Funny Friday Foto

At least they sleep easier that night

Run Across USA Weekly Update

Day 15 – 7 Mile Tempo Run
Sherman
Total Mileage: 111 miles

I crossed into Sherman and back into Aroostook County during my 7 miles. This town was named after Ohio senator John Sherman, “The Ohio Icicle”. He was the famous author of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Day 16 – 11 Mile Distance Run
I-95 – Benedicta
Total Mileage: 122 miles

Benedicta appeared to be a unique place. It was one founded by Bishop Benedict Joseph Fenwick as an all Catholic colony in 1834. Still today it is predominantly Catholic. My run took me on I-95 where I will remain for quite awhile.

Day 17 – 5 Mile Track Run
I-95 – Salmon Stream Lake
Total Mileage: 127 miles

Today I ran past Salmon Stream Lake with coincidently enough contains no salmon. It's a shallow, body of water about a mile long and a half-mile wide. Part of the Penobscot River watershed, it contains white suckers, sunfish, pickerel, yellow perch, white perch and smallmouth bass -- and an occasional brook trout.

50 States Update - Hatfield-McCoy Marathon

Well just finished up the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon in Williamson, WV. Here are the results. Amazingly enough I set a personal best for a marathon despite all the hills. 3 time winner Chuck Engle gave me some pointers on how to start the race and they proved to be extremely helpful as I had enough gas left to complete the last few miles without any problems.

Next up is Park City, Utah in September. I am looking for a late-October/November marathon close by to bring my total up to 5.

Scheduled
September 20th, 2008 - Park City, Utah

Completed
June 14th, 2008 (3:50:22) - Williamson, WV
February 17th, 2008 (3:54:54) - Jacksonville, FL
November 3rd, 2007 (3:55:40) - Richmond, VA

Run Across USA Weekly Update

Day 12 – 3 Mile Taper Run

North of Knoles Corner

Total Mileage: 84 miles

I am feeling good and ready to tackle the Marathon.

Day 13 – 26.2 Mile Hatfield-McCoy Marathon Run

Knoles Corner & Hersey

Total Mileage: 100 miles

I passed through Knoles Corner and Hersey during my marathon. Each were your basic Maine town with nothing much of exception to note. My marathon time clocked in around 3:50 which was a personal best for me. I was very surprised considering all the hills and look forward to September’s marathon.

Day 14 – 4 Mile Track Run

Patten

Total Mileage: 104 miles

I left Aroostook County and crossed into Penobscot County as I passed through Patten, Maine. Apparently famed actress Gladys George was born in this area. Shortly I will be exiting Highway 11 and making my way on I-95. The majority of the rest of my trek will be along interstates.

Kid Fails Driving Test 5 Times

Funny stuff right here.

Run Across USA Weekly Update

Day 8 – 6 Mile Tempo Run

South of Masardis

Total Mileage: 67 miles

Not much to report on Day 8. I am continuing down 11 making my way towards the next town of Knoles Corner.

Day 9 – 4 Mile Recovery Run

South of Masardis

Total Mileage: 71 miles

I am just plodding along the Maine countryside. I never knew Maine was this hilly.

Day 10 – 6 Mile Tempo Run (Columbus 10K)

South of Masardis

Total Mileage: 77 miles

I finished the Columbus 10K in 43:44. This was almost a PR but I consider it a success considering the heat and humidity.

Day 11 – 4 Mile Track Run

North of Knoles Corner

Total Mileage: 81 miles

Not much to add to this final track workout. I have just one more 3 mile taper run on Day 12 before the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon.

Free Beer For Life!

Requires ability to score goals.

Graph Part 3

Bestest Computer Accessory Ever

Turn your internal hard drive into an external hot swappable hard drive with this awesome device.

Run Across USA

Well I have decided to run across the United States...virtually. Every Wednesday I'll try to post an update along with an updated map that plots my virtual trek across the country.

Here is a chronicling of my virtual run across the United States. This run starts in Fort Kent, Maine and ends in Imperial Beach, California. As I complete my marathon training runs, I will translate the mileage on the MapMyRun website and plot my progress across the United States. I did a quick google map of the planned route and it looks to be close to 3500 miles. However I do not expect to follow the exact route Google laid out for me and will decide as I run.

