A poke in the eye

Tom: A beautiful day and an excellent 16 minute run. The best I have felt in a few weeks. There is a paved path about half a mile from my house that is plowed which I found today.
Bruce: Why is your eye red?
Tom: I got poked in the eye yesterday playing basketball.
Bruce: Self-inflicted?
Tom: No, why would poke myself in the eye?
Bruce: Yeah I guess your right. Something would really have to be wrong with a person to self-inflict injuries on oneself while being engaged a sport.
Tom: [Walks away]

Indoor track session

Tom: I ran 15 minutes on the indoor track during Cornell practice.
Bruce: Did you pass anyone?
Tom: No, I almost caught a girl running in lane 7 but then she picked up on the straightaway.
Bruce: What did you think of practice?
Tom: The feeling never leaves you that you could jump in there and glide through some intervals with the guys.
Bruce: So should we be on the look out for a rash decision in the ensuing week.
Tom: Nah, just more of the same.

A Comprehensive Picture

Bruce: Where were you this weekend?
Tom: I went back to Boston to go to a friend’s birthday party. I met a few people that follow the running log.
Bruce: What running log?
Tom: This running log, what we are doing right now.
Bruce: What does this conversation have to do with running?
Tom: Well that is what we do here, we get together and discuss my running. What did you think the blog was about?
Bruce: I thought it was a blog about what is wrong with you.
Tom: It is a blog about what is wrong with me in the context of running.
Bruce: I would say the blog is far more comprehensive than you give it credit for.
Tom: Thanks, to bring us back on topic I took the weekend off and did a bit of X-C skiing. This morning I ran 14 minutes and my right achilles a bit sore but besides that felt fine.

10 minutes of glory

Bruce: Were you playing basketball at Barton last night?
Tom: Yeah why?
Bruce: Quite a triumphant return to the Cornell Indoor track.
Tom: I won the game.
Bruce: This definitely seems like a won battle/lost war scenario.
Tom: Agreed, I had a 10 minute run today and felt good except for a few bruises from basketball. I heading to Boston for the weekend.
Bruce: 10 minute run, battle/war scenario #2.
Tom: A win's a win.

When it doubt eat truffles.

Tom: So I feel very good having a plan, once again.

Bruce: Well, your plans do have a habit of working out well. It should be a good race between you and Keith this weekend.

Tom: Funny, I am serious though. There was a day over the break when I without a plan and I was thinking about exercising and just decided that there was no real point. It was about 10am and I decided just to eat truffles instead.

Bruce: So is the current plan to try restrain from eating truffles until at least 10:30am.

Tom: No, I am running every other day and started at 6 minutes. I so far have done 6, 6, 9 minute runs. I also biked yesterday for 35 minutes, played some basketball last night, and lifted two nights ago. I am going to start lifting a bit with both my upper and lower body to try to get a little more muscular, a little more testosterone-driven.

Bruce: How is that going so far?

Tom: Right now I can barely use my right shoulder as it is so sore.

Bruce: I will get the truffles ready.

State of the Union Address

Bruce: Is this going to be long?
Tom: Well we have about a week of training to catch up on.
Bruce: No problem we should be able to bang this out in a few moments. Have you run this week?
Tom: No.
Bruce: Great, to summarize the union is still completely bankrupt, tune in next month to hear more of the same.
Tom: Sit down. To give a more detailed summary, I got back from India and after two weeks off I tried to start running again only to have my calf re-tighten within 2 days. I had the same problem this summer and it lasted 3 months. I decided to take 10 days off, get some physio, and do some cross country skiing. I ran for 7 minutes today and things felt alright but a little tight following the run.
Bruce: Riveting stuff, so what can we expect in ensuing weeks? A 8 minute run perhaps?
Tom: I am going to build painstaking slowly back to 20 minutes runs and take it from there.

Some kind of terrible

Bruce: You look terrible.
Tom: The run today was a bit of a struggle. I only ran 3 miles but felt a bit tight and have a bad cold. I did get a massage that hopefully will help my stave off the calf problem.
Bruce: Feeling ready for your race against Keith in three weeks?
Tom: Yeah, thanks for the reminder.

Question: 2009 Comeback? Answer: Wobblehead

Bruce: What does wobblehead mean?
Tom: It is an Indian concept. When you ask local a question in India, they answer by wobbling their head.
Bruce: What does the wobble mean?
Tom: I can mean either yes, no, I understand, or you are confusing me.
Bruce: That is useless.
Tom: Hence the answer to question whether a 2009 comeback will happen is a wobblehead. Yes, no, I understand, I am confused. What do you think?
Bruce: I think no.
Tom: You could have at least done the wobblehead.
Bruce: No, I am quite sure in my previous answer.
Tom: I am re-starting running back in Boston in two days when I return after a few weeks off.