closing in on 1000 miles…
today, as part of my rehab Slow As Shit Running (SASR) schedule, I ran a little over 5k on the multi-use trail at the park. it was an easy out and back and, quite honestly, it sucked. but, my next run, which will be on Saturday morning, will get me over 1000 miles for the year. it is much later in the year than planned. I missed my mark by at least a month due to the achilles injury I have battled since March. I finally am on a path to full recovery thanks to a great doctor and an outstanding PT guy. they are both runners and remind me that I will get back to where I want to be. they also remind me to be patient. that is the hard part. patience, in athletics, is not my best trait. I can wait in line at a store, or in sit in traffic, or wait at a restaurant without much of a problem. but, I want to train or play hard every time I am out there. it is a character flaw, I admit it.
my goal for the year was 1500 running miles and a sub-1:30 half marathon. I will not reach either goal, but the 1:30 is possible when I get healthy and can train regularly again. I am hoping for a March race in the warmth of Florida. that means training through the winter, but that is not a big deal for me. as long we do not get snowed in for long periods of time I should make my training goals for a March race. the treadmill/spinning bike cross training work will supplement my mileage as well. while not meeting my goals is disappointing, there are some memorable runs from the year that make falling short less stressful. I can look back to days on the trails when I felt as if I was floating along with my feet above the ground. just before my achilles acted up, I had a few trail workouts when I felt my turnover coming back. the signs of being a real runner were there, that is a good thing. it is something to build upon.
the next 6 weeks will consist of easy runs every other day with spinning bike sessions to supplement. with that schedule, I will be over 1500 combined miles for the year. it is possible that 2k is attainable with combined spinning and running mileage. but, I have to remind myself to be patient and not push too much. it will be difficult, but I have to do it.
this week, I attended a banquet for the local Old Timer’s Hall of Fame Induction. my oldest brother was the emcee for the event. he was hillarious. no bullshit. I was impressed. he and I are very close. sometimes more like friends than brothers. I am the god father to his only daughter. it is my finest accomplishment in my life. I was a proud brother on Tuesday night. in my last post, I talked about my other brother. not in so fond of terms. I had no idea he would read the post. I can’t say that I regret what I wrote. this is my space to let out what I am feeling. I can say that he is my brother and I will whatever I can for him. we have never been as close as my other brother and I are, we do not share many interests. that is just the way it is.
this is the toughest time of year for me. I am working my way through it. not being able to train consistently makes it worse. I realized today that coaching the last few years has served as a distraction for me. this is the time of the year for the big meets, focused training and motivating runners to peak. not coaching this year may have been the worst idea in relation to getting through October. maybe next year, I will be making training plans and moderating workouts. or, maybe I can expand my Running is Elementary program to more schools. I know I need to do something to ease this pain…
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 10/20/2011
- Time: 16:00:00
- Total Time: 00:30:00.00
- Calories: 482
- Distance: 3.75 miles
- Average Pace: 8:00/mile
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progress (8 + 2)
today, for the second time since the treatment on my heel over a week ago, I ran a little over 30 minutes on fairly flat streets. it is progress, however slight. the next two weeks were supposed to be race weekends, that is no longer possible. but, I am getting my running legs back and there is significantly less pain in my heel, achilles and plantar fascia. after my run today, I went to the track and turf field of a local college and did strides. I was going to do 8 (the reason for that number I explain later in the post), but ended up adding two extra to make a nice even 10. the strides felt good, smooth, and up tempo a little. my turnover felt more natural than it has in weeks. progress for sure.
shortly after school ended today, I received an e-mail from a former teaching colleague and friend. it was a video that was featured on ESPN E:60 last night about a young boy from the school district where my friend now teaches. the kid has cerebral palsy, yet he hosts an internet sports radio show with his dad. he is amazing. what struck me was the back story and the video and still photos used to explain it. there was a baby photo of the kid as a new born with the little hat hospitals put on babies. at that point, I had to close out of the video. all the memories flooded back to me of my son in the knit hat, the only time I ever saw him.
