We know what it means to be alive.

Sip it like it's hot.

Muggy run. And this is where it gets hard, controlling my intake, I mean. Eat good things, not bad things.

Lots of homework, work work, and work work work. But I am sick of this chair. 

Got to hit the books.

Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 31:07
Pace: 10:02
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 73°
Climate: overcast, breezy & humid
Mood: all right?
Weight: 186 lbs. (-2.0)

Took three days to work off last weekend's pizza binge. Keep going.

Intake: 

Breakfast: coffee w/ cream (2x)
Lunch: noodle salad

Snack: apple, grapes
Dinner: pretzel crusted chicken breast, braised red cabbage & string beans, beer (1)

Also, fizzy water (2x)

2004 Playlist

Future Sightings - I Am the World Trade Center

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Drop It Like It's Hot- Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell Williams

First Waver Intact - Secret Machines

Musciology - Prince

One Call Away - Chingy

(Reach Up For the) Sunrise - Duran Duran

Put your feet into the groove.

Not my skin. But it looked like this.

Hi. I'm a mess. A three-mile run was in order for Monday morning, but I pushed so hard on Sunday, I was up most of the night with aches. Didn't get up to take pain reliever until five am and then crashed for almost another two hours, so that was nice.

However, I did not plan to eat something at lunch which gave me a severe allergic reaction. I mean, it wasn't severe, severe. I wasn't having trouble breathing and I wasn't itching. But my pulse suddenly went up, I developed blotchy red skin, I could feel my heart throbbing in my ears.

Co-workers took me to urgent care, which was very, very wonderful. Thank you, Stephanie, and Kelly, for taking such good care of me.

Did you know ..? The Clinic has an urgent care facility at East 4th Street? Enjoy nationally renown celebrity chefs and the check into the Cleveland Clinic! They were awesome, too, by the way. Took great care of me.

Distance: 3.25 miles
Duration: 30:18
Pace: 9:19
Route: Forest Hill Loop
Temperature: 70°
Climate: bit muggy
Mood: not bad, considering
Stretches: yes
Water: yes

This morning I noticed the sun rising later. No hat, no sunglasses at six in the morning. Wasn't sure the night before if I would run today, either, but here we are.

Bit winded, weak, not too weak. Great run, very humid already, before sunrise. Did not stop. Saw a beautiful heron in the park, I love that guy.

What's That Lyric?
Street Dance - Break Machine

Baseline: 179.5 lbs.
Today: 169.5 lbs. (+4)
Goal: 160 lbs.

I have eaten a lot the past couple of days. After the race I just wanted to eat. Yesterday I didn't feel hungry as I started to recover from the reaction, but once I started I found it hard to stop. After all, it wasn't food poisoning. I kept thinking that it was, and expecting to vomit or something, and I kept reminding myself that wasn't it.

Today, I pack my lunch. No grocery store sushi for me!

The smell of repetition.

Birthday coming up. Just saying.

Yesterday was a day off. Slept until 6:30. Wish I could say I enjoyed it, enduring a Cavaliers hangover. Our new bedroom is too bright in the morning, I have taken to wearing a blindfold if I sleep past five.

Distance: 5 miles
Avg Pace: 7.41
Route: Neighborhood Loop

Gotten gnats in my mouth before, this was the first time I got one in my eye. That was awful, wish I'd had a water bottle with me, I just closed my eye hard and eventually wept it out.

Running because you are scheduled to is very different from running because you are emotionally compelled to, and that has been a challenge. I have been slow heading out, but eventually building up steam. Also, too: humidity. My first mile was eight and a half but as you can see that picked up.

New York Road Runners Marathon Training Schedule (Moderate)

Click on to enlarge.

Here is the training schedule. I may or may not follow the detailed instructions (regular vs. easy or the dreaded fartlek) but I am happy to run the proscribed distances ... or not. If I can get one twenty mile run in before October 4 I think I'm good. I have twice failed to accomplish two before race day.

It's summer, I have a few long runs scheduled for North Carolina and Maine. Those will happen, or not. Training is happening, will happen.

