When I work with software all day long, I sometimes forget that there are seriously cool and amazing things in the world that people build, like hadron colliders.

I have seen my lifetime supply of slides like the following:

My good friend Bruce Wyman – the Director of Technology at the Denver Art Museum – has a thoughtful post up this morning titled Simplification of Things, Part 1 of Some.  In it, he shows us a better way to communicate what this slide doesn’t.

People tell me when I get bored of marathons maybe I’ll start doing ultras – as in 100 mile races.  Great inspiration.  (Thanks Dave / Jeff).

Amy insists I’m the Good Knight so we’ll call this a good night for the Dark Knight.

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

I love it when my dad writes about personal history on his blog.  He’s a great storyteller and is extremely articulate about living and growing up in a generation that seems very very far away from today, as well as very far away from the generation I grew up with.

His post titled Herald Tribune Fresh Air Fund Summer Camp 1950 made me smile an enormous smile.  I can totally see my scrawny 12 year old dad surrounded by these huge guys from the Red Hook District in Brooklyn, being scared shitless but keeping it all inside, and winning them all over on the ball field.

Love ya dad.

My partner Ryan McIntyre has an excruciating story up titled Sharp’s Dull Service / My eCommerce Nightmare about his experience buying a snazzy new 52" Sharp Aquos LC-52D92U via Amazon only to have to go through over four months of warranty repair hell before his (now old) new TV worked.  He’s being politically correct with his title – I would have titled the post "How To Get Rat Fucked When Buying A High Ticket Consumer Electronics Item From An Amazon Affiliate."  But then again, Ryan is nicer than me.  And he’s apparently more patient than me – I simply give my broken things to Ross and order a new improved thing.

Amy and I woke up at 5am this morning (which was still several hours after dawn here in Homer, AK) to head the big city of Soldotna, Alaska (population 4,087) to run the 2008 Soldotna Rotary Unity 10 Mile Race.  As part of my marathon training I’ve decided to run a lot more races between 10k and a half marathon to try to build up my "racing brain" while having some extra fun wherever I happen to be in the world.

Soldotna is about 75 miles from Homer.  I snoozed while Amy drove.  She woke me once to inform me that there was a moose on the side of the road and asked if I wanted to stop and take a picture.  Since I’m afraid of horses, and a moose looks like three horses stapled together to me, I declined and went back to sleep.  We got to Soldotna High School (home of the Soldotna Stars) and met up with the other 100 or so people involved in the race.

About 50 of us hopped on a yellow school bus and drove to the bustling metropolis of Kenai, Alaska (population 7,464) and stopped at the Kenai High School (home of Kardinals).  Ten minutes later the 50 of us lined up at the starting line painted on the ground in the school parking lot and took off on our race back to Soldotna.

Since I’m targeting a 4:45 marathon in Ashton, Idaho next month, I decided to do the first half in 55 minutes (11 minute miles) and then see what I had in me, being happy with anything under 1:50.  I had a hard time holding myself back – my first mile was in 9:16 and my second mile was in 9:48.  I think at this point I was near the back of the very small pack.  I managed to settle down and did the next three miles around 10:30 and then realized that I was probably in last place.  I felt great so I kicked it into gear.

I cruised through the second half of the race and executed on the elusive perfect negative split (where every subsequent mile in the second half of a race is faster than the previous mile.)  9:45.  9:14:  8:36.  8:26. 7:58.  Total time: 1:34:30.  Avg HR: 154. Max HR: 190.  I passed seven people between mile 5 and mile 7, so I came in 8th from last.

For the full data, take a look at what my trusty Garmin 305 recorded (yes – I have a 405 – it arrived yesterday – but I didn’t want to tempt the new device monster by trying a virgin 405 on my race.)  We grabbed some lunch at Froso’s in Soldotna, Amy drove home (and I napped), and then I took a shower and napped some more.  I feel great – we’ll see how I’m doing at mile 10 of my 13 mile run tomorrow.

I want to welcome Pixie Maté as a sponsor of the Feld 50 by 50 Marathon Team.  Pixie Maté joins Return Path as one of my sponsors and has committed $250 to Accelerated Cure for every marathon I complete going forward.  I’ve got 39 to go, so that’s a total commitment of $9,750 – wow guys, awesome! 

Pixie Maté is a Boulder based organic foods company taking yerba maté to the masses.  Yerba maté is the national drink of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and S. Brazil where it is a dietary staple next to bread and meat.  This liquid vegetable contains more antioxidants than green tea and affords a buzz like coffee, but without the jitters, and peaks and valleys.   Pixie Maté calls it the balanced buzz with a llama-load of antioxidants.

I’ve gotten to know T.J. McIntyre – the founder of Pixie Maté – over the past few years.  I’m a regular Pixie Maté drinker, especially when I need a little more than tea in the mid-afternoon.  I’m powered by Maté and maybe even more invincible than Ironman.

To date, including the first $1,000 from Return Path for running Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN, I’ve raised $2,375 for Accelerated Cure.  Between funds raised so far, the Return Path sponsorship and Pixie Maté sponsorship, I’m well over $50,000 committed.  Thanks to every one that has supported me (and Accelerated Cure) to date.

My next marathon is in Ashton, Idaho on August 23.  Last year 159 people finished the marathon.  Matt Blumberg – the CEO of Return Path – is running the second half of the marathon with me to help bring me in under 4:45.  Wish me good training over the next six weeks.  And if you feel inclined, please click on the donate button in the widget and help support me and – more importantly – Accelerated Cure.

Yes – those are the lyrics – buried at about 2:05.  Who said mathematicians don’t know how to rock.

Thanks Ryan.  Cornell just went up a notch in my book.