Photo’s for this run can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooklynbeast/sets/72157623365883552/

On Sunday, January 31 about 30 runners set out for a run around the circumference of Manhattan Island, in celebration of the life of Ted Corbett, one of the pioneers of ultra-running.  I won’t provide details or Ted’s life here, suffice it to say there is plenty of information about him out on the Internet and anyone who is interested in knowing about him can easily look him up online.  However, the run around Manhattan Island sounded like a lot of fun and I wanted to join in the festivities.

I travelled up to East 97^th Street and West End Avenue with my friend @aristorat to meet all of the other runners at Dave’s house.  Dave was the official organizer of the event and said a few brief words about Ted.  He explained how Ted would regularly do the run we are about to do as a normal training run and would often run the loop twice in one day.  We all marveled at the resilience of the man who was a true legend in ultrarunning.  Dave also went on to introduce a member of a local Korean Running Club who was getting ready for a run across the United States for a charity.  I can’t remember which, but if I do, I’ll come back here and post the information.

After a few group photos at the start we all headed out to Riverside Drive for the run up to the northern most part of Manhattan.  A steady wind was blowing against us and the temperature was around 15 degrees.  No one seemed to mind it though as we were all properly dressed.  My face did sting for the first few minutes while my skin got acclimated to the cold.

The run north to the George Washington Bridge is basically flat, with some small hills to get around construction along the Hudson River Greenway.  I stopped under the GWB to get a picture of the Little Red Lighthouse.  I would have liked to take more pictures along the way, but unfortunately, the group wasn’t waiting around for the picture takers and I didn’t want to lose the group.  Also, it was a little too cold to be without gloves on for long.  Every time I tried to take a picture, my hands would completely freeze and become very uncomfortable.

Once past the GWB we continued north up past Fort Tyron Park and the Cloisters.  We didn’t go in there, but one day I should return and perhaps run through that park.  There are some good hills inside it.  We continued north until we got to the northern most part of Manhattan.  I’ve never been here before and you could hardly believe you were on the same island that calls itself the Big Apple.  It was very rural and the trestle bridge crossing from the northern tip of Manhattan into the Bronx looked like something you would see out on a bayou.    We headed east for another couple of miles and made our first stop at a place called Twin Donuts.  This was around the 8 mile mark.  I had a cup of hot chocolate, mostly to warm up my hands and to give myself some cheap calories.  I felt like the quick sugar rush from some simple carbohydrates.  I did have some Hammer Gel at this point for some more consistent fueling and I think the combination worked out nicely.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to hug the water as we made our way around the northern end of Manhattan and began to turn our way south.  It was a lot of street running for the next 8 miles, some of it was on the NYC Marathon course.  At some point an old time and fantastic ultra runner named Bob Vogel and I got separated from the lead pack.  I’ve run with Bob in several races in the past and he is very good company to run with.  He was an encyclopedia of knowledge regarding various landmarks in NYC, pointing out various Museums that are must sees, to the hotel that Castro stayed at in Harlem when he was here to speak to the UN all those years ago.  It was easy keeping company with him and the fact that we were at least 10 minutes behind the lead pack did not bother me at all.

Eventually we caught up with the group at a bagel store on York Avenue and 86^th Street.  We caught the tail end of the rest stop, but I was able to get some water and ate a Snickers bar I carried with me along with some Hammer Gel.  I wasn’t really hungry during the run, which I took as a good sign that I was running efficiently and using my energy stores appropriately.  Once we left the bagel store, we started to make our way south and east towards the river.  It felt good to get off the city streets and hug the island as was the intention of this run.  Hopefully, one day NYC will complete the greenway completely around Manhattan.

The East River Greenway ends at around 53^rd Street until it picks up again at around 34^th Street.  Once we got back on it at 34^th Street, I started running with @aristorat and we began a steady tempo pace down the east side.  We ran this way past the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges and finally took a rest break just south of the Brooklyn Bridge to wait for the main pack to catch up with us.  It really felt good to be able to pick up the pace for several miles after you have already gone marathon distance.   The pack caught up to us within a few minutes and then we headed on to the next official rest stop at the South Street Ferry Terminal.  At each of our stops the cameras of the various runners came out and we recruited various tourists and NYC citizens to take pictures of our group.  Most of them couldn’t believe we were running around the island of Manhattan.  Stories were told to each other of doing ultra runs in Central Park with the participants being thought of as NYC wiseasses, when they responded they were doing a 50 mile run in the park.  Most people can’t believe the distances that ultra runners do regularly.

After we left the ferry terminal, we were on our final leg home up the West Side Highway Greenway and back to 97^th Street.  It was here that I had a couple of Forest Gump moments.  I was running out in front of the pack, on a long and straight stretch of road, with the sun setting on the horizon.  I kept reflecting pack to the scene in the movie where Forest is running and all of his followers were trailing behind him.  It was an odd, yet very good feeling.  Once I got up into Riverside Park, I was kind of ready for the run to be over.  I was very hungry and thirsty by now, but didn’t want to stop to eat and drink.  I only had a couple of miles left, but I was going to get in a bad state quickly if I didn’t, so I had a gel and the last few ounces of water that I carried with me.  It gave me enough of a boost to run through the 70’s, 80’s and in what felt like no time, out of the park, onto the streets and then a quick right onto 97^th Street to the finish.

All totaled about half the group finished the run, which I am told is the largest finishing group for this unofficial event ever.  I was really glad that I was a part of it and happy to have learned a new running route around Manhattan.  I think the next time I do it, I will extend the route from home.  This should give me a nice route of 45 miles.  Perfect distance for training for the Vermont 100 Miler this summer.

Well it was not quite a triple half marathon, but almost.  I ran 36 total miles and would have gone the 39.3 to make it a triple, but my running partner didn’t see the appeal of going for that distance so I just went home as my odometer clicked 36 about a block from home.  All summed up it was a beautiful day.  Here is the day’s recap.

My friends @aristorat, RY and one other got started at 5:30am under the cover of darkness.  This was the second year in a row for us to run to the Manhattan Half Marathon (MHM) and the conditions this year was a vast improvement over the previous.  The temps were in the 40’s under an overcast sky as opposed to 14 degrees from the previous.

I wasn’t sure how I would do this year.  As I’ve been mentioning, I’ve been fighting injury and malaise and don’t have any sort of training distance in me to warrant attempting a 25-35 mile run.  However, I was in the right frame of mind, so I figured I would give it a go.  RY set out on a moderate pace from the start and I asked him to back it down a notch.  I was going to play the run conservative and I was not going to expend a lot of energy so early in the day.  He was agreeable to running slower and from hence forth we set out comfortably into Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge.  We ran to 12^th Street and 4^th Avenue and took our first rest break in a Starbucks.

I took the rest break opportunity to shed some clothes as I was over dressed.  RY and his friend took off from @aristorat and me since they still had to pick up race numbers.  @aristorat and I used the bathrooms, had some water and then set off for Central Park.  Along the way I ran past my work office.  I wanted to see the distance from home as I soon plan to start running home from there.  I am happy that it is a respectable 8 miles which would make a good daily workout, a more pleasant commute and a time saver to boot.  Commuting to work by foot or bike is a good way to save money, get exercise and have a reliable method of transportation.

We ran another 2 miles from my office into Central Park for the start of the MHM.  We got there with approximately 20 minutes to spare, so instead of running some more we just had some water, snacks and relaxed on a bench.  The 20 minutes zipped by though and soon enough we were off running.  @aristorat set out on a more aggressive pace than I was able to maintain and after 2 miles I had to let him go.  The MHM is over two loops of Central Park.  I will admit that the first loop was a bit of a struggle.  However, just as I was finishing the first loop, I took a Hammer Gel and by the 7 mile I was feeling much better.  My pace improved and I had a new found energy.  In fact I negative split the race.

I had a nice runner’s high by the time I finished and I felt good enough to run home.  Had I not felt good enough to run home, my fall back plan was to join fellow running and tweeter @BklynRunner for brunch nearby.  I found @aristorat and RY at the finish of the race and I talked them into at least stopping by the brunch location so I could say hello and meet @BklynRunner.  It turns out that I knew one of her friends, the tough as nails runner @cdopher.  When we met up with the brunch crowd we were at 25 total miles.  Everyone was amazed at the amount of miles we were running, but honestly it is nothing once you put the training in.  We didn’t stay for long and soon set out for the West Side Highway for the trip south to the Brooklyn Bridge.

The run along the WSH was pleasant and uneventful.  We made a couple of stops along the way for water and bathrooms, but otherwise held a steady pace until the Brooklyn Bridge.  There we came across our usual Hot Dog Cart Vendor and bought some water and chatted a bit.  People say that my friends and I are hard core for running the distances we do in all many of weather.  I’ll tell you what though, being a Hot Dog Cart vendor on the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge throughout the year is hard core.

The run over the bridge was pretty as always, but also filled with oblivious tourists with which you have to dodge and weave between.  It’s a pain in the ass to run over, but the view makes up for it.  Once off the bridge, it was through the neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Park Slope and then into Prospect Park.  I always love saying that I ran in NYC’s two great parks in the same day.  I tried to talk @aristorat into going for a loop of Prospect Park to complete the triple, but he was having none of it.  I thought of calling another friend to talk him into going a few miles with me, but as we exited the park my odometer turned 36 miles and I was only a block or so from home.  I decided to just end the run and call it a day.

I am very happy with my effort and I am still riding the endorphin high from it.  I have no idea where the strength came from to do such a run, especially since I have had nowhere near the training miles necessary to put in a marathon effort, much less an effort of 36 miles.  @aristorat tells me that the strength has always been inside me, built up from the number of years Ironman training.  I just have to get my mind out of the way to release the inner Beast inside me.  If it wasn’t for the mind, just give the body some fuel and you can probably go on forever.

Next up is a 32 mile run around the circumference of Manhattan on January 31.  I am really looking forward to that.  It is a run I’ve always wanted to do.

Since my last post, I’ve been running strong with the exception of 1/11 – 1/15.  The plantar fasciitis in my left foot had been acting up again so I saw my podiatrist to get a cortisone injection.   I had to take off for that week to let the injection settle in and let some of the swelling go down.  A cortisone injection is possibly not the best thing in the world, but it takes the pain away and allows me to run.  If only I would stretch and ice my foot, perhaps the condition would go away.

Unfortunately, Beast Jr has been sick over these past few weeks.  He has come down with a general malaise and is nauseous and with a headache all of the time.  So there has been no running together with him.  So far the doctors are befuddled.  He goes for a second blood test today to rule out more illnesses.  It is weighing on my mind and I wish he would get better.  I want my blossoming running partner back.

Recently, I’ve been talking to someone about our motivations that keep us working out.  One of these motivations is anger, the need to work out the frustration caused by third parties or outside influences.  This motivation has been used through the ages.  I remember as a kid the coaches telling us to vision an older sibling, a parent, teacher or anyone else that we are mad at.  This definitely works and can help us achieve a higher level of fitness and skill than ordinary desire alone.  However, I don’t think it can sustain you long term; although the short term can actually be quite a few years.  Eventually anger burns you out and you need to find some other sort of motivation.  Like a fire though, anger can always come back, igniting once again to get you working out with vigor.

Lately, I’ve been motivated to work out from several factors.  The first and possibly most important is that it is feeling good again (except of course for the plantar fasciitis which feels awful).  Another is a small undercurrent of anger I have in regards to the situation that I find myself in (however, that is off topic and will not be discussed here) and third is a new found support from quarters that I had not expected to receive.  The combination is making me feel good again and desirous to go out and put in the miles.  I guess it is a healthy combination of all three factors that one really needs to keep a person going.  Hopefully this will last for me throughout the year.

It’s been 10 days into the New Year and my goal of running 2010 miles in 2010 is going strong.  I am at exactly 57 miles thus far, which is two miles ahead of schedule.  Today, on the 10^th of January, I set out to run 11 miles.  I figured I needed that much so I could take tomorrow off, but after running only 9 miles, I was close to home and just decided to stop.  When I checked my yearly distance later on I discovered that I had 57 miles on the year.

I think this is a fitting number.  The route I took today is what I call The Big A Memorial run.  It takes me into Greenwood Cemetery so I can visit my father’s final resting place.  My father considered his lucky number to be 57, so I think it wasn’t an accident that on this day, the day my father died (it’s his 1 year anniversary up in the big casino in the sky today) my total yearly mileage turned out to be that number.

Lately, I’ve been having some very vivid dreams.  Several of them have been about my Grandmother, the mother of my father.  I don’t think I’ve ever dreamed about her before and we weren’t particularly close, so I find that she should be appearing in my dreams somewhat interesting.  I can’t remember exactly what the dreams were about, but I am sure in one of them it concerned making sure I finished all of my food.  Maybe it’s her way of telling me to make sure I finish my goal of running 2010 miles this year.

So yes, I am going strong.  I have some outside influences keeping me motivated and I am once again looking forward to running.  The only thing I have to be careful about is staying injury free.  I am battling Plantar Fasciitis and if I am not careful, I will become crippled from it.  I’ve already learned that applying denial to an injury doesn’t work.

So the 2009 holiday season has come and gone and another year had begun.  I finished the 2009 with 1167 running miles.  I will not even mention my swim and bike miles since they are absolutely nothing to speak of.  The only training goal I am setting for 2010 is to run 2010 miles.  It is a lofty goal, but one that I think I should be able to achieve. 

It is already 7 days past the New Year as I write this, but I feel it bears documenting how the New Year went.  So far it has started well.  On New Year’s Eve I got my last run of 2009; a strong 7.5 miles.  I then spent a few hours with my good friend Aristorat at our local pub recounting how 2009 was not one of the better years of our lives and how we made the most out of some difficult situations.  I’ve talked about them ad-infinitem and I have no desire to go back into again on this new year.  We remembered our loved one’s past and toasted towards having a more joyous 2010.  After we left our pub, I then headed with my family to another friends house to boil meat in a vat of boiling oil.  It’s a yearly tradition and it was a pleasurable way to kill off 2009.

New Year’s Day started with a successful 6.6 mile run with Aristorat.  We did what we call The Big A Memorial Run.  This is a run around Greenwood Cemetery in which we stop inside to visit my father.  I asked Dad to watch over me and my family in 2010 and told him I hope he is having a good time up in Heaven.  I am sure he is playing cards, betting on the horses, at the Craps table and chasing women.   I wish I was half the man he was.

After the run, Aristorat and I quickly went home to prepare for the annual Polar Bear plunge into the Atlantic Ocean in Coney Island.  Beast Jr was joining me for the 2^nd year in a row, although I will admit he was a little bit more nervous about it this year than last.  It was very cold last year and I think he was afraid of the suffering that would be involved after he came out of the water, based on his past experience.  He is a trooper though and plunged right in without hesitation.  Aristorat and I met our usual crew, which included our good friend Willie.  This day would be the last time we see Willie for quite some time as he is about to ship off to Afghanistan.  There was a lot to be said about this, but I think everyone was afraid to vocalize it.  We all know what we are thinking.  I pray that he will come back home safely and in one piece. 

Also at the Polar Bear dip was my friend @Brujitalinda.  I don’t get to see her often enough and it was a sincere pleasure to see her in her usual skimpy Polar Bear outfit.  I tried talking her into coming back with us for some Hot Toddies and Chile, but she was having no part of it.  One of these year’s I’ll get her to go.

The 2^nd day of the year I spent skiing with my children and a friend of my daughter’s.  We went to Mohawk Mountain up in the middle of Connecticut.  I hadn’t been on the slopes in exactly 1 year 3 days, but my skiing legs held true and I managed not to fall at all.  My quads felt a little tired as I went down the hills, but I attributed that to being out of shape more than being tired from any running I was doing as of late.  It was a long day of driving and skiing and by the time we got home I was ready for bed.  Having taken the 2^nd day of the year off from running, I was already putting myself in a deficit for my 2010 mileage goal for the year.

On Sunday, the 3^rd, I ran with Aristorat and we did the 2 Bridge run.  This is a run over the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.  It was cold and windy and we encountered several periods of snow along the way.  I was a little nervous about doing the run as I hadn’t run this far in quite a while and I was coming off of 4 days of decent athletic activity – one of these days which included a double; a 2am drunken run through Prospect Park, followed by a 7pm longish run around Prospect Park on the same day.  However, I was successful in completing the 12.1 mile run; I appear to have broken through my malaise.

I took off Monday, the 4^th of January from running since I was crippled with a stunning migraine headache.  However on the 5^th and 6^th days of the year I ran 7.7 miles and 7 miles respectively.  This put me exactly even with the number of miles I need to run per day (5.5) in order to meet my 2010 running goal.  I am a little tired tonight, Thursday the 6^th, but I am going to go out an attempt the run.  I usually go out with a friend for some libations on Thursday evenings, but I am psyched about my newfound running vigor.  I want to keep my momentum going.  I’ll report back later how I’ve done. – I ran 7 miles…

Sometimes I feel as though I am on the verge of greatness, that something is awaiting for me just around the corner and all I have to do is reach out and grab it.  Then reality sets in and I wonder what I was thinking.  What was that ephemeral feeling that caused me to think that I was on the cusp of achieving immortality?

Inevitably, I come to my senses and realize that nothing has changed and that I am still the same person I was a few moments ago.  Really though the only thing preventing me from achieving greatness is myself.  It is all a mental thing.  I have to release my mind in order to let myself achieve my true potential.  I suppose some people can do this alone, but I suspect that most people who reach greatness had someone by their side to help encourage them along.  A person who will stand by them and give them the things they need in order to reach what they are capable of doing.

I think at times this feeling of greatness comes to me when a person comes into my life and makes me feel good about myself.  When you feel good about yourself you are in a better mood, the world looks brighter and you think nothing is impossible. 

The decisions I’ve made in my life have led me to where I am and there is no changing that now.  I am not in a bad place, but I could be in a better one.  It is all up to me to change that and I suppose that means fighting for what I need and want.  Not doing so will only lead to a life of mediocrity and boredom.

I still need to reset my mind.  It has been a slow process this go around, but I can at least say that I am constantly thinking about it and wondering about how I should go about doing it.  Right now I am like a rat trapped in a maze and I need to figure my way out of this mental fugue.  I know greatness lies just ahead and all I have to do is get there.

I’ve been running intermittently lately, with the highlights of my running coming with my children, especially my son.  Beast Jr, as I like to call him, has been happily going out for a run with me ever since he did the Turkey Trot with me.  We run anywhere between 2 – 4 miles and he really keeps a decent pace.  He is excited to run and laughs and smiles the entire time.  If he keeps this up, I’ll have the best regular running partner of all.  We are already signed up for 3 races next year (my daughter 2 of them) and I am really looking forward to these events.  It feels good to be looking forward to something.

I am looking forward to the end of this year.  It is time to put closure on one of the worst years of my life as well as members of my own family.  My father died, my uncle died, a good friend of mine died and the contract to my job ended, leaving me briefly without any work.  It was a stressful and depressing year and it will be good to start a new chapter.

The fire in my belly that I once had for training is extinguished.  Not even embers remain.  All that is left in my mind is the carbon smell of burnt wood.  I think I just need to take a significant amount of time off where I do absolutely nothing.  This will let my body heal and hopefully allow my mind enough time to gather some wood to start a new fire.

My plan for the upcoming weeks is to finish off my running for the year with the annual Turkey Trot in Prospect Park.  I signed my kids up for the event, so it won’t be much of a run.  Well, actually, it’s supposed to be a trot and that is all I am capable of doing anyway.  After that it is time for some serious slovenly behavior.  I am going to just let myself completely go.  After all in order to have a comeback, you need to have a setback first.  I am going to reset myself to zero and build myself back up from there.  I just need to do it this way.  I am tired, unmotivated and just want to rest.

So for now I am not a Triathlete, not an Ultrarunner, not even an exercise enthusiast.  I am just going to be a big fat bum until I get so disgusted with myself that I freak out and start my getting back in shape ritual all over again.  Hopefully I’ll be back by the New Year.

I’ve got to get a better training plan if I am going to continue doing marathons and ultrarunning.  Drinking beer and sitting on my ass in preparation for a marathon is a sure way to make sure you have a long and painful experience.  I am not saying unpleasant, as I did have a good time, but the day was very long and my legs were killing me by the end.

In the month prior to the marathon I think I’ve only run about 5 times, with the longest and oldest run being only13 miles.  I knew I should have been doing more, but my motivation just hasn’t been there.  Part of my problem is that half the time when I go out for a run, I seem to have nothing.  Or I should say I have the malaise.  I don’t know where this malaise comes from or even how to predict its arrival, but it’s been scaring me enough to just say to hell with going out for a run.  I hate heading out from home, getting a couple of miles away and then petering out and having to walk home

Anyway, let’s talk about the 2009 NYC Marathon.  The day was cool, but not cold, overcast, but with only a few sprinkles during the wait for the start and otherwise perfect for marathon running.  For a change I wasn’t cold while waiting for the marathon to begin.  I occupied my time hanging out with @aristorat and our friend Will.  We made camp near the base of the Verrazano Bridge and spent the time napping, chatting and otherwise getting ready for the start.  Basically, it was uneventful and a pleasant way to kill several hours.

We were in the second starting wave, but somehow we headed to the start a little late and didn’t get going until the third wave.  It didn’t really matter and none of us were worried about time.  At this point in our lives doing the marathon is more about the consistency of making it to the starting and finishing lines and seeing how far we can go. 

I ran with @aristorat and Will over the Verrazano Bridge, but I should have let them just get ahead of me.  The small competitive part inside of me wanted to see if I could keep up with them in the hopes of making a 4 hour marathon, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold the pace for long.  I should have held back and taken a few pictures from the bridge.  I don’t get to run over it that often and a picture to memorialize the run would have been nice.

I managed to stay on their heels through the beginning of Bay Ridge.  At this point they had pulled away and I knew better than continue to keep up with them.  They were putting in 50+ miles per week leading up to the marathon and all I was putting in was beer into my stomach.

After we separated I ran an easy pace, which was probably still a little faster that I should have been doing so early in the race.  I should have gone out at very easy.  No matter though, it carried me through for a while and I was feeling ok.  I got to the 10K mark and came upon my family.  I stopped and chatted a bit and smiled at the sight of my son high fiving the runners as they passed.  My wife asked me how I felt, to which I replied so so, but I was not going to drop out of the race for anything.

I did the first half of the marathon in around 2:10 which was respectable, but I knew to be too fast.  I wasn’t looking forward to later in the race when I figured I would start slowing down.  In actuality, I didn’t slow down all that much over the course of the race.  I was running high 8 min/miles to mid 9 min/miles for the first half and then 10 – 11 minute miles for the second half.  Not too shabby. 

After the first half which lead into the borough of Queens, the marathon was sort of a blur until I got to the 59^th Street Bridge.  The change of terrain, that is the hill climbing up and over the East River, was a welcome change and I enjoyed climbing it.  I passed quite a few runners at this point.  Coming off the bridge onto First Avenue, I encountered the usual cacophony of the massive crowds lining both sides of the street.  I always stay in the center of the avenue as the size and the cheering of the crowds can be overwhelming.  It’s a million people shouting at you for miles and it can be a bit much.  I like being left alone in the center of the street.

I ground it out over First Avenue and headed into the Bronx.  I was looking forward to making it through that borough as I knew once I came back into Manhattan it was basically all down hill and to the finish line. 

The highlight of the race was my stop at 96^th Street and 5^th Avenue.  This is where the Brooklyn Hash House Harriers support table was located.  They were conveniently serving free beer to anyone that wished to stop and partake of their offerings.  I refreshed myself with a couple of cold beers, snapped a picture of myself and chatted for a while.  The cold beer was just the sort of carbs I needed to give me the energy to finish the marathon. 

After the beer stop, it was a few short blocks into Central Park.  My heel and hip flexor were bothering me a bit at this point so I spent some time walking through the park.  It didn’t make much sense to run as my trot was no faster than some other people who were walking.  However, I made it down past the 72^nd Street Transverse and then picked it up again.  It was only a mile to the finish and the thought of crossing the finish line spurred me to pick it up again.  I ran handily to the finish, hoping to break 5 hours.  I didn’t manage that though, as I had one bathroom break to many earlier in the race and crossed the finish line in just over 5 hours and 1 minute. 

