Tuesday morning I went for my morning run and, due to time constraints, I changed the route significantly.  The new route included some steep uphill sections which I powered through.  Also consider that since this was the morning the day after my evening run, it had been less than 12 hours since the previous run.  There was no time for my body to recover and it did not appreciate this along with all the extra effort and I damaged the muscles in my leg as a result.  Nearest I can tell it's shin splints.

Shin splints are not uncommon among runners and they're very painful.  There isn't a whole lot that can be done for a quick treatment.  There are some exercises you can do to help strengthen your shin muscles but that doesn't help once you already have them.  The only real treatment is rest.

There are a few things you can do to improve the situation though.  Lee wrote an excellent blog post of how to deal with shin splints over on therunningcouple.com.  In addition to his advice I've also heard from a couple sources that walking on your heals for a couple minutes also helps.  Personally I found there to be some truth to this for me.  It does seem to reduce the pain enough to allow you to move about when it's really bad.

Try as you might, however, there are no quick fixes.  I've postponed morning miles until I get a better handle on this.  Wednesday's C25k run was delayed a day.  It's been difficult but I've been scaling back walks as well.

My issue is momentum though.  I've been moving along through C25k pretty well.  I've become totally addicted to running at this point and the thought of skipping a run devastates me.  It took a lot of convincing to get me to postpone my Wednesday run.  I can't put into words how passionately I don't want to lose momentum.  This is incredibly important to me.  I am changing who I am and I love it.

Last night I was feeling well enough to try my C25k run.  I changed the route to one that was fairly flat.  I focused my pre-run stretching on my shins and calves.  When I started out and through the run I was feeling pretty good.  We had to drive to our running location and we had a quick stretch before the short drive home.

When I got out of the car, I nearly collapsed from the pain.  My knees were shaking and my lower legs were refusing to hold my weight.  I went straight to putting ice on my legs soon as I got in the house.  Half an hour of iceing and massaging my lower legs worked wonders but things are still quite sore even today.  

Tomorrow night is my next scheduled run so this has to heal up quickly.  I don't have the years of training and conditioning that allow me to just put it off for a week or two then just pick it up where I left off.  I'm doing this thing.  I have to.

I've decided to make a major change in my life.  I have decided to become a runner.  While I was inspired by a gadget, I was enamored with the simplicity of it.  I realized that of all the various fitness options at my disposal, running offered the most benefit for the least trouble.  All I had to do was put shoes on my feet and go outside.  One foot in front of the other and I was off.

I kept making excuses in the beginning about wanting to lose weight first so I wouldn't damage my back or knees.  Making excuses isn't starting though and that bugged me a lot.  It was something I wanted but I just didn't know how to start.  At 260 lbs the only thing I had going for me was a little endurance from being a walker.  I was way out of shape for the task at hand.

After some research I found out about the Couch to 5k interval training program.  It was started by the folks over at Cool Running.  C25k takes you from a couch potato to being able to run three miles non-stop.  It does this with three workouts a week that are a combination of walking and jogging.  Each workout lasts roughly 20 - 30 minutes and you should hit your goal at the end of week 9.  Speed is not important in the program.  The key is building strength and endurance.  Best of all, the program is also very beginner friendly.

I had been using a cool GPS tracking application for a while to measure the speed and distance of my walks called Endomondo on my Android phone.  This application tracks speed, distance, and route traveled and then optionally uploads the information to a fitness oriented social networking site.  Naturally it also has the option to update Twitter and Facebook if you wish.  The application is available on many platforms including iPhone and Blackberry as well.  The idea of using this wonderful application to track and create a history of my runs added to the fun factor.

Following the program during the run can be accomplished a few different ways including the simple use of a stop watch.  Being who I am, I found an application for that instead.  The Android C25k application comes in a free and paid version.  For the couple dollars it cost and after having tried the free version, I got the paid version.  The application is simply a fancy timer with audio cues and has the entire program already in it.  It keeps track of the days you complete for you so you don't have to wonder which one your on.  You simply select the week and day you're doing and press start.  After that, it will chime when it's time to run and when it's time to walk.  It couldn't be easier.

The running has been going well.  I just finished week 5 day 1 last night.  This Friday will be my first non-stop jog for 20 minutes (2 miles roughly).  The route I have to work with is not level ground at all.  The steep hills add quite a bit of challenge to the process.  In a way, I prefer it that way as it adds an extra sense of accomplishment to each successful run.

In addition to C25k, starting this morning, I'm trying to run a quick daily mile in the mornings to start my day.  This is entirely optional and due to my enthusiasm for running.  

The weight loss is finally starting too.  I'm eating better because my body isn't happy with the junk I feed it now.  I'm not focused on the weight though.  I didn't run to lose five pounds.  I lost five pounds because I've been running.  I don't think of it but it's fun to watch.

I'm excited that I can do this.  The whole family has been very supportive.  My son runs with me and even my nephew who's visiting with us for the week has been coming along.  Who knows where this will take me next.  A 5k marathon is not out of the question at this point.

Savage Worlds Explorer's Edition

I ran my first full featured Savage Worlds game this weekend.  While I've run improvised games for one or two players before this was the first time with a scripted plot and a full group.  Specifically I ran a module called Zombie Run for a group of five players who ranged from first time players to experienced returning players.

Zombie Run is a zombie survival game in the spirit of Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland.  The players start out stranded on Manhattan island finding themselves running low on basic essentials like food an water.  It didn't take much for the players to decide they needed to find a way off the island.

The party had a very diverse makeup.  Because we had so many first time players and I wanted a very specific mood to the game, I pregenerated all the characters for the players in advance.  I asked all the players for a profession (archetype) and a hobby to describe their character.  Using this as a premise, I made five novice level characters.

First up was the stripper with a heart.  She was stripping to put herself through medical school.  Beautiful and charismatic, she's the face of the group though she does possess a clumsy side.

The rodeo clown participates in civil war reenactments when he's not dodging bulls.  He made a living putting himself in danger to protect others.  He's heroic to a fault and as good a man as you could hope to find.

The red neck was in the big city visiting his cousin the truck driver.  You're not likely to come across a bigger pair of nut cases from the country.  Their both really good with vehicles but while one is scrawny and a crack shot with a rifle, the other is a huge monster of a man who'd rather walk right up to you and bash your head in with a wrench for crossing him.

Finally there is the doctor.  With a horrible bed side manner, while he really knows his stuff, he's gotten himself black balled from every major hospital in NY before the apocalypse.  He's mean, cold, and calculating.  Regardless he's an awesome ally to have when you're on your last breath.

The first session went very well.  They haven't left Manhattan yet but they're working on it.  My favorite part so far was when they have sedated the rodeo clown to keep him from making trouble for the rest of the party when they threw their fellow survivors to the zombies in order to make a get away.  The inner group dynamics for this game are going to be brutal.  To make things more interesting, one of the party members has developed a major phobia of Zombies.  This happened when the party found themselves swarmed by zombies on a dark road with the car stuck on a fallen lamp post.

Everyone is looking forward to the next gaming session.  My expectations of the group include more conflict between the doctor and the rodeo clown, more random chaos caused by the cousins, and some brilliant negotiations from the stripper as she leans how pivotal she is to the groups success.  I can't wait.

Now as an adult, I am surprised to learn that not only am I finding that I can do this but I'm having so much fun with it as well.  Skating comes in a bunch of different flavors to explore as well.  There is really no shortage of stuff to try.

The best part of the whole thing is how it's a great way to get fit and it's so fun it encourages you to make healthier choices when your not skating.  Since I started skating I find myself thinking a lot more about what I'm eating and how I'm spending my time.  I can't say I have a huge weight loss to show for it yet but I'm not gaining weight either.

