Reading, Running, Training, Optimism, Baseball

 I have been enjoying living through the past few days, without pushing an agenda about rising early before dawn and pushing myself to engage in "constructive activities" of the sort that the late personal development coach Jim Rohn would assiduously  promote on his podcasts, many of which I listened to on youube...and still do sometimes, with some anxiety.  I am no bigshot personal achiever, content for the most part with developing new, positive habits that fit into systems that take care of me and my loved ones...no loud publicity necessary!  Martinus Evans is a self-identified runner who pushes this notion, and advises his readers to see themselves as runners, no matter how little or slowly, no matter how embarrassed they fear they would feel under the often critical public observations of others.  I have a humble praise report about my meager running experiences today...I ran back and forth, very slowly, from one end of my back yard to the other...no one saw this but myself, timed at two minutes.  Come this approaching Saturday morning at Depot Park...just a few blocks south of downtown Gainesville, my plan is to cover that Depot Parkrun 5K's course by walking and running the four prescribed laps though that park while enjoying the often very funny and loud bird calls like grackles, crows and red-winged blackbirds.  Still, I know in advance that, compared to the other participants, I will be very slow, with that volunteer tail-walker most likely making a prominent example of himself. I already told Melissa that I won't care how slowly I navigate the Parkrun...only that finishing it is at the top of my  priority list..  I am now feeling the frustration of my feet and legs quickly tiring as I move my body forward, either by walking or light running. Progress in training can seem awfully slow in coming. Martinus Evans has proven to be a genuine inspiration, and I wholeheartedly agree with his disdain for eliitists within the distance running community who seek to marganalize my efforts,passing their own judgments on me as being unqualified for consideration as an athlete.  Well, the die has been cast, for from now on, if the Lord tarries about lovingly taking me back home with Him, I am indeed an athlete in the mold of Mr. Evans. I checked out the hardcopy edition of the  2023 book titled Slow AF Run Club and listened to the Libby Audibooks version, which I just checked out from my local public library. Earlier yesterday Melissa and I went to the Friends of the Library book sale, final day.  All books were ten cents, and I left there with 5 interesting books for a total of 50 cents, hauling that weight to our car. Well, that's all for now.  I'm getting ready to enjoy some evening MLB baseball. Have a good night...

Scump's Planned Bullying of Americans for When He Turns 80

One of thmost visually unappealing US presidents i've seen is the current one, DonaldTrump,also very unpopular as a monster egomaniac, andwihout ny concience to speak of,is due in a couple of months to celebrate turning eighty, a spectacle that I imagine will go off with shameless overhype and overspending.In the meantime i'm predicting yet another tedious "No Kings"Saturday protest rally at a local city park which i plan to boycott. See you then, coppers, when  then you setyourselves up for your own police riot...                           coming over then to,roundus ofd geezers                                                                                                                                              off to jail9(if they don't shoot us irst). sountil then it's all ""HOOray for myself.''.this dude seems to rival convicted and executed serial killer Ted Bundywith his own death obsession, how many people he hates and how many he thinks he will get away with killing...beforea higher auhoriyintervnes in rescue. WithTrump, I truly seea villain of our times.hohewants to bring America to its knee and degrade our own lives.. I believe he has the heart of a murderer. BUT like Michael Corleone in the movie The Godfather PartII, OUR President feels he has to have his buffer between hi sown button-pushers and hi viictim. An it's always the victim's fault, right?                                                                                                            aa                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

About Parkrun Strategies, What They Say About Themselves and my Retirement Anniversary

Today, Friday November 28th is a day sandwiched between two in which Gainesville is holding its Depot Parkrun 5Ks.  Melissa and I did yesterday's special Thanksgiving event, and we're planning on going back again tomorrow morning.  I usually feel a bit stiff and uncomfortable during the minutes preceding their starts, and if I run the race the first two laps are often grueling.  That's what I felt yesterday, as if I was hauling so much weight with every step that I would soon poop out.  There's a standout, clear explanation for these negative feelings I'm going through.  The weather is usually either too cold or too hot and/or too humid.  But more impactful is the fact that there are too many people attending, and they are really LOUD, TRIBAL (cliquish) and IN MY WAY.  My pre-race priority is to treat it as a running workout and do the 3.1-mile course's four laps, keep true to the pathway and avoid obnoxious (often tribal) people who are liable to interfere with me.  I don't know whether my dear Melissa will walk the event, but I deeply value and appreciate her support.  I don't think anyone else generally going there even remotely understands or cares about the medical predicaments I have been in, either with regard to my prostate cancer from months ago to my currently diagnosed brain cancer, which is now being treated with a six-week regimen of chemotherapy and radiation.  Furthermore, I am NOT upbeat about being expected (by the directors) to act like a cheerleader and perform much clapping pre-race on cue.  Whether Parkrun is a competition or not is problematic and based on the perspective that folks have about it.  Runners are in fact racing each other, as are the walkers, whether they say so or not.  And the posted results rank the finishers in numeric order of finish against each other (by name) while rating their "performances" with percentage numbers implying how they should have done within their gender/age groups: if this isn't COMPETITION then I don't know what is.  Yesterday some 190 attended the Depot Parkrun...way, way too crowded!  I'd much prefer the number to hover around 50. I expect some more insomnia tonight, but maybe if I could just relax...

Since today is the day after Thanksgiving, then had I not retired from 37 years with the United States Postal Service in 2024 when I clocked out of work at ten that evening, I would more likely be starting my retirement tonight after I finished my shift focused on receiving, processing and dispatching registered mail.  I've never felt any regret about retiring when I did, and I am grateful to have absolutely no hassles or concerns about trying to account for what might have been my 2025 medical absences from work had I still been on "active duty" with my official photo identification badge and scan card...  

Walked (and Ran) This Morning's Depot Parkrun 5K

 

It's Thankgiving, so Happy Holiday!  After a night of little sleep, Melissa and I woke up early and readied ourselves for today's special Thanksgiving Thursday edition of Gainesville's Depot Parkrun, taking place just off Depot Road a few blocks south of downtown.  Although I had intended earlier to run the event, I changed my mind before the race and decided to speed-walk as much as feasible.  It was a chilly morning with high humidity when it started, and I'm guessing that well over 150 folks entered and finished it.  My walk was brisk, but apparently not enough for other walkers, one over eighty, from catching up and beginning to pass me.  That's the moment I decided to (moderately) run the rest of the course (minus the hills).  This was uncomfortable and unpleasant, but I felt I could manage the grind to the end.  At the close I finished with a time of 44:21...click HERE to view the posted results.  Melissa drove us down there, and she completed the course with me...I'm so proud of her.  This was my 94th completed Parkrun, and I'm looking forward to making a stalwart attempt to run the next one here on this coming Saturday morning.  It's looks to be an especially cold one this time around...

Mixed Walking and Running at West End Community Parkrun 5K Today

The dog days of summer drag on, and I dragged myself down to West End Community Park to engage in their weekly Saturday morning Parkrun.  At 7:30 race time, it was a very uncomfortable 75 degrees with 98% humidity...and the sun rose to clear skies, practically blinding anyone facing the east during the event.  I had originally intended to run this 5K, but with the grounds being so slick from dew and the previous night's thunderstorms, I instead decided to go with a speed-walk and see how that worked.  This went well, until I decided mid-race to treat it all like a neighborhood workout and mix some running into the formula.  At 21 minutes I began running, alternating it with spurts of speed-walking: at the end, I finished with a time of 37:14, 13:14 spent in running.  You can view the posted results by clicking HERE.  I am getting more accustomed to this very convoluted course, but I still prefer the setup at Depot Park across town where I'm always on pavement and can easily determine my progress by how many laps I've covered...here at West End I have to go completely by my watch and the elapsed time. I also don't care too much for having to drive a substantially longer distance to get to West End Community Park, which is a quick right-hand turn just a few blocks west of NW 122nd Street off Newberry Road.  I do like the fact that afterward I can (and did) go to the Tioga Town Center across the street to dry off and change at Gainesville Health and Fitness there and then walk over to Patticakes, where I'm writing this out and drinking a chai latte.  And now it's time to go home! Looking forward to a nice weekend, for me, Melissa...and you!

