Oh Where, Oh Where Has The Blogrunner Gone?

Well folks, it has been a very busy summer for sure. I don't even feel like I'm running anymore than I feel like I'm running for president. So many appearances. So little time.
Where to begin, as I've aptly phrased in the past....Ah Yes.

So Thursday, Pauline and I had organized the group to attend the world premiere of Dean Karnazes' 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 Days. Dean is a wicked and loveable nut job. As hard as this may or can be believed, he did in real life what perhaps Forrest Gump, a fictional character could not even do. To be able to do 1 marathon is a special feat. But to do one a day for fifty days. Unbelievable. And yet for 2 magical hours we saw just that. Dean eclipsed his run at the New York City Marathon. No better place to finish, I thought. Except he didn't finish there. Because after the NYC Marathon, he went on a media blitz tour visiting every news network, and television talk show in NYC. For 12 long hours he was essentially doing his 51st marathon, by being scrutinized over his achievements. And then, the fun started. He runs back over 1000 miles back to where it all began in Missouri. Unbelievable is too light a word.

That was Thursday. Friday morning I did 6.5 miles in the morning. And that my friends, was the most uneventful day.

Saturday morning I ran 15 miles, and walked another 1+. Not too shabby right? It was the NYRR's Long Training Run, and let me tell you WHY it was so long. No. It was not the distance. The first loop was around the largest loop in Central Park, which they cut at 6 miles. The 2nd loop was 5 miles. In between, Gatorade, GU packs, plums and more. They did a better job here than they did at the race. I loved it, and will be doing it again for sure. There were 2500 runners in all, and it felt fantastic. But no, none of that was what made the run initially feel so long. My friends, my iPod nano has said 'so long'. The battery died and for good. I was so psyched out, because I had it charged (fully charged) the night before. Surprisingly, I actually began to enjoy the run without the music (although at release of this article, note that I purchased a much more economical 'shuffle' to replace my tunes. Hey, what's a music loving runner to do, right?).

In the end, I felt great and think I could have done the max of 20 miles. Fortunately for me (and not so for my friend) Scott's knees were acting up a little, so to play it safe, we curtailed extending our run any further. Oh, and yes, thanks Scott for the ride. That and the Gatorade and the Jelly Beans were very much appreciated. It is also of note to mention that our fearless leader Jack did a reported 16 miles, and Pauline did the full 20. Way to go!

Later in the afternoon, and after the weather stopped threatening so, we all headed out to Coney Island. Earlier in the month, I had also organized another team event. It was to see the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) take on their rivals, the Staten Island Yankees at their own ballpark (Keyspan). I have to say it felt pretty nice that I pulled off the logistics fairly well. (Okay no more pats on the back!) The Cyclones got off to a poor start and could not recover, losing 6-1. Prior to the game, we went to Nathan's and a few of us (not me) even rode the Cyclone itself, and did some bumper car rides. Nice! I was also pretty fortunate to find parking. A silver lining from the massive rainstorm a few hours earlier (as most beachgoers headed to the hills).

Yesterday, Sunday, I spent nearly all day in the park with my kids. They had open sprinklers and my kids were having a blast. Even I dumped a few buckets over there heads from time to time too. We also played plenty of wiffle ball. My son beat me 5-2, but I am shamelessly proud to have hit one of the balls over 150 feet and over the 20 foot high fence. Just flexin' that's all...

Today, was an insane day at work. I did not get out till nearly 8pm. Lotsa projects going on, all fun, and all right up my alley. Toronto, Wisconsin, India, New Jersey to name a few. All in all, I'd have to say life is pretty much on "F" for Full and for Fast.