-Insert creative title post here-

I can't think of a title for this installment of my blog.  I can't come up with anything that screams READ ME, except, well, READ ME!  And I'm saving that for something really important.  Just not feeling the creative juices.  There will be no bull dancing because I am not feeling the flow.  So if you made it this far, you're doing well.

I have had a couple things come to my attention concerning my blog.  It's hard to figure out how to follow.  You would think Google would make that easy.  It's not.  I'll fix that.  My layout sucks.  It's boring.  It looks generic.  I need one like Ian Crane's.  You should read it because it's funny.  But maybe I need some professional photo's to use as my banner.  And I definitely need a new blog title.  My name is pretty boring.  So I'm taking suggestions for a new blog title, and no Sam, it can't be Chuck Merder.  I also have trouble with verb tense agreement.  I go past tense to present tense and back like Marty McFly in Back to the Future 3, which sucked.  So does changing your verb tense.  I should know better.  I was a writing tutor in college.  But thanks to today's technology I'm becoming more dumberer and can't think for myself.

I'm a bit of a technology junkie.  Smart phones, computers, tablets, and all that jazz are like a cool challenge to me.  How can I customize and make this piece of electronic gadgetry so super cool that a Luddite would want one.  It consumes too much of my time, ask Holly.  But at least there is a reward at the end, unlike watching television, where your reward for watching the show you like is another hour of a show you don't like as much but you're just too lazy to turn off.  Good thing I don't have the Hopper because I'd have to shout it out repeatedly in a Boston accent annoying myself, my cats, and anybody else in the house.  But I do want a Google tv unit.  Computer on your tv?  Yes please.  I already do this with my laptop while watching Flotrack web feeds of awesome track meets that despite the low budgets are way better than any ESPN/NBC feed.  I can't stand Larry Rawson even if he created the international sliced bread unit of weight measurement.    But I need a dedicated computer for the tv so that I can play on my laptop while I watch my computer on tv.  Wha?  That's insanity.

For all you Nook users, did you know you can buy ebooks locally.... sort of.  While wandering through Village Books I noticed signage that mentioned buying ebooks from them.  My heart immediately jumped and I felt relieved because after being in their wonderful store, I originally felt sorry that I was probably never going to by an actual book from them but now I can.  But anyway, here is how it works.  You buy the ebook though the Google book store but under the Village Book headings.  You can then save it to the correct folder on your Nook for reading with all your Barnes and Noble purchased books.  Or you can use Indie Bound reader app to read those purchased books.  There are some issues wtih downloading the metadata to get the book cover to show up, and you have to use Calibre to fix that, and I can already see you're totally lost and you don't really care about Nooks and ebooks.  But if you care and want to know more, I'd be glad to help.  But at least Village Books gets some part of the profit for selling the ebook that way.  That's the whole point of this long winded paragraph.

Anybody into personalizing their computer desktop?  Wait, who uses the desktop for anything?  Isn't that where you put all the icons and create a mess?  Yes, the desktop is for storing a bazillion icons in no particular order so that when somebody like myself sees it, I want to rip my eyes out.  But my current nerd project is pimping my desktop using Rainmeter.  It looks nice.  You should try it, but only if you have less than 5 icons currently on your desktop.  If not, you're computer is a disorganized jumbled mess anyway and there is no hope to clean it up and organize it.

And since this is a running blog technically, I guess I should write something about running.  First two mileage weeks after Ski to Sea.  50 and 56.5.  Feeling pretty good.  Continuing the slow build through June and July.  No upcoming races so there is no rush.  But feeling pretty good about running those two weeks so close to Ski to Sea.  I will admit that I haven't gotten going on my "extra work" like core strength, pilates, rolling, and stretching.  Dumb, yes.  Feel free to berate me via my comment section.  I'm trying to gain comments any way I can.  You didn't notice earlier in the blog where I wanted suggestions for a new blog title?  Well I did.  I can't even get spam in my comment section.  Man, I suck.  But back to running, I feel like I should add some inspirational quote here to motivate my legions of fans who want more running insight.  So here it is:  "If its not in your head, its not in your legs."  --Rod Dixon.  If you don't know who that is look it up.  Better yet, here is the wiki link.  Talk about range!  800 to Marathon, this guy was a stud.  But generally speaking, its probably harder to harness "it" in your head than it is in your legs.

