Pottruck Compromise

To make up the rest of this week's miles, I should have run a 45min tempo. To get some rest in after yesterday's 14mi (I woke up feeling great, but could feel myself stiffening up all day), I should have done nothing. Instead I did a short, intense 3mi, and then did 10min easy biking. 30mi this weekend!

"Unless of course you wanna take that scenic view"

"...Then East or West River Drive is right for you." That song came on right as I was running on the West River Drive, next to I-76. G-Love == word.

Did my evening 10 miler: Pottruck to the river path to W River Dr to Strawberry Mansion (the best bridge), down the stairs to Kelly Dr, then to the water fountain by the rowing shell where I saw John Blitzer. We've been talking about doing workouts together and we ran the last ~4mi back to Penn. Wrapped it up with a very brief lifting circuit at the gym.

Up all night...

I couldn't run yesterday. Chris is leaving for six months in the UK/Oman so I arranged to throw him a blowout goodbye dinner party. My contribution was way too much (but not too much for Teagan and I) butternut squash (about 3 or 4 quarts?) and two apricot/shallot-stuffed pork tenderloins. Klara and Andre brought some of their never-ending sourdough batch, a chivey and goat cheesy spread on melba, and an expensive box of wine (no joke!); Teagan made a fantastic salad and peach buttermilk dumplings for dessert. Tasty all around. I'd arranged to have everything in the oven, or ready to go in by 5.30 and was going to head out for my 10 miler, but Chris got caught up at the Penn Museum so I had to stay to watch the oven. It was perfectly reasonable, not his fault at all, and he was very considerate in letting me know bad he felt. But dammit, I was itching to run! I tried not to let my inner hissy fit ruin my mood, but sometimes it's hard not to be bitchy sheep...

After dinner I was up until 4am writing, not particularly well. All nighters, and even near all nighters, are for the birds. Was grateful for Allegri's beautiful Miserere in my ears as I burned the midnight oil.

This morning: 4mi up to Boathouse Row and back. Will try for the long one tonight.

Pottruck Recovery

Another crazy Tuesday. Algebra TA did a better job with recitatation this week though, so I didn't mind being at Penn until late. Then 4mi on the treadmill @ 1% incline, 8.4-8.6mph. Four miles is a good distance. Better than three, which is really just a little more than a warmup, but still short enough to be anti-strenuous. Then lifted usual arm circuit. Home to work on TLDI submission (and listen to Mollie's radio show allll niiight! Jam bands, baby, jam bands!)

Long Run

The plan to wake up and do 19 was replaced with an afternoon run of 15. I don't feel like I'm at a wall training-wise, but it's just really really hard to find more than 2 hours of daylight with the semester in full swing. So this'll have to do for this week. The run today was good. It was a beautiful fall day, if a little cold for no shirt (oops). After 1:40 of keeping the pace nice and slow, I hit the 2 bridges just past US Grant and decided to go a little. I was glad to see that I had energy in my legs for those last ~2.5mi. The whole thing was just a few minutes under 2hrs.

All that said, I am a little worried because my knee has been giving me some subtle trouble ever since the Strawberry Mansion run last Tuesday. I think I went too fast on a steep downhill and may have strained it. It feels fine while I run, but as soon as I stop, I feel the stiffness. I'll have to ask Johanna--she had ITB issues after her half-marathon last fall and may know more. Or maybe it's time for new shoes? The pair I'm rotating have each seen a lot of miles since I got them in late June.

A few random tidbits:

• As seen in Van Pelt this morning: "Classics Resource Room: This room is primarily for those using the Classics Room." In other news, tautologies are indeed true in every possible world.


• Slate has a story on the lameness of mass-marathoning that has been getting a lot of (negative) action in the Fray.


• Google Maps replaced their Philadelphia satellite photos with new ones! Better resolution and has the whole river path. Here's US Grant:
  

Feeling weak :-(

Rain is back. Ran 4.5 on the 'mill at Pottruck. Yick. So tired.

Je ne suis pas rapide.

The Parkway 5k was this morning. I was nowhere close to my goal time (19:30); instead I finished nearly 2min off that for 21:20. Sigh. Even my 8k time was better, pace wise.

Pavol, however, kicked butt and reached his goal of finishing within 2X the world record :-)

Stretching out...

Today is an off day, but I was feeling frisky around 7.30pm, so I went for a run up to the Art Museum. Got going at a good pace for the second mile, then stretched out at the top and walked home. I think it's exactly what I needed for a pre-race workout: get the sluggish feeling out of your body, but don't tire out. I'll see how it works tomorrow.

The plan for getting this week's miles in is to do the 9mi tomorrow late morning after the race, and then wake up early and do the long run--19mi--up Kelly Dr to Manayunk and continuing the Forbidden Creek trail.

Bike, PDR Photos

Going to a Demography party tonight (?) but hit the gym for a quick workout beforehand. 30min on the bike = 15mi on the nose. Then lifted (bench, rowing, press, tris); went up 10lbs on bench and presses!

The real highlight of the day though, was getting these pictures from PDR. As I was coming down the chute I was passing people left and right, including this guy:

Yes, that is a pink tutu, pink sunclasses, hot pink Nikes, and, although you can't see it in this photo (it is in the first photo below), a pink princess wand. I was hoping that my finish photo would have a shot of both of us and it did not dissapoint.

Here are the rest of the photos:

All talk

I want to train harder, I want to run outside, but instead I find myself at Pottruck doing a half-assed 'speed' session. Sigh. Doing a training program but cheating on the long run and the speedwork is ... well, just running a lot of miles. I suppose it's good for one's health, but I'm not going to get fast this way. Double sigh.

But enough bitching, here are the stats: just under 5mi total, 2mi warmup, 4x800 at paces varying from 9.0-10.0mph (the 10.0 hurt!), a cooldown. Lifted legs (press, hamstring, reverse curl thingees).

Tuesday & Wednesday

Tuesdays are busy: 3.00-4.00 Distinguished Lecture (attendance by PhD students strongly encouraged), 4.30-6.00 Optimizing Compilers, and 6.30-8.30 Abstract Algebra Lab. I went to Pottruck after it was all over--it was too dark out to run on the river--but there was no way I was getting 9mi in on a treadmill, watching every 1/100th of a mile tick by. My body wasn't too tired for it, but my head was. Too tired to blog even. So I did 4.5, and saved the 9miler. Today I started at Pottruck and did a loop up W River Dr, over the Strawberry Mansion bridge, and back down Kelly Dr. I then returned to Pottruck and did a short upper body circuit (bench, press, bicep curls).

