It tears you up and it eats you.

"Machines are very funky."

SOUND MACHINE

How did Kraftwerk end up at MOMA?

by Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorker

April 30, 2012

Distance: 3 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Time collapses. Less than three weeks until the Cleveland. We taper. Short runs this week followed by a "modest" fifteener on Saturday. The pain in my foot simply is, it hurst in my sleep. It is all right during the day. My weight has stabilized between 165 and 170. One show closed yesterday (that was troubling to me) and another begins, with auditions Saturday and again tonight.

Life at work is challenging, every day a new surprise. I breathe, I think, I write. But not that kind of writing, the creative kind, there were a torrent of good, emotional, powerful thoughts for three weeks and then pffft.  It was done, the creating part. And now I am too overwhelmed with other issues to be able to concentrate on anything new.

So, why? Why, when there are so many important things to concentrate on, at work, in art, at home, our life, do I run? How can I spend so much time running?

How can I not? It's cheaper than Lexapro.

Temperature: 53º
Climate: breezy
Weight: 170 lbs.
Snack: coffee
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

The Model Genius Playlist
New Path/Dangerous Power (Extended Mix) - Gabriel & Dresden
Feel It In My Bones - Tiësto ft. Tegan & Sara
FML - Deadmau5
Destroy She Said (De Donatis Remix) - Circ

Cooldown:
The Silence (Original Mix) - Mike Koglin

Look at you with your mind spinning.

Week 15 Total: 28 miles
Training To Date: 400 miles

Let the tapering begin!

Distance: 16 miles

Route: To Cleveland Lakefront Natural Preserve and back.

Today was supposed to be 20 mile run #3. And in spite of my state of exhaustion this morning, I set out in the attempt to complete that goal. However, instead I chose to have an ADVENTURE!

Band-aids: check
Lip balm: check
Bottle: check
Body glide: check

Over spring break the kids attended camp at Shaker Lakes. Picking them up one afternoon I saw a map for Dike 14. It appeared to be this mushroom-shaped land area, jutting into Lake Erie, which begins where MLK Blvd. ends.

I run that way, when MLK ends I cut west and run along the lake. But what was this? The docent was only to happy to tell me all about Dike 14. For twenty years it was a landfill, dredged sediment from the Cuyahoga and the harbor were dumped there. Closed and left on its own since 1999, it has since "naturalized" and is now the Cleveland Lakefront Natural Preserve.

This morning I went to there.

The city from there.

The paths are rough but soft, so new they are not present on the satellite maps, sprinkled with wood shavings. I had to keep an eye out for small trees which had been cut close to the path, but still high enough to twist an ankle. Where the grasses grow high, I almost ran directly into a deer.  It is a lovely retreat.

Temperature: 49º  

Climate: cool and overcast, sightly chilly.

Weight: 166.5 lbs.

Pre-Snack: chewy granola bar
Road-Snack: GU x2 (Island Nectar & Chocolate Outrage)

Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

However. There was a moment of great difficulty on my return trek, at the foot of University Circle. I used the port-a-john at the tennis courts, and had the Chocolate Outrage (not bad, actually) but I was feeling very weak, tired, cold, and a by now a bit depressed. I had my cellphone in my hand, to call my wife to come get me. I walked up the hill past the VA Hospital, ready to pack it in.

I put the phone in my pocket. I got to the top of the hill. I drained my water bottle. And I continued to run. I jumped to the Devo track, bore down, and ran. By the time the song was over, I was fine. Better than fine. The GU was kicking in. I was going to get home on my own two feet.

Podrunner Playlist:
Trailblazer (160 bpm)
Mirror in the Bathroom - The Beat (171 bpm)
Thrive (163 bpm)
Girl U Want - Devo (173 bpm)
Stentorian (165 bpm)

Run like the chickenshit you are.

This is my VELOCITY face.

So it continues, my foot troubles me very little now -- except when sleeping.

Thursday I did not run, choosing rather to drink beer, eat pizza and bowl. These are also good things for marathon training, so shut up. This weekend includes the final three performances of THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN at the Beck Center. I will be sad to see it go, though I expect the script will have a future. My mother-in-law is coming into town to see it tomorrow night!

