Mark Matthews's Blog, page 48

An Ear Bud In Each Side Of My Skull

One element of my runs which I am sure improves my time is bringing along my Ipod for the ride.  This point was driven home during my last half-marathon when my Ipod froze up just as I was walking through the chute to the start line.
Music makes me run faster, makes my runs more meaningful, and I am now dependent on ear buds to make me go forward.  Yes, if given the choice to run a 20 miler with no water or no music, I would have a decision to make.
I understand the trend to run “naked’, i.e. with no electronic gadgetry, and how it can make you mentally stronger. Well, I have done a 20 miler on a treadmill with no TV, no headphones, and no other stimulus besides a wall in front of me, and did not feel mentally stronger, but in fact, a bit more stupider-er.
Distancing yourself from others during the event and distancing yourself from yourself, are two other points.  But even with my headphones on in an event, I can still hear the crowd, and more importantly see their faces, feel their presence,and feed off of their energy.  And the music, I feel, makes me connect more closely with myself. While I run I am never very social anyways. Sure, before I run I will talk to anyone in the chute or the expo, and if I see you with an event t-shirt on I feel it's an invitation to say hello, but during the process I don’t like to be bothered.  

And so I have learned to love running with music.  Most any songs I listen to can be divided into those that are either on, or are not on, a running playlist. Some music I love just doesn’t translate to running, and some songs I find motivating while I run I would never listen to at any other time of the day. (Even though I fancy myself a hipster, my playlists are just as likely to include some songs from Glee, Journey, and Bon Jovi, or the soundtrack of Les Miserables.)
Music is such a personal experience. It is as personal as religion or politics, so to discuss your own tastes and expect it will touch and impact another in the same way would be to discuss something less than what music is.  For me it’s the intensity and richness of life personified, the volume of your internal world turned up, your insides made outsides and given a voice.  Music is listening to sounds that recognize the experience in you, and when my brain is intensified by running, the music is intensified as well.  The beat of the music mixes with the beat of  my feet and the lyrics mix with the whirlwind of joy spinning through my head. 
The first time I decided to use my ipod during an actual race was at the Chicago Marathon, back when it was not allowed, but if you looked around, this rule was rarely followed. A handful of folks always had ear buds sticking in each side of their skulls.  I bought a cheapo mp3 player (for some reason I was terrified of losing my real one, even though it had served me just fine for a million runs) and my big decision was to carry it in my pocket and clip it on at mile 20. It was going to be a final push, the motivator to make it to mile 20 and the wind to carry me home.  Mind games, I was playing with myself, and ended up popping it on at mile 18 and wish I had worn them the whole time.
The key is a great playlist.  A happy, ready to charge song out of the gate, but nothing with too fast a cadence since the beginning is about saving energy, and then some casual tunes to dissociate to, and finally, some energy producing, soul-charging songs to carry you through the finish.  For long runs, I sometimes actually use an hour long podcast to keep it slow and smooth in the beginning, followed by a specially designed playlist that picks up the pace over the miles.
My favorites songs I pop in there twice, and it never fails that, during a good run, music helps my spirit transcend even farther, magnifies the run and its place in my life experience.   

When talking isn't enough you need music, and when walking isn't enough you need running, and when you put the two together it's great chemistry
Rather than bore you with my list, here are just a few outtakes from songs that are well known.
--Most played first song on my marathon playlists:
'Running Down  A Dream' – Tom Petty“it was a beautiful day, the sun beat down… I put the peddle down, to make some time.”
--Dorkiest Song on My Playlist
‘Now or Never’ – High school musical soundtrack. This whole song is about making meaning out of just 16 minutes of your life, and how you will be remembered by this moment. Well, tacky as heck me places the song about 16 minutes from the supposed ending of the marathon.
--Most inspirational song:“Lose Yourself”  Eminem - a statement to the doubters, a song that builds with rage and immediacy like your heartbeat through the run. It doesn't hurt to be running the Detroit marathon, with the smell of Eminem in the air. And isn't a marathon just one shot, one opportunity? because if you blow it and "let it slip" away, chances are it will be many, many months or a year before you are back in the starting line. "So here I go is my shot, feet fail me not, this may be the only opportunity I got..."

--Fav songs for their Running Beats:
Rear View Mirror and Go by Pearl Jam always pick up my pace, along with many others.
And of course the obligatory Rocky soundtrack, but I follow it up with "Going The Distance" 
Florence and The Machine, Dog Days Are Over.  This song seems designed for intervals.
--Some other random odd ones
Fighter: Christinia Aguilera, or Survivor, that Beyonce group.  (but shhhh, don't tell anybody)
Hurt (either the Nine Inch Nails or the Johnny Cash version.)

