Tuesday March 11, 2008 - short hiatus

So, I haven't run since last Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were work related then I headed right to Brown after work on Fri and I proceeded to black out by 11pm and I woke up Sat at 8am on a couch in a suite in Morris. I'm pretty sure it was Mike Woods' suite, how I got there is beyond me.

So I didn't run Saturday because I was massively hung over because I haven't been that drunk in a while. Then Saturday night I went to the Gala with Lena and although I wasn't drunk at all at the Gala (my tolerance was sky high from the previous night, I was even pounding patrone and nothing was hitting me) I shotgunned 3 beers immediately when I got back to Barnes and then proceeded to pound more beers and was drunk nice and quick. Day light savings time didn't help the going to bed thing and we ened up going to Louie's around 6am then going back to Barnes and playing more ruit. I finally passed out around 8am and woke up at noon (surprisingly NOT hungover AT ALL, shit you not, it was weird).

Sunday I met up with a friend for lunch around 1pm then had to head back to Boston to meet up with another friend and when I got home around 9pm I was completely spent. Monday I had an early morning of work (of course) and after work we had plans to go out and celebrate the milestone we hit on the previous Friday. So it was another night of drinking and not sleeping.

Today I was exhausted again but I had to run. I surprisingly felt really good even though I am dead. I got 8mi in at a pretty comfortably steady pace. It was also a nice night out and still a little light so that made it even better. I finally have songs on my iphone but of course with my small ears my headphones don't stay in so I have to wear this yellow ear warmer band thing around my head to keep them on. I look ridiculous but I guess that's the price you gotta pay to be a recreational jogger.

I ended at the gym and worked my shoulders and abs. Today I also did a bunch of stretching because my left hamstring has been giving me problems because it has been so tight. I'm going to make a conscious effort to stretch a little more.

I also found out that my application must not have gone through for the 5k this weekend because it says I'm not signed up and it says registration is full, so that sucks but I'm still going to head up there and drink with the locals. This is going to be a good St Patty's day weekend (only the best in Boston). If anyone wants to come call me, it'll be a great weekend.

Quote of the day:
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: How tall are you, private?
Private Cowboy: Sir, five-foot-nine, sir.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Five-foot-nine, I didn't know they stacked shit that high.

I just saw that movie for the first time and I had always heard that line and now I know where it's from.

Wednesday March 5, 2008 - no sleep

I got in to Boston this morning at 5am. I didn't get a single hour of sleep on the plane but it was entirely my fault. A girl sat next to me and she was really cool so we ended up talking for the entire flight. It made it go by really fast. She has done a lot of marathons and she knows what the steeplechase is so we got to talk a bit about running.

Then I headed in to work and had a nice long day and when I got home headed out for a 6er. I actually felt amazing. I don't know what it was but right out of the gate I felt really loose and really good. I started off pretty quick and steadily increased the pace. It was a nice cool night, not cold, perfect for running. Pretty winday at first but let up within the first 2 miles. I tried a new route heading towards Harvard first before I headed back towards the city and I liked it a lot. I'll start doing this one for a while.

At the gym I did back and a new ab routine. There were no funny stories, but this one dude who looked about normal size, strong but not huge, was putting up 320lbs with 6 reps on bench, it was crazy.

Quote of the day:
"Everybody sweats, but most people would be surprised to know that they sweat 6 liters per day. Now I'm not familiar with the metric system or any other foreign language, but that's the equivalent of 300 gallons...I would guess. 300 gallons per day, imagine that, that's a fact! Hey, cauterize your sweat glands shut! TsssssskkkkOW! With Old Spice pro strength antiperspirant."

Saw it right before I ran, loved the imagine that, that's a fact part and the tsssssskkkkOW! part

Monday March 3, 2008 - Wayne's World

Today I got a chance to run in the afternoon in between sessions and meetings. I went on a nice 8er on the boardwalk along the bay. It was an out and back run so when I hit 4 I stopped to stretch and take in the scenery along the bay (read, really attractive women).

