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

First Run of 2012

Five days in, and just getting my first run in. I actually prefer the cold, since I like wearing the spandex compression suit. I headed up and over the Interstate, then up Gay Street. I decided to go up to Toomer's and back down College, and back via Woodfield, though at Gay I decided to head back up to Wright's Mill and come back that way. That added on a bit and got my route just over 6.0 miles (6.07). My back felt a little sore for a bit in the third mile, but it resolved. Toward the end, my right heel felt a little tight.

Playlist
Blister In The Sun	Violent Femmes
Radio Free Europe	REM
Pass the Dutchie	Musical Youth
I Me Mine	the Beatles
To Kingdom Come	the Band
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker	the Ramones
Sledgehammer	Peter Gabriel
Driver 8	REM
Chest Fever	the Band
Chameleon	Herbie Hancock
Life and How to Live It	REM
Watermelon Man	Herbie Hancock

Times
L1	12:07
L2	6:19
L3	6:00
L4	11:26
L5	3:21
L6	15:28
L7	0:51
Total	55:32

Distance 6.0 miles

Douthat State Park

I just got back from a trip to western Virginia, which capped off our grand travels for the Winter Holidays. We had a lovely stay with some old college friends at a lodge at Douthat State Park. We did some hiking up in the mountains, and generally passed the time keeping warm. I went on a run just before dusk, and ended up going farther than I had intended, mainly because I got a bit lost. The last thing I wanted was to get exhausted and have to start walking as the sun was setting, but that didn't happen, and instead I got a long run in instead.

Playlist
Benzi Box	Danger Doom
Blister In The Sun	Violent Femmes
Jump In The Line	Harry Belafonte
Wat Da Hook Gon Be	Murphy Lee
Misty Mountain Hop	Led Zeppelin
Pop Muzik	M
Party in the USA	Miley Cyrus
Over the Hills and Far Away	Led Zeppelin
Dig A Pony	the Beatles
Time to Pretend	MGMT
I've Got A Feeling	the Beatles

Times
L1	14:45
L2	31:35
L3	0:28
Total	46:49

Distance: Not really sure, but about 5-6 miles
Cumulative distance: 35.1- 36.1 miles. Very close to my goal for December. Yay

Getting ready to head out

Last run in town before end of the year, most likely. We plan on hitting the road this evening, so I knew I had to get out today or not for a few days. I headed up to Woodfield/Gay, turned around and came back through Town Creek Cemetery and Park. I'll call this a new route because it's been so long since I've run it, if ever. Also, even though it was in the low 60's, I wore spandex to hold my legs together.

Playlist
Jimmy James	Beastie Boys
Pictures of Matchstick Men	Camper Van Beethoven
E-Pro	Beck
Rock 'n Roll All Night	Kiss
Search and Destroy	Iggy and the Stooges
(I Was Born In A) Laundromat	Camper Van Beethoven
Back in Black	AC/DC
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road	The Beatles
Just a Friend	Biz Markie

Times
L1	11:39
L2	16:11
L3	0:50
Total	28:40

Distance 3.2 miles
Cumulative distance 14.8

Couple of days off, back on.

Went up to Gay/Samford and back. I'd been trying to get out again the past couple of days, but haven't been able to. I had a little bit of soreness here and there. Most worrisome in my injured calf. But it seems to be okay.

Playlist
You Got The Silver	Rolling Stones
The Song Remains The Same	Led Zeppelin
Rowboat	Johnny Cash
Dead Flowers	Rolling Stones
Drive My Car	the Beatles
You Can't Catch Me	Chuck Berry
Get Back	the Beatles
Cocaine Blues	Johnny Cash
Yes, I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You	John Prine
San Ber'dino	Frank Zappa

Times
L1	11:52
L2	5:56
L3	5:42
L4	10:49
L5	0:50
Total	35:09

Distance 4.0 miles

Cumulative distance 11.6 miles

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

Mellow End of May

After my last run, which I was worried about, I figured I didn't need to rush to end my first month's challenge, especially being so close to my goal. I've learned that the purpose of a goal is to attain it, not blow it away at the risk of injury. So I took a few days off to rest. Today, though, was my last opportunity to complete my first 39 mile months, so in spite of early morning lollygagging, letting the day get hot, I had to get out there. I decided on the route to Woodfield and back, with a mellow playlist.

Playlist
Samba da Bencao -Bebel Gilberto
Across the Universe -the Beatles
Hii Lawe -Gabby Pahinui
Reggae Street -the Mighty Diamonds
Some Kinda Love -the Velvet Underground
Rastafari Is -Peter Tosh

Times
L1 13:42
L2 11:59
L3 0:57
Total 26:37

Distance 2.8 miles
Cumulative distance 40.7 miles

Merry Month of May

Been off again, but I expect an uptick in activity as my classes took their final exam today. I knew I had to get out at least once before this weekend's 5k. It's a bit cooler than one might have expected, but that just made it a beautiful day for an afternoon run. Up to Samford/Gay back along College. First time in a long while. I've been trying for days to find Speakerboxxx on my hard drives, then trying to find the CD. W00t! Found it! Bowtie!

Playlist -songs getting stuck in my head
Across the Universe -the Beatles
Cooperation -Franco and Sam Mangwana
Bowtie -Outkast
Cantique -Kanda Bongo Man
The Way You Move -Outkast
El Microfono -Mexican Institute of Sound
Blanket of Weeds -Meat Puppets
Search and Destroy -Iggy and the Stooges
Sissyneck -Beck

Times
L1 12:59
L2 6:36
L3 7:53
L4 3:34
L5 11:51
L6 0:49
Total 43:41

Distance 4.6 miles
Cumulative distance 4.6 miles

Tiger!

Another week or so off. I had some fresh ink applied, and have been nursing it. Lame excuse, I know, but there it is. Now I'm in San Francisco, where it's rainy and cool, though not as cool as Auburn was in recent days. I ran up into the Presidio, near my in-laws home, and up the hill into the golf course and around and down back into Mountain Lake Park. Nice. Feeling okay after the week off. I need to get my mileage up, though, and that's a goal for this trip.

Playlist
Blackbird -The Beatles
16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six -Tom Waits
Prodigal Son -The Rolling Stones
Wai Hu'ihu'i O Ke Aniani -Gabby Pahinui
A Hundred Years From Now -Flatt and Scruggs
Ashes to Ashes -David Bowie
Nappy Dugout -Funkadelic

Time 24:32

Distance 2.6 miles
Cumulative distance 11.0 miles

Two days on

I got out again this evening. Pretty late actually, starting after 10:00. Still pretty warm and sticky out there, but almost bearable. I ran up to Woodfield/Gay intersection and back. I felt a few aches and pains in my legs (knees) and my back, under my left shoulder blade. Mostly resolved over the course of the run, but hopefully not doing more harm than good.

Playlist
The Wind Cries Mary -Jimi Hendrix Experience
Reggae Street -Mighty Diamonds
Grits Ain't Groceries -Little Milton
Bubble Pop -Del the Funky Homosapien
C.R.E.A.M. -Wu Tang Meets the Beatles
007 (Shanty Town) -Desmond Dekker
Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except for Me and My Monkey) -the Beatles
Bust a Move -Young M.C.

Times
L1 13:22
L2 11:32
L3 0:58
Total 25:52

Distance 2.7 miles
Cumulative distance 4.5 miles

Few days off, back at it again.

I was feeling pretty SLOTHful over the weekend. Friday, I would have gone but my girls got out of camp early, and so I couldn't get going early enough to get out. However, I feel a lot better today for the rest. For one thing, it wasn't as muggy out, clear blue sky for the first time in over a week. I did get out a little later, and it was warm, but I didn't feel absolutely oppressed. Gay/Samford/College/Woodfield/Gay

Playlist (featuring some free downloads from Amazon)
The Day I Tried to Live -Soundgarden
Reggae Street -Mighty Diamonds
The Golden State -John Doe
Bubble Pop -Del the Funky Homosapien
Come Together -the Beatles
Pride and Joy -Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble
Blanket of Weeds -Meat Puppets
Prodigal Son -the Rolling Stones
Death Letter -White Stripes
Mexican Radio -Wall of Voodoo
Can I Kick It? -Tribe Called Quest

Times
L1 13:02
L2 6:16
L3 7:13
L4 3:23
L5 10:54
L6 0:46
Total 41:35

Distance 4.6 miles
Cumulative Distance 20.4

Wu Tang vs the Beatles

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain. And I was feeling pretty good today, so I decided to go on another run today. I was feeling quite good, so I decided to go long, down to Shel Toomer bike path and back. For today's playlist, I listened to a mash-up I came upon, Wu Tang vs. the Beatles. The Beatles part seems to be mostly sampled from Mantovani versions of Beatles songs, but worth it for the price of admission (FREE!).

Times
L1 8:24
L2 7:07
L3 14:37
L4 14:26
L5 7:44
L6 8:26
Total 1:00:44. And I reckon that's a personal best for this route, too. Yup. Yes it is. Yay.

Sonoma run

So I've been battling a little cold (mostly a cough) for a few days, since we arrived in California for the holidays. I wanted to get out for a run but didn't want to exhaust myself and turn a small cold into a big one. Yesterday, though, I felt up to the task. I like to run in Sonoma Valley Regional Park, but I would drive there and I was blocked in. So I decided to go out on the mean streets of Glen Ellen, where people drive like maniacs on curvy narrow roads. It turned out all right, and I got a good, almost hour-long run in. I clocked it at about 2.8 miles on the odometer.

Playlist
Thul'ulalele -Amaswazi Emvelo
Hey ya -Outkast
Get back -The Beatles
Let's go crazy -Prince
California love -2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Roger Troutman
Flashlight -Parliament
Coming down -Meat Puppets
Dash board -Modest Mouse
Message to you Rudy -The Specials
Gin and juice -Snoop Dogg
Cities -Talking Heads
Jimmy the exploder -White Stripes
Chocolate town -Ween
Academia -Sia

Times
L1--> 26:13
L2-->27:36
Total-->53:50. A bit more uphill on the way back, but also likely fatigue setting in. I did get a good kick in at the end though.

Midnight rider

Went out to Chewacla and back this evening, before dark. I usually take a little time off after a long run, but I didn't want to hold out this long. Yesterday, my left knee was bothering me after trampoline jumping with my girls and a long walk to and from the football stadium, most of it with one of them on my back. Today I'm all right, though. Mostly just a little tightness in my right calf.

Playlist
Midnight Rider -The Allman Brothers
Get Back -The Beatles
Beautiful Delilah -Chuck Berry
For All The Cows -Foo Fighters
Chocolate Town -Ween
The Sky is Falling -Queens of the Stone Age
Cissy Strut -The Meters
I Gotcha -Joe Tex
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) -Jimi Hendrix. Helped me get up that last hill.
Pinhead -The Ramones.

Times
Length 1-> 8:56
Length 2-> 7:50
Length 3-> 8:17
Length 4-> 8:45
Total 33:48 Pretty slow on the start, but picked up on the way back.

Once in a lifetime

Perfect weather for a jog today. Overcast, mid-60's, no wind. So today I went up and explored beyond the Gay/Woodfield intersection. I ran up Fontaine St, which looked interesting driving by yesterday. It hooked back up with Woodfield, so not too exciting. But then over to Wright's Mill and through Town Creek Park with a loop through the latter. No real theme to the playlist, but fun stuff.

Playlist
Once in a lifetime -Talking Heads
Pink eye (on my leg) -Ween
Guitar -Cake
Jeepster -T. Rex
Going on -Gnarls Barkley
What is life -George Harrison
Hey ladies -Beastie Boys
Fat bottomed girls -Queen
Big chief -Professor Longhair
Motel in my bed -X

Time
Home -> Woodfield 13:31
Woodfield->Fontaine, Woodfield, Wright's Mill, Town Creek Cutover 12:40
Town Creek Loop 13:09
Town Creek -> Home 8:38
Total 39:31
Hard to tell what these splits mean, no two are identical. I guess I can compare the first leg to other days, but not too exciting there.