Music and love have magnetic properties.

Yes, glad I did the Turkey Trot. My fastest five mile was in the 36 minute range, and that was a very long time ago. But we do not need to go fast. This is the only official race photo they got of me, I'm trying to turn on IG so I can record a few moments by the Guardians of Traffic and I look up and there's the photographer and even then I thought, well that's going to be the dumbest picture ever.

Distance: 3 miles

Duration: 24:34

Route: rec center
Temperature: 32°
Climate: cold
Mood: all right

Roaring Twenties Playlist

White Horses - Wolf Alice

Mutante (Gui Boratto Rework) - Rita Lee & Roberto De Carvalho

Bean Fields - Shannon & The Clams

Fortnight (BLOND:ISH Remix) - Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone

The Loop *  - Toro y Moi

Open Relations - Heart Bones

The song "White Horses" popped up on The Current a month or so ago and I was playing it so loud and it filled my entire soul and I couldn't stop moving to it and now it's my favorite song of the year.

Stretches: yes
Water: yes
Weight: 161 lbs.

Planks: yes
Push-ups: yes

Sit-Ups: yes

2025 Cleveland Turkey Trot

2025 Cleveland Turkey Trot
Distance: 5 miles
Start: 9:30 AM
Official Time: 42:41.88
Pace: 8:32
Place Overall: 581 of 2018
Place Men 55-59: 19 of 67
Temperature: 33°
Climate: wind & light snow
Mood: Okay, so we're doing this.

Have not raced in some time. Have not raced in inclement weather for longer than that. Just walking to the venue from my parking spot was horrid, the wind coming off Lake Erie was almost unbearable.

I ask myself, why am I doing this? It’s not pleasant, it’s not social. I should be at home watching the parade, safe and warm.

The staging area, Public Hall, was a relief. Vast and clean, at least I could wait for the start in comfort.

155 - 164 BPM Playlist

Another Sunny Day - Belle & Sebastian

Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

If I Can't Change Your Mind - Sugar

Shadows in the Rain - The Police

Why Should I cry For You - Sting

A Man Needs to Be Told - The Charlatans

Twistin' the Night Away - Sam Cooke

Bejeweled - Taylor Swift

Everything - Nine Inch Nails

These Dreams - Heart

Give Me Back My Man - The B-52's

I started far back in the pack, which was unfortunate. It took a while before I could actually run. My fault. But soon I was running freer and could focus on just enjoying myself. And it was pretty all right. 

But I was even regretting choosing the five mile instead of the 5K ... until we split off around the second mile. At Carnegie and Ontario they took a right, and we continued onto the bridge. Oh, yeah. This is why. I would have missed that. Lorain-Carnegie, down West 25th and onto the Detroit-Superior. Worth it.

By the time I reached the finish line I was feeling good, and satisfied. My time was great, all things considered. And it was a well-organized race full of happy runners. But for a race like this, I really missed having a partner. Maybe next time.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Wonder why he ran.

Another thing about the Turkey Trot ... this year, for the first time, they added a 5K. In addition to the fine weather, I imagine adding this race was a factor in attendance surging by two thousand participants.

However, both races started at the same time, and shortly after the one mile mark all 5K runners were diverted one block north to St. Clair to head back for the finish while the five mile runners headed out almost one more mile, then we cut right for a block and headed back up St. Clair ...

... can you see where this might not be the best idea? Suddenly there were all of these runners - most of them slower runners, parents with strollers or children, a kid on a ripstik - and they were in my way.

And not just me, I heard a lot of complaints. In particular, there were these two beefy guys right in right of my during the last tenth of a mile, elbow to elbow, blocking traffic as many of us were trying to speed up to peel off a few seconds. Maybe they were five mile runners, but if this was their pace, how the hell did they ever get ahead of me?

Distance: 4.16 miles
Avg Pace: 7:39
Route: Boulevard Loop

I used to have such beautiful feet. Right now several of my toenails are discolored and may be preparing to fall off. This past marathon session took a lot out of them... could it be the shoes?

Another item: These headphones have lasted a long time. But I believe they are starting to go.

Temperature: 41°
Climate: light rain
Weight: 161 lbs.
Mood: upbeat if anxious

What's That Lyric?
Little Mascara - The Replacements

"Time Machine Weekend" on The Current. This hour? Nineteen Eighty-Five, the greatest year in popular music history ... right after this one.

Light will keep your heart beating in the future.

The end of a four-day holiday weekend in Cleveland. The wife made a heritage bird for Thanksgiving, we saw the premiere of Clara & The Nutcracker at Talespinner Children's Theatre and took my brother and his family for a walk around the shiny, new downtown Cleveland.

Thursday evening, the most unusual thing, my arms hurt. I am not used to having such extreme soreness following something as brief as a five-mile race, and never so intensely in my arms. My only guess is that with the slushy, slippery pavement, I was holding a lot of tension in my arms in an attempt to keep my balance.

On Friday I am very happy to say my entire family pitched in and did a lot of cleaning up of the house, especially the downstairs. Today is the last day of November, and I have kids who really, really want to bring the Christmas decorations out of the attic, so I think I know what's going on today.

However, right now it is fifty-five degrees out. And we're not getting any better than that.

Temperature: 55°
Distance:3.25 miles

Also, my abdomen. Lots of upper body work in that race. Maybe this is the beginning of something good.

Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating In The Future Playlist
Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating In The Future * - Mike Doughty
Super Bon Bon - Soul Coughing
Soundtrack To Mary - Soul Coughing
Pompeii - Bastille
See a Little Light - Bob Mould
Don't Let's Start - They Might Be Giants
Vegetable - Mike Doughty
The New Pollution - Beck
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

Funky Gen-X Stylee. Haven't run eight times in November since 2009. Things feel good.

Strange, the ones who want to win the race are usually the ones who fall behind.

Happy birthday, sir.

Received an email a few days ago from a work colleague, who is organizing a(n unofficial) company team for the Turkey Trot! Never run the Trot before, don't usually have the chance. Most often we are in Athens for Thanksgiving, last year we were in St. Paul. Who KNOWS when I will have this opportunity again!

That and I have been getting into a funk over not participating in any races, not since Girls On The Run last spring. A brisk, "turkey day" five-mile run around downtown sounds like a good time.

My buddy at work, the one who I am going to try and push into the CLE Half, has never run in any organized race. We shall take care of that.

Temperature: 68°
Distance: 3.25 miles
Climate: very light rain

One more in before the OMEGA BLOCK. Or whatever. Put that on a sweatshirt.

XTC Playlist
Happy Families
Statue of Liberty
Yacht Dance
Life Begins at the Hop
Funk Pop a Roll
Cockpit Dance Mix
This Is Pop