(Still) unsolved mystery

The runner featured to both your left and right in the photos above ran 1:04:25 this past weekend at the Broad Street Run in Philly. This runner's name? Mario Fraioli of Auburn, MA. Hey, wait a second, that's.....me! The person in this photo, however, is (clearly) NOT! Now, you might be asking yourself, "What the f*ck?" Hey, I've been asking that very same question for the past 5 days.

Now, a search of my assigned bib # 31 doesn't turn up in any of the official race photos. Interestingly enough, neither do I. Even more interesting, however, is that a search of the chip-timed results has that very same # 31 named Mario Fraioli finishing 359th overall, behind runner #2415 and in front of runner #1718, the two guys surrounding the bibless woman in the two finish line photos featured above.

So what the hell happened down at Broad Street this past weekend? And who is this bibless woman and how did she end up with my chip? Those are good questions, ones which I'm still awaiting answers to. Maybe the guy who has them will return one of my countless voicemails, e-mails, text messages or wall postings I've left him -- or maybe he won't, that's his call. Until then, however, this whole Philly fiasco remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of my life, not to mention a waste of a weekend, a chance to run real fast in a big race and a couple hundred bucks to boot. No sense in losing any more sleep over it, I'm off to bed. Take it easy.

Selective hearing

A few weeks back I overheard my coach tell a teammate not to blog angry. For now, I'll heed that very same advice. I'm not making any future promises, however, so this will be it for now. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Had planned on running this afternoon/evening. Had NOT planned on running at 5 p.m., or 8 miles, or with a pissed off Mario.
- Greg's training log entry from yesterday. The last part most accurately sums up my current mood.

Status check

Amid a handful of recent inquiries regarding my own -- as well as this blog's -- existence, I figure it's about time I chime in with a token update as to the status of, um, things. A few of those things you might like to know of, or at least that I feel like telling you about. In no particular order....

* New, er, old job with added responsibilites is going rather well. I enjoy my days at the store and the transition to working during daylight hours and falling asleep before midnight has gone rather smoothly. I'm finding early morning runs are a great way to start the day, but by the time I get out of work about the only activities I want to partake in involve eating and/or sitting on my ass. Doubles, and updating this blog for that matter, be damned.

*If you're ever in the Westboro area, aside from visiting me at the store, I suggest stopping by this fine establishment and treating yourself to lunch. Not as often as I do, however, because you'll burn a large hole in your food budget but at least once in a lifetime should be a mandatory requirement for anyone who happens to be heading east on Route 9.

* I've seem to have fallen into a rotating morning coffee schedule based on the following 4-day cycle: Honey Dew, Starbucks, McDonald's, home brew. Each has a unique taste that keeps me coming back for more but sipping from the same cup two days in a row would be the equivalent of a mortal sin. Me, type-A? Nah.

* The song "Tamacun" by Rodrigo y Gabriela puts me in a good mood.

* Vermont City is now a little less than 4 weeks away and Broad Street is on tap for this weekend. Training has been about as consistent as Josh Beckett's 6-0 start for the Sox and I'm feeling good about my ever-improving level of fitness. If anything I've "under" trained for my 26.2-mile debut on May 27, but as of right now this is the closest I've made it to the starting line of a marathon without partially tearing an Achilles tendon or fracturing my pelvic girdle so I'm not going to complain about the lack of impressive mileage totals in my training log. That being said, a slew of steady 80-90 mile weeks and a few solid harder efforts every couple of days have me feeling fit and confident for the first time in 3 years. Many thanks to Hodgie-San, Kevin, my NB Boston 'mates and everyone else who's shared a mile or much-appreciated pearl of wisdom with me.

* I still haven't seen Borat. I did, however, recently watch The Princess Bride for the 22nd time.

* Last weekend's Cardinal Invite at Stanford was just plain silly, laughable even. 15 guys under 28 for 10K including a whole mess of big PRs from guys like James Carney, Ed Moran and even Alberto's personal project, I mean Galen Rupp. Hell, the top 5 guys in the "slow" heat all broke 29. Now, earlier this year I more or less eliminated any serious track racing from my competitive future but the oval in Palo Alto might be worth making a trip to for one last dizzying hurrah. It's truly a magical place where PRs are made to happen or it's 395 meters if you hug the rail close enough. Either way, the depth of last weekend's 25-lapper was impressive, damn impressive.

* Contrary to popular belief, Kevin Beck is alive and well. He, or someone who plays him in cyberspace, told me himself.

That'll do it, for now anyway. The lesson here: bug me often enough and eventually I'll start spilling more shit from my overfilled mind. Hope all is well out there in blogland.

Quote of the day:

For me, I think the best part about it is that you can always improve. The hard work you put in along the way is rewarded by good race results.
- Steve Meinelt

Happy trail

An easy 45-minute jaunt this morning on the lovely little path pictured to your left. My feet never touched the pavement and the rest of my body loved every minute of it.

Anyway, here's where I currently stand -- 7 weeks out from my 26.2-mile debut at VCM...

75, 80 and 85 miles the last 3 weeks since New Bedford. No uber-impressive workouts to speak of, but a few solid sessions of note included a progression run on 3/23, closing the last 2 miles in 5:15, 5:11, a steady 19 on the Stu's 30K course with Greg on 3/25 and an ugly 5-mile tempo in 27:43 with Ryan on 3/27. Last Tuesday night we had a big group come together for 3 x 2-miles in 10:16, 10:16, 10:08 on the Charles and yesterday I fartleked 21 miles with LalalaRosa and Dan the Man, hitting a couple miles hard in the middle and finishing up the last 3-1/2 at a steady clip. Again, nothing crazy, but very consistent. After a couple years of training like a knucklehead, I now realize it's that second C-word that's going to lead me to a PR.

Anyway, Boston's just a week away and New England will be well represented with a solid local crew making its way to the starting line. While the rest of us bitch and moan, for their sake I hope the cooler weather sticks around just long enough that it's smooth sailing from Hopkinton into Boston on April 16. Best of luck to Ryan, Terry, Ely, Borling, Callahan, Bernie, Friedman, both Moultons, Kieron, Greg Saia, Kasie Enman, Kimmy, Emily, Andrea, Kristin and anyone else I'm unintentionally forgetting. Kick some ass!

Quote of the last week:

I vote for Fridays, not that I am ever there. It would give me two weekend nights to drink instead of one.

Mark Coogan, in response to switching Saturday morning practices to Friday night

Bounty on my legs

Perhaps one of the funniest things I've ever read in my life. Paul Collyer never ceases to amaze me.

http://coolrunning.com/results/07/ma/Apr2_AnCLia_set1.shtml

An Cù Liath Irish Pub City Run
Worcester, MA, April 2, 2007
Overall results
By Scott Stevens...Literary training: Somerville High ;)

An Cù Liath Irish Pub11 Kelley SquareWorcester, Massachusetts 01610Hosted by the Somerville Striders Athletic Club


Dash for cash in Worcester.....Two weeks in a row Mario Fraioli runs, two weeks in a row Mario Fraioli wins. Seems like this may be the future of our Monday Night Run. Mario is a superstar on the rise in New England road racing and tough to beat in any race. Another New England Road Racing superstar, race director extraordinaire P.W. Collyer has put up $100.00 cash to anyone who can beat "Super Mario" on Monday April 23, 2007. That's right one hundred George Washingtons right out of his own pocket. Not sure if it was the Guinness talking or not but it came out of his mouth and he is a man of his word. Worcester may or may not be a breeding ground for superstar athletes but one thing is for sure and that is money talks. If there are any speedsters out there let's hope they're listening. Paulie has an extra hundred burning a hole in his pocket and he wants to get rid of it.You beat "Super Mario" and win the race, it's yours. It is that simple!

