Better than expected

21:05 for 4 miles yesterday at the Gobble, Gobble, Gobble in soaking wet Somerville - good enough for 4th place - in my first race back since suffering the stress fracture in early July. This was a whole minute better than I thought I was capable of running at this stage of the game, so I was very pleasantly surprised with how it all turned out. The mediocre time might reflect otherwise, but this is easily the best race I've run in two years. Trust me on that one.

Splits were 5:21, 5:25 and 10:20 (missed 3-mile marker) for the last two. A definite step in the right direction, but it's just that, a step. I've gotta be careful not to get too excited and skip any this time. One at a time, one at a time...

In greater news, congrats to Rich & Jess, my bosses at PR Running, on the birth of their first child, Nathaniel. Lil guy came into the world this morning at 4:44, a month earlier than expected, but happy and healthy nonetheless. He checked in at 18-1/2 inches and just under 6 pounds. He and momma Allen are doing well and Big Poppa Rich is one excited dude, and rightfully so. After enjoying the rest of his holiday weekend, Baby Nate will be working the floor on Monday as our infant fitting specialist, giving us a much-needed extra hand heading into Christmas season.

That'll do it for a few days, likely. Take it easy fellow bloggers, lurkers and the like.

Quote of the day:

The flame might be low, but the fire's not out.

Happy trails

Yesterday morning marked a much-anticipated return to the humble home of Ryan and Christy Mae Carrara and the soft trails of Hudson, Mass. Normally, "long" is the theme on Sunday morning at the Carrara household, but not yesterday - not for anyone involved, in fact. The customary post-run brunch, however, was still in full effect, so many thanks to Christy Mae for providing a fantastic means of replenishment afterward.

Back to the run itself. The three of us giddily (OK, maybe it wasn't that exciting) made our way into Memorial Forest for a pleasant 72 minute jaunt on the aforementioned trails. The air was a bit moist and the ground somewhat damp, but the running was of course fantastic, and Ryan and I felt so dandy that we finished up our 10-mile effort with 6 easy strides on the road. This was my first double-digit run since early July and I'm happy to report that as of 11:37 p.m. on Monday night everything is indeed still feeling good. 10 days till Turkey Day and the Gobble, Gobble, Gobble 4-miler in Somervile. The latest line in Vegas still has me coming in at 22:30 with a 30-second swing either way. I'm no Benjamin Eckstein, but I'd say that's a pretty fair bet at this stage of the game.

That'll have to do it for tonight. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

I ran 2 mountain races this year because I am good at it. It does not mean I like to run hills. Does the local garbage man love garbage? No, but you gotta go where the money is.
- Eric Blake on his 2nd-place finish at the Monson Memorial 1/2 Marathon

Pressure's on

Due to unyielding pressure from the unconventionally altitude trained Katie Gwyther, I bring to you this unplanned late-night entry. I don't have much to write about, but I aim to please, so here goes...

While working at the store the other night, I was visited one of our loyal customers, namely one Rich Marion. It was the first time I'd ever met one of the finest distance runners to come out of Templeton, but I did have some background information on him which I intended to have him expound upon. Thankfully, he obliged, and now I can share said information with the three of you out there reading this.

You see, for those of you unfamiliar with the now 40-something-year-old Mr. Marion, here's what I got. Back in the late 80s/early 90s he was one of the best distance runners to make his home in Massachusetts. His road times ranged from low 14's for 5K to 23:51 for 5 miles. Throw in a 2:21 marathon for good measure and you're looking at a pretty damn impressive running resume.

Now I had heard from my high school coach, Jim Gonyea, some tall tales about Mr. Marion and his training. "He doesn't know how to take it easy," is how Jim put it to me. "He set his 5-mile PR during a training run." For legitimacy's sake, Rich's 23:51 was run on the roads in Connecticut, but the preceding quote from old Mr. Gonyea pretty much exemplfies the point I'm trying to get it: this guy didn't mess around.

I also do know of a course record Mr. Marion holds, that being my town's 4th of July 2-mile Road Race record of 9:16. Rumor has it that Rich warmed up for the race by first running the course in 9:48, then coming back 10 minutes later to clock a 9:16. Not unbelievable, but impressive nonetheless.

Anyway, back to my chance encounter earlier this week with our aforementioned master's hero. After helping him find a new pair of lightweight trainers to pound out his miles in, I picked Mr. Marion's brain for some specifics regarding his training, and was rather surprised at what I gathered. He doesn't "pound out the miles" at all, so to speak, but believe me, he's not fooling around out there.

