October 31 (87)

Happy Halloween!  Here is a shirt from a race I did on October 28, 1989 called the Trick-Or-Treat Trot in Lincoln Park, Chicago.  This particular race had a costume competition.  The group of people I ran with ran inside a giant cardboard box cut out in the shape of a boat which on the outside said 'Ship of Fools'.  We were not the fastest but we won a prize for best costume.

October 30 (86)

Here is the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon shirt (October 28, 2007).  This was my fastest MCM despite my legs fading at mile 22 and my gatorade disagreeing with me at mile 25 while I was simultaneously being passed by Miss Utah.  The last hill is always brutal but the huge crowds will keep you going to the finish.

October 29 (85)

On this date back in 2006 I ran the 31st Marine Corps Marathon.  Despite having a few more marathons under my belt since my first MCM in 1995 I did not run as fast.   So it goes for the marathon.  Despite that, the shirt is an excellent one -- nice and thick, unlike the threadbare Twins shirt from a couple days ago -- with cool logos on the front, back, sleeves and even the collar.

October 28 (84)

On this date in 1990 I ran the Rogaine Chicago 5K.  The way I figure it, any race through downtown Chicago is a good race.  Actually, on this date I did two other races, one other in Chicago (the Trick or Treat Trot in 1989) and the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon.   

October 27 (83)

In honor of baseball season and the current World Series between the Phillies and the Rays, baseball fans from Minnesota will I'm sure recall that on today's date in 1991 the Twins won the World Series (in Game 7 versus the Atlanta Braves).  Twins fans will also surely remember that four years earlier (on October 25, 1987) the Twins won the World Series (in game 7 versus the St. Louis Cardinals).  This was a cheapo Twins shirt that I got sometime around then.  It is the quality of the kind that I image they now shoot into the stands out of t-shirt cannons.

October 26 (82)

Today was the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon.  I did not run the race this year but in honor of the event, here's a Marine Corps Marathon shirt from 1995 (October 22).   This was my first marathon and I am on record for saying that I would never do another one.  However, my post-race assessment turned out to be false; I'm at number 14 and counting.

October 25 (81)

Here's my fifth Army Ten Miler shirt.  This one is from October 24, 2004 -- the 20th anniversary ATM.

October 24 (80)

On this date in 1999 someone did the Pylesville Biathlon (run bike run) although it was not me.  I think I got this shirt as a free handout (free gratis, you might say) from another 'Brad' race.  I'm not sure who the face on the shirt is supposed to be but he's got something of a 'scream' character to him.

October 23 (79)

Here is a shirt from a 5K I did in Chicago on October 25, 1992.  It is the 'Rogaine 5K' which was a 5K race associated with the Chicago Marathon.  In case you are wondering how much minoxidil there is in Rogaine, the back of this shirt will tell you that it is 2%.  I wonder how many races Rogaine is sponsoring these days.

October 22 (78)

Here is a shirt that I got from Marc, Amy, Aaron, Joe and Rachael to help kick off the World Series for the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies.  Game One starts tonight in Tampa.   I will recommend Philly Cheesesteaks for lunch today!

October 21 (77)

Here is a shirt from another race that Jodi and I did on October 20 (2007).  It was a five mile race at an apple orchard in White Bear Lake, MN.   There were excellent post-race refreshments -- apples, hot cider and doughnuts if I recall correctly!

October 20 (76)

Here is a shirt that I got from my dad via a vending machine company that apparently stocked 'Classic Choice Sandwiches' in some of their vending machines.

October 19 (75)

Here is another Army Ten Miler shirt -- this one from October, 20, 2002.  There are still a few ATM shirts left to go but at least the scenery has changed for this one!

October 18 (74)

On this date back in 1998 Jodi and I did the Brew to Brew Five Mile Race in Baltimore.  Curious about the route?  Take a closer look at the shirt!

October 17 (73)

On this date back in 2004 I ran the Rockville 10K.  The course goes through the King Farm neighborhood.   I've only run it once but have spectated at least a few other times.

October 16 (72)

Here is a shirt that I got from Kathy and Bruce after one of their trips to Maine.  Maine is one of the few states I have not visited.  However, when I do get up there I will most definitely bring my bike!

October 15 (71)

Here is another Army Ten Miler shirt -- from October 5, 2003.  Only a keen eye will spot Lady Freedom above the Y.

