The Good and the Bad

Update (9/27): This didn't warrant a separate entry, but just wanted to add that I was able to succesfully run 5 miles yesterday and the knee feels pretty good today, so that's good news.

Well, the good news is that I succesfully completed my 20 mile run, and actually did it in less time than it took me to run 18.8 miles (3:52 vs. 4:01), due mainly to having absolutely perfect weather (mid-60s and overcast) and not having to contend with any real hills. The bad is that starting around mile 15 my knee started acting up on me but it was still bearable so I plowed through to the end. I figured I would take a few days off and then get back to it. I have been waiting the last 10 days to blog about the success of my 20-mile run and how positive I was feeling about the marathon on the 7th because I wanted to make sure my knee was going to bounce back. Well, I'm still waiting. It's not that the knee is in pain all the time; after the first 2 days it's actually been fine during my normal, everyday activities. But when I tried to go run last Thursday I could feel it start to ache about half a mile in and then again on Monday right around the 1 mile mark. I think a lot of it is that I'm supremely sensitive about it now because I know that any setback at this point is going to mean missing the marathon, and I can't think of anything worse than that after I've gone through all the hell runs. I've still got another 10 days though, so I'm not worried . . .yet. The only thing that is disappointing is that I haven't been able to get in my last 2 10-mile runs, and at this point I've already accepted that those aren't going to happen. In the grand scheme of things, though, the extra 20 miles wasn't going to make a big difference one way or the other. Also, I have been substituting by exercising on the elliptical machine to at least keep up my cardio. Going to do another hour/hour and a half tonight and then try to get back to running on Saturday with a quick 3 miles and then (hopefully) Sunday I'll be able to do 5. If I get those both in I will be back to feeling pretty optimistic again.

So it's come down to the home stretch for the Cubs, and while it still is looking good for them it was looking a lot better 2 days ago when they had a 3.5 game lead (it's down to 2 now). I slept right through when playoff tickets went on sale Sunday morning at 9:00, but I have been thinking about ponying up the extra cash and buying them off of e-bay. However, I can't help but think that I am jinxing them everytime I go search through the listings. Ah, the joys of being a Cubs fan; having the feeling that every little mundane action you do somehow has this grand effect on the team's performance.

In other, semi-related news, I did receive my $3000 check from Bodog on Monday night (it's related because that's the only reason I am considering buying Cubs playoff tickets). So as long as the check doesn't bounce I can officially declare my drunken evening a roaring success!

Have the 10-year high school reunion this weekend. Looking forward to it but of course I have a whole lot of competing thoughts on the matter: 1) wow, I'm old, 2) I hope it's not ridiculously awkward, 3) I hope I don't get ridiculously drunk as a result of the afore-mentioned awkwardness, 4) hopefully, the people that I don't recognize also won't recognize me. Overall, I'm sure it will be a good time. I'm looking at it much like how I view going to a wedding: something you look forward to when it's a long ways away, then as it gets closer you see it as more of an obligation, but then you go and end up having a really good time. That's the hope, anyway.

On the day that the Bears officially made the switch from Grossman to Griese, how long before the Orton chants start? Just asking.

About halfway through Fiasco now. Newsflash: books about the Iraq War are depressing.