Big buckin chicken...

I love this commercial:
Big Buckin Chicken Video.

From the nostalgic soundtrack, to the wild rodeo drama and poignant acting, this commercial is buckin awesome.

"Wahoo!"

GOOOOOAL

(June '06 note) I am watching World Cup soccer on my computer while writing this update. ESPN 360 is rad--even without cable I can watch all the kicking footballer action. Even though the U.S. has been sent packing, I am surprisingly entertained. Here's a haiku I dedicate to the action:

Corner kicks are cool,
But bicycle kicks are best,
Put it in the net.

Anyway, let's turn the pages of my training log back 6 weeks:

Mon, 5/15/2006
58:34 for 3 laps circumnavigating the Haverford trail. I drove back to Ardmore today with a rumbling belly, yet I still headed out for a run that was swift like a swallow. Laps in 15:40, 14:40, 14:20 or so. 9.5 miles.
Working a fair bit on my top secret educational consulting project.

Tues, 5/16/2006
15:14 slow warmup to Haverford.
42 min workout; 2 X 1600 (4:42, 4:45); 2 X 800 (2:18, 2:19); 4 X 400 (67, 67, 66, 66).
15 min cooldown.
This workout was one red hot chilli pepper. I don't remember the rest exactly, but it was not excessive; I think it was a lap between intervals, maybe 2 laps between sets? Saw Freddy at the track, who (probably wisely) took some time off after Broadstreet. Total mileage: ~10.5mi

Weds, 5/17/2006
My achilles hurt too much to run today. The workout yesterday went "Mike Tyson" on my achilles.
One of these days I watched "Anchor Man," a brilliant flick. It really took me to pleasure town. You know, when in Rome...

Thurs, 5/18/2006
59:14. The location of my run is lost in the sands of time. I'll assume it was 8.5-9 miles.
I worked for Alan today, doing lawyerly things. Today could have been my last day working here, which would terminate a 3 year history. I held onto a key, however, and have a gut feeling I'll be back once or twice. Alan suggested that I read 1L this summer, a novel about his law school class at Harvard. Amazon has delivered and I will eat up the words when I have a chance.

Fri, 5/19/2006
15.5 min warmup to Haverford.
35:14, 6 lap Haverford tempo run: (laps of 5:53, 5:53, 5:51, 5:50, 5:55, 5:51; mile pace usually about 30 seconds less).
14min cooldown.
This was an uninspired though sufficient workout in trainers in the grass; I was content to squeeze in anything. And so I'll pat myself on the back for getting out there.

Sat, 5/20/2006 GRADUATION PART 1: CLASS DAY
I experienced a bit of trouble sleeping the night previous, and class day started early (at least in my opinion). Today was for the College of Commerce & Finance, and festivities kicked off in the Connelley Center, where Nova's legendary basketball team hoops it up. After marching into the gym, a handful of speeches ensued, and then everyone had their name called and walked the catwalk for a fake diploma. Afterwards, my parents and I went to a wine and cheese reception at Bartley Hall. I enjoyed talking and seeing all my classmates, some of whom were MIA lately.

After a nap in the afternoon, I ran out of time to run very far.
46.5 min, 6.5-7 miles, road loop.

I drove into the City of Brotherly Love to pick up Stacy, and we hit up an exclusive restaurant known as The Olive Garden.

Sun, 5/21/2006
90 min, 13 miles?, about half in the dark. In a startling display of dedication, I went out for a long run after a very long day. Half on roads, half at Haverford.

The weather for graduation was beautiful, which was conducted outside in the track stadium (some may call it the football stadium, but I say disagree). I was literally one of the very first students to process in, but my family still missed me. Here is a video of all the students rocking our alma mater during the ceremony. Afterwards, my parents, Stacy and I went to brunch at Tango, a tasty destination in Bryn Mawr. I ordered salmon because, let's face it, I'm never going to cook fish on my own, unless I catch it. After sending some of my possessions home with ma and pa, I drove into Philly to drop a certain someone off at 30th st. station. Only after this, in the dying daylight, did I step out for my run, which is why the pace may have lagged.
Weekly total: 59 miles. Not a bad training week, but my achilles is unhappy. You can call me master now.