Running outside is so much better than the treadmill. Today was especially beautiful--one of those early fall days that are made for being out-of-doors, and Iron & Wine's 'My Lady's House' provided a surprisingly good song to run with. The even tempo, emphasized by the guitar strum and a soft drum, match up perfectly with that of my footstrikes. I listened to it 3X in a row for the stretch from Columbia Bridge up to Strawberry Mansion. It put me into a nice groove where I was keeping up with some (ok, slow) cyclists. This song might be enough to make a skeptic believe in love again:

There is light in my lady’s house
And there’s none but some falling rain
This like a spoken word
She is more than her thousand names

No hands are half as gentle
Or firm as they like to be
Thank God you see me the way you do
Strange as you are to me

It is good in my lady's house
Every shape that her body makes
Love is a fragile word
In the air on the length we lay

No hands are half as gentle
Or firm as they like to be
Thank God you see me the way you do
Strange as you are to me

But enough rambling... back to running: the rain and early sunsets have put me in the gym more often than I've wanted the past month. Recovery runs and weights are great for Pottruck, but I must get outdoors more, especially for long runs.

Pottruck

Ran 3mi in 20:40--1mi warmup, then 2mi @ 6:45 pace. I want to kick up the intensity of all my workouts a bit for the second half of the marathon program. It felt good to get a little winded. Then did my usual arms circuit (bench, row, shoulder press, pulldowns, tris), then biked 5mi and stretched a little to loosen out.

Philly Distance Run

Gun:	5k	10k	10M	Finish	OverAll	Gender	Division
Chip:	23:21	46:24	1:14:26	1:36:50	963	811	144
Race Pace:	7:31	7:28	7:27	7:24	11080	5725	763
Lap Pace:	7:31	7:26	7:25	7:13	Place / Total

Ran in my second PDR this morning. The race went roughly according to plan, albeit more slowly than I sketched out last week.

Pre Race: I wanted to empty my bladder, but after checking my bag, running a light warmup, and finding my way to the toilets, I was afraid I'd miss the start so I jumped out of line and into a corral.

Mile 1: typically bunched start for a run with 12,000 runners. First mile down the Parkway in 7:30.

Mile 2: picked up the pace for the bend around Penn's landing, 7:15. Thankful for sunglasses for the east segment. Stomach feels like a rock after last night's burritos (why oh why did we eat burritos?). Bladder also feeling full.

Mile 3: Chugging back up towards the Ben Franklin Parkway, another 7:20ish mile. Feeling better, wondering if I can just run through the knots in my stomach and full bladder.

Mile 4: Feeling good and the little uphill up to the art museum finally spreads the field up. I hitch on to the back of someone faster than me and we kick up the pace around to W River Dr. Then he kicks it up again and I let him go.

Mile 5: Burrito/bladder cramps return. Sear into my brain that beans are not good pre-race food. Slow it back down to 7:30ish to see if that will help.

Mile 6: Something malfunctions with my watch, so I don't know splits after this. Cramps are coming and going, but starting to believe I can just run through. Find a nice pack of people ro run with at what appears to be 7:15 pace. Enjoying the rhythm and having some company rather than just passing people.

Mile 7: Still chugging away, grab some water.

Mile 8: Approaching the Strawberry Mansion bridge and my mind wants to pick up the pace but bladder is killing me. Zip into the woods for a whiz which loses me 30-40 seconds. Run hard for the next mile and catch the gang I was running with by the mile marker.

Mile 9: Bagpiper on Falls Road bridge gives me a pickup. Then downhill back to Strawberry Mansion. Plan was to kick here, but find myself sticking with the group and going just faster than the main pack. A few stronger runners are surging forward now.

Mile 10: Someone in the pack I've been with takes off and I try to match pace but can't. Still reeling in other runners, but not yet kicking like I want to. Don't believe I can run 7s-ish for 3 miles.

Mile 11: Take a last water, finally picking up pace; at least it feels like I am.

Mile 12: Can't remember. Estimate that I'll finish in around 1:37-8 when I pass the mile 12 marker.

Mile 13: Pass the mile 12 marker and decide to kick for real. Passing lots of people. See Andre and Klara at the start of Boathouse row. Their cheers pick me up another notch. Then it's a longer bend around the Art Museum than I remember. I ease up a bit.

Mile 13.1: The course closes up into a chute for the last few hundred meters. Go back to a faster pace and then a sprint. Pass another clump of runners (why is no one kicking?), including a man in a pink dress carrying a fairy wand (totally sweet).

It's not the low 1:30s I was hoping for, but 15 minutes faster than last year. So I'm neither especially dissappointed nor especially pleased. I know I can still run faster than that, but also that my marathon training has been emphasizing distance over speed. To do your best at a half-marathon, you should train to run the last 8-10 miles at close to your limit. I was definitely did not do that today. But being a big race, and a perfect day, I still had a lot of fun. And I learned a bit about what (not) to eat, and about pre-race potty preparation, which will be valuable knowledge for November.

Parkway Run

Biked all over South Philly (GoHo represent!) borrowing Aerobeds to put up the 9 Emma folks + JeRM descending on Thornton Manor tomorrow. Luba is getting married next weekend and her guests have been going up and down the east coast. We are the natural Philadelphia spot. I'm not going to Luba's wedding though--I'll be doing the Parkway Run. I ran it (slowly) last year, but still enjoyed the race immensely. It's a benefit for CHOP and has a great atmosphere and a fantastic post-race brunch, catered by the Four Seasons.

Tapering

Ran a little more than 30 minutes, first 20minutes at 7:30 pace with a little stair up to 6:30 pace in the last ten minutes. Just under 4.5mi total.

Pottruck Recovery

Ran 3 1/3 easy miles (8.0-8.6mph), then did a leg lifting circuit (press, hamstrings, extensions), then biked it out for 10 minutes to loosen up.

