This Ain’t No Dance Video

March 23rd I confessed my painfully-found respect for aerobic dance workouts. Since then, I’ve tried seven different workouts from Shaun T’s Rockin’ Body videos. As I noted in an earlier blog, I continued to find myself quite surprised at the intensity of the exercise.

I have now learned most of the moves and enjoy the variety that these additional workouts have brought to my fitness regime. Summer has arrived and I usually increase my physical activity at this time of year. Just before the end of the school year I found myself watching another infomercial, this one for Shaun T’s Insanity program.

It’s summer and you only live once. I ordered the Insanity DVD set. Here’s the funny part. I read that the first video, the Fit Test, only runs twenty-five minutes. I promptly decided that given the time limit and because it was a pre-program test, this would not suffice as my daily exercise and Streak preserver. OMG, I have NEVER been so wrong. With four minutes remaining of the twenty-five, I lay facedown on the floor, surrounded by a pool of sweat, and on the verge of tears.

That’s the unadulterated truth. I was broken in body and spirit. I have exercised every day for over 13 years, and this 25 minutes of a TEST, not even the regular program, utterly broke me. As I write I continue to be amazed at the all-over soreness I am experiencing.

Be healthy. Be insane???

Tom

Something About Spring

Seventy-two spring degrees warmed the morning as I ran on the sidewalk of a nearby state highway. Radiantly the sun illuminated the day. I consciously took note of the birds cheerfully singing and how leaves had filled out wooden frames of trees, as green once again laid its blanket across the land. I love this time of year. I always have. Spring memories flooded my mind I as cruised along.

Kids raising money for sports camp were selling donuts on the corner as I passed. I remember selling candy bars for the same purpose when I was a boy. If I had any money with me I would have bought a box on the way back. Donuts hold a rank in life as high as spring for me. I dipped over a stream and remembered many springs and summers with my friends searching for salamanders and crawfish, just for the sake of finding them. Only one breath of honeysuckle blossoms transported me back in time to the countless hours we spent in a rickety hut we built in the woods. Oh the joys of spring.

This was one of those mornings where I felt great just to be alive and I understood with crystal clarity why I run.

Though not from the youngsters on the busy intersection, I did buy a fat greasy donut that morning, yet another reason why I run! Believe it or not the day got better. Shannan and I took our friend, Joel, on a surprise trip to Blue Ridge, GA for his birthday. We rode the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway to the twin cities of McCaysville, GA and Copperhill, TN. The sister cities straddle the state line. We strolled around in the quaint cities, picked up a trinket or two and enjoyed a great lunch at Patrick’s Pub & Grill.

A soothing ride with beautiful scenery, the train never surpassed a traveling speed of 15 mph. A few historical narrations didn’t intrude on our time to visit with each other and enjoy a picture perfect spring day and gorgeous views of the Toccoa River.

We capped off this fabulous day by spending the cool evening in an area park, singing and dancing to the tunes of Sister Hazel. Running, friends, nature, new adventures and spring--not only did we have a perfect day, but another splendid spring memory was made.

Tom

You are my sunshine

I’ve had a bad case of SAD. Seasonal Affective Disorder really took its toll on me this winter. It hasn’t been brutally cold, even though we did have a couple of snow days. My shortage of outdoor exercise is one hundred percent to be blamed on the rain. Our nearly two year draught has been washed from our short term memory.

“Rain, rain and more rain” has been the standard forecast for far too long. My favorite running trail along the Little River is a marsh. This week has been doubly frustrating, as the temperatures have crept upwards but the rain keeps coming. It’s a bit windy and in the mid fifties today, but I think I’ll explode if I use one more cardio machine this week. I hope getting out and running in the great wide open will help cure my case of SAD.

Get out. Get some vitamin D.
Tom
**Note--I wrote this blog earlier this month and managed to misplace it. The weather has since changed for the better. Bring on summer!

Travel Day Rituals

Evolution makes for interesting musing. I’m not sure when it began, or how various components joined the process, but I am sure I have travel day rituals. I hold fast to them in a manner that borders on superstitious. Oddly, I only require the regime for the first day of the trip, not on travel days that bring me home. Before each trip I follow the same routine regardless or time or other factors.

In terms of the evolution, I remember the original custom called for 30 to 33 minutes of using the NordicTrack, my sacred and initial piece of exercise equipment. Time, as it is want to do, brought about change. Now I incorporate other cardio machines into the tradition with a semi-specific timeline. I call it a 10-10-10, simply because it sounds good, but in reality it’s more like 12-12-12.

It goes like this: I get on the elliptical and after a minute or so I set a timer on my watch for 11 minutes. During this time I read the Bible followed by a short reading of a book. The next 10 minutes I run on the treadmill and increase the speed every 50 seconds until I have reached the time of 10:10 and then bring the speed back down in increments until the elapsed time reaches 12:12.

Finally, I move to the trusted and true NordicTrack. Once I get up to speed I set the watch for 11 minutes. While on the treadmill and Nordic Track I watch episodes of Married with Children. Yes, it’s true. I have an entirely different Married with Children ritual, which is another story and not Blog worthy. Once the watch rings at 11 minutes I’m good to go. Well except for the six (6) other daily “streaks” I have to complete. Those may well be Blog worthy.

Be silly. Be active. Be both.

Tom

Ode to the Nordic Track

I gained a fair amount of weight in college, and grad school helped to add a few more pounds. In 1994, I, like so many other Americans, decided my excess weight would magically melt away if only I had the right piece of unique exercise equipment. After hearing about the multiple benefits of the snow ski movement as a combination low impact and high cardiovascular exercise, I was sold. Once I learned the price of the machine, though, I lost my enthusiasm.

At the time Shannan and I were dating and I learned her father owned a Nordic Track Pro. He was not using the stationary ski machine and sold it to me at a deep discount. Initially, I set the Nordic Track up in the living room. Occasionally, I used it and watched television. I didn’t manage to lose any weight and the Nordic Track picked up a fair amount of dust. Two years later when I really began to take exercise seriously, the dusty old Nordic Track came in handy.

Sixteen years have come and gone and the mighty Nordic Track is as strong as ever. The bad news of this testimonial is that the original Nordic Track company was bought out and the quality of their devices suffered from the change.

Run. Ski. Row. Do something.

Tom

Vacation Rain

Sister Hazel produced a song I like called “Vacation Rain” from their album, Release.  You can view the lyrics to the song at: http://www.metrolyrics.com/vacation-rain-lyrics-sister-hazel.html. Shannan and I take lots of little trips and this song has helped me not to let a silly thing like rain interrupt the joy of vacation. It first took full effect when we attended the Pumpkin Fair in Circleville, Ohio, last October. I walked out of a downtown bakery with two massive pieces of pumpkin pie to find rain beginning to pour. I guarded the baked goods, stepped out into the crowded street and began to sing the song with vigor.

In Istanbul one of my morning runs was completely engulfed in showers. I ran happily in the vacation rain. I remember every bit of the run--the stray cats scampering in the alleyways, slipping on the brick pavers of a neighborhood park, the fishermen who warmed hands and Turkish tea over an open fire, bottled blonde smokers on a park bench, and how it all looked juxtaposed with the remains of city walls from the Ottoman Empire. As the song says so well, “I remember the nights. I remember the days. I remember the vacation rain.”

Let it rain. Let us run.

 Tom

One Last Run

I wanted it to last longer. I knew it wouldn’t, so I thought it appropriate to have my final run in Turkey similar to the first. At 4:45 a.m. I launched out into the streets. After three days in the city I had worked out a mental map of our area of Istanbul. Unlike the first day in town, I took a more scenic route toward the Sea of Marmara. I bolted across the lanes of the Hippodrome like chariots and athletes of long ago.

Midway along the column and history-filled path a couple of dogs interrupted my psychosomatic connection to the distant past and drew my attention back to the present. Fretting turned out not to be necessary, though, as the dogs wanted to play. One of the little guys joined me along the road for a while.

My four legged partner and I passed cascading fountains in front of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque), the immense Hagia Sophia, and remnant original walls of Topkai Palace. My canine companion turned back when I entered the business and residential district of the Bosphorus Straight. I must admit the buildings there lacked the majesty of the At Meydanı and Sultan Ahmet Square.

As I had six days earlier, I set out to leave the southeast corner of Europe for a brief trip into Asia. Crossing the popular blue bridge proved easier before sunrise. I enjoyed the sights and sounds of the water that divides two great land masses. Once in Asia I crossed the street and returned on the other side of the bridge, which to my surprise was much livelier than its counterpart.

Fishermen built makeshift stoves out of cardboard boxes. Well-placed slits and multiple holes allowed the fire to breathe and burn kindling without consuming the box itself, quite ingenious I thought. As I logged my own mental images many of the anglers looked at me as if I, too, was a cultural novelty in the moment.

The road back and last leg of my intercontinental run mirrored the trek out, complete with barking dogs. Originally, I went to Turkey to see a couple of items in a museum and visit historical ruins. I found those and much more in this incredibly beautiful country. I saw, I learned, I ran, and now it all had come to an end. At the door of the hotel I removed my headphones and looked around this tremendous city. Just as I did, the day’s first call to prayer began. I prayed.

I thank God for the amazing world around us. I thank God for running.

Tom

Influential Istanbul

Choose your favorite cliché and it may well fit past or present Istanbul. A list of the obvious includes: where Europe meets Asia, melding of the modern and ancient, where history meets natural beauty, a potpourri of previous empires, a quilt of cultures, a mosaic of world religions or simply paradise. These and many more aptly describe Istanbul.

