Phish at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, July 1

Even on my fifth trip to Saratoga Performing Arts Center to see Phish, it is still always great to be back at SPAC.

It was slow-going and a little worrisome, though.  Thanks to tons of traffic on I-287 and I-87, a trip that should have taken less than three hours took almost five.  Not only that, I drove through waves of rain, and the threat of thunderstorms continually loomed.

But once I rolled into the parking lot of the beautiful Saratoga Spa State Park, things immediately started looking up.  The storm threat had passed and the band gave the OK via Twitter to enter the venue.  So I happily drank a few beers (it was nice to finally toss back a few since I spent the Mann shows stone cold sober in preparation for the Sunset Classic race) and headed to the lawn in time for the "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan", which I love as an opening song.

I danced around the back of the main lawn area for a while before settling into my usual solo spot on the left corner where the hill is steep and it is usually muddy, but offers an excellent sight line to both the stage and a screen.

Right away, the treats began with the first performance of "The Birds" since its debut on Halloween 2014, and by the time "NICU" was in full swing, my friends from Albany (Meredith and John, the awesome folks who convinced me to run the Maine Coast Marathon in May) sent me a text message, summoning me to their spot which had a great view from the mid-center of the lawn.

The fun kept coming with "Cities", a surprisingly placed "David Bowie", "Free", and "Uncle Pen", the latter compelling me to swing several partners round and round.  Speaking of fun - how about that new Mike Gordon tune, "Let's Go", with its fun singalong "Whoooaaaaaa" chorus? 

Things got a little more chilled out (but no less enjoyable) with well-played renditions of "Halfway to the Moon" and "Waiting All Night", but when "Bathtub Gin" kicked into gear and they ramped up the tempo the way they did in 1999, the show had really taken off.  So when "Golgi Apparatus" started (and played perfectly until Trey Anastasio botched the final lick), we figured it was the end of the set.

But then Trey said "Thanks everybody.  We'll do one more," and the set ended with "The Squirming Coil", in which he nailed the composed parts and left the ending open for a beautiful piano solo by Page McConnell.

The second set was a nonstop tour de force.  Phish brought the funk with "Sand" and "2001" and the rock with "Carini" and "Chalk Dust Torture", which featured a brief 2011-style Plinko jam, a full-on bliss jam that recalled the stellar 7/10/99 version in its modulation from E-minor to G-major, Trey playing Jon Fishman's Marimba Lumina (this time with the actual marimba sound), and Mike playing piano while Page played the Hammond.  It was an epic jam.

Some may criticize the back-to-back balladry of "Prince Caspian", "Bug", and "Shine a Light" but  I certainly could find no reason to complain, especially with Trey positively tearing it up at the end of "Bug".  "My Sweet One" was a bit sloppy at first but it contained a kickass drum solo, and "Sleeping Monkey" was had its usual weird tenderness, but the set-closing version of the Jimi Hendrix song "Fire" had some stellar playing from Mike (with Trey announcing, "Move over, Rover, and let Cactus take over!") and a rip-roaring solo from Trey that contained all the fire and ferociousness of his 1990's playing.  

The predicable but powerful "Character Zero" encore sealed the deal, as night one of SPAC became an indisputable highlight of the tour so far.

Sunset Classic five mile race, Bloomfield, NJ, June 30

I'm not going to lie.  This was my show-off race.  

After exceeding my expectations at the Shwachman DiamondDash for a Cure less than two weeks prior, I did not think for a minute that a five-mile PR was in the cards for my third running (after 2009 and 2014) of the Sunset Classic in Bloomfield on June 30.  Frankly, I do not think I will ever have a better five-miler in me than the 29:05 (adjusted from 8K) in November.

No, the purpose of this race was singular.  For the first time ever, I specifically wanted to strut my stuff in front of friends and family.  I have a new girlfriend, Gloria, as well as longtime friends that have never seen me race.  My friends were never going to show up without an invitation (though I had always secretly hoped they would), so for this event, I decided to give them one.

