My May 2013 Running Report

This past month, my right foot had some pain issues, and I laid off the running for much of the month.  I ended my 370-day streak of running on the 6th, and won't be consciously trying to run on consecutive days for a protracted period anymore!  During the period away from running, I tried some alternative cross-training activities, to which I assigned "miles-equivalent" values, or MECT.  My total actual running mileage was 28.54 miles, my MECT was 13.36 miles...so the total in May was 41.90 miles.  I ran on 13 days, but with cross-training I ended up working out on a total of 19 days.  My longest run was for 4.51 miles.

I am trying some medically-suggested strategies for dealing with my foot problem, and perhaps this will enable me to resume a reasonable, albeit more moderate running regimen.  But only time will tell...  

Rush and Styx on Palladia

The other night on Palladia Channel I was watching a couple of concerts.   The first was by the Canadian band Rush, a trio that has amassed a very impressive amount of recorded work over the past 39 years.  The other featured Styx, also a band with its own resume of very popular music.  With the latter, I have enjoyed several of their songs but never got around to buying any of their albums.  I liked Too Much Time on My Hands, Come Sail Away, and most of all...Mister Roboto.  It was this last 1983 hit and the subsequent concert tour that year that reportedly caused a severe rift between front singer and creative force Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw, leading to a permanent, very acrimonious split.  So I was surprise to see them back together.  But wait, that wasn't DeYoung up there singing, was it?  No, as it turned out, the rest of the band, seeing the cash cow in keeping their name and trading in on it, just played on, pretending that this integral member had never existed.  That would be like the Beatles acting like Lennon never had been there.

In stark contrast was Rush, with their members bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, lead guitar Alex Lifeson, and drummer/lyricist Neil Peart bringing down the house with a closing finale performance of their first hit Working Man.  These are people who knew how to stay together over the years and work out the inevitable issues that arose between them.  I have a special respect for them and others who have persevered like this (the Rolling Stones prominently come to mind).

I already have several of Rush's albums.  My favorite songs of theirs are the aforementioned Working Man, Spirit of Radio, Red Barchetta, Vital Signs, Subdivisions, and New World Man.  And the 1981 album Moving Pictures is one of the very best rock albums ever made, in my opinion. 

And they're still together, no doubt planning to come up with another album!

NBA Playoffs Down to Four

I have been following the NBA playoffs, and I have to say that so far I'm pretty pleased with the results.  However, I am a bit dismayed that key star players have missed out, no doubt skewing the results.  After all, I was all enthusiastic about rooting for the Lakers this year, what with Steve Nash joining the team and all.  But Nash was injured for much of the year and Kobe Bryant likewise got hurt, just at the very end.  Still, I like the four remaining teams, most of all the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. If these two, generally regarded as slight favorites to win their current conference series against Indiana and Memphis respectively, prevail and meet each other for the championship round, then I'll have a problem deciding who to pull for.  But that would be a pleasant problem to have...

Health Snags Recently

I am right now in the middle of some health woes.  One is the right foot problem, probably plantar fasciitis, that I had mentioned earlier.  My plan now is to just avoiding stressing that foot and resume training after it has completely healed.  Otherwise, I'm afraid I'm going to be repeatedly reinjuring the tear(s) in that heel.  Also, a couple of days ago I came down with a rather severe viral cold, which even necessitated me missing work (something I very rarely do).  So now I'm feeling pretty doggone crappy and look forward to brighter days ahead of me...

NBA Playoffs Getting Further Along

Now that the NBA professional basketball playoffs are getting closer to the end this year, that means that the almost daily opportunity to view games on TV is also getting closer to the end.  Right now, the only series we have left to follow is the Indiana-New York one, with game #6 on tonight.  If the Pacers pull that one out, then it's the divisional finals starting Sunday with San Antonio matched up against Memphis in the West.  So if the TV/NBA schedulers are smart, they'll alternate East finals/West finals games so that there will usually be an evening game to watch.  But maybe I'm expecting too much common sense from them.

Once we get to the final championship series, I'll probably begin to switch to baseball as the primary sport to focus on.  Then again, I might just go back to watching more Netflix: I have a lot of Star Trek episodes and movies to catch up on!

True Conservatism a Good Thing

I feel that there is a compelling case for a conservative political outlook.  Unfortunately, whenever I tune in on the radio or television to conservative-leaning shows, I am almost instantly revolted by the disgusting vituperative, hateful tone of the host and guests.  I remember watching William F. Buckley time after time years ago as he adroitly promoted his conservative belief system on his popular PBS show Firing Line.  He didn't demonize his ideological opponents; on the contrary, many of them were his friends, some being repeat guests on his show.  Nowadays, though, conservative-based shows remind me more of a circle of kids at a bus stop, with the chief bully insulting an unpopular boy or girl and the other toadies piling on, truth rarely ever being expressed, much less respectful and constructive criticism.  Rusty Humphrey, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Ted Nugent, John Gibson, Neil Boortz (who supposedly retired but keeps resurfacing)...these people and others repel me by their hateful, derisive tone. And that's not including my own hometown's locally-produced variety, one of whom has just recently (and regrettably) been elected mayor of my city.  God help us.  To be sure, the political left has its bomb-throwers as well...Bill Maher and Keith Olbermann come to mind.  But the overwhelming trend with this ugliness is to the right...

The government should be careful about spending the money it forces from taxpayers.  I agree with that essentially conservative notion, but the above-mentioned hacks selectively apply this principle only to Democrats while allowing Republican politicians to run up the tab with impunity whenever they are in power.  I also believe in the conservative idea of a strong national defense, wisely and cautiously employed in necessary situations. Ironically, though, it was the previous "conservative" administration that bogged us down in a pointless conflict in Iraq that overstretched our national defenses, wrecked our national budget, and brought death and horrible injury to thousands of our finest and bravest young people with very little in the way of a positive return for their sacrifices. And I believe that our court system should respect precedent in making their decisions instead of legislating from the bench, a charge that conservatives in the media and politics often level at "liberal" judges.  Yet the current recent crop of Supreme Court justices appointed by the last three GOP presidents are more committed to changing the law in order to promote their right-wing ideological views than they are about making sure the law is properly followed as it was written and according to the Constitution. 

So sure, conservatism sounds good to me, at least in theory.  The terrible irony is that I am seeing more of it being practiced by the Democrats than by the Republicans, who so loudly claim it for themselves...

Miles-Equivalent Cross Training

I have been quite an avid runner during the past six years.  It's an old activity from my youth, interrupted for the most part by three decades (although in 1998 I did revive running for about a three-month period).  In 2007 I began to run short distances at a fast clip on my local YMCA's treadmill but began to tire of it, wanting to get to longer distances (and eventually a race or two...or more).  So I began to venture out on the road, increasing my distance and endurance to the point where I have run the marathon and now pretty much specialize in half-marathon races.  But unfortunately, lately my right foot has been bothering me and I've felt the need to lay off the running for a brief season.  This doesn't keep me from engaging in other activities, though, in an attempt to maintain my general level of fitness while recovering.  My problem is that it's hard to put numerical values on them that are comparable to the running mileage standard I've grown so accustomed to.  But I've come up with my own personal solution that should work for me (and not necessarily for you or anyone else).

My concept (which others have in all likelihood developed independently) is something I call "miles-equivalent cross-training", or MECT.  I  take different activities and assign them MECT "miles" based on the criteria I assign to them.  Here are a few:

--Bicycle riding-while keeping myself honest and riding at a brisk pace, I take my total riding time and multiple by a factor of .06 to get the MECT mileage.  For example, earlier this afternoon I biked for 63 minutes.  My MECT miles are thus 63 x .06 = 3.76 miles.  That seems about right for me.

--On the elliptical cross-trainer machine at my local gym, I also multiply total time times .06, while making sure I am putting out an honest effort.  The other day I worked out on it for 15 minutes.  That translates into 15 x .06 = .9 miles.

--I haven't used my gym's indoor swimming pool, but I already have a formula in place.  Each 25 m lap I cross I assign .1 MECT miles.  And it doesn't matter how I do it, whether by swimming any style, paddling, or even just walking across.

--I own a nifty little portable step exercise machine that puts out a strenuous workout.  I simply multiply minutes time .1.  Yesterday I was on it for 30 minutes, meaning I get credit for 3 miles.  And it felt like it, too!

--I have a push lawn mower, not one of those self-propelled types.  When I mow the front yard, I give myself 1 MECT mile.  The back yard is a lot larger, so I get 2 miles for doing that.

By assigning equivalence miles for alternate activities to running, I hope to help myself cope better with my temporary withdrawal from it.  But even upon recovery, I know I need to intersperse some of these other activities in between my running days so that future injuries are less likely to happen...

Elliptical Cross-Trainer My Alternative Choice for Training

On Monday evening, I went down to the local gym of which I'm a member.  For the first time in quite a long time, though, I didn't go there to run on the treadmill: I'm taking a break from that activity to give my right foot a chance to heal up.  Instead, I tried out one of their elliptical cross-trainer machines, which I worked out on for ten minutes at "level five".  For the first six or seven minutes on it, I used the wide handlebars that allowed me to work out my upper body.  Mistake.  I haven't done that in well over a year, and I now have some soreness up there because of that.  But at least I had enough presence of mind to realize at the end of my short workout that I could just hold on to the machine's stationary central handle that focused the workout on my legs.  From now on I'll be doing that: I get enough of an upper-body workout at my paid job, anyway.