Distance: 4 miles

Route: Neighborhood loop

Day by day, my left foot appears to be healing ... from whatever was wrong with it. However, this morning, there is tenderness in the pad of my right foot. So it goes.

Temperature: 41º

Climate: cool & bright

Weight: 166.5 lbs.

Breakfast: apple pancakes w/yogurt, applesauce & syrup 

Hydration? yes

Stretches? yes, a little.

160-164 BPM Playlist

Soul Bossanova - Skeewiff

Play For Today - The Cure

Dreaming - Blondie

Theme from Doctor Detroit [Dance Mix] - Devo

Campus - Vampire Weekend

Gone Daddy Gone - Violent Femmes

La Femme d'Argent - AIR

The new BLOGGER interface is fucking ridiculous. I have to go into HTML mode and just delete shit in the desperate attempt to make my blog entries not look like they were created by a moron. The spacing is irregular, the published version is never the font I chose. This is so stupid and a waste of my time.

WordPress is looking very attractive to me right now.

I was thirsty, so I drank.

Okay, this has become a thing. I had a run yesterday morning. My foot was fine all day. I mean, it felt better than it had in a week. I wake in the middle of the night, and I have to readjust the position of my foot because it hurts. And it hurt all morning. Rest hurts. Discuss.

Distance: 4 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Temperature: 48º
Climate: cool. nice.
Weight: 166.5 lbs,
Breakfast: Chocolately Cream O' Wheat
Hydration? yes
Stretches? no

New For 2012 Playlist
Ho Hey (157 bpm) - The Lumineers
Feel So Close - Calvin Harris
Change of Time - Josh Ritter
By Surprise - Gemini Club
Lay Your Cards Out (feat. Mike Noyce) (161 bpm) - POLIÇA
We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) - Fun.
Paddling Out - Miike Snow
What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction
Black Magic - Magic Wands

Let's all just pray right now.

Have you seen the video?

We are falling apart, and by "we" I do not mean the royal we, I mean we runners. I have what I believe is a stress fracture, Karl thinks he may have the same thing (same place, other foot.) I read someone else's blog about how they are tapering early because of a thigh injury. I took last week off, totally ditched serious training, because of time and pain.

I need to see a doctor. I need new shoes. Did my previous new shoes hurt me, or was that going to happen anyway? No way to tell. I got some Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Sport replacement insoles for my last pair, the New Balance. We'll see how those fare.

Distance: 4 miles

Route: Neighborhood loop

Temperature: 48º

Climate:  cool & windy

Weight:  165 lbs.

Snack: none

Hydration? yes

Stretches? no


Two hours and two Advil later: I feel fine. My foot feels fine. It hurt while running.  It is a little sore. You know what bugs me? It hurts in my sleeps, that is when it hurts the most. That's when I first noticed it, over Easter weekend, in my sleep. And if I hold my foot the wrong way, lying down, it can be painful, like last night. My feet hurt at rest, but not, as they are right now, sitting up with my toes tucked under my chair.


Running my biggest concern is compensating for the pain I am feeling at that time by shifting weight to other parts of my leg, or the opposite foot. That is where I could really hurt myself badly, because that is exactly what has happened to me in the past.

New For 2012 Playlist

Revolution - Dr. John

El Convite (170 bpm) - Sistema Bomb

Black To White - Felix Caral ft. Miss Palmer

Kiss Me Again - We Are The In Crowd ft.Alex Gaskarth

Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera

Somebody That I Used To Know (Sweet Dreams) - Gotye ft. Kimbra vs. Beyonce

Watching You Watch Him (183 bpm) - Eric Hutchinson

Genesis (166 bpm)  - Grimes

UPDATE: See how the spacing looks all weird? That's the new Blogger WYSIWYG interface. I really, really hate it.

Don't run away. It's only me.

"How come my foot hurts?" - Christopher McDougall, Born to Run

The past several days I chose not to run. Rest is good. However, so is seeing a doctor and getting the right shoes. But I digress. I chose not to run. In fact, if you had looked through the window of my front room* on Thursday evening, for example, just after dinner, you would have seen a nine year-old in a chair, an almost-seven year-old kneeling over the couch next to his mother, and I in another chair, reading. All of us, quietly reading. And that was better than running, by far.

