DojoToad
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Posts posted by DojoToad
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@HeavyHalfMoonBlade - you have no idea the depths of my insanity...
Training test is complete.
Saturday was a very long day. Got up at midnight, showered, drank down 16 oz of Tailwind Recovery Mix (protein, carbs and electrolytes), packed and left my house just before 1am. Then a 4-hour drive to Pennsylvania. I snacked on some pretzel nuggets and pistachios. The roads got hillier and windier the closer I got to my destination which made me nervous as to if the course would be as flat as advertised. One near miss with a deer in the road and the speed limit seemed a bit high for all the blind curves, but otherwise pretty decent drive - I got a lot of singing done. 😗
Got my car parked, grabbed my race bib, and applied Body Glide to arms, thighs and feet to avoid chaffing. I took extra care with with the feet as I managed to pick up a blister on one big toe two days before the race - this has never happened on a shorter training run. I was able to clip the edge of the blister to keep fluid from building up but left the outer layer mostly intact to protect the raw skin underneath. I then wrapped the toe with RockTape for additional protection. Very nervous about this: I had never taped before and didn't know if it might cause additional problems like friction points. I sometimes leave races with blisters or other problems but never went into a race with a fresh wound. Drank down 16 oz Tailwind Endurance Fuel (carbs and electrolytes) and then got onto the bus for the ride to the start line. Carrying two 16 oz bottles for the race.
Temperature was 66 degrees with 93% humidity at the start time of 7am. By the time I finished the race, the temperature had risen to 80 degrees, but the humidity had dropped down to the mid 60% range. Rough conditions for a long run. The sun was out but I would say that at least 70% of the course had trees to provide shade. The course was flat as it was along a river - only 1,000 feet of elevation gain for the entire 50K. The trail was almost entirely crushed gravel and very well maintained. There were a few areas that had been washed out due to Spring storms but they had been back-filled and leveled. Aid stations about every 10 km to re-fill my water bottles. I also carried packets of Tailwind Endurance to keep my energy up and replenish electrolytes. I was sweating - a lot!!
At one point I stopped briefly to empty a shoe that had acquired some gravel and noticed that my socks were pretty wet. This is not usually a problem and was a surprise considering how dry the trail was - very few puddles to avoid. My socks are about half merino wool and half nylon with a little spandex thrown in and generally stay dry. But I think a combination of the high humidity and heavier than usual sweat volume overwhelmed them. Fortunately, I carried an extra pair with me and changed them out at a later stop.
The scenery was fantastic. The river was flowing high and had some interesting areas of rapids. There were many large, chunky rock formations (usually on the left side of the trail). There must have been a dozen waterfalls both large and small. There was one area where the trail passed between two rock formations. A higher waterfall splashed down and turned to mist while the sun filtered through the trees to set the mist of fire. It was quite spectacular. Would have made an amazing picture if I had toted my phone with me. There was very little stagnant water, so not many bugs. It wasn't until later in the race (when the sun was more prevalent) that some biting flies were out. I got chomped a few times. 😠 Not much in the way of wildlife - they all knew better than to be out in this weather - except for a few snakes on the trail sunning themselves.
As for the running itself, I did pretty well considering the conditions. I ran the entire first 10 km while it was a bit cooler and then transitioned to my run/walk strategy for the rest of the race. At about the 30 km mark I started doing a bit more walking than I'd hoped. The temperature kept rising and there was less shade. I finished with an overall pace of 11:49 per mile which was a bit slower than I had been hoping for. So I missed my target of a sub 6-hour finish by 16 minutes. But I placed well. Finished 13th out of 92 finishers (plus 11 people that did not finish, and 12 that were wise enough not to start).
My fresh blister got no worse (Yay RockTape!!) and no new blisters or chaffing (Yay Body Glide). Another 32 ounces of Recovery Mix to wash down pizza at the finish line then I was on my way home. Got back just a few minutes after 6pm. Was showered and in bed by 8pm. So up for about 20 hours total.
What went well:
- Hydration was on point
- Didn't need to eat. The Tailwind Endurance Fuel had plenty of calories to go along with the electrolyte replacement
- No chaffing, blisters, or injuries
- Good recovery, very little residual soreness
What went badly:
- Went out too fast to beat the heat?? Maybe would have been better at a slower pace and I might have avoided the drop off later in the race.
- Could have used one more Tailwind packet
The big race is now only 25 days out. 4x the duration and I'm hoping 3x the distance covered. Start walking a portion of each mile from the start and gauge speed based on heat and humidity.
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What if Rand (or someone with him) had bale-fired Semirhage after her attack to recover his hand?
