Frogs, orbs, track curves

Needed to do a six-miler today, but it was gloomy when I got up. I almost bagged it, then pushed through.

Didn't feel like messing with dogs or cars, so I took a new approach. At Wyomia Tyus Park in Griffin, there are multiple options. In addition to the 1/4-mile track, they have a walking path that meanders between the baseball complex and the soccer complex, and it includes a lake, around which is a 1/2-mile loop. So I plotted a two-mile course and walked it three times. First circuit, it was misting. I carried a backpack loaded with my parka and a first-aid kit. I'm proud of my pack. It's a Jansport REI anniversary pack with a leather base. I've had it 15 or 16 years; I had a leftover name tape from the national guard and got my friend Dawn McFadden to sew it on there for me. Thought I'd lost it, then rediscovered it last summer. So anyway, parka. Yeah. The rain started coming down heavier during the second loop, so I stopped at one of the pavilions, pulled out the parka and put it on. This was next to the lake, and I got about halfway around it before the rain stopped altogether. Which is generally the way it works.

The only thing about exercising in the rain that really bothers me is I get soaked and I can't tell if it's from the rain or from sweat. Since I'm seeking sweat equity here, I kinda want to know.

Next to the aforementioned pavilion is a play area that has a mini-climbing wall, a hippo, a frog and a sea monster. Now I realize the designers of this park did not have pudgy 44-year-old writers in mind when they dreamed up this place. That said, they blew out all sense of scale. The frog is the same size as the hippo, which is roughly the same size as the sea monster, who is constructed in such a way that its tail, middle portion and head all appear to be above the ground, giving the illusion that the other sections are below ground. The whole ensemble is cute and all, but come on. At least have the size hierarchy right, if not constructing it to scale. One other thing: the frog is holding what appears to be a ball. Do frogs do this? I've always had the impression that they use their feet solely for locomotion and not to grasp things. For that, they have long, sticky tongues.

When I wasn't pondering the play animals, I was reminiscing about previous workouts, and this came up. Several months ago, I was at the track and everybody's walking and running counterclockwise. As I was stretching to start my routine, this one guy comes around clockwise. Since he's being nonconformist, I make it a point to ask him. I'm ... pesky that way. Anyway, he explained that exercise research has revealed that going the same way on a track all the time gives more exercise to one side of the body than the other because the curves all run the same way. Fair enough. But this particular track is laid out in an undulating pattern, so that you're making as many left turns as right turns. Hmmm ...

By the numbers
Weight after exercise: 235. Yay.
YTD mileage: 58
Intake: HBO for breakfast. Late lunch of turkey tetrazini with a couple slices of wheat bread. Water.
Soundtrack: 97.1 The River again.
The Eagles, Hotel California
Elton John, Levon
Journey, Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'
Boston, Peace of Mind
Don Henley, All She Wants To Do Is Dance
The Rolling Stones, Satisfaction
Dire Straits, Sultans of Swing
Steely Dan, Do It Again
Billy Squier, The Stroke
Toto, Hold the Line
Blondie, Heart of Glass
Bad Company, Bad Company
Queen, Fat Bottom Girls
The Who, You Better You Bet
Allman Brothers, Midnight Rider
The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter
The Police, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Billy Joel, Piano Man
.38 Special, Rockin' Into The Night

Finally, here's my plan for tomorrow: Three total miles, of which I'll run one. I'll walk 1/4 mile, run a half, walk another 1/4 run another half, then walk the rest. I'll adjust on the fly if I have to.