New 4+ route

This evening, after a disappointing Auburn game, a resounding Oregon State game, a soccer game in which my daughter scored a goal (!) and an Orchid Society picnic in Columbus, Georgia, I went out for a run as the sun was setting.  Fortunately, I was carrying a flashlight.  I decided to run up University to Donahue, and instead of turning up towards College I turned towards Longleaf and up into that neighborhood.  I came out on Summerhills and crossed over into Town Creek Park. 

Playlist
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together	Taylor Swift
Gangnam Style	Psy
Frontier Psychiatrist	the Avalanches
Sweet Emotion	Aerosmith
Walk Like An Egyptian	the Bangles
Crosseyed and Painless	Talking Heads
Cantique	Kanda Bongo Man
Lady	Fela

Distance 4.42 miles
Cumulative 8.44 miles
Time 37:36
Pace 8:30 min/mile

Start of April

Due to business, I've had to skip getting up to 50 miles last month, and gotten a late start on April. Today, I opted to go up and into Grove Hill, out towards University, up Moore's Mill to Dean, and back down to University and home. Turns out it's not quite five miles. One more good run will have me back on track for my monthly goal, though. Hopefully I can find the inspiration for those eight nine ten mile runs again.

Playlist
All Apologies	Nirvana
Jump Around	House of Pain
The Jean Genie	David Bowie
Walk On By	Cake
Strange Apparition	Beck
Draw the Line	Aerosmith
Manic Depression	Jimi Hendrix
Tougher Than It Is	Cake
A Little Better	Gnarls Barkley
Notion	Kings of Leon
Heart of Glass	Blondie
Epistle to Dippy	Donovan

Distance 4.95 mi

Cumulative 4.95 mi

Time 42:42

Pace 8:38 min/mi

Windy and Warm Evening

Another crack at the Gay-Magnolia-Donahue-Lem Morrison-Samford-Gay route. I went out after the girls' bedtime, and after a good sized (i.e. not small) dinner featuring some tasty, delicious sausage. I was worried it would sit like a stone in my gut. I did feel a little sluggish in parts, and felt like I'd slowed down quite a bit on the way home, but I didn't need to stop. It was windy and warm out, my favorite kind of weather really, almost 70 F out there.

Playlist
New Amsterdam	Elvis Costello
Honky Tonk Women	Rolling Stones
Who Loves the Sun	Velvet Underground
Genius of Love	Tom Tom Club
Cities	Talking Heads
Solidify	Sheryl Crow
Smile	Lily Allen
Driving South	Jimi Hendrix Experience
Rock and Roll	Led Zeppelin
Gardening At Night	REM
Bring It On	Gomez
Search and Destroy	Iggy and the Stooges
Electric Avenue	Eddy Grant
Opera Singer	CAKE
Paranoid	Black Sabbath
Beercan	Beck
Sweet Emotion	Aerosmith

Distance 7.0 miles

Cumulative 31.7 miles. The rest should be doable.

Time 1:03:58

Pace 9:08 min/mile

Day 2. Sore, trying to make up for lost time

I'm trying to get back on track, but I can't risk hurting myself again. I think the old injury has healed, but I don't want to injure anything else, obviously. I'm feeling just a bit sore today, in my outer thighs. But overall, good. I decided on another shortish run today, an honest 3.8 mile route, out Ogletree to the first road up on the left and back, and down Old Wright's Mill again.

Playlist	Rockin'
Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution	AC/DC
Sweet Emotion	Aerosmith
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da	the Beatles
Paranoid	Black Sabbath
Lust for Life	Iggy Pop
I Do	J.Geils Band
Driving South	Jimi Hendrix Experience
Stray Cat Blues	Rolling Stones
The Song Remains The Same	Led Zeppelin

Times

L1	8:06
L2	5:41
L3	1:19
L4	1:17
L5	6:04
L6	9:55
L7	0:47
Total	33:10

Distance 3.8 miles
Cumulative distance 7.6 miles

Back in the Saddle Again

I finally made it back out on the road after an month and almost a half. My left calf was very tender and the pain affected my walking gait for most of a week after the injury back at the end of October. My web research and conversations with physicians suggested rest was necessary. Then I was busy, and now the busiest part of the year is over. So this evening I finally got out on the road for a fairly short run. I went down to Chewacla entrance and back, then at the top of the hill I went down Old Wright's Mill Rd, to add on a little bit.

