Take Chance...

The Perception of Age in History (Or History is Full of Lies)

My brother sent me an article yesterday to which he expressed blew his mind.  The moment I saw the title, I had to laugh to myself.

The article Ages of Revolution: How old were they on July 4, 1776? addresses the idea that the majority perceive the Founding Fathers to be...well, that.  Fathers.  Older, wise, patriarchal, philosophical, experienced men.  However, the "united States of America" was actually founded by fairly young men, by today's standards.  Taking into account the life expectancy of the time, most of them were middle-aged - barring Ben Franklin.  Dude lived forever.

Speaking of good ol' Ben Franklin, during one of my American Revolution classes in college, my professor did her own mind blowing along the same lines of this article.  Take a look a the picture above.  Chances are you're familiar with it.  It can be found in almost every American History textbook on the planet.  This is the moment when Ben Franklin, with his son William, took a kite out in a storm and discovered electricity.  So nice to see a younger Ben performing cool science experiments with his young son in tow.  Right?

Wrong.

Before I blow your mind, take a moment to look at that picture again.  Look closely.

Franklin's kite flying experiment occurred in 1752.
Ben was born in 1706.
William was born in 1731.
That would make them 46 and 21 respectively.

William was 21 at the time of that image.

I'll be honest... I thought he was about 12 years old.  Nope.  William was legally allowed to drink in today's world and was a mere 11 years away from being the Governor of New Jersey.

*Additional fun fact, William was a Loyalist and openly opposed his father during the American Revolution, which they did not recover from until a few years before Ben's death in 1790.

So what's the point?  History lies.  Men are glorified and vilified based on who owns the story.  Age, maturity and courage are all projections of our own perception.  The next time you read a story about one of the Founding Fathers, examine them as just men, not demi-gods, and it may reshape the way you see history.

I mean really, aside from not being old, they also were not altruistic and revolting for the "all men's rights".  They were selfish, self-serving, young men, but that's a rant for another day...

Just do it!

Earning My Wings :: Training Week 3

Ugh!  This week was rough.  My knees have started to hurt due to excessive use.  I didn't take proper care of myself with my diet, hydration or sleep.  Tsk, tsk!

However, I worked hard and started listening to my body.  I took tonight off from all workouts and did some stretching.  My knees are killing me, so ice and rest it is.

I took the below picture during one of my evening runs.  I got home later than usual from work one night and was chasing the sunset.  Worth the great show - love Arizona.

Here what I was able to accomplish this week.

Week 3:
Tuesday, January 6 - 3.65 miles with sprint strides @ 11:09
Wednesday, January 7 - Tone It Up: Love Your Arms & Abs
Thursday, January 8 - 4.13 miles @ 11:27
Friday, January 9 - Rest Day
Saturday, January 10 - 2.78 miles @ 11:01
Sunday, January 11 - 5.11 miles @ 11:25
Monday, January 12 - Rest Day - Ice Those Knees

What am I most proud of this week?  Well, because I'm usually so stubborn...

Be Rad

Earning My Wings :: Training Week 2

Part of training is staying dedicated to your goals - no matter what's going on in your life.  This week was a huge challenge.  Not only was it the New Year holiday, three of my four runs landed on days while I was on vacation in California.

Running in a different location presents a number of challenges:
1. Figuring out your route.
2. Different air quality (California = More Pollution, More Moisture).
3. Different terrain (So. Many. Hills.).

Then there are the challenges of running over the New Year Holiday:
1. So many delicious adult beverages.
2. Inevitable late nights.
3. Better things to do.

Regardless, I sucked it up, made sure I planned for each run, and trudged through them.  My 5 mile run on Sunday was the hardest, by far.  For the first time, I had to walk portions of my route, which was like a cannon fire to my ego.  I was tired and dehydrated from 12 hours at Disneyland the day before and staying up super late to hang out with my family.  I didn't properly prepare for my run, so I didn't have a proper run.  It's that simple.  However, I still finished and made my best attempt to finish strong.

On the bright side, I learned that I really love the interval training.  Hot damn, that's fun.

Week 2:
Tuesday, December 30 - 3.88 miles with sprint strides @ 12:14
Wednesday, December 31 - 45 squats, 45 push-ups, 45 sit-ups
Thursday, January 1 - 4.21 miles @ 11:25
Friday, January 2 - Rest Day
Saturday, January 3 - 2.05 @ 10:32
Sunday, January 4 - 5.06 @ 11:53
Monday, January 5 - Jillian Michaels: Yoga Meltdown

So, what am I proud of this week?

Until  next week...