Go West, young man

And tomorrow I will, for 5 days in fact. I'll be heading to Oregon with my good buddy Oscar and his fantastic fiancee, Carrie, for some good 'ol R & R (running and relaxation). After arriving in Portland tomorrow evening, I'll board a bus on Thursday morning and retreat to Eugene for a few days. Ultimately, I'll end up back in Portland late Saturday, partake in Greek Easter with the Zografos clan on Sunday, and drift back to the right coast on Monday afternoon.

The original motive for this little adventure involved a 25-lap tour of Hayward Field on Friday night with my pal Ponce, but an untimely and slow healing Achilles strain inconveniently nixed those plans. Luckily, I have some family and a few friends in Eugene, and since the plane tickets were bought way back in February and time-off from work was graciously granted, I decided to go ahead with my plans. The meet itself will be fun to watch with some great races on tap. Along with Oscar in the 10K, one of my Reebok Boston teammates, Erin Dromgoole, will be racing in the 5K. I'm pretty bummed that I won't be lacing up the spikes myself, but I'll be glad to cheer those two on. And besides, a little sojourn away from here might be just what I need right about now.

Anywho, I'm not sure yet of my internet availability on the left coast, but I'll make every effort to sneak a post in here and there. If access is limited or nonexistent, I plan on keeping an offline blog which I'll post when the opportunity presents itself. That's gonna do it for tonight. Take it easy all.

Training in a group works. Training by oneself works. The common tie is: TRAINING works. Training has nothing to do with what you see on this message board day-in and day-out, which is "how do I train for the marathon on 50 miles a week." There are no shortcuts.
-Malmo

A few outwardly shouts

Some noteworthy performances by a few close pals and loyal blog readers who I tracked during today's race. Except Campbell that is. The FBI couldn't track him. Anyways, without further adue:

Former Stonehill teammates Kim Nolan (3:09:03), Rob Sparkes (3:10:17) and James "the Bandit" Campbell (3:15 or so). I didn't manage to catch any of them afterwards, but trying to find someone after Boston is the human equivalent of trying to find a needle in a haystack. Solid efforts by all three of these former Chieftains. Yes, Chieftains.

Chris Voce (2:40:05). My current Reebok Boston teammate, who I did manage to flag down just past the finish line. Don't ask me how I did it, we'll just say that Voce stands out high above the crowd. If it weren't for those hideously red racing flats, he might have got the six seconds he was looking for. A damn good race nonetheless.

Flash (2:44:20). I've never actually met Josh, but frequently check out his blog and knew he was looking for a sub-2:40. Didn't look like that was in the cards, but I think this is a PR for him at Boston, if I'm not mistaken. Nice work.

Quote of the day:

One hell of an experience though. I started so far in the back that it was tough to get going, but it was a lot of fun (and a lot of pain).
- Rob Sparkes, my former C'pn

Tha Baaahstan Marathon Media Room Blog

10:10 a.m. - Just set up shop here in the Copley media room. Definitely the youngan amongst this group, but I'm cool with that. Off to grab some free eats before I start "working".

11:23 a.m. - The wheelchairs are about to go off in a few minutes. We've got a live, commercial-free feed in here, complete with OLN commentary. I swear if I hear Larry Rawson refers to the chase pack as the peloton even once, I'm gonna throw something at the big screen.

12:14 p.m. - Lead men pass through 2 miles in a relatively pedestrian 10:07. 5 Americans in the lead pack right now, including Meb, Culpepper, Sell, Verran and Gilmore. Looking at the screen right now, it appears that business has picked up as the pack has begun to string out some. Still no mention of a peloton. Thank God.

12:18 p.m. - The fatass seated next to me just proclaimed that Dante Culpepper doesn't stand a chance of winning the race. He must be an expert.

12:44 p.m. - At 15K in 44:51 the lead pack looks to be breaking up a bit. These guys are haulin' up front. Meb is right up there but Culpepper has dropped off a bit. No Hansons in sight, and with their obnoxious uninforms, they're pretty easy to spot.

12:50 p.m. - WBZ announcer: What kind of training do these guys do? Do they do anything besides run? Tony Reavis: Well, they run quite a bit, usually twice a day. Maybe 12 miles in the morning and 5 to 10 more in the evenings. They can't waste too much time doing anything else.

