Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Not The Route What I Ran


Euston Trial
Distance: more like 5 miles
Time: 6.30am

It has been 19 days since the operation. It has been almost a month since I ran. We were up last night until about 1 am. There so many reasons not to run today, but one too few, apparently.

Mapped you can see the route I took, kind of. Down Euston to Regent's Park, down to and around the London Zoo and back. I got a little turned around after the zoo, ran out to Park Road but then followed that back to a park entrance. It was lovely and I was in no hurry - except that I have gotten a bit out of shape and was a little hot and weary. And I itch. Down there.

City running is very odd. Yesterday I lamented to folks who could only run on their lunch hour, from the look of it, fighting tourists and others as they squeezed their way through the crowds of St. James Park, or on the pavement. The last time I ran that route it was before business hours and I had the park to myself and the other runners. There are an awful lot of runners in central London.

I stepped out of my hotel in time to catch a man and a woman going my direction, which was helpful, as I followed their lead down the city street, watching where they looked, and where on the pavement they kept their path. Not that there's much of a science to it, we're all salmon swimming upstream, dodging cars, people and other obstacles until we reach THE PARK, whatever park that may be. Returning, after seven on a Tuesday, I was like those folks yesterday in St. James, saying "excuse me" and trying not to get struck by a streetsweeper.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Interlude

Running around town
Monday, May 21, 2007
Pat Galbincea, The Plain Dealer

Staying the course was difficult for several hundred 10K participants in Sunday's 30th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon and 10K. ...

... The lead race car was diverted off the 10K course at the two-mile mark when police blocked the entrance to the Shoreway at West Third Street and Lakeside Avenue, causing 200 to 300 runners -- including the elite men and women -- to run anywhere from 800 yards to 2.7 miles extra while in the Flats.

"We are thoroughly embarrassed and extremely sorry that this happened," said Jack Staph, executive director of the race. "It's our responsibility to keep people on course, and we didn't do that. I'm just sick about this."

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Light and bright

Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 9:15 am
Weather: 70º
Weight: 164.5 lbs.

Podrunner: 172 BPM - Velocity Angels
Pushing you is pushing me: a furious hour of breakbeat, drum & bass, progressive house, and orchestral (!) music to take you to the top.

Feeling like garbage this morning, headachy and not really interested in having something bombastic in my ears. I was hoping a run might make the last of the dull pain in my temples subside - and this mix was just perfect. Light and brisk.

I am pleased that the days are behind me where I would have felt like a goon stepping into sunlight wearing legitimate sporting wear. As if just by going to a sporting goods store (as unlikely a place to find the teenage me as, say, a brothel) and buying synthetic clothes, oh yeah, like that makes you an athlete or something. You stooge.

Wore my new whitey today (that's a shirt, not something else.) Figured the brightness might repell some of the sunlight.

And yes, the headache went away.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

The cruel shoes

What happened to all my jock straps?

Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 4:15 pm
Weather: 82º
Weight: 163.5 lbs.
Duration: 26 minutes

Podrunner: 181 BPM - Velociraptor
This one's for people who run as if there's a smart & hungry dinosaur chasing them. Y'all are crazy, but I love ya anyhow.

Man. Yesterday I was wearing the same shoes as always, seriously worked-in dress shoes. Nothing strange - but I did spend about a half-hour sitting/leaning against my boss' desk during a meeting (it's a small office.) By the end of the meeting, my left instep felt like it was bruised - no, broken.

It stayed that way all day. But I ran anyway. Feels better. Don't know what was up with that.

Sunny, midday, eighty degree run. Dumb.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Fast and Loud

Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 9:15 am
Weather: 57º
Weight: 163.5 lbs.

Podrunner: 174 BPM - Presto Forte
A drum & bass, breakbeat, progressive house tornado that starts off low-key, but half an hour later your nose'll be glowing cherry-red from friction.

Wow. That was fast.

UPDATE: THE BIG SELL-OUT

So I decided to subscribe to AdSense, because this is the Internet and I want some change. Now that it is active, this is the first GoogleAd I have displayed:

Are You Gay?
Take the Quiz. Find Out Free!
TheGayQuiz.com/gay

Somehow this does not surprise me.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Happy new gear

Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 9:15 am
Weather: 60º bright and sunny

Podrunner: 176 BPM - Paintshaker
Half a dozen styles in 60 minutes at insane BPM — it shouldn't work, but it does. It'll make you work, too.

Back to Podrunner. Thanks, dj steveboy. That's a good one.

Last summer I got two Under Armour V-neck shirts, one I wore for the marathon, and wrote PENGO on the front in pen. I didn't mind people calling out "Pengo!" during the race, but I don't want people doing it on Lee Road. So I retired that shirt. So I've had one shirt.

I went to Dick's yesterday and got two new shirts ... but they didn't have any V-necks, which is a shame. It's all close to the neck these days, like a cyclist's. But I got one in red and one in white. Yes, a light shirt for running at night so I won't get killed and die. And trying one today, I found the neck doesn't matter, it felt just great.

Got some shorts, too, but I didn't notice they were big and roomy basketball-style shorts. I'll be taking those back.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

... at the same time ...


Distance: 3.25 miles
Time: 12:15 pm
Weather: 55º

Playlist:
Tracking Treasure Down - Gabriel & Dresden
Let Go - Gabriel & Dresden
Eleven - Gabriel & Dresden
Dust in the Wind - Gabriel & Dresden