Ego Trip

Another lovely day in San Francisco, another 5 mile run.  Today I went the other direction, up into the Presidio and over to the head of the Golden Gate Bridge.  After my last experience with running on the bridge, (it sucked, too many aimless gawking tourists to bump into, I advise against it) I opted to take a picture and turn around, knowing that I had a good run in.  Again, I had to stretch it out by going down a block or two, but I got it to exactly 5.00 miles.  For no particular reason, I thought I'd make a very egoistical playlist.

Playlist	In the Key of "I"
I Luv I Jah	Bad Brains
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend	Ramones
I Stole Your Love	KISS
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart	Wilco
I Lost It	Lucinda Williams
I Got The Feelin'	James Brown
I Fink U Freeky	Die Antwoord
I Feel Fine	The Beatles
I Do	J. Geils Band
I Wanna Be Sedated	Ramones
I Wanna Roo You	Van Morrison
I Am That I Am	Peter Tosh

Distance 5.00 miles
Cumulative 20.16 miles
Time 43:49
Pace 8:45 min/mile

Summer 5K part III

Another hot one for the Summer 5K series. The t-shirts have arrived, my first "tactical" or whatever they're called. And to top it all off, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup! Which is awesome for me, since they hadn't won it since I was a few days old, and missed out on it during a formative period of my life.

Playlist
Jean Genie -David Bowie
Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) -Gnarls Barkley
Hit It and Quit It -Funkadelic
Mother Popcorn -James Brown
Stepping Razor -Peter Tosh
One Nation Under a Groove -Funkadelic
Good Old Funky Music -the Meters

Time (unofficial)
28:05

Distance 3.1 miles
Cumulative distance 22.9 miles

Cold and going to rain/snow

I've let myself eat a little bit off my New Year's Resolved Diet (less meat, more whole grain, less cheese/dairy, more veggies) because of social engagements with friends. A corollary to the Diet is that I don't want to put anybody out with my personally imposed dietary restriction. I took an extra day off after the 7 miler, and I needed to get out before tonight's expected freezing rain and/or snow. So I went on an old route I haven't seen in a while, down to Chewacla and back.

Playlist (Cold Rain and Snow Mix)
Cold Brains -Beck
Cold Sweat -James Brown
Cold Blood -Peter Tosh
Cold and Wet -Ween
Fool in the Rain -Led Zeppelin
Look at the Rain -Meat Puppets
The Rain Song -Led Zeppelin

Times
L1 8:35
L2 7:05
L3 7:23
L4 7:13
L5 0:48
Total 31:04

Distance 3.5 miles (I just remeasured, seems longer than I remember?)
Cumulative 13.4 miles

Couple of days off again.

So the last two nights haven't worked out, but I did get out tonight. Problems: I enjoy dinner and drinking beer too much. I probably shouldn't eat so much dinner, as a rule, but I realize that I enjoy eating a large meal in the evening. Usually, if that comes later in the evening, it totally precludes an evening run at a reasonable hour. Tonight, although I had a heavy meal of Chinese food (greasy, salty), it was early enough to let me digest enough to overcome my SLOTH and get out. I thought I'd be a bloated potato with lead feet after that meal, but I actually felt quite good once I got going, and really kicked it in the end to get in under 32:00 (for a 3.5 mile run which I have run in under 30:00). But since I hurt my calf, this is still pretty good for down to Chewacla and back.

Playlist
Dirty Water -the Standells (Sox cream the Phillies)
Joyce No. 5 -Johnson Mkhalali (SA scores first goal in the World Cup!)
Opera Singer -CAKE
London Calling -the Clash
Get Up Offa That Thing -James Brown
The Rain Song -Led Zeppelin
Mushroom Men -Les Claypool
Gimme Three Steps -Lynyrd Skynyrd



Times
L1 9:16
L2 7:21
L3 7:32
L4 6:54
L5 0:41
Total 31:45

Distance 3.5 miles
Cumulative Distance 29.7 (not looking good for 100 miles this month, so far)

double A to Z

Back out after the 5k. One day of rest. All the snow is gone, except for the muddy, shrinking snowmen. A pretty nice day, though chilly enough for spandex. I went back out to the Shel Toomer bike path, with a playlist featuring two songs for every letter of the alphabet. The only missing letter is X. I think I know of one really good song to fill that void. Anyway, the playlist, which I got through to H.

