Run DMZ

I've got to say I've thus far been impressed with the organization of the Long Beach Marathon. Today I received yet another e-mail reminding me of important runner information. It included the most thorough spectator sheet I've ever seen. Check out the spectator hints, such as "Why is my marathoner acting funny?" and guidelines for cheering. My personal favorite is HINT #8 after the race: Most likely your marathoner will want to recap the ENTIRE race for you. Listen patiently and help them celebrate this enormous accomplishment. Don't be surprised if you hear the same stories a few times. Your marathoner will be tired and may not remember in all of his/her excitement that you have already heard all of the details.... Thanks to Suzanne C. up in Lake Forest, Calif., for pointing me to a wonderful and inspirational story in yesterday's New York Times about Hurricane Katrina victims training for the NYC marathon. Definitely worth reading . And good luck to New...

Wired News has launched a new curmudgeon’s column by their chief copy editor, Tony Long, about the dark side of technology. Read it and see if you don’t agree with what he sees as some of the downsides to our growing dependency on devices and virtual drivers that are now thoroughly soaked into our social fabric. I must admit that some of the modern advances he cites have made it possible for me to work for years now from the comfort of home and from the harsh climate and hard commuter life of New England. It’s allowed me to keep in closer touch with far-flung family and friends, too. But in reading Long’s inaugural rant, I also realize that one of the main attractions of running, for me at least, is complete release from those digital accoutrements. Granted, I run with a multipurpose Timex watch, heart rate monitor and, on Sunday mornings, an MP3 player occasionally tuned to a podcast. The blogosphere, and those of us obsessed with reading other people’s personal journals, is another e...

While sitting uncomfortably today in the hands of an angry dental hygienist, I overheard my dentist telling another patient to lay off the Gatorade. He was adamant that his patients -- be they pro athletes, weekend warriors or day laborers -- not substitute cavities for occasional carb boosts. While interesting, I was more intrigued by the fact that I could eavesdrop so easily. Congress says I shouldn’t. Several years ago, politicians took a bill aimed at streamlining health insurance reporting systems and turned it into a much more ambitious law guaranteeing patients’ rights and privacy. It’s called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and by now every hospital, physician, dentist, chiropractor and even company HR department is supposed to follow it. Its mandates take reams of paper to fully explain, but it boils down to patients having a stronger say in who can look at their medical records. For most of us, this is achieved by the receptionist or nurse d...

I'm finally catching up on my work reading and found this interesting article on the CNN Web site about marquee musicians like members of the Dave Matthews Band and Foo Fighters filling us in on how to get around copyright protections on their digital music files . The in-fighting among artists and studios is at the heart of the article, but for those of us that use an MP3 player other than an iPod, when running or otherwise, the piece also suggests ways to download protected music files -- with blessings from some in the record industry. And here's another, similar take from Tim Lee on why copyright protections should be eliminated.

Here's how I saved myself after last weekend's distress call. With some sweetened tea and half a banana in my belly, I fired up my MP3 player just as the host of "Resurrection Sunday" introduced my request. For all you earlybirds listening at 6 a.m. -- that was me asking Steve West to play "Working Girl" by 80s punk rock band The Members. Swear to God, I'm not a groupie. Just an avid listener. I rushed outside to discover it really was 50 degrees as my WeatherUnderground button proclaimed and rolled through a hilly first half just as the sun christened a cloudless sky and air 20 degrees cooler than my last long run. I never lost my pace or my composure or, most importantly, last night's dinner. I charged up every incline. I stopped at a hilltop park in "new Scripps" (pictured above). I waved or said hello to every single person I passed. As I hit the dirt path leading to Miramar Lake, and looking on the horizon for Tijuana as a park sign su...

Saturday mornings usually are reserved for Pilates and then Starbucks with training partner Tara, where we get a real workout running our mouths for about an hour. You never know who you'll see in the coffee shop. Sometimes it's your neighbor or a parent you worked with on Grad Nite or a kid you haven't seen in awhile heading off or home from college. Occasionally, it's a local dignatary, like a city councilman or former city attorney or someone featured on Court TV. Lots of local TV types live here too. This morning, it was a Charger. I'm about 95% sure it was this guy , with a weave. Seeing a pro football player in our presence prompted Tara to recall when she once ran around a track with quarterback Drew Brees a few years ago. She used to work near their training camp and ran during lunch breaks. So, lots of thoughts of football and players this morning. The Hokies just smoked Marshall to retain their No. 3 spot. Scripps Ranch High School, never known as a footba...

Based on this week's productivity rate, might I add to The Not-to-Do List that you: 53. Do not drive to the health food store for junk food (watermelon licorice sticks and butter-toffee peanuts, to be precise). 54. Do not make a Costco run at precisely the time your track club is lining up for intervals on the other side of town. 55. Do not become deeply engrossed in an instant-message exchange over subtle clues in the TV show "Lost" at the same time your boss is pinging you about your project. 56. Do not update the music on your MP3 player for Sunday's 10-miler, the last real run before the marathon. 57. Do not put together a care package for the college kid, minus watermelon licorice sticks and butter-toffee peanuts. 58. Do not read every single running, IT security and economics blog ever published. Twice a day. 59. Do not stop to predict how many seconds it takes for Katie Couric to use an interview with NFL stars Ronde and Tiki Barber to tell everyone for t...