Post Hurricane Sandy

From cnn.com's homepage.

Stevie and I made it through the hurricane just fine.  We lost power for about two hours on Monday but were otherwise unaffected.  Strong winds knocked down a few trees and power lines, but my area came out largely unscathed.  Some are still without power, but overall we are fine.

Unfortunately the same can't be said for the Jersey Shore.  Pictures have been dominating my Facebook newsfeed for days now, detailing the damage thanks mostly to flooding.  People have noted, perhaps a touch dramatically, that cartographers will have to redraw the Jersey coastline.  But there is no question that the damage is severe and recovery will be a long process.

Meanwhile, my school was closed for a total of three days, and Governor Christie has officially moved Halloween trick-or-treating to this Monday.  Though I could have gone running yesterday, I chose to sit on the couch like a beached whale and watch movies all day instead, only leaving the apartment once to go pick up pizza down the street.

Tomorrow it's back to the grind.

Hurricane Sandy

From cnn.com's homepage

I've had snow days from school before, both as a student and a teacher, but never in my life have I experienced a hurricane day.  But thanks to Hurricane Sandy hitting the east coast of the United States tonight, nearly every school in South Jersey is closed for today and tomorrow.

Naturally I still went running this morning.  Aside from a few large puddles, light rain and gusts of wind, it wasn't that bad.  I ran for my usual 30 minutes and got thoroughly soaked.  Now I'm safe and dry and ready to make some hurricane themed cocktails and watch Halloween movies.

If the media is to be believed, I'm about to be swept away by the floods and wind.  I'll let you know how we fare tomorrow.

'Tis the season

When people think of fall, they tend to think of orange and red leaves, apple cider, Halloween and Thanksgiving, cooler temperatures, and all things pumpkin.  With several of the biggest U.S. cities offering their marathons in October or November, I tend to associate fall with marathons.  In the past I've spent the fall training relentlessly - not drinking, leaving parties at 10pm, and getting up early on Sundays to run 20 miles.

So one of the obvious benefits of reducing the training this fall has been actually enjoying the season.  I've been enjoying a healthy share of pumpkin beers, spending Sunday mornings reading, and going to Halloween parties.

I went to a friend's party last night, billed as the longest running Halloween party in South Jersey, and stayed until 2am.  I can't remember the last time I stayed out that late.  I dressed as Tom Cruise from "Risky Business" and inexplicably won sexiest costume against, shall we say, far worthier competition, with a ribbon and bottle of champagne as my prize.

Here's to a great season, my friends, both on the race course and off.

Zombie Chase 5k

I had tried to run this race last year but there was a steady downpour all morning, so I skipped it.  But this year I managed to pull myself out of bed at 8:00 and ride over to the park a few minutes away where the race was being held.  Sponsored by the Garfield Elementary PTA, the idea of the race is that you run a traditional neighborhood 5k... while being chased by zombies!  If only it had been as thrilling as it sounds.

The gun went off at 8:30.  Two younger guys took off like rockets, and I found myself in 3rd place.  I was hoping one or both would burn out later on, but it seemed like they both knew what they were doing.  About a half mile into the race, I saw two zombies lurking behind a tree.  I guess they didn't feel like chasing me, because neither one made a move as I ran past.  All of the zombies on the course looked like middle or high school girls who only wanted to chase their friends.  All I got was a few half-hearted zombie noises from a few of them.  At the end of the race was a man in a grim reaper kind of outfit who chased runners to the finish.

I need to do one of those zombie 5k's in which runners wear football flag belts and the zombies try to take the flags.  If a runner loses both flags, he becomes a zombie as well.

At any rate, I felt pretty lousy towards the end of the race, which shows just how little I've been training this fall.  I finished in 19:53, so it's nice to see that when push comes to shove I can still knock out a sub 20 minute 5k, but I definitely don't want to continue this trend of losing speed.  My dad once mentioned the worst part of running is watching your glory days and PR's fade into the past, and I'm definitely not ready for that yet.

I never did catch up to those two guys from the start, and I finished in 3rd place overall.  The race only awarded prizes to 1st overall male and female, but I also won my age group, so I got a medal and a $25 gift certificate to the Haddonfield Running Company (redeemable with $50 purchase).

Movie Monday XXXIX

Throughout the course of this 6 minute film, we never learn the identity of the runner.  We never learn where he is running, for what cause, if any, or who his support crew is.  We do however, learn why he runs the canyon, which might be the most important thing:

"I think generally we always question ourselves, like we have to be rational about things, instead of just doing it for pure enjoyment... If I get too rational about it, it's probably pretty obvious I shouldn't be running it, but my heart's set on this run."

He therefor achieves the irrational in 6 hours and 57 minutes.

Running in the fall

Don't believe what people say about New Jersey.  It's a lot nicer than you think.

I'm glad I live in a place with seasons.  It makes the running scenery a lot nicer.

