the ginger man: a midtown craft beer bar

todd and i had a couple of beers at the ginger man in midtown this afternoon. in a reversal of our earlier trip to the waterfront ale house a couple of weeks ago, which was a first for me but familiar to todd, i've been to the ginger man a few times over the years - but it was a new one for todd. afternoons (and weekends) are the best time to check out this place and its great beer selection. after work, however, it takes on a totally different vibe.

i had a pair of fantastic german beers. the first, an ayinger dunkel, was the perfect "light" dark beer. and i followed it up with a schneider aventinus, a weizenbock (a stronger version of the dunkel), which was fantastic! todd kicked off with a smuttynose winter seasonal (and while it may technically be spring, winter hasn't made much of an effort to leave). and he ended with a classic belgian, triple karmeliet - also fantastic!

as usual, 90% of our conversation centered on running! ironically, he had on his albany running exchange tee shirt. which prompted me to mention that arc had been mia at wurtsboro on saturday. normally arc members are a ubiquitous presence at that event (including their own tent). instead, the club turned out. en masse, at the mudders & grunters 5 mile trail run on sunday (complete w/club tent)!

boston was another item of conversation. it turns out we're in the same corral again (along with my friend john). this time around, our 9,000 series bibs have us in the first corral of the second wave. the very same bq's (3:22 for todd, 3:25 for me) had us in the last corral of the first wave at boston last year! there'll be plenty of fun stuff to do in beantown - aside from the race :O

if your running boston this year - say hello!!

ny running show podcast: mudders & grunters, sleepy hollow half, colon cancer 15k, bikes, and charlie engel

in this edition (#24) of the new york running show, not only did we recap some of this weekend's local races (mudders & grunters, wurtsboro mountain 30k, sleep hollow half marathon, and the colon cancer challenge 15k) but biking in central park got some air time because of the recent ticketing controversy that made news last week. bren also discussed the ny times story on ultramarathoner charlie engle that was in the sunday business section.

as mentioned in prior episodes, the ny running show is planning an informal get together after the scotland run. if you're planning to run it, stick around to socialize afterwards.

listen to episode #24 at talkshoe.

2011 mudders & grunters 5 miler: race photos and results

this was my first mudders and grunters 5 mile trail race at fdr park! i've run at fdr state park many times over the past few years - but this course took me over uncharted terrain! despite the cold - it was just 28 degrees at the start - well over 400 runners completed the muddy course (complete with muliple water crossings)! at 48:15, it was the longest 5 miles i've ever run :D

race report to follow. here are the race results from trrc.

here are a few more photos posted on facebook.

2011 wurtsboro mountain 30k: race photos and results

with a temperature of 23 degrees and wind chill in the teens at the start of the 2011 edition of the wurtsboro mountain 30k, we were hard pressed to believe it was technically spring time! but frigid conditions aside, it was sunny all morning and a great day to do a long run. this was my 6th wurtsboro 30k - albeit the slowest at 2:36:56 (well off my 2:30 target). it's one of my favorite races, at any distance! familiar faces that made the trek to sullivan county include emmy, kate, neil, and hugo (to name just a few)! race report to follow; here are the race results from coolrunning.

a few more photos posted on facebook.

here are photos from the 2009 edition!

happy birthday harry houdini - 137 years old in heaven today :D

harry houdini, then known as erik weisz (and later spelled ehrich weiss) was born on march 24, 1874, in budapest, hungry. he and his family emigrated to the united states 4 years later, and initially settled in appleton, wisconsin. in later years, for unknown reasons, houdini would claim that his birthday was april 6, 1874. he would also go on to claim that he was born in appleton, not budapest.

houdini, the easily the greatest showman of his day and age (magician, escape artist, movie star, writer, were just a sampling of his avocations), is more often remember for his death (at the age of 52) on halloween (october 31, 1926). annual seances are still held on halloween in an attempt to contact his spirit! his wife, bess, did so for the first 10 years after his death - and finally extinguished the candle, to use her terms, in 1936.

the better part of houdini's later years were spent debunking the spiritualist movement, and included a running feud with sir arthur conan doyle on whether there was an afterlife (and, if so, could we make contact with the spirits). he exposed fraudulent mediums at every opportunity - and even testified before congress on the need to protect the public from their predatory activities.

today houdini is best remembered as an escape artist and, to a lessor extent, magician. even so, he is still a household word 85 years after his death!

