LOST With Elizabeth - Season 2, Disc 2

Changes to previous answers are highlighted.

Disc 2 Questions

Where did "The Others" take the other 9 Tailies?
Where ever Ethan took Claire. And I think Claire met some of them before she lost her memory. There's nothing to remind her of that so she can't get her memory back.

Was that really Walt?
No.

Does absence make the heart grow fonder? [Sun and Jin and Bernard and Rose]
Yes.

Will Sawyer make a full recovery?
Yes but his left arm will be weaker than it was.

Are they more connected than they think? [Jack and Ana Lucia]
Yes.

Disc 1 Questions

What have the Tailies been through the last 48 days?
Well they were on the beach then they went in the jungle.

What happens if they don't push the button before the time runs out? [in the Hatch]
The electromagnetic thing turns off. But nothing other than that.

Is a reunion in store for Bernard and Rose?
Yes.

Was Jack and Desmond's previous meeting a mere coincidence...?
No.

... or is it fate? [the meeting of Jack and Desmond]
I wouldn't say fate but it wasn't a coincidence. It was half in-between.

Dreary and Weary

Today's run was uplifting. But it all came crashing to an end when I stopped moving for some reason. It was as if my coffee meter was broken and I didn't know I was on empty. So I'm refueling now and I'll be back in on that runner's high soon enough.

Runner's high. Coffee. Like chasing the dragon.

Anyway, today's run was great. Weather was a little lousy with tons of cloud and overcast and a little too warm but it was still decent enough for a trek through the trees. I started out with nothing but some coffee in my belly and a goal to reach the river. I changed my destination mid-stride though and ended up going to a different beach and I'm glad I did. I got to see some different scenery.

Along the way today, I filmed. A lot. Or at least a lot more than normal. I typically don't film while I run because, well, who wants to see all that? Today was more of a gear test and a chance for me to get used to the technical aspects of hauling around a camera and gimbal. Not to mention continuing to move forward along the trail and not trip.

Outside of that, the run was pretty uneventful. Just a typical trail run that was more of a gravel road than a trail.

Weather:
Temps were about 70F. Sky was overcast. No wind. Humidity was low.

Fluids and Fuel:
Before the run I had coffee. During the run I had plain water. Recovery was two eggs, four sausage, two waffles, and an English muffin. And more coffee.

Aches and Pains:
None.

Gear:
Wore shorts, t-shirt, hat. Also wore my Nathan hydration vest and packed along my GoPro Karma Grip and an extra camera.

Today's Motivation:
Yesterday was very sunny but very warm. So I stayed inside to beat the heat even though I wanted to run in the sun. Today was gloomy but cooler so I beat feet and enjoyed my time outside.

Naughty Neil:
Doing okay diet wise. Eating right and proportionally but sometimes I just feel the need to have some sour cream and onion potato chips. Even though I don't need them and should have grapes or apple slices instead.

Splits:
Outbound - 31:08
Inbound - 31:12
Finish - 1:02:20 (oddly even splits considering outbound is all downhill and I stopped to film in both directions)

40 Years Ago Today - September 24, 1977

No surprise here. It's an ear infection (otitis media) again.

LOST With Elizabeth - Season 2, Disc 1

Changes to previous answers are highlighted.

Disc 1 Questions

What have the Tailies been through the last 48 days?
They've been through sort of the same thing but they haven't....they don't know what the Smoke Monster is. They haven't encountered it. They've made use of their shelter.

What happens if they don't push the button before the time runs out? [in the Hatch]
The electromagnetic thing turns off. But nothing other than that.

Is a reunion in store for Bernard and Rose?
Yes.

Was Jack and Desmond's previous meeting a mere coincidence...?
No.

... or is it fate? [the meeting of Jack and Desmond]
I wouldn't say fate but it wasn't a coincidence. It was half in-between.

LOST With Elizabeth - Season 1, Disc 7

Changes to previous answers are highlighted.

Disc 7 Questions
There were no questions! Boo! But we did revisit the questions listed below.

Disc 6 Questions

Is she there to help or does she have other intentions? [Danielle]
She is there to help herself get Alex back.

Will they find help? [the people on the raft]
They did but it wasn't exactly help. But they may find more people.

Where is the black smoke coming from?
From the fire on the other side of the island.

Will Dr. Arzt's knowledge be helpful?
Yeah. He may not be but his knowledge will be.

Will dynamite open the hatch?
Sort of. It will create some impact and from there they will somehow be able to open the hatch.

Disc 5 Questions

How will Shannon handle Boone's death?
Not very well at first.

Who will help Locke open the hatch now?
Hurley. Jack. Danielle. Dr. Arzt. Kate. Well not Dr. Arzt anymore And Danielle left. They both technically helped.

Will the new raft make it off the island?
Yes.

Will Jack find Locke...?
Yes.