Ran the US Road Running 10K Today in Gainesville

US Road Running is an organization that regularly stages running (or walking, if you prefer) races spread out over the country, usually within parks and involving multiple laps and "there-and-backs" to cover the race distance.  For a few years I had seen the available races at Ocala's Baseline Trailhead Park but since they're all on Saturday mornings and I wouldn't get off from work until 10 on Friday nights, it just didn't seem feasible for me.  Then, last year US Road Running added a Gainesville race, this one taking place the fourth Saturday each month in Westside...officially "Albert Ray Massey" Park...just a little ways down the road from my home: very convenient.  I managed to run their August 2024 race but circumstances in my life somehow kept me from entering another one until just now, when I did their 10K (6.2 miles) race this morning.  I expected it to be uncomfortably warm and muggy as is usually the case this time of year and I wasn't disappointed: mid-seventies both in temperature and humidity...ugh.  The folks running the event were all very friendly and encouraging, and I felt that sweet spirit around me that makes me want to come back next time to try it all again.  I had a choice of distances when I signed up: 1 mile, 5K, 10K or 15K...I chose 10K again.  The race started off at 8 and we wound our way past the fenced-in kiddie playground and onto a very rocky and uneven trail, onward to the first baseball field and then on to their fine, big swimming pool. Passing it on its left, we then ran on to the other baseball field and around the far end of the park to the tennis courts...and then turned around and retraced our path.  For the 10K we did this 4 times.  I was suffering from the heat/humidity combo and, although I had initially intended to run the whole event, after the first lap I decided to do the rest as a walk/run hybrid...although I still ran most of the rest of the way.  I finished with a time of 1 hour 5 minutes 36 seconds...click HERE to view the posted results.  I was by some 20 years the oldest runner in the race, but was inspired by all participants, most of whom were clearly out there doing their best as part of their own self-betterment and fitness projects.   I'd like to continue with these Westside Park races on the fourth Saturday of each month...maybe I'll increase my distance up to 15K and make all future races here...at least through the summer...mixes of running with fast walking.  

My Depot Parkrun 5K Today

This morning at race time for the weekly, free Depot Parkrun 5K in Gainesville, it was 59 degrees with 84% humidity (dew point at 54 degrees), markedly cooler and more pleasant than in previous weeks.  I decided to run it again, now that my intended race, the 10K Tom Walker Preview on the Hawthorne Trail, had been cancelled...ostensibly due to Hurricane Milton, which only lightly touched upon this area.  Melissa accompanied me and walked some, as well as cheering me on.  The course was crowded, no doubt with some runners who like myself had planned on running in the other event...but also because the weather was so nice.  There was also another 5K race in the same park, scheduled to start at 8:30, an hour after the Parkrun.  So there were a lot of folks out there today, no problem.  I just ran my usual pace, pushing hard through to the end, and finished with my second best Parkrun time at 26:58...click HERE to view the posted race results.  On a side note, during this warm and muggy summer and early fall mornings at Depot Park I had noticed that the usual red-winged blackbird songs serenading us on the park's south side had disappeared...they were back in force today!  I guess my avian friends like the cooler temperatures as well...

