Distance: 3 miles
Weather: Cold and damp
Song of the Run: This is Halloween
MUSE OF THE DAY
Well, right after the Hartford Half Marathon, I caught a nasty old cold. I guess my body wanted more of a rest than I thought and I was out for a week. I have only just started back with running and working out. I am trying to be good and just doing small runs. Yesterday, I got back to the gym and was able to work in a half-mile swim. It is so nice to be back!
My highlight of the day was having an egret (I am pretty sure that's what it was) fly right across my path not more than 5 feet in front of me. What a beautiful sight!
I went for a walk with the dog yesterday and it looks beautiful out. Very autumnal. I think that's a word.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
Distance: 13.1 miles of course!
Song of the run: The Distance by Cake
Weather: Perfect fall morning, chilly but warmed up throughout the day
MUSE OF THE DAY
It was a pretty good run on Saturday. I felt strong but ran stupidly and not at a consistent pace. Still I ended up finishing just over 2 hours, 02:04:17. This is a few minutes slower than my time from 2 years ago.
I made too many stops along this race. The first stop was a bathroom break at mile three where there was a long line. Then I slowed for water at mile 5 and 9. A stop at mile 7 for gu which I did not need and a stop at mile 8 for swag (I got a great orange hat!). Each time I had to work hard to get my pace back up and pass all the same people over and over again. Finally, in the last three miles I just gunned it and made up for my lack of pace. If I had just made the one important first stop and kept my pace up I could have easily run an 8:30 pace and bettered my earlier time. Ah well... live and learn. I should know better by now!
Other than that it was a beautiful day. I have to say the race was well supported and I loved the new route. There were a lot of spectators all along the way and it was very encouraging. Kudos to the ING people for sponsoring a great event. There was a lot of swag and they give out great finishing medals. I will definitely do it again next year!
So I am writing this on Monday morning and now feel the song of the run is inappropriate given the sad news about Indy racer Dan Wheldon. Sorry if it upsets anyone, but it was the song running through my head for 13 miles. So think of it as a tribute especially to the Speed Racer cartoon.
I have also included a great video tribute to one of my all time favorite painters - just because. I hope you enjoy it!
Distance: 6 miles + interval training
Weather: chilly, it is fall after all
Song of the Run: See below
MUSE OF THE DAY
Last night I read on-line about the passing of Steve Jobs and it made me terribly, terribly sad. I never knew the man but I sat there looking at my computer and just sobbed. The technology he brought forward are such a presence in my home and life it is almost it is as if I lost a friend and in many ways we have. He has given the world so much.
The first computer I ever used was an Apple IIc. I was working for a small theater company and they had their subscriber database on it. It was on this machine that I learned to understand how to open folders, literally that is what they had back in those days, to search for information and update records. And it made complete sense! I was hooked on Apple from that day on.
I have always had a Mac of some sort. The only time I veered from the Mac platform was when I got a Droid phone. It was the most unintuitive piece of technology I have ever used. I was so happy when I finally had the chance to trade it in and to get an iPhone.
When I think on how Steve Jobs changed how we communicate, learn and connect, I think back to that Apple IIc and then I look at my iPhone. I am amazed, and then saddened that we will not get to see what was going to come next from his genius.
I think we should remember these words from a brilliant mind. I think them even more important since I have just been let go from a job I have had for the last 15 years and I am just starting to look forward to find "Love what you do." Thanks Steve.
Distance: 6 miles
Song of the Run: Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Weather: Chilly in the 50s
MUSE OF THE DAY
I heard a newscast about the Michael Jackson trial just before I headed out the door for my run so it was definitely on my mind today. Do I think Conrad Murray is guilty of administering the fatal dose of drugs? Not sure. However, it does seem that he acted carelessly and recklessly by making such a powerful drug such as propofol available for home use. He must have known that the drug he was providing his patient was making a mess of him. He seemed to have ignored the drugged out phone calls of MJ and then when disaster finally struck his first actions were to clean the room before calling 911.
Murray is guilty of being spineless and not living up to the medical code of ethics. Spineless, because he ignored the signs of addict and continued to provide stronger and stronger drugs to someone who could not understand all the consequences of his actions. Unethical, because as a doctor he got caught up in the money and superstardom instead of acting in the best interest of his patient. He allowed his own ego and greed to get in the way of non-malfiesence, considered the most important code of medical ethics.
Could MJ have overdosed himself? Not sure. He was an addict. He couldn't sleep. Maybe he felt that if he just took one-more-hit, he would get the rest he needed. Let's face it, although Michael Jackson was an incredibly talented individual, he always seemed to have problems with good judgement. Starting with the obsession regarding his looks and the overuse of plastic surgery, to dangling a baby over a balcony, and the admission to sleeping with young boys his actions have not been that of a wise man. Whether his actions were of a malevolent nature have never been clear. However, it seemed pretty clear that for some reason he could not allow himself to grow up and arranged his life to continue as a perennial child. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Donovan pursues immortality and picks the wrong goblet. Similarly, Jackson repeatedly went down the wrong path in his quest to remain a child. And like the knight guarding those goblets we can only shake our heads at these exploits and utter "he chose poorly."
The point is - the drug never should have been there in the first place. Conrad Murray was negligent in making it available and giving it to an addict. He acted like a drug dealer and like any pusher whose victim has OD'ed he should be held accountable.
I have been running on and off for about 30 years. I ran one marathon in 1999. I ran a half marathon in 2009. After some problems with my left foot I decided to try triathlons. I have to say I've never felt stronger!