It was a death march to baggage claim like the NYC marathon always is.  I saw several people collapsed on the side of the road.  I am sure they collapsed due to having to stand around in the horrible and thick crowd. It is wall to wall with people and you are tired, sweaty smelling and most likely need to use the bathroom.   It took me over 40 minutes to walk about a half mile to the UPS truck that held my bag. 

I took the subway home from the marathon, which was also crowded.  I showered and took a short rest and then took a bike ride to another friend’s house for a post marathon party.  I met my friends @aristorat and Will (who ran another 13 miles home from the marathon) and we drank beer and traded stories about the day.  We also talked about our upcoming JFK 50 miler.  I am not sure how I am going to do that, but I will figure out some way to make it through it.

Note: Pictures to follow.

So tomorrow is the NYC Marathon.  I am completely unprepared.  Ever since the VT100, I’ve become fat and out of shape.  I fell apart back in August and I have not recovered.  I am definitely in the let’s get fat and out of shape mode.  It happens to me every 6 or 7 years.

About the only running I’ve been doing has been the weekly www.hashnyc.com runs.  This allows me to combine my love of running and my love of drinking beer into a single event.  I have my friend Jess to blame for making me come to such events.

As I write this post I am wondering if anyone else can hear this ringing in my ears.  Damn is it loud.  Maybe that is why I am awake in the middle of the night, either that or I just can’t sleep because of sleep apnea. 

This will be my 6^th NYC Marathon and my 5^th in a row.  I can’t even consider dropping out of it.  I want to get a streak going like my friend @aristorat.  This will be his 27^th in a row.  I have a long, long way to go if I am going to catch up to him.

I bought a new toy at the marathon expo.  I got a Polar RS800CX.  It has GPS capability, so I can finally create a map and visually see everywhere I’ve run.  It was very expensive and I felt guilty buying it, but maybe with it I’ll be inspired to go out and do some long wandering runs and get back into it.  I am already excited to wear it for the marathon; if only I could figure out how to use it.  I am a technology guy, but I sure do hate the learning curve that comes with figuring out something new.  I am just too impatient for that.  I wish I could just get the Vulcan Mind Meld and have the knowledge pushed into my brain or perhaps have the program uploaded like they do in the Matrix.

I don’t blog much anymore because I don’t feel like it.  I don’t feel much of anything other than a dull sense of unhappiness.  I don’t feel like running and when I do it hurts.  I don’t want to get on my bike and I definitely don’t want to go to the pool.  My weight is starting to skyrocket and I am helpless to control myself from eating all of the time.  I should at least cut out the carbs and snack on something else.

I am completely sick of the way I am feeling.  This is not the way it should be.  If I could at least run pain free, run until I am so tired I couldn’t take another step I think things would be better.  However, I am afraid to even go out the door for fear of getting a mile from home and completely falling apart.  I hate that long walk back home after a failed running attempt.

This past Saturday, I convinced @aristorat to wait until the afternoon to go for a run.  As we went out he lamented how he had to wait for me, since by the time we went it was piss pouring rain.  I got about a mile with him and had to stop.  My leg hurt and I had absolutely nothing in me.  I left him to limp my way back home.  Actually, I didn’t even limp home as I exited Prospect Park and saw a yellow cab at the corner.  I saw it as a sign from G-d that I wasn’t meant to run today and just took it home.  If that wasn’t a sign, then perhaps I am just becoming supremely lazy and accepting the temptation of Satan.  Maybe that’s my problem, I’ve become possessed by a nasty demon.  Does anyone know an Exorcist?

Not to go off topic, but I saw the Exorcist when I was 9 years old, during a time when I spent many hours alone in my aunt’s secluded house in the middle of suburbia. Yah, my parents had ample discretion in what they would allow me to see.

On Sunday I did manage to squeak out a 7 mile run with my daughter accompanying me on her bike.  Let’s just say it was supremely slow.  I would have liked to have gone longer, but time didn’t permit that and truth is, I would have been walking very soon anyway. 

My goal from this point forward is to just make it through the NYC Marathon.  After that, I think I will do nothing.  I think both my mind and body is asking me to just chill out for a while.  I can’t force this anymore as it is just not working.  Everyone tells me I should just keep going, but I feel like a dog with an electric collar that zaps him every time he gets to an invisible line.  Eventually he learns not to do that anymore.