tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48496337828204548012012-01-01T16:09:14.892-08:00My thoughts on triathlon and other stuff.Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.comBlogger2631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-71793421349207781982012-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:002012-01-01T16:09:14.902-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ENMq3_CGSUM/TwD0d2YdVaI/AAAAAAAABBI/EKgTSsyME5Y/s1600/TV+Indian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ENMq3_CGSUM/TwD0d2YdVaI/AAAAAAAABBI/EKgTSsyME5Y/s1600/TV+Indian.jpg" /></a></div><br />This blog was started four years ago to document my journey to becoming an Ironman. I did that. If you want to read about the day I became an Ironman, you can do so <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/11/finally-ironman.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Every year on the anniversary of the start of the blog, I have always contemplated whether or not to continue. This year I have finally decide to hang it up. After all, I have not even posted here since June, 2011. I was going to document my training for the New York City Marathon and second Ironman, but alas, foot problems kept me from getting very far. As of this writing I am still healing from a stress fracture on my left foot. Perhaps one day I will be able to train again.<br /><br />I am not going to delete the blog, but I doubt I will ever update it again. Weirder things have happened.<br /><br />Goodbye.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7179342134920778198?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-6698637485965800962011-06-18T09:16:00.000-07:002011-06-18T09:30:37.680-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNmoXxKqXng/TfzSYC7Bq9I/AAAAAAAAA_8/OVsBEO2k0yE/s1600/tony_kew_running_free.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 384px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNmoXxKqXng/TfzSYC7Bq9I/AAAAAAAAA_8/OVsBEO2k0yE/s400/tony_kew_running_free.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619597745594674130" /></a><br />For the first time in almost three months I ran a mile today! The plantar Fasciitis has been better, still there, but not nearly as painful as it was. If I am going to run the New York City Marathon in November, I better start training. The mile was pain free. <div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/">Rango</a></span>, my dog, was very happy that he got to run with me again. As an added bonus, Rango's dog pal, Andy, was at the park and they got to play and run after my run.<div><br /></div><div>This is a good day.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-669863748596580096?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-70077981740498282002011-04-09T14:19:00.000-07:002011-04-09T14:29:28.540-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-db208J-ZBNk/TaDPji5TBwI/AAAAAAAAA_w/HKlKx_XQbxI/s1600/heelpa2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 383px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-db208J-ZBNk/TaDPji5TBwI/AAAAAAAAA_w/HKlKx_XQbxI/s400/heelpa2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593698946763654914" /></a><br />I have been having some pain in my feet for some time. After my run last week with the<a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> L.A. Leggers</span></a>, I thought that I might have bruised my heel. But a couple of days later, I realized I was developing <a href="http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">plantar fasciitis</span></a>. I have heard of many runners getting this, and that it was painful, but I guess now it is my turn. <div><br /></div><div>Plantar fasciitis is a swelling of the plantar fascia, a thick band that extends from the heal to the toes. At times, it feels as if someone is stabbing the heal of my left foot with a knife. This has made it hard to run and puts my training for the <a href="http://www.nycmarathon.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">New York City Marathon</span></a> and <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Ironman Arizona</span></a> in jeopardy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7007798174049828200?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-25784820803728511792011-02-28T04:11:00.000-08:002011-02-28T16:16:30.429-08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FmO2fni-fmQ/TWw6xxjF1jI/AAAAAAAAA_o/KAUMjf_L4lk/s1600/istockphoto_13881494-february-2011-calendar.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 380px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 285px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578898665193723442" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FmO2fni-fmQ/TWw6xxjF1jI/AAAAAAAAA_o/KAUMjf_L4lk/s400/istockphoto_13881494-february-2011-calendar.jpg" /></a><br /><div>February has been kind of lost month in training. I have been sick for most of the weekends and haven't done all of the runs or anything else that was planned. Fortunately November is still a long time off, but getting closer.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2578482080372851179?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-54990422967535503412011-01-05T18:43:00.000-08:002011-01-05T18:43:00.554-08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TSJTfSclqtI/AAAAAAAAA_M/IkBa2yB0Xpk/s1600/images.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558096687121410770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 108px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 121px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TSJTfSclqtI/AAAAAAAAA_M/IkBa2yB0Xpk/s400/images.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>As much as I like running with my <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/barefoot-sports/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Vibram Five Fingers</span></a>, I have had intermittent problems with blistering on the top of my feet. A small imperfection in the inside seems will rub on my skin and after three or more miles, it starts to be a problem. For some reason, I was reluctant to get toe socks to wear with my shoes, but after applying bandages to my feet after most runs, I decided it was time.<br /><br />While visiting my parents in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Jolla,_San_Diego,_California"><span style="color:#3333ff;">La Jolla</span></a> over Christmas I went to <a href="http://www.movinshoes.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Movin’ Shoes</span></a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Beach,_San_Diego,_California"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Pacific Beach</span></a> and bought a pair of the thinnest <a href="http://www.injinji.com/tetratsok/liner.htm"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Injinji</span></a> to socks I could find. After running with them only one time, I wondered what took me so long. This is the final piece to the minimalist running/five fingers experience. It will also allow me to run in colder temperature as they do insulate my feet a bit.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-5499042296753550341?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-18494579947956169442011-01-03T06:29:00.000-08:002011-01-03T16:38:55.611-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TSJr3VpoGmI/AAAAAAAAA_c/sQBSgUe23Sw/s1600/Minimalist-Running.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558123488577329762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TSJr3VpoGmI/AAAAAAAAA_c/sQBSgUe23Sw/s400/Minimalist-Running.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>It is not barefoot<br />It’s minimalist running</div><div>My knees are happy</div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1849457994795616944?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-12064720854702270632011-01-01T10:37:00.000-08:002011-01-01T10:39:53.116-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TR90zNBxITI/AAAAAAAAA_E/_O700B7GGoY/s1600/happy-new-year-2011-odometer_design.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 378px; height: 378px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TR90zNBxITI/AAAAAAAAA_E/_O700B7GGoY/s400/happy-new-year-2011-odometer_design.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557288888217706802" /></a><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1206472085470227063?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-49404087883340876272010-12-29T06:27:00.000-08:002010-12-29T09:34:30.020-08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TRtxGv2__wI/AAAAAAAAA-8/N9EQ-5nIYSE/s1600/three-fingers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556158926031945474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TRtxGv2__wI/AAAAAAAAA-8/N9EQ-5nIYSE/s400/three-fingers.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Yesterday, Tuesday, December 28, 2010, was the third anniversary of this humble little blog. It has been a bit adrift since completing <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman Arizona</span></a> in November of 2008, but I anticipate that with my goal of finishing another Ironman in November, 2011 approaching, I will again be a much more active blogger.<br /><br /><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4940408788334087627?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-34393093440311566402010-12-25T10:59:00.001-08:002010-12-25T11:02:35.847-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TRY_NcLrltI/AAAAAAAAA-s/42XV5UTO56Q/s1600/RangoJohnChristmas.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TRY_NcLrltI/AAAAAAAAA-s/42XV5UTO56Q/s400/RangoJohnChristmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5554696690544121554" border="0" /></a><br />Merry Christmas from <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">Five Fingers Thum</a> and his trusty dog, <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com">Rango</a>!<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3439309344031156640?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-11483748963380678032010-12-20T06:41:00.000-08:002010-12-20T15:33:25.665-08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TQ_mnr5zadI/AAAAAAAAA-g/oQqF44xdsqM/s1600/header.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552910435045566930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 123px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TQ_mnr5zadI/AAAAAAAAA-g/oQqF44xdsqM/s400/header.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have a slight update to my racing schedule. I have decided to do the Safari Park Half Marathon rather than Surf City. It is the inaugural race and I really like the San Diego Safari Park (formally the San Diego Wild Animal Park). I am somewhat familiar with the area not only because I have been to the Wild Animal Park a number of times, but because we drive right by it when The Great Magnetic Wife and I spend time at my parents’ cabin in Julian. I have no idea whether I will feel like walking around the park after a half-marathon, but admission is included.<br /><br />New 2010 racing schedule:<br /><br />March 10: <span style="color:#3333ff;"><a href="http://www.sandiegozoo.org/halfmarathon/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Zoo Safari Park Half-Marathon</span> </a></span></div><div>April 17: <a href="http://www.trievents.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bonelli Sprint</span></a><br /></div><div>May 15: <a href="http://www.trievents.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bonelli Intermediate Distance</span></a><br /></div><div>June 12: <a href="http://www.trievents.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bonelli Olympic Distance</span></a><br /></div><div>November 6: <a href="http://ingnycmarathon.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">New York City Marathon</span></a><br /></div><div>November 20: <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman Arizona</span></a></div><div><br /><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1148374896338067803?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-64248494604554294362010-12-05T05:47:00.000-08:002010-12-06T14:50:19.264-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TP1ofS30gCI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/f-MmNeT_0KQ/s1600/vibram-five-fingers-barefoot-shoes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547705202841518114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TP1ofS30gCI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/f-MmNeT_0KQ/s400/vibram-five-fingers-barefoot-shoes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div>Is there arch support?<br />Naw. Arch support, Smarch support</div><div>Why do you need it?</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6424849460455429436?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-92043473581240187092010-11-29T01:26:00.000-08:002010-11-29T01:26:00.376-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TO1oUT9ZdbI/AAAAAAAAA-I/QQ_fKBBWvvs/s1600/The+Greatest+photo+ever+taken%21.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543201414527415730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TO1oUT9ZdbI/AAAAAAAAA-I/QQ_fKBBWvvs/s400/The%2BGreatest%2Bphoto%2Bever%2Btaken%2521.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The joy I get when running with my dog is hard to overstate. It makes him happy, it make me happy, we bond, we get exercise. When <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a> and I run together we have the time of our lives!<br /><br /><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-9204347358124018709?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-45898277316318220252010-11-27T11:18:00.000-08:002010-11-27T11:18:00.322-08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TO1mmSY2TWI/AAAAAAAAA-A/Oa1jIl0XzPU/s1600/Race+plan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543199524320071010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 304px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 395px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TO1mmSY2TWI/AAAAAAAAA-A/Oa1jIl0XzPU/s400/Race%2Bplan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The Ironman is fifty-one weeks away and the New York City Marathon is forty-nine weeks away. It is time to start planning my season. I am not going to do as many races as last time I did an Ironman, but since the last triathlon I actually completed was Ironman Arizona in 2008, I feel I should get a few under my elastic race-number belt before the big event. As of today and subject to change, my season will look like this:<br /><br />February 6: <a href="http://www.runsurfcity.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Surf City Half Marathon<br /></span></a>April 17: <a href="http://www.trievents.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bonelli Sprint<br /></span></a>May 15: <a href="http://www.trievents.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bonelli Intermediate Distance</span></a><br />June 12: <a href="http://www.trievents.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bonelli Olympic Distance</span></a><br />November 6: <a href="http://ingnycmarathon.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">New York City Marathon</span><br /></a>November 20: <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman Arizona</span></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4589827731631822025?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-76458372416968713772010-11-25T01:01:00.000-08:002010-11-25T05:32:16.710-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TO1VhFbyHXI/AAAAAAAAA94/V_l9WKtJ3IQ/s1600/Tri+Turkey.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543180743245700466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TO1VhFbyHXI/AAAAAAAAA94/V_l9WKtJ3IQ/s400/Tri%2BTurkey.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There are so many things to be thankful for it is hard to know where to begin. I am thankful for <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Wendy-Goodman-Thum/629983387"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Great Magnetic Wife</span></a>, I am thankful for my family, I am grateful for my friends, I am grateful for the joy that our dog, <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a>, has brought to our lives, I am grateful that we were finally able to buy a house, I am thankful for my health and that I am able to realistically plan on running a Marathon and an Ironman Triathlon in a two-week period. I am grateful that I was able to get into both the <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">New York City Marathon</span></a> and <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman Arizona</span></a> next November. Most of all I am grateful God, who makes all things possible.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7645837241696871377?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-81391633415248497962010-11-24T05:46:00.000-08:002010-11-24T05:46:00.164-08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOwA37b2sTI/AAAAAAAAA9w/y0ZqEaYSgnk/s1600/IMFinish.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542806202233565490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 289px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOwA37b2sTI/AAAAAAAAA9w/y0ZqEaYSgnk/s400/IMFinish.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Question asked again<br />Will I be an Ironman?<br />Only time will tell</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-8139163341524849796?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-57142911630397358602010-11-23T06:52:00.000-08:002010-11-23T06:52:00.393-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOs7SIbWOVI/AAAAAAAAA9o/u5e1ZUN1kSU/s1600/n1217031188_97975_3962.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOs7SIbWOVI/AAAAAAAAA9o/u5e1ZUN1kSU/s400/n1217031188_97975_3962.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542588949095397714" /></a><br />While I have been enjoying by season with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Leggers</span></a> running only in my <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Vibram Five Fingers,</span></a> my brother has wholeheartedly embraced true barefoot running. He has become friends with the guru of barefoot running, <a href="http://barefootkenbob.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Barefoot Ken Bob</span></a> and a number of other guys whose monikers begin with “Barefoot.” It seems all of the barefoot runners are known as Barefoot (insert name here), i.e. Barefoot Ken Bob, Barefoot Ted, my brother would be known as Barefoot Dave.<br /><br />I never run barefooted, I always run in the Vibram Five Fingers. It’s close, as close as you can get without actually running barefoot, but the is a difference and I doubt I’ll ever go all the way to barefoot running. So for guys like me, my running name shouldn’t start with “Barefoot,” it should start with “Five Fingers.” Hence, my new running name will be Five Fingers Thum!<br /><br /><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-5714291163039735860?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-65442729347809064612010-11-22T12:47:00.000-08:002010-11-22T12:54:45.887-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOrYfvZXEoI/AAAAAAAAA9g/9XQjagbWEkQ/s1600/untitled.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542480331243197058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOrYfvZXEoI/AAAAAAAAA9g/9XQjagbWEkQ/s400/untitled.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Well, now I've gone and done it. I signed up for <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman Arizona</span></a> 2011. Next November will be quite busy. I will be doing the <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">New York City Marathon</span></a> on November 6 and two weeks later I will be doing Ironman Arizona. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I think this blog will return to its roots at a triblog.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6544272934780906461?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-46064367686020452472010-11-21T21:48:00.000-08:002010-11-22T11:51:42.303-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOqvAfDzFkI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/6_Ebk9NpiGI/s1600/5197525967_86c9487d72.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542434714305107522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TOqvAfDzFkI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/6_Ebk9NpiGI/s400/5197525967_86c9487d72.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.chrissiewellington.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Chrissy Wellington</span></a> won <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman Arizona</span></a> (she has never lost an Ironman race,) in a world record time of 8:36:13. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4606436768602045247?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-55536758213546176272010-10-12T20:56:00.000-07:002010-10-12T21:34:58.515-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TLU2M1c2HBI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/r7u7_qE1lQc/s1600/kindle-2-carrie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TLU2M1c2HBI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/r7u7_qE1lQc/s400/kindle-2-carrie.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527383711801547794" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span><!--StartFragment--><h3><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It has been seven months since I updated my Kindle reading list. It is interesting (at least to me) to look back on the books I have read. Having read through almost all of the Vince Flynn novels in the previous updates, I only have one here: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Consent To Kill</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the newest one. Another is being release next week, so there will be another in the next update. I am better at picking the free books offered for my Kindle, so I have fewer books that I started and never read to the end. (Those never made the list). Also fewer books that I made it to the end, but didn’t really like the book that much. I’ll start with what I am currently reading and go back in approximate order from most recent to least recent.</span></span></span></h3> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Currently Reading:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/To-Fetch-a-Thief-ebook/dp/B0042ESZO8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1286942538&amp;sr=8-2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To Fetch A Thief: A Chet and Bernie Mystery</span></span></a></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Spencer Quinn</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is my favorite currently published mystery series, perhaps my favorite of all time. I pre-ordered the book so that it would show up on my Kindle as soon as it possibly could. I have not been disappointed. I am almost done with book and have not yet figured out who did what and what will happen at the end. The books are wonderfully and humorously narrated by Chet, Private Detective Bernie’s faithful partner and dog. In this story Chet and Bernie are on the trail of a missing circus elephant named Peanut and his trainer. They find the trainer dead near the Mexican boarder. They know it is a murder, but are having trouble convincing the authorities of this. Eventually the trail leads them to Mexico and a large web of corruption on both sides of the boarder. I don’t know how it ends yet, but I am excited to find out.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <h1><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Gospel of Matthew</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have been reading a little bit every day of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Gospel of Matthew</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I am reading the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Bible-English-Standard-Version/dp/1581345968/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286942833&amp;sr=8-2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">English Standard Version</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> translation. I like the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Bible-NIV-ebook/dp/B000FC2KBU/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;qid=1286942901&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">NIV</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> as a translation better, but it is good to read different translations for different perspectives.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h2><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_John"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Gospel of John</span></span></a></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have been reading </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Gospel of John</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> with my small group bible study. I have actually been reading this for over a year. We started in June of 2009, but since we only meet twice a month and we dig pretty deep into the text, it takes a while. I think </span></span><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Luke"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Luke</span></span></a></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is my favorite Gospel, but </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">John</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is the most challenging and the most deeply layered. It is a book that you can read over and over and over and get something new each time. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h2><a href="http://www.amazon.com/His-Last-Bow-Dodo-Press/dp/1409949109/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286943031&amp;sr=8-2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">His Last Bow</span></span></a><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle<o:p></o:p></span></span></h2> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the second to last Sherlock Holmes collection of short stories that was published. The stories are from different eras, but it is a solid collection. I have now read all of the novels, they will be mentioned later in this list, and most of the short story collections. When I finish this there is only one more short story collection to read and I will have read every Sherlock Holmes story published by Arthur Conan Doyle.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Recently finished:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-Wizard-Oz-Anniversary-Wonder/dp/0060293233/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286943097&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Wonderful Wizard of Oz</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by L. Frank Baum</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Having seen the movie countless number of times, I thought it would be interesting to finally read the original. This essentially starts with the tornado that carries Dorothy to the Land of the Munchkins. The first half of the books is quite similar to the movie. There are challenges that groups does not face in the movie. There is the somewhat gruesome explanation of how the Tin Woodman become made out of tin, but as they approach The City of Emerald, as it is known in the book, things change a lot. For one thing the book is only about eighty percent over when the Wizard flies off in the balloon without Dorothy. Dorothy eventually makes it back to Kansas, but this does not appear to be a dream. Maybe because I love the movie so much and I am so used to the story of the movie, but I think the changes that the screenwriters made to the story help it. It is one of the few times where the movie is superior to the book. That being said, I liked the book and I am glad I read it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sallys-Alley-Carstairs-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/0915230461/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1286943159&amp;sr=1-5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sally’s In The Alley: A Doan &amp; Carstairs Mystery</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Norbert Davis</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the third book in the series. It is part of a Kindle 99 cents pulp mystery series. This is a really interesting series. I was attracted to it because of the price and because it is a mystery series about a private detective and his dog. If I didn’t have a Chet and Bernie Mystery to read, I thought this could tide me over. Carstairs, and enormous Great Dane does not narrate the book and is really a fairly minor character. These books are really all about Doan, a seemingly schlub of a fellow who is anything but. This often gives Doan the advantage because people underestimate him. The most interesting thing about this series, and this book in the series in particular, is that they were written during World War II. You get a good feel for how the war affected almost everything in life. You could feel the war in the writing in the previous two books in the series, but </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sally’s In The Alley</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> had to do with Japanese spies and espionage. These books are pretty funny at times and rather violent at others. For 99 cents it is hard to beat.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Memoirs-Sherlock-Holmes-Arthur-Conan/dp/1451569920/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286943217&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A collection of short stories from before the turn of the century.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Fear-Sherlock-Holmes-Mystery/dp/1451565976/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286943261&amp;sr=1-3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Valley Of Fear</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The last of the Sherlock Holmes novels. This book, like the first Sherlock Holmes story and novel spends most of the second half of the book in America explaining what happened in the first half. It is an intriguing was to tell a story. The valley of fear of the title is a mining area of the American west. It is ruled by fear by a organized crime ring that masquerades as a lodge/service organization. We start the story with a murder in a country house. There is something amiss in the explanation and Holmes through deductive reasoning figures it out. What he doesn’t know is how things got that way. The explanation is far more fascinating than the Holmes part of the story. A great read.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hound-Baskervilles-Complete-Unabridged-Classics/dp/0140350640/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286943309&amp;sr=1-3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Hound Of The Baskervilles</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Probably the most well known of the Sherlock Holmes stories thanks to the movie adaptations, but I think it is the weakest of the novels. It is okay. You actually don’t get a lot of Holmes in this story. Watson is out on the moors by himself for most of the book and he writes reports back to Holmes on what is happening. Not a bad novel, but not as good as the average Sherlock Holmes stories.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jungle-Book-Puffin-Classics/dp/0141325291/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286943390&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Jungle Book</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Rudyard Kipling</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a collection of stories and I only read the story of Mowgli. It was quite different from the Disney Movie (surprise, surprise). I was not thrilled by it. It did not make me want to keep reading the rest of the stories. I remember reading Rikki-Tikki-Tavi as a kid and not coming away enthralled either. I guess I just don’t get Kipling.