Jump! Jump!

Word up to you nerds, I came to drop some words;
Villanova is back in full gear, so give a fatty cheer;
My running is the bomb, it's hard to stay calm,
Next week I go to race, straight-up in Rhode Island's face.

Ahh, September, or as the Spanish would say, septiembre. Falling leaves... Cross country... Cool air... New books... Fresh classes... I invite you to meander through my online Web Log at this most wonderful time of the year.

9.3.05
AM: Warmup up 1.5 miles. 6 mile tempo run up at the NCR trail (north of Baltimore) in 31:25. Mile splits were approximately 5:13, 10:25 (5:12), 15:45 (5:20), 20:58 (5:13), 26:15 (5:17), 31:25 (5:10), average of about 5:14 per mile. 1.5 mile cool down. A solid little workout.
PM: About 5 miles

9.2.05
9 mile run or so, around Haverford college. Threw in 6X200m on the track in the middle, just to stretch the ol' chicken legs out.
30 min, 6X 200 (w. 200 jog) btwn 34-36, 20 min.
Drove down to Baltimore after some work, just barely beating traffic. Extremely long lines stretched out onto the roads at Maryland gas stations, as people succumbed to their fears of a gas shortage. I actually topped off my tank last night, when gas was $3.19, as I expect it to approach $4 before it creeps lower. I might have to resurrect the aging Trek Antelope pretty soon.

Awful scenes in New Orleans. Hope that Seamus, a former track dude at Princeton now at Tulane, is all right. I can understand a little looting from the disenfranchised, but the violence and gang rule is just disgusting. The situation is out of control and beyond my comprehension. Villanova is going to accept around 25 college students from the affected area.

9.1.05
83min-- 12.5 miles or so, around Haverford college. Ran into Artie and did a loop or so with him. Groups were assigned today in Marketing. Lucky me, I have a 30-60 min presentation and 10 page paper due in 1 week (after a holiday weekend). Oh well, at least the assignment won't be looming over me. Plus, it's about selling paint in the Southwest. I mean, come on, it doesn't get much more exciting than that! (Editor's note: this case really puts the "pain" in "paint").

8.31.05
18min warm up. Workout at Haverford of 3 X (1 mile grass loop, 1000m on the track), then 4 X 200m. The rest was ample, though active. My hips and legs were a little fatigued before and during this workout. Also, heat index of 90+, quite humid.

4:58 mi, 3min rest, 2:57 k, 3 rest, 5:04, 3 rest, 2:59, 3.25 rest, 5:06, 3 rest, 3:02, 2.5 rest; 33.9, 77r, 33.5, 73r, 33.5, 75r, 33.0
15 min cooldown.

28min, 4 miles around Ardmore mile loop at night, post- class.

8.30.05
AM: 34min, 5 miles.
PM: 66min, 10 miles solid run, around (where else?) Haverford.

I got a dope new mobile telephone today. Half the size of my previous one, it also takes photos and videos, providing for all my James Bond, superspy needs.

8.29.05
92.5 min, long run (but not too long). Hit up some random parks and roads around the Ardmore area. Somehow ended up in Philly, Havertown, along City Line Ave., Haverford, and who knows where else.

My Monday class is on Developing Countries and Emerging Markets. Dr. Doh is the professor, who is also one of the professors I do Grad. Asst. work for. It seems like a very dynamic class, that I want to excel at.

So far this semester, for Dr. Doh, I have been assembling 1500 surveys and mailing them out. No, that wasn't no typo--1500. Dr. Doh? More like Dr., d'oh!

College students spend near $500 per semester on books. Through fishing around on the Internet, I got away with spending closer to $300, plus I sold a few books this week on Amazon, netting $250. Bairdobooks runs a mean business model, outbid the competitors by 1 cent and ship quickly.

8.28.05 MOOOOOOOO!
Back in farm country! Stacy and I hauled it out to Lancaster County for a local race I found with a few dollars at stake. It provided a good opportunity to see some hometown buddies and test the waters a bit in a 5k before I have to run fast (in Providence).
12 min AM shakedown.
18 min warmup, say 2.5 miles.
5k race: 15:19 (on my watch), 1st place, $100 and a sweet, bronzed honey bear trophy. The sponsor of the 5k was a local honey factory, so the sticky stuff was flowing like water. I took it out in about 4:45, then 9:52. Someone hung around for about half the race, but never really challenged (he ran around 15:40). Of course, there was the obligatory "Rocky-inspired" hero, who sprinted out and led the first 200m (in front of all the spectators). I cut him off on the first turn, as he passed gas, apparantly already losing control of his bodily functions. He literally sounded like a car sputtering out of gas, I had to consciously restrain myself from striking him. The course had rolling hills the whole duration. I was pretty much a ringer at this low key, community event, but felt good bringing home the bacon. Oink. Oink.
24 min cool-down around Hempfield HS with the Caullers, Matt, and Brown Bros. Inc. Ate pizza like it was going out of style later at Matt's house.

8.27.05
50 min, 7.5 miles, and a few easy strides. Then, off to the freakin' beach. Stacy and I hit up Ocean City, NJ for the day. I went swimming a few times, but the waves weren't exactly bodacious for surfing. The sun was smiling, and I even took a nap on the scorching sand. The boardwalk was also quite happening, where I dominated skee ball, gorged on fudge, consumed hamburgers, and took a moment to partake in the iconic splendor of Mack and Mancos pizza.

8.26.05
52 min, 7.5 miles. Ran some with old man Tantino, who showed me a park with a garden for blind people. Later, I saw a sign for it on the street. I must know, how will the blind people see the sign on the busy road directing them to the blind garden?
36 min, 5 miles. Where's Stacy? She missed the first Greyhound bus, and the 2nd was so late, she missed all trains out of the city. I took the "exciting" route into the city to pick her up, cutting through the sketchy slums of West Philadelphia after midnight.

8.25.05
AM: 18min warmup, 2.5 miles. 6X1k, alternating tempo pace and 5k pace. Jogged a lap slowly for rest. Wanted to do a workout where I started to get acclimated to 5k pace.
2:55, 2:48rest, 3:06, 2:30r, 2:56, 2:33r, 3:06, 2:41r, 2:57, 2:45r, 3:07
16.5 min cooldown.
PM: 27 min, 4 mile shakeitout run, after class terminated early.

Thursday night class is Advanced marketing. This class looks like it could be a doozy. Every aspect of the course is established around getting us to be at each other's throats. We don't only present, we present against another group, and the class votes who is better, and that group gets a superior grade. Also, we are running a semester long simulation game, where the team that wins gets more points than the others. I'm probably going to go all Omarosa on them.

8.24.05
AM: A good, long run in Patapsco park. At least 12 or 13 miles, I can't quite recall. Spent a half an hour looking for my wallet today. Where was he? In my shorts pocket! CRAZY!!
PM: 32min, 4-4.5 miles at a leisurely pace. First day of class! Whoopdee woo. Class got out early, so why the deuce not go on a run?

My Wednesday class seems like it will be the easiest of the bunch. Advanced Corporate Finance, with lots of group work, case studies, and the like. The teach is quite into class participation.

8.23.05
AM: 1.5 warmup.
8 mile tempo run on the NCR trail in 43:50, which is around 5:29/mile pace. Good, solid li'l run, longer tempo than I have been doing.
1.5 mile cooldown.
PM: 37 min, 5+ miles, because I am a mileage glutton.