They come a running just to get a look.

Our house smells like cat. The whole house, stinky cat. This is a shame, as Tiger is actually so much healthier than he was two months ago.

Distance: 2.1 miles

Duration: 19:21
Pace: 9:12

We're in Cincinnati for the night, to see the boy perform at Caffè Vivace. Brought my kit to do the block, like I did last fall.

Beautiful day. Walk in the park. Leisurely lunch. Mini-vacation (except for all the driving).

Route: Gaslight Loop
Temperature: 68°
Climate: between downpours
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

1976 Playlist

Moonlight Feels Right - Starbuck

I'd Really Love to See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley

Money, Money, Money - ABBA

Crazy On You - Heart

Somebody To Love - Queen

Do Ya - Electric Light Orchestra

"I'm not talkin' 'bout m'lady."

Going round and round.

New-to-me shirt.
(Non-compression.)

Weight maintained. Getting there is the really hard part. Maintaining it does not mean starving, or even feeling hungry. When I am hungry between meals, I have become very thoughtful about what and how much I eat.

And it’s not all vegetables or nuts or fruit. I eat chips. I just don’t eat out of a bag, I put them in a bowl, I count them. I had fish fry yesterday, just not the whole plate.

And I drove to Canton and back without stopping at Swenson's, even though, believe me, I thought about it.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 24:15

Route: rec center
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

1971 Playlist

Bitterblue - Yusuf (Cat Stevens)

It’s Too Late - Carole King

Jump In the Fire - Harry Nilsson

Strawberry Letter 23 (171 BPM) - Shuggie Otis

Oh! You Pretty Things - David Bowie 

What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye

Won’t Get Fooled Again - The Who

Man. 1971. Lot of shit going on. Speaking of which, when does the trade war become a real war?

Just watching all their feet.

Saw our first Guardians game for the season last night. Forty degrees. We had fun, won the game (almost fucked it, though) but, man. I feel still and tired this morning. If I hadn't gotten a call from a sick actor I wouldn't have gotten up as early as I did.

So, we run!

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 24:55
Route: rec center
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

Some compulsive chewing at the game last night, provided the illusion of heat. Anyway, the occasional indulgence is fine. It's the constant indulgence that will get you.

1981 Playlist

Someday, Someway - Robert Gordon

Love Is Alright Tonite - Rick Springfield

Splintered In Her Head - The Cure

We Got the Beat - The Go-Go’s

I’m Your Money - Heaven 17

Penthouse & Pavement - Heaven 17

Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go’s

I want to run.

You know, there's that time in the spring when you just really, really want decent weather for running. Sometimes -- get this -- sometimes it snows in APRIL.

Sometimes I feel so bad.

Anyway, things progress. Art happens. The stock market is down, but it goes back up again, you know? Like, the magnolia blossoms in my back yard that just started blossoming and then were caught in a frost and now they're brown and not as pretty.

What was I Talking about? Oh, yeah. Spring. Might be nice. Glad I can still run indoors. Fuck.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:22

And now, the fun bunch. An early morning quartet of walkers who take all four lanes.

Route: rec center
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

1991 Playlist

Who? Where? Why? (Crisis 12" Mix) - Jesus Jones

Where the Streets Have No Name (I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You) - Pet Shop Boys

Rush - Big Audio Dynamite II 

Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & the Fun Bunch

Pain Lies On the Riverside - Live

You make my feet move.

#HandsOff, motherfucker.

Still using the Noom, which is, and has been, primarily a repository for my daily intake. The difference between that and this blog, where I would occasionally keep track of what I was eating, the app tallies the calories.

But it's not like I am "calorie counting" as they used to say. I just know what I've eaten, so far, what I intend to eat, and I stay honest. The other day I had a big meal from a fast food place, that didn't prevent me from having popcorn after dinner while I watched TV. I was just aware.

And I have been consistently 160 pounds for over two months. I wonder if I could just stay here.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:40
Route: rec center
Mood: angsty
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2011 Playlist

Bonkers - Dizzee Rascal ft. Armand van Helden

Romance - Wild Flag

Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO

Girl Panic ! - Duran Duran

Ritual Union - Little Dragon 

Lotus Flower - Radiohead

Doncamatic - Gorillaz ft. Daley

I can go all night.

We reach the end of another week. All of us, together. I will be on my own this weekend, what to do? Think I may attend the Hands Off protest at Market Square tomorrow.

There are also household projects to be done, in preparation for the summer. Sanding, scrubbing and staining at the fore. Yes, I have plenty to do and all weekend to do it.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:58
Pace: 9:01

Dinner at Arthur Treacher's, baby. Five stars. No notes. And, like, a thousand calories, but that's okay. I can manage that once in a while.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 54°
Climate: overcast & cool
Mood: all right, full of fish
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2021 Playlist

Witchoo - Durand Jones & the Indications ft. Aaron Frazer

Sexy Villain - Remi Wolf

Special Thing - Gilligan Moss

Big Energy - Latto

Chaise Longue - Wet Leg

Security - Amyl & the Sniffers

transparentsoul  - Willow ft. Travis Barker

Once Twice Melody (168 BPM)  - Beach House

Wake Me Up - Foals

Damn. Four years ago, already? Damn.

