Hand-knit running garb

Don's collection of hand knits for running is growing. He needed another hat because the Well-received hat grows like crazy in the rain. He wore it in a rainy six-mile race and was in danger of running blind because it got so long.

I improvised this slightly smaller, ribby version out of the last of the Elann Superwash Worsted (discontinued) left over from the Argyle Man sweater. The Well-received hat is still useful for dry weather or sitting in a cold house.


I like these mittens. They're a generic mitten I improvised after looking at a few patterns. I made right and left hands because I think it's more comfortable to have the thumb offset rather than sticking straight out from the side. The gusset starts about 55% from the start (or end) of the round.

They are light but plenty warm enough. Anything thicker would be too warm for running in our climate. I finished them just before Christmas when the weather here was unusually cold, 10 or more degrees below freezing. I confess that I took them on a 14-mile test run before wrapping them up for Don. My hands were really cold ,and I only had polyester or acrylic gloves. I did wash them afterwards!

I knit them with Austermann Step, a lovely sock yarn. I bought it years ago and nearly feinted when the clerk gave me the total for 2 skeins. It was over $40. Since then, I've become more accustomed to the price of yarn, but for a long time I couldn't think of a worthy project for such costly materials.

I think this was the right choice. Warm hands on a long winter run are deserving of a little luxury.

Compartmentalizing

In Alexander McCall Smith's novel Love Over Scotland, one of the characters muses how a friend has become tiresome. This friend became an "enthusiastic jogger," placed 52nd in a big-city race, and could no longer hold a conversation that didn't involve long-winded discussions about running.

That passage in the book made me laugh. I recognized myself in the running-preoccupied friend. I try not to talk about running too much, but it's hard. I think about it a lot. I could say the same about knitting.

I don't want to give up blogging about either topic because writing about a thing helps me to think about the thing. Also, I need to keep a detailed running log because my memory is bad.

I've started another blog to keep track of my running. Mostly, it will be of no interest to anyone but me and maybe one other person. Still, knowing that anyone could read it will keep me motivated to proofread and practice the correct use of commas.

Now this blog can be devoted to more knitterly things.

My Lucky Hat

The field in today’s Vancouver Fall 5 Miler was lucky; the rain poured down before the race and picked up again afterwards. Conditions during the run were good, no real rain, no real wind, just lots of wet leaves cushioning the path.

I had a bit of extra luck today, too. I got a blue ribbon. That’s always fun.

The course was flat, two loops through Marine Park and out along the riverfront past zillion-dollar condos with zillion-dollar views of the Columbia R.

I started too fast and drooped the last couple of miles. I’m still learning to pace. “Still learning” means I stink at it.

Last night, I reread the chapter called “Mental Training” in the racing book Don gave me. After reading this, I was determined to have a steely enough mind to make up for my lack of speed conditioning and running talent. This really didn’t work.

It did succeed in giving me monkey mind for the rest of the night. I tossed and turned, trying to come up with affirmations and anything else that might help with the discomfort of trying to run fast. Finally, I gave up on that and switched to inventing affirmations for falling asleep.

I’m still learning how to suffer (see above definition of “still learning.”) I’m getting a little better, I think. I tried to push through the discomfort and not let fatigue take too much of a toll. Don calls this “paying the price.”

For what it’s worth, I have a raw throat from gasping for breath. At one point, I thought I would puke. I told myself, unless I really did puke, I wouldn’t slow down. I think the imagery of that distracted me for a couple of seconds. Probably lost some time there.

I finished in an OK time, though. My pace was about the same as my 10k pr from a few months ago. A bug got lodged in my eye.

I’m always freezing after I run, so I piled on my sweats, parka, and a hat I knit last fall. I think it's just fine to wear stupid-looking hats. The stupider, the better, really. I feel satisfied that I’m able to combine a running post with a knitting FO post.

I'd like to apologize for the following boring post

Tomorrow, I’m set to run in a 15k. Yesterday, I hurt my back. As of today, I’m too sore to sit for more than 30 minutes at a time or to even attempt running.

The funny thing is, my stiff back may be a knitting injury. There’s nothing more unhealthy than sitting. It not only makes your hips large and flabby but stiff and tight. I haven’t figured out how to knit without sitting, though. And, I’m eager to finish my current project, the cabled hoodie.

Then again, I may have done damage to myself by running fast on pavement Wednesday. I just felt so good; the air was crisp, the sun was shining.

All I know is that Thursday, I woke up crippled and crimped and thought to straighten myself out with a cautious walk/jog on the treadmill. As I felt better, I sped up, ignored the twinges in my back, and did a few short strides of 30 to 60 seconds. This was a mistake.

Sometimes the runner’s high is a bad thing; you don’t notice the impending catastrophe. If I feel OK, I’ll run tomorrow. It’s going to be a mild October day in a park by a lake, so even if I don’t run, I’ll be on the sidelines cheering Don. It’ll be fun.

Calm after the storm

Last night and today the first of the season’s big storms blew through. I love to run after a night of wind and rain. The ground is soft and the air is fresh. Less hardy walkers and runners are scared off by the prospect of more rain.

The empty trails are especially welcome on a Saturday morning when running on a narrow track can be more like dodging and weaving. On sunny days, the trails are crowded with baby-strollers, dogs, and the obliviati with headphones and cell phones (did I just make-up a word?).

Autumn really is the most beautiful time for both running and knitting: it’s warm enough to run in shorts and cold enough to anticipate sweater weather.

I ran six miles between systems. (I’m not so hardy that I like to run during a storm.) Then, I settled in for an afternoon of knitting.

I think I’ll use these clasps instead of the wood buttons I originally planned on. I love moss stitch for its texture and simplicity. It adds depth and sheen to otherwise matte yarn (Cascade 220, cranberry). But, now that I’m nearing the end of this moss-stitch-heavy project, I’m looking forward to knitting something more involved. Something lacy, or cabled, or both.

My hometown

I few weeks ago Don and I took a trip to Port Townsend, WA, where I grew up. Half my childhood was spent walking on this beach. I've no idea who that mystery guy is in the black, but the seagull and rock are old, old friends. The other half of my time was spent wandering around downtown among those old buildings pictured in the header. (The third half was wasted parked in front of the T.V. watching bad 70's shows.)
Here's the inside of one those old buildings, the Palace Hotel. The hotel was great, but didn't have a hairdryer, therefore, my head is lumpy. I think I'll start carrying a fan as a prop during photo shoots. The thumb-hooked-in-pocket is getting really old.
Here's the paper mill where my father and grandfather worked. It's not as smelly as it used to be. If I ever run for public office, this mill will figure heavily in my self-narrative: "I'm the son of a mill worker. I know what it means to work long, hard days, to come home at night stinking of pulp and paper and grease, to ache from the never-ending, backbreaking labor that sucks the life out of a man before he's 30!!!...or, at least my father does..."

After drifting away from P.T. on the Keystone Ferry, we headed to Bellingham for a couple of days. I found a used copy of E.Z.'s Knitter's Almanac for $3.75 at Michael's Books. Very satisfying.

And, we ran in the Fairhaven Runners Waterfront 15k. I didn't feel prepared for the distance, but ran better than I thought I would. I finished in 1:17:51, by my watch. The chip-time added 9 seconds. Screw the chip! Don's watch agreed with mine.
Even though I tried my best not to die on this hill around mile 9, an older man passed me on the way up. That's his elbow in the foreground. Later, when his name and age were called out as the winner for his age group, I learned he was 70. (Do you think I should buy a 5x7 print of this photo for $10?)

Here's my latest project. Someday soon it will be a hoodie. But right now, it's mainly just a thorn in my side because of my tendency knit slower than rust.

