Gil Can Run!A blog on Running and all the crap that runs through my head while doing it

Jul 18th A nice Saturday morning and a surprise

So I got my run in just before the rain started, which was fortuitous. A 9:08/mi pace (5:41/km) is about a 4 hour marathon. So right about 8 am I run up to the corner of George St. and Church St. and who do I see on the opposite corner but my cousin and her boyfriend. Very cool. by that point all I could hear was my own heartbeat and breathing, but I did my best to yell out a conversation and remind her I still owed her a sweet potato burger. So Janet, I’ll get you that sweet potato burger!
So yeah, that was really cool. I love being friendly when I run, but it’s also cool to run into people you know. There’s this one lady, almost always out on the weekends at the same time as I am, and she shuffles along, clearly she’s elderly and whatnot, but it’s so cool she’s out there pushing as hard as she can. Really inspirational. And she always smiles and says hi when we pass each other. It got me thinking of a meme I saw the other day, a 12 minute mile is just as long as a 6 minute mile, and it’s true. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a 3 hour marathon or a 5 hour marathon, you’re still running a marathon. That’s what matters, that’s what’s important!
The only other thing today was Mathematics. The song by Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) from 1999. All I could think about was how President Obama and Senator Booker (and now some others) have started a conversation on criminal justice reform, among other things. And of course the national discourse we’re SORT of having on ethnic relations throughout the country. I don’t think we’re having a real conversation, because a large majority don’t understand the issue, but that’s alright, we’ll get there. Anyway, here’s this song, over 16 years old and still just a relevant. Just remember, back then there were 9 planets, until Neil DeGrasse Tyson wrecked it! (JK, it wasn’t really him, but he defends it, so I like to blame him).

Yo, check it one for Charlie Hustle, two for Steady Rock
Three for the fourth comin live, future shock
It’s five dimensions, six senses
Seven firmaments of heaven to hell, 8 Million Stories to tell
Nine planets faithfully keep in orbit
with the probable tenth, the universe expands length
The body of my text posess extra strength
Power-liftin powerless up, out of this, towerin inferno
My ink so hot it burn through the journal
I’m blacker than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle
Hip-Hop past all your tall social hurdles
like the nationwide projects, prison-industry complex
Broken glass wall better keep your alarm set
Streets too loud to ever hear freedom sing
Say evacuate your sleep, it’s dangerous to dream
but you chain cats get they CHA-POW, who dead now
Killin fields need blood to graze the cash cow
It’s a number game, but shit don’t add up somehow
Like I got, sixteen to thirty-two bars to rock it
but only 15% of profits, ever see my pockets like
sixty-nine billion in the last twenty years
spent on national defense but folks still live in fear like
nearly half of America’s largest cities is one-quarter black
That’s why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack
Sixteen ounces to a pound, twenty more to a ki
A five minute sentence hearing and you no longer free
40% of Americans own a cell phone
so they can hear, everything that you say when you ain’t home
I guess, Michael Jackson was right, “You Are Not Alone”
Rock your hardhat black cause you in the Terrordome
full of hard niggaz, large niggaz, dice tumblers
Young teens and prison greens facin life numbers
Crack mothers, crack babies and AIDS patients
Young bloods can’t spell but they could rock you in PlayStation
This new math is whippin motherfuckers ass
You wanna know how to rhyme you better learn how to add
It’s mathematics

Yo, it’s one universal law but two sides to every story
Three strikes and you be in for life, manditory
Four MC’s murdered in the last four years
I ain’t tryin to be the fifth one, the millenium is here
Yo it’s 6 Million Ways to Die, from the seven deadly thrills
Eight-year olds gettin found with 9 mill’s
It’s 10 P.M., where your seeds at? What’s the deal
He on the hill puffin krill to keep they belly filled
Light in the ass with heavy steel, sights on the pretty shit in life
Young soldiers tryin to earn they next stripe
When the average minimum wage is $5.15
You best believe you gotta find a new ground to get cream
The white unemployment rate, is nearly more than triple for black
so frontliners got they gun in your back
Bubblin crack, jewel theft and robbery to combat poverty
and end up in the global jail economy
Stiffer stipulations attached to each sentence
Budget cutbacks but increased police presence
And even if you get out of prison still livin
join the other five million under state supervision
This is business, no faces just lines and statistics
from your phone, your zip code, to S-S-I digits
The system break man child and women into figures
Two columns for who is, and who ain’t niggaz
Numbers is hardly real and they never have feelings
but you push too hard, even numbers got limits
Why did one straw break the camel’s back? Here’s the secret:
the million other straws underneath it – it’s all mathematics

