Don’t do anything today that might keep you from running tomorrow. | |
— John “The Penguin” Bingham | |
From his book: “No Need For Speed“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Or The Day After |
9 (40) Redux – And Tips To Make It Through The Day | |
2021 | And Yet I Still Pray |
I’m Still Listening To It | |
2020 | What Am I Missing? |
If Only | |
2019 | For Most #IncompetentDonald Followers |
2018 | I Dare You |
2017 | To Republicans Who Choose Party Over Country |
2016 | All About Control |
2015 | Liberty Is Extravagant |
2014 | Always Remember To Reach |
Have You Registered To Vote Yet? | |
2013 | Ripples From The Water’s Edge |
Because I Was Alone | |
2012 | POI vs Reality |
Dear And Sacred | |
2011 | Chilled Again |
Posts Tagged ‘Running’
Or The Day After
Posted in Health, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, tagged John "The Penguin" Bingham, No Need For Speed, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, The Penguin, Today, Tomorrow on May 18, 2022| 2 Comments »
Starting Over (Again)
Posted in Health, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Walking, tagged Health, John Bingham, No Need For Speed, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, The Penguin, Walking on May 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Each of us can maintain an effort level of about half our maximum perceived effort almost indefinitely, regardless of what that perceived effort level is. We may not be able to maintain it continuously, but with a few exceptions, most of us can move our bodies at about half of our perceived maximum for as long as we want. | |
— John “The Penguin” Bingham | |
From his book: “No Need For Speed“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Starting Over (Again) |
Another LONG Post (Guitar Review) | |
2021 | Allowing For Compromise |
Whoa-whoa | |
2020 | Why #LyingDonald Hurts The US |
2019 | Blow Between Your Ears |
2018 | Thinking Ahead |
2017 | I’d Like To Try |
2016 | Or Blog (And Bound) |
2015 | Welcome The Virtuous |
2014 | Closing The Gap? |
2013 | On Parenting |
2012 | What Knowledge Is |
2011 | The Indefinite Accumulation Of Property |
Frustrating Incentive
Posted in Guitar, Music, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Sports, tagged Frustration, Improvement, John "The Penguin" Bingham, John Bingham, No Need For Speed, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, The Penguin on September 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Frustration is the first step toward improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I’m content with what I can do and if I’m completely satisfied with my pace, distance and form as a runner. | |
— John “The Penguin” Bingham | |
From his book: “No Need For Speed“ | |
[Running is a lot like learning to play guitar. Or gaining any new skill, I suppose. — kmab] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Practically Worthless In Every Way |
It Never Was | |
Frustrating Incentive | |
2020 | You Too? |
Six Degrees | |
2019 | A Branching Stream |
Day 9: One Day At A Time | |
2018 | Pity The Nation (Part 2) |
Day 1: Redux | |
2017 | Good Blogs, Too |
2016 | My Prediction For #AmnestyDon |
2015 | Worth A Try |
2014 | I’m Feeling It |
2013 | May I Have A Little More, Please? |
2012 | Increasing Doubt |
2011 | You Can’t Touch This |
Back To Paying Dues
Posted in Health, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Workouts, tagged Abilities, Challenge, Dues, John Bingham, John The Penguin Bingham, Limits, No Need For Speed, Philosophy, Quotes, Running on September 1, 2021| 1 Comment »
It isn’t the shoes, socks, clothes, or even the speed that makes me a runner. It’s running. I pay my membership dues every time I lace up my running shoes. I realize that every time I challenge myself to do more, struggle to get a little faster, or face the limits of my abilities, I am a runner. | |
— John “The Penguin” Bingham | |
From his book: “No Need For Speed“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Back To Paying Dues |
Keep Rollin’ | |
2020 | Diets And Lifestyle Changes |
Pay Attention | |
Just Not Sure, And That’s Okay | |
2019 | The Right Questions |
Day 3: Still Difficult | |
2018 | A Thought For Those Continuing To Support President Trump |
Day 36: Pushing On | |
2017 | Imagining Humor |
2016 | So Go On And Deal With It |
2015 | From A Letter To A Friend |
2014 | Your Part (Here) |
2013 | Complements |
2012 | Sound And Light |
2011 | Two Politicians Visit A Farm… |
2010 | Labor Day And Honorable Men |
Dragging
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Workouts, tagged John "The Penguin" Bingham, No Need For Speed, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Workouts on August 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
The days when you have to drag yourself out the door are very often the days when you will learn the most about yourself, not necessarily as a runner, but as a person. | |
— John “The Penguin” Bingham | |
From his book: “No Need For Speed“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2020 | I’m Just Being Skeptical |
Setting My Feet Upon The Road | |
2019 | We’re Eating Faster And Enjoying It Less |
2018 | Great Views |
Day 8: One At A Time | |
2017 | Trump Supporters Will Always Find An Excuse |
2016 | More Posts |
2015 | A Last Request |
2014 | It Matters |
2013 | And You Are? |
2012 | Not Too Late |
2011 | Persistence |
2009 | Health Care? |
They Are All Perfect
Posted in Health, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Workouts, tagged Exercise, Expectations, Health, John "The Penguin" Bingham, Journey, Miles, No Need For Speed, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Steps on July 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Try to keep your expectations reasonable. You’re beginning the journey of a thousand miles with a single step. Each step is important; every step counts. | |
— John “The Penguin” Bingham | |
From his book: “No Need For Speed“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2020 | Perhaps There Has Been Some Method In My Madness |
2019 | An Accidental Escape |
2018 | And I Thought It Was Just My Deodorant |
2017 | Hannity And Limbaugh |
2016 | Or He Could Just Be Lazy |
Small Hero | |
2015 | Seeking Cultured Leadership |
2014 | Examining Failure |
2013 | Driving Passion |
2012 | Cannibal, n. |
2011 | Moments Of Truth |
One For Two
Posted in Health, Humor, Running, tagged 2-Mile Time, Age, Army Physical Fitness Test, Health, Humor, Running, Slogging on November 4, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Well, I’m not sure what came over me, but today (this morning) I went out for my first “slog” (ssslllooowww jog) in ages. Two(2) miles in 36m 57s. Yeah, I know, pretty slow… But, hey, I’m 64 years old and this is my first time hitting the pavement in ages (pretty much since last year and it is November). | |
And so it goes… | |
Are you a runner? Did you run yesterday or today? If the answer is “yes”, you are a runner. And, it doesn’t matter how fast (or slow) you did it. (No, tomorrow doesn’t count. We ALL plan to run tomorrow!) | |
Oh, and just for chuckles, 22m 30s gets me 1 (single) point (out of 100 possible points) on the Army physical fitness 2-mile run test. Only 14m 27s to go… I guess first I’ve got to start “running” – and then maybe lose 20 years (LoL). | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Are We Talking About Health Insurance / Oil Companies, Facebook Or Faux News? |
When MTV Was Young (And Fun) | |
2020 | Resting |
A New Day Just Means We Continue The Struggle (With A Smile) | |
2019 | One For Two |
Why Trump Insults Pelosi and Schiff | |
2018 | The Worst |
2017 | #DonTheCon In The Oval Office |
2016 | Are You Like #AmnestyDon And Sarah Palin? |
2015 | Begin Today |
2014 | Look Again (At Life’s Illusions) |
2013 | None Knows |
2012 | Yet |
2011 | No End In Sight |
2010 | Back At It… |
Running History, But I Don’t Expect Many To Match It…
Posted in History, Quotes, Running, Sports, tagged Eliud Kipchoge, History, Prater-Hauptallee, Roger Bannister, Running, Sports History, Sub-2 Hour Marathon, Sub-4 Minute Mile, Vienna on October 12, 2019| 2 Comments »
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It has taken 65 years for a human being to make history in sport after Roger Bannister. I can tell people that no human is limited. I expect more people all over the world to run under two hours after today. | |
— Eliud Kipchoge | |
Eliud Kipchoge (the 34-year-old Olympic champion from Kenya) ran a marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 40.2 seconds, becoming the first person in history to break two hours for 26.2 miles in a special running / marathon event in Vienna (at Vienna’s Prater-Hauptallee (main avenue)) on Saturday (12 October 2019) morning. | |
Roger Bannister – mentioned in the quote – was the (British) runner who became the first man to break the 4 minutes for a mile record in 1954 (May 6, 1954, in 3:59.4). Multiple individuals were close to the record before Bannister broke it and over a thousand runners have since broken 4 minutes in the 60+ years since. Bannister’s “world record” lasted barely six weeks before it was broken and two months after the initial sub-4, two runners in the same race (Bannister was one of them), broke sub-4. A sub-4 minute mile is now considered “routine” for world-class middle-distance runners. | |
Kipchoge’s run does not qualify for the world record nor will it be “officially” recognized because it was not an “open” competition and because Kipchoge was preceded by a pace car (which provided a laser path guide). In my humble opinion, neither of these factors are significant and we have witnessed one of the greatest feats in human athleticism. | |
The quote was taken from the web and is available from many sources. This image was “snipped” off the news video at: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/eliud-kipchoge-runs-1-59-marathon-first-to-break-2-hours/ar-AAIFQjT?ocid=spartandhp. I make no claim to ownership or rights to the quote, image or video. | |
I AM simply astounded at the achievement. It staggered me to wake up and read about (and watch) history in the making! I had been hoping for it (the record) to happen, but never “really” expected to see it in my own lifetime. As expected, it could “only” happen under ideal conditions: cool temperatures, flat course, little or no wind and only at (or near) sea level. The course had an elevation difference of less than eight(8) feet over it’s lap distance and (I gather) the location for the course was between 500 – 600 feet in elevation. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Better To Lie, Get Rich And Destroy Your Country |
Love Is All There Is | |
2020 | You Remind Me Of Someone |
When I Grow Up I Want To… | |
2019 | Running History, But I Don’t Expect Many To Match It… |
It’s Probably Easier When You Live Alone | |
2018 | 25 Days Until The November Election |
Old And Young | |
2017 | Universal Soul Sounds |
2016 | Not Rivals |
2015 | Dead Sure |
2014 | Are You Educated? |
2013 | For Myself |
2012 | And When I’m Gone… |
2011 | Complete Conviction |
Running On History
Posted in 2018 Book Review, Book Review, History, Reading, Reviews, Running, WS100, tagged 2018 Book Review, Athens, Dean Karnazes, Greece, History, Marathon, Persians, Pheidippides, Running, San Francisco Bay Area, Sparta, Strong Book Recommendation, The Road To Sparta -- book review, The Spartathlon, Ultramarathon Man, Ultramarathon Runs, WS100 on September 2, 2018| Leave a Comment »
“The Road To Sparta” (2016©) — book review | |
Today’s book review is for “The Road To Sparta” written by Dean Karnazes. Karnazes may not be the “Dean” of ultramarathon runners, but he is certainly one of the sports most famous names and faces. Karnazes lives in the San Francisco Bay Area (where I also was raised and currently live), and, from his writing, appears to have totally adopted the ethos of being from Northern California. Clean air, physical fitness, sometimes single minded pursuit of one’s goals, etc. | |
The book is another semi-autobiographical book about Karnazes. His other book (which is reviewed here) is titled: “Ultramarathon Man“, and deals more with his various runs – particularly the Western States One-Hundred. This book is about his being descended from Greek immigrants and him getting back in touch with his roots in his native country via participation in an ultra-run called “The Spartathlon.” This run recreates the run which Pheidippides made from Athens to Sparta to ask the Spartans to help the Athenians resist the Persian invasion of Greece at the beach of Marathon. Not to spoil the story (as it is ancient history), Pheidippides ran about 150 miles to carry the message (request). He then ran a similar distance to carry the reply (“Yeah, we’ll come, but not for a few days”). And then, … wait for it… he ran from the battlefield (Marathon) to Athens (about 26 miles) to carry news of the victory. And then he died. | |
The race isn’t so spectacular. Karnazes “only” has to run the initial portion (Athens to Sparta). Oh, yeah. You have to run the race in a “similar” time span to that of Pheidippides – 36 hours. | |