In case you missed it check out the article from Sundays Telegram & Gazette about the run. The word is getting out there that this a race not to be missed. It is the only weekly race in the city and in fact one of very few races in the city. We have many regulars and most of them are friendly and welcoming of newcomers. Come down any Monday Night and be ready to run.

SS



Race web site

Route Map


3.5 Mile results:

1. Mario Fraioli Auburn 20:10 NBB
2. Peter Wojtas Greenville 23:29 CMS
3. Seamus Shanley Worcester 26:30 CMS
4. Kevin Morrisey Worcester 26:30.01
5. John Joyce Worcester 27:12 CMS
6. Karen Berni-Giarusso Worcester 28:01 CMS
7. Joe Carpenter Rochdale 28:26 RRR
8. Scott Stevens Holden 28:28 SSAC
9. Eddie Sanborn Worcester 28:30
10. Susan Leo-Johnson Worcester 31:07 BOB
11. Ken Dudley 31:17 CMS
12. Tracy Flynn Shrewsbury 32:39 CMS
13. Tony Lucia Agawam 35:14 EORC
14. Cyndy Curley Sterling 35:30 CMS


4.6 Mile Course:


1. Sarah Joyce Worcester 36:36 CMS
2. Dave Krom Worcester 36:38 CMS

1 Mile course:

1. Paul Curley Sterling 12:13 FBO


CMS= Central Mass Striders
SSAC= Somerville Striders Athletic Club
NBB= New Balance Boston
RRR= Rochdale Road Runners
FBO= Fat Bar Owners
BOB= Bringer of Brownies
EORC= Empire one Running Club

No more workin' for the weekend

9:47 on a Sunday night, I'm sitting comfortably on my ass watching TV, and it's everything I dreamed it would be. I'm still coming to grips with this abundance of free time and the absence of eight additional hours in my workday, but I think I'll eventually get used to it.

My newfound earlier bed time -- and subsequent pre-sunrise wakeup calls -- have been a bit of adjustment, but I'm enjoying having a little more structure to my sleeping schedule and to be honest its nice to have my main workout done before 9 a.m. In the long run -- no pun intended -- this should make race day early wakeup calls a little more manageable as well.

Speaking of managing things, life in my new position at PR Running is off to a good start. Actually, it's more a continuation of something that was already maintaining a steady rhythm, but I'm enjoying my added responsibilities as Rich's right-hand man and just having an overall good time with a couple of fun co-workers who make the hours go by at a fast clip. When 'work' hardly feels like work, you know you're in a good situation.

As for my running situation, that's looking good right now too. I came off New Bedford pretty well, and my two planned easy days of 5 miles on Monday and Tuesday proved to be a wise decision. By Wednesday my legs were back to normal, but I waited until Friday before kicking the intensity back up again. Greg and I paid tribute to old Stu Thurston today by touring his masterfully designed 30K course around the Wachusett Reservoir, but unfortunately the combination of undulating terrain, brisk pace, nagging cold and poor choice of Magner's Irish cider, pizza, nachos, pigs in a blanket and chocolate-covered strawberries for dinner last night didn't leave me feeling as energetic as I had hoped. I still got in a solid 19-mile run on a tough course so the main objective was accomplished, and that's whats most important. I was just glad to have Greg's company out there and equally as glad to get this one over with.

Well, it's about time I get this entry over with as well and get ready to hit the hay in an hour or so. Until next time, take it easy.

Quote of the day:

If you sit and talk to Steve Ovett you sense immediately for him it was always about winning races. I can’t think why you’d be doing the sport if you’re not trying to win the races. That’s what it is supposed to be about but we seem to have lost a generation who think like that.
- Nic Bideau, coach of Craig Mottram

View from the top

That's Ryan and I in the middle of the pack early on in the race this past weekend at New Bedford. Don't we look snazzy in our fancy new uni's?

And for those of you looking for some new reading material, check out Kevin Tilton's resurrected training blog. He's the nut in the blue CMS singlet just in front of Ryan in this photo.

