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Heat wave

I waited until the evening to run on Monday, but I should have just bit the bullet and gotten up while it was still dark. I ran another semi-easy four, made a bit harder by the fact that it was 90 degrees outside. Felt ok, but my shins are still a little achey… I’m hoping this isn’t another bout of early training shin splints, but I think I’m just to sensitive to it after last year.

After reading the article about music in this month’s Runner’s World, I also decided to make Monday’s run my first in ages with no headphones. Learning to go the distance without my iPod was actually one of my New Year’s Resolutions this year, and here I am in June giving it a shot for the first time. It wasn’t bad at all, but I did miss the motivation effects of my jams. Also, I found it harder to keep my mind from wandering. They say that it allows you to listen to your body more, but the music my body makes is not very interesting. Like a too-long Stooges song with no guitars. I just feel like I should be able to operate in no-headphones mode because I’m sure there’s a race in my future where they’re prohibited. I think it’s just elitism, mainly, that has race planners against them. I heard someone seemingly in charge at Buffalo refer to the slower runners as “iPod people,” intended as an insult, complete with eye-roll. I don’t want to get on a rant about this, but I’ve seen waaaay more dangerous stuff than iPods going on in races including dogs and strollers (even in races that were iPod-unfriendly). I think planners should focus on making their courses safer, and I was glad to see that some planners are looking at things this way.

Yoga-wise, I had a great day Sunday, and held my longest no-wall headstand ever.

From my Buffalo Marathon Playlist

Some of the songs that kept me going:

P’s Buffalo Marathon Mix.

Re-make/Re-model by Roxy Music
You! Me! Dancing! by Los Campesinos!
I Don’t Want To Grow Up by Scarlett Johansson
On The Table by AC Newman
Moods For Moderns by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Ex-Guru by David Byrne
Love und Romance by The Slits
Do The Du by A Certain Ratio
Photocopier by Fujiya & Miyagi
I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) by Hall and Oates
Caravan by Inspiral Carpets
Superblast! by Lush
The French Open by Foals
Vitamin C by Can
Misadventure by Squeeze
Use It (live) by The New Pornographers
Whips & Furs by The Vibrators

2008 Buffaflo marathon: no injuries!

P finishing the Buffalo Marathon

Originally uploaded by activitystory.

I finished my second marathon, this time in much higher spirits. I did a bit better than I expected to, I ran it in an official time of 3:44, though according my watch, my time was 3:39, since it accounts for every step, the extended bathroom break I took in mile 21, and some stops to stretch my hamstrings in the later miles. But whatever, either way, I’m ecstatic.

I didn’t really stick to my gameplan, which was to keep an 8 minute mile pace. Each of my miles up to 11 was well under 8 minutes… which I tought was ok because it felt good and I was banking under-pace minutes for later on. Once I got past the half-marathon point though (another personal record– ), I started to feel some fatigue in my quads and couldn’t keep pace. Miles 13 to about 16 were dark times for me… I’d stopped passing people, the road was uphill, there was a headwind, and the pack had totally spread out. Pretty desolate feeling, but I did my best to keep my spirits up. I can’t explain why these long races are so emotional for me, but I spend the whole time bouncing between emotional highs and lows that I tend not to experience in normal life. Probably endorphins.

Miles 17 to about 22 were in a park a ways north from the rest of the race, and the twists and turns broke the monotony a bit. Also, Kelly and the Mulvilles showed up to cheer me on right when I needed it. These were my slowest miles; I found myself walking through the water stations and in a few other spots.

Once I hit mile 22 or so, I got super psyched again and picked things up. Had to stop to stretch my hamstrings a few times, but I certainly was excited to be in the homestretch.

I saw Kelly and the Mulvilles near the end of the race, this time they’d met up with Kelly’s mom. It gave me a nice little burst of energy to finish strong. Right when I got to the finish line, I saw Mark snapping away. .

After the race, my ice bath was not as scary or painful as I had imagined, and I think it worked… I’m much less sore than last time. I’ll definitely try that again after the NYC marathon in November.
P in the post-race ice bath

Along with the cheering and up-to-the-second pace and distance updates from my Garmin, music also got me through the tough times in this race. I repurposed some of my training mixes and had a playlist of tracks just for this race. Here are the training mixes, which Libby has already distributed over the last few months:

I’ll put together a mix of the “loose” songs I listened to later in the week.

Thanks for all of the support. I’ll be posting my progress for the NYC Marathon in the coming months as I work out how to make myself go faster for longer.

We finished!

IMG_6572.JPG

Originally uploaded by our silly family.

Nathaniel and I finished the Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte yesterday. My foot/ankle wasn’t fully healed from what was probably a sprain a week or so ago, so it was pretty painful for me. I ended up about 35 minutes off my goal time, but I’m glad just to have survived. The first half was really hard on me, and it took me a while to adjust, but I knew I had to finish.

Beth posted more photos here.

So, once I got everything straight with my shoes and my new gait, I got to where I could run most of every mile. My final time was about 4:24, splitting 9:05 on the first half and 10 something on the second. Physically painful, but I feel really good to have gotten through it depite it all.
The track was more hilly than anything I’d ever attempted, so if I’m healthy for the NYC marathon, where the Verrazano Bridge is the only real hill, that’ll seem easy in comparison (I hope!). But the verdict is in– I’m definitely gonna run more marathons. Nathaniel seems to feel the same way.

Here’s my big nasty bruise that is probably evidence that I shouldn’t have run:

Big marathon bruise

& if anyone cares, here’s my run playlist– “The Clap,” by Cherry Valence was the first song to come up, and Colin Meloy’s acoustic cover of “Sister I’m a Poet” was, strangely, the track that I was listening to when I crossed the finish line.

A Certain Ratio    Do the Du
ABBA    Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
ABBA    Mamma Mia
ABBA    SOS
ABBA    Super Trouper
Aceyalone    The Faces
Air Miami    World Cup Fever
Bardo Pond    Tommy Gun Angel
Bauhaus    Kick In The Eye
Baxter Dury    Gingham Smalls 2
Baxter Dury    Lucifer’s Grain
Baxter Dury    Oscar Brown
Black Moth Super Rainbow    I Am The Alphabet
Blur    To The End
Bowery Electric    Fear Of Flying
Brian Eno    Here Come The Warm Jets
Broker/Dealer    Can’t Believe
CAM`RON     Hey Ma
Cherry Valence    Lose That Smile
Cherry Valence    The Clap
Chromeo    Fancy Footwork
Colin Meloy    Sister I’m A Poet
Cub    New York City
De La Soul    Brakes
Devo    Jerkin’ Back ‘n’ Forth
Dub Narcotic Sound System    Shake A Puddin
E.S.G.    You’re No Good
Egyptian Lover    Egypt Egypt
Flin Flon    Upper Ferry
Four Tet    Smile Around The Face
Garden Variety    Harbored
Gary Numan    Films
Glass Candy    Digital Versicolor
Glass Candy    Rolling Down The Hills (Spring Demo)
Gwen Stefani    Crash
Happy Mondays    God’s Cop
Henry Badowski    Henry’s In Love
Hercules and Love Affair    Athene
Honeymoon Killers    laisse tomber les filles
Huon    Complex
Ian Brown    Gettin’ High
Ikara Colt    At The Lodge
Jawbreaker    Boxcar
Jesus & Mary Chain Featuring Mazzy Star    Sometimes Always
Joanna Newsom    The Book of Right-On
Joe Jackson    A Slow Song
Joe Jackson    Another World
Joe Jackson    Look Sharp!
Joy Division    Disorder
Joy Division    Isolation
Justice    D.A.N.C.E
Koufax    It Had to Do With Love
Kraftwerk    Spacelab
Ladytron    Seventeen
LCD Soundsystem    Someone Great
Le Tigre    Well Well Well
Liz Phair    Support System
Lou Reed    Hangin’ Round
Luscious Jackson    City Song
Lynnfield Pioneers    Crossfade
MAKE-UP    They Live By Night
Mayo Thompson    Black Legs
Mayo Thompson    Good Brisk Blues
Mayo Thompson    Side Two To You
Mayo Thompson    Venus In The Morning
Michael Jackson    Rock With You
Mikkel Metal    Microho
Motorhead    White Line Fever
My Bloody Valentine    Only Shallow
My Bloody Valentine    Soon
Neko Case    Deep Red Bells
Neko Case    Hex
Neko Case    Hold On, Hold On
Neko Case    Knock Loud
Neko Case    That Teenage Feeling
Neko Case    Things That Scare Me
New Sweet Breath    Bring It On
No Doubt    Hella Good
Old 97’s    Timebomb
Oxford Collapse    Lady Lawyers
Oxford Collapse    Please Visit Your National Parks
Palace Music    Work Hard/Play Hard
Polvo    Vibracobra
Princess Superstar    Bad Babysitter (Featuring High & Mighty)
Public Image Ltd.    Socialist
Pulp    Party Hard
Pylon    Feast On My Heart
Ratatat    Seventeen Years
Redd Kross    Look On Up At The Bottom
Royal Trux    Let’s Get Lost
Shocking Blue    Inkpot
Silkworm    Couldn’t You Wait?
Silkworm    I Must Prepare (Tablecloth Tint)
Simian Mobile Disco    Hustler
Smiths    Girl Afraid
Snow Pony    Easy Way Down
Sole Sides Greates Bumps    Latyrx_Lady Don’t Tek No
Solex    A Round Figure
Solex    Oh Blimey!
Solex    Shoot Shoot!
Sons & Daughters    Awkward Duet
Sons & Daughters    Taste The Last Girl
Spoon    Anything You Want
Squeeze    Squabs On Forty Fab
Stephen Prina    Cums For Shove
Stereolab    Miss Modular
Stereolab    Our Trinitone Blast
Stereolab    Tone Burst
Subhumans    Mickey Mouse Is Dead
Suzi Quatro    Strip Me
Talking Heads    Dream Operator
Talking Heads    Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists    Hearts Of Oak
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists    The Ballad Of The Sin Eater
Television    See No Evil
The B-52s    Legal Tender
The Field    Everyday
The Lilys    lilys_nanny_ext
The New Pornographers    From Blown Speakers
The New Pornographers    It’s Only Divine Right
The New Pornographers    Sing Me Spanish Techno
The New Pornographers    The Laws Have Changed
The New Pornographers    Twin Cinema
The Odd Numbers    Holiday
The Stone Roses    I Am the Resurrection
The Stooges    Loose
Warren G & Nate Dogg    Regulators

Marathon Music Help

Gang: running my first marathon in 6 days. Please help me bring the noise. I’ll probably spend the first 2 and a half hours or so listening to the latest episode of The Best Show, but I’ll be on the road for a good hour and a half after that. You’ll win a prize if your track is in my headphones as I cross the finish line!

Things!

Three quick things:

No Love Lost

John Schafer had a nice, long interview with Anton Corbijn yesterday about his new Ian Curtis biopic Closer. Apparently, and I wasn’t aware of this, Corbijn’s cred with the Joy Division crew is incredibly legit– wait, he took THAT photo?wow. Plus, he moved from Holland to England because of Unknown Pleasures. All I ever did because of Unknown Pleasures was explain a tshirt to other 8th graders.

The audio clip they played during the interview restored the goosebumps I got when I saw the trailer at Film Forum a couple weeks back, before we saw Turturro’s Romance and Cigarettes. The trailer had me transfixed and dying to see the movie, then I looked over at Kelly for her to mirror and vaildate my feelings, and she was all “eh, want some M&Ms?”.” Ouch. I’m gonna make her see it with me.

Incidentally, it’s been a very Joy Division/Factory recent past– the anniversary new balances, RIP Tony Wilson, the Factory graphic design book (so cool it has a podcast, the Hacienda desginer’s Hacienda-like tire stores, and now this article referenced in the SoundCheck interview that I had to track down and read.

Five fave music blogs

I am constantly astounded by all of the great music blogs I keep finding, and it seems like there’s no end to the great stuff. Here’re my favorite 5, hopefully anyone reading this will post theirs in the comments.

Things like Peel and Hype Machine make finding and benefitting from them so much easier…

& to think– I slept on mp3s for so long, clinging to my vinyl (not that I’m not still clinging to that).

Another Obsessive Look at My LPs

A 2-minute video of my record collection, in its current organizational scheme (doubles included):

Most of you know that I have an obsession with visualizing/organizing/understanding my record collection. I probably spend more time thinking about these things than I do actually playing the records (except for the ones by Squeeze [who are apparently reuniting!] and Pylon).

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to weed my collection to make some space in our tiny apartment. In order to know what I could lose, I needed to organize things first. As they were, my LPs were not intentionally organized. Mostly they were just in chunks based on my use of them or how they came in boxes back to Brooklyn in August. The last intentional organization of my records took place when we moved to Austin in 2002, when I packed them up according to color and arranged them that way upon arrival.

I managed to weed out a few hundred discs– many of them unplayable, total crap (even by my standards), or just uninteresting (even by my standards). Now the whole collection is down to under 2000. (If anyone’s interested, the weeded LPs are still hanging around the apartment.) After I got everything roughly organized by blurry genres (with many exceptions), I decided a stop motion video of each LP could serve several purposes:

So, I set up shop in our breakfast nook with my iSight camera, two reading lamps and piles and piles of records. I learned a lot about the collection through the process, and found many, many problems with my current organizational scheme. You can see all of that in the video.

I wasn’t shooting for high production values, and figure I can make things nicer when I get access to a Final Cut Pro Station. To make the video, I used Frame Thief and MPEG StreamClip (take that Quicktime Pro!). Sorry the discs drift around a little, but it was definitely a quantity-over-quality issue. Managing the glare was difficult, but I wasn’t interested in removing each LP from its plastic sleeve– that would have doubled the man-hours at least.

The good news is, now I have photos of each of the records in my collection. Watching all of the strange rhythms and effects of seeing them all at 15-frames-per-second got me thinking about subsets of records to string together like this. Perhaps future Record Jumbles could be based on this.

Once I add metadata to them, though, then the real fun starts. I only wish I had 1) an automated means for doing that (I do have lots of the info in a spreadsheet, but it’s incomplete and old) and 2) a way to integrate it all with my digital/CD music collection.

So, the game. I realize the fact that you can download the video and watch it frame-by-frame makes this easier that it could be, but, some questions about the collection/trivia:

    Quiz Questions:

  • Name four LPs of which I have 2 copies, but the second instance of which appear upside-down.
  • How many die-cut LP sleeves are in my collection, and what albums are they (not counting center-hole cut outs).
  • One album cover contains a picture of Lawrence Fishburne. Which is it?
  • Which two LPs have the promotional 45rpms that accompanied them stuffed in the front of the plastic sleeve?
  • Discussion Questions:

  • What is the worst record I have? The best?
  • What are the strangest juxtapositions of genre/artist/album?
  • What artists am I way too interested in?

I hope someone else is willing to do this… I could watch these all day long.

Related Posts:

Late 70s/early 80s goodness

Kelly and I caught an hour of live Joe Jackson on VH1 Classic tonight… it was a broadcast of a UK concert from the “Night and Day” tour, and it was awesome.

In addition to “Another World,” and “Steppin’ Out” from that album (pretty much my favorite all time record), he closed the show by belting out “A Slow Song,” which is the most interesting track on the record.

Needless to say, I was scouring YouTube afterward. You know how that goes: