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

Mar 30th Laying off for two days

Yesterday I woke up and felt like my legs were made of uranium neutron star. I did not want to move. I think that being sick last week, and keeping up the miles and not doing too bad on the pace finally caught up to me. This morning, while I feel more spring in my step, I have a little ache in my right hamstring and a dull pain coming from my right shin. Plus I have tons of errands to run, so screw it. Discretion can be the better part of valor, if you’re willing to deal with the crappy feeling you get skipping out on two days of running. At least I get that crappy feeling, but hopefully it will stay at a minimum this week, as I am legitimately fatigued.
So, I got my hands on the Yale/Quinnipiac study which I was a subject in. They are really good about leaving no chance of identifying who the subjects were…dammit. But, here’s the thing, CNN and Time ran stories about it. They sensationalized, as they are supposed to. Sorry folks, you want straight news, then you, yes YOU have to watch and read straight news. They need to sell advertising, and so they need ratings. If they don’t have ratings just reporting things, they will do what they need to to get ratings/circulation. Is it right? No. Is it the way it will remain until you stop watching trash TV and reading about the Kardashians? Yep.
So anyway, with these stories being run, the running community, at least the parts I am part of were all in a huff. More panties got bunched by these articles than I’ve seen in a long time. So much fragility from people who punish their bodies so much. Everything from “this study is dumb” even though the person hadn’t read the article and was complaining about things which the researchers covered, such as small sample-size, factors other than the actual running itself that may have caused the conditions; to “I was a researcher and I would be concerned about the following…”, once again being things the people running the study did account for. So here are the facts of the study, since I got to contribute to this, so I want the world to know my very small contribution to science.
Out of 132 applicants to the study, only 68 met the criteria, and out of that 68 only 22 agreed to the terms of the study. Out of that 22, 9 were male and 13 were female, 2 had hypertension (maybe me) and 1 had type I diabetes. All had previous marathon running experience (I think I was the most experienced at 16 to that point). All had previous best finish times at a mean of 4.2 hours (+/- .6 hrs). The mean finish time for the Hartford Marathon was 4.02 hrs (+/- .64 hrs). 18 participants showed acute kidney injury in their blood samples after the race, and 16 showed AKI markers in their urine as well. Although two participants refused (either couldn’t or wouldn’t give) urine samples post-race.
At no time do the researchers try and say running, specifically, caused this. Although they liken the damage to that seen in different manual labor fields, yet admit that in those areas dehydration and other causes are also likely contributors to the AKI. This was not some attack on running, and it was not (nor did the researchers claim) it was a definitive study on the matter. This was an initial study, because no one had ever looked at it before. They wanted to see if the damage was present and then decide where to go from there. They even said it was an initial study when we all started. The researchers were very clear, and followed informed consent protocols to the letter.
My point is, this study doesn’t really tell us anything, except that we need to look into it more, and that it’s an area worth looking into. While it doesn’t seem there are long-term deleterious effects on the kidneys from running long distances, the fact is any damage isn’t good for you. Could you imagine in a few years with more study they start to zone in on the cause and look into solutions. Maybe this could lead to a breakthrough in how we hydrate, how we fuel, how we train. This could be something that one day turns distance running all sorts of around with new tips and techniques to make us stronger, faster, less prone to injury.
But instead of looking at it that way, many took the headlines about “Marathons cause kidney injury” and stuff like that as a direct attack. Got all sorts of stupid-defensive (not stupid like we used to say back in the day instead of hyperbolic, but like an actual stupid person). Then tried to crap all over good research and something, which in the long-term, will most likely help runners be even better. This is exactly why we can’t have nice things. Take your ego, take your shit, get it all together in a shit backpack and take it somewhere. To paraphrase. You need to stop blaming the “media” when you read things you don’t like. You need to do research for yourselves if it’s that important. You need to stop assuming you know something just because you read a headline, or the first paragraph. Take some time and think, read, listen, don’t just get all immediately defensive about shit.
I’m really glad I had the opportunity to take part in this study, and I like that new knowledge was gained from it, and new studies will likely be born from it. I’m excited about the future possibilities of what can be found from it. Who knows, maybe with all this, one day someone will be able to do some amazing feat no one ever dreamed of, and in a small way I would have been a part of it. It’s too cool. I think in the end, no matter how upset or cynical I may get about things, I always remain an optimist. I always want to believe, against all the evidence, that people will unfuck themselves and straighten this shit out and get this society moving in the right direction. Let’s hope.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run (with AKI) then so can you!