That'll do it. Really off to bed now.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I'll make this brief because it's currently five past 10 and due to a variety of circumstances, this is now considered "late". Let me explain.

First things first, I've recently made a career change, switched jobs, or whatever you want to call it. My days on the desk at the T&G came to an end this past Sunday night, as I am moving into a fulltime position as Store Manager at the local running stop. Oddly enough, this will be my first full-time job since graduating from college, but even so, I will be working less than the 55-65 hours a week spread across the two jobs I've been holding down awhile now. Gotta grow up sometime I guess.

That being said, this was a difficult decision to make, but I really feel it's the best move for me at this stage of the game. My two-and-a-half years on the desk at the T&G were some of the most enjoyable times of my life and I will really miss performing on deadline with my fellow clowns under the big top on Franklin Street. I'll still be part of the traveling show from time to time, however, as my running column will continue to make its bi-weekly appearance.

As for the running thing, it's been going surprisingly well given the aforementioned hectic schedule. Hopefully these newfound regular work hours -- and absence of 12-15 hour days of going from one job to the next -- will be more conducive to hard training, but more importantly the adequate rest required recover from said hard training. I've fallen into a consistent pattern of 70-80 mile weeks of late which I hope to maintain, perhaps even add a little to, in building up to Vermont City on Memorial Day weekend. Consistency, above all else, is the key.

And while I'm on the subject of running, I've only raced once since Foxboro, that being this past weekend at New Bedford in the annual half marathon held there -- 30th annual in fact. In all honesty, it was my best race since graduating from college, as I crossed the line 8th overall in 1:09:53, a 54-second PR and a good confidence boost 10 weeks out from my 26.2-mile debut. Despite some vicious winds at certain points, I was able to stay confident and run strong the entire way. I'm thinking 2:24-26 isn't out of question at VCM if everything comes together at the right time. The last big race before May 27 will be the Broad Street Run in Philly on May 6, where a fast course and top-notch competition will hopefully bring me across the line in around 51 minutes. I'll also run Doyle's 5-miler on April 22, more as a speed workout than anything else, and maybe another short one if it fits into the schedule. Kevin and I still have some time to iron out the details there.

So, in a nutshell, that's what I've been up to of late. I should have some more time now to contribute to this space a bit more frequently than I have been, but I don't wanna make any promises just yet. Check back from time to time and see if there's anything new staring you in the face. Until I got something else to share, take it easy.

Quote of the day:

To suffer and learn a lesson, one pays a high price, but a fool can't learn any other way.
- Traditional Chinese proverb, and the story of my life

Not there yet

LOTS going on, but little motivation to write about it right now. Keep your RSS feeds ready though, because one of these days this sucker will come back to life -- I promise.

Hope all is well out there in Blogland. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

Until a man is twenty-five, he still thinks, every so often, that under the right circumstances he could be the baddest motherfucker in the world.
- Neal Stephenson

Help a brotha out

Well, the Excel file doesn't transfer very nicely over to Blogger, so until my technologically-challenged ass learns to fool around with HTML, have fun sorting through the mess of numbers below.

I recall Ryan had a similar problem a few months back, but it doesn't seem he's found the answer either. Any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.

Back to work.

Quote of the day:

Take a primitive organism, say a freshman. Make it lift, or jump or run. Let it rest. What happens? A little miracle. It gets a little better. It gets a little stronger or faster or more enduring. That’s all training is. Stress. Recover. Improve. You’d think any damn fool could do it. But you don’t. You work too hard and rest too little and get hurt.
- Bill Bowerman in Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, explaining something this damn fool came to find out the hard way.

Weekly Mileage Report (9/10/06 - 2/24/07)

Summary of my last 25 weeks of training since returning from the stress fracture.

