A lifestyle of fun.

Somebody that I used to blow.

Last week, right after the wife left town, our boy came down with a serious allergy attack which has left him coughing ever since. He's been given several medications to alleviate the condition, we think he may have a touch of the asthma.

What I can say is that he has spent very little time out of doors or getting any exercise at all, which is only right for recovery but he's very squirrelly and has been jumping around a lot. We are overdue for a run/bike ride.

Distance: 2.35 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:02
Duration: 18:54
Route: Horizon Loop

However, my back end continues to trouble me I no long think it is a hip condition, or if it was that is no longer the issue. It pains me to sit for long periods. No idea what will come of this.

Pavement: wet
Temperature: 43°
Climate: rain & thunder
Mood: confounded

Bracing run in the rain. Cold rain, brief run. Good to get out an move my legs. Today is a personal day, the wife is home, kids still on break. We did not have the opportunity to visit the zoo on Calvin's Day, so that is where we are headed now.

A walk through the zoo in the rain. Sounds like fun.

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 164 lbs. (-1.0)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

2012 Playlist
Madness - Muse
Somebody That I Used to Know (Mike D Remix) - Gotye ft. Kimbra
Live While We're Young - One Direction
Paddling Out - Miike Snow
Take a Walk - Passion Pit

I'm in need of some restraint.

Last night I was up until one am with a sick child and this morning my hip hurts from the first run I had taken in almost two weeks.

But its sixty degrees out, and it's Sunday. That is when the running happens.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:39
Duration: 28:08
Route: Forest Hill Loop

A lazy Sunday morning, but not lazy enough. My mind is in such a tumult I could not locate my toe spacers and I headed out with my last running shoes. I should have turned around, I had a kink in one ankle, then the other, and in my right knee again, briefly. Took it a little easier. That's hard for me to do.

I am overdue for new shoes.

Temperature: 63°
Climate: coll & humid
Mood: anxious

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 165 lbs. (-3.0) Uh, okay?
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

1968 Playlist
Grazing In the Grass - Hugh Masekela
Trouble/Guitar Man (live) - Elvis Presley
Stray Cat Blues - The Rolling Stones
Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone David
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones
White Light/White Heat - The Velvet Underground
Son of a Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield
Astral Weeks - Van Morrison

See how I've changed now? My head's so clear.

Last week I gave up. It has been a long time since I have done that, but I just stopped exercising entirely. The fact that it has been cold has a lot to do with it, but also because I have been in pain and I was tired of exacerbating the pain. In my hip, my sciatic nerve. Monday morning I woke up and my legs just felt horrible, heavy and pained.

Also, depressed. Uninspired. Without motivation of any kind. These moods come. They also go.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:15
Duration: 26:49
Route: Forest Hill Park Loop

Meanwhile, I ate everything. I ate all the things. Just stopped caring. And as I passed the ten day mark I realized I had become afraid of running.That doing so would be a bad thing, not a good thing. The pain would return, and I would be depressingly more aware of the pounds I had added, after being so judicious and careful since New Year's.

I have been through this for more than half my life. But I have never been in this kind of existential quandary about running itself. Not that I can't run, that I am prohibited from running, physically. Nor that I am depressed and that I do not want to run, emotionally.  But that I actually feel what is the point of all this running? Why do it?

Personally, I blame Trump.

Pavement: dry
Temperature: 54°
Climate: overcast & cool
Mood: trying.

Did I mention the headaches? Allergy season. It was between fifty and seventy degrees yesterday, but there was just no way.

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 168 lbs. (+3.5)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

Winded at first, just like starting over. Eased up as I went. First I felt a twinge in my right knee (did I mention I had an evening last week when my right knee was in a great deal of pain) then a twist in my left ankle. Both went away. Kept moving.

Felt good to visit the park again. Trees that fell over two weeks ago, cut up and waiting to be carted away. Wonder if I would get apprehended for taking a few of the smaller ones for the fire pit.

Did I mention I got a fire pit? The wife is out of town for the week, and there will be a few pleasant surprises around when she returns.

Did I mention my wife is out of town?

1992 Playlist
My Name Is Prince - Prince
Blood Makes Noise - Suzanne Vega
My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) - En Vogue
Freedom (Back To Reality Mix) - George Michael
The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead - XTC
Fascination (Live) - Everything But the Girl

This was the year everything happened. Started my first theater company, Bill Clinton was elected, also I was married -- for the first time.

