Nov 10-15: Running, Swimming, Reading, Scouting, And Shoe Goo

I spent most of the week in San Francisco. I was worried about the 5-6 pounds I have lost over the last 5-6 months, but I found them in California. It is a sign that I have a harder time eating right on the road. I also had fewer workouts. You can tell that conferences are not organized by people that believe that daily exercise is a significant part of EVERY day. Well, at least not enough exercise to help me work up to my 70.3 Triathlon. I am planning on doing Augusta's 70.3 on September 26, 2010. It looks like Team in Training here in Birmingham may be taking a team to this event. If so, I expect I will sign up with them. I have met the coach and know several of the other people that will likely be going. And, it will help get money to help with finding cures for Leukemia and Lymphoma. A good deal all the way around.

I did, however, learn a lot about the Blackberry especially from a development perspective. There is a lot more to the Blackberry than I thought. I saw examples (e.g., 7Digital) of applications that really rock. I am excited about the opportunities for learning and doing more in this regard. I also finished a very simple, but finished an application for the iPhone while I was there. So, flexing my technical muscle and enjoying it. I love learning.

I have started reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougal. I keep hearing that others in the running community are reading and commenting accordingly. So, my curiosity got piqued. I like the start of the book. Now, to see if I find enough time to make a dent. Should be an easy read.

My Brook's Beast running shoes have started wearing down on the left heel. In fact, they have been wearing through the first rubber layer in less than 200 miles! I wear an ankle brace on that foot. I have been wearing the Brook Beast for years. But, I know this shoe has more miles of service remaining. So, I am using shoe goo to extend the life. I just can't fathom changing shoes every 175 miles. I think it is going to work. I have had 1 run on the shoe shown here (after applying the goo).


John's Tiger Cub troop visit Hoover Fire Station # 8. They had a great time and John got to put on a firemen's suit:

Podcast Listening

Fitness Rocks

• Corn and Your Health: an Interview with Filmmaker Ian Cheney

Phedippidations

• Fdip212: Four Hour Marathon Part 1: Why?

Cranky Geeks

• Episode 192: Bloggers vs. Journalists, Skype Founders Are Back, T-Mobile Users Reeled After Outage, and more... 

This American Life

• 394: Bait and Switch

Exercise Data

 

November 15, 2009: Birmingham, AL Brownell - Shades Creek Greenway - Crestline Running
Distance:	15 Miles
Time:	2:23:17
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:33
Weather:	Clear Temperature-42° Humidity-92%
Route

November 13, 2009: Birmingham, AL Neighborhood Running
Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	28:38
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:32
Weather:	Clear Temperature-61° Humidity-56%
YMCA, Birmingham, AL Swim
Distance:	1000 Yards
Workout:	4 X 50 yards even laps-sprint odd laps-smooth, work on stroke 200 yards kick, with or without board 200 yards free, easy! 4 X 50 yards even laps-work on arms, odd laps-work on legs 100 yards sprint 100 yards easy

 

November 12, 2009: San Francisco, CA Handlery - Fisherman's Wharf Running
Distance:	6 Miles
Time:	52:01
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	8:40
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-52° Humidity-74%
Route

November 11, 2009: San Francisco, CA Handlery - Fisherman's Wharf Running
Distance:	10 Miles
Time:	1:29:25
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	8:55
Weather:	Overcast Temperature-54° Humidity-86%
Route

November 10, 2009: San Francisco, CA Handlery - Fisherman's Wharf Running
Distance:	6.11 Miles
Time:	54:32
Heart Rate:	149
Pace:	8:59
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-54° Humidity-80%
Route

Apr 20-May 3, 2008: 9 Runs in 2 Countries

I kept up with the Daily Source Code, caught up with This American Life, and Phedippidations. Adam Curry keeps going on, show after show, about how everyone gets the government they deserve. Because, after all, no matter where you live you can protest and act. It matters not where as long as you are willing to sacrifice. Blah, blah, blah. It is an interesting conversation and I enjoy listening to the variety of viewpoints. But, it strikes me that Adam is another millionaire telling poorer people to be prepared to die for his mission. OK, he is not really going that far, but it seems to me that he is logically very close.