If you are a serious distance runner, much of the book will seem self-affirming as you will probably relate to the action and feelings of a ultra-distance runner. If you are not a “serious” runner (or athlete), you may still relate, but you’ll probably also find Karnazes’ descriptions of the Greek countryside a bit flowery. Make that extremely flowery. Almost (but not quite) off-puttingly so. Almost… On the other hand, if you are just an average reader, you may really like all the verbiage. I was kind of in the middle. Parts of the book made we want to strap on some shoes and go out for a jog. Others left me feeling like he had been assigned a set number of words to get the book published and he was going to reach that number with the same determination it takes to run an ultra. | |
Final recommendation: strong. I enjoyed the history. I enjoyed most of the descriptions, particularly when he was talking about the people out in the Greek countryside. And I enjoyed the re-telling of the actual Spartathlon he ran in. Ultimately, a good running book should make you want to lace up and hit the pavement. As mentioned above, this book did that for me. I picked the book up at Half-Price Books off the $3 rack. A steal at that price. I’ve already used a couple of quotes on my blog and I’ve got about another dozen or so hi-lighted for use in the future. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | The Same Goes For Countries And Elected Leaders |
Just Beginning… | |
2020 | Your True Standard |
But When The Smoke Had Cleared Away… | |
2019 | Ooh, Shiny |
Day 4: Surprised | |
2018 | We Are Approaching Default |
Running On History | |
Day 37: Blended Not Juiced | |
2017 | Today Is Not Lost |
Day 8 | |
2016 | Paying Attention |
2015 | An Awful Ordeal |
2014 | What Are You Doing? |
2013 | Lives > 1 |
2012 | Strange To All The World |
2011 | Unnecessary Stagefright |
Beats
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Walking, tagged Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Sitting, Tom Bunk, Walking on July 28, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Anybody running beats anybody walking, and anybody walking beats anybody sitting. | |
— Tom Bunk | |
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On This Day In: | |
2017 | Effective Stimuli |
2016 | Dave’s Not Here, Man |
2015 | Blink |
2014 | The Struggle To Educate America Continues… |
2013 | On Elections |
2012 | Warm Smiles |
Pick Your Poison | |
2011 | Straight Shooters |
You Cannot Pretend
Posted in Quotes, Running, tagged Being Honest, Face The Truth, John Bingham, Pretending, Quotes, Running on May 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »
As a runner, you have to face the truth about yourself on a regular basis, and it makes you more honest. You can’t pretend to be faster than you are. You can’t pretend that you are better prepared than you are. You cannot pretend to be a runner, you actually have to run. | |
― John Bingham | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Vision Test |
2021 | Or These Days, On The Internet |
There Goes My Heart | |
2020 | Find An Antidote |
2019 | Take A Few Minutes To Remember |
Start By Doubting | |
2018 | You Cannot Pretend |
2017 | A Long Shadow |
2016 | Learning, Experience, Chances or Money |
2015 | The Critical State |
2014 | Dawn, n. |
2013 | Ouch! |
2012 | Just Lookin’ Around |
Still Growing | |
2011 | But Do You Want To? |
What Matters
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Sports, tagged John "The Penguin" Bingham, John Bingham, No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running, Philosophy, Quotes, Running, Sports on May 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Suddenly, when the run itself is the goal, there are no more bad runs. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if we don’t finish within our goal time — or don’t finish at all. What matters is that we tried, that we enjoyed the process. What matters is that we got out there. | |
― John Bingham | |
From his book: “No Need for Speed: A Beginner’s Guide to the Joy of Running“ | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Truly And Simply |
2021 | Lessons |
We Used To Sing | |
2020 | And #45 Is Flat On His Face |
2019 | I’m Still Hungry |
2018 | What Matters |
2017 | By Far |
2016 | Until… |
2015 | Or Infinitesimal |
2014 | I’ve Looked At Clouds |
2013 | Undiscovered Ocean |
2012 | Feeling Old? (Part 2) |
2011 | What About Freedom? |
My Dogs Beat ‘Em Up
Posted in Running, Shoe Review, Walking, tagged Big5 Sporting Goods, Fitbit, Itasca Fairview Hiking Shoe, Moderate Shoe Recommendation, Running, Shoe_Review, Walking on May 6, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Shoe review: Itasca (manufacturer) Fairview (model) $25 (sale price) / $45 (current price) | |