Run while you can, baby.

We have hit a roadblock, or at least it feels like one. The exercise, the commitment continues, but it doesn't feel like it did before. I think that is because I am longing for the temperatures that will take me outside. But at least I have a subscription to the inside, to keep me going.

And I maintain. The wife gets pizza, I have one slice, and a healthy dose of salad. Snacking is minimal, and measured -- and enjoyed.

An Arthur Treacher's opened in town yesterday -- not an April Fool's joke, and honest-to-god Arthur Treacher's opened across from the high school. I hope to visit that soon. 

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 27:37

Relaxed run. Did it, right?

Route: rec center
Mood: sleepy
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2017 Playlist

Show You the Way - Thundercat ft. Kenny Loggins & Michael MacDonald

Dreams (Colors Mix) - Beck

Perfect Sunday Sun - Nick Heyward

Cold - Maroon 5 ft. Future

Drew Barrymore - SZA

Hard Times - Paramore

Shine On Me - Dan Auerbach

May I Have This Dance (remix) - Francis & the Lights ft. Chance the Rapper

Run for Cover (165 BPM) - The Killers

Onto the ones.

Let them drink inside of my house. Make them smoke outside of my house.

The madmen are running the asylum, but what are you gonna do? I write letters. Actual letters that I send through the mail. Why? Because they are physical objects which travel to their offices. They must be dealt with. And maybe they are shredded, who knows, but that is a physical act which must be performed by someone who is aware that they are destroying communications from a constituent to their elected official.

It is not a social media post, which they will never see. It is not an email which can easily be deleted. And I do not always have the time nor energy to show up. I am grateful for those who do. I am thankful for those who do. I am doing this. I am writing letters.

I am also getting on with my life, because that is important, too.

Distance: 1.75 miles

Duration: 15:49
Pace: 9:01

Took a risk! Stepped out, headed for the rec center , but the air was so nice I decided to head for the park. I knew it might rain, too, and it did. If I'd stuck it out it would have subsided, but I didn't know, that, the wind picked up, the rain went sideways, so I turned around.

Still. Very nice.

Route: To the park & back.
Temperature: 54°
Climate: overcast & rain
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2007 Playlist

Timebomb - Beck

Merrymaking at My Place (Radio Edit) - Calvin Harris

Foundations - Kate Nash

The Boys - Dragonette

Acceptable in the 80s - Calvin Harris

Fifteen runs in one month. Every other day, more or less. Well done.

I feel the wind.

The weather turns, my head does not know what to make of it. Also, I need to resume writing. The past several weeks have been disorienting. Writing every morning, by hand, lends a consistency, it helps me better understand time. But it has been a strange winter.

It is a Saturday, my first in several weeks (guests, out of town trip) that I spend on my own. It is cloudy and raining but it is also above sixty degrees. Bring on the late 90s techno beats!

Distance: 4 miles

Duration: 36:14
Pace: 9:03

March is the month we break out and run the most.  

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 65°
Climate: overcast w/light breeze
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight:160 lbs.

1997 Playlist

Elektrobank (Dust Brothers Remix) - The Chemical Brothers

Y'All Know - Will Smith

We're In Yr Corner - Cornershop

6 Underground (Nellee Hooper Mix) - Sneaker Pimps

The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) (160 BPM) - Missy Elliott

Change My Pitch Up - The Prodigy

One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces - Ben Folds Five

Tickertape of the Unconscious - Stereolab

History Repeating (Knee Length Mix) - Propellerheads ft. Shirley Bassey

I ain’t losing track.

The new cat, a goblin, has turned to waking us up at 5:30 for breakfast, and there's not much we can do about it. A squirt bottle has proven ineffective.

I must resume letter writing.

Chilly these past few days, it should warm up soon and I can get outside again.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:37

No stops.

Route: rec center
Mood: anxious
Stretches: yes
Water: not enough

Weight: 161 lbs.

1987 Playlist

Crying, Waiting, Hoping - Marshall Crenshaw

I Want Your Sex (pts. 1 & 2) - George Michael

Midnight Blue - Lou Gramm

Little Lighthouse - Dukes of Stratosphear

Lost In Emotion - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jim

Big Love - Fleetwood Mac

Got to keep on dancing.

Another few nights out of town, this time for our elder’s thesis show in Chauncey. The days are cooler, which is fine, it is Spring, after all.