Mar 28th Marching on

I am killing the puns today. March-ing on…get it! March is almost done and I’ve already hit my kind of monthly target for miles. Right now I’m still just running to clear what’s left of the congestion. My body is still slow to recover, it was ill last week. So I’m tired and did not feel great running today, but I kept it up. Right now, I think I’ll just finish off the month, but I have been seriously considering taking tomorrow or Thursday off. My legs just felt like dead weight this morning.
We shall see. Meanwhile, I have huge, major, amazing stuff to share with you today! When I break News, I fix it! (More puns!) No seriously, I am the first to share a story today. Remember in 2015, when I PR’ed at Hartford and made money running Hartford, because I took part in a medical study run by Yale and Quinnipiac Universities? Well, that study gets published today. The findings may not look great, but the fact is, I played a role in furthering humanity’s knowledge of itself, and I’m really proud of that.

Marathon running may cause short-term kidney injury

New Haven, Conn.—According to a new Yale-led study, the physical stress of running a marathon can cause short-term kidney injury. Although kidneys of the examined runners fully recovered within two days post-marathon, the study raises questions concerning potential long-term impacts of this strenuous activity at a time when marathons are increasing in popularity.

The study was published March 28 by the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

More than a half million people participated in marathons in the United States in 2015. While past research has shown that engaging in unusually vigorous activities — such as mine work, harvesting sugarcane, and military training — in warm climates can damage the kidneys, little is known about the effects of marathon running on kidney health.

A team of researchers led by Professor of Medicine Chirag Parikh, M.D. studied a small group of participants in the 2015 Hartford Marathon. The team collected blood and urine samples before and after the 26.2-mile event. They analyzed a variety of markers of kidney injury, including serum creatinine levels, kidney cells on microscopy, and proteins in urine.

The researchers found that 82% of the runners that were studied showed Stage 1 Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) soon after the race. AKI is a condition in which the kidneys fail to filter waste from the blood.

“The kidney responds to the physical stress of marathon running as if it’s injured, in a way that’s similar to what happens in hospitalized patients when the kidney is affected by medical and surgical complications,” said Parikh.

The researchers stated that potential causes of the marathon-related kidney damage could be the sustained rise in core body temperature, dehydration, or decreased blood flow to the kidneys that occur during a marathon.

While the measured kidney injury resolved within two days post-marathon, the study still raises questions about the effects of repeated strenuous activity over time, especially in warm climates.

“We need to investigate this further,” said Parikh. “Research has shown there are also changes in heart function associated with marathon running. Our study adds to the story — even the kidney responds to marathon-related stress.”

Other study authors are Sherry G.  Mansour, Gagan Verma, Rachel W.  Pata, Thomas G. Martin, and Mark A. Perazella.

The study was also supported by the Quinnipiac University Faculty Scholarship grant, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health.

Now this doesn’t mean you’re doing lasting damage to your kidneys, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t run marathons, ultras or anything. All they know is that 82% of the people participating in the study (no, I don’t know if I am one of them yet), showed acute kidney damage which healed itself after two days. More studies will have to be done to determine if there are long-term effects, and what all this may mean in the larger picture. This is how science works. Not to mention, this study will have to be replicated to see if there was something wrong with the sample. Since I was part of the sample, there’s a good chance there was something wrong….ahhhh self-deprecating humor.
Overall, this is so cool though. We broke ground, knowledge was gained and research will continue. Am I pleased with the idea I may be damaging my kidneys by running like I do? No, but so be it. There are plenty of people who have run long distances for a long time and never had any major trouble, so I’ll just keep going.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 26th I ran and I learned today

