Chilly, rainy 17-miler and Night Two of Phish at MSG

"Train in everything so you can race in everything."

That is my mantra on days like last Sunday, but I have to admit, my resolve was put to the test. In the first half of my 17-mile run, I kept waiting to warm up, but the relentless pounding of the cold rain kept me in a constant state of chilly discomfort.  My lightweight cotton gloves were soaked and provided neither warmth nor dryness, my shirt - polyester but heavy - dragging me down.

In the second half, knowing things would not get better, I pushed the pace for the sake of finishing sooner, hurting with every step. My hands, by the end, were so frozen it took several minutes to get my apartment key from my pocket and maneuver it into the lock. I barely had any feeling in my thumbs and fingertips.

If you plan on running in those conditions, do not let the temperatures in the 40s fool you. Dress warm and with protective layers of non-absorbent fabrics. And run fast.

By the time I somewhat recovered and got on the train to New York City for Phish, it was already almost showtime, so it was straight to Section 109 (side stage, awesome view, excellent sound) with my $10 beer in hand. (Really, MSG? Ten bucks for a beer?)

In addition to the band's 30th anniversary, 2013 is also the 20th anniversary of their excellent album 'Rift' and I suspect they have been acknowledging that all year, seemingly playing more songs from it and more often, with the exception of "The Horse" which was abandoned in 2012. On this night they played three, including what might be the best version on "It's Ice" ever, if not the most adventurous.

"Ice" was coupled with "Gumbo" which also featured uncharacteristic jamming into strange territory. And the set-closing "Walls of the Cave" (still my favorite 2.0-era song) was shaky at first, but concluded with a fantastic and rocking climax.

And yet, with all that, the set highlights had to be the brand new "555" and "The Line". Name another band whose fans get thoroughly excited over new songs and do not treat them as bathroom or beer breaks. Go ahead. Try.

Still, as exciting as new Phish is, the second set - all classics - on Dec. 29 was easily the best of the four nights.

The set-opening "Down With Disease" wound its way through glorious melodic, rhythmic and key changes which were excellent but not unusual. What knocked us over was how, 20 minutes later, after exploring so much space and getting so far away from the main theme, Trey Anastasio managed to bring back the original melody and knock it back into the original key for the first chorus-ending version of the song since...who knows? Altlantic City 2012?

And that was only the beginning of a 70-minute set that included a mere six songs, concluding with a monstrous "David Bowie". The band was on fire for this set. One for the books, no question. Still not a cover song to be had, but if this is what Phish sounds like when they rely in their own material, then give me more of it.