Setting the World on Fire

Greetings! My preference for early morning exercise has allowed for the viewing of many fantastic sunrises. I find that to be one of the fantastically beautiful things in nature. Over the course of our travels, I have for sunrises to be a very different site to behold in some parts of the world due to geography (the Arctic for example), nonetheless this ordinary daily event can be most extraordinary.  I recall admiring fabulous colors melding in a first morning sky once while running. Its vividness painted a picture of the horizon engulfed in flames.  Of course, I am prone to wonder. I mused if some person of antiquity saw a similar sight and deduced the world was on fire. It's a chilling thought to consider.

In any case, the world is full of wonder and majesty. I contend those assist in making life a joyful endeavor.  

Appreciate. Imagine. Run. 

Tom

Superb Spring

Greetings!  The spring has been grand so far. Shannan has truly taken exercise and integrated it into her lifestyle. I’ve been adding a number of new routines as well as running some beloved routes. Best of all our garden is coming in nicely.

In the garden we have done much of the same as exercise. I’m growing several new items, mustard greens, grapes and tomatillos. Shannan had a hand in making sure some tried and true favorites got planted, such as tomatoes and okra. 

This is the second time I have attempted to propagated a vegetable in a nontraditional, no soil urban garden. I used a plastic tray (designed for washing machine). I lined it with an old piece of carpet and filled it in with compost. We planted flat leaf parsley. To my delight, the parsley is growing fantastically well, better than other herbs planted at the same time in regular pots with standard soil.

Spring has been a real winner. Summer is close at hand and we are looking forward to great health and good eating.

Grow. Run. Live.


Tom

Beyond the Blue

Greetings!  Last year Shannan and I visited the Space Port in Truth or Consequences, NM. It's an amazing facility that will be the lift off point for non-astronauts who desire to leave the Earth's atmosphere for the low low price of $250,000. Of course the list of people ready to ride includes celebrities and those with a fair amount of disposable income. The Space Port is a joint venture with the state of New Mexico and companies owned by big named entrepreneurs with commitments to the space program like Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic) Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin) and Elon Musk (Space X). I enjoyed musing about the new frontier beyond our terrestrial realm. Shannan and I speculated that soon, the Space Port will be as crowed as LAX or LaGuardia. 

A couple of weeks ago Shannan and I took our bi-annual trip to Huntsville, AL. At the Space Center we watched an IMAX about space exploration. The leading concept included travel and colonization of Mars. Yes, that's correct, visiting and setting up communities on the Red Planet. The notion is not that farfetched, and some are spending terrific sums of money to that end. The reason for such, well that is a whole other discussion. Nonetheless, as I’m out running I can’t help but to gaze into the sky pondering the worlds and reals that will be discovered in the future.

Push Boundaries. Run.

Tom

Iconic Athletes

Greetings! The world lost the great Jack LaLanne just over 4 years ago. I posted a short piece back in 2011 noting the fitness path LaLanne blazed in this country. Across his career he engaged in a wide array of media to encourage people to exercise and promote fitness. Most notably, Jack had a television show in the early 60s where he sported, what would become his trademark, blue exercise outfit.

Last month Shannan and I toured the Smithsonian Museum of American History. We went, as I wanted see the robe professional wrestler Rick Flair wore to WrestleMania. Believe it or not, I’m researching wrestling for an academic project. Oh the horror, the robe was off display. I did happen to see the iconic LaLanne blue suit. This was a nice consolation. The outfit doesn’t look that comfortable for doing “jumping jacks” a move named for LaLanne. I also struggle to imagine doing resistance workouts until failure (another notion LaLanne put into the fitness lexicon) in the suit. Clearly, that is just my opinion. It worked for Jack, he was ripped and stayed fit his entire life.

Research Fitness. Run.

Tom

Getting Greener

Greetings! I keep saying I'm getting greener and greener. I moved up another notch recently as I plunged into the electric car world. I've been driving a hybrid for 10 years. Without reservation, I'm quite pleased with the Toyota Prius. The vehicle gets great gas mileage and assists in my effort to be environmental friendly. For some time, I've given a lot of consideration to going totally electric. Most of the information suggests electric cars keep getting better, and by 2017 the market will have a number of options that get 200 miles to a full charge.

My timeline got moved up as I purchased a 2015 Leaf with only 300 miles for about half the sticker price. It was a deal too good to pass. So far, I really love the car, though I confess I've had a few bouts of range anxiety. I've learned how to best drive the vehicle to get optimum miles per charge. That has increased my deep appreciation for the Leaf.

Charging stations are a different story. The electric car movement has not caught on yet. Thus, there are few chargers available. Even worse is the people who drive gasoline cars tend to park in front of the charging station, so rude.

If you can't get there by running, use an alternate fuel vehicle.

Tom

Key West Treasures

Key West draws a terrific amount of tourist attention from a Presidential resort, Hemingway’s House, Jimmy Buffet’s Restaurant, Mallory Square and outlets for every nearly every musical taste. Many runners know that the island is also fantastic for jogging. When I went out for a run in the main tourist district around 5:30 am, several other were out on the street.

Sea level coupled with beautiful surroundings gave way to a fabulous running environment. I realized I wanted more time out on the road. In that our schedule was flexible for the day (a rare occasion for us on vacation), I added an extra thirty minutes to keep running around the city highlights and in neighborhoods.  It was a grand time.

Enjoy Life. Run.

Tom

Another Ode to the Desert

Right smack in the city, a university town at that, much of the first line of vision looked like any town in the U.S. Other senses were not so easily fooled. Dry air on the skin, baked sand under foot, and for me, something only describable as an inner connection to the land. Of course, I knew full well I was in the desert. Even in the dark I could make out cacti and other arid plants sparsely populating the increasing concrete filled landscape. Desert, ah the desert.

Spending time in the desert works on me psychosomatically. I did not lament heading out in the 40 degree morning for an early run as I had for the last month or so in Atlanta. Upon my return I walked around soaking wet from the perspiration and didn't tell myself I would surly freeze to death. Yet, another fabulous quality of desert life is I seem to ignore physical and psychological concerns of elsewhere in the world.

Afterwards a very fast run in flat lands of Tempe, I cleaned up and joined the group. That morning we delightful in a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West. If you are interested in organic architecture or Wright's work, this place is certainly worth a visit.

Love the landscape. Run.

Tom