Day 1,244: A mule that I like

Today I had several errands to run in the 89 degree heat. Only thing was when I was about to walk out the door I realized my Garmin Forerunner 405 and my Nike iPod Nano were not at home.

I did have an option left -- my old Hammer of Dawn, the Garmin Forerunner 205. I hadn't charged it for a while but I turned it on and it worked.

It took a little while to get a satellite signal -- I pretty much walked to the bank by then. From there I ran to the Post Office and then down to The Home Depot, also stopping at Borders and Trader Joe's.

Later on I ran part of the old Summerfest 5K route with the gf for extra miles.

Time: 3 p.m.
Temp: 89 degrees
Gear: CFSST (ING Georgia Half Marathon '07), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26.

Day 1,241: Half marathon registered!

I just registered for the Rock'n'Roll Chicago Half Marathon! It should be a fun race and it runs right along Lake Shore Drive!

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This morning we were able to get out before the heat and run. It's nice to get the run out of the way early.

Time: 6:30 a.m.
Temp: 66 degrees
Gear: CFSST (Cherry Blossom), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26.

Day 1,231: A run for ribs

Today was the 3rd annual rib giveaway at Shane's Rib Shack.

Basically you have to be one of the first 100 people in line when the store opens and you get a T-shirt with your number in line and then later, a cup for a free drink and a half rack of ribs.

I already hit 40 miles for the week, so I ran the 1.83-mile distance to the ribbery as a light run.

This year I left at 9:15 a.m. not knowing if more people would be waiting outside. It turned out that I was 30th in line when I arrived after 9:30 a.m. Last year I left after 10 a.m. and was number 32.

Kind of a quirky reason for a run but two years in a row, now it's tradition!

Time: 9:15 a.m.
Temp: 72 degrees
Gear: CFSST (Charles Harris '09), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26.

Day 1,229: Some rules for races

I'm doing some planning for some upcoming races and it's occurred to me that I need to have some rules in place to help me make a decision.

Case in point -- this Labor Day there are two races I'd like to run in -- the U.S. 10K Classic in the Atlanta suburbs and the Oak Brook Half Marathon in Illinois.

I think the rule I'm going to create for myself is one that involves proximity. When there are two races that I want to do at the same time, I'll pick the closest one to me first.

I made this kind of decision in 2000 when I ran in my first marathon. I had to choose between the Portland Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. In the end, I decided to go with the one that was closer to me. And now, after 10 years, I'm back to do the other one.

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Also I'm increasingly thinking of running in the Rock'N'Roll Chicago Half Marathon coming up on Aug. 1. We received the info cards on this and the Sept. 12 Chicago Half Marathon at the ING Georgia Marathon expo but I threw them away.

But now it has an appeal because there's a lot of sights to see and both of these races run along Lake Shore Drive.

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Today's run was really late because I was pretty tired. I also procrastinated a bit because I knew it would be hot out -- 88 degrees. But when I finally got out, I found it wasn't too bad. Sure, my shirt stuck to my back. But I'm hoping that I get acclimated to the weather as soon as I can.

Time: 5:15 p.m.
Temp: 88 degrees
Gear: CFLST (13.1 Marathon Atlanta), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26.

Day 1,228: Will run for food

When I run, and maybe because I run every day, I like to incorporate errands into my workouts.

So that takes me to the post office, the grocery store, and even to places that offer free food. In the past, I have run for a free IKEA breakfast and even a free Krispy Kreme donut for President Obama's inauguration.

I had a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich that was given out to employees of my office building. Only thing was, I was at home.

No problem. I decided that even though I ran downtown yesterday, I'd do it one more time for that free sandwich.

My legs felt pretty good and even though it was warm out, I ended up getting a nice cool breeze and a little bit of shade on the way back.

I also ran into a friend outside the CNN Center, which made the run even more delightful.

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With this run, I've put more than 400 miles on my running shoes. Unlike previous pairs, I feel like these shoes still are OK and likely will continue wearing them a little while longer.

Late last night, I happened to find a pair of Nike Air Pegasus+ running shoes for $55, which is about $30 off the regular price. So I ordered them, even though I have a replacement for the current pair with only 22 miles on them so far.

Time: noon
Temp: 70 degrees
Gear: CFSST (red), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26.

Day 1,227: Going long

It's been a month since I ran in the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler, my last run of 10 or more miles.

In the past I'd made it a point to try to run that distance at least once a week. But there was a heat spell and I just wasn't properly motivated.

Today I had no excuse. I slept in until I felt my legs were really well rested and then I went along the way, starting on Los Angeles on the back part of the ING Georgia Marathon course.

It turned into a nice run with a cool breeze the whole time, although darker clouds threatened rain. It was cool enough that I didn't stop anywhere for water and instead just enjoyed the course and the sights along the way.

Time: 3:20 p.m.
Temp: 70 degrees
Gear: CFSST (Carolina), shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26.

Day 1,226: Pedestrian moments

One of the advantages of running to do errands as opposed to being in a car is when you see a friend, you can actually stop what you're doing and talk to them.

Today I just finished dropping off a few packages at the Post Office and was on my way to the grocery store when I ran into one of my friends. He was walking back from the grocery store.

It's always neat to run into people you know on the road!

Time: 10:30 a.m.
Temp: 65 degrees
Gear: SST, shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26.

Day 1,224: Running through a 5K

Today we hit the road early because it was going to get pretty warm later in the day, running along my Spring Street course.

At 12th Street and West Peachtree it took a little while for us to cross because traffic was limited to one lane. Then we noticed cones marking off a similar lane on Spring Street.

When we turned on 5th Street, we saw there was a water station on both sides of the street. I was tempted to take a water on the run!

It turned out we'd run through the Race for the Cure 5K course about 30 minutes before it was to begin.

I don't think I've ever done that!

Time: 7 a.m.
Temp: 70 degrees
Gear: SST, shorts, Nike Air Pegasus+ 26

Day 1,223 London Marathon lottery closed

On Tuesday I applied in the lottery for next April's London Marathon. I had written the lottery start date on my calendar but promptly forgot about it until later that afternoon when I went to work.

I just learned today that the lottery closed quickly, within a day with all 5,500 overseas lottery applicant slots filling up, "in record time," according to the London Marathon website.

I'm 0 for 1 in lotteries, having been "bounced" from the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler lottery.

What I liked about the London Marathon lottery application was that you didn't have to pay money just to apply, as you do for the ING New York City marathon. I'm sure I'll happily play the New York marathon's $10 fee for the lottery in the future but not having to do so is nice.

I'll be notified in early October if I am accepted for the London race, which like the Chicago Marathon is one of the fastest marathon courses in the world.

So if I happen to get into the London Marathon, it'll be a very nice running vacation. If not, there are lots of races in April and given how much fun I had running in the Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler and visiting Washington, I'm sure I'll try to put myself in the running again.

Day 1,217: The humidity is back

Was able to do a short run today to close out the week. Was so humid though, which made for pretty brutal running conditions.