Leaky Faucets

First there were Monica’s handbags, now another disgraced celebrity is getting into the fashion biz. Check out what Imelda Marcos is up to these days.

This is certainly not a defense of Saddam Hussein.  It is however a condemnation of our government’s (and Britain’s) hypocrisy.  This article from the UK’s The Independent is a must read for all of you clueless Americans and a reminder to those of us who need to be reminded what is being done in our name.

I didn’t go to work today; I called in sick, even though everyone in the office knew I wasn’t really sick.  I could’ve gone in today but I’m glad I didn’t.  I’m still tired from yesterday and my quads are extremely sore.  Other than that, I feel a lot better than I did the day after my previous two marathons.

Although, I am a little depressed about my performance.  I was aiming to break 4:00 for the first time and missed by 11 minutes.  I did beat my previous best by 5 minutes, but I’m still disappointed.  I know I could have done better.  The only bright spot is that I didn’t limp across the finish line.  My last mile was pretty strong compared to the last two years.

Following are a few select notes about my experience running the New York City Marathon yesterday:

• The weather was fantastic.  It was a bit chilly at first and I was totally confused about what I would wear the night before.  I ended up wearing a lightweight long sleeve top over a short sleeve t-shirt with a pair of shorts. A last minute change was the addition of Aya’s race belt allowing me to pin my bib to it, which enabled me to remove my long sleeve and give it to Aya just before the Queensborough Bridge around Mile 15 without having to worry about re-pining the bib.
• (If you have a weak stomach, please refrain from reading this bullet.)  Somewhere around Mile 8 in the middle of Brooklyn, I caught a whiff of something fowl.  As I apparently got closer to the source, I knew what it was.  Shit.  But where?  Then, I saw it.  A youngish man in front of me had a dried river of his own excrement running down the back of his legs.  Needless to say, I took off at that point.  I had to get the fuck away from him fast.  I never saw the man again.  Now, this guy was not going to win the race so why didn’t he stop at a port-a-potty along the course and relieve himself properly?  If it were me, I would have taken the few minutes rather than run for four hours with this stench attached to my body and all my fellow runners cursing me.  A few years ago, Paula Radcliffe won the London Marathon after performing a similarly disgusting feat.  Yeah, but she won.  And she proceeded to apologize to the British nation.
• Every year, there are always a few interesting costumes among the runners.  I don’t know how anyone can run a marathon in any outfit other than running clothes.  But these folks did it.  I wonder which of them finished and how long it took.  I saw two guys at the staging area pre-race with rhinoceros costumes-they were humungous-and an accompanying political statement: “Save the Rhinos”-what else?  I saw them again later in Brooklyn.  The Blues Brothers were standing on the side of the BQE in Brooklyn (around Mile 2.)  A guy wearing a pink tutu dressed as a fairy passed me early on.  One fireman was wearing full fireman gear.  Don’t know how he did it.
• My new sneakers had been killing me every time I ran in the last week and even when I walked, but somehow they didn’t bother me at all during the race.
• The bus ride was much better than last year.  We got to Fort Wadsworth more than an hour and a half before start time.
• This is the only day of the year where you can get away with public urination in New York.  And I did, relieving myself against a construction fence with my back to the crowd of course.  Amazingly, I only went once during the marathon, and unfortunately it cost me about 40 seconds off my time.
• I was doing pretty well through Manhattan and holding my own in the Bronx, even though I was slowing down quite a bit.  But, for the third year in a row, my hamstrings failed on me, though this time it was later and less severe than the others.  I don’t know if I need to stretch them more or if there is anything else I can do to prevent this and improve my finish.  I had to stop four or five times in Harlem and in Central Park during the last four miles to stretch and massage my hammies.  It helped for a little bit each time but then they acted up again.  After Mile 25, they didn’t bother me again and I managed to finish with a strong 9:38 on Mile 26 compared to the 11:11 that I pulled last year and the despicable 13:53 in 2004 in which I ran the last few miles clutching my hamstring.  If I can somehow keep my hamstrings from flaring up next time and finish strong, I can improve my time immensely.
• Some guy in the Bronx was poring Coca-Cola into little cups with the intent, I think, to offer it to runners.  Not the best idea I don’t think.  Another person in Harlem tried to hand me a mini Butterfinger.  I stuck with the disgusting (at that point, at least) Power Gels and Clif Shots.
• Around 125^th Street and 5^th Avenue, a large group of 15 people or so decided to cross the road at the same time.  With the narrow avenue already imposed on us by the crowds encroaching on both sides, the entire passage was blocked.  I had to dodge these idiots to avoid knocking them over.  They would have observed it if I had.  Why can’t they cross one at a time?  I just don’t understand.
• The souvenir shirts this year are awesome.  They’re long sleeve, lightweight and made of technical fabric that wicks away the sweat.  It would have been perfect for the weather yesterday but I have this superstition about not wearing a race shirt before I actually do the race.
• I don’t want to drink Gatorade again for the long time.  After the race, even the smell of it disgusted me.