Good rain and falling hammocks

Last week I was complaining about too much rain, but this week I welcome what we have gotten. Last week was excessive (32″ in 4 days, half of which was in one 24 hour period). This week it has been much more calm. At the end of a 3 mile run this morning it started raining. Not a hard rain, but a nice sprinkle. It was nice. Especially since today was a very cool morning. We got to an overnight low of 70 degrees and it was 72 at the end of my run.Sprawled out in the rain

I laid down in the back yard and enjoyed the rain for a few minutes until it stopped.

Later this morning I assumed the same sprawled out position on the floor of the bedroom. This time it was not so enjoyable. I was talking to my younger brother on the phone while lounging in my hammock. I had been swinging slightly and was laying in the best possible position for what happened next. One of the hooks that holds the hammock on the wall slipped out of its hole. I went crashing down! Because of the way I was laying in the hammock–perpendicular instead of longways–I hit the ground mostly flat. Because I was on my back, I did not damage a shoulder. I also had my pillow under my head with an exercise mat on the floor beneath me.

If I had been laying parallel with the hammock and the hook at the end closest to my head had failed, then I would have come down right on my noggin. Also, without the pillow and exercise mat, I could have been severely damaged. Fortunately everything was lined up just right so that the worst was avoided.

My son said that he felt the floor shake in the whole upstairs part of the house. My wife was downstairs and heard me yell out and figured it was one of the construction workers from the street behind us that had dropped something big. Needless to say, she did not come and check on me.

My brother, however, had the biggest laugh of the day out of it.

Marathon World Record set today

Haile Gebrselassie took first place in the Berlin Marathon today with a time of 2 hours 4 minutes and 26 seconds. This is a world record besting Paul Tergat’s previous world record by 29 seconds (also set in Berlin).

I first heard about Gebrselassie in an episode of Endurance Planet (MP3 file). Haile is 34 years old and set his 25th world record with this win today. He took $71,000 for winning the race and another $71,000 for setting a world record at the marathon.

He was previously a middle distance runner and this is only his 7th marathon attempt. Read more articles about the event.

Famous Friday: Run to Win

I have been reading the Run to Win website for over a year. Blaine, the author, focuses on running news and ways to improve your personal training. Most of the time it deals with running itself, but he also covers great information for cross training.

Recently he posted about what to do when dogs chase you. He also gives book reviews somewhat regularly. When he gave away a copy of Coast to Coast a year and a half ago is when I started keeping up with the site. I did not win the book, but consequently bought it and wrote a review of it myself.

Check out Run to Win for the latest track and distance running news as well as great information to keep you on the road doing what you enjoy.