I have been very busy. Thus, the long time since the last blog. I did finish The God Delusion. A good book and it does make you think. You may need to be careful where you talk about it though. It came up a few times over dinner with some folks I work with. Several had read it. Some of the group made comments that a religious person might find distasteful. And at one point, one person said "I think I should tell you I am religious...." Richard would likely treat this with less accommodation, but this group shut down the conversation. Sex, religion, and politics eh!

Data

05/03/2008: 3 Miles in the Gym in Birmingham, AL

Distance:	3 Miles (estimated)
Time:	27:00
Heart Rate:	153
Pace:	9:00
Weather:	Raining outside

05/02/2008: Barcelona, Spain

Distance:	3.2 Miles
Time:	26:35
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	8:18
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-52° Humidity-67%
Route

04/30/2008: Barcelona, Spain

Distance:	6.04 Miles
Time:	55:34
Heart Rate:	145
Pace:	9:11
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-59° Humidity-88%
Route

04/29/2008: Barcelona, Spain

Distance:	3.06 Miles
Time:	27:31
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	8:59
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-55° Humidity-82%
Route

04/26/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	11.13 Miles
Time:	1:43:13
Heart Rate:	147
Pace:	9:16
Weather:	Cloudy Temperature-64° Humidity-88%

04/24/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	6 Miles
Time:	57:00
Heart Rate:	148
Pace:	9:30
Weather:	Partly cloudy Temperature-78° Humidity-44%

04/23/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	5 Miles
Time:	46:45
Heart Rate:	140
Pace:	9:20
Weather:	Clear Temperature-65° Humidity-56%

04/22/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	27:27
Heart Rate:	143
Pace:	9:09
Weather:	Clear Temperature-54° Humidity-44%

04/20/2008: Neighborhood

Distance:	3 Miles
Time:	31:44
Heart Rate:	136
Pace:	10:34
Weather:	Clear Temperature-49° Humidity-86%
I pushed my 5 year old in a stroller, thus the longer time. Yes, I felt compelled to point that out!

Feb 17-24, 2008: 5 Runs in Playa Del Carmen, MX & Birmingham, AL: 3, 3, 6, 3 & 8.5 Miles

I have not kept up with the Daily Source Code, This American Life, and Phedippidations. But, I did hear the episode where Steve indicated that he will no longer be committed to weekly podcasts. Sounds like he has sort of burned out on put out so many which requires a significant time and financial investment on his part. I certainly understand, but will definitely miss the weekly shows.

I have been on vacation in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. What a blast! We snorkled in a cenote that led into a cave. It was totally awesome. We swam with sea turtles. We almost rented scooters for a day on Cozumel. Well, we did until one of our group wrecked with 1/2 block of the rental place. They simply switched us to jeeps and we were off again. My wife didn't want to do scooters in the first place and all of the other women lost their nerve after seeing the wreck. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the guy that crashed lost nearly $800 to cover damages. Hint: buy the insurance. Better yet, don't rent scooters! We also visited Chichén Itzá. This place was awesome and huge. What a walk through history and majesty. I will be posting the pictures to flickr later and will post a link on this blog when I am done.

I ran several times in Playa Del Carmen as indicated below. It was nice to run in shorts and no shirt in nice warm weather. Today's run was steady and felt great despite the cool temperature. I rode with Prince and say the usual lot at Brownell. The Timex Time & Distance watch died again. So, I think it is simply time to upgrade. Nearly all of the runs in Playa Del Carmen are based on my initial run where I got a measure of a 3.4 mile loop. The run listed as 4 miles is due to my missing a turn and running a bit further. I estimated the distance to 4 miles for this run.

I finished reading Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, by Tim Weiner. It was a interesting read that consisted predominantly of Tim Weiner whining (pun intended) about the incompetence of the CIA. But, the read was good and it offered a very interesting perspective on America history for the last 60 years or so. I especially liked the insight it provided into the policy and personalities of the presidents during these years. Good reading.

Data

02/24/2008: Shades Creek

Distance:	8.5 Miles
Time:	1:15:07
Heart Rate:	153
Pace:	8:50
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-38° Humidity-82%
Route

02/23/2008: Playa Del Carmen

Distance:	3.4 Miles
Time:	32:00
Pace:	9:24
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-72° Humidity-88%

02/20/2008: Playa Del Carmen

Distance:	6.8 Miles
Time:	1:01:00
Pace:	8:58
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-72° Humidity-88%

02/19/2008: Playa Del Carmen

Distance:	4 Miles
Time:	38:00
Pace:	9:30
Weather:	Scattered clouds Temperature-68° Humidity-100%

02/17/2008: Playa Del Carmen

Distance:	3.4 Miles
Time:	31:00
Pace:	9:07
Weather:	Mostly cloudy Temperature-72° Humidity-94%

Finished Let It Be Morning

I finally finished this wonderful novel. I read Sayed's first novel as well. I assume that his writings represent a viewpoint that can only realistically be portrayed by someone who has experienced like in places like Gaza first hand. Further, he represents his protagonists as Arabs and from an Arab, all be it non-extremist, point of view. The stories are well written and quickly absorb one in the life's of those in the stories. I highly recommend his books.

Finished Seeds of Hate

Well, I finally finished this book. It was a slow, but interesting read. Lawrence painstakingly walks the reader through a large number of events in Lebanon that ultimately ended with the US's complete abandonment of the area. I found the book demonstrated the steadfastness of those many would call our enemies. My quest to understand the differences between the cultures that are predominantly Muslim and ours continues. This book did help provide insight into some of the historical precedents that continue to feed the fervor that we watch unfold in the middle east. A good read. I have started Let It Be Morning by Sayed Kashua. I loved his first book, Dancing Arabs, and look forward to this one too. I think reading his novels also helps me get a more intuitive understanding of the middle east and the psyche of those who live there.

Finished "Knowing the Enemy"

Mary started from the position that we should ask the Islamic extremists why they are doing what they are doing. Given this position, she demonstrated how one can take these explanations and see the historical threads that led to the conclusions used by the extremists. This made for a very interesting analysis and reading. I find Mary's description of today's events and the history that led to them compelling and convincing. The extremists believe that they are on a path that is blessed by Allah and as such readily dismiss our forms of government. Further, they have managed to find a message that resonates with many in the Islamic world. Mary concludes the book with some reasonable advice. First, rename the "war on terror" to something that makes it clear that the war is on those that have declared jihad on America. This is not war against a tactic. Second, we need to help change the shape of the governance over most of the Arab community where the current governments are corrupt and oppressive. This does not mean invade and turn them into little America's. It does mean helping to support any initiative that puts the people in control and moves toward democratization and undermine the ability of the Jihadists to just garner continuing support.

Book Update: Finished Podcast Solutions

I found the book very informative and the chatty style (not to be confused with lots of words) that created the allusion of a conversation with the authors was great. I have podcasting equipment on order and have improved the production quality of my podcasts that are hosted on an intranet as a result of reading this book. If you are interested in Podcasting , this is a great book.

The Dark Tower - Finally or No, Not Yet!

Stephen King has written the last of the Dark Tower series and I have been reading them as they have come out since the 1980's. What a long time! I thoroughly enjoyed the journey through the books. I have found it difficult to read other books of this type (read as Tolkien and such). Yet, I was attracted to this story and its main characters. It has been a great read.

First, I was excited to learn the last one was done. Finally, we get to the tower! Second, I was sad to think the journey was to end. Roland and his ka-tet traveled far, fought hard, and shared their souls.


Thanks for the trip, Stephen.