Long run

If I keep continue to cut my long runs short by a couple of miles, I will be in for a world of pain in November. I did 14mi out of an assigned 16... sigh. But there's a silver lining: bad news for November is good news for this weekend, and I want to enjoy the race. Last year I ran too many miles the week before, topped it off with 2hrs of volleyball on Saturday (just to make sure my legs were good and toasty), and then hosted a party at our house that kept me up past midnight. This year will be different... I've been thinking about my race plan, and trying to pretend what it will feel like during these workouts. I'm dividing it into an 8mi race followed by an 8K. If I can run even 7:00 splits through the first 8 miles, that will carry me to just past Strawberry Mansion. From there it is very familiar territory, so I should be able to turn up the pace on the bit around the Falls Bridge back to Strawberry Mansion on the Kelly Drive side, and then give it everything from Columbia-ish back to the museum.

Monday

Ran 4mi on the 'mill: 1mi warmup, then a 5K in 21:00 on the nose, then .25 very slow cooldown. Lifted arms/back (bench, rowing, vertical press thingees).

Sunday is Tuesday is Sunday.

I never seem to get my long run in on the weekend. I did 9.5mi today: easy pace for the first 6, then kicked it up to regular pace for the last bit. So Tuesday will be my long day. Next weekend is the Philly Distance Run, so I gotta think how I can take it easy at the end of the week. I guess 4 tomorrow, long run on Tuesday, 3 on Wednesday, light 6 on Thursday, off, 2 on Saturday, then race. I want to run it in the lower 1:30s, but that may be ambitous...

Saturday

I went into the office this afternoon. On the way there, I was patting myself on the back (in my head) for going into work on the weekend... only to arrive and discover my officemates already there! Sheesh.

Ran 7.25mi at a good pace; 52min total.

Biking

The Spinning ® really helped loosen out my legs, so I decided to do another quick one today before happy hour: 30 minutes hills, middle intensity, but kept it above 100rpms, so got the heart going. Then lifted veeery briefly (bench, rowing, pulldowns). Then beer. Delicous beer.

Tempo

Whew. Today was maybe a bit much. Walked over to Pottruck with Alex and then did my 40min tempo: I took a nice long warmup for the first half, then stopped for water, then up the ladder to 9.3, and finished the last 7min climbing back down.

Tomorrow's workout is beer.

Spinning ®

Woke up wikkid early and went to the 6.30am spinning class at Pottruck. It was fun. I'd never done it before and I thought that the instructor somehow controlled the tension on all the bikes. I realize now that doesn't make any sense at all, but I was a bit disappointed that it was so low tech.

Anyways, it was quite a workout! I love the spinning bikes, they are much better than the LifeStyle [they make condoms, not fitness equipment!] LifeFitness stationaries in the main cardio room. And though the instructor was a little peppy for the early hour, she led a great workout: pushed it up just to the red zone, but not so hard that anyone had to quit early. My one gripe was that she kept lying (while maintaining this peppy, almost ditzy, persona). "Last sprint in this set" means last sprint, not three more! I guess I would rather be yelled at, in that macho boy-sports way, but know how much I have to do up front. Maybe most people who frequent fitness classes don't mind being lied to, as long as it's done in an encouraging, upbeat way.

My iPod, which was working for the first 10secs of each song last night, is completely toast now.

Nate, killer of iPods

NatePod #3 is dead. It appears that I sweat through my armband holster thing yesterday during my long run, let it stew overnight in that moist environment, and fried the circuitry. Damn. This is getting ridiculous. I hope I can just do a swap at the Penn Bookstore, and don't have to bike out to Ardmore for service.

Ran 3 silent miles on the treadmill, then did an upper body lift.

Classes are free this week at Pottruck. If I wake up early enough, am going to try a spinning class tomorrow to see if I like it.

Finally!

How to do a long run on a treadmill:

• Eat everything in sight at new student orientation welcome picnic


• Have officemates recommend music for a new iPod mix


• Pick treadmill next to dumpy looking dude for first hour, so as not to bruise ego when running at less than 8mph, or worse, to up the speed and kick his butt


• Do not run > 8mph for first 10 miles


• Cover clock on treadmill with NYT Magazine, pick machine as far as possible from wall clock, and in front of US Open TV


• Arrange mix to be bluegrass/folk heavy for first hour, hip-hop heavy for second hour

It's that easy.

(I ran 15mi today. Still not quite up to the progression suggested in training plan, but in the ballpark, and will still get me up to 3x20mi runs and a nice gradual taper before the race.)

Catching up

Hamptons weekend was great. No time to write a proper blog, but to summarize: too much beer, too much sun, but lots of fun and great to catch up with Alex, Allyson, and Lisa. I did squeeze in some workouts: a 1hr run along the Dune Rd as Ernesto raged on Saturday. I don't know the distance, but the time was about right. The sections into the wind were like running up a mountain and the sections going with the wind felt like flying. It was epic. Yesterday Alex dropped me in Westhamption and I did a 53 minute loop along the ugly, busy Montauk Highway. Tonight I did 3mi easy at Pottruck. Also played a lot of football on the beach, which has my hamstrings all tight. Need to get a true long run in soon. I feel like I've fallen off this training program and time is ticking!

Pottruck

As if on cue, the weather has turned cold (and very wet) for the return of the undergrads. It is amazing how quickly we go from the lazy days of August to the hubub of September.

Ran a pre-train 3.9mi, including a 5k in the middle right in 20:00. My 19:30 goal for 3 weeks is still a stretch, but maybe with some dedicated speed work I can push the first few miles 10-20 ticks faster. Cooled down with a (coincidentally) 3.9mi spin on the bike.

Mech.

My easy/off day for the week. Ran 2mi warmup, 8.8mph up to 9.2, then lifted arms. In and out in < 30minutes. Cleaning/packing for Hamptons trip. JeRM has bailed :-(

Pottruck

10.4mi on the treadmill. A week ago I skipped over a step-down week and plowed ahead with the long run progression. I'm going to use up that credit now, instead of saving it for PDR. Waiting any longer is going to mess up next weekend.

My post-run, nekkid weight is (barely) down into the 150s. I've been deliberate with what I'm eating--a big breakfast, usually yogurt, which I'm now culturing myself (cheap! saves plastic!!), fruit, and toast; a big, hearty lunch, usually some rice or pasta, fish, egg whites, or tofu, sauce, salad, fruit, dessert; often a banana an hour before running; then a big dinner and another dessert when I get home--but it's hard to keep pounds on when the mileage go up. It's not a problem now, but I fear the post-marathon weight gain. One's appetite doesn't go away just because the running has stopped. Hopefully my bike will be built then and I'll stay active doing that.

