Jeff's House of Running and maybe Something else

I Owned The Podium Today! Well, Sort Of.

2010-03-14T19:54:00.002-04:00

Our friends to the north have nothing on me, except for Alexander Keith, what has to be the greatest wilderness on earth, tons of great food, rivers, lakes, the original Molson, a better economy, and Bob and Doug McKenzie. But I owned the podium today, damnit! Without getting anyone disqualified either!

I owned the podium by coming in second in my age group in a 10K race at Fort Hunt Park today. And the guy in my group who finished ahead of me didn't stick around for the awards. Bascially, we ran around the park five times on a flat loop with one tiny uphill. Needless to say, it was a course conducive for fast times. I won a nice shopping bag from DC Roadrunners. I will make great use of that, and of another accomplishment. Another PR. 43:13, best 10K on its own by 1:48, best 10K split by :34.

Great day today that ended with another yoga class. No headstand, it wasn't part of the practice tonight. But that's fine, I am more than comfortable with what I did to end.....possibly my second favorite Sunday of the year after Super Bowl Sunday, the day Daylight Savings Time starts. Bye.

Spur of the Moment Vegetarian Recipe #1

2010-03-13T19:38:00.002-05:00

I rambled on a bit ago about moving to a vegetarian diet. I've made progress, with the complete transition to occur after I finish eating what I already have in my refrigerator and soup cabinet. Keeping with the not wasting food thing.

Well, I'm going to post about Spur of the Moment Vegetarian recipies that I throw together on, well, just before I start cooking. Heck, I may add ingredients when the water for the pasta is already boiling.

Tonight I am crashing at home, going to bed early, and bascially doing nothing of note. It's dreary, rainy, parts of Old Town are flooded. And on the docket for tomorrow: a 10 K race, 3 hours of cleaning out my old apartment pre-move-out inspection, yoga, and maybe some PMP studying. So I decided to throw together some pasta that will help me stay strong tomorrow. Where I want help is naming the recipe. Should we start a name that recipe game? Anyway, tonight's recipe:

- 2 small servings of pasta (I was hungry, need carbs for tomorrow, and had just finished a light workout at the fitness center).
- 2 or 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil EVOO!!
- 1 tablespoon of Oregano
- 1 tablespoon of Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Saute everything but the pasta, (last time I tried sauteing pasta I got a grade a G, the results weren't even good enough for an F) which you cook normally. If you are not vegan, toss some parmasean on top of the pasta and toppings. Presto, a great meal that took me about 3 minutes to think of and start cooking. Heck, it took me almost as long to wash the dishes afterwards.

So, name this dish for me. And throw other vegetarian recipes my way.

Yoga: A Year Later!

2010-03-12T15:04:00.004-05:00

I'm still practicing! One year ago today I walked into Pure Prana Yoga Studio in Old Town Alexandria for my first ever class. I finally developed the courage and scrounged up the funds to start taking yoga classes, about five years after I developed an interest in it. That fateful night changed my life in a lot of ways. I started with the 12 week cycle of Fundamentals, as I was advised to. While I wondered from time to time what a lot of the fundamentals were doing to help me out, that wondering was for naught as I would soon learn the basics for yoga practice. The first twelve weeks helped me get used to doing many exercises that I may not have ever done before. Only four weeks in, I started going to Open to All classes on Sunday evenings and rarely felt like I was years behind everyone else. "I can do this!"

After the fundamentals class I decided to keep up my yoga practice as best as I could, including using DVDs at home. During week 12, I even managed to do my first headstand! Of course being self-deprecating, I was so suprised that I pulled it off that I immediated lowered my lower body to the ground. However, I remembered the lessons taught about it being my practice and I should do what I feel comfortable with at a given time, not to try to "beat anyone at the yoga game". So I ddin't get mad at myself for bailing out of the pose earlier than I would have liked to.

Vinyasa was the next step taken on the Yoga Parkway (I made that up). Vinyasa is flowing yoga, in laymen's terms it's, you're moving all of the time, even during final relaxation pose (time to work on your breathing, peeps!). When I walked out of one of my first vinyasa classes, I had the same feeling after I walked out of my first spinning class four years ago. I never want to go back! I'm too tired and beat! I'll be back next week anyway! But 8-9 months later, I have worked on my vinyasa "skills", taken some jivamukti classes, and went to a restorative-based class when they starting having them at my old apartment complex. I try to do 15-20 minutes of basic yoga when I wake up each workday morning as well.

Am I ready to go to teacher training? Not by a long shot. Am I doing regular headstands? No, I've only completed two headstands since the first one at the end of fundamentals. So it's not part of my regular practice yet by any means. Am I happy with my progress? Absolutely! Even though "progress" isn't the goal, I am very happy with how much yoga has helped me. It's helped me relax about as much as anything can. I'm more flexible than I used to be, that's for sure. And I only takes me a couple dozen steps to get loose during running instead of two miles. Not bad considering I would have been happy if people even knew my name after a year!

As I reflect on my one year anniversary as a yoga practicioner, I've been thinking of how yoga and running have pretty much taken over my non-work life. As Greenie from Denver said, those are good things to take over your life. I'm still 50 pounds lighter than I was on January 1, 2008 and while I would like to make that 60-65 without losing muscle and overall strength, not to mention has stronger abs, I've pleasantly suprised myself with how I have been able to keep the weight off.

Now how can I continue to grow into this practice? That's the new question. For now, it's time to celebrate tonight!

Time to celebrate the one year anniversaty of my yoga debut by..........

Going to Pure Prana for an Expanded Vinyasa class!

Considering a switch to a vegetarian or quasi-vegetarian diet

2010-02-22T20:46:00.002-05:00

I've wondered about this off and on. Not because I am a member of PETA, in fact I find them to be off the charts crazy. But, I still do not completely trust myself tho keep the 50 pounds off that I have lost since New Years Day 2008. I like a good grilled chicken and steak as much as the next person, but often feel iffy a couple of hours afterwards. The iffyness or whatever feeling rarely happens after eating a meal consisting of grains and vegetables. I pay more for whole grain bread because quite frankly I find it better tasting and healthier. Unless I eat too much pasta the night before a long run or race, I only feel bloated after eating meals with meat, red meat in particular.

So that makes me wonder if I should try a vegetarian diet once I clean out everything in my freezer. Over the last few years I have developed a new, strong appreciation for vegetables. Not only do they make me healthier, but I can do a lot of mixing with vegetables and come up with new surprises. On top of that, sometimes I feel more energized after eating a vegetable-based lunch or salad, not drained like my beloved steak often does to me. Especially if this will help me even more with my running and my newest weight loss goal of ten more pounds without sacrificing lean muscle, I'm thinking of jumping on at least the quasi-vegetarian train. It worked wonders for the Atlanta Falcons' Tony Gonzalez. Will it work for me? Will I even get to the train station?

My first thought is to clean the freezer contents over the next 12 days before I move, and/or grill the meats at my new place. Maybe have an impromptu cookout of sorts. All this before I even think about going through with this. My second thought is to work towards a quasi-vegetarian diet, keeping fish as a staple, or even re-allocating the meat part of my diet partially to fish, for the protein. Cut meat out gradually. Phase it out, perhaps by working my way through all the soups I have (I don't like wasting food in case you can't tell). A little less each week, with July 4 as an unofficial target date to be totally aboard.

Another variable thrown in to this mix, especially concerning energy and strength. Many have advised me that this transition is very rough at first. Tony Gonzalez alludes to this in the article I linked to. I ain't kidding myself, I'm 35, am never going pro in anything, but I would like to lose a little more weight and being able to recover from long runs more quickly. But my concern about a loss of strengh is this: I don't want to be stuck 6-8 miles from a Metro station because out of nowhere I am too weak to finish a weekend long run but can't trace it to any illness or cramping.

I am running three marathons this calendar year, in late May, early October, and mid November. I feel I'm behind on my Vermont training, but if I decide to go forward with this, I'll start the transition while I train for May's race. I want to feel more energized and healthy, so if this quasi-vegetarian thing works I'll be able to rachet up my training for Twin Cities and Richmond. If this diet will help me recover from runs more quickly, I'm sold. I don't have a problem with recovery but am always looking for ways to improve.

Has anyone out there tried to move from a carnivore/balanced diet to a mostly vegetarian one? How much or how little transition time do you recommend I take? Do I need to be concerned with crashing during a training run four weeks out from the May marathon? How many extra B-12 pills will I need to take each day to stay energized at first (right now I take one and a separate B complex)? It's already going to make me fork over more cash for additional salads, will I need more for protein bars too? What about soy milk? Well I think I can handle and enjoy that. Or do people recommend I quit meat cold turkey? I'll need to research some iron-rich foods to double up on for blood donation days.

The first step, converting my Diet to Go lunch plan from Traditional to Low Fat / Vegetarian. Wish me luck.

Thai Review: Neramitra Thai, Crystal City

2010-01-24T17:20:00.002-05:00

Okay, I am finally ready to review some Thai Restaurants. My gigantic, super-galactic audience knows that I am a big fan of Kanlaya on 6th Street NW in DC and the Pad Thai Noodles at Red Mei Cafe in Old Town Alexandria. They also know about Thai Nakon Ping in North Conway, NH, a pleasant addition to the Route 16 strip that is dear to my heart and loaded with memories.

But, it is time to actually write a restaurant review. I am a Thai food junkie, as is Zandria. This past Wednesday we were able to visit Neramitra in Crystal City. Now, my reviews may not talk about the restaurant decor as much as "professional" reviews. Well, those reviewers are getting paid, I'm just doing this to blow off steam in between study sessions. So for me, the decor was cool enough. A pleasant setting for sure.

But I care more about the food. Is it good? Does it take forever to get to you? Is it overpriced market-wise? If the answers are Yes, No, and No than you are doing well. Neramitra did well for sure. For an appetizer, I ordered Kanon Jeeb dumpings, while Zandria ordered the Summer Rolls. I am a dumplings fanatic, and feel about them the same way most Asian restaurant aficionados feel about Pad Thai. That is, if a restaurant fudges those up, they don't get business.

But at Neramitra, the dumplings were very good. I don't recall ever having water chestnut as part of an order of dumplings, but there was no net effect on the quality of the food offering. The pork and shrimp were mixed together perfectly and steamed very well (I avoid fried foods for the most part). Zandria really liked her Summer Rolls, which I will probably get on a return visit. For dinner I ordered the Kao Soi Noodles with shrimp. I never had noodles in the yellow curry in this manner before. I really enjoyed it. It almost tasted like a hybrid fusion of Thai and Indian dishes. The shrimp were a perfect, fresh, compliment to the noodles.

Bottom line, I'm not sure how the star system works but Neramitra was very enjoyable. I have a series of 5K races on Friday in Crystal City this April and plan on making a return visit then for more Thai food. Next stop, we'll see when I can go out to eat again. :)

Thai Restaurant Reviews, coming soon, I promise

2010-01-21T22:07:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend, in between the first session of my Project Management Class, a free Yoga For Runners Class in Fairfax, VA, and a trail run......I will post a review of a Thai Restaurant. I promise. I will review every Thai restaurant I go to, in more details than here.

Until then, vote my poll, discuss the latest Armageddon, I mean tonight's Capitals-Penguins hockey game, and enjoy. And, give me some Thai Restaurants to try. Not Neramitra Thai though. Tried it, liked it, and that will be my first not really official but longer than two sentence review.

2010 Race Calendar

2009-12-28T21:14:00.003-05:00

Still practicing yoga, still running, and planning on doing even more of it in 2010 while bringing in a Project Management Class into the mix (8 of 9 Saturdays from January 23 to March 20). I'm going to cut down on the number of races, I think. I've run 20-30 each of the last two years. This year I'm going to concentrate on the ten mile, half marathon and marathon distances. I find them to be the most gratifying from a challenge, distance, endurance, you name it standpoint. I want to get under 4 hours in one of the three marathons I am planning next year. There will be lots of different training involved in 2010. More hill repeats and some track work are in the cards. More of that in future posts.

But this is really about the 2010 Race Calendar. Thinking about all the bad eating habits I picked up while in Dracut, MA for the holiday (everything else was great!) and how I can run them off, got me fired up about racing. Even though racing is at least 10 days off, I want to get motivated to become fitter than ever.

Here are my planned 2010 Races:

1. January through March: Races 3,4,6,7,8 in the Dc Roadrunners Snowball Series. These are free races for club members so the financial commitment is minimal (just annual dues). These fit my schedule too, as races 6,7,8 are on Sunday, which for a lot of the winter is my long run day due to class.

2. April 11, Cherry Pit run in Annapolis. A maybe, no more Cherry Blossom run for me.

3. April 18, Mountain Maryland Half Marathon in Cumberland, maybe. If travel $$ works out, I really liked this race last year.

4. April 25, GW Parkway Classic: classic ten miler, a yearly tradition. It helps that the running store I am most loyal to runs the event.

5. May 2, Frederick Half Marathon. The first half of the Maryland Double, this gets the nod over Pittsburgh and Flying Pig (Cincinnati) for ease of travel. A recent Running Times article recommended racing a half marathon four weeks out from a marathon, so there you have it. I really want to go back to Pittsburgh since I loved the race last year. But the travel costs thing. Flying Pig is ou because I don't have the leave to use on Monday.

6. May 30, Vermont Marathon. Boo yeah! Vermont! Hell Yeah! Green Mountains! Hell Yeah! Burlington! Hell YeaH! Family may be there! Hell Yeah! Marathon #2, I'm in training for it now, using a March 20 marathon training schedule until March 13, when I go on the May 30 schedule. They overlap nicely. Cannot wait for this one!

7. June 27, Boston 13.1. My hometown city! Yeah! I don't have to qualify! Yeah! The day after my 36th birthday, and since I can't party like I could in my 20s, so I'll run instead! Hell Yeah!

8. August 29, Annapolis Ten Miler Run. Should be mandatory for fall half marathoners and marathoners. Perfect race to gauge where you're at for: hills, bridges, unusually hot and humid temps (this race is run in an oven), and a competitive field. I've gotten faster, but I'm still surprised at the leader last year approaching mile 9 on his second run over the Navy Bridge while I has at mile 4.5 on my first run. GD! Dude finished in under 50 minutes, in that race. Unreal! Ordinary runners like me, use this as a gauge, peeps. Do not expect to approach your PR, this course would be harsh in perfect racing conditions.

9. September 12? Parks Half Marathon, if I do not go to Colorado for my annual trip.

10. October 2, Twin Cities Marathon. My first ever trip to Minnesota, and I'll be runnign a marathon. #3. Friends tried to talk me into going last year, but I wanted marathon #1 to be close to home and I didn't have $$$ in the travel budget. This year, I will have money, with help from a free flight possibility. Southwest, hook me up!

11. October 16, Baltimore Half, second part of the Maryland Double.

12. October 24, Army Ten Miler. I am kicking myself for selling my bib last year. This race is a lot of fun and draws good crowds.

13. November 14, Richmond Marathon. #4. Special meaning for me, they've had the half for two years, I ran both. One was my first half, the second was my 1:33:23 a few weeks ago. Next year, the whole marathon.

I'll also take part in the Crystal City 5K series on Fridays in April. Half my friends run in them, there's almost always post-race fun to be had, and I can use them as extra training. Tempo run or extended intervals, I'm thinking.

What races are you running? Any sort of hill repeats to recommend to me? Other kinds of training runs? Holler.

Cross Country Skiing...near home...yeah!

2009-12-21T09:12:00.004-05:00

On this, the shortest day of the year, I have decided to write a not really short blog entry. The last few weeks have seen me basically abandon any racing of a half marathon at mile 8, enter my 10th month of practicing yoga, have a Holiday party postponed for two weeks, and finally got to use my cross country skis, right here in Metro DC!!!!

The half marathon I recently ran was held on a dirt/rock path due to a forced last minute location change. It was cold and rainy at the start, snowy at the end. To make a long story short, I was feeling nothing from the get go so I took the race in as experience racing in crap conditions. Until about mile 8 when I abandoned any real effort to race and just wanted to get back to the finish line, and to my dry clothes, without breaking my ankle. 1:56:something, my slowest half marathon ever, or was it a sort of fast training run? I've moved on and said hey at least I've completed 8 of these 13.1 mile races now.

Last Saturday it was 9 months to the day that I went to my first yoga class. Although I am still far away from being a kick-ass yogi, I have already reaped many benefits from these 9 months. It has really helped my running, I feel a lot looser when I run, it doesn't take me 2-3 miles to really get going anymore. I feel more flexible and as relaxed as I'm going to get. Another benefit comes from knowing what I need to work on to keep myself in better shape. I know yoga is supposed to be towards whatever you can go on a given day, that's where you're at, relax, breathe. But when I leave class, while I almost always feel better than I did going in, I do say to myself "man, I really need work on upper body strength" if I struggled with extended downward dog or its variations. This is odd to me because I college and early post-college, I was too concerned with building my upper body and almost ignored the rest of my body or even cardio work. Now, it's the other way around. Time to hit the push up bars almost nightly and weights twice a week Jeff.

I am getting better, albeit slowly, at doing the best I can in yoga and seeing where it takes me. One good thing on the fitness note, I may not lose 15 pounds in the first three months of 2010. I may not have to this year. I'd like to think I avoided most of the holiday 10-15, although I gained 5 in the 10 days after Thanksgiving (3-4 went right back off the next week). I won't lie, one thing I'm really working forward to when I land back at BWI next Sunday is an easier path to maintaining diet and exercise.

This past weekend, incase you haven't heard, DC had a vicious, nasty snowstorm. Woooohoooo! The forecasts kept going up as Thursday night turned into Friday. I started going away from my cynical "yeah, we won't get crap" mannerisms to "we may actually get real snow for once". Yeah, we got about 18-20 inches of real snow. I couldn't believe it but it happened!

Not only did it happen, but my Fun Run group continued the streak of never cancelling a run due to weather! Even if only two of us showed up because the snow was coming down more seriously than before, and 90 percent of the group was scheduled to go to the Celtic Solstice run in Baltimore anyways......we didn't cancel! What a way to make a debut as guest run host, huh! I only ran 4 plus miles since I wanted to get my last errand done and get home before it got really windy and hard to see. Everything accomplished.

I even took the cross country skis out late Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday! I was beyond thrilled to ski around the Mount Vernon bike trail on what was relatively light, fluffy snow for the east coast. Felt like Colorado again, at least for 24 hours! Great memories, great exercise, and a once in a lifetime experience, or at least once every 4-5 years. Yeah, I blew off the Pats game to take advantage of this rare opportunity to play in the snow. I'm de-emphasizing sports anyway so it works for me. In many cases I'd rather be outside doing something, and given the rare heavy snowfall (7th worst storm ever in DC), I would have taken a playoff game to keep me inside. I hope we get another storm this winter, even if it took me 90 minutes to clear out a path to the "driveway" for my car should I need it.

In short, I wish I had another day to play in the snow with Metro open so I could ski in the parks in DC itself. But the memories of this weekend will linger for a very long time. On a final note, after tonight, each day gets a minute or two longer of daylight until June 21. Cheers!

My thoughts on the World Cup Draw

2009-12-04T17:55:00.003-05:00

I admit I am no expert here, and there will be plenty of teams in the World Cup that I do not possess much knowledge about. Nor did I even watch the draw: I went to lunch with some co-workers just after it began, and besides, I watched the draw in 2005 only to see the USA get placed in what ended up being the Group of Death (toughest group to advance out of, the top two of four go onto to the knockout, or single game elimination, rounds). I often joke that my teams do better when I don't watch, so I used this to justify my not using my lunch hour to watch the draw.

Here's who the World Cup Draw worked, there were eight seeded teams, seven of which can be said to be the strongest teams in the world. The eighth, South Africa, is a seeded because they are the host nation. But they are said to be in bad form right now, so I really wanted the US to be drawn in their group instead of with the other powerhouse seeds. Borrowed from The Guardian, here are the details:

The 32 teams are split into eight groups of four, but - unsurprisingly - it won't be as simple as Ms Charlize Theron drawing a team from each pot. Some groups may need to be skipped in order to avoid confederation clashes within them. This will be achieved specifically by placing the first two African teams drawn from pot three into the groups containing Brazil and Argentina.

Pot 1: South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England.
Pot 2: Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Mexico, Honduras.
Pot 3: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay.
Pot 4: France, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia.

I feared the worst, remembering my initial reaction after the '05 draw which was essentially "We're f****d, I hope no one has tickets past the first round." But, the reverse psychology by not watching worked because here are the Groups!

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Group E: Holland, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, Korea DPR, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

In my mind, the Group of Death is G. Brazil is my pick to win it all. Portugal is a very talented squad, but historically have been their own worst enemy, losing their form and discipline at the worst possible times. If the "good Portugal" shows up, they're very formidable, and reached the semi-finals in '06. Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivorie, is an inspiring story. A nation that has had more than its share of turmoil fields a very talented team that many feel can go deep into this tournament. A deep run would be truly moving and healing, as anyone who remembers the commercials with "City of Blinding Lights" playing in the background will attest. The fourth team, let's just say I hope Kim Jong Il is on meds tonight. I would love to see one of the three opponents drop double digits on North Korea in June.

Group of Death Jr. is either D or E. Germany is a football machine, you know they are a contender. Ghana is strong, and Australia will look to prove that '06's run where they almost beat Italy before they could get rolling, was no fluke. See ya, Serbia. E is tough too, it wouldn't surprise me to see any combination of two teams advance, save for Holland not going through.

USA's Group, they got a gift from someone. Soccer Gods, whatever. England (June 12) will be very difficult but I like the idea of having the toughest (on paper) match first. Worked in '02, no time for nerves or "we'll warm up as things move forward." Slovenia (June 18) impressed by beating Russia in the two-leg playoff last month but are hardly contenders to get close to the Jules Rimet Trophy. Algeria (June 23) are a good candidate to pull a US '98 France and finish DFL should North Korea be able to bunk its way into 2 1-0 and 1 2-0 loss. (32nd after various tiebreakers for teams with zero points are figured in).