The Sunset Classic is the perfect local short race for spectators.  With its downtown start and track finish, as well as free food on site and nearby bars and restaurants, it makes for a good time for everyone.  I tested this theory last year when I brought my friends, Jim and Ali, to watch together with me (even I like to be a spectator for this race).  Sure enough, they had a good time.

I did train hard, though.  The day after the 5K, I did 10 400-meter repeats averaging 1:25 each.  It hurt, but it was necessary.  I also blasted out a couple more intense tempo runs in that 10-day span after the 5K and before the Phish shows. 

So I was still my usual nervous self when I lined up on Broad Street at James Street in front of Town Pub.  Now that I had built it up for my friends, could I actually perform?  Would all that smoke I breathed in at the Phish shows cause a problem?  Just in case, I low-balled my crew and told them I was shooting for top 30 with a time between 30 and 31 minutes.  I was really aiming for top 10…and as close to my PR as possible.

On the go command, the butterflies in my stomach disappeared and the focus took over, riding the straightaway on Broad to a 5:37 first mile.  If 5:49 is PR pace, that gave me 12 seconds in the bank for the uphill climb after turning onto Sunset Avenue in Mile Two.  I used it, and more, with a 6:14, but knew that the coming downhill would help me make it up. 

I chipped away another few seconds with a 5:46 third mile, cruising along the relatively flat Forest Avenue (which now put me within 10 seconds of my PR), and barreling down Osbourne and Essex streets with all my might. 

I had settled into sixth overall place, gradually picking off runners, and pushed into fifth in the next mile as we turned on the final downhill of Glen Ridge Road and I hit a 5:50. 

Eleven seconds out from a PR with only a mile to go?  No making that up on this hot summer night (which, thankfully, got cooler as the sun went down and we ran through the shady side streets). 

Did that bother me?  Not a chance.  With an elapsed time of 23:30, I had 6:29 to get in under a half-hour, and that was all I wanted and needed to impress my friends.

Of course, there was also no chance that I would coast into the last mile at that pace, so I pushed hard.  Plus, I was closing the gap on the fourth place runner, Gene Makogons, finally passing him on Broad Street as we made our way toward Foley Field and the always-inspiring track finish. 

Looking up at the bleachers as we came around the back of the field, I saw (and heard!) Gloria, cheering her heart out for me.  I was hurting, but damn, it felt good to receive such positivity from my loved one as I edged into fourth place.

Gloria's photo of me (shirtless on the road) behind the bleachers before turning into Foley Field, unsuccessfully chasing down Michael Pawalowski (in black on the sidewalk) and with Gene Makogons (in blue), whom I had just passed, gaining on me.

The last time I ran this race, I rallied hard on the lap around the track into the finish line.  I dug deep for that extra gear again, but could not find it until after Mr. Makogons found his and blew past me in the final 200 meters.  All I could do was chase him with futility as we rounded the last turn - with him coming in at 29:12 and me trailing at 29:15 and a 5:45 final mile.

 Photo by Gloria, just after Mr. Makogens passed me in the last 200 meters.

 Awesome photo by my friend, Gavin, as I approached the finish line, with both of my feet in the air!

 Photo by Gloria, almost at the finish line, pushing with all my might.

Photo by Gloria at the finish.

I was in a whirlwind of fatigue and elation.  It was 56 seconds faster than my previous time on this course, only 9 seconds behind my five-mile PR, a fifth place finish overall in a field of 456, and a first place win in my age group; and Gloria, Ali, Gavin, Renee, Samantha, Allison, and Emily were there to witness it.  Once the very real feeling that I might vomit had passed, I gave Gloria a big sweaty, happy hug. 

The leaderboard, with me in fifth place!

This beautiful June night was my time to shine in front of some people whom I hold dear, just as my parents got to see me conquer my 5K PR only 12 days before.  Afterward, we partook in the spoils of yogurt, ice cream, and other treats, cheered in the rest of the runners, and reveled with beer (two free ones for each runner!) and food at Town Pub.  Perfect end to a perfect evening.