My foot already feels better after just a couple of days of not running on it, and I'll be going back to the gym tonight to use their elliptical machine (without the upper-body workout).  As far as the idea of using their swimming pool is concerned, the time of day that I go there, with my new work schedule, puts me when the pool tends to be crowded.  Using the cross-trainer is instead much closer to the old treadmill routine.  I can even watch the NBA playoffs or Univision on the TV while I train!

My Daily Running Streak Ends at 370

After yesterday's pleasant 4.51 mile run around my neighborhood (relatively low temperature and humidity for this time of year), I decided to deliberately end my personal record streak of consecutive running days at 370.  I had been thinking of doing this earlier, but wanted to get past that one-year mark first.  Today I'll be taking my first break in a long time from running.  I have been feeling a recurring ache in my right foot anyway, and I think that just giving it a rest for a few days will be helpful.  Also, I  ordered some new running shoes online (I prefer the Reebok brand) and should get them in about a week.  When I go back "on the road", I'll have some better supporting footwear.  In the meantime, I'm thinking of going back to the swimming pool to do laps, for the first time as a matter of fact since August of 2011.  The gym I'm a member of has a nice indoor pool but I never got around to using it.  Now's a good opportunity!

When I go back to running, I plan to run for longer distances at a time and take more breaks throughout the week.  And running twice a day, which I had been doing a lot of during the past few months, is not a good idea.  So in essence I'll be returning to the training pattern I used back in 2010 when I built up my endurance for the marathon.  But I think I'll just stick to half-marathons, just the same...

Writing Sparse, Hope to Write More

I still haven't given up on this blog, although the entries have recently been few and far between.  I'm thinking of doing different things on it, transforming it into a different kind of blog.  But right now, I am distracted by other things in my life, and writing has been put on the back burner.  I have to review this blog's archives to see the topics I used to write freely about, and then see if I can continue along the same lines.  Unfortunately, about politics I am completely spent and discouraged; perhaps I can write an article or two explaining why I am coming to believe that our political leaders have betrayed us, the people, with their polarizing partisanship and their kowtowing to media ideologues/hacks.  Well, there are plenty of other areas about which I can write, but I need to get myself back into the right frame of mind for this.  Keep checking in on me!

My April 2013 Running Report

With the close of April comes a personal milestone in my running, albeit one that I probably won't be repeating.  I have now gone an entire year...365 days...of daily running, with no gaps.  It's an accomplishment, to be sure, but then again I'm not sure that continuing this is in my best interests.  After all, the body sometimes needs a chance to recover from the stress of workouts.  So starting in May, I plan to go back to having rest days from my running.  To compensate for that, I may be trying out running for longer distances at a time.  This past month has seen my runs cap at a relatively low distance for me, the longest run being for a mere 5.5 miles.  My total mileage for April was 120.69 miles, continuing a deliberate decline as the Florida weather heats up in the spring.  On many days I ran twice, one usually around my neighborhood and the other later on at the gym on the treadmill.

I'm thinking of taking off a week or two from running, as I have developed some aches in my right foot.  Maybe I'll replace running during that period with another activity like swimming or biking.  Or maybe I'll just give the whole body a little break time!

Too Many NBA Injuries

It is getting to be pretty discouraging, following the National Basketball Association playoffs this year. Before the the playoffs even began, some of the contending teams had lost key players due to injury.  The Chicago Bulls were missing star guard Derrick Rose for the whole season, and although the doctors have cleared him to play now, he refuses, believing that he his knee isn't completely healed yet.  Another Bulls standout, Joakim Noah, was also out but is gamely playing so far in the playoffs through his foot injury.  The Boston Celtics have had their own trouble with guard Rajon Rondo out with an injury.  Likewise is the case with the Los Angeles Lakers and their legendary Kobe Bryant, who tore his Achilles tendon near the close of the regular season.  Besides Bryant, Laker Steve Nash, although back in the active lineup, is obviously not at full strength after he had been out with an injury.  But wait...he's out again! The Golden State Warriors also find themselves in the playoffs without their star performer, David Lee.  Jeremy Lin of the Houston Rockets is out, although he's pushing to be able to play the next game. And now we come to Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that could have very well won the championship this year.  But not now, as he, too, is out with a season-ending injury, this one to his knee.  Although I had generally rooted against the Thunder, I was fascinated by their one-two offensive punch of Westbrook and Kevin Durant.  And now it's gone. Could they still win it all?  I suppose, but only if other teams lose their key players as well.