Ran the US Road Running 10K at Gainesville's Westside Park This Morning

US Road Running is a nationwide network of running races that are typically staged within various parks.  They usually involve limited course lengths with numerous laps and "there-and-back" instructions to complete the course.  I noticed them a few years ago when they called themselves "Medal Madness" and had races at Ocala's Baseline Trailhead Park that ranged up to half marathon in length.  I had often considered driving down there...some forty miles away...just to see what they were like, but alas, never got around to it.  They started one of their monthly races in Gainesville just a month ago, and the location is the very convenient Albert Massey "Westside" Park just a short drive from my home.  The Gainesville version is held on the fourth Saturday each month, and races for distances of one mile, 5K, 10K and 15K all begin at the same time, 8 AM.  I signed up for a yearly subscription, knowing that I'd quickly recoup my investment with the 50% discounts for each race.  Missing July's race, I resolved to try it this month, and this morning I completed their 10K (6.2-mile) event.  The temperature at race time was 73 with 100% humidity and mostly clear skies...unpleasant to put it lightly.  Along with some 20+ other runners/walkers (most of whom did the 5K), we took off pretty much on time.  There were only two people I saw working the race, which was very low-tech.  On the back side of the course I got a little lost a couple of times and had to backtrack, but ultimately figured it all out.  The 5K has you going down this winding path through and around the park for some .78 miles and then you turn around and head back to the starting line.  Repeat it for a second time and you're done...my 10K had me doing it for four laps.  I finished with a time of 1:00:45, which I believe was my fastest 10K performance since 2017...turns out only two other people signed up for that distance.  I liked the low-key aspect to US Road Running, and they tend to go with special themes throughout the year: Pirate, Viking, Ninja and (today) Luau.  I got a Luau participation medal for my efforts, and left feeling that maybe when the weather gets a little better I'd like to try their 15K distance (6 laps on the course).  Click HERE to view today's results from their website...

Ran Gainesville's Weekly Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

Folks were positively giddy this morning at Gainesville's Depot Park, just a few blocks south of downtown.  Each Saturday morning at 7:30 they hold a free event, the Depot Parkrun 5K...you just sign up online and they issue a barcode to take to the race for your finishing time to be posted.  As I was saying, people were happy because the temperature had actually dipped below 70 degrees...69 at race time to be specific, with a humidity of (ugh) 98%.  Still, I took advantage of the largely imaginary improvement in the weather to go on an all-out speed-run to see if I could beat 27 minutes...and I did, finishing at 26:51.  My strategy was simple: go out hard at the start and run hard the rest of the way!  In spite of my Parkrun personal record (my previous was 27:01), I finished in 33rd place...there were a lot of fast people there today.  Once again I was a little surprised (and dismayed) to not hear the usual cacophony of bird songs at the park...I've been accustomed to the many red-winged blackbirds, grackles, mourning doves and others: what's going on there? You can see today's results by clicking HERE... 

Ran Today's Gainesville Depot Parkrun 5K

This morning I sprang out of bed before my irritating phone alarm was about to go off and prepared myself for yet another Depot Parkrun 5K, a free, volunteer-run Saturday community event at the pleasant nature/recreation park bearing that name just a few blocks south of downtown Gainesville.  I knew this race would be warmer and more humid...with the temperature at 7:30 race time rising in the low 70s and the humidity around 90% (and no cloud cover), it turned out pretty much as I had expected.  There seemed to be more people there than usual...I had to park in the overflow side lot.  My plan today was to run/walk the event, so every 6 minutes I ran briskly, then walked fast for 50 seconds...this seemed to keep me fresh under the weather conditions until I finished.  My time was 29:11, not close to my personal best here at Depot Park but still under 30 minutes.  Melissa did her own 5K this morning as well...on the treadmill.  She suggested that perhaps the Parkrun seems longer than 5K (3.1 miles)...maybe I'll measure it on my phone app next time around.  Click HERE to see today's results...

