having owned the KSO’s and the Classics, and having nothing but wonderful and incredible things to say about them, it’s with no small disappointment that i tell you: i’m not impressed.

i wanted to love them. seriously. when i started running in my KSO’s back in 2009, i thought Vibram could do no wrong. i was floored at the minimalist nature of them and the other models of Five Fingers. i’ve been nothing but a cheerleader and salesman for much of what Vibram has put out, and have not worn regular shoes but once in the past year – Five Fingers all the way! running, work, walking, working out – it’s all good.

but the Bikila? i was concerned even as i tried them on, walked around Sunset Shoes (Destin, FL), and ran up the block in them before purchasing them. they were tight. constricting. the soles were thick. there was a lot more padding / fabric overall.

but i bought them thinking, “oh, you just need to wear them around a bit, run in them a while, get used to them! quit being a baby!” and having the owner of the shoe store tell me how the Bikila are “the next big thing, quickly outselling all other Five Finger shoes, blah blah blah” helped move me to purchase them, too.

a week into it, involving wearing them two full days, plus running in them five nights (2-3 miles a night), i’m just not completely satisfied.

observations:

• these suckers are more narrow than the KSO’s and a bit shorter, too. i sized up from the KSO (size 43) when i bought the Bikila (size 44), but they’re still pretty tight all around. very constricting.
• the “plates” on the bottom are thicker than i was expecting, and as a result, there’s much less natural feel to wearing them and they’re less flexible. the KSO’s have a more natural flow to them and are significantly more flexible.
• those “plates” also give more support, and it’s not what i was looking for with regards to running.
• there’s a significant increase in the amount of padding / fabric at the heel and side of the Bikila, giving it a more shoe-like feel.
• i don’t feel nearly as “in touch” with the road in the Bikila given the factors above, and it’s a noticeable difference.

now, the Bikila are NOT uncomfortable to run in. i’m ok with them and their performance, but it feels like a move in the opposite direction of minimalist footwear (or how about: a step backward). i’m certainly no expert, and my running is kept to several miles a night at best – for others, these things might be the cat’s pajamas. for me? i’ll continue to wear them and hope my opinion changes, but i wish i had bought another pair of KSO’s to replace my green pair that got a hole in them during the Urban Adventure Race last month.

if things change, i’ll let you know. for now: KSO’s are still my favorite minimalist running shoe.

Scott & Lise Try to Find Vegetarian Food @ McGuire’s Irish Pub in Destin, FL from scott rust on Vimeo.

What did they find? What did they eat? How does it end??

Well, click play and find out.

Stick around – it gets rather silly at the 4:00 mark…

2010 South Bend Urban Adventure REDUX from scott rust on Vimeo.

My cousin, Christine, and I ran the 2010 South Bend Urban Adventure Race together – this is a goofy video of the results of that race.

Shot entirely on a cheap Sony Cyber-shot camera, this film was not planned in any way. Due to rain early on, I wasn’t even sure we’d be able to take pictures. That we ended up with this much decent footage was a major surprise. Enjoy! (or not!)

http://www.urbanadventuregames.com/

This video was edited using Adobe Premiere.

There he is! He’s taking issue with this billboard he found by the side of I-65 in Alabama!

Silly Satan! You’re going to upset some Christians out there!

“Can I help you?”
“Yes, I was bit by a dog and…”
“OK. This is not animal control. That number changed back in November.”
“Ok. You have the new number?”
“That office isn’t open until Tuesday.”
“Uh…”
“Here, I’ll transfer you to the Sheriff’s dept.”
*click*

“Officer so-and-so, can I help you?”
“Dog bite, etc. etc.”
“Uh. OK. Do you want an officer to contact you?”
“No, but the bite broke the skin, blood, swelling, etc.”
“Um. Well, Animal Control is who you want to call, then.”
“Wha? They don’t open til Tuesday.”
“Yes.”
“…”
“Let me transfer you…”
*click*

“Officer so-and-so, blah blah blah”
“Dog. Bite. Blood. Swelling. Etc.”
“Animal Control, yada yada, blah blah blah”
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“Sir, I don’t know what you want us to do…”
“I’d kinda like to know if the unlicensed, uncollared dog that BIT ME is rabid, sick, etc.”
“Well, sir, you’ll need to call Animal Control on Tuesday morning…”
“What in the Hell…?”
*click*

Dark black clouds. White fluffy clouds. The sky was black. The sky was blue. It rained. It didn’t rain. The surf was flat and the beach was clear of people.

We brought Dolby, our black lab, out with us. The oil spill was on its way to Pensacola and we didn’t know when the next time was we’d be able to bring him.

As we walked out to the beach, the rain started sprinkling, and a rainbow popped out to the East. We got ourselves settled on a blanket, Dolby obviously unhappy. He and rain don’t mix. He loves getting wet and swimming, but if the moisture comes out of the sky, this displeases him. Lise went to hunt for seashells and the dog and I stayed behind.

I sat marveling at the rainbow, the dichotomy of light and dark in the sky, at the beach that we so love, how the light reflected off the water, and how we might be losing it all to the oil spill, slowly gushing its way to us.

That’s when I saw him.

Off to the East. A Great Blue Heron.

He was a good 50 yards away from where Dolby and I sat. He was framed against a beautiful backdrop of those mixed clouds, the rainbow, the shimmering water, and the sugar-white sand.

The photographer in me instantly started calculating how close I would need to get, at what point I would need to stand, what settings I would need to put into the camera, in order to get a shot of those clouds, the rainbow, the heron, the reflection, all into one frame.

The one thing I didn’t calculate was what it would take to get Dolby to stay on the blanket and not scare the heron away.

Dolby’s a good boy. We’ve been very lucky to have a big dog who stays close when off his leash, and almost always comes back when called. Almost always.

As I started changing my camera settings to take into account the distance, the lighting, my subject, and walking slowly towards the heron, I realized that Dolby was with me. What’s more, his ears had perked up and his tail was straight out. He started moving faster and next thing I know, he’s 5 yards in front of me.

What to do!? If I yell, Dolby would come back, but the heron might take off!

I risked it. “Dolby! COME!” and he did. And the heron stayed in his spot.

I continued walking, started taking some preliminary shots to see how things were looking, but knowing I needed to get much closer than I was to get the heron big enough to make it all worthwhile.

I forgot about Dolby again as I shot and made adjustments, walking quickly and, hopefully, stealthily towards the shoreline and my quarry.

The next thing I see in my camera viewfinder?

Dolby has taken off. Not a full gallop (yet), but the Labrador Retriever Hunting trot.

I called again in the most commanding voice I have, “Dolby! COME!” knowing it was futile. Once he’s locked himself into this mode, there’s nothing I can do to stop him. I had two choices: Chase after him and hope I could catch up to him, and grab him by his harness, or…

Or, I could get the camera ready and shoot what was sure to be an interesting, if not funny, scene.

Dolby has chased after pelicans in the past, to much disappointment. He has chased after black skimmers and come away shame-faced. He goes after slow, bumbling pigeons, but the results are always the same no matter what he chases: they get away.

This night was no different. As he got closer, the Great Blue shifted slightly. I could see him eyeing this big galoot who was now coming at him at a gallop. I could also see that the heron was going to shame my dog by letting him get close, closer, closer…

And it was a fantastic shaming. That Great Blue waited until the last minute to unfold his large wings and gracefully take flight against my goofy dog. He flew perhaps 50 yards to the West, landed in the water, and resumed his search for dinner, keeping a wary eye in our direction.

My big dog got this shameful, silly look on his face as he trotted back, almost as if to say, “Dang it! I knew that was gonna happen, but shucks, I just had to give it a try!”

As the oil slick continues to grow, and as we find more and more oil out on the beach, this is just one of the many things we are growing sad about losing.

Using some of their product, I have tried to articulate how we and many of our friends here in Pensacola feel about BP and the oil spill / death of millions of animals / destruction of habitats / screwing over of lives:

To be certain, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The blobs of oil we saw / stepped in / couldn’t avoid today were nothing compared to what’s a couple miles off shore, and even that is nothing compared to what’s slowly moving our way.

To say that we’re heartbroken doesn’t even begin to cover it.

We’re heartbroken for the wildlife that is being killed by this tragedy. We’re heartbroken for the lives ruined (those killed on the rig; the families left behind; those whose businesses and dreams are shattered; those of us who live on the Gulf coast who will be directly and indirectly affected financially for many years to come).

And we’re heartbroken for selfish reasons, too. When Lise and I moved here back in 2007, we did so for mental health reasons and because we had fallen in love with Pensacola Beach. Many long-time residents we’ve friended here think we’re somewhat crazy – coming to the beach three, four, even five times a week is not unusual for us. We watch the sunset. We collect shells. We sit together and dream dreams. We watch pelicans, terns, and other seabirds fly and live. We watch dolphins, schools of fish, sharks, cownose stingrays, and a vast number of other sealife swim with what seems to us like carefree abandon. We swim. We love. We are still in awe of the incredible diversity that the seasons bring to the shoreline. The peace and comfort we receive just being in the presence of the Gulf shore is indescribable.

Taking pictures today of Pensacola Beach littered with the first wave of tar balls / oil blobs hurt. Picking up a small amount of the oil and seeing how difficult it is to get that shit off of my hands was shocking. I still have oil stuck under / around my fingernails after washing my hands several times.

We’ve both cried. I’m sure we’ll be crying more. The pictures coming out of Louisiana are so painful that I’ve had to stop looking at them. The ramifications for our future here (mental health, financial, job-wise, etc.) are so shocking that we’ve not been able to have a coherent conversation about it yet. But we’re going to have to face this soon.  I don’t know how we’re going to be able to stay here.

And for that: Fuck you, BP.

It’s been many, many years.

Posted via email from rustypants’s posterous

Posted via email from rustypants’s posterous

Posted via email from rustypants’s posterous

• i’m down 41lbs from last june to 244lbs
• i continue to run 5x / week, lift weights 3x / week, bike infrequently, watch my calories, do some circuit training a couple times a week, drink lots of water, and juggle daily.
• i started doing yoga 3 weeks ago and am enjoying it quite a bit – very relaxing, yet also a workout. i frequently do it at night before heading to bed and it helps the insomniac in me fall asleep.
• this pic was taken this afternoon while hamming for the camera:
  
• the picture drives me to ask the question: if you had a high school teacher with guns like that, would you be messing around with him? no? then why the heck do my students mess with me? is it the shoes? is it the smile? maybe i don’t flash the guns around enough?
• i’m neck-deep in IEP writing, with somewhere around 18 IEP’s due in the next 2 months. oy vey.
• add to this that i’m taking a course on educational assessments at UWF and it’s a double oy vey.
• stephen king’s Under the Dome was a great read until the last 30 pages. he really is a master of plot development, but his endings are so frequently just blah.
• i’ve now worn my Vibram Five Fingers every day for three months and i’m telling ya: these things are absolutely awesome. i did acquire a second pair of them (seen in above picture) and do all my teaching, workouts, running, etc. in them. my feet / legs / knees / back have never felt better. i realize i have a followup i need to do on my previous post – it’ll happen, promise!
• spring break is the last week in march – i’m planning on being in Cincinnati for a couple days. am thinking of arranging some kind of party for a couple hours one night and see if we can’t get everyone together in one room to visit and catch up!
• there’s more to tell, but this was unplanned and as such, my brain is mush.

thanks to kate for the kick in the ass.

i started running back in august of this year (‘09). i was nervous about running for several reasons:

