What comes after 20?

21! Just to make sure I didn't start resting on my laurels, I decided to go on a long run today. The 10.2 mile course down Ogletree and back, plus Chewacla and back. I entertained the notion of going down Shel Toomer bike path to cap off the month with a half-marathon, but dismissed it. I'm glad I did, because it's getting warm out there for half-marathons with no water breaks.
I'm going to have to start running earlier or later soon.

Playlist, a rocker
Whorehoppin' (Sh*t, G*dd*mn) -Eagles of Death Metal
Super Stupid -Funkadelic
Run (I'm A Natural Disaster) -Gnarls Barkley
Sugar -Imperial Teen
Crosstown Traffic -Jimi Hendrix
I Love It Loud -KISS
Over the Hills and Far Away -Led Zeppelin
Rock & Roll -Lou Reed and Velvet Underground
Hot Pink -Meat Puppets
No One Knows -Queens of the Stone Age
Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment -The Ramones
Gimme Shelter -The Rolling Stones
Roses are Free -Ween
Transdermal Celebration -Ween
Fell In Love With a Girl -White Stripes
Jimmy The Exploder -White Stripes
The World's a Mess, It's In My Kiss -X
The New World -X
Bang a Gong (Get It On) -T. Rex
Hands All Over -Soundgarden
God Is A Number -Sleater-Kinney
You're My Best Friend -Queen
There Goes My Gun -Pixies
Bukowski -Modest Mouse
I Felt Like A Gringo -Minutemen
Confusion Fog -Meat Puppets

Times
L1 7:53
L2 11:08
L3 17:55
L4 18:03
L5 12:25
L6 7:31
L7 8:03
L8 8:32
Total 1:31:30
Distance 10.2

20 Days!!!! Yee-hah!

This was it. The 20th Day of running in March. Hurray! Only one day under 4.0 miles. Up Gay, to College via Woodfield, up to Toomer's Corner, back down Gay to Armstrong, back on Gay and home. I'm over 126 miles this month!

Playlist (Country & Western &c.)
That Girl From Brownsville, Texas -Jim White
In Heaven There Is No Beer -Brave Combo
Cumberland Blues -Grateful Dead
Paradise -John Prine
Dixie Chicken -Little Feat
Loser -Beck
Walk On By -Cake
Tweedle-O-Twill -Gene Autry
Big River -Johnny Cash
Bob Wills Is Still The King -Waylon Jennings
The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You) -Waylon Jennings
Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town -Cake
Pretty Girl -Ween
Dear John -Hank Williams
I Got Stripes -Johnny Cash

Times
L1 11:26
L2 3:05
L3 10:45 (Woodfield to Toomer's)
L4 0:46
L5 5:31
L6 5:28
L7 11:04
Total 48:06
Distance 5.77 mi

Junk Support

Day 19 of the 20 day challenge, and I'm feeling pretty good after a day off. It's been threatening to rain all day long, but hasn't really started yet. Pretty warm and nice. I finally got myself an athletic supporter, to keep my junk in place during the warm weather. I wasn't sure if I should get the size 30-32 inch waist, or the 34-36 inch. I've been at about 33 inches, and being an optimist, I went with the 30-32. I did so with furrowed brow, because I don't imagine it's the kind of item one can return to the store. TMI? I call it deep sharing.
The stoplights all seemed to be against me today.

Playlist-All Gabby Pahinui
Wai Hu'ihu'i O Ke Aniani
Maile Lau Li'ili'i
'Ia 'Oe E Ka La
Haleakala
Panini Pua Kea
He'eia
'Ama 'Ama
Nanea Ko Maka I Ka Le'a Le'a
Pua Kukui
Kananaka
Mauna Loa
Hula O Makee
Wahine U'i
Ku'u Pua Lei Mokihana
Kaua Beauty
Ka Ua Loku
How D'ya Do
Ka Ipo Lei Manu
Lei Ohu
Breeze

L1 14:17
L2 5:46 (Univ/Donahue to Woodfield)
L3 10:55 (Donahue/Woodfield to Magnolia)
L4 6:14 (Magnolia)
L5 5:38 (Gay Armstrong)
L6 5:35 (Top of Gay)
L7 11:18 (Bottom of Gay)
Total 59:43
Distance 7.0

Another new combination of old routes to make new

Up Gay Street to Woodfield, across College over to Donahue, down back across College to University, then back home. My first time taking the big dip in this direction.