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doan-Carstairs-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B003WQBIIC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1286943460&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Mouse In The Mountain: A Doan &amp; Carstairs Mystery</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Norbert Davis</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the first full-length novel in the series. The first was more of a novella. In this adventure Doan and Carstairs go to Mexico. Doan is there on assignment to bring back a corrupt ex-pat to the United States. A major earthquake hits when Doan finally tracks down his target. There is no way out of the remote Mexican village and they get a taste of local corruption. Not that Doan isn’t corrupt, he gets a little extra at the end.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/spheres-Personal-adventures-experiences-observations/dp/0446383562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1286943563&amp;sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Static Of Spheres</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Eric Kraft</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is a novella that was offered for free on Kindle. It was okay. It is the narrated by an adult looking back on a time before television. The narrator remembers wanting a really good radio. This leads him to think that he would like a short-wave radio and talks his grandfather into helping him build one. In truth the grandfather builds the whole thing, it takes more than a year and never works. It was a nice kind nostalgic look back that ultimately didn’t lead very far. Enjoyable as it goes, but didn’t make me want to buy a full novel that had the same characters which was the reason that Amazon offered this for free.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Squeeze-Victor-Gischler/dp/0440241707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1286943626&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Suicide Squeeze</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Victor Gischer</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A down on his luck repoman is hired to take back a sloop. It gets complicated when the Japanese mafia and a priceless baseball card are involved. A lot of people end up dead and this was supposed to be funny, but I did not find it so. Kind of typical hard-boiled everyone in the book is a scumbag type of book.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/100-Minute-Bible-Michael-Hinton/dp/0811856216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1286943674&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The 100 Minute Bible</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Michael Hinton</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was cheap and promised to be an overview of the Bible that touched on all the major themes. It might be good if you have almost no knowledge of the Bible, but it gave me no insight at all.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cold-Grave-Harper-Connelly-Mysteries/dp/0425224244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1286943726&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">An Ice Cold Grave</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Charlaine Harris</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The third in a series of books about Harper Connelly and her step brother, Tolliver Lang. Harper has the ability to find dead bodies. She is hired by a woman whose son went missing. What she finds are many bodies. She discovers that there is a serial killer in town. This is probably the creepiest in the series. In a sort of creepy twist, Harper and Tolliver, who aren’t actually related by blood, but have acted as brother and sister throughout the series, become romantically involved.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doan-Carstairs-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B003WQBIH8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1286943770&amp;sr=1-2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Holocaust House: A Doan &amp; Carstairs Mystery</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Norbert Davis</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is the first in the Doan &amp; Carstairs series. It is a novella and introduces us to the characters. Carstairs, the Great Dane, has a very small role in this book. It is amusing and made me want to read the other books in the series. This was written during World War II, but before the discovery of just how vast the Jewish Holocaust was. I don’t think the word Holocaust had a different meaning or least a different connotation when the book was written.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Dragon-Tattoo-ebook/dp/B0015DROBO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=generic&amp;qid=1286943817&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Stieg Larsson</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I got this book because it is a phenomenon and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. I have no idea what all the fuss was about. It is an okay book where the mystery is solved 75% into the book and the last 25% of the novel is wrap up. Could have used a lot of editing. The actual girl who has the dragon tattoo, Lisbeth Salander, is an interesting character, but she is really the only interesting character and is really just a supporting, although critical, character. I will not be reading the rest of the series.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oliver-Twist-ebook/dp/B000JQUT8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1286943876&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oliver Twist</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Charles Dickens</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A lot of classic novels are offered for free on Kindle. This was one. It is a story I was generally familiar with. I saw the movie musical as a kid. Enough of it has seeped into the popular culture that it is hard not to know the basic story. It kind of surprises me that this has become such a classic. Oliver is really not that interesting of a character and the whole plot is dependent on about three-dozen really amazing coincidences. I can one or two big coincidences in a plot, but they just kept happening. I heard someone describe it as a fairytale. I think that is an apt description in that what happens is really no less plausible, although a lot more gritty, than </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Racing-Rain-ebook/dp/B0017SWPXY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1286943924&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Art Of Racing In The Rain</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Garth Stein</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is another book narrated by a dog, in this case Enzo, the faithful dog of an aspiring racecar driver. That is where the similarity with the Chet and Bernie series ends. It is occasionally funny and you do care about the main characters, but this is a sad book where really awful things happen to people. It ends up on a happy note where Enzo is finally reincarnated as a human (always his wish throughout the book). But he is not just any human he is a formula one racing champion. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Lovely-Bones-ebook/dp/B000FA5TTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1286943974&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Lovely Bones</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Alice Sebold</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I bought this book because I saw the trailer for the movie and thought it looked interesting. I read the book and it is interesting, although rather gruesome at times. It is narrated by Susie Salmon a 14 year-old girl who was brutally raped and murdered by a serial killer who lives in the neighborhood. She looks down from heaven and watches as her murder tears her family apart. She is able to have some influence giving come-uppance to her murderer. But that takes years. He is never actually caught. It worked in a weird way as a novel. I watched the movie after reading the book and didn’t think it worked as a movie at all. I’m not even sure why anyone who read this book thinks it would work as a movie.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Takes-The-Cake-ebook/dp/B00371V8WS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1286944015&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Murder Takes The Cake</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Gayle Trent</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was recommend to me by Amazon. The description seemed funny. It was okay. It is about a woman who moves back to her home town and tries to start a cake business. When she delivers a cake to a very difficult customer, she finds the customer dead. It seems almost everyone in town had a motive. She becomes an amateur detective and gives recipes for pastries and other food along the way.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Consent-to-Kill-ebook/dp/B000FCKGVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1286944065&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Consent To Kill</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Vince Flynn</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mitch Rapp battles a Saudi Billionaire who wants revenge for the death of his brother. The Saudi hires a couple of German assassins to kill Mitch. It is classic Mitch Rapp being a gnarly dude. But in the end Mitch shows some compassion to the assassins. Kind of a surprise. The new Mitch Rapp book, </span><b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Assassin-ebook/dp/B003UV8T9A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1286944125&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">American Assassin</span></span></a></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> comes out today. I’m sure I’ll be writing about it in the next update of my Kindle reading list.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-5553675821354617627?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-53933756667222744142010-09-25T14:57:00.000-07:002010-09-25T15:23:54.559-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TJ52TNU0zeI/AAAAAAAAA9I/BTHpc0UWv2U/s1600/DSCN9427.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 312px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TJ52TNU0zeI/AAAAAAAAA9I/BTHpc0UWv2U/s400/DSCN9427.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520980265569406434" /></a><br />In what is going to be one of the hottest days of the year, I was glad to have an excuse to spend some time near the ocean. Sun Valley is supposed to get over 100 degrees today. But I met my <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">L.A. Leggers</span></a> running group at 6:45 in the morning to run eight miles. <div><br /></div><div>I've been running this entire season in my <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Vibram Five Fingers</span></a>. It has been great. Not quite barefoot running, but awfully close. The feet and joints feels really good. I have become a believer that modern running shoes do more long-term damage than good.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Great Magnetic Wife was waiting with <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Rango</span></a> for us at about three miles. Rango was very happy to see me and apparently cried and howled after I had passed. I don't want my dog to be distressed by not being with him, but it is very touching that he misses me so much. We've been running three times a week together, I don't think he understands why he can't go running with me when I'm with the group.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we were heading back to the finish, The Great Magnetic Wife gave me Rango's leash and we ran the last half mile ahead of the group to the finish. Rango had a fine time.</div><div><br /></div><div>We went to a Starbucks on Montana Avenue in Brentwood to relax a bit and have some coffee. This gives me a chance to go into their bathroom and give myself a "hobo wash" in the sink and change out of my sweaty running clothes. There were many fine dogs and many people to admire Rango around. One lady, who was walking two dogs of her own, doted on Rango and offered to trade. Kind of tongue-in-cheek, and kind of not.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Great Magnetic Wife had some important shopping to do at the new Santa Monica Nordstrom and Rango and I did not. We went for another walk along the beach and met up later. </div><div><br /></div><div>We then headed to a food truck festival when we had a grilled cheese sandwich, mac n cheese and tomato soup from The Grilled Cheese Truck and "Baco" or bacon taco from an all-bacon truck called "Lardon". This wasn't just a taco with bacon in it. The taco shell was made out of bacon and it was filled with cheese and potatoes. Mmmm...bacon!</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally it was off to <a href="http://www.frontrunnersla.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Frontrunners</span></a> to exchange my Vibram Five Fingers KSOs (stands for Keep Stuff Out). The pair I bought about three weeks ago started to come unglued on the side. They were very good in exchanging them. They are a great running store. Good service, knowledgeable sales people. I like 'em and recommend 'em!</div><div><br /></div><div>By the time we got home both The Great Magnetic Wife and Rango where ready for a good nap. I'll probably take one after posting this.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-5393375666722274414?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-40053426938776323232010-08-31T12:28:00.000-07:002010-08-31T12:35:30.660-07:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TH1ZW9yGWnI/AAAAAAAAA84/IzCFKqrEnpc/s1600/vibram1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511659770048043634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TH1ZW9yGWnI/AAAAAAAAA84/IzCFKqrEnpc/s400/vibram1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Okay, I re-joined the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Leggers.</span></a> I couldn't find a better running club. It will take me a bit longer to get there than it did in the past, but it'll be worth it.</div><br /><div>The Great Magnetic Wife came along and brought <a href="http://ranogdog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a>. They had a great time in Santa Monica while I ran.</div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4005342693877632323?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-70430407452086014182010-08-24T06:46:00.000-07:002010-08-24T16:04:42.544-07:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/THRPw_AoTvI/AAAAAAAAA8w/tKpiqzmhzRg/s1600/laleggers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509115947147349746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 125px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 82px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/THRPw_AoTvI/AAAAAAAAA8w/tKpiqzmhzRg/s400/laleggers.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>When last I posted on this blog, I was contemplating whether or not to continue running with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Leggers</span></a>. Now that we live in Sun Valley in the Northern San Fernando Valley, it is a bit of a drive to Santa Monica. I had really given up on the idea of running with the Leggers even thought I had a twinge of envy as I heard about their opening day last Saturday from my Legger friends on Facebook. It is not only far to go, but I now really look forward to my Saturday morning runs/romps with our dog, <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a>. </div><br /><div>The Great Magnetic Wife, knowing that I missed running with the group, suggested that she and Rango could come with me to Santa Monica and go to yard sales and have a bit of a romp while I run. Then we could all have a nice time on the west side.</div><br /><div>I'm willing to try it. I will see if it works before I officially re-join, but I hope it does.</div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7043040745208601418?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-16787212600698409542010-07-18T20:45:00.000-07:002010-07-18T20:53:38.691-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TEPMK_6jbfI/AAAAAAAAA8o/ksXqsn6pXvw/s1600/question+mark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TEPMK_6jbfI/AAAAAAAAA8o/ksXqsn6pXvw/s400/question+mark.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495460459649920498" /></a><br />The <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">L.A. Leggers</span></a> are starting their season in a couple of weeks and I am not sure whether to join them. I love the Leggers. I do believe they are the best running club in L.A., but now that we have moved, it will be more than 30 minutes to get to Santa Monica for the Saturday morning runs. I have started looking into other running groups in the valley and Pasadena, but none seem as good as the Leggers. I suppose I should give them a shot and see what happens.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facbook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1678721260069840954?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-32953625532348539122010-07-04T14:51:00.000-07:002010-07-04T14:52:57.674-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TDECnQgqYjI/AAAAAAAAA8g/-4f717SgIbY/s1600/StarsandStripesBone.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 319px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TDECnQgqYjI/AAAAAAAAA8g/-4f717SgIbY/s400/StarsandStripesBone.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490172294211461682" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3295362553234853912?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-72001429206243298892010-06-20T16:21:00.000-07:002010-06-20T16:26:16.230-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TB6jYnDczFI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/yzTAYyL3tKY/s1600/4559wnbrlarge-thumb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 242px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TB6jYnDczFI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/yzTAYyL3tKY/s400/4559wnbrlarge-thumb.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485001039379483730" /></a><br />A naked ride in Portland, Oregon ended tragically. The story is <a href="http://wizbangpop.com/2010/06/20/naked-bike-ride-through-portland-oregon-ends-in-serious-accident.php">here</a>.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7200142920624329889?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-52491759283791479232010-05-31T17:54:00.001-07:002010-05-31T17:55:14.480-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TARabC2nu8I/AAAAAAAAA8Q/tMfyyuH6hgM/s1600/memorial-day.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/TARabC2nu8I/AAAAAAAAA8Q/tMfyyuH6hgM/s400/memorial-day.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477602467458300866" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-5249175928379147923?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-25004035036821627482010-04-26T04:24:00.000-07:002010-04-26T16:35:25.837-07:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S9Yh2G3IDkI/AAAAAAAAA8A/4FMSZzgl5Z0/s1600/three-fingers-small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464592411299155522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 319px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S9Yh2G3IDkI/AAAAAAAAA8A/4FMSZzgl5Z0/s400/three-fingers-small.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>The third time was not a charm. For the third time in a row I did not win the lottery. I did not get in the <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">New York City Marathon</span></a>. The good news is that after being denied three times in a row, the will let me in next year. </div><div> </div><div></div><div>I immediately started looking for another marathon to run in the fall. I discovered that the <a href="http://www.marinemarathon.com/page11.aspx"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Washington D.C. Marine Corps Marathon</span></a> took place one week earlier than New York. Unfortunately, I hesitated for a day and that marathon sold out in the mean time. Oh well.</div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2500403503682162748?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-47002762656996407562010-03-27T18:04:00.000-07:002010-03-27T18:21:04.547-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S66uvgbXd8I/AAAAAAAAA74/18q794C63b0/s1600/vibram_1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S66uvgbXd8I/AAAAAAAAA74/18q794C63b0/s400/vibram_1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453488329974052802" /></a><br />Today I started my training for the <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">New York City Marathon</span></a> with a one mile run. I went with <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Rango</span></a> to the local high school track and ran a mile while my dog chased birds on the football field and followed me around. I ran with my <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Vibram Five Fingers</span></a>. I plan on using them for at least half of my runs on this training schedule. <div><br /></div><div>I am using the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">L.A. Leggers</span></a> basic training schedule and in thirty two weeks, on November 7, 2010, I will be ready for the NYC Marathon. Of course, I haven't actually been granted a spot in the marathon yet, I won't know if I'll actually get in until June, but in order to do the entire Legger training regimen, I had to start today.<br /><br /><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4700276265699640756?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-13517994533068032242010-03-22T17:43:00.000-07:002010-03-23T07:30:58.755-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gYTDRh_VI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/W0zF6YUKy6Y/s1600-h/JohnAndScott.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gYTDRh_VI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/W0zF6YUKy6Y/s400/JohnAndScott.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451634064507403602" /></a><br /><div>I was very much looking forward to doing the pace timing for the elite runners for the 2010 <a href="http://lamarathon.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Marathon</span></a>. I did it <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/05/la-marathon-pace-timing-way-cool.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">last year</span></a> and had a great time. Essentially pace timers get on bicycles and ride in front of the elite runners and go to certain mile markers and call in the top three runners split times to the media. As a cyclist, it is a lot of fun riding the streets of L.A. with no stoplights or traffic to worry about. As a runner you get to see some of the world’s best long-distance runners up close throughout the entire marathon. However, this year was slightly different.<br /><br />I went to work very early last Wednesday and so, I was able to come home early. I happened to be at my computer when I got an email from the <a href="http://latriclub.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Tri Club</span></a> coordinator of the pace timing cyclists. She asked for a volunteer to ride with a hand-cyclist who had cerebral palsy. I hesitated for a moment because I had such a good time last year with the elite runners, but then I thought, “I’ve had that experience, it is time to try something else.” I volunteered and almost immediately the job was mine. I must admit that I was a little scared. I have only really talked to one other person with cerebral palsy and it was difficult. I asked my Bible study group to pray for me.<br /><br />I soon found out that my athlete’s name was Scott Gellerstein. My task was just to rid with him and assist him if something were to go wrong. If he got a flat I would change it. It was estimated that he would finish in about three hours and leisurely pace on a bicycle.<br /><br />The Great Magnetic Wife was kind enough to get up really early and drop me off at the Marathon starting point at Dodger Stadium. We got there at about 5:30 am and the wheelchair and hand cyclists were scheduled to start at 7:00 and 7:05 respectively. I met up with a few of my fellow L.A. Tri Clubber and we were all quite excited.<br /><br />At about 6:30 I went to the hand cyclist corral to try to meet Scott. He was not there yet. I was a little worried. At 6:45 I went back to the corral and met him. He was with Jeremy Newman, who I later found out is also in the L.A. Tri Club. Jeremy said that he was going to ride in front of Scott and try to provide some opportunities for Scott to ride in his draft. I asked Scott if he wanted me to do anything specific and he said, “no, just ride with me”.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6jPD7BW-6I/AAAAAAAAA7g/l4j373ZE6y0/s1600-h/LAMStart.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6jPD7BW-6I/AAAAAAAAA7g/l4j373ZE6y0/s400/LAMStart.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451835015221935010" /></a><br />The start was delayed because the busses bringing in athletes had not been able to get all of the athletes to the starting line in time. That is something they will have to work through in the future if they are going to keep using this point-to-point course. The wheelchairs left at about 7:20 and the hand cycles about five minutes later. I was stationed about 200 yards in front of the starting line and picked up Scott as he rode by. The course goes uphill very shortly after the start and Scott was struggling a little bit, but with grunts and determination got up the hill. What goes up must comedown and so as we were going downhill he asked me to let him know when hills were coming, both up and down.<br /><br />We left Dodger Stadium through the Sunset Boulevard exit and there was a sharp left turn onto Sunset Boulevard. I know this exit well and that it is a little steep. I let Scott now that we were coming to a big downhill and a sharp left turn. I got behind him to give him as much room as possible to turn. As he was making the turn his left-rear wheel left the ground a little bit. Oh, no! It went back down. Relief! Then he swung a little wide and hit the curb! He wiped out and was on his side. One of the reasons I was there was to try to keep Scott safe and less the two miles into this thing he was laying on his side after having wiped out. Before I could even dismount from my bike there were a couple of spectators who were with Scott. He kept saying, “I’m okay, I’m okay”! We got him upright and he wanted to keep going.<br /><br />Having studied the course, I knew there were going to be at least a couple more downhill runs into turns. I told Scott to listen to me when I am warning of a turn and to slow down. He certainly didn’t want to crash anymore either. This started a good downhill section that allowed him to rest his arms a bit. But the first four to five miles of this new L.A. Marathon course are quite hilly. As we were going up hills Scott would ask, is it downhill soon”?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6jQBu04_uI/AAAAAAAAA7w/ELbhUlJ2U-4/s1600-h/JohnLAMarathon2010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6jQBu04_uI/AAAAAAAAA7w/ELbhUlJ2U-4/s400/JohnLAMarathon2010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451836077100302050" /></a><br />The biggest hill of the race was going up Grand Avenue towards Disney Hall. I remember it from the L.A. Triathlon and it is a killer. Scott was struggling a lot. I kept telling him that he could serpentine the hill. I must have said, go back and forth ten times, others were certainly doing it. But Scott was determined to just go strait up. At a certain point he asked me to push him, but I said that I couldn’t he would have to do it all on his own. But I kept encouraging him and he kept trying. I would call out, “200 yards to go…100 yards to go…50 yards to go! This is the hardest hill on the course, they will all be easier after this!…20 yards….you’re almost there”! He made it, but was clearly exhausted. We had a bit of a flat and some downhill before the next climb.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6jPw84HWXI/AAAAAAAAA7o/HOrKoFpTl8s/s1600-h/LAMSunset.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6jPw84HWXI/AAAAAAAAA7o/HOrKoFpTl8s/s400/LAMSunset.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451835788814145906" /></a><br />It was around this time the Jeremy Newman, who I had met in the starting coral mostly stayed with us. He kept talking to Scott about his form. Scott kind of jerked through the motion of the hand-crank and Jeremy reminded him to go in circles. As we were going downhill Jeremy would get in front of Scott to provide a draft. It didn’t usually work; Scott would not always put in the effort to go with Jeremy. Both Jeremy and I kept telling him that if he put in the effort to get into Jeremy’s draft, it would be ultimately easier, but I think Scott saw the downhill sections as an opportunity to rest his arms. Since he was going for a personal best time, both Jeremy and I felt he was going to have to work smarter to achieve it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gX5FxS4TI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/CO32DFE6LcI/s1600-h/Scott.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gX5FxS4TI/AAAAAAAAA7Q/CO32DFE6LcI/s400/Scott.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451633618500903218" /></a><br />Jeremy continued the advice on the hand cycling. I continued to let Scott know about the terrain, up and down and upcoming turns. We both shouted a lot of encouragement as did the spectators along the course and the cyclists who were doing the pace timing for the runners.<br /><br />For ten minutes or more I could see the camera cars for the elite women runners coming up behind us. The women start about twenty minutes before the men, so they are the first ones up. In Hollywood on a long up hill section they finally passed us. I let Scott know to stay to the right as they passed. But soon after that there was a downhill section and we passed the women runners again. We played cat-and-mouse with them for a while, but they finally passed us for good in Beverly Hills. Not very long after that the men passed us on Santa Monica Boulevard in Century City. There was not cat-and-mouse with the men. When we were passed we stayed passed.<br /><br />Scott was clearly getting very tired at this point. We continually reminded him about his form, but as one gets fatigued, form often goes out the window. He was making a lot more effort to move himself along. The last hill of the course was in the Veteran’s Administration hospital in West L.A. When we got through this it would literally be all downhill for the last five miles. But there was a short hill that Scott was having trouble with. He again asked for a push and I again told him he had to do it on his own. He rested for a few seconds and then gave it another try. He got up the hill and then we were off.<br /><br />We still had five miles to go down San Vicente Boulevard and Ocean Avenue and although they were all downhill, it was a subtle downhill. I have ridden by bike along this route a lot. I know this well. The downhill is nice, but you still have to work and Scott was getting very tired. He was starting to drift and Jeremy recognized this as Scott closing his eyes to give more effort. So Jeremy had to correct him and shout to at Scott to keep his eyes open.<br /><br />We finally made the turn onto Ocean Avenue and were just over a mile from the finish. Scott was going to get his PR, but we wanted to make sure he was going to finish as strong as he could. We continued to encourage him. The crowds were getting pretty big and they were screaming for him. We could finally see the finish line about a half a mile out. I kept shouting, “What are you saving it for? You can rest when you finish! Go harder”! Jeremy was saying much the same. We were flying down Ocean at about twenty miles an hour.<br /><br />Approximately two hundred yards from the finish line I had to bail off of the course. Unfortunately I bailed off of the wrong side off the course and had to navigate through a very crowded Palisades Park and through many closed streets of Santa Monica to get to the wheelchair and hand cyclist finishing area. I met up with them and met Scott’s parents. Scott thanked me and I let him know that I had a great time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gTe_30FwI/AAAAAAAAA7A/cNvru5JS74g/s1600-h/BarefootKenBob.