Instruments & Novelties

NO RUN

The week ended up as follows:
Monday: AM: 8 Miles, PM: 4.2 Miles -- Both Steady Runs
Tuesday: AM: Tempo Run and Light Reps, Treadmill, Tot. 9 Miles
Wednesday: AM: 8.2 Miles, PM: 4 Miles -- Both Steady Runs
Thursday: PM: 10 Miles, Fruit Loop, Blvd
Friday: AM: 8 Miles Easy, Blvd
Saturday: AM: 13 Miles, Bike Path
Sunday: NO RUN

Week Total 64.4 Miles, 8 Runs.

Great week again, I would easily have been over 70 miles if I ran today but I am taking a few days to make sure this quad gets much better!

Today I took full advantage of my freedom from running. I did have a moment of major temptation to hit the roads or at least get on my bike but a project revolving around getting some albums I had missed out on over the last few months consumed me. I picked up

Explosions In The Sky "The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place"
Beck "Modern Guilt"
Bloc Party "Intimacy"
Vampire Weekend "Vampire Weekend"
Ulrich Schnauss "Goodbye"
Crystal Castles "Crystal Castles"

And the best album I think I picked up was AIR "Pocket Symphony". And not just becasue it is produced by Radioheadist Nigel Godrich. I've been meaning to get this album over the last year because I loved the track "Somewhere Between Walking And Sleeping", but I do need to listen to these albums over a few times. The tracks on this Air Album are more acoustic/piano driven and less electronic focused or so it seems on first listen. Although for a more traditional Air track, "Mer Du Japon" is amazing. The tracks have a pretty immediate impact so that tends to mean a good album and one I recomend you purchase.

Track Download - "Somewhere Between Walking and Sleeping" -- Air

Note: Track will be up for a few days. If you like it BUY THE ALBUM


In other news, I had a great crew over at the house. Francine threw together a nice meal and we had Paddy Moulton and Katie, Ben, Martin Fagan, and Andrew Carlson along with some Gansetts. Good energy and laughs. Just what I needed after a bit of a down day with no running and a bit of pain.

I plan on taking tomorrow off but if I feel better in the evening I may jump on the bike. I am not super concerned because to be quite frank I assumed I'd have more pain than this on the return and I've been lucky to get through 5 weeks with some seamless training.

Keeping the faith

Kelrock

Carrots and Sticks

AM: 13 Miles Easy, Blackstone Bike path, 1:22

Ran on Blackstone with Martin Fagan and Mark Carroll. Great run and fantastic weather. I felt amazing and the actual run and distance felt really short. Basically the run was perfect except for my continued quad pain. I am starting to get worried to be honest. I have not felt great in a few days and I think it may be getting worse. It got sore during the run and rather than force me to stop it just irritated me. But now I feel pain in the outside just under the IT band. I am taking tomorrow off and I am going to do some light biking. I may take a few days off unless there is significant improvement. I get very paranoid and concerned about things like stress fractures and chronic injuries. Not sure why this is hurting so much but I am going to put this post to bed and be satisfied that I had a fantastic run this morning and week 5 was great training.

Peace,

Kel

Well Adjusted

AM: 8 Miles Easy, Blvd, Fruit Loop

Ran 52 minutes of Martins 70 minute AM run. It was great to run from start to finish with another human being. The quad and my right side in general feels a little off. I definitely strained something from my T--Mill session on Tuesday. This easy day was just what I needed although it was very tempting to continue on and run the whole 70 minutes with Martin. The vino I drank yesterday despite being delicious did leave my foggy when I woke up. But the run was just the ticket to snap me back into hands in the air mode.

The rest of the day so far has consisted of eating and sharing music. Since fagan and I have pretty similar taste I needed a few things off his computer and my mission has been just that, burning mp3 files to CD or figuring out some software to download so I can just snag the stuff. I think the latter will be the option. I want the Vampire Weekend self titled album. My friend Vinny Mulvey also recommended it.I've been listening to some of the tracks on their myspace page and one or two are pretty good. Although their are some very average tracks. It is always better to listen to an album straight through to really get a feel for what the tracks are about.

I was planning on jumping into a race tomorrow morning but my slightly gimp right side has shelved that plan. I am going to just stick to the schedule and run the 13 miles easy with Fagan and Marl Carroll. This evening however calls for some good grub, fantasy football changes, maybe a pint, and better times all round.

Loving running and loving music more than ever,

Kelrock

PM: 10 Miles, No Time, Easy Running. Fruit Loop, Blvd.

It was like a ghost town around the Blackstone blvd and the fruit loop today. I guess seeing as I went running at 2pm on Thanksgiving I should have expected as much. Either way the run was fantastic. My right quad was a little dead, at least not firing right. It usually means that I over stretched or ran too hard. I have no doubt the Linford Christie impersonation I did on the T-Mill 2 days ago certainly had a lot to do with it. However, 10 more easy miles in the bank is just what I needed before a few Gansett's

I was listening to some techno sounds, mainly minimal stuff out of Germany. I also went on a mission to find covers since I was loving listening to the Cure album I spoke about yesterday. I don't know much about Vampire Weekend, but I saw they did a cover of Fleetwood Mac "Everywhere", one of thier classic tunes. I have it available for Download Here. Grab it because I will take it down in a few weeks. I need to check out more from these guys. This is a solid effort.

The Manchester Road Race was today and Martin Fagan won in 21:41. A fantastic performance and a great confidence booster heading into Euro Cross Champs in three weeks. Mark Carroll had another great performance finishing in 7th place. Also a great boost before he joins the Irish team in Brussells for the Euros. I will be hosting Martin here for the next few days so I will be attempting to run with these two guys over the weekend. It will be good to leave off the tunes and actually get stuck into some conversation.

I'm off for some grub, taking advantage of any occasion that allows me to stuff my face. Now that the training is consistent food is more enjoyable. Not that I am weight conscious at all but as I get older the body doesn't bounce back as quick from anything, including excessive food consumption.