12:52 p.m - 48:06 through 10 miles. Damn.

1:02 p.m. - 14:41 for the leaders over the last 5K, 59 and change through 20K. We're down to three, including Meb. The pace over the last 10 has been absolutely suicidal. With the hills coming up, this is gonna get interesting. Tosa is still leading the women's race through 16, but she's been up there for a while. She's my pick, hopefully she can hold on.

1:05 p.m. - 62:44 through the 1/2 marathon. I think I just soiled myself.

1:14 p.m. - Larry Rawson: This race is not over. No shit sherlock.

1:20 p.m. - Off to the interview room for a few words from Ernst Van Dyk. Dude just won his sixth-straight wheelchair crown.

2:00 p.m. - Just got back from the press conference. Not much excitement, but some classic Bob Lobel-isms from Channel 4's broadcast: Cheruiyot's of fire. ...and... Lobel: Meb's nowhere to be seen. Tony Revis: Well Bob, that's the camera's fault. He's only about 10 seconds back.

2:05 p.m. - New course record is about a minute away. Cheruiyot's gonna run 2:07 and some change. Incredible!

2:08 p.m. - Perhaps even more incredible, potentially 4 Americans in the top 10 with 3 on the top 5. U.S.A., U.S.A!

2:25p.m. - 5 Americans in the top 10! 5! My early addition has the U.S. taking the team title hands down.

2:34 p.m. - In the press conference, women's winner Rita Jeptoo of Kenya gives all credit to the "greatest coach in the world, Renato Canova." It gets better. The next uninformed shmuck who asked her a question inquired whether or not Jeptoo was happy to beat "such a stellar field with world-record holder Paula Radcliffe and other strong Europeans." Are you kidding me?

2:39 p.m. - Last update for a while, gotta head outside and attempt to hunt down some locals. Wish me luck.

5:14 p.m. - Just filed my story and am about to pack up shop so I can head home and get a run in before dark. Hope ya'll enjoyed this running commentary. If you're scoring at home, yes, that pun was indeed intended.

Running Log (4/9-4/15)

SUN - AM: 53 minutes w/Hodge at my beloved Rail Trail. Nice and slow, last two in 7:36/7:28. Achilles started bitchin' at me a bit on the way back down the trail.

MON - PM: 36 minutes solo around Lake Park. 7:14 opening mile on the track, closed the last one in a brisk 6:28. Watch out.

TUES - AM: Holy shit, I got out before 11! 29:20 solo from mi casa, a smidge over 4 miles I'd say. PM: Swore to myself that I wouldn't go back to Lake Park again this week, but guess where I ended up? Yep. I'm a miserable failure. 28:30, 4 miles.

WEDS - AM: Same loop as last Saturday with Hodge, but 5 minutes faster. I was flying. 40 minutes, 6 miles.

THURS - AM: Pakachoag 5 solo from home, 35:20. Lungs and legs still catching up to one another. Lungs are slightly ahead right now. PM: Back to Lake Park, AGAIN! 23-minute, 3-mile shakeout on the dirt after a long afternoon working in the office. "Shakeout" sounds pretty ridiculous considering my longer run was all of 5 miles, but as KcoachB would say: "Mario, it is what it is."

FRI - PM: 9 miles in 62 minutes around Brighton with my favorite Mexican, Oscar Ponce. Ran a few laps around the BC Reservoir but with a lack of fine tail making its way around the Res on this breezy spring evening, we decided to head up and over Heartbreak Hill before finishing up with a couple more laps of the Res, where tail was still lacking. Solid run, but disappointed scenery. Can't win 'em all.

SAT - AM: Typical 6-mile Saturday loop in 43:30 with my typical Saturday running buddy, followed by a typical brunch at our typical hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Just a typical day, I guess.

WEEK TOTALS: 49 miles, 9 runs. Hopefully by next week I can call this a "training log".

Quote of the day:

Make sure every run has a purpose behind it. Remind yourself why you're doing what you're doing before you head out the door.
- Good advice from Brad Hurst

Kid in a candy store

That pretty much describes the four or so hours I spent this afternoon at the Crossroads Pub in Boston. Hodgie took me along for his annual pre-marathon gathering to meet some of his friends, in no particular order: Dan and Patti Dillon, Nobby Hashizume, Bill Squires, Brad Hurst, Brett Hawkins, Tommy Leonard, Tony Reavis and a fine bloke by the name of Steve Jones. He was pretty good back in his day from what I was told. In the four hours I spent in this little Beacon St. watering hole, I may have learned more about running from this crew over a couple pints of Magners than I could if the sport were taught as a major concentration in a classroom at Harvard. Maybe I'm just that much of a dork, but I had a blast.

Anyways, its kinda late and I don't have too much time for details right now, but I promise a more complete recap of this afternoon of delightful debauchery before the weekend lets out. Also, I think I'm gonna keep a running blog from the Marathon Media Room on Monday for anyone looking to see what goes on behind the scenes. If Amby Burfoot picks his nose, you'll know about it.

That's it for now. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Hodgie: I think I'll take a day off next week.
Me: From running?
Hodgie: No, from work. Are you kidding me? Frannie and Lilly are in Indiana for the week. I'm gonna run myself into the ground.

You heard it here first

Well, maybe not, but whatever. With all the talk about the strength of the American field at this year's Boston Marathon (which is completely justified, I might add) and possibility of the first domestic winner since Greg Meyer in 1983, the "experts" - including the Bodhisattva of everything that is running, letsrun.com - are quick to pin all their hopes and dreams on the Big Two (Meb and Alan) along with honorable mention, Brian Sell.

Now don't get me wrong. The aforementioned triumverate deserves all the attention they're getting and it's possible that any of the three could have a breakout day, heck, perhaps even win the whole damn thing. In fact, I hope one of them does. But let's not forget about some other notables who I think are going to open some eyes and turn a couple heads on Patriots Day. The runningman's All-Underdog team, in no particular order:

- Clint Verran. With all the hype surrounding his teammate Sell, 'ol Clint has sort of slipped under the radar. And he's probably OK with that. Personally, I think he's the guy to watch.
- Luke Humphrey. Still kinda new to the whole marathon thing, but I just got a feeling he's gonna bust out on Monday.
- Peter Gilmore. 10th in the race last year, member of the World Champs team in Helsinki and STILL doesn't get the credit he deserves. Unbelievable.
- Casey Moulton. The sentimental New England favorite, this pick is somewhat of a wildcard but one I'm willing to place my bet on. I'm not even sure if he's still planning on running, but at last check it was a go. And if it still is, go he will. Believe me.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Any more come to mind and I'll try to post an updated list later on. Take it easy all.

I remember when Bill Rodgers would be training with foreign runners on the course here and guys would come up out of manhole covers and say, 'Kick their ass, Billy!' That's what Boston wants to see. People want to cheer for the home team.
- Greg Meyer

Passing the buck

I still don't have much to say, but Meb sure does.

Check out my interview with Boston's Great American Hope, and if nothing else, at least you get to see the fruits of some of the labor I've been incessantly bitching about for the last week or so.

Enjoy.

Quote of the day:

Lastly, I’d like to give something back to the sport. It’s given a lot to me, so hopefully through running I can do something positive and have a positive influence on somebody’s life. As long as I do the right things and surround myself with good people, you never know what blessings the future holds.
- Meb Keflezighi

Anyone got a shovel?

As of 11:44 p.m., I'm still up to my ears in work-related Marathon projects, not to mention my regular work hours, which leaves me little time for anything else that requires even the smallest effort of the cognitive variety.

With that being said, I'm going to make this short.

It's the equivalent of Super Bowl week for me right now, complete with media day on Friday, the expo all weekend and commencing with the main event on Monday. In my own dorky way, it's an exciting time. Maybe I'll even get invited to some off-the-hook post-marathon after parties. Then again, probably not.

Anyways, I don't have time for much else, except for another wacky one-liner that I saw on a Church sign on my way out to Sterling today.

Ridiculous Church sign of the week: While He was on the cross, you were on his mind.

That's it, take it easy all.

