Woke up with a bit of a stuffy nose and it was 8 F out there, that's -13 C. The usual 2 mile race took place and of course I was out there, wrapped up pretty good, so it didn't feel that cold. I do not run that fast when it's that cold. I am just happy to run the race, but it does set my starting standard for the year. My time was 16:20, which I am quite happy with. Many of the top runners are out of town, so I managed to place 6th amongst the men, 8th overall.
It will be strange to watch English football from afar this weekend.

OK so I know it's only 3 days at work, but today is a day o for me. I went out for a run this morning and the temperature was 12 or 13 F ( -11C ), it didn't feel so cold when I was running.
I spent the day catching up on a few things, chatting with some friends about what's been going on with them and telling them what's new with me.
I finally got to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire. I thought it was a good film.
This photo is of the dawn I woke up to in Slovenia about 12 days ago, to me it was very inspiring.

I just heard that an airplane went down into the Hudson river this afternoon, seems a flock of birds stopped both engines. No one died but it must have been really cold in the water. The temperature this afternoon was 20 F ( -7C ).
I have mentioned before my work colleague who has been battling cancer, well while I was away, it seems his condition has forced him to retire and sadly he is quite sick.

I was listening to a John Mayall album at work today and a line in one song struck me, " Life is a slow train climbing up a hill". This may be true when we are young, but as we get older things really do go fast.
I backed into a stand this morning and bruised my right calf, it was really sore for a little while, but seemed to get better through the day.
It's quite cold here and there is snow predicted tonight and tomorrow.

My first day back at work and a few things went wrong today. Well actually some things broke down. I think they wait till I get back and then decide it is time. This happens a lot when I come back from a break.
A week or so before I went away I was having trouble with my desk top computer. The cursor kept freezing and I thought maybe it was a bug. Then just before I left I discovered it was my track ball. Anyway I bought an Optical mouse on Penkridge Market Saturday and that is working really well.

Got an early start this morning. It was pissing down with rain as we drove to Manchester airport.Flight to London was uneventful, the wait for the flight to New York did not take long. I watched 3 movies on the plane, 1 of them being Julia. The next couple of days are going to be catch up days, my run on the streets of Jamaica, Queens felt good.

This is my last day on this trip, I fly back to New York early tomorrow. So this morning I took my last Sunday run up the A449.It got really cold last night, but the weather was kind to me this morning, a little windy but not too cold. I ran out to Acton Trussel, actually running for 67 minutes. I did feel my legs a little bit, maybe the result of the 2 mountain runs and the traveling. I do feel that this has helped me get stronger and will pay off in the Spring.

This is my last weekend in the UK, my last chance to watch some football. I did sit with my nephew and brother in-law and watch the Aston Villa v West Brom game. Villa won 2-1, they were not happy. My niece came over to say goodbye and I did a little shopping, buying a new optical mouse for my computer.
After a good nights sleep I feel a whole lot better today after my long trip back from Slovenia.

My flight was delayed by 1 hour last night.. When we landed at Stanstead it was really foggy. Anyway by the time I got back in to London and to Euston Station, I had missed the last train back to Stafford. I had to stay in London till 5:30 when the next train was due to leave. Then it seems that they close the station for 3 hours during the night. I had lived in London during the 70's, so I know my way around as it were. Not having anywhere to stay for 3 hours I bought a bus pass for 4 pounds and rode the night bus around London for that time..
I finally arrived back at my sister's house at 8am this morning. I had some breakfast and spent a litte time filling everyone in on the past week. Then it was time for a nap, since I had only caught about 2 hours of sleep in the last 24 or so.

Last night it snowed here and was still snowing when my friend Milan and I went out to run this morning. However as I write this post it is much brighter. This evening I fly back to the UK, I have had a good week here. It is just about 4 months before I move here in the Spring, already there so many things planned, one of which will be officially registering my ownership of the farm.

This morning I went to a place called Terme Cetez, it is near the border with Croatia. My cousin came there last night with his family for a vacation. He had with him the pre contract for my Grandfather's farm. I signed the contract and money and key exchanged hands. I now own land in Croatia, the full contract will be signed in the Spring.
Yesterday in the afternoon I went with Marjan to a different part of Pohorje and ran on x country ski trails, for 2 hours. My legs were quite tired when I ran just a couple of miles this afternoon. I am really happy with the few days of winter traing that I have been able to put in.