My nephew has really picked up the skating bug too.  I've been having a blast introducing him to new forms of skating.  He's got a natural talent for it and a willingness to learn.  The video above is from shortly after he got his first blades.

Since starting he's been tackling various forms of speed and aggressive skating.  Below you'll find a video I did while helping him learn some basic slalom techniques.  Some day when my skills level is higher I hope to join him in some aggressive skating fun.

As for me, I've got a ways to go.  There aren't any videos of me skating because my skating really just isn't that interesting yet.  I'm working on it though.  Now the whole family has skates and it's become a regular event to go hit the rink.  Family skate time has become the highlight of my week.

On the whole, I'm feeling far less stressed out about the holiday than I've typically been in the past.  This sense of good humor has translated into my work place.  Normally there is always much to get done.  Once in a while, the company picks a day to slow down though and yesterday was the "Winter Celebration" event at work.  Essentially it boils down to food, games, and silliness.

I have one coworker in particular, Erin, who is normally remarkably self assured and intelligent.  It's pretty hard to ruffle her feathers.  As luck has it we caught her during a moment of weakness.  With very little coaxing we got her to try the jumping game in the arcade.  She had no idea how the thing worked and we were highly amused at watching her try to figure it out.

Office pranks seem to be much more common these days.  As insurance becomes more expensive and benefits keep getting cut back, it seems like we are attempting to compensate by adding laughter to the office.  Erin has a great sense of humor which has really brightened up the office.

Does your office have an Erin?  What sort of things to do you do at the office to reduce the stress?

Hellas's game engine is built on the OMNI system from  Morrigan Press.  The basic premise for the system is all roles are made on a single d20 with modifiers then compared to a single results table.  I feel the simplicity is the systems real strong point as it allows you to focus on the characters and the situation instead of crunching numbers.

The campaign world the adventurers travel in it very interesting.  Here is a quote from their website:

In ancient times, the spacefaring Hellenes and their Gods defeated an empire that threatened the entire galaxy. Now, after centuries of darkness, their enemies have returned for a final reckoning, and only a chosen few -- wielding the power of the Gods -- stand between them and certain destruction.

The setting is a blend of ancient Greek ideals and theology mixed with futuristic alien races and technology.  It should be noted that Hellas is not Greece as we know it but is simply inspired by the culture.  Because of the game embraces a few adult concepts, this would not be a game for younger players without being heavily modified.

The player characters are constantly striving to find their places among the gods through glory and actions.  And as with ancient Greek heros, it may take generations before the legacy is fulfilled.  The game plays into this by offering a system where after your character dies, the new character gets written into their history and carries on the legacy left behind by the fallen hero.  This might be a son, daughter, apprentice, or even friend of the family.  This is why it is said that the character a player starts a campaign with will likely not be the one they end it with.

I really look forward to running this game with my group.  For anyone interested in trying it out for the first time, they have a preview of the game available for download at their website.  If you do give it a try, stop by and leave your feedback.  I'd love to hear how it went.

Back in 2006 I started a podcast called JD's Musical Alchemy.  The show has been on hiatus for a couple years now for a few reasons which I won't get into now.  The show was a musical review of great upcoming and indie bands.  Some of the best music you may have never heard of. 

Back in October of 2006 I did a special Halloween episode highlighting songs I felt had a strong Halloween theme.  To celebrate the holiday I'm reposting the episode for you now.  Hope this helps you get into the mood to celebrate.

While looking for a fully hosted system I came across Squarespace.  I love the WYSIWIG site creation interface.  It makes on the fly configurations and updates so simple and the best part is there is no software to maintain to keep it up to date.  As a technical professional, the last thing I want to do when I get home is upgrade my web site.

I'm going to give it a good run.  Over the next few weeks I'll be doing some design work to customize the look and feel of the site.  I'll also be adding back in some of the other services I've been using like My Blog Log.

I will also look into converting as many of my old posts as possible.  I've decided to strip out the digests as I don't think they were really that relevant.  Let's see how this goes.