thedavesnews

[thedavesnews]

4D

If life is a board game shelf this is the chess year right? All the pieces are laid out and it's time to make some moves. So many years have just been a trading of pawns that the few pieces left have to lead to a checkmate right? H.G Wells says Chess is a curse on man so what do I know.

40 is a reflection year because it's a milestone that seems like it makes or breaks people. I'm not sure if I want this to be half or over halfway. Don't take this the wrong way but those final years just seem awful. I'm sure I will look at them and hope I keep getting one more day when 80 comes. When you're young 40 looks old. When you're 40 you wonder how you even got here. Hopefully the stupidity of youthful decisions are haunting. My only regret at this point in life is the fast food. That was a mistake. Every other decision I made led me to this moment and for that I couldn't be more thankful. I'm happy and I'm loved. That's a pretty amazing gift.

So do I write a retrospective, introspective or futurespective (I made up a word)? For the past couple of weeks I thought about what should go here. Maybe we talk about the plans that can fill the next 40 years. This will assume I do not win the lottery, obviously I will but for the sake of this discussion we leave that out.

First, we can start with the obvious. Sometime this summer I begin training for the Dopey. Dave is doing a marathon after turning 40. Got to start somewhere right? My feed is flooding me with 2 big topics since I signed up (thanks Facebook) are marathon registrations and Paris. If my training goes well and things stay in line I might sign up for a marathon in Europe (probably Paris). It's a major long shot but combining those things you love can really bring out the best in yourself.

Honestly, the biggest shock for me in 40 years is my love of France, specifically Paris. I would have never predicted that. I focused so much time and energy into Spanish and that culture, hell mi cumpleaños es CINCO DE MAYO. Learning French has been difficult and from what I've read others who speak English and Spanish have the same issues. Spanish speaks all the letters which isn't the case for a lot of French words. But the language is self is very pretty. The city of Paris is very enchanting. If I ever have the opportunity to live there I'm taking it. After 40 years, it's time to explore!

I've recently starting letting AI help me with some thought processes and, while I know it's just a parrot of words at this point, it's still impressive just how much use it can give all of us. Wonder how AI would have written this? Here's an excerpt....

----

Dave's Reflections: Embracing 40 and Beyond

So, here I am – on the brink of turning the big 4-0. It's a milestone that comes with its fair share of mixed emotions. As I countdown the days to this momentous occasion, I can't help but pause and reflect on the journey that has brought me here.

Turning 40 isn't just about adding another digit to my age; it's about taking stock of where I've been and where I'm headed. It's a time to look back on the highs and lows, the triumphs and challenges, and to celebrate the person I've become.

When I hit that milestone "purchase" button on life, I couldn't help but wonder – why have I done this to myself? But as I approach 40, I realize that every decision, every challenge, has led me to this point. It's a culmination of experiences that have shaped me, challenged me, and ultimately made me who I am today.

----

I was impressed with the amount of information that it was willing to write for me based off my last 3 posts. The generic versions without my writing style applied just about being 40 were honestly a bit depressing and sterile.

AI can be super helpful...just don't let it write your blog.

-Dave

You're never too old to be young.

#this is 40 #future #hbd to me

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"Countdown to Dopey: Dave's Journey to the RunDisney Challenge

So you went through the anxiety driven process that is the RunDisney signup queue. Now you have anxiety because you paid a large amount of money to run 48.6 miles around Walt Disney World. This is includes your first marathon. A distance you have not even remotely consider tackling in your short running career. Why have you done this to yourself?

Honestly, it's the question I asked myself when I hit purchase. I turn 40 in 25 days and when I first started training for my first Disney run (Dark Side) the world shut down. The training wasn't nearly as awful as I expected it to be and I stuck with it pretty regularly. Back then I had heard about this Dopey thing Disney did but the actual mileage got lost in the details that it was grueling and a major challenge. Told myself I would never sign up because I had no desire to run a full marathon. I was only "half" crazy as we half-marathoners say.

As I kept progressing to each run season (starting 2021) I started to reconsider my original ban on going over 13 miles. So many runners older than I were competing this thing. Maybe I could actually do it. Each year I mentally feel less sure I could physically complete this. Last run season was pretty rough and I gave up training in the end. I finished all my races but I hated myself for just not putting forth my best effort. I have no excuses this year. If I don't train, I don't finish.

It's pressure but good pressure. If I conquer 26 miles just once I'm pretty sure no distance will ever seem scary again. This isn't going to be easy nor do I expect it to be fun doing those longer training runs but I'm convinced this is going to be worth it. This will be an accomplishment.

Once I start training we're going to document the journey. You can take it with me for the good, the bad, and the why did I ever think this is a good idea! I'm sure it'll be fine. All the commenters on the Dare to Dopey said so...must be true.

Now, what 4 characters do I do?

-Dave

Join me on the journey where miles become memories and every finish line is a triumph

#running #sixpackdave #goals #rundisney #dopey

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Disneyland Distance Dash

If you read the last post you'll know that we ventured out to California to visit Disneyland for the first time ever. That was a mostly good experience. Feel free to look back if you want to see about the parks because this will be about RunDisney on the west coast.

Let me preface by saying I have filled out the post run survey and given my feedback to Disney and based on the posts I've seen on Reddit and elsewhere I'm not alone in my feelings on the weekend.

There are things that Disney cannot control such as the weather. It was cold but I'm not holding that against anyone. We prepared for it and the costumes I ran kept me pretty comfortable. I was Russell for the 10k and Judy Hopps in the half. Russell is a new addition to the repertoire but it was a carryover from the previous weekend in Disney World with my family being several characters from up.

So if the weather can't be attributed what can we say should be improved? Sadly, multiple things come to mind almost instantly. Security was abysmal and I covered it a bit on the parks as well. They are using devices that are probably older than I am to secure each person entering and I don't know why they haven't upgraded to match WDW. All items much come out of the pockets, Mylar needs to be shed and with the costumes a LOT of wand waving will take place causing the lines to be backed up. 30 minutes just to get through the security line. In FL it would be less than 30 seconds. It's a major put off for me because it's the first thing I see when I get there and those 1st impressions are important so I enter the event in a negative mindset. For the 2nd race day I had they did let us run through with items overhead but why did it take 3 days to figure that out?

