What I've Been Thinking About...
July 3rd was a long day. With fireworks rattling off in the distance, I was looking forward to getting some rest. As I made my way through the kitchen looking for a book, I took one big step and SMACK! I walked right into my daughters stool hitting my shin off the edge of it. It hurt like hell. I said to Marisa, "maybe today is just not my day". She said, "maybe today is your day". A few hours prior to this shin smacking incident I was driving on Interstate 78. As I was rounding a bend driving onto an on ramp, a vehicle next to me decided they were going to change lanes. The problem with this is that I was in the lane they were attempting to move into. I knew the contact was coming and it seemed like one hundred thoughts went through my mind in the one or two seconds prior to the accident. Once contact was made, it almost felt like we were playing a high speed game of bumper cars. As I got home, my daughter was a little sad hearing about what happened. She gave me, and the car, a few hugs as she was checking for damages. As we looked over the car, I realized that the accident occurred in the exact spot where she would sit if she were with me. That would have been terrible for her. I also wondered what would have happened if the other driver hit a little closer to the rear of the car. I guess I saw one too many NASCAR races where a driver gets spun out of control. Anyhow, accidents on the Interstate aren't always pretty. Maybe Marisa is on to something here and it was my lucky day that it wasn't worse! Fitness Tip of the Week This week we got our daughter signed up for pony camp in New Jersey. This is usually the highlight of the summer for Emilia as she would stay there all day if the farm would let her. During this time I looked up a few local trails and found a nice one to exercise. I spent the past few months doing some longer runs and building up a decent aerobic base. The pace for these runs was pretty slow but having Emi home in the summer and with work being busy, I haven't been able to continue to include these long runs and/or walks. They were taking up too much time! So, at this point in the summer, I changed the conditioning protocol to performing shorter, faster runs. Most of these runs are done between 20 and 40 minutes. If you are tired of your current plan or bored with steady state training, give this 40 minute workout a try! Here is how you do it…
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer As I look back on books that played a pivotal role in my interest in reading, this book is on the list. Under the Banner of Heaven is written incredibly well and it tells the story of the Mormon church and splinter cell groups like the Fundamentalist Church of Ladder Day Saints (This is the church that made headlines in the early 2000's due to their leader Warren Jeffs arrest). This book touches on the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping, murder, the Mormon churches founding, frauding the government, polygamy, child brides, and dozens more controversial things associated with the church. What I've Been Reading... The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100m Final by Richard Moore The 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to one of the greatest, and most infamous races in the history of the sport. The 100 meter final saw Ben Johnson overcome his rival Carl Lewis and set a blazing World Record of 9.79. Since that day, only five people have ever posted a time equal to or better than that. It was a truly remarkable performance. The joy of this feat didn't last long for Johnson as he, and the rest of the world, were notified that he tested positive for a banned substance and was stripped of his medal. Since then, the athletes involved in this race, their coaches, and Track & Field organizers have been embroiled in controversy, including America's golden boy Carl Lewis. If this topic interests you, Ben Johnson's coach Charlie Francis has an incredible book titled Speed Trap where he outlines the history of doping in the sport and how his athletes trained while using performance enhancing drugs. It is incredibly insightful. One other resource on the topic is the documentary Icarus which is available on most streaming services. Quote of the Week "It is better to starve to death in a calm and confident state of mind, than to live anxiously amidst abundance" - Epictetus I hope you all have an awesome week! Chris Fluck
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