All the world's a stage...

From Shakespeare's As You Like It. Quite frankly, I hated it. I had an English teacher in the 11th grade. She was into this crap (so I called it back then and slowly learning to appreciate literature, I SAID SLOWLY).

The class has to memorize the full passage! She exclaimed it was the greatest comparative analysis of a stage and life, comparing it to the seven stages of a man's life: the infant, the schoolboy, the lover, the soldier, the justice, the pantaloon, and the second childhood.

I recall I passed missing only four words. What does this have to do with anything? The last time I heard or desired to hear that series of words was 1978, but lately, especially when I am alone lifting weights, doing yoga, or whatever I do when I drift off, it spins in my head over and over.

I have recently worked my way through many lines and decided to write them down to see what I got right. Then, I wanted to look it up to see if I was even close. So here is what I recalled, and then the bold/italic are words I missed, and words in "quotes" are words I incorrectly added:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men "are" and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like "as hot as a" furnace

That is about all I recalled with any accuracy. I guess I did not remember as much as I thought, as I only made it to the lover!

What does that have to do with this blog or running? Absolutely nothing. But it does make me wonder why, as I get older, I have these recollections of decades ago—recollections I have not even cared about nor really want to relive. I'm not sure why, but I can not help but repeat to myself often during the day.

It may also have to do with a mid-life crisis mental exercise the close to 50-year-old mind plays on oneself. Made me recall the best mid-life crisis story I have ever heard. It goes:

A man who was married for over 25 years looks to his wife and says, "Honey, 25 years ago, I lived in a cheap apartment, had a car that barely ran, slept on a sofa bed or a floor, watched a black and white 12 inch TV but every night I slept with a hot 25-year-old blond! I have a great house, two great cars, several bedrooms with many nice beds, and a 50-inch Plasma TV, but I sleep with an average 50-year-old woman. So, Honey, I think you are not keeping up with the rest of the things in my life."

The wife turned to exclaim, "Go find the hot 25-year-old blond, and I will make sure you are living in a cheap apartment. I may not even let you have the car, and the sofa bed would be the best you could wish for..."

Could be reminiscing is not a good thing after all? But ...

All the worlds a stage...

Carry on my friends - Carry on!

Terrible too's

I am feeling a little better. I have been taking photos of the scale each day this month. Man, daily scale photos tell so much. I bounced as much as 10 pounds from the high and low in the last 10 days, with today being 6 pounds less than 10 days ago but 4 pounds heavier than two days ago. Goofy stuff. I will see how it goes.

The heading is the long-stated question: Once you feel better, how much is too much? I decided to focus on biking for the time being and run once I completed a 100-mile bike ride—yes, at once. I have done several 25-50 rides over the past month, so I am well on the way. I have been doing everything I can think of and reading for PF, and it still hurts a little. Weight loss from biking may make a good overall start.

Many runners, especially those new to running, make the "terrible too's" mistake. They get so excited and enthused about their running that they do too much mileage, too fast, too soon. They mistakenly think that "more is better" regarding running. As a result, they often start to develop common overuse running injuries. Been there, done that... so what is too much. Some pros say:

1) Be more conservative than you think you need to be with how often, how long, and how much you run, especially early in your development. Increase your mileage gradually. Keep your weekly mileage from increasing by more than 10% a week. So if I start at 520 feet, I should only increase it to 572 feet the next week, and so on... That is 25 weeks to a mile. But then, if my first run is 5 miles, I should be able to do a 100-mile run in 6 months. Both are ridiculous in my mind, so does that void the 10% rule?

2) Pay attention to aches and pains. If the pain worsens as you continue running, that's a warning sign that you should stop. If this were true, I would never run. Hey, close to 50, what doesn't hurt? Good. Does this mean I call in sick and stay in bed?

3) Take at least a day off... from what, everything, or just running? I need clarification.

My main point is that I want to run. I am just a little scared to start as I am concerned I will not control my weight. But I still do not know how to control my weight and may just do too much.

I am a little excited but will be a little of a loss the next three weekends. No tennis... Well, not really, as I am heading to Dallas Friday for an Official meeting, then home for two weekends before I have five weekends in a row. Then we are a week before Christmas. Wow, where did 2010 go? As I get older, time seems to go faster.

I read something the other day and found it hard to believe, so I Googled it, which is accurate. Given that a fellow Blogger is going through this right now, I did not know what to think about the shirt. It is very mixed but creative, that is for sure.

Time to call it a night. Viking has depressed me, so I guess I should sleep well!

Carry on, my friends...