Bottom Line: The USA should advance to the knockout round, and I think they will, barring any more nasty injuries between now and then. How much further into the knockout rounds will they get? I project a second place finish in Group C, then ahard-fought second round defeat against Germany, the Group D first place team. An upset there could see the US play Argentina or Mexico (my projected first place team in Group B and second place team in A) in the quarterfinals. But first things first. Not advancing out of the group stages would be big-time FAIL. But I think Bradley's Boys are up to the challenge. Thoughts? Post 'em.

Letter to the Snow Lords in advance of Saturday's Half Marathon

2009-12-02T10:44:00.001-05:00

Dear Snow Lords,

I want to share a concern with you, even if I am not very religious. You see this Saturday I am supposed to take part in a half marathon running race. The race is fine, I've been there, done that, and enjoy any race where I finish, do not get sick, or do not get injured. However, this long range weather forecast is troubling. I know that I live on the East Coast now and therefore cannot expect Senor Powderdump to visit me, but if it's going to be that damn cold and wet, please make it snow so I can enjoy my race instead of praying that it gets cancelled.

Thank you,
Me

Anyone else exercise in the morning?

2009-12-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

I am really bad at trying to squeeze in every last second of sleep in the morning, and have never been great at waking up willingly to begin with. Therefore, I've never exercised very often in the morning, preferring to work out after the work day to work off the stress et al of the day. Seeing friends at my running group also keeps me running at night.

I bring this up because with the recent changing of the clocks, I thought about starting running a couple mornings a week. Get the run in before work, I know every time I see people running on the National Mall when I walk to work, I wish I was running with them. An additional problem besides waking up got in the way, the commute to work. Getting up, eating something (I NEVER run on an empty stomach), getting the five miles in, stretching, showering, eating an actual breakfast, and making sure I get on a 7:15 metro train to be at work by 8? Too many variables that would stress me out more than I already am in the morning, rendering the workout counter-productive. Nope.

In September I committed myself do waking up 20 minutes early and doing a 20 minute basic yoga workout each work day. I am getting very close to doing this every workday, and really enjoy it. I bought a few DVDs earlier this year when I started practicing yoga. I use two in particular, one by a guy name Rodney Yee that came with my beginner kit. The second is a yoga for weight loss DVD by Suzanne Deason, which is the longer of the two so I use it when I get up earlier than normal. I find that I feel a little looser and ready to get on with the day after a little basic yoga. If only I practiced on my own more often with the other videos that I have. :)

Do any of you have morning workout rituals that you follow? Does working out in the morning help you get ready for the day? Are you lucky enough to bike commute and get your workout in that way? If you have any suggestions for me, post away.

A not quite as late Richmond Half Marathon Report with another happy ending

2009-11-27T12:56:00.004-05:00

Two weeks ago I ran the Half Marathon in Richmond. Different course than last year but leading up to the race I said it looks like a better one, we don't have to run through the Diamond parking lot. My knee had been bugging me, same thing as in May/June but on the right knee this time. It felt like someone was trying to pull apart the cartilige or whatever is around the top of the knee and side of the knee with a pair or pliers. I call it the Fredericksburg injury since that's where this injury first popped up. The Thursday night fun run felt great though so I was good to go, even if travel prevented me from getting in the 2-3 mile day-before jog to stay loose. I was determined to finish in 1:45:00 or less, at the time I thought my PR of 1:40:21 was probably unattainable but you never know. I'm a creature of habit in a lot of ways, so I went to the same Italian Restaurant, Piccola's, as I did last year because it worked last year.

Yeah, unattainable my ass. :) I was running late as usual and the portable facility lines were longer than I expected, even though I should know better. I got my pre-race warmup job in but almost missed the start!!! From there, everything fell into place. I was able to dart around the corrals and hopped the fence and get into the first corral just before the starting gun went off. The guy behind me joked that it was a steep fence I a better get a PR for going through the effort to hop it without hurting myself. I am very grateful for the room to hop in.

Being only 4-5 rows back from the front pack of any race with more than 100 runners was a new world to me. I'm not competing against anyone but myself, but do feel conscientious about not wanting to be someone in the way of a faster runner either. No problem! My legs felt tight for a couple miles, but I started out at a sub seven minute pace and came close to holding that throughout the race. I couldn't believe how fast (for me) I was going at the start. Crossed 10K at 43:48, would be a PR by 1:13 if it was a 10K race. 1:11:27 at 10 miles, PR by 5:08. By the time mile 9 and 10 hit, the only question was, barring injury, not if I would PR, but by how much. Kept going, picked it up a bit at the end, finished in 1:33:23, a PR by 6:58! 7:08 overall pace, it actually happened. 10th in my age group, which for me is ridiculously good. Tough act to follow in 3 weeks at a club half marathon, that's for sure.

I try not to stress too much about what time I get for races, as I am not a professional runner who has anything on the line on race day, I'm just a guy with improved health and a newly discovered running ability who wants to self-improve and have some fun at the same time. I guess all those miles I built up for the marathon helped me in the half; I had not run further than 5.5 miles on any day since the marathon. The recovery phase for the half came a lot of quickly than the marathon. Whereas the soreness and need to recover didn't completely kick in for over a week then, Sunday night I couldn't even squat down like a baseball catcher without putting my hands on the ground first. Even after I stretched post-race, it took 3-4 days for me to walk without my quads killing me, never mind run. Maybe it was the 7:08 pace that I never, ever, saw coming that did it. :)

BTW, Elephant Thai, over by VCU's Monroe Park Campus rocks! Stay tuned for posts about a Thai project!

A Great Vacation in New Hampshire and Boston Must End

2009-08-23T16:57:00.004-04:00

Boo. Boo. I do not want to fly back to BWI Ariport tomorrow afternoon, this was a great 8 1/2 day vacation (last Saturday doesn't really count as a day since it was a late afternoon flight and drive to Ossipee Lake, NH). But it must come to an end, I really needed to get away from DC / work / the daily grind of living in DC that can wear you down mentally and physically like no other city I've experienced. And I had a fantastic break. I spent Saturday - Friday morning in Ossipee and the remainder of the time in Dracut, MA and near Boston. I'll update it in rapid-fire, semi-coherent fashion, here's what I did:

Sunday - went swimming with my nephews and went to my nephew's eighth birthday party in Eliot, Maine. Luckilly there is no evidence of a failed Slip N Slide attempt.

Rest of time in NH: Kept up with my running, 8 miles or so on Monday, 14 on Thursday, presuming 9 minute mile pace since I don't have a Garmin or one of those tools that measures distances. Hey, I just got A 18 for my flight tomorrow! That makes leaving a bit more tolerable! I prefer to sit near the front of planes since staying on one and waiting for everyone to leave irritates me. I was happy with the mileage I ran both days, and got on plenty of hills on Thursday's run.

Wait, there's more! I hiked Green Mountain once on my own and once with two of my nephews. Hiked Mount Washington again too. My only regret was taking the Nelson Crag Trail down Washington since it was exposed a bit. It's not often that you want to stay out on exposed ridge areas up in the Presidential Range but it was a very rare 60 degree day (It has NEVER been above 72 on Washington's summit). But avoid the Nelson Crag Trail: it goes on forever and forever, doesn't want to end, and once you're low enough so you can't see much of fellow mountains Jefferson, Adams, and Madison you don't have much to look at. I'm grateful the trail exists but you'll never see me on it again. If I had to do it again, I would have roamed around on the ridge and stopped at Lake of the Clouds Hut, which is cooler than coolness, before heading down. I may never get the opportunity to roam up there for hours since you're almost always under the possibility of storms rolling in before you can get to safety but it was a great hike nonetheless.

More NH fun, bought some more khakis for work at Settlers Green / Haggar Outlet, and some more workout shorts at Ocean State Job Lot. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled at my weight loss over the last year and a half but it did require me to spend a bunch on new clothes, which is just about done. Had some great times swimming in the lake too. Great memories and lots of relaxation.

I found a great Thai restaurant, Thai Nakon Ping, in North Conway on the way home from Washington. Had an excellent chicken satay appetizer and an awesome noodles, vegetables, and shrimp dish. I'm going to start a Thai Restaurant Review Project in the next few months. Every time I eat at a Thai place, I blog about it. And I could put peanut sauce on just about anything.

Massachusetts was in on the fun too. Caught up with one of my best friends from high school at a 99 Restaurant. Trying to catch up with more of my closest friends from school before I leave. The 99 was excellent as usual. I spent most of Saturday and today running along the Charles River, hanging out with friends in Cambridge/Somerville, and catching up with as many people as possible. The rundown of memory lane (I've only gotten to Cambridge/Somerville 3-4 times since leaving in 2002):

Davis Square: A bit more corporate than it used to be but still seemed to have the cool, funky feel. I realized that I have no clue how to find the small trail that goes from Davis Square to Alewife Station unless I'm approaching it from the Davis terminus. Not knowing this added to my Saturday Charles River loop run, which was 14-18 miles depending on how accurate maps were, if I actually kept a 9 minute pace, et al.

Harvard Square: Don't like it anymore. Keeps going downhill. Although I hope John Harvard Brew House still makes their Chicken Pot Pie. That would salvage it.

Porter Square: Has not changed a bit. This is a very good thing. Christopher's is as great of a place for food, beer, and relaxed vibe as you'll get near Boston. I liked it so much, I stopped by again on Sunday! Thank you to Audra and the staff for holding on to my debit card that I forgot to pick up before closing my tab on Saturday (it was just two beers, not like 10-12 years ago when I may have forgotten it after 7-9 beers and conversations). There needs to be Christopher's in VA/DC/MD.

There is Willard's BBQ in Chantilly. Not that I've been there, but I need to go because the founder of Blue Ribbon BBQ moved to VA and founded Willard's. Get me some of a pulled chicken platter, mashed potatoes, and cornbread please. As good as it ever was.

Not being able to start my car for 20 minutes in a parking lot in Arlington after my Saturday run, not so cool. But that got resolved.

The Rose Kennedy Greenway is absolutely amazing. It really makes Boston shine like never before. The parkland and sculptures are an absolute joy to see, I just wish I had a camera. Makes the North End and Seaport District look fabulous too, just by being adjacent to it. I sat down across from the Moakley Bridge had a quick lunch by the Seaport. Life was very grand today.

Boston, you did yourselves proud! Seeing a lot of the changes that have taken place recently You're still my home at heart. Now, and I wouldn't be a New Englander without this, a couple gripes. Get the Big Dig Honchos in jail for embezzlement. And to the guy on Boston Common who felt compelled to wear a Yankees Hat and Maple Leafs T Shirt: Double Fail!

Overall, a fantastic eight days. I do not want to go back to my current home, but take solace in that I leave for Colorado in 13 days. And I will get back on track with upper body exercises (i.e. lifting twice a week) and yoga (which I hope I remember how to do after 2 1/2 weeks away). Next time I return to Boston, in 2010, a trip to Boloco's is on the docket, as are trips to places I missed this time around.

A Bialetti Experiment gone good and an odd storm

2009-08-01T17:56:00.005-04:00

Ran 18 miles today through Rock Creek Park with a bunch of friends. Picked up order at REI and a new pair of hiking shorts. Crashed at the pool for a couple hours before giving up on seeing any more sun. Listening to The New Pornographers on the Rhapsody Player. 6 pm hits and the sky is a combination of light clouds, a nasty downpour, and a small speck of blue sky to the east. No thunder yet. I needed to cook dinner so I decided to use the Bialetti cookware that I bought last year. I was going to do an experiment. Half of a package of chicken drumsticks the conventional way, baked, some poultry seasoning spice sprinkled on them. The other half, sauted in a pan with cooking spray, extra light olive oil, Hickory Smoke BBQ sauce, sea salt, pepper, and Teriyaki Marinade.

So far, the results from the saute experiment are positive. While not a traditional saute, my experiment turned out okay. Still pouring at 6:05 although it looks like the sun will be out of the west side of the horizon in ten minutes. Gives me time to finish dinner before heading out to get some goodies from a friend's birthday cookout tomorrow. 6:07 pm - never mind the sun, just heard the thunder.

While tonight I am not planning on doing anything but crashing after a trip to the grocery store, my weekends have been very, very full over the last 3-4 months. This is a very good thing. Tomorrow is packed too. A yoga class at some point, TBD depending on other events. Aforementioned birthday cookout. Possible Thai dinner here. Things are pretty good for me. 6:11 pm: downpour more intense and is landing in my second floor balcony. 6:14 pm: sunshower is now as odd as I have even seen it. Truly bizarre.

I've got lots going on, meeting more and more people, and am doing a bit of traveling in the upcoming weekends. Next weekend is the last one that I'll be in town all the time until late September. From Aug 15-Sept 13, five weekends in a row out of dodge: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Annapolis for half the weekend and the legendary 10 Miler, Colorado, Colorado. 8 whole days in New England, parts of the 2 travel days, 7 whole days in Colorado, part of 1 travel day. My calendar's filling up here, but I need to get out too.

6:25, after a four color sky, storm seems to have passed by, nice and cool. For about 10 minutes anyway. I wish I had a digital camera or a camcorder for the last half hour. I hadn't seen the sky that odd since New Years Day 2006 in Colorado when the sky was purple. Take care.

Cable - Cancelled: At least some of it

2009-07-27T21:35:00.002-04:00

If I could have canceled my basic cable and kept a few select tiers and expanded basic, I would have preferred to do that. But basic must be kept to keep it at all. But I need to cut expenses and can't justify paying over $75 a month for something I really don't watch a heck of a lot. Cost outweighs benefit, out it goes. If I can survive without what's left, I'll can cable altogether. Especially if NHL.com's GameCenter allows me to subscribe and watch games on the laptop (I am looking into this as one of my many side projects). Just get me 2 more GB and a 22-25 inch monitor when Tiger Direct has a a sale and I don't need much more than that. I'm busier than I have ever been so not much time to watch anyway. NHL games will be more than enough sports entertainment. Football season, I head to Murphys and don't watch as many neutral games as I used to. Not to mention I'm not home consistently enough to watch many other programs every week anyway.

Overall, I think this is the right call. I reallocated the funds I'll now save towards part of a $100 monthly contribution to my IRA. Not a lot I know, but I need to build up savings wherever I can and pay debt off whenever I can. Maybe even buy a condo in five years or so, wherever I may be then. Funny, the most recent stock market mini rally came to the plate just as my first $100 contribution went into the IRA. That always helps, even if my goals are to let things ride long term. I don't touch my accounts too much, I don't even look at my 401(K), mostly because the compulsive side of me would tinker with it three times a week and I'd get hurt as a result.

I'll spare my nonexistent audience more Finance by Jeff talk. Time to get ready for sleep and back on the running path tomorrow night.

18 Hours of pedaling, two near-trips to the DL, a fairly fast non-race, and too many chips at Austin Grill: my last Saturday

2009-07-20T20:38:00.005-04:00

This past Saturday was 18 hours of a tipsy roller coaster adventure with a happy beginning and ending. All of what the title of this post implicated actually did happen on what otherwise would have been a regular, run of the mill, summer Saturday for a wannabe weekend athlete. Here goes.

8 am: Start waking up, fully aware of why I decided to postpone my long run until tomorrow, still very tired from getting home at midnight from the Nationals-Cubs game the night before. And from the work week.

8:30 am: Finally wake up, I better eat breakfast and get moving if I want to make my 10:05 am spin class and not be useless during it. Three small bowls of Kashi cereal and I'm good to go.

10:40 am: Class is going well, it felt good to be there especially since I don't get to go as often anymore. I'm doing a pull pedal exercise, where I'm pulling the pedals essentially. Using my hamstrings more than quads. Getting a solid workout in until....Well, you ever get a muscle knot in your leg? Where it feels like your leg is tied in a knot and you can't extend your leg to get rid of it? Instead of getting one when I'm sleeping that goes away in 15-20 seconds or less, I get one in the middle of spin class. Yup, after three years plus of classes, I get injured in one. Near-DL Trip Number One. I practically had to stop to try to get rid of the knot, couldn't do it. Pedaled very lightly to shake it off, which I just barely did. I could still "push" or what you usually do while riding fairly hard. Pulling, forget about it for the rest of this day. I did finish the class but could feel tightness in my leg when I tried to stretch it, or do anything for that matter. This didn't go away until I grabbed lunch. Of course I worked the upper body with some weights before leaving the gym since I felt I had to in order to balance my exercise.

12:15 pm: Moe's. Lunch. Good. Hey, it worked last time I gave blood, this pre-donation meal at Moe's. Fish Homewrecker Burrito. Works. For. Me.

1:31 pm: I arrive slightly late for my 1:30 pm appointment, go through the pricking of the fingertip, at least I think it's called that. It's what they do to draw just enough blood to see if yours can be used. Details are a bit fuzzy, keep readin', I remember the tech saying I had 15 or something points and only needed 12.5 to be able to donate. All right, finish the questionaire and off I go!

1:50 pm: I've donated blood in the past and never experienced anything but slight lightheadedness. I go through the prep, squeeze the handle every 5-10 seconds like the tech/nurse told me to. I'm under control. I've got the daily vitamin supplements back in the apartment to take to help get the recovery going.....

In the next minute, it became obvious that I, Jeffrey Patterson, am the dumbest mofo if Fairfax County, at least for one day. Take your supplements before donating blood, if not first thing in the morning, you ******g dumbass! I start feeling queasy, nauseous, and as light headed as I have left in a long long time. I issue a panic call for some water to try to stave this feeling off until I can get some food/sugar/juice back into my system. Didn't work very well, next was the damp towel on the forehead, another on the throat/neck area. I spend the rest of the time just trying to survive without throwing up or passing out. I hadn't felt this horribly since the infamous food poisoning almost keeping me from making the flight for last Christmas episode.

2 something: Done, I try to sit down while eating some pretzels and drinking either a Welch's grape juice or a water. I can barely do this, so I, feeling just as desparate as before, lay down on the floor. Yup, no shame here, I couldn't sit without feeling like I wanted to collapse and didn't need a concussion from smacking my head of the floor. 15 minutes later, after lots of water, pretzels, and grape juice, I move from the half bed, half chair to where I can stand up and move on my own. I felt better when the Red Cross folks mention that I wasn't the first one they've seen crash on the floor to avoid falling on it with no control whatsoever. Near-trip to DL Number Two avoided. The only real consequence was starting my laundry a lot later than I thought I would. Okay, that's not a consequence. After my supplements and a lot of orange juice, I was back to my normal self.

6:30-8:00: I drive to Rockville with some friends for the Rockville Twilight 8K. This is more of a social thing for us Pacers Fun Runners, especially considering most had gone for their long training run earlier that day. For a few hours, I didn't think I was going to run at all. The paperwork I received at the donation room said no strenuous exercise for 5 hours after giving blood. The race started almost seven hours afterwards so I decided to run it, but not take it at race pace.

8:45-9:45: I run the race, can't keep up with my friend, who I told to go ahead, I'd be fine. Other than wanting a portable facility at each mile (I'll leave it as this: I needed it after less water than I normally would) I was running with no issues. Of course, I wasn't going as fast I would have if I tried to race, which I didn't for obvious reasons. My final chip time was 44:25, under 9 minutes a mile, which was a pleasant surprise. Taking it easy to avoid any complications from earlier, and I still ran a pace that I couldn't run at full speed two years ago! That is something I'm proud of, but am even more proud of being able to follow my instincts and judgment and go out for a fun run.

up until 2 am: Lots of chillin', socializin', and general fun until we decided to try to find somewhere to go for dinner. Austin Grill was still open and serving the late night menu! Woohooo! Guacamole tacos, yeah! Sweet potatoes, yeah! Chips after chips! Yeah, for a while! Tortilla chips, especially ones that good, are my worst food weakness. Something really hit home: I'm 50 pounds lighter than I was on 01/01/08. That total would be 55-60 if it wasn't for tortilla chips. Keep the chips away from me, I need to eat my real meal! After the meal we all headed home, I finally made it to sleep at 2 am, which for an old, tired dude like me, is pretty damn late, even on a weekend. Sunday I woke up at 11:10 am, the latest I had woken up in almost a decade not counting ridiculous hangovers. And my food poisoning from last year that extended into Christmas Eve.

That was 18 wild hours! This Saturday is just a mere long run and volunteering at the Crystal City Twilighter 5K. Not too much, not as much of a late night. Oh wait, there isn't an Austin Grill in Crystal City, is there?

6 reasons why there will not be a Triathlon Project anytime soon - and I want to go see Yes next week

2009-07-15T20:51:00.005-04:00

I figured that once I complete a marathon, I'd try triathlon, swim, bike, and run in the same race. Well, tonight I give you 6 reasons why the Triathlon Project may never get off the ground.

1. Lap One: This lap was actually okay, the pool at my apartment complex is (I think( 25 meters or half-Olympic size. But the thought of eventually getting into triathlons came to me....until I realized that I was much slower than the other riders in Prince William Park on July 3, largely because my bike is a hybrid and I can't afford a road bike right now.

2. Lap Two: My form already sucks. This isn't good.

3. Tried a different stroke. I started to get the sense that I can't swim well enough to enter a tri.

4. Backstroke? Lap Four? Hah!

5. Okay, one more lap out and one back. I am struggling with this. The $7.99 Speedo goggles I bought at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports in Charlottesville work really well though.

6. Lap Six, the final lap. I am simply not a good swimmer. Time to go continue the yoga project, which is going really well. I may be able to do a headstand in a couple months.

More good stuff, I want to go see this show on August 28. A Paul and Storm show would be a great way to kick off Annapolis 10 Miler weekend. This weekend's been booked for a little while. And I would really like to go to the Yes show at National Harbor next Thursday. Heck I might go solo to that one. I can get there on a bike in about 15 minutes now! Order that bike light, Jeff! Now!

Friday Night: Nationals vs Cubs with a bunch of friends. Expect a near sellout with 30K Cubs fans. There are only three major league teams I have never seen in person (3 1/2 if you count the NL Brewers, saw 'em a bunch of times in Fenway when they were in the AL). Incredibly, one of them is the Cubs. The Mets and Rays being the other two. It'll be a good time even if the final score is 15-1.

