I've decided to start running again. I ran 7 marathons between November 1998 and April 2003. I was training for my 8th when I came down with pertussis (yes, people still get whooping cough)! After that lost momentum, I never really got back into it.

The problem is that I have some unfinished business: I never qualified for Boston. My best time, which was at my 7th marathon in Paris (flat course), was 3h45. I get 5 minutes for turning 35 this year, so the qualifying time I need is 3h15. Not easy, but I know it's doable if I train properly.

My realistic long-term goal is to run Boston in 2011. That gives me 3 shots to qualify (Fall 09, Spring 10, Fall 10). The short-term goal will be 3h30 in Fall 09, probably at Columbus (flat course and my mom lives there) or Philadelphia. The most immediate goal is to get to a proper running store and buy some shoes!

As for Scrabble, I've been cardboxing like crazy and actually enjoying it. Also, I was happy to go 4-3 at Rauhaus V as the bottom seed, 200 rating points below the next player up. Hopefully, that bodes well for the HO, which I am really looking forward to.
 

My wife works in Public Health Emergency Preparedness, and she sent out this quick note to family and friends yesterday, so I thought I would share:

 

So, I was playing a game against etheridge2 on Facebook yesterday, and my opening rack was BFLNRX?. I kept X?. I later Quackled that rack, and every recommended play involves exchanging the X.

My thinking was that X? would likely score the most points over the next two turns. Best case scenario, I pull an X bingo. More likely, but also not a bad option, I play a decent-scoring X play followed by a bingo. Worst case scenario, I have to dump the X for small points and don't get my bingo for a couple of turns.

All of the Quackle recommendations seem focused on getting a bingo next turn. Do I really need to be in such a rush? Even if I get the bingo next turn (which is not guaranteed), I'm then pulling 7 random tiles and may not be in great shape the following turn.

If the power tile were J/Q/Z, I think the decision is more obvious, but the X is so versatile (makes a 2 with all 5 vowels) that I don't think I should be scared to keep it.

Does my argument make any sense? Or am I missing some obvious point(s)?
 

So, I've finally decided to add some much needed structure to my word study. Up until now, I've studied intermittently, using several different techniques (printouts, flashcards, SuperMemo, Aerolith, reading dictionary, etc.), and the lists I've studied were usually based on whims or inspired by missed words/challenges in a tournament.

Now, after a week of daily study sessions, I'm willing to say I'm a Zyzzyva Cardbox convert. It keeps all of my study organized, is easy to fit in during work breaks, shows me hooks and definitions (which most other techniques do not), etc. Hopefully, I'll be able to stick with it, as my primary Scrabble "skill" goal for 2009 is to increase word knowledge.

I started out by loading some basic lists like J/Q/X/Z/V/K 4s and 5s to get a feel for it, and now I am also adding 50 7s and 50 8s by probability each day. I figure this way I'll be adding 1,000 7s/8s every 10 days which seems like a decent pace. Even if I slow it down to every other day once I get past the level where I already know most of the words, I'll still be doing well.

I've also sent in my check for Charlotte, and I've decided to play D2 (rather than be essentially the bottom seed in D1). I like having the possibility of placing, especially after a relatively unimpressive 2008. I plan to eventually become a true D1 player, but my game/word knowledge (see above) isn't quite there yet. I'm not in any particular rush either. I'll be missing out on playing some top players, but I can play top players at the New Haven club, or when I stop by the NYC club, or online -- places where it's easier to discuss the games and learn from the experience. I'm fine with holding  off on playing them in a rated tournament setting until I'm more confident that I can present a bit more of a challenge. Of course, that said, I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow. :)

I might be able to make my way down to Charlotte in February, but I'm not sure what division I would play in. Should I play in Division 1, where currently I would be the bottom seed by 10 rating points, to have the opportunity to play a number of much better players? I would probably learn more and possibly start to get a feel for some players I hope to play more regularly in the future. Or, do I play in Division 2, where currently I would be the 3rd seed, and give myself a chance to place? Either option sounds like fun, so hopefully I can pull off the trip.

So, I lost one of my Danbury games because I didn't challenge NESTINGS*. I would guesstimate that I've probably lost at least 5 rated games as a direct result of not knowing if an -ING word takes an S. So, this week I've decided to try and learn those words. The list isn't really as bad as I expected. There are 4,017 6- to 8-letter -ING words, and only 704 of them take an S. Once you remove about 200 of them that are completely obvioius, you're left with 500 words.

I'll try to knock off another chunk by grouping some of the words into categories (sports, -LING, directions, colors). Then, hopefully I'll have a reasonable list to memorize.

On a side note, the single word that I personally find to be the most glaring omission from OWL2 is HEALINGS*. Anyhow, it was mildly interesting to learn today that HEELINGS is good.

As sort of an early New Year's resolution, I've decided to move beyond lurking on other Scrabble blogs to actually start my own. Hopefully, this will in some way help me improve my game by helping me structure my word study, game reviews, questions, etc. It's also a way to be a bit more social. Anyhow, I figured since people are currently posting their Scrabble year in review, it would make sense for me to expand upon that and catch up by making my first ever LJ post my Scrabble career in review...