tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084113444969309072011-11-23T16:04:24.145-05:00Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-70525003253695188042010-11-04T10:56:00.002-04:002010-11-04T11:39:46.018-04:00

Returning to the Rundown after a long season away. Things have been unsettled in the PurpleState of late, and I've had neither the time nor the energy for maintaining this. Apologies and Moving On.The fall racing season culminated with a disappointing marathon performance at Freedom's Run (motto: Freedom Ain't Free!) in Harper's Ferry. The race itself was loverly, well supported and quite

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-44140123069541678692010-05-14T22:12:00.002-04:002010-05-14T22:18:01.120-04:00

This weekend I travelled to Knoxville, TN for the REV 3 Olympic distance triathlon. 1500 meter swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run. The added twist is that when B moved to Texas, he didn’t quite manage to get everything into his shipping crates, and so he rented a one-way U-Haul, which I drove from DC to the race. The drive down was long but uneventful, and I picked B up at the airport late

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-60800880644341347952010-04-26T10:42:00.000-04:002010-04-26T10:48:35.141-04:00

I had an awesome time down in Richmond this weekend -- first, on Saturday when my son ran his first race ever, and then on Sunday when I notched a 5k PR, rode like hell and managed to keep it together on the 2nd run despite massive quad cramps.(A duathlon is a run/bike/run race. Biathlon is skiing and shooting, very different.)The weather threatened to storm on both days, but ultimately the

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-57481918532120953292010-03-26T10:16:00.000-04:002010-03-26T11:10:03.678-04:00

Saturday last, I went downtown for the Nation's Marathon. This was my second time running the race, and my second marathon (my third, part of the Ironman triathlon, doesn't really count when considering "fresh" marathons) ever. As I expressed before the race, I felt prepared; I had run several 20/21 mile "long runs" and felt pretty good about them, my last training run of 15 miles was good, I

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-78259033068686220532010-03-15T11:51:00.002-04:002010-03-15T12:09:58.465-04:00

Five days until the marathon -- I'm feeling a bit sluggish, which is par for the course when you cut back on the frequency and duration of your workouts during the 'taper' period before an "A" race (I'm told). We came down with a nasty head cold here in the Purple household this weekend, but that was a short term thing, happily, and J seems to have dodged it entirely. But the biggest event is

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-22312070515897591202010-03-02T19:01:00.003-05:002010-03-02T19:26:11.922-05:00

And Hey! I am!Yep, I defended my dissertation last week. It went well -- my strategy of scheduling the defense at the unlikely hour of 7:30 am prevented hecklers and kept my committee groggy enough to let me slip through with only minor scrapes. So, I was able to check that off my to-do list. A few more revisions to the diss, and its good to go. If I can figure out how to get the durn thing

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-70844876159291201212010-02-16T09:05:00.002-05:002010-02-16T09:17:46.756-05:00

Not the Olympics, though they are fully awesome, yes? No, I am referring to the trip I took to the great South West (and SW air provided fully awesome travel arrangements, including a change of flights to accommodate snowmaggedon) to give a paper and visit my brother and his family. The paper presentation went well, but the truly magical aspect of the week was getting to spend so much time

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-4730905737163416792010-02-07T17:31:00.003-05:002010-02-07T18:22:20.251-05:00

Hello faithful readers and welcome to another edition of the Rundown! Apologies for the delay, and heck, I even ran a 10 mile race and didn't bother to tell you about it (73:25, 26th of 111, 6 of 16 in my AG). Why? Well, I had a good reason, I think. I was finishing my dissertation.Which was a good thing. Ok, yes -- I have found four things I would have changed or added in the last 48 hours,

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-3419228247217292172010-01-10T15:22:00.006-05:002010-01-10T15:34:29.615-05:00

As the title says, I'm not in Nebraska. I was supposed to be- -but circumstances dictated that I cancel my plans to participate in a fundraiser for the Lincoln Community Playhouse, where, in 1987, I was in a production of A Chorus Line. Blame Facebook for putting all of us in touch with each other, well, really blame some diligent organizing by one of my favoritest people evar. I had printed

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-27645677976261078872009-12-29T09:21:00.003-05:002009-12-29T09:36:16.261-05:00