Magic Power  Triumph
Pressure  Billy Joel

The Cave  Mumford and Sons
Back in the day, a friend of mine had an annual day long party (always on April 1st, hash bash in Ann Arbor) where he would play the entire Led Zeppelin collection. Every single song on CD, and this was certainly a marathon in its own rite.
So, I was thinking how an interesting way to run a full marathon with just one group on your playlist, just one, all of their songs.  I’m not sure who I would pick, but it would have to be something with an incredible beat, visceral with a screaming immediacy. Right now Florence and The Machine might be my pick of the day, although she may only have a half marathon of worth of song time.  (I am seeing Florence in concert this summer, and would certainly love to be in a treadmill while at the show, wouldn't that be something.)
Okay, if you're still reading and I'm not the only one here, I would love a comment about the song that fires you up, maybe something out of the ordinary since I have bared my soul.  Go ahead, no wrong answer.  Wham, Wake me Up before you Go Go... you say?  I can see that.

"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon

Reviews of The Jade Rabbit


"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,- $3.99 on Amazon

 Reviews of "STRAY" 

Things That Scare People,

The lovely depiction of the Heroin Addict above adorned the first edition of my novel Stray. I felt he captured the rawness of the novel, but unfortunately, it scared the dog poop out of pet-loving folks and certainly didn't capture the 'tenderness' of the novel. Perhaps not  realizing he is a heroin addict fixing up, the assumption was it was a horror novel and it ended up in the 'Occult Horror' section.   

Then a succession of dogs hit the cover, including this bewildered Golden Retriever below who, in the novel, was adopted by a family from the Argos animal shelter, but then runs away looking for his original owner. In one of my favorite scenes, both of his human-owners meet, both standing over the dogs grave, but unaware that they are grieving for their same beloved pet.


  This cover below was the original sketch for the publishers version of Stray. Bad news is, this publisher went out of business, but not before holding my novel hostage for 7 years, the whole time which Stray was stuck on their 'coming soon' list. Beware of geeks bearing contracts.


 
Lastly, here is a picture that scares the heck out of me. I signed up for the Ann Arbor Marathon on the first day of registration, without looking at the details because I was so excited to run an inaugural marathon in my favorite town.  On closer inspection, I realize it is perhaps the hilliest marathon I have ever seen. In fact, I looked at various marathon maps, and have not found any marathon routes that gain 525 feet.  [image error]Ann Arbor Marathon Map and Elevation

Compare this to Boston, which gains just 325 feet. [image error]Boston Marathon Map and Elevation

At least it won't be hot on June 17th.  Stay tuned for an occult horror novel experience.
"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon (but free on April 17th and 18th!)
Reviews of The Jade Rabbit

"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,- $3.99 on Amazon

 Reviews of "STRAY"

Martian Marathon, My Inner Stooge, and The Stages of Grief

I ran the Martian Marathon Half-marathon this morning, and now I'm trying to find all the sore spots on my body.  I have a pack of frozen peas that have been in my freezer for probably 4 years, no joke, which I take out quite often to ice my calves, knees, feet, and today, my arse (well, my hip). The day I stop running, or the day they bust open, I will have to actually eat them in some sort of ceremonial gesture.



The Martian Marathon is Michigan's answer to a spring marathon for all of those who can't make it to Boston.  And as any Little Engine that could, it's got everything the Big Engine does not.



For one, unlike the big city marathons expos where I feel swamped and trapped, the expo is not so claustrophobic, but is plenty full of goodies and good cheer. If you've seen the Chicago or Boston expo once, you've seen enough, and I never really feel too comfortable there. The Martian Marathon has a sense of humor and thematic swag all about.



A healthy sized expo

The mile markers in waiting


If you went to the bathroom you saw this



The course itself is hillier than described, in this wimp-man's opinion, and with a couple of bridges where I swear you are in some sort of time warp. Right in the middle of the bridge I am pretty darn sure there is a wormhole, and when you step on it, your foot goes temporarily into another dimension. If you ran today, you know what I mean.


What I like about these smaller events is you are much more likely to see runners you know, and you can cheer on friends and acquaintances rather than strangers. There are familiar faces everywhere, and the guy who hands you your medal is the same guy who sold you the shoes that you are wearing.. 

Have you ever been to a big city marathon and found no line at the port a potty? Well, there was No waiting at the Martian. Yes, you heard me right, there was no wait. Zero. In fact, I think the plastic pod I went in was there just for me.



(Okay, I realize some of the above may be just be one huge rationalization for not being at Boston this weekend, but I do mean all that I say.)



Now here's the bad part. My plan was to turn the half marathon into a 18-20 mile training run for the Ann Arbor marathon two months away, and I was supposed to meet fellow, and near legendary blogger, Jeff from DetroitRunner to do a few miles before the event. I left on time, called him on my cell to confirm I would be there, but that's when my inner stooge came out. I had misinterpreted the directions, went the wrong way on Michigan Avenue, and then once I back tracked, hit some traffic and was twenty minutes late.



AHhhh!!  You can mess with a man's beer and his dog and other things, but not with his final long run three weeks out before his main event (which for him is the Flying Pig in Cinci.)  Fortunately I tracked him down during the event, ran with him for a bit, and learned he didnt' curse me too harshly and was able to get in 6.5 of his 7 miles. I ran 5 beforehand, so it was an 18 miler..



That was only part of the tragedy.  At the start, I had on my Ipod as always with a brand new killer playlist, and as the chute moved and I walked to the start, I pressed play, only to have the 12 year old Ipod freeze up on me. 


