For the last 3 or 4 days I have been fighting something, with on and off headaches and a need to cough, especially when I lay down to sleep.
This morning when I woke up the headache I went to sleep with was still there and my mind said that maybe I should not run the 2 mile race. My heart really wanted me to run. So I found myself on the starting line ready to run. Once I got going I felt quite comfortable and my first mile was 7:31. I tried to maintain my form and my pace, but was finding it hard. My second mile was 7:43, for a total time of 15:14, just 5 seconds slower than last week. I actually found this encouraging, because I feel it shows that I am in fact stronger than last week, since I ran almost the same time when I was sick.
It feels kind of strange that there is no football to follow on this last Saturday in May, but next week the European Championships begin and that will keep me going until the new season starts in England.

On Mondays and Fridays as you know I only work a few hours. I then take the long walk along the avenue to my favourite eatery. This morning I counted 21 gentlemen of the Hispanic persuasion, spread out in groups of 4 looking for a ride out to Long Island. Where they hope to find work on various construction projects. This is a phenomena that has shown itself over the last year or so.
On my way home I stopped off in a local sports store and got myself a new pair of running shoes. When I paid for them I got a $20 coupon which I duly spent on 2 new pairs of running shorts.
We are now only a couple of days away from June and finally the days are getting warmer, buy late morning the temps were already well into the 70's F. I had a very pleasant run in the afternoon

Well I did feel a bit better today, though after lunch I had the same nagging headache I had on Saturday. This time I did something I don't do that often, I took some over the counter medication, it took the edge off.
So my run this afternoon was definitely better, though that may have something to do with the meds. I have to say though I have been running the same distances this week, the quality of running has been better, so that is encouraging.

I am not sure if it has something to do with the recent spell of warm weather, but I noticed today, that when I am running I am wheezing a bit. I usually do not have a problem with Hay fever, but if there is a lot of pollen in the air that can sometimes give me problems. Anyway it is not a major thing since I am just trying to run easy at the moment.
Last night I kind of did a little "Spring" cleaning and my room looks a bit better, but I plan to do some "Major" work over the next few weekends.

As I left my house to walk to work this morning it was just starting rain lightly, the temperature was a nice 60 F and it was quite refreshing to walk. I did however feel quite sore from yesterdays run. Although it was only 4 miles, I guess combined with the 12 miles on Sunday it was a little too much for me right now.
I was reminded that the machines we use for our work can sometimes be quite fickle, as I had what seemed like silly problems getting started. Once all was working well the day just went by very quickly.
When I came outside from my days work it was a pleasant, if somewhat humid afternoon and completely different from the start of the day

Yes it's Memorial day here in the US and it's a real beauty! Went out at 7 am and ran 4 miles with Utpal, the sun is up, the temperature is in the mid 60's F. Of course it is laundry day for me, so that has to get done and I have to do some "Spring cleaning". I was sensible and didn't go out for a second run yesterday and probably enjoyed my run this morning more as a result.

Woke up feeling pretty good. So it was out the door at 7 am and off to run with Utpal. Apart from a little soreness in my hamstrings I was feeling good after the 2 mile race yesterday. I guess Utpal was feeling good too because we went out a little faster than we usually do. The weather conditions were really nice and we had a good run out to Shea stadium.
The water fountains are on in the park so we stopped about half way and had a nice drink of water. There were no aches and pains this week and I felt really good at the end of the run. Yesterday afternoon I had the feeling I wanted to go out a second time to run and was feeling that again today, but I have to be sensible and wait for my 2 a day weekends. I do not want to over train and get injured.

The weather for the 2 mile race was very pleasant this morning. It felt like I was actually running. I have been running a little harder in training this week and my legs were feeling a bit tired.Once I got going I felt good and knew I was running faster than last week. I did struggle a little bit with my breathing in the second mile, but pushed about as hard as I could at the end. First mile 7:38. second 7:31, finish time 15:09.

I get to see this kind of sky in the morning on my walk to work, though it's not as dark as the photo looks.
Many years ago I got to run with a couple of local legends and there was a photo that was taken at the time which was displayed at the Multi day races, well after the 10 day race 3 weeks ago, was given the photo to make a copy of. For a mere $3 I got a 5x7 made of it today, as soon as I can scan it I will put it up here. There is a Holiday on Monday so we have a long weekend.

Around this time of year in 1973-yes 35 years ago. I was in college and with an Irish friend of mine, sang Irish folk songs at local folk clubs At one gig at the college we got to be the support act for Linda Peters and Richard Thompson, who were touring after leaving Fairport Convention. We got to talk with them before the show and they were very nice to us. The reason I mention this is because I was listening to one of their albums today at work, "Pour down like silver".
So I have started Slovenian lessons, in preparation for my going there to live next year. a friend from their is sending me lesson by e mail, plus I have installed some language software on my computer.

Man Utd just won the Champions League, beating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation and a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time. I am not a Man U fan, but I am so glad they beat Chelsea. The winning penalty was scored by Ryan Giggs, who also broke Sir Bobby Charlton's Man U appearance record when he came on in the second half for his 759 th game. So a truly great day all round for him.

I seem to have adjusted back to my work schedule after the 10 day race and noticed today , that everything seemed to go by quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go home.
When I got outside it was raining again, May has been quite wet, which is good for the gardens.
After catting with some friends in Europe, I put on my rain gear and went out for my run. It happens to be my 28 th straight day of running, so it seems I have a new running streak going.

Last night I watched the DVD I bought last week. It's called "The Runner" and it's all about a guy named David Horton. It's about his 2700 mile run along the Pacific Crest Trail. Which stretches from the Mexican border to the Canadian Border on the west coast of the US. It's an amazing film and I thought very inspiring. I think I may have met David when he ran in the race across America some years ago, but just briefly.
I felt pretty good when I got up this morning, no major problems from my run yesterday, My feeling while walking home from work were, that I am about 90% recovered from the 10 day race.

This my latest photo of Citi Field the new Mets Stadium. Utpal and I ran out there this morning just as we have done many times over the last few months. It's about 12 miles round trip.
Yesterday I went to Staples to get a new headset for my Skype calls. I found the one I wanted but it didn't say on the box how long the cord was. I asked customer service but they didn't know. They did say we have a return policy so if it's not good I could bring it back. It took me a few seconds before I realized something, I asked if I bought it then opened it there could I give it back it wasn't what I needed. They said yes. So I bought it asked for a pair of scissors and opened the box, discovering it was just what I wanted. They even offered to throw away my garbage. I think that worked out pretty well, don't you?
By the way Portsmouth won the FA Cup 1-0 there second time the last time was in 1939.

Ran the 2 mile race again this morning and inside the first 1/2 mile my legs felt tired. This did ease up, but it made me feel like I was running slower than last week. I concentrated on trying to keep my form. I could see my house mate in front of me running very well, I don't think he has ever beaten me in a race. Unless he was going to slow up a lot this was going to be his first time. I pushed it in at the end and managed 15:59, which is 27 seconds faster than last week, so I can't complain.
It's the FA Cup Final today, Portsmouth v Cardiff.

Yes it's the weekend, well Friday is a bit of a wet one. Not a lot, but a steady rain.
I took the opportunity to put all of my most recent poems on to my computer and it seems I am 1 poem away from completing my latest collection. Once it's complete I can work on getting it published. It will be my 8th book of poems.
Being a gardener I actually like the fact that it is raining so much especially since the city planted all those trees, it should help a lot of them survive, which is a good thing

On the weekend I ordered a running DVD from Amazon. Since I was not in a rush I used the Super saving shipping option which is free but slow. On confirmation of the order I was told it would ship on May 15 and arrive on May 22. A couple of days ago I got an e mail saying it was shipped, then when I arrived home from work today it was in the mail box. It had actually arrived on the day they originally said it would ship.
For the last few days I have been taking a nap before going out for my run in the afternoon, I guess my body needs the break before I exercise.

The flag on the bottom left of the scoreboard is interesting. It's the Old Yugoslavian Flag, it hasn't been seen for 20 years. They found it with all the others when they were decorating for the awards ceremony. A lot of people didn't know which country it was.
Seemed to slog a little at the start of my run today, but pretty good at the end. It's warm so it's easier to run.

Now it seems my fourth toe on my right foot is bothering me, but it's nothing I can't handle. It's now been 10 days since the end of the race and these things sort of pop up to say hello.
A nice spring day here in New York with the temperature reaching 71F. So it was nice to go out and run in T shirt and shorts this afternoon.
Oh I forgot to mention that my sister is on holiday in the Cape Verde Islands, that should be nice.

It was one of those days in New York. There was a very strong wind blowing, making it feel quite cold in the morning. Then it started raining, which it did on and off throughout the day.
After running 9 miles yesterday I felt a little sore this morning, but that seemed to feel better during my walk to work. However as the day wore on started to feel more so, especially in the lower back, which was probably due to my hamstrings. Anyway it was maybe a little too much too soon. It was quite tough running this afternoon, but I will survive.

Just like on the Sunday before the race , Utpal and I ran out to the race site and around the lake. You can still see in this photo the faint patches where some of the runners camp tents were. We ran about 9 miles and though I did have to mix in a little walking, I felt good going that far. So I guess this week I can start my training for the 50k race around the lake on June 14.
Here in the US it is Mother's day, so Happy Mother's day out there!

Well it's Saturday morning and technically a few hours less than a week after the 10 day race. So why did I decide to run the 2 mile race, because I like to run. I didn't feel that great since I had a little lower back pain and didn't know what to expect.
Well I ran as hard as I could and produced a time of 16:26, easily my slowest 2 mile time this year, but I felt pretty strong and it made me feel good. That in the end is all that really matters.

There are so many squirrels here in Queens that this is occasionally what happens to them. This was what I saw while walking to work the other morning.
It's one of rainy spring days here in New York. Luckily I only had to work a couple of hours today and got to be lazy in my room the rest of the time.

my friend Sadhak gave me the new Steve Earl CD, "Washington Square Serenade " to listen to and I really like it. He has great observation on life in NYC. Check it out!

It seemed like every night a muskrat came out near the lake to feed, in fact one night I saw one chasing another. Well it is spring I guess. This one came out one afternoon and didn't seem bothered by all the people running by.
I did feel quite tired near the end of the day at work today, I guess everything is finally catching up on me. I will take a short nap before I run later.

I have been sleeping pretty well since the race, though I do wake up at different time just like I did during the race. This morning I woke up at 2:30 and after a quick pit stop was back to sleep. I noticed that my bothersome toe seemed better as I walked to work. I seemed to get through the day with out feeling tired, so that's an improvement.
All this week I have gone out and run a couple of miles, just to help my recovery and it feels quite good. I am planning to run a 50k race in the middle of June so I have about 6 weeks of recovery and training.

When you are running around a city park in circles for 10 days, you get to see a lot of things going on. These 2 guys came out one afternoon and practiced some boxing moves. You also get a chance to reflect on many things, when you are away from the outside world as it were.
For me I realized that I have a few emotional ties that may or may not be helping me, so I need to step back from them and see what I want to do about that.
Being back at work is something that is familiar, though my feet hurt a little, which reminds me of what I was doing last week.

When I lived in London in the mid seventies I was involved in a relay run to celebrate the American Bicentennial. Three friends and I ran from the George Washington Statue near the National Museum,to the JFK Memorial at Runnymede. We got some newspaper coverage and this was a clipping from the time. I am the one on the right, I believe I was 22 at the time.

One of my friends, Luis Rios had his 60th birthday during the race. This was his birthday party, held in the runners kitchen just before lunch was served at the end of day 2. Luis walks most of the race with a little running and usually averages 50 miles a day.

This morning my quadriceps felt a little sore and of course I am still in my race sleep pattern, but I did go out with Utpal and run a couple of miles, just to shake things up a little.

Well I am back from the 10 day race in Flushing Meadow Park. I managed a total of 427 miles, which is right in between the 1st and secondary goals I set for myself. As you can see from this photo we did have some rain,but we managed to deal with it and I will tell you more about the experience in the next few days.