My current pace is approximately 30 miles a week and that should put me completing this in over 2 years. I do see this number increasing as I switch my training plan for my September marathon to one that requires more mileage. Either way this appears to be a massive undertaking. Fortunately there is a group on the MapMyRun website that has others doing the same.

One last idea that I will try to accomplish is to do a small write up on some of the places that I will “visit”. We shall see how long that lasts though.

Day 1 – 8 Mile Tempo Run

Fort Kent

Total Mileage: 8 miles

My first run started out on the New Brunswick/Maine border in a small town called Fort Kent. Fort Kent is located in Aroostook County and the home to the Fort Kent Blockhouse built during the Aroostook War. Many of the people there speak French due to it’s proximity to the Canadian towns of Clair and Saint-François-de-Madawaska. My 8 miles took me just south ending in Soldier Pond.

Day 2 – 20 Mile Long Run

Wallagrass – Eagle Lake

Total Mileage: 28 miles

My 20 mile run took me through the tiny town of Wallagrass and on through Eagle Lake. The town of Eagle Lake, established in 1911, is located in northern Aroostook County running north/south along U.S. Route 11. It is characterized by ruggedly sloping terrain dissected by brooks and streams as they flow into the pristine Fish River and the expansive Eagle Lake.

Day 3 – 4 Mile Recovery Run

Maine Countryside

Total Mileage: 32 miles

My 4 mile recovery run took me through the countryside of Northern Maine. I still am in the heart of Aroostook County which is the largest county this side of the Mississippi. Most of the residents here simply refer to it at “the County”. Due to the heavy influence of French culture most of the population of 73,938 is bilingual and employment is hard to find if one does not speak both languages.

Day 4 – 6 Mile Track Run

Buffalo – Portage

Total Mileage: 38 miles

Day 4’s 6 mile track workout took me past Portage Lake and to the town of Portage. This town was settled in 1844 by lumbermen from Canada and later incorporated in 1909. Portage Lake looks like a nice place to spend a week of vacation with many outdoor activities to keep busy.

Day 5 – 5 Mile Tempo Run

South of Portage

Total Mileage: 43 miles

My 5 mile tempo run on Day 5 took me mainly through the Maine countryside south of Portage. My elevation chart is showing that Maine is a bit hillier than what I was expecting. There is nothing much more to note as I approach Ashland which is the next sizeable town.

Day 6 – 13 Mile Long Run

Ashland

Total Mileage: 56 miles

I crossed the 50 mile mark with my 13 mile run through Ashland. Ashland appears to be similar to many of the other small towns I have come across. The main industry around here is logging which is understandable 88% of Aroostook County’s 3.8 million acres is forest land.

Day 7 – 5 Mile Track Run

Masardis

Total Mileage: 61 miles

Day 7’s run took my through another small town called Masardis. The community name derives from Abnaki term for "place of white clay". The Abnaki are a tribe of Native American and First Nations people belonging to the Algonquian peoples of northeastern North America.

Just Wow....

I cannot believe this could happen but in Japan...well...

A homeless woman who sneaked into a man's house and lived undetected in his closet for a year was arrested in Japan after he became suspicious when food mysteriously began disappearing.

Police found the 58-year-old woman Thursday hiding in the top compartment of the man's closet and arrested her for trespassing, police spokesman Hiroki Itakura from southern Kasuya town said Friday.

The resident of the home installed security cameras that transmitted images to his mobile phone after becoming puzzled by food disappearing from his kitchen over the past several months.

One of the cameras captured someone moving inside his home Thursday after he had left, and he called police believing it was a burglar. However, when they arrived they found the door locked and all windows closed.

"We searched the house ... checking everywhere someone could possibly hide," Itakura said. "When we slid open the shelf closet, there she was, nervously curled up on her side."

The woman told police she had no place to live and first sneaked into the man's house about a year ago when he left it unlocked.

She had moved a mattress into the small closet space and even took showers, Itakura said, calling the woman "neat and clean."

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