Friday, January 11, 2008
Restroom Etiquette
or "Sorry Little Buddy".
We're all familiar with restroom urinal etiquette, right? Basically, if there is a row of urinals and there is a guy using one at the end, you go to the opposite end and like that. I think I might have breached protocol the other night when shopping at the mega-grocery. I had to go, so I ducked in to the men's room. This restroom is a two stall/two urinal arrangement and was vacant when I entered. No problem, I took the urinal closest to the door and proceeded with business. Then I heard the door slowly creak open, little footsteps pitter-pat closer, stop directly behind me and a little sigh. Out of the corner of my eye I could see it was a little kid with a pitiful look on his face. It was then I realized I had taken the "low" urinal and the other one was too high for him to reach.
We're all familiar with restroom urinal etiquette, right? Basically, if there is a row of urinals and there is a guy using one at the end, you go to the opposite end and like that. I think I might have breached protocol the other night when shopping at the mega-grocery. I had to go, so I ducked in to the men's room. This restroom is a two stall/two urinal arrangement and was vacant when I entered. No problem, I took the urinal closest to the door and proceeded with business. Then I heard the door slowly creak open, little footsteps pitter-pat closer, stop directly behind me and a little sigh. Out of the corner of my eye I could see it was a little kid with a pitiful look on his face. It was then I realized I had taken the "low" urinal and the other one was too high for him to reach.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Baby steps, man.
I'm in a "Couch to 5k" unning program. It's designed to get the sedentary runner-wannabe off the couch and into running. I was a runner in high school but that was over 20 years ago. I scoffed at the plan and how seemingly easy it was going to be. I considered skipping a few weeks to really get a jump on things. I was scolded and told to do the program as written. It's not just that perhaps my cardio-vascular system could handle jumping ahead, it's that my long-intactive joints and muscles would pay a price for starting too fast. When I think back to previous attmepts at starting back running, I remember that that's what kept me from continuing. I was getting horrible shin splints and I'd stop running. I'm in Week 5 of the program and I've been injury-free so far. Maybe they had a point.
I've been running at the State Gym track (12 laps/mile) since it's winter where I am. I wouldn't mind running in the cold. It's the icy roads that are preventing me from getting out there. The problem with track running, especially on a short track, is that it's just so freaking tedious. Plus, since it's early January, we have every resolution maker in there trying to do the same thing I am. It's almost impossible to settle into a pace and just pound out the distance. I'm always getting passed by some octogenarian with a hairy back.
I've been running at the State Gym track (12 laps/mile) since it's winter where I am. I wouldn't mind running in the cold. It's the icy roads that are preventing me from getting out there. The problem with track running, especially on a short track, is that it's just so freaking tedious. Plus, since it's early January, we have every resolution maker in there trying to do the same thing I am. It's almost impossible to settle into a pace and just pound out the distance. I'm always getting passed by some octogenarian with a hairy back.
