She makes a man want to speak Spanish.

Stressful day on Monday, but not a lot of walking. Not unless you count pacing all over the train station in Zaragoza to locate a lost cell phone.

Distance: 5.75 miles

Duration: 55:47
Pace: 9:41

We have a fine duplex in Barcelona, with floor to ceiling glass doors in our rooms and living space, overlooking the street.

Route: To the Med and back.
Temperature: 60°
Climate: bright & beautiful 
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Final run in Spain. But was it worth it? Hell yeah, it was. It’s a two mile down run Carrer de la Marina to, well, the Marina. To the Mediterranean Sea. And right past the Basilica de la Sagrada Família, an iconic structure designed by Gaudi, and mobbed by sightseers. Other than that, the sidewalks were clear and wide, and I encountered many other runners.

2005 Playlist

Tropical Ice-Land - The Fiery Furnaces

Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex - CSS

I Don’t Want to Fall in Love - She Wants Revenge

O Green World - Gorillaz

Sugar, We’re Going Down - Fall Out Boy

Hips Don’t Lie - Shakira ft . Wyclef Jean

On Repeat - LCD Soundsystem

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall

Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge

Ladykillers - The Similou

Bound Too Long - Crystal Method

Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall

Weak - Skunk Anasie

Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well - Mike Doughty

Marvo Ging - Chemical Brothers

Our entire journey to date has been marked by showers — not an inconvenience, not unpleasant, just a fact. Today it is bright and sunny and warm in Barcelona.

It was so special to see the sea. Heading back was all uphill, and I got turned around at the basilica, which took me a couple blocks out of my way, but I figured it out.

One run in each city. I’m proud of myself.

Anger is an energy.

Yesterday was a pleasant adventure. Our son's boyfriend wrote a poem for Ukraine, which is on display at the National Cathedral, which is really how we got the idea for the entire journey. I haven't been here in a very long time, and I have missed traveling. It is a welcome break.

We saw the exhibit, then visited the zoo to see the great pandas. I have never seen a live panda, either. We had a very good visit with my cousin and his family, too, for dinner. Today, more touring! 

Distance: 2.25 miles

Duration: 22:09
Pace: 9:51

Route: Commonwealth Triangle

Temperature: 47°
Climate: cool, sun emerging

Mood: good

 

Forgotten how great it is to run when traveling. It helps when there's a bike path right outside your AirBnB.

Wyland (1993)

1987 Playlist

Pump It Up (Lean On Me Reprise) - Club Nouveau

What's the Matter Here? - 10,000 Maniacs

Just Like Heaven - The Cure

Rise - Public Image Ltd.

Never Let Me Down Again (Aggro Mix) - Depeche Mode

That was an era.

What was 1987? Phred In My Pants. Accutane. Interning at my uncle's shop. The origns of a comic strip. Black hair dye. Becoming someone new for a while, and I don't think he was very nice.

 
Stretches: yes
Abdominals: 90 sec.
Water: yes

Breakfast: coffee w/cream, strawberry rhubarb yogurt & granola w/fresh raspberries & banana + mango strudel

Lunch: fried chicken thighs, greens & cornbread

Dinner: General Tso's chicken, Kung Pao tofu w/asparagus, sesame chicken, rice, chicken dumplings, sugar bun, fortune cookie (all in moderation)

Mono into your stereo soul.

First day in D.C. Last night we arrived in Alexandria and walked down King Street to the river. I was amazed at how vibrant the street is, and how many people were out at 9 PM on a school night. But it's spring break, right? By ten, however, most places were closed and the street had largely been vacated.

Big day for being a tourist today. First, I will try out this route I found on a defunct running website. 

Distance: 2.25 miles

Duration: 22:33
Pace: 10:02

Route: Commonwealth Triangle

Temperature: 51°
Climate: sunny & gorgeous

Mood: excellent

That was glorious. Perfect weather, cool and still and sunny. Lovely city paths and side street sidewalks. Maybe again tomorrow?

Cherry blossoms.

1997 Playlist

Your Woman - White Town

All Mixed Up - 311

Candyman - Cornershop

Gettin' Jiggy With It - Will Smith

Loops of Fury - The Chemical Brothers

Ticker-tape of the Unconscious - Stereolab

Man, I had a "Your Woman" jag last winter. That song is hypnotic and moving. This entire playlist was stunning. The Nineties!

