Happy Nostalgic Thanksgiving!

Note: Here's a post from 18 years ago. This is before all my operations and various disorders when I enjoyed the fine health of early middle-age. No complaints. Glad to be around.

clipartpanda.com

So back in the day, I wrote . . . 

This morning I met some chums from Team in Training. We ran a 5K (3.1 mile) race in La Cañada, a northern LA suburb. I'd driven through there several times. The little hills sloped gradually, so it appeared. I predicted EZ running.

Oh, they were sly, unpleasant hills. Steeper than they looked. Finish-time eaters. If it were possible, I'd cuff them sharply.

This was very much a neighborhood race: families, parents with strollers, teenage girls running five across, and people running with leashed dogs — which I don't get. Walk the dog or run the race. 

Later, Ronald MacDonald — clown, spokesman, bon vivant — led youngsters in a warm up prior to a children's race. After that, a child warmed up Ronald MacDonald prior to a fast food spokesman's race. 

In any event, Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I Still Run

 Hard to believe. This YouTube business, plus my latest book, are chewing up all my time. I'm attempting to branch out into different markets for my books as well as crank out audiobooks.

Meanwhile I'm still running. Not much, usually three days a week. I fell on a run back in April and broke my left hand. (My first broken bone since 2017.) It's healing slowly. We have a big vacation planned for this summer. Afterwards, I should have just enough time to train for a late-November, early December marathon. I'm thinking something local, perhaps the Santa Clarita race. I won't be setting any new prs, but I'll be content with another medal.

letsdothis.com

 

Happy July 4th!!

 

Famous People Born on My Birthday v. 8

 Birthday Post Redux

Having completed a marathon, I spent this year writing and marketing a book on my journey to the start line. I also trained for, and completed, a second marathon just last Sunday. Hence, my b-day post is late. A recap will be up shortly. (No book for this race. Well, maybe an audio book.) Having reached the age of 70, I may hire a town car for my next marathon. Delighted to enter a new decade. 

These people were also born on December 5th. How many have you heard of? Here's a more mature list. Enjoy productive lives!

In no particular order.:

1. Martin Van Buren - b. Dec. 5, 1782

2. George Armstrong Custer - b. Dec. 5, 1839

3. Walt Disney - b. Dec. 5, 1901

4. John P. McCann - b. Dec. 5, 1952

1. Martin Van Buren succeeded greatly in becoming the 8th President of the United States but was hardly remembered even in his own day. He had a large bull frog stuffed and used as an ink well in the White House. However President Taft later sat on it by accident and they had to throw the thing out. That's about it.

2. George Armstrong Custer succeeded greatly as a soldier in the Civil War but had a mixed record fighting Indians. (1-1-2, I think.) He is best remembered for his  spectacular fail at the Battle of the  Little Big Horn. At first, everything was going well; then it all fell apart under an Indian tsunami. In later years, Custer had a park named after him as well as a monument and a movie where his part was played by Errol Flynn. That's a whole lot more than Van Buren ever got.

3. Walt Disney succeeded greatly in animation, a pioneer in the field, creator of iconic characters—but not the word 'iconic' which has been seized upon by junior execs.—established Disney studios and Disneyland and is fondly remembered to this day. Nonetheless his body is frozen in a vault beneath Disney's Burbank lot and should Walt be reanimated and start making decisions again it could effect his legacy.

4. John P. McCann was greatly successful as a Hollywood atmosphere player. McCann was the ship-board stand-in for a Canadian actor portraying Errol Flynn in My Wicked, Wicked Ways. In addition, he is visible catching Dennis Quaid's jacket at around 1:19 in a clip from  Great Balls of Fire.
More successful in animation, McCann created the non-iconic character of The Huntsman. For the next fifteen years, he piggy-backed onto as many successful shows as his friends would allow. While the record is still being written, outsiders agree that McCann will be remembered by Bank of America and several other creditors who might reasonably feel aggrieved should he pass from the scene within the next several months without attending to the balance of his debts.

Images: whitehouse.gov, Parcbench, fold3

Award-Winning Nonfiction Memoir

 Yes, that would be MY award-winning, nonfiction memoir. Thanks to a sterling review by editor-in-chief Thomas Anderson, How to Run a Marathon in 13 Years received a Literary Titan Gold Book Award. (As depicted below.) I'm just vain enough to plaster that award everywhere.

Literary Titan

Promotions and Reviews and Book Sales, Oh, Goodness Me!!

 Coming Soon! You Have Been Warned!

Amazon

It's only fair. With the release of my book on perseverance, acceptance, and running a lot, the early launch of the paperback edition, and a busy August, the next two weeks will be a blizzard of promotional back-scratching, self back-patting, and old-fashioned look-at-me-ism. 

Deals are lined up and in the pipeline on a variety of fronts. I am obliged to promote; promote loudly. Then I will fade quietly away until its time to hawk the next book. That's why the stinking things don't sell very well. I reward myself with little vacations that stretch into considerable time blocks. 

