June 29 Rest
June 30 13 miles around Gaston MS
July 1 13 miles around Gaston MS
July 2 13 miles around Gaston MS
July 3 13 miles Loop around White Rock Lake
July 4 14.7 miles Loop & some Santa Fe Trail
July 5 13.3 miles Loop White Rock Lake
Total mileage 80.3
Overall this week felt much better than previous week. Started strong and finished strong. The last three days running at White Rock Lake, even had a solid pace of low 8 min. miles high 7 and although not effortless felt in control. The humidity and heat are still there but I'm taking it as a positive. I cannot go to train at altitude so this is the next best thing. By training in such humid and heat conditions it can certainly assist with replicating less oxygen levels due to the high humidity in the air. I was watching Coach Larson Movie, and they mention the Florida Track Club in which the famous Frank Shorter Ran for (BTW highly recommend the movie learned a great deal about success and building relationships). One of the advantages of the club was that they trained in the swampy conditions of Florida and many among Frank Shorter ran world class times at the international level. So one of the things I'm trying to do is embrace the conditions and realize that the conditions actually help me in my training and my goals.
Running Loops
So if you are reading this or you follow me on Strava, you probably have noticed that most of my weekly runs say Gaston MS. What I do is go from my house over to the school were they have a open soccer/football field next to school. The field is a little over half a mile, so I'll do multiple loops around the school on the grass. The grass is uneven and has a slight incline up and down. It also has some rock and provides minimal shade. Yet the place is something that I really enjoy going to. First there are minimum distractions, so it is great to hear the audio books and not have to worry about direction/traffic/obstacles etc. Second it is boring, running is repetitive and many times if you are not use to doing the same thing over and over it can create distractions to your own biofeedback. Third if you read some of Arthur Lydiards scripts which I highly recommend, what some elite runners such as the Japanese is that they train in loops frequently. Self discipline is important in running and auto motivation is crucial so for me if I can do repeats of half mile loops then scenic routes such as around the lake, of going to downtown make it that much more enjoyable for me. Maybe its not much of a benefit physically, but for me running in loops is a good mental exercise of keeping focus and self motivated. I believe my intrinsic motivation has increase when I do such training.
Running Surfaces
When I was in college in Georgetown, TX one of the neat neat things that they had available in parks were soft crush granite trail. These trails were kept in great condition and were perfect for running. Almost like a cinder track these trails provided a great training surface to train in. Unfortunately in Dallas most trails are concrete/asphalt and although you can gain good speed your feet take a pounding. In my early 20s this wasn't a problem since my body could take the pounding of the hard surface. But as years went by my legs started to feel the fatigue. Calf, shin, hips, plantar were all symptoms that I struggled with in my mid to late 20s. I would go to the chiropractor and after visiting felt great, had massage, electric stimulation among other things. Then after going for several months I started to realize that I had to modify my training as going to the chiropractor indefinitely was not only costly but I started to realize I would rather work on my own solutions.
I remember my college days and and the soft surfaces that we trained on. I then started to run on grass since crushed granite wasn't available here in Dallas (although on the trinity trail you can get some good soft dirt surfaces, but I wasn't near the Trinity trail). I started to notice that the sourness was less and felt like my body sustained the training better.
Overall grass running is more difficult especially on uneven surfaces. You have to lift your legs more than running on asphalt, and you have to pay attention on where you are stepping. I've had several rolled ankles after stepping on a uneven spots. Yet, once you step off the grass and into the cement/asphalt you feel like you can move. For me the physical as well as the psychological aspects of grass running are very helpful. Obviously if you want to race on the roads you have to practice to replicate the surface, but just from my experience grass running has helped me stay at the mileage I want while avoiding injury. That's not to say that it's bullet proof, rolling ankles are no joke, but it is a tool that I would recommend to others.
Book Reviews
The Circuit By Francisco Jimenez-A great read on the stories of the author and his family move from Jalisco, Mexico to California. The book was great in understanding what campesinos go through on their journey to a new culture and several themes such as language, immigration, poverty, and values were present. The stories from the author were authentic and left me wanting more.
Me and White Supremacy By Layla Saad-Great book on understanding the different dynamics and how one is part of the system. Terms like white fragility, gender bias, privilege, gas lighting among other terms were discussed. The book was a good reflection of my own biases and my own privileges that I have. Would recommend the book even for the sake of just learning some of the terms that play a role in race relations, and hopefully increase empathy for 'the other.'
The Year of Living Danishly By Helen Russell-The book offers insight into the happiest country in the world (Denmark). The author is a women from England who moved to Denmark after husband was offered as job working for Lego. It offers some interesting insight into how people in Denmark live and the differences according to the author. Some of the differences from reading the book were: highly subsidized childcare, universal healthcare, working 30 hours a week, prioritizing travel and learning about other cultures and languages, valuing relationships. The book was a good reminder on what makes people happy and overall have a meaningful life.
We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders By Linda Sarsour-The authors is a Palestinian American who grew up in Brooklyn, NY and is a well known activist. The author talks about her immigrant journey and the different causes that have impacted her life. From the persecution of Muslim Americans post 9/11 to the organization of the women's march the day after the inauguration in DC, the book is well written and provides good understanding about why the immigrant community continues to fight prejudices. Overall the book was inspiring to me and made me realize how strong of a leader Linda is to her community and how brave she is for her continuation of fighting for justice despite the hate and threats she receives constantly.
American Poison By Eduardo Porter-The book talks about the racial tensions of the USA and how it has shaped the country and what is looks like in present day. From racial covenants, to not wanting the other from receiving governmental benefits, the book mentions the lack of empathy with people who don't look like one another and how in general has hurt the country. For example school integration peaked until 1988 then has declined to being worse that what it was in 1965 when the civil rights law pass. The book mentions that segregation is a lose-lose to all those involved, for example segregated minorities remain in poverty and generational poverty is created. On the other hand a lack of exposure to children that don't look like you creates close mindedness and a fearing attitude which inversely correlated with being a happy person and being satisfied with one's life. Overall the book made me realize how much everyone looses when discrimination and segregation occurs and even though you have people on top they live in fear and this fear ends up affecting them in a negative manner. The slogan no one is free until we are all free highly applies.
Thank you for reading, happy running!
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