Day 48: Chafing

Today was supposed to be four miles, but it got expanded to twenty. Fortunately, I had the help of some fat tires.

A colleague invited me to go mountain biking this afternoon here in Denver -- not the first time he'd made the invitation, but he wasn't here the last time I was here. How could I refuse this time? Even though I only had my running gear (no bike shorts or shoes), and even though my assigned mount was a heavy mountain bike way too small for me, and even though I was at altitude, I had a blast, despite clearly being the wimp of the group. They all fully expected to go more than 20 miles, actually. Ah well.

Golden is a great place to go biking: there are trails all over the place, the scenery is great, and the gentle scent of hops wafts over from the Coors brewery. Sure, I nearly had a fatal collision because I didn't realize that the guy coming toward me was actually sailing at me at about 20 mph, but that was an isolated incident. In the hundred-degree sun, paragliders soared above a mountain with a huge "M" on it (the Colorado School of Mines).

Anyway, I ended up missing today's run, and I don't think I'll try to run tomorrow because I'm flying back to Boston and I would like to try to rest a LITTLE bit before Saturday's scheduled Longest Run Ever -- the first 13-miler.

Day 46: Mile high

Yesterday I arrived in Denver for a few days of work. (The Sox did end up winning Sunday night, but because there was indeed an hour-long rain delay -- not really; check out the last paragraph of this article! -- I only saw five innings, and even then managed only five hours' sleep.) Flight left at 8 Eastern, landed at 10:30 Mountain, got to hotel at 11:55 Mountain, telcon at noon, meeting from 1 to 5. All the while, e-mails and phone calls were piling up, and my work laptop died. Ain't it great?

Today was much the same, but I got in my scheduled four miles, although on the hotel treadmill. I watched Wolf Blitzer on CNN talk about the indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens on corruption charges. Perhaps Senator Stevens, who astutely described the Internet as "a series of tubes," should have realized that when renovating his house, he needed to pay a series of bills, rather than having a series of lobbyists pay them for him. (But of course, the good senator is innocent until proven otherwise, right?)

Note to Mr. Hyde, who generously provided me with a long and interesting-looking list of things to do while in Denver: at this rate, I won't have a chance to do ANY of that stuff. Tomorrow's agenda, however, does include a trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park, and I hope I have better luck there now than I did last month.

Day 44: Power (and batter) up!

Four miles this morning. I felt strong like ox! I was reminded of Day 26 of the bike trip -- May 21, in Wyoming. I had gotten a flat tire, and I pulled over to the side of the road to fix it. I wondered whether I'd be able to do it... but I did it. As I got back onto the bike and resumed riding, I felt as though I had conquered whatever forces had tried to stop me that day. Something similar happened today, because I was able to do all four miles without my stomach bothering me. The worst is over, I think.

I ran past an elderly couple doing tai chi by the side of the trail, with a boom box providing an appropriate soundtrack. I wonder if they felt the same way.

I hadn't been on the bike in a looong time (since the 17th), so I also got in 11 miles of easy riding around town today, taking advantage of the nice weather. Unfortunately, as I look at the weather radar now, a thick red band is approaching Boston, so this evening's Red Sox-Yankees game might be imperiled, which would especially bother me since I have tickets! Wouldn't be the worst thing if it's postponed, since I have an early flight to Denver tomorrow for work, but with my luck, there will be lots of rain delays, and I'll end up getting two hours' sleep (even though I have tried hard to sleep more recently and I think that has contributed to my feeling better).

There is excellent news, though, which I think I can pass on: my brother is engaged!

Warning no. 1: I will soon be e-mailing, calling, and tracking down with dogs those wonderful people who have promised to contribute to my fundraising. I'm almost three-quarters of the way there!

Warning no. 2 (actually, this is just to myself): I have registered for the Bar Harbor half-marathon, on Sept. 20. Anyone up for a coupla days in Maine?

Day 43: Pit stop

Nice day here in Boston. That means, of course, that it's a nice day for a run.

Eight miles this morning, the scheduled "long run" for today in the sawtooth-type pattern used by the training program. (Next week will be THIRTEEN -- yikes.) Not a problem, except that I needed to loop past the house midway and pause for a brief bathroom break.

Now I'm watching the Red Sox-Yankees game while doing some icing, laundry, and bill-paying; I may yet hit the bike and get in a few rolling miles a bit later. Finally picked up a pair of clear glasses yesterday (otherwise identical to my sunglasses) so I can see in the shade of the trail. Thought I might bike up to Westford to visit Kimball Farm for ice cream, but time was short, so I drove. Warning: the so-called "kid-sized" cone is in fact an illogically enormous portion that is challenging both to consume frozen (it melts fast) and to digest. Health food!

