I guess what I’m going to try to do is write down the thoughts and shit that happened on my Saturday run. Hopefully, I will be running the NYC Marathon again. In the coming months, I’ll be running longer and longer. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while because the things that go through my mind while running are interesting. Though I guess, some of it will be rather personal and I won’t be mentioning it in the blog. Nonetheless, mostly it will be about running.

Today it was 46 degrees out when I left the house. The Galloway chart says to wear a long sleeved shirt and shorts. I went outside briefly to do laundry and I definitely felt a bit cool wearing just that. I ultimately wore a white cotten t-shirt on top of my long sleeved tec shirt. And I had my Fred’s Team blue shorts from last November’s marathon on. I also wore gloves and my new black running hat.

When I started running, the hat came off. I didn’t need  the hat. My head was too hot. I came up with a funny twist on one of my sketch premises. I won’t mention it now, but I think I  will have it  ready for Monday for Sketch Lab at the PIT. Needless to say, it was inspired partly by a young lady I met yesterday.

I hope my brother follows through with his idea to make a t-shirt that says “Whatever, Round-eye…” That seems like a thing that I’d like to have.

My right shin got a little shin-splinty halfway through. Oh yeah, all in all, I did about 3.1 miles. I went out with an “easy-does-it” frame of mind. But it ended up being rather fast.  I think it was the cool weather that made it so. I run faster when it is cool out.

I only ran on Monday this week. I did not run on Wednesday because it was over 80 degrees out. Above 60 degrees, I run slower. I don’t like the heat. I will need to start carrying water bottles to pour on myself. Above 60, I also wear a Cooldanna. Like  a bandana but it has some sort of water-loving polymer in it that soaks up water. As the water evaporates, it keeps my head cool.  I don’t think I could run on hot days without it.

I guess this is turning  out to be very freeformy. I don’t care if nobody reads it. During my first marathon, it started off rather cool in the morning, like 50’s and rather misty. But 4 hours into my run, the sun came out and I was like, “Nooooo!”  It really started to suck after that. I guess that’s when the real marathon begins, when things start to suck and you just have to keep moving through it.

So, yeah, this run was rather fast even though I wanted to take it easy after having run only once this week. I’m going to be doing the Lincoln Tunnel 5K on April 25th in support of the Special Olympics.

Hopefully, in a couple weeks’ time I will know if I’m on Fred’s Team again this year. And then, I’ll be training for the NYC Marathon which will be in the fall. Technically, the training schedule doesn’t start until  June, but now is a good time to work on losing weight. I need to eat better, but during the entire last mile the only thing I could think about was brisket. Mmmm, brisket.

But, I need to take a shower and get myself off to Campmor. So, I can get myself a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. More on that later…

What is time worth?

My vacation in Belize affords me an interesting experiment. I am not working, but I’m also still being paid by my employer. In a sense, while I’m here, I’ll be passively earning income without doing any work. Okay, the experiment has already fallen flat because I won’t be paid enough to make back what I’ve already paid in airfare and for staying at this resort. But I still want to think about it.

A guy who works 40 hours a week and makes $70,000 a year makes about $33.65 an hour. I used to rationalize parking in a parking garage for $20 a day on weekends in NYC. It’s worth it to me to park there than to spend an hour looking for free parking on the street. Recently, the parking garage increased its rate to $33. I’m rethinking the strategy. Is it better to park in Hoboken, NJ and park for $16 and take the train in for $1? The extra trip takes 1/2 an hour longer than just driving straight into the city…sometimes. Sometimes tunnel traffic will make the trip 90 minutes–1/2 hour longer than the Hoboken route.

Then there’s the basic error in my equation. I don’t work on the weekend. I make all my money on weekdays. If I spaced my income equally across all hours of the week. I make only $8.01 an hour. You can count the hours I sleep because the IRS takes that. So, does that mean it’s worth it to me to look for free parking for 4 hours on a Saturday to avoid the parking garage? I don’t think that is right either.

Time is not money

If your employer asks you to work for 8 hours on a Saturday he may compensate you 1 1/2 times your normal wage. That is a lot more than you would normally make on a Saturday. But no matter how much your employer pays you he cannot give you back time. Every hour worked is another hour your children grow up. It is another hour closer to your death. What’s the answer? Compensation in free time? Weekend hours aren’t the same as weekday hours, though. If your employer decides to give you Monday off to compensate for Saturday, prepare for a lonely Monday. Your kids will be at school and all your friends will be working.

So, what’s the answer?

I don’t know. But I’ll tell you one thing. I just spent 2 hours writing this article while sitting on the beach watching the ocean. On a normal Wednesday morning, I’d be at the office working for my boss. And I already feel more productive than have ever felt on any other Wednesday morning.

So, what do you guys think? Leave a reply below.

Here’s me underwater:

It worked so well and really captures the experience of being at the beach.

This was all taken with the cheap $100 woot vivitar. So, I didn’t really care if the baggie failed.

And because modern kids are doing the video here’s some me tubing: