Group Training (running update)

I’m back to running with a group again.

The local running club does training twice a year for seasonal marathons and half marathons. I got most of the way through the last session but the Chinese virus stopped me cold, like a beating heart. OK, that’s not entirely true. The group stuff got cut short but I kept running until my plantar fasciitis sidelined me. When I could I got back in the swing and started a regular (ish) schedule again. I don’t see a time when I won’t be doing some sort of running throughout the week. Lifting weights and doing high intensity training will likely drop off over the years. It gets tough to hit the gym 5 days a week, every week. Some seasons we work more, or have health issues or family priorities. I’ve been hit or miss about going the last few weeks. 

This particular season is hectic for me at work. I’m putting in extra hours at work, 8 to 10 per week on average, and feeling every bit like I earned overtime. That isn’t always true in the fall or winter. Oddly enough I do more outdoor running in the cold weather because I have more time. Also I can run in the evening after work, outdoors. No contending with full sun and a heat index over 100 degrees. It’s much easier to get in a full 3 days of scheduled running.

I’m in the half marathon group again at Runner’s World. Every so often I’ll run with the full marathoners just to see what it feels like. It’s pretty much what I thought. I can keep up just off the lead pace for about 3 miles and then their speed starts to show up. In these early stages of group running the total distances are within my wheelhouse. I’m comfortable up to around 7 miles and then the heat kicks my ass. I can go further but only after a break which tends to cut into the overall time. But like always I’m not concerned with time right now. I’m focused on steady pacing throughout the run. This is where group running is better than solo at least some of the time. You start to improve when pushed by others who already run faster and further.

Officially we’re training for the Route 66 event in Tulsa in November. I’ll probably sign up like everyone else. The race isn’t the goal for me though. I’m more interested in the lifestyle of consistent running and steady improvement. Despite a slew of regular hard core, fit joggers the store sees an influx of people who only want to train for the upcoming races. After that they drop off. Different goals for different people, I won’t criticize them for it. But it seems pointless to me to put in that much work and not try to make it a regular thing.

 

How do Writers Write?

I finished reading another Harry Bosch novel by Michael Connelly. I think it was number 7, A Darkness More Than Night.  I’ve never read one I didn’t like. You’d think detective novels with a lonely booze loving cop would get old. They don’t. How many stories about former Rangers (or Seals) that track and kill bad guys do we really need? Who doesn’t love tough guys? As long as the stories are compelling we’ll keep reading them. It doesn’t matter if something has been done a thousand times. If you keep making it great, we’ll keep buying it.

 Partly the stories entertain because there is a mystery at the heart of it all. Not just murders but character stuff, will he win her over? Is the secret investor her dad? Does the family know the dog is still alive? And like Dune (which I just finally read) will the prince fulfill his destiny? It’s a puzzle to figure solve piece by piece. I like knowing how the writer puts the information together. I don’t mean I want to find an interview where he talks about his writing process. Those interviews never sound quite right and the answers are all hindsight so it sounds way more polished when we hear it.

 I want to look over his shoulder as he puts the thing together and takes out extra information. I want to watch what happens as he fills in the plot holes that didn’t work well on the first draft. I’m curious how he lays out the plot. Does he know the murder from the start and the one who did the deed? My dad used to draw these mazes for us to solve. They were simple sketches that only took a few minutes for him to complete. He always drew the direct path first though, that’s how you have to do it. Once you have a completed path to the end you need only fill in false lanes and double backs to trick the kids. That’s how I assume authors handle mysteries, not only murder stuff but big reveals and climax endings. They start with a simple story of a guy who murders his wife’s lover and then fill in the details to spin a yarn for the reader. Maybe put in some false flags to draw out other characters. This is where the fun is right…in trying to hide motives and play the guessing game?

I know that isn’t always how it happens though. I’ve heard writers (Stephen King comes to mind) say that they don’t always know what happens in the end. They start with an idea for a scene or a character and write from there. That kind of surprises me. Novels don’t have to be done any particular way of course but it seems like it's creating extra work with no obvious resolution in mind. That’s why I opt for the over the shoulder view while they work their magic. Is that creepy? To sit there and stare as they clack away on the keyboard and curse at the blank screen waiting for ideas to pop? That’s what I do on even silly little writing projects.

I said once before that I loved to read fiction and I liked to write non-fiction. I think that might be because fiction is completely daunting to me and feels like a lot of work. All of that plotting and arranging dead ends can end up confusing the writer too. It’s probably not a lot different but impressions are what they are and until you do it yourself that’s all it will ever be, an impression. Until I get up the nerve to write a book I’ll have to just keep reading them.  

Dune: A review

A friend let me borrow his copy of Dune recently. This December a new movie comes out based on the book so I thought I'd read it. I’m not much of a science fiction guy but this book is a classic. It was written in the late sixties and the author kept the series going for years with the same characters. At least that’s what I’m told. I love the coming of age progression of the main character, Paul or Muad’Dib. He has like 7 or 8 names depending on the context. One means spiritual leader, one is a tribe name or first name. Another refers to his royalty, as the son of the Duke. He's the hero of the story, the boy who would be king.

The story unfolds as Duke Leto moves his family to Arrakis where he is to rule, mine spice and set up a kingdom for his family. But betrayers in his house made a deal with another ruler for the seat of power. He gets sold out in short order.

The growth of Paul as leader plays out over the course of a few years as the House Atreides is scattered across the planet Arrakis after the betrayal. The powerful Duke Leto is captured and killed by a Baron from an opposing House (or family). His son Paul and Paul’s mother (Lady Jessica) are forced to hide out in the desert with sand people who live on very little water and stay underground. Called Fremen, they are skilled fighters that take Paul in and train him to live like them. Paul becomes their great leader and his mother becomes their mystical guru (Reverend Mother). She is originally from an order of physics that serve as concubines to powerful men. Arrakis is known for its spice which the sandworms create through their larvae. It’s basically a drug with mystical properties and medicinal uses. It’s also highly prized and dangerous to mine since the sandworms guard it.

 There are Islamic themes in the Fremen tribe which tells me the author got his inspiration in part from nomadic peoples in Saudi Arabia or Egypt. He uses the idea of jihad to describe a collective uprising and some of the names have an Arabic sound to them.

 To my mind he overbuilds the world a little bit. It isn’t that I don’t appreciate the attention to detail he used, but I found myself tripping over the information while trying to keep up. Frank Herbert (the author) loves his terms. Mercifully there is a glossary in back to check on each word or concept. You can bet I’ve look it up a few times.

 I love the idea of the sandworms. What a crazy, brilliant idea. And he gives his Fremen the ability to tame them in a ritual, not unlike cowboys breaking a wild horse. They can ride a sandworm across the desert if done right. Everyone else is afraid of them. When walking in the desert one needs to shuffle in a certain irregular way or risk having one rise out of the sand and eat you. They respond to rhythmic patterns like walking. I think the Kevin Bacon movie Tremors borrowed a bit from the book. I’ve heard Dune fans complain that George Lucas ‘stole’ the sandworm idea in Empire Strikes Back. The Millennium Falcon nearly gets gobbled up by a giant worm with no eyes. Of if you’ve seen the Family Guy edition, it’s a giant Meg Griffin (hilarious)!

All the best stories require the main character to undergo some test of strength or conquest. Even the kid’s shows like the Lion King show a transition from adolescence to adulthood, a passing of authority, a reluctance of leadership. It’s a reminder that when the right people rule the land, the people rejoice. When the wicked rule the people mourn. I’m sure that’s a summary of a Bible verse but I can’t quite place it. Sounds like Proverbs to me. But the hero story is no accident. We love heroes and we love moral leaders.

Dune succeeded for me on the heroic level but failed to be enjoyable. I’m struggling to find a term for Herbert as a writer. It might be the dialogue and phrasing that turned me off. It wasn’t easy to read because I always felt like I was learning a new idea and not following the progress. As always though it’s my fault, not his. 

Life Training for the Negative

 

We all know our weak points in life. When the interviewer asks you where you could improve, you make something up don’t you? It’s easier than saying “I’m only here till something better opens up” or “I really don’t like people”. For me it’s negativity, I’m just too often negative. I think that last sentence even qualifies as such. If you’re willing to call yourself negative then, ipso facto…you’re negative. But admitting is the first step. Next is finding ways to work around the problem.

Mostly it means walking around it like a fallen tree across the trail. In practice it means finding something positive to focus on in the midst of the negative onslaught. Road ragers understand how this works. Instead of catching up to BMW that cut you off and swooping right in front as they lay on the horn, take a breath and let them go. Or maybe just glide past breezily and wave like an old neighborhood friend, big smiles everyone!!

Whatever it takes to ignore the blinding rage overwhelming you like a zombie infection, do that. Not that I would know. The good news is that weaknesses are fixable; negativity is easier because it’s less emotional. I did a quick google search for “how to fix negativity” to get a sense of what “experts” (bloggers getting paid in store credit) said about it. The first bit I guessed right, admit you have a problem. This holds true for most addictions as well. One way to tell if you might have a negativity problem is to ask people you work with, friends too. No one person is right of course but if a picture starts to emerge of a grumpy, dark cloud persona—take heed. I like the suggestion to “practice gratitude” for just about all situations.

Being around positive people makes a difference too. I worked for a guy who owned a landscaping company. I was in high school then and could only work on Saturdays. This man was distilled sunshine with spectacles and gray hair, he didn’t even have the facial muscles necessary to frown. We never had bad weather. We never had a lousy day. We never disappointed a customer. His reaction to any imperfect situation was to look at the positives. He would acknowledge the rain but say at least it wasn’t snowing, we could do most of the work a little wet anyway. He would acknowledge the cold but say at least the sun was up, we could get in a full day like that. On it went about nearly everything. It rubbed off on me for a little while at least.

At some point in life he practiced gratitude and it became a muscle he flexed whenever stress or anger or anxiety tried to test him. I used to think some people are just positive natured, but as an adult I understand how unlikely that is. Negativity is like weight gain, it happens when you don’t try. Positivity is like getting fit, it’s what happens when you put in effort and force yourself to improve.  Fortunately the Bible has some suggestions too.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

 I think a misconception about excessive positivity is that it’s kind of childish, or pollyannaish. A faux cheerful demeanor and empty phrases are about as good as a caffeine kick, boost the good energy and overwhelm the bad. But so many things in life are designed, yes designed, to keep us in misery. We are vulnerable when helpless. We just want the bad thoughts to go away. It can’t be said enough, the scripture is the source of wisdom and happiness and good success in this life.

So seek it out on purpose because life gives us too many reasons to focus on the bad. 

Summer Storms

A violent storm knocked out a big tree limb in my backyard. I heard a loud crack and rushed to the window. This was around 9:30 or 10:00 so it was dark and rainy. I had to press my face to the glass and force my eyes to focus on the tree. I was both relieved and disappointed. My backyard tree lost a sizable limb from the unrelenting wind. I think it’s a pear tree, which is not the strongest wood.  The relief I felt is because it didn’t hit the garage, neither did anything fall off the front tree (maple) and ruin my SUV in the driveway. It lost a few more limbs, much smaller and manageable. It losses a few dangling limbs during nearly every storm anyway. I’ve just come to expect it. Last year I had someone climb up it and cut all the deadwood and barely-still-there type of branches. Since then I’ve noticed a lot less debris overall. It still likes to shed during the storms though.

I woke up this morning expecting to start cutting the fallen limb into bits and hauling it to the street. I noticed the whole area got trashed by that storm, it wasn’t just my yard. My neighbor in back had a large birch trunk split down the middle. Part of it crushed their new fence as well. The whole street took a beating from north to south. Street lights were out as well. My brother, a mile away, lost power. These storms usually pass through in the spring. Summer is normally light, warm rain and moist breezes that cool down the land after a 90 degree day. Oklahoma doesn’t see a lot of those. You either get extended droughts or what the guy at Lowes called a “gullywasher”. I was buying hostas at the time and preparing to line the fence with them. “Might want hold off on that” he said “Tonight’s supposed to be a gullywasher”. That’s the first time I heard that phrase but didn’t ask him what it meant. It’s a word that explains itself perfectly.

I didn’t grow up here as a kid but it seems like the rain and storms are more violent here. I don’t just mean from destruction. The weather events just feel more intense, hard driving rain, angry wind. I’m sure it’s my imagination but I didn’t think the storms were that much different than the upper Midwest. I know the tornados are worse, but summer storms too?

As a kid I loved a good summer storm. You could stand outside and not worry about getting sick from cold rain. Lightning is usually destructive, but sometimes it’s so far away it doesn’t feel like it. It just cracks across the sky and lights up the dark clouds for brief second; you don’t even hear the thunder. At one house we had a long picture window with a great view of the front yard. I’d sit on the couch against the window and watch the storm progress and the rain get faster as it moved across the yard.

 Storms were more fun as a kid, getting wet and splashing in puddles too. But then everything was more fun as a kid. Being an adult is the worst. “Adulting” it’s called, which is an appropriate name that makes it sound like a game kids would play, talk about named perfectly. Probably the biggest difference from childhood to adulthood is that fun becomes work awfully quick. Families don’t get together so the parents can ride bikes and play kick ball. Kids are all about fun and find it even in things adults hate to do. And one thing we really hate to do is clean up the yard after a gullywasher.