Work of course, and billable hours. Enough about that. CrossFit called for a 15k run today. That’s 9.3 miles, and totally out of the question for a Clydesdale like your correspondent. I nevertheless determined to grind out 6 miles or so, just for the calorie burn that was in it.
Went three miles out at Penasquitos Park, knowing that would commit me to the back side. Knowing that I’d never get through six miles on a treadmill, for all the boredom that’d be in it. Decided to take an alternate route back to the parking lot. Big mistake. Realized that I was lost at the 6.5 mile mark, clearly getting no closer to the car park. It’s hard to turn around and retrace your steps at the 6.5 mile mark, if you’re a Clydesdale. Not so much for the “admitting a mistake” bit, although that would ordinarily be enough. More for the going back over track made good. Which is pretty dern demoralizing, when it comes right down to it. Unaccustomed as I am to the long distance thing. By the time it was all over I had 8.3 miles on the clock.
And I was dreadfully late.
Turns out that our church has a deal for acolytes and their parents once a year at Petco Park. Seats in the owner’s box, courtesy of hisself. I’ve never paid for a seat at Petco, and never sat anywhere but second deck behind the catcher. I have, in short, grown spoiled.
The Padres have had a comprehensively miserable year. They were up 3-1 in the third on four hits when the lid came off the whole affair. The seventh inning stretch, that song that all of us know, “One, two, three strikes you’re out!” and all of us sing. Two egregious defensive errors that led to a tie game, followed in time by a pitching change that resulted in back-to-back homers on two pitches, and Clan Lex determined to seek our entertainment elsewhere. Beat the rush.
But you know? There was this time in the fifth when the “wave” was going around even as the game was going to hell and everyone everywhere put their everything into it. Jump up, throw the arms up, wait for the next go-round. Over and over again. It was, frankly, charming. The team’s having a terrible year, they haven’t got a chance, the players are out there out of mere regard for the game while they’re getting pantsed by the D-backs and the citizens of San Diego are nevertheless determined to have a good evening of it. Full on.
I love these people. I love this country.
And here I was, thinking I was living the high life with my aunt and uncle’s season tickets.
(b-day present)
Dang, I would’ve waved at you. You probably spent some time looking at the back of my head down there at field level, charming as I’m sure it is.
We were the ones who didn’t do the wave. Yeah, party poopers.
Seriously, that game was UGLY.
Sounds like you ought to consider taking up Cricket.
The office HQ is in Clearwater, FL, where they fly me for a week or so every couple of months. I love it there in January, as might be expected. Heck, it’s kind of nice in July too, for that matter. No hotter than South Dakota, the seafood is fresh and the view out by the pool? Amazing. Won’t see that back home, or at least won’t see all of that if you know what I mean.
But back to baseball. I’d never partaken of a professional game until recently, and I now understand the deep appeal this game has to the American psyche. All it took was one evening in the stadium watching the Phillies during spring training.
I heard those lovely words, “Beer! Peanuts!” and handed a sawbuck to the guy on my right. Couple of minutes later, he hands me a beer, a bag of salted peanuts, and some change.
Do you believe that? I never even had to leave my seat. I don’t get waited on like that a home! I tell ya, I’m thinking of installing bleachers in my living room and inviting the neighbors over, I enjoyed it so much.
Oh, the game? It’s alright, I guess. Kind of laid back, plenty of time between swings to nibble or sip whatever suits ya and just enjoy that day in the sun. A guy could get used to that.
– Max
OT, but…I’ve had my first cup of coffee. Can’t blog from here, so:
Breaking News: Smoking cause of CV fire.
Not good. CO and XO relieved. Smoking in a HAZMAT space…
8.3 is pretty respectable Captain, no matter if planned or not. I never have understood that Clydesdale thing. I’m around 6′ 3″ and 200 after a good meal, but I’m still naturally thin. But at a race I’m named after a draft horse. Go figure.
I’m convalescing right now and thinking my Portland Marathon (October 5th) plans might just go up in smoke. My 8 mile and 10 mile runs, with “the Cat” went just fine. The 12 miler last Saturday? Not so good. Finished in a respectable time, pulled up, went to get coffee with the group. Still okay. Got up out of seat to get in car and drive home. Not so good. Left ankle looks less like a body part and more like a cantaloupe.
I guess it didn’t help that I spent 5 hours in the car the next day and sat around an air show. Haven’t run since, but I’m going to try a couple miles of easy tonight. If I can get back up to run 14 a week from Saturday I’ll be back on track.
And as for the game? It’s not win or lose that’s important but the quality of the beer, hotdogs and company. In my not so humble opinion anyway.
There is no better reason for me to leave you my first comment than Crossfit! I saw that 15K WOD too, and my heart skipped a beat. Until I went over to the Crossfit Endurance website and saw that Wednesday was a “Tabata” interval day, and said, for runners, do one or the other, NOT both. Guess which one I picked? I’ll trade 4 minutes of extreme pain for 90 minutes of pain and boredom!
Great site. I’m a USNA grad also, and am passing on your blog to several other friend who would enjoy it!
The funny thing is that if I hadn’t been doing the CrossFit thing for the last four months, I probably wouldn’t haven’t even attempted the 6 miler. And I very much doubt I could have stumbled through 8+.
Glad you like it.
the only time I run is when someone is chasing me.
with a gun.
That being said, Lex, do you go to a CF gym in the area? Or do you have the equipment at home? I’m *just* getting started with the Beginner’s Routine (as in this is week 1) so I’m nowhere near needing a gym. But I was curious as to whether you are able to do it at home or if you go to a gym.
The closest gym to me is downtown so that’s not really feasible right now so hopefully I can ease my way into this and add equipment as needed.
I sure am feeling it today though. But it’s a good pain
As much as I’d like to run, a bad ankle keeps me at a brisk walk, and even then too much will have me aching. I dread going uphill (and downhill) on a slope, does nasty things to it. So yeah, it would take a large gun to get me moving fast on foot. Besides, all the ladders I climb, intakes, uptakes, tank crawls in 95% humidity I don’t have much chance of getting fat.
Lex, As they say…even a bad day at the ballpark, wave notwithstanding, is better than any day at the office…
…that said I think It’s sublime that a mongrel bunch of useless bastards like the Padres play, at home, in a ballpark named after a nationl pet supply chain…Best
PS, Sim please don’t take this personally… but a root canal, sans novacane, is preferable to anything connected with watching a mind numbing Cricket Match.
Snake-
Heathen!
Some of my best memories in SD were at the ‘Murph. “84, we sat behind Fred Grandy when the Pads and Garv spanked the Cubs. Season tickets for the ’95 to ’99 seasons, many good memories there (Cammy throwing a laser while on his A$$ to nail the out at first). Petco was great too, though I only made it out there a handful of times before I left. What I miss the most though? Ted Leitner and the Colonel calling the games. No radio team does it better in my mind, not even their compatriot up north on the 5 in Chavez Ravine.
But, much as I’m hated here in NorKal, I’m still a Padres fan through and through.