Started a campaign a couple weeks back, for the summer project, and it has born fruit. Being a producer of one has long been a thing for me, but at least I have been largely successful. I think, in spite of my telling myself the contrary, I prefer to be in charge of managing my own work.

Also, I need a new book. I brought one to Athens but I finished it and spent Monday night on my phone. I must remind myself there are plays on there, too.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 24:35
Route: rec center
Mood: good 
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

1977 Playlist

Boogie Nights - Heatwave

Dust In the Wind - Kansas

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll - Ian Dury

Don’t Stop - Fleetwood Mac

Cold As Ice - Foreigner

California Sun - The Ramones

Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment - The Ramones 

Telephone Man - Meri Wilson

Ça Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand 

Who's tripping down the lanes of the rec center?

"Almost, Maine"

Spent one night in Minnesota to see my niece in the school play… there’s had been so much familial celebration the past two weekends. And more to come! I have dined out considerably the past two weeks. It’s like we’ve been out of town or something.

I mean, we have. I have. But also not.

I look first to eating less, and better, again, you know?

Distance: 2 miles

Duration: 17:02

Seriously, since last Saturday, I have eaten bacon on five separate occasions. And these days I never eat bacon.

Route: rec center
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

Consistency. I think I have actually learned something.

1967 Playlist

Trip to Your Heart - Sly & the Family Stone

Funky Broadway - Wilson Pickett

Windy - The Association

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Nina Simone

Lucifer Sam - The Pink Floyd

Little Games - The Yardbirds

Mary, Mary - The Monkees

Fourteen consecutive every-other-day runs. Good work. Let's see how the next month goes.

I wish I didn’t miss you anymore.

Today is Calvin's Day, his twenty-fourth birth anniversary. Been thinking about how to appropriately celebrate twenty-five years in 2026. The wife says she doesn't want to think of it. Twenty-five years? How?

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 27:02

It rains, so we head back to the gym. And isn't that nice?

Route: rec center
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2001 Playlist

Wicked Little Town (Hedwig Version) - John Cameron Mitchell

19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) - Gorillaz

Wish I Didn’t Miss You - Angie Stone

Tanto Tempo (Peter Kruder Remix) - Bebel Gilberto

Because We Can - Fatboy Slim ft. Jim Broadbent

Fell In Love With a Girl - White Stripes

Hash Pipe - Weezer

Get the Party Started - Pink

“The Fates are vicious, and they’re cruel.”

Like a dark horse, see how she ran.

Snow on Monday morning. Tuesday, it's sixty degrees. Discuss.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:13
Pace: 9:05

I have seen a surprising number of the best picture nominees for the past year — eight out of ten. That's a lot for me. 

Last night we saw Anora. Folks said it was good. No one said anything about all the fucking.

The wife is right, Mark Eydelshteyn and Timothée Chalamet need to make a buddy movie.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 64°
Climate: sunny & gorgeous
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

1972 Playlist

Soul Love - David Bowie

Bra - Cymande

Gudbuy T'Jane - Slade

Saturday Night Special - The Sundown Playboys

Sliced Tomatoes - Just Brothers

Tumbling Dice - Rolling Stones

**** *** **** (**. *) - **** *******

Junkie Chase - Curtis Mayfield

Old World - Modern Lovers

Virginia Plain - Roxy Music

ALL the samples!

You run for cover ... and there's heat.

Racing before imminent rain. Can hear the high wind. Will try not to hurt myself. 

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 28:21
Pace: 9:08

Gorgeous day. Bright blue, cloudy skies, windy. Could have gone an additional mile, the rain will come later, maybe. Doesn't matter, felt so good.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 60°
Climate: partly cloudy, windy
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

Great fun seeing Marshall Crenshaw with my brother the other night. I could say a thing or two about mortality, suffice it to say my picture of him is as a clean-cut, proto-Buddy Holly type in his music and his style. Now he's a man in his early seventies who is still on the road, wears a t-shirt and cap, and though he does play the hits, his voice is not what it was when he was in his late twenties.

However, he's kept writing songs, those more suited for a man his age, about long life and even regret, and those are the ones which were really strong. It was a weird show. We had a good time.

1982 Playlist

Cynical Girl - Marshall Crenshaw

G**** - Fleetwood Mac

Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant

One Thing Leads to Another - The Fixx

Promised You a Miracle - Simple Minds

Don’t Go - Yahoo

Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2

Let It Whip - Dazz Band

Twelve every other day runs. Let's see how far we can take that. It's all right if we drop a date.

I think of my fear of motion.

Short walk/run with the elder, then a run on my own. Full house this weekend, both kids and my brother. Springtime activities afoot!

Run One

Distance: 1.6 miles 

Duration: 17:50
Pace: 11:06

1992 Playlist 1
Music For Boys - The Suburbs

Into the Fire - Sarah McLachlan

Sexy M.F. - Prince & the New Power Generation

The Sweater - Meryn Cadell

Eastern Bloc - Thomas Dolby 

Run Two

Distance: 2 miles

Duration: 17:49
Pace: 8:54

1992 Playlist 2
Galileo - The Indigo Girls

Free Your Mind - En Vogue

Tennessee - Arrested Development

Gold - Sugarcubes

I'm Every Woman - Whitney Houston

Route: Neighborhood loops
Temperature: 72°
Climate: sunny & warm
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 161 lbs.

Parents still listen to Elvis.

Trip to Cincy and back, another lovely day.

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 26:58
Pace: 8:42
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 52°
Climate: sunny & cool
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2002 Playlist

Fuck the Pain Away - Peaches

Ez Pass - Har Mar Superstar

Where Do They Make Balloons? - They Might Be Giants

A Little Less Conversation (JXL Remix) - Elvis Presley

This Charming Man - Death Cab for Cutie 

Without Me - Eminem

Dilemma - Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland

Starry Eyed Surprise - Shifty

You're like a breath of fresh air in my lungs.

That's a cold ass honkey.

Why are there so many references in pop songs to running?

Distance: 3.1 miles

Duration: 27:32
Pace: 8:52

Hell, yeah. Beautiful day, perfect weather. We run outdoors again.

Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 59
Climate: breezy! sunny!
Mood: good
Stretches: yes 
Water: yes

Weight: 163 lbs.

2012 Playlist

Carried Away - Passion Pit

Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch

Brokenhearted - Karmin

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift

Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz

Ready Or Not - Bridgit Mendler

Don't Want to Go the Other Way - Cody Chesnutt

Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

You got me running through the turnstile.

Thursday morning I started getting this low-grade anger as I drove across town and I was like, nah. I'm getting that prescription back.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:05

For around twenty days I have been consistently 160 pounds -- and I mean consistently. Usually, my weight fluctuates from day to day. This consistency is, I believe, the result of not eating after dinner. That is where the matter comes into my system and stays overnight. It's never something particularly healthy, nothing "green" but always "orange."  

Route: Rec Center
Mood: maintaining
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

We're back on track (heh) running every other day. We are well again.

2022 Playlist

Power Station - Cory Wong

Here to Forever - Death Cab for Cutie

Wild Child - Black Keys

Postman - Toro y Moi

Welcome to My Island - That Freaky White Girl

Hi-Fidelity - Lava la Rue ft. Biig Piig 

Telluride - Jordan Conrath

Music for a Sushi Restaurant - Harry Styles

Shatter - Maggie Rogers 

Clock’s running.

Runner's World, 3/3/2025

When I was a young man I might ask myself, when did I run last? Then I started keeping this blog, and now I know. And that's it.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 24:11

Ran out of sertraline, having difficulty renewing. Should I lay off the stuff for a while? I don't think so. But then, what if I tried?

Three miles. No stops.

Route: Rec Center
Mood: ?
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2018 Playlist

Don't Lose Ur Head (166 BPM) - Christina Modestou (from "Six")

Hollywood - Gorillaz ft. Snoop Dogg & Jamie Principle

Heaven On Their Minds - Brandon VictorDixon (from “Jesus Christ Superstar”) 

This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) - David Byrne (from “American Utopia”)

Television - Idles

5 Out of 6 - Dessa

Ripping through these playlists. Onto the twos!

Heartbeats sounding.

That springtime conundrum. Do I run in the morning, when it is best for me, or wait until it is sixty degrees, some time in the afternoon? Should I run this morning, and then again when it is sixty degrees but before it drops back down to twenty degrees on Thursday?

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 26:04
Route: rec center
Mood: angsty
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

So, anyway. The Rec Center. I have a lot of anxiety today ... is it because I didn't take my meds last night? Is there a possible correlation?

2008 Playlist

Golden Age - TV on the Radio

Nine In the Afternoon - Lincoln! In the Bardo

Full Moon - Black Ghosts

Use Somebody - Kings of Leon

Detroit - Black Gold

Echoes Round the Sun - Paul Weller

So What - Pink

Blind - Hercules & Love Affair

After winter must come spring.

Waiting for that fifty degree day when I can take a run to the park. But at least it’s March, God damn it.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 24:55
Mood: better
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

Saw the Ohio Shakes production of Romeo & Juliet, and it was lovely. Left right after, no post-show cocktail or anything, came right home, got in bed at midnight. This is why I will never be in a show in Akron.

1998 Playlist

Everything Is Everything - Ms. Lauryn Hilll

Sexy Boy - Air

Punk Rock Girl - Dead Milkmen

The Incumbent - Soul Coughing 

Just a Test - Beastie Boys

Sneaking’ Out the Hospital - Beastie Boys

Roygbiv * - Boards of Canada

One Week (Pull’s Break Remix) - Barenaked Ladies

I keep trying. I’m not lying.

