Armadillo Dash Results

My results from the 2009 Armadillo Dash 1/2 Marathon:

Chip time: 02:08:49
Gun time: 02:09:21
Gender: F
Event: Half Marathon
Division: F 40-44
Place in Division: 13 (out of 27)
Overall place: 344 (out of 604)
Age: 40
Place in Gender: 150
Average Pace: 9:50/M

Comparisons:
Male Winner: 01:16:17
Female Winner: 01:21:55
Field Average: 02:11:00
Linda Causey: 02:08:49 - 344 of 604 finishers & faster than 171 women.
Gender Average: 02:18:00
Half Marathon F 40-44 Average: 02:19:00

2:08:49 is a personal record.

Photos are on Flickr.com. Search ARMD09

Exercise Log: February 22 - 28

This week I ran, walked and biked 42.67 miles, burned 4222.9 calories and 140.4 pounds.

Sunday: ran 12.53 miles in 2:11:41
Monday: ran 3.48 miles in 35:00
Tuesday: biked 3.78 miles in 15:00
Wednesday: ran 8.39 miles in 1:27:26
Saturday: ran 3.62 miles in 35:33

Tomorrow I run in the Armadillo Dash 1/2 Marathon. I will attempt to maintain a 10:45 min/mile pace.

For those running Armadillo, Walter will post photos on Flickr.com. Search ARMD09

No TV: Days 2 and 3

Thanks to no TV, I read while eating instead of watching. I'm actually reading the latest issue of UU World.

Walter has it on during dinner but only he can see it. We are both eating at the table.

I've not noticed a major increase in available time. Maybe 15 - 20 minutes a day so far.

The weekend will be a major test.

Battlestar Galactica is my only exception to the TV blackout.

No TV: Day 1

Ate dinner at the table instead of on the couch. We compromised and listened to the Daily Show and part of the Colbert Report. I did sit at part of the table where I could not see the TV so I let Walter know that he can turn on the picture if he wanted to watch. He chose not to.

I have a bit of a temptation on March 29. Family Guy will feature the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast as guest voices. They will play themselves. I love Family Guy, I love ST:NG. Talk about potential nerdgasm.

Would it violate my Lenten experiment if I watched it on hulu.com?

Lent experiment

I've never been a Catholic and did not understand this whole Ash Wednesday (just a funny name on the calendar for a day that sometimes fell on my birthday. Also found Palm Sunday rather mysterious as a kid)/ Lent thing until adulthood.

I find the whole giving up something for a period of time an interesting spiritual practice. I'm giving it a try this season for personal growth reasons. See what happens in my life.

I'm giving up television for Lent. Not for the reasons Catholics celebrate but to satisfy my own curiosity and possible growth. I suppose I should call it something else since I'm not Catholic. This seemed like a good a time as any to try this and the idea of Lent is what prompted my desire to do this. This would certainly cause me to evaluate my habits and lifestyle.

I believe I don't watch much TV anyway but it will be interesting to see what happens.

As a Unitarian-Universalist, I'm free to make caveats. (Just the sort of attitude that turns some people off our religion. Makes us sort of a religious Borg Collective.) I have to make an exception for the last episodes of Battlestar Galactica. I could record them then watch them after April 11 but there's only 4 episodes left.

I've told Walter about this and posted on Twitter. Stating my intent in public should improve my chances since the fear of public humiliation is a powerful motivator.

Birthday Party Photos

My brother and sister threw a great party for me. My sister did a lot of work and it was a great party. Thanks!

I ate my own head later.

Hot flash fund. I wore the t-shirt in Best Buy when I bought my laptop. I took off the button.

The photo that appeared on the cake. I was 18 months old.

Photos can be printed on the frosting and it is edible. Living in the twenty-first century is so exciting.

More pictures are available for friends and family at Walter's Flickr photostream

Ray Charles - Bein' Green

My kind of church music.



Video lasts 2:44

Exercise Log: February 15 - 21

This week I walked, ran and biked 27.8 miles, burned 2472.6 calories and weigh 138.6 pounds.

I ran my long run today instead of Saturday so it will appear next week.

Monday: ran 3.34 miles in 35:00
Tuesday: biked 3.62 miles in 15:00
Wednesday: ran 7.08 miles in 1:08:53
Friday: biked 5.23 miles in 20:00

I have abs that would make some 20 year olds green with envy.

Product placement

The product placement only works if there is some kind of link or address where one could purchase a late 70's vintage rose t-shirt. I bet it was all sparkly when it was first pressed.

A hipster accidentally wanders into a Santa Royale restaurant and then gets the hell out. No irony here. These people are dead serious.

In less than 24 hours I turn the big 4-0. Will I no longer find Mary Worth amusing?

Two Songs from Arrested Development

1990's Hip Hop in church?

My kind of church music...
The videos consist of a shot of the CD cover.

Man's Final Frontier



Song lasts 2:40.
Space ain't man's final frontier!
Man's final frontier is the soul!


