Running with Reba

Apparently there was some debate last night. Two people, each saying they're right and the other is wrong. I wonder who won. Here are the highlights:


In other news, an estimated 4,500 children will die today simply because they don't have clean drinking water and proper sanitation.

No, we can't mail 4 ounces of undrinken¹ water to someone in need in Africa or Asia or wherever... but is it right to just throw away that 4 ounces of water when some child will die for lack of 4 ounces of water? Something that is so critical to preserving a child's life, should we just take it for granted??? Too bad for those 4,500 children? We've got water to waste as we please... not our concern?

¹ brand new word for the English language

Wednesday late morning Run: 20 min 30 sec

- 2:07

10:40 a.m. - 72°, overcast and nice for running
XXXXXXXXXXXX ·Oct :: +30 sec· XXXXXXXXXXX

September: 3 hours 25 min August: 2 hours 39 min July: 2 hours 11 min June: 1 hour 47 min May: 4 hours 46 min

Okay... first run in like 8 days.

BAD!

But good to finally get back to running. I've had a mysterious calf strain for many of the days during this mini-hiatus so I wanted to make sure it was gone before hitting the trail again -- did not want to injure myself in a way that would keep me sidelined even longer.

Felt okay out there. Low temperature and no sun allowed me to run with relative ease. Because it's been awhile since I last ran, I purposely kept my Running Time lower than what I wanted. I'll get back to up 22 and 23 minutes (and beyond) after another run or two. This month I am still hoping to eclipse my Run Time for September but taking the first 7 days of October off, well, that might hinder my goal. We shall see. We shall see.

Running Playlist Included Tunes from...
	Reba McEntire Feel The Fire 1980
You Lift Me Up (To Heaven) Tears On My Pillow I Don't Think Love Oughta Be That Way Long Distance Lover If I Had It My Way I Can See Forever In Your Eyes A Poor Man's Roses (Or A Rich Man's Gold) My Turn Look At The One (Who's Been Lookin' At You) Suddenly There's A Valley

I don't know much about the music of Reba McEntire but when it comes to needing music for running, I'll use just about anything and so I gave her a try.

Older country is interesting in that only 3 of the 10 songs here are over 3 minutes long. A mere half hour of music. 15 minutes per side on a cassette tape? Wow. I think I've got EP's longer than that.

It's not a bad bunch of tunes, though. Makes me think... hmmm.... Oklahoma. Hmmm... isn't that where Reba's from?

I'm not country, I'm damn far from being country, but part of me digs that cowboy lifestyle, well, that modern cowboy in a pickup truck living in blue jeans and workin' on a ranch or in something having to do with farming somewhere in Texas or Oklahoma. I'll never be that but country music reminds me of that kinda life that I've seen when I've driven through those parts of America. It takes me away from suburban city living.

Anyway, I like these tunes and once again I'm looking forward to more Reba in the future.

128 kbps dload @ Just Country

320 kbps mp3 download

65 Shopping Days Left... Gettin' Closer

· Hiking Time --- 2 hours 7 minutes

· Temperature: 23ºF (-5ºC)

· Trail Time in October -- 16 hours 40 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 5 lb.

Holy Foot Fatigue, Batman! That's what I woulda said after my hike this afternoon.

I hit the trail a few hours ago, with about 2 hours of available light left in the sky. A gorgeously overcast day it was, with a wonderful just-below-freezing temperature that's perfect for a short hike like this one was. Everything is white everywhere the eye could see. Didn't take along a whole arsenal of music, just enough for part of the roundtrip. Sometimes out there it's just nice to have that time for some thinkin' without any musical distraction. Sometimes it's nice to just marvel at God's immensely amazing creation. I felt like doing some of that today and set out with just one short album of tunes.

And in new boots I did walk. My last pair I wore down as much as I could. If this was a snowless environment, I'd probably still be using them. The sole is split on each as is the heel. No wonder my socks often got wet. Not so with this new pair. So stiff they are compared to the super-high level of comfort of my previous pair. There's a long way to go before these'll be broken in... and I didn't even try to do it properly but then again, that requires soaking them in water and to walk in wet boots when it's this temperature, uhh, not so bright. I will have to break 'em in the old-fashioned way, just by walking in them... and that's gonna hurt my feet a little like they did today. Hurt's not really the right word. Some discomfort, sure, but what really happened was my feet seemed to get really tired about three of four times faster than they should have. After two hours I shouldn't have been wanting to collapse inside in front of the wood-burning stove. After two hours I should have been good to go for another 6 to 10 hours! Ahhh well, still a nice hike out there.

Christmas tunes for a snowy day...

____

Christmas In The Country

[MCA, 1988]

White Christmas - George Strait
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Reba McEntire
There's A New Kid In Town - The Oak Ridge Boys
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Lee Greenwood
Christmas At Our House - Barbara Mandrell
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - George Strait
O Holy Night - Reba McEntire
That's What I Like About Christmas - The Oak Ridge Boys
Christmas To Christmas (Loving You) - Lee Greenwood
From Our House To Yours - Barbara Mandrell

While each of these artists is considered to be centrally rooted in the country music industry, the album doesn't have an overall country feel to it, though. I could still definitely see this on someone's stack of mostly-played Christmas CDs. One song in particular, O Holy Night by Reba McEntire, is just so beautiful. Overall, not a bad little collection of tunes.

256 kbps dload right here
Christmas In The Country