... And what will he do if he does? [Jack]
Locke will go through the Jack Treatment. It's hard to describe but Jack will ask him a question and Locke will try to answer and Jack will start yelling and I don't know after that.

What do these numbers mean? [4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42]
They mean something good has happened but in return something bad will happen or in their case several bad things.

Disc 4 Questions

Will the raft get them off the island?
It will get them off the island but they'll end up coming back like Gilligan's Island. The entire raft that was built [the first one] won't get them off the island, but the stuff that was left over will help.

Where did Ethan come from?
From the whisperers. Also known as the Others. Also known as the Smoke Monster.

Why is Walt "special?"
It's when he's mad that bad stuff happens.

If he is not the real Sawyer ... who is? [shrimp stand guy in Australia]
It was the shrimp guy, he's just good at acting.

Where was Claire?
Ethan made some sort of concoction, like Locke made for Boone, and made Claire lose her memory. And he let her free hoping to get her back and to see what's going on in the camps. So Claire would be a spy but with no previous memory.

Disc 3 Questions

Why is the airplane so important to Kate?
Because it was her childhood sweetheart's. They dug it up in the time capsule.

Is Rose right about her husband?
Yes.

Are they more than "just friends?" [Sayid and Shannon]
Yes.

And what does her brother think of it? [Boone]
Well he doesn't really have a say anymore [he died].

Why was it so important for Claire to fly on Flight 815?
I think he [the psychic] can see what can happen to people. At least until they change their mind. Like Alice from Twilight.

Where is Claire?
The French woman and Ethan aren't working together but they know each other are on the island. Claire escaped Ethan but was captured by the French woman.

Disc 2 Questions

Who attacked Sayid?
Locke. John Locke.

A friendship or more? [Sun and Michael]
Just friends.

What will he find? [Sayid]
He found the French woman [Danielle].

Will the survivors ever find more food?
Yes.

Who is the real Sawyer?
I think it was the shrimp guy but he was very good at acting.

Will life be better at the caves?
About the same but Charlie and Jack will be there [that's a good thing].

Disc 1 Questions

How did John end up in the wheel chair?
I don't know because I don't think that [the last answer] is the answer anymore.

What's wrong with Sun's marriage?
She wasn't really excited about getting married and didn't know how to break the news and isn't telling him everything and he doesn't like that.

Where did Locke learn to hunt?
More his father than the Boy Scouts.

Why was Jack in Australia?
Finding or trying to find his father.

What did Kate do?
She did rob the bank. She didn't take money but she took the plane. She had the key but it still counts as robbery because she forced the guy to open the box. She was also on the run before they dug up the time capsule so she did something else but I don't know what.

Where is the transmission coming from?
It's in the cloud monster thing where it [the smoke monster] lives.

Will Charlie kick the habit?
Yes and I say that because it did show the lady thing [the Virgin Mary] but I think that's there to remind him that he kicked the habit so he doesn't do it again.

2017 Yankees In Falmouth Canon Run Race Report

It's been a long time since I've been unable to sleep the night before a race. My nerves usually kill me but I think last night it was just too hot in the house. It's right in that funny time of year where you want the air on during the day and the heat on at night. We started the fireplace in the basement last night and let it run a bit so it really warmed up the rest of the house. Woof was it warm!

Anyway, I woke up a few minutes before my alarm feeling tired. Took a quick shower and headed out the door. I knew I was early but I found out the night before the race that it wasn't exactly where I thought it would be. It was across the river in a different park. It wasn't a big deal but it threw me for a tiny loop because I had to change my mental visualization of where I'd be running. The night before was also the first time I saw the race route and didn't really get a good feel for it until I looked at the map this morning before the race. Again, not a big deal, just some mental adaptation that I needed to do.

I pulled into the park where they had shuttles running to the Start/Finish but I opted to walk the quarter mile down the trail instead. It was probably faster and I felt more connected to my "stuff." I walked down, checked in early, and then headed back up the steep hill to my car. I chilled out, pinned my bib on, and loaded up on coffee, applesauce, and my GenUCAN bar.

When the time came, I stripped down to my race clothes and headed to the Start line. I was way early but it gave me plenty of time to hit the porta-john and warm up in the sun. Saw some of my co-workers, a few other runners I know, and watched the Confederate re-enactors prepare for the canon start. The National Anthem played and I have to say, it's depressing when RWB runners don't even remove their hat for the anthem. At least Ashland Dave understands.

We lined up at the Start line, got startled by the canon (even though we were expecting it), and headed off down River Road. We went all the way to Route 3 then turned back towards the Pratt Park entrance. It was pretty level with a few rollers in there. I made up a lot of time running the tangents on the curves but I'm sure the people behind me thought I was drunk. The hill going into Pratt Park was brutal and it came just before the 2 mile mark. After hiking up the hill, things evened out but the rollers were still there. Saw a young kid take a spill on the sharp turn in the gravel but he bounced right back up and kept running.

