May 24 - 30

20 Weeks to Chicago

"All paths are the same, leading nowhere. Therefore, pick a path with heart!!" -- Carlos Castaneda -- Found this quote on the wall at Baltimore's American Visionary Art Museum (http://www.avam.org/), which I visited on Saturday afternoon. I read Castaneda's "Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan" during a very influential cross-country train trip I took after my sophomore year of college. Castaneda, an anthropologist, recounts some of his time (he wrote quite a few books) with Yacqui shaman, Don Juan, who teaches him, well, all sorts of things -- like ... the art of hunting, how to hike, how not to be a whining loser.

It's Memorial Day Weekend: Summer has begun. I have another big road trip coming up in July, when Emily, Bruno and I will drive to Colorado for a Peace Corps Niger reunion, and I'm very excited for the discoveries it might be bring. Otherwise, this is a summer of training. This is the summer I try to break through.

Don Juan says to Carlos, "One must assume responsibility for being in a weird world. For you the world is weird because if you're not bored with it you're at odds with it. For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I want to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while, in fact, too short for witnessing all the marvels of it."

He also says, "You have to curl your fingers gently as you walk in order to keep your attention on the trail and the surroundings. Your ordinary way of walking is debilitating and you should never carry anything in your hands. If things have to be carried one should use a knapsack or any sort of carrying net or shoulder bag. By forcing the hands into a specific position one is capable of greater stamina and greater awareness."

Monday - PM 12 with Klim
Tuesday - AM 10

Wednesday - 17 (5,12) PM - 3 times 3,2,1 with half the time rest and 2 minutes between each set. On the grass. I cut it a set short because it was so darn hot; I felt like I was handling it pretty well, but 3 just seemed like enough. Enjoyed, as usual, getting mocked by the school kids and the softball games.

Thursday - 15 (9,6, gym)

Friday - AM 12 with 35 minutes tempo effort. It took me 40 minutes to loosen up, then I went right into it. Just an easy 5 minute jog for cool down. No idea what pace I'm running these. When I do workouts solo I basically just gun it.

Saturday - AM 11, 10 strides on grass

Sunday - AM 18 at Greenbelt State Park. We have this six-mile loop we do there. Met up with Patrick Murphy. It was hot, shade helped. We started easily and picked it up a little each lap, after stopping for a sec to drink some water. Averaged 7-minute pace, which is not bad for a rolling trail.

Total - 95 - Hit goal volume with few problems. Was thrashed Thursday, but worked through it. The hot days are tough. It's going to be important to get out early in the morning. Per some good advice from Joe McVeigh I'm going to stick to 3 weeks up, 1 down throughout the summer. I am going to do a gradual buildup in volume to 120-130 MPW.