Gene Wolfe's Claw of the Conciliator and Sword and Citadel, etc. First person and stays with one guy who is a stoic but things are a bit "psychedilic(sp)". Wolfe bothers me at times in his weirdness. This story just goes on and on. Severian is maybe a bit too stoic. Somehow worked better when Vance did it. This just seems wooden, even when Wolfe is saying he's in terror, etc, it always comes across a bit removed.

I have very little I care to say.... There is something about all the women that I think ultimately is how men generally really are about all the women of their lives. Never seen it put in a story.

A big negative is that there isn't much pushing things along. Severian isn't looking for revenge or justice. He's mostly just wandering. Taking the Claw to the Pelerines, running away where he refused to torture or kill someone. Then what the heck? Might as well join the army. It's a tad bit aimless.

But at times it's beautiful. The world, where there actually is a very high level of technology. But most, including Severian, live in such ignorance.

Very dreamy sequences. Just a bit too unattached. You know Severian is going to be fine. Unlike GoT of course... But somehow unlike Fitz Chivalry, who although you figure he'll live, you really don't know that he'll be OK. But Severian is such a stoic, one thinks he could spend a decade being tortured and it wouldn't really matter to him. And this detracts somehow, unlike with Vance. Perhaps if this stoic wasn't mostly wandering aimlessly.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Do all french people write like Proust? He makes it sound not so bad, being locked in. Great. Not what I would write about in that situation.

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
I guess this was OK. Keeps your interest throughout. A page turner I guess. No lasting impression though.

I still remember it so clearly. Or I should say I have an impression seared into my head based off of an event. It was Los Alamos, New Mexico. It was the evening. It was dark. I think before my beloved J came to be with me. What year was it?

2002 I think.

I was going for a very long run once every 4 days. Quite slow and working up to two plus hours. I don't think I even stuck with it for 2 months. I remember an evening where the running felt so good. Just gliding along. I remember going up an incline on practically the only main road in that rather sad "town". Then down. Then the golf course on my left as I went out towards the suburbs that eventually hit just cliffs. I remember a strong manure smell.

Such a strong memory. To run at night, and perhaps when young, can feel so good. Of course sooner or later there will be a dog, or worse. Back then on these every 4 days long runs, I took a different course every time. And unfortunately that day's run I hit a hill that just kept going up and up a good 6 miles out from home. This was back when I landed on the front of my foot. And after a mile straight of hill, my calves were done. In a mile I went from feeling great to my calves being utterly done. And I was still so far from home. The misery killed my every 4 days long run. Occasionally I wonder how good a runner I might be now if I had stuck with it.

Oh well.

Anyway, for the first time since then I'm going to do something somewhat similar. In the last 9 months my running has only declined a bit. The last I was doing well, I was doing a 10 to 12 mile run on both weekend days. Then an additional 2 runs during the week. With just 10 to 20% fast running. I quit it from boredom and just trying to find a shortcut. Surely I could at least run a 19 minute 5k without those long runs?

But no, I cannot.

This time though I won't lose both my weekend mornings. Will completely sacrifice, I think my Thursday evenings instead, along with Sunday mornings. Shall try a 3 hour run each time. The one on the treadmill with movies. Not too bad surely?

Bannister supposedly never did any tempo runs or long runs in reaching a 4 minute mile. But people suspect he was lying and actually sneaked some tempo runs in, late at night. Which is to say there's nothing for it but that you really have to put in a lot of time, to get anywhere. That has been my experience with everything in life.

Crash in Deckers half marathon. Had to walk 8 miles in. The heat played a role (90F) but also felt bad from the beginning. Hadn't done adequate long runs beforehand, I guess. But I think I really need cold weather if I'm trying to go all out for longer than 8 miles. Larger you are, the less efficient at dissipating heat. So that's one tiny little good thing about how cold it is much of the year here. Nothing longer than 10k from June to August in the future.

Recent training is intervals 4 days a week plus a tempo. (Two weeks so far.) 2 min hard, 3 min easy (5 mph). Last week did 9.3mph for a total run of 40 minutes. This week said what the hell and jumped up to 10mph. Just did 15 minutes. (Awful half marathon was yesterday.) I guess I could have gone 25 minutes. Maybe 30. Not sure if going up to 10mph is too ambitious though. Whatever. Disgusted with yesterday. But should be happy that my knees, etc are good.

The first 4 miles I went 7:45 pace but was feeling pretty bad. So slowed down to about a pitiful 8:30 pace for the next 4. Which means I did the first 8 slower than the relatively easy 8 miles I did last week on a flat course. And at that point I had to stop and walk. Then it was just a matter of getting to the car without J getting too worried. Which unfortunately meant 5 more miles of stumbling along or walking. Ripped bib off short of finish and threw it in the trash 20 yards short of finish and walked off course.