However, Friday was also prohibitive, as was Saturday. Randy M. did an assessment of my foot. His girlfriend has been suffering from Plantar fasciitis, and though my pain has been on the top of my feet, there has developed associative pain beneath. This is not good. He recommended ice and elevation, which I have entirely failed to do, but who cares, Randy's not some fucking doctor, screw him.

A few weeks ago, the ex-wife asked if I had read Christopher McDougall's Born to Run. I had to admit that not only hadn't I read it, but that I have a copy that was given to me one or two Christmases ago, staring me from the bookshelf.

In the past several days I have 1. finished the first draft of a new play for Great Lakes and 2. completed editing Henry VIII for Cleve Shakes. Right now I am in the fourth of five weekends of performances at Beck Center, I am not in the process of memorizing anything at all. For the first time in a very long time, I have leisure time to read. And so I am reading Born To Run.

I am looking forward to where it goes, though it begins with a demoralizing premise -- runners don't become stronger, running a lot does not make you more resistant to damage. Running a lot is damaging. It's like assuming that since you are hitting yourself in the head with a bat, one day getting hit in the head with a bat will not harm you.

My left foot hurts. I believe I have damaged it. I have two choices, the only two choices a runner has in these situations: Stop running. Run anyway.

Week 14 Total: 19 miles
Training to Date: 372 miles

Distance: 6 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Temperature: 28º
Climate: light rain & chilly ... then sun
Weight: 167 lbs.
Snack: chewy granola bar
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

I am tired of cold. Still, felt good to get out. The Cain Park Neighborhood Association was out in force, picking up trash. Saw a few familiar faces (Hi, Kari!) The foot hurts. Not any more than usual. I have it elevated and iced (Thanks, Randy!)

155-159 BPM Playlist
Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
Hey Ya - Outkast
Synchronicity II - The Police
Pretty Boys - Joe Jckson
Jaded - Green Day
Whammy Kiss - The B-52's
Mike Mills - AIR
Whip It - Devo
Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson
Puzzlin' Evidence - Talking Heads
The Long Hair of Death - Stereolab

Cooldown:
Driven To Tears - The Police

* Don't ever do this.

Tonight ... we're not young.

Have you seen the video?
It's gotta be the shoes, Michael. It's just gotta be. I am going to return to the New Balance sneaks for a few runs, and see what the difference is. Went without the chukka boots for a few days, ran six last night, this morning my feet were KILLING.

2012 Heights 5K Earth Day Run
Start: 6:45 pm
Time: 00:22.28

What is irritating to me is that I looked for the Earth Day run last month. I searched for it online and could not find it. Then I get a notice on my FB from Patch.com that it is tonight. That took a little negotiation in my plans (and an embarrassing text message sent to Mark by accident) so that I register six minutes before the start.

But register I did. The first mile, I felt panicked ... I was projecting to a month from now, imagining feeling that way during the marathon. By the 1 Mile marker, when I heard I was under 7 minutes, I felt much calmer. I do not need to be going that fast on May 20. A marathon is a journey, this was a race. There weren't enough volunteers for there to be time at two miles, I wish there had been, I may have pushed harder during the third mile to beat 21 minutes ... which would have been nice. But it's all right, what I did.

Perfect night for running. Maybe 59º. Sunny. Awesome. And apparently a record turnout for this year's race.

I won't be broken down.

Remarkable. I begin feeling weighty, bloated, too much stuffed shoved into my face the past couple of days. By the third miles I was flying, weightless. And I had the strangest thought ...

"I am going to kill four hours."
Oh my. I can't keep thoughts like that in my head, I will obsess. But, you know, as they say ... what if? One run at a time, hero. Only 32 days to go.

Playlist: Drive - The Crystal Method

I only listen to this track once a year, sometimes once every two years. Never get tired of it.

