is talk about week two

I just finished week two with an 11K run this morning.  I now know that I can build on the 10K although I am still not sure how far I will actually be able to complete.  I took just under 70 minutes which is the pace I usually run and I still felt good at the end and could have continued.  So much is mental.  When I am running shorter distances I can't wait for the end and that feeling has nothing to do with how my body is feeling.  Today, leg muscles were slightly sore, but I was never breathless and my knees were fine.

It sure helps to have running buddies.  This morning I was five minutes late but Ray, Bob and Mike who had just started came back to start with me.  Running with them for the first 5K made the time seem to go much faster.  When I turned around after 5.5K Jenn, Gail and Elaine had just passed me going the other direction so even though I was by myself they were always in sight which encouraged me to keep going. 

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-5 of us ran.  On Tuesday we looped 11th and the highway which is just under 5K and on Thursday we ran to and around Seal Cove Circle which is about 6.5K.

I am not sure how much I will follow the Victoria Marathon program for the other days of the week.  Wednesday is considered either rest or a short run or a cross training day.  This week I was subbing at the alternate school and they have a daily exercise program so I figured the 21 minutes I ran with the kids was good enough.   On Friday which is supposed to be a rest day, I went to the gym and tried to do some of the speed work which we is scheduled for Saturday.  I figure it is easier with a treadmill to speed up the pace but I just didn't feel up to running both mentally or physically.  From now on,  I am going to take both Fridays and Mondays as total rest days (except for walking) and not feel guilty.

On Saturday, instead of doing the speed work, I ran Butze.  At some point I need to increase my speed, but right now, I am physically (and somewhat mentally) content with the pace I am running.  My goal is to complete the half marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes.  At my current pace, I'm on target.  Using today as an example, 11K in 70 minutes means I would have to run the last 10.1K in 65 minutes.  I think I will wait until I am more certain that I can complete the half marathon at this pace before I worry about speeding up. 

is complete 19 more

I have just completed my first week of training for the half marathon.

On Wednesday, I took a rest day, and on Thursday, a small group of us ran just under 5K (about 30 minutes).  The program I am following has five days of running but only one of them is a long run.  Each Sunday, I am supposed to build toward 21.1K but the rest of the week are all 30-50 minute runs.  I am not sure if I can run five days a week but four should be manageable.

On one of the days, I am supposed to work on speed.  On Friday, I went to the gym and did just that.  For 15 minutes, I ran 5.5 mph (11 minute mile) which is about my usual pace, and then for 10 minutes I increased it.  For four minutes I ran at 5.8, then for three minutes I ran at 6.0, and then for the final three minutes, I slowly decreased it back to 5.5.  I then finished the session by running another 15 minutes at my normal speed.  The faster running for 10 minutes was not a strain but I am not sure how long I could have lasted going that fast.

Today, five of us ran 10K.  For the first little bit, I thought my legs were going to stiffen up, but everything was fine after I was fully warmed up.  Walking the first 100m may not be enough time to prepare my body for these runs.  Next time, I will park at CHSS at walk to the Lester Centre.

I am still experiencing negative thoughts about the formidable distance, but I felt good at the end of the 10K and know I can go further.  I was slightly slower than last week`s Glory Days but not by much.

is run a half marathon

I have been looking for a training program that will help me prepare for a half marathon.  I found two good ones, both of which include one long run on the weekend, two rest days (Monday and Friday) and four days of shorter runs, speed drills or cross training.  I am going to take some of what I like from each of them and keep track of my progress.

This past Saturday, I took part in the Glory Days 10K so I decided to take Sunday off.  Monday should have been a rest day but rather than take two in a row, I decided to go to the gym and spent 15 minutes rowing (3000m) and 30 minutes on the recumbent bike.  That bike probably isn't the most challenging but it does give my legs a bit of a non-stress workout and it also allows me to read.

In the afternoon, Garrett, Michelle, and Aimee wanted to take River and Jo to Butze so I decided to go with them.  It took me 38 minutes to run the trail.  I can run almost the entire way, but the last two hills are just too steep so I ended up running about halfway up each hill and then walking the rest.  I have run Butze five times now and the first three times, I walked part of a couple of other hills so I am getting better.  I am not sure if I will ever be able to run the entire distance and I am not sure if I will be able to improve much on 38  minutes, but it's a good challenge for a short distance.

On Tuesday, I ran the 8K highway route.  I managed to complete it in just over 51 minutes which was almost one minute faster than I did it at the Rupert Half Marathon last month.  While I was running, I kept getting negative thoughts about running a half marathon.  Right now, I am finishing the 8K and 10K distances without any physical problems so the negative thoughts are based on nothing more than thoughts.  I wonder "how can I do another 10K on top of the 10K I have just been able to complete?"  I have to get away from those thoughts.  When I first completed six laps of the track (2.5K), I wondered how I was ever going to do six more.  When I completed 5K, I didn't think I would be able to reach 10K. 