Ran Gainesville's Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

With the weather forecast hinting of morning rain, I woke up this morning to clear skies, and they lasted pretty much through Gainesville's weekly free, volunteer-run 5K (3.1 miles) walk/run event, held at Depot Park a few blocks south of downtown and appropriately called the Depot Parkrun.  It's part of a worldwide network of Parkruns, having originated in England and spreading across the globe: Florida now has five of them.  Today was my 40th Depot Parkrun finish, and unexpectedly was my fastest there, finishing at 27:10...it's also the fastest 5K I've run overall in more than ten years: click HERE to view the results.  I had decided just before the race to forego the usual Galloway Method of alternating running with brief, regular walking breaks and sought to gut it out in the old-style way we used to run in high school eons ago.  It worked: my endurance training paid off in the last two laps of the four-lap race as, although uncomfortable, I had plenty of energy to finish it strongly.  The temperature at 7:30 race time was 62 with 98%...I doubt that conditions will be any better during the ensuing months of spring and summer... 

Walked Today's Gainesville Depot Parkrun 5K

It's been a while since I speed-walked the Depot Parkrun 5K here in Gainesville, although for nearly a year I had intended to do it on a monthly basis.  Instead, today was only my third go at it, with the previous effort happening last December.  That doesn't mean I haven't been working on my walking during this period, and I recently decided to try again to get in at least one speed-walk per month.  So this morning I intentionally walked the four-lap, 3.1 mile course to see how fast I could do it.  The temperature at 7:30, when the race began, was 64 with a 99% humidity and a lifting fog.  I chugged along and ended up shredding my previous walking finish with a time of 39:43.  I wasn't in the least bit tired or winded and hardly broke a sweat, yet I did sense a limit that my body has yet to surpass in my walking progress to achieve a higher speed on solid ground, instead of a treadmill.  I think that an investment in longer distance walking on neighborhood personally-designed courses is the prescription for me to take it to a substantially higher level.  Click HERE to see today's results...

Ran Gainesville's Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

When I got up this morning at 6 it was still dark, due to the "jump ahead" to Daylight Savings Time last weekend.  It was also cloudy, unseasonably warm (69 degrees, still in winter) and a stifling 92% humidity.  I decided right then that I was going to today's Depot Parkrun 5K, held weekly at that park just south of downtown Gainesville, not to set any records but rather to see how I could do under these conditions.  I continued to use Jeff Galloway's run/walk method, my strategy this time to alternate 5 minute running with 40-45 seconds of fast walking throughout the race.  The fact that it was "earlier" at the 7:30 start meant that the sun was lower in the sky...and it being cloudy, I never had to directly contend with the glare.  I started the run feeling energized and ended it that way, not a personal best for this, my 36th Depot Parkrun, but still a pretty good time at 28:19...click HERE to view today's results.  For next week I had been considering a muddy 10K trail race in Paynes Prairie that I had been avoiding for years...probably will continue that streak in '24.  After all, there's the Depot Parkrun 5K, a free, volunteer-driven weekly run on Saturday mornings (I've volunteered 4 times, probably need to up it a bit).  Melissa had to be at work this morning and couldn't make it out there...we'll just take things a week at a time and see what opportunities lie for us...

Walked Gainesville's Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

When I speed-walked my first 5K (3.1 miles) back in May, I had originally planned to try for at least one walking race per month.  But then I underwent some back issues, followed by a Covid diagnosis...the momentum for this ebbed.  This month I decided to return to my idea and made my way down to Gainesville's pretty Depot Park this morning to walk their weekly, free and volunteer-driven 5K...it's my 30th race there since I started in 2019.  The temperature at race time was 56 with the humidity at 90%...not important factors.  Just as in May, I felt a little weird sticking to a fast walk at the start of the race when all these others were running past me.  But I maintained my speed and at the end beat my May finishing time by nearly three minutes: 42:20. Afterwards I wasn't the least bit tired or winded, and so I went on an "extra" 2.3 mile run in the park's vicinity, including a stretch of the Hawthorne Trail.  I like walking fast like this and have already incorporated it both into my gym workout (treadmill speed-walking on Wednesdays) and my racing Galloway Method of alternating running with walking...with me the latter is always at a quick pace.  Speaking of the gym, I've been a member of Gainesville Health and Fitness for more than ten years, and finally last night I got around to using their wonderful 75 ft. indoor lap pool.  I managed to swim one length doing the American crawl while floating and paddling backwards on the return lap...good start, but I have a long way to go. I've never been a very agile or fast swimmer, but I think I'll use Friday evenings as my "swim night" and see how far I can go with it.  As for today's Depot Parkrun results, you can see them by clicking HERE...

