2 of 52

I’ve lived in the Philadelphia area for 20+ years. I’ve driven over it hundreds of times. I’ve crossed it in a PATCO train dozens of times. I’ve even run across the thing during 10K races, but I’ve never been on the pedestrian walkway of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Until now.

The Ben, as we like to call it, crosses the Delaware River, linking Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is one of three bridges within the city limits and the only one the leads right in to Center City. I cross this bridge every day, twice a day, on my commute to and from work. Many times, in the evenings, I see beautiful sunsets illuminating the Philly skyline. I think Philadelphia has an awesome skyline and I’ve always wanted to stop and take pictures. So this week, for 52 Projects, I did. I drove across the bridge as usual on my way home from work, parked underneath it and headed up the south side walkway towards Camden. I got so caught up in looking and gawking and taking pictures that I never made it all the way across, but I did make it past the midpoint so technically I was on the Jersey side. I took a whole bunch of pictures but have narrowed it down to just a few to post here. I have a Photobucket page for posting things (like the cool SBR gif I put on my banner). I may go back and do some post processing on some of them. Hmmm, maybe another project to post?

It's for the birds

I just stumled across a blog that has a post about the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I remember reading it and loving it in the 70's. I've alway wanted to read it again and now I am more motivated thanks to a simple blog post by a nice Englishwoman.

I also want to read Catcher in the Rye. Salinger just died this week and I have never read that book. I have a copy somewhere; I had taken it away from my son when he was in his pre-teen years. I only knew it was controversial, an knew he was impressionable and impulsive so out of simle fear I took it from him. What a dick move on my part.


On a side note, I really do not like typing on a loptop with a touch pad. My hands brush the touch pad, move the cursor around and by the time I look up (what, you thought I could type without looking at the keys?) I have type an enire sentence in he middle of another.

Tweaking

Changed the blog format. Again. I think one of these days I may just take the time to learn enough HTML to create my own templates. Could be a project for 52 Projects.

Speaking of 52 Projects, have I mentioned how excited I am and how proud I am of Jane for kicking this off?

New toy

I just added a S/B/R animated gif to my header. Pretty cool, eh?

Is the volume low or am I going deaf?

My training volume is way down due to an inflamed achilles tendon on the right side. I plan to swim and do elliptical, add in bike as I can tolerate it and save the running for next week. My 16 week HIM plan starts 2/1/10. Here's a "course map":

52 Projects

I am very excited about the launching of 52 Projects. Jane came up with this wonderful idea and I jumped on the band wagon. We've had a lot of fun setting up the new blog space and I've learned a lot of HTML. I could have used that as my first project, but I had already decided on a whim to write a limerick for my wife and post it on Facebook.

To me the beauty of 52 Projects is that it can be ANYTHING. Some of mine are going to be light and fun, some will be athletic in nature, some will be spiritual, some will be social experiments, some will be last minute oh-shit-I-forgot-my-project-this-week.

So, project #1:

Write a limerick for my wife and post it on Facebook for all the (FB) world to see.

I fell in love with a girl named Jane
She inspires my heart and my brain
She’s the love of my life
I made her my wife
Without her I might go insane

52 Projects

My darling bride has a new initiative on her blog; 52 Projects.

Here's #1 for me -

I have never written a limerick for my wife and posted it on Facebook, so I posted this on my Facebook page:

I fell in love with a girl named Jane
She inspires my heart and my brain
She’s the love of my life
I made her my wife
Without her I might go insane

Ouch, and damn!

So I'm injured. Again. This time it's the right achilles and I'm really frustrated. It seems like I've been dealing with one thing or another since Bassman. I aggravated my left peroneal tendon during that race (an old snowboard injury) and don't feel like I've been the same since. That threw off my mechanical balance a bit and when I started a new and intense winter training plan the imbalance combined with a new aggressive bike fit and the intesity and load of the training aggravated my left sacro-illiac joint and I had to shut down for two weeks. I eased back into a lighter training regimen and then got a sinus infection that sidelined me for about another week. Now I've tweaked my achillies such that I have to limp. I felt a twinge about a week and a half ago while doing fast, hard intervals during a fartlek run. Yesterday I ran at lunch and felt it stinging a bit. It got sore as the day went on. I iced a lot when I got home but went to bed with a limp. I've got it wrapped and elevated at work and have been icing here too. Everyone is asking me what's wrong. Fun stuff.

I'm really bummed because I have such big plans for the next two race seasons, with IMLP in July of 2011. My next race training cycle is to start on 2/1. It's a 16 week build to Harryman in NY. Then I have a week or two before I start another 16 week cycle leading to Savage Man.

I know I need to let my body heal, but I need to maintain my fitness at the same time.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

It's cold

I went for a bike ride at lunch today. It was cold. No surprise there I guess. I live in the North Eastern part of the country, of course it's cold. At least my water bottle didn't freeze. I took a ride on Sunday and had a Gatorade slushy by the end. Still, I'd rather ride outside than on the trainer, and I'd rather run outside than on the treadmill.

Egg Salad

Jane made me an egg salad sammich for lunch. I can't explain how touched I was. I felt so special that she'd do that for me.

Bless the Resolutioners

Today was my first trip to the gym since the start of the new year. Actually, I visited two gyms if you count the fitness center at work. Both were more crowded than usual, full of people who made a New Year's resolution to get fit. God bless their pointy little heads. I really don't mind the inconvenience this causes. I'm all for people getting fit. I just wish they'd keep at it. According to Dr. Donald E. Wetmore, 90% of those who join health and fitness clubs will stop going within the first 90 days. I don't know who Doctor Don is, but if he's right that number is pretty staggering. Hopefully they didn't sign long term contracts. I get it though. I've been there. Not for gym membership but any number of new things for the new year. I used to bite off way more than I could chew and would set myself up for failure. I don't make New Year's resolutions any more, but I do make decisions to act or not act a certain way as I am moved to do so. A new year can be a nice little prod to get moving with something, just make sure it's something that really serves you.

Into the great wide open

It's Sunday evening, the end of the holiday break. I am back to work tomorrow after over a week off and the kids are back to school. I think it will be good for all of us to get back to our routine. I am looking forward to all 2010 has to offer. I don't remember ever feeling so expectant for a new year. I sense great things at home, great things at work, great things with my triathlon "career", and great things particularly for Jane.

2010

What will you call it; twenty ten, two thousand ten, two thousand and ten, oh ten? No matter how it's spoken, it will be lived well!