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My virtual coach Bill Baker turned me onto Lake Waramaug, and I've posted about it before.

For me, Lake Waramaug is how I will remember my training for the 2010 NYC Marathon. While I've literally run all over the country the last few months, it was the long loops around Lake Waramaug that prepared me mentally and physically for what I believe I'll need to endure in NYC on November 7.

Last week, while taking my last long run around the lake, I took some video with my iPod Nano to share the experience. I wanted to test the video on my Nano, and see how much battery it ate. If all goes well, I'd like to shoot some video while running in NYC, but also need battery power for music to get me to the finish line. It worked well! The clip above features a few minutes of my training run around the lake, and I still had the power to blast music for more than ten miles or so.

I'll clearly need to work on the stabilization while running, but if I have the energy, wherewithall, and battery power, I'll shoot video of the start of the race on the Verrazano Bridge, and as I enter Manhattan over the 59th St Bridge. Both are supposed to be iconic moments, so it will be cool to share the experience.

In the meantime, you can help me out by making a donation to the American Heart Association. I need to raise $3000 for entry into the race. I'm a little over halfway there, and could really use your help!

I've run 321 miles in these shoes. That's probably more miles than I've run in any three month period in my life. These sweaty beasts have been my training partners since July 1st.

You'll see that I wrote the date 7/1 on the inside heel. That's the date I took my first run in these. Once you've made running a part of your life, you forget when you purchased your last shoes, and how long you've been running in them. Shoes vary by runner, but I usually need a new pair once I step over the 300 mile mark. I've learned that writing the date that you start with a pair of shoes on the actual shoe is a good way to remember just how old they are. Every pair of running shoes has an expiration date.

These shoes took me through one of the best summers ever. I ran in these while on tour, driving from Maine to Miami with Humongo Nation, through some of the hottest, most grueling runs around Lake Waramaug, and even on a fun run in Las Vegas. More importantly, these are the shoes that got me ready for my very first NYC Marathon. These are the shoes that built my confidence, gave me the experience and helped to build stamina to survive the upcoming 26.2 mile festival of pain.

I now have a new pair, with a 10/1 date now scribbled on the inside heel. They'll be worked in nicely by the time I hit the starting line on November 7.

If you're interested in my old shoes, you can now find them at Goodwill - but honestly your money would be far better served by making a donation to the American Heart Association to help cover my donation/entry fee into the marathon! I've already spent all of my money on shoes. ;)