"Parker Lewis Can't Lose," but in a few weeks, probably "Pushing Daisies."

Now my suspicions about teenage girls have been validated.

"One in Four Teenage Girls Have STD's, Study Finds"

Time: 4:47:26
Pace: 10:57/mile

It wasn't my fastest marathon--just seven minutes faster than my very first LA Marathon--but it was certainly the easiest, the most relaxed and the most fun. It was the first time I ran a marathon all the way through with others, and it made a huge difference. It took us almost five hours but the miles flew by. The next thing I knew we were in downtown heading out for the final six miles.

The weather turned out to be not much of a factor. It was sunny and warm, but it didn't bother me too much. Still, I would have preferred running the race during Saturday's weather.

FJ, Andy and I ran a very even race. We stuck to about an 11 minute pace and got through the run with no major hassles. Andy held up extremely well in his first marathon even though his longest run was an 18 miler. Truth be told, though, he has been training for his first marathon for the last three years. The anticipation was so great that an entourage followed Andy to support him. By mile 19 our entourage grew with the addition of Jimmy and Kate who ran the rest of the way with us and Katie joined as we were going over the 6th Street bridge. Even without the big posse, though, Andy said he realized with an hour left in the race that he was going to finish. And we did!

When I got home I ordered Thai food and tried to sleep. The sleep wouldn't come though and I wound up staying up until 2 AM. The food, though, was tasty. For dinner I cooked a steak, but the Thai food was what hit the spot. When I woke up this morning, I was barely sore. It felt like I had just gone on a 16 mile training run. Perhaps the days of incapacitating soreness after a marathon are gone. Recovery is faster as the soreness subsides within a day. During the race, though, my legs felt quite heavy while my breathing remained calm and steady.

The count now stands: 4 straight L.A. Marathons, 6th overall, and many more to come.

Distance: 13.1 miles
Time: 1:49:32 (8:22/mile)
Where: Huntington Beach, CA

It was a good news/bad news kind of race. Let's start with the bad.

BAD
The main culprit of the race was the weather. The rain would have been tolerable by itself. You get used to being soaked. Throw in the wind, though, and it's just horrible. The wind slows you down and it made the inclement weather even more intolerable with the rain blowing into you. The weather not only wreaked havoc during the race, it also made a mess of the race start. The line to the shuttles were long, the gear check-in was a mess, and the Port-A-Potties were packed. It was ugly out there, which made it more surprising that so many people still showed up.

My race could be viewed as ugly too. At 1:49:32 it marks the first half marathon or marathon where I didn't PR. In fact it's my second slowest half marathon ever. It's five minutes faster than my very first half marathon, which was this race in 2005, but it's also six seconds slower than the 2005 America's Finest City. Last year, I ran a 1:43:48.

Due to a hectic pre-race, I wound up starting the race 15 minutes after the gun went off. I must have been in a Port-A-Potty when the race started. I used the bathroom three times before the race and once after. My tummy was misbehaving. As a result of using the toilet, I had to play catch-up and I had to squeeze myself through slower runners. Last year's race was a clean, fast start with the third or so corral. This year was much slower.

I felt stiff early on and it didn't go away immediately, so I resolved to take it easy rather than risk injuring myself. I also felt unprepared and out of shape, so the confidence wasn't there. I hoped for a respectable time and I think I got it.

GOOD
Like I said I took it easy during the run, and it seems as if I had a lot left in the tank. I wound up speeding up throughout the race. At the 7.75 mile mark, I was running an 8:43 pace. I finished with an 8:22 pace and felt like l could keep going. As I crossed the finish line I felt great. I was tired, sure, but by Monday there was little soreness. It felt like I had just gone for a long practice run. Even though it was one of my slowest times, it was also one of the easiest races I've done.

My knees also held up very well and didn't cause any problems at all. Soon I hope I will be as fit as I've ever been and when I do the race next year I will run a sub-1:40. I hope.

Also good is the fact that my friends Astrid, Preeti and Quynh all completed their very first half marathons--in the rain, no less.

So, yes, it was a slow race for me, but it also yielded some positive things. Hopefully in better weather I'll once again start posting personal bests.