Ran Gainesville's Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning

Unlike with last week's cooler weather, this morning it was 68 degrees with 89% humidity, pretty uncomfortable weather for a 5K (3.1 miles) run, but nevertheless I got myself up and out for my 28th Depot Parkrun 5K, taking place at that park which is just south of downtown Gainesville.  I got there early, at 7:05, but the parking lot was already packed, and I had to drive around to the "extra" parking lot a little further away.  Apparently, there was another group of runners that had picked the same spot and morning to go on their outing and they took up most of the parking...that's okay, I kind of prefer the other lot anyway after thinking about it.  Anyway, for the race I decided to forego any thoughts of a "personal best" time and stick with my Galloway method of alternating five minutes of steady running with a minute of fast walking...worked like a dream once again! My final time, although not a personal best for a Parkrun, was a respectable (for me) 30:39, and I didn't feel depleted or too hot at the end.  Next Saturday I'll be skipping the Depot Parkrun in favor of the Season of Hope 15K, which takes on the Hawthorne Trail, starting and finishing at Boulware Park off SE 15th Street.  I hope the weather then is better than today's, although I think that with my system I'll do fine in any event.  Click HERE for the results of today's Deport Parkrun...

Ran Gainesville's Depot Park 5K Run This Morning

On a warm and humid June morning following a day loaded with rain and thunder (and work), I managed to get down to Gainesville's pleasant Depot Park...a few blocks south of downtown...home of the "gator in the pond" and full of birds singing away, chief among them red-winged blackbirds and mourning doves.  Saturday mornings at 7:30 they hold 5K (3.1 mile) races, free of charge and supported by volunteers...I did just that, checking the course before the race.  I had a choice during the event: either run the whole distance, walk the whole distance, or split it up between running and walking...I chose running, but taking it easy on the first (of four laps) and building up my speed to finish at 33:48: not my best, but during this time of year I'm going for covering the distance, not doing it fast.  Click HERE to see the results.  Next week, instead of the Depot Parkrun, they will be staging the Juneteenth-themed Freedom Walk...also 5K (but not a timed race), starting and ending from this park and going through various historic neighborhoods in the vicinity.  Then on the 24th the parkrun resumes...I might just walk that one if my plans work out...

Overslept for Depot Parkrun 5K This Morning, Checked the Park Out Later

 

This morning I had been thinking about going down to Gainesville's Depot Park for their weekly free 5K run, but since I get off from work on Fridays at 10 pm, I am already cutting into my night's sleep if I get up early to get ready and drive the 6 or 7 miles to the park for the 7:30 run...as it happened, I got up at 9:30!  Still, I thought why not go down there around 1 this afternoon and run there...so I did.  I was a bit shocked by how crowded the park was...I was lucky to find a parking spot.  And, you know what?  People were walking and running on the path in both directions, with me sometimes having to cut over the grass to avoid them...it was like the Matrix training program, if you've seen that movie.  Suddenly, I noticed there was a kiddie play area loaded with rides (and now, kids) as well as a wine/eatery place that had always hitherto escaped my attention.  I had especially wanted to see how I would react to running with heavier, but more padded, shoes: the jury is out on that, since I already was feeling a little out of sorts with so many people there...the above photo is at the start of the 5K run, probably the only time there weren't loads of people immediately around me.  If you only go to Depot Park early on Saturday mornings, I learned, you're bound to get a false impression of how popular it really is.  Later on in the day, it's more like New York City's Central Park...