Computer Ninja’s Weblog

Well, Michelle and I did a 5-man relay in today’s Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon. I had leg 2, which started in Windsor, ON, CA. Michelle had leg 5, which started just after the runners are done with the Belle Isle portion. We decided at the last minute that I’d drop Michelle off at our friend’s place rather than her drop me off at the buses for relay teams. This last-minute change caused me to miss the relay bus! I had to jog over to the tunnel, quickly, as the tunnel was closing at 7am or 715am (I wasn’t sure). I was lucky and found a group of 8 people who were also trying to get across. A van pulls up with a gal in the passenger seat who was getting a ride over. It was perfect. We all hopped in, had a teeny bit ‘o trouble at the Canadian side, but finally got let in!

The picture of us, the marathon hitchhikers!

Anyway, here is the path I ran! Thanks to PathTracker for the data and logging on my iPhone.

Michelle had a great time with her leg of the relay! Considering we didn’t make much time for training, we’re very pleased with our runs today. We’re also feeling that “itch” and want to do it again! We’ll probably train more and do the Turkey Trot! Oh, and the weather was AMAZING! Of the 5 marathon events we’ve been involved in, today, as far as I can recall, had the BEST WEATHER POSSIBLE!

Our official results:

194 DTOWNBALLERS
Leg 1 (7.1 miles) (1:12:52) (10:16/mi) 1:12:52 Johnathan Kime
Leg 2 (5.6 miles) (1:01:03) (10:54/mi) 2:13:55 Peter Filias
Leg 3 (4.6 miles) (0:39:40) (08:37/mi) 2:53:35 George Law
Leg 4 (3.0 miles) (0:43:02) (14:21/mi) 3:26:37 Ramsey Shurafa
Leg 5 (5.9 miles) (1:00:59) (10:20/mi) 4:27:36 Michelle Filias

You can see some photos here:

Tags: bus, hitchhike, marathon, relay, Running, Windsor

I took my first morning run in many, many months today before I started working. I decided to do my usual 3 miles which is from outside my front door to the Riverbends Park in Shelby Township, which is across Auburn Road from me. On my way BACK from the halfway point, I noticed a teal Grand Am backed into the dirt parking lot of the nearby Patriot Field, a soccer field at the park. The car flashed its lights at me and an older gentleman sitting in the driver’s seat put his left hand, with his fingerless leather glove, on the windshield and tapped it a few times.

My first reaction was that I wanted to run back to my halfway mark and sneak up behind the guy’s car and get his license plate so I could report him to the cops. My second reaction was just to keep walking, as I wasn’t in the mood to get into an altercation with a gay prostitute. When I got home, I called the cops and told them about the incident and described the car and the man. Prior to having Ben, I could care less, but now that Michelle may walk in that park with little Ben, I don’t want deviates lurking around there, gay or not. I offered my sting services to the Shelby Twp. Police, but they weren’t having it. They said the detectives have it covered. Oh well. The detective on the phone was pretty cool though, and said that if I could see this car again and could get the license plate, that would be helpful, but not to put myself in any danger. I told him I was a part-time ninja and wouldn’t put myself in danger.

$250 for a pair of shoes?????

Adidas puts computer on new footing
By Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
NEW YORK ? Hoping the new Adidas 1 will be to the sneaker industry what Apple’s iPod has been to digital music, Adidas will put on sale March 18 what it bills as the world’s first computerized “smart shoe.”

The ‘Adidas 1′ uses a sensor,a microprocessor and amotorized cable system.

But consumers will decide whether the bionic running shoe’s $250 price tag ? four times the average shoe purchase at stores such as Foot Locker ? is a smart idea.

Adidas claims its new shoe, already profiled in Time and Popular Science, delivers on its promise to automatically and continually adjust itself to a runner’s size, pace, terrain and even fatigue level.

Read More

Tags: Running

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention these other lessons:

HUMIDITY — this killed me. Can’t control this one, either.

