Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs.

Four years ago, the world shut down. For a time. I think today would be a fine one for a morning run.

Nine days in a row. Keep pushing.

Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 19:34
Pace: 9:46

Not sure what to do about my knees, except for to stop running. But that's silly. A day off would be helpful, but the weather is so nice. Maybe another day soon.

1979 Playlist

Day Tripper (154 BPM) - Yellow Magic Orchestra ft. Norio Yoshizawa  

Keep On Marching - The Meters

They Don't Know - Kirsty MacColl

I Can't Help It - Michael Jackson

10:15 Saturday Night (174 BPM) - The Cure

Dangerous Type - The Cars

Ugh. Up since 5:30 AM, not my plan. Ah, well. There's a lot to be doing.

Route: Burlington Loop (clockwise)
Temperature: 54°
Climate: perfect
Mood: angsty

There are side streets with two-way stops that I was previously unaware of.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes

Breakfast: gingerbread blondie, coffee w/cream
Lunch: chicken with lemon orzo

Treat: ginger ale, almonds & dried fruit
Dinner: Reuben (half), chips & tempura broccoli

Baseline: 185 lbs.
Weight: 183 lbs. (-0-)

Goal: 180 lbs.

Sit-Ups: 40

Planks: 60 sec.

I wonder what you're living for.

As my mother used to say, "Well. I'm glad you got that out of your system."

Today is not a day I would choose to go running. It's very hot. I had a poor night's sleep. And I feel weak, disengaged, numb, depressed. I'm not actually numb, I feel like crying. I feel like giving up on everything.

But the boy and I just got new shoes from Second Sole. Saucony, that's a first. He was leaving as I got home, and he encouraged me to take a run, which was thoughtful.

I'm tired. I feel like doing nothing at all. Once my father had a terrible headache (he told me this story) he was a young man and his head hurt so much he couldn't stand it. He said he took ten aspirin, figuring they would either kill him or make his pain go away. Anyway, it didn't kill him.

I have no idea if this is a smart thing to do. It doesn't feel like it. But I keep dithering her at my laptop because I have no idea what else to do.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Duration: 30:26
Pace: 9:22
Route: Boulevard Loop
Temperature: 79°
Climate: hot & sunny
Mood: very bad
Weight: 169 lbs. (-1.0)

It was difficult, but not hard. Not much speed, but I felt good. Managing rush hour traffic, and the Greek Festival. Watching pedestrians and parked cars and stopping at all intersections.

Saw some bullshit at the main intersection, up the hill. Not paying attention to people in the crosswalk when trying to make a left turn in front of oncoming traffic. Blowing your horn three times to let people know you know you're running a red light, but I don't care. Assholes.

Heading down the hill I see a car coming to a stop at a side street at the stop sign, so I run through. Then they accelerate. I shouted, they saw me and looked shocked as they peeled past, missing me by feet.

I am going to get killed. Someone is going to kill me.

Nice new kicks, though.

Intake
Breakfast: coffee (2x)
Lunch: pizza (1 slice), salad, cupcake
Dinner: nachos w/pico de gallo, corn on the cob

Dessert: cookies, milk

Also, fizzy water (1x), mocktail

What's That Lyric?

First Wave Intact - Secret Machines

Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles.

 
My little wife must think it queer,

To rise at dawn without a reason clear.

I asked for the alarm to be set at six. Lately my family has been kind enough to let me sleep in Saturdays until I wake on my own, which is very nice, and every time I have had a sinus headache. As of this composition (around 6:24 am) I do not, and will not. The sleeping in gives me a headache. Instead I am scanning the Internet as I may if I had gotten up two or three hours later. Soon I will refresh my coffee, wash dishes, maybe listen to Terry Gross on a podcast.

Yesterday she (my wife, not Terry Gross) asked me to clean out the sink before we left for my folks' for the day. I scrambled to find my iPod and headphones, which confused her -- the sink wasn't full, it just needed to be cleared. But I can't wash dishes, can't do anything without sensory input. Staying still and performing the same function repeatedly makes my brain work and then I become irritated.

-- LATER --

Temperature: 46° → 50°
Climate: sunny, clear, paradise
Distance: 5.6 miles

Got the Earth Day 5K in Forest Hills Park coming up on April 24. Fourth annual, and I believe I have managed to run the previous three.

Beautiful, glorious, perfect, awesome, short-sleeve running weather. Almost got hit by no less than three drivers who don't actually stop at stop signs, looking left, trying to get onto Mayfield as soon as they can. I say "almost" because I was watching them, and always stopped, myself.

So remember, motorists. Share the sidewalk.

1969 Playlist
All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Purple Haze (Live at Woodstock) - Jimi Hendrix
Hey Bulldog - The Beatles
Time Is Tight - Booker T. and the MGs
Everybody's Talkin' - Harry Nilsson
The Ballad of John and Yoko - The Beatles
Feelin' Alright (181 bpm) - Joe Cocker
It's Your Thing (178 bpm) - The Jackosn 5
Sour Milk Sea - Jackie Lomax
The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine (181 bpm)  - Simon and Garfunkel
It's Your Thing (185 bpm) - The Isley Brothers
One After 909 (Rooftop Concert) (178 bpm) - The Beatles
A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara's Into Submission) (183 bpm) - Simon & Garfunkel
Goo Goo Barabajagal (Love Is Hot) - Donovan
Goodbye (181 bpm) - Mary Hopkin

Die cast "Yellow Submarine" toy. Yeah. We had one of those.

Arrival

When Kelly surprised me with the news that she had a production meeting that started at 1 PM yesterday, I flipped out. I flipped out then. I was unpleasant. I was petulant. It was irritable. And then I was resigned.

When we were stuck on the Jersey side in the parking lot of a closed gas station at 12:30 am because the Lincoln Tunnel was closed (after waiting in traffic for an hour to even get close) with a throbbing empty tank light, on the phone with my wife to triangulate where we were and how exactly to get to the GWB, I was and calm and breathing easily. Because I knew this would happen.

I need to call Kelly and Josh and see when they finally got to Park Slope at Josh's brother's house. I was lucky, I just needed to navigate NYC city streets to Harris & Liz's place, and then I got to get out. I did head the wrong way down a one-way street, but if you are going to do that, 2 AM really is the best time.

There was an air mattress waiting for me, and a very friendly cat. It was distressing that I could not fall asleep right away.

But we are here. I have a street theater thing at 2 PM. I need a bagel.