Happy resolution, happy morning run

I should design a route that spells out my name

Today's run (street): 4.5 miles

The outcome of the manhunt for the surviving Boston Marathon bomber ended with a live suspect and no further casualties. As good as that is, it's important to remember that lots of innocent people were killed or maimed this week in the name of religious zealotry and hate. The Boston Marathon's joy was hijacked for the benefit of no one. I only hope the city's powerful reaction to the senseless acts this week will ultimately strengthen the event.

There are a couple of high profile NYC races this weekend and I fear that some weak-minded fool will try a copy-cat attack. I also worry that the London Marathon will have similar threats. I'll never cease to be amazed by the level of depravity that exists in the minds of some people. Cowards will always look for easy targets.

Okay, back to talking about running! Less than half of my workouts over the past seven days have happened outdoors and I was determined to run outside today. It rained overnight and into the morning, so I waited until the skies cleared before going out. The temperature was 48° around 9:00 AM, so I dressed in shorts, but wore a log sleeved running shirt. That turned out to be a good decision, because the winds were strong from the south and the extra warmth was appreciated.

My Garmin annoyed me (once again) by taking over five minutes to lock into its signal. Standing in the shade of my garage was a chilly experience, but once I got moving I felt comfortable. I elected to run south on Jericho for a change, but the stiff winds forced me to duck back into the neighborhood. It was one of those situations where conditions were perfect in some directions and awful in others. Despite that, I felt great throughout the run.

I didn't have a distance target, so I just followed roads until I found myself heading in the direction of home. I could have easily run a few more miles, but my son and I are planning to hike later and I wanted to keep some energy in reserve. It was a completely pleasant experience today and, for the first time in days, I was able to think of things other than the events that have played out around Boston. I'm really hoping that this weekend the races will be about the runners, and the stories will be all be happy.

An eight mile workout on top of another

Supremely lucky

Today's workout (elliptical): 30 minutes + 8 mile walk

It's another beautiful day in NYC, but I ended up doing my workout indoors this morning. No matter what, time always seems to influence action. I needed to make a mid-morning train and I'd squandered the early morning hours putting the final touches on my new business website. The elliptical made the most sense in terms of time efficiency, so I picked that over the road and the treadmill. If I'd known how much walking I would do today, I may have skipped my workout altogether.

My travels took me all around NYC today. With exception of a subway ride from Penn Station to Chamber Street, I walked up, down and all around. When I got back to Penn at the end of the day, my Fitbit showed 18K steps and 8 miles walked. My feet were fairly sore, but that's what recovery shoes are for. I put on a pair the second I got home.

The purpose of my trip downtown was to visit the Manhattan County Clerk's office at 60 Centre Street. I needed to do some legal work related to my new business. The Clerk's office is located in the basement of the Supreme Court building, and it looks like it hasn't been renovated since the 19th century. Seriously, go there and see for yourself.

It turned out that the filing (and its sizable fee) was unnecessary. Except for the cost of a subway ride, I came out well ahead. I walked from Centre Street to midtown, and eventually, back to Penn Station. Today showed that not every workout needs to involve aerobic intensity to make an impact. Sometimes it's a matter of taking some steps - maybe eighteen thousand or so.