To quote James Brown: "I feeeel good" <insert> 11 miles this morning, my longest run since last summer. Then it was off to the gym for a little strength training. I think strength training is paying off in my running, and staying consistent with running hasn't hurt either. I will take it easy on my runs for the next couple of days to ensure proper recovery (see Ribs I pay attention). People are talking about construction interrupting their favorite routes, my route today was the first time in over a year I have run it, mostly due to construction. There was a story on the evening news here that said there is going to be a big battle in NY State over stimulus money to work on roads. As of now there aren't many construction projects lined up until the money situation gets sorted out. Now time to shower, then off to the library to look at some research and check out RA every so often. Have a great day all.</insert>

Wouldn't it be funny if Peter and Perch lived right next door to each other all this time and are just now figuring it out? My love must be a kind of blind love I can't see anyone but you Sha bop sha bop Are the stars out tonight I don't know if it's cloudy or bright I only have eyes for you dear The moon may be high But I can't see a thing in the sky I only have eyes for you I don't know if we're in a garden Or on a crowded avenue You are here and so am I Maybe millions of people go by But they all dissappear from view And I only have eyes for you Just a little morning message for my new friend Nono. Oh, and speaking of music, I feel nice, like sugar and spice. 5 miles, of which 3.5 were slow and 1.5 were easy, then stretch at Y. Now off to get some work done. Spareribs

Tammy, so sorry to hear about your friend... what a shock that must be. You just never know. Hey Byll, you could just stop at 20 and walk the rest of the way (since you need to get back to your car anyway, right?). That'd get you another marathon done AND a good supported training run. Hey, just a thought. Nice ladder, dude. I should've done my stationary bike last night, but just couldn't get away from "family stuff" do do that. We did all get to bed earlier last night, which is a very good thing for us. I just hate hate hate seeing that big goose egg on my calendar. (what? I'm getting OCD about this running? Bah.) Didn't bring anything in to work for running. What's the point? It'll snow a couple more inches today and I don't have a car to get to the gym. Just hoping I can get my car later in time for a nice 5-6 miler tonight, outside (doubtful) or on the 'mill (more likely).

Afternoon, all! Spareribs - great song! I'll be humming that the rest of the afternoon. Amy - thanks for thinking I was mature and responsible at age 14 - I wasn't, but there wasn't much trouble I could get into in rural Arkansas at that time. I still drove way too fast on those curvy, winding hills, but I lived to tell about it. Meg - our football coach really wasn't suited for teaching anything but drivers ed, and even that was questionable. He also taught my girl's PE class - the subject? Football, of course. He had us running patterns. etc. I loved it, but many of my classmates did not. The driving terror never got a drivers license. She was kind of a tragic person - smart but very shy and overly protected. She lived at home following high school graduation and eventually tried to kill her parents with a knife. Not sure what ever became of her after that. yes, dg - the coach really did scream - as did the rest of us in the car. I'm sure that it didn't help that poor girl. No intervals this morning, but I did do a tempo run on the treadmill - 6.85 miles total. I just finished my yoga workout. Tammy - aren't Garmins wonderful???

Sorry to hear about your friend Tammy. Life is unpredictable. Sue, wow what a tragic story indeed. Leslie gets top marks for the funniest Driver's Ed stories yesterday. I sure could use a vending machine with undies in the woman's locker room. I've forgotten mine about three times now. Hey, new business idea! Holly my cutoff for running outside is about 20F, so don't feel bad. 41F, I did 11 miles. There was construction on my route the past few months but I think they have finished. It was right at a big hill and having the construction workers there meant I had to run up the whole darn thing without walking. The muscles in my legs were really achy by 9 miles. I was hoping to do 13.1, but by 11 they were really screaming at me. Not sure why, but I suspect taking two days off and loafing around made them stiff and rebellious.

Ah Spareribs, you need to dig deeper into the vault before I can unleash some "oldies" teasing on you! Thanks or the serenade -- I'll be singing it later on the TM. Just got done my 25 min of combat yoga (my kids love to try to topple me during standing balance poses and climb on me during any floor poses). AND, got an email from the folks doing the Rehoboth Beach (DE) marathon that it is indeed going to be Nov. 21. I'm going for it. Neat thing about the timing of that marathon is that anyone who wants to do a double that weekend can do the Rehoboth on Sat, Nov. 21, and then the Phila. marathon on Nov. 22. They are under a 3 hrs drive apart (esp. since it is off-season). Obviously, that won't be my plan....

Tammy, my condolences. And to your DH, dg, too. Sue, part 2 of the accelerator girl story took quite a twist. Sounds like a southern gothic tale, all right. Gym day today -- yesterday went by the boards as Frank decided to ferret out some very well-wrapped and triple-bagged chocolate I had in my tote to take to work, along with the wrappers. Fortunately, as far as that word goes in this situation, it was milk chocolate (semi sweet is worse and Baker's choc really really deadly) and not solid (cherry centers). We calculated that he prolly got about 4 oz, which for a large dog isn't deadly, but it made for a lively 24 hours that is just now winding now. [For you non-pet people, if you've read this far, there is a substance in chocolate that cats and dogs can't process and for which there is no antidote. It can be lethal. Cats tend not to partake, but dogs, most of 'em, have the same chocolate cravings that so many us share, and can get into Big Trouble.] And of course, I caught him today nosing around in my bag. Dogs are not big on the "cause and effect" concept. Pshew. As Gilda said, "it's always something." Funny note: DH joined me at the Y for annual chat with the newbie runners who are training for the Deadwood Half (and a few for the Marathon). I thought he'd be more relevant to them as he's just accomplished what they want to do--almost all are half marathoners. As we chatted, he alluded at various times to his own experiences: of course, the SCA at the 10K and open heart surgery, then the ICD. Another time, someone was asking about bicycling vs. running, so he referred back to his July 4 07 wipe out when he was coming down a hill by home at 40 mph and had a front tire blow-out. (yup, trip to the Emergency Clinic--"good news, no stitches--bad news, reason is not enough skin to sew.") Some one asked why so much time between his first and second half, so he referenced his encounter with 3 dogs in 04 that resulted in a shattered ankle and surgeon saying he'd never run again. He may never get athlete of the year, but if there were a Purple Heart... O no, I see the Jersey Boys on the horizon...... grins, A ps: AFraud or ARoid? vote for your favorite!

6 miles on a bridle path that skirts the edge of the Split Rock golf course here in Pelham Bay Park. I finally decided, on a whim, to do what I haven't done in 30+ years: to actually visit, touch and take pics of Split Rock where Anne Hutchinson (http://www.annehutchinson.com/anne_h...graphy_001.htm) was supposedly (told by her son) killed by the Siwanoy Indians in 1643. If you look at my pics in the "where I run" thread, you can see that a person can fit within the split in this rock. Ever get that sense that you're a part of history if you can touch an historic artifact? I had that feeling when touching the Mayan glyphs at Xunantunich in the jungles of Belize. Needless to say, I had an interesting run. Alex