A Few Quotes for a Friday

If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.

G.K. Chesterton

Wine into water is not so small,
but an even better magic trick
is that anything is here at all.
So, the challenging thing becomes
not to look for miracles,
but finding where there isn't one.

"Holy Now" by Peter Meyer (watch the song on my blog)

Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us. Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing--sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death--can take that love away.

Henry Nouwen, Out of Solitude

And now for a tad of paradox...

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?"

Our Town, Thornton Wilder

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

"Beautiful Boy", John Lennon

Swimmingly

On Friday's we cross-train. For now, we're swimming. I spent a lackluster 45 minutes in the pool today.

Woody Allen is not much of a role model, but I think he's right when he says:

Eighty percent of success is showing up.

I heard Wednesday night that Andy Stanley recently preached a series on intentions. I can't wait to hear it online. The bottom line seems to be, if you're trying to drive from Atlanta to Birmingham, but you're headed to Greenville, SC, you won't make it. I hope by Andy's standards I'm heading in the right direction.

Next workoutNine miles. . . urgh
Current weightNo idea.

P.S. I hope to write an actual article in the next week.

Hill Repeats

My first marathon was a paltry 5:53:52. My goal was a 4:30:00. For Rocket City, I've set the same goal (or faster) on my way to a 3:20:00 to qualify for Boston (by 2010).

So what do I have to do this time to get there? As Johnny Carson might quip, run faster.

In order to run faster, I need hills and speed.

Today was my first non-distance run. I went to the nearby school parking lot. There is a light pole in this lot which serves as the two-mile marker on a favorite 3-mile path. There is a hill that kicks my tail every time I run the trail. It leaves me in the fetal position in the ditch crying out for a sports drink.

So, I decided it would be fitting to run this hill today in an attempt to conquer it.

Hill repeats should be run at a pace faster than your best 5k pace. The hill I ran was 2/10ths of a mile long. Based on the "four second rule", I needed to run these hill repeats in 1:40 or faster.

Hill #1: 1:48
Hill #2: 1:35
Hill #3: 1:41
Hill #4: 1:36

After the second one, I felt like somebody amputated my right leg and replaced it with a cement-filled prosthetic with a fixed ankle. It took a little stretching to try again. If you'd seen me, my strides would not have been pretty. I looked like the running equivalent of a car trying to drive with a flat tire.

Not bad for my first effort. Next Wednesday, I'll do a speed workout. 4 x 400m. My goal is to run the 400m laps in 2:11 or faster. The following Wednesday, it's back to this murderous hill for SIX repeats.

Next workout: A day of rest
Current weight: 229.4 lbs.

P.S. In order to get to Boston, my 400m repeat time needs to be 1:31. Oh, it's a long road to Boston.

Humidity vs. the 4 mile

What does a runner need to do to have two great runs back to back? yesterday was a great run. I felt the tide of coming greatness, faster times, new PRs, and more race tee-shirts. Instead, today's run was a trudge. The first mile was solid. The second mile screamed, "Hurry up and get to the yellow sign!" I walked much of the third mile trying to get my right shin to stop its transaction with Satan. The fourth mile was a happy time actually faster (6 seconds) than the first one.

I made it through the last 5,280 feet by counting strides. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I stared at the passing pavement grayed by the dust of thousands of passing trucks. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. I ignored the pebbles and rocks that conspired to make my feet slip. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30. And when I reached 100, I started over again.

The counting took my attention off my calves and shins and put it on forward progress.

Note: For those of you keeping score at home, we only ran 4 miles today because we decided to use the Novice 1 workout instead of Novice 2.

Next workout: hill work tomorrow, 3 miles worth
Current Weight: 230.4 (I'm going the wrong direction despite good food choices. I'll lie, er, tell myself that I'm gaining muscle.

Best Run since Comeback

While not as evenly paced as Saturday's 6-miler, I was excited to feel this run. I felt very good for the first 2.5 miles. It's a familiar trail, but with several hills which make for great training. The temperature was in the lower seventies. It felt like the humidity gave us a break too. The first two miles were two seconds off (10:25 and 10:27 respectively) but the pacing was as ragged as the hills. If you turned the graph upside down, you'd get a feel for the elevations in this run. The final mile was a negative split at 9:37. Something else to note: the average pace was 10:21 which is only three seconds off my marathon target pace. I realize I've got 8x farther to go in the marathon at the same pace, but this bodes well for the future. My calves survived the six miler and are behaving themselves today.

