here goes!

Almost there kiddies! Got that pesky conference outta the way. Real pain in the cojones-but beats workin' for a livin'. Now, on to D.C. Gettin' pumped. Lets just hope the rain holds off.

Did 86th.ave each day, did ok. Everything really DOES built atop the other-doing St.Francis made 86th. not as challenging. Used it as a speed run-2 blocks hard, one block recovery. REALLY great weather, 32 degs or so each am since Sun. Thanks G.

Today, 60 degs wow. Predicted chance of showers, got away with it.

First day in 8 years without nicotine patch. STILL wanna stratch a layer of skin off, but I figure, feel the feeling, it won't kill me.

Thanks to peeps for being there with me. Easter was ugly, days since Easter worse-I'm everything from a liar to an a**hole. Real nice for a 12 year old to witness. My peeps bees there fo'/wit me. Really made it bearable.

He Is Risen!

Yes, I got outta bed.

Terrific morning, blue skies, crisp temps-30 degs, kudos G.

Did 10, might be the last 'til DC. Feel good, Yesterday didn't do any damage.

Lots to do.

NICE!

decided to do the Huntington 4m. Last did that course with Steve on Thanksgiving years ago, still haven't lived down that hill. I know Steve's up there watching, and probably cracking up @ my time-hey, I didn't walk!!!

Surprised there weren't more people. Guess I'm spoiled after all the NYRR runs.

Was great to see the LI peeps, haven't seen those faces in Eons: Rick, George, the guy who saved me from ripping off a driver's head, Paul.....

Gettin' ready to tackle the first hill, feel a tap on my shoulder-wrong shoulder-wiseass (good one!), Debbie. Too cool to have another peep there. Got me through, though damn her, kicked my ass. Kept me from walking. The Line training really helped. When you're used to The Line, Huntington isn't THAT big a deal.

Brought me back to the O 2 S runs too, it started where one leg begins/ends. Ahhh memories.

One for you Steve!!!

Full of spit n' vinegar, ordered the Slamtrak tix for DC. Leave Thurs, return Mon. Why peeps leave the day of I haven't the foggiest.

Got the Easter crap for the patients, wrapped it in individual bags. Goodies is good. Displace displace displace.

the final countdown

ok, 400m from the finish line, it's in sight. Is it a bird? A plane??? NO! The end of a crap week (@ work that is)

Boss pissed that the business office f***ed up, of course it's my fault (Assistant Director job description: "All the blame, none of the credit.") Get a grip dude. Never heard of "responsible for the effort, not the outcome???"

Got my 10 on. (heh heh, go ahead, go there! It's Friday, we're allowed). What a GLORIOUS morning! Longs and fleece, but only to stay light-could'a gotten away with shorts, but wanna stay whole-no stupid bs injuries before DC. One of the club peeps lined up a speaker for one of our meetings-about orthotics. Gonna go for it. Every lil bit helps.

Can't get rid of this skin prob. Now DermaDoc says it's a form of excema/psoriasis. All I know is I wanna scratch a layer of skin off-it feels SOOOO good while scratching, but pay the price. He wants to prescribe some crap that lowers your immunity (more colds, more flu) and interrupts the healing process.

And.....are you sitting down dear reader? Take a second to guess the most improbable news of all. (I'll wait.....music from Jeopardy....clipped my finger nails) times up. Opened the door to Toxichouse and what's NOT in the den??? Right! Holy Thursday marks the official ridding of the Christmas tree. Of course it was put in the back yard-real white trash-not my side of the fam.

5 days and counting........

...the only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin' on............

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Kryptonite, 40 days n' 40 nights, ugh! Seeming 24 hours of rain. JUST as ya' 'tink ya can get a run in, BOOM more kryptonite. Shit.

Awake, put out the garbage, misty. Shit. Do the Y.

Then...could it be..........POOF! It stopped. Yes Virginia, G loves you.

Got my run on! DAMN that felt good. Feet actually dry, negotiated the puddles well.