Week Miles Long Run # of Runs Avg. Run Training Pace
9/10/2006 - 9/16/2006 6.0 2.0 3 2.0 7:30.00
9/17/2006 - 9/23/2006 12.0 3.5 4 3.0 7:57.92
9/24/2006 - 9/30/2006 12.0 4.0 3 4.0 7:24.17
10/1/2006 - 10/7/2006 20.0 5.0 4 5.0 2:02:23.75
10/8/2006 - 10/14/2006 26.0 6.0 5 5.2 7:13.27
10/15/2006 - 10/21/2006 30.0 8.0 5 6.0 7:14.50
10/22/2006 - 10/28/2006 35.0 9.0 5 7.0 7:16.86
10/29/2006 - 11/4/2006 42.0 8.5 6 7.0 7:14.88
11/5/2006 - 11/11/2006 50.0 9.0 7 7.1 7:20.59
11/12/2006 - 11/18/2006 55.0 10.0 8 6.9 7:14.25
11/19/2006 - 11/25/2006 56.0 10.0 7 8.0 7:21.35
11/26/2006 - 12/2/2006 55.0 13.0 7 7.9 7:18.75
12/3/2006 - 12/9/2006 43.0 8.0 6 7.2 7:05.00
12/10/2006 - 12/16/2006 60.0 12.0 7 8.6 7:04.29
12/17/2006 - 12/23/2006 60.0 12.0 7 8.6 7:10.23
12/24/2006 - 12/30/2006 65.0 13.0 8 8.1 7:06.15
12/31/2006 - 1/6/2007 55.0 13.0 7 7.9 7:21.00
1/7/2007 - 1/13/2007 70.0 13.0 7 10.0 6:59.12
1/7/2007 - 1/13/2007 70.0 16.0 8 8.8 7:05.17
1/14/2007 - 1/20/2007 75.0 14.0 7 10.7 7:03.60
1/21/2007 - 1/27/2007 65.0 16.0 7 9.3 7:41.11
1/28/2007 - 2/3/2007 75.0 16.0 8 9.4 6:59.70
2/4/2007 - 2/10/2007 75.0 15.0 9 8.3 7:23.79
2/11/2007 - 2/17/2007 70.0 19.0 7 10.0 7:01.14
2/18/2007 - 2/24/2007 80.0 18.0 7 11.4 7:17.12
Averages: 1,262.0 (50.5) 10.9 6.4 7.5

Testing, 1, 2

After taking some time to play around with Athleticore, an online training log I've been using since September '05, I've recently discovered some nifty filters which provide a nice breakdown of my daily, weekly and monthly training numbers. As a little experiment, I'm going to try and copy-paste some of this data on here and see how it comes out. Lemme know what you think.

Break from boredom, or not

Hey there, hello, it's been a while - almost a week to be exact. Same old story, not worth repeating, so I'll spare you from the boring stuff and get right down to the nitty gritty, which in all likelihood is just as boring. Here goes.

My recovery from last weekend's little jaunt around Foxboro was anything but quick, as I had some calf soreness through Wednesday and heavy quads both Thursday and Friday. The only hard efforts to speak of since then were a hilly 18 miles this past Thursday and a 14 x 1 minute fartlek with one minute recovery the following day. The week totaled a nice, round 80 miles, which if all goes according to plan, will be the case again this week before dropping it down the heading into New Bedford on March 18.

Yesterday was a productive semi-long run of 15 miles, including a 1-2-3-4-4-1-2-2-1 fartlek in the middle (all with 2-minutes recovery) and a 5:28 last mile to finish things up. If it weren't for an iced-over bike path in Millbury, the aformentioned fartlek would have resembled a perfectly symmetrical Egyptian pyramid, but the unplanned-for crappy conditions lead to a necessary alteration in said pyramid's construction.

As of this entry, my legs have seemed to bounce back from last week's Foxboro-induced funk and should be good to go for tomorrow night's hill session in Newton with the crew. Speaking of said crew, congrats to NB Boston teammates Rebecca Donaghue and Jess Minty, as well as the women's DMR on a few sterling performances this weekend at the USATF Indoor Championships.

That'll do it for now. Take it easy.