Last year, late one game early in the playoffs, Miami Heat's Lebron James, the backbone of the franchise, suddenly erupted in serious pain while grabbing one of his legs.  He hobbled out the court in the closing minutes, just long enough to pull his team to victory in a tight contest.  Afterward, to my relief, it turned out only to be a leg cramp.  But still, what if the something more serious happens to him, something like what happened to Bryant, Rondo, or Westbrook?

When I watch the NBA playoffs, I naturally want my team to win.  But I also want to see all the great stars playing at full strength.  It is very dismaying to me to see the prevalence of terrible injuries sideling these players.  To me, this seems to be an almost epidemic phenomenon.  Sure, players got injured in the past, but not like this. I wonder what's going on here...

Medical Examination Good Results, Running Continues

I just went through some serious medical examinations today, along with a consultation with my physician/specialist/surgeon, concerning a condition I had been diagnosed with since October of 2011, but actually with which I had been afflicted with since birth.  The results of these examinations are that I am continuing in my relatively good health, with no change in instructions for me until the next one, to be scheduled a year from now.  This is very good news!  So the running continues, although lately I have been experiencing some aches in my right foot that I have to continue to monitor.  The funny thing is that I don't experience any problems while running...only when sitting or walking. 

I'm still on a projection to attain 100 miles this month and am only a week away from having run every single day for a whole year.  This is now within sight of attainment.  I just might take a break afterward, though, just to give that foot a better chance of recovery (although I don't exactly believe that running was the cause of the problem)...

Still Here

Just a note to let you know that I'm still here on this blog...

Heat Shine, Lakers in Doubt for Playoffs

At the beginning of this year's edition of the National Basketball Association season, I was fully prepared to sit back and relax, enjoying while two teams I had formerly disliked, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, made easy runs through the regular season and then breezed through the playoffs, with the expected culmination being an unforgettable championship series against each other.  Uh, well, something else instead happened.

The Miami Heat, a "super" team composed of great players like Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen, and Chris Bosh, did indeed fly through their regular season and will finish with the league's best record.  They also enjoyed a phenomenal 27-game winning streak at one point.  Being the NBA's defending champion, other franchises sought out ways to compose their own unstoppable "super teams", chief among them the Lakers.  During the off-season they signed my favorite player, Steve Nash, from the Phoenix Suns as well as Dwight Howard, who left the Orlando Magic.  With standouts like Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, winning the Western Conference seemed like a sure bet.  But a combination of injuries that kept circulating through the team and poor coordination between the superstars (especially with Howard) caused them to falter badly in the first half of the season.  To their credit, they rebounded and are actually at this writing in a position to inch into the playoffs as a conference eighth (and last) seed.  But Nash is still out with another injury, another starter Metta World Peace is out for the season injured, and, dammit, now it looks as if Bryant is out.  Unbelievable.  Well, if after all this they still make the playoffs, that will be a minor miracle in itself.  But I don't expect them to go very far.

If the Los Angeles Lakers don't make it, there are still plenty of teams for me to root for.  The "sleeper" team that could win the conference title (but would still most likely to lose to Miami) is the very, very fast Denver Nuggets.  We'll just have to see, should be exciting to watch these playoffs...

Visit to Cedar Key

Yesterday Melissa and I drove out to Cedar Key (about 60 miles from our home), had dinner, and then walked around the place a bit around twilight.  The place we ate at was Tony's, which boasts of being a "world champion" something-or-other, but which I'm satisfied describing as a pleasant seafood restaurant.  The dining room was cramped and small, but the food was fresh, well-prepared, and delicious.  I recommend it to others.  Afterwards, we strolled around the fishing area overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and then made our way, as the night fell, down the strip of restaurants composing this small town's "night life".  We stopped at a place (downstairs from a well-lit restaurant called "Steamers") for some ice cream, and I peered at the TV inside another (ignoring the live singer/guitarist there) at the close of the NCAA Final Four game between Louisville and Wichita State. Melissa, on the other hand, enjoyed the musical performance.

Other than have a seafood dinner there, we didn't have any special agenda for our visit other than just enjoying the ambiance and each other's company.  A very, very, pleasant experience.  Here are some sometimes blurred photos I took there...

