All things running

Resources:
Tacohead's Running Gear Review
Tacohead's Running Gear Review 2
Running in the winter
Marathon training
Husband on training movies

Recaps:
Marathon #8 - TCM 2
Marathon #7 - Paavo
Marathon #6 - Grandma's 2
Marathon #5 - Med-City 2
Half-Marathon #5 - Brainerd
Marathon #4 - Rocket City
Marathon #3 - Twin Cities
Marathon #2 - Grandma's
Marathon #1 - Med City
Half-marathon #1 - Frozen Half
TC 10-mile

Musings:
Identity
Why I run
Nerves
The zone
No excuses

Guest blogger! Husband on comics, cont'd

Recommendations

Here they are. These are the comics that I love. These are things that I think you might like as well, oh, anonymous reader.

Oh...by the way there is an excessive use of the word 'awesome' in what follows. This is something I would not allow in my prose...but the world just isn't ready to bring back 'rad'.

The Holy Trinity of things comics. There are three books (two collected editions, one graphic novel) that every person lionizing things comics recommend to everybody…ever:

1. Watchmen. Written by Alan Moore. Pencils, inks and letters by Dave Gibbons. Coloring by John Higgins. This is the most artful super-hero comic I have ever read. It deconstructs the archetype and makes you think “damn…this could happen.” And then you flip the page and see a giant, naked, blue, radioactive man and realize…nope…it couldn’t. Crazy stuff aside, this is true literature and the illustrations are some of the industry’s finest. The only warning I can offer is that this book was released in 1986 and as such is four-color so the coloring isn’t that nuanced. I have only met one person who likes super heroes that doesn’t like this book…and his only criticism is that it is overrated.

2. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Written, drawn and inked by Frank Miller. Colored by Lynn Varley. Again this is a superhero book but dang is it awesome. This deals with Batman at 50 trying to come back. He is old, tired and pissed. We watch him training himself to come back (training!) and then watch him kick butt. Frank Miller is somewhat of a wunderkind in Hollywood right now. 300 is a comic he did in 1998 (again with Lynn Varley) was made into a film. Sin City (which is entirely his creation) was also a film. He will now be directing The Spirit which is the creation of Will Eisner who is the God of all things comics (to the extent that he even coined the phrase graphic novel). Give it a read. It is dense but it is awesome.

3. Maus. Written and drawn by Art Spiegelman. When described in short this sounds like an exercise in bad taste. This is a comic book series dealing with the Holocaust with a cast of anthropomorphic animals. This is the story of Art Spiegelman’s grandfather’s experience in concentration camps. The Jews are represented by mice, the German’s by either cats or dogs, and the result is a completely heart-rending and informative experience. The fact that we are not looking at humans allow us the distance we need to deal with the horror. I have seen 14-year-olds read this in one sitting and senior citizens reading it as well--it is amazing. Everybody recommends this who has read it…everyone.

Superhero ongoing series that I love:

4. Justice Society of America. Written by Geoff Johns. Pencils by Dale Eaglesham. Inks by Art Thibert. Colors by Jeromy Cox. This is fun. It uses really old characters from the D.C. Universe and some new ones. It is great fun: crazy adventures and deeply character-driven stories.

5. The Fantastic Four. By 17,000,000 different writers and artists. Talk about crazy nonsense--the fantastic four wins. So much fun. A guy who eats planets. Parents with super powers finding child care. A guy made of rock who has a blind girlfriend. Come on. It’s awesome.

6. Powers. Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Michael Avon-Oeming. Here is the Hollywood pitch: A homicide unit specializing in super-hero crime. That is awesome. Also I love the dynamics of the detectives the villains and the whole world. It is atmospheric and super fun.

7. Various Spider-Man titles. Again, 17,000,000 million creators. Smart-ass person with super powers who simultaneously deals with crazy villains and figures out how to pay the rent. I even love the stupid issues. Of late in Amazing Peter Parker (Spider-man) has been a little full of pathos and nasty and things aren’t looking good for his marriage but damn is it fun. However Ultimate Spider-Man (which is essentially a retelling of the early stuff) is always awesome. Always. I would suggest that one for the newbies.

