Saturday was the Revenge of the Penguins 20-miler. It's billed as a supported training run for fall marathons, but they offer prizes, which kind of defeats the "training run" idea. (Being between the ages of 30 and 39, 10th place meant 5th in my age group. No prizes for me.) I met F__ at the start, who uses the same coach I use, and we pushed each other from mile 3 to the end. F__ ran 2:58 at the Marine Corps Marathon two years ago, and she is scheduled to run it this fall. New goal: follow her until I can't any more.
Today was the Kit's Miracle Mile 10K. Yes, the race suffers from schitzophrenic branding. While yesterday's run was perfectly flat and straight, out and back on the C&O Canal tow-path, today's was three loops around the George Mason University Fairfax campus -- each loop boasting a long downhill, a little flat and 3/4 mile back uphill. Not a PR course, even if I had been in PR condition.
And while running today I had a grand idea. We could host the "race for competition" -- a 5K held early Saturday morning the weekend of the ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting. Anybody think it would take?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Back to Boston
Last year's Boston registration was something of a fiasco, with demand outstripping supply and many qualifiers not registering early enough to gain entry. (It didn't used to be this way -- for my first entry, I qualified in January and signed up in February, the year of the race. US v. AMR Corp. got in the way, though, and I didn't run that race.)
This year they changed to a process of rolling registration. On Monday you could register if you had qualified by more than 20 minutes. On Wednesday you could register if you had qualified by more than 10 minutes. And we more-than-five-less-than-ten-minute qualifiers had our shot today. The normal qualifier entry starts next week, if there is room left. Under this approach, there was a real chance I'd be shut out, but I'm in.
I was pretty hopped up, so I headed out for a celebratory run. Out Nebraska to Oregon, then following the bike trail north along the western edge of Rock Creek Park to Wise Road. Follow that to Beach Drive, then back south toward Military Road. The bike trail following Military to the west climbs steeply from the creek to the top of the hill near the stables. That climb will feature strongly in my winter workouts, with eye to the brutal climb from mile 20-21 in Boston. I tried out the new ultralight Saucony Kinvaras, which -- if they continue to feel as good as they did today -- will be my shoe in Boston.
It's nice to feel excited about something, again.
This year they changed to a process of rolling registration. On Monday you could register if you had qualified by more than 20 minutes. On Wednesday you could register if you had qualified by more than 10 minutes. And we more-than-five-less-than-ten-minute qualifiers had our shot today. The normal qualifier entry starts next week, if there is room left. Under this approach, there was a real chance I'd be shut out, but I'm in.
I was pretty hopped up, so I headed out for a celebratory run. Out Nebraska to Oregon, then following the bike trail north along the western edge of Rock Creek Park to Wise Road. Follow that to Beach Drive, then back south toward Military Road. The bike trail following Military to the west climbs steeply from the creek to the top of the hill near the stables. That climb will feature strongly in my winter workouts, with eye to the brutal climb from mile 20-21 in Boston. I tried out the new ultralight Saucony Kinvaras, which -- if they continue to feel as good as they did today -- will be my shoe in Boston.
It's nice to feel excited about something, again.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Confession Versus Atonement
I have thinking about Max's confession about using the blog to confess. I don't think I use the blog that way and it may have to do with the different religious food groups involved. In Judaism, there is no tradition, ritual or sacrament of confession. There is of course Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, and the practice of asking forgiveness from those you may have wronged during the past year. I have always found this pretty congenial and cathartic but for a contrary view listen to Lewis Black's profanity laced rant about Yom Kippur on his Carnegie Hall recording. For the blog, I am not sure how to use it as a vehicle for atonement but come September 24th I will do my best to use the Hamptons marathon to atone for two pretty dreadful previous marathons.
Book Offer
I received this e-mail today:
"September 15th , 2011
Dear Professor:
I would like to offer you a complimentary examination copy of Making Our Democracy Work (Vintage, ISBN 978-0-307-39083-7, $16.00), by Justice Stephen Breyer, a tour de force of history and philosophy, offering an original approach to interpreting the Constitution that judges, lawyers, and scholars will look to for many years to come.
Charged with the responsibility of interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court has the awesome power to strike down laws enacted by our elected representatives. Why does the public accept the Court’s decisions as legitimate and follow them, even when those decisions are highly unpopular? What must the Court do to maintain the public’s faith? How can it help make our democracy work? In this groundbreaking book, Justice Stephen Breyer tackles these questions and more.
“A users’ guide to both the Constitution and the Supreme Court. . . . You will find perhaps the best five-page description ever produced of how the Supreme Court works.” —The Boston Globe
“A calm, reasoned book about how the Supreme Court should do its work and how, in history it has sometimes failed the challenge. . . . A remarkable contribution to educating the public about our constitutional system.” —Anthony Lewis, New York Review of Books
“Vivid and full of surprising details. . . . Breyer’s willingness to present his argument in terms that educated citizens can understand, in the hope of persuading all of us to participate actively in American democracy, exemplifies an idealism about what is possible in a democratic citizenry, and an optimism about it, that is as impressive as it is rare on the Supreme Court. . . . Very admirable.”
—Jeffrey Rose, The New Republic
To receive a complimentary copy of Making Our Democracy Work, simply fill out the form located at http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/promo/, or respond to this email with your college mailing address. The book is yours to keep.
In addition, we will be happy to extend this offer to any of your colleagues who might also be interested in this title and encourage you to pass along this e-mail. (Offer is good only in the US and to professors who would consider the book for possible course adoption use.)
Yours sincerely,
Rachel Markowitz
Knopf Doubleday Academic Marketing
1745 Broadway 12th Floor
New York, NY 10019
212-572-2848
rmarkowitz@randomhouse.com"
I don’t know whether I received this e-mail because I reviewed Justice Breyer’s recent prior book, or because I look like the kind of person who is interested in making democracy work, but being invited to share this offer with my colleagues, I am doing so.
Note that the offer is only available if you “would consider the book for possible course adoption use.” Having written on Twombly (here and here), I interpret “possible” to be something less than “probable”, though of course a non-zero chance. I leave it to you to sort out the ethical question on your own.
"September 15th , 2011
Dear Professor:
I would like to offer you a complimentary examination copy of Making Our Democracy Work (Vintage, ISBN 978-0-307-39083-7, $16.00), by Justice Stephen Breyer, a tour de force of history and philosophy, offering an original approach to interpreting the Constitution that judges, lawyers, and scholars will look to for many years to come.
Charged with the responsibility of interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court has the awesome power to strike down laws enacted by our elected representatives. Why does the public accept the Court’s decisions as legitimate and follow them, even when those decisions are highly unpopular? What must the Court do to maintain the public’s faith? How can it help make our democracy work? In this groundbreaking book, Justice Stephen Breyer tackles these questions and more.
“A users’ guide to both the Constitution and the Supreme Court. . . . You will find perhaps the best five-page description ever produced of how the Supreme Court works.” —The Boston Globe
“A calm, reasoned book about how the Supreme Court should do its work and how, in history it has sometimes failed the challenge. . . . A remarkable contribution to educating the public about our constitutional system.” —Anthony Lewis, New York Review of Books
“Vivid and full of surprising details. . . . Breyer’s willingness to present his argument in terms that educated citizens can understand, in the hope of persuading all of us to participate actively in American democracy, exemplifies an idealism about what is possible in a democratic citizenry, and an optimism about it, that is as impressive as it is rare on the Supreme Court. . . . Very admirable.”
—Jeffrey Rose, The New Republic
To receive a complimentary copy of Making Our Democracy Work, simply fill out the form located at http://www.randomhouse.com/acmart/promo/, or respond to this email with your college mailing address. The book is yours to keep.
In addition, we will be happy to extend this offer to any of your colleagues who might also be interested in this title and encourage you to pass along this e-mail. (Offer is good only in the US and to professors who would consider the book for possible course adoption use.)
Yours sincerely,
Rachel Markowitz
Knopf Doubleday Academic Marketing
1745 Broadway 12th Floor
New York, NY 10019
212-572-2848
rmarkowitz@randomhouse.com"
I don’t know whether I received this e-mail because I reviewed Justice Breyer’s recent prior book, or because I look like the kind of person who is interested in making democracy work, but being invited to share this offer with my colleagues, I am doing so.
Note that the offer is only available if you “would consider the book for possible course adoption use.” Having written on Twombly (here and here), I interpret “possible” to be something less than “probable”, though of course a non-zero chance. I leave it to you to sort out the ethical question on your own.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
An idea
I'm considering trying to create an iPad app, which will be basically a framework for an electronic casebook. The app will have a student interface and a professor's interface.
On the student side, they see the e-book with a robust note-taking function (basically a scrap of lined "paper" that can be called up with a double-tap on a line of text, or the like); a video function (professor can record or upload video commentary to go with the reading); a web-search function (student can get the Wikipedia entry for "security interest", or whatever); a print function permitting the student to print the chapter with notes.
On the professor side, the user gets a template for creating his own e-casebook. She can upload video, powerpoints, text documents; record or type in commentary to go along with materials; insert "ticklers" for updating with new materials (if, for example, professor knows of litigation or legislation that may be completed during the semester); print the e-book for sale to those students who don't want to invest in the iPad.
The idea would be that a student might be able to use just the iPad for all classes -- of course, there are network efficiencies that would need to be realized for that to work.
What do others think? Would something like this be useful? And, if so, what functionality have I not described that you might like? And, anybody know how to program an iPad app?
On the student side, they see the e-book with a robust note-taking function (basically a scrap of lined "paper" that can be called up with a double-tap on a line of text, or the like); a video function (professor can record or upload video commentary to go with the reading); a web-search function (student can get the Wikipedia entry for "security interest", or whatever); a print function permitting the student to print the chapter with notes.
On the professor side, the user gets a template for creating his own e-casebook. She can upload video, powerpoints, text documents; record or type in commentary to go along with materials; insert "ticklers" for updating with new materials (if, for example, professor knows of litigation or legislation that may be completed during the semester); print the e-book for sale to those students who don't want to invest in the iPad.
The idea would be that a student might be able to use just the iPad for all classes -- of course, there are network efficiencies that would need to be realized for that to work.
What do others think? Would something like this be useful? And, if so, what functionality have I not described that you might like? And, anybody know how to program an iPad app?
Finally a good one
Haven't had a really good run since the Vineman on July 30. In recent weeks there's been some bike-crash-related problems. And my head's not in it. But Sunday went well. Not far, maybe 13 miles, but comfortable, not too slow, moving well uphill as well as down. I'll take it.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Twenty and Taper
It ended up being kind of a non-event. Once again a slow long run, decent weather, a slight negative split, and no physical problems. The only thing unusual was my route. This time I ran all the way south to the end of the running/bike path and then back to the Shedd Aquarium and cabbed home. I thought about a one way run to the Indiana border but wasn't sure about the neighborhoods for the last couple of miles and hadn't researched how to get back once I got there. That will be next year's adventure.
Celebrated with an afternoon nap, watched the last episode of Game of Thrones, and had a beer with dinner. Not sure what I do now. Kind of anticlimactic. Oh yeah, back to my three articles with different deadlines.
Celebrated with an afternoon nap, watched the last episode of Game of Thrones, and had a beer with dinner. Not sure what I do now. Kind of anticlimactic. Oh yeah, back to my three articles with different deadlines.
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