Day 41: Guts

I'd like to think that I have (or will develop) the intestinal fortitude -- figuratively -- to do all the running I'm going to need to do. The more immediate question is whether I have the literal intestinal fortitude.

I did today. Katie and I ground out four swift miles this evening, unslowed by the torrential rains. Hey, we're not made of sugar! This weekend Katie is doing an Olympic-distance triathlon up in Maine. To quote Marty McFly: "Heavy-duty!"

I didn't post anything yesterday because yesterday, nothing much happened. No running, no biking, lots of rain.

Nothing much happened today. Some guy nearly pulled me down the stairs at the Kendall T station this morning as he was rushing to try to catch the train -- he fell and almost brought me with him. I repeated to myself, silently: NFI. No Freak Injuries (or Illnesses, or Incidents, or Infections... etc.).

Day 39: The long and the short of it

A 5-mile run was today's plan. I explained this to Katie as the first short run that used to be considered a long run. Five miles! Not long ago, this was an inconceivable distance. Today, it's less than half as long as the Longest Run Ever.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do it today. My legs were fine -- my stomach was a little upset. No cause for concern, but I only managed 3.5 miles, and that was looping past my house in the middle to make a, uh, brief pit stop. Same thing happened a little more than a week ago, and once back in November, but it shouldn't be more than a temporary inconvenience, and I'm back on the plan as of this moment. Next run: back to full speed.

Day 38: Djibouti

However long ago it was, I remember the song lyrics "get your booty on the floor tonight" -- except that, as a big geographically-inclined nerd, I couldn't help but hear it as "get Djibouti on the floor tonight." (Make my day.)

Could have and would have biked today... but should not have, and so I didn't. Got to rest the ol' IT bands. Instead, I got my booty down on the floor and caught up with some crunches, and then I did some push-ups. Crunch, push, repeat. I'd never pass for a good soldier, but doing this regularly -- usually right after runs, although I slacked off this weekend -- has actually resulted in notable changes to my physique. Yes, I said physique. I'm not Jean-Claude Van Damme... yet... but every little bit helps.

(With apologies to Technotronic.)

Make my day

Make my day

Make my make my make make my day

Pump up the jam...

Day 37: Bands and clips

I kept my eye on the weather radar today. A band of dark red -- severe thunderstorms -- was approaching, and I figured that once it passed by, I'd get in my run (3.2 miles today). So, after a giant thunderstorm that shook the house and flooded the street, the sun came out, and off I went. After four minutes or so, I was suddenly attacked by a rogue downpour, so I took refuge in the Alewife subway station entrance near Russell Field, but the rain soon stopped again, and off I went again, and I finished my run, did my cool-down walk around the block, and got home only moments before another giant thunderstorm arrived.

For the most part, I feel pretty good today, even though yesterday's Longest Run Ever broke into the double digits. My iliotibial ("IT") bands -- on the outsides of the knees -- are both a little sore, or stiff, so I put the frozen peas to work on them for a little while this evening, and the pancake-flinging Ms. Heinrichs gave me some stretching pointers.

Triple bonus! We Add Up has begun to post the videos Carson and I made during the bike trip on Treehugger.com -- check them out! The series will be posted gradually over the next few weeks.

Day 36: Perfect ten

OK, so not actually a perfect ten... I actually ran 10.2 miles. The reality of running TWENTY-SIX miles is now taking on a very physical meaning. Frightening.

Today is the hottest day of the year so far in Boston, but armed with all of my equipment, I did pretty well. I wasn't slowed down by the traffic lights in Arlington Center, I dropped a water bottle after about six miles but picked it right back up, I wasn't slowed by a few sneezes, and I avoided a crazy woman in a blue Camry who pulled out of a parking lot right in front of my face (maybe I shouldn't have slapped her trunk as I ran past). Only thing is, with one eye on the heart-rate monitor (average for the run: 156), I kept the run veerrryyyy sssslllloooowwww. My knees started to stiffen up after about mile 8, and I could have brought another of the little belt-mounted water bottles, but otherwise things were fine.

Inventory:

• Body: other than the knees, and the usual mild shin splints, pretty good. No blisters, no phantom pains.
• Equipment: checked out well enough.
• Hydration: it WAS the hottest day of the year. When I got home, I had quite a lot more to drink. I sweated a lot; the new shorts were completely soaked by run's end.
• Nutrition/energy: no problem. One gel prior to the run and two during.
• Cardio/fitness: seems to be OK for now.

We'll see how I feel in the morning...

Day 35: Fetish

This running thing is quite the racket... if you're in the business of selling all the fancy -- and super-expensive -- gear. I swear, it's like a fetish. For tomorrow's TEN-MILE long run (I know! -- no one has ever run that far before!), I've gotten the following equipment ready:

• Super-tech T-shirt, with "wicking fabric"
• Snazzy headband and artificial-fiber hat
• Sunglasses that make me look like a psycho (old Ray-Bans shattered in the bike crash)
• Wristband (actually just a plain old wristband -- it stands out!)
• Gnarly running shorts, with built-in unmentionables
• Double-layered blister-inhibiting socks
• Brooks Adrenaline anti-pronation shoes
• Knee-brace (left leg)
• Stopwatch (left wrist) and heart-rate monitor (chest and right wrist)
• iPod loaded with podcast of "Talk of the Nation" (intermittently insufferable)
• Waist-mounted bottle holder and pocket, with water, "goo," and electrolyte-replacement

There are so many catalogs and stores that sell this stuff. You could go nuts. Do I get the Nike shirt, or the Brooks shoes, or the Adidas this, or the Asics that? And am I actually expected to pay retail?

Meanwhile, tomorrow may be the hottest day of the year -- mid-90s, and humid. Maybe I should just have gotten the helmet that holds two ice-cold cans of beer!

Day 34: Firing on all cylinders

Yesterday was a good day. Today was a good day, too, even though it featured a visit to the dentist. (Just a cleaning; nothing untoward.)

Four miles on the trail after the dentist -- very hot and humid and sweaty, but no problem. I wore the heart-rate monitor, and deliberately went very slowly, to see what the reading was. I averaged 152 beats/minute. Since I don't know what my maximum heart rate actually is, I can assume, using the standard guidelines (225 - your age), that 152 is about 78% of my max, which puts me near the borderline of aerobic (cardio training/endurance) and anaerobic ("hardcore training"). I need to get an accurate max reading for myself at some point; otherwise it's all just guesswork.

Later, a quick (35-minute) 9.1-mile bike ride with Carson. I hit a maximum speed of 34.3 miles an hour hurtling down a hill in Arlington Heights... pretty freakin' fast. On the way back, on Mass. Ave., we came upon a group of fancily-dressed cyclists; we shot past them. They tried to pass us a little while later, at which point we left them permanently in the dust. After we pulled up to my house and were talking a little bit, Carson realized that his odometer read exactly 2500.0 miles, most of which was of course accumulated during the bike trip. Cool!

A twig either fell or was kicked up on the trail, and it disintegrated as my spokes chopped it up. Good thing the twig wasn't any thicker, or it would have chopped ME up.

Now I'm relaxing on the couch with two precautionary ice packs on the legs... excellent. Did I mention that this was a two-shower day? Let me be very clear about this: I feel like a thousand bucks.

Special note! Thanks to my generous family and friends -- most recently my aunt and uncle, who kicked me over the $2,000 mark -- my fundraising is 70% done! But remember: the last 30% is just as important... if your name's not on the list, you'll be hearing from me soon!

Day 33: Rock star

Saw my brother play a show in Boston this evening... always good to spend some time with him.

Pretty busy day: early meeting at DOT HQ, then across the river to see the Forest Service in Rosslyn, then over to National Airport for the shuttle back to Boston. On the phone all day, and then Jordan showed up at my house wanting to do laundry and get dinner... then the show! Fortunately, today wasn't a running day. I thought I might bike, to take advantage of the favorable Boston summer, but there wasn't time, and SOME people seem to be worried that I'm overtraining... but I think this is not the case!

Day 32: All-Star (appetite)

I'm watching them introduce everyone at the All-Star Game, a process that has so far taken 14 hours and looks as though it will go on for at least another 14.

I'm not an All-Star. In fact, today was a rest day for me, since I ran yesterday. Good planning! I am beginning to notice what had previously been described to me as a "slight increase in appetite" -- I repeatedly raided the concierge lounge at the hotel this evening and have basically been devouring everything in sight. Only because I am now covered in crumbs and unfit to go out in public have I not ventured forth to search for a milkshake. (Ahh... milkshake.)

Boos for Terry Francona. How unsportsmanlike.

Day 31: Paris-on-the-Potomac

Here I am in the Federal City, carrying out Crucial Government Business, and this afternoon I realized that I should take advantage of my schedule and run today rather than tomorrow, a rare three-day stretch of runs for me. So I did, in the early evening, 85 degrees and sunny and humid. I didn't mind the weather and my stomach was a lot calmer.

This is the first time I've run outdoors in DC, and it was a little weird, as I looped around the Mall (an estimated four miles, according to my incredibly detailed computations), to see the White House, the Capitol, the Smithsonian, the Washington Monument, the Reflecting Pool, and the Lincoln Memorial. There were crowds of tourists and lots of traffic lights, which slowed me down considerably... don't know if I'd want to do this every day, but once was nice. Might be something to try in the wee hours of the morning, too.

A lot of activity: a movie showing on the Mall tonight (Dr. No), a guy on a recumbent bike with a full fabric cowling for maximum speed, and lots of softball games in progress. A ball rolled in front of me on the path at one point and, caught up in civic spirit, I actually stopped to stoop down and toss it back to its rightful place. To make up for this, about half a mile later I trampled some oblivious foreign tourists who were in my way. It all evens out.

Running in the later part of the day meant that today was a two-shower day, and I took full advantage of the hotel's ice machine to apply some precautionary cooling to the ol' leg-bones. On TV was the home run derby, and as Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers kept belting them out of the ballyard, one of the commentators said, "Josh must be feeling a little fatigue right around now." Yeah. Poor Josh!

Day 30: Only 111 days and 20 hours to go

Morning run of 6.7 miles was divided into 5.6 and 1.1... punctuated by a brief bathroom break. (Oops.) I'll need to get that under control. Reminds me of an exchange from the old Britcom Are You Being Served:

Captain Peacock: "Mrs. Slocombe, you've been to the powder room five times this morning!"
[beat]
Mrs. Slocombe: "Well, it's been very chilly!"

I also managed to hit the pool a tiny bit more. Three quick swims over the weekend; only about 750 yards.

And now I head to the Federal City, Paris-on-the-Potomac... Washington, DC. A few days of Crucial Government Business awaits. While there I have one run scheduled, on Tuesday, and if my schedule permits, I'd like to try to do it outdoors. I've run in DC many times, but always at hotel treadmills... might be nice to take advantage of the balmy summer and run along the Mall. Why not?

Today is Day 30 since the bike trip ended, and there are 111 days and change to go until the marathon. It's still kind of hard to believe that I've signed up to do this, but I remember the countdown to the bike trip, which began six months in advance, so I figure, this countdown, too, is for real. Plus, as more people continue to contribute to my fundraising -- especially my parents and my grandma: thanks! -- the pressure grows to make this thing actually happen. Whoa.

Is 111 a lucky number in any culture? I hope so.

Day 29: Brevity

Short run today (2.9 miles), and short post. Was going to do 6 miles today but swapped today's and tomorrow's runs, owing to timing and other considerations... but all's just fine, and I even spent a few more minutes in the pool this morning.

Even if it's brief, I've got to keep the daily-post thing going! (Don't worry... from now on I'll shoot for 'entertaining,' not just 'short.')

Day 28: Maybe it's the chlorine

Many people have commented that the picture of me on this blog looks hideous. Gee, thanks! So what if I'm pale and freakish-appearing? Maybe that's just the way I look.

Or maybe I look that way because years of (childhood) swimming in a chlorinated pool leached all the color right out of my head-bone. I was able to test that hypothesis today by taking a pool swim -- a short one, but still a swim. I'll monitor my pigmentation accordingly.

Actually, I look pale and weird because that picture was taken immediately after I completed a 5K back in December, just a couple of days before Thanksgiving. It had been rescheduled due to... blizzard. Oops. Boston winter.

Tomorrow: shortish long run, only 6 miles. Huzzah!

Day 27: Watch the watch

I decided to try an experiment during this morning's four-miler: I didn't look at my watch once. Not when I got to the first mile, or the halfway point, or the spot where the trail spits out of Russell Field and I usually speed up if I want to trim a few seconds off during the last thousand feet. Only when I finished did I glance down at my wrist, and of course I was much slower than on Tuesday. But that's the point -- no need to be fast; I just need to get the miles in, and build up my endurance. (If I was training for a 5K or something, things would be different.)

So later today, when I saw on the web that the snazzy Nike+ unit (which hooks up to your iPod and gives you all kinds of statistics on your running, since it uses an accelerometer to measure as you go along) was on sale from some catalog outfit, I demurred. If I shouldn't be looking at my watch, I shouldn't be dealing with a million other statistics. I do, however, have a heart-rate monitor, although I haven't used it to figure out my actual maximum heart rate, and in fact I have hardly used it at all... although when we were in Casper on the bike trip, and I wore it for the first time, the reading indicated that, according to the laws of probability, I should have been dead. If I get a little more serious, I'll be able to use the monitor to see whether I pass the Goldilocks test: too fast, too slow, or just right.

Running, like so many other things, is just a numbers racket.

Speaking of which, "Bette Midler" was revealed yesterday to be none other than the redoubtable, motorcycle-riding, Volpe-orbiting Robert J. Armstrong, whose full name I am announcing in recognition of his inexplicable tendency to yell out my entire name in public, which is in fact the only thing I have ever asked him not to do. So there!

Day 26: Trust the training

Today wasn't a running day, but I was very tempted to bike, even though I had a busy half day at work... the other half featured an afternoon game at Fenway, with 31 fellow (and former) Volpones, an overturned triple play, and the Red Sox whupping the Twins, 18-5.

And yesterday, I was wondering when and whether I should consider doing a half-marathon or two prior to the Big Race on November 2.

Also, I noticed that the most recent post on Tom's blog was an oath against overdoing it.

Tying all this together, Carson cautioned me against pushing too hard, and even enlisted Alisa as backup. Both of them sounded the same message: "Trust the training." I'm on the marathon running plan, and I need to focus on staying strong and healthy, not running (or biking) myself ragged in the mistaken belief that only miles in motion will build me up. Rest, recovery, and keeping the mentals are just as important.

So today, I didn't run, and I didn't bike, and I took the afternoon off, got an ice-cream cone at Fenway, and cheered on the Sox.

Day 25: Heat, haze, humidity

Four miles this morning, at the crack of dawn. The New York Times had an interesting piece last week on running in heat and humidity, and quoted a doctor who opined that "...if you have to choose between exercising in the morning when it is 60 degrees and 80 percent humidity, or in the evening when it is 90 degrees and 50 percent humidity, choose the morning." This morning it was more like 70 degrees, but: point taken.

I haven't seemed to much mind running in heat or humidity, which is fortunate. Actually, when I started running in November I was worried about being outside in the cold, dry air (and in fact there was another Times piece about that back in January). But that, too, worked out. Obviously, I'm affected by conditions as much as anyone else, and my clothes are certainly sweatier in the summer. It's been OK, though.

I also have no problem waking up and then (after eating something, just a bit) going for a run. Some people absolutely cannot do that. I generally need a long runway to get ready for the day, with plenty of time to complete my morning ablutions, but I don't mind getting the early light on the trail. Really haven't ever done night running... maybe that's the next frontier!

Day 24: Wind beneath my wings

First: thanks to the generosity of Bette Midler, who really crapped it up in 1988's Big Business, my Central Park Conservancy contributions edged over $1,000 today! Incredible. Bette: call me!

The hot, humid days of summer in Boston are upon us. Today wasn't a running day, which was good, because I detected a small toe-blister last night. (Hey, I should hold back?) I combated it all day today by wearing a pair of Injinji socks, which are to regular socks what gloves are to mittens: each toe gets its own place to go. Seems like this might have worked, but the socks still feel weird.

Because I got to work early today, I left early (with a detour to Boston for a meeting), and so I called Katie, who had told me that her bike-commute home involves the Minuteman trail. I headed out from home and met up with Katie only a mile or so from the end of the trail, and we biked back together (with me logging a total of 18.3 miles), dodging oblivious rollerbladers, zigzagging strollers, and a man who was literally kneeling in the middle of the trail during rush hour, apparently depositing garbage, very carefully, right on the centerline. It takes all kinds, I suppose.

Super bonus: check out the videos page from the bike trip; as of this moment, 15 video clips are up, with more on the way!

Day 23: Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, and other stuff

It's not even 4 in the afternoon, and already there's too much to try to remember...

• Jordan K. and I set out on a "30-mile" bike ride this morning, and ended up clocking 42.3. Really nice ride, featuring the Minuteman Bikeway, Walden Pond, the Gropius House, and the DeCordova sculpture garden (where the elderly 'guard' said, somewhat sadly, that "she'd have to charge us" for entry, but tacitly encouraged us to return before- or after-hours to see the grounds).
  
• After a lot of water, one Clif bar, an omelet, some toast, tea, juice, and chocolate, I logged a quick 3.2-mile run. Strong like ox!
• I checked the contributions page and the total is really rocketing up! Thanks again to all contributors... particularly my brother Jordan, the rock star, who will be in Boston in just a few days. More creative thank-yous to everyone are in the works.
• Acadia National Park has come up a few times recently in conversation, and today's Boston Globe featured a piece on Bar Harbor, including mention of the Jordan Pond House and its famous popovers, which I tasted on my only trip there two years ago. I was thinking of maybe doing the Mount Desert Island half-marathon in September, since it fits in with the training plan... we'll see. Right now I'm not entered in any races except the marathon, and I need a few milestones on the calendar to help motivate me.
• Speaking of which, my friend and fellow-marathoner-to-be Michael Landon has created his own blog, admitting that he "totally cribbed this idea" from me. More profoundly, he notes that "It's easy to hastily set and destroy goals if they're not made public," although he also tosses off words like "homunculus." ML, who turns out to be pretty speedy, is running the Louisville Marathon on October 19. Rock star #2.

...and I'm probably forgetting a lot of other stuff.

Day 22: Eight mile

Eminem sings it. I ran it. (Actually, 8.3 miles.)

I realized as I finished this latest Longest Run Ever that my fitness level has really improved since I started running in November. I was barely even breathing hard after more than eight miles, and I've kept up a pretty good pace. Of course, my legs were a little tired, especially the right one. Shortly after I started running, I got a knee brace for my left leg to try to combat shin splints; in December, I got a brace for the right leg too. But recently, the right brace has started to cause chafing where it rubbed against the inside of my knee, so for a few runs now, I've dispensed with it. (The left brace is made of a different material and hasn't been as annoying.) And so that knee is a little sore now, but I'll sit for a while with some ice as a preventative measure.

Seen on the trail today: a woman rollerblading while wearing a hockey helmet, with full steel-wire face mask. She seemed somewhat embarrassed. Hey, I would have been, too.

(Why no post yesterday? Hey, it was a rest day, and I spent a good portion of it down by the Charles River. Fireworks last night: blammo blammo.)

Day 20: Showers

First of all, THANK YOU to the many contributors yesterday and today... my fundraising total has suddenly shot up! You will each be receiving additional, one-of-a-kind expressions of appreciation from me. The rest of you will continue to receive solicitous spam!

Since I ran 3.2 miles before work and then biked 22 miles after work, today was a two-shower day. (Three, if you count the thunderstorm that began immediately after I returned from the bike.) Because I can't help but luxuriate in a hot shower, as anyone who has ever lived or traveled with me knows, the two-shower day can keep me out of action for more than a little while, although I sometimes get some of my best thinking done in the shower, to the point that I become distracted and sometimes forget whether or not I've already conditioned. I'm not as bad as Scott, who once told me that when he used to get stuck writing papers in college, he'd often hit the shower to get his brain going -- and six- and seven-shower days were not unknown. Hmm.

I remember many no-shower days during summer camp, and I think I have had at least a few three-shower days, but one is still the norm... that is, for now. If the marathon training makes two the standard, well... I'm going to be pretty freakin' clean.

Day 19: Four months to go, and I need your help!

With exactly four months to go until the marathon, it's time to talk fundraising. The short version: CLICK HERE (or the "donate" button at the upper right of this page) to contribute to this crazy adventure of mine!

The longer version: I'm running the marathon courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy, for whom I have committed to raising $3,000. They're a worthy organization charged with keeping up one of the world's greatest public spaces. If you're reading this, you've been to Central Park, you know about Central Park, and/or you ARE Central Park (I'm thinking of you, Beeper!), and so you understand that while it's fun to picnic there, maintaining it is no picnic. (OK, OK.)

As I write this, thanks to the generosity of several early contributors, who will duly receive extra-special recognition from yours truly, I am 12% of the way to my goal. With your help, I can get all the way there. And if I exceed $3,000, I'll probably get a toaster or something from the Conservancy... which I'd give away to a super-super-lucky contributor. Of course, everyone who contributes will receive something from me. So, act now! And seriously -- thanks!

Before I forget... I biked 11.4 miles today, a pretty short ride since time was short. More soon.

Day 18: Official training begins!

Today marks the start of the official 18-week training plan, obtained from the New York City Marathon's own web site. (The first "3" in the first Tuesday is where I am.)



Three miles (actually, 3.2) this AM... and all's well. The day ended with Bartley's; how could things be otherwise?

Trivia: in my 11 runs since the bike trip ended, I have burned about 5,500 calories running... Carson burned that many in ONE DAY on the bike!