Multi Tasking

Maybe it's generation gap but I'm having a hard time with the new trend of "Multi Tasking", or doing several things at once. Doesn't that mean that we compromise the quality of what we do to get more accomplished?

Trying to do to much at one time is a fine way to be stressed out most of the time. We really don't resolve things when we just do them on auto pilot. If something is worth doing it's surely worth giving it our full attention. Especially if it involves others, like our families and friends. I was just to busy to realize my, fill in the blank, was needing my attention.

Everything you buy works better now than it ever did, but that is because the technology got a lot better over the years, but the quality of workmanship hasn't kept up. You can bet the people that were inventing that new technology were giving it their full attention.

My hero Walt Disney's favorite words of advice were, "keep moving forward", but that doesn't mean full speed a head with out giving it your full attention. We have to slow it down a bit and take some of the tasks off our plate so we can properly do the important ones.

When we get a day off we usually have a whole list of stuff we need to get done, then we hurry through each trying to get it all done. We do a lousy job of trimming the grass, saying "I'll get that other part done next week", (just like you said last week), we hurry through each task and don't give any of them the attention that is required because our mind is on the next task.

Maybe if we decreased the amount of things we were trying to all at once then not only would our quality go back up but maybe it would open up jobs for others. Perhaps it's time we were craftsmen and women again instead of machines going full on all the time.

At least when you are not working and doing what the boss demands, try to slow down a bit and do a better job of what you do instead of a faster job. You might even be healthier for it.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

The Taming of the PF Monster

Well it appears that I've beaten back the planter fasciitis that I've been suffering from for about a month. I'm really tickled about healing it so fast since I've known people who have suffered for years from it. That wasn't an option for me since I had to get back to racing shape before the State Games.

I'll start by recounting how I ended up with PF to begin with. I had been steadily improving by doing my walk training every other day and pool running and good stretching on the opposite days. About a month ago I decided to add two extra days of hard race walking workouts to my training plan. This did several bad things: First it violated the golden rule of training; don't increase more than 10 percent each week and never increase distance and speed workouts both in the same week. Also by doing more walk training I was doing less stretching since I didn't do the stretching after a walk like I did after a pool workout. It took about 3 weeks of this to give me a good case of PF.

PF is pain on the bottom of your foot especially around the heel. It's worse in the morning when you first get out of bed and if you try to train on it. It's constant but those are the worse times. Any time you are on your feet or walking it's painful.

Healing it effectively and quickly required a lot of different actions:

Not walking barefoot even in the house, go from bed to well cushioned shoes.
Wearing compression socks (Tight fitting) to bed, this is like wrapping with an ace bandage.
Buying cushioned insoles for all my shoes, work, play and training. The sock liners that come in most athletic shoes are not very cushioned.
Rolling my foot on a tennis ball several times a day for a massage of the injured area.
Stretching everyday, not missing a day, everyday. I found that going to the gym hot whirlpool was good because it keep the muscles warm since I couldn't warm up with training, but a tub at home with hot water works also.
Taking Advil in the morning for the pain and swelling and then Aleve for all day pain relief.
Icing the bottom of my foot with a water bottle that has been in the freezer.

Doing all these things and resting from training for 2 weeks did the trick, I'm back to training but building back up slowly and I'm going back to the every other day walk training schedule with pool work and stretching on the opposite days.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Change Your Life

Have you felt like you have been just going through the motions and not really living? Life just isn't exciting, nothing but same old routine, day after day? Then it's time for a change isn't it?

There is only one way out of the rut and that's to get proactive and take charge of your life. Take your life and shake it up, start doing things that are not part of your day after day routine.

Today is a good day to start. Everyday you put off taking charge is another day of "Oh Hum". If you don't normally exercise then get some sneakers on and go for a walk, better still grab your significant other and take them with you. Are you a shy person, then be naked in the house for a while today. Been a while since you have been to a movie? Then take your lover and see something powerful that stirs your emotions, share a large popcorn.

Start facing your fears. If there are friends and family members you haven't talked to because of something in the past then pick up the phone and call them. Putting long dead differences behind you is cleansing. Have a coworker that you don't talk to because of disagreements in the past, then extend your hand in friendship, get over it and put it behind you.

Go to the beach, go hiking, go exploring a new city, there are lots of adventures that are close to home and inexpensive. Rent a convertiable, go somewhere on a weekend trip. Get out of the house see new places. Have friends over for and grill burgers, play a board game, anything that isn't on the computer.

There are countless ways to change your life. Gather your spouse, family or significant other and have a planning meeting, the subject, "Where would you like to go this weekend". Take charge and shake up your dull life, it will change you forever.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Super Powers

We have been treated to a lot of movies over the last 10 years, based on Comic Book Heroes. We have met Batman, The X Men, The Fantastic Four and a host of others. We all, adults as well as children have day dreamed of having powers and extra ordinary abilities. What if we really did have the ability to do what others only dream of?

We, humans, are an amazing creation. Most of us have no concept of the abilities we already have. We simply can't comprehend how amazing we really are. To start with most people have never tried to see what their minds and bodies are capable of.

A super power is by my definition being able to do something that others find difficult or impossible. Let's start with the power of patience, very often we do something to soon because we just couldn't wait and we settled for less, when if we could have just waited longer we could have had much more.

Will power is indeed a super power. If you can develop it, and you can, you can accomplish amazing things: you can lose weight, stop smoking and other unhealthy habits, you can even keep form embarrassing yourself by keeping your mouth shut when you would really much rather create a scene.

How does one train their since of patience, self control, will power and other powers of our minds? We already know the basics of training our bodies to develop our athletic powers but powers of the mind are more difficult.

