Good riddance

The Iowa caucuses were held last night.  What did we learn?  Well . . . We learned that while Iowans might personally like native daughter Michelle Bachmann, they don't like the idea of her running the country.  Also, if her threshold is 5% in her native state, she's done.  The fork fits.  Same with Texas Governor Rick Perry.  Go back to Texas.  Anyway, it's a whole other country.  We learned (again) that Christian conservatives are a force in Iowa Republican politics.  See Rick Santorum.  Santorum is this year's Huckleberry.  Okay . . . Hucklebee.  We learned that Romney is boring.  Okay, we learned that in 2008, but nobody told him.   We learned that Obama is resting better these days.

What does any of this have to do with running?  You could only ask that if you don't live in Iowa.  For months now, my land-line has been ringing off the hook.  Like one of Pavlov's canines--and despite knowing better-- I invariably jumped up and ran to answer it.  Only to find that it was Mitt or Newt or Michelle breathlessly urging me to caucus for them.  Or, a pollster imploring me to: "Using your touch-tone phone, press 1 for Michelle Bachmann, press 2 for Jon Huntsman, press 3 . . . "  Huntsman, of course, didn't campaign in Iowa.  That's always a good strategy.  Just ask President Guiliani.  So, I've been able to get in plenty of extra miles this winter.  Junk campaigns.  Junk miles.

So, good riddance.  I'll get back to doing all my miles on the road.

After a couple days of Iowa winter, we're back to unreality today.  It was already 30 degrees when I ran this morning--on the way to a high temp around 40!  And, no snow in sight.  I am a happy camper.  After a brisk 6 miles yesterday, I did a more-leisurely 4 miles today.  Add a mile of walking to warm up and another mile of cool-down and that's 6 miles of calorie-burning.  Tomorrow is cross-training.  Friday is my long run (15 miles).  I've moved the long run from the weekend to Friday to take advantage of Friday's weather: a forecast high of 50 degrees.  The average high for January 6 in Bettendorf, Iowa, is something like 30.  The average low is 13. 

Some alarmists blame global warming for our usual weather this winter.  I think it's the result of having all those politicians around for months.  If the weather here suddenly takes a turn for the worse (colder/snowier) and it warms up in New Hampshire, I'll have my proof.