I'll preface the following summation of Rich's unorthodox training methods by saying the man works long hours in an office - has been for a number of years from what he tells me. He runs on his lunch hour - always has - typically 4 to 6 miles because frankly that's all he has time for. But get this, his typical 5-miler only takes him anywhere between 27 and 30 minutes.

"I try to run within a minute of my race pace," is how he desscribes his training approach. "That way when it's time to race, my body isn't surprised to run fast."

On the weekends is when Rich would run the bulk of his miles. Typically a longer run of 15 miles or so (longer if training for a marathon) and another of 8 miles, for a weekly total that usually averaged out in the mid-40's.

"Sometimes I was just wiped and had to take a day off," he said.

The longer run, surprisingly, was run quite slow. Typically he would slow the pace on those to 7 minutes a mile or so, and run for "two or three hours."

Not surprisingly, he ran a lot of his miles solo. When training for a marathon, his highest weeks would top out at 70 miles, but "over a 16-week period, most were between 40 and 60...I've never been a high mileage guy. When I was running 70, I might run closer to 6 minute pace when I wasn't doing a workout."

After a few years of low key running, Marion has been back at it of late as a master's runner for the BAA. He recently ran a course record in the Groton Town Forest XC races, as well as a 4:24 road mile in Marlboro. On December 31st, he'll be at the Millenium Mile in N.H., where he hopes to clock a time in the 4-teens.

"It's downhill and fast," he said. "I should be able to hit that time."

So what did I take from my conversation with Rich the other night? A lot of stuff, actually. To make it easy on myself and those of you who've made it this far though, here's the ever important short list:

1. Quality miles over quantity of miles. Do what you can, where you are, with the time you have. Simple as that. No excuses. (Editor's note: As brought to my attention by one Mark Driscoll, this not meant to be interpreted that I suddenly advocate low mileage training. I don't. As Malmo would say, I'm an advocate of right mileage training. Make the most of your mileage, whatever it may be.)

2. Emphasis on threshold type running. Even though Marion's overall mileage was low, most - if not all of it - was at a quick, but not killer pace. (Editor's note: Again, I am a NOT a sudden convert to low-mileage/higher intensity training), but do I think there's something to be said here for the importance of tempo running. Throw some easy recovery runs in there and some well-placed speed work and you've got yourself a recipe for success.

Unfortunately, that's all I've got time for tonight. Sorry for the above bit of rambling, but if I suddenly happen to remember anything I forgot to mention, I'll be sure to update in the very near future. Any questions the above text might generate, however, feel free to fire me a question at any time. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

People who ran at that time were runners. They were weirdos... At that time, they were just a different breed.
- Patti Dillon on runners in the 70's

NY, New Balance, new additions and Nationals

Congratulations are in order on many fronts today, so let's not waste any time...

* First, to good pal Kim Nolan on a 2:57:44 yesterday at New York. When told she handed it to Lance Armstrong, the too humble Nolan replied, "I never even saw him." That's because his slow ass was behind you the whole time!

* Second, to the most underrated and underrespected man in marathoning, Pete Gilmore. He was the top American yesterday and 10th overall in the Big Apple, adding to his stellar peformance at Boston this past April. Get the guy a shoe deal already!

* Next, to my New Balance Boston teammates on solid days yesterday at the USATF-NE Cross Country Championships at Franklin Park. Both our squads ended up second in the team standings to the always well-stacked BAA. Erin Dromgoole was our top gal in third overall and the immortal Mike Maceiko led the men with an 8th place finish. We've got a pretty solid crew coming together and it's only a matter of time before things really start clicking for everyone.

* Speaking of NB Boston teammates, the next round of congratulations goes out to Brad and his wife Caitlin, who are expecting their first child this coming April. If he or she is like dad and has a firm hold on hitting splits dead-on, be on the lookout for Baby Brad sometime before Boston!

* To the flying Skyhawks of Stonehill cross country. Both the women's and men's teams qualified for Nationals yesterday with first and second place finishes, respectively, at the D2 New England Regional, also held at Franklin Park. Granted I only ran with one of the current studs on the guys' squad, if any of you badasses are out there reading this, I challenge you to become the first Stonehill squad to nab a top-10 finish. It's been long overdue. The talent is there; run with confidence and show the rest of the country where you stand.