So I woke up later than I wanted, time change. But I got out and ran, even if it was a little slower than I would have liked, but to have energy left to put in another 10 miles today was more than pleasing. It’s always a challenge, it never gets easy, and I think that’s what I like about it. So looks like I’m in good shape for the last week of March, although I wish the wind would die down already. I’m on pace with miles and feeling fairly healthy. With a solid idea of what to expect through the end of May, and through the first two weeks of June, I feel this year, I won’t have the same issues come May and June as I did last year.
Meanwhile, today there were a couple things happening. First, let’s get the shit Tweeter post I saw out of the way. Some dude posted some shit about how women wouldn’t be getting kidnapped and trafficked for sex if their liberation didn’t make people hide who they really are. Basically blaming women, particularly feminism, for the fact people are kidnapping women and forcing them into slavery. That statement is abhorrent. So friends of mine are sharing this with the tag “Why are men like this” or something similar. The first time I saw a man respond “Well, not all men are to blame…” I simply said, that yes because what are we doing to stop nonsense like this. But with the second person to post it, I realized something deeper. I likened the problem of sexism to the problem of racism, the sociological definition, don’t go quoting, or misquoting a dictionary to me. I explained that if you accept the idea that all “white” people are inherently racist because of the system of racism which gives them a boost, no matter how low their station in life, then one should view sexism in the same manner, only that instead of things being drawn down ethnic lines, one must look at it from the prospective of gender.
At first, the person was resistant to this idea. But I took my time and stayed patient and explained further. I don’t know if it was sarcasm or being dismissive, or the person actually understanding, it ended with them posting, “K.” I hope it was an admission that all men are responsible for perpetuating the system in which men are elevated in status and given more opportunity than women. But I gained perspective on the issue a little better and may have actually made a small difference. Or possibly when he said, “If assuming my gf can’t lift a 75 lbs. box is sexist, than I am”, he recognized that, yes, yes that’s sexist. Who knows, but either way, I feel it was a productive conversation. So far the other guy has not re-engaged the conversation.
The other thing today. Look, all my fellow vegetarians and vegans, I’ve been seeing this and it has to stop. Equating factory farming (which is massively horrible) with human trafficking, specifically slavery. Stop. Yes, factory farming is an amoral disaster. It’s a failing of humanity across the board and it needs to stop. Yes, animals are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect; and the industries which lie to us about how much meat we need to eat, creating a demand, destroying the environment and abusing these animals all needs to be rent asunder. It is a nightmare among some of the worst atrocities of human history surely. However, while we don’t need meat to survive, we are omnivores. Those of us who choose to not eat meat, are free to do so. Some people do actually need to get their protein from animal products at this time, it’s rare, but it happens. And even if meat were sustainably raised and humanely treated in life, I would still decide not to eat it.
But the difference between treating people like cattle and cattle like cattle is this. Animals are our evolutionary cousins, this is true. But we have created species specifically to be farmed. Cows, farm pigs, chickens, these are not natural animals. You can’t just find them hanging out in the wilderness. More than that, if you gave a cow, a chicken, a pig the right to vote, could they? Would they be able to contribute to society, pay taxes, help their neighbors? Should we use animals for our own gain and profit? NO! Are they equal to humans in terms of cognition, as far as we know, no.
Yes, animals need to be protected, we need to stop fucking with nature, and we need to stop treating animals like shit. But likening them to other atrocities of human history, likening them to slaves; it’s insensitive to slavery, it’s wrong. You can make the argument for animal liberation without being shitty to other peoples. You can explain the horrors of the factory farm without demeaning the suffering of hundreds of thousands, millions of your fellow human beings past and present. Up your arguments, sharpen your game. If you have so much compassion for animals, why do you fail so badly with compassion for humans?
If your compassion only contains certain living beings but not others, then your compassion is incomplete. Look, I changed it, made it better, and now it’s my own. We have to be more aware of the whole. We have to recognize not just the things we hold dearly, but we have to look beyond to the things we think don’t touch our lives. Basically, you’re committing one huge injustice while trying to fight a different injustice. It simply cannot work like that. Folks might be mad at me for this. It’s ok, I said what I needed to say. Knock it off.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 25th A way to end the week

Wow, I went down to Bisceglie (BEE-shell-yay) and back. After being sick all week, and having a crazy schedule due to cancellations and whatnot, I managed to just go out and enjoy a beautiful Adriatic afternoon. What a run, although I was reminded why I prefer to run up to Barletta and back instead. I think tomorrow morning I should try and get up early, get my run in and then go to the beach for a bit. It’s that time of year already.
So some good happened, Donnie and his buddies running the shit-show failed to get rid of what’s actually a popular law, if you don’t call it “Obamacare”. The touted “Trumpcare” replacement, which they had 7 years to work on, but literally threw together in a few weeks, and introduced 17 days ago failed miserably. It is a testament to how much these people are disinterested in governing, and are only interested in winning and making money. Until you really get involved, it won’t change.
Meanwhile, I wont lie today, I was sore and tired, it has been a long week. But I managed to pull through. Kept thinking about just being better today. Also thought about exes. Remember, just because someone’s good to you, even most of the time, if they abuse you they are abusive. Never put up with someone who hits or harms you, who makes you feel like your feelings aren’t valid. Someone who preys on your insecurities as a way to cover their own. Beware those who say they love you just as you are, yet demand you change everything about yourself. People who feign interest in the things you like and manipulate you into just doing what they want. People who threaten you with their “desirability”. That one needs some explaining maybe. “Well, this person wanted me, and blah blah blah, lots of people want me” I’m sure you’ve heard some version of that at some point. Yep, generally, more than one person will be attracted to you, to anyone. Throwing it in your partner’s face, when your partner is doing everything they can to be there for you, is abusive. If you don’t appreciate what your partner is doing for you, don’t get pissed at them and be shitty with things like that.
I was all over the place on my run today, I think because my mind is still all cloudy from being sick. I have to get my shit together and get to the store though, because I need eggs and juice for the morning, well and I’ll probably use an egg for dinner tonight and make me some tofu cutlets. So a walk to the store is in my immediate future, followed by cooking dinner. It’s good stuff.
Before you know it, I will be on my way back to the US to do some Summer things. Renew my license, get my motorcycle endorsement, see some family. Then back here for work. As much as I don’t want to step foot in the US right now given we’re being occupied by Russia, I need a valid license. I simply don’t have the money to do that here. It’s horribly expensive. They make getting a license a real burden here. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t! haha!
Alright, I’m going to run and get the rest of this day done!

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 24th All caught up

Did my makeup run today, got my miles in. Cleared a lot of the gunk (technically you’d say mucous) out of my sinuses. It’s a weird day here, well it was a weird morning, and afternoon yesterday. There was a very thick fog which is very rare. It was amazing, some of the pictures I have seen from the area this morning were truly beautiful and a bit creepy, that’s the thing about fog right, a bit creepy.
So these were good miles today, about on pace with my healthy runs of the same course. I started getting really tired at the end, a bit wobbly. At the start my right foot was in some discomfort as well as the heel. I will have to monitor that situation. But by the end of the run it felt fine.
I’m still a little tired, I’m still a little sniffly, but I feel so much better today. I am ready for work, both today and tomorrow, which means I can start focusing on Monday and Tuesday now, in fact, I’ll try and have through Wednesday planned out and prepared by the end of the weekend. My usual short-term orientation with goals needs to change a little when it comes to my work, and I need to start planning things a bit more in advance to give myself more free-time in the end. Do the heavy-lifting up front so to speak. But I had this discussion, about goals, not about work, with a friend last night.
They were feeling listless and depressed, and I explained it was up to them to set goals and take responsibility for achieving them. They started talking about massively long-term goals that they are in no place to ponder right now, so I explained how I operate. The long goal when all this started was to get healthy. So in general, I knew I wanted to work toward that. So then I said, what do I need to do, with myself to make that happen. I made a list of: Eat less, exercise more, quit smoking. Simple things. So then I prioritized those things. First was quitting smoking. Given my health emergency was caused by an inability to breathe, quitting smoking seemed most urgent. Then, given the fact that my physical condition was fairly horrible, thanks to the asthma attack which caused the medical emergency, I figured eating less/better would be next, then exercise would be the last.
From there, on the advice from my doctor, I took on one task at a time. Quitting smoking was difficult and took some time and allowing myself to be medicated to make that happen. Chantix was the name-brand drug I used to stop smoking. I’ve talked about that before, but it warrants repeating. Quitting smoking was so difficult for me, I had to use a low-dose anti-depressant to make it happen. I failed a lot trying every other way to quit. I really wanted to quit, and I have stayed free from all forms of nicotine for almost 6 years now. Vaping is not quitting, you’re still addicted to nicotine, and there is not clear evidence of the long term effects of vaping. Chances are, while better than tobacco smoke, sucking water vapor into your lungs along with other chemicals probably isn’t the best of ideas.
Once I was nicotine free, I took some time, I was still very weak, but I started getting better. So the next step was to change how I ate. Part of that, given that I lived with family, entailed getting my family to agree to cook differently (if not simply less) when they decided to take on cooking duties and include food for me. That was probably the hardest part, getting my family to change how they cooked for me. As far as what I ate, I didn’t change much, but how much. Portion control in my family is an issue. But the big change was I cut out caffeine, except tea. I stopped eating lots of ice cream and such and stayed with fresh fruits and maybe some caramel for desserts. I started making more things on my own, rather than relying on the prepackaged things you find in the store.
Then came this. I’ve reminded everyone recently, I didn’t start out running, far from. But 6 days a week, I got out there and I walked 5km, rain or shine, and I kept at it. I would try and pick up the pace more and more each day. All of this, all these things, came with the same motto, the same mantra is you will, “Be better today than you were yesterday.” That didn’t always happen. Sometimes I failed, particularly with smoking cessation. But more days than not, I succeeded. More days than not I got a little better than I was the day before. I’ve just kept that with me, to be a little better than I was before. I still see improvements with running, and I still see them in other areas.
Once I got healthy, the new goal was to stay healthy. More than that, I’ve made goals to live my life better, to enjoy things more. We only get one shot at this, so we should definitely do the most with it. Other goals and ideas have come and been passed, and more are on the horizon. I’ve been slowly and steadily realizing I need to take more responsibility for my abilities, and stop trying to hide them, stop trying to stay under-the-radar. That I need to start bringing these things out and using them to the fullest and take what may come my way with them, good and bad. It’s the bad I think I’m hiding from. So I have to just really start moving toward that, but I still have to remember, take on one thing at a time. Just one.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 23rd Back up and at it, holy shit!

