The Six Dwarfs???

I walked another 60 plus minutes Friday at lunch. Beautiful day in the neighborhood (Well, the Baylands). I could feel the workload on my calf muscles. No question that 1 heel lift per shoe puts the pressure on that area of my legs. So far the soreness I feel is a good soreness. I would like it to stay that way. I need more barefoot walking and lower heel training shoes.

A surprise request to meet by He Who Must Be Obeyed. I guess in a way I am still in the tent and yet I have not sought him out. I told him very succinctly that Grumpy has way too big a job and it is showing in his general nastiness towards others who live in the Magic Kingdom. He asked me if we should work him out of the company. I said that given the potential acquisitions that there may be another role for him and that he should think of the whole picture before making that sort of move. Of course we both believe we can go it with just six dwarfs.

I debriefed my chain of command afterward.

Hi ho! Hi ho!

He Who Must Be Obeyed

He Who Must Be Obeyed and his Management Team


I have decided that if my present gig doesn't pan out long term that I will take some real time off. I am getting late in the day and "time" is becoming more important that dollars. It's not that I am unhappy. It is the opposite. For better or worse this is the place I belong (at least for now). But The Valley is struggling for revenue and we're no different. No better, no worse. It is what it is.

He Who Must Be Obeyed is charismatic but lacks the deep courage that will insure success. We did a RIF in July and again in December. Now it turns out that we may have to do another one. It's like "bleeding" a patient to make them well. That technology went out with George Washington.

The problem is that he has given too much power to The Grumpy One and the other dwarfs don't like having to take orders from him just because it so grouchy.

As for me, the options are endless:

I may stay where I am in my present position
I may end up sharing the VP duties
I may just ride it out to the end and get axed from The Magic Kingdom
I may end up VP (not a good choice)

I am not attached heavily to any of these choices. For the first time in my life as an employee (versus being a consultant) I am just enjoying the work and the people I get to work with. There is no career in the equation. That ended with TMTA some 7 years ago.

A Good Sore

Today featured a return to the great game of exercising. I went to Forbes Mill and mostly walked 66 minutes at an easy somnambulist pace. I walked over to the track, circled it a few times and finally began ten minutes of walking 100 meters, running 100 meters. A month off basically using my ass muscle as I reclined on the couch or bed at home, paid off. I felt totally weirded out. My body just didn't want to "GO" but we went anyway. Once I returned to walking I was fine.

I did this with one lift per shoe and seemed to have gotten through it all without any injury. My legs were sore but it was a good sore.

Jake and I had breakfast afterward and caught up.

A Month of Not Running

I haven't run for about a month. I am down to one heel lift in each shoe. Just made that transition this weekend. Now and then I can feel my calf's stretching when I am standing. I believe I mentioned that it is a strange feeling.

My plan:

Continue this way and start walking to see if it holds up.

Begin some very mild calf stretching. Wall pushups. Add in massage.

If I can get through all of this, I can begin to run again. No hills though. Flats for now.

It is enough

I stayed around the house today and watched the inauguration. It was history. Much has been and is now being written about it. I can write little else that would be original or new.

The first African American President.

It us enough.

The tumult and the shouting dies;
The captains and the kings depart:

There is still a job to do.

Welcome to the theater.
Now let the play begin.

The Retreat

My wonderful head cold is retreating across the tepid, California winter landscape. But now my son has it. Nice 23rd birthday present.

Sorry about that.

Thinking about running gives me a headache. A happy headache at that! When I return it will be 3 days a week. 3 days of what (????) is the question.

If I followed the recommended three day formula it would be the following.

1 day of tempo running

1 day of pace work (OK...Intervals)

1 day of running long

I can't really do any of this without first lengthening my calf muscles and achilles tendons so that they don't "pull".

During the football games today I stood barefoot feeling the stretch. I have been on two heel lifts for almost 3 weeks now. About ready to go to one heel lift.

On the other hand.....

Worked on possible chapters for Lawrence proposal. Trying to think about what will make the book unique. My perspective I guess would guess.

On January 20th 1961 John F. Kennedy was sworn in as President. Somewhere in the crowd behind him was my father-in-law Albert Rosellini who was then Governor of the state of Washington.

He told me recently that when you're a governor you get treated first class at an event this big. He is quickly closing in on 99 years old and is the oldest living governor or ex-governor in these United States. Maybe he could be forgiven for not going this year even though he could have gone if he had wanted to and probably would have received royal carpet treatment once they realized who he was. Maybe at 99 you might think he couldn't make the trip but there s little doubt in my mind that he is up to it. He just started to use a cane (reluctantly) for walking and just this past year gave up driving.

He once told his secret to living long and well.

Never take a vacation and never stop working. OH, and enjoy what you do.

He is back there in the crowd behind Kennedy (above) someplace.

Waiting for this thing to go away

Nice head cold. Started last Saturday with a slight sore throat. Moved very slowly through each phase. Now in the elongated runny nose, drip, drip section. Can't breathe through nose without drops. Drops make nose run. I sneeze a great deal. Nose plugs up. I need to use drops to breathe.

Vicious circle.

I am basically a verifiable couch potato. No walking, no running. Waiting for this thing to go away.

I will win...I think.

In the mean time I am thinking about Lawrence of Arabia for Dummies. Bert thought of the idea. He knows the head of Wylie and could get a proposal to him. Lawrence and the art of influence.

Will it fly?

4:30

Left calf goes 3 times in 2008.

Groin pull in late December.

Head cold in progress.

Woke up at 4:30 this morning coughing and draining (and did I mention coughing?)

What is my body trying to tell me?

The good news? I had coffee this morning.

NyQuil, a sip of wine (I was trying to knock myself out..Didn't work) and then a big mug of coffee. Very bizarre.

WIPE OUT

I am getting over my latest tweak of my left calf and groin strain. Both seem to be gone and now I have a cold. Things keep inserting themselves in between me and my return to exercising. The universe keeps whispering in my ear.



S T O P................S T O P.........

And then yells:

TAKE SOME TIME OFF STUPID!



Folks keep referring to me as a runner. I believe I am much closer to once a runner.



My buddy Jake (now 67) keep changing his training. He runs every day. Then he switches to every other day. Then 3 times a week. Big miles. Less miles. It all ends up in the same place.



WIPE OUT!

No Problems

Met Jake at Forbes Mill. He ran and I walked. I was out on the trails for about 60 minutes and couldn't help but throw in a few test jogs on the very flat portions. I didn't time them but if they were 50-100 meters I would be surprised.

NO PROBLEMS!

My calf and groin didn't bother me. So much of the past tweleve months has been spent coming back from injuries that the walking felt normal.In the old days it was the reverse. The walking felt weird but running was norm. Now the years of useage have crowded together to whither my legs and keep me on the bench.

I fight(s) it.

I fights it.

Not A Runner

It looks like I will be taking a full two weeks off from running and maybe more. I have removed two levels of heel lifts and am walking around without any discomfort. Now and then I can feel it in my calf's but just the stretch, not any pain.
Right?

I keep planning to walk, which is really easy to do. You just go out the door but I just seem to find something else to do. Just like cycling. The only thing I could ever force myself to do was run. If I am going to get some exercise, I need to walk.

Of course, at the moment, I have no desire to run at all which makes the whole thing simpler. Folks keep saying to me "Oh you runners," or "You runners" this or that. Right now I am not a runner. I am couch sloth of the first magnitude.

Swim, my friends tell me but I hate the pool.

Work is starting to heat up so that may become consuming is certain things fall into place.

Seeing The Future

I am not a big fan of either the Chargers or the Colts but frankly reffing aside, the Chargers played a better game on offense and defense. But it was a great day for the 5 feet 6 inchers of the world.

Sproles dominated because of a good line and his all around ability to find the daylight as they say it. Another key was the fact that the Colts lost the battle of field position allowing themselves to be buried 3 times (at least) inside their own 10 yard line and each time the Chargers got a good return and scored a TD or a field goal.

The last time was late in the game and their play calling was frankly uninspired. Two runs and a sack!

I turned to my wife and said, That's it. The Chargers will score a FG, tie it up and the game will go into OT.

The creepy part which I didn't share was that I got a flash of Sproles running into the end zone. When the Chargers won the toss I began thinking, well this was a good game but it's over! Of course there is really is no foresoothing on this one. I lucked out on my flash into the future. I mean Keith Lincoln could have hobbled down out of the stands and scored for all I knew.

Walk Before Running

I have to learn to walk before I run.

I have removed two layers of heel lifts (there were four) that I have been wearing to protect my achilles and calf's. I can feel the natural stretch whenever I walk around. I need to s t r e t c h out those muscles and tendons if I ever hope to be able to run without constant injuries.

So the first steps are simply to walk around on a daily basis and get those big tendons and muscles used to being worked. Then I can add in some serious running later on. I really have no other choice. The "let's add another heel lift" was causing things to atrophy. My range of movement was declining and I constantly was reinjuring myself. Add in ice and massage and I might have a chance.