In any case, the levee has been breached. The marketing flood waters surge. You will know of this book.

Marathon Landing Page Up and Running

A bit of word play, but, at last, the stinking thing is working. There's so much more to learn, but it seemed I'd never leave the starting block with Aweber. If you'd like notification as to when the book will be published, then visit tinyurl.com/ycmd7p8z. Not only will you be in the loop, but you'll receive a free inflation-fighting ebook with loads of money-saving links. Pardon me, but I'm long overdue for a collapse.

That's not me running.

Running Book Crosses Finish Line

 

dreamstime.com

At 1:38 PM Pacific Time this fine day I completed the first draft of my marathon book. It falls into the novella category, running 108 pages and almost 40k words. That will change as I slim it down, augment with an appendix explaining various running terms and techniques, and craft front and back matter.

But for all that, the research was assembled and the text written in around three months. That could just be a new record for me. 

So I'll let the book simmer while my subconscious sorts out matters of narrative and style. 

More soon.

Famous People Born on My Birthday v.7

 THIS POST AGAIN?

Well, it is my birthday, after all. And for your information my inbox was stuffed this morning with four birthday wishes:

A. My cousin Jim.

B. Southern California Aquatics swimming club.

C. The eye institute that cleared up my cataracts.

D. A digestive health center that I must have visited at one time.

Has much changed since last year? Yes, as a matter of fact. After 13 years of injuries, operations, and illnesses, including two varieties of cancer, I completed a marathon. I'm in the process or writing a short book detailing my journey as well as a trio of horror/thriller eBooks. Each of the three stands alone. All feature characters confronted with life-threatening decisions courtesy of a sinister entity called the Bureau of Different Science. I've hit upon a new outlining method and am looking forward to the results. Hopefully, readers will feel the same. 

These people were also born on December 5th. Mostly giddy-looking young people; how many have you heard of? Here's a more mature list. Enjoy productive lives!

Thank you very much to all who have, so far, wished me Happy Birthday. In thinking of this day, I am reminded of several famous Americans who share my date of birth. I will list three and examine their accomplishments as compared to mine.

1. Martin Van Buren - b. Dec. 5, 1782

2. George Armstrong Custer - b. Dec. 5, 1839

3. Walt Disney - b. Dec. 5, 1901

4. John P. McCann - b. Dec. 5, 1952

1. Martin Van Buren succeeded greatly in becoming the 8th President of the United States but was hardly remembered even in his own day. He had a large bull frog stuffed and used as an ink well in the White House. However President Taft later sat on it by accident and they had to throw the thing out. That's about it.

2. George Armstrong Custer succeeded greatly as a soldier in the Civil War but had a mixed record fighting Indians. (1-1-2, I think.) He is best remembered for his  spectacular fail at the Battle of the  Little Big Horn. At first, everything was going well; then it all fell apart under an Indian tsunami. In later years, Custer had a park named after him as well as a monument and a movie where his part was played by Errol Flynn. That's a whole lot more than Van Buren ever got.

3. Walt Disney succeeded greatly in animation, a pioneer in the field, creator of iconic characters—but not the word 'iconic' which has been seized upon by junior execs.—established Disney studios and Disneyland and is fondly remembered to this day. Nonetheless his body is frozen in a vault beneath Disney's Burbank lot and should Walt be reanimated and start making decisions again it could effect his legacy.

4. John P. McCann was greatly successful as a Hollywood atmosphere player. McCann was the ship-board stand-in for a Canadian actor portraying Errol Flynn in My Wicked, Wicked Ways. In addition, he is visible catching Dennis Quaid's jacket at around 1:19 in a clip from  Great Balls of Fire.
More successful in animation, McCann created the non-iconic character of The Huntsman. For the next fifteen years, he piggy-backed onto as many successful shows as his friends would allow. While the record is still being written, outsiders agree that McCann will be remembered by Bank of America and several other creditors who might reasonably feel aggrieved should he pass from the scene within the next several months.

Images: whitehouse.gov, Parcbench, fold3

Frosty Final Runs Before Phoenix Marathon

Yes, indeed. The Rose Bowl is in a canyon. This canyon is colder than the surrounding hills. Car windshields are frosted over in this canyon.

In other words, practice was stinking cold. Once we left the canyon and ran up into the hills, it was cold there as well. Frost on the grass with a blinding sun in skies swept clear by recent storms.

Last year, my final practice runs were in similar chilly temperatures. Not as cold as today, but brisk nonetheless. Then I went off to steamy Hawaii and broiled out at mile 19. If I ever run Honolulu again, I'm going to practice starting in August wearing double layers of clothes and a plastic-lined jacket with a built-in heater. Then I'll go home and sit before a fire.

Two weeks to Phoenix. I'm excited, fired up, stoked. I wish it were tomorrow.

Then again, I"m glad it's not. I would have to start packing.