Today it is trying to snow in Maribor, but having much luck. There will be World Cup Skiing here this weekend. In a few hours I will go back to Ljubljana. My host Marjan has said he will drive me since it is only 1 hour and it takes 20 minutes to drive to Maribor to get the train. It is very nice of him, it will be a much nicer ride.It is hard to believe that I have been here 5 days and will return to the UK in 2 more. Also this time next week I will be probably walking to work in New York.

I had a very busy day, I am happy with everything I did, but did not get to run. This is the first time in 8 1/2 months that I have not run. It has nothing to do with running the mountain yesterday, So I guess that I will have to start another streak tomorrow.The nights are getting very cold here -10 C last night and didn't get much above -4 C during the day.

This morning I ran in a race up a mountain called Pohorje. We started on a snow covered road and then went on to trails and ski slopes. Most of the runners use ski poles or walking poles, it is very difficult, especially without poles. The race is only 3.8 km, but rise 700 meters in elevation.. The last part is like going up a very steep flight of stairs about 200 meters long. It really works the legs and lungs. At the top you get a health food bar and hot herbal tea. Then you go back down to the start and easier way. It took me about 55 minutes and then another 40 to get back down. Later we had a Pizza party and a slide show of the seasons races. It was really nice.

Yesterday I had a bit of a pressure headache and jet lag.Some of my friends were moving to a new place and I helped. Did manage to get a short run in late in the day.Of course I am sleeping really well. I am traveling North up to Maribor today. I need to talk with my cousin in Croatia to arrange where we are going to meet in a few days time.

Well I got here. I managed to get a high speed train from Stafford to London, then a short Underground ride to Liverpool St got me to the Stanstead Express.The flight was uneventful, when I arrived the was a little snow on the ground and the temperature was -5C. My friend Gasper picked me up and I must say I was very hungry. I had dinner watched an Italian movie and was out like a light. My internet connection is somewhat iffy, but I will do the best I can.

So it's early and I just managed to get a 2 mile run in.It's a bit frosty outside. I have to get the train to London in a couple of hours, then I fly to Slovenia. Yes I am spending the first day of the New Year going to the country I will be moving to in about 4 1/2 months. It is frosty out there this morning and I expect it will be so in Slovenia too. Will try and keep you informed.

Well it's the last day of 2008. An interesting one to be sure. I have lost some friends and gained a few. I finally made the decision to leave New York after living there for 30 years. I am excited about moving back to live in Europe, in the Spring of 2009, though I know there will be many thoughts of what I leave behind. In a way I have the same kind of feelings I had in my 20's, but as I have said before I always feel comfortable when I am in Europe.

Well the year is winding down, so of course that means last minute things are speeding up.
Had a busy morning with my nephew in Cannock, happy with the result. It's cold out though, -2 C. It didn't feel so bad once I was out there running this afternoon.
I am about 48 hrs away from flying to Slovenia, where I have a mixture of business and pleasure, both there and in Croatia.

I had to go to Cannock, which is a town not far from Penkridge, today. My nephew drove me over there. I was unable to get what I wanted and have to go back tomorrow.The temperature was actually at freezing and for some reason it felt really cold. I have the feeling that I have lost some fat on my body while I have been here and this is why I felt the cold more. I had a nice run out to second tree and actually saw someone out there running in shorts and a T shirt.

Went out for my run just as the Sun was coming up this morning. Unlike the last 2 weeks I did not see other runners out there on the roads. It was not too cold and the run was quite pleasant, running for just over an hour.On the way back I was running towards a golden Sun.

Because of the Boxing day fixtures there are no football games in England today. There was however a game in Scotland, a game between Celtic and Ranger, known as the old firm game.
It's been quite cold outside all day. Went out for my run this afternoon and yes it was cold. I have several routes that I can run in Penkridge and today I ran to second tree.

My sister has a hard time staying asleep for long on Christmas day, so we were up pretty early. Opening presents was in 2 sessions, with a breakfast break in the middle. I managed to get a run in before we were off to my nieces for the Christmas meal. There were 10 of us around the table and of course the food was excellent. We had the traditional turkey dinner, with soy turkey in my case. We are now home and will have a quiet evening.

I wish you all a Happy Christmas, Holiday Season. Be safe and well where ever you are.

