Great Scott!

TIME FOR ANOTHER UPDATE!
*N.B. Back to the Future Fanatics should check out: http://www.bttf.com/forreal.htm, which describes where to find every filming location.

This week is ancient history. I'll scribe what few bytes I recall:

M: 3-Apr
69 min, or approximately 10 miles. I ran through Baltimore's Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry and did a loop or two around the historic grounds. There is a recent controversey about whether or not the Star Spangled Banner should be sung in Spanish. I have my reservations about that, but I'm sure some exceptions may be possible. Discuss amongst yourselves...

T: 4-Apr
15 min Warm-Up.
37.5 min workout in running flats at the Haverford track; 5 sets of 4 X 300m, 100m jog btwn intervals, 400m jog btwn sets (50, 36r, 50, 35r, 49, 34r, 50) 3min rest (49, 34r, 50?, 35r?, 50, 32r, 50) 3 min rest (49, 35r, 50, 33r, 49, 33r, 49) 3 min (49, 34r, 50, 35r, 51, 34r, 50) 3 min rest (49, 33r, 51, 32r, 50, 32r, 50).
14.5 cooldown. This workout is always a pleasure. My interactive marketing class on Tuesdays is less pleasing.

W: 5-Apr
62.5 min
Morning run with Tom, Fasulo, Blincoe. 10 miles. I dragged myself out of bed early, but Marcus didn't show at his own run. It actually started to snow quite heavily at the beginning, which was highly unpleasant. We had more spring in our step than typical, even on a wintery day.

I negated the benefits of getting up early by taking a nap later.

R: 6-Apr
AM: 15 min WU to Haverford.
29:09 5 lap tempo, which is around 5.5 miles at Haverford grass loop in trainers (mile splits approximately 5:20, 5:23, 5:17, 5:22?, 5:15). This loop is rather slow.
14 min cooldown.

PM: 33.5 min, 4.5-5 mi road loop. Look at me, I doubled!

F: 7-Apr
74 min, 4 laps around Haverford. I need to find elsewhere to run around here. Total run between 11.5-12 miles. Today was when I had to squeeze in a long run, which didn't end up very lengthy.
I picked up Stacy today from the bus station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

S: 8-Apr
47 min, 7 miles easy through Havertown on the roads.
Stacy and I had an eventful visit to King of Prussia Mall today. I went to the cheapest place I could find to get a haircut, which is usually a hit-or-miss strategy. Unfortunately, today was a miss. Maybe the guy though I said, "Can you please give me a bowl cut?" Because that's basically what he did. Stacy made tensions run high when she basically insulted the man, and almost got us kicked out. In the end, she got her way and I was cleaned up. Don't let Claude cut your hair, he's a menace. Where's Edward Scissorhands when you need him?

In addition, we went to a 1950's style diner and drained milkshakes and pounded burgers. That night, we watched Back to the Future III. Words of wisdom from Doc, "Marty, we all have to make decisions that affect the course of our lives. You've got to do what you've got to do. And I've got to do what I've got to do."

S: 9-Apr
I had good intentions to race today and pick up a dollar or 100. But with Doc's words echoing in my head, when I woke up at 6am, I decided going back to bed was what I had to do. Later on I got out for a moving 59 min, or 3 laps of Haverford, 9.5 miles.

Total Weekly Milage: 72.5. Not bad. Trying to get back on track after a rough previous week of training. Next few weeks continue to improve.

Atreyu!!!

You owe it to yourself to check out this link to Falkor, the luck dragon:
http://falkor.ytmnd.com/. (Turn on speakers for full effect). You're welcome.
In case you're truly in the dark, Falkor is a hero in "The Neverending Story," and the only way to travel in style is via luck dragon. Catch up on the full movie script here: http://www.scifiscripts.com/cartoon/never.htm. Anyway, enough... to the training log!:

M: 27-Mar (9)
15.5 min Warmup to Haverford.
33 min workout; consisting of 8X800m, 2 min rest (2:18.5, 2:21, 2:19.4, 2:18.9, 2:18.9, 2:20.0, 2:20.6, 2:19.4).
15 min cooldown. A little windy today. I clicked through this workout like a fine Swiss watch.

Picked up the parental units from the Philly airport in the afternoon, fresh from their trip to Arizona. I parked illegally on the side of the highway for a while waiting for the plane to land. I'm so naughty!

T: 28-Mar (9.5)
60.5 min, around 9.5 miles. Pretty good run, around Haverford probably.
After class, around 8pm, I hopped on a train to NYC. The trip was relatively painless, although I had to wait an interminable time for one of my subway connections. Pete was surprised to see me asleep on the floor when he got home. Must have been a dream come true.