Good lord. The very first thing I did this morning was pay for something with a credit card. Terrible night's sleep (snoring) I checked my email, the local independent movie series sent a renewal query and I paid it.

Local business, yes. But with a credit card. Fuck. I can't even boycott right. 

Distance: 24:35

Duration: 3 miles

Because I slept on the couch and was running "pink noise" (makes me think of pink slime, gross) I needed to charge my phone before heading to the gym super early. Then I discovered my earbuds needed charging ... after one lap. So I left.

Also, I discovered I had a flat tire. Not kidding. This day came at me hard.

Mood: better now
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

1988 Playlist

Blue Monday '88 (12" Version) - New Order

Joy and Pain - Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock

Fuck Tha Police - N.W.A.

Was It Worth It? (12” Mix) - Pet Shop Boys

Microphone Fiend - Erik B. & Rakim

We finish the day strong, just like we do. And I didn't buy anything else but a lip balm that I paid for in cash from a cornershop.

I'm like a spinning top going round and around.

As many months in February -- a short month -- as in January. Even through illness. Remarkable. It's quite a year already. We are creating, yes. We are engaging with the world, yes. We are finding satisfaction through our work, mostly, yes. We are loving and living and communicating, yes.

But what of March? Moving forward? Or relapse? 

Distance: 4 miles

Duration: 33:32

Taking a puff is fun, but it really means the day is over for me. And I have to make sure I am not compelled to consume. That's where Noom is helpful. If I have hit the "finish the day" button then I have a reason not to eat anything else. Or drink, the other night I thought, sure! A second beer would be fine, right? And then I really thought about it and decided in my state a can of fizzy water would taste the same, and so I had one of those.  

Of course, then there are those nights nights you’re totally straight and think, three beers? Sure, that always works for me. Jesus.

Mood: hoo-boy
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

1978 Playlist

One For You, One For Me - La Bionda

My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars

I Know But I Don’t Know - Blondie

Peanuts - The Police

Spinning Top - XTC

What a Fool Believes - Doobie Bros.

Atmosphere - Joy Division

Chase - Giorgio Moroder

Got To Get You Into My Life - Earth Wind & Fire 

Damn! This playlist. Oh! And I watched the Yacht Rock doc. Surprised to discover they played it straight.

I’m not trying to run your life.

My cold is almost through. I feel fine, but the snot just keeps collecting in my throat and my sinuses. Last night, I spit up an oyster the size of a silver dollar.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 26:21

It is fifty degrees today. I could run outside. But there may be slush.   

Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

1968 Playlist

(Poor Mi) Israelites - Desmond Dekker & The Aces

Suzanne - Leonard Cohen

Savoy Truffle - The Beatles

Ain’t Nothin’ But a Houseparty - The Showstoppers 

I Say a Little Prayer -Aretha Franklin 

Who’s Making Love - Johnnie Taylor

Birthday - The Beatles

Street Fighting Man - The Rolling Stones 

The Horse - Cliff Nobles

Astral Weeks - Van Morrison 

I feel hot and cold.

Crises big, crises small. And I remain so cold. Just walking around, even at work, even at home. Cold feet. cold head. Still stuffed up. Had a bit of a relapse, though I may chalk it up to a steady diet of Benadryl.

The next week will be spent on my own. I need to make plans in advance, where I'm going to eat, how I am going to spend my evenings.

And when, exactly, I will gym.

Distance: 1.6 miles

Duration: 14:31

TIL on Saturday the gym closes at five. No matter, I was feeling not so great and was going to stop at two miles, anyway. No, really.

Mood: okay
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

1973 Playlist

I Can't Explain - David Bowie

All the Way From Memphis - Mott the Hoople

Right Place Wrong Time - Dr. John

Paris 1919 - John Cale

20th Century Boy - T.Rex

Sundown on the Union

It took illness to break up a very respectable every-other-day visit to the rec center. I suppose it was inevitable. I have been eating less mindfully, it's a slide, that's okay. It's so cold outside (which is a good thing, winter is necessary) and comfort food is a thing. But I need more fresh vegetables.

Fresh vegetables are by their very nature cold. And it feels counterintuitive to consume something that is cold when you feel cold, or have a cold. Why not some fried starch thing instead?

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 23:30

Yes, that was my pace. A rare after work run at the rec center, just as I started a runners group took the track. I was instructed to get into the slower lanes. Even though I was faster than most of them.

Faster than I usually am.

I was sick for a week. I am already starting to regret this.

Shit, that was fast.

I hope I never see those people again.

Mood: malaise
Stretches: yes
Water: not enough

Weight: 161 lbs.

1983 Playlist

Stand Back - Stevie Nicks

Wrap It Up - Eurythmics

Union Sundown - Bob Dylan

Home By the Sea - Genesis

On the Dark Side - John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band

A Ray of Sunshine - Wham!

Move it nice and sweet and sexy.

