November 2007 Archives

Madison is a great town. I love living here. Long ago it was voted the best by Money Magazine, and then its greatness reconfirmed when neighboring Middleton was picked in the top ten. (All of the amenities listed for Middleton are in Madison.) Part of Madison's charm is the downtown and the UW-Madison campus. To make things great, there must be things that aren't so great.

Downtown crime has been on the rise. From home break-ins, to late night assaults, and even unsolved murders, there is concern that Madison isn't so great. Many point the finger to the number of alcohol licenses in bars and restaurants in the downtown. So the City developed a plan to limit the number of licenses and reduce the bar density. The plan freezes the new licenses in a one-mile area downtown and hopes to reduce the number of existing licenses. Proponents cited less crime, safer students, and law-enforcement cost savings. Opponents argued that bars will be over crowded, house parties will increase and become more dangerous, and enforcement costs will increase. Despite a year-long debate, the plan was approved in a 2-1 margin earlier this fall. (Official ordinance)

Fast forward to last night. The Alcohol Licensing Review Committee (originators of the plan) approved a large sports bar and restaurant within the square mile outlined in the density plan. It's in a new development, on a site that had a popular bar in it (Madhatter's). This bar is to be located on the other end of the block, away from the State Street area. But that brings it one block closer to the two largest student dorms on campus, directly across the street from their dining hall. The restaurant will have two floors and have a 550-person capacity. Original plans had an 800-person capacity. Also part of the development is student housing for 1,000 residents. So that means that more than half of the students living directly above the bar will be able fit in the restaurant.

The best part is the closing line of the Badger Herald article:

...[the restaurant's] license was unanimously approved under a few provisions, with several committee members wishing the Brinks good luck.

There was one goal left to cross off my list for 2007: a sub 20:00 5K run. I surpassed my 10K goal much earlier than expected in May and nearly went sub 2:30 for an Olympic distance triathlon in June. I faded in training after July's WIBA, Pewaukee sprint and final aquathons, only to salvage one final age group win bouncing back after my first DNF.

A sub-20 5K is a Big Deal. It is the hardest of my 2007 goals to meet. Following my last triathlon race, I started concentrating on running following Runner's World's Turkey Trot 5K PR training guide. Everything was going swell. I was running four to five times a week and noticing improvements as the sun rose later and later each morning. With about a month to go, my shins really started fighting back during and especially after workouts. Too much running? Too little rest? Shoes too old? It was probably a combination of all three. So I reacted to all three. I took a week off from running, took a full day off between workouts and bought new shoes. By the time I got all of that all sorted out, I had two weeks left before Thanksgiving. Not necessarily where I wanted to be training-wise. My week off ended up being the peak week of the training plan with the most hills, host descend repeats, and longest hard runs. I knew that would come back to haunt me.

Thanksgiving was to be a bit chilly. Two inches of snow fell the day before. The streets, too warm for the snow to stick to, were icy where the water didn't evaporate. I got to the race site early on purpose and used a coffee shop's bathroom because I was afraid of my booty sticking to the porta-potty's seat in the cold. I warmed up on the course for about a half-hour, trying to time it so that I wouldn't cool down too much before the race start. It wasn't the cold that would by painful, but the wind. The out and back course set up the wind to be in your face to the finish. It was a good reminder of the hills in the final mile; a short steep one, a long steady one, and a molehill that hurts just enough to interrupt the finishing kick.

They had the 5K runners group together away from the start to let the 10K runners go first. I was right there, three rows deep, turned around to see if I knew anyone, and there's X! We chatted about stupid stuff and danced around to keep warm. When it came time to move to the actual start line, I found myself too far back in the crowd with no room to move forward.

Right out of the gate, I got boxed in. I nearly had to throw some elbows to get out of the box. Once out, I settled into a nice groove, pushing the envelope of my comfortable speed limit. I passed the first mile mark slightly behind schedule, owing it to the poor start. Another half mile, and we turned around into the wind and hills. Mile 2 went by quicker than I expected. I purposely didn't look at my watch, so I had no idea that it was slow. The only thing I knew was that I was starting to suffer.

"Seven more minutes, only seven more minutes. I can do seven more minutes." Then I hit the first hill on the return home.

I made my way around the so-called roundabout and took the straightest path from tangent to tangent. With that hill crested, it was a quick dip and then up the second; a long steady climb. At the top, the trees cleared, and the wind picked up right in my face.

"This is is your wall. Break through. Break through your wall. Run!"

I was rubber from the waist down. Nothing reacted. And then, I remembered what Joe Bator said about running a 5K,

"When you think you are about to blow up start using your arms. They will be hanging by your side. Pump them. Pull with them."

"My arms! I have arms! That's right! I have arms! Use them!"

And so I did. I pumped and pumped. I pumped so much that the last hill was turned into a bump. I made the final turn and picked out people that passed me. Joe said to imagine that they're the last person to go under 20 min. Pass them. And I did. Then I there was another. And I passed them. Then, I saw the clock. The first digit told the whole story: it was a two. Guh. Not the 19-something I'd hoped for.

My watched stopped at 20:59. The chip time was 21:04. One stinking minute. I keep thinking about that final mile and what could've gone different. It wasn't in the final mile but rather in the month before with sore shins and old shoes. Bottom line, I'm okay with this. It's still a forty-five second PR from what I can tell. (And on the same course no less.) And I don't have shin splints or a stress fracture, so that leaves all winter to train and get ready for 2008.

Data: 75/1639 Overall | 5/68 M 30-34 | 68/779 Males

Route:

Mile Splits:

On Christmas Eve in 1967, Astronauts on the Apollo 8 mission captured the above image of the Earth rise over the moon. Never before had people seen the Earth for what it was, a beautiful yet fragile piece of something larger than only few people had ever dreamed to imagine.

In the NOVA documentary "To the Moon" chronicling the NASA efforts to beat the Russians deeper and deeper into space, they touch on the power held in the image and the selection from Genesis the astronauts chose to speak to the world.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness...And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."

And then, just today, the Japanese space administration released high definition images of the same Earth rise from their spacecraft Kaguya. Still amazing in 2007 as in 1967.

NOVA spent fifteen minutes on the power of the image. What's the potential of the Earth rise? What if they blew it up and put it behind podiums in powerful places? Places like the US Senate and House of Representatives, or even the United Nations? Does the speakers' messages change?

Are you traveling this holiday season? If so, be wary of Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT. This overview provides a good summary of the symptoms and impacts. Who knew being healthy could be so dangerous?

While it's not known if Steves's in a speedo all the time, the weather is really starting to get to him. I'm scared to see what he's like in February.