Favorite place to run

Apart from the Hawaiian islands, La Jolla is a great place to run. One of my fondest memories is going to La Jolla with Vicki W. for a conference in 1994. It was gorgeous, and it was great fun to run by Torrey Pines and along the La Jolla shores.

Running Backasswards...

Sarah Palin in her running outfit...

Running and politics- Bush, Clinton, Palin... Those three running together can exchange interesting stories.

Running...into a Redbox

Redbox serves a useful purpose: it is convenient for picking up a movie when one is out running. Of late, I have always found a few people dropping off or picking up movies every time I have stopped at a Redbox.

Running...into coincidences

Coincidences, like the one I experienced today, remind one of the law of large numbers or of higher powers...Coincidences are perhaps not "purely coincidental..."

A nice run...

At 5:00 PM on a cool but not cold evening...a great way to clear the mind and think.

Running in the CIty

Back in 1994-95 I used to go to the city regularly, park the car near Northwestern and run up to the beginning of Lake Shore drive, or LSD. That was long but a very pretty and rewarding run, going through many interesting parks and providing a great view of the skyline.

One of my former students who graduated in May ran her first marathon in October and did it in 3:38. Her friend, Stacy, who I had met nearly four years ago, also did her first marathon this year and both of them plan to run the Boston next year. That is good running!

Run...past the Past..

I have students who love Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte- and these are not Literature majors. Not all is lost...yet.

A Run-away train...of thought

Needs to be derailed...

Musical Run...

Looking for a great score for running- Vangelis did one for Chariots of Fire, but there has not been much since.

Heartbreak....ers

The WSJ has an interesting article about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

I love their songs, especially "free falling" and 'I don't back down."

Running with the Angels

The days have become longer at work, and shorter in time. However some of the students are angels, and spending time with them is always so rewarding.

Wrestling...with tennis

I had two students come by my office today- one a wrestler and another a tennis player. Both of them gave up their sport because of shoulder injuries. They took it very positively and saw it as an opportunity to try new things.

It is great to see the talented youngsters get ready to tackle the real world, banged up shoulder and all.

Running a Food Race

A couple of students wrote to me recently about the changes they had made to their food habits as a consequence of a discussion section we had over three classes. We discussed the book 'In Defense of Food" and analyzed the hypotheses put forth by the author Mr. Pollan. The students got exposed to certain foods, we all tried yogurt in our sessions, and now students will learn to incorporate whole foods in their diet. A good run.

Picking up...

Getting back to running is not difficult, weather cooperating. Days seem to go by so fast...

A 'spirit'ed run...

The moderate weather has been a blessing for runners. Running brings up the spirits, grading assignments brings them down in no time.

Running forward..but pulled backwards

I had a good run today after a week of sickness. After coming back I started working on a presentation and a former romantic friend pinged me. I had assumed that we had gone our separate ways, and this brought me back to the past. Sometimes memories don't get erased, they get refreshed...

Running in Evanston

thoughts of my runs in Evanston bring back happy memories- of running with friends, and seeing the regulars who became acquaintances... good old days were always good.

Indoors...

Running indoors...on a treadmill.

Is that running?

Old time rock and run...

Just went through my old marathon certificates with the times...

Those days ran by fast...

Schedule Slips...

After three days of solid running, the past two days have seen none. While this is rationalized as being caused by work, the real reason is the short days in the winter.

Marathon Michelle

One of my students who graduated this year, Michelle, just ran a marathon and finished in a great time of 3:38 and qualified for the Boston. I am really proud of her, as she trained hard while representing the school in cross country, and maintained academic excellence.

A Warm Day...and a Warm Run

After returning from Salt Lake late last night, I went our for a run this morning. Chicago is experiencing very warm temperatures, and today the thermometer crossed 70 degrees. I had perhaps the fastest run of recent times, especially given my two-day training on the mountains. It also gave me the tired feeling I have not had in a long time.

A pain in the ...gut

Today, I ran again in the mountains in Salt Lake. This was a steeper climb than yesterday's run, but without all the food sloshing in the belly, it proved to be very enjoyable.

Running Uphill...

I have not had a chance to run up a mountain since March 2008 when I had gone to Phoenix. Today, after arriving at Salt Lake City and eating a big lunch, I decided to go running. A road going up the mountain, the Canyon Creek Road, was the recommended one. It was quite a struggle going uphill, with gravity showing its force, and a full stomach resisting jerky motion. Nevertheless, I ran for an hour, and went a lot farther than I had planned. Truly brought back the joy and pain of running.

Running...the Human Race

Running a Race that has no end

Memories of a Long Run...

Days when I used to run from 630 Hull Terrace in Evanston all the way to Lake Cook Road and back. Those were the days...when the body was in fine shape, and one had the time for long runs.

New Balance

I showed a video clip about New Balance to my students today- a snap poll showed that Mizuno, Nike, and New Balance were shoes bought by students.

Need Chariots...

After Chariots of Fire, there hasn't been a good movie on runners. It is time, given the tremendous improvement in the sport over the past three decades. For great drama a close marathon race is as good as it gets.

An inspiring event

After watching the beginning of the New York Marathon for a few minutes, I went out and ran farther than I have done in recent times. After coming back I watched the completion of the marathon. It was quite an event, with Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia winning the women's marathon ahead of favorite Paula Radcliffe by more than thirty seconds. It was impressive to see Ms. Tulu running the last mile at the fastest pace in the marathon. One needs to have tremendous inner energy to run the last mile the way she did. Congratulations, Ms. Tulu!

Running in Spurts...

It would be nice to get back to a consistent running scheme. Good luck to the NYC marathon runner tomorrow.