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 283px; height: 345px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gTe_30FwI/AAAAAAAAA7A/cNvru5JS74g/s400/BarefootKenBob.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451628772194522882" /></a><br />I headed to the L.A. Tri Club post race party to check in and get my volunteers t-shirt. Why did I feel I had to get my t-shirt? I don’t know. I already have dozens of event t-shirts that I never wear. But for some reason I have to have a t-shirt from every event I participate in. I then headed to the aid station at Mile 23 for the L.A. Leggers to cheer on my friends who were running by. I saw barefoot running guru Barefoot Ken Bob run by and snapped a photo.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gT5alVOEI/AAAAAAAAA7I/UdDw4t5aguQ/s1600-h/Rango100322.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 362px; height: 371px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S6gT5alVOEI/AAAAAAAAA7I/UdDw4t5aguQ/s400/Rango100322.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451629226041358402" /></a><br />After a few hours there, I rode my bike about ten miles to the spot that The Great Magnetic Wife was to pick me up. When she picked me up I was tired, but it was a good kind of tired. It was off to the dog park with <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a>. I sat and watch him run around. I went to bed early and slept well. </div><br /><div> </div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1351799453306803224?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-19325551702178748962010-03-15T06:27:00.000-07:002010-03-15T16:40:24.142-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S57FJNjjxHI/AAAAAAAAA64/5QSKMEYX6fU/s1600-h/backpain-backache.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449009361213178994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 359px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 288px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S57FJNjjxHI/AAAAAAAAA64/5QSKMEYX6fU/s400/backpain-backache.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I did a little gardening last Saturday and did something to my back that my back did not like. I'm sure I will heal relatively quickly, but I am worried that I will not be able to be an <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/12/la-marathon-pace-timing-again.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Marathon Pace Timer</span> </a>if it is not 100% my next Sunday, March 21, 2010.</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1932555170217874896?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-78902323786929069022010-03-08T09:14:00.000-08:002010-03-10T19:40:14.455-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S5hlSTARAuI/AAAAAAAAA6w/dweInkDeSjg/s1600-h/kindle2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S5hlSTARAuI/AAAAAAAAA6w/dweInkDeSjg/s400/kindle2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447215114318054114" /></a><br /><div>It was one year ago (March 5) that I got my Kindle 2. This is a device that has improved my life. I have always read to one degree or another, but I am doing a lot more of it now. A few months after I received my Kindle I blogged about the books I read on it, so this is an update. I will start with the books I am currently reading and go back to all the books I have read.<br />Current:</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Patriots-Almanac-Readings-America/dp/1595552677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249876700&amp;sr=1-1">The American Patriot's Almanac</a> by William J. Bennett and John Cribb<br />I put this book on the last list because as an almanac I read one section a day. It talks about a significant event that took place on each day and a round-up of other things that happened on that day. I purchased this rather early in my Kindle experience, so I a within a month or two of finishing it. However, I might continue to read it as a refresher. I really enjoy this book.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+1&amp;version=NIV"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Proverbs</span></a> from the Old Testament by King Solomon</div><div>We are doing a series at Church on wisdom and the pastor suggested we read a chapter a day from Proverbs. There are thirty one chapters and thirty on days in a month. Sounds good. Everything said in that book is relevant today. Solomon was truly wise.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sign-Four-Arthur-Conan-Doyle/dp/B001OLZSKG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268268519&amp;sr=8-3"><span style="color:#3333ff;">The Sign Of Four</span></a> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.</div><div>This is the second Sherlock Holmes novel and the second story published. After reading two collections of short stories, I downloaded <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Sherlock-Holmes-Novels-Collections/dp/1450585132/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268268552&amp;sr=1-1"><span style="color:#3333ff;">The Complete Sherlock Holmes</span></a></em> and I am making my way through it all. Before Kindle, I had never read Sherlock Holmes, but I am very much enjoying it.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Chet-Bernie-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1416585842/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268268667&amp;sr=1-1"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery</span></a> by Spencer Quinn</div><div>This was the first book I purchased on Kindle and liked it so much I was telling anyone who would listen, and a few who wouldn't, to read this book. The second book in the series, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thereby-Hangs-Tail-Bernie-Mystery/dp/1416585850/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268268667&amp;sr=1-2"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Thereby Hangs A Tail</span></a></em>, was published earlier this year and after reading that, I wanted to revisit the original. It stands up quite well.</div><br /><br />Recently finished:<div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Takes-Cake-Gayle-Trent/dp/0980245362/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268268777&amp;sr=1-1"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Murder Takes The Cake</span></a> by Gayle Trent</div><div>I have become somewhat of a murder mystery enthusiast and this was one of the free downloads. It involves a Cake Decorator who moves back to her hometown and gets involved in a murder investigation. I guess I was drawn to it because I enjoy watching <em><a href="http://www.charmcitycakes.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ace Of Cakes</span></a></em> on the Food Network and I like murder mysteries. It was okay. There is a section at the end that gives recipes for all of the cakes the main character makes.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B0013XW2FE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268268934&amp;sr=1-2"><span style="color:#3333ff;">A Study In Scarlet</span></a> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</div><div>This was the first Sherlock Holmes story and first novel. Having read a number of the short stories, it was nice to read this book because it is referenced quite a bit in later stories. You get the introduction of Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes and how they came to be roommates. You get how Watson came to be Homles' chronicaler. You also learn a great deal about Watson in this book, much more than you learn about Holmes. At the point in the story where Holmes declares that he has solved the mystery, about half way through the book, there is a very detailed back story that takes the reader to the American west that is quite facinating. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Raise-Perfect-Dog-ebook/dp/B002QE3CU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268269012&amp;sr=1-1"><span style="color:#3333ff;">How To Raise The Perfect Dog</span></a> by Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier</div><div>I have been watching <em><a href="http://www.cesarsway.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">The Dog Whisperer</span></a></em> for many years. It is one of the things that inspired me to get a dog. I also wanted to raise my dog in a way that avoided some of the problems I see on the show. Because I am an admirer of Cesar Millan, I thought getting his book on raising a dog from a puppy made a lot of sense. Having watched <em>The Dog Whisperer</em> so often, I didn't learn a great deal of new things, but the reinforcement of the pricipals of raising a dog are good.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Return-Sherlock-Holmes-Arthur-Conan/dp/0755334418/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268277662&amp;sr=1-4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Return Of Sherlock Holmes</span></a> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyal</div><div>The more I read Sherlock Holmes, the more I want to read. This is a very nice collection from different periods.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thereby-Hangs-Tail-Bernie-Mystery/dp/1416585850/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268277590&amp;sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Thereby Hangs A Tail: A Chet And Bernie Mystery</span></a> by Spencer Quinn</div><div>The second in the Chet and Bernie series. I was happy to spend more time with Chet and Bernine in this very humerous book. I think I enjoy the series even more now that I have a dog. The books are narrated by Chet, the faithful dog and partner of Bernie Little, a private detective.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Lies-About-America-Destructive/dp/0307394077/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268277715&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Ten Big Lies About America</span></a> by Michael Medved</div><div>Worth a read. As a culture we have a lot of commonly accepted misconceptions about our history. Radio talkshow host and movie critic, Michael Medved, goes through ten of them like "The Power of Big Business Hurts the Country and Oppresses the People," and "Government Programs the Only Remedy for Economic Downturns and Poverty."</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/House-Danger-Choose-Adventure-ebook/dp/B002LSIKGA/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">House Of Danger</span></a> by R.A. Montgomery</div><div>This was a free download with an interesting premise that was not all that interesting in its execution. It is a mystery that at the end of each chapter you can choose what the charaters do next. Oh well, it was free and didn't take too long to read.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Sleepy-Hollow-Classics-ebook/dp/B001FWYGJ8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268277821&amp;sr=1-2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow</span></a> by Washington Irving</div><div>I have never read this classic. It is quite different than I expected, but quite enjoyable. That Icabod Crane is an odd duck.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Huckleberry-Finished-ebook/dp/B002RTIN3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268277873&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Huckleberry Finished</span></a> by Livia J. Washburn</div><div>Another free download that was reasonably enjoyable. I'm sure the idea was that I would like it so much that I would buy the other books in the series, but I don't think I will be doing that. The premis is that a travel agent who leads historical tours ends up having to solve the murder of one of her guests. In this case it was on a riverboat excursion to Hannibal, Misourri, the hometown of Mark Twain. I would think that after a while having tour guests murdered would negatively affect business, but I guess not, because the are quite a nuber of books in the series.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Honor-Novel-ebook/dp/B002PMVQBI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268277936&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Pursuit Of Honor</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>The latests Mitch Rapp novel. The first one I have purchased when it was just released, having now read all of the others staring with book one. It is every thing you want in a Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp book. Bad guys get it, corruption is unearthed and a number of tense moments.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Godfather-ebook/dp/B0022Q8CSC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268277973&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Godfather</span></a> by Mario Puzo</div><div>I have never read this book, but have seen the movies a number of times, (GF I &amp; II). I was surprised on a number of levels. This is really just a very trashy novel that was made into a couple of great movies. I did like the background stuff that was in the book that the movies never had time to go into. This is one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book, but I did enjoy it.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Protect-Defend-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0029TQ5TK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268278037&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Protect And Defend</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>In this thriller super agent Mitch Rapp must rescue the Director of Central Intelligence before she is tortured and gives up valuable secrets. </div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Measures-A-Thriller-ebook/dp/B001650UQM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_2?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Extreme Measures</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div>The plot is different, but the idea is the same. Mitch Rapp saves the country, uncovers corruption and kills people!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Surprise-Harper-Connelly-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B000O76OBI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268278107&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Grave Surprise</span></a> by Charlaine Harris</div><div>The second in a series of books about a woman who can find dead people. They are odd an slightly creepy but also charming. The locals and police don't like them, but they always solve the case in the end. </div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Lord-Road-Cana-ebook/dp/B0010SIQ98/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268278154&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Christ The Lord: The Road To Cana</span></a> by Anne Rice</div>This takes place more than twenty years after the end of <em>Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt.</em> It is time for Jesus to begin his ministry but there are a lot of conflicts. Like the previous book, Anne Rice follows the Gospels where she can and makes sensible but often surprising choices where there are no Biblical references. We see Jesus getting babtized and his forty days in the desert. We see his temptation by Satan. The book ends with his turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, but why he was there and who was getting married is intriguing. This is a novel, but it is well written enough that I could see where some might take it as a more detailed version of the Gospels.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-of-Pinocchio-ebook/dp/B000JQULUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268278200&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Adventures Of Pinocchio</span></a> by Carlo Collodi</div><div>Very different from the Disney version. Far darker and Pinocchio is really an awful jerk through most of the story. The Talking Cricket (no Jiminy here), is killed by Pinocchio very early in the book. The Cricket's ghost does come back to guide Pinocchio. Pinocchio does eventually become a real boy, but if it were up to me, I would have put him in the fireplace by chapter five. I can see why Disney softened this story, but I'm not sure why this is such a beloved children's classic in Italy.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Act-of-Treason-ebook/dp/B000JMKVIK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&amp;s=digital-text&amp;qid=1268278259&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Act Of Treason</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>Vince Flynn/Mitch Rapp novels are a lot like James Bond movies (and probably books), They're all very similar, but they're a fun ride. </div><div><br /></div><div>To see all of the books that I read on my Kindle from March, 2009 to August 2009 click <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-kindle-reading-list.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">here</span></a>.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a></span></div><div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7890232378692906902?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-72254083154396642592010-02-22T20:29:00.000-08:002010-02-23T16:42:20.144-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S4NavHt-faI/AAAAAAAAA6o/LjM1c3e2Ci0/s1600-h/DSCN4326.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441292540365929890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S4NavHt-faI/AAAAAAAAA6o/LjM1c3e2Ci0/s400/DSCN4326.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I got an email on Tuesday, February 16, from the <a href="http://pasadenamarathon.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Pasadena Marathon</span></a> giving me all of the instructions about picking up my packet and where to park on race day and all of the other details that go along with participating in a race. Oh yeah, I signed up the Pasadena Half-Marathon. In fact, I had a <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/05/pasadena-marathon-discount.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">blog post</span></a> about it. Let’s see, I haven't been training at all. I have done a couple of two or three mile runs, but the last time I did anything over ten was before we got Rango and moved into our house. The race also falls on our twelfth anniversary. Should I even consider this? Okay, I’ll do it!<br /><br />I went to the expo with <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a> and there was much oohing and aahing over the cuteness of our puppy. I’m never sure whether I can bring a dog to a place or not, so I decided just to go and see what happens. It’s hard to resist Rango, so we had no problems. I picked all I needed and ran into my Ironman roommate, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Tim-Bomba/513240991"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Tim Bomba</span></a>, who was the race announcer for the Pasadena Marathon. Rango loved him and gave him many licks.<br /><br /><a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/03/pasadena-half-marathon-23844.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Last year</span></a> there was very heavy rain at this event. This year it only sprinkled lightly, a much better way to run around Pasadena. Having not trained for this, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I though I might just walk the whole thing or run for three or four minutes and then walk the rest of the mile, I figured I would just do whatever felt right at the time.<br /><br />When I arrived I saw a number of <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Leggers</span></a> and there was a group from the thirteen minute a mile pace group that were going to do one-ones. That is run for one minute and walk for one minute. That sounded perfect. I joined up with them.<br /><br />At about six miles in I was feeling so good that I thought about doing the whole marathon. About two seconds later I thought better of it. Six miles into the marathons I have trained for I felt great and there is always a point where it becomes very painful. Also, this being my twelfth wedding anniversary, if I came home three or more hours late, there might not be a thirteenth.<br /><br />Unfortunately, everyone in the group I was running with was doing the full marathon. So at mile eight, when the half and full marathon split, I was on my own. It has happened many times to me, but I am still always amazed how much easier it is to run with a group than on one’s own. The first eight miles with the group were no problem. The last five were hard. The race course itself gets harder at that point too. There is a sustained up hill section and it is hotter the longer the race goes on. But I mostly continued with the run a minute, walk a minute plan and got through it.<br /><br />At a certain point I realized that I could probably finish in less than three hours. This would be my slowest half marathon time by far, but considering the lack of training, I would be happy with that. I ended up at 2:56:48.<br /><br />I am sore, but it is a good kind of sore. This should inspire me to start a regular training regimen again. After all, I have signed up for the New York City Marathon. If I get in I will need to train.<br /><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7225408315439664259?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-64359306423646621572010-01-28T07:00:00.000-08:002010-01-28T10:04:15.558-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S2HRgOvuVEI/AAAAAAAAA6g/QxLVqNeLa8U/s1600-h/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e5539495768833-800wi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431852977229812802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 244px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S2HRgOvuVEI/AAAAAAAAA6g/QxLVqNeLa8U/s400/6a00d8341c630a53ef00e5539495768833-800wi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The L.A. City Council is considering a "<a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/la-to-study-ways-to-protect-bicyclists-considers-bill-of-rights.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Bicyclists Bill Of Rights</span></a>." Basically it says everyone should be nice to cyclists. I agree that everyone should be nice to cyclist and that cyclists shouldn't act like jerks either, but I can't see it actually doing any good. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6435930642364662157?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-20393025260704925092010-01-09T07:20:00.000-08:002010-01-09T07:27:54.139-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S0igXnVCr_I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/j2s81s4ggfg/s1600-h/51530691.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/S0igXnVCr_I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/j2s81s4ggfg/s400/51530691.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424762078722437106" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cyclists9-2010jan09,0,4794493.story"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Christopher Thompson</span></a>, A former emergency room physician, who slammed on his brakes in front of two cyclist in order to "teach them a lesson," was sentenced to five years in prison. The incident happened on July 4, 2008. I wrote about it back then. You can read that post <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/07/scary-and-bizarre-road-rage-incident.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">here</span></a>.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2039302526070492509?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-65995101670919827372010-01-05T05:22:00.000-08:002010-01-05T05:22:00.373-08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzkwlEED_iI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/rI-WcUwx5G0/s1600-h/060626_fitness_marathon_hlrg_8a.hlarge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420417039821176354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 179px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzkwlEED_iI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/rI-WcUwx5G0/s400/060626_fitness_marathon_hlrg_8a.hlarge.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>For the third year in a row I have entered the lottery for a spot to run the <a href="http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">New York City Marathon</span></a>. If I don't get in this year I will be guaranteed and entry in 2011. Wish me luck!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6599510167091982737?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-47737121403341182242010-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:002010-01-01T00:01:06.914-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzkriXj4BfI/AAAAAAAAA6I/KjhiJHLirGg/s1600-h/happy-new-year.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420411495957136882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzkriXj4BfI/AAAAAAAAA6I/KjhiJHLirGg/s400/happy-new-year.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Happy New Year from The Great Magnetic Field!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I looked back on my new year resolutions from <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/01/happy-new-year.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">2009</span></a> and saw the getting a new place to live was at the top of the list. It was left over from <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/01/happy-new-year.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">2008</span></a> and was the only resolution that was not accomplished in 2008. It took until December to do it, but The Great Magnetic Wife and I, along with our new dog, <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a>, found a very nice house to move into.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>After completing an Ironman triathlon in 2008, the only triathlon related goal was to have fun. I accomplished that and it was a good thing that I didn't set my sights any higher because I didn't complete a single triathlon in 2009. I got a DNF in the <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/03/pasadena-triathlon-dnf.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Pasadena Triathon</span></a> after having mechanical problems on the bike. I was not feeling at all well on the day of the Redondo Beach Triathlon and so I didn't even start it. I did do a number of half marathons including <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/02/surf-city-half-marathon-23209.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Surf City</span></a>, <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/03/pasadena-half-marathon-23844.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Pasadena</span></a>, <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/04/la-jolla-half-marathon.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">La Jolla</span></a> and <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/06/fontana-half-marathon.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Fontana</span></a>.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My resolutions for 2010 are again to have fun and run a lot with <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Rango</span></a> when he is old enough to do so.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4773712140334118224?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-48707828149538738972009-12-29T13:39:00.000-08:002009-12-29T13:39:00.522-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Szkm4wVX81I/AAAAAAAAA6A/RUqSC6H2OKs/s1600-h/Mile+17.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420406383006184274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Szkm4wVX81I/AAAAAAAAA6A/RUqSC6H2OKs/s400/Mile+17.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I signed up for a second year to be a pace timer at the <a href="http://www.lamarathon.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">L.A. Marathon</span></a>. You can read about my adventure in 2009 <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/05/la-marathon-pace-timing-way-cool.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">here</span></a>. I hope I am able to get in to do it again. It was a great experience last year.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;"><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4870782814953873897?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-15560269869564704292009-12-28T13:38:00.001-08:002009-12-28T14:07:35.713-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzklaiNwFuI/AAAAAAAAA54/GhaadjrruQo/s1600-h/Happy%202nd%20Birthday!.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420404764308412130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 357px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzklaiNwFuI/AAAAAAAAA54/GhaadjrruQo/s400/Happy%25202nd%2520Birthday%2521.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Today marks the second anniversary of The Great Magnetic Field. This time last year I was contemplating whether to continue the blog and I decided to keep going, so I guess I will keep going for a third year. Being a new home and dog owner are taking up a lot more time than triathlon these days, but this has slowly become a more general interest blog anyway. I will post Triathlon related and other stuff here as it arises and you can always check out puppy progress at <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">From Out Of The West...The Tales Of Rango.</span> </a></div><br /><div><br />I am looking forward to what 2010 brings.</div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1556026986956470429?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-78172024640242637822009-12-26T19:03:00.000-08:002009-12-26T19:06:45.346-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzbPCM_QjRI/AAAAAAAAA5k/kh_zOOfRwus/s1600-h/Haddon+4.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SzbPCM_QjRI/AAAAAAAAA5k/kh_zOOfRwus/s400/Haddon+4.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419746838340209938" /></a><br />I have not been blogging much at The Great Magnetic Field primarily because The Great Magnetic Wife, our new dog, <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Rango</span></a>, and I have moved. This takes a lot of time. This is a picture of our lovely new home in Sun Valley.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7817202464024263782?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-6718909437148251132009-11-29T12:53:00.000-08:002009-11-29T13:27:14.682-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SxLnKKXm8SI/AAAAAAAAA5c/twAusoeBL5g/s1600/Rango091129.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SxLnKKXm8SI/AAAAAAAAA5c/twAusoeBL5g/s400/Rango091129.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409640264193470754" /></a><br />Last Saturday, November 21, 2009, The Great Magnetic Wife and I picked up our new dog, <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Rango</span></a>, from a rescue organization call <a href="http://noahs-bark.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Noah's Bark</span></a>. His mom is a Brittany mixed with a few other things and his dad is a ramblin' guy who almost certainly mostly a Labrador Retriever. His sisters looked like pure-bred Labs.<div><br /></div><div>I started a new blog call <i><a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">From Out Of The West...The Tales Of Rango</span></a></i>! to chart his growth. We picked him up at nine weeks and he is growing so fast that I want to document it. My goal is to post a new photo everyday. Enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-671890943714825113?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-64898342204242246262009-11-26T05:28:00.000-08:002009-11-26T05:37:58.269-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sw6ENAIzo2I/AAAAAAAAA5U/9UyjnIc4-h8/s1600/SamosetPilgrims.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 365px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sw6ENAIzo2I/AAAAAAAAA5U/9UyjnIc4-h8/s400/SamosetPilgrims.