Playlist
Alabama Chrome -Jim White
Andy Warhol -David Bowie
Babylon System -Bob Marley
Beercan -Beck
Calling Dr. Love -KISS
Carbon Monoxide -Cake
Draw the Line -Aerosmith
Don't Believe the Hype -Public Enemy
Exactly Where I'm At -Ween
Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache) -Cake
Fell in Love With A Girl -White Stripes
Flaming Heart -Meat Puppets
Get On The Good Foot -James Brown
The Great Curve -Talking Heads
He'eia -Gabby Pahinui

Times
L1 8:07
L2 6:46
L3 13:34
L4 13:36
L5 7:07
L 7:50
Total 57:02 New personal best for that route

Sweet Virginia

I didn't listen to this song today, but there's a line in the song that struck a chord with me. And my shoes. Last night I was wearing the recently cleaned old New Balance shoes and misstepped in the dark. I thought, perhaps rather than scrape, I could run to get the mashed excreta off my shoes. Another reason this song resonated today was my route. Apparently I've been running the wrong course for this Saturday's Race to Help Haiti. I've been running all the way up Wright's Mill Rd to Samford and back to Gay Street, but the proper route cuts back over to Gay St. via Virginia St. I don't think it's much of a difference distance wise, but it does add an extra dip and climb. So I ran the proper course today, out of sequence since I wanted to try for a decent time but not end up doubling the route. Theoretically, this is an easy day. It's pretty cold out there (count my blessings, most of the rest of the country is deep under snow right now), and I wasn't feeling fantastically great out there, but my time was OK.

Playlist (more eclectic on-the-go)
Sissyneck -Beck
Tougher Than It Is -Cake
The W.A.N.D. -Flaming Lips
Walk On By -Cake
The Book I Read -Talking Heads
Buddy Holly -Weezer
Clampdown -The Clash
Cold Sweat -James Brown
Crazy -Gnarls Barkley
Fish, Chips and Sweat -Funkadelic
Guns of Brixton -The Clash
Hot Pink -Meat Puppets

Times
L1 (to Loftin) 6:57
L2 (the proper 5k, out of order) 26:47
L3 (back home) 6:34
Total 40:18.

Love Your Heart 10K

Well, this was the first time I paid to go running in a while. It was a lot of fun. The course ran from the top of Chewacla State Park, down to the Shel Toomer Bike Path and back to the top of Chewacla. I was a bit afraid of the climb back to the top, but it wasn't so bad. I had a lot of gas left for the kick, and passed a few people accelerating up the last hills. I made it in under an hour, so I'm happy with that for a first race in a few years.

For the playlist, I made an on-the-go one, so the songs played in
alphabetical order.

Playlist
Academia -Sia
Atomic Dog -George Clinton
Aurora Borealis -Meat Puppets
Bang a Gong (Get It On) -T.Rex
Bicycle Race -Queen
California Love -2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Roger Troutman
Clampdown -The Clash
Dixie Chicken -Little Feat
Exactly Where I'm At -Ween
Fish, Chips, and Sweat -Funkadelic
Girl -Beck
Give It Up Or Turnit Loose -James Brown
Ham 'N Eggs -A Tribe Called Quest
Hang On St. Christopher -Tom Waits
Hit It and Quit It -Funkadelic
Iron Man -Black Sabbath

Time (by my mark)
58:40

Big chief

Another run up to the Art Museum and back. I had to make it in time to get a bunch of cooking done and pick up my daughter from school.

Playlist
Big Chief -Professor Longhair
Manteca -Dizzy Gillespie
Salt Peanuts -Dizzy Gillespie
What is Life -George Harrison
Fat Bottomed Girls -Queen
Academia -Sia
Funky President -James Brown
Rock and Roll Part 2 -Gary Glitter
Up for the Down Stroke -Parliament

Times
L1-->12:09
L2-->3:18
L3-->3:01
L4-->3:19
L5-->12:15
Total-->34:03 Not bad.