That'll do it for now. There's much to get done with a free afternoon staring me dead smack in the face. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

I think I bit off more than I could chew.
- Lance Armstrong

Dead to me

Yesterday I picked up a copy of Jogger's World - the one with a corpse-like Deena Kastor on the cover - to entertain myself on a slow night holding down the fort at PR Running. Right off the bat, let me say that I have nothing against Deena Kastor - hell, she's one of my top-3 favorite runners of all-time - but RW did an atrocious job this month dolling her up for the cover shoot. Luckily, I'm not the only one who shares these sentiments.

Back to the issue itself. Lots of laughable stuff in there, as usual, but a piece entitled, "The American Runner, 2006", practically had me rolling around on the floor. It might not have the same effect on you, but for $4.50, you can find out "who you are, what makes you run, and why you like Chariots of Fire." What an eye-opener! For instance, I never knew that...

* There's a 49% chance I'm running with a water bottle on my person at all times, a 43% chance I've got my MP3 player with me for the 50% of the time I spend running on busy roads, a 25% probability that I'm carrying a GPS unit with me so I don't get lost on the treadmill I happen to run on 5% of the time, but only a 17% chance I'm carrying my cell phone so that I can call someone with the completely valid excuse that my wife is ovulating, thus preventing me from actually getting my run in.

* Each year, I buy only 3 pairs of running shoes because there's a 31% likelihood I'm running 4 days a week at an average of 9-9:59 per mile.

* The thoughts "latte, latte, latte" and "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" are the key mantras missing from my motivational strategy to help get me through a tough workout.

* Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and the Black Eyed Peas "Pump It" should be two of the songs I definitely have programmed into my MP3 player when I'm blazing a trail for 16% of my 20-29 miles per week.

* Pre barely edged out my dad and Jesus as people I'd most like to run with. And good 'ol George Dubya is a more desirable running partner than either Lance Armstrong or Will Farrell. Did they conduct this poll in Florida? I demand a recount.

* 59% of the time I'd rather get laid than go for a run. Actually, I can't argue with that.

That'll do it for this entry. If the numbers are accurate, there's a 2% chance I'm meditating before I head out for my run. It's 7% more likely, however, that I'm searching for my Fuel Belt. "You won't miss me anyway", however, according to the No. 2 excuse used when certain obligations threaten to keep me from a run. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Don't allow injuries or other setbacks to derail your faith in your ultimate goals. Everyone goes through hard times.
- Kara Goucher giving arguably the most useful piece of advice in the aforementioned issue of Runner's World

Spare me

While I have a spare minute - and believe me, they've been hard to come by of late - let's re-cap.

* A belated congrats to the entire New England crew who ran Chicago some 10 days ago. On the whole, we were well represented. One of these days I'm gonna get myself to the starting line in one piece so I can be a part of it.

* My 8 week post-stress fracture "Re-Introduction" block is successfully in the books. Mileage totals were as follows: 6, 12, 12, 20, 26, 30, 35, 42. This week will begin a 4-week "Building" block, by the end of which I hope to be back in the 60 mile-per-week range. No planned workouts, other than the incorporation of 6 x 20 sec strides a few times per week, which I began today. This block will culminate with a 4-mile free-for-all on Turkey Day at the Gobble, Gobble, Gobble in Somerville, which will give me an idea where I am fitness wise before Kevin takes charge of the workouts. The early line from Vegas has me coming in at 22:30, with an over/under of 30 sec. Start placing your bets now.

Other than that, work takes up a good amount of my free time. I don't mind so much, but I do have to close up the store right now, thus ending this brief entry. Hopefully I'll have more to spill sometime soon. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

It takes a while to figure out the marathon, so I think the earlier you’re willing to give it a shot, the better off you’ll be in the long run.
- Patrick Gildea

Worthwhile investment

Greetings from Chi-town! This entry brought to you courtesy of the $9.95 I dropped for 24-hour internet access in order to file my column for work this morning. It's been a busy 36 hours since arriving here in the Windy City, mostly consisting of traversing the city by foot and dining at a few of the many fine establishments in close proximity to downtown.

For purposes of preserving anonymity, I won't reveal the identity of the former teammate who is letting me crash on their floor for the weekend, but I will say the two of us are having a grand ole time taking in the marathon weekend festivities. It's been nice to catch up given the fact that we currently live on opposite sides of the country, and that neither of us are actually running the marathon tomorrow. No pressure, despite the fact we're taking up space on the 13th floor!