Good Lord, but that last one describes the feelings I had about her. Sad lesson.

What was it we were thinking of?

How long can a good thing last?

Pain comes, pain goes, but this ache in my left hip continues and I am taking it a bit easier and I don't like that. Can't tell what's going on here, my entire left leg has been affected this season, from my hip on down. Aggravation.

Distance: .85 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:44
Duration: 7:10
Route: One lap around the block.

And yet. Two days without a run, and my right thigh is doing that thing it does, the burning sensation, when I do not exercise. Can't rest, can't win.

Pavement: dry
Temperature: 23°
Climate: cold
Mood: tired

On top of that, a zipper on the cuff of my cold weather running pants busted. Admittedly, my brother gave me these as a gift well over ten years ago. Still, it was a little depressing. Used rubber bands on the cuff, plan to get new pants tomorrow. Big sigh.

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 164.5 lbs. (-0.5)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

Not feeling it today. Heading out it felt too cold, a light breeze was making my cheeks ache with the cold. Also, my hip started hurting. Also, just felt generally tired. Staying up too late, waking up early. Eff Daylight Saving Time.

The wife wonders if she should be worried. I mean, I am fine, I felt I have pushed myself too hard this winter. Fighting too hard.

1972 Playlist
Pusherman - Curtis Mayfield
Soul Survivor - The Rolling Stones

Here I go and I don't know why.

Forest Hill Park

My left hip was in pain Tuesday night, took the day off yesterday. I should take every other day off, right? Seems a little manic, actually. At least, when I am running. When I am not, well, it feels like not running then, doesn't it?

It makes me wonder, though. When does this all stop? When do I run out? Don't mean to be maudlin, but it will happen. I have been charging lately, going faster than I really should, probably. It feels good to run fast, but limping around the rest of the day? Perhaps a bad idea.

We watched Arrival last night, so I'm feeling very fragile.

Distance: 3.66 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:24
Duration: 30:43
Route: Forest Hill Loop

And oh, Jesus. I came into the house crying. It was crazy. I was having a relaxing run, mostly relaxing, taking it slower than usual. The park was littered with huge, downed trees. The windstorm last night was tremendous, climate change is ripping the planet apart.

Last night I fell asleep wondering if a branch from the large, ancient tree in our front yard would have enough momentum to impale the roof, our ceiling and into our bed.

The movie last night ... no one would have listened to her, you know? Not in the real world. They never mention gender, but there she is, surrounded by men. There are no other female characters in authority, not in the military, the NSA, the government, the young saboteur/terrorists. All men. In this world, they would not have listened to her. This President would have blown the thing up.

My hip still hurts. Is it just overuse, is it arthritic? We're not an arthritic family. A doctor would say it's because I run. If I asked, how do I make the pain go away? They would say stop, running. I lost part of my meniscus nine years ago. Ran two marathons since. You get one body, but also only one life.

Turning into the drive, I didn't look up, and thought, what would have happened had my wife been backing out, had struck me with her car, how she would have screamed, if she backed over my leg, and before I knew it was I was at the door, gripping my thigh. And I started to bawl.

We were moving steadily towards progress. Now we are backing away as fast as we can.

Pavement: dry
Temperature: 39°
Climate: cool
Mood: so, uhm, yeah

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 165 lbs. (+0.5)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

1988 Playlist
Dancing Barefoot - Patti Smith
Bring Me Some Water - Melissa Etheridge
Kinda I Want To (demo) - Nine Inch Nails
Drug (It's Just a State of Mind) [Daniel Abraham Mix] - Duran Duran
Chains of Love - Erasure
Mary, Mary - Run-D.M.C.
She's Got a Brand New Spell - Billy Bragg
We're seeing Patti Smith downtown on Sunday night. Really looking forward to that.

I'll go crawling back to the city I love.

Hey, y'all. Good mornin'.

Woo. Scored some terrific chafing these past two runs (sorry if that is too much information, this is a runner's blog) but when you get a morning in the fifties in March, you take it. Glide it is.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:05
Duration: 26:18
Route: Forest Hill Loop

Also, intestinal distress. Man, I have all the complaints this morning. What did we eat last night? Vegetarian tacos, spaghetti squash tacos. Hmn. No one else seemed affected. And this morning I celebrated #NationalCerealDay with, well, what I usually eat, granola and yogurt. No idea. You're losing it, old man.