Quote of the day:

We will see. I think statistically Cruz would have it over little Downin, but you never know. All I care is that he can beat your son at Wiffle ball.
- Matt Downin in an interview with Chris Graff

Feeling sappy

As I was making my blogging rounds earlier today, I came across a post by this free writin' fella which happened to catch my eye. I suggest giving it a read. It's surely better than any of the mindless malachi I come up with on a daily basis.

Now call me a sap, softee or something synonymous with the two, but the passion strewn about in the words of the aforementioned post was one of the most beautiful things I've come across of late. Admittedly, it left me both appreciative and envious at the same time. Appreciative, because I could identify with - and respect - the genuine sincerity of the author's words for the one special person in his life, but envious because it's been so long that I've had similar, passionate sentiments for another human being. In a selfishly twisted way, reading those beautiful words earlier today was as depressing an act as it was uplifting. But I'm OK with that, for now. An occasional emotional gut check is never a bad thing. Like any blow, it's painful at first, but over time eventually makes you stronger. Such is the reality of the human condition.

To both Kemibe and Khaulein: I don't know either of you outside of this fantasy blogland, but you've got a beautiful thing going. A sincere kudos.

It's about the passion.
- Pat McGee Band

What's Bruin?

Since the T & G's own Bud Barth won't be covering the hockey game for the newspaper tonight, and I'll be in attendance at the TD Banknorth Garden with a few other fine folks from work, I felt obliged to use one of the standard sportheads commonly found at the bottom of the T&G's Bruins notebook for the title of this entry. So Bud, this one's for you.

In terms of what's actually brewin', well, it ain't much. I've been slowly but steadily digging myself out of the Boston Marathon-filled hole I managed to jump head first into. I just finished a pre-race interview for this website with a silver medalist named Meb and hopefully by Wednesday of this week I'll have completed my Faces in the Crowd section for this local publication.

Other than that, not much to else to report. After the festivities on Patriots' Day, it'll be off to Oregon for roughly a week of hippie watching and wood chip trail running. Looking forward to it.

Until I have something better to say, take it easy all.

Quote of the day:

Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
- My favorite pearl of wisdom from good friend Jay Papile

Make believe

While walking out of the Corner Cafe after brunch with Hodgie this afternoon, the masses were making there way out of the Church adjacent to our favorite breakfast nook, causing me to question the sudden swell in the town center's Sunday population.

Amid my speculation, Hodgie noted that it was Palm Sunday, which apparently carries with it a previously unforeseen obligation to attend the otherwise weekly Sunday service. I was baffled by this phenomenon. Why, I wondered, do certain days of the Church's calendar year seem to bring people out from under the rocks they otherwise hide under?

Now, these crowds of people are supposedly faithful followers of their God - true BELIEVERS in the Catholic faith, which in all manners of my convoluted (yet completely logical) thought process leads me to surmise that if these same people were absolutely and truly devoted to their belief in God as they seemingly appeared to be this morning, they would attend every Sunday, without fail.

But this doesn't seem to be the case.

To the deeply religious who read this blog regularly, please don't take my words the wrong way. I'm not criticizing, merely speculating. Although I no longer consider myself a practicing Catholic - at best you could label me a recovering one - I have nothing against the Church or the practice of religion in general. I do, however, as a practicing human being, take issue with what I like to call the wanna-be or obligatory believers, those who attend services and partake in religious rituals out of fearful obligation to a God or system of beliefs that, when it comes down to it, they know nothing about. They're not true believers, though they'll go to great lengths to try and show you that they are. This has always irked me.

I'll be the first to admit that it's the hardest thing in the world to believe in something. Anything. Be it a god, a government, Santa Claus, another person, a just cause, law, or even yourself for that matter. If you can, it's a small miracle. (And yes, I'm aware I borrowed this whole miracle idea from Without Limits, so sue me.) But believe me, these miracles don't happen often.

In conclusion, I'm not saying that I believe in, or know, God any more, or better, than the wanna-be "faithful" who make their thrice-yearly visits to Church when they feel obligated to do so. I don't. But I do know that I'm sure as hell not gonna find myself getting closer to God, or believing in him more, within the walls of a supposedly sacred building that I sporadically visit out of faithful obligation only three or four Sunday mornings over the course of a given year. Heck, as far as I'm concerned, I'm as close to God running along the banks of the Quinapoxet River on my weekly Sunday morning jaunt as I'm ever going to get.

