This is the longest night.

Peace, Love and Little Doughnuts

Yesterday I weighed 155 pounds. This morning, 158 lbs. The past forty-eight hours have been tension-filled and active, and yet full of play, good conversation, interesting events, and far, far too many doughnuts.

We closed the theater camp, once more creating a private improv club for the teenagers, one for which they were invited to bring treats. These included two dozen items from Jack Frost which are hands down the best in the city. I was good and ate one.

Though in the afternoon, as were packing up the camp and shipping out there were several left over so I had a second. And as it took some time to pack up I had several odd pieces which had been broken off by others.

With new colleagues at Sokolowski's Inn

Last night, as part of this weekend's Theater Communications Group 2015 National Conference, I had the honor of hosting a Dine Around events for visiting artists at Sokolowski's in Tremont.

Though work and family business kept me away from most of the conference, I was happy to represent and have this opportunity to meet some half-dozen charming folks representing three theaters in the D.C./Virginia region.

And of course, pierogis.

This morning Great Lakes Theater held a light breakfast at the Hanna Theatre ... a light breakfast of doughnuts, that is. This time from Peace, Love and Little Doughnuts and Doughnut Lab. 

I had a doughnut, I had one more doughnut.

Distance: 4 miles + ???
Route: North Chagrin Reservation

Driving home from the after party last night, not yet midnight, I was already tired. Not because it had already been a very long day, but that kind of tired you get when you know you are tired, and you are aware that you have to wake early and that there is still so much to do. I had had two beers over the course of the entire evening, just two, but I was exhausted.

And I thought of the running I needed to do today (4 miles) and on Sunday (8 miles) and I thought, how the hell am I going to do that? My wife was leaving town with our daughter, I would be on my own with the boy, and I was not happy about leaving him to watch Minecraft videos for an hour and a half.

I had to take him to his band practice, which is way out east and my wife suggested I take a run while I was out there. The North Chagrin Reservation is lovely, and I thought sure, why not? Even if I don't know the paths, I have my phone, my mapping programs, it will be fine.

It was far from fine. I took a trail, which became a road, and then a street. I should have turned back, but I looked at the map program and I thought I knew which way to turn. But after four miles, I noticed that I was far from where I had started with little clue as how to get back.

That was then I tried a path, a hiking path, to cut through the woods. And then I got lost. I had a live map, I could even hear traffic, but I could not see where the trail led, and I walked, and then I ran, and then I panicked, and I was in those woods, running trying to get out for fifteen minutes.

Then I followed a road for another fifteen minutes, which was mostly uphill. This was after running four miles, and whatever else I had done in the meantime and I was very thirsty and very tired and very, very unhappy.

Temperature: 81°
Climate: humid and overcast
Weight:158 lbs.
Hydration: poor
Stretches: no

I told myself I was not going to bother running eight miles tomorrow, why should I? It's several hours later now, and I am thinking of it as a challenge. Besides, It's Father's Day which in America means I can do whatever the fuck I like.

What's That Lyric?
I Feel Better - Hot Chip 

This pain will go

Distance: 5 miles
Weight: 163 lbs.
Stretches: yes
Drink: Gatorade
Snack: dried figs (good boy!)
Time: 6am
Weather: 51º

"In the Night Kitchen" Playlist:
La Femme d'Argent* - AIR
Scream - Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson
Animal - Prick
Local God - Everclear
One Angry Dwarf & 200 Solemn Faces - Ben Folds
We Prick You* - David Bowie
Lovefool - Cardigans
Burning Ground - Van Morrison
Female of the Species - Space
Birth-Day (Love Made Real) - Suzanne Vega
Airbag* - Radiohead
Cooldown: Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me - U2

These new-fangled online mapping programs are downright handy. I already have a route around Regent's Park for use on Sunday. I don't anticipate doing 12, but I will be pleased to do any running at all.

I swear my butt is smaller than it was six months ago.

Try and escape the daylight

Distance: 3 miles
Duration: roughly 28 minutes
Weight: 168 lbs.
Stretches: yes
Sports drink: yes
Snack: before, no - after, yogurt
Time: "6 ... A ... M" (actually, around 6.15)
Weather: balmy with light rain

I Put My Big-Boy Pants On (145 BPM) - dj steveboy
"Wanna make sumfin of it?"

The Good Things
Using U.S. Track & Field's America's Running Routes program, I discovered that what I normally thought was a three-mile run around my block was, in fact, closer to four. So I programmed a real three-mile run, which will help me out on subsequent Sundays.

For a day-after- a-long-one morning, today was very good, except for a few items which I will detail in a moment. But the body was good. The legs, were good, so good, in fact, that I ran without any bandages for the first time in months.

This is how supported I have been: right knee brace, left ankle brace and left shin brace. I wore none of them today, and had not a single complaint. I am sure I will need to go back to some or all of them in the coming days and weeks, but the idea of healing is very encouraging to me.

The Bad Things
Just because you go to two birthday parties doesn't entitled you to two pieces of cake. Unless they are both celebrating your birthday.

Alcohol dehydrates you. And makes you drunk. Sometimes you have a headache the next day, the way I have now.

Also, eating lots of food the day before (it was a long, long day yesterday - and I was in bed by ten) might make you think, the next morning, that you don't need a pre-run snack. I felt like I was an empty shell the last miles, seriously running on fumes. That's bad, anorexics do that.

So. That's a lot of babble for a three mile run. It's a big week this week, lots of early runs and late nights. Actually, that's the schedule for the next five weeks. Pray for me.

I hear your footsteps in the street

Distance: 4 miles
Weight: 165 lbs.
Stretches: yes
Sports drink: yes
Snack: banana
Time: 6.00am
Weather: balmy

New route - now that I have a new computer up and running, I can access US Track & Field's America's Running Routes program. In an era of raising gas prices, this program is so freaking helpful.

By the way - how do you spend a weekend stuffing your face with beef, shrimp and sausage and still lose a couple pounds?

Sock It To Me Biscuits

Distance: 5.5 miles
Stretches: yes
Sports Drink: yes
Snack: Balance Bar
Time: 6.00am
Weather: cool

Playlist:
Putting Boxes In Boxes - Plasticman
Legal Tender - The B-52s
I'll Keep Coming Back - Chanelle
3 A.M. Eternal (Live at the S.S.L.) - The KLF
Weapon of Choice - Fatboy Slim
Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung
La Colegiala - Gary Low
Rocket Ride - Felix da Housecat
Toxic - Britney Spears
Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Tarzan Boy - Baltimora
Brand New Colony - The Postal Service
Slip the Drummer One - Cornershop
Cooldown: Natural Blues - Moby

A little disappointed. Should have mapped it before I ran, it was only 5.5 miles. I knew it couldn't be very far. But I ran it again today, instead of the 4 I was supposed to do, which makes up for it a little. And it was more clear and bright this morning. I was keeping pace with a shipping vessel as it slowly made its way down the Mississippi, and I can't do that every day. I am troubled by the next few months, especially October. I am supposed to do 20 in London and 18 in Chicago or something like that, but I don't see how that's possible. I'll need to adjust my schedule.

Thanks, St. Paul.