Playlist
Xtabenium -Acme Rocket Quartet
Queen Bitch -David Bowie
C.R.E.A.M. -Wu Tang Clan
De Camino A La Vereda -Buena Vista Social Club
Fourth of July -Dave Alvin
Gold -Genius/GZA
Hit It and Quit It -Funkadelic
In And Out -Del The Funky Homosapien
John, I'm Only Dancing -David Bowie

Times
L1 11:27
L2 3:27
L3 2:06
L4 5:04
L5 12:59
Total 35:03

Distance 4.27 miles. Day 18 of the 20 Day challenge. My feet are feeling a little tender. I don't think I've done a day under four miles, either, which is also good. Actually, one day under four, still...

Short Day Plus

My feet are feeling a little tender, after 17 days of running this month. Blisters on both of my middle toes, in the front. What's up with that?
I thought I'd take a short day, but just to show I'm not slacking (to who? myself? Sure why not) I added a little somethings extra in the form of and extra lap (down toward the lake and back), for an extra 0.9 mile.

Playlist (Stormy Weather Mix)
Xtabenium -Acme Rocket Quartet
Get Off My Cloud -The Rolling Stones
The Rain Song -Led Zeppelin
Purple Rain -Prince
Come In Out Of The Rain -Parliament
Rainy Day Woman -Waylon Jennings
Look At The Rain -Meat Puppets
Riders On The Storm -The Doors

Times
L1 7:54
L2 6:31
L3 6:42
L4 7:18 (that makes 28:23 on the 3.6 mi Chewacla route, a new PB)
L5 7:27
Total 35:51
Distance 4.5 miles

Whippoorwill Again

Today I went back up into the Whippoorwill neighborhood again, off the bike path. I did the full loop today, including the last long hill. A little dog started following me up the hill, and I had to jump over him once or twice. Add the uphill small dog steeplechase to the list of things I do not like while running. More good news, though. Barring incident, I should make my goal of 20 days of running this month.

Playlist
We're Here -Meat Puppets
Diamond Dogs -David Bowie
Train In Vain -The Clash
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker -The Ramones
Loser -Beck
Draw The Line -Aerosmith
Rastaman Live Up -Bob Marley and the Wailers
Crazy -Gnarls Barkley
Black Hole Sun -Soundgarden
Backwater -Meat Puppets
Rock and Roll, Part 2. -Gary Glitter
All Your Goodies Are Gone -Parliament
Got To Choose -KISS
Undone (The Sweater Song) -Weezer
Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache) -Cake
Yo! Bum Rush The Show -Public Enemy
Pink Turns To Blue -Husker Du
Moonage Daydream -David Bowie
Ziggy Stardust -David Bowie
Suffragette City -David Bowie
Lady Madonna -The Beatles
The Next Episode - Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
Equal Rights -Peter Tosh

Times
L1 8:12
L2 6:42
L3 4:58
L4 8:29
L5 8:39
L6 27:19
L7 5:18
L8 7:47
L9 ??
Total : I don't know. I didn't thumb the last split :( I *think* I can in around 1:25 or so. If I got the last split in, say 9 minutes, that would be 1:26.

Distance 9.65 miles

Ogletree loop

Ran out Ogletree and decided to go around the loop rather than turning around. That's actually the shorter route. Seven plus miles. Missed yesterday, because my daughter didn't have school and I was in charge.

Playlist
Sweet Child O' Mine -Guns 'N Roses
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song -Flaming Lips
What Is Life -George Harrison
Rusty Cage -Soundgarden
Catch All This -Del the Funky Homosapien
16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six -Tom Waits
Rock The Casbah -The Clash
Nappy Dugout -Funkadelic
Diamond Dogs -David Bowie
Jesus and Tequila -Minutemen
That Girl From Brownsville, Texas -Jim White
Seven Nation Army -White Stripes
You Can't Catch Me -Chuck Berry
Atomic Dog - George Clinton

Times
L1 (Home ->SS) 8:28
L2 (SS ->Windway) 11:33
L3 (WW ->Moore's Mill) 18:40
L4 (MM ->University) 12:28
L5 (MM/Univ ->Home) 12:16
Total 1:03:26
Distance 7.07 miles

Road Trip, and back on the Road

I spent the last four days in Charlotte, at a meeting my wife was attending. I did see people running through downtown Charlotte, but I didn't really get the opportunity to join them. I swam in the pool at the hotel, but not in a real exercising sort of way. I also tried the treadmill in the hotel gym. I hated that thing. I spent 12+ minutes on it, and did not care to watch TV jiggle in front of me, or to have all these buttons to regulate the speed. I almost fell off the thing. Suffice to say, it is not for me at this point; I much prefer feet on concrete. So I went for an evening run out to the bike path, bringing a flashlight with me for the first dusky run in a while. It was brisk out, nice for running. Ahhhh. Home sweet home.