5.7mi

Rain, rain, rain, so I ran at Pottruck. I did it really slow, as in 7:40 pace--if I felt good, I was going to push and do a long run; if I didn't, I wanted to be fresh for a run outdoors tomorrow. I got bored and kept burping up my lunch. Yuck. Hoping to finally get back on track tomorrow.

Bike parts!!

I am the proud owner of ... this stuff!

Pottruck

I didn't do my long run. I was going to do it on the treadmill, but it's just too damn boring to run for 2hrs indoors. So I did 6.5mi, then packed it in. There's always tomorrow.

Feast!

It was just over a year ago, in Prague, that I (re)discovered the Confessions and (re)started what Tita Mary says is "the most important journey of one's life." This morning, during his homily for Augustine's feast day, Fr Frank concluded by reading his famous prayer:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.

I have so much more to write about the spiritual journey, and about what I think is humanity's great mistake in attempting to describe its (metaphysical) structures and specify its strictures, and, in doing so, to miss the whole point. But for today, let's just revel in the joy of awakenings to a life beyond body and mind.

Strawberry Mansion

Great weekend with the Williams boys up in Callicoon-on-the-Delaware. The cabin was literally RIGHT on the river. It rained all day yesterday, but we still played wiffleball, lots of pesoi (I sucked it up and lost about $20 in 10min, mostly to Pete, but then we wiped out all debts in the end), grilled tons of meat, drank gallons of beer, and a bottle of Glenfiddich--a send off to John from Cristie, a bottle of so-called "Spanish Whiskey" (a trick by Sean, John, and I who were sent to the liquor store and came back with a liqueur of some sort, but neither wanted to drink cheap whiskey for the 2nd bottle nor appear to be pansies). I wasn't going to go to the Hamptons, but I'm reconsidering now. It would be good to hang out with Alex, John, Lia, and Xavi some more.

Ran my 9mi, after dark, a few ticks past Strawberry Mansion on the Kelly Drive side. I've grown to prefer W River Dr, but at night I don't want to risk it. 9.25mi total according to Google. Am just glad the weekend is not a goose egg. It's raining, but not too hard. I like late summer rainy runs. One feels invisible in the rain, or at least, slightly crazy. A few other crazies were out doing their long runs, but mostly I had the trail to myself.

It's that time of year--POPL reviews beckon. Having ones advisor on the program committee == heavier-than-average reviewing load.

G Love on Lemon Hill

I saw G Love live once when he came to the Berkshire Hills to play a show in my little college town. When he came on stage he had a stringy, fading scalp and a bit of a beer gut, and he played an awful set. The girlfriend had seem him play in the Square once, and still swooned a little when remembering it, so the fact that his show disappointed secretly pleased me.

But the man has some great songs, and is one of Clare's favorites (my iTunes has 78 tunes by him thanks to her), so with a beautiful Philly summer evening, and the (other) G-loving phase of her life done, it seemed appropriate to put him in my ears. The workout was a little more than 40 minutes. And, oy, are my legs sore today. This week got bumped by my Sunday hangover so today was warmup, 5xhill repeats, cooldown. I did a slow 2mi warmup to Boathouse Row, then charged up Lemon Hill cinq fois, easy on the downhills, and then came back around the Museum and down 22nd. I think it adds up to around 5mi.

Hills are good and I haven't done any since France. I just wish I had more juice left. After compressing those three days of running into less than two 24hr periods early in the week, and with an exhausting work week (though rewarding: we think we figured out how to re-tell the lens story on standard models of string transformers; it should be an ICALP or LICS submission?) my legs are toast. No running tomorrow. Just hanging out with the boys in a cabin in the Catskills.

Pottruck, Partners

Ran my 4mi at the gym, then did a leg lifting circuit.

The next few days get busy. Giving PLClub with Alan, Aaron, and Benjamin, then I'm up to the Catskills for JeRM's bachelor. Sunday was my off day for this week, but I think I'll probably end up taking another. Will try to do the 9mi Saturday run, and save the 16mi long run for Monday.

NatePod3 (#1 was killed by an update a few months ago, #2 was the warranty replacement that got washed with my jeans last Saturday) is currently filled with a mix I made Xtie for her birthday and pretty much everything Wilco has every recorded. This song I'd forgotten about popped on right at the start of my run:

For your sparkling cocky smile
I have walked a million miles
Begging you to come wed me in the Spring
Why do you my dear delay
What makes you laugh and turn away?
You're a hesitating beauty Nora Lee

Well I know that you are itching to get married, Nora Lee
And I know I am twitching for the same thing, Nora Lee
By the star and clouds above
We can spend our lives in love
You're a hesitating beauty Nora Lee

We can build a house and home
Where the flowers come to bloom
Around our yard I'll nail a fence so high
That the boys with peeping eyes
Cannot see that angel face
Of my hesitating beauty, Nora Lee.

We can ramble hand in hand
Across the grasses of our land
I'll kiss you for each leaf on every tree
We can our kids to play
Where the dry winds blow today
If you'll quit your hesitating, Nora Lee

The lyrics are by Guthrie and, as always, are sparkly, sharp and folksy at the same time; Wilco provides a perfect twangy musical complement; Billy Bragg's anarchist scratchy voice rounds it out. I love it (though, I think a duet with Natalie Merchant could have made it even more perfect). Anyways, I've been thinking a lot about partnerships, have reading about them on the blogs of my friends (and their friends, and their friends friends: "Let the fish have their bicycles, cuz this girl needs a man and that just is what it is."), and contemplating my sister's split with her boyfriend G over the weekend. All this thinking is taking place in a context where, for the first time in almost 8 years I have the mental and temporal space to sort out who my adult self is, and the things that are important to me (I started doing the same thing last August, and discovered a lot, but also jumped into a thing right away and let my identity get pulled and pushed into a thing that it was not.) I don't have any ready conclusions, but I guess it has made me sad to see people--even people with otherwise rich and fulfilling lives, and who are connected to a strong network of family friends--seeking, and finding, for a time at least, self-validation in a single romantic relationships. Every partnership exibits a tension between wanting to take the other away from everyone else and have them all to yourself, and wanting to have a rich and full life. It just seems like the former always wins out, and that makes me sad, and a little pessimistic. I certainly don't ever want to "own" someone, or to build a tall fence so I can trap an angel face behind it. Maybe a commune really is the modern family. Who's in?

Morning 8

Early wake, early run along W River Dr to the same spot between the Columbia and Strawberry Mansion bridges. I walked back from the Locust St CSX tracks, so call it a little under 8mi. I love morning runs. The temperature is cool, you get to watch the sun rise over the CC skyscrapers, and the rowing crews are all out, coxes squawking on their boxes. Most importantly, there is much less foot traffic on the tow path compared to the evening.

I am not sure about playing vollleyball tonight. In a moment of tequila-induced enthusiasm on Saturday night, Chris, Matt, Andre, Klara, and I all agreed to play today. Planning ahead for tonight, combined with moving Sunday's workout to Monday because of a tequila-induced headache, and re-jiggering of the workout calendar to put a lower-mileage week just before PDR, means I've run 25mi in the last 36 hours (I better finish the actual marathon in less time!) Maybe I'll just play setter tonight.

Pottruck

The gym finally opened after a four day closure and was jam packed today: Matt, Jered, Leslie, Doug, Alex, and Kuzman were all there. I think I'm just going to stagger this whole week: 3mi today, easy pace (21:56 total), then did a light upper body circuit.

Volleyball tomorrow for the first time in months!

Manayunk

Fused the W River Dr loop with a side-jaunt down Main St in Manayunk, then back down Kelly Dr, walked it in from Chestnut St. I totally ran out of juice in the homestretch. I'm a little worried--this gets harder as the mileage ticks up--tho', I think I didn't eat enough today, and even less yesterday; maybe with proper nutrition it would have finished better.

Recovered with delicious Czech mushroom soup, gulash and sourdough bread, and the good company of great friends.

Columbia/Strawberry Mansion-ish

Saturday night: Ran 8 measured miles on W River Drive. I kept splits on my watch and they were all around 7:10-7:20, which was about right.

Sunday: did NOTHING. Am exhausted from our party last night and not in shape to run 16. Tomorrow morning I'm hoping to wake up wicked early and run down to Manayunk.

Someone, possibly me, ran off with my iPod during the party last night. I don't remember grabbing it when I came up to bed, but it's possible I did. Hoping it turns up, though not holding out much hope. I've gotten very used to running with it and it's going to be really difficult to train without it. Grr.

Update: My iPod was at the bottom of the washing machine. I now have a squeaky clean shuffle (good thing it is solid state!!)

Comments

Comments off for the time being at least. I've been comment-bombed by a quite angry member of Cara's family. I have made a (peace-making I hope) reply, but I'm pretty sure my workout blog is not the place to have this discussion.

Update: This blog really is supposed to be boring; I record the frequency and distances of my runs and occasionally write down a thought or feeling from the run if I want to remember it. Nevertheless, evidently some people are tracking my comings and goings through this, and a very large misunderstanding seems to have occurred. Let me quote my email to make the purpose and events of last weekend's trip crystal clear:
two college friends will marry in october, and it was shaping up to be the first time we'd see each other since last summer. they had been jumping through hoops to make sure that we didn't cross paths this summer, and each mentioned that it would be nice if us being in the same room for the first time didn't detract or cause a distraction at the wedding. independently, my aunt asked me to come down to baltimore to spend the weekend with her and my uncle ahmad, so it seemed like a convenient time to meet.

i don't know what you think transpired, but really nothing did. i'm still single, still somewhat disaffected in general with modernity and the lazy, wasteful american "way of life", and am still therefore trying to discern if i have a vocation, or how i might make my life one of service, not just bettering myself; i am not trying to rekindle anything with cristie, or seeking any romantic relationship at all.

Thursday Speedwork

5.5mi in total: a couple miles warmup at 7:15 pace, then 5x800 at 6:10. Pottruck is hot and sticky. Alex was running next to me and we agreed it was pretty unbearable! Better to do these workouts at a track if it gets cooler.

Pottruck

My tour of elite east coast college gyms concludes back at 37th and Walnut. Ran my Wednesday 3 miles in 20:18, and then lifted legs (tho', couldn't do hamstrings because both machines were mad busy; I just paid $232 to renew my gym membership and I can't get a hamstring machine? Sheesh). The iPod died in the first mile, which made for a quiet workout.

I ran ~43 miles in the last 7 days; 50mi weeks soon!

The JHU Fitness Center.

Xtie guested me into the Hopkins fitness center where I ran 7mi right at 7:10min/mi pace for 50:04 total. The Hopkins treadmills are springy--certainly bouncier than the Pottruck ones--and gave a much-appreciated boost, especially after yesterdays pseudo-long run. Lifted arms/back very briefly, then scarfed down a delicious bean burrito at the One World.

Random observation o' the day: I love the Kieran Kane, Emmylou, and Lucinda song "Dirty Little Town". It always picks me up in the middle of a workout.

I got a little lost

...and there are some muthafuckin' ants in my muthafuckin' iPod case.

I mapped out a 14mi loop up to the green patch near the top of the photo. Except I missed the turn off and went almost due West instead of North. D'oh. Baltimore is hilly! Only did 12, which wasn't the 14 the training plan called for this week. Not sure if I should be worried or not. I'll do better in Philly where I'm less likely to get lost.

Laziness

We were lazy today and I'm in the hole for one long run. 
The day started out well: we went to Baltimore's fantastic farmer's market, but then I spent the afternoon sitting around the house working on a proof for my paper (which is interesting enough that we're thinking of sending it to PLAN-X, which has no proceedings, and then to PLDI later!) while Tita gardened and Ahmad cooked a Persian feast. Mass with the Jesuits at 6. Then they went to a cafe to work and I drove up to Gunpowder Falls State Park. Xtie had recommended it as the place to do long runs when we met up on Friday. It was further out Route 1 than I thought so I didn't get to the trailhead until 8.15 and the sun was setting. I got about 10 minutes into the run and realized that the sun was fading and with an wide but still trail-y trail (hopping over roots, logs, and rocks), setting out for a 2hr run by my own was probably not wise. Turn an ankle and it could easily turn into a very long night. So I turned around and sure enough, a few minutes later the sun had dipped behind the treeline and it was dark. I guess I'll set out for a few loops of Dru Hill park tomorrow early and either zap Monday's easy day or Friday's rest. Shame, because it did look like a great place to run. 

Rock Creek Park

Friday: rested. 

Saturday: ran 7-8mi in about an hour in Dee Cee. Ran from Limmah's place down to G'town, then into the park at P St, along the drive and past the Zoo to Tilden St, then up the hill to Connecticut St, and back down to Kalorama. 

Pottruck

3mi run in 20:38, lifted arms/back.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Quite literally.

Yesterday: caught the Chinatown bus back to Philly, then came home very hungry and very tired. Stuffed my face around 4pm, slept until 6, then set out to run. I had dinner plans at 7.30, so I was already scaling it back in my head (8mi loop to Strawberry Mansion). As it turned out, my stomach was going to turn it into a short run for me: right after I turned onto W River Dr, I cramped up, big time. I tried to run through it for a few minutes, but it was just not happening. Shame because it was a beautiful day for running. Frustrated, I turned around and came home.

Today: I made sure to plan my eating better so that my stomach wasn't about to burst when I set out. I ran to the Falls Bridge by the W River Dr, then made a left and followed it another few minutes to the start of the Wissahickon trail, then all the way back down Kelly Dr, along Boathouse row, the river trail, and walked it in from Locust St RR crossing. That's a few ticks short of13mi, as the map shows but it'll do; it ain't a sprint, after all. I didn't bring my watch, but I felt like I was running fast on the back half. I passed a few other runners and got passed by one serious looking distance guy. Using the PECO clock, Locust <-> Locust was 7:33 to 8:59, which puts those miles somewhere between 7:30 and 7:40 pace for those 11-12 miles?

Am headed down to Baltimore and DC this weekend. Hope to do one run in Rock Creek and the other on that road that heads up from Druid Hill Park to the north.

Prospect Park

Ran ~4mi up to and around the Prospect Park loop in Brooklyn. Started out running slow with JeRM, then picked up the pace and kicked a bit for the last 20 minutes. Dreading making up Sunday's run tomorrow...

8miles

Am supposed to run 13mi today, but am a guest of the Morikawa's in NYC, so felt it would be rude to take the time to do such a long workout. Swapped Wednesday for today and did 8mi in just under an hour at NYU's very swanky Palladium gym.  

Massachusetts Hills

I took yesterday off--I was on the Amtrak Vermonter all day, coming up to S+J's wedding in New England. It's so nice up here, I miss it quite a bit. 

Got up at 6.30 this morning and did a 45 minute run over rolling hills. I am not sure of the distance, I don't think I was going very fast, but it still felt good to do something after a day's rest. Off to the cathedral now for groomsman-ing.

Yick

Crappy day. I felt bouncy, and would have been better playing volleyball or something similarly explosive. Running, not so much. Did my 2mi warmup, probably too fast (13:40), then didn't feel like doing the 4x800s. So I just did 2 of them, then biked for 10 minutes. Yick.

Wednesday

is an easy day on this training program: 3 treadmiles in 20:48, then leg circuit. 

Update: Dammit, I want to do a sub-19:30 5k. That's 6:15 pace. I can do that, right? Maybe the Parkway run in week 11?

Evening Pottruck

Did 30min spin, lifted arms/back/chest.

I love bluegrass!

'nuff said.

5mi trot

I got up early to run today. Unfortunately the temperature was already up to 79 when I set out. It is supposed to hit 100 today. 

8mi

Made up for yesterday's abbreviation by running the assigned miles in a little under an hour. 

4.3 treadmiles

Ran at Pottruck. Was supposed to do 8, but just wasn't feeling it in my head. Maybe I was only one good song away from picking it up. My legs could have soldiered through, but ... just didn't feel it. I decided to swap tomorrow and today. 

5000 watts

I'm going to stop using the dryer. If I do two-three loads per week, and each load takes 45 minutes, that will save at least 10kwH per week. Dryers have to be the dumbest appliances. They are only moderately more convenient than clothesline/drying rack, but such energy hogs. In Grenoble, the Marciaus didn't even own a dryer, and it was never a problem.  

6mi

Ran 6mi at high noon with Matt: Walnut St <-> Columbia Bridge H20 fountain. It's freakin' hot out. We, or at least I, wilted a bit in the second half. 

60min spin @ Pottruck.

Title says it all. 

Evening

Did 4x800s @ 9.5mph (=6:18 pace). Ran 1.5mi warmup and .5 mi cooldown, plus 1mi in between for 5mi total. Then met Matt, Cat, Chris, and Teagan for dinner @ Marigold Kitchen. Good times, good times.

I want a mind of winter...

One must have a mind of winter
To regard the frost and the boughs
Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time
To behold the junipers shagged with ice,
The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think
Of any misery in the sound of the wind,
In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land
Full of the same wind
That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,
And, nothing himself, beholds
Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

Misery, what's that? Or maybe I just want winter to be here. Funny that I checked out, and returned, many books of Wallace Stevens poems from the library before falling in love with his work.

Morning 4

Burning off breakfast before I eat it. I'm imagining the food hitting my stomach and vaporizing. Erm, that's all a litlte loopy. Maybe I should eat that breakfast...

Ran ~4mi up to boathouse row and back. The humidity is back. 

Revels?

I was just making a new workout mix for my iPod when I came across "Lord of the Dance" from the Revels in my iTunes. I remembered that we sang it to close out last Sunday's mass. I thought was a little bizzare--it made me want to link elbows with my neighbors and dance my way home.

I met Matt for a burger and some beers at New Deck last night. It was great to catch up a bit and make some plans for the Pigs. Somehow things fell apart over the winter and nobody has really played any ball since Harvard/IMs... silliness.

After taking all that time to make a mix, I'm tired and hungry and have no urge to run. Today was meant to be an easy day, so I'll just swap it with Friday, or maybe do two workouts tomorrow.

Tuesday Six

Did my 6 miles @ 7:30 pace, then very briefly lifted arms / back.

Monday

3mi treadmill, lifted legs. 

