day 127

another Monday off- "use 'em or lose 'em " hours. Off every Monday 'til new Year's. Nice. Makes for a longer weekend. Lets me sleep in-meaning, wake up @ 7 am-with Stoney, not alot of choice. He pushes for a lift to school, I roll over. The school's 4 blocks away, puleeeeeeeez.

God made weather like this to reassure me. Can't run daily-gotta rehab that knee, so, off to the gym. 30 mins on the ellip followed by Boot Camp. NICE. Incorporates the Core Training class + some wicked cardio. Actually gor a compliment on my upper body, that abdominal flap is minimal-still there (no plastic surgery thank you, no tummy tuck, suck it up and live with it). Beats the "I'm over 40 and have the shape of a pear" syndrome.

NOW I feel I've earned the right to chillax and await Stoney's return from la escuela.

day 126

good weekend!

Funny what a difference a call makes. Tom called yesterday to check in/touch base-I was in the truck awaiting the start of the Bridie Goldstein run. We'd reconnect @ Rob's Run today. Changed my mood. Bless him.

Spoke with Pret. Odd, Always asks "been so long, dunno what's going on with you." READ THE FUCKING BLOG. Jeeeeeeeeez. Explains everything in revolting detail.

Did Rob's Run. Felt good. Almost the exact time as yesterday's. Good. Consistency. Might consistently suck, but consistency nontheless.

Stoney's back. Funny. He'd had a 101+ fever there, yet Shebitch has to be in a germ free environment. Hmmmmmm.

day 125

went to see Pirate Radio w/the AP peeps. Late show (8:40) but preceded by dinner. Really brought me up. Another of those "they'll never know how important it was" things.

Bridie Goldstein today, the Syosset weekend continues, manana: Rob's Run. Was on the fence, but most are doing "the circuit," and since it's a Long Island Peeps thing, gotta. Whatthefuck, it's xc, good excuse for a shit time.

House isn't a home without Stoney. Love is not here, only walls and a ceiling.

day 124

OUCH!!!

If I wasn't preregged, wouldn't'a done it. LOTS of rain, LOTS of puddles. Da feetz wuz actually dry, until some dick made a turn INTO THE RACE and splashed me. Jeeeeeeeez. Glad I did it, didn't wear The Colors-stealth mode-when you're under a poncho, it don't matter.

Debbie and Rob were there, great to see them.

Stoney? I get a text, he's spending the weekend there. Great.

I hit the house, shower after the run before going to the job, the dog starts freakin', who is it? Stoney!!! Was great to see him-he did a drive by to get his laptop-he doesn't trust my bros pc. Smart.

day 123

Whew!!! Made it.

What was probably the most difficult day of my life nears its end. THIS one was rough. Having my son snatched from me, in the presence of my estranged brother-who is housing/enabling/abetting Shebitch.....just a bit too much. BUT, as usual, AP is there.

We had our Thanksgiving fun run this am-no, no Quantumwellbrickfeet peeps. What a wonderful bunch of peeps. Did the 5m course, walked/ran/talked/ etc...not alot of motivation today, really shouldn't have run at all. Did the ellip for 30 yesterday,
THEN core training THEN boot camp. Didn't have an ounce in the tank. PLUS, feeling REALLLLLLY down. But, we made it with a lotta help from my friends. Again peeps, you'll never know. Thanks.

Funny, they that do absolutely nothing with him get to spend a killer holiday with him, while he that sacrifices all gets shit on. Now I know how Job felt before the whale ate him.

day 122

grey skies, cool-not bad temps, rain coming. Ugh. Not good.

Last night, brother-the one taking Keith for thanksgiving, the one aiding and abetting Shebitch, rings the door in the evening. Claimed It was trying to reach Keith. Under the guise of asking how he was, It really wanted him to get an article of clothing for it. Not once in his drive by did he ask for me nor indicate his presence in my house. Wonder why I have the perception I do?????

Got Stoney's report card:

Global History: 75, "Inconsistent work/grades, homework missing."
World of Tech: 71, "Satisfactory Achievement."
Spanish: 74, "Lacks focus."
Algebra: 94, "Satisfactory Achievement."
Phys Ed: 86, "Satisfactory Achievement."
Liv.Environment: 77, "Good effort, keep trying."
English: 65, "Shows Improvement."
Studio In Art: 90, "Good work, a pleasure to teach your child."

So...I don't have to kill him...yet. What striked me is the obvious: 94 in friggin' Algebra, yet 65 in English. Granted, it IS honors English, but whatthefuck??? Shows he can do well when he chooses to. Thank GOD, after his shit progress report, he pulled out of it.

LOTS of work, of which only I'm aware. And you, of course, but I think you get the point. My "family," has the luxury of judging from afar, while doing...ummm...what's that word: oh yes, NOTHING.

Core training tonight-might stick around for boot camp. Chase away the feeling of loss/empty nest w/o Stoney there. Know I'll miss the lil' fucker.

day 121

what a difference a day makes!!!

After what could only be qualified as one of the shittiest days in history, we have ourselves a new day!!!! YAY!

STILL haven't worked out yesterday's shit from my system, but gotta get used to it as a warmup for Christmas. You KNOW that one'll be rough.

St.Francis this am, if I fucking hobbled I hadda. PERFECT morning, cool, crisp, 48 degs-long sleeved shirt, shorts, gloves. Didn't really need the gloves, but beats split skin.

Thanksgiving day? Still dunno. But, it WON'T totally suck. If nothing else, as a payback, I'll make it a good day.

this just in

guess where Stoney's going for Thanksgiving??? Hint: I get to take care of the house, I pay the bills, I do the laundry, I care for a dog I didn't want, so...Thanksfuckinggiving??? My brother. Yes kiddies, Stoney's going Wednesday night to spend the day with my brother. Amazing.Utterly amazing.

Shebitch gets to play poor victim, being the recipient of sympathy and being waited on hand and foot. Brother who judges yet has no children of his own, takes away my son for one of the two most important days of the year.

Well, shit on me.

day 120

just freakin' great.

Rough night, Stoney spent the weekend @ his brotherfromanothermothers. In other words: stayed up too late, ate crap. Ok, it IS childhood after all. BUT, like most things, I get to do the cleanup. Brings us to last night. Typical. Earaches, can't sleep, coldy, achy, in other words: run down. So, guess who get to clean up the mess? Hint "It's my job," thanks Jimmy Buffett. How I wish there was someone to help.

I threatened him with death: "If you have a fever, you stay home. Get your ass in gear, get to school." I'm on the ellip @ the Y, killing time before boot camp, when...I get texted "dad, come get me." I call the nurse, repeats the symptoms, says what I said "He doesn't have a fever." I let some time pass, he texts me "come get me." FUCK!!! I can't even friggin' workout!!!!!!!!!!!! The time was 9:20, broke every speed limit, entered the school (CLEAN fucking place), signed him out, drove him home, was STILL back @ the Y by 10 to do 30 mins ellip, then boot camp-GREAT class!!!

For those of you have no one, who have no one to look after besides yourselves: be grateful. For those of you who have someone, someone to help shoulder the load, be grateful. I'm all alone in this and it SUCKS. Thanksgiving is coming and I'm grateful for ME. That's right, for ME. If it wasn't for ME, there would be no house, no discipline for Stoney, no benefits for Shebitch. Fuck her. Pray It dies. Totally useless. Left us a world of shit here. Took away our shared friends, set my family against me. Fuck her.

Happy goddamned thanksgiving. Fuck me.

day 119

WOW!!!

WHAT a BEAUTIFL DAY!!! Thank G I had a race planned. Would'a either been golf or this, and glad I chose this. Although, considering where the race was, it was a bit of best of both worlds.

First time this one was held, @ the Town of Oyster Bay Gold Course. What the fuck? I play there, may as well run there. WOW!!! My only claim to fame: I didn't walk it!!! Amazing how perspective changes. When you golf, the course looks completely different. Running it was a BITCH, yet, peeps claim Alley Pond is more difficult. I quite disagree. Bottom line: the knee held, I'm ok on hilly 5k's.

Manana, off. Boot Camp @ the gym.

day 118

seemed like a good idea @ the time.

AP had their Back Alley 5k today, I hadda pass-5k manana, and with the bad knee, can't chance a cross country the day before a hilly race. So...what did I do?

First went to the Back Alley to be with the peeps. Was WONDERFUL. Not ONE of the Quantumbrickfeetwell peeps-did THEY boycott????? But plenty of people showed. Perfect day for a race too, 45 degs, cool for standing, great for running. And with the turnout-if you showed up, you had a pretty good chance of placing. Nice. Great people.

So...how did I make up for not running? Hockey. Dumbass. What's one of the worst things you can do with a bad knee (be on a hard surface) let alone arthritis (be on a hard COLD surface), but hey, I didn't run! Helluva good time. Kept up my record of most penalty minutes (in a friendly scrimmage mind you ;) ).

Wrapped up the day by seeing Blind Side. made up for the New Moon CRAP. Did I mention New Moon IS CRAP????? Blind Side= excellent.

day 117

so...day off...what to do...what to do...? Boot Camp!!!

The Core Training instructor does this boot camp class, is always trying to talk me into attending, but it's bad enough I leave Stoney alone on Wednesday nights 'til 8 pm, later would be wrong, so I can't make it. With today as an off day, I attended. It was GREAT!!! Used the exercise ball for the first time in a long time, REALLY worked the abs and total body. REALLY a good class. Off Monday too, maybe I'll mosey on over.

Good thing I did. Got home, got a call from Stoney's school: he missed first period (overslept). Ok, I can understand. But THEN, he didn't have his signed weekly progress report. I went FUCKING BALLISTIC. Actually shoved him, I was totally livid. He's spending the weekend @ his brotherfromanothermother's. Good. Space is needed. I really lit into him. i.e. if he lost the sheet, he has a buttload of looseleaf. If he was hell bent on getting it signed, he could've improvised. I'm REALLY pissed. BUT, again, God is there, in the midst of all this, Tom calls. Told him he just assisted in averting a homicide. Thank G. AND, going for the jugular, Stoney utters "even Hulk doesn't wanna be here." THAT hurt.

Yin to my Yang. THEN, Snaggletooth/Lisa wanders over asking how Shebitch is. When I say, "How is she??? I don't even know WHERE is she." Lisa starts spouting something about "that's why....." right. Like I need the opinion of an agoraphobic addict, the UNASKED FOR opinion. Back to your cave, back to your drugs.

At least I got an ab workout in the midst of all this crap.

*****New Moon: SUCKS. Mopey emo caucasian crap. Pure DRECK. DO NOT see this film. don't say I didn't warn you.

day 116

Back to the grind!

Core training again last night, St.Francis this am. Felt amazing. Sore, but amazing.

Truly felt as though I'd lsot my focus- I HAD. Between doing ab work last night and my stomping grounds this am, I feel amazingly better.

Change is good?

day 115

ANOTHER gorgeous day. Getting over the "I'd give my eyeteeth to run" phase, settling in to rehab resignation. If this is what I gotta do to recover, so be it. A weekend warrior.

Peaceful evening yesterday. I was awaiting Stoney's homecoming, he walks in the door and announces his desire for pizza. No. Nope. Nunh unh. No friggin' way. He has a bad habit of wanting and not finishing, i.e. if we order a pie, he'd damned bloody well better eat it. Of course, the dog ends up getting half. So, negative there. Tonight I do core training, usually pickup Subway, so I offered that, knowing tonight I'd have to cook. He went for it, with one wrinkle...take a second...guess. His fave...Taco Bell. Ok, six of one, half dozen of the other. Pain in the nuts for me: I gotta come home tonight, later than usual, and cook, but whatthefuck. It's an investment in my son. Can't fight that :) .

day 114

Clint and I.....

Clint Eastwood revealed one of his secrets to staying fit: ellip 30 mins daily. My man!!! KNEW I was on track (forgive the pun).

This weather is rockin'!!!! KILLS me that I gotta chillax with the knee, but I'm overcompensating in other ways: raked the backyard, cleaning my house. What a lovely feeling.

Then...(insert theme from Jaws), It called. SHIT!!! "I'll be here for a few extra days...." I responded: I didn't ask. And hung up.

My tranquil home will again be shipwrecked. SHIT.

Gotta enjoy it while I can. Quality time with Stoney, sitting down for dinner every night, reviewing his homework, paying bills, no debts, sleeping through the night rather than be awakened by a psychotic UberBitch. It's wonderful. For now.

***make sure you check the newest pix below, I'm very happy with the club.

day 113

YAYYY!!! Paid off the Amex 2 weeks ago, Visa last week, this am: Mastercard is no more!!!!! I'm FREE! What a great feeling.

Posted Mustang Pix below.

day 112

I'm BAAAAAACK!!!

Did the Mineola Mustang. Flat, nice 5k, too many turns but hey-we ARE runners thus, impossible to please.

Good news: the knee held up. Thanks G!!! Reaffirms my suspicion: hills-not so good, flat-gooder.

LOTS of Striders, was good to hang with the peeps-esp some who normally don't do races. It wasn't about placing, obviously. It WAS about being there; SOME local clubs haven't gotten that message yet. Pity, their loss.

Lots of pix, I'll post manana. For now, feel centered. It's wonderful!!!

day 111

starting to LIKE rain-prevents me from raking leaves/stepping in the backyard dogshit.

Spin class this am, 5k manana, so, gotta take is EASY, like it or not. NOW the left knee is hurtin'. Sympathy pains???

Took Stoney to see 2012 yesterday-spent half the flick texting. I HATE that. Explained to him how inappropriate it was, and how if he did it again, stay the fuck home. Either be fully present or not.

day 110

(Autism 4m Run pix added, see bottom)

Rainy, 45 ish, grey, good day to pull up the covers. Really owe God one on this, makes it easier to NOT run.

Went to the job, pouring rain/wind, they claim it's the tail end of Hurricane_______ (whatever), they always say this crap: "a Noreaster..." if we ever faced a real one our roofs would blow off.

So, hit the job, checked to make sure all was cool, then went back home to pick up Keith. Now, I hit the job, touched base, nailed down loose ends, and was STILL home by 6:30 am. Love it.

Figured with the crap weather, give him a surprise. He's used to walking to and from school (poor abused child), but I figured, do the lil' fucker a solid. Good thing I did, he overslept, had 5 mins to get to school-one class is giving him shit so he's going for extra help. He called his peep, who met us @ home, I drove 'em. Felt great.
Makes up for not running I hope.

With the week @ an end, it feels good. For the past 3 weeks, I've successfully paid off all debts, assured Stoney had normalcy, did the laundry/shopping/bill paying. Restored the dining room table to its status as a dining room table-not a clotheshorse-we actually...what's that word.....eat "dinner" there-no more nightly taco bell/fast food @ 11 pm. How lovely. And best of ALL, no screaming, yelling, fighting. How lovely to actually review Stoney's homework WITHOUT psychobitch behind him shrieking. I could get used to this.

Gone are the piles of clothes everywhere, gone is the clutter and "hoarder" type crap that resulted in the pix below. I really like where I live-more so with Stoney living normally. THIS is what it's all about.

day 109

nice day to chillax, but work bekons. Grey, 47 degs-GREAT running weather, but...(heavy sigh) not to be.

Elliped this am, STILL not as good as a run, but keeps one from totally losing it.

Days like this hurt. LOTS of fun yesterday, but again, it all falls on me. Times like this make it tough to tow the line, i.e. Stoney's stuck @ his computer 'til 10 minutes after bedtime, I get to play badguy. In the process, he whines about the dog refusing to come in. Of course @ this point I remind him of who wanted the dog, yet never walks him, rather, throws him into the backyard I mow, yet they that wanted the beast never clean up after it.

Imagine being charged with working for a living, add to this home maintenance, bill paying, child rearing, entertainment director. Yes, it is very difficult. And throughout all this, It calls repeatedly like a fly on the wall-critiquing everything/subverting all efforts, while bringing absolutely nothing to the table.

day 108

good day, a very good day.

Started off not so promising, light rain. SHIT. No golf. But...check the pc, check the weather, google some info...and......off to the mean, wicked, ugly city. YAY!!!!

Stoney and dad off to NYC. What to do, what to do??? The Pond!!! We went skating. In Bryant Park, where they have the summer concerts for GMA, they put up a rink every year, surrounded by kiosks vending crap you don't really want/but looks way cool. He did well, only fell once. Couldn't find my skates under all the crap in the garage, but rented a pair, dull blades, but whatthehell. It worked. We had fun. Then, off to catch a flick. Precious. WOW. We went to the AMC 25, where, considering the movie this shouldn't have been a surprise, there were more B.P.S.I. (black per square inch) than we'd ever seen.

Jumped on the 3:55, home by 4:30. Gave Stoney his meds (still has a bit of a cold), then off to the Y. Core Training. With the gimpy leg, HADDA do something. Felt good. Stopped by Subway, got Stoney his usual, home by 8.

A wonderful day indeed. Now the nagging question: why can't Shebitch do this sorta crap with Stoney? Whether It's in house or M.I.A., it all falls on me. THAT is tough, having to do everythint from soup to nuts. But well worth it.

day 107

ok so far. Stoney made it to school. I'll take it. Not feeling 100%, but whaddya expect from a person who never exercises nor ate veggies 'til recently.

Another day off the bad knee, not getting any easier-especially with this killer weather, but beats the shit outta being crippled. The ellip will havta suffice.

MAJOR victory!!! I am now 100% debt free. Paid off the AMEX. I'm now a free man. Feels amazing.

day 106

ok, so far so...what??? It's KILLING me that I gotta rest the leg, but my knee can't take too much more. GOD I miss my daily run. Perhaps manana.

Stoney hadda stay home from school. Whenever this happens I feel like a total failure. I know shit happens, but this kills me. So, being a guy, gotta take action. This came in the form of: vegetables. He's gonna eat a veg per dinner if it kills me. Today: corn. It was deeeelish. Manana, tomatoes-it IS a vegetable, despite what Reagan said.

day 105

we did it!!!

With a minimum of crap (though, again, using the cane), finished the race. Was ok until hills, going UP was painful. BUT, didn't walk an inch. Dunno if my pace was what most would call "running," but I didn't walk any of it-and THIS was a tough course. Was mid pack re: The Wearers of The Green, mid pack re: overall finishers as well. REALLY killing me now, but I'll recover. I hope. Or not.

THANK GOD Stoney texted me. The weather is GORGEOUS, so he finally got off his ass and went to play with his friends. I took the time to rake the front lawn-friggin' leaves!!! But it's ok, felt good nontheless to be vertical. Tomorrow I'll hate myself but today, I finished what I started. Nice to see my Long Island peeps also. Wish I could'a stuck around longer @ the end but the pain was too great. Hadda boogie.

day 104

***MORE pix of The Big One. See below. Thanks Elik.

Went to AP, connected with the peeps, many NOT there, doing the Autism run manana. Saw Pret's car, must'a been doing a long run (JOIN the club already!!!). NOW I get it. Wasn't running, wasn't walking, actually went to see my peeps. Odd that.

BEAUTIFUL day-meaning-of course Stoney was still in his pj's when I got home (2pm). Tough life.

Let's pray the leg hold out for manana. If not, shoot me.

day 103

one more day of rest and then we'll see wassup. Either I run or shoot me.

Baby steps: explained to Keith the necessity of making the bed BEFORE you leave the house in the am (as opposed to Fiddler Crabbing it at night). FINALLY he made the bed, AND he called to say he was playing handball with friends. Before he couldn't understand how I needed to know where he was. Thank GOD he's learning.

MORE leap of faith related issues remember Stan's meltdown? Well, he spoke @ the meeting last night, more to get him off my back than anything. And, though he droned on for WAY too long and I was aching to get back home, he was VERY good. Spoke of his involvement in the civil rights movement. Wow. Helluva story. Unfortunately, some of the bigger assholes in our club heard he was speaking and didn't show. NOT cool people. So much for trust, extending olive branches. Thankfully, he didn't take it to heart. Props to you Stan.

God bless Elik, thanks to him, pix of The Big One down below. Don't laugh.

day 102

(funny how your mood suffers when you DON'T run)

This HAS been a shit year. Gots'ta get better.

The ONE thing I most look forward to sucked, Shebitch is MIA-dunno what hospital (don't wanna) don't know if It'll live or die, I became officially a single parent, this goes on...

And it wouldn't matter worth a shit if I could run. DAYUM!!!

Last night was supposed to go to Core Training, but with tonight's bored/membership meeting, couldn't leave Stoney unattended for 2 consecutive evenings. I had told him if he went anywhere after school to give me a call. I'm home, dinner waiting, he's mia. I went BALLISTIC. For THIS I missed the ONE fucking thing I do for me??????? And yes, I let him know it. He's not only on the shit list, he IS the shit list. I explained that what had been asked of him was minimal, that his responsibilities @ home are likewise minimal, so he was in deep shit. I explained I'm responsible for him, that I must know where he is-especially in light of his herbal tendencies.

After all this was explained, you KNOW his response "whatever." Wrong answer. I went NUTS. Not explosive, but in a Clint Eastwood way. He's on deep freeze.

Fuck me. One fucking peaceful moment. Instead, every moment I spend away from him, I worry (try doing a marathon with THAT on your mind "I should be home, I should be home...")

day 101

yay!!! I wasn't last!

STILL adjusting to dragging a leg for 6 miles. BUT, there's ALWAYS good news: there WAS a Strider behind me. God bless him, AND he was 39!!! What slays me is my lats year's time-my benchmark, 4:28, was easily within reach this year, and would'a put me in mid-Wearers of the Green pack. DAYUM!!!

AND, adding insult to injury, the weather this week is gorgeous!!! SHIT.

It is what it is, gotta suck it up.

Went to see Where the Wild Things Are. I was disappointed. dunno exactly why, but I expected more.

Must be my mind set, wanna get this crap behind me asap.

day 100

ok, settling into the shit time. Of course this is exacerbated by peeps good wishes, you can tell they're trying, but truth is-a shit time is a shit time-injury or no. I am sooooooo content that I didn't bail. My only reassurance. This, of course, is counterbalanced by the fact that e mail is circulating re: club results, I'm right there...at the bottom. And what SUCKS is I could've been in the middle. More accomplished/faster runners have a slower time than I did last year, THAT year was my benchmark. But, it is what it is.

My other reassurance is the split time revealed I came in @ mile 15 @ 2:48. That was pre-injury. I could'a repeated last year. Oh well. I finished. Good.

Now, the rest, THIS is the only part that sucks worse than my time. BEAUTIFUL weather all week, and I'm pinned. It is what it is.

Laughlin hit it on the head: for a club like ours, having 14 do this thing was a friggin' miracle. We're amazing.

For they that don't get it good, they shouldn't.

For us that do: we need to wallow in it. EVERYTHING can be seen through marathon eyes. "tortoise vs.hare," "don't ever quit," etc...

Again, I'm impressed not only with our club, but New York itself. Running this one, you really DO feel as though you own the city. The cheers of the NYFD "We can walk faster than you're running," THAT busted my gut, bless 'em. The NYPD shakin' it to the beat in Brooklyn, the children holding out their hands.....wow.

day 99

...the morning after.