Pavement: wet
Temperature: 54°
Climate: refreshing, light rain
Mood: progressive

Not a goose.

Great springtime-like run. Geese out in force. I am glad to say I have never been attacked by a goose, at least not yet. The lagoon is swollen from last night's rain, but the path was still clear.

The neighborhood association does a wonderful job keeping the park clear and beautiful, but some of the ancient stone and brickwork needs repair. Like the man says, such a crumbling beauty. Aaah, there's nothin' about her municipal funds wouldn't fix.

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 163.5 lbs. (+1.0)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

2008 Playlist
In the Heights - Lin-Manuel Miranda & Company
I Caught Myself - Paramore
Echoes Round the Sun - Paul Weller
Freeway - Aimee Mann
American Boy (Soulseekerz Club Remix) - Estelle
Coney Island - Good Old War

On this morning, last year, we were probably listening to Hamilton.

Getting Hamilton tickets was much easier and cheaper the second time.

Tears are running.

Forest Hill footbridge (East Cleveland)

Good day! This week I will be managing the @InTheCLE Twitter handle this week, so if you are a tweeter, please check that out. If you are visiting this site because I posted something on #InTheCLE, then welcome.

I am an avid if not always competent runner, and I have used this blog to record every run I have taken since 2006. My dedication in making a blog post, even a brief one, for every run has inspired my running, and vice versa.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:00
Duration: 26:00
Route: Forest Hill Loop

My favorite route is through Forest Hill Park which borders Cleveland Heights and East Cleveland. One mile, about a mile through the park itself, and one mile back. Soon the green will emerge on the trees, and I can't wait for that.

Pavement: dry
Temperature: 48°
Climate: overcast & cool
Mood: #InTheCLE!

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 162.5 lbs. (-1.0)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.


Finally, at the start of every calendar year I make my way through the terrible weather (when there used to be terrible weather) by running to playlists from every year I have been alive, and then some. Today we will be listening to the sweet summer-of-love sounds of 1967.

1967 Playlist
Lies - The Knickerbockers
Easy Rider * - Big Brother & The Holding Co.
Ain't Got No - I Got Life - Nina Simone
People Are Strange - The Doors
Hip Hug-Her - Booker T. & The MG's
Here Comes My Baby * - Cat Stevens
Little Games - The Yardbirds
Blindman - Big Brother & The Holding Co.
Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
Boogaloo Down Broadway - The Fantastic Johnny C
All Tomorrow's Parties * - The Velvet Uniderground & Nico

Actually, Lies is from 1966, but I only just discovered that one. No doubt people were still listening to it a year later. But, oh, that Nico-inspired sprint! I wonder where all that BPM was coming from with just four people there

Never want to put my feet back down on the ground.

Dig that little waistline.

Yesterday I'm picking up my son from his music lesson. There's a number of adults waiting for the band to break up. I'm looking at my screen, this guy is sitting at a desk making a note on something. I haven't met him before, but he turns to me and starts a conversation.

He begins, "You look about my age, can I ask you something?" He does look about my age. He wants to know, if it's going to make you hurt, what is the point of exercising? You're going to hurt one way or another.

He says this, and I think of how it pained me to get out of my tiny car, just minutes earlier. I had taken my run, cleaned up, cooled down, got into my car for twenty minutes to pick up the boy, and getting out of that car, yeah, it hurt.

"Some pain is better than others?" I offered.

It's a question.

Distance: 7:50
Avg. Pace: 7:49
Duration: 58:38
Route: Forest Hill/Boulevard/Noble Loop

Anyway, I found out this was not another parent, but my son's new instructor, so that was a cool introduction.

Pavement: dry
Temperature: 27°→32°
Climate: cold, then not-so-cold
Mood: determined

How to crush a sub-freezing Sunday run? College music. Seriously, that playlist is one for the thirty year reunion.

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 163.5 lbs (-1.0)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

Lost ten pounds since New Year's. 160 is ideal.