AHHHH!!! part 2.
I went through all the stages of grief.
Denial - no, no way is this happening, as I press every button sixteen times.
Anger - Damn it damn it, why now?
Bargaining - okay, it will work in a few minutes, it's just resting (electronics rest?) it will work soon
Depression -its dead, my ipod's dead, and I'm surrounded by lucky runners who have their tunes.
Acceptance - I ended up talking it up with some wonderful runners which I otherwise would have missed.


(Perspective was gained, however, when I came upon a runner with "Running For A Free Syria" written on the back of her shirt.)

So, thanks to Running Fit for a great event.  I am a bit sad you aren't putting on the Ann Arbor Marathon.



And by the way, in honor of this big Boston Marathon Weekend, my novel The Jade Rabbit , about a miraculous marathon run, is free on Kindle for three days, Monday through Wednesday.  (pushed back a day due to Amazon's weird calendar)

Pick it up if you haven't. If not, the hard copy's available at the Running Fit stores.

"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon


Reviews of The Jade Rabbit




"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,- $3.99 on Amazon


 Reviews of "STRAY"

The Race Is Long, And In The End, It's Only With Yourself

Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.  ~from that famous Sunscreen song

These Two Will Remember Each Other For Life
Racing against another human being just doesn't happen for me much anymore. Unless you count my own ghost running alongside me, It's been a long time since I've been in a running duel with anyone other than myself. In fact, I do my best to stay out of them, and the self-talk that echoes in my head during an event goes like this:  "Run Your Own Race, At Your Own Pace..." "the race is long, and in the end, it is only against yourself."   All of these are mantra's trying to keep me from blowing my event by keeping up with someone faster than me.
But there is something magical that happens when you do duel with another runner.

Back in high school track it happened all the time, usually during those fabulous days of intervals and speedwork. In those days, we would warm up with 2 miles slow, and then do 10 to 12 quarter mile intervals under 70 seconds. The sweet scolding burn of my lungs from competing against a fellow teammate, at times getting beaten by a last kick, other times saying 'no way, I got this one,' pushed me to new heights.
These days, my quarter mile intervals would take nearly twice as long. Ah, youth is wasted on the young.

So, since high school, my running has mostly against my own internal demons and demonessess, or just looking to get to the finish line.  But I have stumbled on a couple competitors.

In the Scotty Hanton Half Marathon, I ran the whole event with a skinny fellow alongside me, who I could tell was in my age group, and after the crowd got sparse, it was just me and him and nobody else within 25 yards. It was clear after about 5 lead changes between they both of us that we were using each other as a competitor. We didn't say a word to each other, but easily felt each others presence. It was like we were running doppelgangers.  I was able to win at the end and picked up an age group award, and wanted to hug him afterwards, to thank him for bringing out the best in me. There was this incredible unspoken bond after running alongside each other for an hour and a half.

For many years, I had a friend/acquaintance  marathoner who had similar time goals as mine. I say friend slash acquaintance because we were friendly, liked to see each other, but  we only talked at the health club and it was always just comparing training schedules, ailments, injuries, racing calenders.  Besides that,, the only time I would see him was always at a marathon. For 5 years in a row, he spontaneously appeared in the last 6.2 of a run, just popped up out of nowhere, either passing me or watching as I ran by.  Sometimes I wonder if he was a ghost. 

Secretly, and at times not so secretly, we used each other to gauge our success. Both of us were trying to qualify for Boston and always just on the fringes, but I know that when I saw him and passed there was a sense of triumph, a boost to my morale, and every time he passed me I felt a little defeated, a little more trampled upon.

MENTAL GAMES
The mental games in a duel are the fun part. The self-talk that runs through my head goes something like this... "Crush them, crush them, " "I have an iron will and they do not. I am stronger, I am more fit, I will not let them win, I have more guts, more spirit," All of this rushes through me,  and in fact, I think "when I do pass them do so swiftly, just to send a message," and you can feel their momentum get sucked out of their body.  , this feeling of crushing another's spirit when you pass is not imagined It happens by telepathy, by body energy,

... and of course, the reason that I know this is from all the times I have often been another runners victim, on the other other end, looking at runners with envy, with fear even, since they seem to have more energy, and I did everything I could not to let any exhaustion show on my face or my stride, because , if they find out how dead tired I am they will be energized, and strike the fatal blow.  I have been passed with authority, and I have been passed with elbows dug into me, like some sort of Indy 500. Oh the mental games.

But, there has never been one who I have 'dueled' with that there isn't this amazing spiritual kinship I have.
Of course, at the finish, I know we are probably pretty equal to have finished so close, and all the other factors just came into play, and feel fortunate to have been with them.

Maybe this is just the Male ego and competitive Hunter/Gatherer nature, who knows, but much of this spirit has aged out of me.

NATIONAL HOLIDAY


No, this isn't me, it's one of my Fav Red Wings Darren HelmIn other news: Its a national Holiday here!  The Hockey Playoffs Start!  I am both a hockey fan and a
Red Wing fan for life, every since being 5 years old and my dad took me to the Olympia. The Red Barn, as they say, and have been hooked ever since.  I don't miss a second.  And this is the first year in nearly 20 I am thinking they may not make it to the second round, but the puck drops at 8 pm tonight.  I DVR the games so I can watch when the kids are asleep cause I don't want to be disturbed. I will be watching in my Man-Cave, which just so happens to be full of my kids Barbie dolls and other pink related material.

"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon



Reviews of The Jade Rabbit



"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,- $3.99 on Amazon


 Reviews of "STRAY"

Magic Elixers, Running To Eat, and Throwing Up In My Mouth

I may be the only person in the world who sometimes gains weight while running marathons. My appetite goes through the roof after a run, especially a long run, and these cravings last for days.  So I eat.  I try to eat healthy, and in fact, I do eat healthy.  Meaning I eat whole grains, low fat meat, lots of fruit with yogurt, always go for some post-run recovery foods, and drink plenty of water.
But, I also eat unhealthy  (Huh?) meaning I love pizza, a nice Five Guys Burger, ice cream, chocolates, and diet coke. My favorite is pizza followed by Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. All that leads to gaining weight at times while I am training.  I really think there is an ideal 'running weight'   Yes, I hate to see the emerging middle-aged guy paunch appearing, my little baby bump.  (which I often rub and tell my kids it's their little baby brother MAX who is on the way)  but what I mostly hate is lugging around the extra few pounds on my gut during races. While you would think 4 to 5 lbs doesn't' make a difference, ask yourself what 2 pounds in each shoe would feel like.

Bates BurgersI understand about all the negative spiral of eating sugar and fats and thus craving sugar and fats, and I am a great victim. 
On a related note, I had a REI member yearly rebate and  a 20% off coupon, so went and grabbed a ton of supplements, some proven and true, but others just as an experiment.  FRS energy chews and Gu have been staples in my training diet, but I have never tried Hammer Recoverite, Gu Chomps, and Hammer Gels.  The Hammer Gels are supposed to be more natural without the sugar and thus no sugar spikes.

 My stash from REIAfter trying them all, the Recoverite did show a noticeable improvement for recovery over chocolate milk so I am a believer. The chomps are dangerously yummy like fruit snacks but it's difficult to tell if they helped my run. Both of these I will try again. However, the Hammer Gu's made me throw up in my mouth. And I am not talking about the "wow, what you said was so gross I threw up in my mouth"  but the kind where you think "wow, I have bile in my mouth while running and now it needs to go back down the hatch."
So, I was thinking about doing a giveaway for the two Hammer Gels I have left. I can mail them to you in an envelope, but my guess is they would be smashed before they arrive, and surely you might suspect I had mailed the bile and not the Gel, cause in the end, there's not much difference is there. 

"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon
Reviews of The Jade Rabbit
"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,- $3.99 on Amazon
 Reviews of "STRAY"

Sweat, Tears, and Cheers - Best Long Run Movie Ever.

What a perfect Long Run movie and what a great experience. I am still buzzing 24 hours later.
Yesterday, I got on a treadmill for a 17 mile run and popped in the movie "Warrior" figuring it would be an inspiring movie to keep me going. This movie rocked my run and gave me my greatest Long Run this season.  I picked up my pace and ran many of the miles  much faster than I thought I was capable.  My 8:15 miles turned into 7:30's, and the whole thing had an incredibly cathartic experience to it. I can't tell if I was just my 'runner's high drunken state' or not, but I think the movie made its way into one of my favorites of all time.
If you haven't heard of it, "Warrior" is about a mixed martial arts tournament, and traces the path of two estranged brothers, both sons of an alcoholic. Both brothers have different yet inspiring reasons to fight. And the 'nearly 1,000 days sober' father, played by Nick Nolte, perhaps gets beaten the most as he tries to win back both their forgiveness. Yes, it has cliche and stereotypical training montages, is contrived at times, but it is done so well they are dismissed, forgiven, and beyond that even welcomed since you can appreciate them.
The pace of the movie lended itself perfect for a long run. It's an engaging start that lets you dissociate, some exciting moments enough to keep you awake and keep your heart pounding, and as the characters are introduced you immediately want to know more about them and their back story. The second half just gains momentum and blasts off, like a good progressively faster long run.
Unlike most any fight movie you have ever seen, you are undecided as to who you want to win the final match.  
There is the refined, family-rearing, high school teaching, training to Beethoven, "could guest-star for the glee teacher," noble father of two young girls trying to keep his house.
And then there's the chip on his shoulder, savage, tough as nails, no-nonsense, I'm the biggest bad-ass even though I'm fragile and dismissive of any compliment so don't' try to get close to me, high school wrestling champion.
The memorable moments were many.  My tears mixed in with my sweat so many times during the movie. When Nick Nolte stood on the street looking at his grand kids through the front screen door, when the brothers won a fight you knew they would win but it was suspenseful anyways, and with each triumph I screamed from the basement fortunate that nobody else was home. Testosterone laden men who are also fragile, fractured, hurt, yet striving for something bigger than themselves - "Warrior" is from Mars the way Terms of Endearment is from Venus.

Yes, watching the training scenes was extra motivation to run, and my pace naturally picked up noticeably during the fight scenes, but it was the relationship battles that made the movie so great. You ached for forgiveness to be spread quickly among the family, but it never happened when you expected it, it was just dangled sweetly in front of you to the point you wanted to scream at the characters on the screen.  And if a movie can make you do that, even if you are totally wasted and high after running 17 miles, then it has done its job.
You ever notice during movies when you watch someone training for a fighting event, that the running scenes are of the most inspirational?  For example, if you want to do Rocky, what do you do?  You run through the streets early in the morning, bound up some stairs, and then dance around with your hands raised in the air. In "Warrior", the training scenes focused on runs; in one  brother's case morning runs through the city streets, and in the other, bounding up hills in the countryside, at first back in the pack and then in the lead. Nothing represents training, physical freedom and physical prowess such as running.
I didn't see all the 2011 best movie Oscar nominees, but I've invited the cast of "Warrior" over my house and I am giving them a trophy and demanding a speech, because this was my Best Film of 2011. And despite what you may have heard about the violence, I found it fairly mild compared to what had been described, not at all disgusting, and actually less violent than the real thing.  Forceful, visceral, and blunt, but not gratuitous.
So, if I can just run with some sort of visor to this movie, I'm all set. Until then, if you are stuck on the dreadmill for whatever reason, especially for 2 hours and 20 minutes, put this movie in and get ready to rock.


"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon

Reviews of The Jade Rabbit

"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,- $3.99 on Amazon
 Reviews of "STRAY"

Sweat, Tears and Cheers - Best Long Run Movie Ever.

What a perfect Long Run movie and what a great experience. I am still buzzing 24 hours later.
Yesterday, I got on a treadmill for a 17 mile run and popped in the movie "Warrior" figuring it would be an inspiring movie to keep me going. This movie rocked my run and gave me my greatest Long Run this season.  I picked up my pace and ran many of the miles  much faster than I thought I was capable.  My 8:15 miles turned into 7:30's, and the whole thing had an incredibly cathartic experience to it. I can't tell if I was just my 'runner's high drunken state' or not, but I think the movie made its way into one of my favorites of all time.
If you haven't heard of it, "Warrior" is about a mixed martial arts tournament, and traces the path of two estranged brothers, both sons of an alcoholic. Both brothers have different yet inspiring reasons to fight. And the 'nearly 1,000 days sober' father, played by Nick Nolte, perhaps gets beaten the most as he tries to win back both their forgiveness. Yes, it has cliche and stereotypical training montages, is contrived at times, but it is done so well they are dismissed, forgiven, and beyond that even welcomed since you can appreciate them.
The pace of the movie lended itself perfect for a long run. It's an engaging start that lets you dissociate, some exciting moments enough to keep you awake and keep your heart pounding, and as the characters are introduced you immediately want to know more about them and their back story. The second half just gains momentum and blasts off, like a good progressively faster long run.
Unlike most any fight movie you have ever seen, you are undecided as to who you want to win the final match.  
There is the refined, family-rearing, high school teaching, training to Beethoven, "could guest-star for the glee teacher," noble father of two young girls trying to keep his house.
And then there's the chip on his shoulder, savage, tough as nails, no-nonsense, I'm the biggest bad-ass even though I'm fragile and dismissive of any compliment so don't' try to get close to me, high school wrestling champion.
The memorable moments were many.  My tears mixed in with my sweat so many times during the movie. When Nick Nolte stood on the street looking at his grand kids through the front screen door, when the brothers won a fight you knew they would win but it was suspenseful anyways, and with each triumph I screamed from the basement fortunate that nobody else was home. Testosterone laden men who are also fragile, fractured, hurt, yet striving for something bigger than themselves - "Warrior" is from Mars the way Terms of Endearment is from Venus.

Yes, watching the training scenes was extra motivation to run, and my pace naturally picked up noticeably during the fight scenes, but it was the relationship battles that made the movie so great. You ached for forgiveness to be spread quickly among the family, but it never happened when you expected it, it was just dangled sweetly in front of you to the point you wanted to scream at the characters on the screen.  And if a movie can make you do that, even if you are totally wasted and high after running 17 miles, then it has done its job.
You ever notice during movies when you watch someone training for a fighting event, that the running scenes are of the most inspirational?  For example, if you want to do Rocky, what do you do?  You run through the streets early in the morning, bound up some stairs, and then dance around with your hands raised in the air. In "Warrior", the training scenes focused on runs; in one  brother's case morning runs through the city streets, and in the other, bounding up hills in the countryside, at first back in the pack and then in the lead. Nothing represents training, physical freedom and physical prowess such as running.

I didn't see all the 2011 best movie Oscar nominees, but I've invited the cast of "Warrior" over my house and I am giving them a trophy and demanding a speech, because this was my Best Film of 2011. And despite what you may have heard about the violence, I found it fairly mild compared to what had been said, not at all disgusting, and actually less violent than the real thing.  Forceful, visceral, and blunt, but not gratuitous.
So, if I can just run with some sort of visor to this movie, I'm all set. Until then, if you are stuck on the dreadmill for whatever reason, especially for 2 hours and 20 minutes, put this movie in and get ready to rock.


"The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon

Reviews of The Jade Rabbit

"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,- $3.99 on Amazon
 Reviews of "STRAY"

"We Are All Infected:" Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Other Supplements and Diversions

"We Are All Infected:" Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Other Supplements and Diversions

I am in love with my diversions.  I call them diversions, but I think that gives them a bad rap. Diversions are something that makes you forget your live, takes you away from things you should be experiencing, and dulls the senses so that you don't feel as much of your pain.  Diversions are the opiates of the masses.
I prefer to think of them as 'supplements'.  Things that enhance my life, reflect something about myself, highlight the drama of the human experience, reflect or draw upon some inner emotion or notion or relationship dynamic and present it in front of me.
And this is a great week for supplements.  And as I look at my list, they are a Geeks dream

GAME OF THRONES

"Let me tell you something, Bastard. Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you."
  "I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon, and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetsone if it is to keep its edge. That's why I read so much." Tyrion Lannister
Daenerys Targaryen, mother of dragons 

                                               Let's start with the book I just finished, 'A Clash of Kings', or, as I think of it; "Game of Thrones, Part 2" and the HBO Series Game of Thrones which starts on April 1st. I rarely read full series of books, but this series has me hooked. Clash of Kings is one of those books I looked forward to diving into more than many others, and it will probably make the rest of the 30 books on my kindle jealous the way I slobbered over it. And the dismay over losing my favorite character from the book one was laid to rest when I realized that his presence is felt all throughout the second novel.  Each and every character in a sense is haunted by his ghost. 
A much coveted seat.

The book is character driven by rich  personalities with sharp motivations that run the spectrum of human nature and this is perhaps it's greatest feat, right after the incredible world the series portrays. The land is so vast, so rich, with Shakespearean family legacies, mystical flavoring sprinkled in, and majestic in its scope. Yes, there are mostly second hand accounts of rape, incest, extreme barbaric acts, but this just magnifies the nobility of the actions of many of the characters and makes it all more riveting.

The HBO series only enhances my pleasure of the reading and maintains its same depth and maturity while adding to the beauty of the kingdom.  I'm sure I will be diving into the next book shortly after the next HBO series is over. The book feels like historical fiction rather than fiction, and even though intellectually I know the land and the characters don't exist, I feel it more than the real world much of the time, and isn't that what great books do?   So, on April 1st I will be there watching.
THE KILLING Also on April 1st, the second season of The Killing will premiere.
I love Linden, and won't believe Holder has gone rotten
 This is an atmospheric, deeply engrossing, slowly unraveling, and I find plenty satisfying Onion of a series were the detectives aren't all gorgeous, the good guys aren't all good and the bad guys have a backstory that makes you think twice.  The show follows only one killing, and the mystery isn't solved in a 52 minute no commercial hour. The characters are multi-dimensional and ever unraveling, the parents response to their daughters murder was done with such realism, and the resulting shattering of the family and the large community hits with powerful subtly.
Oh yeah, and it rains. It rains a lot.
READY PLAYER ONE Then there's the geeky delightful book I am currently reading called "Ready, Player One"
What books used to look like before the kindle.The novel is set in the grim future where  a Steve Jobs type of guy who has created a powerful virtual reality where much of the society spends their time to escape their bleak poverty. When he dies, he leaves behind a contest based on the glory days of the 80's and it becomes the obsession of the masses.
So far, the best way to describe this book is "neat." Neat with a capital "N!" The story is interesting, the writing is not lyrical but easily digestible, the world is interesting but sort of done before, but the 80's movies and video games references make me smile every page. Yes, I was a nerd who played Robotron and all the atari games and can quote most of  the John Hughes movies, and the author itches the nostalgia scratches (or scratches the itch?) enough to make you go "ahhhh, this is fun. A little to the left" and yes, the author does go a little to the left inevitably and gives you what you want.
Love the game where you have to memorize Matthew Brodericks lines from War Games, but so far I'm very upset the iconic movie Red Dawn is given no mention.
The movie version is on its way.
MAD MEN (season one)
"The reason you haven't felt (Love) is because it doesn't exist. What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons. You're born alone and you die alone and this world just drops a bunch of rules on top of you to make you forget those facts. But I never forget. I'm living like there's no tomorrow, because there isn't one."
Before antabuse.
I was never able to keep up, and thus the series passed me by, but alas, here I am finally with Netflix streaming and going back to season one, and currently on the tenth episode. Love the whole notion of advertisers and marketers selling and 'inventing' want, making people think they need a certain product to be happy, trying to outwit the public out of their nickels and dimes, all the while they have already bought into their own false sense of happiness, with ongoing buyers remorse that all the whiskey and sex can't wash away.  Existentialism, consumerism, materialism, gender wars - my only regret is that I keep stumbling upon spoilers.
THE WALKING DEAD And then there's that other AMC series; The Walking Dead.  The whisper.
I found the three next to last episodes incredible and the final episode satisfying."We are all infected" was the season's secret, which really seemed to get little play out there compared to the teasers for next season, but for me this was profound. When you realize "we are all infected" with the zombie gene, that your afterlife is to be forever aching and hungry and mindless and heartless until you are put down again. Well, damn, that's a tough break.
Yes, this means you too.
We are all infected.  Isn't that a neat theme.  We are all infected with this human experience, it's a virus that lasts approximately 70 years, give or take a few decades, and during that time we look for meaning.  This can be done through all sorts of  diversions and supplements.  Or, as the Buddhists say; All existence is suffering and all of our efforts are to relieve that suffering, if but for brief moments. Grim, I know, but , don't blame me, blame the Buddhists.
Peace be with you.

"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,$3.99 on Amazon

 Reviews of "STRAY"

 "The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon

Reviews of The Jade Rabbit

"We Are All Infected:" Game of Thrones, Mad Men, The Killing, Walking Dead, and Other Supplements and Diversions

I am in love with my diversions.  I call them diversions, but I think that gives them a bad rap. Diversions are something that makes you forget your live, takes you away from things you should be experiencing, and dulls the senses so that you don't feel as much of your pain.  Diversions are the opiates of the masses.
I prefer to think of them as 'supplements'.  Things that enhance my life, reflect something about myself, highlight the drama of the human experience, reflect or draw upon some inner emotion or notion or relationship dynamic and present it in front of me.
And this is a great week for supplements.  And as I look at my list, they are a Geeks dream

GAME OF THRONES

"Let me tell you something, Bastard. Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you."
  "I have a realistic grasp of my own strengths and weaknesses. My mind is my weapon, and a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetsone if it is to keep its edge. That's why I read so much." Tyrion Lannister Daenerys Targaryen, mother of dragons 
                                               Let's start with the book I just finished, 'A Clash of Kings', or, as I think of it; "Game of Thrones, Part 2" and the HBO Series Game of Thrones which starts on April 1st. I rarely read full series of books, but this series has me hooked. Clash of Kings is one of those books I looked forward to diving into more than many others, and it will probably make the rest of the 30 books on my kindle jealous the way I slobbered over it. And the dismay over losing my favorite character from the book one was laid to rest when I realized that his presence is felt all throughout the second novel.  Each and every character in a sense is haunted by his ghost.  A much coveted seat.





                     
                                                                                                                    
The book is character driven by rich  personalities with sharp motivations that run the spectrum of human nature and this is perhaps it's greatest feat, right after the incredible world the series portrays. The land is so vast, so rich, with Shakespearean family legacies, mystical flavoring sprinkled in, and majestic in its scope. Yes, there are mostly second hand accounts of rape, incest, extreme barbaric acts, but this just enhances the nobility of the actions of many of the characters and makes it all more riveting.

The HBO series only enhances my pleasure of the reading and maintains its same depth and maturity while adding to the beauty of the kingdom.  I'm sure I will be diving into the next book shortly after the next HBO series is over. The book feels like historical fiction rather than fiction, and even though intellectually I know the land and the characters don't exist, I feel it more than the real world much of the time, and isn't that what great books do?   So, on April 1st I will be there watching.
THE KILLING Also on April 1st, the second season of The Killing will premiere.
I love Linden, and won't believe Holder has gone rotten
 This is an atmospheric, deeply engrossing, slowly unraveling, and I find plenty satisfying Onion of a series were the detectives aren't all gorgeous, the good guys aren't all good and the bad guys have a backstory that makes you think twice.  The show follows only one killing, and the mystery isn't solved in a 52 minute no commercial hour. The characters are multi-dimensional and ever unraveling, the parents response to their daughters murder was done with such realism, and the resulting shattering of the family and the large community hits with powerful subtly.
Oh yeah, and it rains. It rains a lot.
READY PLAYER ONE Then there's the geeky delightful book I am currently reading called "Ready, Player One"
What books used to look like before the kindle.The novel is set in the grim future where  a Steve Jobs type of guy who has created a powerful virtual reality where much of the society spends their time to escape their bleak poverty, has passed and,  upon his death, has created a massive contest based on the glory days of the 80's.
So far, the best way to describe this book is "neat." Neat with a capital "N!" The story is interesting, the writing is not lyrical but easily digestible, the world is interesting but sort of done before, but the 80's movies and video games references make me smile every page. Yes, I was a nerd who played Robotron and all the atari games and can quote most of  the John Hughes movies, and the author itches the nostalgia scratches (or scratches the itch?) enough to make you go "ahhhh, this is fun. A little to the left" and yes, the author does go a little to the left inevitably and gives you what you want.
Love the game where you have to memorize Matthew Brodericks lines from War Games, but so far I'm very upset the iconic movie Red Dawn is given no mention.
The movie version is on its way.
MAD MEN (season one)
"The reason you haven't felt (Love) is because it doesn't exist. What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons. You're born alone and you die alone and this world just drops a bunch of rules on top of you to make you forget those facts. But I never forget. I'm living like there's no tomorrow, because there isn't one."
Before antabuse.
I was never able to keep up, and thus the series passed me by, but alas, here I am finally with Netflix streaming and going back to season one, and currently on the tenth episode. Love the whole notion of advertisers and marketers selling and 'inventing' want, making people think they need a certain product to be happy, trying to outwit the public out of their nickels and dimes, all the while they have already bought into their own false sense of happiness, with ongoing buyers remorse that all the whiskey and sex can't wash away.  Existentialism, consumerism, materialism, gender wars - my only regret is that I keep stumbling upon spoilers.
THE WALKING DEAD And then there's that other AMC series; The Walking Dead.  The whisper.
I found the three next to last episodes incredible and the final episode satisfying."We are all infected" was the season's secret, which really seemed to get little play out there compared to the teasers for next season, but for me this was profound. When you realize "we are all infected" with the zombie gene, that your afterlife is to be forever aching and hungry and mindless and heartless until you are put down again. Well, damn, that's a tough break.
Yes, this means you too.
We are all infected?  Isn't that a neat theme.  We are all infected with this human experience, it's a virus that lasts approximately 70 years, give or take a few decades, and during that time we look for meaning.  This can be done through all sorts of  diversions and supplements.  Or, as the Buddhists say; All existence is suffering and all of our efforts are to relive that suffering, if but for brief moments. Grim, I know, but , don't blame me, blame the Buddhists.
Peace be with you.

