In a recent care package my mom enclosed the above Baby Blues cartoon. Ah, the memories.
When I was a young lad I had a dead hamster. Well, it didn’t start out dead, but then it was. For a while. My mom brought it back to life. She is still my hero. Someday I hope to do the same for Wesley or Jillian. Maybe both. The hamster is deceased again. I think it is easier the second time around.
PS: Please don’t tell the fine folks at Baby Blues that I have a copy of their cartoon. They did their darndest to keep me from downloading it, but I’m sort of stubborn and managed to get it anyway. If you’d like to visit their fine site to see this cartoon click here.
I like running with Wesley. Let’s get that clear from the start. I like it and I hope I never have to stop. I hope as he gets older he’ll start riding his bike as I run and then as he gets even older he’ll run with me. I expect at some point he may even try to run me down in the car, but at least we’ll be spending time together.
But running with Wesley isn’t all car chases and fond memories. He adds his own special level of difficulty that I wouldn’t have expected. Some of it really isn’t his fault. His stroller is shaped like a big “V” with the opening facing forward. It is kind of like pushing a parachute. Add to that the additional weight and friction of pushing the stroller and it is harder than running alone. Pushing a stroller also screws up your stride and rhythm. You can’t swing your arms as you normally would and going uphill or through loose gravel is a real pain. But Wesley is not content with these natural and inevitable obstacles to smooth and fluid running.
Wesley tends to sit in his stroller leaning forward in “fully extended jumping jack” style. both arms are out as far as they can go, palms facing forward. He sticks his feet out the sides as well and generally leans so that he can get his head out past the stroller too. He has learned to create as much drag as possible. He has increased his surface area as much as possible. I’m sure it is a small amount, but still when you are tired and thirsty it just hurts your morale a bit. But I do love to watch his hair flitting in the wind especially as it gets longer. I can see the future already. You can see him pointing his toes and almost hear his brain thinking “If only I drag my foot on the ground”. So for now I’m happy that at least he can’t do that.
But the raw physics of Wesley’s, shall we say, additions to my workout, play only a small part. The true challenge is that of distraction. He doesn’t just sit there quietly catching air like a nice little drag chute. No, he needs attention. He has needs and those needs must be met now. First he wants things. A treat, a snack, a book, water. Picture me running, sweat in my eyes trying to open a pack of fruit snacks or a granola bar without dropping them while pushing a stroller. Once open I have to outrun the stroller to hand them off to Wesley.
The second half of the run is full of Wesley giving things to me. He’ll give me back the empty snack wrapper or water bottle. He’ll give back the books. He especially likes to take his shoes off and insist that I take them from him. He also likes to lose his pacifier at this point in the run and I have to try and find it. During the second half he tends to get a little anxious so we also talk, read books (he holds I read aloud) and sing songs. All in all not conducive to efficient running.
There are a few advantages though. The stroller holds my waterbottle so I stay well hydrated. I can pump myself up by saying things to Wesley like “Almost home!” or “Only 1 more mile!” and not look like a crazy person to people I’m running past. Plus when I run without the stroller it feels so good and easy that the longer runs go by much quicker. I’d say that running with Wesley is about 20% harder than without him. I tend to run 10% slower times and work at least 10% harder to get those slower times. I’m just glad that strollers are prohibited in the marathon or I might be tempted to try. It would be awesome, especially the four hours of singing “Moon, Moon, Moon.”
Last Sunday we went hiking at Bull Creek. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but thought there might be some chance of swimming. Sunday was about 88 degrees. Its October. Not like back home. The park is rather large. The part we went to is just a few miles down the road from our house. Maybe a 20 minute drive. This is the park we had missed during our trip to Wild Basin. From the parking lot the many piles of burned out coals tells you that this is a bit of a party spot on weekends, but it was pretty calm while we were there. To get across the creek to the trail you walk across a waterfall. Easy enough with the low water flow of recent times.
We hiked down the trail a little ways. Maybe a half mile or a little more, but not much. We initially hiked the trail up the hill and ended up at a road end. We turned around, hiked back down and came out at the creek near the swimming hole. From where we stood we had three distinct regions. To the right was the dog area. About 20 dogs were cavorting with their owners and barking endlessly. To our left was the big swimming hole. There were rope swings and a sort of waterfall/waterslide and places to jump in. Looked like fun, but a bit above Wesley’s head, literally. Right in front of us was an area perfect for Wesley. And he took full advantage.
The bed itself is almost entirely solid rock. The sides, the bottom, both rock. It is totally different than anything I remember from the northwest. The water has made the rock smooth, slippery in areas and has carved out channels and holes. The two holes we played in were the perfect size for Wesley to hang out in.
The channels were also a lot of fun. Just upstream from the swimming hole was a 6 foot waterfall that older kids were using as a waterslide. Wesley loved to be in the channel that fed the falls. The current was too strong though and a couple of times I had to grab him before he was pushed down stream. I have to admit a pretty good part of me wanted to see him shoot off the falls, but I wasn’t really wearing swimming clothes and I would have had to go after him, so I just kept holding on to him.
The trail itself was pretty shady and Jillian was able to go uncovered at least on the way back. We spent about two hours at the creek and I’m sure we’ll be back. I understand that there are a number of areas along the creek for swimming that are a bit more secluded and with fewer than two dozen dogs.
Tags: Amber, Austin, Bull Creek, hiking, Jillian, texas, Wesley
Picture little girls in braids jumping rope on the sidewalk with friends. Doubledutch, crisscrosses, little rhymes. Giggling and laughter, a summer afternoon enjoyed by all. I wish I could jump rope like a little girl. Instead I jump rope like an old man. Poorly.
My training routine for the marathon calls for Sunday cross training. Generally this means biking, skating, swimming or skiing. I don’t really do any of those things so I needed something else. I knew jumping rope was a good cardiovascular workout and I knew that the gear was pretty cheap. Plus, I’ll admit, I’d always liked the idea of jumping rope. The rhythm, the whack-whack-whack sound, the speed of the rope, the element of danger all appealed to me.
About three minutes of jumping and I was ready to pass out. My heart was trying to escape out of my body any way it could and I was sweating like I had just run several miles at sprint pace. I’d also smacked my arms and legs numerous times with the rope. During the first training I only managed to go about thirty revolutions without messing up and stepping on the rope or hurting myself. I’m glad I was in my backyard, in the dark so no one could see me.
From reading online it sounds like I’ll need a few weeks of practice. I should be able to pick up my speed and jump without any injuries to myself pretty soon. I’ll benefit from increased cardiovascular capabilities plus the impact is supposed to be half that of running. I can do it almost any time, almost anywhere. I doubt I’ll ever be able to keep up with the neighborhood girls (or Rocky), but I’m hoping to not embarrass myself soon.
The rope Amber picked out for me was just about perfect. It only cost $10 and meets most of the criteria that jump rope enthusiasts recommend. It has foam handles for comfort. It has a ball bearing swivel which helps you move the rope more quickly and prevent tangling and is made with a plastic rope which lasts longer than nylon or natural cord. The only thing it doesn’t do is allow for easy length adjustment. I’m going to have to hack it a bit to shorten the rope the eight or so inches I need to be perfect for my height, but I’ve already got that planned out. To find the right length rope you step on the middle of the rope with one foot and then pull the handles up to your chest. The end of the handle should hit you in the armpit. If not, you need a longer or shorter rope.
A couple of good places to start for jump rope info:
http://www.jumpropeinstitute.com/a-z_on_jump_rope.htm