1987 Playlist [Extended Remix]
I Know You Got Soul - Eric B. & Rakim
Hand To Mouth - George Michael
Never Let Me Dwon Again - Depeche Mode
I Want Your (Hands On Me) - Sinead O'Connor
Hard Day (Shep Pettibone Remix) - George Michael
I Started Something I Couldn't Finish - The Smiths
Rock Steady - Sting
Strange - R.E.M.
My Sister Rose - 10,000 Maniacs
New Sensation - INXS
A Japanese Dream - The Cure
Guns In The Sky - INXS
Rent - Pet Shop Boys
Diamonds - Herb Alpert ft. Janet Jackson & Lisa Keith
Big Love - Fleetwood Mac

Just couldn't stop running. Every song kept pushing me forward.

Now I'm really in pain.

I need it.

"The Jabberwocky" tour continues!

Here's the thing about moderate exercise. One rep of jackknives, 30 sec. of planking, and suddenly I need to use the next notch on my belt.

Jackknives? Jackknifes? Whatever.

The point is, it doesn't take much. However, I have noticed working the Wii these past two days that my balance has deteriorated. Another reason to stick with it. I am getting older, not younger (same to you) and yes, I need more than aerobic exercise and a healthy diet.

And my arms are no longer aching the way they were the other night.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Avg. Pace: 7:44
Duration: 25:10
Route: Forest Hill Loop

Bright and sunny ... but cold! Still, great to get out into the afternoon sun without a deathly gale in my face. The geese were very passive, it was nap time or something.

Pavement: wet
Temperature: 27°
Climate: sunny & cold
Mood: curious

Here is my first 2007 Playlist ... from 2007!

• Dashboard - Modest Mouse
• No Tomorrow - Orson
• It's All True - Tracey Thorn
• Acceptable in the 80s - Calvin Harris
• Synchronize - Tomboy
• Thnks Fr Th Mmrs - Fall Out Boy
• Sonido Total - The Pinker Tones
• Flathead - The Fratellis
• Mister Sister - The Tender Box
• Make It Easy (John Tejada Remix) - Lusine
• Love Today - Mika

Funny but none of them were on today's playlist.

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 164.5 lbs. (-1.0)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

2007 Playlist
No Love Lost * - LCD Soundsystem
You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse
Club Situation - Gravy Train !!!
I Feel It All * - Feist
Mistaken for Strangers - The National
1973 - James Blunt
Nan You're a Window Shopper * - Lily Allen

Interlude

Just not in the mood for a frigid run. Totally spoiled now. Wait a few days, it will be in the fifties again.

However, I have neglected any kind of upper body activity for so long. My let bicep was aching terribly, There's very little density there. Weak, weak arms.

This morning I hopped on the Wii Fit again. It has been well over a year (it keeps track of that.) It would serve me well to hit that daily, or at least several days a week.

Doesn't take much. You think, every day, what about a dozen curls? You know, just to start? That's nothing? Then it never happens.

I's like to feel stronger than this. I can be stronger than this.

Duration: 19 minutes

All we've got left is a beat in the night.

Today in silly clickbait:

6 Reasons Your Doctor Needs to Know You’re a Runner
by Teal Burrell, Runner's World 1/23/2017

Every time I meet a new doctor, the moment they use a stethoscope they ask, "You run?"

I don't think I want to meet the doctor who can't tell a runner right off the bat.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Pavement: wet
Temperature: 52°
Climate: light rain
Mood: okay

Beautiful "spring" day. The wife actually has the day off, as her school's power is out after last night's storms. But I am headed to three different schools today, in three different communities, for meetings, teaching and parent responsibilities.

All the water fowl, in the lagoon. Just gorgeous.

Baseline: 174 lbs.
Today: 165.5 lbs. (+1.5)
Goal: 165 lbs.
Ideal: 160 lbs.

Oh, yes. "Fat Tuesday." The perfect excuse to have hot pastrami at lunch and a cheeseburger and onions rings for dinner. Only I'm not Catholic so I'll be eating the same things today.

2003 Playlist
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight * - The Postal Service
In Between Days * - Ben Folds
Title and Registration - Death Cab for Cutie
Gay Bar * - Electric Six
Burning Down the House - Tom Jones & The Cardigans
Yeah - Usher ft. Lil' Jon & Ludacris
Look for Water - David Bowie
It's My Life - Liquid People vs. Talk Talk