Gloria with me and my $25 gift certificate to Fleet Feet Sports in Montclair, my prize for winning my age group.


Be sure to read Shannon McGinn's report from this race on her "Creating Momentum!" blog.

Phish at the Mann Center, Philadelphia, June 29

The floor literally shook under my feet as soon as Phish came out swinging with an excellent "Wolfman's Brother".

The Mann has quite an interesting look from the outside - all funky corners and odd angles.  And that was mostly how I had seen the venue until June 29.  This night, however, was to be even more interesting. 

There is a small balcony section - only 13 rows deep - bringing a couple hundred lucky audience members closer to the unique wood ceiling and providing an incredible view of the stage, excellent sound and the aforementioned floor-shaking.  I was among those few for this show and the experience was like no other.

The rocking (figurative and literally) continued with recent favorites "Your Pet Cat" and "Blaze On" as well as a brand new, first-time-played tune called "Waking Up Dead", a strange Mike Gordon number with a fun fast-riffing middle section.  And though the tempo was brought down for "Llama" (played in the slow funky style as in Raleigh last year), the fun continued, right through "Devotion to a Dream" during which I can not help but join in for the "It's today!" chorus.  There was some serious energy in the room.

However, there was a downside.  As we all know, smoke rises; and Phish phans, as lovely and friendly as many may be, tend not to have any regard for the fact that indoor venues are supposed to be smoke-free (not to mention the basic decency to care whether those above them are unhappily breathing in their smoke, regardless of the law).  It was so bad up there that during "Slow Llama" (as I like to call it), I had to go outside for a while.  I had to pee anyway, and the completely mangled and slow-moving "Reba", made it as good a time as any to get out of the smokehouse.  "Mike's Song" started while I was still out, but that, too, was slow and underwhelming (though Fish was deliberately messing with the tempo at first, which was funny).

Back in the balcony for a "Horn" and "Farmhouse" that were just OK, I was feeling a bit down about this show, which had started so promising but deteriorated quickly.  And though the set-closing "Weekapaug Groove" had some good energy, things did not feel right.  While laying on the lawn during set break (trying to get some more fresh air), I called my girlfriend, Gloria, and wondered aloud to her whether this whole Phish thing was losing its luster after 122 shows.

Phish has a knack for turning things around, though, and the second set (plus encore) of this show easily became the best set of the tour up to that point.  It was clearly headed that direction from the start with a huge (16 minutes!) and positively awesome "Crosseyed and Painless" which segued seamlessly into the debut of the brand new Fishman-penned "Friends", which led to another bananaballs jam in "Down With Disease", which led to a gorgeously amazing "What's the Use", which led to a fun "Meatstick" (to which no one does the special dance anymore - what's up with that?!  Was our World Record attempt at Camp Oswego in 1999 for nothing??), which brought us to a spirited version of "The Line". 

After finally taking a breather, another brand new song, "Tide Turns", was unveiled.  It is a pretty little number and I have been singing its catchy chorus endlessly since then.  "Backwards Down the Number Line" brought the set to its climax, but a barbershop version of "Dem Bones" (only the second performance since New Year's Eve 2014!) provided a nice button.

For the encore, who could have expected a "Dear Prudence" after its first bust-out since Halloween 1994 only five shows prior?  As if that was not enough of a treat, they kicked out a version of the now 30-year-old "Harry Hood" that was up there with the best.  It was so good, in fact, that I turned to the kids behind me who had only been to a handful of shows, and told them how amazing it was that after 122 shows, Phish can still amaze me.

So much for losing the luster!

Phish at the Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA, June 28

I was exiting a port-a-john when the opening chant of "Wilson" began, and I could not help but shout, "This party has started!" to no one (and everyone) in particular.  I had waited almost six months since my last Phish show and was ready to throw down.