The run passes the airport and the planes fly really low right where the runway starts as they're landing. It was on the other side of the street (a very large busy street) but I had to pull a wayne's world moment so I played frogger across the street and stood at the beginning of the runway (on the other side of the fence, not actually on the runway) and just looked up as a plane flew over me. It was cool....and loud.

The run also passes a naval base and cruise line docks. It still boggles my mind that boats like aircraft carriers are able to float, physics is crazy. The cruise liner looked bigger than the aircraft carrier, is that bad? There's also lots of great sea food places along the beginning of the run and the air was filled with the smell of fried fish....yyuuuuummmmmmyyyyyy.

Of course, another perfect day (when is it not in San Diego?). I think I'll miss my flight tonight...
Along the run there are lots of benches and every bench is taken up by a homeless person but they all have these large backpacks and stuff, it basically looks like they're camping. I always thought if I were homeless I'd do whatever I had to to make my way to San Diego. It's always warmer than Boston and 90% of the time that's true every time.

I saw a guy rowing a boat along the boardwalk that I'm pretty sure was Popeye (DNA tests pending). There was also a girl that I freaked out by accident because she was running by and she had a I <3 Boston shirt on and I just pointed and smiled with a thumbs up. She ran faster. I was wearing a Brown Track and Field shirt, if they get a harassment call....it wasn't me.

Back at my hotel I did more abs and push ups and I decided to try hand stand push ups. I've been getting a lot stronger and one of my goals was to be able to do those and I was able to do 3, I was pumped. I'll try again tomorrow and see if it was a fluke.

Quote of the day:
Stacy: Well, don't you want to open your present?
Wayne Campbell: If it's a severed head I'm going to be very upset
Stacy: Open it.
Wayne Campbell: What is it?
Stacy: It's a gun rack.
Wayne Campbell: A gun rack... a gun rack. I don't even own A gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack. What am I gonna do... with a gun rack?
Stacy: You don't like it? Fine. You know Wayne, if you're not careful, you're going to lose me.
Wayne Campbell: I lost you 2 months ago. We broke up. Are you mental? Get the net!

Waynes world, waynes world, party time, excellent! From looking at the planes.

Sunday March 2, 2008 - Coyote

Figuring this is my last day at my friend's house I decided to do the 8er hilly run from yesterday. Today I felt a lot better even though I got a lil tipsy (ok I was wasted) at a wine bar the night before. The wine bar by the way, was awesome. Great wine, and the prices were awesome. They really filled the glass up and it was only $5-$10/glass and if you looked at what the bottles cost of what you're drinking they're upwards of $150/bottle. Pretty sweet.

I digress....

So, I felt better today and the weather was even better too. 70 and sunny. I worked the hills a little bit more to get a little more of a strength workout from it while I'm here. I came face to face with a coyote while going down one windy hill. I turned the corner and he was right there a little less than 10ft in front of me. I was a little scared at first because we just starred at each other. Then he kind of trotted off into the grass and I was like good talk, see ya out there. And its funny because I did see him out there. Later that day he came up into my friend's back yard and I got some pictures of him. I love seeing wilding life on runs.

I did some more abs and push ups in the grass and called it a day.

Quote of the day:
Walter Sobchak: ...Me and Charlie, eye-to-eye....The man in the black pajamas, Dude. Worthy fuckin' adversary.
Donny: Who's in pajamas Walter?
Walter Sobchak: Shut the fuck up, Donny.

Only quote that could pop into my head while starring at the coyote and him starring back.

Saturday March 1, 2008 - Hilly Hurts

So today I am in San Diego and it is gorgeous. It's mid 60s and sunny and fantastic, I'm thinking of never leaving. I'm here for 4 days for work, a fun conference called Graphing Social Patterns with all the lovely social networks, Google, Yahoo, etc. But that doesn't start until Monday so I have 2 days of enjoying the weather.

