10 Things

I was thisclose to posting another blog about running in Cologne. It was going to be "Ten Things I'll Miss About Cologne", but quite frankly I'm tired of moaning about leaving. Instead of dwelling on the past, I've decided to look towards the future. So get ready for me to textually dry hump this brand new city:

5 Reasons I'm Excited About Running in London


5: The London Marathon
This is an obvious one, but I need to place it here anyway. It's one of the four newly designated "Major" Marathons and opportunities to run in it are pretty slim. The lottery system begins in August and closes in October. Lucky applicants are notified in December, but if you aren't picked then you can usually run through a charity. I believe I saw a "George Best Liver Cancer Fund" or something similar...that sounds pretty nice.

4: The East End Safari
Really, not enough can be said about running through the entire East End of London. I tried once. Tourists never come here, but Jarvis Cocker will sing songs about it...so you know there's a decent chance you'll get stabbed. Besides, as I said before, there are EEL AND PIE SHOPS. Eel and Pie. Why not?

3: Parks
I currently run through either Valentines Park or Wanstead Park, but pretty much everywhere you turn has a path leading to another path that invariably sometimes might lead to a park. I tell you, they're everywhere. Hyde Park? Done and Done. Regents Park? Around the corner! For a town called the Big Smoke, London has a surprising amount of green in it and if you look closely, you may even spot a tree without fifty seven shopping bags in the branches. If you're lucky.

2: NHS
Three cheers to Nationalized Health! Basically, if I fall over tomorrow on a run and pierce my spleen with my iPod, then I can go to the hospital and have them not only repair it, but re-ligament my knee and give me a double shot of espresso for a grand total of fifty cents. Or so I think. Regardless, it beats the hell out of running uninsured or dealing with the witch-doctor-remedies you find in Germany (You got a bulging disc? Try some Peat Moss!).

1: Running Groups
I'm joining a running group next week. I found one that's pretty central and that does weekend long runs, Wednesday night runs, and track work on Tuesdays. They may even have spaghetti parties and watch Dirty Dancing during sleepovers. I have no idea, but we can all hope. Mostly, the prospect of running with people again sounds fantastic right now. I need something tangible to motivate me, and this sounds just about ideal. Plus, I get a free sixty dollar shirt when I join...which is a bargain.


So there you have it. Five reasons I'm excited about running in London (It started as ten, but I ran out of ideas at seven).

On to other things. You may have noticed that the blog received a birthday makeover. I updated the template, worked on font size and spacing between the posts, and modernized a few things behind the scenes, so changes should be easier for us to make in the future. Of course, right after I made the initial (mostly color) switch, the entire format changed, which proves the theory that strange things happen when multiple people have admin capabilities ;). I think the new format looks pretty good , and I like that we have more space for the posts themselves. I'm mostly proud that after playing with the HTML tonight, the feet and ankles in our banner actually connect for the first time ever. Small victories.

Last week's alarmist post about running and the effects of steak tartare was apparently a false alarm. I was just sick, and it kept me off my feet until yesterday. Well, illness combined with the VERY MANY trips up and down six flights of stairs required to move our things into the cellar. Apparently, the hundreds of miles I've run this year have been nothing more than training for the chance to, um, move out of my apartment without having my calves rip off the back of my leg.

I went on two short runs today and yesterday, but they're not really bloggable, unless you want to hear how pleased I am that NPR programming has finally switched from Audible.com to regular iTunes podcasts, and I can now let the soothing banter of Fresh Air carry me as I sprint from eel shop to eel shop.

I didn't think so.