Sad But True

Viddy of the day:  “I gave up on my species” – George Carlin

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Actions are held to be good or bad, not on their own merits, but according to who does them, and there is almost no kind of outrage — torture, the use of hostages, forced labour, mass deportations, imprisonment without trial, forgery, assassination, the bombing of civilians — which does not change its moral colour when it is committed by ‘our’ side.

George Orwell, Notes on Nationalism

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Please read these informative articles. Initially I was moved to write about the articles in detail and tell how I felt about them.  I decided that it would probably be better to just let you see what I see, let you read it for yourself, and maybe tell a little bit about each.

A Review of Today’s Important House Hearing on Warrantless Wiretapping and the FISA Amendments Act 

A short story about a hearing on wiretaps.  FISA itself has been nothing but a black eye for the nation since it’s revision in 2008.  One could argue that it was bad from birth but I will not go there, yet.  The lengths the NSA  is going to keep us in the dark about the spying on Americans  is unknown.  Their actions have been labeled unconstitutional in at least one case, and there is a need for accountability from our government officials.

Lawfare:  Drone Stories, The Secrecy System, and Public Accountability  

A great story about the level of government acknowledgement of drone strikes by the CIA, and how that affects our ability to learn more about them because of that at times very public acknowledgement. We need to get these bastards to spill the beans on what they are doing.  If what they are doing is right, then their actions are legitimized.  If they are wrong, then we force them to stop (hopefully we can, it’d be nice) and we move on, a better nation for having stopped them.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Lieberman – Collins Cyber Security Act

More reason to simply not like any of the governments attempts to rein in the internet and make it more pliant to its whims, all under the guise of keeping us more safe.  Government over the last few decades has gotten far more intrusive of our personal lives, and it is high time we the people put a stop to this bullshit.  We stop them here.  We stop them now, or we never stop them.

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I love my country, and I will vote for the sitting President.  Reading the stuff you see above, you are probably asking why.  I’ll tell you.  Those actions would have happened regardless of who won the White House in 2008.  McCain would have acted no different.  Ron Paul would have acted no different.  Romney will continue these programs and others like the ones you see written about above should he become president.  I don’t let these issues deflect me.  They are the evils of GOVERNMENT, not of one President, or one party.

Sad but true.

If you voted based on which President would protect your civil liberties, you would have to vote for yourself, or no one.  No candidate looks out for your civil liberties, just their own wallets and hides.  It may be wrong, but it is the way of the world.

Sad but true.

I would in a heartbeat vote for someone else, if you could show me someone with the moral fiber to do the job, and the capacity to stand up and defend against the type of government that would spy on it’s own people to keep itself safe, at the expense of the peoples freedom.  There is no human so far, regardless of party, belief, creed, color, or any other possible distinction, capable of it.

Sad but true.

We need a revolution to make it possible to get what we really want and desire, real freedom.  Freedom from government like the one that exists in the above links, so we can do as we please so long as we do no harm to others.

Sad but true.

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Pic of the day:  The Triumph of History over Time, by Anton Raphael Mengs

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As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests.

Gore Vidal, The Decline and Fall of the American Empire

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That’s it from here, America.  G’night.

May 2012 Running Commentary

Once a month I clear out the content on my Running Commentary page and place it here on the main page to make room for fresh content on that page. This is the May 2012 Running Commentary. Enjoy!

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This month: 98.18 miles. Longest run: 15.2 miles (May 4tt) Shortest run: 3.8 miles (May 22nd) 13 runs in 31 days during the month. Average run distance for the month: 7.552 miles

2012 Mileage total: 899.34 miles Longest run of the year: 15.2 miles (March 11th, April 1st, May 4th) Shortest run of the year: 3.8 miles (February 6th, May 22nd). 114 runs on the year. Average run distance: 7.888 miles

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This has to be about the most injury plagued month I’ve had in three years. I had my left knee go out on me so badly that I needed a cane to walk around at one point early in the month.  After getting over that, and getting a few fairly long runs in, I ran into a Hamstring problem.  I took 6 days off to heal it up.  I truly thought it was healed enough to run on and ran on it.  I ran relatively short distances for a few days, but that didn’t matter.  It got worse.

Took a few more days off, hoping it would be enough where I could race on it.  It was a faint hope, but I had missed this self same race one year prior due to a hamstring injury, and was not about to miss 2 years in a row because of my hamstrings, not after paying good money to race both times.  I ran a damn good race, even though I re-re-aggravated the injury less than 2 and a ½ minutes into the race.  Ran sub 7:20.  Pretty damn happy about that.  But now, on June first, as I write this, I have a grapefruit sized bruise on my right hamstring.  That race effort took a bad grade one hamstring pull and made it a bad grade two hamstring pull.