Not because its Thanksgiving but because I just feel like it, below is a live Radiohead track for you to watch over and over again. Plenty more where this came from too.........

Peace and Love

Kelrock

I Might Be Wrong

AM: 8.25 Miles, 49:00, Fruit Loop, Blvd
PM: 4 Miles, 26:00, Blvd

Another double day in the bag, and what a glorious day it was. This morning I could not help but run quick, even though it was supposed to be an easy day. Great sounds coming out of the shuffle and some awesome weather. I did my afternoon run when it was pitch dark and the hard part was again stopping. This theme of wanting to do more but actually stopping has been reoccurring over the last 3 weeks and on two levels I am so happy. First off, I love the fact that I do not want to stop on my runs. Second, I love the fact that despite wanting to do more I actually stop! This would never have happened last year. But this is a new era.

Today I listened to loads of Radiohead and some Grizzly Bear. The latter band opened up for Radiohead on the second leg of their US Tour. I never gave them much of a listen because I had to many other bands to hear but lately I have been visiting their back catalog. I need a few more listens before I past judgement.

There is a new Cure tribute album out called "Perfect As Cats". I have been toying around with buying this album because it sounds pretty good. Bat For Lashes Covers "A Forest", which is an amazing Cure song. I listened to this track from her myspace page
So there is a lot of stuff I need to post up here and this weekend is going to be the start of it. I really have a lot of music that I want to upload to encourage some album purchases. But right now I am focusing on the new videos for Radiohead tracks that won the competition. Yes, Radiohead allowed users to upload their own videos for selected tracks and the winners, well their work was selected as the official video. Thats the difference.

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving and when I think of TG I think of The Manchester Road Race. I have a couple of mates, namely Mr Martin Fagan, and Mr Mark Carroll running so I am sending my energy their way. And as for Turkey, well we won't be participating since we have given up on flesh but I will have some high grade vino that I received from various people over the last few months. Vino and good sounds, lovely.

Lets go down the waterfall,
Think about the good times and never look back.

Peace and Lovism,

Kel

We Fly, We Feed, We Suck, We Bleed, We Need

AM: Workout, Tempo Run, Treadmill @ Reebok HQ. Total 9 Miles

I am going to get on the negative train for a few minutes and then I'll get off. The weather today was like a bad Irish day. Sideways rain pushed so by strong winds. I planned on doing my tempo scheduled for 4.5 miles at lunch time. It was bucketing down and the fact that Francine is sick and many friends are sick I decided to take the soft option and go on the treadmill. From the second the decision was made it went pear shaped.

The gym was packed and the AC was not on so it was steamy and felt like a humid summer day. There are good treadmills at Reebok but there are some dodgy ones too and since it was so crowded I ended up on a dodgy one. I knew something was wrong when my warm up of 2.5 miles at 7 minute pace felt really hard. The frustration was compounded when my shuffle ran out of juice right in the middle of Bloc Party "The Prayer". I can accept that I now rely on my Shuffle but by accepting it I also know that I am trying to deal with the addiction. However as far as the Mill goes I need my sounds. I kicked off my tempo, sans music at 5:20 pace and I may as well have been going all out. I got to 3 miles at 16:05 and I had to stop. Heart Rate was over 200, laughable. I ended up doing a few more half mile pick ups but the sweat and the bewilderment at how the machines cannot be calibrated correctly left me feeling down. It poses the question do we rely too much on measurement? I should have just thrown a towel over the readout and ran at HR or what feels like tempo. Anyway, after some moping about the gym I drove home and now I can reflect on all the positives.

1. My knee did not hurt at all.
2. I still had a very hard workout despite not knowing how hard I was running.
3. I recovered very quickly after the session.
4. I had one of the toughest Yoga practices tonight and I feel like a new man.
5. I listened to UP! by M83 walking home from Yoga and I may as well have been floating.

Sports psychologists call it visualization. I find this very humorous because we have been dreaming since we were kids and when you get a bit older they tell you to visualize. I don't know about you but I dream everyday. I dream on my runs, when I'm driving, when I'm at Yoga, when I can't sleep at night. You all know you do it, you listen to an amazing track that does something to you and you float. Nothing else matters except you and the song. Since my love for music is such that it has an obvious and very real affect on me I can tell you that when I walk with my iPod and a touching song comes on I am taken to a different place. Walking up the hill the song UP! came on and suddenly it ended 5 minutes later and I could not recollect any of the walk I had just done. As the Kate Bush inspired track played I thought about the positives of the day and how no one bad session was going to deter me from this journey. Patrick Bateman uses music in a different way, it is a soundtrack to his life that keeps him grounded and "normal". "Do you like Huey Lewis and The News?"


My friend John talked to me today about patience and doing the little things, he reminded me of why I keep this blog and now I feel at complete ease. Another good day, and one more day fitter, happier, and more productive.

Love Kel

Run To The Lights Of The City

AM: 8 Miles, 52 Minutes, Fruit Loop, Blvd
PM: 4.2 Miles, 27:18, Blvd

Yesterday Martin Fagan sent me a text message. Basically he said he had one of the best runs of his life and that he played "Strangers In The Wind" by Cut Copy on repeat. On so many levels I can really appreciate this. Like Mr Fagan I too repeat this track on my runs along with some other Cut Copy songs that I have told you about. The title of this blog is the opening line of the chorus. I love the Lindsay Buckingham style intro before the beautiful pads and drums kick in. I can also appreciate this text because not only did I myself have a great run that day but my mentality is such that I have great runs everyday. Once I get from point A to point B free of pain in my joints, tendons, ligaments etc it is a beautiful run and one of the best runs of my life. Like I mentioned yesterday Pain as a result of fatigue is something I welcome. I want more of it and long durations of pain. Pain and general discomfort assoicated with running hard is one of the best and most uplifting experiences I can have.

