Grete Waitz and my son and me.

A Confession

I have gotten sloppy. I am back in school, but will be finishing that this semester. I want to be thinner and am willing to work at it. I also really dislike the cold and the big dose of snow and ice we've been getting. That makes it hard for me to get outside.
I want to go on the record that I am committing myself to losing 20 pounds by the end of summer. I am just shy of 190, and I want to be under 170, not because that's my goal. It isn't, rather I want to get there so that some other fitness activities don't stress my body as much. I'm also committing myself to be doing three good, substantial workouts weekly on the roads by the end of March.

On Hot Chocolate and Dying

I've become a fan of McDonald's McCafe Hot Chocolate, so I stopped by my local McD's this AM. I sat down to drink and read, and there was a group of about 6 older men (70ish) who were talking rather loudly. The result was that I read little and laughed a lot.
One guy said that he wasn't planning a viewing when he died, but if he had one, he'd like one of his buddies to slip his cell phone into the casket, go outside and call him during the event.
They were also talking about sales going on now, and one of them mentioned that Joseph A. Bank is appartently offering 70% off, so if any of his buddies needed a suit to be buried in, now might be a good time.
It sounds a bit dark, but these guys were having fun, and it brightened up my morning a bit. I, when I go, would kind of like a New Orleans style jazz procession from the service to my interment.

On Meb and Baldini

I just read the part of Meb Keflezighi's new book Run to Overcome where the 2004 Olympic Marathon was described. I've got to say that this race was a favorite of mine. I watched it on the back deck of my house with my son, then six cruising in and out.

Near mile 22, Meb and Italy's Stefano Baldini were running together, trying to chase down Brazil's Vanderlei de Lima after having dropped Kenya's Paul Tergat. Meb turns to Baldini and says "Endiamo primo e segundo" (Let's get first and second). As described in the book (p. 129), "His eyes bugged out. He looked absolutely shocked, like he was thinking, Is this black dude in a USA uniform actually speaking Italian to me?"

Shortly thereafter, de Lima was pushed from the course by a deranged spectator. The spectator was pulled away from him by other fans, but de Lima was doubtless slowed and rattled a bit by the incident. He was quickly caught by Baldini and then by Keflezighi.

As the race neared its conclusion, my son was chanting, "Go Meb, Go!" As well as the race turned out, I think my favorite part was when de Lima ran onto the track and "did the airplane" running with his arms outstretched and running a swerving pattern on the track having beaten the odd circumstances that had delayed his arrival. His face reflected pure joy, and I consider it one of the most special moments in sports.

The book, which is an easy read (it was co-written by sportswriter Dick Patrick) provides lots of insights into Meb's success. While I haven't yet finished it, it's clear to me that this book will be a well-loved addition to a runner's library. It will likely be especially valuable to young runners as it contains lots of important distance running lessons presented without being preachy.

Out of the Money

For the first time in several years, the Boston Red Sox did not qualify for the post-season. They finished the regular season with a record of 89-73 with a winning record of 0.549. That record represented the fifth best in the league, but third in the AL East. Both teams that finished ahead of the Sox made the playoffs.

I had initially planned to write this because I expected the Sox to have finished out of the money, but with a better record than at least one of the teams that made the playoffs, but a slump about 2 weeks back dropped the Sox record a bit.

Still, especially given the injuries they had to deal with, they have nothing to feel badly about with the season's results. A look at each division shows the AL East to have a 0.532 record, while the Central has a 0.493 record, and the West has a 0.481 record. Clearly, the Sox play in the league's best division, and this affects their record. Would they have won either of the other divisions if they played there? Probably, but they don't.

Congratulations to the Rays, Twins, Rangers and Yankees for making the playoffs. I guess I have to root for the Rays, as I can't root for the Yankees, ever! Given their records, I have to believe that an AL East team will be in the World Series, but I'm not sure which one. Time will tell.

Quizzed

Yesterday, I stopped by the office of the paper for which I write. In the course of discussion, the fact that I'm in school chasing a math degree. The publisher, who's a trained engineer, decided to give me the quickie quiz of my mathematical knowledge. He asked, "What's the integral of 1/x?" I pondered for about a second, just to be sure I didn't blurt something stupid, then replied, "Natural log, isn't it?" I was then told that many eople who claim to know math do not know this (or at least can't answer it on the spur of the moment). It's a foundation in Calculus II, so there is really no excuse (except forgetfulness) for math people not knowing this. It's really a good simple test - if you can't answer, you really have no business claiming to be a math head (mathlete?).

A Few Car Images

A trio of lifted car images:

The Citroen 2CV


A Triumph TR-8


A Triumph TR-6

Just to Yank a Chain

National Distance Running Hall of Fame Induction

check out this picture:


From Left: Dick Beardsley, Nina Kuscik, Miki Gorman, Kathrine Switzer, Bill Rodgers, and Larry Rawson

Crossing Paths

Last week, I went to a park in town and there was a guy riding a big wheel unicycle - the wheel was about 3 feet in diameter. last night, on my way to class, I passed an International tractor. A very rare sight on NJ's suburban roads. Both of these things made me smile, big toothy grins. I like crossing paths with the odd and weird.