NCAA Final Four Men's Hoops Start Tomorrow

Tomorrow the NCAA men's basketball tournament will feature the first Final Four round.  Heavily favored Louisville faces off against upstart Wichita State while, in a more evenly paired up contest, Michigan squares off against Syracuse.  I am rooting for Louisville to win it all, so although that game may not be all that close, it should be fun to watch the Cardinals, with their standout guards Russ Smith and Peyton Siva demonstrating why they will be the clear favorite to win the championship game on Monday.  As for their opponent (I know, Louisville has to first get by Wichita State, but...c'mon!), although I have no clear preference between Michigan and Syracuse, that game should prove to be close and exciting.  In any event, I like the Final Four field, even though the Florida Gators just missed out on it, and for the third year in a row...

Public Service Announcement About Stroke

There is a very compelling, stirring public service announcement on the radio about the dangers of stroke, and how it disproportionately affects the African-American population.  As a matter of fact, as the announcement reports, it affects this demographic group at twice the rate of the general population.  So there is a very legitimate concern here that needs addressing.  And the way the announcement was produced, with a speech-impaired stroke victim describing his plight, made a big impact on me.  Yes, this was one of the best-done PSAs I've heard.  But I have a qualm with one claim made on it.

The announcer, immediately following the stroke victim's words, stated that the odds were that he was black, since this affliction affects that group at twice the rate, as I have stated.  But wait, blacks are only 13% of the general population, so at even only half the stroke rate of the African-Americans, the "others" with strokes would still easily outnumber them.  So the odds WOULDN'T be that the stroke victim was black.  But the point that WAS validly being pressed was that, if you belong to this high-risk group, then you need to be especially careful about both getting medical screens to detect any stroke warning signs as well as engage in a more healthful lifestyle.  But then again, this applies to EVERYONE, not just one group with a higher prevalence of stroke...

Struggle with New Work Hours

I am about halfway through my fourth week at my new work shift, which has me essentially working (11pm-7:30 am) when I used to be in bed sleeping.  Now I get off from work, go home, and sleep for the late morning and early afternoon.  It doesn't feel right, with this change, but I didn't think it would...at least for a while.  All I can do right now is focus on seizing each moment as it comes and making deliberate choices that foster good habits of time management.  Two things I am doing:  (1) blocking out specific times for specific activities, and (2) making a daily "shopping list" of things to do, crossing out items as I accomplish them.  Still, I tend to find days going by without me achieving what I had planned.  It is a struggle right now, but the main thing is for me to press forward, have a positive attitude, and keep my focus.

Bohannon Refutes Ideological Guest

I was at work on my graveyard shift last night, which gave me some opportunities on late-night talk radio listening that I formerly wouldn't have availed myself of.  One show, Jim Bohannon, was on and he had as a guest a Republican anti-union businessman.  I mean, this dude was REALLY anti-union, above all else.  Bohannon, for his part, went along with his guest's rants, not necessarily agreeing with them...but I sensed that they both had a similar political philosophy during the interview.  Until something happened that brought me new-found respect for Mr. Bohannon.

The GOP losers in last year's elections have put out just about any reason they could as to why they lost...especially Mitt Romney to Barack Obama in the presidential contest.  Any reason, that is, except the obvious one: the American people rejected the Republicans' ideas in favor of the Democrats.  This show's guest was naturally also in denial.  He claimed that Obama won not just because they had a better "ground game" on election day.  The oh-so-evil labor unions were apparently intimidating voters to vote Democrat.  When Bohannon pressed him on this, he gave an example of a woman who was given a ride to the polling station by local union workers and given a sheet of paper describing how they thought she ought to vote.  After the election, this woman publicly came out and claimed to feel intimidated by the union's actions. So what, Bohannon posited: she could still vote any way she wanted after getting into the voting booth.  As a matter of fact, he continued, anyone who really felt pressured in a negative way like that would be more likely to vote AGAINST the prescribed ballot handed to them...and how would anyone really know for sure how they voted anyway.  The biased, union-hating guest said no, that didn't apply here...but couldn't refute Bohannon's argument.  In closing, Jim Bohannon laid out the closing kick to his argument.  How could this woman, who supposedly "felt" intimidated by imagined reprisals from the union if she voted wrong, then boldly go public in the media about it?  No answer from the guest.

From this point in the interview, it became apparent that this guest and Jim Bohannon had diverged.  Not in the sense of their similar general outlook, but rather in the sense that the latter was fair and reasonable about analyzing things while the former was completely ideology-driven.

Sadly, too many folks in the media don't practice the common-sense, decent type of fair, reasoned analysis of the news that typify Jim Bohannon's approach.  He truly does stand out alone in this respect, at least on the radio.  Find me someone else like this in this medium, I challenge you. I often disagree with Bohannon, and sometimes he is rude to callers.  But he does operate with a clear mind and doesn't seem a slave to an ideology.  How refreshing...