitment to build a green shoe is the easy part; the devil is in the details. Environmental impacts, carbon footprints, and toxic substances are hard to gauge in a product with 50 components coming from dozens of different places. The supply chain is hard to identify, much less influence.
Take bamboo, for example. END "infuses" its sockliners with the renewable plant. But Oboz does not. "We explored the process of taking raw bamboo and turning it into a textile, but it requires the use of very strong solvents," says Oboz cofounder Josh Fairchilds. There are similar problems with glue. Is it better to use a nontoxic water-based glue that requires more heat (and thus energy), or is it better to use a more hazardous solvent-based glue as long you use the solvents really carefully? In this manner, each brand has to evaluate its priorities: toxins versus climate change; renewable energy versus renewable materials. Almost every change has its consequences.
Even so, it is important to keep trying to find a better solution. Many shoe companies have made improvements including: reducing the amount of materials in the shoes, reducing the amount of waste, increasing recycled content (though still a small percentage), creating a shoe that biodegrades 50 times faster, and creating programs that collect shoes for recycling and reuse.
It is still an uphill battle. Even beyond the energy, chemicals, etc that go into shoes, this slide show follows a pair of shoes from the factory, to store, to runner, to recycling program - for a total of 12,986 miles. And of course there are the events with their energy use and waste, but efforts are being made there as well. Here are their picks for the ten greenest races and tips on how to be a greener runner.
Damn! Those barefoot runners aren't so crazy after all.
Tonight's debate
So the second presidential debate (third overall) is tonight at 6:00. Being as objective as I can, I would call the first McCain/Obama debate a draw and the Palin/Biden debate a win for Biden.
In last week's vice-presidential debate, I felt that Biden was repetitive but stayed mostly on topic. Palin exceeded (low) expectations by not repeating her poor interview showings and by not being Tina Fey, and seemed well prepped on certain subjects.
Though politicians rarely answer questions directly or completely, Palin seemed determined to get her talking points in regardless of the question or topic at hand. She also seemed to be trying to channel Ronald Reagan with her "Say it ain't so, Joe" comment, and seemed content to be running on the caricatures of "Maverick" and "Small Town Hockey Mom". I don't think either candidate made any gaffes or points significant enough to change minds of many voters.
Both campaigns have ramped up the character attacks over the weekend, so it will be interesting to see if tonight's debate ends up in more of a shouting match than the first one. Tonight's format is a town hall style debate will allow voters both in the audience and online to ask questions of the candidates, with Tom Brokaw moderating. The planned topics are domestic and foreign policy, but I am sure that the economy will be front and center.
52.4 million people watched the first debate, and 70 million watched last weeks vice-presidential debate. People are clearly tuning in to this very important election. Hopefully the candidates will give us something substantive to listen to tonight.
UPDATE: Meh. Nothing much to speak of from the debate. There was plenty of back and forth, but it didn't denigrate into many personal attacks. No mention of terrorist connections or Keating 5. Most of the night (not surprisingly) was about the economy. Lots of their answers veered into their stump speeches. Not a lot of new ground covered.
In last week's vice-presidential debate, I felt that Biden was repetitive but stayed mostly on topic. Palin exceeded (low) expectations by not repeating her poor interview showings and by not being Tina Fey, and seemed well prepped on certain subjects.
Though politicians rarely answer questions directly or completely, Palin seemed determined to get her talking points in regardless of the question or topic at hand. She also seemed to be trying to channel Ronald Reagan with her "Say it ain't so, Joe" comment, and seemed content to be running on the caricatures of "Maverick" and "Small Town Hockey Mom". I don't think either candidate made any gaffes or points significant enough to change minds of many voters.
Both campaigns have ramped up the character attacks over the weekend, so it will be interesting to see if tonight's debate ends up in more of a shouting match than the first one. Tonight's format is a town hall style debate will allow voters both in the audience and online to ask questions of the candidates, with Tom Brokaw moderating. The planned topics are domestic and foreign policy, but I am sure that the economy will be front and center.
52.4 million people watched the first debate, and 70 million watched last weeks vice-presidential debate. People are clearly tuning in to this very important election. Hopefully the candidates will give us something substantive to listen to tonight.
UPDATE: Meh. Nothing much to speak of from the debate. There was plenty of back and forth, but it didn't denigrate into many personal attacks. No mention of terrorist connections or Keating 5. Most of the night (not surprisingly) was about the economy. Lots of their answers veered into their stump speeches. Not a lot of new ground covered.
October 6, 2008
Debate parody
In case you didn't stay up Saturday night or track it down online.
link
UPDATE: I heard on the radio this morning that the three Saturday Night Live (SNL) parodies have been watched 6.4 million, 4 million and 2.5 million times online. This would explain the sometimes choppy playback. Also, there is a rumor that Sarah Palin may go on SNL to parody Tina Fey's American Express commercial.
link
UPDATE: I heard on the radio this morning that the three Saturday Night Live (SNL) parodies have been watched 6.4 million, 4 million and 2.5 million times online. This would explain the sometimes choppy playback. Also, there is a rumor that Sarah Palin may go on SNL to parody Tina Fey's American Express commercial.
Change in the weather
Summer is finally over.
The furnace kicked on Saturday morning. The extended outlook is for 50's and drizzle. I'm reaching for pants and sweats instead of shorts. I had to dig out the rain gear to work at my cousins last week. When I get back to running tomorrow, I'll need to dig out the long sleeves. The grass is growing tall but it is too wet to cut. Sigh.
Saturday morning I ripped all the blue tape off the house because there probably won't be any more painting anytime soon. I cleaned out the gutters and replaced some of the downspouts. The new white downspouts look nice with the red paint and white trim.
On a completely different subject, the wife was very happy that her car does not clash with the house. When we picked out the color, she said "well we can never get a purple or orange car because it would clash with the house". Huh? I looked at here with what I thought was understandable confusion. She then asked other women and they understood what she was talking about. Sigh.
The furnace kicked on Saturday morning. The extended outlook is for 50's and drizzle. I'm reaching for pants and sweats instead of shorts. I had to dig out the rain gear to work at my cousins last week. When I get back to running tomorrow, I'll need to dig out the long sleeves. The grass is growing tall but it is too wet to cut. Sigh.
Saturday morning I ripped all the blue tape off the house because there probably won't be any more painting anytime soon. I cleaned out the gutters and replaced some of the downspouts. The new white downspouts look nice with the red paint and white trim.
On a completely different subject, the wife was very happy that her car does not clash with the house. When we picked out the color, she said "well we can never get a purple or orange car because it would clash with the house". Huh? I looked at here with what I thought was understandable confusion. She then asked other women and they understood what she was talking about. Sigh.
October 5, 2008
More dog stuff
I mentioned in my previous post that my pooch likes to drag our clothes and shoes around if we leave them lying around. It usually looks something like this:
She must find some sort of comfort in things that smell like us. Then again she drags clothes around at friends houses as well when she is staying with them. She will sometimes fall asleep with her head on one of my shoes. The other day she brought this to bed with her.
It definitely smelled like me after a long biking weekend, but it couldn't be the most comfy cuddly toy.
She must find some sort of comfort in things that smell like us. Then again she drags clothes around at friends houses as well when she is staying with them. She will sometimes fall asleep with her head on one of my shoes. The other day she brought this to bed with her.
It definitely smelled like me after a long biking weekend, but it couldn't be the most comfy cuddly toy.
I love my dog
She is the best dog in the world (well at least the world I've seen).
The wife and I adopted her when she was five years old from a local shelter. She was given up by her original owners as a result of a divorce. She was then adopted out and returned a day later. Her paperwork said she grew up on a farm, stuck close to her people, and had never been kenneled. The one day owners kenneled her for a few hours, then locked her in the bathroom while they were at work. She tore it up, probably trying to get out. Their stupidity was our gain.
We were living in Green Lake when we picked her up. We spent the weekend getting her adjusted to her new home, taking turns leaving for brief periods to ease her separation anxiety. It was clear she was a country dog as she was oblivious to traffic when we'd head down to the lake for walks. She would sit in a chair by a window and would be peeking out the window when we came home.
When we bought our new home, a fenced yard was high on the list of necessary features.
She is great with people, other dogs and children. She's not much of a barker, except when someone is at the door. She doesn't chew up things, though she does like to drag clothes and shoes around. Though she is very excited at dinnertime, she doesn't beg for food or drool. She can be left alone for hours without getting into trouble. Usually.
She has been know to get into the garbage, but it is so infrequent we haven't done much to prevent it. Last week she dumped and dragged garbage around the house both Wednesday and Friday. Not sure what set her off but we might need to secure the garbage somehow. Just a little reminder to appreciate how good she is 99% of the time.
She is now ten years old and has a bum leg. We took her to the vet for a checkup and X-rays. She has a partially torn ACL in her left rear knee as well as arthritis in the same joint. Surgery is an option, but it is both expensive and the recovery period is 4 - 6 months. During much of this time she would need to be off her leg completely. We're not sure how feasible that is with an excitable dog.
We tried the pain reliever route. Within a week, she became lethargic and wasn't keeping food down. Back at the vet we found out that the pills were affecting her liver. I never suspected my dog would be the one in our family with liver trouble. A new regimen flushed her system and she is back to normal, but also back to limping.
I grew up with many dogs in our house. There were generally at least two dogs, and my sister actually bred dogs for a time so there were sometimes as many as ten. Our dog is my first as an adult though, and she means so much more to me. She is truly the third member of our family. We have thought about getting a second dog, but why mess with (near) perfection.
The wife and I adopted her when she was five years old from a local shelter. She was given up by her original owners as a result of a divorce. She was then adopted out and returned a day later. Her paperwork said she grew up on a farm, stuck close to her people, and had never been kenneled. The one day owners kenneled her for a few hours, then locked her in the bathroom while they were at work. She tore it up, probably trying to get out. Their stupidity was our gain.
We were living in Green Lake when we picked her up. We spent the weekend getting her adjusted to her new home, taking turns leaving for brief periods to ease her separation anxiety. It was clear she was a country dog as she was oblivious to traffic when we'd head down to the lake for walks. She would sit in a chair by a window and would be peeking out the window when we came home.
When we bought our new home, a fenced yard was high on the list of necessary features.
She is great with people, other dogs and children. She's not much of a barker, except when someone is at the door. She doesn't chew up things, though she does like to drag clothes and shoes around. Though she is very excited at dinnertime, she doesn't beg for food or drool. She can be left alone for hours without getting into trouble. Usually.She has been know to get into the garbage, but it is so infrequent we haven't done much to prevent it. Last week she dumped and dragged garbage around the house both Wednesday and Friday. Not sure what set her off but we might need to secure the garbage somehow. Just a little reminder to appreciate how good she is 99% of the time.
She is now ten years old and has a bum leg. We took her to the vet for a checkup and X-rays. She has a partially torn ACL in her left rear knee as well as arthritis in the same joint. Surgery is an option, but it is both expensive and the recovery period is 4 - 6 months. During much of this time she would need to be off her leg completely. We're not sure how feasible that is with an excitable dog.
We tried the pain reliever route. Within a week, she became lethargic and wasn't keeping food down. Back at the vet we found out that the pills were affecting her liver. I never suspected my dog would be the one in our family with liver trouble. A new regimen flushed her system and she is back to normal, but also back to limping.
I grew up with many dogs in our house. There were generally at least two dogs, and my sister actually bred dogs for a time so there were sometimes as many as ten. Our dog is my first as an adult though, and she means so much more to me. She is truly the third member of our family. We have thought about getting a second dog, but why mess with (near) perfection.
Book club
Our latest book club meeting was last night. It was another great gathering, though the books this time around didn't inspire a whole lot of discussion, though they were both good reads. We read A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs and When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris.
A Wolf at the Table is a memoir of growing up with a crazy mother and distant/alcoholic/cruel father. The author has also written Running with Scissors which covered the period in his life when he was given up for adoption as a teenager to his mothers therapist. "Wolf" deals with his childhood leading up to that point. It is well written, but we have read a few "my childhood was tough because my parents were crazy" books, so it wasn't as enjoyable as it might otherwise have been. We had also read a book written by Augusten's brother (Look Me in the Eye) so it was interesting to see the same household seen through two sets of eyes.
When you are Engulfed in Flames was much more enjoyable. It is a set of short, funny essays about the author's life and observations similar in style to Bill Bryson. We all enjoyed the book, but the style of book didn't lend itself to any in-depth discussion.
I heard on NPR on Friday that a couple of polls have shown that 25% of adults did not read a book in the last year. Some explainations were other forms of entertainment competing for time, more time spent reading online, and the shortening of attention span (attributed to internet use by some). I have to say that participating in this book club and discussing our reads has made reading even more enjoyable.
Next up - Grapes of Wrath and The Art of Racing in the Rain.
A Wolf at the Table is a memoir of growing up with a crazy mother and distant/alcoholic/cruel father. The author has also written Running with Scissors which covered the period in his life when he was given up for adoption as a teenager to his mothers therapist. "Wolf" deals with his childhood leading up to that point. It is well written, but we have read a few "my childhood was tough because my parents were crazy" books, so it wasn't as enjoyable as it might otherwise have been. We had also read a book written by Augusten's brother (Look Me in the Eye) so it was interesting to see the same household seen through two sets of eyes.
When you are Engulfed in Flames was much more enjoyable. It is a set of short, funny essays about the author's life and observations similar in style to Bill Bryson. We all enjoyed the book, but the style of book didn't lend itself to any in-depth discussion.
I heard on NPR on Friday that a couple of polls have shown that 25% of adults did not read a book in the last year. Some explainations were other forms of entertainment competing for time, more time spent reading online, and the shortening of attention span (attributed to internet use by some). I have to say that participating in this book club and discussing our reads has made reading even more enjoyable.
Next up - Grapes of Wrath and The Art of Racing in the Rain.
October 1, 2008
From Despair.com
click to enlargeI love this site. They have many "demotivators" poking fun at the motivational poster industry. Here are some other great ones.
September 30, 2008
Back in my day, a gallon meant something
Well the fourth and fifth coats of paint are on the house. The red is starting to look good. With five coats on, the pink primer isn't showing through anymore. Depending on the weather, we may be done painting for the year. We only have primer on the trim so far, so if we have a few clear days in a row I'll attack that.
After going through almost 11 gallons of paint, I noticed the other day that they aren't really gallons after all. The cans are actually 116 oz instead of 128 oz. I don't know if a gallon of paint has always been less than a gallon (like a 2 x 4 is actually 1.5" x 3.5") or if it has slowly shrunk over time so the company can charge the same amount for less product.
Apparently lots of products have been shrinking lately.
After going through almost 11 gallons of paint, I noticed the other day that they aren't really gallons after all. The cans are actually 116 oz instead of 128 oz. I don't know if a gallon of paint has always been less than a gallon (like a 2 x 4 is actually 1.5" x 3.5") or if it has slowly shrunk over time so the company can charge the same amount for less product.
Apparently lots of products have been shrinking lately.
September 29, 2008
Dumb guy moments
Do you ever get out of your car, head to the front door, then try to open it with the keyless entry fob for your car. I have. Multiple times.
One of my favorite dumb guy moments happened several years ago. Back when I worked at the restaurant, people called out "corner" when rounding a corner to avoid collisions. As I was driving out of the parking lot to head home I called out "corner" as I was making a turn.
I don't get enough sleep.
One of my favorite dumb guy moments happened several years ago. Back when I worked at the restaurant, people called out "corner" when rounding a corner to avoid collisions. As I was driving out of the parking lot to head home I called out "corner" as I was making a turn.
I don't get enough sleep.
More parody
Saturday Night Live might be crossing their fingers that McCain/Palin wins the election so Tina Fey can keep doing her thing.
New records
The chip results are in from Bellingham:
Sean - 1:55:36 (5:46 PR improvement)
Tami - 2:03:26 (4:09 PR improvement)
A new world record for the marathon was also set by Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin on Sunday. He improved his own world record by 27 seconds to 2:03:59.
As I mentioned last year, my current marathon and half marathon goals are to run them in twice the world record time. I have now met my half marathon goal by beating the time of 1:57:06. Now I need to cut 11:14 off my marathon time. Next shot is early next year.
Sean - 1:55:36 (5:46 PR improvement)
Tami - 2:03:26 (4:09 PR improvement)
A new world record for the marathon was also set by Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin on Sunday. He improved his own world record by 27 seconds to 2:03:59.
As I mentioned last year, my current marathon and half marathon goals are to run them in twice the world record time. I have now met my half marathon goal by beating the time of 1:57:06. Now I need to cut 11:14 off my marathon time. Next shot is early next year.
September 28, 2008
Bellingham Bay Half Marathon
This one was a little impulsive. Cherie had put this one on her calendar, and did a little arm-twisting - very little really. I had planned a half marathon in November, and I wasn't really going to be ready for this one in September. Looking back, I did almost no training, running only four times in the last two months. There has been a little bike riding, but that doesn't always translate. Our running group has had a semi-serious goal of reaching a fitness level where we could roll out of bed and run a half marathon. Today would sort of be a test of that.
This was the second year for this event, and though the weather was terrible last year, overall it was a great debut event. The route looked better than the one we ran last year, and the weather forecast was also looking good, so even though Cherie had to bow out due to illness and schedule conflicts, Tami and I headed up to run.
The race started in downtown Bellingham at the farmers market. Traffic was light, we found parking easily a block away from the start, and the good weather arrived as predicted. Things were looking good. Though I could have no real expectations, I still had a goal in mind if I had one of those "touched by the running gods" days. I had run a PR 2:01:22 in Bellingham last year, so I set my sights on breaking two hours.
There were going to be drink stations every 2 miles, and they were handing out gels every four miles or so. This meant I didn't need to carry anything which was a first. We headed north out of town, twisting and turning through some neighborhoods as we climbed out of the morning fog. After heading through a park at the top of the hill, there was a great tree-lined road back down to the waterfront.
At about mile 7, we passed by the start area so we saw our support crew Scott and Emily. The route did some more climbing before doubling back. We then joined a trail that ran along the waterfront and back into town.
I had a great day. The weather was perfect, the course beautiful, the support plentiful, my IT bands didn't act up, and there was even pizza at the finish line. As an added bonus both Tami and I set new PRs. We don't have the chip time yet, but our gun times were 2:04:54 for Tami and 1:57:10 for me. I am guessing our actual times will be about a minute and a half better.
Great day. I just can't take this as a license not to train.
This was the second year for this event, and though the weather was terrible last year, overall it was a great debut event. The route looked better than the one we ran last year, and the weather forecast was also looking good, so even though Cherie had to bow out due to illness and schedule conflicts, Tami and I headed up to run.
The race started in downtown Bellingham at the farmers market. Traffic was light, we found parking easily a block away from the start, and the good weather arrived as predicted. Things were looking good. Though I could have no real expectations, I still had a goal in mind if I had one of those "touched by the running gods" days. I had run a PR 2:01:22 in Bellingham last year, so I set my sights on breaking two hours.
There were going to be drink stations every 2 miles, and they were handing out gels every four miles or so. This meant I didn't need to carry anything which was a first. We headed north out of town, twisting and turning through some neighborhoods as we climbed out of the morning fog. After heading through a park at the top of the hill, there was a great tree-lined road back down to the waterfront.
At about mile 7, we passed by the start area so we saw our support crew Scott and Emily. The route did some more climbing before doubling back. We then joined a trail that ran along the waterfront and back into town.
I had a great day. The weather was perfect, the course beautiful, the support plentiful, my IT bands didn't act up, and there was even pizza at the finish line. As an added bonus both Tami and I set new PRs. We don't have the chip time yet, but our gun times were 2:04:54 for Tami and 1:57:10 for me. I am guessing our actual times will be about a minute and a half better.
Great day. I just can't take this as a license not to train.
September 25, 2008
He's back
So Lance Armstrong has unretired. After winning seven Tours de France, Lance retired from professional cycling. Now he wants back in. He said he wants to get back on the bike to raise awareness for his cancer fight. He also plans to publish all his test results to try to eliminate the doping cloud that has followed him during his career.
He will ride with the Astana team which is run by his old team director Johan Bruyneel. This has already created tension as the current leader of the team, Alberto Contedor, has won all three major tours in the past two years and is the hottest cyclist on the tour. He originally said he would leave the team if Lance came back, but Armstrong thinks there is room on the team for both of them.
Other star athletes have "unretired" with mixed results.
After a phenomenal basketball career, Michael Jordan tried baseball, but couldn't get out of the minor leagues. He went back to basketball, then became a basketball team owner, then back to a basketball player.
Brett Favre jerked the Green Bay Packers around for the last few years, "considering" retiring after each season. He actually retired after the 2007 season, then reconsidered and wanted back in. This set off a bitter dispute (which I didn't follow so I don't know the details) and ultimately had Favre going to the Jets. After a 16 year run where he was worshiped as a hero by Packer fans, he seemingly pisses it away to start over elsewhere.
I'm not sure what brings them back. Do they miss the limelight and the adoring fans? Most are still young and in the prime of their lives. After spending years in pursuit of single goal maybe there is just a gaping hole in their lives without sport. Maybe they can't find a different way to challenge themselves.
So many people fantasize about retiring early while they can still enjoy it. Add to that tons of money in the bank to do whatever you want. You'd think it would be easier to make retirement stick.
I'd like a shot at finding another way to spend my time. Like riding my bike. Oh, wait, that's what Lance is going back to. Maybe he's not so dumb after all.
He will ride with the Astana team which is run by his old team director Johan Bruyneel. This has already created tension as the current leader of the team, Alberto Contedor, has won all three major tours in the past two years and is the hottest cyclist on the tour. He originally said he would leave the team if Lance came back, but Armstrong thinks there is room on the team for both of them.
Other star athletes have "unretired" with mixed results.
After a phenomenal basketball career, Michael Jordan tried baseball, but couldn't get out of the minor leagues. He went back to basketball, then became a basketball team owner, then back to a basketball player.
Brett Favre jerked the Green Bay Packers around for the last few years, "considering" retiring after each season. He actually retired after the 2007 season, then reconsidered and wanted back in. This set off a bitter dispute (which I didn't follow so I don't know the details) and ultimately had Favre going to the Jets. After a 16 year run where he was worshiped as a hero by Packer fans, he seemingly pisses it away to start over elsewhere.
I'm not sure what brings them back. Do they miss the limelight and the adoring fans? Most are still young and in the prime of their lives. After spending years in pursuit of single goal maybe there is just a gaping hole in their lives without sport. Maybe they can't find a different way to challenge themselves.
So many people fantasize about retiring early while they can still enjoy it. Add to that tons of money in the bank to do whatever you want. You'd think it would be easier to make retirement stick.
I'd like a shot at finding another way to spend my time. Like riding my bike. Oh, wait, that's what Lance is going back to. Maybe he's not so dumb after all.
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