The Last Day of the Year

I have been a little under the weather since Christmas and haven't run in a week. Sometimes your body needs a week off even if you don't think it does. So this was a nice break to spend time with family and just relax a bit. I was sick with fever, chills and a head cold. I am glad that the sick is over (mostly over).

2007 was a good year for running. I started running back in March and struggled to get going but I have really made a lot of progress. My times were 14 to 15 minute miles early in the year and now in late December my pace is generally down to 11:00 to 11:30 ish. So that is nice progress. I ran my first half marathon (well I ran my first races ever really) and finished, I did a few 5k's, a ten miler, a few 5 milers, an 8.4 miler and a 15k. I did a lot of racing mostly because it was fun once I got into it. I never won, big surprise but I did come in 3rd in my age group for one race. I think there were 4 men in my age group for that race. I like the medal so I am happy about my 3rd place win. Overall it was a good time on the roads.

2007 was a good year for losing weight - This year I lost 45 pounds. That is not a huge number but I started in earnest in March so it is really 9 months of work and for a few months I stagnated due to injury. I made life changing adjustments to my diet. I did this a little at at time and then added on to it slowly. Now I am eating well and I feel so much better than I did in January of 2007. I will still have junk food now and again but it is now the exception instead of the rule. So this is good progress. I hope to lose another 45 in 2008.

2007 was a bad year for injuries - I had some problems in 2007 with injuries. Mostly this was one bad plantar injury. It has nagged me for months and months. It just wouldn't heal. Mostly it was that I didn't want to back off the running. It wasn't until late November that I really felt better and I was injured back in June/ July. Besides this I have pulled some muscles in my calves in the cold weather and a couple of spills on uneven ground. But the plantar was my problem for the year. I feel much stronger now and I feel like I know how to avoid some of these injuries. Also being lighter will help me avoid injury.

2007 was a good year for martial arts training. I started training in martial arts again this year and I am glad that I did. As one of my co-workers would say, "I got my mind right." The exercise is excellent and I like the atmosphere in the training hall. The learning atmosphere is great.

2007 was a good year professionally- Not that this journal has anything to do with my work. But I made good advancement in my career this year as well. I was able to exceed a couple of milestones and I am quite happy with how my work has gone this year.

2008 Goals

The past two years I have picked one big New Year's resolution and done great with it. Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to read more than just work related stuff. After a year of dedicated reading I had put away 98 books. It was a resolution so I kept a running total. Last year I kept it up and logged somewhere near 40 or so. But I didn't keep as accurate a count so it is more of a guess. Last year I decided that I really wanted to transform my life in terms of health and exercise. I have done a lot of good work but there is still more to do so I will be continuing on the previous resolution as one year was not enough to get it done. To be truthful two years may not be enough.

Here are the results since March. I have lost 41 pounds, I have reduced my running times from a walk run walk run to steady running an 11:30 to 12:00 pace generally speaking. I had a 3 mile time of less than 11:00 for each mile. I have made good progress but there is lots of room to go. Here is the list for 2008.

1. Duplicate the weight loss efforts of 2007, 41 pounds
2. Run 1000 miles or more for the year
3. Run a marathon, I plan to run the Philadelphia Marathon next November
4. Consistently average 25+ miles per week (life happens and there will be hiccups but I want this to be the rule not the exception)
5. Incorporate fartleks, tempo running and interval running into my running.
6. Improve my martial arts throughout the year including more knife and boxing training.

I do not know where I will be at the end of the year for weight but if I stay where I am I will have a goal of 41 pounds for 2008 or few more depending upon how the year ends. Well there are my early New Year's goals.

2007 Book List

This is a non-running post about my reading so far for the year. There is only a month left so I thought I would put down what I have done so far and then update it on January 1st with the full totals. I have two hours a day to read on my communte to work and here is what I have looked at.







30 Days of Night (Novelization)- Tim Lebbon
-- this is just a novel based on the movie. It is what you might call a popcorn read. There is nothing difficult about this. The down side is that like the movie, it is not very scary. It is more of an action movie with super-powered villians. Too bad really, there is promise in the concept. I am a fan of the genre but this missed the mark.


Angry White Pyjamas - Robert Twigger
-- I really liked this one. This is a travelogue about an Englishman living in Tokyo who decides, mostly on a lark, to study a year long intensive Aikido program. It is really good. I am sure Twigger took some liberties but it is an entertaining read.




Blood Curdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre- H.P. Lovecraft
-- I do like good horror and there is none better than Lovecraft. Lovecraft knows something that most seem to forget, it is not what you see that is frightening it is what you cannot see. Creepy and frightening, as is all his stuff. But it doesn't really translate well to screen.




Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien
-- Not the Tolkien people think of from the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. This is a dark and grim tale. Based on some of Tolkien's notes, this book is dark and distrubing. As a teen I caught the fantasy bug and I still like the genre.


Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier
-- Civil War tale on which the movie is based. It is a two part tale, part one is sort of Gone with the Wind-ish in how the farm is held together while the wounded soldier protagonist makes his way back home. It is good.