October 14 (70)

Here is a shirt from the Baltimore Running Festival 5K this past weekend.   If you ever want to run through Camden Yards, this is the race!  Or, if you want to run through most of Baltimore and then run through Camden Yards then you can sign up for the marathon or half marathon.

October 13 (69)

This shirt is from the Chicago Marathon on October, 12 2003.  This race has an awesome course that takes in numerous sights in Chicago including Grant Park, Lincoln Park, Wrigley Field and Comisky Park as well as Lake Michigan.  It is a flat course but has also been hot.  It started out cool in 2003 but ended up pretty warm -- I ran out of gas around mile 22 and finished a bit slower than planned.

October 12 (68)

Today I ran the 'Lower Potomac River Ten Miler' at Piney Point, MD with David.  It was a flat and scenic course along parts of the Potomac.   The relatively small field worked out well for me as I came away with some hardware.  There is a cool lighthouse at Piney Point where the race started and excellent post-race food including, among more standard post-race fare, grilled burgers, chicken wings and the worlds largest bag of gummi bears.

October 11 (67)

Here is a shirt from the 'Big Bear Biathlon' that Jodi and I did on October 7, 2001. It was up in Deep Creek Lake, MD and was supposed to be a swim (0.5 mile) and run (10K).  However, they cancelled the swim for some lame reason like it was windy and there were 'waves' on the lake.  Anyway, it turned into a 10K run which ended up working out well for me since I can usually outrun more people than I can outswim.  The shirt I got today from the Baltimore 5K you'll see later.  Congratulations on the great half marathons (Jodi, Michele and Chuck) and marathon (Uncle Stevie) today in Baltimore!!

October 10 (66)

This is an official shirt of the St. Olaf Triathlon Club circa 1988.  Our cross country coach was an ironman triathlete and so that inspired a number of us in the sport.  That was back in the days when Dave Scott was winning in Kona.

October 9 (65)

Here is a shirt from the Long Beach Marathon I did with Mike and Jodi (who did the roller blade version of the marathon) on October 10, 2004.    It was a fun event especially since Mark and Sherry et al. came down to partake in the fun!

October 8 (64)

On this date back in 2000 I ran the Twin Cities Marathon.  The first time was so much fun I had to do it again.  The shirt says 'finisher' on it and in fact they do not give you the shirt until you reach the finish line.  This provides some extra incentive to keep going!

October 7 (63)

Close to this date back in 1997 I ran the Twin Cities Marathon (October 5, 1997 to be exact).   It is an excellent marathon, starting in Minneapolis, touring around the lakes and along the river, crossing over into St. Paul, in principle still running along Summit Avenue and finishing at the Capital.

October 6 (62)

The Vikings play the Saints tonight and I need to find a lucky Vikings shirt.  This shirt is an early-90s era one.  I already wore one that was lucky last year but did not seem to help against the Packers this year (see September 8 post) or else some of you were eating cheese that day despite my clear instructions.   By the way, no tabasco sauce today and definitely no cajun anything.

October 5 (61)

This morning I ran the 24th Annual Army Ten Miler.  It was an excellent morning for a run -- cool, sunny and not windy.  It's the largest ten miler in the nation so don't be surprised if you see someone else wearing the same shirt!

October 4 (60)

Here is a shirt from last year's Army Ten Miler in Washington (October 7, 2007).  It is advertised as the nation's largest ten miler and is an awesome race if you don't mind the crowds.  A couple years ago it was the world's longest ten miler when they rerouted the course into an 11.5 mile run!

October 3 (59)

Here is a St. Olaf Cross Country 'Big O' t-shirt.  I like this one because I know what the O stands for but most other people do not -- but now you do!  I did a race on this date back in 1992 (the Loyola 8K CC in Chicago) but can't seem to find the shirt so I picked this CC shirt since at least the season was appropriate.

October 2 (58)

Here is another triathlon shirt.  This one is from my second half ironman race -- in and around Jordan Lake in North Carolina on October 4, 1998.   I recall the lake being very shallow -- half way out on the swim my hands were scraping bottom -- and the bike being very rainy -- the Powerbars I had stuck to my top tube basically disintegrated (this was well before BentoBox days).

October 1 (57)

On this date back in 2000, Jodi and I did the Georgetown Classic 10K.   A common fall theme for running shirts involves leaves.