Saturday: If I get up in time, long run with running group. If not, which is increasingly likely given how long it will take to get home from the game the night before, I hit the gym for a spinning class and weight work. Taking part in a blood drive at my complex in the afternoon after lunch. Evening, Rockville! Social race and evening doing whatever.

Sunday: Likely my long run. If I was more persuasive / threatening, I would compel my running group peeps who also miss the Saturday long run to enter the Northwest Yuppie Torture Chamber. I'm too tired to look for an old post about it so I'll describe it again:

Each "lap" up the Exorcist Steps involves the following ruuning: Start from the top of the steps, 2 blocks east, 1 block south (downhill), right at Georgetown Running Company, 2 blocks west, into the Exxon Mobil, flip off the Exxon sign (I kid), then up the stairs.

12 laps, hitting the stairs directly from the Roosevelt Island Parking Lot. Head east on N or O St, you can jog this because more hell awaits.

Run up Wisconsin Avenue, not to the Z Burger in Glover Park, not to the Safeway and small playground, all the way past Chevy Chase Pavilion into Maryland. No, you are not Metroing it back from Friendship Heights unless you're injured. Then it's get to where you can elevate the messed up leg or whatever ASAP, this run is for conditioning, not foolish heroism. Or if you're sick, then come to that bridge now that you've crossed it.

You can cross over eastward onto Connecticut Avenue for the trip back, just remember to cut back on to cut back west at Macomb just after Cleveland Park. If you continue into Rock Creek Park, you'll get lost. I checked. You can pick up Massachusetts Avenue if you want, just by the Cathedral. Follow that to embassy row, then back on P or Q Streets, which you will follow to 34th or 35th to get back to the Key Bridge. You've suffered enough by now, you will be allowed to skip dodging all of the crowds on M Street.

Once back across the river, do you really want more suffering, go run up some hills in Rosslyn/Court House. I ain't responsible for you anymore, I've gone to stretch down and grab lunch. Later.

Gatorade Effect - More Fireworks - and Kayaking (another thing I can attempt with great risk)

2009-07-11T18:11:00.003-04:00

While listening to some Ted Leo and the Pharmacists on the Rhapsody player, I figured I'd kill some time before heading out to the Alexandria Fireworks for its birthday even though I always thought it was a late July 4 deal where they could get more peeps out to view them. Ah, it's a birthday deal but I'm looking forward to hanging out with friends nonetheless. No alcohol this time. I don't need get caught up in a 5000 bikers/walkers going from Gravelly Point to the Crystal City Unscheduled Stampede while heading back to the bus. So I want to have my full focusing abilities, whatever that means, so I can return to the 9A bus at the end of the evening.

Ah, it looks like it rained since I came in from a fail to get some sun at the pool but I chilled out in the hot tub nonetheless. So it's all good. I needed it after 18 miles of running this morning. For some reason, every single time I run on the Capital Crescent Trail, the time between Fletchers Boathouse and Roosevelt Island drags, my running starts to suck, and well everything sucks for a half hour. Until I get back to the cars and get some Gatorade. Rarely does Gatorade seem to help as much as it did today because miles 17 and 18, to and from the Arlington Memorial Bridge, were much stronger miles than 12-16 were. Odd. But this was actual Not G2, the actual Gatorade, with a good effect. So the Gatorade effect rocked today.

Kayaking. Yeah, first yoga, now Kayaking. I'm going Kayaking tomorrow for a couple hours. Never gone before, haven't even been canoeing in who knows how long. Going back to Fletchers Boathouse to kayak though. It should be a fun couple hours, at least until I fall in the Potomac. Yoga beckons afterwards. Note to Jeff, wear something with ironclad zipper pockets so you don't lose anything when the inevitable occurus.

Did Facebook eat my blog?

2009-07-06T12:51:00.009-04:00

Remember the old "the dog ate my homework" excuse? Well, I'm asking if Facebook ate my blog. And other blogs. While it's a great tool to keep up with friends, post random thoughts about life, get in touch with people (heck, my 4th plans were made there!)...... I don't seem to ever update this blog anymore because it seems easier to post stuff on Facebook if I feel like talking about something I did.

Well, I am taking my blog back! Or at least until the next time I get preoccupied and do not update it for a bit! Since the last time I updated my blog, I have:

Hiked Mount Washington again. Summit trip #5. Nearly got blown off of the mountain about 20 times, but 60-70 mph sustained winds goes with the territory. This was on Memorial Day but I did not see a soul on the Boott Spur Trail until I got to the Davis Path on the ridge. Lions Head was a tougher decent than I remembered it being. Pictures of the Boott Spur Trail. I'm looking for a picture of Split Rock, where I ate the first half of my lunch. It's cool. I've found one, not of me.. Making at least one more trip up the best mountain ever in August.

Travelled to Nelson County, VA (No stoplights!) Hiked near Crabtree Falls, overshot the AT junction and added an hour to a hike, and didn't make it to The Priest Mountain. Wait till next time.

Ran a 10 mile race in Baltimore for some great bling bling, even if it was actually 10.2 miles. I received this email from the Race Director after the race:

"Thank you for participating in the 2009 University of Maryland Heart Center Baltimore 10-Miler. Although the weather was not what we wanted, it was overall a good day. (Some would say we jinxed ourselves by offering waterproof jackets as the premium; we like to say we had the foresight to predict the weather far in advance of race day...)

Interruption of quote, The Bling Bling rocks!

There is some question as to whether the course was long. Although the 2009 course was certified accurately, it does appear that the mat on the up and back portion of Red Road was placed at the 2008 location, making the course 2/10 mile longer than it should have been. We take full responsibility for this error. We have had numerous conversations with the timing company to see where the miscommunication occurred and what we can do to make sure it does not happen again. Please accept our apologies."

No wonder why the last two miles felt like they were longer than two miles, and I went from just barely off my PR pace to 2 1/2 minutes off at the end. Adjusted 10 mile pace was only 1 minute 1 second off my PR, excellent for a race with the involved hills! Apology accepted, those things happen.

Cured my recurring knee problems with a magic $16 remedy ... Spenco insoles! Placed them in the 1223s, no more knee issues! Woohooo!

Completed a headstand in yoga class, albeit with some assistance. I am still making more progress than I ever thought I would, although I dropped out of the headstand prematurely in a "oh crap, I'm actually doing this, what do I do?" manner. Believe in yourself.

Celebrated a birthday with some friends in Old Town Alexandria. I'm old but can still have fun from time to time.

Had a great 4th of July weekend that encompassed a 35 mile bike ride through Prince William Forest Park, my first ever trip to Wegmans, now known as the Greatest Grocery Store on Planet Earth, losing my prescription sunglasses (the one thing that sucked), a trip to Gravelly Point to watch fireworks with friends, some Sam Adams Beer, and a great yoga class to end the weekend in style.

I've probably posted snippets of three quarters of this on Facebook already. Heck, that's why I asked if Facebook ate my blog? Has anyone else blogged less since they joined the hordes at Facebook?

There were two more half marathons, and nearly a trip to the DL

2009-05-29T20:46:00.003-04:00

May 10, another Sunday, another half marathon. This time it was the Pacers Running Festival in Arlington. It was a challenging race on a lot of concrete, highlighted by a friend who brought a half dozen donuts and ate them during the race. I don't think I've ever eaten six donuts in my life but I'm not tough like my friend is. In a nutshell, the downhill at the start rocked, running up an incline towards Crystal City twice would have been okay if not for the crosswinds....and the hill to the Air Force Memorial around Mile 8 was a bitch. All things considered, a 1:43:38 time made me quite happy.

The following Sunday I paid my first ever visit to Fredericksburg for the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon. Nice little Old Town District, Basil's Bistro is a great little restaurant on Caroline Street with wonderful service. The race is great too. But, note to Jeff, don't pull onto I-95 for the drive in at 6:15, leave earlier so you don't get stuck in traffic and give yourself not enough time for a proper warmup.

The limited warmup and not having enough time to scope out the expected time corrals contributed to me starting in the 2:30-2:45 corral when I expected to finish around 1:45 or so. I get internally competitive so I spent the first mile or two bobbing in and out of lines to break free of the pack and into a solid, (at least at the beginning sub-8 minute miles) pace. I got under 8s around mile 4 for a bit, which made me happy even though I knew my final pace would be more than 8 per mile.

What I didn't anticipate was jamming my left knee and hip just around the time a good sized rain shower hit while I was near mile 8. That turned evern running on flat ground a challenge. The hill on the backside of the Mary Washington Hospital Grounds later on? For a bit I didn't think I was going to make it. That hill left like a lot more than 250 feet or so that the course measured it as. By the time I reached the top, an 8 minute final pace of 1:44:48 was a pipe dream.

I did suck it up and finish strong, arriving in 1:46:03. Considering my leg was messed up for 5 plus miles, and I started in the wrong corral, this was my second most pleasing half marathon out of the six I've finished so far. It was great to see all the Marines and other military members on the course and handing out the finishing medals. A big thank you goes out to them for sure.

The jammed leg almost sent me to the DL, but luckily three nights in a row of icing it kept me off of it. Even after stretching enough and a session in the hot tub at Gold's Gym, I could barely walk when I got to the Alexandria Gold's to pick up my Diet to Go food after an hour drive. I felt like there was a 40 pound set of pliers pinching and pulling the side of my knee. The desk attendant asked me if I was okay. I was able to get home and do very little the rest of the day. Ice at night, DL trip averted. For at least 8 days until Mount Washington. That's my next entry.

Pittsburgh Half Marathon was a great experience

2009-05-17T21:14:00.005-04:00

Sunday night, more to come later this week.

Okay, as I sit here with my left knee elevated, I am grateful to have a laptop as my home PC. Portability, baby! I can update my blog while elevating and icing my knee! My stretch of 6 races in 7 Sundays, with the last 4 of 5 and 3 of 3 being half marathons, is finally over. I love running but am glad to be taking a break, more on my sore leg later.

Now that I finally learned how to use the laptop keyboard (I use an USB Logitech keyboard most of the time) I can write about my latest three half marathons. On May 3, I went to a new city, or at least new to me. The long name of the race was the Philips Respironics Half Marathon (part of the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon weekend). I call it one of the best races I’ve ever been a part of in a great city. A good-sized, great contingent of people from the Pacers Alexandria Fun Run group headed out to Pittsburgh the morning before the race. Good conversation, good coffee at Dunkin Donuts even after a unique customer service line management situation, and no issues on the PA Turnpike, we were on our way to Steel City.

Once we drove through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel after getting through the backup on the way, we were in Pittsburgh! I was immediately impressed with all the hills and bridges. While an older industrial city for sure, there’s lots of impressive architecture and engineering to be seen. And did I mention lots of hills? No shortage of courses for hill repeats that’s for sure.

The Saturday night highlight was a trip to Buca di Beppo in the revitalized Station Square area. $8 / person for tons of family-style Italian food? Yeah! I didn’t go on the tram up the Monongahela Incline since I wanted to get back to the hotel and rest, but that’s something to do next time I go out there. I highly recommend staying downtown and splitting the cost like we did, especially when you are in an unfamiliar city and/or want to be able to walk to the starting line the next morning. If I had to drive into the downtown area and find parking that morning I would have had an ulcer. One drawback to the city of Pittsburgh is that it’s very tricky to navigate with all the two or three lane freeways and bridges. Nothing that can’t be overcome by folks who live in the clusterf__k of DC / VA / MD but a challenge nonetheless.

Race morning, same as always, ate breakfast, hydrated, drank just enough coffee to wake me up, jogged a bit to warm up, got into my corral and off I go. I was on my own since I was the only half marathoner in the group, and I think I ended up in a “faster” estimated pace corral only because with the shorter distance I could run more aggressively.

As we crossed the 16th Street Bridge and proceeded into the North Shore Section of town, I saw three runners from the group. One of them mentioned to me he was expecting to see me at any point before we saw each other. I ran with a couple of friends for a bit before I broke ahead. I normally wouldn't be able to "out-run" them but since I was running the half I could run more aggressively, having less distance to save my strength for.

Next came a couple of inclines and, yeah, bridges, we approached theLiberty Tunnel (middle picture on the right)". Here, at mile 8 or so, is when I first realized that I was on my way to a very special race, one which would see me beat my PR by quite a bit. Perfect day for it, mid 50s, cloudy, I decided to focus on maintaining a consistent pace.

Station Square was next, where we saw a ton of cheering fans. I enjoyed every minute of it and waved to as many people as I could. And made sure to thank the volunteers for handing out water and Powerade. The National Marathon in DC was an eye-opener for me. While not as hard as running the race, volunteering is hard work. I'm going to volunteer at at least one race this summer.

Just as the half marathon split from the full marathon, Joe caught up to me, which was really cool. The half marathon turned back west towards the bridge near Smithfield Street at the end of Station Square, and over the bridge that we took to get to dinner the night before. During the last mile I did my best to pick up the pace and make a final push for......1:40:00! I couldn't believe that I was close to doing this! Only 29 months after my first 5 mile organized Fun Run that I was just glad to finish, I'm doing half marathons in sub 8 mile paces? Yeah!

I pushed hard and finished strong, heard my name called as I approached the finish line, and while I didn't beat 1:40:00, my chip time was 1:40:21!!!! PR by SEVEN MINUTES!!!!!!! This was the best race for me since I started taking part in them. Not just because of my amazing time, but the whole experience spent with many friends. I was able to get towards the mile 24.5-26 areas and cheer on and run besides my friends as they finished running through the Strip District.

Pittsburgh: Very Well Done! I was interviewed by the Race Director in the food/hospitality area after the race, and I told her how great of an experience I had with everything. Course, water stops, you name it! I can't wait to go back next year! If Marine Corps goes well, I do the full marathon. If not, I try to beat my 1:40:21. Either way, I am looking forward to great things on May 2, 2010. Date's already booked. Hotel will be soon. Heck, I may be back there before then. More half marathon descriptions to come as I have time.

5Kin, Muddin, 90 Degree Heat, 10 Mile Race, and other random musings

2009-04-26T19:28:00.002-04:00

I had my worst time in the 5K series this past Friday, but that's relative. 21:46 is damn good compared to what I could run in previous weeks. There's one more race to go in the series. While I don't like to run 5Ks all that often, preferring 10 milers and half marathons, I'm going to miss the Crystal City Friday 5Ks. Good camaraderie with fellow runners, an opportunity to get in a great workout, on a night that I don't do very much on anyway because Saturday mornings are usually taking up by long runs? It's a plan! And Old Scratch Amber Lager by Flying Dog is as good as ever. Just thought I'd mention it.

On Friday evening, I was asked to fill in on Saturday as the fourth team member for a costume run at the Run Amuck Festival at Lake Needwood Park in Maryland. Our team was cops and robbers. Lake Needwood has some deceptively steep and gnarly hills, I now know whay the hold cross country championship races there. For Run Amuck, we had to run through an obstacle course and two mud pits. Given that people were falling over the place in the mud, the "race" turned into a walk sort of fast on the trails trip. It was very fun though, I'd love to do more mud runs. They even had a place where you could wash off your shoes and donate them for a cause. I did that. The clothes? Thrown out, I purposely wore stuff that was in such bad shape I'd have to toss out anyway.

Which leads me to Sunday, the GW Parkway Classic. In a nutshell it's a 10 mile race from the Mount Vernon Estate to Old Town Alexandria. After meeting up with many Pacers Fun Runners and various other cool runners, off to the starting line we went. There was talk about getting near the front and getting off to a very fast start because it's a crowded race, and there is a downhill drop at the first. Guess what, I did just that! A 6:20 first mile! Close to the fastest one mile ever for me.

I paid for that at the end of the race. At around mile 5 I started to slow down a lot, zigzaging to find shade, drinking as much water as possible, but generally rueing starting out too fast. On a hot day that saw temps get into the 90s later on, (forecasted "Feels Like" Index was 67 at 8 am, 78 at 10 am - I use that more than the temperature to gauge weather conditions) I had to slow down my pace if I wanted to have a bagel and water at the finish and not IV fluids. I managed to suck it up, keep my focus, and cranked it up a bit on the last mile to finish in 1:16:35, my best 10 mile race ever.

I was very happy to have finished with a PR in this heat. The clock thermometer above a animal hospital a few miles down the street from me read 101 at 3 pm this afternoon, 96 at 4:30. While it wasn't that hot, it was a sudden change from a cool spring, that's for sure. And it's still very hot at 9 pm on Sunday Night. But I fought the heat, occasional shoulder trouble (Ali you're not the only one dealing with shoulder stuff) and earned another PR.

After that I had a great omlet at Caboose Cafe in Del Ray, saw the 100 degree thermometer reading, saw some new lanes on Route 1 near my apartment, and had a good yoga class. I must have been in a good zone during the final pose because I was so relaxed that I had to open my eyes twice to make sure the whole class hadn't taken off after class was over! That might been my favorite moment ever in the 7 1/2 weeks I've been practicing yoga.

Great times. Work week beckons. And the car wash. And more running Tuesday night.

No Cumberland Blues last weekend - a great half marathon!

2009-04-23T21:58:00.002-04:00

Last weekend I headed up to Western Maryland for the Mountain Maryland Marathon. This was a first year event in Cumberland, I ran the half marathon. Since the race organizers did not get permission to use all of The National Road (US 40 - original marathon route was from Cumberland to Frostburg and back), the course was changed a month before the race. That worked out just fine, the half marathon course went up the Great Allegheny Passage bicycle trail. I turned around after 20 or so half marathoners did before me at the Brush Tunnel.

I was encouraged to not see the lead half marathoner until I got quite a bit past the mile 5 marker. I generally only complete within myself to see how well I can do but it was a good feeling to know I wasn't getting totally smoked either. Headed toward the Brush Tunnel I felt like I had climbed quite a bit, albeit gradually save for the short, steep hill to get onto the bike path from Maryland Route 36. At the turnaround, I touched the orange traffic cone for good luck or whatever, then looked at the watch. 55 or 56 minutes, somewhere in between.

Cool! I'm going at a faster pace than I figured I would in this race, my first half marathon with continuous vertical gain. The downhill in theory goes a bit more quickly, but you have to consider the effort already given to get halfway through the race when guesstimating your final time. I decided to concentrate on just running a solid, steady pace. Chatted a bit with a couple of locals who were running the half, made sure I thanked the volunteers and the locals who came out to watch, and made my way back down into Cumberland. Passed the Fruit Bowl and knew I was getting close.

It really hit me that I may actually set a PR at that distance when I saw Kevin, the Race Director, directing people on one of the last turns before the train station (the finish). I didn't realize I was that close when I looked at my watch and it read 1:45:something and I had one of those, oh yeah I actually did this s*t! Crossed the finish line after waving in appreciation to the spectators at....1:47:20 from my watch time (started when I passed the same spot that the front line runners started at), 1:47:25 gun time. That's a PR by over 3 minutes. Needless to say, I was thrilled with the end result, and the whole weekend in general. I went on a nice little 7-8 mile hike in Rocky Gap State Park on Saturday, and kicked a*s in the race. I can't wait to go back next year!

I'm the guy in the white hat headed back down the path. I know that guy!. This week is the GW Parkway 10 miler on Sunday, and the 4th of 5 5Ks in Crystal City. I have canceled my experiment where I'd run from work to the race to see how running 6-7 miles beforehand would affect my 5K time. Too much going on to do that but that's cool. Till next time, peace. And I want to go back to Cumberland this summer or fall and take my bike up the bike path I just ran on.

18 mile run in the rain, and unbelieveable NCAA Hockey final, and Bring It On Habs!

2009-04-12T09:31:00.002-04:00

Okay, yesterday was quite a filled up day for me. After setting another PR in the 5K Fridays series in Crystal City I barely made it out of bed and to my Saturday morning long run. I had decided the night before that I was going to run the 17.75 mile option, which was farther than all but the Pittsburgh Marathon runners were going. Turned out I ran 18 when you count the extra running to/from facility breaks. 18 miles, close to as far as I've ever run in my life, in a not downpour but still driving rain. I was one hurting dude after that. Stretched a bit but waited until I could get home via a warm car to do most of that since I was a cold as I've been in a while after I stopped running. I've made great progress as a runner in the past year, but I know my limitations. Yesterday showed me that I am not ready for a marathon just yet. I've got 6 plus months to get ready, but it's a good thing that I'm only running the half in Pittsburgh. It'll give me time to cheer on my friends who are running the full marathon while I'm out there.

Last night I went to the NCAA Hockey Championship game at Verizon Center. Bill wrapped it up better than I ever could, and got some great shots to boot. Let me say this, I am not a Boston University fan by any means. But what they accomplished all season and especially last night was nothing short of unreal. Two goals in the last minute to tie it up, the game winner was a bit of a fluky bounce but that's very unfortunate for Miami. I'm not sure I can really describe how great this game was and do it justice. A great game from the get go, not one of those games that doesn't get good until the third period.

Finally, before I go take the bike out for a spin, Bring it on Habs! The Black and Gold are waiting for payback from last year, 02, and 04. And as a DC area resident, please Caps, smoke the Rangers right out of the playoffs.

Jeff 1:17:06, Cherry Blossom 0

2009-04-05T17:26:00.003-04:00

I went into Cherry Blossom thinking I'd run it as a "social race" with some friends and check out the Cherry Blossom Trees down by Potomac Park. However, not only were my friends in other waves at the start (or I didn't know they were running it), but something happens to me once I cross the timing mat in any race I run. I become quite competitive and possibly unable to run at a more relaxed, social pace. I'm not one of those people who has to beat as many people as possible, I won't complain about not getting an ideal starting spot, but I always want to see if I can improve as a runner.

Yeah, at least today, I improved by a lot. I knew I was a stronger runner than during my last 10 miler 6 months ago, so I had that in my favor. The temps were around 50, perfect for running a fast race. Somehow I managed to be placed in the second of five or six waves even though I felt the same way a female runner near me did when she said "I don't count myself in that group." (the announcer called our wave to the start line then called us the "still pretty fast" runners).

I was concerned all week about the course being very crowded, friends of mine have been knocked down and cut during this race on a rather narrow course. But that concern didn't materialize, as I was able to break to the outside and settle in at a solid race pace very quickly. Mile One, 8:20 or so. Mile Two, 16:05 or so. Each other mile, under 8 minute overall pace. Thank you trusty Armitron watch for helping with that, you didn't break after six weeks like my other one did!

The course itself is a bit uneventful but I was running at a fantastic pace so I didn't slow down for the trees, only for water and Gatorade, which I spilled over myself on more than one occasion as usual. So what, it isn't fine dining! I got to mile nine at just over 1 hour 10 minutes, so I decided to end with a flourish and pick it up for the last mile. Not a sprint mind you, but I stepped out of my groove nonetheless and hauled towards the finish. Someday I may be able to keep my just under seven minute a mile pace for 10 milers and half marathons, but for now I'm big time stoked about 1:17:06! A new PR by 11:31 officially, 9:31 after removing facility break from the net time. Okay, my limited racing career helps with this obliteration (smaller sample size than many runners). But I set the bar very high for the GW Parkway Classic in 3 weeks.

After finishing with a few miles of running to the gym to cool down and work some abs and bike a bit to flush out the legs, no Open to All Yoga for me. Didn't want to do too much.

My Cannondale bike rules!

2009-04-05T16:27:00.002-04:00

Last month I bought a new Cannondale bike and love it! I just wish I got to ride it more often but last Sunday I got to take nice long circuit loop. I started at my apartment and rode the little more than mile and a half to the Mount Vernon Trail, which I picked up around mile 7.5. Just before mile 13, you will see a marking for Four Mile Run. That creek is nothing to write home about, but there is a nice little trail aside it called, well, the Four Mile Run Trail. I'm not sure how long it is, but while wind-prone along Glebe Road in Arlington, is a pleasant trail.

A really cool thing, the trail goes right under I-395 now and bypasses most of the condos and restaurants in Shirlington! I know because I beat the ribbon cutting too!. Now I'd love to be a condo owner, and restaurants are good, but the new path is more direct to the W&OD Trail (click for access points). Not to mention that you don't have to ride on a bunch of side streets and up and down a Z shaped ramp to cross the I-395 overpass. No more!!! I rode the W&OD, which parallels the Four Mile Run, until the Falls Church / Arlington Border at Mile 5.5 or so.

The Custis Trail was next, I picked that up at Mile 4.0. This trail is quite challenging for an "urban/suburban" trail, lots of short, rolling hills but hills nevertheless. It's really challenging to run on in the summer humidity. But I survived and was doing okay. Then the wind picked up after I left the Custis Trail. I ended up stopping my ride at the airport since I was tired but satisfied with my ride. Had I not made a dumb turn on to the Roosevelt Bridge thinking I was going to ride to L'Enfant and call it a day, it would have been about a, let's see, 8.5 miles or so until the W&OD plus 7 miles on W&OD plus 4 miles on Custis plus 4 on Mount Vernon = 23.5 mile loop. But my collection of wrong turns added 3-5 miles to that plus a crossing on the Memorial Bridge.

As I continue with my fitness travels, I may become brave enough to try the W&OD Trail all the way to Purcellville and back, 89 miles. There's a ways to go before I get there, but I finally have a bike to take on a ride that long.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and Committed......

2009-04-01T13:38:00.002-04:00

To the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25! I've taken the plunge and registered for a marathon. I didn't think this would be possible just a few years ago, but after lots of running, better eating, and my new Yoga Project, I'm confident that I will be ready to at least finish the race. That's the only real goal for this, to finish, no time goals, none of that, as this is completely uncharted waters I'm sailing in.

But I did predict a finishing time of 4 Hours 15 minutes since you had to pick something while registering, so they can get you into a starting group on race day. FWIW, my Personal Records (PRs) are 23:12 for a 5K, 45:39 for a 10K, 1:28:30 something for a 10 miler, and 1:50:39 for a half marathon. Part of me knows that come race day I'll start thinking about how well I'll do, who am I kidding.

Either way, I am looking forward to this journey as much if not more than nearly anything else I have done for a long time. This will be a journey, as the furthest I have ever run at once in my life is 18 miles, and that was a best guestimate of 2 hours 50 minutes of running time on Super Bowl Sunday this year. There will be a lot more involved than arbitrarily picking a distance for Saturday long runs as I'm travelling to the meeting spot. I'll have to follow a program so I'm peaking on Marine Corps Morning. There will be some pain involved, both physical and mental. Some frustration, indeed. But it will all be worth it should I stay healthy through October 25 and cross that finish line near the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Yoga: a stronger addiction than 5 Hour Energy

2009-03-30T20:53:00.002-04:00

At one time I was addicted to 5 Hour Energy but I've kicked that habit, especially since it's now $3 at my work instead of two. Yoga is my new addiction that I don't want to kick. Ever. I've been to three fundamentals classes here and one at Gold's Gym and am totally hooked. I can already feel a difference when I stretch after runs. I have a bit more flexibility and can hold stretches for a bit longer. My hamstrings don't feel quite as tight as they used to either. "Yoga Homework" is working! Just a simple get the breathing right, go into a pose with your open hands touching the ground, straight legs with a very slight bent, for two minutes at night. Well, in the morning too but I'm not so good at doing homework then.

More seriously, once I get a bit better controlling breathing, practice poses on my own, and keep going to fundamentals class, I'll improve quite a bit. I can already do a passable shoulder stand pose after only being able to hold it for 1/2 second last Thursday. Now my pose isn't anywhere near as complete as this one, heck my toes will probably never touch the ground behind my head but it's acceptable to me. I'm a lot further along than I'd ever thought I would be. Maybe now I will even start trusting my own abilities. I'm starting to with my running, and with yoga.

Now to break out the kit and DVDs I ordered.

Yoga Project launched!!!! and Volunteering is a good thing

2009-03-22T19:29:00.003-04:00

I've got a lot to cover since I haven't blogged in a while. The Yoga Project has officially been launched! I am two weeks into yoga at Pure Prana in Alexandria. I have really enjoyed the fundamentals class so far. I've already learned a ton about breathing, stretching, and relaxing. I'm sure I'll get better as I go each week, if I can remember what the instructor has taught me about pushing myself to just before it gets uncomfortable instead of pushing to the max. So far, so good. Even in a beginner class, I was very nervous on my first night that I would be overmatched. That didn't happen, the only time I felt lost was on shoulder stand pose. That will take a bit, the instructor helped me a bit this past Thursday but my back is still too tight to pull that off. It will come with practice, as a friend of mine said there's years of damage to be undone, which is very true. I'm going at least once a week now, and this week is week one of a new rotation, so now that I know I like going, I'll start somewhat anew.

Not only am I a limited talent but dedicated yoga student, I am also a great volunteer. Not a Tennessee Volunteer mind you, but I decided I needed to give back to the running community. So I signed up to volunteer at the National Marathon this past weekend. Friday night I was working a t shirt table, handing out shirts to participants. Other than running out of small shirts (oh how I sometimes wish I could fit into one!) it went well. The people and nearly all the participants were fantastic, handing out shirts once in a while is the least I can do for a community that has given so much to me.

That's not to say I wasn't tired when I left and a little apprehensive about waking up at 4:15 am for a volunteer shift that started at 6 am. But I made the 5:27 am Metro train in plenty of time, got to my shift location at 6. Let me tell you, I'm not sure if Team in Training could not have done more to make me feel welcome and valued (I signed up online on my own a couple months ago and was matched with them). Just a fantastic experience, even if I almost crashed into fellow volunteers twice while handing out Powerade at Mile 3! Mile 3 was very hectic as we had both marathoners and half marathoners passing by. As was the hour before the race started; mixing Powerade, pouring tons of water, moving tables around twice. But everyone was so welcoming and hard working that the time flew by.

I have an entirely new appreciation for event volunteers and the work that they do while we are running all over the place. The effort that goes into putting up something as seen as simple as putting up a few tables and placing cups of water on them, it's a lot, lot more than you realize. Breaking down tables, helping street sweepers, it's a lot of work. I am very very glad I did this, and will do it some more this year. I also pledge to be even more gracious to volunteers that I already was in the future. Giving back gives rewards in more ways than one.

I know I didn't save the planet, or even anyone. But everyone can give back to his or her community in many ways. I'm sure I was able to help someone's run a bit because they were a bit more hydrated after taking a cup of Powerade from me. Running is a great fitness and health tool. It felt really good to know I helped people works towards a great physical challenge. And had fun and met some fantastic people as well.

George Mason mini-mounment, yes it exists!

2009-03-17T21:21:00.002-04:00

Lots to talk about here, two Mondays ago I went on another personal running tour. The blah, Hains Point is not really a good place for some interval sprints, not the wide open, flat stretch I was looking for, forgot about the side parking. The good, I rediscovered the George Mason Memorial. If you're driving home on 395 south over the Potomac, just as you drive under the signs telling you about Exit 10, on the ground beneath the bridge and accessible from the footbridge via stairs is the monument. George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights. And was involved in drafting The Constitution. Read more from people who write better than I can. I was happy to find this memorial to an often overlooked Founding Father. I will need to visit Gunston Hall sometime this year. Maybe combine it with a run in Mason Neck State Park.

Yoga Project on hold, but I joined a new team

2009-03-06T21:39:00.004-05:00

The yoga project is on hold for at least a week. Why? Because I'm disorganized and did not register for the Yoga For Runners class until it was too late. I was so upset with myself for being that disorganized that I became depressed for a bit. That combined with a crappy run last night, running pants issue last night, and two rough days at work made me a mess for 36 hours.

But that doesn't matter anymore. Because I joined a new team tonight. Team Cannondale! I bought this amazing bike - titanium grey color! I can't wait to pick it up tomorrow and ride it Sunday morning before the Capitals game. And tomorrow afternoon. And tons of times after that. I'm in a very good mood now.

While I'll have to wait until Thursday for a fundamentals yoga class, owning a new bike makes me want to jump up and down like a nine year old at Christmastime. It amazes me how quickly my overall mood changed. It shouldn't change like that but it does. But it's going to be 70 tomorrow and Sunday. And close to it on Monday. Lots of biking and running. I am jacked up! Daylight savings time: I'm a big, big fan so I will definitely take advantage of the warm temps and extra daylight.

BTW, that guy should have never been thrown out of the window for suggesting they no longer buy Bud Light at the meetings. That was a very good idea, if you're gonna blow money like that, at least buy Yuengling or better beer. Just sayin'.

First long race of the year, a smashing success!

2009-03-01T13:55:00.003-05:00

After my still can't believe it time in the Chocolate Mile three weeks ago, I started to get really fired up about long race season. Until I heard the weather forecast for possible snow showers, or much worse, cold rain. Then I wasn't so fired up about it. I made the drive to the hotel nonetheless; I was not leaving at 5-5:30 to drive nearly 50 miles that morning knowing that I still needed to pickup my race packet and the Beltway is always questionable. No drama there, hotel had a microwave, I found a Wawa with bananas for the morning, I was good to go.

After a great (especially for hotel) night's sleep, I was off to Severna Park (MD) High School for the first half marathon of the season. I was all jacked up, although very cold once I got out of the car at the school. So I went into pre-race routine mode, the race number and chip were all set, a brief run and stretch, followed by fixing my watch so I could track my chip time. I was good to go at the starting gun.

I didn't really know what to expect from this race as it was my first long race in winter conditions, or my second race of longer than one mile in winter conditions; the 4 miler on New Years Eve was fun but not really a race. I had a goal of finishing under 2 hours, with 1:55 the "get under that and I'll be thrilled" line. 1:50:39 I ran in Richmond? Not happening, too big of a difference in conditions and on top of that, while I have gone on several long runs on the weekends, I had a lot more races under my "recently run belt" when I ran Richmond.

The course was just about all on the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, which does not go all the way to Baltimore but I digress. After running through a middle school parking lot, the course proceeded to the paved trail. The trail was open to cyclists or other runners during the race, but I only saw three other runners and no cyclists since it was 7:30-8 AM on a crappy Sunday morning. Nice running surface, not chopped gravel, a couple slick footbridges but heck it snowed a bit the night before so it goes with the territory.

I'm running, staying hydrated, settling in when I came to the one hill at the turnaround, up and down, all under US 50. That was a bit tough but after that my pace per mile kept on getting slightly faster. I didn't look at my watch all that often during this race, pretty much just at the mile markers. I started to notice I was getting close to the 8:30 mile pace. Cool! I knew that 1:51:21 was 8:30 for a half marathon but didn't think I was running that fast. But I kept on keeping on, taking advantage of the water stops, using my own water belt (4 tiny bottles attached to a belt) to help with hydration...and....started to hurt a bit around mile 12.

But I dug in and finished with a chip time of 1:51:09, exactly 30 seconds slower than the Richmond race. I am VERY HAPPY with this, especially given the conditions. I'm so glad I went now, a new experience, chatted with a few people, and verified that my time last year wasn't a fluke. I recommend races put on the Annapolis Striders. The race premium was a light zip jacket that helps with wind prevention, that's a great bonus but both races I've run with them were very well organized (the most important thing by far). I can't wait for the 10 Miler in August!!!

Finally, it looks like I will be making my yoga debut on Saturday at Pure Prana. I'm sure my super duper sized audience is greatly awaiting news of that.

Long run race season begins in 18 hours

2009-02-28T13:31:00.002-05:00

In a couple hours I leave for Annapolis for the first long race of 2009. Crappy weather tomorrow = no real time goals, just have fun and a strong race where I feel decent all the way through. Okay, never mind, I want to finish in under 2 hours, under 1:55 will make me be thrilled. I don't expect to beat my 1:50:39 in Richmond because of conditions et al.

This is the start of a very aggressive running schedule this spring, I look forward to pushing myself to which for me will be far limits. And that yoga project, it looks like I will make my yoga debut next Saturday. Wooohooo!

Stay tuned for Jeff's Yoga Project

2009-02-17T21:43:00.002-05:00

I know I have a such a huge readership, but I'm going to start blogging about my newfound experiences with yoga. Well, whenever I actually start attempting to take classes. But I'm researching what might be best for me. Probably Pure Prana in Alexandria, or possibly Dahn yoga. Unless you think I can handle hot yoga.

Step one in the Jeff's Yoga Project: Make sure that the workout clothes I have will suffice for yoga, in other words I need to wear stuff that will at least make it look like I am more than a clueless jackass. I'm working on this but post suggestions, trust me they are appreciated.

I'm looking forward to this, as I think it will help me with my fitness and health goals. And it will be fun once I actually know what I'm doing. And it will be a new activity for me.

Long Weekend with Family - fun but tiring

2009-02-16T15:07:00.003-05:00

Okay, so this weekend I'm in Dracut, MA with the family. It is fun but I am very tired. Let's see what I've done:

- Went to a birthday party, as my just turned 15 and soon to be 13 year old nephew have their party on the same day since their birthdays are close together.

- Played Family Feud with my nephews and Mom and Dad, my team lost very badly in the third game.

- My 7 year old nephew stayed overnight on Saturday night, so we had three nephews over. The "let's go hide and scare somewhere" trick actually worked this time. Good times.

- Went for a two hour run through Dracut and Tyngsboro, MA, including passing by a lake that I didn't even know was there, and I lived nearby for the first 25 years of my life.

- Went for a second run, oh wait that's tomorrow. My flight doesn't leave until 4 pm so I'll have some time. Probably not the side street hills that I ran on Sunday, many of which were short but very steep, but it will likely be a 2 hour run nevertheless. If I was into running and hiking as a kid, I would have taken greater advantage of the local state forest than I did, but that's water under the bridge.

- Ate a burger at Fuddruckers. I do not believe I had ever been to one before today. Sorry, no pictures but take my word for it, the burger was pretty good, and the free toppings were plentiful. I put some lettuce and diced tomatoes on the burger to balance the meal out a bit.

- Bought 5 pair of running shorts, 4 pair of yoga/running tights, 2 pair of running shoes, and 1 pair of cross trainers at the New Balance Factory Outlet in Lawrence, MA as part of a fitness sale. That means discount on top of discount. I need new running shorts because of my weight loss (~ 40 pounds since 1/1/08 with 10-15 more to go). And I am becoming serious about starting yoga soon, so getting the tights that can be used for running, yoga, et al are very useful. The only thing they didn't have were "fitness pants" which I can order online.

- Staved off the temptation to buy a couple pair of NB 8508 running shoes for $24.99. I was spending enough as it is, and while I like the 8508s, I like the 725, 1223, and 825 (trainers) more so I held off. Between the shoes I got today and others that I have but have not used yet, I have enough shoes to last me through most of 2009.

- Wanted to catch up with friends in the area but they all had to work today. I'm glad I was able to go to the outlet after a brief period of indecision.

Great times, but it will be easier to get back into the daily routine when I get back home tomorrow night. And yeah I'm tired because my nephews have way more energy than I have. I'm looking forward to my brief trip on March 14-16 for some skiing and chilling and maybe a trip to the covered bridges of Jackson, New Hampshire which believe it or not I have never been to. Back to the gym on Wednesday, back to fun run on Thursday. That work thing on Wednesday too.

Hey! Guess Who I saw today?

2009-02-11T16:25:00.002-05:00

I went for a late afternoon walk up Capitol Hill during my lunch break. I saw Senator Al Franken (Yes he is a Senator)! Really! Walked right by him on Constitution Avenue just east of the Senate Buildings. Who have you seen today? Or any day while just wandering in your daily travels? Do you get all geeked up when you see famous people? "Hey I saw so and so today!" "So and so visited my work building!" Or not care at all? Or like me and think it's all cool for about five minutes before moving on to different thoughts? I probably saw a bunch of other people in the political class too while walking to and from Nebo's but was only clear that I saw Franken. I thought I saw former senator Chuck Hagel too but it wasn't him. Don't worry, I won't make this a habit, when it's nice out I walk at lunch and just chose the Hill today.

A random letter to American Airlines - by me

2009-02-06T20:11:00.003-05:00

Dear American Airlines,

I wish to share with my minscule readership what you sent to me today:

"Now is a great time to vacation in the U.S. and Canada! With our Get Up And Go Sale, you'll find flights to destinations from coast to coast starting as low as $37* each way, based on round-trip purchase. So much awaits you, from sunny beaches to lively cities and the great outdoors. Get up and go! Book your trip on AA.com today.

Purchase your flight by February 13, 2009, and travel by May 13, 2009, to enjoy these great fares."

Do not get me wrong, I appreciate that you are offering lower fares to your customers regardless of the reasons for doing so. In these tough times, a lot of people could use the few bucks they will save by flying on the dates where the sale applies: "Sale fares shown are valid for travel Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday; other days are subject to higher fares."

That's cool, those used to be the cheaper fare days for whatever reason; this is a random blog, not an analysis of airline industry pricing trends, so I don't know or care about the reasons for that. What do I care about is that the "embargo" dates, or dates that the sale doesn't really apply, are: "Travel is not valid March 13-15, 20-22, 27-29, 2009, or April 3-5, 10-11, 13, 2009." Pretty much all of the dates most people will be traveling during the "sale" periods. I have to put sale in quotes because it ain't really much of sale when most sale days are blocked, now is it?

Regards,
Jeff
Occasional Flyer on American, or at least when they actually give me the best deal when I need to travel

Another reason why I am not a big fan of ear buds

2009-02-03T16:19:00.002-05:00

I'm sure I've received funny looks for wearing the old school headphones with my MP3 player instead of the modern ear buds. Well, the ear buds bug my ears from time to time. I genrally only wear them when I'm running and have a ski cap on; it's more comfortable that way. All other times, I usually use go old school. Maybe moreso now because with the ear buds on last night on Metro....................I totally missed the announcement before Pentagon Station that my yellow line train was suddenly a blue line train because they were behind. Or something.

Now Why I Hate DC would just blame Metro. I share the blame. Why Metro did this I don't really know. But........I should have heard the announcement, and the old headphones allow just enough outside noise that I would have heard it. I had no idea what was up until the train sped past Eisenhower Ave instead of stopping. This cost me a spin class since I didn't get back from Van Dorn to King to Huntington in time, then the shuttle bus to my apartment was full. Damn.

Frustrated and need more hobbies

2009-02-01T21:09:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I asked for help curing my addiction to baseball. Now, me, a too much of a sports junkie for his own good, need more help. Wean me off of pretty much everything besides NHL hockey and soccer, since I am more "meh" about pro sports with each passing day. Even more ideas of ways to occupy my leisure time are appreciated, especially on weeknights when I'm here in a suburban environment. I just get frustrated with a lot that goes on. NHL Hockey I can still enjoy regardless who is playing. Same for soccer, most of the time. But I want more of a life, help me get it. More interests, more hobbies. I do okay with running and going to the gym. I think I need to start researching yoga a little more.

I've finally decompressed from my visit to the Social Security Office

2009-02-01T09:57:00.002-05:00

To make a long story short, my social security card was in such bad, tattered shape that I finally decided to go get a new one should I ever need it again. Application: no problem. Metro Trip last Monday to Dupont? That was okay. Sitting in the waiting room for two hours just to hand over an application and get a printed for saying I have a social security number and mine was in the mail? Not so cool. That was two of the most aggravating hours I had experienced in years. I totally realize that a lot of people are going through hard times and I have been relatively lucky. That does not mean I ever want to visit that office ever again and seeing that disorganized, messy clusterf***. Messy, sloppy, I'll stop there. At least I got to eat a nice lunch at Port of Pireaus and when I asked the person who took my application if the card was the most beat up she ever saw, she replied yes.

No March ski trip for me

2009-01-30T19:15:00.002-05:00

United Airlines sent me an email about a promtion where the flights to certain ski cities would be really, really cheap depending on what day you left and returned. This would allow me to spend 3 nights and 2 ski days in Jackson Hole, WY for as little as $565 for flight, lodging, and lift tickets. Gunnison/Crested Butte, CO for $154.50 airfare, $180 or so for lodging, $164 for lift tickets, $500 until you add the rental car, which was surpsingly high. No rental car needed in Jackson Hole.