XI

Yesterday I complained about this training program being too easy. Excessive alcohol consumption is one way to give oneself a handicap. I think I drank more last night at Scott's party than I have on any single day in the last 12 months. We had a great time--Mets game, dinner at a fantastic Italian place (complete with pre-dining bocce), and closed out the night with drinks at Turtle Bay. Scott, Peter, and I caught the 3.47 train to Garden City and didn't get to sleep until past 4.30. I am dragging... but I still made it out for the long run. It was a beautiful evening in Philadelphia--cool temps, nice breeze, and a clear skies. I ran the Falls Bridge loop, slowly (about 85 minutes?), and walked back from Vine St. I think that's still ~11mi. 

Going to steal my bike now. I locked it up at St. John's for JacksYacs mass, and my key twisted off in the lock. 

US Grant

I felt good today so my Saturday 5 turned into 6+. I'm not sure how I feel about this running program. I know I shouldn't complain--it will ramp up soon enough--but for now it's a little ... easy?

Pottruck

Just a quick 25 minute gym trip: 10 minute run, 3-element circuit. 

Whitney Houston is 0% sane...

but when she came on my shuffle I cracked a smile. It's funny what picks you up at minute 43 of a workout. And my "sweat" playlist is, em, eclectic. 

60 minutes of cardio today. The plan for running was 30 minute tempo, so I did 10 min @ 8mph, then up in .1mph ticks for 13 minutes, held it for 3min, then eased back down to 8.5 to finish. Then finished up with 30 minutes random hills on the bike. 

Tomorrow is an off day, but I may try to do Saturday's workout. Scott's bachelor is in NYC and it may be tough to get the run in before I catch the Chinatown bus in the AM. Then 11 on Sunday!

Wow.

What a ride. I'm not a Landis fan, but his ride today was gutsy.

3-4mi

Did a loop up to Boathouse Row and back before rushinghome to cook for Cathy + Marc (grilled halibut, corn on the cob, gazpacho... Cathy brought cherry almond pie.) 

 

5mi

And not a yard more. At Pottruck, just as the storm started. 36:45 I think?

3mi, Lifting

Doing what Higdon says. 3mi, easy pace (21:45 total) then bench, rowing, pull downs, raises.  

X

I did my 10 miles at Pottruck. It was just too damn hot to run outside today although if I'd waited until now (8pm) it would have been fine. 76 minutes total. I had to force myself to stay slow--7.5mph for the first 6 miles, then cranked it up to finishing in the middle 8s. I love long runs. I wish it were fall already and the weather weren't such an impediment to running outside. 

My bike is starting to come together. Or rather, my wallet is starting to come apart as I purchase parts for it. EP cut the fork for his Gios and now it's too short for the headtube. I found a decent looking 1" threadless carbon fork and headset from an '05 warranty return on eBay so hope to get it. EP gave me about 1/2 of an Shimano Ultegra group, and I found another auction with most of the other half (just missing calipers). If I win those two, I'll just need wheels, seat, stem/bars, and cables. I can't wait to have a real bike!!

I believe that puts my weekly total somewhere in the range (36,37].

An Inconvenient Truth

See it. 

Stats

Miles: 4.5
Minutes: 34
Gallons sweat: too many.
Cramps: Yes (ate lunch at 6pm.)
CSX Engineers TO'd: one (there was a big train sitting on the tracks at 25th & Locust, so I ran across in front of it. Evidently, that ain't cool.)

Sucky workout

Tired end-of-week Pottruck trip. Biked for ~20 minutes to warm up. Both bikes I tried seemed a little broken... then did a very quick chest/arm circuit. Tired, sore. Looking forward to long runs tomorrow and Sunday.

Wilco...

may be the perfect summer band. I've been listening to "I thought I held you" and the rest of A.M. pretty much non-stop for the past 24hrs. Props to Wes for making the mix tape a few years ago that first put them in my head. 

Last summer Xtie and I drove down the Merriweather Post Pavilion for a great show the night of Pottstown Rumble (after driving down from Shelburne, arriving at 2am, and waking up at 6 to play). Unfortunately most of this year's tour is in Canada or Jeff Tweedy solo. Boo.

Girard Ave

I like sunrises better than sunsets... I woke up at 6.13 naturally today. Woot! I'd love to wean myself off the alarm and still be getting up early. 

I took yesterday off. I got home around 6pm and was just zonked. My calves and glutes were really sore anyways from lifting two days ago so it was probably best. This morning I ran ~5mi, up to the RR bridge just past Girard Ave and back down 22nd to Pine St (I find that if I hit a red light within a few blocks of home, it's really hard to motivate to run it in... have to work on that).

The trail is jam packed with bikers, bladers, and runners, even at 6.30am. I miss the wooded river trails on the Isère. It made me a little slower--like many people, I start running faster, often without realizing I'm doing so, when others are around--but it was nice to have the solitude. And how I miss seeing the sun breaking ove the Belledone range, lighting up the ridge of the Vercors and the overhang of the Chartreuse with brilliant white light. 

Pottruck

Ran 5mi (3+2) with an upper body/back circuit in the middle. 

Pottruck

I did a nice hard workout today. Warmed up with a (felt fast for what shape I'm in) 3.1 miles in 21:00 on the nose + 4 more minutes of slow jogging. After that I did a full leg lifting circuit: 3x each of dumbell lunges, leg press, extensions, hamstring curls, yes/no hip thingees, and calf raises, with ~12-25 for each rep.

Grace

Work today was mildly frustrating. I hosed my computer over the weekend and decided to bite the bullet and back everything up, wipe the disk clean, and reinstall from scratch. As part of all this reinstalling, I decided to finally give my PowerBook a proper name. It's geek tradition to give your computers a name, the thinking being that it's a lot easier to refer to "zeus" or "apollo" than "host-56.cis.upenn.edu". Usually folks pick out names using some kind of theme; names from Greek mythology are popular, as are place names (Williams had "lee", "lenox", "colrain", etc.). One of my favorite themes is used by Michigan's ITD for the machines at the Michigan Union: "uaw", "afl", "cio", etc. My machines have always been named for bars in the cities where I've lived: "vatican", "ri-ra", (both Dublin) "cindys" (Cambridge), "doobies" (Philadelphia). Following that tradition, I have dubbed my PowerBook "grace". I chose it both because it is the name both of the closest bar to my new place, Grace Tavern, and also because that other kind of grace has been on my mind too lately. Friar Paul Dressler preached a fantastic sermon on Sunday on 2 Corinthians 12 ("my grace is sufficient") on the 12th anniversary of him taking his OFM vows ("no money", "no honey", and "I got a boss now")... I really enjoy the masses he celebrates. I think he said he may have been raised in a Baptist church, which explains his fondness for "Now Thank We All Our God" (which he's preached on once, and which we sang on Sunday) and, more importantly, his appreciation for the centrality of the Word. Like Fr. Frank @ CtK, Fr. Charlie @ St. Francis, most of the priests at St. Mary's Student Chapel all in Ann Arbor, Fr. Lawrence @ St Vincent de Paul in Baltimore, and Fr. Goudot @ St Victor in Meylan, he understands that the Word can be just as integral to Catholic liturgy as in a service at any Bible-thumpin' church (even if it's centrality is not mentioned at every twist and turn).