Both runs today were nothing short of brilliant. This morning I was giving myself time checks to make sure I was not running too hard. I listened to some Aphex Twin and James Zabiela to get myself nice and chilled. This afternoon was the same. There is a 4.5 mile tempo effort on schedule for tomorrow and I can't sleep because I am beyond excited at getting after it again.

I worked from home today and this evening I had to go to Lowell, MA for a volunteer appreciation event at the Brewery Exchange. This is grassroots running at its New England finest. Lowell is a pretty depressed town but they get behind the Baystate Marathon and Half Marathon with great passion and pride. This is why Reebok sponsors it and it is why I love working with these guys.

I also stayed home because like many of the other distance running fans out there I needed to watch the NCAA XC champs on the tele. I had my friend and Iona Grad Vinny Mulvey on the old MSN and he was watching it streaming on the computer back in the homeland.

What a great race. Just seeing the teams line up sent me into major flashback mode. I had the nerves in my stomach just watching them line up. Rupp is an extremely well put together runner and he was never getting beaten today. Sam Chelanga ran his balls off but I truly don't think there was anything he could do. Mr Andrew Ledwith ran AMAZING. No one picked the Meath man for third. I certainly didn't and he is from a neighbouring county to me! I'm delighted for him and it really gives me confidence that the Irish team can do great at Euro XC with Mr Fagan, Carroll, Murray, Christie and McCormack all running very well.

Dave McCarthy had a great showing in 19th for the friars and the future looks bright for this young team. Soph, 2 freshmen and a junior as top 4. 21st this year, top 10 next year. PC women did pretty great too finishing 13th after a lackluster season. I think Ray was only a couple of weeks away from having a top 6 womens team but injuries are a part of the game and those missed summer and early season miles put a couple of the girls in the seasonal chase pack. I know how they felt, I used to do the same except I was not injured I was just attending too many summer raves!

Life right now is devoid of complaints. Twice a day running gives me so much joy and with little work on this week I intend on maximizing my training and recovery. So much energy and so little ability to let it loose. Need to be careful and stay free of injury. This time no cracks will appear beneath the veneer. Bedways is bestways,

Peace and Love,

Kel

Take Back The Spade

AM: 13 Miles, 1:20:12, Wakefield Bike Path

I went with the crew to watch a road race this morning and jumped on a bike path for my own training. Let me tell ya, I felt pretty tired for some reason today but I have promised to never complain or get down about feeling tired. Being healthy is what its all about. Feeling tired is easy to deal with. So with that being said I jogged a couple of easy warm up miles and then ran 11 miles floating along at about 5:50 pace. It was fantastic, every step was magical and the mile markers just kept flying by. I was on my tod so I listened to a completely eclectic selection. Everything from The Smiths to Wolf Parade to Minimal Techno from Matt Star. Got back to the race to find everyone had already cooled down so I joined the crew in a pint of Narragansett. From start to finish todays training was exactly what I love about running.

I just ended my 5th week back after my lengthy lay off and I feel great. Week 5 looked like this:

Monday: PM: 8 Miles Steady W/ Strides, Blvd
Tuesday: AM: Workout, 4 Mile Tempo Run, 20:20, 2.5 WU/CD Total 9 Miles Wednesday: PM: 10 Miles Easy, East Side
Thursday: AM: 4 Miles Easy, PM: 7 Miles Steady
Friday: PM: 6 Miles Steady
Saturday: AM: 8 Miles Steady/Fast Blvd, PM: 5 Miles Steady Blvd
Sunday: AM: 13 Miles Steady/Quick, Wakefield Bike Path

Total Miles: 70 Miles, 9 Runs, 1 Workout. Great week. Felt superb.

On the tunage front, I purchased some new minimal techno today as I needed a dose of new sounds. Got the Matt Star Album "The Art Of M", and it is very good. I have not really sat down and listened right through but I plan on doing that tonight. Love the techno, always.


Entering week 6 I am feeling generally optimistic. I just cannot fall into old habits of running fast everyday and not taking the time to sit down and recover. The go go go attitude needs to stop and I need to listen to lots of good music and read lots of good books in order to keep my arse in the chair and my feet in the air.

Peace and Love,

Kel

Floating Upon The Surface

AM: 8 Miles, 48:20, Fruit Loop, Blvd PM: 5 Miles, No Time, Blvd

Today was one of the coldest days of the year. This morning when we hit the roads it was 12 degrees with the wind, and she was blowin I tell ya. So I was expecting a slow slog and what I actually got was an earful of tunes from the shuffle and a completely blissful morning training session. I thought I was running 7 minute pace so I was indeed pleasantly surprised to see I was in fact running close to 6 minute pace. I can't and refuse to try to understand it.

In the PM it felt even colder so I decided to leave the watch at home and do a trusty 5 mile loop as slow as I felt while listening to Radiohead on my shuffle. I think I ran pretty quick considering I was listening to "Reckoner" and running with a smile on my face and an overwhelming desire to start singing out loud. With this much energy I must have been running pretty fast.

So another double day in the bag and officially, after 5 weeks, I have achieved stage one in the return to fitness. That is I may have no pace but the actual task of running steady is easy and I feel like I can run as long and as fast as I need to right now. Positive and very encouraging.

In other news, my main man Mr John Clark of Skinny Raven in Anchorage, AK has decided to join the world of Blog and bring his skilled writing to the cult. Of course he needs to make up for those of us with little or no skills in expressing what we mean using the written word. Take a trip over to his blog.

I am slightly overwhelmed with music right now and I'm starting to think that there may be something wrong with me. I want to stay up all night listening to new music and I get slightly depressed when I have to sleep because I feel like I am missing out on something. I bought a new Bret Easton Ellis novel today which should help. Its his 1994 book, "The Informers". The only one I have not yet read. So with that, keep up the good energy and I bid you good night,

Love Kel

Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses

PM: 6 Miles Steady, 36:03, Blvd

Today was an easy day. Ray has been including these six mile jaunts as part of the patient build up. I was running too quick, a result of listening to m83 on the shuffle and getting completely fired up. Then after 4 miles I bumped into Matty P and Paddy Moulton. Joyous stuff really. They ran with me back to my apartment and we had some good banter. Naturally the paced slowed a bit making the run an actual easy run. You see these boys do twice as much running as I do. Not in the, I had twice as much beer as you last night sense, rather they actually do about 2 times the miles I do. Very commendable and that is why they have run 2:17, and 2:15 respectively.

A lot happened on the music front today. I listened to a lot of new tunes. Matador records emailed me (not personally, I just happen to be on a mailing list from when I bought an Interpol album from the site) about the BBC sessions Belle and Sebastian album. The tracks are taken from BBC Radio 1 shows from 1997 through 2000's and there is a live show from Belfast on second CD. Great stuff really and I will be buying. There are 4 new tracks too which will be awesome.

Today however belonged to M83. I watched their KCRW Live Performance which was reccomended by Martin Fagan and I loved it. The new album Saturdays = Youth is just stunning. It came out last April but I have been falling so far behind in terms of music (there is just too many great albums and not enough time) that I have just been playing the DJ remixed versions of the tracks. Over the last two weeks I've been listening to the album and its great. Not necessarily better than the ones before, they were just class, but fantastic in its own way. I mean you can't help but think of a reflection scene in Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club when you listen to Kim & Jessie. Its complete Tears For Fears and I personally love it. The album is so much more accesable then their prior work which is the big difference for me. The whole nostalgic vibe and energy really stikes home for me the simple fact that I am getting older and them great days of youth are slowly becoming distant memories. Take the track "Graveyard Girl" (yes I know its an obvious choice) it is an ode to John Hughes, the film maker that was responsible for us all falling in love with Molly Ringwald which is why the claim has been made that the girl on the cover has the same red short hair as the 80's icon. "Couleurs" is magical and the remix that sasha put on his involver 2 mix has been a heavy part of my rotation over the last 4 months. UP! Is the Kate Bush tribute that misses the mark for me but it is still quite good and is testiment to the quality of the release that tracks like this are deemed mediocre against the A+ line up around it. At the end of the day, Mr Anthony Gonzalez wrote an album that he wanted to about an era that he loved and was inspired by. He is influenced by Cocteau Twins, and in turn he made a Cocteau Twins album. Whether it is better or not than albums like Before The Dawn Heals Us is a moot point. The album set out to be different and despite the cheese element it is very successful in its mission. Listening to this album puts me right back in that adolecent era of big dreams and American high school movies. Complete happiness.

Love Kel

Modern

AM: 4 Miles, Easy Easy on Blvd. PM: 7 Miles, 44:04, Steady Running, Fruit Loop and Blvd

This morning was bitter. Had to go full winter clobber and running on the blvd was like running on the road. It was about 19 degrees and for mid-November that is pretty cool. Anyway, despite the wind cutting the face off me it was a joyful morning jaunt. I took it slow and thought about the coffee I was going to have in the Exchange when I was done.

The PM run was the same with some fruit loop action thrown in. Not as cold as the morning but still brisk. I felt flat due to being hungry, a feeling that was made significantly worse when upon leaving Francine arrived home with Sushi and other treats.

The shuffle was on form tonight and after some nice tracks from The Cure, Interpol, and Yubaba I stuck on a DJ mix by my old housemate and fellow raver Sean Donnelly. There is a link to the mix below. Its mellow and groovy with some nice melodic numbers near the end. My favorite track is the second to last tune, Ade remix of Andi Teichmann "Tape", a superb piece of tunage.

Right Click And Save SCD -- Saving Sien

I will post more DJ mixes as I have a good collection here. I also have a slab of other tunes from various artists across all genres that need uploading. Speaking of which I was surfing the blogosphere today and came across 6 new Killers tunes. I don't want to post downloads since I am not sure how the label would feel given that their new album "Day And Age" is not out yet. Youtube links will have to sufice. Anyway, the tracks are the exact same as what was on Sams Town. OK there are slight differences, new sounds etc but not much. It is to Sams Town what Sams Town is to Hot Fuss. If you liked it, you will like these. Same uplifting, Synth Heavy, big sound, and Brandon Flowers powerful voice. Pretty good and energetic but no Cut Copy. The Killers are an OK band in my opinion. They put on a good live show but I am not buying the album. I heard the tracks, Neon Tiger, Losing Touch, The World We Live In, Joy Ride, Spaceman, and Human. There are additional tracks available on youtube but these are the ones I listened to. Does Brandon Flowers sound like Bono sometimes? Man, I dunno, maybe I do like the Killers but just don't want to admit it to myself? I kind of put them in the same catagory as Coldplay. I think the songs are catchy but I like them for that reason only. The lyrics and actual music don't do it for me. I'm waffling I know.

My friend turned 33 and got himself a new Ball Chair. It looks like this \/


Peace and Love,

Kel

When A Cold Wind Blows It Chills You

PM: 10 Miles, 66:30, Easy Running around the East Side

Tonight felt Baltic in scope. It was 17 Degrees with the wind chill and despite this being a pretty regular winter temperature it is still only mid November and a little too early for this kind of cold. I struggled to warm up and I really was going through the motions. Now that may sound kind of negative but believe me I was extremely happy the entire way. Rather I just took it easy, listened to Cut Copy, and kept it as flat as I could. I was actually supposed to do a double day today but I failed to check my training schedule last night and assumed it was a single run. Tomorrow I'll run twice. I am still getting to grips with having a schedule and I love it. The concept of not thinking and just following is definitely something I've missed in my training over the last year.

