29 years - goodbye Rob - and some S.P.

Well today I turned 29. I have had a great day and sharing my B-day with my son is awesome. It is nice to make a big deal about his birthday and subsequently I can fly below the radar, I am not much for making a big deal out of my Birthday's. I wanted to run 29 miles today for my birthday to celebrate and run a mile for each year I have lived on this beautiful globe we call home but I am not quite in 50K shape after this Fall's pitiful mileage. I will wait to run a Marathon training distance until the first week or two of January. I am starting to ease back into a nice consistent mileage and hope to stay consistent even though the Spring is really turning out to be a killer between course work and thesis work. I am really hoping to teach the 4th year field school this Summer instead of the 3rd year. The 3rd year school is during April and May and tends to trump any spring races. I have a 50 K I am registered and paid for that I haven't been able to run yet due to teaching. If I can teach the 4th year at the end of August I should be pretty geared up for a strong Spring race load.

Well my good friend and running partner moved to the mainland this morning to inherit a practice. He will be missed. I think we connected right off the bat due to our similarities in education, passion, likes in business and investment and obsessive behaviour and obviously our running goals were in line. He really taught me a lot about running and training and I think consistency is what rubbed off the most on me. He is still planning on running on the island once every month or so and because he is a Dr. it shouldn't be too hard to visit. I have really enjoyed our friendship and I feel he is one of the few people who "get" me. It is rare to find someone who understands me on any level let alone multiple levels. Perhaps the biggest trial is now having to run without anyone when there is still a chance I might pass out if the heart decides to take it's time adjusting rhythms. It is hard to find anyone willing or able to run every day for 10+ miles. I am debating starting a running club for our department since we have many good and avid runners in the Earth and Ocean Sciences here. I brought it up at a few get together's and there was an interest so perhaps I can run with some people and even find someone crazy enough to be an ultra distance runner. Rob really wants me to run a 100K race next year near his new home on the Frasier. I feel I could get ready and run it solo. He is putting together a relay team but would love to support me in my 100Km endeavor. I hope everything pans out it would be a rolling and beautiful course.

Well today's song of choice is one I have been listening to a lot. During my building phase in August this song got a lot of play time in my head but I haven't really listened to it for a while or even thought about it, until this past week. The song is "Loretta Young Silks" by the Sneaker Pimps (Chris Corner's band pre-IAMX). The title is named for the Salt Lake City born early actress Loretta Young. She also had an affair and child with Clark Gable. I really like the funky grove to this song. The bass is great and it is a really groovy and cool song. This song is great to listen to on easy runs on undulatory terrain. When this song is playing or when it is stuck in my head I tend to run really loose and not worry much about anything but enjoying my run. This song gives me the illusion that I am cool while I am running even though I am the only one that can hear it (and I am about as far on the other end of the "coolness spectrum" as one can get). It is just one of those songs that allows you to run relaxed and as a result I tend to really enjoy running anytime this song becomes the backdrop. Tell me what you think.