QUOTE OF THE DAY (OR MORE): "No, no. You don't understand. This is an '89 Calico. I'm pretty sure that exceeds the Kelly Blue Book value. The cat's totaled." --A comedian whose name I forget talking about a vet who presents a $3,000 bill for a 12-year-old cat

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

The answer is....

Thanks for your guesses, everybody!





The answer is....





It's a drawing of my run yesterday: 18 miles all completed around an indoor track. Crazy? uh-huh. Perhaps. Consider, though, that the outside temperature was 96 degrees. Still think I'm nuts? nope.





12.65 loops around the little indoor track at the gym = 1 mile. That means I circled and circled the elliptical 228 times. over and over and over. and over. and over. My only hope of averting insanity was my iPod.





Periodically, other people came.... and then they went. They walked around the track. They talked. Some others came and jogged. Some sprinted around a couple of times. Still, there I was. Running around. and around. and around.





Somewhere in the middle of mile 13 or 14 my iPod displayed a low battery sign. I was terrified. I pictured a scream at a horror movie, juxtaposed agonizingly against a background of eery silence. Noooooooooooooooooo.





I put a plan into action. I decided that fast forwarding past the songs that didn't exactly match my cadence was sucking up too much battery power. I switched from random "shuffle songs" to my running pace playlist and refrained from fast forwarding, turning up the volume up or down... anything that would suck the life out of the only thing keeping me going.





I forgot my Gu (energy gel packs), so the only thing I had to keep myself going was water, but that's good for training... teaches your body to work with less.





In the end, I did the 228 laps. In the climate-controlled interior of the gym. 18 miles around a little radius of 66 feet... I know this because, even though I have a master's degree in English (see what I'm doing with it?!), I figured out the radius of the circle I ran... see below.











I don't know which makes me more proud - figuring out the radius of the circle or running 18 miles around it....

19 comments:

  1. both are noteworthy achievements :)

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  2. CRAZY! I so wish I had the desire and ability to run it appears so liberating and head clearing!

    Oh well maybe in my next life!

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  3. My English degree is what protects me from having to do too much math. I'm awed by your math skills.

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  4. No fair. You didn't draw sneakers.

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  5. I missed yesterday. I woulda took a guess at it, and it woulda been dang funny.
    Or Spot On correct.
    Wait...there's still time...

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  6. I hate you for your dedication. Nice nerdy "Pi chart". :-)

    Seriously, well done!

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  7. As a quantitatively challenged individual, I am truly impressed with your diagram and the fact that you figured that out. The best I did was 15 miles when I was training for my marathon that I never got around to running as I hurt my achilles. I used to run 8 miles on a treadmill. I understand your pain and insanity.

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  8. I still think it looks like The Ring. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298130)

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  9. 228 times? Were you dizzy? I would love an indoor gym here (other than my basement); it's also to fetching hot to go outside. I scream in terror when my ipod battery is dead. And it dies on me when I haven't even using it. It turns itself back on when I'm not looking; dumb ipod. Yes, I know I can lock it.

    Tell me about the Gu. I know what it is; but how well does it work? I think I've mentioned that I had stomach issues with running. So much so that have severely cut back. On running; not eating.

    Did you see my guess for yesterday? Where's my prize? :)

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  10. BTW...cool widget. It's set me to thinking...

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  11. I have a headache from all those numbers now. :)

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  12. You are insane! I laughed quite hard when you talked about your iPod! Funny stuff!

    And the quote of the day from your husband? Ya...what he said.

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  13. You're making me dizzy, my head is spinning...

    Dizzy...

    Dizzy...

    Clunk.

    Yes, 96 is bad but with your humidity, it's awful!

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  14. I have to ask - how long did it take you to do that?!?

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  15. 228 laps - that was my second guess :-)

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  16. thank you for reminding me of the horrors of running in circles for hours on end. :-p

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  17. Eighteen miles around a track? And a small one at that! That's impressive. The most I ever managed was 4 miles around a 1/4-mile track and each time I passed the gate my inner voice would say, "You can quit now. Only you would know."

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Please feel free to let me know what you think - especially if you like it. If not, please reconsider (just kidding!) I can take constructive criticism! Really I can...