On Thanksgiving I went to Iowa and ran the local Turkey Trot. It was a 7.5-mile race, and I finished in less than fifty-two minutes. That comes out to a pace of less than seven minutes per mile. There were many steep hills included in the course, and according to the local newspaper, the Telegraph Herald, it’s one of the toughest Turkey Trots in the United States. Unfortunately, I don’t believe the full results have been posted anywhere, but I heard a person who finished close to me say that he had a top-twenty finish, so I must have had a top-twenty finish as well. That’s pretty good, considering that there were a total of 1,235 runners present (although some people ran only 2.5 miles). Anyway, I was happy with how I ran, and it seems that I’m currently in pretty good shape.

Tags: Telegraph Herald

At the beginning of next week I’ll participate in a project that will help determine if some mathematics questions are aligned with state standards. The organization that I’ll be doing this for is paying for my airplane ticket to their location, and they’re also putting me up at the Hilton for three nights. I’ve never stayed at the Hilton before, so it should be a good experience. According to the Hilton’s website, they have a workout facility, so hopefully I won’t have any troubles staying on track with my training for the Tokyo Marathon. The last few weeks I’ve gotten in long runs of about twelve miles, so I’m right where I want to be at this point. In a couple weeks the Premier Sports Marathoner in Training (MIT) group will officially kick off its winter training session, so it will be easier to stay on track from that point on.

Tags: math, mathematics, marathon, marathons, Tokyo Marathon, running

I’m just finishing up a novel called The Financier by Theodore Dreiser that I picked up at Half Price Books. The novel was written in 1912, and it describes the financial ruin of a broker that occurred when he was overleveraged and stocks turned sharply lower after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Keep in mind that this novel was written before the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression ever occurred. It’s very interesting to see that events such as the current economic crisis have been occurring for hundreds of years. This novel certainly helps to put everything into perspective. Because the novel is so old, the English is a little strange at some points, and it also contains some financial jargon that’s kind of technical. However, the storyline is easy to follow, and I would definitely recommend it.

Tags: book, books, The Financier, Theodore Dreiser

Yesterday I bought my airplane ticket to Japan for the Tokyo Marathon. I bought it from IACE Travel, a Japanese travel agency that has an office in Columbus. When I walked through the door, all of the employees shouted out in unison, “Irrashaimase,” which means “Welcome” in Japanese. The office was completely typical of a Japanese office (I should know, since I worked in one for three years), and when I walked through the door, it was like I was instantly transported from Columbus to Japan. It was really quite amazing.

I leave Columbus on March 19, make a stopover in Detroit, and arrive in Tokyo on March 20 (total flying time about fourteen hours). The Tokyo Marathon is March 22, and after the marathon, I’ll have a few days to hang out in Tokyo. I leave Tokyo on March 26, make a stopover in Detroit, and arrive back in Columbus on March 26 (total flying time about twelve-and-a-half hours). I’ll probably be a little bit tired by the time I get back.

Tags: marathon, marathons, Tokyo Marathon, running

Yeah! I just found out I got accepted into the Tokyo Marathon!

Tags: marathon, marathons, Tokyo Marathon, running

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I went to a political rally. It was sunny and warm, and according to the Columbus Dispatch, there were approximately 60,000 people present. I arrived at about 11:30 AM, and I had to get in a line that extended for several blocks. The rally was at the Statehouse, and I had to spend over an hour waiting in line before I finally made it there. As the line slowly progressed, there were people along the way selling t-shirts, buttons, hats, and other memorabilia. The candidate’s speech lasted only about thirty-six minutes, and it was the standard stump speech that he’s given many times. Still, even though the speech was nothing special, the experience was worth it, especially given the fact that it was only two days before the election.

Tags: Columbus Dispatch