First Report From Korea

Just landed, 1 hour ahead of schedule at the new ICN terminal. Had to fill out a health form stating my good health likely because of the swine flu. Here as well as at SFO you see people with masks, not many.

Off to Seoul for two days then to Michelle's parents.

Heart, Heat and a Hum Baby!

It sure did cool off in a hurry. No more hot weather in SF. We've had our three days all year. Lady Grey is back. I used my heart rate monitor for the first time in a long time tonight (I finally got around to changing the battery). Here are my vitals: when at rest my heart rate is 50bpm; when running at a comfortable 7:40 pace my heart rate was 145bpm. I have no idea what this all means I just find it nice to know. I think there is some equation where you figure out how long it takes your heart to return to normal and your maximum bpm. That takes too much thought for me but I would like to know.

Cool thing on my run tonight was I saw SF Giants announcer Dave Flemming. It seems he lives about 5 blocks from me. Looked like he was sweeping the entry way to his house.

Happy Earth Day

I consider today Earth Day. It is the birthday of John Muir. I first heard of Earth Day back in college when I was working for the college radio station. The band Dramarama had a song that mentioned it.

Earth Day in San Francisco was hot. It was the second day of near 90-degree tempertures, unheard of for The City. There is a joke you can always tell who the tourists are because they are the ones wearing shorts. Well, for the last two days even the locals were wearing shorts.

I did my little part for Earth Day today, running down to Baker Beach and picking up whatever litter I saw. I walked to and from work, which I normally do a few time a week anyway instead of taking the bus.

Today is also reminds me to one day hike the John Muir trail. I'll probably have to do it by myself in an organized group since it seems none of my friends have any intention of joining me. Am I wrong? Care to join me? Check the link.

San Francisco Easter

Here is the best way I know to spend Easter. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence celebrated its 30th Anniversary at Dolores Park and Mission Dolores.

The Sisters are highly visible gay icons drawing attention to human rights and liberal issues. The group is also a powerful fundraising force.

Murals, Musings and Hot Mornings

This morning is one of the warmest mornings and days in SF in a long time. This 9 mile route was filled with hills which didn't do my overall pace any good but hopefully it did my leg strength some good.

This route took me to Coit Tower. Along the way I ran down the 'crookest street' (not really, Vermont is worse), and I made a pit stop to check out the Diego Rivera murals.

Simple Fast Beautiful

Simple course this morning as I set out to just to run a fast 5k, which I did at 7:20 per mile. Keep in mind there were some serious hills, Lincoln Road by Baker Beach, and I went a little longer than 5k. It is such a beautiful day today, one of those days where if you are visiting you will instantly fall in love with this place and think it is the greatest place on earth (for me that is everyday). One quick thing: I noticed on two seperate occasions cyclists stopped and checking their blackberry/phone/mobile device. Put it away and enjoy your ride.

What (who) Can Save Newspapers - Phil Bronstein?

It seems everybody thinks the end is near for newspapers. I tend to disagree.

Phil Bronstein discussed the state of journalism on The Colbert Report and brought up some very good points.

Click the link to watch the segment.

As the Editor-at-Large for The Chronicle he is a bit biased but I also believe he's realistic. He brings up the point of other outlets, such as AOL, using newspaper content for free. Moving forward this simply can be the case. There has to be a way to monetize content for distribution that is agreeable for all. A similar transition is happening right now between TV distributers and local stations. In the past cable and satellite companies were able to carry channels for free. Now local station groups are demanding payment, usually per subscriber, for the right to carry the station. Why can't this happen with newspapers? Have the New York Times or The Dallas Morning News charge Google, AOL, Huffington Post or whatever site, the right to use its content, either by click or by outright fee. What about all the smaller sites, you ask? The beauty of the Internet is you know exactly where people are coming from, which sites are being link to where. The threat of fines and jail similar to what happened in the music industry does not sound too bad to me.

A Giants Thursday Run

I was all excited heading out the door for tonight's run. It was my favorite weather; a bit misty, the streets damp, the smell of wet dirt and rain in the air. Perfect. But it did not last. After about 4 blocks the moisture was gone and it was simply overcast and cool. Still nice.

Tonight's route took to A-T-&-T Park where I made a pit-stop to watch the Giants bat in the bottom of the 8th against the Brewers. The Giants were leading 7-1.

While nice run it did have it fair share of interuptions because of stop signs along Division (below the Central Freeway) and along Market (Financial District).

Despite all of the stoplights I really enjoy running through the Financial District trying to dodge all of the business suits scurrying home. Heading up Geary and tried to race the bus all the way home, the 38 Geary bus. I failed but I gave it my best shot.

Cool Mid-Week Run

What a evening for a run. Nice cool, overcast weather. It is supposed to rain tonight so it has that pre-rain smell and feel to it.
I ran out to Hopper's Hands on the route. Hopper's Hands are a local runners landmark right at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge at Fort Point. Hopper was/is a worker on the Bridge and has apparently talked many people from jumping to their demise. Runners touch their hands to it and turn around. If you ask 10 runners who Hopper is you're likely to get 4 for 5 different answers. There is even a new addition for pet paws.

Sunny and Warm 13 1/2 miles

It is a warm sunny day today, perfect for a long run. I was beat at the end. To think this is only half of a marathon, oh boy. It was a beautiful day.

You can always check out the route in the link.

Things I saw today:
1. Somebody running with a Dashound. That is just wrong.
2. An African-American surfer. Don't tell me you've seen many.
3. The tulips are blooming at the windmill in Golden Gate Park
4. A metal dectector group scouring the park for 'hidden treasures'.

The last one got me thinking about hobbies and what people do for fun. Golden Gate Park is filled with people doing what they enjoy doing in their free time. There is so much variety. I saw a guy showing off his wood carved mechanical contraption, (complete with a R-rated joke in it), I passed skaters, golfers, horseback riders, kite flyers, cyclists, photographers, painters, soccer players and of course runners, just to name a few. We all need something simple to make us smile, relax and escape. What do you do? Something that is only for you. Not something you do because of a family member or kids...but something you do FOR YOU. It is a part of the fabric that makes you who you are? If not, what's stopping you?

Never A Boring Run

Running for me is more about the destination than the distance. More about the enjoyment than the endurance. Near the end of tonight's run I took a lap around Kezar Stadium (where the 49ers used to play). There was a training group, about 75 runners, and what they were doing looked boring! They were just doing laps to get in a distance. Could it be any worse? I have no idea how far they were going but I over heard one of the trainers tell them they were half way through and ask what topic they were on? What topic were they on? I then heard different groups of runners talking about such mundane things as favorte beers, vacation spots, etc.

Yes, a good deal of running is seeing how far you can push your body but it seems nowdays more and more people are running marathons for charity and not about the pleasure of running. To me that is not running. Yes, it has opened up running to a new audience and hopefully many will continue. Yes, it is for a good cause. I only wish these new runners didn't just do laps but hit the streets and parks to explore and run with a sense of adventure. That is what running is all about. If they were with me they would have seen unique houses, amazing views, intriguing neighborhoods and dodged a few cars along the way.

My route is in the link.