Saturday, May 30, 2026
Trying to Withstand Heat and Humidity on Parkrun Day
Friday, May 29, 2026
Parkrun Tomorrow Morning , No Plans ro Complete It
Monday, May 25, 2026
Athletic Training Prospects with Uncertain Medical Future
Friday, May 22, 2026
New Parkrun 5K Completion Strategy
Monday, May 4, 2026
Slowness in Fitness Recovery Tied In with Cancer Prognosis Uncertainty
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Physical Energy Deficit Greatly Limits My Depot Parkwalk This Morning
Monday, April 27, 2026
Welcome, Month of May. New Parkrun Strategies
Sunday, April 26, 2026
I am a Runner in the Mold of Martinus Evans
Martinus Evans wants us to come on out, feel it,and declare openly, "I am a runner!", even if we're a bit reticent on signing up and taking part in races. I remember how I would use our spacious back yard to design feasible, relatively flat running paths in order to enhance my endurance. After 2009, i would get home from work. Rebecca and Will, at home, greeted me. but then I'd dress up for a short night run and then go out and tackle it...I did this more or less regularly for several days. Then, in 2016 after David Bowie's passing in January from liver cancer, I rediscovered his vast catalogue of excellent music and put past albums I liked on my mp3 player. Then I'd go out into our back yard and spend time (and dry-hacking) running back and forth for months, thoroughly unpleasant from my irritated throat and esophagus but still able to cover the longer runs (and enjoying David's musical treasures). And now here we come to mid-spring 2026 and the back yard is now even more open and available. I'm still struggling to regain my running endurance after surgery and some cancer treatment, and I've found a champion in Martinus Evans, who has informed and encouraged me through his recent book that I just checked out from my public library...and the audiobook version on their Libby app. Now that I've finally recovered enough to finish a Depot Parkrun 5K and get scanned and posted online, it's time for me to reclaim my identity as a runner. Running a little during the day will doubtless challenge me, but my intention at this stage is to wear the good Brooks running shoes I've been using and jog on the uneven grass, challenging my mind and body to grow. Then once Saturday morning rolls around again...it'll be May 2nd...I can strive to maintain progress walking the Depot Parkrun 5K course,throwing in some small jogging stretches at the end. The worst case scenario? I'll poop out during the race and have to cut it short. But now I think it's a foregone conclusion that I'm a runner.I'm back in business with my early morning rising, coffee brewing, home exercise and blog writing. Now it's time to return to the back of the house and rile up sweet Peewee Daisy (who wants to get riled up) after I flick on the air conditioning...
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Walked Today's Depot Parkrun 5K
Up until today I had been "showing up" at Gainesville's Depot Park, with the outstanding and selfless driving of Melissa, who has been very, very supportive of my efforts to recover physical endurance fitness after suffering the limiting side effects of recent brain cancer treatments. Until this morning's Depot Parkwalk 5K, my previous successful Parkrun 5k effort took place on January 10...I managed to walk it in a little over 78 minutes. So for the previous few weeks I had gradually been incrementing my distance covered, getting through three of the course's four laps a week ago.This morning I resolved to use all of my mental powers to finish the race and actually accomplished the deed, with Melissa always there to supply needed hydration, encouragement and photos to yours truly, who felt (and probably came across as) a grumpy old cuss. I prepared for the Parkrun by starting toplay Sufjan Stevens's great 2003 album Illinois (~77 minutes) on my smartphone. My walking pace was slow, but not excessively so, so it was a bit of a surprise when, at the two-thirds point, I suddenly stopped, turned abruptly around, and complained at the volunteer tailwalker that they were following too closely and should have passed me long before...they responded sweetly, saying that their tailwalking assignment mandated that they remain behind in last place. After I finally completed the course..the first time I did so in 3 1/2 months...I let Melissa prop me up and guide me as I staggered over to the lady doing the scanning. I finished today with a time o 65:16: click HERE to view the final Depot Parkrun 5K results. As for photos, I had difficulty uploading some previous ones Melissa took that she tried to send to my phone. In the races's aftermath, I feel proud that I got mental AF and stuck it out to the end, but a little chastened when I expressed frustration at other participants who seemed to be getting too close to me, especially on laps #2 through 3. Now I'm resting at home and looking forward to upcoming Parkruns. Well, if I only cover the distance,nice and slowly, following the examples and suggestions of Martinus Evans...
Friday, April 24, 2026
Wednesday's Final Book Sale, Mentally Preparing for Upcoming Parkrun 5K
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Reading, Running, Training, Optimism, Baseball
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Wednesday Opportunities, Booksale Final Day
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Walked Three Difficult Depot Parkrun Laps This Morning
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Going to Beach with Melissa Today
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Today's Parkrun Effort Promises Compounded Fitness for Endurance Running and Walking
Pre-Depot Parkrun Awakening, For What It's Worth
Monday, April 6, 2026
Early Rising, Day Planning
I woke up and got out of bed this morning a little past three...did ten minutes of running in place while brewing coffee. Now I'm sitting here looking ahead to the coming day, just a little past four. One item on my agenda is to go down to my local public library branch, update my card and account, and check out one or two interesting books. Unlike the case with 2nd and Charles a few weeks ago, I have no intention of picking out books out of desperation because I'm too tired and can't find a place to sit. i do know that this is now post-Easter and we're now back on the regular calendar. It's a foregone conclusion that further exercise for me today will tax my ability to accomplish it. If i do more back-yard inner perimeter laps, then I know what to expect. And my eating will be measured and recorded., with the notion that spacing of meals and snacks is to be recommended. Yesterday evening i did watch a YouTube video listing and explaining 7 simple habits I could easily adopt...probably would be better off writing them down and implementing them, 1 by 1. i want to install and begin using a smartphone app that identifies wild bird species by their songs...this afternoon on the back porch sounds like a good time to get that going. And hydrating a lot more, that sounds good. Life is good, and I am a person in charge of my own happiness...
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
My March 2026 Running and Walking Report
Saturday, March 28, 2026
Follow-Up on Sufjan stevens' 2010 Song Impossible Soul,Parkrun Walking Photo
In late 2010 Sufjan Stevens, already established and critically acclaimed in the alternative/indie music genre, came out with his next album The Age of Adz. I didn't like it, although Stevens seemed to pull out all the stops within his production studio. Now, more than 15 years later, I have proclaimed as 'song of the month" for March, 2026 the final track, titled Impossible Soul and running at 25 minutes 36 seconds. it grew on me over the years, and is now my Amazon Prime Music current favorite song. Well, How Soon Is Now by the Smiths is my real favorite, and a masterpiece for its lyrics by Morrissey. Above is a dubious photo of me walking across the Depot Parkrun bridge on my first and final lap there yesterday morning...

