December 2008 Archives

This is a belated posting on Monday's run.

8-plus miles around Bellefonte. Three tours around town. Down Wiltshire to Jacksonville. Jacksonville becomes Howard stayed on through Spring St. Turned left at the "T "where the Presbyteriam Church is and went up Spring to Bishop St. Turned left onto Bishiop and ran it all the way up to McAllister. Made a left at McAllister and went down to Howard. Repeated the loop a second time them turned right onto Howard and continued on to Jacksonville. Made a left onto Wiltshire and took the hill up to home.

Needed a break after a morning of workk preparing for my plenary address at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia next Thursday, Jan. 8.

The weather was warm for December. Upper 30s-low 40s. No need for wind screen today. Saw the Bixler's at the corner of Bishop & McAllister on my second loop. Took a tub afterward then back to work prepping for my consulting gig at USiP next week.

Borrowed Sue's Shuffle. Playlist (repeated multiple times):
A Belinda Carlisle song (no idea of title but a god beat for running)
Time Capsule - Matthew Sweet
Long Tall Glasses - Leo Sayer
Into the Old Man's Shoe's - Elton John
Born to Run - Springsteen

"At thirty, a man suspects himself a fool;
Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan;
At fifty chides his infamous delay,
Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve;
In all the magnanimity of thought
Resolves, and re-resolves; then dies the same."
                             -Edward Young, Night Thoughts

For years I sat down on New Years Eve and penned resolutions on my personal note paper. I'd seal them in an envelope and mail it to myself. I'd keep my sealed list in a box not to be opened until the end of the year at which time I'd tally up the score. Doing this I found I kept most of them. I fell out of the habit the last few years but decided to have another go this year. I don't want to die the same.

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"dedicated to babs

     with babs knows what

     and babs knows why"
--Don Marquis.

Running is my babs. I had to run this morning because I did not run the past two days. When I go that long I just don't feel right. My family always shake their heads in disbelief when they talk about my dedication to running. When they ask my why I'm so dedicated I can only shrug my shoulders in reply. Truth is. I don't really know why I have to run. I just know I do. That's what this blog is all about. My attempt to figure out why it is I must run. It may just be for running's sake. Who knows?

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5-plus miles around Bellefonte. Down Wiltshire to Jacksonville. Jacksonville becomes Howard stayed on through Spring St. Turned left at the "T "where the Presbyteriam Church is and went up Spring to Bishop St. Turned left onto Bishiop and ran it all the way up to McAllister. Made a left at McAllister and went down to Howard. Repeated the loop a second time them turned right onto Howard and continued on to Jacksonville. Made a left onto Wiltshire and took the hill up to home.

The weather was good for a run. Just a bit above freezing but no wind. Nice and still morning with not  lt of traffic. Made sure to put on the Kieh's SPS windscreen. Worked great.

No music today. Bit of a headache from the merry making last night. Good time playing Wii bowling with everybody. Sinus still crusty and raw but on the upside. No music.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year." --Ebeneezer Scrooge, Dickens, A Christmas Carol.

Of course I knew the story growing up but I never read the book until it was assigned during my freshman year in high school. Th Alistair Sim portrayal is my favorite but I also like the Patrick Stewart version as well. As a devout agnostic I believe in the spirit of this sentiment. It is all about peace on earth and good will toward men. This appeals to the humanist in me.

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Treadmill: 4 miles; 7:53 per mile.

Seated Chest Press. 3 sets of 12 reps (75-80-75).

Combination Row 125 lbs. 2 sets (12/12).

Running Playlist:
Crippled Inside - John Lennon
Passenger Side - Jeff Tweedy
Turn On Your Radio - Harry Nilsson
Tunnel of Love - Dire Straits
Hey Ninteeen - Steely Dan
Listen Like Thieves - INXS
Rock It (Prime Jive) - Queen
One After 909 - Beatles

Sluggish today. I've been using one pair of running sneakers since October and I've noticed an impact on my ability to run well on consecutive days. Also, I generally use Mizuno Wave Riders but this pair is a Mizuno Wave Nexus 2. The difference is that the Wave Rider is a top of the line in the neutral category (equal balance and support) where the Nexus 2 is a mid-level support shoe. You can fell the difference in how the Nexus 2 locks in your heel. I'm not sure if it is affecting my gait and unnecessarily tiring my legs. I wore these in Philly and set a PR so I'm not sure. Either way I need to get a second pair of shoes soon.

"Thy necessity is greater than mine" --Sir Phillip Sydney. Said on the battlefield when giving his water bottle to a dying man.

This quote speaks to my feeling a sense of being part of something greater. For years I struggled to blog feeling I had nothing worth saying. As a result, I was also an end point when it came to reading the blogs of others. When it finally hit me the power of blogging was in the ability to share information. Instead of just consuming information I could pass it along to others who'd benefit. I could help put people in contact with one another by sharing what they wrote about. When I understood that my ability to write returned.

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I originally found this on the Huffington Post. In 1967 1968 a bunch of designers were asked to imagine what fashion would be like in the future. This clip is from Mort Garson. I love how he captured the sense of spiritual and emotional isolationism that many predicted a sanitized and homoginized society would bring. Think dystopia. It's sort of a fashion design view of Brave New World or Farenheight 451. The music is also quite ominous.

Treadmill: 5.25 miles; 7:53 per mile. Purposely took it slow.

Standing Bi-curls 30lbs. 2 sets (11-11-10).

Kneeling Tri-extensions 27.5 lbs. 3 sets (11/11).

Running Playlist:

Tunnel of Love - Dire Straits
Hey Ninteeen - Steely Dan
Listen Like Thieves - INXS
Rock It (Prime Jive) - Queen
One After 909 - Beatles
Crippled Inside - John Lennon
Passenger Side - Jeff Tweedy
Turn On Your Radio - Harry Nilsson

I resorted to using my disc man, the one with the headphones that cut out. I'd been running for awhile with no music since I fried my iPod running in the rain the beginning of October. I may have to break down and get a nano.

"The style is the man himself" --George Louis Leclerc de Buffon, Discourse (on his admission to the academy, 1753).

I like this quote because it speaks to a man's style coming from within. The outward appearance and his actions are the result of what a man believes, how he thinks of himself, of others, and the situation he's in. Itspeaks to the true meaning of style: that it is based on substance. A man's appearance is the result of who he is.

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The Outdoor Chums in the Big Woods was the seventh book in an eight book series. The series focuses on four boys who live in a small town bordering woods and a lake. Naturally, the love camping, hunting, fishing, and canoeing. They also enjoy photography and motor bikes. They travel a lot. You get the feeling their families are well off and have adventures wherever they go.
This book, published in 1915, features begins with a snowball fight instigating by a rival group and culminates with a hunting trip where they come up against a band of rival hunters.



I've had this book since about 1980. It was given to me by my Great Uncle George, Michael's brother, while I was helping him clean out his mother's house after she passed. I never met Uncle Mike. He passed before I was born but I always felt a link to him through this book. I've read it countless times and it always comes with me where ever I live. He must have received this book as a Christmas present in 1937 judging by his stamp.

 

"Ice is the silent language of the peak; and fire the silent language of the star." --Conrad Aiken, And in the Human Heart.

It is still early enough in the season for snow and ice to make me feel philosophical as opposed to depressed.

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