You didn't really think I'd STOP, did you?

Tattoo #51
I've recently been revisiting my obsessive interest in Murder Ballads. My latest tattoo is a text phrase (Edwardian Script font) from, with original image (a blade, a bird -reminiscient of a traditional tattoo swallow, and blood spatter) inspired by, one of my favorites, "HENRY LEE". Inked last night by Caroline, another fine artist at Blue Rose Tattoo in Huntsville AL. :)





HENRY LEE, aka LOVE HENRY, aka YOUNG HUNTING is a folk song, collected by Francis James Child as Child ballad number 68. Many variants of the song exist, notably in America under the title of "Henry Lee" and "Love Henry". Judy Henske performed it as "Love Henry", as did Bob Dylan. Nick Cave and PJ Harvey recorded the ballad "Henry Lee" as a haunting sexy duet (and music video) in 1996. The album Murder Ballads by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is what first sparked my interest in the genre.

Child Ballad #68 Traditional Versions: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch068.htm

synopsis: A young man tells a woman who loves him, and may have borne him a child, that he is in love with another. Despite this, she persuades him to come to her bedroom, or at least kiss her farewell. The woman then stabs him to death. She throws the body into a well or the river (sometimes with the help of the other women of the town, whom she bribes with a diamond ring), and is taunted by a bird who saw the murder.

HENRY LEE/ Nick Cave Version ( lyrics )

btw, I may be 50 years old, but I still get a rebellious kick out of spending holiday gift money from my folks on yet another bad ass tattoo...it's practically a tradition. ;)

And I'll probably be writing a more detailed essay post about murder ballads soon.

December miles and 10 reasons for 24 hours!

Dec. 6- 12 : 40 miles (including marathon)
Dec. 13-19: 25 miles (minimal marathon recovery and once nice 16 mile trail run!)
Dec. 20-26 (so far):
M rest
T 2.5
W 7

2010 total is up to 1870.5 miles....

From:
http://endurancebuzz.com/2009/10/06/10-reasons-why-a-24-hour-run-event-is-cool/

Timed endurance events are basically, run/walk/crawl as far as you want within the allotted time. The courses are generally flat with relatively short loops of two-ish miles or less. The running surfaces can vary from dirt, grass, pavement, concrete, or even a track.

There is no true finish line that says you are done. The fastest and the slowest runner will be working it to the best of their ability for the same amount of time.

With the above in mind, here are 10 reasons why timed running events are pretty damn cool.

1.No DNF – You will never DNF at a 24/12 hour run event. You run one hour and call it a day. Your result will be the distance you traveled within that one hour. End of story.

2.Sit and chill – Feeling like poo and want to sit. Go ahead and put your feet up. You aren’t forced to cover 50 or 100 miles before your day ends. There are no cut-off times chasing you throughout the day.

3.Rub shoulders with everyone – The short loops and significant amount of time provides opportunities to chat and hang with runners of all abilities throughout the day.

4. Rarely completely alone – The short loops will often have you running/walking with others, moving up on someone, or being passed. If you are feeling good this isn’t such a big deal but if you are in that dark place, it can be nice to have people around. It is also nice to know you aren’t the only idiot running at 3 am.

5. Minimal gear – The loopiness allows you the opportunity to haul little to no gear. Just run baby! But don’t forget to eat and drink.

6.Happy feet – The running surface is usually friendly to running. No roots, boulders, or stream crossings to worry about. The biggest challenge will be the time on your feet.

7.Safe environment – When running 24 hours into the night, it can be comforting having people always around and the nice short loop is convenient if you want to catch a few Z’s in your Lazy Boy you hauled with or grab a jacket when the snow starts falling.

8.Experiment – The short loops provide an opportunity to try-out various nutrition, clothing, or gear options that you may use in an ultramarathon that doesn’t provide the ease of swapping out.

9. Family friendly – If you have friends or family that actually want to support and watch you run in circles, there isn’t much better of an event to do it at. Plus, family can leave and come back at a random time later in the day and it will never be long before they see you again assuming you haven’t taken a nap next to a tree at the far end of the course.

10. Help – If it gets ugly for you, help is never far away

And here's a good archived article about a 24 hour event in London (circa 1980): http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1123639/2/index.htm