I realized that it was 8 yrs ago yesterday that I was told my son would not ever come home with us. the odd thing is, it did not occur to me yesterday, but I did not feel quite right all day yesterday. I woke up this morning at 3:35 AM and could not understand why. the loss was/is the most significant experience of my life. it is never far from my mind. It has probably influenced every decision I’ve made since. some days, it feels like it was just yesterday and I find it difficult to explain to friends and loved ones why I am down and mourning an eight year loss. I have heard more than once, from more than one person, that I should be over it by now. I wish it were that easy. I don’t wish that fate on anyone. it is the worst kind of loss. Lance would be 8 at the end of this month, on Halloween. on that day, I will visit his grave, run in his honor, and spend the day thinking about how great life would be with him here.
this weekend is the county XC championship race. I plan on attending, but keeping a low profile. I will try to not see the kids I coached last year. it is not that I do not want to see them, it is just a little difficult for me to do so. I love coaching XC and missed it this Fall for sure. I am not sure the kids want to see me either. the other dilemma for the day will be if Sara is there. I have not seen her since April. seeing her and saying hello would be great, but not sure how I will handle that. I got a nice text on my birthday from her that was exactly what I needed to ease the burden of turning 44. but, that is something I will deal when the time comes. I am just excited about seeing the best kids in the county racing on one of my favorite courses. usually, I run the course the morning of the meet. this year, I can’t do that because of the hills. maybe next year.
Sunday morning I will head back to Kelly Dr and try to extend the run to 40+ minutes for the first time since the treatment. it is back to Doc next week for the follow up visit. once I get the clearance, it is back to training and a strong finish to 2011.
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one of the best things I’ve ever done…
anyone who reads this blog on a fairly regular basis knows that I am not big on the positives in my corner of the world. sure, I can write endlessly about how great a run was or what great conditions exist for running, or what a great place I chose to run on a given day. however, when it comes to giving myself a pat on the back or tooting my own horn, it is not really my nature. it is that way in nearly everything I do. it is not that I lack self-confidence or don’t believe in my ability. I am fairly confident that the things I choose to put my best effort into, I do quite well. in fact, deep inside, I am cocky and arrogant bastard. I readily admit that. but, for so long and by so many people, I was told I was not good enough, that my ideas would never work, that things I whole-heartedly believe are not worthwhile.
however, I can honestly say that the Running is Elementary program that I started a few weeks back (and have subsequently had a few others volunteer to help) is without question, the best thing I have ever done. to see 80+ elementary school students running, and enjoying it for the most part, is tremendous. it has given me an outlet to replace coaching the sport I love the most _ Cross Country. not coaching this year has been, at times painful, sometimes a relief, but in so many ways has reinforced my passion for the sport. I hope to have another opportunity to coach XC in the future, not sure I will. but, for now, Tuesday afternoon running club sessions will do. we have 89 kids who registered, we’ve lost only a handful. we’ve run the course I mapped out twice. today, the second time around, many of the kids improved in time or distance covered or both. we do a warm up and then our run for the day. the kids have fun, the teachers helping out have fun. it has been 10 yrs in the making and has been worth every minute spent planning it. I look forward to Tuesday afternoon, can’t wait for the next one.
I stated earlier that I love Cross Country the most of any sport. I should say my passion for XC is equal to my love of baseball. I never thought I would say that about another sport. they are both team sports that rely more on individual performances than any other. one is not governed in any way by time, the other is all about the least amount of time it takes to cover a course. maybe it is the fact that both are contested on the green grass that is best when freshly cut. baseball has been part of my life since I can remember. in fact, my first real memories are of days on a baseball diamond or watching the Phillies. I came to cross much later in life, but the seeds were planted in my teens. I was told by many people, beginning in 9th grade phys. ed. that I would make an excellent distance runner. I resisted every suggestion because I always played team sports (and so did everyone I knew) thankfully, eventually I came around to running. it has been the only constant in my life since. it has gotten me through periods of mourning, relationships (both successful ones and not so), job crisis, and every other possible scenario. now, I get to share that love and passion with a group of kids every Tuesday.
I have no idea how many, if any, of the kids will continue running. but, the seed is planted and it has a chance to grow. if half, a third, any of the kids get out of distance running what I have, the Running is Elementary program will have accomplished something great.
for me, it already has.
