Training Log Archive: iansmithIn the 1 days ending Oct 25, 2011:
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Tuesday Oct 25, 2011 #
6 PM
Running 56:38 12.01 km (4:43 / km) +5m 4:42 / km
ahr:159 max:181
Moderate intensity run around the Charles River; I ran down to the Harvard Bridge and back to Harvard Square. After crossing the Harvard bridge, I encountered a speedy looking guy waiting for a traffic light, and I ran hard until the BU bridge to stay ahead of him. I then followed him until Western Ave, when he crossed to the south side of the river, and I slowed. It was a fun bout, though I ended up hitting higher speeds than I intended.
My legs felt solid, and my obliques started hurting near the end of the run. I am almost done with the seventh and final part of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - a 57 hour book. I listen to books on my mp3 player at a sped up rate - 1.2x - but finishing this book has taken 47 hours of audio time, and the longest audiobook I have finished. I was thoroughly engrossed for the majority of the novel; my familiarity with the events of World War II gave context to the events therein.
I find many aspects of the mid-20th century rise of fascism fascinating, and there is much to be gleaned about the national zeitgeist and trends of collective action. Military strategy has always interested me, even though I heartily agree with Sherman that "War is hell." Understanding it can help us avoid it. It must be noted that while reading The Rise and Fall, I have a more through and newfound appreciation for the magnitude of the horrors of one of the darkest times in human history - the Holocaust, the systematic extermination of entire classes of people on a whim of a megalomaniacal madman, and the distortion of the consciences of an entire country to madness. While I knew of the concentration camps in some detail, the atrocities of the Einsatzgruppen were not well known to me and are some of the most horrifying things I have ever read. As a world, we must never forget what has transpired. Images like this will haunt me forever.
My legs felt solid, and my obliques started hurting near the end of the run. I am almost done with the seventh and final part of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - a 57 hour book. I listen to books on my mp3 player at a sped up rate - 1.2x - but finishing this book has taken 47 hours of audio time, and the longest audiobook I have finished. I was thoroughly engrossed for the majority of the novel; my familiarity with the events of World War II gave context to the events therein.
I find many aspects of the mid-20th century rise of fascism fascinating, and there is much to be gleaned about the national zeitgeist and trends of collective action. Military strategy has always interested me, even though I heartily agree with Sherman that "War is hell." Understanding it can help us avoid it. It must be noted that while reading The Rise and Fall, I have a more through and newfound appreciation for the magnitude of the horrors of one of the darkest times in human history - the Holocaust, the systematic extermination of entire classes of people on a whim of a megalomaniacal madman, and the distortion of the consciences of an entire country to madness. While I knew of the concentration camps in some detail, the atrocities of the Einsatzgruppen were not well known to me and are some of the most horrifying things I have ever read. As a world, we must never forget what has transpired. Images like this will haunt me forever.