Quote of the day

Very hilly. At 3.5 miles wanted to jump in police car but it got better after that.
- Casey Moulton's log entry on his win at the Amherst 10-Miler this past weekend

Quote of the day

That's right, no longwinded mumbo-jumbo to sift through this evening, just a hilarious e-mail excerpt from a track dork listserv I happen to be a part of. Digest it well.

Yes my Gordon kids could learn from that. My 4:40 miler ran the first 100 in 14 and 200 in 29 and predictably spent the rest of the race dying. This despite that fact I have been telling him for 6 months now to not go out too fast. He has a 3.8 GPA in biology, once again proving my point that there is often no correlation between intelligence and being a smart runner.

Terrible 10

OK, not so much terrible as disappointing, but it was just one of those days this morning at Foxboro's Old Fashioned 10-Miler.

An ideal first five miles, followed by rough patch from 6 through 8 and a slightly encouraging rebound during 9 and 10 earned me a 53:46, seventh-place finish behind a group of studs who are priming themselves for some good stuff at a little marathon in Hopkinton some eight weeks from now. Also, a congrats to former Stonehill teammates Greg Saia, Kim Nolan and Emily Flowers, who all ran spectacular races today. Always nice to see familar faces and catch up with old pals on a leisurely cooldown.

Anyway, for you number nerds, here's the actual data from my trusty Timex, which unfortunately did not correlate with the not-so-trusty mile markers. You'll see what I mean.

5:24, 5:18, 5:19, 5:33, 5:05, 5:24, 5:35, 6:03, 4:53, 5:08.

As you may have surmised, mile markers 4, 5, 8 and 9 were a wee bit off. A double check of Ryan's, Terry's and Bernie's logs confirms this course calamity.

So, as old Kcoach B would say, it is what it is. What is was turned out to be a long, hard effort which will bode well in the grand scheme of things. Far from a complete disaster, I'm a bit disappointed, but not worried in the least. I'm well on my way to getting where I want to be.

Lastly, I just found out we have a shower here at the T&G, a luxury which was never previously revealed to me in the 2-1/2 years I've been working here. Looks like my commute just got a whole lot more environmentally friendly.

That's it for tonight. Take it easy.

Quote of the day

You look like you're ready for bed.
- Jorge commenting on my sleepy state tonight at work

Warming up to winter

So in the last 24 hours we've been slammed with snow, pelted with ice and been thrown into a tizzy over this most recent weather anomaly. Last time I checked, however, it was indeed February -- which is still a winter month in this hemisphere -- and Rand McNally hasn't deviated from referring to this area of the country New England as far as I know, so round these parts we needn't be surprised that the ground (gasp!) isn't clear. So here's to laying off the panic button, hitting the slow-mo, leaving a little earlier than usual and continuing to put one foot in front of the other. It's not the end of the world -- it's winter. The snow will melt, perhaps quicker than it ever has before. Hell, Al Gore guarantees it.

OK, onto other things worth wasting my breath about. The Foxboro Old Fashioned 10-miler is on tap for Sunday, and as always a solid field is shaping up. Last year I finished 5th in 53:17 and I'd like to improve upon both those numbers this weekend. Training has been about as consistent as death and taxes, so I do believe I'm ready to pop a good race.

Speaking of races, some good stuff went down in Boulder this past weekend, and more locally at BU. Alan Culpepper and Deena Kastor showed everyone that they still have it over hill and dale, and round these parts, 1. The studs from Stonehill continued to impress, with the DMR popping a 9:53 to win it all at the Valentine Invite. They're now # 3 in the country, I believe. 2. NB Boston teammates Jeff Caron (3K), Jess Minty (mile) and Christy Carrara (5K) all ran some big-ass PR's at the same meet, with times of 8:16, 4:47 and 17:23, respectively.

And as far as respect goes, this guy doesn't get enough of it. He placed seventh in the 12K this past weekend -- qualifying for World XC -- and last month ran 62:20 for the 1/2 marathon, beating an Olympic silver medalist in the process. I suggest to start noticing if you haven't already.