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sometimes, two weeks seems like…
today was the first day I was cleared to run in two weeks. after a treatment schedule that included ART and stretching, a turned ankle forced a major setback in my condition. a repeat visit to my doctor, something I try to avoid at all costs, left me with a choice of anti-inflammatory meds to limit pain, a cortisone shot, or a less-used procedure which called for a mixture of lidocaine & dextrose injected with guidance from an ultrasound into the area around the nerves of the achilles. it took about 10 minutes, caused minimal bleeding and calmed down the intense heel pain I was experiencing. with that, doctor’s orders, no running for a week. that was after nearly a week of being unable to run. it felt good to get back out there for sure.
I had a few issues to deal with before running today. the first was deciding where to run. I was told by the doctor to avoid all hills and run somewhere flat with good footing to avoid rolling my ankles and overly stressing my achilles. the problem with those parameters is that I rarely run anywhere without hills and in fact, I avoid running flat surfaces most of the time because I find them to be too boring. I had to eliminate all my favorite trails, park XC course, roads in my neighborhood, and almost every loop I run regularly. there are two exceptions - the Schuykill River bike path near Valley Forge and Kelly Drive in Philadelphia. I chose the latter. a nice, easy out and back on the drive. It is a Monday, so the path was not as crowded as a weekend morning. I began with a short warm up and stretching routine that I started doing a few weeks ago after my PT sessions.
I ran the first 2+ miles in 15:02 and returned in less than a minute longer. not the best I can do, but a decent first run after a two layoff. the first mile felt a little rough with my achilles getting loose and my breathing not great either. I did not take any allergy meds today or yesterday and it certainly effected my breathing. an 80+ degree day the second week in October is a rarity around here, so that may have something to do with it too. during my layoff, I was able to maintain some fitness with every other day spinning bike sessions. I have biked 392 miles so far this year and run 983 miles. I should surpass the 1000 mile plateau this week running and eclipse 400 miles on the bike. that is a decent year for me. a few injuries and illnesses have set back a little from time to time, but running has been there for me again this year. it is my crutch, my outlet, my savior at times. in times of euphoria, it increases the joy. in times of pain, it eases the distress. it is not a cure all, but it is pretty damn close.
post run icing and no real pain in the achilles area. I could finally be making some progress. I will run a little tomorrow with my running is elementary kids at GP, and then another half hour or so on Wednesday, bike only on Thursday and then run again on Friday. from there, we’ll see how things go. I might be able to race again by mid-November.
one of the great things about running Kelly Drive is the scenery. the Art Museum, the Water Works, Boathouse Row, the sculpture, the bridges, rowers on the river; all of it makes the running experience better. I have run the Drive with various running partners - girlfriend, teammate, team in training group, future wife, and a few others. it never gets old. and, every time I run there I think back to some of best times I’ve had. today, as usual, I thought back to our Cross Country banquet held at a boathouse on the drive and what a great night it was for all of us. it was one of my favorite moments as a coach ever. I thought back to training for the marathon and running the loop twice and running out and back to Northwestern Ave in Chestnut Hill. I thought of the bike ride of the loop with Sue & Brian when we packed a lunch and did the full 8 miles. Brian was only 6 or 7 yrs old, but he loved the ride, it was one of our best days as a family. the best memory of running on Kelly Dr was the City 6 5k race with Sara. we ran the race together, I think we finished within 15-20 seconds of each other. it was not the only time we ran there, but it was a great memory. one that I will always cherish.
today also marked my first run as a 44 yr old. so, I guess that is 44 yr old PR for 4 miles. my birthday was a bit of a downer as my beloved Phillies were eliminated from the NL Playoffs in an excruciating 1-0 loss to the Cardinals. however, on facebook, I received birthday wishes from so many people I was taken aback. I am not a big B-day person, but the nice thoughts from people made a real difference. I also received two incredibly uplifting text messages - one from my God daughter Liz, which I kind of expected; and the other from Sara, which I did not. Sara’s came early in the day, before school. it was the best thing that happened to me all day. I expected a non-descript email with a short happy bday. not sure it means much more than she is a super sweet person with whom I shared a lot, but it made my day anyway.
I spent last week house-sitting for my brother. the time away from Dad’s house made me realize how much I value personal space and freedom. I had the responsibility of taking care of his pets, putting out the garbage and all that comes with a house. and, I loved every minute of it. it has made me realize that I need to be out on my own again. I love my dad dearly, but living with my brother is an untenable situation. I hate to say it, but I can not stand being in the same room with him. on the other hand, I made a pledge to my father to help him out in his final years of life. now, my dad expects me to be the one who gives my ungrateful and lazy brother a place to live when dad is gone. I can not do that. once I get through the Catholic guilt instilled in me by my mother, I will be moving on again.
I do know one thing- better days are coming…I will make sure of that…
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there is a light that never goes out…
as the days Summer wind down in mid-September, the amount of daylight decreases incrementally. that was apparent tonight when I began my early evening run just before 7 PM. in the middle of the Summer, a few short weeks ago, a 7 PM - 40 minute run would end with dusk fading into night. tonight, the moon was shining brightly by run’s end and the sky began darkening shortly after the run commenced. I ran a loop that included a stop by my mother’s grave. at the grave site, we have a blessed mother statue, placed there by oldest brother and his wife placed there. there is also a small solar lamp that either my brother or sister placed there. in the early evening darkness, the light was like a beacon as I made the turn onto the road where the cemetery is located.
I stopped by the grave briefly to say a Hail Mary and an Our Father, and think about all the great things my mom did for me. I spent the rest of the run thinking about the phrase, “there is a light that never goes out“ in the context of people I’ve lost. not just those who have passed on, but also those who have passed through my life and moved on for one reason or another. I thought about those in my immediate circle of friends who have suffered losses recently and in the concentric circles of related colleagues & acquaintances who struggle with loss as well. I have rarely handle the grieving process well. nor have I been able to know what to say or do to console others in a time of mourning. most of the time, I have just stayed away so I did not have to appear weak or lacking compassion.
I have always believed, at least internally, that there is a light in all of us that never goes out. there is a light in every relationship that never goes out. the struggle is in trying to find that light when things are not going well. it is the epic struggle of life for me. when I am running, it is easy for me to process that thought and believe it. when I am not running, it gets exponentially more difficult to due so. I am working on it.
there was a special feeling on the run tonight. maybe it was the spirit of mom watching over me. after a 6:30 AM PT session and work all day, I needed a short nap before running. Mondays and Tuesdays are physically, mentally and emotionally draining for me. on those two days, in addition to the regular Art classes I teach (with several mainstreamed students); I teach four Emotional Support classes. for the most part, I enjoy my job. but, some of the situations I see little kids dealing with - poor parental support, being raised by grand parents while parents are addicts, split families, etc; tend to wear me down. It is heart-breaking to see some of the things adults put children through. part of the frustration for me is that I am not a parent myself. It is one of the things I continue to work through, but it is still frustrating. by the end of the school day, I just need to decompress on many days. but, I also realize that I may be making a difference for some of them, a few of them, even just one of them.
to that end, today we formalized plans on a program that has been an idea of mine for 10 yrs. the 10 year anniversary of 9-11 reminded of the plan I had back then to start an elementary running program in our district. running is so much a part of who I am, I wish I had listened to people when I was a kid who told me distance running was something for me to try. I waited until I was in my 20s to begin doing it seriously. if I get some kids to see as a sport, as a lifelong activity, that will be personally gratifying and beneficial for them too. the plan is to get them started with some easy stretches, strides and short distance. then we will proceed to more distance, faster running, running games, and eventually racing. I am very excited about the prospects. in the long term, it could change kids lives for the better.
my mom’s life was spent doing little things to make people feel better, big things to make our lives better, and lots of other things to make others happy. she had a light that shone brightly whenever she entered a room. she is one of the lights in my life that never goes out.
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two words say it all…
sometimes, a simple phrase can express emotions better than a long thought out quote. tonight was just such as occasion. in the midst of a Cross Country workout, in fact after the 3rd repetition of the O portion of the OJ workout, two words came out of my mouth spontaneously, F*ck Yeah! After that, I smiled ear to ear for about a minute before beginning the next J portion of the workout. after a few more repeats, and a lots more smiling, again without thought - “Fuck Yeah!“ and more smiling. some days are better than others as a runner. never before have I spontaneously said that phrase during a workout. I was feeling good tonight.
