Two Days Off

I have not moved an inch on my virtual pilgrimage since the last time I wrote on Saturday.  So, I am still 1047 miles from where I started at the beginning of the year.  It is kind of cool that that is 47 miles further than I was at this time last year (as mentioned before).  I decided to take two days off as I didn't want to get up super early to run on the day we drove from Baltimore to Wolfeboro, NH (it took us nearly 11 hours including a stop for lunch, a stop for gas, a stop to orient ourselves near the end, and some traffic tie ups), and I decided that an extra day of getting 7 hours of sleep would be better for me than getting up really early.  I still can get 35 miles during the rest of this week pretty eaisly.  

So, today, other than mentioning the fact that I did not run, I am not going to talk about running.  Today's dots to connect were not steps on the running path.  Today's dots, instead, were mostly walking steps.  Today instead of running with someone I had been training with for several years (no matter who I run with it is usually someone I've known for a while now) but instead, my wife of 22 years.  And the nourishment of the soul--just enjoying presence.

Today was the first day of vacation without having to drive.  We began the day with a relatively late start.  We went to the office of where we are staying fr a donut and some coffee and OJ.  Then, we went to the grocery store.  A big deal?  No.  Romantic?  Not particularly.  But something we did together that we don't usually do together.  Something that we had to make decisions together.  How did we want to plan breakfast?  How many dinners?  What did we want to have?  (Turned out we bought groceries for two dinners so far--tacos and spaghetti.)  How about lunches?  What about beverages?  Did we want to use bottled water?  How about some energy bars?  What about wines to try?  (A sweet Malbec and a local Reisling.)

Then we came back.  Hung out a bit.  Made reservations for the 4th of July dinner dance and cruise on the lake.  Then I made lunch with her help (again, something we don't often do and we did it in the little kithcen in our studio sized condo unit).  The lunch was simple--organic peanut butter and unfiltered honey sandwiches on wheat.

Next we went into town.  Left a little after 1.  Got back just past 5.  The walk from the Windrifter to the edge of "downtown" Wolfeboro is almost exactly a mile.  We went in almost every little store in the downtown area.  Gift stores.  Consignment store.  A store that provided temporary henna tattoos (neither got one) where Sherry bought headbands.  A store with spiritual books--like several that talk about the important of being present in life).  Looked at swimsuits.  Looked at beer.  Looked at cheese.  Bought a maple sugar mead.  After several hours of walking and looking we bought less than 1/4 pound of fudge and split it.  Then we stopped on the way back and bought cold beverages.  Hours of walking together.  Being together.  Buying just one or two things.  Talking to each other.  Talking to sales people and store owners.  It was not so crowded that we ever felt rushed.  It was possible to have a conversation with almost every one.  And we coudl both particiapte in the conversation.

When we got back, we chilled with email for a bit and then I cooked tacos and served the Malbec with dinner.  After dinner we went for ice cream.  Small ice cream meant quite a lot of food.  Finally, we headed to Carry Beach and sat on the edge until the sun was all the way down.  

Spending an entire day together at an easy pace--not rushing anywhere--was a gift.  It is a gift we get all too rarely.  Do we have to go nearly 600 miles to get it?  I hope not in the future.  Would having more such days be helpful?  You bet.  

But I will take every one and count it as something special forever.

Progression

Today's run was 7 miles on the treadmill at the Y, putting me up to 535.3.  

Did I have to go to the Y?  Yes, but not because of the weather. Given how warm it is in the Y's cardio machine area, I would have rather been outside.  What led me inside on the treadmill was the type of workout.  A progression.  My first really intentional progression run as part of a training plan.  

The plan was 7 miles with paces starting at 8, working my way down to 6:30, and then cooling down with 8 again.  I am not yet able to do that easily on my own.  Even on the track.  So, I did it on the treadmill.  Challenging, but not impossible.

From my virtual pilgrimage point of view, it puts me continuing along Indiana route 46 running parallel with I-74 about 13 miles west of where it intersects with US 52.  Not much in the area.  

What was today about pondering?  A few things.

First, yesterday was a rest day.  I call it an "urban rest day."  Meaning what?  Well, while I live in the city and work in the city, in many ways I lead a suburban life.  But yesterday my car was in the shop for a coolant issue (which turned out to be inexpensive to fix and the repair place welcomed my dog when I brought my child and my dog to pick up the car at 7 this morning).  In any case, I had to take the bus to and from work with a walk at one end on the way in (the bus stop was right next to the car repair place) and then both ways on the way home.  The walk is just under a mile.  It was nice to get my legs moving a little even on a rest day.

It was also a day to notice how long it had been since I'd awakened with a charley horse in either calf.  If nothing else, this suggests that I had been hydrating better.  

So, even my rest day involved noticing a few things.

On this running day, it was my first even progression run.  The cumulative time for the 7 miles was 51:15.  I nearly decided to run 51:50 (thinking back to some old Van Halen vinyl that I think I still have somewhere in the basement).  Would there have been any reason to do that other than the number?  No.  And as someone who is particular about trying to get workouts "just right", I decided to stick with the plan rather than to add 35 seconds to get to a specific number that reminded me of something else.

Anyone who has known me since my first marathon, knows that I am a complete numbers person when it comes to running.  Not just my paces.  Not just my times.  Not just PR's.  But looking for meaning in the numbers I find.  Ever since my bib number for the first marathon was 1313.  

The meaning in 2000 miles.  The meaning in putting that on a map.  The meaning in finding a Catholic church exactly that far away.  

It suggests to me why I like listening to baseball on the radio so much as a kid and when I do "consume" a baseball game these days I'd rather have it on the radio than on the TV or even in person.  Great radio broadcasts involve two things--telling stories and sharing numbers.  The numbers can be pretty obscure.  I saw that the current shortstop for the team where I grew up just started the opening day game for the 14th season.  Tied for the major league record for the position.  Two ahead of the shortstop I grew up watching.  Two years behind the 3rd baseman I grew up watching.  I love numbers.  Even in baseball the most obscure number has meaning to someone.   

And finally, I thought about music.  51:15 to 5150 to Van Halen.  I thought about how exploring Van Halen for me as a teen was something new.  I thought about fact that when I come upon new music I often listen a lot and then pull back.  Kind of like a progression run--pushing harder and harder and then pulling back.

I thought about the fact that there is a "new country" station in the area and I have taken to it.  Surprising to many, including my wife who had tried to convince me that country music was good.  Why do I like it?  Because the stories (as my 18 year old said) are "real".  Not always.  And country has recently been accused of telling the same story over and over again.  But the music actually reminds me not of the country I heard growing up but of the type of music with lyrics that I can understand that I liked growing up.  And one change--if we accept the premise that it is more stories of real lives and real people, my job is more about that these days.  Business schools are about real people doing real things in a real economy.  Yes, there are some fancy finance things that don't seem very real.  But business is relationships and motivation.  And country music talks about relationships and motivations in very direct ways.  

So, starting from a challenging 7 mile workout that took me along Indiana 46 in my path to New Mexico with a cumulative time of 51:15, I have ended up pondering my musical tastes and my interest in baseball and my life in a city.  I don't know what that says about me other than that I have a mind that likes to wander and find ways to pull things together. 

A Day of Rest

It is fitting that on a Sunday, I am experiencing a day of rest in my 2000 mile quest.  Some Sundays I have decided to run just to get the legs loosened up after a Saturday long (and often faster than necessary) run.  Other Sundays I have run to try to make sure my mileage stays up.  Finally, my Sunday running also depends on the other stuff going on.  And today the outside activity is taking my nine year old to an ice hockey game about an hour away.  And it is colder this morning.  So despite getting new shoes yesterday, I am taking today off and will break in the new shoes tomorrow.

The experience of getting new shoes was a very good one. I was thinking of trying a new running shoe store, but given when I was able to go yesterday and given the store's hours, I was not able to make it.  Since my old shoes had 650 miles of use and that is about the maximum I have been choosing to accept (more than the 500 maximum recommended by the manufacturer), I really needed new shoes.  In any case, I ended up at the same store at which I have bought at least my last eight pairs of running shoes.  The nice thing was that it really went with my pragmatic vision and spirituality.  Going back to the same place--the place where I had been a member of training groups from the summer of 2010 through the fall of 2011--is a bigger picture issue.  The vision was clearly communicating to the salesperson exactly what I was looking for.  More miles than last year and possibly faster.  And with that we tried on a new version of the same brand and model I had before and then a new model from the same manufacturer and three other shoes.  In the end, I made the smallest change possible--the new model of the same manufacturer.  The key is that it what the salesperson said (and I realize he could just be saying this afterwards) that the best move would be a small change with then the opportunity for a greater change later on.  The key is that the new pair has less support than the old pair.  And the other manufacturers' shoes had even less support.  So, we will see if the pragmatic small change leads to even greater change later on.  To go with my vision of being an even better runner.  (And a better person overall.)


So, since today is Sunday, it is a great day to share the information I have gathered about the church at the end of my virtual pilgrimage.  In a direct email from the archivist of the diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico.  To the left is a picture of the outside of the church.

So, I also received some information about the church in the same email.  Here it is.  It is quite extensive giving the history of the start and some relatively current information:

Our Lady of Perpetual Help wasn’t established until the town of Hot Springs was founded to serve the construction crews of Elephant Butte Dam.  Many small churches preceded it to serve the thriving mining and ranching communities of the last century and the first third of this one.  Mass was celebrated as early as 1916 in Hot Springs High School.  By 1921 construction had begun on a permanent church that now serves as the parish hall.  Over the years it was improved, and enlarged until it became the central church of the Catholics of Sierra County.  In 1939, Rev. Joseph Mueller, added a residence to the church and moved the administration of the Catholic church of the area from Monticello to his new rectory in Hot Springs. Following the Second World War the need for a parish hall was met by deciding to build a new church and converting the previous church into the parish hall.  With minor additions and improvements this second church has served the Catholics of the area well for over sixty years.  The present church building was dedicated on December 16, 1949.  In 1961, the house and property on the east side of the rectory were acquired so that the church owned the entire block. Rev. Art Roberts, C.S.B. arrived as pastor in July of 1994 and recommended a two-year study of the long-range needs of the parish.  The result was the transformation of the existing building.  Many problems presented themselves in the course of the renovation, but the final result is a joy to behold.  It is a fitting tribute to the previous generation that built the building and to the present generation who had the courage to invest in its future service to the area.  It is one of the finest buildings in Truth or Consequences and a credit to Catholics everywhere.

