Well...I am off vacation......less time to post.... No running today...BUT yesterday..... 8 miles with 2X1600 at 6:49 pace..... The plan was fo r 3X1600...but I backed off a tad.....concerned that I might overdo it... The REAL Taper now begins.... Good running to all...

Erika, glad your dumb dog turned up. By the way, I am sorry about your frozen lips and would be happy to help you thaw them out. Soundie, I am convinced you posted today's swimming pic to taunt me. Spareribs, about your draw with Weinstein. Didn't he go insane around that time, and get locked up? I suspect his game against you was the final straw which caused his mind to snap. He probably thought, "I can't even beat this guy; what is left to me?" I hope you apologized to his family. By the way, your story reminded me of my game against Alexander Shabalov, the U.S. champion, in Las Vegas a few years ago. I was two pawns up and feeling pretty good. "This guy isn't so tough," I thought. Suddenly he sacrificed his queen and checkmated me. But my Shabalov story gets even worse than that. The next day, grandmaster Ron Henley was giving a lecture to all the chessplayers in a big hall in the casino. He had a demonstration board and he analyzed two games for the crowd. The first game he analyzed was world champion Kasparov's latest victory. The second game he analyzed for the crowd was my loss to Shabalov the day before. I wasn't at the lecture, but friends of mine were. "Ha ha ha ha, you loser," they told me. "We couldn't believe he gave us a lecture about your game." All of my big losses are famous. A few months ago, the only game I lost in the Inter Service Championship last June was published in Chess Life, the world's largest circulation chess magazine. The only guy who beat me was the guy who won the championship. He sent in the game to Chess Life. If I had beaten him, I would have been the champion. When my loss in the last round of the Pan American Championship in Providence, Rhode Island cost Harvard University the team title, I was interviewed by a camera crew immediately after the game. These guys knew absolutely nothing about chess, so they covered the tournament as if it were a sporting event. I'm walking out of the tournament hall, chagrined of course at losing my game, and the reporter with his cameraman grabs me and asks me on camera, "Is this the biggest game you ever lost?" I thought for a moment and said, "So far." That loss was published in grandmaster Robert Byrne's New York Times chess column (January 24, 1995), which normally is reserved for games of the world champions and other leading grandmasters. My friends, of course, thought it was hilarious to see my amateurish loss in Robert Byrne's New York Times chess column. The article says things like, and I quote, "Mr. Horse should have tried this move. Instead, he prematurely advanced, making a committing move when he had not yet defined a target. Worse still, he lost control of a key square ... Mr. Horse got a knight outpost, but that was nothing compared to what he gave his opponent ... There wasn't much Mr. Horse could do ... Mr. Horse staggered on and then gave up." The article makes me sound like a drunk trying to play chess. I cut out the column and had it mounted and framed, with a label, "My Brilliant Chess Career." Dark Horse

Evanflein so gald you found your dog!! Ran 4 miles on the treadmill today, did an easy 20 minute spin on a bike, then weights for upper body and finally 30 minutes of core work.

Good runs to all Masters! Nice chess playing Ribs and DH. Your stories are almost as exciting as the game itself! It's as if I was right there! 6 hilly tempoish miles for me today. About 9:30 ish pace. Temp was a nice 40F, but the wind was....well it was windy...25-30mph. That made it feel like 40F with 25-30mph winds.

Lots of great news and posts today. I'm still pounding away on the elliptical and doing weights. Erika, I'm so glad Cheyenne showed up in good spirits. I'm sure he missed you as much as you missed him. Sounder, grete picture, nice smile. I'm sure I did NOT have a smile on my face as I gasped my way up that boat ramp Aamos. have a good run, I don't need to say it, but health comes first. take it as easy as you need to on your ankle Horse, congrats on all your chess losses. I played a lot of chess amongst friends in college, I probably understand half of what you and ribs are talking about

Haven't been around partly because I put myself on the 3-day disabled list after a particularly carpy run on New Years Eve. Must have needed the break, because I'm REALLY looking forward to running tomorrow - never mind that winter has finally arrived in Philly with temps in the high 20s and wind chills far below that. (Like a Phillies' winning streak, it's not going to last, though - supposed to be 60 on Monday! Whoo hoo!) Got 2008 off to a greta, if run-less start, though, by dipping my feet into the Atlantic. Only 5 months until Memorial Day! Happy New Year, all. Erika - so glad to hear the puppy is safe and sound. Eliz

Erika, maybe you can get a LoJack recovery system for your dog. I'm off for three days of National Guard training. Everyone have a great weekend. Back home Sunday night. Dark Horse

Finally got things turned around and ran 12 and change. suffered passionately the whole way. It was sunny and beautiful, 20*, not cold enough to freeze a hand-held 3 layers -almost too warm, no wind, 1" of dry crunchy snow even split, M+1:20 AHR 149 JJJ