8. Daredevil. Written by many but the best have been Frank Miller, Brian Michael Bendis, and Ed Brubaker. The art has been by many but best by Frank Miller, David Mack, Alex Maleev, and Michael Lark. Matt Murdock is a blind guy whose four other senses were heightened but here’s the kicker…he doesn’t have fear. Oh, he is also a lawyer…and an informal detective. The single coolest thing about Daredevil is that his stories are Shakespearian in construct. His villains don’t punch him in the face and run away they make his life miserable. This is a strange thing to enjoy reading but damn is it entertaining.

Non-Super Hero and Slice of Life books:

9. Blankets. Written and drawn by Craig Thompson. The Hollywood pitch isn’t that inspiring. Guy is sad. Actually there is quite a bit more to it. If you are put off by super-hero fun then take a look at this one. Visually it is awesome and the story is very evocative of young love from the male perspective.

10. Mouse Guard. Written and drawn by Brian Petersen. High fantasy with mice. The protagonists fight crabs and snakes and stuff…it’s cool and has shockingly awesome visuals.

11.True Story Swear To God. Written and Drawn by Tom Beland. The title says it all. It is bittersweet but awesome.

12.Fun Home. Written and drawn by Alison Bechdel. The subtitle of this piece is A Family Tragicomic and it is fitting. It is funny in spots but always lyrical. The issues of sexuality have never been better dealt with in this medium (in my limited experience).

13. American Born Chinese. Written, Drawn and lettered by Gene Yang. Colored by Lark Pien. Just freaking awesome. Five different vignettes that draw a broader conclusion. Funny, sensitive but above all: awesome.

For T.V. Fans (of which I am not a member):

14. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Season 8. Written by Joss Whedon. Pencils by Georges Jenty and Paul Lee. Inks by Andy Owens. Colors by Dave Stewart. I have been “waiting for the trade" (often comics are collected in 6-8 issue arcs as trade paperbacks that are released 3 or 4 months after the periodical series reaches the end of the story arc) on this one. I haven’t read it yet. My friends who have (read: nerds) have loved it. I too will love it as I am one of the Buffy-Faithful (there is a pun there if you know the series (if not my geek is stronger than yours)).

15. Red Menace. Written by Adam Brody with Bilson and Demeyo (the latter two having had written the 1980’s Flash TV series). Penciled by Gerry Ordway (if you are a nerd it’s a big deal). Adam Brody is a super-hot TV star…according to my 12 year-old students. He was on the O.C. which was apparently a T.V. show. I’ve not seen it. But the comic is all about what if the red scare was not about commies but supers…its good. It’s short (115 pages). Give it a look.

16. Wolverine.Written by Marc Guggenheim. Art by Huberto Ramos. Guggenheim has worked on all of those Law and Order, CSI: Duluth andPolice-Cops shows (the latter two shows were cleverly cynical…he actually worked on Law and Order: SVU and CSI:Miami).

17. Young Avengers. Written by Allen Heinberg. Art by Jim Cheung. The stupidest, money-grab idea in the last 20 years becomes an awesome story with beautiful art. The story is a group of kids who have the powers of the Avengers (the Marvel super group) who are put to the test by both super villains and their own soap opera like trials and. All of this written by Gilmore Girls (and The O.C. though I have never seen that) writer Allen Heinberg. Where can I get mine?

18. The Astonishing X-Men. Written by Joss Whedon. Pencils and inks by John Cassiday. Colors by Laura Martin. If you want to sound like a comics glitterati the only X-book you can claim to like is Astonishing. I agree…it is great. Whedon’s feel for dialogue made popular a television series that lasted seven seasons based on a film that 18 people have seen (see next entry (ooh, he also was a writer on Toy Story). The art is clean, clear and kick-butt. If you are of a mind, check it out. Seriously the only comic that could get my money faster would be Aaron Sorkin writing…anything…ever…seriously he could make anything interesting. Even a list of recommended comics on a blog that normally has nothing to do with comics.

Lastly is a lightning-round-esque list of stuff I love (not like…love) for more info email Tacohead…she’ll forward it to me.

Newspaper stuff…

Peanuts by Charles Shultz. I get it...it's good...gotta say though...little depressing.

For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnson.…OK a Canadian is going to get my vote regardless…but the continuity and the clarity is amazing. I love it

F-Minus by Tony Carillo. Funny as Far Side and more incisive. Check it out.

Far Side by Gary Larson. Every time I laugh at this I feel I am closer the dark side.

Boondocks by Aaron McGruder. Right up my alley political satire...actively anti-racist and has a ton of heart.

Zits written by Jerry Scott and illustrated by Jim Borgman. Made me wish I had treated my parents better.