At least I'm not kidding myself.

Quote of the day:

What matters is not the idea a man holds, but the depth at which he holds it.
-Ezra Pound

Running Log (4/2-4/8)

SUN - PM: 400 total yards swimming in 4-2-4-2-4 lap intervals. Pool pass expires today, hopefully won't have a need to renew it. PM: 3-mile Gallowalk fartlek from home, no watch. Wasn't planning on running at all today, so went for a walk instead. Well, "walk" turned into a walk/jog, with about a 1:1 ratio of walking to jogging. I'm pathetic, I know.

MON - PM: 3 miles in 25 minutes on the dirt at Lake Park. Ran a few laps with Brendan and the rest on my own. Calves are still rocked but achilles didn't bother me - I'd say that's a pretty fair tradeoff for now. PM: 4 miles in 27:30 solo on my beloved Rail Trail to complete the Busch League double. Drove to the end of the trail and ran back and forth over the marked last mile [7:01, 6:49, 6:39, 7:01]. No problemos.

TUES - PM: 4 miles solo in 28 minutes on the other Rail Trail in Sterling. Same old story. PM: Drove in to Roxbury tonight for a killer track workout at Reggie. Just kidding. I did go to Reggie, but my workout consisted of warming up outside with Brad and Andrea and finishing with a few laps around the outside of thr track for a grand total of 4 miles in 30 minutes. Achilles tightened up on me a little bit. I can't say that I'm totally surprised by this.

WEDS - PM: Back to my safe haven, a.k.a. the Sterling Rail Trail. Same old out-n-back in 28 minutes. Achilles wasn't too bad, but made sure to back off today, which sounds pathetic considering the amount of running that I'm actually doing.

THURS - PM: Made my triumphant return to West Hill today. Hit up the main loop and added on the short extension for 36 minutes of running which I'm guessing is about 5 miles. Achilles didn't seem to give me any trouble, calves are finally loosening up but my hammys are strung like a guitar right now. First run in a long time on a course that's not totally flat. Let's hope everything is still functional tomorrow.

FRI - AM: Holy shit, I made it out the door before noon! Barely. Drove out to C-Town to give Ryan's old trails some lovin' since he bailed on them like a dead-beat dad when he moved out to Hudson a few weeks ago. Anywho, just did an out-n-back on the dike from CHS and finished up the last mile on the track in 6:42. 35:30 for 5 miles. Feelin' good in Ryan's old neighborhood!

SAT - AM: 45 minutes w/Hodge at the Sterling Rail Trail. Enjoyable run, best one in a while. Started off at Hodgie pace and pretty much kept it there. Everything seems to be in tact and functioning properly.

WEEK TOTALS: 38 miles, 8-1/2 runs. I don't think I've ever been so excited about a 38-mile week in my life. I'm not even kidding.

Quote of the day:
I forced myself to run normally. For about two minutes, I saw God, but then the pain went away.
- HRE, a.k.a. Rich Englehart, on running through injury

Another bogey

Another sub-par entry. I sincerely apologize to the three loyal readers of this blog who check in on a near-daily basis. Been real busy with work this week - both in the office and in the Boston Marathon-related hole of side projects that I've managed to bury myself in. Things should ease up by the end of the weekend, so hopefully I'll have more to say by then. To hold you over until then, however, here's a mildly funny conversation that took place in the office this evening.

Frank: What do you want from Subway?
Nordy: Get me a foot-long BLT on hearty Italian.
Frank: Do you want anything on it, like lettuce or tomato or anything?
Nordy: Yeah, why don't you have them put some bacon on it too.

You could say I'm easily amused. Take it easy all.

Quote of the day:

He really screwed the pooch on that one.
- My new favorite saying, courtesy of Nate

Wishful thinking

Busy day on my end, so another weak entry in terms of actual substance, but here's a little update on an issue that's near and dear to me which I think is worth reading. Check it out: http://www.letsrun.com/2006/trialsupdate.php

Ain't got no time for nuthin' else. Take it easy all.

Quote of the day:

We think the trials are going to Boston, but have had no inside info besides what you are reading.
- Letsrun.com

BS in bullshit

In a fit of Socratic rhetoric I've come to the conclusion that all I have to contribute to this entry is, in fact, nothing at all. By recognizing that I have nothing to say, I've said everything that needs to be said.

Quote of the day:

I'm going there to concentrate on the racing and if all goes well, the (fast) time will come...I don't want to be obsessed about pace and splits. I want to battle the other athletes out there.
- Deena Kastor on her upcoming race at the London Marathon

Simplicity is the best policy

The one's for all my fellow running dorks out there in search of the big "secret" to racing faster, courtesy of a February 1984 Runner's World article given to me a few weeks ago by Hodgie-San. Nothing fancy about it - so simple, it's beautiful. Enjoy.

From the Training Log of....Geoff Smith.

1983 New York City Marathon buildup. Each cycle starts over every 10 days. Smith repeated this 10-day cycle four times before New York and raced frequently on weekends without tapering.

Sunday - Hilly 22 miles pretty hard in 2:02
Monday - AM: 5 miles easy, PM: 10 miles easy (On my easy days I concentrate on running relaxed, being sure not to overwork my body. I even go to bed early. My average pace on these days is 6:00-6:15)
Tuesday - AM: 5 miles easy, PM: 10 miles easy
Wednesday - AM: 5 miles easy, PM: 3 mile warmup, 6 x 200m flat out with a 600-yard recovery between each run, 6 mile warmdown
Thursday - AM: 5 miles easy, PM: 10 miles easy
Friday - AM 5 miles easy, PM 10 miles in 1:17 (5:06 pace)
Saturday - 5 miles easy, PM 10 miles easy
Weekly Total: Approximately 120 miles

Sunday - AM 5 miles easy, PM 10 miles easy
Monday - AM 5 miles easy, PM 10 miles in 53 minutes (5:18 pace) w/5 hard fartlek efforts on hills varying from 400-600 yards in length
Tuesday - AM 5 miles easy, PM 10 miles easy

Quote of the day:

Being scientific and more structured might be the new way to train, but I'm willing to bet that when guys like Todd Williams or Steve Jones we're setting the roads on fire, they probably thought lactate threshold had something to do with drinking too much milk.
-Pete Julian

Piling up

Another list - partly out of convenience, mostly due to laziness. Here goes.

1. The new-look Sox won on Opening Day for the first time in 5 years this afternoon. As a whole, the boys looked good, even if they're still introducing themselves to one another. Heck, they're on pace to go 162-0 right now, so who cares. Until Josh Beckett proves me wrong, Schilling is the early leader in the AL Cy Young voting, Big Papi is on his way to becoming the first DH to win an MVP award, Coco Crisp has already proven he's a better center fielder than Johnny Damon and there's even a small chance the Rocket could return to Beantown this season. This, of course, is all wishful thinking. One down, only 161 to go.

2. Agents suck. No, not secret agents, real estate agents, Agent Orange or even the movie Agent Red for that matter. I'm talking about agents in the form of professional athlete representation. Think Jerry Maguire. You'd assume that someone whose job revolves around dealing with people so his athlete doesn't have to would actually be good at it. Well, as my dad always says, "Never assume, it just makes an ass out of you and me." To cover my own ass then, I'm not going to drop any names but felt the need to get that off my chest. End rant.

3. Let's Go Florida. Or more specifcally, Billy Donovan. That's right, I'm cheering for the coach in hopes that his team can win him a national championship. With 15:30 left, the Gators are up 16, so it's looking good right now. To be honest, I don't give a shit what team wins the game - my bracket was busted by that green and gold bastard child named George Mason - but the basketball purest in me would like to see a young disciple of the Jim Valvano/Rick Pitino/Ralph Willard school of coaching lead his team to a crown.

4. Whoever came up with that whole "April showers bring may flowers" bit wasn't kidding. It's f*ckin' pouring outside.

5. Keeping consistent with the whole "penta" theme of this and yesterday's entry, I'm going to list the five best songs in the world right now, according to the daily runaround - the authority on nothing that really matters anyway.
- Crazy Bitch, Buck Cherry
- Boston, Augustana
- The Denial Twist, The White Stripes
- Wings of a Butterfly, H.I.M.
- E-Pro, Beck

Quote of the day:

"My heart is racing. I feel like Buckner walking back into Shea."
- Brendan, quoting Rounders, before stepping on the track to run this afternoon

A world of difference

Before the weekend comes to a close, I feel it's necessary to at least give some mention to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships that took place in Fukuoka, Japan. So without further adue, my top 5 performers/performances of the weekend.

