Treadmillosis Brokenitis.

More and more, gymnasiums (a necessary supplement) have been infected with this deadly disease. It starts with the host germ, called the gym employee, doing something other than working. This includes talking to the good looking girl at the smoothie bar, or checking out the -err- fitness quotient of some of the members. And how does it end? It ends with treadmills that work like c*%p and become unusuable to the feet & legs of many.

Of course, it would be nice to put a SIGN on the treadmill warning us to stay away from these

neglected, and overrun machines....but NOOOOOOO (John Belushi style), it is far better for you, the PAYING customer to get on the treadmill, and nearly get off --- on the floor behind you.

Oh, by the way, that was a rant.

Anyway, it had been 3 days since my last run, and my mini-strains on my calves are much better now. I ran a 5K in an easy, slow speed (about 10 min. per mile). My calves were a little tight after the run, but I think I am in a much better place now.

To all people of Cleveland......THANK YOU FOR THE SUN!

Yes, the streak of gray skies is broken.

However, the streak of late flight departures is not. 10 flights in a row and counting... (That was a 'rant aftershock')

Weather is miserable, raining swimming pools over here.

Pizza night tonight (Dani's special an entire pie for 8 bucks).

Cleveland Socks!

Well, I'm on the road again. Gearing up for an eventful day of work tomorrow, I flew out of JFK and into sunny Cleveland....

I left this for her on the bed as a joke before I left.
(BUT I AM SURE THAT BY NOW IT WAS REMOVED!)

...Anyway, did I say 'sunny' Cleveland? That of course, is a joke. There has not been one ounce of shine on this city in two years. Or so said the fella who was sitting next to me on the puddle-jumper I took to get here. --It is GRAY!-- I've been in Cleveland 4 times, and never ONCE have I ever seen the sun!


I'm staying at the Embassy Suites here in Beachwood, OH.

It's located about 20 odd miles south east of Cleveland. Upon checking in they gave me a pass to Bally's Fitness Center down the street. I drove there but they close early on the weekends. Perhaps Tuesday morning before I go back home?

I decided to check out the gym here. The treadmills are not top of the line, but they are brand new. I ran a 5K, without much worry, except for the slight soreness in my calves. My girlfriend would have like it here. The hotel has a large open air atrium with balconies on each floor surrounding it.

Inside the rooms there's lotsa granite. Even a granite sink in my room. Here are some pictures:

I wont be running at all tomorrow or Monday. But thanks to my efforts, March 2007 is one for the books. Most miles run in a month. Period. Even including my "Young Jedi" years (1984-1986).

Speaking of that. Please be sure to pay close attention at the blog index I have on the left. I've been putting in blogs of events that have actually "preceeded" the genesis of this website. So although, you may not see them here, they are new blogs! I've decided to start posting everything meaningful in the past and am calling it "Project Re-Run".

The Lines! The Lines! (A Fixation)

Today, I may have overdone it a bit. My right calf is talking and telling me, "Yo. Estupido. Remember what you did to me back in October last year? Well, I'm going to pop again if you don't quit it. I ain't no G string on a guitar you know, you can't just replace me (of course if this had been a G string on a lass, I might just have run even further...)

Tomorrow, I am off to Cleveland. Will not run tomorrow morning. Whether or not I run tomorrow night, all depends on a), how my calf is feeling, b), how tired I am, and c), the condition of the treadmill.

Most treadmills at hotels are pretty bad. You are better off talking to the concierge and getting a safe route around the hotel to run in, like I did in Vancouver.

Is it just me, or has anyone ever bothered not to listen to advice, and instead of keeping their head up when you run, you just let it hang? Well I did today. I kept looking on the ground in front of me. Pretty stupid because if anything or anyone got in the way, my sport could have easily turned from 'track & field' to 'crash & burn'. Why was I so fixated on doing this? Because I was staring at the white line that I was running over that divided lane 3 from lane 4. It was pretty strange because after a while, it seemed as if I weren't even moving, but rather as if the road was moving by itself under your feet. Give this a try one time. But please be careful. If anything happens to you, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE! :-)

Anyway, at least I got my close to 30 miles in for the week and did my personal best in a single month for mileage. I was supposed to run in this Sunday's Scotland 10K race (even paid for the darn thing too), but business is summoning me to travel, so I must answer to my call of duty. In IT, weekends are not made for running, nor are they made for Michelob either. They are usually made for working long hours in front of a computer (just like now!). I might not get the opportunity to run again until Tuesday. Perhaps I just need to chill for awhile anyway....phooey!

With all these oval track workouts recently, I thought it might be nice to throw up a great video
of great races of the oval dynasty from years gone by. It's might be a bit jerky until it completely loads, but the end (the last minute) with Bill Mills and the television announcer, is just an incredible inspiration. I dare you not to get goosebumps from his call of the finish. Enjoy!



Fantastic! I just checked out the Road To Chicago's website, just now for the first time today.....and noticed that they too have this video. It's really inspiring and it's a well made compilation. Mike, I also saw your post about being ill. Hope you are feeling better soon!