happy birthday harry houdini

"blank city" movie review

"blank city" is fascinating time capsule of the quasi-bankrupt 1970'a new york city. the documentary focuses on the lower east side filmmakers who, with only super 8 (and later 16mm) handheld cameras, took to the streets and filmed practically anything in a quest to make movies - and, for the most part, they succeeded. the first half of "blank city" documents the emergence of what ulimately became known as the "no wave." the second, much darker half, recounts the self-labeled "cinema of transgression."

it's a testament to some wily urban guerilla tactics that some these films even got made - such as petty theft of film (or things to sell and then buy the film) and a late night building break-in to access a location. the latter exploit, the location for a scene for "rome 78" was visited with a real estate broker who believed he was "showing" the property. during the walk-through the windows were, surreptiously, unlocked. the cast and crew returned late at night, via the windows, set up shop, filmed, and exited via the window when they were done!

editing took on a similar edgy quality. with an incredibly tight budget, the filmmakers managed to secure an editing studio for the pricely sum of $40 - but for only one day. the solution, copious quantities of speed and a 24 hour marathon editing session. it worked, they got the feature lenght film in the can, and thereafter it went up a screen! most of the oral histories recounted by the interviewees focused on this sort of backstory - they did whatever it took to get something filmed and screened.

the "no wave" movement had its birth in the punk rock scene. the overlap of music and film making was pretty dramatic. while there was a gratuitous shots of patti smith and then the ramones in the opening minutes of the film, debbie harry, pre-blondie, was the one shown acting it up in the underground films. there plenty of clips from the vintage clubs, cbgb's, the peppermint lounge, and the mudd club, to mention a few.

the thread that glues together the rare film clips is the string of excellent oral histories. what the documentary lacks in a linear narrative is more than compensated for by the story telling. in image after image of what could easily be a bombed out war zone - but in actuality is the lower east side - there is an overarching positive vibe that permeates what they're doing. especially interesting are steve buscemi's recollections - the totally street character of his performances (including have them call up to his apartment window when ready for his scenes)!

i can't say the same for the last third of the film, the self-described "cinema of transgression." the vibe went from upbeat to creepy almost as soon as nick zedd's soi disant movement was introduced. in what i'd charitably call proto-slasher films, the content was supposedly intended to shock and offend - which it easily managed. john waters commentary was actually on target - if you weren't offended, you probably found those images hilarious (think all the way back to "pink flamingos")!

all in all, put "blank city" on your radar to check out. it opens at the ifc center next week (april 6). while it's played the film festival circuit to great reviews since 2009, it hasn't had widespread release. if you're a new yorker with memories of the "good old day" - don't pass it up.

ny running show podcast: nyc half, spring equinox, & chris mcdougall's "born to be a trail runner"

while the majority of last night's ny running show (episode #23) was devoted to nyc half marathon coverage, we also talked about the much smaller spring equinox 8k race race in new canaan and chris mcdougall's article, "born to be a trail runner," posted on the ny times "well" blog on friday. mcdougall's article generated 3 pages of posted comments - across the pro and con spectrum. then, as usual, we ended with a survey of upcoming local races.

for those of you planning on the scotland run next month, the ny running show crew is trying to put together a post-race meet-up. stay tuned.

listen to episode 23 at talkshoe.

2011 spring equinox 8k: race photos and results

the spring equinox 8k is one of a handful of local afternoon races (such as the rye derby 5 miler, harry chapin 10k, and scarsdale fall foliage 5k, to name a few). it's a hilly, lollipop out and back course (covering some of the same new canaan roads as the 4 on the 4th of july race).

on a day when i did my morning in tights, it was sunny and warm enough to switch to shorts by the start. in other words, it felt like winter in the morning and spring in the afternoon. i haven't run this race in a couple of years, but was pleased with the 35:40, a 7:11 pace.

here are race results from clubct.

update: as joe pointed out to me last night, the rye derby has been moved to a late morning start! and, last year, the scarsdale fall foliage 5k went on hiatus (but should return this fall). so i should replace the rye derby with the hastings-on-hudson 5k/10k races :O

here are a few more pictures posted on facebook.

spring equinox 2011 :O

today is the vernal (spring) equinox. but old man winter apparently hasn't gotten the memo! spring arrives at 7:21 tonight - and so too does a forecast of a rain and snow mix, the leading edge of a rainy wintery precipitation that will hover over the city for most of this week.

we've had a real taste of great weather for the last few days - especially friday (when i got to run in shorts and a tee shirt). still, the cold manages to hang around. outside right now it's 29 degrees, with a wind chill of 22! back to running tights - at least for this morning!