• i’ve not done any kind of running in the past 25 years (and i’m 41 now)
• the few times this past summer that i’d tried to run, my knees / back would stop me
• i’ve lost 40lbs since may but am still overweight – i didn’t want this to end up being a failure and get discouraged with the other things i’m doing to improve my health (at 245 right now, i’m shooting for another 25-30lbs to go)
• i have a form of arthritis that can flare up unexpectedly, and has put me out of commission for days or weeks in years past when it hits my knees or ankles (in a physical mobility sense)
• for most practical purposes, without my hearing aids, i hear nothing but extremely loud noises, and cannot wear them when i’m sweating (how to sense cars coming behind, etc)
• it was something new and i wasn’t sure i really wanted to do it

but i realized that most of these were excuses. like with all the other changes i’ve made this past year, i did some extensive research on running, spoke to several people who are runners, plotted out my strategy, and went with it. i went and bought a pair of New Balance running shoes, took it slow (walking, then running, then more running and less walking, finally running 3 miles a night without walking), and really came to enjoy it.

well, kinda.

i was doing well with the act of running itself, but my ankles, knees, hips, and back were just exhausted after each run. i mean, i was wiped! and the next day these joints were hollering more than just soreness. i figured this came with the territory and decided to just run my way through it.

and finally i had to stop running for a couple weeks because it just hurt too much. my knees were killing me and i was losing sleep from the pain at night.

i did what i normally do: i brooded a couple days, then started researching what went wrong.

and the only answer i could come up with is that i was slamming down on my heels with each stride – it’s what i remember doing when i was playing sports, right? heel-to-toe? and all that weight slamming down, jolting the rest of me on the way back up.

now let me say this: i’m not here to argue proper form (and thank God for that – others more qualified can do that and actually give a damn). for me, it’s the only thing i could figure.

so i started looking into barefoot running – it seemed natural for me, both in form and comfort (i’ve worn only Birkenstocks for 12+ years now and when i’m not wearing my birks, i’m wearing nothing).

and this led me to Vibram FiveFinger KSO’s.

part two is coming right up!

my initial reaction?

• running is easier and less painful on the knees
• running is more fun and less exhausting
• the KSO’s are crazy comfortable

gimme a couple more days and i’ll post a more detailed assessment as well as my rationale for getting into barefoot running. for now, here’s some info to look into:

• Vibram’s FiveFinger KSO website
• Wired Magazine’s article on barefoot running
• www.birthdayshoes.com – a vff community site

and now i need a pair.

check them out.

• i’m down to 251lbs – 34lbs less than when i started back at the end of May
• the weight training has really been paying off:

• i’ve added running to my daily exercise and am up to 3 miles every night. it kicked my ass at first, but the more i do it, the easier / better it gets.
• my fears of being too busy with work were unfounded. i LIKE working out, biking, running, exercising, etc. and making the time for it isn’t as difficult as i thought it might be.
• i almost entered a 5k a couple weeks ago but chickened out. it’ll happen…
• finally had the physical that i probably should have had before i started this – the good news? everything’s kosher! doc was impressed with weight loss and the way i’ve gone about it. offered a few suggestions and answered a half dozen questions i had about various exercise / weight related things.

i still have a good bit of work ahead of me – i’ve got a lot more gut to get rid of, but what a difference from may of this year (and a 70lb difference since 2005)!

woo-hoo!

but it just about got me while i was cutting the grass.

thick, sticky, huge web from the magnolia tree to the ground. thought i was a goner. figured lise would look out the window hours later wondering where i was and see this monster sucking away at my juices.

bleah.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri was up first. lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction with this book back in 2000. it’s a small volume of large stories focusing on, among other things, Indian-American experiences both here and in India – identity crises of sorts, and the interaction of the characters within American culture, or naturalized Indian-Americans interacting within a “foreign” Indian culture. Lahiri’s writing is excellent and her stories are short but loaded with detail. i very much enjoyed this and went right into her second book…

