Made it to a full 5 miles the other night. It was a little cooler so that helped. When I started out I felt tired and actually thought about cutting it short but the longer I ran - and ran through my desire to stop - the more energized I felt. I relaxed as best as I could and paid attention to my legs and hips. I experimented with using relaxation as I ran so that my body felt less strain putting one foot in front of the other and pumping my arms back and forth. Moving my legs forward I relaxed the muscles in my hips and quads as soon as I could while still extending my legs in a reasonably good running stride. I did the same with my arms by relaxing my shoulder and holding my arms as loosely as I could while still maintaining a natural running rhythm. In other words I used as little muscular effort as possible while breathing naturally and deeply. It seemed to make all the difference in the world. I also started with a slower pace.

On a lazy summer Tuesday I decided to post a list of interested Black Dog related links. Enjoy

Head Fake, How Prozac sent the science of depression in the wrong direction - thanks to Black Dog reader Jennifer!

6 Ways to De-stress

Sleep Deprivation is not a Badge of Honor

Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?

How to Take a Nap

Top 10 Ways to Relax

6 Tips for Happiness

Low Serotonin Makes for An Unfair Offer You Can Refuse

The Ultimate Guide to Motivation

Yesterday after work, I made a detour to the downtown barber shop where my son Ben works. It’s a great old school barber shop whose walls and ceilings are covered with all manner of sports memorabilia. From newspaper clippings and photos celebrating the local high schools, to college teams and the pros.

Barbershops are a particular right of passage for boys. Aside from the occasional mom with her toddler, it’s a peculiarly male environment and one of the first places where we are exposed to men talking about men stuff -  jokes, sports, politics, women and sex. There’s an endless supply of distractions for any young man; gumball machines, pop, t.v., videogames, magazines, comic books, newspapers and sports stuff.

Mid 80s with some rain mixed in and my yard is looking really good. I’ve taken the time to slow down, pay attention and enjoy it. Stopping to smell the roses so-to-speak. It helps to pay attention to the outside world and get out of your own thoughts and concerns if only for a moment here and there. This is true for everyone but especially those walking a black dog.

Just as I was starting to mow the lawn on Saturday my sister called. The nursing home had just called her saying dad was very confused and it “might help if someone would visit him”. No guilt with that last line. She was concerned about him but also felt bad for not going to see him that day. Since they were in the middle of a lake out of town, she asked if I would go?

Actually ran 4.5 miles the other night without stopping once. Woo-hoo. So I am officially patting myself on the back. Yes, that’s an ice cold Corona light (with extra limes) in my hand. I’m a believer in rewarding yourself for a job well done. I felt so good afterwards that Cosmo and I went for a drive to get an accurate measurement of the distance.

I’d been doing just (don’t minimize your efforts!) 2 miles but finally felt energized enough after work that I thought I’d try to go for it. It helped a lot that we had cooler weather and lower humidity too. Still if a 51 year young guy who sits at a desk all day can do it, so can you.

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Last Saturday in Tai Chi class my teacher was instructing all of us to relax and pay attention to what we were doing, to allow ourselves to relax and let go. “If you do,” he said, “you will feel the rhythm of Tai Chi.” Sometimes when he talks, I feel as though he’s talking directly to me as though he knows what I’m dealing with in my personal life. “Allow yourself to let go . . . feel the rhythm” Yeah, that’s me.

Didn’t sleep that well last night as I was jarred from a very deep sleep by the airhorn of a weather alarm radio telling me there was a severe thunderstorm watch.  A watch, not a warning. There’s no way I can see to turn off the ‘watch’ alert and only have it go off for the more serious ‘warning’. Because of my interrupted sleep I had to force myself to run when all I really wanted to do was crash on the couch. Running, sometimes it’s magic, sometimes it’s just work and sweat. Still there’s always a sense of accomplishment when I’m done and that’s worth something.

For Father’s Day my brothers, sister and I all went together and bought dad a jacket and hat embroidered with patches that said U.S. Army Retired and WWII, Korea, Viet Nam veteran. I don’t think I’ve seen dad that happy with a present in a long time. He kept looking at it, running his fingers over the embroidery and saying “Oh boy that’s nice. That’s something.” Between seeing all of his family and the gift, we made an old man very happy.

There’s a bunch of family birthdays in June so we combine them with Father’s Day and have a reunion of sorts. A lot of homemade food, drink, talking and laughing.