Saturday, November 24, 2007

Runner's Heights: The Wrath of Grendel

Cumulative mileage: 95 miles...5 miles from a century!

The cumulative mileage makes me look heroic but there is more than meets the eye. While my running world continues to exist, my blogging universe shrank in frequency. Therefore, the cumulative mileage registers that huge surge, although that surge of jubilance actually belongs to Kevin Rudd, the newly-elected prime minister of Australia. I have got to take a moment to relish the victory of the Labor Party and the possible end of years of bigoted and ill-conceived politics of John Howard and in particular, his obsequious support of George Bush's quixotic ideas. Regret that non-sequitur, but back to the art and science of running. I can genuinely say, after almost five weeks of having quit coffee, that my muscles cramp less and I have been able to run, sprain-free, and increase my distance per week. I have to go back and look at the relation between high caffeine intake and adrenaline, etc. but in my case, it might be purely academic, because I don't believe that I am going back to the espresso machine for the mocha -- the visits are strictly to make a cup of chai with steamed milk.

We saw Beowulf in 3D at the AMC theater in Santa Monica. It was a wild ride, full of hijinks, cliches and poor performances. Zemeckis's high-budget animation is able to transport you to a Denmark far away in time and place thanks to cinematography, sets, and effects, but the experience once you reach there is stifling and full of stilted performances, notwithstanding the star-studded cast of Anthony Hopkins, Anjelina Jolie, and John Malkovich. The 3-D version is filled with the actual white knuckle teasers, such as the occasional arrow heading towards the observer and objects that appear out of nowhere, but these frills do nothing to save the hackneyed dialogue that the performers spit out with morbid disaffection. Due to his innovative performance-capture technology, Zemeckis apparently had the freedom to move the camera wherever he deemed fit and this single trait is also the weakness of the tech. During key moments of some scene, the lead performers often have difficulty making eye contact, making the scenes highly impersonal and distant. The extras in crowd scenes, on occasion, stare in random directions, giving the scene a disjointed quality that even the strength of the unfolding drama cannot redeem. Even some of the effects are shoddily integrated into the movie -- there is snow falling in many of the scenes but it lands neither on the performers nor on their flowing robes.

Anjelina Jolie in a state of undress will still continue to draw viewers to Beowulf, thus assuring its place in the top quadrant of the box office returns, but the movie is a piffle that should have spent more time developing the script derived out of the oldest novel in the English. Instead, this Beowulf is a campy movie experience rife with characters who appear stoned out of their minds. The filmmakers injected some grim moments into the movie that appeared hilariously funny because it was hard to take any of the performance seriously.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Runner's Heights: The Run of Jesuit Discipline

Cumulative mileage: 72 miles...woohoo!

That used to be my lucky number and year. I was in 3rd Standard at St. Xavier's and the year that I think that I developed a knack for running. How did I really get into running? It's an interesting story and the foundation of a lifetime of recreation and leisure for me. Actually, it didn't all start out that way. I went to a strict, Jesuit school and for the smallest of infractions, you were disciplined without recourse. So, for example, if you were caught having a conversation with a fellow student in class, you were punished. And I talked a lot in class, not because I wanted to be punished, but because, I think, I had Attention Deficit Disorder and a compelling need to poke fun at some of the most imperious and vainglorious teachers that stepped into our classroom. Needless to say, some of those teachers hated me and so saw no particular need to keep me as a disruptive elements in their classrooms. So, I was either sent to kneel down outside the class so that the Principal would see me punished during his sombre rounds or I was sent out to run across the great big soccer and field hockey field. I had to circle the fields numerous times and on hot summer days, that would mean I'd be drenched in sweat. And you had to run in your school-uniform shoes, which were probably Bata Wayfinder, a cool shoe in those days with a compass under your heels. Or it could have been the Bata Naughty Boy, a shoe that had a hard layer of leather around the toe -- not quite a steel toe but just as tough. Neither shoe was quite the quintessential running shoe. I got used to it though and a couple of years later, when the tryouts for the school athletics came, running was a piece of cake. And I was always ran barefeet which probably explains why I have a flatter toe. So, there's the Jesuit school to running connection -- who'd have imagined!

I recently acquired my first Casio G-shock watch. I always thought that the G-shock moniker was a marketing gimmick and I guess, I finally caved in after the glowing reviews of the G-shock watch on Amazon.com. I wanted to get a watch that I could wear through all my sporting activities that also had a stop watch and was reasonable. The entry-level G-shock fitted the bill. It is simple watch with buttons that are well labelled and a set up that's fairly simple. The digital readout is fairly clean and clear and you can turn off the light function for a variety of modes which is bound to prolong battery life. I paid $45 for it and you might find a cheaper deal if you look around. All in all, a minimalist watch that's neither too heavy or garish. I could say that if it took a licking and kept on ticking for the next three years, I'd consider my money well spent.

Here's a pic:

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Runner's Heights: Handle This Bar

Cumulative mileage: 68 miles and counting!

As I was running my five-miler yesterday, I occasionally floundered and had doubts if I was going to finish the run. But thank goodness my Sony Walkman radio kept going and I heard about Tim Borland and his 63 marathons in 63 days. Borland is only 31 and I can't help compare him to Tiger Woods. If Woods has several more Masters trophies left in him, Borland must have scores of marathons waiting to be added to his list of running accomplishments. And I am grateful that he inspired me for those few minutes when I felt like I was going to fail. Listening to his words on NPR were the few drops of inspiration and encouragement that I needed to finish my bout of running. Thanks, Tim. As for me, I hope I run a few marathons by the time I am 63, if I get that far.

For the cross-training component of my workouts, I have been primarily leaning on biking. I also realized that when you are biking for long stretches, one of the key things is to be able to assume different grip positions on the handlebars to ease the stress on your back. Since I write a modified-mountain bike, the frame geometry is predisposed towards a more upright stance, which is inefficient for faster, road riding. Besides, the straight handlebars provide very little variety in grip positions. For such a handlebar, the handlebar extensions seem like a nice option, but I haven't found one that I can just use on my existing handlebar. I will report on such a product as soon as I find and use one.

Quote of the day found on stephentrepreneur...
Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"Little minds have little worries, big minds have no time for worries."

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Runner's Heights: Requiem to the Necktie

Cumulate mileage: 63 miles
Onward to a 100 miles, only 27 miles to go. Like I mentioned before, I wish I had kept a log from earlier on this year which would have tipped me over a 100 by this time of the year. Anyway, better late than never and if I can get to a strong 100 by the end of this year, I'll be thrilled. The runs are getting easier because the weather is cooler and drier and therefore I am less prone to feelings of fatigue. But perhaps, one of the most important things to learn while running is learn how to concentrate and work on ideas and matters that are really important in self-growth and development. Due to my mediocre physical condition, I was often focused on my physical endurance and breath in order to finish the run. But, I think, as my endurance catches up with my intentions, I'll be able to free myself up to think of more important things than just surviving a run.

I was thinking, it has been almost 15 years since I last had a job where I had to wear a necktie. Now, everything that I usually wear has a purpose -- a shirt, shoes, a watch, jeans, socks, and a belt. But who invented the necktie and what is its function? It gets in the way of your food, it often gives you a choking sensation, and you have spend about 2 mins. every work day of your life getting it straightened out and tied. What a waste! Is it part of our fashion religion that we are so used to seeing it around us that we don't question it anymore. A scarf at least keeps a person warm but a necktie would fail at even that measly purpose. Why do we still feature it in our professional lives? Why do we end up paying upto $50 for an article that is as vestigeal as the human tailbone. Why, why?

So, for that I propose, a world "Strictly No Neckties Today", Day. The only groups who could claim exception are double agents, spies, and folks in espionage. Like this gentleman here...