In other news, I got the chance today to hear the new Franz Ferdinand single taken from their forthcoming album due out in Jan. I never bought into the FF hype but I do think they are a decent band. The track I heard today was pretty good. Very Franz sounding but with more of an electronic feel. They have certainly expanded their instrumentation, a characteristic that I personally enjoy. But tonight on the miles was all about the album "In Ghost Colors", by Cut Copy. These three guys from Melbourne , Australia are another one of the many retro nu wave 1980's throw back acts, although they are one of the best. I had listened to their Fabric Live DJ mix many times and loved it. When a friend asked me had I heard their new album (I had not at the time) I searched my iTunes and realized I had one track from an urban outfitters comp and obviously the Fabric Live mix. So I bought the below album and I do love it. I have included a link to an mp3 of their live performance on The Carson Daly show. Its a decent recording so check it!
Peace,
Kel

Lights and Music Live on Carson Daly, Oct 2008

Go Slowly

AM: Workout. Tempo Run 4 Miles @ 20:20. 5:04, 5:07, 5:05, 5:03 2.5 mile WU/CD tot. 9 Miles

Ran this tempo at the Reebok HQ. Today was, for me at least, the first day of winter. I was cold warming up and cold during my tempo and even a little cold on my cool down. However one thing that was not cold was my emotion. I was taking a trip to Buzzville because I truly love the feeling of running low 5 minute pace with some level of comfort and ease. Its been 7-8 months since I had this feeling and now its slowly coming back.

Come Slowly
Come Slowly To Me
I've Been Waiting
Patient, Patiently

I didn't (get it)
But Now I Can See
That There's A Way Out
That There's A Way Out

These are the lyrics to my favorite B-Side from the album "In Rainbows", and despite my interpretation being different to what was intended, it is very fitting to my current mood. Almost hanging them up but now I can see that there may actually be a way back. Time for the chains to get wrapped around and time to continue waiting, patient, patiently.

Love Kel

Fifteen Steps

PM: 8 Miles w/ Strides, Blvd, East Side Loops

I did one of my usual loops tonight and the hard part was stopping. This is a recurring theme in my blog posts which is a good thing. In the old days I would have tacked on an extra 2-4 miles just because I felt good. This time is the last time and I am not messing around. Lashed a few strides after because I need to start introducing pace into my legs.

I am listening to an artiste that records solo-instrumental post rock soundscapes. He is from Rome but records under the name French Teen Idol. The album I'm playing is "Enlightened False Consciousness". I was directed to this project from a Sigur-Ros blog that I know and trust so well. And despite the music being more M83 or Mogwai in sound I can see why any Sigur Ros fan would like it. The kind of music that makes you want to sit in a room of candles or lie on the floor and dream. Melodic techno, house music, progressive house all these sounds that I know and love eventually on a long enough music line reach half way to the sound of Radiohead. Along that point is music like Frenh Teen Idol. Its full of lush pads, melancholic piano and random vocal samples. I have listened to this album through twice and it reminds me of the first time I heard Far Away Trains Passing By, an album by Ulrich Schnauss.

It may not be everyones cup of tea but I have a serious spongy spot for this ambient music. It makes me think and it makes me focus. Knee is feeling a lot better and right now listening to this album I'm a seriously happy camper.

The beauty is that the album is available for free download. The philosophy being that Art, like knowledge, should be free to the world. So take the time, snag the album, leave some feedback and next time your feeling down have a listen and remember that someone poured their heart and soul into this work and gave it to you so you could feel better.

Tracklist
01. The following takes place between 0'00'' and 57'30''
02. The longest night
03. Memento
04. Departure
05. The fleeting beauty of a butterfly
06. Compromise your (he)art
07. Ode to a departing friend
08. Enlightened false consciousness
09. Stay
10. Rebirth

Enlightened False Consciousness by French Teen Idol

Peace and Love,

Kel

PS I'll post his self titled first album tomorrow. It is also free.

Karmageddon

AM: 12.25 Miles, 1:14:45, Blvd, Fruit Loop

Fantastic morning run. Started out with Coxy for 6 miles and tacked on another 6 myself at a slightly quicker pace. The whole run was brilliant. A typical fall day in New England and a great way to cap off the week. Had to borrow francines iPod since mine is still at Reebok. Uploaded some Paul Kalkbrenner and then finished off the run with some Stars and Teenagers. All good, all positive and all uplifting. Not to mention the great running by the PC Crew at Regionals. Ray has the troops rounding into great shape at the right time!

Week 4 ended up as Follows:

Monday: AM: 8miles Easy, Dallas Bike Path
Tuesday: AM: 7 Miles, Easy, Dallas Bike Path
Wednesday: AM: Workout, Tempo 5k, 15:25, Some Park and Bike Path In Dallas Tot 8 Miles
Thursday: OFF, Long Day Of Travel
Friday: PM: 7.2 Miles, Easy/Steady, Blvd
Saturday: AM: 8 Miles Steady, Blvd
PM: 5.2 Miles, 34 Minutes, Blvd
Sunday: AM: 12.25 Miles, 1:14:45, Blvd, Fruit Loop.

Week Total: 55.65 Miles 6 Days. Another solid comeback week. Stay Consistent and Solid.

Peace And Lovism,

Kelrock

4:13 Dream

AM: 8 Miles, No Time, Steady, Fruit Loop & Blvd
PM: 5.2 Miles, 34:00, Blvd

It lashed rain all day today. It was also very humid and warm. These are some of my favorite conditions. This morning my run was nothing short of fantastic. I don't have the words in a 5 minute post on a blog to describe how good it feels to be back in action but incredible, despite not being the right word is the first word that comes to mind.

I listened to Wolf Parade, and in particular the track "An Animal In Your Care". Its such a good track that I listened to it three times in a row before I progressed on the new Cure Album which is the subject of this blog.