I'm so tempted to do this, especially Jackson Hole, taking off on Sunday, returning on Wednesday as the deal is only for certain to and from dates. But when you factor in food costs, I have enough travel (Annapolis race, Cumberland race, Colorado in September) as it is, and really can't afford to spend that kind of money right now. Schucks. But oh well.

Latest Race Updates

2009-01-29T10:40:00.003-05:00

I'll keep it short, still racing a lot in spring time.

March 1 - Half Marathon north of Annapolis: Signing up this weekend

March 15 - Reston 10 Miler, unless my family is visiting

March 21 - National Half Marathon in DC: Volunteering

April 5 - Cherry Blossom Ten Miler: Registered

April 19 - Maryland Mountain Marathon in Cumberland: Registered

April 26 - GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler: Still need to sign up

May 9 - Riverfront Revolution 10K: Under consideration, but will likely skip unless it becomes a half marathon like it was supposed to be at fist

May 17 - Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg

Any other suggestions are appreicated. 3 Half Marathons and 3 10 Milers in 11 weeks is a lot, but I'm ready. I'm skipping the May 3 Potomac Half Marathon because, sorry if I mentioned it before, but I don't want to / can't afford to pay $50 to race on the Mount Vernon bike path. That could be a volunteer opportunity since I'm not going to Pittsburgh for the marathon / half.

Interviewed by Zandria

2009-01-28T20:55:00.002-05:00

I learned of this new tradition of blog interviewing from Zandria, now keep up with her! :) Here are the basic rules of this new interview tradition if anyone else wants to partake (I will interview the first two people who respond):

1. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. Be sure to link back to the original post.
2. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
3. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

I think I've done my part so let's get the to questions from Zandria.

1) What do you like best about living in Alexandria, Virginia? Would you want to live (or have you ever lived) in DC?

My mailing address is Alexandria, so I kind of live there, but I pay car taxes and vote in Fairfax County. I live in both, I guess. What I like about it is I can live in an 832 square foot apartment for a (for the area) decent rate. I can walk to Metro in 20 minutes, 15 if I haul. The Gold's Gym that I frequent is only 3-4 miles away. There's a nice Target nearby, sueprmarkets and CVS are just as close, and there's a great little Chinese restaurant a 10 minute walk away. I'd love to live inside the Beltway as I think it would open up more social opportunities, but you can't have everything. Besides, it's only a $9-12 cab fare home from Old Town.

Live in DC? Sometimes I wish I did because if I could walk to say, the Mall, U Street bars, Glover Park, or even Gallery Place, my social life would probably be a lot more extensive than it is. But DC is so freaking loud all of the time. And as a single male, I don't notice the supposed surplus of women relative to men that The Singles Map claims there are; yes I freely admit I would move to a neighboorhood that was over 60 percent female and was proven to be in a heartbeat. So I guess I renewed my lease for another year in my tweener, not really suburbia but not really city neighboorhood.

2) You said that you’d like to meet new people, and one of the things you’ve done recently is visit the National Museum of American History. Do you think museums are a good place to strike up a conversation, or do you feel like you might have better luck somewhere else? (Do you plan on trying a wide variety of things, or stick to locations and activities that hold interest for you?)
http://maryjanejeff.blogspot.com/2009/01/jeffs-new-museum-expeditions-national.html

If I'm alone, I, sadly, rarely strike up conversations. A lot of the time I get too worried I'd make an idiot of myself or get shot down and ridiculed. Museums could be a good place to strike up a conversation, but I'd feel more comfortable doing so if I was part of a group. I get too self conscious sometimes, even though if I'm solo it means I couldn't find anyone to go with me or I'm at something that interests only me. Other places? I've already figured out I won't meet the future Mr. Jeff's House at a bar, but it can be easier to hold casual conversations there, provided the music isn't at 120 decibels of course.

3) You’ve mentioned that you are indecisive. How does this come across in your daily life?
http://maryjanejeff.blogspot.com/2009/01/help-me-stop-being-so-indecisive.html

Should I go out somewhere on a Saturday night? Should I go ski Saturday night? Should I study tonight? I can't seem to make decisions on a lot of non-8 to 5 things until the options have passed me by. One week I want to be an IT infrastructure guru, the next week I want to move towards business management (I have certifications/experience or degrees in both). In my daily life, I want to become more forthright and decisive on things other than going to the gym and running. Maybe I'm too hard on myself, but sometimes it seems like those are the only two things I can just say "hell I'm doing this and am fired up about it" and do them without hesitation.

4) You’ve run a number of races in the United States. If you could choose anywhere in the world (non-U.S.) to run a race, where would you go and why?

Anywhere in the world? Very good question, you'd make a great professional interviewer. I'd say Nepal or somewhere really mystic but just because I could ski at high altitudes without issue, doesn't mean I could run at a decent race pace there. I'd get irritated if I couldn't. So I'd probably say either Sydney, Rio, or Dublin. Depending on whether I was in the mood for the other side of the planet, debauchary, or Dublin. Here I go with indecision again.

5) I write a fair number of posts that are focused on my life as a single woman, including thoughts on dating and what I do/don’t want from a relationship. Do you read these posts, or do you skim over them? (In other words, do you read blogs written by females because we give you insight on the way we think?)

I read a decent amount of your posts because, yes I want to get the single female perspective on things. And your other stories are interesting. Most blogs I've found by reading other blogs and seeing link to them, and if the topics interest me (running, people being out and about, skiing) I read them more often. Except for Why I Hate DC, which I read for comic relief. If my friends have blogs, male or female, I read them. But it never hurts to have a female point of view on many subjects either, not just relationships.

I'm tired, it's late, so I hope these answers made sense as I thought about them for a bit.

T is for

2009-01-26T20:45:00.004-05:00

Charlotte Harris took part in a game of Internet tag, then I did. She got letter R, I got letter T. Now, to post about 10 things I really like (love is a very strong word for a lot of these) that begin with the letter T. These are in no particular order, totally off the cuff or whatever, what was on my mind tonight, but 1 is probably my favorite:

10. Tesla Motors: Electric car, burns no oil. Yeah! If I could afford it I would do almost anything to get one of those. 3.9 seconds 0 to 60? Yeah if you ever had to stop on a highway, you have a lot less of an issue getting back on the highway. The 244 miles per charge, while it won't get you through any long trips, is a fantastic start!

9. Tesla the rock band: One of the most underrated bands of the late 80s era, I've learned that they are releasing another disc. Cool! Remember Modern Day Cowboy? The Way It Is? Song and Emotion? Edison's Medicine? Little Suzi? Great songs. No Machines. Straightforward rock with a touch of blues. Great stuff.

8. Tanzanian Peaberry Coffee. I need to get some, maybe Green Mountain Coffee Roasters will still have it.

7. Telluride. Even though I have never been there, it looks like the kind of place I'd love. Great Ski area, gondola to take you to and from town and the ski area, authentic Victorian town tucked into a box canyon. Tough to get to, which keeps the jackasses, asshats, and general douches out. If American Airlines or whoever ever offers a vacaton deal to go there again, and I have the leave, I am so there.

12. Tom Brady. September ain't far away, haters. He's worthy of 2 6s.

5. Tenleytown. Why? Don't know, just like the name. Kind of corporate, cheesy, and sterile, but near Fort Reno and American University. And its is the highest point in DC elevation-wise, even though it did not seem like it when I ran up Wisconsin Avenue from Georgetown to the MD border.

4. Turbo Tax: Lets me do my taxes in under an hour. Which reminds me, I need to go get it for this year so I can just get them overwith when my other 2008 employer sends me my W-2. I ain't got tons of time to waste on taxes. So something that makes my life easier and begins with T gets on this list.

3. Time from mid March through early November, otherwise known as Daylight Savings Time. Just switch to it year round already. I love being able to run at 7 pm without four lights on, have daylight until 7 pm for 4 months or close to 9 for a couple months. Getting out of work in broad daylight. Starting my Pikes Peak Hike at 5 am knowing I have 2 hours before the sun's up so I can hike in the cool sunrise. What's not to love?

2. Tea: Green Tea, White Tea, Iced Tea. Sweet Tea. After last call beer, I mean Cold Tea. Pumpkin Spice Tea, Cinnamon Tea. Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. Hell, even licorice tea. It's all good. Not yellow tea though, you know what they said about not eating yellow snow. Don't heat it up to be tea.

1. Trail Running. One of my dearest activities to my heart. Few things like getting outside away from it all when you can hear the leaves underneath your feet. Running on a pure trail as is, climbs, drops, rolling mini hills, having to watch your feet everywhere causes you to concentrate more. Not to mention having to watch for things like tree roots keeps the faster peeps from getting too far ahead of me. he he - Seriously, trail running puts me at peace for nearly a whole day. Burke Lake Park? Fountainhead Regional Park? Prince William Forest Park? Great Falls, VA? Yeah! Find me some more places to trail run and I'm there. Catoctin in Maryland? Uum, hike one day, trail run the next, camp in between? Yup.

Jeff's New Museum Expeditions: National Museum of American History

2009-01-25T18:45:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I realized that I spend way too much time alone and need to get a life besides running, the gym, and work. I appreciate every minute I spend with friends, running, et al, but want to get into more varied activities in the worst way. So I decided to hit the National Museum of American History today. I initially planned to run home from there, about 12-13 miles, but caught a cold yesterday and this morning so decided to just go to the museum and work out later.

This was one of the best museums I have ever been to. Many historical journeys were taken, I saw exhibits on transportation advances, immigrant contribution to life and industry, ancient American musical instruments, and the Lincoln Exhibit. Lincoln was a transformational, legendary figure who was more than deserving of this exhibit. There were lots of objects from his life, the overall collection is something that must be seen.

The very best thing about the museum was the original flag that flew over Fort McHenry when the British tried to take over Baltimore during the War of 1812. Yes, that flag. Is in the museum and it was jaw-dropping to see. The flag that was flying when Fort McHenry was being defended, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner. I'm going to go back just to see the flag again.

There are other things I want to see that I will see on my second visit. The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise is something I really want to see. I didn't see the Invention at Play exhibit this time so I will next time.

After I finish viewing this museum, the Museum of Natural History is next, I have been to this but it was nine years ago. Then it's the National Museum of the American Indian. All these great places, free of charge, and until now I have been one of the DCites who shrugs at them or doesn't go to a lot of them for whatever reason. I had only been to the Botanical Gardens, Sculpture Garden, most monuments, and the small art Gallery at the Canadian Embassy since moving here in April 2006.

This not visiting many of these fine attractions stops right now. This will get me involved in different things outside of my normal pattern, get me introduced to new experiences, and most of these things are FREE. I do not want to repeat what happened to me in Colorado: assume I'll live there forever and not go to a place like Rocky Mountain National Park in four years, figuring I'll be there until I'm 80 so I have tons of time to go. I make no predictions as to where I'll be in a few years, but I don't want to find myself leaving DC for somewhere else in 2013 or whatever not having visited all of the Smithsonian and other museums. So if you want to go to some of these places, holler.

My planned 16 mile run became a 15 mile run with a 7-11 Stop

2009-01-19T16:38:00.002-05:00

I intended to run from Mile 8 to Mount Vernon and back, but something potentially really bad happened a couple miles into the run. Note to Jeff, do not boil the water too much in the name of making sure it doesn't freeze by the time you're outside for a half hour. The bladder, that's what the water holders are called in hydration packs (or least it's shorter than hydration reservoir which is the official name), became split. Yup, most of my 2 liters of water, gone. Drinking fountains along the path, frozen. Damn.

Fortunately I remembered where there was a 7-11, thanks to a run in October when I got lost. Change in plans. New plan, get a Gatorade, 32 ounce bottle of water, and chug a Sobe. I never recommend chugging liquid no matter how badly you need it, and I needed it badly. It affected me for the next couple miles. The overall run, I would have liked to have run at a faster clips, but 15 miles is still one of the longer runs I have ever done.

Next task, which I've started, look into a replacement for what got torn. And go to Target and get some duct tape in an attempt to fix this one for the time being. And the side pocket on my new duffle bag that is torn because the zipper got stuck last week. Jeff, just go to Target already and fix this stuff.

I went to The Concert

2009-01-18T18:00:00.002-05:00

I got out of the Smithsonian metro stop at 2:35 pm, was on the mall by the time it started. Being a "native" really helped me maneuver through the Metro stop. I ended up just downslope to the west from the Washington Monument. It was an absolutely, positive fantastic experience, even with all the people who wanted to cut in front of where I was to jump down on to the walkway to get closer. The walkway was 40 feet to the west of me without a jump, only one couple was really rude after we told them where the path was to get closer. Everyone else was good about it.

Even though hearing and seeing the jumbotron was challenging at times, it was definitely worth going. An amazing performance by all involved. Garth Brooks, Usher/Stevie Wonder/everyone, and The Boss / Pete Seeger especially stood out. It was chilling just to be there when Obama was speaking; today it was very, very good to be chilly.

Being a native really helped me get home in just over an hour, even with a 20 minute walk home from Metro. Even if it was away from where I was going, I walked up to Gallery Place/Chinatown to make sure I got on a train and wasn't waiting at a platform for hours on end. Worked for me, got on the train before it got crowded at L'Enfant and most of the crowd was still at the Smithsonian Station.

Help me stop being so indecisive

2009-01-18T10:25:00.003-05:00

With regards to social and even exercise activities, I am far too indecisive for my liking. The inaugural concert is four hours away and I still have not decided if I am going or not. Sad, but true. I have deicded that my 16 mile run is waiting until tomorrow, while I will do my "Belle Haven Hills" run in a few minutes. But help me with this, why can't I decide what I am going to do with my non-work life. Why can't I just choose a choice and go with it full steam ahead?

I wrestled with the decision to not go on a long run yesterday because the weather.com "Feels Like" index for 8 am was 1 degree. Right choice, as I had a good spinning and weights workout. But I can't be decisive for two days in a row and that bugs me. Help me.

All in one shopping gone mad........Walgreens now serves coffee

2009-01-17T14:49:00.002-05:00

Yup, I got coffee this afternoon, a Mocha flavored coffee, at Walgreens. Crazy, I know. But I was coming back home from the gym and other errands, and happened to see an electronic sign advertising $2.99 gallons of milk. Okay, I need some milk soon so this is my last errand, I was a bit tired and wanted some caffeine. But not too much, so the 12 ounces for 99 cents seemed like an okay deal. Coffee was actually pretty decent. They did have a machine that grinds beans on demand, i.e. you don't have 6 hours old coffee grinds becoming your coffee beverage.

Every store is trying to be all things to all people, of which very few do it very well. But I'm content because the coffee was pretty good. As was the fish burrito I had at Moe's. And the lines at SFW Shoppers were pretty short. 4 pack of flashlights at home Depot for $5? Wow! I only wanted one flashlight that is smaller than the one I have but just as powerful. I found 4 for $5, when the reason why I went there in the first place was to get a screw to fix my spinning shoe.......I found a good deal in this mad world.

Will the last Patriots Front Office employee turn out the lights?

2009-01-13T21:32:00.002-05:00

I guess this is the price of success. Thomas Dimitroff leaves to run the Atlanta Falcons scouting and talent acquisition. They go from a freaking sad embarrassment to a playoff team in one season. Scott Pioli gets to run the whole show in Kansas City, I guess Matthew Stafford will wait a while to get picked since Pioli's too smart to wast the 3rd pick on him. KC will be on their way back. While Josh McDaniels was an on-field coach and not a front office employee, he's now the head coach in Denver. Two more Patriots assistants may be leaving this week. Not to mention Romeo Crennel and I even have to say Eric Mangini getting head coaching gigs a few years ago. Charlie Weis to his dream job too. A sign of a successful franchise for sure that so many people move to steps up, but how many hits can an organization stand?

And, go Eagles. I'll come back when I think of something to write about.

New Seven Wonders of Nature!!!

2009-01-07T21:20:00.003-05:00

I didn't know anything about this until I read Express this morning, but I thought this New Seven Wonders of Nature" contest is really cool. Worldwide Monuments Conservation is the organization's goal, a very noble one. I need to look at all 261 options and see which 7 I would choose. Mount Fuji? Grand Canyon? Sumidero Canyon in Mexico? Too many choices. Tell me what you think of all of these treasures. It's going to take me hours to read up on all of them, I'll learn a ton about places I barely new existed, if at all.

Headphone rule for many running races modified - in many cases it's up to the race director

2009-01-06T10:38:00.002-05:00

While browsing around runwashington.com I came across this rule modification regarding usage of headphones. From what I gathered, it's up to the race director to decide if headphones should be allowed in non-Championship races.

Any thoughts? Well, in hopes of attracting traffic to the blog, I'll give you mine. I normally don't pay much attention to whether or not races I run in are "championship" or not. I do know the Ukrops Mounment Avenue 10K in Richmond is the US 10K National Championship race, and am generally aware if there's prize money for the top runners. But I don't give it much thought beyond that. I'm a realist, while I have improved my running tremendously in the last 10 months, I ain't winning any prize money unless the first few hundred or thousand runners, depending on race size, all get disqualified.

My view is generally, don't be over the top in enforcing the rule, but headphones in large races should be a no-no. That's for safwety reasons, when you are sharing the course with several thousand runners, the chances of someone not hearing a fellow runner or volunteer yell something that could prevent a collision because their MP# players are on too high, you know the drill. Yes, having music can help you get into a running grove, especially on flat, relatively uninteresting stretches of land (Hi, Hains Point!). But I don't want to be involved in, or especially be the cause of, a collision because someone couldn't hear someone, zoned out, you name it.

Smaller races with less participants, usually no big deal. I admit to wearing headphones during one race in Alexandria last year, and have carried my MP3 player with me but turned it off during a couple others. And I would be very tempted to having music with me during a half marathon or (gulp) marathon, as it could really help stay focused during tough stretches. But I would not wear them if I felt my safety and other's safety would be compromised. Most very large races such as the Army Ten Miler have absolute bans, which makes total sense. Or any races where racers, other runners, and bikers share the path.

Happy 2009! Year Three of a 1/1 Tradition

2009-01-02T09:15:00.003-05:00

Happy 2009 all! I took part in year three of what is a new tradition for me, live hockey in DC on New Years Day. This year's game was at night versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite long periods of sloppiness, the home Capitals won 7-4 against a Tampa team, while playing a bit better recently, is plain bad.

Odd game, I hope Tampa's Jamie Heward is okay. Ovechkin hit him as part of the play, Heward suffered a concussion, it looked like he was going to get up before he sprawled to the ice, it was like a delayed injury, I thought it might have been spasms near the neck a couple seconds after the initial shock. Both the stretcher and flatboard were brought out, never a good thing. The people carrying the flatboard weren't the speediest, maybe because they didn't want to slip on the ice and become bad injuries #2 and 3. But it didn't look good either, as my buddy Bill mentioned, a little urgency here, fellas. From what I've gathered since the game, Heward was held overnight and should end up being okay fairly soon.

At the very end of the game, this assclown on Tampa tried picking a fight with Matt Bradley, who basically told him, take off the helmet with the visor or no deal. This is the same assclown who started a fight with a guy on the Florida Panthers last week, and got smacked down by Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada and deservedly so. Not to mention that he ran Mike Green on his previous shift. He's the new assclown of the week. Of course he knows if he takes his helmet off, Bradley beats him up and adds to his 1st Star profile for the evening, earning the Gordie Howe Hat Trick (goal, assist, fight) in the process.

1/1/09 was a good day. Hockey, 5 mile run with the running group, slept in, got my laundry done, freeing up time this weekend in the process. I'm not going to make any resolutions that I can't or won't keep. But I did weigh myself and adjust for clothes to get the 1/1 measurement. I really want to keep the 35 pounds I lost off, but am holding off on getting new clothes until I'm sure it stays off. I don't plan on pulling a three peat of the 15 lost pounds by St. Patrick's Day since I'm happy to report I'm at the "toughest to lose" stage. I also need to study for my MCSA Security track, we'll see how that goes. Happy New Year!

Food poisoning while trying to get home for Christmas - not cool

2008-12-29T08:54:00.002-05:00

Not cool. At. All. To make a long story short, I ate lunch in the afternoon (I choose not to identify the restaurant as I won't go back there soon, if ever, although I would still eat at its other locations), and very nearly did not get on the airplane to Massachusetts for Christmas. In fact, as I told my mom, had I still lived in Colorado and had a 3 1/2 hour flight as opposed to 1 hour, I would have gone to the hospital instead. There was a period of about 6 hours where I was thinking I would spend Christmas Eve, if not Christmas Day, in a hospital being fed by IV. But luckily, I was able to survive the flight, and slowly got better with the help of crackers and ginger ale. By 9 pm on Christmas Eve, 30 hours after everything first hit, I felt like myself again. I never wish to re-visit those 30 hours again. So I'm going to be a total tightwad about keeping everything super, super clean.

New Race Plans for next year

2008-12-21T20:18:00.005-05:00

I've done some thinking and figured that some races, including the first Maryland Half Marathon next May 31, are too expensive for my budget right now. Plus, the Charlottesville Group is not going to be formed, which may not be a bad thing. It's pricey and hilly. On top of that, it requires a hotel stay the night before (so doesn't the March 1 race in Severna Park but I had great luck with Priceline last time). Besides, there are other half marathons to run closer to home.

So, here is my new plan, going hardcore in the spring before focusing on just training runs during the summer:

March 1 - Half Marathon north of Annapolis

March 21 - National Half Marathon in DC - unless I skip it because of the $70 Registration fee

April 5 - Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

April 19 - Maryland Mountain Marathon in Cumberland - under consideration

April 26 - GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler, I did the 5K this year and my chip time was never recorded

May 3 - Potomac River Run Half Marathon - I can walk to and from the start/finish line, always a good thing

May 17 - Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg

Then no racing until the Annapolis Ten Miler in late August. I get frustrated in racing in the summer heat so it will be longer training runs instead. And remind me if I ever see New Balance 725s on sale at a DSW blowout for $29, buy every single pair of my size in the store, then order some more online beyond that. I went for an hour long run in my 725s today and absolutely love them. Thanks.

60 degrees at 6 pm: Yeah, another running tour!

