best run ever

numerology

finished my run tonight:

and noticed the new billboard on my building:

COINCIDENCE???

yes, definitely.

always be prepared

my biggest frustration with having a broken toe (or any other injury) comes from the negative impact it has on my ability to respond in a fight-or-flight situation. on a normal day, i am constantly judging my situation for vulnerability, defensibility and escapability in case of unforeseen danger. y'know, stuff like someone losing control of their vehicle nearby. or someone having a psychotic episode and deciding to make use of that 8" chef's knife in their bag. or terrorists launching a coordinated attack on the building i'm passing. or the violent genesis of the inevitable robot uprising. or the invasion of earth by extra-terrestrials. or armageddon...

seriously, i totally think like this on my way to work and stuff, but i digress. the point is, it's way harder to attack an opponent or flee nuclear death raining down from on high when you're stuck limping around. this frame of mind also informs my manner of dress: backpacks, rather than shoulder bags, because they're more stable while running and can't be ripped off my person as easily; shoes that i can immediately start running in; just the basics in my pockets so i won't be weighed-down. i'm always shocked at the sight of people carrying a ton of useless crap that they'll obviously have to ditch when the zombie apocalypse begins.

this, of course, brings us to flip-flops. what on earth goes through your head while you're making the decision to wear those stupid things? "it sure is sunny today, i'd better put on some footwear that will assault the visual and olfactory senses of everyone around me, insure i couldn't run away from a slow loris on valium and drastically increase my chances of getting huge, infected cuts on my feet and/or broken toes!" perfect. me? i'm gonna put on my nikes and leave you and your tanned feet in the dust when the ninjas start jumping out of the trees...

hooked

the five previous posts were sent during the race. i thought they had been lost in the ether forever but they suddenly appeared today, hooray technology.

as the title of this post suggests, i am now rather keen on competitive running races. for more on these developments, we go to an excerpt from an email sent out to the team i ran with:

i had myself so psyched out about leg 20 that the experience of finally running it was nearly mystical. starting in pitch black, no one ahead, no one behind for at least the first mile - just the sound of my feet and the sight of the fog of my own breath in the headlight - gives one a moment to clear one's head... then, as the sun cracks the sky, turning up a gravel road and starting to make a few roadkills. finally, full sunlight, barreling downhill into the mayhem of the exchange point to pass it off to my little brother (i say "little," is anyone else blessed with two younger brothers nearly twice their size?). that was one run i will never forget.

it's goofy, but HTC was truly a life-changing experience, i'm pretty sure i'll be running in a marathon sooner rather than later. you may now click on the images below in order to view:

scenes from a relay race:



and my niece susannah:

hood to coasting

it is upon us: my first race. updates to follow periodically from the road.



click here for a course map. i have legs 8, 20 and 32. my brother jonathan has 9, 21 and 33.

¡VAMONOS!

milestone

it's funny that this didn't pop up on my nike+ stats page until now, i'm actually a week or so away from hitting 200 miles. i wonder what caused the lag...