March 2009

By Guus , 31 March 2009

Recovery run

A very slow run tonight, purposely. Still muscle pain from Saturday! Tonight's run felt good, but still tired afterward even though it was short.

It's time for new shoes.

By Guus , 16 March 2009

Longest run

This must have been the longest run I've ever done. Not in miles, I once did 14 miles, but definitely in time: 2 hours and 47 minutes. I ran 13 miles in preparation for my first half marathon of this season in two weeks.

It was pouring with rain so my feet were wet and heavy throughout the run. The course was twice golf course and twice Whole Foods, and the golf course trail was covered with water on many places so I had to run through mud and water a number of times.

Still, it felt pretty good and I am happy I did this run. For the first time ever I did an ice bath after the run. Scientific evidence that it helps you recover is scarce, but it did feel good (remember, my legs were very cold to begin with). At night I took two Advils, and that helped me greatly. Normally after a long run like this I sleep pretty bad; feverish. I slept great last night.

By Guus , 13 March 2009

jump the shark

Jumping the shark is a colloquialism coined by Jon Hein and used by TV critics and fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers off into absurd story lines or out-of-the-ordinary characterizations, particularly for a show with falling ratings apparently becoming more desperate to draw viewers in. In the process of undergoing these changes, the TV or movie series loses its original appeal. Shows that have "jumped the shark" are typically deemed to have passed their peak.

By Guus , 12 March 2009

Travels in Hyperreality

This is a collection of letters that Mr. Eco wrote to a local Italian newspaper through the years.

An interesting part of the book was reading what went on in the mind of an Italian philosopher in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970. His left-wing sympathies are very clear, and one of the worst thing to happen to a theory would be for it to be declared 'fascist'.

I especially liked the chapters on Thomas of Aquino, which is one of the specialties of Mr. Eco. The chapters on the United States were a little too 'easy' for me, too much stereotypes.

By Guus , 10 March 2009

From cold to hot

Tonight (a Tuesday) I ran for roughly 90 minutes. To Whole Foods, twice the track and back. Felt great.

I tried the same last Sunday (and was hoping to do a golf course also), but had to quit after 60 minutes and walk home. It was too warm! A nice problem to have. Around 80 degrees.

Funny -- a couple of days before that I ran in the snow.

By Guus , 6 March 2009

Warble fly

Warble fly is a name given to the genus Hypoderma, large flies which are parasitic on cattle and deer.

By Guus , 1 March 2009

Other People's Trades

As the author states in the introduction, Primo Levi is a both a chemical engineer and writer/poet. This book is just beautiful. It has Mr. Levi's observations of the world around him, and topics range from chemistry to the house where he lives.