(Slow)Running to assume more active Role in Future Races and Events

 On this morning for which is forecast a 90% probability of rain, I am certain that we will be witnessing some stormy weather.  For the Depot Parkrun5k, I didn't feel remotely adequate to the task ofcompleting the entire course, but Melissa walked the first and only lap with me.  I was a bit irritable and grumpy, but toward the end of the looped trail...when it leveled off...Iwas able to lightly run down the pathway...it was an unexpectedly pleasant and empowering experience!I think that, on a gut-feeling level, Martinus Evans has it right with his "slow AF" run club. In the future i'd like for Melissa to drive me down to a nearby running track for me to train there and see how far I can jog on it...I feel quite optimistic being able to cover a good distance.  Now let's see how this day goes weather-wise, and how much training will help to improve my overall c-v fitness and endurance.  Also, I'm planning to use that running training to boldly 'step up' my running contiributions to future Parkrun events and races...

Unsportsmanlike Behavior Among Professional Athletes and Coaches

I have been watching sports on TV of late, mainly golf, tennis and basketball.  I have to tell you, it kind of grates on me whenever I see an athlete or coach get overly angry about something and begin to act like a baby in front of the camera.  Not naming anyone specifically, but these are top-level figures who have achieved a reputation for quality in their respective areas.  It's one thing to pitch a fit on the court or greens because your shot went wide or you didn't get the call you wanted...sometimes that kind of behavior is rationalized as a way to motivate oneself or teammates to play with more passion.  But I've also seen how some of these, after the match or game has ended, refuse to participate in the traditional congratulations with the other side and/or attend press conferences.  I know that, in at least the professional sphere, athletes and coaches often have the responsibility of making themselves accessible to the press written into their contracts, and as such should consider this as much a part of their "game" as what transpires during the competition.  So, no, I don't like to see folks lose their composure while playing, but that's a lot more understandable...in the midst of heated, intense competition...than just storming off in a huff after it's all over...

Dentist, Storms, Feistiness

At this writing I just left the dentist after a surprisingly pleasant visit...and headed over to my nearby doughnut shop to get my customary iced coffee...my current favorite flavoring is mocha.  I do have to be careful about coffee spilling out of my mouth, since my left side is thoroughly numb...ha, ha.  It's been an unusually stormy morning here in Gainesville. It began last night and is expected to last the day, spreading all over the northern part of Florida and reportedly spawning tornadoes.  The Weather Channel called it "feisty", while they depicted an Iowan storm system as "boisterous"...sounds like an undergraduate English major was writing their script.  Speaking of those two terms, they naturally have usually been applied to people, not inanimate processes.  Yet in today's so-called "enlightened" society where perceived anger is regarded as a threat, typically feisty individuals can be demonized for simply being themselves. If you're in an office as a client and complain about their billing process, as I did recently, there's a possibility that the party you're addressing may deflect your complaint against you, claiming that you are in a state of anger...as if that by itself constituted some form of illegitimate, antisocial behavior.  I think that's a form of manipulation...people by their very natures are cranky at times and will react in like fashion if somebody pushes their wrong buttons.  It's okay to express frustration when you perceive you're being taken advantage of or ripped off, and that isn't your fault...