Penguin Challenge

My First 100 Miles and some lessons along the way

I've recently logged my first 100 miles according to my RunKeeper App on my phone. Here are some lesson's or observation's I've noted.

• Walking on Sunshine -  When I first started I could barely jog more that a minute without becoming severely winded. My "Couch to 5k"  app I used did a run/walk/run/walk type of training which helped. Gradually I've expanded my time and distance.
• Every Breathe You Take - Like I said I could barely jog for minute before gasping for air. I then began learning to breathe different. I read some where that to ttry and breathe using your whole gut rather than than my diaphragm. Gradually my breathing wasn't as much of an issue as it was before and my distances soon lengthened.
• Should I stay or should I go now - Use the the bathroom before going out. Just like long car trips it's a good idea to go before you go. Avoiding large meals the night before is probably a good idea although I've discovered no sure trick to avoid it totally. If you do let me know. Nothing much ruins a good run that having to hit the porta-potty and there's none around.
• I still haven't found what I'm looking for - It helps to have a goal in mind when going out for a run. Sometimes two in case something comes up. A minimum goal and perhaps a strentch goal if things look well. Right now I feel a 2 mile run is my minimum goal with 3 being my average and 4 being an extra good.
• Running with the devil - Running sucks. You push limits of your endurance to the limit voluntarily. Despite my body disliking it I do miss when I miss  or postpone a run. I used to hear of this before but never understood it. The during the run itself is the challenge but afterwards is when it hits you. My body almost has a cleansed feeling of burning off extra fat or something.
• The Long Run - Never thought 3.11(aka: 5k) was so far away. I'm still a relative newbie so even a simple 5k run is still a challenge and I've only broken the 5 mile barrier once. It's about average run for me now. I'm comfortable with that but it still feels great to finish. 
• Lyin' Eyes - While signing up for my second 5k a gentleman signing up nearly floored me as he stated he was 80 years old. Although I'm hardly the cocky type I thought I'd at least finish ahead of him. Guess what? Yep he did. Not only that, he power walked it too. It was a humbling experience and told me I still had a way to go.

I feel as I'm constantly learning more. I'm sure the next hundred miles will bring more revelations and thoughts. I'll be back again then.

Chris Rock - How not to get your ass kicked by the police!

Happy (belated) Birthday Yaz!

Carl Yastremski was a boyhood hero of mine who recently who celebrated his 75th birthday. Even though now I primarily a hockey(Boston Bruins) while I was a kid in the 70's I was a big Red Sox fan. Yastremski was the iron work horse of the Boston Red Sox. 

One of the highlights as a kid was going to Fenway to see the Sox play. The day was July 8, 1976 they were playing the Minnesota Twins. This was the era of the classic line including the likes of Fisk, Lynn, Rice, Evans among other great players of time. Luckily we had seats along the third base side of the park with a great view of left field which was Carl's usual position. I do remember being so excited I got nauseous.

Yaz had a good day going 2-4 that day with a home run in the 3rd inning and 3 RBI's. Perhaps my favorite part was the final out. It was a pop up to left that Yaz handled with a knee sliding catch to close out the 8-4 victory over the Twin that featured the legendary Rod Carew.

I admired his seriousness and work ethic. He came to play every day. He wasn't always the best player on the field but rarely did anyone give more effort. He has always remained my favorite Red Sox player of all time.

Thanks Carl for giving us fan's your best! 

Happy Birthday!

The Loaner

The loaner car is like the Rodney Dangerfield of vehicles. Not quite good enough to sell but good enough to loan out. I'm on my second one recently due to my actual car having major engine problems. Without the these loaners I'd be stuck  for getting around for work and errands so I am thankful for them.

They've both been 2007 Chevrolet Malibu's. If any car fit's the loaner/loser car shoes it's these. The first one was plain white with an even blander tan color. It smelled of stale cigarettes and covered in crap on the outside cause it had been sitting under  tree. I felt yucky just driving it. First stop before home was a car wash. It was a little better afterwards. The inside was clean but smelled of cigarettes and old socks. I finally dosed the inside with Febreze which made it more tolerable. It wasn't in bad shape but had seen better days. 

The Good: It had a quiet smooth ride. It had that big car feel. The dash has an easy to read layout although dated. Spacious and comfortable. Not Cadillac quality but nod bad. Power and acceleration were surprising given it was powered by an economy sized 4-cylinder engine.

The Bad: Door locks worked when they felt like it. Even when manually locked I'd come back ot later and find all four doors unlocked. Good thing I don't live or park in wrong neighborhoods. I did worry a bit sometimes when I had to leave stuff in car while I was working or other errands. One time while driving around the door locks just clicked by themselves. Like a ghost was inside with playing with the lock button.

The interior design seemed clunky and clown like. It had a cheapness about them. The LED on the radio was unreadable in sunlight. The CD player was inoperable and had no way to plug my iPhone jack anywhere. 

It also had this rattle noise that would show up occasionally while driving at highway speeds. It was like something was stuck in a plastic fan. It was up front where the windshield meets the dashboard. I looked in the vents and even checked outside the car where the wipers but could not find the source. Not loud but enough to be annoying. 

The Ugly: A diaper with butterscotch poop inside reminded me of the white exterior and tan interior. Just could not get used to the interior color. Just not a color combo I'd. Had the same color as a Saturn I test drove and part of the reason I didn't pick it was this bland unexciting color.