Maybe I won't be able to finish a half marathon, but I won't know that until I start running more than 10K.  Thinking I can't do it before I have even tried, isn't going to help.   

is set some goals

It was just over a year ago (April 12 to be exact) that I failed the beep test and decided to start running.  With the encouragement of Jenn Foulser who was working with me at PRSS and Denise Wilson, the PE teacher who allowed me to run with her class, I set a goal of running 5k at the Cannery Run in September.  I managed to do that in 32:05 which I thought was pretty good.

My next goal was 10K and I was working on that until my retina detached and I had to take almost three months off.  Fortunately, the Learn2Run program started just as my eye was healing enough to begin running again.

(Momentary digression:  I had no idea what the Learn2Run program would do or how I would respond.  Turns out it was one of the best decision I could have made.  The trainers are not just good runners with a program that we can follow.  They are exceptionally knowledgeable and incredibly enthusiastic and supportive.  On top of that, running with a group motivates me far more than I would have imagined.  There is always somebody in front of me that drives me to keep going.  If they don't stop, then I won't stop.  If they do stop, then I want to pass them.)

We are almost finished the program and the goal has been from the beginning to participate in the 10k Glory Days in May.  I am certain that I will be able to do that.  Last week, I completed the 8k run at the Rupert Half Marathon (in 52:19) and I had no trouble running for an hour on Tuesday.  So here is where my new goals kick in.

Whenever I attempted running in the past, I had no idea of pacing.  I would burn out early, get discouraged and quit.  (Another digression:  An advantage of Learn2Run is the forced pacing that the program follows.  We started by running for ONE minute and walking for two.  I remember when running 3 minutes and walking one was a big chore.  But starting slow and building up has made a 60 minute run manageable.)

Now I have a pretty good pace (for me.)  I manage about 6.5 minutes for each kilometer.  That's what I did at the Cannery Run over 5k and that's what I did last week over 8k.  So my first goal is to improve on that pace.  Not by a lot because I don't want to burn out, but I think there is room to improve. 

And to make this a goal a real challenge (for me) is to aim for beating my age in a 10K race.  I am almost 61 so I have to finish in under 61 minutes.   I am not sure I have given myself enough time for this year's race.  At my current pace, I should finish around 65 minutes.  But even if I don't do it this year, each year I stay alive allows me another chance and also another minute.  Next year, I will have 62 minutes to reach my goal.  Anyway, that is goal #1.

Goal number #2 might be unattainable, but I want to at least try.  If I say it to enough people (and this blog has at least a couple of readers) then I will feel obligated to follow through.  I am going to see how much time through the summer I have for training but I would like to complete the half marathon at the Cannery Run in September. At my current pace, I would need about 2 hours and 15 minutes. 

So to make sure that it is on the record, here is Goal #2:   "I would like to complete a half marathon before I die.  It might be what kills me but I'll give it a shot just the same."

is sum it all up

I am not even sure how I can summarize the four gospels.   First of all, if you don’t believe in a god, then it is difficult to believe in the son of a god, and the gospels did not convince me that there was any reason to change my mind in that regard.

The story isn’t bad if I can ignore the fact that it is told four times and all slightly differently.  Combining all four gospels to make one story would be the best way to go.   I am sure it has been done before in written form and it has certainly been done that way for movies and TV.

I have no doubt that Jesus was an inspired man who had a deep faith in his god and wanted to spread a message of love and forgiveness.  He also talked about a Kingdom and resurrected bodies after death.  For some reason, he became a threat and was crucified.  

I certainly don’t have a problem with most of the teachings that Jesus passes on.   Love your enemy as well as your neighbour, turn the other cheek, judge not lest ye be judged, casting the first stone,  the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, etc. are all worth following.   

  

All of us have our own beliefs.  As someone who doesn’t believe in god or an afterlife, then Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom and the resurrection and the way to reach god don’t mean a lot to me.  In the latter instance, if I did believe in a god, then I would assume that there would be many methods to reach that god.  I can’t imagine an all-powerful, all-knowing, god limiting our ways to approach him.  The Jews, Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists can all reach their own “kingdom” with whatever all-encompassing being they believe in without the need of a man who lived 2000 years ago.

And I actually find the death of Jesus as some kind of redeeming feature almost creepy.  He died for us.  He died to set us free.  He died to take away our sins.  Did Jesus have to be crucified for all of that to happen?  Could Jesus have lived to a ripe old age and still have meaning for us.   I really don’t get this need for a sacrificial lamb.

All of us, whether we believe in a god or not, can reach some kind of inner peace with ourselves by leading decent lives, by trying to make a difference, and by being content with what we have.  Personally, I don’t see the need for an afterlife. I would like to think that all of us can have a meaningful effect on others.  Hopefully, people will want to emulate our good qualities but perhaps someone will be motivated to improve by observing our flaws.  It doesn’t matter. 

I am not sure why we feel the need for an afterlife.  There is birth and there is death.  We have a shot at doing something and then someone else has their turn.  I have no problem accepting that.  

is know the rest of the story (John 20 - 21)

John’s is the strangest, most complicated gospel so it shouldn’t be a surprise that his telling of the resurrection should be different.  In the other three gospels Mary Magdalene and another woman arrive at the tomb and in various tellings see that the stone has been removed and that Jesus is not there.  They go to tell the disciples.  In John, Mary Magdalene is alone and when she sees that the rock has been removed, she runs to tell Peter and "the disciple that Jesus loved" (the one at the cross mentioned).  Given the various minor differences in other scenes this shouldn’t be a big deal.  But...