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. This is a novel that takes many of the themes found in her volume of short stories and plays them out over a generation. also well-written, i liked her novel as well! (as an aside: we rented the movie – it was also good, but not as good as the book)

The Gathering by Ann Enright had me scratching my head. and in the end, i’m not sure why i finished it. it’s a story of repressed memories, mourning, becoming, understanding who you are – but i just didn’t identify with anyone or anything in the story. this was a Man Booker Prize winner a few years ago, the main reason i bought it, and it should have taught me a lesson…

but  it didn’t.  Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss was another one that i was left puzzed by in the end. i understand the historical and cultural significance of the setting, and vaguely understand the societal / class struggle, but the book just didn’t satisfy me. another Man Booker winner, and another thumbs down.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen was up next. dad gave this one to me as an answer to getting away from all the “heady shit” of the previous four books. it was fun. it was interesting. it was entertaining. it comes to you recommended as simply a story – no moral, no point, no frills. i liked it and it helped me get my literary head back on straight. cleansed the palate, i guess.

Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje was a winner. the first book of his i’d read, The English Patient, was my introduction to Ondaatje’s writing. set in sri lanka in the 80’s and 90’s, it’s another story of cultural and class differences (and warfare), loyalty, and mystery (ending in discovery). a definite thumbs up for this one – it wasn’t particularly “moving” but it was well-written (and frankly, “moving” stories don’t always make for “good” stories).

speaking of which, The Soloist by Steve Lopez was one of those “moving” but not “good” books. i get it. i understand the significance of what nathanael ayers represents as a mentally ill individual with incredible talent, the support system (or lack of it) around him, lopez’ struggles and the resulting good that came of this series of articles… i just wasn’t that impressed with the writing or the amount of time lopez devotes to himself. (in another movie aside: the film of this book was even less stellar)

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri is her latest. another collection of short stories + 1 novella, i had a recurring sense of deja vu while reading it. like her previous two, it’s very well written, and you get attached to the characters (she fleshes them out just right), but the themes are the same or similar to what we’ve already read from her. i felt like i was treading water and could almost predict what was going to happen next. Â do i recommend it? yes, but… only if you want more of the same.

The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery was supposed to be another break from heady reading. it sucked. i didn’t want it to. i tried, i promise. but. it sucked. too apologetic. too much time trying to convince me of the worth of the pig as a pet / friend / savior / ?? and not enough story. choppy, mired in slop, and all together unsatisfying, i put it down, picked it back up, and finally put it back down for good less than 1/3 of the way through. don’t waste your time or money. you can have my copy. burn it. want a feel-good pet story? buy Marley & Me.

Children of Men by PD James – thumb up and thumb down. it struck me as similar to The Road by McCarthy in the sense that the story was good up to the ending. then it… dived. it left too many questions, and was too easy. the idea was good but suffered from a lack of knowing where to take it? or maybe i just missed the point.

and finally:

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. recommended to me by two folks independent of each other, i took it as a sign and grabbed it from Amazon. it’s a Columbine-like story told from the perspective of the shooter / child. it sheds light on bullying and self-esteem issues, and as a teacher there was definite benefit from reading it when i go in and work with my students, and as a novel, it’s decent. it’s not written specifically to convince you of anything (it’s a bit of a mystery / love story / suspense put together), and it’ll never be a favorite, but it was worth reading.

this concludes our rambling take on summer reading.

as i mentioned in previous posts, i’ve a long way to go still, but what a difference in body, mind, and spirit having worked so hard the last 3+ months to change 20 years of poor eating habits and virtually no exercise. the daily exercise (weight-lifting, circuit training, and biking) has really jacked up my metabolism. the healthy eating (more fruit, veggies; less meat and processed foods; calorie counting; normal portions; LOTS of water) has helped me feel better, and fuels the workouts. seeing and feeling the results is its own reward.

