...when you've got the greys

What's with the blues when you got the grey's? It's fantastic question from Frightened Rabbit that I cant help but thing about on these grey and nasty morning that will be commonplace until April.

Yesterday I did my longer Bucktown Loop down Milwaukee ---> Ashland---> home. It's crazy to see how that area has changed even in the short time since I have moved to Chicago. I first looked at an apartment there in 2003 and lets just say it was pretty awful and the "neighbors" looked a little dicey. Now with the money i squandered away at the time and the price I could of bought something makes me regret not plunking down there although I now think it has a Lincoln Park vibe which i detest.

Anyways the run was 53min of easy cruising and there were no major problems other than my hips feeling like they needed to be adjusted. I think the next few days will consist of easy running then a track workout of 400's or 600's will commence on Thursday and a long run this weekend.

The agenda for tonight consists of checking out Neon Indian and my good friends The Prairie Cartel at the new Lincoln Hall. Friday I also may check out Mason Jennings at the HOB but thats a definite maybe.

Here is a clip from the Disciplines who headlined the show I saw on Friday. Ken Stringfellow of Posies fame is the frontman. Music is ok but the stage show wasnt too bad.

coming up only to hold you under

Today marks the end of my 4th week of non-stop running and recommittment and the first "race" i've done since the Corn Fest 5K in 2006. While I have done both Chicago and Boston marathons i do not consider them races but rather long sustained runs. I think in a race you try to beat people while in the marathon you just try to not beat yourself. Philosophical i know but then again I did get up at 7am on a Sunday for the first time in ages, slam a mucky breakfast of bloody mary's and chilequilles and then watched the Bears get throttled before passing out for what some call a nap...i will just call it going back to bed. It was pretty epic.

Saturday's long run was put on hold as i checked out the Nike Human Race and ran that 10k at an easy clip then tacked on some time to get in just over 60min for a solid run. Today's run/race was intended to be a tempo run at 6:00-610p with nothing more than a solid effort. The course split were all over the place but i did feel I kept a solid effort, neither pushing nor fading, for the whole way minus a few minutes around 4.5m were i questioned why i was making myself hurt to run over 5min slower than my personal best but....well lets just say we have a lot of work to do. 5:49, 6:10(11:59), 5:49(17:49), 6:21(24:09), 6:01(30:10), 6:01(36:11) 1:04= 37:15

While marking my return to action(insert joke) the race also marks the first time I've lined up wearing the shuffle. I added the new Prairie Cartel record which despite having/hearing most of the songs I bought on itunes last night and they have managed to change quite a bit since they were first debuted. Highlights include Suitcase Pimp, Jump Like Chemicals and 10ft of Snow( no, its not a homage to a fantastic Canadian rapper named Snow). I also have been on a Radiohead kick of late and put "The Bends" back in the mix partly because I have spent the last few days trying to learn many of the songs on guitar and also since I have had the title track stuck in my head for days. Rounding it out was the Doves, Fruit Bats, Glasvegas and last but not least Earlimart.



And I simply love the tone of this plus the line of slipping inside your pocket. I think Keith is tearing up somewhere that i referenced the mighty Radiohead



Big week coming up with a trip to the burbs to try and put together a new adidas aBE unit which is sure to be a cluster as i have to be on the other side of the burbs for a halloween fun run at a great account in Elmhurst,Il called The Runners Sole. Tuesday bring about the Prairie Cartel set w/Neon Indian and the new Lincoln Hall, Wednesday I travel south to Bloomington where an account has rented out a movie theatre to show the York HS XC documentary and have an official adidas night. The rest of the week is same old same old.

Until the next time.

...and you blew all away

Wow, i apologize to the faithful readers that i went almost a week without an update after i committed to keep blogging. I think you'll get over it but ill try and stay the course.

Last week ended pretty solid with doing 1:28 with Baum even though he dropped me and i felt like absolute garbage then managing to followup that run with a solid 45min on Sunday which put me right about 54m for the week.

This week started off ok with 40min on Monday, 48min on tues again doing the 6x2min on 2min off at Horner Park and then getting up for an early run on Wed to knock out 65min heading down toward Fleet Feet PA then hopping on the path for the return trip.

I felt like I dodged a bullet yesterday as I ended up having to run in the rain for 44min which was less then enjoyable and I managed to feel fine until I had a snack and then all of a sudden i was bundled up on the couch hoping H1N1 wasnt getting ready to introduce themselves to me. No change today so I'm guessing I just didnt agree with the broccoli soup i hoovered down.