Peter and the other disciple run to the tomb.  The one that Jesus loved gets there first but he doesn’t go in.  Peter goes in and sees the tomb is empty.   Then the disciple “who got there first” goes in and believes.  Peter and the disciple return home.  Why this emphasis on the unnamed disciple?

At this point, Mary Magdalene looks in the tomb and sees two angels.  When she turns around she sees Jesus but she does not recognize him.   When she finally realizes that it is Jesus, he tells her to tell the disciples that he is returning to his Father.  She does so, but Jesus doesn't return to his Father.  He meets with the disciples and tells them that if they forgive people’s sins the people will be forgiven.

A week later he again returns to the disciples (through a locked door) and this time Thomas is present.  He didn’t believe the disciples when they told him about the first visit.  He wanted proof.   Jesus tells Thomas to touch his hands and his side and believe.  Then Jesus says to Thomas, “Do you believe because you see me?   How happy are those that believe and don’t see.”  Finally, Jesus returns to the disciples a third time and helps them catch 153 fish.  

Jesus then asks Peter if he loves him and Peter replies that he does.  Jesus asks him three times (probably symbolic of the three denials) and Peter responds that he does.  Jesus then warns Peter of Peter’s own death.

Finally we learn the identity of the other disciple – the one that Jesus loved, the one that Jesus said would now be Mary’s son, the one that reached the tomb in a race with Peter.  It is the gospel writer John, "the one that told of these things, and the one that wrote everything down.  And we know what he said is true.”

The last line is interesting to me.  It sounds like the writer of this gospel is not John but perhaps a disciple of John who is retelling the events that John told.   It is also interesting because there seems to be some attempt at making John more important than the other gospel writers and the other disciples.  In Luke there is an argument between the disciples about which one is the greatest and in Mark, the brothers James and John ask to be placed on either side of Jesus in the Kingdom.  Now, in this gospel we have John being declared  the one Jesus loved most.  John is the one that Jesus told to be Mary’s son.  John is the first to reach the empty tomb.  And John’s gospel is true.  

In his letter to Theophilus that begins his gospel, Luke says that many stories have been written and that he wants Theophilus to know the truth.  John’s gospel also wants to ensure that people know that it is the truth.  Matthew mentions the Jews bribing the Romans to tell that the body of Jesus was stolen while the guards slept.  I am wondering what stories are out there that were not considered the truth.

is learn the name of the disciple (John 18 - 19)

There are similarities and differences between the ending of John and the other gospels.  There is no last supper although Jesus did mention earlier that he was the bread of life.  I can’t remember if he symbolically eats bread at that time.  Jesus is betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter.  

He is questioned by the Jewish authorities and sent to Pilate and Pilate cannot find anything wrong with Jesus.  The big difference at least for me in the Pilate scene is when Pilate asks if Jesus is a king.  Jesus replies that his kingdom is not of this world, that he was brought here to bear witness to the truth.  And Pilate asks, “What is truth?”  Unfortunately Jesus does not answer; at least John does not provide an answer.  I for one would have appreciated an answer.

Pilate asks the crowd what they want him to do and they demand that Jesus be crucified.  Instead he has Jesus whipped and dressed with the purple robe and a crown of thorns.  Pilate again brings Jesus out and tells the crowd that he can see nothing wrong but they continue to demand his death.  Pilate becomes frightened when he learns that Jesus has been called the son of God and tries to find a way to set him free.  But the crowd also taunts Pilate by claiming that he would not be a friend of the emperor if he set free somebody who claimed to be a king.   Pilate finally relents and Jesus is sent to be crucified.

All of the gospels have Pilate very unwilling to have Jesus killed.  But, John seems to be emphasizing the political side of the controversy more than the other gospels did.  I would have to reread those scenes in the other gospels but memory tells me that the other gospels emphasize the threat Jesus had for the religious authorities rather than the political leaders.  

When Jesus is crucified, “King of the Jews” is written on the cross.  The Jewish authorities want it to be rewritten to say that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.  Pilate refuses.  Again this must be another nod to the idea that Jesus did have power over the Jews and the Jews are responsible for the death of their king.

In the other gospels,women (notably Mary and Mary Magdalene) are present at the cross.  In John, there is also a disciple.  The conversation from the cross is very different.  Jesus does not call out to god about being forsaken nor does he ask god to forgive the people.  Instead, he tells his mother that the disciple with her is now her son.  (More on this tomorrow.)  

John emphasizes that Jesus is definitely dead.  When the guards go to break the legs of Jesus and the two bandits (their only mention) to speed up the death, they realize that Jesus is already dead.  Instead they pierce his side.  John adds that these actions (not breaking the legs and stabbing the side) fulfill old scripture.  

Joseph of Arimathea takes the body and places it in the tomb.