2008-12-15T21:32:00.002-05:00

Well this was just a 100-105 minute run that I felt like going on since it was unseasonably warm out today. The Appalachian Mountains are near and dear to my heart for many reasons. Today it was because they were a buffer to a cold snap that seemed to be spread out across several thousand miles. Everywhere else in the US except for the far southern reaches was damn cold today. Not where I am, so it was running time!

Quick recap, I probably ran 10-11 miles all together, here's where I went:
- Outside my workplace, up the hill on Constitution near the Capitol
- Just west of where they're setting up the Inauguration Stage, and around the reflecting pool
- Down the mall to and past the Lincoln Memorial
- Across the bridge that takes you to Arlington Cemetery (I don't know the names of all of the bridges), just where they go
- Crossed a couple streets to get me to the Mt Vernon Bike Path
- West towards and past TR Island, runnin' on the boards
- Up the ramp and across the Key Bridge
- Through Georgetown, well at least next to the Canal path. Drivers here, to the surprise of no one, don't stop at stop signs until the last macromillisecond.
- Someone asked me where I got my headlamp, of course I told her (Pacers!)
- Down past the Kennedy Center on Rock Creek Blvd
- Back down the mall to 4th Street NW

That was pretty much that, not a superfast pace but not a casual job either. Enjoyable. Random, unrelated note, I got some Bialetti Cookware yesterday and can't wait to try to out.

Help me: Cure my addiction to baseball

2008-12-13T20:27:00.003-05:00

Major League Baseball that is. I really don't want to hear about $20 million per year contracts with the economy in the state that it's in. I don't want to hear about franchises asking for public funds to help finish stadiums after dropping $243.5 million on two contracts. I don't even want to hear about my beloved Red Sox spending nearly $200 million to sign free agent Mark Texiera, since that's what it looks like it would take. I'm tired of it all.

But, you see, I've been a baseball fan my whole life, save for a season and a half after the 2001 Red Sox disgusted me to the point of near no return. I find myself checking the web sites ten times a day to see who signed or traded for who. I still check hotel rates and wonder why I even bother seeing as I'm in no mood to drop coin on hotels to see back to back games on two weekends in Baltimore. The Sox are coming to DC this coming June but I haven't even looked at when Nationals tickets go on sale. Yet I still check sites and follow the sport day to day, especially in the summer. Even though I'm tired of it.

I want you all to help me cure my addiction, because I am pretty much fed up with the whole baseball spectacle. I simply cannot stress over sporting events anymore, there are too many things that are too much more important than life. But I know come April, everytime I'm on line I'll check scores and mlb.com GameTracker. While I'll still wear the Sox cap I'm getting for Christmas, I want to stop following everything more than very casually. I've reached the point where it's more stressful and aggravating than it is fun.

What should I do to wean myself off baseball? I already have my running on Tuesday / Saturday and sometimes Thursday, spin classes on Monday and sometimes Thursday, not to mention my hiking forays. And I need to start studying for my MCSA and then CISSP after the new year. All of this takes time, but I'm looking for some honest suggestions on what other things I can add to my activity list. I'd love to hit all of these museums but they're not open during the day. Maybe I should go to Politics and Prose and other haunts. But I'm trying to wean myself off of politics too. When it gets too hot to do too much outside, I'd like to think I'd spend my weeknight time studying, but I need as many ideas as possible.

I'm tired of millionaire contracts when most of America is worried about where their next check is coming from. But old habits are hard to break. So, throw some ideas out for me. In other news, I haven't used the Expresso Bike in two weeks, I'll use it tomorrow morning at the gym. Then it's go pickup my fleece for The Celtic Soltice 5 mile race on Saturday, then Trader Joe's to pick up stuff for a holiday party. The key is to keep my weekends that busy in 2009.

Trader Joe's: My New Beer Store!

2008-12-07T13:35:00.002-05:00

Not only are their "formerly plastic bottle" shopping bags as cool as hell, but I never knew how much good beer could be found there! Yeah, at Trader Joe's. For my friends' holiday party, I contributed some high quality beer: Stockyard Oatmeal Stout, friends liked the Trinity Red Ale, and the latest Winterfest Double Bock. Now I know Gordon Biersch and other brewers have contracts with Trader Joe's to brew beer. But I got the beer at Trader Joe's, it was good beer, and for a good price or $5.99 per six pack. So it's now my beer store on the rare evenings I drink. I no longer have to be frightened by the $18.49 "sale price" for a case of Bud Light cans.

Convicted Felon and still not a Jew - and some football - and I am an icicle

2008-12-06T16:11:00.004-05:00

O.J. Simpson
Still not a Jew
But he's headed to the Big House
And not a golf course near his house

Okay, so I am not a poet. Nor am I Adam Sandler. But O.J. can't scheme any more (although I would not have convicted him if I was on the jury in 1995 because the prosecution fudged things up so badly that there was a lot of doubt as to his guilt).

But I am a tired football run and runner. Florida and Alabama have just kicked off in the SEC Championship game that is basically a national semifinal. This will live up to the hype, I think.

Runner, yeah I ran 14 miles today on the Capital Crescent Trail, from Mile 10.5 to about Mile 4 and back; the rest was to and from Theodore Roosevelt Island. I was still cold over an hour later, even after changing into dry clothes and then showering at Gold's Gym in Rosslyn. But the run was very nice, a group of 5 of us from the Pacers Fun Run Group ran to the 10 mile turnaround, Kate and I kept on going, Kate wanted to run 14, I decided to as well. I am very tired and cold since it was really chilly this morning, and having lost all this weight makes me cold a lot more easily....

But I will make the trade-off of being more cold 24/365, and for life. 7-0, Florida! Forced a three and out, then save for a botched QB draw, moved the ball with ease against a very good Alabama defense. Okay, back to running, 14 miles is one of the longest ones I have ever done, but the only time I was struggling to finish was going up the steep mini-hill at the Georgetown waterfront/Key Bridge. So I was very happy with my run. 60 yard plus pass play for Alabama! Touchdown, Alabama, on the next play! It was cold and nasty this morning, but I out-ran my own expectations. I can't wait for Tuesday!

First things first, my friends' holiday party is tonight. I get to be an icicle again! This will be a good time. All in all a good Saturday that several years ago would have kept me inside and half-sheltered all day. That's for tomorrow. He he.

Over-ambitious race plans for 2009?

2008-11-29T19:37:00.003-05:00

If I want to complete a marathon next November, I am going to have to push myself in training like never before. That involves longer runs, more intense runs, and more intense cross-training than this year, a time I pushed myself harder than I had in a very long time. Today was a 9 mile run, nothing real intense but a good run with friends. That's still a good thing, but I will be cranking up some workouts, with a very ambitious spring on tap.

If I actually go through with these plans for 2009, in an eight to eleven week period next spring, ranging from March 2 to May 17, I will be running five of the six of the following races pending being able to afford the entry fees:

March 1 - Half Marathon north of Annapolis

March 21 - National Half Marathon in DC

April 5 - Cherry Blossom Ten Miler

April 18 - Charlottesville Half Marathon

GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler, I did the 5K this year and my chip time was never recorded

May 18 - Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg

The National (cost) or Annapolis (lodging cost because I'd be going solo for this one) will be the race I drop. After these races, I plan to continue long training runs all summer and fall to get ready for Richmond in November. Can I do it? I'll find out next year.

I found a new way to cross train yesterday. At the Gold's Gym that I most frequent, I found the Expresso Bike. Basically, it's one of the new bikes were you ride along a simulated course, complete with grade, calorie, and mileage statistics, which are kept for 90 days on a free account. I rode the Challenging Stormy Hollow course. The next step is to ride a new course and figure out how to use the audio component. This will be a great compliment to my spin classes, or an option should I get out of work late and miss class.

Feel free to tell me I'm going overboard. The journey is to see how far I can go with this, I feel much better physically than I have in a long time. Can I get better? I hope so.

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Old Rag Mountain scores a takedown over Jeff

2008-11-29T14:41:00.002-05:00

While watching some college football, I decided I needed to post about my trip to Old Rag Mountain on Thursday. I was expecting somewhat of a challenge but this trip really kicked my butt. 8.8 miles round trip because I parked in the lower lot, even if at 10 am I was only the fourth car in said lot. The walk up Something Route 600 (I have no idea how VA designates county roads, there are three 622s on the way to Mount Marshall) was easy, so I begun the hike up the Ridge Trail.

First 1.9-2 miles, one hour at a fairly casual pace, no problems, an east, relaxing hike. Remaining .9 miles to the summit, okay I knew there would be some scrambling and rock-hopping, but not any scary rock hops, drop your pack into an eight foot crevase so you can pick it up after sliding down a rock, none of that. This was a lot tougher than I thought. A family reached a tough rock pattern I described at the same as me. A big thank you to the ten year old who took my pack after I tossed it over a rock and tossed it out of the way so everyone could climb the rock. I returned the favor for other members of the same family.

I ran into a half hour delay at the toughest of the rock climbs because my left foot could not grip the small foothold because it was too slick, even with a great pair of REI boots with Vibram soles helped me. There were very few hikers on this Thanksgiving morning so there was no hiker pileup at the rocks where hundreds of people are waiting for their turn at the rocks. This was a pile up because we were either too short to reach a spot where we could simply pull ourselves over the rock to safety, couldn't get the aforementioned foothold, or a bit apprehensive about wiping out. I admit I'm a strong hiker but not a rock climber so I was a bit worried too, not to mention more tired than I figured I would be after hiking less than three miles.

This turned into a dozen or more strangers helping each other through the narrow passage. I ended up using someone else's leg/knee as a anchor, someone of top of the passage pulled me the one foot I needed to get through and pull myself the rest of the way, someone just sprinted down the hall in my apartment complex (sorry about that), I returned the favor by helping people up the passageway and moving packs out of the way, the family who helped me the first time caught up to us. That was a very uplifting feeling knowing that people who didn't even know each other pulled together as one hiking team so everyone could get through the rocks and enjoy their trip to the summit.

I got to the summit just before 2 pm, considering I started hiking after 10 am, ate the second half of my lunch, and scrapped plans to add Robertson Mountain and Corbin Hollow Trails to the itinerary. I have the gear to hike after sunset if need be, but never deliberately plan a hike at that hour after hiking all day, so I'll have to wait for that and this loop. No big deal, I can always go back, especially since I plan on buying a Shenandoah National Park Pass next year, if not a full national park pass. For just Shenanadoah it's $30, $20 for Great Falls, which I have for this year, $80 for all passes. But those are the only two I plan on going to a lot, so getting the two separate passes may be the best deal for me. Damn, I didn't know Maryland QB Chris Turner's dad was the drummer for Ratt, that explains the 80s hair band do. Back to GA Tech - Georgia as they get back from commercial.

Passes will be ordered around January 1, or maybe in time for my first hike or trail run in the spring. I'll hike in winter but am a bit apprehensive about icy conditions so I may wait until March. The Old Rag hike kicked my butt, I was super tired when I was done, but if that's the last hike of the year, I ended the hiking season with a great one.

Today's adventure was a nine mile run around Burke Lake Park, two laps for the nine miles. Not a fast pace, but a solid cold weather run. Had it been closer to a long race, I would have taken a third lap, which one of my friends did anyway. But I'm not going to over do it right now, I do not have any long races until late March so it's all about maintaining fitness right now. After we waiting for everyone to finish to make sure everyone was okay, we went to the same Starbucks we went to this summer after trail running in Fountainhead Park! I didn't know the parks were so close to each other! We ended up there for at least an hour, closer to one and a half hours. I hadn't just hung out with friends with no real purpose other than a post-run chill out in ages! It was great! The only thing I'd do differently next time is wear trail running shoes to Burke Lake.

More college football time! There are tons of great endinngs to games today.

Happy MonFriday everyone!

2008-11-28T08:17:00.002-05:00

It's not Black Friday, it's not I'm scared of Mall Traffic and getting trampled by three fourths of suburbia to get a sale price that isn't really all that much lower than you'll get next week this year Friday, it's not the college football games aren't gonna really get footbal fans fired up Friday, it's not everyone but us contractors and those who want to get stuff done on a quiet day Friday either.

Then what is it? Well since yesterday, the Thanksgiving Holiday, was a no-work day followed by a work day, it was Sunday in my twisted world of something. Since is a work day after a no work day, it's Monday. But it's also Friday because that's what the calendar says, hence the new name for the Friday after Thanksgiving that I present to the world....

Happy MonFriday! It's the one day of the year, well except for Christmas this year for those who take part in that, that is both Monday and Friday at the same time! Enjoy MonFriday! I know I enjoyed the EMPTY Metro, and look forward to hitting the gym after work.

Richmond Half Marathon - I'm pleased with the journey but it's only beginning

2008-11-17T21:15:00.003-05:00

I ran in the first ever McDonalds Half Marathon over the weekend in Richmond. I must say that when I went to my first fun run outside of Pacers Running Stores in December 2006 that if you told me I would even run 13 miles at once, I never would have believed you. So to complete a half marathon, 13.1 miles, in under two hours, I still almost can't believe it. I tend to be self-deprecating, but I have always have a very bad habit of not believing what I am capable of doing, and not just athletically. Not believing in myself is something I may always struggle with. But, from a confidence standpoint, finishing this half marathon made me feel like, hey, I can actually do this stuff! And acheive great results if I stick with something through thick and thin! I'll never break any speed records, but get lots of internal pride when I think about how far I've come as a runner in just two years. And I'm close to 35 pounds lost this year.

Now that I've told you about the increased confidence, I'll tell you about the weekend. Drive down to Richmond Friday afternoon, uneventful. Like 950,000,950 drivers before me, I got stuck in traffic when the lanes switch between one side or the other depending on the day and time, around Dumfries, a town that I have no need to go back to. I get to Richmond, pick up my race packet, buy a couple lights that will make me more visible as a runner at the Expo, a souvenir running shirt, then go eat at Piccolo's in the Fan, a great Richmond neighboorhood. The Falfella Salmon gave me a great night before meal.

I went to bed around 9:30 to get a great night's sleep before the race. Well, the loudest boom of thunder I've heard in years, and perhaps ever, woke me up at 2:15 am. For a second I wasn't sure it was thunder to be honest. It was enough of a boom to set off my car alarm, I kid you not. Why couldn't it happen at 5:15 so I'd just stay up and get ready for my race.

I woke up, ate breakfast, found my parking spot, then walked up the steep hill near the State Capitol to get the race start at 7th Avenue and Broad Street. That served as my "warm up" since it didn't want to run a mile or more, as I like to before a race, since this a new distance for me. I wanted to save every bit of energy that I had. And I needed just about all of it, as it was in the 60s when the race started, and very humid. I joked that I thought it was July again, and removed my outer layer after one half of a mile. Yeah it was gonna be tougher than I thought. First mile, 9:23. That's good considering the crowd that everyone had to run through.

I settled into a nice, steady pace, with good form. Went down to the Boulevard from Broad Street, the opposite of my driving route to go eat the night before. I'm running at a good clip, taking advantage of all the water stops, checking my watch at each mile post. My pace soon went below 9:00 / mile and pushed 8:30 by mile 8. The mile between 8 and 9 was my best mile, I counted 7 something. I did stop looking at my watch between miles 4 and 7 and just enjoyed running through the residential neighboorhood.

I ran into my buddy Brian at Mile 10. I was running at 1:23 or 1:24 when I hit this milestone. Right then and there I knew I would be running this race in under two hours unless I suffered an injury. This fired me up beyond belief. My goal was under two hours and I was going to reach my goal! I started thinking about how many goals I have reached this year in my races, and how these races have made a positive collective contribution to my overall outlook on life, and it all made me smile inside.

The last few miles featured a run through the outside parts of the Virginia Union University Campus (Charles Oakley!), then the run back into the Center City. I thought about really pushing for a time of under 1:50:00, which would have been ciing on the cake, but blustery winds around mile 11.5 and again at 12.5 killed the chances of that happening. I wanted to finish strong and with good running form. I did that all the way down towards the final downhill on Cary Street. The cheering crowd picked me up quite a bit as I finished the race. Final Time - 1 hour 50 minutes 39 seconds. It placed me in the top 25 percent of male runners in my age group, which thrilled me. Half marathon: conquered!

My first half marathon went better than I ever could have expected. After re-hydrating and getting something to eat, I was able to see the marathon winner break the tape as he run down the hill to a wildly cheering crowd. I ended up congratulating him 20 minutes afterwards when people were randomly milling around. It's just something runners do. It was all in all a fantastic experience that I probably will not repeat.

You ask why wouldn't I want to repeat that great experience?

You get an answer.....

Because next November I plan to run the ENITRE MARATHON!!!! 26.2 or bust! I start training for it tomorrow night at Fun Run. I'm all jacked up for the newest challenge. My goal, one year out, at that distance, is to finish. I can't wait to take the journey to find out if I can do it.

Final note, on the way home Sunday afternoon I went to the National Museum Of The Marine Corps. This was another fantastic experience that topped off the weekend in grand fashion. I recommend that anyone and everyone pay a visit, it's worth it. I learned a ton about what the Marine Corps have contributed to our country that I may not have known before. I respect them more than ever now. The Korean War exhibit was particularly impressive to me, I learned a lot about history, not just the USMC.

Last run before Richmond

2008-11-13T21:29:00.002-05:00

Okay, after running at a casual pace on Tuesday, I decided to run pretty hard tonight as a final tuneup before Saturday's Half Marathon. My best run yet! I somehow managed to keep up with the 7:15-7:30 a minute pace group, or at least that's what their watches said. But we didn't start until almost 7:10, I finished a 5.1 mile run that I swear is more than that before 7:49, and that includes getting stuck at some traffic lights. I'm fired up for Thursday, am feeling very confident now, and don't even care all that much that the Patriots are getting smoked by their arch rivals. I guess I care more about running, staying healthy, and getting to bed by 11 pm or earlier.

I'll post when I get back from Richmond.

Another weekend, another hike, another personal record, great!

2008-11-09T17:30:00.002-05:00

Another weekend of great weather, hiking, running, and a Patriots win. Life was grand this weekend. Saturday was a hike to Little Devils Stairs, Keyser Run, and Hogback Mountain. Little Devils Stairs is a challenging hike up a canyon at the Shenandoah National Park Boundary. Wet leaves and some bouldering, added to a steep climb? Yeah I was quite tired after that. The other half of the climb saw me go up to Hogback Mountain, which when leafless like it was isn't much to look at but I wanted more vertical so I went to the radio tower nonetheless. Looking down from the tower area where the phone line went, if only the area got frequent snow it would make for a killer ski trail. The climb down was uneventful except for when I thought I walked past Boles Cemetery on the Keyser Run Fire Road.

Today I set another personal record for a 10K Race at the Veterans Day 10K. The course is rather non-descript, the cause is definitely important. I was actually a bit late for the race because of the portable restroom line. My friend wanted to start the race so I said I'd meet up with her at the end of the race. I started about 2 1/2 minutes after the start gun, which actually helped me build a good pace. I did start passing a bunch of people, but with proper etiquette. Onward I went.

To make a long story short, I ran at a good pace, figuring I'd break 50 minutes but not threaten my record, but it was a great day to run and I'd also prove to myself that my 47:55 record was not a fluke. When I got to Mile 5, I felt stronger than I did at Mile 1. I guess I picked up my pace a bit, because I swear I pushed my 7:05 first mile from last week up until Mile 6 because my finish time kept getting lower and lower. With a slight pickup of pace but definitely not an all-out sprint, I ran through the finish line at 47:13, 42 seconds off of my previous record!

I'm competitive but mostly within myself, I know I'll never beat the top runners in a race. But I am pleasantly surprised to be doing as well as I am with these races. This is still a new process for me but I strive to get leaner, fitter, and become a better runner. I didn't really try for a personal record today until the end of the race, to be honest. All I was trying for is a good pace and verify my last 10K result.

The afternoon saw me venture to Murphy's Pub to watch the Pats beat the Bills 20-10. Good game with the biggest crowd of Pats fans of the season. And I got to improve my promotional skills by passing out the paper and pens for the patrons to write their names for the jersey giveaway. This weekend was good.

Do Over! 8K, Great Hike, and Northwest Yuppie Torture Chamber Run, and oh yeah a burger

2008-11-02T19:58:00.003-05:00

Lots went down this weekend. A Do Over! Race? Yup, unexpected changes to a construction zone caused the lead runners in the INOVA StarKid 8K to take a wrong turn. The race was re-started after everyone returned behind the start line. It was pretty cool to take part in a Do Over! race. Remember when you played kickball was a kid, something unexpected happens, and someone yells Do Over for the 14th time? That's kind of what it felt like, but it was for a good reason, not someone who made an out and wanted a re-do.

I got off to maybe my best start in a race yet. I felt light on my feet, strong, and ready to run quite fast, at least for me. 7:05 first mile, which is my best known 1 mile split ever. After struggling a bit up one hill, rolling my ankle at the 4 mile mark, and stopping for a second to make sure I got water down and didn't cough (I have not mastered the art of chugging a cup on water in running stride yet), I beat my previous record in an 8K race by 3 minutes, 37 seconds. 54 out of 356 runners, 6th in my division, only 1:54 behind 2nd place in my age group! I was psyched, but the day got better.

I met up with fellow blogger Charlotte for a six mile or so jaunt near Sky Meadows State park, she described it better than I could. Good times, very nice meeting up with Charlotte, I made it home in plenty of time to go to a party at friends' house to celebrate those who ran the Marine Corps Marathon. Lots of conversation, good food, while I didn't drink there was good beer, and a Texas Tech-Texas football game that was totally surreal. Great Saturday.

Normally I'm very sad when daylight savings time ends, but not today. I needed the extra sleep. I got going quite late, but after taking a eight mile detour because I forgot you can't get to Roosevelt Island by car from Rossyln, I began my task: Complete what I call the Northwest Yuppie Torture Chamber.