The other night I had a lovely conversation with the wife, and for some reason I mentioned running and how much I love it. We were talking about our general health and I recalled that day's exercise and I was overcome with how much I enjoy moving through space like that. And it's silly, to just run. "What is the point?" folks ask. And it is truly an end unto itself. Just being ambulatory in that way.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:22

Mood: Driven
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 161 lbs.

1993 Playlist

If - Janet Jackson

Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz

Where I’m From - Digable Planets

Jump Around - House of Pain

Show Me Love - Robin S

Who Am I (What’s My Name) - Snoop Dogg

I Like To Move It - Reel 2 Real ft. The Mad Stuntmen

Tragic youth was looking young and sexy.

The rec center membership is paying for itself. This winter has been a proper one, first in ages it seems, with freezing temperatures and icy sidewalks. 

I have a feeling that spring will bring with it a national disaster the likes of which we have not yet seen. I don't normally like to point to the fences like that, but there's no way this continues without horrific repercussions.

You see? I am paying attention.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:39

Things in the running lane this morning:

Conversation between three people

Someone taking a photograph

The feet of a guy doing sit-ups 

Also, young person walking the wrong walk up the walkers lane then sprinting like a crazed person (in the correct direction) weaving through all the rest of us like an asshole.

Route: rec center 
Mood: maintaining
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

2003 Playlist

Molly's Chambers - Kings of Leon

Go Brown - Kaada

Kernkraft 400 (DJ Gius Mix) - Zombie Nation

Tour De France - Kraftwerk

Reality - David Bowie

Running Up That Hill - Placebo

Beware - Jay Z ft. Punjabi MC

Did two miles without stopping for water, that's new. It was the music, friends!

You just had a salad today.

It's just cold. I'm just cold.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 26:31
Route: Rec Center
Mood: distant
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 162 lbs.

2013 Playlist

Tangled Up (Lokee Remix) - Caro Emerald

Donatella - Lady Gaga

Little Talks - Of Mice and Men

Hot Cheetos and Takis - Da Rich Kidzz 

Goodbye Horses - Q Lazzarus 

Chocolate - The 1975

Love Somebody - Maroon 5

******* ***** - ***** ******

My year playlists are long. For 2013, it's 4 hours and 17 minutes. The lists from my teen years are four time that long. They're played on shuffle, you may assume, but I try to start with a song that I have added since last year. Every year, new songs, for every year.

I've said this before but it bears repeating. Doing this, going through every year of my life, year by year, has motivated me (more than I might have otherwise) to keep up with contemporary music. And that keeps my young and healthy and much less of an asshole about music than guys my age usually are.

My heart runs on gasoline vapors.

Saw PARADE on Tuesday night. I have thoughts.

Those cats. My familiar is not doing well, and sleeps with me, without moving, every night. Just an old man cat. And the little one won't leave us alone. I haven't had unbroken sleep in I don't know when. 

Just keep running.

Distance: 3 miles 

Duration: 26:31

160 is really the sweet spot. I feel so much better. At the same time, I also feel as though my bones appreciated the additional padding.  

Route: Rec Center
Mood: all things considered …
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

To the threes.

2023 Playlist

There You Are (Beautiful) - Kiss The Tiger

Hot To Go! - Chappell Roan

The Smoke - Nabaté Isles

An Arrow in the Wall - Death Cab for Cutie

Personal Jesus - Iggy Pop ft. Trevor Horn & Lambrini Girls

Girls Talk - Tegan & Sara

$20 - Boy Genius

Lipstick Lover - Janelle Monáe

Why do they run away?

Monday would have been a lovely day for a run (mid 50s) but there' only so much you can do in a week.

On my own a few days this week. The cats woke me Monday morning at 12:30 AM and I knew it was pointless trying to go back to sleep, so I watched I Saw the TV Glow. And that was the perfect time of day to watch that.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:31

Yesterday, I created a special household surprise for my love (I don't know if she visits the blog so I'm keeping what I did a secret) but I think she's going to be very pleased.  And I went to see Emelia Pérez, and just in time, I guess. Why do so many people have to be so racist?

Route: Rec Center
Mood: angsty
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 161 lbs.

2019 Playlist

Spooky Coochie - Doechii

Seconds - LCD Soundsystem

I’ll Be Back Someday - Tegan and Sara

Hold On - Ames

Ants - Tang and the Bangas

Blackout (acoustic) - Frank Turner

Moderation - Florence the Machine

Saw Lightning - Beck

Put on a smile and it will be all right.

The other day Andrew Hickey referred to the Civil War as the Slaveholders Rebellion, which I had never heard before.

It took a quick Google search to discover that this term as coined by Frederick Douglass in 1862. All right, then. I have learned something new.

Let's make this Black History Month one to remember.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:41
Route: Rec Center
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 164 lbs.

