Legends Of The Fall

I dreamed I heared that you were dead,I dreamed I searched an empty bed for a sign of you
And the sea called hard to me lke a cell w/out a key and I felt the distance
I watched the tall ships go w/ the driftwood on the flow w/ the pride that grows in hardship and I knew you were below
I hear you voice and it keeps me from sleeping,why must it always be dreams when your voice comes to me?

Tall Ships Go-Big Country

Much as I prefer to get out on a Monday and kick start my week in training Monday saw two outstanding obligations that needed taking care of
One picking up volume #83 of my diary....if you think what I write in my blog is close to the knuckle you's probably shit a breeze block never mind a brick if you read my diary!!!!
The second was obligation was to stop by St John's church to light a candle and pay my respects to my late father Kevin aka The Auld Fella who died 30years ago on Oct 27th.
I think by now most people who know me are well aware of the infamous night back in Ireland at the end of August 1972 when he chased me home in the pouring rain cracking a towel and swinging his boot in the direction of my backside if I even thought of stopping....he wasn't joking trust me even at 8 years old I knew NOT to see if he was bluffing!!!

Fast forward 8 years to the summer of 1980 and another classic Auld Fella gem,the upcoming Lewisham Parks championships were fast approaching and I'd entered the 800m
My issue as a younger runner back then was I was always too old for the younger age group and subsequently the youngest runner in the older group.
To The Auld Fella second wasn't "first runner up" it meant you'd failed and in his book that was NOT an option which always put undue pressure on me,trying to blunt that I pointed out the whole age group issue a few days b4 the race......
"We'll give them a run for their money" he said to wit I replied "We??? I didn't realize you were running too"......and which point the crafty old devil said"well if you're too fucking chicken to run don't bother showing up".......
He knew exactly what he was doing 5 days b4 the race cos he lit such a fire under me there was never any doubt who's win the 800m race .......yours truly.

I inherited a number of things from The Auld Fella, a strong work ethic,a short temper,the balls to speak my mind no matter how unpopular it makes me and w/out a doubt his lasting legacy my love of Tottenham Hotspurs.
Due to a family connection on my mothers side of the family tree I was born into a Chelsea{Chelski} family however my father always rooted for Tottenham,I asked him why Spurs when I was little but old enough to remember the answer and he told me that he chose Spurs for one reason,Danny Blanchflower was the first Irish player to make a name for himself playing football/soccer in England and that was good enough for him and so when I graduated high school and began to work on Saturdays which screwed me for football on a Saturday I began a 33 year and counting love affair w/ Tottenham,I even took The Auld Fella w/ me to White Hart Lane a few times which considering how uncomfortable he was in large crowds was a major coup on my part.

Ironically in the 30 years since his death the fortunes of Spurs have declined considerably,we won  several trophies under the guidence of the late and great Bill Nicholson but since 84 we've won three an average of one a decade,Bill Nicholson passed away ten years ago this past Sunday and I dare say Bill and The Auld Fella have shared several conversations inside the pearly gates.....

Roundabouts & Swings/Cliff Notes

Ok,starter for ten I didn't run off and join the Circus.....why would I when I can fuckin' work in one EVERY DAY!!!!!
Even if I wanted to blog last week I doubt I could have as it was "Crocodiles Up The Arse" busy on the dock every day.
Not for the first time in recent years my boss and I chose to see things differently regarding the day to day operations of the dock and the storeroom......let's just say my name for her now is "Mother Theresa"{actually it's MFT.....Mother Fuckin' Theresa!!!} as she always goes to bat for the storeroom staff who frankly if "brains were dynamite couldn't blow their hats off" nor "work their way out of a wet paper bag" and one more cos I'm on a roll "could fuck up a Teddy Bears Picnic".........
There I've vented I feel far better........you maybe thinking "but McPhisto why not just run your troubles off which would have been ideal sadly I spent nine days on the DL due to a knee problem.

Following my easy 10 miler on Thur Oct 16th my right knee was killing me,what had been a minor irritation for a few days{on a scale of 1 to 10 a 2 or 3} now became an 8 I couldn't bend it in or out w/out extreme pain,going up or down steps proved difficult and impossible w/out the use of a hand rail/bannister so clearly running on it was out of the question.
I invested in one of those Copper Fit knee sleeves you see advertised on the tv all the time and between that,some rest and a daily application of ice it's back to a 1 or 2 on the discomfort scale so let's hope whatever the problem was it's gone.