Woodland creatures

At last, at long, long last, I've finished the pattern for the Kelso Cardigan. I loaded the file into my ravelry store and....nothing showed up. So, I'll give it a day to see if the problem is resolved. If not, I'll have to go the email-pdf-after-payment route.

To celebrate, I went for a run. The trail was wet, and it was lovely to run on. As I rounded a corner, a doe was stepping lightly along the edge of the woods. She was used to people and didn't start at the sight of me, just walked off to meet her friend among the trees.  His rust-colored velvety horns were just emerging. Autumn is almost here.

Junuary becomes June

Wasn't there once a transitional period between winter and summer? I think it was called spring. Anyway, after months of wet, cool weather, this week it got hot.

Today was 101 F. The heat is making me dream weird.

Dream #1: Someone bludgeons Ziggy. I'm running around with him in my arms trying to staunch the bleeding and get him to the hospital.

Dream #2: Another cat, who looks just like Ziggy except that he is black, tries to pass himself off as the real Ziggy. I am tipped off to the scheme when I see both cats in the same room, and by the the fact that Ziggy is a Seal Point Siamese not a black cat. Alarmed, I try to chase the black cat out the back door. Then I realize I'm not sure which cat is the impostor.

What kind of lame dreams are those? If I have to wake up hot and bothered, why do I also have to feel ashamed at the ridiculousness of my dreaming. I blame Ziggy. He was sleeping next to my shins the whole time I dreamt, hooking me with his after-stretching retracting claws. Why can't he stay on his side of the bed?

Knitting update: I'm working on my first pair of socks. I started with a lacey pattern, but decided what I really wanted was a plain, straight-stitch footie. I finally got past the heel on the first one after 4 false starts.

Why today was great

I ran 53 minutes, including some pretty nice hills, and nothing hurt that wasn't supposed to hurt. Running down a hill, I felt a twinge on the ball of my right foot, but it went away after I adjusted my stride. I tried to soak in a bath of cold water after, but I'm too wimpy to go deeper than my ankles.

My remedy for sore feet is still ice, elevation, and knitting.

What would Ricardo Montalbán do?

Ricardo Montalbán as Khan Noonien Singh in the Star Trek episode "Space Seed."*

As a kid, I watched more episodes of the Merv Griffin show than was healthy. It was there, I think, that I heard Ricardo Montalbán say, he had long ago given up on hopes and dreams because they led to disappointment. He tried to be happy with the roles that came his way.

He was probably playing Mr. Roarke on “Fantasy Island” at the time. I can see how, under the circumstances, his was a healthy attitude. I myself, have, for several decades, enthusiastically been living a life of low expectations. For me, fatalism leads to serenity. Whenever I temporarily get ambitious and try for something better, I go mad.

So, I hope it is more a paradox and less a sign of impending insanity, that I’ve lately been engaged in activities that require a good amount of striving and a fair degree of hope for a happy ending.

I’m over-dramatizing. Here are my two modest dreams.

1) To design a good sweater and share the pattern with the blogosphere,
2) To finish a half marathon without walking, crying, or swearing-off running (swearing and cursing during the race will be allowed when warranted).

To make my dreams come true, I’m in training. The half marathon training is predictable: more mileage, strength workouts, etc. It’s too boring, really, to write about here.

I’ve also completed my first totally-from-scratch sweater. It’s not the “good sweater” I’m working towards, but, more like a useful experiment. I’ll have more details and a photo as soon as it’s blocked.

Facts about Ricardo Montalbán that I learned from Wikipedia and Don:

1. Ricardo Montalbán’s full name is, Ricardo Gonzálo Pedro Montalbán Merino. Merino? Cool!
   
   
2. It’s been rumored that to achieve a buff look, Mr. Montalbán wore a prosthetic chest during the filming of “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” These rumors were denied by Leonard Nimoy in his book “I am Spock.” To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Don and I rented Star Trek II. If Mr. Montalbán’s chest was enhanced, in my opinion, it was only with bronzer and strategically placed duct tape.
   
