Just a Friday Nite Run with RSJ

Crickey! All day we hovered, yes, hovered just above freezing, yes, that cold, just above freezing. Brrrr!!!! What happened to the beautifully springtime temps we had for a little while there? WHERE'D THEY GO?!?!??! I dunno... but they're gone for now.

One interesting thing as we leave mid-April and head towards May -- even at 10:40 p.m. there's still light in the sky. Darkness will be here soon but the days are REALLY long again. I hadn't even really noticed until after work tonight. Straight from work I had gone to the Rec Center for a run, and after I finished, I walked back out to my truck and turned on the ignition to pollute the atmosphere and when I went to turn my headlights on, I looked out the windshield and thought that I could drive home without them. That was around an hour ago. Headlights so not needed because there's enough light to see the road clearly enough without 'em. Kinda cool! Why hadn't I even noticed this lately? Beats me.

Now it's Friday night and if I can wrap this post up before 11-11:15, I've gotta decide on whether or not to head back out for a Guinness or two. Hmmm.... beer is never needed... but I worked 12 hours, I got a run in.... would be nice to see who's at the bar, kick back and down a few, maybe play some pool..... hmmm....

· indoors... the trail is wayyyyyy tooo slushy! ·

Friday Nite After Work Run: 19 minutes 21 sec

+5 sec

XXXXXXXX++++++· 21 sec ·++++++XXXXXXXX

Run Time April: 2 hours 32 minutes March: 3 hours 57 minutes February: 3 hours 11 minutes

4 days since my last run!? Something's not right with me this month. I don't think I've put a string of two days together with a run. What the heck's up with that? Oh well. At least I am getting some runs in.

Not the easiest time tonight. Not sure why but a good guess might be because my runs aren't occurring slightly more often. Minor burning in the quads, minor aching/suffering of the the lungs and cardiovascular system. Still I was able to make it around the track enough times to reach my desired running time for tonight.

Slowly working my way towards 20 minutes... but I'm not so sure I can reach my goal for April -- BAD CHRIS! Shoot. Will make me feel like I failed... but I'll have to see what I can do about mentally erasing that thought and setting a goal for May.

Running tunes came from the album of the day...
	Rebecca St. James Pray 1998
Pray OK Give Myself Away Hold Me Jesus I'll Carry You Come Quickly Lord Peace Mirror Lord, You're Beautiful Love To Love You Omega ... Be Thou My Vision [hidden track]

Love this album from RSJ. There are no really fast-paced songs on here but at the same time almost nothing that qualifies as a ballad either. Not that ballads are bad but too many of them can make an album, especially a Christian album, too fluffy. Last thing I wanna be hearing is a Christian album that's too soft... not that too soft is bad music... just not for me. This is closer to louder and faster with nearly an "alternative" sound at times. God is always first and foremost in all her songs; no ambiguous lyrics here like the writing of some other Christian artists. But while Ms. St. James puts a message about God right out there, it doesn't feel too over-the-top preachy. Wow, an ideal mixture? Maybe. Good stuff!!

Jesus freak Hideout has a quick review for more reading.

find a dload @ Música Cristã MP3

Christmas Run with Ray; or: 52 Shopping Days Left

· Run Time -- 11 minutes 0 seconds (+0:20)

__· Temperature: 14ºF (-10ºC)
__· Total Trail Time: 64 minutes

· Trail Time in November -- 64 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 7 lb.

As the morning last hour of morning began to creep away, I got out there on the trail for my first run in over a week. Over a week? That's way too long. My 11 minutes was relatively easy, though. A little cold, but not bad. Jumping into a hot shower less than a minute after getting back in the door -- Heaven!

Being out on the same trail as my hikes, it doesn't seem the same when I'm running. Some of it does, the hiking back part. But for those minutes of running time, almost nothing matters except monitoring how I am and keeping my mind on the music in order to get to my ending cue. And then the first five or ten minutes after that, I've gotta catch my breath and come back down to normal. Since that's not exactly a pleasureable time and since the act of running itself is plain horrible, there really isn't much enjoying being out there. I do like the fact that I'm out there doing something extremely positive for my physical health and for the state of my heart. And now sittin' back down, all cleaned up, tired but feeling awesome, I'm ready to run again tomorrow! In reality I'll probably wait until the day after tomorrow but to wait a week inbetween runs, that just ain't right. Gotta put an end to that and put the effort in more often to get out there for a run just as I did today!

The music in my ears:


Ray Charles

The Spirit of Christmas

(1985)

[1997 Reissue w/bonus track]




What Child Is This?
The Little Drummer Boy
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
This Time Of The Year
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
That Spirit Of Christmas
All I Want For Christmas
Christmas In My Heart
Winter Wonderland
Christmas Time
Baby, It's Cold Outside [with Betty Carter; bonus track]

Today was the very first time I have ever Pressed Play on Ray Charles and I've gotta say, this is a pretty nice album! It's not very Christmasy, though. What I mean is, the music didn't really make me feel like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket of fuzzy Yuletide warmth. Not really at all. And not a single song has a rockin' pace to it, either. Mostly it's smooth, quiet, and mellow, some nice easy listening. Other times it has a very cool jazz feel. The very first song is evidence of that. It starts out as the traditional Christmas carol but shifts gears into some jazz you might hear in a smoky Greenwich Village bar in December. No two drink minimum here, just a really cool album of music.

256 kbps dload right here
Ray Charles -- The Spirit Of Christmas

Also on the trail:
finished up the 1994 self-titled
debut album from Rebecca St. James...

· Everything I Do
· Way Up Here
· Little Bit Of Love
· Side By Side
· Jesus Loves The Little Children

So... was E.T. an Illegal Alien?

· Hiking Time --- 2 hours 23 minutes

· Temperature: 28ºF (-2ºC)

· Trail Time in October -- 24 hours 6 minutes

____(starting Oct. 1)
· Weight Loss Goal -- 24 pounds (11 kg)
__________· So Far -- 7 lb.

7 pounds gone this month. Not bad but it was eight that I was hoping for. That means in November, with a day less than October, I've gotta do 9. Whew. All I've gotta do is lay OFF the ice cream and cheeseburgers... and not make any cookies. Or cannolis. An uphill battle but I did 7, I can do 9. Cooking with fresh ingredients and making ultra-healthy meals I do... almost every night but when I don't, that's when I really indulge. So I've gotta be more careful. Oh, and no popcorn? That means no movies and... and.... and no movies? Ugh.

Maybe I can do popcorn and not have to pass on a few of those cheeseburgers if I keep up with regular running and hikes like the one this morning.

Hit the trail, I did, just as the very first light was showing itself on the horizon. Each day that time is creeping ahead by minutes. Lately I hadn't even noticed that dawn's first light, on a morning without clouds, isn't until well after 8:00 a.m. In no time at all it'll be close to 9 a.m. and then first light will eventually creep all the way towards 10 in the morning. LOTS of darkness ahead.

In any case... it has been forever since I went out [for a hike] in the a.m. My hikes and runs, since getting back to this after my dang tibia fracture, they've been at the opposite end of the light of day. Straight through dusk is when I'm usually out there, right up until the sky is almost purely black. Today that's what it was when I started. But I turned around and came home no more than 4 minutes after getting out there.

False start.
Decided I needed some breakfast.
Mmmmm... pancakes!

Then off I was for a great hike on a relatively warm morning (for this time of year.) Same old trail, same old out and back but it was freedom and it was exercise. It was a time for some good music and a time for some good thinkin'. Same old trail, same old out and back but it sure beat being inside, sure beat sittin' gettin' fat, that's for sure!

Trail Tunes...

E.T.
The Extra-Terrestrial

Music From The Original
Motion Picture Soundtrack

Music By John Williams (1982)

[1996 Digitally Remixed,
Remastered And Expanded Edition]

Far From Home/E.T. Alone
Bait For E.T.
The Beginning Of A Friendship
Toys
"I'm Keeping Him"
E.T.'s Powers
E.T. And Elliott Get Drunk
Frogs
At Home
The Magic Of Halloween
Sending The Signal
Searching For E.T.
Invading Elliott's House
E.T. Is Dying
Losing E.T.
E.T. Is Alive!
Escape/Chase/Saying Goodbye
End Credits

I've said it before and I'll say it again, when it comes to classical music -- give me Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, etc? No way, José! Give me a film score composed and conducted by John Williams!! Those other guys I just can't get in to. I don't care how immensely genius they or their music might be considered to be. Just not my cup of tea. But a film score with a classical music kind of feel to it, I always seem to dig.

With E.T., John Williams weaves together non-stop drama, bringing the listener on nothing less than a ride full of ups, downs, and back up again with a few nearly scary twists and turns thrown in for good measure. Knowing the movie, I was able to recognize Unknowing, Discovery, Fright, Dark Times, Fun Times, Relief and Freedom.

Forgetting the movie even exists, the music here flows effortlessly along. These individual pieces -- beginning and ending, beginning and ending, over and over -- work as one giant composition. At times the beautiful orchestration is lush and loud enough to reverberate through your entire body. Other times you've almost got to bend your ear to listen, to hear the quiet instrumentation before Williams brings the music booming to life again. And through it all that same familiar E.T. theme emerges here and there to tie it all together.

I haven't heard each and every Williams film score but it would be a great guess that this is perhaps one of his best!

320 kbps dload right here
E.T. -- Part 1 ·· Part 2 -- E.T.

Also on the trail:
Rebecca St. James...

Here I Am
I Thank You Lord
Above All Things
True Love
We Don't Need It