Running is my religion

1. Check.
2. Of course I'm a runner.  Check.
3. I go to bed every night at 10pm.  Check
4. How about rest days?  I rest way more than I run these days.  Check.
5. Haven't had any aches and pains in awhile.  Check.
6. I keep a water bottle with me in class and sip from it all day.  Check.
7. Oh please.  Cotton is not the enemy.  How, then, did people finish marathons before tech-shirts?  Forgive me father, for I have sinned.
8. I don't agree with this either.  It is simply not necessary to get "properly fitted" and pay gobs of cash for new shoes.  Again, I have sinned.
9. I try my best.  We'll call this a check.
10. I don't know anyone with more medals than I do.  Humblebrag check.

5 mile Saturday

Five miles on a perfect Saturday is followed by a trip to the roof to watch the all-day music festival being held on a closed-off street next door.

I love fall, mostly because I don't need to wear a towel after I run to absorb all the sweat.

100 days of riding my bike

As I mentioned before, I've been riding my bike to school almost every day of the school year so far.  One of my co-workers noticed and decided to make things interesting today, betting me a six pack of beer that I couldn't ride my bike for 100 days of the school year.

Obviously he doesn't know me very well.

He offered to let me retroactively count the days I've already ridden, but I felt cocky and told him I would start the count today.  We eventually settled on starting the count from Monday.

The poster is up in the teachers' room.  The count is at three.  It's like taking candy from a baby, or beer from a teacher, as the case may be.

Paul Ryan time calculator

Missed that BQ?  Missed a different time goal?  Don't want to admit to people you're slower than you are? Never fear!

Introducing the Paul Ryan Time Calculator!  Simply go to www.paulryantimecalculator.com and enter your marathon time, which will then be given the boost you need!

In other news, sometimes I love the internet.

Like father like son

A few days ago I sent out an e-mail with details about the wedding to everyone in my family.   The e-mail mostly talked about the date, the venue, and other miscellaneous details, but I also mentioned that I was planning on hosting an informal "Wedding Day Dash 5k" for wedding guests on the morning of the ceremony. I concluded the e-mail by encouraging anyone to write me with questions if they had any.  My dad wrote me back with the following questions tonight:

1. When and where can I pick up my chip for the race?
2. Will there be long-sleeve or short-sleeve race T-shirts?
3. Will there be a 65 and over age group?
4. Is there a push up contest Saturday morning?
5. And a suggestion: add a triathlon of ping pong, darts, and standing broad jump to the Saturday activities.

Dad, this excerpt from the race's website should cover all the basics:

"Online registration will open tomorrow at 8:00am EST.  Those with a qualifying time of 20:00 or better in a previous 5k may register first.  Two days later, qualifying times of 25:00 and better will be accepted.  (Note: qualifying times from the Norm Draper Qualifying 5k will not be honored).  If spaces are still available, registration will open to the general public two days later.  On your registration, please note which corral you belong in: 1 (faster than Usain Bolt), 2 (might beat the groom but might regret it too), or 3 (mangelhaft). Registration must be completed through a sketcho third party company that will charge an exorbitant "processing" fee.  Registration through and including October 31st will be $95 and will increase incrementally leading up to race day.  Online registration closes two days prior to the event.  Race packets may be picked up at the expo the day before, however there is no race day pickup.  If you are picking up a packet for a friend you must provide your license, your friend's license, your friend's birth certificate, a ticket stub from the 1996 Blockbuster Independence Day, and $500 in unmarked, nonconsecutive twenties.  Technical race T-shirts will be available in your choice of taupe or mauve, but we have already run out of every size except XS and XXXXXL.  Prizes will be awarded  in age groups, including but not limited to a year's membership in the Jelly-of-the-Month Club and Stevie's hand in marriage."

Good luck, Dad.  I'll see you on the course.

Changes

What are some changes I've made this school year in regards to my personal health?  Thanks for asking...

• Sleep (The American Way):  I wake up at 6am every day.  At school by 7, first class at 7:45. Therefor, if I want to get in 8 hours of sleep, 10 o'clock bedtime it is.  Getting enough sleep has become super important to me, because there were too many days last year when I felt like a zombie in class.  I'm now super strict about going to bed at 10, sometimes earlier.  If I'm working on something and it's 9:55, I'll drop everything, brush my teeth, and go to bed.

• Cooking (Do People Still Do This?):  I've always enjoyed cooking; I've just been doing it a lot more lately, despite living on a street with every kind of restaurant known to man.  Everything from ginger-chicken-stir-fry to black bean burgers to butternut squash soup.  All this is directly related to:

• Lunch (Pizza or Chicken Nuggets Today?):  I've only bought lunch from the school cafeteria once this year.  It's no surprise that American public schools have notoriously sketchy food.  The cafeteria at my school offers a few decent options, like made-to-order wraps, salads or milk cartons, but these, like anything, lose appeal with over-consumption.  Surprise rancid milk or soggy wraps don't help the situation either.  So I end up cooking more so that I'll have leftovers for lunch the next day.  Or I make a turkey and cheese sandwich.  I also bring my own milk in a Nalgene.

• Biking (When Runners Get Lazy):  My bike was stolen ages ago and I finally got a "new" one. Joined my town's bike share and got myself a mountain bike for $25/year.  I now ride my bike to work almost every day.  Have you seen that movie "Premium Rush" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt?  In my head I'm speeding through crowded Manhattan streets escaping bad guys.   

Getting older is less than glamorous.  Sometimes I think I would rather stay up till 3am writing manifestos fueled by whiskey and dreams, but the other way seems a lot more sustainable.

Your turn... what changes have you made/can you make?

History repeats itself

I tried to register for the Philly Marathon a few nights ago.  I checked the website one night and was informed that there were only 200 spots left.  The next night that number had dropped to 25, so I grabbed my debit card and clicked on the registration button.  No way I wanted to be left out again like last year.

But then there were several options of the marathon to click on.  It would not let me click on the regular marathon.  It only let me click on "elite marathoner" or "charity marathoner" or a few other options, all of which required a password for further registration and none of which applied to me anyway.

The next day it was sold out.

I can't believe I won't be running the Philly Marathon for the second year in a row.

Pork and sweet potato stew

While reading another runner's blog, I stumbled upon a recipe for cuban-style sweet potato and pork stew. So I decided to give it a go.

I threw the ingredients into a crock pot and let them simmer all day, which made my apartment smell ridiculously good.

The original blogger claimed it was the best thing he'd ever made in his life.  Well... my guess is that I either used the wrong kind of peppers, or the original blogger has some seriously defunct taste buds, because this was far from the best thing I've ever had.

Stevie seemed to like it, though she preferred adding sour cream to it.

Thus concludes another episode of Scott's cooking corner.

Still running

Still out pounding the pavement in four and five mile increments.  

Still living above the fire extinguisher shop. 

Still taking awkward self-portraits for the blog.

Some things never change.

Post five miler

Movie Monday XXXVIII

Depending on the time of day, or your current mood, this could either be one of the dopiest videos you've ever seen, or one of the most inspirational.

Various running clips (many taken from other videos I've posted on here) are mixed with inspirational music and inspirational film quotes.  Spoiler: there's a lot of Rocky in there.

Another pushup challenge

I try really hard to be modest.  Honestly.  Because really, talent is always relative.  Unless you hold a world record in something, there is always someone, somewhere, who is better than you are.

I may have run a BQ marathon and won a few local 5k's, but on the other hand, I'm not going to compete in the Olympics any time soon.  I could be a jerk and belittle people who are slower than I am, but those Olympic athletes could do the same exact thing to me.

Stevie and I went to Ben's last night for some pizza and beers.  A friend of Ben's was there, and we somehow ended up on the topic of pushups.

Ben's friend: I can do, like, 30 pushups.
Me: That's cool.
Ben's friend: Can you do pushups?
Stevie: Scott loves pushup challenges!
Ben's friend: Let's do it!

There are plenty of things I'm bad at, mind you.  Giving pedicures.  Liking John Mayer.  Speaking Finnish. But doing pushups is not one of those things.  I am really good at pushups.

So I considered my response carefully.  "You've just entered the dragon's lair, my friend," and "You're about to enter a world of pain, son" entered my head as possibilities.  After a dramatic pause, I finally settled on...

Me: Are you sure you want to do this?

Just another Saturday night pushup contest

I'm in the middle, and Ben is in the background inexplicably doing situps.

(I won.)

2012 Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon

Another year and another medal from the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, formerly the Philadelphia Distance Run.

Stevie and I headed over via PATCO at 7am, and we were in the starting area by 7:30.  Saw some others who were not impressed with Paul Ryan's marathon lie:

I hadn't run more than 5 miles all summer, so I wasn't expecting to PR today.  I know I said that last year, but I was pretty intent on taking it slowly and enjoying the atmosphere this year.  When I started out, though, I felt sluggish and slow, and I was worried that I was in for a long, painful race.  By mile 5, however, I found my stride, and felt ok for the rest of the race.  I ran just under an 8 minute pace and finished in 1:42:38.

Afterwards I met Stevie, my dad and Debbie, stood in a fountain with my free beer enjoying the sun and music, climbed a statue, then headed home for lunch at the Bread Board.

While I was far off of my PR, I didn't exactly push myself, and I was struck by how easy it felt.  My original goal for this fall has been to train like crazy and qualify for Boston, but since school started recently that goal has gone out the window yet again.  I would still like to run the Philly Marathon in November, however, and the ease with which I completed this race makes me wonder how little training I can get away with for it.

Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Expo

Tomorrow is the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, so today I headed over to the Expo with Stevie to pick up my race packet.

Most big city race expos are like big running carnivals, and today's expo was no exception.  Started out with a photo op:

Browsed the merchandise, got several pounds of free food, was disappointed there was no free MGD this year, then tried my luck doing pull ups at the USMC stand:

                     

I did a total of 11 pull ups and earned myself a Marine Corps water bottle.  4 more would have earned me a hat, 9 more a T-shirt.

Tomorrow I run 13.1 miles.  I haven't run more than 5 all summer.

Deutsch

One of my students admitted to reading my blog on a regular basis.  I briefly wondered if I should be worried about the content I put on here, but decided that the values I tout (hard work, literacy, healthy eating, etc.) easily trump the occasional shenanigans.

So... thanks for reading.  And one more thing: