Just a Post

This was a short week: normal day Monday, club schedule Tuesday, normal Day Wednesday, early dismissal Thursday and no school on Friday. The only thing about weeks like this is the following week seems so damn long.

I'm back to my morning routine as far training goes, I just couldn't make the after-school thing work. So, it's "up in the morning *before* the rising sun." I've decided to run the Dirty Bird 15K at the end of the month. I did a 1 hour run today, and had no real piriformis issues. In prepping for the Dirty Bird, I probably won't do too much interval, or tempo work to reduce the stress on the muscle. This week's schedule was as follows:

Monday - 3 mile run
Tuesday - 30 minutes on the bike trainer
Wednesday - 1500 yards in the pool
Thursday - off
Friday - 1 mile in the pool; 30 minutes on the trainer
Saturday - 1 hour run

If getting up early and exercising is good for Barack Obama (He wears Asics, I wonder if he rides a Felt), then it's good enough for me. Speaking of Obama, he was my choice for President. I have never spoken of politics on my blog as it is primarily a journal of outdoor activities and events, but in the spirit of the election and facing a dearth of activities at the moment, I'll espouse my views.

I live in a very conservative part of PA, so voting Democrat is a breach from tradition and almost unheard of in these parts. I can't recall when there was ever a serious democratic challenger for any office. I'm convinced that the republican party could run a farm animal for any election and win.

A few years ago, I changed my party affiliation to Independent to try to add some objectivity to my voting. In the last three presidential elections I voted Republican, Democrat and now Democrat again, but I think the real reason I voted Democrat this election was that I just liked Barack Obama more than John McCain. It came down to choosing a person for me and not a political party. Political parties are all the same in that they pretty much drift towards the center in most cases.

In viewing McCain and Obama, I saw a young man, my age, who while not sharing the same experiences or world views as me was the same age as me when the past and current issues shaping our nation took place. I also saw an old man, who should be respected, but just looked, well, old (old in the sense that he seems like the kind of guy that would yell at kids to get out of his yard. I'm actually a fan of Joe Paterno, so I'm not averse to people who are old holding positions of leadership, but just not when they seem grouchy-old). I also like the fact that Obama was not born into privilege, and actually had to study to get through college. I can relate to this, because I had to study to get myself through college while working 20-30 hours a week to pay for it. My parents held no sway over my professors, or the the University I attended. Finally, I feel Obama is a better fit for a changing world, a world that is becoming more global and connected. Whether you like it or not, that's the way it is.

I don't agree with Obama on every issue, but I think he has the intelligence and drive to be a good leader. I also feel he is respected by the rest of the world. I hope we as a nation can rally behind him, and put our differences aside now that he is in office. And if things don't work out, well, in four more years, we can choose again.

Finally, and unrelated, GO PSU!!!!