Distance: 6 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Temperature: 51º
Climate: cool
Weight: 170 lbs.
Snack: sure, lots of them!
Hydration? yes
Stretches? no

A key in the door. A step on the floor.

Daddy Runs Fast
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Running, like walking, is an act of controlled falling. My movement coach told me that at school. As bipeds, humans intentionally throw themselves off their balance, safe in the knowledge that they will swing the other leg out to catch their fall. However, when this process is sped up, as with running, you want to be sure you know where you are going to land.

On my return journey Saturday, running on the sidewalk across the highway from Gordon Park, I had a bit of an accident. I stepped on a crack, an uneven coming together of two sections of sidewalk, causing overextension at the ball of my foot.

The pain was immediate, and I felt a contraction in the ball of my foot. I thought, "oh, damn." But I kept going, and it was not a problem, the pain subsided, and I finished in good time. The rest of the day went by all right, sore in all the usual places, but that went down. Even performed a ninety-minute play.

Sunday morning, I woke to find both my feet felt like tender, puffy sacks of shit. And the ball of my foot, where I'd hit it, felt bruised, or pulled, or something. Hmn. A little worried about that. The wife ran me a in nice epsom salt footbath yesterday morning, and she had suggested soaking it in a tincture of Arnica. Today it feels all right.

Distance: 4 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Temperature: 72º
Climate: balmy
Weight: 167 lbs.
Snack: banana
Hydration? not enough - humidity will kill you
Stretches? yes

150-154 BPM Playlist
Concealed Weapons [12" Version] - J. Geils Band
Shoe Box - Barenaked Ladies
Just Like Heaven - The Cure
Dance This Mess Around - The B-52's
Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
Outer Bongolia - Stereolab
Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
Radio Free Europe - R.E.M.

Slow morning.


"It All Starts With A Dream"
Stephanie Danelson
Ohio University Art 114 Stop Motion Project

(Thanks, Con.)

Superman or Green Lantern ain't got nothing on me.

Week 13 Total: 32
Training to Date: 353 miles

My left foot continues to pain. Scott M. is of the opinion that it's the shoes. I would be inclined to agree with him. However, I decided to take Thursday off -- very tired, many other items on the agenda. Friday morning the foot felt good ... until I put on the chukka boots for the first time in several days. Walking to work, this band of pain began again earnest.

See the record player? What the heck is a record player?
Distance: 21 miles
Duration: 3 hours, 5 minutes
Route: To Rock Hall and Back

2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony ... TONIGHT! Wanted to check it out.

Band-aids: check - Do not use Walgreen's Waterproof Bandages again!
Lip balm: check
Bottle: check
Body glide: check

Something's happenin' here ...
Questioned whether or not to take a jacket. 50º? No. 49º? Damn. I regretted it heading through MLK, because I was warm and thought it would get warmer. On the Shoreway, however, I was grateful for it. Especially after making a pit-stop at East 72nd Street (last cleaned Tuesday, keep up the good work!) allowing my sweat to cool.

Temperature: 49º - 55º
Climate: cool & overcast. nice.
Weight: 163 lbs.
Pre-Snack: banana
Road-Snack: GU 2x (Mandarin Orange & Vanilla Bean)
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

A few weeks back I mentioned how nice it was to get off the high-bpm playlists and just have a relaxing run. Well, I've had too many of those. The fact is, and I don't believe I have reported this yet, but I want to BREAK FOUR HOURS.

Not sure I can do that. Last time was 4:15 and change. And I was hurting. But I had not trained with more than one twenty under my belt, I've just done two, and will complete a third. I think. But the last five miles were difficult. However ... I'd only have to do five more! Could I, in my present state, run 5.2 miles in fifty-five minutes?

Mmmmmmmaybe. Of course, my time today was thrown by the conversation I had with the guy in the FOX 8 truck by the Rock Hall.

Podrunner ft. Rock Hall Inductees:
Jimmy James - Beastie Boys
Pound for Pound (168 bpm)
Breaking The Girl - Red Hot Chili Peppers (179 bpm)
Cartographer (160 bpm)
Sabotage - Beastie Boys (168 bpm)
Electric Beach (164 bpm)

Cooldown:
Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers

I should mention that my feet are falling apart. I mean, they just hurt. And - surprise! A blood blister. Dammit! I had no idea that was going on, my socks felt fine. So here we are, we have entered the attrition phase of training. Building stamina, strength and timing before the wheels come off this 43 year-old body.