Amazing what it can do for your disposition. Back to center, the problems of the world again are in perspective.


......she wore scarlet begonias tucked into her hair.......................

kryptonite

yes kiddies, RAIN!!! Damn.

Day 3 of the survey. Gettin' a lil' tense 'round these parts. Boss, born nudgy, turned up the nudge factor (i.e. biting my head off for the business office charging wrong account for.....). Get a grip, go for a run, displace displace displace.

The surveyor's a blast from the past. Was an Intern when I was @ MATC ('91 to be exact). Wow. Asked if I remembered him, told him I barely remember what my wife looks like (It does still exist doesn't It?, oh yes, found my mail in her coat pocket, Sybil lives). He remembered me by the earrings. Hopefully those in my ear.

So far so good, of course. We do good voodoo.

Great temps predicted for later. Keep those toes crossed.


...n' I say to myself, 'what a wonderful world'..." (Garcia version, wow)

'tis the season

MARATHON!!!!!!! Can't believe only a few days away, getting pumped. But don't lets get ahead of ourselves.

Day 2 of our certification survey. Fun watching the talking heads scuttle about. Hate dog n' pony shows. Why should we spit shine everything just because some person is here to tell us how we do our voodoo? Like the patients that are here don't deserve our best on a daily basis? Like the staff don't deserve to work under the best possible conditions? Yes kiddies, work is comparable to running: give it your best as it may be your last.......Ain't goin' to my grave w/the "what ifs."

Ah, now we're back.

Did 10. After no spin last night, hadda. No gloves needed, longs and hooded sweatshirt. Felt good, really good (didn't know I would).

Made the hotel res yesterday for the Sun Trust Marathon. NIIIIICE joint. For ONCE the designated host hotel isn't a rip. You KNOW it's a deal when my usual (Holiday Inn Express) is almost double the cost. Makes me wanna stay longer. Now do the Slamtrack tix and I'm off.

Next week'll be tough, Mon, Tues, Wed in Brooklyn @ a conference, then leave for D.C. n Thurs. Gonna hafta run in the am, take the train into Brooklyn, LIRR home, then do it all over again.

The price of dedication. Well worth it.

Still haven't lived down blowing first place though (67 f***in' seconds!!!!!). Quite taken with the spirit of Rob n' Co., but I know I got it in me. Just gotta give it more.

St.Patrick's Day

NO! Ain't NO FREAKIN' WAY I'm wearin' green. (THIS crap REALLY gets me).

Did 10. Hadda. After 2 yesterday, had to even things up. Felt REAL good. Terrific morning, brisk-30 degs. ALMOST did shorts, but common sense prevailed.

Now, the big question: spin or no? We'll see.

it was a dark and stormy night

woke up, tore ass outta the house, get to Eisenhower. Await the peeps. Of course it's raining-when will this shit end??? So, there we are waiting, waiting, waiting (HEY-I wasn't late!!!).

Peeps start dribbling in. Reconnect with some familiar faces, berate them into remembering the Only Race That Matters (fear works), discuss various hapnin's.

See the crew, reg. Hook up with the rest of the lean green machine (been thinkin' 'bout that tag line, I like it!). Also connect with some peeps not normally seen in my neck of the woods, nice.

Away we go, Rob leads, I'm second, Len's third, Joe's fourth. What the hell am I doing with this crowd??? But ok, I was asked. We come in second. 67 seconds off first. DAMN!!! Of course I'm thrilled to be in second, but.......I KNOW I dragged us down, but c'est la vie. Second is ok-more than I could ever imagine, just feel bad for the other guys. THIS is the spirit of a team relay. Bless them.

The club was strong, very strong. I can't express how proud I am. We had 3 teams. Wow. Best of all, the teams incorporated some familiar Non Green peeps, i.e. Joe-helluva guy.

Race itself was done in a sprinkle-kind'a misty, that lifted as the first leg ended. THEN in the pm, the sun came out. REAL FUNNY G!!!

Went in the pm to Rettmer's to get the race aps labeled. Usual wise-asses in attendance. Bless them.

another one bites the dust

weather: raining cats n' dogs. What to do, what to do?

Preregged for the NYRR 5m in Central Park. Go for it.

Found a parking spot 1 block from the start: miracle for Saturday in NYC, now the rains come down. We'll see, hours 'til race time (7:30AM), was up before the crack of dawn of course.

Lo n' behold, rain stopped! Figured, hey, do the 5m n' get soaked, another Q under me belt, eh lads? No, G was looking out. NICE weather after all-shorts n' long sleeves.

Did the race, then headed to AP to see the peeps, attend to some details.

All in all, well done. Got my Q in, check. Got a good run in, check./ Saw my peeps, check. Life IS good.

what you do in between runs

hard earned day off.

Went to the Y to attempt to spin, nuttin' honey! No class this am. Good (way to go G!). Day before a race should be a rest day, now got no choice. Of course, hadda ellip-I ate, therefore I work out (exercise bulimia). No 'splainin' it, just gotta go wit' da' flo.

Did all I could do to NOT run this am, the morning was freakin' perfect-40-ish. No rain ( later for rain). Weather predicts late afternoon through tomorrow. Lovely, 5 miles in the rain. Wassup wit Saturdays????? Gotta talk to G 'bout dis here.

So ok, our intrepid Belgarican has an off day-gets better kiddies!!! The boss ended up taking the day off!!! He loves being a nudge-gives us this "I may be off, I may not" bullshit, makes planning time off a real 'roid. Open my e mail this am, what do my eyes behold: he's off for the day!!! YIPEEE! He's REALLY a good guy, love working for him, but HATE unnecessary nudginess. N' he thrives on that. Can't admit with me here, he's got it good. No, that's NOT ego, but let's face it, I'd love to have a me working for me.

REALLY looking forward to today, nothing in my way!


...remember after the fire, after all the rain...I will be the flame.......

get a grip!!!

arranged to get Liz Bailey to speak for the patients yesterday pm. She's impressive. Had the food catered. Italian. How people can eat this crap is beyond me. What you eat you carry with you. Unfortunately, this turned me off to food for the day. Fortunately, the patients rose to the occasion (what goes around...). No wonder I'm more comfortable with them than most others-they're real. No muss, no fuss, they enjoyed the day and returned the unit to a state better than it had been. Kudos there. What gets me is the "look at what I did" bs-everyone knows someone who must draw attention to themselves for the slightest thing-real or imagined. I've always believed in the drop of water in the ocean thing, i.e. just do your voodoo without expectations of notice. THAT in itself is a pure act. Makes me feel like something good was done. Nice.

With a full heart, had what I needed to get the job done this am. Did 10 (see what you can do on an empty stomach!!!!!, whoa there eating disorder!!!). Hadda. Did the 60 hard/30 recovery reps, actually improved my time-noticed quite by accident. I'll always seek to improve, but not for the sake of itself. Only to fine tune the machine.

Long sleeves n' shorts-good choice. 33 degs (gloves of course).

Looking forward to the weekend (a rare thing, usually just take what comes-file under "Bipolar burn-out.") NYRR 5 Miler on Sat, 4 x 2's sunday. For some perverse reason some peeps want me on their team (as in: REAL runners). Weather predicts rain, ouch.

***Queens 1/2 cancelled! Wow. Dunno why/how, but it ain't no mo'. Odd.

and now a word from our sponsor

So here we got a f***in steamroller as new boss. Things lookin' up. Gonna clean up a mess, take no prisoners. A real pitbull.

Whoops, lil' impulse control prob there. Am I the only one with Internet Access and paper towels??? Jeeeeeeez. Men ARE pigs.

What hurts, and it DOES hurt, is: yet ANOTHER naked emperor. With Bubba we knew he was a hound, but this comes from left field. The steamroller was gonna lead the charge for change.

Were we better off not knowing? Do we want blind allegiance? No. But if you present yourself as one thing and turn out as another, change must be made.

Fortunately, in our position, we're role models for the patients, and as such must take care. An addict'll tear you a new one if they think you're a poser. But irrespective of that, I wanna like what I see in the mirror. Secular Humanism: do the right thing because it's the right thing (and keep that Internet Access!!!).

Whenever we hire/interview staff we say: don't ever say/do anything you don't want on the front page of the Daily News. Adding insult to injury, not that long ago there was a major initiative to have all staff complete ethics training.

His wife? Later for her. It's the munchkins I feel for. Not THAT much though, they have it good, REAL good. Save my empathy for the kids of yet ANOTHER single parent minority family struggling to make food stamps stretch further. But them kids be innocents irrespective of social strata. We know kids can be cruel.

Guess I got a new boss.

fartlek

(excuse me, high fiber diet)

well, time to put up or shut up. Gotta give it my best shot. Did St.Francis-GORGEOUS weather-shorts/short sleeves), but with a twist. Did 60 secs hard, 30 secs recovery, consecutive reps. REALLY good. Kept thinkin' 'bout Deena Kastor training in the Marathon movie-the scene in which she's using dumbells to strengthen her arm pump. Unusual for me. More of a Zen runner, but, even Zen runners can't take being in the next to last corral.

Haven't worked that "my pimp is a Therapeutic Community" thing outta my system yet, really pisses me off, so, used it as fuel for the reps. What I don't get is how the NYRR, for whom I have nothing but respect, allows it. But then again, they're ignorant of the way tc's do what they do. Unfortunately they buy the hype.

Looking forward to hockey night, break them bones eh.

*P.S. Late aside:

about 2 weeks ago William F.Buckley died. Quite a loss. Disagreed completely with his politics, but gotta admire the man. He had the stones to say what he meant and take the consequences. He knew many disagreed, but was willing to speak nontheless. One of my role models. Not only did he have the stones, but unbelievable wit, and too damned smart. Beauty was, he WASN'T an egomaniac, but had the brains to back it all up. I heard him speak repeatedly, he gave some talks @ my college, always leaving an impression. He clearly enjoyed what he did, and took particular relish in verbally embalming they that deserved it. Wow. He taught me it's ok to be on the complete opposite side of an argument/situation, but stick to your guns. Truth will out. REALLY helpful to remember now.

2 fer Tuesday

so...fresh from the wonderful evening with Spike, with my soul full-QT with Spike, QT with peeps, hadda do St.Francis.

BEAUTIFUL morning, purrrrfect temps-31-no wind, sun rising as I finish. Yummmmmm.

NOTHING can be this good, well, one thing but don't lets go there ;) .

Aside: wassup w/wannabe's??? Went to a conference Friday, one of those: exhibitors giving you their propaganda conferences. One of them is Odyssey House. I hate therapeutic communities. The'yre the naked emperor. The CEO gets stupid $$$ for ripping off they that need help. How? Don't hire qualified pro's, rather, elevate patients into positions as"peer counselors." OK, so, they have a brochure chock full of their propaganda, what's inside, bs about their running team. WHOA there fella. Sacred ground here. Each of their stooges must raise $2,500 to displace a runner who deserves it. AND they get press in the Times. Some things are just flat out wrong. G don't like ugly. Worse yet, the ignorant praise them for their work. They're bitches raising $ for their pimp!!! HELLO!!! tsk tsk tsk.

Monday Monday

...so there I am, minding my own beeswax when, lo n' behold........SHIT!!! (whoa there fella, rewind the tape)

Get ready to take off, the boss is sitting in the minivan attending to last minute details-headed to Albany. He shakes his head and mutters "you're sick" (a compliment re: the hour of the day-6-late for me-and what I was doing @ that hour-running rather than sleeping). Of course I respond: "Duh."

Do St.Francis, nice morning. Felt good. After the 15k yesterday, figured it was only 9 miles so get out there n' reconnect with The Line. OK, so far so good. Not too much wind, crisp.