I raced Sunday at the New Jersey 8K XC C'ships at Peapark it was a challenging course compared to the 8K course over at Dear Path Park I'd raced on twice b4 but the good news is my knee held up and who knows if my off season hadn't been blighted w/ so many stops and starts so far my 71st place finish in a field of almost 300 might've been higher.
31.07.02  16 seconds slower than the Paul Short 8K I ran on Oct 4th but all things considered I was pleased.....I'd have been happier if I could've finished in the medals but had to make do w/ 4th in the 50-54 age group 3rd finished the race 5 places ahead of me in 65th to my 71st......such are the margins between victory and defeat but considering the knee issue and the fact that 8k is about 6k above my comfort zone I can't be too bent out of shape.

So I think we're all caught up I recently lost You Tube privileges on my pc at work which lead me to downloading Chrome on my pc and Bingo I now have You Tube....however w/ Chrome I don't have my library of pictures to gussy up ye olde blog.....which means I'll have to sharpen up my writing skill I guess as I can't rely on photos to lure you in dear readers......however w/ Chrome I now have Spell Check back so hopefully the typos will be less.....and I can also go back and correct mistakes w/out having to delete the whole sentence/paragraph which was also an issue......I's still like the photos but I'm not Barbie I can't have it all!!!!!

A Rush Of Blood To The Head

So much for last nite being an easy run...........
Oh sure things started out easy enough,8 miler 77 degrees and sunny however a dark cloud in the form of Mexico's answer to Lance fuckin' Armstrong brought things to a abrupt head.
One of my pet peeves when running along either the Schuylkill Banks and or Kelly & West River Drives is these aresholes on their bikes who act like they're in a Tour De France Time Trial,I get your on a bike and you can go fast that's not the issue the issue is when you don't let people know you're about to pass them.
I don't have eyes in the back of my head so unless you tell me"on your right" "on your left" I have no idea your about to pass me......
"El Loco" zips by me at a rate of knots just missing me by a cunt hair{I apologize for the crude nature of my description but I don't know how else to explain how close he was to me} which solicited a "fuckin prick"!!! from yours truly.....I'm guessing he heard me as he glanced over his shoulder and smiled at me.......REALLY??????
The "red mist" decended and I began to speed up....not that I thought there was any chance of catching him but it was the principle of the matter.

Some three quarters of a mile later at the bike ramp off Market St along the Schuylkill  Banks who do I look up and see....."El Loco".......decision time...... A throw a right hander at his head as I passed and keep running? B just keep going w/out doing or saying anything??? or C stop and confront him which could potentially lead to a fist being thrown and his bike getting thrown into the Schuylkill?????
In running,as in life I went w/ Plan B and kept going,"don't do the crime if you can't do the time" hell yeah I wanted to punch the shit out of him for nearlt crashing into me but dealing w/ the potentially ramifications of my actions lead me to take a deep breath and keep going......in running as in life "live to fight another day" or not fight as the case maybe..........

You Can Stick Your Poxy Phone Service Up Your Arse Verizon!!!!!!!

Some of my regular readers will no doubt recall a post back on March 20th of last year where yours truly went on a paganesque rant about those pricks over at Verizon,here's the cliff notes:

After taking over a month to connect my phone after moving to Yid Central I then got lumbered w/a phone bill in excess of $700 for International calls......despite having an International calling plan since the only people I speak to on the dog and bone are my mother,brother and sister all of whom reside on that side of the Atlantic Ocean.

After several terse bouts of "he said/she said" w/ Prickson they sent me a bill for $475 which I refused to pay and they promptly shut my phone off....that should've been my cue to switch to a cell/smart phone but me being me I didn't even though I refused to use Prickson for my International calls and using Penny Talk but still being charged $30 a month for a phone I hardly use other than my weekly phone call to my Mother and my monthly heart to hearts w/ "Our Kid" and the periodic chats w/ my big sis........

Arriving home on Sunday following my 10 miler at Lehigh I was anxious to call my mother since she had a hospital visit on Wednesday and I was eager to hear the outcome........no dice,no dial tone it didn't take a genius to figure out that phone had been shut off and lo and behold first thing Monday morning at work after calling my mother to check she was ok and explain why I hadn't phoned like I always do on Sundays I dialed my number.........beep beep beep,this number has been taken out of service.......

REALLY????? here's my bone of contention w/ Prickson,send me a bill and I'll pay it that's how it works,PGW send me a copy of my bill each month and I pay it everybodys happy,they get paid I get gas and hot water but Prickson stopped sending me bills{the last one I got was when they wanted $475.....surprize surfuckin' prize.....}sure now and again I'd get an automated message telling me my bill was past due and I'd promptly pay them but this time they didn't and felt duty bound to suspend my services.......