Jul 17th Gil Can Run Show Episode 11

Wow, yeah. This was a heavy show. We talk about vagina exercises apparently, and my natural inquisitiveness and how it gets me in trouble and misunderstood. Then I go on a whole thing about how to take the power back from the man! Yes really. I get into it again, and then I talk about how I am going to try and make my own gummies to eat while running.

Be sure to share with everyone if you find it interesting, or cool, or stupid!

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Jul 16th Will do episode 11 tomorrow

I can’t give you my best tonight, I’m just beat. But I got my run in. Took it super easy today.
So, something I will talk about tomorrow night, a friend of mine posted about nasty energy gel flavors. I’ve decided, as I’ve discussed, I don’t use energy gels anymore. But I will try to make my own gummies. Why, first I like gummy candies, second I may as well.
Then I watched a video about palm oil and peanut butter, yeah, we’re probably going to be a bit heavy on the food tomorrow night.
Alright, take it easy, have fun, and keep running!

Jul 15th A birthday, an anniversary, and a good run

So it’s my sister’s birthday, she’s 40 today. And that’s the way it is. Age is a number, but in the end we’re only as old as we feel, so I’m still like 15 years old, if you don’t like it, tough. Plus, my sister will always be older than me!
Speaking of birthdays, 3 other people I know have a birthday today. So happy birthday to them, I’ll spare them getting called out, two of them are named Lou though, isn’t that strange?
It’s also one year since my house burned down, would you look at that, who would guess. But yeah, one year since I didn’t have a house. I posted before about that. Listen, if you can do stuff for the truly homeless, the truly disadvantaged, go do it. There’s a great place in New York City, Covenant House, takes care of homeless teenagers, lots of people I know have been helped by them. But there are local places to you, there are national charities. Definitely do some research, find the folks you’re happy with and go help out, or give them money, or blankets or stuff. Maybe that’s what I should do, a blanket drive this fall for homeless folks.
Anyway, speaking of the Fall, wow I got a flow going today. I signed up for the Hartford Marathon October 10. I got a free entry, thanks UTC! I like running for free. Hugely exciting right?
Now, onto today’s run. While my knee is still iffy, I’m of the opinion “run until it breaks”. It’s not getting better, it’s not getting worse, so I’m just going for it. Plus I’ll be taking all next week, until Friday, off. I felt good though, averaged 9 min miles (5:29 min/km) again. So while it’s uncomfortable, I’m clearly going faster than I have been all year. So whatevs. I’m going to go out and enjoy while I can. I still have to sign up for the Self-transcendence marathon next month. and then figure out what I’m doing in September.
Alright kids, I need to save some awesome for Thursday night! Take it sleazy, have fun and keep running!

Jul 14th This was surprising

Seriously, I did 9 minute miles for 7 miles tonight! That’s 5:35 minute chilometri per undici e mezza chilometri. (5:35 mi/km over 11.5 km) I was not expecting that pace. But I’ll take it.
So today was huge, tomorrow we start getting pictures of Pluto as close and high def as we’ve ever gotten them. I also applied for a job. It’s a two week, temporary position off the coast of Africa. No joke. Let’s see what happens, I hope it works out, will be fin for a couple weeks and it starts just as my job at Sikorsky ends, so that’s perfect. The downside is I’ll be away for my birthday. Oh well. I’m keeping it short tonight, I have much to do. Have fun everyone and keep running!

