I ran today. I HAD to, because

Because, well, I ate a dessert cookie at Milestones last night that was bigger than my head. Maybe not in volume, but certainly in diameter. It's chocolate, with white chocolate chunks, with a chocolate drizzle, and a scoop of Italian gelato. Very yummy, and we estimate there was a zillion calories in it.

If you scroll down a bit, past the x-ray, you'll see a map of the run I did. This is a good one, so I think for a while it will be my reference for runs about an hour long. Today I ran for an hour, and made the 8 K mark in slightly, very slightly, under the 60 minute mark! This was run 10, walk 1 at a pace my legs and lungs felt comfortable with. I could have kept going, though really, not for much longer. My legs felt good, and really enjoyed the run. Stretched for a long time after, legs and my arm.

Generally I was breathing easily, no gasping or panting ever, and breathing deeply but controlled going up hills, and just at the end. My heart rate though, I couldn't believe it. There I am, chugging up the hill out of Fish Creek breathing hard enough that it would be tough, but not impossible to chat, and my heart rate was steady at 164. I flat out didn't believe it. During one of the walks afterward I even did the pulse thing, and the math came out to match the monitor, within a few beats, at the low 150's level. Throughout the entire run my heart rate was much higher, at least 10 to 15 beats per minute, than I would have guessed from my breathing.

I've NEVER, and I mean never, seen my heart rate stay in the 160's for so long. Usually getting past 150 or so, and I think my chest is going to explode. My watch says the average was 145, peak was 167, and min was 104, and I burned 1245 calories. I honestly don't know what to make of those numbers. The minimum I believe, since that was after a brisk walk to my starting point. But the rest??? Help me out here Greg, is my watch fubbared, or are the numbers real, and what does that mean?

We're getting stoked for our trip. I'm planning to update the blog pretty regular. The idea is to fill up the camera with photos, then transfer to a USB drive at an internet cafe. I couldn't get a bigger memory chip for the camera, and a 2 GB USB drive is less than $20. That should be enough. I'll try not to rub it in that we're touring London, Venice, Turin, and Florence, going to the 2008 Slow Food Festival in Turin, and generally trying to have a relaxing good time.

Oh, and Susi, you can scroll down with confidence. The photos are gone. It's your own responsibility not to click on the article link titled "more Ow!! Graphic Followup."