fitness (87)

I can sneeze, Lord, I can sneeze!/Tiny House Book Rolling

August 21, 2010 at 12:00 am

I’ve been three weeks today nursing a rib injury. I’ve learned how to stifle sneezes, because if I don’t, it feels like a red-hot poker in the ribs. But today, a sneeze slipped through, and there was just a tinge of pain. Yahoo! The body does recover…

What with a damaged knee (lower body), and banged-up ribs (upper body), it’s been a grim month. I need exercise, and when it’s lacking, the brain and energy level are flagging. Today things felt a lot better.

Also, I got six pretty good page layouts of the tiny houses book done. Definitely rolling.

Fire on cold night last week

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3200-mile Tandem Bike Trip

August 20, 2010 at 11:58 am

Eric and Jane Sangster, after their 3200-mile cross-country tandem bike adventure

Kate, the daughter of Mary, our office manager, got married on Saturday. Kate’s cousins, Eric and Jane Sangster, decided to ride a tandem bike from their home in Nova Scotia out to the West Coast for the wedding. They left Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in mid-May, rode down the east coast to Virginia,and then headed west. They got as far as Nebraska, weren’t going to make it to the wedding on time, so took a train to Oakland. Unloaded their bike, took it on a ferry to San Francisco, then rode across the Golden gate Bridge and out to Bolinas. I shot pic Saturday. They loved their adventures. See: https://is.gd/eknZV

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New – iPad Stretches Available Free

August 7, 2010 at 3:40 pm

Our (free) stretching reminder for iPad users is now available. It’s in the “books” category on your iPad. When you click on one of the images shown here, it opens to a page with the instructions for that stretch — a reminder to take a stretching break during your digital day. iPad users, see:

We made it free in hopes of generating interest in our program StretchWare, (“The software that reminds you to stretch”). You can download StretchWare free for 30 days at: . Works great on Mac and Windows.

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Swimming in secret pond

July 29, 2010 at 2:53 pm

I felt tired Tuesday night. Couldn’t run with the boys due to knee injury, so went off alone at a slow pace up to this hidden pond in the hills and by the time I’d done two around-the-pond circuits, I felt great. A beautiful spot, a little valley damned up at one end. Swallows swoop around, just skimming the surface, grabbing insects, a peaceful place. Once in a while, humans actually improve a bit of the natural world.

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8-year old girl in spectacular Dipsea race victory

June 17, 2010 at 5:55 pm

Reilly Johnson flew over the course, pig tails bobbing, to win the 100th anniversary Dipsea Race last Sunday. It was stunning to see such a young person with such determination and spirit. It’s an age-handicapped race. For example, men over 74 and women over 65 get a 25 minute head start over scratch runners (like 25-year-old men). Girls 8 and under get the same 25 minutes. This pretty much evens the race out so that old and very young are on an equal footing with in-their-prime-age runners. I shot this picture of Reilly at the beginning of last year’s race. Look at the joy. She’s won everyone’s hearts.

News story on race in Marin IJ

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Pelican Track Club, circa 2010

June 4, 2010 at 10:41 pm

Sausages and beer last night at cabin in woods after run in 70º evening weather, and dip in creek. Our new running club. Everyone except me is honed for the Dipsea Race (June 13). This is the 100th anniversary of this tough cross-country race, and runners have been training hard and steady. Gonna be exciting…

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Gettin back home

June 4, 2010 at 9:48 pm

Much as I love NYC, there’s no place like…. I got into San Francisco around noon on Monday. (JetBlue v. cool airline.) Cruised by Ocean Beach (surf blown out, but kite surfers stylin), got latte, coffee cake at Trouble Coffee, then headed for home. On my way over the mountain, I stopped at the creek, jumped in the pool, floated over to let the waterfall pound on my head. Cold water like a slap in the chops from Mount Tamalpais. OK, so I’ve mentioned this before…

When I got home, there was this little halibut caught by fisherman Andrew, part of which we had with store potatoes and salad from the garden.

The next night I went running along the coast, then on the way back on an inland trail, stopped off at the secret swimming hole, a somewhat-hidden pond in a little valley. It’s lined with cattails, and protected from the wind so the water is like glass. I slipped in and swam across, there were birds swooping and singing all over the place. This is a blessed, magic planet, still alive in places here and there. Back to the pub for a pint of local Lagunitas pale ale. About 9 PM, headed home along the coast, listening to blues and country rock on Sirius radio, looking out at the sea and the still-darkening horizon.

It’s been raining lightly off and on, very unusual in June. When the sun came out yesterday, the honeybees were all over the poppies.

Columnist Jon Carroll, about the best part of the San Francisco Chronicle these days, closed a recent column with this poetry by Bob Dylan:

Don’t the moon look good, mama
Shinin’ through the trees?
Don’t the brakeman look good, mama
Runnin’ down the Double E
Don’t the sun look good
Goin’ down over the sea?
Don’t my gal look fine
When she’s comin’ after me?

If you are of a certain age and inclination, do you have Dylan/Stones/Beatles lyrics engraved in yr. brain, and know when you hear the first note, what the song will be?

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When she’s good, she’s very, very…

May 26, 2010 at 2:09 am

Lord, just stepping out of the hotel is like going into another dimension. Overdrive, baby. People here are so on-the-ball,  so alert. (This ain’t southern California.) There’s also a special chemistry when the weather is good. The city has its moods, and right now, good vibes are enhanced by comfortable weather. Once I was here in August on a Monday after a big parade; it was 95, high humidity, and the entire park smelled like piss. I went back to my hotel every hour or two to take a cold shower. Miserable. Locals were cranky. Another time I went for a run in slushy snow (at night) in January (my serious running days). Today, though, was sit-on-the-stoop or at an outdoor cafe weather.

Last night I went to Trattoria della Arte, across the street from Carnegie Hall, and sat at the bar, masterfully tended by Cynthia, whose judgment I invariably trust in what to order and drink. A woman was on the next stool and we started talking. She told Cynthia to bring me a plate and gave me a piece of her thin-crust pizza. She was from Amish country in Pennsylvania, on vacation from her 3 teenagers. The guy on the other side of me hears us talking and he’s also from Pennsylvania. A designer of stores and stage sets. The guy next to him has an iPad, and soon the 4 of us are yakkin it up like old friends. There’s an intimacy in NYC due to proximity, especially in restaurants, and many times I’ve had wonderful random encounters like this.

Afterwards walked down to the village and had vanilla ice cream and an espresso at Cafe Riggio (left).

I just got back from a massage with an extraordinary bodyworker. I’ve, yes, injured my left ankle, right hamstring in running, and needed some unlocking of scar tissue. I looked up “sports massage NYC” online and found Robin Rubenstein (646-337-8634) and as soon as she touched me I knew I was in good hands. I’ve been to tons of bodybworkers over the years, a necessity from a lifetime of physical activity, and Robin loosened tight muscles and got the chi flowing. Now it’s 10 PM and I’m going out into the warm night to find an Italian restaurant.

I think they’ll keep me down on the farm, but I sure do like Paree.

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