Category: Uncategorized

Best Burger Poll Absolute Bullshit

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

This list right here? From Time Out New York allowing people to vote Best Burger in the City? Bullshit. If 282 Burger in Brooklyn isn’t on it, I’m not voting. End of story. Would 282 win? I don’t know. But I do know it would beat Bonnie’s and Burger Bistro in Brooklyn. Hands down. No problem. (Sorry FIPS, but I’m not voting for the Park Slope faves as Bonnie’s tastes like char and Burger Bistro was fine until we got to the long piece of blue thread in the beef.)

Tell you something else, too: 282’s hot dogs are better than Bark’s. So put that in your hot-dog bun and smoke it.

More Happy Endings, Please

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

Before most TNT Group Training Sessions, we have what is called a Mission Moment. As you’d expect, a lot of these stories are heartbreakers — friends, siblings, children getting the diagnosis, struggling to accept, suffering through treatment. Many make it. But too many don’t. As you’d also expect, sometimes before setting out on a group training run, we all have ourselves a good cry.

But not always! (READ MORE)

You Treat Me Like a Bantha and It Feels So Rough!

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

Just had to share this beyond Facebook. “The Star Wars That I Used to Know.”

Borderline genius, right there. I’m a big fan of the original song, but haven’t watched any of the covers, spoof videos and what have you supposedly making the rounds. I did, however, seek out Kimbra, the woman who accompanies Gotye (or as I often refer to him accidentally, Goatse, which isn’t nice, but it’s purely accidental, I promise).

Anyway, Kimbra seems cool. She’s got a weird vibe, but she’s still poppy enough to enjoy as music rather than homework, say, like Fiona Apple.

By the way, still raising money for TNT. Help a brother out! Fight cancer. Save lives.

Paging Nelson Muntz

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

What a beautiful morning for running. 58 degrees? No humidity? At the end of June? Get the hell outta here! If it hadn’t been a stupid conditioning day, I probably could have done a 10 mile run. Backwards. It was that nice out.

By the way, I’m till raising money for TNT, so bust out the wallet!

Bonus, non-running related anecdote. As I’m running into the park, there’s a woman running out and she spots something on the ground and for about three seconds starts to freak out. Eyes get big, hands start fluttering, feet start high-stepping and she says, “Oh my god, oh no.”

There was a smushed snake in the road. A smushed, plush snake, I should explain — some child’s discarded stuffed animal, soggy from last nights rain, it’s tongue hanging out. The woman saw me seeing her make a bit of a fool out of herself and blushed. Sometimes I wish I could do a Nelson Muntz impression, because, “Ha ha!”

Did 6 400M uphills with downhill recovery. I possibly could have done more, but last time I did these (before Brooklyn Half), I screwed up my hamstring. I’m also still breaking in the Spidey shoes.

1.15 mile warmup.
Uphill 1: 1:46.0
Recovery: 1: 3:00

Uphill 2: 1:48
Recovery: 2:56

Uphill 3: 1:49
Recovery: 2:59

Uphill 4: 1:53
Recovery: 2:58

Uphill 5: 1:53
Recovery: 3:08

Uphill 6: 1:49
Recovery: 1:24 (not a full 400 obviously)

Then stretching and a little strength training.

Also, in technology-related annoyances. Thanks to DailyMile for not syncing with Garmin this morning. And thanks to Garmin for finding the perfect beeping pitch to send one of the dogs into a mini seizure.

Governors Island Race

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

Yesterday, we ran the Get Outside on Governors Island 10K. According to the Garmin, I finished in 49:16. This is unofficial time, but I think it’s close enough to official time (which was posted on a board after the race but hasn’t been posted online yet, which is fine by me.)

I wasn’t going for a PR (that’s technical running jargon for Personal Record). Or that’s what I told myself. I ran a total of 8 miles on Saturday and yesterday’s was the hottest race I’ve run this season. And I didn’t get a PR. Considering heat and the previous day’s training, I’m perfectly happy with the pace, but it WAS slower than my Brooklyn Half pace. Started out strong, but faded. Oh well.

I’d highly recommend this race. It was a lot of fun. And different. Check out the map. Ridiculous amount of turns, narrow paths, cobble stones, bricks, grass, running through a moat. (Did not wear the Spidey shoes for this one)

Was a little concerned about the narrow paths, but aside from the first twenty feet after the start, this race didn’t feel crowded at all. And for the $20-something dollar entry fee, you get a really good shirt (Ladies, they had women-specific shirts as well), a decent bag and a metal water bottle. Oh, and a good race on beautiful Governors Island. Definitely will do this one again.

1 7:48.9 1.00 7:49
2 7:44.3 1.00 7:44
3 8:00.8 1.00 8:01
4 8:04.7 1.00 8:05
5 8:13.4 1.00 8:14
6 8:38.9 1.00 8:39

My Boy, Elroy

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

It never occurred to me that swimming with a sea lion would put a smile on my face. Until it did.

Sure, sea lions are cute when you seem them in movies and doing tricks and such. On the other hand, I find them a little creepy when, watching a documentary, there are 200 of them piled up on the rocks just off the coast. Also, they’ve got big, black teeth. And they’re loud. And, while I know that sea lions aren’t the same thing as seals, my one close-up interaction with a seal wasn’t exactly a movie moment — unless the movie was a bad horror film.
Continue reading “My Boy, Elroy” →

For the Price of One Drink …

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

If you know me, you know I like to have a drink every now and then — now being the evening and then being that night. I also give up drinking from time to time. And what strikes me the most isn’t that I feel any better — I mean I’m not a drunk who spends my days curled up on the couch swearing I’ll never drink again while checking the clock to see if it’s late enough in the day to have a drink without anyone judging me.

What strikes me most is the amount of money saved. Granted, I live in New York and even at my age I frequent bars, so the tab is a little higher than the average bears. But it’s probably lower than many other big-city folk as I’m a fan of lower end bars and straightforward drinks. You usually won’t find me in a “lounge” sipping fancy-pants cocktails. A fancy-pants cocktail, if you’re wondering, is anything that has more than the two following ingredients: whiskey, ice.

Hell, even if you’re just a few beers after work drinker, it starts to add up pretty quick.
Continue reading “For the Price of One Drink …” →

What the Hell Happened?

Posted on by kenwheaton in Uncategorized

One day you’re the youngest person in the office. You’re a wunderkind or something. You’re wet behind the ears, got a lot to learn, but are moving right on up. You’ve got a few ideas about changing things.

Then the next you’re complaining about these damn kids just coming out of college with the attitudes acting like they’re gonna take over the world even though they don’t know shit. Damn kids. Talking all the time.

Get off my lawn.

(Also: PLEASE DONATE)