In the afternoon I listened to The Cure again and went 5.2 miles feeling like I was floating. I ate a LOT of chocolate today, namely Ritter Sport with Cornflakes. Francine found it the other day and its a taste sensation. So I bounced along in the rain tonight and I had an aging Robert Smith sing melodies into my ear.So there are a few great moments and a few average moments on the album. I mean, lets be honest, its an up-hill struggle for the Cure because they are going to be compared to everything they have done since their inception in 1978. The fact that they are still putting out quality music 30 years later is in itself an accomplishment that not many bands can stand by. Furthermore Robert Smith has not aged gracefully, unlike say Bono or Morrissey, but he still has the pipes and can belt out tunes. The whole recording process must be difficult too, and Mr Smith himself stated somewhere that he found himself at times feeling alienated from his band mates and friends. 30 years would do that to any singer.

The opening tune is very cool and somewhat epic. A nice start to the album, and its followed by a typical Cure sounding tune "The Only One", a tune that would sound strong along side Friday I'm In Love or Just Like Heaven, before "The Reasons Why", my own personal favorite so far. Its pretty dark, but very beautiful and uplifting in a twisted way. "I won't try to bring you down about my suicide. Got no need to understand about my big suprise"

The album trucks along with more highlights than lowlights including another great tune, "The Hungry Ghost", and finishes off with "Its Over", a typical ending in terms of lyrics but more of a belter than the average Cure track. With the current 80's revival littered with bands sounding like early Depeche Mode or Echo And The Bunnymen its refreshing to hear some seasoned veterens show us that you can have The Killers all you want but nothing sounds as good as the real thing.

7.8/10

Peace and Love
Kelrock

A Ball Of Yarn

PM: 7.2 Miles, no time, fast. Fruit Loop, Blvd.

Ran quick because it was awesome out. Dark, rain, and humidity. Love these conditions so picked it up. A wave of horror did wash over me when I realized that my shuffle was empty of juice but I decided I need to do some runs without it because the first step is admitting you have an addiction, and I think I have an addiction to my shuffle.

Yesterday I listened to Bjork Homogenic through three times, and I repeated the songs Unravel and Joga several times more. This is obviously an older album but it is far and away my favorite Bjork album and one I can listen to over and over. This was my first visit in a while and it still sounds really uplifting to me.

I have yet to really think about the Terrier Classic. I was going to avoid indoor since I am pretty much freaked out by anything that increases my already uneven leg length. But to line up next to McArdle would be great fun. Either way, I can accept because I have no doubt that Tom will pretend his knee is too sore or that he has a mysterious hamstring/calf/hip injury and he will pull out. Lets hope it happens but I am not holding my breath. The session of scoops after though would be well worth it.

Preace and Love
Kel

WEDNESDAY November 12th

AM: Workout Tempo, 5k, 15:25, No Splits, 2.5 Mile WU/CD Total 8 miles

So I was coaxed into running the Indy 5k (indy being a reference to Independent retailers) since all the brands and retailers would be showing up. We met at the shocking hour of 6:15 in the AM and I was nursing a slight hangover since I had a few Shiners the night before. I occasionally walk and mind a dog named after this beer although the dog is a 10 out of 10 the beer is about a 3 in my opinion.

So I had no plans to do a race but work called and Mr Treacy will understand. I had no intention of running very hard but not wearing a watch I got caught up in the pace of ex Big Green stalwart Ray Pugsley. We were dropped by about 5 Tech Rep dudes that had the racing flats on and were getting after the first place "pride" prize. After halfway I actually felt great. Not tired at all so I passed Pugs and decided I would catch the winner. This was not to be however, the gap was too much and the Mizuno dude who won was too far ahead at the turn around. I may have made up a 20 seconds but with no flats, and really no interest in causing any pain to my body I had to settle for 3rd place and another good workout.

Back to the hotel and a lash of venti starbucks was just the ticket to see me hit the expo firing on all cylinders. I made the decision right there that I was taking Thursday off. I thought about the advice I've been getting from my peers and I know Ray would not like to see me force out miles at 6 AM after an expo all day and evening socialising. With that knowledge in hand I really enjoyed the event. Hung for the top 50 awards with the Run Co boys and watched a lot of my local retailers pick up top 50 awards including The Run Co, Rhode Runner, and Skinny Raven. Furthermore JC from the Skinny Raven was not running next morning and advised me on a day off so after an evening of speeches we hit the front bar and had a great time.

I travelled back next day and actually felt great. Long day but nothing that a little sleep in today didn't fix. Buzzing to get back into the swing of things so I'll be back on regular posting this evening. I need to check out a little challenge of a race that has made the blogosphere gossip circle. Apparently there has been talk of a 5k dual at Terrier Classic offered by Tom McArdle. The word around the campfire in TX was that Tom needs motivation so he wants to race. This is dangerous for both of us but yet very exciting at the same time. I will be reading Tom's Blog to find out what its all about. Watch this space.

Love Kel

Hungry? Sick? Begging For A Break?

AM: 7 Miles, No Time, Bike Path Dallas

Galloway style run/walk for about half a mile and then we got rolling. Bit of a bizzar run to be honest. Met the entire running show for a 3.5 mile jaunt to Luke's Locker where Brekkie was being served. We ran pretty hard since it was pissing down rain. I got to the store, exchanged pleasantries, turned around and ran back. Nothing exciting about todays athletics. Another morning of meetings and coffee juice.

Dallas just lacks a bit of energy for me. Don't get me wrong, there is a good laugh to be had with the retailers over some evening scoops, but as a city I don't really see what the buzz is. I am going down to check out the grassy knoll and the book depository to see what that craic is all about. Otherwise its just another day in Paradise.

Peace and Lovism

Kelrock

Stretch Out And Wait

AM: 8+ Miles, No Time, Bike Path In Dallas

Started out slow the Reebok crew and then lifted the pace with Sean McKeon. Felt much better once we rolled along at a quicker pace. Lets get one thing straight. I am not a fan of Dallas downcity running. Even though I love my roads the running down here is below par and this bike path is a major blessing. I'll be spending a solid few hours on its pavement. The conference has been in Austin for the last two years, and both times I've been injured. Of course when I am back in the groove I can't take advantage of town lake etc, but the central business district of Dallas, well thats running at its best.

