aaaahhhhhhhhhh......... running calms the infernal coconut

i just "ran" a 10k, the first "race" of any length i've attempted in 5 years. my time was quite slow. i have self-diagnosed myself as having upper hamstring tendinopathy after watching videos & reading, so started rehabbing myself at home, but i'm a flake, so i dropped the ball & it's sore again. i've been sick all week, too (read below about My Hero, who often is more tragic hero, actually)... i was slow slow, but i know i can get strong again. it's been near-10 years since i got into running. i guess this one i just did was pretty difficult, through the tejon ranch "conservancy" (how noble of them to preserve all this beautiful land Just for Us... tho i doubt their motives when they used some of that land for an outlet mall & now will jam in a huge town right at the base of the grapevine)...i just found this image of the elevation profile of the total course.

in line for the commode, we meet a bunch of amped-up women in matching workout gear who were hyping their obstacle training course in long beach... tho probably in better shape than i, they fell behind quickly, likely not used to the elevation since they live at sea level (they train on signal hill, which tho a steep hill, is at most a few hundred feet high). i'd be in the same boat if i ran in, say, flagstaff or albq or machu picchu. ha!

the course was quite beautiful; the "conservancy" seems to have a lot more water available than does the general mountain area... green, rolling hills; robin's-egg skies; black and dark green oaks; a lake; the shadows; the breezes: nice... i started off with christy & her daughter, but told them to go on as i immediately felt my hamstring seize. but i finished, i finished, i finished, & the best part of long runs usually IS finishing, unless one is strong enough to run endlessly, & then the pleasure is in the act... but i'm no longer, or maybe just not right now (i hope), that strong....

one of my dear sponsees just called; we had such a great chat! it's amazing how talking with another alcoholic woman can help me so, so much. related to our talk is this:

alcoholism is such an insidious disease. it breaks the hearts of all who love the alcoholic. there are a thousand ways it ruins lives. 12 step programs may not be for you, but please, if you read this & relate, i beg you to change by whatever method works for you. an alcoholic death is a slow, painful, ravaging misery upon you and everyone who loves you. jnypg (sober not because i hate drinking, but because i love it too much, to my ruin) http://www.a-1associates.com/aa/INFO%20LIST/20Questions.htm

(ps, normal drinkers, party on)

messiness & gratitudes

-while i was at sansum clinic, the weather in sb was perfect. i got to eat at some of my favorite restaurants like petrini's & cajun kitchen. mama enjoyed the hostel-like, reasonably-priced hotel, half residents on ssi, half europeans w/large backpacks, paper cranes covering the lobby ceiling, university bookstore volumes in the shelves. it rained like heck a few days. the stately library had an awesome book sale: sherman alexie, russian short stories, all for $1.50. the drs at sansum were, to a one, kindly & friendly, taking their time to assess me. i've never gotten such care from traditional medicine except one day prior, in bakersfield, from an endocrinologist whom i immediately liked, w/his humble sweater, patient air, & scuffed shoes. the problems between my ears already have been being treated for about one month; after one psychotic episode & meds adjustment, i can gratefully say that i feel like my old self, but w/o as much nervousness & disquiet... my sansum test results: perfect hearing; severe allergies (i knew that, but each person who walked in to observe my skin test saw my inflamed back & exclaimed, "boy, YOU'VE got some ALLERGIES!!"); sinus tests still out; & best of all, NO THYROID CANCER, tho one set of tests is still out.
there is much for which to be grateful. amor vincit omnia. amicitiae nostrae spero sempiternum fore! happy wkend, friends. :)

blablabla

(pic from www.andynoise.com, "home of kern county athletics") when i arrived at last night's run, paul anderson & friend made fun of my shorts: "are those leather?" "no, i think they're pleather," they said. he decided they fit my "rock star image." i told him they were from the texas thrift store. that's the name of the place - off the 35 in north austin! it's almost like a college used book store - i got a bunch of great titles, & could've gotten more if i'd had more rm in my suitcase.
last night's run was difficult (over 100 again), but great. the feeling after running is absolutely exhilarating. today is band practice, & i can't wait. i'm hoping to have myself a bd party - invite friends, family, musicians who like the stuff i like; we'll see. meanwhile, have been housesitting for my folks & am taking the dog boys back to their dad. it's been nice to hang out w/them. they live in the moment & love unconditionally. as angie sister says, "dogs are proof of god." booyah.
-p.s. - this gal is awesome: www.youtube.com/user/ivoryticklermama

bragging?

just found out i came in 5th in my age group in last wk's valentine's day 5k!! woohoo!! i started about 2 mins after the race did, so am amazed! it was a real event, too, w/lots of people! am happily puzzled to know i can accomplish such things, even w/my very non-competitive athletic mindframe. (what chomsky said about spectator sports made a lot of sense...)
a teacher at school who looks kinda like john bazz said he used to run competitively & could do a mile in 4:20 in his youth. amazing!! am hoping i'll merely finish tomorrow's 1/2 marathon. think i pulled something in my hip, but am not thinking about it... you can get info here: www.bakersfieldtrackclub.com
and thanks to andy noise (the photo-taking "wogger") for his encouragement! here's his site: www.andynoise.com
gonna go eat some pasta now, then turn in early (i hope). please, squirrel mind, cooperate...

HULA SWING & PUMPIN' PIANO ROCKNROLL!!!

That's how Lucky La Rocka is billing our show next Saturday in Hollywood... details below, or here: www.myspace.com/klubbimbam... The flyer's so pretty, I'm gonna post it again right here: Hoohah! Fershlugginer! Potrezebie!
today i got to run a 5k & came in 2nd!!! (this was a very very small event, please note...) it is just gorgeous right now in backwardsfield (not a contradiction of terms as of this moment!)... w/3 days left of school, i have no complaints & look forward to going back to the drunk convention today at the doubletree. friends! a common solution! nice people! and tomorrow's band practice - yahoo! we want to play music, help spread the word about good old rocknroll boogie-woogie & guitar-twanging american music... & meet others who love it, too! please let us know if you got a show, or know someone who does... & thank you mucho!!
so at this second, this is a nice life. hope yours is, too. :)

"pore little critter own the road," where's my dunce cap?, & the baby whale on the stage

yow, i am that critter, & am i SORE!!! yesterday i ran (jogged) about 7 miles around ventura beachtown in prep for next wk's 1/2 marathon here in bako (www.bakersfieldtrackclub.com/btchalfmarathon.html) ...man, after last wk's traveling & all the sick i've been getting (people say frm my "germ factory" students, but "they say" this yr's flu is esp bad, so i don't wanna blame the kids too much)... i did NOT wanna go to ventura, which shows my 1st instinct is always wrong. i had a nice time! we went RV "camping" w/fellowship friends, many of whom have these RVs the size of & w/more amenities than my old studio apt. we camped in B's "love wagon," his souped-up van w/4WD, "penthouse" (pop-top slab-bed), reading lights, TV, potty, heaters, swivel chair, cooking gear. last night the group had a potluck, so about 20 of us hung out & ate & had smores at the bonfire & as usual, being around all those witty folks made me wonder where i put my dunce cap... the dogs had nice lawn to lounge on & even an off-leash area along the ventura river near some farmer's land. :)
came home & art had sent a video of the elvis show!!! i was reminded that carlos guitarlos's songs that night rocked!, esp his version of "promised land," swellingly, thunderingly sloppy-tight wild & grooving!! art put on the vid all kindsa neat stuff, headed off w/US! i watched gene taylor 2x, then went down to the piano & played what i heard & to my amazement, saw my hands doing things they never have... i think w/gene's vid piano-side, i'll be able to learn some frm the master, who's now in belgium. what fortuity to have caught him while he was here!! the blasters are on the video, & rip, & a bunch of others, too... lastly, i got a little reality check watching the vid. looks like i got a bit too much into the holiday sweets this year (cue whale calls)! however, life's too short to worry much about such stuff, & i'd rather be a baby whale than a user of people or mean or greedy, so i think i'll go set up for band practice now. :) and then go for another run. :)

turkey / phantom pie run this thursday!!!

(from bk track club website - this sounds like FUN!!!!) Phantom Pie Run - Meet at section 7 of Hart Park for a fun run or walk of between 3 and 12 miles starting at 6am. Bring a pie to share with a couple hundred of your fellow health enthusiasts. What a great way to kick off Turkey day!