Dogs

New tune-o-matic. They did rush it right back to me after the previous one got smashed in the face, although at a high price. I've been trying to get out again for a few days, and didn't get out until this evening. It was pretty chilly out there, so I donned the spandex. Tonight's theme: dogs. No reason really, just dog songs. Out to Chewacla and back. Pretty quickly.

Playlist
Atomic Dog -George Clinton
Diamond Dogs -David Bowie
Black Dog -Led Zeppelin
Gin and Juice -Snoop Dogg
Do the Dog -The Specials
The Next Episode -Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
If You Don't Give A Doggone About It -James Brown
Rebel Rebel -David Bowie

Times
Length 1--> 8:21
Length 2--> 7:17
Length 3 and 4 --> 15:46 (couldn't thumb the split)
Total--> 31:24 Pretty quick, all right. A new best, but not by much. I think the low temps kept me moving along.

California love

Clocks fallen back. Went out this afternoon, just as it was getting dark. Down to Chewacla and back. We had a party last night, so I know I had some extra junk in my trunk today. Perhaps that though inspired the theme of tonight's playlist.

Playlist
California Love -Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
Superfly -Curtis Mayfield
Fish, Chips and Sweat -Funkadelic
Flashlight -Parliament
Up For the Downstroke -Parliament
Got to give it up -Marvin Gaye
Superbad -James Brown
The Bottle -Gil Scott-Heron

Time
Leg 1->9:01
Leg 2 -> 7:49
Leg 3 -> 8:35
Leg 4 -> 9:10
Total 34:35
Almost a minute drop between 2 and 3, but pretty close on the 1st and last legs. Again, I tried to pour it on on the last hill.

Longer, lighter, better

Another evening run. I definitely need to get into a rhythm, but I had a lighter dinner (after prolonged afternoon snacking, bad bad bad), so I felt ready to go.
All in all, it felt good to be out on the street. That, and the temperatures dropped, so it was quite pleasant.

Playlist
Cumberland Blues -the Grateful Dead
The Payback -James Brown
Reggaemyelitis -Peter Tosh
Stepping Razor -Peter Tosh
Living For the City -Stevie Wonder

Time
Home --> Stop Sign 9:24
Stop Sign --> Other Stop Sign 8:00
Other Stop Sign --> First Stop Sign 8:07
First Stop Sign --> Home 9:34
Total 35:05 All in all, good splits. I'm happy

Washington Park

So I'm in Portland, OR, where I used to live many moons ago. I'm here for a meeting and staying on my friend Dave's couch for a few days. He lives in NW Portland, not too far from Washington Park. So I ran up there. The hills are much bigger here than they are in Auburn, so they kind of well, kicked my a$$. But I did get some nice views. Washington Park is where the Rose Gardens, Japanese Gardens and lots of other PDX attractions. That's where the two pictures below are from.

Playlist:
River Luv Rite -Oneness of Juju
Get On the Good Foot - James Brown
Get Up (Sex Machine) -James Brown
Hey Ladies -Beastie Boys
Okuzua -Orchestra Lissanga

Time Out 33:52

Happy Birthday, 'Murica!

I got out again, a bit longer this time. I went out this evening before dark, while the air was still good to breathe, before the celebratory pyrotechnics. Again, I rarely indulge in daytime jogging, but with the kids out of the house for a few days, it seemed like a reasonable proposition.
Hopefully the days of post-running ibuprofen will soon end. For now, I AM BACK. Now, to eat my lovely green salad with Chicken a la Yuengling (AKA Yuengling up the YinYang).

