Run DMZ

This morning I weighed a running route that is mostly uphill when it dawned on me: run it backwards and it's mostly downhill. You not only finish strong, but you finish faster. So that's what I did. What? You didn't know I'm running again, four months after a serious back injury? You mean to tell me you haven't been keeping up with my daily running log ?! Well, while I try to get over the lack of interest in my life, let me mention that I no longer feel like the same runner and I think that's a good thing. I began running on a lark , and I was kind of a closet runner in my 20s and a competitive one in my 30s. I paid for it in my 40s and now that I'm starting a new decade, I am returning to running being more of a me thing. There's a video from Mizuno's  Mezamashii Run Project that I think perfectly encapsulates this way of thinking, this lifestyle. It's not about counting your calories but counting your blessings. It's not about collectin...

We watched part of last weekend's Track and Field Olympic trials, including the women's 100-meter dash that has yet to decide who finished for that coveted third spot on the U.S. team in that event. In case you missed it, or the news that followed, Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh finished at exactly the same time . The announcers said it's the first chest to cross the finish line that counts, but in this case, it was too close to call. So officials, who've apparently never had this happen, left it up to the competitors to decide the tie by a coin toss or runoff. I can't imagine a coin toss, so I'm pretty sure they'll announce a runoff. And speaking of track and field, I'll once again be volunteering at this Saturday's master's meet in San Marcos. This will be my third year manning registration, and apparently preregistrations are way up. It's a great sign that track and field is making a strong comeback in San Diego. And there's nothi...

Imagine you are on a sinking boat, surrounded by sharks. What do you do? Think about that for a minute, then read on. We all spend so much time keeping our bodies healthy, that we sometimes forget the brain needs to work out too. Just as a new routine or class can engage muscles you rarely used, so too do we need to daily work the brain to keep it in fit form. The other week I had the pleasure of sitting in on a presentation* to seniors on brain fitness. I thought I'd share what I learned, so here are some tips to keep you mentally alert into your golden years as they relate to running. 1. Eat a Mediterranean diet . That means plenty of fresh, lightly seasoned vegetables and fruits in their natural form, along with nuts and grains and lean cuts of meat and fish. If you're vegetarian or vegan, there are other ways to get protein, but try to avoid all of the fake food that passes for vegan fare. Kinda defeats the purpose of eating healthfully if you are basically ingest...

No rest for the weary, but also no rest from the relentless election coverage from around the world. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you spend an hour (58 minutes, including credits) and watch the documentary " Please Vote for Me ." It follows three candidates for class monitor in a Chinese third-grade class, and it's incredibly eye-opening. While I'm on the topic of films, I saw a really touching one this past weekend called " The Intouchables ." It's based on a true story, and like "Please Vote for Me" it is subtitled. I know that bothers some (but not as much as dubbing, right?). But both are worth the extra effort.

I was prepared to talk about a spate of attacks on female joggers this week, all of whom had one thing in common: they were wearing earbuds and didn't hear their attacker come up from behind them (this according to KUSI last night). But then I had something else happen today that I thought was worth sharing. I worked at an event for San Diego County seniors to promote health and wellness. Its keynote speaker was a well known actor who lives in San Diego. You'd know him from movies like "Jaws" (one of my all-time favorite films), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and "Mr. Holland's Opus." Allow me to run down some of the things he told the audience: --He's agnostic, but he believes that we all have a moral code that we should follow. Then he asked by a show of hands who was a divorce attorney and who worked in the housing industry. Once people responded, he asked if they regret how many lives they've destroyed. He asked thi...

Once again, thanks to my daughter Elise for this week's contributions from the Sierra Nevada range.

My hairdresser has a new bike that is drawing a lot of attention. Maybe because it's a tricycle. She got the idea to buy an adult three-wheeler after seeing one on television or at Walmart, I think. And she loves it. It stores easily in her car, no need for a bike rack. She takes it to Mission Bay and Miramar Lake, both more level venues than her hilly neighborhood in Scripps Ranch. She says she bought it mainly for a new form of exercise. She started to worry about crashing hard on a two-wheeler. When you hit your 50s, you don't recover as well from those kinds of spills. Looking at some Web sites, safety seems to be a prime motivator for purchases. I've seen the low-rider trikes that resemble a recumbent bike, but until now I was unaware of the adult-size tricycles. They aren't that expensive either, starting in the low $300s. I had my (dual-locked) bike stolen in February, and I'm hesitant to replace it since I'd have to store it in the same place. B...

Sierra City, taken by my daughter Elise on her recent vacation. More to come from her camera.

When it comes to pro sports, and even collegiate and interscholastic, running - especially long-distance running - tends to be given the short shrift against more popular sports like football, baseball, soccer and even tennis. That's why I liked this piece in today's Slate that explains why we who love to run are not crazy. At least not in the strictest sense. Check it out for yourself.

I was listening to my favorite Sunday radio show on my morning walk when the host dedicated a song ("I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls) to everyone running in this morning's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. The race used to be a focal point of my year, whether I was running it or volunteering at the SDTC aid station. Today just felt like any other Sunday, though coincidentally I was wearing one of my RnR marathon T-shirts on my walk, which I greatly enjoyed. This week I had a breakthrough in that my left side now feels like my right side when I walk or work out, so the PT is working and the nerve damage appears not to be permanent.