I eventually got my car back but it didn't last long. Began overheating a few days later with an engine litle. With a diagnoses of "Internal Engine Problems" the dealer is going ahead and replacing the whole engine. Not kidding. So home I go with another Malibu, same year different color and a little nicer.

Unfortunately as I'm driving home from the dealer I hear a familiar rattle from the dash......sigh.

Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation 5k - Please Support

It turn's out Doug Flutie and I have something in common, we both have son's with Autism. Doug Flutie started this foundation to help those families that have been touched by Autism. I signed up for the 5k this coming October 5th for both my son, Samuel, and to help others who are affected by this. Please support us any way you can. Run, walk, cheer and or donate. Have a great day!

Thank you,

Robert Plumer Jr. 

Post by Robert Plumer Jr.

TLC’s Jo Frost (aka: Supernanny) on balancing family needs

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Not a Runner?

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Abuse of Kids with Autism

It's shameful to abuse any kid but recent incidents of abuse against Autistic kids is just awful and heartbreaking.

Post by Autism Speaks.

David Letterman on Robin Williams

Quarterback Dan Marino's Autism Experience

King Philip High School Alumni 5k - Today!

My Dad's watch.

Today I'm running my third 5k this year. It's the King Philip High School Alumni 5k. in Wrentham , Massachusetts. This run I'm doing for my Dad who passed away almost two years ago to cancer. He was King Philip graduate in 1961. All told about a dozen "Plumers",aunts,uncles,cousins, have gone through this regional high school. I did not as I graduated from nearby Foxboro High School (1985). I'm looking forward to it.

Update:

Race is finished. Third 5k in the record books. A nice run through Wrentham Started at the high school. Down Route 140 circled around going by Lake Pearl Ballroom and then going through the center back onto Route 140. Then finishing up at the school again.

My official time was 36:49 at an 11:53 per mile pace. First 5k under 12 min mile and best time overall. My Runkeeper app had me at 3.20 miles at 37:00 @ 11:34 per mile pace.It had some mild hills but wasn't too bad. I should start adding some more hills to my training. I hit some last 5k that kicked my butt. 

Live At The Met - Part 1

I remember seeing this many years ago and it still cracks me up. He had an amazing gift and it's sad to see Robin gone.

What Will Your Verse Be?

I had hoped to write something thoughtful and heartfelt about Robin William's passing away this week. It's been tough to add anything to accolades already pouring in for this wonderful human being who sadly left us too soon. In his work he was able to make us smile,laugh, cry, mad and on many occasions to just think. 

If I were to pick out his most endearing quality was his sincerity. I always felt he was giving his best in whatever he was doing and he did it from the heart. Maybe it didn't always turn out the greatest but at least he had given it his best shot.

He was a part of our pop culture for decades. I even feel I lost an icon of my generation although many may feel that way too. I watch him as kid on "Happy Day's" with "The Fonz".  I watch him grow and mature on the big screen and little one too. 

Little do I or many of us understand the inner battle he fought within himself. It's hard to comprehend that someone that made us laugh and cry that something like this could happen. I'll miss him along with many others.

Thank you Robin William's for giving us so much of yourself.

Kristi Rieger : What It's Like to Be a Special Needs Mom

This Is What It's Like To Be Out Of Shape At The Gym

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Autism Awareness - Tommy Hilfiger

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Ghost from Eastern Europe: It's Legit!

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Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation

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Heart Warming Dad reunites with His son with Autism

I never tire of this one. Reminds me of my own son Sam.

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What Cat's Really Do!

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Are you reading all those books?

How many books I read is a question I get from time to time. I get this a lot at work as I read something at break time. My official Goodreads list I have about 20 started but in reality I'm only reading maybe 3 or 4 at a time. My interests seem to vary and attention span a bit short I tend to read in short bursts of time. Here is how I'm currently splitting my reading time up.

At Work

At work I have only a short break to read so I kind of keep it light reading as far as both size of book and subject. It has to fit in my lunch bag and so I try not to make it big book. My current lunchroom pick is "The Heroin Diaries" by Nikki Sixx which has got some interest from others to say the least.

Lunch Break

At my lunch break I head out to my car and I have another book in case I'm in the mood. Another light reader. I've only started doing this recently. My current pick is "The Courage to Write" by Ralph Keyes. It's a small book and it's been easy to pick up good pointers and grasp ideas quickly in my too short of a lunch break. 

Commute 

here is where my audiobooks come in. Admittedly I was skeptical about books on audio. I almost felt like it was cheating at reading. Last year I started an Audible subscription and I have been a convert ever since. I do tend to pick titles that are lesser on my priority list but still want to read. I've also included some current selection that hit me spur of the moment. I've listen to classic novels and long history books. My latest selection is "Bad Animals: A Father's Accidental Education in Autism" by Joel Yanofsky which I found by a web article.

At Home 

I leave this to the more serious books and heavy big books(I like big books I cannot lie). These tend to be ones that I's rather spend more time concentrating on. They tend to be of my current favorite genre which for the moment is local New England history so now my choice is the hefty 946 page "Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America" by David Hackett Fischer.

These are by no means all that I'm reading but these are my go-to books at the moment. I have a tendency to feel bad that I'm not reading enough of my collection fast enough. Admittedly when I finish my main book my focus bounces until I find a main read. I really don't know how book lover's can only read one at a time. I'm interested to hear how others deal with this. 

I'll finish with some tips from Book Riots Amanda Nelson's book reading strategy.