   
3. In 1984, Mr. Montalbán visited the restaurant, La Pinata (or something like that), in Bellingham, WA, while filming a commercial for the Chyrsler Cordoba. He ordered a chimichanga. Don, who was then a fresh-faced reporter, interviewed the perfectly coifed star on location. Mr. Montalbán was exceedingly gracious.

* Paramount Pictures and/or CBS Studios This image is copyrighted, but used here under Fair Use guidelines.

10k in the snow?

Don and I are "racing" tomorrow in the Running of the Fools 10k in Longview. I thought the hardest part would be the distance. Now, I think running in the snow and sleet will turn out to be the harsh part. It's snowed the last two mornings.

When it wasn't snowing, it was raining, except when it was hailing.

Blossoms in snow are pretty.

We won’t need to put ice in our hats to keep from overheating. Hope they’ll serve hot cocoa and muffins after the race.

Monday's post

Must Have Cardigan Update
One sleeve is complete. This sleeve is also my test swatch. It is now pinned to a damp towel, working like the devil to live up to expectations by drying to the desired dimensions. I don’t have a picture of this. It is not visually stimulating.

Spring Training Update
Today was day two of week three of spring training 2008. I made some progress. I felt, for the first time this year, that today’s five mile run was no more strenuous than a sneeze. OK, two sneezes. Well, maybe three sneezes in rapid succession.

Training stats for the first three weeks

1. Miles run: 53, give or take


2. Non-running stuff: miscellaneous weights, yoga, and ab exercises. Ab exercises are totally ineffective for me, but I continue doing them out of pure lunacy.


3. Injuries: Two blisters. Weird collapsing arch and weak ankle, both cured by an afternoon of knitting with raised feet.


4. Disturbing incidents: discovered a hole in the seat of running pants—the day after wearing them. Gaggle of kids poking a stick into bushes next to running trail, one of them saying, “Don’t tell Mom.”


5. Three episodes of breaking training during week two:
   
   a. While at Fred Meyer looking for the latest issue of Interweave Knits, purchased a bag of Cadbury chocolate eggs. The eggs were later consumed at my residence, while knitting something (I forget what).
   
   b. At the Hotel Oregon, a shared order of chips with spinach, artichoke, and sour cream dip.
   
   c. At the Red Fox Bakery, inhaled a large cinnamon snail. A cinnamon snail is a hybrid between a cinnamon roll and a croissant. A cinnamon snail is very delicious.
   
   d. Baked and ate some peanut butter cookies. This doesn’t count as the fourth breakdown. Cookies are part of my training regimen.


6. Successes: met running goals despite being loaded down with chocolate and whatnot.

Dazed spring approaches

Knitting doesn’t do a body good. It’s quite good for the brain and the soul, but months of satisfying winter knitting, along with the chocolate that fuels the knitting, has left me tipping toward the rotund. If one spends all one’s time playing with yarn, there just isn’t time for hours of fartleking over woodland trails, tempo runs, intervals, lsd’s, and all the other rot required to stay in peak physical condition.

So, last week, I put down the needles and began spring training.

The first week went fairly well (20 miles). This week has been tough, but today I was inspired by the sight of a bald eagle soaring low over the lake. It looked free and mighty. My spirits rose.

For awhile, all burdens fell away. I was light on my feet. Small birds twittered in the bush, and I remembered that spring rabbits would soon be hopping down the bunny trail. Ah, bunnies, birdies, and eagles soaring low…RUN, BUNNIES, RUN!!! Well, that’s the circle of life.


Today, I cast on the sleeve of the Must Have Cardigan (in Patons Street Smart booklet). I wouldn’t have thought of knitting it, but the stitches looked so great on Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee’s blog, that I decided to do a knit-along with her. I hope that’s not creepy, or anything, doing an unsolicited knit-along.