Some venues are special when it comes to Phish.  According to Trey Anastasio, the Mann Center for Performing Arts located in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia is one of them.

Apparently, the band - already on the fifth night of summer tour after a great opener in St. Paul, Minn., but largely hit-and-miss shows in Chicago, Ill., and Noblesville, Ind. - was ready to throw down, too.  After "Wilson", they completed an opening one-two punch with "Funky Bitch", but the show really took off with the already classic "No Men in No Man's Land", getting booties shaking all around the unique Mann venue - inside the shed and on the lawn.

The first set also kept the fun coming with songs old ("Birds of a Feather"), new (the debut of the bluegrassy "Things People Do", sung by Page McConnell), borrowed ("Nellie Kane" and Trey's solo tune "Sleep Again") and blue (a quietly pretty "Roggae").  The complex grooves of "Limb by Limb" showed that Jon Fishman still has the stuff on drums and Mike Gordon dropped some big bass bombs in "Gumbo". "Birds of a Feather" kept the danceability high even without any big jamming exploration.

The latter was saved for "Split Open and Melt", a song about which I have complained numerous times.  But I am slowly being won over.  The SPAC version from 2014 started the turnaround and this one continued my appreciation for the newer, weirder "Melt" jams of the 3.0 era.  Closing with a classic "Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > Suzy Greenberg" combo (with Page raging on the keys) kept the energy high into set break.

Continuing the two-year tradition of playing "Fuego" at almost every venue on every tour, the non-stop second set was off to a great start, and even though the jams did not get stratospheric for the double-whammy of "Runaway Jim" and "Gotta Jibboo", it is a super treat to hear those two songs played together (and so well).  It was the new "Breath and Burning", in only its second time out, that took things up a notch - with its various modulations and extended room to move, leading nicely into "Timber" (the old one).  

If you want to see me make my Phish ecstasy face, look no further than "Slave to the Traffic Light".  When Trey plays a well-executed solo over that four-chord progression (essentially A-G-D-E, but modified), and soars to a glorious climax the way he did that night, I can not help but throw my arms in the air with my face in a permanent grin.  That would be the expected set closer because there is no way to top that, right?  

Boom - out comes the first "You Enjoy Myself" of the tour. Not only did they knock out all the parts beautifully with excellent peaks and valleys, but Trey took a turn playing the electronic percussion on Fish's Marimba Lumina.

Topping it of with an encore of "Quinn the Eskimo" was the icing on the cake and everyone seemed to leave the Mann satisfied.

Getting out of the venue was relatively easy, despite the all-over-the-place parking (which cost an inexplicably hefty $20), but there was construction at the Walt Whitman Bridge that had traffic stopped for an extra half-hour as I tried to get back to the hotel in Mount Laurel, N.J.  Not even that, though, could dampen the good spirits I felt from my first of seven shows of summer tour.

Shwachman Diamond Dash for a Cure 5K, Sayville, NY

If history was any indicator, my first 5K after back-to-back marathons was going to be in serious PR territory. I have not counted, but I am quite sure the majority of my post-26.2 5Ks were personal records.

Plus, I had some unfinished business from November. Three days after shocking myself with an 8K (five-mile) PR pace of 5:49 on Thanksgiving, I set a new 5K PR with a 5:51 pace (18:08). But a slower pace for a 5K than a five-mile is backward, so I could not help wondering if, had the 5K come first, I had a sub-18:00 5K in me.

Still, sub-18 had been a long-elusive, almost fantastical goal. It was something about which to dream, not to expect. It does not feel like so long ago that I broke the sub-19 barrier and that was a major achievement.

So I entered the June 18 Shwachman Diamond Dash for a Cure in Sayville, N.Y., to coincide with both the end of the four-week Hal Higdon post-marathon training program and Father's Day weekend on Long Island with my dad (pre-race photos below with Dad and Mom). I spent those four weeks training hard - doing mile intervals at a sub-6 pace and 400-meter repeats at 1:24 or better.