Playlist

Back in the Saddle	Aerosmith
Fish Paste	Die Antwoord
Dr. Lee, PhD	Beastie Boys and Lee Scratch Perry
Memphis	Chuck Berry
Moonlight On Vermont	Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band
Stay Close to Me	Bad Brains
(I Was Born In A) Laundromat	Camper Van Beethoven
Guns of Brixton	the Clash
Back in Black	AC/DC

Times

L1	8:23
L2	7:18
L3	7:31
L4	10:03
L5	0:47
Total	34:02

Distance 3.8 miles
Cumulative 3.8 miles

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

Practicing for the 5k

I thought I'd practice for next weekends 5k, taking the course from start to finish, which meant I had to jog up to the corner of Gay and Samford. Knowing that, I took it easy on the way up Gay Street, as you can see from the time to the 1st stop sign, which I've been getting to in 12 minutes in recent attempts. My right foot has been blistery, but I've started soaking in Epsom salt to try and soothe it.

Playlist (more of the on the go one from the 10 k, M-->T)
Mushroom Men -Les Claypool
The Next Episode -Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
Novacane -Beck
Once in a Lifetime -Talking Heads
Push Th' Little Daisies -Ween
Queen Bitch -David Bowie
Rastafari Is -Peter Tosh
Rebel Rebel -David Bowie
Rock & Roll -Lou Reed and Velvet Underground
Settin' The Woods On Fire -Hank Williams
She Don't Use Jelly -Flaming Lips
Smiley Faces -Gnarls Barkley
The Song Remains The Same -Led Zeppelin
Straight Outta Compton -N.W.A.
Sugar Never Tasted So Good - White Stripes
Sweet Emotion -Aerosmith
There Goes My Gun -Pixies

Times
L1 (Home --> Gay/Woodfield stop sign) 13:07
L2 (stop sign --> Gay/Samford) 6:38
L3 (the 5 k route) 26:14
L4 6:14
L5 12:23
Total 1:05:00 I'm starting to feel like an hour isn't such a long time to be on the road, which is good.

San Francisco

In San Francisco, in the Richmond District, where my in-laws live. I went out into the Presidio and Mountain Lake Park, which are right by here, then up Lake Street from 14th Ave to 25th and back, with an extra block of 14th to get a full 30 minutes in.

Playlist
Round and Round -Ratt
Crazy Train -Ozzy Osbourne
little sister -Queens of the Stone Age
No One Knows -QOTSA
Paranoid -Black Sabbath
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap -AC/DC
Same Old Song and Dance -Aerosmith
Sweet Emotion -Aerosmith

Total time -->31:10

To the Elementary School

New Route this afternoon. Up to Ogletree Rd, then down to the Elementary School and back. About 4 miles, according to my odometer.

A jumbly mix for the playlist:
I Luv I Jah -Bad Brains
To Kingdom Come -The Band
Sugar Never Tasted So Good -White Stripes
Mr Charlie -Grateful Dead
What is Life -George Harrison
La La Love You -Pixies
Little Old Country Boy -Parliament
Float On -Modest Mouse
Aurora Borealis -Meat Puppets
Draw the Line -Aerosmith

Times:
Lap 1--> 8:47
Lap 2--> 9:58
Lap 3-->10:24
Lap 4-->8:30
Total 37:39

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

More Metal

As you may have gleaned from the last few playlists, I've been having a metal renaissance of sorts, with AC/DC featuring prominently. Being a fan of Malcolm Gladwell, I feel that there must be some strange, evanescent reason for this behavior. And being not a psychologist and somewhat intellectually lazy after a nice run, I don't really concern myself with what that reason may be.