All good otherwise and feeling very recovered from yesterday. Fitness comes back pretty quickly, now I just need to get some pace in the old pegs.

Peace,

Kel

Dallas

PM: 12 Miles, hard running.

Actually the run was more like 13+ but I am calling it 12 because that is what was planned as my first long run and that is what I set out to do. Here's the Skinny. I am in Dallas for the Running Event. I went on an out and back and after realizing that the run was shitty I decided to explore and find another way back. I was directed to a bike path after 8 odd miles and I went left instead of right. I was also running fast as was told to me by the bike path measurements. I got to a line that said 3.5 miles and I asked a passer by did that mean the city was 3.5 miles away. And naturally it was so I was over 9 miles in and I had to get back to a meeting so I hammered the last 3.5 and that left me a good 3/4 mile from the hotel. My three miles on the path were 5:40, 5:44, 5:35 and I had a relaxed jog in due to traffic light stops. Anyway, it was hot and now I am dehydrated and feel like ass. But the week ended great and my legs feel fantastic so its all cool n' the gang.

Week Ended:

Monday: PM 8 Miles Easy
Tuesday: PM Workout, tempo run, 3.5 miles, 18 Minutes, 10 miles total.
Wednesday: PM 7 Miles Easy
Thursday: AM 10.1 Miles Steady
Friday: AM 5.2 Miles Easy
Saturday: AM 7.45 Miles Easy, PM 4.25 Miles Steady, (11.7)
Sunday: PM 12 Miles Hard

Week Total: 64 Miles. Great Week, very happy.

No other news to report. No new music, just the soundtrack of the classtic TV show "Dallas" playing in my head. My Ma used to watch Dallas and I find it very interesting that I am now sitting in a hotel writing this blog in the middle of the city.

Peace and Love,

Kelrock

Run Fatboy Run

AM: 7.45 Miles, 48:00, Blvd, Fruit Loop
PM: 4.25 Miles, 26:40, Blvd

So went ahead and did a double, but only because it was scheduled by Mr Treacy. It may seem a bit early to be doing doubles but this was short, its Saturday so there is feckall else to do, and Ray knows exactly what I need. I happened to have felt amazing on both runs and the hard part about each jaunt was stopping.

No music news to report today. I actually ran with other Human Beings and left the shuffle at home. What with Liverpool playing on the box, fantasy football to attend to, and copious amounts of coffee to drink I barely surfed the blogosphere or the music pages although Mr. Noel Gallagher again went ahead and made himself look like an idiot. I mean he is an idiot but he doesn't have to keep letting us know.

Basically he went on his weekly lets insult Radiohead rant. Even though he acknowledged that Radiohead are the best live band on the planet he had this to say about the boys yesterday,
"The biggest criticism that the music press have against us [Oasis] is that we're not Radiohead. "Gallagher added: "Correct me if I'm wrong, they've been making the same record since Kid A, have they not?"

No they have not Noel. They have only made 2 records since Kid A, Hail To The Thief, and In Rainbows. Obviously their last two records are going to sound similar but while Hail is much more guitars and drums, In Rainbows is deep, thought provking, and pretty mellow. Rainbows is more emotional while Hail is more political. Anyway, Oasis have been making the same record since Be Here Now, have they not? So go and shite Noel.

Peace and Love,

Kel

Parlour Steps

AM: 5.2 Miles, 33:20. Blvd

Easy Day running with Wykes who is in town for NE Cross Champs this Sunday on the Franklin Park stomping grounds. Days like this make me wish I was not back on a schedule because I felt great and the weather was fantastic. Didn't want to stop, but these days are just as important as the big days.........

New Music has been to the forefront of my efforts over the past week and I have found something that I like a lot. Canada is pumping out more bands than Nate Jenkins is miles and they are all brilliant. I was cruising the blogosphere and stumbled across Parlour Steps. These guys are an intoxicating blend of Arcade Fire meets Wolf Parade meets Stars meets Nu Wave, and like the bands they sound similar to they are from the great white north. Well Vancouver which I don't think is really white, rather grey? I love it and listened to tracks on their myspace all day. Personal favorites in my first 12 hours of listening are "World As Large" and "Thieves Of Memory". But really every song on the album is worth a listen and very uplifting. Does great things to enhance ones mood. Check it.

Peace,
Kel

Gucci Little Piggy

AM: 10.1 Miles, 62:20, Pawtucket Loop
Chiropractic with Dr. Sowa.

Nice run in the rain around the Pawtucket loop. Started out easy and felt dehydrated but got rolling towards the end and actually felt pretty good. Its interesting that this is by far the best I've felt all week despite the fact that I had a scheduled appointment with Sowa. This is the kind of preventative treatment I should have been doing over the past 10 years! Nice and straight when I walked out and I am looking forward to tomorrow's morning run.

Tunes for the run were the album on the left. The tracks of 16 Bit Lolitas, a dutch producer who creates great soundscapes. I have always been partial to this guys production so it was no suprise that I got excited when I snagged these tracks. I need a few more listens because I also got a Robert Babicz EP that deserves essentail and devoted listening. Maybe on tomorrows AM run.

Peace and Love,

Kel

For Each A Road

PM: 7 Miles easy on Blvd

Nice run on the Blvd. Felt much better than last night and the Yoga helped my alignment. I have an appointment with Dr. Sowa, a man of Chiropractic treatments. Need an adjustment to my hips and this should be the start of many visits to try and keep things straight, although with me that is almost impossible.

