Today's Run

This is a test; want to see if this little experiment works. In the event it does, attached is a map of today's two hour run up the Dipsea trail. This is my 7th two hour run over the past ten days and boy am I cooked. I have one last one tomorrow and then a big race next week -- and then taper time. Think this block of training is working though; I definitely feel stronger and more fit.

<iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/55063396'></iframe>

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Spook Run

See and download the full gallery on posterous

In the spirit of Halloween i went on a run today through Muir Woods that was pretty spooky. It had the full effect: mist, fog and complete and utter silence. It was also incredibly beautiful and I was glad to be one of very few people out there today.

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Run Through Sausalito

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Went for (another) two hour run today through Sausalito. I think Sausalito is very underrated. It's known as a bit of a tourist destination, which is true, but it boasts some of the best views the area has to offer. Today's run took me through the pier area, which back in the day was a cannery region. Note the Marin Fruit sign - that's an original cannery building.

I went through the pier to Cavallo Point, a fancy new luxury hotel that sits literally at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The other photos are of sundry views, each of which is unique in it's own right. I've said this multiple times to the point where I'm sure it's getting old, but this is one spectacularly beautiful part of the world.

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Los Gigantes!

You are probably getting tired of all these baseball posts. I suspect they are getting to be a bit too much, so will try to limit them moving forward. But, this one is not so much about baseball as it is about the City of San Francisco. This might sound strange but you tend to learn a lot about a locale when their hometown team is performing on a national stage and I have to say that San Francisco is really rising to the occasion. The entire town - and I mean entire - is rallying around the Giants and it's created a very real sense of community. This is a hardcore baseball town and they get full props. These past few weeks have been a cool thing to experience and the overall experience reminds me when we lived in Chicago and the Cubs last made the playoffs.

Anyway, it's a very cool thing. I'm enjoying it greatly - more so than I would if the Yankees were in the Series (that would be torture) and I'm really happy for this town. Here is to hoping they win the whole thing. And I think it just might happen.

Big Block of Training

I'm in one of the bigger and more interesting blocks of training that I have done in a while, courtesy of Coach Phil. Starting Friday of last week, for four consecutive days, I did 2 hours of running. Two days were on the road; two on the trail. Total for the four days was 51 miles. I get three days of rest (not rest per se, but active recovery including swimming and weightlifting) and then this Friday I do the same thing over again. The week following that I have a 33km run - and then I start my taper. The challenge is that I have two very big (read: hard) races on back-to-back weekends: the Quad Dipsea (considered by many to be one of the more challenging ultra's in the country) followed the next week by the North Face 50k, which I think might even be harder. Will be very interesting to see how/if my body recovers following the Quad.

And then to top things off, Todd and I just signed up for the American River 50 miler. Fortunately, that one is in May so we have some time to prepare. Should be an interesting next few months though, running wise.

World Series

Well, my Yankees season has come to a conclusion. I should be bummed out and to an extent I am but the fact of the matter is we lost to the better team. I can live with that. And I picked a good year for my test to puke out because now I can full on get into the Giants. They've long been our second team - we go to a ton of games each year - and they are a fun group of misfits and cast offs. It's easy to rally around these guys. And lastly, the entire region is caught up in Giant's fever. I haven't seen anything quite like this since the Cubs made the playoffs when we lived in Chicago. The whole town is into this and as I noted previously, San Francisco is a *very* underrated baseball town. I think they are going to have their hands full against a loaded Ranger's squad, but they strike me as a team of destiny. Regardless of how it shakes out, I'll most certainly be in their corner. Go Giants!

Sent from my iPad

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Run to Work Day

See and download the full gallery on posterous

I ran to work today for the first time in a long while - trying to get ready for my final two big races. It was all good until I got caught in a freaking monsoon. But before the rain started coming down I was able to catch an amazing sunrise over the Golden Gate bridge. These pictures don't nearly do it justice. I'm not terribly religious but this sight really made me believe in a higher power.

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Yet ANOTHER Interesting Thyroid Cancer article

This article comes courtesy of today's New York Times. This touches on a subject that that I have been contemplating for, oh, about four years now; is thyroid cancer caused by the environment, or by faulty genetics?

As is noted in the article, I'll likely never know the answer, though my own personal conclusion is that mine was caused by excessive exposure to radiation. I had a ton of dental work when I was a kid - a ton being an understatement - and at that point in time they didn't protect the neck area with a lead collar during X-rays.

Interesting Article on Thyroid Cancer

This is an interesting article on thyroid cancer and the effects radiation are having on the public-at-large. Thanks to my brother Neil for sending it to me.

This is a subject that pisses me off. People don't realize how dangerous we are for about a week after radioactive iodine treatment. We belong in the hospital. It's easiest for us; it's safest for the public. But as noted, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has eased requirements and as a result, very few states have the facilities to hold patients for the requisite amount of time.

The other issues is that doctor's are to blame here, not patients. In my experience, my original endo was very cavalier about the effects of radiation on others (and on my family for that matter). I took matters into my own hands and decided not to stay at a hotel, for fear of putting others at risk. Instead, I moved my family out of the house for a week.

Anyway, I think the issue here is very real and I am glad it is being surfaced. I sincerely hope the NRC takes notice. The public should NOT be at risk.

Yankees and Michigan

Between these two teams, I have contemplated quitting sports more than once. They can both be so good (from a historical perspective, certainly) and yet so maddeningly frustrating (see: Saturday's Michigan-Iowa game and tonight's Yankees playoff). I don't know why I get so caught up emotionally in both these teams - I will write it off to genetics (hi dad!), but sometimes I think my life would be better off if didn't care so damn much.

Anyway, tomorrow is showtime for the Yankees, but I am starting to think the Ranger's might be the better squad. We will know soon enough.

In other news, thought my training was going to hit a roadblock, but I saw my doctor this afternoon and my throat thing is not strep. So, just a minor setback and in a few days I can get back to business.

That's all for now.

Go Yankees.

Go Blue.

Grateful Dead ... Sneakers?

Not exactly sure how I feel about these sneakers on a personal level, but I got a strange feeling that Jerry Garcia might have just done a full rotation in his grave.

Country Music

As most of you know, music, along with running, swimming technology and I guess my kids, is one of my passions in life. I listen to pretty much every genre of music .. except for country. Until now that is. I recently picked up a copy of Jamey Johnson's critically lauded new album, The Guitar Song. And holy freaking cow is it .. country ... and ... good. I can't get enough of it, actually. It's a double album so by definition some songs fall flat, but others are just classic. If you want to see for yourself, buy Poor Man's Blues on itunes and let me know what you think.

All of this doesn't necessarily mean that I am going to delve further into the genre, but man, I suspect this one is going to be in my rotation for while.

Survivor

So, you all watching this season of Survivor? If so, what do you think of our friend Marty? I think he's playing an amazingly smart game, though it will be interesting to see how his new tribe mates take to him in the coming weeks. I stand by my prediction that he is going to go far - very far - and I think there is a better than decent chance that he outright wins. He clearly gets strategy and I think he's the smartest player out there - by far. Unless of course there's someone flying under the radar, which could always be the case.

I've always enjoyed Survivor but I have to say that it's definitely that much more enjoyable and interesting when you know oneof the contestants.

Anyway, go Marty, go.

New Posterous App

This is a test of the new Posterous iPhone app, which just came out today. If posting is this easy I am going to be pretty stoked. In typical Posterous fashion, this app appears to be exceptionally well designed and intuitive to use.

On the subject of cool apps, I downloaded the Instagram app yesterday, which I'd define as social photo sharing. I haven't put it to full use yet but based on what I see so far it's one of the more interesting apps I've seen in some time.

Posted via email from Tech Dork

Two Day Swim Meet

I'm super proud of the Little Girl. She swam eight - eight - events over two days, including a 200 IM., which is pretty hardcore for an eight year old. Three events were new for her (200 IM, 100 back and 100 free) and she did great in each. She also scored personal bests in each of the others. And some of those times were pretty impressive. What I love about this kid though is that she's hardcore when the gun goes off and she gives it her all, but she's zen about everything else. She doesn't really care or get too hung up on where she finishes place wise and she's an excellent teammate who's always rooting for her buddies. Like her brother, she's a terrific kid. And watching her swim really gives me great joy.

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Pictures from the Trail

Great day, today. We had a swim meet (more on this tomorrow after the second day is complete), Michigan game (that kind of sucked actually) am then a great two hour run in absolutely perfect weather. These are a few pictures from the trail. This is the course Wiley and I will be doing in early December as part of the North Face 50k.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Sent from my iPhone

Posted via email from Howard Solomon

Sometimes Kids to the Most Amazing Things

Yesterday was the Little Boy's second cross country meet. I couldn't make it during work, but apparently he didn't listen to my advice. He went out too fast; apparently we was leading for the first half, but faded a bit towards the finish, finishing 11th (out of 50+). Not such a bad effort at all, and once he figures out race strategy he's going to be real good. But it's not what he did during the race that impressed me. It was what he did after, something The Wife was witness to.

Apparently, each kid received a ribbon after finishing. But because the 6th graders ran last, they ran short and the Little Boy was among the last to get a ribbon. Apparently a kid who finished towards the end of the pack was really bummed out that he didn't get one. The Little Boy overheard him and without hesitating, walked up to him and gave him his. As a parent, you can't imagine how much joy that gave me; far more than the race itself. And I shared that with him as well.

Offering up your ribbon to another kid. THAT is what sportsmanship is all about.

Way to go Little Boy. You might have your moments, but boy is your dad proud of you.

The Hunger Games

So, the Little Boy and the Wife have both been reading a trilogy called the Hunger Games. The Wife has not been unable to put it down for two straights weeks; she just finished the third. At their insistence I took the first book - The Hunger Games - on the plane with me to Chicago -- and I was unable to put it down. I have about 20 pages to go which I will knock off tonight. I'm not really sure how to describe this. The reviews on Amazon, which you can read here, articulate what it is all about pretty well. A review I read today calls it a satire on reality TV and war. I think the satire might be lost on a teen but it kind of makes sense.

It is pretty violent - more so than I'd like for the Little Boy - but man is it captivating.

Anyone else out there read any of these (I presume you can't stop at one)? Neil, which one are you on? If you are in the market for a fun, incredibly difficult to put down book that you can easily knock off in a weekend, this is the one, without question.

Sweet Home, Chicago

Greetings from not-so-sunny Chicago. This is my first trip here in about 1.5 years and it has been far too long. This is the greatest time of year to be in Chicago; early fall, when the wind is just starting to blow, the weather is still navigable and halloween decorations are starting to make their annual short-lived but much welcomed appearance.

I went for a six mile run last night alongside the lakefront, and it served as a great reminder of everything I love about this great City. WIll try to post pictures tonight.

Go Giants

And I am not talking the football team, either. Those of you who know me know I am the biggest Yankees fan ever (except possibly my son). But that being said, these are pretty exciting days herein San Francisco. People are going absolutely crazy about the Giants and it's pretty exciting. Reminds me of when the Cub's made the playoffs a few years ago. I think the Giant's might be my NL team, considering I don't have one. The Giants are a gritty team, have great pitching and play ball the right way. They are also good role models for the Little Boy.

My dream scenario? A Yankees-Giants world series. if for no other reason than to save me the time and expense of a cross-country flight. No doubt who I'd be rooting for in that scenario.