Ribs, that's so cool that you took Riblet with you to Chicago - sounds like some great bonding time. And you only had to work for 20 minutes! I wish my business trips were like that. DickyG, that shirt would be for me too! How did you like running without a watch? For certain runs like I like to wear a watch, but usually go without one. Sometimes I get a general idea of duration by looking at the clock in the kitchen or in the car before and after a run, but many times I don't even do that. Particularly when I run with the dogs - they stop several times during a run so I couldn't get an accurate pace anyway. But as much as I like gadget-less running, I have an admission to make: I asked for a Garmin for my birthday, and DH said its on it's way! My reasoning was that I want it to measure distance when I'm trail running, as its tough to measure trails on map my run. I don't know how some of you manage to run fast in hot weather. Anything over about 70 degrees makes me slow to a crawl. (Not that I'm fast even in cool weather!) Tom, you call it "character building?" No run yesterday, and only a slow 3 miles with the dogs on Monday, so tonight I'm planning a trail run on the way home from work. This time of year I do all my running in the mountains where its cooler, so I don't do any intervals or tempo runs. Every run is a hill run. I do throw in some hill charges and fast downhill running, but there's also a lot of slow running and walk breaks on the uphills. I know this isn't optimal training. The only flat place to run that isn't hot is the indoor track at the rec center, but I don't like to run indoors when its nice out. I've read that every run should have a purpose - what do you guys think? Is it a bad thing that most of my runs have no specific purpose?

6 early morning miles at just a bit over 10 minutes/mile. Still relatively cool - it makes a huge difference. My big brother (9 years older) and two of his friends took me to the Museum of Science and Industry when I was about the same age as Ribs' boy. It made me feel very special and important, plus I just loved the exhibits. Good memories all around.

Nice trip with your son, Ribs. When I was a pre-teen/teenager, my dad also travelled a few wks each month for business, so once in awhile during the summer I'd go on shorter trips with him when he wasn't going to be consumed all day with meetings. I enjoyed those times. Our air is clear today of the Cali fire smoke. And it is cooling off to low 90's! But it's my DH's bday so I will take him out to dinner tonight after work and maybe we can enjoy a nice walk this evening if the winds don't shift and blow smoke in. I spent the better part of yesterday being constantly dizzy and at times felt near the pass-out stage. I was indoors almost all day, but maybe the smoke was still too much for me. Who knows. Occassional dizzy spells today - but it's not a constant sensation with every breath I take like it was yesterday. I'm in a 10K trail run this weekend. I've never done a trail run before, so this will be a new one for me. I don't check in on the daily, daily . . . but has anyone heard from BTB lately?

Ribs, another voice for how much Riblet will remember this time with dad.

Those "pals forever" times that I spent with my DS when he was that age were some of the best times of my life. Even now, the two of us enjoy just driving somewhere together, and we still talk about places we went and laugh at old silly jokes we shared. I really didn't want to be the dad in that Harry Chapin song. Glad to see that you think the same way, Ribs.

Aamos--if you made it till the end, I bow in your presence. 15 innings ending at 1:30

I run with the dogs - they stop several times during a run so I couldn't get an accurate pace anyway. But as much as I like gadget-less running, I have an admission to make: I asked for a Garmin for my birthday, and DH said its on it's way! My reasoning was that I want it to measure distance when I'm trail running, as its tough to measure trails on map my run. I don't know how some of you manage to run fast in hot weather. Anything over about 70 degrees makes me slow to a crawl. (Not that I'm fast even in cool weather!) Tom, you call it "character building?" This time of year I do all my running in the mountains where its cooler, so I don't do any intervals or tempo runs. Every run is a hill run. I do throw in some hill charges and fast downhill running, but there's also a lot of slow running and walk breaks on the uphills. I know this isn't optimal training. The only flat place to run that isn't hot is the indoor track at the rec center, but I don't like to run indoors when its nice out. I've read that every run should have a purpose - what do you guys think? Is it a bad thing that most of my runs have no specific purpose?

That's why I have mine set for auto-pause when dog-running ....& I'm an info geek for the maps & stuff ...I do envy your ability to run more often in the mtns than I can manage just now - especially w/the heat we've been having....getting up @ 4:30 to run down here before it heats up just isn't the same ...and that last part is always my question..& it sounds like I have the same "character" of runs as you do ~ ... & how do I log my runs (type/quality) when I have to deliberately look for a "non-hilly" run?....etc. ....so, the kids came over @ 5 this am & we ran down & around Bluffs Regional Park - something like a 600' elevation gain....10 miles/just under 2 hrs...wonder if they'll do that again anytime soon!?

Too much H&H at 3:30pm so I headed for the treadmill, only 72 F in the house. 4 easy paced miles in 40 Min. Missed the All-Star pre-game because I was out umpiring & didn't get home until 9:00. Only watched 1st 7 innings before bedtime. Definitely was a classic.