I had every intention of writing a detailed, thoughtfully considered piece on each of my favorite albums from 2007. With the first month of 2008 just about over, though, I have yet to write a single word, so it's time to face the facts: it's not going to happen. Rather than wait and post my thoughts in the middle of the year, I'll just go ahead with a short and simple list. With no further ado:

01
Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird


02
Leaves in the River
Sea Wolf


03
Night Falls Over Kortedala
Jens Lekman


04
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem


05
The Reminder
Feist


06
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter


07
Ash Wednesday
Elvis Perkins


08
The Flying Club Cup
Beirut


09
Cease to Begin
Band of Horses


10
Random Spirit Lover
Sunset Rubdown

Lists have become super-sized. No one is content with just 10 any more. It has to be 20, 50, 100. Blame it on my generation's belief that they don't have to choose. They can have it all. I am guilty of it, too, so this year I have resolved to make choices. My lists will be kept to ten regardless of how painful it will be to leave off some deserving choices. Heck, I won't even mention the runners-up. Ten and I'm sticking to it. We start with songs.

01
"All My Friends" by LCD Soundsystem
Album: Sound of Silver



I've already written about why I love LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" so much, so let's just say that my feelings for it have not changed. Maybe it speaks to my age but like all good songs "All My Friends" affects me profoundly. It is an anthem for all aging hipsters. Furthermore, dance and electronic music isn't where you would normally go to find genuine feeling, but "All My Friends" not only makes you want to dance, it also makes you feel something true.

"All My Friends" Covered
John Cale - "All My Friends"
Franz Ferdinand - "All My Friends"

Lists have become super-sized. No one is content with just 10 any more. It has to be 20, 50, 100. Blame it on my generation's belief that they don't have to choose. They can have it all. I am guilty of it, too, so this year I have resolved to make choices. My lists will be kept to ten regardless of how painful it will be to leave off some deserving choices. Heck, I won't even mention the runners-up. Ten and I'm sticking to it. We start with songs.

02
"While You Were Sleeping" by Elvis Perkins
Album: Ash Wednesday



A song steeped in grief shouldn't be something you would play over and over again, but that's exactly what I did this year with Elvis Perkins's "While You Were Sleeping." A Song of the Week selection earlier in the year, "While You Were Sleeping" became a much-played song because of its cathartic power. It is a heartbreaking song, especially when you consider the losses Perkins suffered that very much informs the song. Perkins is the son of Anthony Perkins, who died from AIDS complications, and Berry Berenson, a photographer who died on one of the 9/11 planes.

Essentially a lullaby, "While You Were Sleeping's" impressionist lyrics don't explicitly address the deaths of Perkins's father and mother, but only someone who has endured such grief can possibly write a song so sad and heartwrenching yet also make it sound so sweet and redemptive:

While you were sleeping
You tossed, you turned
You rolled your eyes while the world burned
The heavens fell, the earth quaked
I thought you must be but you weren't awake

In the song, the idea of sleep is used as a comforting notion, the possibility that it was all a dream and that in sleep time somehow stops. As the song develops, though, and as the music rises, sleep begins to represent what is missed in life--the blink-and-you'll-miss nature of existence. I guess I listened to this song a lot this year because it is ultimately a reassuring song. I have not endured the kind of loss Perkins has experienced, but the song--and the rest of the album--isn't just for them. "While You Were Sleeping" suggests that we are resilient beings. The grief and sorrow won't completely go away, but somehow we find a way of muddling through. In Perkins's case, his art must have been a great source of comfort

Lists have become super-sized. No one is content with just 10 any more. It has to be 20, 50, 100. Blame it on my generation's belief that they don't have to choose. They can have it all. I am guilty of it, too, so this year I have resolved to make choices. My lists will be kept to ten regardless of how painful it will be to leave off some deserving choices. Heck, I won't even mention the runners-up. Ten and I'm sticking to it. We start with songs.

03
"Turn On Me" by the Shins
Album: Wincing the Night Away



The Shins might have borrowed the opening of "Turn On Me" from "Then He Kissed Me," but the rest is classic Shins: perky tune backing up vague, muddled lyrics. The song doesn't lack for a hook. From the sweet, wistful chorus with its cute "Y-O-U" spellout to its driving guitarwork, "Turn On Me" has hooks to spare. But this isn't just any Shins song. It is one of their best--right up there with "New Slang" vying for perfection. The song's sunny sound belies the bitterness of the lyrics, which has become a signature of the Shins' work. Their songs--light, airy and effervescent--often bravely mask stories of heartbreak and regret. "Turn On Me" can serve as an anthem for the exasperated. Such a great song. Unfortunately the video is not so great.

Distance: 7 miles
Time: 1:05:30
Where: Rose Bowl

If you've visited this blog hoping to read something related to running you have been out of luck as of late. The fact of the matter is that there hasn't been much running to write about in the last couple of months. I was sidelined with a knee injury, which hit a couple of weeks after the San Jose Half Marathon. First it was the left knee, which took a long time to recover. A couple of weeks ago my right knee started hurting. It was, needless to say, very frustrating. It has only been in the last couple of weeks that I've gotten back into running, and I am out of shape.

I tried running six miles with Andy and FJ last weekend, and while I was able to keep up (thanks to both of them for not leaving me behind), it felt like I had run 14 miles. I had side stitches and my breathing was labored. My aerobic fitness had declined significantly. Earlier this week I ran three miles on the treadmill and it still wasn't easy. My legs were sore and cramping two miles into it and I could barely maintain my form as my side stitches got worse. Two days later on Friday, I ran another three miles on the treadmill again. That time, though, was a better experience. No sidestitches, no cramping, and I felt pretty good. Maybe my body is remembering what it's like to run again.

Not only am I trying to regain my running fitness, I also have to train for the Surf City Half Marathon on February 3. That's less than a month away. The goal is to train to run it respectably. If I PR, which I doubt, it will be a small miracle.

Today's run was supposed to be six miles, but early on in the run I decided to turn around at the JPL parking lot, which would be about 3.5 miles. I felt pretty good. The weather was perfect--cloudy, cold and no rain. My level of fitness is still not where it was in October, but I just need to be patient. I'll get there.

The great thing about the rains is that it makes for some great scenery. The colors of a rainy day--gray and brown--though somber actually makes me feel warm and cozy inside, and the sight of the arroyo flowing with water is a great sight to see. I also some beautiful birds, including one with a long neck that a hiker I was talking to thought was a pelican. I wish I knew more about birds.

So, it looks like I'm on my way to recovery. My knee still doesn't feel 100% but I think I may be babying for fear that I'll hurt it again. It's been so long that I don't remember what 100% feels like. Hope it all goes well.

Lists have become super-sized. No one is content with just 10 any more. It has to be 20, 50, 100. Blame it on my generation's belief that they don't have to choose. They can have it all. I am guilty of it, too, so this year I have resolved to make choices. My lists will be kept to ten regardless of how painful it will be to leave off some deserving choices. Heck, I won't even mention the runners-up. Ten and I'm sticking to it. We start with songs.

04
"Armchairs" by Andrew Bird
Album: Armchair Apocrypha



"Armchairs" takes its time to build up to its gorgeous, heartrending crescendo, but it is worth the wait. It is an absolute stunner of a song with some of the most beautifully elliptical lyrics of the year ("I dreamed you were a cosmonaut/Of the space between our chairs"). What does "time is a crooked bow" even mean? Is it referring to a violin bow, which crooked, would play dissonant music? "Armchairs," though, is the opposite of dissonant. It is a swirling, haunting song that in Andrew Bird terms is seemingly stripped of layers, but it is nonetheless meticulously arranged and produced. From the hollow knock of the piano to the chiming of the guitars, Bird's craftsmanship is in evidence. However, less present are Bird's trademark quirks, but few artists like Bird can craft such an open-hearted yet obtuse sounding epic love song.

Much like "Apartment Story" the romance of this song can be found in its references to enduring love. Armchair, perhaps a symbol of old age, references to 55 and 3/8 years, suggest an age old love. Then there are the T.S. Eliot like lines "as ancient sea slugs begin to crawl/Through the ragweed and barbed wire" which give the song an air of impenetrability. Regardless, you can simply close your eyes and get lost in the ebb and flow of Bird's effortless voice and music.