Shamrock Shuffle

I ran Shamrock Shuffle last weekend. It wasn't as cold as last year. Also the route was a little different, it didn't take us around lower Wacker Drive. My biggest worry for this race was that I was going to go out too fast being in Corral A. But my biggest problem was in fueling. I had 1/2 a banana an hour before the race so I cramped during the entire race. I should have known that was going to happen. My splits were 7:03, 7:25, 7:23, 7:17. I'm going off of my official splits as opposed to the splits from my Garmin watch. Since we went under bridges, and the Aon Center,  I occasionally lost GPS signal.

I ended up running a 36:28, a PR by over 2 minutes. Not bad considering I didn't run a ton over the winter, especially after going to India.

Not happy with phone

So I'm pissed off with my phone. It turns off randomly. It once turned off when I was taking down a number. I guess it gives me the excuse of getting a new phone. I'm looking at either the Motorola Droid or the HTC Eris. I'm leaning towards the Droid because it's got a faster processor and Verizon just released Android 2.1 for it, which is the newest firmware. :) 

Stereogum: indie music reviews and news

I just discovered Stereogum for my indie music news, reviews, and samples from the comments of a Gizmodo article. I'm checking it out, but I don't know how it compares to Pitchfork for national level news, but I'll keep y'all posted.

Fast Track blogging

I'm now going to be blogging at the Fast Track Racing Team's Unofficial Blog (here).

Let's just hope I have the time to keep up with both.

Shoe review: Saucony Fastwitch4

I was debating between buying Saucony's Fastwitch4's or their lighter A3 shoes. The store I tried them on at didn't carry the A3, so I wouldn't be able to try them on before ordering, but they had the Fastwitch4's. The one thing that concerns me especially with racing flats is the width of my feet. I don't wear wides, but I'm almost right on the border. So sizing would have been tricky. When I tried them on and got on the treadmill at the store, the fit was awesome, they had a decent amount of support and were light.

Hustle up the hancock

I recently did Hustle up the Hancock (Feb 28th) in Chicago. It's a stair climb to the top of the Hancock Tower.

I did it in 17:55. I feel okay about my time, but I think I should have at least done it in 16:20 or so. I got stuck behind some people around the 40th floor. Also I'd only really been training for about a month-one of my friends wasn't able to do it, so I took over for them.


Image credit (Flickr:Globetrotter 2000)

How would I describe myself

I saw this posted on twitter (Nerds, Dorks, Geeks, and cool dudes.) While I found the article interesting it doesn't have enough classification to people that are experts or obsessed with a given field, have the brains, and the social skills so they don't fall flat on their face interacting with people on a given basis.

As I was reading the article, I was trying to figure out where I applied in the whole mess. The best way I'd describe myself is someone that is :

1. Into sports-granted I don't compete or watch the usual sports regularly. I like running and playing Ultimate Frisbee. I'm not even that fast of a runner, but I am getting faster.
2. I think I'm smart and I'm told I'm pretty smart, but I'm never quite sure (see Imposter Syndrome). I love reading and learning about random topics. I also like sharing whatever I learn (maven)
3. I'm pretty fashionable for a guy. I consider myself a metrosexual, but I'm not effeminately fashionable.