but, hopefully, by the time the spring equinox 8k kicks off this afternoon, the temperature will climb into the 40's - for a taste of spring on this decidedly non-spring like day!

still, regardless of the weather today, or the next few days, we've turned the corner on winter!! hurray for that - and let's welcome the warmer weather to come :D

waterfront ale house: an east side craft beer bar

todd and i checked out the waterfront ale house on second avenue this afternoon. i was my first time there. he had suggested after our january visit to the pony bar in hell's kitchen - and we finally got a chance to check it out. i really should say "i," because todd had been there numerous times. they have fantastic beer menu.

but, in something of a first, i actually skipped the draft selections and kicked off with a rogue morimoto soba ale - a funky buckwheat style beer. not only was it a great beer, but it was a bargain at $8 for the 22 ounce bottle! that should have been enough, but can't just have one - and opted for another rogue, the chocolate stout, for the road :D

as usual, the talk focused primarily on running! upcoming races like the wurtsboro 30k at the end of the month and boston next month, spilled over to summer plans - like the catskill mountain 100k relay. in a major twist - and coming from someone clearly bitten by the ultra bug - todd wants to run the entire 100k relay! and he didn't have to work too hard to sell me on trying it as well. more on that project down the road.

the other running highlight was the release of marshall ulrich's upcoming book, "running on empty" - set to release next month. it chronicles his record-setting run across the united states in the fall of 2008. marshall will be at the boston and follow that up with more book related events here in nyc. i'll post some info on the upcoming nyc events in the near future.

2011 st. patrick's day marathon: race report

i finally had a chance to run all four loops of the holiday marathon course at the st. patrick's day edition of this fantastic trail race series. at my first, on thanksgiving, i could only run one loop (6.55 miles) because of time constraints. i had to get home and put the bird in the oven! at my second, the new year's day edition, i only ran 2 loops (13.1 miles) because of the snow packed trail conditions. i basically wimped out at the prospect of running another two loops in the snow. but this time around, a little mud and wind couldn't keep me from finishing the distance.

ironically, the races seemed a bit touch and go at first. shortening a very long story, emmy had forgotten a hard copy of the race permit. the park ranger gave the organizers a bit of grief because he had to "see" a pdf copy of the permit on someones blackberry! thankfully, the file was emailed to a volunteer who lived nearby and printed out a hard copy of the permit to bring over to the race and satisfy the ranger! a triumph of technology to kick off the start!

except for a short delay to the start, the race went off as planned. as with the prior races, there was a decent turnout. most runners did the first loop (10k+) or first two (half marathon). mid-way through my second loop, the field had thinned out significantly. my initial target was a 4 hour finish. i had hoped to run each loop in an hour, even with the muddy stretch on the outbound leg of the rail to trail section of the course. ultimately, it wasn't the mud or wind that slowed me down. the back hills (and some inconvenient calf cramps) can take credit for that.

my first loop went off pretty well, and took 57 minutes. even with a minute plus stop at the start/finish, the second loop took 1:02 and i was still on pace with a 1:59 split for the half marathon. but i stopped a bit longer to drink the first of my two iced teas and eat a gu before kicking off the third loop. that one was still okay, with a 1:05 and 3:04 cumulative split for th 19.6 miles. i stopped for my second iced tea and ate a small bag of pita chips before heading out on the last loop.

lucky for me, emmy ran with me for this one. she had spent the better part of the race as volunteer. not only was her company great (i had run alone for 2 hours), but she kept me upbeat through a series of annoying alternating calf craps that appeared midway through the loop. i walked a decent chunk of the 3 major climbs that make up the back hills, and the entire loop took 1:15 and i finished the marathon in 4:20:40 - an average 1:05:10 per loop, or 9:57 overall pace.

even with the slow last loop, i was very pleased with the outcome. despite the beauty, this is one tough loop. aside from the muddy trail conditions on the outbound leg (and the two decent climbs in that stretch of the course), the bulk of the difficulty is the series of 3 climbs compressed into the initial stretch of the back hills (a short steep climb to the overpass, another climb on the opposite side of the overpass - which leads to the highest point on the course, and a final steep climb - after an intervening series of rolling hills - before we veer off the main xc trail system). it's a fantastic workout!

to put the difficulty in context - last weekend i ran the caumsett park 50k (a relatively flat course) in a relatively waterlogged 4:43 - 9:08 pace. that's an extra 5 miles in 23 minutes! while the comparison is inexact, at best, it's a fairly rough approximation of the difference between trail and road conditions. familiar faces from caumsett who were also at van cortlandt park were phil, mat, and emmy. other familiar faces included chris - fresh from the antarctica marathon (that he ran with his wife, bea), cherie, don, and lucimar.

next up in the holiday marathon series - the easter marathon at the end of april! don't miss it :D

here are some race photos.

