INFOSEC / Trail-Running / Military / Whatever Else I Choose: 09/01/2005

27 September 2005

When common sense gets cancer.

Last Sunday evening after church, the young-married group had a chili supper to raise money for a retreat. Towards the end of the evening, a fellow who I'll refer to as MP sat down and struck up a conversation with me in regard to nutrition and health. He and I share a common interest in this area, but not a common view. I take a very simple approach to good health; eat right, exercise, etc. God gave us pretty much all that we need to stay healthy, all we need to do is make use of it and not pervert something healthy into something unhealthy. MP (whom I do have a great deal of respect for) believes that homoeopathy and naturopathy are the roads good health and longevity.

The conversation began with MP telling me about a new Natruopath (practicioner of naturopathy) that he visits in lieu of a physician. He said that this particular provider has a method of looking at a blood sample under a microscope and diagnosing any and all ailments by visually inspecting your blood cells. He went on to say that this provider let him know that his cells were nearly problem free, EXCEPT that the red cells were binding together a bit more than they should (never mind the fact that the blood was on a microscope slide, exposed to air). More on that whole "binding-red-cell" malady later. He then inspected MP's wife's blood. "Without any prompting" he told me, "he said, 'do you have back problems'". In amazement, MP and his wife said that she did indeed have neck problems (close enough). I replied that this seemed to be a very similar approach to what is used by psychics. I then engaged him in a pointed conversation that went something like this;

Me: "So what is the connection, or the cause if you will, in which a sore back, or ankle, or whatever, can change the shape of your blood cells?"

MP: "Well, he can tell by looking at the shape of the cells, and the cell counts."

Me: "I understand that this is his claim, but does he or anyone who makes this claim have a valid explanation as to how these maladies effect cell shape?"

MP: "Well, they can diagnose cancer by looking at your blood."

Me: "That's because there is a real and demonstrable link between cancer and your cell counts. The connection has been proven. Just as it has with types of anemia, etc. Has such medical proof been provided for these other forms of blood diagnostics."

The conversation shifted gears at that point to stomach enzymes, and the fact that after 30 we don't produce enough of our own to digest food. This is the cause of the rampant acid-reflux that so many suffer with, he told me. It seems that both of his daughters-in-law and even his wife suffer from this. The same naturopath that diagnoses sore joints and muscles by observing cell shape sells a supplement called DigestMore that fixes this very problem. Additionally, this lack of proper digestion was what had been causing MP's red cells to "bind" according to his Naturopath. I asked what was in these "completely natural pills" and MP told me that they are "vegetable enzymes". I'm not sure exactly what that means, but my next logical question was "Why not just eat more vegetables". "Oh, that's almost all we eat" he said. "Then what am I missing" I asked. Back to the beginning we went, with the whole "after 30" thing.

I basically told him in the end that I really thought that this was all quackery, but that I certainly agreed with him that proper diet and exercise was imperative, even a moral requirement and that the lack thereof is epidemic in our society and more so our church. He agreed. I went on to make the comment that I, as a relatively healthy person who tries hard to take care of myself am tired of subsidizing others poor health and nutrition habits via high insurance premiums. That was a trigger...he informed me that he had cancelled his insurance long ago, as he trusted God to keep him healthy and to heal him when he does get ill. Okay, fair enough. "Doctors want to keep us sick" he told me. Not so fair. In fact, blatantly false I would maintain. I told him that it seemed to me that he was putting more trust in magic pills and witch-doctors than in God and the very things he created for us to consume for our good.