To start with you have to want to have more control over your thoughts and actions. You have to want to resist temptations before you can start training your desires. If you want to be more in control then start by controlling your cravings. "I want a snack, but I'm not hungry and it's to late to eat since I'm going to bed soon", ever thought that and then ate a pint of ice cream anyway? Once you give in your at peace and content with your comfort food.

Wish you had the POWER to resist those cravings? Wish you had the patience to wait without getting frustrated and bubbling over with stress? Well you can, you just have to want it and start developing your powers.

Practice saying NO to yourself when you have an unhealthy craving or desire. Just as you have to force yourself off the couch to train your body you have to learn to say NO to your cravings. I will not eat late, I will not light another cigarette, I will wait till I'm hungry to eat.....

Think about the things you wish you had the power to change and then get started, tackle one change at a time and each time you don't give in you have increased your power.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

"Earn This"

In the movie, Saving Private Ryan, Ryan was told to, "Earn this", by Tom Hanks as he was dying. The squad that was tasked with saving him were all killed, but Ryan lived. At the end of the movie Ryan went to the cemetery where Tom Hank's character was buried and told him how he had tried to live a good life and "Earn", the sacrifice that those men made, that he should live.

We all have that opportunity to earn our place in this world. We must earn the right to have words like; courage, honest, honor and kind, describe us. We adult athletes have the means to show our courage, when we choose to go on, in a long race or training walk/run, when we have nothing left we prove our courage and determination. We can't go out and slay a dragon to prove our courage but we can darn sure go the distance.

To a soldier honor is one of the strongest life goals. You are prepared to give full measure for your country. To live without honor is unthinkable. Most of us don't go to battle each day but we go to work. In this day of bad economy having a job is never a sure thing. I'm a firm believer, however, that a man/woman with honor will find work, because to not work is unthinkable. It may take a little time to think it out but they will keep moving forward.

We all need to remember to respect each other. When we are there for others, then those others are there for us. I'm living proof of that. When I was beaten down by a bitter divorce, the people I needed to help me were there for me. Thank you my friends, I shall never forget your kindness and support.

There is no greater disrespect for another than to lie to them. When we lie we live without honor, we live without honesty and we live without courage. An honest person is one who can be truly at peace. We must all strive to live with and promote honesty both to others and ourselves.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Free Form

Today was, I believe, a turning point in my training. It was hot, 82 degrees with high humidity. My plan was to have an LSD to start acclimating to the heat of summer and working on endurance. Then I had one of those moments. The song lyrics, on my iPod, were, "Freedom comes when you learn to let go". Wow, talk about a Revelation, the light bulb came on and I realized something I'd been missing.

I went into free form mode. Suddenly technique was natural not something I was forcing my body to do. Because I just loosened up and let it flow. Now this was my first long distance on a really hot day this year, but the pace was easy, my body was responding to the rhythm. My original plan was 10 miles but by 9 miles I'd had plenty. It was an amazing workout but I didn't force it, I went with how I felt, my body performed well, but when I started running out of steam I stopped.

I had a couple of rough spots, the first when I hit where my normal long distance walks stop, six and a half miles. Then when I passed a fence with a large angry pit bull behind it. My heart rate soared there and finally when I was nearly run down in a cross walk by a couple of guys smoking and drinking beer. The driver had to swerve the old Buick wide to keep from hitting me.

I can't wait to get to the track next week and practice what I learned today about letting go and letting the motion flow.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Heat Training

I have spent a lot of my life in hot climates. Four years in Southern Louisiana, nine year in the Las Vegas desert and five years in Okinawa. All these places were very hot and in the case of Vegas, although not as humid, very extreme temperatures. I leaned a lot about training in the heat from my years of running in these climates.

To start with we were designed to not only survive but to thrive in these temperatures. Human civilization, according to what our best scholars can figure out, started in the hotter climates. We only later branched out to the other areas of the planet.

I learned that you need to stay hydrated all the time, keep a drink handy all day so you can drink some several times an hour. The old rule of thumb of 8 eight ounce glasses of water is a minimum. If you exercise in the heat every day that's not enough. Remember this: It's an old American Indian saying, "it's the water in your body that does you good, not the water in your canteen". Basicly that means if you are heading out into the heat for a hard workout you need to have all your required fluids in you not in a bottle you are going to be sipping during the workout.

I don't drink during a 5K and I will only occasionally take a drink during a 10K. But I will go into the race well hydrated and start drinking again as soon as the race is over. During a 10 mile or longer race I will hit all the aid stops and drink the Powerade or Gatorade, I drink that for the fluid but also the electrolytes and calories. Since you burn a 100 calories a mile, the calories from the sports drinks helps you feed your cells with easily digested sugars. Solid food takes to long to digest to do you any good. That's why Goos and Gels are so popular. Fruit will digest quickly also so a lot of longer races will have bananas and oranges on the course for the athletes.

Another observation I've noticed over the years is that sometime after the heat of the year starts that I will have a workout where I feel the heat really bad and I get a dizzy feeling. I will stop working out when this happens and cool down with water and shade or air conditioning if available. But after this happens once, my body handles the heat much better. It's like I'm feeling my body acclimate to the heat. This has happened many times and I've learned that untill it does I need to stay close to where I can get water and cool down. Once it happens I can start doing longer walks where I cover a lot of distance.

Heat is dangerous but heat is also not a reason to stop training. It just needs to be respected and you need to be prepared for how you will react to heat training. Stay hydrated and untill your sure of how the heat will affect you, stay close to help.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda