“Jogging is very beneficial.  It’s good for your legs and your feet.  It’s also very good for the ground.  It makes it feel needed.” ~Charles Schulz, Peanuts (November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip.  Peanuts ran for nearly 50 years without interruption and appeared in more than 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries.  Charles M. Schulz’s income during his lifetime is reported in various sources to have totaled more than $1.1 billion and Forbes Magazine has rated Schulz the second “highest paid deceased person” in America (after Elvis Presley), with his estate continuing to garner income totaling more than $32 million since his passing.

Today marks the beginning of my second week of dieting and exercise working towards the goal of returning to my optimal bodyweight and becoming a runner again – both of these goals ideally achieved in 2009.  So how did the first week go?  I lost 6 pounds and as of this morning weigh 326 pounds.   Also, I was introduced to a new free place to walk for exercise in cold weather and I found out that I needed better shoes.  Overall I am satisfied with the results of my first week.  I will continue to check in with this goal weekly as my year of reclaiming my health continues.

Heroes.  I have quite a few, and this entry has quotes from two of them.  Charles Schulz, the genius behind the “Peanuts” cartoons, was and remains a favorite of mine.  His simple and profound cartoons helped me through a sometimes very lonely and confusing childhood and his works continue to enhance my life today.  I was delighted to find a running quote from him.  I included just a bit of additional information about this amazing man and his amazing life.  I encourage you to learn more.

George Sheehan is a more recent discovery for me and what a gem he was / is!  I discovered his book “Running and Being” on one of my frequent used book buying adventures and was captivated.  I sprinted through this book, found more, and was saddened to learn of his passing.  He gives me hope that at the age of 51, I will recapture my health, as he did at the age of 45.  Thanks George – from one of your many fans.

“There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life.  But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint.  So, too, are you.  Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.” ~Dr. George A. Sheehan (November 5, 1918 – November 1, 1993) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his books and writings about the sport of running. His book, “Running & Being: The Total Experience,” became a New York Times best seller.  He was a track star at Manhattan College, but did not renew his interest in running until age 45 while living in Rumson, New Jersey. He began running in his back yard (26 loops to a mile) and then started running along the river road during his lunch break wearing long-johns and a ski mask. Five years later, he ran a 4:47 mile, which was the world’s first sub-five-minute time by a 50-year-old.  In 1986, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He continued to run until his legs could no longer carry him. During this period he continued to write about his experiences. This time it wasn’t about running, it was about dying. “Going the Distance” was his last book. It was published shortly after his death in 1993.

Finally, I was hacked sometime over the weekend.  This is the second time that pitiful hackers, in some demented attempt to prove some level of significance in their lives, have violated my website.  Well, you hackers owe me an hour of consulting time – you can send the check to my business address.  And remember, karma never sleeps and you are building up some very bad energy indeed!  To my readers that also saw the messages of the hackers, my apologies.  Technology is getting better at stopping these internet weasels, but is not perfect yet.

“The act of breaking into a computer system has to have the same social stigma as breaking into a neighbor’s house.” ~Ken Thompson

“It is only the inadequacy of the criminal code that saves the hackers from very serious prosecution.” ~Ken Thompson