Started Packing

I've started packing (I leave Early Wed. Morn).


I plan on putting together just one big drop bag and hope Ali and Kristyn can find me along the course. They'll be carrying: One extra pair of shoes and socks, one pair shorts, two shirts, a wind jacket, a rain jacket, some reasonable substitute for starbucks coolers (I am currently in dispute with starsucks, as of now, they suck, I'll get back to you if they quit sucking), Boost (I still like them, they sent me coupons!) Cliff Shot Blocks, Jelly Belly Sports Beans, Hammer Bars (I'll find out in September if they suck) Batteries, Flashlights, a towel, fresh legs (yeah, I wish!)

Of the stuff I bring, don't tell Kristyn and Ali, but I won't use most of it! I am generally pretty self-sufficient, er, a, provided there are numerous aid stations on the course (yeah, kind of contradicting there.) Oh, I'll use the flashlights, and I'll drink the Boost, I'll use one of the shirts, but the rest. Not likely, I mean who am I Lovey Howell? Am I going to change clothes every 15 minutes. It's just a 24-hour tour!

Speaking of packing, late news that George Carlin passed away last night. One of my favorite concerts all-time was at the Bayfront in St. Pete, watching George in 1979. I liked it, but not as much the two dudes in front of me did. "That's right, you tell 'em George!" "You nailed that one!" and he did. I got a favorite saying from watching those two dude that nigh, "Everything he said was the funniest thing, until the next thing, which was the new funniest thing."

Any way one of my favorite Carlin routines is about packing and stuff.

Hope you got to use all your stuff George, you were great!

And the Rest

And the Rest!

1. Where did I get it?
2. What does it mean?

Well, I got it from Gilligan's Island season 1. On the intro song they sang about all the characters on the show, except for the Professor and MaryAnne, the were, "And the Rest," all here on Gilligan's Isle.... Well, I always thought that was crap, what you can mention everybody but the last two? So, I wrote them a letter (and the star's manager's complained, and the star's complained), and the network read my letter and changed the song for season two! You all know the new ending, "The professor and MaryAnne, all here on Gilligan's Isle..." much better.


Ok, I was going somewhere with this. Oh, yeah. So, yesterday, Lance with the St. Pete Times, comes out to Croom, I wanted him to take pictures of the Florida Ultra group. I wanted .... Dude writing the story, only wanted pictures of me, so it was kinda weird, he stuck a camera in my grill and took like 400 pictures, and that lens was kinda big, and it was hard to feel normal (not that I know what normal feels like!)

In case the FU'ers aren't in the paper, they'll still be intheSlam...

Davo was there!

Julie came by and sold some wares

Andy B was running great.

You can always tell when Jon's there, his car gives him away. You can always tell when E's there, because everyone is having a better time!

Jon may have the personalized license plate, but Star's got the whole bike! And she wasn't even there, but at least her name was! (kinda blurry, but the symbol says Stat right on it)


Tracy was there, all Sad with the Professor gone
for the summer, we tried to cheer her up.





"And the Rest" not pictured (Dan, Kathleen, Woody, some blondish chick won some race 3 times, Candi, Linda were all out there too, but too fast for me to their mugs on camera)

Oh, yeah, and "And the Rest," Is also because with less than one week until Western States, I'll be getting serious about my rest! No more double digit runs, no more of my weakly bike rides in San Antonio, no more getting up at the crack of dawn, and the rest, all here on AndyMan's Duplex (Right side from the street, on the left if you park in the back)

Sign of the Times

Cool run up in Croom this morning.

This dude:

we'll call him Lance, showed up with his, Mine's Bigger! cameras and took some candid shots of my buds and me (well mostly me) for the St. Pete Times. Seems they have agreed to accept the money I sent them and are running my add (ok, it's really an article, see, I didn't have to pay them, turns out I AM GOOD FOR NOTHING!)

I'll let you guys know when the Times is running this thing, see, they are the best newspaper in Florida (well, they were when they had Chase! Though Lance and Terry Tomalin are aces too!)

I've got more pictures, but first, I must nap!

Whether Madness

Ok, It's officially started. The part where I drive myself crazy worrying about things I can't control (but enough about my love life :) I am talking, of course, about the weather. Whether or not I can control it I've still gotta freak out over it.

San Fran will be nice on Wed. (65/52) but so what? We'll have air control and we're out of there on Thursday without running a step.
Now, Olympic Valley (race start) is supposed to gonna be beautiful. Yeah we don't spend much time at the start of the Race.

I don't know how to get a prediction on the temps in the canyons, but I know Forest Hill at mile 62 is predicted to be up to 91 on Saturday, means it's gotta be hotter in the canyons.

Oh, well, can't do anything about it....... cept worry myself sick, which I have covered.

Song of the Weak #41, For Life

Shoot, that 'bout says it!

Pressure, no such thing. Sure, I sucked Stan into this thing. Sure, I got the St. Pete Times coming to Croom Tomorrow to take a few shots and run a little piece. Sure I've already soaked 4 grand into this, with more on the way. Sure, I'm writing the next ultra best seller on completing the Slam (I plan to sell two books in Florida for you guys to pass around!) Realistically, I may not make it, most don't, but darm it, I'm giving it a try, no doubt about that. I may not make it, but I will not quit, I will Run for Life, even if it kills me.

But, that aint pressure. You know why?

I'm just a passenger on this train, the only thing that really matters is that my daughter loves me! And she'll be there with me at Western States, and I will make her proud of her old man.

That's enough for me (ah, but geez, I do want that cool Grand Slam Eagle, and the Tattoo, that comes with it doesn't it?)

National Aint Just for Rentin' Cars!

Hey groovy guys and gals, InTheSlam is going national!

This just in from 100's guru Stan Jensen:

Andy,

I just got home and added a link to your blog:

http://www.Run100s.com/gs.htm

Good luck!

Stan

More exciting local news soon and it's about Times!

Wicken don't Play With Me!

Hey, I run with a whole coven of people that don't know squat about wicken shirts (er, better make that shirts that wick, or wicking shirts)

There is this "theory" that some fabrics take the moisture away from your body and therefore cool you down, just as evaporation of sweat would do. Well, I used one of my "tech" shirts while running in Colorado, and voila! it worked so well, that my shirt was dry when I finished and two days later when I went to run again, I mistakenly wore that same shirt, because it was dry (on the car ride to the trail I notice a strong odor, so the sweat may evaporate but the stink is there to stay!)

Well, there must be something in the atmosphere when you cross the Florida State Line that renders these tech shirts useless. I think it's the Christian Right in the Bible Belt that has worked to destroy all things Wicken! Who knows? But I did find one way to give the tech shirts a little nudge and relieve the moisture issue: