The Fraternity of the Morning Dark

Today, I ran 20 miles with about seven of them before the sun even broke the Eastern horizon. As I was running along in the dark I thought about what I would write.  This is what I started in my head...and ended here.  It is free form; it is poetry -- so feel free to make fun of me. No really.  I totally have it coming but I don't care. However, read to the end. Then make fun of me.

There is a Fraternity of the early morning

The nod across the street in the pre-dawn hours 

Blinking don't-kill-me-lights casting red shadows on parked cars

Lost in thoughts born of dreams still in progress but cut short to an obsession

Miles lost to dodging delivery trucks and old Chinese ladies doing Tai Chi

Rolling over Clement to Sutro down the Great Highway

Flying down hill towards faux Quixotean visions 

Still in the dark and not yet awake 

Cut out from under him

Pistorius in court. (www.npr.org)

Oscar Pistorius, the Blade Runner, was charged with the murder of his girlfriend. This no legged Olympic sprinter, a man that made us question everything, especially what we were doing with our lives, has fallen from his pedestal to crumble in tears in a South African court room.

We are reminded that those elevated by their actions -- and their sponsors -- to the top of our awareness are just humans, and in some cases really horrible humans. 

The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating article on Nike's endorsement of Pistorius. It may seem strange that Nike, a shoe company, would sign this man.  However it fits perfectly into the company's model.  Nike signed Jordan before he was a proven commodity, Woods before the company made golf products, and Armstrong without any cycling gear, explains the Journal's Matthew Futterman, because each of these athletes represent something more than being elite; they embody the story of overcoming.

Book Report: A Wild Sheep Chase

What?

Great book, well written, but what?

I am sure I am not looking deep enough but I think I might be.  After reading What I talk about when I talk about running, I believe Murakami is about putting it right there for you.  The deeper message is in the mind of the reader.  

This book was outstanding and completely weird. However, unlike other very strange books, I never felt uncomfortable reading this novel.  The story line twists and turns unbelievably with precision. There were parts of the book that I understand better because I read his memoir and some of the issues that he raises, the obsession on weight gain toward the end and the running to address it specifically.

I think I would like to speak with someone with a deep understanding of Japanese history and culture to make sure I am not completely off base here.  But for the most part I believe this is a story of a lost guy within a society that lost its way and hasn't decided how to deal with its past.

I am happy I read it but I wouldn't actively suggest it to others, unless you are into that sort of thing. 

4 out of 5 Stars

Llama: As Transportation

I wanted to write something deep and meaningful about being busy but I am at a loss, because this picture is just too fantastic.

Thanks Ali on the Run for the image.

Sometimes you just need to enjoy something absurd and often times my friend Josh Heller is my place for those things. In recent weeks he has provided a few good Spotify play lists and other such fun. 

However, back to the picture. 

I suppose this photograph begs one clear question: Why is there a llama on a beach and not the highlands of central South America?

Discuss. 

Also important: What does a llama say?

...

LLAMA  LLAMA  LLAMA  LLAMA  LLAMA  LLAMA  

Ok I am done. 

A Fire Hose of Moisture - The Story of CIM 2012

The Weather Channel wasn't wrong.  The Atmospheric River pointed a fire hose of moisture at my face and turned it up to high for about 3:35 on Sunday morning.  Which means that if I had hit my A Goal I would have been running in the rain for the entire time.  But thanks to that fire hose of moisture and approximately 40 mph headwinds A was OUT the window. However, B Goal was achieved with 4 minutes and 55 seconds to spare.

So here is the longer story.

After a quick stop at Trader Joe's for fuel we drove up to hangout with Dan and Karla in Sacramento.  The weather sorta held out. There was some rain but it wasn't so awful and we SAW A DOUBLE RAINBOW.

ACROSS THE SKY!

We went to Shabbat Services which was very nice and we got to see my good friend and college rabbi, had some tea and cookies, and watched some West Wing episodes. Then to bed.

Early on Saturday morning we went to expo, I became a nuun-vert, Abby picked up some insoles for her running shoes, and I got an extremely stylish poncho. We started the carb-fest with a few little things at the expo and some coffee.  We went off to Fox & Goose for brunch and saw Argo. Nice movie.

Then it was time for big carbs at Buca di Beppo with a mess of SFRRC running chums.

Tastes like carbs

To my surprise the food was actually pretty tasty.  While our order was plain, team cow bell (Dan, Karla, and Abby) had a more complex dish with meat and cheese and team cow bell said it was very good. Also it was $16 bucks per person, so that was excellent.  There were a number of first timers and they asked important questions and we all pretended to have the answers (sorry guys, we just made it up). 

First timers Vince, Heather, and Alex

Then it was bed time.  And then it was game time.

Perfect Race Day Conditions

I was scheduled to run the New York City Marathon and then this happened.

Hi Sandy, you bitch.

Then this happened.

Yeah, I know you know.

Now with the California International Marathon scheduled for this weekend, Northern California is bracing for an Atmospheric River to hit and impact Sacramento.  According to The Weather Channel, if it stalls, say when it hits those big ass mountains near the California-Nevada boarder, "significant flooding can be the result."

COME ON MAN!

Here is the kicker:

Most importantly, that plume of moisture [a.k.a. the atmospheric river] won't move appreciably for a couple of days, perhaps through Sunday, aiming its firehose of moisture at northern California and, perhaps, southwest Oregon.  

Therefore, some locations, particularly in the coastal ranges of northwest California and the Sierra foothills, will likely pick up over 10 inches of total rainfall through this weekend, leading to flash flooding, river flooding and, in recent burn areas, debris flows. (emphasis mine) 

If they cancel this race due to a little sky stream coming to town, I am going to lose my shit.

But as with most weather events, the use of phrases like "aiming its firehose of moisture" give me some pause and reassure me that the bored California-based meteorologists want a big storm to play with...but then again, I thought that was the same thing with Sandy.

I am confident that the race will go on...and perhaps the snow will support the extremely low water levels in Tahoe.  That part is good news. It isn't like I haven't run in the rain and it isn't like it makes much of a difference.  A marathon hurts no matter what and I am going to be running one, rain or shine.

When the gun goes off, rain and all, here are the goals:

• A Goal: 3:35 - 3:45
  Revised based on weather and hi-po for painful chaffing.
• B Goal: Sub-4
  This is the same as NYC.
• C Goal: Don't Die
  This is the same as always.  

Here we go. 

Runners, don't be assholes

On Runners' World's website, there was an FAQ about the 2012 New York City Marathon.  It had more information than the NYRR has been able to push out to its members and marathoners.  I, like so many runners, am disappointed at not being able to race.  I am also not so pleased about shelling out many hundreds of dollars to change my flights, eat, and get around New York when the race was off.  I was lucky in that I have a place to stay.  Some out of staters spent upwards of $2500 to get to and stay in New York.

Those people calling for legal action against Bloomberg, or getting all their money back from the city are assholes.

Plain and simple, they are assholes.

Deduct the cost of your bib from your taxes. Talk to you accountant about ways to mitigate other expenses.  Never go back to the best city in the world. But to bring legal action against a city that still has well over 50,000 people without heat or power is not even close to ok.

Sure be disappointed.  Vent online but don't even kid about bring legal action, asshole.

This Canned Zinger is Brought to you by the Letter C

"Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down." (source)

Let's review: Mitt Romney wiped the floor with Barack Obama during the debate.  No, he did not use a rope-a-dope or any other boxing/sport/debate metaphor. The President was beaten by the Governor, and the Governor has seen a slight bump in the polls because of it. 

However, Mitt had a few canned zingers ready for the president.  The most notable was his professed love for Big Bird, but his desire to cut funding to PBS. Now anyone who watched The West Wing knows this is a long-time talking point of the right: cut funding for public education because blah blah blah states rights.  There was the great episode when some congressional aid from some right-wing office comes in to say something to Toby about funding and he completely loses his mind...come to think of it that was a vast majority of the show.

But in this particular episode, Toby lists all of the PBS shows he watched as a child that drove him to want to read more and go to school longer and serve the public professionally. So this brew-ha-ha is nothing new.

Now, after a week of Big Bird references on Twitter and even in passing from the campaigns-endorsed talking heads, we have an official, I-approve-this-message campaign ad from the Obama camp using Big Bird against Romney.

STOP IT NOW. TALK ABOUT REAL THINGS AND NOT THIS STUPID DISTRACTION AND GET TO WORK.

Obama 2012 - More Grudgingly Each Day - Not the best slogan, but you NOT HELPING YOUR CAUSE.

And now the Democrats look like fools

Puppy Link.

Last week we got to see the wonders of the GOP convention and its non-fact based presentation.  Now we get the Democrats.

To kick off the week the California Democratic chair, John Burton, compared Paul Ryan to Joseph Goebbles.

STOP IT. BAD POLITICAL OPERATIVE. NO. BAD.

“They lie and they don’t care if people think they lie… Joseph Goebbels – it’s the big lie, you keep repeating it,” Burton said Monday before the Blake Hotel breakfast. He said Ryan told “a bold-faced lie and he doesn’t care that it was a lie. That was Goebbels, the big lie.” (Source: SFGate.com)

New rule that shouldn't have to be said: NO NAZI REFERENCES. That goes for both sides. And this quote wasn't even that good! If you are going to have the gal to call someone a Nazi at least put a sentence together, you illiterate ass-hat.

This bodes well for the next few days.  Perhaps the DNC and the California Dems might think about giving this guy the boot for being an idiot.  Doubtful but it would be nice.

Two Hours and Fifty-something

In today's installment of why I hate politics I would like to focus on a lie that any marathoner can spot. In that this post is really about running, you don't get an early exit puppy link.

In an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt last week, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said he's run a sub-3:00 marathon.

In the interview, after Ryan told Hewitt that he ran in high school, Hewitt asked if Ryan still runs. Ryan replied, "Yeah, I hurt a disc in my back, so I don't run marathons anymore. I just run ten miles or less." When Hewitt asked Ryan what his personal best is, Ryan replied, "Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something." Source: Runner's World (Updated at 7:20pm with new info.)

I call bullshit, Mr. Ryan. If you ran a Boston Qualifying marathon, either with this year's or last year's rules, you would remember where it was, the weather, how you felt at mile 22, what you wore and for sure you would remember your exact time.

Ryan's finish line photo

I don't believe runners are a significant voting block so this won't matter much. But this kind of crap is a sure way to piss us off. These are PERSONAL records and should be held as point of pride.

My first marathon was completed in 5:00:03 and I am proud of that. It stood as my personal best time until I ran my second marathon, where I cut nearly an hour off my time with a 4:00:11 marathon.  Believe me I would remember my 2:50ish marathon for sure.  And I am not alone; we all remember how we did in that PR race.

NYC Marathon 2010, Owning 5:00:03

It is one thing to lie to me about medicare funding (which you did) or even about the President's record (which you did).  But don't lie to me about your marathon times you blowhard. You are no longer a guy with a big heart from a small town; you are on the main stage.  Mr. Ryan, you have graduated to the big leagues and now you need to run a clean race and finish, but not make up your times. When you came up fast from the back bench of Congress people were impressed with your P90X routine and your boyish good looks, but that doesn't cut it anymore.

Step-up and lead, or get off the course.

Fine, here is a puppy link.

The Word of the Day is Liar

Puppy Link

When I was in fifth grade, my class took a trip to Sacramento to do gold rush stuff, take pictures, and eat too much candy in Old Town Sac. But there are two things that I remember most from this trip.  My dad came along as a chaperone and we watched a comedy show, which I think was In Living Color, in which they spoofed a kids' show with a word of the day.

The word of the day was liar. L I A R, Liar.  The bit was way above my head at the time but the adults who were in the room thought it was really funny, and the kids just laughed along.

L I A R

This is a long way of saying that the spelling of liar in that sing-song kids' show way was ringing through my head while reading Paul Ryan's speech from last night. (Yeah, I don't watch. I just read in the morning. Better than coffee to get you moving.)

But this morning the liberal Internets exploded with claims of FOX News calling Ryan a liar. This claim is just a lazy and untruthful as his speech.

Sally Kohn, an opinion contributor to FOX News' website, is a left-wing, community-organizing, feminist with a history of working for foundations and organizations that support equality for LGBT Americans. Sounds like the typical FOX News contributor, right?

Look at all the social medias NYRR gives

Early this morning, the New York Road Runners announced that due to overwhelmingly negative reviews of the post-marathon park exit that it was instituting "a new No-Baggage Policy designed to ease finish-line congestion and provide a better and safer post-race experience [and] as a result, you will no longer be able to check baggage at the start of the race and there will be no baggage retrieval after the finish."

Needless to say this did not go over well.  NYRR was trending on Twitter in New York.  The Wall Street Journal,* New York Times, Runner's World and countless blog post reported on or fueled the controversy.  I know the New York Daily News is also planning a significant story on the topic.  The NYRR Facebook page exploded with negative comments, many of them very funny and some just down right mean. 

My thoughts exactly Fred. (Via Kevin Beganics)

Now my views on this are simple: This is a bad idea. But that is not what I am taking away from today's events.  What I see is the power of social media to create a ground swell and still have no impact.  Hear me out on this one, considering I am blogging about it.

11 guys, 5 Rings, and 1 Minute

I love sports.  I have my teams and my preferred events, but more or less, I am a sucker for a televised or live competition. I will take tickets to anything off your hands and the game could be on ESPN the Ocho and I will watch it, choose a side, and yell at the refs (because they always deserve to be yelled at by the guy in his living room).  Just ask my lovely wife. She might say I would put the game on the TV and promptly fall asleep on the couch but that is a salacious lie.

I also love my country.  For all its bull, the United States is the best country in the world and I am proud to call myself an American.

So when these two things come together, I get crazy excited.  I love me some Olympics.  NBC has this thing down to a science.  Meaningful music, a story of some kid from [city/town/farm] had it tough.  Kid lost [mother/father/training facility/ability to walk] but made it to the Olympic team to win and wave the Stars and Stripes (insert crescendo here). USA USA USA USA!!!!! We all cry, we all cheer.

To be honest, nothing really gets me down about the Olympics.

"But why then," you ask, "are you blogging about it?  You never have something only good to say about something when you blog, so something about the Games must be getting you down."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is refusing to take a minute out of the open ceremonies to remember 11 athletes who were murdered in a terrorist attach 40 years ago in Munich.  Everyone from President Obama to Governor Romney, from Aish HaTorah to the Reform Jewish Movement has pushed for this minute.  The IOC refuses to take some time to remember 11 athletes who were murdered at the Olympic Games 40 years ago.

That has me down.

The IOC is a semi-governmental organization and should be accountable to someone. But they are not.  You can sign petitions and such but it won't make much of a difference; more than 100,000 signatures haven't made an impact yet.  The group of widows  have been brushed off (again) and will have a moment of silence during the opening ceremonies regardless of its official recognition, and while that is nice, it doesn't fix or really honor the memory of these guys in the right way.

The Palestinian Olympic Committee (POC) called this moment of silence "racist" today and that makes my head hurt.  The POC's own statement leads a logical person to believe that they would be supportive of this remembrance. "Sports are a bridge for love, communication and the spreading of peace between nations," the POC said in its statement, before it went on to say this remembrance was racist. The entire movement here is to remember people killed, not as a condemnation of terrorists, Palestinian or otherwise.

The politics of this situation are nasty but the reality is that 11 guys, kids mostly, were gunned down by bad dudes during the Olympics.  A minute to remember them during the ceremony would not only be right but should be support the sprit of the Olympics.  We all cheer and hope our country will win the gold but we all hope that one, lone athlete can make the splash, stick the landing, break the tape and make his or her home country proud.  The Olympics at least should be about the purity of sport and competition.  Not about politics. 

So as I watch the Olympics and in a mob-like manner, wave my flag, I will try to remember these guys.

History is Written By the Victors

This is a political post so, here is the requisite puppy link.

While the title quote cannot be attributed to one source, we can attribute the degradation of our educational system to the Tea  Party.  In a story you can file under "You have got to be kidding me" we learn that Tea Party activists in Tennessee are actively lobbying to include the rosier aspects of the Antebellum South in the state educational curriculum.