2011 st. patrick's day marathon: race photos and results

it was great day to run in van cortlandt park! perfect weather for the st. patrick's day marathon (10k+ and half marathon). the first half of the loop course was still pretty muddy from all the rain we had on thursday but, overall, the course was very runnable. i wasn't at the valentine's day races, but it seemed like a larger turnout than the new year's day races.

i ran a 4:20:40 for the 4 loop course. that was a bit off by 4 hour target, but i was still pleased. emmy, after volunteering for most of the day, ran the 4th loop with me.

this is an event that shouldn't be missed! the next one on deck is the easter marathon late next month. put it on your race calendar!

here is my race report; and i'll add a link to the results once they're posted.

and here are a few more photos posted on facebook.

happy birthday jack kerouac - 89 years old in heaven today :D

jack kerouac was born on march 12, 1922, and died from the ravages of alcoholism in october, 1969, at the tragically young age of 47. today he celebrates his 89th birthday in heaven. as a founder of the beat generation, his dramatic impact on american culture can't be understated. decades after his glory days, beat culture is still alive and well. kerouac's work is as relevant today as it was in when it burst into the staid literary world of the 1950s!

i was, and still am, a huge fan of jack kerouac. he came to a sad and lonely end as the 1950s gave way to the 60s generation. kerouac couldn't (or wouldn't) adapt to the changing world - finding solace in greater and greater quantities of alcohol. the kerouac of 1969 was a far cry from the kerouac of 1959 - even the just published kerouac of 1949! but regardless of his last years, kerouac left behind a huge trove of material from his prolific years.

so today take some time to remember jack kerouac today.

happy birthday, in heaven, jack!

support alicja barahona's 230+ mile "arctic challenge" fundraiser!

reader's of this blog may remember that last year i posted an appeal to support alicja's 120 mile run across long island. in a new twist, not only will alicja once again run across long island to raise funds for breast cancer research (her 5th consecutive fundraiser on long island) at the end of april - but she kicks off the month with a 230+ mile solo run, "ali's arctic challenge," across the frigid northwest territories of canada to raise funds for the inuvik homeless shelter.

here is the text of alicja's email discussing both events, which richie forwarded to the b.u.s. community. it is an appeal to all runners, and charitable souls, for support :D
______________________________________________

Hello to all BUS and not only runners,

I would love to tell you about my two upcoming and very interesting events.

1st is Arctic Challenge - 230+ miles on ice!

The 1st week of April I will be running on the frozen Mackenzie River starting 120 miles North from the Arctic Circle. Some of you may be familiar with the gruesome TV show "Ice Road Truckers". Well, it is the same river, the same ice, but instead of driving a tractor trailer on it as the truckers do, I will be running on it! The logistics of such run are not simple, but with today's technology like the Internet the world seems smaller and I have been very lucky. I contacted a newly created Inuvik Run Club. The members got very excited and eager to assist as I made the call to them in the middle of 30 days of winter darkness. Their enthusiasm sparked in me an additional fire and I told them that I will run both ways on the Ice Road. This mean from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk and back to Inuvik!!

This is about 230+ miles round trip, on the ice with no shelter between these two communities. There are no trees as the tree line ends a mile or two after Inuvik. Just snow and ice! Flat. No rolling hills or mountains; just a lot of wind and sub-zero temperatures.

This is a charity run for the Inuvik Homeless Shelter. The harsh weather and modern lifestyle have made it so that some of the natives are unable to cope and must turn to the shelter for protection. Some homeless persons also struggle with concurrent mental health, addiction issues, or have drifted into poverty and family problems. It is a challenge to live there without any these issues, but having any of these issues is very troubling. The Inuvik Homeless Shelter is there to protect these individuals and give them shelter from the environment and to provide meals for those in need.

To learn more about my run above the Arctic Circle, please visit my homepage.

Here's the link directly to the donate page using Pay Pal. The "Donate" button is at the bottom of the page or you can send a cheque to the Inuvik

Homeless Shelter at P.O. Box 2530, Inuvik, NT, Canada X0E 0T0

100% of all donations go to the shelter.