This involves:
- Running across Key Bridge
- 12 "laps" up the Exorcist Steps, after running 2 by 2 by 2 blocks
- Running to Wisconsin Avenue
- Running all the way up Wisconsin Avenue to the MD border at Chevy Chase Pavillion

It was tough, especially since Wisconsin Avenue is a very long hill with the steepest part just after leaving M Street, but I got through it okay. A challenging run, but not quite a killer. I called it the torture chamber simply because I expected it to be a physically punishing, draining run. Oh I was quite tired by the time I got to Tenleytown, but next time I'm going to add more distance to the run. Not sure if I'm going further to Bethesda because I don't recall sidewalks being real prevalent past the shopping center, so maybe I'll go around Fort Reno Park or add more mileage elsewhere. I've got time to think about that. Now it's just time to relax and watch the Patriots play the Colts.

Oops, forgot the burger I got at Z Burger in Tenleytown after the run. Very acceptable, but it would have been better if I passed on the jalapeno topping. That didn't sit well with my stomach but the rest of the burger was pretty good. No picture though, just take my word that it was good.

The best burrito is at ..... It's the December Election ..... Burrito Election!

2008-10-28T21:51:00.004-04:00

Okay, let's have a December Election. Not the possible runoff for the Senate seat in Georgia, but a Burrito Election. Because I said so. And because most people seem to like burritos. And it's more fun to argue about burritos than politics, which guess what Batman?! We get to argue about again in Virginia...next year! Statewide races, Governor, Delegates. Yeah, election overload.....let's talk about food.

Where is it? Chipotle, with the biggest burritos of the bunch but a bit bland in some people's mind? I know I like the burritos but find the chips (a huge food weakness of mine) very over-salted and not in a Cape Cod chips cool way. California Tortilla, the new contender on the block? They have the most variety that's for sure. I really like their Havana Chicken burritos and salads. They've moved near the top of my list recently, especially with the burrito bucks program. Moe's? Very boisterous staff, go on Mondays for the best deals, the fish burritos are really good. Qdoba? Based out of Denver, there aren't a lot of locations around here, but it makes for a great post-Shenendoah NP dinner stop, just before braving I-66. I dock points from them for discontinuing the Mole burrito though. Carlos's cart of 16th and K? Outstanding but I don't work over there anymore, I hope he's still around. That was the best, freshest, quick lunch I ever found in DC. Or is it Illegal Pete's Chicken Pesto burrito in Denver? Hint hint it's this one.

Others I have liked in the last were the Picadillo Burrito at Picante Mexican Grill in Cambridge, Viva Burrito's fish burritos in Denver, which are smaller and more of the traditional Mexican style. In Colorado ski country, Frisco, Dillon, you name it, Fiseta Jalisco's are great too, and they serve tons of chips while your dinner is cooking. If you have any other favorites, please comment on them, early and often, Daley-style. I'm always up for finding new options, and truthfully I could use the help with the independent sit-down Mexican restaurants since I usually order tostadas when I am there.

Winter, come back in a few weeks please

2008-10-28T21:33:00.003-04:00

I normally really enjoy winter. I don't know about a lot of you, but I like snow as long as I don't have to drive around DC in it. Skiing rocks, I want to go cross country skiing somewhere this year in the worst way, and one of the most enjoyable runs of last winter was down on the Southwest Waterfront in two inches of snow.

That does not mean I have enjoyed the last two days very much. I wasn't quite ready for the cold, dreary days with rain and high winds. Not yet anyway. It wouldn't surprise me if snow fell in the Poconos or even in WV. Only having a sweater for Monday's walk to get lunch was not a good thing. The temp thing by Verizon Center said 45. Bull. Tonight I ran my normal Tuesday run at a very good pace, but the conditions still sucked. For now, bring back the 60 degree days of fall. Saturday looks like just that. 8K run then hike out near Sky Meadows Park. Yeah!

Stay tuned for the December Election.......Chipotle vs California Tortilla vs Moe's vs Qdoba vs Carlos on 16th and K.

Happiness is the 171 Bus

2008-10-25T20:54:00.002-04:00

Or at least it was today. To make a long story short, I changed up my training routine because of the weather. I had been advised that the Potomac Heritage Trail is not a great place to run in wet weather. Yeah, I don't need to get hurt slipping on a wet tree root or a bunch of wet leaves. I couldn't make my fun run either since I was too tired when I woke up at 5:50 am, even if I went to bed at 10:30 the night before.

So I decided to just run down the Mount Vernon Trail a bit, and eventually end up at my gym to pick up my food from Diet to Go. There's a bus stop across the street from the gym so I figured I just needed to be at the bus stop around :35 past the hour and I'd be good to go. I ran through Belle Haven, down the trail, and then through Fort Hunt Park. Okay I got in nearly two hours of solid running in. But then I confused myself with the roads around Fort Hunt Road and ended up walking around in a circle for 45 minutes before finally figuring out that Fort Hunt Road is where I needed to go. I found my route back to the gym, but not before the skies opened up in a cold, hard, downpour.

Needless to say, I was very, very happy to find the 171 Bus to get me in a dry place for a bit. Even more so when I got off and was met with a 30 mph plus wind gust that accompanied the downpour. But it's a 5 minute walk from the bus stop to my building's front door, so I dried off, hopped in the shower, and headed to a pre-marathon pasta party. Good times, I am really looking forward to cheering on runners tomorrow.

Half Marathon Training

2008-10-19T20:46:00.002-04:00

Okay, the half marathon is less than 4 weeks away, and I've run more than 13.1 miles in one day once in my life. But after the Army Ten Miler, I was tired but definitely had 3.1 more miles in me should the circumstances have required it. I'd like to get in a couple of 12-15 mile runs before November 15 just for comfort, but when can I fit this in? Weeknights? Not happening, I'm way too tired after the workday. The most I've run midweek is (I believe) 9. Weekends? Possible. Here's the training schedule I've set up for weekends:

Sat Oct 25: 3-4 mile group run, run as much of this as I can, hike the rest if I get tired.

Sun Oct 26: Off day, cheering on fellow runners at the Marine Corps Marathon, then Pats game at Murphy's Pub vs the suddenly dangerous St. Louis Rams.

Sat Nov 1: 8K for INOVA Hospital, then a hike somewhere around Sky Meadows State Park, since I'm halfway there already.

Sun Nov 2: If I'm going to get in the 12-15 mile run, it's probably today.

Sat Nov 8: Long run or hike near Shenandoah NP, it's the last day of daylight savings time after all. Cry knowing daylight savings time is over. I'm kidding!

Sun Nov 9: Veterans Day 10K.

Week before race, taper off distances quite bit.

I know doing lots of hiking may not seem like ideal training for a half marathon, but it does keep me aerobically fit, and I ran a ton, partially because I couldn't hike much, to get ready for Pikes Peak and it worked just fine.

Back on the hiking trail!

2008-10-19T20:32:00.003-04:00

I'll be exhausted at work tomorrow, especially if the Red Sox game takes too long, but I was very happy to hit the hiking trails again. I hiked a loop similar to the Tuscaora Trail / Overall Run loop today, although I went down the Weddlewoods Trail before hitting the Heiskel Hollow Trail. Great hike, probably 9-10 miles, with some steep climbs. The waterfalls were barely visible or audible but I saw some good views of the Massanutten Range to the west.

Some other random things I saw:

- A Sunoco station that would not take cards, the first I've experienced
- A Questar? food stop that looked like it had some okay pork sandwiches
- I-66 was actually in decent shape until Reston, when it morphed into its usual bleep a hundred times over self
- A deer on the trail heading down from Skyline Drive
- About 18 dry streambeds
- A VA State trooper with his lights off in the same place in the mixing bowl they always are
- A medical helicopter, ambulance, and Warren County Cop car on US 340 South for some reason. Unknown, since there was no car wreck, another hiker saw it and wondered if someone in the hillside houses had a heart attack. They waved us through in under a minute so I wonder if it was a drill.
- There's not a lot to Front Royal, even if I didn't drive US 340 north through the whole town.

I'm hoping to get out hiking a couple more times this fall. We'll see how the calendar works out.

Colds are as irratating as hell - more hiking plans

2008-10-18T11:53:00.003-04:00

While the current cold isn't near thsi one, it's still a PITA nonetheless. I ended up missing a group run this morning since my head was congested and my throat was bugging me, so I slept in for 11 hours since I was totally wiped out. Now I don't really have much of a cough, but I hate having to take it really easy so I can make good use of tomorrow, especially since daylight savings time ends on November 8.

Hey, Maryland's about to kick off vs Wake Forest! Hopefully Bill doesn't get into Express' blog Log for the third time since he won't have to rant since the Terps played better but this will be tough. I can watch that for a bit.

This cold is like most I get, weakens me just enough so I can't do what I want to do, but never makes me sick enough to make me sleep off an entire day. The latter is probably better for longer term health. But oh well. I'll take another nap today since if I actually want to stay up for tonight's Red Sox game I'll need it. Even on weekends, unless I'm out I'm hardly ever up past midnight and the game won't get over until at least then.

Besides, more sleep means I can actually take advantage of what's supposed to be the better of the two weekend days and get a hike in. I haven't figured out where I'm going yet but it will come in due time. Rock for the Terps! 7-0 early lead, Darius Heyward-Bey is the best player on the field, and they're getting him the ball!

Add TR Island to Fort Marcy trail run/hike to my planned adventures, this is next Saturday's project. A dry week of weather is expected and everyone who's been on this trail has told me it's real slick in wet weather, so I put this off one more week so it's real dry when I run on it.

I hope this cold is gone by next Sunday, since I'm going to Crystal City to cheer on my friends that are running the Marine Corps Marathon. A lot of us who aren't running are going to cheer those who are. It's the least I can do for the running community. But I don't want to give anyone my cold.

I must go and finally decide where I'm hiking tomorrow.

Sometimes you need a three day weeekend to recover from a three day weekend

2008-10-14T21:24:00.004-04:00

Since I'm tired and sleepy, I'll run through what I did this three day weekend.

Friday night: went to the gym, then to Momo's on U Street in DC. Night before party for people like me who are fans of the United States National Soccer Team. Good time, got to see some of the Sox game too.

Saturday: woke up at 8:15, ate three pieces of toast and chugged a Powerade, barely making it to my friend's house for a ten mile run at 9. Finished the run, ate dinner, watched some football, and went to the World Cup Qualifier. USA is on to the final qualifying round in the CONCACAF region after pounding Cuba 6-1. Awesome seeing friends, tailgating for a bit, and seeing the win most importantly. Not even the pizza place off Potomac Avenue trying to charge us extra to sit down and eat put a damper on the night.

Sunday: woke up, chilled, went for a 2 hour plus trail run at Great Falls Park and Riverbend Park, VA. It was one of those times where I wanted to leave by a certain time, but got into a groove running and kept on going until I got tired. Then I walked back to my car and went towards home. I had a good time at Murphys on Sunday even though the Pats got their asses handed to them by the Chargers.

Monday: slept in, did little before going to the gym, then the Caps game. A 5-1 demolition of Vancouver, they were outshooting the Canucks 25-3 after two periods! Michael Nylander scored on a penalty shot and assisted on at least two goals, Alexander Semin had two sweet goals, and the Caps did this without getting much from Ovechkin at all, save for a couple of crushing hits. He had an off night and the Caps still dominated. A good sign for them going forward.

More future events, I want to get some hiking in this fall in the worst way. Some of the trips I plan to take are:

- Part of Ashby Gap to Chester Gap
- Sky Meadows State Park
- Harpers Ferry / Maryland Heights again
- White Oak Canyon link, link
- Old Rag Mountain
- The Priest Mountain

If anyone has any other suggestions for me to hike in the area, please leave comments, I'm always open to new trails.

Jon Lester Rules The World Once Again

2008-10-02T20:36:00.002-04:00

I cannot stay up to watch baseball games that start at 10 pm on a weeknight. Not when a busy job calls the next morning. I fell asleep last night just after the Red Sox fell behind 1-0. After Jed Lowrie's error, I said to myself, tough break, I wasn't expecting them to win this series, I just hope that he doesn't let it get to him. Well, he led off the two run ninth inning with a single, so it didn't phase him. And Jon Freaking Lester! Clutch. Seven innings of one run baseball for the win. This kid just gets better and better, and has been the Sox' number one pitcher this season. Awesome start!

Tomorrow night is a 9:30 start and a late night, seeing as Dice K is starting (He's had a great year but he throws tons of pitches per inning) and playoff games have longer Tv timeouts, and it'll be 1:30 or late before the game ends. It's either Southside or home for me. And lots of sleeping on Saturday, seeing as I'm taking part in the Army Ten Miler on Sunday.

Go Red Sox! And Jon Lester rules the world.

Does it really feel like this area has already seen a year's average precipitation?

2008-09-29T21:12:00.003-04:00

I honestly forget where I read this, and can't find it now, but an article somewhere said that at National Airport, where the official totals for DC are measured, a year's average precipitation of 38 inches has already fallen since January 1. I'm sorry but it doesn't seemed like we've seen that much rain this season. It was tougher for me to think of the 2-3 memorable thunderstorms and/or downpours that I've seen than in previous years. I remember the yellow and black sky above my work one afternoon, and the torrential storm that caused a three hour delay in the third attempt to play the D.C. united - Houston Dynamo match. But that's it. Nothing like the storm that I though was going to prevent me from driving the last mile home from Telegraph and Huntington.

I don't even remember all that many heavy rainstorms, maybe a series of them in July? Snow? Are you freaking kidding me? DC area peeps, have we really gotten that much rain this year? Is it ever going to snow here in the winter again?

Another Obliterated Personal Record, this time in a 10K!

2008-09-28T16:47:00.003-04:00

Okay, this is my first year racing so it's almost a guarantee that Personal Records are going to fall. But I didn't expect my record in a 10K to fall by 3 minutes 39 seconds either. Heck that's a pitching change for some baseball teams (more on baseball later).

I had a goal today to break the 50 minute barrier for a 10K race. In the first annual Dash For Dad race for prostate cancer I broke the barrier with room to spare! Without having to crank it up with a near sprint at the end! Which was a good thing because I was very tired from
the race and crossing the Eisenhower Avenue bridge over Telegraph Road for the second time of the day. This bridge is nowhere near as long as the Navy Bridge was in Annapolis, but it's fairly steep for a benign-looking bridge on the east (start of race) side.

No drama with almost missing the race, needing a portable facility before the race, just a very fast (for me) pace throughout. I didn't really drop off pace-wise until maybe the very end, when I was really tired and knew I had run much faster than 50 minutes. Final chip time, 47:55, a 7:43 pace. I'm ecstatic with that! 3:39 off my previous best time at this distance! I finished 11th out of 33 male runners in my age group, 51st out of 195 male runners, and 57th out of 367 runners overall. Not bad for someone who only wins a race when everyone ahead of me gets disqualified! I rarely toot my own horn, but I'm proud of what I did today.

I'm not going to run as many races next year, I'm going to focus mostly on ones I really liked this year and races that raise funds for charity. The Dash for Dad stays on the list! I want to see if I can beat 47:55 next year!

Baseball note: Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers on making the playoffs for the first time since 1982! Ryan Braun's eighth inning home run gave the Brew Crew the lead, hitting it halfway to Green Bay in the process. Viva Brew Crew! Enjoy the ride.

Pictures Fixed!

2008-09-22T22:18:00.000-04:00

Pictures fixed! Descriptions/titles to come as time allows.

Colorado Pictures are now up online!

2008-09-21T22:24:00.004-04:00

COLORADO PICTURES! And yes, Charlotte Harris, they include a picture of the cheeseburger from My Brother's Bar! he he

NOTE: The pictures in their current form are smaller than they need to be. When I get home tonight I will edit them so they are bigger and more viewable. It's all part of a learning process.

Obliteration of a Personal Record (PR) - NOLA 5K

2008-09-20T15:41:00.004-04:00

The New Orleans Rebirth 5K Run was this morning in Alexandria. I had also signed up for the ten mile training run beforehand but was legitimately too tired from the week to get up that early and run. Also, I am not a really fast runner, so if I had a couple bad miles at the start of the training run, I would be looking at cutting that short just to get to the race in time. As it turns out I had to hurry up just to get there, more on that later.

I did get about 9-10 miles of running in between the race and running to and from the race location. But, even with a bit of extra sleep, I was running really late to drive to Belle Haven Marina, where I was going to park because it would force me to run to and from the race. I went out of my house, started to drive there, then realized I had to turn around because I forgot my timing chip! Oops #1. Construction forcing me to go around and take another road. Oops #2. it's 8:21, I'm 3 miles or so from the race location, I better haul ass to get there. So here I am, eating a Clif bar while I'm running like mad to make sure I get there. Made it with 15 minutes to spare, stretched a bit, saw a lot of my friends from the running group, and decided to run this race hard.

Hard, as in I'm going to really push to get a great time, instead of running it for fun. I got into the competitive mood after running pretty hard to get to the race: fear of missing the start time, especially for a 5K, is a great motivator!!! So the race starts on a flat stretch of road that I had run south to north plenty of time, this was the other way around. I know I was passing a lot of people, but when I got to mile marker 1, I was under 7:30 in "crossed sensor mat, started watch" time, which is really fast for me. After cruising up the short hill just aftwerwards, I decided to go for broke and try for a personal record.

Did I get it? I got some water at mile 2, a friend from the Fun Run group was handing some out (I will be returning the favor in many events in a couple months). I'm hauling still, with no letup at all pace-wise. That was really encouraging since I have sagged in that aspect in some races, hello W&OD Trail 10K! I looked at my watch as mile marker 3 approached and realized that unless I tore a hamstring, which was slightly tight to tell you the truth, the personal record was mine! It was just a matter of how much I would break it by.

I didn't go into quite a sprint at the end, but I did pick up my pace. I crossed the finish line in just over 24:00, which would be a PR. My estimated sensor to sensor time was 23:12, 1:23 better than my previous record! I was estatic, especially to set it in a race to benefit New Orleans. I finished the day by running back to my car at Belle Haven, joining many of the people from Fun Run group who were getting in extra training miles.

I'm happy with my day. But it's gorgeous out, it's 4:10 pm, so I'm going to head back outside and walk around somewhere, if not run again.

Sometimes you gain by not winning the game

2008-09-20T13:57:00.008-04:00

I babbled about whether or not winning is beneficial in certain circumstances three years ago. While Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart are still somewhat unproven in the NFL, there are two franchises in a different sport that IMHO gain by losing this weekend. Two of the worst teams in Major League Baseball, the San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals, are playing this weekend. Last night, the Padres won to move one game ahead of the Nationals in the standings. Why should anyone care? Heck, Bill commented in another online forum:

"If 500 people are left in attendance they ought to be given something for having nothing better to do than to sit through this." The Padres had just taken the lead in the 14th inning when he wrote that.

Why? Because Stephen Strasburg, a college pitcher with a 100 mph fastball and a better curveball (his best pitch!) is available to be drafted by the team who ends up with the worst record in baseball. The Seattle Mariners have the inside track right now, they are one half game "behind" the Nationals, and have the play a series against the Angels next week. Yeah, I think both the Padres and Nationals would gain more by losing their remaining games, a lot more. We'll worry about the fact that Scott Boras will be Strasburg's agent when the time comes. That won't be an issue if Seattle has the top pick.

Why do I keep losing stuff?

2008-09-20T13:41:00.002-04:00

If someone asks me what one of my weaknesses is, it's a simple answer if I'm not in an interview situation: I keep losing things for no apparent reason. I think I need two hands to count how many Smartrip cards I've lost in the past two years. Not only that, but I've lost them in every way conceivable: Fell out of my pocket while I was riding my bike, sitting down in the Rosslyn CVS re-organizing stuff in my wallet/Camelback (I was returning from running the Georgetown steps). There's more, one fell out of my bag when I was on the shuttle bus to Metro, I realized it was gone after the shuttle was already gone, and by the time I called the complex it was already gone, not to be returned. I lost another one by some method that I forget. I've lost one fob since my complex introduced them in March. And after my first race in March, I lost my car keys.

If anyone sees this, do you lose stuff all the time too?

Prayers for Galveston

2008-09-11T22:02:00.002-04:00

I'm not religious at all, but I think I need to say a prayer for Galveston, Texas tonight and tomorrow. CNN just reported that residents in one and two story homes are facing "certain death" if they do not evacuate. Sounds like this could really be 1900 all over again. Please, whatever lord you worship, let's hope not.

Stay safe and sound, Texas

2008-09-10T22:28:00.001-04:00

Thinking of Texas, stay safe.

If you're a Patriots fan, you may want to read this

2008-09-09T08:55:00.003-04:00

I know the blog title is a bit cumbersome, but calling it jeffinalexandria wouldn't really differentiate it from other Jeffs and blogs now would it? http://patsblogfromalexandriava.blogspot.com is my little blog about the New England Patriots, who I will never abandon. I was on the bandwagon for the 2-14 and 1-15 seasons of 20-25 years ago and aren't jumping off just because Brady's out for the season.

Colorado Trip - Report 5 - My Best Pikes Peak Challenge Yet

2008-09-07T21:05:00.002-04:00

Okay so I'm back in VA, back at a computer. Here's Part 5 of my trip. Friday involved driving down to Colorado Springs for the hike. After my struggles to find a bank or just an ATM near the US Olympic Center, where the pre-hike rally was, I was finally able to get my pledges for the hike in and was ready to go. There was a really inspiring presentation by one of the people helped by the BIAC. She suffered a tremendous brain injury during the Salt Lake City tornado of 1999, and still suffers from disabilities from it to this day. She is not deterred from rehab though, and has downhill skied and participated in yesterday's hike.

Before going to the rally, I checked into my hotel in Manitou Springs and got to walk around a little bit. With all the hills and inclines in the town, if I lived there I would be twenty pounds down beyond what I've already lost this year!!!! A great, funky little town, with lots of cool shops, t shirt shops that aren't tacky, a great pizza place called Marylin's (named after Monroe) with an old school cassette deck boombox for the music. And an old school arcade to boot. Dig Dug and Donkey Kong are great ways to kill a half hour on a cloudy day while waiting for check in time. Pictures of Manitou to come.