Temperature: 70°
Climate: muggy and overcast
Weight:155.5 lbs. (-4.5)
Intake: fruit yogurt & granola
Hydration: yes
Stretches: sort of

My back is aching again, I need to resume my prescribed stretching exercises. It makes trying to stretch other parts of my body, my legs and so on, uncomfortable. But I try. There are a variety of moves I use but none of them terribly deep.

What's That Lyric?
Over and Over - Hot Chip

Running like we outta time.

Hurry up and wait. Crazy waiting time. The fundraiser has passed, the free, public performance has been performed. The set is safely stowed, the costumes are in for repairs. The 2013 New York International Fringe Festival opens one month from today -- Double Heart opens at the Connelly Theater one month from tomorrow.

Nothing more be done.

In the meantime, there is work at work, children to be shuttled back and forth to camp, and otherwise fed, kept cool and entertained. And I have a new scene to write.

Yet this is my fourth run this month already. Last year I ran four times in the entire month of July. The year before that, three times. I must stay active, in spite of the humidity.

Tonight it rained, again, another big rain. Lots of those. That brought the temperature down a smidge, as the boy would say. Where did he pick up an arcane word like smidge?

Temperature: 75°
Climate: breezy and humid
Distance: 3.25 miles

On the Tens Playlist
Die Young - Ke$ha
Lights - Ellie Goulding
Cousins (176 bpm) - Vampire Weekend
Paddling Out - Miike Snow
Five Seconds - Twin Shadow
What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction
Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) - Shakira
Sick Of You - CAKE

This is what you came here for.

82º? But ... it's 10 o'clock ...

Goodness. I forgot it was August.

Distance: 5.2 miles
Temperature: 82º
Weather: balmy and breezy
Weight: 171.5 lbs.

Lord. I just took a brisk, cold bath but the blood will not cool in my face.

We are not vegetarians in this house, but I believe we consume a higher percentage of vegetables and fruit in our daily diet than most Americans. I mean, we have to. Especially this time of year, when the wife picks up a big bag of City Fresh once a week. She is better at manipulating squash and zucchini than anyone.

Monday night she left it to me to create the creamy zucchini soup. You wouldn't know it was zucchini when I was done with it. Last night it was a faux beefaroni with cheese. We do eat a lot of cheese.

Tonight as I am halving the main vegetable in preparation for roasting, the girl sees what I am doing and delightfully squeals, "Butternut squash with butter! Okay!" It was an acorn squash, but she was so cute.

Do What U Like Genius Mix
Dust In The Wind - Gabriel & Dresden
Fire - Ferry Corsten
LA Ride - Tiësto
Closer - Gabriel & Dresden
Hi Friend! - Deadmau5 ft. MC Flipside
Smack My Bitch Up - Prodigy
Kalifornia - The Crystal Method
Dangerous Power (Gabriel & Dresden Extended Mix) - Gabriel & Dresden

Not to try to push our bodies any faster.

I love the neighbors' kids.

Distance: 5.15 miles
Duration 41 minutes
Pace: 7.8 min/mile
Temperature: 81º
Weather: hot! humid!
Weight: 172 lbs.
How many have you killed today, National Running Day?

My Lord, that was HORRIBLE. No one to blame but myself, I can handle heat. I can handle humidity. What I cannot handle is two servings of pesto pasta inside my fat belly before all the heat, humidity and direct sunlight.

For the first three miles, it was just like carrying a baby in my belly. Okay, I know, not just like that. But you know. Like that.

My head began to swell. I desperately wanted something to drink, in spite of having had two glasses of water before heading out. But there is nothing on this five mile route for me. No water fountains, nothing.

Then ... the burps. I need not continue.

AND YET. The final mile, THOUGH it was into the sun, THOUGH it includes the ups and downs of a half-dozen curbs and final, mild incline, finally, at long last, I hit it.

It took five miles. But it was worth it. Thank you, National Running Day.

Now I must vomit and shower.

1982 Playlist
Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant
Let's Pretend We're Married - Prince
Situation - Yazoo
The Chauffeur - Duran Duran
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Hungry Like The Wolf (Night Version) - Duran Duran
It's Nearly Africa - XTC
The Hanging Garden - The Cure