The DaVinci Code - Brown
-- I came to this late, I know. I don't usually like to get sucked into hype. But I read this and I have to say it was good, but annoying. The story is good, his writing style is annoying. If one more character was going to have a sudden recollection to move the plot I was going to pull my hair out. How does everyone suddenly remember something, that was annoying. I know everyone loved this book, and it had its good points, but didn't this writing style get on your nerves?


Empire Falls - Richard Russo
-- Story of a small town and what lies beneth the quaint surface. I think this is one of the top two or three I read this year. Russo is just a great writer. You don't realize how fast you are flying through the story and then you are done and sad it is over. A couple of parts seem a bit forced but really great.


The Farthest Shore- Ursula LeGuin
-- Part of LeGuin's Earth Sea Cycle. It is very well written and has a nice flow. This is well done fantasy.


The Fight - Norman Mailer
-- This is Mailer's account of the Rumble in the Jungle between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. This is a great story and is a must read for any boxing fan. Top notch.




Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
-- I can't really talk about it. Well fight club is a story about one man's disillusionment with material society and his reaction to it. A good read, just like the movie (mostly) only deeper.

Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield

-- This is novelization of the Batle of Thermopylae. It is a decent read but really a popcorn novel. I read it before 300 came out. It was fine.

H.M.S. Suprise - Patrick O'Brian

-- 3rd book in the Aubrey/ Mauratin Series. This is a series of books focusing on the lives of a Naval Officer and his spy/ doctor friend during the Napoleanic era. Lots of high seas action with some humorous dialogue. They are good but not over taxing.

I Am Legend - Richard Matheson

-- With the Will Smith movie coming out later in the year, I thought I would look at this. I was not really familiar with Matheson before. This will be the third movie made of this book. He also wrote for the Twilight Zone, Terror at 20,000 feet a great episode with William Shatner is also one of his. He has also had Stir of Echoes and What Dreams May Come turned into films. I liked this short book, it will take all of a couple of sittings to get through this.

Illiad - Homer
-- The sack of Troy, the transgressions of Achilles, the Greek Warrior tradition in full view. It is great. I am a geek, who reads Homer for fun.


In the Name of Rome - Adrian Goldsworthy
-- History on the some of the more famous Roman generals and their particular achievements and flaws. It is very interesting to see how the politics of Rome hamstrung their own military. Interesting.

Kokoro - Natsume Soseki
-- The classic Japanese novel of a young man and his teacher. It is really good. I read this book every 4 years or so.




Living the Martial Way- Morgan Forrestt
-- I read this book every year. It is a sort of blue print for living your life as a Martial Artist. For me it is important. It is about integrity and honor. For me it is always worth my time.


Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
-- the classic tome of fantasy fiction. Outstanding in every sense. Very flowerly language, high action and characters that you like and respect. What is not to like.

Master and Commander - Patrick O'Brien

-- 1st book in the Aubrey/ Mauratin Series. This is a series of books focusing on the lives of a Naval Officer and his spy/ doctor friend during the Napoleanic era. Lots of high seas action with some humorous dialogue. They are good but not over taxing.

Odyessy - Homer

-- Reading Homer for fun, still a geek. The Fagles translation is really good.

The Painted Veil - W. Sommersett Maugham

-- Maugham doesn't get enough play today. He is really great. This is the story of a doctor who takes his unfaithful wife to an infected area of China in the 1920's. It is really a story of personal growth with a disturbing back drop. Disease is scary.

Phoenix Guards - Stephen Brust

-- this is a Three Musketeers rip off. It is a well done rip off set in more of a fantasy setting but still a rip off. All that said, it is really good and if you like that type of swashbuckling story then give it a try.

Post Captain - Patrick O'Brien
--2rd book in the Aubrey/ Mauratin Series. This is a series of books focusing on the lives of a Naval Officer and his spy/ doctor friend during the Napoleanic era. Lots of high seas action with some humorous dialogue. They are good but not over taxing.


The Razor's Edge - W. Sommersett Maugham
-- This is the story of a man looking for what is meaningful in post World War I Europe. It is a moving story and a bit on the philosophical bent. I don't think you can read this without examining your own beliefs. I really enjoyed it. This was in the top two or three for the year.

The Shipping News- Annie Proulx

-- Story of man who tries to find himself in NewFoundland after an abusive marriage. I liked this book a lot. A friend of mine read this at the same time but was not nearly as impressed as I was. Perhaps, I am bit off on this one. But I found it to be excellent.

Snow - Orhan Pamuk

-- The author won the Nobel Prize for literature, so I thought I would give him a try. The story is interesting but it is a hard read. This was just tough to get through, there is no flow. This may be due to translation but I would say I didn't like this one.

The Spartans - Paul Cartledge


-- A dry history of the Spartans. You can't get the time back once you invest it, don't do it.

Vampire Hunter D - Hideyuki Kikuchi

-- Entertaining quick read but the story is a bit like a comic book.

A War Like No Other- Victor David Hansen

-- An excellent and readable history of the Peloponesian War. This was a really well done history. The information is organized well and for a history it is very engaging. It is quite good.

So here is what I think this year:

Best books: Razor's Edge, Empire Falls, Shipping News, Angry White Pyjamas

Worst: Snow, The Spartans

What we have learned: Rob is a geek and reads Homer for fun, there is a lot of good work out there that most people (myself included) never hear about.