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408405561428648802" /></a><br />Thanksgiving is, perhaps, my favorite holiday. I think that it is wonderful that we, as a nation and as individuals, take time to give thanks. We all have much to be thankful for. <div><br /></div><div>This year I am particularly thankful for <a href="http://rangodog.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Rango</span></a>, our new dog, our new house, The Great Magnetic Wife, my family and friends and my health. Appreciating and being thankful for what one has is the key to happiness.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6489834220424224626?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-1968465974268678762009-11-23T19:37:00.000-08:002009-11-26T05:35:13.543-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SwtWAlkz6iI/AAAAAAAAA5M/Goy6c6v3vh8/s1600/IMFinish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SwtWAlkz6iI/AAAAAAAAA5M/Goy6c6v3vh8/s400/IMFinish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407510345674910242" /></a><br />Today is the one year anniversary of becoming an Ironman. I was following the events of <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Ironman Arizona y</span></a>esterday and got quite nostalgic. If you would like to read the race report, you can do so <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/11/finally-ironman.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">here</span></a>.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-196846597426867876?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-32793238680234235262009-11-19T18:14:00.001-08:002009-11-19T18:21:45.721-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SwX9Hm6c6VI/AAAAAAAAA5E/k-6gOcdKqfc/s1600/thumbs.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 131px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SwX9Hm6c6VI/AAAAAAAAA5E/k-6gOcdKqfc/s400/thumbs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406005234874771794" /></a><br /><a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Ironman Arizona</span></a> is this weekend and it is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since I became an Ironman. I had wanted to go and volunteer at IMAZ and the sign up for 2010, but alas, life is getting in the way. The Great Magnetic Wife and I will be purchasing a house next week. It takes a lot of time and money. I just didn't feel I had the time to take of for Arizona this weekend or the money to sign up for the Ironman. There will be others. Good luck to all the participants!<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3279323868023423526?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-82325950771191073372009-10-10T18:45:00.000-07:002009-10-10T18:53:12.866-07:00I can just repeat my post from <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/10/iroman-hawaii.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">last year</span></a>. Congratulations to Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington! Chrissie broke the course record for women which had been held for seventeen years!<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-8232595077119107337?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-9891459667111402712009-09-23T18:56:00.000-07:002009-09-23T19:03:24.736-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SrrTS8FMZ2I/AAAAAAAAA4k/_uQZXzj2lFg/s1600-h/blueteeth5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 389px; height: 330px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SrrTS8FMZ2I/AAAAAAAAA4k/_uQZXzj2lFg/s400/blueteeth5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384848626793867106" /></a><br />Lately, I have been a bit nostalgic for the olden days. In general, I think things generally get better. Technology helps our lives. But the one area where it has hurt is in identifying crazy people in public. It used to be that when you saw someone on a street corner or in a grocery store who was ranting loudly to no one in particular, you stayed clear because that person was crazy. Now it seems that it is more likely to be a jerk with a Blue Tooth. I miss the old days.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-989145966711140271?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-78927469348757727022009-09-10T12:14:00.000-07:002009-09-10T22:35:37.997-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SqnhMQ8q7SI/AAAAAAAAA4c/6gN0eBAaoBs/s1600-h/DSCN0882.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 390px; height: 380px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SqnhMQ8q7SI/AAAAAAAAA4c/6gN0eBAaoBs/s400/DSCN0882.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380078830694886690" /></a><br /><div>A couple of weeks ago, while on vacation at <a href="http://www.seaisland.com/16/Home.htm"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Sea Island, Georgia</span></a>, I almost lost my Ironman finisher's hat. We were on a boating excursion around the islands and the wind caught my hat and it went overboard. My immediate reaction was, "oh, well...it's just a hat." However, the captain turned the boat around and I was able to reach over the side and grab it. I was happy. For the rest of the boating trip I did not wear it, not wanting to lose it again. By the end of the trip I was thinking that I was really glad to have my hat back. </div><br /><div>I earned that hat. It took me a year of training and almost 15 and a half hours to be handed my Ironman hat. I noticed yesterday that I have worn the hat almost everyday since the day I almost lost it. My life would have gone on without any hat related unhappiness if I did not get it back, but I am really happy that I have my hat back.</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7892746934875772702?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-16091680876148805092009-08-22T12:52:00.000-07:002009-08-22T13:32:29.273-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SpBU3Jer1vI/AAAAAAAAA4U/O5beOizalJE/s1600-h/ketchup2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SpBU3Jer1vI/AAAAAAAAA4U/O5beOizalJE/s400/ketchup2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372887661867161330" /></a><br />The designated mileage for running with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">L.A. Leggers</span></a> today was six miles. No problem. I ran with the twelve minute a mile pace group and we started running a little faster than that but not much., About a mile and a half in I had to use the restroom and didn't want to try and hold it for four and a half miles. I slipped out of the running pack and into the public restroom along our course. <div><br /></div><div>I knew it was going to take me a mile or more to catch up, but I was feeling good and was confident I could. Approximately a mile after my pit stop I saw a group of L.A. Leggers running ahead of me. I assumed it was my group and picked up the pace to catch them. As I got within fifty yards of the group I realized it was the fourteen minute a mile pace group. No wonder I had such an easy time catching them. Oh well, I'll just keep going. However picking up the pace to catch up to the 14s tuckered me out a bit. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I ran down the bridge to the Santa Monica Pier and to the beach I saw my group still more than a quarter of a mile ahead. I ran down the bridge and turned on the boardwalk and tried to pick up the pace. I was passing a few stragglers from the group who were unable to keep up. That is not so unusual as the miles start to increase. I kept running. </div><div><br /></div><div>My Garmin indicated I was over 4 miles into this run and I was still not catching them. I was surprised because I was running under an eleven minute a mile pace. I was passing more and more people from the group who could not keep up. </div><div><br /></div><div>The turn around point to go back was at four and a half miles and I was now about four and a third miles into this. The path curves a lot at this point and so I could not see very far ahead, but I was sure I had to be very close to the group. At about 4.4 miles a finally saw the group heading towards me. I was still about two tenths of a mile back. I could either cut off a bit of running and just join them, or go all the way to the turn around point. I decided to go to the turn around point and still try to catch up. </div><div><br /></div><div>I picked up the pace considerably and looked down at my Garmin and saw that I was running under ten minute miles. I was going more than two minutes a mile faster than the pace group was going, why wasn't I catching up more quickly? I could now clearly see the group ahead of me. I knew I was going to catch them in a minute or two. When I finally did, I assumed I was going to fall back into a much slower pace, but I didn't. The group was doing about an eleven minute a mile pace. It suddenly all made sense. The reason I had so much trouble catching up, the reason there were so many stragglers who had to drop out was that the group was running way too fast. </div><div><br /></div><div>The head mentor for the group and his top assistant were both gone this weekend. We had a mentor who apparently didn't watch his pace even though, I later learned, he was getting a lot of complaints about the pace and requests to slow down. When we finally finished and he looked at the average pace he said something like, it is good to push the pace. It makes you stronger. That is probably true, but he is supposed to be a mentor for a group that trains people for marathons who have often never done any kind real running before. I have the feeling that some of those people who had to abandon the group because they could not keep up may abandon the Leggers. Hopefully they joined slower groups as they came by, but you never know. I think our so called mentor did the group as a whole a great disservice.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1609168087614880509?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-87126225644329871422009-08-17T07:19:00.000-07:002009-08-22T13:33:13.852-07:00For my Ironman Arizona race report click <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/11/finally-ironman.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">here</span></a> or just keep scrolling down.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-8712622564432987142?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-28628181510262967752009-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:002009-08-16T14:52:27.834-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SoDzFRz8ITI/AAAAAAAAA4M/loNibyOP7j0/s1600-h/kindle2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SoDzFRz8ITI/AAAAAAAAA4M/loNibyOP7j0/s400/kindle2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368558027831779634" /></a><br />I have had my Kindle 2 for a little over five months now. I really like it. I have done more reading in the last five months since any time in my life with the exception of college... Although, when I really think about it, this may also include college.<div><br /></div><div>The following is a list of books, in no particular order, I have read on my Kindle since I got it.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Consent-Kill-Thriller-Mitch-Novels/dp/1416505016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249876239&amp;sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Consent To Kill</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>A fun read. Vince Flynn writes potboiler spy novels that follow his CIA super agent Mitch Rapp. It is nice to read novels where our intelligence services are highly competent and get things done and protect our freedom. The other thing I like about the Mitch Rapp series is that Mitch is a former winner of the Ironman world championships. Not just his age group, the whole thing. Now he's a spy and people want to kill him!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Driving-Like-Crazy-Hell-bending-Celebrating/dp/0802118836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249876469&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Driving Like Crazy</span></a> by P.J. O'Rourke</div><div>This is an updated collection of some of P.J.'s best automotive writing. It is often hilarious. If you're a fan of P.J. O'Rourke you will like this book.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Patriots-Almanac-Readings-America/dp/1595552677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249876700&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The American Patriot's Almanac</span></a> by William J. Bennett and John Cribb</div><div>I have not read the whole thing because it is an almanac. I read one section a day. It highlights a significant historical event that took place on that day. A fun way to go through American history.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Lord-Out-Egypt-Novel/dp/0345492730/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249877164&amp;sr=1-2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Christ The Lord: Out Of Egypt</span></a> by Anne Rice</div><div>No vampires, but a very well-written, scholarly and well-researched novel on the early days of Jesus. It starts with the family leaving Egypt and returning to Nazareth. Jesus is not fully aware of who he is, but there are hints. It is consistent with the Gospels where it can be and goes in a very logical but sometimes surprising direction where there is no reference in the Gospels.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Chet-Bernie-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1416585842/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249877558&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery</span></a> by Spencer Quinn</div><div>This was the first book I actually paid for on my Kindle. I didn't know anything about it, but read a description and decided to buy it. I have been telling anyone who will listen about it ever since. It is a mystery story that is narrated by a dog. Bernie is the detective, Chet is his faithful dog and together they make it work. If you enjoyed the dogs in the movie <i>Up,</i> you will enjoy this. This is amusingly told from the dog's point-of-view. Squirrel!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Checkmate-Karna-Small-Bodman/dp/B002ECEHH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249878108&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Checkmate</span></a> by Karna Small Bodman</div><div>I heard the author on a radio talk show and thought that she was one of the most intelligent people I had ever heard call into a program. The host obviously thought so too because he started asking her about herself to find out about her background. She mentioned that she is currently a novelist and wrote political thrillers. I was intrigued enough to give her a shot. She was perhaps the best caller I have ever heard on a radio talk show, but she is not a good writer. I did manage to finish the book, but there were a few debates with myself as to weather I should. This was not well written and really just kind of lame. She has two more books out, but I do not plan on reading them. I wonder how many people, like me, bought her book after her appearance? It was a good way to sell books.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Memorial-Day-Vince-Flynn/dp/0743453980/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249961329&amp;sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Memorial Day</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>Mitch Rapp saves Washington and New York from a nuclear attack by Muslim terrorists! He's one bad mother--</div><div>Shut your mouth! </div><div>But, I'm talkin' 'bout Rapp!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249961377&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Born To Run</span></a> by Christopher McDougall</div><div>I loved this book. I wrote a post about it that you can read <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/07/born-to-run.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">here</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Executive-Power-Vince-Flynn/dp/0743453964/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249961507&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Executive Power</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>Hey, it's a Mitch Rapp thriller. He's manly and kills bad guys. What more do you want? The only down side is that his wife is starting to annoy me. He loves her, but she annoys me.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b_1_14?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=the+persian+night+iran+under+the+khomeinist+revolution&amp;sprefix=the+persian+ni"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Persian Night: Iran Under The Khomeinist Revolution</span></a> by Amir Taheri</div><div>Read this book! It is especially relevant after the recent elections and protests in Iran.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Grave-Sight-Harper-Connelly-Mysteries/dp/0425212890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249962195&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Grave Sight</span></a> by Charlain Harris</div><div>This is the same author who writes the Sookie Stackhouse stories on which HBO's <i>True Blood</i> is based. No vampires here, just a likable, but strange woman who feels vibes from dead people. She locates bodies and solves mysteries and kind of creeps people out. She and her eccentric brother are characters I liked spending time with. I will probably read the other books in the series eventually, but I didn't feel like jumping into them right away.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Separation-Power-Mitch-Rapp-Novels/dp/1439135738/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249962326&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Separation of Power</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>Ironman Triathlete, super-spy and all around manly dude, Mitch Rapp is back killing bad guys, busting corrupt politicians and uncovering evil plots. Written before 9/11 and the Iraq war, you even have Saddam Hussein trying to acquire nuclear weapons.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Demonkeeping-Christopher-Moore/dp/0060735422/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249962785&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Practical Demonkeeping</span></a> by Christopher Moore</div><div>This was one of those "Amazon recommends for you" books and I decided I would give it a try. This is book that thinks it is a lot more hip and droll than I do. I imagine that the author thought he was being outrageously funny at every turn. I occasionally thought the book was mildly amusing. The plot is overly complicated and ultimately doesn't take you very far. I know Christopher Moore has his fans, I'm just not one of them.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Third-Option-Vince-Flynn/dp/0671047329/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249963208&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Third Option</span></a> by Vince Flynn</div><div>Mitch Rapp kills more bad guys and saves the world and sometimes gets all mad about stuff. I like it.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Small-Steps-Readers-Circle-Sachar/dp/0385733151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249963352&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Small Steps</span></a> by Louis Sachar</div><div>This is a sequel of sorts to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holes-Louis-Sachar/dp/0440414806/ref=bxgy_cc_b_text_a"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Holes</span></a>, a truly wonderful book and movie. It follows X-Ray, a minor character in Holes, a couple of years after his time in the juvenile detention camp. It is okay young adult fare, but doesn't have the magic of Holes. The plot of Holes was somewhat improbable, but worked in the world that was created by the author, the plot of Small Steps is just improbable. However, the characters are likable enough that I cared what happened to them in this fairly short read.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lawn-Boy-Gary-Paulsen/dp/0553494651/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249963974&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Lawn Boy</span></a> by Gary Paulson</div><div>This was offered as a free download on the Kindle and since the price was right, I went for it. It is a short novel that is written for pre-teens. I imagine that I would really have enjoyed it as a pre-teen. It is about a boy who inheirets a riding lawn mower and becomes a lawn mowing tycoon. Eventually bad guys are involved and they get their comeuppance. At least I read it. Most of the things that I download for free from Kindle I don't get past the first chapter.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Man-History-Great-Depression/dp/0060936428/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249964425&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Forgotten Man</span></a> by Amity Shlaes</div><div>A detailed and very well-written history of the Great Depression. It certainly makes one question the wisdom of the New Deal.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Babysitters-Code/dp/B001QIGZY0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1249964643&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">The Babysitter's Code</span></a> by Laura Lippman</div><div>This short story was also a free download on Kindle. It was worth every cent I paid for it. If it has been ten pages longer I don't think I would have bothered to finish it. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum">John Thum</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2862818151026296775?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-16230563397392602772009-08-13T20:25:00.000-07:002009-08-13T20:25:00.590-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sn-WLheaALI/AAAAAAAAA4E/4PX5CB6mhdI/s1600-h/6a00d83451b18a69e201127945838228a4-800wi.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sn-WLheaALI/AAAAAAAAA4E/4PX5CB6mhdI/s400/6a00d83451b18a69e201127945838228a4-800wi.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368174405557551282" /></a><br />At this time last year I was obsessing over competing in my first Ironman triathlon and training very hard six days a week. The weekends where very long days of training, usually eight to ten hours. The only break on the weekends was to go to church. On weekdays I got up early for at least an hour-long morning training session and then did a couple hours after work. This year, not so much. I have had a lot more time to do other things, but I have also put on about twenty pounds. I kind of miss having a great big goal. I am leaning more and more to doing <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Ironman Arizona </span></a>again in 2011. As of today, the plan is to volunteer at this year's race and then sign up for next years. We are also trying to buy a house and other things, so I reserve the right to change my mind, but I definitely need more focus in my workouts.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1623056339739260277?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-22543501644028648492009-08-11T20:18:00.000-07:002009-08-12T06:38:51.548-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sn-TArGIeII/AAAAAAAAA38/_eyDgjQqdIo/s1600-h/w-water_buffalo_horns_India.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 352px; height: 254px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sn-TArGIeII/AAAAAAAAA38/_eyDgjQqdIo/s400/w-water_buffalo_horns_India.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368170920626649218" /></a><br />I was quite excited that the <a href="http://lamarathon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">L.A. Marathon</span></a> is being moved back to March and that the new route would take us from Dodger Stadium to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. However, I realized last week that the L.A. Marathon for 2010 is on March 21 and the<a href="http://ironmancalifornia.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"> Oceanside Half-Ironman triathlon</span></a>, which I have already signed up for, is on March 27. It will be tough to run a marathon on a Sunday and come back the next Saturday for a Half Ironman. I guess we'll have to see.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2254350164402864849?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-68127924854987610462009-08-09T19:47:00.000-07:002009-08-09T20:12:06.624-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sn-P-1qgOwI/AAAAAAAAA30/rCHt7b4vbGY/s1600-h/Fivefingers.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sn-P-1qgOwI/AAAAAAAAA30/rCHt7b4vbGY/s400/Fivefingers.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368167590568934146" /></a><br />Inspired by reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1247358814&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Born To Run</span></a>, I have been doing more and more barefoot running. It has been mostly on the grass, about a mile to a mile an a half. I wanted to be less limited than running on the grass and so I took <a href="http://barefootted.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Barefoot Ted's</span></a> advice and purchased some <a href="http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Vibram Fivefingers</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">.</span><div><br /></div><div>They are great. You really get the feel of running barefoot, but do not have to worry about glass and sharp rocks and other debris in the street. I can feel these things if I run over them, but there is no chance that they will cut my feet. Running barefoot really is a much better way to run. I am faster and less tired for the equivalent distances. Now when I say I'm faster, it means I improve from laughably slow to merely ridiculously slow, but still, I'm faster!</div><div><br /></div><div>They are also an attention getter. I'm not sure this is always a good thing. After I bought my new Vibram Fivefingers, I walked out of the store wearing them and was immediately asked about them as I was getting into my car. Later in the week I walked into a gathering at a friend's house and the conversation immediately turned to my feet.</div><div><br /></div><div>The longest I have run so far in them is three miles. I am building up to longer distances. When I ran four miles this weekend with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">L.A. Leggers</span></a>, I used conventional shoes. I'm going to take the mileage up slowly, but I expect I should be doing reasonably long runs, 10k and longer, in a month or two.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6812792485498761046?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-24934821901344065542009-07-25T05:32:00.000-07:002009-07-25T05:32:00.138-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SmqMsAelJNI/AAAAAAAAA3s/PULur5H3aqk/s1600-h/laleggers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; height: 82px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SmqMsAelJNI/AAAAAAAAA3s/PULur5H3aqk/s400/laleggers.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362252994008392914" /></a><br />I'm quite excited to start a new season with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/">L.A. Leggers</a>. Two miles today, twenty six by February.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2493482190134406554?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-35621965004249975492009-07-22T17:44:00.001-07:002009-07-22T17:52:27.091-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sme0HGQ2amI/AAAAAAAAA3k/3AhdCewnHrk/s1600-h/los-angeles-marathon1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sme0HGQ2amI/AAAAAAAAA3k/3AhdCewnHrk/s400/los-angeles-marathon1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361451915441236578" /></a><br />The <a href="http://lamarathon.com/pdfs/2010%20Los%20Angeles%20Marathon%20Date%20Announcement.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Los Angeles City Council</span></a> came to their senses and voted to change the date of the <a href="http://lamarathon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Los Angeles Marathon</span></a> back to March. They also voted to change the course to a point to point route from Dodger Stadium to the ocean. It is now up to the Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills City councils to cooperate to approve a route. We can only hope.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3562196500424997549?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-44307602454044205272009-07-11T17:36:00.000-07:002009-07-11T18:00:58.503-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Slk1wxJ2rHI/AAAAAAAAA3c/cwCXJ2pQbDY/s1600-h/born2run.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Slk1wxJ2rHI/AAAAAAAAA3c/cwCXJ2pQbDY/s400/born2run.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357372343678577778" /></a><br />I just finished reading <i></i><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1247358814&amp;sr=1-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Born To Run</span></a></i> by <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=74437"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Christopher McDougall</span></a>. Despite what you might think, it has absolutely nothing to do with Bruce Springsteen. Ultimately it is about the ture story of the author's quest to run pain free. This leads him to study the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Tarahumara Indians</span></a>, </span> who are native to the Copper Canyon in Mexico. All kinds of colorful characters from both side of the border are introduced including <a href="http://caballoblanco.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Caballo Blanco</span></a> and <a href="http://barefootted.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Barefoot Ted</span></a>. It climaxes in an ultra-marathon on the Tarahumar's home turf that is quite exciting.<div><br /></div><div>I was excited enough about the book that I ran about a mile of my Saturday run barefooted. Of course I did this on grass, I'm not actually nuts like some of the characters in the book. I recommend it highly. For those of us who run long distances, it is quite inspirational.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://facebook.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4430760245404420527?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-83609160557863641552009-07-04T00:00:00.000-07:002009-07-04T00:00:22.960-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sk5UlH7jh6I/AAAAAAAAA3M/4m8pDaKepZA/s1600-h/declaration_400x300_image.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sk5UlH7jh6I/AAAAAAAAA3M/4m8pDaKepZA/s400/declaration_400x300_image.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354310003750832034" /></a><br />Happy Independence Day!<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">John Thum</span></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-8360916055786364155?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-46572752067298066392009-06-15T07:56:00.000-07:002009-06-15T12:28:07.322-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SjafZuYd_PI/AAAAAAAAA3E/o1JtVI-xK-Q/s1600-h/backache.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347636871845248242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 187px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SjafZuYd_PI/AAAAAAAAA3E/o1JtVI-xK-Q/s400/backache.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It seems that ever since I finished <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman Arizona</span></a> last November, my training and racing efforts have been kind of cursed. Much of this is of my own doing, I simply do not have the motivation to train that I had while preparing for an Ironman, but part of it is just plain bad luck. I am fortunate that I did not encounter any major setbacks while training for the Ironman, the biggest was when I pulled my calf muscle, but that was almost a year out and I had plenty of time to recover. This season I have not actually completed even a sprint triathlon. I had a DNF (did not finish) in the <a href="http://www.pasadenatriathlon.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Pasadena Triathlon</span></a> due to mechanical problems on the bike and I had a DNS (did not start) for the <a href="http://www.rbtriathlon.