Like I thought, I wasn't able to run yesterday due to late work times and my Dad coming up. It also started snowing and being shitty again so I'm glad to be out of there. Today, I did a VERY hilly 8 miler. It made little snake, big snake, and cobra combined look like a joke....and that is no joke. The hills were long and steep both ways because it was rolling. Therefore, it kept me at a nice easy pace (I couldn't have gone faster if I wanted to).

It was along a gorgeous route though. My friend's house, who I am staying with just for tonight before heading to my hotel for the next few days, was one of the houses on the fire line during the bad fires this past fall. Fire fighters literally posted up in their back yard and were fighting the flames away from their lawn. So the entire area around them was charred. A few houses were completely destroyed, others damaged, and the grass and trees were either gone or charcoal black. So, when I was here at the beginning of Jan everything was still completely black, but before I got here today it had rained a lot, its the circle of life....I hear it moves us all. So the landscape is really cool because there are still the charcoal black trees and large brush but all around it is emerald green grass, it's really cool looking.

The hills surrounding the area are amazing, steep, rolling, jagged with lots of peaks. I was imagining the fire trying to climb the hills up to the houses and fire fighters trying to push it down, like a war, just a giant struggle both ways. Towards the end of the first 4 I saw this completely charred tree, just a perfect jet black, I don't know how it was still standing. But growing from it about eye level height was a short green stem and from that a bright red flower. The contrast between the jet black and the bright red and green was really cool and the metaphor so deep....whatever it may be.

I felt like shit during the run though. 50% of me was like this is great, hills for strength, beautiful weather and amazing scenery. The other 50% of me was like, hey A Hole, way to be dehydrated as hell, exhausted, and tight from sitting on a plane for 6hrs, solid move going for a run and not stretching. That half of me is a jerk.

Afterwards I did abs and lots of push ups in the grass over looking san diego from their back yard (they have an incredible view).

Quote of the day:
Ron Burgundy: Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale's vagina.

Obviously

Thursday February 28, 2008 - 8er

So, another crappy weather day. Thank God I will have several days in San Diego to run, I can't stand this weather anymore. It's snowing and shitty and I didn't want to run in it so I decided to ride again.

I rode for about an hour and a half and again after the first 10min or so I was able to crank and feel comfortable. Some really tall chick started riding next to me for about the last half hour and she didn't sit down the whole time she just kept slowly pedaling awkwardly. It threw me off a little bit. Afterwards I did my shoulder routine and abs. I really like my ab workout but I'm starting to get bored with it and it doesn't work my lower abs enough so I need to start putting together a new one. If anyone has any lower ab workouts that works well let me know.

It's a good thing I hammered on the bike for a while too because I'm thinking I probably won't be able to do anything tomorrow. I won't get out of work until later and my Dad and his friend are coming up to go Bowling before I head out to San Diego.

Quote of the day:
Michael Scott: You don't call retarded people retards. It's bad taste. You call your friends retards when they're acting retarded.

I am utterly obsessed with the office.

Wednesday February 27, 2008 - Celtics

So I couldn't run yesterday because I had an early departure to NY again and was late coming home. I guess a day off was good for me.

I couldn't run that much tonight either because my friend Megan took me to the Celtics vs. Cavs game. So I squeezed in a 4miler and cranked on my triceps and abs and sprinted home. It was really cold again so I didn't mind a short run, though I felt good enough to keep going if I could have. That's what I like about days off, the next day I feel great.

The Celtics game was mostly great because we had seats in a mid level luxury box seats (free food and beer...and beer), and the view was awesome. The game was mid grade, the Celtics had control the entire game and LeBron couldn't quite get on his game. Maybe it's because he was playing with almost an entirely new team due to trades...who knows. On the way home we stopped at this bar with this kick ass and addicting trivia game and we rocked it.....after many tries and more beer.

Quote of the day:
"SUCK MY COCK!! I'LL KILL YOUR FAMILY!!!" - Will Ferrell, Semi-Pro trailer

Been seeing that everywhere so basketball made me think of that