Once we were past the gates it felt like something was off. The 10k went mostly on-time but there was hardly any interaction with the crowd. Don't get me wrong Carissa tried with Tetris but there was no chemistry with the other guy (Matt I think). The half didn't start on time and I heard the 5k was also behind schedule. Not sure if it was a schedule thing or what but releasing whole corrals isn't the best idea even if we wish that could work in the real world. The congestion it creates leaves a lot to be desired. I'm faster than my official pace showed even without training. There just wasn't any room to run.

The water stops were ill placed causing a literal full stop around mile 3 on the half. I counted about 60 full seconds of non-movement and heard from the later corrals it was around 2-3 minutes. That kills momentum and destroys any chance of a PR but if you're doing a Disney race to PR...you are doing it wrong. Then again, some runners do want to have respectable times regardless what race it is.

I run Disney races for the magic and the sights. If I wanted to run a non-Disney race Florida has plenty with scenic views like Space Coast (which I run) or Celebration (which I'm considering). I'm not paying Disney prices to run 8 of 13 miles on the streets of Anaheim. It's not worth it. It was unknown to me that characters were not on the streets. Maybe I should have researched but this was a new come back of the races so those details from previous years may not have been valid. Either way, it was a slog through city streets with no entertainment and nothing to look at. Can I say I explored Anaheim? Kind of. Did I finish the race and get a high five from Jeff Galloway? Finish, yes. High five...no. I barely missed as someone passed me on the right to poach it. It's fine though as I have gotten that last sprint high five in the past.

As of this moment it would take an amazing theme to get me back in California to run a longer distance than 10k. It's not being outside the park as a problem in and of itself since we do they in Florida. It's the fact that we experienced no magic for well over half the race. It might as well been the Anaheim half the way it was done. I'm still going to run in Florida and if they ever give us the Paris Disney run you know I'll be there!

-Dave

California Runnin on such a winter's day

#rundisney #disneyland #dumbo dare

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Didneyland Debut

Disney Resort #3 in the books. Still funny to me California came after Paris. Then again, had Covid not shut the world down it still world have been 3rd as I was training to run the Castle to Chateau (a half-marathon in both Paris and one of the US Disney parks in a calendar year). I guess I was just destined to visit Paris 1st.

Both Paris and Anaheim versions of the Disney Resort have 2 parks built in walking proximity from each other and a central shopping/hotel area. It's a great design if you are staying on property. The transportation within Anaheim on a regular business day was very manageable. Our hotel provided a heads up on the bus system which we didn't use the 1st day opting to walk to the nearest Disney parking lot (Toy Story) and taking that shuttle as many other local non-Disney hotel guests were doing.

The rides themselves for the most part were better in Disneyland except for Big Thunder Mountain and Jungle Cruise. California's Jungle Cruise was short. This doesn't make it bad per say but it makes it not the best version although our skipper was funnier than some I've had in other parks. I was pleasantly surprised for the most part regarding the resort itself. For all the heads up I got that Disneyland was small and both days were half days I really don't know what you're doing in the parks. We missed things and we spent FULL days in both with Genie+ getting us expedited access to rides.

Here's the other part of that...the lines in DL were SHORTER than anything we see in WDW these days. 30 minutes seemed to be the average longest time I saw. Obviously there were outliers but those notwithstanding lines were reasonable, IMO. Had we more time Genie would have been an after thought likewise to WDW where we have AP and can do a single ride here and there as we want.

For all the goods DL has over WDW their app and physical security are just awful, truly and abysmally awful. The scanners at the entrances are most likely from the original opening. Do the parks not share technology updates? I'm legitimately asking. This caused so many issues on run day (that update coming in a different post) and having to take things out of pockets, including my medal, was kind of embarrassing since I know there are better ways.

Also, the app. Why is the app so bad. You can't add friends/family without having to know their ticket numbers which is an incredibly cumbersome way to link your party together. That and you have to scan barcodes instead of tapping the turnstile. DL does at least use Magicbands so that's a plus over Paris. I'm assuming for the app it's a privacy law thing? I can't explain why it's so bad other than it's not allowed to have the connections allowed in other states. Even the race announcers talked about it on the stage. I love the mouse but I'm also fair in pointing out the flaws.

Obviously there we positives from the visit as noted above but let's see what else we enjoyed! The Incredicoaster was so amazing. Perfect theming and the queue video talking about the retheme was 4th wall breaking but also really funny. Violet seemed miffed and Edna was just taking it stride which kind of seems against her don't look back mantra. Honestly, the entire Pixar Pier was gorgeous. I got to see it at night and lit up my words will not do it proper justice but you can find photos online of it I'm sure.

Characters just roam around in DL and that was something that we're not used to seeing. At WDW those handlers are extremely tethered keeping everyone back until the character reaches the proper location for the official line to get their moment. I liked the random encounters we had and the characters just took it in stride. Maybe it's the culture at DL. Maybe it's just a different clientele? I never saw any issues with it in DL like I've seen in WDW. Then again, Photo pass was few and far between in DL as well. Most cast members took personal photos with your own phone/camera for free. Refreshing but also odd. It's not like Disney to miss out on a way to monetize guests. They sure as hell don't miss that in WDW.

Anaheim doesn't allow fireworks during the week. If Orlando tried to enforce we'd riot. DL was dumb enough to have a mug that said "It's all about fireworks" when they don't even have them. So dumb. If they won't do fireworks they should consider going the route of Paris and have drone shows. Honestly, the drone shows in Paris were killer. It was innovative and fit a culture that isn't obsessed with blowing shit up.

All the said I want to see if I can compare the parks I've been to thus far and update once park 4 happens. Which park would be #4? Shanghai is the currently leader. All because of Zootopia. If you didn't know that and you're reading this...you either don't know me or haven't read enough of my entries :P

Best of from my current experiences at 3 Disney Resorts

Big Thunder - Paris Pirates - DL Space Mountain - Paris (did not get to ride Land's version) Security - WDW Shopping - WDW Nighttime Show - WDW (Happily Ever After) Hotel - WDW (Polynesian cause Moana...) Castle - Paris Haunted Mansion - DL with Nightmare overlay Philharmagic - WDW Soarin - WDW (over the world) This is just one person's opinion but I'd like to think it's valid since I've done 3 parks and have seen the various cultures that go with them. In either event I'm going to do a post on the return of RunDisney to Disneyland. Make sure to come back and give it a read!

-Dave

Adventure awaited

#disney #disneyland #california #review

[thedavesnews]

Resolution Copy Pasta 2024 Edition

I'm late to the party this year. Kind of got away from me really. Seems to be par for the course as each year passes. It was a big year full of things not on my resolution list like marriage and a trip to Europe. More over, I fell in love with France and French which might be the most unexpected thing possible for me since my 2nd language was always Spanish. Who knows though, as Therese and I travel and I pick up more languages I could find another yearning. A single week in a foreign land just isn't enough.

That is for a different post...you're here to see how bad I did keeping promises to myself...

2023 Results

Continue running the Disney races in 2023. Just keep on running! --Check and this year I added 5k with my wife and SIL.

Get consistent with working out. Now or maybe never. --Was doing so good keeping the miles going but fell apart in the final quarter of the year after Space Coast.

Sustainable diet for as much of the year as possible. --Did well for a bit and like most things just lost track of the goal

#SixPackDave…full on ground rolling laughter. --I just leave this on the list to hurt myself annually.

Read 52 books.  Setting this again (tomorrow on Goodreads.com). Barely made it to 70 last time and wasn't always catching the content so I'm drifting back down a bit. Still doing it just more reasonable. --Read 53. 52 feels like a sweet spot I can hit but also gives me time for other content.

Go for a new PR.  Current half-marathon PR if 2:18. --No PR, this was a survival year.

Pick one of my novel ideas and stick with it to get a 2nd novel review ready. Either that or at last full storyboard one of the unfinished. Progress of some kind. --I have several in progress but nothing publishable.

Do some writing prompts.  Tumblr is full of them, let’s have some fun this year on the blog!  Yep, repeating this one too. --Seemed like a fun idea but I only remember Tumblr exists for big events like NYE, Cinco de Mayo and trips to other countries.

Stream again. I miss chat. --I still miss chat.

Get at least 2 technology certifications (PowerApps and TBD). Went through the material for Power Platform. Just need to prove I know it. --I'm building a new service for my team but I'm not a great test taker.

2024 Resolutions

Dopey.

Find workouts that appeal to me enough to get them on regular rotations.

Sustainable diet for as much of the year as possible.

#SixPackDave…laughing but sighing too.

Read 52 books. 

Get my half marathon time back under 2:30.  Current half-marathon PR if 2:18.

Get a 2nd novel review ready and/or start a serial to peak interests.

Try a writing prompt. I follow a group that posts many that have been pretty interesting. Short ones can spark some other ideas.

Stream or post videos again. I really miss chat.

Get another full year streak on Duolingo as well as get all the badges for each month. Become the polyglot.

Travel somewhere new. This is cheating because I've already booked a cruise to Central America :)

Take technical certifications tests. I hate tests but I go through the learning material so smoothly.

Become a regular at my nearest LGS for MTG and Lorcana events.

-Dave

bonne année/feliz año nuevo

#sixpackdave #running #goals #future #past #polyglot #happy new year

[thedavesnews]

On devrait se voir

A lot has happened in the past month let alone since the last time I wrote an entry on Tumblr. Let's catch up as the title says.

But where to start? It's been a few days over 4 months since my last long form post. Since we got back from our cruise to Mexico I have been going hardcore into learning the French language. When I say I went hard, I mean hard. I was reading Le Monde, dabbled in French speaking gamers on Youtube and kicked some serious ass on the leaderboards of Duolingo. While I wouldn't consider myself fluent by any stretch of any imagination I would say that I knew enough that I had no fear taking a journey to the heart of Paris. For those keeping score, French is my 3rd language on my road to being a polyglot. No plans on stopping but I will have to figure out a way to keep going and see what the next language will be.

So why French and why Paris? Our honeymoon of course. Although, that was not the original idea. It was just supposed to be a vacation to tame our wanderlust. I wanted to show Therese Europe because I have far reaching dreams. London got thrown in because it was actually cheaper to fly into Heathrow and then return via CDG from Paris. We will have to revisit London again because 2 days wasn't much of anything even with the expedited pace we ran through many of the amazing things it offers. Honestly, if England was still part of the EU it would make the cut for places I wouldn't mind living. As it stands it will be just on the outside until it decides to rejoin. When you can speak 3 languages why settle for another country that speaks your native tongue? Options :)

London's tube was really great. Then again, I don't live with a metro system but I compare it to NYC. There were moments of extreme crowding during a labor strike day but it was efficient and stops were literally everywhere. The room itself was probably the smallest ever and again I've stayed in NYC. West End felt on par with Broadway in terms of show performance. The locations themselves left something to be desired. A key thing I found was that both London and Paris want to keep their history solidly and keep the modern world at arm's length. Paris was more so giving the middle finger to any modern anything. The most interesting detail we discovered in London was the various languages we hear all around the city. In Florida, we get English and Spanish. At Disney we occasionally hear Portuguese but in London we heard everything and it was really neat, at least for me. Others may find it overwhelming.

I found the train from London to Paris to be quite comfortable and going through the Chunnel was cool. An announcement would have been great but I'm sure many of the passengers (and definitely the crew) have done the journey enough that it lost it's magic or interest. If our country embraced high speed rail we could end some reliance on other vehicles but that will probably never happen. Orlando could really use a better rail option. SunRail is garbage and I often think it was never meant to be a win. It was poorly done to make it seem like rail wouldn't work here. But with proper funding it would. I'd use it with more stops and more hours.

We ran into a weird situation near the Disney train terminal. We were made to leave the train due to a suspicious bag left by someone and told we couldn't complete the train ride to our destination. Many of us were scrambling to figure out what was going on. Luckily, a few really good French speakers helped us figure out what was happening. We had our first French snack (I wouldn't call it a meal) and found ourselves back on the same train but without our seat to complete the ride from CDG to Marne la Vallée Chessy (Disney's train stop). 4 Disney days were ahead of us :)

I would insert a joke about having Disney at home but honestly Disney is Disney. Hearing French instead of Spanish for the 2nd language was cool. Every ride we did was better in Paris. Big Thunder was simply on a different level than everything else including the version in Florida. We rode it twice. It's the only ride we did more than once. The Paris version is the best as advertised!

Paris Proper (as we called it) was pretty spot on from our assumptions via the numerous videos we watched on it. Honestly, we owe a lot of our ability to navigate around to Les Frenchies on YouTube. Their videos are succinct, to the point and offer their opinions. Seeing as the wife is from Florida we felt her perspective would match ours and sure enough, it did.

We did some touristy stuff but we wanted our experience to be off the beaten path and more what a local might experience. Selfishly, I wanted to see if France was a someday home. It could be under the right circumstances, namely a job. I've proven I can learn a language and I'm willing to learn any language that gets me a new set of 4 walls!...and a living wage.

It's safe to say our next overseas journey won't be Paris (because we want to travel somewhere new) but where should a next journey be? I have thoughts but I'm always open to new ideas! I also plan to maybe break down each country a bit more in separate posts if the interest is there. This started out really cohesive and quickly became what you read. It kind of mirrors the blah that is post vacation blues. Coming down from a honeymoon and honestly one of the most amazing vacations I've ever had made real life incredibly hard.

I lost track of my running progress. This half marathon at Disney coming up is going to be brutal. It's on me because no one told me not to run. Told myself it was to save my self from injury for Europe but I could have kept it going. Garbage in, garbage out as they say. I have a few sessions remaining to build small stamina and if I don't I may not cross the line come 13.1 miles.

Also found myself stalling on language learning. It just isn't flowing. I don't know if French kicked my ass or I just need to find a direction and a language to learn. Do I try to get fluent in Spanish? Do I keep trekking in French? Do I start something completely new?! ADHD is a bitch.

2023 was such an amazing year that having it end with me failing to cross a finish line would just be an unbearable scenario. I'm going to push. Just hoping I have enough to get my medal.

-Dave

Gracias por leer

#catch up #france #europe #london #honeymoon #wedding #vacation #polyglot

[thedavesnews]

The Story Where She Said Yes

Went on a 4 day cruise to Mexico with a girlfriend and came back with a fiancé, or in the words of the locals prometido. Everyone seems to be asking the same question so I figure I will regale you with the tale of how that beautiful blue tanzanite ring went around her finger.

Day one of the cruise we like to venture around all the shops and see the wares. As fate would have it Effy was unveiling a new tanzanite collection. I've always wondered if these are new collections or they just assume that it's new to the cruisers. We were shown many different items from this collection. Turns out that our affinity toward the color blue would lead us to a ring with a lovely blue tanzanite accompanied on both sides with a small string of diamonds on the band (supposedly called a shank but that sounds counter to a love story).

The staff runs through their sales process and finally gives us a number that was honestly far better than I expected to see on the calculator's display. No move is made on the purchase but I can see this ring is going to be something special we're going to talk about for the remainder of the evening. We call it an evening and process back to the cabin.

When we get back to the hall our cabin resides I ask her if she likes the ring and she says yes.

I ask her if she wants the ring and she says yes.

I tell her that would be her engagement ring and she says. Ok.

And that's how we became engaged. Not what you expected? Same. This wasn't the plan. It just happened. Am I shocked she said yes? Very much so. I thing the ring did all the work. See for yourself...

So many things got put in place by this weird assembly of "Will you marry me?" I'm not a dresser upper nor am I a planner so I might outsource the wedding planning to ChatGPT. Something I do think will be fun will be the wedding song stuff. I don't like traditional but I do like tasteful. Is doing the Office aisle walk considered in style or retro enough to be BACK in style? Then there is first dance song. I'm motivated by music so it will be my best involvement in the whole process until some penguin asks me to say I do followed by a weird request to perform PDA in front of everyone in attendance.

I will oblige.

-Dave

And no we don't have a date yet.

#engagement #engaged #tanzanite #cruisetravel

[thedavesnews]

trente-neuf

AKA, 39. I too had to Google it. Duolingo doesn't start you with numbers. But I can say cat in 3 languages now!! A long time ago there was this desire in me to become a linguist. I wish I could explain the drive but it was probably coincided with my reading of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This was the early days of the internet where I found some article or maybe a reference about JRR Tolkien being able to write his own language and I found that I myself wanted to be able to speak as many languages as possible. As the years progressed it wasn't super feasible or made a lot of sense. I live in the United States and while Spanish was good to know nothing else seemed to make sense as I wasn't really a world traveler.

Fast forward some years and I'm planning some more overseas trips and I happen to be someone who wants to speak the language of the land. Or at least attempt to give the country I'm visiting respect and not assume they speak my language, though a lot of non-Americans do speak it and I hear it's taught almost everywhere around the globe. Should I get through French enough to match my level of Spanish...what should language number 4 be?

The most frustrating part of French so far is the silent syllables. Spanish doesn't have that. Each letter gets spoken in some way. They also don't put ' all over the place to combine words. Still don't know how to ask about the library or that place I go pee but I'm sure it's in there...right Duo? You will teach me how to find a bathroom...Right?!

If you recall from my last post I've got some miles ahead of me and that's just to prep for the following year with so many more miles. Running and learning. The best Dave is still to come. 39 looks like it will be a pretty good number.

-Dave

Oh, so many years have gone though I'm older but a year

#sun lap #birthday

[thedavesnews]

Run Dave Run

After some internal debate about running the KY Derby mini-marathon the logistics of trying to fly up, run and come back home in 3 days wasn't working out like I wanted so I have ultimately decided this isn't the year but I do plan to run a bit on Saturday somewhat in honor of the race itself and to just start getting myself back in running condition. This upcoming race season is going to be brutal.

Doing all 3 races for Wine and Dine in November (5k, 10k, half). Haven't registered but planning on Space Coast again at the end of the same month. January I'm doing 5k and half for WDW Marathon weekend and then flying to California to do a 10k and half 7 days later. Princess weekend is still up in the air depending on the theming. I haven't done Springtime surprise weekend yet but this year's map made me think about it for 2024. Themes make the race, especially when I want to take a race weekend off.

However, as grueling as this race season is going to be the following might be worse if everything comes together and it's exciting. I recently learned about a perfect race season at WDW and I kind of want to try it once before I'm too old to do these events. What is a perfect season for RunDisney you ask?

For Wine and Dine it's the 5k, 10k and half. For Marathon Weekend it's the Dopey (5k, 10k, half and full) For Princess it's the 5k, 10k and half. For Springtime surprise it's all 3 races. The distances are supposed to be random but so far it's been 5k, 10k and 10 miler. In total, I think that's 112 miles and a some change.

The biggest fear I have of this is the full marathon. Half marathons have me at my limits year after year. While I can bounce back fairly quickly I have legit concerns that I couldn't finish a full. With proper training I keep reading and being told a full marathon is possible. So I want to do it. In the Dopey. It's insane but when have I ever been considered sane by anyone. Don't answer that.

Running through life like Hei Hei!

I know it's a gif but this is what training around a lake feels like.

-Dave

I don't care how far, I can go the distance

#running #plans #rundisney

[thedavesnews]

Further, Faster, Farther

Resolutions are supposed to be for fun right? You're not supposed to actually aim for them...right? RIGHT?? There has to be an extra credit assignment I can apply here for 2022. Name it and I'll think about it. If I graded these lists I wonder what percentage I would get. I might do that. I'm assuming it would be low teens. But no one should be subjected to that sort of review of their mind being more than matter.

Here's the stuff I probably didn't do last year that I said I would.

2022 Results

Continue running the Disney races in 2022.  Should be the easiest on my list to finish since I’m already registered for a couple.  Maybe keep the challenges going when offered (unless it sells out). --Kept it going with the 2 same 4 race weekends. 2 Challenges and 2 just halfs.

Get consistent with working out.  Doesn’t need to be top tier every session but just keeping it going and giving as close to 100% I can is all I can ask for at this point because I know myself. --Gym Membership late into the year but...didn't stick.

Get a diet between Keto and the six pack diet I was using years ago.  Keto got the weight off but sustainability is key here as well as opening the culinary ideas to keep me wanting to stick with it. --Left Keto and went to an OK diet. Stuck on the sweets though.

#SixPackDave…laughter intensifies… --Why do I put this on the list every year...never happening.

Read 70 books.  Setting this again (tomorrow on Goodreads.com).  Was the hardest goal so far and will be kept as is at least for 2022.  If I crush this I’ll up it otherwise this might be my ongoing goal for awhile. --Went over by 2 books. Was harder and I feel like I missed the actual content as I tried to rush through.

Go for a new PR.  Current half-marathon PR if 2:18.  Would like to see if I can get that under 2:15. --I can blame the weather all I wanted but I just didn't do well on this one.

Pick one of my novel ideas and stick with it to get a 2nd novel review ready.  The ideas are pretty sound (in my opinion) and I just need to finalize the story for someone else to read and maybe publish. --I progressed on 1 but not enough to say I count this as a win.

Do some writing prompts.  Tumblr is full of them, let’s have some fun this year on the blog!  Yep, repeating this one too. --Didn't really do much on here last year. So fail.

Last year I wanted to grow my Twitch and Youtube.  This year I just want to be consistent in streaming.  Also building out a plan would be super beneficial overall I think.  Some of my highest views were the coding streams and I have ideas on what to build so why not put it on display? --I have the equipment to finally be a streamer once I run the ethernet cord. Streaming on wifi was brutal and I ended up just not doing it. I miss it.

Get at least 2 technology certifications (PowerApps and TBD).  Based on some things I did at year end I have the opportunity to take 2 free cert exams and I have plans to do it before the deadlines of March and June of 2022. --Went through the material but never took the exam.

2023 Resolutions

Continue running the Disney races in 2023. Just keep on running!

Get consistent with working out. Now or maybe never.

Sustainable diet for as much of the year as possible.

#SixPackDave…full on ground rolling laughter.

Read 52 books.  Setting this again (tomorrow on Goodreads.com). Barely made it to 70 last time and wasn't always catching the content so I'm drifting back down a bit. Still doing it just more reasonable.

Go for a new PR.  Current half-marathon PR if 2:18.

Pick one of my novel ideas and stick with it to get a 2nd novel review ready. Either that or at last full storyboard one of the unfinished. Progress of some kind.

Do some writing prompts.  Tumblr is full of them, let’s have some fun this year on the blog!  Yep, repeating this one too.

Stream again. I miss chat.

Get at least 2 technology certifications (PowerApps and TBD). Went through the material for Power Platform. Just need to prove I know it.

It's been a copy paste fest for a few years. Really fits the results if you think about it. Happy New Year!

-Dave

Task failed successfully

#resolutions #year end #happy new year

[thedavesnews]

9,960 +/- 30 seconds to Mars

Completed the 2nd half marathon of the season (and November) last weekend. Neither was anything to write home about. I generally give myself a break for challenge weekends at Disney since I do run 19.3 miles instead of the normal 13.1. That said...I was a few minutes shy of 3 hours for Wine and Dine. It's one of those races I wouldn't mind forgetting sooner than later.

Space Coast official time came in at 2:46 and change. Just shy of 30 minutes over my personal best. It was hot but I just didn't' run a good race. Stomach cramps early on really killed me after a blistering first mile. That best ever time of 2:18 wasn't even a perfect run. I started to falter toward the end or I might have been uber close to 2 hours. It's one of those things that I've been chasing ever since.

I started long distance running pretty late in my lifetime and as such I have often wondered if I missed my chance at peak performance. Obviously, with serious training more than just pre-run season I could probably achieve some better times but what could have been the fastest time I could have given earlier on in my able bodied life? Questions like these can either haunt or drive.

There is something about races that are different than training. Especially Disney races. Even after a full season behind me I still get the same feelings. Prior to the race day I get a bit of nerves regardless of how well I trained. There is always that little nibble in the back of my brain that I didn't do enough to prep for this race.

Race day brings it's own thoughts. Did I forget anything? Did I drink enough water or was the protein bar and banana enough to power me through the entire distance today? As fate would have it I did forget my headphones for Space Coast but had plenty of time to double back and grab them. 13 miles for me without some sort of head entertainment like a book, or preferably fast paced music, would have been an utter nightmare. If I can focus on something other than the run I will ultimately get better results. The couple of training runs I did without music were just awful. I get mentally bored after anything over 5k and that equates to less than positive results.

Post race brings about the discomfort of muscle aches and occasionally random other pains around the body. It's important to take in the moment and accomplish but at the same time you have to make sure you're taking care of the body and getting nutrients and liquids back in. If you're all about the medal it's nice to have it around your neck while you down water, sports drink and whatever random fare they include with the post race banana. Space Coast is eggs and mac and cheese while Disney is random gummies, cheese and pretzels.

If you're about the time it can be fantastic on the good runs and just frustrating on the bad runs. No one wants to go backward in performance. Here's hoping that the next 2 halfs are better conditions. It's not just the conditions but warm temps do not help at all. It's hard to combat 70s over 13 miles. Space Coast had be questioning some things. Ultimately, I think I can finish this season strong and while running is not my favorite thing to do I fully anticipate at least 1 more season of Disney races at minimum. When I heard the Disneyland race was happening next season I was super hyped and now I'm kind of pondering the feasibility of it.

I have a partner who pushes me. Every time she gets up to run I know I need to run. It's rough. I don't enjoy early rising. Sleep is the best thing humans ever figured out how to do. 10/10 would highly recommend.

Recovery time after the race weekends varies. Some races, I'm up and going almost immediately and others I need to just chill for days. No rhyme or reason that I can trace back to make things more enjoyable quicker. All in all I want to keep doing the races until I can't. I see the older runners and it does give me a bit of hope that I can do them well into the future. Only time can tell.

-Dave

We could spend the night and watch the earth come up

#running #halfmarathon #wineanddine #spacecoast

[thedavesnews]

Home Ick

My current housing situation is quite ideal for me but as is the world right now (especially in Florida) rents are simply shooting up without any true rational reasoning. I keep hearing demand is outrageous but I also see empty housing at the same time. The complex I live in will be jumping prices 400-600 for my apartment based on some sleuthing and having neighborly conversations. Everyone I have talked to that is coming up on end of lease and got their renewal offer is leaving. Everywhere around is doing similar so I cannot fault the owners of the apartments even though I am saddened that this is happening. It has driven me to look at something I have never considered up to this point, condos. So many different homes have been pursued online and in person. Two were good enough for offers but the market is so crazy that unless you bid well over market listing you will probably walk away without a contract.

The decision to leave was not simple or easy but it certainly has gotten easier since 2022 started. People are taking craps in the floors in public places. I wish I was making that up. Just this week I have seen 2 poops, 1 in the trash room which was massive and another next to the elevator which was probably jumbo hotdog sized. Trash room was most certainly a human while the other was probably a dog but the owner doesn't give enough of a fuck to handle it properly. There has been puddles of urine in the elevator at least 3 times that I can recently remember. I don't understand how people can be so disgusting in what many consider to be an upscale kind of apartment complex. My guess is that most people are done with this place as the rent goes up and the tenants just can't keep up with it anymore. Several empties just around the building now that were not there a couple days ago.

Do not get me wrong. This was my dream place to live. Not many can say that they fawned over an apartment for years just upon seeing it once and then get to live in it. I loved this place since the first day I saw it and it was a goal/dream to get accepted and become a resident. When I did last year it was one of the best days since I moved to FL. It's perfect for me. It's like a resort. Amazing view, has all the amenities you could want and prime location for me to get enjoy my favorite place in Florida. This place served its purpose and for so many months lived up to my expectations. I will miss it but I wonder if it would be the same should I have decided to stay.

The most frustrating part of this is sending a list of 10 condos to see and in the morning finding out 8 of them are under contract already. This market. Is. Insane! I'm sure I will find a place soon enough but I'm not sure it will be soon enough. Until then I'm investigating the back of closets and exploring the bounty of bedrooms.

-Dave

Do you really wanna taste it?

[thedavesnews]

2020...Two?

I called 2021 as my year.  So many things went right in a year that so much was going wrong.

I was frustrated with my job and was actively working to find something new.  I not only got a new job and while it did get me out of the rut I felt I was in it ultimately crumbled when that company had financial troubles.  Luckily, I made my way back to the company I loved in a better position than I left.  Changes were made to my prior role based on my feedback and I think while I didn’t want to leave it was for the best for all parties which feels like a rarity.

Found myself a great lady with a love of Disney and adventure. 2022 is going to be so much fun with her :)

This was the year I did what I said I never would...run a half-marathon.  Ran 2 in fact along with a 10k for a challenge in my 1st ever attempt.  Crazy enough I still have 2 more on the calendar including another challenge with plans for more.  I never planned to be a runner but I’ll do it as long as I can.

I don’t know if 2022 will continue the roll for me that 2021 provided but I’m optimistic but you’re not hear for that...you’re hear for the results and plans for next year so here.  you.  go.

2021 Results

Complete half-marathon distance in a single session (training or race)

Off to a great start with this one!  Completed not 1, but 2 half-marathons and the 1st was a challenge race including a 10k.

Get physical.  No mandates on time of day or what the physical actions must entail.  Just do something.  Yes, it’s a repeat…I’m allowed to do that.  This is MY list.

Never got momentum if you don’t count the running which I’m not.

Determine the best diet for achieving #1 or #2

I maintained Keto most of the year so I think I found myself for this resolution.

#SixPackDave…still laughing…

Still funny

Read 70 books.  Just set this on Goodreads.com.  Crushed my 60 goal last year and took a break from reading (audiobooks) in December.  Going with the number I stopped at in 2020 but I’m sure I’ll slaughter this one again.

Hit the goal later in the year than previous but I still 

Compete in a distance race (preferably half-marathon but anything shorter counts).  Haven’t decided for this to be in-person or virtual but I just want to finally do one.  Preferably with someone I know.

3 races in so this was another major win for me.  What started as pressure before the pandemic became a goal which then became a thing I did.

Non-compete 5K under 27 minutes.  Want to beat my personal best.  If #1 happens I could shatter this.  26:59 would be OK as well.  Leaving this as it’s my training distance for the small days in half-marathon training.

I got right around 30 minutes for a 5k.  This previous number HAD to come on a treadmill so I don’t know that it counts as a didn’t make because I’m not sure it’s possible given my current long distance training paces me between 10-12 minutes.

Get 2nd novel in a review-able status.  I think I need someone to see what I have and tell me which to continue first.  Surely one of them is good enough to focus on right?

Too many ideas.  Need to focus if I actually want to get anywhere with this.

Do some writing prompts.  Tumblr is full of them, let’s have some fun this year on the blog!  Yep, repeating this one too.

Seemed fun but I never took part in the many I see on my Tumblr.

Grow the Twitch/Youtube channels.  I don’t need DrLupo level fame but I would love to have regular visitors come engage with me in the world of gaming, coding and whatever else I can figure out how to stream.

This went nowhere.  If anything I might have stepped backward a bit.

Get at least 2 technology certifications (PowerApps and TBD).

Career priorities switched a couple times this year and while that’s not a good excuse it did have me changing the learning path and it’s a bit harder to motivate and get it done when that happens.

2022 Resolutions

Continue running the Disney races in 2022.  Should be the easiest on my list to finish since I’m already registered for a couple.  Maybe keep the challenges going when offered (unless it sells out).

Get consistent with working out.  Doesn’t need to be top tier every session but just keeping it going and giving as close to 100% I can is all I can ask for at this point because I know myself.

Get a diet between Keto and the six pack diet I was using years ago.  Keto got the weight off but sustainability is key here as well as opening the culinary ideas to keep me wanting to stick with it.

#SixPackDave…laughter intensifies…

Read 70 books.  Setting this again (tomorrow on Goodreads.com).  Was the hardest goal so far and will be kept as is at least for 2022.  If I crush this I’ll up it otherwise this might be my ongoing goal for awhile.

Go for a new PR.  Current half-marathon PR if 2:18.  Would like to see if I can get that under 2:15.

Pick one of my novel ideas and stick with it to get a 2nd novel review ready.  The ideas are pretty sound (in my opinion) and I just need to finalize the story for someone else to read and maybe publish.

Do some writing prompts.  Tumblr is full of them, let’s have some fun this year on the blog!  Yep, repeating this one too.

Last year I wanted to grow my Twitch and Youtube.  This year I just want to be consistent in streaming.  Also building out a plan would be super beneficial overall I think.  Some of my highest views were the coding streams and I have ideas on what to build so why not put it on display?

Get at least 2 technology certifications (PowerApps and TBD).  Based on some things I did at year end I have the opportunity to take 2 free cert exams and I have plans to do it before the deadlines of March and June of 2022.

To those who left us this year, we miss you.  To those still hear, let’s do better.

-Dave

Got that right body and that right mind rolling up to party, got the right vibe

[thedavesnews]

2 hours and 18 minutes. There were some seconds too but I'm focused more on the shattering personal best I set on Sunday. I went in to the morning not really planning to push myself like I did but once I started seeing how the packs of runner were flowing I pushed hard. And I mean hard. Almost a sub 30 minutes 5k. My 10k was 1:02 but I know that I was slowing down slightly at that point. If I want to get in the sub 2:15 I have to come up with a new plan. My next half is at Disney and I'm planning to take my time as I'm hoping to find some characters worthy of photos during Marathon Weekend in January. To round out the stats I finished 720th out of 2671, 357th for the men's division (I'm too lazy to get the total number) and 48th out of 101 for my age group.

The other thing I realized is that I'm going to have to consider a knee brace or braces going forward. I'm sure I'll be back to normal in a few days but my knees killed me and probably slowed me down. They hurt on my 1st training run after the 1st half which was a week later. I'm getting old :\ Early on in the race I was edging toward the elusive 2 hour mark. I kept the pace early on with a 9:33 2nd mile. Good news is I want to keep going with what I have on the calendar. January Disney Marathon weekend and Princess Challenge.

I'm back and forth on doing the March Springtime surprise (5k, 10k and 10 miler) at Disney and even the Ky Derby Half-Marathon in April. The competitive part of me wants to keep pushing myself. Personal bests are great but now I just want to keep going while I still can. Obviously, aging doesn't go backward and no one wants to look back at their prime and regret not going for everything they could. Like so many before me I'm listening to my body but I'm also telling it we're not done just quite yet. Didn't lose all the weight for nothing, right? ;)

I was told to hold the towel like a trophy. Apparently she meant unfold it and show the logo. Apparently, I'm an idiot... Oh, and the towel says Space Coast Race Finisher.

-Dave

I can go the distance

#halfmarathon #running #personalbest #not done yet #still going strong

[thedavesnews]

Running Ruminations

I completed a 10k and half-marathon challenge during Wine and Dine at Disney over the past weekend.  Want to say conquered because I feel like I did incredibly well for my 1st 2 official races. 2:30 for the half.  Super proud of that number and probably will be unless I ever find a way to best it.  Thought that isn’t exactly a planned idea at least for Space Coast at the end of the month which is my next race (half-marathon).

While I was still taking strides I felt amazing.  Definitely pushed myself to the limit as I found out once I crossed the finish line.  Sore doesn’t begin to describe the feeling as I made my way through the areas housing the medals, snacks and finish line viewing.  Despite extremely early morning (330am), the temps (and rain on Saturday) and the post race stiffness and chaffing from the water rig I was carrying around my waist, it was well worth it having done something I thought would never happen.  The experience was not so horrible as to push me away from wanting to compete again.  Which is good because I have 3 more on the calendar as it stands today.  Possibly adding one more in March depending on how I come out of race #2.

Odds are small a cosplay run for Space Coast but I also cannot rule it out completely.  Might find a spacey T-shirt idea and wear that but saving the costumes as a whole for the Disney races.  Admittedly my abilities to make costumes is kind of non-existent but I had a touch of help from Therese who helped make the ears stay on for both Nick and Judy.  Good chance you will see at least one of them again in a future run.

With 3 weeks until the next race I actively chose to not run this week and will resume some 5ks next week like I was doing.  The race went far quicker than any training runs I had done. In fact, I was speeding up as I went along the course which is just insane when you think about it.  Sunday was truly an in the zone kind of thing.  Felt great and once I saw the 2:45 pacing crew I turned it up a notch because mentally I just wanted a great finish.  I kept a pretty decent pace myself throughout most of the miles.  Probably could have pushed myself even further but a finish is more important than an amazing 12.5 miles but breaking down and getting pulled prior to crossing the finish line.

All in all, I’m proud of the results and given the right mindset I think I can conquer the remaining races on the calendar and if I add that 4th challenge in March I know I can take it on.  If there is something you think you could do (or maybe even something you think you can’t) just consider it.  See how you get to the final result and if the path seems doable.  Go for it.  Never thought I’d run a half-marathon but I did.  There was a safe pathway to 13.1 miles and I made the effort.  Just about anything is possible if you put in the time and effort.

Did I mention cosplay earlier?  Yes, yes I did...

Before 10k as Nick “Runnin” Wilde

10k Finish line

Before half-marathon as Judy “Fast as a bunny” Hopps

Half-Marathon Finish Line

-Dave

I won't give up; no, I won't give in till I reach the end

[thedavesnews]

2020 Won

I guess this is my obligatory total failure of a year in resolutions so let’s get to it shall we?

2020 Results

I want some wins some I’m going to cheat a bit.  Sucks to always look back on this and know I didn’t do shit.

7 minutes for a single mile.  7:30 for continuous miles (example, 2 miles in 15 minutes)  -- When I was marathon training I was around 10-11 minute miles

Get physical.  No mandates on time of day or what the physical actions must entail.  Just do something.  -- I mean...I went from bed to chair everyday.  Does that count?

Get the diet under control.  Cheat days aren’t nearly as important number wise as just getting some kind of consistency. -- I’ll count this as a win.  Keto was very consistent for me.

#SixPackDave...my yearly joke to myself. --Partial credit.

Read 60 books.  Just set my goal on GoodReads.com and I have this feeling I’ll get this one way before EOY.  Taking this more seriously as I look towards my own publication. -- Actually one of the bigger wins on the list.  And then some.

Compete in a 5K.  Yep, back on here again.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even win :D -- No 5ks this year :(

Non-compete 5K under 27 minutes.  Want to beat my personal best.  If #1 happens I could shatter this.  26:59 would be OK as well. -- I was not horrible during the marathon training but I wasn’t tracking this to know.

Get 2nd novel in a review-able status.  Odds of getting a 2nd book on the market in 2020 is as close to 0% as possible.  Not sad though, the effort to write hasn’t been there in 2019. -- ADHD for the win on this one.  I have 3 novels in progress.  Might need someone to help me pick one to finish

Do some writing prompts.  Tumblr is full of them, let’s have some fun this year on the blog! -- This seemed fun.  I really should do this.

2021 Resolutions

I want some wins some I’m going to cheat a bit.  Sucks to always look back on this and know I didn’t do shit.

Complete half-marathon distance in a single session (training or race)

Get physical.  No mandates on time of day or what the physical actions must entail.  Just do something.  Yes, it’s a repeat...I’m allowed to do that.  This is MY list.

Determine the best diet for achieving #1 or #2

#SixPackDave...still laughing...

Read 70 books.  Just set this on Goodreads.com.  Crushed my 60 goal last year and took a break from reading (audiobooks) in December.  Going with the number I stopped at in 2020 but I’m sure I’ll slaughter this one again.

Compete in a distance race (preferably half-marathon but anything shorter counts).  Haven’t decided for this to be in-person or virtual but I just want to finally do one.  Preferably with someone I know.

Non-compete 5K under 27 minutes.  Want to beat my personal best.  If #1 happens I could shatter this.  26:59 would be OK as well.  Leaving this as it’s my training distance for the small days in half-marathon training.

Get 2nd novel in a review-able status.  I think I need someone to see what I have and tell me which to continue first.  Surely one of them is good enough to focus on right?

Do some writing prompts.  Tumblr is full of them, let’s have some fun this year on the blog!  Yep, repeating this one too.

Grow the Twitch/Youtube channels.  I don’t need DrLupo level fame but I would love to have regular visitors come engage with me in the world of gaming, coding and whatever else I can figure out how to stream.

Get at least 2 technology certifications (PowerApps and TBD).

General Goals

Ludum Dare Participation

Attend NYC New Year’s Eve party in Time Square!

Compete in Ninja Warrior

If anyone wants to review some non-finished novels hit me up.  I’m willing to allow a few lucky people read them and give me honest opinions.  My 6 verified purchasers can’t all be wrong on the original...right?  It’s 99 cents on Amazon or free with Kindle Unlimited.  Shameless plug over.

No one seems to want to claim 2021 as their so I’m grabbing it.  It’s mine.  You’re more than welcome to TRY and take it from me...but for now, this is my year.

-Dave

Sometimes I feel like giving up but I just can't...It isn't in my blood

[thedavesnews]