2nd is 120 miles, non-stop run across Long Island

This will be my 5th annual run to raise awareness and funds to help fight breast cancer in support of breast cancer patients. My 120-mile running route, which I have personally created, will start at North Woodmere Park (adjacent to JFK Airport) and end at Montauk Point. I will start running on April 30, 2011.

Since this run across LI is close to most of you in the Tri-State Area, please consider joining me on any part of this run and participate in the fundraising. We all know someone who has suffered, is suffering, or may suffer from this illness. Let's help. Let's fight the "C" word together so one day this illness will never exist!

Donations can be make online by simply clicking this link

Thank you so much.

Alicja

2011 caumsett park 50k: race report

of the four caumsett park 50k's that i've run over the last 5 years, the 2011 edition was easily the toughest because of the all the rain (and the ever present windy conditions at the park). in past races it seemed to be a struggle against the cold and wind, or just the wind itself. but the seemingly constant rain (there were a few decent breaks) became a real downer (excuse the pun) by the sixth loop. still, when the last of the 10 loops was finally finished - after almost 5 waterlogged hours (4:43:37) - i was glad i gutted it out.

that's saying a lot because mentally, as early as the 3rd loop i was ready to pack when i passed the conveniently warm staging tent at the turnaround point. i started "bargaining" with myself at that point - first with "i'll just do 5 loops and stop at 25k." then notching 5 loops got me to think, "well i do another for 30k." that was followed by, "now i have no excuse not to run another one, for a decent 20+ mile day." and so the internal dialogue went, until i eventually dragged myself through the last loop!

it wasn't all that bleak - when it wasn't raining - we had some pretty nice weather. the last two loops, in fact, were dry ones. but by that time i was thoroughly soaked (and had been for hours), which contributed in no small part to my only physical discomfort of the day - serious chafing. i started off with plenty of glide, but by the sixth loop, it was apparent that running in soaked shorts would take its toll. aside from that glitch, i was no worse for the wear.

i actually had a game plan for the race. since the course consisted of ten 5k loops, a sub-30 pace per loop would bring it in under 5 hours. with all the weather forecasts of heavy rain, my goal was simply to get in a decent long run. since this race was part of my base re-building phase, i didn't expect much in the way of speed. but after i felt good with a trio of 26 minute loops, i readjusted my goal down to 4:45 (still way off my 2010, but something to focus on). if i ran the remaining seven loops at a 28 minute pace, a sub 4:45 was doable.

here are the loop splits (from the jms racing services printout):

26:13
26:09
26:52
27:13
28:10
29:21
29:47
30:43
30:25
28:49

4:43:37 - 9:08 pace

the toughest loops, in the heaviest rain, were 7 (29:47) and 8 (30:43). when the rain ended i still had 2 more loops to go. even with the end in sight, it was a mental struggle to head back out for the ninth loop! luckily, the layout of the loop has the easiest mile of the 5k first! the second mile is the most demanding, physically, because it has two decent climbs (which seem to get bigger with each successive loop). the third mile is the toughest, mentally. it's basically flat - but the headwinds are ferocious!

as i sometimes do in long races - by the start of my last loop i was in my "let's get this thing over with" state of mind. that - not speed - accounted for the fastest split (28:49) since the my fifth loop of the course! the warm tent waiting at the finish was another incentive! but once i finished and changed into some dry clothes i encountered the only real disappointment of the day - there was nothing meaningful in the way of post-race food and drink!

in prior years, when the event was staged out of the winter cottage itself (not a tent in front of it), runners could count on a serious post-race spread at the finish. it was missing this year - and it's absence was sorely felt. maybe it was because of my slow finish - but the only thing in the way of food was a tray of ham sandwiches! i actually went out the aid station across from the tent to grab some nourishment!

aside from that one post-race downer, it was great to catch up with so many friends! a quick list of those i saw before, during, and after the race: emmy, phil, mat, elaine, shannon, francis, john, larry, ray, frank, herb, admas, byron, al, nick, alicja, and richie (who both started the runners and announced the awards) - just to name a few!

will i be back for a 5th one next year? well right now, the jury is still out on that one.

here are some race photos.