W: 29-Mar
0. No running today, not enough time. I had to wake up early and get down to Fordham Law School. Fordham is located right by Lincoln Center, in a marvellous section of Manhattan. The day's events included a number of talks, panels, a mock class, a tour, and a nice catered lunch. I met a number of prospective students who seemed like pretty good peeps. My tour guide wan't overly enthusiastic, and seemed to be mostly in it for the free lunch. There is a definite impression that most of the students would rather be at Columbia or NYU (Note--Villanova essentially nullified my Columbia application by not sending out one of my Dean's forms. I am nauseated by their unprofessionalism). In any event, Fordham's strong points for me are their location in NYC, and their strong network of concentrated alumni. Major downsides are very high costs, and a potentially less enjoyable law school experience. The loan costs would be minor upon landing a "big law" job after graduating, but one really should be in the top 20% for this feat (risky to bank on).

I hopped the Amtrak back to Philly and made it to class just in time, as a well managed, Japanese-inspired operations and supply management chain.

R: 30-Mar (8.5)
15.5 WU
23:23 4 lap tempo run (laps in: 5:48, 5:48, 5:48, 5:56). Cut tempo a little short, as I convinced myself I'd be locked out of the house if I didn't hurry home before Tom left. I had my key, as it turns out, hidden in my normal spot. The tempo averaged under 5:20 pace.
13.5 min cooldown.

In a continuation of my busy travel week, I drove into North Philly to interview The Village, a nonprofit organization, as part of my Net Impact consulting project. Here is the introduction to my report:

"As I stepped out of my car, I overheard a man telling his neighbor how his brother was just shot the night before. This was on the outskirsts of an area of North Philadelphia known as “The Badlands,” where people are rumored to come from 100s of miles away to buy drugs. But the Village of Arts and Humanities, founded 20 years ago by Lily Yeh, is helping this neighborhood to learn and build through the arts."

And a little bit mo':

"The Village has made a profound impact on its North Philadelphia neighborhood. When Lily Yeh first embarked on the project at the request of a friend, she had only a $2500 grant to support a simple vision to clean up a barren industrial lot in a neighborhood overwhelmed by drugs. The Village, which now has over a $1 million budget, serves as a combination art school, social services agency, and economic development project. It has blossomed into a model for community building."

After a great interview, I hopped into my car and headed South, to the land of Baltimore. Luckily, the car was still there...

F: 31-Mar (11-11.5)
75 min. Got in a good run today up past Hopkins and around the reservoir at Dru Hill.

After my run, I headed further South, to Williamsburg, VA and William and Mary Law School. Stacy was disappointed that I left her behind. The drive was actually atrocious, as traffic around DC was more clogged than Ronald McDonald's aorta. Finally, I made it to my host's apartment and we were off to a welcome reception, followed by a birthday party for someone I definitely did not know, and a few bars. It was a fun night, though maybe a smidge too late. I felt very poor getting up early the next morning for a full day of W&M activities.

S: 1-Apr
0. No running.
As mentioned, I did not feel tip-top today. By mid-morning, I came around. Another day full of talks, panels, tours, and a nice lunch. I got a very good feeling from the students that I conversed with. The student body seems friendly and close, active in extracurriculars, and the quality of life seems high. Overall, my feelings for W&M were warmer than Fordham a few days earlier. Also working in W&M's favor is the generous fellowship that they have offered me. The major downside is the schools location... pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Williamsburg is a funny tourist town where people dress up as Colonial people. That actually intrigues me...

After a long day, I made the 200 mile drive back to Baltimore. Exhausted, I collapsed.

S: 2-Apr (15.5mi?)
1 hr 46 min. I managed to get in a long run today around Druid Hill Park. I added on a few minutes near the Baltimore Streetcar Museum, where a streetcar had just departed with 15 or so people on a "ride." This tour seemed pretty weak, as I was running faster than the streetcar. Oh well, bad timing I guess, for them.

Weekly Total: 54 miles, 5 days. Oops, the running slipped a little this week, but I had some important business to attend to. My achilles was actually sore, so perhaps it was for the best. I drove over 550 miles this week (not to mention travelling over 200 miles by train). Quite a dynamic week. Also, I got into Maryland Law School, but don't give them good odds.

Cheerio!

The origins of croquet are nebulous. It is known that the sport was introduced to England from Ireland in the early 1800s. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, croquet gained popularity at a stunning rate, especially as an agreeable pastime for the upper classes. Soon, the sport spread to America, and now monkeys have even picked up the 3-pound mallet in search of world class competition.
More info:http://www.croquet.org.uk/

Thanks for checking in! Come back soon for a beefier update.

Baird's Blog:
Tastes great!
Less filling!


F: 17-Mar
35 min pre race relaxed run, about 5 miles. Sore achilles. It was St. Patrick's Day today, but I didn't see any leprechauns. Eh, they're always after my Lucky Charms anyway. Maybe I should travel down to Alabama, where leprechauns seem to inhabit the trees (thanks for the video, Jon). Well, they're leprechauns, or "crackheads." That's some ace reporting.