I do not expect to get back to running until June 8th at the earliest.  I can not walk without some level of discomfort, though the leg is better now than it was a scant few days ago.

I fully expect that by the end of June, I will be back to running long and strong and fast.  But I will make sure I take my time getting there.  I do not want to make the injury worse than it is, and lengthen the time for recovery.

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Tues., May 1st:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Wed., May 2nd: NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Thur., May 3rd: NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.  Three days off, one of which was scheduled.  May 1st I was taking off because I was fried from running 50 miles in 5 days at a high pace for me.  I was busy and working late on the 2nd and 3rd.

Fri., May 4th:  Ran 15.2 miles in 2:01:02.57, a 7:57.80 m/m pace.  68 degrees, partly cloudy.  After 4 days off I wanted to go long to get some miles under foot, just go long, see how far I could go. I’m pretty happy that I managed to knock out over 15 miles today. I was hoping to do this distance, but after three days off I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Felt my hip on my left side twinge a bit on the 7th of 8 laps, and it slowed me down a bit at the end of the run, but not all that much, and it seemed better after the run was over.

Sat., May 5th:  Ran 11.4 miles  in 1:25:33.81, a 7:30.33 m/m pace.  57 degrees, intermittent rain, wind.  I pushed about as hard as I was capable out there.  The speed surprised me out here, as I was expecting to not be able to get moving that fast the day after running as slow as I did yesterday.  I was completely spent after the run.  I had nothing left.

Sun., May 6th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.  My left knee has locked up on me, completely.  It’s sore, and I can’t bend the knee without pain.  Done, for how long I have no idea.  Hope to be back on the road in a few days, tomorrow would be wonderful, but I don’t know that it’ll happen.

Mon., May 7th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Tues., May 8th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Wed., May 9th:   Ran 5.7 miles in 44:33.81, a 7:49.08 m/m pace.  68 degrees, cloudy, breezy, humid.  It’s nice to be back out on the road after three days off because of the knee injury.  Think that the reason for the injury was running too long too fast , and my body could not do it, and the knee broke down.  Three laps here shows things are OK with the knee, especially with my final lap being a 7:35 pace, after 2 laps of 7:55 + pace.  Same distance tomorrow, maybe a hair more if I hit the hills.  160 Burpees.  I don’t jump when I do these things cause I don’t want to, so there only kinda burpees, but they’re still hella hard work.

Thur., May 10th:  Ran 6.06 miles in 43:41.38, a 7:12.57 m/m pace.  61 degrees, mostly sunny, breezy.  I busted my ass out there on the hills today.  Tested the knee and myself out there, and enjoyed every second of it.  Ran my fastest uphill (7:23 pace)at the end of the run, and my fastest downhill (6:58 pace) was my last downhill.  I was not expecting this kind of speed this close to that injury, but I’m glad I had it.  Runs like today are why I like hill runs.  160 Burpees.  The Wednesday workout was so nice, I had to do it twice.  Sore from yesterday, still felt good hitting it.

Fri., May 11th:  Ran 11.4 miles in 1:23:49.19, a 7:21.15 m/m pace.  66 degrees, sunny, windy.  I kept my feet moving as fast as they would go, and tried to be as fast as I could.  I was surprised when I saw what my pace was after the first lap(7:24.21 pace), and did everything I could to keep that pace up for the entire run.  3 seconds per mile faster.  Nice.  My knee felt fine for most of the run, though I thought I felt something near the end of the run.  Don’t feel anything wrong with it now.  No exercise.

Sat., May 12th:  Ran 10.48 miles in 1:18:01.67, a 7:26.72 m/m pace.  71 degrees, sunny, breezy.  After 1 lap in the park, I noticed a walk for charity just starting up in front of me, so I stopped and decided to run hills to avoid them.  Ran a 2.86 mile out and back  from the logan ave sign on Victory up the hill to Royal Oak Road, then ran my normal hill course to Martling and Clove three times.  My time in the park was pretty quick (7:23.4 pace) and I kept a quick pace (7:27.41) on the hills as well.  200 Knuckle push-ups.

Sun., May 13th:  Ran 6.86 miles in 48:56.02, a 7:07.99 m/m pace.  75 degrees, partly cloudy, breezy.  3 laps in the park +  the run to the park from Knox and Royal Oak road and back.  I flew in the park today.  Today I ran damn near the fastest three laps in the park that I’ve ever run.  And the run up the hill on Victory and back down was just as fast, surprisingly.  Great weather for a late evening run.  225 knuckle push-ups.

Mon., May 14th:  Ran 9.5 miles in 1:08:54.22, a 7:15.18 m/m pace.  67 degrees, cloudy, humid.  I told myself to go as far as I could today, and surprised myself by being very fast from the start, so I cut off at 5 park laps.  I was not expecting to, and wasn’t trying to run sub 7:20, I just ran, and it happened.  Nice.  Hamstring tightened up on me during the last 200 yards or so of the run, it bears watching, with the Memorial day race coming up.  160 Burpees.

Tues, May 15th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Wed., May 16th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Thur., May 17th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Fri., May 18th:  NO RUN NO EXERCISE.  I attempted to run today, after giving myself 3 days off to rest the strained hamstring.  One minute and 12 seconds into the run, the hamstring tightened up on me again.  Dammit.  I have a race coming up in 10 days.  I would like to get some training in, and maybe even be able to race.  $%^@#%$ is about the best way to put it.

Sat., May 19th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Sun., May 20th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Mon., May 21st:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Tues., May 22nd:  Ran 3.8 miles in 31:29.32, an 8:17.18 m/m pace. 1 stop at the 1.9 mile mark.   71 degrees, cloudy, humid.  After 3 failed attempts in the past week to get any running done, I finally got back to the run paths.  I’m a runner again!  WOOOOHOOOOO!!!  I was tentative throughout the run, never trying to go fast, keeping the stride rate low, keeping my stride short, just to be on the safe side.  And the hamstring is sore, but it is normal soreness, nothing that indicates a re-aggravation of the injury.  Will run the same distance tomorrow, without the stop if possible.  There is a plan to get me to the race healthy and uninjured with me running every day.  Hoping it works!  150 knuckle push-ups.

Wed., May 23rd:  Ran 5.7 miles in 45:24.18, a 7:57.92 m/m pace.  71 degrees, cloudy, humid.  Noon start.  After going 2 laps with a break at the half way point yesterday, I initially decided to go 2 without a break today.  During the second lap I said the hell with it and added a third lap.  Ran the third lap slower than the first 2, but not by much.  Happy to be able to go the distance.  Hamstring seemed fine, and frankly I probably could have gone longer.  Hills tomorrow.  175 knuckle push-ups.

Thur., May 24th:  Ran 4.04 miles in 29:59.54, a 7:25.43 m/m pace.  62 degrees, cloudy, humid, windy.  3:15 start, one stop.  I was going to go longer, 6.06 on the hills, but stopped after 4.04 after my right quad started giving me trouble.  My right hammy felt odd, for lack of a better term, but is not hurt.  Not sure what happened there, but I wasn’t wiling to injure myself further so I stopped.  Happy that I was able to run as fast as I did.  From an 8:17 on flat ground to 7:25 on the hills is something of a major feat for me.  Hope the quad thing isn’t major. 200 knuckle push-ups.

Fri., May 25th:  Ran 4.04 miles in 32:00.92, a 7:55.47 pace.  64 degrees, cloudy, humid.  9:45am start, no stops.  The right quad was fine.  The right hammy cramped up on me.  It isn’t tight, it just cramped up on me.  It was sore for a bit, but it is not tight, so I don’t think it’s a real issue.  I hope it isn’t.  My time was greatly affected by it, even with me telling myself to just take it slow today.  I went slower when it started to get sore during mile 2, trying to keep it from becoming a major issue.  Going back to running on flat ground for tomorrow, I think.  Exercise info when I get to it.

Sat., May 26th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.  Pulled Hamstring.  No nothing until the race on Monday.

Sun., May 27th: NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.

Mon., May 28th:  Ran 4 miles in 29:18.13,  a 7:19.53 m/m pace.  80 degrees, sunny.  I pulled the hammy badly at the 2:24 mark of the race.  Ran through it, pushed about as hard as I could and managed a decent time.  I’m happy with it, seeing how 24 hours prior I couldn’t even manage a trot, never mind a run.  I am going to take a minimum of 7 days off after this.  I need the time to heal, I can barely walk on the thing at this point.  Iced, elevated, and wrapped at the moment.  Need it.

Tues., May 29th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.  Grade 2 hamstring pull.

Wed., May 30th:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE.  No running.

Thur., May 31st:  NO RUN, NO EXERCISE. And none until at least Friday of next week.  June 8th is the earliest I do anything.  I need to heal before I work this hamstring at all.

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That’s it from here America.  More later, Methinks.