The Hollandaise were good to the Purplestaters this year -- despite (because of?) an almost total lack of preparation on our part. I mean, for reals -- no tree, presents purchased on the 22nd, no plan for the weekend? How can that work out? Well, my dad decided he wanted to come visit last minute, and the in-laws hosted a feast, and we all got to hang out and have fun. I even watched a good 30

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-18512986996372753162009-11-29T13:47:00.002-05:002009-11-29T14:26:15.900-05:00

I've had more feedback on my last post than any other - except perhaps "If you don't have a dream." As my brother G says, "When you get existential, I get interested." That is probably part of it, and another part is that I published the post as a FB note, and got a lot of comments there as well. Being nothing if not a slut for attention (Hi Landru!) I thought I'd go ahead and work on being

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-33985766109236143872009-11-22T11:32:00.003-05:002009-11-22T11:57:48.241-05:00

So, last weekend I was in Richmond, banging out 13.1 miles in 98 minutes. This morning, I got up and knocked out the same 13.1 in 103 minutes, and you know what? It was a lot easier. Why the heck is that?I know, on an intellectual level, that the delta between running 7:30 a mile and 8:00 translates into that kind of time difference. What still makes me go hrrrrrm is the difference in effort

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-43311654144544879372009-11-16T11:25:00.002-05:002009-11-16T11:43:19.940-05:00

Hello and welcome back to the Rundown! Its been a couple of months off of blogging for me, reflecting my general easing off of the training after IMW. A big picture update, first:The Rundown got a big boost in October when B was hit by a car while in Hawai'i, just days before the race. Tough guy that he is, he actually started the race, but, unable to run a step, DNF'd at mile 16.5, having

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-21136163877872361942009-09-16T20:13:00.005-04:002009-09-16T20:50:46.200-04:00

Four Pics from the race -- passing #1065 on the run, coming across the finish Line w/ time, biking with the Wisconsin capitol in the background, and changing gears in a curve on the bike.After the race, B went to look for his car -- but, in his haste to get to the race start that morning, he had neglected to mentally note which garage he had parked in. Now, after you've done 9 1/2 hours of

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-38170787781803879912009-09-15T19:07:00.004-04:002009-09-15T21:39:23.218-04:00

Done! A Good day all around, and a final time of 11:31:10. 349th out of 2,397 overall, and 63rd out of 415 in the 40-44 men's age group. Here's how the day broke down in numbers for me:Swim - 1:08:11 (predicted - 1:08:30!) T1 - 0:06:32 (predicted - 005:00)Bike - 5:51:32 (predicted - 6:05:00)T2 - 0:03:27 (predicted - 0:05:00)Run - 4:21:28 (predicted - 3:45:45)Short

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-69422665472676716792009-09-12T22:02:00.002-04:002009-09-12T22:06:52.725-04:00

We're as ready as we're going to be. Bikes are checked in. T1 & T2 bags are prepped, marked, and set aside with everyone elses. 2,701 entrants in the race tomorrow. We get in the water @ 6:30 am, and the gun goes off @ 7. Predicitons:Swim: 1:08:30T1: 0:05:00 (no way to know, but its a long way. Could be 6 or 7)Bike: 6:05:00T2: 0:05:00Run: 3:45:45Finishing in 10:59:15, to barely break

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-45355758008902357692009-09-12T00:00:00.006-04:002009-09-12T10:23:23.597-04:00

Swimming on the lake - riding the run course, another trip around the lollipop. We've done some more registration stuff (including a loooong line that nearly made B nuts, and a line so long that he said "screw this" and we went out for food instead of getting the free feed), and have a good idea what to expect from the course on Sunday. Weather should be nice, 78 and partly cloudy.A few pictures,

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-65939423653524329222009-09-09T21:49:00.003-04:002009-09-09T22:20:08.338-04:00

Madison is a cool town. Lots of bike paths, and lots of people using them -- regular folks, not just gearheads and college students. Lots of bike racks for easy parking makes a big difference for bike commuters, I bet.B and I have been around a lot of the town -- on campus of UoW a couple times, once to run on the track for a workout, again today to scope out the big hill on the run course (not

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-22057364491979991512009-09-06T16:41:00.002-04:002009-09-06T16:56:11.334-04:00

