Third Party - Not a Wasted Vote

Week 4 of my marathon training is now complete!  I have logged 144 miles so far in my training.  I have 12 more weeks to prep for the 2016 NYC Marathon.  I am using the Brooks Hanson Training program I have used ever since 2009 (See June 14, 2009 post for a review of the program).  I am confident that it will have me prepped and ready.  The big difference this time is that I am also incorporating Hill Repeats and circuit weight training three times a week into my routine.  I don't want another hamstring injury.  I am hopeful that the strength I am building up on the circuit weights will help prevent that.

I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming Presidential election when I am out there logging my miles.  It is really hard for me to believe that out of the 300+ million people in this great country of ours these are the two best candidates for the office.  As Kenneth Galbraith said, "Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable."  I am not going to go into a long diatribe of why I don't think either major party candidate should be elected President.  Instead, I am going to make the point that despite what I believe is a choice between two bad options everyone should go out this November and vote.  If you are curious about my political leanings you can find two posts that will make it clear - March 30 and July 8, 2010.

Regardless of my personal political beliefs, I feel strongly that it is our duty as citizens of this country to go out and exercise our right to vote.  I intend to vote according to my own personal conscience. Unlike many people, I don't believe that I am required to vote for one of the two large political parties.  There are other choices out there.  Third party candidates are not a wasted vote as many people will tell you.  In 1854 the two major parties were the Democrats and the Whigs.  That year was the first time the Republican Party came into being having its roots in the anti-slavery Liberty Party formed in 1840, succeeded by the Free Soil Party in 1848.  Just six years later in 1860, the "third party" Republicans won the election after the Whig party had ceased to exist.

It has become clear to me that this country and who we get to vote for in the major elections is simply the result of the power of corporate money.  The Super PACs and PACs wield unreasonable power over which candidates make it to the forefront.  This money also influences the mass media.  In addition, recent changes to ballot access laws restricting many people's right to vote and other road blocks have had much to do with the inability of  third parties to break through.  Ralph Nader was the last third party candidate to gain any traction and he only received 2.8% of the vote in 2000.  In 1860, there was a huge issue facing our country.  The fact that third parties cannot garner any support may be because there has not been a major issue that our existing two-party system cannot solve.

As you have probably guessed, I am planning to explore each of the 3rd Party Candidates and choose one of them to vote for this November.  I read a compelling argument as to why vote 3rd party from John Uebersax who is running for US Congress this year in California's 24th District.  While some of his language is tougher than I might choose, I am going to quote his outline as to why a 3rd party vote is not wasted in its entirety:

• Today we effectively have a staged elections, in which the Establishment (a.k.a. the System, the power elite, the military-industrial-banking-oil-media-complex), presents two status quo (Republican and Democrat) candidates.
• To prevent voters from voting for a non-Establishment (e.g., a Libertarian or Green Party) candidate, the Establishment uses a divide-and-conquer strategy: (1) choose Republican/Democrat platform issues that polarize voter opinion as closely as possible to a 50/50 split; (2) have horrible, frightening candidates for both parties; (3) by this means, manipulate voters such that, to keep the more feared candidate from winning, they must vote for the other candidate; (4) crucial to this strategy's success is to have several 'hot-button' issues (healthcare, gay marriage, taxing the rich, etc.), to scare voters on both the left and right, and for news media focus on these issues so as to maximally inflame emotions.
• As a result, virtually everyone (98% in the 2012 presidential election) votes for the Democrat or Republican candidate, maintaining the Establishment power elite. Nothing changes: wars, poverty, bad economy, no jobs, poor quality of life, continued erosion of values and morale. Wealth transfer continues from citizens to corporate owners.
• Nomination of horrible Republican and Democrat candidates also means many voters will simply not vote, which again works in the Establishment's favor.
• The racket will continue as long as it works; it will stop working when a substantial proportion of Americans vote for third-party candidates.
• Voting for the Democrat or Republican candidate cannot be justified on the principle of choosing the lesser evil. Regardless of which mainstream candidate is elected, the short-term (say, 4 to 6 years) outcome will be more or less the same. Nothing much will change as long as the two big parties, and the same Establishment interests they represent, control our country. But voting for third-party candidates now will potentially hasten the arrival of a time — perhaps 10–20 years hence — when we do have a real choice, and real issues. Thus, the genuine 'lesser evil' choice is to vote for a third-party candidate, even though one knows that the candidate won't be elected.
• Voting for a third-party candidate, therefore, will not throw your vote away. It will make a definite statement, both to the Republican and Democratic parties, and to your fellow citizens.
• Even though they represent the same vested interests, there is enough rivalry between the Democratic and Republican parties that, if third parties receive a sufficient proportion of the vote, they will begin to modify their platforms, making more concessions to citizens.
• Further, voting for third-party presidential candidates will help third parties reach the critical threshold of 5% of the popular vote — at which point they will qualify for public campaign funding assistance.