Every step of my run through the “newer” section of the city embodied a pendulum of images. I fixated on the concept as I carefully watched the montage underfoot. One minute I ran over cobblestones, another bricks, then pavement, on to a patchwork of cement, marble, uneven and broken sidewalks and on occasions masterfully crafted Islamic tiles. The roadways carried the memories and scars of the incredible stories that breathed and continue to pump life into the long-venerated city.

Fallen and detached, yet still impressive, capitals and columns decorate the city streets. They continue to hold much of their stateliness from antiquity. Thin walls separate trendy modern businesses from those of years gone by, as well as government buildings, mosques, museums, homes and a small cemetery. Every edifice stands witness of centuries of greatness, surrounded by ever-progressive new construction, on ground that humans marked as hallowed before we marked time.

I turned off the main thoroughfare and followed a pedestrian path along the Bosphorous Straight. More ships than I could count queued there, waiting to pass. Over thousands of years this intercontinental water passage has welcomed trade vessels and fed tourists and the Turkish people, as it did the nomads who camped here many years ago. They prepared the way for an untold number to do the same, until the end of time.

I felt as though my run had been an experiential history lesson. I ran back on the opposite side of the road and saw more than I did before. What a magnificent place, that is Istanbul!

Tom

Other Blogs related to the Turkey Trip

Pre-travel Transcontinental Turkey
Day 1 Off and Running
Day 2 Lost in Translation
Day 3 Holy Run
Day 4 No Run Zone
Day 5 Late out of the gate
Day 6 Influential Istanbul
Day 7 Last Run

Late out of the gate

6:00 AM arrived with an alarm. 99.9% of the time I wake up prior to my alarm while on vacation. This morning not only did I wake to the alarm, I hit the dreaded snooze button, multiple times. As a consequence, I learned that this particular clock only allows for a limited amount of snoozes and then the alarm ceases. I finally rolled out of bed at 7:00 AM feeling like old Rip Van Winkle. I never ever sleep that late.

Ordinarily I get bent out of shape over sleep, be it not getting enough or oversleeping. Today I had no time for crying and complaining. We had breakfast scheduled at 8:00am and a packed day of sight seeing immediately following. Off I went into the bustling and rainy streets of Istanbul, Turkey’s most populous city. Having been lost in the same area some days ago I surveyed the streets and landmarks with greater scrutiny as I hustled toward the Marmara Sea. Once there I really had a lovely run.

Along the way I shared the morning with a haggard looking and partially dressed threesome gazing at the majesty of the watery horizon, school children uniformly dressed making their way to class, and a band of old men huddled around a fire feeding a bevy of stray cats. I passed a fellow jogger for the first time since being in the country. I said my prayers and hurried back to the hotel as I knew it would be a long day and I had compromised my time by over sleeping. The day ahead held a heavy tourist agenda, not to mention my six other “streaks” for the day.

I hate being late, but my rushed run offered a world of sights I don’t see at home. It’s worth noting that this time I found my way back to the hotel with ease.

Run. Explore. Appreciate.

Tom

Pre-travel Transcontinental Turkey
Day 1 Off and Running
Day 2 Lost in Translation
Day 3 Holy Run
Day 4 No Run Zone
Day 5 Late out of the gate
Day 6 Multi Istanbul
Day 7 Last Day
Vacation Rain

No Run Zone

I’ve enjoyed running on many military installments including all the major branches, Air Force, Marines, Army and Navy. As you might imagine access to the bases came much easier prior to September 11, 2001. This morning I set out for a jog along the Dardanelles Straight in Canakkale, Turkey. We had an early departure time so I was out and about before the cock crowed. In the darkness I followed a walkway along the pier. It came to an end and merged into an outdoor seating area for a restaurant. I went around front of the dining establishment hoping to rejoin the waterside path. No such luck!

I quickly came upon a mechanical arm running across the road. I planned to run passed it and keep looking for the waterway. As I moved forward I noticed the silhouette of a man moving. No big deal. I kept running. The fellow exited the narrow passage I intended to enter. He stopped. I paid closer attention and noticed he had a rifle. That got my full attention. I then realized that the flimsy mechanical arm served to restrict access to a military base. We had been informed that even taking photos of the soldiers or bases would get you immediately arrested. Who even knew the penalty for trespassing?!

I abruptly did a U-turn and finished my run at the other end of the pier, which housed models of the celebrated city of Troy and its fabled horse. Producers of the movie Troy gave the horse from the film to the city. I felt much more at ease running around the artifacts of this once fierce military camp rather than the modern one a mile in the other direction.

Some places are simply a no running zone.

Tom

Other Blogs related to the Turkey Trip

Pre-travel Transcontinental Turkey
Day 1 Off and Running
Day 2 Lost in Translation
Day 3 Holy Run
Day 4 No Run Zone
Day 5 Late out of the gate
Day 6 Multi Istanbul
Day 7 Last Day
Vacation Rain