I skipped the water table and tagged onto the back of two other guys keeping a steady pace. We leapfrogged constantly as I would run down the hills, walk up the hills, and take a few walking breaks in between. We hit the 3 mile mark and headed back down the steep hill out of the park. I had tried to pay attention on the way out to the hills and knew that it was a gentle downhill to the Finish. The two guys from before and another kid and I were all keeping pace and leap frogging a little as we neared the Finish. With about half a mile to go, the two guys picked up the pace and passed the younger kid and I. I pulled up next to the kid, he met my pace, so I picked it up some more.

By this time I had dismissed the two older guys as beyond my reach and focused on passing the younger kid. We each made a few moves to pick up the pace and covered each other until he finally broke and dropped back behind me. With maybe a quarter mile left, I put the two older guys in my sights and pushed. Hard. I caught them with maybe 75 yards to go, passed them, and tried not to look back.

I failed and looked back twice. But I finished ahead of them. President Abraham Lincoln was there at the Finish and put my medal around my neck. I waited for the two older guys and shook their hands when they finished. Repeated that with the younger kid when he came across the line too.

I walked around a bit, debating if I should head to my car and go eat or come back to take pictures. I opted to stick around and I'm glad I did. Because the entry list was small, I figured I might be close to a podium finish in the 40-49 age group. Small races like this are about my only chance to podium and since there were way fewer runners than I expected, I figured I would see how lucky I would get.

Turns out they split the age groups by five years so I was in the 40-44 bracket. And after a brief glance at the results, I was the only one in my bracket. So automatic first place! I didn't expect anything but stuck around for the awards ceremony anyway.

Luck struck again and I got a small trophy to go with my finisher's medal. Not too bad! And while I enjoyed the race, the course, the weather, everyone involved, and winning my age group, I think the new PR was the best thing I came away with. My previous 4 mile PR was 48:24 from way back in 2009. I missed my first chance this year to run a 4 miler when I had the flu so I was glad to make this race and come away with a new PR. And to be so close to that 40 minute mark makes it even sweeter. I clicked off two sub-10 minute miles, something I'm not sure I've done since high school. And one of those miles, even though it was downhill, was nearly a sub-9 minute mile. Something I haven't done since 2010.

All in all, a great race day for me. I'll enjoy my new PR and my new hardware today but tomorrow I'm looking at the next distance in my PR Hit List: the 10k.


Weather:
Temps this morning felt like 50F to 55F at the Start but according to the cyclist I know, he said it was 47F. Temps warmed during the run to about 60F or 65F. Sky was clear, wind was light, and humidity was low.

Fluids and Fuel:
Before the run, I had coffee, a GenUCAN bar, and an applesauce packet. During the run I had GenUCAN Hydrate. Recovery was water and a banana followed by a steak wrap, cheese danish, and giant coffee.

Aches and Pains:
Left calf felt a little tight after the steep hill (about halfway) but nothing terrible. I also had to constantly adjust....stuff.... because it just wasn't sitting right. Everything else felt fine.

Gear:
Wore shorts, t-shirt, and hat. Decided to not wear gloves and I'm glad I did. Didn't need them.

Today's Motivation:
Um, it was a race. I wanted to get my money's worth. I did and then some! Beautiful course, even better weather, and as always, the volunteers were helpful.

Naughty Neil:
So yesterday I ate two giant cinnamon rolls for breakfast and a slice of cinnamon roll cake for dessert (with ice cream). I'm not sure if that's why I did so well today but I think I'll try it again before my next race. You know, just to test it out. For science. Yep, cinnamon rolls for science.

Splits:
Mile 1 - 9:57 (went out a little too fast)
Mile 2 - 10:57 (this includes that uphill)
Mile 3 - 10:45
Mile 4 - 9:08 (this includes that downhill)
Finish - 40:42

40 Years Ago Today - September 8, 1977

Being sick is becoming a major theme of my childhood. But I'm sure it just gets noticed more because it was written down. This time, it looks like I had "znterovirus" [enterovirus] and a rash. And it looks like Dr. Cho gave my mom some counseling.

LOST With Elizabeth - Season 1, Disc 6

Changes to previous answers are highlighted.


Disc 6 Questions

Is she there to help or does she have other intentions? [Danielle]
She is there to help herself get Alex back.

Will they find help? [the people on the raft]
Yes.

Where is the black smoke coming from?
The island. It's like a volcano. Sort of.

Will Dr. Arzt's knowledge be helpful?
Yeah. He may not be but his knowledge will be.

Will dynamite open the hatch?
Sort of. It will create some impact and from there they will somehow be able to open the hatch.

Disc 5 Questions

How will Shannon handle Boone's death?
Not very well at first.

