ARE YOU PASSIONATE?

During my run the other day, I was wondering if bloggers were, on average, more passionate about running (or whatever topic) than non-blogging runners. Intuitively, I’d say yes. I figure people aren’t going to “waste” their time if they aren’t passionate about the topic they are writing about. I mean, I like beer and fantasy football and x-box, but not enough to blog about them. But then again, maybe some people just like to hear themselves “talk” or are into blogging for the social aspect.

Then I got to thinking if faster runners were, on average, more passionate about running than slower runners. Is passion what makes them run faster? I don’t know how you would measure that, but I think it’d be an interesting study.

This last thought popped into my head when I was thinking about my post from the other day. Honestly, I think I’m “slow.” When I saw that only 2% of the field broke 3 hours I didn’t think, “Man, I could do that. I’m fast.” I thought, “Man, we’re all slow.” Then I thought, “You know, I’m pretty passionate about running. Maybe others just aren’t as passionate about it as me. Does that make me fast(er)?”

Training update: the bad news is that I’ve given up trying to run from work – after just one day. The good news is that I found a better place. Prior to my company moving, I used to park at a coffee shop, run, grab a cup of coffee and then head to work. Well, I found another coffee shop that’s in a great location. It’s in Bloomington right near Normandale Lake and Hyland Park. As added bonuses the terrain is a lot hillier than my old pancake-flat trails and the parking is in a covered garage.

After feeling great on Tuesday night, I didn’t feel nearly as great during my next run – only 12 hours later. But that’s okay. I know the Tuesday night to Wednesday morning turn-around is tough. I was just happy to get in an easy 6 miles. This morning I ran a moderately-paced 8 miles. For some reason both of my calves were tight. This isn’t associated with my previous injury, but could be from the stretching and foam roller exercises I’ve added to my routine. I’ll be monitoring those calves closely.

Here’s a quick Joe Mauer update now that I’ve piqued your interest. Yesterday he went 2-3 (raising his average to .392), meaning he ended up going 11-13 in the 3-game series versus the Dodgers. He’s hit safely in 19 of 21 games, during which time he’s batting .478. Also, since he’s a catcher, he usually gets a game or two off a week. Because he’s hitting so well, instead of sitting him down, his coach puts him at DH, where he’s hitting .633. Damn!

Quote of the day;
“I said I’d like to win seven Hawaii Ironman titles – that’s my goal. It doesn’t mean I’m going to do it! I said; these guys (Mark Allen and Dave Scott) set the standard. As the new generation, isn’t it my job to aspire to be better than that? I said I’d like to win seven because these two guys have won six and I’d like to be better than that. Boom! I disrespect the sport…and I sit there and think, if anyone loves this sport, it’s me, mate.” – Chris McCormack, Ironman triathlete