after the first two days of school with kids, I was feeling a little rundown by 4 PM today. but, I knew I had to run and I had a feeling that running would be a good way to get out of the rut. indeed it did. I did an extended warm up of nearly 20 minutes of fairly easy running before beginning some dynamic stretching and some downhill 150-200 m pick ups. after that, I jogged down the hill to the horse shoe area of the course to do my favorite Cross Country workout - the OJ, aka the Killer. it is the best workout idea I ever came up in 8 yrs of coaching. it is exactly what it sounds like, you run a loop in the shape of an O and then recover briefly and follow it up with a J shaped sprint. it is pure fun on two legs. I did 4 or 5 of each and then finished up with a 10 min warm down, more plyos and 3 striders. all together, the running totaled about 7 miles. I felt great. the only downside of the event was the slipping on the wet and muddy ground. I remedied that on the way home when I stopped at the Bryn Mawr Running Co for a pair of XC spikes. I had to have my size delivered from their other store, but I should have them in a day or two. it was a good thing I stopped, I got a chance to chat with a former local high school running standout and a former coaching colleague. the coach actually offered me a chance to coach some girl distance runners in the spring. I will think about that. on the way home, I ran into a teaching colleague out for a walk and studying Italian. seriously, she was reading a book of Italian at the time I saw her. great girl, nice surprise.
all in all, a good day.
two words, F*ck Yeah!
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gaining perspective…
the trails, as I often write in this blog, are my favorite place to run. the ups and downs of the hills, the uneven terrain, the water crossings, downed trees, and single-trail switch backs all make for an interesting and ever-changing experience. while running, I often try to come up with a theme for my next entry in this space. today, the thing that kept repeating in my head was - GAINING PERSPECTIVE.
I thought a lot about how much my life has changed over the last few years and how all the experiences I’ve had (and continue to have) have changed my perspective in life. I had another such experience over the weekend. I went to visit a college friend and her family. we got back in touch through facebook some months ago and have kept in touch through messages on the social networking site du jour for our age group. in college, we met in Philosophy class. I think she was a freshman or sophomore with a boyfriend in Indiana. I was an older guy in my second or third year of school with a girlfriend at another PA school. so, in short, it was safe to be friends. if not for the girlfriend, she would have been an object of my affection. she was, and still is, a great person with a bright outlook on life. I don’t honestly remember the last time we spoke or saw each other. it was probably 20 years ago this Fall when I was preparing to leave Kutztown University for the first time. this weekend, I got to spend time with her family- husband Brian (also a KU guy) and their two boys; Jake and Zack. it was a fun and refreshing experience. Michelle and Brian are a great couple. that was refreshing to see in people of my age group. their boys are full of energy and fun to be around. my changed perspective on the experience with the Dempsey family this weekend is this - I used to be jealous of people my age with happy families; this weekend I felt a sense of happiness for them. it was nice change for me. we went to the beach on Saturday and the boys and I made some sand sculptures and played catch. Michelle and I caught up on 20 yrs of lost time, she introduced me to some of their friends and told me great things about her kids. Brian and hung out in the water, he gave the run down on the surrounding area and we talked about KU life in the early 90s. Brian grilled a london broil for dinner and the three adults sat around and had good food along with good conversation. Brian and I ran on the beach front for an hour on Sunday morning. he is the borough manager for the seaside town of Silver Lake NJ. his knowledge of the shore towns and his insider status on how the towns differ was great running conversation. I have to mention that beach front running is much different than what I am used to doing in PA. it was easy on the legs and I appreciate that too.
another change in perspective recently is in my professional life. my self-imposed stress level has gotten much better. I no longer am approaching each day, each lesson as a win Win/Loss/Tie perspective. I used to get disappointed in every day that I did not Win- that is to say, feel like the day went great, everyone in every class got what I taught, etc. I am just trying to get some enjoyment out of each day and reach as many kids as I can.
today marked the day when I reached the 900+ mile plateau for miles run. add in my spinning bike miles and I am over 1100 miles for the year. my goal remains an attainable 1500 miles for running. with a little less than 4 months remaining in the year and my health better than it has been in years, I could surpass my goal before the end of December. if that is the case, I could rest for the holidays and start fresh and rested for 2012. we’ll see how that goes. if I continue to feel as good as I did today, I could run some great long runs before the end of the year. I could have done another hour today without a problem.
the only thing missing right now is a significant other. to borrow a phrase Citizen Cope, “what good is a pocket full of dough without a woman that you can hold…“ I am confident that will happen again when the time is right. that is another perspective change this year. the failure to realize the full potential of a relationship is the toughest hurdle to get over at this point. I have come to grips with much of my other baggage, yet that disappointment lingers. but, I realize disappointment is a temporary condition. as a great song from the BoDeans reminds me, Brand New, just around the corner from you…just like a run on the trails, right around the corner is a great new experience. having that perspective in my life is a nice change.
Workout:
- Type: Run
- Date: 09/05/2011
- Time: 11:30:00
- Total Time: 00:50:05.00
- Calories: 741
- Distance: 6 miles
- Average Pace: 8:20.7/mile
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a little bit of this and a little bit of that…
today was a good day all the way around. first day of work, visited all three schools in which I teach, got the classrooms semi-organized, class schedules sort of finalized, chatted with some colleagues. it all started with a nice surprise _ a text message. amazing what a little positive energy can do to make things go well. after work power nap was key. evening run followed by another nice surprise _ tastykake pumpkin pies are available early this year. that was the 2nd best surprise of the day.
traveling between three schools has it’s advantages. and some disadvantages too, just like everything else in life. today, I got to get a new classroom ready for the kids to come tomorrow. I like to create murals for my classrooms. it shows the kids what I can do and gets many of them motivated to make art of their own. sometimes, I will choose kids to help with the murals. I may just do that tomorrow. I have some really good 4th and 5th graders tomorrow who (I think) would enjoy helping out with adding some art to our class wall.
at beginning of the year breakfast and faculty meeting, I got to touch base and say hello with some old colleagues and friends. that is always a highlight of the first day. the teaching profession does not allow for a lot of socializing during the day. there is more time for it at the secondary level, but the elementary special subject teacher spends most of the day with kids, one group after another, no breaks. it is not brain surgery or operating a nuclear power plant, but not speaking to another adult for 7 hours can be tedious. so, the first day is an opportunity to get in touch with other adults for a day. I got to hang out with my old teaching partner from the middle school today during our district meeting. as our assistant superintendent reminded us today, we may be two of the only art teachers in the world who are both baseball fanatics. we both coach or play baseball regularly. in fact, when we taught together, we used to spend our free period playing long toss outside our classroom. that pissed off some of our colleagues, but we enjoyed and a lot of students thought it was awesome. it is one of my fondest memories of teaching (other than actually teaching of course). we made plans to hit a first friday in Olde City this fall. I look forward to that.
tonight’s run was an exercise in flexibility. I planned to do some easy trail running at Swat College Arb. however, between construction and the effect of the weekend weather, the lower part of the arbs was a mess. I changed it up and ran some roads and a bike path for 34 minutes or so. I got back to the campus and did some baseball running - foul pole to foul pole on the warning track. I used it to work a little fast turnover. it was fun! I am enjoying running again. it is a great feeling. getting healthy helps. having a good frame of mind helps too.
I have another PT session scheduled for tomorrow morning at 6:30. a little early morning ART for the achilles. what a difference that has made. I feel like I am really beginning to get some flexion back in my right ankle area. that makes all the difference between running 3:10 -3:20 for 800 meters and running barely under 4:00. between the core work, stretching and ART I’ve added to my routine, my body is feeling better than ever. I have gone from thinking this would be my last year of barely competitive running, to thinking this could be the beginning of my most competitive year of running ever.
I am really looking forward to the Fall racing season, the school year, and the future…
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Our Lady of the Trails…
when I stopped going to mass on Sunday mornings and instead ran for up to 2 hrs on the trails at Ridley Creek State Park, I started calling the park Our Lady of the Trails. the obvious connection is to Catholic churches and the Our Lady of (Fatima, Charity, Mt. Carmel, etc) names they are given to them. but, for me, the trails do hold a magical, almost holy aura. I feel the presence of a higher power while I am on the trails. I find clarity of thought. all the things I used to find at Mass, I have during a trail run; except for the sacrament of Holy Communion. today, I prayed the Serenity Prayer over and over and traversed trails littered with branches large and small after the weekend hurricane Irene.
today, I also thought of something my high school classmate, talent show co-host, and friend Mark Docherty messaged me on facebook. he sent me a reminder of the feast day of the saint from my childhood parish - St. Rose of Lima. I replied that as a lapsed Catholic, I don’t keep track of the saint’s feast days. his reply to that made me think, he wrote ”lapsed is a temporary condition”. I thought about that a lot today.
most things in life are temporary conditions. bad weather, good weather; having $, not having $; thirst, hunger. it is what we do to change those things we can that make the difference in our lives and the lives of others.
for 54 minutes today, I found serenity on the trails. it is back to work tomorrow where the wisdom to know the difference between knowing what things I can change and what I can’t will make all the difference.