i’m thankful to Tim for agreeing to do this contest with me – we both needed some motivation to get started, and this was just right. Tim, i’m glad you probably won this contest, and the check is in the mail. truthfully, i can’t put a price on how much better i feel, but i’m glad we didn’t bet more than we did. :-)

and a final note: for all my silliness about how tough jillian michaels is, i met her daddy this past week. billy blanks is beating me far worse than jillian ever has. how do i respond? i say, “thank you mr. blanks, please can you hurt me some more!?”

doesn’t anyone proof these before they’re put out, or is it just that no one notices except folks with grammar fetishes?

where’s my red ink Internet pen when i need it??

anyone who can not only point out the error but also:

• explain why it’s incorrect and
• fix the error

will have their name put in a hat and i will draw one name for the following prizes:

• a sheet of sparkly star stickers to show your friends how smart you are!
• a Santa hat viciously ripped off the top of a dog toy by my dog!
• a couple of beautiful seashells pulled straight out of the Gulf of Mexico!
• an autographed picture of my shrinking manboobs!

to be eligible to win said prizes, you must live in the continental US.

Deadline: Midnight (Central time) on Tuesday August 25, 2009. NO CHEATING! don’t read the other comments until you’ve made your own!

baker college online? you’ll never have me as a student.

this is the final post (for now) that started with Part I, Part II, and Part III. check those out for the history.

at this point, 11 weeks into this lifestyle change, i’ve:

• lost 21lbs
• gained crazy muscle mass
• started drinking mass water
• dumped junk food and bad eating habits
• become jillian michaels’ circuit-training bitch
• been biking daily
• started weight training
• begun eating lots of fruit and veggies througout the day
• felt better than i have in 20+ years

i’ve still got a long way to go. i’m currently 264lbs, which, at 6′ tall, still puts me way out of healthy range. much of what i’ve read suggests having a target or a goal, but i’ve resisted this because i don’t want this to become something i HATE doing because i’ve not lost this or that amount of weight, etc.

what i WANT my motivation to be is to simply continue eating healthy, feeling healthy, using exercise and eating right to accomplish this.

if i were going to set a target weight, i’d probably shoot for 220lbs (in the back of my mind it sounds like a good, attainable, healthy number).

things i’m noticing

• i’m insanely aware of my body now – this never used to be the case.
• my skin is getting tight
• my feet are shrinking (took my birkenstocks in a notch last month, and having to do it again now!)
• my breathing is much more… full? easy?
• muscles are getting bigger and tighter (a strange sensation)
• my stomach is shrinking (but still has a lot more shrinking to do)
• my arms don’t jiggle
• my face has gotten lean (and the wrinkles that have been poofed out by all the fat – they’re shining through now, and i don’t care!)
• i’m very aware of the foods i’m eating, how MUCH food i’m eating, and the choices i’m making
• it’s taking a lot more work to get my heart rate up, pushing me to do longer and harder sprints on the bike, and add more weight to the barbells
• my clothes are getting too loose (can anyone contribute to my Scott Needs New Clothes Fund?)
• there’s almost a “high” that lasts for hours after a good workout – that alone is motivation to push it and work hard! but the increased stamina is also huge!

as i explained in Part I, this started out as a bet with my friend Tim. Tim has won both june and july, and i told him a few weeks ago: i feel so damn good, i’d rather lose the whole kit and kaboodle and continue this lifestyle beyond the contest rather than win and have gained nothing in a healthy lifestyle sense. i’m loving these changes!

now, in the interest of full disclosure, i need to admit that i started this journey during my summer off. being a high school teacher has been beneficial in the sense that i needed to work on getting these changes integrated when i was able to be incredibly flexible. school starts back next week, so the journey continues, but now under “real life(?)” circumstances. i’m going to be struggling with getting up early to get the first half of my workout done, then finishing up the second half after teaching high school juniors and seniors all day.

a final observation:

i’m very thankful that at age 40 and after 19 years of marriage, with some exercise and weight training, i can still make hott chicks swoon. here’s to the hottest chick in my life!