The hike: All that running I've done in the blast furnace of VA/DC/MD? Even if the hills are small, but often one after another? Paid off. Big Time! Made it to Barr Camp, 7 miles out of 13, in exactly 3 hours hiking time. The next 6 miles are steeper for the most part and at higher altitude. in previous years, it would take me 5 hours or more for this stretch? This year? 3 hours 35 minutes not counting eating/discussion with other hikers breaks. 6 hours 35 minutes total hiking time, nearly, if not more than 2 hours faster than two years ago! The last mile only took me 40 minutes, from mile 12-13 35 minutes! I'm no super fast hiker by any means, but in previous editions of this hike I would take ten steps and have to stop once I got to the last few miles. Not this year. In fact, the one stretch where I was feeling tired came from mile 9 or so to the A Frame treeline shelter. To top it all off, my legs didn't feel heavy at all when I got to the summit. I was tired of course, but a lot more tired after my near 15 mile run at sea level 10 days or so ago.

The cause: Benefiting brain injury research and prevention is something that is very important to me. I've been fortunate not to have suffered one, but know others who have had these injuries. I also work at an agency that works with a lot of returning service personnel with brain injuries and helps them transition into civilian life should they leave the service and/or are getting ready to leave. Hearing about how Pikes Peak Challenge hike participants take part in the grueling hike and other physical challenges inspire me to no end. After hearing about how brave they are to take part after dealing with injuries far beyond what I have ever suffered: yeah, I ain't gonna bitch if my foot hurts or I twist my ankle, or even have a stomachache. Anything I have had to come back from has been extremely relatively minor. I am very happy that the money I raised went to help those who have suffered brain injuries.

The return trip home: locals, please don't get upset with me for what I'm about to say. I did not want to get on the plane to DFW and then to DC today. I realized how much I missed being out west. But I will move forward, back to work tomorrow, spin class on Monday, running on Tuesday, Thursday, and whenver else I fit running in. Back to humidity I guess.

Colorado Trip - Report 4 - glaciers and good times

2008-09-05T11:27:00.002-04:00

A bit less total hiking yesterday, most of it near St. Mary's Glacier, near Idaho Springs. I climbed up most of the way to the top of the ice field (it's not really a glacier since it's stationery) off the rocks to the side, but did not go to the top since I really didn't want to twist an ankle going down two days before the big hike.

After a brief visit to the town of Alice, no restaurant there, I ate lunch in Idaho Springs. Then I decided to go to Central City for a bit. Since my rental company gave me a Suzuki SUV (which I normally would NEVER drive but it was my best option), I figured I'd try Virginia Canyon Road, County Road 279, Prospectors Highway, but the unofficial name is Oh My God Road. Well, it's called that for a reason. That used to be the only way to get from the two cities. I chickened out after the first two miles and turned around and went back down another road. It's even scarier going from Central City to Idaho Springs from what I gather.

The link above described the Central City casinos as decrepit. I respectfully disagree. Black Hawk, just down the road, is a lot more spiffy, with facy looking parking garage, newer brick buildings, but notice the new brick buildings. Central City is an old mining city with a lot of cool victorian houses and has a feel of an old town trying to revitalize itself. They even have an opera house. Black Hawk's too new for me.

I rarely gamble but decided to stop in Doc Holliday's Casino to play a couple slots for fun. I only lost $1 gambling in very low stakes slots, and even that was more of a goodwill gesture loss at a slot machine that I had no clue how to play since they found my apartment key that I dropped while reaching for my money. Great staff, they even offered me a drink even though I played slots for less than 5 minutes. I respectfully declined since I had to drive home.

I met up with some more friends at the British Bulldog Pub in Denver. Enjoyed a couple stout beers, some food, and we watched a soccer match, the Colorado Rapids beat FC Dallas 1-0 on a perfectly executed corner kick. Good times all around, I head down to Colorado Springs in about an hour for the grand finale of the trip. I DO NOT WANT to go back to VA right now.

Colorado Trip - Report 3 - DNS = Did Not Summit

2008-09-03T22:07:00.002-04:00

Two hours into my hike I started asking myself did I really want to push forward 45-60 more minutes, when I was meeting friends later that afternoon? When I started asking myself that, I answered my own question. I turned around after 2 hours, still happy with the climb and with the very limited if any effects of being at 11,500 to 13,700 or so feet above sea level. Guanella Pass is as mind-numbingly beautiful as ever (more pictures), I got down to the parking lot before the weather got dicey, and the Burgers at My Brother's Bar are as great as ever. I took part in the new DC rage of taking pictures of burgers before eating them, and I will add that to the picture library.

Tomorrow's a light hike before meeting up with people in the city. Should be fun.

Colorado Trip - Report 2 - some old favorites

2008-09-02T22:16:00.002-04:00

None of the people I was going to meet up with this week are free tonight so I'm going to pass out in a few minutes. Before that, I hiked two old favorite local to Denver mountains today. Mount Morrison is just above quite possibly the greatest place on earth, Red Rocks. The first link is the best description of the trail I can find online, although the barbed wire fence isn't there anymore. This was a tough one hour climb, with more scrambling on rocks than I am comfortable with. But oh well, it was easier for me physically than it was on Thanksgiving Day 2005 when I climbed it last. Yeah, running a lot in the Old Dominioven helps with conditioning.

The way down, let's say I continued my tradition of losing the path, and having to slide down half the mountain on my butt to avoid stumbling, or worse, kicking over rocks that will fall a lot. Fortunately this is the only trail where I was always lose the path. I snapped a few photos that will come soon to a Flickr site near you. Including one of me snapped by a young lady who moved to Colorado from New Jersey and never wants to go back. Heck, can I move back to Colorado?

The second hike of the day was a five minute drive south of Red Rocks at Mount Falcon Open Space Park. I went up and down the Castle Trail with a side trip to the Walker ruins, which was intended to be a Summer White House. Good, quick hike that took just over two hours if you take away the lunch time, 5.6 miles in all.

I must go pass out now at 8:30 after a short swim in the hotel pool if I want to get up early enough to attempt a 14er, Mount Bierstadt. If I don't get up early enough, there are oh about 150,000 other trails I can hike. As long as I keep with the plan to go higher in altitude with each day, and I'm back in town by 4 pm to meet up with friends. It all depends on when I wake up, I'm doing my best to go with the flow and not over-plan and force myself to adhere to an exact schedule like living in DC forces you to over half the time.

Colorado Trip - Report 1 - real back roads

2008-09-01T23:48:00.002-04:00

SuperShuttle got me there just after 7:30 am, tons of time to spare, flight to Colorado Springs via DFW uneventful. As was getting the rental car. I start driving up into the mountains on US 24, since I decided to take the slow, scenic route to Denver, and I'm already tempted to get out the boots and start hiking. But I decided after 9 hours in/on terminals/plane/rental car lines I'm not going to do that. I did walk around a small town called Green Mountain Falls for a bit, but I did miss the Kermit the Frog Mountain on 24 west. Walked a short road and pedestrian only road to get a limited view of the falls themselves, but had neither time nor hiking shoes to start hiking up the mountain. So on to Woodland Park I went, where I found a City Market to get some bread to make sandwiches for this week's hikes, and some disposable cameras. I took several pictures of an awesome shot of Pikes Peak that I will share when I get back to VA and have them developed.

After leaving Woodland Park, I took Colorado Route 67 north to the tiny town of Deckers. And I mean tiny, a couple houses, one bar, and ice cream shop. Before I got there, I drove through a good part of the site of the Hayman Fire, which was so large and vicious it turned the sky in Aurora, CO, at least miles away, near black at 4 pm the first day it really spread. Six years later, you can still see how the reforestation process is just beginning.

At Deckers, I took a right towards Sedalia then stayed on the road towards US 285. South Platte River Road became North Platte River Road (unpaved) then South Platte River Road (unpaved). This was a real, real, unpaved, narrow back road that followed the South Platte River but went on forever. I passed about 20 camping spots and portable bathrooms. This would be a great road to go 4 wheeling and/or mountain biking on, driving, not so much. But it feels great to be out in Colorado again, and was awesome to be in the mountains, even if I don't start hiking until tomorrow. I even got a shot of the old South Platte Hotel where the north and south forks of the South Platte River meet. Read more about this wonderful river. The hotel was an old railroad hostel, and I have a picture where it's not flooded. When I get back to VA, right now I'm tired and need sleep.

Thinking of the Gulf Coast

2008-08-31T20:45:00.002-04:00

We're all thinking of you as Gustav approaches. Stay safe and sound.

The Human Race in Arlington

2008-08-31T20:42:00.002-04:00

A couple of people from the Fun Runs out of Pacers Running Stores in Alexandria showed up to run the same run as I did. There were 20-25 people total, Pacers did a fantastic job putting this together. Running through the small but numerous hills of Arlington was a challenge but I'm glad I did it. Not a great time should the race had been timed, but considering I walked a little of the course because of cramps, it's all good. Yup, the Custis bike/running trail is one small hill after another.

Trail run in Great Falls - good but tiring

2008-08-30T19:33:00.002-04:00

I went on a trail run of about 75-80 minutes through Great Falls Park, as well as not only the Difficult Run Trail outside the park but a private horse trail that I didn't know was private until I reached the end. The "owner" really needs to put the Private sign on the Old Dominion Road side of the trail if he/she doesn't want people doing what I did (unintentionally of course). Hiked the mile or two back to my car since I was tired, happy with what I ran especially after yesterday's run.

All and all a good day. One of the reasons why I pay $59.99 a month for an all clubs (35 in the area) membership at Gold's Gym is, well I can use tons of them. There was one on my way to do some shopping, in South Arlington. So I decided to ride the bike for a bit to get the lactic acid out of my legs, and do some abdominal work. South Arlington Gold's, you have big TVs in the cardio area, big plus. You are lacking in abdominal equipment though. However, I was very pleased to find out I'm even lighter than I thought. I had drank a bunch of water after my run to re-hydrate, but weighed in at 25-28 pounds less than I was on January 1. The lightest I've weighed in at in a long time, maybe since college! Of course I probably added a pound or two after dinner at Don Pablo's but I could have done worse food wise and a slight weight gain happens after dinner.

Tonight it's pack for Colorado and watch a little college football. Every year I tell myself I'm going to jettison my cable television. Then football season starts.

I may be officially insane - almost 15 miles last night

2008-08-30T09:17:00.002-04:00

I used some comp time to leave work early yesterday since I will be too busy to use it when I return from Colorado. Not that work isn't always busy but there's more going on than ever. I decided to go on a nice long run, probably longer than I had ever run before. With the half marathon coming up, I decided it was time to push myself. I decided to run from Belle Haven to Mount Vernon on the Mount Vernon Trail. That's right, close to 15 miles, it's about .3 miles or so, maybe a bit longer to the mile 7 marker. I went all the way up to mile zero and back. And up it is. No real steep hills, but the descriptions that describe the trail as flat aren't being totally accurate. Lots of small climbs involved. It took me longer to run the we'll say 14.5 miles than I thought it would, seeing as it wasn't hot but quite humid, and I wasn't in a hurry.

I finished the run between 14.5 and 15 miles, could have run a bit more to make it 15 but I said screw it, I've run enough and my legs got heavy 4 miles ago. Longest run of my life, so I was glad it was over. I know I can push myself more and more without being insane. Or did I say I was insane already? I'm going to go for a nice little trail run in Great Falls Park, on the VA side and use my pass, still not willing to deal with the crowds on the MD side. Parking shouldn't be an issue as I imaging a lot of people got out of town even with gas prices being so high. Sunday is the Nike Human Race 10K in Arlington, we'll that's a fun run and a chance to meet some new folks. I may have to pass on a Sunday night party since I have to leave for the Metro at 7 am to go to the airport Monday.

9:50 am - this time next week, at 7:50 am, I will be somewhere around Barr Camp, halfway up Pikes Peak, as part of the Pikes Peak Challenge. Life is good.

Well, Axl Rose, if it hadn't taken you over 10 years to get this out...........

2008-08-27T22:26:00.002-04:00

Then maybe no one would have felt the need to try to pull the Napster of this late decade. Are we going to see this Chinese Democracy album or real democracy in China first? The jury's still out. BTW, if you think Metallica's last few albums have sucked, Listen to this, it definitely does not suck. This song is on tap for tomorrow night.

Annapolis 10 Miler - Completed and HIGHLY recommended

2008-08-24T15:08:00.003-04:00

Before I talk about the race itself, I'll talk about what could have been. I was running later than I thought I would in terms of getting up to Annapolis, and to boot I thought I was ready to go but forgot my sunglasses. A five minute delay caused by me going back to get them could have saved me a lot of headaches as it turned out. I was delayed a bit on the Beltway by a nasty car wreck that required multiple ambulances and police cars. Had I not had that last delay I would have been right in that area where the wreck happened. Whew!

They had a running expo where I picked up my registration packet, picked up some running tights for cooler temps for 1/3 of what they normally cost. Also picked up a couple of Under Armour tops for cheap and a pair of Adidas running shoes for $30, continuing my mantra of if you get them for ridiculously cheap get them and save them for later. Hotel was okay but breakfast started at 7, race starts at 7:45. Damn. Had to drive out to Giant to get some bananas, gotta have the potassium.

Race morning, other than the traffic to Navy Marine Corps Stadium (which is smaller than I figured it would be but I think they took out seats in one of the end zones - the seats look like they're on top of the action though) everything went well. I decided to take it as more of an experimental race since a ten miler is a new distance for me, there were lots of hills, and I was trying out a new running belt that holds small water bottles.

Well, I lost about 3 minutes or so because I had to fix stuff with the belt and shorts (just like Rockville) but that was cool. The hills weren't ridiculously steep save for a small one after crossing the Navy Bridge into Severn, but there were a lot of them. Not to mention crossing the same bridge twice, followed by an uphill stretch at mile 9 that we didn't run down on the way there. The final rough count: 1 hour 37 minutes 10 seconds. Not a great pace for me by any means, but it was the longest race for me yet, and as I said earlier, it was an experiment just as much as it was a race. Keeping in mind the time I lost, the hills, and the fairly high humidity, and I was pleased with the day. My legs didn't start to feel heavy until mile 8 or so, good sign. I was able to run harder than I had been towards the finish line to finish strong, another good sign.

I definitely recommend this race to people. There are reasons why the 5,500 participant limit fills up in barely over a week, if that. It's a very professional operation with tons of water stops. And there were plenty of neighbors who squirted us with hoses (and the runoff water all seemed to go downslope somewhere for re-use!). I love the running jacket I got as a premium for finishing too! The city's also pleasant, reminded me of a smaller Old Town Alexandria with Boston-style, not straight, cobblestone streets. Tons of people there, no shortage of places to eat. A worthwhile weekend for sure.

Tough Hills Right Across From Belle Haven Country Club

2008-08-22T22:14:00.003-04:00

Ticked off that you can't afford to, or have no desire to go become a member of Belle Haven Country Club? Have no fear, come run the hills across Fort Hunt Road with me! Come on, all six of them so you can suffer with me! Here is a map of the area, which is just east of Richmond Highway (Route 1). I cross Richmond Highway, which requires care, caution, and waiting for the walk light. You can park at the parking area off the GW Parkway and run up Belle Haven Road to Fort Run. In fact Belle Haven is one of the hills.

It's a Six Hill Course that I call the Suffering Six. You run up and down each one. Run them in any order, but considering I'm coming from the west, I usually go:

1. Woodmont - the small circle where it meets Hunting Cove and Vernon is the end of the hill, probably the longest of the six.

2. Hunting Cove - a steep but short one.

3. Edgehill - see #2.

4. Glen / Summit - run up one side of the Y shaped confluence of roads, turn on the straight road then run down the other side.

5. Belle Haven - probably the steepest, run it up to Radcliff where the hill ends.

6. Windsor - the grand finale, run to the intersection with Olmi Landrith Drive. Instead of running down Windsor, you can substitute continuing on Windsor, take a right on Tally Ho, then run up Foxcroft.

You've earned that beer and dinner after running these hills. Don't believe me? Run them with me. It won't be a fast run, but it will be a tough, demanding, hills workout that you'll be glad you did when you're done.

Latest Personal Running Tour: Shaw, Howard University, and Georgia Avenue

2008-08-15T21:18:00.003-04:00

After zig zagging through the National Mall and Chinatown, I decided to run up 6th Street instead of past the Convention Center on 7th. I got to run through parts of the historic Shaw Neighborhood (great old school row houses), the east side of the U Street Corridor (lots of newly redone row houses), Howard University (attractive campus I must say and a great school), the Children's Medical Center Complex, and then up Georgia Avenue, where I went into the Petworth Metro Station and promptly fell asleep on the train back to the gym. Yay being over-tired!

Future races on the docket:

Annapolis Ten Miler
Army Ten Miler
Richmond Half Marathon

Pikes Peak Hike in 3 Weeks

Looking forward to my first visit to Annapolis and my second to Richmond. There are some other races I will be running in, I'll post about them as I sign up. I'm also thinking of making this pretty much a running blog with some forays into hiking. I've been running steadily since December of 2006 and am now hooked like I was on skiing in Colorado. Some days I feel like I'm getting better, some days I don't. But I'm down close to 20 pounds since January 1, and will run my ass off in the late calendar year to prevent the late year weight gain.

However, after the half marathon, I'm going to stop racing for 3-4 months and volunteer at some races instead. The running community has given a ton to me in my brief time in it, so I want to give something back.

Vacation's over, back in Alexandria

2008-08-12T21:16:00.003-04:00

Vacation with friends and family was a wonderful experience. Friday night I met up with my two closet friends from high school. Awesome to get together with them at the 99 Restaurant in Lowell, MA. Cool to find out that they are into NY State, PA, and NJ now since the food's always good, the popcorn is always plentiful, and whenever I've had beer there (I did not on Friday) it's kicked butt. Just beware the Charlestown location has had some shady activities happen on the premises. :D (not by staff). The important thing was catching up with my buddies, both of them are new fathers. WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!

From Saturday through today I spent my time in Ossipee Lake, NH and Eliot, ME. I have three nephews, aged 14, 12, and 7. The youngest had his birthday party on Sunday in Maine. Good times all around, got to see all three of them kneeboard, water ski, and/or tube, questionable weather or not. I got my running in too, including at least a 9 mile run that included a run into the Ossipee Mountains. I found a road that would take me halfway up the mountain to a place I'd never been even if I had spent a lot of 15 plus summers at Ossipee Lake. Steep climb, check. 90 minutes plus run, check. Great view of a mountainside over a pond, all enclosed in fog, I wish I had a camera since I never get to places like that anymore. Check.

Cool times with family, who were thrilled to see me. Double check. The only drawback was I left my blue Asics hat in New Hampshire. Ah, I'll get it mailed to me. I got to go to the ice cream place we always went to too, one scoop there = three everywhere else. Great times. Now back to work.

First trip up hills of neighboorhood of youth in at least ten years

2008-08-08T15:42:00.002-04:00

It's probably been closer to fifteen years since I went up to some of the hills up the street from where I grew up. These hills were on streets in Dracut, MA (see the roads just north of Thompson Lane and close to Whortle-Berry Hill. I'm a better runner and more fit than I was for most of my childhood so I was interested to find out if the hills I used to think were tough to pedal a bike up were still daunting. Nope, like speed bumps, most of the streets hadn't changed at all.

When I went into the State Forest I came up to a trail junction right after I got off one of the paved residential roads. I thought to myself, uum I know they've built houses since I left Dracut but this is awfully close for the trails to meet up. Oh crap, the old pond I used to get in trouble for skating on in the winter is right in front of me! I used to remember hiking in a short bit to get there. The trail and unpaved road I ran on in the forest was quite steep so I got my hills workout in.

Not looking forward to seeing the pond I described above should I go for another run tomorrow before heading up to Ossipee Lake, New Hampshire for a couple days with my family. It was a lot smaller than I remember and much, much dirtier. Nothing more than a tan-brown breeding ground for mosquitoes now. I remember the water and ground being a very dark color.

Looking forward to meeting up with my two closest friends from high school in a couple hours. It's been fun so far, now I'm just chilling out a bit.

Dear Brett Favre,

2008-08-07T20:23:00.002-04:00

I wanted to take a moment in my busy schedule to welcome you to your new surroundings. Heck, I wanted to do this so much I am going on four hours of sleep instead of six when I have a 7 am flight to catch......because I really want to do this. See, you need to be welcomed into your new world a.k.a. as AFC East. This is a far different world than you are used to in near-tropical Mississippi of the Frozen Tundera of Lambeau Field. So I wanted to welcome you.

Out of the kindness of my heart, I will present you with a brief overview of the occupants of your new hood. That or I want to punish you and the media for creating a 40 day opera out of your garbage way to get out of Sconnie, I forget which. We'll start with Miami. Don Johnson is no longer the King Johnson, Dwayne is. Mercury Morris is still a cokehead who needs to get his ass whooped but he doesn't play defensive back so you don't need to worry about him. Jason Taylor's dancin' in Washington, so you will have pulled this I quit / not I don't quit crap three more times before the Dolphins are even back to mediocre.

Buffalo, a city on a nice big lake. Maybe a bit like your old friends Detroit. But you see Brett, we don't play nice in the northeast like they do in the midwest. You won't get greeted by Viking Mascots, Cheesheads, or other polite midwesterners. If you're fortunate, they'll stick to snowballs. 20 degrees and 40 miles per hour winds are not as pleasant when the home crowd doesn't worship you, so I thought i would let you know because you're in a good mood.

Your new home fans will call you Broadway Brett, Brett. Until you throw five intereceptions in a game. Then they will give you a more traditional New York / New Jersey salute, you know the one where you think they've lost four fingers. You like to improvise on the football field. But guess what Brett, your c-list actor doughboy coach does not. He is systematic. And he knows defense, I'll give him that. But offense isn't his thing, and he's the boss. And you're under a far less forgiving microscope know, but we've discussed that.

Finally the last team and neighboor in your new hood. New England Patriots. No team plays less nice than ours. I'm tired of writing this welcome letter, so let's get right to the point. September 14 and November 13, your sorry ass is ours. And no we're not helping you find the southern fried Wisconsin Cheese sticks. Welcome to hell.