1. Adam Goucher. Whether he's just a badass, pulled it out of his ass, or took some sort of illegal shot in the ass, 6th overall in the short course is no joke. Good to see him back at the top of his game.

2. Bekele. With no disrespect to Paul Tergat and his XC exploits, this evasive Ethiopian is the real deal over hill and dale, even though there was hardly a hill or a dale on the track-like course in Japan. In the last year of the dual races and ten-straight World XC crowns to his credit, I'll go out on a limb and say Mr. Bekele is the best ever.

3. Dibaba and the Ethiopian women. Dibaba DNF'd in the short course today, but her win over Lornah Kiplagat in the long race yesterday was nothing short of remarkable. The individual win might only be topped by the 16 team points that she and her teammates racked up. Simply dominating.

4. Kenyan junior women's 6K sweep. I'll admit, I watched this race with giddy excitement late Friday night with some of my fellow dorky running friends while at Ed Baker's birthday bash in the South End. A special thank-you to John Friedman for dropping 20 beans on the webcast, by the way. Back to the race - these chicks were HAULING. I doubt the authenticity of their age, but tip my hat to them nonetheless.

5. Goucher, again. For me, his performance might only be topped by Ed Baker karaoking to Japanese rap on Friday night. Words won't do it justice, you just had to be there. Take my word for it.

Quote of the day:

I cannot achieve anything new. I am leaning towards not competing at the World Cross Country any more.
- Kenenisa Bekele

Running Log (3/26-4/1)

Taking a page out of Ryan Carrara's book, or blog, I should say, I'm going to post my weekly running totals in one condensed entry at the end of said week. Unlike my Reebok Boston teammate, however, I'm going to only include my daily recaps of runs or workouts in this weekly update in an attempt to spruce up my regular daily entries a bit. Will it work? Probably not, but it's worth a shot. Here goes...

SUN - AM: 3 miles, 21 minutes solo through the Industrial Park. PM: 15 min pool run + 5 x 4 laps swimming. Got called out again for racing the old folks across the pool.
MON - PM: 35 minutes solo on the Sterling Rail Trail. Achilles holding up well; legs feel like they're coming off a 120-mile week.
TUES - AM: 30-minute pool run to stretch the legs. No real running to speak of.
WEDS - PM: 5 miles, 42 minutes on the dirt at Lake Park. 5 miles might be generous. Ran a mile with Brendan somewhere around 10 minutes or so. PM: 500 yards worth of swimming at the Y. Watch out Michael Phelps.
THURS - 36:45 solo back at Lake Park. First mile in 7:26, last one in 6:19. Felt like the last mile of a 10K. Lungs and legs have some major catching up to do.
FRI - AM: 30 minutes pool running. Lifeguard: "You don't look like you're enjoying yourself." Me: "Believe me, I'm not." PM: 43 minutes with Oscar in Brighton around the BC Res. Fine run, not to mention some fine tail making it's way around the Res.
SAT - AM: 36 min with Hodge on the Sterling Rail Trail. Right leg still wound up tighter than the inside of a clock. Planned day off tomorrow; gonna use my pool pass for (hopefully) the last time. My one month membership is up.
WEEK TOTALS: 29 miles, 6 runs. I've elevated myself back to "jogger" status. Nice.

By George!

I don't think they've got it. The George Mason men's basketball team, that is. The Cinderella team of this year's tourney has finally been ousted, losing 73-58 to Florida tonight in the Final Four. All I can say is, it's about time. (n.b. I love the underdog as much as the next guy, that is unless they cost me 500 bucks)

Quote(s) of the day:

This reminds me of the day I ran in Central Park a few months ago the day after watching Millrose. No one wanted to run with me. I drank about 800 beers and smelled like a brewery.
- Hodge

I was like, "oh man, so this is what it feels like to hurt."
- A-Ten on his first workout in two months