Wednesday night also saw me take in Dead Mans Bones which is probably more mentionable for having Ryan Gosling as its singer/creator. Going in not knowing what to expect i will say I came away really enjoying it and thought while it was definitely set up for more of a stage show that it played well especially with the time of year it is. The only way to describe it is like watching a spooky, evil, cajun/folk Charile Brown play. Below is a picture a friend of mine snapped of Ryan along with the childrens choir that accompanied them.



The rest of the week has shaped up to be a 40-60min today, 8-10m tomorrow then I'm doing the Trick or Treat Trot as a tempo run on Sunday before heading to the playoffs for our kickball team. Some serious business I know. On the non running side I will be checking out a band tonight at Subterranean a few of my friends play in called Scott Lucas and the Married Men. They have finished a fantastic record that is very Heartbreaker-ish in theme and a cross between old Sun Volt, Neil Young...and Scott Lucas. The video is from Martyr's a few months back.


Until the next one.

Rainy days and mondays...what a lame song.

One day past hump day. Awesome. I got up early to knock out a morning run and check emails as i stretched but for some reason THE INTERNETS (kenny powers line) was not working and i can only assume my roommate/squatter of the last SIX months was too blame. An hour was spent fixing this then it was too close to a looming conference call to get the workout in so I waited...and waited....and waited.

I ended up hooking up with Jeremy Borling and Adrian Campbell around 630pm as its dark, rainy, windy and too cold for my liking. We knocked out a solid 61min while lamenting that our old training groups and group runs are in no way like they were a few years back and not nearly as fun. Just one of the groups below from a few years back with a mix of college friends and club teammates. I believe this was my first attempt at a comeback from the now legendary car accident and I ran Chicago in 2:44 off light jogging....I wish i could do that again at this point.



The week continues to go well, work has been unspectacular as the expected slow down after the marathon has taken effect rendering the launch of the Ride 2 almost fruitless and necessitating a relaunch in January. The diet remains in tact and i actually found a picture on my phone of what would be labeled the staple and core of my nutritional intake.



That is about all I suppose...big meeting in the AM tomorrow in the northern burbs then the weekend comes and the only thing on tap is finally, please god finally, ridding myself of the roommate. Fingers crossed.

I leave you with a song that should of been mega, but wasnt even close. They wear adidas also.



Cheers.

Chin Up Kid

Week two has started off solid and I am getting antsy so to keep from being complacent I have planned on some races to at the very least give me some solid tempo efforts. I have officially signed up for the Trick or Treat 10k and am thinking of the Hot Chocolate 15K. Some have asked why i dont do a 5k but i dont think i would get enough out of running mediocre for 17min at this point in my non-career of running.

Diet still holds with chicken ceasar salads, soup and sereal(had to keep the 3 s's theme) this week but i need to hydrate better. I have also been off of the coffee which if nothing else will save me $50 a week.

Monday was a pretty awful 41min run around bucktown + a small add on around roscoe village at 830am. Tuesday i met with Baumer and rolled about 46min nice and easy but i was getting the feeling i had to do a workout of some sort so i didnt get into the rut of shuffling everyday and to keep the boredom at bay.

This morning at 830am, 40 degrees and misting i ran to Horner Park with Baum who stepped up and ran a suprisingly good workout on the grass, or XC style as he called it. Essentially a 20min wu, 6x 2min on and 2min off then a 20min cooldown. Total time for me was 61 min but with the slow jogging it was probably only 8.5 or so miles.

My good friends also have a new record out and its pretty tasty. This video comes from an award winning Japanese director and i honestly have no clue what the theme is but supposedly its political. The oppression of bears or something...i dont know. All i know is thats its a tight jam. Enjoy.



Until the next time.

sleeping in is giving in

Last week marked the second straight week of consecutive running and also my first week without fastfood(subway included) in possibly a year. The week ended with only 43miles but every day was over 40min except friday's 30min run and wed 60min run.

To my surprise i felt fantastic the day after drinking for 12hrs(saturday) yet felt awful this morning.

Yes, i did a morning run today. No, its wasnt of the 6am variety as in the past but i was hitting the street at 830am after walking the dogs and checking some work emails. I felt flat and was shuffling around and it felt like i was throwing my legs out in front of me with no power. As good as last night was today was pretty awful but i did feel great that i got the run in early. The rest of the day was spent stopping by a few accts dropping off shoes and doing inventories and also an ill advised run to Target. Eastbound and Down on sale for $15 was a spectacular find to go along with some blinds and a new toilet seat. Happy Columbus day indeed.

Check out the video below. I havent been able to get the title phrase to todays posting out of my head. Essentially i have been taking it as i can do more...maybe i should get off facebook a bit more and do some more running, stretching...hell anything non running and productive would be a plus im guessing.

Dude where's my booth?

Chicago Marathon Expo begins today and yet again i found myself with nothing to do but run errands for fellow reps and pop round to say hello and remind some of my retailers that yes, we are committed to running and to remember the improvements we have made the past year. That said i would still love to have an extra $100k added to my sales #'s to boost my territory and make me look just that much more fantastic.

Despite only wanting to stay 90min i was roped in for over 5hrs shaking hands, kissing babies and running for coffee despite only having hot coffee and tea...no latte's or mochas. Bummer. On the bright side i did have fried oreo's. Big time win.



The diet is still intact for the most part although i realized on the ride home i had yet to eat anything other than a granola bar and a few fried oreo's all day + some coffee (one of the last mochas= score) before getting home, having an apple and out the door for 30min.

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with britton for a longish run before doing god knows what...maybe day drinking and meeting up with T-Will.



Lastly check out this jam by the Doves. Fantastic record. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhbK8kQW4LI

small steps

Day 1 (monday) ended with 43min with Baum and some core work. Nothing special but better than the 25min jogs followed by baconators. Soups and salads were the meals so that was cool but all i could think was " is this all im supposed to eat?".

Tuesday was another 45min run with baum followed by core work and the same diet as above. This was ok and I'm itching to do something uptempo or quicker asap. Possibly a race/workout on the 26th but that still seems so far off.

I did book my travel for the National Running Event in Austin, Tx in early November and I am going to check out Langhorne Slim while i am down there.



That is all. The Chief.

Boston recap...woops

So it comes to my attention i didnt do a boston recap so heres goes a short synopsis. I left you as i did my boston test route that went pretty awful by my standards. Once in beantown i tried to stay rested, lay off the beer and eat somewhat healthy but thats hard to do when you are there for work and have to entertain your account base.

race day came and i felt pretty good and alert on the drive over. I had a good spot and didnt have to weave in and out the first mile or so and actually got passed by loads of people. Myself, travis jones and alex white ran together thru the 1/2 string 6:30's which did not feel as smooth and easy as i thought. At 11m my knee/IT band was clicking so i pulled over and gave a quick few stretches which solved the problem while only losing 30sec or so. I hit the half around 1:25:30 but this felt like more work than it should have and as i figured my quads felt like they were getting dinged up.

Reality hit that the hills were going to kick my head in very early as we turned into the wind/hill at 16 i went from 640p to a 730p or so. That hurt. I was caught by Ryan Price but passed him as we came out of the hills. I got smooth once again but was moving slowly, 7:teens and such. At 22m i had the goal of running 2:55 which seemed fine if i could just roll in at 7:20p. I tossed my hat and immediately regretted it as i believe i started to become hypothermic as it got colder the closer we got to boston. Long story is that my last 2.2m took 21min and my last 1.2 was over 13 so i was in the hurt shop something fierce. Walking up Boylston in my adizero kit was embarrassing but at least Price and i did it together.

Final time of 3:02 which was incredibly unsatisfying. Last one on the roads. Im very glad about that.

Im back bitches

Short and sweet. After Boston i had a huge letdown and let my self go by eating like shit, not running much and generally being sedentary other than work. Despite Hood to Coast looming i did not deviate much from this. I managed to have a 60m week then would have 3 straight 20's then a 50 then some 20's....so it goes.

I'm ready for a new challenge and what i have been thinking is that i need to hit the trails. Huff 50K may be far too soon but a winter marathon near asheville could be in the cards. Let me know what you think.

On the music front i have been loving the Doves, Phoenix, Floating Action and Matthew Ryan of late.

Chicago Marathon this week and to say that i am upset that adidas chooses again not to participate for one reason or another is an understatement. I will just be glad i do not have to slave thru and expo schedule i suppose and have some fun.

This week, due to the marathon and all accounts in chicago area being involved will see me doing office work, packing samples and helping out on the floor if needed.

Cheers~RH