It’s funny how the meaning of certain things can change with time. As we get older, the context of our world changes. What was once important, relevant, or even all-encompassing may evolve into something completely different with time.

As summer time hits us in Texas, I find myself thinking about the meaning of summer – and how that has changed over the years. Now, the summer months in Texas signify lots of air conditioning, oppressive heat, drought more often than not, low lake levels, and sweating. The dog days of summer may be the worst part of living in Texas.

But there was a time when the meaning of summer was completely different. When I was growing up in Canada, it meant swimming in the St. Lawrence River. It meant the coming of Riverfest, the local music festival that would invade Brockville over a week in July. Summer was also the season to go to see some auto racing.

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History may not repeat, but it sure does rhyme. I think those words come from Mark Twain. How many times can one person speak of heat and the Republican Party in the same post? Apparently quite a few, if the Ruminations have any say in the discussion.

With Austin having already had it’s share of 100 degree days for the summer, I am starting to think that Hades may in fact be a cooler place to be right now. But it’s not only Austin that is suffering from the heat …

1. The heat has been on the organizers of the United States Grand Prix in Austin. City council meetings and news reports have become contentious and acrimonious at best. But the race organizers did finally receive Austin city council support. There was actually a 5 – 2 vote in favor of endorsing Formula One United States.

I have to admit, I am still shaking my head on this one. I still don’t get the level of anger that seems to fuel this debate. Keeping with the theme of “Keep Austin Weird”, the approach to this event has been strange at best. As much as our local government wants to check all the contracts and make sure that they have everything under control before putting their John Hancock on any agreement with Bernie Ecclestone, they really need to simply stop for a moment and ponder the potential ramifications of NOT endorsing it.

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This is the 21st in a series of RunSmart videos. The series is on-going, with a new video released on a biweekly basis. These videos complement the material presented in the book “RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free Running”. The full series of videos can be found here. A compilation of the first 10 videos will be available on Vimeo as well.

In this video, I discuss training for the masters athlete. Training principles will remain the same, however recovery becomes far more critical as we get older.

For those of you that are interested in a more interactive learning environment, consider attending a Level One (half day), Level Two (one day), or Level Three (two day) RunSmart program. The Level One program is 4 hours and focuses on basic training principles, running mechanics, and injury prevention. The Level Two program is 8.5 hours and focuses on performance optimization and training program development. The Level Three program is a two day, 15 hour program that includes a comprehensive approach to running injuries. The next Level Three program will be offered in Austin, Texas on August 17 - 18, 2012.

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By 2015, all physical therapist educational programs will be clinical doctorate degrees.  Along with this transition, it has been proposed that all physical therapist assistant educational programs become Bachelor’s degrees by 2030. A similar trend exists in the worlds of pharmacy and nursing.

But is this the right direction to take? Or did the profession of physical therapy in the United States develop a faulty plan built on faulty assumptions, and then sell that to the profession? Is it degree bloat? Or value-added benefit?

Here are 10 points to ponder.

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