The Playlist, featuring Americans.
Fourth of July -Dave Alvin (A natural choice for today's kick-off)
The World's a Mess It's in My Kiss -X
Astro -White Stripes
Bob Wills is Still The King -Waylon Jennings
Sweet Emotion -Aerosmith
Shake Your Rump -Beastie Boys
Get On The Good Foot -James Brown
Plateau -Meat Puppets
What I'd Say Parts 1 and 2 -Ray Charles
Time out, 34:39

Easter Greetings

Easter's here which means a few things to my running. 1. Lent is over, so I've chosen to return to those things which I've given up for 40 days, namely coffee, beer, and sugar. This last one has had several of my scientist colleagues challenging me on what I define as sugar. For the purposes of the my fast, I defined sugar as any of several listed ingredients including: sugar, dextrose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup. I did eat honey and maple syrup, which are course full of 'sugar', at least in terms of simple carbohydrates. Anyway, the purpose of the fast (besides the spiritual challenge) was not attained. I did not lose any weight. I haven't been running as much as I'd wanted due to illness, so that didn't help. Also, I did not abstain from other sources of caffeine (tea, diet soda) or alcohol (wine, liquor), so that couldn't have helped either.
2. Today was a feast, including doughnuts (of the Krispy Kreme fundraiser variety, not my favorite but there they were), cheesy grits, chocolate, but a modest dinner after all that.
3. We went to an Easter egg hunt at a friend's house on bicycles, with me lugging the Burley trailer. Our friends do not live far away, maybe a mile and a half, but I felt shamefully winded by the experience. I haven't ridden my bike at all for a while, and clearly I should.
4. The Easter Bunny brought a new yoga ball into our lives, along with an exercise DVD, so perhaps I'll be doing some stretching, cardio toning kinds of things to help with the whole fitness adventure.

And finally, after all that, I did get out on a jog. I went faster than normal, maybe due to the lighter dinner. I jogged up to the Museum and back, with an extra quarter mile or so around Town Creek Park, and still made it back in under 40 minutes.

The Playlist.
Turn It On -The Flaming Lips
Oh, Me -Meat Puppets
Pork Roll Egg and Cheese -Ween
Tried and True -Ween
Undone (The Sweater Song) -Weezer
I'm Gonna Put Some Hurt On You -The Meters
Cold Blood -Peter Tosh
Mother Popcorn -James Brown
Get Off My Cloud -The Rolling Stones
Get On Down -Meat Puppets.

Time 39:56 Considering this is the same route as last Sunday, and a bit longer, I'm happy with the time.

New Year's Resolutions

So it's a New Year, and looking back on my resolutions from last year. I don't think I did so well on my resolution to drink less. However, I did not drink more, so that is achievement of a sort. I did much better on my resolution to eat more salad. I ate a salad just about every day through June, and then at least four times a week until December. With all the traveling at the end of the year, it was tough to keep up with it, but I'm back and settled and ready to recommit to salad eating. Maybe I'll try to drink less as well, eat less processed food, and of course, keep running at least three times a week.

So I finally went on my first jog since I got back to Auburn. While I was in South Africa my family got a new puppy, which matches our older dog Trixie. So I had a bit of a quandary; the puppy, Jin-Jin, is still quite a fresh young thing, so I didn't want to take both dogs out together. So I decided to go out with Trixie first, then Jin-Jin. That worked out pretty well, since running around the neighborhood is a series of loops anyway.

Playlist:
Our Lips Are Sealed -The Go-Gos
Blind Mary -Gnarls Barkley
When Doves Cry -Prince
Cold Sweat, Part 1 -James Brown
(This is where I switched dogs)
Carbon Monoxide -Cake
Watching the Detectives -Elvis Costello
Veronica -Elvis Costello
Total time 26:13

Still exploring the Sports Centrum

I've been out a couple of times to the Sports Centrum. I've got a pretty good course now, that takes about 35 minutes for me to get around. Yesterday I even dared to bring the tunes-o-matic.

Qhwayilahle -Moses Mchunu This and the next are from the Indestructible Beat of Soweto compilation.
Sini Lindile -Nganeziyamfisa No Khambalombvaleliso
Beercan -Beck
I Gotcha -Joe Tex
Cold Sweat, Part I -James Brown For some reason, I don't have part 2, which starts with giving the drummer some.
Hit It and Quit It -Funkadelic
Sweet Emotion -Aerosmith