So, in the end, we agree to disagree...mostly. I am glad that he works hard to be healthy, but the idea that you have to spend money on DigestMore and barley juice in order to be healthy is, well, not healthy. It doesn't cost "extra" to be healthy. Actually, it's usually cheaper to buy wholesome foods at the grocery as most people don't want them so the whole supply and demand effect works to your advantage. Getting off the couch and walking/running/doing jumping jacks doesn't cost a dime. God gave us skepticism for a reason. While we cannot let it get out of hand, it is important to always have a healthy skepticism as it serves to preserve us physically, emotionally and (in this case) financially. Skepticism and common sense would seem to serve as a system of checks and balances for one another. If one falls short, the other should pick up the slack. If we willfully set one aside then we are destined for disappointment. In the end, we live in a fallen and acursed world. Everyone gets sick. Everyone dies. If you are deathly ill and God heals you then rejoice, but understand that the inevitable has only been delayed and assume that it is because God has something remaining for you to accomplish. While death, sin and sickness used to hold us hostage, it is Christ's death on the cross that provided the ultimate healing in that it stripped sickness and death of their power.

21 September 2005

"Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible." -William Shakespeare

I have spent some time lately re-reading some of my favorite running books. "Running Through The Wall", by Neal Jamison and "And Then The Vulture Eats You" (multiple authors) are two of my favorites. They are simple and succinct accounts of the "why" of trail/ultra-running by trail/ultra-runners. These books lend an important perspective on a sport that many people either do not understand, or misunderstand. For (too) many years there has been a certain mystique that has surrounded the sport which has unfortunately been perpetuated by a great many participants. The idea that trail/ultra-running is mystical, or that the people that do it have to be just a little bit crazy to be able to endure such hardship is simple fallacy. Trail/ultra-running is not an adrenaline or "extreme" sport. It is in fact the polar opposite; it is a deeply subjective undertaking that is as diverse as each person that chooses to participate in it. There are some (in the above books even) who enjoy the strange looks when they talk of running 30, 50 or even a hundred miles or more. There are those who say things like "My husband thinks I'm crazy, and I guess I'd have to be to do such a thing." Whatever. It is, after all is said and done, nothing more than running. One foot in front of the other with progress measured in hours rather than minutes and seconds. The type of people are very different than what you would find at the track or in a marathon training group. Each and every person out there is competing with the idea of finishing what they've set out to accomplish. This might include a bit of "racing the clock" if they're trying to best a previous personal record on a particular course, or if they are in fact one of the very few "best of the best" who stand a chance of winning. The reality is (as most anyone who's run even a marathon can tell you) that once you pass mile twenty or so, the competition is between the facts, and your mind.

So what? So what indeed...it is after all just running. One foot in front of the other -- just like life. Not a sprint. Not even a run that you can break into miles, but you are forced to plan, to tolerate, to accommodate, to adjust, to evaluate adversity, discomfort and yes the acceptability of failure in light of your predetermined goals. As the saying goes, "Things don't always go as planned." In anything longer than "long" things NEVER go as planned. In life or in an ultra, no amount of planning is sufficient. You have to plan up to a point, and then execute with the realization that adjustments are going to have to be made. You may have to stop and rest at some point. You may have to walk some hills. You're no good to yourself or others if you push yourself to the point of injury. Gene Thibeault is a retired Ultra-Runner in his sixties, who suffers from serious chronic injury and pain from "overdoing it". He sums it up nicely in "Running Through the Wall" when he says, "If I had it to do again, would I? Yes! But if I did, I would listen to my body more and not be so hard on myself. I would also put less focus on racing and concentrate more on the enjoyment of being with friends on the trails." Man, that says it all. Flip that from the ultra-running bucket to the life bucket and re-read it in that context. If you're going to undertake something as difficult as an ultra, or life, you have to work hard...right up to the limit. But at that point, look for those around you that are working hard with you and take some comfort and gain some support from them. Enjoy "being with friends on the trails" of life. Those people will one day limp by and find you sitting on a rock trail-side, ready to give up and give you that little bit of a push such to get you out of your funk and back on the trail. After feeling overwhelmed by the adversity of a race, ultra-runner Suzi Cope penned, "Sunrise caught me sitting on a rock letting the clock run out. Another runner walked by and said he was just doing the best he could, even if we were out of time. I realized I was not doing the best I could. So I got up and started running." Ms. Cope went on to finish the race, and in fact made up enough time to finish under the cut-off. Words are powerful things that when wielded by the good-natured can strengthen us when we've got nothing left to give.

Is there a mystery in such an endeavor as life, or an ultra? The answer is as subjective as the experience itself. Perhaps the "unknown" is what drives some to achieve while keeping others from even attempting. The drive to discover what lies past "long" is something that is either inside you or not. When viewed in retrospect, life is indeed short..."Like a vapor", but ask anyone who's in the midst of "running" it to the best of their potential and the soon-coming end is not their focus, rather just the next step...and the next, and so on.

I suppose that after "long", we quit competing with each other and compete with failure. Life is like this (well, at least if you're of a Christian belief) inasmuch as you are admonished to run the race while in the end it is between your decision to persevere or abandon the call that the ultimate winner will be named.

^{I Corinthians 9:24-27
24}Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.²⁵Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

17 September 2005

A fine day for a run.

What a beautiful day for a run! I met Miller (from my Navy Unit) at the Lone Elk trail head at 0800. The weather was outstanding with a temperature in the high 50's and a pea-soup fog. This being Eric's first run on the trail, I spent a couple of minutes describing the options for where and how long we could run. In the end, we sort of "winged" it as we went, but ended up running to the 2 mile marker (the picnic table) making for a 10 mile round trip. Conditions were great! Just enough mud to get messy. Not too many other people on the trail. No bugs to speak of. We couldn't have ordered a better day.

I snapped a few pictures which I thought did a pretty good job of illustrating the morning. I will close out this post with said photos. The bird in the picture is a bald eagle that I noticed flying overhead when I laid down to stretch at the end of our run (it's the best photo I could get and the quality suffers from cropping/enlarging). After I was done stretching, I continued laying flat on my back admiring the bird. After a few minutes, a fellow on a horse rode up and asked "You alright?" "Yeah" I said, "just stretching." "Okay, you just didn't seem to be moving" said the fellow. Good point. ;)

After the fog had pretty much burned off.

16 September 2005

"But you've never given anyone a free beer." -Homer Simpson

Uncle Sam isn't known for his generosity (not that he should be..."ask not" and all). In this case, however, I wanted to draw your attention to the fact that our kindly uncle's third nephew (twice removed) is in fact giving something away, and a very valuable something at that.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is responsible for most regulatory aspects of Department of Defense (DoD) Automated Information Systems (AIS). They are also charged with educating people in this regard, to include education and training on information security (INFOSEC), information assurance (IA) and so on. I have done every course that DISA has put out, and most of them are quite good. I took my courses (the CBTs anyway) through the Navy as that gives me easy access to them, and I can earn retirement points for successfully completing them (fellow Navy folks can find these courses through NKO). If you do not have that option, then you can go straight to DISA and order the courses on CD and DVD absolutely free! I did so, in order to have them on hand for off-line review and for others to use, and sure enough, within about a week a shoe-box sized package arrived with a DISA return address. Inside were professionally done CD-ROM CBTs and DVD training videos.

If you're interested in obtaining your own (keep in mind that you have to work for the DoD in some capacity to qualify), just go to the link below, fill out the form and check your mail-box. You need to provide a qualifying DoD e-mail address (as that is how they confirm that you work with DoD), so don't use your personal e-mail when filling out the form. Enjoy!

Click here for the DISA order form.

On another note, if you're looking for excellent on-line Linux training, that is available for free as well. The courseware has been developed over the years by Dr. Giovanni Orlando, who recently made the decision to open it up (give it away) to the public. This is excellent training material and I would recommend it to any and all who have interest in mastering Linux. The good doctor has even included applicable e-books that are available on relevant topics. Follow the link below for more information or to begin a course.

Fast Track Linux Course Freeware

15 September 2005

"Do or do not, there is no try." -Yoda

Yeah, I quoted Star Wars. No, I'm not going to be dressing up in character and lining up days in advance at the next release. I do really like this quote however, as it summarizes my preferred approach to life. To do or not to do is a decision that is made prior to attempting something. To try is a reflection after having attempted something at which you have failed. I make a conscious decision that I "will do it". This decision takes into account a certain amount of logic and rationalization necessary to preserve life and limb, balance other obligations and responsibilities, etc. "I will do it" may not succeed, but I can guarantee that it will prove successful more often than "I will try". How often do you hear someone reply with a half-hearted "I'll try" when you ask them to commit to something? It's a natural response that leaves room for (most often) backing out of doing something that makes us uncomfortable due to the fear of failure. Over the past year or so, I've made a very conscious effort not to take such an approach in any venture. I have seen the results first hand as the frequency of success on things both "big" and "little" has increased substantially. Is it because I've become "better" in some way? No, not directly. Rather it's because I've left less room for excuses. In reality I have learned to commit to my self and not to worry about what others will think if I fail. I am my own worst critic, which can be (if kept in perspective) a healthy way to assure that I am doing my absolute best. Failure is a guaranteed occurrence in life, and should not be feared. As Michael Korda so aptly stated, "Never walk away from failure. On the contrary, study it carefully -- and imaginatively -- for its hidden assets." We live in a society in which the fear of failure and the requisite ridicule that seems to accompany it keeps many from even attempting a challenge.

I have been blessed with a wide array of very good friends from whom I have learned much. It is interactions with these friends (conversations, runs, work) that have taught me some important lessons in life. Some of those friends I see less often than others, but it seems that their wisdom more than makes up for the rarity of our encounters. One such person is my good friend Lambros. I have known him only about a year, but I have gleaned so much value from our time together that I cannot imagine not having made his acquaintance. It is from him in a great many ways that I learned to value, but never trivialize failure. Lambros spent eight years as an active duty Navy SEAL, and a number of years following as a reservist. He went on to obtain his Ph.D. and works as a civilian employee with the Department of Navy. I have worked with him on several projects during which I have learned a great appreciation for his knowledge, skills and abilities. It was during a conversation about failure that I pointed out that most people fear failure, “but not me” I said with a smile…”I value it for what I can learn from it”. He politely acknowledged my point, but added that “Sometimes and in some situations, failure is followed by funerals.” His point was simple: You can and should learn from failure and not fear it, but you should never trivialize it…it deserves a healthy respect. He had experienced a part of life that I had not, and as such his understanding of this matter was more finely honed.

The thing that I value most about Lambros is the sheer breadth of his experience, and the humility with which he shares it. I have asked for his opinion in regard to many a topic with work (the DoD can be a precarious place) and my Navy career. He always has a solid, unemotional and well-founded answer, but provides it in such a way as not to lead a person (me in this case) to a conclusion, but rather to equip the inquisitor with the necessary information to make their own decision. Anyway, back to my point. It’s a person like Lambros that gives me that little bit of knowledge that helps me in terms of valuing failure. It’s a person like my friend Col. Ratliff that sets an example of how to cut through the “squishy” periphery of a tough situation in order to get to the core so that it can be dealt with as efficiently as possible. As he so often and rightly points out, “in our line of work, efficiency saves lives” (paraphrased). These are just two of the hundreds of people to whom I owe so much. In God’s grand design, it is our parents (whom I could never thank enough) who lay a foundation that over the years we are to build upon brick by brick. It is our valuable interaction with others, our successes and yes even our failures that provide these bricks. The beauty of life is that as we obtain "bricks" from these sources, we can in turn provide them to others without relinquishing them ourselves, always being careful not to damage them in the process.

Finally, one more quote; this time from Caleb (one of a pair after whom my son Joshua Caleb is named) in the Old Testament. “Give me my mountain”. Caleb saw the risk, the probable discomfort, the potential for failure and set in his heart to “do”, not to “try”. No doubt, if there were any potential "failure inducing" circumstances that he missed, his companions (with the exception of Joshua) would have been sure to point them out. He made his heart known at the moment he uttered those few words and thus he committed to others what he had already committed to himself. While I almost daily make the same request of God, I hope that when He delivers that I will have the same confidence and determination that I do during my request. If I do, it is because of those that he has brought into my life in order to equip me and not of my own sheer strength of will.

12 September 2005

"I'm your worst nightmare. Fear me. C'mon, I said FEAR ME!" -Adam Gadahn (paraphrased)

This, my fellow humans, is the new face of terror; none other than Adam Gadahn! Don't look upon his photo too long, or you will surely parish from fright.

It seems that shortly after the "Prince of Dorkness" here had his game of D&D interrupted by the realization that someone had eaten all of his Spaghetti-Os, his rage turned him into an ultra-super-scary al Qaida terrorist who is going to blow up Los Angeles. Oh, and Melbourne too. You've been warned, now stop what you're doing and run screaming into the streets in a mindless panic. Man, he'd look great in a mullet.

06 September 2005

"Truth came to market and could not be sold; we buy lies with ready cash." -African Proverb

It's been some time since I last posted. Things have been very busy. I went for one of my best runs in a long time yesterday morning. It was pleasant enough to give me pause in my long-held belief that I am not a “morning runner”. It was a cool morning, around 68 degrees. There was a pretty substantial haze still hugging the ground in the wooded areas. The sun was out giving an almost surreal appearance where it broke through the trees, creating beams of light. It was one of the most beautiful runs that I recall. Jeremy joined me, as he often does, and we both had very good times for a seven miler on single-track.

On to a topic that has been annoying the daylights out of me for the last decade or so (yeah, perhaps I’ve let it fester too long). The general craziness that is centered around good nutrition has gone from bad to worse over the years. I will readily admit that prior to running seriously (or seriously for me anyway), I didn’t pay too much attention to what went in the ‘ole pie hole. For about the past year, I’ve been trying to learn as much as possible, a great deal of which has included experimenting. I think (personal opinion here) that a great deal of good nutrition is subjective. There are basic general truths (fiber good, simple-carbs bad) around which you can build a nutritional plan that fits your lifestyle, tastes, etc. The one fundamental truth; THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET. It seems that everyone is looking for the secret food-formula that will “make the pounds fall off” or give you “energy and cognitive skills like you used to have”. Case in point: I was talking with some very good friends over the weekend about good nutrition. They brought up coconut oil in the conversation and talked about the miraculous properties that it has. I pointed out that it is a medical fact that coconut oil (and palm oils in general) are the worst plant fats that you can consume (akin to eating lard really). One of them insisted that I was wrong because the “Curves diet” (we’re talking the Curves exercise/weight-loss centers here) promotes the intake of coconut oil for it’s healing and weight-loss inducing properties!!!

Let’s back-up for a minute. There are lots of healthy foods out there that crazy people latch on to as being “miraculous” or “healing” or “whatever”. Green tea is a good example. Green tea is good for you. Period. It’s full of antioxidants, a bit of vitamins and the additional water that you take in when drinking it is always helpful. It’s NOT magic. It’s not an “elixir of life” as some sites promote it. I love green tea, and I drink a lot of it. Iced. Hot. In place of hot water on my morning oatmeal (which is also quite good for you, but alas not magically delicious if you get my drift). It’s tea folks…JUST TEA! So, this is one way in which foods become aggrandized…good foods that become almost mythical in their greatness.

The second category that I’ve seen are bad foods that are “sainted”. The coconut oil scenario is just such an example. To confirm my beliefs about coconut oil, I of course referenced the decades of research on the topic available to anyone who cares enough to find out. I also asked my sister (Dr. Heidi Rand) who had already researched this in trying to educate a friend of hers who was so convinced of the “coconut connection” to good health that she was literally eating spoonfuls of solidified (hydrogenated?) coconut oil (a big spoonful of snow-cap lard anyone). Long story short, Heidi had this to say;

“This coconut oil has been a big health craze for several years. I have a friend that a couple of years ago was buying vats of coconut oil(essentially tubs of plant lard) and eating big spoonfuls through-out the day. I was horrified to learn she was doing this and tried to tell her it was not good for her. She quoted numerous studies and web sites that showed that is was great for lowering heart disease, cancer, arthritis, etc. ( I guess if you are dead from a massive heart attack it is true that you have none of these health ailments...) I checked with one of my past Vanderbilt Cardiology attendings (the director of the heart health and lipids section of Vandy cardiology) and he confirmed that the coconut and palm oils are terrible for heart health. I will forward that email he sent me, to you. I do not know any websites or online sources. I stopped looking for info once Dr. Maron responded to my email. I figured one of the foremost cardiologists in the nation on blood lipids and heart disease was good enough to sway anyone. Interestingly, my friend still eats coconut oil even though I forwarded her the same email. If you need more info, I can ask Dr. Maron. Also, any medical or cardiology text book or lipid text book would have info on the subject.”

In fact, Dr. Maron did provide some further information in the form of medical abstracts which I will link here for your perusal. I have not quoted Dr. Maron's reply e-mail here as I don't know him nor do I assume his permission to do so.

Coconut oil is used in animal studies to promote atherosclerosis. (sorry, no web link available)

TG containing stearic acid, synthesized from coconut oil, exhibit lipidemic effects in rats similar to those of cocoa butter.

The serum LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio is influenced more favorably by exchanging saturated with unsaturated fat than by reducing saturated fat in the diet of women.

The bottom line? Coconut oil is not good for you. It doesn’t ward off disease, and it will kill you over time (just as consuming too much of any type of fat will…only a tad faster than most).

The problem inherent in our society is the desire to find that elusive secret remedy to all that ails us AND that nullifies the need for exercise. Translation; we as a society are lazy…physically, intellectually, spiritually. You want some magic? Eat right and exercise for 30 days, and “POOF”, you’ll sleep better, feel better, look better, have more energy, more self-confidence, and it will compound itself. This isn’t rocket science. People often complain that “healthy foods don’t taste good”. That’s because you aren’t used to them. Eat healthy for a couple of months and then eat a big piece of deep fried whatever. I believe you’ll find that it no longer “tastes good”. Taste is subjective. So is diet. I prefer to eat the same thing every day. I eat a half-cup of oatmeal with a half-serving of healthy breakfast cereal on top of it (why? Because plain oatmeal tastes like crap) for breakfast EVERY MORNING. I eat beans (red kidney or fat-free/vegetarian) and rice (long grain brown rice) EVERY DAY for lunch (I used to it that every day for breakfast as well). Exciting? No…but I don’t take pleasure or experience excitement while eating. Eating to me is completely utilitarian. I eat that I might continue to move. I realize that this is a not even close to “everyones” meal plan but the point is that this is the "pattern" that works best for me. I also realize that poor diet is often more psychological than it is physiological. I’m not dealing with the psychology of things here, just the stuffing your gullet part. When I eat bad, I know it. This is not because I feel guilty or like I’ve “cheated”. I burn enough calories running that I could eat pie for every meal and I wouldn’t bloat. I know when I have eaten “bad” because I feel bad. My energy level, cognitive skills, endurance and accuracy all suffer in direct proportion to my garbage intake. I am physiologically driven to eat right (at a subconscious level I suppose) because as humans we don’t like discomfort and eating crap makes me physically uncomfortable. We can certainly condition ourselves to take comfort from food psychologically instead of physically, and that is how, I believe, so many become trapped in a cycle of terribly unhealthy living until they die of some related disease. That human desire for “comfort” derived from food should be focused on the physical rather than psychological. If I am hungry (physically hungry), it is because I have burned up my on-hand energy via calorie expenditures and as such, I need to eat in order to do away with that uncomfortable hungry feeling. If my body is low on something…I will have cravings as a natural response. If I am craving chocolate ice-cream…it’s a safe bet that this is NOT a physiological craving and as such should be disregarded. This "true" hunger, if I may call it that, is the discomfort that should be attended to.

Anyway, I’ll shut up since I really have no basis or professional background to be talking about any of this. I’m simply stating the obvious here as I see it. Take it with a grain of salt, just as you should ANY claim about nurtition and health.

INFOSEC / Trail-Running / Military / Whatever Else I Choose