This group of activists wants to include the following in the standards for selecting text books, according to the HuffPost's report:

"No portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers, or the majority of citizens, including those who reached positions of leadership."

In order to celebrate the Founding Fathers, says the Tea Party, we must ignore aspects of history.  Look at the bright side, at least they aren't out-right denying the rape, pillage, and murder.

Seperating Sox in the News Cycle

Here is your puppy link, as promised.

It has been a tough few days in Red Sox nation. We lost Youk.  This hard-nosed, ass-kicking, Jewish infielder and killer batsman who helped secure the first and second championships for my Boston Red Sox in eons was traded.  His age, diminished speed, injuries, and the presence of a new guy hitting about .375, all mean that this super star is off the Chicago White Sox.  It was sad.  He will be forever loved in Boston and throughout the Red Sox nation.

Then to make matters worse, the President of the United States made a joke about this trade.  The President, an ardent White Sox fan, is excited about having Youkilis on his team.  Obama struck a cord when he joked about it at a fundraiser in Boston.  It was a bit too soon to make a joke at the expense of a team, my team, so soon after loosing a hero.  You could say, his joke stung just a bit.

You know, reading back over that last paragraph I note the excessive use of the word JOKE.  It was pretty funny, a bit mean, but pretty funny.

But not to the Romney camp:

“Last night in Boston, President Obama went to the heart of Red Sox nation and committed an error by taunting fans over the Kevin Youkilis trade to the Chicago White Sox,” [Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea] Saul wrote in an email. “And he was booed for it. . . at his own event! The Red Sox have suffered many setbacks over the years – the Babe Ruth trade, the ball through Buckner’s legs, the Bucky Dent home run. Maybe the President should have congratulated the team for winning the World Series in 2004 and 2007. Instead, he chose to mock them for trading away one of its favorite players at a time when the team is struggling.”

Oh, for sake of something people!  There has been an entire news cycle dominated by this silly comment.  The President is a White Sox fan. He was digging at Red Sox fans. That is what sports fans do.  And when politicos pretend to care about the team for votes, nothing good happens. I remind you of an interview with former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson in which he said on Meet the Press that he liked the Red Sox and Yankees.

This non-issue should have been left for the sports guys on ESPN to talk about not the Romney camp or the Obama guys.  Sports are fun and totally meaningless, and that is what makes them fun. 

Come on now.  I will forever distrust this front office for canning the best (with his own set of problems) manager the Red Sox ever had for this blowhard and for showing Theo the door but I know my life will go on after the Red Sox don't make it to the play-offs.  Also I hate the Yankees (had to get it in).  But that is for Sports Center debates and bar room conversation with like-minded fans.  Just a thought, the presidential campaigns could talk about the economy or healthcare or foreign policy or seniors or education or anything else...

SPORTS ARE FUN.  Making fun of an opposing team, when done for fun, is fine.  Now. SHUT UP and try to make the country better.

The choices aren't tough

When I haven't been blogging about running, food, or other fun stuff in my new city, I have been talking about why I am sick of political discourse.  This is another installment in my multi-part, ever-developing series exploring my disgust of the political space.  So if you too are sick of politics, are one of my friends who makes his or her living in the space, or just don't care what I have to say about the issue, here is a link that will take you to pictures of puppies.  (Future installments will always have an early exit puppy link.)

As you know, 2012 is an election year.  This year we will be faced with plethora choices of very stupid candidates promising all sorts of craziness. Local, state, and Federal elections will dominate the news outlets for the next five or so months. These news outlets will break news that will sound freakishly like this:

OBAMA SLIPS 3% WITH UNDECIDED VOTERS AFTER HE ATE SUSHI

or

ROMNEY IN THE MARGIN, POS OUTWEIGH NEG FIRST TIME 

Two things come to mind when I read these kinds of headlines:  

1. I think Greece actually got this one right.
2. WHO THE HELL ARE THESE PEOPLE?

The Business of Sports

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that when Little Johny gets his first Little League Jersey, he is dreaming of his first contract, complete with slugging percentage bonuses.

Oh, sorry.  He is most likely pretending to be his favorite player on his favorite team as he cracks a game winner in the bottom of the ninth, the standing ovation from the capacity crowed and jumping-slapping-head-home-plate-dance that the norm for MLB walk-off celebrations.

While there is no doubt that sports are big business, there are a few things within the business of sport that transcend the money. I would like to think that kids playing, the thrill of winning it all, and the spectacle of the Olympics still fall into the transcendent category.  But it would appear I would be wrong.

It appears that the always classy Dwayne Wade, the measured and thoughtful Marc Cuban, and the author of that post and editor of My Athletic Life Tim Huntley believe that the athletes should get paid to compete in the Olympics.  Huntley points to a number of ill-advised responses to Wade's recent commentary from an ESPN blog.  The reason why those who say they would rather lose the Olympic championship than have greedy (yeah I said it) NBA stars represent our country are right is based on that kid who dreams of the big hit.

This isn't to disparage those with limited other skills from making millions of dollars but rather to say at some point, money should dictate all actions.  There are some things you do for honor and some you do for pay.  Oh yeah, you PLAY A GAME for a living. So shut up you spoiled brat, be thankful for your gift and the culture that pays you to be a brute, and go win the gold for the best country on earth!

USA USA USA USA USA USA!!!

Maybe it isn't nuance

Maybe it is just because people are really stupid.

My last post was all about the inability of people and leaders to see the shades of gray in any situation. But rather, it may be that people and leaders are simply ignorant.

Ignorant of history. 

Let's start with a little test -- Fill in the blanks:

[The] solution to the current problem is “more prisons and migrant detention camps,” and that BLANK must “prepare more military bases where we can jail all of them without exception.” (Italics mine)

Any guesses? Oh, yeah it is Israel. Interior Minister Eli Yishai said this in an interview where he claimed that Israeli woman are "often" raped by African migrant workers but don't report it because they are worried about the stigma of getting AIDS.

Yup. Israel.

My initial reaction: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Did you miss the reason why Israel was supported by the UN? Did you not get the memo?  Remember that time when Jews had the same issues in Europe?  It is bad and equally historically ignorant when anti-Semites make the Nazi=Zionism connection but when you make it this easy, it is hard for anyone outside of the extreme to support Israel.

People are still idiots

Remember that time last week when we used social media for good?

I do.  It gave me hope in humanity.

This use of social media does not do that.  In fact it diminishes my hope for humanity.

Cynthia Boris of Marketing Pilgrim, explained that the SoCal centric media obsession with car chases has taken a turn to the social:

"Yesterday, the phenomena took on an even stranger turn when a man in a tow truck led police on a two hour “low speed” pursuit through the streets of Los Angeles. It was rush hour, so he hardly ever moved more than a few miles per hour and like a good driver, he stopped for red lights. He also stopped to chat with fans."

Read her post for the rest, but come on guys! This is just sad. 

Sexism is ok when funny, right Jon?

My running chum Tracy wrote about Jon Gugala's sexist remarks in his Twitter Feed from yesterday's Boston Marathon.  But the strange thing was that when he was called on it by a fellow journalist and my other running chum Sara, he replied with an ill fated attempt at humor and more sexist commentary.

Here are some choice tid bits:

Today Jon Gugala, who is a freelancer for "Runner's World, Running Times, Competitor, RunBlogRun, and more," [sic] according to his Twitter bio, said that Tracy, as an amateur blogger, should stay in the shallow end. The shocking assumption he makes is that he is a professional blogger, considering his extremely impressive social media presences puts his Klout score at 12 out of 100 and he has a breathtaking 218 followers on Twitter and 60 likes on Facebook (as of the writing of this post). It is even more shocking because this professional blogger had the time to engaged me in a back-and-forth on Twitter for hours about his "perceived" sexism. 

Granted I am not trying to measure up to this professional writer with my admittedly amateur blog post or more highly ranked Twitter feed.  What I want talk about is the acceptability of his sexism within sports reporting.

Some facts for Jon and others: Women make up more than 50% of the US population and have been the fastest growing segment of the running community over the past several years, according to Running USA.  My current PR will not qualify me for the Boston Marathon and I am OK with that.  I hope one day to come close but I don't see it happening. However, I do not believe my current pace per mile has anything to do with my ability to identify sexism.