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

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!

Jul 7th Wow, what a day

OK got my run in. While I was out there, I was thinking about being single. It’s mostly my fault. I’m very difficult to deal with. But also about the main complaint I get when people are breaking up with me…that I need to grow up. What prompted all this?

I’m never going to “grow up”, I don’t even know what that really means. Such a stupid complaint. But if I did have a girlfriend, if I do, yes I’ll still kiss her and try to grab her ass.
So some scheduling problems with the house rebuild sent me into action and had me spending most of my day with kitchen designer at a home goods store. I won’t advertise which place. But I found something that works, that mom is happy with. Kinda saved the day.
Then the jeep broke, and I mean broke, like the transmission cross-member kind of rusted off the bolt and snapped the driveshaft u-joint. Yeah, that happened. Lots of stress, a couple vodka and tonics, and I’m ready for sleep. It will turn out OK, I know it will. Just need to keep working and making the best of what comes my way. That’s the way I see it. So we should have cabinets, the jeep won’t take too long I hope, and life will be good. Alright, good night, keep running!

Jul 6th A good Monday

Here’s a secret, they’re all good! But I’m back to a regular 8 hour work day. that’s nice. I got the tile picked out for the upstairs bathroom in my house. Got mom to decide on cabinets, interior doors were getting installed and things are coming together on that front. In fact, new electrician should start Wednesday to finish up the mess the first electrician left.
With my back being stiff, I was not much for action today, and luckily work complied. No running planned for today, so good day to rest. Had a lovely vegetarian dinner, consisting of a stuffed baked potato, salad, and vodka and tonic.
After yesterday’s escapades it was nice to relax and unwind for a day. Back at it tomorrow, hoping to feel well enough for another 5 miles (8 km). Right now, sleep is the word though. Oh, way to go Greece, voting to turn down that horrible deal, and demanding a restructuring of your debt. Today is 62 years since Greece voted to forgive Germany’s debt for you know, trying to destroy the world and all. Alright, keep it up, keep running, and I’ll check you all later.

Jul 5th Took the No train to Noville…

With stops at Noway, Nope, Notgonnahappen, and AreYouCrazy? A little background, this morning I woke up and went to my house and split wood…
We started with 5 logs:

Oak and Maple logs, sledgehammer and wedge

We got some work done, and the wedge popped out and landed on my big toe on the right foot:

I stopped and took a picture after the wedge landed on my foot

Then the hammer slipped, hit the ground and then my left foot, I called it a day shortly after this picture:

One log left for Friday

After that I tried to run, I got a mile in and my back hadn’t loosened up at all, then I started feeling dizzy and disoriented. I decided to take it super easy, turn around and walk most of the way home. I used the time to practice breathing and good posture.
I realized that we are not defined by our successes, nor our failures. We are not the jobs we have, or the money in our bank, or the stuff in our homes, or our driveways. It is how we handle our successes and failures, that is what defines us. I failed today, and it’s OK to fail. I was 8 miles short of my goal, I only really ran 3 miles, walked the rest. But I did what I could, breathing and posture are just as important as anything else. I think we all need to fail every now and then. I think we need to start letting our kids fail too.
When I worked at BMW, the sales staff, managers, and service advisors would all have to have customers fill out surveys about them. If they scored less than 10 on the survey (It was scaled 1-10) they would have to meet with people about it. If they got too many 9s, it was grounds for termination. What good is a customer satisfaction survey if perfection is all that is acceptable? Newsflash world, NOBODY’S EVER PERFECT! Nothing we do is ever perfect, there are always flaws, there’s always something more we could have done. Some days, we will be really off. How did we get away from this being ok? Even when I was a teenager working at McDonald’s, I remember customers getting very upset over simple mistakes people made. No matter how quickly the error was corrected, some people would just stay angry, like they never made a mistake in their lives.
So we are not perfect, we fail sometimes, and failure is alright, just take it and do your best with it. That’s all. Don’t even have to learn anything, we just always have to do our best. today was a failure, but it was the best failure I could produce.
Secondary moral of the story, chopping wood hurts more than I remember from when I was a kid.

Jul 4th So, it’s the 4th of July

Yes, yes it is. I ran 10 miles (16 km) today, no significance. Just felt like running, going to try and do a few more tomorrow, maybe a full half marathon. So while I was running, Energy Dome from Snapcase came on my walkman. Yes I use a Sony Walkman MP3 player. Let me share the song and lyrics and what I wrote on my personal page about all that.
Your freedom, your way of life, your wants and desires, they all extend from you. They are not granted to you by a location, a government, a military, a house of worship, or any other system other than your own freewill. You decide how free you are, regardless of whatever arbitrary set of rules is placed in front of us. “We hold these truths ti be self-evident…” that means even the founders understood, rights come from within, not from without. We’ve lost sight of that, that is why we fail. that is why we are not free.

can you… feel your heartbeat, are you living?
your mind is unsung because you’re not driven
you need to rise up and personalize your existence
you need to wake up and activate the dreams of your soul
idle, revolt, hero, your hero is yourself
they’ll break you in, they’ll break you down
and leave you down with nothing you lose yourself
and learn from them whatever they wish to teach you
you need to rise up and revolutionize your thinking
you need to wake up and activate the dreams of your soul
idle, revolt, hero, your hero is yourself
you know you’re dead and it’s you you are deceiving
you need to find a way, to yourself,
find a way, to make yourself live, to make yourself live
you need to rise up and revolutionize your thinking
you need to wake up and activate the dreams of your soul
you need to find a way to make your self live

So in the end, be your own hero, secure your own freedom, of course never harm another, but remember all that is not only is part of you, but also springs forth from you. Revolutionize your thinking, that’s what I’m trying to do here!

Jul 3rd Episode 9 is now!

I dislike parades, and I dislike fireworks. We talk about food and some running and some environment stuff, and Morrissey. Also, I explain why I felt unwell last night…And I managed to get 7 miles in today.

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Jul 3rd Missed a show

Truth be told, I was unwell last night and got nothing done but passing out in my bed. Guess I needed sleep, sometimes we all do. I did run right after work. I will put the show together tonight. Sorry!