The place in England where I grew up is called Gornal, name comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'The place with two windmills'. The local dialect is said to be the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon language. I have many friends and family that live in Gornal. The area that includes Gornal is known as the Black Country, this said to be because of all the Coal and Steel industry that was in the area. However it may have some other meaning that dates back to Saxon times. I always feel very comfortable when I am in this place of my roots.
It's Christmas eve, there is no snow on the ground and the Sun is shining. Tonight I will go out to dinner with my sister, brother in-law and some friends then sttle down and wait for Christmas day.

Went shopping with my nephew in Stafford this morning, got the last present I needed to but. I think this is the last day of this mild spell we are having.
When I went out for my run in the afternoon it felt like a cool Spring day. I wore less clothes than I have been and was still too warm.. My nephews friend Paul, who boxes Mauy Thai in Thailand part of the year, stopped by. Utpal made a short video about him a couple of years ago. Check it out on youtube. look for the Utpal Marshal channel.

There is a 14th century church in Penkridge and for the last 200 years or so it has had mechanical clock in it's tower. Someone was required to wind this up. The health and safety has decided that the stairs up to the clock are now not safe. So they have suspended winding the clock up. The clock stopped 1 week before Christmas . The village council now has to find the money to make the steps safe before the clock will work again.

The weather is quite mild and it was quite pleasant for my run this morning. I got so warm that I had to remove my hat after just a few miles. I ran a little further than last week and I am quite pleased.

It's Saturday and there is a full slate of English football on.In fact as I write this post the second and third place teams in the Championship are playing each other.
While I sit here it is wet and overcast outside and it seems it is even colder and snowing in New York.
Later today David Beckham will be presented as n AC Milan player, which is big thing to those who follow football.
Yesterday I also found out that in the Christmas Doctor Who Special, all 10 Doctors will appear at some time, a big treat for the fans.

Yesterday while out on my run I saw a pheasant, he was in the hedgerow next to where I was running and would not stay still, long enough for me to take a photo.
Today was quite fruitful for me. I now have the money to buy the farm in Croatia and also booked a flight to go over there on January 1. So the New Year will truly be a new start for me. To top it off I bought some Cherry scones from the village bakery, they still warm! The weather has stayed quite mild, though it is overcast.

A nice morning here in England, at least where I am. Temperature is 10C ( about 50F). Went to do my Christmas shopping with my sister, just have to get her present now. Which I will get when I go with my nephew tomorrow or Saturday. I also managed to get some Soy turkey for my Christmas dinner, so that will be nice.

OK I have been back in the UK now for almost 1 week and I am settling in at my sisters. I am planning to go to Slovenia and Croatia in about 3 weeks time and have to sort out the traveling arrangement. I have made some progress, but need to finalize things. I am enjoying the peace and quiet and the chance to run in the countryside. Christmas is just a week away and it will of course be nice to spend it with my family, it has always been a big family thing in my life.

Though it is quite cold this morning, it is not raining and in fact as I write this the Sun is trying to come out. With the busy day I had yesterday I went out late for my run, it was dark out and that doesn't make it so easy in the country since there is not much street lighting. I did manage to run for 24 minutes without an unfortunate event. My sister has gone out shopping with a friend and everyone else is at work, so I am home alone at the moment. Got to watch some Bobsledding on Eurosport.

There was a nice frost on the ground this morning. My sister asked me to go with her into Stafford to help her with the shopping. It's a little warmer now that we are home. I have an appointment with the Bank manager in about an hours time. I keep an account here in the UK, but usually only get to talk to someone about it once a year. I am finally using my laptop, using my wifi to hook into my sisters network, which makes things a little easier.

My first Sunday run in the UK this trip was quite pleasant. With all the rain yesterday it was quite damp out there, but did not feel too cold. I went out at 8 am which is an hour later than I usually run on a Sunday in New York, of course in New York time it was 3 am in the morning. While out running I saw a lot of sheep and green fields. Running about 6 miles I did see 2 other runners out there. My first longish run was a good way to shake things up a bit.

Just before I left New York someone said to me," It rains all the time in England". To which I said, " Not all the time". I have been here 3 days and so far it has rained at least part of everyday I've been here. Near the end of my run yesterday the Sun did come out for about a minute. Today is Saturday, so I get to watch a lot of football, well English football.

Well the flight to London went wella and the flight to Manchester was even better. The transfer was a bit of a pain, but I survived and spent my Birthday in a state of semi sleep at my sisters. managed to stay awake with a run in the country and slept really well last night. It's cold and rainy here, but then this is England. Happy to be here.

Ran this morning,then had breakfast, finished my packing and last minute details. It was supposed to rain all day, but so far just some occasional showers, which is good. Leave for the airport i less than an hour. Next post will be from the UK.

Well this was my last work day for this year, I will be of to jolly old England tomorrow. I've just spent some time packing and trying up all the loose ends and finally have enough time to tell you about it.

The temperature dropped a lot more than they said it would last night.
When I walked out the door to walk to work it was 20 F. At first it did
not feel that cold, but it did not take long to start feeling it. Some
people have holiday decorations on their lawns, one of them had a
snowman with a sign above it that read Rosty, I think it was supposed
to read Frosty. Yes it was that cold.

There was a light snow last night and it was trying to snow as we went out for our run this morning. The temperature however was 35 F and the snow did not stick on anything but cars parked in the streets.. I was sore from my 2 runs yesterday and was kind of tired at the end of our 6 mile run. Stopped in at our local Cafe for a herb tea and a scone, which was most welcome. The Sun keeps coming out, but it is still cold out there and the strong wind makes it feel very Wintery.

28 F was the temperature at the start of the 2 mile race this morning, but with no breeze it did not feel that cold. My first mile was 7:41 and my finishing time was 15:29, giving me a second mile of 7:48. So a little better than the last couple of weeks. This was my last race of the year, as I will be in the UK in a few days for the rest of the year.
I needed to run an errand this afternoon, so I decided to do it literally and ran about 3 1/2 miles to a store to buy something and then ran back. While out there I saw a couple of gas stations selling gas at $1.99 a gallon for unleaded regular. The likes of which have not been sen for quite some time.
I also saw a police car that had crashed into a traffic light. I wanted to take a photograph, but thought they might not like it.

After running early this morning with my friend Utpal, it seems I spent the rest of the day talking with someone.Sometimes chatting with a family member on facebook, then talking with friends at both Breakfast and Lunch. Then talking with a friend in Slovenia, about my impending there. Before I knew it I was in the early evening. So many things to talk about and do, the important thing being to do.

Do not know why but was feeling really tired when I came home from work today. No work tomorrow, so just 1 and a bit work days left this year. Then it is off to England and Christmas with my family. Looking forward to it I have to say. Still felt a little tired when I went out for my run, but felt better after it.

A few years ago US airlines started charging really big passengers for 2 seats. Well I just heard that in Canada they passed a law that states, large passengers have the right to 2 seats if needed, but can only be charged for 1. I hope I will never be in that position, but it's good to know.
Also, when crude oil was at $147 a barrel, airlines started charging for baggage. I have not heard that this has been stopped now that crude is $47 a barrel.

"I need to get fit" is what Kenny said to me when I saw him out walking this morning, on my way to work. Kenny is about 60 or 70 pounds overweight, he used to work in the Deli near where I live and now drives a cab. He told me that he has been going out early the last few mornings and walking. He hopes to start running also soon. He has seen me out running many times and I think it has inspired him to try and get in to shape.

The Arsenal 'B' team lost to Burnley 2-0 in the Carling Cup Today.

I went to work today after not going the last couple of Mondays.Of course we have just had the long holiday and there were a few outstanding jobs that needed to be done. When I got home there were quite a few things to do there. So I have been quite busy all day and not had too much of a chance to get on my computer. I leave for the UK in 9 days time, so a lot of things to get sorted before I go.
It's hard to believe that it's December already.

There were snow flakes falling as we started our run,this morning. It was not so cold, about 40 F, but it had that wintery morning feeling. We decided to run the 10 k loop by the end of which, there were large snow flakes falling. Stopped in at our local cafe just as it was opening, to be joined a little while later by some friends. We spent an hour or so putting the world to rights.

This morning as I prepared to run the 2 mile race, my second race in 48 hours, I was still feeling some tightness in the right side of my lower back. I thought to myself that I do not have the same speed of recovery that I had in my youth. Once the race started it did not feel so bad and I went through the first mile in 7:44, which I am happy with. During the second mile however my legs did feel tired and the was timed at 7:58, giving me a finishing time of 15:42, which was better than last week.
I am now feeling quite sore, but it reminds me of the way I felt when I was running fast marathons in my younger days.

Well there he is Santa at the 5 mile Turkey trot yesterday.
I was a little sore when I woke up this morning, but was out the door just after 6:30 to run a couple of miles. That made me feel a bit better, after I got however I took a nap. When I woke up from that my right hip was quite painful. It's just one of the muscles back there that is a little sore and I hope one more night of sleep will fix it up.

I ran a 5 mile Turkey trot in Brooklyn this morning with my friend Utpal. It was quite cold, but not too bad. My time was 39 :36, which was 3 minutes faster than last year, very happy with that. Utpal ran 42:27, his first race other than the Marathon in 10 years we figured. Santa was near the finish line cheering people on.

Here in America, Thanksgiving Day is often called Turkey day. Well for me today was Duck Day. I was coming back home on my run this afternoon and as I passed a park, there in the middle of the road were about 30 ducks walking towards me. It was an interesting sight to say the least.
Also, on my way to work this morning I exchanged a simple " Good morning" with someone on the street and it really picked me up.

My friend Utpal has run many races through the years and has a marathon best about 30 minutes faster than mine. The last few years he has only run one race a year, the Self-Transcendence Marathon which is held here in August. Well in 2 days time I will be going to Brooklyn to run the 5 mile Turkey Trot in Prospect Park, just like I did last year. Believe it or not I somehow managed to get Utpal to sign up for it too.
On my run this afternoon I used my Supernova Competition running shoes, I think these will be the ones use for the race.

Well it did not get quite so cold last night and when I went out for my run this morning it was just at freezing. This week is a short week with Thanksgiving on Thursday, but my Monday still requires that I do laundry, so it is being done.
I talked with one of my cousins in New Zealand yesterday, we have not talked in quite a while and she just had a baby girl, Evie Mae 9 weeks ago.
Today would have been my mother's birthday, her 80th I think. I know she is still in our hearts.

The morning is bright and sunny for our Sunday run. We decided to go out to Flushing Meadow, since it is cold enough for the lake to be frozen and it would look pretty nice. However it is usually quite windy out there and this made it feel even colder, well at least on the way out. The temperature was 26 F and I have to say the hot chocolate on the way back was most welcome.
I did stay up and watch the Ricky Hatton fight last night, he won by TKO in the 11th round. It was not that exciting.

With a temperature of 25F and 20 mph winds, I wondered if I wanted to run the 2 mile race this morning. I did run and for most of the loop course it seemed like I was running into the wind. It felt like I running really slow, my first mile time of 8:10 showed it. Then something happened during the second mile, I started feeling strong and began passing some of the people who had passed me earlier. My finishing time was a decent 15:44, with a second mile time of 7:34. Although I was sweating I felt cold.There is bright sunshine so it does feel a little warmer if you get out of the wind.

It was a very nice wintery day. The temperature was just below freezing when I went out for my run this morning. Snow had been forecast for today but that did not materialize, instead we had sunshine and blue skies. It stayed cold, but with little wind it was actually quite pleasant. As I write this post there is a clear dark blue sky with bright stars shining in it. Oh and yeah I am feeling much better today. I got a lot of work done around the house. Hey it's the weekend and I am looking forward to it.

I have mentioned before that I have been fighting something for the last couple of weeks. Well 2 days of cold weather have finally brought the bug out. I had flu symptoms all day, but mostly a runny nose. My energy is quite good. so I guess it is just a case of seeing it out. I have been drinking lots of fluids, which include my Biofar effervescent multi - vitamines.
I did see snow flakes this afternoon, but they were just blowing in the wind and gone in a moment.

It's my friend Utpal's Birthday today!!!

It is indeed cold out. The temperature was 3 or 4 degrees below freezing this morning when I walked to work and 4 above freezing when I walked back. I did however warm up nicely when I watched the England v Germany football friendly. It was a good game England should have scored 3 or 4, but won 2-1, becoming the first team since 1973 to beat Germany in Berlin.
Oh by the way the cat is back after her 2 day hiatus, she seemed hungry but happy to be back.

Our cat at work has been very uncomfortable for a little while now and it is usually because there are raccoons about. Well it seems that during the few days I was not at work they caught 3 of them. Now the cat has gone into hiding, we cannot find her in the usual places, so we are just going to have to wait until she shows again.

I had a strange dream the other night. In it I was having dinner with Britney Spears, she was just a friend and I had 2 children with me. She was very nice, but we we got interrupted by someone coming over to the table to see her. For some reason I guess I needed to see what it's like to be a celebrity. I don't usually try to understand what dreams are about.
This was the first Monday I have not been at work for a while, I got to run early and also get a lot of things done, one of which of course was my washing.

For the last 10 days or so I have been fighting something, at times I feel good, but at others I feel a little under the weather. Well this morning was one of those. Though I have to say when I got out and stated to run it did not feel so bad. When I mention how I feel to someone they say "Yeah there is something going around, a lot of people have it". Anyway I think we had a good run this morning.

I did get some sad news today friend of mine in Bulgaria ran a 2 mile race then promptly dropped dead. I do not have any details.
I did run my own 2 mile race this morning. The weather was wet and windy and once again I struggled with my breathing, though it was better than last week. I ended up with the same time as last week 15:02. So that is encouraging.

It's been a mix of things today. There was a mist when I went out for my run this morning ( I am back on my old schedule of just working 3 days a week), then there was sun in the afternoon and as I write this there is a drizzly rain falling.
I heard a line in a film which said, " We have reached a time in life when it stops giving us things and starts taking them away". It started me thinking. It seems to me that we are constantly gaining and losing things and for a time we hold on to some of them. Life is constant change and some say change is good. Maybe the trick is to always keep moving, onward and upward.

I found out today that some friends I have in Zimbabwe are having trouble getting food. They are in fact in danger of starving to death. They a members of a branch of the meditation group I belong to. We are looking into a way of sending some food aid to them and having it targeted directly to them.
It makes you see in one sense how trivial all this talk of an economic downturn is. When we are trying to cope with less and others are trying to cope with nothing.

A long time ago when I was in college I had an album called MacDonald & Giles, they were 2 guys out of a group called King Crimson. I listened to that album a lot. Well a couple of days ago I found the CD of that album and when I listened to it I was transported back to my college years. Who would have thought all those years ago that I could put that CD on my MP3 player and this listen to it at work this morning.
This afternoon on my run there was a definite feel of a Autumn day with a cool overcast sky and leaves crunching under foot.

Yes folks it's Veterans day here in the U, which means a lot of thing do not happen today. I did however go to work and managed to get in a full day.
It is once again feeling quite cold, but there is nice sunshine in the afternoon while I am walking home from work.
There is nothing more to say!

It has gotten really quiet at work these days. I just popped in for an hour this morning, then had the rest of the day free. It gives me the opportunity to do some writing and of course it is Monday, so I had some washing to do.

The seasons seem to be getting a little mixed up for some things.
While out running today I could see that fall is quite advanced with some trees in late colour and some with no leaves at all. However I did see some flowering cherry trees ( I beleive Prunus Subhirtilla ) and some witch hazel also in flower. This is the second time that these have flowered in the same calender year.
After quite a lot of rain yesterday the morning was very beautiful, with a tempeature of 50F and and sunshine. Utpal and I ran What I call my 10k loop and at the end, sat on a bench and enjoyed the morning.

I was not quite sure how I felt as I went out to the 2 mile race this morning. My right ankle still felt a little sore, but I figured it would not be a problem. Once the race started my breathing seemed to be the main problem. I could not quite get it right. I went through the first mile in 7:22 and the second mile I seemed to be hanging on, running 7:40. For a total time of 15:02. A time I am still quite happy with.

I came home and watched the second half of the Arsenal v Man Utd game, which Arsenal won 2-1,a very good game.

I just watched President elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech for the first time today and I will admit that I had tears in my eyes. There is such a sense of new hope, that we just have not had for a little while.
Today was a day for me to tidy up a few things at home and hopefully get a lot more done this weekend.
My ankle is still a little sore, but there is improvement.

This morning I woke up with a sore calf and was not quite sure where it came from. I then remembered that I had turned my ankle when I went out for my run yesterday. Though it did not bother me much at the time I guess it strained some of the muscles and tendons around it. It seemed to get better as the day went on, but I noticed my hip was a little sore on my walk back home. It should not be a problem, but it just goes to show how one little thing can affect others.

Today in the land where I was born they celebrate Guy Fawlkes. The man who tried to destroy the leadership of a country with his own hands.
Yesterday America elected a man who they hope can restore the leadership of the most powerful country in the World.
I just made sure I got a nice run in this afternoon, on a showery first day for the President elect.

I did watch the New York Marathon on TV and was a little disappointed with the coverage. I was glad that Paula Radcliffe won for the women.
I used to know a lot of people that ran the marathon, friends and acquaintances, but there was only one this year. Someone who I know from the multi-day races is a runner named Shishaldin and she ran.

Well here we are the day before the US Elections and everyone is talking about "History".
I am the only one who can really effect my life. If I can try to live my life in a positive way and deal with the negative things around me, in a positive way. Then I think I can be happy with my life. It may seem a bit philosophical, but we have to be.

Well it's the morning of the marathon and it is quite cool and windy, but with bright sunshine. Probably good conditions for the race. Utpal and I ran around 6 miles (10k)and we plan on watching the TV coverage after a little breakfast. Maybe I'll give a report tomorrow.

Due to other events happening today and this weekend, there was not a big turnout for the 2 mile race this morning. So I found myself in second place for the first mile, my time being 7:20. I had some congestion which did not help my breathing and I dropped back to third place with about 3/4 of a mile to go. With a time of 14:59, I did manage to break 15 minutes and was quite satisfied.

Hey today is Halloween and the weather is just perfect. Believe it or not I spent the afternoon at a pet supply store looking at bird cages. I mean the big one, for Parrots. I had not been in a pet store for quite a while, they can be fun places.

Sometimes when she does not want to deal with everything that is going on in the shop floor. Our cat has a warm and safe place to sleep in the comfort of the lunch room.

I saw this little guy a couple of weeks ago while walking home from work on one of those warm days. It did not seem at all bothered by me.
It seems that while we were getting quite a lot of rain here in NYC, upstate they were getting snow. There is a report that a highway was closed because of 9" of snow and it is still October!

The rain was lashing down really hard this morning and in one place the road was a little flooded. I got a new pair of Dunlop wellies this weekend and I was wearing them, so the flooding was not a problem. I did discover that my waterproof pants are not completely waterproof, oh well!

After several days of cold weather it was quite mild when I left for work this morning. The high temperature this afternoon was about 8 degrees higher than was predicted, so it made for a pleasant day.
Yesterday the clocks went back in Europe, but did not go back here yet, so the time difference is a little closer for a while.

Not quite so cold this morning. Utpal and I went out and ran about 6 miles. We then went into the upper west side to help a friend with some stuff in a storage place.It turned into a nice afternoon, but I spent most of it indoors helping the brother and sister of the friend who died sort through some of his stuff.

Surprisingly it was not so cold this morning for the 2 mile race.The last few days have been a little bit stressful, so it was nice to run the race. It was a bit of a struggle since my legs were still tired from the 2 long races I've done in the last 3 weeks. I tried to just keep my form and stay as close as I could to runners I knew. I went through the first mile in 7:36, the second in 7:29, for a finishing time of 15:05. I am very happy with that.

It was cold this morning, 37 degrees F to be precise. It was the first time that I wore my winter coat.
For my friend who died recently there was a viewing at the funeral home. He worked for Homeland Security and there was an Honor guard by his coffin the whole time. It was kind of special. His brother and sister, who I had dinner with last night, are very nice. She is from the mid west and he is from the Pacific north west. I have some idea what is going on with them.

Things have really begun to slow down at work, but it is hard to say if this is because of the economic situation in the US. We have of course had periods like this before and we were busy at times when we usually are not. So we just have to wait and see.
I have other things to think bout at the moment. The friend who died recently will be cremated on Saturday and there will be a service for him tomorrow.

My run this afternoon marks 6 months since I missed a day of running, or in other words I have run every day for the last 6 months. Today's run was cold and very windy, but the legs felt pretty good.

My upper legs have been sore all day. I think maybe I used some muscles during the race that I have not used in a while and of course they were still tired from the 24 hour race. I guess this is the experience of doing the 2 races so close together. My hip flexors seem to be the most sore. Time will heal them. I did jog a couple of miles again this afternoon.

I woke up this morning and I felt like I did after running my first marathon. My upper legs, mainly my quads were really sore. The walk to work helped to loosen me up a bit. This afternoon I took a short nap and then went out and jogged a couple of miles. This is all part of the recovery, which is all part of running the races. I feel very satisfied with the job I did. By the way did I mention that I was 28th out 90 male finishers.