Fishin' 4 Religion



Song lasts 4:10

Lyrics:

Grab the hook, grab the line
Grab the bait, grab the box and wait
Tackle and shackle the topic the faculty has chosen
Chosen by many, chosen by plenty, chosen by any
man or woman who understand
the topic that's known and
[Go by the dock] flock and clock the topic
as I drop my hook and get a bite
The reason I'm fishin' 4 a new religion
is my church makes me fall asleep
They're praising a God that watches you weep
and doesn't want you to do a damn thing about it
When they want change the preacher says "shout it"
Does shouting bring about change ? I doubt it
All shouting does is make you lose your voice
So on the dock I sit in silence
staring at a sea that's full of violence
Scared to put my line in that water
coz it seems like there's no religion in there
Naively so I give it another go
Sitting in church hearing legitimate woes
Pastor tells the lady it'll be alright
Just pray so you can see the pearly gates so white
The lady prays and prays and prays and prays
and prays and prays and prays and prays...it's everlasting
"There's nothing wrong with praying ?" It's what she's asking
She's asking the Lord to let her cope
so one day she can see the golden ropes
What you pray for God will give
to be able to cope in this world we live
The word "cope" and the word "change"
is directly opposite, not the same
She should have been praying to change her woes
but pastor said "Pray to cope with those"
The government is happy with most baptist churches
coz they don't do a damn thing to try to nurture
brothers and sisters on a revolution
Baptist teaches dying is the only solution
Passiveness causes others to pass us by
I throw my line till I've made my decision
until then, I'm still fishin' 4 religion

Fishin' 4 religion (11x)
Fish
[Believe !]
[Everybody in the house tonight...C'mon let me hear you say]
[Fishin' !]

Exercise Log: February 8 - 14

This week I biked, ran and walked 37.45 miles, burned 3790.1 calories and weigh 139.6 pounds.

Monday: ran 3.24 miles in 35:00
Wednesday: ran 7.86 miles in 1:20:00
Friday: biked 4.38 miles in 20:00
Saturday: ran 10.28 miles in 1:46:12

I'm ready to take on a 1/2 marathon.

Great running song:
The Black Eyed Peas - Pump It

Noah's Arrrrrk

This cartoon cracked me up. I found Noah keeping up both the pirate and pairs motif (check out the Jolly Roger flag) especially funny. He even has two parrots. Well played.

System Of A Down - Aerials

My kind of church music:

System Of A Down - Aerials

Embedding disabled - click on link to watch video. Video lasts 4:03

Lyrics:

Life is a waterfall, We're one in the river, And one again after the fall.

Swimming through the void
We hear the word, We lost ourselves,
But we find it all?

Cause we are the ones that want to play,
Always want to go, But you never want to stay,

And we are the ones that want to choose,
Always want to play, But you never want to lose.

Aerials, in the sky,
When you lose small mind,
You free your life.

Life is a waterfall,
We drink from the river, Then we turn around and put up our walls.

Swimming through the void
We hear the word, We lost ourselves,
But we find it all?

Cause we are the ones that want to play,
Always want to go, But you never want to stay,

And we are the ones that want to choose,
Always want to play, But you never want to lose.

Aerials, in the sky,
When you lose small mind, You free your life.
Aerials, so up high,
When you free your eyes, Eternal prize.

Exercise Log: February 1 - 7

This week I walked, ran and biked 42.44 miles, burned 3865.8 calories and weigh 140 pounds.

Monday ran 3.19 miles in 35:00
Tuesday biked 4.9 miles in 22:00
Wednesday ran 7.41 miles in 1:13:31 - Tempo run
Friday biked 5.54 miles in 24:39
Saturday ran 9.12 miles in 1:36:18 - Long run

Sunday: 117 push ups total; 23 max
Tuesday: 152 push ups total; 32 max
Friday: 164 push up total; 34 max

Less than a month from the Armadillo Dash 1/2 Marathon.

Fashion Day in Comics

My eyes! Good thing Lynn is in the back because the sight of that sweater would cause her to faint again. I like the two layer outfit that Mary is sporting. I often dress like that for a morning run in cool weather except my color choices are better.

Pick the black dress. Don't think of the price, think of your retinas.

Vertical lines are supposed to make you look slimmer, while horizontal lines make you look wider. What do diagonal lines do?

A shout out in Agnes. Not really but I like to pretend.

Mama Cass Elliot - Make Your Own Kind Of Music

My kind of church music.

Video lasts 2:46. Song fades out a bit too soon.



Lyrics:

Nobody can tell ya;
There's only one song worth singin'.
They may try and sell ya,
'cause it hangs them up
to see someone like you.

But you've gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sing along.

You're gonna be knowing
the loneliest kind of lonely.
It may be rough goin',
just to do your thing's
the hardest thing to do.

But you've gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along.

So if you cannot take my hand,
and if you must be goin',
I will understand.

You gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along.

------------------------------------
This is a 52 part series. One song a week.

You can get a preview of upcoming songs by visiting my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/LCausey) and looking at the Favorites tab. Not all the songs in my favorites are part of the church music series, some are there because I like them. I like the church music songs but I like the others for non-religious reasons. Yes, the Ray Stevens song is in the church music series.