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Okay. Called an audible. I added a shorter race before the Pinetum event to gauge my fitness. I'll be running a 50K on June 21st - the Ghost Town Trail Challenge. I plan to try out my race strategy for the 24-hour event and see how it holds up over 31 miles. I'll run for 3/4 of each mile and then walk 1/4. I can usually stay under 12 minutes per mile using this method.
I want to see if I can hold that pace for the entire 50K. If it goes well, I'll be able to break 6 hours for the entire distance. I know I won't be able to do it for the entire 24 hours three weeks later, but if I can build up enough of a cushion in the first half of that race I might be able to hold on for that 79 mile target as I slow down...
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Outta my way too, LOL. Probably about a 7-hour drive for me. 51 days to go...
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I started running ultramarathons in 2023. These are footraces longer than the standard marathon of 26.2 miles. Typical distances are 50K, 50 mile, 100K, and 100 mile. They are often run on rugged trails versus marathons that typically run on the road. Though living in the flatlands of NE Ohio my training is predominately on the pavement. I've tried several trail races but found that paved loops are more my speed. I've had a few runs over 50 miles with my best finish at 100K last summer.
For my next race, I'm running for 24-hours (hopefully) in Dixon, IL. Dream goal is 100 miles, but I'd be very happy with 79 miles - which would be a triple marathon.
The event is the Pinetum Mind Games Endurance Event. So why am I posting this on Dragonmount? As part of the registration process, I was asked for an interesting 'fact' about myself. I mentioned that WoT was my favorite book series. Don't know if the race director is a fan but this is what she posted on the event's Facebook page:
They do this for all the participants. I guess so that we can get to know each other a little bit before we spend a lot of time going in circles together. Pinetum is a small event and I appreciate the effort the RD puts into making all feel welcome. Wish me luck!
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Now - how long until we hear about a go/no go on S4?
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It is accurate that Laila got fridged.
If you would like to add an arbitrary and additional distinction to the term "fridging" which requires that the character have been created solely so that they can die and motivate another character then I sincerely apologize for failing to fully engage with your vernacular and would like to restate my complaint as follows:
What the FRIDGE, they killed of Siuan to motivate Moiraine and provide extra emotional depth to her fight with Lanfear and that is a stupid waste of a character and of an extremely talented actress and I DO NOT LIKE this narrative decision!
You don't have to like the narrative decision. It's okay. But leave it at that.
Death of a character is often used to rally others in both print, TV, and film. The chips are down and the protagonists are about to lose. A character dies (even a main character) and the rest rally to win whatever is happening. Old as time...
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As @Elder_Haman said, what happened we with Siuan does not in any way fall into the definition of Fridging.
If one is looking to negatively label the decision to kill Siuan by lumping it into Trope territory, it could be construed as falling into the category of Bury Your Gays, although I don't have any interest in going down that particular rabbit hole because I don't think it's either appropriate or applicable to do so.
And yet you did so...?
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Can't wait until they get 10 seasons, and start exploring CTE.
That will bring us right back to the books where the damage/infection/entanglement was too complex for even Nynaeve to heal...
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It always reminds me of the Hardy Boys books I grew up on as a kid; every chapter ended with some mini-cliffhanger. That worked to keep kids engaged but it would be ridiculous in a competent adult novel.Those Hardy boys got knocked-out/concussed more than NFL players...
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Obviously, I don't know all of the details. But the big picture is that Sony holds the rights to the IP. Amazon licensed those rights from Sony. Sony has apparently decided that it is not going to move forward with the development of a bunch of their external IPs, wanting to focus on Sony IPs instead.
My own suspicion is that Red Eagle is trying to use this situation to do a quick cash grab and that if Amazon wants to get the rights from Sony, it can and will get done.
Amazon does have money...
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While I have heard this as well, I have also heard that it is Sony that is the roadblock to renewal as opposed to Amazon. Which leaves open the possibility that a deal to remove the impediment can still get done.
I'm not familiar with the relationship between Sony and Amazon. Are they subsidizing WoT and not seeing the return they expected? Do they have another show they want to promote in its place? Something else...?
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Hmm, I wonder why the change especially with the more positive reviews this season.
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If I recall correctly, they greenlit seasons 2 and 3 before the preceding season dropped.
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Perhaps they had been instructed not to. Remember, the Dark One has plots within plots within plots. Often, he likes to break things, wait for them to heal a bit, then break them again. The attack is meant to sow panic and discord and suspicion. That will leave the Aes Sedai brittle and easily led into becoming pawns in the Dark One's later designs.
If Siuan is dead, for example, there's no need for her to be deposed. The Tower might unite behind their martyred Amyrlin or their martyred Keeper.
(Incidentally, this may also be the reason for the slow walk to the center - perhaps they were ordered to make sure everyone knew exactly who they were. The remaining Sisters are meant to believe that they know the identities of all of the Black sisters when, in fact, there are more still hiding among them.)
Granted if this is the explanation, it would help to make that explicit at some point.
I can accept this explanation - if, as you say, it is made explicit at some point.
It would be just like the DO.
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If I ain't playing mafia, I might as well "discuss" the show here.
I think the BA not killing anyone while they were stunned was just because their priority was escape. I also don't think they were really out very long. Granted killing with the power should be quick and easy and they didn't exactly run out.
I'm gonna go with...
The only reasonable explanation so far...
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One final point before I shut up. Why are we analyzing this scene so intensely? Is our enjoyment of action/adventure movies/series tied up with the accuracy of the fight scenes? If we spent this much time nitpicking the car chases in F&F, or the fight scenes in MI, or the daredevil scenes in James Bond movies we would find all kinds of silly inconsistencies and physically impossible events. If we enjoy these types of movies/series, we suspend belief and go with the flow as long as the scenes are interesting and visually exciting. If we don't enjoy this type of entertainment, the nitpicking is a good excuse to use as to why we don't enjoy it, but generally not the underlying reason. When was the last time you saw an action/adventure movie/series and thought, I would like it if only that fight scene was more realistic?
Lets use our logic on other parts of these movies/series or on movies/series that invite serious logical analysis.
I think some of us are analyzing this so much because the battles were our favorite parts of the books. It is what got me through the slog of Faile's Shaido arc, Elayne's throne chasing, Aes Sedai Tower/Salidar machinations, and Perrin's brooding (all the matters is Faile!). I knew there was another fight coming - Jordan did that so well.
As I said previously, I thought this scene was very well done regarding the One Power fight - though I still don't understand the Black Sisters walking away without killing the defeated Sisters. For my money, they have nailed the One Power between the tower battle and Rand taking out Turak and his entourage - S3 might be the turning point for this specific area.
Though I still worry about melee fighting. With the exception of 'The Blood Snow' there is still a lot to be desired for the mundane weapons - from their appearance to how (un)skillfully they are wielded. But I did like that little blip of Perrin in the trailer though I never pictured him in plate armor.
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@Mailman you entirely dismiss how shocking this attack would be. Most of the sitters would be in shock trying to process how and why women they knew for decades are suddenly using the power to attack.
Responses would be incredibly slow as they try to work out what is going on. Think about it. This starts as a trial for a rogue Red. Only Siuan knows she will reveal Liandrin as Black. The revelation of her as Black alone would be a huge shock. The Mother admitting such a thing exists would be a massive revelation by itself.
Then Liandrin holds the power. The reckless act of a woman caught? What is happening? “Join me?” In what? Why are those sisters getting up? What are they doing? Are they going to help Siuan? Did they really just do that? Why? Was it a mistake? All of these questions would be banging around in their head - about people they know, like, and trust.
These types of things can freeze even highly trained people (see the Uvalde shooting). Why is it so surprising to you that a room full of women who never imagined such thing (the Black Ajah) was possible and believed themselves to be the world’s greatest power - absolutely untouchable in the heart of the Tower - would struggle for a minute to react appropriately?
The Aes Sedai were trained and weeded out so that those who attained the ring would not pause or falter when surprised/attacked - but would react appropriately on the instant.
That said - I agree with you. They train for perfection but are only human. The slow start and shock are both reasonable.
- Kaleb, DreadLord31, Skipp and 2 others
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I think that the CGI used for the magic battle was very good.
What I can't understand is the end of the battle. Whether the Black should have won the battle given the numbers is debatable. But they are the Black. They had defeated the most powerful women in the Tower and they were all laying on the ground defeated and helpless. Finish them off quickly with a quick slice of the power? Nah, let's retreat to the docks so we can fight them again another day.
Retreat was prudent after the battle but at least clean up the low hanging fruit that will only take a millisecond to destroy.
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I liked the trailer overall. The one power battle in the White Tower looked good to me. But as has been pointed out, the archers against trollocs didn't make much sense. Three or four hundred pound beasts with forward momentum being thrown back by arrows... That aside the scene didn't look great.
Perrin swinging whatever looked cool. Aiel spears - 🤮
Costuming looked good.
- Vambram, DreadLord31 and Mailman
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Death.
Thank you. I should have inferred that...
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* I've always been of the belief that while we are going to see Moiraine 'meet a sticky end', as it were, the TV series' focus on Rosamund Pike as the Series Lead won't change, but as we start to get closer to Season 3, I'm kind of starting to wonder if my assumptions are going to be proven wrong, which makes me sad given that Moiraine is my favorite character
I'm sorry, but what do you mean by 'sticky end'?
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What's your favorite lesser-known character from The Wheel of Time series?
in General Discussion
Posted
Talmanes