Today I went out to Sunken Meadow Park, on Long Island and ran in a 6 hour race. It was mostly on trails and was quite hilly. It was cold and windy for most of the race. There were about 140 runners, some from the 24 hour race 2 weeks ago. In fact Byron Lane, who won the 24 hour race, won again today, and it was his 41st birthday. I ran 28.71 miles, which wasn't bad since it was only 2 weeks after doing 76 miles in the 24 hour race.

Well it has been a tough week and this morning I woke up with a slight head cold. Plus the temperature is in the mid 40's F. I decided to help out at the 2 mile race today since I have the 6 hour race tomorrow. I will go out shortly for an easy run. The weather is supposed to be the same tomorrow, so it will give me some idea of race conditions. Otherwise everything else is settling down now.

So today was a pretty normal day, after some of the strange days of the week. The weather is turning cooler.
Did I mention that I am running a 6 hour race on Sunday, I seem to recovered from the 24 hour, but with the odd ache and pain surfacing every once in a while. I think things will be OK.

The day began with the confirmation of the death of a friend who was killed while out running. As a result I spent the day dealing with that, but somehow something inside of me that came from previous experience came into play. I have done what I can do and now just have to let things play out. I am OK.

I tried to call the police precinct today to report a missing person and the desk Sargent at first said I had to come in person to do that. The asked me how old the person was, I said in his 50's and was told anyone over the age of 16 is not considered a missing person. I was the told to wait for them to come home. When is an older person considered a missing person? It seems that the police only want to help find young people who can not legally decide to go missing on there own.

Normally when people put out recycling items, there are a few people that come around and take some of the bottles and cans. This morning on the way to work I saw some guys with a truck pull up in front of an apartment building and load in bags of bottles and cans. I guess they want to cash in with bulk items.

I also saw a large Raccoon running across someones lawn.

Finally. I have signed up for a 6 hour race this weekend, let me see if I can do 50k.

There was not a lot to do at work today, but I got a lot done at home. My friend Carl from the UK called, we had lost contact for a little while. Hopefully everything is back on track now.

Today I ran with Utpal out to Flushing Meadow and we ran around the lake. it was a beautiful sunny morning with a temperature in the low 50's F.
Later in the day I was visited by some friends, Satu and Jennifer Ferentz. They are the wife and daughter of an old friend Dr Ferentz. He passed away on the same day in August that my mother passed away, only 7 years later. I have a very special relationship with them and it was very nice to see them. They had both come to pay their respects on the anniversary of the passing of my teacher Sri Chinmoy.

It is one year since the passing of Sri Chinmoy my meditation teacher and spiritual guide for almost 35 years. Over this weekend many will come to pay their respects. on a kind of pilgrimage to the New York borough of Queens. There was no 2 mile race today. So Utpal and I went out to run a few miles as a start to this day of remembrance.

I have slipped back into a work week where I don't work on Fridays.The workload has dropped in recent weeks and has allowed me to do this. I did get in a nice run early this morning, I felt like I had quite a lot of spring in my legs. So my recovery from the 24 hour race is good.
I am putting together a website primarily for my writing, my poetry etcetera and will put a link here when it is done, it may be a while though.

Photo by Jowan

Ray Kroliewicz is kind of an ultra running legend in the US, he adds a lot of energy to a race and always seems to get any observers involved. He has a family connection in New York and so has done many races here, though he lives in Pontiac, South Carolina. I have known him for probably 25 years, though we were out of touch for about 15 of those. In the photo here you see him at the start of the Ted Corbitt 24 hour race. Giving some direction ( I guess ) to Gary Corbitt, Ted's son.

Photo by Jowan

The guy with the beard is my friend Luis Rios. I have known him for about 20 years. When he was in his 30's he used to run a lot of races organized by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and even won a few. Now he runs in some of the same multiday races as me and here he is in the Ted Corbitt 24 hour race that happened this weekend.

When I arrived at work this morning there were 2 Raccoons in the Havaheart trap, yes 2 of them. 2 juveniles, one a little older than the other. They seemed inseparable, which is probably why they both ended up in the trap together. They were quite timid and did not make a fuss when taken upstairs to wait for UPS pickup.
So it's 2 days since the end of the race and my legs did feel a little tired, when I went out for my run this afternoon.