I haven’t done a shoe review in quite a while. Mostly because I haven’t been jogging much the last couple of years. The spirit has been willing, but the heart (and various other parts) have not been entirely cooperative. Be that as it may, this is my review of the “Itasca Fairview” hiking / walking shoe. It can be used as a “heavy” / off-road jogging shoe if you don’t mind a stiff and knobby soled shoe. I don’t. I purchased this because I prefer a hard wearing inexpensive shoe. | |
First, the price was very good. It was on sale at my local Big5 Sporting Goods store. I was able to find my size (14) and it was wide enough for my “dogs”. I have “paddles” for feet (much wider toe than heel area), so normal running shoes, which tend to the narrow fit, don’t really accommodate my feet. As I began jogging a few years back with a mid-sole strike, my arches changed and I became no longer able to wear many of my older shoes. My left foot (arch) in particular bars me from wearing size 13 shoes and most size 14 slip-ons. | |
I found these shoes very comfortable for my slow and steady jogging style. I started off with a 1 mile jog and by the end of about 6 weeks I was consistently jogging about 4 miles a day. Enough to get my 10K steps goal on my Fitbit. All in all, I would estimate I jogged fewer than 100 miles during the pairs use and, if you add in another 50 (generous) miles for cool-down walks, I’d say the shoes were blown out by 135 to 150 miles of use. By way of comparison, a good running shoe will probably cost you about $80-$120, and it is recommended you replace them every 400 miles or whenever they feel like they’ve lost their sponge under your forefoot. So, the price I paid was about 1/3rd of a running shoe and the use was about 1/3rd. I guess that’s considered equal value for relative cost. | |
Another significant factor on the shoes use is that I am extremely heavy (350+lbs) and therefore very hard on soles. That is part of why I look for stiffer shoes with heavier tread – they tend to take a beating better than normal running shoe models. Of course, the trade-off is you have to jog less upfront when the shoes are newer so you can break them in without giving yourself horrendous blisters. | |
After use: You can’t really tell from the image, but center forefoot is completely worn through to the sponge padding under the forefoot. The tops, on the other hand, were practically without blemish. From the start, the shoe felt like I was jogging with a pair of wooden slats under my feet. Again, on the other hand, the tops were very comfortable (once broken in), even when tied tightly. Had the soles lasted another month, I would say the shoes were a very good value. As it is, the best I could say was these would be good value (at sale price) if you were either normal weight or were only going to use them for actual hiking / path walking on the odd weekend out and about. | |
If you look at the “Soles after” image, you’ll probably notice a lot of outer heel wear and some “tippy-toe” wear. The heel wear is from the daily walking where I do a lot of heel striking. The toe wear is because I seem to push-off a lot when I do my jogging. I should clarify. I don’t “really” jog. I would describe it as slogging (“slow jogging”) – basically, a little faster than walking with a jogging / shuffle motion. In general, my heels wear out on my walking shoes, my forefoot wears out on my jogging shoes, and the top wears out if I try to get the comfortable light-weight mesh uppers common to many true jogging / running shoes. | |
Final recommendation: reasonable value for the price (I paid). I went back to Big5 to get another pair. Like most “sale” items at this type of discount store, “my” store no longer carries this model. I also looked on-line and Itasca no longer manufactures this model. It turns out other Big5 stores in my area do carry this model, but the current price is almost double what I paid on sale. At that price, I leave them on the shelf… I can find “real” running shoes for that price. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | The Edge Of Today |
2021 | Why I’m Wrinkled With Age |
Is There A Generic Available? | |
2020 | I Feel Noblesse Oblige |
2019 | Live For Something |
2018 | My Dogs Beat ‘Em Up |
Is Your Sky Falling? | |
2017 | Unseen Here, Too |
2016 | Criticized Anyway |
2015 | Sometimes The Truth Hurts |
2014 | All Agreed, Say “Aye” |
2013 | Two Books, Two Movies |
Just Because | |
2012 | God’s Requirements |
2011 | Greater Purity |