Get back to the unit, shower, vhevk my calendar...DAMN!!! I'm s'posed 'ta be in Manhattan! Fiddler crab takes over. Scurry scurry scurry. Thank G for running-preps you for any eventuality. Had the requisite metrocard in wallet, headed out the door @ 8. My mind reeling: good, in NYC, but the boss isn't on the unit, call n' remind them I'm but a phone call away (breathe, breathe). Great opportunity to reconnect with my peeps. Even better. Damn, this day could actually be fun! (Civil Service gots to note this: on the AD exam, throw 5 situations @ the candidate, they gots ta problem solve all of them in 30 seconds).

Get to the conference 1 1/2 hours late-oh well, be glad I'm there. Sign in, no one bats an eye. Lo n' behold, one of the staff bitzy ditches is registered, never showed. Like I said, be glad I'm there. Hooked up with peep FINALLY, grounded once again. Have regained my center.

On the phone with my peeps leaving the conference, they have TV in the 'vaters, CNN's on, the Gov. got caught-connected with ladies of the evening. Dayum! Wassup with the democrats??? Why do we always get caught???????

THEN, to add to the fun, catch a flick being filmed. Gots ta love nyc.

Unfortunately, returned too late for spinning-little things like um...whats the word...oh yes, FOOD. 7 pm and an empty gut. Not so good mon. Gotta remember to eat.

Back to Toxichouse, had a GREAT evening with Spike. Of course he was abandoned-It has BROOOOOOCE tix. Made him dinner, monitored his homework, made sure he was aware of the joy of spending any time whatsoever together. HE-apple doesn't fall far from the tree-revealed HIS secret for rigging the TV so the volume doesn't rise above a certain level (It blasts it @ all hours-our bedroom directly above). Give the boy massive props. Ingenious lil' bastard.

Lived an entire lifetime in one day.

6 down, 3 to go!

got the Colon Cancer 15k done, check. 3 more Q's to go to lock next year's Big One. Did ok, VERY cold in the am, 30 degs, but windy as hell. Normally 30 would call for indecision (shorts? longs?) but wind this am was HOWLING. You know it's heavy wind when the coin op newspaper stands topple over (AND the NYC trash cans-they can withstand a riot!). Hooded sweatshirt n' longs (a.k.a. the Unibomber look).

Tom called first thing in the am, my "wake up call," but I was already there. So early, I hadda decide park on West or East side.

Ran well, not great but well. Nothing to be proud of, but if I can keep this up I'll be ok. Pain free IS good n'est pas? STILL came in in front of 50 %. (of course the rest of my club was ahead, but let's maintain that John Bingham frame of mind)

Experimentation continues. Didn't do powergel, used those indiv. packets of cream cheese (2). Worked very well. Scary.

Miss the rest of my peeps badly. There'a a hole in my heart getting bigger with each passing day. There IS a point @ which you wonder if you weren't better off alone, but no. Peeps is good. Life goes on. Gots to. Many did King's Park yesterday, why I'll never know. NYRR races are so much better, without all the drama.

Funny aside: did the Y yesterday, headed to the truck, I hear my name. Female with daughter asks if I'm Gerry from the Striders. Way to go G. Just when you start humming Boulevard of Broken Dreams, a complete stranger digs you out. FunnIER aside: she id'd herself as the Invisible Strider-pays membership fee yet never goes to meetings. THAT must describe 2/3 of our club. Of course I responded "I was invisible until elected." Still trying though.

Impetigo, gone. Imagine feeling uncomfortable in your own skin, to the point that you'd willingly scratch 6 of 7 layers away. Yech. Now if I could just get my face to stop itching-moisturize moisturize moisturize!

...so it goes...

tgif

(for me, it's Friday, off tomorrow!!!)

Membership meeting tonight, much to do.

Got my St.Francis on. Good thing. Weather (why do so many denigrate weather reports? They're usually right) predicts rain tomorrow evening thru Sat pm. Pity the Kings Parkers.

Felt really good. Nothing like a night of pure unadulterated violence to loosen you up. Looooooove that hockey.

This am was very nice. Not quite shorts nice, but enough not to wear gloves. Felt strong, could've gone further but gots'ta leave somethin' in 'da tank...mon.

40 days n' 40 nights

first MOFO that says we're in a drought gets it right between the eyes!!!) MORE f***in rain. Wow.

THAT was the bad news, good news is, by noon it'll pass, then sun + fifty. Stay tuned.

..and yes...Toxichouse is status quo. From here on in we won't mention it. Not even worth wasting a keystroke. Remember kiddies, the opposite of love is NOT hate but apathy.

(later that day)

SUCCESS!!! Sunshine, 50+, so...what to do (stay outta G's way, stay outta G's way), get a phone call from Da Boyz. IT'S HOCKEY NIGHT!!! YIPEEE!!! Headed to the rink to break some bones. Mighty good fun.

surprises CAN be good!

ya' know, sometimes just gotta put one foot in front of the other.

Went straight home yesterday, no, I don't learn from past mistakes (you CAN be both cynical AND an optimist!). Spike sleeping, Sybil sleeping. Spike awakens Sybil so It can make It's almighty meeting. No, don't spend anytime with what couldn't in any wild delusion be defined as "The Family," rather, convince others of your need to be needed. Ok. And yes, the house is filthy. Couldn't take it anymore, changed the sheets. Nowhere, other than here would that be noteworthy. Yes the Christmas tree is still up, yes, a life-sized Santa is still in the living room looking like a drunken sailor hanging off a chair, and yes, the Christmas lights are still up. Vile.

For the sake of my conscience, hadda to go home. Knowing Sybil would abuse one of the rare nights It's home to attend to It's selfish needs (you DO have a child, remember???), I must know Keith knows an adult is present. Can't handle It's bs on the phone to her groupies taking everyone's inventory, meanwhile living in filth.

Yes, should'a gone to spinning, really missed it. ANYWHERE but Toxichouse. But being a parent means being there.

So.....did St.Francis. Weather predicted rain (DAMN!!!) lots n' lots of it. Woke up, got outta bed, zipped out p.d.q. Got my run on, yo. Felt good, knew I would. Beautiful day-shorts n' long sleeves. What a scene: sun streaming through the trees, wow. Thoughts of our unit's "Lose big/win big" committee in my head. They've been together for 4 weeks and all they can do is plan meals. Jeeeeez. I don't get it. First thing that comes to mind when hastening wellness is what you can stuff in your mouth??? Really good motivation for a great run though. After the softball fields on the way back, run into David. He actually yelled out in joy/surprise (not a well person). He's really a trip. Got all sorts of ideas re: what the club should do. GREAT for my pace. Kept reminding him "dude, DECAF."



...so it goes.........

...to touch the night without the...........

what a morning!!!

spent a DEPRESSING evening last night @ Toxichouse. Keith @ his brotherfromanothermother's house for the weekend-@ Casatoxica we don't have weekend activites remember? Usually it's a time of peace and solitude, but this sucked big time. Had a blast @ the 5k, then, was filled with memories of youth. My mom breaking her chops to hold down the fort, always managed to take us on trips. My memories are filled with them. What memories will Keith have? A Shebitch who could not communicate other than yelling, first @ his Father then when all else failed directing her anger @ him? Being left unattended for extended periods? Being yelled @ for several years that he should "learn to fend for himself?" A house that more closely resembles a slum, where Sybil picks her clothes for the day from one of numerous piles? Where sheets are changed monthly, if @ that? Funny though, when speaking with her groupies, words are sweet and loving. Hmmmm.

Did St.Francis-duh. Hadda. Arms are KILLING me-just HOW much hydrocortisone can one person use (thank G it's gratis). Drastically cut back on showering-easy there-only after running. My sole sweat inducing activity (get your mind out of the). Mr.Doctor put 2 + 2 together,l too many showers, using too many harsh towels. Duh. But it helps to hear it from someone NOT in your own head.

Spin? No spin? Depends. How many long sleeved shirts do I have?

5 down, 4 to go

did the Coogan's Run. A 5k, uptown-168th st, @ the New Balance Armory. Lots of fun, really hilly, but fun. St.Francis served me well.

Rode the LIRR in, took the #1 to 168, 2 blocks and BOOM! Right there. Time sucked, but that's not what it's about (that's my story, I'm stickin' to it). Tom actually drove-after workin' all night. Wow. Ran into Yariv, we 3 hung before the race, walked around the armory, Tom'd never been there. Really quite a place. If you're a runner, it hits hard.

Now only 4 more n' I'm in The Big One 2010. Easy.

Now I gotta start track work, these times just won't cut it. When my average was posted on the NYRR website, though it posted a time in minutes and seconds, my eyes saw "you suck," not for long.

Nice!!!

ya' know...when you throw caution to the wind/stay the hell outta G's way, things work out.

Got up, got outta bed, didn't need to drag a comb across....headed to Runner's Edge. Decisions, decisions. Runner's Edge fun run or The Line. Raining, alternately showers/heavy, head out anyway. Get to Farmingdale, take a nap, STILL raining. Store opens, the run is on. I don't think so, had enough rain last night/earlier. So, head to AP.

Get on the Northern State, as if on cue, blue sky. Way to go G!!!

Not as many peeps as usual, don't blame 'em, but, when you got there-perfect temps-shorts-blue sky. Couldn't beat it. Did St.Francis though planned to do shorter. Nice. Very nice.

helluva away to start the day

did the Republic Airport Leap Year 5k last night/this am. Started@ 11:59:59. Way cool ("way?" gettin' a lil' caucasian there eh wot? Blame my Mother, no wait, even she'd shit if she heard that).

Prediction was for 3-6 in. snow. Went to see The Other Boleyn Girl (wow, REALLY caucasian there!!!), a surprisingly great (yes great) film. Used it as a filler before the run, but on its own merits quite good. So, after the flick, it's 10:30, snow started. Revised forecast says snow, then much later rain, with accumulation of 1 inch (insert favorite caucasian joke, on a roll now!!!).

Get to sign in, they recognize me from their prior events. Good bunch of peeps, Tri and Du It, regular guys/triathletes-us. We joke that we should delay the run until we get some serious accumulation. Steep fee: $30, but good stuff in return-also-how much are you willing to pay to run on a runway? Steep cost also due to size of company (can't resist: size matters, ok feel better now).

Wait until after they call everyone to the start (like I wanna wait 15 minutes in precip???), dressed-again-as the unibomber (when you have a look that works...). By the start, it has turned to rain-shit. Hate rain, hate it, don't like it ("but it makes the flowers grow," use plastic flowers!). Good thing for preregging.

A real downpour, rain bad/snow good. But the run itself(conditions notwithstanding), not bad at all. St.Francis served me well. 5k's are too short-more fun than anything (when you do marathons n' hit your stride @ 21, 'nuff said). My benchmark was nowhere to be found-but I passed Fred on the last turn around (as in-he was on the tailend of the turnaround, why the HELL does he line up in front???).

Exhanged some bs with familiar peeps-we all agree running in snow is fun, rain sUUUUUUUUcks (hate rain, hate it!!!), n'ifwe hadn't preregged we would'a passed. But then again G steps in-leap year don't happen every day (or year either), so you gotta do it. Most say they won't do the Runner's Edge fun run this am-we'll see.

Love to do this one again next year (yes, that was a joke. If you didn't get it, double your meds)

Came home, 'natch Sybil's up (sleep by day...) asked where I was. Like It has a right to know. Really has no clue. On a typical (?) evening, Keith n' I will be hanging, she'll up n' split. I have to fight myself NOT to ask him where It went.

...March 1...yes...the Christmas treeis STILL up...