Playlist
(I Love It When You) Call Me Names -Joan Armatradding
Queen Bitch -David Bowie
Ocean Breathes Salty -Modest Mouse
Honton Soukpo Gnon -Antoine Dougbe
Rastafari Is -Peter Tosh
Pork Roll Egg and Cheese -Ween
Hotel Yorba -White Stripes
Jolene -Cake
Andy Warhol -David Bowie
Cissy Strut -the Meters
Heavy Heavy Heavy -Geraldo Pino
In This House That I Call Home -X
No One Knows -Queens of the Stone Age

Times
L1 7:47
L2 6:39
L3 13:25
L4 8:14
L5 4:55
L6 6:55
L7 7:17
Total 55:12 Another PB. Yay!

Old Route plus New Part = New 8.35 Mile Route

Shel Toomer Bike Path plus up Canary Road on the way back. A nice neighborhood, about the same age as my own, lots of hardwood forest. Would run again.

Playlist (a mishmosh, with the new tag "Too Many To Tag")
Queen Bitch -David Bowie
Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) -Gnarls Barkley
Rock & Roll -Lou Reed and Velvet Underground
Ocean Breathes Salty -Modest Mouse
There Goes My Gun -Pixies
Outshined -Soundgarden
Holiday Fortnight -The Specials
You Were The Fool -Ween
Moses the Prophet -Peter Tosh
Paranoid -Black Sabbath
Let's Go Crazy -Prince
Let Forever Be -Chemical Brothers
Honton Soukpo Gnon -Antoine Dougbe
Rastafari Is -Peter Tosh
Sweet Emotion -Aerosmith
Memphis -Chuck Berry
Pork Roll Egg and Cheese -Ween
Rainy Day Woman -Waylon Jennings
Hotel Yorba -White Stripes
Jolene -Cake

Times
L1 8:06
L2 6:41
L3 13:35
L4 (College to Canary) 8:38
L5 (Canary Loop, around Oriole) 15:31
L6 (Canary to Wright's Mill) 5:13
L7 7:19
L8 7:49
Total 1:12:51
Distance 8.35 miles

UDMGAG, a new tagged route.

University, Donahue, Magnolia, Gay, Armstrong, Gay. UDMGAG. Perhaps that what I should tag this route? It's cool and overcast. No students around due to Spring Break. Pretty much ideal conditions.

Playlist
Jumping Jack Flash -Rolling Stones
Miuzi Weighs a Ton -Public Enemy
It's Expected I'm Gone -Minutemen
Hot Pink -Meat Puppets
Cocaine Blues -Johnny Cash
So Easy -Eagles of Death Metal
Love Me Two Times -The Doors
Queen Bitch -David Bowie
Send a Message To Her -Beck
Finger Lickin' Good -Beastie Boys
Pay To Cum -Bad Brains
Back In Black -AC/DC
Peaches En Regalia -Frank Zappa
Run (I'm A Natural Disaster) -Gnarls Barkley
Our Lips Are Sealed -Go-gos
Manic Depression -Jimi Hendrix
I Love It Loud -KISS

Times
L1 (University) 13:56
L2 (Donahue) 16:04
L3 (Magnolia) 5:13
L4 (Gay/Armstrong/Samford) 5:47
L5 (Upper Gay) 5:35
L6 (Lower Gay/Home) 10:55
Total 57:31 Looks like a pretty good time. PB? YES! 7.0 miles in under an hour. Yay!

Two days off, short day on.

Not too long a day out there. My right calf is still a little tight. My wife is back from her trip to Belize, and the kids are off from school for Spring Break. Up Gay Street and back down Wright's Mill.

Playlist
Hosanna -Harry Belafonte
Learn To Fly -Foo Fighters
What A Day That Was -Talking Heads
Jeepster -T.Rex
International Colouring Contest -Stereolab
Superunknown -Soundgarden
God Is A Number -Sleater-Kinney
No One To Depend On -Santana

Times
L1 11:46
L2 5:49
L3 16:28
Total 34:02
Distance 4.0 miles

Friday isn't 10k day today. Day 10 of the 20 Day Challenge

So I didn't go 10 km today after the long day yesterday. I went (lemme check)...4.6 miles, or 7.4 km. Up Gay to Woodfield, then up College to Samford and back down Gay to home. A bit wet out, not really raining though. A bit warm for spandex again, but I wore it anyway. It felt really pretty good out there, even though I have an avulsion on my left heel. I bandaided that bad boy up and ran with it. It didn't seem to bother me.

