I'm back. It was way too nice out today NOT to run. 8.00 miles of hills @ 8:36...BQ pace which is also my new marathon pace Gorgeous weather...I'm going to stay outside all day. I was able to breathe well but I've got a nagging congestion in the morning. I've always had chronic sinus problems so that's probably what it is. As long as it doesn't turn into a cold, I'm happy. Nice runs everyone.

Reporting my 0 miles for the day. This grows tiresome. Thankfully I have Seattle RnR and meeting Aamos to look forward to next year. Just finished the section in Dean K's new book 50/50 where he talks about running with Aamos. Not sure which one is the bigger celebrity. The book itself is a bit of a bore.

Lou - today's the pub crawl, right? Have a great time, and how did the latest batch of pale ale turn out?

Well, hopefully it's not too much of a pub crawl. I'll know how the beer turned out in a couple of weeks after it finishes fermenting. All I can say is that there were no horrible problems during the brew session -- ok, at one point I thought my pump had failed which got my heart beating like a 5K, but a quick test proved it hadn't so I didn't have to risk infection with a bucket transfer of cooled wort. And Tramps - yes you're invited over to sample, any time.

Just a tip for you people with credit cards, which I imagine is practically all of you. My MasterCard has had a 24.9% interest rate for a long time. Last week I finally called the company and said, "I pay my bill on time and in full every month. Why is my rate 24.9%?" The person on the other end of the line was very polite, looked at my records, and said, "You're right. We will reduce your rate to 9.9% immediately. You should get a letter from us confirming this change." Today I got the letter confirming the reduction to 9.9%. All I had to do was ask. Some of you may be able to get a reduction in your credit card interest rates if you call and ask for it. If you are carrying a balance, or carry a balance in the future, it might help you out. Dark Horse

YaY Bouger! Congrats! enke, by the time June comes, the real hero/celeb. will be DH, a/k/a wiredrunr! BTW, a news release just noted that earbuds have powerful magnets in them: Here is part of the story... (11-09) 08:04 PST New Orleans (AP) -- Have a pacemaker or an implanted defibrillator? Don't keep your iPod earbuds in your shirt pocket or draped around your neck — even when they're disconnected. A study finds that some headphones can interfere with heart devices if held very close to them. They might even prevent a defibrillator from delivering a lifesaving shock, say doctors who tested them. "Headphones contain magnets, and some of these magnets are powerful," said the study's leader, Dr. William Maisel, a cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and a heart device consultant to the federal Food and Drug Administration. "I certainly don't think people should overreact to this information," but it's smart to keep small electronics at least a few inches from implanted medical devices, and not let someone wearing headphones lean against your chest if you have one, he said. "The headphone interaction applies whether or not the headphones are plugged in to the music player and whether or not the music player is on or off," he added. Maisel's research was presented Sunday at an American Heart Association conference. Nearly 2 million people worldwide have pacemakers, defibrillators or other devices to Here is the link to the full story... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/11/09/national/a073530S19.DTL&tsp=1 OK, RA wimmins--you have my full permission to hug DH when he crosses the finish line, but be sure you have your earbuds out of your ears before you do so in the event your head is at his chest level! Don't know about squash, but I sauteed a leftover yam with some onion, spinach and cumin to put in my omelet (fake eggs) with a dash of reduced fat veg. cream cheese. Tasted good and looked marvelous. Jlynne--you are going to be my inspiration. It's still in the 20s here, and I'm stalling going out to run. Am going to go clean, but then will get out, I vow. Twocat and Tim, hang in there. I haven't gotten out of single digits this week. Strictly minor league, by your standards, but I'm trying. I think my hamstrings were doing ok until I walked to and from work Friday--the muscles you use to balance yourself on icy sidewalks are the ones that were chatting to me after the NYC marathon. grins, A

8 miles for me this afternoon, in 1:30:19. I can't believe I can still wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt! We put EVERYTHING on our Capital One Miles Visa card, and then get free airline tickets. They've actually made it more flexible, so as long as you put your tickets or any other travel-related item on your card, they will give you a credit on your account. We just got a $2,800 credit towards our 5 airline tickets to Mexico in April. I have no idea what the interest rate is, because we treat it like a debit card and pay it off every month. It rocks!

Bill, congrats buddie...I saw ths one coming...WTG speedy guy!!! Enke, hang in there. Some day you will be as "non" running as me and Twocat....but not now sweetie....BIG HUGS to your back!!! Twocat Twocat Twocat, while you may have beat me this morning with your non run, I have decided to take it up another notch....two a days pal...deal with it. Ok, here to post my 2nd "non" run of the day. O miles that felt absolutely easy....the first couple of 0 miles were rough, but after I cooled down, the last miles felt...well, like I wasn't even running. GEEZ, I bet tet doesn't do two a days tapering runs. Ahhh, victory smells sooooo good!!! Just for tet, I am going to get a Doctors excuse that says I am tapering, not injured....Holly, headed your way Spring 2009...just take it easy on me girl fren... Twokitty, whatcha got now buddy...give it up, I win. Tim