OBESITY — I could’ve been 10 pounds lighter, or even more. This year, I never dieted. I ate whatever I wanted. I thought I was doing well, since many of my runs were in record time (for me). But, in the big picture, the less you weight, the smoother you glide through the air!

Tags: Running

This was an e-mail written by my friend, Brian. He ran the Detroit Free Press Marathon last week, but had to pull out at mile 15 due to a knee injury.

His blog:

Here is my tracking blog for your Marine Corps Marathon

8:39 Logged onto computer and got to the Marine Corps Marathon Website. Enter
Filias name and brings up the tracking page. This map is the coolest thing.
You are at 1.5 milea and around 11:27 time. Your flying, hopefully this is not
to fast a start. Have to start breadfast for the wife. Be back later.

9:00 3.9 miles and 31 minutes, I guess starting fast wasn’t a worry…WOW you go
bro, is the cemetary nice? Be back, need to check on the bacon and start the
pancakes.

9:11 5.35 miles 42:58, Your a cowboy…I think I’m not running the last 2 weeks
before a marathon and maybe I’ll have times like this. Bacon looks good.
Gretchen is here and thinks this is cool that you can follow you along the map.

9:40 Umm, they changed the format, I need a minute to see where you are at. Its
weird, it says Mile - 54.70 Time running -7.0-17:0 what the hell does that
mean? I lost your dot on the map also, I’m going to reload it. By the way,
Breadfast was good.

9:43 Ok, it just changed formats back, you are at mile 6:20 and 6:14:42…that
doesn’t make any sense, it does say that its waiting for split 1 time, which is
your 10k. Oh, your dots back also. I’ll let you know in a minute.

10:08 What’s going on, your dot is still in the same place as last time, it just
moved ok. Now its ready. Mile 10.45 and time 1:38.24, nice…your 10k split
was 58:37. You da man…I wonder if you’ve seen Michelle yet?

10:45 Mile 13.1 Time 2:14:54 I had to take a shower and get myself beautiful.
So, you have just left the Potamac river, I bet that was nice to see. Although
your probably not noticing it too much. This map is alittle small to look at.
I checked your pace you are at 9:34 pace and a 4:10 finish. Go Peter…

11:50 Sorry I was watching tv and lost track of time. It says your at 13.1
miles and 3:20, so I know that’s not right.

12:38 I was on the phone with my brother and Lynn, they are on the Autoban
coming back to Brussels from Germany, they are traveling about 120 mph. Nice…
Ok it says your at mile 22.75 and 4:08:30…It was out for the last half hour,
It had you at 13.1 for the longest time. Your splits are Half split:
2:12:22…nice and 30k split is 3:38.20. Go Peter Oh yeah, your pace is
10:55, must be those damn hills and predicted finish is 4:46:13, and they also
have a ETA 1:16 pm, I didn’t notice that before…

12:48 23.6 Mile 4:17:52 Come on Pete, only 3 miles to go…Audrey and I are
here to watch you finish…

12:52 24.0 miles 4:22:17..Nice..Audrey is not finding this as entertaining as I
am…and its hard to type with one hand

1:16 I had a bunch of blogs in here but I just lost them for some reason..sorry.

anyway I have been watching you finish…It says 26.2 and you where at 4:45, but
its waiting for finish time.

I noticed that when you started it was 61 and now its 76, that’s pretty warm…

Surprisingly, they were pretty accurate on your finishing time, they said ETA
1:16, and that’s when your finished. Congradulations, you did, that’s a hard
marathon I don’t think I’ll be attempting that one anytime soon.

Well, I’m going to send this onto you and I’ll check back later when its updated
you finish time.

Congradulations and enjoy the rest of your day…

Brian Sanzone

Here is an update from him:

Its about 1:45 and I just checked back to the website and it said finish time
was 5:09:34, that makes no sense, I watched you cross at 4:45, I’d dispute it.

I don’t think he realizes that the projection was that I crossed at 4:45, but I crossed at 5:08:43.

Tags: Running