Every nation gets the government it deserves.  Joseph de Maistre

No matter who you support in this election, I encourage you to vote.  There are many people in this world who do not get the privilege we enjoy here in the United States.  No vote is wasted.  I hope to see you at the polls.

July 25 – 6.20 miles (1:07:02, 10:49 pace) - Hill Repeats
July 26 – 6.20 miles (57:37, 9:18 pace) - Speed Work
July 28 – 8.20 miles (55:52, 9:05 pace) - Tempo Run
July 29 – 6.20 miles (58:57, 9:31 pace)
July 30 – 12.20 miles (1:58:46, 9:44 pace)
July 31 – 8.2 miles (1:15:44, 9:14 pace)

Total Miles:  47.2 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,111.7 miles

Training in the Heat of Summer

Week 3 of my marathon training was pretty good overall.  I was travelling this week.  So on Thursday, I had to get in my tempo run on the treadmill at the hotel.  Hotel treadmills are not always reliable.  Many of them are old.  Sometimes, there is a really nice fitness room and others have only one or two treadmills.  I never know what I am going to find.  Luckily this hotel had two treadmills and since I had to get up earlier than usual, I  was the only one in the room.  I was able to get a good tempo run which was nice.

I am going to admit here and now that I am truly struggling with the heat during my runs.  Mostly it is affecting my long runs.  How crazy is it to be out trying to get in an 8 or 10 miler when it is 90+ degrees at 5:00 a.m.?  I can't even imagine the challenge when my training schedule calls for a 15 to 18 miler.  But regardless of the temperature, I have to train for this marathon if I am going to be able to finish it with a smile on my face and have any chance of breaking 4 hours.  While I get frustrated when I have to stop and take a walk break, I keep going because I know cooler temperatures await me in New York.

When I last wrote about training in the heat (July 2013 & June 2014), I had found some research that stated that for every 10-degree increase in air temperature above 55 degrees, there's a 1.5 to 3 percent increase in average finishing time for a marathon. This means that if I am averaging a 9 minute mile during a 10 mile run at 55 degrees in 90 minutes, I can expect it to take me up to 100 minutes if it is 85 degrees out.  What the article states was that you slow-down because the heat impacts your body in various ways, including dehydration, increased heart rate and reduced blood flow to the muscles used for running.  I can actually feel the dehydration setting in as I run which is why in the summer I always carry water with me.

What I need to do to reduce my frustration when I am out there is to simply change my expectations. I know that I cannot expect to maintain or improve my average pace through the hottest months of summer.  I need to learn to be patient.  I need to understand that my body must acclimatize to these hotter temps. I have trained through the summer every year since moving here to Arizona.  So this is nothing new.  I just never had to log the miles necessary to prepare for a marathon.   So I am going to include walk breaks in my long run plan.  I will take them after every 3 miles.  Hopefully this will allow me to manage my heart rate and core body temperature and avoid overheating.

There is no arguing that training in the summer here in Arizona is hard.  The sun is extremely bright and it is simply brutal outside.  It seems that no matter how well I plan each run, there seems to be no distance that doesn't exhaust me in the end.  There are two quotes from Yoda that I think of each time I head out my door for a run -- "Do or do not. There is no try" and "Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."  There is no doubt that training in the summertime is mostly a mental challenge.  Of course there are physical considerations.  But I know that if I can simply let go and just do, I will be much stronger in the end and be ready for the challenge of the NYC Marathon.

On to week 4!

