My total was light this week, but it came with a new personal best. The rundown:

• Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2.25 miles
• Thursday, Aug. 28, 11.75 miles

Total: 14 miles. I was a bit annoyed because I had no idea how far I’d run on that 11.75-miler. I was trying a new route, which had some good hills to break it up. When I got done, I thought I might have tied my previous best of 11 miles. Then, I measured the route in Google Maps. I was thrilled with the new high score. Still, had I known I was just a mile and a quarter off that test half-marathon, I might have soldiered on. Oh well, maybe next week.

Here are a few shots of the crowd assembled to see Sen. Barack Obama on Labor Day in Detroit.

The candidate takes the stage.

The speech begins.

There were thousands of people downtown — more than I’ve seen for any event. He spoke for only about 10 minutes, and included lots of talk about unions and solidarity, and a moment of silence for potential victims of Hurricane Gustav. It was hot, in the upper 80s. This was as close as we could get: Despite reports that it was a free and open event for the public, you actually needed a ticket to get into Hart Plaze were Obama spoke.

Oh, and the person aiming the camera on the podium had some issues during the introductions before the senator came on to speak. For several minutes, the video on the big screen for the crowds in the Jefferson Avenue cheap seats showed footage about 10 feet to the left of the podium, causing the crowd to chant, “Fix the camera!”