FOX 8 guy said this is Springsteen's stogie.
I think he was messing with me.

You're going down.

Runners should look like this. You shouldn't even try.
I hate to read about running. I think runners, writing about running, is tedious and boring. It's like how I felt about theater when I was a kid, I liked to do it, I hated to watch it. I used to think this was because I was arrogant, now I realize I was subjected to a lot of crappy theater when I was a teenager.

See my review of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Hate that book.

Jim pointed out a great article on CRACKED.COM. It amuses me that Cracked, which was always a humorless MAD Magazine knock-off, has morphed into a fairly respectable and often hilarious online source for pop culture commentary. The article in question is 4 Stunning Revelations An Idiot Has About Running by Robert Brockaway. It is funny, and also very accurate. Read the entire thing for greater insight, but here's the list for those who hate to read about running as much as I do:

#4. It's Not an All or Nothing Scenario
#3. The Clothes Actually Do Something
#2. Runners Aren't All Lying Scumbags
#1. It's True: Bodies Actually Are Capable of Improvement

True, as they say, dat.

Distance: 5 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Lord, that was awful. At two miles my head began to swell and throb, it was painful and very uncomfortable. Almost bagged at three miles, but kept going. Came home and put away two large glasses of water very fast. I am thinking it was dinner, peachy meatloaf and my special brussels sprouts, very salty. The wife says I looked absolutely terrible, or did when I came in. Much more relaxed now.

Still ... good run!

Temperature: 47º
Climate: cool and nice
Weight: 168 lbs.
Hydration? laws, yes.
Stretches? yes

Been having a lot of terrible premonitions during this entire training period, most of which deal with getting hit, maimed, crushed or killed by moving cars. Tonight I imagined falling in the crosswalk in front of a car that fails to stop at a red light, and feeling my tibias and fibulas snap under the weight of the tires, all four of them. That, and my ankles would be entire bent over, horribly damaging my feet.

I imagine myself struggling to yell out my phone number before I blackout.

It was a sudden, graphic fantasy, it made me gasp as I ran and cover my mouth. I wish I didn't think things like that.

99 Luftballons Genius Playlist
Der Kommissar - Falco
Luka - Suzanne Vega
What You Need (Extended Mix) - INXS
Rapture (Special Disco Mix) - Blondie
Drowning Man (D:Ream Ambient Mix) - Duran Duran
99 Luftballons - Nena
Tom's Diner - DNA ft. Suzanne Vega
Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics

Cooldown:
We Got the Beat - The Go-Go's

I miss Falco.

You spend time running from depravity.

Lately, life makes me forget about running. It's supposed to be the other way round.

Certain days I suddenly think, well, you are losing interest. Nice try. And I have to work so hard to convince myself, "What the hell is wrong with you, your training is entirely on schedule!"

Except for the junk food. Lotta junk food the last week. That's gotta stop. Holiday's over, pal. No more candy, no more chips. More fruits and vegetables. No more alcohol before bed, it's time for tea, and water, water, water.

Distance: 6 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

See, this is what I'm talking about. I set out, and immediately thought, oh, don't run six. Five will be fine. Or even three for that matter. I was supposed to run six on Sunday, but only had time for four (had, had, had to get to the bar) so that would be bad, only running four. Or three.

I ran six. And it felt really good! Damn.

Temperature: 39º
Climate: wet pavement, then light rain, cool but not unpleasant (until the light rain started)
Weight: 168 lbs.
Snack: no
Hydration? yes
Stretches? no

Blue Genius Playlist
Feel So Close - Calvin Harris
So Light Is Her Footfall (158 bpm) - AIR
Cold War (160 bpm) - Janelle Monáe
The Girls - Calvin Harris
76, OCean Drive (Apache Vocal Mix) - Nicola Fasano V...
Hunter - Portishead
Worst Day (171 bpm) - Calvin Harris
Wandering Star (160 bpm) - Portishead
Sing Sang Sung - AIR
My Love Sees You - Beni
Radio #1 - AIR
Let Go - Gabriel & Dresden

I want you to know I feel completely at ease.

Damn you, Ridiculously Photogenic Guy.
Week 12 Total: 34
Training to Date: 321 miles

Wow. Yesterday I actually got a mild sunburn from my run.

And now seriously, why does my left foot hurt? On or around the lateral cuneiform bone. Anyone? Anyone? Anyone know why my lateral cuneiform bone hurts?

Distance: 4 miles
Route: Hocking River Bike Path

Temperature: 62º
Climate: God-like.
Snack: coffee
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

My Ever Changing Moods Genius Playlist
It's Only Natural - Crowded House
How She Threw It All Away - The Style Council
Maxine - Donald Fagen
Sowing the Seeds Of Love - Tears For Fears
Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
New Frontier - Donald Fagen
Cruel To Be Kind - Nick Lowe
Headstart for Happiness (161 bpm) - The Style Council

Cooldown:
The Weaver - Paul Weller

Huh. Two Shakespeare quotes in one short playlist. Name them - both - and I will give you a dollar.

When everything that dies shall rise.

Staying at the in-laws, I woke in the middle of the night, my left instep in pain. Perhaps it was the way the covers were too tight, I had given myself some kind of strain ... but that part of my foot has been aching the past several days. Now I can barely walk.

So. Why? The shoes are relatively new, but not that new. I have been running in them for over a month. I was wearing a new pair of flip-flops last night ... for less than an hour. Then there are the chukka boots I wear for Velocity. I was encouraged to wear them around, to make them appear less new. So I wear them all the time. But they provide little support.

I stretch, I wonder, I worry. Karl proposed that running a 20 so early in training I am going to blow out my knees. But this is really a game of "surprise," isn't it? This morning I convinced myself it would be all right to stick to my plan to run three or four today, and thirteen tomorrow.

Distance: 13 miles 14.25 miles
Route: Hocking River Half Marathon

... then again, when presented with a day like this, with no responsibilities, someone else to look after your children (teaching them each how to ride a dirtbike, no less) your wife has sequestered herself to write, the sun is up, the clouds are gone, the weather is pleasant, and you have already put in a solid morning doing nothing but writing, how on earth can one possibly justify not running for two hours?

By the way, I got the map wrong, and ran an additional mile and a quarter by accident. What a shame.

Temperature: 61º
Climate: effucking gloriourifous
Snack: two bananas
Hydration? all along the route!
Stretches? oops. kinda.

Do You Believe In Shame Genius Playlist
Praying For Time - George Michael
Promises, Promises - Naked Eyes
If You Were Here - The Thompson Twins
When Love Breaks Down - Prefab Sprout
Face To Face - Siouxsie & the Banshees
Lay Your Hands On Me - The Thompson Twins
Shoot The Dog - George Michael
Over You - Roxy Music
Three Imaginary Boys (170 bpm) - The Cure
Edge of America - Duran Duran
The Strangest Thing - George Michael
Loving The Alien - David Bowie
Dazzle - Siouxsie & the Banshees
Come Undone (Come Undub) (177 bpm) - Duran Duran
The Swing - INXS
The Perfect Girl - The Cure
Now We're Getting Somewhere (157 bpm) - Crowded House
Dominion/Mother Russia - The Sisters of Mercy
Kiss Them For Me - Siouxsie & the Banshee
Slow Emotion Replay - The The
Bad Boys - Wham!
Fortress Around Your Heart - Sting
Hard Day - George Michael
It Doesn't Really Matter - George Michael
Something To Save - George Michael
Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears
Love Is Stronger Than Death - The The
Message To My Girl - Split Enz
Too Late Marlene - Duran Duran
Late Bar - Duran Duran

I really like George Michael.

Our procession lurches on.

Ridiculously Photogenic Guy
Route: Hocking River Bike Path
Distance: 6.75 miles

Knocked off training by circumstance and travel. But here we are, in Athens for the weekend, I believe I may run three tomorrow, and thirteen on Easter Sunday. We shall see, depends on if
this weather holds and if it looks like icky, cold rain.

For today, however, it is outstanding. It is on days like today, when the banks of the Hocking a emerald and alive, the trees are budding and the sun is high, that I understand the outrageous state of tuition.

Q: Were all the young women at O.U. this attractive in the late 1980s?
A: Of course not, silly. Only the ones on the bike path.

Temperature: 59º
Climate: fucking gorgeous
Lunch: Casa Nueva seasonal enchilada platter
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

Do You Believe In Shame Genius Playlist
Do You Believe In Shame? - Duran Duran
Waiting (Reprise) - George Michael
Destination - The Church
I Don't Want To Be A Hero - Johnny Hates Jazz
Love Is A Stranger - Eurythmics
The Hearts Filthy Lesson (Alt. Mix) - David Bowie
Dancing On The Jetty - INXS
Same Old Scene - Roxy Music
Ship Of Fools - World Party
Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant
People Are Strange - Echo & The Bunnymen
How Beautiful You Are - The Cure
Left Of Center - Suzanne Vega ft. Joe Jackson
The One Thing - INXS

Cooldown:
Big Thing - Duran Duran

Heartbeat! Increasing heartbeat!

MID-TRAINING DIETARY BACKSLIDE!
Today I ate an entire 11.5 oz. bag of Nacho Cheese DORITOS!
In other news of physical discomfort, over the past several day my meralgia paresthetica has been building, and today it has become truly intolerable. Instead of feeling it only on the outside of my right thigh, it has flared up all down the mid-section of the front of my thigh. Why? Who knows. I just want it to stop.

Distance: 6 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Temps hit this week's projected high in the mid-sixties ... and missed it.

Temperature: 48º
Climate: cool
Weight: 168.5 lbs.
Snack: Doritos
Hydration? yes
Stretches? yes

Today was a freak-show. Unhappy and ravenous. No excuses tomorrow, or from here on out. The heartburn was a real distraction, and is not good for me at all. Oh well. That was fun ... kind of. Not really. Not fun at all. Boo.

Oblivious Genius Playlist
Oblivious - Aztec Camera
This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us - Sparks
Here's Where the Story Ends - The Sundays
Radio Free Europe (154 bpm) - R.E.M.
Precious - The Jam
Marlene On The Wall - Suzanne Vega
Our Lips Are Sealed - The Fun Boy Three
Dear Prudence - Siouxsie & The Banshees
Wild Wood (154 bpm) - Paul Weller
Skin Trade (Stretch Mix) - Duran Duran
Street Life - Roxy Music
Down In The Tube Station After Midnight - The Jam
Cuts You Up - Peter Murphy

Cooldown:
There She Goes - The La's

Huh. So I got off the beats-per-minute train, and found myself on the most pleasurable, leisurely run in a long time. I would like to beat 4:00 this time, this time which is possibly my last time. Not sure if I can make that, but keeping my speed up is key. However, it has been quite draining. I need to remember to take it easy and enjoy the road.

Oh, comrade. What do you need?

Morning restoration run. Amazing what a body can do. What hurts are my arms, from carrying that water bottle across town on Saturday.

Distance: 3 miles
Route: Neighborhood loop

Hydration, everywhere, all the time. It is an issue. I need to be drinking all the time. I need water with me, all the time. My body will say, have a drink and I will think, what a good idea. And I will get back to work and a half-hour later my body will tell me you need a drink and I will think, wait, I never took a drink the last time I though that. And so on.

Temperature: 41º
Climate: cool & dry
Weight: 169 lbs.
Breakfast: cereal w/banana, grapefruit & coffee
Hydration? yes
Stretches? no

All day Saturday and into Sunday I was ravenous. You know what tastes really good? Tortilla chips with cheese melted over them. I bet they would taste even better with salsa and sour cream. Someone should look into that.

165-169 BPM Playlist
Genesis - Grimes
Plastic Passion - The Cure
All Night - Sam Phillips
Foundations - Kate Nash
Young Americans - David Bowie
Percolations - Stereolab
Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins