Running...on exhaust

Pollution levels are so high here that running after 7 AM can be very dangerous to one's health. The pollution from the exhaust fumes of vehicles is perhaps the cause of many health problems, detected or not. It is sad that the US model of automotive transportation is being copied here, and the number of vehicles on the road is increasing by double digits.

One needs runners and walkers and high speed comfortable trains, not more cars and trucks.

A "hot" runner

Running late in the morning can really heat up the runner...something to be experienced.

Cannot run away from this either...

Add billions of mobile phones to the world's e-waste problem: "With the great global surge of mobile gadget use has come a tsunami of cell phone garbage, the United Nations warned on Monday—especially in India and China. And that's on top of tidal waves of computer, video receiver, and kitchen electronics junk skewing about the planet in all the wrong places. All in all, global e-waste is growing by 40 million tons a year, a study by the UN's Environmental Programme concludes."

Cannot run away from this...

Stand Up While You Read This! - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com: "It doesn’t matter if you go running every morning, or you’re a regular at the gym. If you spend most of the rest of the day sitting — in your car, your office chair, on your sofa at home — you are putting yourself at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, a variety of cancers and an early death. In other words, irrespective of whether you exercise vigorously, sitting for long periods is bad for you."

IPL mania

but no running mania.

Endu"RUN"ce

The days are warming up rather quickly, and running has to be done earlier in the day...Anyone can stay in an A/C room 24/7, but a runner has to face the heat or get out of the business...

Missing the Chennai Marathon...

For a runner it is tough to miss a race because he/she was not aware of it. So it went with the Chennai marathon, held Sunday morning. Winning times have been quite good in the past.

Running in an Indian Summer...again

Running in Delhi last summer was a "hot" experience- Chennai is giving runners a "good run" for the money..and it is not all "hot air"...

Cold Chicago...does not warm a runner's heart...

Last summer I became good friends with RR...the relationship would have progressed much further had it not been for a few hurdles...one of which was Chicago's weather. Both of us enjoy running..but for a California gal Chicago does not seem like an attractive destination.

Setting World Records at the Chicago Marathon

It is interesting to note that the first world record set at the Chicago marathon was by Steve Jones in 1984. The next world record for Men at Chicago was set by Khalid Khannouchi in 1999, a lapse of 15 years, despite the reputation of Chicago as a fast, flat course.

On the women's side, the first world record was set by Catherine Ndereba in 2001, and was followed by another record in 2002, set by Paula Radcliffe. Since that time there has been no world record set at Chicago- by men or women.

Are records eluding Chicago, just like good politicians? Is it getting too warm?

Chicago Distance Classic

Chicago Distance Classic by the ALA is an excellent race. It covered 20K or 12.5 miles when I ran it, but has apparently been increased to a half-marathon. it is held in August, when the summer is winding down in Chicago.

This is a real run...a sad run.

Sacramento River salmon run collapsing, data show - latimes.com: "Despite a historic shutdown of coastal salmon fishing, the number of salmon returning to the Sacramento River is collapsing, according to preliminary data released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Returning fall Chinook salmon numbers have dropped to their lowest level since monitoring began in the 1970s, the report said."

a matter of distance

Amazing how the mind makes the body get used to distance. A kilometer used to be a long way off twenty seven years ago..now even a few miles don't appear to be that much to cover.

Taster's CHoice

My first big race was a half marathon in 1987. I was training for two years to run a marathon, but there were no sponsors that year for the Chicago marathon. The organizers held a half marathon instead. It was one of my fast times. WOnderful memory of that race.

Way back in Memory Lane

Thanks to Youtube!

Not running after a Big Mac...

McDonald’s sales rise globally, decline in U.S. - Food Inc.- msnbc.com: "McDonald's Inc., the world's largest fast-food chain, said Tuesday a key sales comparison rose 2.6 percent in January, as strong overseas sales more than offset a decline in the U.S."

‘M*A*S*H’ No Match for Saints

TV Sports - Super Bowl Dethrones ‘M*A*S*H’ as Most-Watched Show in History - NYTimes.com: "New Orleans’s 31-17 victory in the Super Bowl on Sunday on CBS generated more viewers — an average of 106.5 million — than any other television program in United States history, defeating the 1983 broadcast of the final episode of “M*A*S*H.”"

Black Beer''d Ghost is Beer'd and Boned

No shortage of researchers and subjects willing to prove the health benefits of beer.

Beer Good for the Bones : Discovery News: "As wine gets showered with publicity for its heart-fortifying, health-boosting effects, beer has maintained a reputation as a dietary wasteland, full of empty calories. But beer, according to growing research, has some powerful nutritional properties, too."

Running...gags

The movie Airplane has so many gags that one can always find something new in it.

Mr. Slip Mahoney, along with SAtch, have way too many running gags in their Bowery Series...well worth watching.

Running demands

Rather awkwardly funny to observe obese males jog a little bit and then use their car to get anywhere. Serious runners should demand more from the government- better sidewalks and places to exercise. Less motorized vehicles, more human exercise will do wonders.

Movin' on...

Did a round-trip of about 7 km or more than 4 miles in about 28 minutes..been a while since I did that pace.

Getting up early makes one run longer...a double whammy.

Running out of time...

Many articles have been written about Microsoft's recent string of mis-fires.

Op-Ed Contributor - Microsoft’s Creative Destruction - NYTimes.com: "Microsoft’s huge profits — $6.7 billion for the past quarter — come almost entirely from Windows and Office programs first developed decades ago. Like G.M. with its trucks and S.U.V.’s, Microsoft can’t count on these venerable products to sustain it forever. Perhaps worst of all, Microsoft is no longer considered the cool or cutting-edge place to work. There has been a steady exit of its best and brightest.

What happened? Unlike other companies, Microsoft never developed a true system for innovation. Some of my former colleagues argue that it actually developed a system to thwart innovation. Despite having one of the largest and best corporate laboratories in the world, and the luxury of not one but three chief technology officers, the company routinely manages to frustrate the efforts of its visionary thinkers."

Running jokes

Jokes for Runners & Walkers | Running Humor: "A runner asks his wife: 'What do you love most about me? My tremendous athletic ability or my superior intellect?' 'What I love most about you,' responded the man's wife, 'is your enormous sense of humor.'
Deciding to take up jogging, the man was astounded by the wide selection of jogging shoes available at the local sports shoe store. While trying on a basic pair of jogging shoe, he noticed a minor feature and asked the clerk: 'What is this little pocket thing here on the side for?' And the clerk: 'Oh, that's to carry spare change so you can call your wife to come pick you up when you've jogged too far.'"

Running...against the wind

A classic by Bob Seger...

Against the wind
We were runnin' against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin'
Against the wind

The years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home
And I guess I lost my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worryied about paying or even how much I owed
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again

Running down the Chicago Marathon

A lot has changed since the last time I ran the Chicago Marathon in 1996.

Julie's Health Club: 2010 Chicago Marathon registration open: "Runner's World readers aren't impressed

Registration for the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon--held on 10/10/10--is now open to the public. Don't dawdle. By late April, 45,000 runners will likely have registered and the race will close.

But just how 'outstanding' is this event? Runner's World�readers rated 316 different marathons; Chicago came in....an unceremonious 61st.

Best overall? The Missoula Marathon, a scenic point-to-point course where 'you can hear the birds chirping and horses snorting,' according to 'Follow the Readers' in Runner's World's 2010 Marathon Guide."

Running at high speed

Memory of the Day:

A fine summer evening in June 1992. We were returning from the Grand Canyon towards Phoenix on I-17 when a number of police cars zoomed by us at very high speeds. Later that evening, we saw on TV that a criminal, DRH, who had escaped from the Arizona State Prison, was seen in the area and the police were giving chase. Our entry to the park a few days earlier was held up for many hours because this same character was suspected to be in the area, and the cops were stopping every vehicle and checking it out completely.

Proves that running is so much better than being on the run.