I am behind on blog posts

There's so much to say, but...I'm not sure it's worth writing it all out. I've had three runs since I posted last.

Tuesday:




This run was done at the gym on a treadmill. I really wasn't motivated and it shows in the graph with the walk breaks and the uneven pace. I was extremely tight from not doing anything for two days. Still, at least I made up the run, if not the whole mileage. I did half an hour on the exercise bike first, then did the run - perhaps not the wisest thing to do. I thought the bike would be a good warmup. But I ran out of time and had a meeting to get to, so I had to cut the run short by half a mile. I also discovered I'm on the wrong treadmills. I'll try the other treadmills where the other runners are next time.

Wednesday:




OK. Two running days in a row. Unusual, but I did it. This one was four miles on the Hudson River greenway. I enjoy that path, for the most part, and it was nice to run in the sunshine and see what's going on on the West Side. There's a hideously ugly monstrosity of a building going up near 17th street. I pity whoever ends up living there. It's obviously designed with the newer "safer" more terrorism-resistant theory that if you put all the HVAC equipment on the lower floors and residences above them that you'll be more immune from truck bombs. Whatever.

I was completely unmotivated to run and the entire run sucked. Lots of walking. It is disheartening that I'm not yet back to where I can do a few miles continuously without walking. Perhaps I just don't have the willpower I used to have. Once I got back to the gym, I did core exercises and some weights. I like the weights. I hate the core exercises, but I do them.

Thursday:

Back to the gym, only for crosstraining. 45 minutes on the exercise bike at 80-90 rpms and keeing my heartrate around 130. It is harder to get my heartrate up on the bike than when running. I wonder why.

Today:




This run went better. Again, started at the gym and did the Hudson greenway. Really managed to make it quite far before coughing forced me to stop for a moment. My only real walk break was at the turnaround point and I made that a conscious decision. Took another walkbreak or two on the way back. I really must get my endurance in order.

Worked out for another hour doing core, weights, and stretches and foam roller. Easy to eat time up doing all of that. The weights feel good. Going to continue to do them. I think - I suspect - I BELIEVE that the leg exercises and foam rolling and stretching are doing what they should. I have had zero leg pains when running for the last couple of weeks. My biggest problem is lungs. Not nearly as bad as before the IVs, but still...enough that I can't support a lot of speed right now. I'm hoping that when the weather starts getting warmer, things will improve for me.

I have 7 miles to do tomorrow. I'm not as terrified by that as I would have been a month ago.

THE GYM:

Holy shit, what a crowd. And I don't mean that in a good way. Sure, there are you regular gym rats and a lot of people in good shape there. Saw a guy working with 110 lb. dumbbells today. 100 lbs EACH. And the trainers are nice. But there's a huge portion of the clientele who are fairly old and whose "workouts" are kind of a laugh. I don't mean to be cruel, but....seriously. Getting on a stationery bike for 20 minutes does NOTHING for you if you pedal so extremely slowly the bike keeps shutting off or if you spend long periods of the time motionless! Your workout with any of the equipment does NOTHING if you do a mere two reps! I strongly suspect many of the patrons are members just to enjoy the hottubs upstairs and the steamrooms in the locker rooms. Most disturbing are the ones who are told old and privileged to be bothered with putting on any clothes in the locker room - or even a towel! The last thing I need to see is some guys junk pressed up against the sinks we all have to use, or - and this is where selective amnesia would be useful - spying an older gentlemen in diapers. Now, I'm not saying they aren't nice people or that there isn't a place for them at a gym. But NAKED in the lockerroom, no. And I hope to God the guy in diapers doesn't use the pool or hottubs. Of course, I can't figure out what else he'd be there for, either.

QUESTIONS:
- Why do you never see a woman/girl with a PSP? Only boys.
- Why do you never see a woman/girl with an iPhone. Again, only men/boys.
- Why no letter jackets in NY? I saw one today and realized it's highly unusual outerwear here.
- Why do fewer people read books on the subway in the winter than in the summer?
- Why do Asian immigrants stop immediately inside the subway doors, rather than continuing to move into the car? Do they not realize what an obstacle they are, or do they just not care?
- Why do people feel the need to vocalize strenuously like they're giving birth when doing weights?
- Why can you use address labels on an envelope and send it via Certified mail, but must type or write directly on the envelope if you want to send it via Registered mail?
- Why do some of my tech tees retain an acceptable level of freshness through two or even three workouts, while others stink like a rat's rotting corpse if I so much as do foam rolling while wearing it?
- Where are the cops when you need them?
- Why are there six cops searching bags "randomly" in the subway entrances instead of just two?
- What are those little yellow levers on the subway tracks that go up and down by themselves? What would happen if a train hit one?
- Why isn't there a hard-and-fast time limit for ADA-compliant renovations of public works? It's been ten years since the act was passed, but the majority of our subway stations aren't at all wheelchair accessible and of those that ARE, the word "accessible" must be put in quotation marks because the elevators are out of order most of the time. THIS REALLY ISN'T AN OPTION ANYMORE, NEW YORK CITY! GET THE FUCK ON IT!
- Why are there public assistance programs for drug addicts and alcoholics, whereby they can get free counseling, shelter, and allowances, but for people with chronic illness who are actually TRYING to maintain independency, there are no public assistance programs available?
- At newsstands, why is porn cheaper than anything with even a little literary merit?
- Why does my pee smell like Timentin or Vancomycin? I'm not ON Timentin or Vancomycin!
- Where did Sonny Payne go?