Great words of encouragement from the peeps. Unfortunately, my time SUCKED, unofficial: 5:14. BUT, (and everything after "but" is bullshit), I didn't d.n.f., as badly as I wanted to/should have. Walking with a cane now. Stoney's finding it hilarious. Good. Now I'm screwed, gotta do it again to beat this fiasco.

Tom called, bless him, to make Boston he'd have needed 3:35. SHIT.

The Big One '09

DONE!!!!! And @ quite a price.

Woke up this am, light rain, so far so good. "They" predicted it would stop by racetime-we'll see. Got to Runner's Edge, rain allllllmost over-spritzing. Wipers on on the bus on the way. Tom and I hooked up, on the bus, chattering.

Get to the start, Tom had bogarted some hazmat suits from his gig, perfect, they were like Union Suits/Farmer Johns-with booties and one zipper. Perfect. Identical to what I refer to as the "raisin suit," but one piece rather than 2. So, we get to the Fort, grab some grub, grab a spot. Who do we run into, Elik and Len. Cool!!!

We camp out, making fast friends with the peeps leaning on the ground/against the same tree. Part of what makes this soooo cool. 5 bagels and 2 power bars later, time to get into corrals. I forgot ONE crucial thing, but we'll get to THAT later.

The start was the usual NYRR logistics miracle-VERY well done. Though the "Blue corral wave 3, orange corral wave 2" shit mystified me. For the first time I was on the upper level of the Verrazano. Cool! I had the AP singlet and short, under a 4x windbreaker, under the hazmat suit. Perfect as the upper level was windy. But we were warm. Thanks Tom!!!

Tore off the hazmat suit as I was 100m from the starting line, over the bridge, through SI, through Brooklyn, through Queens and...and...The Peeps!!!!! COOL!!! Thank GOD they were there. They'll NEVER know how important they were. Here I am, single parent, feeling utterly alone, and there they were. Made my day!!! (that, and, for SOME reason, the Bronx ALWAYS has great tunes, last year was "let's go crazy-Prince," this year "Hero, Foo Fighters." (the year before "No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn."). Way to go Bronx!!!

Mile 20/21, the wheels came off in the form of a blown right knee. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought I fractured it, but it's merely arthritis manifesting itself in one of those "why the HELL do I do marathons" injuries. I'd pulled off to use a port-a-tree, when I turned around, BOOM! Couldn't put ANY weight on my right knee. And only 5/6 miles to go. SHIT!!! Here's where things got interesting, also, what I alluded to earlier. What's the ONE thing I do prerace I didn't today...right: IbuFUCKINGprofen. And I paid a price. I was running strong 'til 20/21, could'a done my last year's pace easily, but FUCK!!!

So, how'd I finish??? The crowd. Pure and simple. @ one point tears were streaming down my face, the crowd saw it, all I heard was "Alley Pond" and "you can do this." Bless them. Total strangers filling in for what I lack @ home. Bless them.

THEN, the WORST, TRYING to get outta Central Park. Truly, if this shit continues I'm not doing this next year. They INSIST on one exit, dunno why. There I am, dragging-literally-my right leg, the Army guys and medics offering to carry me, and we can't get outta the fucking park, except to be funnelled through like cattle. Ridiculous.

But, finish I did, with alot of support. ALOT of support!!!

Highlights: hooking up with Tina, Katey, and Tom, entering Ft.Wadsworth together. VERY neat. Seeing the Wearers of the Green (looked for College Point and the Teambrickquantumwell peeps-didn't see any of them), talking with fellow runners. Lowlights: blowing out my right knee, limping outta Central Park.

Thank you my peeps, thank you New York. You made me.

day 98

So, brother and his wife picked up Stoney to see Sybil, Stoney touched base, then headed to a Halloween party. Cool ! "And there'll be GIRLS!!!" Cute bastard. "Black girls!" The kid's a pisser.

Light, very light rain now, good. Hopefully the same front that delayed the World Series will be the one that was s'posed to dampen us this am. Only prob: you KNOW Fortt Wadsworth'll be a mud pit. Oh well....