Flirting with My IPod

People like music.
People like to share music.
People (Matt Mahoney Aside) like to listen to music while they run.
I'm a person. I like music. I'm running 100 miles on Saturday. Thank you for sharing your music! 259 songs, 17.4 hours worth. Wow. I think 14 songs were in my original playlists. The Church? Die Antwood? Buck Cherry? Mumford and Sons? Well, I guess I'll have to broaden my horizons (Er, don't say it Star, you can think it, but don't say it! Oh go ahead!)

Thanks, whomever it was, for re-intoducing me to Molley Hatchet. I hope I don't get running too fast, that truly would be Flirting with Disaster!

Gimme Five!

Hey, I'll be running 100 Miles in the Rain this weekend at the Rocky Roads 100 in SoCal.

How about doing your old pal AndyMan a Howard HUGE favor and sending me a list of 1 - 5 songs you'd like to hear while running 100 miles in the rain.

Here's my five:

Life's a Ride, Donna the Buffalo

Look on the Bright Side, Monty Python

Dust in the Wind, Kansas

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Old 97's

Jumpin' Jack Flash, The Stones

Thanks, I'm out!

Fear.Com

I don't know if I post it before every hundred and something, but I know this is the time I feel it before every race.... Fear! I love fear, it gives me something to conquer (I sure aint conquering poverty!)

You'd think with 15 complete in the books that it would be old hat. Nope. Particularly after 26 hours in the last one. I really thought I was in shape but that's no where near 24 hours. Yes, there were issues on a hard course, but the fear is, am I the major issue? Is it me? Age? Weight? Skill? Drive? Did I do enough? Do I care enough? Should I have done that 6th loop at Bradshaw with the wind howling? I know all the things I could have done but didn't.

Go ahead Star say it.... "You'll be _ _ _ _!" I believe I understand why that means little.

Fact is, I will be fine. I will finish, and I'll give 24 a run for it's money. Will I beat A2? I hope not, but I hope to give a number something near a good full day to shoot at? Will I beat Star? I hope not! Because she is running so well, I'd love to see her challenge 24. But I hope I give them a week of wondering... can I do that? Well, here's a huge secret, "If I can do it, you can do it!"

And as scared as I am, I'm going to do it! Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's looking fear in its fat face and saying, "Get the F%*K outta here fear!" That's John Wayne right there, and if the Duke said it.....

Rocky Weather?

The Weather for the Rocky Roads 100 looks primo!

Friday, Feb 25 - Sunday, Feb 27 Coto De Caza, CA
High 65/ Low 41
Mostly Sunny
Chance of Rain < 10%

I reckon that's why people will put up with earthquakes, mudslides, republicans, democrats, immigrants, migrants, libertarians, egalitarians, ultra-runners, whale-riders, soybean farmers, goat herders, movie stars, lumber jacks, one-eyed jacks, car jacks, Hummers, lack of Mummers, Guitar Strummers, Bear State Republic living, Stanford Cardinal loving, Al Davis cow-towing, Gold-rushing, prop 8 passing, Bullmalarkey. Yeah, cause the weather's nice. Oh, and because Rob and Michelle live there, and I like them. Oh, the mountains are nice too, and the sea lions, I mean who doesn't like the sea lions, maybe your occasional seal... but anyway, look all I have to worry about is just run, baby run!

The Rocky Roads

Rocky Roads..... it's not just an ice-cream.

It's the brain child of my good bud Rob Cowan. It's a 100 mile race in the foothills of the Saddleback Mountains northeast of San Diego. The Foothills of mountains are much better for a Florida cat than are the Mountains themselves; however, foothills does mean everything is either up or down, not a bit of flat. So be it!
How will I do? I'll do fine. Not great like I'd hoped, but I'll give 24 hours a run for it's money. One cool thing is that the race is the same day as Tampa's Gasparilla Races so I won't be doing Gasparilla one of receptionists at work is and she got up a gang to try to run a total equalling more miles than my little race. She signed up 20 people from work to run the 5K, not bad. Sadly, not enough to beat me! 20 x 3.1 = 62. Not going to do it! Turns out it takes 33 people running the 5K to stomp me (102.3), so good and great Maggie signed up another 5 to run the 15 K. So 46.5 from the 15K and 62 from the 5K, I'm toast.

But, I cry foul! Maggie's team is using friends and family versus just me. Well, if it gets more people out of the house I guess I'll take the lose with a smile..... darn it!

..... of course I could do an extra loop, hmmm...........

Alive and Kicking!

I'm alive, I'm kicking.

Just so you know.