OK, time for bed. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

I'm not sure what it is, but I know they have it. And I know you can't buy it at Wal-Mart.
- Scott Winston on the drive of a champion

Kickin' it Old School...

Hodgie-San hooked me up with a new t-shirt the other day -- actually it's rather old -- but it's pretty cool nonetheless. On the front is an old warrior donning an Athletics West singlet with "Old School Track Club" emblazoned across the chest above him. On the back are the following practical pearls of wisdom....

OLD SCHOOL COMMANDMENTS

1. Avoid distractions.
2. Have good role models.
3. Be part of a good team.
4. Be serious about fitness.
5. Run on (for) giving surfaces.
6. Train on hills.
7. Incorporate race-speed training.
8. Take chances.
9. Listen to your body.
10. Reward outstanding performances.

Now whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be forever stuck in the slow heat. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will eventually have their place on the winner's podium.

The running gods have spoken. Now go forth my friends, and run fast.

Quote of the day:

For the majority of us, the marathon is a process that you just have to fine tune and you have to learn from each one. If you run enough of them, you understand it. I wish I would have known that 10 years ago.
-Pete Julian

Bippity bop

Scatterbrained as usual, here's a small smattering of what happens to be bopping around my train of thought at the moment....

* Le Supre Bowle. Nice job Peyton, you finally won the big one. You're still up on Tom Brady in horrendous TV commercials (by 634,456) and empty ring fingers (your 9 to his 7). Nice work.

*Work is still kicking my ass, but I was able to finagle a Friday switch in order to attend Reino's 25th birthday extravaganza at the Big City in Allston. Two Blue Moons, five games of pool and 15 of my good buds made for a fun night.

* The return of winter. Snot froze in my nose over the last few miles of my run today, which made relaxed breathing difficult, not to mention painful. Overall, however, it's been a solid season for running, so consider this the end of my weather-related bitching.

* Rage Against the Machine is rumored to be getting back together. Sorry Chris Cornell, but your incessant whining is no match for Zack de la Rocha's unadulterated, well, rage.

* Running miles topped work hours this past week, 75 to 62. If all goes according to plan, the gap between this A:B ratio should lengthen considerably over the next month or two, with A (hopefully) holding steady and B taking a 33% reduction.

* Two weeks till the Foxboro 10-miler and another six till the New Bedford 1/2 Marathon, two races which I am very much looking forward to. I'm feeling good about the progress of my fitness and do believe I'm ready to rip a couple good ones. Races, that is.

*Vermont City Marathon, May 27th. As the aforementioned Reino would say: Note it.

And that'll do it for tonight. A long-overdue eight hours of sleep is in order. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

So it’s kind of just a curiosity. I don’t have any crazy goals. I am just curious to see what eventually I can get out of myself. I have no idea how I will do at the marathon.
- Ryan Hall

Stupid is as stupid does

Anyone else think Forrest Gump resembles/sounds like Peyton Manning?

Sorry, that's insulting to Mr. Gump.

Go Pats, I mean Bears!

Quote of the day:

I'd like to get it. I like to get all the records.
- Craig Mottram

Crashing currently

I'm currently hungry, unmotivated and tired, so I think the logical solution will be to eat, watch TV and go to bed. Before I go, however, a quick shoutout to this speedy sunavabitch for shattering my short-lived Stonehill school record of 4:09.77 in the mile this past weekend at BU. Mr. Gill's 4:07.22 currently sits him atop the D2 rankings, and the scary thing is he's only gonna get faster. Good stuff continues to go down in Easton.

And as Mr. Carrara would say, that's all I got. Take it easy.

Quote of the day:

To run 3:50, you have to train at that pace. Not 3:40-pace! 3:50 is 57.5 per quarter, so you need to be able to float at that pace. Training at 53 or 55 pace does not help on the 3rd lap when you get tired. You have to put in numerous workouts at the desired and attainable race pace -- and keep a training log.
- Jim Spivey