2009 Playlist

S&M - Rihanna

Surprise Hotel - Fool’s Gold

Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Sea of Heartbreak - Roseanne Cash ft. Bruce Springsteen 

Something Good 08 - Utah Saints

The Fear - Lily Allen

The Rain - Calvin Harris

Bubble fast. Slow down.

Little back pain after Wednesday’s workout. Pushed it to four miles because of the playlist. 1989 was the best year in the history of popular music.

The other day I listened to a podcast about the 90s Swing Revival, which was mostly spent by 1999. I remember it as being a good time, we dressed up to see Squirrel Nut Zippers in early 1998. But the host of this show emphasized how stupid it all was, which is not surprising coming from a Millennial.

This isn't the first time this particular host has looked into the recent past and failed to connect the subject to the time period. She got as far as the 1990s being a time for fun and affluence, and I suppose it was. But it was also the end of the century, and the so-called "swing" revival was just one part of a complete regurgitation of the previous one hundred years.

Every era had its own revival that decade. I guess this one appeared stupider than most. Believe me, it wasn't.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 26:34

Tingling in my right pinky. In bed last night, tingling in my right thigh, too. Knee pain, thigh pain. Because I ran an extra mile? It may have been how I ran it. James suggests I not go so hard. I think he's right.  

Route: Rec Center
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 164 lbs.

Ten runs in January. Well done.

1999 Playlist

Mixed Bizness - Beck

Lullaby of Clubland - Everything But the Girl

Blue (Da Bah Dee) - Eiffel 65

Livin’ La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin

The Generator - Lilys

Cups - Underworld 

I hope it’s going to be all right.

"And all the words we said yesterday
That's a long time ago"

It has been several years since I ran this many times in January. I am very glad I have returned to the Rec Center, but I'm also looking forward to spring and running through the park.

Running at the Rec Center, I take a very short walking break after each mile, and take a healthy drink of water before continuing. That also makes a difference in my ability to keep going.

Distance: 4 miles

Duration: 33:01

Man. Walkers in every lane today.

Route: Rec Center
Mood: "alright"
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 164 lbs.

The art-work continues. I need to practice being artistic ... even though that is not what I would call myself. Isn't that odd?

1989 Playlist

Mr. Cab Driver - Lenny Kravitz

We Didn’t Start the Fire - Billy Joel

Rock and a Hard Rock Place - Rolling Stones

See a Little Light - Bob Mould

Get Up (Before the Night is Over) - Technotronic

Asking Me Lies -The Replacements

Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers 

It’s Alright - Pet Shop Boys

Doin Our Own Dang - Jungle Brothers

It's all too much.

What a shitty weekend for Cleveland Heights.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:44

The goal is to hit the gym every other day. This is our fourth bidiurnal session in a row.

Today I learned the word "bidiurnal."

Route: Rec Center
Mood: managing
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 161 lbs.

1969 Playlist

Black Mountain Side - Led Zeppelin

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - John Barry

Grazing In the Grass - The Friends of Distinction

Hey Bulldog - The Beatles

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Chicago

Ramble On - Led Zeppelin

Sugar, Sugar - The Archies

It's All Too Much - The Beatles

Go To the Mirror!  - The Who

I'm me. I'm cold.

Bouncing back and forth between 160 and 165 lbs. I make dinner earlier than my wife does (she works later) and making it to suppertime without snacking is a challenge. Anyway, it's a good place to be.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 26:11

Route: Rec Center
Mood: anxious
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 163 lbs.

Now to the nines.

1979 Playlist

Theme from "The Warriors" - Barry Vorzon

Goodbye Girl * - Squeeze

Cars - Gary Numan

I Feel For You - Prince

52 Girls - The B-52s

I’m Cold - The Cure

Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart

I’m The Man * - Joe Jackson

I Want You To Want Me (Live) - Cheap Trick

Whatever it is.

When you go to the gym in the morning, you don't spend the rest of the day obsessing over whether or not you will get to the gym.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 27:08

Route: Rec Center
Mood: good 
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 160 lbs.

Oh, hell yes.

1974 Playlist

How Long - Ace

Killer Queen - Queen

Chameleon - Maynard Ferguson

Bless the Lord - Joanne Jonas

Boogie Down - Eddie Kendricks

Takin' Care of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Lilywhite Lilith - Genesis

Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) - B.T. Express

I'll be there to watch you run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run.

You might assume I run less frequently during the month of January due to the cold weather, but I realize this is not the case. It's the residency rehearsal schedule and the test week. There's just little time for exercise. But at least I am active.

Very, very active. I get anxious when I am so active. We saw a movie last Monday, I went to Dark Room on Tuesday, and attended a high school playwriting event in Canton on Wednesday. A lot of driving in the snow and cold and little time at home last week. Then there was the science fiction marathon, and we saw another film last night.

I should be excited about this. Life is to be lived, you know?  

