Peter, Paul and Mary - Stewball

2-26-12  Finished week 5 of 18.  I actually think, after today, that maybe I can really do this!  Here is my planner that I use every day.  It has a 4 week planning calendar and then also has daily pages.  I map out what I am supposed to do everyday for the whole month and then I write in what I actually did.  I circle in green if I made plan, yellow if I did not get it accomplished.  I ran 21 miles total this week.  I posted another list a week or so ago, that is the short version that I keep in my notebook at work so that I can see what I have completed and what is coming up while I am at the office.

Today I got out of the "neighborhood" running and went to a trail.  There is a trail that starts in Worthington Hills and goes all the way downtown.  This was so nice.  Much better than running through the neighborhoods, looking at the same houses everyday, getting barked at by the same dogs.  The dogs on the trail don't bark.  I guess they are experienced runners and are used to the routine.  I parked at the Trail Head, which is in the same parking area as the Hills Market.  At this point, I wasn't sure if I would make it 10 miles but I was sure going to try.  The trail goes along the shore of the Olentangy River, so most of the time you can see the river.  There are a few points where you go away from the river, like to cross under the freeway or as you approach the Antrim Park and lake area.  My plan was to just run south for 5 miles and then turn around.  When I got to Antrim Lake though, I changed my plan and ran around the lake and then went south for another 1/2 mile until I reach 5 miles and then I reversed the whole route, running around the lake again.  It was such a beautiful day and I really enjoyed this run. 

The path is paved for the whole route, except for the path around the lake which is dirt.   When I ran 9 miles last week, I had such a hard time as I got towards the end.  The last mile I was really slow and just couldn't wait to get home.  I was thinking today that 10 miles would be worse.  It wasn't.  When I finished the 10, I seriously could have kept going.  I guess that is a good thing.  I think that knowledge will help me get out the door in a couple of weeks when I have to do 12 miles.

All that talk about great accomplishments, doesn't change the fact that I am a slow runner.  You know that saying "If you are not the lead dog, the scenery never changes"?  Well fortunately that is not really true, the scenery does change, but I was not the lead dog.  People passed me frequently.  There was only one man that I passed and it was a slow pass, so I had to look at his rear end for too long.  That actually gave me incentive to speed up just to get passed him.  He was not old, just slow and had a very odd gait.  Maybe he is recovering from something.  Who knows!

I listened to Peter, Paul and Mary all the way until mile 9, then I switched to listen to a little George Harrison in honor of his birthday on 2/25.  He would have been 69.  He was always my favorite Beatle, although he was always overshadowed by the songwriting and popularity of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, I think some of his post-Beatles work was pretty incredible and certainly made a name for him outside of the Beatles.  Today I listened to some of the music from the Concert for Bangladesh.  Good stuff.  But back to Stewball.  Today was a day where multiple races were on my mind so that song about Stewball the race horse seemed like a good one for me.  The first race on my mind, of course, is the Bayshore Marathon.  How did Kai talk me in to this?  Ha-ha.  The second race is the Daytona 500, which at the time that I was running, I had every belief was going to take place.  It has been postponed now until Monday, not sure about the weather forecast.  The third race is the republican primary race and the eventual presidential race.  Both Romney and Santorum were supposed to be at the Daytona 500.  I have made my mind up about who I want for president and will not put that here because that is now what my blog is about.  I do wish though that we could just stick to the issues and stop all the in-fighitng.  I like what Jeb Bush said "“I used to be a conservative and I watch these debates and I’m wondering, I don’t think I’ve changed, but it’s a little troubling sometimes when people are appealing to people’s fears and emotion rather than trying to get them to look over the horizon for a broader perspective and that’s kind of where we are,” .  Big days in Michigan and Arizona this week.

Oh Stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water, he always drank wine.

His bridle was silver, his mane it was gold.
And the worth of his saddle has never been told.

Oh the fairgrounds were crowded, and Stewball was there
But the betting was heavy on the bay and the mare.

And a-way up yonder, ahead of them all,
Came a-prancin' and a-dancin' my noble Stewball.

I bet on the grey mare, I bet on the bay
If I'd have bet on ol' Stewball, I'd be a free man today.

Oh the hoot owl, she hollers, and the turtle dove moans.
I'm a poor boy in trouble, I'm a long way from home.

Oh Stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water,he always drank wine.

The history of Stewball is that he was foaled in 1741, and originally owned by Francis, 2nd Earl of Godolphin and later sold. His name has been recorded as "Squball", "Sku-ball", or "Stewball". He won many races in England, and was sent to Ireland. His most famous race took place on the plains of Kildare, Ireland, which is generally the subject of the song of the same name.