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Redondo Beach Triathlon</span></a> on Sunday. </div><br /><div>I was looking forward to participating in another triathlon. This is a sprint triathlon that I could probably have finished in about an hour and ten minutes. The swim is half a mile, the bike is six miles, the run is two miles. I picked up my racing package on Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening I was packing my gear for the next day. I was essentially done, but wanted to retrieve the water bottles off of my bike and fill them up. My bike was already in the car and so I went out to get the bottles. I open the front passenger side door and reached into the back to grab the bottles off of the bike and pulled. One was a little stuck and so I pulled harder and the bottle came free. I was in an awkward position and something in my back suddenly hurt as I got the bottle out. </div><br /><div>I didn't think that much about it, but as I was walking back, it hurt more. As I climbed the stairs it was getting worse with each step. After I stepped in the front door I said to The Great Magnetic Wife, "I think did something to my back." I tried to stretch it out and this didn't seem to help, only hurt. I sat down. If I didn't move it was okay. The moment I did any kind of movement it hurt a lot.</div><br /><div>I hoped that it was going to get better overnight. We set coffee for 5:00 am and went to bed. I was having trouble going to sleep because of the pain. I eventually got up and tried to sleep sitting up because this was less painful. Eventually 5:00 am came around and the back was in a lot of pain. I was not going to be doing a triathlon today.</div><br /><div>I spent the day resting and moving as little as possible. By night time I had improved and even went for a walk. This morning I have a lot less pain. Is this the curse of the Ironman? Probably not. I am just thankful that I did not have these problems this time last year when I was training for the Ironman.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.thum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4657275206729806639?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-57417880133009254272009-06-08T20:53:00.000-07:002009-06-09T22:18:18.869-07:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Si7adep3HiI/AAAAAAAAA28/xiCzFj6m1_0/s1600-h/fontana_run09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345450007715061282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 340px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 388px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Si7adep3HiI/AAAAAAAAA28/xiCzFj6m1_0/s400/fontana_run09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://www.fontana.org/main/parks_rec/fontana_run/run_home.htm"><span style="color:#3333ff;">The Fontana Half Marathon.</span></a> I have been telling anyone who would listen for the last two years that this was a great race that almost guaranteed a personal record. I ran it two years ago and finished in <a href="http://www.resultsbyprimetime.com/RESULTS%20PAGES/06jun/font5k.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">2:01:38</span></a>. That is an average pace of 9:18/mile. For me, that is blazing fast. It is my PR by over twenty minutes. I have not been training particularly hard for the last couple of months, so I didn't expect to best my previous time, but I did expect relatively easy Half Marathon. Why does Fontana bill itself as, and live up to its reputation as the world's fastest half marathon? Because it is all down hill. In the 13.1 miles you lose over 3,000 feet in elevation. Most of that is in the first six miles, but the rest of the race is still a very subtle down hill. And yet there are no steep downhill sections. Gravity is your friend and helps you along. All that being said, this turned out to be a tough race. </div><br /><div>The Great Magnetic Wife and I headed out Friday at about 1:00 to our hotel in Rancho Cucamonga. I took a half day off of work so that we could beat the traffic out to the Inland Empire. When we checked into the hotel, they were just bringing out the complementary chocolate chip cookies. Things were looking up. The hotel was next to the Ontario Mills Mall and that seemed to be our easiest and closest form of entertainment. I went the Nike Store and got some new running socks, and the we went to the theater and saw "Up" in 3D. Loved it, recommend highly.<br /></div><br /><div>We were in bed by nine and got up at 4:30 am to leave by 5:00. Checking in at the race site was easy and after a few pictures I got on a bus that took me up to the start. I sat next to John Montgomery, a guy who looked like a great runner and said he was going to try to average 6:30/mile. As he is sixty two years old I asked him if he usually wins his age group. He does. There is no time in my life that I could even come close to 6:30/mile pace, even downhill. As it turns out he also went to Julian Union High School in 1960 to 1962 when my grandfather, Ray Redding, was the principal. Small world.</div><br /><div>We got up to the starting area about 6:45. This was enough time to go to the bathroom one last time and stretch a little before the start. There was a truck that collected any personal items that the runners brought to the start that they did not want to carry with them during the run. I had a long sleeve shirt and some sunscreen. I hung out by the truck because it was quite cold. Having gained over 3,000 feet in elevation from where we started in Fontana, the temperature had dropped and it was chilly. The plan was to wait until the last minute and take off my shirt, put it in my bag and give it to the guys on the truck. Then I heard that the start of the race was being delayed by a half an hour because they didn't have enough buses to get all of the runners to the starting line. It's funny. This was the 54th year of the race and it is a very small, generally well organized event. I'm surprised they made a mistake like that. However, the bottom line for me was that I did not want to spend an extra half an hour without my long sleeve shirt. I decided that I would sacrifice my shirt and keep warm a little longer. It was a shirt that I received for running the Redondo Beach 10k a few years ago. I have about 40 event t-shirts, I could certainly give one up. I waited until about a minute before the start of the race and took off the shirt and laid it down next to a pile of other clothes that had been sacrificed.</div><br /><div>The race finally started and it was going well enough for the first mile or so and then I felt a little twitch in my left calf. Not a big deal, I get little muscle twitches all of the time. Then it came again and then CRAMP!!! Ow, that hurts. I stopped for a moment and stretched it out. Runners where passing and asking if I was okay. I seemed to get it out of my system and started walking a little. It felt okay and I started running again. Another mile or so went by and then CRAMP!!!. Oh, dad gum it. I stretched, I walked, I ran again. This time could feel a little pain every time I stepped with my left leg. I was in an okay rhythm, but it hurt when I ran. I didn't think I was injuring myself, so I kept on running. I looked down at my Garmin and it said I was going at a 10:30/mile pace. This was the biggest down hill part of the race. I should have been going at about 9:00/mile pace. This was not going to even come close to the 2:01:38 time I got two years ago. </div><br /><div>Just then the wind started kicking up. I was running into a head wind and this seemed to be slowing me down also. Wind is always a major factor in riding a bike, but I don't usually run fast enough or run in windy enough conditions that it makes much difference when I run. I was running with a painful left calf into a headwind, but I was still running downhill. My Garmin said I was at a 11:00/mile pace. I usually run faster than that on an easy run around the neighborhood. That is an awful pace for a race. Oh well.</div><br /><div>By this time, after stopping for cramps twice and running extra slowly the majority of the field had passed me by and I was clearly at the back of the pack with the stragglers. That is how it stayed for the rest of the race. After about mile 6 the downhill becomes much more subtle and there are even a few short and mild uphill sections. At this point I realized that I was not even going to get my second best time, which I got last October at the Long Beach Half Marathon. I trudged on. I've always said that I am not a good runner, I am not a fast runner, but I can keep on going. So I kept on going.</div><br /><div>I had not quite reached mile 11 when I looked down at my watch and saw that I had exceeded my time from two years ago. I was a couple minutes over two hours into this thing. I had told The Great Magnetic Wife that I had hoped to finish in about two hours. At the rate I was going, I was probably 25 minutes away. I gave her a call and let her know that I was going to be a while.</div><br /><div>Oddly enough, at this point I was actually passing a lot of people. Many had given up trying to run and where just walking. I trudged on past about fifteen to twenty people in the last couple of miles and no one passed me. </div><br /><div>With about a mile to go I saw the the large green balloons that marked the finish line and tried to pick up the pace. I may have picked it up from a 12 minute mile to an 11:30 minute mile. It didn't hurt that a local business had a DJ station set up and was blasting techno music. I needed to pick up the pace just to get away from the noise.</div><br /><div>I finally saw The Great Magnetic Wife just before the finish. She was taking pictures. She then ran to get a finish line picture. She could out run me a this point. </div><br /><div>I was very happy to finish, but not so happy with my finishing time of <a href="http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?pubID=3&amp;rsID=79442"><span style="color:#3333ff;">2:27:57</span></a><br /></div><br /><div>I saw John Montgomery, my race friend for the day. He had won his division with a time of 1:25:00 and achieved his goal of running at a 6:30 a mile pace. Amazing. </div><br /><div>Checkout time at the hotel wasn't until noon, so we were able to go back and I took a shower. It was a very nice thing to do after a race. </div><br /><div>It is now a couple of days later and my legs are very sore and I am limping around. My legs feel as if I ran a full marathon. I feel as if I have to go back and do this race again to redeem myself from this performance. I'll see you next year.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-5741788013300925427?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-39754681645122411602009-06-05T08:32:00.000-07:002009-06-05T08:36:41.272-07:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sik7GdJW0yI/AAAAAAAAA20/Fe9ux1cvh5Q/s1600-h/cryingMan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343867414940930850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 181px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 246px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sik7GdJW0yI/AAAAAAAAA20/Fe9ux1cvh5Q/s400/cryingMan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I did not get into the <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&amp;q=new+york+city+marathon&amp;aq=1&amp;oq=new+york+city+m&amp;aqi=g10"><span style="color:#3333ff;">New York City Marathon</span></a>. I'll enter the lottery again next year. If I don't make it then, I'll get an automatic entry in 2011. I guess I could always qualify. No...That's not going to happen.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3975468164512241160?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-28720841321866909462009-05-31T15:35:00.000-07:002009-05-31T16:00:44.227-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SiMKOKZDocI/AAAAAAAAA2s/pGweaHJ0X0k/s1600-h/CAHHeader1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 63px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SiMKOKZDocI/AAAAAAAAA2s/pGweaHJ0X0k/s400/CAHHeader1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342124821415436738" /></a><br />I just signed up for the <a href="http://www.ironmancalifornia.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Ironman California 70.3</span></a> (half ironman triathlon) on March 27, 2010. The price will go up $25.00 tomorrow, so I figured this was a good day to do it. <div><br /></div><div>I have not had a big goal this year and my training has definitely suffered as I have not had a huge scary event looming. Last year, I had to train because the <a href="http://lamarathon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Marathon</span></a> and then the California Half Ironman and then, of course, Ironman Arizona and a few other big ones in between. Whenever I was inclined to take it easy, I had to remember what was coming. </div><div><br /></div><div>This year I am doing a bunch of half marathons and a few shorter triathlons, but nothing too demanding. I am at the fitness level that I can pull these things off without sticking to a very disciplined and regimented training schedule. I think I need that to really be motivated. </div><div><br /></div><div>I will find out in the next week or so if I get into the <a href="http://www.nycmarathon.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">New York City Marathon</span></a> in November. If so, I will have something big to train for. I had thought about a <a href="http://www.ironmanlonghorn.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Ironman Austin 70.3 </span></a>(half ironman) in October, but I don't think that's going to happen. I am thinking about <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Ironman Arizona </span></a>in November 2010. One year of hard training/racing and then a year of taking it relatively easy sounds about right.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2872084132186690946?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-62948165092955269122009-05-25T18:13:00.000-07:002009-05-29T21:30:49.307-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/ShzABUgRhXI/AAAAAAAAA2c/qYCAjzDTsqc/s1600-h/JohnTExcel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/ShzABUgRhXI/AAAAAAAAA2c/qYCAjzDTsqc/s400/JohnTExcel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340354387071042930" /></a><br />A week or so ago an email arrived from the <a href="http://www.latriclub.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Tri Club</span></a> asking for volunteers to be pace timers for the <a href="http://lamarathon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Marathon</span></a>. They would need 52 of them. A pace timer is someone who rides a bicycle in front of the elite runners and at the miles markers calls in the split times for the top three runners to the media. Sounded good to me. We would get a very unique view of the marathon and have clear roads to ride on. I immediately signed up.   I got the word on Thursday that I would be participating. Surprisingly, they never got the 52 volunteers they were seeking, but enough of us volunteered that we had a good contingent. <div><br /></div><div>Not wanting to deal with traffic and parking for the marathon, I decided that I would ride my bike to the site. We were to meet about 200 yards in front of the starting line at 6:00 am. I knew it would take me about half an hour to get there, but as I am obsessed by time and hate to be late, I left about 4:50. It was nice because there was almost no traffic and and once I got onto the course all of the streets were closed to traffic. I got to the site plenty early and found that I was the first one there. A few minutes later I saw the the familiar L.A. Tri Club uniform on a cyclist in the distance. I waved and he came over. We all wore our L.A. Tri Club tops to identify ourselves to the race officials. The second guy there was Shiggy. We introduced ourselves and wondered where everybody was. Was this some kind of elaborate hoax? Eventually more and more folks showed up. As it turns out there was an email sent out that said we were to meet between 6:30 and 6:45. Neither Shiggy nor I received it. Still haven't.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sh3aFynXvmI/AAAAAAAAA2k/ty209mzYda0/s1600-h/John+and+Shiggy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sh3aFynXvmI/AAAAAAAAA2k/ty209mzYda0/s400/John+and+Shiggy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340664526152384098" /></a><br /></div><div>Anna Wills who was in charge of this thing showed up and gave us our assignments. I was to ride in front of the elite men and fortuitously I was partnered with Shiggy. We were to go to miles 4, 11, 17 and 24 and call in the numbers and split times for the first three runners to the media. We could do that.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the riders was Monica Morant aka Iron Monica of <a href="http://iron-monica.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">I Just Want The Tattoo</span></a>. She wrote one of the most detailed blogs documenting her training and her experience leading to her finishing Ironman Brazil last year. The only problem was that she stopped writing after her race report for the bike section of her Ironman. She said that today is the one year anniversary</div><div>of her Ironman and that she was going to finally finish her report. We'll see. The photo below is of Iron Monica and Shiggy.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy9vfW679I/AAAAAAAAA18/v_d-EGTFZrk/s1600-h/MonicaAndShiggy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy9vfW679I/AAAAAAAAA18/v_d-EGTFZrk/s400/MonicaAndShiggy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340351881723703250" /></a><br /></div><div>We watched the start of the wheelchair race and then the hand cyclist race. The elite women went off next and all of the cyclists who were going to report their pace times took off as soon as the women did. The cyclists had about a two hundred yard head start and flew down Figueroa Blvd. From our perspective we watched as the women ran by.</div><div><br /></div><div>The women get a 17 minute head start on the men. Their official time is how long it takes them to complete the marathon, but whoever actually crosses the finish line first, whether male or female gets a $100,000 bonus.  </div><div><br /></div><div>As soon as the women ran by we got into our positions 200 yards in front of the starting line. When the airhorn blared, signaling the start of the race, we were to start our chronometers and take off for our positions. Since Shiggy and I didn't have to do any timing until mile 4, we had a little bit of time to see how the mile markers looked. Shiggy announced that he had to take a pee. I suggested he wait until after we called in our first time and then used the port-a-potty at the mile marker. </div><div><br /></div><div>We hadn't really figured our how we were going to do this. I suggested that I would call out the numbers and times and Shiggy would write them down. Sounded good to him. We got to mile four. There are large banners over each mile marker, so they are easy to spot, but the actual exact spot was a small green line spray painted near the curb. We found that waited. A couple of minutes later we saw the pace car and the media truck heading down the street. All of the runners were running in a pack, so the first three would essentially have the same time. I picked up their numbers and shouted to Shiggy. As they crossed the mile marker, I looked at my watch. I called out the time and Shiggy wrote it down. We hopped on our bikes and took off. About thirty seconds later,  Shiggy said, "Should we phone this in?" Oh yeah, that was the whole point of this. I'm glad he thought of it. He called it in to the media and then went in search of a port-a-potty. </div><div><br /></div><div>Very shortly after this, I caught up to the back of the group. A couple of other L.A. Tri Club pace timers were still in back and they informed me that the motorcycle cops who were trailing the elite runners wouldn't let us pass. The street had narrowed and we were going to have to wait until it opened up a bit. A few minutes later Shiggy rejoined us and we were all a happy little group. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seemed to me that we would be able to safely pass and I was starting to get a little nervous that we would miss our next timing spot. I asked the motorcycle cop when we could pass and he said soon. A couple of minutes later we turned a corner and the street widened and we passed by. The following video is of that segment.</div><div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pICmjq5GzHQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pICmjq5GzHQ&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div>The whole time we were doing this, I kept thinking to myself, "how cool is this?" The answer, of course, is really very extremely totally cool. It was fun riding the streets with no traffic. It was great seeing the world-class runners up close. It was fun passing the other pace timers when they were at their stops. It was especially fun riding with Shiggy. He was taking photos of everyone and everything. Most of the photos on this report were taken by Shiggy. It was such a great time. From the time I heard about this, I was excited. But the reality of doing it were better then the expectations.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is easy to keep up with world-class marathoners on a road bike, they average about twelve miles an hour, but you do have to move. You can't just be going for a leisurely ride. There were times when we had to sprint to catch up and get ahead of the runners. It is really amazing how fast these guys run over a twenty six mile race. I am not sure I could keep up with them for a hundred yards on fresh legs, and yet they usually run the second half of the race faster than the first. There was a time a little later in the race, after we had phoned in the time for the 11 mile split, when we had to pass the runners again. They were going down a little hill and it seemed to me that they were just moving unbelievably fast. I slowed slightly and rode even with them to see how fast they were actually going and the speedometer on my bike said 17 mph. Now, they were going downhill, but still, they were running 17 miles an hour more than 11 miles into a marathon.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy9Qag1SSI/AAAAAAAAA10/jWTSL6-JaZQ/s1600-h/John+and+Monete.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy9Qag1SSI/AAAAAAAAA10/jWTSL6-JaZQ/s400/John+and+Monete.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340351347847153954" /></a><br /></div><div>My friend Monete Chew, with whom I attend <a href="http://churchforthenations.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">church</span></a> and Bible study, emailed me to let me know that she lived on the route and that she would probably be out washing her truck in the morning. As we went down her street, I saw her building and her truck. There she was. I stopped for a few moments and said hello. Her clothes were partially wet, but her truck looked great.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy-VDbW97I/AAAAAAAAA2E/nHpbWZ_2pPU/s1600-h/Mile+17.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy-VDbW97I/AAAAAAAAA2E/nHpbWZ_2pPU/s400/Mile+17.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340352527061153714" /></a><br /></div><div>The Great Magnetic Wife and I were house sitting for some other friends from church quite near mile 17. That was our next stop, so I called her up and asked her to meet us. I was getting a little hungry and so I asked her to bring some bananas. There she was at mile 17 and so were Bill Lockton and Iron Monica Morant. The women had split up a little and they were waiting for the third place woman to pass to call in her time. The photo above is all of us at mile 17.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy-mHGEX9I/AAAAAAAAA2M/uNKLni_1B6g/s1600-h/Leaving+mile+17.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy-mHGEX9I/AAAAAAAAA2M/uNKLni_1B6g/s400/Leaving+mile+17.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340352820103372754" /></a><br /></div><div>The third place woman arrived soon enough and they were on their way. A minute or so later the men came running by. They were still in a group and clearly getting very close to the women. We said goodbye to The Great Magnetic Wife and were on our way. It was only a mile or two later that we passed the leading female runner. She was by herself at this time. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy_CIFHmDI/AAAAAAAAA2U/AfN8X_o8AHA/s1600-h/ApproachingMile24.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy_CIFHmDI/AAAAAAAAA2U/AfN8X_o8AHA/s400/ApproachingMile24.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340353301404162098" /></a><br /></div><div>We got to mile 24, our last stop, and were greeted again by Monica and Bill. This time the wait was a little longer. When we saw the runners coming it was still the woman in the lead, but the top two men were about ten yards behind and gaining fast. They were about to pass. We had to wait a little while longer for the third male, but Bill And Monica were still waiting for the second and third female when we left. </div><div><br /></div><div>At this time we didn't really have to rush anywhere. We wanted to get to the finish line to watch the end of the race, but we had finished our assignment. We kind of casually rode behind the leading runners. There were a number of L.A. Tri pace timers all riding together at this point. About a mile and a half from the end we decided to surge ahead and get a good spot for the finish. It was a great deal of fun. About thirty of us, all dressed alike, were riding down the street. People were cheering us for reasons unknown, other than that they were ready to cheer something. </div><div><br /></div><div>About 200 yards before the finish we were taken off of the course and got a front row look at the finish. By this time the leading male, Wesley Korir, a Kenyan, was all by himself and running incredibly fast. He finished in 2:08:24, a course record.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy8dy4Jc7I/AAAAAAAAA1s/SfzMwSFiNWA/s1600-h/LATri+Group.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Shy8dy4Jc7I/AAAAAAAAA1s/SfzMwSFiNWA/s400/LATri+Group.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340350478214067122" /></a><br /></div><div>All of the pace timers gathered for a photo and then headed for the finish line festival. I loaded up on free nuts, provided by a sponsor and headed to the beer garden. I had asked Bill Lockton, who is a past president of the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers,</span></a> where the Legger aid station was located, as I did not notice it on the ride. He said he was headed that way and asked if I want to ride there with him.</div><div><br /></div><div>It sounded like a good idea to me. We rode most of the way, but he stopped a few blocks away to go to his car and change. I went to the Legger aid station and saw number of familiar faces. I handed out water to Leggers and anyone else who asked. We loudly cheered on any Leggers who came by and generally had a great time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another friend from church, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_TenNapel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Doug TenNaple</span></a>, was running, or more precisely shuffling the marathon, you can see his race report <a href="http://tennapel.wordpress.com/2009/05/26/i-ran-the-la-marathon/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here</span></a>. I was hoping to see him, but after a while I gave up. As it turns out I had not missed him, I just was not patient enough. His race report is worth reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, it was a great day. This is the best way one can possibly view a marathon. It was really a blessing to be so close to such world-class runners and really get a feel for how fast they go for so long. Just riding the streets of L.A. without having to worry about cars was really amazing. I remember saying to Shiggy as we were waiting for the runners at mile 24, that as a runner when you see the banner for mile 24, you think to yourself, "oh good, it's almost over!" I was having so much fun that when I saw the banner for mile 24, I thought to myself, "oh no, it's almost over." I would have gladly done it again right then and there.</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope I have a chance to do this in the future.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum </span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6294816509295526912?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-90029008754828096142009-05-09T12:57:00.000-07:002009-05-09T13:19:47.855-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SgXigKwr3zI/AAAAAAAAA1k/aSPF8NXDkEE/s1600-h/images.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 129px; height: 103px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SgXigKwr3zI/AAAAAAAAA1k/aSPF8NXDkEE/s400/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333918375962468146" /></a><br />I just signed up for my first event for 2010. This weekend only! (May 8 to 10) <a href="http://www.pasadenamarathon.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">The Pasadena Marathon </span></a>is offering deep discounts for entry into the February 2010 race. $45.00 for the full and $37.50 for the half. If you can plan ahead this is a great deal. Click <a href="http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?EVENT_ID=1745272&amp;CHECKSSO=0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here</span></a> for details.<div><br /></div><div>I just signed up. My first event for 2010<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-9002900875482809614?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-15668927676832580032009-04-27T20:57:00.000-07:002009-05-02T09:01:51.024-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SfZ7E6aHYLI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Z5Zg-9IP-SE/s1600-h/lajollahalf.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SfZ7E6aHYLI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Z5Zg-9IP-SE/s400/lajollahalf.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329582533368045746" /></a><br /><div>The Great Magnetic Wife and I got up and headed down to La Jolla early to avoid what is usually heavy Saturday traffic to San Diego. We stopped in Encinitas because The Great Magnetic Wife loves Encinitas and it was her birthday and she got to do whatever she wanted. I also wanted to go by <a href="http://www.nytro.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Nytro</span></a>, a great triathlon store to pick new bottles for my <a href="http://www.fuelbelt.com/fuel_belts/helium4.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Fuel Belt</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>From Encinitas we continued down PCH because we would meet up with the course of the <a href="http://www.lajollahalfmarathon.com/events/events5e3a.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">La Jolla Half Marathon</span></a>. I wanted to get a feel for it. I have ridden my bike along the route, but I just wanted to remind myself. There were going be some hills. </div><div><br /></div><div>After a quick stop at the parent's house we headed out to go to the <a href="http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/centers/lajolla.shtml"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">La Jolla Recreation Center</span></a> to the event expo to pick up my bib, timing chip and t-shirt. I have dozens of event t-shirts and I don't wear most of them, but somehow, I still have to pick up the t-shirt. The one event t-shirt I do wear regularly is my finisher's shirt from <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Ironman Arizona</span></a>. There was a guy who was looking at my shirt and said that he had also done Ironman Arizona last November and so we got to reminisce about our pain and triumphs of completing an Ironman.</div><div><br /></div><div>It brought back a lot of memories going to the La Jolla Rec. Center. When I was in Junior High School there used to be Friday night dances at the rec center. My band regularly played those dances and when we weren't playing, I usually attended. I went into the auditorium and it seemed much smaller than I remembered it. It all came back, from the awkward times of trying to figure out girls to the mischief that went on outside. Always a lot of fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was The Great Magnetic Wife's Birthday and so I took her out for lunch. We were planning on having dinner with my dad and my mom if she got home in time from her nursing school reunion up in Palo Alto. We went to <a href="http://www.karlstrauss.com/PAGES/Eats/LaJolla.