2011 caumsett park 50k: race photos and results

it was a wet and windy day at the 2011 edition of the caumsett park 50k on long island. this race doubles as the usatf 50k national championships - and draws an impressive crowd of ultra runners, regardless of the weather. michael wardian won his 3rd caumsett today with a 2:55:59 - an intense 5:40 pace in the face of some heavy rain and wind gusts.

my 4:43:37 was practically 2 hours slower :D it was well off my 4:19 from the 2010 edition, but slipped right under my 4:45 target. despite the ugly weather, there was great turnout. in a big disappointment from earlier editions of this event, the post-race food and drink was sparse (to put it mildly).

here is my race report. here are the race results.

a few more photos posted on facebook.

2011 colchester half marathon: race report

the colchester half marathon is a classic old school ("no frills") race - except when it comes to the post-race food. the spread of food outshines what runners can expect at most marathons (and even some ultras). i don't typically begin a race report with a description of what awaited runners after they crossed the finish... but, when you're greeted with trays of lasagna, veggie lasagna, baked ziti, chili, salad, rolls, and yes, even pizza - a different perspective is called for :D

even more remarkable, all this great and, the race itself, for only $12 registration fee ($15 race day). that alone should shame any 5k that charges $25, $30, and even more for registration. but before this devolves into a rant about ever escalating race registration fees, let me get back to race. it is a remarkable tough course, with a few very notable climbs (and a small stretch run on dirt roads). this was my third time at colchester and, as in the past, it was a fantastic event. while i missed a sub-1:45 finish (but squeaked under the 1:46 i ran last year - both finishes well off the 1:37 i ran my first year), i was more than happy with my time.

my primary goal was to run an average 8:00 minute pace over the hilly course. timekeeping-wise, things did not go my way at the start because my watch malfunctioned. for some reason i couldn't get it set properly and i wound up starting the timer about 30 seconds after the race went off. while my splits represent the actual time per mile marker (and my net time overall), the official finish time is well off own watch time. since the race was more of a tempo run for me, i opted to wear my ipod.

i managed to keep an average sub-8:00 pace for the first 12 miles - but the climb in the last mile took its toll. here are the splits:

7:46

7:58 15:45

8:16 24:01

8:02 32:03

7:47 39:51

7:16 47:07

8:27 55:34

8:40 1:04:15

8:12 1:12:27

7:26 1:19:54

7:47 1:27:41

8:05 1:35:47

8:44 1:44:31

1:09 1:45:41

8:05 pace

in addition to emmy, neil, andie, joe and tom ran also the half. bekkie was out on the course as a volunteer. overall, it seemed like a record turnout for this edition of the race! despite the travel time (the only negative for me is a solid hour and 45 minutes drive time), i'll be back next year :D

here are some race photos.

march 2011 race schedule

the schedule for march includes a new twist - getting back to the track. ironically, while i wanted to run the nyrr thursday night at the armory races this season, i just couldn't get there in january and february. in contrast, katie ran at the armory a handful of times this season with her winter track team! so, with one last opportunity on the boards, i'm going to make an effort to run at the front runners ny armory track meet on friday night (3/18)!

except for the st. patrick's day marathon, everything else on the schedule is a familiar event (including one of my all time favorite races, the wurtsboro mountain 30k). i'm looking forward to a return trip to van cortlandt park because my two previous visits there resulted in a 10k (thanksgiving) and half marathon (new year's day). this time around i'd like to finish all 4 loops for the full marathon! although, heading to van cortlandt park means that i'll have to miss another favorite race, the taconic st. patrick's day 10k/2 miler, scheduled for the same day :(

here's what the schedule looks like:

3/6 - caumsett park 50k
3/13 - st. patrick's day marathon
3/18 - front runners ny armory track meet
3/20 - spring equinox 8k
3/26 - wurtsboro mountain 30k
3/27 - boston blowout 30k

as always, if you're at any of these races - say hello!

rundangerously blog is three years old today :D

three years and still going strong! hard to believe it's been that long - my first blog post was on march 1, 2008. since then, i've posted on running (naturally), books, movies, beats, sports, family, friends, anniversaries and assorted other idiosyncrasies. and, most of all, i've been honored to have a number of great guest posts from my friends and family to share on this blog.

in those three years i've managed 1,341 posts (although the frequency has declined over the last year or so). of those posts, the most frequently viewed, is "haruki murakami: running novelist," with with 1992 page views. it narrowly beat out "ron lamothe's 'the call of the wild' - the other chris mccandless documentary," with 1984 page views.

so far, i've had more than 284,000 visits to rundangerously.

hopefully, i've got another 3 (or more) productive blogging years ahead :D