Fun with a Purpose

I ran up to my office on campus today, to print out some papers for tomorrow. It's just up Gay to Samford, and across College St. It was bitterly cold (at least by Alabama standards), so I donned the compression suit. Still, it seemed rather unpleasant, and I wasn't feeling great on the way out. On the way back, after about a 15 minute break (to work), I felt a lot better. Probably because I was warmed up, and because it's mostly downhill on the way back home. I also added another bit to try and get a little longer run in.

Playlist	Electronica et cetera
Chameleon	Herbie Hancock
Frontier Psychiatrist	the Avalanches
Monkey	Matthew Dear
Fireflies	Owl City
Enter the Ninja	Die Antwoord
Big Poppa	Biggie Smalls
Under Pressure	Queen with David Bowie
Dirt Off Your Shoulder	Jay-Z

Times

L1 20:03 (2.27 mi)

L2 20:46 (2.53 mi)

Total 40:49

Distance 4.8 miles

Cumulative 19.4 miles

After the Half

A lovely morning it is this morning. And with a relative lull in my teaching duties, I decided to go out on a run. I went up out of the neighborhood and into Grove Hill, then left on Moore's Mill, and up to Dean Road. Then back down Dean to University and home. I felt pretty good. After a half marathon and a couple of days' rest, five miles is feeling like not very much. I feel like a key to getting my speed up is using my thighs more and my calves less. Since I started running again a few years ago, my main goal has been aerobic exercise to improve cardio health. I had read that speed wasn't important, and was in fact counterproductive, as it puts more stress on joints and muscles, etc. So I adopted a technique of running with mostly just lower legs.
But I like trying to improve upon my speed as well, and I think to do that a good start would be using my thighs more. After all, they are bigger muscles and have more swing in them. We'll see how this goes. I don't want to hurt myself.

Playlist- leftovers from the Half Marathon playlist plus

Cool It Down	Velvet Underground
Monkey	Matthew Dear
Driving South	Jimi Hendrix
Evil Urges	My Morning Jacket
Sex On Fire	Kings of Leon
Pop Muzik	M
Tougher Than It Is	Cake
Search and Destroy	Iggy and the Stooges
Once In A Lifetime	Talking Heads
Fat Bottomed Girls	Queen
Smile	Lily Allen

Times
L1 23:35 (home to end of Grove Hill)
L2 18:16
L3 0:43 (sprinting with my thighs, not my calves)

Distance 5.0 miles
Cumulative distance 32.9 miles. 6.1 to go for October's goal.

Late in getting to October

First run of October. A bit of resting on my laurels, getting sick, bad weather (but not that bad, really), being busy with work, and plain old SLOTH. I did get out this morning, and did my 4.6 mile loop, up Gay to Samford, College to Woodfield. Not feeling too bad after the hiatus and a night of unhealthy consumption (buffalo wings and beer).

Playlist
Baba-Ye	Mahlathini
Genius of Love	Tom Tom Club
Superunknown	Soundgarden
Academia	Sia
You're My Best Friend	Queen
Here It Goes Again	OK Go
The New World	X
Born Free	M.I.A.
Lust for Life	Iggy Pop
The Width of a Circle	David Bowie

Times
L1	11:51
L2	5:50
L3	6:58
L4	3:16
L5	10:23
L6	0:54
Total	39:12

Distance 4.6 miles
Cumulative distance 4.6 miles

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

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.

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.

UK Mix

Not too long tonight. Late dinner, not too heavy. Able to go pretty quickly up to the stop sign at Gay and Woodfield and back. Tonight's playlist, all UK artists.

Playlist
Rudie Can't Fail -The Clash
A Message to You Rudy -The Specials
Pump It Up -Elvis Costello
Gimme Shelter -The Rolling Stones
Jeepster -T. Rex
You're My Best Friend -Queen
Crazy Train -Ozzy Osbourne
Time out, 27:39

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

Another run through Brooklyn

No, not the one in the Big Apple, the one in Pretoria.
I managed to get out this morning and stay out for 35:49, without Scotch (I didn't have his lead).
But it was probably for the best, as I jogged down to Magnolia Dell and up Queen Wilhelmina Street to Nieuw Muckleneuk Trim Park. Scotch probably wouldn't have been welcome in the parks.

Playlist:
Round and Round -Ratt
The Sky is Falling -Queens of the Stone Age
You're pretty good looking (for a girl) -White Stripes
Jumping Jack Flash -The Rolling Stones
19th Nervous Breakdown -The Rolling Stones
Fat Bottomed Girls -Queen
Won't Get Fooled Again -The Who
Blitzkrieg Bop -The Ramones
A hard rockin' playlist. I'm feeling a bit more sore than usual. Maybe because of the hills and uneven terrain. Maybe because of last night's dinner of beer, biltong and cigarettes. Yeah, probably that last one.

Morning again, mixed

Managed to get up and go again this morning. It's getting easier and more necessary, as the sun comes up earlier and earlier, and we've been having afternoon showers almost every day for a week or more. It actually feels good to come into work, all jogged up and all.

The Playlist
Who's Gonna Save My Soul -Gnarls Barkley
Dashboard -Modest Mouse
Flashlight -Parliament
Fat Bottomed Girls -Queen
Bang A Gong (Get It On) -T.Rex
Wow and Flutter -Stereolab
Time out 38:04

Yes, I've still been running

Okay, so I missed two nights of blogging but not two nights of jogging (going every other night). You see, I was jogging with my wife, so I wasn't listening to music, so there's not playlist. I could tell you what we talked about, the exact spots where Trixie the Dog took a dump, etc., but I don't see that as good blogging.
Instead, here's the playlist for tonight. I didn't go out until after the end of the Auburn-LSU game, which features into the playlist.

The World's A Mess It's In My Kiss -X. Auburn lost, the Sox lost. What can I say, this song just expressed my feelings at the moment., in a delightfully upbeat way that's good to get started jogging with.

Love Her Madly -The Doors. Perhaps inspired by the Ray Manzarek influence in the previous song.

Our Lips Are Sealed -The Go-go's. This is one of my favorite pop songs of the 80's, because of the awesome dreamy chord progression. I've thought it kind of ironic to sing a song about one's lips being sealed. I mean, it could just as easily be instrumental if one's lips were truly sealed.

The Boogie Monster -Gnarls Barkley. Another song with a catchy chord progression. It also reminds me of my jogging inspiration, my dear old Dad, who would call home from work sometimes. When one of the kids would answer and ask who it was, he would always say, "The Boogie Man".

You're My Best Friend -Queen.

Junco Partner -Professor Longhair. In honor of the other Tigers (from LSU), who took the game from my Auburn Tigers this evening. I loves me some Professor Longhair. My favorite verse:

"I heard him singin', six months ain't no sentence.
He said one year, was not no time.
He said he had a friend, still in Angola,
Servin' from 14 to 99"

Seven Nation Army -White Stripes.
Meg's thump-thump-thump sounds like my feet. I used to find the line "make the sweat drip from every pore" a little absurd, until I her it while jogging. I still find the idea of going to Wichita on a whim a little absurd.

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker -The Ramones.
I often like to end with the Ramones for two reasons, their songs are usually short, and generally quick, which is good for my ritual of "digging it out" at the end. My typical strategy is to go slow, because my goal is to get my heart rate up and get the cardio benefits of jogging, while reducing stress on my joints. I'm not trying to get fast, I'm not worried about my legs giving out, I just want to get my ticker going. However, I do like to get a little sprint on at the end of my run. This is on the advice of another of my running inspirations, my brother in law, who told me this is a good thing to do. So I do it.

Total time: 26:20