I began trying out the fasting trend last fall. Eventually, I settled on 24 hour fasts as the best for me. Noon to noon.
My goal is for two 24 hour fasts a week - typically Tuesday and Thursday, but sometimes Monday and Wednesday. During the week is the time to do it. Its too hard to do on the weekend. The reason why is not what I would have suspected. You see, eating food is a social experience and so fasting is that much harder to do when other people are around. The expectation is that you will eat with them, and it is very difficult not to do so. The actual fasting part (voluntary denial of food) for 24 hours is surprisingly not difficult. Once you have done it a few times it becomes much easier, especially after you determine the time when you will naturally feel hungry. Mine, like most, is in the evening.
I also added social media and news fasting to my routine. I, like many, spend way too much time on social media. My particular social media drug of choice is Twitter. Twitter makes it about as easy as possible to consume more "news" than anyone possibly can. So for 24 hours (sunup to sundown) I go on a social media and news fast to coincide with my food fast. Instead of being on Twitter or Facebook, I read. Instead of watching or listening to the news on the radio, I listen to a podcast, music, or watch a film.
I feel much better after fasting. Stomach is not bloated. Brain is not fried. I feel . . . refreshed.
I have been pretty slack on fasting this year so far - often don't do it at all or get in one day a week at best. I am going to really try to focus and be disciplined about it for the rest of the year and see what happens. Basically, a four month experiment. I will let you know how it terms out.
]]>Three months from the Kiawah Island Half Marathon. Already up to 11 miles. But they have not been easy.
Didn't do any base work at all this week - that makes for a rough Saturday.
Started at sunrise, but will have to get up earlier to beat the heat and run in the dark from here on out. At least until it cools down, which is November here in Florida. I did beat the rain though and got a pretty start. No complaints here.
I hate to say it but my wife has gotten me into watching the Gilmore Girls
8.1 on IMDB - not bad.
And I must admit, I kind of like it. Very girly, but pretty good.
Just watching the Sore and Boils Alley episode. Very sought after name.
yeah right.
]]>Tom Brady's Thumb . . . fully armed and operational
In the also category of things you don't see in Florida - temps in the 20's. Here in North Florida, it gets below freezing maybe a couple of times a yea, but never lasts more than a few days - tops. And rarely gets below 28 or so.
Woke up this am to this:
Here is something you don't see in Florida too often . . .snow.
Woke up this morning and saw this in my backyard at around 5:45. It didn't last and never stuck anywhere. But it was snow. Only the second time I have seen snow in my 20+ years of living in Florida.
The latest evidence on the Russian "hacking" of our election and country shows that the "hacks" are the journalists, not the Russians.
The U.S government's report on the Russian hacking has been largely debunked. In the last several days security companies have dug into the technical geeky material and said it proves nothing.
Ars Techinca's security correspondent stated that the "White House fails to make the case" that the Russian hackers interfered with the election. Similarly, Wordpress security site, WordFence, showed that the code used by the hackers, according to the U.S. government's own report, was Ukrainian in origin and freely available to anyone on the internet. Additionally, the IP addresses in the government report do not show Russian involvement.
Now to be clear, theses reports don't say the Russians were not involved, only that the purported proof the U.S. government provided is not really proof at all and doesn't show what it purports to show. The government could be holding back additional information, but the report they published is not convincing anyone that can understand it. But that has not stopped the media from going into hyperdrive.
Unlike the hilarious 1966 movie with Carl Reiner and Alan Arkin (Emergency! Everybody to get from street!), this hyperbole has real world consequences. Sanctions, diplomatic expulsions, and the result of the election had every journalist looking for Russians everywhere. And you shall find what you seek. The Washington Post, in particular, seems to be finding Russians under every rock, nook, and website. First, the Post claimed that Russian "fake news" was all over the internet, citing a previously unknown group, Prop or Not. Prop or not listed websites that it claimed were arms of the Russian propaganda services - basically any website that said anything good about Russia. These claims turned out to be false, and it appeared that the Post did not do any basic vetting of this group's claims prior to publishing its story. Of course, that was only after the story spread like wildfire all over the internet, Twitter, and Facebook.
Then, just this past week, the Post again published a story about Russian "hacking" of our electric grid. This would be very concerning - if it were true - but it is not. Again, the Post did not appear to do any basic vetting of this claim. They did not contact the Vermont utility in question before publishing the story. And it turns out that the computer which had the malware code on it was an independent workstation not connected to the electric grid. The headline and story were highly misleading. The Post later retracted it, stating that:
Too late. The story had already been published and republished by national, regional, and local outlets. After all, it was from the Washington Post, one of the country's most prestigious newspapers. A similar headline ran on the front page, Sunday edition, of my local newspaper, the Panama City News Herald. I actually contacted one of the News Herald's staffers on twitter after the Post published its retraction. They said they were aware and would publish a correction. They did the next day - in a tiny little box at the bottom of page 2. I doubt anyone even noticed it. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how incorrect stories and ideas spread: one false story and correction at a a time."An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Russian hackers had penetrated the U.S. electric grid. Authorities say there is no indication of that so far. The computer at Burlington Electric that was hacked was not attached to the grid."