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. As much as I love comic books…I love Calvin more. This is the single greatest achievement in graphic fiction…ever. I kid you not. If it were not financially stupid I would own his whole run. I love it. Caveat emptor: I have been told that as far as sequential art goes whatever you most loved at 12 is what you are going to love the most the rest of your life. I think it holds up but I am biased.

Other worthy Comics I read monthly.

She-Hulk written by Dan Slott and more recently Peter David. Illustrated by many. This is a funny, funny book full of fanboy in-jokes. Not for the newbie.

New Avengers written by Brian Michael Bendis and art (most recently) by Francis Lenil Yu. Consistently fun and will be leading into the new super big crossover full of (wait for it...) awesome.

Cassanova written by Matt Fraction with art by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. I honestly can't tell you what this is about. I am a smartish guy and whenever I finish an issue as I am wiping the laugh-tears from my eyes I am thinking "what the hell just happened?"

Punisher: War Journal written by Matt Fraction with art by Ariel Ollivetti. I hate the Punisher. Dumb character but Matt Fraction is nearly getting to that Joss Whedon/Aaron Sorkin/ David Mamet level of awesome.

All-Star Superman written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quietly. I can't believe I like this comic. It is the only Superman book I would not ever miss. Crazy strange 1960's storytelling with a modern sensibility.

The Hulk titles written by Greg Pak. Trust me they are fun.

Teen Titans written by Sean McKeever. Again, fun.

Justice League of America written by Duane McDuffie art by various. All the big names in DC comics in one book...hello?!

Runaways currently written by Joss Whedon but created by Brian K. Vaughn with art by various. Best teen book there is.

Books to read in trade paperback.

Y: the last man. Written by Brian K. Vaughn with art by Pia Guerra. The story of the last man alive with many, many women. Sci-fi soap opera pathos...yum.

The Walking Dead written by Robert Kirkman with art from Tony Moore and others. This whole book happens after most zombie movies end. Yes there are zombies but they are a plot device to tell truly human stories.

Ex-Machina written by Brian K Vaughn with art from Tony Harris. The premise makes it sound lame...it is not. A guy with super powers becomes the mayor of New York City.

Fables written by Bill Willingham with art from Lan Madina and many more. Fairy tales are real and they walk among us but live in small enclaves not unlike Little Italy or China Town.

Crap there are so many more but I have definitely gone on too long. Thanks for letting me share stuff I like with you.
Best,
Husband

Guest blogger! Husband on training movies

Today I bring you a special treat! Standing in for boring-ol-me is handsome and erudite Guest Blogger Husband.

Hi. This is Husband. As he with the ultimate capacity for self-destruction, the topic of my guest-blog (yes, we live in a society where that is an acceptable phrase) refers specifically to a subject where you feel as though you are doing something of observable benefit to the world but in point of fact are doing absolutely nothing.

Allow me to rephrase. I do not mean a task like alphabetizing your CDs or cleaning out your inbox. I mean doing something that while you feel you are making yourself a better person, you are actively making yourself feel worse and making your self-esteem look much more like self-loathing.

This quality is imperative in somebody with a high capacity for self-destruction. If this is something to which you aspire...read on (which guarantees you a spot in my camp). If you don't want to fall in a recursive loop, then go vacuum, rake, or fold something.

The point of this particular blog is to highlight the greatest training sequences in film (read: movies). I love training sequences. Male or female, something about watching somebody put themselves through hell to make themselves better and more fine tuned for the sport of their desire gives me warm fuzzies and makes me want to raise my fist in the air in exuberance (read: like Judd Nelson in The Breakfast Club).

The following is a list with some anecdotes as to why I love them and why you should watch them wearing appropriate workout gear and Protein Shake in one hand.

10. Personal Best. OK so this one is a little specious because it is basically a lesbian love story and as a boy of 14 when I first watched it on Bravo at 1:00 am, the running may have not been the center of my focus. However, I have watched this movie since, and found the desperation to improve one's physical performance (not in the sack...well...OK in the sack but that is not what I meant) quite inspiring. Lots of running much, much faster than I will ever run.

