Coming Together

The quality, consistency, and intensity of my training is finally starting to come together. I've worked out 8 of the past 10 days - some 60 miles on the bike, 4 solid runs (including a 15k), some time in the pool, and a spin class for good measure.

The best part about this is that my ankle seems to be mostly on the mend. I just hope it's not too late to do me any good in the New York City Tri which is now just a couple weeks away. Zoiks!

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
-Douglas Adams

Optmstk

I suppose it's a little easier to be optimistic when you're driving around in a Mercedes-Benz but still... nice license plate.

"Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends. Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends, So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?"
-Janis Joplin

iTunes Data

Data mining in iTunes:

How many songs total: 14,885

How many hours or days of music: 40.7 days

Most recently played: "Blue Cajun" by the Cajun All Stars

Most played: Sexy Boy by AIR

Most recently added: NewsHour wiht Jim Lehrer podcast

Sort by song title:

First Song: "A-Tisket A-Tasket" by Chick Webb & His Orchestra
Last Song: "!@#*" by Rusted Root

Sort by time:

Shortest Song: "Hidden Track" on Marvin Gaye's The Master 1961-1984 [Disc 3]
Longest Song: "War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles

Sort by album:

First album: ABC Monday Night Football
Last album: 1969 All-Star White House Tribute (Duke Ellington)

First song that comes up on Shuffle: "One For Daddy-O" by Cannonball Adderley

Search the following and state how many songs come up:

Death - 97
Life - 311
Love - 915
Hate - 29
You - 1,462
Sex - 42

"Man, if you gotta ask, you'll never know."
-Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong

Gary

As runners and athletes we dedicate an inordinate amount of time to our passion. We sacrifice time with family, friends, and loved ones for sport and pursuit of fitness. We train for months on end, in the depths of winter, to be able to run 26.2 miles in as little time as our legs, lungs, and heart will allow.

Life, or in this case death, has a way of reminding us of what's important.

I've run thousands of miles and will likely run thousands more in the years ahead. I only have 3 uncles. Now only two.

Sadly, my Uncle Gary passed away and left me with a choice: attend his memorial or run my marathon.

In truth, there was only one option.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
-John Lennon

No time for doubt

The past two weeks have been a total bust for my running. I'm having some serious doubts about my ability to complete the marathon in a reasonable time. My commitment to training has been abominable.

But with only 5 weeks to go there's no time for doubt.

"The strength or weakness of our conviction depends more on our courage than on our intelligence."
-Vauvenargues

...And Which Way To My Room?

It is a cruel joke this hotel plays on road-weary travelers...

"What is conceived well is expressed clearly, and the words to say it with arrive with ease."
-Nicolas Boileau

22 Miles

This 22 miler was a turning point in my training. I headed out planning to do 16 and wasn't sure I could even do that... but I felt great and just kept going.

Sure it wasn't a fast run but it reestablished the fact that I can and will run this marathon!




"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure."
-Mark Twain

Manhattan Half-Marathon

I ran the Manhattan Half-Marathon on Sunday. At 8:00 AM. In 14 degree weather. Before windchill.

Yes, it was astonishingly cold.

The kind of cold that instantly sucks the moisture from your skin. The bone-chilling freeze that turns your normally deft feet into blocks of gawky ice. The wintry blast that never allows you to warm - regardless of pace or distance.

I suppose I'd complain a little less about the cold had I run a little faster. I finished in 1:45:48 or about 8:04 per mile. All in all, not too bad. But when compared to my time for this race last year... Well, there really is no comparison.

Bottom line is that I have lost a substantial amount of endurance and fitness and there's only one way to get it back.

"Ain't nothing to it but to do it."
-Ronnie Coleman