Random Thoughts From the Running World

--Injured my knee a couple of weeks ago, and when I listed the symptoms to Ben M.D. to get a diagnosis, all he could give me was "Hmm...I have no idea. Sounds like 'asian knee.' " Which was initially unhelpful -- both for its racism and its Michael Scott-esque "I just made this up on the spot because I have no real answer"-type feel -- but then actually served as an amusing way to confuse people when they asked about the injury.

"Oh, the doctor told me I have some slight asian knee. I just need to take it easy for a few weeks."

Try it sometime. Tell someone you have "caucasian ear" or "african heel." The confused "I need to look that up on Wikipedia on my iPhone as soon as this conversation is over" eyes/feigned understanding of what you just said (either one) is absolutely priceless.

--A playlist for the iPod is essential to my completion of any run. I discovered early on that the best running songs involve some sort of hand-clapping because they help me keep rhythm and bring a smile to my face for some reason. If you happen to notice a man clapping his gloved hands, bobbing his head, and grinning like an idiot while running the trails/streets of northern VA, chances are it's me.

Here's one of my favorites, from an amazing Nike commercial:



--I picked the wrong damn time of the year to start running.