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 28:51

Also, man. The cold. Makes my knees hurt, even when I am not exerting myself. I’m just. Older.

Route: Rec Center
Mood: I mean
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 163 lbs.

Cooling down, there’s a dude in the running lane who is literally slower than I am walking in the walking lane.

I’ll be that guy someday, but I’ll stay in the walking lane.

1984 Playlist

New Way of Life - The Sound

Beat City - The Flowerpot Men

Cue Fanfare - Prefab Sprout

Black Diamond - The Replacements

Talking In Your Sleep - The Romantics

Hold Me Now (12" Extended Mix) - Thompson Twins

I Love You, Suzanne - Lou Reed

A solar superman.

Last month, I developed a rash down both arms which I can only attribute (at that time) to the costume I was wearing. However, while the irritation has calmed down since then, it has not entirely gone away and I continue to have daily bouts of scratching, in spite of whatever medicine, lotion, or treatment I provide -- or even if I leave it alone entirely for a time.

My mother also had s skin condition which affected her forearms, and I assume this is also that. I need to check in with a dermatologist.

Am I disgusting? I think I might be.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 26:52
Route: Rec Center
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 165 lbs.

Yes, thanks to Noom I have lost ten pounds. The question is whether I can keep that weight off. My compulsions can be great. This is a good weight. If I could lose (and keep off) another five pounds, that would be perfect. But it is good to be here. I feel so much better. And I feel no pain.

1994 Playlist

Doctor Worm (173 BPM) - They Might Be Giants

Get the Message - Electronic

You Gotta Be - Des'ree

The Becoming - Nine Inch Nails

Supernova - Liz Phair

Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago - Soul Coughing

Cornflake Girl - Tori Amos

The only thing that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now.

More illness, saddled by neck pain and fatigue. Is this winter? Is this ageing?

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 27:24

Another go round the track. Noonish on a Friday, the place is full of walkers. Some of them were even using walkers. I felt a little pain in my neck and shoulders, perhaps that is how it happened in the first place. Holding my phone, to better manage the stopwatch, and counting on my fingers so I don't forget how many laps I've taken, that could certainly cause tension in my shoulders.  

Route: Rec Center
Mood: all right
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Weight: 165 lbs.

2004 Playlist

Jesus Walks - Kanye West

TKO - Le Tigre

Holiday - Green Day

Musicology - Prince

Me Plus One - Annie

Toxic - Britney Spears

Air - Owls

Ch-Check It Out - Beastie Boys

Decent Days and Nights - The Futureheads

As long as I am with you my heart continues to beat.

Sometimes I wonder why my tummy is queasy. Then I remember I have grown accustomed to having yogurt every morning. I have yogurt with granola and fresh fruit every day. Like some health nut, or old person. When we're out I will have a small amount of oatmeal with fresh fruit, which is a fun change of pace, but then I wonder why I feel a little ill. Got to have those good bacterium.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 25:46

Watched Magnolia with the boy last night. Hits different when you've already watched your parents die. Man, Tom Cruise used to make interesting project choices.  

Route: Rec Center
Mood: good
Stretches: no
Water: yes

Weight: 162 lbs.

Man. First week of January. Time to make plans. And to avoid eating a lot of sweets in rehearsal.

2014 Playlist

Rather Be - Clean Bandit ft. Jesse Glynne

Home (Leave the Lights On) - Field Report

Easy Money - Johnny Marr

I'm Not the Only One - Sam Smith

Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo ft. 2Chainz

Happy Idiot - TV On the Radio

Happy - Pharrell Williams

Here Lies Love (Curtain Call) - David Byrne & Fatboy Slim

What if I actually ran every other day?

I'm moving so fast, no time to process.

Thank you for your service.

It didn't feel as though I took a break from running, because I was in a show, one which involved a great many trips up and down four flights of stairs. And the dressing room participated in group push ups before every show. 

But then there was the illness, some kind of virus which first struck my wife, and then me, rendering me weak and woozy the last few days of the year.

Running has been patiently waiting for me. It always does.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 26:06

Did I really run that fast, or did I miscount a lap? Regardless, good to get back on my feet. Happy new year.

How President Jimmy Carter Brought Running to the White House

He caught the bug during the 1970s running boom, and he often ran up to 7 miles at a time.

by Roger Robinson, Runner's World 12/29/2024

Route: Rec Center
Mood: good
Stretches: a little
Water: yes

Weight: 162.5 lbs.

Friends and family, it's that time ... 59 Playlists for 59 Years.

2024 Playlist

Death Valley High - Orville Peck ft. Beck

APT. - Rose ft. Bruno Mars

A Fragile Thing- The Cure

Denial Is a River - Doechii

Starburster - Fontaines D.C.

Survive the Night (from The Warriors) - Company

Oh No! - The Decemberists

Cinderella - Remi Wolf