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Karl Strauss</span></a> in La Jolla and had some fine beer and food. </div><br /><div>The race started at 7:30 in Del Mar. I wanted to be there by 7:00. It takes about ten minutes to get from my parent's house to the start point of the race at the Del Mar fairgrounds. I knew there were about 6,500 runners so there could be some traffic, but 6,500 people is nothing compared to a busy day at the Del Mar Fair or when the thourobreds are running. However about a mile away from the Via De La Valle exit, there was already a backup. We got in line and were glad that we left early and had plenty of time. After about a half and hour I said that I was seriously thinking about getting out and running to the start. I was going to give it fifteen more minutes. Fifteen minutes went by and we had inched closer, but were still aways away from getting off of the freeway. A few people had the same idea I did and were running along the freeway. The Great Magnetic Wife convinced me to wait five more minutes. </div><div><br /></div><div>We finally got off the freeway, but were stuck on Via De La Valle. I finally said, "I can't wait anymore, I have to get there." So I hopped out and headed for the race. About three minutes later I realized that I still had my long sleeve running shirt that I was going to take off before the race and hand to The Great Magnetic Wife. Oh well, I'll deal with it later.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did manage to get to the starting line about fifteen minutes before the start of the race and had a change to stretch and relax a little. I decided I would start the race with my long sleeve shirt and take it off when I got hot and just wrap it around me. </div><div><br /></div><div>There were two waves at the start. I started at the back of the second wave because I am, after all, Slow John. It was a very wide starting place and as a result there was very little crowding. It probably also helped that a significant number of runners were not able to make it to the start on time because of the traffic back up. About three minutes into the run I was starting to get hot. My plan was to run the first mile and then walk for a minute before I started my usual routine of run for five minutes and walk for one minute. As it turns out The Great Magnetic Wife was able to park and was watching, but I didn't see her and she didn't see me. It would have been nice to give her my long sleeve shirt.</div><div><br /></div><div>I made it to the first mile and took off the long sleeve shirt and wrapped it around my waist. That lasted about thirty seconds. The shirt is made of a very slippery wick-away materiel that does not hold very well when tied around your waist. Plan B. I stuck it in the back of my Fuel Belt and would just have a blue tail the whole run. That lasted about a minute. I finally had to knot it up multiple times on itself around the fuel belt. I remember having this same problem with the same shirt while I was running the marathon during the Ironman.   </div><br /><div> </div><div>The first part of the course has some mild hills, but nothing too hard. There is a section that goes from Del Mar down to Torrey Pines State Beach that is a long, sustained, not-too-steep down hill. At the top there was a big yellow traffic sign that said <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">SLOW</span>. I turn to some of the runners next to me and said, "I know I'm slow, but do that have to put up a sign?" It made them laugh. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was nice to run down hill, but in this race, what comes down must go up. At the section of Torrey Pines Road that climbs into La Jolla, we left the main road and went into Torrey Pines State Park. The road through the park is very winding and steep. Almost everyone stopped running and started to walk this part. I then looked up ahead and saw that the official race photographers were ahead. I couldn't have a race photo taken while I was walking, so I started running again and smiled as I went by the photographers. The moment I passed them I started walking and stopped smiling. This extremely steep section went on for over a mile. When I finally got to the top, it was still a mild uphill for another mile or so. I started running and got back to my 5 to 1 run/walk routine. As we were passing Torrey Pines Golf Course, I heard someone say, "do you think Tiger's playing there today?" I said, "probably."</div><div><br /></div><div>At this point there were a few miles of relatively flat running as we went by the Salk Institute and UCSD. After that long uphill it was quite nice. We eventually turned onto La Jolla Shores Drive and after about a mile it goes downhill rather steeply. I like running downhill on moderate grade roads, but running down steep hills is not a lot of fun. I can go a lot faster than I can run on a flat, but to some extent I have to hold back to keep my balance and it is hard on the quads, the knees and is not very efficient. This was a steep downhill of about a mile. </div><div><br /></div><div>I finally made it to La Jolla Shores and ran along the boardwalk there. This was fun. I have run here a number of times before. We made our way around the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club and then up another steep hill to meet up with Torrey Pines Road again. This part of Torrey Pines road is a moderate uphill that I have run before, but over twelve miles into a half marathon it is tough. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally we turned on Prospect Street and it went downhill again. Then we veered right onto Coast Boulevard towards La Jolla Cove. This was a scary steep downhill with very uneven road, I was moving fast, but I was careful with every step. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, I could see the finish line at La Jolla Cove Park. I ran as fast as I could for the last four hundred yards and finished in <a href="http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?rsID=77207"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">2:36:16.</span></a>  That time was actually almost two minutes faster than my last half marathon in Pasadena in March, also a very hilly affair. But the weather was beautiful for this run a awful for Pasadena. </div><div><br /></div><div>I met up with The Great Magnetic Wife and we had brunch at the <a href="http://www.brocktonvilla.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Brockton Villa</span></a>. We both enjoyed Meg's Eggs. </div><div><br /></div><div>The legs feel pretty good. A little sore, but considering all the downhill running I did, not bad at all.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum </span></a></div><div> </div><br /><div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1566892767683258003?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-41404079804895662912009-04-19T12:54:00.000-07:002009-04-19T13:11:54.142-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SeuFNBndBmI/AAAAAAAAA1U/tw0JMUb7aqY/s1600-h/800px-Runyon_Paved_Section.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SeuFNBndBmI/AAAAAAAAA1U/tw0JMUb7aqY/s400/800px-Runyon_Paved_Section.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326497443114452578" /></a><br />I went out for my last long run before the <a href="http://www.lajollahalfmarathon.com/site3.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">La Jolla Half Marathon</span></a> next Sunday, April 26. I had planned to do eight to ten miles including a long uphill run at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runyon_Canyon_Park"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Runyon Canyon</span></a>. About two miles in, just at the foot of Runyon Canyon, I jumped up off of the street, over the curb and on to the sidewalk. I felt something pop in my left hamstring. Uh oh! It wasn't too bad. I kept running. Then suddenly I could feel it. Every step came with a little pain in the hamstring. Dang! I stopped running. I started to walked home. I could walk fine with very little pain. A couple of times I tried to run again, but I could feel it when I did. Okay, I was going to have to walk the rest of the way home. I began to think whether or not I would be able to run next week. I think I can. I will let it rest for a couple of days and then try a run of about three miles or so on Monday or Tuesday. Wish me luck.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4140407980489566291?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-56380056584176073562009-03-23T21:17:00.000-07:002009-03-23T21:46:00.128-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SchkHSNdyVI/AAAAAAAAA1M/mV6A9d-6HT8/s1600-h/marathon_logo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SchkHSNdyVI/AAAAAAAAA1M/mV6A9d-6HT8/s400/marathon_logo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5316609436421048658" /></a><br /><div>I have declared this the year of half-marathons and so Pasadena was the second of at least four this year. Last November,  a week before I did the <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Ironman Arizona</span></a>, I decided at the very last minute to do the <a href="http://www.pasadenamarathon.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Pasadena Marathon</span></a> (actually the half-marathon) as my last long run before the big event. I went online to sign up and found to my disappointment that the half-marathon had sold out. As it turns out, that was lucky as the event was cancelled at the last minute because of too much smoke because of massive wild fires. There are many reasons I wanted to run Pasadena. This being the inaugural event, I could be a legacy runner. Even though I have never lived in Pasadena, I do have strong family ties there. Both my father and grandfather were born there. <a href="http://www.usc.edu/dept/architecture/greeneandgreene/260.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">My great-grand father was the mayor</span></a>. I have always liked the city and The Great Magnetic Wife and I spent many early dates there. For all of these reasons I was excited to run the Pasadena Half-Marathon.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Saturday I went to the expo to pick up my stuff and who did I see there talking on the microphone and keeping us all informed, but <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Tim-Bomba/513240991"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Tim Bomba</span></a>, my Ironman Arizona sometime training partner and roommate for Ironman week. He is embarking on a new career as a race announcer and got the gig for the Pasadena Marathon.</div><br /><div>I keep telling The Great Magnetic Wife that she is under no obligation to go to my various events and I think that finally the thought of getting up at 4:00 am to go to Pasadena in what was predicted to be a rainy morning didn't sound that appealing. She decided to sleep in. It was probably a good thing she did because the rain did come. The rain was coming down fairly lightly on the way there, but just before the start, while we were lining up it came down hard. Well, at least it wouldn't be to hot. </div><br /><div>We took off and got a pretty good tour of Pasadena. We started in front of Pasadena City College and were soon going through some very scenic neighborhoods full of craftsmen houses and lush gardens. The houses were getting bigger and bigger in the first few miles until we were going down Orange Grove and past the old-time stately Pasadena Mansions. This included the Tournament of Roses Mansion. We went by Cal Tech and the Fuller Theological Seminary and a lot of very pretty churches.</div><br /><div>Soon we were running down Colorado Boulevard in Old Town Pasadena, the sight of so many of those early dates with The Great Magnetic Wife.</div><br /><div>Eventually we went by city hall which is a grand old California building. Probably my favorite city hall anywhere. Approaching city hall is something I have never seen before, although it has been a number of years since I have been in that area. There are two very large busts, at least seven feet high. One is of Jackie Robinson, a native of Pasadena and the other isn't. I didn't really want to stop to read the plaque to see who the other guy is, so I guess I'll have to go back.</div><br /><div>We went back into a very nice neighborhood on the edge of the Arroyo. The skies again opened up and it started raining very hard. It was getting colder and I think I was running a little slower to make sure my footing was good. There were a couple barefoot runners in this race. If people want to run a marathon barefoot, well God bless 'em. But in the cold and rain on asphalt and concrete. Man those guys are nuts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, this is a well organized event. The route is clearly marked. The water stations were well manned. The only complaint I have is that they did not have enough port-o-potties on the route. Every water station had one or two port-o-potties, but there was always a line of fifteen to twenty people. It would take a long time to wait that out. I started feeling that I had to use the restroom about three miles into the run, but kept running by the facilities because of the lines. I knew that once we got into the vicinity of the Rose Bowl there were be more rest rooms at the park. I could see the Colorado Street Bridge and knew we were close to the Rose Bowl. There is a decent down there and gravity helped me run faster. As we approached I went off course about 500 feet to go to the rest room. There was one other guy in there that I had to wait for, but that is a lot better than waiting for fifteen or twenty others. The whole thing took about five minutes.</div><br /><div>We went part of the way around the road that circles the Rose Bowl. I ran this same road last week at the Pasadena Triathlon. This was the first split for the Marathon and Half Marathon runners. Those of us doing the Half turned around and the ran to a street that took us into north Pasadena. This was the start of a sustained uphill part of the course. It wasn't a steep hill, but it kept going for a couple of miles. When we finally got to the top we were in the 'hood. When I think of Pasadena, I think mostly of craftsmen style houses and stately mansions, but there is a wrong side of the track in this town too. Not that it is an awful, fear-for-your-life kind of a 'hood, but it is decidedly down scale compared to the rest of the town. </div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers</span></a> had a support tent along the route and so I stopped in to get some <a href="http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_shot_bloks/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Clif Shot Bloks</span></a>. I hadn't finished the ones I brought with me and we getting within a couple miles of the end, but I could always use them later.</div><div><br /></div><div>At this point the rest of the route was down-hill. It started raining again, which slowed me down a little, but I was anxious to finish and get out of the rain. I passed the 12 mile sign. One more mile to go. I could hear the commotion at the finish line. I could see the finishing chute. I was running down the chute when I heard <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Tim-Bomba/513240991"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Tim Bomba</span></a> say, "here comes John Thum, a first time Ironman Triathlon finisher last November! If you need a place to stay in Tempe, go see John, he has a great place for you!"  It was nice to be brought home that way. I finished, got my medal and some water and then I saw what I really wanted. Nesquik was handing out chocolate milk. That was the best post-race drink ever! </div><div><br /></div><div>I finished in <a href="https://www.runraceresults.com/secure/raceresults.cfm?id=rcpa2009"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">2:38:44</span></a>. Not a very good time, in fact my slowest half-marathon ever. 37 minutes slower than my personal best. I didn't expect a great time, this was a pretty hilly course and the rain definitely slowed me down. Plus, I have run more than six miles since my last half-marathon at the beginning of February. Oh well, it was fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>About a minute after I finished, it started raining hard again. I went over to the L.A. Leggers tent to try and stay dry, but it was pretty crowed with others doing the same thing. I listened to Tim for a little while. He does have the gift of gab and is quite good at being a race announcer. I hope he gets a lot more gigs doing it.</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't want to just hang out in the rain, so I headed for my car. The plan was to go to my gym in Glendale, take a shower, change clothes and go to church. I must admit, with getting up at 4:00 and running a half-marathon I was pretty tired and nodded off a few times during the sermon.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-5638005658417607356?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-81651204829761474682009-03-20T17:06:00.000-07:002009-03-20T17:11:52.949-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/ScQwvaubpuI/AAAAAAAAA1E/ioamZ-juwq4/s1600-h/flying-peewit-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/ScQwvaubpuI/AAAAAAAAA1E/ioamZ-juwq4/s400/flying-peewit-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315427051390084834" /></a><br />Spring is here, the grass has riz<div>I wonders were the daisies is?</div><div><br /></div><div>Such a lovely sight is spring</div><div>Behold, the bird is on the wing</div><div><br /></div><div>The bird is on the wing? That's absurd</div><div>The wing is on the bird!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-8165120482976147468?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-67508977942346498592009-03-17T08:00:00.000-07:002009-03-17T08:12:52.114-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SbhCgP_VNGI/AAAAAAAAA0s/Z7CCNmBtFyY/s1600-h/6a00d8341c06c653ef00e54f5c05b78834-800wi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312068882298909794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SbhCgP_VNGI/AAAAAAAAA0s/Z7CCNmBtFyY/s400/6a00d8341c06c653ef00e54f5c05b78834-800wi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div>Today is the thirtieth anniversary of getting my first job. I remember that it was on St. Patrick's Day in 1979. My friend <a href="http://therattpack.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Warren</span></a> and I were bemoaning our lack of money and dreaming about all of the cool musical equipment we wanted to buy. Our solution was to get a job. But what kind of job? Who would hire two sixteen year old kids with no experience? We decided our best bet was to be dishwashers. I spent the night at Warren's house and we got up the next day and hit a bunch of restaurants and applied as dishwashers. Now that it is part of my job to hire people, I realize that going out together to hunt for a job, was not the best way, but it didn't really matter because The Tavern Restaurant in downtown La Jolla hired us and we started shortly there after. </div><br /><div>Being a dishwasher is hard work and I would come home with a bad stench. Because I did not have a driver's license yet, my parents picked me up when I worked late. I noticed that Dad always drove Mom's station wagon when he picked me up instead of his car. This was a little unusual and eventually I realized he did not want to have the residual funk of sweaty teen aged dishwasher lingering in his car. I can't say I blame him. I'm not sure Mom wanted it either, but that's the way it was.</div><br /><div>I earned enough money washing dishes to purchase an <a href="http://www.ampeg.com/products/classic/svtvr/index.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ampeg SVT</span></a> and a <a href="http://www.vintagekramer.com/Alum/450bass.jpg"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Kramer 450B</span></a> bass. Both were very cool.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6750897794234649859?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-64353257019881552422009-03-14T12:13:00.000-07:002009-03-14T16:46:25.067-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbw5r8fuBVI/AAAAAAAAA00/uny5NNC6AA4/s1600-h/PasTri09WbrokenCrank2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbw5r8fuBVI/AAAAAAAAA00/uny5NNC6AA4/s400/PasTri09WbrokenCrank2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313185087526667602" /></a><br /><div>I was really looking forward to the Pasadena Triathlon. I did the inaugural race two years ago as my second triathlon ever. It is a sprint reverse tri, perfect for beginners. Two years ago I finished in 1:08:27. That put me in the top third of all competitors and I was deluded into thinking that I might actually be good at this. Sadly, I have since learned that this is not the case, but I still have fun. I didn't do this race last year because it was so close to the L.A Marathon and California Ironman 70.3. This year, being a year of sprint triathlons and half marathons it seemed perfect. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The organization for the event has improved. There were obviously some rookie mistakes during its inaugural run, but those have been smoothed out and everything seemed to be well in place. It is a fairly small triathlon and since it starts with the run rather than the swim, it is a mass start. The run went reasonably well. We ran around the Rose Bowl and the golf course just north of the Rose Bowl and then back to transition. Not being a particularly fast runner, the first 15 or 20 leading athletes passed me on the bike while I was still on the run. </div><div><br /></div><div>Things started to go not so well in transition. T1 should have been very fast as all I had to do was put on my bike helmet and my bike shoes and get out of there. There was no wetsuit to contend with. I wasn't sopping wet from the swim, so there was no struggle to get my socks and shoes on. So I just grabbed my bike and went. As I was about to mount the bike, I realized that I still had my running shoes on, not my bike shoes. D'oh! I leaned my bike against the fence and ran back to my transition spot and changed shoes. That'll cost me some time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I took off on the bike and heard an odd clicking sound from the front crank set. I looked down and couldn't see anything hitting. It felt okay. It shifted okay. Oh well, it was sort of annoying, but I could live with it. The first part of the bike course, same as the running course, is slightly up hill. I was making good time and passing almost everybody. The only people who passed me where the really fast folks who were probably on their third lap of this three lap course. All of a sudden my left crank came off of the bike. Since I have bike shoes, it was clipped into the bottom of my shoe. Uh oh. I coasted to the side of the road and unclipped my other shoe. This was not good. I carry a small set of tools with me, but I was not going to be able to fix this. Fortunately, I was at the top of the uphill section, so I could just get on the bike and coast back to transition. I stuck the crank in my bike jersey pocket and let gravity bring me back home. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbw7Bde5aeI/AAAAAAAAA08/bwXORnQXYJU/s1600-h/PasTri09Limping+home+on+bike.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 331px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbw7Bde5aeI/AAAAAAAAA08/bwXORnQXYJU/s400/PasTri09Limping+home+on+bike.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313186556670470626" /></a> </div><div>The Great Magnetic Wife was on the access road waiting for me to return to take photos. I was coasting in and told her that I had a little accident with the bike. Not wanting her to worry, I immediately said, "not a bike accident, trouble with the bike." I'm not sure she understood as I coasted on by and she took the photo above. The first photo in the post is me with my broken crank.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Being a fairly slow runner, when I got into transition after the run, most of the bikes had left. This time, there were not many bikes in transition because most of the athletes where still out on the bike course. I saw fellow L.A. Tri Club member Lori Christiansen in transition. She was volunteering. I let her know my woes and she was sympathetic. She told me of breaking her chain at the Strawberry Fields Triathlon and having to walk four miles back. Mine didn't sound so bad after that. She asked if I was going to swim. At first I said no, but then I thought, why not? I am here anyway. So I racked my bike and took of my shoes and ran to the swim. As I was about to get in the water, I realized I did not grab my goggles. Was I going to swim 150 meters in a heavily chlorinated pool without goggles? No. I thought for a second that I would run back and grab my goggles and then I thought better of it. If I did the swim, it would look as if I had a pretty good time in the triathlon, about an hour and five minutes. That would not be fair to those who actually did complete the whole thing. So I decided that I would just take my DNF (did not finish) and go about my day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Having a DNF left me with a oddly empty feeling. I don't do triathlons because I have any expectations of winning anything. But I have always been proud that I finish. This is just a little sprint triathlon and not too hard to finish, but still it was a great disappointment not finishing. On the bright side, this happened at a point in the course that made it relatively easy to get back to transition. It did not happen while I was doing the Ironman last November. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now I am off to the bike shop to have by machine repaired.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6435325701988155242?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-22374884706189298412009-03-10T18:06:00.000-07:002009-03-11T15:17:52.737-07:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbg4ISDHnfI/AAAAAAAAA0c/UpG_lS1X5iA/s1600-h/400000000000000113338_s4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312057475418529266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbg4ISDHnfI/AAAAAAAAA0c/UpG_lS1X5iA/s400/400000000000000113338_s4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I just finished reading a really wonderful book on my new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83624371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=center-1&amp;pf_rd_r=1QB2NAFVHGR6CVR0MK6W&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=469942651&amp;pf_rd_i=507846"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Kindle 2</span></a>. It is called <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Bernie-Mystery-Spencer-Quinn/dp/1416585834/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1236809413&amp;sr=8-1"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery</span></a>. </em>I was looking for something to download and read on the Kindle and I downloaded a sample and was hooked. I have not been this excited about a book since <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Harry Potter</span></a></em>.<em> </em>The book is narrated by <a href="http://chetthedog.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Chet The Dog</span></a> and is both hilarious and a compelling mystery. I recomend it highly.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2237488470618929841?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-46301945638968267922009-03-09T17:55:00.000-07:002009-03-11T15:05:18.349-07:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbg1eBx72yI/AAAAAAAAA0U/ttG5iChGpUM/s1600-h/527474~Bicyclist-William-Anderson-Reading-a-Letter-While-Biking-During-a-Six-Day-Bike-Race-Posters.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312054550473726754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Sbg1eBx72yI/AAAAAAAAA0U/ttG5iChGpUM/s400/527474~Bicyclist-William-Anderson-Reading-a-Letter-While-Biking-During-a-Six-Day-Bike-Race-Posters.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have my first triathlon of the season next week. On Saturday I will be doing the <a href="http://www.pasadenatriathlon.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Pasadena Triathlon</span></a>. It is only a very short reverse triathlon (bike, swim, run instead of swim, bike, run) but I still have to take it seriously. However, I spent a lot of time this weekend reading with my new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83624371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=center-1&amp;pf_rd_r=1QB2NAFVHGR6CVR0MK6W&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=469942651&amp;pf_rd_i=507846"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Kindle 2</span></a> instead of training. (<a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2009/03/kindle-2.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">See previous post</span></a>.) Maybe I should download a book on triathlon training. It would probably tell me to put down my neat new gadget and get out and run or something.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4630194563896826792?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-11790994275121797582009-03-08T12:47:00.000-07:002009-03-11T14:54:22.574-07:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SbgyYuxf62I/AAAAAAAAA0M/nIaBdgSlhNI/s1600-h/feat-libr-300px._V251249390_.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312051160937392994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 390px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SbgyYuxf62I/AAAAAAAAA0M/nIaBdgSlhNI/s400/feat-libr-300px._V251249390_.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I received my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI/ref=amb_link_83624371_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=center-1&amp;pf_rd_r=1QB2NAFVHGR6CVR0MK6W&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=469942651&amp;pf_rd_i=507846"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Kindle 2</span></a> on Friday. This thing is a true joy. It is very easy to read and so far, I have been reading much more than I usually do. I particularly like that I can instantly download books. Technology is a wonderful thing.</div><br /><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1179099427512179758?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-46206192695175710552009-03-02T20:55:00.000-08:002009-03-02T21:12:09.439-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Say63pXzqmI/AAAAAAAAA0E/tBr6Rt5lV4c/s1600-h/2008%2BNautica%2BMalibu%2BTriathlon%2BiHcmNG6vTeXl.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/Say63pXzqmI/AAAAAAAAA0E/tBr6Rt5lV4c/s400/2008%2BNautica%2BMalibu%2BTriathlon%2BiHcmNG6vTeXl.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308823525924252258" /></a><br />The 2009 season is coming together. Today I signed up for the <a href="http://www.nauticamalibutri.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Malibu Triathlon </span></a>and <a href="http://www.rbtriathlon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">t</span></a><a href="http://www.rbtriathlon.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">he Redondo Beach Triathlon</span></a>. Malibu is a celebrity filled event that everyone I have ever talked to who has done it seems to love. It went on sale today and it always sells out very quickly and so I jumped on it and will doing it next September. It is kind of an oddball longish-sprint distance. The swim is one mile, the bike is eighteen miles and the run is four miles.<div><br /></div><div>The Redondo Beach Triathlon is a super sprint event. The swim is half a mile, the bike is six miles and the run is two miles. I should be able to finish this in well under an hour. By far the shortest triathlon I will have done.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have also taken the <a href="http://www.encinitasrace.com/triathlon/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Encinitas Sprint Triathlon</span></a> off of my schedule. I like this race, but I don't want to over extend myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4620619269517571055?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-38542450213936105532009-02-23T20:33:00.000-08:002009-03-03T11:38:08.534-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SaOYRRI50II/AAAAAAAAAz0/dA6OqWg90dY/s1600-h/49588143-D59C-1B38-7702BEDDA921AAB0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306252208398520450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SaOYRRI50II/AAAAAAAAAz0/dA6OqWg90dY/s400/49588143-D59C-1B38-7702BEDDA921AAB0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I signed up for the <a href="http://www.pasadenamarathon.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">Pasadena Half Marathon</span></a> which will be run on March 22. I also signed up for the <a href="http://www.fontana.org/main/parks_rec/fontana_run/run_home.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">Fontana Run Days Half Marathon</span></a> which will be run on June 6. Fontana is my favorite half marathon. It is all downhill. I ran it in 2007 and had a time of 2:01:38, which is my PR by almost 22 minutes. This is a very fast course. They bill themselves as "The World's Fastest Half Marathon" and it is probably true. We'll see if I can beat 2 hours. Previously I signed up for the <a href="http://www.lajollahalfmarathon.com/site3.aspx"><span style="color:#3333ff;">La Jolla Half Marathon</span></a> on April 26. <div><br /></div><div>I also entered the lottery for the <a href="http://www.nycmarathon.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">New York City Marathon</span></a>. I declared this the year of the half marathon, but if I get into New York, I guess I'll be doing two half marathons back-to-back. I entered the lottery last year and did not get in. If you enter three years in a row and do not get in, they will automatically take you on the fourth year. So, I figure I will probably run New York in 2011. <div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3854245021393610553?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-7550238628736095032009-02-23T20:08:00.000-08:002009-02-23T22:55:41.168-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SaOTzpfhUCI/AAAAAAAAAzs/4Mobme3Kvu0/s1600-h/22905_res2_22905Result2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 225px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SaOTzpfhUCI/AAAAAAAAAzs/4Mobme3Kvu0/s400/22905_res2_22905Result2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306247301493248034" /></a><br />I had big plans for the weekend, but somewhere around 2:00 in the afternoon on Friday I started not to feel so well. By the time I got home from work, I was just plain sick and I started coughing up a lot of goo. My plan for Saturday was to run with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers,</span></a> then bike down to the Rose Bowl with Paul of <a href="http://givingitatri.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Giving It A Tri</span></a> and watch the end of  Stage 7 of the <a href="http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Tour of California.</span></a><div> </div><div>By Friday night I knew I wasn't going to get up at 5:00 am to run, but I was still hoping that I would recover enough to go riding. But come Saturday morning it was obvious that I wasn't going anywhere. I called Paul and cancelled. Most of the rest of the day was spent reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671023209/ref=s9_sdps_c2_s2_p14_t2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_s=center-2&amp;pf_rd_r=06R17QVMRN8JFW645YCW&amp;pf_rd_t=101&amp;pf_rd_p=463383371&amp;pf_rd_i=507846"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Transfer of Power</span></a> by <a href="http://vinceflynn.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Vince Flynn</span></a> (a very manly book,) and then watching the Tour of California on TV. It was fun to watch it on TV because I have ridden much of the course and so I knew where the riders were most of the time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday was our 11th wedding anniversary, but instead of the plans to go out, The Great Magnetic Wife and I just stayed in and ate pizza.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday, I thought I was feeling a little better and so I planned to go to church. I even took a shower and got dressed. Then I went into another coughing fit and decided it would be best to stay home. I read more of my manly book and watched the final stage of the Tour of California.</div><div><br /></div><div>Big plans, but ended up being a whole lotta nothin'.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Thum/1217031188"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-755023862873609503?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-29896881257152865692009-02-07T15:16:00.000-08:002009-02-07T15:22:03.126-08:00If you would like a preview of the new and improved Great Magnetic Field, please click <a href="http://bacolicio.us/http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here</span></a>.<div><br /></div><div>ht: <span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><a href="http://instapundit.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Instapundit</span></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://bacolicio.us/http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2989688125715286569?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-22875695023029012812009-02-03T20:28:00.000-08:002009-02-18T21:39:56.998-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SYkj9c6_LSI/AAAAAAAAAzc/Bl_1gKDacS4/s1600-h/DSCN3245.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 386px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SYkj9c6_LSI/AAAAAAAAAzc/Bl_1gKDacS4/s400/DSCN3245.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298805975220694306" /></a><br />Last week I mentioned to a friend that one of the reasons I was going to do the <a href="http://runsurfcity.com/">Surf City Half Marathon</a> was because they had the coolest finisher's medal of any marathon. He somewhat rightly responded, "so, you're doing it for the trinkets!" I guess it's true, I was doing it for the trinkets. And if I was going to earn my trinket it meant getting up very early. We had gone to La Jolla (see previous post) and had a long drive to Huntington Beach for the Half Marathon. Fortunately the half started at 7:45 and was going off in waves. My wave was not going to start until 7:55. Never-the-less, the alarm was set for 4:45 and we got going early.<div><br /></div><div>We did arrive in plenty of time, I got out of the car when traffic got very heavy and walked to the starting line. I was just in time to see the full marathon start. As they cleared, I ran into<a href="http://iron-monica.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> Iron Monica</span></a> from the <a href="http://latriclub.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Tri Club</span></a> and we had a nice chat. I met her mother and a friend of hers who was doing her very first half marathon. Very exciting. She wanted to know if I was going to get any "ink" for finishing the Ironman. In other words, was I going to get an M Dot tattoo. I explained that a few years ago I spent a lot of money to get rid of a tattoo that I considered a youthful indiscretion and I was not inclined to get another. </div><div><br /></div><div>I made my was over to the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers </span></a>tent and hung out with Steve "Polar Bear" Herbert, another L.A. Tri Clubber who was also doing his first half marathon. Many pictures were taken and we all broke into our pace groups and headed for the start. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after we started, just as I passed the starting line, I heard The Great Magnetic Wife yelling for me. She was running along side and I got to wave hello. I ran with the 12 minute a mile pace group. We started out slowly, much slower that 12 minute miles. There really wasn't a huge crowd at the beginning of the race as there usually is. I think the wave starts helped a lot. However, the race got more crowded as time went by, which is very unusual. After about three miles we picked up the pace a bit and seemed to be running pretty evenly with the 11:30 pace group from the Leggers. Since I ran with them last year, I knew most of the runners. We kept fairly even with them until about the last three or four miles and even then they were in sight.</div><div><br /></div><div>At one point I was passed by a woman who had "I am running for my husband, Lawrence" printed on the back of her shirt. It was Beth Fong, whose husband fell and hit his head last fall and has been slowly recovering ever since. I have <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/11/prayers-for-dr-lawrence-fong.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">written</span></a> about it on this blog. I often pray for Lawrence and have been following his progress with on-line updates. I ran away from my group to say hello and give her encouragement. When I am having a tough time during any kind of athletic activity, I often think how very blessed I am to be healthy enough to be out running or biking or whatever. Be thankful everyday when you have your health.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Surf City course is fairly flat, but there are a few hills. There is a section that goes of PCH and through some neighborhoods. Finally we got back on PCH for a couple more miles and then a turn around that takes you straight back to the finish. From the turn around it is about five miles to the finish. We started to pick up the pace even a little more at this point and our group scattered a bit as not everyone could keep up. About three miles from the finish the pace was picked up a little more and I could no longer keep up. One other woman from the group and I paced each other. We were still going well above a 12 minute a mile pace, doing about 11:10. </div><div><br /></div><div>A couple hundred yards from the finish I heard The Great Magnetic Wife call to me and she took the picture above. Then my running partner took off  for a sprint finish and I just kept going at my regular pace. It was done and I got my trinket! Total run time <a href="http://www.runraceresults.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">2:32:09</span></a>. Certainly not a PR, but about what I expected for the day.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SYkjrMQl0JI/AAAAAAAAAzU/OvJgK1Yz5WA/s1600-h/Surf%2BCity%2BHalf%2BMarathon%2B%2709%2B026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 225px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SYkjrMQl0JI/AAAAAAAAAzU/OvJgK1Yz5WA/s400/Surf%2BCity%2BHalf%2BMarathon%2B%2709%2B026.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298805661510258834" /></a><br /></div><div>I met up with a few of the pace group afterwards for a nice picture.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?sid=fc27edbe20f26d18ef628e31e20587f7&amp;id=1217031188&amp;hiq=john%2Cthum">John Thum</a></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2287569502302901281?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-25798787865001624452009-02-02T19:59:00.000-08:002009-02-03T20:27:34.984-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SYfM2CQow6I/AAAAAAAAAzE/p9itcjgXJ3I/s1600-h/John+and+Frank.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SYfM2CQow6I/AAAAAAAAAzE/p9itcjgXJ3I/s400/John+and+Frank.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298428715316331426" /></a><br />I have always wanted to ride my bike to San Diego, but have always been a little afraid to do it by myself. During my Ironman training, it seemed like a good idea, but I could never get someone to go with me on a weekend that I could go. The <a href="http://latriclub.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A Tri Club</span></a> has done an annual ride to San Diego to attend the Endurance Sports Awards for the last three years. Last year I could not go for reasons I don't remember. This year I was free. The only problem was that I also signed up for the <a href="http://runsurfcity.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Surf City Half Marathon</span></a> the following day. It seems like a lot to do in one weekend, but hey, I'm an Ironman, I can do a long bike ride and a long run in one weekend.<div><br /></div><div>The Great Magnetic Wife dropped me off at the Irvine Amtrak station at about 7:00 on Saturday morning. Most of the riders were going to ride to one of three locations: Oceanside, Solana Beach or San Diego and take the train back to the Irvine station.  My plan was to ride to my parent's house in La Jolla, approximatly 75 miles. The Great Magnetic Wife would meet me there. We would spend the night, get up very early and get to Huntington Beach in the morning for the Surf City Half Marathon.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were supposed to be riding by 7:30, but it was almost 7:50 before the first group went off. I heard someone announce that a slow group was leaving and anyone who wanted to join them should. A slow group sounded good to me. I have to admit though, that this group was slower than I would have liked. I was waiting for others to pass us so I could join slightly faster riders. There were well over a hundred riders, so I figured I would find a group that was my speed.</div><div><br /></div><div>About four miles in a got a flat. Dang! Oh well, I had everything I needed. I pulled off to the side of the road and started changing my flat. Just then the rest of the riders started coming by. Almost everybody would call out, "do you have everything you need?" "Do you need any help?" etc. I assured everyone that I was okay. I am not very fast at changing flats, but I can do it. After the L.A. Tri folks passed me and I was almost finished (about fifteen minutes later) a group of about eight riders from <a href="http://www.cynergycycles.com/teamcynergy.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Cinergy</span></a> came up to me. The all stopped and wanted to make sure I was alright and that I had everything I need to change my tire. It was really quite nice. Most cyclists will call out to a rider on the side of the road, but I have never seen an entire group stop. There is something special about the cycling community. There is a bit of a "We're all in this together" kind of attitude.</div><div><br /></div><div>I joined the Cinergy group for a while, I figured I could make up a little time by drafting off of them. It does make it easier to make up ground if you are at the back of a peloton. Eventually, they went one way and I went another. After some fairly hilly roads, I found my way to PCH and a nice, flat, protected bike path. I got in the aero position and went as fast as I could. It had been almost an hour since I had my flat and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to catch up. Finally I saw the group that I started out with. They were now at the back of everyone else, but I knew the rest couldn't be that far ahead. I hooked up with one of the riders and we were making pretty good time. In San Clemente we saw one of our group getting a ticket from a police officer. There was a much larger group about fifty yard ahead waiting. Apparently he was ticketed for running a red light. We made sure we made complete stops and did not run lights or stop signs. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finally we got to the bike path on what was once Old Highway 101. It goes from the south of San Clemente to Camp Pendleton. I had ridden this going the other way during the Oceanside Half Ironman last March. We had a stop just north of the gate to Camp Pendleton where the L.A. Tri SAG van had food and drink. By this time I was probably in the middle of the pack. I had made up a lot of time since the flat. I refilled my water bottles and after a quick ID check at the gate of Camp Pendleton, I took off. I met a fellow L.A. Tri Clubber who was a little nervous about finding her way. We all had route sheets, but they can be a little hard to follow. I told her that I had ridden in the area during a few triathlons and kind of knew my way and once we were on PCH in Oceanside I knew exactly where to go. So, being riders of about equal ability, she decided to follow me. We rode about the last 25 miles of the ride together.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once out of Camp Pendleton, the ride in Oceanside can get a little hairy. PCH does not have a bike lane at that point and there is a lot of traffic. I was glad to finally get out of Oceanside and into Carlsbad where there is a bike lane on PCH for the rest of the way. While stopped at a traffic signal in Carlsbad, I heard my cell phone ring. I thought it was probably The Great Magnetic Wife and so I answered it. It was The Great Magnetic Wife. She was in Encinitas, about ten miles down the road. She was seeing L.A. Tri Clubbers ride by and wondered if I was close. I said I would call her when I got to Encinitas. </div><div><br /></div><div>The original plan was to ride to La Jolla, but as I was riding the ten miles or so from Carlsbad to Encinitas, I realized that my legs were getting pretty sore. I have not done much bike riding since the Ironman and I was feeling it. I was also aware that I had a half marathon the next day and probably the smart thing to do would be to stop in Encinitas when I met up with The Great Magnetic Wife and not do the last fifteen or so mile to La Jolla. She was waiting, appropriately enough, in front of <a href="www.nytro.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Nytro</span></a>, a great triathlon store. I hitched my bike to the bike rack on her car and waved to all of the L.A. Tri Clubbers as they rode by and was quite happy I did the ride and was even happier it was over.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2579878786500162445?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-85561840053131395972009-01-18T20:20:00.000-08:002009-01-18T20:34:34.412-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SXQCGs5OEpI/AAAAAAAAAyg/-l6dvwgKk30/s1600-h/choppat-kneestrap.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SXQCGs5OEpI/AAAAAAAAAyg/-l6dvwgKk30/s400/choppat-kneestrap.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292857776220803730" /></a><br />As I stepped out of my car to go run with the <a href="http://leleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers</span></a> on Saturday I realized that I forgot my knee brace. I have done this before and I almost always regret it. I severely injured my knee when I was in the eight grade. I shattered the backside of my patella and had to have it re-shaped by a surgeon. Ever since that time I have had some knee pain. Since the time I took up running my knee has been strengthened and overall, I have had less pain. However, if I run without my knee brace that is not the case. <div><br /></div><div>We were scheduled for a twelve mile run, but after the first three miles I had to drop out. The knee pain was too much and I did not want to injure it further. I took the rest of the day off from training as well as all day Sunday. The knee feels better now, I will run tomorrow with the knee brace. I am scheduled for the <a href="http://www.runsurfcity.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Surf City Half Marathon</span></a> in two weeks. I should still be ready, but it would have been nice to get in a long run.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-8556184005313139597?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-17032409326747479492009-01-16T18:32:00.000-08:002009-01-16T18:37:42.509-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SXFELxjIlvI/AAAAAAAAAyY/xrV_evSeJVg/s1600-h/norberg_brain2_1239532a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SXFELxjIlvI/AAAAAAAAAyY/xrV_evSeJVg/s400/norberg_brain2_1239532a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292086006206994162" /></a><br />The Great Magnetic Wife is quite an expert knitter, but she has never done anything quite like this even though she once worked at the neurology department at the University of Virginia. The story is <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4245919/Psychiatrist-knits-anatomically-correct-woolly-brain.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">here</span></a>.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-1703240932674747949?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-36374426683106875532009-01-04T21:45:00.000-08:002009-01-04T21:51:20.750-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SWGfvuwEqyI/AAAAAAAAAr8/oH8QO-9kVSA/s1600-h/einstein-velo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SWGfvuwEqyI/AAAAAAAAAr8/oH8QO-9kVSA/s400/einstein-velo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287683079862004514" /></a><br />On Saturday, after running with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers</span></a>, it was time to get back on the bike. I have not been on my bike since Ironman Arizona last November. I wasn't sure I would remember how, but it came back to me immediately. In fact, it was just like riding a bike.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3637442668310687553?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-79675881382576705132009-01-01T19:30:00.000-08:002009-01-02T07:01:35.485-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SV2OA9oaJHI/AAAAAAAAAr0/HNYi-AQKx9I/s1600-h/happy-new-year-fireworks.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SV2OA9oaJHI/AAAAAAAAAr0/HNYi-AQKx9I/s400/happy-new-year-fireworks.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286537684798022770" /></a><br />Happy New Year! I looked back on my <a href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2008/01/happy-new-year.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">New Year post from last year</span></a> where I declared four resolutions for the 2008.  1. Finish the Los Angeles Marathon. Done!  2. Finish the Ironman California 70.3 (half ironman). Done!  3. Finish Ironman Arizona. Done! 4. Find a new place to live. Alas, not done. <div><br /></div><div>So, I guess finding a new place to live goes to the top of the list for 2009. I suppose the Ironman training did take up a lot of time and there wasn't much time left for house hunting. The other resolution  for this year is to declare 2009 the triathlon season to have fun. 2008 was all about preparing for the Ironman. 2009 will be all about having fun while competing. I am planning my season and I think this will be a season of mostly sprint triathlons, half-marathons and the possibility of a late season half-Ironman.<div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7967588138257670513?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-168115770430963732008-12-29T17:37:00.000-08:002008-12-29T17:56:27.707-08:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVlhOyEg1PI/AAAAAAAAArs/omhAK9zx-s8/s1600-h/pleasestandby400.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285362544282752242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVlhOyEg1PI/AAAAAAAAArs/omhAK9zx-s8/s400/pleasestandby400.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have given thought to giving up this blog. After all, its purpose was to track my journey to becoming an Ironman and I achieved that. I also made it to a year of blogging. I thought it may be time to move on, however, on further reflection, I kind of like coming here and putting down my thoughts. I suspect I will not be posting as much as I did during the build-up to the Ironman, but I will continue to put up race reports and any significant training reports. I suspect I will also post more non-triathlon stuff in the coming year.</div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-16811577043096373?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-44232509986705030542008-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:002008-12-28T00:00:50.677-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVcxzXS_yNI/AAAAAAAAArk/fRZmxpTp8NU/s1600-h/anniversary_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 306px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVcxzXS_yNI/AAAAAAAAArk/fRZmxpTp8NU/s400/anniversary_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284747446239348946" border="0" /></a><br />Today, December 28, 2008, is the one year anniversary of this blog. It started with a post about my plans to become and Ironman. It can be found <a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com/2007/12/great-magnetic-field.html">here</a>.<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://myspace.com/johnthum">John Thum</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4423250998670503054?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-45818850399037258552008-12-27T17:32:00.000-08:002009-02-02T20:55:13.900-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVbc2sJ7gsI/AAAAAAAAArc/b4SjL7-8SYU/s1600-h/3g-iphone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVbc2sJ7gsI/AAAAAAAAArc/b4SjL7-8SYU/s400/3g-iphone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284654044889711298" border="0" /></a><br />Just to prove that I can, I am creating this post from the iPhone that I gave to The Great Magnetic Wife for Christmas. It is so totally cool that it is hard to believe. I have a bad case of phone envy.<br /><br /><a style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://myspace.com/johnthum">John Thum</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4581885039903725855?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-22691587056957118672008-12-24T14:14:00.000-08:002008-12-24T14:14:00.816-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVJ-NXMwbsI/AAAAAAAAArU/y87SxHEkB3I/s1600-h/The-Christmas-Star.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283424080889933506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SVJ-NXMwbsI/AAAAAAAAArU/y87SxHEkB3I/s400/The-Christmas-Star.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Merry Christmas one and all.<br /><br /><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2269158705695711867?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-8911703549351913612008-12-20T20:43:00.000-08:002008-12-20T20:56:15.872-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SU3ME31JhQI/AAAAAAAAArE/17mYAxwkrKM/s1600-h/botties45.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SU3ME31JhQI/AAAAAAAAArE/17mYAxwkrKM/s400/botties45.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282102322053874946" /></a><br />I was going to run with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers</span></a> this morning, I set my alarm for 5:00 am, laid out all of my running gear and had everything ready to go. When the alarm went off, I thought, "I'll just lay her for a minute and then get up." I got up after what I thought was about a minute, but was really twenty. I drank my coffee, and realized there was no way I was going to make it in time. "Oh well, I'll just run by myself. It'll be a little warmer later anyway." I thought. <div><br /></div><div>The Great Magnetic Wife made bacon and eggs, I read a bit of the paper and then it was time to go. As I started to run, something just wasn't right. My legs really didn't want to move. It felt as if I were wearing lead boots. I trudged on for a couple of miles and then walked back. I haven't run much since the Ironman and I guess I am paying for it now. I do have a half-marathon in six weeks. I'll have to start to get back to some real training.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think a truly terrible training day was what I needed to motivate me to start serious, everyday training. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-891170354935191361?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-71595698083685170892008-12-17T17:54:00.000-08:002008-12-17T17:54:00.293-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SUmRjVP4oiI/AAAAAAAAAq8/AAgzC_JtR0U/s1600-h/breachmodel_strip.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280912074253836834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 274px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SUmRjVP4oiI/AAAAAAAAAq8/AAgzC_JtR0U/s400/breachmodel_strip.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2008/16dec_giantbreach.htm?list748900"><span style="color:#3333ff;">There is a giant breach in the earth's magnetic field.</span></a></div><div> </div><div>Again, it is not my fault. I had <u>nothing</u> to do with it!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7159569808368517089?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-72396417187063089532008-12-16T18:16:00.000-08:002008-12-16T19:48:23.151-08:00Here is a short clip of the <a href="http://ironmanarizona.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Ironman Arizona</span></a>, including my finish.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a><br /><div><br /></div></div><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-db5cb9494abce714" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://v14.nonxt2.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Ddb5cb9494abce714%26itag%3D5%26app%3Dblogger%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1331311731%26sparams%3Did,itag,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D265BA1BEA6E6DEB23850081D096F613142DB7B0A.22AED39BCE77B3E72DBDC291D0E95C47322A9C43%26key%3Dck1&amp;iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Ddb5cb9494abce714%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DIGoc9zmH-Eqn7R6KPIrFq-hA-4A&amp;autoplay=0&amp;ps=blogger"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"flashvars="flvurl=http://v14.nonxt2.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3Ddb5cb9494abce714%26itag%3D5%26app%3Dblogger%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1331311731%26sparams%3Did,itag,ip,ipbits,expire%26signature%3D265BA1BEA6E6DEB23850081D096F613142DB7B0A.22AED39BCE77B3E72DBDC291D0E95C47322A9C43%26key%3Dck1&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Ddb5cb9494abce714%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DIGoc9zmH-Eqn7R6KPIrFq-hA-4A&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"allowFullScreen="true" /></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7239641718706308953?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-41964014388014765602008-12-12T18:12:00.000-08:002008-12-12T18:12:01.575-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SULVlopryJI/AAAAAAAAAjE/IvbSS1GM81o/s1600-h/2009SurfboardMedal.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279016555775772818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 339px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SULVlopryJI/AAAAAAAAAjE/IvbSS1GM81o/s400/2009SurfboardMedal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I have decided that I need a goal for 2009. I don't have one big goal like the Ironman, but think I have to have an event in front of me to keep me motivated. As a result I signed up for the <a href="http://www.runsurfcity.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Surf City Half Marathon</span></a>. I am still trying to figure out what races I will do next year, but Surf City, with the coolest finishers medal of all time, will be the first. I feel more motivated already! On Super Bowl Sunday, February 1, 2009 I will run a half-marathon.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4196401438801476560?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-40459528672242025482008-12-11T19:43:00.000-08:002008-12-11T19:43:01.184-08:00<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SUG0l8K9QGI/AAAAAAAAAi8/iGVexijVIjQ/s1600-h/new-york-city-skyline-blue-large.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278698802155176034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 333px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SUG0l8K9QGI/AAAAAAAAAi8/iGVexijVIjQ/s400/new-york-city-skyline-blue-large.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There has been limited blogging in the last week or so because I had to suddenly go to New York for work. I didn't do much training, I mostly worked. Also, I was very cold there and I don't have any real cold weather running gear. I guess it was an extended post-Ironman rest week. That's what I keep telling myself.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum">John Thum</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4045952867224202548?