I suited up last night, but couldn't find my flashlight. Honestly, I stopped looking after only the most cursory of investigations. It was cold, and late, and I figured I would go tomorrow, which is tonight, and I did. It was a bit warmer tonight, and I took a slightly different route from the trans-Interstate route I've been favoring, which turned out to be slightly shorter than the other route, although I think I was going a notch faster than usual.

The Playlist
Paranoid -Black Sabbath
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap -AC/DC. A good song for some long strides.
Back in Black -AC/DC
Highway to Hell -AC/DC
Draw the Line -Aerosmith
Roadhouse Blues -The Doors
Hit It and Quit It -Funkadelic
Calling Dr. Love -KISS
Iron Man -Black Sabbath. The fast bit at the end was ideal for the kick!
Total time, about 37:00. I didn't time properly AGAIN.

New Direction

I think I missed posting a jog and playlist. I'm pretty sure I did because I did go on another dog swapping jog. Yes. Really I did.
Tonight I decided to leave the dogs at home because I wanted to go out on some less dog-friendly roads. I went over the Interstate, up Gay Street, and over to the Art Museum. Once around the pond and back. Oh and it was around 11:00 PM, so it was pretty quiet. And cold.
I was somewhat surprised at how quickly I could get almost downtown. I like that route. A bit more scenic than just around the neighborhood.

The Playlist: Rock and Roll in more or less alphabetical order
Shake a Leg -AC/DC
Sweet Emotion -Aerosmith
Love Me Two Times -The Doors
Epistle to Dippy -Donovan
Rock and Roll, Part 2 -Gary Glitter
Christine Sixteen -Kiss
The Song Remains the Same -Led Zeppelin
Fat Bottomed Girls -Queen
I Wanna Be Sedated -The Ramones

Total time, 33:33

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

What is it all about?

Okay. Here's the deal.
I'm not a great athlete.
I've never run a marathon, though I'd like to some day.
I'm writing this because I started jogging again recently, and I'd like to continue. Thus I see this blog as a motivating factor, even if no one ever sees it. It may even inspire me to do some research into how I can better myself even more.
And also, I've always wanted to write liner notes.
When I run alone, or with my dog, Trixie, I listen to music, and that helps me to keep pace, and measure how long I'm out. So that's what it's really about.
Here's tonight's playlist.
Dirty Water -The Standells. Whenever the Red Sox win, this is the first song I listen too. Tonight, they beat the Blue Jays, 4-3, to pull within 1 game of Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Manteca -Dizzy Gillespie. Manteca is Spanish for butter or lard. Dizzy wrote this song with Chano Pozo, and it was one of the first popular songs to fuse jazz and Cuban music. A great song, beautifully orchestrated, and enough energy to jump start a cruise ship.

Sweet Emotion -Aerosmith. I remember buying Aerosmith's Greatest Hits on vinyl, only to find that the opening bass and vocoder riff were edited out, and the song started with the splash. Man, did I ever feel ripped off. I also remember almost getting to meet Aerosmith one New Year's Day, when I was volunteering for the Boston Food Bank. They were having a canned food drive where lucky fans bringing in one hundred odd cans of food (the sponsoring radio station's frequency), got backstage passes. I was there to collect the cans and put them up. I was supposed to meet the band, but missed out due to some snafu. I did go backstage and almost drank Aerosmith's chocolate milk. One of my first brushs with fame.

Join Together -The Who. A real nice segue from Sweet Emotion. Also a good pace and inspirational vibe to spur on the sweaty.

Who Are You -The Who. I don't watch CSI. I just like this song and have since I was a pup.

Beaux Dimanches -Amadou and Mariam. A very catchy song by the blind Malian duo, singing about life in Bamako, capital of Mali. It reminds me of life in Niamey, Niger, where I spent a good deal of time in the Peace Corps. I first heard this one through David Byrne's radio playlist from February 2008. I've been a long time Talking Heads fan, and have found some of DB's playlists to be absolutely fantastic. This one nearly made me weep, both by nostalgia for my days in Niger and South Africa, and by introducing me to some of the Dark Continent's greatest popular music.

Paradise -Ana Serrano van der Laan. A freebie from the iTunes store. Very catchy, bouncy, and almost saccharin sweet.

Total time: 27:32