Speaking of said floor, we both figured that it may have been a bad omen given the unlucky history of the number that typically falls after 12 and before 14, but any chances of ill luck falling upon us this weekend were quickly nixed when a giant gob of bird shit inconveniently fell on me as we were wandering through downtown last night. Hey, shit happens.

Anywho, it's time I hit the hay given an early wakeup tomorrow morning and no internet access again till Monday evening sometime. Hope everyone's having themselves a dandy weekend. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

"We went 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 at New England's. We should've swept - it was fuckin' embarrassing."
- Idle chatter this afternoon with former Providence star Keith Kelly about the good 'ol days of New England cross country.

Blown away

Not yet, actually, but tomorrow I am indeed heading to the Windy City for a lil Chicago Marathon action. Well, the only action I'll be partaking in related to the marathon involves spectating, but I'm excited for it nonetheless. This should be a fun lil trip.

With that being said, best of luck to everyone racing this weekend, especially my boys in the Bay State crew. You clowns will be sure to hear me at various points along the course.

Back on Monday - till then, take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Chicago is a fast course, yes. But so many things must go right to run a fast time. You can’t plan on it too far out. Not until the training program is finished.
- Charles Kibiwott

Status check

No worries, I haven't completely abandoned this space just yet, and believe it or not I have a few changes - albeit cosmetic ones - in the works, so continue to stay tuned if the signal hasn't gone dead already. With that being said, it appears I've got some catching up to do. Here goes nuthin'...

A lot's been going on since I last wrote - nothing terribly exciting, monumental or earth-shattering, but a lot nonetheless. At the forefront is my ever-so-gradual return to running. I've successfully completed Week 6 of the comeback and am two weeks away from being back on a regular 7-day-a-week shedule. Longest run thus far was an 8-mile misadventure last Tuesday evening in Newton, but otherwise I've been sticking in the 5-6 mile range for the last couple of weeks. So far, so good, knock on wood.

Between both jobs, work's been a bit busy, but rather enjoyable given the absurd amount of time I spend trying to make a buck. Nothing new to speak of at the ol' T&G, and business at the running store is hovering on the slow side now that cross country and marathon season is in full swing. The logistics of each operation are so remarkably different that it keeps my ever-shortening attention span somewhat in focus. This, of course, is a good thing.

Speaking of good things, former Chieftain cross country teammate and all-around good guy Greg Saia had a nice marathon debut in Lowell today, clocking a 2:57:24 to qualify for Baaahston in April. Nice work!

And while I'm on the subject of marathons, this coming weekend marks the arrival of the much-anticipated Chicago Marathon. While neither I nor fellow banged-up pals Adam Ten or Nate Jenkins are part of the crew any longer, do take note of the solid New England contingent making the trek out to the windy city for Sunday's 26.2-mile melee: New Balance Boston teammates Ryan Carrara, Brad Klinedinst and Chris Voce, former BAA teammates Terry Shea, Mark LaRosa, Pat Moulton, Ian Nurse, and a host of others I'm unintentionally leaving out. I do believe the whole lot of them will indeed tear things up. I'm disappointed not to be racing alongside my comrades in sweat, but I am uber excited that I'll have the opportunity to watch them all up close.

Random work-related fun fact of the night: The Walpole High School field hockey team is nicknamed the Porkers. You can bet your loose couch change I got that in a headline.

Lastly, I'm not one for political meddling, but this clown is a fellow graduate of the fine institution which also awarded me an undergraduate degree, which isn't saying much. Luckily, he has about as good a chance of being the governor of Massachusetts as George Bush does of making a rational international decision, which also isn't saying much.

Lastly, a shoutout to my boy Mark Driscoll, who should be outlining his thesis instead of pestering me to hit the PUBLISH button at the bottom of the screen. Take it easy all.

Quote of the day:

Eat the cookies, spare the children.
- Co-worker Mike Besaw in a phone conversation with his wife this evening.

Blessed trinity

I sold a pair of these at work today. It's a great running shoe - take my word for it, or better yet, go try a pair on for yourself. This probably doesn't matter to most of you who may frequent this space from time to time, unless your name happens to be Ted Fitzpatrick.

With that being said, how ya doin' Ted? A little birdie in San Diego told me you check in here from time to time. Thanks for visiting - and thanks for the bright-ass yellow Reebok pullover!

