A wee bit late in posting this but I managed to finish the BAA 10k yesterday in 1:02. 5 minutes slower than last year, which is a bit disapointing, but I shouldn't complain given the issues that I have had with my feet. The weather was quite nice but it was very hot going up and coming down Comm ave by B.U. Today I have a bit of discomfort in my right Plantar so I will need to baby it for a bit I guess. All in all a succesful race.

So last week was a very succesful week for running, I managed to get in another 6 miles on Saturday which brings my total for the week to right around 15 miles. No pain or discomfort other than the occasional ache from the right foot so I think it's full speed ahead now. I am running in the BAA 10k next weekend which I am looking forward to given that I had to skip the BAA 5k in April. Weather is looking good, sun with temps forecasted in the 70's right now.

This has been a very good week for running. The weather has been great other than some rain on Wednesday. I got almost 6 miles in on Tuesday and then a 5k last night. The feet are no better or worse, not much pain at all and just a little discomfort in the right foot. Most likely the lingering tendonitis in the achilles the doctor speculated about. Anyway, I have been listening to way to much Bob Dylan this week but I just can't stop for some reason. I don't think I fully appreciated his music or lyrics at all growing up. I started with his first releases and am now up to Blood on the Tracks but I think that Desire has to be one of the best albums of all time. The first 4 songs are absolute killlers, Hurricane, the Rubin Carter story, Isis, Mozambique and One More Cup of Coffee. I have a playlist now of the following:
As I Went Out One Morning-John Wesley Harding
All Along the Watchtower-John Wesley Harding
Knockin on Heavens Door-Pat Garret
House of the Rising Sun-Bob Dylan
Hurricane-Desire
Isis-Desire
Masters of War-The Freewheelin Bob Dylan
Like a Rolling Stone-Greatest Hits
Shelter from the Storm-Blood on the Tracks

So the Basel III NPR was issued yesterday so my weekend is now sealed. 600 pages of regulatory Sominex for the next week or so.

Managed to slog out 5.5 miles yesterday afternoon in the mist and rain. It wasn't so bad as it was a bit warm and the foot held out just fine. I am struggling to keep my wind though, I used to be 9:30-10:00 miler but I am now up to 10:30-10:00 if I am lucky. Not sure what it's going to take to get that back. Anyway, my wife and I went on a great walk this morning, about 4.5 miles round trip from our place down the Riverway to the Fens. Stopped at the James Kelleher Rose Garden. We have probably biked past this place a dozen times and never took a peak inside. I is quite beautiful and well maintained. If your ever in the Back Bay/Fens area I would highly suggest a visit.

The following pictures are from our walk last Sunday in the Arnold Arboretum. Weather was fantastic and the trees were really showing off thier Spring colors.

So I managed to get in another 3.5 miles last night after work. My right heel is still a little squirrely and perhaps I do have some tendinitis in there as the doctor had suggested but I am sure that it is getting better by the day so chin up and move along. Most of my running is in Olmsted Park and around Jamaica Pond here in Jamaica Plain. This is part of the Emerald Necklace here in Boston that Frederick Olmsted designed and built in the 1800's. It is quite nice and even though we are only 3-4 miles from downtown Boston it really feels nothing like being in a city. The BAA 1/2 Marathon that I ran for the first time last year follows the Jamaica Way down to the Fens and back through Olmsted park and then around the pond. It is a beautiful place and is well used year round. This is a picture of Leverette Pond which in the park and is fed by Jamaica Pond. I live just around the corner so this is about 1/2 mile into my run and the start of the park.

Had a nice holiday weekend that was spent mainly with family and friends. Golfed with a couple of guys from work on Friday at Juniper Hills in Northboro on Friday. I grew up down the street from the course and spent many an afternoon on this course. My grandfather used to teach there, he was a Scottish immigrant who was a fantastic golfer. He used to bring my brother and I out weekly and force us to practice hitting balls. Of course as a child you have no comprehension of what he was trying to teach us. Golf is a funny game, it can be easy and fun sometimes but then frustrating as hell at the drop of a dime. I try and approach it as a day outside in the sun and not at work. Time to spend with my son or just a bunch of guys trying to unwind. I don't have new and expensive clubs, not sure that would improve my game at all. I think that sometimes people need the newest and shiniest equipment to make up for thier lack of game. It's too bad, golf can be one of the most enjoyable times to just get outdoors after sitting at a desk all week; not something to get stressed about or upset about a particular score on a hole. That much I took from my father. We used to play whenever we could but as the things go, I was busy raising a family and never had the time, and he was most likely glad that I was and not hanging around in the bars anymore. I would give anything to be able to play another round with him now as he passed away 6-7 years ago. Anyway, I played again on Sunday with my youngest son at D.W. Field in Brockton. A nice little municipal course that is in decent shape. The greens fees are only $27 if you walk, $35 if you ride which for a holiday is quite reasonable. We played with two of his friends that have both been to Afghanistan at least twice which I give them all the credit for. I can't imagine what that was like and glad they came back in one piece, at least physically. None of us played particularly well but there were lots of laughs as we chased balls all over the course. These are the days I think that I will reflect on and enjoy when I am older and my son doesn't have the time to play once he is raising his family. I hope.