July 18 – 6.20 miles (1:04:10, 10:21 pace)
July 19 – 6.20 miles (57:44, 9:19 pace)
July 21 – 6.20 miles (55:52, 9:01 pace)
July 22 – 7.20 miles (1:05:05, 9:02 pace)
July 23 – 10.20 miles (1:38:13, 9:38 pace)
July 24 – 10.1 miles (1:34:01, 9:19 pace)

Total Miles:  46.1 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,064.5 miles

NYC Marathon & Fred's Team

Week 2 of my marathon training went really well.  The heat does get to me a bit on the long runs.  I see my heart rate spike up above what it normally is during a hard run.  When I see this, I stop and walk for about a minute until my heart rate slows a little and then I start running again.  In the end, it doesn't affect my overall pace and it keeps me from overheating.  I have 16 more weeks until race day and I want to arrive well trained but also in good health.

I have been applying to the NYC Marathon lottery drawing off and on for the past few years and never been selected.  This year I got the email I had so long dreamed about.  I was finally chosen in the lottery.  I was so excited to see that I was actually going to be able to check this marathon off of my bucket list.  I actually went to the website multiple times over the next several days to double check that it wasn't a mistake or that I was dreaming it.  Of course, each time my name appeared on the list.  I was beside myself with joy.

After a few weeks and the reality had set in, I started to think about joining a charity team.  I figured that this would be my chance to raise money for a great cause and not have to have the charity provide me an entry.  If you have followed my musings over the last several years, you know that I have raised money for cancer research for each of my Boston Marathon races.  Charities that help fund researchers who are trying to find cures for cancers is something have always supported.  I knew that the NYC Marathon had Fred's Team which raises money for Memorial Sloan Kettering and supports over 50 areas of cancer research—including bladder, brain, breast, colon, colorectal, head and neck, kidney, leukemia, liver, lung, lymphoma, melanoma, multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, testicular, rare cancers and The Aubrey Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research.

I went out to the Fred's Team website to see what it would take to join the team. As I read about the team, I knew that it was something I could really get behind.  Plus they welcomed runners with and without their own NYC Marathon entries.  Their minimum goals were either $3,500 or $6,000.  Since I knew that I have been really successful in my past fundraising efforts, I signed up for the higher level.  As I progressed through the registration, I set my personal fundraising goal at $15,000.  To date I have already raised over $10,000.  I would love to not only meet my goal but exceed it.  Here is what Fred's team is all about:

"Since 1995, Fred’s Team has raised over $65 million. The money the program raises goes directly to Memorial Sloan Kettering, which not only improves cancer research and care at MSK, but also helps spark progress at centers worldwide that look to our institution to set the standard of achievement and pace of innovation."

While I am truly looking forward to running this race, I am more excited about all the support I have received through my friends and family who have all donated to this very important cause.  We have all been touched by cancer in our lives.  We all know of or have had loved ones succumb to this disease.  We have also know survivors as well.  I know that each mile I run I will be thinking of my family and friends who lost their battles and I will be dedicating those miles to them.  At the same time, I will also think of those who won their fight and celebrate the ability to be able to share this feat with them when it is over.  Finally, I am running because I want to and I can.

If you are reading this, I would love for you to support my run.  No amount of money is too small.  You can donate by clicking on this link -

http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR/FredsTeamEvents/FredsTeam?px=3457204&pg=personal&fr_id=2721&_ga=1.21071547.1081818874.1466208735

Thank you in advance for your support!

July 11 – 6.20 miles (52:47, 8:31 pace)
July 12 – 3.20 miles (24:58, 7:48 pace)
July 14 – 8.40 miles (1:17:19, 9:12 pace)
July 15 – 6.20 miles (54:36, 8:49 pace)
July 16 – 10.20 miles (1:36:08, 9:25 pace)
July 17 – 8.20 miles (1:16:03, 9:16 pace)

Total Miles:  42.4 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,018.4 miles

Training for NYC Marathon - My Running Bucket List

Independence Day was the official kick off of my 2016 New York City Marathon Training.  The race is 18 weeks away.  This will the first time that I have trained for a full marathon through the peak heat of summer here in Arizona.  When I trained for the 2014 Boston Marathon, I was able to train through the Arizona winter which was much easier than I training will be for the New York City Marathon.  But I am undaunted.  I know I can do it.

I had 3 marathons on my bucket list once I ran my first marathon back in 2000 - Boston, Marine Corps and New York City.  I have since added Chicago to that list.  Each of these 3 marathons had a special meaning for me.  Boston was on the list because of the history and storied nature of the race.  And every true runner dreams of running the Boston Marathon.  I knew I would never be able to qualify for this prestigious race.  Therefore I figured I would never get the chance until I heard through a friend that you could gain an entry if you were willing to be a charity runner.  I feel blessed to have had the chance to run Boston on 3 different occasions all for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Marathon Challenge Team.  More importantly, I made some lifelong friends of fellow teammates who I met through the DFMC.

The Marine Corps marathon or "The People's Marathon" was on the list for 2 reasons.  First, it was because my Dad is a Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel.  He served active duty and then stayed on as a Reserve for 20+ years.  Second, because I am a Marine Corps brat born on the base at 29 Palms, CA.  "Military brat" is known in U.S. military culture as a term of endearment and respect.  I wanted the chance to run the marathon because it would allow me to run in our Nation's Capitol and be part of one of the largest marathons in the US and the world and to honor my Marine Corps roots.   The coolest part for me was that it finished at the Marine Corps Memorial, a beautiful monument.

The New York City marathon was on my list because I have heard how much fun it is to run through all 5 Boroughs.  And it’s the largest marathon in the world, with over 50,000 finishers. I have always loved visiting New York City.  Although, I don't think I could ever live there.  But I love the vibrancy of the city.  I love being able to eat at fantastic little out of the way restaurants and being able to go see shows on Broadway.  I am very lucky to get the chance to visit New York at least once every year for work.  This year I will finally get to run the marathon and cross it off my list.  Maybe I will even be able to set a PR.

My parents spent most of their childhood in Chicago.  I have been visiting the city for as long as I can remember and always enjoy my time there.  I also would like to run it because I still have family living there and will get a chance to hang out with them before and after the race.  Several years ago, I was in town for a convention and had a chance to run along the lake.  It was a beautiful run and still one of my favorite urban running trails.  In fact, just a few weeks ago I had the chance to run that route again.  It reminded me that I  should really think about running the Chicago Marathon sometime in the future.  So I have added it to my list.

Overall my first week of training went as expected.  On my longer runs, I would take a few short walk breaks to let my heart rate go down and to avoid overheating.  I am hoping that I will become more acclimated over the next several weeks and be able to run every training run without having to take any walk breaks.  Even if I do have to take breaks, I know that I am putting in the effort to allow me to toe the line in Staten Island ready to rock the race.  

Till next week, run because you can and finish because you want to.

July 4 – 6.20 miles (1:05:18, 10:32 pace) - Hill Repeats
July 5 – 6.30 miles (57:37, 9:09 pace)
July 7 – 7.50 miles (1:10:54, 9:27 pace)
July 8 – 6.20 miles (55:57, 8:50 pace)
July 9 – 10.20 miles (1:37:49, 9:35 pace)
July 10 – 8.20 miles (01:12:48, 8:53 pace)

Total Miles:  44.6 miles
2016 Total Miles:  976.0 miles

Back and Training for My Next Marathon

I must apologize to those of you who follow this blog for being absent for 2 months.  It wasn't because I didn't have any ideas to write about or anything to say.  It was simply that my life became extremely busy after the Ragnar Austin.  It is funny how that seems to happen from time to time.  I seem to remember a quote I read somewhere that said "Too busy is a myth.  People make time for the things that are really important to them."  Amen to that.

So what important things have I been busy with the last 2 months.  One, of course, is running.  I have been trying to keep my fitness base up to the level it needs to be so that I can kick off my New York City Marathon training on July 4th.  I want to make sure that I can start the hard training right away.  I am going to incorporate hill training into my normal Brooks Hanson program.  I figure it will help me on the bridges in New York City.  I have set a goal to break 4 hours in a marathon one more time.  If I train hard and the weather gods are in my favor, I think I have a good chance to achieve this goal.

While you no doubt know my passion for running, you probably are not as familiar with my second love - theater.  I started acting back in my high school productions and did a little of it while in college.  But after graduating from TCU, I focused on my career and let my love of the performing arts lie dormant.  I didn't seek out acting opportunities because I was unaware of amateur and community theater.  It is unfortunate because I would have loved to have been able to perform when I was in my 20s and 30s when I could potentially play so many more roles.  I am happy to have the chance to perform now and have had a chance to really play some fun roles over the past 7 years.

For the last 2 months, I have been rehearsing for and performing in "Moon Over Buffalo" as the lead character George Hay.  It is a very physically challenging role and one I absolutely love performing each and every time I step on stage.  It is a comedy and I get the chance to show a side of myself that I don't often get to in let loose in my daily life.  Yep, the buffoon.  The biggest compliment I have received from a friend who saw the show was "you were born after your time - between your comic timing and slapstick abilities, you would make the Three Stooges proud!" My Dad introduced me to the great classic comic actors like The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, The Marx Brothers and Abbott and Costello.  I really try to emulate their timing and physicality in this role and it seems to resonate with the audience.

It is so nice to have something in my life that gives me a powerful feeling of enthusiasm.  The enthusiasm I feel about running and theater is very powerful. When I am able to have it supplement my work, it allows me to achieve true success in my life.  These passions better equip me to overcome the many obstacles that arise in my daily life.  I find that these outlets make me more inclined to work harder at improving both professionally and personally. Thus allowing me to continuously improve myself.  As I age, I find this is even more important.

I am planning to blog each week about my training for the New York City Marathon.  It will allow me to record my thoughts about training for a marathon here in the peak of summer in Arizona.  My hope is that by training in hot weather and then traveling to a cooler weather race will work to my advantage.  Obviously my body will have less work to do in cooling itself, so I think it will feel easier than my training runs. I don't know how dramatically different it will be than my hot training runs but I know that I enjoy racing in cool weather.  My best marathon in 2009 was a cool temperature day.  Maybe I will have another P.R. in the cool temperatures of New York City.  Who knows?

May 2 – 5.60 miles (59:21, 10:36 pace) - Hill Repeats
May 3 – 6.30 miles (57:40, 9:09 pace)
May 6 – 4.00 miles (42:00, 10:30 pace)
May 7 – 6.20 miles (1:00:56, 9:50 pace)
May 8 – 3.00 miles (32:00, 10:40 pace)
May 9 – 6.20 miles (1:04:02, 10:20 pace) - Hill Repeats
May 10 – 6.10 miles (57:44, 9:10 pace)
May 12 – 6.30 miles (59:07, 9:23 pace)
May 13 – 5.20 miles (45:11, 8:41 pace)
May 14 – 9.10 miles (1:22:54, 14:11 pace)
May 15 – 8.20 miles (1:17:37, 9:28 pace)
May 16 – 5.20 miles (55:25, 10:39 pace) - Hill Repeats
May 17 – 6.30 miles (57:36, 9:09 pace)
May 19 – 6.30 miles (59:03, 9:22 pace)
May 20 – 5.10 miles (43:53, 8:37 pace)
May 26 – 6.30 miles (59:03, 9:22 pace)
May 28 – 7.20 miles (1:01:58, 8:36 pace)
May 29 – 7.20 miles (1:09:01, 9:35 pace)
May 30 – 6.20 miles (01:02:41, 10:07 pace) - Hill Repeats
May 31 – 6.30 miles (59:29, 9:26 pace)
June 2 – 6.20 miles (01:00:37, 9:47 pace)
June 6 – 5.50 miles (56:21, 10:15 pace) - Hill Repeats
June 7 – 6.30 miles (57:56, 9:12 pace)
June 9 – 6.20 miles (45:12, 9:33 pace)
June 10 – 5.20 miles (45:08, 8:41 pace)
June 13 – 4.10 miles (35:50, 8:45 pace)
June 14 – 3.10 miles (23:06, 7:27 pace)
June 16 – 3.20 miles (28:15, 8:50 pace)
June 18 – 5.20 miles (47:51, 9:12 pace)
June 21 – 4.20 miles (39:39, 8:01 pace)
June 22 – 4.20 miles (35:33, 8:27 pace)
June 23 – 6.50 miles (1:01:31, 9:28 pace)
June 24 – 6.20 miles (52:55, 8:31 pace)
June 25 – 8.10 miles (1:11:57, 8:53 pace)
June 26 – 8.20 miles (1:11:57, 9:40 pace)
June 27 – 6.20 miles (1:04:01, 10:20 pace) - Hill Repeats
June 28 – 6.20 miles (57:46, 9:19 pace)
June 30 – 6.30 miles (59:04, 9:23 pace)
July 1 – 6.20 miles (55:57, 9:01 pace)
July 2 – 8.20 miles (1:20:19, 9:48 pace)
July 3 – 10.20 miles (1:39:43, 9:47 pace)

Total Miles:  248.2 miles
2016 Total Miles:  931.4 miles