Run DMZ

The San Diego Track Club supplies pacers for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, which means I tend to know some of them. My former training partner, Tara, will be the official 5:30 pacer this Sunday. You need to normally run at least 20 minutes faster than your chosen pace, and apparently not stop to pee or be slowed down by things like dehydration and muscle cramps. I am nervous for her. My friend Terrell was the 4:15 pacer a couple of years ago, and he created some controversy when he finished in 4:10. I privately thanked him for giving me a good (ok, ok...questionable) excuse for why I couldn't keep up with him ("Hey, I trained for 4: 15 ....") and finished in just over 4:30 that day. He later explained that the crowds at the end don't know you may have started five minutes after the clock, so some will boo -- yes, boo -- the pacer if it appears he or she blew it. And as you can see from his thoroughly entertaining blog, and especially his latest entry, T's a...

All of my summer plans are being rewritten as I type this. It's going to be a busy one, that's for sure. Once they've solidified, I'll fill everyone in. In the meantime, I hope everyone reading this is enjoying the unofficial start of summer here in the USA. Remember tomorrow to say a prayer of thanks for those who gave their lives for our country. While I continue to stimulate our local economy by freely using my credit cards throughout Southern California, let me leave you with this terrific tune I've had stuck in my head since the other morning's run. (Gotta link since the embedded code isn't showing up in its entirety.) Those familiar with the band Of Montreal know this one; the rest of you might find yourself suddenly craving a Bloomin' Onion or Shrimp on the Barbie. Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games

This is the follow-up to an earlier post about a requested poem for all you curious commenters . It took some time to track it down. A warning: It has nothing to do with running. Before reading on, allow me to apply a little context to what made 36 carefully arranged words so controversial back in the day. The course was Advanced Composition. I was one of three juniors in the senior-level class and the only one lacking the prerequisite, Basic Composition. So, I came to the class without proper credentials or a prior history. To kick off a nine-week poetry section, the teacher gave us our first homework assignment: write a poem in any style and on any topic – except, she said, love or death. In a very condescending tone she said “you young people” do not truly understand those concepts and she was tired of reading tripe suggesting we did. Instead, she intoned, just write about something we know. This led classmates like one cheerleader I knew to go home and craft the Dada-inspired “I Ha...

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in a couple of weeks is attempting to set a world record for running Elvises. If you're interested in participating, here's what Elite Racing has to say . And if you're interested in what it feels like to pace the 3:45 group wearing an Elvis costume, read this terrific account . Hugh is one of the sweetest guys I know in the track club. During my first Welcome Committee he volunteered to go out on the flood channel and run in some of the slower folks returning from their 20-miler. He was out there for hours! [Photo courtesy of cacheboston.com via Google Images]

I admit I’m enchanted by the part of San Diego County that hosted this morning’s 5k, with its unspoiled mountains, risky roadways and neighborhoods clinging to their rural roots. It also was nice to run with an enthusiastic field of unfamiliar faces. The start and finish were within a huge dirt lot normally housing heavy machinery; the expo backdrop was a steel scrap yard, with the 67 freeway just beyond it. But within the industrial area is a natural preserve that race proceeds will help protect and broaden so that there’s eventually enough riverfront reclamation to maybe hold a 10k or half marathon from this same spot. I know the course director, and he did a fantastic job. Not only was everything well organized, but the course was well marked and well manned and contained just enough obstacles to keep things interesting. (And great 60-degree, cloudy weather.) The hills weren’t a problem for me; the surface was. I lost my footing on some loose dirt climbing one hill and again after l...