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the day after…
Irene (the Hurricane) arrived here yesterday afternoon. before her arrival, I ran the hurricane Floyd version of the XC course at Rose Tree Park. the alternate course eliminates the small creek crossing that begins with a down hill of rocks and mud. it can be quite treacherous for a hundred or more high schoolers wearing cross country spikes to negotiate the path, so race organizers decided the course would head uphill on grass for safety. it actually makes the course tougher in my opinion. yesterday, I did a nice warm up, ran the first 800 in 3:14; recovered for a half mile, then ran a 3:26 half before finishing the course at tempo pace. I finished the day with some downhill sprints and called it a day. with it being so close to XC season, I figured I would see at least one team at the course. luckily, I did. Radnor HS was there doing a little pre-season training. the best part about that was I got to chat with one my favorite former coaching colleagues - Tom Flanagan. he is one of the great guys in coaching. he knows how to train kids, drinks good beer and likes the Phillies. what more can you ask for in a friend/colleague?
I returned to the course today. I waited to later in the day because some roads were impassable this morning. it is also when I will be doing most of my training once school begins this week. once the weather changes, it will be great to run later in the day as the sun sets. the temps will drop and it will be sweats weather - longs and longs post run to keep warm. there were some branches down and scattered throughout the park, but little major damage to the course. the trails, on the other hand, were a different matter. during my 18 minute warm up, I ran the back of the horse shoe and on the trails. at the trail entrance there was a large oak down, on the small bridge; a large trunk of a tree crushed one side of the wood & steel structure. after finishing my warm up around the community garden and the horseshoe, I did my plyos & strides. instead of running the traditional course or the hurricane course today, I decided to run the course I designed when I started coaching at Springfield. I started on the low point near the red storage barn and finished just past the gazebo. it is believed to be the only full 5k course used at RTP. the other courses are just short of a 5k. I honestly can’t think of a better place to run regularly. as much as I love the trails, the feeling of running on a XC course tops everything. when I was coaching, I used to love running around the course following the kids. sometimes, I even would get out and run the course myself before or after the meet. it is as close as I get to being truly happy in life. the melancholy that usually over rides any extreme emotion for me disappears while I am running on a cross country course. my only regret as a coach is not being able to inspire more kids to feel the same way. maybe next time around I will figure out how to do that…
Irene was not quite the storm we all thought she would be. thank God for that. she was bad enough as a Cat 1 storm. if she had been much worse, this area (and much of the Eastern Seaboard) would be devastated today. I can’t imagine how bad it would have been for the coastal towns from NC to New England. I am just thankful that first storm to make landfall in New Jersey in 100 yrs was not the storm we saw coming earlier in the week. I have quite a few dear friends and my ex-in laws who live along the Jersey shore or have vacation homes. while running the course yesterday, as I passed the spot along Providence Rd where I say my prayers, I asked my little angel to look out for us this weekend. I think he did. Thank you Lance Michael.
in this space, I often ramble about things other than running. today, I feel compelled to write a thank you of sorts. before teaching, my career path lead me to a short stint as a sports writer. while at the paper, I was privileged to work with some great men who showed me the ropes and remain friends to this day. some of them have also moved on from the paper, one has passed on to the Carolina Blue Heaven. this weekend marked the end of the career of one of the greats - Harry Chaykun. Harry covered mostly girls sports and made them important before title IX or popular with the masses. all the best to Harry C.
one of the great things about coaching/teaching is staying in touch with some of my former student-athletes. getting to know them as adults is always interesting. one of the most worthy of the title of student/athlete just ”friended” me on facebook. I was lucky enough to have this girl as a student in class and athlete on the cross country team. she went on to study and run at Penn. I think she is in NYC now. I always knew she, like most of the kids I’ve coached, would do great things. nice to see that she is.
the hurricane extends summer break one more day tomorrow. sounds like a perfect excuse for a good gym workout and a long run…
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