Running wild

OK, Mel carded me.  It's been a week + since I posted up anything.  I was going to say "anything meaningful" but that would probably have been a few years since that's happened.  I'd like to say that my absence is due to making arrangements for my windfall fortune in winning the recent MegaPowerball lottery last week ($460 million), but, alas, we missed out on the winning ticket by just a few numbers (like 5).  I would claim that I am busy with work, but after reading ShadowRun300 working ungodly hours sans potty breaks, I cannot make that claim.  I could fain illness/injury, but hangovers don't count and I've been in good shape.  I could claim that I have been working hard on my dissertation like some old rock star who starting a rabbit farm, or trying to figure out who's going commando at the gym or dealing with sex changes and pond scum, but that would be stretching the truth a bit.  


In reality, I don't have a good excuse aside of being a bit lazy.  Work's still kicking my butt, but it pays the bills, keeps me off the streets, and is definitely not boring.  Last couple of weeks it feels like a circus around here and I'm the guy in charge of clean up after the elephant parade.  


Here's a shock.  I didn't win the lottery.  Was doing pretty well in ignoring the whole hoopla up to the last weekend, when several people at the office banded together to buy a block of tickets.  I figured it was worth a ten spot to kick in just to make sure I wasn't that lone guy who didn't join in when the rest of the group won the lottery.  I figured our chances were about as good as getting hit by lightening (twice), but, as they say in Vegas, you lose 100% of the bets you don't make.  Oh well, will have to postpone getting the Porsche for another year.  


Doing some e-mail clean up, I got tagged for a reminder for the sign up for the Dad's Day 5k in June.  It is a 5K run in downtown Houston I ran last year on the Saturday before weekend of Father's day tied that is tied to collecting money for Prostate Cancer research / treatment.  It's dedicated to people who have had or have prostate cancer.  I spotted it last year when I was getting my new shoes at the running store and, since I am a charter member of that club, I signed up.  I figured that I could do a 5K on on a flat Houston street before breakfast without breaking a sweat. Forgot to account for the fact it was in Houston in the middle of June.  Starting temperature was 85 and humidity was downright sauna-esque.  Still, I managed to finish up in 3rd place in my category (Cancer survivor over the age of 50) - whoo-hoo!  Only problem was that the winner was a 74 year old grand-dad who kicked a%%.  Still it was a good run for a good cause.  I am debating doing it again just because I am a sucker for these things.  Sign up for next year's Houston Marathon is in early June and, given the popularity of the last few years, it's going to be a tough job to get into the 2013 Marathon, but I have a strategy.


Speaking of runs, I am on a couple of e-mail lists to notify me of deadlines and dates for upcoming runs/events.  One that popped up recently I found interesting.  Anyone ever done/seen a "mud run"?  Something about doing a 5K through various obstacles including copious amounts of mud/water.  Excuse me?  Why would one pay $60 to run through mud/water???  I was paid (not enough) to do that in the Army.