Quote of the day:

You've got to be both good and lucky to win at this level. You know that.
- Gary Gardner, coach of UMass Lowell men's cross country, 2006 New England Champions, in a short interview with me today

Ride of the century

This past weekend I partook in this 100-mile adventure with four good 'ol pals of mine. The weather was great and the ride itself went pretty well, with three out of five of us finishing the trek around in and around Acadia National Park. Even with a slight misdirection - and more idling along than I would have liked - the full 103 miles took Bergs, Reino and I just under 6 hours. To be honest, I felt great, and still do two days later. The effort was long, but none too exhausting. I effectively managed to stay on top of my fluid and fuel intake and I think that played a huge part in the success of my longest ride to date.

Saturday I raced my two-wheeler in the Greenway Challenge relay as part of a corporate team for my primary employer. We finished 6th of 8 in our divison, a bit disappointing, but a fun time nonetheless. Above and to the right is a shot of me starting my leg, courtesy of team captain, Jackie Reis. I finished the 14-mile segment in 40:01 for a 21 mph average on a fairly hilly course. I managed to pick us up 22 spots in the process, which was a huge adrenaline rush.

These two big days on the bike were likely my last cycling hurrahs of the summer/early fall now that I'm successfully running on a somewhat consistent basis. I'm in Week 5 of my return and up to 5 miles, 5 times a week. The plan is to mix these few fairly easy miles of running with equally un-outrageous - but slightly more intense - miles of biking until the first week of November, at which point I will hopefully be covering up to around 45-50 miles a week by foot. If all goes well, maybe a Turkey Day race to see where my fitness is at, but right now, that's nothing more than a very distant thought.

While I'm touching on the idea of races, however, be sure to check out the primative version of my club's new Web site, found here. Same club, same coach, but a new name, some new energy and new life. I'm pumped to be a part of it.

Lastly, I got me some new wheels a week ago today in the form of a 2007 Toyota Corolla S with Sports Plus package, color: phantom gray. A pretty significant upgrade from the greenish-blue Escort, for sure, and it didn't even totally break my bank. However, it's easily the nicest thing I'll likely own - ever - unless I hit it big, that is. Pictures to follow.

That'll do it for tonight. Sorry for the infrequent updates, but in case anyone was concerned, I am indeed alive and well. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Wearing number 7, the man nicknamed “Ritz cracker” had never been considered a favourite for the race, just the latest bright prospect of American distance running gearing up for his marathon debut in New York City on 5th November.
- IAAF report on Dathan Ritzenhein at the Great North Run

It is what it is

It's occurred to me that I should probably change the name of this blog to the not-so-daily runaround, seeing that I've failed miserably in fulfilling my original intentions for this space. There's no time to look back, however, so the best I can do is move on. It is what it is, as KcoachB used to say.

In a nutshell, here's what I've been/will be up to:

* I went here on Saturday with old friends and lifetime Fraioli/Bergenholtz Superfans, M & M. Good times. The prize-winning show cow dropped his load right in front of us. It made Meg's day - I'm not even kidding.

* Saw this movie with CCS on Saturday night at The Flick in Lexington. It was a nice end to a long day. I laughed. I almost cried. I smiled, and I frowned. Now that's a good movie.

* Working - almost every day - anywhere from 4-5 hours at the running store some days and up to 8 or so at the newspaper on others. Throw in a few 3-to-4 hour freelance projects, and it doesn't leave for much free time. Oddly enough, it never feels like I'm actually "working" at any given time. I just like being busy, I guess. Getting paid is nice, too.

* Running - up to 5 miles now - every other day for the time being. I just began Week 4 of what I'm calling my 8-week "Re-introduction Period". I'm happy to report that thus far all is going well. No pain in the suspect area. I'm hoping to be back up to 45 miles a week by the end of this period, at which point I can begin thinking about actually training again. Let's not go there just yet, however - one day at a time right now. As Ryan has said: The schedule changes you, you do not change the schedule.

* Some racing on the horizon this weekend, in the form of this on Saturday morning. My main employer has entered a team in the corporate division and I've got the second leg, a 13.8-mile bike trek from Millbury into Sutton, which hopefully will take me just under 40 minutes. I've never raced on a bike before, so it will be interesting to see where my recklessness gets me.

* Speaking of recklessness, I, along with a few good pals of mine, will be heading up to Maine on Saturday afternoon for this bout of ridiculousness early on Sunday morning. 6,200 feet of climbing, including a 3-1/2 mile, 1000-foot ascent after an 87-mile warmup. Yep, it has potential disaster written all over it.