What was 1997? New Year's in New Orleans. The Vampyres. London and Stratford. One Step Beyond. Oh! And we visited Washington D.C.

 
Stretches: yes
Abdominals: 90 sec.
Water: yes

Breakfast: coffee w/cream, granola, honey yogurt, raspberries, banana & a splash of cream

Lunch: pulled pork sandwich, baked beans, queso fries

Coffee Break: coffee w/cream

Dinner: Turkey meatloaf, salad, potatoes, green beans, cake & ice cream, seltzer (chips, spinach dip & tortilla chips)

The Diamond Lane

Stop snitching.

During the school year I rise at five, to write and the prepare everyone for their day. A few years ago we began feeding the acts on a regular basis. One was becoming obese, the other has always been slender, regular feeding meant I could keep an eye on them and make sure the smaller one was actually eating his food.

Week Two Total: 19 miles
Training To Date: 37.75 miles

And so, on weekends, and when the schedule is different for everyone, like now, during the summer, the cats are patient until about six, when they will start pawing at things in our room. The widow, the door, sometimes the floor, all in an effort to wake us up to feed them.

It works.

Distance: 7 miles
Duration: 58:14
Pace: 8:19
Route: Uptown Loop
Temperature: 61°→65°
Climate: sunny & bright
Mood: good
Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Snack: banana

Dynamite run. Running, thinking, never dropping below 163. Not even up Murray Hill.

Took the Lakeview route, if I visit Pekar, Ness, and Freed it is an even seven miles from door to door. 

If you are visiting the grave of Harvey Pekar, be sure to bring a pen or pencil in lieu of stones. Ness had a toy police cruiser perched on top of his family plinth.

Chris has been in Boston, gets back today but he took advantage of the unique surroundings to take his seven mile yesterday, and good for him. I have a plan to run ten miles in Central Park next month.

I think I abraded my elbow. No idea how that happened.

Podrunner: The Diamond Lane (163 bpm)

We are only $250 shy of the goal in my TEAM CHALLENGE campaign to find a cure for Crohn's and colitis! Will you join the team, and get us to the finish line? Hit the TEAM CHALLENGE button at top right (or this link!) Many thanks!

Baseline: 179.5 lbs.
Today: 165.5 lbs. (-1.5)
Goal: 165 lbs.

Also, thoughts while driving. Jokes for the Victorian era, also a new scene for the running play.

Good morning, New York. Please don't hurt me.

Calvin Harris my boy. This is the best song ever.

International tourists are sick as pigs - I am the greatest traveler ever! Honestly, however, credit is also due to my wife, who made my reservation at the Vanderbilt YMCA, and to the Transportation Security Administration. It took the most heinous terrorist attack on American soil to get the people of this great nation to learn to plan ahead and organize their shit.

I opened my carry-on (because really, if you need to check a bag for a four day trip, you are filthy rich or a total slob) and everything was plainly visible including 1. my plastic bag filled with tiny bottles (because really, did you need to lug the entire gallon jug of Head & Shoulders with you?) and 2. my plastic bag filled with cables and chargers.

Yeah, there was a two-hour delay in Philly but I got in before midnight, the room is tiny by the a/c works, I brought my white noise generator and slept ... for less than six hours.

The past several days I have had a low-grade crud, makes me dizzy and cough. It's, you know, a cold or something. Allergies. I should rest, but I can't. So I set out for a seven-miler around the park at 6 AM.

Vanderbilt YMCA Circle
Distance: 7 miles
Temperature: 74º
Weather: warm

Heading back I saw all the people waiting in line for previews of The Merchant of Venice with Al Pachino. Long line. I would like to see that, only I will be seeing a lot of other things while I am here. Then I got a stitch in a strange place, in my back, on the left side, not the right side, and in the center. I tried breathing through it as I ran but it wouldn't stop, and then I began to feel it in my left arm.

...

So I stopped running, and the pain went away. So after a hundred yards of walking I started running again.

Hmn.

If I collapsed right here ... well, there's my iPod, that has a serial number. Oh, even better - I had my phone with me. And my key to my room. Yeah, I could die right here, they'd figure out who I am.