An Odd Feeling in Orlando

Greetings! For the first time in my adult life I visited the sunshine state of Florida and didn’t go for a run. Not to worry, The Streak is not in jeopardy. I continue to have lingering tenderness following a medical procedure after the Atlanta 10 Miler in October.

We arrived in FL Friday to spend the day at Epcot for the International Food and Wine Festival and a concert by Sister Hazel. This was our third time to attend the event and see Sister Hazel. Each time made for a fantastic experience. The band always make it worth the time to see them live. They are particularly lively in FL, their home state.  This year Epcot seemed particularly crowded. I was fine with that as I was ambling around slower than usual due to my uncomfortable left foot.

We spent the night in Orlando. I felt particularly odd Saturday morning when I milled around early in the morning rather than going for a run. It was a particularly nice morning. That hurt just as much given it’s mid-November. The good news is our hotel had a very nice fitness center I used for a resistance workout.

Only a couple of days later, my foot has improved markedly. I must say, it is a delight to begin to take normal walking strides. I have mentioned before on this site that I recognize it as a privilege to have the good health and discretional time to run. I am always grateful for the gift of running. Days like today, I see it in a different light and continue to be thankful for the opportunities afforded me.

Appreciate your feet. Run.

Tom

Primedia: Who knew?

Greetings! It’s election day, 2016.  Nothing needs to be said about the last 18 months. However, I’m sure social scientist have much data for presentations, articles and manuscripts. Aside from this election I have long been interested in the role of the media in the political landscape. I believe the media, mostly televised media, has had the most profound impact on modern American politics. I have found that the television has become the primary source of political information, and the American public has become dependent on television to that end. Thus, policymakers, political parties, and lobbyists have used television as a medium to block or promote legislation. The television clearly yet is the easiest way to convey a message to millions of people.

In the early 1990s I came up with the term “primedia.”  The word captured my concept of the increasing role of television in politics, from campaigns to talk shows. I saw television as the primary medium by which political ideas were shared at the time. A point of interest was voters being removed from candidates and elected officials and only being exposed to polished and well edited sound bites. In the late 1990s I wrote a number of columns for a local political magazine that chronicled the historical development, as well as some other concerns for the future. Specifically, I looked at campaigns, legislation, public influence, voter apathy, and the effect on the information once it had been edited for television.

In the last 20 years my notion about media creating a gap between voters and public policy went from an informal gap into an impersonal great canyon.  Of course there was no way to even imagine the role of social media, and how memes and limited text might completely remove substance from the political discussion. Given this last presidential campaign and the continuing development of personal technology, I tremble to think what awaits the future dissemination of political information.

Be informed. Vote.

Tom

Finding a Way

Greetings! Thanks to 20 years of running and cardio style exercise, I developed a fairly significant callous on the bottom of my foot. It didn’t hurt per say, but it was beginning to annoy me. So, last week I underwent a quick and painless medical procedure to have it removed. The doctor repeated many times, “you will hate me tomorrow.”  She suggested the pain will become very intense very soon.  She added that for some people 8 hours is a breaking point. The pain came as she said around four hours afterwards. Fortunately, I was asleep for the night at the eight-hour mark.

Walking at 4:00 AM the following morning was a more than ginger. I took ibuprofen and forged on with my regular day, which included a resistance workout with a Tony Horton program at 5:00 AM. It’s been a week now and the bottom of my foot remains very sensitive. I have not been able to run at all, but thanks to a variety of resistance workout routines, The Streak remains intact. Hopefully, all will return to normal very soon, as the Atlanta Half Marathon, the last Peach is 24 days from now. 

Lift weights if you can’t Run.

Tom