My heart rate was much better than the last run. I peaked at 162 towards the end but managed an overall average of 151. So, yes, a vast improvement over last week’s run.
Incremental Marathon Update
Yup. I Am Out of Shape
My heart rate was through the roof! My average was 162. However, I hit 172 several times at the end. But what did I expect? I haven’t run since February 19th! Thirty seven days without running. And I felt it!
Okay, I Watched; I Enjoyed
But once was enough. I mean, damn, it’s a long movie. Two complaints (length is not one of them); cyborg was the weakest character and not enough of Jared Leto’s Joker.
I get it about my second complaint – the Joker had no place in the story’s central part. Also, I sense that the Joker’s makeup will be less heavy should he be included in a movie made by Zack Snyder. I’m not going to give any spoilers, so you’ll have to watch the film yourself to understand better.
I found every scene with Superman/Clark Kent not only watchable but enjoyable. Also, the best of Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman was on display. And this brings me to my first complaint: Ray Fisher didn’t have the chops to make Cyborg more convincing. And the writers hammed up the character’s story arc. I know there’s press that Wheadon is the cause of Ray Fisher’s lack of stardom, but that’s more hype than fact. What I saw in the HBO version did not justify any claims of Ray Fisher deserving megastar billing.
Ultimately, a much more cohesive film than the theatrical release. The cause of lack of cohesion – two directors of totally different voices. And Wheadon didn’t have his heart in directing his parts of the theatrical version. Too close after the “Avengers” movies? He admitted to feeling burned out and used up by Marvel after “Age of Ultron.” And I am not going to put the failure of the theatrical release solely at the feet of Josh. Wheadon has a lighter, breezier voice than Zack. However, I suspect producers forced Wheadon to ignore the darker tone initially crafted by Snyder. Producers have a lot to do with the look and feel of a movie, especially when they micromanage.
Not My Day
I am not Irish, nor do I drink alcohol, so St. Patrick’s Day is wasted on me.
Uh-huh.
Weird is not the new cool. Nor is it the old cool.
Weird is the timeless cool.
I Hate Drawing
I cannot draw. I’ve known this for all of my life. And no, I don’t buy the “anyone can draw” bullshit. So, when I signed up for a psychology class, the last thing I expected was an art component. But that’s what I have to do. Now, I’ll draw, but it does not do anything for my learning experience. Just the opposite, it bogs me down. I do not get the thought behind making me do art. It seems to be an unsound theory not supported by any real-world situations.
Now, I get the concept of critical thinking. I believe it is a crucial aspect of being able to succeed in the world. However, I’m not convinced that it is a process that can be taught equally to everyone with the expectation of a universal time-frame. People learn at different paces and in different ways. I am a word thinker. My thoughts are dialogue. I cannot visualize anything. Nor do I hear music. Or have music in my mind. Just words. Just dialogue. So, I am a simple man who likes to receive information through words. I will go through life using what I was taught, gaining mastery at my pace.
It irritates me when education goes beyond educating and forces premature “mastery” of subjects. In other words, they are trying to force comprehension. It is the one thing I have learned in all my years as a counselor – I cannot force my clients to gain comprehension. It is a spontaneous process that occurs at a different pace for each individual. Mastery is gained through repeated effort. And through their respective manner of thinking. Kinetic thinkers, auditory thinkers, visual thinkers, and emotive thinkers all learn in different ways. Unfortunately, teachers are forced to craft a classroom without regard to the various manner of thinking. And that’s a shame.
Oh, and for the first time since I started college, I have an instructor that I am not liking. It’s a first for me.
Report on the Incremental Marathon
Without elaborating too much, I am going to say I managed three runs this week. Forty-five minutes on Monday, and 30 minutes Wednesday and this morning. Feeling pretty good about them – no exhaustion or out-of-the-ordinary tightness that existed before I received the vaccine.
I have hope.
Follow Up on Health
Okay, since writing my long post the other day, I’ve managed to get two workouts in. The first one on Monday was 45 minutes long. The one today was for 30 minutes. Again, nothing great on my speed or distance. But that is to be expected. I weighed myself today for the first time in a long time: 238 pounds. It’s about the heaviest I have weighed in years. It’s not the heaviest I have ever been – that was close to 250 pounds.
Anyway, despite the weight, I felt good during both workouts, and there was no exhaustion afterward.
And on the schoolwork front – I’m gaining ground already.
Ah, WOW!
You will be blown away!
Name? https://t.co/2e7kVkVfRx
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) February 15, 2021
Post Vaccine Post
I could write a 500-word post about how I feel now that I’ve gotten past the discomfort (I minimize) of the second shot. Suffice it to say; I feel physically better than I have for the past year. In February of 2020, I became ill. It was mild at first, but something told me to sleep. I did, for over 30 hours, getting up to go to the bathroom once.
Since that day, I have been mildly achy, tired, and stiff – every day. Sitting at a desk caused a mild backache that became excruciating if I felt even a little under the weather beyond the already discouraging discomfort. I experienced three days of exhaustion after exercising. An eight hour day of employment was exhausting. I ended up dropping the fall semester of college because I didn’t have the energy to do school work after eight hours on the job. I lost a job because of being so tired and making the poor choice of confronting my boss about their condescending and moralizing manner.
Hindsight being 20/20, I’m amazed I managed to keep my current job. I am surprised I was able to perform at my current job. And I was once again struggling to keep up with my school work.
On the emotional and mental front, I struggled with mild depression. I lost motivation. I would become angry over the actions of others, something I had overcome through meditation and exercise. However, because of my physical condition, activity became a chore. And meditation became elusive. I became moody, swinging between irritation, sadness, and hopelessness.
Now? I can tell something has changed. Not only physically but mentally as well. My stiffness and achiness have left. Instead, I feel the normal physical condition of an overweight man approaching 60. I can accept that. And I can do something about my weight. I know it will take a while until I am back to the weight before February of 2020. But with how I feel these past two days? Yeah, I can get it done.
I have already emailed my instructors, as well as resumed working on assignments. The damage to my grades is not reversible, over which I have no worries. Instead, I will pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back to business. I am contemplating taking a few days off from work and concentrate on getting caught up on my school work. I am behind on the lab portion of my introduction to biology class. I struggled with using the app required with the course. However, taking time off may not be necessary.
To recover from the impact of that last year, all I need is to apply effort. I will let the outcome figure itself out.
Okay, so I ended up coming close to 500 words. What can I say? My muse overcame me.