Who will help Locke open the hatch now?
Hurley. Jack. Danielle. Dr. Arzt. Kate.

Will the new raft make it off the island?
Yes.

Will Jack find Locke...?
Yes.

... And what will he do if he does? [Jack]
Locke will go through the Jack Treatment. It's hard to describe but Jack will ask him a question and Locke will try to answer and Jack will start yelling and I don't know after that.

What do these numbers mean? [4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42]
They mean something good has happened but in return something bad will happen or in their case several bad things.

Disc 4 Questions

Will the raft get them off the island?
It will get them off the island but they'll end up coming back like Gilligan's Island. The entire raft that was built [the first one] won't get them off the island, but the stuff that was left over will help.

Where did Ethan come from?
From the whisperers. Also known as the Others.

Why is Walt "special?"
It's when he's mad that bad stuff happens.

If he is not the real Sawyer ... who is? [shrimp stand guy in Australia]
It was the shrimp guy, he's just good at acting.

Where was Claire?
Ethan made some sort of concoction, like Locke made for Boone, and made Claire lose her memory. And he let her free hoping to get her back and to see what's going on in the camps. So Claire would be a spy but with no previous memory.

Disc 3 Questions

Why is the airplane so important to Kate?
Because it was her childhood sweetheart's. They dug it up in the time capsule.

Is Rose right about her husband?
Yes.

Are they more than "just friends?" [Sayid and Shannon]
Yes.

And what does her brother think of it? [Boone]
Well he doesn't really have a say anymore [he died].

Why was it so important for Claire to fly on Flight 815?
I think he [the psychic] can see what can happen to people. At least until they change their mind. Like Alice from Twilight.

Where is Claire?
The French woman and Ethan aren't working together but they know each other are on the island. Claire escaped Ethan but was captured by the French woman.

Disc 2 Questions

Who attacked Sayid?
Locke. John Locke.

A friendship or more? [Sun and Michael]
Just friends.

What will he find? [Sayid]
He found the French woman [Danielle].

Will the survivors ever find more food?
Yes.

Who is the real Sawyer?
I think it was the shrimp guy but he was very good at acting.

Will life be better at the caves?
About the same but Charlie and Jack will be there [that's a good thing].

Disc 1 Questions

How did John end up in the wheel chair?
When you have surgery, you're supposed to stay and rest and if you don't something could go wrong. And because he got up and left he damaged something somehow, leaving him paralyzed.

What's wrong with Sun's marriage?
She wasn't really excited about getting married and didn't know how to break the news and isn't telling him everything and he doesn't like that.

Where did Locke learn to hunt?
More his father than the Boy Scouts.

Why was Jack in Australia?
Finding or trying to find his father.

What did Kate do?
She did rob the bank. She didn't take money but she took the plane. She had the key but it still counts as robbery because she forced the guy to open the box. She was also on the run before they dug up the time capsule so she did something else but I don't know what.

Where is the transmission coming from?
The Black Rock.

Will Charlie kick the habit?
Yes, he burned it.

40 Years Ago Today - September 4, 1977

Dr. Cho was out of the office and I was sick. So I saw his substitute, Dr. Tamura. I'm still amazed at how much detail my parents kept track of. Sometimes makes me wonder if I shouldn't be doing more as a parent.

New Altra Escalantes

BAM!

Run is done. It was long, hilly, and my toes got a little angry. But it's done and it felt great.

Got a haircut then parked at the nearby Starbucks to start my run. Went out, through the college campus, went up a hill, then came back via another hill. I should have known that no self-respecting college hottie would be running so early on a Friday of a long weekend. But I was hopeful. At least the scenery (trees, not boobs) was different. And the hills, damn, they were rough but I knew what I was getting myself into and it was good to conquer them.

As for the rest of the run, pretty uneventful. Made a few un-safe road crossings but only when there was no traffic around. Aside from that, pretty tame out there today.



Photos:

Weather:
Temps were about 65F at the start and warmed to about 75F by the end. Sky was overcast but the sun did try to peek out a few times. Not much wind. Humidity was low.

Fluids and Fuel:
Coffee and a banana before the run. Plain water during the run. Recovery was, big surprise, Starbucks coffee and steak wraps.

Aches and Pains:
Toes were angry but that was my own fault for not trimming my toenails. After I got home and showered, I hacked them back with a chainsaw to a respectable length. Aside from that, things felt great.

Gear:
Wore shorts, t-shirt, and visor. First time out in my new Altra Escalantes. They felt great!

Today's Motivation:
I skipped this run yesterday due to timing so I wanted to get it in today. And my timing was just about as perfect as it could be.

Naughty Neil:
Had more applesauce cake with ice cream yesterday but otherwise, I've been doing pretty good.

Splits:
Finish - 1:07:10

*Note - I'm going to try to get back into the habit of posting my training runs on my blog. No promises but I'll at least try.