After several years, I am switching the site to a new CMS. Going to try Joomla. I was getting tired of Wordpress and looking for something easier. Looked at the new blogging platform, Ghost. I started to switch over but found myself messing with javascript, node.js, and cloud server stuff. It was simply too technical for me.
I have been working on and off with Joomla for a few years now. I like it. It is just complex enough that it is challenging, but string enough to develop a legitimate website. So, I figured I would rather learn Joomla a little better and concentrate my knowledge in one flexible and effective CMS.
I am using Easyblog and a third party template. Let's see how it goes.
You will see some slow changes here, adding a analytic section, updating the styling, adding more information, making autopost to twitter. Its all rather exciting.
]]>Recently, I decided to go on a quest. Not a find the Ark of the Covenant kind of quest. I would rather not have my head explode. But the kind of quest that is difficult and challenging, but not impossible.
This very well take me the rest of my life. Probably the best case scenario is to run 2 marathons every Spring and 2 every Fall. That is four races a year. At that pace, it will only take me twelve and a half years to cover all the states. At my current age, that puts me in my 60's. So I would still be running 4 marathons a year into my 60s. And that is the best case scenario. If I cut back to 2 races, I will be still be running in my 70s. Well, a true quest is not supposed to be easy.
Chris Guillebeau writes a lot about quests on his blog and in his book, The Happiness of Pursuit. According to Chris, a quest is defined as:
- “A quest has a clear goals and a specific end point.”
- “A quest presents a clear challenge.”
- “A quest requires sacrifice of some kind.”
- “A quest is often driven by a calling or sense of mission.”
- “A quest requires a series of small steps and incremental progress toward the goal.”
I think running 50 half or full marathons all over the country should qualify. It does for me at least. And I am the only person that counts.
I must admit. I am not the first person to think of this. There is actually a website and club devoted to the 50 state half marathon challenge. I am not that motivated to join the club, going to try this on my own. But it seems motivational if you need some extra motivation to do something like this. I am doing this because I enjoy long slow running and after my Marine Corp Marathon quest completion last year, I could use something else to keep me running, motivated and in shape. Plus, it will have some travel benefits too.
So, here is to my quest. Announced here for the world to see. Best case scenario, 12-13 years. More than likely, much longer. But then that is the fun of it now, isn't it?
]]>For 2015, I am running in a race a month. I didn't decide to do this until last week, so we will just skip January. Maybe I can make it up with a double month sometime during the year.
The reason is simple. I need a little focus to keep me on the road. And a race is just what the doctored ordered for some focus. I don't plan on always running hard in these races, but once you are in a race, its hard to back off. It is still race after all.
Springtime won't be a problem here in North Florida; the weather is beautiful and the races are plentiful. The issue will be during the summer months. It is really hot here in the summer, and the races are few and far between. From my initial look, there is not one single race scheduled within 50 miles of my home in June, July, or August. I will find something, even if I have travel a little.
More to follow . . .
I just finished reading No Easy Day - The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen.
Why did I read it? Of course, like many Americans, I admire what the Navy Seals were able to do on that night. That kind of mission typifies everything that is admirable about the Seals. Excruciatingly planned, mission-focused, and prepared for every contingency. I wanted to read a first hand account of the mission in all its horrifying detail; not some press or movie hyped up propaganda. And from what I can tell, mission accomplished.
What did I like about it? Those that know me, know I still miss the Navy . . . occasionally. I suppose that after spending 4 years in school, then another 10 years or so in a squadron afterward, my brainwashing was complete. No doubt, I do miss the unit camaraderie, the sense of purpose, and the feeling of serving something bigger than yourself. This book has a lot of that. And it brought back many memories of hanging with the meatheads in my squadron. It explains, or at least describes, the warrior culture fairly well. It's about accomplishments and results, not excuses; adapting to circumstances, not complaining about them This is a message that is largely missing from our culture today. And I am glad that some still follow that creed.
What didn't I like about it? If you are looking for untold secrets of the operation or of special operations in general, this book will disappoint. The author seemed to make a special effort to make everything a first hand account, and no secrets were revealed. I knew most of the details of the operation before I read the book from other sources. This book didn't tell me anything new. It just helped fill in the gaps. It is also not a literary masterpiece. It is well-written, but in a straightforward, no nonsense style. There are not many big words and flowery language describing the author's feelings at any given time or what it is like to be in combat in Southwest Asia. Instead, the story is very matter of fact, and the cadence measured and steady. I actually appreciate that style, but others may not.
This is the first book I have read in my "Going Dark" campaign. I plan on taking a little time each day to shut off the computers, phones, and other electronic pacifiers in our lives and, instead, spend some time "in the dark," cut off from the electronic world, with only me and a book or a magazine. I want to enjoy reading for readings sake again. So far, so good. Next month, I plan on reading The Cloud Atlas, the book on which the new movie out now is based. It is supposed to be excellent, and will be my first fiction read in a long time. I tend to gravitate toward non-fiction. Wish me luck . . and see you for a book review in another 30 days.
Competed in the Running for the Bay 10K in Apalachicola on Sunday. It was a decent race, and I ran fairly well. Didnt quite hit my goal time, but I did set a new personal record for a 10K and finished 3rd in my age group. Not too bad, although I shouldn't be too excited about the new personal record. This is only my second official 10K.
It was an early start - 0715 Eastern time - pitch black on the walk to the starting line. Sun didn't break the horizon until about 30 minutes into the run. But it was cool and crisp for October in Florida. Pleasant running weather.
This race is my last tune up before my half marathon in 3 weeks. Going to do a 12 miler this weekend, then start tapering off until half marathon race day in early November. I used the Galloway run-walk-run method the whole way. It worked well. I felt like I still had energy in the tank at the finish. Even my wife said I looked a whole lot better crossing the finish line this year than my 10K last year. When I pressed, she said "Last year you like you were dying coming across the finish; this year not so much." So . . . at least I have that going for me :)
Here is a picture of the medal I got for finishing. Looks pretty good. I like the green.
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Running for the Bay 2012 - front
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Running For Bay 2012 - Back
Ran 10 miles today for the first time. It wasn’t easy.
I should be proud, but it wasn’t a great day. I didm give up tough. And I know better days are ahead.I ran 9 miles this morning, and in the words of the immortal Michael Stipe, I feel fine. Tried the Galloway method on the run and it was a big success. A little over and 11:30 pace, which is what I hope to do for the upcoming half. Basically, I ran a full mile longer than last week, but did it 15 minutes quicker. Burned over 1200 calories.
First run of October. Took it easy. A nice slow jog as the sun was setting over North Bay in Lynn Haven. It rained most of the day and sprinkled on me a bit. Kind of liked it. Also, it was pretty windy with a storm system coming in over the Gulf and heading to the northeast.
Looking back, I ran 52 miles in September. Not as good as August, but I also included a lot more cross training this month to save my legs. The longer runs this month (7 and 8 miles) were challenging - especially the 8 miler. I was really really slow and beat at the end of that one. I going to keep adding miles this month and distance, but will be putting the Galloway method to the test on the longer (5 miles plus) runs. I think that will be the only way to do this. My mantra of “No Walking” is no more. It should be “walking required, you idiot” instead.Ran my first 3 miles yesterday using Jeff Galloway’s Run-Walk-Run method. It was strange, all that starting and stopping. But, I will say, I ran my best time ver three miles this training cycle and felt better at the end too, So I will continue using it, at least for a while longer.
Last night, while nursing my sore legs, I realized that there has got to be a better way. So I started looking for alternative methods.
A friend of mine - quite an accomplished runner - had mentioned the run-walk-run method espoused by Jeff Galloway. I made a quick post on Facebook asking if anyone had used it successfully. And to my surprise, about 5 or 6 friends sounded off, almost all of them positive. I have never been a big fan of run-walk-run because I always have had a hard time starting to run again after walking. But Jeff’s programs seem to have shorter walk intervals. So base don the positive responses, I stopped by the book store this afternoon and bought a couple of Jeff’s books, including "Running Until You’re 100” for mature runners. I never though of myself as mature, but, man, do my legs hurt.
Running is so funny. I have been feeling great after runs of 5 miles, 3 miles, and 3 miles this week. I was looking forward to a long run this Sunday morning. Didn’t go anything like I expected. First, my legs were shot. I had plenty of aerobic capacity - really not even breathing that hard - but hips, knees and feet hurt. I didn’t have any zip, if you know what I mean. Then, my stomach started to be upset. Normally, you can fight through something like that, but when you are running for an hour and a half straight, things like that come up. So I had to fight through stomach pain and actually had to stop for a bit. Finally, my shoulders, back, and arms were hurting. Just not a fun morning.
Finished my 4th workout of the week. I have been mixing it up more - added stationary bike to the routine to save some of the wear and tear on my legs. Seems to be working. My last 2 runs of this week were my fastest of this training cycle.
Week’s stats:
So, I am all set up fro my long run on Saturday. I plan on doing 7 miles, which will be almost my longest run ever. I ran a little over 7 (about 7.25) a year ago getting ready for my first 10K.
Staty tuned.
Spent the weekend in Nashville watching the Tennessee Titians play the New England Patriots. Family guys days out. Chris and I met my Dad and brother - who came from Virginia - for the game. 
We had a great time. Had fabulous seats at the game. 2nd row, field level, about the 30 yard line. Lots and lots of Patriot fans at the game. Didn’t outnumber the Titian fans, but still a lot more than I would have thought. The people of Tennessee were polite and respectful, just what I would expect from southerners. They gave us a hard time about wearing Patriot gear, but in a nice way.
During the down time, we went to Corky’s for some BBQ, the Lane Motor Mueseum to see some cars and motorcycle, and ate at McCormick’s, an Irish pub.
I was reading a book the other day about goals and life plans. I was written by Brian Tracy. He said something that really struck me as odd, but true. He said:
Virtually all of us have four main goals in common. Theses are (1) to be fit, be healthy, and live a long life; (2) to do work we enjoy and be well paid for it; (3) to be in happy relationships with people we love and respect and who love and respect us in return; and (4) to achieve financial independence so we never have to worry about money again. Flight Plan, p.8 by Brian Tracy
Think about that. It is so true. Have you ever had a personal goal that didn't fit into one of those categories? Not I. I have been setting goals for years, and can honestly say that they all fit into one of the above. These appear to be human universal goals, or HUGs.
So, why is this important? Well, maybe it isn't. But, then again, maybe it is.
I think it shows that we are all more similar than we are different; that we all want the same things in life - mainly, health, wealth, love, and respect. Remember that the next time you are watching two talking heads screaming at each other on the TV over some ridiculous issue. We are all more similar than different. We all want the same things. Our HUGs give us away.
That is what I think. How about you?
Well. . . not exactly.
But, a recently long term study of exercise determined that moderate exercise, especially running, leads to lower death rates and better health. And you don't have to do a lot of running to live longer.
“We can say with certainty that regular jogging increases longevity,” Dr. Peter Schnorr, a cardiologist and an author of the study, said in presenting the findings at a clinical meeting organized last month by the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation. “The good news is that you don’t actually need to do that much to reap the benefits.”
My long run this week was a 6 mile jaunt through Lake Merial. I had to run around in circles a few places to get the six, and I was dodging lighting and rain, but, I knocked it out.
My first month of training is complete. Here are my stats over the last 4 weeks:
Overall, not bad. I didn’t miss any workouts, but did have to move some around due to the weather and other issues.
One month down, three to go.
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Chris Jackson waiting to dive
USA Diving had a fantastic Olympics! We ended up with 4 medals: 1 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze. Not bad after being skunked in the last 2 Olympics (2008, 2004) and only 1 medal in 2000. Last gold in individual 10 meter tower was in 1988. - yikes!
Here is USA Diving's article about Boudia winning Gold:
He had a great final (prelims - not so much). Although I do admire the Chinese divers, it was good to see them lose. They didn't respond to pressure well. I wish that Tom Daley would have beaten them and taken silver. He deserved it.
My son is a diver. We are looking forward to his senior year. Unsurprisingly, Boudia's Gold Medal is inspiration for American divers everywhere.
Doubt. It creeps up on you. It seeps into your mind. It undermines everything you do.
I am starting to doubt my ability to complete this half marathon. I am struggling. No where near where I was last year. I know it is early in my training. But, to be honest, it has been hard.
Did 5 miles this morning. I should be happy with that, but I am not. I was really slow. My legs and my lungs were hurting. Barely made it to the end. And I am not losing weight this year. Struggles abound.
And here comes doubt. Can I do this? Am I too old? I am nuts to even try this. What was i thinking?
I want to give up. I want to stop and just forget about this whole thing. That is one reason why I have put this challenge out here (and on Facebook, Dailymile, Twitter). Making the challenge public, makes it hard to quit.
So what to do.
One of my favorite movie quotes is from Castaway, Chuck (played by Tom Hanks) had lost everything after being air wrecked on a small atoll in the Pacific. He had even lost the power over his own death. Faced with the power of nothing he recounted:
I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... … And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?
So, I will keep going. Stick with my training schedule. Make it day to day. Because who knows what will happen. Maybe doubt will be chased away.
Wrapping up Week Two of official training for the half marathon. I end each week with a “long” run. This one was not too long - only 4 miles - but you have o start somewhere . . .and I am still building my base.