Madison, Wisconsin. B and I rolled into town last night about 9:30, driving up from the DC area (overnighted in PA, stopped in Chi for a ~15 mile run around 4:30). Checked into the hotel, and this morning went out and rode the bike course. Well, the 44 miles of the loop. Check it out for yerself. I imagine we'll drive the whole thing at some point this week, just to get a feel for the move

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-55321294155151454152009-08-27T13:15:00.002-04:002009-08-27T13:50:29.987-04:00

In my mind, I have written several witty and profound blog posts, full of existential wisdom and the insight that I have gained in the time since my last entry. Alas, most of these posts were composed at the 3 hour mark of a 7 hour bike ride, and by the time I returned home, ran five miles, showered, and ate, I didn't really have the energy or interest to sit down and put them into print. My

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-16048639802064731002009-07-20T13:46:00.002-04:002009-07-20T14:44:27.200-04:00

Back from beautiful NY state with my first 1/2 Ironman under my belt. Everything went well! I raced as planned, and for those of you who just want a quick rundown, I came in 113th out of 870 overall, 22nd out of 95 in my age group. I finished in 5 hours, 10 minutes, and 19 seconds. Breakdown follows, skip if you want more existential musings which will follow.Arrived in Geneva on Saturday at

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-30199604200090454712009-07-06T13:25:00.003-04:002009-07-06T14:16:06.469-04:00

How you gonna make a dream come true?I've been avoiding writing this post for a couple of weeks now, ever since it really came home to me how tough its been living without the dreams of my youth. Here's how it came down.For about a year we've had trouble - off and on, mostly minor - with Fernando, my late grandmother's 1992 Oldsmobile, with varying levels of anxiety as a result. It being time

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-62663970903697777302009-06-08T13:41:00.003-04:002009-06-08T14:06:27.453-04:00

A Bisy Week, heading into a bisy month.Found a new apartment -- lease signing today, move in furniture June 28, official move in day July 1. Going camping this weekend -- got a big tent set up in the backyard now, going to give it a spin tonite.Heading to Spokane next weekend, for to drive back to DC with a Fernando replacement-mobile, to be named later.Then Moving Day! Zowie, not much time

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-5282338883053363552009-06-03T14:03:00.002-04:002009-06-03T14:29:19.652-04:00

Faithful reader, I have suffered a technological disaster of epic size -- both our phones, our car, and our main computer all went south at the same time! Just around the Reston Sprint Triathlon as well, which was special. Happily, the majority of the tech issues seem to be sorted out, and Fernando is up and running again with a new battery, here's hoping it keeps him happy over the summer. On

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-30927460758055782472009-05-12T09:19:00.003-04:002009-05-12T10:33:08.858-04:00

Ok, that's a bit of a teaser there, in the title.  No real existential angst - or at least none that I am not prepared to cope with.  No, the title here more indicates that I am less interested in blogging about the physical training routine at present than I am the mental training.Ma and I were talking (as one does on Ma Day) and she inquired as to why the desire to beat my body into a puddle of

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-78945128890015395562009-04-19T18:51:00.003-04:002009-04-19T19:54:57.766-04:00

B and I drove to the Belews Lake Triathlon just north of Greensboro NC on Friday.  Fun was had, and nothing truly disastrous happpened until we were just south of Potomac Mills on the way back, Sunday.*  Herein you will learn of the results of the race, my feelings about it as it unfolded, and some analysis of lessons learned.  A.D.D version -- I did well, B did VERY well, and areas on which I

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-16014700266637340622009-04-13T14:16:00.003-04:002009-04-13T14:36:30.852-04:00

"I am NOT soft." I found myself saying yesterday.Ok, good hook, now, to make it sound somewhat less like a "This has never happened to me before honest!" moment . . ."I am NOT weak." I found myself saying yesterday, as I sucked down a pint of fluid.Not quite right, somehow . . . "DAMN, I feel a lot worse than I think I ought to." I wiped the sweat off on a towel and untied my running shoes.

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-69516284067032134232009-04-07T08:23:00.007-04:002009-04-07T09:16:44.614-04:00

M and I have been married 13 years. Woot! All good times. Well. Ya know. On balance, Many many more good times than otherwise. Shutting up now.Had an interesting conversation though, about having another kid. I like to joke that I've been fighting a holding action from "no children," but that's not really the case. I've been agnostic on the subject of more kids, letting the chips, as it

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-11273239258859065682009-03-22T08:43:00.007-04:002009-03-24T19:20:03.812-04:00

4:30 AM yesterday, my alarm went off.  I made me some oatmeal, and B was at the backdoor.  We drove around the beltway to RFK, drove around RFK several times trying to find the parking lot where we were supposed to be, and then parked the car at 5:20.  Only 100 minutes before the starting gun.  That would have been about right for a triathlon . . . as B observed, while we were waiting in the car

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-61900667368851236872009-03-17T12:28:00.002-04:002009-03-17T12:42:52.635-04:00

Its Spring Break here, as well as the last week before the marathon.  Consequently, I have been getting tons of research done.  Thats the good news.  The less good news is that I'm not quite sure yet how all the research is going to fit into the dissertation.  So, starting tomorrow, the job is to stop doing research and start writing again.  With luck, the research will filter through and onto

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-59017267472787630032009-03-07T15:16:00.004-05:002009-03-07T15:31:31.692-05:00

As I type, M, valiant spouse of Purplestate, is competing against hundreds of others in a dance contest.  Hold your horses, there, petey.  This isn't nothing to be ashamed of (as if you have any shame), this is West Coast Swing.   Follow the link to see video of our good friends, Angel and Debbie, doing a WCS competition routine last January.Now, M isn't doing anything easy like a prepared

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-62557392142257010412009-02-28T15:40:00.002-05:002009-02-28T16:06:07.659-05:00

After last week's successful 1/2 marathon -- 1:40:10 -- the McMillian running calculator predicted that I would be able (all things being equal) to run a marathon in 3:31:15, at a pace of 8:04 minutes per mile. Today, instead of going to Charlottesville to play diplomacy with my friends, I set out to do a proof-of-concept run; 20 miles at 8:04 per mile. I also enlisted the aid of my family - M

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-29801623768735772352009-02-23T11:25:00.002-05:002009-02-23T12:04:56.234-05:00

On Sunday, I ran in the Colonial 1/2 marathon in Williamsburg, VA. It went well! I wanted to run an average of 7:45 per mile, finishing somewhere near 1 hour 42 mins. I actually ran 1:40:10, averaging 7:38 per mile, so woot! The race was unusual in several respects: it was 3 hours away, and started at 1 in the afternoon. The course was very rolling hilly, and had several different surfaces -

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-28192400463152262932009-02-06T12:50:00.003-05:002009-02-06T13:36:23.061-05:00

These two things that are only proximate because I experienced them within a 18-hour span; despite the easy opportunity to take a swing at restoration comedy, I can happily say that the CSC's production of The Country Wife was very good.The dental surgery went well too -- and, now I KNOW that I would rather sit through three hours of Wycherly than have my gums cut open. I suspected as much, but

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-15008969821848383852009-01-28T13:05:00.002-05:002009-01-28T13:39:03.525-05:00

I know this is tough for some of you out there -- but we haven't had any snow here in DC this winter. Finally, yesterday, we got 2 inches, and then last night a coat of freezing rain to go on top of it. J finally got out on the sled, and since we have an awesome hill right behind our house, much fun was had.And, bonus! Its about 40 today, so the ice wasn't a big threat. J did get a 5 day

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-72498702814753300892009-01-16T20:10:00.002-05:002009-01-16T20:40:58.551-05:00

When you're hella bisy!  Several things to report:1)  I ran in a 10 mile race last weekend.  1:17:27, official time.  That breaks down into 7:45/mi, which is faster than anticipated by a good 15 seconds/mile.  The course, in Wilmington, Delaware was fast -- slight uphill out for miles 3/4/ 5, then a flat 6/7, and bang back downhill for 8/9.  In mile 10 there was a brutal uphill which very nearly

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-22777291152568268832009-01-04T12:47:00.003-05:002009-01-04T13:00:38.090-05:00

Sometimes catblogging just has to be done, and it has been brought to my attention that such meanderings might "turn off" some of my readers, who have trouble parsing "kthxbai" into "pleased to have such a welcome social encounter, thank you ever so much for your always quality time, farewell until the tides of fortune bring us together again, an event for which I cannot but have anything less

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-73159416425494215802008-12-30T23:43:00.001-05:002008-12-30T23:45:51.078-05:00

donworri jinjer, we iz r heer 2 hlpu!meen ppls stop! stop blurring jinjer!

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-3629360459929779842008-12-20T19:48:00.003-05:002008-12-20T20:58:38.874-05:00

The Punisher: War Zone is an . . . interesting movie. As much as I don't care for the word "interesting" as a descriptor, I am going to have to go with it, as the movie is both good and bad, in ways that are somewhat difficult to describe. I think the short form would be this -- if you are a fan of the comic, and want to see the comic faithfully transcribed to the screen, you will not be

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-17453436557067891622008-12-17T16:44:00.003-05:002008-12-17T17:08:52.226-05:00

So, B told me that today I could choose my poison -- either a 3k race at noon, or 10x400 relay tonight in Virginia. No fool I, I chose the 3k.As you know, faithful reader, I have been training to run 8 minute miles. 3000 meters = 1.86411358 miles, as any decent google calculator will tell you. So, I should run it in about fifteen minutes, or a bit less. That was my goal.We got down to the

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-10758519393398406642008-12-13T18:34:00.004-05:002008-12-13T18:50:48.759-05:00

This was a productive week. Although I did not run as much as I would have liked, I did get a lot of writing done, and the quality of said writing seems to be pretty darn high. As an added bonus, I think I have found my smoking gun.As you, faithful reader, know, I contend that the Waltz became the sine qua non of ballroom dancing at/around the turn of the century, in response to the increased

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-3188495541520731972008-12-06T12:53:00.002-05:002008-12-06T13:35:50.058-05:00

10K in Fairfax, VA: 51:30. Not as fast as I wanted to go, but cold (22 degrees at start time) and hilly. I actually ran 7:50s for the first two miles, before I was able to get a reliable mile marker; I slowed down too much -- 9:13 on the next mile, and then clawed my way back. 8:45 for mile 4, and 8:15s on miles 5 and 6. If I had managed to hold something in the high eights for mile 3, I

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-31226715184554381382008-12-02T09:30:00.007-05:002008-12-02T10:13:15.726-05:00

That, it seems, is the question in my class this semester. We have been looking at race and sex in theatre and film, and the big question that we've been grappling with has to do with this -- is your race/sex something that you ARE, or is it something that you DO?http://www.qwantz.com/archive/000514.htmlConsider the qualities: black/white/yellow/blue/gay/straight/bi/male/female/transgender -- are

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-13885293634865316552008-11-28T14:39:00.003-05:002008-11-28T15:04:20.505-05:00

I have attended two funerals this week -- one expected, one unexpected. Additionally, an uncle in Nevada passed away, finally succumbing to the cancer that started in his lungs and gradually spread throughout his body. Don't smoke, kids! It aint worth it!Despite the modicum of despair that I feel whenever mortality is rampant, I have felt tremendously thankful of late. For my wonderful wife,

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-39555113660241011982008-11-20T10:47:00.003-05:002008-11-20T11:05:27.834-05:00

So, after the 10K sunday, took monday off, then ran 45 minutes down 16th street, (23 out, 22 back). That works out to be about 4.8 miles. Yesterday, took the Metro to VA where I ran a track workout -- 5x400, 4 mins per (8 min miles) with 200 easy jog between. 1 mile warmup/cooldown, 5 miles net.So, this track is in VA, right? 45 minutes to get there, 90 minutes home, and I functionally ran by

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-79337090840771038212008-11-16T18:04:00.002-05:002008-11-16T18:14:40.275-05:00

Not next week. So, here goes:My time: 52min 25sec. That is close enough to running 8min 20 second miles that we're going to call it that. There were no mile markers on the course, which was fairly hilly, especially at the turn around point, so I have a hard time being more accurate than that about the splits, I had myself at 25m45s at the turn around, which is close enough to half that I am

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-2409434381190162012008-11-14T15:43:00.003-05:002008-11-14T16:11:28.375-05:00

Well, its gone several places, and its luggage went to a few others, but now time (Tie-muh) and its many-legged luggage are reunited and ready to get back to the illusion that existence is sequencial.Me? I've been to Boston, for a professional conference. It went well, thank you, but I was sick the whole dang time I was there. That kind of miserable, hacking cough that doesn't produce any phlegm.

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-49468526158741079452008-11-02T12:48:00.003-05:002008-11-02T12:57:42.397-05:00

Finished the edits on Chapter one this week, and got two more job apps in -- all in a week with three grown up and two child halloween parties! That's progress!Ran 15 easy minutes on Tuesday, then went to a track to meet a local group of runners, along with B. That was interesting -- I ran by myself, as I got stuck in traffic and was just warming up when the group took off. I think there might

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-57708426033973813342008-10-27T20:27:00.002-04:002008-10-27T21:24:27.698-04:00

One of the great pleasures of teaching undergraduate college students is killing of grandmothers. Figuratively speaking, of course -- but my goodness, these kids go to a lot of funerals. Also, creative illnesses, car trouble, pet difficulties, and -=- to the point of our title, mis-read assignments.Today's winner comes to us from a genuinely smart kid, who knew that the assignment was to read

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-9177066610818799032008-10-23T09:32:00.003-04:002008-10-23T10:06:41.605-04:00

So, as the end of the grad school experience approaches, I have begun to apply to jobs -- first packet went out on Tuesday. I am of decidedly mixed emotions about this moment. I love the place we are living, really enjoy being in a city with M's family nearby and friends-a-plenty, and the stable environment / awesome school system has been great for J. On the other hand, I want a friggin job.

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-43520183231259661482008-10-20T11:29:00.002-04:002008-10-20T11:52:01.808-04:00

This weekend was mostly dedicated to finishing an article for a conference I am attending in November. That got done -- and those pages will almost certainly end up in the dissertation in some form, so that was good work. I posted those pages to the interwebs on Sunday.On Friday, ran 40 minutes in the Park with McAsian, a fellow grad; the weather has just turned brisk, and it was a beautiful

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-70936349553809375132008-10-16T09:53:00.004-04:002008-10-16T16:30:07.816-04:00

First things first:Ran 3.4 miles in 25 mins on Tuesday, on the treadmill with B. Started at 8:00/mi, and held that for 15 mins, then upped it to 7:30 for 8 mins, then ran the last 90 seconds at 6:39. So that was good -- I haven't tried to run that fast for that kind of distance before, and while I was puffing by the end, I wasn't completely shot.Yesterday B and I met at the track behind my house

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-90152995589318718972008-10-08T11:32:00.004-04:002008-10-08T11:44:42.171-04:00

So, had the big sit down with the Advisor yesterday about the draft of chapter one. Good news -- its not bad! Bad news -- it still needs a lot of work I guess I can live with that, as the work that IS there seems to be on the right track. I tend to hack out sections of a larger piece, then try to fit those sections together in a sensible manner. Accordingly, most of the feedback was that I

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-52108393076898152302008-10-06T16:52:00.003-04:002008-10-06T18:04:46.980-04:00

I ran 20 minutes Sunday, after the long ride on Saturday. Taking it easy, but not wanting to let up completely. I'm going to roust J to get his bike and run again when I post this. So, another 20min run today (Edit: 20 mins: Run four minutes, then a 45 second sprint, repeat with no rest).Beyond the run, Sunday was also tremendously productive; I spent the day working over my first chapter draft

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-47283323950507005802008-10-04T23:05:00.002-04:002008-10-05T13:40:57.063-04:00

B and I rode out of Rock Creek Park today, logged about 28 miles, give or take. Beautiful day for a ride. I'm sore as hell, but that's to be expected after a month+ off the bike.

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-59171870348753450572008-10-03T12:00:00.006-04:002008-10-05T13:40:37.299-04:00

One of the interesting thing about being a researcher is finding out when people have made stuff up. This has happened twice now, and this time I was able to track down what happened. Makes for an interesting story (for a given value of interesting, mind you).Chapter one of my dissertation is about the Cakewalk. Accordingly, I have looked at many different scholarly articles that have dealt with

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-608411344496930907.post-9291670324977174302008-10-01T16:35:00.002-04:002008-11-13T03:01:01.427-05:00

Welcome to Rundown in Progress, a blog inspired by recording Purplestate's quixotic pursuit of B's status as the fastest triathalete in the PT&KS.A few introductions are in order. I am Purplestate. I began training for triathlons in November of 2007, and ran my first race in April of 2008. The race was .5 mile swim, 30 mile bike, and a 4.2 mile run. I finished in 138th place, with a time of 2:31:

Purplestatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12574022901962339591noreply@blogger.com2