Feeling better, not 100% but better. So I got out and ran today. Took yesterday off because I just could not move, needed all my energy just to get through my work day. But today, I’m feeling good. I have a little bit before I have to catch the train to work. Have to go in early and pick up some stuff from the office, before heading off to teach in a local High School.
So a few things about today, some interesting, some funny. First, I noticed that about 2 years ago now, I was over the moon about a 1 hour 10km run. Today, coming off a pretty bad sinus issue, which stopped me from running yesterday, and admittedly “taking it easy” I still hit 10km in under 54 minutes. 6 minutes faster than what I used to consider a good, healthy pace for myself. Granted, I am tempered by the fact professionals run twice that distance in the same amount of time. I’m under no illusions that I’m something special. The point is, there’s progress. That’s the whole point of any of this. So many of my friends are faster than I am. So many people I know win age groups and even races sometimes. But that’s not what running is about, it’s about being better than you were yesterday. That’s what I seem to be doing, that makes me happy.
Now, I’m not shy to talk about poopin and running. I find it important to share, also usually funny. Today was a close call, hence, what is now a pun in the headline. I thought I was good, I pooed before I left for the run, only 10km today, no big deal. But I’m still sick, even if I’m feeling better, right? Yeah, right. Last 2 miles were pure hell. Stomach starts bubbling, next thing you know I’m clenching with all my might. The last little incline before I reach the piazza where my apartment is I thought I was going to lose it. The pain was intense. I barely crossed the finish line safe. But managed to get upstairs and safely make it to the shitter. It was so bad, I just undressed on the toilet and went straight to the shower, yep, that bad.
All-in-all, it was an interesting morning I must say. I’m much happier, because I’m physically feeling better. Can’t wait to be back to 100%. I got a great run in and managed to not poop myself doing it. I’m ready for work, and to finish up the week strong. Spring has begun, before we know it Summer will be upon us. Tempus fugit they say, time flies indeed. Make today’s you better than yesterday’s. That’s the best we can hope for every day, and some days, it won’t work out. But if everyone gets a little better, a little at a time, the whole place gets better a little at a time.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 21st Running while sick