Leaving New Jersey at 5:44 a.m. and rolling up to Sayville at 7:16 left me plenty of time get my bib, do some stretching and scope out the event, which was excellently organized and full of friendly vibes. And because it was at a school, we had access to bathrooms instead of port-a-johns.

We lined up on Loop Road (photo below by my mom - that is me waving) where, shirtless in the 70+ degree morning sun, I placed myself near the front of the pack. 

The first mile of the race was loop on the aptly named road. My legs felt heavy at the beginning, especially up the slight incline. Oh well, I thought, I guess there won't be a PR today after all.  So, imagine my surprise when I hit the first mile mark at 5:25.

That was my fastest mile ever! I knew I could not sustain it, so I made sure to pull back. But not too much - I was already doing the math and I needed a 5:48 pace or better to get that sub-18, so I only had a 23 second cushion and I knew that could get wrecked very easily. On the other hand, it also meant I could do 5:59 splits for the next two miles and still nail it.

The flat out-and-back straightaway of Sayville Road for the second and third miles let me chug along with all my effort focused on leg turnover, so when I hit the second marker with a 5:45, I was elated. That was 11:10 elapsed. I had six minutes and 49 seconds to do 1.1 miles (6:11 pace).

I had my sub-18 in the bag. There was no denying it. The only question now was, by how much?

As I tend to do, I decided to go all out. No holding back. This was my moment. The sun was blazing, my legs were getting tired, and I was pushing my body to the edge. But I spent that last mile in amazement of what was about to happen. So when I turned the corner toward the school, with the finish line in sight and the clock having just turned 17, I surprised even myself. I was not going to merely beat my PR and squeak under 18 as I had hoped; I was killing this race.

Crossing the finish line in 17:36 (photo above left by my dad, photo above right by my mom, I struggled to catch my breath as my parents came over to congratulate me. I had done what only a year ago I had thought was impossible for me. The confluence of a flat course, warm but manageable weather and hard training provided the perfect storm for such an incredible PR. I could not be more proud of my accomplishments which included coming in 10th overall and first in my age group (prize shown below).

See the official results

Learn about Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome

And check out my Maine Coast Marathon video if you have not done so already!

Maine Coast Marathon

The last time I had been in Maine was for Phish's It festival in 2003.  Back then, I was not a runner.  In fact, they held the first Runaway Jim 5K that weekend.  While groggily watching the runners cross the finish line, I wondered why in the world anyone would have wanted to do such a thing.  Funny how things change.

Thirteen years later, I was back in the state solely to run a race - the Shipyard Maine Coast Marathon on Sunday, May 15.  After dealing with an awful lot of traffic in Massachusetts, I made it to Saco, Maine, in time to meet my friends Meredith and John (who also happen to be both Phish phans and runners) for dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.  

Meredith and John ran the half-marathon on Saturday morning and being a spectator for that event gave me a chance to get the lay of the land.  The main event area was on the campus of the University of New England in Biddeford, so parking was plentiful and relatively easy.

The half-marathon was a loop that started and ended at UNE.  One painfully noticeable feature of the course was the long uphill leading back to the campus.  As I cheered the runners in their last mile, I could see extreme fatigue on their faces and in their strides (plus, it was abnormally hot - sunny in the low 70s).  Needless to say, neither of my two friends hit their goal time as a result.  I knew I would be facing that same hill the next day, but at least the weather was supposed to be cooler.

On Saturday afternoon, I drove the entirety of the marathon course and made turn-by-turn notes to put in my pocket in case the signage was unclear.  After some of my experiences, one can never be too cautious about this kind of thing. 

I ate a hearty dinner at Portland Pie Co. in Biddeford, drank a local Maine beer, and called it a night, sleeping surprisingly well in my Saco Econo-Lodge room before waking up at 4:30 a.m. to ensure that I got to the UNE campus in time to catch the 5:55 shuttle to Kennebunk High School for the start...