Next blog I promise pictures for anybody with a short attention span.  I have no idea what kind of pictures, but I'll have some.

Say that again, I have to actually train this summer?

First off, I'm sorry I lied to my 9 followers.  I didn't get a blog out by the end of the week.  I'm sorry to have ruined your weekends.  I was depressed and mourning the loss of the Celtics and the end of an era.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

So, unlike every summer since I've moved out here, I have a full summer of training, and a full fall of racing planned.  And it's not because I was smart enough to avoid Ski to Sea this year.  I still did that, it just didn't wreck me like previous years.  I'd like to think it's because I trained well for it (I really didn't), I've been doing my extra strength/core work (I haven't), I'm just a badass (not so much).  But mostly I think one little visit post race to Noble Chiropractic was the biggest help.  I still took a full week off, but my second week back to training?  50 mile feeling good.  It's a miracle.  Thanks Steve.

Since I won't be half crippled for all of June, I figured I better start training for real.  Half marathon PR's on turd training is the exception to the rule, so I won't count on that happening again.  It's summer, the good weather is here, wait, no, it's not here yet.  What?  Fourth of July you say?  Why do I think summer starts in June here?  You think I'd learn.  So the good weather is right around the corner, and I have my head on straight, and I'm ready to go.

Once again I've got Sam Alexander writing up the workouts and the racing schedule.  He even color coded my workout types and used google docs to send me information.  I'll make a tech nerd out of him yet.  But seriously, a great coach.  He's for hire, but don't bother if you're not willing to commit to it.  Training isn't about a good season or a good year.  Its a daily grind, for days, then weeks, then months, then years.  Good things take time.  Running is no different.

This fall's focus is going to be the half marathon.  I've got three on the schedule.  Oregon Wine Country so that I can hopefully win a giant bottle of wine which I will then trade for multiple cases of cheap beer.  Bellingham Bay, because the wind brutalized Jordan Welling last year and his course record is soft.  Then I can hang out at the finish and watch the Bellingham Fit-sters finish their races.  Should be great.  Last is the Rock'N'Roll half in LasVegas.  This started as another excuse to go to Vegas, because I'm still obsessed.  But it's a stacked race.  It's a pretty fast course.  You run the strip...... at night.  And then your in Vegas.  So obviously its a win-win situation.  The only lose part is that I'm running a Rock'N'Roll event.  I'm sure they put on a great race, but they are too damn expensive, crowded, and gimmicky.  Hopefully I don't have to worry about the money part either.  Should be a good field to tow me along to another big PR though.  But I'll tell you this:  If I see people running the race while wearing headphones, I'm going to smack them.

I'll do a handful of other races inbetween too.  WWU XC Invite, Padden Trail Half, The Seawall Race, All Comers 5k, you know, stuff like that.

Waiting

The title of this post has nothing to do with my waiting for anything.  This is all about how I've kept everybody waiting for another blog.  All 8 of you who have subscribed, and the 14 or so who might actually view my blog this time around.  I don't know how to grow my legions of adoring fans.  It certainly isn't with my witty stories of exotic races abroad.  But, I am promising you a full fledged blog by the end of the week, since my life is so exciting.  Upcoming topics may include but won't be limited to: My Vancouver Half Marathon PR, Ski to Sea, the end of my season, my future race plans, a review of streaming music services Mog and Spotify, some book recommendations, rooting a Nook Tablet, buying ebooks locally, and the Boston Celtics.  So if you want to hear about any of all of the topics above, make sure you subscribe, and then use a fascinating social reader like Google Reader, Pulse, Feedly, or any of the hundreds of others so that you never miss another one of my posts.