Worf: "Klingons do not 'pursue relationships.' They conquer that which they desire."

Mon, 5/8/2006
Took 1 day off after Broad Street to recover. I'm a busy beaver these days, wrapping up my MBA!

In other headline news, instead of a genearal research fellowship at William & Mary, I will be one of 3 law students working with the Courtroom 21 Project, the world's most technologically advanced courtroom. I was sold by this quote from Ed Blumburg, President of the Florida Bar: "I thought I had stepped into the courtoom in 'Star Trek'..." Well, beam me up!
(editor's note: I'm having difficulty uploading pics in the middle of my text, so you'll have to imagine a photoshopped pic of me in a Star Trek uniform, wrestling around with Lieutenant Worf.

Tues, 5/9/2006
63.5 min, 3 laps of the Haverford trail, 9.5 miles easy and relaxed (in other words, slow).
Tonight marked my final Villanova class. For interactive marketing, I had one final group case study to turn in and discuss tonight, which I highly valued. The study was about United Way, and provided me with knowledge that I immediately utilized in my real-world nonprofit marketing plan. Don't kid yourself, the most effective nonprofits know how to push your buttons. Philanthropy isn't always pure altruism-- it can be elicited through pressure or even guilt.

I hedged my bets and skipped the "extra credit" research project for interactive marketing, which could have been quite time-consuming. Fortunately, I got an "A" in this class even without the extra work, and avoided wasting my precious time. Joy to the curve!

Weds, 5/10/2006
15 min warmup to Haverford.
4 lap, 4.5 mile tempo in the grass in 23:55. This was not a blistering workout, but it was sufficient. Not sure why I'm working out so close to my 10-mile race, anyway. Laps in 5:55, 5:54, 5:55, 5:50. Followed by 6 X strides.
14 min cooldown. (~9 miles).

I worked out in the evening, after I finished my last MBA assignment! My take-home final for International marketing was due by 5pm. The instructions dictated a 10-page limit. Normally, double-spacing is implied, but one enterprising student asked the professor if single-spacing was all right. The prof. said single space was acceptable, and word trickled down to me of the slightly revised parameters. 5500 words and a carpal tunnel syndrome later, I was done. Here's a taste:
"In theory, countries with similar cultures should be open to similar marketing strategies. Geert Hofstede’s dimensions of culture provide one method of segmenting countries, providing insight into effective interaction with people from other countries. Hofstede argues that people perceive the world along five main dimensions: power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity, and long-term orientation."
Don't forget to cite me.

Thurs, 5/11/2006
63:31, 3 laps haverford, easy and relaxed. Think I was in pain today.
I was conscious into the wee hours last night laboring away on my group's nonprofit marketing plan, and at school by the crack of 10:00 to finalize it. Our plan should be very helpful, but we'll find out for sure next week when we present it to them. Afterwards, a number of the grad assistants went down the street for lunch at an Italian joint. I could feel it in my tum tum later during the run run.

Following this and a brief meeting, I went to turn in my computer. Villanova provided me a computer 2 years ago, but apparantly I have to return it. My little friend was pretty mangled over the years, and barely had the will to live. Luckily for me, the undergrad right in front of me at the IT station was passing off a computer that was literally hanging together by a wire, so my damage was less noticeable. I think I braved the storm without an atrocious fine.

So, without a computer, how am I writing this mind-blasting blog update? Well, I ordered the first available shipment of the fly new Dell Latitude D620. Dude, it's a Dell. And Dude, it has dual processors and I can calculate a million digits of pie faster than it takes Kobayashi to chow a dog (v. fast). Even the computer wankers are impressed, but it cost me a pretty penny.

Fri, 5/12/2006
Ay, chihuahua, my work continued this day. I kept pushing off a large data gathering project for one of my professors, but finally completed it today. Next up was:
35 min, or 5 miles on the roads, easy pre-race pace. Then I drove down to Baltimore.