(Haddonfield Race Photo, I'm on the far left)
S: 18-Mar
Since Bryn Mawr received a free team entry, I decided to head over to Zoo Jersey and race a 5k in Haddonfield. I got pumped up before the race when the school janitor tried to start a scuffle.
17 min warm-up.
14:58 5k race. Splits were relatively even. It was windy and a bit chill today. Tom and I busted out our spanking new uniforms for the competition. I ended up 7th in this decent effort, beating at least a few decent folks. Results here. Our team got railed by PhillyTC, but I still managed to pocket a token $25 prize purse. Whoopee!
33.5 min easy cooldown. Walked off with a case of water from the post-race festivities. Note to self--these cases get very heavy when you have to walk 1 mile+ back to your car with them. I was also able to pick up some old awards from USATF, including a hat and sweatshirt. Sweetness!

S- 19-Mar
1 hr 28 long run. This run traversed Haverford- 5 laps which got progressively faster (15:30, 15:00, 14:40, 14:30, 14:20). The end of this was at least 6 min pace. I worked much of the morning (4 hours) on an invigorating group project involving toothpaste sales in Latin America. Deliciosa.

Weekly Total-- (drumroll) Approximately 76 miles. This was a proper week, including 2 long runs and another race.

M- 20-Mar

This morning I drove my parental units to the Philly airport for their trip out west to Arizona. Later on, I squeezed in 65.5 min, for about 10 miles. I felt good today, maybe because I ran later in the day.
T- 21-Mar
15.5 WU to Haverford.
6X Mile in the grass, 90-95 seconds rest; 38:24 total workout miles in: 5:06, 5:01, 4:59, 5:01, 5:00, 4:59.
13.5 cooldown

(Total running around 10.5 miles)

This is a staple workout, and I think it went well. I may need more speed, but getting strengthwork in the grass felt right today.

By the way, want a glimpse of the next up and coming international popstar? Check it out. (May take a moment to load).

Speaking of hilarious links, I recommend www.engrish.com, which displays mis-translated and inappropriate English words on display in Asia. It kind of makes me wonder what all my Japanese kanji shirts say...

W- 22-Mar
63 min tired, 9 miles or so. Ran 1 lap of Haverford, then 1 lap of the road loop. My achilles was sore today. I lifted weights, which I really must do more often. I'm gonna Pump you UP!

T- 23-Mar
64 min easy run, 1 lap of Haverford in the waning daylight, 1 lap road. Sore achilles and I was tired.

I worked today in Center City at the small law firm, which was a bit of a circus. My achilles always hurts coming out of there, I think I channel stress to it.

F- 24-Mar
15.5 WU
35:03 6 lap tempo at Haverford (laps in 5:55, 5:49, 5:49, 5:49, 5:51, 5:49); most mile splits were a little under 5:20 pace. This was a solid run, 38 seconds faster than 3 wks ago. I do these in trainers most often. The course is an undulating grass, gravel and dirt on the Haverford cross country course. There is 1 turn which I may cut a little short, because I'm not sure where the cone used to be, but it only gets me a second or so. I just can't help myself, gluttonous as Jabba the Hut (FYI, courtesy of Wilkpedia, "Jabba was a robust Hutt, with a broad, slobbering smile dividing his dreary countenance, and two yellow-red reptilian eyes gazed with detached amusement from his mammoth cranium.")
13.5 min cooldown

(10.5 miles)

Had to rush a little to make it to school in time for our Net Impact meeting, my little attempt to give back to society.

Tonight, Stacy and I went to the classic Ardmore bar Brownies to watch Villanova in the Sweet 16. People were going ape, and it was entertaining, even if I frigheningly skewed old for the joint (Note- after the actions I saw due to bathroom traffic, I don't recommend using the sinks). There's a live cam if you want to scope out the Brownies scene. Unfortunately, I don't think they serve desserts, but specialize in liquids. Anyway, Nova won a thrilling game in OT at the last second over Boston College. Take that Beantown!

S- 25-Mar
93 min long run. I ran through Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and so forth. I believe it was raining on this date. Fair run, but nothing spectacular.

I actually had a busy day, with lots of work to catch up on. This was ironic, because Stacy is on Spring Break. Role reversal!
S- 26-Mar
62 min, around 9 easy miles about Havertown. I lifted again today, in my pursuit of hugeness. Spent a lot of time again today selling toothpaste.

Also, looks like I'll be doing some consulting work on the side for one of my professors, if I ever get around to it.

Weekly Total- Around 72 miles. Another decent week. I intended to double a few times, but good intentions evaporated. I'm stressing lately about law school, but more about that in next week's entry, when I visit schools and ruminate further.