Where do I start?

First day back at it after a brief hiatus, so let's not waste any more time.

1. Fernando Cabada. Cocky sunavabitch, but he has every right to be. Hell, I like the guy. He's confident, fearless and has been on a silent tear of late. I think this weekend's pending American Record in the 25K is gonna make more than a little noise. From what I understand, a lot of people aren't too fond of him, but his results speak for themselves. And you know what I like to say, you can't argue with results.

2. Speaking of cocky sunavabitches, get a load of a recent brief chat with this guy. The man they call "Fam" has got to be the most eccentric character in a sport thats full of them -- and that's why I like the guy. He says and does some pretty outlandish stuff, but that's him and he doesn't apologize for it. That's cool. Personally, I think Craig Mottram is gonna obliterate him - and the rest of the field at the Healthy Kidney 10K this weekend, for that matter - but I admire Fam's chutzpah and fearlessness. We need more guys with attitudes like him and Cabada on the American running scene. Just my two cents.

3. Check out an excellent interview with this affable Australian, written by this bloody bastard. Lots of good stuff in there. Get out your Hi-lighter.

4. And when you're done with that, check out this Web site, created by a good pal of mine. Kid's talented!

5. Moving on to more mobile activities, here's a brief synopsis of my training last week:

88 miles in 10 runs. Went long with Ryan, Adam Stu and Paul Ryan in the Lincoln Woods on Sunday, ran 5 x 2 minutes up Heartbreak Hill in Newton on Tuesday and got in a hilly 5-mile tempo run in 27:40 on Saturday. The Achilles problem seems to be completely behind me and my training is progressing nicely. Hopefully I'll round into pretty good shape over the next few weeks and be ready to pop some good races this summer.

6. Recently I've had the all-too-uncommon luxury of a mid-week training partner in the form of Adam Ten. Since he redshirted this outdoor season at W&M, he's been pounding out 120 a week rather than taking the post-track downtime some of his fellow Tribesmen are currently engaging themselves in. As a result, he's been wailing on me two or three times a week, which should speed the progression of my ever-improving fitness level. So far he's held back on me, but one of these days I'm sure he'll unleash his fury. He owes me for all the times I dragged him out on 16-mile slugfests when he was an up-and-coming, but unsuspecting 16-year-old HS stud. As they say, what goes around eventually comes around.

7. So it's been raining a lot here lately. Seriously, I don't even remember what the sun looks like. It's more than mildly depressing. Runs are that much more miserable, the Sox cancelled both games this past weekend and there's just an overall feeling of dampness in the air, literally and figuratively. And to think I actually wanted to live in Oregon.

8. Speaking of places I want to live, I think it's about time to start exploring a few different options. I've got nowhere specific in mind, and in all honesty I've got very few complaints about my current living situation, but I'm always up for a change of scenery. The view from my basement suite is getting old.

9. Ridiculous sign from the past few weeks, courtesy of the 7th Day Adventists in Sterling, MA:

May is God's apology for February.

Well if that's the case, then He's got some explaining to do.

Quote of the day:

I have the attitude. I'm not afraid of anybody. I tried to break (the Kenyans). I looked at their faces. I thought they were weak, so I pushed them, tested them, messed with them. Then, one by one, I ran away from them.
- Fernando Cabada