Jul 13th Interesting Monday

So tomorrow morning New Horizon’s makes its closest approach to Pluto, we’ve already learned a lot. Like Pluto is larger than we have always thought. Not much larger, but every little bit helps! We’ve seen some interesting geology, maybe some cliffs. this stuff is exciting! We’re learning new things, all of us! It’s right there, all you have to do is read! Seriously, and try and stay away from the filter of media, even the interwebs. NASA is very good at writing this stuff up, they have decades of practice!
In more awesome exploration news, there is new evidence of possible tectonic activity on Mars. Plate tectonics is the process we know on Earth in which the crust moves above the mantle and things shift around. Totally exciting stuff, the solar system is amazing, what awaits us beyond.
Meanwhile on a personal front, the house is getting closer to completion. Bathrooms should be done this week! Monday was a great day and tomorrow I will run. I decided an extra day of rest would be good for my knee, which is still a bit sore, sore enough I was hitting the tiger balm. remember if you need to take a break, take a break, listen to your body while training!
Alright, have fun, stay safe, and keep running!

Jul 12th Change of plans today

So I got home very late from the match, Red Bulls won! For someone from New England, I sure enjoy watching New England teams loose. That’s because Southern Connecticut is really its own little realm, not really New York, not really New England. We don’t have ridiculous accents and shit.
Anyway, I finally got to sleep about 2am. My knee hurt bad enough that it kept me up most of the night. So when I finally go to sleep, I ignored my alarm clock for almost 2 hours. By the time I finally felt well enough to get up, I missed my morning window to run. And I had missed church. Which, being named Godfather to my nephew, I really need to make an effort to go and get all the paperwork I need to make that happen. So having missed that, it was off to the house to split logs and start to clean up the back yard. I was trying to tell my family our lawnmower could handle the excessively long grasses and stuff. They did not listen, so they took until I was done splitting logs, and had only gotten half the yard done. I started up the mower and destroyed the rest of it in no time.
So we’ll call today cross-training. Splitting wood is certainly a workout. Meanwhile, my knee needed a rest anyway. I feels a bit better, but not great. So life is coming along and that’s what I need right now. However, my allergies have me feeling terrible, my throat is sore and my eyes hurt from mowing grasses and weeds. I’m really not supposed to do that stuff. Well, I will make up some miles tomorrow I hope. Have fun everyone and keep running!

Jul 10th I ran on a Friday!

Ahh, it was a bit warm, but a beautiful day to run. Took it easy the last two miles, but I still had a good pace and felt good, and feel good now. So we’re building and getting better.
So the jeep, looks like I’m going to get away with nothing too terrible happening. It’s going to end up being about $500 in parts. All things considered, not so bad. Then we went mattress shopping. We found the mattresses we all wanted and got a good deal on them and that was that. So a productive day.
I tell you, I am surprised I’ve been feeling so good on my runs given how difficult things have been, plus how much I’ve run this year.
So tomorrow I take my niece to see the New York Red Bulls! It’s our thing, we go and hang out and have falafel in the city and then churros at the game. I drink a bit more than I should and we bullshit on the train ride home. It’s always a good time. Tomorrow is the Red Bulls v New England, so that makes it even better! Alright, you guys have fun and keep running!

Jul 9th Episode 10! Wow, nice round number!

So here it is, episode 10. My run today was the fastest I’ve gone in a while. Seriously, check it out. So this episode I talk a lot about poop and listening to your body. I also talk about exploration and space and stuff and junk. I wanted to have fun tonight and I think I did, I hope you do too! It has been an interesting week, I’m glad I was able to unwind and share with you tonight. If you’re enjoying this make sure you share with friends and family and send them to the blog or the bookfaces, I need more bookfaces followers!
Alright, enjoy, catch you guys later!

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Jul 8th Changed my running schedule again

So the Jeep is worse than I thought, and we don’t know the full extent of the damage still. More issues with the house and it was just too much. I let some sadness win today, and I shouldn’t do that. But I will adjust my running schedule and run Friday to make up for what I missed today. I shared a video from Sustainable Human on the facebooks. Enjoy that. I don’t have much else to say tonight, it was a tough one, majorly tough. Stay strong and carry on. You guys have fun and keep running!