Tonight I hit Pottruck for an evening workout. Having my iPod back helped a lot and the adrenaline was up for once! I didn't realize how much I've been missing it. I clocked 2 miles on the treadmill in 13:22, then did an upper body circuit, then closed it out with 17 minutes on the bike.

6.5

Finally got up early to run today. Ran the loop up to US Grant and back. I think it's around 6.5mi from the new place, but I haven't measured out all my loops yet. My hip felt fine, though I cheated and popped some Advil before heading out (a trick I learned from my step-dad). Still, it felt great to get over that 3-4mi wall!

Update: Of course, all this crying over a little bruised hip makes me a big wimp. I can't believe that Landis is attempting the Tour with all the hip problems he's having (though, depending on the injury, biking may be easier than walking...)

Last week was another low-mileage week: ~19 total. Will definitely have to step it up this week; the long runs start all too soon. I have two interested running partners now--Matt and Jeff--and Matt is even considering marathoning it in November!

Bike

Had to exchange shuffle at Apple Store, so biked out along Lancaster Ave and back. ~25mi total. 

Yick.

3-4 evening miles. #@!$ this hip!

Pottruck

Quick 2mi to warm up, then lifted other alternate body circuit.

Few miles

Ran only ~2mi last night before my dinner stared to come back up. Lovely, yes. 

Ran ~4-5 this morning. 

Wet

I biked from 13th to 37th St. this morning just as the heavy rain hit shortly before 9. Ran 4mi sloshy miles on a treadmill @ Pottruck, then did abbreviated upper body circuit. Didn't notice my hip at all!

C'est finit.

Ran 3mi this morning, did 30 minutes more cardio at Pottruck this evening, and lifted legs. And I want more.

I hoped I'd never have another day in my life like today.

(Frustrating) Week of 25 June

3(Pottruck) + 3(Pottruck) + 0(bike @ Pottruck) + 1(and bike @ Pottruck) + 4(Pottruck) + 0(bike @ Pottruck + 3(and bike @ Pottruck) = 14mi.

My crash on Tuesday night totally screwed up my running week. On the plus side, I biked and lifted a ton this week. I tried to run the day after the crash but my hip was too sore so I biked. I did 1mi on Thursday and decided the pain wasn't worth it and biked again. Friday was fine, but then it stiffened up on Saturday. Today was fine again, but I didn't want to push it too hard. My "real" training program starts in two weeks so I want to  ready for it. I am hoping to try for a medium-length run tomorrow AM if the weather permits. 

Photos

I finally got my photos developed!!

Tête de Nate, Tête de Louis XVI (on the N91).	Post mass café + crossword.
Leaving the Bourg, starting the climb.	One of 21 hairpin turns.
Arrivée	L'Alaska (thinking of the Sitka crew...)

Please...

If you bike, ALWAYS wear your helmet. Mine saved my brain tonight.

I was biking across the Walnut Street bridge when a car came flying down an intersecting cross street. I saw that the driver was about to run the red light and that they didn't see me. I hit the brakes. With the rain and wet road surface, my wheels locked up and skidded on the metal bridge joint embedded in the pavement. My bike crashed on top of me and with my feet pinned by the bike, the upper part of my body accelerated towards the ground. The first part of my body to make contact was a spot just above my left temple. I sensed that my head was hit hard and prepared to black out (I have some experience getting knocked out: by a golf club--thanks Mollie!--and several baseball incidents), but quickly realized that the sensation I'd felt was not my skull hitting the pavement but the foam of my helmet compacting. I was able to get up, dust off my scrapes, and get back on the bike. I have no doubt that if I had not been wearing my helmet, I'd be in HUP (Penn Hospital) right now, or worse.

Holy crap

Part of the reason I started running is that I had a checkup and my blood pressure was higher than normal for my age. Hypertension, along with the usual constellation of heart issues, runs in my (proud!) Polish family--e.g., my grandfather's brothers all died in their 50s, and he had a triple bypass in '86 followed by a series of stents etc. Anyways, my mom bought me a device for measuring my blood pressure at home... and all this obsessive running has brought my blood pressure down from pre-hypertension to "normal". I was also shocked to find out that my resting heart rate (at 6.30am) was 42. Usually it is in the 50s. Is 42bpm too slow?

Update: it's up at 63. I must have still been half asleep.

Week of 18 June

5.5(girard st bridge), 3(pottruck), 0(bike), 6(pottruck), 0(rest), 10.5(falls road), 7(columbia bridge) = 32

New blogging style

Total mileage is what I'm going to be interested in building up for a while, and it just tends to get lost in a rambly, discursive blog. I may still sometimes write longer entries, but mostly I'll be sticking to the bare essentials. Here's this week.

7.75+0+4+3+3+5.5+7.5=30.75

Run

Wednesday: a final 4mi run in France, just up to the Domene bridge and back. 

Thursday: a beautiful day in Philly; 3mi up to the art museum and back. 

Goodbye East River Loop

Sometimes you have to say goodbye to things that you love. 

Tonight was my last time running my favorite loop in Isère. 7.75mi total. The sun had already set behind the Vercors when I set out, turning the hazy clouds all pink. Totally beautiful. It is such a pretty loop, with nice soft, but not-too-soft, dirt trails and the constant sound of water rushing past. It reminds me of running alongside the Deerfield, then plunging in at Alan's rock.

Tomorrow will be a short out and back, if at all.

With two dinners to go, it is truly clean out the cupboard time. Tonight's invention: whole wheat couscous, tomato sauce, tofu, emmental.