9. Major League. A comedy. I use that term loosely. I does contain a lot of actors. One who went on to play the President (in 24), one who killed vampires (in the Blade oeuvre...that's right oeuvre), one who starred in the Hot Shots movies and that guy from all of those things who you can never place. Anyway. You watch a band of mediocre baseball player train up to become a team (dammit) and kick some major tail. Some things that are important for the genre that we have learned from this movie. One: first basemen must be fat, rude, and spit tobacco. Two: women who own sports teams desire failure (I know...it's sad.) Three: all baseball players who are at all from the Caribbean are superstitious to the extent that they perform quasi voodoo rituals in the clubhouse, but can only truly succeed when one renounces one's traditions and adopt a more Judeo-Christian attitude (every bit as sad). The reason I love this is because it makes me want to strive.

8. Miracle. Come on. In addition to all of the awesome with the hockey it's all about people's dreams and aspirations. The only way the characters can obtain them is by kicking their own asses every day. I remember being totally inspired to kick ass while watching this move and eating potato chips, French onion dip and a bourbon and diet coke. Needless to say asses have yet to be kicked.

7. Rocky. This one is easy. Brother wants to kick ass in order to win the love of Talia Shire(!). I defy you to not feel like you want to be the most awesome person of all time after watching Sly drink four raw eggs and run up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. After finishing the film for the first time I considered making my fight name the Norwegian Gelding....but I just couldn't pick what color robe so I abandoned it.

6. Spartacus. Ooh...Stanley Kubric...look at me being cinema savvy. But really, guys training together only to kill one another...awesome. Reminds me of middle school *rimshot*. Spartacus had a dimple in his chin...I have a dimple in my chin...I am Spartacus.

5. Karate Kid. So Ralph Macchio was 31 years old playing a 16 year old. Pat Morita was playing a somewhat embarrassing stereotype but damn. Wax-on wax-off. Paint the fence. Grab the fly with the chopsticks. That would definitely make me want to learn the damn crane kick and hit Johnny in the face. I cheered...but of course I was 9. Sweep the leg Johnny. Yes sensei indeed.

4. Chariots of Fire. Come on you know the ditty. Dun dun dun dun dun dunnnn. dun dun dun dun dunnnn. dun dun dun dun dun duh dunnnn. dun dun dun dun dun. doo doo doo doo do do do. doo doo doo do doo. doo doo doo doo doo doo doo. dun dun dun dun dun. I defy you to watch that movie and not sing that in your head at some point in the race.

3. Prefontaine. Jordan Catalano playing a distance runner (OK it was Jared Leto...but come on...brother will be 78 playing the senior Bowling with the Stars circuit and I will think of him as Jordan). This is the single most awesome running movie of all time that has nothing but terrible acting and an embarrassing script. That being said. If I were asked what I would rather watch right now: Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now or Prefontaine...I would go with Pre every time. He runs a lot...he's good at it. It's awesome.

2. Remember the Titans. Denzel. (wait, read in movie trailer guy voice) In a world full of racial tension, two groups of players must come together for a common goal. With forced sentimentality and Disneyfied struggles and strife, we find that we are all the same. We all want to kick ass. With the ass kicking. Oh, Denzel's in it too. (end movie trailer guy's voice). Movie's awesome they have to work damn hard and they learn lessons about diversity. Love it.

1. Bend it Like Beckham. OK. So I know I mentioned Personal Best first which pushes my dirty-old-man meter to like 7.5. already, so a movie about attractive teenage women soccer players being my single favorite training sequence movie of all times probably makes me the guy you hope doesn't sit next you you on the bus. But I am admitting this to all 15 of you who read this. This is the movie that made me start running. She of the Stolen Bike and I saw this movie in the theatre in April of 2002. The next day I started running. After having finished four marathons and training for my fifth I think the inspirational qualities of this film could not be overstated. God bless you Keira Knightely.

Other movies worth noting for specious reasons. Marathon Man with Hoffman and Olivier...not about running but the Holocaust. Well, I know that now. Logan's Run, not about running...and pretty crap. Ran by Akira Kurosawa...actually a Japanese retelling of King Lear...very few instances of body glide or water stops. 300 - I really want computer generated abs...but hell...who needs a six-pack when I have a keg. Spider-Man - Peter figuring out his powers is cool...but he is a superhero who has probably not thought of the phrase "florp chafing." And last but not least ,the Joss Whedon oeuvre because its awesome.

So thus concludes my list of training awesomeness. Any time any of you want to watch any of these movies let me know...but make sure to bring workout clothes because I am powerless against their jazzercizing influence.

Thanks She of the Stolen Bike. It's been fun.

Signing off
Husband