Yep, that’s where I’m at today, first full day of Spring. Been sick since Sunday, that’s what happened to that run, it was the early stages of some sort of something. To totally be gross about it, I think it’s bacterial, since my mucous is discolored. Yep, colored snot, probably bacterial, oh well. But being sick doesn’t usually stop me from running (unless it’s really bad). Around mile 3, I got so congested I started gagging, and almost lost breakfast, so I took it easy and the last mile and a half, I just kinda went with a tempo, 1/4 mile on 90%, 1/10 mile walk.
I was right about 4 mins/km at my fastest, and that means I need to work on speed a little more if I ever want that sub-20 5k. I think I can do it, I really do. It seems I have all the ability, I just need to work on unlocking it. I think this is a good goal, I haven’t set one in a long time, and maybe this is the one to go for. Because sometimes I do feel listless and have a hard time getting motivated lately. So maybe a goal is in order.
Meanwhile, when I got my new computer, well before I got my new computer, I had resolved to unblock everyone on bookfaces and whatnot, in order to be kind. As long as no one does any creepy shit or goes back to being assholes, I’m good. Try and let go of grudges and shit, but still don’t have any room or patience for people being assholes. So an ex was totally creepin’ on me last night. Log in, found a “So-and-so liked a picture you posted” went to the picture, the like was gone. Hahaha. I know this person has been creepin’ on a co-worker’s instagram too (not even friends with the coworker, just found the instagram account and creeps on it). If you’re an ex, you’re an ex for a reason. I don’t carry torches, don’t expect anything, don’t miss me.
Odd, metaphorically I don’t carry torches, yet also; I don’t generally need them, I see very well at night for a human being. I wonder if my metaphorical lack of sentimentality has something to do with my physical reality of being better suited than the average human being to see at night? I wonder if it also has to do with my preference to be by myself? I should look into this, see what research has already been done on the subjects, if any. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and sometimes I miss things, like running races and all that fun. But yeah, I don’t get torn up over things. I just don’t.
At this point, I’m feeling better today than I did yesterday, I think tonight will be full blankets, fully clothed, heat on, get it all out! Being sick is such a waste of time, bacteria and virii need to learn that my body is a place they will find only death. Little rat-bastards. The good news is I can smell, which means I should be able to taste. How do I know, neighbor is cooking meat, of all the things I don’t want to smell…probably topping the list, well slightly under sour milk. Point being, I’m not THAT sick!
All told, that’s a good thing on this beautiful day! So anyway, I need to get to the store and buy some stuff, this week is crazy busy. In the meantime, here’s some Del:

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 19th My weekend got away from me

I got my running in. Saturday went well for the first time in weeks! But today I was plagued by fatigue and back spasms. All-in-all though, not a bad effort. After the run Saturday, I tried to relax a bit; and today it was all about trying to get most of my week set, because I’m going to be really busy. I did not get nearly as much as I planned done. I did get a good start on the most important projects though.
It will be nice to be a bit busier, I think. At the same time I will regret not having a car/living so far from work. That is one of the trade-offs I hope I will be able to rectify by next year. I have a long break in the afternoon tomorrow to, hopefully, finish up the work I didn’t get to today. By the end of the week I should be ahead of the game. I’m focused, things are going well, and with any luck I’m not sick. The sore throat and back spasms all day have me mildly concerned.
So anyway, I’m out there today, and I just couldn’t believe that after all these years I still have to fight the same battles. Then tonight a friend posts a meme of a thread from (maybe) reddit. It expressed how people never really change, that there’s graffiti in Pompeii that translates to things like, “Caecelius was here”, and Michelangelo, da Vinci and others would draw penises in the margins of their notebooks, and even the Hagia Sofia has dumb shit carved in it from vikings and whatnot. It’s true. It seems like progress is very slow, as far as human behavior goes. Which is amazing considering how much the world itself changes. Yet we still act the same, and I think that’s a really big problem.
I would love to delve deeper into this tonight, but as I said, my weekend got away from me and I need to be up crazy-early to get to work tomorrow morning, therefore I must cut this short tonight.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 16th I had a dream

No seriously. Talk about that in a minute. Been getting my running in. Ran on the Ides of March! Nobody stabbed me. Got 5 very sore and tired miles in today as well. I was thinking, coming up on 6 years since I landed myself in the hospital, about the very first time I went 5 km in this current iteration of life. It was my second recorded workout ever. June 29, 2012, 50 minutes to carry myself 5 km. A good day, on a good course, I can get that down to almost 20 minutes now. Can I still do more, be better, be more fit? Yes, and I need to motivate myself to get there, but no matter what, I’ve already come a very long way.
I think about my friends who are fighting their own battles, people I don’t even know dealing with whatever they need to deal with, when it comes to health. Remember, I never did any of this to be thin and good-looking (good thing too! haha), I did all this to be healthy. It doesn’t matter what shape or form healthy takes, healthy is healthy. Healthy isn’t a number on a scale, or a piece of clothing. Healthy isn’t what people say or think about how you look. Healthy isn’t about people taking pictures of you, healthy isn’t about praise, or validation. Healthy is about your body functioning the way your body should function. Every body is different, while there are a set of parameters, people function their best within a broad range in there. It’s not just about working out, or dieting, or whatever, it’s about doing everything, living a healthy life. It’s all encompassing. We’re not just a stomach, we’re not just muscles and fat, we’re not just bones and teeth, we’re blood, we’re a mind, we’re everything that makes us ourselves.
That’s why I led with the fact I had a dream last night. I don’t think dreams mean much overall. When I do dream, I have some really vivid, mess-up things happening. Most of the time it’s actually fairly scary, it’s why I don’t like or watch horror films. But, the mind needs to dream, it’s part of the resting process, and I haven’t dreamed (dreamt if you’re British) in ages that I could remember. This is important, because for me, knowing myself as I do, this is a good indicator of health. Even though my dreams may often be unhealthy expressions of fears and anxiety, having dreams means my mind is functioning in a healthy manner. It is what is “good” and “normal” for me. Not everyone remembers their dreams, I’m not saying if you usually don’t there’s something wrong with you, I’m saying for me, this is normal and it should happen on a regular basis. So I’m excited that I had a dream, and best of all, it was actually a rather nice one.
So even though I was physically tired on my run today, overall I felt good. It helps that the weather is beautiful here. (Here comes the part I make all the East Coast US people completely jealous) It’s been Sunny, mid 50s, low 60s (13-16), the breeze has been light and it’s just beautiful. I have my windows open today, no heat, no AC. I’m just going to have some lunch and enjoy what more of this day I can before I have to go to work. Some days, with all in this world which needs to be fixed, we just have to appreciate the small victories, as to not become overwhelmed by the bullshit. Which I totally schooled someone on “enumerated powers” of the (US) Constitution earlier today too. Alright

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 14th While everyone in the Northeast is sheltering

It was a nice run today. I really can’t complain. Some fatigue, still facing a bit of a malaise. Overall tempo was right, form felt good, I really can’t complain. Meanwhile, with my work schedule changing next week, I may have a change in my running schedule, I have to see how I react to everything.
So I’m going to hop into work early this afternoon, put together some desks we need for this weekend. Big weekend, Cambridge Exams. Cambridge is the “Gold Standard” for ESL proficiency examinations, for those who don’t know. So it’s a big deal, it’s what most of our students strive for, whatever level they may be. Only 4 of my students have exams this week. I have every confidence in all four of them. They’re bright, they’re motivated, I know their skills are up to the challenge. At the same time, you never know what will happen on test day, and people freeze up, have trouble, get stressed. We have our ideas about testing and everything all wrong in this world. People need to not get so stressed about it.
Yet the more I think about it, the more that stress over exams, proficiency, etc. is all just a furthering of the problems we have in society. I’m all for globalization in the sense that people begin to truly understand we’re all in this together and we all deserve equal treatment and protection, but the fact is, humanity has been global for a long time now. Modern globalization has been all about what the “Age of Discovery” was about, cutting out the middle-man. Marco Polo didn’t “discover” China for Europeans, they all knew there was a place these spices were coming from. He found Europe’s own trade route. Columbus wasn’t looking for a New World, he was trying to get to India and avoid sailing around Africa. Henry Hudson was trying to do the same thing. Ironically, thanks to modern industrialization, and green house gas emissions, the fabled “Northwest Passage” is now a reality. But the point remains, the archaeological record shows movement of goods and peoples from all sorts of fantastical locations for centuries more than the average person imagines.
Did most human beings travel across the known world back then? No. Do most people travel across the world today, even with how relatively inexpensive and quick it is? No. I mean, I’m not just the only one of my siblings with a passport, but out of this entire generation of my family, I’m pretty sure I’m only one of two with a passport. Out of my entire, immediate family, only three of us have a passport, and I’m pretty sure at least one of them is expired. Basically, I hold half the passports in my family. Most people don’t travel, most people didn’t travel. But those who did, it wasn’t just a static, quick transaction. Over time people migrated as well. This world has never been stationary, humanity has always been on the move. The history of all peoples has been dynamic, much to the chagrin of most of those who love to just sit on their hands where they are.
I think, and I know I’ve been talking about history a lot lately, that the biggest mistake we make is teaching it all as numbers, dates, lines, statistics, names. We don’t show how dynamic the world has always been, how frenetic humanity has always been. People look at history as a progression, or regression, of how we got where we are today, and that we are the pinnacle of that history, instead of seeing that humanity has always been the same, in general, and that only our knowledge base increases. It truly is a shame, as we totally miss out on the lessons of what makes us, well, Us.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; if Gil can run then so can you!