* My other, more mechanically-driven set of wheels needs some major repairs, so I've been in the market for a new ride. Specifically, one of these - same color and style. It's niiiiiiiice.

And that'll do it for now. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

The last 5k really hurt.
- Haile Gebrselassie on his 2:05:56

They're watching you

Ahhh, I've made my return to the unforgiving arena of public domain, otherwise known as blogland. What leads me to this harsh realization, you might ask?

Well, if I answer the preceding question by giving specific mention to an easily identifiable person, institution, location or event, chances are someone will read it, call me on it, and the vicious cycle inevitably continues. If at all possible, I'd like to avoid these sorts of situations in the future, so I'll just have to watch my words a little more closely from now on, apparently. There's no trouble to speak of, but I continue to be amazed by the wide array of people who visit this space - some of whom I've met, most of whom I haven't. It's downright scary sometimes.

Ok, with that being said, it's time to move on. Lesson learned. Take it easy all.

Quote of the day:

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
-Frank Outlaw

Giving chase

Ya know what? Life is good. Extremely busy, but good.

That is all.

Quote of the day:

I was at the 5K with Tom. I looked down at my watch - fourteen twenty-five. Way too fast. The goal was fifteen minutes. Right then it was over. I go to the next Starbucks and get a coffee.
- Coach Dieter Hogen on Evans Rutto going out too hard two years ago at the Chicago Marathon. www.chasingkimbia.com

Scars heal

So it seems I have a penchant for abusive relationships.

Although she originally didn't seem to have a problem with it, I'm sensing that Celine must be feeling a bit of jealousy toward R since I began seeing her again last week. I'm not sure exactly what I said, or did, but while out on our ride this morning Celine got uber pissed and snapped at me, tossing me to the road at about 23 mph. The fall didn't seem to affect her at all, but left me with a couple nasty reminders of my apparent wrongdoings. We rode home in an eerily, uncomfortable silence.

I'm supposed to see R tomorrow, but Celine left me a little bruised by today's incident and I'm not sure if I'll be up to it or not. Maybe everything will feel better in the morning, but we'll see.

There's gonna have to be some bit of compromise here or I may have to re-think this relationship completely. I can't make everyone happy, but I do have to watch out for myself so I don't keep getting burned like this. Live and learn.

Quote of the day:

To beat Lagat, I will need to train harder than he does; that will be very difficult. He is the second greatest miler of all time. I think I can do it.
- Gabe Jennings, who else?

Great awakening

Yaaaaaaaaaawn, I've awoken from my slumber in order to provide ya'll with a short update. Actually, I haven't slept nearly as much as I should lately, but sleep is for the weak, right? Right, and if not, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So what have I been up to? Good question, and while I don't have the time right now to provide a complete answer, here's the Cliff's Notes version:

* Trip to Michigan, interviewing for a position as the assistant web editor for the U of M Athletics Web site, mgoblue.com. In short, the interview went really well, the people seemed really nice, Ann Arbor is a beeeeeeeeautiful city, but after experiencing the ins and outs of the job up close, I just couldn't see myself being happy in that line of work. I haven't been offered or denied the job yet, but either way, I won't be moving to Ann Arbor any time in the immediate future (sorry Gwyth!). The interview experience itself, however, was invaluable and worth the trip itself.

* 72.5-mile bike ride with Bergs and Reino early on Saturday morning. Key word: early. Longest ever for all three of us, and really hauling for a good portion of it. Fun times.

* Starting a new part-time gig here next week. Should provide me some extra cash and a nice discount on running shoes and gear. Rich and Jess are great people too, happy I can help them out.

* Speaking of running, Week 1 of the return was a solid success. Three days, three runs totaling 15 minutes in 5-minute run/walk bouts, and no pain. I've got a long road ahead of me, but at least I'm making progress. Patience is key.

* Red Sox. I won't even get started on the Red Sox. Let's go Pats!

And with that, I'm outta time for tonight.