Had the shuffle on tonight and let the chips fall. Was presented with a great selection of tunes on the miles tonight and my mind was lost in thoughts ranging from getting back to racing, how to sell more Reebok shoes, to how Obama will be as President. The playlist was as follows:

Bloc Party - The Prayer
Editors - Smokers Outside Hospital Doors
Stars - Midnight Cowards
Radiohead - Reckoner
Sigur Ros - Vid Spilum Endalaust
MGMT - Electric Feel
Aphex Twin - Xtal
Morrissey - Last Of The Famous International Playboys
Tigerskin - My Soul Is Your Soul
Fred Falke - Omega Man

It was about the end of Omega Man that I jogged in. Lashed some Shabu Shabu in over at Lee and Mylenes and now its all relaxation and web surfing. I am in need of new Tunes. Got a recommendation from Vin Mulvey that I will check out but right now my mind is full of the minimal techno sound and I just realized that I am in dire need of a good DJ and a few hours of dance floor magic.

I am delighted for Obama and his campaign team. They ran a very tight ship and kept the theme consistent and focused. Despite my inability to vote I feel like I've earned an opinion since Bush used Irish airports for re-fuel and that America is heavily invested in the country I grew up in (lowest corp tax rate in Europe). Furthermore, I've lived in the US for 12 years and I feel I have a vested interest in the politics of the place I now call home. I may be more "left" than Obama but I am a world away from Republican politics so obviously I'm happy. All good on this mild but rainy Wednesday.

Peace and Love,

Kel

Say The Right Things When Electioneering

PM: Tempo Run, 3.5 Miles 18 Minutes, 5:07, 5:10, 5:08, 2:34. 3.5 mile WU, 3 Mile CD (10 Tot)

Felt like absolute crap during this run. Warm up was nice and I bumped into Mark Carroll and Amy Rudolph so ended up running a little extra. Felt like I was going to cruise but my legs were dead and after a 5:07 which felt much faster I backed off a few seconds and kept it a little more steady. Thought I'd feel great but that was far from the case. My back and legs still feel sore from the expo and I was slapping the ground. It wasn't a nice effort but I kept it under control and its another tempo in the legs and money in the bank.

Had some stress at work which obviously didn't help and then I had to watch Liverpool get lucky against Athletico Madrid.........not good at all. But I listened to some good sounds. Kicked off mile one with some Sigur Ros and then got into Fred Falke for mile 2. Closed with Tom Middleton under his Cosmos guise and a great track titled "Take me with you"

On the cool down I listened to the Paul Kalkbrenner album "Berlin Calling", which I love. Need to give it more of a listen but it was a perfect soundtrack to finish off the cool down. So I am off to do some Yoga to try and open up these very stiff hips of mine. And then I will come home in time to watch Mr. Obama take it down!!!!

Peace , Love, Berlin Calling...


Kelrock

Champu

PM: 8 Miles, easy easy. Fruit loop, Blvd.

Was going to take another day off but thought a sneaky test might be just the trick. Had a lash of coffee and chocolate in Mark Carrolls so I was very hyped up and bouncing off the walls. To take another day off would have been painful. I passed the test when after 5 minutes and a blast of "Champu" by Daniel Diamond, a music producer/porn dude, I felt bouncy and pain free. Kept trucking and backed off the pace for an easy run.

The second half of the run I listened to about 25 minutes of the new GU by Nick Warren. These mixes seriously lack for me these days. Maybe I am just old and grumpy but listening to Sasha San Francisco makes these mixes seem average. With so much music available on the internet, especially live DJ sets it surprises me that these mixes still have a following. I will be posting some independent mixes from DJ friends over the next few weeks starting tomorrow. In all fairness though I need to listen to Nick's mix from start to finish before I pass judgement but with so much music to get through its going to be tough. Right now, without giving it a rank I will say its OK, progressive house that would sound better if I was in a dark club with a bunch of sweaty, beautiful people. A nice highlight though is the inclusion of Panoptic "Surface", this tune came out a few years back and I always found it very uplifting.

Back in the saddle after a few days and it feels oh so nice,

Love Kel

Back To Basics

Week 2 has ended and already I have fallen into McArdlesque days off and general soreness. I promised myself I'd run today and even went as far as getting the gear on but my back is in ribbons. I think I threw it out at the expo and despite the fact that I feel soft for talking a third day off I got the green light off Ray to have another day off. Instead I went to bloomingdales and checked out fashion before having a cup of tea with Derek Holland who landed himself a 2:40 in the marathon.

Week ended up as follows

Monday: AM 7 Miles Easy
Tuesday: PM Workout, Tempo run 15:20 for 3 Miles, Total 9 Miles
Wednesday: AM: 8 Miles Easy
Thursday: AM 7 Miles Easy
Friday: OFF
Saturday: OFF
Sunday: OFF

Week Total: 31 Miles. Not worried about the few days off. Head Cold out of the way and its only my 5th week of running since March so its still positive.

The NYC Marathon was great. Paula Radcliff continues to be an inspirational figure in the running world and wire to wire victories are a rareity these days. Mens race was fantastic too and Gomes ran a clever race to pull out the win.

Waking up and watching the marathon with a mild to moderate hangover and a sore back doesn't do much for the soul. Tomorrow is another day and the start of another week so time to get stuck into some minimal techno, Chuck Palahniuk, and sweats for general pre sleep relaxation.

Expo Legs

Thursday AM: 7 Miles, Central Park.

Ran with Fitz, Pat, TK, Ray Flynn and Keith Dowling. Started off easy and picked it up with Dowling. Nice run, good times.

So I have not posted my training on here for the last couple of days. There are a couple of reasons for this. Mainly though its because I have done zero running in two days. Had planned on meeting John Clark for some AM running on Friday but didn't sleep a wink. I came down with a bad head cold and coupled with a day on the legs at the expo it made no sense to run at all. Lashed the Zicam all day Friday which helped and another day off yesterday helped too. So had a bucketfull of pints last night in Rosies and now I am ready for some running.

First things first, the NYC marathon and a cup of coffee. Feeling beat up after the expo but its all good. Just need some legs in the air action and an easy run this morning. Peace and love.

Kel