The history clearly shows the importance of serving others, serving a need that provides a vision for the area and for the economy, and the importance of growth over time.  I will ponder the history (and the history of the town) a bit more as time goes on.  But this is a great start to thinking about where I am "going".  

40 Days to Better: Day 14

Today is Sunday.  Historically held up by Christians as a day of rest.  And I have chosen to rest from running most Sunday's recently.  So, no run today.

I was awakened by animals clamoring for breakfast.  I'll have to walk the dog before leaving to teach Sunday school.

With teaching Sunday school, attending mass, grocery shopping, and some other things around the house, it won't be a complete day of rest by any means.  But it rarely is.

So, what is the lesson today for the road to better?  I'll take up something that Fr. Sam often mentions to parents in the pews at St . Pius X church where we attend.  He tells parents not to worry so much about the kids fussing some.  Without kids who are fussing in the pews now, we won't have older kids who can sit through mass, who then become teenagers who are actively involved, and adults who stay in the parish.  In other words, without children in the pews, we have no future.

Fr. Sam also talks about the "fire in the belly" in terms of excitement about what is going on at church.  Fr. Sam's frequent comments make me think of a recent gathering for catechists across the archdioceses that I was lucky enough to attend, Fr. James Martin talked about the lack of joy and humor in the Catholic church.

Why is that important?  Think of the best science or math teacher you ever had.  What did they do that made them the best?  They probably did something to make you see how exciting the subject was.  We could call that joy.

Father Martin mentioned how little excitement or joy we show in how we conduct mass as Catholics, how we attend mass as Catholics, and how we teach to our children.  Obviously, not every teacher or every parishioner or every priest lacks joy in the way they present what we do.  But many do.

So, as I enter this year, I will focus on bringing joy to my classroom.  First, my joy.  Maybe that will be contagious.

I know that when I talk about my running, I show joy.

When I tell the story behind my tattoo--which actually relates to my faith--I show joy.

When I talk about my marriage--I show joy.

Even when I talk about my job--most of the time--I show joy.

That joy is essential to my life.  I am an optimist. I am usually a happy optimist.  I get joy from a lot of things.

That joy, as we were reminded in a recent catechist preparation class at St Pius, is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.  A gift from God (as the Holy Spirit is part of the Holy Trinity.)  That joy is something that I am called on to share--through running, story-telling in general, work, and teaching about God, as well as any other positive pursuit I may have in life.  

Even After Boston There Are Non-Running Mornings

To use yesterday's terminology, even as I was running toward Boston there were non-running mornings.  Ever since my first marathon training experience, I had been told time again by a variety of sources that one needs rest or cross-training.  There was a list of reasons not to run every single day.  And that was fine.

Today is only the third non-running day since the Boston marathon for me.  The first was the day after.  Believe it or not, I have sometimes run on the day after.  I don't recall why I didn't run last Friday.  And today I may still go out for 3-4 miles if I have a chance, but I do not feel compelled.

Is it needing to rest?  In fact, no.  I met several friends of friends at the expo at the old Boston convention center and at the athlete's village in Hopkinton who actually talked about running every day (even if just a little) for a long period of time.  That is not necessarily my aspiration but it points to how little the body actually needs substantial rest.  At least for some people.

No, instead, I am looking at a long list of unanswered emails.  I am looking at some things that need to be done to straighten up the house.  I am looking at all the other things in life that simply require my full attention for a little while.

If there is one thing that marathon running teaches you, it is that when you need to give your full attention to something it really does require giving your full attention.  It is difficulty--although probably not impossible--to get ready to run a marathon without a full-fledged plan.  The plan takes attention and gets done.  When I am running, sometimes it is possible to go on autopilot.  But not always.  And especially for the more intense workouts (tempo and track), I find that I need to give them my attention.  

And, of course, running a point to point marathon like Boston (where the caravan of yellow school buses taking people out to the start at Hopkinton is quite an amazing site) teaches you that things have to be faced head on.  When you are taken by bus 26 miles from the finish line (and approximately 26 miles from an opportunity to get back to your car) you really have only one choice--take the situation head on, run to the finish line, and get on with life.  

Are there emails I'd prefer not to have to answer?  Of course.  Are there chores at home I would prefer not to do?  Yep!  But when all is said and done they need to be done.  And modeling my approach to the rest of my life the same way that I take on the challenges of a marathon will help me to stay on track, get things done, achieve, and lead a fulfilling life at home, with family, and at work in the same way that I do when I run.