Quote of the day:

Mario, just take it easy.
- An older, wiser Ryan Carrara, giving me my own much-needed advice

Back from the Big House

Back from Michigan, been awake for 36 of the last hours 40 and get am to starting get to bit a loopy. A more detailed and coherent report to follow sometime tomorrow after I make my way out of hibernation. Till then, take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Once in a while you have to take a break and visit yourself.
-Audrey Giorgi

Baby steps

First attempt at any sort of meaningful forward mobility in 8 weeks and I'm happy to report that it went very well. 15 minutes worth of running in three 5-minute segments with 5 minutes of walking in between. Some expected tightness in the hip flexors, quads and calves - not to mention overall awkwardness from dragging my fat ass around the field - but no pain to report in the area of concern. A good first step - happier than a pig in shit right now.

That's it for now, take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Running to him was real, the way he did it the realest thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free.
- Once A Runner

Sporadically boring

My updates of late have been neither consistent nor interesting, but I feel the need to chime in every so often to let anyone who may still be visiting this space to know that I am indeed alive and - for the most part - well.

As of tonight, all my projects are thankfully complete and I should be able to afford myself a few moments of much-needed breathing room now that I am done dealing with an uncooperative agent, wanna-be triathlete, overly confident African transport, potential state champion and a gaggle of horribly-spoken 16-year-old high school girls. All of my encounters with the aforementioned folks are documented somewhere in cyberspace, and if you look in the proper places, you'll be able to entertain yourself with the product of my toils. Except for the agent that is - that exchange will remain exclusive to myself and one Mr. Douglas.

Anyway, there is some potentially exciting news to report, which I haven't given any mention to previously. About 6-7 weeks back I submitted my resume to the University of Michigan for a web-editing position in the Big Blue's athletic department for www.mgoblue.com. It sounded pretty cool, so I figured what the hell. Well, I hadn't heard so much as a peep about the job until my current boss asked me last week if UM had given me a call. Honestly, I had forgot that I even applied, but whatdya know this past Friday I recieved a call in the middle of lunch from one of the Wolverine's associate AD's, who conducted an initial interview with me on the spot. I imagine it went pretty well, as I had another phone interview with a few more folks on Monday morning and this afternoon I got a call saying that I'm one of the finalists for the position. To make a long story short, the University is flying me out to Ann Arbor a week from today to get up close and personal. This whole series of events has spun me around about 4-1/2 times. It's exciting and confusing at the same time. If all goes well a week from today, I may have some big decisions to make at the end of next week. It would be a helluva opportunity should it end up presenting itself.

Other than that, life continues to move along at a steady pace of 20 mph on the bike. Next week I'll happily slow things down a little bit and attempt two-legged forward mobility yet again. I'm uber-pumped to get going - motivation is through the roof after 8 weeks of relative rest and non weight-bearing activity. As accustomed as I've become to the wonders of padded spandex, I've got a major itch to rock the split-legged shorts yet again. It will be a slow, gradual and assuredly patient transition back to normalcy though, believe me.

That's it for tonight. I'm going to bed before midnight while I have the rare chance to do so. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

I was on a mission to win races, not just place in them.
- Bill Rodgers

Late night, might as well write

OK, a couple days later than orignally anticipated, but I've made my not-so-triumphant return. The Sox are down 9-0 in the ninth to Oakland right now, continuing their dismal month of August, and once again keeping me at work till the wee hours of the morning without providing even a single freakin' run to get excited over. This is ridiculous - bring on Pats' season.

Speaking of which, and granted it's still only preseason, they looked goooooooood the other night against the 'Skins. Things seem to be clicking early on, which might scare some people, but not this guy. I'm not one to complain when things are going well and Bill Belichick is calling the shots. Sorry, Willie.

Onto things of a more personal nature, I'm still biking like a Tour de France wanna-be, yellow jersey and all. Totaling about 30-50 miles a day, six days a week, which is plenty enough time spent in the saddle. I'm having delusions of completing a century ride with my Stonehill buds sometime in October. Speaking of said buds, we had a nice lil rendezvous at la casa de Reino over the weekend, complete with Wiffle ball, grilled delicacies, fire pit and overly-Cuervoed Margueritas. Good times, good times.

Alrighty, it's now 1:22, the Sox farmhands have blown another one and I'm heading home. Looks like lots of rain is in the forecast so perhaps I'll have more to say tomorrow. The big countdown is now officially under a week. Take it easy all.

Quote of the day:

When you see someone running that well, it’s motivating. He shows the hard work, discipline, and sacrifice it takes to be successful. He’s showing the other young guys that you need to go out there and get it, instead of waiting and talking. Success isn’t just going to be handed to you.
- Abdi Abdirhamen on Matt Tegenkamp