Playlist-Reggae
Trenchtown Rock -Bob Marley and the Wailers
African -Peter Tosh
New Name -Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus
Chiney Man -Culture
Coming In From The Cold -Bob Marley and the Wailers
Cold Blood -Peter Tosh
Babylon -Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus
Mystic Man -Peter Tosh

Times
L1 11:57
L2 3:16
L3 7:02
L4 5:34
L5 11:07
Total 38:55. Pretty good on the way out and quite happy with the way back. I don't think I'll be able to get out this weekend, so I'm glad to have made it to the halfway mark well ahead of the 15th. Also, I managed to get in 26-plus this week, which was another goal of mine that I failed to mention. Under 12 minutes appears to be two PB's for the legs to the stop sign and back. While I don't think I'll keep an eye on every split's PB, that one's kind of a landmark worth celebrating.

A Day of Rest was a Good Idea

Felt much better today. Good enough to run 10.2 miles. It was warm out there, and I probably should plan on running this route in much warmer weather without some sort of rehydration scheme. Down Ogletree Road and back, then down to Chewacla and home. Another all-African playlist. Why do I like African music for long runs? I think because most of the songs I listen to are amazingly upbeat, and they're also typically longer than pop songs, so I can listen to a few of them and keep a mood going.

Playlist
Makojo -Chief Osita Osadebe
Sweeper Soul -Super Mambo 69
Dadje Von O Von Non -Gnonnas Pedro et Ses Dadjes
River Luv Rite -Oneness of Juju
Marie Jose -Ryco Jazz
No Condition Is Permanent -Marijata
Indoda Yejazi Elimnyama -Amaswazi Emvelo
Lela-Lela -Kanda Bongo Man
Honton Soukpo Gnon -Antoine Dougbe
Qhude Manikiniki -Umahlathini Nabo
Afro Funk -Peter King
Cantique -Kanda Bongo Man
Gaweizo -Moussa Poussy
El Son Te Llama -Orchestra Baobab
Coumba -Orchestra Baobab
Soyeya -Saadou Bori
Howkouna -Ali Farka Toure

Times
L1 (Home-Stop Sign) 8:29
L2 (SS-Windway) 11:53
L3 (W-Moore's Mill) 18:31
L4 (MM-W) 19:00
L5 (W-SS) 12:41
L6 (SS-Chewacla) 7:53
L7 (C-SS) 8:13
L8 (SS-Home) 9:03
Total 1:36:42. Slower on all the return lengths. Oh well, a long run is still a good run, if it doesn't hurt me.

Short Day

What used to be a regular huff is now a short day, the trip down to Chewacla and back. According to the gmap pedometer, that a route of 3.55 miles (5.77 km), give or take. I may have to burn a rest day tomorrow, as I'm starting to feel some aches and creaks. Not just because it's supposed to rain, really.

Playlist. Shhh... Instrumental
How D'ya Do -Gabby Pahinui
Nuevo Pueblo -Buena Vista Social Club
Well, You Needn't -Thelonious Monk
Spanish Key -Miles Davis

Times
L1 8:11
L2 7:06
L3 7:04
L4 7:30
Total 29:50. What used to be my goal is now the effort of a "slow day". Yay. Faster on the return splits. Yay. I've been working on pumping my arms to go a little faster, especially climbing hills.

Warming Up

Today was the first day in shorts/no spandex and short sleeves. I'm not sure if it's the weather, my lunch or the challenge I've laid before myself, but I was feeling a bit sluggish out there. The route, University, Donahue, Magnolia, Gay, Thach, Armstrong, Gay, Home.

Playlist "World Music" or African and Hawaiian.
Okuzua -Orchestra Lissanga
Wai Hu'ihu'i O Ke Aniani -Gabby Pahinui
Dadje Von O Von Non -Gnonnas Pedro et Ses Dadjes
He'eia -Gabby Pahinui
Dofana -Ali Farka Toure
Qhude Manikiniki -Umahlathini Nabo
My Little Grass Shack -Gabby Pahinui
Goye Kur -Ali Farka Toure
Cinquante Six -Ali Farka Toure
Mauna Loa -Gabby Pahinui
Mahini Me -Ali Farka Toure
Nansi Imali -Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Makojo -Chief Osita Osadebe

Times
L1 14:18 (Home->Donahue)
L2 16:27 (Donahue ->Magnolia)
L3 5:15 (Magnolia->Gay)
L4 6:36 (Gay, Armstrong, Samford)
L5 6:04 (Samford/Gay->Gay/Woodfield SS)
L6 12:25 (SS->Home)
Total 1:01:04

One day off, then 10 km again

Today my kids are at a sleepover, so I got the chance to get a run in this morning. Shel Toomer Bike Path and back. I listened to more of the biography of the Buddha.