Sat., 5/13/2006
20 min warmup
15:32 5k at Pimlico, 4th place, ugh. I specialize in finishing 1 out of the money.
15 min cooldown with Cauller, Berdan.
This course seemed inaccurate. I did get out fast and ease off, but not as ridiculously as my splits indicated: according to the mile marks I went out in 4:24, and my next mile was around 5:20. I really didn't feel up for a race today, but I showed up to chase some dinero. Last year, 16min won, and this year a $500 bounty was on the line. Unfortunatly, 3 foreign athletes (Kenyan, Ethiopian, Russian) showed up to block me from any money. I was tired and unenthused, and backed off at the end when 4th place was unavoidable. The course itself was annoying, with a few random turnaround spots, which were slick due to rain. At least I got to talk a lot with some long-lost Lancaster runners: Greg and Dave. This race was also mildly cool because it served as part of the lead-up festivities to the Preakness horse race, and finished on the horsetrack. The highlight was probably the human wearing a red riding outfit who tooted his trumpet to announce the start of the race.

Sun, 5/14/2006
1 hour 48 min
I ran this morning with Kip Bitok at Loch Raven Park. This run was hot as a pistol, with a 30 min period of increased effort towards the end. Nice new location, wooded trails around a reservoir/lake. Call it 17 miles? Hard to judge.

Weekly total: 58 miles. Not too shabby for 6 days, right after Broad St. The race was a mistake, but you have to take a shot at the dough now and again.

A few action shots from Broad Street!

Bring on the May flowers...

Mon, 5/1/2006
May day! May day! I'm filling in the holes in my blog some 6 weeks later, so forgive me for forgetting all the tiny nuances of my existence.

60.5 min, 9 miles; ran through Dru hill park. Unfortunatly, I had to use the scariest restroom I've ever witnessed (I'll spare you the details).
In my international marketing class, we closed off our semester long simulation with an ace marketing plan.

Tues, 5/2/2006
15:20 warmup to Haverford.
30 min total workout; 4 X 400 w/ 70 rest : 66, 67, 66, 66, 70 rest (too short), 9:57 3200m, 3 min rest, another 4X 4 w/ 70 rest: 67 66, 66, 65. I forgot to take an extended rest after the last 400 of the initial set. My bad. Goes to show that last time I did the workout, I could've gone harder.
18 min cooldown
PM: 34 min light and lifted.

Wed, 5/3/2006
57:50 for 3 laps haverford/9.5 miles, which is speedier than normal, last lap (close to 2.5 miles) around 14 min.

Thurs, 5/4/2006
14.5 min warmup.
23:40 for 4 laps/4.5mi light tempo at Haverford. Miles in 5:28, 24, 24, 19; laps in 5:59, 5:55, 556, 548. I was going to do something on the track, but there must have been a midget convention, because the track was overrun by wee ones. On reflection, they were probably children in some sort of rec. league. There coach was giving all sorts of crazy advice like, "You must go home and eat fish tonight to properly recover from this workout." I would've recommended cereal and/or poptarts. I finished off with 5min of 6X100 sprint/strides in the grass.
13 min cooldown.

Fri, 5/5/2006
Celebrated Cinco de Mayo with 61.5 min, 3 laps haverford, 9.5 miles light. Hamstrings hurt today. Looks like my sprints Thursday weren't so wise. I was probably trying to impress the midgets too much yesterday. Tonight, I headed over to Penn and watched the HEPS 10K. Frankenstein Macreepy really did dominate. I like to think that the cowbell I brought to ring contributed significantly to his success.

Sat, 5/6/2006
35 min light, pre-race. Hammy still sore, d'oh! Bad timing.

Sun, 5/7/2006 BROAD STREET RUN!
I've been looking forward to racing Broad Street. BroadStreet, PDR, and Rothman were the "classic Philly" races I wanted to experience this year, and my mission was accomplished.
2 mile warmup around North Philly with Ross, Wags.
50:26 10 miles
23 min cooldown with Bitok, Wags, ?.
Last night I couldn't sleep, maybe because I was anticipating how early I'd have to wake up. I daresay I was also excited, like an infant on Christmas eve. I drove into Philly early early, and took the subway up to the start from near Citizen's Bank Park. It's unnerving when you have to ride a subway close to an hour just to get from the finish to the start of your race.
I claimed a sweet spot on the start and brok out hard. In fact, I set a "PR" through the first 5 miles, which I passed in around 24:27. This strategy pretty much only worked to get my photo on the front of the Philly News. I was never really comfortable, but around halfway my achilles really started to tighten up. I faded from the front to around 13th place. Not bad, I guess, since 13,500 people finished. The conditions were delightful, which allowed me to snag a decent time, even though I puttered out. Results can be located here.

Later in the day, I flew like Batman down to Baltimore to celebrate Stacy's birthdizzle. Happy quarter century!

Weekly Total: 71 miles. Solid week, with a tough 10 mile race and a PR I can live with. I may not race 10 miles ever again.

I may have missed my calling. Check out the latest Michael D. Baird video production: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMIfvWverHg

bonjour, monsieur

I know what you've been thinking... why aren't there more photos of dogs in berets on this site?

Well, I aim to please.

http://www.berets.com/

breaking news...

M: 24-Apr
1hr 52 min at Patapsco Park. By the time I got to run, it was warm and I was lightheaded with hunger. 'Twas a pleasant long run through the park, extending up into the upper reaches of the enchanting forest. 16 miles at a pedestrian pace.

Conflict abounded on my journey to the park, however. I strolled out to my car as usual, turned the key, and... nothing. Sadly, my battery passed away sometime the night before. R.I.P., Die Hard, you're in a better place now. I telephoned AAA on my mobile device, who arrived in a flash and performed a battery transplant lickity split, on the spot.

I missed a meeting at school, but in positive news, my toothpaste sales project is going swimmingly.

T: 25-Apr
62 min, I believe this was 3 laps at Haverford college. I'm the man now, dog: 9.5 miles.

W: 26-Apr
15:20 warmup 37.5 min total workout; consisting of 6 X 1 mile in the grass, with 90 seconds rest (5:03, 4:58, 4:58, 4:57, 4:56, 4:55).
14min cooldown; total of 10.5 miles. This workout was better than a box of puppies. I believe I was rather tired for my class tonight, however, and ever so famished.

R: 27-Apr
59 min easy lope around Ardmore in the morning, where I scoped out a parking spot, 8.5 miles. I worked for Alan today in center city, and stuck around for some pleasure at the penn relays. I have run at Penn the last 4+ years, but I decided to take a year off from my annual butt-kicking extravaganza. The highlight of the night was the steeplechase. Last year, a certain Nova alum was kicked out for being "too drunk", while another fan had his cowbell taken away. This year, revenge was vowed, and justice was indeed served. Moments before the first wet and wild race, a hero pulled out 2 bags full of cowbells and passed them out to the crowd, commencing a cacophony of jinglejangle insanity. (Cowbell project website, fyi). Even the 'squeegee men' were lauded for their efforts at cleaning up the track each lap. This meet was about as rowdy as track and field gets, and I was glad to spectate. I was a little bummed that I missed most of the 5k, though, while I was down the street at a Penn bar picking up some much needed sustenance. I caught a late train home and walked to my car with others, which was humorously parked almost as far away as the walk to my house would have been.

F: 28-Apr
AM: 47.5 min easy on the roads, Havertown loop, 7 miles.
PM: 31.5 min loop around Haverford, 4.5 miles.
I doubled up today, after attending a Net Impact meeting, where we continue to compile our nonprofit marketing plan, good samaratin superheroes that we are. I also lifted rather too hard today, and will feel it the rest of the week.

S: 29-Apr
15 min WU
6 lap (apprx 6.5 mi.) tempo at Haverford: 34:57 (5:47, 5:48, 5:50, 5:49, 5:52, 5:49), mile splits between 5:16-20 on this slow course.
13.5 min cooldown; total 10.5 miles.
Although stomach demons threatened, the workout was hot like a breakdancing monkey. Maddeningly, there was a local race today where I could have run the same workout and made $300. I later travelled down to Baltimore: hip hip hooray. Stacy works too hard these days (30+hrs in a row). We managed to go out to the legendary Owl hotel bar/restaurant before she passed out.

S: 30-Apr
91 minutes, easy long run at Patapsco Park with Jonathan. Fairly good pace over this hilly terrain. We were cruising through that jungle like two hobbits on a mission to Mordor. I will conservatively proclaim it about 13.5 miles.

Weekly total: 80 miles. Holy cow, a better mileage week!