Whipping the iPod into shape

I've got two weekend runs for this post.

Once again, my three-mile Saturday run was at the gym on the treadmill. I watched some show about gum, which was sort of interesting, but I could have done with something a little more action packed. And I feel like I've been sweating a lot more lately. Maybe it's because it's gotten a little warmer outside and the air conditioning around here isn't up to it. Or maybe it's because I've been hydrating a lot lately and I just have more liquids inside me to help cool me down. On the plus side, there were no lopsided women in front of me and no one ran on the world's loudest and most annoying treadmill.

There was a simple goal for my Sunday six-mile run. Get to the track and calibrate my Nike+ sensor. No longer will I be shackled to its lies. I've tolerated it too long already.

If I haven't mentioned it, one thing I like about running in a city is that I basically have built in rest points in the form of stop lights. Usually, if the light is red then there's an excellent reason not to cross against the light. Let's face it, in a fight between me going six miles per hour and a car going thirty miles per hour, the car is going to win. Even if we were both going six miles per hour the car would still win.

This run was an out and back route with a quick stop at the track at David Rogers Park. Most of the run was straight up Westlake, which is a good scenic route. I ran on the other side of Lake Union than than I normally do on my Thursday runs. I think the west side of Westlake is much prettier than the east side, and I've decided to map out a four mile out and back that keeps me west.

I think it must be nice to live on the lake in a houseboat. If I didn't have a condo, and if I thought the value of a houseboat would increase the way a condo in this town will (fingers crossed), I'd be all about buying one and living on the water.

Based on the route I mapped out I knew that there were going to be some good hills on the way. The last half mile to the park was a hill and not a particularly gentle one.

There should be some sort of warning before the sidewalk stops, that's all I'm saying. I didn't know that I'd picked the side of the street that only had half a sidewalk until it just disappeared out from under me.

I made it to the track just fine, although the iPod was still telling me that I'd gone further than I actually had. It wasn't as bad this time. Yesterday at the gym I calibrated the sensor for walking, and I guess that gave it some good information for running as well. Still, once I got to the track I did what I went there to do. I went once around walking and once around running. Now my iPod doesn't have any more excuses.

Apparently, Sunday equals soccer-day at David Rogers park. There was at least one game about to get under way and I think another that had just ended. If I were ever going to do soccer, I think I could find a team in that league, whatever it is. There was a group of five guys who had just finished playing, and it was obvious that they were part of the Barley and Hops league. Except for their ringer, because every Barley and Hops league team has to have a ringer. He looked like a reasonably fit guy with a bit of Mexican or South American ancestry.

After calibration it was time to go home. I feel like the way back is always shorter than the way out, and I think it has a lot to do with being able to recognize landmarks and know how far into my run I was the first time I passed them. Running down the hill by the park was a lot more fun than running up it.

I saw lots of people taking a stroll by Lake Union. I think I need to find a route going all the way around Lake Union, too. Now that I'm certain I won't have to run over the Aurora Bridge (the last destination for many a despondent person) I can justify it a lot easier. I'm going to try mapping it out and see if it's something I might like to do next weekend.

Right now now my lower body feels like hammered dog crap. And my energy is low. I came home, showered and immediately took off again. I thought my exercise was over after the running was done, but that was before I decided to walk over to the downtown grocery store and stick two 12-packs of Diet Sunkist (best. diet. drink. ever!) into a backpack and carry it across town. That might have been the last straw for me tonight.