Next Run: Tomorrow, 6 miles (I'm supposed to run them at pace. Yeah, right!)
Current Weight 229.6 lbs

First Long Run on the Way to Rocket City

The Rocket City Marathon is less than 16 weeks away. This six-miler is the first long run on the path to marathon readiness. While slower than my pace should be, it felt great to finish six with only short stops as if stopping for water breaks.

Friday's run

My calves still hurt. It seems no matter how much I stretch or how much I hydrate, I can't get them loose. Kent suggested pointing my toes and following through more as I run. My shins hurt more after doing so, but I made it through without stopping.

The Postman Rings All the Time

Blogger's Note:A dear friend sent these lyrics to me yesterday. How I needed to hear them. You can download the song for a suggested donation of any amount at www.donfrancisco.com.

The Package
by Don Francisco

I was wakened in the morning' by a knockin' on the door
So I got up and went to see what all the knockin' was for
There stood the Devil with a box addressed to me
He said "Boy, I've got something here I think you oughta see

I said, I know that I don't want it if it's anything from you
'Cause I hate everything you say and don't like anything you do
But then he pointed with his finger and he smiled kinda sly
'Cause the package said "from God" there in the corner, way up high

So I said, "if it's from God, then why'd He send it here by you"
He said, "He always sends me when there's dirty work to do"
And this box is full of misery, poverty and shame
To perfect you thru your suffering 'till you're worthy of His name

Well, I'd been pretty patient, but that last line took the cake
I just couldn't take no more, I'd taken all that I could take
So I told him what I thought of him and all his filthy lies
Then I fired a shot that got him right between the eyes

I told him "Jesus took my sickness and my poverty away
You nailed Him to the cross yourself when you murdered Him that day
The suf'ring that I do will be for love and not for shame
I'm already worthy by His blood, to wear His name

And I know my Father loves me and has only good in store
So you just take that jive and get away from my front door
You can write my name on packages until I'm ninety two
But every single one I'm sending back to Hell with you"
Go on get out of here

You have got to be kidding me!

Wedding Ring Coffin

This Invention would Make Writing Electric

Paper battery offers future power

Flexible paper batteries could meet the energy demands of the next generation of gadgets, says a team of researchers.

They have produced a sample slightly larger than a postage stamp that can release about 2.3 volts, enough to illuminate a small light.

But the ambition is to produce reams of paper that could one day power a car.

Professor Robert Linhardt, of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said the paper battery was a glimpse into the future of power storage.

The team behind the versatile paper, which stores energy like a conventional battery, says it can also double as a capacitor capable of releasing sudden energy bursts for high-power applications.

While a conventional battery contains a number of separate components, the paper battery integrates all of the battery components in a single structure, making it more energy efficient.

Integrated devices

The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

"Think of all the disadvantages of an old TV set with tubes," said Professor Linhardt, from the New York-based institute, who co-authored a report into the technology.

"The warm up time, power loss, component malfunction; you don't get those problems with integrated devices. When you transfer power from one component to another you lose energy. But you lose less energy in an integrated device."

You can implant a piece of paper in the body and blood would serve as an electrolyte Professor Robert Linhardt

The battery contains carbon nanotubes, each about one millionth of a centimetre thick, which act as an electrode. The nanotubes are embedded in a sheet of paper soaked in ionic liquid electrolytes, which conduct the electricity.

The flexible battery can function even if it is rolled up, folded or cut.

Although the power output is currently modest, Professor Linhardt said that increasing the output should be easy.

"If we stack 500 sheets together in a ream, that's 500 times the voltage. If we rip the paper in half we cut power by 50%. So we can control the power and voltage issue."

Because the battery consists mainly of paper and carbon, it could be used to power pacemakers within the body where conventional batteries pose a toxic threat.

"I wouldn't want the ionic liquid electrolytes in my body, but it works without them," said Professor Linhardt. "You can implant a piece of paper in the body and blood would serve as an electrolyte."

But Professor Daniel Sperling at University of California, Davis, an expert on alternative power sources for transport, is unconvinced.

'More difficult'

"Batteries and capacitors are being steadily improved, but electricity storage is much more difficult and expensive than liquid fuels and probably will be so forever," he said.

"The world is not going to change as a result of this new invention any time soon."

Professor Linhardt admitted that the new battery is still some way from the commercial market.

"The devices we're making are only a few inches across. We would have to scale up to sheets of newspaper size to make it commercially viable," he said. But at that scale, the voltage could be large enough to power a car, he said.

However, carbon nanotubes are very expensive, and batteries large enough to power a car are unlikely to be cost effective.

"I'm a strong enthusiast of electric vehicles, but it is going to take time to bring the costs down," said Professor Sperling.

But Professor Linhardt said integrated devices, like the paper battery, were the direction the world was moving.

"They are ultimately easier to manufacture, more environmentally friendly and usable in a wide range of devices," he said.

The ambition is to produce the paper battery using a newspaper-type roller printer.

Find the original article here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6945732.stm

I Wish I'd Thought of This

Blogger's Note:This is just cool!

Shadow lamps to connect friends
By Mark Ward
Technology correspondent, BBC News website, San Diego


Shadows are being used by Japanese researchers as an non-intrusive way for friends to stay in touch.

Called Teleshadow the system pipes video of what people are doing at home via the net to their friends' houses.

But instead of showing images in full motion and colour, Teleshadow turns them into shadow outlines projected on the inside of a small decorative lamp.

Creator Shunpei Yasuda said the shadow presence system aims to fill the gap between live video and static images.

Mr Yasuda, a post-graduate student in Media Design at Japan's Keio University, said the inspiration for the system came from Japanese history.

For many years, he said, Japanese homes have had Shoji or paper walls that divide some rooms. The thin walls preserve some privacy but the shadows cast on the paper as people move about also act as a reminder of that person's presence.

In a similar way Teleshadow preserves privacy while reinforcing presence between rooms that are far apart rather than next door.

Also, said Mr Yasuda, the lamp, or andon, that act as the projector is based on a well-known Japanese design.

"As this is a new media that fits our daily life, it was important to make it as a piece of furniture," said Mr Yasuda.

In the base of the lamp is a projector that takes input from the video camera that users of the Teleshadow system have in their homes. Software processing reduces the video input to an outline so it appears as a shadow when projected on the inside walls of the andon lamp.

The square lamp can show the shadow antics of up to four friends. The lamp knows which shadows to show as the Teleshadow project uses smart cards to identify users that those taking part swap with each other.

Slotting the smart card in the base of the lamp starts it displaying that person's shadow.

The prototypes built by Mr Yasuda and his fellow researchers used touch screens for the faces of the andon lamp making it possible to set up a voice call to that person by touching their shadow.

Unlike a live video stream, the Teleshadow system preserves privacy by hiding details of what someone is doing, said Mr Yasuda.

Sometimes, said Mr Yasuda, video gives away information that people would rather was kept private. Teleshadow, he said, helped to bridge the gap between total information of video and old information in a single photograph.

Find the original story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/6936627.stm

I Feel the Need...The Need for an Apology

Blogger's Note: I regret never having served in the military. When I hear stories like this, I stand and cheer...with a tear rolling down my cheek. Enjoy.

Luke Air Force Base is west of Phoenix. The area is being surrounded by suburban sprawl. Although the base has been there since 1941, residents complain about the noise from the jets.

In June of 2005, this letter to the editor appeared in the local paper:

Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.

A few days later, this reply appeared in the paper.

Regarding "A wake-up call from Luke's jets" (Letters, Thursday): On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship flyby of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques.
Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30. At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend.
Based on the letter writer's recount of the flyby, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured. A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air Force pays to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, "Whom do we thank for the morning air show?" The 56th Fighter Wing will call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Lt. Col. Scott Pleus
CO 63rd Fighter Squadron
Luke AFB

May we give our men and women in uniform the benefit of the doubt when we see them, are passed by their vehicles on the interstate, or feel the rumble of their helicopter propellers and jet engines.

There's more to this story on Snopes.