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-83695678465089760312008-12-02T20:33:00.000-08:002008-12-02T20:46:55.178-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/STYO0WxqhYI/AAAAAAAAAi0/AIZNxm1S-DU/s1600-h/monkey%2520head.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/STYO0WxqhYI/AAAAAAAAAi0/AIZNxm1S-DU/s400/monkey%2520head.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275420306140988802" /></a><br />It has come. I knew it would come, and it's here. There is sort of a post big-event let down that always happens. I have been living, dreaming, thinking and training for the Ironman for a year. I pushed through the doubts, the bad training days and all of the ups and downs of preparing for an Ironman. I ran through the whole thing in my mind everyday. Now, the thing is done and I feel somewhat aimless. After a few days off, I have continued to train, but with a lot less focus and purpose. I continue to run with the <a href="http://laleggers.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">L.A. Leggers</span></a>, in fact we are scheduled to run twenty miles this weekend, but there is no specific goal. I think I am going to have to figure out something or I am afraid I might lose interest.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-8369567846508976031?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-49569637313203010582008-11-30T18:09:00.000-08:002008-12-02T21:55:33.966-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/STNJV96rxcI/AAAAAAAAAis/x1MTzZicioE/s1600-h/John+and+Huffy.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 337px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/STNJV96rxcI/AAAAAAAAAis/x1MTzZicioE/s400/John+and+Huffy.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274640230327764418" /></a><br />I said goodbye to an old friend today. My <a href="http://www.huffybikes.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Huffy</span></a> "Echo Canyon" bicycle that I bought at Toys R Us more than twenty years ago. It was the bicycle I rode during my first triathlon in September of 2006. I assume it will go to a good home and improve someone's life. A guy at my <a href="http://churchforthenations.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">church</span></a> talked to me and said he was collecting bicycle to send to Africa. I hardly every ride it anymore, but somehow I still have a soft spot for my old Huffy. It should get much use in its new home. Au revoir.<div><br /></div><div>UPDATE:</div><div>At <a href="http://www.ironpol.com/blog.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Iron Po</span></a>l's blog, I found out about an organization that is doing something very similar called <a href="http://www.worldbicyclerelief.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">World Bicycle Relief</span></a>. It is worth checking out.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4956963731320301058?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-172239530457009192008-11-27T09:13:00.000-08:002008-11-30T18:22:55.631-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SS7W7TcIgMI/AAAAAAAAAik/HMlD68vtQO4/s1600-h/Rockwell+Freedom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SS7W7TcIgMI/AAAAAAAAAik/HMlD68vtQO4/s400/Rockwell+Freedom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273388528016326850" border="0" /></a><br />I have much to be thankful for this year as I have every year. Of course, at this time my mind is still on the Ironman. I am very thankful that I am healthy enough to have completed an Ironman. I am very thankful for those who helped me. I have so much to be thankful for that I could probably start a blog about how thankful I am.<br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to give thanks to those for whom you are grateful.<br /><br /><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum">John Thum</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-17223953045700919?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-38270178344995810622008-11-26T22:34:00.000-08:002008-12-21T21:21:50.367-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzs6aWRicI/AAAAAAAAAiM/FDTV1FrSCL0/s1600-h/IMAZ+finish+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272849751993321922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 271px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzs6aWRicI/AAAAAAAAAiM/FDTV1FrSCL0/s400/IMAZ+finish+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tim and I got to the race site at about 5:00 am. Tim pealed off to go to the bathroom and that is the last I saw until the third lap of the bike.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SS1nRGVjgRI/AAAAAAAAAiU/HOnbiv9GC1Y/s1600-h/DSCN1583.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272984282177175826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SS1nRGVjgRI/AAAAAAAAAiU/HOnbiv9GC1Y/s400/DSCN1583.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I was not nervous, mostly bored. I usually enjoy getting to a race site early, but I usually have a lot more to do. I talked to a few folks, I got body marked, which I later realized was fruitless because since I don’t wear sleeveless shirts and I do wear long compressions socks up to my knees, no one could see my body markings anyway. I guess it is just a reminder of my accomplishment and I try to scrub off the numbers over the subsequent days after the event.<br /><br />There was small church service/time of prayer at about 5:45. Since I was not going to be going to church that day I thought it would be nice to join in. There was some reading of scripture and a prayer, but honestly, I cannot remember what was said. I do remember praying that I would be the best I could be. I had prepared the best I knew how and now it was in God’s hands. Whatever happened, happened. <div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzsUKPWzcI/AAAAAAAAAiE/esoxRQD5xrc/s1600-h/IM+pre+race.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272849094834310594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzsUKPWzcI/AAAAAAAAAiE/esoxRQD5xrc/s400/IM+pre+race.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I got my wet suit on. Because it was cold, I put the whole thing on over my arms and chest. I guy came up to me and asked if I were a pro. This question certainly surprised me a little. I was not standing in the pro racking area and I don’t really have that pro-triathlete look about me. I said, “no, I’m not, but thanks for the question. Why do you ask?” He was wondering that because I already had my wetsuit on and the pros started ten minutes earlier than the age-groupers. I let him know that I put on my wetsuit because I was cold. He thought that sounded like a good idea. We wished each other luck. </div><div><br /></div><div>I finally met up with The Great Magnetic Wife and handed her my cell phone, Crocs and other assorted items, she took a couple of photos, she wished me luck and I started over to the swim start. I was taking my time because I wanted to swim near the rear. I had no desire to have hundreds of faster swimmers swim over me. The pros started at 6:50 and at that time the age-groupers started getting in the water. We had a couple hundred yards to swim to the start, so we had to get in right away. I hung out by the Mill Street Bridge pylon about 20 yards from the start. Athletes were swimming in, but as the cannon went off to signal the start of the race, there were hundreds still swimming over. I wasn't going to wait for them, I'd just have to deal with it.</div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SS2EeKKzBiI/AAAAAAAAAic/g65lUgxMiJc/s1600-h/swim+start.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SS2EeKKzBiI/AAAAAAAAAic/g65lUgxMiJc/s400/swim+start.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273016392381302306" /></a><br /></div><div>There is nothing quite like a start of an Ironman race. There are over two thousand people doing a mass swim start and it is nothing but bodies and elbows and legs. About two minutes in, long before the mass of bodies had sorted itself out I got kicked in the side. A rather large guy was doing the breast stroke. I swam past him and thinking unkind thoughts. Why would a guy start doing the breast stroke in the middle of other people like that? He had to have kicked someone on each stroke. The guy behind me got kicked and screamed, "dude, watch it!" The large breast-stroker said, "that's the way I swim." I guess he kept on kicking people until the mass cleared. I had my own swim to do and was glad I was out of range of his legs. </div><div><br /></div><div>Things cleared remarkably fast. Within five minutes I had a reasonable amount of space to swim. Since sighting has been a major problem every time I swim in Tempe Town Lake, I decided to just swim and look up every so often. Perhaps that was a mistake because after about ten minutes I was quite near the edge of the lake. I went off course by a few hundred yards. I just took advantage of the fact that if I stayed near the edge, I would at least go wide, but straight. I felt good and I knew I wasn't swimming fast, but I also knew I had a very long day ahead of me and I didn't want to "leave it in the lake." The Rural Road Bridge, which marked the turn around point kept slowly getting closer and finally came. Sighting on the way back is much easier, but I still managed to swim a little wide. I don't know how much distance I added to my swim by my lack of good sighting skills, but I assume it may be as much as five to ten percent. I made the last turn and started swimming towards the stairs that get us out of the water. I'd swim about ten strokes and look up, swim ten more and look up. For some reason the stairs didn't seem to be getting much closer. I suppose it is the anticipation of wanting to get out of the water, but the last hundred and fifty yards of the swim seemed to take a really long time and was much harder than the rest. </div><div><br /></div><div>I finally got out and looked at my watch 1:49. You gotta be kidding! I knew this was a possibility, I have had a few bad swims this season, but this felt much faster. My final swim time for 2.4 miles was 1:49:33.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SU8jkE67_FI/AAAAAAAAArM/Cvq930UCA4I/s1600-h/IronmanSwim.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SU8jkE67_FI/AAAAAAAAArM/Cvq930UCA4I/s400/IronmanSwim.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282479990632086610" /></a><br /></div><div>The wetsuit strippers were waiting for me and got me out of my wetsuit quite quickly. I ran to transition where a volunteer handed me my swim to bike transition bag. Ironman races are so well organized you can go through the transitions in very short order. That being said, I took my time. I was going out on a hundred and twelve mile bike ride. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. I changed into my bike gear and headed out. Just outside of the change tent there were people there to apply sunscreen. A couple of women from the L.A. Tri Club,who I had just met the day before and who were there to volunteer and sign up for next year's race were my sunscreen appliers. I told them to slather it on thick. A quick stop into the port-a-potty and then it was off to grab my bike. My T1 time was 00:11:43.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after I got on I heard someone yell, "John!" It was Iron Monica from <a href="http://iron-monica.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">I Just Want The Tattoo</span></a>. As I passed her she said, "Slow John is riding pretty fast." I guess all of the energy I must have saved by swimming so slow was translating into biking fast. I was feeling great and going pretty fast. I passed by a large group of L.A. Tri Club supporters who yelled out, "go L.A." and "Stay FongStrong" as I passed. There was a little wind, but not as bad as when I rode the course on Wednesday. I was passing a lot more people than were passing me. Always a good sign. I was going faster than I expected. I didn't want to burn myself out, but I didn't feel as if I were really pushing it. I felt as if I could keep up that pace for a long time. It wasn't until about nine miles into my ride that I was passed by the leading pro, who was already on his second lap of the three loop course. And then for the next half hour I was being passed by a lot of guys with names like Lars and Heindrick and Jozsef. The next wave was the very fastest amateurs and then the female pros. As Joanna Zeiger passed me, I yelled, "don't wait for me, I'll catch up later." She turned around and smiled. I'm glad I brought a smile to her face because after leading off of the bike, she was passed on the run and eventually dropped out. She later announced that that was to be her last Ironman race. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzsCtKF6xI/AAAAAAAAAh8/h7LzQiG0SSs/s1600-h/IM+Bike+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272848794969828114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzsCtKF6xI/AAAAAAAAAh8/h7LzQiG0SSs/s400/IM+Bike+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>I finally got to the turn-around and was looking forward to the push that the wind would give me to go back. Shortly after the turn-around was when I started getting passed by more people than I passed. These were the best of the age-groupers and these are a very serious bunch. I'm sure most were trying to get a spot at Kona. My plan stayed the same: just keep going at a pace I can maintain and make the bike cut-off. </div><div><br /></div><div>My other concern on the bike was getting enough nutrition for the long day. I set the alarm on my Garmin ForeRunner to go off every fifteen minutes. I ate and drank on the 15s, 30s and 45s and drank and took a couple of Endurolyte pills for added electrolytes at the top of every hour. It seemed to work. I never felt either overly full or hungry or thirsty. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzrtYYAk-I/AAAAAAAAAh0/rUJP4gAn1Sk/s1600-h/IM+Bike+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272848428613800930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzrtYYAk-I/AAAAAAAAAh0/rUJP4gAn1Sk/s400/IM+Bike+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>The wind died down to almost nothing on the second and third loop, which was great news going out, but made it much harder coming back without that tailwind. By the time I started my third and final loop on the bike, I was fairly certain I would finish the race and become an Ironman. There was still a long way to go, but I really wasn't slowing down much and another thirty eight miles to complete the course did not at all seem daunting. The only thing that started to feel bad was my rear end. After about five hours on a bike, one's behind is very sore. By the time I was riding the last few miles, I was really looking forward to getting off of that bike and running a marathon. I pulled into transition and my Garmin indicated that I would complete the bike in under seven hours and maintained an average speed of slightly over sixteen miles per hour. This included a couple of stops for the bathroom as well as a stop to pick up my special needs bag to reload on my nutrition supplies. My final bike time was 6:58:23. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was in the bike to run transition in slightly under nine hours. Many of the male pros and very top amateurs had already finished. The top female pros were just about to finish. I still had a marathon ahead of me, but I also had eight hours to complete it. If I had to, I could walk a marathon in eight hours. I knew at that point, barring something terrible happening, I would become an Ironman. I sat down in the changing tent next to Frankie, my triathlon buddy for the day back in March at the Ironman California 70.3. (Half Ironman). As we were changing we discussed this. We knew we would make it. My T2 time was 00:7:16</div><div><br /></div><div>Out of transition, I got another slather of sunscreen and visited the port-a-potty before heading out on the run. I loaded up with gels and Clif Bars for nutrition on the run. Less than half a mile in I realized I was too loaded down. All of this stuff was bouncing up and down and annoying me. I hated to do it, but I knew the aid stations were going to have stuff to eat, so when I came to the next trash can on the course, I dumped about ten bucks worth of gels away. After I did so, running became a lot easier. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzrS2jVRpI/AAAAAAAAAhs/NYKFNGEmuXY/s1600-h/IM+run.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272847972857890450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzrS2jVRpI/AAAAAAAAAhs/NYKFNGEmuXY/s400/IM+run.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>My plan on the run was to do it just as I had trained. I was going to use the Jeff Galloway method of running for five minutes and walking for one. Plus I was going to walk through the aid stations which were located approximately every mile. This worked very well for the first loop of the three loop course, but I was delayed somewhat on the second loop by a great deal of intestinal distress. I seem to have to visit the port-a-potty about every two miles. This was certainly going to slow me down. Oh well, I otherwise felt good. </div><div><br /></div><div>The sun went down by the time I finished my first loop and it was starting to get a little chilly. In my special needs bag I had a long-sleeve running shirt. The special needs bags were located at about mile twelve. I put on my shirt and realized I was too hot with it on. I took it off and tied it around my waste. However, the special wick-away material is quite slippery and it wouldn't hold. I was going to either have to carry it in my hands or wear it. I tried carrying it and I didn't want to do that for very long. I put it on again and I was too hot. I briefly thought of just throwing it out, but this is a very nice, forty dollar, running shirt. I wasn't going to just chuck it. I decided to just wear and wait for it to get colder. It took about thirty minutes, but it finally cooled down to where I was dressed comfortably.</div><div><br /></div><div>I continued to have intestinal distress. The only thing I really wanted at the aid stations were water, the hot chicken broth and coke. When doing a triathlon it is the only time that coca-cola is considered nutrition. But it sure is nutrition. It has the calories you need, the caffeine and carbohydrates. The perfect food.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I finished my second loop, I ran past the place where you turn for the finish. By this time I was almost thirteen hours into this thing and ready for it to be over. I certainly didn't think of quitting, but it would have been nice if I were heading for the finish. I continued on and my feet and legs were getting sore. Each time I started running again after a walk break, it was a little harder. I knew I was going to be in for some pain during this thing and it had arrived. It hurt to take each step. I would run for thirty seconds after a walk break and then walk again. I knew I should be running, so I started again, but it hurt too much and so I walked again. This went on from about mile nineteen to about mile twenty one. Finally I did the calculation. I would not make my goal of fifteen hours, but I would easily make the cutoff to be an official Ironman finisher if I walked the rest of the way. My publicly stated goal was seventeen hours. If you can swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles in seventeen hours, you are an Ironman. I knew I would be an Ironman and there was no need to put myself through what was becoming excruciating pain to do so. A sense of calm came over me. I was going to be an Ironman and I was going to make the cutoff in plenty of time. Each step was still painful, but not nearly as much as when I ran. I still ran down a few down-hill sections, but I walked most of the last five miles. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I got closer and closer, especially the last two miles. Almost everyone I passed would say things like, "you're going to be an Ironman. Good Going!" By this time almost everyone was walking. A couple of people ran/shuffled by me, but they would stop to walk also. I got to that part of the course where you either go for another loop or head for the finish. This time I got to go for the finish. There were a lot of people around and they were all saying, "just a few hundred yards." About twenty yards before I turned to go into the finisher's chute I started running again. Suddenly it was light. There were hundreds of people screaming. I knew The Great Magnetic Wife was there somewhere, but I couldn't see her. I was high-fiving people as I ran by. Mike Reilly announced, "from West Hollywood, California...John Thum, YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"</div><div><br /></div><div>My final run time was 6:19:46 and my total time for the entire Ironman Triathlon was 15:26:41</div><div><br /></div><div>There were two volunteers to meet me. They congratulated me and asked me how I felt. I felt good. They asked me my name and where I was from and my race number. They were trying to determine if I needed to go to the medical tent. They do this with all finishers. They took me over to have my timing chip taken off and to get my finisher's medal, t-shirt and cap and finally to the food tent. I guess passed their test because they finally let me go to go have something to eat. I was and I am an Ironman. This has been more than a year in the making. However, it really has been very fast. I did my first sprint triathlon in September of 2006 and in November of 2008 I became an Ironman. Pardon my pride, but I find it rather remarkable. As the motto of Ironman goes: Anything Is Possible.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzq02q9thI/AAAAAAAAAhk/-cn_GgYp60A/s1600-h/IM+Medal.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272847457493825042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 314px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSzq02q9thI/AAAAAAAAAhk/-cn_GgYp60A/s400/IM+Medal.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>The list of people who helped me achieve my goal is quite long and instead trying to list them all and then inevitably forgetting someone. I just want to thank everyone who helped. But I cannot leave without giving a very special thank you to Wendy, The Great Magnetic Wife. When someone takes on training for an Ironman, it is not only the person doing it, but also the family. The Great Magnetic Wife had to endure all of the early morning hours and the hardships as this thing slowly began to take over my life. It truly could not have been done without her.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3827017834499581062?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-32650948869488196702008-11-24T19:48:00.000-08:002008-11-24T20:23:20.559-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSt7iwAQBsI/AAAAAAAAAhU/5e0-ZbSl-gM/s1600-h/IMFinish.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 289px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSt7iwAQBsI/AAAAAAAAAhU/5e0-ZbSl-gM/s400/IMFinish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272443625699018434" /></a><br />I completed the Ironman Arizona on Sunday, November 23, 2008 in 15:26:41. Race report coming soon.<div><br /></div><div>My splits were as follows:</div><div><br /></div><div>Swim:  1:49:33</div><div>T1:  11:43</div><div>Bike:  6:58:23</div><div>T2:  7:16</div><div>Run:  6:19:46</div><div><br /></div><div>Total: 15:26:41</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-3265094886948819670?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-45669766104701137982008-11-22T05:47:00.000-08:002008-11-22T06:14:57.651-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSgPW2D44fI/AAAAAAAAAhM/T9G5hG9pWvY/s1600-h/thumbs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271480248980529650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 131px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSgPW2D44fI/AAAAAAAAAhM/T9G5hG9pWvY/s400/thumbs.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>If you would like to see how I'm doing on Sunday, you can go to <a href="http://ironman.com/events/ironman/arizona?show=tracker&amp;year=2009"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Track an Athlete</span></a>. To see coverage of the race, go to <a href="http://ironman.com/coverage/?race=arizona&amp;year=2009"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Race Coverage</span></a>. Or go to <a href="http://ironman.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Ironman.com</span></a> and follow the links there. My race number is 1592.</div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-4566976610470113798?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-74727965454919893052008-11-22T05:18:00.000-08:002008-11-25T18:22:19.690-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSgNNn5tz_I/AAAAAAAAAhE/fs9zk-UOPec/s1600-h/88277620_9sqILWLh_compr2_MG_5757_proc_compr.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271477891537686514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 396px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSgNNn5tz_I/AAAAAAAAAhE/fs9zk-UOPec/s400/88277620_9sqILWLh_compr2_MG_5757_proc_compr.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We got here on Tuesday and there were obviously other participants in town, but fewer than I expected. When we rode the bike course on Wednesday, we saw maybe eight to ten other cyclists. On Thursday when we swam in Tempe Town Lake there were dozens of other participants, but the swim was not too crowded. Yesterday, when I did an easy swim of about a half a mile there were hundreds of people in the water. I actually cut my swim a little short because there were people swimming every which way, and because the water is so murky, you can't see others approaching. I was somewhat afraid of having a head-on collision with another swimmer. I ran about three, very easy miles, after my swim. That was my training for the day. </div><br /><div>I am now starting to see a great number of other L.A. Tri Club folks around town.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSyvuoSWkOI/AAAAAAAAAhc/E5_ANT-rmLM/s1600-h/IMG_0342.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSyvuoSWkOI/AAAAAAAAAhc/E5_ANT-rmLM/s400/IMG_0342.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272782479367246050" /></a><br /><div>In the evening we went to the Athlete Banquet. I purchased a ticket for The Great Magnetic Wife for $25.00. The meal consisted of a salad, pasta, chicken and cookies. Our beverage selection consisted of various flavors of Gatorade. An odd accompaniment for a meal, but hey, they're a sponsor. It was a meal that in a moderate restaurant would cost about $7.99, but this was a special triathlon meal, so it cost much more.</div><br /><div>The Great Magnetic wife got bored and annoyed at the presentation after dinner and we still had to wait for the mandatory athlete meeting. She decided that she had some phone calls to make and so she went over to the Tempe Center for the Arts and befriended an usher.</div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-7472796545491989305?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-60126961711092555152008-11-20T14:30:00.000-08:002008-11-22T06:11:09.120-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSXoAOapQUI/AAAAAAAAAg8/iG9KeJFZxdc/s1600-h/Tempe-Town-Lake.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270874029474529602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 333px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSXoAOapQUI/AAAAAAAAAg8/iG9KeJFZxdc/s400/Tempe-Town-Lake.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.tempe.gov/lake/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Tempe Town Lake</span></a> was open for swimming from 8:00 to 10:00 and so we went to get in a swim. My main objective was to find good sight lines, but there really aren't any. As with the Soma Half last month, I guess I am just going to have to follow the pack and hope it doesn't lead me astray. The swim itself was good, I did about two miles. If I feel as good coming out of the swim on Sunday as I did today, I will be very happy.<br /><br /><div>After the swim I registered for the Ironman and got all the stuff I need to complete this thing like transition bags and special needs bags. We then checked out the expo, which was surprisingly small for an ironman event.</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>I spent some time cleaning and oiling the bike and then took a ride to <a href="http://ketteng.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Kett Engineering</span></a>'s Chandler office to try out my new tires. I am really glad I got new ones. The ride was about 18.5 miles, enough to know I was on a ride, but not enough to tire me out. </div><br /><div>Tomorrow I will swim again and then run about five miles. Saturday will be a rest day and Sunday...we'll hope for the best.</div><div></div><div>The Great Magnetic Wife will be arriving today and it will be wonderful to see her.</div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6012696171109255515?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-27959636385004068082008-11-19T17:58:00.000-08:002008-11-22T06:08:17.566-08:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSTImc2lvlI/AAAAAAAAAg0/W7Lsg7TKdBQ/s1600-h/tires.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270558026836065874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSTImc2lvlI/AAAAAAAAAg0/W7Lsg7TKdBQ/s400/tires.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>After about a mile in the Pacific Tuesday morning, Tim Bomba and I made our way to Arizona. Fortunately, it was an uneventful trip. When we got there, Tim was amazed by the desert resort that is my cousin Allan's house. We went to Whole Foods to get some food to eat and went to bed early.</div><br /><div>The plan was to get to Tempe and ride the bike course and do a little running. However, when we got there, I realized that I had not packed my bike shoes. Back to Chandler to get the shoes and then back to Tempe to try it again. </div><br /><div>We rode the course and it is harder on the way out than I expected. There is a head wind that is not overly strong, but certainly strong enough to slow you down. It is uphill enough to slow you down, but not so much as to call it a serious climb. I also got a flat on the way out. The nice part is that the way back is down hill and with a tail wind. </div><br /><div>The thing that really started to concern me is that I have had a lot of flats ever since I changed my tires to Vittorio Rubino Pros. I must admit that part of the reason I chose these tires is that they are red and went with the color scheme of my bike. Perhaps not the best criterion for chosing a bike tire. After this flat, I have decide that I need to get different tires before the Ironman. My biggest concern is not making the bike cutoff. If I have a couple of flats, that will be much harder to do. </div><br /><div>We went by Landis Cylcery in Tempe and I asked for tough durable tires and got some Continentals that the guy at the bike shop assured me that were quite tough. Tim said he has been using the same tire and agreed. I sure hope so.</div><br /><div>Tomorrow, Tempe Town Lake is open for swimming from 8:00 to 10:00 and so we are going to swim and I might get a little riding in.</div><br /><div><a href="http://myspace.com/johnthum"><span style="color:#3333ff;">John Thum</span></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-2795963638500406808?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4849633782820454801.post-68343805913955965312008-11-18T05:28:00.000-08:002008-11-18T05:32:43.445-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSLD8E38lSI/AAAAAAAAAgs/aZD7ywS_1Bs/s1600-h/arizona.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eq3qBCf3Qy0/SSLD8E38lSI/AAAAAAAAAgs/aZD7ywS_1Bs/s400/arizona.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269989950844867874" /></a><br />I'm leaving for Arizona today. The Great Magnetic Wife had many things still to do, so I'm hitching a ride with fellow L.A. Tri Club member, Tim Bomba, and will meet TGMW there on Thursday. <div><br /></div><div>John Thum</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4849633782820454801-6834380591395596531?l=thegreatmagneticfield.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Slow Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02554296616819608646noreply@blogger.com0