New Runners

My mind set was to sleep until 6am. With summer waning, that luxury will soon be a thing of the past. Mindy and the kids will be back in school in 3.5 weeks. In actuality, I didn’t get up until 615am. I woke extra groggy after having a hard time falling asleep. My body ached too. I assumed it a combination of all the yard work and the running. Speaking of running, I ordered new running shoes online late Saturday night from Finishline. They called Sunday morning to share that they were already available for pick-up at their Tuttle mall store. I planned to go after them at lunch time Monday.

I felt safe ordering new running shoes online without first trying them on given that I bought the same model that I purchased last time. The only difference being this version is the trail model with a different striping color.

Downstairs, I started coffee then got busy with calisthenics. Whipped 50 sit-ups, 40 windmills, then 50 push-ups. Coffee was ready shortly thereafter. Spent a good 45 minutes playing on the internet. Headed to the family room for meditation and stretching around 705am. It was 720am by the time that I was ready or my run. I heard the recycling truck come by during stretching.

Ran 4.1 miles. I was actually chilly for the first ½ miles or so. There were clouds in the eastern sky blocking most of the early sunshine. Once they cleared, it warmed quickly. Was back home near 8am. Quickly switched into breakfast/lunch prep mode.

I heard Eiknarf whining from Bela’s bedroom, and soon one of the girls let her out. She quickly joined me downstairs. I turned off the stove then headed out on a walk with the pug. For the first time in a long while, we took our across street route. Eiknarf seemed to like the choice.

Back at home, I cooked breakfast and packed a lunch. Was off to the shower near 820am. Took Mindy a cup of coffee on my way. Shaved, showered and dressed by 840am. Mindy opted to remain in bed. Seemed out of it. Said she didn’t sleep that well. I spent the next 15 minutes or so preparing to depart. Supposed to be a gorgeous day. Planned to drive the BM’er. Left the house near 855am. Almost turned right onto Wilson. That would’ve been a mistake given that Roberts Rd is closed for the next 90 days. Last second turned left and headed to the I-70W on ramp.

Arrived at work near 910am. Talked with my boss in the hallway. Walked down to the loading dock to pick-up my new docking station, which was shipped last week to replace the current one which the helpdesk suspects is defective. Actually, though, I think I found the real problem all on my own. Anything plugged into my USB ports at fire-up causes the symptoms. Removing my external HD from the docking station and then the mouse fob solves the boot up issue. Who knew?

Worked on several tasks/projects all morning long. Left for lunch near 1230pm destined for Finishline at Tuttle mall to pick-up my new running shoes. Nice to get out and away, especially given that I drove the BM’er. Felt like autumn. Still a slight chill in the air. Parked behind Macy’s, cutting through the lower level Men’s Dept. in route to Finishline just outside the Macy’s mall entrance.

Gentleman went for my order right away. Had him point me to the shoe strings. Checked out in-store models. The pair I bought online for $69 (actually $59 with my $10 off coupon) were originally $119 and on sale in the store for $89. Buying online worked well in my favor. While the guy was in the back room finding my shoes, I picked out some bright orange shoe strings to go with my new shoes, which have the same bright orange striping. Picked up another pair of bright green laces, too.

Cut through Macy’s checking out a few Polo shirts. Ended up buying a new pair of black Levi cargo shorts. Fit great and on sale for $24.99. I love Macy’s. Headed back to the office. Gone no more than 45 minutes. Ate my lunch while working. Joined a recurring 4pm call a few minutes late. No one else was on. Pinged a peer who was also supposed to be on. She shared that the call was already over. Nothing going on.

Finished my day at 450pm. Earlier, Mindy sent a text asking me to pick-up Jacob at a friend’s place in the subdivision directly across the street from my office. No problem. Tried calling his phone before leaving the office. No answer. Left a VM. Nice house! I have always liked that subdivision, especially way in the back where Jacob’s buddy lives.

I heard commotion out back. Walked around the side of the house. Noticed all the boys swimming in the inground pool. Spotted Jacob. Hollered his name. Told him it was time to go. He snubbed initially, His buddy’s mom must’ve been sitting outside supervising. She walked around to greet me. We chatted for a while, her explaining that her husband works out of town. Jacob and Jaeger soon come out and propose that Jaeger’s mom will bring Jacob home around 7pm if it’s OK with me. Sure. Of course I made sure that it was OK with Ehman’s mom, too. Called Mindy before backing out to make sure she didn’t have an issue with it. She didn’t.

Headed for home. My mind must’ve been elsewhere. I mistakenly exited at the Roberts Rd exit despite knowing full well that the bridge was closed. I had no choice but to go right on Roberts. Took the detour through Westbelt, which eventually sumps out on Trabue. As one might expect, traffic was backed up all the way from Roberts to Trabue. Slow, slow, slow!

Arrived home right at 530pm. Mindy was busy putting the finishing touches on dinner – pasta and meatballs. Bella and Kayla were hanging nearby. Apparently Kayla spent the entire day with Bella. Mindy soon shared that they spent the afternoon at Darby Battelle Park. Said they saw some bison as well as parts of the park we’ve never been to before. In fact, I’m pretty sure that Darby Battelle Park has expanded over the last few years.

Dinner was good and filling. Kayla enjoyed dinner with us. The girls headed out to fish after dinner. I managed kitchen clean-up. Once the kitchen was back in order, I took a few minutes to thread the orange shoe strings through my new shoes. I like the look! I also showed Mindy the new shorts I purchased. She likes them too. I asked that she wash them sometime soon. I won’t wear new clothes until they’re washed.

It wasn’t even 7pm when I stretched out on the sofa. Not only was I tired from a less then fulfilling night of sleep Sunday, but also from a belly full of pasta. I was out for about an hour. I got up for a few minutes but soon slipped off to our bedroom where I leaped into bed and turned on the TV. Mindy came up a few minutes later laughing at the fact that I was already in bed. It had to be about 815pm.

I stayed in bed for about 30 minutes before heading back downstairs to have a bowl of cereal. Can’t explain why I was hungry again but I was. Mindy soon shared that Jacob called and was now spending the night at Ehman’s house along with others. After my cereal it was just after 9pm. I topped off my water cup and headed back up to bed determined to get a good night’s sleep.

I tuned the TV to an episode of Family Guy in anticipation of the Big Bang Theory coming on next at 930pm. Bella and Makayla came in asking for help with the Time Warner DVR. Couldn’t get their show to play. Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed and headed downstairs again to the family room. I couldn’t get it working either. Damn Time Warner box. More trouble than it’s worth. Have to reset it at least once a week. Back to bed.
Turned out that the Big Bang episode was one I’ve seen previously. I left it play but rolled over face down into my pillow. I fell asleep minutes later.