"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,$3.99 on Amazon

 Reviews of "STRAY"

 "The Jade Rabbit" - $3.99 on Amazon

Reviews of The Jade Rabbit

The Long Run Munchies and Giving Birth To Twins

I finished a 17 mile training run on Friday that had all the elements of what Long Runs demand.

First of all, my calves felt destroyed all week, which had me icing them with a bag of peas off and on, and for 3 days I was ingesting a ibuprofen/naproxen cocktail, so before I even started the run I feared I would have to bail out. Although the first 4 miles were tough, my incredibly smashed-in, painful to the touch and tight as a hangman's noose calf muscles finally released, so that by mile six I no longer feared they would stop me.

Then it was smooth sailing, it was a 8 mile rush of energy, of running faster than expected pace, of dashing down sidestreets I have never been on 'just because' and of everything flowing loose and easy.  Then the aches and pains hit, and already at mile 12 I had sore tightening muscles. 

I finished the last miles with some grunts, with some steps where I closed my eyes and felt a bit delirious, and I know I was in the zone cause I finished with sweat and mucus and who knows what other kind of mojo on my mug but was fully oblivious to the looks from those around me.

As with every long run, as much as I'm relieved when it's over, I also wish I was back in it.  I love those moments  where the exhaustion and muscle pain hits, where you feel so raw and the rest of the world fades away. I know I am in that zone when the headphones suck me into the music so intensely, and every nerve feels a strange combination of being numb yet fully exposed.

And then that moment where you walk into your house and chug down the cold chocolate milk waiting for you, leaving nearly all of it on the pavement. My thoughts flow from  "damn that felt good" to "God I hope I didn't injure myself" and eventually  "Damn do I want to eat but please dont' eat more calories then you just burned."  Inevitably, I munch with the Long Run munchies that make the marijuana munchies look like nothing. 5,000 calorie days inevitably follow a long run day.

It's time to start taking my S-Caps. I love S-Caps.  Maybe they are just Placebo caps, who knows, but they help so much. It's just a load of sodium, but it works better than gatorade, and is probably more similar to pickle juice.

Cool thing was I took the day off of work on Friday to get the run in just so I could have family time over the weekend. (any other runners out there take a day off of work, or a half day, just to finish a long run?  It can't be just me.)

So, I know my calves will tighten up again, and they will ask for a cold pack of peas and be snuggly tucked into the calf sleeves before bed each night. I will massage them under the table during work meetings, I will take strides randomly in the middle of walking through parking lots just to see what they feel like, and i will wait for them to be fresh so I can start all over

It is amazing how 'intimate' we get with our chronic injuries and nagging pains. We know their triggers, we know their moods, we read their subtle signs and know when they will flair up and can tell what it takes to fix them.  They are sort of like the annoying co-workers who we know we have to deal with, who we don't necessarily like or hate because we've moved beyond liking or hating to just accepting them for what they are and modifying our work to fit them in.
 
I am at that point in my training where I know I could rock some runs if I could just take 5 days in a row off, but then I look at the calender and with only 61 more training days and my plan to do 6 more progressively longer Long Runs (another 17, an 18, 19, two 20's, and a 22) and I realize that I just don't have the time, so I push my limits, make my legs ragged, hit the ice more,and push through to the taper. I want to do more speed work, I want to do more hills, I want to do more miles, but as it is and I'm going at it the minimalist route. I can run though most any exhaustion, but one thing I can't do is run through injury, and after some years I can tell when I'm on the precipice of such an occurrence.  As the great Scotty Bowman (and probably many others) said, "You can play with pain but not with injury."

I've heard a marathon is like a giving birth, and much like you only get pregnant again after forgetting the pain of childbirth, you start training for a marathon again once you forget the pain of the 26.2 miles you just ran. In both cases, the joy remains.  Well, since I'm doing 2 marathons in 4 and 1/2 months it's going to feel like I'm giving birth to twins, and during the pain of the first delivery I will know that in the back of my mind another one is soon on its way.

Only 61 days left until it's time to taper for the Ann Arbor Marathon.


 "The Jade Rabbit" - A story of a miraculous marathon run, 
$3.99 on Amazon


Reviews of The Jade Rabbit

"STRAY", by Mark Matthews,
$3.99 on Amazon

Reviews of "STRAY"