GUESS WHAT??????  I'm done w/ this Mickey Mouse bullshit.......oh don't get me wrong I'll send them the $140 I owe them......at $20 a month but after much thought on the matter I've ellected to finally join the 21st century and get a smartphone.......what;s next start dating again........easy Tiger one major life changing event at a time!!!!!!

Prickson can shove their phone and their service up their arse in a few days time I'll have my smartphone,I'll be able  make my transatlantic calls from wherever I am rather rushing home plus I can finally post photos from my travels.....as I type "Mrs Mad Cat" aka Precious is no doubt looking for an agent as she expects to become an Internet sensation w/ all the photos I'll take of her......it's all good!!!

I should've kicked Prickson to the curb two years ago when they fucked me over the International charges but I didn't but this time around I'm done playing,it's not that they shut my phone off{they actually did me a favour!}it's the fact I didn't get so much as a "your bill is past due" message on the phone muchless a phone bill in the mail so guess what???????SEE YA ARESHOLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since this is a running blog not a vent my spleen about Prickson blog yesterdays run was a 10 miler!

Despite the rain I made sure to get out there and kick the week off on the right foot,baseball cap,rain jacket and three quarter length bottoms were the order of the day.

In fairness at 63 degrees running in the rain isn't that big of a deal but also I feel I've reached a "now or never" mark in my off season training I need to knuckle down and start cranking out 50 mile weeks b4 it's too late.

10 mile run check,order new Smartphone check,dumping Prickson for good CHECK!!!!!

Fields Of Fire

Third preview of the Club Nationals 10K XC course at Lehigh yesterday morning.
Following Saturdays rain I could've been forgiven for feeling some trepidation driving up route 309 to Quakertown at 7.30am but I needn't have worried,the sun was out even if the temps were a brisk 39 degrees at 8.30am pulling into the parking lot.
I wish I'd had a camera when we arrived as the sight of the fog rolling off the fields looked pretty spectacular although note to self when I return next month for the final preview of the course in early to mid November gloves and running tights might be the way to go.

I feel I could run the 10k course w/ my eyes closed now.....I won't as it's probably NOT the way to go for a xc race...or frankly a run of any kind but I do feel I now know the course well enough now after three preview runs plus running part of it on the Paul Short 8k course last week.
Only myself Chuck and Bill this month but what we lacked in numbers we made up for w/ raw gusto and clipped of sub 8 mins miles w/ Bill and i dropping the last two under 7.20 pace b4 knocking out the first  four miles of the Paul Short 8k course to round oput an even ten miles for the day.

Two weeks till the New Jersey XC 8K C'ships hopefully I'll be firing on all cylinders by then,had to settle for a three day/thirty mile week this week as a couple of days got away from me but I feel I'm closing in on to full blown training mode.

Hup Two Three Four,I Love Marine Corp

Not the back to back 10 milers I had hoped for but none the less two 10 milers for the week as I need to take care of business tonite over 12 miles to stay on pace for a 5 day 50 mile week.
Another delightfully sunny afternnon at 73 degrees,I feel I should treat each one of these as if they might be the last,w/ the clocks going back on November 2nd time is against me for continuing my runs in daylight.

Nothing much to report on this run,a fairly bog standard 10 mile run out and back along the Schuylkill Banks and Kelly Drive,making the turn b4 St Joe's Boathouse,I did notice that yestereday as like Monday there were a handful of rowers out on the Schuylkill,I'm guessing their days are numbered also,while I have the fallback of being able to add layers of running clothes to conbat the change of season I can't imagine those guys and girls rowing when the temps start to drop,Friday,Saturday and Sunday will see a dramatic dip from low 70s to low 60s.....I get chills just thinking about it!!!!

It may well be off season in terms of training but judging from my foul mouth/hand jesture tirade a mile from home I'm in mid season form......
I have a REAL issue w/ drivers who blatently ignore street signs,case in point at 39th St it's a right hand turn onto Baltimore Ave at the lights.......which CLEARLY state "No Turn On Red Light".... so it's not too much to expect I've got "safe passage" crossing 39th St........
Cue Phillys answer to bloody Danica Patrick who feels not only is the red light non applicable to her but the actual red light doesn' apply either.....as for the runner trying to cross the road I guess he can go fuck himself?????
It's amazing the speed one can pick up even at mile 9 of a run not to mention the lung capacity one has to let rip a verbal bollocking of Black Hearted Celtic Paganesque style when catching up w/ a fuckwit at the next red light......YEAH you blew a red light to sit at the next red light.......ARESHOLE!!!!!

Here's hoping for a incident free run this evening......

No More Lazyitis

No excuses I've been a lazy prick the last few weeks hence the lack of blog entries due to not running,a lack of motivation if I'm being honest after a long season from January thro mid September I opted to take off a few weeks to recharge the batteries I pretty much knew getting my butt kicked at Paul Short on Saturday would serve as motivation to get off the recliner and get back into the swing of things and w/ that I had a whole new outlook and attitude yesterday.

Easy 10 miler to jump start the week,since it;s now officially Fall I opted to ditch the sleeveless running shirt although at 71 degrees I probably could've gotten away w/ it but lets face it come months end I'm probably going to be digging out my long sleeve running shirts and three quarter length bottoms anyway so best to leave the sleeveless shirts in  closet till Spring.......besides it allowed me the opportunity to wear an old Spurs soccer jersey......Yid Army always representin'!!!!!!

Out the door by 4.20pm I want to enjoy however many more days like this 71 and sunny I've got,the clocks will be going back soon which will bollocks up training for a few months so I want to make hay while the sunshines.....literally.....the sun that is I have no need for hay muchless a desire to make any!!!
A few years ago the city reconstructed South St bridge and not long after that began working on a footpath along the Schuylkill River from the bridge to the foot of the Schuylkill Banks it's officially open now so it affords me quicker access to the Banks and not having to cut through Markward Gardens.....although I'm sure it'll be a real treat running that close to the river in the dead of winter!!!

Considering my lack of running of late Sept 17th being my last run along the Schuylkill at 8 miles b4 an easy 10 up at Lehigh on the 21st I didn't feel too rusty which is good since I have another 10 miler on tap this afternoon b4 a 12 miler tomorrow,no more excuses,no more lazyitis I have 9 weeks to get ready for Club Nationals which will then roll into Indoor Track season.......

A Day Late And A Dollar {Paul} Short{8K XC}

I wasn't the biggest xc fan growing up,in high school xc was running around the soccer pitches at Charlton Park and my one xc race for my first club Kent AC was in December when it was cold and rainy and I got covered in mud which did little to warm me to it.
A couple of years later John Treacy won back to back World XC C'ships in Glasgow in 78 and in Limerick in 79 which rekindled my interest in xc but I still wasn't having it as a runner untill I began my masters track career and I came to embrace xc s the natural bridge between the end of the outdoor track season and the start of the indoor season ergo waking up at the ungodly hour of 5.10am on Saturday morning to be at Jefferson train station by  7.10am to get out to Jenkintown to catch my ride to Lehigh University for the 41st annual Paul Short XC race.

I heard great things about the Paul Short race,and having jogged the 10k course twice since August in prep for Decemnbers Club Nationals 10K I was ready for the slightly shorter but no less challenging 8k course.
The forecast was 100% chance of rain which never bodes well but at almost 51 as oppossed to 13 when I ran my first xc race the prospect of getting wet and muddy didn't phase me like it did way back when and after a two mile jog of the back part of the course where I got suitably soaked I declared myself certifiable but ready for the 10.10am gun time,by which time the rain had actually stopped which was a blessing.

I took my place on the starting line w/ almost 500 other runners for the open mens race,from a spectators view the start must resemble the fight scene from ''Braveheart" as the "hordes" go charging across the field into the first corn field.....it's just as spectacular from a runners prespective let me tell ya!!!.....although I kept the "they may take out land,but they'll never take our freedom!!!!" battlecry to myself.......maybe I'll save that for Club Nationals!!!!
Given 8k is 7k above my prefered distance I knew not to go out too hard in the opening mile but in a field of almost 500 it hard not to get swept along 5.47 for the opening mile 5.30 would've been too rich,6.00 might have been better.

12.02 at 2 miles,even though I was towards the back of the field I was still in contact w/ other runners which made life easier,conditions underfoot weren't too bad and I was actually enjoying myself....a far cry from my last xc race  2012s Club Nationals in Lexington Kentucky which was a low point of my entire career and a motivator to this xc season.
18.12 at three miles,I was still picking off runners ahead of me which always helps w/ forward momentum although my legs were beginning to feel the effects of a dip in training of late,I kind of knew today would be the "bitch slap" I needed to get me back into the swing of training,10 weeks till another 2k back here on Dec 13th.

24.37 at 4 miles less than a mile to go as I came back onto the main part of the course hopefully come Club Nationals I'll be a lot sharper than I was on Saturday ie no more blowing off training runs like I have in the past 10 days.....bad runner,shame shame!!!.
30.51 at the finish,I was hoping for 30.00ish so all in all I can't be too dismisive of my efforts over 8k xc I think it ranks 5th fastest of 8 so lets see what the New Jersey Cships bring in three weeks time.