God Bless You Iceland

Sekk, is she icelandic? I think she's half. Half Italian too. Emiliana Torrini is murdering my iTunes tonight.

The first record - Love in the Time of Science. jacked the Macbook Pro into the new Aquos... 32" visualizer is taking me away.

If i could stay awake long enough, I'd probably hit up some Portishead, Bjork and then finish things off with K&D and Bonobo.... but who am I kidding. I'll be asleep in 10 minutes.

Asleep From Bay

The title says it all. Pretty wiped from a weekend on the road - but the race went really well. Drove up to Hamilton on Saturday afternoon, after stopping at G&G for some supplies. Took a new approach to the run this year, and I have no idea why this didn't occur to me earlier.

I ran strictly based on pace. Flipped the Garmin to pace for the flat sections, and focused on running slower - not faster. Kept it around 7:45, even when I could have pushed it. When I got to the hills (which this year didn't feel nearly as steep as last year), I flipped it to HR. I only saw my elapsed time at the relay checkpoints, and even then, I had no idea what my chip time was.

The result? I ran what might be my first negative split. My legs were very fresh at the end - maybe not fresh enough to do another 12km for a full marathon, but I was definitely not taxing the system. Threw some coal in the fire for the last mile and a half - did the last mile in 6:50 - just to prove to myself that it was there.

Result? I ran 2:26 .... slightly slower than last year, but very good practice for the ultimate goal, which is the second assault on Ottawa.

Took tonight off, but tomorrow we start anew. Kingston half in a month

17 slow miles

Very productive weekend, but alas it has ended. Weekends tend to do that... Doesn't help that I have been yawning and tired since about 7pm tonight. Ran 17 miles this afternoon, and after that, I am a vegetable for the rest of the day. I took it really slow though, since next week is Around the Bay. Based on schedule, it should be a rest week next week and a Sunday 12 miler, but the 30k will be good race experience as we prepare for a second assault on Ottawa.

The only thing that made today difficult was the wind. The temperature was hovering around freezing, but the sun's warmth was fleeting when the wind picked up. Running west, my jacket billowed like a sail, slowing my split times horrendously. At the Lemoine's Point turnaround, the wind suddenly disappeared. So instead of having my jacket-sail to fly me home, I had to actually propel myself with my legs. My nutrition was pretty much as it should have been, so I didn't hit the wall like I did last weekend.

I will have to take this week somewhat easier towards the end, to stay fresh for Hamilton. I don't think I can hope to beat last year's 2hrs 17 - as I have no 20 milers under my belt so far this year. But it will be a good test - and once the weather clears up, I will be able to pump up the quality speed work on the after-work weekday sessions. Might even start to run *gasp*, before work. Nah

Less than one week left

Bum Rush The Charts

March Madness

Each year, I look forward to the month known as March Madness. Those two words conjure up so many memories of heroes, idols, dreams and heartbreaks that only a fellow addict can relate.

Today was the day.. the day the 64 start their dance. Unfortunately, I spent my day doing a dance of my own. A dance of fury and frustration; first scrambling all day to get a project out the door ASAP, and making some pretty art in the process.... and then pulling it all down due to a confusion in the ranks of my superiors. It was a true Fatboy Slim tune - Build it up, Tear it down.

Had to stay at work late to make sure that it all came down properly. It was like detonating an old building - you can light the fuse, but you still should stick around to make sure no one gets buried in the rubble. In the end, I worked 9-6:30, with no lunch. In the rush of it all, I only managed to catch the end of the VCU Duke game, but seeing the white boys on the blue devils lose in the first round made it a worthwhile day 1.

After a long day of minimal food and an overall lack of sleep, I felt zero motivation to run. I did a 16 miler on Sunday, and some resulting discomfort forced me to take a couple days off. Ran 4 miles last night, and tonight was almost another miss. But I made it happen... slowly but surely put on the running gear, and dragged myself out the door. Listened to the latest Phedippidations and knocked down 6 miles...

The afterglow was fantastic - making the rest of my day seem insignificant, but after a bit of a cooling down period, I am ready for a night of black, unconscious sleep.

Tomorrow is Friday - and it can't get here fast enough. Bring on the Madness, but keep it out of my head.

This Transmission Is Coming To You....

From the meth lab. No - painting is not yet complete, but I moved my stuff up anyways. The increased space is fantastic, I want to yell - just to hear the echo.

The subtitle to this post is

"SWEDEN WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME"

Spent a good hour disassembling my desk and bringing it here.. up the stairs, around every 90 degree corner. Had it all laid out on the floor, ready to go at it, when I realized that this is IKEA, and the particles in particle board must be all the same charge... as they seem to repel eachother at every juncture where cohesion is important. After several attempts to resurrect the formerly freestanding desk, I was reminded of the density of particle board - and the strength of my own skull. The desk that had served me so well, for so many years, finally came crashing down. On my head.

Since every artist formerly known as a screw-hole is torn to shreds, the desk remains in pieces.

But - its a new meth lab, its a new era, and there is now a new desk that will serve as the console of the future. A sweet pine table. And a new soundtrack - the new Fountains of Wayne... Traffic and Weather. oink!

Bumrush the charts

A user submitted promo for BRTC. wicked.

March 22nd, purchase the song "Mine Again" by Black Lab. One Day, One Song, One Voice.

BUM RUSH THE CHARTS