I'll take the physical challenge

I rocked Philly in November like a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to the face. Here's a pleasant link to online Chucky clips.


I now offer a summary of my November training:

1-Nov
13.5 min warmup (2mi. over to Haverford track).
28.5min total workout over 8k. I felt the need for moderate turnover. 16 X 400m, with 100m jog between each. I was able to stay consistent and keep the rest short: (71, 39 rest, 72, 34r, 72, 38r, 71, 38r, 71, 38r, 71, 34r, 72, 34r, 71, 32r, 70, 36r, 71, 34r, 72, 37r, 71, 33r, 71, 36r, 72, 33r, 73, 31r, 71, 29r).
13.5 min cool-down.

2-Nov
62min

3-Nov
48.5 min

4-Nov
30 min, easy pre-race run.

5-Nov
22.5 min warm-up; jogged the cross course, chatted with Erik Kean, a Princeton grad up for the race from DC.
20:31 4 mile cross country race at Rose Tree Park, Philly.
15-20 min cooldown.

I ended up 7th place overall at the Battle Royale wrestling-themed race, and Bryn Mawr fell to our arch-rivals Philly TC by a sizeable score. After taking some time off after Japan, I wasn't really prepared to race today, but I did what I could. I was the 2nd finisher on the Bryn Mawr team, just outkicking Ross and Tom. We all got started off a little lethargic, and could have raced better. This video is from Philly TC and features those froot loops, but I suppose it is well done if you like that sort of thing.

Bryn Mawr owner Bob threw a lot of prize money around, and the team's $500 went up in smoke at a bar in Manayunk that evening. At least I was there for it this year.

6-Nov
Approximately 65min. A shade sore from yesterday, so I put long run off till tomorry.

7-Nov
90min+. I believe this run was around the Bryn Mawr grad school. It may have been longer. I swear I looked down at my watch, then looked at it 15 min later and only 2 min had elapsed. I may have been caught in a time warp, or perhaps the Twilight Zone.

I signed up for Net Impact, an MBA service organization. In the spring, I will be volunteering my time doing pro-bono conulting work for local area non-profits.

8-Nov
47min
33.5min. Good for me, I doubled.

9-Nov
13min warmup to Haverford track. Once again I did some 400s. 20 X 400 with a moving 100m rest.
10K in 34:02: (71, 34, 72, 32, 73, 34, 70, 30 (7min 2k), 71, 34, 71, 30, 72, 31, 71, 27 (13:52 4k), 72, 38, 71, 26, 72, 30, 72., 27 (20:42 6k), 72, 27, 73, 27, 71, 27, 72, 25 (27:20 8k), 73, 28, 72, 29, 73, 31, 70, 23 (34:02 10k)
14min cooldown.

10-Nov
55.5 min. run.

Did a presentation tonight regarding the sales of pharmaceutical drugs to AIDS patients. Intriguingly, another group presenting argued for high, obscene profits, while we argued against these prices. Don't get me started on those pharma fat-cats.

11-Nov
59.5 min
19.5 min, double.

12-Nov
10.5 min warmup.
31:39 6 mile tempo, on the NCR trail near Baltimore. This is about 5:16/mile. I wore trainers for the workout.
10.5 min cooldown.

13-Nov
1 hour 37 long run at Patapsco park with the one and only Jon Bell. I hammered the run till he wept.

14-Nov
59min.

15-Nov
61.5 min.
28.5 min. Look at me, I doubled today.

16-Nov
14 min warm-up. A track workout that appears to be: 400, 400, 800, 800, 1600, 1600, 800, 800, 400, 400. This was a high, steep, though satisfying ladder workout.
45:53 (68, 96r, 69, 94r, 226, 240r, 224, 235r, 457, 244r, 455, 245r, 219, 258, 217, 248r, 70, 70 67, 61
14.5 min cooldown.

17-Nov
60.5 min

18-Nov
47 min. Think I did this run with Tom, around Haverford.

19-Nov
32.5 min, easy run before racing tomorrow in Philadelphia.

20-Nov
21 min warmup.
24:29 8K, which is a PR for me. Surprisingly, the race dragged the first mile (maybe 5 flat?), and only gradually sped up. I sat on a few Kenyans the first half of the race and finished relatively strong, though not super-duper. I finished in 6th place, which is one position outside of the money. This is where I seem to specialize in finishing at big races.
21 min easy cool-down.

Bob threw a post-race party in Manayunk tonight which was a good time and appreciated by all.

I also ate at McDonald's tonight for the first time in a while. Recently, I watched "SuperSize Me", where some dude tries to kill himself by gorging on McD's for a month. It was a little Mcnasty.

21-Nov
01:34.5 did a freakin' long run. Also did a presentation on low fare Asian airlines. Prices can be ridiculously low, like $2 a flight. But with high fuel prices... the companies could be crashing (figuratively).

22-Nov
50 min.

23-Nov
14 min warmup.
38:37 (6Xmile- 5:05, 93r, 5:00, 92r, 4:58, 92r, 5:03, 94r, 4:59, 105r (watch prob), 5:01). Muddy, windy, cold. A decent workout in the grass at Haverford.
14min cooldown.

24-Nov
71.5min did this workout from home, prior to driving to Lancaster for Turkey Day. It was a decent meal, though we miss out on any left-overs.

Image: Chewbacca welcomes me home for Thanksgiving. He hopped a ride back with me to Ardmore.
25-Nov
36 min easy, pre-race.

26-Nov
19 min warmup.
16:24 or so for 5K. 2nd place and $100 at the "Delaware Cross Country Championships". Cool and crisp conditions; wet, muddy ground. While the time sounds ridiculously slow, the course was very muddy, hilly, and arduous. Isaac, the Kenyan who beat me, also did not break 16 min. Did I mention he was 6th in the 10k at the 2004 Kenyan Olympic trials? I didn't know this at the time, and tried to push the pace for 2 miles, hoping he was a fake, b-list Kenyan. Let's just say this strategy didn't quite work. In any event, I saw some runners from Lancaster that I haven't talked to in a while.
7 min easy cooldown. Cut this short so I wouldn't miss awards, but no worries, as they took extremely long to begin, and complete, the awards.

27-Nov
1 hr 48min. A solid long run around the hilly trails by my parent's home.

28-Nov
61 min.

29-Nov
13.5 min warmup to Haverford for a good workout.
37:48 total time: (6X Mile: 4:59, 93rest, 4:58, 96, 4:59, 94, 4:57, 93, 4:58, 98, 4:56). All under 5 min.
13 min cooldown.

30-Nov
72 min AM.
32 min PM.

Did you know there are still pirates sailing the high seas? I monitor worldwide pirate activity at this site.