Time
59:59. I tried to take it easy, but not too easy. Still, just under an hour is a-okay for not pushing it.

Friday is 10K Day/ My 20 Day Challenge

Back onto the old 10K route, the Shel Toomer bike path and back. Fifth day in a row. W00T! So I confess that my goal for this month is 20 days of running. That should be 20 blog entries. I've been reluctant to post about it, in case of failure. But I blog to set goals and prevent failure. So here it is: my challenge to myself, 20 runs in March.

Playlist
Rastafari Is -Peter Tosh
Show Some Emotion -Joan Armatradding
Wow and Flutter -Stereolab
1999 -Prince
Let Forever Be -Chemical Brothers
Love Gun -Kiss
Sissyneck -Beck
Pork Roll Egg and Cheese -Ween
In This House That I Call Home -X
Jeepster -T. Rex
Seven Nation Army -White Stripes
Buddy Holly -Weezer
Under The Gun -Circle Jerks
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised -Gil Scott-Heron
Atomic Dog -George Clinton
Loser -Beck


Times
L1 7:54
L2 6:44
L3 13:26
L4 13:27
L5 7:11
L6 7:48
Total 56:30 a new PB, yay!

Another Pleasant Valley Sunday, on Thursday

A new route through a fairly new neighborhood nearby. I've avoided it thus far, as all my driving through the neighborhood kind of creeped me out, in how all the houses look exactly the same, and bear the name of the flora and fauna they've replaced. My subdivision is not better in this latter regard, though I'm not sure what a tanglewood is, anyway.

Playlist
Sissyneck -Beck
L.A. Woman -The Doors
I'll Stick Around -Foo Fighters
What Is Life -George Harrison
Purple Haze -Jimi Hendrix
Corona -Minutemen
Standing On The Verge of Getting It On -Funkadelic
Maiden's Milk -Meat Puppets
Cobbler -Meat Puppets
You're My Best Friend -Queen
Pink Eye (On My Leg) -Ween

Times
L1 11:30 (through neighborhood 'X')
L2 21:06 (Jct Ogletree Rd)
L3 7:38 (Ogletree SS ->Home, reckon that's a personal record for that leg!)
Total 40:13
Distance 4.9 miles A little over 8 minute miles. Not bad though, for the 4th day in a row. Good on last split, no doubt

Double Cross, Wright's Mill and Gay

Another day, another new route, another mix of old routes. Up to Wright's Mill, down Woodfield to Gay, Up to Samford, back to the top of Wright's Mill to Woodfield, and back down Gay to home.

Playlist (Hippity Hop)
Parental Discretion Iz Advised -N.W.A.
Ms. Jackson -Outkast
The Humpty Dance -Digital Underground
Catch All This -Del Tha Funky Homosapien
The Next Episode -Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
Gin and Juice -Snoop Dogg
Gold -GZA
Wack MC's -Del tha Funky Homosapien
You're Gonna Get Yours -Public Enemy
Finger Lickin' Good -Beastie Boys

Times
L1 (Wright's Mill to Woodfield/Gay) 15:00
L2 (W/G to Samford) 5:28
L3 (Samford to W/G) 7:38
L4 10:57
Total 39:04
Distance 4.6 Not too long, but it's my third day in a row.

Back to an old favorite

The Shel Toomer bike path. A bit damp, but not really raining. Pretty nice day for it. I felt a little logy on the trail, but I did well. Slacked a bit on the way back, but finished strong.

Playlist
Changes -David Bowie
Our Lips Are Sealed -The Go-Go's
What Is And What Should Never Be -Led Zeppelin
Straight Outta Compton -N.W.A
Buk-In-Hamm Palace -Peter Tosh
The Day I Tried To Live -Soundgarden
Hands All Over -Soundgarden
White Girl -X
Beginning to See the Light -Velvet Underground
Pretty Girl -Ween
Rudie Can't Fail -The Specials
My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mamma -Frank Zappa
Fish, Chips and Sweat -Funkadelic
Little Wing -Jimi Hendrix

Times
L1 8:02
L2 6:35
L3 13:43
L4 14:11
L5 7:29
L6 7:54
Total 57:54