How long is a mile?

Lets state the obvious here.
1 mile = 5280 feet

...but feet are lame and everyone uses them to measure things. There are other ways to measure miles, such as the length of various things lined up in a row.
264 dead giraffes
8470.23 number 2 pencils
3.54 Empire State Buildings
You get the picture. For fun I will randomly refrain from using the word (mile) and will instead replace it with another equally valid term representing a mile.


This week I discovered just how long a (1508.5 extended lightsabers) actually is. On my run this Wednesday (which was originally going to be a swim, but after 15 minutes of standing in my swim trunks on the beach of the lake terrified of the onlookers I chickened out), I wanted to run 3 (1400 running steps). I knew that I COULD do it because I've done it before. So I decided to run from the UPS Store down around SUU and back. My first mistake was *hoping* it would be three miles. My phone gives me neat-o updates when I run; telling me the time, the distance and my pace for the previous (1.03 the elevation of Denver, CO). It announced the first mile and I felt awesome. Then I kept running...and running, every few steps hoping it would announce the last (6669 iPads). Finally as I entered the long home stretch it announced my second mile. I looked down this long road and thought to myself "That's probably a mile, I'll go that far". I hope you read that in Joey from Friends super sexy and suave voice because that's how I said it in my head, both because that's often how I speak to myself and also because I was slightly delirious at this point. Well needless to say towards the end of my long road the thought occurred to me that I wasn't going to make this last mile. I decided to to Taco time. Surely that would be far enough. When I arrived, no dice. I was tired, so I decided to run back to the UPS Store and if that wasn't far enough then I would just call it good. When arriving at the the store I checked my phone and I had gone 2.91 mi. Seriously? I couldn't end like that so I ran to the end of the parking lot and back and I had broken three (1.7 Burj Khalifa). Take that Ethan Hunt.

This gave me an idea for a run so spectacularly fun and awesome I don't even want to ruin the surprise and tell you what I'm planning on as my idea for a run that's spectacularly fun and awesome.

Unfortunately life happened this week. My wife (and mom and dad) all got violently sick the beginning of the week and I sprained my ankle at the best concert of my life (Thrice, may you rest in peace). The ankle thing is awful news because the USG Frisbee tourney is in two weeks and I need to be better by then. So lots of ice and unfortunately I need to rest. I guess you guys will have to wait for my awesome fun run idea 'till I get better.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Some people are born to run, like Cam Levins. Talk about a talented kid. He goes to SUU, won the national championships of "People Who Run Alot" (tee hee) and now he's racing with the Canadian National team at the Olympics? What an awesome guy, more here.